case, show the same caution in others, which surely need it full as much? Why do they never restrain any body from image-worship, for fear of their falling into idolatry? Why do they never forbid the use of indulgences, for fear of their being mistaken for a licence to sin? Multitudes of questions like these might be with equal reason asked; and it is very strange, methinks, that they should be suspicious of nothing doing harm but the Bible. But after all, is the danger so very great? Hath God Almighty inspired men to write and publish so exceedingly unsafe a book, and so very unfit to be read by the generality of those, for whom he intended it; that had not the Church of Rome, in their great wisdom, forbidden persons to look into it, without their leave, it might have done infinite harm, and does not a little still? We cannot think so. Men were liable to make an ill use of things, to fall into errors and heresies, in all ages. Yet neither the Prophets under the Old Testament, nor our Saviour and his Apostles in the times of the New, ever bethought themselves of this way for preventing it; but recommend and enjoin the reading of Scripture in the strongest terms. Now it is wonderful they should not be as wise as those who come after them. St. Peter himself, who mentions this danger of men's wresting the Scriptures, yet does not in the least blame, but suppose, every man's reading them notwithstanding. And St. Paul, whose Epistles were the very Scriptures they wrested, yet never requires them to be kept from any one Christian of the several Churches he writes to; nay, most strictly requires the contrary, concerning an Epistle as liable to be misunderstood as any of them all; and which actually was misunderstood immediately, I mean his first Epistle to the Thessalonians.

Yet notwithstanding that, I charge you by the Lord, says he, that this Epistle be read unto all the holy brethren *. Did then the ancient Christians, in whose days there were heresies in great plenty, did they restrain any of the people from reading the Scriptures, in order to preserve them from heresy? No: the Romanists do not pretend it. They well know, that a man's delivering up his Bible was always, as it ought to be, the mark of apostacy from religion. They know there is no one thing almost so much insisted on by fathers and councils as the necessity that all persons without exception should be well acquainted with the word of God. Thus little apprehensive was the primitive Church of any danger from this practice. The Church of Rome, we own, has some cause to be apprehensive. For had the people once general liberty to read and judge from Scripture, there is great danger they might come in general to see, what now they who do see dare not own, how widely it differs from the doctrines commonly taught them; we acknowledge then they are wise in their generation. The Scripture is against them; and they will be against the Scripture: lower its credit as far as they dare: keep it out of men's hands, where they can: and where they cannot, they pervert it by false translations, obscure it by false glosses, and make it of none effect by setting up a pretended authority of interpreting it to quite another thing than it evidently means. We, God be thanked, need not these arts, and we use them not. We permit, we beseech, we require you all to read the Scriptures diligently, and judge of their meaning impartially; to compare with them every thing we teach you, and believe nothing but what you find agreeable to them. We

1 Thess. v. 27.

have no fear of your being poisoned by the food of life, or led into error by the word of truth. On the contrary, we know not any surer way of preserving men from errors, and those of the Church of Rome in particular, than that which St. Paul prescribes Timothy in the third chapter of his second Epistle. This know, that in the last days perilous times shall come. Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue thou in those things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of: knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

There are still many other points, in which great corruptions of the Romish Church might be shown you. Such is their equalling the Apocryphal books to the canonical: which the ancient Christians did not. Such is their modern addition of five new Sacraments to those two which Christ appointed, and making the belief of this precise number essential to salvation; making also the Priest's intention so necessary to the benefit of the Sacraments, that nobody shall be the better for them without it: a person baptized, for instance, shall be no Christian notwithstanding, if the Priest had malice enough to design he should not. Of the same bad tendency is their burying every part of religion under a load of rites and ceremonies, that turn it into outward show; and giving it the appearance of art magic by an infinity of absurd superstitions, many of them the undenia

1

ble remains of heathenism very little disguised: their engaging such multitudes of people in vows of celibacy and useless retirement from the world: their obliging them to silly austerities and abstinences of no real value, as matters of great merit: their excessive veneration of relics, most of them fictitious and unfit to be thus honoured, were they ever so genuine: their inventions of romantic legends and lying miracles, which make weak and unlearned persons believe any thing, and too many of those, who see through them, believe nothing. And besides these and other errors in spiritual matters, there are many more of most weighty consideration in temporals, which they zealously maintain: their claim of punishing whom they please to call heretics with penalties, imprisonments, tortures, death; their excommunicating and deposing kings; their forbidding divine worship through whole nations at once; their annulling the most sacred promises and engagements, when made to the prejudice of their Church: their drawing, by wicked artifices, the wealth of all countries to the support of their own tyranny. But many of these things I have set in a proper light to you on other occasions, and dwelling on all would be endless as well as unnecessary. Enough, I hope, hath been said to shew you which are in the right: and that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. For observe: as the whole claim of the Church of Rome depends upon her being in all points infallible: so, if in any single point she proves to be mistaken, her pretence of being believed in the rest falls intirely to the ground. But indeed, though for your fuller satisfaction I have confuted many of her doctrines, yet any person may have sufficient satisfaction of his own being in the right way, without so much as knowing or having heard

what any one of her doctrines is. For let him but keep close to the Creed and the commandments: believe those things which Scripture hath made necessary to be believed, and do those things which Scripture hath made necessary to be done; and he is under no manner of obligation to enquire, what any church on earth thinks fit to believe or do besides. Many opinions may be true and useful; many practices may be innocent and edifying; but nothing can be matter of necessity, except what Christ and his Apostles have required as terms of salvation. Every person, that complies with these, is a true Christian: every Church that teaches these, is a true Church: and neither ignorance nor error about any other matters can forfeit our title to everlasting life. Search then the Scriptures and see: is there any one thing made necessary there which our Church forbids? Is there any one thing declared sinful there which our Church requires? If not, let other Churches prohibit or enjoin as they please at their own peril. We are no way bound to enquire what they do, or why. Letting alone their peculiarities, we are sure is safe. Whether making use of them be or not, is their business to consider, not ours. So that were transubstantiation, for instance, and purgatory true; were the worship of images and praying to saints lawful; which, God knows, they are far from being; yet as there is no pretence that they are necessary doctrines and practices; the mistake of rejecting them could have no harm in it; but the uncharitableness of condemning and accursing those who reject them may have great harm. For when once Christ hath said believe and do such and such things, and you shall be saved; who is it that shall dare to say, believe and do more, or you shall not be saved? It