47 their Bretbren, but their cOmmOn Father, fetu!J theit ciy With thofe Hypocrites in lftliah, Now :he bordb·eg!orijied. · . . ' ' ··: ' ' , • . [fa.66 ~ • . A.nd as thts ~all: was m •t felf moft tmp,om, fo ~t was morl: fatat m all Its Ttiti 11 of dmfoqumts. Nothing but Ruins 4nd Mi.fchiefs, , Extortion, DijJra,llion, Sacritege, ·Jn.. juftice, tbt Jiloo'd tif m!l!IJ, 4nd f~e Tears of all, ·Pef[oflal, Dtnnkftilk, ! d}td Publick _ ~-tJilJ, Rmu ¥md D;vi{W11Sia.l Hame, Scorit and Omumpt .Abrod, have-almoft ever fince fol~ !6\vcrl, one. Ul!9!1· tho neck of .another: ~nd would t~• Godthey were fo li\tl<: [elt jP.,d k,nown, 1 as to ·need recounttng. Nor mdecd was tt fit, thtil: fd'horf1d a_ Cnme lho~Jsl. have 3J1Y. ~tter .Attendants. And truly how could it be .othcrwife; l· whe~< Qf'P'I.4fiqn and •Piolnice were thOonly~ Legijlative Power? .W:h1 efe T A,.;~rchj a'nd Tyranny;, the ,two .f.xtrtarr;~ of Government,' were alwa-ys ftt1Vu1-g1J'Gt the upper hand? Wher,e our Lives, Libertie-s and1 Eftarcs depended_ only tlport the rude vote of the Si}OY.d~! Our L4WS~ the commoh Fence itnd seauttty of the Nardt>n.~ and every ~an'~ Jie!];1 and richell: Patrimony, were themfelves. •.•~laiiiid · by ~~~~'}'tivate lnterelts af a fe.vr~rmb!tious Malecon~ents: O.u~ Church rent~~ PL~cc\bY _&:hrlms, ~rrours, . He.. ~e[Ies, dan1nab~e noCI:nnes ofDevtfs·; not ofily •ptibhckly bf?af ll'cli but pubhckly patron·Ized too. t r \ ·, . And yet·fome .ealle Minds •areroildy to think thofc Hmes IHP'Py, becaufe or. the hiberty, 6r rat:hl:r ,indeed tile Licentioufnefs ef. Reltgi6n. Bt!t 'fvas Rtligion indeed in f9 good a ,plight, :vhen in :r '}Unflo, th~ Neoofl!ty and tr~cl'alhefs of the jl1inijfry, W;lS ,pnt \0 theQuefbon? Wheu l.;earmng, ReltgiDn\ analth~Holy and PreCIB\tsOtl di~~nccs qf God,' ~epended upod.' the rotten Breath'lof a Compa\J:y 'of Men of nltt~n a,nd ~orrupt ~finds, .. whofc Gdin w;u theif.. G~Yllittsfi ,~-..gnd. &q . nothing HoJy belonging' to them; ' butwliat .they got by. Sacrilege? Was Roeligiott ii\Jfolgood 'a phgilt, ' when W!:' daily feated ifi\ 'idtordiCI: qp<in ·our p\1blick A:fien1lilics'[ Wftch' fh'e Sole'!'n Worlhip of God 1vas inlerrupted\ and af!Tonted'. by. eve}r ort6 .rMt hld but Impudence and ~nth~t"fia.fmJenptfgli 'tO do~~? Nay, ind~6d' R'cligion W:a-~ ! V:inifh,'d intO' ~nti~g Phnlfe~, Into an empty and• notion~! Pro(effiofi ;· J:rnct.l:hat v~ry ' Pl'pfoffion> dll'!od!ed away into 'illnnmerable S!:CI:s •nd>&hifins, Errtl!I!'s and Hercfies ., 'that ·Cdtniil\yilone· c!Itahink it was in :i•ptofpetdlts'Coltdition, b1lt tlldfe who tnll\l! R:eligion' thcn profpets,• wlien it is not mu_rih, bhtqbanifol<r. Tliofe. tl\at tol~httd:J. l eyery Sett, every' Opinion and Relil!;ion~ fetemed. ·\fa to carry' tliCmfelVc~ R~if WitHin a while they would h:tve expea:ed the Trnt?• t For cerialniy.~ Whe"rt once MdA..-fn tPOWer 6J'n'allow of£1lfe DoCtrines, the next ftep is to imbr:tce them, the next to impofc them. Yea, the ficklenefs and infhbility of our Ufurped Governments, which might H11ud p 11 ,. give us hope of Relief, proved only the frequent renewing of our Mifcry, one Power dt pGp14fil ftill fuccceding another in the fame Defign, all feeking to advance themfelves upon rtgn:t"' the Ruins of the Publick. I remember an ApoliJgue ofan ulcerated Man, who, when brn-tS'"'· his Friends would have driven aw.1y a fwarm.,of Flie~ that had been l9ng fucking his Sores ; Let themalone, faith he, thefe are pretty well fated; but if yon drive them away, frefh ones will come, with frelh Appetites, and more torment mt. So truly it fared with us in our Toffes and Change of Governments. When orie Swarm ot ourGovernours had their Greedinefs and Avarice fomewhlt £"luttcd, then were we configned over unto another, who ate the very Fleth of thefe Nations, and dra~k their Tea:s_and Blooc!: :!"~a, __ and~~at was b0!~ .~E~ Rcp_roach and Agg:avatton -of our-Mtfery, thofe Flies were but theOff:;fpnng OF Dirt and Dungh!ls. Our Plague was like that of Egypt, the very duft of the earth crawl'd up/)n u.&. The meaneft of the People were our Rulers, a nd ou t of thnfc Brambles proceeded Fire, that confumed the Cedars of LebartiJn. And according to the Pedigree of our Princes, fhch were our Priefts and Teachers. If any could bnt prate Nonfenfe, a-nd prove it by Blafphemy, this was a fi.tfficicnt Confecration into the Office. This vras enough to make him a moft admired Light, wp indeed. was but an Ignis farum, leading the filly and deluded Rout through the Bogs and Precipices of Errour and Herefie, intO Perdition. This was the Pollure both of Church and State, in thofe bleffed Times of RelitJon and Liberty, which theyfo much boaft of, and which were fo highly advanced by tfiofe Mens 'Zealous Endeavours, that they were grown quite ont of reJcb, and almoft out of light: and had not God by a Miracle 0f Divine Mercy interpofed, within a while we fuould neither have had the Face nor the Name of Religi'm or Liberty left among us. But he infutuated their Counfels, and defeated their Defigns; and when there was
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