ligious overmuch. Every one is not a saint that is derided for sanctity; every one doth not sincerely preach, hear, pray, or practise, that is derided for these things. If you have no better evidence of grace, than that some call you Puritans, Precisians, or such like, it will be an insufficient evidence. 1. Bad men will deride those that seem holy, though they are not so. 2. And good men in their faulty weakness, may misjudge of the circumstances of your duty, and unjustly blame you, and yet you may not be sincere in the main. 3. And you may actually mistake in circumstances yourselves, and deserve the blame that is cast upon you. The Pharisees were overstrict for the Sabbath, and in avoiding publicans and sinners, and thought Christ too loose. Judas pretendeth more charity to the poor than Christ had. That is not most right which seemeth strictest, hut that which is most agreeable to the law of God. Though some misapply Solomon's words, Eccles. vii. 16. "Be not righteous overmuch, neither make thyself overwise;" as if it had been written against serious, diligent, obedience to God, and true proper righteousness and wisdom; yet we must know that it was written by the Holy Ghost, and not in vain. A pharisaical, superstitious sort of religion, and observation of vain traditions, and a zealous strictness which God never commanded, is a righteousness equivocally so called, and it is overmuch. Such is much of the popish righteousness, and such is the affected austerity of several sects, old and new. "Touch not, taste not, handle not," are oft a human, counterfeit righteousness, which God doth neither require nor accept. As God liketh not a popish charity, that killeth or tormenteth men in love to God and religion; so neither doth he like those superstitious austerities which destroy our own bodies, and disable us from cheerful thankfulness and obedience; which maketh Solomon say, "Why should thou be desolate (or destroy thyself?") That is good which is fitted to do good. All grace and duty is for edification.

II. And as every one is not truly godly who is derided as godly by the profane, or blamed for some superstitious strictness, so you must not take every one for malignant or ungodly who speaketh against such strictness, as either is real superstition, or seemeth so or worse to him.

For 1. If you are guilty of superstition it is a friendly office to shew you your mistake. 2. And if you are in the

right, and another that is in the wrong misaccuseth you, in many cases his error may stand with love to truth and holiness in the main. Every one is not ungodly who misreproach us with the Anabaptists for baptizing infants. Or with the Antinomians as setting up the abrogated law; and so of many others. As men differ in judgment about God's law, they will accuse each other's differing practice. But opposing serious godliness as such is another thing.

And indeed it is usual with malignant enemies of a holy life, to make themselves a religion of formalities, and imagery, and shadows, to quiet their consciences while they resist the truth, that it may not seem to be an act of impiety and malignity which they do, but an opposition to the faults of others.

But the use which you should make of this lesson is this: Take heed lest you be tempted to an overvaluing of any unnecessary or less needful things, whether it be wealth and honour, or fleshly interest; or else any formalities, or things indifferent about religion, lest before you are aware (as imagery stole away the hearts of the old idolaters from God, so) these should secretly consume your holy zeal, and turn your hearts from the life and serious exercise of religion, and worshipping God in spirit and truth, and afterwards draw you to condemn that zeal and diligence in others which you want yourselves. We have bodies as well as souls, and must have a just regard to bodily necessaries; and a care that our bodies do their duty. But let the body and its interest keep their place. Remember how far it is below the soul, and use it, and all its interests accordingly. The least things that are good are not to be despised, But alas, what work is made by preferring little things! The traditions of their fathers, their tithing mint, and annise, their washings, their building the sepulchres of the prophets, their domination, pomp, and ceremonies, did pass with the Pharisees instead of the great things of the law, and sacrifice went before mercy, truth, and judgment; yea, and become a cloak for devouring widow's houses, and for persecuting and silencing the preachers of the Gospel, and for slandering and murdering Christ himself.

What ruins this hath made in souls, churches, and kingdoms, I have already told you. Know therefore wherein God's kingdom doth consist; Rom. xiv. 17, 18. And what and whom God bindeth you to approve, and learn what this

meaneth, "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice," that you may not deceive yourselves, or condemn the guiltless. Even Martha will murmur at her dear sister, and accuse her, if she be herself but tainted with this ill disease.

But whose part doth Christ take? And which of them doth he justify? The defendant Mary; and that, 1. With a compassionate reproof of Martha. 2. With the reason of Mary's justification. 3. And with a sentence of blessing added to her defence. Whence we learn,

Doct. 2. That when wiser Christians, and their better choice and work are accused by them that preferred less needful things, Christ will be the advocate and judge, and will defend and justify the wrongfully accused.' He will in this case take the accused's part.

Martha accuseth her sister to Christ, she expecteth that he should blame her as neglecting her duty, and leaving all the trouble and care on Martha. But Christ doth not answer her expectation, but justifieth the wise and innocent.

