IT is an evidence of the degeneracy o human nature, that persons of narrow minds and divisive practices, are ap­plauded by any; but in the judgment of our Lord, the Peacemakers are blessed, for they shall be called the children of GOD.

IN these words are two parts, first, a duty enjoin'd, peacemaking, and second, arguments to inforce it annexed. viz. the blessing of CHRIST, and being called the children of GOD. These parts of the text, I purpose to explain and improve.

I. THE peace here intended is that between man and man, as appears from the 23. and 24. verses of this chapter, where the phrase is explained in the fol­lowing manner, therefore if thou bring thy gift to the al­tar, and there remebrest that thy brother hath ought a­gainst thee, leave there thy gift, first be reconcil'd to thy [Page 4]brother, and then come and offer thy gift; the expression being indefinite, doubtless extends to all the connections of mankind, in families, church and state; peacemakers therefore are such who are themselves quiet and peacea­ble, who sincerely love peace and earnestly endeavour in obedience to GOD, and regard to man to promote it, wherever their influence reaches, thro' the general series of their behaviour, by the use of all lawful means.

SUCH as duly consider the value of peace to society, must needs have a high esteem of it, which naturally tends to excite proportional desire and labour; but with­out divine influence, we neither have an affecting view of things, or an ability to act with right principles and designs: a few peaceable moods and kind offices cannot constitute a Peacemaker, for this includes the govern­ing temper of the soul and general course of the con­duct, these and nothing transient, evidence the state of the mind, and determine the character.

THE extent of this duty is universal, if it be possible, saith the Apostle, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men; not only with such as are of our profes­sion and sentiments, but with all others that retain the human species, and if, thro' their default, our labours for peace prove abortive, nevertheless we shall not miss a gracious reward, which is not connected with the success (that is out of our power) but with our dispo­sition and endeavour. ^* Yet when these are crown'd with success, it is a tree of life! ^†

BUT tho' we are earnestly to prosecute peace, yet not so far as to barter truth and holiness to obtain it, no! we must buy the truth and not sell it, we must follow peace with all men, and holiness; that is so far as is consistent [Page 5]with holiness, and no farther; we should rather die then deny the least truth, but there is a wide diffe­rence between our love to it and our imposing of it as a term of communion upon others; the former is our duty, and the latter our sin. ^*

IT must be confess'd it is no easy matter to procure or preserve peace among mankind, for by our fatal apo­stacy we have lost that pure light, supream love to GOD, and sincere regard to man, which we enjoy'd in our primitive state; and in place thereof are under the governing power of darkness, enmity against GOD and man, and immoderate self love: so that we neither know our duty in a right manner, or are willing to do it, but have a strong proneness to the contrary: nothing less than supernatural light and almighty power can sub­due these evils in us, and qualify us to perform accep­tably the duty enjoyn'd in our text. Yea even after a change is wrought what infants are many in grace, they are carnal and walk as men, while there is envying, strife, and divisions among them, while one saith he is of Paul and another he is of Apollos; who is Paul and who is Apollos? ^†

THE means tending to peace are either negative or positive, of the first kind are these following, viz. rash­judging, unscriptural terms of communion, and uncha­ritable divisions; and

1st. WE should with great care avoid rashjudging, which, on insufficient grounds, condemns the states and actions of others: this practice is as sinful in itself as unfriendly to the peace of society, and therefore is strictly prohibited and severely censur'd by God himself, as an invasion of his province, a despising of our brother, [Page 6]and an anticipation of the general judgment; who art thou that judgest another man's servant? why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of CHRIST; he that judgeth his brother, judgeth the law; i. e. accuseth it of imperfection by condemning persons not for violating its precepts but his own additions; judge not says our LORD lest ye be judged; i. e. lest ye provoke others to recriminate and load you with invective; he may certainly expect to be judged without mercy who hath shewed no mercy; the most unsullied innocence, the most eminent and gene­rous goodness, are not secure from the censure of this malignant impiety, which presumes to ascribe a series of of good actions, without the least shadow of reason, to a bad cause and design; thus the invidious Pharisees as­cribed the miraculous works of our LORD to the power of the Devil, and represented the Saviour of sinners not­withstanding all his beneficent actions, as a rebel against the state.

2d. IN order to procure and preserve peace, the offi­cers of churches should beware of adding on any pretext whatsoever, new terms of communion of their own devi­sing, to those which the head of the church has fixed; for hereby his authority will be confronted and the church torn into innumerable parts, we have but one Lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy. It is the bu­siness and duty of church officers, to explain and obey the laws he has given, but they should not step into the legislator's chair. Now that the terms of stated communion appointed by our LORD, are essentials in doctrine wor­ship, and discipline, together with a regular life, is evi­dent, as I conceive, from the following places of scrip­ture, duly considered and compared, i. e. the 14 chapter of the Epistle of Paul to the Romans throughout, is full to this purpose; here we are enjoyn'd to receive the weak, [Page 7]but not to doubtful disputations, and to avoid judging and dispising them. Now by the weak, it is plain from the se­ries of the context, that the Apostle means such persons who tho' sound in the main points of faith, and serious, hold some circumstantial or lesser errors, viz. that under the gospel all are obliged to abstain from meats for­bidden by the Jewish law, and to keep their ceremonial Sabbaths: these the strong or more orthodox part of the church, are nevertheless obliged to receive to commu­nion; this precept is inforced by divers arguments, such as that they were sincere, and accepted of GOD, and that the substance of religion did not consist in these things, but in peace, righteousness, and joy in the Holy Ghost; he that in these things serveth CHRIST, says the Apostle, is acceptable to GOD, and approved of men: let us therefore follow after the things that make for peace, and things whereby we may edify one another; for meats destroy not the work of GOD; i. e. do not break the peace of the church, and mar thy brother's edification, by uncharitable con­tentions and divisions about small and circumstantial matters; if you have faith, about these things, have it to yourselves, dont impose your sentiments upon others, let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Rom. xv. 1.7. we then that are strong, ought to bear the infir­mities of the weak, and not please ourselves; wherefore receive one another as CHRIST also received us to the glory of GOD. ‘By the infirmities of the weak, we are to un­derstand their ignorance, frowardness, and censorious­ness, he speaks not of heresies and manifest enormities but of such errors in doctrine and life, which proceed from ignorance and common infirmity; with these we should bear, as we do with sick persons in their way-wardness; ^*’ in this manner, we should forbear one another in love (Ephes. 4.2.)

