Intercession for the People when God's Judgments are abroad 't is we that must with Faith and Courage stand in the gap when Wrath is gone out from the Lord and the Plague is begun Numb 16. 48. 'T is we that must be always ready to give a reasonable account of our Hope and with undaunted arguings urge the Doctrine and Faith of Christ to some now a days a Stumbling-block to others Foolishness 1 Pet. 3. 15. against the growing oppositions of Atheism Heresie and Prophaneness 'T is we that must Preach plain practical Truths to the people with the Rules and Fundamental Reasons of Obedience Justice Sobriety Charity and all this in easie and familiar yet powerful Applications not in Rhetorical Harangue or Affectation of Speech and Gesture which doth but make the ignorant gape and tickles the Ears of the more knowing producing perhaps a plausible perswasion in the one but scarce true Christian Edification in either and better becomes the old Roman Rostrum than the Christian Pulpit And since the unreasonable Prejudice of people seems now adays to make it almost necessary we should endeavour to obtain the Custom and Habit of talking to them in a familiar way of converse as it were salvâ majestate verbi and if it may be wholly without Book 'T is true that when the Preachers Eyes and Gestures are pointed directly to the Auditory they are the more likely to give their regards and attentions to him but again 't is strange to me that these silly Souls should fancy that the effects of a nimble Invention and unsteady cursory Effusion to be more the Word of God than the best of a mans sober thoughts squared exactly by the Holy Scripture in Methodick Writing Matters of Controversie we ought wholly to decline for besides that 't is easie to prate where there is none to oppose the people would be kept more obedient and safe if they could altogether be kept ignorant that there is any opposition in any kinde to the truth of our Doctrines besides what necessity is there of telling them to their dangerous amusement what is wrong as long as we continue them in the right Belief and practice of what we know to be true and right But now I better think on 't since our Schismatical Dissenters Compass Sea and Land to make one Proselyte Mat. 23. 15. and indefatigably take all opportunities by partial and detracting misrepresentations to tell their own Tale first to our no small disadvantage it might be perhaps of some good consequence if our Loyally-affected Ministers would take frequent Occasions not in their publick Pulpits but in their ordinary familiar Communications with their Parishioners to explain and enlarge upon such Points of Publick Duty and sound Belief as these few following that the good People might be disabused from the insinuating Cheats and Impostures of these deal-board Mountebanks and disswaded from giving their Money for that which is not Bread Isai 55. 2. I. That the Power and Authority of Kings is from God II. That Prerogative is accountable to none but God Psal 51. 4. But Property and Priviledge in many cases forfeitable to the Crown III. That to Depose Kings for fear of Arbitrary Government is as unjust as to suppose a man feloniously-affected and so hang him afore-hand lest he should Steal or Murder IV. That to draw Arguments from Precedents and conclude de facto ad jus is as unjust a proceeding in Politicks as 't is often in Law V. That to fear Arbitrary Government or its Tyrannical Effects in a King of Great Britain is to suppose a Moral Impossibility VI. That the Kingly Government of these Realms as 't is contemper'd with the Rights and Liberties of the Subject is the happiest Policy in the world VII That Major singulis minor universis is bad Logick and worse Divinity 2 Sam. 18. 3. VIII That 't is unlawful upon any pretence whatsoever for the Subject to take up Arms against the King IX That Rebellious Innovations always end in Confusion and Anarchy and redress of Grievances that way hath proved worse than the Disease X. That the Church of England as now by Law establish'd retains the true Catholick and Apostolick Faith XI That our Gracious Sovereign is in all Causes Ecclesiastical as well as Temporal Supreme Governour XII That a Subjects wisest and surest way is to adhere to the Establish'd Religion in these Kingdoms without the least Cavil or Dispute if he believes he may be saved therein XIII That no pretence of scruple whatsoever without plain proofs and demonstration can excuse any Subject from the positive Commands to absolute Obedience in all things Lawful or Indifferent XIV That Separate Meetings and Fanatical Conventicles have been known lurking-holes and refuges of Romish Priests and Jesuits and of consequence Nurseries of Actors upon the Stage of Rebellion XV. That upon an exact review we have great reason to conclude our present divisions to belong to a Principle very different from that of Scruple and Tenderness XVI That Ambition and Avarice are the two great Wheels of the Devils Chariot XVII That when our grand Adversary designs most Mischief he always hangs out the white Flag of Religion XVIII That Liberty of Conscience commonly proves Licence to be Seditious XIX That our Dissenting Zealots who plead for it most have been observed to grant it least XX. That the People of this Nation are acquainted with much more than they should know and much less than they should practise XXI That we can never have peaceable days as long as Bulkers and Coblers are Preachers and Couranters XXII That Vox Populi is not always Vox Dei Mat. 27. 