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SERMONS 
 
 ON 
 
 THE PRINCIPLES 
 
 UPON WHICH 
 
 THE REFORMATIOK 
 
 OF THE 
 
 • • ;,. . '. - AH' "\ 
 
 CHURPH 05 ENGi-AND WAS ESTABLISHED; 
 
 PREACHED BEFORE THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, 
 IN THE YEAR 1796, 
 
 AT THE 
 
 L E C T U' R E 
 
 FOUNDED BY • 
 
 The late Rev. J O H N B A M PTO N, M. A. 
 
 CANON OF SALISBURY.. 
 
 By ROBERT GRAY, M.A. 
 
 ],ATE OF ST. MARY HALL, AND YfCAU OF FAB^NGDONj BBRK», 
 
 SOLD BY MESSRS. EIVINGtONS, ST. PAUL S CHURCH-YARP j 
 MR. KOBSON, NEW BOND-STREET, LONDON j 
 AND BY MR. COOKE, AND MESSRS. FLETCHER AND HANWEL^, 
 OXFORD. 
 
 179^. 
 
IMPRIMATUR. 
 
 Wad. Coll.^//};, 
 Mail 13, 1796 
 
 JOHAN. WILLS, 
 Vice-Can. OxoN. 
 
 
TO 
 
 THE RIGHT REVEREND 
 
 AND REVEREND 
 
 THE HEADS OF COLLEGES 
 
 , IN THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, 
 
 TIJE 
 
 ' FOLLOWING SERMONS, 
 
 PREACHED BY THEIR APPOINTMENT, 
 
 ARE MOST RESPECTFULLY 
 
 INSCRIBED, 
 
EXTRACT 
 
 VHOM TH£ 
 
 LAST,WILL AND TESTAMENT 
 
 OV THE LATE 
 
 REV. JOHN BAMPTON, 
 
 CANON OF SALISBURY. 
 
 " I give and bequeath my Lands and 
 
 " Eftates to the Chancellor, Mailers, and 
 ** Scholars of the Univerfity of Oxford for 
 ** ever, to have and to hold all and iingular 
 ' *' the faid Lands or Eftates upon truft, and to 
 ** the intents and purpofes hereinafter men- 
 " tioned ; that is to lay, I vyill and appoint 
 " that the Vice-Chancellor of the Unlyerlity 
 ** of Oxford for the time being fliall take and 
 
 ** receive 
 
( ^' I. 
 
 " receive all the rents, ilTues, and profits 
 
 " thereof, and (after all taxes, reparations 
 
 " and neceffary dedu(9Sons made) that be 
 
 " pay all the remainder to the end6wment 
 
 " of eight Divinity Ledixre Sermons," to be 
 " . eftablifhed for ever in the faid Univer- 
 
 " fity, and to be performed in the manner 
 
 " following : 
 
 " I dIreA and appoint, that, upon the firft 
 " Tuefday in Eafter Term, a Le<^urer be 
 " yearly chofen by the Heads of Colleges 
 " only, and by no others, in the room ad- 
 " joining to the Printing-Houfe, between 
 " the hours of ten in the niorning and two 
 " in the afternoon, to preach eight Divinity 
 " Ledure Sermons, the year following, at St. 
 " Mary's in Oxford, between the commence- 
 '' ment of the laft month in Lent Term, and 
 " the end of the third week in Aft Term. 
 
 " Alfo I diredl and appoint, that the eight . 
 *' Divinity Lefture Sermons fliall be preached 
 " upon either of the following fubjedls — to 
 " confirm and eftablilh the Chriftian Faith, 
 
 " and 
 
'( vil . ) 
 
 ** and to confute all heretics and fchifmatics 
 " — upon the divine authority of the Holy 
 ** Scriptures — upon the authority of the 
 " writings of the . primitive Fathers, as to 
 " the faith and ptadlicb of the primitive 
 " Church-^-'upon' the Divinity of our Lord 
 " and Saviout Jefiis Chrift — upon the Di- 
 " vinity of the Holy Ghoft — upon the Ar- 
 " tides of the Chriftian Faith, as compre- 
 '^ bended jn the ^Apoiftles' and Nicene 
 " Creeds. 
 
 *• Alio I diredl, that thirty copies of the 
 " eight Divinity LeAure Sermoils Ihall be 
 " always printed, within two months after 
 ** ,th^ are preached, and one copy fliall be 
 " given to the Chancellor of the Univerfity, 
 " and ohe copy to the Head of every Col- 
 *' lege, and one copy to the Mayor of the 
 " city of Oxford, and one copy to be put 
 " into the Bodleian Library; and the ex- 
 " pence of printing them Ihall be paid out 
 ^' of the revenue of the- Land or Eftates given 
 ^* for eftablifhing the Divinity Ledure Ser- 
 ** mons ; and the Preacher (hall not be paid, 
 
( viii ) 
 
 " nor be entitled to the revenue, before th^ 
 " are printed. 
 
 " Alfo I dired: and appoint, that no per- 
 " fon fliall be qualified to preach the Divi- 
 " nity LeAure Sermons/ unlefs he hath taken 
 " the Degree of Mafter of Arts ^t leaft, in 
 " one of the two Univerfities of Oxford or 
 " Cambridge ; and that the fame perfon 
 " fliall never preach the Divinity Ledure 
 " Sermons twice." 
 

 CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 On the Effefts of Religion ; particularly under the 
 Influence of the Reformation, 
 
 John iii. 19. 
 
 ^d this is the condemnation, that light is come into the 
 world, and men^ loved darknefs rather than light, 
 hecauje theiih deeds were evil. Page i 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 On the Spiritual Nature of Chrift's Kingdom ; on 
 the Departure from, and the Reftoration of its 
 Charadier and Principles, by the firft Meafures 
 of the Reformation in this Country. 
 
 John xviii. 36. 
 
 Jefusanfwered, My kingdom is.mt of this world. 
 
 Page 37 
 
 »A SERMON 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 On the Obligations which exift as to the Adoption 
 of Chriftianity by the Civil Power ; on the Evils 
 ■which have been reprefented to flowj and on the 
 Advantages which are derived, from national 
 Inftitutions of Religion ; and on the Grounds 
 and Principles upon which its Eftablifhment is 
 maintained, in Confiftency with the Defign and 
 Spirit of the Reformation in this Country. 
 
 John xviii. 2^: 
 
 . Jefm anfwered. My kingdom is not of this world. 
 
 Page 81 
 
 SERMON IV- 
 
 On the Spiritual Rights) of the Miniftry, which 
 were derived from our Lord to the Apoftles and 
 their Succeflbrs ; as maintained with RejecStion 
 of fiftitious Pretetifions, and the Confirmation 
 of juft Claims at the Reformation. 
 
 John xx. 21, 22, 23. 
 
