their congregations, will be ready to entertain with joy any new light that may irradiate their fouls as they value advances in the knowledge of the Son of God more than an increase of their trea fures, and difcern a beauty in truth fuperior to the charms of this world, the rays of it will thinein upon them with too ftrong and permanent a brightness to be overclouded by all the vapours and mifts which can arife from their temporalities. As they will never subscribe a Confeffion, but when perfuaded in their confciences of the: conformity of its articles to divine revelation; fo they will with courage oppofe themfelves to it: when convinced of their error: they will not be afraid openly to abandon it, and will prove ass zealous in promoting what they now fee to be the mind of God in the fcriptures, as if there had never been fuch a thing as a human creed in the world. So that our practice as to Confeffions will prevent no new difcoveries of truth, nor any, improvement in knowledge, by perfons endued with thefe noble qualities; nor will it in the leaft hinder the diffufing of that light through the world,. fince, according to the principles laid down in the beginning, there is no perfecution allowed, nor any forcible methods to hinder the preaching of the truths which may be difcovered, and recommend-ing them by all the ftrength of fcripture and rea-

fon.

Now it is men only of this temper and difpofition that are fit to difcover truth, and rectify ab-ules; it is from them only that the world can expect a reformation of churches which may have: departed from the faith of the gofpel, and polluted their creeds by an impure mixture of error ;and it is by their labours that light and purity can expect to make conquefts in the minds of men,› and prevail over inveterate delufions. Men who are:

Q3

thuss

thus fincerely devoted to God, and prefer heaven to this world, will make the moft impartial fearches into truth; and having their minds purified from the bafer paffions which govern others, and raised above the airy phantoms of greatness, and riches, and popular applaufe, their understandings will be freer from prejudices of every kind, their inquiries will be more modeft, fincere, and diligent; the heavenly light of pure doctrine will make the eafieft paffage, and find the beft entertainment from fpirits, whofe tempers and affections are fo fuited to the nature and condition of those fuperior regions of glory and purity: and as fuch will be in a peculiar manner difpofed to grow in the knowledge of God, and improve in folid and ufeful theological learning; fo they will be animated by the warmest concern for the interefts of truth, whenever they perceive it, and with the most vigorous zeal will contend for it, and diffuse the rays of that light which God hath caused to shine into their fouls. And what prejudice can the hitherto unanimous practice of the Reformed churches as to their Confeffions do to learning? or how does it tend to prevent the most useful and important discoveries, when it will not in the leaft influence any that can be made by the perfons we have now mentioned ?

It was by men of fo difinterefted and heroic fpirits' that ever religion gained any thing in the world. The holy apoftles and primitive Chriftians were of this temper, and animated by thefe generous and exalted principles; and thus they were fitted for the defence and propagation of the gofpel. The greatest temporal loffes did not make them fmother the truth; nor could the terrors of blood and violence hinder them to proclaim aloud the tidings of falvation: perfecution only put an edge on their heavenly zeal, and enabled them with

the greater joy and triumph to furmount the moft formidable difficulties.

Such alfo God employed at the Reformation to revive the decayed interefts of religion, and rectify the diforders that had fpread themselves through all the parts of the Romish religion. Our fathers were of a brave difinterested spirit; their fouls were connaturalized unto divine things, and under the power of another world; and therefore, when the light of the Reformation, that day-fpring from on high, overshadowed them, the influence of corrupted creeds, the canons of councils, and the decrees of Popes, the lofs of temporalities, and the eruelty of the fevereft perfecution, did not prevent their abandoning the church of Rome, and promoting the bleffed change with the moft vigorous zeal.

:

Truth and religion flourished under all these difadvantages. The apoftles indeed had reafon to complain of their fufferings for righteousness fake, the murdering and torturing them for differing from the empire in their fentiments being a manifeft incroachment upon the liberties of mankind, and a perfecution altogether unjustifiable but then where did they ever pretend to the emoluments of the Heathen priefts, or grasp at the re venues of the temples? Did they imagine, that the Pagans, before they were converted, fhould take away the revenues from their own priefts, and bestow them upon the Chriftian minifters ? or did they infinuate, that it was a lofs to religion and learning that fo felf-contradictory a fcheme did not obtain? They thought indeed, that they who served at the altar fhould live by the altar; but did they expect that pertos were to fet bread upon that altar who did not worship at it. No; they knew that men must first be converted

to

to Christianity before they heaped favours upon the teachers of it.

Let us fee how forcible this objection is with refpect to the pretended loffes which religion and learning may fuftain from the restraints which: Confeflions lay upon ecclefiaftical officers. Why, they may hinder the world from obtaining new difcoveries in divinity from men of narrow covetous fpirits, who prefer a ftipend to light and pu rity, whofe fouls are fo poffiffed by the bafeft and moft inglorious paffions, timorousness, and worldly-mindedness, that, rather than be expofed to: temporal inconveniencies, they will counteract their confciences, ftifle truth, and profefs with the mouth what they abhor in their fouls. By this means, perhaps, a ftop may be put to alterations in an established creed, by men who have not the courage to declare their principles, nor dare op pofe the majority, but, it feems, look upon temporalities to be the most perfuafive motives, and ne ver defign to ftand it out againft fo ftrong an ar gument.

How unlikely is it that fuch men would ever be ferviceable to religion, were there no manner of restraints, even not that of Confeffions, upon them or that the changes they would make. would be in favour of truth? They feem utterly unfit fubjects for the purified light of faith, and not at all calculated, either to receive it themselves, or convey it into the world; and upon fuch error and herefy were much more ready to make an impreffion.

With what fcorn, then, and contempt, may Christianity look down upon the proffers of fuch unworthy and infignificant votaries ? how fmall advantage can truth ever expect from their disco. veries? and how little need we be difgufted at the ufe of Confeffions, though, whenever a church is fo unhappy as to be plagued with such minifters,

those.

thofe Confeffions may be an argument with them, to keep their discoveries to themselves, and not enlighten the world with them.

I am fure it is incomparably more probable, that any unjustifiable restraints upon thefe men will rather prevent the difcovery of error (if we may use the phrafe) than of truth. There are very powerful arguments, with people of fome tempers, befides the love of a reformation, which may engage them to depart from the public ftandard, and publish schemes of their own. A natu ral levity and inconftancy of mind, that cannot remain long fixed upon any thing; a warmth of imagination, and fprightlinefs of fancy, which will be fruitful of new difcoveries that others have not attended to; a fond conceit of one's felf, and a notion that we are wifer and more clear fighted than our neighbours; a contempt of what is commonly received, and an ambition to diftinguifh ourselves from the inferior part of mankind, who have not fuch a freedom and elevation of mind as we have; the glory which a new fcheme furnishes to its author, if it happen to take in the world, and the applaufes and homage which are paid by his admirers to the head of a fuccefsful party, are all plentiful fources from which unknown hypothefes and new improvements in divinity may over flow the world.

From thefe motives, it is very likely, that any new discoveries, and alterations in the received faith or worship, would be made by the men we have described; and therefore, had we no other ufe for Confeffions, a regard to truth, and to the peace of fociety, would make us value them as means of curbing the paffions, and stopping up fuch impure streams as muft fpring from fo corrupt a fountain, and will much more probably