unjuft and uncharitable Thing to affirm of any that believe that Doctrine, (many of whom are certainly pious and good Men) that they do maintain any fuch impious and blafphemous Opinions as thofe that are now mentioned.

The Sum of all is, that a Man may believe. a Propofition, and not believe all that follows from it: Not but that all the Deductions from a Propofition are equally true, and equally credible with the Propofition, from whence they are deduced: But a Man may not fo clearly fee through the Propofition, as to difcern that fuch Confequences are really deducible from it: So that we are at no hand to charge them upon him, unless he do explicitely own them.

If this Rule were obferv'd, our Differences would not make fo great a Noife, nor would the Errors and Heterodoxes maintained among us, appear fo monftrous and extravagant; and we should spare a great many hard Words, and odious Appellations, which we now too prodigally beftow upon those that differ from us.

The Fifth Rule is, To abstract Mens Perfons from their Opinions; and in examining or oppofing thefe, never to make any Reflections upon those.

This is a Thing fo highly reasonable, that methinks no Pretender to Ingenuity should ever need to be called upon to obferve it: For it seems very abfurd and ridiculous in any Argument, to meddle with That that nothing concerns the Question. But what do Perfonal C 4

Re

Reflections concern the Caufe of Religion? Whatever it may be to the Reputation of an Opinion, I am fure it is nothing to the Truth of it, that fuch or fuch a Man holds it.

And truly, if Men would leave this Impertinence, we might hope for a better Iffue of our Religious Debates: But whilst Men will forfake the Merits of the Caufe, and unmanly fall to railing, and difparaging Mens Perfons, and fcraping together all the Ill that can be faid of them, they blow the Coals of Contention, they fo imbitter and envenom the Difpute, that it rankles into incurable Dif afters and Heart-burnings.

Christians would do well to confider, that these mean Arts of expofing Mens Perfons to difcredit their Opinions, are very much unworthy the Dignity of their Profeffion, and moft of all mif-becoming the Sacredness and Venerableness of the Truth they contend for. And befides, no Cause ftands in need of them, but fuch an one as is extremely baffled and defperate; and even then, they are the worft Arguments in the World to fupport it; for quickfighted Men will eafily fee through the Duft we endeavour to raise; and those that are duller, will be apt to fufpect from our being fo angry and fo wafpifh, that we have but a bad Matter to manage.

We should confider, that Mens Perfons are facred Things; that whatever Power we have to judge of their Opinions, we have no Authority to judge or cenfure Them: That to bring Them upon the Stage, and there throw Dirt

on

on them, is highly rude and uncivil, and an Affront to Human Society, and the most contrary thing in the World to Chriftian Charity, which is fo far from enduring Reproaches and Evil-speaking, that it obliges us to cover, as much as we can, all the Faults, and even the very Indiscretions of others.

The Sixth and laft Thing I fhall recommend to you as an Expedient of Peace, is a vigorous Pursuit of Holiness.

Do but ferioufly fet your-felves to be good, do but get your Hearts deeply affected with Religion as well as your Heads, and then there is no fear but you will be all the Sons of Peace.

We may talk what we will, but really it is our not practifing our Religion, that makes us fo Contentious and Difputatious about it: It is our Emptiness of the Divine Life, that makes us fo full of Speculation and Controverfy: Was but That once firmly rooted in us, these Weeds and Excrefcencies of Religion, would prefently dry up and wither; we fhould foath any longer to feed upon fuch Husks, after we once came to have a Relifh of that Bread.

Ah! How little Satisfaction can all our pretty Notions, and fine-fpun Controverfies, yield to a Soul, that truly hungers and thirsts after Righteoufnefs? How pitiful, flatly and infipidly will they taste, in comparison of the Divine Entertainments of the Spiritual Life?

Were we but seriously taken up with the Subftantials of our Religion, we fhould not

have leisure for the Talking, Difputing D ᎠᎥ vinity; we should have greater Matters to take up our Thoughts, and more profitable Arguments to furnish out our Difcourfes. So long as we could bufie ourselves in working out our Salvation, and furthering the Salvation of others, we should think it but a mean Employment to spend our Time in Spinning fine Nets, for the catching of Flies.

Befides, this Divine Life, if it once took place in us, would ftrangely dilate and enlarge our Hearts in Charity towards our Brethren; it would make us open our Arms wide to the whole Creation; it would perfectly work out of us all that Peevishness and Sowrnefs, and Penuriousness of Spirit, which we do too often contract, by being addicted to a Sect; and would make us Sweet and Benign, and Obliging, and ready to receive and embrace all Conditions of Men. In a word, it would quite swallow up all Diftinctions of Parties; and whatever did but bear upon it the Image of God, and the Superfcription of the Holy Jefus, would need no other Commendatories to our Affection, but would upon that alone Account, be infinitely dear and precious to us.

Let us all therefore earneftly contend after this Divine Principle of Holiness; let us bring down Religion from our Heads to our Hearts, from Speculation to Practice: Let us make it our Business heartily to love God, and do his Will, and then we may hope to fee Peace in our Days.

This, this is That that will restore to the World the Golden Age of Primitive Chriftianity, when the Love and Unity of the Disciples of Jefus was fo confpicuous and remarkable, that it became a Proverb, See hom the Chriftians love one another! This, this is That that will bring in the Accomplishment of all thofe glorious Promifes of Peace and Tranquility that Chrift hath made to his Church: Then fhall the Wolf dwell with the Lamb, and the Leopard lie down with the Kid: Then shall not Ephraim envy Judah, nor Judah vex Ephraim; but we fhall turn our Swords into Plough-fbares, and our Spears into Pruning-hooks; and there will be no more confuming or devouring in all God's Holy Mountain.

I fhould now proceed to the Second General Point in my propofed Method of handling this Text, viz. To fet before you the very great Engagements and Obligations we have upon us to follow after the Things that make for Peace; and that,

1. From the Nature and Contrivance of our Religion.

2. From the great Weight the Scripture lays upon this Duty.

3. From the great Unreasonableness of our Religious Differences.

2.

4. From the very evil Confequences that attend them: As, 1. In that they are great Hindrances of a good Life. They are very pernicious to the Civil Peace of the State. 3. They are highly oppro