But the Papists hold, that a man may by his works merit or deserve eternal life; and that we are justified, not by faith in Christ alone, but by faith and works together.

This doctrine strikes at the root of Christian faith, the only foundation of true religion.

6. Secondly. The doctrine of praying to saints, and worshipping of images. To the Virgin Mary they pray in these words: "O Mother of God, O Queen of Heaven, command thy Son to have mercy upon us!" And, "The right use of images," says the Council of Trent, "is to honour them, by bowing down before them." (Sess. 25, pars 2.)

This doctrine strikes at the root of that great commandment, (which the Papists call part of the first,) "Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them," that is, not any image whatsoever. It is gross, open, palpable idolatry, such as can neither be denied nor excused; and tends directly to destroy the love of God, which is indeed the first and great commandment.

7. Thirdly. The doctrine of persecution. This has been for many ages a favourite doctrine of the Church of Rome. And the Papists in general still maintain, that all heretics (that is, all who differ from them) ought to be compelled to receive what they call the true faith; to be forced into the Church, or out of the world.

Now, this strikes at the root of, and utterly tears up, the second great commandment. It directly tends to bring in blind, bitter zeal; anger, hatred, malice, variance; every temper, word, and work that is just contrary to the loving our neighbour as ourselves.

So plain it is, that these grand Popish doctrines of merit, idolatry, and persecution, by destroying both faith, and the love of God and of our neighbour, tend to banish true Christianity out of the world.

8. Well might our forefathers protest against these: And hence it was that they were called Protestants; even because they publicly protested, as against all the errors of the Papists, so against these three in particular: The making void Christian faith, by holding that man may merit heaven by his own works; the overthrowing the love of God by idolatry, and the love of our neighbour by persecution.

Are you then a Protestant, truly so called? Do you protest, as against all the rest, so in particular against these three grand fundamental errors of Popery? Do you publicly protest against all merit in man? all salvation by your own works? against all idolatry of every sort? and against every kind and degree of persecution?

I question not but you do. You publicly protest against all these horrible errors of Popery. But does your heart agree with your lips? Do you not inwardly cherish what you outwardly renounce? It is well if you who cry out so much against Papists are not one yourself. It is well if you are not yourself (as little as you may think of it) a rank Papist in your heart.

9. For, First, how do you hope to be saved? by doing thus and thus? by doing no harm, and paying every man his own, and saying your prayers, and going to church and sacrament? Alas! alas! Now you have thrown off the mask: This is Popery barefaced. You may just as well speak plain, and say, "I trust to be saved by the merit of my own works." But where is Christ all this time? Why, he is not to come VOL. VI.

24

"for O my

in till you get to the end of your prayer; and then you will say, Jesus Christ's sake," because so it stands in your book. friend, your very foundation is Popish. You seek salvation by your own works. You trample upon the "blood of the covenant." And what can a poor Papist do more?

10. But let us go on: Are you clear of idolatry any more than the Papists are? It may be, indeed, yours is in a different way. But how little does that signify! They set up their idols in their churches; you set up yours in your heart. Their idols are only covered with gold or silver; but yours is solid gold. They worship the picture of the queen of heaven; you, the picture of the queen or king of England. In another way, they idolize a dead man or woman; whereas your idol is yet alive. O how little is the difference before God! How small preeminence has the money-worshiper at London, over the image-worshipper at Rome; or the idolizer of a living sinner, over him that prays to a dead saint!

11. Take one step farther: Does the Papist abroad persecute? Does he force another man's conscience? So does the Papist at home, as far as he can, for all he calls himself a Protestant. Will the man in Italy tolerate no opinion but his own? No more, if he could help it, would the man in Egland. Would you? Do not you think the government much overseen, in bearing with any but those of the Church? Do not you wish they would put down such and such people? You know what you would do if you was in their place. And by the very same spirit you would continue the Inquisition at Rome, and rekindle the fires in Smithfield.

12. It is because our nation is overrun with such Protestants, who are full of their own good deservings, as well as of abominable idolatry, and of blind, fiery zeal, of the whole spirit of persecution, that the sword of God, the great, the just, the jealous God, is even now drawn in our land; that the armies of the aliens are hovering over it, as a vulture over his prey; and that the open Papists are on the very point of swallowing up the pretended Protestants. (This was wrote during the late rebellion.)

13. Do you desire to escape the scourge of God? Then I entreat you, First, be a real Protestant. By the Spirit of God assisting you, (for without him you know you can do nothing,) cast away all that trust in your own righteousness, all hope of being saved by your own works. Own your merit is everlasting damnation; that you deserve the damnation of hell. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Lie in the dust. Let your mouth be stopped; and let all your confidence be in the "blood of sprinkling;" all your hope in Jesus Christ "the righteous;" all your faith in "Him that justifieth the ungodly, through the redemption that is in Jesus."

"Love not the world,

O put away your idols out of your heart. neither the things of the world.”- Having food to eat and raiment to put on, be content;" desire nothing more but God. To-day hear his voice, who continually cries, "My son, give me thy heart." Give yourself to him who gave himself for you. May you love God, as he has loved us! Let him be your desire, your delight, your joy, your portion, in time and in eternity.

And if you love God, you will love your brother also; you will be ready to lay down your life for his sake; so far from any desire to take away his life, or hurt a hair of his head. You will then leave his conscience uncontrolled; you will no more think of forcing him into your own opinions, as neither can he force you to judge by his conscience. But each shall "give an account of himself to God."

