hereon a conformity in the whole soul and conversation unto the truth of the word, or the mind of God in it, wrought in us by its power and efficacy. So the apostle expresses it, Ephes. iv. 21-24. 'If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.'

Hereupon follows our last principle, which is the immediate foundation of the ensuing discourse, or that which is to be confirmed; and it is this:

Principle V. The loss of an experience of the power of religion hath been the cause of the loss of the truth of religion; or it hath been the cause of rejecting its substance, and setting up a shadow or image in the room of it.

This transformation of all things in religion, began and proceeded on these grounds. Those who had the conduct of it, were always possessed of the general notions of truth, which they could not forego without a total renunciation of the gospel itself. But having lost all experience of this power in themselves, they wrested them unto things quite of another nature, destructive to the truth, as well as devoid of its power; hereon it came to pass that there was a dead image made and set up of religion in all the parts of it, called by the name of that which was true and living, but utterly lost. All experience, I say, of the power and efficacy of the mystery of the gospel, and the truth of it, in communicating the grace of God unto the souls of men being lost, retaining the general notion of it, they contrived and framed an outward image or representation of them, suited unto their ignorance and superstition. Thus was the truth of religion once almost totally lost in the world, as we shall see; neither will it ever be lost any other way, or by any other means. When churches or nations are possessed of the truth and the profession of it, it is not laws, nor fines, nor imprisonments, nor gibbets, nor fires, that shall ever dispossess them, or deprive them of it. Whilst an experience of the power of religion continued in the primitive times, all the bloody rage and cruelty of the world, all the craft of Satan, and the sub

tlety of seducers, who abounded, did utterly fail in attempting to deprive Christians of the truth, and the profession of it. But when this began to decay, and be lost amongst them, they were quickly deceived, and drawn off from the simplicity of the gospel. Upon the reformation of religion in these parts of the world, when the truth was received in the love and power of it, and multitudes had experience of the spiritual benefit and advantage which they received thereby, in liberty, holiness, and peace; all the prisons, tortures, swords, and fires, that were applied unto its extirpation, did nothing but diffuse the profession of it, and root it more firmly in the minds of men. It cannot be lost but by another way, and other means. The Jesuits and their associates, have been for a hundred years, contriving methods and arts for the dispossessing nations and churches of the truth which they have received, and the introducing the Romish superstition. They have written books about it, and practised according to their principles in every kingdom and state of Europe, who own the Protestant religion. But the folly of most of their pretended arts and devices unto this end, hath been ridiculous and unsuccessful; and what they have added hereunto of force, hath been divinely defeated. There is but one way, one effectual engine to deprive any people of the profession of the truth which they have once received; and that is, by leading them into such profaneness and ignorance, as whereby they may lose all experience of its power and efficacy in communicating the grace of God unto their souls, and therein of all sense of the advantage which they might have had by it. When this is done, men will as easy lay aside the profession of religion, as burdensome clothes in summer.

There is much talk of a plot and conspiracy to destroy the Protestant religion, and introduce popery again amongst us; they may do well to take care thereof, who are concerned in public affairs: but as unto the event, there is but one conspiracy that is greatly to be feared in this matter, and that is between Satan and the lusts of men; if they can prevail to deprive the generality of men of an experience in their own minds of the power and efficacy of the truth, with the spiritual advantage which they may have thereby, they will give them up to be an easy prey unto the other designers. And

there are two engines that are applied unto this purpose; the one is ignorance, the other is profaneness, or sensuality of life. Whenever either of these prevails, the experience intended must necessarily be lost and excluded: and the means of their prevailing, are want of due instruction by those who are the leaders of the people, and the encouragement of sensuality, by impunity and great examples. This is the only formidable conspiracy against the profession of the truth in this nation, without whose aid, all power and force will be frustrate in the issue. And as there is a great appearance in divine permission of such a state of things at present amongst us, so if they be managed by counsel also, and that those ways of ignorance and sensuality, are countenanced and promoted for this very end, that the power of truth being lost, the profession of it may be given up on easy terms, there is nothing but sovereign grace that can prevent the design. For the principle which we have laid down, is uncontrollable in reason and experience; namely, that the loss of an experience of the power of religion, will issue one way or other, in the loss of the truth of religion, and the profession of it. Whence is it that so many corrupt opinions have made such an inroad on the Protestant religion, and the profession of it? Is it not from hence, that many have lost an experience of the power and efficacy of the truth, and so have parted with it? Whence is it that profaneness and sensuality of life, with all manner of corrupt lusts of the flesh, have grown up, unto the shame of profession? Is it not from the cause, as the apostle expressly declares it comes by? 2 Tim. iv. 2-5. One way or other the loss of experience of the power of truth, will end in the loss of the profession of it.

