ecclefiaftical upon the ruins of the civil power? Hiftory abounds with examples in this kind: but fix upon the reign of our brave Henry the fecond, and fee whether their renown'd Thomas Becket be not a faint and a martyr for the very fame reafons, for which we fhould reckon him, and justly reckon him, a rebel to his king and a traytor to his country. The Pharifees fuffer'd that part of the temple, which was a Mar. xi. house of prayer for all nations, to 17. be made a den of thieves: and is it not notorious, that the papifts make their churches their fanctuaries, and fanctuaries for the vileft of robbers and murderers? We have traced the comparison no farther than we have the authority of fcripture; farther we might trace it: but for my part I take no great pleasure in drawing the parallel; I am more forry that they give the occafion. The The true use and defign of this difcourfe is not merely to expose their faults, but to expose them fo as that we may avoid them; and that fince the Papifts and Pharifees are fo like one another, we may take effectual care to be like neither. Our Saviour faid to his difciples, Except Mat, v. your righteousness fhall exceed the" righteoufnefs of the Scribes and Pharifees, ye shall in no cafe enter into the kingdom of heaven: And what then will He say to those Chriftians, who are fo far from exceeding the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees, that they even adopt their greatest vices and improve them? And what a horrid and impious attempt then is this to impofe popery upon us with a popish pretender, for a popish prince would foon make way for the popish religion, and the popish religion is attended with all thefe evils which you have heard, and many more! The proteftant religion مز religion can be fupported only by fupporting the proteftant fucceffion; and if it should please God for our fins to punish us with a change---But do not Thou, O gracious Lord God, for the many and crying fins of this nation, deliver us over into the hands of our enemies, nor punish us according to our iniquities, but protect and profper us after thy great mercy and goodness. But if it fhould pleafe God for our fins to punish us with a change, what a change would it be a change from liberty to flavery, from the purest religion to the groffeft idolatry and superstition, from a mighty kingdom to a province of France, from a florifhing church to a fervile dependency upon the fee of Rome, from the legal and mild government of a proteftant king to the arbitrary exactions and heavy oppreffions of a popifh tyrant! Nor let any be deluded with a vain notion, that he would : would be contented with the enjoy ment of his religion, and leave us freely to exercife our own; even thơ he fhould make fuch a promise and declaration. They must be very willing to be deceived indeed, who can be deceived by fuch empty pretences. For it is the nature of that religion not to tolerate any other, but to endevor to build and establish itself upon the ruins of all: and they will ftop at nothing right or wrong for this purpose, the goodness of the end, as they think, will fanctify the most unrighteous means: and in fact there never was a popifh prince, but he attempted to make his own the religion of his country, and has too often fucceeded in the attempt, as Saxony, the Palatinate, and other countries once proteftant, now opprefs'd with popery, can teftify. And for any promifes and proteftations which such a prince may be induced to to make, we know very well that he may be difpenfed with to make them, and dispensed with from keeping them; it is the profefs'd doctrine of that church, that they are not obliged to keep faith with heretics, and especially when the good of their church requires otherwise, which is fuperior to all other obligations. And if we have not yet learned this from their doctrines, we may learn it from their practifes, and the experience of former ages. When Queen Mary was firft proclaimed, fhe engaged to the men of Suffolk who had been the principal inftruments of her advancement to the throne, that he would make no change or alteration in the fate of religion, and declared in council that The would use no force in matters of religion, but leave every one to enjoy liberty of confcience; and yet every child knoweth what cruelties were |