 Ihenfaidjefus to them again, Peace he unto yon. As 
 my Father hathfent me, evenfo fend I you. And 
 when he had faid this, he breathed on them, and 
 faith unto them. Receive ye the Holy Gbofl. Whofe- 
 < foever fins ye remit, thev are remitted unto them-, 
 and whofe-foever fins ye retain, they are retained. 
 
 Page 129 
 
 SERMON 
 
CONTENTS. XI 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 On Chrifl's Promifes relating to the Prefervation 
 of the Church ; on the erroneous Notions which 
 have been entertained concerning them ; on the 
 juft Ideas of the Indefedtibihty of the Church, 
 and the exclufiye Authority of the infpired 
 Writings, as viijidicated at the Reformation. 
 
 Matt, xxviii. zo. 
 
 Lo ! I am with y OK always , even unto the end of the 
 world. Page 177 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 On the EfFedts of the Reftoration of the Scriptures 
 to general Regard, hiftorically illuftrated in the 
 gradual Advancement of Truth through fuccef- 
 five Reigns, and in the final Eftablifhment of a 
 pure Faith and Wdi-fhip, by the Completion of 
 the Reformation. 
 
 a Tim. iii. 16. 
 
 All Scripture is given by injftration of God ; and is 
 p-ofitablefor dp£inne,for reproof, for corre£iion,for 
 inftruSlim in Righteoufnefs. Page 219 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 On the general Confiftency and Moderation of the 
 Church of England, as exhibited from the Pe- 
 
 ^ riod 
 
Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 riod of its firfl: Eftablifhment ; and on the Influ- 
 ence of its Principles in promoting the Welfare 
 of the Country, as well by confpiring with the 
 Exertions of civil Liberty, as by advancing re- 
 ligious and moral virtues. 
 
 2 Tim. ii. 19, 20. 
 
 ' Never thelefs the foundation of God fandeth fure^ 
 having this feal, the Lord knoweth them that are 
 his ; and let every one that nameth the name of 
 Chrijl depart from iniquity. But in a great houfe 
 there are not only vejfels of gold and offtlver, but 
 alfo of wood and of earth ; and fame to honour , and 
 fame to difhonour. - Page 259 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 On the Neceflity of preferving the Faith in Con- 
 fiftency with the Rules of Charity ; on the Pro- 
 priety of adhering to the fundamental Prin- 
 ciples, confirmed by the Reformation ; on the 
 Duty of endeavouring to promote fuch farther 
 Regulations, as fhall be proved to be clearly 
 expedient and favourable to the Advancement 
 of Chriftianity. 
 
 Ephes. iv. 3. 
 
 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond 
 of peace. Page 297 
 
SERM O K^ i. 
 
 : / 
 
 John iii. ,19. 
 
 And this is the Condemnation, that Li^ht. is 
 come into the World, and Men loved Darknefs 
 ■rather: t^an IJgiit,. kicauje theit ;JD.^eds,7JDere ■ 
 
 IN defeription ,of -the' charafter and pro- > 
 , grefs of religion, as cqnne<6ted"wpth.,the i 
 hifiory of mankind, it has bee%a fiibje<^,pf 
 complaint, t^at its influence hath been iria- 
 dequate to the grandeur of its difpenfation,^ 
 if not inconfiftent with the benevoLenqe ,p£ , 
 its deiign. The complaint, ^ if ingenuous, 
 muft originate from hafly and confined views . 
 of' the real intention :aQdeffe<5ls ofrieligion ; 
 or from inattention to the pbftacles invari- 
 ably, excited by the corruption ,pfjt}y)f© beings 
 to whorn it hath been addrefled. . , ^ , . 
 
 B Revelation, 
 
3 SERMON I. 
 
 Revelation, contemplated in its firft dawn, 
 opens but to difclofe the ruins of a fallen na- 
 ture, and the triumph of a malignant power. 
 The enmity of that evil,' of which the facred 
 writers defcribe the origin, domineered with 
 fuch afcendency and vigour, that the Spirit 
 of God, like the Angel who wreftled with 
 Jacob, appeared but to ftruggle with the cor- 
 ruption of the flelh. When that corruption 
 had vitiated " every- imagination of the 
 " thoughts of man's heart to only evil con- 
 " tinually," no inconiiderable effedt of the 
 partial communications which continued the 
 Ihadow of that glory which dwelt in Para<Sfe, 
 was difplayed in the tranfmitted luftre of 
 the patriarchal line ; and the vigour of that 
 faith'is not lightly to be efteemed, which em- 
 braced with full aflurance promiles " feen 
 •f afar off," and looked to an heavenly re- 
 compehie ; which in fiicceffive inftancesiob- 
 tained a teflimony of praife feom God, and^ i& 
 celebrated by the ApofHe, as exhibiting- ex- 
 amples worthy to be reverenced of thJ^, Cbrif- 
 tian world. . : ; 
 
 Revelation obtained its ifirft- otgeft, as^ it 
 n^arked out the foundations of t-ha^ decbnomy- 
 by. which the Almighty vindicated his claipi 
 to human worfliip> and depofed the platfi>i!ra 
 
 f of 
 
SERMON f. f 
 
 of his GJmrchj^bjr the f^aration of his {ti- 
 rstks-; who, as they rhultipUedl into '' a na- 
 " tibtt of Pri^S," fTc{eiM6d at leaft with 
 fii^Kt^ the fefeof ds of his irifl;rudions, and' 
 rlliiiftrafed'the excellency of his judgments. 
 
 The- pfophi^ts and holy men, vi'ho were 
 employed to cerifure with indignant zeal the^ 
 efFedls of the corruption which coUhterafted 
 the foi*ce of theif' teaching, painted iri ftrong 
 and heightened colours the obftinady of that 
 cvil'i which could' rejeft the precepts of in- 
 fpired wifiloni'; and aggravated in ftriking 
 fepKfiehtWtiori,' inanneJ-s whiidfi accorded but 
 leldbmwith the rfeqiiifitions of a Divine' law. 
 In cohdeiiihing" however the perverfenefs 
 •v^hieh indihed to furrt)unding idolatry, they 
 have ftill preferved the memory of a city 
 once £lled witH righteoufnefs *, and of re- 
 ferved thoufands; whofe lips in flagitious 
 times had been employed only to litter the 
 praifts of exalted piety to the true God -j-. 
 Their exhortations and accomplilhed threats 
 firially efte&ed a rejeftion of Pagan errors, 
 and a devotion to God's exclufive feryice J ; 
 
 and 
 
 * Ifaiah, cliap. i.' V6r. 21. *X 
 
 •f, 1 Kings, chap, xix.' v'er. 1 8i 
 
 i'The Jews, after tU Babyloniih Captivity, were thd- 
 
 Toughiy weaned from idolatry 3 and when tKey adhered to the 
 
 B 2 precepts 
 
4; S, E,il(M:,0.5N:-l^ ' 
 
