THE Gospel precepts are remarka­ble, in general, for their simplicity. They come not recommended to us by the borrowed charms of eloquence, or by any of the embellishments of art, but, by what is of much greater importance, their own intrinsic excellence; and, as we would naturally expect, that the Great Governor of the world, when he condescendeth to reveal himself to man, would not suffer things of the utmost consequence to be involved in obscurity; we find accor­dingly, [Page 2] that the more important any doctrine is, the more intelligible are the terms in which it is universally ex­pressed. The way of duty, the way to happiness, is always pointed out in such legible characters, that he that runs may read. That allegiance also, which is required in spiritual things, is unfold­ed to us in the plainest language. But, to our great astonishment, those very doc­trines, in which sophistry itself can dis­cover no ambiguity, have been the most grosly perverted, the most presumptuously and impiously opposed. But, without searching the ample page of history for a variety of particulars in proof of this; such reflections, as offer themselves to our consideration from the words of the text, will be abundantly sufficient to our pur­pose.

As an introduction to what I propose, it will be proper, first of all to observe, that the whole chapter abounds with some singularly affecting animadversions, which our Lord had made upon the superstition, hypocrisy, and other vices of the Scribes and Pharisees. He gives us a summary view of their injustice, cruelty, oppres­sion, and uncharitableness; and stripping [Page 3] them of all their artificial sanctity, de­lineates their true characters in the most lively and expressive colours. ‘'They im­posed,'’ he says, ‘'heavy burthens upon others, by which they would not be bound themselves. They pretended to be the most strictly just and pious of men, at the same time that they de­voured widows houses: and, while they were so punctiliously exact in their at­tention to what was then a branch of the externals of religion, as to tithe such things, as mint, anise, and cum­min, they scandalously neglected those weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faith.'’

But, besides a variety of other crimes, to which they were notoriously addicted, they compleated their infamy, by exer­cising an impious dominion over the con­sciences of others. They claimed the power of prescribing certain ceremonies; and shut up the kingdom of heaven a­gainst all opponents. With all the gri­mace of an affected superlative holiness, they compassed sea and land, to make one proselyte, when in their own hearts, there was nothing but ravening and wicked­ness. In short, they laid a much greater [Page 4] stress upon a devout attention to insigni­ficant forms, than in living up to the perfect rules of righteousness and truth; and, as our Lord expresses it, ‘'They strained at a gnat, and swallowed a camel.'’

It might be well expected, then, that a teacher sent from God, would most cautiously guard his Disciples against such enormous corruptions; and that he would charge them, with a peculiar earnest­ness, not to assume those over-bearing principles of pride and superiority which actuated their enemies, nor to form the most distant intention of founding a system of religious aristocracy over one another. This had been the very foun­tain of all those iniquities, which filled his pure mind with the utmost indigna­tion and abhorrence. He, accordingly, thus solemnly addresseth himself to those whom he had chosen out of the world, ‘'Be not ye called Rabbi, that is, Doctors, or spiritual guides; for one is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren:'’ that is, all children of the same common, universal Father, and all, therefore, in religious matters, invested with exactly the same authority and [Page 5] power. He could not have more fully expressed himself, if he had said, I only am the way, the truth, and the life; those doctrines, which I have received of my Father, are henceforth to be ac­counted the only true standard of faith, and practice; by those, therefore, you should be governed here, because by those alone you shall be judged hereafter.

Had all those, who have ever since professed themselves the followers of Jesus, observed a due submission to these divine admonitions, we might now fami­liarize to our minds the various and com­plicated transactions of former times, with perpetually encreasing pleasure and delight; we might be able to read the histories of a long succession of past ages, without that degree of over-whelming horror which unavoidably rises in the soul, at the view of that violence and barbarity which have been exercised up­on the saints of the earth, who have been crusaded, massacred, burnt, and torn in pieces, and that by those who have im­piously named the name of Christ, for no other cause whatever, than their honestly maintaining an inviolable alle­giance to Christ.

[Page 6] But we all know, that this Anti-christian, and diabolical spirit, which formerly prevailed among the Scribes and Pharisees, was next adopted, in all it's aggravating circumstances, by that mother of harlots and abominations of the earth, the church of Rome: and, we know the horrible, and unparrallelled inhumanities of this church, what fires she hath kindled, what rivers of blood she hath shed, what cities and towns she hath laid in ruins, what extensive provinces she hath desolated, and what thousands of innocent victims she hath butchered, in order to support these hellish claims. But, happy would it be for the world, unspeakably happy, if we could name no other church which hath been partaker of her sins. Happy would it be for the world, if the monster of which we are here speaking, was not still living, be­yond the boundaries of the Papal Em­pire, and blasting the fair fruits of the blessed Gospel, among those who call themselves Protestants. Happy would it be for us, if even in this enlightened land, there was now only one Master, even Christ. But, whatever pain and astonishment we must feel at the recital, [Page 7] truth compels us to declare, that, where­ever there is any Human Creed establish­ed, there, there are more Masters than One; there, there is an Authority dia­metrically opposite to the Authority of Christ, and fundamentally subversive of it. This I propose to illustrate in the following Discourses. It is evident, I think, indeed, from the words of the text thenselves. For, when our Lord says, One is your Master, even Christ; he means as much as if he had affirmed, You have no spiritual jurisdiction at all one over the other;—Churches^* are not your Master; mitred priests, or ghostly fathers are not your Master; Christ a­lone is your Master; and his laws are to be learned only from his own mouth, without the intervention of any human Authority whatever.

But, now, to establish this doctrine upon the very best foundation, I shall en­deavour to shew, in the first place, that Jesus Christ had the unquestionable au­thority of heaven for assuming that distin­guishing preheminence, which he here [Page 8] claimed, namely, that of being our only infallible teacher of Religion, as the word Master, in this place, signifies; and, hence, it will be easy to shew the incon­sistency, absurdity, and impiety, of those, who, by naming the name of Christ, most solemnly admit this doctrine, and yet, in every instance of their conduct, and with a shameless effrontery, act re­pugnant to it.

