1 Cor. 3. 15. But he himself shall be Saved, yet so as by Fire.

THE Context runs thus. According to
the grace of God which is given unto me,
as a wise Master-builder, I have laid
the Foundation, and another buildeth thereon: But
let every man take heed how he Buildeth thereupon.
For other Foundation can no man lay, than
that which is laid, Jesus Christ. Now if any man
Build upon this Foundation, Gold, Silver, Precious
Stones, Wood, Hay, Stubble, Every mans
work shall be manifest, for the day shall declare
it; But it shall be revealed by Fire, and the Fire
shall try every mans work of what sort it is. If any
man's work abide which he hath Built thereupon,
he shall receive a Reward. If any man's work
shall be burnt, he shall suffer loss; BUT HE
HIMSELF SHAL BE SAVED; YET
SO AS BY FIRE.
IN these Words the Apostle speaks of a sort
of Persons, who held indeed the Foundation
of Christianity, but Built upon it such Doctrines
or Practices as would not bear the trial; which

B

he expresseth to us by Wood, Hay, and Stubble,
which are not proof against the Fire. Such a
person, the Apostle tells us, hath brought himself
into a very dangerous state, though he
would not absolutely deny the possibility of his
Salvation; He himself shall be saved, yet so as by
Fire.
That by Fire here, is not meant the Fire of
Purgatory, as some pretend who would be
glad of any shadow of a Text of Scripture,
to countenance their own dreams I shall neither
trouble you nor my self to manifest.
It is very well known, that this is a Proverbial
phrase, used not only in Scripture, but in
prophane Authors, to signifie a narrow escape out
of a great danger. He shall be saved, yet so as
by Fire, , out of the Fire. Just as
is used, 1 Pet. 3.20. where the Apostle
speaking of the eight persons of Noah's family,
who escap'd the Flood, ,
they escaped out of the Water. So here this
phrase is to be rendred in the Text, He himself
shall escape, yet so as out of the Fire. The like
expression you have, Amos 4. 11. I have pluckt
them as a Firebrand out of the Fire. and Jude
23. Others Save with fear, plucking them out of
the Fire. All which expressions signifie the
greatness of the danger, and the difficulty of
escaping it. And so the Roman Orator
who, it is likely did not think of
Purgatory, useth this phrase; Quo ex judicio,

2

velut ex incendio, nudus effugit; From which
Judgement or Sentence he escaped naked, as it
were out of a burning. And one of the Greek
Orators tells us, That to save
a man out of the Fire, was a
common proverbial speech. And
thus St. Chrysostom interprets this very place,
He shall escape as one that escapes out of the
Fire, that is, saith he as one who when his
house at midnight is set on Fire, wakes and leaps
out of his Bed, and runs naked out of the doors, taking
nothing that is within along with him, but imploying
his whole care to Save his body from the
flames.
From the Words thus explained, the Observation
that naturally ariseth is this. That
men may hold all the Fundamentals of Christian
Religion, and yet may superadd other things whereby
they may greatly endanger their Salvation.
What those things were, which some among
the Corinthians Built upon the Foundation of
Christianity, whereby they endanger'd their
Salvation, we may probably conjecture, by
what the Apostle reproves in this Epistle as the
tolerating of Incestious Marriages, communicating
in Idol Feasts, &c. And especially by the
Doctrine of the false Apostles, who at that time
did so much disturb the peace of most Christian
Churches, and who are so often and so severely
reflected upon in this Epistle. And what their
Doctrine was, we have an account Acts 15. viz.

