and holiness of their lives, and tenderness of their confciences, be the true ground and reafon of our hatred of them; fuch an hatred, when it becomes general, is a direful prefage of fome common calamity and mifery haftening upon fuch a people: Hof. ix. 7. "The days of vifitation are come; the days of recompence are come; Ifrael fhall know it. The prophet is a fool; the fpiritual man is mad; for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred."

And our own reafon will give us this conclufion, as well as fcripture for whatfoever brings fin to its full maturity, muft needs haften judgments. And what can heighten and accent the fins of a people, more than such a cruel hatred of good men, upon the score and account before given? All hatred of godlinefs hath a tang of devilishnefs. It is a defperate flying in the very face of God, whofe image holinefs is. Sin can fcarce be graduated a peg higher.

Reafon tells the husbandman, it is time to mow and reap his corn, when it is full ripe. And it may convince you, that God's time of reaping down a finful people is near, when their fins are grown to fuch full maturity as this: " Put ye in the fickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, get ye down, for the prefs is full, the fats overflow, for their wickedness is great," Joel iii. 13.

5. The true caufe and rife of this great and fixed hatred amongft profeffed Chriftians, (whatever may be pretended to falve reputation) is the contrariety and repugnancy of the natures and principles by which the godly and ungodly are governed. There is an enmity betwixt the two feeds, Gen, iii. 25. And this enmity runs down in a blood, more or lefs, in all ages, and places; Gal. iv. 29. "As then, he that was born after the flesh, perfecuted him that was born after the Spirit; even fo it is now. So it was, and fo it is, and fo it will be, till converfion changeth the heart and principle. This enmity cannot die, whilft Satan lives, and rules in the hearts of children of difobedience."

And the enmity is mutual: "An unjust man is an abomination to the just; and he that is upright in the way, is an abomination to the wicked," Prov. xxix. 27. Only with this difference; the good man hates, non virum, fed vitium; not the perfon, but his fin. The wicked man hates both the perfon of the godly, and his godlinefs too; yea, the perfon for his godliness fake.

This hatred of the godly, fecretly and habitually lurks in the nature of a wicked man; as rapacioufnefs doth in a young wolf, that never faw a lamb. It extends itself univerfally to the whole kind, and reaches thofe, whofe lives are moft obligingly fweet; yea, those that are bound to them in the ftrictest bonds of nature: as we may fee, in that moft unnatural inftance of Cain's murdering his own brother Abel. It discovers itself, in feeking the deftruction of them they hate upon a religious account, and in rejoicing at any evil that befals them. No>thing is more grateful to them, than any occafion to disgrace, and expofe them with contempt to the world.

§ 6. But though the ftrictnefs and holiness of good men, caufing the confciences of wicked men privately to condemn, and inwardly to gaul and grate them for their loofenefs and profanenefs, be the true and real ground and caufe of the grudge and hatred; yet they think it fit, for reputation-fake, that this be wholly fuppreffed and filenced, and fomething else pretended for the caufe and reafon of it, elfe it would look too like the devil himself. And therefore, amongst other plaufible pretenfions, for their malignity to thofe that are better than themselves, these three are principally infifted on, and pleaded.

I. That it is not their piety, but their hypocrify, which they hate: not because they have indeed more piety than others, but becaufe they make more vain fhew and oftentation of it than themselves do; who, letting afide their ridiculous grimaces, and affected fantaftic words and actions, are every whit as good as themselves.

2. Becaufe, under a pretence of greater ftrictnefs in religion, they do but hatch and carry on fedition and rebellion; and that the world will never be quiet, whilft fuch vipers are fuffered in the bowels of it.

3. That both the former have been made fufficiently evident and apparent, in feveral former and more recent inftances, of the hypocrify and feditious defigns of as high pretenders to religion and refor mation, as those are, whom they truly hate, and would not fuffer them to live, if their power were anfwerable to their hatred.

As to this first plea, viz. their hypocrify; it will quickly be found to be too thin and weak to endure the tett of your own reafon and confciences. For how will you anfwer them, when they fhall thus argue and expoftulate the matter with you?

