THE Bible pronounces all men unprofitable fervants: Popery maintains, men may do a great deal more than is neceffary to procure falvation; and that others may share of their fuperabundant merit.

THE Bible represents the law of the LORD as unchangeable, and always binding: Popery dispenses with this law, for money, or for convenience *.

THIS Comparison and oppofition might be drawn out to a great length. But to what purpose do we quote the Scriptures? what avail all the inftances of oppofition and contrariety we can collect or imagine, if the Church of Rome is infallible? Infallibility puts to filence every argument of her adversaries: Infallibility establishes whatever she maintains; however abfurd, unfcriptural, or pernicious: her infallibility can make light darknefs, and darkness light; CHRIST a wafer, and a wafer CHRIST; breach of faith, perjury, bloodshed, maffacres, and extirpation, meritorious works deferving

*See Fraser's Sermon on the Man of Sin.

deferving heaven. made of no effect. by those whofe confciences are under the direction of others, and the directors under the government of an infallible church, that can fay, Let goodness be fin, and it is fin; let fin be duty, and it is duty?

Thus the law of GOD is

What may not be done

BUT might not this church, which found herself erewhile fo powerful, and which still claims infallibility, have fuppreffed the paffages of Scripture we have referred to, and other obnoxious ones, and infallibly corrected others that feem unfavourable to her doctrines and claims? Her champions would have had lefs trouble in defending her. Lo! they might have faid, at their ease, the infallible church has expunged the doctrine; or, she has made it perfectly consistent with her prefent infallible decifions.

THIS infallible church, however, to the no fmall distress of her defenders, allows the Scriptures to remain as they are; and her fanctified verfion, with all its faults, fufficiently establishes the doctrines we have recited from the holy Scriptures.

WHENCE

WHENCE is it that the Church of Rome acts fo felf-deftructive a part? How can fhe maintain that the Scriptures are a divine revelation, and her own tenets the infallible truths of GOD? She has altered the Chriftian religion, and yet has left the Gospel entire: She pulls down with one hand what she builds with the other.

WE pretend not to fay, whether the Church of Rome would have altered, or expunged, or added to, the doctrines of the Scriptures if she could: but, certainly, when fhe was called upon to vindicate her doctrines and worship, and appeals on these heads were made to the Scriptures, fhe was laid under ftrong temptations to fuch attempts: certain it is, many afperfions were thrown upon the word of God, by Popish writers: great jealoufy of the people's knowledge of the Scriptures was discovered: their comments, and gloffes, and decrees, in effect, altered and expunged, and added to, the Scripture. The fervice of the church was performed in a dead language. This practice, fo palpably abfurd, obtains to this very day. It is true, there are, in fome places, tranflations

of

of the Scriptures, and of the public service; but they are not used in the churches; and though, in Popish countries, contiguous to Proteftant, and among Papists in Protestant countries, these translations may be known, and used too perhaps in private, we are authorised to say, the great body of the people remains unacquainted with the Scriptures, and the service; and that in Italy and Spain, the state of things, in this refpect continues the fame, or nearly the fame, as at the Reformation.

BUT the church of Rome could not have altered the Scriptures; in order to have fucceeded in an attempt of this kind, the Hebrew Bible, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Septuagint, and other verfions of the Old Teftament, the writings of Jofephus, and many others, must have been destroyed. And the Fathers of the church, whose works are abundantly voluminous, must have been facrificed, before the New Testament could have been materially altered. The hiftory and doctrines of the New Testament are interwoven in their writings. Good rifes out of evil. The herefies, the controver

fies, the councils, the whole history of the church, preferve the books of the Old and New Teftament. The Church of Rome could not alter the Scriptures. The Church of Rome communicates to us a book, which, long before her existence, defcribes her; and warns againft, and condemns her doctrines in exprefs terms. Who can but say these Scriptures are fafely tranfmitted to us by the Church of Rome?

PERHAPS it is difficult to pronounce whether there was greater reason to dread the violence of perfecutors, or the art and power of the Church of Rome, in perverting and deftroying the facred books. Much was attempted in this way by Heathens *; but in the peculiar rites of Judaism, the privileges and the hopes of the Jews, a foundation was laid for an invincible attachment to the holy writings and Rome could not have altered or fuppreffed the Bible, without bribing the Jews, and the Greek Church, and learned men of every country; without annihilating learning and inquiry, and hiftory, and innumerable libraries.

R

I MUST

See Maccabees, and the History of the Persecutions