(1718) Priest Craft Distinguished From Christianity

8/14/2019 (1718) Priest Craft Distinguished From Christianity

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LIBRARYUniversity of California.

Class


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t'

PrieflcraftDiftinguifh'd from

CHRISTIANITY.(Price One Shilling.)

^' Of THEUNIVERSITYOF


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PRIESTCRAFTDillinguifli'd fromCHRISTIANITY,SHEWING,

I. That Wicked Priefis are the real Amkhrlfis mention'tm Scripture.II. That the Corruption of the Laity in all Chrifiian Statesproceeds from the Corruption of the Clergy.III. That there was a more General Fertue in the groflellTimes of Faganifm, than there has been lince ouib A V I o u R came into the World.

'^' J'^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^ "^^^ General Fertue in other Parts ojthe Globe^ than in the Chrifiian World.^'^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^ "'^^^ Grasr^/ Fertue in our ownisation m the Times of our Ancefiors, than there iinour w Times; and that Prieficraft, and Corruptionof Manners, have increas'd together.

'By Mr. Dennis.'By their Fruits ^e Jhall know them.The Third Edition, Corre^ed.LONDON:

Pnnted for J. Roberts, near the Oxford Arms inWarmck-Lane. MDCCXVIII.


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PREFACE.THAT

the ^DoBrtms "whichthe Clergy preach to the Veo^ple^ and the Examples they

give therri^ have an extraordinary Influ'-ence upon their Thoughts and Jldions^is evident from Experiencey andfromthe very Reafon of the Inftitution oftheCh'de7\ That the Examples 'which toomany of the Cletgy have lately giventhem^ and the "Doctrines "which theyhave preached to them^ have been nei^ther Chrijiian nor Moral^ is too evt^dent from the difmal Coyifequences ofthem y from the ''Divijions "which thtyhave caused in their Hearers \ fromtheir groundlcfs Fears and rfcaloufies ;from their Malice and their implaca-Me Fury ; f 'om their Hatred anJ theirEnmityy not only to each other^ hit iotheir I\lative Country^ to their veryRights Olid Ukr^ies \ from the wfor-A ^ tunate


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The P R F A C tmate Event of the late JVar^ in fpightofSuccefs^ and an unâralleWd Seriesof ViSlories J from a Teace morecalamitous than the moji fatal JVarând more deflruHive of Commerce ifrom the dreadful and horrible "Dangers"which isoe have fo narrowly efcaped bythe imynediate Hand of God^without anyThanks to our own Prudence andVer--tue ; and laflly^from the Dangers andthe Calamities which fliU threaten uSyand Jidl hang over us^ and over all thereji of the Chriftian World.To remove the Caufes of all thefeJVlifchiefs^ that the EffeBs may ceafeît is necejfary to lay down a plain andcertain Rule^ by which the very meanêft of the people may be able to dijiin-^guijh a T^Qdlotfrom an Incendiary, aTrieft of God from a Triefi of Baal jand the "Precepts of the Gofpel fromHuman Traditions and the Do(^rinesof Devils.That I have difcover d and refrov dthe Voices offome of the Clergy by the


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The PRi: FACE.very fame Method by nsohkh Theyhave caused our Mferies ; that I havedone this by a Sermon, by a chofenifxf, andbyfevere, but too juli Re.froaches, zs, I hope, excusable in me,or 1 bey are altogether inescufable : ^tor -whereas Fhey have made ufe ofCalumny and defamation; Ihave keptfinaiy ^thin the Bounds ofa modeflâtyre, whichfpares the ferfoni aidattach the Vues, and never cenfuresthe Dejervmg, nor condemns the Inno^cent-

andn^hereas They have hadre^courje

to Calumny and ungenerous Slanâers, only m order to caufe THvifionsand to tnflame Animofities, I haie eZdeavour^dhpfi Reproaches toreZeandr,preChartty: o&yÎ he Author of the foUo'wing W.cmrfe was born and bred ^n the Col-"^J^^^ of the Church of England-andnothng in the follow^n. ShmsilRod I' ^'''''< ^^d Numerousare truly Chm^nVn^Z


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The PREFACE.of the Church of England. But thenhe declaresy that he, cannot apprehendhew any one can be a truly ChrifiimTr'tefl^ who makes it the entire mfi-nefs of his Life to root Charity outfromthe Souls of Men^ and by that Meansto drive from the Face of the Earth iblivery Life and Soul of Chrifiianity.And as he cannot conceive^ that anyjhing

can be a Tart or a Member of aBody^ wifjic/b has mi a Communicationivith^ and a Subordination to^ the Headof that Body ', m he, cannot conceivethat any

one can be: a Trieji of theChurch of Rome^ w/>(? difowns thePapal Supremacy^ fo he cannot believethat any one com be truly aTriefioftheChurch of England, but he,

-A be^ing united to the Faithful and Obedientfart ofthe Clergy, does with them ac-Imwledge &^ GEORGE a/oj.,for his Rightful Head, and

his ^u-p-eam Ecclefiaflical Qovernour.

'^' ^ THE


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THECONTENTS.THA

T Antichrift, according to thegenuine Meaning of the Word^ fiz^^^fies ont rvho is throughly and entirely

^oppos^d to Chrirt. Page 2That one ivho is throughly 4;^^ entirelyoppos'^d to Chrift, is opposed to him as a.King, a Prieft, and a Prophet. ibid.That tf Chrift is a good Kjng^ Antichriil:mujl he a wicked Tyrant. ibid.That if Chrift is the holiefi of Priefls^ An-tichrift mufi be the vilefi. ibid.

That if Chrift is a true Prophet^ Antichriftmufi be a falfe one. ibid.Of the De(igns^ Dochines^ Examples and In^

fiuences of Christ and Antichrift in theirdifferent oppofite Capacities of King, Prieft,and Prophet. p. ?WhAt the Kjngdom of Chrift is. ibid.

^^^hat the lyranny ^/Antichrift is. ibid.That the Kjngdom of God in Heaven^ is anEmpire of Charity. p. 4

How that Empire was impaired by the Devilat the Fall of the Angels, p. 6That God ejlablifhed the f^me Empire of Cha-rity upon Earth at the Creation oj Man. p. 7B How


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The Contents.Hojv that Empire of Charity was impair"*d bj theDevil upon Earth at the Fall ofMan. p. 8Thit Chrift Jefus came into the World to

rejlore the Empire oftharity; in order towhich he affam^d the Priefthood ; and why.

p. lOHis Doirine as a Prieft. p. 1 4His Life and Example. ibid.His Miracles of a piece with his Doctrine^ and

the reft of his Life^ contrary in this to theMiracles which were wrought by Mofes.

p. 15His Delivery of his Doctrine with Authorityand Power. p. 10Js Religion like Government is to be car-

ried on by the fame Methods by which it atfirfi beganj the Apoftles preach'd the fameDocirtnes after oar Saviour''s Afcenfion,did the fame Miracles^ followed his divineExample, as far as meer Humanity couldfollow itJ and in proportion ufed a like pow-erful Delivery. P* * 7

The Influence that all this had upon the Mindsof Men. . P-iS

That the Devil, alarm'd at this, contnv d by, ;e4jc//o/e Chriftian Priefts, to makt

Lhrifiianity the Occafwn of introducing amore defperate Divifwn among Men, thanever had been known before ; in order tcwhich^ he obliged them to preach his Do-Brine for the DoUrine of Chrift. p. 1 9' That


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The Contents.That thefe Vriefis thtt^s acting by the Suggeftionof the Devil^ are the Antichrifts mentionedin the Text. P- 20

Their Doctrines. p 21Their Lives. P- 2^Their Delivery of their Doctrines. p. 24The Influence that all this has had upon theMinds of Men. p. ? iThat there was a more General Vertue in the

groffeft times ^/Paganifm, than there hasbeen Cmce our Saviour came into the World.p. ?2That there is a more General V^ertue in other

Farts of the Globe^ than in the ChriftiunWorld. ^ p. 5 5That there was a more General Vertue in ourown Nation in the tifhes of our Jncefiors^than there is in our own times ; and thatPrieftcrafc and Corruption ofManners haveencreas'^d together. P* ?8That the Corruptions of the Laity in allChri-Jlian States^ proceed from the Corruptionsof the Clergy, prov'd from two Argu^ments. p, ^gAntichrift oppos'^d to Chrifl: a4 a Prophet.

Ip. 42

'The Predictions of our Saviour concerning theJewifh Temple. ibid.The Prediction of Antichrift concerning theChriftian Church, and the Mifchiejs thatare like to befal it. ibid,


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The Contents.HofP falfe andfrivolous theje Vrediciions are.

P-4?All the Marks of Antichrift reduced to ogrand Charalerifticd Mark^ which is^ thewrejiing the Words of the Goffel to meanfon^ethwg contrary to the great Deftgns ojChriJUa?7ity. p. 49Yhofp ' 'ejigns are Ttvo^ viz.1. To rejiore the Law of Nature. ibid,2. To fremote and advance Charity, p. 5 1

A DIS^


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DISCOURSEUPON THEFirft Epistle General

O FSt. J H N,

Chap. a. and part of the 1 8th Verfe.Even now there are many Antichrifis.ssmnBKZBa

py'iiwrn^BM

HERE have been feveralwild and extravagant Ex-plications, or rather Appli-cations of Antkhrifi^ bythofe who have had a mindto fix it upon fome parti-

cular Ferfon, as upon the Pofe^ or Mahomet^or fome other fpiritual or fecular Tyrants,according as they who apply'd it werecorrupted or mifguided by Intereft, orMalice, or Pailion, or Fanatick Enthufi-afm; but by Antichrift, in the genuine


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;-'-- ( 2 )Signification of the Word, may be meantevery one who is thoroughly and entirelyoppofed to the Lord^s Anointed, /. e. toChrifl : But becaufe there are no Creaturesfo oppos'd, and fo contrary to him, as theDevil and his Angels, they are moft pro-perly the Antichrifts of whom the Apoftlefpeaks, wlio^ppear in fundry Shapes uponthis Earthly Globe, and make ufe of hu-fmane Inftruments and humane Organs toaccomplifli their infernal Defigns. Andas we may find, by the Words ofour Text,that many of them appeared in the World,even in the moll pure and primitive Times,who is fo ,eafy as to believe that they arenot more numerous in our Days? In orderthen to the defcrihing and diftinguifhingthm, fo that they may be clearly knownand difcoverM, we intend in the enfuingDifcourfe to handle thefe three Points.