 ani] the difpeilfation: iwhich 'they , impar^4f> 
 wjijle it ferved.to convince . mankind, of.iin*- 
 ^tid ^etched„out, the figures of a mprcper- 
 %ft: fcheme, ^ad fuj^led its.-appointed, ,pu5t^ 
 pofe? when it ratified therpr^qtfr^ions.of.ihat 
 Redeemer Ny^&>was,to 'f.;bruifef^,,headxof 
 the temptcir t^ evil, arid,fi|ially,Jx) flf fcat.eyej:y 
 effort ofhis raaLevolence,,, j,jj :, Kin .-••"> 
 . . After the preparatory ,infti,t]:^tions q£,i th& 
 Hebrew covenant l|^d . yaniO^pd. . i^, ," thq-^Rer^ 
 fisdion of the, Gofpel,^:t;het; (genuine ^ effedl^ 
 Gjf.reUgion wer.e, dlfplayecj,, in .t^f entire. ,ajid 
 acimi|:able renovation o£.tlie^,human ,ql^a.ijaCT- 
 ter, ' through ^ fucceffiye generations jb^ptiz;e4^ 
 into a Church' every, where . , wnfplding i|| 
 everlafting .'idpqrs, and, , receivjng, ;its; paemr 
 
 i'( -'_ ;f >1, _ / I ■'': .:; ;/-. 
 precepts of religion, they exhibited virtues whicTi thp: nsioft cqn- 
 teiiq)tiious hatred Unwillingly admitfed. Taditus; -who, in treats 
 ing of the Jews, betrays cerfainlya gre4tjWant<jfcandour'and 
 information, fpeaks of the " determined faith .aiyi r^dy com- 
 " paflion for each other," for which, rititwithftanMng' their 
 hatred to the reft of mankind, thejf were ■diftinguiftied. ;;Gib7 
 bon reprefents the ftatement of, the Hiitoriaa as toa favourabjR; 
 but from hisWn feeniingcenfure we collet' that" neither ih'e 
 •' -violence of Antiochus,nor the arts of Herod, nor the«xam. 
 " ,ple of the circumjacent nations, could ever perfuaffe the 
 V. Jews to, aflociate with "tke>itiftitutionsi of Mofes' theiele- 
 i' gant mythology of the Greeks." See Decline and Fall, 
 ch. XV. The Mofaic difpenfation abounded with precepts of 
 benevolence ; and the conduft of the Jeys was not defeflivg in 
 charity to ftrangers. A defire to fliuhthe cohta^ious influejice 
 of idolatry, was the principal and meritdrjous caufe of t^eir 
 averfion to other natipni, See Lightfoot oh Afts x. ver. 2S. 
 
 bers 
 
S^E ^ %. b N ^i:'' '^ 
 
 b^'?f6rri W idi^rtth' and' repeiiM't: world.^ 
 TWfmt&'iitinired: tiy thofe/whoTe' figto^; 
 
 e89BtSS'^lipl^dSd- the Ibvers of dairkriefs; 
 dfe|riS?eWth«^roH'6Wers of tKe "Crbfk'tk miiy 
 imm6mei'>%^'' -tHey ' 'iHeiim: < .^ Stlll; 
 hb^'^t', '-front -aiTfufpefted and. i-elu&ttt 
 ^viSencb'-j-', it is uriqu'eftioiiable,~ that the moft 
 fuBfiriie '"ahd' irrfepfoatchablte coflcitl^b -vvak tna!- 
 AWdE^a^TD^; -m- earl^^DlifdipTe^'^an^d' eonfeflbrs 
 of' Ihg^GhiiffiiA ^it'h^; 'whofS^ifes Were con-' 
 fecra-£ed-to thefervicfe^' and' whHre"deaths' bare' 
 attestation to the riltre^ity of virtue's, -which' 
 expiring Paganifm vainly laboured to adopt 
 
 ^M-fehitiIate+."^ ^^«''"/- 
 
 Yt'ji, 1 / ' 
 
 -'FaM-- as was "the chart^e eiTeAed' iii'fut-'' 
 ceeifiiig 4imes of ignorance 'ahd' of "'viSleft'ci^;' 
 the ialttfkry influence of f eligion "was dif^iifetf 
 whBrevei' its char'aft'er'tvas urtdeff^pod. *Fh6i8' 
 v^'ho"|)rdfite!d aidfl; 'by its laws -vverb noth'ow^" 
 ever iKftHiguiflied-' iri the rude coil tefts and 
 tumultu'ous fcenes. which were expofed to 
 public 'regard/ arid becanie the''fubje6l of 
 
 (•* )0 vetuftatiB filentis obfaleta oblivio 1 , ,/ .iKi • ', " 
 
 ^ ,^,, I^videntur i(la nobis, fama et ipfa extinguitur. i " 
 
 ; ,^j^ ^hartulas blafpheriius olim nam fatelles abftdit. '♦ •• 
 r-, ^'..w^r,. ■ f- * ;•,: Prudent. Hymn. i. v. 7^ 75. 
 
 f?\m. \. X. Ep.. 97; Julian. Epift. 49. tucian,' in Peregrin. 
 
 J Vid: Julian. Epill, Gregor. Naziatti Orat-. iii. g. 101. 
 
 i---:': ^, g 2 , the 
 
6 S E R M O N I, 
 
 the,,biil9pa«'s pen. The eSeO^ of ChrifU- 
 anity are infcfibed on hujro|?le- n^ohuments^ 
 its unaffun^mg virtues ha.ye.heen, forgotten, 
 \vji?fe phq' rni^conflu^^of its profelTqr? has 
 hpea regiftere^ .^ith refcnif:fi^; ipemory ., ; ; 4^ 
 opetation is ^^ bp experienped, aijd i^, pro- 
 claimed; is to be perceived in the diredio^ 
 of weli-regulated ajffedio,ns ; in cheerfif |, forr 
 titu4e; in, tiie hiiinility jof .felf-abafenient; ia 
 the unwritten deeds of fecreit chanty; in the, 
 anirnatioB of ijoly fentiment.; in theipecmas' 
 tipng of benevolence which h^th not tran- 
 sited*. -. ,.. , 
 
 Whatever of religious coiitrol fbftpne^. 
 the force, of paffions \^hich raged iifi thefe 
 unhappy, times; wh\ateyer of true wifdom is 
 tp be found in the writingSj or was tran-; 
 fcribied in the lives of thpf? who. l|e wailed 
 the prevailing evils, Chriftianity may juftly 
 claim; an^ the zeal for truth evinced by 
 
 * " ChriftianUyj" Tays Jortin, after a ftrpng and rapi4 
 ftatement of its defaced charafler , '• at the very worft, and- 
 " under the worft of times, could not lofe all her excellence, 
 " and undoubtedly produced good eifefls in tHoufands and 
 " ten thoufands, whofe lives are not recorded in Ecdefiallical 
 •' Hiftory ; which, like other hiftory, is for the moft part a 
 " regifterof the vices, the fpllies, and the quarrels 'of thofe 
 ♦' who made a figure and a nqift in the world." Remarks on 
 Ecclef, Hift. VoK II. p. 338. Newton on the Prophecies, 
 Vol. JII. p. 147 — 197. 
 
