in finners to be the fole ground of God's mercy to them: Whereas corrupted christianity reprefents, not perfonal valuableness in men, but either fomething external to them, or else fomething that is not valuable in them, (such as the captivating their understandings to a fet of myfterious and unintelligible propofitions) to be the ground of their acceptance with God; and it reprefents, not a perfonal change from bad to good in finners, but fomething external to them (fuch as the good works of fufferings of others) to be the ground or reafon why God fhews mercy to them. And thus corrupted chriftianity becomes a means, not to reform mens vices, but of their abounding and continuing in them; and thus it ferves, not rightly to direct and govern, but greatly to corrupt and mislead the affections and actions of men: And thus the gospel of Christ is rendred inefficacious for the faving of mankind. And as christianity has been greatly corrupted, fo that corruption has appeared in various fhapes, according as the power, or the paffions, or the different interefts of men have directed. Infomuch that what has been deemed found and orthodox chriftianity in one age, or in one country, has been deemed and treated as arch herefy in another. May we not then take up a lamentation in the words of the prophet Jeremiah and fay, How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cait down from heaven to the earth the beauty of Ifrael? How is the gold become become dim, How is the fine gold changed? How is the precious ointment of the apothecary made to fend forth a stinking favour? How is that that was ordained to life become the miniftration of death? How is that revelation of God's will, which was kindly intended to reform and fave mankind, become fubfervient to their deftruction? And that which renders the cafe ftill more lamentable, is, Secondly, That the teachers of christianity have been its corrupters; that those who have been the preachers of Chrift's gospel have fubverted it by teaching things that they ought not for filthy lucre fake. The christian miniftry was intended for the furtherance of the gofpel; that is, men were appointed and fet apart to minifter in, and to, and for christian focieties, that they might keep alive in the minds of Chrift's people a juft and an affecting fenfe of his gofpel, and might assist and help them in the great affair of their falvation. But, alas! this has been fo far from being generally the cafe, that on the contrary, it has been quite the reverse. Thofe appointed to watch over chriftian focieties for their good, thro' a vicious felf-love, have fubverted the gofpel of Chrift, and made it fubfervient to their own worldly power, dignity and wealth. This has been moft notoriously the cafe in the church of Rome, and perhaps it has been more or lefs fo in all other churches. The christian ministry, or thofe appointed to minister in christian societies, have been fo far from anI fwer fwering their characters, as faithful preachers of Chrift's gofpel, and as minifters or fervants to Chrift's people, that they have generally anfwered the contrary character, by perverting the words of eternal life, and by lording it over God's heritage. I have already obferved, that the gospel of Chrift has been moft grossly corrupted, and what I would now obferve is, that it has not been the open enemies, but the preachers of chriftianity who have brought this evil upon it. It has been thofe falfe brethren who, thro' a vicious felf-love, have fubverted the gofpel of Chrift, and rendred it inefficacious for the faving of mankind. And also by this means chriftianity itself has been rendred contemptible, and a by-word to strangers and foreigners, and an hifling to every one that paffeth by. And the reafon of all this is evident: for as filthy lucre was at the bottom of all, fo whilft chriftianity continued uncorrupted, whilft perfonal valuableness in men was confidered as the fole ground of divine acceptance, and a personal change from bad to good in finners, was confidered as the fole ground of God's mercy to them, there was nothing for lucrative men to ground their fchemes of wealth and power upon, and therefore the corrupting of chriftianity became abfolutely ncceffary to anfwer thofe purposes. But when avaricious men had corrupted the gofpel of Chrift, by teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucre fake; when men were led to believe, that it was not perfonal valuableness in them, nor a perfonal change change from bad to good in finners, but fomething without them; fomething external to them, or something not really valuable in them, which they were to ground their hopes of falvation upon; then there became an open and clear ftage for lucrative men to act their parts upon; then a door was opened for the introduction of any thing and every thing into christianity, which would beft answer the purpofes aforefaid; then christianity became filled with myfteries, which gave the preachers of Chrift's gofpel (or the priests or clergy as they are now called) both the opportunity and the pretence for having the direction of the understandings and confciences, and confequently of the purfes and poffeffions of the people. And as hereby wicked men had the means and opportunities of compounding for their vices, fo hereby the clergy had the means and opportunities of gratifying their most avaricious defires. And not only fo, but they claimed a right of dominion or lordship over their brethren, and made themselves mafters of those whom they were appointed to ferve: in confequence of which many of the preachers (or at least the pretended preachers) of Chrift's gofpel, have been guilty of every act of fraud and oppreffion towards Chrift's people. And in order to fupport and juftify their unjust claims of fovereignty over Chrift's fervants, thofe advices and counfels which have been given by Chrift and his apoftles, in order to guide chriftians into the ways of peace, truth and holiness, have been fubverted by them. I 2 Thus Thus they have fubverted that plain, honest, wholfome advice given by St. Paul to Titus, which I have been confidering, by making it the ground and foundation of fuch power to themselves, as Chrift hath declared that none of his fervants are fit to be entrusted with, viz. a power of disfranchifing or cafting their brethren out of Chrift's church. And tho' those invested with civil power ought (as the guardians of the fociety's welfare) to have reftrained those men from every act of violence towards Christ's fervants, yet, alas! this has been fo far from being always the cafe, that on the contrary, fometimes the civil power has been drawn in to fupport thofe claims, and to execute the wicked fentences grounded upon them: in confequence of which (thro' a very great breach of truft) great waste has been committed upon the labours and properties of the people, and fometimes the lives of Chrift's fervants have fallen a facrifice to the pride and. malice of those spiritual governors, when backed with civil power as aforefaid; yea fometimes those invested with civil power have felt the fad effects of thofe claims themselves. May we not therefore take up a lamentation, and fay, How have the fervants of our Lord betrayed the cause of their mafter? How have they corrupted the word of truth, and made the Lord's people to tranfgrefs? How have they darkned counfel by words without knowledge, and quenched the light of Ifrael? How have thefe traders in fpiritual merchandize made themselves rich by a falfe balance, and by |