In the first place, I shall endeavour to shew, ‘'That Jesus Christ had the un­questionable authority of heaven, for assuming that distinguishing prehemi­nence which he here claimed, namely, that of being our only infallible teacher of Religion.'’ It is, undoubtedly, the sole prerogative of the eternal Jehovah, to give laws to man. It is his preroga­tive, likewise, to communicate these laws, at what time, in what manner, by what sanctions, and by what messengers he pleases; and, whenever, or by whomever, his wisdom determines, either to re-pub­lish and enlarge old laws, or to reveal new laws, it is our indispensable duty to obey. But, then, we are not to receive, as Divine Laws, all doctrines, that are re­commended to us as such. For, this [Page 9] would expose us to the most palpable con­tradictions, and to millions of imposi­tions. On the contrary, because we are required to submit to the Divine Authori­ty only, we should first be assured, be­fore we receive any doctrine, that it is Divine; and, this we can only know, by bringing the said doctrine before the high tribunal of Reason. Reason, is unques­tionably a Divine Law, written with in­delible characters upon every human heart; and, as the peerless perfections of Al­mighty God will not admit even the thought, that he can contradict himself, or that he can give us contradictory laws; we may, therefore, conclude that no laws can be Divine, which are a contradiction to our Reason, or which are plainly re­pugnant to that sense of Right and Wrong which is implanted in the soul, and which is another Divine Law. But, if, on the contrary, any doctrines that are recom­mended to us as Divine, be found to cor­respond with the congenial sentiments of our minds, and with the demonstrable perfections of God in the universe around us, and are moreover confirmed by the most incontestable evidences of the Divine Power; then, we may rest assured, that [Page 10] these doctrines descended from above, from the Father of lights, and that the teacher of these doctrines, is the Sent of God.

Hence, then, it will clearly appear, that Jesus Christ was the anointed Mes­senger of God, and fully commissioned, by him, to point out the way of Salva­tion to man. For, he taught us no doc­trines that are contrary to our Reason, but such as rather illuminate and perfect our Reason in the highest degree; and, he established these very doctrines, not, as ignorance or malice have falsely asserted, by attempting to extinguish the light of Reason within us, but by the most solemn appeals to this primary law of God to man. What a wonderful contrast do we discover between him, and all his pre­tended delegates, or vice-gerents and co­adjutors upon earth! How proud are they? How humble was he! Without professing the least portion of his spirit, they have lorded it over God's heritage with a rod of iron. But, he, tho' the way to truth, and the life, tho' he spoke as never man spoke, and tho' God was always with him, and always taught him, did not yet require an implicit faith from any of his followers. He knew, on the [Page 11] contrary, that one Divine Law, is best enforced and recommended by another Divine Law; and he, therefore, submit­ted all his claims to the decisions of Rea­son. He drew up no inexplicable systems of faith, for us to subscribe, or to ac­quiesce in, in the room of works. The point that he laboured was to make men good, and not what the fashion of the times had received as orthodox. In short, he never addressed himself to the Jews, in the imperative tone of modern priests: ‘'Swallow down this mystery, and the other mystery; believe, tho' your own Reason demonstrates the contrary, that Three are no more than One, and that One is as many as Three, else you shall have no peace in the other world, and I will give you as much trouble as I can in this.'’ No; he challenged them to examine his own pretensions, according to those very Scriptures in which they themselves believed. Search the Scriptures, says he, for they be they that testify of me. He challenged them to accuse him, if they could, of any single transgression of the Divine Laws. Which of you convinceth me of sin? He challenged them to convict him of any falshood, or to fix upon him [Page 12] any expressions, or declarations, that were contrary to the most indubitable perfec­tions of God. And, if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He challenged them to shew, that any one of his mi­racles could be effected by any other Power than that of Omnipotence. And, if I do not the works of my Father, believe me not: And, he challenged them to produce any arguments, why God would be with him in all that he did, if he had not come to do the will of God, and had not received his commission immediately from God. The works which I do, in my Father's name, bear witness of me. A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. And, if Satan cast out Satan his kingdom cannot stand. But, if I by the Spirit of God, overwhelm the works of darkness, then is the kingdom of God come unto you.

All this, we must see, was sound rea­soning, and demonstrably proved, that Je­sus was the Son of God with power, that he came not of himself, that he spoke not of himself, that he did nothing of him­self, but that whatever he did was by the power of the Highest. His holiness, his wisdom, his humility, his self-denial, and his innumerable astonishing miracles, did [Page 13] all proclaim him to be the well-beloved of the Father, full of grace and truth: and, the importance of his doctrines, and the benevolent scheme which he came to propose to the souls of men, call up our most earnest attention to all that he did, and taught, and suffered for us.

He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners; the spotless lamb of God, without blemish, without guile, without a single deflection from the ways of righteousness and truth. All this, was fully characteristic of his heavenly origin. It is such a one as he, whom we would naturally expect the Holy Majesty of the Universe, and the Father of all mercies, to send into the world; one, who could no more betray us, by his example, than by his precepts; one, who was as amia­ble and lovely in his life, as in his doc­trines; one, in whom virtue might be seen breathing celestial sweetness; display­ing a thousand thousand inexpressibly ve­nerable charms, adorned with every grace, possessing every excellence and beauty, and superior in glory to the splendor of the sun, and the brightness of the firma­ment.