22. XXIII That the Stool of Repentance and illegal Impositions of Oaths on King and People is a greater piece of Arbitrary Tyranny than French Monarchy or Kissing of the Pope's Toe XXIV That the Kingly Government of this Nation is equally inconsistent with Popery and Presbytery XXV That the Power and Riches of the King is the Peace and Prosperity of the People XXVI That 't is impossible for Peace and Godliness to continue long in Church or State under a general Toleration of Schismatical and Factious Opinions in matters of Religion Mat. 12. 25. These short Aphorisms I presume to insert by way of Essay only and as imperfect Hints of what wiser Heads and abler Judgments may do in stronger and more suitable Applications to the good People of this distracted Kingdome But before I wholly leave this point it may be worth while to observe by what an ignorant silly Mistake the dull Teachers in our Separate Assemblies conclude of the Power and Prevalency of their Doctrine from the sullen cloudiness of Countenance and tumultuous disorder it causes in the Passions of their Female Anditory rather than from any Serenity and clearness of Minde and Understanding For I have very good grounds to believe that all this noise hath left the Intellect untoucht and that it hath not in any degree
baggage Then they are forced to express their wants very politely in the universal Language and like Vagabond Polanders here they beg formâ pauperis Scholastici at some Convent or Monastery where as the case now stands the matter a hundred to one comes to a bargain they prove Converts and so having in time imbibed pernicious Principles as well as learned the art of putting them in practice fraught with mischievous Machinations and seditious designs they are delegated hither But I fear the Air of old England doth not reduce one of twenty at their arrival to such an happy reconversion as by especial Influence it did the good Dr. But a Maladie beyond all redress is the near dependance our Clergy have for the most part upon Lay-Patrons and Benefactours The servile awe and confusion that possesses the young Divine whilst he Preaches before them is altogether inconsistent with that modest boldness and temperate Assurance that ought of necessity to attend the Word whether we inform or reprove For if by chance our youth touch never so little upon what thwarts the private opinion or gauls any one irregular practice of his Patron though in never so general and distant a way he shall be sure of such a sowre look and correcting regard from his Worship at Dinner as shall quite dash the Countenance and turn the stomack of our new dignifié maugre the comfortable accession of the late Benefice In this Case I wish all men were as happy as my self in bearing relation to a most Orthodox Loyal and pious honourable good Gentleman c. To conclude all this our own Souldiers for want of due pay and encouragement turn often Renegadoes and by deserting us become so many fresh supplies to our sworn Enemies the Pyrates of Rome and Geneva This advantage superadded to the force of the old Pique enables them not only to fight at distance but makes them so hardy as to board our torn and leaky vessel the poor Church of England and 't is all she can do with invincible courage to clear her decks of these furious Assailants I look upon the Romish Religion as the exactest piece of State-Policie and the best contrived Mysterie of infallible Rule and Dominion that ever yet appeared in the world I always considered it under this notion without any other regard or relation whatever Its subtletenets and deep Maximes speak it such its ways and methods to preserve and continue itself where 't is already planted and of propagating itself where not do plainly shew that the true design of it is merely Secular contrived wholly for Temporal ends and purposes of Dominion Avarice Lust and in a word of Universal Tyranny over the Souls and Bodies of Men and Women I verily believe its greatest and most Learned Ecclesiastick Assertours see and know the trick well enough though they keep the Mysterie as safe in the Conclave as the Trojans did the Palladium in Minerva's Temple No Cabalists of State could e're trepan With such firm subtlety as Rome's Divan saith one And thus the main System of their Religion being wholly relative to Political practicks no wonder that all our Disputes ablest Writings and truest Remonstrances against them do so little good They may indeed debar them from proselyting men so easily as before but the two Poles shall sooner meet than the strongest Truths and Demonstrations shall reduce one of the great Churchmen of Rome Alas the