 thofe 
 
S E R> M O N I. j 
 
 thefffe" i^'iio \^ithdrgW arid le|)'4t-at^d them- 
 J6lvg§ frdhi the ddiriioins of the Roiiiifti 
 l&ftH,"dnd ^61-e expofed to the intoletant bi- 
 gbtj^'ofits ffeft"tit*^eftt> ftittft alfo *e attri- 
 fe^ted fe) thfe ^ggeliions of rfeveal^d know- 
 ledge. Stteh w(^fe earnefl iri theif rtpre- 
 <«M€i8n§ f6r fafbfm, in proportion to their 
 de^iiainfariee t^ith the Scriptures^ bearing 
 t^flit^bny' to the tftiHlhy as witriefles and diA 
 ciples of the faith, which fled from perfecu- 
 tion to plaeds ftd^x^ of God *. 
 
 As' Ihofe however who fliSu'Id judge of 
 Ihe iftiportan^e of that glorious luminary, 
 'v^i^ with £t|)J)arehtf majefty ruleth over the 
 natural world,' fifehv the tfarffe'fit difj)Iay of 
 its cheerful beariis; without cc>Md'6fihg it ds 
 thfr centre of a ftupendous fyftem ? the peren- 
 nial ^foi&tfc56 of light ; &e operating and erter- 
 ge?i6 powdr fhat affefe arid niodifies every 
 part <Sf efeiaf-ioh ; fo Ihould we form a very 
 
 '. * RfeVelatioBS ch. xii. The following Provencal verfes, 
 cpinpofcd|On tlieVaudois in; i loo.-fhew their reputation for 
 ffrSffriefs'of fflahners : 
 
 QjJe"n6n v'olia matidir, ne jura, ne mentir, 
 tN'dt*ir,.ne avoutjar, rie preniie de altrui, 
 • Nc s'avengear deli fup eiysjni, 
 
 Los difoii qu' es Vaudfes & Ks fefon morir. 
 
 Voltaire, Hift, Univer. ch. (>^. 
 
 B 4 inadequate 
 
8 S E R M O N I. 
 
 inadequate and partial eftimate pf.the effefts 
 of Chrifl:ianity,,if, confining .our. admiratioi^ 
 to the vifibk biarft.ofitsrays,, we Ihoulci not 
 refled: on its power over, every dependency. of 
 the intelleftu^l world; ; its efBcacy pervading 
 evcryrfecret vj?in:of thought.; its .inftru<aions 
 melioraitingV often by imperceptible, degrees, 
 the latvs^. hterature, and manners of every 
 country, which; in the re-vf^l^tipn of. fugcef- 
 five ages rit hath vifited. Km * 
 
 The commtinication.of a perfe<3t law, 
 which every mind,, in proportion as it is en- 
 larged, venerates with • increafing admifatiotn 
 and improvement, couJd not bp promulgated 
 but with ;b©nefiGial efFeft to the world. , , To 
 enquire. , wherefore its - glory • hath not been 
 di,fplayed with' univerfal and equal luftre; 
 why either it hath not- rifen ;on fomfi lands, 
 ot hath fet with top fpeedy decline, is, to; en- 
 quire wherefore God hsfh harmonized ;jthe 
 fpiritual as well as the natural world with 
 gradatipns' of polition,' with unequal ' extent 
 of favour. That where it hath fpread it hath 
 imparted bleffings, cannpt be difputed. ,The 
 paffions and - perverfe inclinations of men 
 may often hurry them to adt inconfiftently 
 with the fug^eftions of their own confcience; 
 ■.'/ • ' ..'•- ■■". ' but 
 
S BR^M ON; I. eg 
 
 but in genefal -tlie pfopiietj of their conduct 
 itiu^ depend u^onthe integrity of the prin- 
 ciples implanted in theiifininds. • • •' 
 ncWe are not 'ibrpdfedi that! the Heathens 
 Ihbidd have " committed all- iniquity with 
 " •^reedirtefe," -when we refle(3: on the fpfings 
 and: motives' of their* aiftiohs. Their temples 
 were the fahdlnaries of impurity * : what- 
 e:«er of elegance was diffufed over the fanci- 
 ful objefts of their mythology, or their ^infli-. 
 
 :' ' •; ■•n-"r tutions 
 
 "* The licfentidus charaaer ,of the' Heathen theology has 
 hejensexpqfed, till we are weary of the" theane 3 and more de- 
 teltabie fea,tures of Paganifm might eafily. be, produced, 
 Itis'ii^'orihip was often fanguinary, and its deities 'are not too 
 Aitongly-defcribed by Clemens Alexandrinus, as fturav^fairoi 
 iiaijj.ctti, tiat fiyy(f j/.o\i<it I'jri^aifatTss .T'/i (pfmoQ^ciSiioi tat eet^fSiTraii, 
 iifocrh y.ui at^^wjtoiilma; avi7\aviitii4- Of the favage nature of 
 th/eiGentile i'uperftitions he ■ produces . many ftriking proofs, 
 4efcribing its deities as yifiting nations , and cities like ppfti- 
 le'nc'es. Vide Cohort, ad Gent. § '3. p. 36. Edit. Potter." 
 Vid.alfS Juftin Martyr,, Theophilus, and Ladtantius de fal& 
 Religione. Thofe whoconfidgr how general and deep were the 
 itrijireffions of Polytheifm, and how niuch thfe Chriftians'wei-'c 
 cpodejuned, for defpifing them, will not tibink, witji Gib- 
 Bon, that the Fatjiers " expofed its extravagance with fuper- 
 " fluous wit and eloquence." The -evideffoe'frcm 'prophecy 
 and miracles, now fo juftly infilled on, would have been urged 
 with tefs'effeft, while fal'fe prophecies, and: miracles, and de.; 
 fcending, deities, were wniverfaUy believeji ; and it was pecef- 
 fary to prepare the mind-for the pure and fviblime morality of 
 the Gofpel, by firll awakening it to the falfe glare and the ab-, 
 furdities of exifting fuperftition. The Hiftoriajj.himfelf feems 
 often to. have been reconciled to the, e;>i;travagance of Poly- 
 theifia, aiid inclined to feften dpwn.its Lofljiutions into. harm - 
 ■ lefs rites ; and many other writers, Avith a refinement of philo-' 
 .,.■',- lophy. 
 