[Page 14] But, the Wisdom of Jesus, is another demonstrable proof of his divine mission. The people might well be astonished at his doctrines; for they were such as never had been taught before, such as infinitely surpassed all the systems of the antient sages. He carried morality to its highest purity and perfection; nothing now can be added to what he has said upon it; and, after a trial of above seventeen hun­dred years, no exception can yet be made to a single precept he has given. Be­sides, he alone hath represented to us the perfections of the True God, in their native dignity and glory; leading us to consider Him, as the One Spirit, and Universal Father, the only Omnipotent, the only Author of every good, whose Providence continually watcheth over the minutest works of his hands; and, he being the best judge of human nature, that ever appeared in our world, both, in delivering those sublime and unparrellelled doctrines, universally, and with an asto­nishing exactness, adapted his address to the various characters of his audience; frequently drawing them to condemn their impious conduct, according to their own principles; and, afterwards, with irresist­ible [Page 15] force, in extempore parables, a­bounding with innumerable beauties, and such as have never been equalled by any other son of man; beating down all the strong holds of iniquity that stood before him, and majestically scattering the whole immense mass of darkness which covered the world. Now, upon what other con­ceivable foundation is such wisdom to be accounted for, than by allowing him to have been a Divine Messenger? How is it possible to be accounted for, that the re­puted son of a poor carpenter, untrained in the schools, without any of the aids of philosophy, should have been the wisest of men, and the only infallible teacher of righteousness and truth, un­less he was taught of God, and sent by him, to be the light of men? Could he, without either any divine or human aids, have been so singularly happy, as to have infinitely eclipsed in knowledge all the men who lived before and after him? Or would the God of all wisdom and grace, have given him only an understand­ing to know the things that are excellent, had not he been under the constant in­fluence of his good will and pleasure?

[Page 16] But, the humility and self-denial of the blessed Jesus, likewise demonstrably prove him, to have been our heavenly appointed Master, or Teacher. Had he come to establish some favourite scheme of his own, he would certainly have aimed at as much power and authority as he could prudently assume. He would have availed himself of the friendship of this world; and would have let no fair opportunity escape of fanning the fire of popular prejudices in his favour. But, he was meek and lowly of heart, and came not to be ministred unto, but to minister. He sought not honour from men, but that which cometh from God only. Instead of aiming at temporal do­minions, grasping at the sceptre of uni­versal empire, or climbing the summit of transient greatness, he chearfully offered himself to be the servant of all. He de­clared, in the most unequivocal lan­guage, that his kingdom was not of this world; and, that if we would stand can­didates for his favour, or finally enter into the joy of our Lord, we must deny ourselves, and take up our cross daily, to follow him; and, he died as he lived, gloriously avowing the same sentiments, [Page 17] maintaining the same dignity, expressing the same contempt for all earthly pos­sessions, discovering the same generous benevolence to man, and reposing the same unlimited confidence in his God and Father.

Now, could all this have possibly hap­pened, unless God had sent him? Did any person ever yet espouse a cause, that pro­mised, and aimed at nothing, but po­verty, contempt, and sufferings, and die in the same without reluctance, unless he had full evidence, clear and irresistible evidence, that this cause was the cause of God? The supposition is ridiculous, and a contradiction to itself. This argument alone, therefore, sufficiently proves, that Jesus had his authority from above; that the God of all wisdom inspired and taught him; and that he was divinely appointed to be our Master in Religion.

But, besides the holiness, the wisdom, the humility, and self-denial of our Lord; God also bore witness to him, by a suc­cessive train of the most stupendous mi­racles; miracles which mere human art or power can no more accomplish, than we can arrest the sun in its course, or create another sun or another world. The tem­pestuous [Page 18] ocean was instantly becalmed; lunatics were restored to their right mind; the deaf, the dumb, the lame, and the blind, lost all their complaints, and the sick all their diseases, in a moment; and the dead were raised to life, only by his word, or touch; and, these things were not done in a corner, nor transacted in darkness, but in the face of day, and amidst thousands of spectators, and under the inspection too of determined enemies.

But, last of all, God gave his omnipo­tent sanction to all his claims, by making him victorious over death and the grave the third day after his crucifixion, and shortly after carrying him up visibly into heaven, to give him the government of thrones and dominions, and principali­ties and powers. Hence, then, it is de­monstrable, that he was his well-beloved Son, in whom he was well-pleased; that he could have taught us nothing but the will of the most High God, since the most High God was always with him; and that he had, therefore, the most unques­tionable Authority, for assuming and ex­ercising the sublime office of instructing all the children of men in the way of Sal­vation.

[Page 19] This point, then, being once illustrated, it will clearly follow, that it is our indis­pensable duty to submit to him as our one master; and that the same deference and obedience are now due unto his Laws, as if they were immediately proclaimed to us from the lofty throne of God. ‘'For since he hath not spoken of himself, but that the Father, who sent him, gave him a commandment what he should say, and what he should speak; he therefore that believeth on him, be­lieveth not on him, but on him that sent him; and all, therefore, should honour the Son even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son, since he was sent by the Father, honoureth not the Father who sent him^*.'’ Hence, [Page 20] then, we should be taught, to pay the most solemn attention to every doctrine he hath revealed, lest we, by the rejection of any, either through interest, or influence, [Page 21] or lust, or through any other motives whatever, should be found fighting against God. Hence, again, we should be parti­cularly taught not to take any of these doctrines upon trust, lest they should be disguised or misrepresented to us; but, since they are not communicated to cer­tain delegates to put what interpretation they please upon them, but graciously communicated to all men, to be per­suaded, each of us for himself, to exa­mine seriously what they are, as they stand recorded in the Sacred Volume. Again, after they thus appear to us, in their full extent and native purity, all the honours and applauses of men, all the riches and pleasures of the world, and all the pow­ers of earth and hell united, should not prevail so much as the dust of the balance to draw us from our duty. We should be stedfast and immoveable in our adhe­rence to them, in opposition to every ene­my, and every temptation. We should be ready even to lay down our lives in witnessing a good confession, for, it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God, or to incur his sovereign displeasure by a negligent inattention, or obstinate resistance to his will. None [Page 22] can deliver out of his hands, nor can any corner of the universe conceal us from his view, or place us beyond the reach of his power.

