serve them but to have all without any more ado run along with them in their private sentiments and designs as if 't were not much better to bring things to some certain Standard that might fit them all as by making the Interest of all to be but One. Not but that still there may be various Lections upon the Text very different States and Constitutions in the World and as different Laws and Maxims of Policy suited to the several Climates and Complexions of Men but yet this must be the Law that must be the ground of all This that to which the several Interpretations must agree This what must give them their true force and make then truly useful to the Publick As 't was among the Jews they had other Laws their Judicial and Ceremonial Law the Law of their State and the Law of their Church but both in subservience to this So here whatever the Civil whatever the Ecclcesiastical Constitutions among Christians are whatever let me so speak their Statutes and Judgments yet 't is in Subordination to what is herein prescribed that those are to be kept 'T is this in that Law that cannot grow Old and Obsolete Heaven and Earth may pass away but this will still abide This and its Comment Love or Charity can never fail 1 Cor. 13 8. The Jewish Law as distinct from this you see had its End for 't was but Temporary and to last 'till the times of the M ssias and the Christian Law all of it besides this is to have its end too For that 's but the Means of Salvation and can only bring us to Heavens Gate is not to enter with us Faith will leave us there because to be turn'd into Fruition but Love to God Love to our Brother indeed 't is that which makes up the Joys of that Place like God Himself the Fountain of it will be eternal But 't is not Heaven but Earth we converse in though 't would be Heaven upon Earth would Men take out this Lesson To see then with respect to our earthly happiness or the true enjoyment of our Religion Property and Liberty in which it consists how far this Policy would reach And indeed that we may come to the business we are aiming at what could there be wanting to the Content and Satisfaction of all if this Law with the Comment Love would write upon it were observ'd as it ought For is it possible with respect to God whose Blessing ought in the first place to be attended to imagin that we should in the Spirit of Love apply our selves to a faithful observance of all his Commands and that He who is the Judge of all the Earth should forget to do us Right i. e. to give all the Returns of his Grace and Providence his Love and Affection to such dutiful Children Or Is it possible with respect to Men whose Reason should teach them Gratitude to imagin that we should be giving one another all the Proofs of a most setled unbyass'd unalterable Love and that Love should not beget Love Or That that active Principle once set a working should not exert it self in all the Effects of Justice Kindness Pity Charity or to give it in a word that should best suit this a word that seems to be the Comment on our Nature as well as on the Law all manner of Humanity A little more particularly to touch upon the good Effects of this Law Shall Prince and People have no other God before him who gave this Law Nothing which in the first place they propose before his Honour and Glory Shall they set up no Idol of their own I do not say the graven or molten Image but not so much as any thing of their own Inventions whereby to provoke him to jealousie Shall they be careful so Love would direct to reverence his Name his Word and Ordinances and whatever else he hath made himself known by Shall they give him his Property as in all these things so in hallowing that day he hath appointed to his Service Shall Love so act them herein that what they do of this is with all their Heart all their Mind all their Soul And can he who sees this Heart this Mind this Soul forget the Affection that is due to so just a zeal Or Shall they give the Honour they owe to Father and Mother and all who in any sence stand in that Relation Civil or Spiritual Parents Or shall those who are in this Relation give back again that Indulgence and Tenderness of Affection which is due to Children Shall they have that tenderness for the Life and Person Fortunes and good Names of Others which they would Others should have for them and agreeable hereunto govern themselves in all parts of Justice and that so as not to let the Desires of their Hearts run out towards what were not so And as 't is Isa 32.17 Can such a work of Righteousness be any thing but Peace and the effect of Righteousness Quietness and Assurance for ever Nothing but the fullest Blessings could be expected from the great and powerful Law-giver Nothing but Blessings from and among our selves in so pious so dutiful so just so innocent so loving and peaceable a Behaviour Nor was it therefore without great reason that Moses jgave that excellent Advice Deut. 4.1 c. Now therefore hearken O Israel unto the Statutes and Judgments which I teach you for to do them For this is your Wisdom and Vnderstanding in the sight of the Nations which shall hear all these Statutes and say Surely this great Nation is a wise and understanding People For what Nation is there so great which hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for ver 6 c. 