gion; and it will be no imputation on our religion, that the one be no more guarded against than the other is. If then there be no authority for repressing vice, but the outward discipline of the church, it is not incongruous there is no other authority for suppressing of error but that same of the discipline of the church. It is certainly a piece of humility for a man to suspect his own thoughts, when they lie cross to the sentiments of the guides and leaders of the church: but withal a man ought to be in all he does fully persuaded in his own mind; and we are commanded to try the spirits, and not to believe every spirit, 1 John iv. 1. Now reason being the chief excellency of man, and that wherein the Divine image doth mainly consist, it were very absurd to deny man a rational judging and discerning of these things, wherein his eternal interest is most concerned. Besides, the nature of religion, it being a thing suitable to the powers of the soul, shews that a man must have a conviction of the truth of it on his mind, and that he cannot be bound, in contradiction to his own apprehensions, to receive any opinions merely upon the testimony of others.

If to confirm all this, I should add all that can be brought from history for proving general councils to have erred in matters of faith, or that popes have been heretics, or that they have been anathematized as such by other popes and general councils, I should be too tedious. But in the end, how shall the vulgar know the definitions of councils, or the decrees of popes? or must they be blindly determined by the priest's assertion? Certainly this were to expose them to the greatest hazards, since they are not suffered to found their faith upon the scriptures: nor doth the church reveal her doctrines to them, so that their faith must be resolved upon the bare testimony of a priest, who is perhaps both ignorant and licentious. And by this we may judge to what a pass the souls of the people are brought by this doctrine.

In a word, we are not the servants of men, nor bound to their authority; for none can be a judge, but where he hath power both to try and to coerce. Now none but God can either search our hearts or change them; for as no human power can know our thoughts, so neither can it turn them, which are not in our own power, much less in the power of

others; therefore our consciences can and must only fall within God's jurisdiction: and since the renovation of the image of God consists in knowledge, and religion designs an union of our souls to Divine truth, that we may freely converse with it, it will follow, that all these pretences of absolute authority and infallibility in teaching are contrary to Christ's prophetic office, who came to reveal the Father to us.

The second of Jesus Christ's offices was the priestly, without which the former had never been effectual; for had we known never so perfectly the will of God, without a method had been laid down for reconciling sinners to him, it was in vain to think of religion, since nothing sinners could do was able to appease God, or expiate sin; but this was fully done by the sacrifice of that Lamb of God, who became sin for us, and bare our sins in his own body; in whom we have redemption, even forgiveness of sin through his blood, 2 Cor. v. 21. 1 Pet. ii. 24. Ephes. i. 7. If then any have derogated from the value of this satisfaction, they have offered the utmost indignity to the highest love, and committed the crime of the greatest ingratitude imaginable: who would requite the most inconceivable love with such a sacrilegious attempt! But how guilty are they of this, who would set the merits and works of men in an equality with the blood of God! as if by these we were justified, or owed our title to glory to our own performances! whereas we are taught by the oracles of God, that by grace we are saved; that God only hath made the difference betwixt us and others; and that he hath freely chosen us in his Son Christ Jesus, Ephes. ii. 5. 1 Cor. iv. 7. And, alas! what are we, or what is all we do, that it can pretend to the lowest degree of God's acceptance, without he freely both help us in it, and accept of us for it! so that when he rewards us for our services with eternal life, he freely crowns his own free gifts to us. For when we consider how great a disproportion there is betwixt our best services and eternal glory; when we also remember how all our good actions flow from the principles of Divine grace freely given, but withal reflect on the great defects and imperfections that hang about our best performances, we will not be able to entertain any thoughts of our meriting ought at the hands of God. And certainly the deeper impressions we have, either of the evil of sin or the

goodness of God, we will be further from a capacity of swelling big in our own thoughts, or of claiming any thing on the pretensions of justice or debt. It is true, this doctrine of merit is so explained by some of that church, that there remains no ground of quarrelling it, except for the term's sake, which is indeed odious and improper, (though early used by the ancients in an innocent sense.) But many of that church acknowledge there can be no obligation on God by our works, but that which his own promise binds upon him; which none, who believe the truth of the promises of the gospel, can question; yet still we must remember, that we owe all to the love of Jesus, and nothing to ourselves; which, as it is the matter of the hallelujahs of glorified saints, so should be the subject of our daily acknowledgments; wherefore we must abominate every thing that may seem to detract from this. But alas! were all this zeal, which many of that communion own for merits and good works, meant for the advancing a holy and spiritual life, it would carry a good apology with it, and its noble design would very much qualify the severity of its censure; but when these good works, which for so many ages were highly magnified, were the building of churches, the enriching of abbeys, pilgrimages, and other trifling and voluntary pieces of will-worship, advanced for the secular interests of the church; what shall be said of all that pains was used by the monks for advancing them, but that they were willing to sell the value of the blood and merits of Christ for advancing their own secular interests and devised practices? Alas! how far are these from that holiness and sanctity, which must qualify us for the kingdom of God and the inheritance of the saints!