But, besides the motive of escaping the folly and impiety of defying the Om­nipotent wrath of God; or besides the just apprehension that we shall appear guilty before God for pouring contempt upon his Ambassador; it is also to be considered, that Jesus Christ recommends himself to us, as our most endearing and acceptable Master, by the importance of the doctrines which he taught, and the benevolence of the scheme, which he has proposed to the souls of men. The doc­trines he taught, are of the utmost im­portance to the peace and happiness of the whole human race: they oppose all our destroying enemies, and are freedom, health, and joy to the mind. That we would love the Supreme Being with all the heart, and repose an unlimited con­fidence in his unceasing bounty; these doctrines aggrandize the soul, and afford us infinite security and complacency in all circumstances; and, that we would fly from all distraction and woe, from all the fears of jealousy, from all the pains of [Page 23] envy and discontent, and from all the bit­terness of wrath and malice, by receiving and cherishing the heavenly blessings of temperance, chastity, truth, righteous­ness, and brotherly love; these are the doctrines, which every man, who wish­eth well to human nature, would see uni­versally taught and practised. These are the doctrines, which every friend to man would wish to have ushered into the world, by the most glorious displays of the Divine Power; and, these are the doctrines, which every friend to himself would cherish as his joy and crown, and perpetually observe and cultivate. For, nothing more is wanted to banish misery out of the world; nothing more is wanted to plant sweets in the desart, and shelter us from all the storms of life. Nothing more is wanted, to root up the briars and thorns, which so often weary and perplex us, and to make the whole earth a para­dise of delights. That man is, therefore, the enemy of human nature, as well as his own tormentor, and a traitor to his God, who would oppose the progress of the Gospel; who does not rejoice that Christ is our divinely appointed master; and who would not chearfully spend and [Page 24] be spent, to bring all the sons and daugh­ters of men into subjection to his autho­rity. But the benevolent scheme, which the Son of God has proposed to our ac­ceptance, is much greater than all this, goeth far beyond the line of time, grasp­eth in its reach the utmost bounds of im­mense Eternity. For God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the world to himself, gracious, forbearing, and long-suffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, and therefore communicating through him the glad tidings of Everlasting Salvation to the whole body of his rational creatures here below; besides providing in the best manner for their temporal happiness, and instructing them how to overcome those lusts that war against the soul; he was likewise pleased, in the adorable overflow­ings of his love, to hold out to their ad­miring view, the bright prospect of end­less life and endless bliss. He was rich unto all that called upon him; and he granted to all a full remission of all the sins that were past and repented of; and, while he enlightened and refreshed them with the most reviving precious promises of pardon, of a complete conquest over [Page 25] death and the grave, and of an unfading future and eternal crown of glory; these wonderful communications of his love, were accompanied with the solid encou­ragements to cast all our cares and bur­thens upon God, and to cry unto him in all our distresses, as our ever-present pro­tector and friend; and these were likewise accompanied with the blessed assurances, that God will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able, that he will ne­ver leave us nor forsake us while we per­severe in our duty, and that he will make all things work together for good to them that love him. In short, the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord compre­hendeth in it every thing that our ambi­tious hearts can wish or desire, is amply sufficient to employ all the wonder of the most enlarged faculties of the most ca­pacious soul, and to satisfy us for ever. Nay, ‘'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the things, which God hath prepared for them that love him;'’ and to bring us to the possession of which, he, of his infinite wisdom and goodness, hath appointed Jesus Christ to be our One Master, Example and Guide.

[Page 26] How, then, should we joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ! What gratitude should possess our hearts! What divine pleasures should fill our souls! With what unceasing warmth of affection should we look up to heaven, to reflect that so excellent a personage is appointed to reign over us, to save us from our sins, to lead us to all truth, and to make us kings and priests unto God for Ever! There can be no greater salvation. The very thought of it should make us break out into the loftiest songs of adoration and praise. Indeed, every thing in the world should be estimated as dross and dung, when compared with this. We should, therefore, hold this fast. We should sell it for no price. We should value it above all precious substance. It should be dearer to us than our lives. In short, we should willingly relinquish every earthly comfort, and chearfully submit to every earthly suffering, in maintain­ing our allegiance inviolable to our One Divinely-appointed Master, even Christ. For, How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? and, what shall it pro­fit a man, if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

[Page 27] Hence, then, let us be seriously per­suaded, humbly and joyfully to acquiesce in the authority of Christ, and to testify, through life, the most dutiful and ready compliance with all those laws which he hath revealed. Let not, on the one hand, all the terrors of persecution that can be raised against us; nor, on the other hand, all the accumulated honours that can be bestowed upon us; and, much less, let the mode or fashion of the times, which can only influence slaves, be able to turn us aside from our obedience. But, consider­ing our dignity and privileges, as the children of God, and the called to an in­heritance, that is incorruptible and unde­filed, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us, let us nobly, and tri­umphantly resolve with the apostle Paul, ‘'that neither the world, nor death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to se­parate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

But, having now shewn you, that Je­sus Christ had manifestly the high au­thority of heaven for claiming that dis­tinguished [Page 28] preheminence which he as­sumed in the text, namely, that of being our One Master, or our only infallible teacher of Religion, and having, hence, clearly pointed out our duty and happi­ness to be guided by him in the true way to Eternal life; our next enquiry will be, what is particularly implied in our acknowledging him as our One Master, our Only Master, and submitting to him as such. But, at present, our time will not permit us, to enter upon this part of our subject.

Let me, however, just express my sin­cere wishes, that, what hath been said, may have a sufficient force to bind us to our duty, to make us, in all circum­stances, approve ourselves the genuine disciples of Christ, aiming at whatever is good and acceptable to the Lord, and not caring what shall befall us in this life, so that we may finish our course with joy.

To this purpose, let us exercise our­selves during the interval of social wor­ship, in preferring petitions to the Father of Lights, that he may guide us by his counsel, that all prejudice may be rooted out of our hearts, that we may know the Truth, and that the Truth may make us free.

Amen.

