ction ought to be made between true and falfe Teachers.

2. The fecond Thing I am to explain is more difficult, that the making of this Diftinction between true and falfe Teachers falls within the Duty and Capacity of private Chriftians. Ye shall know them by their Fruits. What Ye are these he fpeaks to? The fame Ye, to whom he preached all the rest of the Sermon, as has been often faid, all bis Difciples, that is, all Chriftians.

But how can private Chriftians be able to dif cern between true and falfe Teachers? and are they obliged to do it, to examine this Matter themselves? Or is it not fufficient to believe their fpiritual Guides in this Matter, and with an implicit Faith to commit themselves to their Conduct? Thefe are Questions of great Importance, and fome of the most fundamental Differences between us and another Church; and therefore it will be neceffary to take fome Pains to fet this Matter in a clear Light, which I shall endeavour to do in the following Account of it.

The Church of Rome contends, that private Perfons are not obliged to fatisfy themselves of the Truth of the particular Doctrines which are taught them; that it is enough that they give up themselves to the Conduct of their Teachers, and believe whatever they require of them; but the Reformed Churches unanimously teach, that it is neceffary we should fee with our own Eyes,' and believe for ourfelves; and explode that lazy and fenfeless Faith of believing confufedly, and in the Lump, as the Church believes. And tho' ye may think it difficult for private Men to exa

mine the particular Doctrines, yet without this it is not to be imagined how they can either understand or believe them. They They are required, in order to this, to ftudy the Scriptures, to confider what Doctrines are propofed to them, and to build up themselves on their most holy Faith. This is not to be fo understood, as if we laid afide the Ufe of Guides; they are certainly great Helps to discover unto us the right Way; only we are not fo implicitly to give up ourselves to their Conduct, but that we are to make use of our own Eyes, and Reason, and Understanding, to try the Doctrine of our Teachers, especially if we have Reason to fufpect that any of them are falfe Teachers; of which there is no furer Sign, than when they pretend to make us fwallow, without chewing, whatever they have a Mind to. Ye know how the Bereans were commended for fearching the Scripture, and for their examining the Apostles Doctrine by it. And this is fo far made our Duty, that we are exprefsly taught to reject the very greatest Minifterial Authority, if it contradicts that Doctrine which we have already received from Chrift and his Apostles. It is a famous Paffage, Gal. i. 8. But though we, or an Angel from Heaven, preach any other Gofpel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed; and then he adds prefently, As we faid before, fo fay I now again, if any Man preach any other Gospel unto you, than that ye have received, let him be accurfed. What fignifies all the Doctrine of the Gospel, if it is in the Power of a falfe Teacher to impofe his falfe Doctrine upon us, by which he can make the Doctrine of the Gospel of none Effect? Before we

thus

thus tamely yield up our own Understanding, we must be well fatisfied that there are any fuch infallible Guides established by Christ, that we are obliged to believe whatever they deliver, whether it agree with the holy Scriptures or no. For if we find no infallible Judge of Doctrines and Controverfies established by Christ, but if all Doctrines are to be examined by the Rule of God's Word; if we are to carry them to the Law and to the Teftimony, then it is certainly the Duty of private Men to be upon their Guard what Doctrines they receive, that they be not impofed upon by falfe Teachers, of which we are affured a great many were to go out into the World. Now it is very certain, that no one Set of Men by Name, nor no one Church, has any fuch Privilege annexed to them, that they cannot err. All Men are liable to Errors and Temptations; and we are not to judge of the Doctrine by the Men, but of the Men by the Doc

trine.

One Thing must be remembred, that we do not pretend private Men are to judge of the Doctrine for others, but only for themselves; for every Man fhall give an Account of himself unto God; and therefore it is his Duty to guard himself, as well as he can, by the Light of Reason, and the Light of Scripture, (for the understanding of which, among other Helps, he will do well to confult learned Men) and by a careful Confideration of the Purport and Tendency of the Doctrines which are propofed to be believed and to admit of nothing which will endanger those excellent Morals taught by our Saviour; for after all, this was the Point our Saviour was

;

aiming to fecure, that we should have no Evafion or Subterfuge from the Obedience he required to these excellent Rules of Duty he had laid down. Since then it is our Duty to know and 'difcern falfe Teachers, let us,

3. In the third Place, enquire what is meant by thofe Fruits, by which, our Saviour fays here, we may know them. Some think they are the Fruits of their bad Lives and Converfations; but I can by no means be of this Opinion; because we are told in the Text, that they come in Sheeps Clothing; that is, as to the Exterior at leaft, they put on a great Shew of Holiness, Innocence, and good Life. And for their Inte rior, who can know it except God?

By their Fruits then, I think, must be meant the natural Tendency and Confequents of their corrupt Doctrines, both on themselves and others ; which are vifible, and fo may be easily known. This feems to be fomewhat out of the common Road and Method of examining Controverfies; and the directing us to a better Way, both plainer and furer, and a Way of greater Confequence and Importance; and therefore it will be very material to enquire a little into it. Our Saviour, for the difcerning of falfe Prophets, doth not send us to any Ecclefiaftical Judicatory; for, as I have often obferved, he is not treating here of the Government of the Church, but of the Method which every private Man is to take to fave his own Soul. For which Reason alfo we are not limited to a Method, which is very proper indeed for learned Men, but not fo fit for the common People, I mean, the critical Search VOL. IV.

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[SERM of the Scripture, the enquiring into the Sense of the Original, with the Propriety of the Tranflations, the Light which is caft on the Text by the Context, and the Defign and Purport of the whole Difcourfe; all very proper to be enquired into by learned Men, who are capable of this fort of Study and Learning. But now here feems to be prescribed a plain, eafy Way of difcerning falfe Teachers from true; and a Way which lies level to the meaneft Capacity; it is only by obferving the Fruits and Confequents of every Do&trine; what it is apt to produce, where it is thoroughly fucked in and believed; and then judging how far thofe Fruits resemble the Doctrine and Spirit of Christianity; e. g. The Spirit of God, being a Spirit of Order, and not of Confufion, whatsoever Prophet or Teacher shall preach up fuch a lawless Liberty, as to exempt People from Laws and Order, from Rules and Government, it is an eafy Thing, by comparing fuch Doctrine, both with the Law of Nature, and with the Laws of the Gofpel, to find out that fuch are falfe Prophets, and that their Doctrine, if received, and followed, and obeyed, would introduce abundance of Disorder and Confufion into the World. So again, the Spirit of God having given us a clear Rule to walk by, namely, the Rule of the Holy Scripture, whatfoever Preacher fhall deliver any Doctrine, either in general difparaging the holy Scriptures, and preferring Enthufiafm; or in particular, fetting up the private Spirit to affert any Thing contrary thereto, it requires no great Depth of Learning to obferve, that fuch Doctrine strikes at the Root of all Revealed Religion, and opens a Door for