for this thing, 1 Sam. xxviii. 10. This woman's wickedness was exceeding great; fhe is faid to hold converfe with a familiar spirit; to correspond with the devil, be a bawd to him, and stand pimp for him, is the quinteffence of Spiritual wickedness; yet to give this daughter of the devil her due, it must be granted that he was not without fome modefly, for the never reproaches the king for what he had done, only fays to his meffenger, Behold thou knoweft what Saul has done, how be bath cut off thofe that have familiar fpirits, and the wizards out of the land, wherefore then layeft thou a fnare for my life, to cause me to die? 1 Sam. xxviii. 9. Yet even this woman, who had loft fo many brothers and fifters in profeffion, did not write to ridicule the king, though he had deftroyed so many of her own fynagogue, that belonged to the fame fraternity, or was familiar with the fame father, nor does fhe inveigh against any of the children of Ifrael whom Saul employed to cut off the wizards and witches; and fo far is the from writing twopenny volumes against the Lord's fervants that he is frightened at the appearance of her own father when he had fwaddled himself up in the likeness of Samuel's mantle. For when the woman faw Samuel fhe cried with a loud voice, and the woman faid, Why baft thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. And the king faid unto her, Be not afraid, for what saweft thou? and the women faid unto Saul, I faw gods afcending out of the earth, for an old man cometh up covered with a mantle, 1 Sam. xxviii. 12, 13, 14,

This woman is fo far from oppofing the prophets of God, that he could not stand before the devil when he was difguifed in a prophet's mantle, until the king encouraged her, and told her not to be afraid.

Among all the women that are called mothers in Ifrael-among all the women that are called blessed -among all that are called faithful-among all that are called propbetesses of the Lord-among all that are called bonourable women-among all that are faid to minister to the Saviour, or help his fervants; nay, not one among the false prophetefes, not Herodias herself; not one among Paul's tattling women, who waxed wanton, learned to be idle, wandering about from house to house; not one of the old wives that dealt in fables; not one of the witches that held familiarity with the devil. himself, had ever courage or infolence enough to write against the fervants of the Lord but JEZEBEL; who, among all the females that ever were born of women, was the most infamous for Spiritual wickedness and murder; and her end was as dreadful as her life was vile. She wrote letters in Abab's name, and fealed them with his feal, and fent the letters unto the elders, and to the nobles that were in Abab's city dwelling with Naboth. This woman was not afraid to fend her addrefs from houfe to house; fhe defired to fhew her abilities-fhe was not afhamed of the cause the efpoufed. She wrote in the letters, faying, Proclaim a faft [this woman was not without religion-fhe enforced fafting],

and fet Naboth on high among the people; that is, fhe pretended to exalt him as one of God's fervants, but conceals her villanous intention; and when you have done this then fet the children of the devil at him-fet two men, fons of Belial [or the devil] before him, to bear witness against him [charge him with antinomianifm and difloyalty], saying, Thou didst blafpheme God and the king; and then carry bim out, and tone him that be may die. And the men of bis city, even the elders and the nobles (who are no great friends to religion), did as Jezabel bad fent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had fent; and they proclaimed a faft, and fet Naboth on high among the people. I suppose they said they had no doubt of his being a fervant of the Lord: And there came in two men, children of Belial, and fat before him. I fuppofe one was a plaifterer, and the other a musician; be that as it may, they enforced the law, and fhewed they were no friends to Antinomianism, nor to party fpirits, for they agreed in their verdict. And the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth in the presence of the people, faying, Naboth did blafpheme God and the king. These men enforced the moral law, and fhewed their loyalty in bearing a public witness against this fingular man, who would not part with his vineyard; Then they carried Naboth forth out of the city, and ftoned bim with ftones that he died, 1 Kings xxi. &, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.

4

This venerable mother Jezabel is all the precedent that our present prophetess has got to countenance her in writing against the fervants of God; and the myftical body, to which this name Jezabel is now applied, is as pregnant with mischief, and as unfatiated for the blood of the faints, as her literal mother was, and all the artillery of God is levelled at her; even at popish Jezabel, who calls herfelf a prophetess and pretends to teach. From thefe few obfervations it may be seen how the fervants of God have fared in every age; and I fhall endeavour to fhew that the best of men have been charged with antinomianifm, and of being influenced by a bad fpirit; though it must be acknowledged, that the devil never could harden any women to write against the fervants of God but Jezabel.

In prophetic times the prophets were called fools; Spiritual men were called mad; the fnare of a fowler in all his ways, and was hated in the house of his God, Hof. ix. 7, 8. If he was a fool he was tinctured with enthusiasm, and if mad he was influenced by a bad fpirit, for all madness is of the devil. Chrift was accused of being influenced by a bad fpirit; they faid he caft out devils by Beelzebub, who was the God of Ekron; he was accufed of antinomianifm-This man is not of God-he makes void the law-be keepeth not the fabbath, John ix. 16. he was accufed of disloyalty-he Speaketh against Cæfar, John xix. 12.

Paul was accused of teaching the people to forfake Mofes, and of doing evil that good might come s

and all thefe enemies pretended great zeal for the law; even Jezabel herself fled for refuge here, as hath been already obferved. It appears evident that the worft adverfaries that ever Chrift or his church have had upon earth, were hypocritical profeffors of religion; and all their rage and murder that they committed upon the faints, was always done under a cloak of zeal for the boly law of God. Jezabel pretended to act by this rule: Naboth blafphemed God and the kingStone him to death. Whofoever curfeth bis God fhall bear his fin; and he that blafphemeth the name of the Lord, be fhall furely be put to death; all the congregation fhall certainly flone him, Levit. xxiv. 15, 16.

The Jews took fhelter under the law when they crucified Chrift; We have a law, and by our law be ought to die, because he made himself the fon of God, John xix. 7. But the holy law of God was no protection for them; it countenances no murderer, no falfe witnefs, no hypocrite, no flanderer, no false teacher, no falfe accufer; Did not Mofes give you the law? and yet none of you keep the law: Why go ye about to kill me, John vii. 19. When the Saviour brought the law against them, they accufed him of a bad Spirit; they said, Thou hast a devil. Who goeth about to kill thee? verfe 20. This was the Jews plea against Paul: And they are informed of thee, that thou teacbeft all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forfake Mofes; faying, that they ought not to circumcife their children, neither to walk after the customs,

Acts