[Page 8] ON the other hand we are enjoined to contend carnest­ly for the faith once delivered to the Saints; to hold fast the form of sound words, and to reject HERETICKS after the first and second admonition; ^* and ‘such as forsake the truth as it is in JESUS, broach false doctrines in weighty and momentuous points, and break the peace of the church; as care should be taken to pre­serve and propagate the fundamental truths of religi­on, without which I see not how rational charity and comfortable communion can be preserved, or any pros­pect opened for promoting the power and practice of holiness: ^†’ so likewise the unity of the church should be regarded, and some mercy exercised towards those who are sound in the main points of faith, but mistake in some lesser things; now how can both be consistently preformed, and the unity of the spiritin the bond of peace preserved, without observing essentials as terms of com­munion? this is a medium between the dangerous ex­tremes of a criminal laxness, whereby foundation prin­ciples are betrayed, and rigorous severity, whereby pious and useful persons are rejected, and the church's unity broke: truly religious persons are of different capaci­ties, educations, and advances in religion, and there­fore will think differently about smaller points, and be conscience bound respecting them; if therefore no for­bearance, it is to be used, the church must be always broken in pieces! for we cannot with safety counter­act our own consciences, or follow implicitly any master but CHRIST; seeing the various points of truth that compose the christian system, are of very different de­grees of importance and influence, as they are remote from or near to the foundation. Is that zeal according to knowledge, which is equal in degree for them all? or can any church make that truth a term of commu­nion, which CHRIST has not made, without claiming a power superior to his, viz of rejecting those whom he commands us to receive? the absurdity and impie­ty [Page 9]of which I need not enlarge upon; if we cannot believe and love lesser points of truth, without imposing them upon others, then how could the Apostle Paul believe the extent of christian liberty, and yet will to receive the weak that denied it? Our LORD reproved the dis­proportioned zeal of the Pharisees, for tything mint, anise and cummin, while they omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith, i. e. justice, charity and fidelity; they strain'd at a gnat but swallow'd a camel: ^* with pretence of superior strictness, they charged the Saviour of sinners, with want of due respect to the traditions of the elders, and to the Sabbath day, because he eat with unwashen hands, and cured The sick on sacred time; who in return directed them to go and learn what that meant, that GOD would have mercy rather than sacrifice ^‡ i. e. when a lesser duty interferes with a greater, the lesser is to be omitted: the offering of gifts, or acts of external worship must give place to brotherly love and compassion; which are of the last importance to society, and accepted by the Redeemer as a kindness done to himself.

3d. ANOTHER hindrance to peace which should be with equal care avoided is uncharitable divisions, or schisms in the church of GOD; as peace is the bond of unity, so is unity of peace: tho' the body mystical hath some parts which are reckoned less honourable, yet there should be no schism in it: one part should not say to the other, I have no need of thee. Our LORD bore with many errors and weaknesses in his Disciples, and the Apostles neither separated themselves, nor allowed of separation from the churches of Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Smyrna, Sardis, and Laodocea; tho' corrupted with odious crimes and errors: those therefore that are least for unity and peace, are least like GOD and least for him; they really oppose the accomplishment of CHRIST'S prayer, and pre­diction, that his people may be one as he and the father are [Page 10]one; ^‡ that as there is but one Shepherd, so there should be but one fold. ^* Uncharitable divisions where no sinful term of communion is imposed, are contrary to the na­ture, word, and work of GOD, which are unity, love and peace: as well as to the ordinances of GOD, baptism and the LORD'S supper, which are designed to represent the union of the body mystical, and to be a bond of obligation on us to preserve it. By one spirit saith the Apostle we are baptised into one body and tho' we are many, we are all partakers of one bread; as tearing a part of the na­tural body mars its beauty, comfort and strength, and tends to destroy it entirely! so the same fatal effects have schisms in the church of CHRIST! for as our LORD observes, a house divided against itself cannot stand. And therefore the Apostle with vehemence, intreats the Corinthians, by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that there should be no schisms amongst them. ^‖ Valuable persons are not like to be of so much use to reclaim a declining church, when separated from it, as in a state of union, because of the mutual prejudices which these breaches occasion, and the division of the people's zeal and attention, from the great things of experimental and practical religion. Alas! what multitudes are prejudiced against christianity altogether, by the numerous schisms of the church of CHRIST, and their carnal contentions, whereby they labour to ruin one another's reputations, provoke mutually not to love, but wrath, and practically confine christianity to their several parties, as tho' CHRIST was divided, or had many bodies! Why should a perfection in knowledge (or principles) more than in practice be insisted on in order to communion, seeing both are una­ttainable in this life? Is any branch of the visible church infallible in its decisions about small and comparatively doubtful points? if not, then why should any express such a zeal and confidence about them, as seem to sup­pose it?

4th. PRIDE should be avoided as the grand make bate; [Page 11]this blows up peace in families, church, and state; it sets men on striving who shall be greatest, and makes them impatient of contradiction, assuming and positive; the proud man's opinion even in doubtful matters must pass for undoubted truth, and his will must be a law, else he is displeased. He that overvalues himself, of con­sequence undervalues others, and so provokes them to slight him in return; and hence the truth of Solomon's ob­servation is evident, that he who is of a proud spirit stir [...]eth up strife, it was this which induced Diotrephes to love pre­eminence, to cast the brethren out of the church, and prate against them with malicious words; ^§ by this others were excited to speak perverse things to draw Disciples after them, and so enlarge their sect. ^† Yet this evil so abounds among mankind, that 'tis hard to find a retreat from its violence: so various and vehement are the contenders, and so plausible their pretences, that an honest and peaceable man may be at a loss which to shun, or which to follow: as Tully speaks of Pompey and Caesar, "quem fugiam nescio? quem sequar nescio?"

BUT POSITIVELY.

1st. IN order to procure and preserve peace among men, it is necessary to be just and honest in our deal­ings with them, justice in its own nature, and by com­mon consent, is the guardian of peace; but its con­trary is the source of numberless debates and calamities; to avoid all appearances of which, we should not insist rigorously upon small and doubtful points of right, for as such a proceeding shews no tenderness of con­science, or regard to their interest, they are hereby in­duc'd to conclude we are hypocrites and their enemies, and so commence ours: Whereas a merciful recession in such cases, tends to excite their favourable senti­ments of us, and sincere affection towards us; and hence we are commanded rather to suffer wrong, i. e. in small and doubtful matters, than to go to law. ^‖

[Page 12] 2d. WE should be cloathed with humility, and think soberly of ourselves, as we ought to think; this disposition of mind will incline us to bear contradiction with patience, prevent our striving for pre-eminence, and make us contented when others are preferred be­fore us; a humble mind is pleased with a low state; if we learn this lesson of CHRIST, we shall find rest to our souls, amidst all the disquietudes of the present life; this will make us modest and self diffident, and incline us to prefer others before ourselves in love; as well as to give them all that honour that is their due, in their several places and relations; all which strongly tend to conciliate peace!

3d. WE should love our brethren with a pure heart fer­vently; this will incline us to cover their infirmities, and to live at peace with them; love endureth all things: if we love our brethren more, we shall be willing to bear more with them; and to provoke them less: Love is the bond that unites men safely and comfortably in so­ciety, and hatred the source of that violence which rends and dissolves it; we cannot easily hate those we love, nor can we long agree with those we hate: Surely none have or can wrong us, so much as we have done ourselves, for its worse to be made evil, than called so; worse to endanger our salvation, than to suffer in our estate: these things we have done to ourselves, and yet are little moved, while trifles in comparison, done to us by others, excite the keenest resentment. What can be the cause of this partial conduct, but an excess of love to ourselves, and a defect therein to others; contrary to that evangelical precept, which enjoins us to love our neighbours as ourselves, and to walk in love, as Christ also has loved us. As love is the fulfilment of the law, so it is the scope of the gospel in all its parts, nor are there wanting excellencies in all mankind, either [Page 13]natural, moral, or religious, which should invite our respect, these we should be eager to discover to this noble end.

