because there is not the like reafon and neceffity for it; but that we have fufficient affurance from the reafon of this promife, that God will not be wanting to us, in fuch fitting and neceffary affiftance, as the ftate of religion, and the welfare of it in every age fhall require. For can we imagine that God will ufe fuch extraordinary means to plant a religion in the world, and take no care of it afterwards? That he who had begun fo good a work, fo great and glorious a defign, would let it fall to the ground for want of any thing that was neceffary to the fupport of it?

This is reasonable in itself; but we are not also without good ground for thus extending the general reafon of particular promifes beyond the letter of them. The Apoftle hath gone before us in this, for Heb. xiii. 5, 6. he there extends two particular promises of the Old Teftament to all Chriftians, Let your converfation (fays he) be without covetousness, and be content with fuch things as ye bave: For he hath Jaid, I will never leave thee nor forfake thee. And again, The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me. Thefe promifes were made to particular perfons; the first of them to Joshua, and the other to David; but yet the Apostle applies them to all Chriftians, and to good men in all ages, becaufe the general ground and reafon of them extended fo far. He who gave Jofhua and David this encouragement to their duty, will certainly be as good to us, if we do ours.

And thus I have done with the first controverfy about the fenfe of these words, which concerns the circumftance of time mentioned in this promife, alway, to the end of the world, and have plainly Thewn, that both the letter and the reafon of this promife does extend further than the perfons of the Apostles, and the continuance of that age, even to all that should fucceed them in their miniftry to the end of the world. I come now to confider,

Secondly, The fubftance of the promise itself, namely, what is meant by our Saviour's being with them. And here our adverfaries of the church of Rome

would

would fain perfuade us, that this promife is made to the church of Rome, and that the meaning of it is, that that church fhould always be infallible, and never err in the faith. But as there is no mention of the church of Rome in this promife, nor any where elfe in fcripture upon the like occafion, whereby we might be directed to understand this promife to be made to that church; fo to any unprejudiced perfon the plain and obvious fenfe of this promife can be no other than this, that our Saviour having commiffioned the Apoftles to go and preach the Chriftian religion in the world, he promifes to affift them in this work, and those that should fucceed them in it, to the end of the world. But how any man can conftrue this promise, so as to make it fignify the perpetual infallibility of the Roman church, I cannot for my life devife; and yet this is one of the main texts upon which they build that old and tottering fabrick of their infallibility.

Here is a general promife of affiftance to the Paftors and Governors of the church, in all ages, to the end of the world; but that this affiftance fhall always be to the degree of infallibility, (as it was to the Apoftles) can neither be concluded from the letter of this promife, nor from the reafon of it; much lefs can it be from hence concluded, that the affiftance here promifed, if it were to the degree of infallibility, is to be limited and confined to the fupreme Paftor and Governor of the Roman church.

That the affiftance here promifed fhall always be to the degree of infallibility, can by no means be concluded from the letter of this promife. Indeed there is no pretence or colour for it; he must have a very peculiar fagacity, that can find out in these words, I am with you always, a promife of infallible affiftance. Is not the promife which God made to Joshua, and which the Apoftle to the Hebrews applies to all Chriftians, and to all good men in all ages, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, the very fame in fenfe with this, I will be with you always? And yet furely no man did ever imagine, that

by virtue of this promife, every Christian, and every good man is infallible.

But neither can it be inferred from the reason of this promife, that this affiftance fhall always be to the degree of infallibility. It was fo indeed to the Apoftles; the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghoft, which were bestowed upon them for the more fpeedy and effectual planting and propagating of the gofpel in the world, were a divine teftimony and confirmation to the doctrine which they delivered; and having this divine teftimony given to them, we are certain that they were fecured from error in the delivery of that doctrine. So that the Apostles had no other infallibility, but what depended upon, and was evidenced by the miraculous gifts wherewith they were endued; and therefore without the like gifts, none can with reafon pretend to the like infallibility: For infallibility fignifies an extraordinary affiftance of God's Spirit, whereby thofe who are thus affifted are fecured from error. This every confident man may, if he pleafeth, pretend to; but no man is to be believed to have it, but he who can give fuch evidence of it, as is fit to fatisfy reasonable men, that he hath it. Now the only fufficient evidence of fuch an extraordinary divine affiftance is the power of miracles. This indeed is the great external teftimony of a teacher come from God, if he do fuch works as none can do, except God be with him; and this evidence the Prophets of old, and our Saviour and his Apoftles, always gave of their infallibility. And if the Pope and general councils can give the teftimony of fuch miracles for their infallibility, as Mofes, and our Saviour and his Apoftles did work, we are ready to acknowledge it. Such a teftimony as this would give the world a thoufand times more fatiffaction concerning their infallibility, than all the fubtle arguments of Bellarmine, and all their writers. But if they cannot, they may difpute about it to the end of the world, and every man that hath but the fame confidence, may pretend to it with as much reason as they do.