But I proceed unto the instance which I do design in the church of Rome. For the religion of it at this day is nothing but a dead image of the gospel, erected in the loss of an experience of its spiritual power, overthrowing its use, with all its ends, being suited to the taste of men, carnal, ignorant, and superstitious. This I shall make evident by all sorts of instances in things relating to the person and offices of Christ; the state, order, and worship of the church; with the graces and duties of obedience required in the gospel. And in all, my principal design is to demonstrate what

is the only way and means of securing our own souls, any church or nation, from being ensnared with, or prevailed against by popery.

1. It is a general notion of truth, that the Lord Christ in his person and grace, is to be proposed and represented unto men as the principal object of their faith and love.

He himself in his divine person, is absolutely invisible unto us, and as unto his human nature absent from us. For the heavens must receive him until the time of the restitution of all things. There must therefore an image or representation of him be made unto our minds, or he cannot be the proper object of our faith, trust, love, and delight. This is done in the gospel, and the preaching of it; for therein he is 'evidently set forth before our eyes, as crucified amongst us;' Gal. iii. 1. So also are all the other concerns of his person and offices therein, clearly proposed unto us; yea, this is the principal end of the gospel, namely, to make à due representation of the person, offices, grace, and glory of Christ, unto the souls of men, that they may believe in him, and believing, have eternal life;' John xx. 31. Upon this representation made of Christ and his glory in the gospel, and the preaching of it, believers have an experience of the power and efficacy of the divine truth contained therein, in the way before mentioned, as the apostle declares, 2 Cor. iii. 18. For we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.' Having a spiritual light to discern and behold the glory of Christ, as represented in the glass of the gospel, they have experience of its transforming power and efficacy, changing them into the likeness of the image represented unto them, that is, of Christ himself; which is the saving effect of gospel power. But this spiritual light was lost among men, through the efficacy of their darkness and unbelief; they were not able to discover the glory of Christ, as revealed and proposed in the gospel, so as to make him the present object of their faith and love. And this light being lost, they could have no experience of the power of divine truth concerning him, changing them into his image. They could make no affecting discovery of him in the Scripture. All things therein were dark and confused, or at least

seemed an inaccessible mystery, which they could not reduce to practice. Hence those who had got the public conduct of religion, drove the people from reading the Scripture, as that which was of no use, but rather dangerous unto them. What shall these men then betake themselves unto? Shall they reject the notion in general, that there ought to be such a representation made of Christ unto the minds of men, as to inflame their devotion, to excite their faith, and stir up their affection to him? This cannot be done without an open renunciation of him, and of the gospel as a fable. Wherefore they will find out another way for it, another means, unto the same end. And this is, by making images of him of wood and stone, or gold and silver, or painting on them. Hereby they supposed he would be made present unto his worshippers. That he would be so represented unto them, as that they should be immediately stirred up unto the embraces of faith and love. And herein they found sensible effects unto their great satisfaction: for their minds being dark, carnal, and prone to superstition, as are the minds of all men by nature, they could see nothing in the spiritual representation of him in the gospel, that hau any power on them, or did in any measure affect them. In these images, by the means of sight and imagination, they found that which did really work upon their affections, and as they thought, did excite them unto the love of Christ.

And this was the true original of all the imagery in the church of Rome, as something of the same nature in general was of all the image worship in the world. So the Israelites in the wilderness when they made the golden calf, did it to have a representation of a deity near unto them, in such a visible manner, as that their souls might be affected with it; so they expressed themselves, Exod. xxxii. 1. Wherefore in this state, under a loss of spiritual light and experience, men of superstitious minds, found themselves entangled. They knew it necessary that there should be such a representation made of Christ, as might render him a present object of faith and love, wherewith they might be immediately affected. How this was done in the gospel, they could not understand, nor obtain any experience of the power and efficacy of it unto this end. Yet the principle