lay so much stress upon it Bellar. Tom. 2. p. 286. if these are Innovations creept into their Church who was the first Author of them when did he begin in whose Reign and in what place did he live who did oppose him what company believ'd on him and what his new Opinions were as they instance in Arrianism and other Heresies And because they fancy we cannot make all these particulars so absolutely plain therefore they say we have falsely charged the Romish Church with new errours and that their Faith is truly ancient and by an uninterrupted Succession of Infallible Bishops hath been convey'd down from Christ and his Apostles in its full purity to this present Age. To satisfie their curiosity the defenders of the Reformation have done this but suppose they could not have been so particular about the birth of these new Errours or had made some mistakes in the compass of time yet however the charge of Innovation against the Romish Church stands firm and good upon these accounts 1. That Reformation carries not so much a respect to the Errour when it began as to the Errour it self Not whither it be sooner or later but whither it be an errour contrary to the true Christian Faith It may serve some honest purposes to know the who and the when the where and the how and other circumstances of its begining and proceeding but the necessity of Reformation springs from the nature of the Errour which came from the invention of men and not the Authority of Christ And matters not much whither Simon Magus who was contemporary with the Apostles was the first Author of it or Pope Hildebrâ—â—d at so great a distance 'T is enough that we are certain and sure that the Popish Doctrines which we condemn by comparing them with the Scriptures are not Christs and his Apostles have none of their Images or Superscriptions upon them who only had full Authority to make them current and true Articles of Faith They have indeed indeed Christianity among them but like Joseph's coat so dipt in blood so over-laced with Fopperies and undecent Ceremonies and so many new pieces stitch'd to the old Cloath that the old Fathers if alive would scarce know it to be the true Joseph's and would not trouble themselves so much to ask the time when this came to pass as lament the sadness of the change And the Apostles did not so much care to tell the punctual time to the Disciples when Antichrist should discover himself as to make them stand upon their guard to defend that Faith which he would invade where and whensoever he should come or whosoever he was 2. The difficuity of knowing the precise and punctual times when Errours first began In many sorts of Changes or Innovations 't is hard to know the nice time of their beginning but some latitude of Judging is allow'd and why not in things especially relating to Religion Are there not wild Opinions left upon Record among the Pagan Writers whose Authors are either unknown or which are fasely fathered upon others and as hard to be known as the head of Nile Can the nicest Romanist tell us what Rabbi and in what place and age first superinduc'd the several false Glosses and Senses to the Law of Moses yet our Saviour though he knew them well thought it sufficient to tell them that in the beginning it was not so and by comparing the Mosaick Religion it plainly appears they were new additions to the good old way And how many Errours sprung up in times of Christianity of whose Original and other Circumstances both the Romanists and our selves are yet uncertain And how many things of this nature more near our own times are we puzled about and the difficulty of knowing them ariseth principally from this twofold account 1. From the subtilty of the contrivers of Errours Which many times are the cunning and the wise in their Generation which the necessity of their cause requires Truth being strong and Errour nuturally weak and that slie deceiving Spirits lends it his utmost assistance to serve the design Such men know how to disguise new Falshoods in the old habits of Truth to make them look ancient and venerable they feel and know the temper of the age and fit their Opinions to the interest and pleasure of it They prepare their errours to be received by degrees and one part must draw on the other and the whoâ—e must be insâ—â—sibly swallowed down So it hapned in the adoration and invocation of Saints and Images and the whole structure of the Romish Religion which by severall steps and in many ages advanc'd to its mighty bulk The cunning knew the consequences of their own positions how far theâ— would reach which the vulgar eye discern'd not they well foresaw how their Hey and Stuble variety of Phrases and changes of Syllables would at â—ength fire the Foundation of Religion yet being invented at first by the Angelical Doctours and leaders of an Age for fame and reputation sake they their followers first defended them for bare Truths afterwards for Sacred and Fundamental ones and things at first only piously believed soon after have been adopted into a Creed and men of Rashness and Superstition only great in Place and Office have vented opinions whose fatal conclusions they at first we hope did not know yet the cunning many times have hatcht what they left and improv'd it fatally to Religion the greatness of the man whither an Innocent or an Hildebrand gave the errour its first reputation and the cunning of others its strength and argument Many of the great and knowing heads of the World being corrupted unto the Roman side to defend those errours which had got footing in the Church But how can we unlock the secret methods of Rome or describe the wayes and policies by which the mystery of Iniquity works Yet we are sure it 's carried on by the windings and turnings of the Serpent and men that he imploys upon design to ruin truth for when the Apostle describes the sad Apostacies and defections from the Faith they are said to be wrought by men of Skill Eph. 4. 