THese are some of the last words of the blessed Apostle S. PAUL, expi­ring like an invincible Champion upon the Bed of truest Honour, with a serene Conscience of his Duty, and an assur'd Confidence of his Reward; I have fought, &c.

He fought a good fight, where none was hurt but Himself; and his Wounds were his Cure, and his Scars his Bliss: He manfully exposed himself to be torne with Reproaches, and Worried, and Whipt, and Ston'd to Death, to save the Souls of his Persecuters; for which their Posterities Bless and Adore his Memory to this day; exemplifying therein his great and meek Master in his Steps and Reward, who being in the form of God, yielded himself to suffer Death and Shame for others, as the meanest of Men; and his re-position, or exalta­tion for it, from his Righteous Judge, was as great and stupendious as his Humility, Philip. 2.6, 7, 8.

He finished his course, or his Race of restless Well-doing; where the Disciple had the Honour in some measure to out-vie his Master, as was foretold, John 14.12. For whereas his Blessed Sa­viour's Race and Circuit was confin'd to the space of about Four Years, and within the narrow Pale and Bounds of the Land of Canaan, to perform his Works of Wonders, and Mercy, in; his Blessed Apostle was dignify'd with a larger space of Time and Teritory, even the Hazard and Travel of 35 years over Asia and Europe, to sow a large Harvest of Glory and Immortality to himself, in saving millions of Souls, and reducing the Roman Empire, [Page 3] and the Prince of the Air and his Legions, into subjection, with no more than his naked single Person, with his Arms tyed behind him, (as it were;) his Apostolical Progress was not a March, but a Race; the mountainous Difficulties he met with, prov'd champaign and plain ground, Christ working by him, to make the Gentiles obedient to him in Word and Deed through mighty Signs and Wonders, by the Power of the Spirit of God, Rom. 15.18, 19. From his first setting out, he never breath'd or rested, until he finished.

He kept the Faith, no Force or Storm without, was able to make him surrender the Profession of it; no Temptation within, to renounce the Practice. What some while before he was confident of, he now after Tryal and Experience finds he hath effected: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ [saith he before,] shall Tribulation, or Anguish, or Famine, or Nakedness, or Peril, or Sword? [...], But in these things we are more than Conquerours through him that loved us. His meaning well may be, that all Humane Power is too low a Match, that the Fire and Sword of the Roman Empire, was too weak an Enemy to any one single Christian who hath Christ on his side: There vvas an [...] an overplus of strength to spare, [Page 4] after these vvere baffled: He therefore in the following Verses casts his Gantlet into another world, to challenge Powers far stronger than Humane, to try their strength upon him; and erects an impossible Figure or supposition, [according to his manner, when he is to shew the greatness of his love to Christ, or his Church, Rom. 9.3. Galat. 1.8.] And believes, that all the Angelical Powers & Principalities above, (where­of each one singly is too strong a Match for the whole world, as may be well believ'd, and in­fer'd from an Instance in the Assyrian Camp, 2 Kin. 19.35.) were not with all their Joynt-strength and Hostility, [if such an hostility could be ever imaginable,] ever able to wrest from him his Faith and Love of Christ; sever they might, the one, or the other power, his Body from his Soul, as did Nero, but never his Soul from his Saviour; And what he therefore boasted (through Christ's strength,) at putting on his Armour, he could do, he here triumphantly proclaims, after putting off, that he hath effected, that he hath kept the Faith against all Attacques, and Storms and Sieges whatsoever.

Having survey'd his Duty, and Victorious Warfare with great content and serenity, (as no­thing makes fouler or clearer weather in the Soul, [Page 5] which hath an instinct of Judgement to come to its constitution,) than the remembrance at our lat­ter end of the past Actions of our Lives, whether good or bad: He then reflects on his future Re­vard and Crown What more naturally succeeds good Actions, than good Hopes? For Christ is a Righteous Judge, as it follows in the Text, and a sure Rewarder of them that diligently seek him, Heb. 11.6. For God is not unrighteous that he should forget mens Work and Labour of Love, which they have shewed to­wards him, 6.10.

