88 The Danger ofApojiacy, &c. Vol. I. eeffaty of a good Life, and offincere Repentance, and perfeft Contrition for our Sins, fuch as is followed with real Reformation and Amendment of our Lives, and that, without this, no Man can be faved by any Device whatfoever. Now what Reafon can any Man have, to queftion whether he may he faved in that Faith which faved the firft Chriftiáns, and by believing the Twelve Articles of the Apoftles Creed, though he cannot fwallow the Twelve Articles which are added to it in the Creed of Pope Pius IV, every one of which, betides many and great Corruptions and Superftitions in Worfhip, are fo many and invincible Objeftions againft the Communion of the Roman Church, as I could particularly thew, if it had not been already done, in fo many learned Treatifes upon this Argument ? What is there then, that fhould move any:reafonable Man to forfake the Communion ofour Church, and to quit the Reformed-Religion ? There are three Things chiefly with which they endeavour to amufe and affright weaker Minds. s. A great Noife of Infallibility, which, they tell us, is fo excellent a Means todetermine and put an end to all Differences. To which I (hall at prefent only objeft this Prejudice; That there are not wider and hotter Differences among us, about any thing whatfoever, than are amongft them, about this admirable Means of ending all Differences; as, where this Infallibility is feated, that Men may know how to have recourfe to it, for the ending of Differences. 2. They endeavour to fright Men with the Danger ofSchifan. But every Man knows, that the Guilt of Schifan lies at their Door, who impofe finful Articles of Communion ; and not upon them, who, for fear of finning againft God, can- not fubmit to thofe Articles ; which we have done, and (till are ready to make good, to be the Cafe betwixt us and the Church ofRome. But, 3. The terrible Engine ofall is, their pofitive and confident damning of all that live and die out of the Communionof their Church. This 1 have fully fpoken to upon another Occafion, and therefore íhall only fay at prefent, that everyMau ought to have better Thoughts of God, than to believe, that he, who delighteth notin the Death ofSinners, and would bave all Men to befaxed, and came to the Knowledge of the Truth, will confirm the Sentence of fuch uncharitable Men, as take upon them to condemn Men for thofe Things, for which our Saviour in his Gofpel condemns no Man. And of all Things in the World, one would think that the Uncharitablenefsof any Church fhould be an Argument to no Man to run into its Communion. I fhall conclude with the Apoftle's Exhortation, Verfe the 23d of this Chapter,. Let us holdfro the Profejion of our Faith without wavering; andprovoke one another to Charity andGood Works ; andfo much the more, becaufe the Day ap- proacheth, in which God will judge the Faith and Lives ofMen by Jefus ChrJ, according to his Gofpel. SERMON
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