'T is with reference to the Law of which we are discoursing he there speaks even the Ten Commandments which he wrote upon two Tables of Stone as 't is particularly restrain'd ver 13. And to enforce all this to the Obedient 't is declared to be the Covenant which God commanded them to perform Now then this being the common Rule to them and us as is above touch't It being our Wisdom and Vderstanding to perform it It being what alone can make any Nation great It being too what I must not pass by what God hath declared to be his Covenant and that which alone can bring God nigh to a People in all things that they call upon him for why should we question the fullest Security to all our Interests if we make good our part in this Covenant Why should we doubt his presence with us as well as with the Jews if in all we do we are with him Why should we think he will not be always ready to hear us if we have our Ears open to all his Commands Or why as 't is Psal 144.15 should we not conclude Happy is the people that is in such a case nay happy is
God who sees the heart and knows wherein we offend all urge these as Merit yet sure with reference to Men with whom we are joyn'd in Society they are such T is the only true Merit we can have to recommend our selves by to our Governors or one another the only Merit too Governors themselves can have that they take care that we and they live by this Rule the only Merit with respect to the Publick that by so living we bespeak the Peace which God hath promised to the Observers of his Law and as to himself who looks nearer into our inward Obedience 't is that without which we cannot assure our hearts before him 1 John 3.18 19. there being nothing more trifling than to boast the sincerity of the heart and the excellency of Religion that is lodged there if neither appear by their Fruits But what is all this 't will be said to our present Differences Let Morality have its place and value we all are for it But 't is not Morality but Religion precisely speaking that divides us Not any thing either of the first or second Table we controvert We all own a God and his Worship the Reverence of his Name and his Day to be herein prescribed We all own too because we are guilty of the breaches of these and all other his Commands that there 's another Righteousness by which we must be justified than our own We agree the outward as well as inward Duty required in all these These are Matters we all agree in our Differences are upon other Points and how then will such a Determination as you here give us reach us in what we are divided How will it if it secures not our Religion as you see it concerns it not in the sense we think this ought to be maintain'd ensure our other Property and Liberty That Liberty of Conscience we plead for which should exempt us from the Law as that heavy burthen or yoke we are not able to bear To this I answer 1. That 't is wholy to mistake our present Differences wholy to mistake what 't is is the Object of Liberty of Conscience to argue thus Forasmuch as the Moral Law is not that heavy burthen that intolerable yoke that is hereby insinuated no certainly 't is the most pleasant most satisfactory thing that human Reason can be busied in nothing brings so much Peace and Joy to the Man as the Obedience he pays to it and however we are degenerated by the Fall and so uncapable of that Perfection which should crown our Obedience yet it s being but to act according to Nature as far as we do it must make it easie 'T is true the Guilt and Punishment that attend Disobedience are a very uneasie yoke a very intolerable burthen and 't is the Excellency of Faith the true exalted Liberty of the Christian to be set free from these but then this is far from setting us free from the Law it self No t is the highest Obligation to Duty that our Defects are thus provided for and must leave us inexcusable if we shall plead Liberty of Conscience from that in the complying wherewith alone Peace of Conscience is to be enjoyed Indeed the Apostle bids us stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and not be intangled again with the yoke of bondage Gal. 5.1 And he speaks this with reference to the Law as appears Gal. 4.21 But 't is the Ritual or Ceremonial Law as is plain from the whole purport of the Epistle And to put an end to the Controversie he concludes this whole Argument by establishing that which was Moral Gal. 5.14 And this he doth in Opposition to that false Liberty Men were too apt to pretend to from what he had been discoursing of the other For so he expressly resolves it ver 13. Brethren ye have been called to liberty none calls more upon them to assert it than he did but then he subjoyns Only use not liberty for an occasion to the slesh but by love serve one another For all the law is fulfilled in one word even in this Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self which as is above observ'd must belong to the Moral still in force and in abatement whereof no Liberty whatever is to be pleaded Nay 't is observable farther That Obedience to this is called walking by the spirit ver 16. and the Joy that attends its performance is the fruit of the spirit ver 22. So that we see the highest Liberty of the Christian is not to be exempted from but restrained to this Law And then as to the other part of the Objection I Answer 2dly