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CHAP. VII. which our English tranflators have confined it. Or (2.) one of a peaceable and quiet difpofition as to his own behaviour. For Пoev is used not only for the caufing, procuring, or effecting of a thing, but for the inclination of the mind, and the bent of practice; How Youd, he that maketh a lye, is he who is enclined or given to lying. So in the first Epistle of St. John, Whosoever is born of God, apagliav & wore, does not commit fin, i. e. does not live in the indulged habit or practice of fin; and again, O jun wow dixoool, whosoever does not righteousness, i. e. fincerely endeavours not in the general courfe of his life to practise holiness and virtue, is not of God. Agreeably whereto, 'Eglwoποιός, may be one who does, τα † Ειρίύης ποιεῖν, practise the things which make for peace, and is of a peaccable temper and behaviour. And thus including both fignifications, the peace-maker bleffed in this text, is fuch a true inward friend and lover of peace, that he endeavours to preserve it where it is, and where it is broken to repair it; as well betwixt others where he has only the quality of a reconciler, as betwixt himself and another, where he is also a party.

Now this temper will exprefs it self,

(1.) FIRST, Towards all mankind in general; he bears an hearty good-will to them, defires a good agreement amongst them, is averfe to war and blood-fhed, to national feuds and private animofities; and if it were in his power would establish an intire ferenity and peace through all the world. And the reafon of this is founded in the very defign of nature from the firft: For whatever fome have dreamed to the contrary, the natural ftate is not, nor ever was a ftate of hoftility and war; but of friendship, unity and peace. Men were not formed in great multitudes out of the duft or mud of the earth, as other animals were, but defcended

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all from one man; (even Eve her self being taken from the fide of Adam) that they might live as one body, as brethren, and relations in an intire and mutual affection, remembring their common original. So afterward, when the world was drowned, the human fpecies was preferved in one family (not in fo many perfons of feveral and independent families) to intimate and recommend to pofterity the fame obligation to friendship and agreement. Befide that, we may obferve how nature has furnished fome creatures in their very make and form with inftruments of violence, and others have a fort of natural armour by which they may fecure and defend themfelves; but man is brought naked into the world, with a body unarmed and undefended, neither apt for mischief, nor able to refift it; and what can this imply, but the peace and gentleness naturally implanted in him, and that there fhould be no oppofition, no hoftilities at all, betwixt those of this fpecies, whatever there might be amongst other animals? It's true, through the corruption and depravity of nature, wars there are and will be, and private violence and animofities too, fo long as pride, ambition, covetoufnefs, or revenge, poffefs the minds of men; but thefe things ought not fo to be, nor is it at all agreeable to nature. But perhaps while we fpeak fo largely against wars, may be objected that God encouraged the people of the Jews to war; and not only fo, but even to fuch severities therein as carry the face of cruelty and horror; as in the total deftruction of the Canaanites, and Saul's expedition against the Amalekites. In anfwer to which, as to the wars they had in their paffage to Canaan, or in taking pol feffion of that land; it is enough to fay, that God being the Sovereign Lord and Proprietor of the whole earth, had long before given that land to Abraham and his pofterity; and fo the recovering

it

covering of it was no more than the recovering of their own; and as to their cruelty in the total excifion of the inhabitants, the reafon given for the command of that, is, that the Ifraelites might not, by mixing with them, learn their idolatrous worship and fuperftitious cuftoms. The wars they had with their neighbours after, were either by the authority of God, (who, as we obferved before, may difpofe of all countries as he will, and give the dominion of them to whom he pleases) to enlarge their borders, or else to vindicate themselves from oppreffion; and in this, all circumftances laid together, there could be no injuftice or unpeaceableness. That war with the Amalekites, and that dreadful flaughter of them all without diftinction of fex or age, was alfo by the express command of God, (that God to whom vengeance belongs) to punish them for their base attacking of his people Ifrael; without any previous injury done, or provocation given on their fide, as they paffed through the wilderness toward + Canaan; and was no more than God had folemnly threatned from that very time that he would do. It may be objected also against this univerfal benignity and good-will, above described, that in the book of Pfalms there are many curfes and imprecations uttered against evil men, which feem to be contrary to fuch a temper. But to this I anfwer, that the Prophets (for fuch were the composers of those Pfalms) being infpir'd by the Holy Ghoft, wrote not fo much their own fenfe as that of the divine enditer; thofe expreffions are rather to be looked upon as denunciations and prophecies of what would certainly come to pafs, than curfes or imprecations of the facred pen-men. Notwithstanding these objections therefore, we may still infift † Exod. xvii. 14. Deut. xxv. 17,

*

I Sam. xv. 2, 3. 18, 19.

upon

upon it, that the law of peace and kindness is infcribed in the very nature of men, by God's authority and hand, who is the Author of nature; and that wars (however lawful when they become the only effectual method left us to do our felves and others right,) are not defirable, nor to be rafhly engag'd in, nor (when reasonable terms of peace and fecurity are propofed) to be obftinately continued and purfued; but we are to be govern'd in all our conduct, whether as private men, or as focieties and nations, by a mild and peaceable difpofition one towards another, that we may come up to the Apostle's rule, *If it be poffible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

SECONDLY, This difpofition will exprefs it felf in a particular regard to the peace of the Church. By the Church I here mean, that grand and catholick fociety felected from the reft of the world, and diftinguish'd by the name of Chriftians; the whole body of fuch as are baptized into the name, and profess the religion of Christ, and live under the fpiritual government, difcipline, ordinances and privileges of the Gofpel: But more efpecially that branch of it which is the happy establishment in our own country. All these are to be confidered as people incorporated into one community; and tho' they may be divided amongst themselves by different opinions, yet they are diftinguish'd from the profeffors of any other religion by the general articles of their confeffion, and by thefe are united and knit together into one fellowship. Now with refpect to the Church, the man of peace is to fhew his difpofition thereto, both as a maker of peace, and a lover or practifer of peace.

1. FIRST, as a maker of peace, or one who endeavours to the utmoft, in his proper place and

*Rom. xii. 18.

station,

station, to heal the divifions in the Church of Chrift, to reconcile the difagreeing parties, and reduce them to that unity and harmony, that they may indeed appear to make but one body, and one profeffion. This is a work of great honour and goodness; but withal it requires an excellent wifdom, and many heads, and hands, and hearts combining to effect it. If fovereign princes, endowed with a zeal and virtue as eminent as their power, would confult together in earnest upon this glorious enterprize, or labour in it at leaft as far as they can within their own dominions; if general councils were convened with fuch a temper; if ecclefiaftical governours would enter into the fame defign, and be industrious to promote it; what an happy union, what a peaceful ferenity in the affairs of religion might we not hope for throughout the chriftian world? But without the concurrence of all thefe, I doubt 'tis hardly practicable; nor will it be proper for me to prefcribe, fuppofing fuch endeavours, how or by what measures fo great a point may be effectually gained; or what compliances are neceffary on all hands, to fix a regular and lafting union; this must be left to those who have authority to concert the matter. Yet fomething there is, which even a private Chriftian may contribute towards this great and good work. Where piety and learning have the happiness to meet in him, a clear and cool head, with a peaceable and religious heart, they qualify him for promoting a fpirit of peace in the Church, by his publick writings. Perhaps he may be able in fo affecting a manner to reprefent the mifchiefs of feparation and divifion, the beauty and advantages, the reasonableness and neceffity of union, to propofe fuch a temper or medium betwixt the two angry extremes, to propofe it in fuch a mild and engaging way, and to eftablifh it with fuch a trength of argument, as by the bleffing of God,

may

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