You that thus cenfure, and thofe that are cenfured for hypocrify by you, do both profefs one and the fame religion. Your profane lives are notoriously contrary to all the principles of this religion. You fwear, drink, whore, revile, and perfecute the others, only because you fancy their tones, geftures, &c. to be fome way or other indecent. You cannot deny, but they live foberly and godly: they attend upon all the duties of religion ftrictly and confcientioufly. Your malice against them can find nothing to carp at, but fome little trifles, with which the effence of religion is not concerned. Did they run into the fame excess of riot with you, greater matters than thefe would be overlooked, yea, and applauded too.'

Now let reafon and confcience fay, Who is most likely to be the hypocrite; the man that calls himself a Chriftian, and under that profellion wallows in all profanenefs, not once cenfuring himfelf for it; or he that lives foberly and godly, againft whom malice itfelf can produce nothing but fuch inconfiderable trifles as thefe? Is not this the very cafe, which Chrift hath determined to our hands, and made fuch cenfurers, the hypocrites? Matth. vii. 3. "And why beholdeft thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but confidereft not the beam that is in thine own eye?" It was but one blemish, and that a very

fmall one too, but a mote; however this you can quickly fpy, and as rafhly cenfure. But mean while there is a beam, an horrid flagitious wickedness in yourfelves; but it is too near your own eyes, to be difcerned by you. Which of thefe two (think you) is the hypocrite?

2. But what if this mote that you difcern, be but a fancy, a mere imagination of your own; how will that aggravate your fin, and evince both your malice and hypocrify together? You fay, their tones and geftures in religious duties, are ridiculous, and fcenical. This you take up lightly against fome few of them, and as unjustly apply unto the afperfing of the whole party; which your own reafon muft, and will immediately condemn. For there are multitudes of that party, whofe countenances, tones and gestures, are as decorous, grave, and becoming the presence of that God with whom they have to do, as any men in the world.

4. And as for those few whom you thus blemish for their indecent tones and geftures; what if thofe tones you speak of, amount to no more but natural defects, and unavoidable infirmities, which they would, but cannot help? Do they for this, and no worfe than this, deferve to be cenfured, and condemned for hypocrites? Or, what if they be infenfible actions, occafioned by the greater intention of their fpirits in the fervice of God? May not thefe very things, which you profanely flout, cenfure, and fcoff at, either not at all be noted as blemishes to their devotion by the eye of God, or noted with appro bation and delight, as the effects of fpiritual fervency in his fervice? Certainly, gentlemen, you are no good markfmen, that neither draw the right arrow, nor leve. at the true mark.

4. And were not this a vain and empty pretence, to cover your own malice against goalinefs; how comes it to pafs, that more scenical habits, words, and geftures, thould pafs as ornaments in others, whom you affect? Whether this be not partiality unworthy of a man, let reafon and confcience freely judge.

In a word; What commiffion or authority can you produce, thus to afcend the throne of God, and draw your bittereft cenfures through the very hearts of God's people, for fuch pitiful trifles as thefe; firft condemning them as hypocrites, which is a mot unwarrantable prefumption; and then perfecute them as far as you can, for their prefumed hypocrify? Have a care what you do; be not mockers, left your bands be made strong. This is a fin which haftens national defolation; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16, 17. "They mocked the meffengers of God, and defpifed his word, and mifufed his prophets; until the wrath of the Lord arofe againft his people, till there was no remedy, Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who flew their young men with the fword," &c.

Plea 2. You fay, It is not godlinefs you hate, and would perfecute; but they are a fort of perfons, who under a pretence of zeal for religion and reformation, defign nothing elfe but fedition and rebellion, 'that the nation will never be quiet, whilft fuch vipers are fuffered to

live in it: And to fortify this plea, you add that both their hypocrify and fedition have been made fufficiently evident to the world in many inftances.

Zeal for the laws, and fecurity of the government, if rightly tempered and qualified, is highly commendable; and wherever fincerity animates, and prudence governs it, it ought by no means to be difcouraged. But there are too many grounds and caufes of fufpicion, that both these will be found wholly wanting, or extremely defective, in many high pretenders to it, when it comes to be fifted to its bottom principles, and weighed in the juft balance of found reason.

