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felves, then, of the peace of God in this life, and of a participation of his glory after death. God grant you this graceAmen.

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THE HARMONY OF RELIGION AND

CIVIL POLITY.

PROVERBS xiv. 34.

Righteousness exalteth a Nation

To propofe maxims of civil polity in a religious affembly, to propofe maxims of religion in a political affembly, are two things, which feem alike fenfelefs and imprudent. The chriftian is fo often diftinguished from the statesman, that, it would feem, they were oppofite characters. We have been lately taught to believe, that Jefus Chrift, by giving us an idea of a fo ciety more noble than any we can form upon earth, hath forbidden us to prevent the miferies of this ftate, and to endeavor to procure the gloyofit. It hath been faid, that kingdoms and ftates cannot be elevated without violating the laws of equity, and infringing the rights of the

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church.

How general foever this odious notion may have been, hardly any one hath appeared openly to avow it till of late. The impudence of pleading for it was referved for our age, for a chriftian admitted into your provinces, cherished in your bofom, and, O fhame of our churches ap pearing among proteftant refugees, as the devil formerly prefented himself before the Lord among the angels of God.*

We propose to-day, my brethren, to endeavor to unravel the fophifms of this author, to fhew

you

* Voyez Bayle, Continuat. des penfees divers. Tom. ii. pag. 598.

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you the agreement of religion with civil polity, and to establish this propofition, that as there is nothing in religion to counteract the defign of a wife fyftem of civil polity, so there is nothing in a wife fyftem of civil government to counteract the design of the chriftian religion. It was the wifeft of all kings, who taught us this leffon. He speaks of the exaltation of a nation, and this is the end of civil polity. He fpeaks of righteousness, and this is the defign of religion, or rather, this is religion itfelf. He affirms, that the latter is the foundation of the former, and this is the agreement of religion with civil gov ernment. It is righteousness, faith he, it is righteousness, that exalteth a nation.

This propofition of Solomon needs both explication and proof; and this difcourfe is intended to furnish both.

In our first part we will state the question, fix the fenfe of thefe terms,righteoufuefs, exaltation; we will fet afide the various falfe fenfes, which occafioned the opinion that we intend to oppose; and by these means we will preclude fuch objec tions as may be made against our doctrine.

In the fecond part, we will alledge fome.arguments in favour of the propofition contained in the text when properly explained, and fo. prove that righteousness exalteth a nation.

This nation is exalted, my brethren: but, allow me to fay, it is not by its righteousness. We have not therefore chofen this text to create an opportunity of making encomiums on you: but we treat of the fubject in order to fix your attention on the proper means of preferving and augmenting your elevation. Happy if our defign meet with fuccefs! Happy if we contribute, though not according to the extent of our wishes, yet according to the utmost of our ability, to the glory of this state!

I. We just now infinuated, that the falfe gloffes put upon the maxim of the wife man were the principal caufes of our backwardnefs to ad mit the truth of it. It is, therefore, important to itate the queftion clearly.

1. When we affirm that righteousness and religion in general, (for it would be easy to prove that the word righteousness in the text is to be taken in this vague fenfe) I fay, when we affirm that religion exalteth a nation, we do not mean› fuch a religion as many imagine. We ingenu ously acknowledge, and would to God the whole. world acknowledged that neither the religion of a cruel man, nor the religion of a fuperstitions perfon, nor the religion of an enthufiaft, can exalt a nation.

How can the religion of a cruel man exalt a nation? The religion of fuch men is too well. known for the peace of Europe. Such as thefe, under pretence of devotion, cut a free course for their own black and inflexible paffions. Thefe arm themselves with the civil fword to deftroy all, who doubt the truth of their fyftems; they put violence in the place of demonftration, and endeavor to establish the gofpel, as if it were the Koran of Mohammed, by force and conftraint. Thefe, characters, as I just now said, are too well known for the peace of Europe. Even now, while I fpeak, I behold many, who have fuffered under fuch cruelty, and have oppofed the strongest argument against it. No, my brethren, this is not the religion that exalteth a nation. Such a religion depopulates states, ruins commerce, and is a never-failing fource of civil wars and inteftine commotions. The re- . ligion, of which we peak, is a kind, patient, gentle religion; a religion, the grand character of which, is forbearance, benevolence, and fraternal love; a religion inimical to error, and herefy but which, however, pities the: errone

ous

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ous and the heretic; a religios, which exerts itfelf to eradicate falfe doctrines but which leaves each at liberty to admit the truth; a religion, which hath no other fword than the sword of the Spirit, nor any other weapon than that of the word.

How can the religion of a superstitious man exalt a nation? It makes devotion degenerate into idleness, it increafeth the number of ecclefiaftics, and fo renders many members ufelefs to fociety. It waftes, in pretendedly pious foundations, immenfe fums, which might have contributed to the advancement of arts and fciences. It generates fcruples in the minds of statesmen, and fo reftrains the exercife of thofe fine faculties, which God created for the good of the ftate. It puts the cafuift in the place of the prince, and the prince in the place of the cafuift, the cafuift on the throne, and the prince in confeffion at his feet. No, my brethren, this is not the religion, of which we fpeak. The religion, of which we speak, is oppofite to fuperftition. It is just and folid, requiring us to "render unto Cæfar the things that are Cæfar's, and unto God the things that are God's," Matt. xii. 17. It prefcribes bounds to fovereigns: but it requires cafuifts also to know their place.

How can the religion of an enthusiast contribute to the exaltation of a nation? The foul of an enthusiast is always agitated with vifions and reveries. He inceffantly thrufts himself into the company of the great, in order to infpire them with his own fpirit, and to breathe into them the foul of enthufiafm. He endeavors to animate governors, called to watch over a state, and to conduct the people to national happiness, with his wild fchemes. He is always talking of extirpating the reformation, and thundering excommunications against thofe, who do not enter into his extravagant projects; his anathemas

are

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