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A
RATIONAL DEFENCE
OF
TRE
GOSPEL.
tSERM.
XV
/.
a
difference between ,them
and the papists,
when
they lay
such different foundations for their faith and
practice.
2.
Another reason
why
the
protestant
and papist
differ
to
much
is,
because the
papist pretends
that
there
is
an
infal lible
judge
among them
to
determine
all
controver-
sies
;
and thattheir
popes,
and their
councils, which
they
call the church, have
authority
to
appoint
what
shall be
esteemed the
true
articles
of
faith,
and
to
bring
in
rites and
ceremonies into
their
worship
according
to
their
own
in-
vention and
pleasure. And
that
all the people
are bound
to
believe
as
the
church
bids them believe,
and
to
practise
in
matters
of
worship whatsoever the
church
bids
them
practise
And
upon
this
account
they forbid the
scrip-
ture
to
be
read
by
the common people,
that
they
may
not
learn
the
truth
of
the
gospel,
but
may
take
all
for gospel
which they
teach
them,
and
be
content
with
it.
Whereas
the protestant
has
nothing
else
but
his
bible to have
re-
course
to
for the conclusion
of
all
controversies
;
and
he
encourages
every man to
use his bible,
and
to
judge
for
himself concerning the
sense
and
meaning
of
it,
using
the
best
helps
that
he
can
obtain
for
this
end
:
The protestant
ministers teach
him
not
only
what they
know
of
the
gos-
pel,
but
they
put
the
bible
into
his
hand, and
bid him
search and see whether things
are
so
or
no,
that
thence
he may
learn
what are those doctrines
and those duties
which
Christ
has
required
him to believe
and practise:
Thence it
comes to
pass,
that
there are almost
a
thousand
things
in _popery,
which
the protestants utterly
disown,
becaúse they disown
the power
of
the pope,
or
church,
to
stamp new articles
of
faith,
or invent
new forms
of
worship.
Objection.
But
it
may be said still,
that
there are
so
many
different
sects
and parties among the protestants
themselves, as
encourages the deist
to
maintain
his
charge
and
accusation.
`1
Why do
you,
saith
he,
who profess
to
derive
all
your
religion from the
scripture,
differ
so
much among yourselves,
both
in
doctrine,
in
worship,
and
in
the
order of your
churches,
if
the gospel
of
Christ
be
so
excellent a
religion,
and
if
the
books
that
contain
it
can
give
you
so
plain and certain a knowledge
of it
?"
I
answer,
That
almost
all
those things wherein
pro-
testants
differ,
are but of
smaller importance in religion
in comparison
of
those many
and
great
things wherein