34 OfConfiancy in the Profeon of thePrúe lé eligion. yoL í. again, I The,. 5. I. Prove all.thiregs,hold,fafi that which is good; intiInatirfg to us, that in order to the holding fait the Profeffion of our Faith, it is requifite to prove and try it. And fo likewife St. john's ) p. s. 4. I. Beloved, believe not every fpirit, but try thefpirits whether they are ofGod; becaufe many fellaProphets are gone out into the world. And he gives a very notable Mark whereby we may know the Spirit of Truth, and the Spirit of Error., The Spirit of Error carries on a worldly Intereff and Defign ; and the Doctrines ofit tend to Secular Power and Greatnefs; verfe 5. They are of the world ; therefore fpeak they of the world, and ,the world heareth them, Ads 17. I I. St. Luke commends it, as an Argu- ment of a more noble and generous Spirit in the Bereans, that they examined Doctrine which theApoftles preached, whether it were agreeable to the Scriptures; and this without Difparagement to their Infallibility : Theft, faith he, were more noble than thole of The/falonica, n that they received the word with all readinefs of mind, and fearched the Scriptures daily, whether thofe things were fo. They were ready to receive the Word ; but not blindly, and with an implicit Faith, but ufing due Care to examine the Doctrines which they were taught, and to fee if they were agreeable to that Divine Revelation of the Holy Scriptures which they had before received. It feems they were not willing to admit and fwallow Contradidions in their Faith. And we defire no moreof the Church ofRome, than that they would encourage the People to fearch the Scriptures daily, and to examine whether theirDo&tines be according to them. We wouldbe glad to hear the Pope and a General Council commend to the Peo- ple thefearching ofthe Scriptures, and to try their Definitions of Faith andDe- crees of Worship by that Rule to fee whether what they have defined, and de= creed to be believed and pradifed, be agreeable to it ; their Worfhipof Images their folemn Invocation of Angels, and of the Bleffed Virgin, and the Saints de- parted ; the Sacrament under one Kind only ; the publick Prayers and Service of God in anunknown Tongue ; the frequent Repetition ofthe PropitiatorySacrifice ofChrift's Body and Blood in the Mafs. Had the Bereans beenat the Council of Trent, and pleaded their Right to fearch the Scriptures, whether chafe things werefo, I doubt they would have been thought very troublefome and imper- tinent, and would not have been praifed by the Pope and Council for their Pains, as they are by St. Luke. You fee then, upon the whole Matter, that it is a very groundlefs and fufpi- cious Pretence of the Church of Rome, that becaufe They are infallibly in the right, and Theirs is the True Religion, therefore their People .mutt not be per- mitted to examine it. The Doftrine of the Apoftles was undoubtedly the true Faith of Chrift ; and yet they not only permitted the People to examine it, but exhorted and encouraged them fo to do, and commended them for it : And any Man that hath the Spirit of a Man, inuft abhor to fubmit to this Slavery, not to be allowed to examine his Religion, and to enquire freely into the Grounds and Reafons of it ; and would break with any Church in the World upon this fingle Point i and would tell them plainly, If your Religion be too good to be Examined, I doubt it is too bad to be Believed. If it be faid that the allowing of this Liberty is the Way to make People per- petually doubting and unfettled ; I do utterly deny this, and do on the Contrary with good Reafon affirm, that it is apt to have the contrary Effe& ; there be- ing inReafon no better way to eftablifh any Man in the Belief of any thing, than to let him fee that there are very good Grounds and Reafons for what he believes; which no Man can ever fee, that is not permitted to examine whether there be fuch Reafons or not. So that befides the Reafonablenefs of the Thing, it is of great Benefit and Advantage to us; And that upon thefe Accounts. i. To arm us againft Seducers. He that hath examined his Religion, and tried the Grounds of it, is moft able to maintain them, and make them goodagainft all Affaults that may be made upon us, to move us from our Stedfaftnefs : Whereas he that bath not examined, and confequently does not underhand the Reafons of his Religion, is liable to be toyed to and fro, and to be carried about with every Wind of .Doiirine, by the flight of Men, and the cunning Craftinefs' of thofe that lie in
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