F/>/,We fliall give tlie general Marksof this thorough and entire Oppofition of

Antichrift to ChrilhHtcondlj, We fhall confider the Defigns,the Doftrines, the Examples, and the In-

fluences of one and the other, accordingto thofe general Marks of Oppofition.Thirdly^ We fhall reduce all thefe Marks

to one grand Charafteriflical Mark ; andwhen . we have done this, it will be eafyfor


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(3)for you (Brethren) to make the AppHca-tion your felves, and to point out thefe toone another ; of whom it may be faid, inthe Words of the Text, viz,. Even nowthere are rnm^ Jntichrijls. A 10 llul

Firft then, As ourSaviourtv^aslaTrieft,and the beft and hoHeft of Priefts ; Anti-chrift muft be Hkewife a Prieft, afting bythe Suggeftion of the Devil ; for no one canbe thoroughly and entirely oppofed to thebeft and the holieft, but the moft profligateand the vileft of Priefts.

Secondly^ As Chrift is a King who isperfectly good and gracious; Antichriftmuft be the worft and moft infupportableof Tyrants.

Thirdly, As our Saviour was a Fropliet,and an infallible Prophet, becaufe he couldnot but foretel the Events which he him-felf had decreed ; Antichrift, in Oppofitionto him, muft be a Prophet, and for thisReafon a falfe and deluding Prophet, be-caufe he has neither himfelf any Powerover the Future, nor is influenced and en-lightened by him who has. But now wecome,

Secondly^ To confider the Defigns, theDodlrines, the Examples, and the Influen-ces of Chrift and Antichrift in their Prieft-hood, their Prophecies, and their Empire.


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( + )Firfi^V^t fhall begin with their Empire,

becaufe Chrift was a Prophet and a Prieft,only to advance his Kingdom ; and Anti-chrift too is a Prophet, and a Prieft, only.to promote his Tyranny. Let us now feewhat fort of Kingdom the one, and whatfort of Tyranny the other, came into theWorld to eftabhfli.Since then the Kingdom of Chrift, or ofthe Meffiah, is a Spiritual Kingdom, or theKingdom of Heaven, the Tyranny of An-tichrift mufl: be a Spiritual Tyranny, or theTyranny of the Prince ofDarknefs.Let us now enquire what this Kingdomof Heaven is, and in what it confifts ; howit began and flourifh'd ; how it came to beimpairM, and how far our Saviour came toreftore it ; and we fhall fee, by makingthis Enquiry, what fort of Tyranny theTyranny of the Devil is ; how it began ,how it increafed, how it came to be im-paired ; and how far Antichrift has a defignto reftore it.The Kingdom of Heaven then, is aKingdom whofe King propofes^ the Hap-pinefs of his Subjects, as the ultimate Endof his Reigning over themVfo^' God isperfeftly happy in himfelf, and wants notour Obedience, nor our Service. A King-dom whofe King propofcs to make his Sub-jeds eafy and happy here, to prepare themfor


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I 5 ;for eternal Happinefs hereafter. Man. if.128. Come unto me all ye that Ubour and ar^heanjy laden ^ and 1 will girue you refi. HisEmpire then rauft be an Empire of Rea-fon and Law, and,, by Confequenee, anEmpire of Liberty. St. "James 1.5. Btltwhofo looketh into the ferfeci law of liberty-^that man

jhailbe

hlejfedtn his deed. 'Tis^thisLaw of Liberty which eftabHflies the RuleofReafon, to reilore the Kingdom of God',

his Empire over the S^ul and Confcience^and frees Man from the'^Slavery into whichhe was brought by his Paflions, which isthe Empire and Tyranny qfthe Devil, andof AntichrifthisSon. ^^ -q?-For this Tyranny of Antichrill:, being

in every thing oppofite to the Kingdom ofChrift, muft defign both the Temporaland Eternal Mifery of his Subjefts; muftdefign to make them unhappy here, inorder to the making them eternally mife-rable hereafter, and mull not be a Rule ofReafon and Law, but an Empire of Paflioaand Will; and muft tend in every thingto fubvert the Empire which Chrift hatheftablifhed upon Earth, and to reftore theTyranny of the Devil, whofe Kingdom, asit began at firft, fo it hath ever fince conti-nued, in Oppofition to, the Kingdom ofHeaven. And as our Saviour teaches hisDifciples to renounce the World, the Flefli,C and


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and the Devil, in order to advance hhKingdom upon Earth, Antichrift obligeshis to make Life of all three, to promoteJiis fpiritiKil Tyranny.The Kingdom of Heaven began withthe Creation of Angels. God reign'd overthofe blelTed Spirits, who are entirely hap-py in their Obedience ; and their great andcomprehenfible Law was Love, the LoveofGod and their Fellow Creatures: Theyloved God, becaufe they faw him as he is,all Beauty and all Attraction ; and they lo-ved their Fellow Creatures, becaufe theyfaw them the Obje6ls of their Creator'sLove, Gofp. of St. Johp^^ Ch. 15. ver. 12.This is my commandment^ That je love Qne a--pothery as I have loved you. i Epift. of St.^ohn^ Ch. 4. ver. 11. IfGodfo loved ms^ weought alfo to love one another. And this Love.was at once their Duty and their Happi-nefs; a Love,attended with perfeft Plea-fure, and witli Joy unfpeakable. / ;But when afterwards the impious Afpi-rer, Lucifer^ Aixw off his Love from hisCreator and his Fellow Creatures, andplaced it upon himfelf^ that Self-love wasimmediately attended with Pride, andRage, and Envy, and Hatred, and Malice ;Paflions till then unknown in Heaven, asbeing inconfiftent with perfed Happjaefs.

'thus


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(7)Thus k\\ Lucifer ; but a!on he fell not ;

Millions of immortal Spirits be drew afterhim into Perdition. By his Lies he fedu-ced their Souls, defaced in their JMindsthe Love of their Creator, and of theirFellow Creatures for their Creator's fake,and planted the Love of themfelves there.With Divine Love away went all theirHappinefs. Selflove was immediately fo^lowed in them, as in their Seducer before,by Pride, and Rage, and Envy, and Ha-tred5and Malice; and they who while theywere united to God by Love, were Angels,divided from him byPride and Hate,becamcimmediately Devils ; and from the moftglorious, moft happy, moft beautiful partof the Creation, became all on a fuddenthe moft execrable and the moft horrible :And as before they fell, that Divine Loveby which they were united to God, was atone and the fame time their fovereign Law,and their fupreme Felicity ; fo when byPride and Hatred, and the reft of theirDiabolical Paflions, they broke that DivineUnion, their Pride, their Hatred, and thereft of their tormenting Paflions, became atonce their Tranfgreffion and their Hell.'Twas after this that God created Man,to fupply the Room of the fallen Angels,and to plant the fame Kingdom uponEarth which remained among t;he blelTed-^ C 2 Spirits


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(Spirits in Heaven. He. created him littlelower than the Angels; enlightned, innorcent, happy, immortal The Empire ofhis Maker was the fame in him, that it ^was in thoiebleiTed Spirits, an Empire ofiReafon and Law ; and the fame Law wasgiven to him which made the Angels haprn;py. That great and comprehenilve LaWwas love ; the Love of his Maker and ofM> Fellow Creatures> for his Creator'sfeke ; wf2ich (as the Apoftle of the Gentileste] Is us) isthefuljillwg of^/lLm ; and whichour Saviour had told us before, Gofp. ofSt. John, Chap. 14. ver, 2^. If ^ rnm loveme^ be will keep my words^ and my Father wiHlove him^ a^d we will come unto him^ and makeour abode with him. And as long as thischarming Law remained in the Heart ofMan inviolated, it was always attendedwith Peace, and Joy, and inexpreffible'tJappinefs.But Satan, who in every thing by Dirvine Permiffion oppofes the Defigns of God,attempted to deltroy that Kingdom uponEarth, which he had before impaired inHeaven. And what Wonder if the Sedu-cer of Angels fucceeded in his AttemptsjLipon Man ; if he extinguifhM Divine Lovein his Heart, and inflamM it with Sejfvlove ; if he diffolved that Union whichMan had with God, and pvmurn d bis


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(9)Dependance on him ; deftroyM the Em-pire which Heaven had fet up in his Soul,which was an Empire of Reaibn and Law,and eftablifh'd his own Tyranny there; anEmpire of Will and Paffion, of Pride, andRage; and Hatred, and Malice, and all'thofe accurfed and damnable Paflions, by'which the Tormentor is himfelf tormen-ted, to which the Tyrant is himfelf aSlave ?

Thus Satan brought Sin, and Mifery,and Death upon Man; who was crea-ted innocent, happy, immortal : And theKingdom which he eftabUfhed here uponFarth, in oppofition to the Kingdom ofHeaven, encreas'd fo faft, and extended fowide, that Charity, which is the Love ofGod and our Neighbour, was almoft ex-tinguifh'd upon Earth ; that Men weremiferably divided from God, and from oneanother ; and that all Mankind, to thereferve of a fmall Remnant, were becomeabandoned Slaves to the Devil, and to De-yilifh Paflions , when Jefus Chrift cameinto the World to reftore the Kingdom ofhis Father, and to deftroy the Tyranny ofthe Devil.

For this Purpofe the Son of God wasmanifefted. That he migh defiroy the tvorksof the DevH^ i Epift. o^Si.John^ Chap. ^.Verc 8.


