hard and known, and our fathers have declared unto us. We will not hide from their children the praises of Jehovah, and his ftrength, and wonders which he hath done. Thus the fon of the moft high God fpeaks in confonance to ancient prophecies and events too: "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things kept fecret from the foundation of the world. Matt. xiii. 35. Rom. xvi. 25. The priests and pharifees (who were in general rich) despised the poor and lower or der of their brethren, fupercilioufly ftyling them, people of the earth. And what did this arrogance and pride produce, except darkness to their own hearts, and falling both into the ditch. In oppofition to this haughty temper, (lifted up by empty learning and much wealth always carrying dominion and power over weak and timid minds,) our Lord fpeaks." To the poor is the gospel preached; and blefed is he who is not offended at me, for preaching the mysteries of the kingdom to those, whom others defpife, as the priests, scribes, pharisees and lawyers did at that day; who at last crucified the mafter and Lord of all the temple, and have ever fince crucified the fpirit and force of his gospel. They indeed never had the boldness to deny the ufe of the facred writings, commanded to be read every feventh year before all Ifrael in the court of the women, as I have at large explained under the privileges and ftatutes of the fabbatical year published,

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by me: they only took away the key of knowledge, by corrupt gloffes and deceitful interpretations. It was referved for the impudence of priests under the gofpel to fhut up the book, not from one nation only, but from all nations profeffing a belief in facerdotal lies, not in Jefus Chrift, the one teacher and mafter over all. The wife and prudent, rejected by Chrift, and lording it over the multitude, are always flattering themselves; and as Urfinus fpeaks of the Jews, mutually giving proud titles, Rib, Rab, Rabbi, Rabban, &c. they are, fays he, like mules fcratching each other. And yet they have ever been the most distant from faith, humility and love. Who built the Popish antichristian doctrines? Such councils of wife men as condemned Chrift at Jerufalem. Who defend the laws and judgments of those ignorant and merciless masters as Lords over the faith of their brethren? The fame characters combined with political craft and power; adverse to that brotherly love, and fuch a bleffed equality of fitting at one table, which fhone fo confpicuous at Pentecofte, when the church was a city set on a hill, and the falt of the world to falt all facrifices with a portion of that eternal fire. of the Lord's altar from above. Then was the letter and spirit of the Baptift's commands fulfilled: "He that hath two coats, let him give unto him that hath none: and he that hath meat, let him do kewife." This part is now only to be seen in the palaces

palaces of Popes, Cardinals, Patriarchs, Metropolitans, Archbishops, Bifhops, and others of this beautiful family and offspring, generated from this fimple Toot. "Be not ye called Rabbi, for one is your

mafter, even Chrift, and all ye are brethren; and "he that is greatest among you, fhall be your fer1. vant. Matt. xxiii. 6-12. He that is greatest, let "him be as the younger, and he that is chief, as he "that doth ferve. Luke xxii. 15." The chriftian world is become a Canaanitish city, full of thieves, greedy monopolizers, and selfish appropriators of the gifts of providence: of which it may be faid too, whence come wars and fightings? come they not from your lufts: and from that wisdom which defcendeth not from above; being earthly, fenfual, devilish? Fam. iv. 1. How art thou fallen from thy firft love! thy candlestick is removed: the fires of thy altars are nearly extinct, and a Laodicean spirit, neither hot, nor cold, fpreads over all. All the world wondered after the beaft; and worshipped the dragon who gave power unto the beaft. This was done, when the teftimony to the lamb who taketh away the fin of the world, the firft teftimony was proclaimed by the mouth of John, the Baptift. John i. 29-33. Then beastial perfecution took

place,

* The celebrated Sydney fomewhere fays, chriftianity is a divine philofophy for the mind: our faviour, however, speaks to

the

place, and Conftantine's power and arm drove the two witnesses, the law and gofpel, into the wilderness, who have shut the heaven, that it rain not during the days of their prophefy in fackcloth. The picture of this fecular and political religion shall be given, drawn by no mean pencil of an early christian hand." The prince entered into the church, not as a true and plain christian, which had indeed

the heart chiefly; and to poor and fimple fouls, who are more capable of feeling the force and impreffion of the love of God and his fon, than philofophers, who have been for the most part, difputing against the first and most natural fignatures of God on the human heart. Colliber, an excellent judge, afcribes to priests the difcouragement of all inquiries which might breed a diflike of fuperftitions which yielded fuch great fecular emoluments: and that instead of instructing people in better principles of worship, they rather added to the imposture, by frequent inventions of new and more gainful fopperies." chap. 1. of his impart. inquiry &c. LaЯautius fupports the fame fentiment L. 2. c. 3. Div. Institut. for none but priests had the power of feeding the minds of the multitude with idle pomp, and frivolons ceremonies fit only for childish understandings. With regard to the bible, Muralt in an excellent tract, called divine instin&t, p. 54. justly remarks, that the teachers had feized it for themselves, and darken'd it for others. They have made use of it to frame a system of opinions, which the spirit of God never had in view; which the partriarchs, the prophets, Jefus Chrift, and his apoftles have never known; and which has done men all the damage, which their reason artned with the kill. ing letter, could do them. Bacon concurs with Dr. Cheyné, that neither critical, nor philological knowledge canterpret the faered writings; and furely the church of Rome have their Calmets, Mountfaucons, Huets and Ugolinufes, not inferior to any in hu man literature.

been

been moft happy and defireable; but he brought in with him his nobility, his honour, his arms, his enfigns, his triumphs, his haughtiness, his pride, his fupercilioufnefs, that is, he came into the house of Chrift, accompanied with the devil; and what could not be done, he would have joined two houfes and two cities together, that of God, and the Devil; which could no more be effected, than conjoining Rome and Conftantinople, which are diftant by fo long a tract of fea and land. Their zeal cooled by degrees, their faith decreased, their whole piety degenerated; instead whereof, we now make use of shadows and images, and I would that we could but retain thefe." Let the enemies to the chriftian name, faith and hope, tell the fatal confequences of this unnatural alliance, which is yet felt and lamented by the wife and good in every part of the chriftian world. The whole thirteenth chapter of the Revelation describes the dragon with two horns as a lamb, trampling yet upon the precious name of Jefus Chrift, the PROPITIATION for the SINS of the WHOLE WORLD. 1 John ii. 1, 2. I refer the learned for an account of change of doctrines to Origen. Lib. 8. Explan. in Epift. ad Roman. To Clemens Alexandrinus. Adumbrat. in Epift. 1 Johannis. To Gregory Nazianzen, Edit. Paris. 1630. p. 664, 5. To Gregory Nyffenus, Edit. Paris. p. 1695. To Sulpicius Severus de vita B. Martini. Edit. Lugd. p. 488, 1647.

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