increase Now Judge Madam what a horrid thing it must needs be to make Images and Pictures of the Saints whereby to Worship 'em if it was so great a Crime to esteem one of 'em before another while they were on Earth But as we are not to Worship the Saints so neither must we pay such honour to Angels Col. 2. 18. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of Angels c. Rev. 19. 10. 22. 9. And I fell at his feet and worshipped him and he said unto me see thou do it not I am thy fellow-servant and of thy Brethren that have the Testimony of Jesus Worship God c. And certainly if we must not Worship an Angel if we shou'd see him I know not which way it can be prov'd lawful to intrude into those things which we have not seen as the Apostle says of them that Worship Angels Col. 2. 18. I can find no Text of Scripture for it but you see Madam how many I have produc'd against it And I believe we shall see as little reason to pray to Saints and Angels as to worship ' em Isai 63. 16. Doubtless thou art our Father tho' Abraham be ignorant of us and tho' Israel acknowledge us not thou O Lord art our Father our Redeemer thy Name is from Everlasting Where be pleas'd to observe that if it was lawful to pray to and in so doing to worship Saints departed why might not the Israelites have made them Images of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and pray'd to them to help 'em in time of trouble or to put the best face upon it that they wou'd pray to God for their own Offspring on Earth as well as they of the Church of Rome have their Representatives of and Prayers to their Saints who for the most part we are apt to believe are only titular ones They knew this wou'd be to no purpose for Abraham was ignorant of 'em and Israel acknowledged them not But Jer. 15. 1. Then said the Lord unto me Tho' Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my mind cou'd not be toward this People That is If it was possible for Moses and Samuel whose Prayers were so prevalent with me when they liv'd on Earth to interceed for this People now yet my Mind cou'd not be toward them Thus then appears the Vanity of invocating Saints departed in that the Dead know nothing neither have they any more a portion for ever of any thing that is done under the Sun Eccl. 9. 5 6. But whether Angels and Saints departed are acquainted with our Condition or can hear our Prayers is not much to the purpose 't is enough to tell you that supposing they are endued with such Faculties our Worshipping them wou'd detract from the Honour of God which he has said he will not give to another and our invocating them wou'd make them Mediators and Intercessors when the Apostle plainly affirms That there is but one Mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 2. 5. To conclude this because I wou'd be as brief as possibly I may I shall refer you to the Fourth Chapter of Deuteronomy where you 'll find the great Reason that Moses gives the Children of Israel why they shou'd not make 'em Images is because when they heard the Voice of the Lord from the Mountain they saw no Similitude which he urges more than once And then what Grounds can they of the Church of Rome pretend for exposing a Picture of him who always was Invisible This has been lately acknowledg'd to be Idolatry by one that writ more for the Church of Rome in this particular than as he said afterwards he intended tho' all little enough to the purpose or at least more was added by some-body else to what he did as may be conjectur'd from the variation of the Style but no matter which The Author makes Idolatry of two Sorts Reasons for abrogating the Test p. 128. The first whereof is the Worshipping any Image or Symbols of false Gods as the Supreme Deities and says If they do not this then they are innocent of the worst part of Idolatry The second is the making or as he says the attempting to make a Similitude of the true God or uncreated Divine Nature That says he is the other part of Idolatry and the Scripture knows no more therefore however Superstitious they may be in their use of Images yet they cannot be guilty of Idolatry but upon one of these two accounts I suppose he means the bare use of Images in the Worship of God was none because he says p. 124 that God was so far from forbidding the use of Images in his Worship that he wou'd not be Worshipp'd without them And he says that no Man was ever so hardy as to charge either of these two Kinds of Idolatry upon that Church But not to enquire whether their Worshipping God by an Image which he seems to Vindicate in another P. 126. place be the making a Similitude of the true God or uncreated Divine Nature I assure you Madam I have seen the Ancient of Days pictur'd like an Old Man with a great Beard by which they represented the Unity of the Godhead And in another place the Trinity of Persons standing on a row in a Sheet held up by two Angels two of the three viz. The Father and the Holy Ghost with their Backs toward me to express their Invisibility tho' in the other Picture I had seen God face to face and the Son in the middle as the second Persons place with his face visible Now in my opinion one or both of these Representations must be Idolatry by their own confession But the present Circumstances of the Roman Church are such that if they can't make People believe they Practise no such things as these they 'll do little good on those of the Church of England and 't is to be hoped they 'll get but little ground that way while there are any left to discover their Forgeries No more Authority have they for invocating Saints and Angels than for Worshipping Images The only President as I know of in the Primitive Times was the voluntary Humility of the Gnosticks condemn'd by St. Paul himself Col. 2. But for these they must have recourse to the Revelations made to doating Women and the Visions of mad Franciscans and I know not whom That Raphael shou'd be invocated on a Journey and against Diseases in general but in particular Apollonia against the Tooth-ach Sebastian and Roch against the Plague St. Nicholas against Tempests Michael and St. George against Enemies From whom if Serrar lit 2. q. 32. they be invocated particularly say they Experience and Tradition have discover'd special help in these Cases But what is this but the ancient Heathen Idolatry reviv'd in the Church of Rome Which is so much the worse there because of the Profession of Christianity and Men that pretend to
