fee people reforting to the fame holy affemblies, joining in the fame publick prayers, the fame chriftian offices of charity, receiving together the most folemn bond of unity and love, the facrament of the Lord's fupper, and yet carrying with them thither in their hearts a spirit of ftrife and bitterness, anger, violence, and contention. All this must

needs be contrary to the temper of this Disciple in the text, the peaceable and quiet Chriftian, and to that bleffed legacy of peace which *Chrift our Saviour bequeathed to all his followers. Let us fee then how the peaceable man behaves himself in the neighbourhood and relations wherein God has plac'd him.

FIRST, then, He is very careful to give no just offence or provocation to any, which being taken hold of and refented, may become a ground of difference. The provocations I am concerned to fpeak of here, are either in word, or action. The firft is the iffue of the tongue, that world of mifchief and iniquity, with which men blast and stain one another; and when they have done bleffing God with it, prefently fall to curfing or reviling their neighbour. Now thofe who would come up to the character described in the text, make it their study to bridle this unruly member: The peaceable man will not revile or flander any one; he will not bring an evil report upon others, either openly or fecretly; nor fpread and tell again the malicious ftories which are told him; but always enclines to speak and hope of his neighbours rather better than perhaps they generally deferve; he does not fuffer his tongue to get an habit of ill language; but befpeaking every body fairly and civilly, does what he can to fecure their living peaceably and kindly with him. As to his actions, he is alike ftudious

*

John xiv. 27.

† Jam. iii. 5, 6,

to

to do no injury, and give no provocation by them. He makes no voluntary trefpafs upon the poffeffion of his neighbour, he refufes not any neighbourly courtefy or good office he can do him, and is very unwilling to be in any way the occafion of any lofs or damage to him; in fhort, he does all he can to oblige, and nothing wilfully to difoblige him. But,

evil

SECONDLY, Suppofe he really chance to offend, or to provoke him by fome foul word, imprudent converfation, or ill ufage; he is willing and ready to tender his fubmiffion, to acknowledge his fault, to offer recompence according as the cafe requires, to defire reconciliation, to make the first ftep towards it, and to use all decent means of recovering amity, tho' it may be somewhat to his own lofs. It is but reasonable that he who language mifcals, or by unworthy flanders vilifies and degrades his neighbour, fhould at least give himself the lye, and acknowledge it was neither true, nor fit to be fpoken; for the reputations of men are like fair bloffoms, pleasant, and hopeful of much future advantage from them, while they ftand; but foon blown off by any violent and illnatur'd wind; and a man may fuffer great loffes by the reproachful word or flanderous ftory of a neighbour. Now he that fhall do thus, if he would return to the honour of the chriftian religion, and do an act worthy of the goodness of his profeffion, must earnestly repent of this evil, and acknowledge it with a real concern, not only to God, but allo to the injur'd or offended party; and tender whatever juft fatisfaction fhall be thought fit to be made him, and this in order to reftore the peace of the neighbourhood, as well as repair the fufferings of the man. And the reafon holds the fame for evil actions. If by these we do wrong to him, or prejudice his affairs; or if by refufing fome neighbourly

bourly office we provoke, or by a morofe and uncivil carriage do affront him; rather than fuffer the matter to grow to enmity and diffention, we should make reftitution, and repair the injury; rather above the value of the offence or damage, than any thing short of it; be willing to afk pardon, and to make amends to him by more abundant civilities for the future.

