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profession. So here in the text, the Apostle, upon the fame confideration, exhorts Chriftians to retain or hold fast The oporavian THE ETH, the confeffion, or profeffion of their hope; that is, the hope of the refurrection of the dead, and everlasting life, which was the conclufion of that faith, or creed, whereof in baptifm they made a folemn profeffion. Let us hold fast the profeffion of our faith, or hope, without wavering: the word is anan, inflexible, unmoveable, teddy; and not apt to waver, and be fhaken by every wind of contrary, doctrine, nor by the blasts and storms of perfecution. For he is faithful that hath promifed. If we continue faithful and fteddy to God, he will be faithful to make good all the promifes he hath made to us.

In the words thus explained there are two things which I shall diftinctly confider.

1. The exhortation: Let us hold fast the profeffion of our faith without wavering. And,

2. The argument or encouragement used to inforce it: He is faithful that promifed. I begin with the

Eir, The exhortation to be conftant and steddy in the profeffion of the Chriftian religion: Let us hold fast the profeffion of our faith without wavering. In the han dling of this, and that we may the better understand the true meaning of this exhortation here in the text, I fhall do these two things.

1. I fhall fhew negatively, wherein this conftancy and fteddinefs in the profeffion of the true religion does not confift. And here I fhall remove one or two things, which are thought by fome to be inconfiftent with conftancy and ftedfaftnefs in religion.

2. I fhall fhew pofitively what is implied in a conftant and fteddy profeffion of the true religion.

Firft, I fhall fhew negatively, what conftancy and ftedfaftnefs in the profeffion of the true religion does not imply. And there are two things which are thought by fome to be implied in holding faft the profeffion of our faith without wavering.

1. That men fhould not take the liberty to examine their religion, and inquire into the grounds and reafons of it.

2. That men fhould obftinately refufe to hear any rea

fons

fons that can be brought against the true religion, as they think, which they have once entertained.

I. That men fhould not take the liberty to examine their religion, and to inquire into the grounds and reafons of it. This, I think, is so far from being forbidden in this exhortation, that, on the contrary, I doubt not to make it appear, that a free and impartial inquiry into the grounds and reafons of our religion, and a thorough trial and examination of them, is one of the beft means to confirm and establish us in the profeffion of it: I mean, that all perfons that are capable of it, fhould do it, and that they will find great benefit and advantage by it. For I do not think, that this is a duty equally and indifferently incumbent upon all; nor indeed fit and proper for all perfons; because all are not equally capable of doing it. There are two forts of perfons that are in a great measure incapable of doing it.

1. Children.

2. Such grown perfons as are of a very mean and low capacity, and improvement of understanding.

ers.

Children are not fit to examine, but only to learn and believe what is taught them by their parents and teachThey are fit to have the fear of God, and the prin ciples of the true religion, inftilled into them; but they are by no means fit to difcern between a true and falfe religion, and to chufe for themselves, and to make a change of their religion; as hath of late been allowed to them in a nation not far from us, and by publick edict declared, that children at seven years old are fit to chufe and to change their religion. Which is the firft_law I ever heard of, that allows children at that age to do any act for themfelves, that is of confequence and importance to them for the remaining parts of their lives, and which they shall stand obliged to perform and make good. They are indeed baptized, according to the cuftom and ufage of the Chriftian church, in their jnfancy: but they do not enter into this obligation themfelves; but their fureties undertake for them, that when they come to age, they fhall take this promise upon themselves, and confirm and make it good. But furely they can do no act for themselves, and in their own name, at that age, which can be obligatory. They can neither make any

contracts

Ser..58. contracts that fhall be valid, nor incur any debt, nor oblige themselves by any promife, nor chufe themselves a guardian, nor do any act that may bring them under an inconvenience, when they fhall come at age. And can we think them of difcretion fufficient at that time, to do a thing of the greatest moment and confequence of all or ther, and which will concern them to all eternity, namely, to chufe their religion? There is indeed one part of one religion (which we all know) which children at feven years of age are fit (I do not fay to judge of, but), to be as fond of, and to practife to as good purpose, as thofe of riper years; and that is, to worship images, to tell their beads, to fay their prayers, and to be prefent at the fervice of God in an unknown tongue and this they are more likely to chufe at that age, than those who are of riper and more improved understandings; and if they do not chufe it at that time, it is ten to one they will not chufe it afterwards. I fhall fay no more of this, but that it is a very extraordinary law, and fuch as perhaps was never thought of before, from the beginning of the world. Thus much for children.

