faints, in the fame facraments, and in all the fubftantial parts of God's worship, and in the great duties and virtues of the Chriftian life, to be of greater force to unite us, than difference in doubtful opinions, and in little rites and circumstances of worship, to divide and break us? Are not the things about which we differ, in their nature indifferent; that is, things about which there ought to be no difference among wife men? Are they not at a great distance from the life and effence of religion, and rather good or bad, as they tend to the peace and unity of the church, or are made use of to schifm and faction, than either necessary or evil in themfelves? and fhall little fcruples weigh fo far with us, as, by breaking the peace of the church about them, to endanger our whole religion? Shall we take one another by the throat for a hun dred pence, when our common adversary stands ready to clap upon us an action of ten thousand talents? Can we in good earnest be contented, that, rather than the furplice fhould not be thrown out, Popery should come in? and, rather than receive the facrament in the humble, but indifferent posture of kneeling, to swallow the camel of transubstantiation, and adore the elements of bread and wine for our God and Saviour? and, rather than to fubmit to a fet form of prayer, to have the fervice of God performed in an unknown tongue? Are we not yet made fenfible, at least in this our day, by fo clear a demonftration as the providence of God hath lately given us; and, had not he been infinitely merciful to us, might have proved the dearest and most dangerous experiment that ever was: I fay, are we not yet convinced, what mighty advantages our enemies have made of our divifions, and what a plentiful harvest they have had among us, during our differences, and upon occafion of them? and how near their religion was to have entered in upon us at once, at thofe wide breaches which we had made for it? And will we still take › counsel of our enemies, and chufe to follow that courie, to which, of all other, they who hate us, and feek our ruin, would most certainly advise and direct us? Will we freely offer them that advantage which they would be contented to purchase at any rate? Let us, after all our fad experience, at last take wara ing to keep a ftedfaft eye upon our chief enemy, and not fuffer ourselves to be diverted from the confideration and regard of our greatest danger by the petty provocations of our friends. So I chufe to call thofe who diffent from us in leffer matters; because I would fain have them fo; and they ought in all reafon to be fo. But, however they behave themselves, we ought not much to mind those who only fling dirt at us, whilft we are sure there are others who fly at our throats, and ftrike at our very hearts. Let us learn this wisdom of our enemies, who, though they have many great differences among themselves, yet they have made a fhift, at this time, to unite together to deftroy us. And shall not we do as much to fave ourselves? 66 "to It was a principle among the ancient Romans, a brave and wife people, donare inimicitias reipublica: " to give up and facrifice their private enmities and quarrels to "the public good and the fafety of the commonwealth." And is it not to every confiderate man as clear as the fun at noon day, that nothing can maintain and support the Proteftant religion amongst us, and found our church upon a rock; fo that when the rain falls, and the winds blow, and the floods beat upon it, it fhall ftand firm and unfhaken; that nothing can be a bulwark of sufficient force to refift all the arts and attempts of Popery, but an established national religion, firmly united and compacted in all the parts of it? Is it not plain to every eye, that little fects and feparate congregations can never do it? but will be like a foundation of fand to a weighty building, which, whatever fhew it may make, cannot stand long, because it wants union at the foundation, and for that reafon must neceffarily want ftrength and firmness ? It is not for private perfons to undertake in matters of public concernment: but I think we have no cause to doubt, but the governors of our church, notwithstanding all the advantages of authority, and we think of reafon too on our fide, are perfons of that piety and prudence, that, for peace fake, and in order to a firm union among Proteftants, they would be content, if that would do it, not to infift upon little things; but to yield them up, VOL. I. G g whether whether to the infirmity or importunity, or perhaps, in fome very few things, to the plaufible exceptions of thofe who differ from us. But then, furely, on the other fide, men ought to bring along with them a peaceable difpofition, and a mind ready to comply with the church in which they were born and baptized, in all reasonable and lawful things; and defirous, upon any terms that are tolerable, to return to the communion of it: a mind free from paffion and prejudice, from peevifh exceptions, and groundlefs and endless fcruples; not apt to infift upon little cavils and objections, to which the very best things, and the greateft and the cleareft truths in the world, are, and