Reason 1. For it is his office to be both the advocate and the judge. And he will do it in perfection, without error or injustice. He well knoweth who is in the right, and none can deceive him by false accusations or false witnesses.

2. He is so nearly related and deeply obliged to defend the innocent or just, that he will never fail them. They are his members, and his love engageth him. He spared not his life and blood for them, and will he not speak for them? They are his purchase, and interest, his peculiar redeemed ones, and will he forsake his interest, and his own?

3. Indeed in plain justice he is bound to justify them against such injurious accusations. For it is he that commandeth them to do what they are accused of. It is for obeying him. If it were a fault, it would be his that bid them do it. Nay, how much hath he done to bring his servants to that holy choice, and faithful duty, which in the world they are commonly accused for! Alas, we were not forward to it of ourselves. It was not we that made the law; which so strictly forbiddeth sin, and commandeth duty. The Bible is not of our making. It is not we that made the law to" love God with all our heart, and soul, and might; and our neighbour as ourselves; not to take his name in vain, to worship God in spirit and in truth," &c. And it was a higher cause than our own power which taught us, and in

clined our hearts to obey these. Many a message did Christ send us, by his Bible, ministers, and Spirit, before we were heartily drawn to yield. Many a day's patience did he use, and many a threatening to drive us to it, and many a mercy and promise to draw us, and many a book and teacher to instruct us, yea, and many an affliction to correct us; and will he not justify us for that which he so earnestly commandeth us, and with so much ado doth bring us to obey? Did he come into the world, and live, and die, to save his people from their sins, and purify to himself "a peculiar people, zealous of good works (Tit. ii. 14.), and will he forsake them when they are accused for obeying him? Where shall we meet with a man of any common honesty that would do thus by his poorest servant? And shall not the Judge of all the earth do righteously? For our parts, if we are accused for serious piety, or any duty which Christ commandeth us, it is his command that was our reason and obligation, and which we have to allege for our defence. If that have not

authority and truth enough to justify us, we have no other justification. Indeed Christ should forsake himself if he thus deserted us. He should take the blame upon his own laws, yea, and on all the works of his grace and Spirit, and all that he hath done to bring us to that which the world and our flesh was so much against.

4. He defendeth his disciples against the Pharisees' accusations on earth, and will he afterwards forsake them?

5. He hath appointed the great day to judge the world in righteousness, even the secrets of men, and to bring all things open into the manifesting light, even all truth and falsehood, and all the hidden works of darkness. Therefore undoubtedly all truth, all righteousness, and all that is of God, shall be fully justified, and God's truth in all, when false accusers shall be all called liars.

Use. This being then so plain and sure, I would commend the consideration of it to several sorts, and in several instances. I. To the accusers of the godly for their duty to God. II. To the accused. III. To those that are yet in doubt what cause to choose.

I. The unjust accusers of just men are of divers degrees

or sorts.

1. Some there be that only accuse them in their thoughts, and take them to be guilty when they are not.

2. Others go further, and too easily believe false reports ⚫ from others: and then think that they are allowed to tell what they have heard, and so to vend such false reports. And if they can but say, either that it was a great man, or a learned man, or a minister, or a religious man that said it, they think that their calumny or backbiting is no sin. But much more, if many such report it; and yet more, if they heard none contradict it.

3. Others there be, that because it serveth their interest or design, or pleaseth their malignant minds, do make it part of their business purposely to carry about such reports, and persuade as many as they can to believe them, and plead down those that contradict them.

4. Others go further, and are the first devisers, or the malicious increasers of the slanderous reports themselves; not only the spreaders or carriers, but the fathers of the lies which they send about by others.

5. Yet some go further, and studiously and maliciously publish them in pulpits, or in print, to draw the world and posterity to believe them; yea, and this as for God, and as for the church and truth; as if it were but the detecting of heresies or lies, or dangerous faults or practices of others.

6. And yet further, some in most ages and countries, in offices and places of judicature, who should be the pillars of justice, do pass false sentences against the just, and pronounce them guilty, and persecute and oppress them by their unrighteous punishments.

7. And yet worse; some slander not only the persons, but the cause of truth, piety, and righteousness itself, and make false laws and canons, calling good evil, and decreeing the common slandering of the truth, and the punishing of the innocent, because they will not break the laws of God, and please proud mistaking men before him.

To all these sorts of accusers of the just, I would give (would they hear me) this following advice :

1. I advise you to stay, and think well of the matter, and be sure that you have thoroughly tried it before you venture to pass your judgment. It is not so small a matter as you think, to wrong the just, and say, I was mistaken. And especially will you be first sure what side Christ will take? and whether he will be of the accuser's mind.

And Christ hath so fully told us his mind already in his