and Cummin, and they boafting of themfelves for their Fafting twice a Week, for their giving Tythe of all they had, for the Greatness of their Alms, and the general appearing Sobriety of their Lives. But none were more bafe or fcandalous at home; none more negligent of the Inwards, the Effentials of Religion, the more weighty Things of the Law, fuch as Judgment, Mercy and Faith, as our Saviour obferves of them. These were the Men whofe Saintfhip was admired by the eafily deluded Commonalty; and they were almoft thought to have that Key of the House of David, (that Key which properly belong'd to none but the Meffias, the Son of David) which none could open or fhut the Way to Heaven with but themselves,if they were to be believed.

It was certainly a ftrange Unhappiness to fall fo feverely upon the bleffed Jefus as they did: It was literally, falling upon that Rock hew'd out of the Mountain without Hands, which dafb'd every Thing to Pieces which fell upon it: Yet thofe Interefts they had fettled themselves in among the Jews, by their vilifying and perfecuting him who really was their Meffias, that Mediator upon whofe fole Merits all their prefent and future Happiness depended, had fo far leaven'd the inconfiderate Croud, that with them the Son of God himself pafs'd but for an Impoftor, and he whom they could prove guilty of no Sin, was fuppos'd a Devil. And tho' there was nothing in the World more irrational than thefe Conceits of theirs ; tho' our Saviour's whole Life and Actions were an unquestionable Evidence of his being commiflon'd from Heaven; tho' his Difcourfes

carry'd

carry'd fuch apparent Authority and innate Vigour with them, that the common People were frequently Witneffes how miferably the captious Scribes and Pharifees were baffled by that irresistible Wifdom by which he fpake; yet all thefe Things concurring together, had no other Effect upon that obftinate Nation, than to make them ftill more perverfe and more incorrigible, till Wrath came upon them to the uttermoft. What Methods thefe Men made ufe of against that great Name which laid the firft Foundations of Chriftianity, the fame Methods were follow'd by Hereticks and Schifmaticks in fucceeding Ages, It hath been the Practice of the Gnofticks who were one of the earlieft Sets of Hereticks which the Chriftian World was infected with, to revile thofe found and fteddy Profeffors, whofe Lives and Doctrines condemn'd theirs, under the Notion of poor carnal Creatures, Wretches ftill wallowing in their natural Blood and Filthinefs; while themselves, acted by more fublime Confiderations, fcorn'd the paltry and inferiour Elements of Religion, but were, as fome of latter Days have explain'd their Notion, Chrifted with Chrift, and Godded with God. This Way too the Schifmatical Followers of Novatus were too much inclined to; who pretending themfelves to a more rigid Strictnefs in fome Particulars than was either juft or neceffary, knew not how to keep their Notions to themselves, or to enjoy themselves in their own Liberty; but feverely cenfured and spoke the hardest Things in the World of all those fober Chriftians who would not come up to their Measures; whom fome too, of late Days

I 4

Days own, as the Patrons of their own Schif matical Practices: And almost every one knows who they were, who fuppos'd, nay and afferted that the true Flock of Chrift fubfifted only in the Quarters of Donatus. And yet the Novatian and Donatift Schifmaticks were Men as zealous for the Government of Bishops as any of the Cath licks themselves; and their Bifhops generally were regularly commiflion'd and ordain'd by, fuch as were true Bishops themfelves according to the univerfal Practice of the Church of Chrift. And if we obferve Matters impartially, we fhall find that the boldest Dividers of the Church of Chrift, those who endeavour'd moft to level the Epifcopal, with the other inferior Orders; yet always acknowledged the Power of Ordaining and fending fit Paftors out to feed the Flock of Chrift, and to inftruct and govern his Church, to belong effentially to the Character of a Bifhop diftinguifh'd from a Deacon or a Presbyter.

But, if thefe Donatifts and Novatians lay under that fatal Neceffity of fupporting their Interefts, (as the falfe Prophets, and as the Scribes and Pharifees had done before) by calumniating, cenfuring and condemning all but thofe of their own Party; how much more ftrong may we conclude their Reafons to be, who have no Evangelical Commiffion at all; and yet have Parties to model, and Defigns of their own to carry on? It has often made me wonder, when I have obferv'd, the deceitful Carriage of the fe who head the Separation from our legally eftablifh'd Church of England; when they argue with us for Moderation, (the Name and Thing now both thruft out of Doors

by

by themselves fo far that we have fome Reason to hope that we fhall hear no more of it from that Side,) when they argue with us for Moderation, or an Abatement of Ceremonial Impofitions; nothing is more ufual with them than to raise their Plea from thofe Advices of St. Paul to the Corinthians, viz. that 1 Cor. 8. we should be very cautious of giving Offence to their weak Brethren, This Plea carries with it a great deal of feeming Modefty and no lefs Truth, if they would but ftand by their own Plea at laft: For it represents them as weak; and very weak certainly they must be, who fall from the Communion of a duly fettled Chriftian Church for fuch Things as all the Wit of Man can never prove to be finful. But when they attempt to make Profelytes to their own dividing Courses, their Story is very different; they are no longer the poor, weak, fcrupulous, Brethren; but they are the frong Perfons, they are the Chriftians who are come up to a full Maturity and Perfection in Jefus Chrift; they are the only Perfons who throughly understand the great Myftery of Godliness: But for those of the Epif copal Eftablishment, they are reprefented to the Admirers of the Non-conformists, as only a Company of miferable and unregenerate Creatures, fuch as favour not the Things of God, nor can pretend, tho' they have indeed a Form, to any Thing of the Power, of Godliness; And the Means of Grace which they enjoy in their Conventicles, are faid to be fo much more edifying than ours; that their Preachers only make good what St. Paul fays of himself, Cor, 2. and his Fellow Apoftles, Speaking Wisdom among 6

them

them who are perfect. Now, what can be more impoffible, than that the fame Perfons fhould at the fame Time be weak, and yet the Arongeft Chriftians; that they fhould at the fame Time be meer Babes in Grace, and yet be come to their full Stature and Growth in Chrift; that they, as fuch weak Brethren, when they are under, fhould always be calling out for Moderation, Moderation, as if Chriftianity had no other Vertue really belonging to it; and yet when they get uppermoft, (as at prefent in miferable North-Britain, not to fay any Thing of what they do at home,) they fhow nothing of Moderation, nor pretend to know any thing of the Matter. Thefe different Pretenfions found very oddly, and yet they have out of pure Neceflity reduced themfelves to this Dilemma, either to disown their pretended Weaknefs; and then they will not have one Text of Scripture to alledge in Defence of their Uneafinefs under the Burden of our terrible Impofitions; or else they must honeftly own their Weaknefs in their Difcourses to the deluded Congregation; and then their Followers upon an unhappy Principle of their own, (viz. that they ought to hold Communion with thofe only by whom they can profit moft, which every one will conclude, must be the ftrongest and most improv'd Chriftians,) would foon forfake them. It is but an odd Thing to believe, that Uncharitableness fhould be one neceffary Ingredient to the Conftitution of a true Chriftian; yet we generally find those who are the rafheft in their Cenfures,and the boldeft in their Calumnies thrown upon others, are thought the most zealous Ene