inspired; that all Chriftians are bound to profels themfelves to be his disciples; that not only the exercise of the feveral virtues, but belief in Chrift, is neceffary in order to their obtaining the pardon of fin, the favour of God, and eternal life; that the worship of God is to be performed chiefly by the heart in prayers, praises and thanksgiving; and as to all other points, that they are bound to live by the rules which Chrift and his apostles have left them in the holy fcriptures. Here, fays this right reverend prelate, is a fixed, certain uniform rule of faith and practice, containing all the moft neceffary points of religion, established by a divine fanction, embraced as fuch by all denominations of Chriftians, and in itself abundantly fufficient to preferve the knowledge and practice of religion in the world.

Profeffor Turretin, of Geneva, has laid down the following principles to diftinguifh fundamentals,

I. That we are not under a neceffary obligation to know, or believe any truth, but what is clearly revealed unto us, and for the belief of which God hath endowed us with neceffary abilities.

II. That he alone who is Lord of life and death, that is, God, has power to determine what is neceffary to be believed, in order to obtain falvation; and what error fhall exclude men from it.

III. Those things likewife which flow from thefe principles, by plain and neceffary confequence, must be added to the catalogue of fundamentals, or things neceffary to be known.

IV. Fundamentals are plain, adapted to common capacities.

V. They must be few in number.

VI. They must be often and variously expreffed in fcripture.

VII. They are principles of, or tending to promote piety.

Finally, with refpect to ourselves; our fafest way

is

is to guard against all errors, as though they were fundamental, and to make the utmost progrefs in the knowledge of divine truths; but with regard to others, we ought to pronounce nothing indifpenfibly neceffary to falvation, but with the utmoft caution, charity and meekness *.

Dr. Fofter, in his definition of fundamentals, fays, No article can be fundamental, but what is fo clearly and distinctly revealed, as that an ordinary Chriftian, fincere in his inquiries, cannot mifs of the knowledge

of it.

Secondly, that it is not fufficient that a propofition be clearly revealed to make it a fundamental, but the belief of it must also be made an exprefs term of happiness in the facred writings t.

1. No doctrine is a fundamental, but what is fo plainly and distinctly revealed, as that an ordinary Chriftian, fincere in his inquiries, cannot mifs of the knowledge of it. This may be argued from the perfections of God, and the relations he ftands in to mankind for certainly their kind Creator and Preserver cannot but delight in, and fincerely defire their happinefs; and therefore it is not to be doubted but that he has done every thing to promote it, which is confiftent with his illuftrious excellence and perfection,, and with the wisdom of his government over free creatures. He cannot have fixed it upon fuch infinite uncertainties, as that they may fail of obtaining it after the moit fincere and diligent ufe of all the means they are capable of ufing, but must have made it certainly and infallibly attainable by every one who feeks it in the integrity of his heart. What can induce us to think the most good-natured Being in the univerfe to be fuch a hard mafter? Has there been any want of good

* Turretin's Difcourfe on Fundamental Art. p. 22 to 30.

See alfo Bennet's Irenicum, and Reverend Samuel Bold on church power.

+ Dr. Foster's Difcourfe of Fundamentals, p. 4.

nefs

ness in his dispensations towards mankind, which might tempt us to entertain fuch unworthy and injurious thoughts of him? Again, can he who has been at fuch amazing expence to redeem the human race from that deftruction which their fins had merited, and to raise our nature to its highest perfection of excellence and happiness; who, that he might be just to his being and attributes, and yet justify and fave us, delivered up his Son to death for us all; can he, I fay, have left it so abfolutely precarious, whether poor, illiterate men, (who are the far greatest part of the world) to whom especially the gospel was preached, and confequently to whofe capacities it ought to have been peculiarly adapted, shall, doing their beft, be happy or miserable? How then can the grand end of the life, death, refurrection, and gospel of his Son be answered? Or finally, has he ever been found false to his word, or failed of the accomplishment of his promises, that his most folemn and facred declarations of his willingness, that all men fhould be faved and come to the knowledge of the truth, fhould be looked upon as infincere, and he be reprefented as having promised happiness to the greatest part of mankind, if not upon abfolutely impoffible conditions, upon conditions next to im poffible?