Therefore saith he, Henceforth is laid up for me the Crown of Righteousness, which the Lord shall give me at that day. The Day of Death is the Day of Rest, Rev. 14.13. Phil. 1.23. But the Day of Judg­ment is the Cornation Day of Christians. Wherefore he saith, This Crown of Righteousness is laid up for him, and not given and delivered till that Day.

All Heirs of this Crown of Righteousness, are Heirs by Merit, and not by Bloud: The eternal Son of God himself (the only Heir of this Crown by Birth and Bloud, as it were) was to become de novo, an Heir of it by merit, for Pattern and Example, Phil. 2.9. Rom. 8.29, 30. 2 Tim. 2.12.

But you'l say, what hopes can we, or any o­ther [Page 6] Christian have of ever arriving to this Crown of Righteousness by the like deserts of Christ and St. Paul? who can pretend to the like humility, or merit, or suffering, to be capable of the like glory? [And yet the Apostle exhorts all to be Followers of him as he was of Christ 1 Cor. 11.1.] He is therefore careful and ready with a comfor­table Answer for such weak minds; Not to me only, but to all them also, that love his appearing. If thou canst not fight and die, as they did, canst thou love? If thou canst but love, and long for his appearing, thou also shalt be capable of the like Glory and Bliss, which is the most prominent part of the Text, and most pertinent to all our common Interest and Edification; as likewise perhaps the most accommodable to our present purpose and meeting; which therefore I shall chuse chief­ly to insist upon: And for distincter method, shall subdivide into three particular Articles there­in contained, which are to be explained and han­dled in their order.

The first is, The appearing of Christ to judge the World in righteousness at the last day. The second, That appearing loved. The third, That Love crown­ed. And first of the first;

Which yet, out of regard to so learned an Audi­tory, [Page 7] for the major part, and the hardness of the VVeather, which calls for brevity, I shall not at this time enter on, to display and prove at large, but shall rather take it for granted, as a funda­mental Article of our Faith, supposed in my Text, described in the Evangelists, registred in Creeds, testifyed by Martyrs, believ'd by the whole Chri­stian Church, and considered by every Soul there­in, that shall be saved.

And therefore shall pass to the second point, That appearing loved. All Christians, true and false, love or hate this appearing: The hypocritical carnal Christian hates to think of or consider this appea­ring, its an evil day with him that he ever puts off. He regards not God [...]s eye, but Man's, not his Duty and Conscience, and the eternal Interest of his Soul, but his Back or Belly only, and the present Interest of his Body: The serious consideration and belief of this single Article would presently sweep dovvn all his Cobvveb-Designs, and false Felicities: [...]he love of Christs appearing puts an end to all the Pomps and Vanities of this vvorld, vvhich have their value from infidelity; to all Lust and Hypocrisie, vvhich particularly excludes God's omniscient eye to all Craft, Policy, Oppressi­on and Over-reaching of Brethren, (vvhich is so [Page 8] contrary to Charity) of which we are so particu­larly assured, that God is a sure Avenger, 1 Thes. 4.6. So that none can pursue any unlawful De­signs against their Brethren, and believe this point at the same time, without being manifestly con­vinced to be peny wise and pound foolish, in all such clashings against God in Man.

But the love of Christ's appearing is the chief Wisdom, and Refuge, and Vitals and Delight of all true Christians. They are never overseen, never lapse out of their Road, into Shame, or Guilt, or Danger, while they are guided by this Pole-star; they never sink under any Oppression or Reproach, while they keep their eye on this Tribunal. While this point is stifled by any importunate Lust, or Passion, or private End, there Christian Graces are in danger of an Apoplexy; while this cordi­al Antidote is next their heart, they are alvvays healthful and safe.