B2

that they impose upon the Gentile Christians,
Circumcision, and the Observation of the Jewish
Law, teaching that unless they were Circumcised
and kept the Law of Moses, they could not be saved.
So that they did not only Build these Doctrines
upon Christianity, but they made them equal
with the Foundation, saying, That unless men believed
and practised such things, they could not be
Saved.
I shall at this time take occasion from
this passage of the Apostles to consider these
two things.
I. Some Doctrines and Practises, which
have been built upon the Foundation of Christianity
to the great hazard and danger of mens
Salvation; And to be plain, I mean particularly,
by the Church of Rome.
2. Whether our granting a possibility of Salvation
though with great hazard to those in
the communion of the Roman Church, and their
denying it to us, be a reasonable argument and
encouragement to any man to betake himself
to that Church?
And there is the more reason to consider
these things, when so many seducing Spirits are
so active and busie to pervert men from the
Truth; and when we see every day so many
Persons and their Religion so easily parted. For
this reason these two Considerations shall be
the subject of the following Discourse.
I. First, We will consider some Doctrines
and Practices which the Church of Rome hath
built upon the Foundation of Christianity, to
the great hazard and danger of mens Salvation.
It is not denied by the most judicious Protestant
but that the Church of Rome do hold all the Articles
of the Christian Faith which are necessary
to Salvation. But that which we charge
upon them, as a just ground of our Separation
from them, is, the imposing of new Doctrines and
Practices upon Christians, as necessary to Salvation,
which were never taught by our Saviour,
or his Apostles; and which are either directly
contrary to the Doctrine of Christianity, or too
apparently destructive of a good Life. And I
begin,
I. With their Doctrines. And, because I
have no mind to aggravate lesser matters, I will
single out four or five points of Doctrine, which
they have added to the Christian Religion, and
which were neither taught by our Saviour and
his Apostles, nor own'd in the first ages of Christianity.
And the
First which I shall mention, and which being
once admitted, makes way for as many Errors
as they please to bring in, is this their Doctrine
of Infallibility. And this they are very stiff

