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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="tract">
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<HEAD>A DISCOVERY OF Fal&s;e Teachers and Hypocritical Preachers.</HEAD>
<P>THE mark at which all good De&s;igns and Acts take their aim is the Glory of God, and the Good of Man in order to his Glory, and to advance God in his honour, and to promote the welfare of our Souls; and it is from God that all &s;uch holy de&s;ires, all good <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters">ils and all ju&s;t works do proceed.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> it be my de&s;ire and duty al&s;o to love my Neighbour as my &s;elf, then it is <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> duty to do my utmo&s;t endeavour that my Neighbour &s;hould not be de|<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters"> by fal&s;e Teachers no more than I would be deluded by them my &s;elf.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters">w for the better way and manner of burying the dead, that there may be <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters">ence made between the godly and the ungodly, and that the good word <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters">d may not be &s;o much contradicted as it is, when they bury a wicked <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 span"> ungodly man or woman they &s;ay the &s;ame words that they do for mo&s;t godly, that is, <HI>In &s;ure and certain hope of the Re&s;urrection to eter|<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters"> Life.</HI> Which is very much contrary to the holy Scripture, that &s;aith, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>righteous per&s;on &s;hall inherit the Kingdom of God;</HI> as we read more at <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.9, 10. And again, <HI>If the Righteous &s;carcely be &s;aved, where <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> the Ungodly and the &s;inner appear?</HI> 1 Pet. 4.18.</P>
<P>To hear &s;ome of them preach agreeable to our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour's words, <HI>that <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;hall be &s;aved;</HI> but according to their &s;aying over the dead Corps, <HI>in &s;ure <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters">rtain hope of eternal life,</HI> there &s;hall be few or none to be damn'd, which <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters">plain contradiction to our Saviour's words: And al&s;o contradicts their own <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters">ing, and al&s;o it encourageth the By-&s;tanders that knew them to be &s;uch <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> as them&s;elves, Swearers, Drunkards, Sabbath-breakers, and the like. They <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;ay, when the Mini&s;ter &s;ays &s;o by them, we need not fear but that we &s;hall <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 span"> eternal Life as well as they: But perhaps &s;ome Mini&s;ter will &s;ay, I did not <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> that this man was &s;uch a bad liver, or &s;uch a wicked and ungodly man.</P>
<P>To which I an&s;wer with the words of <HI>Solomon,</HI> Prov. 27.23. that Pa&s;tors <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> to know the &s;tate of their Flocks; and not only &s;o, but to be diligent to <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> it: And al&s;o to imitate St <HI>Paul, Act.</HI> 20.20. who kept back nothing that <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> profitable, but &s;hewed and taught publickly, and from hou&s;e to hou&s;e; <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> that would be a good means to know the &s;tate of your Flocks.</P>
<P>And in the other place, where they al&s;o &s;peak again&s;t their Con&s;ciences, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters">ing, <HI>As our hope is this our Brother doth.</HI> How can a Mini&s;ter &s;ay, I hope, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters">e knew him to be a wicked and ungodly man, except he will at the &s;ame <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;ay, I hope that the Word of God is not true, or that God is not &s;uch <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> God as he has reveal'd him&s;elf to be; but he mu&s;t as it were make God a <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word">. But I &s;ay as St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.4. <HI>Let God be true, and every Man a <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word">, as it is written.</HI> Again I &s;ay, I do not deny the Re&s;urrection of the Body, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> the Sadducees do, <HI>Act.</HI> 23.8. but I deny, that all &s;hall ari&s;e to eternal Life.</P>
<P>Another thing is concerning their Chri&s;tning of Children, as &s;ome of them <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> after &s;uch a &s;light manner, &s;o much contrary to the Canons of the Church, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> is, chri&s;tening them in the Hou&s;e without Godfathers and Godmothers, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> without &s;igning them with the &s;ign of the Cro&s;s, and without receiving them <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> the Congregation of Chri&s;t's Flock; and when they have Godfathers and Godmothers according to the Canons of the Church, they ought to be &s;uch as <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> received the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper; but they do not ask them <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> que&s;tion as they &s;hould do. And tho&s;e that are chri&s;tened in the Church, it <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters">er the Sermon is done, and all the Congregation is gone, except a very few, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters">des tho&s;e that come with the Child. And how can that Child be &s;aid to <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> received into the Congregation of Chri&s;t's Flock, when the Congregation <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters">one? They ought to chri&s;ten them in the time of Divine Service before <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters">on, according to the Canons of the Church: for the Manner ought to <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> ob&s;erved of any religious Duty, as well as the Matter it &s;elf.</P>
<P>And how few of them will or do take the care or pains to catechi&s;e them, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters">n they are grown up, as they ought, according to the Canons of the Church; and to have them confirm'd by the Bi&s;hop according to the Canons <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> Orders of the Church; or will take the care or pains to examin them, be|<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters"> they admit them to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, whether they <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> ever catechi&s;ed and confirmed by the Bi&s;hop or no, as they ought to do.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>all things be done decently and in order,</HI> &s;aith St. <HI>Paul,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 14.40. <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1 word"> as I find no man ought to take in hand, or pre&s;ume to alter any common <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="in gutter" EXTENT="1+ letters">der in Chri&s;t's Church, except he be authorized thereunto.</P>
<P>Yet notwit&s;tanding this, &s;ome will dare to change and alter the Le&s;&s;ons con|trary to that they are appointed to be read in the Church, and that for malici|ous and revengeful ends, as it does appear in one reading the 26th Chapter of the <HI>Proverbs</HI> of <HI>Solomon</HI> on the 11th day of <HI>Novem.</HI> on purpo&s;e to abu&s;e and call me Fool and Tale-bearer. But I believe, that <HI>Solomon</HI> did not write this Chap|ter for &s;uch a bad end, for Mini&s;ters to read it for revenge of their own cau&s;e, returning evil for good, and to di&s;cover their malice in the Congregation, as it is in the 26th Ver&s;e of this Chapter.</P>