And this love of Christs appearing may be fur­ther distinctly explaind, 1st. By shewing the causes that destroy or beget it in us. 2dly. By a character of those Actions and Effects it produces in such Souls in vvhom it is begotten. And first of the causes of it, in three particulars.

[1] Man, vvho consists of tvvo Parts, Tem­poral [Page 9] and eternal, or Body and Soul, is ever rightly guided, or misguided, according as he takes the one, or the other part of himself, for his chiefest Interest; but that the one in opposition to the o­ther, the Body to the Soul, or carnal Profit and Pleasure, to Duty and good Conscience, is as no­thing, and less than vanity and nothing, is not on­ly the Belief of mortified Christians, but the joynt Sense and Suffrage of all men of Honour and Bra­very, of all Nations, and Ages, and Perswasions throughout the World.

Where therefore the love of the Body only reigns and prevails, and of this present World, by consequence, (which is unison and correlative to it) that's a barren ground where the love of Christ's appearing can never grow: and the Crown of Righ­teousness, its consequent, is never heeded or de­sired, much less attain'd or labour'd after.

But where Honour, and Conscience, and the Interest of the Soul, is the chiefest Interest and Measure, such are not far from the Kingdom of Heaven, such are very capable Subjects and Dis­ciples of this love of Christ's appearing.

But, secondly, There is another pair of contra­ry Measures and Interests, which (though but as Copies to the first,) have a greater influence into [Page 10] Practice, than the Originals themselves; two Glas­ses or Appearances, the one wrong, the other right; for we are more led and influenced in our Pra­ctice, by appearance and conceptions, than by the objects themselves] that is to say, Sense and Faith. The bruital Principle of sense, or the wrong glass, which is ting'd and affected only with present things, and annihilates all futurities: or that coele­stial of Faith, the right Glass, which is the evi­dence of things invisible, and eternal, and the eclipse of things visible and temporal.

Great and Wonderful is the change and alteration that Faith and Sense do make in the Nature of things without us, in the first place, and in our values and affections in the next, which answer to the for­mer, as the Shadow to the Body. The Joys of Heaven, and Torments of Hell, to purblind sense, are but non-entities, [according to the Rule, idem est non esse, & non apparere] meer shadows, and page­antry, and empty Names, that have no force or weight, to set it upon action, either to part with Charity, to gain the one, or with any present Lust or Satisfaction to escape the other. It is unreason­able to expect it should be otherwise; For men are acted and mov'd by their Interest, and what is profitable and available to them. Now it is against [Page 11] as well as interest, that a man should have a high value for nothing, or what is nothing in his esteem and sense, which is equivalent.

On the contrary, the Evidence of Faith can make as great an alteration in the nature of things, whether Eternal, to give them their due existence, or Tem­poral, their low rate, to render the one, and the other considerable, or inconsiderable to our hearts and affections.

When a man by Faith in good earnest, which makes futuritie present, shall begin to live, by vast foresight, beyond the Grave, and Death, and this present World, and be carried into Paradice, and fix his Residence in Eternity, in the society of An­gels, and immortal Spirits, and Jesus their Head and King, and having the Sun and Moon under his Feet, shall behold this little Ball of Earth from the third Heaven, and the Inhabitants thereof, the Children of Men, upon it, like Ants upon a Mole-Hill;

How will the Pomps and Vanities of this World then vanish and dwindle? And its Castles and Mountains become Warts, and the Provinces of this VVorld, for which men swell and fight, be as the Cabins of an Honey-Comb? and its idoliz'd Silver and Gold become Earth, and useless Met­tal, [Page 12] and uncurrant Coyn in the other world, where nothing is in request but Truth, and Charity, and Justice, and Chastity, and Temperance, and Pa­tience, and Martyrdom, and the like? How shall the Devil tempt such a Soul, plac'd in Heaven by Faith [as he did Christ] with all his Kingdoms and Glories of this world, upon such a foil and dis­advantage? where Christ's appearing is well per­ceived and believed, the Devil is quite beggar'd, and his Temptations stand upon his hand for want of worth and vent; so that the same Faith, which sets the world under our Feet, sets Satan also under us; whose Strength and Dominion is in the Vertue and Power of this present world over our Sense and Flesh.