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( 10)When the Son of God came into the^World to deftroy the Tyranny of the De-vil, and to reftorehis own and his Father'sKingdom ; that Kingdom of Love, and-Peace, and joy, which was by the DivinelPermiffion impaired upon Earth by th#Devil, at the Fall ofMan, and under which ^the bleifed Spirits are for ever happy inHeaven; in order to reftore that King-dom, he aflum'd tlie Priefihood. Not onlybecaufe there was a Neceflity for a Prieft,who could make a propitiatory and fatif-faftory Samfice for the ains of the World ;-but becaufe alfo there was a Neceflity fora Doftrine, which might incline and refti-fie the Wills of Men, by enhght'ning andconvincing their Underftandings ; that asMan fell from Perfeftion freely and of hisown choice, he might likewile be reftorMfreely and of his own choice ; fince if theChange in him fhould be wrought whollyby Grace, his Converfion would proceedfrom a Force as it were upon his Mind,and would not be the A ftion of a freeifigent.The Kingdom then that our Saviourcame to reftore, was the Empire of Cha-rity, the Love of God, and of our Neigh-bour for the fake of God. For where-everthat Divine Love reigns, there is the King-dom of Heaven; and where-ever that Love

.' is


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4s wanting. Is Hdl and outer Darknefs..Beloved (fays St. 'ôhn) let m love one am-ther. Ever} one that loveth is born of GodyAnd knoweth God. He that loveth not^ knowêth not God : for God is love^ St. fohn^s firft.Epift. Chap. 4. Ver. 7, 8. But here, bythe way, we are t6 take notice, that thisLove of our Neighbour is to be extendedto all Mankind, even to our moft cruelEnemies : But it ought to be more intenfeor remifs, according to the different Re-lations in which Men ftand to each other*We ought to love Chriftians more thanInfidels ; our Parents and Kindred morethan our Acquaintance ; our Acquaintancemore than Strangers, and our CountryMen more than Foreigners. ^ AAs the Law of Divine Love, in theObfervation of which lay the Happinefs ofthe firft Man, and the Perfeflion of hisNature, was fubverted bySeh^-love, uponthe Suggeftion of the Devil; our Saviour,that he might re-efl:abHfli

that Divine Loveendeavoured to root out the Love of one'sSelf, by a Doftrihe that was beft adaptedto thq reafonable Nature of corruptedMan. He attacked it therefore in all thefeveral Branches of it, Pride, Avarice andLuxury ; or in the Words of St. ôhn. Thelufl of the p^^ the lufi of the eye^ and theprtde of life : to which he oppos'd a pro*found


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found Humility, ^ rigid Mortification, anda fincere Difinrereftednefs. Not that fanta-ftick Scorn of the World which proceedsfrom a Stoical Pride, but that which is foun-ded upon the moft folid Foundation, theIntereft that one has in God: For he tohimfelf being felf-fuiBcient^ he who hashim, has all Things. ^o io

But as Pride is the moft dangieWus'bfthethree forementionM Sins, (for that is thecontinual Feaver of the Mind; whereasthe other attack it but by irregular Ac-celTes, Pride infolently intruding at thfevery Altar, where the others never dareto approach,) there is no Vertue that out-Saviour recommends more throughout thewhole Gofpel, than Humility ; nay, almoftevery Vertue which he recommends to hisDifciples, appears to be founded on that ;as Poornefs of Spirit, Meeknefs, Gentlenefs,Patience,Forbearance,Peace-making/Long-fuffering, Mercy, Forgivenefs: for nothingis more ufual than for the Proud to befwoln and drunk with Vanity ; to be pro-voking, difdainful, infolent, fiery, impa'tient, intractable, cruel, revengeful, im-placable. That Sorrow and Remorfewhich is neceffary to Repentance, implieda fevere Mortification, upon a View of theTurpitude of Sin, and the Vilenefs of ourown Natures. Even the three Cardinal

Vertues


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(13)Vertues of the Chriftian Religion arefounded upon Humility. Not only Cha-rity, to which the other two are fubor-dinate; for as Pride is the EfFe6l of Self-love, Self-love is augmented by Pride : butFaith, which is an AfTent to Truths aboveour Underftanding, becaufe they are re-vealed by God to us, is an owning of theWeakneis and Blindnefs of ourReafon, asth Hope of Salvation by the Merits ofChrift^ is a manifeft Confeffion of the De-pravity, and Corruption, and Impotence ofôur Wills.

As true Humility is the folid Founda-tion of every Chriftian Vertue ; a Founda-, tim which extending as low as Hell, istheBafis of aFabrick which reaches to. thedyery Heaven of Heavens j our Saviour'sItDoîrine attacked Pride in all its numerousf Offspring, Anger, Envy, Hatred, Malice,and in all their unrighteous Effects, vii^.ij bitter and barbarous Inveftives, prefum-ptuous and damnable Judgments, Debate,Contention, Strife, Revenge, and Murder ;and oppofed to them the contrary Vertues,

i);Pentlenefs, Meeknefs, Patience, Forbea^r-fiAnce, Peace-making, Mercy, Longfuffering,r:)rS\)d Forgivenefs ; nay more, real and un-iofcigned Love to our moft cruel Enemies-^cFhofe who had the /orementionMGreacts,^^;Ûr pSaviour pronounced BlelTed, and iefc


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(H)it to be demonflrated by Experience, howmuch accurfed they were, who were tor-mented by the Paflions, and the Sins.Thus our Saviour taught the Will of hisFather, which defcended from Heaven toEerth with him ; and being for ever anHigh Prieft after the Order o^Melchizedec^the Prince of Peace, an Order which is in-finitely fliperiour to the Aaromcd Order,infufed into the Hearts of his Difciples, nota windy, contentious Zeal, for the Obfer-vation of Forms and Ceremonies, and thePolitical Government of an tftablifh'dChurch ; but Vertues and Graces whichno Philofophy, and no Religion had evertaught before ; viz a profound Humility,and a Love Divine.

But tho' this Doftrine was never foconformable to the reafonable Nature ofcorrupted Man, and tho' it was confirmedby Signs and Wonders, that manifefted aPower which commanded Nature, andwhich made the very Devils obey ; itwould never have prevailed over the Mindsof Men, which are influenced fo forciblyand conftantly by their Senfes, if it hadnot been enforced by the Example of himwho taught it. HisLife and his Dolrinewere all of a Piece : and as the Defign ofhis coming down from Heaven was, bythe means of Humility, torcilore Charity,to


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( 15)to re-unite Mankind to God, and to one a-nother ; his Life and his Death, his In-carnation, his Birth, his Baptifm, hisChoice of the moft abject of Men for hisDifciples, and his Submiflion to the Deathof the Crofs, were each of them fo manyeternal Leflbns of Humihty, were all of'emfo many amazing Miracles of unparalklFdCondelcenfion, and of Love Divine.His very Miracles were of a Piece withthe reft of his Life, and were fo many Ex-amples to that Doftrine of Charity whichthey confirmed by their Power ; as differentin this from thofe which were wrought byMofes^ as their Defigns were different. Foras the Defign of Mofes was to feparateand diftinguifh one Nation from another,and to eftablifh one by the Extirpation ofmany ; the Wonders which, he wroughtwere anfwerable to that Defign, attendedbyTerrour, and followed by Deftruftion,wrought in favour of a few, comparative-ly fpeaking, to the Plague, and Milery,and Deftruclion of many.But as the Defign of our Saviour's de-fcending from Heaven, was to remove allSeparation, and all Diftinclion, and to healall Divifions amongft Men ; as hisDoclrine |was adapted to all Nations, and to all Men, 1contrary in that to the Kites and Cere- jmonies of the Judaick Law ; as it was \D ^ framed^ ^


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( K^)framed to comprehend all, to unite all,and to make all its Followers eafie herq,and eternally happy hereafter: So lika-wife his Miracles, without Partiality andwithout Diftinftion, brought Help andComfort to all, The Roman and the Si^ma^ritan^ as well as the "^ew; had nothing ofTerrour, had nothing of Defl:ru8:ion inthem ; but were peaceful and gentle all ofthem, as the Dove that defcended fromHeaven- upon him. who wrought them. -

: If Men were hungry in deiart Places,he was at the Expence of a New Creationto feed them ; if they were languifhingiUnder Difeafes^ by a fupernaturai Powerhe healed them : he healed them by that

.gentle and peaceful Power which calm'd

.the Winds and Seas that were about to-^deftroy them; that Power that controuJMand rebukM the Devils that were bufied,in tormenting them.-. As our Saviour's Miracles, were all of aPiece with his Doftrine, his Delivery oftliat Dolrine was worthy of them both.It was with Power that penetrated to theinm.ofl: Souly and aftonifliM and confound-

! ed his moft obdurate Hearers. St. LukevChap. 4- Ver. ^2. And they tvere ajiomjhedjgt hts doMrim'^for his nwd rvas rvith poivn.And St. xMattk Chap. 7. Ver. 29. For her taught ih^m as one hazing atjtlwityy and UQt

, I . as


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'^^ur


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( i8)Prefence was weak, and his Speech con-temptible; even this cold and unconcernedApollle, when he difcoursM of Righteouf-nels, of Temperance, and of Judgment tocome, was fo Itrangely animated, fo won-derfully penetrated with the HeavenlyTruths which he utter'd, that the veryTyrant who came to Judge him and toCondemn him, trembled at what his Pri-foner fpoke. Jets 24. 25.Which naturally brings me to the Effe6land Influence, which fo Divine a Doclrine,thus enforced, and thus delivered, had up-on the Minds of its Hearers. Which is asmuch greater than the ImprefTions whichthe Difcourfes of tlie Grecian Orators hadupon their AlTemblies, as Heaven is great-er and higher than Earth. And whereasthofe Orators thought they effected a migh-ty matter, if they changed the Opinions oftheir Aflemblies, in relation to their own,their Friends, or their Countries Reputa-tion and Ifiterelts ; our Saviour and hisApoftles prevailed upon thofe who heardthem, to contemn all earthly Reputationand Interefts ; to defpife Riches, and Pow-er, and Glorfy and even Life it felf Andthe- working tliis Change in the Heart ofcorrupted Man, was a greater Miracle,than the changing the Elements, the heaUins; Difeafcs, or" the driving out Devils.BehQia


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( 19)Behold Thoufands of Souls flaming withCharity, and loving their Creator with alltheir Might, and their Neighbours as them-felves. Behold them parting with all theyhave, and willing and contented to fufferWant, to relieve the Neceflities of others.Acfs^ Chap. 4. ver. 51. to the end. Be-hold Thoufands of Souls gladly choofing,and joyfully embracing Poverty, and Infa-my, and Sorrow, and Pain, and Death, torender themfelves acceptable to him whomthey love. So much was the Kingdom ofGod reftored, and the Tyranny of theDevil impaired, in the Hearts ofMen.Such were the Effefts of our Saviour'sDoclrine, fuch was the Influence which ithad on the Minds of Men ; at which Sa-tan, alarmM, contrivM by a Mafter-pieceof infernal Malice, to make this very Re-ligion, by which Chrilt dcfign d to uniteMen to God and to one another, the Occa-fion of

introducing a more dangerous anddefperate Divifion between them, than e-ver had appeard upon any worldly Ac-count ; of making Self-love to take a deep-er Root, and {joread with more luxuriantBranches ; of kindling in Mens Hearts afpiritual Pride, .mare fierce and more fierythan had ever appeared before ; a Prideattended with a more implacable Angcr^a more; inveterate Malice, and a more ir-


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( 20 )reconcilable Hatred. And in order to fuc-ceed in this Devilifh Defign, he who knowsby himfelf, who ruines Man by foothingand by pleafing him, that there is no Ene-my hke the Traytor-Friend, and that foDivine a Doftrine could not be refiftedeffeftually, if it were oppofed openly ; at-tempts to deftroy it, by a Pretence to pro-pagate it ; delegates his fpiritual Tyrannyto fome Chriftian Priefts, and prevails up-on them, in order to extend it and eftablilhit, to divide, and weaken, and ruine theChurch, by a pretended, impudent, obftre-perous Zeal for its Unity ; to teach his Willfor the Will of the Moft High, and by aHeight of Wickednefs, which would beincredible if we had not fo often feen it, toprove the Doftrine of the Devil by theWord of God, miferably wrefted to thePerdition of the perfidious Teachers, aridthe credulous Hearers, i Tim. 4. i. Nowthe Sfirit fpeaketh exprejl)/^ That in the Uttertimes fome (Jjall depart from the faith ^ givingheed to feducing Spirits^ and to doirines ofDevils.