And to end this matter, let me add one thing, which is most evident to all who have observed the methods of the directors of consciences in that church, that with whatever distinctions this matter be varnished over among them, yet the vulgar do really imagine they buy and sell with Almighty God, by their undergoing these laws of the church and penances imposed by their confessor: which, as it nourisheth the life of pride and self-love, so it detracts from the value they ought to set on the blood of Christ, as their only title to heaven and glory.

And to this I must add, that distinction of the temporary

and eternal punishments sin deserves: the latter whereof they acknowledge are removed by the blood of Christ; but the former must be expiated by ourselves, either by sufferings in this life, or those we must endure in purgatory, unless by the pope's charity we be delivered from them. Now how contrary this is to the value we are taught to set on the blood of Christ, all may judge. Ephes. ii. 15, and v. 27, By Christ peace is made; we are reconciled to God; he represents us to the Father without spot or wrinkle. And much more of this nature meeting us in scripture, declares how plenary his satisfaction was; nothing being left undone by him for removing the guilt and demerit of sin. And what comfortless doctrine this is, we may soon apprehend how it takes away that joy in God, at the approaches of death, since there is such hazard of direful miseries following. Now this was no small part of the mystery by which the world was brought under their dominion; and therefore great pains was taken for rooting the belief of it deep in all men's hearts; many visions and apparitions were vouched for its proof; and all the lives of the saints, that were written for divers ages, were full of such fabulous narrations; some souls were said to be seen standing in burning brimstone to the knees, some to the middle, some to the chin; others swimming in caldrons of melted metal, and devils pouring the metal down their throats: with many such affrighting stories.

But for all this, the proof from scripture was only drawn from one wrested place of the apostle Paul, 1 Cor. iii. 12 -15, who saith, that in the day of the Lord, such as built upon the foundation of Christ superstructures of wood, hay, and stubble, should be saved, because they kept the foundation, yet so as by fire. But this was only a proverbial form of speech, to express the risk they run to be such as of one that escapes out of a fire; such proverbial speeches being usual in scripture; as that of the prophet, Zech. iii. 2, Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? or of the apostle Jude, verse 23, Some save with fear, pulling them out of the fire. And any considering person will, at first view, see how slender a foundation this was for the superstructure built upon it.

But the way which was contrived for preserving souls from, or rescuing them out of purgatory, will discover what were the

inducements of advancing the belief of it with such zeal, which was thus framed. It is believed by that church, that beside the commands that necessarily oblige all Christians, there are many counsels in the gospel, in order to the attaining a higher pitch of perfection; such as the counsels of poverty and chastity, or the like; and they teach, that such as did not obey these cannot be said to have sinned; but, on the other hand, those who have obeyed them shall not want a reward by their so supererogating beyond what was strictly bound upon them, and the reward of them is their meriting both for themselves and others an exemption from the pains of purgatory. And of all these merits, there is a common treasure of the church; wherein, for good manners' sake, the merit of Christ is the chief stock; and this is committed to the successors of St. Peter, to whom the keys of the kingdom of heaven are believed to be given, who can communicate of that spiritual treasure as they will, either for preserving souls from purgatory, or for delivering them out of it. This could not but work wonders for the exaltation of the papal dignity, when he was conceited to be honoured of God with so high a trust. This was also made an engine for advancing all the papal designs; for upon any quarrel he had with any prince, the pope proclaimed a croisade, promising exemption from purgatory to all who hazarded their lives for the service of the holy church: and the contrivance of purgatory being universally believed, this could not fail to draw great numbers about his standards: and by this means he brought most princes into that servile subjection to him, under which they groaned for many

ages.

Another practice, yet more base and sordid, was, the selling of indulgences and pardons for money. Certainly here was Simon's crime committed by the pretended successors of him who of old accused him that thought the gift of God might be purchased with money, and thereupon did cast him out of the church. It were endless to tell the base arts and blasphemous discourses of the monks who were sent through the world to sell these indulgences, which in the end proved fatal to that church, since the excessive magnifying of them did first provoke Luther to examine their corruptions. It is true, they will not hear of the harsh word of selling indulgences, but