We hope how formidable foeyer this Reafoning may appear, that the following Account of that Authority which our Church may claim, as fufficient for all the Ends of our Confeffions, and of our real Sentiments in this Controverfy, will wipe off the Afperfions thrown upon us, and fufficiently vindicate our Character and Pratice: And we need only apply to the prefent Question fome of thofe Maxims laid down as the Ground-work upon which the Authority of Creeds may be built.

Our Church never dream'd what the Papifts fo confidently affirm of themfelves, that he is in any refpect infallible, and raifed above the common Imperfections of humane Understanding: But with an open Sincerity acknowledges, That Councils and Synods fince the Apoftolical Times may err and have erred; and as a native Confequence hereof, fhe is far from imagining that her Judgment is a certain Argument of the Truth or Falfhood of any Propofition, or requiring an implicite Faith of her Determinations. No Perfons maintain with a more fervent Zeal, and put a greater Value upon the Liberty of Chriftians and the Right of private Judgment than we do; or with a greater Indignation and Contempt abhor the Tyranny of the Romish Church, or any arbitrary Claims that may be made by others over the Confciences of the People: Nor (as we hope it will evidently appear to an unprejudiced Eye) do we cover her ambitious Inclinations with a pretended Zeal for Liberty, and under another Denomination grafp that overgrown Authority which she profeffes to abandon.

Thofe who run down all Confeffions as Engines of a Spiritual Domination and Luft of Power, and give it out that this is the chief Purpofe for which all Churches, and particularly ours endeavour to eftablish them, betray their fmall Acquaintance with our Principles, and too much of thefe uncharitable and felt-flattering Paffions which they fo unjustly charge home upon their Neighbours, and would feem to think themfelves entirely purified from.

It is juftly enough obferved by the Author of the Occafional Paper, (4) That it is a very unfair and difhoneft Evalion, for Men who alpire at a Dominion over the Confciences of others, to think that they can palliate their Conduct, and preferve a due Regard for the facred Scriptures, by owning them to be the only Rule of Faith and Manners; while at the fame Time they aflume to themselves a Power to explain thefe Scriptures, and by the Help of them fo to determine all Controverfies, as to oblige the People to an abfolute Submiffion: Since 'tis certain that an infallible Interpreter of Scripture is the felf-fame Thing with a fupreme and infallible Fudge, and the fubmitting to fuch imperious Commentators, were to eftablish all that can be wished for by the faucieft Fontiff, only without the Name of Tyranny. But then our Church by her Confeffions affords no Handle for charging this Scandal upon her, but leaves it free for every Man to examine the Senfe of particular Texts, as well as her Doctrines in general, by all thofe Helps which are afforded us

(a) Occafional Paper, Vol. 2. N. 1. p. 18, 19,

for

for difcovering the Mind of the Holy Ghoft, and we are ever ready to own that a Chriftian ought to embrace that Meaning of any Paffage, which appears upon impartial Enquiry moft agreeable to the Intention of the infpired Writers, rather than that which a fallible Council may determine to be fo.

When therefore the Scriptures are annexed to the Westminster Confeflion, it is not at all pleaded that the Application there made fhould be followed at a Venture by the Readers; or that it is a fufficient Argument that the Scriptures ought fo to be underflood, as to agree to the Improvement which is there made of them: The Affembly produces them as good Proofs of the Doctrines there affirmed, they think that they are fo, and that the Scriptures muft be wrefted if they be underflood otherwife; and they hope they fhall be able by the Authority of thefe Texts to defend the Truths of the Gofpel which they profefs, and recommend them to the Belief of the unbiaffed Confiderer: But then whether they have miftaken the Word of God, or applied it aright; they are willing they fhould be judged by the Reafons which can be brought for it, and never defigned to fetter the Understandings of Mankind, or bear down and fimother a rational Enquiry by the Weight of their Decifions.

It is not therefore pretended that humane Compofures, properly fpeaking, are a Standard of Orthodoxy, and a Teft by which an erro neous Propofition may be certainly diftinguished from a found one: Nor can a Difputer appeal to its Decifion as a fufficient Ar gument for the Truth of his Principles; fince 'tis poffible that Truth may be on the other Side, and Fal hood may get into the publick Chairs, and the cftablifhed Creeds of a fallible Church. And tho' we think that the Opinion of a great Body of Men, whofe Bufinefs it is to enquire with the moft laborious Accuracy into facred Matters, and who from the Nature of their Studies may be generally fuppofed to underftand them more throughly than others, ought to make a Perfon modeft in oppofing his Sentiments to theirs, and fould engage him to the most impartial Enquiry be fore he abandons or contradicts them: Yet we are always ready to own, that he muft ever prefer what appears to him founded on Reafon or Revelation, to the Influence of their Authority; and that the finalleft Grain of an infpired Teftimony is momentuous enough, in a juft Balance, to weigh down a Cart-Load of humane Canons and Confellions.

