In searching for Truth we must implore his help who is the God of Truth whose Word is the Word of Truth and whose Spirit is the Guide into Truth that he would free our minds from all prejudices and corrupt affections and from every thing which obstructs a right understanding If we lack wisdom we must ask it of God who giveth his holy Spirit to them that ask him And now I dare appeal to all that read these Papers if it had not been to the unspeakable advantage of Gods Church and the Souls of men if all that profess Christianity had inquired into the Controversies of Religion so far as they are concerned in them with these Dispositions that I have recommended And therefore I do the more earnestly desire them to lay their hands upon their breasts and in good earnest to ask themselves if they have in this manner sought the knowledge of the Truth with a mind thus prepared with impartiality and diligence and constant Prayer for Gods blessing and direction § 8. IV. My next business is to offer some Considerations to perswade our people to an honest and impartial tryal of Opinions in Religion This indeed cannot be done by all with equal advantage because of the difference of mens abilities but something is to be done by all and every one is to do what he can and God expects no more If we chuse a way of Religion at random or without honest care to know the Truth we are in great danger of falling into delusion because there are false Religions and damnable Errours in the World Saith St. John Try the Spirits whether they be of God because many false Prophets are gone out into the world There was danger of running into grievous errour in the best and purest Age of the Church if Christians were not careful to examine things And surely the danger is greater in this corrupt Age and this extremely-divided State of Christendom It often happens also I doubt for the most part that Seducers are more diligent and wise to propagate Errour than good men are to gain Proselytes to the Truth The former are evermore too hard for the latter in confidence peremptoriness threatning of damnation magnificent and lofty pretences and where the case calls for it in artificial addresses and insinuations And this makes our danger the greater if we are not resolved to try before we trust Nay if we were secure from Impostors yet because no man is infallible we should not surrender up our Belief wholly to the Authority of any man but judge of his Doctrine as well as we can Because there cannot be a stronger ground for our assent to any thing than that God has said it we are to be very careful how we receive an Opinion for which Texts of Scripture are multiplied one upon another i. e. we must see whether they do indeed prove the thing in question for otherwise we may by the pretence of so great Authority be the more fastned in some dangerous errour We are exposed to manifest hazard if we are apt to admire a man for bringing much Scripture to serve his purpose but not to think it needful to see whether those passages of Holy Writ be pertinently applied or not To this I must adde that the errours we may fall into for want of enquiry and examination may for ought we know be of dangerous consequence to our own Souls Some there are that wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction and if we are in their way they may wrest them to ours too We may inconsiderately take up Principles that will by degrees debauch our Consciences and reconcile us to wicked practices and in many instances eat out the sense of good and evil sin and duty On the other hand by considering things as impartially and judiciously as we can we shall not onely be secure from running into great errours but the Doctrines of true Religion will become more plain to us and we shall have a more clear and distinct apprehension of them which will reward our endeavours with great pleasure and satisfaction For next to the delight of a good Conscience gained by doing what we know to be our duty there is no pleasure more pure and agreeable to the best part of our nature than that which arises from an improved knowledge in the things of God And having well weighed and considered the grounds of our Perswasion we shall adhere more stedfastly to that truth which we have learn'd and not be easily unsetled by the Sophistry or the Confidence of ill men being prepared to shew that there is no sound Reason in the former and no just Cause for the latter And when Seducers perceive that we have inquired too far into things to be born down with peremptoriness or to be deluded with colours they will be discouraged from attempting to draw us into their Net Moreover it will be no little satisfaction to us when we are going out of the world that we have all along taken due pains to inform our selves in things of the greatest concernment to us viz. those which regard our everlasting salvation and that the errours into which we may have fallen were not to be imputed to want of honest diligence in inquiring after the Truth but onely to humane infirmity In the mean time we cannot have the conscience of sincerity upon good grounds if we do not with diligence apply our selves to know all our duty and consequently all that divine Truth which is the Rule of it or which leads to the performance of it One character of that good and honest heart which our Saviour compares to the good Ground is to understand the Word And the reason why the Pharisees did not understand was because they were not of God but of their Father the Devil whose lusts they did One reason why God in his wisdom permits Impostures and Errours to go up and down in the World is because this serves to make a more evident difference between those that are sincere and honest and those that are not so For in these circumstances good men will take the more pains to distinguish between Truth and Errour while the insincere either take up that Profession which serves best for their worldly ends or take occasion by the differences that are in the World about Religion to throw off all pretence to Religion it self There must be herefies among you saith St. Paul that they which are approved may be made manifest To which we may adde that by honest endeavours to be rightly informed in matters of Religion we do in some measure qualifie our selves for the happiness of another life and shew that we are disposed heavenwards and desirous of that infinitely-better state of things where Darkness and Errour shall be done away For one great part of the Reward promised in a better life is that we shall know divine things more perfectly there than we can do in this World But this can be
