miraculous powers or not; and therefore, if, knowing their own inability herein, they actually set up for these powers, they are infinitely worse than a gang of banditti; because they attempt to spoil us of somewhat, in comparison of which our worldly possessions are nothing, and that not without a design on our purses, as well as our minds; they rob on the road to heaven, and commit the vilest sort of crime in the name of God. A sanctified impostor, a holy villain, are, of all others, the most detestable appellations; and he that deserves them may dispute precedency with the grand deceiver.

But can it be possible that this most enormous crime is chargeable on any church presuming to call itself by the name of Christ? Yes; the church of Rome universally lays claim to the power of working miracles; and cardinal Bellarmine makes it the eleventh note, whereby that church may be proved to be the true church. But the frequent detection of her miracles, in almost every country of Europe, hath thoroughly exposed her claim to the ridicule even of the more rational Papists, if such men may be called rational, who can continue to communicate with a church so palpably convinced of this impious fraud. If these miracles are real, why are they wrought only in popish countries, and before a mob of bigots, who do not need such food for their credulity? Why not here among us heretics, who cannot be converted to popery, without more and greater miracles, than were exhibited in proof of Christianity? But, I suppose, our adherence to sense and reason hath rendered us unworthy of this glorious dispensation. Well, if it is so, we even put up with it; and, having the use of our senses, must be contented without the Virgin's milk, and of our reason, without the blood of Januarius. Besides, we have the less reason to regret the want of these modern miracles, since we took the liberty to read the Scriptures; for there we find our blessed Saviour, and his apostles, made these very miracles the signs of heresy and imposture. • False Christs,' says our Saviour, and false prophets, shall arise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.' Then,' that is, in the latter times, saith St. Paul, shall that wicked one be revealed-even he whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power

and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceiveableness of unrighteousness, in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.' And who prompts these false teachers to recommend their pernicious doctrines with pretended miracles? St. John tells us, he saw these prompters ; namely, 'three unclean spirits, like frogs, coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet; for they are the spirits of devils, working miracles.' Thus we see what epithet is due to that church, which, pretending to miracles, hath been publicly convicted of imposture, in numberless instances.

Let the fifth mark of a corrupt church be this, that, either by her principles or ordinances, she encourages her members to sin. It is the grand end of true religion, to reform the lives of men, in order to their happiness, both temporal and eternal. The religion that inculcates such principles and motives, as strongly tend to this blessed effect, gives the highest proof of its truth that can be possibly proposed within the verge of nature. On the other hand, that church or religion, which gives men hopes of compounding with God for happiness, on any other conditions than those of real piety and goodness, gives as clear proofs of her own falsity, as can be drawn from the nature of things, in any branch of knowledge. Was it not the main end of our religion, to call us to repentance, and newness of life?' Can he enter into the kingdom of God, who is not reduced to true Christian simplicity, and the harmless disposition of a child? Our religion was not given us to licence sin, but, so far as human infirmity will permit, wholly to remove it. And so far as sinless perfection is impossible, to provide an atonement for the effects of those weaknesses we cannot entirely get the better of; and this only on the terms of sincere repentance, and the utmost endeavours to amend. Christ our Saviour 'gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. We are therefore not to walk after the flesh, but the Spirit. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders,

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drunkenness, revellings, and such-like.' The Holy Ghost assures us, that such as do these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance;' and, in a word, the virtues opposite to all those vices just now enumerated. They that are Christ's, have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts;' knowing 'that if they live after the flesh, they shall die; but if they, through the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body, they shall live for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they,' and they only, are the sons of God.' God hath told us what he requires of us, and what is true religion: 'What doth God require of thee, O man, but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep ourselves unspotted from the world.' The church that teaches us to hope for salvation on these and such-like terms, deals faithfully between God and us; but that church which explains away these terms, as the Jesuits do, and, by its dispensations and indulgences, offers hopes of happiness to the unreformed, as the pope and the church of Rome at large do, defeats the very end proposed of true religion.