14. and Art who lie in wait to deceive 2 From the Passions and Infirmities of other men These give the false and busie deceiver an easie Victory When Opinions are so contriv'd as to serve the designs of Pride and Covetousness Ambition and Lust and other Vices they easily pass for mighty Truths their Original is not enquir'd into the Judgment is brib'd and they bear the title of ancient and Primitive or what the deceiver pleaseth For these Passions have effeminated the mind made it soft and slugâ—ish and any bold errour shall slip down rather then be at the charge of a farther search and enquiry to know whither these things be so or no. The Roman Religion being so well cut out in its different Doctrines to hit mens Vices and Passions Gaiety or Melancholy Enthusiasm or Fury
appear to be so in this that we were mistaken that we were over-nice and curious in refusing to worship Saints and Angels yet ours is a much more innocent and pardonable mistake then that which the church of Rome is guilty of if they should prove to be mistaken We are only wanting in some Religious courtship which we might innocently have given to Saints and Angels but which we were not bound to give as the Church of Rome will not say that we are by any express Divine Law and therefore it is no sin against GOD not to do it and when this neglect is not owing to any designed contempt and dis-regard of those excellent Spirits but to a great reverence for GOD and jealousie for his incommunicable glory if it were a fault we need not doubt but that GOD would pardon it and that all good spirits who have such profound veneration for GOD will easily excuse the neglect of some ceremonies to themselves upon so great a reason But if the Church of Rome be mistaken and gives that worship to creatures which is due only to the Supreme God they have nothing to pretend in excuse of it neither any positive Law of God which expresly forbids all Creature-worship as I doubt not to prove to the satisfaction of all impartial Readers nor the principles of Natural Reason which whatever Apologies it may make for the worship of Saints and Angels can never prove the necessity of it and it highly concerns the Church of Rome and all of her communion to consider whither if their distinctions and little appearances of reason cannot justifie their worship of creatures they will be able to excuse them from the guilt of so great a sin But not to insist on these things now I shall divide this discourse into three parts 1. I shall prove from the plain evidence of Scripture That God alone is to be worshipped 2. I shall examine what that worship is which is proper and particular to the Supreme God 3. I shall consider those distinctions whereby the Church of Rome justifies her worship of Saints and Angels and Images c. SECTION I. That GOD alone must be Worshipped TO make good the first point that we must worship Sect. 1. no other being but only GOD I shall principally confine my self to Scripture evidence which is the most certain authority to determine this matter For though I confess it seems to me a self evident and fundamental principle in natural Religion that we must worship none but that Supreme Beeing who made and who governs the World yet I find men reason very differently about these matters The Heathen Philosophers who generally acknowledge one Supreme and Soveraign Deity did not think it incongruous nor any affront or dimimition to the Supreme God to ascribe an inferiour kind of Divinity nor to pay an inferiour degree of Religious Worship to those excellent Spirits which are so much above us and have so great a share in the government of this lower world no more then it is an affront to a Soveraign Monarch to honour and reverence his great Ministers of State or peculiar Favourites And the Church of Rome as she has corrupted Christianity with the worship of Angels and Saints departed so she defends her self with the same Arguments and reasons which were long since alledged by Celsus and Porphyrie and other Heathen Philosophers in defence of their Pagan Idolatry And it must be confest that these Arguments are very popular and have something so agreeable in them to the natural notions of Civil Honour and respect which admits of great variety of degrees that I do not wonder that such vast numbers of men both wise and unwise have been imposed on by them For there is certainly a proportionable reverence and respect due even to created excellencies and every degree of power challenges and commands a just regard and we are bound to be very thankful not only to GOD who is the first cause and the supreme giver of all good things but to our immediate Benefactors also And therefore if there be a sort of middle Beeings as the Heathens believed and as the Church of Rome asserts between us and the Supreme God who take particular care of us and either by their power and interest in the government of the world or by their Intercessions with the Supreme GOD can and do bestow a great many Blessings on us it eems as natural and necessary to fear and reverence to honour and worship them and to give them thanks for their care and patronage of us as it is to court a powerful Favourite who by his interest and authority can obtain any request we make to our Prince and the first seems to be no greater injury to God then the second 2. Col. 18. to a Prince Thus St. Paul observes that there is a shew