wrong way while they never use that liberty of examining the grounds of their Perswasion to which the Church so vehemently perswades them by her Ministers If it be urged that when a man sets himself with honesty and diligence to examine the Case of Communion with the Chnrch and doth all that he can to inform himself aright in this matter but cannot be satisfied that he may lawfully conform and this through mere weakness of understanding it is not reasonable that he should suffer any thing for that It may be said on the other side that there are many more who fail of understanding their duty in this kind for want of examination and inquiry and through the prevalency of Prejudice and passion than there are of those who continue erroneously perswaded through mere weakness of understanding But as for those who in perfect weakness remain unconvinced if I may suppose any such I wish the Laws could distinguish them from the rest and that they could be known by some visible characters that they might be exempted from undergoing any penalties But since this cannot be it must be endured that a few or none in comparison come to have hard measure by means of that which is necessary for the common and publick good § 4. Having premised thus much concerning this subject I shall proceed in this method following I. To consider in what cases we are to enquire most of all into the Truth II. To shew how or by what Rules or Tests we are to try and examine Opinions in Religion III. How we ought to be disposed and qualified that our Inquiries may be profitable and successful IV. To lay down some Motives whereby to perswade men to such Inquiry and examination V. To consider what becomes us and is our duty after the discovery and knowledge of the Truth I. I shall consider in what cases we ought to be most careful in making inquiries after the Truth lest we be imposed upon or mistaken All inquiries about Religion are either concerning the truth of Religion in the general or supposing the existence and providence of God which is the true Religion whether the Pagan or the Jewish or the Mahometan or the Christian or the truth of the Christian Religion being granted what Communion of men professing Christianity is to be chosen for instance whether the Church of Rome or the Church of England or the Communion of the Dissenters who separate from this Church But now all things are not alike needful to be proved or are equally proper matters of inqniry For 1. Every man is not bound to know all the false ways of Religion that are in the World and therefore not to try and examine every one of them It is sufficient for most men that they well consider the Faith and Profession to which they have been educated that if it be the Truth they may be well-grounded in it if it be false that they may upon good reason depart from it 2. Things that are self-evident need not to be examined for no Argument can make them plainer to us than they are already We may without any hesitation assent to such Principles as these That God cannot lie That men ought to observe fidelity and justice to one another and the like If there were not some Principles that needed no proving it were impossible to prove any thing and the more plain any thing is in it self the less need there is to examine it If I am told that white is black I shall not go about to disprove it because the thing is evidently false of it self and I can use no Argument that can make the matter plainer than it was at first In like manner if any man pretends that there is no difference between Vice and Virtue but in name and that all things are equally lawful this shall not put me to the trouble of examining the thing because 't is contrary to the common sense of mankind And for this reason any man is to be excused that dismisses the Doctrine of Transubstantiation without taking much pains about it because upon a very little consideration there appears so many gross contradictions and inconsistencies in it that I can have no greater reason to believe any thing is true than I have to believe that is false 3. Some things are hardly worth the examining and it signifies little or nothing to understand the right side of the Question If the Doctrine of the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary were true yet it were not worth a quarter of the pains they have taken about it in the Church of Rome It is by no means true that an infallible living Judge is necessary upon Earth and that for the deciding of all Controversies in Religion since all such Controversies are not necessary to be decided some of them being of so little concern to us that it is no great matter if they remain Controversies to the Worlds end But we ought to use our Reason as well as we can to find out the truth in all those cases wherein it will be dangerous to be deceived and therefore in these four First When any man or company of men would gain us over to their way by lofty and extraordinary Pretences Secondly When Doctrines are propounded to us with considerable Authority which seem to encourage licentiousness and to render all care of living well needless Thirdly When we are tempted to separate from the Communion of the establish'd Church where we live or if we are in a state of Separation from it Fourthly When Opinions in Religion are propounded to us by those that would get us to yield up our Judgments wholly unto them and do what they can to keep us from examining them A prudent man would examine in all these cases First When men make extraordinary Pretences The reasonableness of which I have already shewn with reference to that Pretence of the Church of Rome to Infallibility And the like is to be said of those that pretend to work Miracles or that talk of immediate Revelations of knowing the Truth by Inspiration and of more than ordinary Illuminations For it is not onely a childish thing to be frighted with big words from looking what is under them but a very dangerous sort of cowardize to be afraid of calling those things into question which are set off with such highflown Pretences For from hence it has come to pass that Superstition and Idolatry Enthusiasms and Impostures have prevailed so much in the World It is somewhat strange that we should believe men the more for that very reason upon which we should believe them less that is for magnifying themselves And yet if this had not been common Mahomet had not imposed upon so great a part of the World nor the Church of Rome upon so great a part of Christendom nor our Enthusiasts upon so many People in England as they have I would not be backward to give that man a hearing that
