already know much more evil of himfelf than any body elfe can tell him; and when any one speaketh ill of him, he rather thanketh God, that he can fay no worse. For could his enemy but look into the dark and hidden receffes of the heart, he confidereth what a number of impure thoughts he might there fee brooding and hovering like a dark cloud upon the face of the foul; that there he might take a profpect of the fancy, and view it acting over the feveral fcenes of pride, of ambition, of envy, of luft, and revenge; that there he might tell how often a vitious inclination hath been reftrained, for no other reason, but just to fave the man's credit or interest in the world; and how many unbecoming ingredients have entered into the compofition of his best actions. And now, what man in the whole world would be able to bear fo fevere a teft, to have every thought and inward motion of the heart laid open and expofed to the view of his enemies? But, 4. and lastly, Another advantage of this kind is, that it maketh men lefs fevere upon other people's faults, and lefs bufy and induftrious in fpreading them. For a man employed at home, infpecting into his own failings, hath not leifure enough to take notice of every little fpot and blemish that lieth fcattered upon others: or, if he cannot escape the fight of them, he always paffes the most easy and favourable conftruction upon them. Thus, for inftance, does the ill he knoweth of a man proceed from an unhappy temper and conftitution of body? He then confidereth with himself, how hard a thing it is, not to be borne down with the current of the blood and spirits; and accordingly layeth fome part of the blame upon the weaknefs of human nature; for he hath felt the force and rapidity of it within his own breast; though, perhaps, in another inftance, he remembereth how it rageth and fwelleth by oppofition; and though though it may be reftrained, or diverted for a while, yet it can hardly ever be totally fubdued. Or, hath the man finned out of custom? he then, from his own experience, traceth a habit into the very firft rife and imperfect beginnings of it; and can tell, by how flow and infenfible advances it creepeth upon the heart; how it worketh itself by degrees into the very frame and texture of it, and fo paffeth into a fecond nature; and confequently he hath a juft fenfe of the great difficulty for him to learn to do good, who hath been long accustomed to do evil. Or, laftly, hath a falfe opinion betrayed him. into a fin? he then calleth to mind what wrong apprehenfions he hath had of fome things himself; how many opinions that he once made no doubt of, he hath, upon a ftricter examination, found to be doubtful and uncertain; how many more to be unreasonable and abfurd. He knoweth further, that there are a great many more opinions that he hath never yet examined into at all, and which, however, he still believeth, for no other reason, but because he hath believed them fo long already without a reafon. Thus, upon every occafion, a man intimately acquainted with himfelf, confulteth his own heart, and maketh every man's cafe to be his own, (and fo puts the moft favourable interpretation upon it) Let every man therefore look into his own heart, before he beginneth to abuse the reputation of another, and then he will hardly be fo abfurd, as to throw a dart that will fo certainly rebound, and wound himfelf. And thus, through the whole courfe of his converfation, let him keep an eye upon that one great and comprehenfive rule of Chriftian duty, on which hangeth not only the law and the prophets, but the very life and fpirit of the gospel too: Whatfoever ye would that men fhould do unto you, do ye even fo VOL. II. F unto unto them. Which rule that we may all duly obferve, by throwing afide all fcandal and detraction, all spite and rancour, all rudenefs and contempt, all rage and violence, and whatever tendeth to make. converfation and commerce either uneafy or troublesome, may the God of peace grant, for Je-. fus Chrift's fake, &c. Confider what has been faid, and the Lord give. you a right understanding in all things. To whom, with the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, be all honour, and glory, now and for ever. A [63] A PROPOSAL humbly offered to the PARLIAMENT, for the more effectual preventing the further growth of POPERY. With the defcription and ufe of the ECCLESIASTICAL THERMOMETER. Very proper for all families. Infani fanus nomen ferat, aquus iniqui, HOR. HAving, with great forrow of heart, obferv ed the increase of Popery among us of late years, and how ineffectual the penal laws and ftatutes of this realm have been, for near forty years laft paft, towards reclaiming that blind and deluded people from their errors, notwithstanding the good intentions of the legislators, and the pious and unwearied labours of the many learned divines of the established church, who have preached to them without ceafing, although hitherto without fuccefs: Having also remarked, in his Grace's fpeech to both houses of parliament, moft kind offers of his Grace's good offices, towards obtaining fuch further laws as fhall be thought neceffary towards bringing home the faid wandering theep into the fold of the church; as alfo a good difpofition in the parliament to join in the laudable work, towards which every good Proteftant ought to contribute F 2 at at least his advice: I think it a proper time to lay before the public a scheme which was writ fome years fince, and laid by to be ready on a fit occacafion, That whereas the feveral penal laws and ftatutes now in being against Papifts, have been found ineffectual, and rather tend to confirm than reclaim men from their errors, as, calling a man coward, is a ready way to make him fight; it is humbly propofed, I. That the faid penal laws and statutes against Papifts, except the law of Gavelkind, and that which difqualifies them for places, be repealed, abrogated, annulled, deftroyed, and obliterated, to all intents and purposes. II. That, in room of the faid penal laws and ftatutes, all ecclefiaftical jurifdiction be taken from out of the hands of the clergy of the established church, and the fame be vefted in the feveral Popifh archbishops, bishops, deans, and archdeacons; nevertheless fo as fuch jurifdiction be exercised over perfons of the Popish religion only. III. That a Popish prieft fhall be fettled by law in each and every parifh in Ireland. IV. That the faid Popish priest fhall, on taking the oath of allegiance to his Majefty, be intitled to a tenth part or tithe of all things tithable in Ireland, belonging to the Papifts within their refpective parishes; yet fo as fuch grant of tithes to fuch Popish priests, fhall not be conftrued, in law or equity, to hinder the Proteftant clergyman of fuch parish from receiving and collecting his tithes, in like manner as he does at prefent. V. That, in cafe of detention or fubtraction of tithes by any Papift, the parish-priest do have his remedy at law, in any of his Majefty's courts, in the fame manner as now practised by the clergy of the eftablished church; together with all other ecclefiaftical dues. And, for their further discovery, to vex |