short declarations of their King and lawgiver himself, or to hunt after them through the infinite contradictions, the numberlefs perplexities, the endless difputes of weak men in feveral ages, till the enquirer himself is loft in the labyrinth, and perhaps fits down in despair or infidelity. If Chrift be our King, let us fhew ourselves fubjects to him alone, in the great affair of conscience and eternal falvation, and, without fear of man's judgment, live and act as becomes those who wait for the appearance of an all-knowing and impartial judge, even that King whofe kingdom is not of this world. Much to the fame purpose, in oppofition to the pretended authority and infallibility of the church of Rome, and her boasted tradition, Dr. Chandler says, 66 we have no full and certain account of the doctrine taught by Chrift and his Apoftles but from the records of the New Teftament; and as these contain the whole revelation of the gospel, all that we are to believe and practife as Chriftians, it is an undeniable confequence, that we can no otherwife demonftrate our fubjection and fidelity to Chrift, as Lord and lawgiver in his church, than by our care in acquainting ourselves with the facred records of truth, and religiously adhering to them, as the only rule and ftandard of our faith and worship *; the adhering to which is an effential note of the Christian church †. This therefore is the only true antiquity, to which as Chriftians we are to appeal t. The church of God, the true church of Chrift, is built entirely upon the fcriptures. The Chriftian church is properly reprefented as one body, or a fociety, incorporate by the charter of the gofpel under Jefus Chrift, as fupreme head and governor §. For, as Mr. Leavefly says, Chrift and his Apoftles, by preaching and delivering * Dr. Chandler's Notes of the Church, p. 13, † 15, 21. the the gospel truth, and by warning us against falfe and deceitful workers, call all men every where to adhere to the truth as it is in Jefus *. The Bible, then, or the "Old and New Teftament, is acknowledged by all Proteftants, as the canon, the rule, the only rule of faith and practice. I fhall close the whole with that remarkable paragraph of Chillingworth, which whoever hears or reads, as the language of one converted from Popery by the study of the fcriptures, cannot help being greatly pleafed with it. Addressing himself to a writer of the Romish church, he thus pleads the Proteftant cause, "Know then, Sir, that when I fay the religion of Protestants is in truth to be preferred before yours; as on the one fide, I do not understand by your religion the doctrine of Bellarmine or Baronius, or any other private man amongst you; nor the doctrine of the Sorbonne or of the Jefuits, or of the Dominicans, or of any other particular company or fociety amongst you; but that wherein you all agree or profefs to agree, the doctrine of the council of Trent; fo accordingly on the other fide, by the religion of Proteftants, I do not understand the doctrine of Luther or Calvin, or Melancton, nor the confeffion of Augsburg or Geneva, nor the catechism of Heidelberg, nor the articles of the church of England; no, nor the harmony of Proteftant creeds and confeffions; but that wherein they all agree, and which they all fubfcribe with one accord, as the undoubted perfect rule of their faith and actions, that is, the Bible. The Bible, I say the Bible only, is the religion of Proteftants, whatsoever else they believe befides it: and the plain, irrefragable, and indubitable confequences of it, well may they hold as matters of opinion, but as matter of faith and religion, neither can they with coherence to their own grounds believe it * Leavesly on Reformation, p. 36. themselves, C 4 themselves, nor require the belief of it of others, without most high and fchifmatical prefumption. I, for my part, after a long, and (as I verily believe and hope) impartial fearch of the true way to eternal happinefs, do profefs plainly that I cannot find any rest for the fole of my foot, but upon this rock only. I see plainly, and with mine own eyes, that there are Popes against Popes, councils against councils, fome fathers against others, the fame fathers against themselves, a confent of fathers of one age against a confent of fathers of another age, the church of one age against the church of another age. Traditive interpretations of scripture are pretended; but there are few or none to be found. No tradition but only of fcripture can derive itself from the fountain, but may be plainly proved to be brought in, in fuch an age after Christ, or that fuch an age it was not in a word, there is no fufficient certainty but of fcripture only for any confidering man to build