truth of Hierom's words, (ad Paul. ) Nunquam benefit, quod fit præoccupato animo. Be true and faithful to your felves, and to the Truth, and you shall fee its Glory, and feel its Power, and be directed by it to everlasting Bleffedness. This is his End, TO THE HYPOCRITE READERS; Who have the Name of Christians, and the Hearts and Lives of Atheists and Unbelievers. Tis the great Mercy of God to you, that you were born of Christian Parents and in a Land where Christianity is the profeffed Religion, and under Governours and Laws which countenance it: But this which should have helped you to the intelligent and Serious entertainment of Religion, hath been abused by you to detain you from it: You have contented your felves to have Religion in your Princes, and your Parents Precepts, in Libraries and Laws, and to fay over fome of thefe by rote; whileft you banified it from your Hearts and Lives, if not alfo from your fober thoughts and understanding! And having indeed no Religion of your own (because the labour of understanding and obeying it, feemed too dear a price to purchase it) you have thought it most ferviceable to your quietness (b 3) and and your reputation to feem to be of the Religion of your Parents or your King, be it what it will. This is indeed the common course of the rude and irreligious Rabble, in all Nations of the World. O that I might be your effectual Monitor, to awaken you to confider what you have been doing? and yet if you are Men, to fuffer your Reason to look bebinde you, within and before you, you, and ferionfly think what it is to be in Heaven or Hell for ever, and prudently to manage your own Concernments! Can you think that that man hath any Religion who hath no God? Or bath he indeed a God, who preferreth his luft, or wealth, or honour, or any thing in the World before him? Or that is not devoted to his Obedience and his Love? Is he a God that is not better than the Pleasures of the Flesh and World?. Or that is not greater than a mortal man? or is not fully fufficient for you? Did you know what you did when you owned your Baptifmal Vow and Covenant? which is when ufurp the name of Christians, and joyn in visible communion in the Church? Do you know what it is to believe that there is a God, and a Life to come, and to renounce the Flesh, the World, and the Devil, and give up your felves to a Saviour and a Sanctifyer? Or can you think while you are awake and fober, that Perfidiousness will fave you, and betaken by God instead of Christianity? will God accept you for a perjured Profeffion? to be that and do that which never came into your hearts? Is Hypocrifie a Virtue? And will Lying bring a man to Heaven? Chriftianity is fuch a Believing in Christ, to bring us unto God and everlasting Glory, as maketh the Love of God the very Nature of the Soul, you and and thankefull obedience its Employment, and a Heavenly Minde and Life to be its Conftitution and its Trade; and the Mercies of this Life to be but our Travelling-helps and Provifions for a better; and the Intereft of fleshly lust to be esteemed but as drofs and dung. Is this the Life which you live, or which you hate? I beseech you sirs, as you regard the reputation of your Reason, tell us why you will profefe a Religion, which you abborre? or why will you abborre a Religion which you professe? why will you Glory in the part of a Parrot, or an Ape, to say over a few words, or move your Bodies, while you deteft the humane part, to know and love and live to God? Do you live only to treasure up wrath against the day of wrath, and the revelation of the righteous judgement of God, who will render to every one according to his deeds? Rom. 2. 5, 6. Do you profeffe your felves Christians only for felf-condemnation; to be Witnesses against your felves in Judgement, that you wilfully lived unchriftian lives? What is there in the World that you are fo averfe to, as to be seriously that which you professe your felves to be? Who hate you more than thofe that are that in heart and life, which you call your felve's in customary words? or that are serious in the Religion which you Say your felves you hope to be faved by? Read Matth. 23. 29, 30, 31. why do you honour the dead Saints, and abborre the living? and would make more Martyrs, while you keep Feftivals of Commemoration of those that others made? Quæ eft illa Juftitia fanctos colere, & fanctitatem contemnere? Primus gradus Pietatis eft Sanctitatem diligere. Chryfoft. in Matth. 24. Chrift hath not more bitter Enemies in the World, than Some |