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business to be informed in the difference of things, and make due application to God to teach their understandings knowledge; or elfe, 'tis not to be expected that they should arrive at a true and right judgment. Therefore I do refolve it much fafer of the two, for one that is blind, or is not at leisure to weigh and confider, and fo to receive inftruction, to choose a wife and good perfon to follow, and to make him his guide, than to attempt to go alone. For he was born only to a poffibility, because of his natural parts but faculties you must put no confidence in, unless they be qualify'd and feconded by habits; and no habits are, if not acquired; and acquifition is by mental, rational, and spiritual improvement.

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None fo miscarry, as the prefumptuous beyond their own fufficiency; they who affume to themfelves where they are not prepared and qualified. Such as are sober, and modest, know much better than others and yet they are loath to speak, fearful of being mistaken. But others there are, that are blind and unawakened ever fince they came into the world, and yet they are confident, arrogant, prefumptuous and self-sufficient. The modeft man will not venture beyond his own ftrength; he is very receptive of all direction; glad of information, but the presumptuous man, though blind, he is bold and confident; because he is most ignorant. So that you see this argument of private judgment is modest and humble; and grows only in God's garden. And this is the privilege of human nature; yea incumbent upon us all; and we ought fo to employ our

selves, that we may arrive to a perfection of judgs ment; and confequently upon judgment, to a right frame and temper of mind.

Now all this I have difcourfed upon this argument of judgment of truth, and confcience of right, which are things that have great place in religion; and wherein if we will have any foundation for our profeffion, and denominate ourselves chriftians, from true and folid grounds; we must charge ourselves with these things; and put ourselves into a capacity of difcerning the difference of things, and form ourfelves according to that judgment.

DISCOURSE

X.

The MALIGNITY of POPERY.

JAMES iii. 18.

The fruit of righteousness is fown in peace of them that make peace.

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Have proposed to make use of these words as a character, a criterion, a note or mark of diffe

rence and distinction: and that not only of perfons in their fingle capacities, but chiefly of churches. For we find the great enquiry of christendom is, Which is the true church? The Romish they pretend that they are it and they will tell us, that there is no other; and that there is no falvation out of their church. A very great affuming, and taking upon

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themselves. I would not run into other arguments, but let us judge by this temper recommended in the text, which is likely to be the true church. If they do make ufe of the name and credit of religion for inhuman and cruel practices, then this character doth not belong to them. Let us try by that: and,

In the first place they own it, that they may propagate religion with fire and fword and by woful experience it hath been found, that that which hath been done under that title of extirpating heretical pravity, of which they take to themselves the cognifance and judgment, hath proved the most fiery and incendiary principle that ever was in the world. Farther, they do not account themselves bound to keep faith and truth with hereticks. They say, that by herefies, men lofe all their right to truth; whereas we know that keeping our word is the foundation of all converfe : for what is one man to another, more than his word? If men be not true to their word and promife, by which men are fure of perfons and things, all converfe is to little purpose, if not for the worfe.

Farther, they fanctify, by their notion of religi on, treachery, falfhood and perfidiousness, murder, maffacre, bloody and cruel practices; and all this, to extirpate herefy, (as they call it) to plant religion, and bring men into their church. But how this agrees with the character given of religion in the text, and the intent and purpose of it, let any man judge. Verily, by what these men say and do, ore would think that hell itself were broken loofe, and come up into the world. So unlike it is to new VOL. I. Jerufalem

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Jerufalem that fhall come down from above. Yet this is that religion which they practise, and which they own in their principles. And because I am u pon a material point, I will give you a few inftances by which it will appear, that what I have faid is true. Henry the third king of France was bafely murdered by Clement. Henry the fourth by Ravillac. And fee how thefe practifes took among them. Pope Pius the fifth that was then alive, applauded ́the fact of Clement, and reckons it as glorious a work as God's fending the Meffiah into the world, or raifing him from the dead: that a religious perfon should do fuch an act, for the intereft, service, and advantage of the church: because it was done in the defence of the holy league, which was indeed nothing but rebellion and irreligion.

John Hufs, and Ferom of Prague were burnt for hereticks, notwithstanding the fafe conduct that was promised them. But they did all agree, that the emperor could not give fafe conduct to fuch hereticks, and that no faith ought to be kept with them. In this cafe, we may ufe the words of good old Jacob, Gen. xlix. 6. Simeon and Levi are brethren, inftruments of cruelty are in their habitation. O my foul, come not thou into their fecret, unto their assembly, mine honour be not thou united. Curfed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel, &c. In matters of good and evil, men ought to be governed by the reason of things, or by plain and express texts of scripture. But these men do teach us, as Gideon was faid to teach the men of Succoth, Judg. viii. 16. With thorns and briars of the wilderness, with these

thefe he taught the men of Succoth. Or as Joab did, 2 Sam. xii. 31. He brought forth the people that were taken, and put them under faws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick-kiln, &c. These are the men that fulfil what is written by the author to the Hebrews, chap. xi. of men of their spirit and temper, that ufed thofe men, of whom the world was not worthy, after this manner : fome were stoned, others were fawn afunder, were tempted, were flain with the fword, and made to wander about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, being deftitute, afflicted, tormented. These men of whom the world was not worthy, had trial of cruel mocking and scourgings yea of bonds and imprisonments. All these things are verified of thofe, that have been perfecuted by the roman church: the Albigenfes and the Waldenfes; of whom multitudes were murdered for their confciences toward God.

I might alfo instance in their manner of converting the Indians and natives: and tell you fuch lamentable stories, that would even pierce the heart of any man to hear them. But to come near home, their maffacre of Paris, accompanied with fuch cruelty and barbarity, as words can hardly express. Never was it known in the world, that men fhould all on a fudden, rise up against their neighbours among whom they lived in peace; and without any provocation, or wrong done to them, to rife up and destroy so many thousands, upon the score of religion and conscience, as they did here, and in Ireland. The relation of both which is extant.

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