<P>But St. <HI>Matthew</HI> writes in the 12 Chapter of his Go&s;pel, Ver&s;. 42. &s;aying, <HI>A greater than</HI> Solomon <HI>is here.</HI> Who &s;aith in <HI>Chap.</HI> 5. <HI>Ver.</HI> 22. that <HI>he that &s;hall &s;ay thou Fool, &s;hall be in danger of Hell fire.</HI> And in <HI>Chap.</HI> 23. has denounced no le&s;s than 7 or 8 again&s;t &s;uch hypocritical Preachers, which &s;ay and do not, as it is in the 3d and 4th Ver&s;es, <HI>Binding heavy and grievous burdens to be born, and lays them on mens &s;houlders, but they them&s;elves will not move them with one of their fingers,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>The Evangelical Prophet &s;aith &s;omething like to this, <HI>Chap.</HI> 9.16. <HI>That the Leaders of this People cau&s;e them to err, and they that are led of them are de|&s;troyed.</HI> And tho&s;e that will take the pains to look into the foregoing and fol|lowing Ver&s;es, may gather out of both &s;omething to this purpo&s;e. And as it is in <HI>Matth.</HI> 23.13. <HI>They &s;hut up the Kingdom of Heaven again&s;t Men; for they neither go in them&s;elves, neither &s;uffer they them that are entring, to go in.</HI> And although our Saviour Chri&s;t commanded us in the beginning of this Chapter, &s;aying, <HI>What&s;oever they bid you ob&s;erve, that ob&s;erve and do.</HI> And when I did compare this and that where the Prophet &s;aith, <HI>That the leaders of this People cau&s;e them to err, and they that are led of them are de&s;troyed;</HI> I thought it was a plain contradiction to our Saviour's Command; and it was &s;ome difficulty for me to reconcile them together, or to under&s;tand our Saviours meaning: For it did &s;eem &s;trange to me, that he &s;hould denounce &s;o many Woes again&s;t them in this Chapter, and yet commanded us to ob&s;erve and do what&s;oever they bid us, whether it be right or wrong.</P>
<P>But with the A&s;&s;i&s;tance of God's Grace, and Holy Spirit, I did find out the true meaning in the Margin of the Bible; the meaning is this: provided always, that they do deliver <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>'s Doctrin, which the Metaphor of the Seat &s;heweth, which they occupied as Teachers of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>'s Learning. Al&s;o the Holy Apo&s;tle St. <HI>Paul</HI> doth further a&s;&s;i&s;t or enform me, &s;aying, <HI>Phil.</HI> 4.8. <HI>What&s;oever things are true, what&s;oever things are hone&s;t, what&s;oever things are ju&s;t, what&s;oever things are pure, what&s;oever things are lovely, what&s;oever things are of good re|port:</HI> all which does &s;ignifie, that our Saviour doth not &s;ay or mean, what&s;o|ever they &s;ay whether it be true or fal&s;e.</P>
<P>Again, God &s;aith to the Wicked, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 50.16. <HI>What ha&s;t thou to do to de|clare my Statutes, or that thou &s;hould&s;t take my Covenant in thy mouth,</HI> &s;eeing thou art but a Hypocrite, as it is further to be proved in the Margin; and again in <HI>Ver.</HI> 17. <HI>Seeing thou hate&s;t to be reformed, and ha&s;t ca&s;t my words be|hind thee;</HI> and &s;o on four or five Ver&s;es more.</P>
<P>I have heard &s;everal Mini&s;ters de&s;cribe an Hypocrite and a Man of a filthy Spirit, &s;aying, Such a Man, or this Man, is of a filthy Spirit, when it is to be feared, that they or he might &s;ay to him&s;elf, as <HI>Nathan</HI> the Prophet &s;aid to the Royal Prophet, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 12.7. <HI>Thou art the Man;</HI> or, thou art the Man that puts on the Picture of a Chri&s;tian, for an Hypocrite is no more.</P>
<P>I read and hear &s;everal of the&s;e fal&s;e Teachers &s;ay, That he that <HI>eateth and drinketh the Fle&s;h and Blood of Chri&s;t hath eternal Life, and he will rai&s;e him up at the la&s;t day;</HI> as it is in <HI>John</HI> 6.54. and &s;everal other Ver&s;es to that purpo&s;e in the &s;ame Chapter. But we read in Ver&s;. 60. How <HI>many of his Di&s;ciples, when they heard this, &s;aid, This is an hard &s;aying, who can hear it?</HI> And in the next Ver&s;e we read, <HI>When Je&s;us knew in him&s;elf, that his Di&s;ciples mur|mured at it, he &s;aid unto them, Doth this offend you?</HI> And in Ver&s;. 63. he doth explain it to them, &s;aying, <HI>It is the Spirit that quickneth, the Fle&s;h pro|fiteth nothing; the words that I &s;peak unto you are Spirit and Life.</HI></P>
<P>But the&s;e fal&s;e Teachers will take no notice of the latter, which doth ex|plain the former, as Chri&s;t doth, who is the true Teacher; becau&s;e the latter doth not make &s;o well for their purpo&s;e, as tho&s;e former Ver&s;es do, to delude poor ignorant Souls that cannot read, and others that can read, and do not &s;o much mind, as they ought, to prove and try the Truth of what they &s;ay. And thus they &s;peak again&s;t their own Con&s;ciences; for they cannot be igno|rant of it, that have it in the Chapter before them, <HI>That the Fle&s;h profiteth no|thing.</HI> But they think, that if they can but bring a Text of Scripture to co|ver their fal&s;e Doctrin, and to blind Peoples Eyes withal, that it is well enough; although they know that the All-wi&s;e God knows their meaning, in bringing &s;uch Proofs and leaving others. Thus you may &s;ee, that it is not <HI>Who&s;over eat|eth and drinketh Chri&s;t's Fle&s;h and Blood</HI> in a gro&s;s manner, as they &s;ay, <HI>For the Fle&s;h profiteth nothing, it is the Spirit that quickneth.</HI></P>
<P>I heard another very fal&s;e Teacher, &s;ay, <HI>That the good Spirit of God does not make us wi&s;er, but better;</HI> which is a very fal&s;e thing: for I can, with the A&s;&s;i&s;tance of the good Spirit of God, prove that it doth make us wi&s;er, as well as better. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12. We read of <HI>Diver&s;ities of Gifts, but the &s;ame Spirit.</HI> Al&s;o we read, <HI>That the Spirit of Wi&s;dom is one of the fir&s;t Gifts of the good Spirit of God.</HI> Again, the &s;ame Apo&s;tle, <HI>Eph.</HI> 1.17. prays, <HI>That God would give them the &s;pirit of Under&s;tanding and Revelation in the know|ledge of him;</HI> where I gather, that the Apo&s;tle would not pray for the Spirit of Wi&s;dom, if it were not attainable: A third proof from the Prophe&s;ie of <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 11.2. <HI>And the Spirit of the Lord &s;hall re&s;t upon him,</HI> fir&s;t, <HI>the Spirit of Wi&s;dom and Under&s;tanding, the Spirit of Coun&s;el and Strength, the Spirit of Knowledge, and of the Fear of the Lord.</HI> The&s;e three Proofs are &s;ufficient to prove, that the good Spirit makes Men wi&s;er, both in Spiritual and Temporal things, as might be further proved by <HI>Solomon</HI>'s Workmen, that had the Spirit of Wi&s;dom given them to do &s;uch curious work for building of the Temple.</P>
<P>And thus we may &s;ee what a wicked thing it is, for Mini&s;ters to belie the good Spirit of God. I pray you, what is this better than Bla&s;phemy again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t? Is it not pity that &s;uah a fal&s;e Teacher &s;hould be &s;uffered to go into a Pulpit? Al&s;o he &s;peaks again&s;t reading of Books for a Preparation of the holy Sacrament, &s;aying, It is no matter of reading Books; and he that &s;ticks clo&s;e to his Work does God as good Service, as he that goes to Church to Prayers: And then in another Sermon puts us upon imitating St. <HI>Matthew,</HI> who, when Chri&s;t call'd him from the Receipt of Cu&s;tom, left all to follow him; as it is <HI>Chap.</HI> 9.9. And then again contradicting him&s;elf, puts us upon going to the Publick Prayers of the Church: al&s;o he makes little or no dif|ference between going to the holy Sacrament, and going to hear a Sermon, &s;aying, <HI>Men make a difference where God makes none.</HI> Again he makes as if poor ignorant People, that know not their right hand from their left in mat|ters of Religion, believe that they may come with little or no Preparation to the Sacrament, &s;aying, <HI>What Preparation had the Apo&s;tles, when they received every day?</HI> as if they that cannot read, and others that can read, that are as ignorant as they, &s;hould be compared to the Apo&s;tles; and all this to delude poor ignorant Souls for &s;elf-ends.</P>
