which none could do without Blafphemy: And to direct their Prayers and Supplications to a Creature, tho' that Creature were feated at the right Hand of God, who yet às Man, could neither be omnifcient to know our Wants, nor omniprefent to hear our Prayers, nor omnipotent to answer them effectually is as downright Idolatry, as to direct our Supplications to Angels or departed Saints, to the Sun, Moon or Stars, to Stocks or Stones, or to any created Being whatfoever. Befide all this, it was extravagantly irrational in thofe great Pretenders, to the Perfection of Reason, not rather to fix that Mediatorial Office in fome Angel,fince they were refolv'd to bestow it on a Creature, fince Angels are in theirNature more fwift, fubtle, powerful, &c. than any meerglorify'd Body poffibly can be. If Jefus Chrift, indeed, were not the Son of God, if he were not God himself, he was not able to offer any fufficient Attoning Sacrifice for the Sins of Mankind: He was not able to lay down his Life freely, or freely to take it up again: He was not able to redeem the World from the Slavery of Death and Hell: And by Confequence, he could not really be that Meffias, fo long expected by the languifhing Universe. And tho fome literally own the Eternal Divinity of the Son of God, and his Incarnation and Paffion, as thofe of the Church of Rome generally and unanimoufly do; yet they run themselves as precipitoufly into Antichriftian Errors, while they conclude his one Sacrifice of himself once offer'd, no fufficient Sacrifice, Oblation or Satisfaction for the Sins of the whole World, but repeat it every Day in the SaR 2 crifice

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crifice of the Mafs, and join the fuppofed Merits of deceas'd Saints and holy Men with his, by way of Affiftance in the Mediatorial Work. If Chrift were God as well as Man, he was able to tread the Wine-Prefs of his Father's Wrath alone, and needed not any of the People with him: If he were not God, as well as Man, the Matter returns to the fame Point; he was not then the expected Meffias; he was not the Saviour of the World.

3. Those Perfons are acted by an Antichriftian Spirit who being lawfully commiffion'd and fent as Minifters of Jefus Chrift, or being made true Partakers of the Chriftian Priefthood, yet willingly and deliberately preach falfe Doctrines, and propagate Errors in their Mafter's Name: As we believe it of God the Father, fo we believe of God the Son, that he can neither deceive nor be deceiv'd. Our bleffed Lord, in his Doctrines, made it his Bufinefs to give Light to them that fate in Darkness, and in the Shadow of Death, and to guide their Feet into the Way of Peace. He made it his Bufinefs to forewarn his Friends of those numerous deceitful and feducing Spirits, who fhould endeavour to impofe upon the World in his Name. He Mat. 24. tells them, of falfe Chrifts and falfe Prophets who fhould arife, and fhew great Signs and Wonders, fo that, if it were posible, they should deceive the very Elect. Now, what can be more directly contrary to the Defigns and Intendments of the Son of God made Man, than for those very Perfons, who call themfelves by his Name, who pretend to be Officers in his Kingdom, who have a real Call from his Church, upon Suppofition of their Learning and Abilities,

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and the Innocence and Exemplarinefs of their Lives and Converfations; what can favour more of Antichriftianifm, than for fuch Men to betray their gracious Lord and Mafter, to be more cruel than Jews? to give the Sons of Heaven, Scorpions inftead of Fish, and Stones instead of Bread? But fure fuch Perfons little confider the Weight of that Burden, which the Church in admitting them to the Priesthood, lays upon them; or that upon their Breach of Truft, and poifoning the Souls of poor deluded Creatures with the Doctrines of Hell, all thofe Souls who perifh by their Treachery and Prevarication, will be certainly required at their Hands. If they thought on thefe Things, they would certainly take more heed to themselves,and to their Doctrines; they would ftudy the Word of God themselves with the greatest Diligence and Accuracy, and pray for the Illumination of God's Spirit, and the Affiftance of his Grace; that as the Confequence of their Induftry and Fidelity in their Office, they might procure Salvation for themselves, and thofe that hear them.

The Church of God would certainly_prevent these Mischiefs, if it were in their Power. But what fhould we do? We pretend not now-a-days, to the Gift of difcerning Spirits: And tho' we may make a reasonable Judgment of Men by their Practices; yet fome are too well vers'd in all the Arts of Hypocrify, to be discovered on the fudden. Even that Church which pretends to Infallibility, finds it felf often deceiv'd in giving Orders to notorious Hypocrites and diffembling Villains. Wicked Men know humane Weakness too well in this

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Cafe: And therefore, having malicioufly refolv'd to carry on the Work of Hell, they make the Prieftly Habit, or a Profeffion of more Religion than ordinary, the Difguife under which to abufe the lefs cautious Part of Mankind. Who would ever fufpect Treachery from one, who with a ferious Countenance, and all the Signs of Honefty and Integrity, had juft now taken all the Bonds of facred Friendfhip upon himself? Who would think, that one, who bears the Badge of him, who was himfelf all Innocence and Love, fhould defign, under Covert of his Name, to put in Practice all the Stratagems of Bafenefs and Hypocrify? Yet fuch frequently is the inward Inclination of thofe, whom the good and charitable Opinion of the Church has admitted into her Secrets, and entrusted with the Adminiftration of holy Things, and the Inftruction of others. Our bleffed Lord himself, who knew perfectly what was in Man, and needed not that any should inform him, had yet a Judas: And tho' he knew him to be a Devil, for the more ready accomplishing the great End of his coming into the World, permitted him, that Son of Perdition, to herd among the Twelve, and he could teach against Covetousness to others, and practise Treafon himself. St. Paul was troubled with Hymeneus and Phyletus, Alexander, Demas, Phygellus and Hermogenes; and St. John,with his Diotrephes: And every Church, even in the firft and pureft Ages, was pefter'd with fome falfe Teachers or other. What Vexation did fuch wicked Men give St. Paul, among his beloved Galatians; whom they fo foon remov'd Gal. 1.6.from him, who called them unto the Grace of

Chrift, unto another Gofpel? There is certainly an unaccountable Witchcraft in Error, both in those who promote it, and in those who are enflay'd to it. It is pleafing to the Deceiver, to fee what Numbers of poor ignorant Wretches he draws after him, and prevails with, to fubfcribe to the greatest Impieties and Abfurdities in Nature, tho' he be damn'd for ever, for his Pains; efpecially if the Decei ver be fuch a one as the Bishop of Rome, one whom no Man may check or controul, or inquire of him why he does fo or fo. It is pleafing to him to fee the miferable Crowd hang upon his Lips, as if all his Words were Oracles, and contain'd Truths abfolutely ne ceffary to fecure the Happinefs of Mankind, It is pleafing to thofe who are deceiv'd, to hear fome rare Discoveries of new and uncommon Truths, as they imagine them. St. Paul had made known to the Galatians, as well as others, the whole Counfel of God: He had pretermit ted nothing that might conduce to their eternal Welfare: He had imparted the Gof pel to them, without the intolerable Clog of numerous Mofaic Ceremonies: But when St. Paul had left them to carry on the great Work of propagating the Gofpel in other Quarters; falfe Prophets took the Advantage, and urged upon them the Neceflity of obfer ving the Mofaic Law: St. Paul feem'd then to them as one who had envy'd them a Plero phery of Knowledge, as the Serpent reprefented her Creator to unhappily credulous Eve; therefore they foolishly defpis'd him, their best Friend, and admired them, their moft dangerous Enemies.

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