Acts. xxi. 21. The rulers that attempted to put Paul to death at Jerufalem put on this cloak :Thou feeft brother Paul how many thousands there are that believe, and they are all zealous of the law, Acts xxi. 20. And under this cloak of malicioufnefs they laid violent hands upon the apostle, crying out, Men of Ifrael help; this is the man that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place, verfe 28. Poor Stephen was murdered under this cloak: Then they fuborned men which faid, We have heard him speak blafphemous words against Mofes and against God. For we bave heard him fay, that this Jefus fhall destroy this place, and fhall change the customs which Mofes delivered us, Acts vi. 11. 14.

Thus it appears how the children of the freewoman have been put to death by the children of Hagar; and all under a cloak of zeal for the law. Modern hypocrites fly here when they attempt to ridicule the grace of God; yea, even Pharifees, who are farther from the kingdom of God than publicans and harlots, will charge the children of God with want of love to holiness. Yet none of these perfecutors and murderers were deftitute of candour. It is true, they used fharpness against the faints; yet even Jezabel, though The charged Naboth with antinomianifm, or making void the law, by blafpheming God and the king, yet the fhewed much gentleness and candour to fome that were of a different perfuafion, for fhe kept four hundred of thefe at her own table.

But I suppose you want to know what these people mean by candour. Let me once more defcribe an hypocritical professor of religion; though I have touched upon him before in this difcourse, yet I will ftir up your pure minds again by way of remembrance.

First, They attend alarming preachers, and receive fome light into the letter of the law; which light does not reach the heart to discover fin, but the head only, which is enlightened into the letter of the law; they have a form of knowledge [that is all] and of the truth in the law, Rom. ii. 20. This form of knowledge is the lamp which these foolish virgins take; the law is a light to their feet, the commandment is a lamp, Prov. vi. 23. These are faid, as Paul faid of himself, to be alive without the law; that is, they are alive to this their form of knowledge, and accordingly make this form their only and all-fufficient rule of life; and no wonder, when they have not got the law at all-they are alive without the law-the. law has not killed them. To this form of knowledge which they are alive to, they perform a deal of eye-service, which is mercenary; fuch as the elder fon boasted of, who told his father that be never tranfgreffed his commandment at any time, faying, Lo, thefe many years do I ferve thee, Luke xv. 29. in the oldness of the letter, Rom. vii. 6. To this form of knowledge out of the law, the hypocrite adds an affent to the truths of the gospel; the law is his lamp and his rule-the gospel ferves only

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only for a cloak. To this affent to the truths of the gospel, they add a reformation of life and manners, which is called efcaping the pollution that is in the world; and their apoftacy is called a turning from the holy commandment, not from the promife of Chrift, nor the grace of God, but from the boly commandment delivered to them, 2 Peter ii. 20, To this form of knowledge out of the law, and affent to the gospel (or what is called a feigned faith), and an external reformation, they add one thing more, which makes the hypocrite pass in disguise into the church; which is, they fhew their wisdom, in being forward to talk; they are diligent in their will worship, and put on the garb of voluntary bumility, Coloff. ii. 18. 23. which completes the Spiced or perfumed hypocrite, who hath been fweetened and embalmed by an empty profeffion, and appears to be changed by the gospel juft as lemon peel is by clarified fugar; hence their flummery or candour is called a fweet fpirit; and fuch a difguifed perfumed bypocrite is called a candid perfon. There were great numbers of old women in Jerufalem who made a livelihood by fuch meekness and candour as this; they were called mourning women, and used to be hired at burials to weep and mourn when the furviving could not do it; you might have enough of it if you had but money to pay them for it. God talks of these hypocrites: Thus faith the Lord of hofts, Confider ye, and call for mourning women, and fend for cunning women

that

that they may come, and let them make hafte and take up a wailing for us, Jer. ix. 17, 18. But what has all this to do with a faint of God? he is quite another thing; the law proceeds from God to him; he receives it at his mouth, and lays up. bis words in his heart; the commandment comes with power, fin revives and he dies, and then rifes with Christ under the operations of the Spirit of God; such walk in newness of life, and ferve in the newnefs of the Spirit, follow Chrift in the regeneration, and go from firength to ftrength till they appear before God in Zion; and as many as walk according to this rule, mercy on them and peace, and upon the Ifrael of God.

From what has been faid, it is plain, there is nothing in this text that militates against a labourer in the Lord's vineyard, or againit a good foldier of Chrift Jefus; nor is there any thing in it that countenances or encourages fenfual men or mourning women, to vilify, flander, or ridicule the fervants of God as being deftitute of candour. The fame God that tells me to be gentle, tells me to ufe fharpness where it is wanted; to be gentle to all men, yet to reject an heretic after the first or fecond admonition; to be apt to teach, and yet to Stop the mouths of gainfayers; to reprove and rebuke, as well as comfort and encourage; to honour widows that are widows indeed; but not to fuffer idle, tattling, canting women to teach, nor to ufurp authority over the man; to infift upon fuch women's using the Spindle and diftaff, instead of eating

the

the bread of idleness and living upon the labour of others. Behold this was the iniquity of their fifter Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness, Ezek. xvi. 49. and 'tis women that give themselves over to the fame lazy life, that are bringing the fame fiery judgments on their own fouls; who, rather than work with their bands, will pretend even to the Spirit of grace, counterfeit religion, injure the miniftry, oppose the servants of God, and expofe the worshippers of him to contempt at the doors of the congregation, and fet the uncircumcifed to triumph in order to pick up a few pence, to indulge their idleness rather than stoop to the needle, or to the honeft calling of gathering a few rags, or felling laces and pins. Such fet themfelves up for propheteffes and teachers, and fo blind the eyes of poor fimple people and mump a livelihood out of them, while these poor honest souls think they are serving Chrift, by boufing and feeding his faints; whereas they are only ferving the devil, nurfing his hypocritical family, and bringing themselves to poverty. God fays, If they will not work neither fhall they eat; keep fuch tattling hypocrites as these out of your houses; enquire after the experience of their religion, and keep your pantry door locked, and they will foon have done with you, when they find you deftitute of candour. Remember, a real believer thinks 'tis more blessed to give than to receive; a true chriftian is diligent in bufinefs and fervent in fpirit. Such idle, tattling, graceless women who pretend to the Spirit of God,