we see it was the will of God that all should read his word, and that all did read it, at a time when they had inspired teachers, and consequently were under infinitely less necessity of depending on the written word, than the same sort of people are now-a-days, when, God knows, their teachers of all sorts are far enough from infallibility.

It is with a great deal more of policy than of either honesty or piety, that the church of Rome forbids the laity, unless licenced, to read the Scriptures; because, if such a liberty were allowed and taken, all the marks of corruption and imposture charged in this discourse on that church, together with many others, must be found condemned therein as such, and a wide door thereby thrown open for the reformation.

But that church says, it is not with any apprehension of such effects, that she locks up the Scriptures; but to prevent the infinite errors, and wild or wicked extravagances, arising from a promiscuous perusal of those books among the ignorant. We confess the vulgar perusal of the sacred writings hath been, and still may be attended with this mischief; but we insist that the common people are not a whit more apt to extract the poison of heresy and schism from the wholesome flowers of God's word, than the learned, who, in all ages of the church, have been the chief broachers and abettors of pestilent opinions. It is in the writings of polemical divines and commentators, that we find the Scriptures most shamefully wrested, and forced to speak a language foreign to the intention of their author. Besides, while the vulgar are under the greatest difficulties in propagating their mistakes, the learned and the eloquent can spread theirs, as far as the fame of their great abilities is extended. It follows, therefore, that if the word of God is to be shut against the common people, because they may mistake its meaning in some places, while they profit infinitely by it in others, it ought, for a stronger reason, to be shut also against the learned; who, if they are less apt to mistake, are however, incomparably more disposed to pervert its meaning, in order to serve the purposes of a party, to enhance the credit of their learning, by victories won in the field of controversy, and to coin new systems of religion accommodated to their luxuriant fancies and affections. If

the illiterate ought not to read the gospel, neither ought they to hear it preached; for sure I am, it is much safer for the people to hear God speak in his own words, than to hear those who, in these times at least, pretend to speak for him. We may, I think, without a breach of modesty, insist, that one who can only read, will be in much greater danger of being misled by an ordinary sermon, than by a chapter of the Bible.

But, to cut all this short, which is but human reasoning at the best, and therefore may be precarious and undecisive, God, as I have shewn, hath commanded all men to read his word; from whence it follows, that whatsoever church forbids it, high as her claim of infallibility may be carried, she proves herself, by so doing, not only erroneous, but impious, and ought to be answered in the words of Peter, and the other apostles, 'we ought to obey God rather than men.' Shall God order our light, such as it is, to shine before men, and suffer his own, from which alone ours can be borrowed, to be put under a bushel? What can men mean by keeping the word of God, and the office whereby they publicly worship him, in an unknown tongue, if it is not, lest, in case both were understood, the former should condemn the latter too palpably, to escape the notice of the most illiterate? And, to say no more on this head, what shall the most ignorant and bigotted members of a church do, as to the duty of conforming with her, or dissenting from her, when they see her compelled to such expedients? Why, she tells them, they must be damned, if they do not absolutely renounce, to all religious intents and purposes, the uninfluenced use of their own sense and reason and of the word of God. And to what end, but that they may, against the express commands of God, pray to creatures; fall down before graven images; believe that bread is flesh and wine blood; believe that every paltry trick is a miracle; that venal indulgences may serve for righteousness or repentance; and that the just and gracious God will reward them with the joys of heaven for cutting the throats of their neighbours, and burning their fellow-creatures alive, merely because they cannot agree with them in thinking all this mass of absurdity wisdom; and this scene of cruelty a service acceptable to the

God of all mercies? Can they possibly believe their salvation depends on a faith like this? :

No; none but the most stupid or abandoned among them have recourse to hopes so strangely founded. There are millions of sensible and worthy men in that communion, who have indeed a mere speculative faith in these things, or rather think they believe them, though in reality they do not, as is manifest from the goodness of their lives, whereby it appears, that they lay little or no stress on them. There are also many of them, who, like Erasmus, Cassander, and father Paul, have knowledge enough to see the folly, and goodness enough to detest the wickedness, of such principles; and yet judge it better to continue as they are, than to break with a church, wherein, notwithstanding their objections to her, they think they may be saved. You see these men going to mass, you see them on their knees before a crucifix, or an image of the blessed Virgin; you ask them; whether they think it possible for one, who dies in a great measure impenitent and unreformed, to be saved by the help of posthumous masses; or whether the commands of the pope and the church can sanctify the private murder, or public massacre, of Protestants; and they answer, perhaps, with their church, they believe they may. But, if you consider them in their lives and conversations, you will find this was all pure speculation, which they dare by no means, nor in any measure, trust to; for the men live as if they thought it impossible to be saved, without a good life, or a thorough reformation. And such is their innate humanity, and truly Christian charity, that ten thousand commands of the pope and church could not prevail on them to stain their hands in blood. This they owe to natural good dispositions, and the sounder principles of their religion. They swallow their religion as a healthy man does food, consisting of wholesome and noxious ingredients, too indiscriminately, but so however, as to be nourished by that which is good, and to pass off that which is bad without taking it into the habit. Quite contrary is the effect in a mind naturally unsound, or predisposed to superstition and vice. In this the wholesome food goes off undigested, while the mental poison, entering the circulation of thought and opinion, corrupts and assimilates the affections to itself.