lo S E R M O N L 
 
 ftttions and ceremohies of religious celebratiton* 
 ierved but to difguife thdir real chara<Sbr With 
 luxuriant and fedu<ftive embdliihriient ; and 
 thofe only could advance t<ywards theperfeiftlon 
 of a moral life, who, rg'e^Jang the viciotis fables 
 of their religion, dxerted their induftry in rCf- 
 tracing the native impreffiottB of the human 
 mind; or ini colleding fiich traditionary frag^ 
 ments of revealed knowledge, as were "graven 
 " with an iron pen" on the rocks and rudd 
 ftrudures of antiquity, and difperfed in fcat- 
 tered leaves by exiles from that land, in which 
 its inftrudions were recorded. As howevei* 
 they too generally reafotted from the illti- 
 iive Speculations of human fancy, limited 
 to the contemplation of the human charac- 
 ter, they fyftematically erred from falfe prin- 
 ciples ; and thofe whofe noble minds revolted 
 fi-ohi Surrounding fcenes; but cherilhed with 
 pride, and recommended with eloquence, ar- 
 tificial fyftems, grounded on human motives, 
 and produdlive of erroneous condu<S. 
 
 fbphy, and an afFeflation of daflical knowledge, have endea- 
 voured to extradt from its grofieft imagery a fecret wifdom ; 
 fearching amidft the impurities of licentious fable for the moft 
 fublime principles of religion, by a chemiilry which might be 
 necefTary indeed for the enlightened part of mankind, Ihould 
 the infatuation of a relapfe into Pagan worfhip prevail beyiond' 
 the boundaries of that unhappy country which has been de< 
 luded to reflore it. 
 
 The 
 
SERMON h . n 
 
 Tip#: excellency of Revealed Re^^n, not 
 only as it is a iyftem in which the Divii^e at- 
 t4^u|e§> and the glories of a fpiritual world 
 are ^adu^lly 4iiclofcd; but as it inculcates 
 jprin^ples of religious and moral conduifty 
 ueiiserfafl in their application, and unim- 
 peachable in their charader/ is eiiabliihed 
 with VBdi](puted evidence. Its efficacy to pro- 
 mote the welfare and happinefs of mankind, 
 has been controlled and fuppreffed by- the ob- 
 ftinacy of that repugnance, which, from its af- 
 feftion to evil, hasrejefted its guidance* ;, and 
 it has been ftill more fatally impeded by 
 the perverifenefs of that iniquity, which hath 
 flsutilated its inftju^ions. 
 
 With the evil paffions of thdTe who have, 
 relufed to ad; ufider the dire<Sion of reli^on* 
 and con:ceale4 themfelves with confcious guilt 
 from God's prefence ; however they rnay have 
 lived in per i<¥is pind countries in which it 
 was promulgated, we have no concern in a 
 vindication of its tendency, fmce ,it never 
 can be rcprefented; as ?ffential to Revelation, 
 
 * hiineRot a» to urya^n h^sui ita^HfiviaT^f xecKiai i ya^ xor/Mf 
 
 v^v^^a^ cr» T>i; K»xms- The exiftence of evil was obvious ; 
 tiie' caiife unknown to* the 'Heathen World, tlztran h ftsyiro* 
 xie;ioi> ai5§u7rots rots vif^nii uftmr (, T«i; 4'<';£^i( 'f>'' Plat, de 
 Legibus. f. vi 
 
 that 
 
12 SERMON I. 
 
 tliat it flioTild impofe convidlion, and coiwpel 
 O&edience. t :ti 
 
 - The depravity however, which' hatli'*e-' 
 jedted Reiigibrij'hath oketikorhe, as the I>e- 
 vils, who acknowledged Chrift, ah unwiUing 
 teftimon^' 'to- its worth-; fulfilling the fio^ 
 phecies which it unfolds; and affording ai 
 ftriking contraft to its charader, in the tin- 
 happy objedis, whom it hath haraffed. When 
 the Ifraelites became children of tranfgreffion, 
 a:nd infianaed themfelves with idols' under 
 every green tree, it was to flay the children 
 iti ' the- valleys, under the clifts of the rocks *. 
 Xnd^iti wbtoldbe^but too obvious to point 
 out an aggravated counterpart of the~ effeSii 
 of^ipoftafy is. modern times. Not the pride 
 whidh fefh rejefted Religion ; not the defec- 
 tion which hdth- renounced its laws : but that 
 pretended attachment which hath changed 
 its principles, and kindled '* a ftrange fire on 
 God's-altar/' ha.t!h effedtfed the greateft injury; 
 here hath the ' malignant fpirit difplayed' - his 
 mod fatal enmity, and bruifed with too fuc- 
 cefsful fubtilty the heel of the Meffiah. 
 
 That fpeculative and delufive fancies 
 Ihptild have been framed on that gerieral 
 
 
 liaiah, chap. Ivii. ver. 4, 5. See alfb 2 Kings, chap, xvj. . 
 ver. 3' Jeremiah, chap, xxxii, ver, 35, 
 
 perfuafion. 
 
S E R M ON L t3 
 
 perfiiafionj' which reftilted from a view of the 
 exteiaiBl. evidbhce, of a Supreme Being, was 
 but an illuftration of the vanity , of huraaa 
 reafon, ; left to build its own fchemes, ^d- 
 to jBxpofe its own futility. But, that any. 
 pcifufaiptuous folly, or. corrupt dellgn, Ihould 
 dafe'tdchange the ;p6fitlve laws of acknow- 
 ledged xevielation, vindicated: the moft pro- 
 digious.' excels of human depravity. 
 
 jiWiiile the glory of God's, prefence was- 
 cohtiniied amongthc. Ifraeliles, and fucceffive 
 prophets watehedi over the fidelity of the re- 
 velations which they had csommunicated, it 
 was difficult, if not mipoffible, for any falfifi^ 
 catioift of the divine laws to pafs UBdete<Sed; 
 and the reverence which the people invaria- > 
 bly entertained for the facred writings, fe- 
 cured their obfervance of the Mofaic precept, 
 of not " adding unto the word, or erf" dimi- 
 *.* nilhing from , it*." The prophet, who ut- 
 tered even the deceptions of his heart, was 
 puhi&ed for the iniquity, to which, he was 
 acceflary f ; and iwherf the roll of God's wrath 
 was burnt, by- the daring impiety of the op- 
 
 * Dent, chap; iv. ver. 2. Jofeph. cont. Apion. 1. i- 
 t Ezek, ch. xiv. ver. 8, 9. 
 
 preflbr. 
 
J4 S E R M ON I. 
 
