Mat. 23.

are entrusted with the Delivery of Truth to the World, fhould deviate never fo much from their Original Inftructions, (as every Day fhews us they do too frequently ;) tho' they should be never fo fcandalous in their Lives and Converfations; yet whatever of Truth they should preach, ought to be receiv'd by us with equal Reverence, as if it proceeded from the holiest Perfons upon Earth. For tho' we are obliged to enquire after the Commiffions of those we hear with all Accuracy imaginable; as for their Perfons, we are not to regard them, fo much as the Doctrines which they infift upon: And we know there are fome, who may hold the Truth in Unrighteousness. Hence it was, that Judas Iscariot, tho' his Mafter knew him to be a Devil, and fo the curfed Betrayer of his glorious Mafter; yet being lawfully commiffion'd by his Mafter, to preach the Gofpel, as well as any of the Twelve, and to do Miracles; a Slight put upon him would have been as provoking as a Contempt upon any one of his Fellow-Apoftles.

It was upon the fame Reason, that, our Saviour laid that Command upon his Difciples, that fince the Scribes and Pharifees fat in Mofes's Seat, they should bear them, and fhould do according to all that they taught, but not after their Works; for they faid and did not. For, indeed, whatsoever the external Circumftances of Things may be, found Doctrine and vigorous Difcipline, and both in lawful Hands, are abfolutely neceffary for the Welfare of the Church of God: But we know that found Doctrine is very little agreeable to Flesh and Blood: So many Things feem unreasonable to miferably

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corrupted Nature, and Difcipline, (by which Sin and Sinners ought to be corrected, or expofed to open Shame) seems to impofe fo much upon that Liberty which every one pretends to be born to, that the Yoke of it is wholly rejected by unfanctify'd Nature. Now it muft needs be acknowledg'd, that where Temporal Lawful Authority interpofes, and endeavours to put a Stop to the Progrefs of the Doctrine and Difcipline of the Gofpel; it can be no Wonder to fee Men make Use of the unhappy Advantage. A great Power and a great Intereft in the World are too eafily able to raise Dangers to fuch as are obftinate in Goodness; and to propofe the ftrongeft Temptations, and moft irrefiftible Allurements to fuch as are of weak and unfettled Minds: And oftentimes it happens, that thofe who are very fecure in their own Opinions are forely fhaken; nay utterly fubverted by one or other of those unhappy Means, How many have believ'd themselves very well fix'd in the Principles of our holy Religion; who yet have proftituted their Faith to the smiling Advantages of a Court or publick Preferment? How many have thought themselves capable of fuffering any thing for the Sake of their Religion; who yet have fhrunk before the threatning Flames, and yielded rather to abjure Heaven than to contend with approaching Torments? But the primitive Chriftians were Men of more approv'd Courage. They faw themselves expos'd every Day to the Furies of an enrag'd World; they faw the Kings and Rulers of the Earth entring into a ftrong Confederacy with the Prince of Darkness against the Truth, as it was in Chrift Jefus,

Jefus, they held faft that glorious Profeffion which they had once made, in all thefe Things they were more than Conquerors thro' that Chrift who loved them. It is true, they never ftood up in Oppofition to their lawful Governors, nor would they ever flatter or fawn upon them in a Parafitical Manner. They fhew'd a conftant Fidelity to their rightful Superiors, whom God had appointed over them; yet they could not bind their generous Souls to a mean and flavish Submiffion in Things diforderly or unlawful. They could not quarrel with or revile their Enemies, but they could pray for them: They could not ftudy to retaliate or to revenge themselves upon their cruel Perfecutors, but they could blefs them: They could not ftir up Seditions, Infurrections or Rebellions, but they could burn: And all the Prohibitions of Pagan Tyrants could not make them fall off from the Apoftles Doctrine, and Fellowship, and breaking of Bread, and Prayers: And this was, not because they were ambitious of the Reputation of Heroes, or because they took Pleasure in contradicting their Governors; but because they understood the real Value of their own Souls, the numerous Imperfections they were involv'd in in the prefent Life, and the particular Remedies which God had appointed for their Distempers, and that they ought to value the eternal Salvation of their own Souls, more than all their Engagements to any earthly Potentate whofoever.

It is not to be queftion'd but that, if God fhould pass that difmal Sentence upon a maRev. 22. lignant World, He who is filthy, let him be filthy fill, and be who is unjust, let him be unjust still;

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we who are lawfully call'd to be the Preachers of his facred Word, fhould enjoy abundance. of Eafe and Quietnefs in this World; and then perhaps too, Men might please themselves exceedingly with that Freedom from Reproof and Correction they'd enjoy. For what is it that we get by all our earnest Pains and Labours but Reproach and Contempt, but a Scandal, and a thousand Calumnies and Abuses? And is fuch Treatment an Advantage fo well worth our Courtship? Let but any Publick Tempefts rife, we are the firft expos'd to all its Violence and Fury; we are the unhappy Wretches doom'd to be ftarv'd or damn'd, if we cannot come up to all the Measures of fpiteful or Atheistical Politicians: Let but any private Contests and Disorders commence, we are fure to have our Share in all the confequent Inconveniencies: Let us preach Truth at large, infift on fuch Generalities, as can little influence the Lives and Practices of our Hearers; we are then look'd upon as lazy and unprofitable, and it may be, not without Reafon: Let us defcend to Particulars, and rake the Ulcers of corrupted Minds; let us touch those beloved Sins in which they have delighted and indulged themselves a long Time, or which they at prefent begin to be very fond of; then we are thought pragmatical, and what may feem very wonderful, we preach not to Edification. What a pleasant Task then have the faithful Ambaffadors of the Living God? And if we would thrive and flourish here, if we would carry a clear Reputation, be follow'd and admired by the Mob of the Times; how neceffary is it to change our Services, and to study,

ftudy, not to please God, but to please and flatter Men? It was the Cuftom of Chriftians in elder Days, to hang upon the Lips of their Lawful Teachers, to attend with the greatest Earneftnefs to what of God's Will they imparted to them: And I perfuade my felf, that when Chrift commanded St. Peter to feed his Sheep, to feed his Lambs, he thought, or rather made, him capable of understanding the most proper Methods of feeding them: And, to carry on the Metaphor a little farther, it has feldom been obferv'd, that Sheep have prefcribed to their Shepherds, what Pa ftures he fhould lay them in, what Diftempers incident to them he should endeavour to prevent or cure, and what he should not trouble himself about, or what Medicaments he should apply to their various Maladies: And then the Sheep were generally in a very thriving and healthful Condition, they were free from Dangers both from within and from without, and their great Mafter took Pleasure in protecting and providing for both the Shepherds and the Sheep. But things are ftrangely alter'd nowa-days: The Sheep pretend to inftruct their Shepherds: They'll chufe their own Shepherds, and their own Paftures: They'll be the only Judges of their own Diftempers, and they'll prefcribe the Remedies too. Hence we have fo many of our People ftarv'd for Want of Knowledge; hence we have fo many become Preys to Wolves, and all manner of ravenous Beafts: And here a Popish Prieft or Jefuit carries off one; there a Presbyterian, and Indepen dent, an Anabaptift, a Quaker, an Atheist, a Socinian, a Libertine another: The Flock of