fonableness of fuch an Exchange, they make it their Business, and exert all their Endeavours, to depreciate worldly Happiness, and cry down all the good Things of this Earth, that they may have them all to themfelves. If they can extinguifh the Appetites which God has given us, and teach us the Secret to live without our Eftates, or to make us think it dangerous to live on them, they hope to have them for their Pains: For who can have a better Title to our Superfluities than our fpiritual Guides, who have infpired us with fo much refined Devotion, and have given to us lasting Eftates in Paradife, in lieu of a few momentary Pleasures, and frail and earthly Tabernacles below?

By thefe Arts, and many others, which I fhall fhew in the Progrefs of this Paper, the Priests are become poffeffed of fo much Dominion and Wealth.

Y Faith is often, if not most commonly,

BY

meant, an inward Perfuafion, or determined Affent, of the Mind to a religious Propofition, affirmed or denied; and fuch Confent can never

be

be given but by the Conveyance, and from full Conviction, of the Senfes, or the manifeft Operation of the Holy Ghoft; and therefore muft depend wholly upon what appears to be infallible Infpiration, or infallible Information. In this

Senfe of the Word, I doubt there can be no fuch Thing in the World; for as no Man living ever faw the Miracles of Chrift and his Apoftles, or can prove his particular Syftem from felf-evident Propofitions, or can be fure that he is inspired by the Holy Ghoft; fo he cannot have Faith in this Senfe, whatsoever he himself may imagine.

THEREFORE the only reasonable Sense of the Word is, An Affent of the Mind to the Truth of a Propofition, upon probable Arguments, or upon the Teftimony of other Perfons; which can never produce Certainty, but only Opinion or Belief; which must be ftronger or weaker, according to the many Degrees of Probability. A probable Evidence can only produce a fuitable Affent; and when any thing does not appear at all probable to us, we cannot avoid diffenting as to the Truth of it. Almighty God does not require of us to give the Lie to our Understandings, and to put out and extinguish the only Light he has given to Men, by which they can difcern Truth from Falfhood, and Virtue from Vice.

THE Apoftles and Evangelifts, who were evidently endowed from Above with extraordinary Gifts and Graces, were undeniable Witnesses of the Truth of the Gospel, to those who faw their Miracles And their Writings, and the Teftimony which they bequeathed to their Followers, fealed, as it was, with their Blood, have passed the Examination of many Ages, and conftitute the highest Degree of human Probability, and

con

confequently carry along with them an irresistible Authority, and can admit of no Difobedience or Difpute: They are a real Authority, in the moft ftrict Senfe of the Word; I mean, as it is applied to the Propagation of religious Opinions, and as producing a lively Faith next to Perfuafion.

BUT no Decifions or Refolutions of uninfpired Men are, or ought to be, of any Weight with us, but fo far as they will bear the Examination of our Senfes, and our Reafon. The only Motive which any Man can have to believe, or to put this Confidence in another, is, that the Perfon trufted is not deceived himself, and will not deceive him; neither of which he can have any tolerable Affurance of: For no Man is infallible; and the gravest and most folemn Pretenders are as eafily cheated as the mère Vulgar; and, what is more, will as often lie, and cheat others; and therefore there can be no fuch thing as Authority in this Senfe amongst Men. For let a Matter in itself be ever fo certain, I am by no Precept hu man or divine obliged to believe it true, till it is proved true; and it is the Bufinefs of my Reason alone to diftinguifh what is so from what is otherwife.

GOD's Word, though to be believed without Proof, yet ought firft to be proved to be his which Proof it is the Province of my Underftanding to examine. The Words and 'Allegations of Men, or of the Church, ought, before they are believed, to be proved, either by Divine Autho rity, or by Reafon: If by Reafon; then Reason muft judge of Reason, and every Man who has it, is a Judge: If by Divine Authority; even here our Reason must be satisfied, whether it be Divine Authority or not. So that human Autho

rity is either nothing at all; or at most only an Opportunity given, or an Invitation made, to examine by private Judgment, the Truth of what it fays.

ALL Books therefore, except the Holy Scriptures, and all Names, except thofe of our Bleffed Saviour, and his infpired Followers, ought to be of no Authority with us, any farther than to convince our Understandings by folid Arguments, and felf-evident Truths; and a Beggar, or a Cobler, when he can do this, is fo far intitled to equal Credit, or, if you will, to equal Authority, with Councils and Fathers.

EVERY Man, that reafons with you, appeals to your Reafon, and his Arguments lie at your Mercy, whether you will believe them or no ; and every Man, who brings you only his Affertions, ought also to bring you his Proofs, or else you are at full Liberty to reject or despise them: It adds nothing to his Weight in this matter, that perhaps he wears a cloven Cap, or a fable Gown: There have been no greater Deceivers of Mankind, than fuch as have worn thefe Emblems of Gravity; and indeed Gravity has ever been one effential Characteristic of Imposture.

THERE is no Authority in founding and fanctified Names, whether they be thofe of ArchbiShops, Bifhops, Priefts or Deacons. It is very certain, that thefe goodly Words are fo far from having any Charm in them against Deceit and Roguery, that the completeft of all Villainies, and the most mafterly and mischievous of all Delufions, have been, and still are, protected and propagated by them in Popish and other Prieft-ridden Nations. His Holiness, and Moft Holy, are Terms appropriated to St. Peter's Chair, (and in our precious Pope

Pope Laud's Days they began to be current at Lambeth) although moft that filled that Chair, have lived at Defiance with God and Man, and were the greatest Deceivers and Difturbers of the World.

NOR is there any certain Authority in Learning of any Kind or Degree. Who are better Scholars, or greater Rogues, than the Jefuits? Who was a more learned Man, or a greater Simpleton, than Mr. Dodwell? And, as to his genuine Ancestors, Aquinas and Scotus, thofe celebrated Founders of the Schools, who have been long the infallible Guides of the infallible Church, they were the most voluminous and most unintelligible Dunces, that ever dabbled in Sophistry, and darkened common Sense.

PRAY what Evidence of Truth neceffarily attends the Knowledge of the Oriental Tongues? The Jews understand Hebrew, and the Turks Arabic; and yet both continue fierce and obftinate Enemies to Christianity.

NOR are Men the more to be trufted, merely because they are acquainted with Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, and the Fathers. As to the Fathers, they are guilty of grievous Errors against Orthodoxy, and Church Power; infomuch that Father Petavius the Jefuit has pretended to prove, that moft of them were infected with Herefy, efpecially in their Notions about the Undivided Trinity. We all know, that St. Auftin (the Foreman of all the Latin Saints and Fathers) was for admitting Children to the Lord's Supper, contrary to the Doctrine and Practice of our Church of England as by Law established. St. Jerom derives Epifcopal Power from the Inftigation of the Devil, which is also an impudent Reflection upon

our