Thefe are the Antichrifts mentionM inthe Text; who to promote their own andthe DeviFs fpiritual Tyranny, preach notthe Doftrine of Jefus Chrift,' but the De-viPs and their own. 'Tis not their Bufinefsto preach up Charity, or to teach Humili-

ty,


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(21 )ty, Of any of the Vertues that produce Orttiaintain Charity,

as Gentlenefs, Mceknefs,ratience, Forbearance, Peace-making, Mer-cy, Long-fuffering, and Forgivenefs. If atany time they take Notice of the DoftrineofChrift, in order to mingle it with theirown, and make the latter pafs unfufpefted,they do it after fuch a manner, as fliewsvery plainly, that it is not that they e-fpoufe ; as Ihall be further obferv'd in itsproper Place. Their Bufinefs is to preachDivifion and DiiTention, a Spirit of Partyand of Faftion, and to incite and inflamethofe Pailions that create or nourifh Divi-fion; as Anger, Envy, Hatred, Malice,evil Speaking, evil Surmizings, impudentand opprobrious Inveftives, prefumptuousand damnable Judgments, pretended Di-ftrufts and ungrounded Jealoufics, audaci-ous and provoking Threatnings, Debate,Contention, Strife, Revenge, Confufion,Riot, Murder. 'Tis their Bufinefs to in-cenfe and exafperate their Dilciples againfl:all who contradict their Opinions; notwhat they pretend to believe as to the Cre-de^da of Chrilfianity, but the Faith theyprofefs as to their own Traditions, and theDoclrines of Devils. And therefore 'tistheir Bufinefs to inflame their Dilciples,not againft Infidels (whether Jews orTurks^ or againft Pagans, but againit


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(22)thofe of the Chriftian Faith ; nor againfl:thofe, who while they have only the Nameof Chriftians, are either Deilb or down-right Atheifts by an open avowed Profef-fion, or are thought to be fuch at leaft intheir Hearts, by the horrible Sins in whichthey live impenitent ; but againfl: true andfincere Believers ; againfl: thofe who areunder the Fear of God, and the facredPower of Confcience. Thefe they accounttheir mortal Enemies, againfl: whom theyexafperate and inflame their Difciples, ex-horting them both by Voice and Example,fometimes to laugh, lometimes to rail withunmannerM frontlefs Invectives, at all themofl: venerable Chriftian Vertues whichfbine fo bright in the others, as Humility,Meeknefs, xModeration, Union, Charity;-to hate them with an irreconcilable Ha-

.-tred, to keep no Faith with them, to holdno Truft inviolable, to be bound by nei-ther Vows nor Oaths, but as often as theyfind Opportunity, to purfue them to theDeflruftion of their Reputation, Liberty,Goods, and Life it felf; and to break thro'all Bonds, both Divine and Humane, toopprefs them and deftroy them.And as the Power of this World is ne-ceflary for the fupporting their fpiritualTyranny, they never fail to infinuate intotheir Difciples, that 'tis their Duty to throw

as


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(23)2s much of it into their Hands, as they areable to grafp ; to perfuade them, that theyare bound to efpoufe the Caufe of thofetemporal Tyrants, with whom They theirPaftors have made an imphcit Contractfor the mutual enflaving of Mankind. Andthe more thefe temporal Tyrants are theDevil's Vicegerents, the more they tram-ple upon Law, and Reafon, and Equity,which are Bonds of Peace and Union toMankind ; that 'tis ftill more their Dutytoextolthem, to obey them, tofervethem,and to adore them. And if thefe Tyrantsare the Rulers of the Native Countries ofthefe Antichrifts and their Difciples, thefeTeachers indiiftrioufly inform their Hear-ers,

that they are abfolutely and indifpen-fably bound to obey them, whatever exor-bitant Things they enjoin, or to fufferwhatever they are gracioufly pleafed to in-flict ; and this, contrary to Nature's origi-nal Law, (the firft and ftrongeft Preceptof which is Self-prefervation, and in orderto it Self-defence,) that Law which ourSaviour came to reftore and to fulfil, andwhich none but the Devil and his Difci-ples can ever come to deftroy. And toinduce them to this blind and impious O-bedience, they endeavour to prove, thatthefe Tyrants are their Lords by Virtue ofFatherhood, and their Sovereign by Right


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(H)Divine ; tho' as good, as wife, and as for-cible Arguments may be brought to prove,that the Devil is a Lord by Virtue of Fa-therhood, and a Monarch by Right Di-vine, and confequently, that he ought al-ways to be obeyed, and never to be re-filled.And as thefe Antichrifts teach their Di-

fciplesto hate and perfecute thofe Chrifti-ansmoft, wlio are under the Fear of God,and the Power of Confcience ; of all theirCountry Men and Fellow Subjedls, theyinftruft them to hate and malign themmolt, who are the moft Zealous for theMaintenance of their native Rights, andthe Validity and Power of Law,But ifthe aforemention'd fecular Tyrantsare the Rulers of foreign Nations, and aremortal Enemies to the native Countriesofthefe Antichriftian Teachers, and of theirDifciples ; they are fo far from being dif-couraged by this, that they are animatedand encouraged the more to prevail upontlieir Hearers to efpoufe them and to affiftthem, to rejoice at their Succefles, and tomourn at their Calamities., and to declarethemfelves Enemies to their native Counrtry, and their native Rights, and Traytorsto their lawful Prince, and to their veryGod, in fpight of the moft facred and bind-ppg Oaths which they jhave takn to the

^ gontrary,


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(25)contrary. Nay, they exhort and prevailupon thofe Difciples to take the moft fo-lemn and binding Oaths to be true to theirPrince, their Country, their Rehgion, andtheir Liberty, only tliat they may opprefsthem with the greater Security, and betraythem more effeftually.Nor is the Doftrine of Antichrift moreremov'd from Charity, than his Life, which

is the moft contrary to it that pofTibly canbe imagined. He divides from his Bre-thren of thePriefthood, as foon as he findsthat they are obhg'd to profefs peacefuland Chriftian Vertues, and that he cannotwith them compafs his fpiritual Tyranny.And St.Jofm^ in the Words of the Context,makes this very Divifion one diftinguifliingMark of Antichrift. i Epift. of St. Joh;i^Chap. 2. Ver. i8, 19. Little children^ it isthe lajl time : and as ye hai^e heard that Anti^^hrijl fljallcome^ even now are there many An-tichrijls ; whereby ye may know that it is theUJi time. Ver. 19. They went out from /^, butthey were not of us : for if they had been of us^they would no doubt have continued with us :but they went out that they might be made ma^nifefty that they were not at all of us. He lives,(?onverfes with none, preaches to none, butfuch as profefs Divifions * divides from allwho are under the Power of the Gofpel,or the Power of Law ; is a Foe, nor


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(26)only to good SubjeftS; but to good Princes,arid a Friend to Tyrants alone : A Tray-tor not only to his Prince, but to his Coun-try, whofe Conftitution he attacks by hisenllaving Doftrines, and his more wretch-ed abjed Politicks of abfolute Non-refift-ance, unconditional Obedience, the moftinfufferable kind of High Treafon. For ifhe fo juftly fuffers Death, who only at-tempts the Executive Power, what may henot deferve, who audacioufly attacks, notonly all the Legiflative (which includes theExecutive,) but the very Law ? He not on-ly hates both Princes and Subjefts, whogovern by, and declare for Law, but hatesthem with a more envenom'd Hatred, amore felonious Rancour, than ever has beenknown j upon a mere fecular Account : Re-viles, reproaches, mifreprefents, calumni-ates them, and, as far as lies in his Power,opprefTes, mines, curfes, kills, and damnsthem.

inilead ofa profound and a Chriftian Hu-mility, he manifefts a more than HumanePride ; exalts himfelf above all that theWorld calls Great, with his independentPower, his uninterrupted Succefllon, hisindelible Charafter, and his Right Divine,And that Pride is attended, againft all whooppofe it, with a Rage, an Envy, a Ha-tred, a Malice Inhuman and Diabolical.But


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(27 )But ahove all, a difdainful, ridiculous Fury,,and an unheard of Cruelty; a Cruelty thatfpares no Age, oo Sex, and no Degree ; thathas deitroyM entire Nations, the Peopleand their kings together.

Inftead of the abjeci: contemptible Con-dition of our Saviour and his Difciples, be-hold hisOppofite with pompous Titles, andpompous Equipages, and an Ambition ftillunfatiable. Inftead of their Poverty, andtheir Difintereftednefs, behold him loadedwith Benefices, Sinecures, Pluralities, Dig-nities; flowing with Wealth, yet piningftill with Avarice. Inftead of their rigidMortifications, behold him indulging him-felf in^Fafts, more luxurious than the Feaftsof others; behold him meditating a lazy,a refined, and a temperate Luxury, thatpampers and indulges Nature inftead ofopprejfling her ; that keeps all her Appe-tites fharp and keen, and raifes all her Luftsand Pallions high.As his Doctrine is confirmed by his Ex-ample, it is extremely enforced by his man-ner of Delivering it. , But becaufe he 4soblig'd to mix the Doftrine of theGofpelwith his own, in order to make the latterpafs by Virtue of the former, letus diilia-,guih what he preaches into, Firjl^ Tl?eDoQririe of Chrift ; Secordlj, Humane.Tra-

.... diiions,


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(28)ditions, and Humane^ Inventions ; and,Thirdly^ The Doftrines of Devils.

