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VI.

SERM. Worst Part of Heathenifm, as being made up of a Spirit, that tends to deftroy the great Law of Nature, which no Reveal'd Religion, nor even an Angel from Heaven can do, without altering the Nature of Things, and making Right and Wrong ftand for other things than what they do at present.

But it is Time now to draw nigh to a Conclufion: And in order to make fome Ufe of what has been faid, let us all endeavour to get more Love, and Charity, and univerfal Benevolence; and let us beware of rafh Judgment, for it is a very natural and eafy Tranfition from rafh judging to hating, and then there will be nothing wanting but Power to make a compleat Perfecutor: Let us confider not how we differ from one another, but how far we differ from the Truth ; and leave one another in the Poffeffion of each others Right, confidering that One is our Mafter, even Christ, and all we are Brethren. Have we any Overflowings of Hatred or Ill-Nature, let us beftow it upon our Sins; and let us be fparing of our Fire-Brands,

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and leave fuch hot antichriftian Work to SERM. that Church that deals in such things; for VI. we read that Michael, tho' an ArchAngel, when contending with the Devil, brought not against him fo much as a railing Accufation; but faid, the Lord rebuke thee. Let us of all things beware of falfe Zeal, for that makes People Perfecutors even against their Nature; as is plain from the People of thofe Countries, where the Inquifition reigns, who are obferv'd to fhew as much Compaffion as any People in the World for a Malefactor, who is to fuffer for Murder, Robbery, &c. And yet when they see a poor innocent Perfon, dragg'd from a horrid Dungeon with trembling Limbs, and a meagre Countenance, and faftned to a Stake in the midst of a devouring Flame, for no other Crime than for not having the fame Understanding with them, they fhew all the Tokens of Joy and Pleasure, imaginable. Good God! that ever People fhould come to such a height of Wickedness, as to look up to thee, whom they offend every Day of their Lives, and beg thy Mercy and Forgiveness,

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SERM. and yet at the fame time delight in tortur VI. ing their innocent Brethren! Where is

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the Reason, the Equity, the Juftice of all this Enthufiaftic Rage and Fury? If this be Christianity give us fome better Scheme, or turn us back to the lefs injurious State of Heathenifm!

In a Word, and to conclude. Tho' we all differ from one another in fome respect or other, yet let us not imitate thofe whofe Principles and Practices we condemn, by dealing about the unchristian Firebrands of Malice and Hatred, but fhew that we are Chriftians, by extending our Love to all the World according to our Saviour's Command and Example. Then if our Faith, which is a dead Principle of itfelf, be thus enliven'd with Charity; then, I fay, however we may be reproach'd, cenfur'd, condemn'd as Hereticks, by those who know no other Gofpel, but an idle Jargon of School-Terms, yet we shall be found to be true Members of the Christian Church here, and of the

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Church triumphant in Heaven.

SER

SERMON VII.

ROMANS iii. 31.

Do we then make void the Law thro' Faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the Law.

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HE Defign of this Epiftle SERM. to the Romans being to con- VII. firm them in their Pro-m feffion of Chriftianity, and to preserve them from being feduced by the Judaizers, who ftifly adher'd to the Law of Mofes, the Apostle, in the foregoing Chapters, gives them to understand, that God is the God of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews; that, as to the Method of obtaining Salvation, the Cafe is the fame with the one, as it is with the other; for that the Righteousness accepted of God unto Salvation must be by Faith R

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VII.

SERM. in Jefus Chrift, both of the few and Gentile: And tho indeed he is far from acquitting the Gentiles, for he blames them very much for their wicked Lives, and fays, that they stand in need of Justification by Faith for tranfgreffing the Law of Nature; yet to take down the Pride of the Jew, he fhews as plainly, that the Jews could not be juftify'd neither, any otherwise than by Faith, because they were Tranfgreffors of the Law of Moses: So that in this respect they were upon the fame Footing; and as to their Acceptance with God, there was no Difference between the few and the Gentile; neither of them being able to attain Juftification by their own Performances. The Apostle goes on, to the great Mortification of the Jew, who placed his Merit in outward Performances, to fhew the Infufficiency of fuch Things; telling them that it was the Purity of the Heart, which was only acceptable with God. For he is not a Few, or at least such a one to whom the Promises belong, who is one outwardly, nor is that Circumcifion, which is outward

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