and meek and peaceable, to submit them- SERM. felves to those who are in Authority; not XVIII. to be too follicitous, or to have an overweening Value for the Goods, the Honours, the Grandeur of this World, but to feek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and its Righteousness, and then all other Things (which are neceffary for them to have) should be added thereunto. This is the Commiffion, and must be the Design of the Ambaffadors that Prince of Peace, the meek and holy Jefus; to perfuade and intreat Men to be reconciled to God, and to keep the Unity of Ephef. iv. the Spirit in the Bond of Peace. It is true, 3. he tells us, that he came not to fend Peace upon Earth, but a Sword; whereby he only defigned to fhew what a perverse Use wicked and defigning Men would make of his Gospel; who would make this holy and heavenly Religion to serve their fecular Interests and Designs; and convert this Sovereign Balm into the most deadly and pernicious Poison. But this is not the Fault of the Religion, but of the Profeffors of it. This proceeds from those boisterous and turbulent Paffions which it is the Bufinefs of the Christian Religion to mortify and subdue, and from the want of that meek, humble, and peaceable Temper, which the Holy Jefus requires in his Followers and Difciples. I COME

SERM. I COME now, in the laft Place, to XVIII. make fome practical Inferences from the Whole.

1. HENCE we may infer the Truth and Soundnefs of the Doctrine of the Church of England, in which those two effential Attributes of God's Juftice and his Mercy are fo excellently described to us, and fo well reconciled, that as, on the one Hand, the most notorious, if penitent, Sinner has no Reason to despair of God's Mercy; fo, on the other, the most pious and devout Chriftian has no Ground to prefume, but must be watchful and diligent, and work out his Salvation with Fear and

Trembling.

Ir gives Glory to God's Mercy, by teaching us, that he has provided fufficient Means for the Salvation of the whole World; and that no Man can perish everlaftingly, but by his own Default; let but the wicked Man for fake his Way, and the unrighteous Man his Thoughts, and let him turn unto the Lord, and he will have Mercy on him, and to our God, and he will abundantly pardon. There is no Man's Cafe fo defperate, but, if he finds God's Grace inclining him to Repentance; if that vital Principle of Life and Motion is not

SERM.

quite extinguifhed, he may reft with Affurance upon God's Promife, that he will XVIII. pardon his Sins, if to the Affiftance of God's Grace he joins his honest and hearty Endeavours to walk in the Way of God's Commandments.

IT vindicates God's Juftice, by affuring us, that God will accept of no Faith or Repentance, but fuch as produces a fincere and univerfal Obedience to his Laws. Thus it imputes the whole Work of our Salvation to the Efficacy of God's Grace; and yet requires of us, to fet our Shoulders to the Work of our Salvation, as if all was to be done by our own Strength, and reconciles both these, by teaching us that, if we make ufe of those Talents God hath intrusted us with, he hath promised us a farther Supply.

AND, Thanks be to God, Moral Righteousness shines ftill in our Practical Divinity; we of the Church of England are taught the Precepts of Christ in their utmost Lati tude and Perfection; and, by the Confeffion of Foreigners themselves, there is no Language in the World, in which fo many excellent Treatifes of Practical Divinity are to be found, as in the English Tongue.

THEN, if we confider the public Prayers of our Church, they are so admiraVOL. II.

Ff

bly

SERM. bly compofed, that it would take more XVIII. Time, than I have now allotted me, to

Matt.xxiv.

23.

touch upon the Excellencies difcoverable in them. In fhort, they are directed to God through Chrift who is the only Mediator between God and Men, not to Saints and Angels: They are penned in a Language that we understand; in Expreffions and Words fo fuitable to the feveral Occafions, fo pathetical and affectionate, and yet fo plain and easy to be understood, that, in the Beginning of the Reformation, thofe devout Souls (who were newly escaped out of the Errors and Darkness of Popery) received them with all Joy imaginable.

AND Laftly, for the Security of Government, the Church of England teaches her Members to be quiet and peaceable, to submit themselves to the Powers which are, not only for Wrath, but also for Confciencefake. Now, fince these Things are fo, it will follow,

2. THAT we have Reason to ftand ftedfaft in this Faith, and not to be tossed to and fro with every Wind of Doctrine; we live in an Age, when the Chriftian Faith is rent into infinite Sects and Parties; when one cries, Lo, here is Chrift, and another cries, Lo, there is Chrift; Let us therefore

take

v. 26.

take the Advice of our Saviour, Wherefore, SERM. if they fay unto you, Behold, he is in the De- XVIII, fert, go not forth: Behold, he is in the fecret Chambers, believe it not. Let us continue in that Faith delivered down to us by the Hands of Martyrs and Confeffors; for, fince Light is come into the World, we shall be held unexcufable, if we love Darknefs better than Light, and Darkness fo grofs that it may be felt.

3. LET us live Lives worthy of the Gofpel, and, by a religious and unblameable Conversation, demonftrate to the World, that we are the true Difciples of the Holy Jefus and lawful Sons of the Church of England: Efficacius enim vitæ, quam linguæ teftimonium. Our Arguments will have little Effect, unless we out-live our Adverfaries; for, if our most holy Faith produce the most corrupt Manners, we shall fall under a more grievous Condemnation, than the Inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. Let us therefore turn from the Evil of our Ways; and, if we have done amifs, refolve to do fo no more; confidering that, by every wilful Sin that we commit, we do not only wound our own Confciences, but caft a Scandal upon our holy Profeffion, and upon the best Church in the World.

AND