532 THE STATE AND FATE OF
issue of tlae present contest? This is that which the ensuing leaves are designed unto ; and it is hoped they may be of use unto some, to extricate their minds from involved, fruitless thoughts, to direct them in their duty, and to bring them unto an acquiescency in the will of God.
The protestant religion may be considered either as it is religion in general, — that is, Christian religion; or as it is distinct from and opposite unto another pretended profession of the same religion, whereon it is called Protestant.
In the first sense of it, it derives its original from Christ and his apostles. What they taught to be believed, what they commanded to be observed in the worship of God, — all of it, and nothing but that, — is the protestant religion. Nothing else belongs unto it; in nothing else is it concerned. These, therefore, are the principles of the reli- gion of Protestants, whereinto their faith and obedience are resolved.
1. What was revealed unto the church by the Lord Christ and his apostles is the whole of that religion which God will and doth accept.
2. So far as is needful unto the faith, obedience, and eternal sal- vation of the church, what they taught, revealed, and commanded is contained in the Scriptures of the Nevv^ Testament, witnessed unto and confirmed by those of the Old.
3. All that is required of us that we may please God, be accepted with him, and come to the eternal enjoyment of him, is, that we truly believe what is so revealed and taught, yielding sincere obe- dience unto what is commanded in the Scriptures.
Upon these principles Protestants confidently propose their reli- gion unto the trial of all mankind. If in any thing it be found to deviate from them, — if it exceeds, in any instance, what is so revealed, taught, and commanded, — if it be defective in the faith or practice of any thing that is so revealed or commanded, — they are ready to re- nounce it. Here they live and die; from this foundation they will not depart: this is their religion.
And if these principles will not secure us, as unto our present ac- ceptance with God in religion, and the eternal enjoyment of him, he hath left all mankind at an utter uncertainty, to make a blind ven- ture for an invisible world; which is altogether inconsistent with his infinite wisdom, goodness, and benignity.
Being in possession of these principles of truth and security from Christ and his apostles, it belongs unto the protestant religion not to change or forego them, and to repose our confidence in the infalli- bility or authority of the pope of Rome, or of the church whereof he is the head. For these principles of assurance are such as every way become the wisdom and goodness of God; and such as that our nature is not capable in this life of those which are higher or of
THE niOTESTANT RELIGION. 533
a more illustrious evidence. Let the contrary unto either of these be demonstrated, and we will renounce the protestant religion. To forego them for such as are irreconcilable unto divine wisdom and goodness, as also to the common reason of mankind, is an effect of the highest folly and of strong delusion.
For that all mankind should be obliged to place all their confi- dence and assurance of pleasing God, of living unto him, and coming unto the enjo}^nent of him for eternity, on the pope of Rome and his infallibility, however qualified and circumstantiated, considering what these popes are and have been, is eternally irreconcilable unto the greatness, wisdom, love, and kindness of God, as also unto the whole revelation made of himself by Jesus Christ. The principles of protestant religion before mentioned do every way become, are highly suited unto, the nature and goodness of God, — no man living shall ever be able to instance in one tittle of them that is not correspon- dent with divine goodness and wisdom ; — but on the first naming of this other way, no man who knows any thing what the pope is, and what is his church, if he be not blinded with prejudice and interest, will be able to satisfy himself that it is consistent with infinite good- ness and wisdom to commit the salvation of mankind, wliich he values above all things, unto such a security.
Neither hath this latter way any better consistency with human v>'isdom or the common reason of mankind, — namely, that those who are known, many of them, to be better and wiser men than those popes, should resolve their rehgion, and therein their whole assurance of pleasing God, with all their hopes of a blessed eternity, into the authority and infallibility of the pope and his church, seeing many of them, the most of them, especially for some ages, have been per- sons wicked, ignorant, proud, sensual, and brutish in their lives.
This, then, is the foundation of the protestant religion, in that it is built on those principles which are every way suited unto the divine nature and goodness, as also satisfactory unto human reason, with a refusal of them which are unworthy of infinite wisdom to give, and the ordinary reason of men to admit or receive.