SER M.

VI.

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vantage in, and have triumph'd fo much upon; and indeed this is a thing never to be got over. I don't mean that it affects Christianity at all, for that teaches other things. A good Chriftian is taught to be an Enemy to no Man; He is peaceable, gentle, eafy to be entreated; His Charity forbids him not only to do, but to think evil; He pretends to judge no Man's Conscience, but leaves that to Him who fearcheth the Hearts, and knoweth the Thoughts of Men; He prays for all Men, which certainly is very far from hating them, and fhews every Man that Love and Benevolence, which he would defire of him in a like cafe. So that Christianity is not at all concern'd in it, but only those who have abus'd it to fuch vile Purposes; and therefore I leave it to them to get rid of this Objection, if they can. See then what this perfecuting Spirit ends in, nothing less than in the Ruin and Destruction of that Religion it would be thought with fo much Rage and Fury to defend. I should not dwell fo long upon this, but that the Text naturally leads me to fhew, that an uncharitable perfecuting Spirit

Spirit is a vile and scandalous Abuse of SERM. Christianity; and the Church of Rome, VI. being the only Chriftian Church in the World, that keeps up this unchristian Spirit, by claiming a right of judging them, who are not their Servants, but their Brethren, I think it my Duty, in order to promote the true Spirit of Chriftianity, to fhew the dangerous Confequence of it, that we may not run into the fame Inconfiftency with those I have been already fpeaking of.

Every one must know, at least they muft who have the ufe of their Bibles, that all Hatred and Uncharitableness is utterly inconfiftent with Chriftianity: For however we may err in other Matters, we can never be ignorant of this, that the Gospel is calculated to promote Peace and Love in the World. A Man may be mif taken in a difficult Point of Doctrine, and

his Miftake may be very innocent and blameless, because it being not fufficiently reveal'd, a Man can't be blam'd for not knowing what he had it not in his Power to know; but a man can never be igno

SERM. rant, that it is the Design of the Gospel to VI. inculcate a greater Degree of Love and

Charity than the World had practifed be

fore. For hence it is that it is call'd a
New Commandment; a New Command-
ment, fays our Bleffed Saviour, give I unto
you, that
ye
love one another. And there-
fore however People may be mistaken, and
differ about other parts of Scripture, yet
they must all acknowledge, that the whole
Scope and Defign of the Gospel is Peace
and Love; and that the Precepts that re-
late to this are absolute and positive, and
muft fuperfede whatever feems to interfere
with it, that has not an equal Degree of
Clearness and Certainty.

And yet notwithstanding all this, it is an Observation that has too much Truth in it, that we have Religion enough to make us hate, but not enough to make us Love one another. But let them look to it, who turn this Love into Hatred, fince their Crime, according to St. John, is of a very dreadful Nature; for, fays he, He that hateth his Brother is a Murderer; now ye know that no Murderer bath eternal Life:

The

W

The Prophet pronounces a Woe to them SERM. that put Light for Darkness, and Dark- VI. nefs for Light; and Good for Evil, and Evil for Good And St. Paul tells the Galatians, that if an Angel from Heaven fhould preach any other Gospel than what they had receiv'd, let him be accurfed. What then will be the Punishment of those who do what they can to destroy it, and even break down the great Partition-Wall of Right and Wrong? The Gospel, as well as the Bleffed Author of it, has been betray'd, but woe to them by whom it is, or has been betray'd. Which brings me,

Thirdly, to fhew, That we ought all of us, who have any Value or Efteem for the Chriftian Religion, to use our best Endeavours in our several Stations to restore it to its primitive Beauty and Comeliness, and make it appear to be, as it is in itself, a Religion of Peace and Love. They who have taken upon them the Christian Profeffion, for of fuch only am I now fpeaking, must know, that they have tathem to follow the Doctrine and

ken upon
Example of the great Author and Foun-

der

SERM.der of it, who was not only a Preacher of VI. Peace and Love, but was Love itself; and

as this peaceable Spirit, which our Bleffed Saviour came to establish in the World, has been abus'd by fome, and turn'd into a Spirit of Hatred and Discord, it concerns them in a particular manner to remove this Scandal, that has been thrown upon Chriftianity, and demonftrate by their own Practice, that a true Christian, or a Difciple of Chrift, is to be known now, as well as of old, not by his Hatred, but by his Love. The true Profeffors of Christianity muft, and will do this; for to fuppofe a good Christian can be an uncharitable Man, is to fay a Propofition may be true and falfe at the fame time: And as for Others, who are only Nominal Profeffors, they ought in Juftice to the World and the Religion they profefs, to throw off the Mask, or become real ones, that Religion might not be wounded thro' their fides. And indeed there is the more Occafion for this now in these Days, because the Enemies of Christianity are very industrious in hunting out the Faults and Blemishes of

Christians,