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468

CHRISTIAN MORALITY, VIZ.

[SÉRM.

SXVIII,

how much

of

truth

and goodness

may

be

found atnengst

each'

party, where all

agree to

hold

Christ Jesus the

head

;

though

he

dares not renounce a

grain

of

truth

or

necessary

duty, for

the sake

of

peace, and

he would

contend

earnestly, where

providence

calls

him,

for the

essential articles

of

faith

which were once

delivered to

the saints; for

he knows

the

"

wisdom

that

is

from above

is

first

pure, and then

peaceable,"

James

iii.

17.

Yet

he

takes

this occasion to

prove

that

some truths or

some

practices, are articles

of

less

importance

to the

christian

life

;

that

they

are not worthy

of

such

unchristian

quar-

rels;

and thus

he

attempts,

as

far

as

possible,

to

recon-

cile

the angry disputers.

Sometimes he has the

happi-

ness

to shew

them both

that

they

fight

in

the

dark

;

he

explains

their

opinions and their

contests, and puts the

best

sense

upon both

of

them

:

And when he bath brought

them into

the

light, he makes

it

appear that

they

are

friends and

brethren;

and

that

religion and

the gospel

are

safe

on both

sides,

if

they

would dwell

together

with-

out

fighting,

but that it

is

sorely

endangered

by

their

bat=

ties.

So St.

Paul

dealt

with

the

Jewish

and gentile chris-

Cans,

and

assured

them

that

they both belonged

to

the

kingdom

of

God, and the church

of

Christ, though they

quarrelled,

about

flesh,

and

herbs,

and

holy-days.

How

lovely, bow glorious,

how

desirable

is such

a

character

as

this

!

I

confess when

a

party

-

spirit runs

high among

the

dif-

ferent

sects

of

religion, or the

different

divisions

of

man-

kind,

this

most amiable virtue

is

called

by

the scanda-

lous names

of

indifferency,

and

lukewarxnness,

and

trim

ming; and

it

sustains a world

of

reproaches

from

both

the quarrelling parties. Moderation, though it

is

the

blessed

principle,

which

awakens

and

assists men to

be-

come peace-makers, yet

at

the

same time when

it

enters

into

the

battle

to divide

the contenders,

.

it

receives

an

unkind stroke

from

either

side.

This

the reconciler ex-

pects,

and

he

bears

it

for the sake

of

union and

love.

The

moderate

man in cases

of private property

or in-

terest, does

not

insist

upon the utmost of

his own

right

with

a stiff and unyielding obstinacy,

but

abates

of

his

just

pretensions

for the sake

of

peace

;

and what

he

prac-

tises

himself,

he

persuades others to practise

in the

like

çontests. This

is

that

moderatión and

gentleness

which