church for a great many ages, not one excepted; they are hardly more frequent, and copious, and earnest in any argument, than in perfuading people of all ranks and conditions to the constant and careful reading of the holy fcriptures; and contrary to the common reafon and fenfe of mankind. For what fhould men be perfuaded to be acquainted withal, if not with that which is the great inftrument of our falvation? that book which was written on purpofe to reveal and convey to men the knowledge of God, and of his will, and their duty ? What fhould men be allowed to know, if not that which is the best and most effectual means to direct and bring them to heaven, or turn them from fin, and to preferve them from eternal mifery? When our Saviour would reprefent the best and most effectual means of bringing men to happiness, and saving them from the eternal torments of hell, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, he brings in Abraham giving the best advice he could to the rich man who was in hell, concerning his brethren that were upon earth, how they might prevent their coming into that place of torment; and he directs them to the fcriptures, as the best and most effectual means to that purpose: They have (fays he) Mofes and the prophets, let them hear them.

Now, if in the church of God, among the Jews, the fame courfe had been taken that is now in the church of Rome, the rich man might, and in all reason ought to have replied, " Nay, father Abraham, but they have 66 not Mofes and the prophets, nor are they permitted to "read them in a language that they can understand; " and therefore this advice is of no ufe, to them :" and then he might with reafon have preffed him, as he did, that one might be fent to them from the dead, to teflify unto them. But it appears, that Abraham was very pofitive and peremptory in this advice; and that he prefers the knowledge of the fcriptures to any other way and means that could be thought of; and that if this had not its effect to perfuade men to repentance, and to preferve them from hell, he did not know any thing elfe that was fo likely to do it: for he concludes, If they hear not Mofes and the prophets, neither will they be perfuaded though one rofe from the dead. And this is the conclufion of the parable;

rable; which plainly fhews, what was the main scope and defign of our Saviour in it, namely, to recommend to us the ufe of the holy fcriptures, as the belt and most effe&tual means which the wisdom of God hath provided for the falvation of mankind.

And now any man would be apt to think, that the declared judgment of our Saviour in the cafe fhould go a great way, even with the moft infallible church in the world. However, this we muft fay, that it is in truth a very hard cafe to which the church of Rome hath reduced men; that it will neither allow them falvation out of their church, nor the best and most effectual means of falvation when they are in it. I might fay much more upon this head; but this I hope may be fufficient.

The next inftance fhall be in the doctrine of transubftantiation; which is contrary to the fcriptures, which after confecration fo frequently call the elements bread and wine; and which, without reafon or neceffity, puts an abfurd and impoffible fenfe upon thefe words of our Saviour, This is my body; which do no more prove tranfubftantiation, than thofe words, This cup is the new teftament, do prove, that the material cup which was used in the facrament, was fubftantially changed into the new teftament; and no more, than those texts which affirm God to have eyes, and ears, and hands, do prove that he really hath fo. But befides the contrariety of this doctrine to fcripture, nothing can be more repugnant to reafon. It is fo big with contradictions, and fo furfeited of impoffibilities, that it would be endlefs to reckon them up. And befides all this, it plainly contra

dicts the clear and conftant evidence of four of our five fenses; which whoever contradicts, undermines the foundation of all certainty.

And then the communion in one kind is plainly contrary to our Saviour's inftitution of the facrament in both kinds, as they themselves acknowledge. And therefore the council of Conftance, being fenfible of this, was forced to decree it with an exprefs non obftante to the inftitution of Chrift, and the practice of the Apoftles and the primitive church. And their doctrine of concomitancy, as if the blood were in the flesh, and together with it, will not help the matter: because in the facrament Chrift's

G 3

Chrift's body is reprefented as broken, and pierced, and exhaufted, and drained of its blood; and his blood is reprefented as shed and poured out: fo that one kind can by no means contain and exhibit both.