That 't is the greatest mistake in the World to say That 't is Religion and not Morality about which most of our Differences are For what though the immediate Dispute be about Matters of Discipline and Ceremony and the outward parts of Divine Worship nay the very Points and Mysteries of Divinity yet what is it but the want of Morality that carries on such Disputes to an excesâ— My meaning is That 't is the want of Love and Charity at the bottom which run through the whole Law 't is the want of our due bridling our Passions our Pride Ambition and Covetuousness the manifest breaches of Morality that widen the Differences and will not let us agree For were these honestly set aside did Humility Patience Meekness with those other Vertues or Graces of the Christian influence all our Actions our Divisions would soon be healed and Men would not quarrel about lesser things where the substance of Religion might be preserv'd Nay the substance of Religion being preserv'd and what is that but what is contain'd in the Moral Law all other Differences would of themselves fall As why should he who professes himself to love God with all his Heart all his Soul all his Strength all his Mind so much forget his Duty as to be beat off of his Worship because another is not so well instructed as he thinks he is One as I apprehend brings that into his Worship which agrees not so well with that Spirit and Truth in which I think he ought to be serv'd I speak with reference to this or the other Ceremony this or that Form this or that Habit or Posture or whatever else we all esteem indifferent But must I therefore hinder my good God of that part of Worship which he whose attainments are not equal to mine thinks himself as much obliged to pay as I do what I bring and without which he conceives he cannot do it in Spirit and Truth Be it for I would give all the force that may be to the Objection that his Service is not so perfect as mine yet may it not still be true Worship And can I say I love God with all my Heart all my Soul c. and yet be willing he should be defrauded of any part of his Honour But suppose he likewise thinks that his Worship
and ill Habits seem to render the Work so difficult Let the Decree go forth Let Judgment to be executed on the wicked be certain and irreversible Let Rewards only attend the good and let it be made the distinguishing Character by which all Favours shall be given forth that it shall be where Love and Charity and good Life in any sort shall recommend the Candidate Let him that loves or gives Bribes be as abominable in the Eye of the Prince as he is in God's Let it in a word be made the Interest of all to be good to be sober and honest and godly And how will Interest bow every Heart and Knee to the Prince Let to this the Example of the Prince himself be added and it made appear That 't is by the same Vertues he desires to recommend himself to his Prince as he seems to desire the People should recommend themselves to him by And how smoothly would this make all things go Where would there be any thing left to disturb Religion Property and Liberty Where the grievance the People would complain of Where the distrust the Prince should have of any of his Subjects Where would be let me so express it the grievance too to God himself And if there were nothing in which we griev'd or vexed his Holy Spirit nothing we did to seperate him from us What but the most settled Tranquility could be among us What but a life next to that which is divine Nor let the Prince fear which some Achitophels would suggest that it might spoil the Hopes he otherwise hath of gaining the Affections of his Subjects For what is the business of that Rule to which he is to recover them but to teach Men the true Exercise of Love and make them agree in that Vertue and Piety which would leave nothing for them to quarrel with him about And what room then will there be for Resentments unless that offend that he is intent at once on their present and future good and by making them good Subjects to God as well as to himself is indeed helping them on to a more glorious Crown than what their Allegiance secures to him But if any still will be exasperated against the Sincerity of the Prince herein it ought to be his comfort that they are only ill Men who can be displeased at him and he needs nor fear the disturbance such can give whilst he shall make so many good whose Affections and what is more the Affections of their God too he shall hereby secure But if the difficulty of the Work and the hazard the Prince may run as to the Affections of his Subjects if he tye them up too strictly to the Rule will not enough discourage there are who can turn the Argument and make Religion it self plead against Property and Liberty thus to be secuted and to disparage what is here offer'd at they shall tell you That all this is but Morality and to urge That in a Christian state is to forget that we live by Faith and are uncapable of doing any thing acceptably without such Allowances as that shall make But as St. Paul hath said with respect to the Law Rom 3.31 Do we then make void the Law through Faith God forbid yea we establish the Law So here Do we then make void Faith by the Law God forbid yea we establish Faith So inseparable are these that one cannot subsist without the other 'T is the Law