2 10 The bell Men liable to the wort Treatment, Vol, If certainly very good Men, and in a fafeway of Salvation; tho' they were Excom- municated, and put out of the Synagogue, by the chief Priefts and Rulers of the Jewifh Church. I proceed to the 3. Obfervation, which was this, that from uncharitable Cenfures, Men do by an eafie fiep andalmoft naturally proceed to Cruel.A&ions. After the Jews had put the Difciples of our Lord out of their Synagogues, and thereby concluded them to be Hereticks and Reprobates ; no wonder they fhould proceed to kill thofe, whom they thought not worthy to live ; they fhall putyou out of their Sy. nagogues, (fays our Saviour) and when they have.done that, they will foon think it a thing not only fit and reafonable, but Pious and Meritorious, andagood Piece ofService done to God, toput you to death. Uncharitablenefs naturally draws on Cruelty, and hardens Humane Nature towards thofe, of whom we have once conceived fo hard an opinion, that they are Enemies to God and his Truth. And this Bath been the fource of the moft barbarous Cruelties that have been in the world; witnefs the feverity of the Heathen Perfecutioii of the Chriftians, which juftified it feif by the Uncharitable Opinion which they had conceived of them, that they were defpifers of Religion and the , Gods , and confequently Atheifts ; that theywere pertinacious andobftinate in their Opinions, that is, in the Modern Stile, they were Hereticks. And the like uncharitable conceit among Chriftians hath been thought a fuficient ground ( even in the judgment of the In- fallible Chair ) for the juftificationof feveral bloody Ma/fricres, and the cruel Pro- ceedings of the Inquifition againít Perlons fufpefted of Herefie; for after Men are once Sentenced to Eternal Damnation, it feems a finall thing, to torment and de- ftroy their Bodies. 4. Men may do the vileft and molt wicked things, not only under agravePre- tenceof Religion, but out of a real Opinion andPerfwafion of Mind, that they do Religioufly. Murder is certainly one of the greateft and molt crying Sins ; and yet our Saviour foretels, that the Jews fhould put his Difciples to Death,' being verilyperfwaded that in fo doing they fhould offer a molt acceptable Sacrifice to God ; yea the time comets, that whofoever killethyou jball think that he offers a Sacrifice to God. Now but that the great Duties and Virtues of Religion are very plain and eafy to be underftood ; and fo are the contrary Sins and vices : But then they are only plain to a teachable, and honeff, and well-difpofed mind.; to thofe who receive the word with meeknefs, and are not blinded with wrath and furious Zeal ; to thofe that receivethe truth into an honefl heart, and entertain it in the love of it they are plain to the humble and meek; for the humble God willguidein judgment, and the meek will he teach his ways ; fuch as thefe God feldom fullers to fall into fatal miftakes about their Sin, or Duty, fo as to call good evil, and evilgood; to call light darknefs, and darknef light ; to think Uncharitablenefs a Virtue, and downright Murder a great Duty. But if Men will give up themfelves to be fwayed by feif-Love and felf-Conceit, to be governed by anybafe or corrupt Intereft, to be blinded by Prejudice, and intoxicated by Pride, to be tranfported and Hurried away by violent and furious Paffions ; no wonder if they miftake, the Nature and confound the Differences of things, in the plaineft and molt palpable cafes ; no wonder ifGodgive up Perfons of fuch corrupt Minds to fironn delufions, tobelieve lies. It ought, not to be ftrange to us, if fuch Men bring their Underftandings to their Wills and Interefts, and bend their Judgmentsto their Prejudices, make them to ftoop to their Pride, and blindly to follow their Pallions, which way foever they lead them ; for God ufu- ally leaves fuch Perfons to themfelves, as run away from him, and is not concerned to fecure thofe from fplitting upon the molt dangerous Rocks, who will ftear their Courfe by no Compafs, but commit themfelves to the wind and tide of their. own Lufts andPaf ions. In thefeCafes Men may take the wrong Way ; and yet believe themfelves to be in the right : they may oppofe the Truth, and perfecute the Profeffors of it, and be guilty of the blackeft Crimes, and the molt horrid Impieties, Malice and Ha- tred, Blafphemy . and Murder; and yet all the while be verilyperfüsaded, that they areferving God, and Sacrificing to him. Of INI
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