6thly. Their shift of hypocritical prolocution that is, to use words of such a found, when they do not intend fuch a thing by them, as a man would think they did. Now, all thefe are contrary to the fimplicity and plain-heartedness that ought to be in our converse, one with another. I will not farther explain these things, because they are abominable; and I would not teach any man to be dishonest. For they are of fuch a nature, that if you fpeak them, you teach them; and if you declare them, men may learn them. But

Thirdly, They fuperadd things unlike to be true, and difhonourable to God; and this I will make appear in three things.

1. Their ufe of images in the worship of God. How far better than this, is that which we find among the philofophers? God, fay they, is to be worshipped by purity of mind; because a spirit is beft acknowledged by the reafon of man's underftanding, and the thought of his heart for this is the worship most suitable to an immaterial being; and it is the use of that in us, which is the highest and nobleft of our faculties. For the fpirit in man is the candle of the Lord, lighted by God, and a light to direct us unto him, as we read, Acts xvii.

27.

2dly. The veneration of relicks ; a very vain thing for there can be no certainty at this distance of time, what they are; and if they were what they. are taken for to be, what is due to them? for, inanimate things are far inferior to those that have life; and we read, that the lefs is bleffed of the

greater,

greater, Heb. vii. 7. And Solomon faith, Eccl. ix. 9. That a living dog is better than a dead lion. And for the living to worship things that are dead, is altogether irrational and unaccountable. And for the worshipping of angels and fellow creatures, which is the

3d. Thing, why should should any man so prof→ titute himself as to worship these? I am fure God would not have us do fo: he would not have us adore any creature. For as the apoftle reasons, Col. ii. 18. it is but a fhew of humility to worship angels, and they are in the highest rank of creatures. And if they are not to be worshipped (as it is plain from Rev. xxii. 9. they are not) then furely none below them. And God hath declared, that there is but one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.'

Fourthly, They fruftrate the effect of real religion by their pretence to power and privilege. That is, they pretend to make that lawful which is not lawful. Bellarmine faith, that the pope may declare virtue to be vice, and vice virtue. By this practice they can turn attrition into contrition, that is, they can make fuch a confternation of mind, as fell upen Judas, when he went and hanged himself, by the priest's abfolution to be contrition; that is change it into the notion of true repentance. And also bodily penance instead of an inward change of the mind. They pretend to work fpiritual effects by virtue of holy water and the cross. They pretend the efficacy of indulgences, for the pardon of fin: the power of abfolving men from oaths and obligations all which are things unaccountable. There

:

are

are three great designs in popery, and I will tell you what they are.

1ft. To keep the civil magiftrate in awe.

2dly. To maintain the clergy in state and honour.

3dly. To keep the people in ignorance, and so to enflave them, and difable them to fee or know. These are three great things in popery. If any of you defire any of these three things, popery is for your turn; but if you would maintain the honour and privilege of human nature, then you must give your teftimony against it.

But in true religion there is nothing which the reafon of mankind can challenge or object againft: nothing wherein the reafon of mankind may not have fo good an account, fo as to have fatisfaction.

And to declare the plain truth. I do not at all understand that there is any religion farther than that which is owned among protestants. What they have more among the papifts is accommodated ta ferve ends and purposes. The most learned among the church of Rome acknowledge the materials of our religion to be true. As for the ignorant, they are of no confideration in point of judgment; no more than the opinion of a blind man in point of colours, or of a deaf man as to founds.

I conclude this with what a great abbot in their church was wont to say, that he did greatly suspect that his religion muft needs fail, because there was fo little ground for it in the word of God. I will add to what he said, that there is as little ground for it in the principles of God's creation, or in that which we call natural religion.

Now

Now I come to give you an account of the reformed church. And I will fay concerning it, that it doth neither perfecute, nor hold any principle of disturbance, but maintain principles of peace. If any man in the reformed church do, I muft declare, that it is the fault of particular parties, and not to be charged upon the reformed church. And to make this appear, I will begin with what the church of England declares: and I had beft for that quote fome of the homilies, of which there is one concerning contention and ftrife, and particularly that which is occafioned by principles of religion. The words are these, "It is far better and more worthy "for any one to give place to another, and let his "argument fall, than to win the victory with breach "of charity." An excellent determination, which you shall find in the homily against strife and contention. Then for the ancients, I will quote you two or three sayings of theirs.

'Tis, faith one, unnatural to religion to be forced; for a man's religion must be chofen. St. Auftin gives his account of the Circumcellions, the worst fort of Donatifts. Saith he, "We bring these be "fore the civil magistrate, not because they err in "matters of faith, but because they perfecute and "are troublesome to right believers" * they brought

* Non effe petendum ab imperatoribus, ut ipfam berefim juberent omnino non effe poenam conftituendo eis qui in illa effe voluiffent: fed hoc potius conftituerunt, ut eorum furiofas violentias non paterentur qui veritatem catholicam vel predicarent loquendo, vel legerent conftituendo. Aug. ep. 50. vid. & ep. 68, 159.

the

them before the magistrate, to restrain their violence not to compel them to believe. Thus St. Auftin.. And indeed there needs nothing to promote religion but gentle and friendly ways. For in point of natu→ ral religion (which takes in fobriety, righteousness, and piety) you may easily fatisfy any man by reafon. For no man is in any thing more certain, than that he ought to be fober and temperate ; than that he ought to deal righteously, and fo as he would be dealt by; and that he ought to carry himself equally and fairly; and that he ought to fear and reverence the deity for these are the dictates of natural light. And therefore if we will fhew ourselves to be men, we must live in the practice of thefe principles, and comply with them. And then for other matters, matters of revealed religion and truth; in thefe, we are perfuaded by the word of God; by the reafon of the things themfelves in matters of the former fort; and by the revelation of God's word, in the latter. And if the spirit of God doth not fatisfy, and perfuade the mind of a man to receive and entertain these, as they are here declared; then. there is no poffibility of making this man to become a chriftian. For you cannot force christianity, be-` cause it is matter of supernatural revelation: here you cannot convince men by reason, which is the only way to deal with men in other matters. And fo the apostle hath told us : because these are the refults of God's will, therefore it follows that they are only knowable by God's revelation of them to us, 1 Cor. ii. 11. As no man knows the things of a man, but the spirit of à man which is in him, so no man

knows