the Church of Rome. Whereas the His Grace only fays, that every Private Perfon, by the constant and diligent Study of the Holy Scripture, may attain to fo much Knowledge, as may inform him what he ought to believe, and what he ought to do; and fuffice to lead him unto Life Everlasting. 3dly, He cannot but know that we may have a Moral Certainty of many things, for which we have no Demonstration: All these things N. C. could not be ignorant of, tho' he was refolved to shut his Eyes, and seem not to apprehend them. By which we may fee, what Shifts those Persons are put to, who have undertaken to lay falfe Colours upon a bad Cause, and to place their counterfeit Wares in a falfe Light, in order to put them off to fome unwary or unskilful Chapman.

2. He fays, the Archbishop justifies all Hereticks that ever deny'd any Points of Faith, on pretence that they are not plain in Scripture; and particularly he inftances in the Socinians, who, he tells us, have got the better of the Proteftants, and beat them at their own Weapons.

But first 'tis evident, that N. C. is no competent Judge which has got the better, because he doth not pretend to be a Judge of the meaning of thofe Texts of Scripture which give occafion to the Difputes. Nor doth the Abufe of the Holy Scriptures

Scriptures put in any Bar against the use of them; Mens Lufts, and Paffions, and Prejudices, will blind their Understandings, and clap a Biafs upon their Judgments: And tho' the Truths of Religion are never fo plain, and clearly revealed to them, yet will not they afford them their Aflent: Thofe Men who will not practice thole Duties, which are evident even by the Light of Nature, will mifap. ply the plaineft Texts of Scripture, when they deliver any thing contrary to their corrupt Inclination. But this is not the fault of the Rule, but of the Men who mifapply it; who would continue the fame Infidels or Hereticks, tho' they had an Infallible Judge to dictate to them? for we find, there were never more Herefies than in the Times of the Apostles; and yet 'tis confcfs'd on all hands, that they were endow'd with an Infallible Spirit.

I might add a great deal more on this Argument, but I fear I have dwelt too long on it already; and therefore I must defire the Reader, who is not fatisfied with what is here faid, to review the Archbishop's Sermons, where he will find many more excellent Arguments to the fame purpose. I fhall fum up all with an ingenious Apologue, from the 99th Page of the Third Volume of Sermons.

I will conclude (fays his Grace) with a a very plain and familiar Cafe, by which it will appear what Credit and Authority is fi to be given to a Guide, and what not. Suppofe I came a Stranger into England, and landing at Dover, took a Guide there to conduct me in my way to Tork, which I know before by the Map to lie North of Dover; having committed my self to him, if he led me for two or three days together out of the plain Road, and many times over Hedge and Ditch, I cannot but think it ftrange, that in a civil and well-inhabited Country, there fhould be no High Ways from one part of it to another: Yet thus far I fubmit to him, tho' not without fome regret and impatience. But then if after this, for two or three days more he led me directly South, and with my Face full upon the Sun at Noonday, and at laft bring me back again to Dover Peer, and still bid me follow him; then certainly no Modefty doth oblige a Man not to difpute with his Guide, and to tell him, furely that can be no Way, because it is Sea. Now tho' he fet never fo bold a Face upon the Matter, and tell me with all the Gravity and Authority in the World, That it is not the Sea, but dry Land, under the Species and Appearance of Water; and that whatever my Eyes tell me, having once committed my felf to

his

I

In fhort, I tell took him for him to tell me

his Guidance, I must not trust my own Sénfes in the cafe; it being one of the most dangerous forts of Infidelity for a Man to believe his own Eyes,rather than his faithful and infallible Guide: All this moves me not; but I begin to expoftulate roundly with him, and to let him understand, that if I must not believe what I see, he is like to be of no farther ufe to me, because I fhall not be able at this rate to know whether I have a Guide, and whether I follow him or not. him plainly, that when my Guide, I did not take the difference between North and South, between a Hedge and a High-Way, between Sea and dry Land; all this I knew before, as well as he or any Man elfe could tell me; but I took him to conduct me the directest way to Tork: And therefore, after all his impertinent Talk, after all his Motives of Credibility to perfuade me to believe him, and all his confident Sayings, which he gravely calls Demonftrations, I ftand ftifly upon the Shoar, and leave my Learned and Reverend Guide to take his own course, and to dispose of himself as he pleaseth, but firmly resolv'd not to follow him: And is any Man to be blam'd who treats with his Guide on these Terms?

And

And this is truly the cafe, when a Man commits himself to the Guidance of any Perfon or Church; if by virtue of this Authority, they will needs perfuade me out of my Senfes, and not to believe what I fee, but what they fay, that Virtue is Vice, and Vice Virtue, if they des clare them to be fo: And that because they say they are Infallible, I am to rẻceive all their Dictates for Oracles, tho never fo evidently falfe and absurd in thề Judgment of all Mankind. In this cafe there is no way to be rid of thefe unreafonable People, but to defire of them, fince one Kindness deferves another, and all Contradictions are alike eafie to be be liev'd, that they would be pleased to be lieve, that Infidelity is Faith; and that when I abfolutely renounce their Autho tity, I do yield a most perfect Submission and Obedience to it.

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