II.

SER M. eternally debated amongst the Learned. And thus it will always be, when Men become wiser, in their own Conceit, to prevent Evils, than God himself. They first go out of the Road which He has chalked out: and then they find, at the End, that they cause a great deal of Evil, without preventing any: And only invent Inftruments to diftrefs, but not to convince, any Man of his real, or fuppofed, Errors.

Lastly, By contending for the Faith, as it was once delivered to the Saints in the New Teftament, we fhall only prefs upon Men the receiving what it is has pleafed God to deliver; but fhall avoid that Great Evil of enforcing upon Them the Confequences, which We ourselves fee, or think we fee, to follow from the Doctrines first delivered. It derogates from the Wisdom and Goodness of God to think that He has not provided, that all Points truly fundamental, fhould be delivered in exprefs Terms, and, in fo many Words, declared to be fundamental. And this must ever be a great Prejudice against any Point enforced by Men, as fundamental ; to find them obliged to deduce it by a Confequential Arguing from their own Senfe of the Words of Scripture.

The juft Confequences from any Truth, are, certainly, equally true with that Truth, from which they follow. And it is as certain, that

to

to Him who fees them to follow, or thinks he sER M. fees them, they are as Truths; and may justly II. be maintained as fuch. But they are not fo to 0thers, who see them not in the fame Light. Nor can they be made neceffary to be believed by Others, 'till these Others themselves discover their Relation to the Primitive Truths of Religion: And then they will, of Course, and Neceffity, believe them. But to make the Confequences, fuppofed or real, of fundamental Doctrines, to be fundamental to All Chriftians, and neceflary to be explicitly believed, is firft to create a new Rule of Faith; and then it is to fuppofe, as a Truth, what is the greatest Falfhood in Fact, that all Men's Capacities. and Understandings are equally fitted to fee the fame Deductions, and the fame Confequences, which Some may fee.

And this is a great Objection against all Innovations of Language in fundamental Points; That almost all thofe New Words and Phrafes, upon which the greatest Strefs has been laid, are seen to be framed from Confequential Arguings: not to be merely other Words for the Old Words, but to be framed upon a particular Interpretation of thofe Old Words, and by a Train of Confequences drawn from the antient Expreffions, explained in a parti

cular Manner.

SERM.

In fine, the Faith to be contended for, was II. compleatly delivered, before it was to be contended for. The Direction of Other Men's Faith is not, our Capacity of seeing Confequences, or our Skill in Interpreting; but the plain Declarations of Chrift, and his Apostles. To contend for it, in the very Form in which it was at first once delivered, is a Glory to a Chriftian. It is to follow God, by contending for it in a Method furrounded with those Inconveniencies only, with which it has pleased Him to leave it furrounded, for the Trial of the Sincerity of his Servants. the Faith, as it has been over

delivered by Men, has, at least,

To contend for

and over again

this Evil in it,

that it is a forfaking the Method chofen by Almighty God, as infufficient; and chufing Another, which, by being effectually pursued, has been already feen to be the Inlet of All Superftition, all Abfurdity, and all Perfecution, into the Church of Chrift: from the Reproach, and Guilt, and Burthen, of which, may it please God at length to deliver it, through his Son Jefus Chrift, our Lord!

of

Of Judging One Another.

SERMON III.

Preached before the KING, Febr. 18, 1721-2.

ROMANS xiv. 4.

Who art Thou that judgest another Man's Servant? To his own Mafter he ftandeth, or fal

leth.

W

E find, in this Chapter, the Apoftle, with his usual Zeal, oppofing that Spirit of Cenfuring and Judging One Another, which very early fhewed itself in the Chriftian Church; and, at the fame time, displaying before the Eyes of all Chriftians, in his own Example, the greatest Inftance of Temper and good Conduct in this refpect. He knew the Genius of the Chriftian Religion perfectly well. He was acquainted where the Truth lay, in thofe Differences which raised this Spirit of Cenfure in his Time. He is free to declare his own Judgment, on one side of the Question. But tho' He had all the Light

and

SERM.

III.

SER M. and Authority of an Apoftle, to enforce an AIII. greement with Himfelf; yet, He chofe rather

to plead, even with Warmth, for Condefcenfion, and Love, and Regard, to Those who were not of his Mind; and whom He knew to be in an Error.

The things which gave ground for this ill Behaviour of Chriftians to one another, were of the smallest Moment; Some thinking to please their common Master, amongst other greater Matters, with obferving feveral Jewish and trivial Rules with respect to Eating, and Holydays, and the like; Others, thinking this a Weakness, and that Chriftians were freed from fuch like Burthens: But neither contented with enjoying their own Judgments; but One Sort cenfuring and judging the Other, for the Observation, or Neglect, of fuch Matters, juft according as They themselves thought fit either to obferve, or neglect, them. Here it was fit, therefore, for the Apostle to interpofe; and fhew the Nature and Temper of Chriftianity, with refpect to the Cafe before Him. But, alas! This evil Spirit of Cenfure, and Judging, was not then lay'd, even by the Authority of an Apofile: nor by the Argument taken from that Day of the Lord, which He placed in their view, and from that Judgment-feat of Chrift, their com