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"meek, for they fhall inherit the earth:" fuch as are gentle, and ready to help, and not tyrannize over neighbours." Bleffed are the merciful, for they shall "obtain mercy:" What then fhall become of those that are cruel, under pretence of doing it for God's fake? "Bleffed are the peace-makers, for they fhall " be called the children of God:" then disturbers and deftroyers of their peaceable neighbours fhall not be called fo. "Bleffed are they that hunger and thirst "after righteoufnefs, for they fhall be filled:" but not those that hunger and thirst after our corn and cattle, houses and land, for confcience fake. " And "bleffed are you," fays Chrift, "when men fhall re" vile and perfecute you," &c. Then not thofe that revile and perfecute others that are fober and harmlefs: not one bleffing to the confcience-hunting doctrine and practice of him, that devours the widow and orphans for religion. Were men inwardly and truly religious, they would have fo low an opinion of themfelves, fo tender a regard to mankind, fo great an awe of Almighty God, as that none of these froward paffions would have any fway with them. But the mifchief is, unmortified paffions pretend to religion; a proud, impatient, arrogant mind would promote it; than which, nothing of man is more remote from it; mistaking the very nature and end of Chrift's peaceable religion; which, if the apostle James fays true, is "to vifit the fatherless and widow, and keep our"felves unfpotted of the world." But, on the contrary, they turn widow and fatherless out of house and home, and spot themselves with the cruelty and injustice of ufurping their poor patrimony, the bread of their lives, and fuftenance of their natures: fuch men as these are void of natural affection; their religion has no bowels, or they are without mercy in the profeffion of it; which is the reverse of true religion, that makes us "love enemies, do good to them that "hate us, and pray for them that defpitefully use

P James i. 27.

« us."

"us." And fo much stronger, in fouls truly religious, is the power of love to mankind than any felfrevenging paffion, that, from an humble and ferious reflection upon the mercies and goodness of God to them, they do not only fupprefs any rifing of heart against their perfecutors (much more against peaceable Diffenters) but, with much foftnefs and charity, commiferate their ignorance and anger; offering to inform them, and praying that they may be forgiven. This is to be religious; and therefore those that perfe cute for religion any ways, are irreligious.

II. The next cause of perfecution, is the grofs but general mistake which people are under concerning the nature of the church and kingdom of Chrift: for the lamentable worldlinefs of mens minds hath put them upon thofe carnal conftructions which have made way for all the external coercion and violence, used by bad and suffered by good men, on the score of religion, from the beginning. And no wonder if ordinary perfons stumble upon this conftruction, when the difciples of Jefus fhewed themselves fo ill-read in the myfteries of his kingdom, that after all the intimacy they had had with him, they refrained not to afk, "When fhall the kingdom be reftored to Ifrael?" They looked abroad, had a worldly idea in their minds; Jews-like, they waited for external deliverance from the power of the Romans, rather than an internal falvation from the dominion of Satan; and interpreted those words to worldly lofs and freedom, which did relate to the lofs and redemption of the foul: but Jefus taught them better things; yet fo, as not to deny or flatly discourage and rebuke them; for that, though true, might have been more at that time, than they could have borne; therefore he winds off with them upon the time and the feafon of the thing; knowing that the time was at hand, that they fhould be better taught and fatisfied of the nature of his kingdom, unto which he referred them. "When the

VOL. IV.

• Mat. v. 44.

" Spirit

Spirit of Truth comes, it fhall lead you into all "truth,""&c.

That the kingdom of Chrift is not of this world, has been before obferved; and the reafon is fo great, that all men of common fenfe muft allow it, upon Christ's principle and argument; " for," fays he, "then would my fervants fight for me:"" truly implying, becaufe the kingdoms of this world are evidently fet up and maintained by worldly force, and that he will have no worldly force ufed in the business of his kingdom, that therefore it is not of this world. Consequently, those that attempt to fet up his kingdom by worldly force, or make that their pretence to use it, are none of his fervants: they are truly but men of this world; fuch as feek an earthly, and not an heavenly crown and kingdom: themselves, and not Chrift Jefus. Where, by the way, let me observe, that though the Jews, to engage Pilate the more easily to their fide, impeached Chrift of being an enemy to Cæfar, they were enemies, and he appeared a friend to Cæfar; for he came to reform the lives of men, to make them better fubjects; to obey Cæfar, not for fear, but for confcience-fake: a way to make Cæfar's province both eafy and fafe. But the Jews would have had him Cæfar's enemy; one that would have forcibly rescued them from Cæfar's power: that was what they waited for; a captain-general to head the revolt; and, with an high hand, to overbear and captive Cæfar, as he had done them and it is more than probable, that this appearance being after quite another manner, and to another end, than they expected, they therefore rejected him; their hearts being fet upon the defire of worldly empire.