4th. IN order to procure and preserve peace, it is ex­ceeding necessary to be candid and charitable in our thoughts of others sentiments, speeches, and actions, and to put the most favourable interpretation on them that they can reasonably bear. Charity, as the apostle Paul observes, thinks no evil, i. e. is not suspicious of others, without strong presumptions or apparent evi­dence, and even in that case ascribes their failures to the mildest causes, such as ignorance, mistake, and human infirmity, rather than malicious design: this is the treatment that every man desires for himself, and therefore should shew to others. When our Lord told his disciples, that one of them would betray him, eve­ry one suspected not the traitor but himself, Lord is it I? but the contrary practice, viz, easily believing evils of others, aggravating of them, and ascribing them to the worst of causes and designs, is the fruit of murder­ous hatred, and tends to banish peace from the earth!

5th. WE should treat all men with courtesy and gentle­ness, the law of kindness should be in our lips, the wisdom that is from above is first pure, than peaceable, gentle and easy to be intreated. Put them in mind says the Apostle to Titus, to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness to all men; by long forbearing a prince is persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone: But reviling is like the piercings of a sword, which a­gravates the wound it pretends to heal; it is not only a violation of peace, but a dishonourable waging of war, like shooting arrows dipt in poison! an inhuman practice which rather aims at the ruin than the reform­ation of those we dislike. The Arch-angel, when contend­ing [Page 14]with the Devil, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, for he knew he was no match for Satan at that base business!

6th. WE should also be kind in action; which, in its general course, is the index of the thoughts, and speaks louder than words; our Lord enjoyns us to bless them that curse us, and do good to those that despitefully use us, that we may be the children of our father which is in hea­ven; who maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good: By this godlike method, we shall do more than others, and overcome evil with good. Nothing, besides the grace of GOD, has such power to remove prejudices, and melt the most obdurate hearts into kindness and peace; especially when these friendly offices are attended with a free forgiveness of former offences, which is enjoined by the highest authority, and made the pre-requisite to our obtaining pardon from GOD: put on bowels of mercy and kindness, forgiving one another, as God has, for Christ's sake forgiven you; if ye forgive not men their tres­passes, neither will you heavenly father forgive yours.

IT is likewise necessary to mind our own business, and to beware of encroaching on the provinces of others, let no man suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as a busy body, or bishop ^‡ in other men's matters, while men keep within their proper spheres, order and harmony are preserved; but the contrary, like elements out of their own orb, produces confusion and misery!

WE should also be careful to maintain that order of government, which is appointed by the Almighty, with­out which peace and comfort cannot be expected in society, as rulers should avoid encroaching upon the rights of those they preside over, ^‖ so the people [Page 15]should make conscience of their duty to their superiors of office. ^*

I MAY add, that the friends of peace should shun disputes, especially about small matters, that are remote from the life of religion; for these, like prickly bram­bles, scratch those that handle them, and yield no sa­voury fruit. Avoid saith the apostle, foolish questions and genealogies; ^‖ charge them, before the Lord, that they strive not about words to no profit. ^‡ Tho' disputing is in itself lawful, and sometimes necessary to defend the truth, yet through the corruption of human nature, it is seldom so managed, as to answer a valuable end; instead of a calm enquiry after truth, it usually dege­nerates into personal invectives, which are of no service to clear up the point in debate. He therefore that med­dles with controversy, that don't concern him, is like one who takes a dog by the ears: and he who in the manage­ment of it don't speak the truth in love, pleads rather for his own honour than truth. There have been so many disputes about little things, and those so ill managed, that the more important duties of love and peace have been thereby much impaired! It is an argument of a proud and weak mind, to be hasty and dogmatical in speaking about things that are doubtful, for hereby we overshoot ourselves, and are in danger of being obliged either to retract our mistake, or defend what is inde­fensible. It is a reproach to pretend to know what we do not, and to have a confidence disproportioned to the evidence of things; this temper and behaviour are as opposite to peace, as to reason and good manners.

IN a word, if we would procure peace where it is not, and preserve it where it is, we must avoid evil speaking of others needlessly in their absence, and listning to those [Page 16]that do; though the preventing of important injury to ourselves or others, may sometimes make it a duty to blame the absent, yet this extraordinary case is no apology for backbiting and standering. If we have any thing to say against our brother, we should inform him of it in private, in a humble friendly manner, which has a tendency to promote his reformation, but any other method is like to make him worse, by inflaming his prejudices and resentments; Solomon truly observes, that a whisperer separates chief friends, on the contrary we should cast water on the fire of contention, by con­cealing with the mantle of love, all the sins of others, which we are not obliged to discover in order to answer a valuable end; and make all the apologies for their mistakes, which charity suggesis, and reason admits. In particular we should pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and that we may be able to promote and preserve it by the use of all proper measures, in the mean time lament­ing the corruption of our whole nature, believing in Jesus, and imploring, for his sake, pardoning and renewing grace, without which we are not like to love as bre­thren; I may add, that acquaintance with church his­tory, is of great use to prevent or heal divisions and debates!—

HAVING spoken of the duty enjoyned, peace-making, I proceed to consider the motives mentioned by our LORD to enforce it, the

1st. OF which is, that such are blessed, ‘for they have the satisfaction of enjoying themselves, by keeping peace, and of being truly serviceable to others, by disposing them to peace; they are working together with CHRIST, who came into the world to slay all enmities, and to proclaim peace. Though peace-making be sometimes a thankless office, and 'tis the [Page 17]lot of him that parts a fray, to have blows on both sides, yet it is a good office, and we must be forward in it. ^*’ Tho' misguided saints may censure peace-makers fora time, and the wicked world may curse them, and cast out their names as evil, yet the King of the Church and Lord of the universe, justifies them, approves of their conduct, and blesses them, authori­tatively, universally, and eternally; yea and they shall be blessed; it is God that justifies, who is he that condemns? if God be for us, who shall be against us?

2d. They shall be called the children of God; ‘it will be an evidence to themselves that they are so, GOD will own them as such, and herein they will resemble him; he is the God of peace, the Son of God is the prince of peace, and the spirit of adoption is a spirit of peace.’ Since GOD has declared himself reconcilable to us, he will not own those for his children that are implacable in their enmity to one another; for if blessed are the peace-makers, then wo to the peace-breakers. Now by this it appears, that CHRIST never intended to have his religion propagated by fire and sword, or penal laws, or to own bigotry and intemperate zeal as the marks of his disciples; the children of this world love to fish in troubled waters, but the children of GOD are the peace-makers, the quiet of the land: as such are like GOD, so they are beloved by him, and shall have the portion of children, grace for grace in this life and distinguished glory in the next; they shall have guidance and support, and all necessary comfort [...] and an incorruptible and undesiled inheritance hereaf­ter, which fades not away, Amen.

SEEING according to the ancient and just maxim, that contrary's set in oppo­sition, illustrate each other, in order to cast light upon the labouring subject, let us take a transient view of persecution strictly and properly so called, in con­trast with peacemaking; here observe that persecuti­on may be said to be two fold, viz. of the church, and of the state; the former consists in the execu­tion of spiritual penalties, on the account of religi­on, without a scriptural foundation; and the latter in the execution of temporal, such as fines, imprisonment, confiscation of goods, bodily pain, and death; it is the latter of these that I have especially in view at pre­sent, and beg leave to assert, that it is contrary to scrip­ture, reason, and antiquity, John xviii. 36.