<P>I heard another fal&s;e Teacher &s;ay, That he could prove that the Sin again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t may be forgiven upon Repentance; which is contrary to what our Ble&s;&s;ed Saviour &s;aith in <HI>Matth.</HI> 12.31, 32. <HI>Wherefore I &s;ay unto you all manner of Sin and Bla&s;phemy &s;hall be forgiven unto Men: but the Bla&s;phe|my again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t &s;hall not be forgiven unto Men. And who&s;oever &s;peak|eth a word again&s;t the Son of Man, it &s;hall be forgiven him: but who&s;oever
<PB N="2" REF="2"> &s;peaketh again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t, it &s;hall not be forgiven him, neither in this World, neither in the World to come;</HI> where we &s;ee, that there is no &s;uch con|dition mentioned, as upon Repentance. Al&s;o I have read and heard &s;everal &s;ay, that tho&s;e that have &s;inned that Sin, can never repent; &s;o let him fir&s;t prove whether ever any did repent of that Sin.</P>
<P>This he &s;poke in a deluding way to per&s;wade Men and Women to come to the Sacrament; if they can but per&s;wade them, they do not much matter how they come, prepared or unprepared. Although they can di&s;&s;emble, preach and &s;et forth Books for a Preparation; yet, for as much as I know by them, they do but di&s;&s;emble and &s;peak far from the Heart, which is to be feared, that it is for &s;ome by-ends and for filthy lucres &s;ake, more than for the Glory of God and the good of Souls, which &s;hould be their chief aim, if they had a good meaning. And this is agreeable to what our Ble&s;&s;ed Saviour &s;aith in <HI>John</HI> 10. calling them <HI>Hirelings, that feed them only for their own profit and gains, but for&s;ake them in time of danger:</HI> Al&s;o he calls them <HI>Thieves, which feed not the &s;heep, but kill them:</HI> By this and what the Prophet &s;aith before, <HI>That they that are led by them are de&s;troyed,</HI> is plain that they are no better than Murderers of Souls. To this purpo&s;e St. <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith in his 2 <HI>Epi&s;t.</HI> 2.3. how they make Merchandize of you, and &s;hall abu&s;e you, and &s;ell you, as they &s;ell Cattel in a Fair, if you have not a care. This I can prove by the Margin to this place.</P>
<P>Another of the&s;e fal&s;e Teachers told me betwixt him and me, That we have nothing to do with the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es:</HI> But &s;ince that time I con&s;idered with my &s;elf, mu&s;t the Ten Cemmandements be laid a&s;ide? For our Saviour Chri&s;t &s;aith in <HI>Matth.</HI> 5.17. <HI>Think not that I am come to de&s;troy the Law or the Prophets; I am not come to de&s;troy, but to fulfil:</HI> Again in Ver&s;. 18. he verefies it further, &s;aying, <HI>Till Heaven and Earth pa&s;s, one jot or tittle &s;hall in no wi&s;e pa&s;s from the Law, till all be fulfilled.</HI> For although the Ceremonies were aboli&s;h|ed at Chri&s;t's coming, yet the Precepts were not, but rather confirmed: Why then do Mini&s;ters preach out of it, and why are the fir&s;t Le&s;&s;ons of the Church read out of it, if we have nothing to do with it?</P>
<P>I ob&s;erve many things which the&s;e hypocritical Preachers &s;peak in the Pul|pit again&s;t their own Con&s;ciences in a di&s;&s;embling way, putting us upon do|ing tho&s;e things, that they will not do them&s;elves; neither would they have us to do them, bidding us to have a holy Con&s;piracy again&s;t Wickedne&s;s, &s;ay|ing, <HI>If we let them alone, how is it to be imagined that God &s;hould let us alone?</HI> And yet they can let them alone for this many years, to &s;et forth things to &s;ell in the open Streets on the Lords Day. And when &s;uch as I go about to hin|der them and amend it, as they bid me; yet, I find none more again&s;t it, and again&s;t me for doing &s;o, than they are; although they know how God him|&s;elf complains by his holy Prophets, That none goes about to amend it, or that dare defend the Truth and &s;hew Mercy to the oppre&s;&s;ed; but mo&s;t Pro|fe&s;&s;ors, &s;o that they be not prejudiced in their Names and Commodities, they care not what be done again&s;t the Glory of God: an evident argument, that they never loved him.</P>
<P>Again how will the&s;e Mini&s;ters, that put us upon doing &s;uch things, an&s;|wer it, when they will neither &s;uffer us, nor do it them&s;elves? But when they &s;ee them &s;it in the open Streets, or in their Hou&s;es, Shops or Cellars &s;el|ling things, can pa&s;s by and let them alone, winking and conniving at them; and &s;o they are incouraged, when they &s;ee Mini&s;ters, e&s;pecially their own, pa&s;s by and let them alone; and if they do &s;ometime reprove them, yet that is not &s;ufficient, as we read in 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 2, 3. Chapters, concerning old <HI>Eli,</HI> how he reproved his Sons; but that was not &s;ufficient: But we read further, becau&s;e he did not re&s;train them, how God puni&s;hed him. So the&s;e Mini&s;ters know that they ought to re&s;train tho&s;e that are under their Charge, from evil, and con&s;train them to good. They know this day &s;hould be kept &s;o &s;trict, that <HI>we &s;hould not &s;peak our own words, I&s;a.</HI> 58.13. then how can &s;uch buying and &s;elling be &s;uffered on this day? Al&s;o they know how that God Almighty has both ble&s;&s;ed and hallowed this day; but &s;uch Hypocrites, as they and we, do, as much as in us lies, to unble&s;s and unhallow it: For the Prophet <HI>I&s;a. Ch.</HI> 9.17. &s;aith, <HI>Every one is an Hypocrite;</HI> then what will it be to Mini&s;ters and Magi|&s;trates that &s;uffer &s;uch things? As a Bi&s;hop writes and confe&s;&s;es, &s;aying, <HI>The higher the Sun is, the le&s;s it &s;eems; but the higher that I am in place and office, the greater is my Sin, both in the Eyes of God and others.</HI></P>
<P>Now who can judge the&s;e to be good Men, whether they be Conformi&s;ts or Nonconformi&s;ts, that can endure to &s;ee the Lord's-Day thus prophaned in buying and &s;elling and working, by tho&s;e that are under their Charge and Tu|ition? As another of them writes, &s;aying, <HI>When the Name of Chri&s;t is bla&s;|phemed, or his Truths, Ways, Servants are evil &s;poken of, contradicted or calum|niated, then ought we to &s;tand up in defence of Chri&s;t, and of what is Chri&s;t's per&s;on or things, to &s;peak as much for them, as others &s;peak agnin&s;t them; yea more, to out-&s;peak them and put them to &s;ilence, el&s;e we &s;hould betray Chri&s;t and his Cau&s;e by our Silence, for that would &s;eem to be a con&s;ent, and they would thereby be emboldened to continue, yea to multiply their evil &s;peakings; and weak ones would be occa&s;ioned to fall from the Faith, and &s;trong Chri&s;tians would be much offended, and the Glory of Chri&s;t and the Splendor of his Truth would be greatly darkened thereby.</HI> The&s;e are very good Sayings, it cannot be denied, and &s;uch as ought faithfully to be done; but that which I gather from them is this, that if they do not according to this knowledg which they have decla|red and written, or at lea&s;t do their utmo&s;t endeavour, that they do but make the greater di&s;covery of their Hypocri&s;ie: <HI>For he that knows his Ma&s;ters Will, and does it not, &s;hall be beaten with many &s;tripes,</HI> Luke 12.47. By many &s;tripes I under&s;tand is meant the greater puni&s;hment they are like to have. Al&s;o I ga|ther from it, that they make our Saviours words good, who &s;ays, That they <HI>&s;ay,</HI> and <HI>do not;</HI> and where is there a Man to be found, that does <HI>do</HI> as they <HI>&s;ay?</HI> Therefore in &s;o &s;aying, they do but as it were, lay heavy and grievous Burdens upon other Mens &s;houlders. Our loving Redeemer has told us twice in one Chap. <HI>Matth.</HI> 7.16, 20. <HI>How we &s;hall know them by their Fruits;</HI> and that is, by their fal&s;e Doctrin, evil living and bad Examples; and in the Ver&s;e foregoing, bids us <HI>beware of fal&s;e Prophets, which come to you in Sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening Wolves;</HI> and more at large in the 23, 24 <HI>Ch.</HI> of this Go&s;pel: &s;o that he has left us without excu&s;e. I heartily wi&s;h all good Chri&s;tians to have a great care, that they are not deluded by the&s;e fal&s;e Teach|ers, but take heed how you hear; as our Saviour gives us a caution, <HI>Mark</HI> 4.2<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">. and believe not every Spirit. But many are &s;o carele&s;s in hearing, that they hear and hear not, being half a&s;leep and half awake, while the&s;e fal&s;e Teachers preach their Souls to Hell: And if they come but once a Week to &s;hew them&s;elves at Church, they think it is enough; and many more there are that come not once a Month, nor once a Year to hear a Sermon; and yet they are let alone to live as they li&s;t: But how the&s;e Mini&s;ters, that have the charge over them, and &s;hould be diligent to know the &s;tate of their Flock, will or can an&s;wer this, I cannot imagin.</P>
