freedom of religious profeffions is reftrained; SERM. where, in matters, purely of conscience, V. men may not think for themselves, and profess what they think. In our cafe indeed the legislature itself hath given a kind of allowance to our nonconformity, by granting an exemption to proteftant diffenters from the penalties of certain laws which formerly were in force against them, which in the opinion of fome eminent patriots completeth the glory of the late happy revolution, the great era of British liberty: And as this is a noble inftance of publick respect paid by the highest authority among us to the inviolable rights of confcience, in confequence of it, the more conscientious our principles appear to be, the more we have leave to think ourselves intitled to the publick protection and countenance.

For this reafon, I flatter myself, it will give no offence thus freely to fhew where I think the strength of our caufe lieth, and represent the principal argument, taken from the nature, the defign, the exprefs declarations of the New Teftament, whereby it is fupported; the rather, because the main principle we rely on naturally tending to moderation and mutual forbearance amongst chriftians as the foundation of their peace

and

SER M. and joint communion, removeth the fufpiV. cion of factious party-spirit. For what do

we contend for? Not the pulling down of one church establishment, in order to fet up another; not the fetting afide the articles of the church of England, to introduce the Westminster confeffion as a standard; not to abolish certain indifferent ufages, postures, vestments, or feftival days, in order to make the contrary, or any things of a parallel nature, neceffary appendages of religion and terms of chriftian communion; this, I fay, is not what we contend for; but that things indifferent in themselves and undetermined in fcripture should remain indifferent in the use of them; that every worshipping fociety fhould have leave to fettle the external circumstances and order of its own worship; that as to things which Christ hath left free from any interpofition of his authority commanding or forbidding, Chriftians should be under no laws but thofe of prudence and charity, in doing or forbearing what to their own judgment appeareth expedient or inexpedient, offenfive to their brethren, or for their good to edification: And I acknowledge that a presbyterian church-conftitution with the fame power over individual chriftians and particular congregations, over their right

V.

of chufing their own paftors, over their SER M. christian discipline, and the external modes of their worship, enjoining different forms or prohibiting all forms, with excommunicating canons, and an authority of inflicting fpiritual or temporal penalties for every disobedience; that this, I fay, would be in the fame manner liable to our main objections from scripture, and as truly an infringment of the liberty wherewith Chrift hath made us free, as the prefent ecclesiastical establishment is.

To conclude this argument, nothing can be more repugnant to the defign and very genius of christianity than a spirit of domination, or even any claim of authority in fallible men over the minds and confciences of christians in matters of religion. You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them; and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you; but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister, and whofoever will be chief among you, let him be your fervant, Matth. xx. 25.

Religion in its very nature is wholly perfonal, and the right of excercifing it altogether unalienable. It is impoffible that any being upon earth, or in heaven, but fuch as knoweth what is paffing in the heart, and

hath

V.

SERM. hath a power of influencing the moral fprings of action, can have the leaft pretence to interpofe his authority; for these felf-evident reafons; firft, because the effence of religion confifting in certain internal principles and difpofitions of the heart, it is impoffible that any other being can ever know whether the heart acteth under the power of these principles and affections or not; and, fecondly, because fo far as the heart is influenced by the authority and compulfion of beings ignorant of its real fprings, fo far the only valuable purposes of religion are defeated and deftroyed. It is no longer the fear or the love of God, those perma nent principles, fitted to operate at all times, and in all fituations and circumftances that influence the conduct; but the love or fear of men, or perhaps, fome baser confideration of cunning or deceit. True it is, that the greatest part of what was called religion in the world at the time of our Saviour's coming into it, derived its authority from men, but this altereth not the nature of the thing; on the contrary, our Saviour's conduct, when matters were in this state, is the ftrongest confirmation which could poffibly be given by him, that religion, in order to be of any fignification, muft have its feat in the heart, and derive its influence from an

V.

immediate refpect to God, as the fearcher SERM. of hearts, and the rewarder of thofe who diligently feek him.

He meddled not with the forms of civil government; this did not lie within the com pafs of his defign: But, in manifeft oppofition to all establishments of religion then in the world, he openly calleth mankind back to the exertion of that unalienable right of judging every man for himfelf in a matter which of all others moft nearly concerned them; a matter of original, independant, and most facred obligation, prior to all focial contracts, and incapable of being fubjected to their regulation and controul, in which therefore any other perfons pretending to judge for them, is full of abfurdity. He taught, as nature had done before, that the effence of religion confifted in the love of God and of our neighbour, and the exercise of it in the univerfal practice of that which is right, as the apostle Paul hath expreffed it, out of a pure heart, and a good confcience, and faith unfeigned. Several circumstances in it admit of, and even require, publick affociations, and focial communion; but not one circumftance requireth or will admit of human authority. An union there ought to be among the disciples of Chrift, but it can only be an union, the bond of which is affection, in the fpirit of VOL. IV.

L

hu