The church of Rome in vain apologizes for this practice, by saying, she grants her indulgences only for venial sins, and thereby relaxes the temporal punishment due to them in another life. Who told her there are temporal punishments for sins in a future life? Plato did; but the Scriptures say no such thing. They call us to repentance in this life, and say not a word of pugative torments hereafter. Nor do they any where distinguish between pardonable and unpardonable sins, but in relation to the sin against the Holy Ghost. All sins but that are there represented as pardonable, on the terms of faith and repentance before we die; and all sins are unpardonable, in such as do not believe and repent, on this side the grave. Christianity gives no encouragement to the committal of any sin; not only because, ⚫ whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, is guilty of all;' but because the author of that holy religion knew, that the committal of such sins, as the church of Rome calls small or venial sins, is in itself, a great and

heinous sin, and naturally leads to the committal of greater. To give an instance, wanton liberties lead to fornication, and fornication to adultery. But our Saviour, to cut short all impertinent distinctions in vices of this kind, says, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that looketh on a woman so as to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart.' And is not a progress from less to greater in other vices, as bad as in this? If we doubt whether maiming and murder are not as well guarded against, by the prohi bition of anger and malice, as adultery is, by that of wanton desires, we may hear what Christ denounces against him who calls his brother or neighbour a fool. The case is the same in every kind of sin, whether expressly so ruled in Scripture, or not; because the reason is the same, and the prohibition of sin is preremptorily and awfully delivered, in universal terms. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven, against all ungodliness, and unrighteousness of men,' particularly of such men as hold the truth in unrighteousness.' But why do we stay on this distinction between mortal and venial sins? Are not assassinations, poisonings, massacres, mortal sins? If they are, what shall we think of that church, which encouraged her sons to butcher so many of the Protestants, in cold blood, throughout all the nations of Europe, but more particularly in Savoy, France, and Ireland; and three of her priests to stab two kings of France, and to destroy an emperor by a poisoned wafer, which the giver believed to be the very body of Christ? This is infinitely more than making small sins venial; it is rendering the most atrocious crimes meritorious. If heaven may thus be obtained, who can be so impious, so enormously wicked, as to dread the torments of hell? Is this the only religion, the only church of Christ, and yet teaches such things as these?

This naturally leads me to a sixth mark, or sign, of a corrupt church; namely, a cruel and persecuting spirit. Is there any necessity to prove, that such a spirit is not the spirit of the meek, the merciful, the forgiving Jesus? that the genius of his religion is wholly opposite to it; or that after what I have said already, the church of Rome hath given too evident, and too shocking proofs of a persecuting spirit? On a supposition, that we are all heretics, odious in the sight of God, for not renouncing our senses, and our

reason; for not directly violating both his first and second commandment; for not praying to our fellow creatures; for neither pretending to miraculous powers, nor believing in them that do; and for not trusting our salvation to posthumous purgations, or venial tickets from a blank of supererogatory merit; the fire, the fagot, and the sword, ought not surely to be employed against us, on these accounts. Can they convince us of our errors? Are the debates of Christians to be determined by weapons, instead of arguments; by force, instead of reason? Either we comply through fear, in which case we deserve not admittance into any society made up of honest men; or we stand out, or boldly face the fire; in which case, we give the highest reputation, and through that the greatest prospect of success, to the erroneous clause we declare for. But were it possible that Christianity could be served by blood and slaughter, Christianity itself forbids the use of such means; for it tells us, we are not to do evil, that good may come of it; nay, it even reproved the first bishop of Rome, for drawing his sword in defence of its Author, and his Master. How can the successors of that bishop, like him only in a readiness to brandish the bloody weapon, forget both the precept and example of Christ, on that occasion; who, to rebate the mistaken zeal of his apostle, bid him put up his sword; assuring him, that all such as had recourse to the sword, should perish by the sword; and then healed the wound made with it, in the flesh of him who came to seize his person? Are they not afraid of converting these words to St. Peter, into a prophecy concerning themselves, by calling in the sword, which may happen to be employed against them, as well as for them? Our Saviour, one should think, hath on another occasion, laid an eternal bar against the employing the terrors of compulsion and persecution in his service. James and John were for calling down fire from heaven on the Samaritan village, that did not receive him; but he turned and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of; for the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.' Never was persecution on the side of truth so justifiable as at that time. Notwithstanding all the prophecies and miracles that proved the mission of our Saviour, he was, in his own person, despised, and his religion rejected; yet, he who could have