understanding For when Hypocrites have for their worldly interest debauched Religion in this manner they know that the meanest people will never swallow their gross absurdities unless they can first prevail with them to believe that 't is a dangerous thing to trust their own eyes or to hearken to any discourse from Principles of Reason though it be never so clear and strong and that it is a kind of merit to believe things incredible and to stick to a conclusion the faster the more impossible it seems to be true But by the way if Reason be one and that the first means by which we are to judge for our selves in matters of Religion as I shall make bold to say it is I should vehemently suspect without farther examination that they know their Opinions to be very foolish who at first dash renounce the most general and necessary Rule by which they are to be tried I shall onely adde that because the fundamental Principles of Reason are the same all the World over Reason is therefore the most publick Rule and Test whereby to judge between Truth and Errour And therefore if a Council defines things in that manner that I must forsake right Reason to follow its Definitions when I make this plain this is not opposing a private Spirit to a publick Judgment but appealing from a less publick Judgment to the most publick Sence and Judgment of mankind § 6. 2. As Reason is a Rule to all men so is Scripture a Rule to all Christians at least it ought to be so and all pretend to make it a Rule for their Judgment by appealing to it The Church of Rome indeed allows it to be but part of the Rule of Faith we say it is an intire and perfect Rule thereof However so long as she acknowledges the Scriptures to be a Rule though she pretends there is another Rule besides that she is to be concluded by the authority of the Scriptures and so we are to be acquitted by her in not believing her against the Scriptures Now every body must grant that we do not judge rightly by the Scriptures where we mistake the meaning of the Text. And we ought to be sure that the sence wherein we take any place is the true sence before we make our interpretation of it a Rule whereby to examine other things Where the sence is very plain it requires nothing more than common sence and common honesty to understand it and it is very reasonable to suppose that God hath revealed all points necessary to salvation so clearly and plainly that it is not difficult for an honest man to understand what they are But because there are many obscure places in the Scriptures we must be very careful not to ground any Doctrine upon them till we have well weighed and examined the meaning of those places and the way to be secure from any dangerous mistake in concluding from places of Scripture that are more or less hard to be understood is to observe such cautions as these are which I think all Christians must allow to be reasonable 1. That we take no Text in a sence which is repugnant to common Sense and natural Reason 2. That we put no sence upon a place of Scripture that is repugnant to the general scope and designe of the whole Word of God 3. That we understand no difficult places in a sence that is contrary to to those places whose meaning is plain and manifest to all men 4. That we mistake not those places for plain which are not so 5. That we put no other sence upon a Text than what agrees with the scope and designe of that particular Discourse wherein we find it 1. Before we conclude upon the sence of a Text so as to prove any thing by it we must be sure that sence is not repugnant to natural Reason For if it be it cannot be the true meaning of the Scripture For God is the Original of natural Truth as well as of that which comes by particular Revelation and as Hierocles saith to believe and obey right Reason and to follow God are the same thing And therefore no Proposition that is repugnant to the fundamental Principles of Reason can be the sence of any part of Gods Book and that which is false and contrary to Reason can no more be true and agreeable to the revelations of Scripture than God who is the Author of one as well as the other can contradict himself From hence it is evident that these words This is my body are not to be understood in that sence which makes for the Doctrine of Transubstantiation because it is impossible that contradictions should be true and we cannot be more certain that any thing is true than we are that that Doctrine is false There are some other Doctrines maintained by men of Name in the World that they have no better grounds for than obscure Texts interpreted contrary to the Principles of natural Reason and Religion This caution therefore is to be minded in the first place 2. We must put no sence upon a difficult place which contradicts the great end and drift of the whole Bible Now that is to work Faith in men and thereby to bring them to repentance and to a holy life And therefore whatsoever Doctrine does naturally tend to take men off from the care of holy living by nourishing them in foolish presumption or driving them to miserable despair cannot be the Doctrine of the Scriptures and therefore such a Doctrine cannot be proved from any obscure Text of the Bible and by consequence that sence of an obsure Text from which it may be proved is not the true sence unless we can believe that some part of the holy Books teaches something that undermines the great end of the whole There are too many Opinions amongst some Christians that have no other colour for them than Scripture interpreted without this necessary caution which must therefore be added to the former 3. We must not understand a difficult place in a sence that is contrary to those places whose meaning is plain and manifest to all men For the Scripture cannot teach one thing plainly in one place and the quite contrary obscurely in another It is but reasonable therefore in trying to understand a difficult place or in going about to prove any thing from it that we should compare Scripture with Scripture and the obscure places with those that are plain not to interpret the plain by the obscure which is contrary to all Rules of Discourse but the obscure by the plain especially because the plain places contain things that are most necessary to be understood and believed by us and therefore we cannot without great danger forsake the Doctrine which they teach as every man in effect does who takes a difficult place in a sence contrary to that Doctrine In a word the Scripture is our Rule principally where it is easiest to be understood and the