2. It is not fufficient that a doctrine be clearly revealed to make it a fundamental; but an explicit belief of it muft be made an exprefs term of happiness in the facred writings. For, without doubt, there are a great many clear propofitions, which many fincere, honeft Chriftians have no explicit belief of: nor is it neceffary they should, fince they are purely incidental, and occafional; and either do not at all affect chriftianity in any important points of doctrine, or practice; or if they are of confequence, it is only as they serve to illuftrate the effential, fundamental parts of it, which yet may be believed, though they are never observed, or attended to. I grant indeed, that when

ever a Chriftian fees them to be clearly revealed, he is obliged to believe them: but then it is not becaufe the points of doctrine are in themselves fo important, as that mens falvation, or damnation, will be determined abfolutely by their knowledge, or ignorance of them; but because they are (as he thinks) in the word of God, who is omnifcient, and so cannot be deceived himfelf, juft and faithful, and fo cannot impole upon his creatures; and there is ftill this difference between any of these propofitions, and thofe which are, in the fenfe above-mentioned, fundamental, that a man may be faved without explicit and particular belief of thefe; whereas the others are indifpenfably neceffary to be explicitly believed, as being the effential, conftitutive parts of the new covenant.

And now, methinks, it should be paft difpute, not only that Chrift alone, as fole king of his church, has a right to fettle, upon what terms those who are willing to become his fubjects, muft expect to be protected and rewarded by him; but that these terms are expressly determined; and particularly, that our Lord, out of his gracious and kind concern for his church, which he hath purchased with his own blood, Als xx. 28. hath fully and clearly revealed what those truths are, which are of fuch vaft importance, as that the happiness of immortal fouls depends upon an explicit belief of them, and which therefore it so nearly concerns all the members of it to be apprized of. So that we may reft fatisfied, that whenever this is not exprefsly faid, with relation to any particular doctrine of chriftianity, mifapprehenfions of that part of the revelations, which contains it, (if we have examined it with fincerity) will never be brought into the account against us at the day of judgment; but if we can be charged with nothing elfe, we fhall be able to lift up our heads with joy and confidence in that folemn and awful day of trial, and fhall be found perfect and entire, in a gofpel-fenfe wanting nothing.

The

The Right of FREE INQUIRY and PRIVATË JUDGMENT.

Religion is a voluntary thing, and a matter of choice; for mankind are beings endowed with reason and liberty; and this alone makes them capable of religion and virtue. This must be the right of every man who has the free exercise of his reafon, the only faculty which God hath given them by which to judge of truth and falfehood, and to difcern betwixt good and evil.

What juft foundation for praise is there in a man's being of the true religion? a Chriftian, fuppofe by chance, without knowing the grounds of his religion, and the reason of his hope, merely because his anceftors were Christians, and chriftianity is the established religion; upon the fame foot he might have been of a false religion, a Mahommedan, or an Idolater.

Religion therefore is only fo far praife-worthy as it is the matter of our choice; and fince religion is the means of procuring us acceptance with God, it neceffarily follows, that every man has an undoubted right to judge for himself *.

Every man must have a right to judge of the true meaning, and the obligation of thofe laws that come under his notice; and where the laws of an inferior clashes with those of a superior, reason and consciousnefs will point out the proper deference to the laws of a fuperior. This alone juftifies the feparation from any establishment, and deftroys the principle of force.

Religious truths, fays Bishop Hoadley, is what concerns every one. Religion there can be none, without inquiry; for what is contrary to the firft notions of God, eftablished upon the evidences of reason, cannot be admitted by any one who believes a God upon this evidence, because it deftroys all thofe prin

* Dr. Fofter.