I could wifh I had fome longer time to im prove, as I ought, this great and ufeful Exhortation. But I have infifted too long already, and therefore may not enlarge upon it. The Duty, in fhort, recommended to us, is this; That we fhould feriously endeavour according to our feveral Opportunities, to increase every Day in our Knowledge and Understanding of the Gospel of Chrift, and in a Suitable practice and performance of it. And he who truly makes it his Bufinefs to do this, need never fear falling away from his ftedfaftnefs. His Knowledge will teach him what is the right way, and the Grace of God rooted in his Heart, will eftablifh him, that no unworthy Confiderations fhall ever be able to draw him afide from it. 1. For what concerns the former of thefe, Knowledge, he muft underftand but very little of the true Spirit of Chriflianity, that is not able at the firft fight to difcover the Illufion of thofe falfe Teachers, that are at prefent the moft bufy amongst us. Mat. vii. 44. * Chriftianity is a Gofpel of Peace and Charity: It commands us to love and to do good to all men, even our very enemies. To blefs them that curfe us, to do good to them that hate us, and to pray for thofe that despitefully ufe us and perfecute us. And can thofe be its Difciples, who fcatter nothing but hatred and malice, confufion and diforder, whereever they come; and make it a matter of Confcience to root out and destroy from off the Earth, all thofe that differ from them? The very Foundation of whofe Religion confifts in a Maxim of the most deteftable uncha uncharitableness, That all must be damned that are not of their Perfuafion? * Chriftianity is a wife and reafonable Religion; a Religion becoming a moft wife God to plant, and rational Creatures to embrace. But our new Teachers. are for a blind and unreasonable Piety: They are for a Faith and a Worship full of the greatest Contradictions: And esteem the true Character of a thorough-pac'd Believer to be, to believe not only without any juft grounds, but even contrary to the common Senfe and Reason of mankind. * Chriftianity is an honeft, an upright, a fincere Religion; a Religion that requires the greatest plainnefs and fimplicity in all our words and actions. And can thofe be Chriftians who are wholly made up of Fraud and Diffimulation; who palliate the very Doctrine they profefs; deny the very Articles of their Faith, when it is requifite thereby to feduce Men to their Party; and plainly fhow that they value not what they do or fay, as often as the mother-intereft of their Church requires them to deceive. 1 Tim. ii. 5. * Chriftianity teaches us to worship but One God, and one only Mediator between God and Man, Chrift Fefus. But our New-Mafters are not thus content: They fet up, if not more Gods, yet I am fure more Objets of their Religious Worship, more Mediators than one; and teach Men to addrefs their Prayers more frequently through the Merits and Interceffion of their new Advocates, to whofe Patronage they have committed themfelves, than through His who is the true Chriftians only Advocate, Chrift bleed for ever. * Christianity forbids us to make 2d Com. any graven Images, the likeness of any H 4 thing thing in Heaven above, to bow down before it, and worship it. Thefe falfe Prophets fet up their Images in every Church, and bown down to the work of their hands. For this end they confecrate them with many Abominations. And however fome think fit to diffemble it, yet others fpeak it boldly out, as the Doctrine of their Church, That the very fame Religious Worship is to be given to the Cross of Christ, that is paid to Him that fuffered upon it. Aquin and his School. * Chriftianity commands us to pray I Cor. xiv. in a tongue which the Church underftands, that fo the unlearned may be able to Say Amen at our giving thanks. Our New Guides direct Men to pray in a Tongue which to be fure the People do not, and which fometimes even the Priest too that officiates, understands as little as they. * Chriftianity is a Religion that teaches Men to be meek and humble, not to think of themselves above what they ought to think; but when they have done all, to fay, they are unprofitable Servants. But our new Teachers have not fo learnt of Chrift. They know a little better how to value their own Performances. Instead of saying they are unprofitable Servants, they teach Men to value themselves on the account of their Merits; to look upon Heaven to be but an equal recompence of their Piety; nay, yet more, that they may live so as to make God a Debtor to them beyond all the Glories of Eternity, and to merit a Crown both for themselves and others. * In fhort, for there is indeed no end of the Contradiction; Chriftianity commands us to take bread, to blefs it, and break it; To take Wine, blefs it and pour it out; and eat and drink at the Holy Table in remembrance of that Death and Paffion, which our Blessed Blessed Saviour once for all, underwent upon the Crofs for us. But what now do our new Inftructors? They tell us here is neither Bread nor Wine to be eaten or drunk; that they are, I know not how, converted into the very Natural Subftance of Chrift's Body and Blood. That he was not offered up once for all, but is here again as truly offered as ever he was upon the Crofs: That thereby a new Expiation is made for the Sins both of the Dead and the Living; and though our Saviour has as exprefly commanded both Kinds as either; yet they declare that one is fufficient for the People to partake of and accordingly they give no more to them. Thus you fee how very little a Knowledge of our Lord and his Religion will fuffice to show that there cannot be any juft caufe for any one to forfake the Communion of our Church, to plunge himself into fuch an abyss of Error and Superftition as this. And then if he be but equally advanced, 2dly, In Grace too; this will certainly fecure him, that no bafe Motive, no Danger or Intereft fhall be able to prevail with him fo to do. Let the Seducer difplay all the feeming advanvantages of fuch a Change. Let him with his Mafter the Devil, fet us up upon the high mountain of our own vain Imaginations. There let him fhew us all the Kingdoms of the Earth, and the Glories of them; and to compleat Mat. iv. 8. the Parallel, let him, if he can, add too; All these things are mine, and to whomfoever I will, I can give them; if thou wilt therefore renounce thy Faith, and fall down and worship me all Shall be thine. By Grace we fall learn to despise them all: This will convince us, that there can be no true Honour in diffembling a Man's Confcience, and proftituting his Soul, his Religion, and his God, to a little prefent Advantage. That the Riches of this World are but Vanity, that the true Treafure is in Heaven. In a word, That the Favour of the greatest Monarch is not worth the purchafing, if to obtain that, we must lofe the Favour of God for ever. Let him fhift the Scene; instead of all thefe advantages, let him fet forth all the dangers that either the Devil can fuggeft, or his own more furious Zeal invent, by Grace we fhall be able to defpife even thofe too. This will teach us that there is a God in Heaven, who fhall laugh them to fcorn; and whofe Counfel it is, that when all is done, fhall ftand. That if he pleases to proted us, 'tis not all their Malice that can do us the leaft Injury. But that fhould he either for our Punishment or our Trial, expofe us to their Rage, yet ftill we ought with Mofes, to efteem Heb. xi. 25,26. the reproach of Chrift beyond all the treasures of Egypt; and chufe rather to fuffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of fin for a feafon. Heb. xi. 3. Dan. iii. .15. This was the brave Refolution of the Saints of old; They were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better refurrection. When Nebuchadnezzar commanded the Three . Children in Daniel, to worship the golden image which he had fet up; they regarded neither the Majefty of the King, nor the Threats of his fiery Furnace: They told him plainly, That they were not careful to please him in that matter; that their God, if he pleased, both could and would deliver them out of his hand: But if not, yet be it known to thee, O King, that we will 16. 17. 18. |