I. "Above all things, (says St. Peter,) have fervent charity among yourselves." "Little children, (says St. John,) love one another." Sweet precepts! but how far are we from regarding them, whilst we give to bitter zeal, or to indifference, the place allotted to the communion of saints, and to burning love! Had these apostolic injunctions a due effect upon us, how would the fervent charity, which victorious faith kindles, set fire to the chaff of our idle contentions, and make us ashamed of having so departed from the gospel, as to give the world to understand, (if men may judge of our doctrine by our conduct,) that the scriptures exhort us to fall out one with another, and to mind charity less than every thing; whereas it enjoins us to mind it above ALL things, above all honour, pleasure, and profit,-yea, above all knowledge, orthodoxy, and faith.

II. We are commanded to glorify God with one heart and one mouth. Our lips should be instruments of praise, ever turned to celebrate the Prince of peace-ever ready to invite all around us to the gospel feast; the feast of divine and brotherly love. To neglect this labour of love is bad; but how much worse is it to be as sounding brass, as a tinkling cymbal, as an infernal kettle-drum, used by the accuser of the brethren to call professors from the good fight of faith to the detestable fight of needless or abusive controversy, and perhaps to the bloody work of persecution? Who can describe the injury done to religion by the champions of bigotry! An ingenious writer being one day desired to draw in pro per colours, the figure of Uncharitableness, the monster which has so norrowed, disgraced, and murdered Christianity;"I will attempt it, (said he) if you will furnish me with a sheet of large paper, and that of the fairest kind, to represent the Christian Church in this world. First, I will pare it round, and reduce it to a very small compass; then with much ink will I stain the whiteness of it, and deform it with many a blot. At the next sit ting I will stab it through rudely with an iron pen: And when I put the last hand to complete the likeness, it shall be besmeared with blood." And shall we lend our common enemy iron pens, or tongues sharpened like the murderer's sword, that he may continue to wound the members of Christ, and deform the Christian church ?-God forbid! Let as many of us as have turned our pens and tongues into instruments of idle contention, apply them henceforth to the defence of peace, and brotherly love.

III. If we refuse to do it, we practically renounce our baptism; for in that solemn or

dinance, we profess to take God for our common Father, Christ for our common Saviour, and the Spirit for our common Sanctifier. When we receive the Lord's Supper in faith, we solemnly bind this baptismal engagement upon ourselves, and tie faster the knot of brotherly love by which we are joined to all those who in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Now can any thing be more anti-christian and diaboli cal, than for persons who constantly cominunicate, to live in discord, and perhaps to insult one another in a manner contrary to the first rules of heathen civility? O ye, who surrounded our alters, and there "humbly beseech Almighty God, continually to inspire the universial church with the Spirit of unity and concord, that all who confess his holy name may live in unity and godly love;" can any thing equal your sacrilegious guilt, if after such a solemn prayer, you not only re fuse to live in unity and godly love with your pious Calvinian or Arminian brethren, but also breathe the spirit of discord, and live in varience and ungodly contentions with them, merely because they do not pronounce Shibboleth with all the emphasis, which your party puts upon some favourite words and phrases? If we continue to offer so excellent a prayer and to indulge so detestable a temper, are we not fit persons to fight under the banner of Judas? Do we not with a kiss betray the Son of man in his members? Do not we go to the Lord's table to say, Hail, Master! and to deliver him for less than thirty pieces of silver, for the poor satisfaction of pleasing the bigots of a party, or for the mischievous pleasure of breaking the balance of the gospel-axioms, and rending the Doctrines of Grace from those of Justice?

