If of true religion.-"If any man offend not "in word, the fame is a perfect man. "any man among you feem to be religious " and bridle not," &c.* ESSAY XXXVIII. The best METHOD of maintaining PEACE, LOVE and UNITY among CHRISTIAN BRETHREN. 1. Co ONSIDER, that although chriftianity is a perfect institution, and tending to make christians perfect; yet chriftians being only in the way of cure, in a ftate of recovery, do not arrive at abfolute perfection in this life, at leaft, not before death. 2.It is therefore absurd and unreasonable in one chriftian to expect abfolute perfection in the character and temper of another, while here below in the fchool of Christ. As long as I live, I will have my failings and infirmities, and my brother will have his. Hence arifes, 3. The duty of, and obligation to, mutual forbearance among chriftian brethren : For, if I hope and expect that any brother will bear with my failings and infirmities in temper and conduct, and will have pity James i. 26. -iii. 2. and compaffion on my weakness; justice and charity require that I should bear with bis, and not be over rigid and severe in my requirements from him. If not, I do not unto others, as I would they should do unto me, and am become a tranfgreffor of this golden rule of equity. 4. If this chriftian maxim of bear and forbear, or of pitying, and, in love, forgiv ing one another, is not regarded and obferved, there cannot poffibly be any fuch thing as a chriftian fociety, great or small, held together upon earth. 5. The failings and imperfections of our christian brethren, though very undefirable in themselves, yet are over-ruled to ferve excellent purposes in this state of trial and probation: Upon them are grafted fome of the noblest christian virtues, fuch as charity, meekness, patience, self-denial, compassion, forbearance, and a forgiving temper and they are excellent touchstones, whereby we may examine and prove our own fpirits, and difcover whether we are indeed poffeffed of thefe chriftian graces, i. e. whether we are chriftians. 6. Wholly to break fociety and fellow. fhip with my chriftian brother or brethren, becaufe be or they have offended me, speaks the most unfufferable pride.It is, in plain conftruction, to presume that I myself am perfect and blamelefs, and need no forbearance or forgiveness from my brethren. 7. If GOD fhould break with us for every offence, what would become of us? Yet the example of GOD and of Christ are exprefsly fet before us for our imitation in this duty.* 8. But what are the terms and conditions of forgiving, or being reconciled with our christian brother, when he offends us? I anfwer, signs of true penitence; and to forgive him, and be reconciled with him, and keep up chriftian fellowship and communion with him, upon these signs, is a christian duty fo indifpenfibly neceffary, that our Saviour has charged us, if our christian brother offend us, not only seven times, but even seventy times seven, i. e. four hundred and ninety times in one day, and return, and fay, I repent, we must as often forgive him.† 9. But are there not fome offences, which, though they claim our forgiveness, yet give juft caufe of our quitting all chriftian fellowfhip and fociety with our brethren? Answer. No offence can justify private revenge, in a chriftian. If my brother fhould even attempt to take away my life,and turn again and fhew figns of true forrow and penitence, I muft as a chriftian, forgive him and be reconciled with him; though, in fuch cafes, public justice must Eph. iv. 2,-32. Col. iii. 13, 14. be allowed to take place for the good of fociety: But, a man who is called a brother, may, by the nature and number of his offen. ces, and by a proud, haughty, impenitent difpofition, render himself wholly unworthy of chriftian fellowship and communion in any fociety yet so as to be again received and re-admitted, upon giving proper figns of true penitence. 10. But must we so put up with, and forbear the failings and infirmities of our chriftian brethren, as to neglect the duties of reproof and admonition left we break the bond of peace, and provoke or displease our offending brother? Anfwer. By no means. This would be to suffer sin upon our brother, Unity and peace among christian brethren, muft be founded on, and comport with truth, integrity and a charitable zeal for each other's welfare. We are to continue rebuking and exhorting, in a chriftian manner, but never to break the bond of christian fellowship, till men appear to be incorrigible reprobates. I have one failing, you have another: I muft bear with your failing, while I use every endeavor to correct it; you must do the fame by me. No giving up with this mutual duty, till we both get to heaven; where, being both perfect, we shall have no need of mutual forbearance and forgiveness. 11. I will not renounce or disown my natural brother, nor quit the family, though he offends me, or is angry with me without cause. He is my brother, and a multitude of tender and endearing confiderations plead forgiveness, and a re-establishment of peace and unity: And fhall I renounce and difown a christian brother, and quit the fellowship of the saints, for the like reafort, where the obligations to brotherly love are much more numerous, sacred and noble, and the motives to forgiveness and unity, much more tender and endearing? 12. The fame reafons which will engage us to quit one chriftian fociety, because of the failings and infirmities of our brethren, fhould engage us to quit the fellowship of the church itself; and then we renounce all union and communion with the body of Chrift, and putting ourfelves out of the way of all the means of falvation, do virtually renounce heaven itself, i. e. apostatize ! 13. If we are indeed chriftians, we must all meet in heaven, and there live together as friends, in one fociety for ever: And fhall we part fociety for every trifle on the road, where we have fo much need of each other's mutual advice, reproof, forbearance and charity? 14. Confider the damage done to chriftianity by schism and divisions among chriftian brethren; the pleasure it gives to the |