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upon their understanding. Our adversaries, therefore, hoping to make the stronger impression, apply themselves first of all to your pride, and inform you, that this doctrine of the Trinity is imposed upon your consciences by Church Authority". But if the fact be laid before you, it will soon appear, that no point of faith is thus imposed upon you by the Church of England. The points of faith which you are required to believe are interwoven with all the forms and offices of our public Liturgy. They are collected together for the younger sort of people in the Church Catechism; and for all teachers, whether clergy or laity, they are drawn out more at large in the Articles of Religion, generally printed at the end of the Book of Common Prayer. So that all the articles of faith being imposed in the same manner, it will follow, that they are all imposed by Church Authority or none of them. Let us put it to the trial, and begin with the first article of the CreedI believe in God the Father Almighty. How is this article imposed? Does the Church de

See the title-page of a pamphlet called " An Appeal "to the Common Sense of all Christian People, &c." printed for Millar, in the Strand.

termine

termine by her own authority whether there is a God or not? And so for the rest. Does the Church determine whether there is a Christ or an Holy Ghost? whether there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a life everlasting? Certainly the Church neither does nor can pretend to determine any of these things for us; because where any thing is determined by authority, such authority must be superior to what it determines to suppose which, in this case, would be equally false and presumptuous. Therefore the truth of the matter is this; that the Church does only declare that faith which it has received; and instead of her imposing, this faith is imposed upon the Church by the uncontrolable authority of God in the Holy Scripture, to which every private Christian is referred for the proper evidence of any particular doctrine, and for that of the Trinity amongst the rest. Those articles which are of a nature inferior to the Church itself, are the only subjects of church authority. Thus, as the body is more than the raiment that is worn upon it; so the life and being of the Church is superior to those outward regulations, which serve only to the order, decency, and well-being of it; and which the Church may, for this reason, appoint,

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appoint, alter, and improve by her own authority. But if any man informs you, that points of faith, or moral practice, are imposed upon your consciences by the same authority, he has either mistaken the case, or is himself endeavouring to impose upon your under-standing.

II. But "the Gospel," they say, 66 was designed for persons of all capacities," and unless all persons of common sense are qualified to understand what the Lord requires of them, we must "charge Almighty God with dealing unfairly with his creatures." Now if the Gospel be so easy, that nothing but bare common sense is wanted for the understanding of it, why do these authors write so many books to help you to understand it in the Arian sense? If you are able, as they flatter you, to instruct yourselves out of the Gospel, then their practice is a contradiction to their principle, and their labour is superfluous by their own confession. My brethren, we do not argue in this manner; we know that you have sense and ability to understand the merits of a cause, and are ready to hear rea

a Ibid. p. 2.

son,

son, when it is plainly represented to you: but if you were able to make all things intelligible to your ownselves, we should neither preach to you, nor write books for you.

When God appointed Teachers in his Church (1 Cor. XII. 28.) he certainly did not suppose that the congregation would be equally capable of teaching themselves. If this were true, then indeed God would seem to have dealt unfairly with Christian people, by appointing a ministry of learned men, and providing for their instruction, as if bare common sense, with the Bible in its hand, were not so sufficient as our adversaries would have you believe; in opposition to us, but not to themselves.

The Duty of a Christian Minister is to teach; his studies are intended to qualify him, and his time is set apart for that purpose. For the bulk of the people, God hath appointed labour and business of another kind, as necessary to support themselves and their families; and their Duty is to hear. But if God has required you to do our work and your own too, then your lot is hard indeed. You will not, therefore, think it any reflection upon your common sense, that God has appointed an order of Teachers in his Church,

who will never desire you to believe what they are not at all times ready to prove; but will rather beseech him that these Teachers may be endued with faith and affection to fulfil the labour of love to which they are called, and courage to declare that truth which they have learned from the Holy Scriptures; and by thus praying for the Clergy, you will convince them, that God hath added Grace to' your common Sense, and that you practise that Christian charity which is more acceptable in His sight than the attainments of learning and knowledge; for these are no more than temporary qualifications, and are to be used only as means; but Charity is the end and perfection of all.

III. They tell you, moreover, that people of all sorts have a right to judge for themselves in matters of religion. As this principle very nearly affects the peace of the Christian world, and the salvation of individuals, I would advise you to enquire strictly into the meaning of these terms; and to consider how far they may be justified, and how far they are to be. condemned. Right is a pleasing thing, and

a Ibid. p. 133.

liberty

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