But to return: Chrift told his difciples, that he had "chofen them out of the world:" how, pray? Not to converse, or live bodily in it? No fuch matter: but he had chofen or fingled them from the nature, Spirit, glory, policy, and pomp of this world. How perfons,

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fo qualified, can make a worldly church or kingdom, unless they defert Chrift's doctrine, is past my fkill to tell. So that the capacity that Chriftians ftand in to Chrift is Spiritual, and not worldly or carnal: and for that reafon, not carnal or worldly, but fpiritual methods and weapons only, are to be used to inform or reclaim fuch as are ignorant or difobedient. And if we will give ancient story credit, we fhall find that worldly weapons were never employed by the Chriftian church till she became worldly, and fo ceased to be truly Chriftian.

But why fhould I fay the church? The most abused word in the world! It is her leaders have taught her to err; and that of believing as the church believes, is fo far from being true in point of fact, as well as reason, that the church berfelf has long believed as the clergy, that is, the priest, believed, ever fince that fort of men have practised a diftinction from, and fuperiority upon, the laity. He that will perufe the ecclefiaftical ftory, delivered us by Eufebius Pamphilus, Socrates Scholafticus, Evagrius, Ruffinus, Sozomen, and more efpecially the councils, B. Ufher, aye, and Baronius. bimfelf, will find but too many and fad inftances of the truth of this.

In fhort, people apprehending the church and kingdom of Chrift to be visible and worldly, like other focieties and governments, have thought it not only to be lawful, but neceffary, to use the arts and force of this world to fupport his church and kingdom; especially fince the intereft of religion hath been incorporated with that of the civil magiftrate: for from that time he hath been made cuftos utriufque tabule; and fuch as offend, though about church-matters, have been reputed tranfgreffors against the ftate, and confequently the ftate interested in punishing the offence. Whereas had Chriftians remained in their primitive fimplicity and purity, in the felf-denying, patient, and fuffering doctrine of Chrift: Chriftianity had ftood in holy living, and not in worldly regiment; and its compulfion would have been love, its arms reafon and truth, O 2

and

and its utmost rigour, even to obftinate enemies or apoftates, but renouncing of their communion, and that not till much forbearance and many Christian endeavours had been used to reclaim them.

To fum up all the kingdoms of this world ftand in outward, bodily and civil matters; and here the laws and power of men reach and are effectual. But the kingdom and church of Chrift, that is chosen out of the world, ftands not in "bodily exercife," (which, the apostle fays, "profits little ") nor in times nor places, but in faith, and that worship which Christ tells us is in "fpirit and in truth." To this no worldly compulfion can bring or force men; it is only the power of that King of righteoufnefs whofe kingdom is in the minds and fouls of the juft; and he rules by the law of his own free Spirit, which, like the wind, "bloweth where it lifteth."" And as without this Spirit of regeneration, no man can be made a member of Chrift's church or kingdom, and lefs a minifter, fo neither is it in the power of man to command or give it; and confequently all worldly force, employed to make men members of Chrift's church and kingdom, is as ineffectual as unnatural. I could be very large upon this point; for it is very fruitful, and fo much the cause of perfecution, that if there were never another to be affigned, this were enough; and upon due confideration it must needs meet with every man's judgment and experience. I will here add the fense of memorable Hales of Eton upon this fubject.

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When our Saviour, in the Acts, after his refurrection, was difcourfing to his difciples concerning the kingdom of God, they prefently brake forth into this question, "Wilt thou now reftore the kingdom "unto Ifrael?" Certainly this question betrays their ignorance: their thoughts ftill ran upon a kingdom, like unto the kingdoms of the world, notwithstanding they had fo long and fo often heard our Saviour to the contrary. Our Saviour therefore fhortly takes

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1 Tim. iv. 8. John iv. 23, 24.

John iii. 8.

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