No allurement or force on earth can induce a Paul to sin. No rewards of Heaven, and terrors of Hell can reduce the voluptuous from it, and all that from their right or wrong viewing and judg­ing of things through the different Glasses of Faith and Sense.

They therefore that walk by Sense, and not by Faith, will never arrive to this love of Christ's ap­pearing, and its Crown annext; they, on the con­trary, that live by Faith, and mortifie Sense, and its suggestions, both can and will.

The Principle of Sense in Beasts, and Children, is allowable, in Men its Low and unreasonable: and in Christians, absurd and Infidel.

Thirdly, This love of Christ's appearing (as all other loves whatsoever) requires a moral transmigra­tion and in-dwelling of the Soul of the lover, upon its object; He that loves Christ's appearing, will daily think and dwell thereon; as much as the worlding upon his Coffer, or the voluptuous upon his Beauty, or the ambitious upon his Design; If that be true, not where he lives, but where he loves, the Christian, who loves Christ's appearing, lives not on Earth, where he is in Fact and Nature, but in Heaven, where he is in Will and Delight. And love is an affection of self-preservation, while Christians love Christ's appearing, they preserve themselves to be Christians; while they neglect or disaffect it, they destroy and renounce their own being, which is unnatural and barbarous.

And so much of the causes that destroy or beget the love of Christ's appearing in us: the Actions and Effects it produces may best appear in a short character of such, in respect of Thoughts, and Words, and Actions, and Converse. For every man's Actions and Delights are according to his Principles; If he hath the Principles of a Beast, [Page 14] he'l live like a Beast, by Sense only; if of a Man, he'l live by Reason and Honour, as a Man; if of a Christian, he'l live like a Christian, with Christ in Heaven, by Faith, more like an Angel or Cheru­bim, than a meer Man. He feeds and subsists upon Glory every day, as a Roman Spirit upon Honour; He daily preinjoys Heaven, (in the midst of Pres­sure and Tribulation) by Acts of Faith and Hope, as a pleasurist his object by vain thoughts. The Mathematician of Syracuse was not so intent upon his Diagrams, to the loss of his Life, as he is in­tent on Heaven, to the contempt of the World: His Language is not Oaths and Dammees, like a De­vil; but perpetual Halelujahs, like an Angel He dreads every idle World, whereof an account is to be given at the Day he loves: He fears nothing on Earth but God, and cares for no reproach but Conscience, let him be kept from Prayers and converse with Heaven, and he is a dead Man, like a Fish out of its Element: He is careful from doing any wrong, which turns to loss, and careless of suffering wrong, which turns to account, at the Day he values. The injury he suffers he can, that he does, he can never forget, till he hath made reparation: His poverty is patience with him, his riches charity; he lives above all his senses, he is a Seraphical Idol, he hath eyes and sees not, [Page 15] ears and hears not, and mouth and tasts not; no­thing is Meat or Musick to him, but whereby his God is honoured, his Neighbour relieved, or his Soul benefitted. In a word, his whole conversation is in Heaven, from whence also he looks for his Saviour, his Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change his vile Body, that it may be fashion'd like unto his glorious Body, ac­cording to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself. And so I have done with the second Article, This appearing loved.

The third is, this love crown'd, or publickly re­warded; where allusion seems to be made, either to the Olympick Games, where only one us'd, but here all may so run, as to obtain; or to Roman Customs, where that Soldier that was first seen upon the Wall of the Enemy, was crown'd by the General with a Garland at Rendezvous, with the acclamati­on of the whole Army: And so shall it be with every Christian-soldier at the Last Day, before a greater Assembly, even God and his glorified Saints and Angels, vvho shall maintain his Baptism and War against Sin, the VVorld and the Devil, to his last gasp.