This

IV. God is love. Let us be like our Father who is in heaven. Satan is uncharitableness and variance; detest we his likeness, and let not the faithful and true witness be obliged to say to us one day; "You are of your father the devil, whose works ye do," when you keep up divisions. The devil, says Archbishop Leighton, being an apostate spirit, revolted and separated from God, doth naturally project and work division. was his first exploit, and is still his grand design and business in the world. He first divided our first Parents from God, and the next we read of in their first child, was enmity against his brother. The tempter wounded truth, in order to destroy love: and therefore he is justly called by our Saviour a LIAR, and a MURDERER from the beginning. He murdered our first parents by lying, and made them murderers by drawing them into his uncharitableness. God forbid that we should any longer do the work of the father of liars and murderers! Heaven prevent our committing again two so great evils as those of wounding truth, and preventing

love!-of wounding truth, by attacking the scripture-doctrine of free-grace and freeagency! and of preventing love, by hindering the union of two such large bodies of professors, as the Calvinists and the Arminians! Nor let any lover of peace say, "I will hinder the reconciliation you speak of :" For it is our bounden duty to further it by a speedy, constant exertion of all our interest with God, and influence with men otherwise we shall be found, unprofitable, slothful servants, and shall be judged according to this declaration of our Lord, "He that gathereth not with me scattereth." For he, who, in so noble a cause as that of truth and love, is neither cold nor hot, pulls down upon his own head the curse denounced against the lukewarm Laodiceans.

V. The sin of the want of union with our pious Calvinian or Arminian brethren, is attended with peculiar aggravations. We are not only fellow-creatures but fellow subjects, fellow-christians, fellow-Protestants, and fellow-sufferers (in reputation at least) for maintaining the capital doctrines of sal vation by faith in Christ, and of regeneration by the Spirit of God. How absurd is it for persons, who thus share in the reproach, patience, and kingdom of Christ, to embitter each other's comforts, and add to the load of contempt, which the men of the world cast upon them? Let Pagans, Mahometans, Jews, Papists, and Deists, do this work. We may reasonably expect it from them. But for such Calvinists and Arminians as the world lumps together under the name of Methodists, on account of their peculiar profession of godliness,-for such companions in tribulation, I say, to bite and devour each other, is highly unreasonable, and peculiarly scandalous.

VI. The great Apostle of modern infidels, Voltaire, has, it is supposed, caused myriads of men to be ashamed of their baptism, and to renounce the profession of Christianity. His profane witticisms have slain their thousands: But the too cogent argument, which he draws from our divisions, has destroyed its myriads. With what exultation does he sing.

which have few precedents among men of the most corrupt and detestable religions in the world? Shall we continue to point the dag. ger with which that keen author stabs Christianity? Shall we furnish him with new nails to crucify Christ afresh in the sight of all Europe; or shall we continue to clinch those, with which he has already done the direful deed? How will he triumph if he hears, that the men who distinguish themselves by their zeal for the gospel in England, maintain an unabated contest about the doctrines of grace and justice ;-a contest as absurd as that in which the Whigs and Tories would be involved, if they perpetually debat ed whether the house of Lords, or that of Com mons, makes up the British Parliament; and whether England or Scotland forms the Island of Great Britain! And with what selfapplause will he apply to us what the Apostle says of wicked heathens, and apostate christians ? "Because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, (the sovereign, righteous God of love and justice ;) they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves wise, they became fools; being filled with envy, debate, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, despiteful, without understanding, without (brotherly) affec tion, implacable;" having a form of godly orthodoxy, but denying the power of peaceable charity?

VII. Instead of continuing to give avowed infidels such room to laugh at us and our religion, would it not become us to stop, by speedy reconciliation, the offence given by our absurd debates? Should we feel less concern for the honour of Christianity, than Sir Robert Walpole did for the honour of the crown? It is reported, that when he stood at the helm of the British empire, he was abused in parliament by some members of the privy council. Soon after meeting with them in the king's cabinent, he proceeded to the dispatch of business with his usual freedom, and with a remarkable degree of courtesy towards his enemies. And being asked how he could do so he replied, "The king's business requires union. Why should my master's affairs suffer loss by the private quarrels of his servants?" May the time come, when the ministers of the King of peace, shall have as much regard for his interest, as that minister shewed for the interest of his royal master! Do not circumstances in church and in state, loudly call upon us to unite, in order to make head against the enemy of Christ and our souls?

An enemy terrible as the banded powers of earth and hell, headed by the prince of the air, whose name is Abaddon; Apollyon ;Destroyer !

