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fufficient Declaration of a Man's Faith, a Receiving of the Scrip tures, or a Confeffing of Chrift and his Gofpel, feems to be grofly fuperftitious, and must be built upon the fame Foundations with the Popish Doctrine of Opus operatum: It is attributing I know not what magical Virtue unto certain Sounds and Combinations of Letters without a fixed Meaning, as if they could demonftrate a Man a Chriftian or an Orthodox Believer, whenever they were pronounced or fubfcribed; and confequently, by turning fcriptural Phrafes into a Kind of Charms and Spells, it is the highest Injury, and the most infolent Contempt that can be poured out upon them, and a reviving of a worfe than the ancient Pharifaifm, by whom fo mighty a Regard was pretended to the Letter of that Law the Spirit whereof they had deftroyed.

Nor can it be alledged in Anfwer to this, That tho' these two Subfcribers of a Scripture-Phrafe, which they refufe to explain, may really defign to give their Affent by the fame Deed to contradictory Propofitions; that yet each of them may have a diftinct Apprehenfion of his own Meaning, and a determinate Notion of that which he takes to be the Intention of the infpired Penman, which is enough to free them from the Charge of ufing these ScriptureWords as a Charm,or imagining that Sounds without a Signification are poffeffed of any real Value or Efficacy: For this does not in the leaft touch the Difficulty: A Man according to the Apostle's Rule may have Faith to himself, but when he pretends to make a Declaration of his Faith, he must calculate it for his Neighbours, and make it fo that I may understand his Meaning; elfe it entirely lofes its End, Words are not intended to reprefent a Man's Thoughts to himself, in fuch a Cafe he might modulate his Voice what Way he pleafed, and when he pronounced the most barbarous and unknown Sounds, be thinking on any Subject he fancied moft.

But Words are evidently the Expreffions of our Thoughts to others, and in the prefent Cafe they are Means whereby another may be informed concerning my Faith, and confequently they muft be plain and determinate in their Signification; which I am fure à Phrafe taken by the Subfcribers in very different Senfes can never be, unless they fix upon the Senfe in which they understand them: And if this be denied, the Perfon as really fpeaks in an unknown Tongue to me as if he ufed Malabarick Words. The Man who Spoke with Tongues mentioned by the Apoftle, 1 Cor. 14. no doubt understood what he meant, and might edify himself thereby, but then it was ridiculous for fuch a Speaker to talk to others, for he truly spake not unto Men but unto God, for ne Man underftandeth him except be interpret that the Church may receive Edifying: And it the Apoftle thought that fuch Speakers would be accounted mad, by the Unlearned and Unbelievers who fhould come in among them; what Thoughts muft he have entertained of thofe, who would pretend to confefs their Faith and give an Account of their Doctrine to others in an unknown Tongue, or which is the fame Thing in Phrafes which they knew had double Senfes affixed to them by the World, with

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out determining the Senfe which they took them in, furely that they were poffelfed with a more extravagant Fancy than the others." The Papifts, I doubt not, will reckon themfelves under unufual Obligations to thefe Gentlemen, for never could any Thing be invented more plaufible to recommend Prayers in an unknown Tongue, than the forming Creeds in the fame Language; for indeed the firft feems to be a much fairer Practice: Prayers may be understood by the Priest who puts them up in the Name of the Congregation, and they are immediately addreffed to God who certainly understands them equally in all Languages; and if the Opus operatum were of any Efficacy, fuch Prayers would be very ferviceable: But publick Confeffions of One's Faith are defigned for others and directed immediately to the People, and therefore if they be drawn up in ambiguous Words, that is Words, which it is doubtful what the Speaker means by them, they are in a peculiar Measure ridiculous.

When we profefs the Truths of the Gofpel, give a Reason of our Hope to one that asks us, and pretend to fatisfy others about a Matter of fo great Importance; if in any Cafe, we fhould then ufe the greateft Clearnefs of Expreffion and Opennefs of Mind: And what the Apostle with fo much Plainnefs and Importunity writes to the Corinthians concerning them that prophefied, feems to hold with an uncommon Force in the prefent Queftion, and to be extremely applicable to our Purpofe, I Cor. 14. ver. 3. He that prophefieth Speaketb unto Men to Edification, and Exhortation, and Comfort. Ver. 7. And even Things without Life giving Sound, whether Pipe or Harp, except they give a Diftinction in the Sounds, how fhall it be known what is piped or harped? Ver. 8. For if the Trumpet give an uncertain Sound, who shall prepare himself to the Battle? Ver. 9. So likewife you except ye utter by the Tongue Words easie to be underfood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall Speak into the Air. Ver. 11. Therefore if I know not the Meaning of the Voice, I fhall be unto him that speaketh, a Barbarian; and he that speaketh shall be a Barbarian unto me. I am fure it would look like a more precife Regard to the Scriptures, and every Way as fatisfactory, to confine One's felf to the Original, and when making a Confeffion of bis Faith to an ordinary Congregation, to fpeak Greek, as to pronounce or fubfcribe the Phrases of an English Tranflation which have very contradictory Meanings impofed upon them, while he refufes to give any Account of his Senfe of them.

