God has declared his will to us, it can never be supposed ART. to be free to us to choose whether we will obey it or not, XVIII. and serve him under that or under another form of religion, at our pleasure and choice. We are limited by what God has declared to us, and we must not fancy ourselves to be at liberty after he has revealed his wilt

to us.

As to such to whom the Christian religion is revealed, there no question can be made, for it is certain they are under an indispensable obligation to obey and follow that which is so graciously revealed to them: they are bound to follow it according to what they are in their consciences persuaded is its true sense and meaning. And if for any secular interest they choose to comply with that which they are convinced is an important error, and is condemned in the Scripture, they do plainly shew that they prefer lands, houses, and life, to the authority of God, in whose will, when revealed to them, they are bound to acquiesce.

The only difficulty remaining is concerning those who never heard of this religion; whether, or how can they be saved? St. Paul having divided the world into Jews and Gentiles, called by him those who were in the law, and who were without law; he says, those who Kom. ii. 12. sinned without law, that is, out of the Mosaical dispensa- 14, 15. tion, shall be judged without law, that is, upon another foot. For he adds, when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, (that is, the moral parts of it,) these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves; (that is, their consciences are to them. instead of a written law;) which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another. This implies that there are either seeds of knowledge and virtue laid in the nature of man, or that such notions pass among them, as are carried down by tradition. The same St. Paul says, How can they call on Rom. x. 14. him in whom they have not believed? and how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how can they hear without a preacher? Which seems plainly to intimate, that men cannot be bound to believe, and by consequence cannot be punished for not believing, unless the Gospel is preached to them. St. Peter said to Cornelius, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons; but Acts x. 34, in every nation he that feareth God, and worketh righteous-35. ness, is accepted of him. Those places seem to import, that those who make the best use they can of that small mea

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ART.

sure of light that is given them, shall be judged according XVIII. to it; and that God will not require more of them than he has given them. This also agrees so well with the ideas which we have both of justice and goodness, that this opinion wants not special colours to make it look well. But on the other hand, the pardon of sin, and the favour of God, are so positively limited to the believing Acts iv. 12. in Christ Jesus, and it is so expressly said, that there is no salvation in any other; and that there is none other name (or authority) under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved; that the distinction which can only be made in this matter is this, that it is only on the account, and in the consideration of the death of Christ, that sin is pardoned, and men are saved.

This is the only sacrifice in the sight of God; so that whosoever are received into mercy, have it through Christ as the channel and conveyance of it. But it is not so plainly said, that no man can be saved, unless he has an explicit knowledge of this, together with a belief in it. Few in the old dispensation could have that: infants and innocents, or idiots, have it not; and yet it were a bold thing to say, that they may not be saved by it. So it does not appear to be clearly revealed, that none should be saved by the death of Christ, unless they do explicitly both know it, and believe in it: since it is certain, that God may pardon sin only upon that score, without obliging all men to believe in it, especially when it is not revealed to them. And here another distinction is to be made, which will clear this whole matter, and all the difficulties that arise out of it.

A great difference is to be made between a foederal certainty of salvation, secured by the promises of God, and of this new covenant in Christ Jesus, and the extent to which the goodness and mercy of God may go. None are in the foederal state of salvation but Christians: to them is given the covenant of grace, and to them the promises of God are made and offered; so that they have a certainty of it upon their performing those conditions that are put in the promises. All others are out of this promise, to whom the tidings of it were never brought; but yet a great difference is to be made between them, and those who have been invited to this covenant, and admitted to the outward profession, and the common privileges of it, and that yet have in effect rejected it: these are under such positive denunciations of wrath and judgment, that there is no room left for any charitable thoughts or hopes concerning them: so that if any part of

the Gospel is true, that must be also true, that they are un- ART. der condemnation, for having loved darkness more than light, XVIII. when the light shone upon them, and visited them. But John iii. 19. as for them whom God has left in darkness, they are certainly out of the covenant, out of those promises and declarations that are made in it. So that they have no fœderal right to be saved, neither can we affirm that they shall be saved: but on the other hand, they are not under those positive denunciations, because they were never made to them: therefore since God has not declared that they shall be damned, no more ought we to take upon us to damn them.

Instead of stretching the severity of justice by an inference, we may rather venture to stretch the mercy of God, since that is the attribute which of all others is the most magnificently spoken of in the Scriptures: so that we ought to think of it in the largest and most comprehensive manner. But indeed the most proper way is, for us to stop where the revelation of God stops; and not to be wise beyond what is written; but to leave the secrets of God as mysteries too far above us to examine, or to sound their depth. We do certainly know on what terms we ourselves shall be saved or damned: and we ought to be contented with that, and rather study to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, than to let our minds run out into uncertain speculations concerning the measures and the conditions of God's uncovenanted mercies: we ought to take all possible care that we ourselves come not into condemnation, rather than to define positively of others, who must, or who must not, be condemned.

It is therefore enough to fix this according to the design of the Article, that it is not free to men to choose at pleasure what religion they will, as if that were left to them, or that all religions were alike; which strikes at the foundation, and undermines the truth of all revealed religion. None are within the covenant of grace but true Christians; and all are excluded out of it, to whom it is offered, who do not receive and believe it, and live according to it. So, in a word, all that are saved, are saved through Christ; but whether all these shall be called to the explicit knowledge of him, is more than we have any good ground to affirm. Nor are we to go into that other question; whether any that are only in a state of nature, live fully up to its light? This is that about which we can have no certainty, no more than whether there may be a common grace given to them all, proportioned to their state, and to the obligations of it. This in general may be

XVIII.

ART safely believed, that God will never be wanting to such as do their utmost endeavours in order to the saving of their souls: but that, as in the case of Cornelius, an angel will be sent, and a miracle be wrought, rather than such a person shall be left to perish. But whether any of them do ever arrive at that state, is more than we can determine; and it is a vain attempt for us to endeavour to find it out.

ARTICLE XIX.

Of the Church.

The Wisible Church of Christ is a Congregation of faithful Men, in the which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly administered according to Christ's Drdinance, in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same.

As the Church of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch have erred, so also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of Ceremonies, but also in matters of Faith.

THIS

HIS Article, together with some that follow it, relates to the fundamental difference between us and the Church of Rome: they teaching that we are to judge of doctrines by the authority and the decisions of the Church; whereas we affirm, that we are first to examine the doctrine, and according to that to judge of the purity of a Church. Somewhat was already said on the sixth Article relating to this matter: what remains is now to be considered.

The whole question is to be reduced to this point, whether we ought to examine and judge of matters of religion, according to the light and faculty of judging that we have; or if we are bound to submit in all things to the decision of the Church? Here the matter must be determined against private judgment, by very express and clear authorities, otherwise the other side proves itself. For we having naturally a faculty of judging for ourselves, and using it in all other things, this freedom being the greatest of all our other rights, must be still asserted, unless it can be made appear that God has in some things put a bar upon it by his supreme authority.

That authority must be very express, if we are required to submit to it in a point of such vast importance to us. We do also see that men are apt to be mistaken, and are apt likewise willingly to mistake, and to mislead others; and that particularly in matters of religion the world has been so much imposed upon and abused, that we cannot be bound to submit to any sort of persons implicitly, without very good and clear grounds that do assure us of their infallibility: otherwise we have just reason to suspect that in matters of religion, chiefly in points in which human interests are concerned, men may either through