468 T11e food Sermon on Vole Text. SERMON LXV. The Prejudices againft Ieftu and his Religion confider'd. MATTH. Ii. 6. And bleffed is he phofoever (hall not be offended in me. FROM thefe Words I propofed to confider thefe TwoThings. I. ThePrejudices and Obje&ions which the World at fiat had, and many fill have againft our Bleffed Saviour and his Religion. IL That it is a great Happinefs to efcape the common Prejudices which Men are apt to entertain againf Religion. I have confidered thofe Obje&ions which the ,pews and Heathen Philafophera made againf our Saviour and his Religion : And, H. Thofe which at this Day are infifted upon by the fecret and open Enemies of our Religion. And I mentioned (even, the two laft of which I (hall now fpeak to. Sixthly, It is obje&ed, that there are many Divifions and Fa&ions among Chriftians. This I confefs is a great Reproach and Scandal to our Religion : but no fufficient Argument againf it. And, a. To leffen and abate the Force of this Obje&ion, it is to be confider'd, that a very great part of the Divifions that are among thofe that are call'd Chriftians, are about things that do not concern the Effentials of Chriftianity, and therefore they are no Argument that Chriftianity is not true, becaufe they bring no,Suf- picion of. Doubt and Uncertainty upon the Fundamentalsof Chrifianity, which all agree in, though they differ in other things. 'Tis true indeed they are very undecent, and contrary to the Nature and Precepts of the Chrifian Religion, which above any Religion in the World, does fri&iy require Love and Unity. They take off much from the Strengthand Beauty of our Religion : but do by no means defroy the Truth of it. 2. How many and great foever they may be, yet they can with no Colour of Reafon be imputed to the Chrifian Religion, as giving any Caufe and Encou- ragement to them, however by Accident it may be the Occafion of them. For no Man doubts but that the belt things in the World may be perverted by bad Men, and made an Occafion of a great deal of Mifchief in the World, and yet be very innocent of all that Mifchief. No Man can deny but that Chriftianity does ftricly enjoyn Love, and Peace, and Unity amongall the Members of that Profeffìon 5 and fo far as Chriftians are fa&ious andunpeaceable, fo,far they are no Chriftians. So that a Man may as well except againfkPhilofophy, becaufe of the Differences that were among the Philofophers, and fay there was no Truth among them, becaufe they were not all agreed in all things; as call, the Truth.of Chriftianity in queftion, for thedifferences that are among Chriftians. Nay, a Man might every whit as well except againf Laws and Government, becaufe, notwithfanding them, there are frequent: Seditions and Rebellions, infinite Suits and Controverfies occafion'd even by the very Laws: But;. no.Man was ever fo unreafonable as to think this a good Reafon againf Laws.and Govern- ment. 3.. The
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