doth recommend to us, rather than run the least hazard (tho it were of a hundred to one) of being for ever miferable. And thus much concerning being enticed to wicked Practices.

And now I might discourse at large of another fort of enticing, which is to erroneous and pernicious Doctrines, and of fuch as go about to inveigle and corrupt our Judgments, and debauch our Understandings, by feducing us to the Belief of Opinions no lefs wicked than falfe. But I fhall at prefent only crave leave briefly to fhew,

1. What Danger Men are in of being feduced by fuch Temptations.

2. What is our best Armour and Security against them.

1. What Danger we are in of being enticed from that Profeffion and Belief which is publickly taught and own'd amongst us : which Danger arifes partly from the Earneftnefs, Importunity, or the Arts that fubtle Men use to bring us off; but moft especially from the Doctrines themselves, which they would learn us, and inftil into us, which are fuch as are most pleasing and grateful to one who delights in his Sins; fuch as cannot but be most acceptable to him, as giving him hopes of Heaven, tho he deny himself very little for it; fuch as lay the Grounds and Foundations of finning chearfully without any fear or remorfe; and therefore as long as the greatest

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part

part of the World love Vice and Eafe, will fucceed and be greedily entertain'd.

It is no hard matter to perfuade Men to believe, what they before-hand with were true; and there needs no great ftore of Proof or Arguments to recommend those Opinions to the fenfual and profane, which give them leave to fulfil their Lufts without any regret of Confcience or dread of Punishment. Is it not a comfortable Doctrine, and will it not be readily embraced by every refolved Sinner, that after a long wicked Life, at the last gafp a bare Sorrow for Sin out of fear of Hell, with the Priest's Abfolution, fhall at last free him from eternal Pains, and take away the Guilt of his Sins; fo that he need not be afraid of any thing befides a fudden Death, which happens but feldom? When he is at

any time difturbed with the fenfe of his dangerous Condition, when the forced remembrance of his Sins doth gall and fret his Mind, and fill him with Fears and melancholy Thoughts; what a Relief muft it needs be to him to be affured that it is but going to a Pricft, and confeffing his Sins, and undergo ing fome fmall Penance, and he is fafe? For then he may go on in his full Career with the greatest Security imaginable; then he may fin with Judgment, and commit all manner of Wickedness with Greediness.

He who hath no mind to part with his Lufts, is eafily perfuaded that they are invin

cible; nor is it very difficult to make him, who is loth to take any pains, or be at any trouble for keeping of Chrift's Commands, to believe that they are impoffible to be kept, and that our Saviour fulfilled even his own Law in our ftead, and that we have nothing to do but to believe that he hath done all, and be thankful.

In a word, where the Obfcurity of Scripture, or the Difficulty of the Matter, or the Weakness of our Understandings, have caus'd one to mistake; Multitudes have been drawn afide to the most pernicious Errors by their Lufts and fecular Interefts and carnal Defigns, and love to Gain, Sloth, or Senfuality and by this chiefly are the feveral Diffenting Parties among us maintain'd, and do encrease their Numbers, to wit, by levelling the Doctrine of Chriftianity to Mens corrupt Inclinations and Paffions; whilst we of the Church of England dare not be fo falfe, either to our own Truft or the Souls of Men, as to give them Hopes of everlafting Blifs on any other Condition, but that of living godlily, righteoufly, and foberly in this prefent World. From all which follows,

2. That our Security against fuch Temptations doth not confift in much Reading and great Learning, in our Skill in Controverfies, or Cunning in managing a Difpute, or Ability of difcerning between good Argument and Sophiftry, fo much as in an honest Mind

and

and humble Heart, an unfeigned Defire of knowing, and fincere Endeavour of doing the Will of God. Him who is thus minded, God by his infinite Goodness is engag'd not to fuffer to fall into any Error of mifchievous effect: and as for other Miftakes wherein a good Life is not concern'd, God is ready to overlook and pardon what is the Refult only of the Imperfection of our prefent State; befides which, Honefty of Mind, or Love to Vertue, is in its own nature our best Preservative against being infected with any bad Opinions.

I am far from taking upon me to judg or condemn those that were born and bred up, and have lived well under any Forms of Religion different from what is establish'd amongst us, (for it is very poffible for Men to hold Opinions very wicked, and yet not perceiving nor acknowledging the just Confequences of them, to live very good Lives) yet this is true, that one that defigns nothing fo much as pleafing God and faving his Soul, and is willing to take any pains for it, and hath no By-ends to ferve, will not defire to be excufed from the Mortification of his Lufts, fubduing his Appetites, crucifying his Flesh, and from the Severities of a holy Life, by fubftituting in the room of them Pilgrimages, vain Oblations, bodily Aufterities, or fuch formal Devotions as very bad Men may perform, and be very bad ftill. Thofe Principles which most ad

:

vance the Honour of God, by laying the ftricteft Obligations on Men to all manner of Goodness, he will hearken to and readily believe but if they serve the end of Avarice or Ambition; if they are apt to make Men diffolute or licentious, lazy or prefumptuous; this alone to fuch a one will be reafon fufficient utterly to reject them, let them be propounded to him with ever fo much Advantage or Subtilty.

I fhall conclude all with this, that did I know any constituted Church in the World, that did teach a Religion more holy and useful, that delivered Doctrines in themselves more reasonable, or in their Confequences tending more directly to the Peace of Societies, and the Good of every particular Perfon; to the promoting of Piety and true Morality, and the discountenancing of Sin and Vice; that did give more forcible Arguments for the one, and against the other; that did lay greater Strefs upon a pure Mind and a blameless Life, and lefs upon voluntary Strictneffes and indifferent Rites and Ceremonies than we do; I would very foon be of that Church, and even entice all I could to it: but till fuch a one can be found, nay fo long as it is manifest that all the zealous Oppofers of the Church of England do hold Opinions either deftructive of, or in their plain Tendency weakening the Force of all the Precepts, Promifes, and Threatnings contained in the Gof

pel,