I HAVE endeavoured to shew, in the preceding Discourse, that our Lord had the unquestionable authority of hea­ven for claiming that high and distin­guishing preheminence which he here assumes, namely, that of being our one Master, or only infallible teacher of Re­ligion. This appears, I observed, from all those most illustrious virtues and hea­venly graces, which composed his charac­ter; from that sublime, and unparallelled knowledge which he possessed; and from [Page 30] that Divine Power which universally up­held, and bore witness of him. His holiness, his wisdom, his humility, his self-denial, and those innumerable and astonishing miracles which he performed thro' the power of the Highest; toge­ther with the purity, benevolence, per­fection, and importance of the doctrines which he taught, all demonstrably evince, that he was the well-beloved of the Father, the chosen messenger of his sal­vation, full of grace and truth.

Hence, I observed, as the clear con­sequence of this doctrine, that it is our indispensable duty to submit to his au­thority, and to pay the same deference and obedience to all his laws, as if they were now immediately proclaimed to us from the lofty throne of God.

But our duty being once obviously pointed out, it then becomes a matter of the greater importance. I shall there­fore as was proposed, in the next place, enquire at present, what is the full ex­tent of this duty, or what is particularly implied in acknowledging Christ to be our one Master, and submitting to him as such; and, this evidently implies no less, than that we should acknowledge no [Page 31] other man, or body of men whatever, considered either as in competition with him, or in conjunction with him, to be our Master. The one Master signifies the one only Master. We accordingly find, that he had all authority committed to him by the Father, and that he is con­stituted the only Lawgiver and King in his Church; and, from this, it incon­trovertibly follows, that we, as the true subjects of his kingdom, must, in a re­ligious capacity, submit to his Laws on­ly. These laws, it is again obvious to observe, are to be found in the Gospel only. For this sacred volume contains the whole doctrine of Christ, which was either taught by himself in person, or by his apostles, whom, after him, he com­missioned to preach his name among all nations. Thou shalt not diminish aught from it; neither shall any thing be added to it.

Hence, then, we learn, in the first place, that every law of the Gospel de­mands our full acquiescence and obedi­ence; but that every law, on the con­trary, that is formed in opposition to the Gospel, is a daring encroachment upon our native rights, a traiterous imposition [Page 32] upon our understandings, and an im­pious rebellion against God himself, be­cause a rebellion against the one Master, whom he has appointed.

Should any system, or doctrine, there­fore, by the wife and the learned, be now proposed to us as a rule of faith, our first business is to enquire, whether this be the religion of Christ? If this be affirmed, we would then ask, whether the thing proposed be the Gospel itself? If this be denied, on the contrary, we would say, that we have only one Master, even Christ. But, if we are again told, that, what is proposed is a true summary of the Gospel; we would, in this case, reply, that the Gospel is its own best summary, that we have nothing to do with any other; that Christ has expressly taught us to search the Scriptures, but never taught us, to take up with any pretend­ed summary of them. But should it farther be insisted on, that the thing pro­posed is the doctrine of the True Church; we would then ask, of what true church? Should it be answered, of the true christian church; we would say, that the true christian church has no rule of faith, but the naked Gospel. Should we, how­ever [Page 33] be still told, of the true christian church, as established by human laws; to this we would give in our testimony, that Christ's kingdom is not of this world, that he hath appointed no Sub-governors in his church, and that when one is of Paul, and one of Apollos, and one of Cephas, all these have so far with­drawn themselves from the church of Christ. But, if it should be said, in the last place, that we are incompetent judges of the Scriptures, that the busy part of mankind have not time to study them, nor capacities to understand them, and that, therefore, for the prevention of heresy, there are certain holy officers ap­pointed in God's church, and purposely trained up at the foot of the altar, and solemnly CALLED and consecrated to de­liver to us the true sense of Scripture: all this, I would positively deny. Or, willing to do something more than offer what may be called a bold assertion, I would argue in this manner; if there be, as is here pretended, any officers appointed in God's Church to deliver to us the true sense of Scripture, let them produce their credentials, before they authoritatively re­quire us to abide by their decisions. God [Page 34] can certainly bear witness of himself: and, if he has sent these men, it may be expected that he will work miracles by them. But, on the contrary, if men have sent them; or, if they of them­selves have assumed what they have not the least ground of pretension to, let them return from whence they came; for, the Christian has only one Master, even Christ.

Besides, the pretence itself, that we are incompetent judges of the Scriptures, at least so far as our salvation is concerned in the understanding them, is absolutely without proof, not being warranted, in a single instance, either by Christ, or by any of his apostles. Our Lord, on the contrary, addresseth himself to the under­standings of men. For, If I do not the works of my Father, says he, believe me not ^*. The apostles, in like manner, sup­posed that we are all capable of reasoning and determining for ourselves. Why even of yourselves, is their language, judge ye [Page 35] not what is right? I speak as unto wise men; judge ye what I say; and, truly, had the matter been otherwise, or, had men been taught implicitly to acquiesce in the dictates of their leaders, instead of being directed by their own enquiries after truth, there could never have been a christian in the world.

But, still farther, the authority in question, namely, that of imposing upon one another any particular sense of Scrip­ture, and calling ourselves the Church, and then drawing up a rule of faith for others, which ignorance may invent, and power enforce under the pious sanction of pains, imprisonment, &c. this authori­ty, I say, which has always extended it's influence in proportion to the barbarism of the age, is expressly, and most solemn­ly condemned, by the authority of Christ. He says, that we are all brethren, that we have, therefore, no authority over one another. He says, that we have only one Master. It is an act of treason, there­fore, committed against him, to acknow­ledge any other Master; and, he says, that we shall not, as his followers we can­not, like the unenlightened Heathens, exercise [Page 36] lordship or dominion over one another ^§; that, therefore, neither those men, nor those churches, that usurp any kind of spiri­tual jurisdiction over our faith, can be­long to his kingdom^*. He has, more­over, instructed us, that we are to search the Scriptures ourselves, and not that others are to search them for us ^†.

