and lies. They labour to estrange the hearts of people what they can against the truth of religion, and therefore they raise all the lies and slanders they can; nay, and they will not suffer so much as a Protestant writer to be named, but the name of such a one, say they, be blotted out. Then they have their Index Purgatorius,* to purge all that savour of truth that favour our cause. And then they have their dispensations. And, to cut off other things, for where should I end? indeed their policy is almost endless in this kind; they have the quintessence of their own wit and of Satan's to sharpen them in this kind.

They deal as the magicians of Egypt. When Moses came to do wonders, they imitated him in all the rest, except in one. So they strengthen themselves much in imitating the Protestants. We labour to build the walls of Jerusalem, they imitate us in building the walls of Jericho. We preach to shake off drowsiness, and they fall a preaching. We print, and they print. We publish books of devotion; they go beyond us. We set out books of martyrology (i), to shew the cruelty of them, and they have lost. much by that. Hereupon they do so too, and aggravate things, and add their own lies. So by imitating our proceedings, wherein we have gained upon them, they, like the Egyptian magicians, do the like, and God hardens their hearts, as he did Pharaoh's, by the magicians.

Again, by labouring to make divisions between kings and their subjects, what they can in those places where their religion hath not obtained ground. That they may get a party they cherish division like the devil; they divide and rule.

It was Julian's policy to provide that no Christian should bear any office in the wars, to be captain, &c. So if the Jesuits and papists may have their will, no man that is opposite to them shall have any place. Those that shall have the place to manage offices, and such like, shall be those that incline to them. This they bring to pass if they can, and so for captains in the wars, &c. As Julian the apostate, he cared not for Judaism, but did what he did out of spite to the Christians; so in the most of their plots thus they work one way or other. I say there is no end of their plots, only it is good to know them; for so we may the better prevent them.

Quest. How shall the building up of Jericho be stopped, seeing they go about it so? And indeed they have built much of late years, and have raised up their walls very high, and labour what they can to stop the building of Jerusalem!

Ans. 1. The way to stop this Jericho, that it never go up again, is the judicious knowledge of popery; that it is a religion contrary to the blessed truth of God. God hath left us his testament, his will, wherein he hath bequeathed us all the good that we can challenge from him. Now this religion is contrary to our Father's will, and they know it well enough, and therefore they build their courses upon men's devices, and not upon divine truth. They know if people come to know the Testament, that they should lose, and therefore they labour to suppress knowledge, and extinguish it; we should labour to know the controversial truths between us and them,ʼand to have the knowledge of the Scriptures; for knowledge is a notable means to strengthen us; there are none that know popery that will be deceived by it.

2. And then, together with the knowledge of their tenets, to know their courses, and practices, and policy. In 2 Tim. iii. 9, They shall prevail

* That is, 'Expurgatorius' Index of Prohibited Books. Cf. Mendhan.-G.

no longer,' saith Saint Paul, for their madness shall be made manifest.' Why shall they not prevail any longer? Their madness shall be manifest. So that the manifesting of the madness of men is the cause why they shall prevail no longer. It were good to know all their undermining tricks, and all the policy of the Jesuits and papists, that lay their trains afar off, that they may be the less seen. As the spider gets into a corner, that she appear not, so themselves will not appear, but they draw women, and other licentious persons, and they have greater than them too. So they lay their trains afar off, that they may have their will. It is good to know their devilish practices, that so their diabolical madness may be manifest, that so they may prevail no longer; for undoubtedly, if their courses were laid open, there is no man that loves his own safety, and the safety of the kingdom, but would hate them.

3. Another way to stop the building of Jericho is to have young ones instructed. I would parents would have more care of catechising, and others in their places would have more care of grounding young ones in the grounds of religion. Popery labours to overthrow that. For the worshipping of images it is directly against the second commandment, and they are so guilty of it that they take it away in some of their books. The younger sort, that are the hope of the succeeding church, should be well grounded in religion. That that is right will discover that that is crooked. It would make them impregnable against all popish solicitations.

The neglect of this is the cause why many gentlemen, and of the nobility [apostatize]. The neglect of their education by those that should overlook them hath made them fit for Jesuits and priests to work on, having ripe wits otherwise. And all because of the atheism of those that have neglected their breeding, and filled their heads with other vanities; it hath been the ruin of many families in this kingdom. Therefore it is good to season younger years with the knowledge of the grounds of religion.

4. And in all the dark corners of the land to set up lights that may shine; for these owls fly in the dark. They cannot endure the light of the gospel by any means. They see the breath of God's mouth is too hot for them; and they must be consumed at length by that, by the preaching of the gospel. Not with the sword, but with the sword of Christ's mouth, Antichrist must especially be consumed. And they know this by experience. Therefore they labour underhand. They will not be seen in it, but ofttimes others are instruments more than they are aware, to stop the preaching of the gospel by all the policy they can.