Dearly beloved, rhere is a great difference be­tvveen this Life, and that vvhich follovvs. This is a time of toil and sovving, that of Harvest and [Page 16] Joy. Gal. 6.8. Here Dives receives his good things, and Lazarus evil; There he is comforted, and the other tormented, Luke 16.15. Here we are Mi­litant, there triumphant. Here God hears, and sees, and says nothing, but there he'l pronounce our sen­tence with thunder, and tear us in pieces, and there shall be none to deliver, Ps. 50.21, 22. Here thy Alms are given in secret, that thy left hand knows not what thy right hand doth, but there thy Father who saw in secret shall reward the openly, Mat. 6.4. For there is nothing covered that shall not be reveal'd, nor hid that shall not be known, saith the Mouth of Truth, Mat. 10.26.

But that which enlarges our right to this Crown, is, the divine and infinitely candid Interpretation of all our good actions at that great Court. We thought we reliev'd our own Flesh, and eas'd our own Bo­wels, when we reliev'd any poor; but there the Judge upon the Bench graciously replies it was him­self that we reliev'd in every such. Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto any of the least of these my Brethren, ye have done it unto me, Mat. 25.50. Taking advantage upon us, from stolen obligati­ons, to reward us according to divine munifi­cense beyond what vve could ever expect, or hope.

And if the Relieving of a few of our (now his) poor Brethren; yea, with a Cup of cold Water, Mat. 10.42. attract that Sentence, Come ye Blessed of my Father, take the Inheritance of the Kingdom pre­pared for you, &c. What Glory shall they deserve, that are of publick Spirit, and universal Charity? That generously and manfully hazard their Lives and Fortunes, to preserve their Prince from Im­posture, and their Country from Slavery, Tem­poral and Spiritual; and resolve, either to trans­mit the Faith once delivered to the Saints, sound and untainted to their posterity, or perish into Crowns in its Defence; and who can number the Jewels, or calculate the Dimensions of Saint Paul's Crown of Glory, for his 35 Years Glori­ous Ministry, and the 1600 years Influence and Benefit of his Divine Epistles, to all Ages and Nations, but he alone, that can tell the Numbers of the Stars, and count the Sand of the Sea?

Dearly honour'd and belov'd in Christ, I should be inconveniently prolix, should I prove the immen­sly Gracious retributive Justice of God, to Man's weak Endeavours, either from his revealed Word and Nature, who is the Judge of all the World that will do right, Gen. 18.25. to every man according to his Works without respect of Persons, Rom. 2.11. [Page 18] or from the irresistable Impress and Imitation of that his Nature, by subordinate antecedaneous Judgements in all Mens praise and censure of Ver­tue and Vice wheresoever, whether in Friends or E­nemies, and their constant Arrest and Depression of Proud, and Exaltation of the Humble in whatever condition, in an imitatory Allegiance to his Di­vine Nature and Decree, Who resisteth the Proud, and giveth his Grace to the Humble, 1 Pet. 5.5.

But I shall confine my self to the Light of Na­ture, and that only in the Fabrick and Make of our Souls, and that likewise in two of its Faculties, our Will and Conscience.

God in the first Make and Constitution of our Souls, design'd us to be rewardable and punishable, and that chiefly and primarily by himself alone: What else means that Freedom of our Will, where­by we are differenc'd from Beasts? Who act by Necessity, and are forc'd by Bits and Blows, and are not therefore capable of Rewards or Punish­ment; from which Bondage and Slavery, our Souls, in their Constitutions are exempted, being exalted above all Humane Force and Coercion, yet solely capable of Praise and Blame, which they are charg'd to attend and re-count from the Frowns and Smiles of God alone: For though they can [Page 19] listen, and be not a little comforted or dismay'd with the praise and censure of Magistrates, or Good Men (who are aequivalent) as having the Character and likeness of God upon them; yet let the whole world condemn a Soul in its Innocence, or absolve it in its Guilt and Conscience, as a thousand Witnesses, shall step in, and deride, and laugh them to scorn for their impertinent judging the Subject of an higher Prince; which holds true in all Consciences what­soever, whether Christian or Heathen, (and perhaps in Diabolical) the Consciences of our Romanists a­lone excepted; which are broken off, from this Catholick Loyalty, and Disciplin'd to a contrary private Allegiance, to serve the corrupt ends of a corrupt Church above Soul or Saviour.