IN particular what can be supposed more contrary to peace, than the principle and practice of persecution or indeavours to force uniformity in matters purely religi­ous, by methods of external violence, such as fines, imprisonment, consiscation of goods, banishment, bodi­ly [Page 20]pains and death? here permit me to observe, that per­secution is contrary to scripture, reason, and antiquity, and

1 st IT is contrary to scripture. When the disciples of JESUS, James and John, applied to their LORD for leave to command fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans, for not receiving their master, instead of complying with their motion, though it directly concerned himself, he turned and rebuked them, and said, ye know not what man­ner of spirit ye are of, for the Son of Man is not come to destroy mens lives but to save them. Here the matter is brought to a trial, a great offence is committed against our Saviour himself, and yet he would not suffer it to to be revenged by force: hereby our compassionate, and dear Redeemer manifests his abhorrence of perse­cuting violent, methods, in matters purely religious, that do not directly affect the peace and safety of the state; and signifies that they were signs of a bad tem­per of mind, and contrary to the design of his coming into the world; (see Luke ix. 54.55. and elsewhere.) agreeable hereto our LORD peremtorily declares, that his kingdom is not of this world, (John xviii. 36.) i. e. is not earthly, over mens bodies and estates, but spiritual over their hearts and minds; and therefore is to be promoted and propagated by spiritual means on­ly, which are suited to its nature and design, it needs not secular force to establish it, nor does it interfere with the prerogatives of princes, or properties of their subjects: the foundation and scepter of this kingdom is divine truth, by this and not the civil sword, the Re­deemer conquers his enemies and governs his people, hereby he makes them willing subjects, and draws them, not as beasts by force, but with the cords of a man, reason and arguments, and with bonds of love, (Psalm xlv. 4. Hosea xi. 4.) the King of Zion girds on his spiritual sword, and rides prosperously because [Page 21]of truth: this he came to bear witness to, not by fury and violence, but by patient suffering: (John xviii. 36 37.) and should not those that say they abide in him, walk even as he walked? Should not the same mind be in them, which was in him? (1 John ii. 6. Philip ii. 3.5.) The use of FORCE tends to CONFOUND the KINGDOM of CHRIST with the kingdoms of this world, to change its spitiritual NATURE, and make it carnal and political: but the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, though mighty through God, to the pulling down the strong holds of sin and Satan; and bringing every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians X. 4.5.) Farther our LORD positively commands us, that all things, whatsoever we would that men should do to us, we should do so to them: and that because, this is the law and the prophets. (Matthew vii. 12.) i. e. the sum of the second table of the law, which requireth justice and charity, and of the first, which is thereby supposed as the foundation, and the substance of what is written by the prophets in relation there to. ^* The beauty, reasonableness, and righteousness of this immutable maxim of natural equity, divers of the Pagans discern­ed and highly esteemed; particularly Alexander Severus, the Roman emperor, had it written on the walls of his closet, often quoted it in judgment, honoured CHRIST and favoured the christians for the sake of it. Now persecution is absolutely inconsistent with this golden rule of justice, for who that has the sober exercise of reason, would desire such treatment in his own case?

2d. PERSECUTION is contrary to REASON, seeing Re­ligion is a reasonable service; (Romans xii. 1.) founded on argument, a matter of choice: (Joshua xxiv. 15. Psalm cx. 3.) proceeding from love as its principle (2 Corinthians v. 14. Galatians v. 6.) enjoining and recommending love by its precepts and examples, (Ephe­sians [Page 22]v. 1.2.) and directed to love as its scope: (1 Ti­mothy i. 5.) Seeing love, that works no ill to his neigh­bour, is the fulfilling of the law, (Romans xiii. 10.) the bond of perfectness, (Collosians iii. 14.) greater than faith and hope, (1 Corinthians xiii. 13.) The use of external FORCE, instead of befriending this RELIGION, really opposes its principles, spirit, and end, by manifest­ing murderous hatred against our brother; (1 John iii. 15.) it excites them to hate us in return, and be­trays the want of proper arguments to engage our esteem and affection. In this manner PERSECUTION disgraces the religion of JESUS, and tends to destroy it entirely. As love is the incentive to love, so is ha­tred to its contrary; both which actions speak with the loudest voice, and give the strongest evidence; the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated; full of mercy. (James iii. 17.) but if ye have bitter envying, and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth; this wis­dom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, de­vilish; (James iii. 14.15.) certainly, the wrath of man, worketh not the righteousness of God. (James i. 20.21.) Seeing we must answer to Jehovah for our conduct, and others cannot screen us from his resentment, is it not rational that we should examine and judge for our­selves, and call no man father on the earth, in this re­spect? and do not the sacred Scriptures enjoin these things upon us? (John v. 39. 1 Corinthians x. 15. Matthew xxiii. 9.) Now can it be with reason imagin­ed, that almighty GOD commands us to do thus, and yet in the mean time gives authority to any to punish or kill us for doing it, and for complying with our own judgment in matters purely religious, after the best enquiry we can make, or judgment we can form re­specting the meaning of his word? no surely! for if this be the case, JEHOVAH commands contradictions, and [Page 23]his word is a snare; if we do not examine it, and judge for ourselves, we sin; if we do, and through fear of men, act contrary to our judgment and conscience we are dammed; and if we do not act contrary to our con­sciences in some instances we are punished or killed. But these consequences are absurd, blasphemous, and impossible; and therefore the persecuting principle from which they proceed is false. Is not killing peo­ple for GOD's sake, and all pains and punishments tending hereto, the abomination of the church of Rome, that makes desolate? Memorable are these words of our LORD to his disciples, (John xvi. 2.3.) yea the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will think he doth God service, but these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the father, or me. Hereby our LORD shews the vanity of pretending to promote reli­gion by persecution, and that however zealous and conscientious any are therein, it proceeds from igno­rance of the Father and the Son; either absolute or comparative, they that have a considerable degree of acquaintance with CHRIST, must needs know, that he rules by truth and love, and not by fire and sword: So that persecuting principles and practice, instead of being a sign of eminence in religion as some pretend, either prove a total want of it, or at least great weak­ness in it.

Is it decent or consistent for Protestants, who blame the church of Rome for their cruelty and bloodshed, to imitate this Mother of Harlots in her murderous wick­edness, by propagating her bloody principles? if ex­ternal FORCE be necessary to promote RELIGION, it will necessarily follow, that the Popish IMPLICIT FAITH is found doctrine, that KNOWLEDGE is danger­ous, and IGNORANCE the mother of devotion: because the less knowledge we have, the more easily we can [Page 24]submit blindfold, to an absolute authority: but when any do so in matters purely religious, they admit and obey another KING in CHRIST'S kingdom; and so commence REBELS against his supream authority; who is the only LORD, LAWGIVER, and MASTER of his people, by preferring others before him, and setting up their au­thority in opposition to his. (James iv. 12. Matthew xxiii. 10.) Hereby the formal reason, or chief excel­lency of religious obedience, viz. a supreme regard to CHRIST'S kingly power and commanding pleasure, is destroyed; and consequently we cease to be the ser­vants of GOD, and become the servants of men, from whom we must look for our reward, (Galatians i. 10. Matthew vi. 2.)

