upon Earth can oblige me to believe any Thing, that has fuch uncontestable Evidence against it. But fince the very Reverfe of all this is manifeftly true, I tell you once more that your Comparing the Danger of our Submiffion to the Church of Rome with that of the Jewish People to the Synagogue is as Nonfenfical, as it is Malicious.

In a Word, the Difference between the Synago gue and the Church establish'd by Chrift, that is, the Church in Communion with the Succeffor of St Peter, is manifeft to any one, that will but open his Eyes to fee it. For whereas Chrift has promifed that the Spiric of Truth shall abide for ever with his Church, Joh. 14. V. 16. And that he will be with it even unto the End of the World. Math. 28. V. 20. No fuch Promife was ever made to the Jewish Church; on the Contrary her Apoftacy at the Coming of the Meffias, was mani festly foretold,

G. My Lord, it is perfectly Begging the Quef- « tion of the Jews to fuppofe that Chrift was the « Meffias. For that they deny, and bid us prove it. « That is the whole Question between them and us. «c pag. 45.46. c

L. Under Favour, Sr, Proving is not Begging the Question, and we prove it with the utmost Evi dence from their own Prophets as explain'd by their own Interpreters, and all verified in the Perfon of J. Chrift.

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G. My Lord, the Jews answer all this by the « Authority of the Church; which faid, have any of the « Rulers or Pharifees believed in him? But this People, who knoweth not the Law is curfed. Joh. 7. V.34. And « they faid that Chrift work'd his Miracles by Beelzebub. « Math. 12. V. 24. And who was to be the Judge in , this Cafe, the People or the Church? Upon the Foot « of the Authority of the Church is was impoffible at «

386 The Difference between the Synagogue, &c. §. 32. that Time for any Man to be a Chriftian. And there"fore of all Men Chriftians have the leaft Reason to infift upon this. pag. 46.

L. What, Sr, have Chriftians of all Men in the World the leaft Reason to infift upon the Authority pf the Church establish'd by Christ himjelf! This would found well in the Mouth of an Independent ; but if this be the Doctrine of your Church, I pray God to preferve me from ever being a Member of it. I am fure St Paul preach'd no fuch Doctrine. On the contrary in his Epistle to the Hebrews he takes Care to inftruct them in the important Leffon of Submiffion to their fpiritual Guides. Obey them that have the Rule aver you, and fubmit yourselves. Heb. 13. v. 17. And furely when Chrift faid, he that will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as a Heathen and a Publican, he did not intend her Authority should either ftand for a Cypher, or be a fource of Seduction to thofe, who should pay a Submiffion to it.

You fay the Scribes and Pharifees infifted upon the Authority of their Church. I answer they might have Jawfully done it: if there had not been unconteftable Evidence against it and therefore Roman Catholicks have a full Right to infift upon the Authority of their Church, till the like manifeft and uncontestable Evidence be produced against it by Proteftants: which is the very Thing we have always moft earnestly demanded ever fince the pretended Reformation, but never could obtain.

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You add, that the Rulers or Pharifees attributed Chrift's Miracles to Beelzebub, and ask, who was to be the Judge in this Cafe, the People or the Church? I anfwer, neither the one nor the other. For Chrift was then the only infallible Judge, and his Works gave Teftimony that his Commiffion was from God, and could not be queftion'd but by fuch as were rotten

184 at Heart, poifon'd with Malice, and refolved not to yield to the Truth. I heartily wish it may not be the Cafe of many at this Time.

As to their Attributing Chrift's Miracles to Beelzebub, I answer, this was the most flagrant Initance of the Corruption of their Hearts, and of the most confummate Malice reduced to it's very laft Shift. Nay Christ himself calls it Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft. That is, Denying the manifeft Truth, and Shutting their Eyes against the cleareft Light. In Effect this Proceeding was as exorbitantly irrational, as if they had attributed all the wonderful Works of God to the Operations of Satan.

Laftly you tell me, it was impoffible at that Time. for any to become a Chriftian upon the Foot of the Autho rity of the Church. To which I answer briefly as before, viz, that the Authority of the Jewish Church was not to be regarded, or obey'd, when it commanded the Rejection of our Saviour, because there was unconteftable Evidence against the Lawfulness of it: as a Child is not bound to obey his Father, if he commands him to commit Murder: nay he is bound not to obey him.

But I prefume, that all you have now faid is only to prepare me to relish your darling Doctrine of private Judgment in Oppofition to Church Authority.

G.

8. 33.

Of private Fudgment.

M Y Lord, private Judgment is all we have «

for the Belief of a God, and of Chrift, ice and by your own Conceffion for the Choice of a « Church. And then we may well truft to it in smal- « ter Matters. In short, we must trust to it in every «

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Thing without Exception. For it is as impoffible to believe any Thing without our understanding, as to fee without Eyes. pag. 46.

L. Sr, if you mean nothing more when you say, that we must trust to private Fudgment in every Thing without Exception, than that we must never believe any Thing unreasonably, that is, without a fufficient Motive to believe it, I know not where you will find an Adverfary to fight against, and you only trifle with Words instead of Difputing. For in this Senfe I believe all the dark Mysteries of Christianity by my own private Judgment. Because my own Judgment tells me, that nothing is more confonant to Reason than to fubmit in Things, that are above my Understanding, to the Decifions of the Church, which is the greatest Authority upon Earth, and establish'd by God himself to direct me in the Way to Sal

Nay I likewife agree to what you fay, that private Judgment is all we have for the Choice of a Church: because the Marks of the true Church are of fuch a Nature, as not to be above the Reach of a Man's Understanding to make a Judgment of them: whence it follows, that my own private Reason, after a diligent and impartial Examination of those Marks, fuffices to direct me to the Church I ought to choose my Guide.

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But when this Choice is once made, and when I have now found the true Church of Chrift by the Marks that lead me to it, then the fame Reason tells me, that it is most reasonable to depend upon her Authority with an entire Confidence, and truft to her in every Thing she proposes as a reveal'd Truth without pretending to examine or canvass the Mysteries propofed by her, or to dive into them by the meer Light of human Reafon. And therefore

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your Meaning be that we must employ our private Reafon in Examining and Scanning thofe very Myfteries, which are above our Reafon, and that we ought not to believe any Thing, but what our Reafon can comprehend, nothing is more falfe or pernicious than your Saying, that we must trust to it in every Thing without Exception. For if we must thus trust to it's Examination in every Thing without Exception, I cannot fee, how it is naturally poffible but that we must be mifled into a thousand Errors, and that there must be as great a Variety of Religions, as there is of private fudgments. Pray tell me, Sr, is your private Judgment capable of Difcovering, Examining, or Understanding the Sublime Myfteries of the holy Trinity, Incarnation, &c.

G. My Lord, my Reafon tells me, that there « must be many Things in the Nature of God, which a I cannot understand or explain: because he is in- « finite, and incomprehenfible. And these I take purely upon Revelation, that is given of them in holy Scriptures. For my own Reafon could never have « found them out, nor can perfectly understand « them. They are dark to me like a Country I ne- « ver faw. I cannot have a right Idea of it till I « come thither: as I cannot of Heaven or the State « of feparate Souls. Yet I cannot help framing fome « Conception to myself of what I know never enter'd « into the Heart of Man to conceive: that is, aright, and according as thefe Things are. Therefore I « take not upon me to explain them. For that would « be to involve myself, and I know that I must « greatly err. pag. 47. "

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L. That's very right, Sr, and you do very prudently in not taking upon you to explain fuch dark Mysteries. But did not your Reafon tell you just now, that private Judgment is to be trusted to in every Thing