Church by God himself, that he will be with them always to the End of the World; that he has is an extraordinary Manner made good this Promife to them by maintaining fuch an exact and untainted Union both in Faith and Pra&tice among them, by preferving among them the only true and univerfal Faith without any Schifms or Herefies to corrupt it; that while other Churches, and that in particular which you are now Members of, are broken into Numberless Sects and Divifions for Want of fome fupreme and infallible Judge in any emergent Controverfies, God, in Evidence of their being his only true Church, has blefs'd them with one infallible Decider of all fuch Quarrels and Contentions; when they urge you with those great Aufterities of Life, thofe fevere Penances which they impose upon notorious Sinners, notwithstanding which, they gain over every Day more and more Profe lytes; and when they defire that you would only come in to them to be Partaker of all thofe glorious Privileges and Advantages: When you only hear thefe and the like Pretexts on each Side, all of them fair, fmooth, tempting and plaufible, and all repeating eternal Life and Salvation perpetually in your Ears, then think with your felves what mighty Numbers have already been feduced by these Arts and Arguments, which yet have nothing folid in them at the Bottom. And be not too confident of your felves, and of your own Abilities, to refift or baffle them, but follow that Advice which on a like Profpect of Things our bleffed Saviour, gave to his Difciples, Watch and pray that ye

enter

enter not into Temptation, for tho' the Spirit may indeed be willing, yet the Flesh is weak.

Confider how Hopes and Fears, how Allurements and Threatnings may co-operate with fuch miferable Sophiftry on a poor weak Man. No Doubt but Peter, when he exprefs'd his Courage fo largely toward his bleffed Mafter, and was, as he thought himself, ready to die with him, concluded it impoffible that he fhould ever deny his Mafter. But when his Mafter's End approach'd, and apparent Danger began to ftare him in the Face, how weak and irrefolute did he prove? How refolv'd to purchase his Temporal Security with the most ingrateful as well as fatal Crime in the World? In the firft Ages of the Church when Love and holy Zeal were warmeft, how many were tempted by gaudy Honours and great Preferments to abjure their Saviour? How many were frighted out of their Wits, by the terrible Appearance of Racks and Wheels, and Gibbets, and Axes, and to escape fome fhort Trials here, ran headlong upon eternal Torments hereafter? Alas! What Abilities, what Strength have we of our felves! Who, O who would not live in a continual Diftruft of himself, when fo many Examples offer themselves to his View in every Place, of thofe have been as conceitedly valiant as he can pretend to be, and have yet prov'd miferable Backfliders and Apoftates? Who would not fly to the powerful Affiftances of Divine Mercy and Goodnefs? Who would not fervently and importunately beg of God, that he would not lead him into Temptation, or permit him to fall under the Power nor to

be

Church by God himself, that he will be with them always to the End of the World; that he has i an extraordinary Manner made good this Promife to them by maintaining fuch an exact and untainted Union both in Faith and Practice among them, by preferving among them the only true and univerfal Faith without any Schifms or Herefies to corrupt it; that while other Churches, and that in particular which you are now Members of, are broken into Numberless Sects and Divifions for Want of fome fupreme and infallible Judge in any emergent Controverfies, God, in Evidence of their being his only true Church, has blefs'd them with one infallible Decider of all fuch Quarrels and Contentions; when they urge you with those great Aufterities of Life, thofe fevere Penances which they impofe upon no torious Sinners, notwithstanding which, they gain over every Day more and more Profe Tytes; and when they defire that you would only come in to them to be Partaker of all thofe glorious Privileges and Advantages: When you only hear thefe and the like Pretexts on each Side, all of them fair, fmooth, tempting and plaufible, and all repeating eternal Life and Salvation perpetually in your Ears; then think with your felves what mighty Numbers have already been feduced by thefe Arts and Arguments, which yet have nothing folid in them at the Bottom. And be not too confident of your felves, and of your own Abilities, to refift or baffle them, but follow that Advice which on a like Profpect of Things our bleffed Saviour, gave to his Difciples, Watch and pray that ye

enter not into Temptation, for tho' the Spirit may indeed be willing, yet the Flesh is weak.

Confider how Hopes and Fears, how Allurements and Threatnings may co-operate with fuch miferable Sophiftry on a poor weak Man. No Doubt but Peter, when he exprefs'd his Courage fo largely toward his bleffed Mafter, and was, as he thought himself, ready to die with him, concluded it impoffible that he fhould ever deny his Mafter. But when his Mafter's End approach'd, and apparent Danger began to ftare him in the Face, how weak and irrefolute did he prove? How refolv'd to purchase his Temporal Security with the most ingrateful as well as fatal Crime in the World? In the firft Ages of the Church when Love and holy Zeal were warmeft, how many were tempted by gaudy Honours and great Preferments to abjure their Saviour? How many were frighted out of their Wits, by the terrible Appearance of Racks and Wheels, and Gibbets, and Axes, and to escape fome fhort Trials here, ran headlong upon eternal Torments hereafter? Alas! What Abilities, what Strength have we of our felves! Who, O who would not live in a continual Diftruft of himself, when fo many Examples offer themselves to his View in every Place, of thofe have been as conceitedly valiant as he can pretend to be, and have yet prov'd miferable Backfliders and Apoftates? Who would not fly to the powerful Affiftances of Divine Mercy and Goodnefs? Who would not fervently and importunately beg of God, that he would not lead him into Temptation, or permit him to fall under the Power nor to

be

be circumvented by the Witchcraft,of falfe Prophets or dawbing Seducers Or if to try his Courage, his Patience, and his Faith, it must be so, that he must be infulted by them; that God would lay no more upon him, than he would give him fit and proportionable Strength to bear, and out of which, in his own due Time, he may make him a Way to escape.

Study then, my Friends and Fellow Chrifians! Study to know and to understand that Religion you profefs throughly. You have Means and Opportunities in your Hands, to do fo. In God's Name ufe them and be happy. It becomes a good Chriftian to be always able as well as ready to give an Account of the Hope that is in him to fuch as ask him. He who can do that, if he be but humble in Spirit too, and fervent in Prayer, may have a rational Affurance that he shall be deliver❜d and ftrengthned in the Day of Trial and Temptation. Beware of foolish Curiofity: Take heed whom, take heed how you hear, as well as what. Religious Difputes are EdgeTools, and are not to be play'd or jefted with. Scripture informs us, that when the People of Ifrael had made and offer'd Sacrifice to the Idol, and rejoiced in the Works of their own Hands, tho' they defign'd only to worship the true God, whom upon Mofes Forty Days Abfence, they fancy'd, otherwife, to be at an unusual Distance from them, under that present and vifible Image; yet God was fo difpleas'd with Acts 7.41, them for it, that he turn'd, and gave them up to worship the Hoft of Heaven; fo punishing their more plaufible Idolatry with leaving them to that which was notoriously abfurd

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and