believing your word, and being of your opinion that will save me? Or must I also know by scientific evidence that you say true, and that God himself hath said what you say: if he say that believing him and his party, (though he call it the Church) is enough to save you, you have then less reason to believe him: for unless he can undertake himself to save you, he cannot undertake that believing him shall save you? If he say, 'God hath promised to save you if you believe me,' believe that when he hath proved it to you.

But if it be knowledge and Divine faith which he saith must save you, it is not your believing his word or opinion that will help you to that. I would tell such a man, help me to knowledge and faith, by cogent or certifying evidence, and I will learn and thank you with all my heart.' But till I have it, it is but mocking myself and you to say that I have it.

Object. 'But the Papists herein differ from all other sects: for they will say, that if I believe the Church concerning Divine Revelations, and take all for Divine Revelation which the Church saith is so, and so believe it, then I have a Divine faith.'

Answ. 1. And is this to you a certifying evidence that indeed God revealed it, because their Church saith so? If their Church agree with Greeks, Armenians, Syrians, Coptics, Abassines, Protestants, and all other Christian churches, then it will be no part of the contest in question; and it is a stronger foundation of the two, to believe it, because all say it, than because they say it. But if they differ from the rest, know their proof that their Church can tell God's mind, and not the rest of the Christian world. And that about a third part of the Christians in the world have such a promise which all the rest have not. 2. And how doth their Church know that it is God's word? Is it by any certifying evidence, or by prophetical inspiration? If by evidence, let it be produced. Is it not revealed to others as well as to them? Must not we have a faith of the same kind as the Church hath? If so, we must believe by the same evidence as that Church believeth. And what is that? It is not their own words: doth a Pope believe himself only? or a Council believe themselves only? Or hath God said, You shall be saved if you will believe yourselves, and believe that I have said allthat you say I have said? Where is there such a promise?

But if Pope and Council be not saved for believing themselves, how shall I know that I shall be saved for believing them, and that one kind of faith saveth me, and another them.

I ask it of each particular bishop in that Council, is he saved for believing himself or the rest? If no man be saved for believing himself, why should another be saved for believing him? And the faith of the Council is but the faith of the individual members set together.

Object. But they are saved for believing themselves as consenters, and not singly.'

Answ. All consenters know nothing as consenters, but what they know as individuals. And what is the evidence by which they know, and are brought to consent? Must not that evidence convince us also?

Object. But the present Church are saved for believing not themselves but the former Church.'

Answ. Then so must we: it is not the present Church then that I must believe by a saving faith: but why then was the last age saved, and so the former? and so on to the first? Is any thing more evident than that all men must be saved for believing God, and that his word must be known to be his word by the same evidence, by one man and another? And that evidence I have proved in several treatises to be another kind of thing than the decree of a Pope, and his Council.

But if it be not evidence, but prophetical inspiration and revelation by which the Council or Church knoweth God's word, I will believe them when by miracles or otherwise they prove themselves to be true prophets; till then I shall take them for fanatics, and hear them as I do the Quakers.

Should I here stay to bid you ask them, as before, how you shall be sure that their Council was truly General, and more authentic and infallible than the second at Ephesus, or that at Ariminum, or that at Constance and Basil, &c. And whether the more general dissent of all the other Christians from them be not of as great authority as they that are the smaller part? And how you shall be sure of that? And also how but on the word of a priest you can know all that the Church hath determined? with abundance such questions, of the meaning of each Council, the ambiguity of words, the error of printers, the forgery of publishers, &c.

I should help you to see, that saying as a priest saith, is not knowing the thing, nor believing God.

Stop therefore till you have evidence: follow no party as a party in the dark or if probability incline you more to them than to others, call not this Certainty, Religion, Divine Faith. Thus your faith will be faith indeed, and you will escape all that would corrupt and frustrate it. The business is great. God requireth you to refuse no light: but withal he chargeth you to believe no falsehood, nor put darkness for light much less to father men's lies, or errors, or conceits on God, and to lay your salvation on it, that they are all God's word. How dreadful a thing is this if it prove false! Is it not blaspheming God1?

No man in his wits then but a partial designer can look that you should make haste, or go any further than you have assuring or convincing evidence. If you know that any sect doth err, you need no preservative: if you do not, tell them, 'I am ignorant of this matter, I will learn as fast as I can; not neglecting greater matters; and I will be neither for you, nor against you, further than I can know.'