[Page 37] The apostles of Christ, likewise, charge every man to be fully persuaded in his own mind, and to stand fast in that liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. They, again, teach us, instead of submitting, or subscribing to any articles and con­fessions of faith, composed by weak and fallible, or, by proud and tyrannical men, to prove all things, and to hold fast that which is best: and they pretend to com­mend themselves to the consciences of men, only by manifestation of the truth^‡. They, farther, instead of calling them­selves our Spiritual Lords, or our Right Reverend, or Reverend Fathers, utterly disclaim the being Lords over God's heri­tage, would only be esteemed examples to the flock, helpers of their joy, and their brethren; and, once more, they instead of requiring an implicit faith from their followers, highly applauded the conduct of those, who tried even their inspired doc­trines, according to the Divine Rule; and [Page 38] those of Berea, said they, are more noble than those of Thessalonica, because they searched the Scriptures, to see if those things, those things that were spoken by the apostles themselves, were so, or not^‖.

What shall we say, then, of the pre­tended successors of the apostles, when they would deprive us of the liberty of searching the Scriptures? Arrogant and impious men! How dare they so much as name the name of Christ; and, yet, establish, by violence, their own opini­ons, in opposition to the word of God, most explicitly revealed by Christ? Or, how dare they deny us the privileges of rational beings, who have the Candle of the Lord within us as well as themselves, by affirming or insinuating, that we must take their sense of Scripture for the true sense, and that we must neither judge nor think for ourselves? Nay, grant them [Page 39] but this single point, and they as effec­tually rob us of the benefit of the Scrip­tures, as if we had no possible access to them, or could never be permitted to see them but in an unknown tongue.

But, whether God is to be obeyed, rather than man, judge ye.

The Scriptures, are the great charter of heaven to every man; which we are required to examine for ourselves, and of which we are required to judge for our­selves. As they, therefore, demand our most cordial and grateful reception, we should inviolably maintain the full pos­session of them, and not, by neglecting to make that proper use of them which the Divine Being intended, spurn them from us as gifts not worth preserving. But, while, without evidence, we sub­mit to that sense of the Scriptures which has been affixed to them by men, we are then only the servants of men. On the contrary, while we seriously read, and judge for ourselves, and are determined by that sense of Scripture, which appears to the conviction of our own minds to be the true sense of Scripture, we then sub­mit to the Divine Authority, and are the servants of Christ.

[Page 40] Upon the whole, it is evident, that all human authority in matters of faith, is fundamentally subversive of the Christian Religion; and that all those, therefore, are, so far, the enemies of Christ, who submit to any such authority, or who either directly, or indirectly, countenance any such authority. When any men, therefore, or body of men, or, when any Church, pretend to claim, or exercise any such Authority, to establish any hu­man Creeds, or Articles, or Confessions of Faith, we are warranted to conclude with the inspired Address, ‘'Come out from among them, O my people, and be ye separate, and not partakers of their sins.'’

But, secondly, we may advance a step farther, and shew likewise, ‘'That all human authority in matters of faith, is absolutely repugnant to the very nature of Religion itself.'’ Religion, is a conformity to the will of God, arising from his dominion over us, and all the obligations which we owe him. But, how are the opinions of men, to be re­garded as his will? These vary as much as our faces, and positively contradict one another; which his will cannot. These [Page 41] also contradict his will, when they con­tradict that law which is written in our hearts; for this law is his will. Those, therefore, who, upon their own authori­ty, would impose on us any particular standard of faith, dethrone as much as in them lies the Divine Authority: and those, again, who submit to their autho­rity, do so far disclaim all loyalty to the King of Kings. Besides; God is our Father. He himself hath shewn us what is good, and revealed to us the way of life. Our own breasts, therefore, are our best monitors; and the Word of God our only guide^*. It is to be con­sidered, too, that he is possessed of all power, as well as of all wisdom and goodness. His perfections, then, will not admit the thought, that he hath left our precious souls in the feeble hands of the Church, whether it be a Popish one, or an Episcopalian one, or a Presbyterian one. Nor shall any of those Creed and [Page 42] Confession-makers, therefore, persuade us to be led blindfold to salvation, until they can first produce their commission, clearly sealed with the Seal of Heaven. Nay; If the blind lead the blind, both must fall into the ditch; and, to conclude this point, unless our religion be supported on a thorough conviction, and a deliberate choice, it can neither be a reasonable ser­vice, nor pleasing nor acceptable to the God of Truth.

But, I would observe, in the third place, that ‘'All human Authority in matters of Faith, is a notorious de­parture from our original and avowed principles as Protestants?'’ I might considerably enlarge upon this head; but, besides being precluded thro' the want of time, very few observations will be suffi­cient to my purpose. We cannot, then, it is obvious, without the greatest ab­surdity, and the most glaring contradic­tions, claim that as our own right, which we oppose in the Church of Rome; for, that is certainly lawful in the Church of Rome, which is lawful in any other Church. But, was it not human Au­thority, in particular, that we first op­posed in the Church of Rome? Was it [Page 43] not entirely by human authority, that she established the most enormous super­stitions, the most hellish doctrines, and the most execrable impieties, that ever disgraced the children of men? And, was it not, only for protesting against human authority that the first Reformed were called Protestants? This cannot be de­nied. They nobly pleaded, that we have only one Master, even Christ. They solemnly protested against any other Mas­ter. They protested against the claims of any man, to prescribe the terms of acceptance, or settle the faith of any other man. They protested against all persecutions for conscience sake. They protested against the power, in any man, or in any men, of determining the sense of the Word of God, for any other man, or men. They knew, that it was the usurping of this power, which had over­whelmed the world with darkness, and deluged all Europe with the blood of the Saints of the earth; and they, there­fore, justly considered all who exercised this power, as rebels against reason, a­postates from Revelation, traitors to God, and destroyers of men.

[Page 44] We, therefore, as Protestants, have espoused the same principles, have en­listed in the same liberal, generous cause, the cause of humanity, the cause of truth, the cause of Jesus, and the cause of God. But, if we build again the things we have destroyed, we make ourselves trans­gressors. If we claim the right of exer­cising that very power, which we oppos­ed in our enemies, we stand self-con­demned, we deserve every measure of re­proach and abhorrence, and should be covered with shame and confusion at the name by which we are called. But, if we, on the contrary, vindicate the glo­rious principles of Liberty, of pure, im­partial Liberty, of necessary, reasonable, divine Liberty; I say, of Liberty, not only to differ from the Creed of Rome, but likewise to reject every other Creed but the blessed Gospel, and to form our sentiments even of this, not according to the public voice, but according to every particular man's own reason and consci­ence: if such, my friends, be our prin­ciples, then may we rejoice, and glory in the name of Protestants; for, then, this will be only another name for Christians; for those, who are under the sole influence [Page 45] and authority of our one Divinely-ap­pointed Master, even Christ.

