It is a world of hurt that comes to the church by impropriations, espe- cially in the north parts, as we hear too much by reports. In great and mighty parishes to set up poor and weak men, and others wholly to receive the revenues ; and that is the reason of the swarm of dangerous papists in those parts. _ Oh, that these things had been looked to in time ! The walls of Jericho had not been built again in those parts so much as they are. This is one main way, the planting of an able ministry ; for this painted harlot, she cannot endure the breath of the ministry. It
THE EUIN OF MYSTICAL JERICHO.
471
discovers all her painting ; it lays her naked and open ; she knows it well
enough.*
3. Then again, take heed of the spreading of infections. Men should be careful this way. They build up their rehgion thus, that else would fall down more and more. We are so confident in our cause, that we suffer men to read any popish treatises. They on the other side watch all things, so that there cannot a spark of our light break into them, what by their Inquisition, and other courses that they [take. Confidence in our cause hath made us careless and secure in this kind. Therefore care this way is one means to help it.
4. And then encouragement of good learning. Popery fell with the begin- ning of good learning. Religion and good learning came in together. If I were in some place I should speak more of this ; for, as I said before, it is a dark religion, not only in regard of the religion itself, but it grows and thrives with ignorance and barbarism, and not understanding of arts and tongues. They have helped very much towards the overthrow of these walls of Jericho. ' Every one should contend for the faith once given,' as St Jude admonisheth, ver. 3. Every one, the poorest man, may con- tend with his prayers. He that saith, ' Thy kingdom come,' what doth he pray for ? If he pray in faith, he desires that God would pull down all opposite kingdoms to the kingdom of his Son Christ ; that the kingdom of Christ may come, more and more in the hearts of his people ; that he may reign everywhere more freely and largely than he doth. Every one may help forward the kingdom of Christ ; he may help forward Jerusalem, and pull down Jericho ; every one that hath a fervent devotion of prayer.
5. And hy a hohj life; for when men are vicious and carnal, they occa- sion God, — for not loving and embracing the truth, — to give them up to popish errors and such like. Many ways there be to stop the building up of Jericho.
6. But this is one especial, which this day occasions ; that is, tkankfnl- ness to God, a thankful remembrance, how God hath fought for us ; how God hath by little and little ruinated the walls of this Jericho, and hath helped us to build the walls of our Jerusalem. A thankful remembrance is a notable means to hinder the growth of popery ; for w-hen we remember their attempts, how God hath cursed and crossed them, it will make us love our religion that God hath witnessed to by so many deliverances, and it will make us hate theirs the more. Therefore it was a worthy work of that reverend bishop, that set out in a treatise all the deliverances that have been fi.-om popish conspiracies, from the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's time to this present. It was a worthy work, beseeming that grave and reverend person (c). * Prayer gets blessings, but thankfulness 'keeps them.' So thankfulness to God for that which is past, for so many deliverances, is a means to preserve God's love and care of us still ; that he will be our buckler, and castle, and hold, and all defence ; thankfulness will do this.
We are over- prone to look upon civil grievances, — which are to be regarded and helped in season, — but naturally our nature is subject to complain more than to be thankful. AVe are so sensible of ill as to pray for remedy ; but then let us alway be thankful to God for the good we have had these many years together, and the good that still, blessed be God, we enjoy. What cause have we to be thankful, that we are as the * three young men' in the furnace ! All Europe hath been in combustion, and we have been un- touched and safe in the midst of the furnace under a quiet government. * Cf. Memoir, Vol. I. p. 60, seq.-G.
472 THE KUIN OF MYSTICAL JERICHO.
What cause have wo to bless God, for continuing the liberties of the gos- pel, whereby the soul is built up in saving knowledge, and ignorance banished ! It was a fault in Rehoboam's time, in the beginning of his reign, it was a fault in these men, they could complain of the government of Solomon ; and certainly there were many grievances in Solomon's : he was a great builder, and it w^as not without some cause they complained. Yet notwithstanding Solomon's time was a blessed time, and they had great cause to bless God for the government of Solomon. Now it is very likely in the story that they forgat it, and only lighted upon some grievance. I beseech you, let us in these times stir up our hearts to be thankful ; as upon other occasions, so upon occasion of this day we are to bless God for this glorious deliverance, which we have spoken of so oft, again and again ; and therefore we need not be much in the particular setting out the facinorous* and prodigious fact, that gives the day occasion to be remembered, as it hath oft done before. Let that remembrance, I say, stir us up to thankfulness, to shew our thankfulness, and love to that truth that God hath defended. ' Hath God been a wilderness to us ?' Jer. ii. 31, as the prophet complains. Hath religion done us any harm ? Why should we grow cold and lukewarm ? Why should we decay in our first- love ? Why should we be so unfruitful, when God hath given us so many encouragements to be thankful and fruitful, as he hath done ? I beseeeh yon, let us consider with ourselves, if we be not more thankful upon these occasions for these deliverances, and work our hearts to love religion, and to hate popery more, it will be just with God that they shall be thorns in our sides more than they have been, and pricks in our eyes ; that we shall see what a dangerous faction they are, and what case we are in. For those that are drunk with the cup of this harlot, it takes away their wits from them. Those that worship images and stocks, they are stocks them- selves. Though the danger be great to themselves, j^et they labour to make others worse than themselves. There is no trusting to them. We should more fear them than foreign enemies. Both reasons of state, and reasons of religion, and reasons of our own safety, all should be forcible to have a special regard to prevent the growth of popery.