THIRDLY, The peaceable man is not apt to be offended, he is not blown into a flame with every blaft. As he is careful not to offend others, and to fubmit to others where he has offended; he confiders also that he is not to take notice of every trifle and every paffion, every bitter word, and every ftory; he paffes them over with a general neglect and filence, leaving the offender to cool himself into a better mind, or rather waiting the grace of God for his converfion. For fince all people cannot be perfuaded to reftrain their tongues, and to govern their actions as they ought to do, refentment would be endlefs, and living in the world intolerable; if all occafions of offence were to be taken, which the pride, or malice, or impertinence of men may give. Conniving at fuch injuries, as it will be a greater eafe and fatisfaction to a man's felf, retaining a peaceful calmness in his own breast, and giving his thoughts no trouble (or as little as may be) for what he has not deserved, and could not hinder; fo it will. always be found a likelier way to reconcile an enemy, than the purfuing him with law or violence, and retaliation. And I will add, that nothing more effectually dif appoints and mortifies the malicious offender, than to perceive that his provocations pass for nothing, his petty injuries give no difturbance, and his affronts are all too inconfiderable to be taken notice of. But I would not be misunderstood, as if going to law, to do our felves right in cafe of injuries of great

concern

CHAP. VII. concern to our eftate or reputation, was contrary to christian peace; for a peaceable and charitable temper may be fecured even in that, by a readiness all along to agree the matter upon reasonable terms, infifting upon no more than reasonable damages, aiming only to recover our juft rights, and not to gratify revenge or anger; behaving our felves to our adverfaries, during the fuit, in a friendly and peaceable manner; and contriving to put him to as little charge in the procefs as can be. A fuit at law thus managed, as it may be a neceffary piece of juftice, will be no breach of peace and charity. To proceed,

FOURTHLY and lastly, He who would come up to the highest pitch of religion in this matter, muft not only be backward to refent, but even ready to fubmit, (I can find no better word for it) when he is injured. To fee a man loaded with falfe reports and publick reproaches by a wicked and malicious tongue; to fee him injur'd in his eftate and livelihood, and at the fame time pitying the offender's malice, and intreating him to terms of peace and kindness; is to fee a fair coPy of that pattern fet us by our Saviour, a moft rare and excellent inftance of a chriftian fpirit. But here great care is to be taken that difcretion moderate and govern this exalted pitch of goodnefs, left it be over-ftrained to an excess of weaknefs and folly. The injured Man who would be reconciled, who defires it and folicits for it, muft do this in fuch a decent and wife manner as may fecure the honour of the chriftian religion, and plainly fhew that what he does proceeds from pure goodness and the love of peace, and not from fear and cowardice, and fuch a meannefs of fpirit as is indeed contemptible.

HAVING thus difcharged my felf of the defcription of the perfons bleffed, the peace-makers; I come now to confider in a few words that particu

lar

lar bleffing or reward affign'd them in my text, they fhall be called the children of God.

Such as know

them and live about them in this world, and tafte the beneficial influences of fuch a temper, and enjoy the advantages of it, or obferve with a juft admiration the beauty and usefulness thereof, fhall bless those excellent fouls who have and practise it, and acknowledge that God is in them of a truth. But this is a very fmall part of what thofe words include, they fhall be called the children of God, i. e. they are and fhall be owned (not only by men, but) by God himself, as his fons, and fhall be receiv'd and lov'd accordingly. And all this,

(1.) BECAUSE by this pacifick and peaceable fpirit, they in a peculiar manner* refemble God their heavenly Father, who is the God of peace. The character of divine goodness, which appears fo vifibly in the air and features of their mind (if I may fo fpeak) fufficiently declares whofe children they are; and as parents are apt to have most affection for those of their children who are most like them, or take moft after them; fo God will more efpecially own and cherish fuch as bear his image in this great and fair impreffion of it. And,

For

(2.) THEY fhall be called his children, as they employ themselves in that which was the grand affair and business of his Son Chrift Jefus, who came down from heaven to do the fame good office betwixt God, and man, which the peace-maker endeavours betwixt one-man and another. Chrift is the great reconciler, who hath made peace through the blood of his crofs; and thofe who imitate him in labours of the fame generous kind, may properly enough be ftiled his brethren, and fhall be owned as fuch by him, and by his heavenly Father.

I Cor, xiv. 33.

2 Cor. xiii. II. + Col. i. 20.

WE