or Slanderer of his Word, or Adulterer, "or be in Malice or Envy, or in any "other grievous Crime, repent you of "your Sins, or else come not to the Holy "Table; left after the Taking of that Holy "Sacrament the Devil enter into you, as "he entered into Judas, and fill you "with all Iniquities, and bring you to "Destruction both of Body and Soul."

7. It was given me to afk fome of the English Clergy, who profeffed and preached the Doctrine of Faith alone, (which was done in the Spiritual World) whether, whilft they were reading the above Exhortation in the Church, they believed what is there afferted, viz. that

if any do Evil, and do not repent, the Devil will enter into them, as he entered into Judas, and deftroy both Body and Soul? They replied, that in the State they were in, whilft they were reading the Exhortation, they knew and thought no other than that what they read was the B 2 Truth

Truth and Effence of Religion, but that when they began to conceive and compose their Difcourfes, or Sermons, they thought differently, becaufe they then thought about Faith, as being the only Means of Salvation, and about the Good of Life, as being only acceffary thereto in promoting the public Good. But ftill it was proved to Conviction, that they alfo had a general Perception, that whosoever liveth well is faved, and that whofoever liveth ill is condemned, and that they had this Perception, when they were not under the Influence of their own Propriety, or Selfhood.

8. The true Ground and Reason why all Religion hath Relation to Life is, becaufe every one after Death is his own Life, for it remaineth the fame that it was in the World, and is in no Refpect changed, inasmuch as an evil Life cannot be converted into a good Life, nor a good Life into an evil, because they are Oppo

fites, and Converfion into an Oppofite is Extinction: It is on Account of this Oppofition that a good Life is called Life, and an evil Life is called Death. Hence it is that Religion hath Relation to Life, and that the Life thereof is to do Good. That Man is after Death fuch as his Life had been in the World, may be seen in the Treatise concerning HEAVEN and HELL, n. 470 to 484.

That no one can do Good, which is really Good, from Himself.

9.

AT this Day scarce any one knows,

whether the Good which he does be from Himself, or from God, and the Reason is, because the Church hath feparated Faith from Charity, and Good is of Charity; a Man gives to the poor, relieves the needy, endows Churches and Hospitals, promotes the Good of the Church, of his Country, and of his Fellow-Citizens, fre-quents

B 3

quents Places of public Worship, liftens attentively to what is faid there, and is devout in his Prayers, reads the holy Word and Books of Piety, and thinks about Salvation, and yet knows not whether he does fuch Things from Himself, or from God. It is poffible he may do them from God, and it is poffible he may do them from Himself; if he doeth them from God, they are good; if from Himself, they are not good. Yea, good Things of a like Nature may be done by Man from Himself, which yet are actually evil, as is the Cafe with what is hypocritical, which is grounded in Deceit and Artifice.

ΙΩ. Good Things done from God and from Man's Self may be compared with Gold Gold, whch is real Gold from it's inmoft Ground, and is called Sterling Gold, is good Gold: Gold mixed with Silver is alfo Gold, but it's Goodnefs is according to the Mixture; it is ftill lefs good when mixed with Copper:

But

But Gold artificially made, and only refembling Gold in Colour, is not good, inasmuch as the Substance of Gold is not in it. There is alfo what is gilded, as gilded Silver, Copper, Iron, Tin, Lead, and also gilded Wood, and gilded Stone, which fuperficially may appear as Gold, but inasmuch as they are not Gold, they are esteemed, either according to the Workman's Skill, or according to the Value of the Gilding, or according to the Value of the Gold which may be scraped off; thefe differ in Goodness from real Gold, as a Man's Cloaths differ from the Man himself. It is poffible also that rotten Wood, and Drofs, yea and even Dung, may be overlaid with Gold; this is Gold which may be compared with Pharifaical Goodness.

II. Man hath the Skill to difcern whether Gold be fubftantially good, whether it be mixed and counterfeit, and whether it be only a Covering of Gold,

but