The next inftance is, the repetition of Christ's propitiatory facrifice in the mafs, fo often as that is celebrated: against all reafon; becaufe the facrifice of Christ once offered upon the cross, was a full and perfect propitiation for the fins of the whole world; and therefore ought not, becaufe it needs not, to be again repeated for that end, in any manner whatsoever. And it is directly contrary to the main scope of a great part of this epistle to the Hebrews; which fhews the excellency of the gofpel above the law in this refpect, that the expiatory facrifice of the gofpel was offered once for all; whereas the facrifices of the law were perpetually repeated: Chap. vii. 27. fpeaking of Chrift, Who needs not daily, as thofe high priests, to offer up facrifices, firft for his own fins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he of fered up himself. Chap. ix. 26. 27. 28. But once in the end of the world hath he appeared to take away fin by the facrifice of himself. And as it is appointed for all men once to die; fo Chrift was once offered to bear the fins of many. And chap.x. 10. By the which will we are fanctified, through the offering of the body of Jefus Christ once for all; and y 12. But this man, after he had offered one facrifice for fins, for ever fat down on the right hand of God; and y 14. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are fanctified. There cannot be plainer texts for any thing in the Bible, than that this propitiatory facrifice was never to be repeated.

And whereas they fay, that the facrifice of the mass is an unbloody facrifice; this, instead of bringing them off, doth but intangle the matter more: for if blood be offered in the facrifice of the mafs, how is it an unbloody facrifice? What can be more bloody than blood? and if blood be not offered, how is it propitiatory? fince the Apoftle lays it down for a certain rule, That without fhedding of blood there is no remiffion of fins; i. e. there can be no propitiation for the fins of the living or the dead; which the church of Rome affirms there is.

I might have added one or two inftances more; and then

then should have proceeded to fhew, in the third place, that we are to hold fast the profeffion of our faith without wavering, against all the temptations and terrors of the world; which is more especially and principally here intended by the Apostle in this exhortation. But I fhall proceed no farther at prefent.

SERMON

LX.

Of conftancy in the profeffion of the true religion.

HEB. X. 23.

Let us hold fast the profeffion of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promifed.

IN

The third fermon on this text.

'N thefe words, I have told you, are contained, 1. An exhortation to hold fast the profeffion of our faith (or hope) without wavering.

2. An argument or encouragement thereto : Because he is faithful that promifed. I am yet upon the first of thefe; the exhortation to Chriftians, to be conftant and fteddy in the profeffion of their religion: Let us hold faft the profeffion of our faith without wavering. And that we might the better comprehend the true and full mean→ ing of this exhortation, I fhewed,

it.

First, Negatively, what is not meant and intended by And I mentioned these two particulars.

1. The Apostle doth not hereby intend, that those who are capable of inquiring into and examining the grounds of their religion, fhould not have the liberty to do it. Nor,

2. That when, upon due inquiry and examination, men are fettled, as they think and verily believe, in the true faith and religion, they fhould obftinately refufe to hear any reason that can be offered against their present persuasion. Both these I shewed to be unreasonable, and arguments

arguments of a bad cause and religion: and therefore neither of them can be intended by the Apostle in this exhortation.

Secondly, I proceeded pofitively to explain the meaning of this exhortation. And to this purpose I proposed, I. To confider what it is that we are to hold faft, viz. the confefion or profeffion of our faith; the ancient Chriftian faith, of which every Chriftian makes profeffion in his baptifm; for of that the Apoftle here fpeaks, as appears by the context: not the doubtful and uncertain traditions of men, nor the imperious dictates and doctrines of any church not contained in the holy fcriptures, impofed upon the Chriftian church; though with never fo confident a pretence of the antiquity of the doctrines propofed, or of the infallibility of the propofers of them. And then I proceeded, in the

II. Second place, to fhew, how we are to hold fast the profeffion of our faith without wavering. And I mentioned thefe following particulars, as probably implied in the Apostle's exhortation.

1. That we fhould hold fast the profeffion of our faith, against the confidence of men, without fcripture or reafon to fupport their confidence.

2. And much more against the confidence of men, against fcripture and reason, and the common fense of mankind.

3. Against all the temptations and terrors of the world. 4. Against all vain promifes of being put into a fafer condition, and groundlefs hopes of getting to heaven upon easier terms in another religion.

5. Against all the cunning arts and infinuations of bufy and difputing men, whofe defign it is to unhinge men from their religion, and to gain profelytes to their party and faction.

1. We are to hold fast the profession of our faith, against the confidence of men, without fcripture or reafon to fupport their confidence. And of this I gave feveral inftances: As, in the pretence of the church of Rome to infallibility, without any proof or evidence of it, either by fcripture or miracles; I mean fuch miracles as are fufficiently attefted; for as for their legends, fince the wifeft among themselves give no credit to

them,