IF external FORCE be necessary to promote RELIGION, then grievous pains and DEATH itself, are necessary to be inflicted for this purpose; because the least degree of punishment naturally leads to, and necessarily in­cludes the greatest, not only by reason of the different degrees of heinousness, attending different errors in principle and conduct, but especially on account of the encreasing aggravations of persisting long therein; which is ever called by imposers, an obstinate and rebel­lious opposition to authority, and therefore must be pun­ished in proportion, gradually, till it issues in death: Besides it should be considered that more or less in the degree does not vary the kind: If the lowest degree of temporal punishment be proper and necessary, on the account of religion; the highest must be so, when the circumstances of the case require it; and if the highest be bad, so by a necessary consequence is the lowest, for the general kind includes all degrees.

FROM what has been said we may reasonably con­clude, that according to the persecuting plan, the Spa­nish [Page 25] Inquisition is the perfection of christianity; or in o­ther words, the most pious, worthy, and effectual method of promoting it that has been yet discovered: O horrible! but I forbear lest humanity itself should be shocked, and its tender resentments too much moved, at the sight of a scene of such monstrous barba­rities, as are a reproach to the human species, a scandal to the name of man! And proceed to enquire, what can the iron argument of force convince the mind of, but the weakness of that religion, which needs such mea­sures to support it; and the cruelty of those that use them. It may indeed promote ignorance, falsehood, hypocrisy, and slavery, as among the Spaniards and Portuguese; all which are detestable, and directly con­trary to the precepts and genius of the religon of JE­SUS, who commands us to search for knowledge as for hid treasures, (Proverbs ii. 3.4.) to speak the truth in love, (Ephesians iv. 15.) to be Israelites indeed in whom is no guile, (John i. 47.) to stand fast in the liberty wherewith be has made us free, and to beware of being the servants of men, (Galatians v. i. 1 Corinthians vii. 23.) In a word a claim of power to persecute, really justifies all the bloodshed of the church of Rome, manifestly tends to rob us of all our religious liberty at a stroke, and to pro­mote the entire ruin of the human race, seeing the va­rious states and communities, of which it is composed, whether Protestant, Papal, or Pagan, have, as such, the same authority, and there is no infallible judge on either side to determine the points in dispute. Farther, see­ing it is iniquitous to oppress our fellow creatures, for what is right; are not fallible persons who know but in part, in danger of committing this iniquity, when they persecute their brethren, even for matters of doubtful speculation? is it not absurd, yea peculiarly so, for those who say they are infallible in principle to per­secute others on the supposition of their being infalli­ble, [Page 26]or in other words, certainly right? and yet com­plain of others, as guilty of scandalum magnatum, who persecute them in their turn; as if they could be both fallible and infallible at the same time, and in respect of the same things, and had a monopoly of persecuting authority, a right to abuse all others that differ from them, but in the mean time that no body can touch them without great iniquity: O no! they are noli me, tangere, fallible infalibilities: but before we can believe this extraordinary claim, they must produce their char­ter, the want of which bigotry, or red hot zeal for a party of their own cast, and confident assertions cannot supply. What woes did our Lord denounce upon the Pharisees, that sect of separatists among the Jews, who trusted they were righteous, and despised others, saying stand off, for I am holier than thou: they pretended great veneration for dead saints, by building and garnish­ing their tombs, and professing that had they lived then they would not have been accessary to their blood: while, in the mean time, they persecuted living saints. For this the LORD JESUS pronounces a woe upon them, calls them a generation of vipers, and threatens them with the damnation of hell, ^* (Matthew xxiii. 29.34.) But the most convincing and consistent way of clearing ourselves from any accession by imitation, to the shed­ing the blood of the martyrs of Jesus, and of manifesting our abhorrence of the persecution of deceased saints, is not to magnify to the stars, by partial panegyricks, the fufferings of some of our own party and nation; while millions of as brave and noble souls, of an elder date, long before the names that now divide the protestants were known, who drank as deep as they of the bitter cup, are ignobly passed by in profound silence: but by unlimited proportional love and kindness to all, of every [Page 27] party and nation, and especially to those that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity: though many of them differ from us in sentiment, whom we should not forbid to cast out devils, because they dont follow us; for none that do miracles in Christ's name, can lightly speak evil of him, and such as are not against him, are for him. (Matthew ix. 38.40.) and by opposing the principles and practice of persecution, in the present time universally, as well as disapproving of it as extensively in the past: seeing every man, considered as a man, has as good a right to religious liberty as another, it is as bad for us to perse­cute others, of a different denomination, as for them to persecute us.

AND seeing, as was before observed, the lowest de­gree of punishment on a religious account, includes the highest; it is therefore a deceitful artifice of persecutors to go about the bush, and abuse mankind with pretences to moderation, as if they did not dream of death at all in the matter; O no! they only want to exercise some pious and wholesome severities, and then come to a peri­od: whereas the nature of their sanguinary scheme, in case the supposed criminal persists, cannot admit of any mercy or any period, short of blood and death, without the absurdity of oversetting itself and do not innumer­able and awful facts irrefragably prove, that death is the tendency and fruit thereof? this persecutors them­selves, who are men of intelligence, may easily upon deliberate enquiry discern; which if they do, and yet deny or disguise, in order to gull simple souls who are apt to believe every fair word, and induce them to swal­low their pernicious scheme; a scheme that beheld without a mask in its natural deformity and dangerous consequences, would shock them, and make them stick at the swallowing of this CAMEL. I say if any use this method, they act a very hypocritical and base part; see [Page 28]Job xiii. 7. will you speak wickedly for God, and talk de­ceitfully for him.

AND it is as hypocritical as irrational, to pretend we dont like severities, and are not guilty of them, be­cause we do not inflict them ourselves immediately; though in the mean time, we believe it is the duty of others, of a different station, to do this cruel drudgery for us, and at our motion; are discontented with them, and murmur against them, as lukewarm in the cause of GOD, the cause of truth, and of religion when they do it not: i. e. because they have either more sense, more humanity, or more religion than ourselves, all our pious pretences about truth and reformation notwithstanding; the Papists tell us, that their church is a merciful church, and sheds no blood; but who can believe them, or how can they believe themselves? while they hold the prin­ciples, that HERETICKS should be put to DEATH, and while they convict men of heresy, and deliver them up to the secular power, for that purpose; though with a Judas like compliment, asking that mercy may be shewn them, that is (as the event proves) that they may be burnt; O hearts harder than adamant, lost to all sense of candor and humanity! thus the adultress after her beastly iniquity, wipeth her mouth, and saith I have done no wickedness; (Proverbs xxx. 20.) thus Pilate, after consenting to the murder of our Lord, washed his hands before the multitude, and said I am innocent of the blood of this just person, see ye to it; (Matthew xxvii. 24.) but how vain, hypocritical, and hateful are these shamms; seeing it is a dictate of reason and maxim in law, that con­senters, are agents; we may therefore with justice, apply to all such, the words of GOD himself by the prophet Jeremiah, ii. 22. for though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much sope, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD!