And as to the former objection, of being still infants, I further answer, that as feigned knowledge is no knowledge, so manhood consisteth not in being of many uncertain opinions; no not so much in knowing many little controverted things, as in getting a clearer, more affecting, powerful, practical knowledge and belief of our Christianity, and the great and sure things which we know already; and in love and obedience practising of them. He is the strongest Christian who loveth God best, and hath most holiness; and he knoweth God better than any others do.

By this much you may see that the world is full of counterfeit faith, and knowledge, and religion; even fancy and belief of men, and their own opinions, which go under these names. One turneth an Anabaptist, and another a Separatist, and another an Antinomian, and another a Pelagian, and another a Papist, when if you try them you shall find that they neither understand what they turn to, nor what they are against: they do but turn to his side, who hath the

1 Fathering errors on God, and saying that he saith what he never said, and forbad or commanded what he doth not, is the most direct breach of the third commandment. To father lies on God, is the taking of his name in vain.

83 best advantage to persuade them, either by insinuating into their affections, or by plausible reasonings; they talk for one doctrine, and against another, when they understand neither; much less discern true evidence of their truth. And as for the Papists, what wonder is it, when their religion is to believe as the Church believeth? And what the Church believeth, they know not but by believing a priest and then though they know not what the Church believeth, some say they are Catholics; and others, that this implicit faith is that in the virtue of which all the explicit must proceed. And if God may but be allowed to be equal herein with their Church, and so that all may be saved who implicitly believe that all that he saith is true, though they know not what he saith at all, then I think few infidels would perish that believe there is a God.

Reader, I advise thee therefore as thou lovest thy soul, 1. Not to neglect or delay any true knowledge that thou canst attain. 2. But not to be rash and hasty in judging. 3. Nor to take shows and men's opinions, or any thing below a certifying or notifying evidence of truth, to make up thy Christian faith and knowledge. 4. And till thou see such certain evidence, suspend, and tell them that solicit thee, that thou understandest not the matter, and that thou art neither for them nor against them; but wilt yield as soon as truth doth certainly appear to thee.

If an Anabaptist persuade thee, yield to him as soon as thou art sure that God would not have believers' children now to be infant-members of his Church, as well as they were before Christ's coming; and that the infants of believing Jews were cut off from their church-state; and that there is any way besides baptism appointed by Christ, for the solemn initiating of church-members with the rest, which in my Treatise of Baptism I have produced.

If thou art solicited to renounce communion with other Churches of Christ as unlawful, either because they use the Common Prayer and Ceremonies, or because that ministers are faulty (if tolerable) or the people undisciplined; before thou venture thy soul upon an uncharitable and dividing principle make sure first that Christ hath commanded it. Try whether thou art sure that Christ sinned by communicating ordinarily with the Jewish Church and Synagogues, when the corruption of priests, people and worship was

so much worse than ours? Or whether that be a sin to us, which (in the general) Christ did then. And whether Paul's compliance, and his precept, (Rom. xiv. and xv.) was an error and Peter's separation (Gal. ii.) was not rather to be blamed. With much more the like. Are you sure that notwithstanding all this, God would have you avoid communion with the churches that in such forms and orders differ from you?

So if a Papist solicit you, yield to him as soon as you are certain that the Church is the body or Church of the Pope, and that none are Christians that are not subject to him, and that therefore three or two parts of all the Christian world are unchristianed; and that when the Roman emperor made patriarchs in his own dominion only, and there only called General Councils, all the world must now take such as the Church's heads, and must be their subjects: when you can be sure that all the senses of all the sound men in the world, are by a constant miracle deceived, in taking the consecrated bread and wine, to be bread and wine indeed, and that it is none; and that the bread only without the cup must be used, though Christ's command be equal for both: when you are certain, truly certain of these and many other such things, then turn Papist. If you do it sooner, you betray your souls by pretending to know and believe God's words, when you do but believe and embody with a faction.

CHAP. X.

Inference 4. What is the great Plague and Divider of the Christian World.

FALSELY PRETENDED KNOWLEDGE and FAITH are the great plague and dividers of the Christian world.

I. As the number of articles and opinions, and precepts, what abundance of things go with many for certain truth of which no mortal man hath any certainty! And abundance which some rare wits may know, must go for evident certainties to all. It is not only our philosophy books, nor only our philosophical schoolmen's books, which are guilty of this. There is some modesty in their Videtur's and indeed if they would not pretend to certainty, but profess only