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fake, and to be at peace among themselves, 1 Theff. v. 12, 13. and it will also teach fuperiors to condefcend to men of low degree, and not to think of themselves above what they ought, but "with all lowlinefs, meeknels, and long-fuffering, to for"bear one another in love, keeping (this way) the unity of the "Spirit in the bond of peace," Eph. iv. 2, 3.

Direction 5. This gentle language and refpectful deportment, would naturally and conftantly flow from the uniting grace of wifdom, humility, and love, were they more exalted in the hearts of Chriftians.

Wifdom would allay thofe unchriftian heats, Prov. xvii. 27. a man of understanding is of an excellent fpirit, fo we render it; but the Hebrew fignifies a cool fpirit; a cool fpirit; "the wifdom that is "from above is gentle, and eafy to be intreated," James iii. 17.

Humility takes away the fuel from the fire of contention; only from pride cometh contention, Prov. xiii. 10. How dearly hath pride, especially fpiritual pride, coft the churches of Chrift?

Love is the very cement of focieties, the fountain of peace and unity; it thinketh no evil, 1 Cor. xiii. puts the fairest fenfe upon doubtful words and actions, it beareth all things. "Love me (faith Auftin) and reprove me as thou pleafeft: " It is a radical grace, bearing the fruits of peace and unity upon it.

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Direction 6. Be of a Christ-like forgiving spirit one towards another, Eph. iv, 31, 32. "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-fpeaking be put away from you, " with all malice, and be ye kind one to another, tender-heart"ed, forgiving one another, even as God for Chrift's fake hath "forgiven you." Hath thy brother offended thee? How apt art thou alfo to offend thy brother? And, which is infinitely more, how often doft thou every day grieve and offend Jefus Chrift, who yet freely forgives all thy offences? Remember friend, that an unforgiving is a fad fign of an unforgiven perfon, They that have found mercy, pity, and forgiveness, fhould of all men in the world, be most ready to fhew it.

Direction 7. Be deeply affected with the mifchievous effects and confequents of fchifms and divifions in the focieties of the faints, and let nothing beneath a plain neceffity, divide you from communion one with another; hold it fast till you can hold it no longer without fin. At the fire of your contentions your enemies warm their hands, and fay, Aha, fo would we have it: Your prayers are obftructed, Matth. v. 24. " First be "reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." Edification is hindered: Feverish bodies thrive not, Eph. iv. 15. God is provoked to remove his gracious prefence from VOL. IV. Ddd

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among you. "Be of one mind (faith the apostle) live in peace, " and the God of peace fhall be with you," 1 Cor. xiii, 11. implying that their contentions would deprive them of his bles-fed company with them. The glory of your fociety is clouded; "If ye have bitter envyings and ftrife in your heart, glory "not," James iii. 14. Glory not in your church privileges, perfonal gifts and attainments; whatever you think of yourfelves, you are not fuch Chriftians as you vogue yourfelves for, living in fia fo directly contrary to christianity. The name of Chrift is dishonoured. You are taken out of the world, to be. a people for his name, that is, for his honour; but there is little credit to the name of Chrift from a dividing, wrangling people. The alluring beauty of Chriflianity, by which the church gains upon the world, Acts ii. 46, 47. is fullied and defaced, and thereby (as I noted before) converfion hindred, and a new stone, as it were, rolled over the graves of poor finners, to keep them down in their impeniteney: Tremble therefore at the thoughts. of divifions and feparations. St Auguftine notes three fins feverely punished in fcripture. The golden calf, with the fword; Jehoiakim's cutting the facred roll, with a dreadful captivity; but the fchifm of Korah, and his accomplices, with the earth's opening her mouth and fwallowing them up quick.

Direction 8. Let all church-members fee that they have union with Chrift, evidencing itself in daily fweet communion with him Lines drawn from a circumference come the nearest to one another in the center. When God intends to make the hearts of men one, he first makes them new, Ezek. xi. 19. “I will give "them one heart, and I will put a new Spirit within you.' And the more any renewed heart taftes the fweetness of communion with God, by fo much it is difpofed for unity and peace with his people. Our frowardness and peevishnefs plainly difcovers all is not well betwixt God and us. Nothing fo opposite to or abhorred by a foul that enjoys fweet peace and communion with Chrift, than to live in finful jars and contentions with his people. Return therefore to the primitive spirit of love and unity; forbear one another; forgive one another; mortify your dividing lufts; cherish your uniting graces: "mark them which caufe divifions and offences, contrary to the doctrine. "ye have learned, and avoid them," Rom. xvi. 17. In a word, and that the word of the apostle in the text, "I beseech you, "brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all "fpeak the fame thing, and that there be no divifions among "you, but that ye be perfectly joined together in the fame mind, and in the fame judgment."

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Thanksgiving SERMON for ENGLAND's Delivery from POPERY, Feb. 1688-9.

An EPISTLE TO THE READER.

