are three great designs in popery, and I will tell you what they are.

Ift. To keep the civil magiftrate in awe.

2dly. To maintain the clergy in ftate and honour. 3dly. To keep the people in ignorance, and fo to enflave them, and difable them to fee or know. These are three great things in popery. If any of you defire any of these three things, popery is for your turn; but if you would maintain the honour and privilege of human nature, then you must give your testimony against it.

But in true religion there is nothing which the reafon of mankind can challenge or object against: nothing wherein the reafon of mankind may not have fo good an account, so as to have fatisfaction.

And to declare the plain truth. I do not at all understand that there is any religion farther than that which is owned among proteftants. What they have more among the papifts is accommodated to ferve ends and purposes. The most learned among the church of Rome acknowledge the materials of our religion to be true. As for the ignorant, they are of no confideration in point of judgment; no more than the opinion of a blind man in point of colours, or of a deaf man as to founds.

I conclude this with what a great abbot in their church was wont to fay, that he did greatly fufpect that his religion muft needs fail, because there was fo little ground for it in the word of God. I will add to what he said, that there is as little ground for it in the principles of God's creation, or in that which we call natural religion,

Now

Now I come to give you an account of the reFormed church. And I will fay concerning it, that it doth neither perfecute, nor hold any principle of disturbance, but maintain principles of peace. If any man in the reformed church do, I must declare, that it is the fault of particular parties, and not to be charged upon the reformed church. And to make this appear, I will begin with what the church of England declares: and I had best for that quote fome of the homilies, of which there is one concerning contention and ftrife, and particularly that which is occafioned by principles of religion. The words are thefe, "It is far better and more worthy

for any one to give place to another, and let his "argument fall, than to win the victory with breach "of charity." An excellent determination, which you shall find in the homily against strife and contention. Then for the ancients, I will quote you two or three fayings of theirs.

'Tis, faith one, unnatural to religion to be for→ ced; for a man's religion must be chofen. St. Auftin gives his account of the Circumcellions, the worst fort of Donatifts. Saith he, "We bring these be"fore the civil magistrate, not because they err in "matters of faith, but because they perfecute and ❝are troublesome to right believers" * they brought

* Non effe petendum ab imperatoribus, ut ipfam berefim juberent omnino non effe poenam conftituendo eis qui in illa effe voluiffent: fed hoc potius conftituerunt, ut eorum furiofas violentias non paterentur qui veritatem catholicam vel prædicarent loquendo, vel legerent conftituendo. Aug. ep. 50. vid. & ep. 68, 159,

the

them before the magistrate, to restrain their violence not to compel them to believe. Thus St. Austin, And indeed there needs nothing to promote religion but gentle and friendly ways. For in point of natural religion (which takes in fobriety, righteousness, and piety) you may eafily fatisfy any man by reafon. For no man is in any thing more certain, than that he ought to be fober and temperate; than that he ought to deal righteously, and fo as he would be dealt by; and that he ought to carry himself equally and fairly; and that he ought to fear and reverence the deity for these are the dictates of natural light. And therefore if we will shew ourselves to be men, we muft live in the practice of these principles, and comply with them. And then for other matters, matters of revealed religion and truth; in these, we are perfuaded by the word of God; by the reason of the things themselves in matters of the former fort; and by the revelation of God's word, in the latter. And if the spirit of God doth not fatisfy, and perfuade the mind of a man to receive and entertain these, as they are here declared; then there is no poffibility of making this man to become a chriftian. For you cannot force christianity, because it is matter of fupernatural revelation here you cannot convince men by reason, which is the only way to deal with men in other matters. And fo the apostle hath told us : because these are the results of God's will, therefore it follows that they are only knowable by God's revelation of them to us, I Cor. ii. 11. As no man knows the things of a man, but the spirit of a man which is in him, so no man knows

:

knows the things of God but the spirit of God, and he to whom the spirit will reveal them.

Now I will give you an account of the main principles of the reformed religion; what it doth maintain, allow, defend and practise and lay it out in eight particulars.

1. The reformed religion doth allow and main, tain the worship of God, and all the offices in religion, to be performed in the vulgar tongue : so that knowledge and devotion may be had and promoted.

2. The reformed religion doth own the free use of fcripture, both in publick and private; and call upon men to do as our Saviour adviseth, viz. to fearch the fcriptures, for by them we hope to find eternal life; for these are they which make the man of God perfect, and richly furnish him for every good work; and by these we are able to render a reafon of the hope that is in us.

3. The reformed church doth hold that the fcrip. ture is the only rule of faith: and therefore traditions councils and fathers, and the writings of learned. men, are only to be used as helps, better to underftand the fcripture: but they are not to be looked upon as any rule of faith; but in this cafe we fay as the apostle, if I, or an angel from heaven preach any other doctrine than that which we have delivered unto you, let him be accurfed. It is well refolved by St. Auftin, who faith if any one of us offer that which is not in fcripture, any man that hears, hath more authority to refuse, than the other hath to declare. But in popery we find twelve new articles at once imposed upon us.

VOL. I.

M

4. We

4. We of the protestant religion do affert, that every one hath the right of his private judgment. But we do advise, that to the end men may be able to diftinguish between good and evil, truth and falfhood; they make themselves capable of this right by prayer and meditation, and diligent fearch, and conference, and other helps of knowledge. Advifing men to be modeft, humble, sober and temperate and to lay afide all fondness and partiality of serving ends, when they come to read the scripture: saying as Auftin once did, when you take up the bible to read, you must not seek there for an argument to confirm your opinion, but refolve to entertain that opinion which the text doth direct and warrant. Now the Romanifts tell us of what great acquifition they have made, how many they have brought to their church, by their way of force and violence: and particularly they brag of what they have done in the Indies. For which I fhall quote you the teftimony of a great abbot, that was then a bishop among them his words are these, "Who after a "brutish manner drive people to baptifm, as men "drive beafts to watering, and butcher far more, than they baptize."

5. We do declare, that the teachers of the church ought not to be dictators, or masters of mens faith; but helpers of mens faith; for they are not to make religion, but to fhew it. They do not take away the key of knowledge from the people, as our Saviour chargeth the Pharifees, Luke xi. 52. Or as St. Aufin faith, they do not command faith in men, upon peril of damnation, to shew their superiority, or to

practife