<P>Notwith&s;tanding all this wickedne&s;s is done and &s;uffered by them, yet the&s;e hypocritical Preachers can have the confidence to call them&s;elves the Mini|&s;ters of Chri&s;t. <HI>Let a Man &s;o aecount of us,</HI> &s;aith one, not only as it is ap|pointed to be read as a Le&s;&s;on in the Church; but he could have the confi|dence to make choice of it for his Text, &s;aying, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.1, 2. <HI>Let a Man &s;o account of us, as of the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, and Stewards of the My&s;teries of God.</HI> Moreover, it is required in Stewards, that a Man be found faithful: Let a Man &s;o account of us, &s;aith he, of us fal&s;e Teachers. Now I &s;hall tell you how a Man does account of &s;uch as them, I mean St. <HI>Paul,</HI> as it is 1 Cor. 11.13. <HI>For &s;uch are fal&s;e Apo&s;tles,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>deceitful workers, transforming them&s;elves into the Apo&s;tles of Chri&s;t.</HI> Again he &s;aith, 1 Tim. 4.1, 2. <HI>Now the Spirit &s;peaketh expre&s;ly, that in the latter times &s;ome &s;hall depart from the Faith, giving heed to the &s;educing Spirits, and Doctrins of Devils; &s;peaking Lies in Hypocri&s;ie, having their Con&s;ciences &s;eared with a hot iron.</HI></P>
<P>Although the holy Apo&s;tle St. <HI>Paul</HI> doth &s;ay, Let a Man &s;o account of us, that is, of us, that are indeed the true Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t and faithful Stew|ards of the My&s;teries of God; that will be faithful unto death, as indeed they were; yet he doth not &s;ay, Let a Man &s;o account of fal&s;e Apo&s;tles that transform them&s;elves into the Apo&s;tles of Chri&s;t; nor of fal&s;e Teachers and hypocritical Preachers. Al&s;o St. <HI>Peter</HI> gives a large account of them in his 2 <HI>Epi&s;t. Ch.</HI> 2. throughout, comparing them to bruit bea&s;ts, and to Wells without water, becau&s;e they &s;eek to withdraw Men from God to their old Filthine&s;s. Al&s;o St. <HI>Peter</HI> and St. <HI>Jude</HI> tells us the horrible Puni&s;hment that is prepared for them, <HI>Jude</HI> ver&s;. 14 to 20. Al&s;o it is &s;hew'd before, how our Sa|viour does account of them in the 7.23. and 24. Chapters of St. <HI>Matth.</HI></P>
<P>Again, this hypocritical Preacher &s;aith moreover, <HI>It is required in Stewards, that a Man be found faithful, and that we are forced to commend our &s;elves:</HI> But <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Prov.</HI> 20.6. <HI>A faithful Man who can find?</HI> Thus we may &s;ee, that if a Man would &s;o account of them as they would be accounted of, and let them alone in their boa&s;ting them&s;elves, they will have the confi|dence and boldne&s;s to &s;ay, as Chri&s;t him&s;elf &s;ays, <HI>I am the good Shepherd,</HI> Joh. 10.11. and &s;o make them&s;elves equal with him, that was really &s;o. But then they will not, as it is in the latter part of the Ver&s;e, <HI>give their Life for the Sheep,</HI> as this good Shepherd and his true Apo&s;tles did, for his &s;ake and the Go&s;pels. Now if I &s;hould &s;o account of them, and call them good, that are bad; then there is a Wo denounced again&s;t me and others that do &s;o, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 5.20. <HI>Wo unto them that call evil good; and good evil.</HI> As I have had too good thoughts of them a long time, I pray God forgive me and others, that have better thoughts of them, than they de&s;erve. I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I have rather had hard thoughts of the good Word of God, wherein I have read &s;o many places how they are called fal&s;e Prophets, fal&s;e Apo&s;tles, and fal&s;e Teachers; and I could not apprehend them to be &s;o, until it has plea&s;ed God, by his good Pro|vidence &s;o to order it, that I &s;hould find them out what they are, and &s;o by his good Spirit hath opened the eyes of my Under&s;tanding, for which great mercy, I give God humble and hearty thanks; al&s;o I de&s;ire that all others &s;hould have the Benefit of it. Another thing I know to this purpo&s;e, what a bad thing it is to &s;peak again&s;t God's Min&s;ters and Servants; as we have an expamle of God's di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t &s;uch in <HI>Numb.</HI> 12. where we read, how <HI>Miriam</HI> and <HI>Aaron</HI> &s;pake again&s;t <HI>Mo&s;es;</HI> therefore I &s;hould be very loath to &s;peak or write again&s;t the&s;e Men, if they were God's Servants and Mini&s;ters; but it is &s;ufficiently proved before to the contrary, that they are not &s;o as they profe&s;s to be: For what I &s;peak again&s;t them, it is for God's Cau&s;e, and in his behalf, and for the good and benefit of others, according as &s;ome of them have bid me do the&s;e three things, &s;aying di&s;&s;emblingly to this purpo&s;e; <HI>Seek the Glory of God, the Salvation of others, and the Good of the Realm.</HI></P>
<P>I heard another Fal&s;e Teacher &s;ay, <HI>That we mu&s;t do according to the Cu&s;tom of the place where we live, for Peace and Quietne&s;s &s;ake:</HI> But I &s;ay that this is very much contrary to the Holy Scripture, as may be proved by many Texts of Scripture; but Two or Three may be &s;ufficient. As fir&s;t, St. <HI>James</HI> &s;aith in his Epi&s;tle, <HI>ch.</HI> 4. <HI>v.</HI> 4. <HI>Ye Adulterers and Adultere&s;&s;es, know ye not that the Friend&s;hip of the World is Enmity with God?</HI> Who&s;oever therefore will be a Friend of the World, is the Enemy of God. And in another place it is &s;aid, <HI>Be not conformable to this World, but be transformed into the Image of Christ.</HI> And St. <HI>John</HI> exhorteth us to <HI>Contemn the World,</HI> in his 1 <HI>Epi&s;t.</HI> 2.15. <HI>Love not the World, neither the things that are in the World; If any Man love the World, the Love of the Father is not in him, v.</HI> 16. <HI>For all that is in the World, the Lu&s;t of the Fle&s;h, the Lu&s;t of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life, is not of the Father, but is of the World.</HI> Another Rea&s;on he gives in the 17. <HI>v. The World pa&s;&s;eth away and the Lu&s;t thereof.</HI> And el&s;ewhere it is <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>That the Godly Followers of Chri&s;t, mu&s;t as it were, go out of the World, beari<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1+ letters"> his Cro&s;s.</HI> The&s;e Proofs I think are &s;ufficient to prove that we mu&s;t not do accord|ing to the Cu&s;tom of the place where we live, for Peace and Quietne&s;s &s;ake.</P>
<P>Now I pray you, What Peace and Quietne&s;s had Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles when they were in the World? For going about to do good, were &s;o much hated of the World, as we read in the 15. <HI>ch.</HI> of St. <HI>John</HI>'s Go&s;pel, and the 18, 19, and 20. Ver&s;es; and &s;o on, <HI>If the World hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the World, the World would love his own, but becau&s;e ye are not of the World, but I have cho&s;en you out of the World, therefore the World hateth you;</HI> and as it follows, <HI>The Servant <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">s not greater than his Lord. If they have per&s;ecuted me, they will al&s;o per&s;ecute you; but all the&s;e things will they do for my Names &s;ake. All this they did without a cau&s;e,</HI> as it follows in the 25 Ver&s;e. And who were more cruel and malicious Per&s;ecutors of Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles, than the Prie&s;ts, the Chief Prie&s;t, and the High Prie&s;t; who lea&s;t ought &s;o to do: And yet they mo&s;t cruelly per&s;ecuted them to Death, or were the chief Cau&s;ers. And it is to be feared, that if they were upon Earth again, now in the&s;e our days, that they would find no better U&s;age from the&s;e malicious Prie&s;ts, and fal&s;e Teachers of ours, than they did then. As I find them to be &s;o malicious and &s;piteful, to &s;uch as go about to imitate Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles.</P>
