SERMON XII.

OF CHURCH COMMUNION.

EPHES. iv. 1, 3.

I BESEECH YOU, THAT YE WALK WORTHY OF THE VOCATION WHEREWITH YE ARE CALLED

-ENDEAVOURING TO KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT IN THE BOND OF PEACE.

THE nature and genius of the Christian Religion annexes the rewards of the Gospel-covenant to a System of FAITH or belief: and, at the same time, requires and encourages examination into the truth and reasonableness of such a System. From the first circumstance arises the discredit, from the other the danger, of difference in opinion; whether that difference respects the truth, or only the importance of doctrines supposed to belong to the integrity of the Christian Faith. And on this discredit, and on this danger, is founded the admonition of my text, to endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit.

By these endeavours, the welfare of Religion, and especially of the Christian, is best consulted. For, The flourishing condition of every system of things,

things, whether spiritual or civil, consists in their being kept in a state of Peace and Honour.

Concord and uniformity in opinions, after a careful examination of their truth, does, in a supreme degree, secure the peace of the Church, and advance the honour of Religion; as will be seen by considering, what it is that most disturbs and disgraces both. A BURUNG 40

Unreasonable fondness for our own notions, and mistaken zeal for God's glory, make us eager to bring others over to our opinions. And in proportion to the fancied importance of the doctrines, and to the wideness of the difference, will be our endeavours to prevail; and at the same time, our resentment at their opposition.

Diversity of religious opinions, therefore, must needs produce suspicions very opposite to social peace; such as perversity of will, corruption of heart, and, what seems less uncharitable, but is yet more hardly endured, a narrowness of mind and sentiment. These soon proceed to open censures, and mutual bickerings; till at last each party regards all that differ from them as the enemies of God, and unworthy of their benevolence and love.

Nor is difference of opinion less injurious to the honour of our holy Religion, than obnoxious to the peace of the Church.

One would naturall expect, that the fundamental doctrines of a Religion delivered as the final completion of all God's preceding revelations, and intended for universal use, should be precise and clear; agreeable to the most obvious reason,

and conformable to the plainest truth. To find, then, disputes and differences concerning Doctrines deemed to be essential, must needs have an ill effect on the popular reputation of Religion; and afford its enemies a handle (which the sanctity of its precepts will always make them very ready to lay hold on) to bring in question the divinity of its original. They will say, "That the mark of a divine truth is the fulness of its evidence; which is a necessary quality of truths proposed for general' belief, and inforced by religious sanctions, both on account of the importance of the truths themselves,' and the incapacity of the people to comprehend any but the most obvious. Yet the endless disputes" concerning fundamentals seem to shew, that such' pretended truths want this necessary degree of evidence and so cannot have the original which they pretend to."

Such are the objections of men, who are always ready to take offence as they are to give it, by throwing stumbling-blocks in the way of the weak` and captious. And though the force of these cavils' be but small; yet the evil arising from the occasion is very great.

Having thus shewn the importance of endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit; the next is to propose direction for its better observance; 1. By. explaining how it became violated: and 2. How it may be restored to its integrity.

The genius of Christianity, as well as the repeated declarations of its Founder, concur in asVOL. IX.

R

suring

:

suring us, That it is by FAITH ALONE we are justified, or intitled to the rewards of the Covenant of Grace. Hence some men, who held this truth in its greatest simplicity, thought they never could have enough and so, instead of stopping at the few general and fundamental Principles of Christian faith, clearly delivered, and uniformly believed by all, they went on, and brought into the Church, as terms of Communion, abstruse questions relating to points obscurely delivered; and made still more doubtful by having the Principles of the Greek Philosophy, to which the sacred Writers paid no regard, and with which the Faith hath no concern, applied to their solution. They did not consider, that the very obscurity itself sufficiently declared that they never were proposed by the gracious Author of our Faith, for fundamental articles; nor consequently that he ever intended the profession of them as the necessary condition of Church Communion. Much less had this imaginary defect in the all-perfect word of God given any scandal, had it been considered, that the proper aim and business of the Founder of an universal Religion must needs be, to represent the divine Being under the idea of the MORAL GOVERNOR of the World, without any further explanation of his metaphysical Nature than so far forth as it tended to promote the moral purpose of Religion.

Now the violation of the unity of the Spirit having been occasioned by these mistakes, we may easily collect that the means of preserving it entire had been the requiring no more, as the terms of Church Communion, than what Christ hath delivered

to