of humility in worshipping Angels that men dare not immediately approach so glorious a Majesty as God is but make their addresses to those excellent spirits which attend the Throne of God and are the Ministers of his Providence But then every one who believes that there is one Supreme God who made all other Beeings though never so perfect and excellent must acknowledge that as there is nothing common to God and Creatures so there must be a particular Worship due to God which no Creatures can challenge any share in It is no affront to a Prince to pay some inferiour degrees of civil honour and respect to his Ministers and Favourites because as the difference between a Prince and his subjects is not founded in nature but in civil order so there are different degrees of civil respect proportioned to the different ranks and degrees of men in the Common-wealth There is a degree of preheminency which is sacred and peculiar to the Person of the Prince and no Prince will suffer his greatest Favourite to usurp the Prerogative honours which belong to the Crown but while they are contented with such respects as are due to their rank and station this is no injury to the Prince for all civil honour is not peculiar to the Prince but only a supereminent degree of it and therefore inferiour degrees of honour may be given to other persons But though there are different degrees of civil honour proper to different ranks and degrees of men who all partake in the same nature and are distinguisht only by their different places in the Common-wealth yet in this sense there are no different degrees of Religious Worship All Religious Worship is peculiar to the Divine Nature which is but one and common only to three Divine Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost one God blessed for ever Amen Civil honor and Religious Worship differ in the whole kind and species of actions and have as different objects as God and Creatures and we may as well argue from those different degrees of civil honour among men to prove that there is an inferiour degree
worship to inferiour Deities or does not this Law forbid the worship of those Gods whom the Heathens worshipped as inferiour Daemons but only the worship of those Gods whom they accounted Supreme and Soveraign If this Law forbids the worship of all Heathen Gods and it is certain that they worshipped a great many Gods whom they did not account Supreme then there can be no place for this distinction here for such an inferiour worship as makes an inferiour God is as well forbid as supreme and soveraign worship The Law says Thou shalt have none other Gods before me or besides me which as I observed before does not exclude the worship of the supreme God but forbids the worship of any other Beeing together with him The meaning is not Thou shalt not renounce my worship for the worship of any other Gods but thou shalt worship me and no other God besides me now I would only ask this question whither a Jew who worshipped the God of Israel who declared himself to be the Supreme God could give supreme worship to any other God this is contrary to the sense of all mankind to worship him as Supreme whom they do not believe to be Supreme And therefore when God forbad them to joyn the worship of any other Gods with the worship of himself he must forbid all kinds and degrees of worship even the most inferiour worship which the Heathens paid to their inferiour Deities If you say that God did indeed forbid all kinds and degrees of worship to be paid to the Heathen Gods which were impure and wicked spirits but still it is lawful to pay inferiour worship to Saints and Angels who are the friends of God I answer the Law makes no distinction between the worship of good and bad Spirits and therefore as far as this Law is concerned we must either deny this inferiour degrees of Worship to all or grant it to all If this Law does not forbid giving inferiour degrees of worship to other Beeings then it does not forbid the inferiour worship of Heathen Gods that may be faulty upon other accounts but is no breach of this law and then the Heathens were not guilty of Idolatry in worshipping their inferiour Dâ—â—mons with an inferiour worship If this Law does forbid even this inferiour degree of worship then it forbids the worship of good Spirits too though with an inferiour worship which transforms true Saints and Angels into false and fictitious Deities But I have another argument to prove that this Law can have no respect to the different degrees of worship The Roman Doctors themselves grant that the difference between supreme and subordinate or inferiour worship does not consist in the outward Act that all or most of the external Acts of worship may belong to both kinds they except indeed Sacrifice but contrary to the sense of all men for the Heathens offered Sacrifice to their inferiour Deities as well as to the supreme and there is no imaginable reason to be assigned why Sacrifice as well as Prayer may not be an act of inferiour as well as of supreme worship The difference then between supreme and inferiour worship is only in the intention and devotion of the worshippers and no man can by the external act know whither this be supreme or inferiour worship Now from hence I thus argue if the worship forbidden by this Law be such as can be known by the external act then this Law can have no regard to the degrees of worship for the degrees of worship are not in the external acts but in the mind of the worshipper which cannot be known by external acts Now that the Law did forbid the external acts of worship without any regard to the intention of the worshipper appears in this that this Idolatrous worship was to be punished with death and therefore it must be such external Idolatry as falls under the cognizance of humane Judicatures Had there been Deutr. 