Candid Reader,

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HE following difcourfe comes to thy hand in that native plainnefs wherein it was preached. I was confcientioufly unwilling to alter it, because I found by experience, the Lord had bleffed and profpered it in that drefs, far beyond any other compofures on which I had bestowed more pains. Let it not be cenfured as vanity or oftentation, that I here acknowledge the goodness of God, in leading me to, and blessing my poor labours upon this fubject. Who, and what am I that I fhould be continued, and again employed in the Lord's harveft, and that with fuccefs and encouragement, when fo many of my brethren, with their much richer furnitures of gifts and graces, have in my time been called out of the vineyard, and are now filent in the grave! It is true, they enjoy what I do not; and it is as true, I am capable of doing fome fervice for God, which they are not. In preaching these fermons, I had many occafions to reflect upon the myftical sense of that scrip

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ture, Amoš ix. 13. "The plowman fhall overtake the reaper, ❝and the treader of grapes him that foweth feed." Sowing and reaping times trode fo close upon one another, that (in all humility I fpeak it to the praise of God) it was the bufieft and bleffedeft time I ever faw, fince I first preached the gospel.

England hath now a day of special mercy; there is a wide door of opportunity opened to it; O that it might prove an effectual door! It is tranfporting and astonishing, that after all the high and horrid provocations, the atheifm, prophaneness and bitter enmity against light and reformation: this fweet voice is still heard in England, Behold, 1 ftand at the door and knock. The mercies and liberties of this day are a new trial obtained for us by our potent Advocate in the heavens: if we bring forth fruit, well; if not, the ax lieth at the root of the tree. Let us not be fecure. Jerufalem was the city of the great King; the feat of his worship, and fymbols of his prefence were fixed there; it was the joy of the whole earth, the houfe of prayer for all nations; thither the tribes went up to worship, the tribes of the Lord unto the teftimony of Ifrael, For there were set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the houfe of David, Pfal. cxxii. 4, 5. These privileges fhe enjoyed through the fucceffion of many ages, and had remained the glory of all nations to this day, had she known and improved, in that day, the things that belonged to her peace; but they neglected their feafon, rejected their mercies, and miferably perished in their fins: for there ever was, and will be found an infeparable connexion betwixt the final rejection of Chrift, and the deftruction of the rejecters, Matth. xxii. 5, 6, 7. The contemplation whereof drew thofe compaffionate tears from the Redeemer's eyes, when he beheld it in his descent from the mount of Olives, Luke xix. 41, 42.

Let all that are wife in heart henceforth depofe their animo fities, fadly reflect on their follies, encourage and affift the labours of their brethren in the Lord's harveft; and rejoice that God hath fet them at liberty by law, whofe affiftance in fo great an opportunity is neceffary and defirable. It is against the laws of wisdom and charity, to envy the liberty, and much more the fuccefs of our brethren, 1 Cor. xiii. 4. If the workmen contend and fcuffle in a catching harveft, who but the owner fuffers damage by it? If, after fo miraculous, recent, and common a falvation as this, we still retain our old prejudices and bitter envyings; if we fmite with the tongue and pen, when we cannot with the hand; and study to blaft the reputation and labours of our brethren; and still hate those we can

not hurt: In a word, if we ftill bite and devour, one another, we shall be devoured one of another. Let us not lay the fault upon others, we ourselves have been the authors and inftruments of our own ruin; and this must be the infcription upon our tombstone, Q England, thou haft destroyed thyself. I am more afraid of the rooted enmity and fixed prejudices, that are to be found in many against holinefs and the ferious profeffors of it, and inflexible obftinacy and dead formality in many others, (the tokens of a tremendous infatuation) than I am of all the whispered fears from other hands, or common enemies upon our borders.

To prevent these mischiefs, and promote zeal and unaminity among the minifters of the gofpel, I have prefumed to addrefs them in the following epiftles. I am confcious of my own unworthiness to be their monitor, and of the defects their judicious eyes will eafily difcern in the ftile wherein it is written; and yet can promise myself a becoming reception of what is fo faithfully, feasonably, and honestly defigned for their good. I am fatisfied that no candid and ingenuous perfon will put words upon the rack, quarrel at a fimilitude, or expofe a trifle, when he finds the defign honeft, and the matter good and neceffary.

As to the treatise itself, thou wilt find it a perfuafive to open thy heart to Christ. Thy foul, reader, is a magnificent structure built by Chrift; fuch ftately rooms as thy understanding, will, confcience and affections, are too good for any other to inhabit. If thou be in thy unregenerate ftate, then he folemnly demands, in this text, admiffion into the foul he made, by the content of the will: which, if thou refuse to give him, then witness is taken, that Christ once more demanded entrance into thy foul which he made, and was denied it. If thou haft opened thy heart to him, thou wilt, I hope, meet somewhat in this treatise that will clear thy evidences, and cheer thy heart: Pray read, ponder and apply. I am

Thine and the

Church's fervant,

JOHN FLAVEL.

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