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necessary to overbalance the fury of a blind zeal and a mifguided confcience.

I doubt not but Papifts are made like other men. Nature hath not generally given them fuch favage and cruel difpofitions, but their religion hath made them fo. Whereas true Chriftianity is not only the best, but the best-natured inftitution in the world; and fo far as any church is departed from good nature, and become cruel and barbarous, fo far is it degenerated from Christianity. I am loath to fay it, and yet I am confident it is very true, that many Papifts would have been excellent perfons, and very good men, if their religion had not hindered them; if the doctrines and principles of their church had not perverted and spoiled their natural difpofitions.

I fpeak not this to exasperate you, worthy patriots, and the great bulwark of our religion, to any unreasonable or unneceffary, much less unchriftian severities against them: No: let us not do like them; let us never do any thing for religion that is contrary to it. But I speak it to awaken your care thus far, that, if their priests will always be putting these pernicious principles into the minds of the people effectual provifion may be made, that it may never be in their power again to put them in practice. We have found by experience, that ever since the reformation, they have been continually pecking at the foundations of our peace and religion: when, God knows, we have been fo far from thirsting after their blood, that we did not fo much as defire their difquiet, but in order to our own neceffary fafety, and indeed to theirs.

And God be praised for those matchless instances which we are able to give of the generous humanity and Chriftian temper of the English Proteftants. After Queen Mary's death, when the Proteftant religion was restored, Bishop Bonner, notwithstanding all his cruelties and butcheries, was permitted quietly to live and die among us. And after the treason of this day, nay at this very time, fince the discovery of fo barbarous a defign, and the higheft provocation in the world, by the treacherous murder of one of his majefty's juftices of the peace (a very good man, and a most excellent magiftrate) who had been active in the discovery of this plot; I fay, after all this, and notwithstanding the continued and infupportable in

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folence of their carriage and behaviour, even upon this occafion, no violence, nay, not fo much as any incivility, that I ever heard of, hath been offered to any of them. I would to God they would but feriously confider this one difference between our religion and theirs, and which of them comes nearest to the wisdom which is from above, which is peaceable, and gentle, and full of mercy. And I do heartily pray, and have good hopes, that, ap. on this occafion, God will open their eyes fo far, as to convince a great many among them, that that cannot be the true religion which infpires men with fuch barbarous minds.

fhave now done; and if I have been tranfported upon this argument fomewhat beyond my ufual temper, the occafion of this day, and our prefent circumftances, will, I hope, bear me out. I have expreffed myfelf all along with a juft fenfe, and with no unjuft feverity, concerning thefe horrid principles and practices; but yet with great pity and tenderness towards thofe miferable feduced fouls, who have been deluded by them, and infnared in them. And I can truly fay, as the Roman orator did of himself upon another occafion, Me natura mifericordem, patria Severum, crudelem nec patria nec natura effe voluit: " My "nature inclines me to be tender and compaffionate; a hearty zeal for religion, and concernment for the pu"blic welfare of my country, may perhaps have made me a little fevere; but neither my natural difpofition, nor the temper of the English nation, nor the genius. "of the Proteftant, that is, the true Christian religion, "will allow me to be cruel."

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For the future, let us encourage ourselves in the Lora: aur God; and commit our caufe, and the keeping of our fouls to him in well-doing: and, under God, let us leave it to the wisdom and care of his Majefty, and his two houfes of parliament, to make a lafting provifion for the: fecurity of our peace and religion, against all the fecret. contrivances and open attempts of thefe fons of violence.. And let us remember thofe words of David, Pfal. xxxvii.. 12. 13. 14. 15. The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnafheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him, for he feeth that his day is coming. The wicket bave drawn out the fword, and have bent their bow to caft.

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down the poor and needy, and to flay fuch as be of upright converfation. Their fword fhall enter into their own heart, and their bows fhall be broken.

And I hope, confidering what God hath heretofore. done, and hath now begun to do for us, we may take encouragement to ourselves against all the enemies of our religion, which are confederated against us, in the words of the prophet, If. viii. 9. 10. ociate yourselves, O ye people, and ye fall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourfelves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counfel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not ftand: FOR GOD IS WITH US.

And now what remains, but to make our moft devout and thankful acknowledgements to Almighty God, for the invaluable bleffing of our reformed religion, and for the miraculous deliverance of this day, and for the wonderful discovery of the late horrid and barbarous confpiracy against our prince, our peace, and our religion?

To him therefore, our most gracious and merciful God, our field, and our rock, and our mighty deliverer; who hath brought us out of the land of Egypt, and out of the houfe of bondage; and hath fet us free from Popish tyranry and fuperitition, a yoke which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear:

Who hath from time to time delivered us from the bloody and mercilefs defigns of wicked and unreasonable men; and hath rendered all the plots and contrivances, the mischievous councils and devices of thefe worfe than Heathens, of none effect:

Who did, as upon this day, rescue our king and our princes, our nobles, and the heads of our tribes, the governors of our church, and the judges of the land, from that fearful destruction which was ready to have swallow. ed them up:

Who ftill brings to light the hidden things of darkness, and hath hitherto preferved our religion and civil interefts to us, in despite of all the malicious and restless attempts of our adverfaries :

Unto

Unto that great God, who hath done fo great things for us, and hath faved us by a mighty falvation; who hath delivered us, and doth deliver us, and we trust will fill deliver us; be glory and honour, thanksgiving and praife, from generation to generation. And let all the people fay, Amen.

SERMON

XX.

Preached at the first general meeting of the gentlemen, and others, in and near London, born within the county of York.

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His fermon, which was first preached, and is now published, at your defires, I dedicate to your names, to whofe prudence and care the direction and management of this first general meeting of our countrymen was committed; heartily wishing, that it may be fome way ferviceable to the healing of our unhappy differences, and the reftoring of unity and charity among Chriftians, efpecially thofe of the Proteftant reformed religion.

I am,

GENTLEMEN,

You affectionate countryman, and humble servant,

Jo. TILLOTSON.

The

The SERMON.

JOHN xiii. 34. 35.

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye alfo love one another. By this fhall all men know that ye are my difciples, if ye love one another.

A fophy, and mort perfect institution of life, contain

S the Chriftian religion in general is the best phila

ing in it the most entire and complete fyftem of moral rules and precepts that ever was yet extant in the world; fo it peculiarly excels in the doctrine of love and charity; earneftly recommending, ftrictly enjoining, and vehemently, and almoft perpetually preffing and inculcating the excellency and neceffity of this beft of graces and virtues; and propounding to us, for our imitation and encouragement, the most lively and heroical example of kindness and charity that ever was, in the life and death of the great founder of our religion, the author and finisher of our faith, Jefus the Son of God.

So that the gofpel, as it hath in all other parts of our duty, cleared the dimnefs and obfcurity of natural light, and fupplied the imperfections of former revelations; fo doth it molt eminently reign and triumph in this great. and bleffed virtue of charity; in which all the philofophy and religions that had been before in the world, whether Jewish or Pagan, were fo remarkably defective.

With great reason then doth our bleffed Saviour call this a new commandment, and affert it to himself as a thing peculiar to his doctrine and religion; confidering how imperfectly it had been taught, and how little it had been practifed in the world before: A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye alfo love one another. By this fhall all men know that ye are my difciples, if ye love one another. I thall reduce my difcourfe upon these words, under thefe fix heads.

1. To inquire into what fenfe our Saviour calls this VOL, I.

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