It will be acknowledged by all Sides, That there is or ought to be such a Thing as Unity of Faith among Chriftians, and that they may join together in the Profeffion of the fame common Religion; and that their Publishing Declarations of Faith or Creeds of any Kind, is defigned to teftifie their Agreement and Communion therein. Now I would fain know, when a Socinian and a Calvinist fubfcribe the fame Paffage of the Holy Oracles, what it is which is teftified thereby? Not an Agreement in the Belief of any Doctrine, not the renoteft Conformity of Sentiments, for 'tis plain in these things they differ widely; but an Agreement in Words without a Meaning, an Union in empty Sounds: And furely to look upon this as a Founda

tion of Chriftian Communion, and the only or the proper way whereby a Church can declare its Belief, is the most extravagant Superftition, and a converting the Words of the infpired Writers into fo many Charms, and forming them into Machines of Leger de main, by the help of which Truth and Error may be reprefented in the bame Likeness.

The only way to evade thefe Abfurdities which occur to us, is to alledge, That they are as far as we from defigning to ufe Words of an uncertain Meaning; and that tho' they think, that the Doctrines of the Gofpel fhould be expreffed only in the Words of the Holy Ghoft, yet they are willing to explain what they mean by thefe Words and what they take to be the true fciptural Senfe of them: But it they'll do this, they yield the whole Question,and we are perfectly agreed; for to fubfcribe a Paffage of Scripture taken in fuch a parti cular Senfe,is thefame thing with Subfcribing thofe Phrases by which we determine our Senfe of that Scripture, or with making them a Part of our Creed, which is all that is pleaded by us.

In reality, 'tis the Doctrines, and not the Words that must only be meant by the Holy Scriptures, when we are commanded to receive them and fubmit to them; 'tis they only that can claim our highest Efteem, and the facredeft Regard to their Honour; 'tis the Mind and Senfe of the Holy Ghoft delivered to us by the Apostles and Prophets, which can alone be called Divine Revelation, and refpected as the perfect Rule of our Faith and Manners, and not empty Phrafes and Combinations of Letters. And confequently wherever these Doctrines are taught and profeffed in their Purity, in whatever Terms they be expreffed, the Holy Scriptures are reverenced, and made the Standard of Faith: And where thefe Doctrines are denied, and contradictory Opinions embraced, there in fo far the Bible is rejected, and another Rule of Faith is fet up, and valued more than Divine Revelation; tho' in the mean time all the Phrafes of the Holy Scripture, and they only fhould be ufed by that Perfon, under a pretence of a more ftrict Adherence and Submiffion to the Holy Oracles.

In vain do fuch honour God, feeing by the falfe or ambiguous Senfe they have affixed to the Words of Scripture, they have made the Commandments and the Doctrines of the Bible, that is, the whole of its Defign, every Thing that is Life and Spirit in it, of none Effect. Well may fuch be ranked with the Hypocrites who honour God with their Lips, while their Hearts are far from him.

All the Articles then which any Church, and particularly ours, place in their Confeffions, are or ought to be the very Doctrines of Chriftianity,revealed in the Holy Scriptures; and we hope with us that they are the Things themselves, tho' not the precife Words whereby they are expreffed: Nor do we ever pretend to give any new Decifions concerning the Truths of Religion, but what the Bible hath or to add any Explications or Reftrictions of the Gospel-Revelation, given; but what the Word of God it felf hath given. When therefore, for Example, we in our Confeffion declare our Belief of the Trinity, in such plain and determinate Words, as to make it evident we be

eve that the Son of God our Saviour and the Holy Spirit are by nature GOD, the fupreme infinite Maker of the world, one GOD with the FATHER and not a metaphorical and dependent God; we affert the precife fame Doctrine without Addition or Alteration, which is revealed in a great many Paffages of Scripture: This is the thing contained in thefe Texts; and if that Doctrine be abstracted from or disbelieved, as it is by Socinians and Arians, the Adhering to these Texts is not an Adhering to the Scriptures,but only to a dead Letter, to Words without the things fignified by them.

