ESSAY VIL 205 the danger of his opinions, and forbid their attendance. Truly, repliesMomion, he insisted so much on the grace of God, that he left but one quarter of his hour-glass for the duties of the gos- pel ; I fear he is "a supralapsarian, my spirit rises against him, and I must warn my acquaintance of his doctrine." A third person in the company begins to surmise that his morals are not good ; " I have heard an ill story of a preacher not long since, saith he, and surely this must be the man ?" And then he pro- ceeds in a direct opposition to the grace of charity, as it is de- scribed by St. Paul ; I Cor. xiii. 5. Tit. iii. 2. I easily believe all that is evil of him : I am provoked at him ; I hope no good from him ; I cannot bear his principles ; I cannot 'endure his per- son ; and I should rejoice in the seasonable death of such an antinomiau as this is. . Thus does the root of bitterness spring up into wide branches, it bears poisonous fruit, andmany souls are troubled. Blessed be God who of late years'begins to purge out this sour leaven from amongst us. II. The next pernicious effect I takenotice of, is, that an un- charitable" carriage brings a disgrace and blemish upon christi- anity, beyond the guilt and scandal of heathenism : It is the character of the Gentiles indeed, that they were hateful and hating one another, but not for different principles of philosophy, which they professed, nor different methods of worship, which they paid to their gods. There were no civil wars proclaimed, nor courts of inquisition erected amongst them upon this account, though their controversies about divine things were not trivial, and theydiffered widely in the"very foundations of religion ; and as an ingenious author expresses himself on this subject, as Though poets have made the gods enter into factions and quarrels for commonwealths, yet commonwealths never did the same for their gods." But if the heathens had been never so much enraged, and quarrelled never so fiercely for the sake of opinions, and formalities ; still they were almost infinitely more excusable than Christians can pretend to be : For the very doc- trines of most of their sects permit revenge ; and they have many a bloody principle amongst them. But christianity is the most mild, the most gentle, and the most peaceable religion : Never adoctrine was taught amongst mankind, that hath so much of love and sweetness in it: Never a system, or rule of duties, wherein meekness and candour, charity and compassion are so prescribed and enforced. Never was there a religion institutedby God, or invented by men, with so much goodness in theheart and soul of it, or so many charms and amiablenesses in the face. It is built upon the foundation of God's eternal andunchangeable love. It was love that assumed human nature, andbecame the great prophet and tieaelher of it, and the spirit of love in our hearts is its vital
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