For if you be inflamed with a pure zeal for the laws and govern-' ment you live under; then you will find yourselves obliged, for your own vindication, to fatisfy the just expectation of your own, and other men's reafons and confciences, in the following particulars:

Expectation 1. First, Reafon and confcience, in yourselves and others, will expect it from you, that you, of all men living, fhould be moft precisely and punctually obedient to all thofe juft and good laws you live under; fince your zeal burns so hot against those that comply not punctually with them. For thofe that make fo much confcience, as you feem to do, of other men's offences against the laws, must be prefumed (if your profeffion be fincere) to make at least as much confcience of breaking any of them in your own perfons; elfe neither reafon nor confcience will ever admit this plea of yours for found and goo 1.

Now the laws fometimes appoint punishments for nonconformity to the rites and ceremonies, affixed to the public national worship; and fo they do always for convicted fwearing, drunkenness, and adultery. All these laws have the very fame fanction, by the authority we live under. They forbid, and punish, the one as well as the other. And if there be any difference, it lies in this, that these latter are exprefly forbidden and threatned by God, antecedently to the magiftrate's prohibition of them, which hath no fmall weight in the matter under confideration.

Now, if any man shall pretend zeal and confcience, against diffent in judgment or practice, from the church, but makes no confcience at all to curfe and fwear, be drunk or unclean; he will find it a difficult tafk to perfuade his, or other men's reafons or confcience, that this his zeal for the laws and government is fincere and pure. For were it fo, it could never allow him to live in the notorious violation of the laws himself, which he is fo fierce and bitter against others for.

Expectation 2. Secondly, If your zeal be fincere, it will contain itself within the bounds and limits of the offence, and not lay hold upon the innocent, as well as upon the guilty; and make you hate and perfe cute them that were never turbulent and feditious, equally with the greatest criminals. If you will hug this principle as things ftand now, reafon will tell you, it is as juft at all other times, as it is at this.

Would you not think it an unreasonable and most injurious thing,

to be plucked out of your hops, or houfes, and hurried away to the gaol, because two or three diffolute fellows in the city or town where you live, have been riotous or feditious, though you poffibly know not the men, nor can be fo much as justly fufpected of any confederacy with them? True zeal for the laws and government, is content to -wait, and fufpend its revenge, till a fair conviction have, paffed upon the guilty. And when it falls upon them, it is careful that it touch none befides them: but fuffers a man to retain, in the very height of it, due love and honour for all that are innocent.

If Chriftians be firft denominated by general titles and terms of diftinction, which they cannot help, and then the crimes of any particular perfon, that the world pleases to denominate as one of the fame party, must be charged and imputed to the whole; what muft the confquence of this be, but that the whole community become obnoxious to punishment, and the very government itself thereupon be dif folved?

For I take it to be paft denial or doubt, that fome of each denomination have been, are, or may be guilty of feditious practices. Some hypocrites will lurk among thofe vaft bodies of people, under the mest rich and watchful government; but God forbid their guilt should affect the whole body, under whofe names they fhelter themfelves. God, reafon, and confcience, do all command the hottest zeal, to make its pause and juft diftinction here. Let the guilty be brought to condign punishment, upon fair trial and conviction. This difcourfe defigns no favour for fuch. But let not thofe who abhor their wickednefs, and are as pure from their crimes as yourselves, fuffer with them; or for them: For then your reafon will tell you, yourselves are as liable to fufferings as they; and that your zeal is not kindled by love to juftice, but the hatred of a party.

It is not in the body politic, as in the body natural: If the hand fteal, the feet are justly laid in irons, and the neck put into an halter; becaufe all the members of the body natural are animated, and govern ed but by one foul. But in the body politic, every individual hath a distinct foul of his own; and therefore that member only that offends cught to be punished, and all the reft to enjoy their full liberty and honour as before. Away therefore for ever with this church and flate defroying fynechdoche.

Expectation 3. Thirdly, If there be a change made upon the laws, and they fhall at any time tolerate and protect that party and practice which once they made erininal; then your reafon; and every man's elfe, will expect from you (if your zeal for the laws and government be fincere and unfeigned) that your countenance and carriage to that people be changed and altered, according to the different afpect of the laws and government upon them: That your envy and hatred ceafe with the offence; and that you be as ready to affift and encourage them, when they act according to law, as you formerly were to inflict and profecute them for acting contrary to law: Elfe, pretend