B3

and peremptory in, though they are not agreed
among themselves, where this Infallibility is
seated; whether in the Pope alone, or a Council
alone, or in both together, or in the diffusive body
of Christians; But they are sure they have it,
though they know not where it is.
And is this no prejudice against it? can any
man think, that this priviledge was at first conferred
upon the Church of Rome, and that Christians
in all Ages did believe it, and had constant
recourse to it, for the determining of differences,
and yet that that very Church, which
hath enjoyed and used it so long, should now
be at a loss where to find it? Nothing could
fall out more unluckily, than that there should
be such differences among them about that
which they pretend to be the only Means of
ending all differences.
There is not the least intimation in Scripture
of this priviledge conferr'd upon the Roman
Church; nor do the Apostles, in all their Epistles,
ever so much as give the least direction
to Christians to appeal to the Bishop of Rome
for a determination of many differences, which
even in those times, happen'd among them. And
it is strange they should be so silent in this matter,
when there were so many occasions to speak
of it; if our Saviour had plainly appointed
such an infallible Judge of Controversies, for
this very end, to decide the differences that
should happen among Christian. It is
strange that the Ancient Fathers, in their disputes
with Hereticks, should never appeal to
this Judge; Nay it is strange they should not
constantly do it, in all cases, it being so short
and expedite a way for the ending of Controversies.
And this very consideration, to a
wise man, is instead of a thousand arguments
to satisfie him that in those times no such thing
was believed in the whole world.
Now this Doctrine of Infallibility, if it be not
true, is of so much the more pernicious consequence
to Christianity, because the conceit of
it does confirm them that think they have it,
in all their other errors; and gives them a pretence
of assuming an Authority to themselves
to impose their own fancies and mistakes upon
the
whole Christian world.
2. Their Doctrine about Repentance. Which
consists in confessing their Sins to the Priest;
which if it be but accompanied with any degree
of Contrition, does, upon Absolution received
from the Priest, put them into a state of
Salvation, though they have lived the most
lewd and debauched lives that can be imagin'd;
than which nothing can be more destructive of
a good life. For if this be true, all the hazard
that the most wicked man runs of his Salvation
is only the danger of so sudden a death, as
gives him no space for Confession and Absolution.
A case that happens so rarely, that
any man that is strongly addicted to his Lusts,
will be content to venture his Salvation upon
this hazard; and all the Arguments to a good
Life will be very insignificant to a man that
hath a mind to be wicked, when Remission of
Sins may be had upon such cheap tearms.
3. The Doctrine of Purgatory. By which
they mean a state of Temporary Punishments
after this Life, from which men may be released
and Translated into Heaven, by the Prayers
of the Living and the Sacrifice of the Mass.
That this Doctrine was not known in the Primitive
Church, nor can be proved from Scripture,
we have the free acknowledgement of as
Learned and Eminent men as any of that
Church; which is to acknowledge that it is a
Superstructure upon the Christian Religion.
And though in one sense, it be indeed a building
of Gold and Silver upon the Foundation
of Christianity, considering the vast Revenues
which this Doctrine and that of Indulgences,
which depends upon it brings into that
Church; yet I doubt not, but in the Apostles
sense, it will be found to be Hay and Stubble.
But how groundless soever it be, it is too
gainful a Doctrine to be easily parted withal.
4. The Doctrine of Transubstantiation. A
hard word, but I would to God that were
the worst of it; the thing is much more difficult.
I have taken some pains to consider
other Religions that have been in the World,
and I must freely declare, that I never yet,
in any of them, met with any Article or Proposition,
imposed upon the beleif of men,
half so unreasonable and hard to be believed
as this is. And yet this, in the Romish Church,
is esteemed one of the most principal Articles
of the Christian Faith: though there is no
certain Foundation for it in Scripture, then
for our Saviours being Substantially changed into
all those things which are said of him, as
that he is a Rock, a Vine, a Door, and a hundred
other things.
But this is not all. This Doctrine hath not
only no certain Foundation in Scripture, but I
have a far heavier charge against it, namely,
that it undermines the very Foundation of
Christianity it self. And surely nothing ought
to be admitted to be a part of the Christian
Doctrine, which destroys the reason of our
belief of the whole. And that this Doctrine
does so, will appear evidently, if we consider
what was the main Argument which the Apostles
used to convince the World of the truth
of Christianity. And that was this; That our
Blessed Saviour, the Author of this Doctrine,
wrought such & such Miracles, and particularly that
he rose again from the Dead; And this they proved,
because they were eye-witnesses of his
Miracles, and had seen him, and conversed
with him after he was risen from the Dead.
But what if their senses did deceive them in
this matter? then it cannot be denied, but
that the main proof of Christianity falls to the
ground.
Well! We will now suppose as the
Church of Rome does Transubstantiation to
have been one part of the Christian Doctrine,
which the Apostles Preached. But
if this Doctrine be true, then all mens Senses
are deceived in a plain sensible matter,
wherein 'tis as hard for them to be deceived,
as any thing in the world; For two things
can hardly be imagin'd more different, than a
little bit of Wafer, and the whole Body of a
Man.
So that the Apostles perswading men to
believe this Doctrine, perswaded them not
to trust their Senses, and yet the Argument
which they used to perswade them to this was
built upon the direct contrary principle, that
mens Senses are not to be trusted; For if they
be not, then notwithstanding all the evidence
the Apostles offer'd for the Resurrection of
