and Defign, as the most ambitious Secular Prince ever did.

2. They teach things fuitable to their worldly Defigns and Interefts. Let but any Man impartially furvey those which are the proper Doctrines of the Romish Church, and which we challenge for innovation and corruption of the truly ancient Catholick and Chriftian Doctrine, and it will at firft fight be evident to him, whither thefe Doctrines tend, and that they do not serve the Ends of Religi on, but of worldly Greatnefs and Dominion. What greater inftance of Ambition, than the claim of the univerfal Supremacy of the Bifhop of Rome over all Chriftians and Churches in the World, without the leaft ground, or indeed colour of ground' either from Scripture or Antiquity; and not only of an univerfal Spiritual Power over Chriftians, but of an indirect temporal Power over Princes in order to fpiritual Ends, which may be extended to any thing, and hath been upon occafion to the Donation of Kingdoms, and the depofing of Princes, and the transferring

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of Temporal Dominion from lawful Volume and Hereditary Princes, to those who XII. had no manner of Right or Title? What more arrogant and directly tending to the enflaving of Mankind, than their pretence to Infallibility, which yet they could never agree among themselves where to place? What greater tyranny can be exercifed over Mankind, than to oblige them to an implicit Faith, and blind Obedience,to believe what the Church believes, tho' they do not know what it is; and to do what the Church commands, tho' they doubt never fo much of the lawfulness of it? Than to hide the word of God from them, and to lock it up in an uknown Tongue, and to deter them from the free ufe of that which was defigned by God to be the great inftrument of the Salvation of Mankind? than not to let men exercise their Understandings in the Service of God; nor when they joyn in publick Prayers, to fuffer them to know what it is they ask of God; as if the Priest's lips were fo to preferve knowledge, as to keep it all to themselves, and not

to

to make use of it for the Benefit and Edification of the people? And lastly, Sermon to impose upon men, under pain of XIV. damnation, the belief of Doctrines, not only contrary to the true Senfe of Scripture, but to all the Senfe and Reafon of Mankind, as is the Doctrine of Transubstantiation? How is it poffible to bring people into a greater fubjection to the Priefts, and dependance upon them, than by Auricular Confeffion, and that unreafonable Doctrine of making the Efficacy of the Sacraments to depend upon the Intention of the Prieft, and confequently to put into the Power of a malicious and bad Man to damn all his Parish? And to mention but one thing more, what better contrivance could be thought of to enrich the Church, and drain the Purses of the People, than their Doctrines of Purgatory, and Prayers for the dead, of Indulgences and Satisfaction, and their Farm of fins and vices of all kinds, call'd the Tax of the Apoftolick Chamber? Can any Man think that these and fuch like Doctrines are of God, which do so directly ferve the Ends

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of Covetousness and Ambition? Any one that does not wilfully fhut his XII, Eyes, may plainly fee that fuch DoEtrines, and fuch Teachers, are of the world, and that they speak and teach these things out of a worldly Intereft and Defign.

And here I might take notice likewife, that they speak from the world alfo in another fenfe, by fhewing what worldly and indirect Means (not to fay wicked and finful Arts) they commonly make use of to make Difci ples and gain Profelytes, by Flattery and Falfhood, by concealing and milreprefenting their own Doctrines and Practices, by defaming their Adverfa ries with known Fictions and Calumnies, tempting men from their Religion by Promises of temporal Advantages, which, when they have gained them, they do not always perform and make good. Can any thing be more opposite to the genius of true Religion, than to promote it by Means fo plainly contrary to the very Nature and Defign of it.?

3. Those

XIV.

3. Those who hearken to them, Sermon and are feduced by them, are generally like themselves, they speak from the world, and the world heareth them. Not but that men of very honest and fincere minds may be feduced into great Errors, through prejudice, or weakness, or a melancholy fuperftition but generally fuch a Religion as is calculated for the promoting of Secular Intereft, and is carried on by Secular Arts, does gain upon carnal and wordly minds, and it is ufually fome worldly confideration or other that prevails with men to embrace and profefs it. A Religion that can find out ways to fave men without fincere repentance and a good life, is very fit to make Profelytes in the world; they that teach fuch Doctrines Speak from the world, and the world is very apt to hear them.

And thus I have done with the first thing, whereby it appears that Divine Truth carries great Evidence along with it, namely, that the Doctrines

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