5$o Concerning our imitation Vol., juflice of God, let him be accurfed. For every Man bath greater affurance that -God is Good and Jolt, than he can have cf any fubtle Speculations about Pre- deflination and the Decrees of God. And for the fame Reafon I cannot believe, upon the pretended Authority or Infallibility of any Man or Church in the World, that God would not have Men underftand their Publick Prayers, and the Leans of Scripture whirls are read to them. A Leffon not to be underflood is nonfenfe : a Lef%.n is fomething to be learn'd, which how it can be without being underftood, is hard to comprehend. And as little can I believe upon the Authority of any Perlon or Church what- foever, that God fhould reveal his Will to Men in the Holy Scriptures, with a deign to have it hid, and lock'd up from the generality of Mankind in an un- known Tongue. And much lefs can I believe (whichyetis the exprefs Doctrine of the Council of Trent) that the Paving Efficacy of the Sacrament depends upon the Intention of the Prieft. Which is to fay, that though People believe, and live never fo well, they may be damned bySholes and whole Parifhes together at the pleafure of the Prieft, and for no other reafon, but becaufe he is fo wicked as not to intend to fave them. Can any Man believe this that hath any tolerable notion of God's Goodnefs ? May we not in thiscafe appeal, as Abraham did, to the Goodnefs and Juftice of God, and expoftulate with greater Reafon, than he did, much after the fame manner, wilt thou defiray the Righteous for the Wicked ? That h far from Thee to' do after this manner. To damn the Righteous for the Wicked, and that Righteous People fhould lye at the mercy of a wicked Prieft, to be damned or Caved at his pleafure, that be far from Thee ; Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right ? And can there be a greater affront to the Goodnefs and Juftice of God, than to imagine he fhould deal with Men after this manner ? If this be to do right, there is no poffibilityof doing wrong. And to give but one inftance more, I can never believe, upon the Authority of any Man, or Churchwhatfoever, thatour Saviour, in the Celebrationof his Taft Supper, did with his own hands give away his own Natural Body into the Hands of his Difciples, and give his Blood flied, before it was flied ;. That the whole Doctrine of Chriftianity fhould mainly rely upon theEvidence of Mira- cles, the afiurance of which depends upon thecertainty of Senfe ; and yet that an Efl'ential part of that Do&rine fhould overthrow the certainty of Senfe. I can never while L live believe thefe two things, that the fall thing our Saviour did before his death fhould be to teach his Difciples not to believe their own Senfes,: as . he. mull do if he taught themTranfubftantiation ; and that the very firft thinghe did after he was rifen from the dead, fhould be to teach them the 'quite contrary, by appealing to the certainty of Senfe for the proof of his Re- furredion ; for when they doubted of his Refurredion, Luke a4. 38. He faid unto them, why are ye troubled ? and why do thoughts arife in your Hearts > behold any hands andmy feet, that it is Imy fill; handle me and fee, for a Spirit hath not fle/h andbones as ye fee me have. If this be a good Argument, that it was a real Body which they faw, becaufe they faw and felt Flefh and Bones : is it not as good an Argumenton the other fide, that what they faw in the Sacrament was not his real and natural Body, becaufe they could neither fee nor handle Flefh and Bones ? So that I cannot believe Tranfubilantiation, unlefsI can believethat Truth it felf can contradi& and deftroy it Pelf. You fee of what ufe it is to have right and Ready Apprehenfions of theDivine Perfellions, that, thefe being laid for a foundation, we may upon all occafions have recourfe to them, and govern our Opinions and Reafonings in Religi- on, about all doubtful matters, by fuch Principles as are clear and unqueftion- able. The II. Inference is That the trueft and molt fubftantial Pra&ice of Religion, conflit in the imitation of the Divine Perfeiions, efpecially the Moral Perfetlions of the Divine Nature, which the Scripture is wont to comprehend under the Name of Holinefs ; and fuch are the Goodnefs, and Mercy, and Patience of God, his Juftice, , and Truth, and Faithfulnefs.. To imitate God in thefe is true Religion ; or as St..games expreffes it, pure Religion, and undefiled, a', dns'ieç, without
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