72 Of Conftancy in the Profeffion ofthe True Religion. Vol. Ï; underftand how a Man can believe any thing, becaufe by this very thing he deftroys and takes away the Foundation ofall Certainty. If any Man forbid me to believe what I fee, I forbid him to believe any thing upon better and furer Evidence. St. Paul faith, that Faith corneth by hearing : But if I cannot rely upon the Certainty of Senfe, then the Means whereby Faith is conveyed is un- certain ; and we may fay as St. Paul doth in another Cafe, Then is our Preaching vain, andyour Faith alfo is vain. Lafily, (To mention no more Particulars) as to feveral Things ufed and pra&ifed in the Church of Rome, we are on much the fafer fide, if we fhould happen to be miftaken about them, than they are, if they fhould be miftaken; for it is certainly lawful to read the Scriptures, and lawful to permit to the Peo- ple the life of the Scriptures in a known Tongue ; otherwife we muff condemn the Apoftles and the Primitive Church for allowing this Liberty. It is certainly lawful to have the Publick Prayers and Service of God celebrated in a Language which all that join iii it can underftand. It is certainly lawful to adminifter the Sacrament of the Lord's. Supper to the People in both Kinds ; otherwife the Chri- ftian Church would not have done it for a thoufand Years. It is certainly law- ful not to worfhip Images, not to pray to Angels, or Saints, or the Bleffed Vir- gm ; otherwife the Primitive Church would not have forborn thefe Prabtices for Three hundred Years, as is acknowledged by thofe ofthe Church of Rome. Suppofe aMan fhould pray to God only, and offer up all his Prayers to him only by Jefus Chriff, without making mention ofany other Mediator or Interceffor with God for us, relying herein upon what the Apoftle fays concerningour High-Priefl, yefus the Son of God, Heb. 7. 2 5. That he is able to fave them to the utmofi, who come unto God by him,. (i. e.) by his Mediation and Intercefffon, fine he ever liveth to make Intercellión for them ; might not a Man reafonably hope to obtainof God all the Bleffings he ftands in need of, by addreffing himfelf only to him, in the Name and by the Interceffìon of that one Mediator between God and Man, the Man Chrifl fefus ? Nay, why may not a Man reafonably think, that this is both a fhorter and more effe&ual way to obtain our Requefis, than by turning our félves to the Angels and Saints, and importuning them to folicite God for us ; efpecially if we fhould order the matter fo, as to make ten times more frequent Addreffes to thefe, than we do to God and our Bleffed Saviour ; and, in comparifon of the other, to negleet thefe. We cannot certainly think any more able to help us and do us good, than the great God of Heaven and Earth, theGod (as the Pfalmift ftiles him) that heareth Prayers, and therefore unto him fhould all Flefh come. - We cannot certainly think any Interceffor fo powerful and preva- lent with God, as his only and dearly beloved Son, offering up,our Prayers to God in Heaven, by virtue of that molt acceptable and invaluable Sacrifice, which he offered to him on Earth. We cannot furely think, that there is fo much Goodnefs any where as in God ; that in any of the Angels or Saints, or even in the Bleffed Mother of our Lord, there is more Mercy and Compaffion for Sinners, and a tenderer Senfe of our Infirmities, than in the Son of God, who is at the Right-hand ofhis Father, to appear in the Prefence ofGod for us. We are fure that God always hears the Petitions which we put up to him ; and fo does the Son of God, by whom we put them up to the Father, becaufe he alfo is God bleffedfor evermore. But we are not fure that the Angels and Saints, hear our Prayers, becaufe we are fure that they are neither Omnifcient nor Omniprefent; and we are not lure, nor probably certain, that our Prayers are made known to them any other way, there being no Revelation of God to that purpofe. We are lure that God hath declared himfelf tobe ajealous God, and that he will not give his Honour to another ; and we are not lure but that Prayer is part of the Honour which is due to God alone ; and if it were not, we can hardly think but that God fhould be fo far from being pleafed with our making fo frequent ufe of thofe other Mediators and Interceffors, and from granting our Defires the fooner upon that account; that, on the contrary, we have reafon to think be fhould be highly offended, when he himfelf is ready to receive all our Petitions, and bath appointed a great Mediator to that purpofe, to fee more Addreffes made to, and by the An- gels
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