13. 6 7. c. any regard to the degrees of worship no man could have been convicted of Idolatry by the external act and could not have been liable to punishment unless he had confessed his intention of giving supreme worship to a false God and so this Law of putting such Idolaters to death had signified nothing because it had been impossible for them to convict any man of Idolatry but by his own confession but when the external act which is visible to all men is sufficient to convict any man of Idolatry it is next to a demonstration that the Law had no respect to the degrees but to the acts of worship And that our Saviour in that Law thou shalt Worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve had no regard to the different degrees of worship I have already proved at large for allowing that distinction he had not given a good answer to the Devils temptation Thus as for their distinction between absolute and relative worship that though we must not worship any Creature the most excellent Saints and Angels for themselves yet we may worship them upon account of that relation they have to God that is we may worship them for Gods sake though not for their own I find no intimation of any such distinction in the Law We are there commanded to have no other Gods to worship God and him only which excludes Saints and Angels from being the object of our worship as well as Devils 2. But possibly it may be said that though the Law takes no notice of such distinctions yet the Scripture in the explication of this Law may make allowances for it Now in answer to this I only desire to know where the Scripture has made any such distinction between worshipping good and evil Spirits the enemies and Rivals or the Friends of God between supreme and subordinate absolute or relative worshâ—p I can find no such distinctions in Scripture and I have a material reason to believe no such can be found viz because there was no occasion for them The Scripture no where allows us to give any kind of worship to any Creature and therefore there was no need to distinguish between the kind and degrees of worship The most material thing that can be said in this cause is this that when the Scripture mentions this Law of worshipping One God it opposes it to the worship of the false Gods of the Heathens from whence some may conclude that God Deut 6. 13. 14 Deut 13. 7. forbade the worship only of these false Gods But we must consider that the Law is conceived in such general terms as to exclude the worship of all Beeings besides the Supreme God but it could not be thought that God should at that time immediately apply this Law against the worship of any other Beeings but those which were at that time worshipped in the world If God gives a Law which forbids the worship of any Beeings besides himself and particularly applies this Law to
imitation not to be Adored for Religion that at the Communion Table they were named but not Invocated And again you see the head of the most renowned Empire stooping with his Diadem and Praying at the Sepulchre of Peter the Fisherman namely 't is to God himself that he Prayes though at the Tomb of Peter Epiphanius reproving as he calls it the Womens Hoeres 79. adver Collyridian Heresie who were wont to offer up a Cake to the Blessed Virgin hath these words Let Mary be in Honour but let the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost be Worshipped and to shew us what a very ill opinion he had of that at least Superstitious practice he six times repeats in that tract Marian medies â—roskyneito Let no Man Adore Mary To name no more Tertullian in his Apology for the Apol. c. Sect. 30. 2. 3. Christians thus expresses himself after he had set down the many great Blessings the Christians thought themselves ever oblidged to beg for their Emperours As long life and Valiant Armies and a Faithful Senate and Loyal Subjects and a peaceable Reign these things saith he I may not Pray for from any other but from him of whom I know I shall obtain them because both it is he who is alone able to give and I am he to whom it appertains to obtain that which is requested being his Servant who observe him alone VII That the Doctrine and Practice of Saint-Invocation is Impious and Idolatrous THis I think will be fully made out from these three particulars 1. This ascribes to Angels and Saints the Attributes and Perfections that are solely proper and peculiar to God viz. his Omniscience and Omnipresence for not only when Mental Prayers as the Church of Rome directs but since the blessed Spirits above can't be supposed to espouse the cause of an insincere Votary when vocal Prayers also are offered up to them it supposes them Privy to the very thoughts and acquainted with the Hearts of Men again when innumerable Prayers and Supplications from Millions of places at the greatest distance from one another are at the same time immediately put up to them it supposes in like manner that they are present in all places and at the same time can give Audience to all their Petitioners Now what more or greater can be said of God Is not this that infinite knowledge that Omnipresent Power and never absent Nature that the Scriptures solely attribute to the Creator of all things and have denied to any of the highest Form of the Creatures And although I will not undertake to describe to you the exact bounds aad Measures of the Angelical Nature and Perfections how perspective their Knowledge is How piercing their understanding How swift their motion Yet sure I am that neither they nor any other the most elevated part of Gods Creation can by their Natural Power know the Hearts of Men and be in all places at one instant of time It is God alone whose understanding is infinite who looks down from Heaven beholds all the wayes of the Sons of Men He even he knoweth all the Hearts of the Children 1 King 8. 