In this I represent the church of Rome without prejudice. She was, for three centuries and a half, the glory of all churches. She even yet retains the belief of one God, in a trinity of person. She believes in the satisfaction made. for the sins of men by the death of Christ. She trusts in the assistances of God's Holy Spirit. She regards the sanctions of the Christian law as eternal. In these things she seems to have an immense advantage over many, who call themselves Protestants and Christians. But how miserably does she defeat her own sounder principles, by adopting others, in a great measure, subversive of these! She believes in one God; but she worships creatures and images. She trusts in the merits and intercessions of Christ; but she enfeebles and dishonours this dependance, by trusting in the merits and intercessions of saints. She relies on the grace of the Holy Ghost; but leans also on her own strength, and boasts a sort of independent holiness. She believes in the eternity of future rewards and punishments; but subverts the effects of her own hopes and fears in futurity, by an illusory prospect of reformation in another world, by works of supererogation and indulgences. Thus she adheres to the true religion in speculation; but in practice destroys its power. Besides, she turns devotion into superstition, and buries the spirit of Christian piety under such a load of human ordinances, or rather Pagan ceremonies, that the ordinances of Christ can hardly be found in the motley heap. When we look at her, we see little else than an ostentatious pageant of outward pomp and power, of human inventions, and of human traditions, which render the commandments of God of none effect.' And, that all her corruptions may become incurable, she looks on herself as infallible. But whether she brings as strong proofs to support her title to this high attribute, as I have alleged to evince the contrary, let the knowing and the candid judge. Her direct opposition to the word of God hath been here so glaringly made out, by seven flagrant instances, that either that word, or she, must stand convicted of error. And as the arguments I have used have nothing subtle or evasive in them, so they cannot be refuted by subtleties or evasions. Common sense can sufficiently judge of them, and can judge but one way

To conclude now, let us of this truly reformed church, with hearts full of gratitude, bless the good God for the wisdom and resolution of those holy men and martyrs, whom he sent to bring us into the glorious liberty and light of his gospel. Perhaps had we been born and bred up under the influence of bad principles, and a corrupt church, we should not have had sense and resolution enough, either to cut out so good a system for ourselves, or to come over to this, had it been prepared to our hands. And let us, in the next place, in a spirit of true Christian charity, pitying our brethren, sunk in darkness and error, do all we can to reclaim them. Let us forget and forgive the blood which, in the blindness of their zeal, they have drawn from us, and in a spirit of love and candour endeavour to convince them of their errors, by reason and Scripture, and not by unchristian retaliations; that they may at length learn to admire in us the lovely exemplification of our principles by the return of good for evil. Let us also earnestly endeavour to coalesce in that 'unity of the Spirit,' as an effect of right reason and genuine piety, which they vainly boast of, to justify oppression and terror. But, above all, let us use our utmost endeavours to prove our church a true church, and ourselves true Christians, by purity of manners, by a life spent in the rational service of God; that is, in the ardours of heavenly devotion, and in doing good. This is that only powerful, that only convincing argument, which no jusuitical arts can resist, no sophistical subtleties evade. This argument will give dignity and force to all our other reasonings, and will plead when we do not speak. With this the most illiterate peasant may easily baffle all the learning of his opponent; without it, the knowledge of angels hath no right either to speak or be heard. If our cause is the cause of God, and our lives such as may be justified by his holy religion, they will speak for themselves, and God will second them in such a manner, that they who argue and fight against us, must appear, in the judgment of all other men, to argue and fight against God. But if, on a fair comparison, the members of the church of Rome do actually demonstrate more piety in their devotions, and more purity and integrity in their actions, let us then for shame hold our peace. Let us prate no more about reformation of churches, nor impudently quote Scrip