i. e. Obedience or Works agreeable to it must confirm give life to and perfect Faith Jam. 2.17 21 26. and 't is Faith or a Belief in the Merits of Christ and what he hath done in performing the Law and suffering whar was due to us for the breach of it that must hallow our Obedience We call not Men to the Law as if they could attain to such a Perfection in their Works as to be thereby justified But must we not therefore call them to what they can do Or may we not assure them of the Divine Blessing as far as that is promised to what they shall do with sincerity if Men shall indeed give themselves up to such a degree of Perfection Or to come lower yet because it must be consider'd That 't is with respect to the Policy of Men the outward Peace and Prosperity thereon depending that we are discoursing To come lower yet may we not assure the Blessing even to outward Obedience as far as we are warranted herein by the Word of God For is it any thing but outward Obedience the Prince can take cognizance of any thing but outward Obedience he can reward any thing but outward Obedience Man can have in view in all the Remarks he makes of Divine Providence as acting toward the Righteous or Vnrighteous Or to reduce this expressly to the Question before us is it any thing we understand by the enjoyment of our Religion Property and Liberty but the outward Quiet and Freedom that attends us in each of these And could the Law be but outwardly perform'd all the outward acts of Impiâ—ty Profaneness Blasphemy Violence and Injustice be restrain'd and instead of these all the outward Acts of Piety and Vertue take place what breaking in or going out What complaining could there be in our Streets Psal 144.14 'T was all that David askt in that Psalm to the effecting this viz. That he might be deliver'd from these outward Acts exprest by the had of strange Children whose mouth speaketh vanity and their right hand is a right-hand of falshood ver 11. Not but that 't is to be hoped could Men be brought to this that outward Obedience would not go alone and as our Lord told the young man they would not be far from the Kingdom of God Mark 12.34 Only why I insist on this is because thus far the Magistrate's Power can reach thus far we all pretend to be able to go and pretend only an Argument which might be thought should prevail for what we are pleading to happiness too i. e. a Right and Title to any of God's Blessings whilst we thus continue in the things of the Law And would the highest Pretender that we may deny none the utmost Priviledge of his Faith be but so Spiritual as to govern all his Actions by the Comment of his Lord on these Commands would he bring all home to the Principle of Love as He prescribes he need not make the least Question but 't would be the truest Evidence of his Faith that he thus complies with the Morality of the Divine Law Not that after all that I may leave nothing to be cavill'd at by those who talk so much of Faith in the most sublime and spiritual sense of it the Merit of Works is to be insisted on because when we have done all we can we are unprofitable Servants Luke 17.10 and therefore are by Grace to be saved through Faith Ephes 2.8 But though we may not with reference to our Justification before
is that of the Spirit and Truth Suppose he cannot satisfie himself that he loves him with all his heart all his soul all his mind all his strength unless he gives Him an outward as well as inward Worship must therefore God lose his Tribute on either hand No True love to God in this extent will rejoyce in whatever way his Honour be advanced True love to God will make us ready to put the best Construction on whatever any of his Worshippers do True love to God will make us think so modestly of our selves as to believe He who is so much Goodness as that is in him for which we love him may have revealed himself to others as well as us At least 't will so operate as to make us not over forward to censure those who profess to love him as well as we do And what opetates thus on one side will operate the same on the other and make him who thinks a Cereremony a Form a Habit useful no more judge him who hath not hereto attain'd than he would be willing himself to be judg'd for what he thinks himself obliged to No they would both carry it with the greatest moderation and be zealous to approve this their love to God by having love and charity for one another 'T is the Argument of the Apostle If a man say I love God and hateth his brother he is a lyar for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen 1 John 4.20 And can he love his Brother if he be still censuring him Can he love his Brother if he hath no tenderness for his weak or scrupulous Conscience Can he love his Brother if he be still laying a stumbling-block in his way Can he love him as himself if were that the case he were taking the advantage of every slip to make him fall Or if fallen he doth not rather study how to raise him up than to thrust him still lower and lower To conclude this Doth he love his God with all his heart all his soul all his mind all his strength and will he do nothing to imitate him Or can he rightly imitate Him if he hath no forbearance for his Brother for whom as well as for himself there is so great forbearance with his God But is this then to reconcile all Differences Alas