As for grown perfons, who are of a very low and mean capacity of understanding, and, either by reafon of the weaknefs of their faculties, or other difadvantages which they lie under, are in little or no probability of improving themfelves; thefe are always to be confidered as in the condition of children and learners, and therefore mult of neceflity, in things which are not plain and obvious to the meaneft capacities, truft and rely upon the judgment of others. And it is really much wifer and fafer for them fo to do, than to depend upon their own judgments, and to lean to their own understandings; and fuch perfons, if they be modeft and humble, and pray earnestly to God for his affiftance and direction, and are careful to practife what they know, and to live up to the best light and knowledge which they have, fhall not mifcarry, merely for want of thofe farther degrees of knowledge which they had no capacity nor opportunity to attain; because their ignorance is unavoidable, and God will require no more of them than he hath given them, and will not call them to account for the improvement of those talents which he never committed to them.

And

And if they be led into any dangerous error, by the negligence or ill conduct of thofe under whose care and inftruction the providence of God permitted them to be placed, God will not impute it to them as a fault; becaufe, in the circumstances in which they were, they took the beft and wifeft courfe that they could, to come to the knowledge of the truth, by being willing to learn what they could of those whom they took to be wifer than themfelves.

But for fuch perfons who, by the maturity of their age, and by the natural ftrength and clearness of their understandings, or by the due exercise and improvement of them, are capable of inquiring into and understanding the grounds of their religion, and difcerning the difference betwixt truth and error, (I do not mean in unneceffary points, and matters of deepest learning and fpeculation, but in matters neceffary to falvation); it is. certainly very reasonable, that fuch perfons fhould examine their religion, and understand the reasons and grounds of it.

And this must either be granted to be reasonable, or elfe every man must continue in that religion in which he happens to be fixed by education, or for any other reafon to pitch upon, when he comes to years, and makes his free choice. For if this be a good principle, That no man is to examine his religion, but take it as it is, and to believe it, and rest satisfied with it; then every man is to remain in the religion which he firft lights upon, whether by choice, or the chance of his education. For he ought not to change but upon reafon; and reafon he can have none, unless he be allowed to examine his religion, and to compare it with others, that by the comparison he may difcern which is beft, and ought in reafon to be preferred in his choice. For to him that will not, or is not permitted to search into the grounds of any religion, all religions are alike; as all things are of the fame colour to him that is always kept in the dark; or if he happens to come into the light, dares not open his eyes, and make use of them to difcern the different colours of things.

But this is evidently and at first fight unreasonable; becaufe, at this rate, every man that hath once entertained

an

an error, and a false religion, must for ever continue in it: for if he be not allowed to examine it, he can never have reason to change; and to make a change without reason, is certainly unreasonable, and mere vanity and inconftancy.

And yet, for ought I can fee, this is the principle which the church of Rome doth, with great zeal and earneftness, inculcate upon their people; difcouraging all doubts and inquiries about their religion, as temptations of the devil; and all examinations of the grounds and reasons of their religion, as an inclination and dangerous step towards herefy. For what else can they mean, by taking the scriptures out of the hands of the people, and locking them up from them in an unknown tongue; by requiring them abfolutely to submit their judgments, and to refign them up to that which they are pleased to call the Catholick church, and implicitly to believe as she believes, though they know not what that is? This is, in truth, to believe as their priest tells them; for that is all the teaching part of the church, and all the rule of faith that the common people are acquainted with.

And it is not fufficient to fay in this matter, that when men are in the truth, and of the right religion, and in the bofom of the true church, they ought to reft fatisfied, and to examine and inquire no farther: for this is manifestly unreasonable, and that upon these three accounts.

1. Because this is a plain and shameful begging of the thing in question; and that which every church, and every religion, doth almoft with equal confidence pretend to, that theirs is the only right religion, and the only true church. And these pretences are all alike reasonable to him that never examined the grounds of any of them, nor hath compared them together. And therefore it is the vainest thing in the world for the church of Rome to pretend, that all religions in the world ought to be examined but theirs; because theirs, and none elfe, is the true religion. For this which they fay fo confidently of it, that it is the true religion, no man can know till he hath examined it, and fearched into the grounds of it, and hath confidered the objections which are against it. So that it is fond partiality to fay, that their religion is not to be examined by the people that profefs