and his religion itself, hath been figns and wonders for reproach.

1. CHRIST himfelf hath been fpoken against and reproached,They fpake again his perfon, as bafe and contemptible, "Having no form or comelinefs," Ifa. lii. 22.-They fpake against his preaching, as false, factious, fenfelefs, and feditious, John vii. 12. Luke xxii. 2, and xvi. 14.—They reproached and spoke against his miracles, as done in confederacy with Beelzebub the prince of devils, Matth. xii. 24.-They fpoke againft his mo-, rals, charging him with blafphemy againft God, profanation of the Sabbath, as a wine-bibber, a friend of publi cans and finners.-They fpoke against his followers, as a company of ignorant defpicable people, John vii. 48, 49. They reproached him in his offices; in his teaching office, when they challenged him to prophecy who smote him in his faving office, when they challenged him to fave himself, as he had faved others: in his ruling office, when they challenged him to prove himfelf the king of the Jews, by coming down from the crofs.

It is long fince the world thus fpake against him, and reproached him and that he was held for a fign and a wonder in Ifrael, and was fpoken against even in Ifrael, But are there none that peak against and reproach him to this day, even when he is exalted to the place of glory and power? Yea, How do the Jews fpeak against him fiill, in all these, and many other refpe&ts?-How do the Mahometans fpeak against him, while they prefer their bafe impoftor into his room?-Again, how are Arians and Socinians daily fpeaking against Christ, as if he was a mere man, though he thought it no robbery to be equal with God?-How do Quakers and Enthufiafts speak against him, as if he was a mere nothing, an empty name, fetting up, we know not what fort of a Chrift within them, instead of that Jefus that was crucified at Jerufalem? How do Atheifts and Deifts fpeak against him, as if he was a mere cheat; accounting the religion he hath eftablifhed, a great impofture; and his gospel a jeft? How do profane and ignorant perfons fpeak against him, as if our Beloved was no more than another beloved? faying, "What is thy Beloved more than ano

ther

ther beloved?"-How do Latitudinarians fpeak reproachfully against him, as if he was a minifter of fin?-How do Legalifts fpeak against him, as if he alone was not the Lord our righteoufnefs?-How do Papifts speak against him, and reproach him? They make him but a falfe Chrift by their doctrine. They fpoil him of his true man-hood; holding that Chrifl's body is not only in heaven, but really and fubftantially in all places wherever the facrifice of the mals is offered: thus they make it omniprefent; and take away the very nature of a body. They reproach him in, and rob him of, his offices. They degrade him from his prophetical office; making the Pope the infallible judge of all controverfies. They degrade him from his prieftly office, which confifts in fatisfaction and interceffion; they nullify his fatisfa&tion, by joining therewith the fatisfaction of man's works, as if his were imperfect without that: and they rob him of his interceffion, communicating the fame to faints; yea, they exalt the virgin Mary far above Chrift, in this work; for they pray her to afk the Father, to command Christ, her Son, by the authority of a mother, to do thus and thus for them. So much is evident from the genuine popifh tenets, out of the Rhemifh Teftament *, Yea, they alfo degrade him from his kingly office, by placing the Pope in his room and ftead, as his deputy, in his prefence; while they give power to the Pope, to rule the Catholic church, to pardon fins, and make laws to bind men's confciences; which are things proper to Chrift alone whereby they take the crown off Chrift's head, and fet it on the Pope's: for, to claim regency, in the prefence of the lawful prince, is to proclaim rebellion against the prince; becaufe commiffion of vice-regency ceases in the prefence of him that appoints it: now, Chrift is always prefent with his church, Matth. xxviii. 20. And, therefore, the Pope, by his claim, muft needs thruft Chrift out of his offices.

And, alas! what a lamentable thing is it, by the bye, that this damnable doctrine fpreads fo much even in this ifland; particularly in the North of Scotland, where, we understand, the popifh mafs is as folemnly celebrate,

A popish translation of the Bible.

as

as we attend upon thefe divine ordinances? And as Epifcopacy was the very ground-work, and foundation-stone, upon which Popery was at firft erected; fo, what matter of lamentation is it, that popifh ceremonies, maintained in the Epifcopal church, are fo much affected; whereby fuch indignity is offered to the appointments of our Lord Jefus Chrift, as if his inftitutions were imperfect, defective, and faulty, without their additional inventions? I do not think it worth my while, here to meddle with particular perfons, and their principles, which fome may think I have fair before me: we ould pity and pray for them who defpitefully ufe us, or our glorious Lord and his ordinances; and efpecially we fhould pity and lament over an ignorant generation, that are fo infatuated, as to defire nothing more, than to have thefe realms intirely fubject to a Popish government, and Antichriftian yoke; which neither we nor our forefathers were able to bear; furely, fuch do not know and confifider, how much Popery fpeaks to the reproach of Chrift and true Christianity.-These are hard fpeeches, which ungodly finners have spoken against him, Jude ver. 15, which is the fign to be spoken against,