our Saviour, he might not be risen; and
so the Faith of Christians was vain. So they
that represent the Apostles as absurdly as is
possible, viz. going about to perswade men out
of their Senses, by vertue of an Argument,
the whole strength whereof depends upon the
certainty of Sense.
And now the matter is brought to a fair
issue. If the testimony of Sense be to be
relied upon, then Transubstantiation is false:
If it be not, then no man is sure that Christianity
is true. For the utmost assurance that
the Apostles had of the truth of Christianity,
was the testimony of their own Senses concerning
our Saviours Miracles; and this Testimony
every man hath against Transubstantiation.
From whence it plainly follows, that no man
no not the Apostles themselves had more
reason to believe Christianity to be true, than
every man hath to believe Transubstantiation to
be false. And we who did not see our Saviours
Miracles as the Apostles did and have only a
credible Relation of them, but do see the Sacrament,
have less evidence of the truth of Christianity
then of the falshood of Transubstantiation.
But cannot God impose upon the Senses of
men, and represent things to them otherwise
than they are? Yes, undoubtedly. And if he
hath revealed that he hath done this, are we not
to believe him? Most certainly. But then we
ought to be assured that he hath made such a
Revelation; which Assurance no man can have,
the certainty of Sense being taken away.
I shall press the business a little farther.
Supposing the Scripture to be a Divine Revelation,
and that these words This is my Body
if they be in Scripture, must necessarily be
taken in the strict and literal sense. I ask now,
What greater evidence any man has, that these
words This is my Body are in the Bible, than
every man has that the Bread is not chang'd in
the Sacrament? Nay no man has so much; for
we have only the evidence of one Sense that
these words are in the Bible, but that the
Bread is not chang'd we have the concurring
Testimony of several of our senses. In a word,
if this be once admitted, that the Senses of all
men are deceiv'd in one of the most plain sensible
matters that can be, there is no certain
means left either to convey or prove a Divine
Revelation to Men; nor is there any way
to confute the grossest imposture in the World:
For if the clear evidence of all mens Senses be
not sufficient for this purpose, let any man if
he can find a better and more convincing Argument.
5. I will give but one Instance more of
their Doctrines. And that shall be, their
Doctrine of deposing Kings in case of Heresie,
and Absolving their Subjects from their Allegiance
to them. And this is not a meer Speculative
Doctrine, but hath been put in practice
many a time by the Bishops of Rome, as every
one knows that is vers'd in History. For
the Troubles and Confusions which were occasion'd
by this very thing make a good part of
the History of several Ages.
I hope no body expects that I should take
the pains to shew, that this was not the Doctrine
of our Saviour and his Apostles, nor of
the Primitive Christians. The Papists are
many of them so far from pretending to this,
that in some times and places, when it is not
seasonable and for their purpose, we have
much a-doe to perswade them that ever it was
their Doctrine. But if Transubstantiation be
their Doctrine, this is; for they came both
out of the same Forge, I mean the Council
of Lateran under Pope Innocent the Third.
And if as they tell us Transubstantiation
was then establish'd, so was this. And indeed
one would think they were Twins, and
brought forth at the same time, they are so like
one another, that is, both so monstrously unreasonable.
II. I come now in the Second place, to
consider some Practices of the Church of
Rome, which I am afraid, will prove as bad
as her Doctrines. I shall instance in these
Five.
I. Their celebrating of their Divine Service
in an Unknown Tongue. And that not only
contrary to the practice of the Primitive
Church, and to the great end and design of
Religious Worship, which is the Edification
of those who are concerned in it, and it is
hard to imagine how men can be Edified by
what they do not understand but likewise in
direct contradiction to St. Paul, who hath no
less than a whole Chapter, wherein he confutes
this Practice as fully, and condemns it as
plainly, as any thing is condemned in the whole
Bible. And they that can have the face to
maintain that this Practice was not condemned
by St. Paul, or that it was allowed and used in
the first Ages of Christianity, need not be ashamed
to set up for the defence of any Paradox
in the world.
2. The Communion in one kind. And
that notwithstanding that even, by their own
acknowledgement, our Saviour instituted it
in Both kinds, and the Primitive Church administred
it in both kinds. This I must acknowledge
is no addition to Christianity, but
a Sacrilegious taking away of an Essential part of
the Sacrament. For the Cup is as Essential a
part of the Institution as the Bread; and they
might as well, and by the same Authority,
take away the one as the other, and both as
well as either.
3. Their Worshipping of Images. Which
practice notwithstanding all their distinctions
about it; which are no other but what
the Heathens used in the same case flyes as full
in the face of the Second Commandment, as a
deliberate and malicious killing of a man is against
the Sixth. But if the Case be so plain, a
man would think that at least the Teachers
and Guides of that Church should be sensible
of it. Why, they are so, and afraid the people
should be so too; And therefore in their
ordinary Catechisms and Manuals of Devotion,
they leave out the Second Commandment, and
divide the Tenth into two to make up the number,
lest if the common people should know
it, their Consciences should start at the doing
of a thing so directly contrary to the plain
Command of God.
4. The worshipping of the Bread and
Wine in the Eucharist, out of a false and
groundless perswasion, that they are substantially
changed, into the Body and Bloud of Christ.
Which if it be not true, and it hath good fortune
if it be, for certainly it is one of the most
incredible things in the whole world then, by
the confession of several of their own learned
Writers, they are guilty of gross Idolatry.

