of thus by Confequence hoifting themselves up to an Equality with the firft Founders of Chriftianity. But fo has it happen'd to them, as it even has, and will happen to all fuch Affemblies of Men. Let a Convocation, Affembly or Council, fhew ever fo much Regard to the Holy Scriptures themselves; tho' as in the third General Council at Ephefus under Theodofius, the Holy ScripNele tures are with the greatest Solemnity and Sincerity placed in an eminent Throne, to prefide, and be as a Guide to all their Controverfies; yet those that come after them, if they don't place their Decrees in the Room, they'll find a place for them by the Side of the Scriptures. However honeftly the Council may mean all their Labours as a Comment, and an Help to understand the Text; yet fometimes defigning Men will reprefent them, fometimes weak Men will mistake them, for a part of the Text; or which is the fame Thing, of equal Value and Authority with the Text it felf. And thus 'tis infinuated, by this Believer in the Affembly, Chriftians may well do with refpect to their Writings, because they annex Paffages of Scripture, to what they affert, as a Proof. As a Proof, of what? That they were infallible Interpreters of Scripture? no, by no means: And as a Proof that they were not fo, I muft remind this Man of a Paffage I meet with in the Hiftory of those Times. In the Affembly at Westminster, (whofe Works are now fo much admired, after that our Church has shown her Contempt of them, and the Civil Courts treat them as pieces of Superftition) there were divers Members of both Houses of Par Parliament; and among the rest one Mr. Selden, who upon their Citing of their Texts of Scripture, fometimes took the Liberty to tell them, Perhaps in your little Pocket Bibles with Gilt Leaves (which they would often (fays the * Hiftorian) pull out and read) the Tranflation may be fo, but the Greek and the Hebrew fignifie thus and thus. So that their Proofs prove only thus much, that they think they have found out the Truth contain❜d in the Scriptures, in the fame way in which with equal Judgment, Learning, and Integrity, others may enquire over again, and find out the Truth after them. But now if this were all these good Men were capable of, or pretended to, may they not poffibly have miftaken the Word of God themfelves? Am I to take their Interpretations at a venture, whether they agree with it or no? No, you may fearch the Scriptures. Poffibly I have done fo, and think them mistaken, what then, may I tell the World fo? By no means; what, in fpite of Evidence, muft I think my felf in the wrong, and thefe good Men in the right, and fet to my Work again, and again enquire into the Holy Writings, and that till I find their Senfe there? Is this a fair and honeft Way of proceeding,to call the Scriptures my only Rule, and yet make another Rule to try the Scriptures by? Is this fetching my Notions of Religion from the Divine Revelation? Or is it not rather preffing the Word of God to speak my Sense? And a declar'd Purpose, that I will not hear God himself speaking in his Word, till he is Ortho -Whitlock's Memor. of the English Affairs in the Roign dox, -Note. 11 dox, and fpeak as I wou'd have him. Is not this in effect to make a Rule for God, instead of receiving one from him? Well, but may it be faid, muft we not hold fast the Form of found Words? Yes every Form of Words that we can be infallibly fure, are found. Every Form the infpir'd Apoftle deliver'd. But 'tis mere flight of Hand to clap a Form of a fallible Man or an Affembly of Men, in the ftead of that deliver'd by St. Paul, and then repeat his Words concerning the Form that Timothy heard of him. But are not thofe Tefts of Orthodoxy useful to preferve Unity and Peace in the Church? Without them, what ftop can be put to the numerous and extravagant Fancies of particular Men? The Church will be torn in pieces by contrary and oppofite Doctrines, and the Voice of Peace will never be heard in the clamorous' Noife of contending Parties. Peace and Unity are certainly defirable Things; but Experience has long fhown, they are never likely to be attain'd by other Tefts of Orthodoxy, than Chrift has fixed in his Word. New Tefts and Decifions ufually raife new Quarrels and Difputes, and fuch as are often manag'd with more Animofity, than the former Differences they were defign'd to put an End to. A Difference in Opinion may be brought to an end by a fair and calm Debate: But when precipitate Meafures, and the Interpofition of an Authority that is either controverted or rejected, has form'd' Parties, raifed Mens Paffions, made twenty Controverfies of one, and taught Men to hate each other heartily into the Bargain, it is fo far from putting an end to the Dif ference, ference, that it fairly puts an end to the hope of Reconciliation. The old Gentleman at Rome feems to be fenfible of this, and therefore with all his Infallibi lity he rather permits the Dominicans and the Francifcans to fight out their Quarrel, than hazard the Peace of his own Communion by interpofing his Authority. And I am apt to think by this Time, he is fully satisfy'd, that he would better have confulted the Intereft of his See, and the Honour of his Infallibility, had he observ'd the fame Measures in relation to his Conftitution Unigenitus. But how fhall we know where to fettle at this Rate? We fhall be in an eternal Fluctuation, doubting and difputing about every Thing. Why fo? Sure a Man may be fully and fedfaftly perfuaded in his own Mind of the Truth and Importance of what he holds in Religion, without believing himself to be infallible, or acting as tho' he were fo. Keeping close to the fa-~ cred Writings is the only Way to be no more Children, toffed to and fro with every Wind of Doctrine; according as that Wind fits one while from Rome, another while from Geneva; one time from the Court, another time from the Convocation; by and by from Ausburgh; anon from Westminster or Scotland; as in Conftantine's Time the Wind of Doctrine blew one way, in Valens's Time it blew about again another, according as the feveral Creed-makers prevail'd. Keeping to the Scriptures is the only Way to avoid this Toffing to and fro. Let Evidence determine, and the fame Evidence will keep fettled. Let not Fancy, Cuftom, Humour, Sophiftry, Human Authority, or any other Wind from from what Quarter foever it blows, tofs you a bout, or drive you away. But wou'd you let in all manner of monftrous abfurd Opinions into the Church? By the fe Tefts of Orthodoxy, we hope to keep Men of dangerous Principles from the Credit and Opportunity, they might otherwife have as authorized Teachers of Truth, to mislead the unwary into their Errors. But do these Decifions of Orthodoxy declare only againft erroneous and dangerous Principles? How come there then to be among them, fuch as by turns cenfure and condemn each other? Befides, as this Method has only a Prospect, and that a very uncertain one too, of fecuring against Error; fo it has the moft likely hazard of creating misunderstanding and cenforiousness; And of loofing that Goodness and Charity, and many other Chriftian Vertues that are of greater Confequence, than Truth it felf in innumerable Cafes. Indeed, fuch Opinions as tend to extinguifh Goodnefs, and promote Uncharitableness, are themselves the most dangerous Errors. And if this Method may poffibly keep out fome dangerous Opinions, it however promotes others directly contrary to the Temper and End of Religion and Christianity. But in anfwer to this Plea, it may fuffice to say, that it never yet has, nor in all likelihood ever will keep out Men of dangerous Principles, if all muft be thought fo, that agree not to the Mode of Orthodoxy. It may perhaps keep fome from looking at all into fuch Queftions, where they may fear their Enquiries will not iffue in the Opinions that happen to be ftamp'd for Orthodoxy among them: Nevertheless, if Men chance to |