there are Points in Controversie that want particular Answers and Solutions Scruples there are among Christians that will exercise the most profound Enquirer and is this all that is to be said in that multiplicity of Disputes which have so much filled and distracted the World Undoubtedly this must be the method love to God love to our Neighbour will answer all For what though there be several Perplexities and School-Questions which we are not Philosophers enough to penetrate yet if they be not of the Essence and Necessity of Religion if they be not what we are bound to understand or if they find us in that temper of mind that whether we do or do not understand them yet we are resolved they shall breed no difference what is this to the disturbance of our peace Had God whom we are thus to love * seen it absolutely necessary for us all to be just of the same mind in every thing why then did he leave any thing to be indifferent But because 't is so hard to beat Men out of their Prejudices let us see what 't is that occasions these that the great Mistake being once rectified we may no longer stumble at Noon-day Now this will be best done by considering what the Occasion hereof was under the Jewish Oeconomy And what was that but the want of distinguishing between the Moral and Ceremonial Law both which being for God they did not so well consider the different Sanction and Reason of each but as Men are too apt to be taken up with Externals they presently run into too high an Opinion of the later forgetting the weightier things of the former forgetting too that I may at once shew the grossness of their Mistake herein that 't was the Moral Law was their Covenant between God and them as hath been observ'd from Deut. 4.13 and that the Statutes and Judgments given likewise to them by the same Law-giver were but subservient to it and that till the time that what was Type and Figure and only preparatory for better things should have their end and only what was Moral should continue still in its full force and be advanced to that Spiritual Construction which our Lord gave it in his Sermon on the Mount And Men would do well to consider I am sure this alone righly consider'd would make them far enough from setting up any thing against or above the Moral Law but least of all Faith that being but the means to carry us on to the true performance of this and help us out where we come short of it by directing us to the Righteousness of another Men I say would do well to consider whether it be not something like this that occasions many of the Prejudices under the Gospel that we do not sufficiently distinguish between Precepts of a different nature but are apt to set them at variance with one another whereas the Solution of the whole is that of our Lord to the Pharisee Luke 11.42 These ought you to have done and not to leave the other undone My meaning is every thing is to obtain in its proper place neither more than what is due is to be given to Circumstantials nor less than what is due to the Essentials of Religion The Fringe of the Garment may adorn but 't is the Garment it self must cover our nakedness and keep us warm Which being rightly weighed would put an end to all Scruples herein For supposing first the Moral Law to obtain in the Comment the Old and New Testament give of it I mean Love and Charity and the Fundamentals agreeable to the Precepts thereof to be kept to we have the full state of that Liberty of Conscience the Christian Magistrate ought to give for â—ove which is the fulfilling of the Law will oblige to and eâ—rect him in it and the Christian Subject for Love in his Duty to his Superiors and Fellow-Subjects will thus influence him ought to be contented with For what is it Liberty of Conscience respects is it the Law it self whereof we are discoursing or onely the Appendices of it the Worship indispensibly due to God or the manner and external circumstances in which it shall be exercised Or with respect to matters of Faith Are they the Articles of our Creed the Great fundamentals of the Trinity into the belief whereof every Christian is baptized or are they certain Opinions of lesser moment and no way necessary to Salvation whether held the one or the other way that this Liberty consists in I think it will not be said I am sure with any the least reason it
edifie one another v. 18 19. This is what would indeed set the Crown on the Head of Christ if his Subjects would thus exalt the glory of his Kingdom by that Righteousness which he came to establish They were our Offences against the Moral Law from which he came to save us what we come short of this Law he came to make up with his unsinning Obedience but must have set up an odd sort of a Kingdom if he should have licenc'd the Enormities he came as to make up in his own Holy Life so to ' tone for by his Meritorious Death Was there no other way to deliver us from the guilt and punishment of the Law but by his bowing the Heavens and coming down and do we imagin the way to advance his Glory now he is return'd thither is to continue in what cost him so dear No saith St. Peter we look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness and 't is absurd to imagin any thing but this should advance the Prince or People who are to be the Inhabitants of either Any thing but this reconcile all their