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So that we perfectly agree with the Author of the Occafional Pa"That however important or neceffary thefe Doctrines be in themfelyes, yet it cannot be neceffary to determine any thing concerning them, that the Scriptures have not determined; or to decide them by any other Explications, than the Word of "God has given of them (a). Nor are we chargeable with any of the bad Confequences, which he alledges follow the Denial of that Principle; for the Doctrine taught in our Confeffion, is not another thing, but the felf-fame Thing determined by the Scriptures Concerning the Deity of the Son of God, that is, We think fo: And we have eflayed to prove already, that every Perfon and each Society hath a Right to make all the Ufe that is made of our Confeffion; and that in what relates to it, they must follow the Light of their own Confciences, and act according as Things appear to them,

UT we proceed to fome other Inconveniencies and Ab furdiwho maintain that no Words or Phrafes but thofe exactly which occur in the Sacred Writings, are to be made ufe of in Confeffions or Declarations of Faith.

According to this Principle, there can be no Expofitions made of the Scriptures to the People by their Minifters, nor any preaching of the Gofpel; all the Publick, or even private Teaching or Inftructing, muft confift wholly in Reading of the Scriptures. How fatal this would be to Religion, and how plainly it would overturn one great Defign of the Ministry, needs not be proved: Nor need we infift in Shewing, that it hath been the Practice of all Churches in all Times, even of fuch whofe Example ought to be of Authority with us, I mear the Apoftolical Churches, to expound the Holy Scriptures, and teach the People the Doctrines according to Godliness, in the Way moft adapted to their feveral Capacities and Circumftances. Thus we find that after the Return of the Captivity, as the Levites read to the People in the Book of the Law of God diftinctly, fo they gave the Senfe, and caused them to understand the Reading (b). That t is Inftitution of Preaching obtained in the Jewish Synagogues, and was approved by Our Saviour feems pretty plain (c): And what was the

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(a) Occafional Paper Vol. III. N. 11. p. 15. (b) Nehemiah 8. 8. (c) Luke 4, 15, 16, &c,

Practice, and the received Notion of this Matter, feems evider from the Eunuch's Answer to Philip, Acts 8. 30. And Philip heard biza read the Prophet Efaias,and faid, Understandeft thou what thou readeft? Ver. 31. And he faid, How can I except fome Man fhould guide me? But it is indeed needlefs to infift upon a Matter, which feems to be agreed to upon all Sides; nor have we any Ground to fufpect,that thofe who differ from us in the other Point, are Enemies to the Office of the Miniftry, and to the Preaching of the Gospel.

Methinks whatever a Man fpeaks concerning Religion, he may fubfcribe it alfo, but he fhould be much more ready to give the folemneft Affent himself to every thing which he delivers from the Pulpit, as the Will of God to the People: Nor can I imagine the finalleft Reafon, why a Minister fhould refufe to fubfcribe his own Sermon, and the Doctrines taught in it; ought there not to be as great Sincerity, as accurate Caution that Nothing be fpoken there without a divine Warrant, as inviolable a Regard to Truth, and as clofe an Adherence to the Revelation of the Gofpel, and as awful Impreffions of the Great God and the eternal Concerns of Mens Souls, upon a Minister in the Pulpit as any where elfe?

When a Paftor of the Church ftands in that Place, from which Nothing but the facred Truths of the Gofpel in all their Purity and Certainty fhould ever proceed; where, if at any time, he muft hold fast the faithful Word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by fund Doctrine, both to exhort and to convince the Gainfayers (a); where they ftand as it were in Chrift's ftead, and speak as though God did by them beseech Men to be reconciled to him (b): Will he then venture to deviate from the great Rule of his Preaching, and play with his own Office, and the Souls of Men, by making Conjectures, and giving way to Gueffes of his own,, the fubfcribing of which as Articles of Faith he'll afterwards fcruple at?

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Every Minifter ought to Speak because he believes, and when he preaches any thing from the Pulpit, by thefe very Words he confees his own Faith in the moft folemn and awful Manner, and virtually fubfcribes a Creed drawn up in thefe Terms; fo that the fame Reagon that will confine Creeds to the precife Phrafes of Scripture, will confine Sermons unto them alfo, and then Reading must be all that's meant by Preaching. Yea the Argument feems much stronger in the Cafe of Preaching than in the other, for in a Creed,a Man or a Society exprefs their own opinion only, and declare what they think Truth, in which there does not feem to be the least Hazard in their ufing their own Words: But in a Sermon the Preacher pretends to deliver the Mind of the Holy Ghost, and tell what he hath revealed unto the People, which would give at least a more plaufible Ground for reftricting him to Scripture-Expreffions: Yea fo extremely unrea fonable is this Notion, that it feems to be a Confequence of it, that we fhould never write or Speak at all about any religious Subject, other

(4) Titus 1. 9. (6) 2 Cor. 5. 20.

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