<P>Another Fal&s;e Teacher, much to the &s;ame pupo&s;e &s;aith, <HI>No Peace with Men, no Peace with God;</HI> then how does he judge of tho&s;e that are per&s;ecuted to Death for Righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;ake, as the&s;e Holy Apo&s;tles, and the Prophets that were before them were? as we read in the fore quoted place, <HI>Mat.</HI> 23. How they killed the Prophets is to be read at large. Now when I did after|wards
<PB N="3" REF="3"> Meditate on it, I thought it to be a very hard Saying; for if I &s;eek to be Reconciled, and to be at Peace with others, and they will not, Shall I have no Peace with God therefore? will not God accept the Will for the Deed? as it is 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 8.12. Again, the Royal Prophet &s;aith, <HI>When I &s;eek, and &s;peak for Peace, they are for War,</HI> P&s;al. 120.7. <HI>There is no Peace to the Wicked,</HI> &s;aith God, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 57.21. Neither is there any Peace to be expected with them as I read: But this I believe he &s;poke out of &s;ome &s;elf-end, it may|be, becau&s;e others were not at Peace with him, or he with them.</P>
<P>Now the&s;e Hypocritical Preachers, can di&s;&s;emble and &s;peak again&s;t the Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> for withholding the Bible from their deceived Laity, and training them up in Ignorance and blind Devotion, when they them&s;elves are as bad; but only they would not be &s;een to be &s;o. It is to be feared, that if Popery &s;hould come in among&s;t us, which God forbid it &s;hould, that many of the&s;e Fal&s;e Teachers, otherwi&s;e called Swearers, that can turn as the Wind turns, would turn, rather than burn for God and his Religions &s;ake. And al&s;o it is to be feared, that they would rather have it &s;o, than not, according to what I have heard of them. Nay, it is farther to be feared, that if it &s;hould be &s;o, that they would be ready to vote that we might have our Bi|bles taken from us; although they, &s;ome of them, can di&s;&s;emble and &s;ay (part with your Lives rather than your Bibles) again&s;t their Con&s;ciences; as part of the Bible is kept from us, and laid a&s;ide (I mean the Margent) as it were an old Almanack out of Date; becau&s;e there are &s;uch things in it again&s;t them, that they would not have us to know, and &s;o they keep us as igno|rant as they can, that we may not find them out what they are: As they &s;ay, it is for that rea&s;on that the Papi&s;ts do withhold the Bible from their de|ceived Laity, that are &s;o much deluded by them: Yet they can Pray and Preach again&s;t them as they do. I do not que&s;tion but that the Papi&s;ts can &s;ay &s;omething again&s;t them; if they cannot, I can, as is here to be &s;een: And I have read &s;omething what they &s;ay again&s;t them again: They &s;ay that the Papi&s;t both adds, and dimini&s;hes from the Word of God. Fir&s;t, they add in making Seven Sacraments, that is Five more than we read of in Holy Writ that Chri&s;t has in&s;tituted; and then they dimini&s;h, in leaving out the Second Commandment, and &s;plitting another in Two, to make up the Number Ten.</P>
<P>They may &s;ay the &s;ame of us that are of the Church of <HI>England,</HI> for a great many of us, if not the mo&s;t part, doth add and dimini&s;h from Gods Holy Word and Commandments, to my Knowledge, as I can make it appear with Gods A&s;&s;i&s;tance; for God has allowed us Six days for our Worldly Bu&s;ine&s;s, and left him&s;elf but One day in Seven, for his Wor&s;hip and Ser|vice: Yet how many of us are there that do not dimini&s;h and rob God of that One day, and add it to the Six days that he has allowed us? And I think the like may be &s;aid of all the re&s;t of the Commandments in one re|&s;pect or other.</P>
<P>Thus we may &s;ee that one Per&s;wa&s;ion needs not judge and condemn a|nother &s;o much as they do: For as the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.1, 2, 3. <HI>Thou art inexcu&s;able O Man, whoever thou art, that judge&s;t, for wherein thou judge&s;t an|other, thou condemne&s;t thy &s;elf; for thou that judge&s;t, doth the &s;ame things: But we are &s;ure that the Judgment of God is according to Truth, again&s;t them which commit &s;uch things. And thinke&s;t thou this O Man, that judge&s;t them which do &s;uch things, and doth the &s;ame, that thou &s;halt e&s;cape the Judgment of God?</HI> Al&s;o the Apo&s;tle in his 1 <HI>Epi&s;t.</HI> to the <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.10. be&s;eecheth all by the Name of <HI>Brethren, and by the Name of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that ye all &s;peak the &s;ame thing; and that there be no Divi&s;ions among you, but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the &s;ame Mind and in the &s;ame Judgment.</HI> And not to contradict one another; as they do not only contradict one another, but them&s;elves al&s;o, both in their Preaching, and in their Lives and Conver|&s;ations al&s;o, as I &s;ee and hear, by their frequenting the Coffee-Hou&s;es, and other Publick Hou&s;es, &s;o much as they do both Day and Night; &s;o that the Watchmen of the City, find them out at One or Two of the Clock in the Morning: But for Mode&s;ties &s;ake, I will not &s;ay the wor&s;t that I could &s;ay. But the&s;e things contradict their Preachings, and make it no better then Non&s;en&s;e: As they can tell us, to be Hearers and not Doers of the Word, is Non&s;en&s;e; &s;o I &s;ay to them, to be Preachers and not Practicers, that is Non&s;en&s;e. I think the be&s;t Preaching, would be for Mini&s;ters to walk more circum&s;pectly them&s;elves, and to give good Examples to others, and no bad ones, as they do a many.</P>
<P><HI>Some indeed,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Preaches Chri&s;t, even out of Envy, Strife and Contention; not &s;incerely,</HI> Phil. 1.15, 16. &s;aying, <HI>Let a Man abide in his Calling wherein he is called,</HI> 1 Cor. 7. Twice in this <HI>Chap.</HI> 20. and 24. al|mo&s;t the &s;ame Words, &s;aith one, which I know his Meaning was to me, <HI>A <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1+ letters">rm and no Man;</HI> as it is in <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 22.6. in compari&s;on of &s;ome Men. <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">ut in compari&s;on to Almighty God, I may &s;ay as <HI>Abraham</HI> &s;aid, <HI>but Du&s;t and A&s;hes,</HI> Gen. 18.27. Yet &s;aith he, <HI>Let a Man abide in his Calling;</HI> as an|other before &s;aid to the &s;ame Purpo&s;e, endeavouring to Preach us away from the Prayers of the Church: Thus they Preach out of Self-ends, <HI>out of Envy, Strife and Contention; not &s;incerely.</HI> But although St. <HI>Paul</HI> doth &s;ay, <HI>Let a Man a bide in his Calling,</HI> yet he doth not forbid us to do other Chri&s;tian Duties for God and our Neighbours, but puts us upon it, &s;aying, <HI>Let no Man &s;eek his own, but anothers Wealth;</HI> as it is in this &s;ame <HI>Epi&s;t.</HI> Chap. 10.24. But what I do here, is for the good of others; yet every one that I &s;peak with about it, is again&s;t me, and not only again&s;t me, but again&s;t God; &s;o that I may &s;ay as the P&s;almi&s;t &s;aith, <HI>Who will ri&s;e up for me again&s;t the Evil Do|ers? or who will &s;tand up for me again&s;t the Workers of Iniquity,</HI> P&s;al. 94.16.</P>
<P>I read what the Prophet <HI>Malachi</HI> &s;aith in his Fir&s;t and Second Chapters, chiefly again&s;t the Prie&s;ts, for being Seducers of the People, and their Un|kindne&s;s and Profanene&s;s, Irreligiou&s;ne&s;s, Negligence, Covetou&s;ne&s;s, and Evil Examples; and that they &s;erved God after their own Fanta&s;ties, and not according to the Pre&s;cript of his Word, as they ought to do. And el&s;ewhere I read of the Scandalous Neglect of Mini&s;ters: And who brings a greater Scandal upon Gods true Religion than they do? And in another place, <HI>What is wor&s;e then a covetous Man?</HI> And St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith <HI>Eph.</HI> 5.5. <HI>For this ye know, That no Whoremonger, nor Unclean Per&s;on, nor covetous Man, who is an Idolater, hath any Inheritance in the Kingdom of Chri&s;t and of God.</HI></P>
<P>Again, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.3. <HI>Through Covetou&s;ne&s;s, &s;hall they with feigned words, make merchandi&s;e of you, who&s;e Judgment now, of a long time lingreth not, and their Damnation &s;lumbreth not.</HI> And in the 14. <HI>v. Having Eyes full of Adul|dultery, and that cannot cea&s;e from &s;in, beguiling un&s;table Souls; an heart they have exerci&s;ed with covetous Practice, cur&s;ed Children: Which have for&s;aken the right way, and are gone a&s;tray, v.</HI> 15. <HI>following the way of</HI> Balaam the Son of <HI>Bo&s;or, which loved the wages of unrighteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI> And the Prophet <HI>Jeremi|ah,</HI> hath pronounced a Cur&s;e to <HI>them that do the work of the Lord, negli|gently or deceitfully,</HI> Ch. 48.10.</P>