JF/?^ then, He is obliged to preach theDoftrine of our Saviour in order to makehis own pafs. And that Doctrine com-prehends, Firft, the Duties, and, Secondly,the Myfteries of Chriftianity. Thefe Dutieslikewife are either, Firft, purely Moral,or, Secondly, Chriftian. For thofe that arepurely Moral , he preaches them coldly,enforces them feebly, dehorts from the con*trary Vices faintly ; fcarce ever mentionsthofe which are moft raging and moft epi--demical ; or if at any time he does mentionthem, he has nothing in his Air, in hisTone, in his A6lion, that fhews an ardentConcern for the Glory ofGod, for the Pro-fperity of the State that he lives in, or forthe Salvation of the Souls of Men.

For the Chriftian Vertues, and efpeci-ally thofe of Charity and Humility, hisHearers can never have any Notion of 'erafrom him. Charity, in his Mouth, dwin-dles to mere giving ofAlms, which is buta poor and inconiiderable Branch of thatDivine Vertue. He feems to be afraid tolet his Difciples fo much as hear of the LoveofGod, and of all Mankind for the fake ofGod ; or if he does at any time mentionit, even that ardent Vertue grows cold inhis Mouth, and expires upon his Antichri-


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(29)ftian Tongue, fcarce ever reaching the EarsoF his Hearers, much lefs piercing theirHearts. His Soul is an utter Stranger tothofe Heavenly Emotions, thofe DivineRaptures that inflame the Hearts of the ra^vifliM Hearers with Seraphick Love. Henever fo much as preaches one Sermon^never fo much as writes one Treatiic ofthat attraQive Vertue Humility, the foftand tender Nurfe of Charity, lie citherfays nothing of Patience, Submiilion, Fof-bearance, Long-fuffering, or he preachdsthem after fuch a manner,that in his Mouththey produce Tumult, Fury, FaGion, Ri-ot, and Rebellion, and all thofe DiabolicalPaflions and Diabolical Vices, which arefo deftruftive to the Temporal and EternalHappinefs of Men.And all thefe Duties, both Moral andChriftian, are but feebly and faintly enfor-ced by the Myfteries, even thofe ftupen-dous Myfteries, that are capable of fupply-ing him with the moft moving and fubli-meft Eloquence, with a more than humaneForce and Fire, and with a Vehemence ir-refiftable ; thofe Myfteries fo wonderfullyimportant to himfelf and to his Hearers^which no Man can believe and fpeak ofas heought to do,but he muft alarm and alter Na-ture in the Hearts of all who liften to him ;raife the moft tranfporting Joy on the oneF


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(3)fide, or the moft dreadful Aftonifhrnenti^the moft amazing Horrour on the other ;thofe very Myfteries are fpoke of by himafter fo cold and languifhing a Manner,as caufesUnbelievers to turn Scorners, andBelievers to become Apoftates. How doesthe Deift fmile, and the Atheift laugh, tofee this Preacher difcourfe of Death andJudgment, of Heaven and Hell, calmly andwithout Emotion, who the Moment after-wards, falls into a Flame upon an emptyDifpute, ofturning to the haft, or bowingto an infenfate Altar 1But he who is fo unconcerned for theSalvation of the Souls of Men, for the Ho-nour of God, and the Intereft of Religion,comes immediately to be warm and eager,when his own Reputation and his ownIntereft are never fo little concerned. Andhe who daily with Phlegm and Temperhears the Name of his Maker profan'd, hisMyfteries reviPd, his Threatnings defy^d,his Proteftion renounced, nay, and his veryBeing deny'd, contends warmly and eager-ly for Humane Traditions and Humane In-ventions ; for Forms, and Rites, and Ha-bits, and Ceremonies, and whatever fervesto nourifli his Spiritual Pride, and indulgehis Luft of Power.

But


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( 30But when in order to extinguifli Chari-

ty, to divide Mankind, and to increafe hisown and his Father's fpirirual Tyranny,he preaches the Doftrine of Devils, preach-es Rage, and Hatred, and Envy, and Ma-lice, then is his DeHvery becoming of hisDoftrine ; then you may behold him burn-ing with Fury, and diilorted with Con-vulllons, and both Body and Soul entirelypoHels d with the fame infernal Paffions,which he would excite in his Hearers.

Let us now confider the Influence whichfuch Doftrines, fuch Examples, and fucha Delivery has upon the Minds of Men.We have already hinted, that the Defignof the Devil by Antichrift, is, to take Oc*cafion from the Chriftian Religion, bywhich our Saviour defign'd to unite MensAffeftions to himfelf and to one another,to introduce a more dangerous and defpe-rate Divifion among them, than ever hadbeen known before : And now w^e ILallfhew, that he fo far obtained his Defign,that there was a more general Vertue a-mong Men in the groffell Times of Paga-nifm, than there has been fince our Savi-our came into the World, excepting thefirft and mofl: primitive Times of Chrifiia-nity ; that is, thofeTimes when the SupremeMagiftrate was not as yet Chriliian, andChriftian Priefts were yet undebauch'd by


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( 32 )worldly Power and Greatnefs ; and SeeonLly^ That there is at this Time a more gene-*ral >fertue in other Places, than there is inthe Chrillian World ; and Thirdly, 1 hatthis Deficiency, and thefe Corruptions a-mong Chriftians, have proceeded, and doproceed, from the Antichriftian Lives andDoftrines of feveral among their Clergy.

Firjl^ There was a more general Vertuein the Times of Paganifm, than ever therehas been lince our Saviour came into theWorld. In thofe Times of Idolatry, therewere more free Nations in the World, thanever there have been fince the Eftabliflh-rnent of the Chriftian Religion. And fincethere was more Liberty then, there wasmore Union, more Juftice, more Fortitude,more Publick Spirit. For Antichrifl:, inorder to exringuifh Charity, and to raifePivifions among Men, makes it his Bufi-nefs, with all his Might, every where toeftablifh Tyranny. For as Civil Libertyis founded upon Vertue, and Reafon, andLaw; lyranny is eltablifh'd upon Will,and Paflion, and Vice: And as Mankindis united by Reafon, and Vertue, and Law,they are divided by Humour, and Paffion,^and Vice. Among thofe free States thatflourifl:ied in the Times of Pasanifm, therewere two more il]ufi:rious than the refl:,\y\\Q before Corruption ^rept in amongftthemv


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(33)them, had the Moral Vertues in fo higha Degree, as no Chriftian Nation has everbeen able to boaft of. There was a fuccef-five Race of Heroes among them, who hadnot only a Temperance and Juftice, a Va-lour, but even a Difincereftednefs, and Mag?nanimity, and an Height of Heroic Forti-tude, which made them as much fuperiourto other Men, as other Men are to Beafts*Nay, without being taught Charity byDivine Revelation, or fuftained in it bythe Greatnefs of the Chriftian Hope, theypraftifed a very good Degree of it> eitherby the Force of Reafon and Nature, or byfome fecret Infpiration. For they had aPublick Vertue and Publick Spirit, whichthe Chriftian World has thought more pro-per for its Wonder, than Imitation. Theyloved Liberty and their Country more thanLife, hated Slavery more than Death, look-ed upon all who favourM Tyrants, as fomany Monfters and Parricides, and purfu-ed Tyranny with extream Vengeance, evenin their neareft Friends and their deareliRelations. They laid down their Liveswith the greateft Alacrity, for their Coun^try and the Publick Liberty, and neverufed their Valour againft either. Theynever had any Faftion or Divifion upon aReligious Account, had but few Civil Warsamong them, and not one Religious, ex-


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(34)cept the Egyptians^ who had degeneratedinto fo Beftial a FanaticifEU, as made themcontemptible to the reft of the World,which eafily underftood by the Force ofReafoQ, that Religion was defignM to u-nite and compofe, and not to divide andembroil the World.

If from ancient Rome ov Athens wt turnour Eyes upon our own Nation, and uponour own Times, where fhall we And theleaft Footfteps of their general publick, ofprivate Vertue ? That we have not fomuch as the Shadow of their general pub-lick Vertue, is plain, even to Senfe ; forwe fee Thoufands among us difclaimingall Pretence ta it. We fee Thoufands thatfpeak and aft with Impunity againft theirSovereign, their Country, their Liberty,and their Laws ; Perfons againft whomthofe Laws have made no Provifion, be-caufe that our Anceftors never believedthat there could be fuch Monllers andParricides in Nature. We fee Thoufandsopenly threatning Deftruclion to theirCountry, their Friends, their Relations,and to every thing that ouglit to be moftdeaf to them ; and contriving Succefs totiie mortal Enemy, of all that ou^ht to bevaluable, of all that ought to be facred tothem. Since then we have not the ge-neral pubhck Vertue^ nor publick Spirit,whifh


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(35)which rendred thofe ancient States fo illtKftrious ; it follows, that we have not theirgeneral private Vertue. For pubHck Spi-rit is founded upon private Vertue, and istlie neceflary Refult of that ; fo that thro'whatever Nation publick Spirit is fpread,through that Nation private Vertue muftbe generally difFufed. And therefore, ifwedaily fee fo many attempting the Ruine oftheir Country, 'tis becaufe their Pride, theirAvarice, their Neceflity, and their Luxu-ry, have made their prefent Condition in-fupportable, and any Change defirable. Butif any one thinks thofe ancient States owMtheir'general Vertue to the Forms of theirGovernment, which were both Republicks,to him we anfwer, that no modern Re-publick either hath, or has had, the Vertuewhich thofe ancient States had : Befides,that Rome was vertuous under its Kings,and fo was Sparu and Macedon among theGrecUns^ as likewife Perfia in the limesof its firft Monarchs.But Secondly, If we confider only ourown Times, we ihall find a more generalVertue, both publick and private, in anyCivilizM Nation upon the Globe, than inthofe of the Chriftian World. Caft yourEyes, for Example, among the Ai^/W;^'/^;;/,you Ihall find among them lefs Ambition,lefs Avarice, lefs Luxury, Jefs Fraud, lefs

Injuftice,


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(3^Injuftice, lefs Perjury, lefs Perfidioufiiefs,than you fhall meet with among Chrifti-ans. You fhall find, that while every Ghri-ftian State is at prefent engaged againftfome other Chriftian Nation, in a defperatebloody Contention, that tliefe Infidels atthe fame time have no Wars with thofeoftheir own Religion ; but that MAhometanswith MahomeUm^ the Ottoman with theFerfim, the Perfun witii the Mogul^ livingin Friendfhipand a profound Peace, liftenwith aftonifhM Ears to the numberlefs,end lefs Quarrels of the Sons of Charity.What Opinion muft they conceive of ourReligion, when they find, that the onlyPerfons who profefs the pradice of Chari-ty, are they who live ia endlefs Wars withthofe of their own Faith ? That they arenot only eternally engaged in Civil Wars,wliich are fo rare among themfelves, biiteven in Wars unheard of among the Infi-dels, and which they cannot think of with-out Horrour, I mean in Wars of Religion ?What Opinion muft they conceive of theChriftian Religion, and of the Faith ofthofe who pretend to teach others Charity,when th^y f^nd that our very Priefts, thofeDove-like MeiTengers of the Prince ofPeace, have been the Caufes, the Abettors,and the Incendiaries of all thofe Foreign,and Domeftick, and Religious Wars a-

mons!;