For these shall acquiesce in a false peace, and new-born Innocence, upon the Absolution of a Priest, when they stand condemn'd for Murder and Treason by God, and Tribunals, and themselves.

Whereby in a most Traiterous, Idolatrous man­ner, they change God for Man, and the right So­vereign of their Hearts for their Ghostly Deceiver; and prefer a Shaven-crown-Cheat, before the All-seing Righteous Judge of Quick and Dead. And being thus without God in the first place, it is no wonder they become without Consciences in the [Page 20] next by consequence; for of two Relatives, de­stroy the one, and the other falls of course.

Whereby it is invincibly manifest to the Com­mon Sence of all Mankind, That the Modern Ro­man Catholick Religion, is but a meer Imposture, and strong Delusion, and an uniform Treason against the Kings of Heaven and Earth; and its Professors agreeing in their Marks with those Here­ticks, [...], whose Minds and Consci­ences were corrupted, 1 Tim. 6.5. whom all Christians ought to forsake and avoid, as men forsaking and forsaken of God, and devoid, not only of the Nature and Principles of Christians, but also of Men.

For while Men continue Men and Christians, Conscience will continue God's Officer in their Souls, defying and despising all Censure or Praise of Man, that is contrary to its own Knowledge, and Verdict of it self; and abiding no Court or Jurisdiction against the final and righteous Judg­ment of God himself in the last Day; which is a most manifest Argument, that Consci­ence is an Officer or Recorder constituted within us, in order to our final Judgement in the last Day, by God himself; for so saith our Di­vine Apostle, Not he who commendeth himself, (or [Page 21] whom Man commendeth) is approv'd, but he whom the Lord commendeth, 2 Cor. 10.18. And in an­other place, he saith, But with me it is a very small thing, that I should be judged of you, or of Man's Judgement; yea, I judge not my own self; for I know nothing by my self, yet am I not hereby justifi­ed; but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

Yet now at his last, being conscious, after Proof and Tryal, of the discharge of his Duty on the one hand, and of the Gracious Justice of his Lord, his Righteous Judge on the other; this humble Chief of Sinners, entitles his Merits to a Coronation; which from first to last, he ascribes to the Grace of his Lord enabling him, Phil. 4.13. Rom. 6.29. I have fought a good Fight, I have fi­nished my Course, I have kept the Faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord, the Righteous Judge shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but to them also that love his ap­pearing. So much of the third and last point, that Love crown'd.

What then remains, but that having the Mea­sures of our Duty so clear and firm, and greatness of our Reward, so certain; but that we rouze and awaken our selves to live the Life of Faith, and to love the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, [Page 22] and believe, what we do believe, and dai­ly behold dead Ashes listening to the Sound of the last Trump; and the Righteous and Unrighte­ous budding and blossoming out of their Graves and Prisons, to appear in Judgment, to receive their condign Rewards and Punishments.