But the Practice of thofe Churches which embrace Confeffions and particularly of our own, may perhaps appear to fome to contradict thefe Principles, and that we endeavour by falfe Colours to palliate what we can't openly maintain; fince it is certain that all fuch Churches decide Queftions of Faith, claim an Authority fufficient fer that Purpofe, and condemn Perfons because of their Oppofition to an eflablifhed humane Article: Which Matters of plain Fact feem irreconcilable with what we have juft now advanced. And indeed it must be acknowledged, that many learned and pious Proteftants Speak with Abundance of Uncertainty and Obfcurity about the

Church's

Church's Power in determining Controverfies, feem not to have exprefs'd clearly enough their Sentiments of it; and have by doubtful Phrafes and intricate Diftinétions perplexed the Minds of Men, and afforded no fmall Advantages to the declared Enemies of Confeffions.

It is not our Intention to engage in this laborious Difpute, or mention every Thing that might tend to explain and illuftrate the Meaning of that Article of our own Confeffion, Chap. 31. where it is afferted,That it belongeth to Synods and Councils minifterially to determine Controverfies of Faith, and Cafes of Confcience: Nothing is neceffary for us but to give fuch an Account of the Church's Authority in Matters of Faith, as will be fufficient for all the Purposes and Ends of our Confeffion; and upon which the Exercife of Ecclefiaftical Difcipline and Cenfures, in order to make them effectual, may be fafely bottomed; and we hall in a few Words explain what we understand by that Power which the Church hath to decide Controverfies, fo clear and eafy that there will remain no Ambiguity nor any Room to suspect that we mean more than we speak

out.

Though therefore no Society of fallible Men hath a Right to determine any Article of Faith,to declare the Falfhood of a Propofition,or fix the true Meaning of any Paffages of the Sacred Oracles; fo as to oblige others to fubmit to their Decifions, or appeal to them as a Touchftone of Truth and Orthodoxy; Yet any Synod and Council, or thofe to whom the Government of the Chriftian Society is committed, hath a proper and direct Authority to determine what Articles of Faith are embraced by that Society, what are thought by it of fuch Importance that they should be preached to her, and therefore heartily believed by all her Minifters; and confequently to compofe a Body of fuch Articles of Faith, as are reputed by that Church neceflary Qualifications of all those that pretend to an Ecclefiaftical Of· fice amongst them.

And this Authority of determining Controverfies is all that we plead for upon this Occafion, fo that when any Perfon is convicted of an Opinion contrary to the eftabli hed Confeffion, he is not_fo immediately confidered as chargeable with a Herefy, (face Truth and Error in Matters of Religion can be judged only by the holy Scriptures, and not by any humane Compofure) but only it is made evident that he maintains a Principle, which that Church is periwaded to be of fo pernicious a Nature and Tendency, that the can receive no Man for her Teacher who gives juft Sufpicion of his being infected by it, or declines an open Renunciation thereof; And confequently upon its being proved that any hath depar.ed from thefe eftablished Articles, it is made evident that he can no longer remain a Minifter of that Church; or an Ecclefiaftical Officer in a Society, which hath a natural Right of embracing thofe Opinions which it fees noft agreeable to the infpired Writings, and of fubmitting to fuch Paftors alone who in her Judgment maintain the Purity of the Christian Doctrine in its important Artisles,

And

And thus our Confeffion is a proper Standard of Ministerial Comm nion in our Church; and a Rule whereby it must be judged whether a Perfon, in fo far as relates to his Principles, be endued with thefe Qualifications which, after our most impartial Confideration, we think we may juftly expect in a Gofpel Minifter, who would anfwer the Ends for which the facred Office was inftituted: And tho' what is really Truth can never be determined by a Majority, we hope there is no Abfurdity in affirming, That the publick Rules which any Society defigns to lay down for the Government of it, and particularly for trying the Qualifications of Perfons to be admitted to publick Offices, may and indeed muft neceffarily be determined by the Majority.