VIII. Ye are no strangers to the craft and rage of that powerful adversary, O ye pious

Calvinists and godly Arminians: for "ye wrestle not with flesh and blood only, but with the principalities and powers" of the kingdom of darkness! Cease then, cease to spend in wrestling one against another, the precious talents of time, strength, and wisdom, with which the Lord has entrusted you, to resist your infernal antagonist. Let it not be said, that Herod, a Jew, and Pilate, a Heathen, became friends, and united to pursue the Lamb of God to death; and that you fellow Protestants, you British believers, will not agree to resist the devil, who goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

and

You are astonished when you hear that some obstinate lawyers are so versed in chicanery, as to protract for years, law-suits which might be ended in a few days. Your controversy has already lasted for ages the preceding pages shew, that it might be ended in a few hours: should you then still refuse reasonable terms of accommodation, think, O think of the astonishment of those, who will see you protract the needless contention, and entail the curse of discord upon the next generation.

Our Lord bids us agree quickly with our adversaries; and will ye for ever dispute with your friends? Joseph said to his brethren, "See that ye fall not out by the way;" and so far as we know, his direction was faithfully observed. Christ says to us, Wear my badge: "By this shall all men know, that you are my disciples, if ye love one another." And will ye still fall out in the way to heaven, and exchange the Christian badge of charity, for the satanic badge of contention?

Passionate Esau vowed, that he would never be reconciled to his brother. Never theless he relented; and as soon as Jacob was in sight," he ran to meet him, and em. braced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him; and they wept," Gen xxxiii. 4. And shall it be said, that Esau the hairy man, the fierce hunter, the savage, who had resolved to imbrue his hands in his own brother's blood, the implacable wretch, whom so many people consider as an absolute reprobate ;-shall it be said, that Esau was sooner softened than you? He was reconciled to his brother, who had deprived him of Isaac's blessing by a lie ; and they lived in peace ever after. And will ye never be reconciled one to another, and live peaceably with your Calvinian and Arminian brethren, who far from having deprived you of any blessing, want you to share the blessing of holding with them the doctrines of grace, or those of justice.

The Prince of Life, "died, that he might gather together in one the children of God, who are scattered abroad," John xi. 52. And will ye defeat this important end of his

death? He "would gather you as a hen gathers her brood under her wings;" nd will ye pursue one another as hawks pursue their prey?

Or keep at a distance from each other, as lambs do from serpents? Cannot Christ's blood, "by which you are brought nigh to God," bring you nigh to each other? Does it not "speak better things than the blood of Abel ?"-Kinder things than your mutual complaints? Does it not whisper peace, mercy, gentleness, and joy? In Christ Jesus neither rigid Calvinism availeth any thing, nor rigid Arminianism, but faith which worketh by love; draw near with faith to the Christian altar, which streams with that peace-speaking blood. Behold the bleeding Lamb of God, and become gentle, merciful, and loving-See the anti-type of the brazen serpent! He hangs on high, and says, "When I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto me!" and in me they shall centre, as the solar beams centre in the sun. -And will ye reply; " We will not be obedient to thy drawings: we will not be concentered in thee with our Calvinian or Arminian brethren. Thy Father may sacrifice thee to slay the enmity, and so make peace: that thou mayest lay down thy life to make reconciliation; but reconciled to each other we will not be; for the god of discord draws us asunder, and his infernal drawings we will obey?" If you shudder at the thought of speaking such words, why should you so behave, that whosoever sees you, may see that they are the language of your conduct,—a language, which is far more emphatical than that of your lips?

Say then no longer, Have us excused; but come to the banquetting house,—the temple of peace, where "the Lord's banner over you will be love," and his mercy will comfort you on every side. "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies; fulfil ye the joy (of all who wish Sion's prosperity :) Be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind, submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.-He is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ, in whom there is neither Greek nor Jew, neither bond nor free, (neither Calvinist nor Arminian,) but Christ is all in all. My heart is enlarged : for a recompence in the same, be ye also enlarged," and grant me my humble, perhaps my dying request: reject not my plea for peace. If it be not strong it is earnest; for (considering my bodily weakness,) I write it at the hazard of my life;-Animanque in vulnere pono.

