2. The rule of their duties and obedience, as to what is, in their own judgment, eminent therein, is not the gospel, but a system of peculiar laws and rules that they have framed for themselves. So some obey the rule of Benedict, some of Francis, some of Domi-
a
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APOSTASY OF THE CHURCH OF ROME, 167
nic, some of Ignatius, and the like. This utterly casts out their
whole endeavour from any interest in gospel holiness; for the formal nature of that consists herein, that it is a conformity unto the rule of
the gospel as such, or a compliance with the will of God as mani-
fested therein. Hence do they multiply unrequired duties, yea, the principal parts of their devotion and sanctity consist in them which are of their own devising, for which they have no gospel precept or command ; and such, in particular, are those vows which are the foun- dation of all that they do. In this case, our Saviour, reproving the Pharisees for their additional duties beyond the prescript of the word, shows them how they “made the commandment of God of none effect by their tradition,” and that “in vain they worshipped God, teach- ing for doctrines the commandments of men,” Matt. xv. 6,9. And when they were offended at his rejection of one of their new imposed duties, he replies that “ every plant which his heavenly Father hath
not planted should be rooted up,” verse 13; so wholly rejecting all
those religious duties which they had framed by rules of their own devising. Nor are these of the Roman devotionists of any better constitution; they are plants of men’s own planting, and shall be rooted up accordingly and cast into the fire. Let the number of
false invented duties of religion be never so great, let the manner of
their performance be never so exact or severe, they serve to no other
end but to divert the minds of men from the obedience which the
gospel requireth.
3. There is nothing in all that is prescribed by the masters of this devotion, or practised by the disciples, but it may all be done and observed without either fucth in Christ or a sense of his love unto our souls. The obedience of the gospel is the “obedience of faith;” on that and no other root will it grow;—and the principal motive unto it is the “love of Christ,” which “constraineth” unto it. But what is there in all their prescriptions that these things are ne- cessary unto? May not men rise at midnight to repeat a number of prayers, or go barefoot, or wear sackcloth, or abstain from flesh at certain times or always, or submit to discipline from themselves or others, and (if they have bodily strength to enable them) undergo all the horrid, and indeed ridiculous, hardships of standing on a pillar continually, or bearing great logs of wood on their shoulders all the day long, that are told or fabled of the Egyptian monks, without the least dram of saving faith or love? All false religions have ever had some amongst them who have had an ambition to amuse others with these self-inflictions and macerations, wherein the devotions among the Banians do exceed at this day whatever the Romanists pre- tend unto.
4, The.whole of what they do is so vitiated and corrupted
168 THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF APOSTASY.
with the proud opinion of merit and supererogation as renders it utterly foreign unto the gospel. It is not my present business to dispute against these opinions. It hath been already abundantly manifested (and may be yet so again where it is necessary) that they wholly enervate the covenant of grace, are injurious to the blood and mediation of Christ, and are utterly inconsistent with the funda- mental principles of the gospel. Whereas, therefore, these proud imaginations do animate their whole course of duties, the gospel is not concerned in what they do.
And we may add unto what hath been remarked already, the consideration of that gross superstition, yea, and idolatry, which they give up themselves unto almost in most of their devotions. This is not the least of their transgressions in these things, but is sufficient to violate all they do besides.
Wherefore, notwithstanding their pretence unto sanctity and a more strict attendance unto duties of obedience than other men, yet it is manifest that the best of them are under a defection from the holiness of the gospel, substituting an obedience unto their own ima- ginations in the room thereof.
II. Again; others confine the whole of their obedience unto moral- ity, and deride whatever is pleaded as above it and beyond it, under the name of evangelical grace, as “enthusiastical folly.” And the truth is, if those persons who plead for the necessity of gospel grace and holiness, which is more than so, do understand each other, and if somewhat of the same things are not intended by them under dif- ferent expressions and diverse methods of their management, they are not of the same religion. But if they mistake the meaning of each other, and differ only in the manner of teaching the same truth, I suppose they steer the safest course, and are freest from just offence, who follow and comply with the manner wherein the things intended are taught in the Scripture, rather than those who accommodate their discourses unto the phraseology of heathen philosophers. But the truth is, the difference seems to be real, and the principles men proceed upon in these things are contradictory to each other; for some do plainly affirm that the whole of gospel obedience con- sists in the observance of moral virtue, which they so describe as to render it exclusive of evangelical grace. This others judge to con- tain an open declension from and waiving of gospel holiness. It is granted freely, that the performance of all moral duties evangeli-