SERM. Kings and People, even whole Nations to XV. be massacred, by secret Plots or by open

Violences.

THIS is the Description and Character given in the prophetick parts of the inspired Writings, of a great and potent Apostacy, which was largely and very distinctly foretold should happen in the latter Ages of the Church. And the Particularities, wherein this Tyranny was to be diverse from all Kingdoms that ever devoured the whole Earth, are so fingular and remarkable; that it is hardly poffible, for any man to mistake in judging, to Whom the Characters belong. What remains therefore, is to draw some Obfervations from what has been faid, proper upon the present Occafion. And

First; WHEN St John faw this strange tyrannical Power represented to him in Prophecy, whilft as yet there was no such Power in being; When he faw it reprefented to him under the fimilitude of a Woman of fornications, that is, in Scripture-language, an idolatrous Church; riRev. xvii, ding upon peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues, and domineering over

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the

the Kings of the Earth; When I saw her, SERM. says he, I wondred with great Admira- XV. tion, Rev. xvii. 6. And even after the Event, whosoever has Any Notion what Virtue or Religion is, must still of necef fity wonder with great Admiration, how it was ever poffible that the Name of Religion should be so prodigioufly abused. Religion is not an arbitrary or imaginary thing, but founded upon eternal Truth and Right, or it never can have any Foundation at all. Religion is the Practice of Virtue, proceeding from a regard to God the Judge of All, the all-feeing and unerring Judge. Good and Evil are neceffarily, essentially, and unalterably what they are: And God necessarily fees and judges them to be so. The Worship of God, and the universal Love of our Neighbour, are eividently the Perfection of Moral Good; and the contrary to these, the greatest Moral Evil. Whatever Forms or Ceremonies therefore have at any time been instituted either of God or Good Men, they have always been entirely subservient to these Moral Duties: For Moral Duties, are the End and last Aim of All Religion,

SERM. Of all Religion both natural and revealed. XV. What then must be thought of a Religion, filled with Opinions contrary to the necessary Truth and Nature of things; over-run with idolatrous Practices, in the Worship of God; and supported by Wars, Perfecutions, Massacres; by open Violences, and fecret Plots; opposite, in the most barbarous and cruel manner, to the whole Spirit of that great Duty of Love Mat. v. 16. and Charity towards Men! Ye shall know them by their Fruits, said our Saviour; admonishing his Disciples, to guard themselves against False Prophets. And when Mat.x. 17. he warned them to beware of Men; he did not mean only of Heathen Perfecuver. 21. tors, but of the Brother alfo delivering up the Brother to Death.

Secondly; From what has been faid, we may learn how fincerely Thankful we ought to be, for the happy Deliverance of the King and the Three Estates of the Realm, from the bloody intended Massacre by Gun-Powder, which was to have been effected as upon This Day.

Thirdly; FROM hence also we may learn SER M. to set a just Value upon the Greatness of XV. that Second Deliverance, which God worked for us as again upon This Day, by the Happy Arrival of his late Majesty King William. They who rightly apprehend how great a Calamity it is, to be deprived of all Ufe of Reason and Conscience; to be obliged to profess in Belief the most absurd Impossibilities, and to comply in Practice with the grofssest Idolatries; and this under the Penalty of the most barbarous and inhumane Cruelties : All men, I say, who have a just Sense of the Dreadfulness of this Calamity, which is what the Scripture calls. The great Tribulation, and perpetually com- Θλίψεως το pares it to the ancient Captivity of God's Rev. vii. people in Babylon; nay, stiles This, in 14comparison of the former, by the name of Babylon the Great; will not fail to be very fincerely Thankful, for the Deliverance of his Country from this severest of all Temporal Judgments; and very fearful of taking any even remote Step, that may tend towards bringing back so great a Destruction; and very follicitous to Да з make

μεγάλης,

SERM.make the Government always easy in the XV. Hands of fuch Princes, as are by Prin ciple and by Inclination defirous to preserve all the Civil and Religious Rights of the Community.

Fourthly; The Last Inference I shail draw from what has been said, is; that we who profess the Reformed Religion, and, upon stated Solemnities, pretend to return hearty Thanks to God for the wonderful preservations of it amongst us; ought above all things to avoid those corrupt Practices, for which we so justly condemn the Church of Rome. Protestants must not hate the persons of Roman-Catholicks ; nor uncharitably judge every private person among them to have That Malignity of Spirit, on which the publick Dominion of their Church is founded. Protestants, I say, must not hate the Persons of RomanCatholicks, or of any Others who differ from them: Much less ought we to offer them any Injury, Violence, or Wrong: But, on the contrary, we ought to endeavour to convince them of their Errours, by Strength of Reason, and by Gentleness of Behaviour. If a man's Practice be vi