always will be liable: and whatever they have been heretofore, to be henceforth no more children, teed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the flight of men, and cunning craftiness of those who lie in wait to deceive. And if we were thus affected on all hands, we might yet be a happy church and nation. If we would govern ourfelves by thefe rules, and walk according to them, peace would be upon us, and mercy, and on the Ifrael of God. 3. I fhall conclude all with a few words in relation to the occafion of this prefent meeting. I have all this while been recommending to you, from the authority and example of our bleffed Saviour, and from the nature and reafon of the thing itself, this most excellent grace and virtue of charity, in the most proper acts and inftances of it. But befides particular acts of charity to be exercifed upon emergent occafions, there are likewifecharitable cuftoms which are highly commendable; becaufe they are more certain and conftant, of a larger extent, and of a longer continuance; as, the meeting of the fons of the clergy, which is now formed and established into a charitable corporation; and the anniversary meetings of thofe of the feveral counties of England who refide or happen to be in London, for two of the best and nobleft ends that can be, the maintaining of friendfhip, and the promoting of charity. Thefe, and others. of the like kind, I call charitable cuftoms, which of late years have very much obtained in this great and famous city. And it cannot but be a great pleafure and fatiffaction to all good men, to fee fo generous, fo humane, fo Chriftian a difpofition, to prevail and reign fo much amongst us. The frange overflowing of vice and wickedness in our land, and the prodigious increafe and impudence of infidelity and impiety, hath of late years boded very ill to us, and brought terrible judgements upon this city and nation, and feems ftill to threaten us with more and greater, And the greatest comfort I have had, under thefe fad apprehenfions of God's difpleafare, hath been this, that though bad men were perhaps never worse in any age, yet the good, who I hope are not a few, were never more truly and fubftantially good. I do verily believe, there never were, in any time, greater and more real effects of charity; not from a blind fuperftition, and an ignorant zeal, and a mercenary, and arrogant, and prefumptuous principle of merit, but from a found knowledge, and a fincere love and obedience to God; or, as the apoftle expreffeth it, cut of a pure heart, and of a good confcience, and of faith unfeigned. And who that loves God and religion, can chufe but take great contentment, to fee fo general and forward an inclination in people this way? which hath been very much cherished of late years by this fort of meetings; and that to very good purpofe and effect, in many chari. table contributions, difpofed in the best and wifett ways; and which likewife hath tended very much to the reconciling of the minds of men, and the allaying of thofe fierce heats and animofities which have been caufed by our civil confufions and religious distractions. For there is nothing many times wanting to take away prejudice, and to extinguish hatred and ill-will, but an opportunity for men to fee and understand one another; by which they will quickly perceive, that they are not fuch monfters as they have been reprefented one to another at a distance. We are, I think, one of the laft counties of England that have entered into this friendly and charitable kind of fociety: let us make amends for our late fetting out, by quickening our pace, that so we may overtake and outftrip those who are gone before us. Let not our cha Gg. 2 rity rity partake of the coldness of our climate; but let us endeavour that it may be equal to the extent of our country and as we are incomparably the greatest county of England, let it appear that we are fo by the largenefs and extent of our charity. "O Lord, who has taught us, that all our doings "without charity are nothing, fend thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace, and of all virtues; with 66 out which whofoever liveth is counted dead before "thee. Grant this for thy only Son Jefus Chrift's fake." Now the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jefus Chrift, the great Shepherd of the fheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleafing in his fight, through Fefus Chrift: To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. SERM XXI. Of the trial of the fpirits. Preached at Whitehall, April 4. 1679. I JOHN iv. I.. Beloved, believe not every fpirit, but try the fpirits whether they are of God; becaufe many false prophets are gone out into the world. His caution and counfel was given upon occafion TH of the falfe prophets and teachers that were rifen up in the beginning of the Chriftian church, who endeavoured to feduce men from the true doctrine of the gofpel delivered by the apoftles of our Lord and Saviour and thefe teaching contrary things, could not both be from God; and therefore St John calls upon Christians to examine the doctrines and pretences of those new teachers, whether they were from God, or not. Be |