[Page 29] OUR LORD enjoins his disciples, (Matthew xvi. 6.) to take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees; that is, of their censorious, schismatical, and immoral persecut­ing doctrine, which has effects upon men's minds, like those of leaven upon dough; puffs them up with pride of their own attainments, sours them with prejudices a­gainst their brethren, and has because of its agreeable­ness to the enmity, pride, and sloth of human nature, in its present state, a tendency to spread far and wide. Our LORD and his apostles did not think it proper to keep pace with those masters of ceremonies and canonical obedience; who regarded shew more than substance, the form more than the power, and the means more than the end; who instead of preferring great things to small, preferred small to great, (Matthew xxiii. 24.) and glo­ried in a religion consisting chiefly in ill-nature and for­malities. Hence it is that these men had the assurance to arraign and condemn the most perfect example of un­sullied innocence, of disinterested and consummate good­ness and holiness, in the life of our Saviour, that ever the creation saw. With great pretence and shew of or­der, orthodoxy, and piety, and with equal prejudice they censured our LORD as erroneous, lax, and impious, be­cause he did not observe to their mind, the traditions of their fathers, which they were as zealous for, as Saul before conviction, eat without washing his hands, freely conversed with publicans and sinners, and did not con­form to their ceremonious observance of the Sabbath-Day; and perceiving that his miraculous works put honour on his person, and gave weight and influence to his ministry, both which made them uneasy: in order to remove these effects, they scandalize the cause, ^* and maliciously ascribe some of the most glorious and beneficent works [Page 30]that ever the sun beheld, to the most base and malig­nant spirit, the Devil, the prince of Devils; as if Bel­zebub had forgot his implacable and native spite against the human race, and by some strange and sudden meta­morphosis, had commenced their kindest friend and most liberal benefactor; O the degeneracy of human nature! O the infatuating power of envy, after which the spirit of apostate transgressors lusts! if the Pharisees had ascribed their opposition of the works of CHRIST, to a devil in themselves, ENVY (probably) influenced by Satan and self, they would have told the truth. Some of their cavils against our LORD were plausible and specious, but it is not all gold that glistens, though the doctrines of truth and holiness may be strangely darkened by artful sophisters, through their false co­lourings; yet wisdom will be justified by her children, it is to be hoped they will see through the disguise.

OUR LORD in his own defence, against the aforesaid pretexts, observes, that they made the commandment of God of none effect through their traditions, (Mark vii. 13.) for all their high pretences to truth, as if they were the only keepers of that cabinet they held such errors, as destroyed the end of all truth, namely holiness, (John xvii. 17.) by cancelling the rule of it, the law of GOD: where this is not, the apostie Paul assures us, there is no transgression, (Romans iv. 15.) or sin, which is a transgression of the law, as the apostle John declares, (1 John iii. 4.) and of consequence no holiness, which must be a conformity to the law, because it is the contra­ry of sin. Nothing can neither be conformed to, or transgressed; and thus it appears, that instead of high advances in religion, they destroyed its substance and scope, by making void the moral law! Farther, our LORD in his defence observes, that he conversed with publicans and sinners not as a companion but as a physician, (Matthew [Page 31]ix. 12.) advises them to learn what that means, that the almighty would have mercy, rather than sacrifice, (Matthew ix. 12.13.) and reasons with them, that if he cast out devils, by the prince of devils, the kingdom of Satan would be divided against itself, and of consequence destroyed, but that if by the spirit of God, he cast out de­vils, the kingdom of God in its power, was come among them, which it would be exceeding sinful and danger­ous to oppose; (Matthew xii. 24.33.) the sum of our LORD's argument is this, that seeing the support of the devils kingdom, like that of other kingdoms, and states, depends upon the union and harmony of its rulers and subjects, which the needless use of force has a tendency to mar and interrupt, it is therefore absurd to imagine that so wise a spirit as Satan is, (in the matters that con­cern his dominion) should be guilty of it, in forcibly casting out inferior demons. How weak soever some professors of christianity are in imagining that the kingdom of CHRIST will be promoted by needless con­tentions, divisions, and force, Satan has more sagacity than to think so of his own, and more regard to it, than to act on such a silly plan, which is as contrary to the just maxims of government as it is to common sense! But in addition to the suffrage of scripture and reason, give me leave to observe, that the antient fathers have decla­red, in strong terms, against all methods of FORCE, in the propagation of religion. ‘ Tertulian saith, it is not the business of religion to force religion.’ Laetantius observes, ‘that there is no need of force, because re­ligion cannot be forced. It is the property of sincere religion, saith Athanasins, not to force but to per­swade. ^* The GOD of the universe saith Hilarie, does not need a forced obedience, nor require a constrained [Page 32]confession. It is more equitable to perswade than compel, and more decent for us, saith Gregory Nazi­anzen. The christian religion saith Arnobius is content with its own strength, and rests on the foundation of truth.’

Religion is one thing, and human society is another; the former is spiritual, and the latter temporal, and therefore spiritual means are suited in nature to the one, and temporal to the other: the end of religious so­ciety is eternal happiness, but the end of civil is the peace and safety of the state; these ends being different, the means conducing to them must be so likewise; it is no matter to the state, whether its laws be obeyed freely or not, if they be but obeyed, it is enough; now such a kind of obedience may be effected by the fear of punish­ment and death; but the latter proceeding from love and choice, cannot be forced by outward violence, and therefore any attempt of this kind is sinful and vain.

BUT PERSECUTORS plead in their vindication, the severities of the Jewish oeconomy, not considering that that state was a Theocracy, God was their king in a civil sense; their judicial or civil laws were peculiar to them­selves, suited to the present circumstances of their na­tion, and in some instances impracticable by others. Idolatry being made capital by a fundamental maxim of their political constitution, was rebellion against their king, and treason against their state, and consequently was as such punished: Now to suppose that their example o­bliges other nations, who are not in their extraordinary circumstances, to do as they did, or justify them in it, is unreasonable and absurd. Doctor Leland in answer to Chubb's objection, against the justice of the Jewish law of putting idolaters to death, justly observes, ‘that it is no ways inconsistant with GOD's universal [Page 33]care and providence towards mankind, to make ex­traordinary discoveries of his will to particular per­sons, or to a people,—and to establish a constitution among them, the fundamental principle of which, is the acknowledgment and adoration of the one living and true GOD, in opposition to all idolatry;—and to make this the principal condition, on which the national privileges and benefits are suspended, in which case whosoever was guilty of idolatry in that peculiar constitution, was justly obnoxious to the penalties inflicted upon the enemies and subvert­ers of the community.’ But where did ever Jeho­vah form such a civil constitution but among the Jews? and where is the justice of executing its capital and pe­nal sanction, where the constitution itself does not exist? Can idolatry be rebellion against GOD considered as the king of a nation, (in a civil sense) where he is not king (in said sense?) Or has any nation power to make it what it is not, or authority to punish it for what it is not? the former is as impossible as the latter is unjust. Or can a proper authority be derived without GOD, and against reason? no certainly! Now when a proper au­thority is wanting, and there is a difference in import­ant circumstances, how unreasonable and unrighteous is the imitation? the church is not now blended with the commonwealth, is not in a state of childhood, bond­age, and terror, not under the elements of the world, (Galatians iv. 1.3.) not under the law of a carnal com­mandment, (Hebrews vii. 16.) not under carnal ordi­nances imposed till the time of reformation; (Hebrews ix, 10.) but under a mild and gentle dispensation. (Hebrews xii. 18.) We are not come to the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, darkness, and tempest, which made even a Moses quake; but to mount Zion, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than the blood of [Page 34] Abel: Christ's yoke is easy, and his burden light, (Mat­thew xi. 30.) he has redeemed his people that were under the law, under bondage, and given them the Adoption of sons, and the spirit of adoption, so that they are no more servants, but sons. (Galatians iv. 5.7.) He has given them religious liberty, and commands them to stand fast in it, and not to be entangled again with the yoke of bond­age. (Galatians v. 1.) And hence it appears that the inflicting temporal penalties on account of religion, even materially (though not formally, or considered as such) instead of promoting the reformation of the gospel church, judaizes her, robs her of her liberty and comfort, makes her carnal, brings her back to a state of infancy, bondage, and terror, from all which a good GOD has graciously delivered her. Why then do any tempt God by puting a yoke upon the necks of the disciples of Christ, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? (Acts xv. 10.) and why do they boast of bondage and carnality as if it were a glorious thing for spiritual persons to be­come carnal, for men to become infants, and christians to turn Jews? as if the proper method to make progress in religion was to go backward as far and as fast as we can? From such an odd ill-natured reformation, the church of CHRIST has reason to pray to be delivered: nor would its fondest votaries like well the close application of their own severe doctrine to themselves, but perhaps make as loud an outcry as their neighbours. If any of us or of our pious predecessors, have had the misfortune to be mistaken in any point of truth or duty, seeing we as protestants, profess that we are fallible and imperfect, and that we ought to grow in divine knowledge; if a gracious GOD should discover to us the well meant mistake, I hope none of us for the sake of self consistency in what is wrong, bigotry to a party, the name of orthodoxy, or false respect to our worthy (though imperfect) prede­cessors, are determined to remain as ignorant as we are, [Page 35]determined to resist the light, and not move a hairs breadth from our juvenile raw notions, but to go through thick and thin to the death, though against the remonstrances of scripture and reason; which is as inconsistent with our profession, as dangerous, papal, and brutish. To boast of this, and be afraid of the con­trary, is to glory in our shame, and to be ashamed of our glory.

