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lation from God. For he there doth give an account, that as no man knows the things of a man, but the Spirit of a man which is in him ; so no man knows the things of God, but the Spirit of God: that is, the refults of the divine will are not known, unless they be revealed by the Spirit of God. This is the true meaning of this text; and it is ill brought, to prove that a man in the ufe of reason and natural light, cannot understand ought that belongs to his falvation, or the fenfe of any text of scripture. I am very confident, the apoftle never fays, nor means any fuch thing. But as the secrets of a man are known only to the man himself, till he doth reveal them; fo the fecrets of God are known only to God, till God reveal them, and till then we are not charged with them; for negative infidelity damns no man. But those that are acted by the spirit of popery, do corrupt the word of God, as the apostle says, 2 Cor. ii. 17. They make the word of God to serve ends and purposes, as the apostle faith, 2 Pet. ii. 3. They make merchandise of the word of God, and make gain their godlinefs: that is, they gain power and wealth, and live in pomp ; these are the ingredients that make up their religion. But fince they do ufurp upon us, we will put in these few material exceptions against them, and will fhew wherein the popish and reformed church differ.

First, They impofe upon our belief, things contrary to reason; felf-inconsistent and incongruous. Secondly, What of truth they acknowledge, they make void and elude, by qualifications, explications, limitations and diftinctions.

Thirdly,

Thirdly, They fuperadd to religion, things unlikely to be true, difhonourable to human nature, and without all warrant from God.

Fourthly, and laftly, they fruftrate the effects of real religion, by their pretence of power and privilege.

Firft, They confound the reason of our minds, by abfurdities, incongruities, and impofing upon our belief things impoffible and inconfiftent. These are ftrange things to be faid of any religion : yet I will make it evidently to appear, and go no farther than the monstrous doctrine of transubstantiation, which if we do admit, we must bid farewel to all our natural fentiments. Reason must then be laid afide, and fhall be no judge hereafter. We must then give the lie to the report of our fenfes. And if we do this, how fhall we think that God made our faculties true? But if God did not make my faculties. true, I am abfolutely discharged from all duty to God, and regard to his commands, because I have no faculty that can refolve me that this is of God. Now if I may not believe the reason of my mind, in conjunction with three or four of my senses, how fhall I know any thing to be this or that? And if I do not know any thing to be true or good, I am not obliged, as to practice. And if God do require duty of me, he ufeth power against right, and calls me to give an account, when it was not poffible for me to know his mind in any thing. Therefore, I fay, tranfubftantiation doth confound the reason of our mind, by abfurdities, and impofing upon our beliefs, things that are impoffible, and repugnant to qur fenfes. Secondly,

Secondly, They make void, what they themfeves acknowledge to be true, by diftinctions, evasions, limitations, gloffes, comments, explications. And to make this out, I will inftance in fix things.

Ift. Their doctrine of probability. If a man can find any doctor among them that held such an opinion, it makes that doctrine probable.

2dly. The point of mental refervation. You cannot know their minds by what they fay, because you do not know what they reserve in their minds. So that what they fay may be but half what they

mean.

3dly. The trick of directing the intention. By this they may murder a man, so they do not intend to murder him, but to rid themselves of an enemy. They may declare that which is false, and deny that which is true, because they intend the credit of their church and religion: and this intention shall excufe them from downright falfhood.

4thly. The practice of equivocation is too well known among them.

5thly. Their way of evasion, by having a double fenfe. Whereas, no man ought to use wit or parts to impose upon another, or to make a man believe that which they do not mean. In treating, one with another, we ought to take care that there be a right understanding between both parties, and that each do understand one another's meaning; and in cafe there be a mistake herein, we ought to release one another; for the agreement is only in what we meant and intended, not in that wherein they did not consent and agree.

6thly. Their fhift of hypocritical prolocution that is, to use words of fuch a found, when they do not intend fuch a thing by them, as a man would think they did. Now, all thefe are contrary to the fimplicity and plain-heartedness that ought to be in our converse, one with another. I will not farther explain these things, because they are abominable; and I would not teach any man to be dishonest. For they are of fuch a nature, that if you speak them, you teach them; and if you declare them, men may learn them. But

Thirdly, They fuperadd things unlike to be true, and dishonourable to God; and this I will make appear in three things.

Ift. Their use of images in the worship of God. How far better than this, is that which we find among the philofophers? God, fay they, is to be worshipped by purity of mind; because a spirit is best acknowledged by the reason of man's underftanding, and the thought of his heart for this is the worship most suitable to an immaterial being; and it is the use of that in us, which is the highest and nobleft of our faculties. For the spirit in man is the candle of the Lord, lighted by God, and a light to direct us unto him, as we read, Acts xvii.

27.

:

2dly. The veneration of relicks; a very vain thing for there can be no certainty at this distance. of time, what they are; and if they were what they are taken for to be, what is due to them? for, inanimate things are far inferior to those that have life; and we read, that the lefs is bleffed of the

greater,

greater, Heb. vii. 7. And Solomon faith, Eccl. ix. 9. That a living dog is better than a dead lion. And for the living to worship things that are dead, is altogether irrational and unaccountable. And for the worfhipping of angels and fellow creatures, which is the

3d. Thing, why should should any man so proftitute himself as to worship these? I am fure God would not have us do so : he would not have us adore any creature. For as the apostle reasons, Col. ii. 18. it is but a fhew of humility to worship angels, and they are in the highest rank of creatures. And if they are not to be worshipped (as it is plain from Rev. xxii. 9. they are not) then surely none below them. And God hath declared, that there is but one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.'

Fourthly, They frustrate the effect of real religion by their pretence to power and privilege. That is, they pretend to make that lawful which is not lawful. Bellarmine faith, that the pope may declare virtue to be vice, and vice virtue. By this practice they can turn attrition into contrition, that is, they can make such a consternation of mind, as fell upon Judas, when he went and hanged himself, by the priest's abfolution to be contrition; that is change it into the notion of true repentance. And also bodily penance inftead of an inward change of the mind. They pretend to work spiritual effects by virtue of holy, water and the cross. They pretend the efficacy of indulgences, for the pardon of fin: the power of abfolving men from oaths and obligations all which are things unaccountable. There

are

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