Case is quite of another nature nor do they themselves think it worth while to enter the Lists of publick Disputation or answer the repeated oppositions of our Learned Churchmen unless as our chief Dissenters it be to comply with the Expectations of their own Herd and then too the main design is not to argue impartially and solidly but still more and more to amuse and intangle the poor ignorant Admirers of An Answer to Dr. c. Si Pergama dextrâ defendi possent c. comes always in my mind when I consider that the present posture of affairs is rather worse than better and at the same time think on the Writings of Bishop Jewel Laud and those other Heroe's that did and said all that was possible almost to little purpose alas and pray what can we do more They will not so much as argue to satisfie any scruple of their own Disciples the device of Implicite Faith supersedes their trouble as to that And if by chance among them a gaul'd Conscience offer to kick though never so sorely pinch'd one sharp word or frown of the Inquisition silences the poor Soul better to their purpose than a thousand Syllogisms And thus these men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil How quite contrary to all this is the proceed of our Church how different is her Carriage how frequent earnest and tender are her applications to the Dissenting Brethren With what reluctancie and force to herself after all means fail are restraints and penalties gently apply'd as the Ratio ultima rerum which she is far from making the Inscription of loud and infallible Artillery And yet what Seditious Murmurs do these men return to her soft passionate Invitations What Innovations Changes do they not secretly attempt What evil Representations of Church and Government do they not scatter What shuffling peevish returns do they make to the Writings and Sermons of good and wise Men in vindication of regular Piety and true Loyalty And they are so bold too as to press Gods holy Word for the justification of all this obstinacy but 't is not the first time that Holy Scripture hath been the Argument when the destruction of the Allegatour hath proved the consequence 2 Pet. 3. 16. Our Church by applying the soft and gentle Remedies of Statutable punishments and legal Mulcts never intended to force gross blindness or impose the Tyranny of Implicite Faith on any man but rather the quite contrary she carefully and wisely considered that a little smarting might make the scales peel off from their Eyes by some little bitterness she designed no more harm to them than Tobias did to his Father by throwing Gall in his Eyes to make him see And here I 'll presume to insert the words of a Learned Reverend Gentleman now among us We saith he that are Ministers of the Church of England may be content nay we may really wish that all our Laity had as much true solid understanding in Religion as our Clergy We can get no advantage by your want of knowledge no more than you can do by ours We have no Spiritual Cheat with which to delude you for the representing of which we should stand in need either of darkness or of a false light We have nothing in our publick Profession which the wisest men the most pious Christians may not outwardly practice nothing in our Faith which they ought not inwardly to believe We know and are well assured that the onely reason why our Church is
Elysium did into the Primitive Assassins or Mahomet's Paradise doth into the Ottoman Souldiers For Superstition of this kinde deeply grafted hath always proved the strongest spring and most vigorous motive of desperate deeds and devices Besides the indisputable Obedience that the Jesuitick Order is sworn into to their respective Superiour is of no ordinary force and influence to these Exploits and of grand import to the purposes of the Roman Conclave And this suggests how furiously in opposition to this extreme of blinde compliance some of our present Fanaticks run into the other contrary and flatly deny that there is any Ecclesiastick Superiority at all others affirm that the Episcopal Function is at best distinct not in Degree and Fact but in Title and Dignity only to that of Presbyter contrary to the plain usage of the Catholick Church and the practice of Antiquity in all Ages And with these men forsooth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is no more of Divine Right than the little Office of Overseer its name-sake in some of our Parochial Societies The redress of this as of other crazy Opinions of our modern Sectaries is apparently Eccentrick to the power and force of Argument the proper Remedy and effectual Cure belonging most certainly to a smarter Application than that of soft and gentle Reasonings And now 't is high time to tell you how that by these brief occasional remarks on the corruptions of Christianity from the Ambition and Avarice of some Professors from Enthusiastick whimsies from the senceless Subtleties of the Schoolmen and Casuists from some cramp words and forc'd Allusions out of Aristotle from the Romish Impostures and Phanatick Hypocrisie I have at least hit my designe in the Negative by which you may guess of what Religion I am not of Truely I am heartily sorry that the true Tree of Life Christianity should be branched out into so many Divisions and that our grand Enemy hath not only sowed tares in our field but inserted spurious graffs here too however my firm and faithful dependence is on that Branch which hath an undeniable rise and growth from the old Catholick and Apostolick stock and from whence Zacheus-like Luke 19. 