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(37)rftong Chriftlans? When they hear that leWas aPrieft who firft laid thePlan of theFrench Univerfal Monarchy, which haSbeen theCaufe of fhedding fo much Bloodyand of fuch horrible Devaftation in thefeWefiern Parts of Europe ? That it was aPrieft who firft began the Defign of theFrench Succeflion to the Spamjh Monarchy,iand that it was another Prieft who finifh'dit, which has let out another Deluge ofBlood to overflow the Chriftian World ?That it was a Prieft who put our firft KingCharks upon thofe violent Meafures, thatOGcafion'd the Civil Wars of England ?That it was a Prieft that involved Polandin all that Mifery and Devaftation in whichit now lies Wafte? That they Were Prieftswho gave up the Liberties of France, andafterwards thofe of Denmark ? That theyare Priefts who are at prefent doing theirUtmoft Endeavour to deliver up our own ?What muft they think of the ChriftiartFaith, when the very vileft Priefts, evenof all the vile ones which we have men*tioned above, thofe Priefts who put a lateUnfortunate Prince upon breaking throughall thofe Bonds Divine and Human,which united him to his Subjefts ; thofeIncendiaries of Souls, thofe perfidious Peftsof Societies, and common Difturbers ofthe Chriftian World, are called by theG Name

9


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(38)Name of the bleffed Founder of our Reli-gion, as the moft profligate Lay Man thatever was upon the Earth is entituled themoft Chriilian.

But Thirdly^ ifwe confider only our ownNation, and our own Times, comparedwith thofe of our Ancefl:ors, we fhall findthat there was among them a more generalpubUck and private Vertue, than we ourfelves can boaflof; and that Prieflcraftand Atheifm, Ecclefiaftical Hypocrify andLaical Deifm, Right Divine and Socinia*nifm^Non-Refiftance and PubUck Treafon,Paflive Obedience and unnatural prodigi-ous Luxury, have grown up and increasedtogether.Since then there neither is, nor has been,among Chriftians, the general publick andprivate Vertue, tliat there was in the grof-left Times of Paganifm ; nor is there nowin the Chriftian World the fame degreeof Vertue that is to be found in fome otherParts of the Globe ; nor have we, in ourown Nation, as much general publick andprivate Vertue as our Anceftors formerlyhad ; and we yet profefs a Religion morepure than our Anceftors formerly knew ;a Religion that teaches a more perfect andexalted Vertue, than the Rehgion, or thePhilofophy of the Gr^uns and Romamtaught, or than is taught by any Reli-

gion


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(39)gion that is at prefent eftablifhM out ofthe Chriftian World : It follows, that thewant of general Vertue among ModernChriftians, muft proceed frcnm the Hear-ers, or the Teachers, of Chriftianity. Butfrom the Hearers it cannot proceed ; forMen are by Nature the fame that theywere formerly ; have the fame Force ofUnderftanding ; the fame paflionate andardent Defire to be rightly inftrucled, andto be truly happy ; and are the more a-dapted and prepared for Inftruclion andfor Happinefs by a greater Light of Know-ledge, and a greater Experience ofThings.The Fault being neither in the Doftrme,nor in the Hearers, it follows, that thewant of general Vertue muft proceed fromfome of the Teachers, who contaminatethe Doftrine of Chriftby their own In-ventions, and the Doftrines of Devils, Butthat the want of general Vertue among us,and our deplorable Corruption ofManners,does principally proceed from the forefaidCaufe, is evident from that which follows.A general Vertue depends upon Reli-gion ; for all Vertue proceeds from goodSenfej or is the Refult of Religion : Butnot one Man in fifty having good benfe, ageneral Vertue muft' be the Refult of Re-ligion ; which is likewife proved by Ex-perience : For all States thro' which a ge^G z neral


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(40)neral Vertue has been fpread, have beertat the fame time Religious.But here we ought to obferve, that theRehgion upon which a general Vertue de^pends, muft be a revealed ReUgion : Fornatural Religion fpeaks to cultivated Rea-fon, which is fo rarely found among us ;but Revelation fpeaks to Senfe, which iscommon to all Men,

But of all Revelations, the ChriftiaaReligion is moft proper, even without thehelp of fupernatural Aififtance, to eftabliflia general (both publick and private) Ver-tue : The publick, becaufe 'tis the onlyReligion that teaches Charity ; which Di-vine Vertue is the very Height and Perfe?flion of publick Spirit : The private, be*caufe every Vertue is comprehended inCharity, and becaufe the Chriftian Relirgion has provided the moft effeftual Re^medics for the three chief Caufes of theCorruption of iManners ; which are, in theWords of the Apoltle, the lufi of the pjh,the lufi of the eye^ and the fride of life.Now every Religion, like every Go-vernment, is, humanly fpeaking, main-tained by the very fame Methods by whichthat particular Religion was at firft efta-blifh'd; as that of Mahomety\v\i\c\i began|3y the Sword, was maintained and carriedon by the Sword ; and the Modern K^^^^'

' Reli^


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(41)Religion is maintainM by the fame Forceand the fame Fraud to which it owed itsOrigin. And every Religion lofes its Forceby the contrary Methods to thofe whichat firft eftablifhed it.

As then the Chriftian Religion was atfirft eftablifliM by the Doftrine ofCharity,and by the great Examples of Charity,which our Saviour and his Apoftles gavethrough the whole courfe of their Lives,as it was maintained by the fame Methods;So Chriftian Piety can only decay, bythe Antichriftian Lives, and Antichri*ftian Dolrines, of thofe who pretend fioteach it.

Since then a general Vertue in everyNation depends upon the Revelation efta-bliftiM there, whether true or pretended ;and the Revelation eftablifhed in everyNation is maintained by the fame Methodsto which it owed its Origin, and lofes itsForce by the contrary Methods as far asit can humanly lofe it : And (ince theChriftian Revelation owes its Eftablifli-ment to the Doftrine and Examples ofCha-rity, which fhone in its firft Teachers ; itfollows, that t;he want of a general Vertue,and that deplorable Corruption of Man-ners that reigns among us, are owing tothe uncharitable Doftrines and Examples' ' ^ ' * of


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(42 )of fome of the Modem Teachers of Chri-Thus we have done our Endeavour tofhew how Antichrift ftands oppofed toChrift in his Priefthood, and in his Ty-

ranny, We {hall only fay one Word ofhis Oppofition to him as a Prophet. Andbecaufe we have realbn to fear that wehave been already tedious, wefhall pafsbythe other Prophetical Functions, which arefo nearly ally'd to thofe of thePriefthood,and only juft fay fomething of his Predi-ftions. Our Saviour foretold the Deftru-8:ion oijerufalemy and of the Second Tem-ple, to confirm the Faith ofChriftians, andto augment their Charity, by fhewing howlittle Dependance is to be had upon thePomp and Glories of this World, and up-on outward and appearing Sanftity. An-tichrift foretells the Fall of the Third Tem-ple, which cur Saviour has affurM us (hallnever fall, only that he may divide andembroil the World, and extinguifh Cha-rity. For the Danger of the Church hasnow for fome time been the general Out-cry, But may we not have Leave to askthofe many Antichrifts, when they faythe Church is in Danger, What they meanby the Church, ^nd of whom it is com-posed ? What the Danger is with whichIt is threatned ? Or^ from whonji or whencek


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(43)it miJft come ? May we not have Leaveto ask them one plain Queftion ? Are theSouls of Men to whom they preach in dan-ger ? If they are not, why do they preachto them ? But if they are, is that the Dan-ger they fpeak of when they fay the Churchis in Danger ? Or, is it another Danger ?If they fay 'tis another Danger, can anything be more ridiculous ? Can any thingbe more abfurd, when the grand Concern,pay, the only Concern, the very All ofthpfe to whom they fpeak lies at Stake, toallarm them with Trifles ? For what com-pared to that is not a Trifle ? There is notone of them that preaches to a very nu-merous Congregation, but every Sermonwhich he preaches is the lafl: to fome ofthem, to one of them at leaft. And whoknows when,they are afTembled, who thatone may, be ? Who knows hov/ near hehimfelf is to Death and final Judgment?How near to a Danger horrible even toconceive ? And can this foolifh, this tri-flings this impudent Preacher pretend toallarm them with another Danger, a Perilof fomething more remote, a Peril perhapsin Fancy or in Fiftion only ; a Danger, beit what it will, that is not worth a Mo-ment s Thought, compared to thisftupen-dious Danger? Is not this like putting aMan in mind, who is about to perifh in aStorm


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(+4)Stortrt, a thoufand Leagues off from Shore^juft in the Moment that the Ocean opensits dreadful Abyfs to fwallovv him, of put-ting him in mind of fome trifling Lofs thathe is like to fuftain on Shore? Wouldnot this be a barbarous, would not this bea monftrous mocking of him, juft in theterrible Moment that he is about t(x pe-rifh? Would it not be, by fo much themore barbarous, by fo much the more mon-ftrous, in that it fhould come from onewho mull be about to perifh with him?

