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ing, is but a meer Cork, and that I am only under a Delufion? Nothing more certain, my Lord, anfwers the Father. I would not be too pofitive of any Thing, replies his Grace calmly; perhaps my Ines may have difcompofed me more than I am aware of, but I wish you would convince me that I am miltaken. I fay this is a Horfe, you affirm it is a Cork: How do you prove it to be fo? Very easily, my Lord, If I look at it, I fee it is a Cork; if I take it in my Hand, I feel it is a Gork; if 1 fmell to it, I find it is but a Cork; and if I bite it with my Teeth, I am affured it is the fame fo that 1 am every way convinced thereof by the Evidence of all my Senfes. I believe your Reverence may be in the right, fays the Duke, as juft recovering from a Dream, but I am fubject to Whims; let us therefore talk no more of it, but proceed to the Business that brought you hither.

This was just what the Father wanted, and accordingly he began to enter upon the most controverted Points between the Papifts and us; when the Duke, cutting him fhort, told him, what was moft difficult of Digeftion with him, was their Doctrine of Tranfubftantiation, and if he could but prove the Truth of that fingle Article, all the reft would foon be got over. Hereupon the Prieft, not doubting but he fhould make his Grace a Profelyte, enters upon the common Topics ufed by all thofe of his Perfwafion on fuch Occafions, infifting above all greatly upon the Words of Confecration, This is my Body, and This is my Blood, &c. To all which the Duke replied, thefe were but figurative Expreffions, and no more to be understood literally, than those others, Lam the Vine, and I am the Door; befides which, continues he, the Bread and Wine still remain unchanged as before, after the Words of Confecration. No, my Lord, cries the Father, with humble Submiffion, there is only the Appearance

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or Form of thofe Elements, for they are actually changed into the very real Body and Blood.

Nay, fays the Duke, I will convince you of the contrary, Father, by your own Argument; I look upon it, and I fee it is Bread; I touch it, and I feel it is Bread; and I tafte it, and find it is but Bread, mere Bread ftill; remember the Cork, Father, remember the Cork; which Anfwer filenced the Father, who found it was but lofing Time to argue any more with his Grace upon that Head: The reft of the Conference being nothing to our prefent Purpose, and much too ludicrous for a Treatife of this Nature, we fhall not purfue it any farther.

To return then from whence we have digreffed : Another, and yet more unpardonable Violation of this Commandment, is in drawing any Reprefentations of the Divine Majefty himself under a vifible -Form. And this is a Crime whereof the Roman Ca-tholicks are egregioufly guilty; in whofe Churches we may frequently fee God the Father painted in the Form of an old Man; and the Three Perfons of the Holy Trinity reprefented fometimes as a Human Body, with three diftin&t Faces; fometimes under the Figures of an Old Man, a Lamb, and a Pidgeon. A third and grofs Breach of this Law, is when we invoke the Affiftance of Saints, Angels, or any created Being; of which the Papifts are likewife notoriously guilty; nay, fo far do they carry this Enormity, in their Worship of the Virgin Mary, which they I call Hyperdulia, and which is peculiarly appropri ated to her, that they fay ten Ave Maria's for one Pater Nofter; thereby afcribing ten Times the Honour to the Blessed Virgin, that they do to GoD himself. 77

We fhould not have expatiated fo much upon this Head, as no Proteftant, whilft he continues fuch, is in Danger of committing thefe grofs Vio

lations,

lations; but because we think it quite feasonable, in order to give every one an utter Abhorrence of Popery, especially at this functure, when there is an actual Rebellion in the Kingdom, in Favour of a Popish Pretender, not yet intirely quelled; and when the Emiffaries of Rome are so indefatigably induftrious in making Profelytes to their wretched Religion, wherein they have been but too fuccefsful; well knowing, the Moment a Man embraces the one, he becomes a zealous Stickler for the Intereft and Caufe of the other.

