and ridiculous. This Account fhould teach us to be very cautious how we ftep out of that Way which God has fet before us, tho' we imagine our own Defigns and Intentions to be never fo innocent or advantageous. To do fo, is indeed, to make a Mock at Sin in the wife Man's Senfe, and nothing is more frequent in God's Difpenfations to Mankind, than punishing one Sin by another, the dreadful Event of which at laft we may juftly tremble at. When St. Paul tells us, that the 2 Tim. 4. Time fhould come, in which Men should not en-3, 4 dure found Doctrine, but after their own Lufts, fhould heap to themselves Teachers having itching Ears. Having defcrib'd the Crime, he proceeds in the following Verfe to give an Account of the Punishment like to follow it, God fhall fo leave them to themselves, that they fhall turn away their Ears from the Truth and fhall be turned unto Fables. And Men when they are once deferted by Heaven, and left to reap the Fruit of their own Doings; there's nothing fo abfurd, nothing fo damnable but they'll find fome filly Reafon or other to embrace it. When a Man once begins to falter in his holy Refolutions, or gives himself the Liberty to attend upon unlawful Guides, and Heretical or Schifmatical or Popish Affemblies; he is as a Stone juft turn'd from the Place it had refted in, on the Top of a Precipice, which can very hardly be ftopp'd again till it comes to the Bottom. I remember Tertullian fomewhere tells us, " of a Chriftian, who, "contrary to the Difcipline of those purer "Ages, went to fome publick Theater to fee "the Roman Games, where he was immediately

diately poffefs'd by a Devil; which Devil, "when fome holy Men, who retain'd the "miraculous Gift of cafting out Devils for

a great while, examin'd how he durft pre"fume to enter into the Body of those who "had given up his Name to Chrift in Bap"tifm; answer'd them, that he found that "Chriftian upon his own Ground, and had "taken Poffeffion of no more than was his

Right." If it were fo dangerous a thing for Chriftians to go to fee thefe Shews in which the Interefts of Chriftianity were were no way concern'd, how much more dangerous must it be for Men out of a vain Curiofity to run after the Voices of thofe pretended Shepherds, who, not entring in by the right Door, are indeed, no better than Thieves and Robbers?

When the Apoftle forewarns the Theffalonians of the Coming of Antichrift, and how he fhould prevail upon those who should pe2 Thef. 2.rish, with Power and Signs, and lying Wonders, 9, 10, 11, and all the Deceivableness of Unrighteousness;

12.

he fubjoins the Reafons why he thould prevail fo upon those unhappy Wretches, Because they receiv'd not the Love of the Truth that they might be faved. And none really love the Truth, who, to please an irregular Fancy, can difpenfe with any Thing elfe in the Room of it for one Moment. For this Caufe God fhall fend them frong Delufions, that they should believe a Lie, that they all might be damn'd who believ'd not the Truth. Confider well if this has not been frequently made good upon those who having once quitted or only intermitted the Communion of the Church of England, have gone from Party to Party, from Error to

Error,

Error, never able to fettle again in any tolerable Method of Divine Worship, or in any conftant Courfe of Religion at all. And it is well, if all have not terminated according to what I have alleged from the Apoftle before: It is well if they have not been given over to believe a Lie, that they might all be damn'd, who believe not the Truth, but had Pleafure in Unrighteousness; as all they certainly have, who are unfteady in Religion, and who under the Pretence of being Catholick Chriftians are really no Chriftians at all, nor have any Right to communicate in the Ordinances of God in any religious Society at all.

Be not deceiv'd, God is not mocked, but look what a Man fows, the fame alfo fhall be reap. God fettled in his Church fuch Officers as have Power to encourage his own Service, and that Scheme of Religion which he has laid before us in the Gofpel; and they by Virtue of that Ufe of the Keys committed to them may admit fit Perfons into the Membership of Chrift's Myftical Body, and fo give them a juft Right to Heavenly Bleffings, and may, upon juft Reasons, excommunicate them or caft them out again without ufurping any undue "Authority in the Church or Kingdom of Chrift, and fo lay them open to the dreadful Curfes of their great Head and Sovereign Jefus Chrift, in Spite of all the groundlefs Affertions of raw and unexperienc'd Divines, by what Character foever they may be recommended to the Publick. He who is wa vering and inconftant in Religion here, tho he fhould efcape the Cenfure or Cognizance of his lawful Spiritual Superiors in this World, VOL. II. muft

Ff

must never expect a fure and unchangeable Inheritance with an immutable God hereaf ter. Let not Men impofe upon you with that Conceit, that thofe of other Profeffions, or of other Congregations, may be faved as well as you. We pretend not to limit the Mercy of God, or to fay, Hitherto fhall it go, and no farther God can fave, where, when and whom he pleafes: only he'll fave none in Contradiction to his Revealed Will, either as to Time or Manner. But it would be no Prudence for a Man on that Suppofition, to leave a Rule which has been given by God himself, and by which Salvation may certainly be had, because it is poffible that fome who have trodden awry a little, may have found Mercy. A Man who falls from the Top of fome lofty Tower, may perhaps furvive his Fall; or may have efcaped with very little Damage: But we fhould look on him as a Madman, who, on Prefumption that he might come off as well, fhould throw himself down from the fame Height, when he might come down fafely and at Leifure by eafy Steps. God may have Compaffion for the involuntary Ignorance, the great Prejudices, and the uncommon Infirmities of others, which they would gladly get over if they could. Your Cafe can admit of no fuch Excufe: You have had fuch frequent Warnings from lawful Paftors of the Danger of fuch Infallibility; that if you break out from God's facred Fold, and adventure upon By-ways, nothing at all can he pleaded for you. Let not an empty Shew of Chriftian Liberty delude you. True Chriftian Liberty confifts not in a Freedom from

the

the Precepts or Injunctions of Jefus Chrift, but in a Freedom from the Yoke of the few if Law, and from the Slavery of Sin, and from the damning Sentence of the Law, by Virtue of the Merits and Mediation of Jefus Chrift, and Faith firmly fix'd in him. In that Communion in which you are now fettled, you have all Things neceffary to Salvation, and nothing impos'd upon you which can obftruct or hinder your Salvation, your Adverfaries themselves being Judges. The Church of England has lawful Prayers, lawful Sacraments, lawful Paftors and Governours. God's Bleffing will always attend on his own Inftitutions. They are fuch that we may affirm of them as our Apoftle does with refpect to himself and his Fellow-Labourers We are of God, he who knoweth God heareth us: He who is not of God heareth not us, and hereby know we the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error.