There comes Herod, and Julian the Apostate, and Mahomet, with all the cruel Persecutors and Deceivers of God's People, with Ropes about their Necks. There comes Beelzebub the Prince of Devils, with his innumerable Legions shack­led in Chains of Everlasting Darkness. There come the mighty Nimrods, of this World, who abuse their Divine Power, to oppress and disturb their Subjects and Neighbours, which was intended for their Comfort and Protection, sentenc'd and pinion'd for Everlasting Torments. There stand our Atheistical Roman Catholick Sharks, that blaspheme at their last Gasp, the Divine Omni­science, which the Devils themselves believe and tremble at, damn'd, and nail'd to Eternal Pillo­ries. On the other Hand, there goes Joseph, and his White Followers, to receive their Crowns of Chastity. There Job and Lazarus, and all chear­ful Sufferers, of Patience. There Sampson, and all Heroick Patriots, the Crowns of Martyrdom [Page 23] for their Countrey and Religion. There St. Paul is Crown'd and Install'd, next the Sun of God, and above St. Peter, for his more abundant Labour. There is a Via Lactea of Learned and Faithful Ministers, that for converting Souls to Righteousness, do shine like Stars in the Firma­ment for Glory. This day kept ever in our Eyes, and Faith, sets all things to right, which in this World good Men endeavour, and therein do well, but can never hope, or expect to see accom­plished.

And that we so dwell on this Appearing, till we dwell in it, till our constant Abode, and walk under the Rays of the Sun of Righteousness colour our Souls into its Similitude; till the Di­vine Excellencies of our Righteous Judge and Saviour, ravish and fill all the Corners of our Souls, and drink up those Affections which we use to reserve for Bosom Sins, and private Ends; till the Comforts of that Day heal all our Wounds, redress all our Wrongs, and secure all our Fears, and still all our Temptations: So Orpheus of old silenc'd the Syrens with the choicer Musick of his Harp; so Glow-Worms and Comets are extin­guisht by the Sun: And so much shall suffice for my Text.

As for the Party deceas'd, he was well known to me at Intervals above 30 Years; and I do verily believe (with allowance of Humane Frail­tie) that the Doctrine of my Text, was a Chara­cter of his Life; and that Mark he did ever aim at, and mostly hit. He so depended on God's Approbation in all he did, that he was careless of Man's: He endured many Reproaches (with his Betters before him) but I believe without Cause, as is observable in a late particular In­stance, mention'd to his Blemish in Publick Votes, and Foreign Latin Gazetts, wherein he satisfied me, (and as I conjecture from their Acquiescence) the House, and the worthy Gentleman concern'd, not only of his own Innocence, but his Care likewise, of the Innocence and Honour of the aforesaid Gentleman, as his particular Friend.

He was true and faithful to the King from his Heart and Conscience, not as a Loyal Parasite, but as a true English Subject, according to Law, which he conceiv'd to be the truest Loyalty, that is to say, Legal Fidelity.

He had a tender respect to all Conscientious Dissenters; yet conform'd himself, and submit­ted for Peace and Union sake, to all Injunctions, un­till redress'd by the same Authority that ordain'd them.

He was of so exact temperance and sobriety, and so wholly taken up with variety of curious Lear­ning, and Languages, and Contemplation, that the Tempter had hardly space ever to recommend him a vain thought, or to take him halting.

He was of an indefatigable publick spirit and motion in every Orb wherein he was fix'd, accor­ding to his power and opportunity, to his utter ex­hausting, which induc'd many narrow and selfish Souls to judge him to be troublesom and over-bu­sie, and to be a Planet, rather than a Star, as he that rides post through Streets will raise much bar­king after him.

And this his publick zeal, from first to last, was chiefly planted against those whom he conceiv'd to be the greatest disturbers of this Nation, and of the World; and the great enemies of Souls, next Sa­tan; whose abominable Principles and Positions he took the pains to represent to our Nation, in his Jesuits Morals, wherewith they were so gaul'd, that they decreed him at St. Omers to be murdered. And the fam'd Discoverer of the present Horrid PLOT being design'd the Executioner, had by that means an opportunity to get out of their clutches, and to come for England, to save his King and Countrey; So that in some good sense and meaning, it may [Page 26] be called D^r. Tonge his PLOT (as some have stiled it in a most malicious) because it had the first means of its publication from their Designs against his Life and Bloud.

