our holy and most charitable religion utterly abhors and forbids all persecution for it, more than against it, common sense cannot therefore conclude, that its defender is uncharitable, or a persecutor for unmasking its corrupters and betrayers, and branding them on the forehead with those names, they take so much pains to deserve; as there is no other way to rouse the unsuspecting to a due care of themselves. It would be hard to say, that every degree of zeal for the worst purpose in the world is to be commended, nay, encouraged; and that zeal for the cause of Christ should be run down.

I solemnly call God to witness, that it is against my principles, my very nature, to turn accuser, and to speak of mankind with this severity; that I lash not at these teachers through envy, because many of them are more esteemed, or placed higher in the church than myself, who am therein stationed far above my deserts; nor through personal spleen or resentment at any one of them; but purely through abhorrence at their dissimulation, through an honest zeal for the truths of our holy religion, and for the eternal salvation of Christ's plain and simple members. Who dare censure this zeal, and yet wink at the treachery of those, from whom I have endeavoured to tear the woollen clothing? But if they despise the imputed righteousness of Christ, and set up their own as better, which they all do, let them tell us, what is that boasted morality of theirs, by which they hope to be justified in the sight of God? What is that bill of rights, whereby they bring him in as their debtor, and challenge the heavenly crown? Is it their gross imposition on the church of Christ? their shameless prevarication, in matters of religion, between God and his people, and all for mere worldly advancement. Is this Christian humility? Is this common honesty? What sort of a master must he be, that can allow this to pass for morality or merit? As to my own, perhaps unimportant part in the exposure, above made, I again solemnly protest, there is nothing, next to my own salvation, which I so ardently wish for, as to see the flock of Christ, with its guides, howsoever differenced, brought back again to the pastures and waters of the great Shepherd. To the repair of his temple, along with a large contribution from himself, and his Holy Spirit, I have cast in my mite, and, I

trust in God, would gladly throw in my life, were it to add any thing to the blessed fund, or were it required by my Saviour.

What is here said, so far as it may be understood of infidel preachers among those who do not communicate with the established churches of Great Britain and Ireland, on account of their falsehood between God and his people, is justly due to them; and indeed it is difficult to speak of them in terms too severe for their practice, or your warning. And yet these are far outdone by the villainy and hypocrisy now practised by many preachers in our established churches, where they cannot be admitted without subscribing, and solemnly declaring for, such creeds and confessions of faith, as flatly condemn the principles they bring with them, and afterward use their utmost endeavours covertly to introduce among the people. Of all sorts of men these are certainly the worst. All their wealth, pomp, and splendour, built on the sacrilegious plunder of Christ's church, cannot hide the infamy of their most horrible Atheism. Yes, Atheism, I insist, for if they believed in God at all, they must fear to offend him with a prevarication so impious. What! in the house of God! almost daily to repeat the creeds! and the invocations at the beginning of the Litany, and on their knees! to his very face! to insult him with devotions, which they themselves detest, and know he in them abhors! but how otherwise can they rob the church of that wealth which is thus turned against religion, and, as in other robberies, tempts her spoilers to murder the possessor?

As our Saviour joins together his prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, and of the world, making the former, which was soon to happen, a type of the latter, not yet come to pass; in like manner, the apostles I have quoted, striking at the heretics of their own time, strike also at those of ours, who do but revive the old errors vended in the primitive ages, and under them, as less offensive to you, endeavour in vain to hide their own total apostacy from Christ and his religion. The better to conceal this, they compliment both with some honorary, but equivocal titles, yet never preach on the blessed Trinity, and scarcely ever on the satisfaction made by the death of Christ for the sins of mankind. These necessary articles of faith they keep as much

as possible out of your sight and hearing, that they may at length be forgotten, and lost to your attention; though on them is built the whole religion of Christ, and all your reasonable hopes of salvation. Ask your common sense whether, in acting thus by you, they shew themselves to be honest men. Ask it, also, whether there must not be some very important meaning in these most solemn words, ' Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,' whereby Christ hath commanded all Christians to be admitted into his church; and whether there is not both meaning and truth in these, that Christ died for all men.' And then ask it, what sort of Christian teachers they are, who treat them as gibberish, by a total silence, or as subjects whereon they cannot speak without discovering themselves to their hearers to be infidels and tricksters. Is he a Christian teacher, who either will not, or dare not, enforce, or even speak, the words of Christ to a Christian congregation? or, who seeks subsistence from you for thus dealing by you?