27. of Men. 'T is he that seeth in secret And God challenges it as a peculiar to himself The Heart is Matt. 6. 4. Jerem. 17. 9. 10. deceitful above all things and disperatly Wicked who can know it I the Lord search the Heart and try the Reins By this Argument the Fathers Triumph'd over the Arrians and Macedonians in proving the Divinity of the Son and the Holy Ghost which yet would have been no Argument at all had not this Knowledge been an Incommunicable perfection in the Divine Nature But 't is said that 't is God indeed that only Naturally and of himself knows the Hearts o Men but this hinders not but that others his Saints and Angels may know them by Communication from him viz. Either by Revelation from God or by the Beatifick Vision Seeing all things in God who sees all things In answer to this not to mention how it contradicts the express words of Scripture which without any distinction or limitation does as plainly assert as words can do it That God only knows the Heart not to mention the many disputes the Romanists have among themselves which way is to be chosen as the most probable and after what manner is either way this knowledge is derived and past from God to them these things may be said 1. That God hath no where declared that he hath Communicated this Priviledge and Prerogative of his Nature to Saints and Angels or that he does any way make visible or known to them the Hearts and the Requests of Men and now if what is not of Faith is Sin we having no Text of Scripture to Build our Faith upon in this particular must of necessity Sin in Praying to them on that supposition and commit that very sin too which we doubt whither we so doing commit or no nay the silence of the Scripture in this particular has in a manner determined the point and we may conclude that the most jealous God has reserved the Honour of Intimation to himself alone since he has no where given us the least hint or intimation of leave to pray to them 2. We are informed in Scripture that the Saints departed do not particularly know or mind what 's done 2 Chron. 34. 28. here below God tells Josiah thou shalt be gathered to thy Grave in Peace neither shall thine Eyes see the Evil I will bring upon this place The Dead know not any thing that is of the affairs of this World saith the Eccl. 9. 5. Preacher His Sons come to Honour and he kneweth it not and they are brought low and he perceiveth it not of them sayes Job of Man in the other State When 2 Kings 2. 9. Elijah was about to be taken up into Heaven he thus spake to Elisha Ask what thou wilt before I am taken from thee Strongly implying that when he was once gone 't was in vain to ask any thing of him Elijah was immediately taken up into Heaven made no stay by the way in Limbo as the Romanists themselves agree being in Heaven his Love to Elisha could not be forgot nor his Interest in God lessened but rather both by being exalted thither very much encreased and augmented so that no reason can be given why he should limit and fix his making his desires known to him to the time of his abode with him on Earth but only this his perswasion that in the other State he should not be capable to hear his requests and so all his future addresses to him would be ineffectual To these we may add that known place in Isaiah Abraham doth not know us and Israel is ignorant of us from whence St. Austin concludes that if those great Men Isa 63. 16. and Founders of their Nation were ignorant of what was done in after Ages to their
Posterity why should the Dead S. Aust de cura pro morie c. 13. be thought in a condition to know or help their surviving friends in what they do 3. They that will have God acquaint particular Saints and Angels with those Petitions that are put up to them impose a very Servile and Dishonourable Office on God and as sometimes they will have us out of Discretion and Humility go to God by Saints and Angels as Men make their way to a Prince by his Favourites now they make the King and his Subjects to change places and God is sent to wait on them with the requests of their Votaries What can be more strangely ridiculous then this Position of theirs That the Petitioner must first make his sute to Angels and Saintâ— then God must tell those Angels and Saints both the person that Prayes and the boon he Prayes for then the Angels or Saints must back again and present them to God Or when any one addresses to an Angel or Saint to supplicate the blessed Virgin in his behalf God must first tell this Angel or Saint the contents of the Address then he must Post to the blessed Virgin she upon the first notice of it must have recourse to her Son and he upon the motion of his Mother repair to his Father to present that request to him which he himself fiâ—st revealed But is not this an insufferable affront to God and an intollerable abuse of themselves To send the most high God on the Errands of his Creatures and to apply themselves to broken Cisterns when they may directly go to the Fountain it self of all blessings 4. Neither can the Angels and Spirits above know the Hearts and Petitions of their supplicants any more by vertue of the sight of God then by Revelation from him this fond opinion depends upon this Romish gingle That seeing God they must in him see all things that in Idea are contained in him but does not the Scripture assure us That no one knows the things of God but the Spirit of God that is in him Do they not tell us how 1 cor 2. 