 ^dloF, whole csarswere offended at its threats, 
 ifce delegated minifiers. of the Almighty wei-e 
 commanded to take again aiiothfer roH, atidl 
 to renew the dentmciations of the diViuc i-e- 
 fentment. Hence it was, that though *' Ju- 
 •* dea, the place of God's throne, and the 
 " place of the foles of his feet, wheite he 
 " dwelt in the raidfl of the children of If- 
 " rad," was " defiled by the carcafes of 
 *' their kings*, in their high places, and in 
 " their fettingof their threshold by his threifli-' 
 *' old, and thdc pofts by his polls," it was- 
 not till long after thefacred line was clofed,. 
 that we hear of the word' of God being 
 made of none efFedl, by the " tradition of 
 *' the Elders,'' and of " the teaching foi< doc- 
 " tarines the coramandments of men." 
 . The Hebrew Rriefthoodi, fupported witb 
 ample and defined maintenance by the liberd' 
 provifion ofthe law, had no inteneft to pervert 
 its preceptfe, withdefign to profit by the delu'-'* 
 fion' of their nation.- The- Scribes and the 
 Pharifbes^ wlio> laboured fisr pre-eminence by 
 the afFedtation of fiiperior landity; encuni- 
 
 • Ezefciel; chip, xliii. ver; 7. Kin|$ or Idols. See Lcr 
 vit. ch, xxvi. ver. 30, Jefemiahycteip- xvi, ver. 18, f 
 
 ' bered 
 
S.ERM ONI, i5t 
 
 l^f*4i)th? extg^fsal fervioe enjoined by the 
 written law with traditionafy ceremonies and 
 t3iaip?€C5pt :. fcUeifcPUs to Qoneeal tliie inward 
 corruption of their heart, they impreffcd withi 
 the fpsd of f&iijSity the foirmal works ©f out- 
 '»?ard©bfervanQe ; iRttrpte;te^.the Scriptures by 
 f^tllaowus e^pogilioa;} evaded its moral obUga- 
 tions by th« protence Qf facred reftridiions,. 
 and diftoarted it§ do&ines in accosMnodatiea 
 to. waridjy initorefti. Ql^exfts of Ghfift's keenieft. 
 ^proaches, they were expofed with dete<St«d 
 p^liai^iab to .th«; abhonirence of nvankind, and 
 ftand recojfded fcir a. depravitji darkened with, 
 the dtrepeft fliad^s of hypocriiy and guijt. 
 
 Of the reje^Ioa of the Gofpel by the ua- 
 wocliiy, Chrift foretold the certainty — of tjlic: 
 corruption aifo, of the righteous principle— 
 o€ tilie: faWe teaehecs who fliould arife, with 
 paeplstfstic afliurajice he fpake. With precifc 
 ^clajratbn loikewLfe did thoiie whom he had. 
 inflrui6led] foretel of the hereiies which the 
 flelh would generate *. With minute dehnea- 
 tioa'did: they defcribe the. charader of that 
 ** man of fin," or " myftery of iniquity," 
 
 • I Cor. chap. xl. ver. 19. Gal. chap. v. ver. ao. * Pet. 
 ohap. it. ver, 1. 
 
 : ,-> which 
 
i^ S E R M G N I. 
 
 which already worked in the time of the 
 Apoftles ; prefigured as oppbfing and exaltiiig 
 himfeif above all that is called God, or that' 
 is Worfiiipped *. ..: . . 
 
 In considering the effedl of thofe errors, 
 -which, though drawn from the fourGe's-of 
 human invention, were permitted - gradually 
 to intermingle with the dodlrines of Revela-- 
 tion, we perceiv*e the moft fatal completion 
 of the divine prediftions V arid mark with re-' 
 gret the change of that law, which went 
 forth vnth. falutary publication to the world. 
 That the ftone, which many -builders, to £heir 
 own confufion, rejected, Ihould become a- 
 rock of offence to thofe alfo who profeffed to 
 laife their fabric on its foundations, is a fub- 
 jeft of fearful refleftion. 'The imagination* 
 lingers on the thfeme with a forrpw propor- 
 tioned to the folly and perverfenefs of man- , 
 kind, anxious fully to ascertain the cauies of? 
 3 delufionfo injurious to the effential intereftsi 
 of Chriftianity. jU . 
 
 - The retrofpedl of error is ferviceable, where 
 It tends to vindicate the leffdnsof wifdom. 
 The vicious inclinations of the human heart 
 furnifh the ftire and unceafing incitements to 
 
 , * 2 Theflal. chap. ii. ver. 4— iq. 
 
S ER'M O N I. 
 
 17 
 
 evil, and the regulations concerted by expe- 
 rience fhould be refped:ed as bulwarks againft 
 their operation. Reafbri and reflex^tion en- 
 rol their maxirris with difficulty. Till pro- 
 pitious occafions confpire to favour their ex- 
 hortations, they may repine in filence, or 
 utter tiieir unheeded eounfels. . , To under- 
 value their decrees, once confirmed, befpeaks 
 infatuation, or a. malignant purpofe, 
 
 In "cqmmendatiou of the moft important 
 meafures which perhaps ever were adopted ia 
 conformity to the defignof religion, it is pur- 
 pofed, in the Difcourfes which will be deli- 
 vered under the prefent appointment, to de- 
 icribe , the leading principles which wejre 
 cflablilhed by the Reformation in this couar 
 try; calculated as they were to fecure the 
 fiuential integrity of Chriftianity, by Ihield- 
 ing it from the baneful influerjce of ' thofe 
 paffions, which ever will continue to breathe 
 rebellious hollility to jts precepts. 
 
 A difcuffion which will exhibit, in a con-* 
 nefted view, the chief particulars. depofed' by 
 Chrift as to the nature of his kingdom. ; the 
 authority delegated to his Miniflefs ; and the 
 pfomifes inlparted with regard to the fiiper- 
 intendance of his Church, may contribute to 
 demonftrate the fidelity with which his re-r 
 C vealed 
 
i8 S E R M O N I. 
 
 vealed laws were refpe<3:ed, on the providen- 
 tial reftoration of their written inftrudion to 
 this country. 
 
 If, in order to illnftrate the importance of 
 the principles by which the regularity and 
 beauty of true religion were renewed at this 
 aufpicious period, we are compelled with un- 
 ifatisfadtoty refledion, to advert to thofe more 
 exorbitant and portentous wanderings of hu- 
 man error, which in the contemplation of a 
 re-eftabliflied fyftem we lament, it may tend 
 to confirm our admiration of thofe efforts, 
 which are beft appreciated by the evils which 
 they removed. In direfting our attention to 
 ■fuch. defiedions from the appointed courfes 
 of obedience, we are not to forget that they 
 were attained often by infenfible decline and 
 ■fucceffive gradations. The imagination, hur- 
 ried ovir'hj the force of religious ardour, firlt 
 mifled the judgment, drawing it to devious 
 flights * and eccentric emulation ■f. The en- 
 ihufiafm excited by religious objeds was cal- 
 culated to inflame the fancy ; and in the ex*- 
 cefles of virtue we find fomewhat to pardoa 
 
 * See the account of the rife of the Nicolaitans in Eufebi* 
 us's Hill, Ecclef. 1. iii. c. 29. 
 
 t See the defcription of the Therapeutse in Eufeb. lib. ii. 
 c.,17. 
 
 at 
 
s BR M aN. r. tp 
 
 at leaft, if not to admire. In the zeal which 
 ambitioufly courted martyrdom, and in the 
 barren toil and aufterities of devotion, we 
 difcover only an extravagance refulting from 
 fmcere impreffions. 
 