night that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein This is the Psalmist's Character of a Good Man Psal 1. 2. His delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night This was the Commendation of Apollos Acts 18. 24. That he was not only an eloquent Man but mighty in the Scriptures And this was the Confidence of the Apostle concerning the Romans Rom. 15. After he had told them verse 4. That whatever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope At the 14. Verse he concludes And I my self also am perswaded of you my brethren that ye also are full of goodness filled with all knowledge and able to admonish one another Col. 3. 16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs c. And Ch. 4. 16. When this epistle is read amongst you cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans and that ye likewise read the Epistle from Laodicea Parallel to which is his Command to the Thessalonians 1 Epist 5. 27. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren And indeed it would be some Comfort if they of the Church of Rome could but have the Gospel read in the Congregation purely and without Adulteration in a Tongue understood by the Common People This would be much more to Edification than a few Stories out of the Golden Legend or the History of S. George's killing the Dragon which I assure you Madam is a part of the Service of his Day and in their Prayer to him they solemnly commemorate this Act of his as if it were as True as the Gospel But Lastly S. Peter speaking of the Voice from Heaven This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased says We have also a more sure word of prophecy whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a Light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day-star arise in your hearts knowing this first That no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation 2 Pet. 1. 19 20. I give you both Verses because I know some Men would be apt to object the last to the first But we may observe That if S. Peter does condemn the Private Interpretation of Scriptures he does not condemn the Private Reading of them but says That all men will do well if they take good heed to them as to a more sure word than a voice from heaven And thus Madam I think it sufficiently appears That it is the necessary Duty of every Christian to Read and be well acquainted with the Scriptures they being the pillar and ground of truth and the power of God unto salvation But if after all it is objected as I suppose it will That the Scriptures are dark and hard to be understood be pleased to consider with me these few Texts Deut 30. 11. This commandment which I command thee this day is not hidden from thee neither is it far off it is not in heaven that thou shouldest say Who shall go up for us to heaven and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it neither is it beyond the sea that thou shouldest say Who shall go over the sea for us and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it But the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest do it Psalm 119. 130. The entrance of thy words giveth light It giveth understanding to the simple Prov. 14. 6. A scorner seeketh wisdom and findeth it not but knowledge is easie to him that understandeth I take these to be sufficient indications of the Plainness and Intelligibleness of the Law. But we have God's own Word if he may be believed That the Gospel should be much more easie to be understood Jer. 31. 33. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days saith the Lord I will put my law into their inward parts and write it in their hearts and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least unto the greatest of them saith the Lord. And that the Understanding of the Scriptures is not reserved for the more Learned of Mankind only is plain from our Saviours own Words Matth. 11. 25. I thank thee O father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto Babes Even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight And when his Disciples asked him Why he spake to the Jews in parables he answered and said unto them Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven but to them it is not given Matth. 13. 11. And we know that his Disciples were for the most part Poor Ignorant Unlearned and among the Jews came very often the Scribes Pharisees and great Doctors All that I shall add at present to compleat this Subject is That Ignorance in the Scriptures is very Dangerous 1. Because it is generally the Cause of Mens committing all maner of sins Isai 1. 3. The ox knoweth his owner and the Ass his masters crib but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider God Almighty had been so Gracious to them as to give them his law first for them to read and the Prophets afterwards to explain it that they might know and understand his Will therein but they would neither read the one nor give ear to the other And this without doubt was the cause of God's crying out How long shall I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet for my people is foolish they have not known me they are sottish children and they have no understanding they are wise to do evil but to do good they have no knowledge Jer. 4. 21. and Chap. 5. 21. Hear now this O foolish peopole and without Vnderstanding which have eyes and see not ears and hear not Because they would neither read the Law nor give Ear to the Prophets therefore they were justly called Sottish Children a foolish people and without understanding therefore they were wise to do evil but not to do good For it is most certain The Devil will be sure to make his best of Ignorance and use his utmost endeavour to keep Men in it because the more Light Men have the more Work they can do and the better they are informed the better they will act here and so he will be like to lose their Company hereafter I think then that S. Austin's tolle lege will be good Advice to all that are willing to live Virtuous Lives and as Luther's advice to Governours
