precepts of men." Yet, nevertheless, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear, it is surely the part of every one who loves them, to shew forth fully and fearlessly the evil which threatens them. Therefore, let us now resume the thread of our discourse, and, according to the good old method, conclude with an improvement of the whole matter. And, seeing that my discourse hath addressed itself in its highest bearing to the church of Christ, of which I am a minister; and in its next, to the state, under which I am the minister of an established church; and lastly, to the congregation and flock of which I am a pastor, I shall divide this improvement into three parts: the first addressing itself to the church, the second unto the state, and the third unto my own flock and congregation.

I. I am more willing to attribute the sins of the Protestant Church, which I have pointed out, to ignorance, rather than to wilful and obstinate transgression; and this, notwithstanding that in the preceding discourse I have pointed out and demonstrated the fact of her hypocritical and pharisaical state. I would therefore set myself to exhibit before the church some of those great heads of Divine knowledge, through ignorance or neglect of which Satan obtaineth such an easy prey, and taketh her with such flimsy pretences. For few people, comparatively speaking, are hypocrites by design, and such a character can hardly be

predicated of a whole community at once. The greater part of those symptoms of an apostasy which I have pointed out above are not known to the generality of those whom I have charged with them: it hath crept on unawares, and now influences the whole body; of which the greater part have known no better; and, until their knowledge be increased, there can be little hope of their ever discerning, much less acknowledging, the evil condition which belongeth to them. I would therefore point out one or two quarters, in which they would do well to inform themselves better. And, first, they should give themselves to search into the power of that godliness whereof they have the form. The power of godliness is to overcome the devil, the world, and the flesh: not to make these three enemies friendly, but to master and subdue them. The influence of the devil over human affairs is little discoursed of, and to combat with him is little undertaken; yet is he the prince of the darkness of this world, the spirit which now ruleth in the children of disobedience. With what levity do we mention his name, who once had us all, and still hath the myriads of our race, under his thraldom! It was not the way with the Apostles thus lightly to deal with, thus silently to pass over, his influence who said, "We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with the rulers of the darkness of this world, and with spiritual wickednesses:" and again; "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you:" and again;

Taking the shield of faith, that ye may be able to quench the fiery darts of the devil:"" and again; "For the devil as a roaring lion goeth about, seeking whom he may devour." Our Lord's chief combat was with the devil: "The devil cometh," saith he, "and findeth nothing in me....Now is the prince of this world cast out." His death, saith the Apostle, was to "destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." And another Apostle says," He came to destroy the works of the devil." In like manner, the chief combat of the first martyrs and confessors was with the devil: They overcame him with the word of their testimony." The great triumph of Christ, at his second coming, consisteth in ridding the earth of the devil. Moreover, we do find the devil arrayed against the church from the beginning, and using, first, the Imperial strength of Rome (Rev. xii.) against the woman; then the flood of Arian nations (verse 15); then the Papal im2 perial beast (Rev. xiii. 2); then the beast from the bottomless pit (Rev. xvii.) who brings up the array of nations to do battle against the Lamb. And we find, immediately before that battle all the three spirits go abroad together, and work amain to bring about that great confederacy: which threefold labour of temptation and seduction almost all interpreters of the Divine prophecy are agreed to place this generation under; and yet, behold, the church is in such a state of security and joy as the Millennium itself will hardly see surpassed!

No

temptations of Satan do they see, no mysteries of iniquity working. One would think that Satan had gone to sleep, or that he was already bound, so little discourse is there of his wiles, so little apprehension of his presence. Truly, it is taken in the light of a slander, and mocked at as a folly, if you ever hint to the religious that Satan is as busy leavening them as ever he was with the primitive church. But, in the name of common sense, not to say religion, what protection hath England or Scotland against the activity of that spirit which hath subverted all the Protestant churches on the Continent? Lutheran is no charm against Satan, nor is Calvinistic, nor is Arminian, as the churches of Saxony, Geneva, and Holland testify. And that Dissenter is not, the Huguenot churches do testify. But in the Religious World of Britain there is such obstinate ignorance, that they will not believe that they are in danger from Satan, though an angel from heaven should come and tell it them. And this I take to be the first great cause of their present hypocrisy they are in love with a lie. The lie is, that all is safe, that all is well; to this lie their writers and speakers minister unwittingly and a blind person may be easily led, for what can he say who seeth nothing?

The second form of their ignorance, is ignorance of the world; taking it for something which may be, by proper management, tamed into a conformity unto the mind and will of God. The poor novices do think that this present state of

the world will by natural causes grow into the Millennium, just as a wilderness by human culture grows into a fruitful field. I could almost break my heart, when I witness their devotedness to this fearful error, and consider whither it is to lead them. Ignorant men! the world is already judged, is already condemned; and one part of our vocation, as ministers of the Gospel, is to " reprove the world of judgment, because the prince of this world. is judged." Did not Satan himself say, when he shewed the Lord the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, "All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them, for that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give it?" Do we not find the Apostle saying, "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed, by the renewing of your minds?" Doth not our Lord set his people in direct contradiction with the world, saying, . If If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you?" And is not Satan called the prince of this world? and is not the course of this world said to be according to the prince of the power of the air? and is not Satan, the Dragon, the Serpent, declared to be the animating principle in those several confederacies of the world against Christ? How then, I ask, dare they call themselves the Religious world?" It is a scandal to the English tongue, our honest

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