But if by this Danger, he means theDanger of Damnation, which the Soulsare in to whom he preaches \ from whator whence is this Danger fearM ? Is itfrom the aftual and habitual Sins of hisHearers ? Or, have they fo few of both,that they are at leifure to apprehend Dam-nation from fomething more foreign andmore remote ? If 'tis from their aftual ajidhabitual Sins, and that extream Corrup-tion which reigns in the Congregation towhich he preaches ; for in what Congre-gations at prefent does not extream Cor-ruption reign ? Is not this a foolifh, is notthis an impudent infulting of them? Havefome certain Preachers brought them intothis Danger? And is it in their Power tohelp them out of it ? And are they con-tented with barely threatning it ? Has itnot


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(45)not been made moft clear and mofl: perfpi*CU0US5 that the extream Corruption of theLaity, proceeds from the Antichriftian Dc-ftrines, proceeds from the AntichriftianPraftices of fome certain Preachers ? Letbut thofe Preachers reform their Doftrines,tind reform their Praftices, and Til engagethat the wretched Laity fhall reform im-mediately.But alas ! the Danger that thofe Preach-ers threaten, is not from the Sins of thePeople

towhom they preach ; is rfot fromthe extream Corruption of Manners thatreigns in their Congregations. For whenhave thefe Prophets ever inveighed againiltheir moft predominant Vices ? By whatSermons have they ever fignaliz'd them-felves againft their Ambition, againft theirAvarice, againft their Oppreffions, theirpublick and private Rapines, againft theirnew, their unheard of, their unnaturalLuxuries? Did they ever threaten themwith Danger from thefe ? Are they reallyin no Danger from thefe ? Are they notin a thoufand times more Danger fromthefe, than they can be from any thingelfe in the World ? if they are, why arethey not told fo ? if they are not, fromwhat wonderful , what unconceivablething is it from which they are more inDanger ?


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(40From what has been faid, 'tis plain that

by theDanger oftheChurchj thefe Preach-ers mean not the Danger of Damnationwhich their Hearers are in from their nu-merous and crying Sins. It follows then,that they mean fomething that is ofno Con-cern to their Hearers : for if they wouldfpeak of things that are of any Concern tothem, why not their main, their whole,their tremendous Concern ? Why do theyomit that, and threaten them with Trifles?Why do they either not mention it, orwhile they mention, fpeak of it fo verycoldly ; they who while they fpeak of theDanger of the Church, declaim fo veryM^armly ? Is it not flirewdly to be fufpe-6led, that by the Church they mean them-felves, mean their own Interefts and theirown Power ? O foolifh and miferable Lai-ty ! to be fo much allarmM, and deluded,and divided by thefe, who are fo cool, founconcernM for you ; fo very warm, andfo very much concerned for themfelvcs!who not only negleft your real Dangers,but by falfly allarming you with imaginaryones, bring you into the only real, the onlydreadful iSanger. For let me ask youonce more, What is this pretended Dan-ger of the Church ? Is it the Danger ofthe CathoUck Church, againft the whichour Saviour has told us, that the gates of

Hell


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(47)Hell jhaU not prevail? Is not this Affuranceenough, that it fhall not fall ? Or are fomePriefts more dangerous than the Devil?Or, by the Danger of the Church, do theymean the Difcipline and the Governmentof fome particular Church ? As for Exam-pie, the Difcipline and the Government ofthe National Church of England ? A re thefein Danger to be altered ? Suppofing theywere : Thefe are Things, by theConfeflionof all, of no Neceflity to Salvation ; andThings, by the ConfefTicn of all but them-felves, at liberty to be alter'd in every Na-tion, at the Will of their Legiflators. Andconfequently, if this Danger were real, itwould be of noSignificancy to their Hear-ers. But this Danger is not real ; and noShadow ofProofhas been brought to fliew,that the Difcipline and Government of theChurch are in any manner of Peril ; nay,unanfwerableArguments have been broughtto prove, that they are not in Danger. Ofoolifh and wretched People ! to be thus in-cenfed and exafperated againft each other,by the vain fear of a fiftitious Danger ;which, were it true, would be Ten thou-fand times Icfsthan the Danger into whichit brings you ; a Danger, which, by theConfeflion of all, is the moft real, and mofthorrible ofall Dangers ; the Danger of Eter-nal Damnation froni your want of Charity.H 2 The


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( 48 )The exaflefl: Difcipline of the moft Per-

feft Church is only in order to the lavingof ^ouls. The Defign of our Saviour'scoming into the World, was to favebouls,and not to eftabUih DifcipHne : For whereis the Difeiphne which our Saviour efta-bhfh'd ? Can any thinking Man believe,that our Saviour Jefus Chrift, who cameto pull down the Partition Wall that wasbetween the Jeivs and the Gentiles^ by a-bohfliing the Ceremonial Law, and theEcclefiaftick Difcipline of the "^emjh Na-tion, could ever defign another certain Dif-cipline, and other certain Ceremonies,which he could not but forefee wouldcreate a Divifion among his future Difci-ples ? But i^ntichrifl: defigns, by deftroyingCharity, to damn Souls, that he may pre-ferve Difcipline. 'Tis the Danger that Ec*clefiaftical Difcipline is in, at which he isconflantly allarm'd. O vairt and impudentPretence! For fuppofe the Danger true, asit is certainly moft falfe, how very fooliflimud: that Preacher be, who pretends to beallarmM at any thing more, than the Dan-ger of thofe Souls which alone he prea-ches to fave, . tlian the Danger of thofeSouls for which alone our Saviour di-ed ? How many of tljole;milerable Soulshave been for ever loft, while they havebeen hearJcaiug to the /Danger of, the/ Church,


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(49)Church, and dying impenitent in Hatredand in devilifh Malice, by the Inftigationof thefe their Paftors againft their innocentBrethren ; have, to their Everlarting Con-fuiion, found in Hell that the Church isnot in Danger ! -.Thirdly^ Thus I have given you theMarks by which Antichrift ftands opposedto Jefus Chrift, as a King, a Prieft, anda Prophet. I fhall now fum up all thofeMarks in one grand Charaf^erilficalMark,that as we have fhewn above that Anti-chrift is a Prieft, fo it may be plain tothe meaneft Capacity who thefe Prieftsareof whom it may be faid, in the Words ofthe Text, Even now there are many Anti-chrifis.

Every Prieft then, who, when he prea-ches, does apparently and malicioufly wrefttheGofpel, or the fipiftles which explainthe Gofpel, to fay fomething that is quitecontrary to the great Delign of our Savi-viour, that Prieft is Antichrift. Now thegreat Defign of our Saviour in preachingthe Gofpel of his Kingdom, was to doprincipally two Things ; F/>/, to reftorethe Law of Nature ; and Secondly ^ to re-vive and reftore Charity. .v^^t^^.

Firfi, The great Defign of our Saviour'scoming into the World, was to reftore andfulfil the Law of Nature. Matt. 5., v. 17,Think


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(5o)Think not that I came to dejlroy the Law andthe Prophets^ 1 am not come to dejiroy but tofulfil. And ver. i8. For verily I fay untoyouy till heaven and earth pafsy one jot or onetittle fhall in no wfe.pafs from the law^ ttUall be fulfilled. Now, what was the Lawthat our Saviour came to fulfil ? Not theCeremonial law ; for that he came todifannul. Epift. to the Hebrem^ Chap- 6.ver. Tt8. For there is verily a difannulling ofthe commandment going before for the weak^nefs and unprofitablenefs thereof, ver. 19.For the law made nothing perfect. And whatLaw is it which our Saviour fays muft re-main to the End of the World ? Not theCeremonial Law, for that is already abo-lifh'd. Heb. 10. ver. 8, 9. Above, when hefaidy facrifice and offerings and burnt^offering^thou wouldfi noty neither hadjl pleafure therein^which are offered by the law. Then he faid^LOy I come to do thy wiH^ God. He takethaway the Jirfiy that he may eftabltffj the Jecond.Now, what is this Second Law which ourSaviour came to eftablifli ? What but theLaw of Nature, or the Moral Law; as ap-pears by the foremention'd Chapter, Ver.16. This is the covenant that 1 wiE makemth them^ after thofe days^ faith the Lord^ Iwillput my Laws into their hearts^ and in theirminds wiM I write, them. Since then thegreat Defign of our Saviour's Doftrine wasto


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( 52 )hends the other, viz,, the reftoring of theLaw of Nature, Gd. 4. Ver. 15. For allt^e law is fulfilled in one wordy even in this^Thou jhalt love thy neighbour as thy felfi AndRom. 15. ver. 8,9, 10. Owe no man my thingsbut to love one another : for he that loveth ano-ther hathfulfilled the law. v. 9. or this^ thoufbalt not commit adultery^ thou (halt not killthou{halt notfilealy thou jbalt not bear falfe wit-nefs^ theu jjjalt not covet ; and if there he arrjother commandmenty it is briefly comprehendedin this faying^ Thou (halt love thy neighbouras thy felf V. 10. Love worketh no ill to hisneighbour : therefore love is the fulfilling ofthe law. Thus Charity includes the Lawof Nature. But it Hkewife includes a greatdeal more. For by the Law of Nature,as it ftands now, is meant only that whichcan be gathered by the Light of Reafon :but the Law of Charity includes morethan what can be gather'd from the Lightof corrupted Reafon, and is the firft Lawof Nature which was given to Adam in hisState of Perfeftion, i Epift. of St. ^ohn^Chap. 5. verf. 1 1, For this is the mejfage thatye have heard from the beginning^ that wejhonldlove one another. Charity is the great-eft of all the Chriftian Vertues ; by whichalone our Saviour tells us, Matt. 25. that menwill be faved at the lafi day ; and for want ofwhich alone he tells us, they will be damned-^than


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(53)than which nothing can be more reafonableand more juft : For all otherVertues are butin order to, and as it were thefcaffoldingof that; and are included in that. Whenthat is perfeft, the reft fhall ceafe to be ; andall fhall at laft be fwallowM up in Charity :which fhall make the Felicity of the Blef-fedTen thoufand Ages, after Temperance,Prudence, and Fortitude, nay, after Faithand Hope themfelves fhall have been no^more. Now Charity being the only Vertua'that reigns in Heaven, he who has not beeii^habituated to it on Earth, would go thi-;ther like a Stranger to a remote Country,whofe Language and Cuftoms are both'unknown to him, and entirely differentfrom his own ; and where,by Confequence,he could neither keep any Company, norfind any Pleafure. The Advancement ofCharity then was the great Defign of ourSaviour's coming into the World ; for theAdvancement of Charity is the Salvationof Souls : And thereforeV that Prieft whowrefts the Scripture to fay any thing de-ftruftive of that, is emphatically Anti*chrift.

St. Paul^ by what he has faid of Cha-rity in the 13th Chapter of the ift Epiftleto the Corinthuns^ has fet before us feveralMarks to know when the Scripture isI wreiled


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54-)Wrefted to the Defl:rulion of that DivhieVertue.

