SER M. give us fufficient affurance, that Gon will affist the CXXIV. teachers and governors of his church in all ages, in the fame extraordinary manner as he did the apoftles, because there is not the like reason and neceffity for it; but that we have fufficient affurance from the reafon of this promife, that God will not be wanting to us, in fuch fitting and neceffary affistance, as the state of religion, and the welfare of it in every age fhall require: for can we imagine that GOD would use fuch extraordinary means to plant a religion in the world, and take no care of it afterwards? that he who had begun fo good a work, fo great and glorious a defign, would let it fall to the ground for want of any thing that was necessary to the support of it?

This is reasonable in itself; but we are not also without good ground for thus extending the general reason of particular promifes beyond the letter of them. The apostle hath gone before us in this, for Heb. xiii. 5, 6. he there extends two particular promifes of the old teftament to all chriftians, "let

your conversation (says he) be without covetousness, ❝ and be content with fuch things as ye have: for he

hath faid, I will never leave thee nor forfake thee." And again," the LORD is my helper, I will not "fear what man can do unto me." Thefe promises were made to particular perfons; the first of them to Joshua, and the other to David; but yet the apoftle applies them to all chriftians, and to good men in all ages, because the general ground and reason of them extended fo far. He who gave Joshua and David this encouragement to their duty, will certainly be as good to us, if we do ours.

And

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And thus I have done with the firft controverfy about SER M. the sense of these words, which concerns the circumftances of time mentioned in this promife, "alway, "to the end of the world," and have plainly fhewn, that both the letter and the reafon of this promife does extend farther than the perfons of the apostles, and the continuance of that age, even to all that fhould fucceed them in their miniftry to the end of the world. I come now to confider,

Secondly, the fubftance of the promise itself, namely, what is meant by our SAVIOUR'S "being "with them." And here our adverfaries of the church of Rome would fain perfuade us, that this promife is made to the church of Rome, and that the meaning of it is, that that church fhould always be infallible, and never err in the faith. But as there is no mention of the church of Rome in this promife, nor any where else in fcripture upon the like occafion, whereby we might be directed to understand this promise to be made to that church; fo to any unprejudiced perfon the plain and obvious sense of this promise can be no other than this, that our SAVIOUR having commiffioned the apostles to go and preach the chriftian religion in the world, he promises to affift them in this work, and thofe that fhould fucceed them in it, " to the end of the world." But how any man can conftrue this promife, fo as to make it fignify the perpetual infallibility of the Roman church, I cannot for my life devife, and yet this is one of the main texts upon which they build that old and tottering fabrick of their infal libility.

Here is a general promife of affiftance to the paftors and governors of the church, in all ages to the end

of

SER M. of the world; but that this affiftance fhall always CXXIV; be to the degree of infallibility, (as it was to the

apostles) can neither be concluded from the letter of this promise, nor from the reason of it; much lefs can it be from hence concluded, that the affistance here promised, if it were to the degree of infallibility, is to be limited and confined to the fupreme paftor and governor of the Roman church.

That the affiftance here promised shall always be to the degree of infallibility, can by no means be concluded from the letter of this promife. Indeed there is no pretence or colour for it; he must have a very peculiar fagacity; that can find out in thefe words, "I am with you always," a promise of infallible affiftance. Is not the promise which GOD made to Joshua, and which the apostle to the Hebrews applies to all chriftians, and to all good men in all "I will never leave thee nor forfake ages, " I will thee," the very fame in fense with this, "be with you always?" and yet furely, no man did ever imagine, that by virtue of this promise, every chriftian, and every good man is infallible.

But neither can it be inferr'd from the reafon of this promise, that this affiftance fhall always be to the degree of infallibility. It was fo indeed to the apostles; the miraculous gifts of the HOLY GHOST which were bestowed upon them for the more speedy and effectual planting and propagating of the gospel in the world, were a divine testimony and confirmation to the doctrine which they delivered; and having this divine teftimony given to them, we are certain that they were fecured from error in the delivery of that doctrine. So that the apostles had no other infallibility, but what depended upon, and was evidenced by the miraculous gifts wherewith they were endowed; and

therefore

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therefore without the like gifts, none can with rea-SERM fon pretend to the like infallibility for infallibility fignifies an extraordinary affiftance of GOD'S SPIRIT, whereby thofe who are thus affifted are fecured from error. This every confident man may, if he pleafeth, pretend to; but no man is to be believed to have it, but he who can give fuch evidence of it, as is fit to fatisfy reafonable men, that he hath it. Now the only fufficient evidence of fuch an extraordinary divine affiftance is the power of miracles. This indeed is the great external testimony of a teacher come from God, "if he do fuch works as none can do, except God be with him;" and this evidence the prophets of old, and our SAVIOUR, and his apostles, always gave of their infallibility. And if the pope and general councils can give the teftimony of fuch miracles for their infallibility, as Mofes, and our SAVIOUR, and his apoftles did work, we are ready to acknowledge it. Such a testimony as this would give the world a thousand times more fatisfaction concerning their infallibility, than all the fubtle arguments of Bellarmine, and all their writers. But if they cannot, they may dispute about it to the end of the world; and every man that hath but the fame confidence may pretend to it with as much reafon as they do.

But to proceed in my argument, here is a plain reason why this extraordinary affistance should be granted to the apoftles at firft; and another reafon as plain, why it fhould not be continued afterwards. It was reasonable, and in fome degree neceffary, that the apostles fhould be thus affifted at the first publication of the gofpel, namely to give fatisfaction to the world, that they were faithful and true witnesses VOL. VII. X

of

SERM. of the doctrine and miracles of CHRIST. But CXXIV. fince this doctrine and thefe miracles are recorded to pofterity, by thofe very perfons that were thus affifted, here is as plain a reafon, why after the gofpel was planted and eftablifh'd in the world, this infallibility fhould ceafe. So long as we have an infallible foundation of faith, namely, the divine revelation configned in writing, and tranfmitted down to us by teftimony of undoubted credit, what need is there now of a fixt and standing infallibility in the church? But having handled this argument more at large elfewhere, I fhall infift no further upon it here.

I have now done with the three things I propounded to difcourfe upon from this text. You have heard what authority our SAVIOUR had given him; what commiffion he gave to his difciples; and what affiftance he hath promised to the paftors and governors of his church to the end of the world: namely, such an assistance as is fuitable to the exigencies of the church, in the feveral ages and states of chriftianity; which affiftance was at firft very extraordinary and miraculous. GOD was pleafed to give witnefs to the first teachers and publishers of the gofpel, "with figns and wonders "and divers miracles, and gifts of the HOLY "GHOST;" and this at firft was in a very great degree neceffary, it not being otherwife imaginable, how chriftianity could have born up against all that force and violent oppofition which was raised against it: but this extraordinary affittance was but a temporary and tranfient difpenfation. GOD did, as it were, pafs by "in the ftrong and mighty wind, in the earthquake, and in the fire:" but he was in the