guard was kept upon the very wicket of the foul. Now the old heavens and earth, that is, the old earthly converfation, and old carnal, that is, Jewish or fhadowy worship, paffed away apace, and every day all things became new. He was no more a Jew, that was one outwardly, nor that circumcifion that was in the flesh; but he was the Jew that was one inwardly, and that circumcifion which was of the heart, in the fpirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not of man, but of God."

§. VII. Indeed the glory of the cross shined fo confpicuoufly through the felf-denial of their lives, who daily bore it; that it ftruck the heathen with astonishment, and in a small time fo fhook their altars, difcredited their oracles, ftruck the multitude, invaded the court, and overcame their armies, that it led priests, magiftrates, and generals, in triumph after it, as the trophies of its power and victory.

And while this integrity dwelt with Chriftians, mighty was the prefence, and invincible that power that attended them: it quenched fire, daunted lions, turned the edge of the fword, out-faced inftruments of cruelty, convicted judges, and converted executioners.P In fine, the way their enemies took to destroy, increased them; and by the deep wifdom of God, they were made great promoters of the Truth, who in all their defigns endeavoured to extinguish it. Now, not a vain thought,

• Rom. ii. 28, 29.

Heb. xi. 32, to the end. Ifaiah xliii. 2. Daniel iii. 12, to the end. • Dan. vi. 16. to the end.

not an idle word, not an unfeemly action was permitted: no, not an immodeft look, no courtly drefs, gay apparel, complimental refpects, or perfonal honours; much less those lewd immoralities, and fcandalous vices, now in vogue with Chriftians, could find either example or connivance among them. Their care was not how to sport away their precious time, but how to redeem it,' that they might have enough to work out their great falvation in, which they carefully did, with fear and trembling not with balls and masks, with playhouses, dancing, feasting, and gaming: no, no: to make fure of their heavenly calling and election, was much dearer to them than the poor and trifling joys of mortality. For they having, with Mofes, feen him that is invifible, and found that his loving-kindness was better than life, the peace of his spirit than the favour of princes; as they feared not Cæfar's wrath, fo they chose rather to fuftain the afflictions of Christ's true pilgrims, than enjoy the pleasures of fin, that were but for a feafon; esteeming his reproaches of more value than the perishing treasures of the earth. And if the tribulations of Christianity were more eligible than the comforts of the world; and the reproaches of one, than all the honour of the other: there was then furely no temptations in it, that could shake the integrity of Christendom.

§. VIII. By this fhort draught of what Chriftendom was, thou mayft fee, O Christendom, Eph. v. 15. 16. B

what thou art not, and confequently what thou oughtest to be. But how comes it, that from a Christendom that was thus meek, merciful, felf-denying, fuffering, temperate, holy, juft, and good, fo like to Chrift, whose name she bore, we find a Christendom now, that is fuperftitious, idolatrous, perfecuting, proud, paffionate, envious, malicious, selfish, drunken, lafcivious, unclean, lying, fwearing, curfing, covetous, oppreffing, defrauding, with all other abominations known in the earth, and that to an excess justly fcandalous to the worst of heathen ages, furpaffing them more in evil than in time: I fay, how comes this lamentable defection?

I lay this down, as the undoubted reason of this degeneracy, to wit, the inward disregard of thy mind to the light of Chrift fhining in thee, that firft fhewed thee thy fins, and reproved them, and that taught and enabled thee to deny and refift them. For as thy fear towards God, and holy abstinence from unrighteousness was, at firft, not taught by the precepts of men, but by that light and grace which revealed the moft fecret thoughts and purposes of thine heart, and fearched the most inward parts of thy belly, fetting thy fins in order before thee, and reproving thee for them, not fuffering one unfruitful thought, word, or work of darkness, to go unjudged; so when thou didst begin to disregard that light and grace, to be careless of that holy watch that was once fet up in thine heart, and didst not keep centinal there, as formerly, for God's

glory, and thy own peace; the reftless enemy of man's good quickly took advantage of this flackness, and often furprized thee with temptations, whose suitableness to thy inclinations, made his conqueft over thee not difficult.

In fhort, thou didst omit to take up Christ's holy yoke, to bear thy daily cross; thou waft careless of thy affections, and kept no journal or check upon thy actions; but didft decline to audit accounts in thy own confcience, with Chrift thy light, the great Bishop of thy foul, and Judge of thy works, whereby the holy fear decayed, and love waxed cold; vanity abounded, and duty became burdenfome. Then up came formality, inftead of the power of godlinefs; fuperftition, in place of Chrift's inftitution and whereas Chrift's business was to draw off the minds of his difciples from an outward temple, and carnal rights and fervices, to the inward and fpiritual worship of God, fuitable to the nature of divinity, a worldly, human, pompous worship is brought in again, and a worldly priesthood, temple, and altar, are re-established. Now it was, that the Sons of God once more faw the daughters of men were fair: that is, the pure eye grew dim, which repentance had opened, that faw no comelinefs out of Chrift; and the eye of luft became unclofed again, by the god of the world; and those worldly pleafures, that make fuch as love them forget God, though once defpifed for the fake of Chrift, began

Gen. vi. 2.

now to recover their old beauty and interest in thy affections; and from liking them, to be the ftudy, care, and pleasure of thy life.

True, there ftill remained the exterior forms of worship, and a nominal and oral reverence to God and Chrift; but that was all for the offence of the holy crofs ceafed, the power of godliness was denied, felf-denial loft; and though fruitful in the invention of ceremonious ornaments, yet barren in the bleffed fruits of the fpirit. And a thousand shells cannot make one kernel, or many dead corpfes one living man.

§. IX. Thus religion fell from experience to tradition; and worship, from power to form, from life to letter; that inftead of putting up lively and powerful requests, animated by the deep fenfe of want, and the affiftance of the Holy Spirit, by which the ancients prayed, wrestled, and prevailed with God; behold, a by-rote mumpfimus, a dull and infipid formality, made up of corporeal bowings and cringings, garments and furnitures, perfumes, voices, and mufic; fitter for the reception of fome earthly prince, than the heavenly worship of the only true and immortal God, who is an eternal, invisible Spirit.

But thy heart growing carnal, thy religion did fo too; and not liking it as it was, thou fashionedft it to thy liking: forgetting what the holy prophet faid, The facrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord; and

• Prov. xv. 8.

t