intended it; that had not the Church of Rome, in their great Wisdom, forbidden Perfons to look into it, without their Leave, it might have done infinite Harm, and does not a little ftill? We cannot think fo. Men were liable to make an ill Ufe of Things, to fall into Errors and Herefies, in all Ages. Yet neither the Prophets under the Old Teftament, 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 fhould not be as wife as those who come after them. St. Peter himself, who mentions this Danger of Men's wrefting the Scriptures, yet does not in the leaft blame, but fuppofe, every Man's reading them notwithftanding. And St. Paul, whofe Epiftles were the very Scriptures they wrefted, yet never requires them to be kept from any one Christian of the feveral Churches he writes to; nay, most trictly requires the contrary, concerning an Epiftle as liable to be misunderstood as any of them all; and which actually was misunderstood immediately, I mean his firft Epistle to the The Jalonians. Yet notwithstanding that, I charge you by the Lord, fays he, that this Epiftle

be

be read unto all the holy Brethren ". Did then the ancient Chriftians, in whose Days there were Herefies in great Plenty, did they restrain any of the People from reading the Scriptures, in order to preserve them from Herefy? No: the Romanifts 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 Apostasy from Religion. They know there is no one Thing almost so much infifted on by Fathers and Councils as the Neceffity that all Perfons without Exception fhould be well acquainted with the Word of God. Thus little apprehenfive was the primitive Church of any Danger from this Practice. The Church of Rome, we own, has fome 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 fee, what now they who do fee dare not own, how widely it differs from the Doctrines commonly taught them. We acknowledge then they are wife 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 falfe Tranflations, obfcure it by falfe Gloffes, and make it of none Effect by fetting 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 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 furer Way of preferving 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 fecond Epiftle. This know, that in the laft Days perilous Times fhall come. Evil Men and Seducers fhall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue thou in thofe Things which thou haft learned, and haft been assured of: knowing of whom thou haft learned them; and that from a Child thou bast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wife unto Salvation, through Faith which is in Christ Jefus. All Scripture is given by Infpira

tion of God, and is profitable for Doctrine, for Reproof, for Correction, for Inftruction in Righteousness, that the Man of God may be perfect, throughly 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 Chriftians did not. Such is their modern Addition of five new Sacraments to those two which Christ appointed, and making the Belief of this precife Number effential to Salvation; making alfo the Prieft's Intention fo neceffary to the Benefit of the Sacraments, that no Body shall be the better for them without it a Perfon baptized, for Instance, shall be no Christian notwithstanding, if the Priest had Malice enough to defign he should not. Of the fame 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 abfurd Superstitions, many of them the undeniable Remains of Heathenifm very little disguised their engaging fuch Multitudes of People in Vows of Celibacy and useless Retirement from the World: their obliging them to Gilly

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filly Aufterities and Abftinences of no real Value, as Matters of great Merit: their exceffive Veneration of Relics, moft of them fictitious and unfit to be thus honoured, were they ever fo genuine their Inventions of romantic Legends and lying Miracles, which make weak and unlearned Perfons believe any Thing, and too many of those, who see through them, believe nothing. And befides these and other Errors in fpiritual Matters, there are many more of most weighty Confideration in Temporals, which they zealously maintain: their Claim of punishing whom they please to call Heretics with Penalties, Imprisonments, Tortures, Death; their excommunicating and depofing Kings; their forbidding divine Worship through whole Nations at once; their annulling the most facred 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 thefe Things I have set in a proper Light to you on other Occafions, and dwelling on all would be endless as well as unneceffary. Enough, I hope, hath been faid, to thew you which are in the right: and that this is the true Grace of God wherein ye ftand. For obferve:

as