<P>Another thing that I ob&s;erve is, How the&s;e Fal&s;e Teachers, when they Preach Funeral Sermons, and in the behalf of the Poor, how they will then &s;tretch their Con&s;ciences. Fir&s;t in the Prai&s;e of the Decea&s;ed Party to plea&s;e their Friends, and as they &s;peak again&s;t their Con&s;ciences when they bury them, &s;o likewi&s;e when they Preach their Funeral Sermons.</P>
<P>The next is in the behalf of the Poor, much like the Papi&s;t, that makes them believe that they merit by their Good Works, and by their Charity. So do our Fal&s;e Teachers &s;ay, that our <HI>Charity covers a multitude of Sins;</HI> when it is the Charity of Chri&s;t that covers a multitude of Sins: Then what is that, but as much as to &s;ay, That we merit by our Charity? For what is <HI>given to the Poor is lent to the Lord,</HI> &s;ay they; whitout putting in the word <HI>if.</HI> As they &s;hould &s;ay, <HI>If you come lawfully and hone&s;tly by it, and if you do all other Religious Duties that Almighty God requires of you, as Chri&s;tians ought to do; and do no wicked thing that God has forbidden you,</HI> then I &s;ay, if they did &s;ay thus, then they would not &s;peak again&s;t their own Con&s;ciences as they do, both in the Pulpit and at the mo&s;t Holy Sacrament; u&s;ing &s;uch like Expre&s;&s;ions, without &s;aying <HI>if:</HI> But as it is &s;aid, <HI>You that are Teachers of others, have need that &s;ome &s;hould teach you,</HI> As St. <HI>Peter</HI> and St. <HI>Jude,</HI> in their Epi&s;tles before mentioned, comparing them to <HI>Bea&s;ts,</HI> and charging them with <HI>Ignorance;</HI> &s;aying, <HI>They &s;peak evil of tho&s;e things which they know not.</HI> But in this it is not &s;o much through Ignorance, as it is again&s;t their Knowledge; which is far wor&s;e. Again, They &s;ay that our <HI>Righteou&s;ne&s;s hides a multitude of Sins,</HI> when it is the Righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t; and &s;o de|rogates from God. Now what is our Righteou&s;ne&s;s, the be&s;t of us <HI>but as filthy Rags,</HI> in compari&s;on of Chri&s;ts Righteou&s;ne&s;s? Again, when we have done all that God hath commanded us, we mu&s;t confe&s;s that we are but <HI>un|profitable Servants:</HI> For we have done but that which was our Duty to do, <HI>Luke</HI> 17.10. How then can they &s;ay, or we think that we merit? Now I do not mention all this to hinder the Poor, <HI>For with &s;uch Sacrifices God is well plea&s;ed,</HI> if they be done as they ought to be, with Holine&s;s and Righteou&s;ne&s;s of Life; but I do mention this, to &s;hew what Fal&s;e Teachers a many of them are.</P>
<P>Now let us &s;uppo&s;e that a High-way Man that robs a Man of a great Sum of Mony, &s;hould come to Church and give a &s;mall part of that to the Poor, only <HI>to be &s;een of Men, as the Hypocrites do,</HI> Will this be acceptable to God think ye? and yet I believe that there are many wor&s;e Thieves, that wrongs and oppre&s;s the Poor, under a Pretence of their Charity; as the Governours of the Ho&s;pital of <HI>Bethlem</HI> do: For I never heard that the High-way Men do pretend Charity in what they do, as the&s;e wicked Men do, to deceive the World by.</P>
<P>Agan, There is a Woe denounc'd again&s;t the Rich, <HI>Luk.</HI> 6.24. I mean again&s;t &s;uch as get their Riches by unlawful means, as Fraud and Oppre&s;&s;ion; making them&s;elves Rich, and others Poor: And no le&s;s Woe be to them that &s;uffer &s;uch Oppre&s;&s;ion when they are inform'd of it, and will not do their Duty. Remember what the Bi&s;hop &s;aith before; the higher that a Man is in Place and Office, the greater is his Sin again, if they make no good u&s;e of their Riches for Gods Glory and the good of others.</P>
<P>Hear what God Almighty &s;aith by the Mouth of the Prophet <HI>Ho&s;ea,</HI> ch. 5. v. 1. O <HI>ye Prie&s;t hear this, and hearken ye,</HI> O <HI>Hou&s;e of</HI> I&s;rael, <HI>and give ye ear</HI> O <HI>Hou&s;e of the King,</HI> (meaning <HI>Jeroboam) for Judgment is toward you, becau&s;e you have been a Snare on</HI> Mizpah, <HI>and a Net &s;pread upon</HI> Tabor. And in the Margent it is &s;aid, <HI>That the Prie&s;ts and Princes catched the Poor People in their Snares, as the Fowlers did the Birds in the&s;e Two Mountains.</HI> Notwith|&s;tanding they &s;eemed to be given altogether to Holine&s;s and to Sacrifices, which here he calleth <HI>Slaughter</HI> in the 2. <HI>v.</HI> in Contempt, <HI>Though I have been a Rebuker of them all,</HI> &s;aith the Prophet: Then how will Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters an&s;wer the&s;e things, <HI>when the Kings of the Earth,</HI> as it is <HI>Rev.</HI> 6.15, 16, 17. Ver&s;es, <HI>and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief Cap|tains and the mighty men; and every Bond-man, and every Free-man hide them&s;elves in Dens and among the Rocks of the Mountains, and &s;ay to the Moun|tains and Rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the Pre&s;ence of him that &s;itteth on the Throne, and from the Wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his Wrath is come, and who can &s;tand?</HI> This is not meant to the Godly, but to the Wicked and Ungodly. Now if I know the&s;e things by them, and do not utter them, then I am acce&s;&s;ary to their Sins, and &s;o &s;hould make my &s;elf Partaker with them, in not di&s;charging my Con&s;cience.</P>
<P>We read how the Prophet <HI>Malachi</HI> hath pronounced a Cur&s;e again&s;t &s;uch a <HI>Deceiver, that hath in his Flock a Male, and voweth and &s;acrificeah unto the Lord a corrupt thing, Chap.</HI> 1.14. And is it not &s;o with tho&s;e that go to the Church under a Pretence of Religion and Charity, and give naughty Mony to the Poor, that is to &s;ay, Bra&s;s or Clipt Mony. Is not that a corrupt thing? for what is given to the Poor, is, or &s;hould be lent to the Lord; And will &s;uch naughty Mony be acceptable to God think ye? And yet I &s;ee &s;ome do give Clipt Mony at the mo&s;t Holy Sacrament; and as we read more at large in the &s;ame Chapter, how <HI>the Prie&s;t and People were both weary of &s;erving of God,</HI> and pa&s;&s;ed not what manner of Sacrifice and Service they gave to God: For that which was lea&s;t profitable, was thought good enough for the Lord. So I think it is a great Sin to tho&s;e that take Clipt Mony, and a greater to tho&s;e that &s;uffer it to pa&s;s, becau&s;e thereby the Clippers are encouraged to venture their Lives; as they do both venture and lo&s;e their Lives: Then are not &s;uch Incouragers guilty of their Death? For if every one would refu&s;e to take it as I do, then to be &s;ure they would give over Clipping; and it &s;eems to me an unrea&s;onable thing, that they &s;hould Dye for it, when they are &s;o encouraged in it, and it might be &s;o ea&s;ily prevented.</P>
<P>Another thing I have ob&s;erved, how ready &s;ome People are to make a lie, and put it into the mouths of their Children and Servants, fearing Men more than God; but <HI>Solomon</HI> tells us, <HI>The fear of man bringeth a &s;nare,</HI> Prov. 29.25. Again it is &s;aid in the Margent, <HI>He that feareth Man more than God, falleth into a &s;nare, and is de&s;troyed.</HI> Again, the Prophet &s;aith, <HI>Who art thou, that &s;hould&s;t fear a mortal man, and the Son of man which &s;hall be made as gra&s;s,</HI> I&s;a. 51.12. Thus we may &s;ee what a bad thing it is for any to fear Man more than God, but much wor&s;e for Mini&s;ters to do &s;o, and to give &s;uch bad Examples in their Families; and yet I find none more ready to do &s;o than the&s;e fal&s;e Teachers are, and to make a lie and put into their Servants mouths to deny
