A Continuation of morning-exercise questions and cases of conscience practically resolvedA Continuation of morning-exercise questions and cases of conscience practicaly resolved

2. More awful to men; They who are tempted to despise the faint languid appearances of an impotent, inefficacious, spiritless Religion, discern a Majesty in that which is visibly living, powerful, and productive of suitable fruits. Who that shall consider the state of the Christian Church, and the gradual declining of Religion for that three hundred years from Constantine's time to that of Phocas, but shall see cause at once to lament the sin and folly of men, and adore the righteous severity of God? For as Christians grew gradually to be loose, wanton, sensual, and their leaders contentious, luxurious, covetous, proud, ambitious, affecters of Domination, so was the Christian Church gradually forsaken of the divine presence. Inasmuch as that at the same time when Boniface obtained from Phocas the title of universal Bishop, in defiance of the severe sentence of his Predecessor Gregory the great, sprang up the dreadful delusion of Mahomet^†. And so spread it self to this day, thorough Asia, Africa, and too considerable a part of Europe, that where Christians were twenty or thirty to one, there was now scarce one Christian to twenty or thirty Mahometans or grosser Pagans. And what between the Mahometan infatuation, and the Popish Tyranny, good Lord! what is Christendom become! when by the one, the very name is lost; and by the other, little else left but the name.

2. More awful to men; They who are tempted to despise the faint languid appearances of an impotent, inefficacious, spiritless Religion, discern a Majesty in that which is visibly living, powerful, and productive of suitable fruits. Who that shall consider the state af the Christian Church, and the gradual declining of Religion for that three hundred years from Constantines time to that of Phocas, but shall see cause at once to lament the sin and folly of men, and adore the righteous severity of God? For as Christians grew gradually to be loose, wanton, sensual, and their leaders contentious, luxurious, covetous, proud, ambitious, affecters of Domination, so was the Christian Church gradually forsaken of the divine presence. Inasmuch as that at the same time when Boniface obtained from Phocas the title of universal Bishop, in defiance of the severe sentence of his Predecessor Gregory the great, sprang up the dreadful delusion of Mahomet^†. And so spread it self to this day, thorough Asia, Africa, and too considerable a part of Europe, that where Christians were twenty or thirty to one, there was now scarce one Christian to twenty or thirty Mahometans or grosser Pagans. And what between the Mahometan infatuation, and the Popish Tyranny, good Lord! what is Christendom become! when by the one, the very name is lost; and by the other, little else left but the name.