we should worship material and fenfible Images of Wood or Stone? By the Incarnation of his own Son, God did indeed take care to rectifie mens mistakes about Creature-Worship, and to cut off all pretences for it: Those who pleaded that vast distance between God and men, and how unfit it was, that Sinners should make their immediate approaches to the Supreme God, and therefore worshipped inferiour Dæmons as middle Beings between God and man, have now no pretence for this, fince God has appointed his own Son to be our Mediator: Those who worshipped Images as the vifible Reprefentations of an invifible God, have now a vifible Object of Worship, a God Incarnate, a God in the nature and likeness of a Man; and though we do not now fee him, yet we have the notion of a vifible God and Mediator to whom we can direct our Prayers in Heaven, which is fatisfaction enough even to men of more grofs and material Imaginations, without any artificial and senseless Representations of the Deity: And was all this done, that men might worship Creatures and Images with out Idolatry? or rather was it not done to cure mens inclinations to commit Idolatry with Creatures and Images? Whoever believes that the Gospel of our Saviour was intended as a Remedy against Idolatry, can never be perfwaded, that it allows the Worthip of Saints and Images; which if it be not Idolatry, is so exactly like it in all external appearance, that the allowance of it does not look like a proper cure for Idolatry.

SECT. II.

Concerning the great Love of GOD to Mankind, and the Affurances of Pardon and Forgiveneß which the Gospel gives to all Penitent Sinners; which are much weakned by some Popish Doctrines.

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He Gofpel of Chrift was intended to give the highest demonstration of God's Love to Mankind, and the greatest poffible Security to all humble penitent Sinners, of the Forgiveness of their Sins: Hence the Gospel is called the Grace of God, and the Gospel of Grace, as being a Difpenfation of Love and Goodness; and therefore whatever leitens and difparages the Go

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spel-Grace, can be no Gospel-Dotrine. As to confider this particularly.

The Gofpel magnifies the Grace of God in giving his own Son for us: God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him fhould not perish, but have everlasting life, 3 John 16. In this was manifefted the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and fent his Son to be the propitiation for our fins, 1 John 4. 9, 10. And St. Paul aflures us, that this is fuch a glorious manifestation of God's love, as will not fuffer us to doubt of any other expreffions of his Goodness: He that Spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall be not with him alfo freely give us all things? 8 Rom. 32. So that the Gospel of our Saviour gives us much higher demonstrations of God's love and goodnels, than either the Light of Nature, or the Law of Mofes did. Love is the prevailing Attribute of God under the Gospel-difpenfation, For God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him, 1 John 4. 16.

Thus the Gospel of Chrift gives a humble Penitent as great affurance of Pardon, as his own guilty Fears can defire; for Repentance and Remiffion of Sins is preached in the Name of Chrift: He has expiated our Sins by the Sacrifice of his Death, God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet finners, Christ died for us, much more then being justified by his bloud, we fball be Javed from wrath through him; for if when we were enemies we were reconciled unto God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled we shall be faved by his life, 5 Rom. 8, 9, 10. For as he was delivered for our Offences, fo he was raised again for our Juftification; And him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance unto Ifrael, and remission of fins, So that 1 John 2. if any man fin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jefus Christ 1, 2. the righteous, who is able to fave all them to the uttermost, that come unto God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make interceffion for them, 7 Heb. 25. Thefe are the fundamental Doctrines of Chriftianity, and therefore nothing can be a Gofpel-Doctrine, which

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weakens

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weakens or overthrows them. Let us then examine the Popish Doctrine of Purgatory, and the Invocation of Saints and Angels as our Mediators with God, and fee how they are reconcileable with the Gospel-notion of God's love, and that fecurity it gives us of Pardon through the Merits and Interceffion of Chrift.

I. Let us confider the Doctrine of Purgatory, which is but the outward Court or Region of Hell, where the Punishments are as fevere as in Hell itself, only of a less continuance; and yet as fhort as they are, they may laft many hundred, nay thoufand Years, unless their Friends and the Priests be more merciful to them, or they themselves have taken care before Death to pay the Price of their Redemption. This is a barbarous Doctrine, and so inconfiftent with that mighty Love of God to penitent Sinners, as it is reprefented in the Gospel of Chrift, that it is not reconcileable with any notion of Love and Goodness at all; you may call it Justice, you may call it Vengeance, if you please, but Love it is not, or if it be, it is fuch a Love as no man can diftinguish from Hatred: for my part I declare, I do not defire to be thus loved; I should rather chufe to fall into nothing, when I die, than to endure a thousand Years torments to be happy for ever; for Humane Nature cannot bear the Thoughts of that: And is this, that wonderful Love of God to Sinners, which is fo magnified in the Gofpel, to torment thofe, who are Redeemed by the Bloud of Chrift, fome hundred or thousand Years in the Fire of Purgatory, which is not cooler than the Fire of Hell?

