deavour to delude with kind verbal Offers; but those only to whom the Sheep properly belong, will adventure the greatest and the moft threatning Dangers for the Safeguard of their Sheep. Let us but confider how unhappy an Inftance we have had to this Purpofe in thefe Nations of late Years: We have seen a great Number of those who have taken upon them (against all the Laws and Orders of the beft of Times, and the wifeft Monarchs, and our freest and most religious Parliamentary Affemblies) to preach the Word, as they call it, who pretend to fome unufual Degrees of Purity and Holiness beyond the rest of the World: A wonderful deal of Pains they take to withdraw our Sheep from us, fpeaking proud and boafting Words of themfelves, as if there were none equally fit with them to teach and to protect a Chriftian Society from the Infults of Popery, Hell and wicked Men. What Numbers are there of poor, abus'd, deluded Wretches, who liften to their deceitful Charms tho never fo deftructive. They run blindly after their blind and ignorant Leaders, and imagine themselves in a much nearer Way to Heaven than their poor fuppos'd unregenerate Neighbours. But when a Critical Time was come, when the Darkness of Superftition and Idolatry feem'd to threaten us again, and the Emiffaries of Rome, under the misplaced Favour of the Government, were active and impudent, boafting of more Profelytes than they had ever gain'd, and of their Hopes of a yet more plentiful Harveft; when they spread their dangerous Doctrines every Day uncontroll'd, to entrap the fimple and unwary on

every Side; (I fpeak of what pafs'd but a few Years fince, and which infinite Numbers muft ftill remember;) where then were these mighty Sampfons to oppofe thefe encroaching Philistines? Who of them would animadvert upon Roman thriving Errors, or fhew'd their Admirers the Snares and Traps they trod among ?

When there was no apparent Danger of it, nothing but Popery was in their Mouths: Then they were fo zealous against it, that they'd adventure upon Treafon and Rebellion, the moft Spiritual Remedies our Modern Saints could ever pitch upon, rather than not appear against it: Nay their furious and Headftrong Zeal made any thing that had the Face of Antiquity, Decency or Fidelity to their lawful Superiors, to be Popish. But when the unhappy Conduct of a too bigotted Prince made the Danger of Popery too apparent; when those who had any ferious Senfe of Religion were alarm'd in earneft; then the Cry of thofe Papifts in Masquerade; (for fuch are all the knowing Sons of the Separation) was all Peace! Peace! It was unreasonable then to warn People of their Danger, and they acted generally as the profefs'd Papifts knew well enough, in Concert with the moft hot-headed of the Romanifts to the Ruin of uninftructed and unftable Souls. How well then, nay how well do they always anfwer that Character of the Apostle, Teaching Things which they ought not, for filthy Lucres Sake? If we could vindicate the Establish'd Epifcopal Church of England from the malicious Charge of Perfecution by no other Argument; this very Practice

of

of her Enemies on that Critical Occafion would do it fufficiently: When the Epifcopal Church appear'd in its greatest Glory with all the Advantages of Human as well as of Divine Laws on its Side, to reprefs the Infolence of its Adverfaries; it was voted Popij by a Factious Crew, and yet its Members and Governors were far from revenging the Injury by a rigorous Exertion of the Panal Laws, as fome perhaps of the Separatifts themselves may have Honefty enough to confefs. But when a powerful but misguided Prince undertook the Protection of Popery; we fuppofe thefe good Men dream'd prefently of Inquifitions and worfe than Ordeal Fires, in fpite of all the Promises of Favour and Indulgence; and therefore they were loth, by faying any thing against Popery, to procure the IllWill of their trufty Friends, or to make themfelves Candidates for Martyrdom, and so went in generally to the then Measures of the Court. So,clear a Senfe of perverted Mankind had the Devil, when he told God in the Cafe, of Job, Skin after Skin, yea all that a Man has will be give for his Life: Let it be his Soul, his Credit, or his everlasting Salvation.

But can fober or intelligent Chriftians ever be thought capable of fuch Practices as this? Or can those be thought true or lawful Shepherds of the Flock of Chrift who dare not or who will not endeavour to arm their Followers against all thofe Errors which may hazard their eternal Happiness. If the Religion of Rome, as explicated by the Council of Trent, be in all its Particulars true and infallible in it felf; it must be always fo; and then why would

Job I

would they in the Reign of Charles the Second pretend to ftand at fuch a wondrous Distance from it? If the Doctrine of that Council be in many Things falfe, fuperftitious and idolatrous, as fome of their better Meaning Predeceffors have agreed with the Epifcopal Church heretofore to inform us ; why were they in the Reign of James IId, a profefs'd Papift, and who heartily endeavour'd to introduce that Religion which he profefs'd; why were they then more filent than ever? Why did they not lift up their Voices like Trumpets to declare to all Men what Rocks and Precipices they were then running upon? Or why would they not take that Opportunito clofe with that Epifcopal Church in all Particulars, whofe Paftors, as they plainly faw, both knew and dared to do their Duties? Was not Popery in K. James's Reign as dangerous;and follow'd by as pernicious Confequences as it was in that of K. Charles : No: But instead of all this, they endeaveur❜d to expofe this always Loyal Church to the Sufpicions of their Prince with the fame Argument as the Devil made Use of 1. 11. against fob, Put but forth thine Hand now and touch all that he bath, and he will curse thee to thy Face. It is too true, that when that miftaken Prince was for trying the Experiment; every one who was a Bifhop or a Presbyter of the Church of England was not Mafter of the Integrity of Job, and fo made good the Devil's Conjecture: But there were fo many who were intirely againft Rebellion, or dethroning a lawful Prince on Account of Religion; or who were not afraid to fubmit to their Prince, and

to

to obey him in all Things which were not against the Laws of God, and to truft God with the Defence of his own Religion while they walk'd up to the Precepts of it; as might in fome Meafure attone for the Cowardife and Mutability of others. The genuine Sons of the Church of England, tho' it was not in their Power to preferve their Sovereign from the Violence of those who were fet upon Mischief, yet could never be active in forcing him from his Rights: For the Doctrine of the Church of England in her Liturgy, in her Articles, in her Homilies, and in the Oath of Allegiance and Supremacy, is as irreconcilable to Rebellion, or the Refiftance of lawful Princes by their own Subjects by Force of Arms, as Heaven is to Hell, or fincere Truth to Hypocrify and Impiety.

It was a great Mifprifion of Matters in that unfortunate Prince, and his treacherous Advifers know it well enough, to 'think, that all who call themselves Members of the Church of England, or have been admitted to the Cure of Souls in it, were all Saints. Alas, the Chriftian Church was pefter'd with falfe Bre thren even in the Apoftles Times, when a Man would have thought an Hypocrite fhould have had little Temptation to join with a perfecuted Church; and when there were no Princes who encouraged or took the Protection of Christianity into their own Hands, and when there were no fettled Endowments of Churches. That there fhould be fuch therefore in the Church of England, especially when allings go well with it, can be no Won

der;