Say not, that it is only the _illiterate_ enthusiast, that condemns human learning in the gospel kingdom of God. For when he condemns the blindness and mischief of Popish logic and criticism, he has all the learned Protestant world with him; and when he lays the same charge to the Protestant learning, he has a much larger kingdom of Popish great scholars, affirming the same thing. So that the private person, charging human learning with so much mischief to the church, is so far from being led by _enthusiasm_, that he is led by all the _church-learning_ that is in the world.
Again, all learned Christendom agrees in the same charge against temporal power in the church, as hurtful to every being, of a _kingdom_ that is not of this world, as supporting doctrines that human learning has brought into it.――――The _Protestant_ brings proof from a thousand years learning, that the _Pope_ is an unjust usurper of temporal power in the church, Christ’s spiritual spouse.――The Papist brings the learning of as many ages, to shew, that a temporal head of the church, is an Anti-christian usurpation.――And yet (N. B.) he who holds Christ to be the only _head_, _heart_ and _life_ of the church, and that, _no man can call_ Jesus, Lord, _but by the Holy Ghost_, passes with the learned of both these people, for a brain-sick enthusiast.――Is it not then high time, to look out for some better ground to stand upon, than such learning as this? Now look where you will, through the whole nature of things, no divine knowledge, goodness, and deliverance from sin, are any where to be found for fallen man, but in these _two points_; (1) a total entrance into the _whole process_ of Christ; (2) a total resignation to, and dependance upon the continual operation of the Holy Ghost, to be our never ceasing light, teacher, and guide into all those ways of virtue, in which he himself walked in the flesh.――All besides this, call it by what name you will, is but dead work, a vain labour of the _old man_, to new create himself.――Let the Christian world depart from this _one_ way of salvation, let any thing else be trusted to, but the _cross_ of Christ, and the _Spirit_ of Christ, and then, though _churches_, and _preachers_ and _prayers_, and _sacraments_, are every where in plenty, yet nothing better can come of it than a Christian kingdom of _Pagan vices_, along with a mouth-belief of _an holy Catholic church, and communion of saints_.――To this melancholy truth, all Christendom both at home and abroad, bears full witness. Who need be told, that there is no corruption of human nature, no kind of pride, wrath, envy, malice, and self-love; no sorts of hypocrisy, falseness, cursing, swearing, perjury, and cheating, no wantonness of lust in every kind of debauchery, but are as common all over Christendom, as towns and villages.――But to pass these by, I shall only instance in _two or three particulars_, which though little observed, and less condemned, yet fully shew, that the devil is in possession of Protestant, as well as Popish churches.