Having thus laboured to set you on your guard against the false prophets and teachers of the times, let me now, in a few words, warn each of you to beware of a yet more dangerous deceiver, your own corrupted heart, by which your enfeebled understanding is too often biassed. All the cunning and wicked powers of earth and hell can never endanger your salvation, if you do not join them against yourself. If God is for you, who can stand against you? And most infallibly he will for ever be for you, unless you first forsake him and his word. He will not force your faith'or obedience; but he will send his Holy Spirit so to assist you, as fully to counterbalance your natural inclination to disbelief and sin, that you may become as free to choose good or evil, as Adam was before he fell. In a word, his strength will be sufficient for you.' Watch, watch, watch over yourself, over your every thought, word, and action. Read, meditate, pray, and you will believe. Believe, and you will obey. Have God always in your thought. Have his final judgment always in your eyes, more especially in time of temptation. 'Be temperate in all things, and keep the body under.' Know, that God is just, and fear to offend him. Know, that he is merciful, and will forgive you for Christ's sake, if you truly repent, and forsake your sins. Study your

self, and beware of yourself, as your most deadly enemy, as that single enemy, who can undo you. As the devil tempted Christ by texts of Scripture, his artful agents, of whom you have sufficient warning in those Scriptures, will even tempt you by misapplied texts. Answer them, as Christ did, by plainer texts, and stay not to argue with them upon interpretations, wherein they will be too cunning for you, and impious enough to wrest the meaning of every passage against their own judgment; for so they can impose on your simplicity, they disregard all other consequences. The I devil could not hide himself from Christ, nor does it appear, that he so much as attempted it; for, as if he had been the real god of this world, he offered him all its power and glory. But they who will set themselves to practise on your weakness, must carefully conceal the blackness of their designs, in the darkness they attempt to throw on you, lest they should give you an alarm, and put you on your guard. They will therefore come to you in sheep's clothing, speaking soft words through lips that cover their teeth. But if you look attentively, you may see their feet and tail. Again, I say, 'watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.' But if you do enter, redouble your vigilance, cry mightily to the God of your salvation for help, and fly out of the net as fast as you can. Loiter not, for death eternal is there. As to quoting Scripture, this may be done by your common sense to much better purpose, than by the very little stock of learning the false prophets are masters of, mixed, as it always is, with ten times as much vanity and bad intentions; because you look for nothing in your Bibles, but necessary and saving truths, which there stand forth in lights too clear to be misunderstood by such inquirers. The holy Scriptures were written for you, preferably to all the rest of mankind, preferably, I am sure, to such men as wish to deceive themselves and their hearers. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. That you may be able to stand in the evil day; and having done all, to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above

all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance.' Thus ought the Christian soldier to be prepared to 'fight the good fight of faith' under the 'banner of Christ, the captain of his salvation,' against the approaching enemy, of whom the watchman gives these warnings. The same trumpet, blown by Christ and his apostles, when the false prophets of old attacked the true religion, must now again. be set to the mouths of their faithful followers.

To conclude, every day, more especially the Lord's day, and some time before and after receiving the Lord's supper, ask these questions of yourself, and take the answers from your own common sense and conscience:

Do I know Christ, and his religion?

Is my being to last for ever in extreme happiness or mi

sery?

Is it better for me to be in heaven or hell?

Which is the way to heaven?

Which is the way to hell?

Who can shew me both?

Which master should I serve, God or the devil?

Which of the two does my conscience tell me I am serving? and in which of the ways am I going?

If a rich man should offer me my choice of a guinea and a shilling, which would I choose?

And have I common sense for a matter of little value, and not for God, for my soul, for heaven, and for eternity?

Shall I not then go back to the fuller, though short catechism, proposed to me in this Appeal, and give my whole head and heart to it?

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead the Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.'

After finishing as well as I was able, the foregoing little work, it may (and I wish it may) be observed, that I have