length, to the rife and growth of the SER M. Turkish Empire, in oppofition to Chri- XVIII. tianity; Offences, which have all along prevented the Remains of the Nation of the Jews, from univerfally embracing the Profeffion of Chrift's Religion: Offences, which together with the introducing of dark and unintelligible Doctrines, and the requiring of blind Submiffion to an Infallible Guide, instead of exhorting men to study seriously the word of God, and to live in the Practice of all virtue and righteousness in expectation of that Great Day when God fhall judge every man according to his Works; ended at laft in that Great and General Corruption, which the Scripture calls, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth. This therefore is the First Great Offence, which hinders the propagation of the Gofpel of Truth: Corruption of Doctrine; or, Destroying the Plainness and Simplicity of the Religion of Chrift.

2dly; THE Next is; Divifions, Contentions, and Animofities among Christians; arifing from Pride, and from a Defire of

Do

SER M. Dominion, and from building matters of XVIII. an uncertain nature, and of humane In

vention upon the Foundation of Chrifti Other Foundation, fays the Apostle, can no man lay, than that which is laid, even Jefus Chrift. Upon This Foundation, the whole Building fitly framed together, grow eth unto an Holy Temple in the Lord; fupported by Righteousness and true Virtue, and united in one Holy Bond of Charity and Love. By this, fays our Saviour, fhall all men know that ye are my Dif ciples, if ye have Love one to another. And St John tells us, that God is Love; and he that dwelleth in Love, dwelleth in God. And St Paul declares, that Love is the Fulfilling of the Law, Rom. xiii. 8; For, all the Commandments, fays he, Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not fteal, and fo on ; and if there be any other Commandment, they are all briefly comprehended in This Saying, Thou shalt Love thy Neighbour as thyself. Did men rightly understand This to be the Great End of Chrift's Religion, and fincerely endeavour to practise it accordingly; whence then could Heats and Enmities, Contentions

and

and Animofities, poffibly arife among SER M. Chriftians; among thofe, whofe Religion XVIII. teaches them nothing but Meeknefs, Goodnefs, and Charity; Charity towards their Brethren, and Meekness even to those that oppose themselves? St James fhows us the only Spring, from whence Contentions arife; ch. iv. 1. From whence, fays he, come wars and fightings among you? come they not bence, even from your Lufts? from the Luft of Dominion, and Temporal Power; from the Luft of Contentioufnefs, Peevishness, or Ambition; from the Luft of being Lords over each other's Faith, instead of being Helpers towards the common Salvation. Rom. xvi. 17; Mark them which caufe Divifions and Offences, contrary to the Doctrine which ye bave learned; (that is, contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned of Chrift and bis Apoftles ;) Mark thofe, who, contrary to This doctrine, caufe Divisions, by laying the great Strefs, in matters of Religion, upon Commandments and Tradi tions of Men, Col. ii. 8. Almost all Heats and uncharitable Contentions among Chriftians, have in all Ages fprung from this

Root:

SER M. Root; not fo much concerning the Com-
XVIII. mandments of God, which are plain and

eafy to be understood by All; as about
the Impofitions, and the Authority of Men.
These have been the great Offence, which
has hindred the Converfion of the World
to Chrift; while Infidel Nations observe,
that Christians who preach that their Re-
ligion is Charity, yet hate and revile and
perfecute each other. The Great Offence,
I fay, which in all Nations and in all
Ages has hindred the propagation of the
Gospel of Truth, has been a hypocritical
Zeal to fecure by Force a fictitious uni-
formity of opinion, which is indeed im-
poffible in nature; inftead of the real
Chriftian Unity of Sincerity, Charity, and
mutual Forbearance, which is the band of
Perfectness.

3dly; THE Third and Laft great Offence I fhall mention, by which the propagation of true Religion is hindred; is the vicious and debauched Lives, (not of Chriftians, for That is a contradiction; but) of those who for Form's fake profess themselves to be fo. For as the good Lives of those who ftile themselves the

Servants

1

Servants of God, are a Light Shining be- SER M.
fore men, caufing them to glorify the God

of Heaven, and to admire a Religion which
is of fuch great Benefit to Mankind: So,
on the contrary, the vicious and corrupt
Practices of thofe who call themfelves
Chriftians, cannot but raife a Prejudice
against, and caft a Reproach upon, the
Religion which feems to have fo little in-
fluence upon the Lives of its Profeffors.
Among those who are already Believers,
the minds of the Weak are by fuch ill
Examples corrupted, tempted, and em-
boldened to fin; being by degrees made
lefs fenfible of the Danger of Wickedness,
and edified as it were unto deftruction:
So St Paul most elegantly expreffes him-
felf in the inftance of Idolatry; 1 Cor.
viii. 10; Shall not the confcience of him
that is Weak, be edified, (that is the word
in the original, and in the margin of our
Bibles,) fhall he not be edified, i. e. be led
on by degrees, to eat things offered unto
Idols? And by the fame means, that the
Manners of Believers are corrupted; Infi-
dels are at the fame time confirmed in their
Unbelief and emboldened to defpife and
VOL. VI.

Ff

mock

XVIII.