11. ignorant the Angels were of the great Mystery of Mans Redemption notwithstanding their nearness to God Eph. 3. 10. and beholding his Face Till it was made known to them by the church Does not our Saviour let us know that 1 Pet. 1. 12. he himself as Man though his Humanity was Hypostatically united to the Divinity did not pretend to know all the Councils and Purposes of God Speaking of the day of Judgment he says Of that day and hour knoweth no Man no Matt. 24. 36 not the Angels but the Father only Why then should it be thought credible that the blessed spirits above by beholding Gods Face do in that Glass of the Divinity see all things and transactions that are done and hear all Prayers and Petitions that are made by the sons of Men 2. This Doctrine and Practice is highly derogatory from the Glory of God as Governour of the World God is the great Lord of Heaven and Earth all that we are and all that we have we derive from him we are upheld by his Power and maintained by his bounty and Goodness In him we live and move and have our being he gives to all life and breath and all things he numbers the hairs of our head paints the Lillies of the Field beyond the Glory of Solomon feeds the young Ravens that call upon him takes care of Sparrows much more of Man who is of a more worthy and excellent Nature much more yet of Nations and Kingdoms who consist of multitudes of Men linkt together by Laws and Government and though sometimes when he pleases he makes use of the Ministry of Angels and makes them the Instruments of his Providence towards the sons of Men yet he hath no where told us that he hath divided to them much less to Saints departed their several Provinces or set them their particular tasks that he has made them Presidents over such Countries or Cities Patrons and Guardians over such persons or professions that he has given them a power over such and such Maladies and Diseases but has reserved the power of dispensing his kindnesses where to whom and in what measure in his own hands and therefore all our trust and confidence ought intirely to be placed in God all our Thanks and Praises are due to him and he alone is to be acknowledged as the Author and Donor of all our blessings but now from that Presidentship and protection that power and patronage that the Romanists intruding into these things they have not seen without sufficient ground Col. 2. 18. ascribe to Angels and Saints over particular Kingdoms persons and in particular Cases and Circumstances though as substitutes under God arises naturally some degree of trust and confidence in them some debt of Homage and praise to them and 't is well if the person oblidged looks any higher in his returns of Love and Thankfulness then to that particular Angel or Saint he prayed to and from whose deputed power and Authority he thinks he received his deliverance and what is this but to rob God of the Honour of being sole Governour of the World and to make some of his Creatures who are no less beholding to him for their subsistence then the rest to partake with him of that Trust and Affectioâ— that Homage and subjection that is wholly due to him from all his Creatures What is this as our Church in her Homily expresses it But a turning from the Creator to the Creature Cursed is Man that trusteth in Man sayes the Prophet and Jerem 17. 5. 7 for the same reason in any Finite and Created Beeing because in what degree he does so in the same does his Heart depart from God but blessed is the Man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is What low and mean conceptions of God have those Men who think his Government of the World must be modelled and conformed to a Princes Government over his Kingdom and because he being but a Man and so not able in person to hear all complaints and redress all grievances appoints substitutes under him Judges and Magistrates to do it therefore God must do so too whereas there is an infinitely wider distance betwixt the Wisdom and knowledge and Goodness and Power of God and those of the most acccomplish'd Governour then there is betwixt the height of Heaven and the lowest centre of the Earth My thoughts Esa 55. 8. 9. are not your thoughts neither are your wayes my wayes saith the Lord for as the Heavens are higher then the Earth so are my wayes higher then your wayes and my thoughts then your thoughts The Wisest Monarch on Earth falls infinitely short of the perfections of God his Knowledge is but short his Power small and therefore cannot possibly without the information and assistance of others extend the
when your fear cometh so St. Luke 15. The rich Glutton is tormented who was alwayes for spending his present time in riot and luxury he applauds himself in his wisdom and foresight when he had made such plentifull provisions for many years ease and pleasure but alas how soon is his unprepared Soul surprized with a sad arrest of Death how blank did the Fool then look when he heard the fatal news that that night should put an end to all his hopes How was he confounded with the terrours of the other World poor Wretch how did he tremble when he found himself beset with Devils and damned Spirits On the other side Lazarus is comforted because he did his work in this World through much poverty and hardship he got at last to Heaven This is the case of all Men an eternity of happiness or misery awaits them hereafter there is no other state of things so great and so unalterable the Divine Providence hath made use of all the best and wisest methods to disabuse the enchanted