they are evidently promotive of the fame good Ends for which they were first instituted. And accordingly antient Practices have been retained, or dropped in the Church, as the fame have been found inftrumental to Edification, or have been perverted to contrary Purposes.-Now the Cuftoms and Ufages of the primitive Church can come to our Knowledge only through the Chanel of ecclefiaftical Hiftory, or of regular uninterrupted Tradition; to both which a proper Deference is in all reason to be paid in Matters purely concerning Government, and external Adminiftration. That the Apostles delivered many Things relative hereunto by Word of Mouth is apparent from Holy Scripture; St. Paul commands and exhorts the Theffalonians to ftand faft, and hold the Traditions, which they had been taught, whether by Word, or his Epiftle. (2 Theff. ii. 15.) Indeed the Subjects of oral Tradition cannot be fuppofed to have been of the fame Nature, nor confequently of the fameObligation, with the great Doctrines of the written Word itself: at least, it cannot be fuppofed that it delivered any Doctrine but what was to be found in that written Word. For not to infift upon the many Texts, that plainly evince both the immediate Tendency of Scripture, and it's Sufficiency to Salvation, this Truth seems abundantly clear from the Nature and Reason of the Thing. For can a more probable or rational Cause be affigned

why

why any effential Doctrine of Christianity was committed to writing than this, that such a Method was most likely to convey it to Posterity in it's original Purity, and was less liable to Mutilation, Addition, and all Corruption whatsoever, than verbal Traditions could poffibly be? If therefore the Holy Scripture contains any Thing necessary to Salvation, it seems unavoidably to follow that it contains all Things neceffary thereunto; unless we can fufpect that the facred Writers did not take equal Care, and make equal Provifion in Cafes of equal Confequence to all Chriftians. The Scripture then is the only certain and immutable Standard of Faith, and moral Practice, to the End of the World; and Traditions are binding fo far forth, and no farther than, as they have the Sanction of due Authority, are at the fame time agreeable to the written Word of God, or at least are not irreconcileable therewith. In fhort, what is written bids much fairer to be true than what is unwritten; and therefore, by moft clear Rule of Reason, Tradition is to be regarded when correfpondent with Scripture, but rejected when it contradicts it. Indeed, it is pretended by the Church of Rome that Tradition is certainly as true as the Scripture itself; that Tradition has been tranfmitted, by uninterrupted Succeffion, through the Church, which cannot err; that the Sense of the Scriptures is only determinable by the Sense of the Church;

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Church; and that the moft damnable Doctrines and Pofitions have ever boafted the Countenance and Concurrence of Scripture, and could not have been over-ruled or condemned, but by the Judgment and Sentence of Church Authority.—But to this it is obvious to reply, that either the Scriptures are as intelligible as to the main Senfe and Design of them as any other Writings, or they are not; if they are not, to what purpose were they written? If they are, it is certainly very material whether the Senfe of the Church be confonant to the plain Senfe and Scope of Scripture, or repugnant thereunto: and it will follow that the Scripture itself, and not the Church, is the proper Tryer of all Doctrine, and the only infallible Judge of all Controversy: will any Man pretend to fay, that the Doctrine of Tranfubftantiation is as clearly and rationally demonftrable from Scripture as that of the Trinity? if not, why is equal Stress to be laid upon the Authority of the Church with regard to both Doctrines? That traditional Authority, from the very Nature of it, is more liable to Corruption than Scriptural, we have obferved already; and if this Point could admit of a Doubt, we may appeal to Matter of Fact for a Decifion of it. Our Saviour directly charges the Jews with making the Word of God of none Effect, by their Traditions. And why may not Tradition be as injurious to the Word of God in the Chriflian Church, as

it was in the Jewish?-Indeed, could the Church of Rome demonftrate the Infallibility of that Authority by which she pretends to interpret the facred Books, and to determine all Controverfies in the Church of Christ, the Rules and Decrees of her Bishops and Councils must be allowed to be of the fame Weight and Obligation with the Gospel itself. But this Authority has been often both difputed and difproved. It may be afked, when did this Authority commence? or to whom was it given?—No one will deny that it was as neceffary for the Peace and good Order of the Church at it's first Establishment, as it could be at any Period fince for Difputes and Diffentions, concerning Points of very confiderable Importance, were not uncommon even in the Apoftolic Age; and yet these Disputes were not decided by any thing like fuch an Authority as that in prefent Question. When certain of the Sect of the Pharifees which believed, rofe up, faying, that it was needful to circumcife the Gentiles, and to command them to keep the Law of Moses; we are told, the Apostles and Elders came together, for to confider of this Matter: (Acts xv. 6.) and it seems there had been much difputing, before either Peter or James delivered their Sentiments upon this Occafion. And when they did fo, they debated the Point in an argumentative Way; and the final Determination of it was grounded on the Reasonableness of the Thing,

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Thing, and the concurrent Opinion of the Affembly. Now if such an Authority was lodged in the Church as is claimed by the Church of Rome, it will, I think, be impoffible to account for the manifest Impropriety and Abfurdity of this whole Proceeding. And it is further obfervable, that although the Decifion of this Affair was plainly the Refult of a regular and rational Debate, it had nevertheless the Sanction of no less Authority than that of the Holy Ghost himself; it seemed good to the Holy Ghoft, fays St. James, &c. and therefore the Conclufion to be drawn from the above Account of this Matter appears to be this, that as it evidently discountenances all Pretences to abfolute Infallibility in any one Man, or Body of Men, fince the Establishment of Christianity, so does it as evidently encourage all pious Governors of the Chriftian Church, to implore and depend upon the gracious Influences of the Spirit of Truth upon their Councils and Refolutions, and to pray to him to give them a right Judgment in all Things. Again, we find St. Paul frequently canvaffing this very Point in his Epiftles, and labouring to convince his Readers by plain Force of Reason and Argument; which however it is utterly incredible he would have done, had there been a known, infallible Authority in the Church, to which he might have at once directed them; and from which there could be no Appeal. And lastly, in