2. As Chrift himfelf, fo his FATHER is fpoken against and reproached.--Some denying his being, though his existence be fo néceflary, that, if he be not, it is impoffible any thing elfe fhould be; yet many-fools fay in their heart, what they dare not fpeak out, viz. "That there is no God," Pfal. xiv. 1. And he that faith there. is none, would wish there were none; and if he could help it, there fhould be none. Some blafphemoufly charging the all feeing eye with blindness, faying, "The Lord fhall not fee," Pfal. cxiv. 7. Charging the eternal mind with forgetfulness, faying, "God hath forgotten," Pfal. x. 11. Charging the omnipotent arm with weakness, faying, "Can God give bread in the wilderness?" Pfal. xxviii. 19, 20. Charging his rectoral equity with, injuftice, faying, "Though w fin, we fhall not furely die." --Some fpeak againft and reproach his providence, by quarrelling, murmuring, and complaining, and finding fault with the difpofals of it.-Some profane his name, making it a by-word, by which they give vent to their

exorbitant paffions, and fill up the vacancy of other idle words. Not only is the name of God thus abufed by those who belch out their bloody oaths, which would make the ears of every good man to tingle; but also, by thofe who mention the name of God flightly, or irreverently, in their ordinary converfation; he is near to their mouth, but far from their heart. To ufe thefe forms of fpeech, which properly fignify an acknowledgment of God's being; as, O God! O Lord! or the like: or an appeal to his omniscience, as God knoweth, the Lord knoweth or an invocation of his favour, as God blefs me! Lord be merciful to me! I fay, to use these, or the like expreffions, impertinently, and intending there. by only to exprefs our wonder and furprife, or our paffionate refentment, or any thing befide that which is their, proper and awful fignification, is an evidence of a vain mind, that wants a due regard to that glorious and fearful name yet, thus is the mouth of the ungodly fet against heaven, Pfal. lxxxviii. 9. Jude 16. May the Lord, that hath chofen Jerufalem, rebuke them! Zech;

iii. 2.

3. As Chrift himfelf and his Father, fo his SPIRIT is reproached. Many indeed are grofly ignorant of the Holy Ghoft, like thofe, Acts xix. 2. "We have not fo much as heard, whether there be any Holy Ghost." Others that hear of the Holy Ghost, they blafpheme the Spirit of Chrift; and fo make fearful approaches to the unpardonable fin: while they reproach his motions, as enthufiafiic fancies; and his operations, as frantic notions; and all his graces and influences, as dreams and delufions.

4. His word is reproached; "But when the Jews faw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and fpake a gainst those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blafpheming,"Acts xiii. 45. Atheists speak against the authority of the fcriptures: Papifts fpeak against the perfpicuity of the fcriptures, and receive unwritten' traditions with the fame reverence and affection. Some profanely jeft with the words of the fcripture; making themselves merry with fcripture language, Jer. vi. 10. The word of the Lord is to them a reproach." Profligate

wits relifh no jefts better, than thofe which ridicule the facred word: as no cups could please Belshazzer better, in his drunken frolicks, than the facred veffels of the temple. But, he that fits in heaven will laugh at them, and hold them in derifion; and, in fpite of impotent malice, will magnify the law, and make it honourable.

5. His religion and doctrine is spoken against and reproached. The truth of it, and of the gospel, are many times reproached, ridiculed, and contradicted, as falfe and groundless; even as the mediation, and the refurrection of the dead was mocked at by the Athenian philofopher, The laws of it were accounted grievous and unreasonable, as hard fayings. The ordinances of it defpifed, as mean, and having no form and comelinefs; hence came in the gaudy ornaments of human invention, in the worship of God. Sabbaths and facraments were mocked at and contemned. Primitive Chriftianity was induftrioufly calumniated, because it overthrew idolatry; for, when the devil was filenced, in his oracles, he opened his mouth in lies and flanders: Julian difcharged the Chriftians to be called any other thing than Galileans. And the reformed religion, in like manner, was reproached: Where was your religion, fay the Papifts, before Luther and Calvin? Why, it was ftill in the Bible, where Popery never was: though it maintains all that doctrine, which Chrift and his apoftles preached; yet, the profeffor's and preachers of it, are called fchif matics and heretics. And even amongst these who profefs the reformed religion, how is the flower of godlinefs contradicted and contemned, by thofe that rest only in a form! They that are fervent in fpirit, ferving the Lord, must expect to be evil spoken of, by fuch as affect lukewarmnefs, and indifference in religion; and fo,

6. His fervants and people are alfo reproached. The preachers of Chrift' are, with a diftinguifhing enmity, every-where fpoken against. 2. Cor. xi. 16. They have been trampled upon as the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things. Ezek. xxxiii. 30, 31, 32. The ftandard-bearers have been moft ftruck at.-The profeffors of religion alfo, have been reproached, reviled,

and