4,8 The Cofpel Alger?. Dire}. 1C. or not; and they cannot rationally approve any doc- trine as religious, that is not according to godlinefs, z Tim. vi. 3. By this touch -ftone Chrift proveth his ioarine to be of God, becaufe therein he feeketh the glory of God, John vii. 17, 18. And he teach- eth us to know falfe prophets by their fruits, Matth. is, i6. wherein the fruits which their doarine tendeth unto, are efpecially to be confidered. Hence it appeareth, that, until we know what are the ef- feaual means of holinefs, and what not, we want a neceffary touch-ftone of divine truth, and may be eaft'y deceived by falfe doErine, or brought to live in mere fufpence concerning the truth of any reli- gion, like the feekers. And, if you miftake, and think thofe means to be effeaual that are not, and thofe that are eft f ual to be weak, or of a contrary effe&, your error in this will be a falfe touch-ftone to try other doctrines, whereby you will readily approve of errors, and refute the truth; which hath been a pernicious occalion of many errors in relia gion in late days. Get but a true touch-none, by learning this let%n, and you will be able to try the various doc}rines of Proteftants, Papifts, Arminians, Locinians, Antinomians,Quakers ; and to difcover i the truth, and cleave to t, with much fatisfaEtion to your judgement, amongft all the janglings and controverfies of thefe times. Hereby you may dif- (over whether the Proteftant religion eftablifhed a- mong us, hath in it any finews of Antinornianifm; whether it be guilty of any infufferable defect in practical principles, and deferves to be altered, and turned almoft upftde down, with new doctrines and methods ; as force learned men in late times have judged by their touch - (tones. 8thly, It is alto of great importance and neceffity for our eftablithment in holy practice ; for we can- not apply ourfelves to the practice of holinefs, with hope of fuccefs, except we have Tome faith concern- ing the divine aíhnance; which we have no ground
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