THE religious liberty we now enjoy, under the mild and auspicious reign of our gracious sovereign, is a very precious privilege which should inspire our minds with the most grateful ardent sentiments and thanksgivings to GOD and man, for their benignity and goodness; in­stead of ill-natured disloyal murmurings against the state, for their justice and kindness, because others of different religious sentiments and denominations, who have as men, as good a right to liberty as we, enjoy it in common with us. O lamentable narrowness of soul! which is as uncomfortable to us as criminal in itself, and unfriendly to others. Were our minds possessed with just views of things, and our hearts with a due degree of sincere affection to our brethren, we would re­joice in their joy, and feel ourselves happy in their hap­piness; and in this generous and truly noble temper of mind, the spirit of true religion much consists. (Ro­mans xii. 15. Romans xiv. 17.)

BUT because of the native horror and deformity that fit on the face of persecuting principles, when viewed without a mask, therefore the promoters of them, ^† with more art than honesty, either deny or disguise the charge: but for such, who when religious liberty is en­joyed by all, ^* are industriously labouring to spread the pernicious principle of promoting religion, considered [Page 36]as such, by external force, to pretend to clear them­selves of the guilt of persecution, or labour to elude the charge by the dint of ambiguity and sophistry, is as vain as to attempt to make the same thing to differ essentially from itself, or to wash an Ethiopian white.

THE glorious success of the gospel during the first three centuries, in conquering multitudes to the faith of CHRIST, was not owing to narrow terms of commu­nion, or coercive measures; but under GOD to the holi­ness, brotherly love, and patience of its preachers and pro­fessors. Tertullian speaks of their numbers in his apology, in the following term, ‘we have filled up all your places, your towns, islands, forts, council-houses, camps, palace, senate, market-house, we have left the temples only to you. ^*’ Justin martyr once a famous Pagan philosopher, acknowledges ‘that he was induced to embrace christianity, by beholding the patient sufferings of the martyrs.’ And in his apology hath these words, respecting the gracious change that the religion of JESUS wrought upon them; ‘former­ly says he, we delighted in debauchery; now we love nothing but purity. We hated one another; but now we pray for our enemies, and endeavour to convert our persecutors, that they may live according to the precepts of Christ.’ To the same effect speaks Athe­nagoras in his apology, whose words for the sake of bre­vity I omit. These apologies, my brethren, were offer­ed to the Roman Emperors, and are the most authentick vouchers, of the reality of the facts to which they relate, that we can now have from the christians; to which I might add the testimony even of Pagan enemies, did the time admit. So conspicuous was brotherly love a­mong the primitive christians, that the heathens were astonished at it, and said, see how the christians love [Page 37]one another! and so exemplary were their lives, that even Julian, the apostate, commends them to the imita­tion of the Pagans. ^†

THE Arabian imposter Mahomet, ingloriously spread his religion by FORCE, by the SWORD; but the aforesaid prodig ous SPREAD of christanity through the Roman empire, amongst all ranks and orders of men had the civil sword drawn against it, and all sorts of temporal disadvantages and discouragements to grapple with, during the dismal series of PAGAN PERSECUTIONS; all which it surmounted, not by political stratagem, or ex­ternal force, but by prayers and tears, which are the arms of the church of CHRIST; by humility and holiness; by love to their persecutors, as well as to each other; by an extraordinary willingness to suffer any kind of torture for CHRIST's sake, and a patient enduring of them. In the aforesaid solemn series, many thousands of chris­tians were slain, divers of whom were persons of emi­nent dignity and endowments, natural, acquired, and gracious; who with astonishing firmness and bravery of mind, triumphed over the most cruel torments, their Pagan persecutors could invent and instict; and thus their blood became the seed of the church, by which it grew and flourished; which is a powerful argument of the excellency and divine authority of christianity, which without the divine interposure and concurrence, would have been long agone extinguished, by the combined policy and force of earth and hell. The truth is, the bless­ed religion of the meek and lowly Jesus, has been indeed promoted, by enduring persecution, but never by inflict­ing it. The disciples of Christ should bear the cross, but where are they enjoyned to lay a cross upon others?

[Page 38] LET Pharisees, Pagans, Arians, Turks, Papists and others of the same stamp, influenced by the same anti­christian spirit, pride themselves in cruelty and blood; boast of their zeal in knocking people on the head for God's sake, and cramming their faith down their throats: but let the sincere followers of the meek lamb of God, glory as the primitive christians did, only in the cross of Christ! But here justice commands a pause, and constrains me to confess, to the equal honour of the Turks, and scandal of the christian name, that the little finger of some pro­fessors of the latter, has been heavier then the loins of the former. The Turks allow some liberty of conscience, to those that are of different professions and principles from themselves; but the Papists will allow no liber­ty, will shew no mercy to those that differ from them in principle; but like some protestants that profess great zeal for religion, look upon TOLERATION to be a great GRIEVANCE, and persist in their unhallowed zeal and bloody tenets about traditions, ceremonies, and other small affairs (comparatively) from age to age, without wavering. Tell it not in Goth, publish it not in the streets of Askelon, least the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph! by such barba­rous severities, the beauty of Israel is slain in the high places: Worthy, pious, and useful persons to the com­munity, and what is still more, the loving spirit of christianity are murdered, and one important argument of its divine authority basely buried, by the rigid professors of it; as if the christian religion was a scheme of fordid SLAVERY, unworthy of GOD to impose, and of men to embrace; the very reverse of the law of nature, and hu­manity; but GOD forbid! the religion of Jesus rightly understood, is a real, a valuable friend to the law or na­ture, to liberty, and society, and has explained and en­forced them with greater clearness, argument, and pathos, then ever any other institution did; and therefore is [Page 39]worthy of all acceptance, by every intelligent being, who impartially examines its evidence, and duly considers its nature and design. Such are its excellencies, harmony, and advantages to mankind in all valuable respects, spiritual and temporal, personal and social, that it stands in no need of the beggarly assistance of external force to pro­mote it. It is true, force is a weighty argument. Ay but it is to sense not to reason: though it is as heavy as lead to the former, it is as light as a feather to the latter; and therefore in one word, the persecuting scheme is more fit for furies than men or any tenderness and benevolence to execute; and more fit for asses meanly to couch to, than men of any enquiry and resolution.