Proceed we now to confider the other lefs flagrant (though nor therefore lefs criminal) Trans. greffions of this' Divine Mandate. And these may all be comprized under the Head of Profanations: of God's Houfe, whereof we treated at firft, in ́ fpeaking of the indecent Carriage of many who come thither; under that of Sacrilege, or purloining any Things fet apart for the Service of the Altar, or even proftituting them to a profane Ufe; to which may be added all Abufe, Difefteem, and Carelessness of God's Word, (whereof we fear most of us are too frequently guilty ;) or even of his Minifters, who, whatever their private Failings may be, are to be reverenced on account of the Character wherewith they are vefted; and laftly, all fuperftitious and unlawful Rites and Ceremonies, whereof the Papifts are egregioufly guilty; and all Superfluities, or Mutilations, as were practifed amongst the Heathens.

Having thus enumerated the feveral particular Ways whereby this Law is tranfgreffed, we fhall next confider the forcible Motives urged by the Almighty, to induce us to Obedience thereto; and thefe are two-fold: The firft Comminatory or Me-. nacing, For Ithe Lord thy God am a JEALOUS GOD, that is, one who is as jealous of being robbed. of his Honour, as any one can be of his beloved

Miftrefs,

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Miftrefs, or the Wife of his Bofom; one who has a watchful Eye over it, and will not overlook any Affront offered thereto; a Particular we ought ever to retain in our Remembrance: To which, left this fhould not be enough to keep us on our Guard, he immediately fubjoins, And vifit the Sins of the Fathers upon the Children, unto the third and fourth Generation of them that hate me: As if he had faid, if no Regard for yourfelves will deter you from Difobedience to this Command, yet let your Love for your innocent Pofterity (who will otherwife be Sufferers thereby for feveral Generations) diffwade you from it.

We ought likewife to remember whofe Children they are, upon whom God will vifit or punish the Sins of their Parents; and thefe are specified by the Expreffion of them that hate me ; now who they are that may properly be said to hate God, may be plainly known by what our Saviour fays, John xiv. 15, If ye love me keep my Commandments. And again, by what the beloved Apoftle fays, 1 John ii. 3, 4 And hereby we know that we love him, if we keep his Commandments. And again, ver. 3, For this is the Love of God, that we keep his Commandments. Now, if only they who keep his Commandments can be faid to love him, it follows of course, that only they who keep not his Commandments can be properly faid to hate him. So that it is not the Man who falls accidentally into a Sin through Surprize, or the Infire mity of Human Nature, for which he afterwards. heartily repents, whofe Children will be thus vifited, but the grofs, habitual, and impenitent Sin

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And this appears yet more evidently by the fecond Motive urged by the Almighty, to ftir us up Obedience to this Law, which is, And fhew Merey unto Thousands of them that love me and keep my. 1.Commandments. Now, as it is well known, that all Men

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are Sinners, and as we are affured by the Pfalmift, xiv. There is none that doeth Good, no not one; it 3, neceffarily follows, that thefe People, unto Thoufands of whom God will fhew Mercy, must be Sinners likewife, though not hardened impenitent Sinners Befides, that the very Expreffion of fhewing Mercy, implies Guilt, fince no Man can be faid to have received Mercy, who has never offended.

Having thus explained the whole Scope and Extent of this Commandment, to the beft of our Power, we shall next proceed, as we proposed at the Beginning, to give fome Examples of the good and bad Effects of the Obfervance or Non-Obfervance thereof. And here we need not be long at a Loss where to begin, fince it is very certain the Children of Ifrael claim the Pre-eminence on all Accounts; for, as never were Nation fo highly favoured of God as the Jews, being his chofen and peculiar People, fo undoubtedly never did Nation fo ungratefully reward their divine Benefactor and Protector; never did Nation fo bafely, frequently, and cauflessly revolt; nor never were Nation more heavily, nor more fignally punished.

In effect, if we read their Hiftory attentively, as it is contained in the Holy Scriptures, we fhall almoft always find their Sin and their Punishment kept an equal Pace together. No fooner had they revolted from the Living God, and fallen into Idolatry, to which they were always very prone, but the Judgments of Heaven immediately overtook them, and they were punished according to their Deferts: No fooner hardly did they repent, and return to their merciful Father and Benefactor, than he had Pity on his runaway Children, and raifed them up a Deliverer.

In short, so tranfcendently glorious does the divine Wisdom, Justice, Mercy, Majefty, and Power,

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