Convince them powerfully; let your clofe reafoning lay open their faults, and fpeak plainly to 'em. Rem ipfam dic, mitte male loqui; fay the thing, but use no bad Language. If we have any value for the Churches Peace, we must in all Religious Conferences obferve the decorum of good Language. 'Twas a fine Character given of one of the Romans, Nefcivit quid effet malè dicere: He knew not what it was to give bad Language. I with the Character had agreed better to the generality of Chrif tians, and that the Apoftle's Advice had been taken by them; Give none offence, neither to the 1 Cor.10.31. Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God: 6. If we would preferve Union and a good Correfpondence among the Churches of Chrift, great care must be taken that we do not violate or infringe that Form of Difcipline conftituted by our Saviour: There must be the utmoft caution us'd in an orderly receiving, and a regular difmiffion of Members, No Church ought to give count enance to those who have caufelefly and fchifmatically rent themfelves from an orderly Church of Jefus Chrift, or that have been righteously excluded their Communion for Herefy or Immorality. For that Church that will venture to receive Perfons a juft

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on the PCenfure, does not only encroach

on the Privilege of another Church, but in fo acting ufurps a Supremacy over it. Tis too notorious to be conceal'd, how great Confufion has been made in the Chriftian twee by the Arrogancy of the Bishop of Rome, and by the Church of Rome's pretending to be the only true Church in the World. How little ground fhe has for this claim, I need not fay, when fo many of the Characters of a falfe Church

exactly

exactly agree to her. As an affuming Spirit has a tendency to Strife where it appears in fingle Perfons, fo it manifeftly leads to Diffenfion where a Community of Men are under its influence. Therefore if we would have Peace flourish in the Churches, let not one Church pretend to an Authority over another; but let every truly constituted Church of Jefus Chrift enjoy her freedom in Ecclefiaftical Administrations, according to the Order Chrift has eftablifh'd in his House.

7. Let us fend up our united Cries to Heaven for the Spirit of Love, and of a found Mind. God has all Hearts in his hands, and can turn them as the Rivers of Water. How faddenly did he cure the Disorders of Efau's Spirit, and of an Enemy made him a Friend! Our God is a God of Peace, and 'tis only He that can create Peace, and make Jerufalem a quiet Habitation. Let us therefore, with the Pfalmift, pray for the Peace of Jerufalem. With what fervour did the Apostle pray for the Theffalonians on this very account! The Theff.3.16. Lord of Peace give you Peace always by all means. Now to encourage our earnest Addreffes, God has promis'd, That he will turn to his People a pure Language, that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord, to ferve him with one confent. He has alfo affur'd us, that he will give his People one Heart, and one Way. Now Jer. 32. 394 Tach Promifes we fhould plead with him in Prayer. When the Ifraelites attempted to engage God on their fide, they agreed together as one Man to ask his Counfel; Then all the Judg. 20.1. Children of Ifrael went out, and the Congregation was gathered together as one Man, from Dan even to Beerfeba, with the Land of Gilead, unto the

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Lord in Mizpeh. I would hope that all those who are affembled here on this folemn Occafion, are in the fame difpofition of mind; and that our united Cries put up to the Father of Mercies by the hands of a Mediator, will obtain for us all neceffary and agreeable Supplies. I doubt not you are fenfible, that the Succefs of our Endeavours for the good of the Churches depends on God Almighty. Whatever Methods we fall upon will be ineffectual, unless He profper and fucceed 'em. The Cure of the Divifions that may arife in any Church, can be only by the God of Peace; let us therefore pray, That Ephraim may not envy Judah, nor Judah vex Ephraim: and as many as join with us in fuch Petitions, Peace be on them, and Mercy on the Ifrael of God.

I proceed now to the last general Head, which is to improve the whole.

First, Let us labour to be thorowly fenfible wherein we have been defective in the discharge of that great Duty that has been recommended to us. Let us mourn over our own Defects, and the Churches Divifions. You have heard how reasonable the Duty of following the things that make for Peace, is in it felf, and what great Obligations we are under to comply with it: Surely the fenfe of having been deficient therein fhould ftrike us with a due Concern; we should lay our mouths in the Duft, if fo there may be hope, that the Church's Peace may be yet as the River, and her Righteoufnefs as the Waves of the Sea. There is too much caufe to fear that we have not all of us done our utmost to procure and perpetuate the Peace of the Chur

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ches: Have not the Strong fcandaliz'd the Weak, and the Weak been too free in cenfaring the Strong? whereas the Apostle fays, If it be poffible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all Men. Now have we not neglected what we might poffibly have done? Therefore let us lay our hands upon our hearts, and with fhame and pungent forrow acknowledg our Guilt in the above-mention'd respect. The Apostle tells us, that where envying and ftrife is, there is confufion, and every evil work: than which nothing can do more hurt to Christianity, or more hinder its progrefs. Therefore Julian the Apoftate, who treated the Christian Inftitution with the greatest fpite, thought he could not take a more effectual way to hinder the fpreading of the Gofpel, than by keeping up the Divisions in that time betwixt the Catholicks and Donatifts. The Gospel might have a freer course, were it not for the Divifions that are among Chriftians. Let us be fenfible of our folly, and above all things let us put on Charity; for a weak Christian by the exercise of that Grace, fhall more remarkably adorn the Doctrine of God his Saviour, than a Person of greater Knowledg and lefs Charity.

Secondly, Let both Minifters and People follow the things that make for Peace, and those things whereby we may edify one another. Tho Peace fhould flee from us, yet we should follow it with the greatest vigor. A, the word used in the Text, fignifies to purfue a thing eagerly as Hunters do their Prey. Therefore that this Exhortation may be fuccessful, I shall submit to your ferious Thoughts the following things.

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1. Confider, that unless a Man be of a peaceable and charitable Temper, the highest profeffion of Religion is infignificant and vain. Let a Man make ever fuch pretences concerning his close adherence to the Duties of the first Table, if he does not perform thofe of the fecond, he's no better than a hypocritical Pretender. That Man has no true Love to God, whofe Heart is void of Charity to his Brother. And fo much is concluded 1 John 4.20. in the Apostle's Argument; If a man fay, I love God, and hate his Brother, he is a Lyar. For he that loveth not his Brother whom he hath feen, how can he love God whom he hath not feen? The fame Apoftle inftances in Brotherly Love, John 3.14. as the true mark of a Chriftian. We know (fays he) that we are paffed from Death to Life, because we love the Brethren. How high foever fome rife in the Profeffion of Religion, yet if they are strangers to the exercife of Cha1 Cor. 13.1, rity, their Religion is vain. Tho I speak (fays the Apostle) with the Tongues of Men and Angels, and have not Charity, I am become as a founding Brafs, or a tinkling Cymbal. And the I have the Gift of Prophecy, and understand all Myfteries, and all Knowledg; and the I have all Faith, fo that I could remove Mountains, and have no Charity, I am nothing. And the I bestow all my Goods to feed the Poor, and tho I give my Body to be burn'd, and have not Charity, it profiteth me nothing.

2,3.

2. Confider that a charitable and peaceable Temper carries with it its own Reward, as I have hinted under a former Head. Love is the most easy Paffion, and affords the greateft Pleasure, whereas Wrath and Strife, Animofity and Difcord, Envy and Revenge, are the

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