Charity^ fays he, verf* 4. fufftreth Icrjgâ/id is kwd ; Charity envieth not ; Charityvauntethnotitjetf^ is mt puffed uf. v. 5. Dotk^not hehave it felf unfeemly ; feeketh not hiffôwn y is not eafily provoked ; thinketh no evil ;V. 6. Rejoiceth not in iniquity^ hut rejoicethin the truth ; v. 7. Beareth all things^ belie--veth all things J hopeth all things ^ endureth allthings. From which it is plain, th.at what-ever Prieft makes ufe of the Scripture toftir up Divifion amongft Men, to nourifhtheir MaHc^ their Envy, their Pride ; tQraife groundlefs Fears and Jealoufies amonftthem, and to deftroy the Confidence whichMembers of Societies mutually have in eachother, and to compafsall this by impudentill mannerM Inveftives, and a fort of Ec-clefiafticai Billtngfgate ; that Prieft wreftsthe Scripture to fay fbmething that is ve-ry deftruftive of Charity, and is empjia^tically Antichrift. . -,

Nothing can be more feafonable, thanhere to confider, what the Apoftle St."âmes fays of the Tongues of fuch Men,and themfelves, âm. 3. ver. 6. The tongutis a fire ; a world of iniquity : ^0 is thetongue among the members^ that it defileth the'whole body^ and fetteth on fire the courje ofnature^ and is fet on fire of hell. v. 7. For


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(55)every kmd of beap^ and of birds, and offer-fents^ and of things in the fea^ is tcimedy andhath been tamed of mmkind. v. 8. But thetongue cm mmm tame : it is abundantly evil ;full of deadly poifon. V. 9. Therewith blefs we'God, even the Father^ and therewith curje wemen^ which are made after the fimilitude of'God. V. r o. Out of the fame mouth frcceedetbblejjing andcurfing. My brethren^ thefe thingsought not fb to be, V. 11. Doth a fountainfend fofth at the fame time fveet water andbitter, v. 1 2. Can the fig-tree^ my brethren^bear Olive-berrtes ? eithtr a Vine Figs ? Socan nofountain yield both fait water andfrepj.And the Apoftle declares in the followingVerfcs, that thefe Church-Incendiarieswhomake it their Bufinefs to curfe, when Wstheir Duty to blefs, who are agitated withRage, and Envy, and Malice, have a Spiritin them that is direflly contrary to theSpirit of the Gofpel ; ver. Vj/ IVho is a wifeman^ and endued with knOitUAge among you ?Let him (hew out of a good converfation^ hisworks ^ with meeknefs of wifdom. v. 14. Butif ye have bitter envying and Jlrife in yourhearts^ glory not^ and lye not againjl the truth.V. 1 5. This wifdom dejcendeth nut from aboveybut is earthly^fenfual^ devilijb. v, i6. Forwhere envying and firife isy there is corifuftonyand every evil work. After that the Apoftleb^s, in fevcral ofthe forefaid Verfes, fliewii


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(0)yx5U^>the Spirit of Antichrift ; in the fol-lowing Verfes he defcribes the Spirit ofthe Gofpel^ ver. 17. But the wifdom that isfrom above^ is firft pure^ then peaceahky gentleand eafie to he entreated^ full of mercy andgood fruits^ without partiality^ and withouthjpocrifte. And in the ne5Ct verfe he tellsus the Effefts of it ; v. 18. Jnd the fruit,pf Righteoufnefs is fown in peace of them thatmake peace. But alas ! how httle is thereof this Wifdom, this Spirit^ and this Fruitamong fome Modern Preachers !

lihus^t.James declares Railing to be con-trary to the Spirit of Charity, and confe-^quently of Chriftianity. And this is the una-nimousSenfe both of the Apofl:les,and oftheEv^ngelifts : and that it is never to be al-Jow'd of againit any Perfon or Perfons,upon any Pretence or Occafion whatever,Jet ^he Crime be never fd great, or fphprnhle.; .The greateft Crime that everWa3 ,ômmitte^ firft V ^ê Apo-,(l^fi!M^X^^^ hisXreator; thegneaje;,ft of bâs, excepting the bin againlt.tj5|'HoIy Ghoil, and equaF qyen to that:|ijce.that^ lb g!:eat, that it was never to be'^^m^c^Jovhys^ny Repentance, and n^ver'tc^ 'fee jifbrgiv^n.- ! t^ct Michael xht Archan-gel^:'when cQpteadlqg with: iliQ Pevil, he^dilputed,^]^ ^ Body, qf; ^lî, durfl:

^^ ---r--'--- tioii^


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(57)tion, but faid, the Lord rebuke thee. The great-eft Crime next to thefe, was the murdering ofthe Lord of Life : And yi^t we find not in anyof the Apoftles, or in any one ofthe Evangelifts,the leaft Inveftive, or the leaft Bitternefs, againft"Juda^ who betrayM him,OrtheHighPrieft whocondemned him, or Pilate who delivered him toihe Soldiers, or the Soldiers who naock'd andfcourgM and crucify'd him. And will our Mo-dern Antichrifts after this pretend to take Occa-fion from the Gofpel of Peace to rail ? Will theyyet further defend their Railing, by wrefting theScriptures ftill more to their own Deftruftion,and the Deftru8:ion of their credulous Hearers?Shall the 4th Chapter of St.PauPs Epiftle toTi-tm be brought to juftifiethis Spirit ofAntichrift :J charge thee therefore before God (fays ^i. Paul to Ti-tus^ Chap. 4. Ver. i .) und the Lord Jefus Chrifiy who(haU judge the quick and the dead^ at his appearing^and his kingdom^ ver. 2. Preach the word^ be injlantinfeafon^ out offeafon ; reprovey rebukej exhort withall long'fujfering and doctrine. To what is it thatthe Apoftle in this Chapter exhorts Titm f Whyto preach the Word in Seafon and out of Seafpn,that is, to preach the Son of God, and the Dq-flrine of Charity. And fliall this be made ufeof to juftifie preaching up Divifion, Diflentioq,Sedition, and the Doctrines of Devils? Shall theApoftle's Exhortation to reprove, and to rebuke,be made ufe of to vindicate want of Manners, andfuch Rudenefs as better becomes a drunken Bullythaq a fober Divine, and a Tavera


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(58)than a Pulpit ? efpecially when St. "Jude in th^^th Verfe of his Epiftle mentionM above, has asit were oppos'd Rebuking to Railing, telling us,that the Archangel Mfr/?4e/durft notbringa rail-ing Accufation againtt the Devil, but only faid,The Lord rebuke thee. And St. Paul tells Titn^ inthis very Verfe, that his rebuking, and refroving^and exhorting, mufi be with all long-jtiffering^ and rvithdoctrmt^thdX is, with Charity. The true Chrifti-an is certainly the beft weil-mannerM Man in thtiWorld, if chatbethetrueftgood Breeding, \Vhichmakes a Man moft eafie, both to himfelf and o-thers: and no Man who calls himfelf a Chrifti-an ever wanted Manners, but that Man at thefame time wanted both Faith and Charity. But.if no manner of Railing, in order to excite Envy,and Hatred, and Rage, and Malice, is allow'd ofby theChriftian Religion,then certainly the moftCriminal of all Railings muft be that which ispretended to be drawn from this very Religion,which by its principal Commands, a Commandcomprehenfive of all its Comm3nds, obliges usto hate no Man, and to rail at no ^^an. But as theRailing ofour Modern Preachers can by no meansbe juftifiedby St. P^^/'s exhorting, rebuking andreproving ; can the grievous Sufferings of that A-poftle for the fake of Righteoufnefs, and thepreaching

of the Gofpel of Ch rift, be comparedto a juft and a moderate Punifliment ipflifted byan offended Legillature,for the preachin^Divifionand Sedition, and the Doftrine of Devils ? efpe-cially when this very Apoftle has told us, i Cot.


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(59)1 7 . vef . I . Tho" Igive my body to be burned^ and havenot Charity^ it frofitteth me fjothing. From whichwe may conclude, that many a Martyr has goneto Hell, and pafsM from one Flame to another. Isthere no difference between a Hght Suffering anda heavy one, a nominal one and a real one, a juftone and an unjufi: one ? Is there no difference be-tween doing the Work of Chrift, and the Workof the Devil and his Angels? With whom I willnot fay^ according to their own charitable Chri-ftian way of dealing, that I will leave thefe well-natur'd Preachers, tho' ''tis with the Companythey have always kept, as, I believe, has beenmade pretty plain ; but I humbly pray to Al-mighty God to deliver them out of the Hands oftheir old Acquaintance, who firft feduced themand debauched them, and whom, as is manifeftby their Works, they ftill frequent continually ;and of whofe Houfe and Family they may moftproperly be faid to be ; i "John j. ver. lo. In thisthe children of God are manifejied^ and the children ofthe devil : whofoever doth not righteoufnefs is not ofGod^ nor he who loveth not his brother. We pray toGod to deliver them from thefe wicked Spiritsby a fincere Repentance, for all the Mifchiefwhich they have done themfelves, and for allwhich they have been theOccaficn of in others;for all the Antichriftian Hatred, that is, for all theMurder of which they have been guilty them-felves ; and of which fo many Thoufands havebeen guilty by the Suggeftion of them and theDevil For St. "John tells us in the 1 5th Verfe ofthe


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(66)theforemention'd Chapter, IVhofo hatetb his bro-ther ts xmurderer. TheReafon is pfain. becaufewhoever hates another would kill him, ifhe werenot reftrain'd by the fear ofCorporal PunifLment.For this IS evident, that he is not reftrain'd by theLaw ot Nature, nor by the pofitive Law ofGod not by the Law ofNature, becaufe that obligeshim not to hate him, by its greatand comprehen-iive Rule ot doing as one would be done by forno Man is willing to be hated by another : nor ishe reftmined by the pofitive Law ofGod, becaufethat obliges him not to hate him. It follows then,that he is

only aw'd by the fear of Corporal Pu*nilhment. And how often has this Religious Ha-tred, this Hatred excited by Antichrift and theDevil, broke out in Wars, in Murders, in Burn-ings, and in xMaffacres ? How near did it come tothefe Confufions and thefe Horrours lately ! Howfoon would it yet come to them, if it were not re-ftrain'd by the Wifdom of our Legiftators. Wehumbly befeech Almighty God, to cleanfe theHearts of all thefe Antichrifts by a fevere Repen-tance, forthenumberlefs Murders of which theyhave certainly contraded the malicious Guilt,andfor perfidioufly fapping, at the fame time, thefoundations ofour Conftitution, and the Funda-mentals of Chriftianity. We humbly befeech thee,O God, to pour into their Hearts thy Spirit ofPeace, ofMeeknefs,and ofCharity, that theymaybe deliver'd front every evil Work, and preferv'dunto thine own Kingdom. To whom be Gloryfor Ever and Ever. Amen.The END.


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(1718) Priest Craft Distinguished From Christianity

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