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SER M. tions, and to give an Account of these Terms, He fent Jefus Chrift into the World: who in his Life-time did it, as fully as was requifite to his prefent Defign; and, for the fame End, immediately commiffion'd his Apoftles to preach the glad Tidings to the whole World, and to lay open more fully these Terms; and conducted them by an infallible Spirit, to fecure them from all Error in this Matter. Whither then should we go but to him? for he hath the Words of eternal Life; and to his Apoftles? for they were the immediate Embassadors of Chrift, befeeching us to be reconcil'd to God, and preaching the Conditions of this Reconciliation. It is in the Preachings of Chrift himself, and in the Writings of these Apofiles, that we can fecurely hope to find the only Account of this Enquiry that will avail us any thing.

As for our felves, and all others, who fucceed in teaching, and feeding the Flock of Chrift; we cannot pretend to any new Revelations. It is our Business only to explain the old; to convince Men of any Errors difagreeable to the written Word of God; and to lay before them, in the best

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manner poffible, what is contained, and SER M. proposed in it. We cannot make the Terms of Salvation what we, or many others, may wish. They are fix'd by those who only had Authority to fix them, from God, and his Holy Spirit and we must not vary from those who have declar'd long ago the whole Will of God. Other Churches may pretend to be themselves, (confider'd diftinctly from the Apostles and their Doctrine,) the Ground and Pillar of Truth; and not only the Keepers, and Guardians of the lively Oracles of God: but our Church declareth the contrary, and profeffeth to be only the Medium, and Interpreter, by which the Will of God already fettled may be made known to the People; and openly proclaims that the Articles and Terms of Salvation are long ago fix'd and determin'd, in fuch fort, that it is an invading the Province of God himself to pretend to make new ones, or to alter them into what they were not, at the Beginning of the Gospel. Let that Unchriftian Church, therefore, answer for it, that debars the People from coufulting those Books which alone are able to make them wife unto Salvation; and impofeth upon

them

SERM. them Traditions and Customs, and DocI. trines of her own, which make void the Will of God, and render ineffectual all his gracious Offers of Salvation to the World; that hides the true Word of God from all Communication with the Light; and teacheth those who depend upon her, to feek Salvation, and to learn the Terms of it, from fuch as impose what they please inftead of them. But let any Church upon Earth, or any Minifters of the Gospel, pretend to what they please: whether they fpeak Truth or Falfhood; whether they lighten or increase the burthen of these Conditions, or fix them where they ought to be; the New Teftament is the Standard to which all must be brought to be tried; and by which it is the Duty of all to examine, whe ther they be truly directed, or invited aside into paths of Darkness and Error.

THE great Lines of the Gofpel, and those parts of it which declare the Terms of Salvation, have no obfcurity in them, but lie level to all who have capacity to underftand what God, and Salvation, and Hap piness, mean. It will not therefore, in this grand Affair, be a fufficient Apology for any,

at the great Day of Accounts, to fay that SERM. they followed their Leaders; that they de- I. pended upon their Doctrine; and swallowed whatever they told them about the Will of God: because the New Teftament hath been tranfmitted down for their Ufe; to teach all Chriftians what is their Duty, as well as to guide others in their Doctrine concerning it. The greatest part of it was preached, and written, to the Laity : from whence it appears, That they were thought Judges of what so much concerned them; and that it was their business to take their Notions of the Gospel, from Those who were immediately fent by God, and Chrift, to propose it to the World. The utmost that can be faid for depending on any other, fince that time, is, that it is probable, or to be hoped, that they will not deceive or miflead us. But how weak an Excufe will this prove, when we know that our Eternity depends upon it; that there are Writings which cannot deceive us; and that, if we seriously and conftantly advise with them, no human Error, which doth not arife from any wilful Crime in ourselves, fhall be charged upon us? Could you not have consulted these Scriptures,

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SERM, tures, and feen whether these things were I. fo, as your Church, or your Leaders taught

you? will be a very fufficient Reply to all who think to find Refuge, at last, in de-, pending upon any other Authority in fo weighty a matter. And were it not out of regard to fome fecular or By-end; from want of Defire to know the Truth, or an affected unwillingness to alter the accuftomed methods of Action: no one could be fo fenfeless as to depend upon the Word of any modern Authority; when it was in his Power to go himself to the original Covenant. No Man acts in this manner, in the Cafe of his worldly Concerns or in any Point which may affect his Body, or his Eftate, in this tranfitory World; and this will ferve to condemn All who are guilty of fo great a neglect, in a concern infinitely more weighty and important,

AND if it will not avail any at last, that they have depended upon the Word of any Church, or Churchman, upon Earth: much lefs will it avail them, that they have confulted with Flesh and Blood; and can plead the Dictates of them against the Dictates of God himself. And yet it is to be feared,

that