14. It is true, if his conscience be misinformed, you should endeavour to inform him better. But whatever you do, let it be done in charity, in love and meekness of wisdom. Be zealous for God; but remember, that "the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God;" that angry zeal, though opposing sin, is the servant of sin; that true zeal is only the flame of love. Let this be your truly Protestant zeal: While you abhor every kind and degree of persecution, let your heart burn with love to all mankind, to friends and enemies, neighbours and strangers; to Christians, Heathens, Jews, Turks, Papists, heretics; to every soul which God hath made. "Let" this "your light shine before men, that they may glorify your Father which is in heaven."

1 WHERE have I been so long, Fast bound in sin and night,

HYMN I.

Mix'd with the blind self-righteous throng
Who hate the sons of light?

2 O how shall I presume,

Jesus, to call on thee,

Sunk in the lowest dregs of Rome,
The worst idolatry!

3 A stranger to thy grace,
Long have I labour'd, Lord,
To 'stablish my own righteousness,
And been what I abhorr'd.
4 Foe to the Popish boast,
No merit was in me!
Yet in my works I put my trust,
And not alone in thee.

5 For works that I had wrought
I look'd to be forgiven,

And by my virtuous tempers thought
At last to purchase heaven.

6 Or if I needed still

The help of grace divine,

Thy merits should come in to fill
The small defects of mine.
7 Alas! I knew not then,
Thou only didst atone
For all the sinful sons of men,
And purge our guilt alone;

8 Didst shed thy blood to pay
The all-sufficient price,

And take the world's offence away
By thy great sacrifice.

9 But O, my dying God,
By thee convinced at last,
My soul on that atoning blood,
On that alone I cast!

10 I dare no longer trust

On aught I do or feel,

But own, while humbled in the dust,
My whole desert is hell.

11 My works of righteousness,
I cast them all away:

Me, Lord, thou frankly must release,
For I have nought to pay.

12 Not one good word or thought
I to thy merits join;

But gladly take the gift, unbought,
Of righteousness divine.

13 My faith is all in thee,

My only hope thou art;
The pardon thou hast bought for me,
Engrave it on my heart.

14 The blood by faith applied,
O let it now take place;
And speak me freely justified,
And fully saved by grace.

HYMN II.

1 FORGIVE me, O thou jealous God,
A wretch who on thy laws have trod,
And robb'd thee of thy right;
A sinner to myself unknown,
Gainst thee I have transgress'd, and done
This evil in thy sight.

2 My body I disdain'd to incline,
Or worship at an idol's shrine,
With gross idolatry:
But O! my soul hath baser proved,
Honour'd,and fear'd, and served, and loved
The creature more than thee.

3 Let the blind sons of Rome bow down The world, and all its goods, I leave,

HYMN III.

A WORD TO A FREEHOLDER.

WHAT are you going to do? to vote for a parliament man? I hope then you have taken no money. For doubtless you know the strictness of the oath,-that you have received no "gift or reward, directly or indirectly, nor any promise of any, on account of your vote" in the ensuing election. Surely you start at perjury! at calm, fore-thought

deliberate, wilful perjury! If you are guilty already, stop; go no farther. It is at the peril of your soul. Will you sell your country? Will you sell your own soul? Will God forbid! Rather cast down just now the thirty pieces of silver or gold, and say, "Sir, I will not sell heaven. Neither you nor all the world is able to pay the purchase."

you sell your God, your Saviour? Nay,

I hope you have received nothing else, neither will receive; no entertainment, no meat or drink. If this is given you on account of your vote, you are perjured still. How can you make oath, you have received no gift? This was a gift if you did not buy it. What! will you sell your soul to the devil for a draught of drink, or for a morsel of bread? O consider what you do! Act as if the whole election depended on your single vote, and as if the whole parliament depended (and therein the whole nation) on that single person whom you now choose to be a member of it.

But if you take nothing of any, for whom shall you vote? For the man that loves God. He must love his country, and that from a steady, invariable principle. And by his fruits you shall know him. He is careful to abstain from all appearance of evil. He is zealous of good works, as he has opportunity, doing good to all men. He uses all the ordinances of God, and that both constantly and carefully. And he does this, not barely as something he must do, or what he would willingly be excused from; no, he rejoices in this his reasonable service, as a blessed privilege of the children of God.

But what, if none of the candidates have these fruits? Then vote for him that loves the king, King George, whom the wise providence of God has appointed to reign over us. He ought to be highly esteemed in love, even for his office' sake. A king is a lovely, sacred name. He is a minister of God unto thee for good. How much more such a king, as has been, in many respects, a blessing to his subjects! You may easily know those who love him not; for they generally glory in their shame. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignities;" no, not even of the "ruler of their people."

Perhaps you will say, "But I love my country; therefore I am for the country interest." I fear you know not what you say. Are you against your king because you love your country? Who taught you to separate your king from your country? to set one against the other? Be assured, none that loves either. True lovers of their country do not talk in this senseless manner.

Is not the interest of the king of England, and of the country of England, one and the same? If the king is destroyed, doth it profit the country? if the country, does it profit the king? Their interest cannot be divided. The welfare of one is the welfare of both.

Have you an objection of a different kind? Do you say, "I am for the Church? The Church of England for ever! Therefore I vote for

; he is a true Churchman, a lover of the Church." Are you sure of that? Friend, think a little. What kind of a Churchman is he? a whoring Churchman, a gaming Churchman, a drunken Churchman, a lying Churchman, a cursing and swearing Churchman? or a red-hot persecuting Churchman, that would send all Dissenters to the devil at a clap? For shame! for shame! Do you call a man a Churchman,