But

But to proceed in my argument; here is a plait reason why this extraordinary affiftance should be granted to the Apostles at firft; and another reafon as plain, why it fhould not be continued afterwards. It was reasonable, and in fome degree ne ceffary, that the Apoftles fhould be thus affifted at the first publication of the gofpel, namely, to give fatisfaction to the world, that they were faithful and true witneffes of the doctrine and miracles of Christ.. But fince this doctrine and these miracles are recorded to pofterity by thofe very perfons that were thus affifted, here is as plain a reafon, why after the gofpel was planted and established in the world, this infallibility fhould ceafe. So long as we have an infallible foundation of faith, namely, the divine reve lation configned in writing, and tranfmitted down to us by teftimony of undoubted credit, what need is there now of a fixed and standing infallibility in the church? But having handled this argument more at large elsewhere, I fhall infift no further

here.

upon it

I have now done with the three things I'propounded to difcourfe upon from this text. You have heard what authority our Saviour had given him; what commiffion he gave to his difciples; and what affiftance he hath promised to the paftors and gover nors of his church to the end of the world : name ly, fuch an affiftance as is fuitable to the exigencies of the church, in the several ages and ftates of Christianity; which affiftance was at firft very extraordi-nary and miraculous. God was pleased to give wit nefs to the first teachers and publifhers of the gospel, with figns and wonders, and divers miracles, and' gifts of the Holy Ghoft; and this at first was in a very great degree neceffary, it not being otherwife imagianable, how Chriftianity could have born up against all that force and violent oppofition which was raisfed against it: But this extraordinary affiftance was but a temporary and tranfient difpenfation, God did, as it were, pafs by in the ftrong and mighty wind, in the earthquake, and in the fire; but he was in the fill voice; that is, he defigned to fettle and conti4

N-3

nuec

nue that dispensation, in that more calm and fecret way of affiftance, which offers lefs violence to the nature of man, but which was intended for the conftant and permanent difpenfation. So that we have no reason to think, that God hath now forfaken his church, though he be not with it in fo fenfible and extraordinary a manner.

But then if any particular church defire and expect this bleffed prefence and affiftance of God's Holy Spirit, we must remember, that there is a condition to be performed on our parts. For how abfolute foever this promife may be, in refpect of the church univerfal; it is certainly conditional to any particular church, as fad experience in many inftances hath fhewn. God hath long fince left the church of Jerufalem, where the gofpel was firft publifhed; he hath left the church of Antioch, where the believers of the gospel were first called Chriftians; he hath left the famous churches of Afia, to that degree of defolation, that the ruins and places of fome of them are hardly at this day certainly known. And this may also be the fate of any particular church, not excepting Rome herfelf, for all her pride and confidence to the contrary. Behold therefore the goodness and feverity of God: towards them that fell, feverity; but towards us goodness, if we continue in his goodness; otherwise we also shall be cut off.

This, as I obferved before, is fpoken particularly to the Roman church; the Apoftle fuppofeth that the church of Rome herself may be guilty of apoftacy from the faith, and cut off by unbelief, and indeed feems to foretel it; which how it confifts with their confident pretence to infallibility, let them look to it.

And let all particular churches look to themselves that they do not forfeit this promife of divine affiftance. For Chrift hath not fo tied himself to any particular church, but that if they forfake him, he may leave them, and remove his candlestick from them: There have been many fad inftances of this, fince the first planting of Christianity; and we have no fmall reafon to apprehend that it may come to be our