The Light of Nature, I confefs, never taught this, for Mankind never had any Notion of fuch an outragious Love; they always thought, that the Love of God confifted in doing good, not in damning those, whom he loves, for fo many Ages: And if this be all the Discovery, the Gospel has made of the Love of God, we have no great reafon to glory in it. He who can believe, that God, who fo loved the World, as to give his only begotten Son for the Redemption of Sinners, will torment a penitent Sinner fo many Years in Purgatory, till he has either endured the punishment of his Sins himself, or is released by the Charity of his Friends, or the Maffes of fome Mercenary Priefis, deferves to lie

in Purgatory, till he thinks more honourably of the divine goodnefs, and be convinced, that it is no fuch extravagant commendation of the love of God, to fend penitent Sinners to Purgatory.

There are two extravagant Notions whereon the Doctrine of Purgatory is founded, which overthrow all the natural Notions men have of Goodness, and destroy all the hope and confidence of the most penitent Sinners in the goodness of God. As,

1. That God may forgive Sins, and yet punish us for them; for no man can go into Purgatory according to the Doctrine of the Church of Rome, whofe Sins are not already forgiven: but though his Sins are forgiven, he must make fatisfaction for that temporal punishment, which is due to them, either in this World, or in Purgatory: Now how reconcilable these two are, to forgive, and to punifh, let all mankind judge. I believe, very few men think, they are forgiven, when they are punished; for that which all men defire fhould be forgiven them, is the punishment, they have deferv'd. What is it, men are afraid of, when they have finned? is it not, that they fhall be punished for it? What is it men defire, when they defire Pardon? is it not, that they may not be punished? And is it any comfort to a Malefactor to be pardoned, and to be hanged? Does any man boast of his love and kindness, or take any comfort in it, who freely forgives him, but exacts the payment of the Debt, or the punishment of his. fault? And if this be fo contrary to the very notion of goodness and forgiveness among men, how comes it to be the notion of goodness and forgiveness in God? How comes that to be love and goodness, which the Sinner receives no benefit by? for love and goodness, I think, fignifies to do good; or if this be good. nefs, let those take comfort in it that can.

If it be faid, that it is an Act of goodness to exchange the eter nal punishment of Hell, which is due to fin, into the Temporal punishment of Purgatory, I grant, this is fomething, but only ask, whether it would not have been a more perfect expreffion of love and goodness, to have remitted the Temporal Punishment also of, it may be, fome thousand years Torment in Purgatory?

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whether this might not have been expected under a difpenfati on of the most perfect love? and from that God, who fent his only begotten Son into the World to fave Sinners? Whether thofe fins are perfectly forgiven, which fhall be avenged, thô not with Eternal, yet with long Temporal Punishments in the next World? Whether any man thinks himself perfectly forgiven, who is punished very feverely, tho' not abfolutely according to his deferts? And confequently, whether the Doctrine of Purgatory be not a very great diminution of the Love of God, and the Grace of the Gospel? And whether that can be a true Gospel Doctrine, which represents the Love of God, much lefs then the Love of a kind and good man, who when he forgives the Injury, forgives the whole Punishment of it? Nay, Whether that can be a Gofpel Doctrine, which reprefents the Love of God lefs than infinite? and I fuppofe an infinite Love may forgive true Penitents the whole Punishment of their Sins; and then there is no need of Purgatory.

2ly. In Purgatory, God does not only punish thofe, whom he has pardoned, but he punishes for no other reason, but punifhment-fake. For thus the Roman Doctors tell us, that the Souls in Purgatory, are in a state of Pardon, and in a state of Perfect Grace; and they fuffer the pains of Purgatory, not to purge away any remains of Sin, or to purifie and refine them, and make them more fit for Heaven, but only to bear the punishment due to Sin, for which they had made no fatisfaction, while they lived. Now I dare boldly affirm, this is irreconcileable with any degree of Love and Goodness: to make any Punishment just, it must have refpect to the guilt of fin,to make it an act of goodness,it muft be intended for the reformation of the finner; but when fin is pardoned, the guilt at least is taken away, and therefore fuch punishments can have no relation to guilt; and when the finner is in a perfect ftate of Grace, and needs no amendment, such punishments can have no refpect to the good and reformation of the finner, and therefore fuch punishments are neither just nor good, and this is the exact notion of Purgatory; and methinks we fhould confider, whether this agrees with that account the

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