C

5. The Worship and invocation of Saints
and Angels; and particularly of the Virgin
Mary, which hath now for some Ages been a
principal part of their Religion. Now a man
may justly wonder that so considerable a part
of Religion, as they make this to be, should
have no manner of foundation in the Scripture.
Does our Saviour any where speak
one word concerning the worshipping of
Her? Nay, does he not take all occasions to
restrain all extravagant apprehensions and
imaginations concerning the Honour due to
Her, as foreseeing the degeneracy of the
Church in this thing? When he was told that
his Mother and Brethren were without:
Who says he are my Mother and my Brethren?
He that doth the will of my Father, the same is
my Mother, and Sister, and Brother. And
when the Woman brake forth into that rapture
concerning the blessed Mother of our
Lord; Blessed is the Womb that bear thee, and
the Paps that gave thee suck! Our Saviour diverts
it to another thing; Yea rather, blessed
are they that hear the Word of God and keep it.
Does either our Saviour or his Apostles in all
their Precepts and directions concerning
Prayer, and the manner of it, and by whom
we are to address our selves to God, give the
least intimation of Prayer to the Virgin Mary.
or making use of her Meditation? And can
any man believe, that if this had been the Practice
of the Church from the beginning, our
Saviour and his Apostles would have been so
silent about so considerable a part of Religion?
Insomuch that in all the Epistles of the Apostles
I do not remember that her name is so
much as once mentioned; And yet the worship
of her in the Church of Rome is a main
part of their Publick Worship; yea and of their
Private Devotion too, in which it is usual
with them to say ten Ave Maries for one Pater
Noster, that is, for one Prayer they make to
Almighty God they make ten addresses to the
blessed Virgin, for that is the proportion observed
in their Rosaries. He that considers
this and had never seen the Bible, would have
been apt to think, that there had been more
said concerning Her in Scripture, than either
concerning God, or our Blessed Saviour; and
that the New-Testament were full from one
end to the other of Precepts and Exhortations
to the worshipping of her; and yet when
all is done, I challeng any man to shew me,
so much as one sentence in the whole Bible
that sounds that way. And there is as little in
the Christian Writers of the first three hundred
years. The truth is, this practice began
to creep in among some Superstitious people
about the middle of the fourth Century; And
I remember particularly, that Epiphanius who
lived about that time, calls it, the Heresie of
Women.

C2

And thus I have given you some Instances
of several Doctrines and Practices, which the
Church of Rome have built upon the Foundation
of Christianity. Much more might have
been said of them; but from what hath been
said, any man may easily discern how dangerous
they are to the Salvation of men.

By this time I hope every one is in some
measure satisfied of the weakness of this Argument,
which is so transparent, that no wise
man can honestly use it, and he must have a very
odd Understanding that can be cheated by
it. The truth is, it is a casual and contingent Argument,
and sometimes it concludes right,
and oftner wrong: and therefore no prudent
man can be moved by it, except only in one
case; when all things are so equal on both
sides, that there is nothing else in the whole
World to determine him; which surely can
never happen in matters of Religion necessarily
to be believed. No man is so weak, as not
to consider in the change of his religion,
the merits of the cause it self; to examine the
Doctrines and Practises of the Churches on
both sides; to take notice of the confidence and
Charity of both Parties, together with all other
things which ought to move a conscientious
and a prudent man. And if upon enquiry there
appear to be a clear advantage on either side,
then this Argument is needless, and comes too
late, because the work is already done without
it.
Besides that the great hazard of Salvation
in the Roman Church, which we declare upon
account of the Doctrines and Practises
which I have mentioned ought to deter any
man much more from that Religion, than the
acknowledged possibility of Salvation in it,
ought to encourage any man to the embracing
of it: Never did any Christian Church
build so much hay and stubble upon the foundation
of Christianity; and therefore those
that are saved in it, must be saved, as it were'
out of the fire. And though Purgatory be not
meant in the Text, yet it is a doctrine very
well suited to their manner of building; for
there is need of an Ignis purgatorius, of a fire
to try their work, what it is, and to burn up
their hay and stubble. And I have so much charity
and I desire alwaies to have it as to hope
that a great many among them who live piously,
and have been almost inevitably detain'd
in that Church by the prejudice of Education
and an invincible ignorance, will
upon general repentance find mercy with God,
and though their work suffer loss and be burnt
yet they themselves may escape as out of the fire.
But as for those who have had the opportunities
of coming to the knowledge of the truth,
if they continue in the Errors of that Church,
or Apostatize from the truth. I think their
condition so far from being safe, that there
must be extraordinary favourable circumstances
in their case to give a man hopes of their
Salvation.
I have now done with two things I propounded
to speak to. And I am sorry that the
necessary defence of our Religion, against the
restless importunities and attempts of its Adversaries
upon all sorts of Persons, hath engaged
me to spend so much time in matters of dispute,