For that he had no hand in the least, in contri­ving or inventing any part thereof, but only of As­sistance in transcribing and informing Authority therewith, I can in great part vindicate him, and in this presence, being early privy to several of the Passages. For about the last of August, 1678. at my arrival to Town, the fam'd Discoverer com­municating to me at my Lodging several parts thereof, and particularly their Design upon His Majesties Life; I ask'd, Was the King made forth­with acquainted with it? He answered, Yea; about a fortnight ago. By whom? By D^r. Tonge: And being restless, out of loyal Duty and Safety, till I had further satisfaction herein, I accordingly got the Doctor and the Discoverer to meet the worthy Gentleman, [that introduc'd the Doctor to the King] at a certain House near Fox-hall, the 2^d. of September, where I met with full satisfaction to my Question; where I also was satisfied how far from true another malicious Report was, that was afterwards raised, (as a manifest proof of the shif­ting guilt of the Authors) That the PLOT was [Page 27] hatched by D^r. Tonge and others about Lambeth. For I found the Doctor there studying of no PLOT, but in great anxiety and solicitude, that the Persons and Papers of the Plotters were not sooner seiz'd, before the PLOT took air, and several Pacquets per Post intercepted, according to directions from the Discoverer, which, had there been no omission or default, had made it the most demonstrative Discovery of Hellish Villanies that ever was heard or read [perhaps] in any Age or Nation.

And the Doctors fears vvere not a little increa­sed from my presence, vvhom he knevv to have been severely over-povvered about tvvelve years before, for attempting the early discovery of this PLOT in one part thereof. But the generous Dis­coverer himself was not daunted nor dismayed at all, but with stupendious Courage, continued se­veral days after, and intended it longer, had he not met with foul play] amongst the Traitors at Wild-house, for the further detection of their De­signs.

And as to the five Letters [which the Doctor is maliciously charged to have invented] I have heard him then, and lately, at his last Sickness, de­clare, That he never knew, or saw the said Let­ters, till they were produc'd in Council, and the [Page 28] several hands of their traiterous Authors there prov'd to satisfaction by the Discoverer; And that the first examination of this PLOT in Coun­cil, was wholly owing to providence, and the improvidence and infatuation of those Parties and Patrons, that brought them to the Council, pretending them to be false and counterfeit, out of a Design against innocent men; who had been defended in their wickedness with better luck and success, had they burnt the Originals, and brought but Co­pies to the Council, against which the Discoverer could had nothing to evidence from the hands. And the other security and infatuation of Coleman, about his Papers, though he knew long before the PLOT to be discovered; and their barbarous Cruelty towards Sir Edmundbury Godfrey gave no small confirmation thereunto.

And to the same effect, to his last gasp, the Doctor declar'd to a worthy Minister (another standing by) who asking him [among other Questions] Whether he had any trouble upon his Conscience about the matter of the Plot? Answe­red, he had none in the least. I have deliver'd nothing but Truth, I have discharged a good Conscience through­out, towards God, and my King and my Countrey, or to that effect; and so immediately departed, as he com­posed [Page 29] himself to sleep, without the least stir, or sigh, or groan, that could be discern'd or heard by his Attendant, standing by him in the same little Room.

Thus was he snatched away from the conside­rable preferment designd for him by the King and the Nation, to a higher Dignity and Crown of Righteousness, from the hands of his righteous Lord and Judge, leaving [like some antient and modern Heroes] a considerable Victory behind him, in the hands of our Patriots and Senators, before he left his Life. And I make no doubt, but with God's gracious allowance to humane Infir­mities, he could in a lower Form, with Truth and Hope, repeat, and apply [as we ought all to en­deavour to be able] this cygnea cantio of the Apo­stle, to himself. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the Faith, for me and my Countrey: Henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Glory, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but to all them who love his appearing. Now to God the Father, &c.