their Daughter and her Portion, and the Matchmaking Man of God, as they think him, has a very comfortable Fellow-feeling of the Matter; and it may be, fixes both Parents and Children in his own Schifmatical Congregation. Now here the lawful Minifter of Jefus Chrift rarely concerns himself, and where his Counsel is ask'd, always gives it without any particular Intereft or Fee. Again, if a Man bears never fo ill a Character, and never fo juftly; if they find him ambitious of Honour, as it may be to reprefent the Town or County he lives in Parliament, if he will but promise to be their good Mafter, and to protect or promote their Caufe when he comes there his moft villainous Crimes fhall all be wrapp'd up in Forgetfulness; his Money fhall fly at large among the Party, and they will recognize him as their Patron, whofe Company all the fober World is both ashamed and afraid of. Such a one was the great Earl of Leicefter in the Reign of Qu. Elizabeth, the very Sink of all Wickedness and Debauchery, and yet greedy of his Sovereign's Favour, and of the Lands of the Church, and, as one Mean to compafs fome Part of his Defign, the kind Supporter of the Puritans: Such a one was the infamous Harry Martyn, and the much more infamous Oliver Cromwel in the Reign of the Long rebellious Parliament; all Senfe of whofe Perfonal Errors was entirely lon in their noify Zeal for Confufion in the Church, and Rebellion in the State. And what kind of Defenders they have had of later Years, or fince the Reftauration among the Shaftsburies, Whartons, Sidneys, and others of the like Prin

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ciples as to Religion and good Manners, almoft ever body knows.

Sometimes the Joy of fome extraordinary Succefs in a particular Affair, fometimes an extraordinary Lofs, Disappointment or fome extreme Affliction, puts the Mind of a Man into great Disorder: At fuch a Time these deluding Schifmaticks will take hold of their Excefs of good Humour which what they call their good Fortune creates in them; and then a Friend especially may infinuate himself into them, perfuade them to be kind to those who as they fay, fuffer for the Tenderness of their Confciences, and only for Fear of finning againft God: And then in the Gaiety of their Humours, they are eafily perfuaded to any Thing, and having once on fuch an Occafion thrown away fomething that Way, they take a Fancy to continue it; efpecially if they have but large Promifes of their i rayers, that they may always be as happy as at prefent, which they promife only with refpect to their own Advantage, not to that of their Benefactor. But when Croffes, Disappointments or very great Afflictions have deeply affected the Minds of any, and they are ready to fink under the Weight of their own Sorrows; then they have fuch an Opportunity as they them felves could with. Reafon is almoft out of. the Way of one diftracted with Grief; for fo foon as Reafon takes Place, the Anguifh of the Mind begins to abate: But foft Words, and fuch as feem to fympathize with the drooping Soul go a great Way, and when the Patient hears of Afflictions and Croffes as always attending the People of God, they

are

are ready to be perfuaded that they themselves are fome of thofe godly People, tho' they have no other Evidence of fuch a peculiar Relation to God, but that Affliction they lie under; and this kind of Notion fhall be very diligently inculcated into them. And who then can they confort with better than those who always call themselves the People of God, who pretend to be in a continually af flicted and fuffering State as well as themfelves? And where can they lay out their Money better than among those who are fo ready to comfort and condole with them, and who feem to have fuch a Fellow-feeling with them in the Day of Adverfity? But to run thro' all the Stratagems of filfe Prophets and Church-Dividers to draw People to their Party, would be endless: They have Agents of all Tempers among themselves, and they use them accordingly to work upon all Tempers in others. And who can wonder then, if fome who of themselves are better inclined, are overtaken by fuch a Multiplicity of Artifices? But he who is warn'd of thefe Things before-hand, and yet fuffers himself to be deluded, can expect or indeed, deferve but very little Pity. Sure I am that all thofe who love the Lord Jefus Chrift in Sincerity, fhall either always be preferv'd from fuch Snares, or fhall foon be recover'd out of them when they have indulged themselves a little too long in Carelefnefs. All the Craft which fuch bufy Deluders exert, flows from a Diabolical Principle of Malice at firft, as what pafs'd upon Eve did of old; and they think, as their Tea cher did, that they have all the Reafon in Bb 4

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the World to hate every thing that's good; and the Malignity of their Temper carries them as far as Sampson's Revenge went against the Philiftines. They are very active to pull down the Temple of God among us, tho themselves, as well as their Adverfaries fhould be crush'd in Pieces in the Ruins of it.

4. Falfe Prophets or Seducers may be didinguifh'd from Evangelical Paftors, by their Proneness to the bafeft and moft fordid Flatteries in the World. I would I could say, that none of those who are lawfully commiffion'd to difpenfe God's holy Word and Sacraments, will ever be guilty of any fuch Vilenefs. We too have thofe who will canonize incarnate Devils at a lower Rate than even thofe of the Church of Rome; but we have that Satisfaction ftill, that they are Time-ferving Wretches, Men of prostituted Souls, but of no Principles at all. They can idolize a Papift, fawn upon a Proteftant, open Heaven for an Atheift, and celebrate the Bravery and Virtue of a debauch'd and blafphemous Rebel: But thefe are fuch as are ready with the firft fair Wind to fet Sail for the adverfe Shore. Thefe would be more at Eafe in their own Minds, and carry a fairer Reputation among Men of Senfe; if they fhew'd themselves to be above all fuch paltry Courtship: The true Church of Chrift never flourishes more, nor appears more lovely to her Friends, or terrible to her Enemies; than when her Teachers and Governors deal plainly and fincerely with all Men, as well the Living as the Dead. Even those who hate a plain Dealer in their Hearts, yet cannot but have a tacit Reverence for them at

the

the fame Time; and their very Prefence will over-aw the Slaves of Senfuality, and make them fober in Spite of their own Teeth. Men. who won't flatter, are the Supports and Ornaments of our Church; but the Heads of Schifmatical Parties could not fubfift without Diflimulation and Flattery. Nothing elfe could hold their numerous Congregations together, or animate them for any fuch Designs as their Leaders would engage them in. It is Flattery which encourages Men in the Ways of Sin. Nothing can in Reality be more unkind than to fee one who has given himself up entirely to my Conduct, run on headlong in the Ways of Deftruction, and to let him go on without Controll, or to commend and flatter him in his Folly. A fevere Check is better receiv'd from an approv'd Friend, than the fawning Abuses, (as all the foft Words are) of Lying Lips, and of a deceitful Tongue. It generally argues a great Sufpicion of the Goodnefs of the Caufe he undertakes, when the Preacher fows Pillows under Mens Elbows, and is afraid to rake to the Bottom of thofe Sores which are apparent in their Admirers. It was the prudent Care and Charity of the good Samaritan in the Parable, which made him pour in Wine as well as Oil into the Wounds of the plunder'd Jew; Wine was neceffary to fearch and cleanfe the Wounds as well as Oil to fuppurate and comfort them.

When our Saviour had to do with the Scribes and Pharifees, Men extremely harden'd in a continual Course of fuccefsful Wickedness, he dealt with them with a Zeal proportion'd to that defperate Condition they were then in;

plainly