<PB N="4" REF="4"> them to tho&s;e that go to &s;peak with 'em; although they &s;ay in the Church, <HI>Come unto me or &s;ome other di&s;creet Mini&s;ter of Gods word:</HI> Yet they will not &s;uffer us to come, as they &s;ay, to be re&s;olved of &s;ome doubts or &s;cruples, as it is their duty &s;o to do. But let &s;uch, as will dare to make a lie, take notice what St. <HI>John</HI> &s;aith in <HI>Rev.</HI> 22.15. <HI>For without are Dogs, and Socerers, and Whoremongers, and Murderers, and Idolaters, and who&s;oever loveth and maketh a lie.</HI> Again St. <HI>John</HI> &s;aith in his 1&s;t <HI>Epist. ch.</HI> 4. <HI>ver.</HI> 1. <HI>Believe not every Spirit, but try the Spirits whether they are of God;</HI> and he giveth a good rea&s;on for it, <HI>becau&s;e many fal&s;e Prophets are gone out into the World.</HI> Ver&s;. 2. it is &s;aid, <HI>Every Spirit that confe&s;&s;eth that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is come in the fle&s;h, is of God.</HI> And in Ver&s;. 3. he &s;aith the contrary, <HI>Every Spirit that confe&s;&s;eth not that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is come in the fle&s;h, is not of God.</HI> The&s;e two la&s;t Ver&s;es, and other &s;uch like Texts, as &s;peak in the general, do the&s;e fal&s;e Teachers make u&s;e of to delude poor ignorant Souls withal. The Devil can bring Texts of Scripture to delude Souls with; as he did attempt and do his endeavour to our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour Chri&s;t, although he knew he was God as well as Man, and knows all things, and cannot be ignorant nor deceived, <HI>Matth.</HI> 4.6. <HI>If thou be the Son of God ca&s;t thy &s;elf down; for it is written, he &s;hall give his Angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they &s;hall bear thee up, lea&s;t at any time thou da&s;h thy foot again&s;t a &s;tone.</HI> So do the&s;e fal&s;e Teachers, who are the Devils In&s;truments, bring &s;uch Texts of Scriptures as make be&s;t for their delu&s;ions. Every one &s;ay they, <HI>that confe&s;&s;eth that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is come in the fle&s;h, is of God:</HI> I be|lieve St. <HI>John</HI> does not mean every one that <HI>&s;ays</HI> they believe and confe&s;s Chri&s;t, for the Devils and the&s;e fal&s;e Teachers do confe&s;s and profe&s;s as much; but it is only they that <HI>do</HI> their utmo&s;t endeavour to live up to what they confe&s;s and profe&s;s to believe. Our Saviour &s;aith, <HI>Not every one that &s;aith unto me, Lord, Lord, &s;hall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven,</HI> Matt. 7.21. This &s;eems to contradict St. <HI>John,</HI> who &s;aith, <HI>Every Spirit that confe&s;&s;eth that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is come in the fle&s;h, is of God;</HI> and if I leave it &s;o, &s;ome may &s;ay that I go about to make St. <HI>John</HI> a Lyar; no, I do not go about to contradict the holy Scripture, though I go about to prove the&s;e fal&s;e Teachers Lyars, like their Father the Devil: But I believe St. <HI>John</HI> does not mean every one that confe&s;&s;eth Chri&s;t in the Church or Pulpit, and then denies him when they are out, by their evil living and bad exam|ples; but rather, every one that confe&s;&s;eth Chri&s;t at all times, in all places and upon all occa&s;ions, and never for fear of Men deny him in any troubles, &s;uf|ferings or per&s;ecutions what&s;oever.</P>
<P>The like may be &s;aid concerning the word <HI>All,</HI> which &s;ome of the&s;e fal&s;e Teachers u&s;e more than is right, on purpo&s;e to delude poor ignorant People, &s;oothing them up in their Sins, &s;aying, that Chri&s;ts Birth, Death, Re&s;urrecti|on and A&s;cen&s;ion is for the benefit and Salvation of <HI>All;</HI> which they &s;peak ve|ry much again&s;t their Con&s;ciences: For they know, that it is only to tho&s;e that do truly and &s;incerely repent of all their &s;ins, &s;tedfa&s;tly believe in his holy Name, and wholly tru&s;t and relie on him and his mercy in the forgive|ne&s;s of all their &s;ins, in his Blood and the Merits of his mo&s;t precious Death and Pa&s;&s;ion on the Cro&s;s; and truly love and fear him, and obey his holy Go&s;pel in all things, as near as we can. But in&s;tead of dealing thus truly and faith|fully with us, they do but flatter and di&s;&s;emble with us, making the be&s;t of things, and making them as ea&s;ie as they can; &s;eeking to plea&s;e Men more than God: But the holy Apo&s;tle St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>If I &s;eek to plea&s;e men, I am not the Servant of Chri&s;t, Gal.</HI> 1.10. Again in 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.4. <HI>Even &s;o, we &s;peak, not as plea&s;ing Men but God;</HI> not &s;eeking the prai&s;e of Men, as the&s;e do; but &s;uppo&s;e they have the prai&s;e of Men, they have not the prai&s;e of God, as is to be proved at large in the 23, 24th Chapters of St. <HI>Matthew.</HI> Now I reckon that the Pa&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t will be no benefit nor &s;ignifie any thing to the Salvation of their Souls, that continue ob&s;tinate and di&s;obedient to the Commands of Chri&s;t; but rather a greater condemnation to all that will not comply and &s;ub|mit to his holy Will: Thus ought the&s;e fal&s;e Teachers to &s;ay, rather than to make ignorant People believe, that he died for all.</P>
<P>It may be, it will be a hard thing to make my Friends and Neighbours be|lieve the&s;e things to be true again&s;t them; but you may as well &s;ay, that you will not believe the Word of God to be true, if you will not believe me. I would have you believe <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the Prophets in the Old Te&s;tament, and Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles in the New. I will not &s;ay as one &s;aith, <HI>Blame not me, but blame them that &s;ay &s;o,</HI> le&s;t I &s;hould bid you &s;peak Bla&s;phemy again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t: For St. <HI>Paul</HI> tells us, that <HI>all Scripture is given by in&s;piration of God, and is profitable to teach, to convince, to correct, and to in&s;truct in Righteou&s;|ne&s;s,</HI> 2 Tim. 3.16. Therefore he might rather have &s;aid, blame not me, but blame the Prophets and Apo&s;tles that &s;ay &s;o, if you will or dare &s;peak Bla&s;phemy agai&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t: For I &s;uppo&s;e he knows, that the&s;e holy Men &s;pake by the In&s;piration of the Holy Gho&s;t; and &s;o he might have given ignorant People to under&s;tand, what it is to &s;peak again&s;t &s;uch holy Men, as it is his place and office to inform and in&s;truct the ignorant, and not to bid them &s;peak Bla&s;phemy.</P>
<P>Now I have &s;omething again&s;t the Clerks: When the Mini&s;ters are &s;o bad, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">t is not likely their Clerks &s;hould be very good; for I have ob&s;erved, how they have often &s;et forth &s;uch a P&s;alm, as not only cau&s;es them&s;elves, but the Congregation to &s;ay or &s;ing a fal&s;e thing, or again&s;t their Con&s;ciences: as in the 5th part of 119. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> Who is it that can truly &s;ay, they love and fear no|thing but God? when it is an hard matter to find one that doth &s;o; and in mo&s;t parts of this P&s;alm there are &s;uch expre&s;&s;ions, if &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idered, very few can truly &s;ay them without &s;peaking again&s;t their Con&s;ciences.</P>
<P>I heard a Clerk that &s;ung this 119th P&s;alm throughout, at &s;undry times, and in the third part there is a Cur&s;e he pronounced again&s;t tho&s;e that do not Gods He&s;ts attend upon. Now I think that Publick Prayers is one of Gods He&s;ts; if this is to be taken in a &s;trict &s;en&s;e, that is to &s;ay, to attend on them both morning and evening con&s;tantly, then who is it that is not cur&s;ed? For I &s;ee that neither the Mini&s;ters, I mean the head-Mini&s;ters, nor their Clerks do &s;o con&s;tantly both morning and evening attend this Ordinance, as they &s;hould, to give good Exam|ples to others; but rather di&s;courage others by &s;eeing them ab&s;ent: Neither are they willing to have a P&s;alm, or part of one, to be &s;ung at Prayers; but as I have &s;een &s;everal of the Readers, not only refu&s;e when it has been offered to them, but forbid the Clerks, although they know the P&s;almi&s;t &s;ays, <HI>What a good thing it is to &s;ing Prai&s;es to God;</HI> yet at &s;everal Churches, as I know, they do not &s;ing P&s;alms at the Sacrament, which is the highe&s;t Ordinance of the Go&s;pel, and the principle part of God's Wor&s;hip; &s;o that I think we ought then more e&s;pecially to &s;ing prai&s;es in way of thankfulne&s;s to Almighty God for &s;o great a mercy in giving us his only Son to be a Sacrifice for us mi&s;erable Sinners. But I &s;ee they do in this, as they do in other parts of God's Wor&s;hip and Ser|vice, as &s;lightly as they well can. Al&s;o I &s;ee how malicious &s;ome of the Clerks and other Servants are, even at the time of the Sacrament before the commu|nicants are gone, which is a very &s;ad &s;ight to &s;ee; I pray God forgive them their Malice to me.</P>