5. Again, as I said before, popery is a kingdom of darkness, and nothing will undo it but light; therefore we should labour to cherish all good learning. It is a notable means to assist against popery. Julian knew that well enough. Therefore he would not suffer parents to send their children to school, but to be brought up in ignorance. And so papists would have a neglect of learning that might help this way.

6. And because they labour to reign in division, let us labour to unite ourselves, and not break upon small matters, but to join together with one shoulder, as one man, against that malignant generation, and mark those among us that are the causes of division; as the apostle saith, ‘Mark them, they serve not Christ, but their own bellies,' Philip. iii. 19; they serve their own turns that reign in division. Let us labour as much as may be if we will join strongly against the enemies of God and his church, to unite our forces together, and not to entertain slight matters of breach one from another.

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7. And with these let us join our prayers to God, and our thanksgiving. We are not thankful enough that God hath brought us out of the kingdom of darkness; not only out of the darkness of, sin and Satan, but from the darkness of popery. We have not been thankful to God for that deliverance in Queen Elizabeth's time, out of the Egyptian darkness, and the deliverance in our late king's time, and deliverances in later times, we are not thankful enough. And we begin to shew it in not making much of religion, and growing in further and further obedience of religion. Is this our thankfulness to God? What, doth religion hurt us? Are we not beholden to God for our religion, and to religion for our peace and deliverance? Hath not God witnessed the truth of our religion from heaven by deliverances? Hath not God been with us strangely by the confusion of the plots of others. And how do we requite it? By growing to a lukewarm temper. A lukewarm temper is odious in the sight of God. 'I would thou wert hot or cold,' saith Christ, Rev. iii. 15. The best religion in the world is odious if it be cold. God will not endure us to join the ark and Dagon, Christ and Belial. Certainly, if we do, God will spue us all out. It will be the confusion of the church and state, and yet this is the thankfulness that we give to God for the gospel of peace, that we have been so much beholden to him for.

Therefore it is good to take occasions, as we have one ministered this day, to call to mind the former dealing of God to us, in the gunpowder treason and other deliverances, which we have had several occasions upon this day to speak of. And, to come nearer ourselves, let us stir up our hearts to thankfulness, which is the main end of this day, and among the rest for our gracious prince, that God hath delivered him as the three children in the fiery furnace (j). They were kept and preserved untouched of the fire; so God hath preserved him in the fiery furnace. The not being thankful for these things will be a means for God to lay us open to his and our enemies. Therefore let us make use of this day especially to stir us up to thankfulness. To go on.

8. For the building of the walls of Jericho what should I speak of popery and the like? We should labour to overthrow that Jericho.“ All of us have vowed in baptism to fight against the world, and the devil, and the main enemy of all that is within us, that is, our flesh. We could not be hurt by them. We betray ourselves, as Samson betrayed himself to Delilah. Those that are baptized, and especially that have renewed their vows by solemn fasting, and renewed their covenant in taking the communion, as there are none of us all but have vowed against our corruptions and sins in baptism, and have renewed their solemn vows in the communion and in public fasting. Well, when we go about to strengthen our corruptions, and the corruptions of the times in the places where we live, what do we go about? To build the walls of Jericho again. What do we go about, but to strengthen that that God hath cursed? There is nothing under heaven so cursed as this corruption of ours, that is the cause of all the curses of the creatures, of all the curses that ever were, or shall be, even to the last curse: 'Go, ye cursed, to eternal destruction,' Mat. XXV. 41. This pride, and sensuality, and secret atheism and infidelity that we cherish, and love more than our own souls, this is that that many go about to build, and oppose all the ways that are used to pull down Jericho, and hate nothing so heartily as the motions of God's Spirit, and the means that God's Spirit hath sanctified to pull down these walls of Jericho. Must not this be a cursed endeavour, when we go about to build that

that we ourselves have vowed to pull down? when we go about to raise that that we have formerly destroyed by our own vows? As Saint Paul saith, Gal. ii. 18, 'If I again build the things I have destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.' Indeed, when we go about to build the things that we have vowed their destruction, we make ourselves transgressors.

Let us take notice of the wondrous poison and rebellion of the corruption of our hearts in this kind. Hath not the Lord threatened curse upon curse against many particular sins ? Cursed is the man that calls evil good, and good evil,' Isa. v. 20. Have we not many that do so? In Deuteronomy there is curse upon curse to those that mislead others, xxvii. 16, et alibi. And in the New Testament there is curse upon curse; St Paul threateneth that such and such shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven, 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. Yet, notwithstanding the curse, we go about to build Jericho again, to set up that that God hath pronounced a curse upon.

