206 AGAINST t7NCHARITABLENESS. spring within us : It is divine love dwelling in flesh, hanging upon a cross, bleeding and dying for enemies and rebels that bath purchased all the promised blessings of our religion ; and it is the same love arising from the grave, and reigning in glory, that distributes these blessin -,s to men : And in all the melting language of compassion and tenderness invitesus to receive them : It was this love dwelling personally amongst men, calls himself our brother, and chargesus to love all the professors of the seine faith as brethren : Ile requires that we should be ready to lay down our lives for one another, as he did for us all : And orders it to be the distinguishing character of all his followers, Hereby shall all men know, that ate are my disciples, ifye love one another; John xiii. 34, 35. God uimself is infinite and unseen love, Christ is love incarnate and visible : And a christian isor should be an effigy of that love graven to the life, by the finger of the divine Spirit. Now, for the professors of such a doctrine to quarrel abouttrifles, and grow malicious upon every punctilioof different sentiments, how grossly do they abuse the christian name ? They rob their own religion of its due honour amongst men, and bring infinite shame and discredit upon christianity in the face of infidel nations. It is for the sake of this madness which is found amongst the pretended followers of our blessed Lord, his name is blasphemed among the heathens; and the con- version of the kingdoms of this worldto the faith of Christ, ren- deredalmost rationally impossible. III. Thirdly, This uncharitabletemper rages even to wars and blood ; hath laid the churches of Christ desolate, and dis- peopled many countries in christendom. It Both not spend itself in secret like a sullen humour, or a vapour of melancholy, but breaks,out into public violence and disorder, and all that is near it feels the indignation. It sits brooding over the eggs of a cockatrice, and daily sends forth a fieryflying serpent, instru- ments of cruelty are in its habitation, and all its children are sons of blood and rapine. O my soul, come thou not into their coun- cil ; unto their assembly, my honour, be not thou united ; for in their anger they have slain millions of men, and in their self-will they have digged up the foundations of a thousand churches. Cursed he their angerfor it is fierce, and their wrath for it is cruel ; Gen xlix. 6, 7. These men of division at the last judg- ment-day, may justly expect tobe divided from Jacob, and scat- teredfar away from the Israel of God. For GodWill render to every one according to their works; Rom. ii. 16. And surely these bloody persecutionsare such works as demand like revenges from a God of justice; if such as practice them die without repentance. If you ask me the method whereby this uncharitable temper has advanced to such a degree of rage and barbarity, it is very
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