I ask leave therefore, in this common Cause of Religion, humbly to apply my felf. Your Religion is avowedly attacqued by the desperate Rebels of Christianity, and Enemies to Virtue; your God is publickly difhonoured, yea, fometimes, 'tis ftill to be feared, Blafphemed, for the Entertainment of Perfons of all Degrees, all Ages, and both Sexes; His Laws are trampled on; his Servants defpis'd; the Notions of Good and Evil are endeavoured to be confounded, and your Country is in imminent danger of being loft, if in the present Contest between Religion and Debauchery, Religion does not prevail. You are all confeffedly, by your Baptifmal Engagement, lifted Soldiers for God's Service, against the Devil's Kingdom. And as God hath an undoubted Title to your Service, the King by publickly declaring for a vigorous Execution of the Laws against publick Wickedness, and the Cause of Religion, hath given you an happy Opportunity of dif charging your Fidelity and Zeal for your Great Lord and Master; and your Fellow-Chriftians, who are already fuccessfully engaged in a publick Oppofition to Vice and Prophaneness, to thefe Rebels to Religion, and Enemies to your Country, feem to call on you to enter into their pious Confederacy, as Mofes heretofore did on the Ifraelites, when he ftood in the Gate of 20. the Camp; Who is on the Lord's fide, let Pl. 94. 16. him come unto me? Or. as Holy David of old, Who will rife up for me against the Evil

Exod. 32.

doers ?

doers? Who will stand up for me against the Workers of Iniquity? Now then is the Time, to make one general and brave Effort for the Interest of Religion, and for the Welfare of the English Nation. And will you any longer defer your Declaring and Engaging in this Glorious Work, now it seems fo apparent that this Cloud that appeared fo little to you at first is like to overspread our whole Horizon; that one of the most plaufible and uncomfortable Objections which was made to this Undertaking, of its being im practicable, which we have too much reason to fufpect to be upon other like Occasions a frequent Excufe for Fear, Laziness, or want of good Principles, is taken off, by the great Success that hath attended it; that the Heat' of the Day, the fierceft Oppofition to these Attempts, feems much over; and that have fo very great reafon to conclude that the Virtuous part of the Nation, of all Parties, will fall in and give their Affiftance in it, when more particular Methods fhall be laid before them; that if we point our united Batteries against the strong holds of Debauchery and Prophaneness; if we profecute this Religious War with Conduct and Refolution, which is fo fuccessfully begun with fo unequal a humarie force, we have Victory in view, we may, with God's Bleffing, fee a Reformation throughly effe cted, and put upon fuch a firm Foundation, as that it may not be eafily in the Power of a vicious

L 3

you

vicious Court, or of a degenerate Nobility or Gentry, in a fucceeding Reign to overturn it, again to debauch the Nation, and bring it in fuch danger of Ruine. But is it not enough that you that have had an early Knowledge of thefe Transactions, have not fooner engaged in a Cause which you could not well be fuppofed, without great Inconfideration or Prejudice, bu fecretly to approve of under all its Disadvantages, when it was in it felf the fame as it is now with its Succefs, and meerly perhaps because you thought the Service might be too hot for you, and therefore you left it to others to engage in an Oppofition to Vice whilst it was Triumphant, to fall upon it in its Intrenchments, to bear the brunt of the Battle, and reserved your felves for less doubtfull and dangerous Service, till the main Body of the Nation fhould come up, and Victory hould be turning on the fide of Virtue? Cowardice in this Cafe, as in War, may be almost as mifchievous and as criminal as Treachery. Where is then your Zeal for God, or Charity for Man, if you appear ftill fo unconcerned whether Religion or Prophaneness prevails, if after Ten Years are past of a Reign in which we had reafon to promife our felves a Reformation would be carried on, and be the Glory of it, you ftill frame further Excules to poftpone it, and fuch weak ones as will very hardly pafs with a mortal Man, who understands what indifpenfible Obligations Religion lays

upon

upon us, heartily to fet about it; but furely not with the living God, that fees not as Man fees, but fearches the Heart? Do you think this Nation hath not bled and fuffered enough for our inexcufable Delays, our deferring this neceflary Work? How can you reconcile your Neutrality to the Promises which many of you may be supposed to have made in the late days of your Humiliation, or the Prayers that most of you put up to God for a National Reformation? How is it confiftent with the Pretenfions you make of your being of the pureft Religion, or of the best conftituted Church? What do you think of that Declaration of your B'effed Saviour, He that is Matt. 12. not with me is against me? Can you perswade your felves that your continuing your Neutrality till the Victory is either fo gained on the fide of Religion, that there will be little need of your Affiftance; or that the Interests Athleof Religion are depretfed, and your Country tam ftadiruined, (which there is fuch Danger of) be- clerum, yond the Example of former Ages, deferves tempeltas, either the Name of Bravery, or the Wisdom ducem, that is from Above? * Difficulties and Sufferings magnaniare furely the proper Exercises of Chriftians,are mum calamitas, as it were the Teft and Touch-ftone of Noble Chriftia- ! Minds; and therefore the Perfons who in all num vero Ages have been esteemed the Wifest and Braprobat & veft, and to have deserved beft of Mankind, examinat,

*

30.

um, Nau

pugna,

tentatio

Bafil.

Nihil, mihi videtur, infelicius eo cui nihil unquam evenit adverfi, non licuit illi fe experiri. Tranfifti fine Adverfario vitam, nemo fciet quid potueris; ne tu quidem ipfe.

L 4

have

non inve

nit.

Magnum have been thofe, who for the Vindication of exemplum nifi mala Truth, the Caufe of Religion, and the Service fortuna of their Country, have cheerfully undergone Ignominy,Banifhment, and Death, through the Nondum Malignity of the Times, popular Fury, or the felix es fi Tyranny of Governments; * infomuch, that the most celebrated Heathen Moralifts and Phiba deri- lofophers declared, That a Man could hardly be Mutium Suppofed to be Virtuous without Suffering for being ignis, Fa- fo. And one of them could, we are told,bravely britium thus exprefs himself to this purpose: If a Man Regulum can fee a Sword at his Eyes without winking; tormenta, if he can make it an indifferent Matter to him

te non

dum tur

'det.

paupertas,

venenum

Cicuta

fecit, Sen.

hilaritate,

Socratem whether his Life goes out of his Throat, or at fuperare his Mouth; if he can hear himself fentenced non potuit. to Banishment, or Torments, and can say, All magnum this I am provided for; this is, fays he, the Socratem Temper of Mind that makes him great. AcEp. 13. cordingly Socrates obtained fo great Fame for Non enim his Suffering Death with Conftancy for his Renec lafci ligion. Ariftides his Juftice, and Rutilius his Integrity and Courage, were more signalized rifu, aut by their Banifhment. But not to fend Chrimite levi- flians to learn Conftancy in Suffering for a ratis, fed good Caufe to Heathens, among whom it was, triftes, fic in the first Ages of Chriftianity, a common mitate & Saying, That the Chriftians only were Defpifers of Death. So that Origen could it feems boldly Cicero de tell them, We can as cheerfully lay down our fin.

via, nec

joco co

fæpe etiam

conftantiâ

funt beati,

Ἐροῦσι ἢ τάδε, ὅτι ὅτω διακείμλυΘ ὁ δίκαιΘ μαςιγώσεται, ερεβλώπε ται, δεδίσεται, ἐκκαυθήσεται, τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τελευτῶν, πάντα κακά παθών, avadine Jolas, Plat. de Rip: Lib. 2. p. 361.

+ Soli Chriftiani mortis contemptores.

Lives