4 5. I have a Call I hope as well as a full and perfect View of my blessed Saviour from amongst the vulgar crowd of Schisms and Heresies In a word I am not so much of Education much less of Interest or Coaction as of free yet firm and rational choice a Member of the Church of England as now by Law establisht And yet Education by an Epidemick Calamity hath in all Countreys and Ages been the best Title perhaps that the Bulk of Mankinde could plead to their Religion That 't is so now amongst the grand Monde of Mahometans Jews and Pagans is I think not to be disputed And indeed the difficulties are so great and the methods so nice of disengaging natural Reason from the strong entanglements of Prejudice Education and National Interest that I think it to be almost morally impossible all circumstances weighed for these Infidels to raise and refine their gross Apprehensions to a due and sober Scrutiny of Christian Truths And therefore to talk to them of the Trinity Incarnation Crucifixion Resurrection and the like other Mysteries of our Religion would but produce the same incredulous wonder as to repeat and plead for some Fables in the Metamorphosis For if the ripe reason of learned Nicodemus in the very midst of Miracles could at best but arrive to a doubtful Question Joh. 3. 9. How can these things be puzzled as appears by the one only Doctrine of Regeneration if he could hardly relish these Living Waters at the Fountain-head well may the Streams run muddy through our shallow conveyances and prove insipid if not nauseous and ridiculous to these senceless stupid mortals What shall we judge then of the gross and mass of mankinde who lye under prejudice or Ignorance invincible What distinct Regions of Immortality can we assigne to many millions of the so long undiscovered Americans Amongst whom were found not only the common Rules but strict observances Mountaign too of Justice Veracity and Sobriety In what classis and degree of Felicity or Misery can we range the good old Heathens Socrates Seneca c. who living up to the height of their Principles as some think thô I have good reason to doubt it were a Law unto themselves Rom. 2. 14. There is no other name given among men whereby we must besaved saith the Apostle but the Name of Jesus Act. 4. 12. What shall we fondly seign a middle state a Limbus Philosophorum For 't is uncharitable to conclude absolutely and cruelly that the Merciful Good God will destroy the work of his own Hands Perhaps the most rational refuge in this case is to presume that our gracious Father by ways best known to himself might impart if not a Revelation yet an Application of the Name and Merits of the holy Jesus to these just and sober Moralists if they were indeed really so But as to my unspeakable Peace and Comfort I am a Christian of the Church of England so to my inestimable honour and glory I am a Priest of the most High God and received my Authority and Commission from my Lord and Master Jesus rightly and truely by the hands of Episcopacy and the Presbytery And as I then felt no unusual Impulses of an extraordinary Spirit no new Light or Revelation nor any other Enthusiastick Emotions of an over-heated Imagination so neither did I rudely and rashly intrude without Call amongst my Masters hired Labourers For I had a fair Invitation from Gods ordinary Goodness and Providence to work in his Vineyard and I found in my self an honest Resolution and hearty Inclination so to do which truely I lookt upon as a sufficient warrant and justification for my Affirmative Answer to that first Ordination-Question Do you think in your heart that you be truely called c. to the Order and Ministry of Priesthood And now as I verily believe this divine Character to be indelible so I esteem of it as the most noble stamp and Impress humane Nature is capable of whilst cloathed with clay I am not so much surprized as troubled to see the common derision and contempt that attends the Clergy For those Scorners that cavil at the very Faith and question the Doctrine itself cannot reasonably be expected to regard and reverence the Dispensers And since this Town and Kingdome is infested with such swarms of Deists Socinians Atheists and others that not only violate the undoubted Regalia but with treasonable Blasphemy dispute the Divine Sovereignty of Jesus how should they not affront and outrage the Ambassadours of Christ We are I fear making fair Advances and by very sensible degrees too to that dismal state of Insidelity the prospect of which made our Saviour exclaim long ago When the Son of Man cometh shall he sinde Faith upon Earth Luk. 18. 8. And yet