 The error, in many inftances of perverted 
 piety, grew out of the becoming pfadlice. It 
 was the convention of charity, and the holy 
 oblation, that led to the perverlion of the 
 Iblemnities of the Eucharift *. It was at 
 the fepulthre of thofe who had laid down 
 their lives in Chrift's caufe, that fervent ve- 
 neration hallowed the refcued relic ff and pre* 
 fented the benevolent offerings in honour of 
 the dead, which fuperftition continued with 
 conceit of propitiatory atonement for ifinj. 
 The taper, confecrated by folly, was firft 
 lighted to illumine the gloomy retreats, in 
 which the facred vigils were Ihrouded from 
 
 inliilt 
 
 * The gratulatory offeilngs of the early dhriftians at the 
 communion of the fCafts of charity, feem to have firft occa- 
 fioned the Eucharift to he confidered as a facrifice. The Gen- 
 tile converts contributed to increafe mifconceptions, by retain* 
 ing their accuftomed terms of facrifice and ahar, and applying 
 them to the elements and the table. Vide Irens. 1. iV. €.32. 
 Cyprian, dc Oper. & Eleemof. &c. 
 
 •f- Bafil in 40 Martyr. 
 
 J In the fecond ceiitnry offerings for the dea3, in rellm- 
 
 ))lance of a Pagan cuftom, were prefented to the Church and 
 
 the poor* at the expiration of the year, with commemoration of 
 
 C 2 the 
 
SERMON T. 
 
 infult and perfecution *. Penance was fet up 
 as a facramental ordinance f , upon the abufe 
 of penitential difcipline ; and the elevation 
 and the proceffion of the Hoft originated — the 
 one in harmlefs expreffion of Chrift's exalta- 
 tion on the crofs — the other in the charitable 
 conveyance of the facred elements to the fick* 
 Thefe and fimilar vanities may be ulti- 
 mately traced to a juft principle, ftriking its 
 deep root, and entwining its fibres with the 
 beft affections of the human heart. It is the 
 redundancy of the branch which fpreadeth 
 the Ihade, cafting on the deluded votaries of 
 an obftrufted faith the difcredit only of un- 
 confcious error, which flill excites, wherever 
 it exifts, a commiferation, mingled with re- 
 jfentment againft the evil counfellors, who 
 withhold the friendly hand of reform. 
 
 the virtues of the defunft, and as expreffive of their charitable 
 charafter. Cyprian. 1. iii. Epift. 15, 16. Auguft. Epift. 64.. 
 Origen, 1. iii. in Job. & Tertull. de Monogamia. So alfo in- 
 lerceffions made by confeflbrs, fuifering in prifon for their «,d- 
 iierence to the faith, in favour of penitents anxious for reconci- 
 liation with the Church, laid the foundation of the errors which 
 afterwards prevailed concerning interceffions of Saints, and the 
 imaginary efficacy of their prayers after death; not very dif- 
 ferent from that attributed to the influence of the dasmons of 
 antiquity. See Plutarch, de Defedt. Oracul. 
 
 * Eufeb. de Vit. Coriftant. 1. iv. Epiphan. 1. iii. 
 
 t The Council of Trent attributes the facramental efficacy 
 ef penance to abfolution, §. 14.. c. 3. 
 
 1^ 
 
§ E R M O N I. at 
 
 It ^ere foreign to our defign to mark out 
 the" vaf led prod'ud:ions and progreffive flibot- 
 ings or human error,' grafted on a ftrong and 
 vigorous ftock, fmce, unhappily for mankind, 
 that final cbrniption, which, at the revival 
 of fcience, excited an irrefiflible neceffity of 
 change, had totally choaked up and deftroyed 
 the righteous' principle. Confining our at- ' 
 tention to the evils as they then exifted, we 
 Ihall endeavour only to reprefent, by a llato'- 
 ment of the laws of Chrift, as firft eftab- 
 lifhed, how grofsly they were violated, how 
 faithfully they were reftored ; to point out 
 with what admirable prudence fuperfl:ition 
 was difcarded, without prejudice to religion ; , 
 and at a time that indignation was roufed by 
 every fenfe of injury ,^ the difcipline, do(3;rinei 
 and inftitutions of a true Church were ref- 
 cued with cautious and reverential piety from 
 the accumulated mafs of corruption, which 
 ■had nearly overwhelmed them. 
 
 In inviting attention to fubjet^s often pro- 
 duced under every forrn, it would be confift- 
 ent with apprehenfions which muft arife, to 
 deprecate the diftafte of learned minds, ac- 
 cuftomed to difquifitions of remote and dif- 
 ficult difcuffion ; but at a time when the 
 ' . • C 3 luft 
 
%% SERMON |. 
 
 luft for novel fpeculation hath been often 
 known to feduce the naind to a forgetfulnefs 
 of the moft important truths, it has been 
 judged agreeable to the defign of this ap- 
 pointment, as well as level with the purfuits 
 of unambitious induftry, to review the plain 
 and obvious principles upon which the moft 
 effential interefts of religion depend. 
 
 In the confideration of a theory of general 
 impprtance, it may be gratifying here to re- 
 fldd, with peculiar intereft, that the firft dif- 
 tinguilhed alfertor of religious freedom difco- 
 vered and taught its earlieft truths at this 
 Univerfity* ; that his writings awakened the 
 fpirit of reformation in other countries -j- ; and 
 that, when the triumphant caufe experienced 
 
 * Wjckllffe, who was educated at Oxford, preached his doc- 
 trines there with fuch fuccefs, that, on the appearance of the 
 Pope's Bull againft him, the Univerfity deliberated whether or 
 not it fliould be received j and his followers increaf^d prodi* 
 ^ioufly, and were diftinguiihed by their drefs. See Wood's 
 Hift. & Antiquit. 1. i. p. i86, 191, & paffim. Walfingham, 
 p. 201. and Baker's Chronicle, p, 160. Jerome of Prague 
 profeffed at the Council of Conftance to have feen a teftimonial 
 ofthe Univerfity in favour of Wickliffe. Probably that pab- 
 liihed in 1406. 
 
 t John Hufs derived his principles of the Reformation from 
 the works of Wjcklifte, forniftied to him by a Bohemian noble- 
 man, who had, refided at Oxford j and Jerome of Prague, who 
 had vifited Oxford, drew his- ideas ofthe Reform from the fame 
 fourcc. See Gilpin's liives of the Reformers. 
 
 a temporary 
 
SERMON I. 
 
 23 
 
 a temporary check in thefe realms, its moft 
 eminent advocates evinced in this place the 
 (efficacy of the faith, and confirmed its im- 
 pceffion by dealing v»^ith expiring teftimony 
 the confeffions of martyrdom in its praife ; 
 kindling, as^ the conviflaon. of undaunted con- 
 fidence foretold, a light not likely to be ex- 
 tinguilhed. 
 
