Page images
PDF
EPUB

CHAP. ther Inquiry (as is the Cafe of Mahometan, and XVIII. the conftant Objection to every falfe Revelation.)

And as thofe Doctrines depend upon the Truth of Matters of Fact fo many Years ago, which depend upon the Truth of Hiftory; and the extrinfick Teftimony of the Record muft be confulted by every one who would be fully satisfied, and have an entire Conviction of the Truth of the Book, to rely upon. And when that is relied upon, then the contained Doctrines receive a farther Confirmation of their native Truth, from the external Ratification of the Authority of the Book: the Doctrines are not truer or more reasonable in themselves afterwards, than before; but they are of more Authority after than before, and the Receiver of that Authority makes the Truth furer than before; and fo oblige all reafonable Men both upon account of their intrinfick Reasonablenefs, and alfo upon account of the Divine Author they proceed from. But the Deifts are fo unreafonable, as not to admit the Truth neither of the Book, nor its Doctrines, upon either of the Evidences, fingle, or together.

WHAT he argues in the fame Page, is equal Sophiftry and Impertinence: "If you are to be "govern'd by Revelation, that fuppofes you "must take every thing on Trust; or merely "because it is faid by thofe, for whofe Dictates

you are to have an implicit Faith: For to "examine into the Truth of what they fay, is "renouncing their Authority; as on the con

66

trary, if Men are to be govern'd by their Rea"fon, they are not to admit any thing further "than as they fee it reasonable. To fuppofe "both confiftent, is to fuppofe it confiftent to "take, and not to take, Things on Truft. To

receive

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

"receive Religion on the Account of Authority CHAP. fuppofes, that if the Authority promulgated XVIII. a different Religion we should be obliged "to receive it." To examine into the Truth and Reasonablenefs of what they fay, who deliver the Truths of Revelation, is fo far from renouncing their Authority, that it is a fubmitting to it, where they exprefly invite, and require us to examine, try, prove, fearch, and judge for ourfelves what is right; fo that taking Things on Truft, is trufting our own Reafon to underftand the Meaning, and the Ufes, and to make Application to the End. And to imagine that "if the Authority promulgated a different Re

ligion, we should be obliged to receive it," is to fuppofe God perfect and imperfect, true and falfe. However it is no hard Suppofition upon them, that if he fhould promulgate the fame Religion, with a new Set of Miracles, and the Deifts be prefent at the Working of them, that the greatest Part of them would be what they are, Unbelievers. The Reafons of which will appear afterwards.

No Principle of Reafon contradicts any Article of Faith; they are both Truths, and one certain Truth never clafhes with another certain Truth, but ever harmonize together by an eternal Property and Prerogative of proceeding from the fame Source, the God of Truth; who can neither contradict himself, nor make Contradictions true. What is the Meaning of St. Paul's natural Man not receiving the Things of the Spirit was fhewn before, and appears to be no manner of Objection against carnal Reason, or Reason dwelling in Flesh, being capable of understanding

P 2

what

CHAP. what concerns us in the Scripture; weak as it is, XVIII. it must be admitted, because we have no other

Faculty to arrive at the Knowledge of it, and God requires its Application for that purpofe. Nor is that Precaution, Beware left any Man spoil you through Philofophy and vain Deceit*, any Exception; for that Philofophy, as the Place fhews, was fuch as tended to lead Men from the Doctrine of Christ, by leading them after the Traditions of Men, after the Rudiments of the World, current in thofe Days; that fort is indeed vain. Deceit, endless Genealogies, Science falfly fo call'd. Befides these two Scriptures there is nothing to countenance; and thofe are nothing to the Purpose of skreening the Abusers, and Mifreprefenters both of Faith, and Reason.

SEEING then there is a ftrict Alliance, and perpetual Confederacy, facred and inviolable, between Reafon and Faith; they must be Enemies to themfelves, to God, and Man, to the Rights of human Understanding, and to the Profperity of Christ's Kingdom, who endeavour to pick a Quarrel between them, and strive to fet them at Variance. Such are

1. THE Papifts; they declare open War against Reason; Why? Rut because the whole Syftem of their Faith, as fuch, is compacted of the most pernicious and deftructive Corruptions of the Faith of Chrift; ruining the Life and Defign of that Religion of the Means for carrying on the Religion of the End, by frequently, and moft traiterously murdering this laft, even all the

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

Laws of God concerning the Ends of Religion, CHAP. for the fake of propagating and enlarging the XVIII. Worldly Carcafs of the Means of their Debauching; being the most apparent, notorious, idolatrous Traitors in his mediatorial Kingdom, by fetting up other Mediators of Interceffion beside him, and almost wholly to the Neglect of him.

NOR does it at all mend the Matter, that they add to the End of fuch Prayers, through Jefus Chrift: because that plainly confeffes, and irreligiously prefumes, in the Face of Jefus Chrift, that he is not the one fufficient Interceffor; nor the only ordain'd; nor the only capable Mediator of being pray'd to, or of taking Cognizance of Prayers: Does not the joining other Interceffors with him, actually commit all thofe Injuries against him? And if he is believ'd not to be a fufficient Interceffor, as he really is, and they dare not deny; to neglect him as fuch, is the fame Thing as to neglect and fruftrate his Interceffion altogether.

THE two grand Engines they fucceffively play against Reason and Faith in their gainful Plot against both, are Infallibility, and Tranfubftantiation; and by their Manner of working them it is very plain, they allow Men the Ufe, neither of Reason, nor Faith; but purely, and folely to bring them into their Church, and keep them there. The firft leading Artifice of the skulk ing Kidnappers, the Miffionaries, is to enfnare the intended Convert with a falemn Promife of Secrecy, not to communicate the clear, unfufpected Kindness offered by a Stranger, to either Father, Mother, Friend, or Minifter, till they have wholly embraced it: The next is to appeal to the Party's Reason, and perhaps to a Text in Scrip

P 3

ture,

CHAP. ture, 1 Tim. iii. 15. the Church being Pillar of XVIII. Truth, which they dexterously pervert, if the

other happens not to understand it; and then craftily arguing and fophiftically fyllogizing him into a Neceffity of having an infallible Certainty of Faith, (and under that, always comes in their peremptory Exclufion of all Proteftants from Salvation, and the Proteftants allowing a Poffibility of it with them; an Argument that does not in the leaft concern the Truth, but the different Temper or Charity of the Doctrine of one, or t'other altogether) which their Church has the Impudence to affume, and the Proteftants the Virtue to disclaim; being a Prerogative that appertains not to us Mortals neither severally, nor in a collective Capacity; nor is it communicable to any Creature: the Infallibility of always understanding, and always chufing what is eternally right belong only unto God himfelf*. The Angels, fallible in Understanding, mutable in Will, for that reafon are not clean and tight in the Sight, or comparison of the One Infallible, Sole Immutable Deity. If human Infallibility therefore can be no better than a broken Reed to depend on, what makes them fuch Fools to quarrel among themselves, who fhall have the keeping of it?

AFTER he has once embraced that kind of Faith, and furrender'd up his Reason, they have no longer Occafion for it; he is led blindfold ever after, his Senfes as well as Reafon fall a credulous blind Sacrifice to Tranfubftantiation, The Belief of which Impoffibility completely fubverts the

*What fort of certainty our Faith admits of, fee next Head, Moral Virtue of Faith.

Proof

« PreviousContinue »