Differences this only being what disposes to those things that make for peace this only what can fully restrain whatever is contrary to it And till something be done towâ—â—d bringing us to this frame whatever our other Hopes are I dare not believe there will ever be any settled Peace in our Borders No if we would see good days in St. Peter's advice 1 Pet. 3.10 let us eschew evil and do good seek peace and ensue it For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil We may have our Projects for Peace and think it glorious to beat down our Enemies we may call our selves God's People and boast our Protestant Religion but have we beat down Vice that we are so secure in these our Priviledges If not as 't is Hos 4.1 2 3. The Lord will have a controversie with the inhabitants of the land because there is no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the land by swearing and lying and killing and stealing and committing adultery they break out and blood toucheth blood Therefore shall the land mourn and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish c. God may have made use of us and that it may be is our confidence too to chastise his Adversaries but if we take their place and our selves turn Adversaries to him how can we expect that he should not find a Rod to chastise us too Hath he employed us to extirpate Idolatry and other gross Superstitions which may obtain among those who call themselves Christians But will that justifie if we give countenance to the profane and debauch'd Or is his Honour more concern'd in punishing them who have not the true knwledge of his ways or those who having that knowledge with hold it in unrighteousness and make Religion it self to serve all the purposes of Vice We know he hath determined the contrary Amos 3.2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities Methinks 't is an Emphasis that should awaken any who are thus mistaken Thou that abhorrest idols committest thou sacrilege Thou that makest thy boast of the law through breaking the law dishonourest thou God Rom. 2.22 23. or canst thou imagin he should not be as jealous to recover his Honour on Thee as those thou art the hand to punish For my part I must confess there is nothing seems to me so great a Rub in the way of our present Prosperity as that this is our unhappy Temper How many are there that think it Religion enough to be of this or the other Party so herd with those who they think or at least would pertwade themselves are the People of God not considering that 't is only Faith working by Love and shewing it self by good works that can prove them to be at all Christians Or what is it by which we have learnt to signalize our Profession but by our being warm and zealous for the side we have chosen i. e. our being uncharitable and unchristian to all else If there be such a thing as being of a better Party than others what should we do but evidence it by a better Life By that Humility that Meekness that Condescension that Love that Temperance that Charity that Moderation in Words and Actions which are agreeable to the Religion we profess What is it to be a good Church-man but to live up to the Principles we have receiv'd What can commend any other way but being more Holy more Pious more Just more Charitable than those we divide from and would be thought to excel Were this as the Apostle tells us it ought the only strife we had among us to provoke one another to love and good works Heb. 10.24 how would this be indeed to secure our Religion Property and Liberty What a Tenderness what mutual Affection what Loyalty on one hand What Bowels and Indulgence on the other would this Law of Love procure How must this settle Mens hearts towards their Governors How draw out those of Governors towards their People Now this I cannot but insist on as most seasonable at this time whilst Men are so divided among themselves and bewildered as 't were in their several Intriegues and Interests One seeking out one Remedy and another another and all of them at the best as 't is in the Prophet healing the hurt of the Daughter of my People slightly saying Peace peace where there is no peace Jerem. 6.14 The great God of Heaven and Earth who knows the Hearts of all Men knows that this alone is the Reason why I write this 't is that if it be possible Men would at length be perswaded to bethink themselves of what in all probability is the reason why the World is so uncertain with them That seeing so many Experiments have been tryed and all failed they would before 't is too late consider what there is still left to be tryed for the Publick good And I say and I think in the Spirit of God that 't is this and this only must be the Cure 't is by returning every One to the Lord our God that He may return in Mercy to us Methinks Gods Dealing with these Nations of which we are is as if he waited to be gracious For how hath Success floated backward and forward as if thereby we were to be told that there is something we have to do before we can be settled For how many Nations as 't is in the Prophet Jerem. 25.14 have served themselves of us what Changes what Revolutions have we and our Fathers before us seen And what is the Dispensation we now are under that we should think any thing but a thorough Reformation should content 'T is what hath been often called