ds say (and I much fancy I speak the mind of
thousands) that it had been much better for such an imprudent and
ridiculous bawler as this, to have been condemned to have cried oysters
or brooms, than to discredit, after this unsanctified rate, his
Profession and our Religion.

It would be an endless thing, Sir, to count up to you all the follies,
for a hundred years last past, that have been preached and printed of
this kind. But yet I cannot omit that of the famous Divine in his time,
who, advising the people in days of danger to run unto the LORD, tells
them that "they cannot go to the LORD, much less run, without feet;" that
"there be therefore two feet to run to the LORD, Faith and Prayer."

"It is plain that Faith is a foot, for, 'by Faith we stand,' 2
_Cor_. i. 24; therefore by Faith, we must run to the LORD who is
faithful.

"The second is Prayer, a spiritual Leg to bear us thither. Now
that Prayer is a spiritual Leg appears from several places in
Scripture, as from that of JONAH speaking of _coming_, chap. ii.
ver. 7, 'And my prayer _came_ unto thy holy temple.' And likewise
from that of the Apostle who says, _Heb_. iv. 16, 'Let us
therefore _go_ unto the throne of grace.' Both intimating that
Prayer is a spiritual Leg: there being no _coming_ or _going_ to
the LORD without the Leg of Prayer."

He further adds, "Now that these feet may be able to bear us
thither, we must put on the Hose [_stockings_] of Faith; for the
Apostle says, 'Our feet must be shod with the preparation of the
Gospel of Peace.'"

The truth of it is, the Author is somewhat obscure: for, at first, Faith
was a Foot, and by-and-by it is a Hose, and at last it proves a Shoe! If
he had pleased, he could have made it anything!

Neither can I let pass that of a later Author; who telling us, "It is
Goodness by which we must ascend to heaven," and that "Goodness is the
Milky Way to JUPITER's Palace"; could not rest there, but must tell us
further, that "to strengthen us in our journey, we must not take morning
milk, but some morning meditations:" fearing, I suppose, lest some people
should mistake, and think to go to heaven by eating now and then a mess of
morning milk, because the way was "milky."

Neither ought that to be omitted, not long since printed upon those words
of St. JOHN, "These things write I unto you, that ye sin not."

The Observation is that "it is the purpose of