as to apply our hearts to wifdom, and the fear of God, while we are on every fide encompaffed with friends, treated with respect and obfervance, and carefs'd by the pleafing fmiles of fortune; but when an adverfe gale fhall ftop us in our career, and when the Almighty, by his providence, takes from us all the props and confidences wherein we trufted, and reduces us to ftraits and difficulties, then we are at leifure, and can freely look upwards to our Maker; then we are willing to entertain thoughts of God and religion, and can be content, seeing this world either gone or going, to look after a more durable felicity hereafter: and when we feel all our worldly holds to fail and deceive us, we erect our eyes and hopes towards a kingdom that cannot be moved; which no ill-will of a prince can deprive us of; nor any alteration of government eject us from. Good God! how adorable are thy difpenfations, who, by denying us earth, giveft us heaven by afflicting us in this world, prepareft a place for us, where we fhall for evermore be freed from all manner of afflictions!

But we may make a farther use of these things, we may obferve how hard a venture they run who proftitute their confcience to their intereft; and venture on fin, to get the favour of those in authority. How foon are they, with their protectors, caft down, and made the fcorn and the laughter of their neighbours? and how miferable must they needs be, who have an accufing confcience within, and nothing without to give them any fupport, or relief; when as he that in all times acts according to the dictates of reafon, and is always true to his well fettled principles, if affairs change, and he happen to be in adverfity, he is efteem'd and honour'd by all fober men: and however, he has that within which is a fovereign cordial against all the mischiefs he may fall into; and can, with an hum

ble

ble affurance, look up to heaven, and folace himfelf in the favour of God, and the hopes of a bleffed immortality: He can, as Horace fays, Sua virtute fe involvere; and be as fafe and happy with the defence of a good confcience, as if he had walls of brafs encompaffing him. If it please the Divine Providence to profper and exalt him in the world, he is thankful, humble, and takes care to make ufe of his place, and power, for God's glory, and the benefit of mankind. But if the fame Providence deprives him of all his honours and preferments, he knows 'tis because it will reward him sevenfold hereafter, and he is fatisfied and contented; being affur'd, if his gracious Father had feen it beft for him to have been ftill a courtier, or great, he fhould fo have remain'd still; and he is not fo foolish as to wish for what he believes would have been to his own harm and detriment, at the upshot: but heartily joins with that petition in the Lord's Prayer, Thy Will be done. But as to the actors in this great change, whether they can justify themselves before that God, who trieth the heart, and fearcheth the reins, must be left to the determination of the Great Day, where no cunning fhifts, and pretences of piety, will pass for a fufficient excuse for rebellion, and difobedience to lawful magiftrates. Or whether it be lawful to comply with these things, and fwear allegiance to a new king, the other claiming his right, 'tis not very eafy to determine. [But more about this fee, in my paper call'd The lawfulness of the new oath of alLegiance foberly difcufs' d.]

Shew me thy way, O Lord, and teach me thy paths. Make thy way plain before my face, that I may always have a confcience void of offence, towards God, and towards men. Amen.

May 12, 1689.

VI. A Lamentation of the Decay of true Piety, and Practical Chriftianity.

Treligion,

HERE needs nothing but a right sense of religion, following from a true notion of it, to make us forely bewail its decay and difefteem in the world. When a man seriously confiders the excellency, noblenefs, neceffity, usefulness, and pleasantnefs of religion; its fitness to man in every relation and condition of life; the peace and quiet of every particular foul, and of human focieties and conftitutions, which it aims at; the greatness of its object, even the one eternal Majefty of heaven and earth, the immenfity of its rewards in another world; and withall takes a view of human nature, its faculties, and defires, its capacities, and endowments, exactly fitted and adapted to religion; as religion in the reverfe is exactly calculated to fupply the wants, remedy the evils, enlarge the powers, raise the mind, erect the hopes, and finally perfect and compleat mankind and at the fame time fees how little it is heeded, how vilely it is abufed, how it is proftituted to every unworthy purpose, and now fo intolerably fpoil'd and corrupted in its practical part, which is the main aim and fcope of it, that one may almoft cry out, Away with it out of the world, let it divide no more minds, deftroy no more kingdoms, butcher no more innocents, cloak no more crimes, nay, debauch no more principles any longer he that fhall foberly reflect on these things together, will be ready to fay with the prophet Jeremiah, O that my eyes were waters, and my head a fountain of tears, that I might lament, day and night, the miferable state and condition

condition of the generality of mankind! that I might bewail the madness, folly, and stupidity of wretched men! That there fhould be fuch a price and opportunity put into the hands of fuch fools to get wisdom, who have no heart to it! that fo precious a privilege, purchas'd with the blood of the Son of God, as the promises of religion propofe, of being heirs of eternal felicity, fhould be fo undervalued and rejected by ungrateful mortals! that what the Almighty defign'd for the perfecting human nature fhould be fo deform'd, alter'd, and chang'd, to be inftrumental too often to its bane and mifery! Such confiderations as these might well make a man conclude there were fome great cheat in the bufinefs of religion; fome mighty impofition and abuse put upon mankind; and that its principles were quite of a different nature from what it is above reprefented; or else it must be refolved that, by one means or another, human nature is ftrangely diftorted, and out of order, thus to convert meat into crudity; phyfick into diseases; and the most fovereign and univerfal medicine, into the most pernicious and epidemical malady. Which laft will foon be found to be the real cafe of the world, when, (1.) 'tis undeniable to any one reading either the law of nature engraven in all men's hearts, or the law reveal'd to the Jews under dark reprefentations, and to the Chriftians in its meridian fplendour in the holy records, that the precepts, promises, threatenings, examples, and counfels of religion, are uniformly adapted, and do univerfally concenter in those noble ends, the glory and pleafing of God, in the perfecting and making happy of human nature, &c. (2.) 'Tis evident man's nature is a capable and proper fubject of religion; and that the ends propos'd by it are attainable: because de facto we find in the firft ages of the church, that religion in a

great

great measure attain'd its aim, and rendered the chriftians amiable, and honour'd in the eyes of the heathens themselves; whereby multitudes were every where converted to our moft holy profeffion, feeing them fhew out of a good converfation, their works with meeknefs of wifdom; as the apoftle exhorts them. Then was the power and excellency of chriftianity feen, when non magna loquimur, fed vivimus, was the badge of a difciple of our Lord; when more pains was taken in conquering lufts than foes; and more fought against their fins than their fovereigns; when Preces and Lachryma were the arms, and Sanguis Martyrum the feed of the church militant upon earth; when chriftians had a serious sense of what they profefs'd to believe, and durft not be hypocritical in that religion, for which every day they expected to lose their lives, and all they had in this world. Oh when will that golden age again vifit the languishing church of Chrift? when will that daily piety and devotion that ftrict juftice and fincerity; that hearty love and charity grow warm in these frozen regions of the world any more? but if it be too much to expect that; yet I may have leave I hope to lament, to defire, to wifh, and at leaft to comfort my trou-bled mind, with the thoughts that it was once among us on earth, and will return however in heaven to thofe that feek it earneftly in this world. O my good God! whither is thy fear banifhed! whither is devotion retir'd? into fome warmer regions of the earth? no, they are as ftrange there as here. Whither is humility, temperance, candour, unity, contentment, peaceableness, and that mutual affection which is the known character of the followers of the Holy Jefus, driven and abfconded? alas! they have most of them put on their ætherial vehicle, and abandon'd the reaking fteams, and fmoaky mifts, of this dull and cloggy clay,