apoftolical times, when the divine grace gave the true knowledge of God, and was the guide of Chriftians.

f. XIV. Well, but what has been the fuccefs of thofe ages that followed the apoftolical? Any whit better than that of the Jewish times? Not one jot. They have exceeded them; as with their pretences to greater knowledge, fo in their degeneracy from the true Chriftian life: for though they had a more excellent pattern than the Jews; to whom God fpoke by Mofes his fervant, he speaking to them by his beloved Son, the express image of his fubftance, the perfection of all meeknefs and humility; and though they feemed addicted to nothing more than an adoration of his name, and a veneration of the memory of his bleffed difciples and apoftles; yet fo great was their defection, from the inward power and life of Chriftianity in the foul, that their respect was little more than formal and ceremonious. For notwithstanding they, like the Jews, were mighty zealous in garnishing their fepulchres, and curious in carving of their images; not only keeping with any pretence what might be the relics of their perfons, but recommending a thousand things as relics, which are purely fabulous, and very often ridiculous, and to be fure altogether unchriftian; yet as to the great and weighty things of the Chriftian law, viz. love, meeknefs, and felf-denial, they were degenerated. They grew high-minded, proud, boasters, without natural affection, curious, and contro

verfial, ever perplexing the church with doubtful and dubious queftions; filling the people with difputations, ftrife, and wrangling, drawing them into parties, till at last they fell into blood: as if they had been the worse for being once Chriftians.

O the miferable ftate of thefe pretended Christians! that inftead of Chrift's and his apoftles doctrine, of loving enemies, and bleffing them that curfe them, they fhould teach the people, under the notion of Chriftian zeal, moft inhumanly to butcher one another; and inftead of fuffering their own blood to be shed for the teftimony of Jefus, they should fhed the blood of the witneffes of Jefus for hereticks. Thus that fubtil ferpent, or crafty, evil fpirit, that tempted Adam out of innocency, and the Jews from the law of God, has beguiled the Chriftians, by lying vanities to depart from the Chriftian law of holinefs, and fo they are become flaves to him: for he rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience.

. XV. And it is obfervable, that as pride which is ever followed by fuperftition and obftinacy, put Adam upon feeking an higher ftation than God placed him in; and as the Jews, out of the fame pride, to out-do their .pattern, given them of God by Mofes upon the mount, fet their poft by God's post, and taught for doctrines their own traditions, infomuch that those that refufed conformity to them, ran the hazard of Crucify, crucify: fo the nominal Chriftians, from the fame fin of pride, with great fuperftition and arrogance, have

introduced, instead of a fpiritual worship and difcipline, that which is evidently ceremonious and worldly; with fuch innovations and traditions of men, as are the fruit of the wisdom that is from below: witnefs their numerous and perplexed councils and creeds, with, Conform or burn, at the end of them.

§. XVI. And as this unwarrantable pride fet them first at work, to pervert the fpirituality of the Chriftian worship, making it rather to resemble the fhadowy religion of the Jews, and the gaudy worship of the Egyptians, than the great plainnefs and fimplicity of the Chriftian institution, which is neither to refemble that of the mountain, nor the other of Jerufalem; fo has the fame pride and arrogancy Spurred them on, by all imaginable cruelties, to maintain this great Diana of theirs. No meek fupplications, nor humble, remonftrances, of thofe that kept close to primitive purity in worship and doctrine, could prevail with thefe nominal Chriftians to dispense with the impofition of their un-apoftolical traditions; but as the minifters and bifhops of these degenerate Chriftians, left their painful vifitation and care over Chrift's flock, and grew ambitious, covetous, and luxurious, resembling rather worldly potentates, than the humblefpirited and mortified followers of the bleffed Jefus; fo almoft every history tells us, with what pride and cruelty, blood and butchery, and that with unufual and exquifite tortures, they have perfecuted the holy members of Christ out of the world; and that upon fuch

anathemas, that, as far as they could, they have disappointed them of the bleffings of heaven too. These, true Chriftians, call martyrs; but the clergy, like the perfecuting Jews, have ftiled them blafphemers and heretics in which they have fulfilled the prophecy of our Lord Jefus Christ, who did not fay, that they fhould think they do the gods good service to kill the Christians, his dear followers, which might refer to the perfecutions of the idolatrous Gentiles; but that they fhould think they do God good fervice to kill them: which fhews, that they should be fuch as profeffedly owned the true God, as the apoftate Christians have all along pretended to do. So that they must be thofe wolves, that the apoftle foretold, fhould arife out of themselves, and worry the flock of Chrift," after the great falling away fhould. commence, that was foretold by him, and made neceffary, in order to the proving. of the faithful, and the revelation of the great mystery of iniquity.

I. fhall conclude this head with this affertion, that it is too undeniable a truth, where the clergy have been most in power and authority, and have had the greatefl influence upon princes and states, there has been most con-fufions, wrangles, bloodshed, fequeftrations, imprifonments, and exiles: to the justifying of which, I call the teftimony of the records of all times. How it is in our age, I leave to the experience of the living; yet there is one demonftration that can hardly fail us; the

people are not converted, but debauched, to a degree, that time will not allow us an example. The worship of Christendom is vifible, ceremonious, and gaudy; the clergy ambitious of worldly preferments, under the pretence of fpiritual promotions; making the earthly revenues of churchmen, much the reafon of their function; being almost ever fure to leave the prefent fmaller livings, to folicit and obtain benefices of larger title and income. So that with their pride and avarice, which good old Peter forefaw would be their fnares, they have drawn after them ignorance, mifery, and irreligion upon Christendom.

§. XVII. The way of recovery from this miferable defection, is to come to a faving knowledge of religion; that is an experience of the divine work of God in the foul: to obtain which, be diligent to obey the grace that appears in thy own foul, O man! that brings falvation; it turns thee out of the broad way, into the narrow way; from thy lufts, to thy duty; from fin to holiness; from fatan to God. Thou must see and abhor felf: thou must watch, and thou must pray, and thou muft faft; thou must not look at thy tempter; but at thy preferver; avoid ill company, retire to thy folitudes, and be a chaste pilgrim in this evil world: and thus thou wilt arrive at the knowledge of God and Christ, that brings eternal life to the foul: a well-grounded affurance from what a man feels and knows within himself: fuch fhall not be moved with evil tidings.

• Tit. ii. 2, 11, 12, 14.