SERM. maintain a good confcience, they must exX. pect to fuffer great tribulation. In a word, they infifted upon men's endeavouring fincerely to know, and to do, the will of God, as what alone would be of any avail; and taught every man to judge for himfelf.

This, I humbly think, will be admitted as a just account of these matters, as they are fet before us in the New Teftament, and of the true foundations of the Chriftian faith.

Now let us confider, whether this conduct of Jefus Christ, and his apostles, had any thing in it, which favoured of an intention to impofe upon mankind; and whether, on the contrary, it doth not afford a strong prefumptive argument for the truth of our holy religion, which was the fecond fubject of discourse proposed.

It is indeed an argument fo ftrong, that one would think it is enough to fatisfy all, who attend to it; as it muft convince them, that Jefus Chrift, and his apoftles, and other minifters, did fully believe, what they taught the world; and were perfectly confident of the strength and prevalence of

their

their cause, by the manifeftation of the SERM. truth.

Would any set of men, conscious to themfeves of putting an imposture upon the world, infift fo much upon every man's examining and judging for himself? Would they infist upon fincerity and fimplicity of spirit in profeffing of the truth, only from the full conviction of the judgment, and believing with all the heart? Would they, without feeking any fubterfuges, truft their whole cause to the moft fevere inquiry? Indeed, a full conviction in their own minds would make them thus affured, and naturally lead them into fuch a conduct; but furely a conscioufnefs of impofture would forbid it. We fee, that Chriftianity hath been, by corrupt and designing men, made a very successfuil engine, for ferving the purposes of this world. But then we fee, that the managers of this engine have taken a very different method from that of the apostles of our Saviour; for they have taught the world to depend abfolutely upon their authority; and brought the confciences of men into an abfolute fervitude. They have done what they could to keep the world in ignorance; and the right of

private

X.

SERM. private judgment, in matters of confcience, X. they have fet themselves against, with great earnestness, as the most formidable enemy to their interefts. Above all, they have deprived Christ's fervants of the free use of the holy fcriptures, and of all means of judging for themselves concerning the will of God, what he commandeth them to do, and requireth of them, as the condition of their acceptance before him. And if we look into the fuperftitions of the heathen world, we shall find, that there was much of mystery in them; that their priests assumed great authority, and that the world was, in a great measure, made dependent upon them. Such methods and works of darkness fuit impofture; but there is in truth a power and a fimplicity, which abhorreth them. It wanteth not to be concealed, but to be feen; not to put itself upon the blind and ignorant, but inviteth the ftricteft fcrutiny needeth no art, but by the power of evidence alone recommendeth itself to the impartial. As hath been already obferved, if Jefus Christ, and his apostles, taught what they knew to be true, the open, bold, and unreferved method, which they took, was most natural,

and

and what one would expect they should SERM. have taken but if it was otherwife, cer- X. tainly they took the ready way to overthrow their own cause.

For the farther illuftration of this it must be observed, that the heathen priests of old kept a great many things profound secrets to the world; they had certain rites and ceremonies, and, it feemeth, certain principles and doctrines too, which must be made known to none, but the initiated; and fuch as were initiated were laid under the most folemn engagements, not to divulge them. All, who are in the least acquainted with the fuperftitions of the ancients, know this. And it is really amazing, that something, which may look like an imitation of it, amongst other abuses, crept pretty early into the Chriftian church. However, it had a strange appearance, that any thing, which concerned religion, and was thought to be of real moment to the happiness of mankind, fhould have been kept a secret from them; and will be acknowledged to have a very suspicious look. The apostles and first ministers of our Sa viour used no fuch methods. They had no fecrets; what they received from our Savi

our

SERM. our they communicated, and have left on X. record; and they require nothing more

than mens attending to, and receiving with honeft and good hearts, what they have fo communicated; inviting all men to instruction in all, which they knew, concerning falvation by our Lord Jefus Christ. The Apostle Paul tells the Ephefians, that he had made known to them all the counsel of God; that he had kept nothing back from them, but taught laboriously in public, and from house to houfe; all, which he had to teach them, being comprehended in repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jefus Chrift. And all mankind were to be made fully acquainted with this nor was there any fecret in the religion of Chrift. This looked fair and candid; all, that the apoftles knew and believed themselves, they laid open to the examination of all the world.

Another thing, which ought to be carefully observed, is, that in all religions, but that of Chrift, there was a power lodged in the priests and minifters to do certain things, which were thought necesfary to men's obtaining the favour of the Deity; and by which their fpiritual state

was