337] SERMON XV. On a peaceable Disposition. ROMANS, xii. 18. If it be poffible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. men. XV. T cannot but occur to every one who SE RM. has read the New Teftament, even in a cursory manner, that there is nothing more warmly and more frequently inculcated in it, than peace and love, union and good understanding among Were a person to form to himfelf an idea of the state of the christian world, merely from reading our facred books, and thence inferring how they would live who believed those books to be divine, he would draw, in his fancy, the fairest picture of a happy fociety: VOL. V. Z he XV. SERM. he would expect to meet with nothing but concord, harmony, and order; and to find the voice of clamour and contention for ever filent. But were fuch a perfon, fond to be himself a witness and a partaker of fuch a blissful ftate, to come amongst us from afar, how miferably, alas! would he be dif appointed, when in the actual conduct of Chriftians he discovered fo little correspondence with the mild and peaceful genius of their profeffed religion; when he faw the fierce fpirit of contention often raging unreftrained in public; and in private, the intercourse of men embittered, and fociety difordered and convulfed with quarrels about trifles! Too justly might he carry away with him this opprobrious report, that furely thofe Chriftians have no belief in that religion they profefs to hold facred, seeing their practice fo openly contradicts it. In order to prevent, as much as we can, this reproach from attaching to us, let us now set ourselves to confider feriously the importance and the advantages XV. tages of living peaceably with all men. SER M. This duty may be thought by fome to poffefs a low rank among the christian virtues, and the phrafe a peaceable man to express no more than a very inferior character. I admit that gentlenefs, candour, fenfibility, and friendship*, express a higher degree of refinement and improvement in the difpofition; and that a good Christian ought to be diftinguished by active benevolence, and zeal for remedying the miferies and promoting the felicity of others. But let it be remembered, that the love of peace is the foundation of all thofe virtues. It is the firft article in the great chriftian doctrine of charity; and its obligation is ftrict, in proportion as its importance is obvious. Bleffed are the peace-makers; for they fhall be called the children of God †.I fhall firft fhow what is included in the precept of living peaceably with all all men; and next, what arguments recommend our obedience to this precept. Vide Difcources on thefe virtues in the pr ceding Volumes. + Matth. v. 9. Z 2 I. THIS SERM. I. THIS precept implies, in the first place, a facred regard to the rules of justice, in rendering to every man what is his due. Without this first principle, there can be no friendly commerce among mankind. Juftice is the basis on which all fociety refts. Throw down its obligation, and at that inftant you banifh peace from the earth; you let rapine loofe, and involve all the tribes of men in perpetual hoftility and war. To live peaceably, therefore, requires, as its firft condition, that we content ourselves with what is our own, and never feek to encroach on the juft rights of our neighbour; that in our dealings, we take no unfair advantage; but confcientiously adhere to the great rule of doing to others, according as we wish they should do to us. It fuppofes that we never knowingly abet a wrong cause, nor efpoufe an unjust fide, but always give our countenance to what is fair and equal. We are never to difturb any man in the enjoyment of his lawful pleafure; nor to hinder him from advancing his lawful profit." But But under a fenfe of our natural XV. equa- SERM. lity. and of that mutual relation which connects us together as men, we are to carry on our private interest in confistency with what is requifite for general order and good. Render tribute to whom tribute is due: fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Covet not what is thy brother's. Owe no man any thing thing, but to love one another. In the fecond place, the duty of living peaceably, not only prohibits all acts of open injuftice, but requires us carefully to avoid giving unneceffary provocation or offence to others. When we confider from what small beginnings difcord often arifes, and to what af tonishing heights from fuch beginnings it will grow, we will fee much cause to watch with care over our words and actions, in our intercourfe with the world. It ought to be an object of attention so to behave as never needlessly to exafperate the paffions of others. In particular, we are to guard against all improper liberties of fpeech, and contumelious reflections on perfons and characters.n |