ye are saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast 2 Tim. 1. 9. Who hath saved us and called us with a holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began Tit. 3. 5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us c. And many more you will meet with in reading but by these few you may judge how available our works even the very best we can do are to salvation Before I leave this Point I presume it will not be impertinent if I add something in this Place touching Justification by Faith In which for brevity sake I shall do little more than set down the most pertinent Texts of Scripture and leave the rest to your Ingenuity And in the first place Gen. 15. 6. Abraham believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness Habak 2. 4. Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him but the just shall live by his Faith. Joh. 1. 12. But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name And Chap. 3. 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life When our Saviour went to raise the Ruler of the Synagogue's Daughter he bid him only believe Mark 5. 36. Acts 10. 23. To him give all the Prophets witness That through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins And Chap. 16. 31. When the Keeper of the Prison wherein Paul and Silas were asked them What he should do to be saved their Answer was Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house Rom. 3. 23. For we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God To declare I say at this time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus Where is boasting then it is excluded By what law of works Nay but by the law of Faith therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law If you consider this Quotation throughly you will find it as compleat to the purpose as can be desired However I 'll present you with a few more Rom. 4. 1. What shall we say then that Abraham our father as pertaining to the flesh hath found no for if Abraham were justified by works he hath whereof to glory but not before God for what say the Scriptures Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness And to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness Where by the way the Word ungodly in this Text must not be taken to mean Impenitent Sinners for they as such can have no Right to Justification but as no man is Upright in the Sight of God he is said in the Best of Men to justifie ungodly freely by his grace in the foregoing Chapter Verse 23 24. So that this makes doubly for my Purpose shewing first That Justification comes by Faith and also That those that are Justified being Sinners before God cannot with Reason boast of the Merit of Works Rom. 5. 1. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. And Chap. 10. 8. The word is nigh thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Gal. 2. 16. 21. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified I do not frustrate the grace of God for if righteousness come by the law then Christ is dead in vain And Chap. 3. 11. And the Scripture foreseeing that God would Justifie the Heathen through Faith preached before the Gospel unto Abraham saying In thee shall all nations be blessed But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God it is evident for the just shall live by faith For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any thing but faith which worketh by love Let that Text. Eph. 2. 8. above cited summ up all For by grace ye are saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast Neither have I been at all this Pains from a solifidian Principle to endeavour to seclude Good Works from being the Fruits of a lively Faith For so I should frustrate the Grace of God. And I presume Madam you know my Opinion better than to think so my Intent was only to shew How Erronious it is to suppose Merit from Works especially according to the Doctrin of the Church of Rome That Men may Merit for themselves and others To conclude this Point give me leave to present to your Meditation the Heinousness of Original Sin only and then I 'll leave you to Judge if for all that and the many Actual Sins we daily commit God will be gracious to us and receive us unto his Glory how little Reason we have to boast of that Nothing we have done to Merit his Favour Gen. 6. 5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually and it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him at his heart And the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth both man and beast and the creeping thing and the fowls of the air for it repenteth me that I have made them I think no man can deny Original Sin to be the Cause of all this and then how Heinous a thing that is which is the Cause of so much Displeasure in God I submit to any person to Judge You will read to the same Purpose Verse 11 12 13. Job 14. 4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean not one For Psal 51. 5. Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me Prov. 20. 9. Who then can say