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We cry out against popery, and well we may, when the Scripture directs curses against their particular opinions, as where it saith, 'If an angel from heaven shall teach other doctrine, let him be accursed,' Gal. i. 8. The Council of Trent hath cursed those that say traditions are not of equal authority with the Scriptures, and so they set curse against curse. wonder at them that they are not afraid of the curse of God, nay, to counter-curse God as it were; when he curseth disobedience, to curse the practice of obedience to him. And then there is a curse to those that shall add or take away from the Scripture. St John seals the whole Scripture with a curse: • Cursed is he that adds, or takes away,' &c., Rev. xxii. 18. Now they add to the Scripture that that is no scripture; and they take away what they list, as the second commandment and the cup in the sacrament. I say we wonder at them, that they will run upon the curses, that they will be stricken through with so many curses, more than Absalom with javelins, or Achan with stones: Cursed is he that worshippeth graven images,' Deut. xxvii. 15; besides particular things that are cursed in Scripture. We wonder at them that they are so desperately blind to run on. But are not we as ill? Are there not many curses in the Scripture, and denunciations of being excluded from the kingdom of God, against the courses that are taken by many men? And yet we venture on it. Will a negative religion bring any man to heaven, to say he is no papist, nor no schismatic? No. Certainly therefore profane persons that maintain corruptions, and abuses, and abominations, against the light of conscience, and nature, and Scriptures, they raise up Jericho again and they are under a curse.

Let me ask any one why Christ came ?* The apostle saith, and they will be ready to say, 'To dissolve the cursed works of the devil,' 1 John iii. 8. It should seem by many, notwithstanding, especially at these times, that he came to establish the works of the devil; for what good we do in the ministry, in three quarters of a year, it is almost undone in one quarter. At the time when we pretend great honour to Christ, we live as if he came to build up the cursed wall of hell; to break loose all. Whereas he came to destroy the works of the devil: He came to redeem us out of the hands of our enemies, that we might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness, all the days of our life,' Luke i. 75. He came to redeem us from our vain conversation. Nay, many live as if he came to give liberty to all conversation. Is not this to raise Jericho? to raise a fort for Satan to enter into our souls and keep possession in us? to beat out God * In margin here, 'Application concerning the feast of the nativity.'—G.

and his Spirit? to fight against our known salvation, when we rear up courses contrary to Christ's coming in the flesh, and to the end of Christ's dying for us, which was to free us from our vain conversation, and to redeem us from the world, that we should not be led as slaves to the customs of the world?

Therefore let us consider what we do, what our course of life is. If it be a proceeding, and edification, and building up ourselves more and more to heaven, a growing in knowledge and in holy obedience to the divine truths we know; if it be a pulling down of sin more and more, a going further and further out of the kingdom of darkness, and a setting ourselves at a gracious liberty to serve God; oh it is a happy thing if it be so! If our life be a taking part with Christ, and his Spirit, and his ministry, to grow in grace and piety, oh it is an excellent thing when we grow better the longer we live in the world, and this cursed Jericho, the corruption of nature, which, if we cherish, will be the cause of an eternal curse after, if it go down, and we ruin it more and more, and we suffer the word to beat down the forts of Satan, those strong imaginations, &c. But if our life be nothing else but a living answerable to our lusts; that as we are dead and cursed by nature, so we make ourselves twice dead, a hundred times dead by sin, and bring curse upon curse by our sinful conversation, we are then under God's broad seal cursed. We are all born accursed, till we get out of the state of nature; to free us from which Christ became a curse. If we get not out of this, but go on and feed our vanity and corruption, what will be the end of it but an eternal curse afterwards? Therefore let us consider what we do, when we maintain and cherish corruptions and abuses in ourselves and others. We build that that God hath cursed; we build that that we have vowed against ourselves.

And how will God take this at the hour of death? Thou that art a careless, drowsy hearer of the word of God, and a liver contrary to the word of God, how will God take this at thee, at the hour of death, when thy conscience will tell thee that thy life hath been a practice of sin, a strengthening of corruption? The old Adam' that thou hast cherished, it will stare and look on thee with so hideous a look that it will drive you to despair for conscience will tell thee that thy life hath been a strengthening of pride, of vanity, of covetousness, and of other sins. Thy whole life hath been such; and now when thou shouldst look for comfort, then thy corruptions, which thou shouldst have subdued, they are grown to that pitch that they will bring thee to despair, without the extraordinary mercy of God to awaken thy heart by repentance. Why therefore should we strengthen that that is a curse and will make us cursed too? and will make the time to come terrible to us, the hour of death and the day of judgment? How shall men think to hold up their faces and heads at the day of judgment, whose lives have been nothing else but a yielding to their own corruption of nature, and the corruptions and vanities of the times and places they have lived in? that have never had the courage to plead for God; that have been fierce against God: Who ever was fierce against God, and prospered?' Job ix. 4. When men make their whole life fierce against God, against the admonitions of his word and Spirit, and their whole life is nothing but a practice of sin, how can they think of death and judgment without terror!

Now, it were wisdom for us to carry ourselves so in our lives and conversations, that the time to come may not be terrible, but comfortable to think of; that we may lift up our heads with joy when we think of death

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