*

CXCIX.

First, that it is not neceffary at all times to preach SERM. all truths, which are of importance to be known. For these were great truths which our SAVIOUR forbore for fome time to reveal to his difciples, and were of great importance to the planting and propagating of the gofpel; and yet he thought it better at present to forbear the preffing of them, than by an unseasonable declaration of them to do no good, but only stir up prejudice against himself, and those other neceffary truths which he had inftructed them in.

Secondly, that there ought to be due regard to what the people can bear; and where men are poffefs'd with a violent prejudice against some truths, we ought, in imitation of our SAVIOUR'S example, patiently to expect and endeavour the removal of that prejudice; and firft to apply all fitting means for the conquering and fubduing it, before we expofe truth to be rejected by those who have taken up a violent prejudice against it. And this rule holds univerfally, where we have to deal with perfons who are tractable and willing to learn, but do at pre-fent lie under fome prejudice of education, or fome false principles which they entertained unawares, which by time and patience, and a gradual progress of truth, may be removed, but are not to be conThere are fome quer'd and born down at once. prejudices which cannot be pluck'd out of the minds of men at once, but yet may be fo loofened by degrees, that they will fall off of themselves; as there are many knots unty'd with patience and leifure, which by a violent pulling are fix'd fo much the faster.

* Utile eft ut taceatur aliquod verum, propter incapaces. Aug. perfever. 1. ii. c. 16.

And

SERM.

And this course we find the apostles took, in imi

CXCIX. tation of our SAVIOUR, I Cor. iii. 2. "I have "fed you," faith St. Paul there, "with milk, and 66 not with meat; for hitherto ye were not able to "bear it." He was contented to inftil truth into them by degrees, and as they were capable of it. The minds of moft men are ftrait and narrow, and cannot receive that at once, which may be inftilled by degrees; like narrow-mouthed veffels, into which liquor may be poured by degrees; but if we ftrive to put it in faster than they can receive it, it runs by, and is loft.

But where men are not of a teachable disposition, but the prejudice against truth is wilful and affected, there we are bound to propofe great and important truths to men, notwithstanding their prejudice against them, and to urge upon them those things which are neceffary and fit for them to know, "whether they will hear, or whether they will for"bear." And if in that cafe they will refift truth fairly and with full evidence propofed to them, they do it at their peril. GoD is not obliged to do more, than to offer men fufficient means of conviction, and if they will be obftinate and pertinacious, GOD is not bound in that cafe to provide any farther remedy.

III. Another inference, and which I principally intended from this text, is this, that from the explication which I have given of this promife of our SAVIOUR'S, of fending his SPIRIT to lead his difciples into all truth, it very plainly appears, that there is no ground or colour of ground from this text, for the pretended infallibility of the romish church and yet this is one of those texts, which

their great masters of controverfy do urge us withal, SERM. for the proof of their infallibility; a fign that they CXCIX. are much at a lofs for good arguments to prove it by, otherwise they would never fummon a text fo very remote from their purpose. And how far this text is from proving their church to be infallible, will very clearly appear, if we confider thefe five things.

1. That the plain and obvious fense of this promife (as I have already fhewn) is this; that because there were some truths fit for the apostles to know, which they were not at that time capable of receiving, whilft our SAVIOUR was upon earth, therefore after his afcenfion, he would fend his HOLY SPIRIT to inftruct them in thofe things, and to guide them into all thofe truths, which it was not then seasonable to acquaint them withal. Now by what art can any man infer from hence, that our SAVIOUR Would give the infallible affiftance of his HOLY SPIRIT to the church of Rome, to the end of the world?

2. Let it also be confider'd, that this promife was made perfonally to the apoftles, and therefore ought not to be extended beyond them, unless it evidently appear, that it ought to be fo extended; unless it evidently appear, either from the tenour of the promife, or from fome other reafon, that it was the intention of the promiser, that this fhould equally extend to others as well as to them. 'Tis true, that this promise was made to the apostles, not merely; for their own fakes, but for the benefit of the church; for GOD thereby promifeth, that his SPIRIT fhould reveal those truths to them, that they might declare them to the church: but it does not from hence

follow,

SERM. follow, that any other perfons, in fucceeding ages CXCIX. of the church, fhould have the fame immediate af

fiftance of the HOLY GHOST which the apostles had; because, being once revealed to the church, there was no need of a new revelation of thofe truths in every age.

3. There is nothing in the tenour of this promife, nor any other reason, from whence it may appear, that this promise ought to be extended any farther, than to the perfons to whom it was made; because this promise was made with a peculiar respect to the apostles, and their employment, and for reafons proper to the first state of the church; and not common to all ages; therefore it cannot with reafon be extended to all after ages of the church.

Let it be granted then, that this promise taken together with other promises of our SAVIOUR made to the apoftles, does fignify an infallible affiftance to them, so as to secure them from error, in the delivery of the doctrine of CHRIST; yet why fhould any church afterwards, much less the church of Rome apart from all others, pretend to be heirgeneral to the apostles in this infallible affiftance? The apoftles gave fufficient evidence of their infallibility, by the miracles which they wrought: and let the pope and general councils give this teftimony of their infallibility, and we are ready to acknowledge it. There was reafon why this affiftance fhould be afforded to the apoftles in the firft preaching of the gofpel; but after it was planted, and the doctrine of christianity confign'd to writing, there was no need of fuch an infallible affiftance afterwards.

But they of the church of Rome tell us, that this infallible affiftance was neceffary afterwards for the

perpetuity

CXCIX.

perpetuity of the church, and for the government of SER M. it, and for the decision of controverfies amongst chriftians. To this I anfwer two things:

First, if this infallible affiftance be neceffary to these ends, then it is also neceffary, that it should have been declared, what that church or fociety is, which was to be fo infallible; elfe how would men know, whither to have recourse for the government of the church, and the decifion of controverfies in matters of difficulty? as good the chriftian church be without infallibility, as that no man fhould know where it is.

And will any man have the confidence to say, that God hath any where in fcripture declared, that the church of Rome hath this infallibility annexed to her? hath the scripture any where told us, that the church of Rome is the catholick church, that is, that a particular church is the church univerfal? if we should suppose the univerfal church to be infallible in matters of faith and practice, is it any where faid in the bible, that the pope, or a general council, or both together are infallible? are we any where there directed to have recourfe to Rome, and the bishop of that city, either with or without a general council, for the determination of controverfies in religion and yet if infallibility be neceffary for the ends mentioned, then certainly 'tis as neceffary, that we should have been plainly directed where to find it, that we may make use of it upon occafion. What man living can perfuade himself, that the belief of the infallibility of the Romish church, that is, of the pope, or of the pope and council, fhould be fo fundamental an article of faith as they would make it; and yet that neither CHRIST nor his apoftles VOL. X. should

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