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SERMON XII.

I PET. V. 12.

-Exhorting and teftifying that this is the true
Grace of God wherein ye ftand.

T

HE Happiness of all Creatures depends intirely on their Obedience to his Will

whofe fovereign Power created and rules the World. Now the Will of God is made known to us in Part by natural Reason : and they who have no other Law shall be judged by that alone. But as Reafon was unable to teach Mankind a great Number of Things very important to be known, and in Fact, did teach most of them but a small Part of what it might have done; God was mercifully pleased to superadd the Light of Revelation to it, and place us under the Conduct of both jointly. Such

an additional Provifion, it might have been hoped, had cleared up all Doubts; but partly the Weakness, partly the Wickedness of Men, hath turned even this Light into Darkness, and made it multiply Difputes inftead of ending them. Still we have no Reason to be difcouraged; for every upright and confiderate Perfon may after all, with due Care, very eafily fee his Way before him, clearly enough to walk in in it. But we have great Reason to use this ́Care, and make fuch Enquiry amidst the different Paths, which different Perfons point out to us, as will give us Caufe to be fatisfied we chuse the right. Now of all the different Opinions which have risen concerning the Christian Religion, there have been few fo remarkable as that which divides this Part of the World into Popish and Proteftant. Those of the former Communion, it feems, think us of the latter quite out of the Way to Salvation, and accordingly are unwearied in perfuading, as they have Opportunity, the Members of our Church, efpecially the lower and more ignorant Part of them, to quit it for theirs. The Neceffity of doing this, they infift upon fome Times with fo much Plausibility, and always with so much Confidence, that I hope you will not think a

few

few Discourses ill 'employed on a Subject of fuch very great Importance both to our private Satisfaction and public Security, in refuting the Arguments they usually bring against us, and teftifying that this is the true Grace of God, wherein ye ftand. To proceed regularly in this Matter, I fhall

I. Enquire what is the Rule of Chriftian Faith and Life: and

II. Examine by this Rule the peculiar Doctrines and Practices of the Romish Church.

I. I fhall enquire what is the Rule of Chriftian Faith and Life: from whence we are to learn what Things our Religion requires as neceffary, and what it forbids as unlawful: for, if we do the one and avoid the other, we are undoubtedly fafe. Now as Jefus Chrift is the fole Author of our Faith, thofe Things, and thofe alone, which he taught himself, and commiffioned his Disciples to teach, are Parts of our Faith. What his Doctrine was we find in no less than four Accounts of his Life and Preaching given in the Gospels. To what Belief his Disciples converted Men, we find in the Acts. What they taught Men after their Converfion, we read in the Epiftles. These several

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Books, which make up the New Teftament, all Chriftians allow to contain an original and undoubtedly true Account of our Religion. The only poffible Question is, whether they contain a full and clear Account. Now fuch a one they without Question intended to give, for what could induce them defignedly to give any other? Befides, St. Luke, in the very Beginning of his Gofpel, tells us, that having a perfect UnderStanding of thofe Things which were believed amongst Chriftians, he had taken in Hand to fet forth a Declaration of them, that those he wrote to might know the Certainty of what they had been inftructed in. And St. John, in the Conclufion of his, tells us, that though our Saviour did, and doubtless faid alfo, many Things that were not written in that Book, yet these, fays he, are written that ye might believe that Jefus is the Chrift, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have Life through his Name". This being then their Intention, can we poffibly think they failed of it? Two of the Evangelists at least were conftantly prefent at our Saviour's Difcourses, the other two heard them either from him, or his immediate Followers, and they had the Promise of his Spirit to bring all Things to Þ John xx, 30, 31:

their Remembrance whatsoever he had faid unto them. Could they after all forget any Part of this that was material and neceffary? That any of them fhould do fo is very ftrange: much more that they all should. That St. Luke, the Companion of the Apoftles, and the Writer of their Acts, that he too, in relating what they taught their Converts, should unhappily omit any Thing effential, ftill adds to the Wonder: and that no one of the many Epiftles written to inftruct the Churches in their Faith and Duty, fhould fupply this Defect, is beyond all Belief.

But fuppofing the Scripture ever so perfect in itself, yet the Church of Rome objects that it is not clear to us: even to the Learned many Things are hard to be understood; which therefore to the Unlearned must be impoffible. Nay fometimes they tell us not one Sentence of it hath a Meaning, which by our own private Judgement we can be certain of. But furely the Apostles were not worse Writers with a divine Affiftance, than others commonly are without it. What they spoke and preached was plain; else they spoke to no Purpose: and why should not the fame Things be as plain when they were written down? Some Paffages indeed

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