if it be, it proves only that they are not true to their principle; not that the principle is not in itself true and good. And he furely muft be allowed to be the beft proteftant, who adheres best to the principle on which the reformationwas founded.·

5thly, Once more: Suppofing the study of the Scriptures as neceffar as you please; in the last place I fay, and I am fure the world will fay it with me, that they have been fufficiently studied already; and if any parts remain ftill obfcure, who can hope to clear up paffages that have puzzled fo many great men ? or will prefume in difputable points to fet up his private judgment, against them that were men of more learning, of abler parts, of greater application, and better acquainted with the tra-ditions of the church, than any one will now be allowed to be? And (which is the best guide in knowledge of religion) they were moreover men of most exemplary piety, devotion, and humility; virtues, of which very little footsteps are to be found in the learned men of our times.

Muft not now a man have a strong bent of mind indeed, who cannot by all these reasons be diffuaded from giving himself up to a study, that may by many be thought as unprofitable as

'tis

'tis laborious? but will go on, in defiance of all that has been faid to convince him that he waftes himself in vain, and that there will be no fruits of all his labour, but to know he knows nothing? I call that nothing, which will

turn to no account.

But to fhew you I am difpofed to make all poffible conceffions, I will grant that even this objection might be got over, were this the worst of it: But I have one argument still in reserve, that I am perfuaded will be decifive. My

III. Third argument then is this; That a painful, exact, impartial ftudy of the Scriptures, will by fome be thought not only to do no good, but also a great deal of hurt, both to the public and to your felf.

If, It will do hurt to the public. It will disturb the peace of the church, and that cannot but have a malignant influence on the state.

'Tis certain that difputes in the church, difturb the peace of it. And 'tis a certain these difputes have been generally raised by men pretending to a fuperiour knowledge of the Scriptures, and to difcoveries that have escaped others. The Scriptures have always been made this ufe of by the heretics of old: And 'tis

the

the character of the great beretics of this and the laft age; who have fet up for a free and impartial fearch into the literal fenfe of the Scriptures, above the reft of the chriftian world. But with what fuccefs? They have purchased their pretended knowledge of the Scriptures at the expence of their reputation, and their study has destroyed their orthodoxy. And were not their books and opinions carefully fuppreft, and their perfons rendered odious to the people; who knows what disturbances they might have created to the church? On the other

hand, the peace the church has enjoyed for miany years among its own members, feems to be owing to no one thing more, than to a general neglect of this study; and the dangers that at present threaten its tranquillity, come wholly from men, who have endeavoured to revive a study, that has so often proved pernicious to its peace.

Nor can it well be otherwife. For what fecurity has a man that fets out in this way; that attempts to study the Scriptures in a free and impartial manner, laying aside all prepoffeffions and previous notions, refolving to fee with his own eyes, and judge for himself, and to believe nothing that he is not upon his own fearch convinced is clearly contained in them; what fecurity has fuch a man, that he shall not

fall

fall into fome opinions that have been already condemned as erroneous and heretical, or which may interfere with thofe that are commonly received? Which, if they do not immediately ftrike at any fundamental point, yet will be thought to do fo; and may have a tendency to put fcruples into weak minds, and to disturb the peace of the church, by raifing doubts about the meaning or truth of fome articles, or by afferting that an explicit belief of them is not neceffary? 'Tis fo natural for curious and in. quifitive minds to deviate from the common road, and the examples are fo many, that 'tis odds but you do fo too, unless you had more lead in your conftitution, or a more refigned understanding, than any curious man ever had yet: Otherwise you cannot be fure, that you fhall not study yourself into doubts at least, if not into opposite opinions concerning some received notions. You will doubt perhaps of the authority or author of fome canonical book, and think perhaps that fome paffages are interpolated, or that fome celebrated texts are not genuine, or should be otherwise read, or have not been rightly understood, or do not prove the print they are commonly brought for. You may fall into notions that will be thought tending to Aianifm or the like. You may reject arguments brought from the Old Teftament, to prove

the

the Trinity; as trifling, and proving nothing but the ignorance of those that make use of them. You may think a prophefie has a literal meaning, where commonly the mystical is thought the only one. You may think that many texts in the New Teftament, which are strong against the Socinians, do not prove against the Arian notion. That the title of fon of God, has not always one uniform meaning in the gofpel; and that that fingle expreffion, of itself, is no proof of any thing in God analagous to generation in men. That the identical confubftantiality of the fen, the eternal proceffion of the fpirit, and many other notions relating to the trinity, tho' they may be true in themselves, are not fo in virtue of the texts alledged for them. These notions, learned men have fallen into; and from. thence 'tis to be prefumed, you will not easily keep clear of them. I chufe to inftance chiefly in matters relating to the Trinity, because 'tis the controverfie now on foot*: But the like may be faid on many other articles; in each of which the truth is but one, but the errors infi. nite: And there is hardly any notion with refpect to any of them, which fome learned man, by following his own private judgment, instead of taking the doctrine of the church for his guide, has not fallen into.

*See a late book, intitled, The true doctrine of the New Testament concerning Jefus Chrift: printed 1767: wherein the Trinity is demolished for ever.

Now

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