But were there no examples of violence among the christians long since? I am sorry I cannot do so much honour to christianity, as to answer in the negative. The truth is, after the three first centuries, that gold­en age of the Church expired; when Constantine the great, the emperor of the Romans, became a christian, and with the richest profusion, and kindest intention, generously advanced the christian Bishops to great wealth and dignity; divers of them became unchristian, yea, in some degree, antichristian and inhuman: they degenerated from the primitive simplicity, humility, meekness, disinterested holiness, and brotherly love of their proas predecessors; which were their beauty and their strength; and sunk into the selfish, ambitious, and invidious spirit of the world, and the god of it, who was a murderer from the beginning, and fell by his boundless arrogance from the height of dignity and happiness, into the depths of woe. Being intoxicated with grandeur and affluence, and thirsting after domi­nion, they under the specious, but stale pretexts of zeal for truth, order, and government, were guilty of such carnal contentions, and that even about trides; [Page 40]guilty of such unsocial rudeness, and inhuman severi­ties, as made them instead of a comfort, a terror and torment to each other, a reproach to themselves, an offence and derision to their enemies, a scandal to their (professed) master, and a great obstruction to the pro­gress of his religion among mankind; concerning which, one as justly as witily observes, that religion produced riches, but the daughter devoured the mother. Religio peperit divitias, sed filia devoravit matrem. Quis talia fando, temperet a lacrymis! Who, whose heart is not harder than adamant, can refrain from tears, on so melancho­ly an occasion, so sable a scene! alas for the native en­mity of apostate mankind, against each other, the real but disguised source of all unfriendly contentions, schisms, and persecutions! how deep is the depravity of human nature, and how strong its proneness, ungrate­fully to abuse to GOD's dishonour, its own and others prejudice, that prosperity and power it courts, and to deny to others the liberty it desires, as well as to com­plain of what itself inflicts! how awfully do grandeur and affluence eclipse, for a time, the graces of the saints, (in general) through their mismanagement and corrup­tion, as well as destroy fools eternally? (Isaiah lvii. 17. Proverbs i. 32.) and hence our LORD assures us, that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of GOD, (Matthew xix. 24.) had this been spoken of the poor, it would have been easily and generally believed, and earnestly attended to; but as it opposes a favourite passion, few seem to believe or regard it. If we judge of men's sentiments and dispositions by their speech and conduct, or as our LORD expresses it, of the tree by its fruits, (Matthew xii. 33.) how difficult is it, to hold a full cup even? The timber that without injury endures the storms of winter, sometimes warps in the gentle heat of summer. Ah how is the gold become dim, and [Page 41]the most fine gold changed? How is the glory departed from Israel? may not the sons of violence of Inn [...]l tribe [...], with too much justice now upbraid many of the professed followers of the meek, the lowly, the loving Lord Jesus, and say, art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? how art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? how art thou east down to the ground, that didst weaken the not ons! (Isaiah xiv. 10.12.) The principles of candor, of jus­tice, and a sincere regard to the churches of the Pro­testants, induce me to make this farther apology, for their entertaining persecuting principle in the begin­ing of the reformation, viz. that their attention was otherways diverted by a multiplicity of important la­bours, and that science did but then begin to dawn; and farther that these pious men had a mistaken notion of the Jewish constitution, (which was a Theocrasy that no other nation ever had) and imagined without foun­dation, that it gave the magistracy authority to punish erroneous persons; propagate religion by the civil sword; this is a melancholy blemish on the reformation from Popery, which brought great guilt, inconsistency, and absurdity upon the Protestant body; Romans ii. 1. Wherefore thou art inexcusable O man, whoever thou art that judgest, for wherein thou judgest another thou con­demnest thyself, for thou that judgest dost the same things.

I speak this of my Protestant fathers and brethren, with much sorrow of heart, and with many tears. It is in vain for any particular party of the Protestants to de­ny the charge; the confessions of faith of all the nation­al churches, which put a sword in the magistrate's hand to punish error, and compel a uniformity in religion by temporal pains and penalties, together with their act­ing upon this plan, as appears by divers awful facts, prove the charge. O that my head were waters and my eyes [Page 42]a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughters of my people. (Jeremiah xxxi. 8)

THE truth is, the first reformers did many things well; they made a noble stand against many important awful errors of the church of Rome, such as idolatry, dependence on works in the articles of justification, and against divers superstitious and ridiculous ceremonies either of their own invention, or which they borrowed from their Pagan neighbours, whom they as meanly as inconsistently aped herein, though under the speci­ous umbrage of christian names.

THE reformers deserve commendation, for the great service they have done to religion, by their bold and gallant opposition to the aforesaid abominations, and others of the like kind, though enforced by all the artillery of the church, in conjunction with the more formidable sword of the state; and for their carrying on the reformation so far as they did; and we have great reason to bless GOD while we live for the good they have done, and for their desires that the reforma­tion might be carried on still farther. They did not set up themselves as an absolute standard. If any of their posterity have made this wicked use of them and their labour, they are to blame for this, and not the first reformers.

BUT it is notwithstanding matter of fact, that these worthy men have failed in some things of great im­portance, especially in these, viz. that they did not oppose persecution root and branch wherever, whenever, or by whomsoever it is inflicted, whether Papist or Protestant, Jew, Turk, or Pagan; whether by the church or state, or by both in conjunction; and likewise that they divided among themselves, and made their churches seperate parties by inclosures of [Page 43]their own invention, or by making terms of commu­nion that CHRIST never made; whereby the body of CHRIST is rent in pieces, and several parties are set in opposition to each other, who labour to promote their carnal factions, in the carnal way of hatred, va­riance, strife, backbiting, and slander; by which the interests of the grand enemy are promoted instead of the Mediators kingdom.

HEREIN we may, as in a glass, behold the imper­fections of our forefathers, and the folly of making them the absolute standards of our faith and practice, or the plus ultra of our religion, as some bigots would have us; but, GOD forbid. No, CHRIST is our master, and the Bible, the Bible is our rule! Let us, Sirs, follow them so far as they followed CHRIST, but no farther; let us value and imitate their excellencies, but in the mean time pity and avoid their blemishes. As we should think soberly of ourselves, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith; (Romans xii. 3.) so we should of others; let us learn not to think of men above what is written, that no man be puffed up for one a­gainst another; (1 Corinthians iv. 6.) My brethren have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with respect of per­sons, (James ii. 1.) We have no master but CHRIST, nor should we own any other, for cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord, (Jeremiah xvii. 5.) Wo to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take council but not of me, and that cover with a covering but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin, that go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharoah, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt, therefore shall the strength of Pharoah be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. (Isaiah xxx. 1.2.3. 11. Chronicles xvi. 7.)