when any open attempts are by ill men made on the conftitution of that church or ftate, whereof we are members; when an abfent friend is traduced by lying lips; or the name of any fincerely good and virtuous man is vilified; it is our duty in fuch cases to stand up, and rebuke this spirit of treachery, malice, or prophanenefs. The honour of God, or the interests of virtue would, at fuch a time, be blemished by our filence and forbearance: And therefore the rule of our Saviour here takes place; "he that is not with us, is "against us." He that doth not openly and heartily efpoufe the caufe of truth, will be reckoned to have been on the other fide. And then peace with men can never be eligible, when it implies enmity with God.

However, in all these cafes, where we lay afide peace for a more valuable end, we are bound to have an eye to it, even while we feem to overlook it; and must so break with men on fuch occafions, as to leave room, and to prepare the way for a clofure. War itself has its rules and restraints, within which its favage cruelties are bounded: Much more muft the measures of our refentment, in fuch breaches as thefe, be tempered with great humanity and great, prudence. We must recover our right, and wipe off afperfions, without rancour or revenge; we must contend for the truth of the gospel itself, fo as not to forget the plain precepts of it; and for the glory of God, with fuch a well-regulated zeal, as does not trample upon any of his commands: That is, the warmth of our concern for the best doctrines, perfons, or things, muft never fo far tranfport us, as to make

us

us fay any thing of any man, but what our caufe and his character will justify; nor endeavour to infpire people with worfe opinions concerning him, than we in our confciences believe he de ferves. And to preserve ourselves thus far upon our guard, when we are engaged, is a much harder talk than not to engage at all; and will require our calling in to our aid all the pious helps and expedients, with which reason and religion will furnith us; and which therefore I fhall now, in the

IV. Fourth and laft place, point out to you.

Many of this kind there are; but the time I have already fpent, and the application 1 am further to make of the whole, will not fuffer me to mention all, or to dwell as much as I ought, even on thofe that I do mention.

1. The rife of most of our difquiets and dif‐ cords is, from the tumultuous and diforderly motions of our paffions; and these therefore mult in the first place be well regulated, especially that fierce and boisterous paffion of anger, which dif covers itfelt the earlieft, and is tamed the latest of any; and is, of all others the greatest enemy of our repofe. This therefore, and the reft, muft b brought under the difcipline and government of reafon, if we ever hope to be eafy to ourselves or other men; and in eed, unless we are first eafy to ourselves, it is impoffible we fhould ever be fo to others. We may as well expect perpetual fun-fhine in climates fubject to ftorms and hurri canes, as that there should be a lasting peace in

that

that breaft, where the paffions are allowed to reign.

2. The next plain help towards living peaceably is, if we moderate our defires, and fhorten our defigns, with regard to the good things of life, contenting ourfelves with fuch a fhare of them, as answers all the good ends of living, and not eagely grafping after more than would be of real ufe to us, if we had it: The wants and conveniences of nature are known, and certain, and foon fupplied; but imaginary wants are infinite and endlefs; and he that has fet his heart upon them, will find it very difficult ever to recall it, He is got beyond reafon in his defire, and wilt probable flick at no unreasonable method of obr taining it. And the natural iffue of this must be perpetual feuds and bickerings, contentions and Aruggles, for our defires will meet thofe of other men, as eager every whit as ours, and as impatient of being refifted. "From whence come war and fightings? (faysSt. James, ch. iv. 12) Comethcy not hence even of your lufts?" that is from your covetous defires; for fo it follows: "Ye luft, and have not; ye kill, and defire to have, and cannot obta'n.

3. A third rule, in this cafe, is, to have a watchful eye upon ourselves, in our first entrance upon any debate or conteft; and at that time to be fure to keep the reins closely in our hands, when there is the most danger in giving a loofe to them; and they are the moft cafily manageable. For let us but indulge ourselves a little in the first motions of warmth and refentment, and by infenfible fteps and degrees we may be wrought up

ar

up at laft into all the height of madness and folly.

The beginning of ftrife (faith the wife man Prov. xvii. 14.) is as when one letteth out water." When the bank is once broken down, we do not know how far it may flow, our how deep a space it may fill.

To this we may add,

4thly, A particular vigilance over ourselves, with regard to the intemperance of the tongue, that "member which fetteth on fire the course of nature, and is itself fet on fire of hell." James iii. 6. We muft reftrain it in every refpect, but especially in relation to that natural proneness it has towards publishing the faults of others; which ought never to be done, but with the utmost caution and tenderness. We can never ftrictly justify ourfelves in fpeaking evil of any man, though that evil fhould be true, but when either the seal of friendship binds up the difcourfe, or the rules of charity and juftice require us fo to do. The fon of Sirach seems to carry this matter very far: "Whether it be to friend or foe" (fays he) "talk "not of other men's lives, and, if thou canst

without offence, reveal them not;" Ecclus xix. 8. which feems to bar us from spreading an ill report of any man, but when we are under an abfolute neceffity of doing it. He that governs himself conftantly by this rule, takes one of the fureft and moft promifing fteps towards "living peaceably "with all men :" Especially if,

5thly, He keeps himself always from embarking in parties and factions, and falling in with vehemence into all the interefts and designs of them. This will neceffarily in time imbitter his fpirit, and

four

four his humour, make him like and dislike men implicitly, and lead him into many refentments, which he has nothing to do with.

Again, 6thly, Let à man that defires to pafs through this world inoffenfively, refolve to be very diligent in his particular profeffion and calling; and, if he has none, to make one to himself, by fome proper and fuitable employment. He that is employed, has no leisure to move in the little difputes and quarrels which trouble the peace of the world, and which are chiefly kept up and bandied to and fro by those who have nothing elfe to do: The apoftle therefore (we may obferve) in his exhortation, 1 Theff. iv. 11. joins ftudying to be quiet," with the "doing our own bufinefs," as if the one was a natural and infeparable attendant on the other..

Above all, let him add, in the last place, fervent and unwearied prayer to the bleffed " Author of peace, and Lover of concord," that he would pleafe to vouchfafe him the ineftimable benefits of it, and endue him with the qualities that promote it, by the powerful operation of that Spirit, whofe fruits, love, joy, and peace, are peculiarly faid to be; who inhabiteth only with those, who do, in fome measure, partake of them, and who to those, with whom he inhabits, imparteth them yet more and more abundantly.

Thus have I largely explained to you the duty of "living peaceably," and fhewn you fome of the most effectual methods of performing it. Would to God all that hear me this day would refolve to practise this plain, but useful leffon, as VOL. IV.

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