D

which I had much rather have employed
in another way. Many of you can be my
witnesses, that I have constantly made it my
business, in this great presence and assembly,
to plead against the impieties and wickedness of
men; and I have endeavour'd, by the best Arguments
I could think of, to gain men over to
a firm belief and serious practice of the main
things of religion. And, I do assure you, I had
much rather perswade any one to be a good
man, than to be of any party or denomination
of Christians whatsoever. For I doubt not but
the belief of the Antient Creed, without the
addition of any other Articles, together with a
good life, will certainly save a man; and without
this no man can have reasonable hopes of salvation,
no not in an Infallible Church, if there
were any such to be found in the World.
I have been, according to my opportunities,
not a negligent observer of the Genius and
Humour of the several sects and professions in
religion. And upon the whole matter, I do
in my conscience believe the Church of England
to be the best constituted Church this
day in the world; and that, as to the main, the
Doctrine, and Government, and Worship of it
are excellently framed to make men soberly
religious: securing men on the one hand from
the wild freaks of Enthusiasm; and on the other,
from the gross follies of Superstition. And
our Church hath this peculiar advantage above
several professions that we know in the
world, that it acknowledgeth a due and just
subordination to the civil authority, and hath
alwayes been untainted in its loyalty.
And now shall every trifling consideration be sufficient
to move a man to relinquish such a Church?
There is no greater disparagement to a mans Understanding,
no greater Argument of a light and ungenerous
Mind, than rashly to change ones Religion.
Religion is our greatest concernment of all other, and
it is not every little Argument, no nor a great noise
about Infallibility, nothing but very plain and convincing
evidence, that should sway a man in this case.
But they are utterly inexcusable, who make a change
of such concernment upon the insinuations of one
side only, without ever hearing what can be said for
the Church they were Baptized and brought up in,
before they leave it. They that can yield thus easily
to the Impressions of every one that hath a design and
Interest to make Proselytes, may at this rate of discretion
change their Religion twice a-day, and instead
of Morning and Evening Prayer they may have a
Morning and an Evening Religion.
Therefore, for Gods sake, and for our own Souls
sake, and for the sake of our Reputation, let us consider
and shew our selves men; Let us not suffer our
selves to be shaken and carried away with every wind;
Let us not run our selves into danger when we may
be safe. Let us stick to the Foundation and Religion,
the Articles of our common belief, and Build upon
them Gold, and Silver, and precious Stones, I mean,
the virtues and actions of a good Life; and if we
would do this we should not be apt to set such a
value upon Hay and Stubble. If we would sincerely
endeavour, to live holy and vertuous lives, we should
not need to cast about for a Religion which may furnish
us with easie and indirect wayes to get to Heaven.
I WILL conclude all with the Apostles
Exhortation. Wherefore my beloved Brethren,
be ye steadfast and unmovable, alwayes abounding
in the work of the Lord.
NOW the God of peace which brought again
from the Dead our Lord Jesus
Christ, the great Shepherd of the Sheep, by
the blood of the Everlasting Covenant make
you perfect in every good work to do his will;
working in you that which is well pleasing in his
sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be Glory
for ever and ever, Amen.
The End.