But why should I drop a hint about so in significant a life, when I can move you to accept of terms of reconciliation by the life and death,-by the resurrection and ascen"

sion of our Lord Jesus Christ?-I recall the frivolous hint; and by the unknown agonies of him, whom you love; "who in the days of his flesh, offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto him, who was able to save him from death;-by his (second) coming; and by our gathering together unto him, I beseech you, put on as the [protestant] elect of God, bowels of mer. cies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another; even as Christ loved and forgave you, so also do ye." In. stead of absurdly charging one another with heresy, embrace one another, and triumph together in Christ. Come up out of the wil. derness of idle controversy, leaning upon each other as brethren, holy and beloved: and with your joint forces attack your common enemies, Pharisaism, Antinomianism, and infidelity. Bless God, ye Arminians, for raising such men as the pious Calvinists, to make a firm stand against pharisaic delu sions, and to maintain with you the doctrines of man's fallen state, and of God's partial grace, which the Pelagians attack with all their might. And ye Calvinists, rejoice, that heaven has raised you such allies as the godly Arminians, to oppose Manichean delusions, and to contend for the doctrines of holiness and justice, which the Antinomians seem sworn to destroy.

[See

Jerusalem is a city which is at unity with itself. As soon as ye cordially unite, the Protestant Jerusalem will become a praise in the earth. The moment ye join creeds, hearts, and hands, our reproach is rolled away: the apostacy is ended: the apostolical church returns from her long captivity in mystical Babylon. The two staves, Beauty and Bands, become one in the hand of the great Shepherd, who writes upon it, Bible-Calvinists reconciled to Bible-Arminians. Zech. xi. 7, and Ezek. xxvii. 16, 17.]—Thus united, how happy are ye among yourselves! How formidable to your enemies!-The men of the world are astonished, and say: "Who is she, that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners."-Surely it is a church formed upon the model of the primitive church. These people are Christians indeed. See how they provoke one another to love and to good works!

Such will be the fruit of your Reconciliation, and such the glory of the Shulamite, THE PEACEFUL CHURCH!-But, before I am aware, my [longing] soul makes me like the chariots

of Aminadab, to go and admire that truly re-
formed church, whose members are all of one
heart and of one soul. O ye pious Calvinists
and godly Arminians, if you desire to see
her glory, express your wish in Solomon's
prophetic words, Cant. vi. 10, 12, 13.
"Re-
turn, return, O Shulamite: return, return,
that we may look upon thee. What will ye
see in the Shulamite? As it were the com-
pany of two armies."-the combined force of
the good men, who maintain the doctrines of
grace and justice, and who, by their uni
on will become strong enough to demolish
modern Babel, and to batter down Phari-
saism and Antinomianism, the two forts by
which it is defended. For Pharisaism will
never yield, but to the power of Bible-Cal-
vinism and the doctrine of grace. Nor can
Antinomianism be conquered, without the
help of Bible-Arminianism, and the doctrines
of justice. And when Pharisaism and Anti-
nomianism shall be destroyed, the church
will be sanctified, cleansed, and ready to be
presented to Christ,—a glorious church, not
having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.
Then shall we sing with truth, what we sing
without propriety :

Love, like death, has all destroy'd
Render'd all distinctions void:
Names, and sects, and parties fall,
Thou, O Christ, art all in all.t

In the mean time, let us rejoice in hope, and sing with the christian poet,

Giver of peace and unity,

Send down thy mild, pacific dove: We all shall then in one agree,

And breathe the spirit of thy love. We all shall think and speak the same Delightful lesson of thy grace; One undivided Christ proclaim, And jointly glory in thy praise.

Regard thine own eternal prayer,

And send a peaceful answer down: To us thy Father's Name declare; Unite, and perfect us in one.

So shall the world believe and know, That GOD has sent thee from above; When thou art seen in us below,

And every soul displays thy Love.

When I hear contending Caivinists and Arminians agree to print and sing this verse, I am tempted to cry to them, Be at peace among yourselves, or sing at your love-feasts;

Love has not our pride destroy'd
Render'd our distinctions void:
Names, and sects, and parties risc:
Peace retires, and mounts the skies.