But, once more, ‘'All human Autho­rity in matters of Faith, is likewise diametrically repugnant to our origi­nal, and to our present avowed princi­ples, as Protestant Dissenters.'’ We still continue to vindicate these princi­ples, upon the very same foundation that we vindicate our separation from the Church of Rome; and, certainly, as was hinted before, if we object to hu­man authority in the Church of Rome, we must, to be consistent with ourselves, not to say, if we would profess a dutiful subjection to Christ, object to human authority, wherever else it be found.

Let us examine, then, a little, how the case stands between us. We know, that when King Henry the eighth threw off the Pope's supremacy, he laid claim to, and assumed, this supremacy him­self. By denying the Pope to be our one Master, he did no honour to Christ, be­cause he, likewise, at the same time, de­nied Christ to be our one Master; and usurping the unalienable authority of Christ, he declared himself to be our one Master. He, accordingly, published cer­tain [Page 46] articles of what he called Religion, which bear the same stamp of folly and blasphemy with those of other uncom­missioned spiritual guides, and which whoever denied, or disputed against, was to suffer death. Thus this detestable ty­rant, this monster of pride, iniquity, and lust, made himself the absolute Lord of the lives and consciences of his passive subjects.

His lofty daughter Elizabeth, unhap­pily trod in her Father's steps. Tho' a sufferer herself under her bloody sister, still she retained so much of the spirit of her Father, and of that merciful church from which she would be thought to se­parate, as not to be able to learn the lesson of mutual charity and forbearance, or to hear of the Gospel precept of doing to others, as we would that they should do unto us. But, as if she had been the light of the world, or, as if God com­manded an unlimited submission to her pleasure, or, as if it was treason against her and against heaven, to affect to know more or less than she knew, or not to worship exactly as she did, let the conviction of any [Page 47] persons mind be what it would to the contrary; together with the anti-christian Act of Supremacy, she piously procured another Act, called, ‘'An Act for Uni­formity of Common Prayers, and service in the Church, and Administration of the Sacraments;'’ and besides adopting, according to her Royal taste, a multitude of Popish rites and ceremonies; she like­wise chose to have her priests cloathed after the Popish model. She farther, erected a Court of High Commission to enforce universal obedience to her com­mands; and she punished, or enlightened, all the refractory Non-conformists, with suspension, imprisonment, fines, con­fiscation of goods, banishment or death. These wholesome severities, she found had been practised by preceding princes; and were, no doubt, in her apprehension, essential to her monarchical dignity, and expressive of the tender concern of an affectionate mother for her untoward and undutiful children.

But hence happened that Separation from the Church, which has continued ever since, and which, while there are any such things as reason and truth among men, will ever justify itself to the world. [Page 48] Indeed, all that the Queen's officers could argue, was, that ‘'the things they im­posed were indifferent, that it was re­quisite to order and decency to impose them, and that she had, therefore, a right as Supreme Ecclesiastical Go­vernor to impose them;'’ that is, she had a right, by virtue of an office which could not possibly belong to her, to lord it over God's heritage, which very right it was death to ascribe to the bishop of Rome. But, our noble an­cestors, after seriously consulting their own breasts, and the Word of God, de­clared this right to be a violation of their Christian Liberty. This liberty, they well observed, allowed not the imposition of those things, that were left indifferent in the Gospel. They also objected their scruples of Conscience to the use of the Vestments, not because they had any tur­pitude in themselves, but because they had been the uniform of Pagan and Popish priests, and might therefore be the means of still supporting Pagan and Popish Su­perstition. They affirmed, again, that weak Christians ought not to be con­strained to admit of indifferent things, when they think them unlawful; and, [Page 49] they drew up a declaration, in substance to this effect, called, Reason grounded on Scripture: ‘'It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God, for doing that, which our own consciences, informed by the Word of God, judge to be Evil: For, we would always keep in remembrance that alarming saying of St. John, If our conscience condemn us, God is greater than our conscience. We, therefore, chuse to obey God rather than man; and to suffer, if it be the will of God, for an unshaken attachment to his commandments, and to the dictates of our own consciences, in opposition to the commandments of men.'’

These were the sentiments of our glo­rious forefathers. These were the argu­ments, on which they formed and vindi­cated their separation from the Establish­ment; and, neither of these sentiments, nor of these arguments, can we yet be ashamed, unless we first renounce the principles of reason, of liberty, of truth, and of the Gospel, unless we are dead to every spark of honour, generosity, and greatness of mind; unless, indeed, we be ashamed of Christ himself. It is, on the contrary, of the opposite principles [Page 50] that we ought to be ashamed; of the prin­ciples of pride and ambition, of slavery and darkness, of priestly dominion, im­plicit faith, and diabolical Antichristian tyranny. Of these we ought always to be ashamed, as of what unman, and degrade us to a level with the beasts of the field.

But, I would once more, and parti­cularly, observe upon this point, that we do not, now, if we know any thing of our principles, or indeed if we have any principles of our own, profess to be di­rected any farther by the sentiments of our forefathers than they were directed by Truth. We do not profess, even by re­garding their example, to believe any one of their doctrines, or to embrace any one of their opinions, unless such doctrines and opinions are in perfect harmony with our own Reason, and the Word of God. Nay; we profess to reject as freely any doctrines of our fore-fathers, or any of our own former doctrines, as the most obnoxious doctrines of Popery, if the same doctrines now appear to us Anti-christian or absurd. ^*In short, we pro­fess, [Page 51] as Protestant Dissenters, to have, in all our religious concerns, only One Mas­ter, even Christ. Or, to adopt the ra­tional and spirited declaration of the cele­brated Chillingworth—‘'The Bible, the Bible, is our only religion. To this every one of us ought to adhere; for by this every one of us shall be judged; and not according to the understand­ing, or obedience of any man or body of men, but according to our own un­derstanding and obedience. What dili­gence and impartiality we use in learn­ing our duty here, belongs not unto men to judge, but unto God.'’