upon. This, therefore, and this only, I have reafon to believe, this I will profefs, according to this I will live, and for this, if there be occafion, I will not only willingly, but even gladly, lofe my life; though I fhould be forry that Chriftians. fhould take it from me. Propofe me any thing out of this book, and require whether I believe or no, and feem it never so incomprehenfible to human reafon, I will fubfcribe it with hand and heart, as knowing no demonftration can be ftronger than this, God hath faid fo, therefore is it true. In other things, I will take no man's liberty of judging from him, neither fhall any man take mine from me. I will think no man the worse man, nor the worfe Chriftian, I will love no man the less, for differing in opinion from me; and what measure I mete to others, I expect from them again. I am fully affured that God does not, and therefore men ought not to require any more of any man than this: To believe the fcripture to be God's word, word, to endeavour to find the true sense of it, and to live according to it *. I can fee no reason, fays a judicious author, for undervaluing revelation, in order to exalt reason, nor on the other hand to difparage reafon, fince they jointly concur in furnishing us with the most noble and unexceptionable principles of religion. What but revelation gave to Wollafton fo much the fuperiority over Cicero in his delineation of the religion of nature, particularly with regard to the unity and moral perfections, and providence of the Deity, and the duties owing to him? All this will be readily acknowledged by Proteftant Chriftians of every denomination, while others perhaps do not eafily perceive the reafons upon which this principle of their faith is founded, and they raise a variety of objections to the authenticity, perfpicuity, reasonableness, and excellency of the Chriftian revelation; the most confiderable of which will be taken notice of in a following fection. I fhall, firft, endeavour to afcertain the proper import of the term Truth, its importance, &c. Truth is a term used in a variety of Truth defined. fenfes, and applied to different fciences and fubjects. Logical truth is the conformity of things with the ideas themselvest. Moral truth is the conformity of words, geftures, and actions, with the heart . Mr. Chambers defines logical truth to be in direct oppofition to falfhood, and is applied to the propofitions which anfwer, or accord to the reality of the thing, whereof fomething is affirmed or denied. And Mr. Wollafton fays, thofe propofitions are true, which exprefs things as they are, or truth is the conformity of thofe words or figns by which things are expreffed to the things themfelves §. Truth, likewife, fignifies veracity, or a conformity of words to thoughts, pure, Quoted by Mr. Wright in his Sermon at Salter's hall against Popery, page 52. † Martin. Ibid. Chambers. Wollaton. or 1 or unadulterate; exactness or conformity to rule; reality, as opposed to fiction; honefty, integrity, &c. || It is used for the doctrines of the gofpel, Gal. iii. 1. as opposed to Jewish ceremonies, John, i. 17. and as the genuine or original, as oppofed to fpurious*. These are fome of the principal fenfes in which it is used; but as the right use of reason, in the enquiry after truth, is what constitutes the fcience of logic, variety of other definitions and diftinctions relative to this fubject may be feen in peculiar treatifes on that fubject. The different fenfes in which I have confidered truth, or to which this term is applied, convey to our minds an idea of its nature and importance, and that there is a real effential and abfolute utility and advantage in the poffeffion of it. Indeed the purfuit and acquifition of Importance truth is of infinite concernment to mankind of Truth. hereby we become acquainted with the nature of things, both in heaven and earth, and their various relations to each other. It is by this means we discover our duty to God and our fellow-creatures; by this we arrive at the knowledge of natural religion, and learn to confirm our faith in divine revelation, as well as to understand what is revealed. Our wisdom, prudence, and piety, our prefent conduct, and our future hopes, are all influenced by the use of our rational powers in the fearch after truth +. The love and defire of truth is a principle implanted in the nature of man; it has generally an easy accefs to unbiaffed minds, and will affume its empire and triumph over error, even in fpite of popularity, intereft, and undue influence from others; and religious truths have been often known to arm the mind with integrity, fuperior to the feverest persecution. Hence Polybius, the Roman hiftorian, obferves, that Johnfon. * Cruden. truth |