<P>Again concerning the Cur&s;e which I heard the Clerk pronounce again&s;t tho&s;e <HI>that do not Gods he&s;ts attend upon;</HI> &s;ome may or will think it a very hard &s;ay|ing, if we con&s;ider the&s;e things following: as fir&s;t, if a Man be under bani&s;h|ment, and &s;o cannot come to the Hou&s;e of God as he would, as <HI>David</HI> him|&s;elf was, as it is mentioned in the 84 P&s;alm, when he was driven forth of his Country, de&s;ired mo&s;t ardently to come again to the Tabernacle of the Lord, and the A&s;&s;embly of the Saints to prai&s;e the Lord. And al&s;o the Apo&s;tles, but more e&s;pecially St. <HI>Paul,</HI> who was kept under confinement for &s;ome years, &s;o that he could not go, as he u&s;ed to do or would have done: Or if a Man be in a Journy, or &s;o tied to days work, that he cannot go, but yet would go if he could; in &s;uch ca&s;es, I do not doubt, but that God will accept of the Will for the Deed; for though a Man be ab&s;ent in body, yet his heart may be there. But on the contrary, tho&s;e that have time and opportunity, and might go and will not, but rather &s;pend there precious time in the Ale-hou&s;es, other|wi&s;e called Hell-hou&s;es or the Devil's Schools, where there is &s;uch &s;wearing, cur&s;ing and gaming, and a great deal of more wickedne&s;s and prophane&s;s u&s;ed; &s;uch, I &s;ay, I cannot imagin how they can e&s;cape this Cur&s;e, as it is in <HI>Heb.</HI> 2.3. <HI>How &s;hall we e&s;cape damnation, if we neglect &s;o great &s;alvation?</HI> We read <HI>Act.</HI> 17.11. how the wicked Jews were converted, and <HI>received the word with all readine&s;s of mind, and &s;earched the Scriptures daily, whether tho&s;e things were &s;o:</HI> Al&s;o we may further under&s;tand what was the happy effect of it; for in the next Ver&s;e it is &s;aid, <HI>Therefore many of them believed:</HI> and then &s;hall they not ri&s;e up in Judgment again&s;t tho&s;e that will neither read them at home, nor go to the publick Prayers of the Church daily to hear them read, when they might as well go as not?</P>
<P>Again, I have heard one of our fal&s;e Teachers &s;ay, <HI>He that goes to Church and gives not &s;omething to the Poor, does but half his duty;</HI> then what do tho&s;e, that in&s;tead of giving, rob the Poor of part of that that is given? This I be|lieve he &s;pake out of &s;ome &s;elf by or ba&s;e end; for I heard one of the Ser|vants of the Church &s;ay, that <HI>he can preach to others for Charity, and give none him&s;elf.</HI> Again, where it is not to be had, God does not require it; al|though I know that God did require it in the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>None &s;hall appear before the Lord empty, Exod</HI> 23.15. <HI>Deut.</HI> 16.16. But that was at the three great &s;olemn Fea&s;ts of the year: Thus we may &s;ee, how they put others upon tho&s;e things that they will not do them&s;elves.</P>
<P>Now I have &s;omething to &s;ay again&s;t the Di&s;&s;enters or Nonconformi&s;ts, that behave them&s;elves &s;o irreverently in the place of their Wor&s;hip: I have &s;een the Mini&s;ter go into the Pulpit with his hat on his head, and after the Sermon put his hat on again in the Pulpit, which &s;eems to me a very un&s;eemly thing: But perhaps &s;ome will &s;ay, where is there any Text of Scripture that &s;peaks expre&s;ly again&s;t it? To which I an&s;wer, if there be none that &s;peaks expre&s;ly, yet there are &s;everal that &s;peak to that effect: as in <HI>Exod.</HI> 3.5. where God commanded <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>Pull off thy &s;hoes from off thy feet,</HI> with this rea&s;on annexed, <HI>for the place whereon thou &s;tande&s;t is holy ground;</HI> and another rea&s;on is in the Margent, that is, <HI>becau&s;e of my pre&s;ence.</HI> Al&s;o God hath &s;aid, <HI>That whereever two or there are gathered together in my name,</HI> Mat. 18.20. <HI>there am I in the mid&s;t of them:</HI> Then is not his pre&s;ence to be reverenced; and if his &s;hooes were to be put off, is it not likely his hat al&s;o? Be&s;ides, I heard a Mi|ni&s;ter &s;ay, that it might be meant his hat. Again, the holy Apo&s;tle St. <HI>Paul</HI> reproves Men for praying in their holy A&s;&s;embly with their heads covered, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. and at the 14 <HI>ver.</HI> he &s;aith, <HI>Doth not even nature it &s;elf teach you; that if a man have long hair, it is a &s;hame unto him?</HI> And &s;o I &s;ay, doth not even very Nature it &s;elf teach you, that it is a &s;hame for Men to have their hats on their heads in their holy A&s;&s;emblies, but more e&s;pecially in the Pulpit? Al&s;o they &s;uffer their Auditors to have their hats on their heads in Sermon time; and not only &s;o, but in Prayer time too, as I have &s;een &s;ome, when the Mini&s;ter begins his Prayer, in&s;tead of puting off their hats, put them a little on one &s;ide; &s;o that they wear them on their heads &s;till, and might as well be on as they were: They al&s;o &s;uffer them irreverently to &s;it in Prayer time, and neither &s;tand nor kneel, as they ought to do, as it is to be proved in <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 95.6. <HI>O come, let us wor&s;hip and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.</HI> And how di&s;obedient are the Mini&s;ters to the Command of Chri&s;t in not &s;aying the Lords Prayer, but &s;peaking again&s;t a form of Prayer? Now I never read that Chri&s;t &s;pake again&s;t a &s;et form of Prayer, but when one of his Di&s;ciples &s;aid unto him, <HI>Lord teach us to pray, as</HI> John <HI>al&s;o taught his Di&s;ciples, Luk.</HI> 11.1. he made no reply a+gain&s;t it, but immediately taught them &s;aying, <HI>ver.</HI> 2. <HI>When ye pray, &s;ay, Our Fa|ther which art in Heaven,</HI> &amp;c. For it is likely, if he would ever have &s;aid any thing again&s;t a form of Prayer, it would have been then; but in&s;tead of &s;aying any thing again&s;t it, he rather did allow and approve of it; for if he had not, to be &s;ure he would not have taught his Di&s;ciples one, and in them, us; and com|manded them and us to &s;ay it; and when he did &s;ay, <HI>&s;ay it,</HI> he did not &s;ay, <HI>&s;ay it on a Book;</HI> for if he had &s;aid &s;o, then how &s;hould a blind Man &s;ay it, or another in the dark, or a Man that cannot read? Then it follows, that tho&s;e that will not &s;ay it but upon a book, are too &s;uper&s;titious therein. I have ob&s;erved, that one of our Mini&s;ters would not &s;ay the Lords Prayer, but upon his Book, which I could not imagin what &s;hould be his meaning, except he did it to countenance a form of Prayer; if it were &s;o, I think it were well enough.</P>
<P>But another thing is, he would have all the Congregation to &s;ay after the Mini&s;ter, <HI>Amen,</HI> &s;o as to make the Church ring again; but it is &s;aid, that <HI>the Prayer of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord;</HI> then I would gladly know what it is for us to joyn in Prayer with &s;uch di&s;&s;embling Hypocrites, as are here di&s;covered, and &s;ay <HI>Amen</HI> to their abominable Prayers? Now, I do not deny, but that we ought to &s;ay <HI>Amen,</HI> if we had true Mini&s;ters, &s;uch as St. <HI>Paul</HI> and the re&s;t of the holy Apo&s;tles were: But now our fal&s;e Teachers and hypocritical Preachers, whether they be Confomi&s;ts or Nonconformi&s;ts, have great need to pray with St. <HI>Paul, That while they preach to others, that they them&s;elves do not become ca&s;t aways,</HI> 1 Cor. 9.27. which I pray God they may not. So I conclude with the Caution that our Ble&s;&s;ed Saviour gives in <HI>Matth.</HI> 24.4. &s;aying, <HI>Take heed that no man deceive you.</HI> To all this might be added the Collect that is read on St. <HI>Matthias</HI>'s day; but I do not write it here, be|bau&s;e I would not have Men to read it &s;o irreverently with their hats on their heads. I re&s;t,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Yours in the Lord, <HI>Thomas Cro&s;&s;ley.</HI></SIGNED>
<DATELINE>Dated <DATE><HI>Aug.</HI> the 20th, 1692.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
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<P>The&s;e are to be &s;old over again&s;t the <HI>Ro&s;e</HI> and <HI>Crown</HI> at <HI>Puddle-dock</HI> in <HI>London.</HI> Price 2 <HI>d.</HI></P>
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