[Page 52] Upon the whole, I may now, I think, fairly conclude, that the most distant at­tempt to introduce any kind of human authority in matters of faith, is a most abominable despotism, repugnant to the very nature of religion itself, to the ge­nius and groundwork of the christian re­ligion, to the dignity of reason, to the genuine principles of freedom, to the best interests of humanity, to the common Protestant cause, and to our avowed prin­ciples as Protestant Dissenters. If, there­fore, we have only One Master, away with all other Masters; let none other, however famous for wisdom, or rendered conspicuous by sounding titles of honour, have the dominion over us; and, what should particularly and most powerfully induce us to regard the exhortation, is, that the more we examine the several sys­tems that have been espoused by that au­thority which we oppose, the more shall we find them all to have been of a piece with that authority itself. Whether we take up the Popish Manual, the English Thirty-nine Articles and Common Prayer, the Scotch Directory, the Augsbourg Con­fession, the articles of Lutheranism, or the Institutions of Calvin, we shall find in [Page 53] them all some things that are equally ir­rational, impious and antichristian. It can, therefore, be nothing less than down­right tyranny and blasphemy, which esta­blish any such authority, or which con­tinue to support it; and it can be nothing less than slavery and darkness which pay any submission to such authority. But if there be those, after all, who still determine to submit to human autho­rity, we pretend not to be their judges. They are amenable to a future tribunal: and, according to their actions, according to the sincerity and diligence they used in improving the talents committed to their trust, they shall find their sentence. Yet I cannot help observing, that, until they change their present conduct, they should, to maintain a consistent character, re­nounce the principles of Reason, reject the name of Protestants, and disclaim all the priveleges of Christians.

Let us, however, as members of a king­dom not of this world, resolve to reject all those doctrines of men, which tend to make void the doctrines of God. Let us firmly and deliberately resolve to submit only to our One Master, even Christ. But, as he was divinely authorised to communicate to [Page 54] us the whole will of God, and nothing but the pure will of God, let us be persuaded to attend to all his instructions as we re­gard our own Salvation. Let us, when­ever we open the sacred Volume, to be taught of him, consider ourselves as un­der the direction of God himself, because he was taught of God; and let us, whenever his animating discourses are read to us out of this Volume, hearken with that reverence which is due to the wisdom of God. Again, let us consider, that mere knowledge only puffeth up. Let us, therefore, while we are earnestly endea­vouring to treasure up the doctrines of Christ, endeavour also, in our conduct, so to make our light shine amongst men, that others seeing our good works, may be hence led, with us, to glorify our Father who is in Heaven.

The grand point is this. We should set our affections upon the things that are above. Seeing that we look forward to a future incorruptible inheritance, this in­heritance should ever be our jewel of great price. We should consider in the same view, as the passing vapours, all the riches, and honours, and pleasures, of this present transient scene. We should [Page 55] account nothing honourable, which does not respect the will of the Supreme Law­giver. We should esteem nothing great or good, which is not a resemblance of his most glorious perfections. We should be endowed, therefore, with bowels of the most tender mercies to our fellow men. We should be strangers to all wrath, and malice, and envy, and evil-speaking, and especially to all cruelty, oppression, and revenge. We should love, as brethren, the whole human race; remembring that GOD IS LOVE, and that in this was the love of God manifested, that he gave us his Only-begotten, or his well-be­loved Son, that whoever believeth in him might not perish, but have Everlasting life.

The mention of this life, is sufficient to make us SHEW OURSELVES MEN. With such an object in view, we can pronounce nothing very grievous that may befal us here. With such an object in view, though all the terrors of our spiritual adversaries are at the same time before our eyes, we shall be stedfast and immoveable, and al­ways abounding in the work of the Lord. We shall not envy the high and mighty. We shall not be moved to neglect the least [Page 56] duty, by the tide of popular prejudices. Pomp and shew, will but little affect us. Truth will have more charms in it than all the world besides. We will blush for those, who triumph in their successful am­bition. We will sit easy under the laugh­ter of fools. We will pity the scorner; and, all the pride, reviling, and ridicule, to which we stand exposed, shall not be able to touch us.

Besides, that the world is against us, should not greatly affect us, or rather should give us no kind of pain or dis­couragement. The world was against our Lord; but the High and Lofty One, who inhabiteth Eternity was his refuge; and we, in like manner, if we follow his steps, shall be always secure under the arms of Omnipotence. The friendship of God, will always support and refresh us, will give light to our souls in the dark valley of the shadow of death, and, at last, deliver us from every Evil, and crown us with every good. His friend­ship, truly, is sufficient to reconcile us to all circumstances.

To know, likewise, that our inevitable allegiance to Him, brings troubles upon us, that we suffer for espousing the Ever­lasting [Page 57] Laws of Righteousness and Truth, instead of making us disconsolate, must make us always happy. For, this is the noblest cause in the world. To vindicate such a cause, places us among the first of human beings. To be cast into dun­geons for such a cause, is a distinguish­ing honour. To finish our course upon the scaffold for such a cause, is our great­est glory. Nay; we mention, with a high veneration, those heroes, who fall in battle fighting for their country. With a sort of wonder and reverence, we re­hearse the name of Wolfe. But, what are ten thousand such to the great Captain of our Salvation! What are ten thou­sand such, even to any other man, who sacrifices his Life in the cause of sacred truth! The martyrs of Religious Liberty suffer for our dearest privileges, and our best interests, for the cause of God, and the most important concerns of all man­kind; and their names are written in Heaven, and shall be held in EVER­LASTING REMEMBRANCE.