reason of Man that he may not be miserable but happy for ever and if Men could be brought seriously to reflect on the dismal and astonishing events of a wicked life they would never suffer themselves to be so much imposed upon by Cheats and Impostâ—â—â—s who recommend to them an implicite Faith and a belief in such a state as Purgatory whereby their eyes are shut that they may not be affrighted by the sight of their misery The fears of one Party betray Men into Superstition the vices of another into Atheism the covetousness of a third draws them into most pernicious mistakes about the World to come But if Men would be at the pains to enquire into the affairs of Religion and be not indifferent whither their condition hereafter be happy or miserable they will easily discover its principles to be highly reasonable and the keeping of its Commandments to be their highest interest they will plainly see the paths of Truth and Blessedness for it sets down the most easie rules both for living well and for believing right because errours in Belief are the less destructive of Christianity and the ends thereof then a general viciousness of manners is But if Men will be Fools and follow trifling opinions no wonder if they perish by their own folly do they believe the immortality of the Soul a future state or a judgment to come If they believe all this to what a degree of madness do they act that will venture the fury of an Almighty vengeance for the sake of obeying one sort of Men who have contrived New and Antiscriptural Articles of Faith who will run the hazard of forfeiting an eternal Happiness and of being cast into an eternal Flame because they fansie their Church is an infallible guide whereas St. Paul writting to the Romans speaks not one word of their priviledge of infallibility but rather puts them in fear in the 11. chap. That they as well as the Jews were in danger of falling away St. Peter also in his Catholick Epistles doth not once acquaint the Christians whom he writes to what Guide they were follow after his departure there was no need for any such thing for he had all along told them that by following the Scripture they may be saved having then an infallible way there was no use at least no necessity of an infallible Guide But as the Church of Rome without any colour of reason sets up for an infallible Guide in points of Controversie so with like boldness she may lay claim as some of her disciples do to demonstration in matters of Faith whereas if we will define Faith to be that assent by which we receive the word of God as such and upon account thereof give assent to all things which therein are propounded to us to be believed then there are to be assigned two several acts of Faith one of which is that judgment by which we acknowledge that word to be truly divine the other is that assent which we give to all those things that are contained therein Faith in the former respect is less certain then science but in respect of adherence is more certain then the other Now there cannot be so great a certainty in Faith as in science the Mathematicks for instance because Faith is more lyable to doubting then science is If any Man perceives the strength and force of a Geometrical Demonstration he cannot in the mean while doubt of the conclusion but now a true Believer doth often strugle with doubting and unbelief wherewith his Faith is assaulted and yet it ceaseth not to be true Faith We must confess that the mind doth less clearly perceive this to be the word of God then it doth those things which are self-evident and the conclusions logically deduced from There is no reason therefore that any one should fear to acknowledge that assent to be also less certain notwithstanding it follows not upon this account that Faith is uncertain for That which arises not to the certainty of the science is not therefore uncertain for although that certainty which is called Moral be of an inferiour degree to Demonstration yet it is a true certainty leaves the mind satisfied and free from doubt But how can a Man be said to have a certainty greater then that of science when he hath not that certainty of evidence from the Arguments upon which the matter is grounded It may be answered that no Man can deny but there may be just cause why a Man may adhere to the objects of his Faith more strongly then the Arguments brought for the truth thereof do require For when a Man is sufficiently perswaded by due reasons and arguments that what is propounded to him for Divine Revelation is indeed such this Man if he duly attends and seriously considers that it is God who speaks he will be wholly bent to yield obedience thereunto he will entertain the word of God with the highest veneration he will closely adhere to it and he will be fully resolved to suffer and renounce all things rather then withdraw his assent from those matters of Faith which are contained in it and confirmed by it From thence there arises in his mind a greater or at least a more effectual adherence to the Articles of his Faith then there is in Science for the mind so affected and disposed doth more affectionately embrace and more firmly hold that word of God then any thing else by what light soever it be propounded or by whatever strength of demonstration it be confirmed Neither is there any knowledge which he doth so carefuly retain nor is there any assent which he will suffer so hardly or with such difficulty to be forced from him which firmness of Faith and strong adherence of mind to the objects of it is not produced by the evidence thereof but by the great weight and moment of it for the mind being enlightened by the holy Spirit understands