From what hath been now difcourfed, it appears that the Determinations of a Council concerning Articles of Faith, and their Decifions of Controverfies, fo far as they relate to the prefent Queftion, are not founded upon any Authority, which one Set of Men have over others to govern their Confciences, and make Creeds for them; but take their Rife from that natural Power, which every Man, and every Society hath to follow the Dictates of its own Understanding, to embrace that Scheme of Religion wherein it perceives the greatest Luftre of a divine Character, and to fubmit to thofe Minifters who appear qualified to promote the Interefts of Truth and Holinefs. And confequently we may with Pleasure obferve, That the Authority of our General Affembly in her Canons and Decifions, is bottomed upon that noble and unalienable Privilege of a rational Creature, The Right of private Judgment: And we hall heartily approve of all the great Things that can be faid by the warmeft Lover of Freedom, in order to heighten its Excellency, as a very important Advantage to our Caufe; fince we shall at leaft have thereby the fame Liberty to value, applaud and adhere to Confeffions, which others think they have to vilify and reject them.

Did indeed any Society oblige People independent of it to incorporate with them, and fubfcribe to their Conftitutions and Decifions in religious Matters: Did they either force an Affent to their eftablished Confeffions at the Beginning; or after the Perfon had once agreed to them, did they, in a ftrict Senfe, punish him for an Alteration of his Sentiments afterwards, and for abandoning the publick Standard upon a more impartial Enquiry, and on that Account deprive him of any Advantage he had a Claim to independent of the Society: This were indeed to exceed the Boundaries of a private Fudgment, and could not be justifiable unlefs fuch could produce a Right to regulate the Judgments of others, and lord it over their Faith. But then neither the Principles nor PraEtice of our Church lead that Way, or are in the least exposed to the Objection.

We abhor Perfecution in every Shape in which it hath appeared, and are never for compelling others to fubfcribe our Confeffions, or fubmit to our Inftitutions: Being fenfible that every Man hath an equal Right with us to follow the Light of his Understanding;

and

t

and the Dictates of his Confcience; and that the Terrors of Blood and Torture are Arguments entirely foreign to the Defign and the Spirit of Chriftianity,can never tend to advance its Interefts, nor be poffibly reconciled with two great fundamental Maxims of it, Meeknefs and Charity; and that Banifhment, Confifcations, or Imprifonments, are Methods of Perfwafion, by which no Man, or Body of Men, have a Title to recommend their Doctrines to others. We are convinced that thefe are not the Arms, whereby Truth and Righteoufnefs fpread their Victories over the Minds of Men and that they are only the Tools of Error and Ignorance, calculated to root out all Religion, opprefs Virtue, and extinguish Light: We have as great a Horror as the moft violent Enemies of Confeffons, at that Antichriftian Church which ufes thefe Means of Conviation, and have as frightful Idea's of that Monfter of Tyranny and Cruelty, and will ever look upon it as a very bad Sign of a Caufe when it leans upon fuch Supports; fo that we don't deny to others the fame Liberty which we take to our felves. And 'tis hoped it will afterwards appear, that any temporal Loffes which an Ecclefiaftical Officer with us may be expofed to, when convicted of departing from our established Confeffion, can in no Senfe be called Perfecution, and are of a Nature entirely different from it. Wherefore however ftrong and perfwafive the Reasonings of our Adverfaries be against the tyrannical Pretenfions of the Church of Rome, or the Claims of any other which grafps at an Authority over the Faith of the People; with whatever Hatred and Contempt all thofe humane Compofures fhould be treated, which invade the Place due to the Holy Scriptures in the Determination of religious Controverfies, and would fetter the Confciences of Mankind by their fallible Decifions; and how juft and commendable foever the warmeft Zeal, and moft vigorous Oppofition against all Projects of this Nature are in every Man and Chriftian; we hope it is evident that the Practice of the Church of Scotland, and the Ufefulness and Allowableness of Confeffions as a Standard of Orthodoxy, in the Senfe wherein we have explained it, are not in the leaft expofed or injured thereby: Since they are bottomed upon quite different Principles, and tend to very contrary Purposes.

And, we doubt not, our Readers will by an eafy Application, perceive how little all thefe ftrong and vehement Keafonings, which we have formerly mentioned, against an ufurped Power over the Understandings of Mankind, and in Favours of the noble Proteftant Principle of private Judgment, affect our Caufe, and that all that can be faid of the Excellency of the Holy Scriptures,and their peculiar Prerogative as the only Fudge of Controverfies and Standard of Truth and Error, are perfectly reconcilable with it: And that thefe frightful Images of Tyranny Perfecution and Slavery, whereby our Adverfaries endeavour to imprefs the Minds of Men with fo horrible Notions of Confeffions in general are eafily diffipated: And how juftly foever they may heighten our Terrors at Popery and all Popish Pretenfions, that it applied to us they are the Creatures of Fancy, and owe their Being to mistaken Apprehen