 In illuftration of the real charad:er of 
 Chriftianity, by a defcription of its reftored 
 fincerity, it. is expedient to confine our atten- 
 tion to its features, as exhibited in this coun- 
 try. If> without. adverting to the extrava- 
 gance of iubordiinate fe<Ss, we contemplate 
 the general progrefs of the Reformation on 
 the Continent, we are compelled by impar* 
 tial refledlion to regret, that the impetuous 
 refentment which fwcUed againfl . oppofmg 
 difficulties, and which was perhaps neceffary 
 to give energy to the firft irapulfc of reafiin, 
 often hurried it to a precipitation prejudicial 
 to the interefts of truth. The enthufiafm 
 excited at the commencemerit of an arduous 
 work, operating on the fentiments and pre- 
 judices of individual leaders, occafioned the 
 intermixture of fome blemiiihes, which were 
 fufFered to disfigure even the permanent in- 
 ilitutions of the feveral Churches which they 
 
 C 4 eftabliihed. 
 
54 SERMON I. 
 
 eftabliflled*.' This remark is adopted, nbt 
 with infidious defign to leflen the pretentions.' 
 of other departments of theUniverfal Church," 
 but to point out the exiftence of thofe fa- 
 vourable circumftances, which, under Divine 
 Providence, confpired to the eftabliftiment of 
 pure and apoftoli'c arrangements in our own 
 country. 
 
 The enlightened men, whofe judicious 
 counfels contributed to the advancement of 
 the Reformation as here perfe<n:ed, could not 
 behold the agitation and fevere contefls which 
 prevailed on the Continent, without remark- 
 ing the inconveniences which tcmpeftuous 
 times and hafty violence had occffioned. Re- 
 moved 
 
 * The vehement and 'uncharitable fpirit of Luther, the 
 yielding foftnefs of Melanfthon, 15 nd the rude. and overbear- 
 ing harflipefs of Calvin, fhould Ipe forgotten, as the defefts of 
 illuftrious charafters. We cannot however but lament the er- 
 rors which were admitted into the confeffions of their faith. In 
 the moil authentic edirion of th^ Defence of the Gonfeffion of 
 Augfburg, which was drawn up by Melanfthon, and which is 
 confidered byMofheim as a part of the chief and moft refpefl;- 
 able formulary of the Lutheran Church, a true tranfrauta- 
 tion of thj bread into the flefti was admitted, though left out 
 of thefubfequent editions. See Hofpinian. Hift. Sacram. pars 
 poft. p. 199. In ^he form of concord afterwards dra)vnup, in 
 the fevere tenets and intolerant fpirit of the more rigid 
 Lutherans, and adopted by the majority of the Lutheran 
 Churches, the ubiquity and real manducation of the flefh and 
 blood were maintained, and perfecution in confequence ex- 
 cited againfi: the favourers pfCstlviriifra, by whom the form 
 
SE R MO N L~ i5. 
 
 nioVfc^ at a diftance from the contending par- 
 ties, they were enabled to profit by the mif- 
 takes, as well of thofe who clamoured with, 
 too eager zeal • for innovation, as of thofe 
 who ftruggled with tenacious prejudice for 
 inVeterate. corruptions. Not dazzled by the 
 glare of new opinions, they perceived gradu- 
 ally and diftind:ly the obje<3;s to which re- 
 fbrmation Ihould be diredled, and accurately 
 difcriminated between the original inftitution 
 ^nd the fpurious fancy, the primitive doo- 
 trine and the pradical abufe. Contemplating 
 the vaft pillars on which the Romiih Church 
 was fiipported, and. aware that their Sove- 
 reign had been the applauded defender of its 
 faith, the friends of truth were not hurried 
 on by any eager expeiftation of the immediate 
 
 ■Was generally and, vigoroufly oppofed. Vide Hofpinian. Con- 
 cord. Difcors. The defedive morality, and the' undefined and 
 jmperfeft difcipline of the Lutheran Church, haftily fettled in 
 days pf controverfy and diffenfion, and the doiSrines of abfo- 
 lute Predeftination and cobtroliing Gr^ce, fo peremptorily af- 
 /erted by Luther, though difclaimed by moil of his followers, 
 are thefubjefts of regret to its friends. The intoIerq.nce, the 
 Etii&iwa principles, and the nqtion of the. Eucharift, s.i merely 
 a commemorative rite of Zuingle, cannot but be condemned. 
 The extravagance of Caroleftadt produced unhappy efFefts. In 
 Denmark the civil conftitution was deranged, by the violent 
 abolition of the epifcopal power. Thephrenzies of the Anti- 
 nomians and Anabaptills were extravagantly pernicious. Tha 
 ppinions, of the Calvinifts concerning abfolute decrees, perfe. 
 verance and juftification, and civil and ecclefiaftical difcipline, 
 ^re to be lamentpd as permanent bl^iniJties of their Church. 
 
 deftrudlion, 
 
zB ' S E R IS^O N I. 
 
 deflra^ion of that grferems dominion which 
 had been fet up, and perceived that the widely 
 extended- influence of a confirmed power 
 could be undermined only by the effeft of 
 that *' ftill fmaU voice" wMch Ihould an- 
 nounce the Divine prefence ; the preparation 
 of whofe approach had already '* rent the 
 " mountains*." 
 
 The fitft meafures of reform, as they ori- 
 ginated with the regular powers of govern- 
 ment, and not with adventurous individuals, 
 were tempered with difcretion, and peaceably 
 -modified and fecured with lawful provifions. 
 The fiipremacy of the I^pal ufurpation 
 was abjured, not only without offence, but 
 in ftri^ obedience to the civil and fpiritual 
 authorities. No rude defiance of legitimate 
 claims, no wild contempt of lawful govern- 
 ment, no undue conceffions to auxiliary 
 powers f were neceflary for the furtherance 
 of the projefted plan. Not the inflamed 
 paffions, but the enlightened underfl:anding 
 was to be addrefled ; not the fancy, but the 
 
 * I Kings ch.xix. ver. 12. 
 
 f Voltaire afferts, that Luther, with a fmall Council of Re» 
 'formers, indulged Philip, the Landgrave of Hcffe-Caffel, in a 
 permiffion of bigamy. See Haft. Univerf. cli. 108. The 
 authority is queflionaUe. 
 
 jiidgmcnt 
 
S E R M O N I. 27 
 
 judgi^ent was to be engaged in the ^^vance- 
 mept of a reafonable and weU-deliberated 
 caufe. 
 
 Never perhaps could there be a time an4 
 circumftances more favourable to the flow 
 and retrained adoption of juft principles and 
 moderate decrees than this period, when pri- 
 vate and political interefts * conipired to pro- 
 mote the qualified acceptancexjfdodrinesj pre- 
 vailing by their intrinfic evidence, and ratified 
 on that bafis of truth on which alone they 
 could reft; while oppofitc parties pleaded with 
 difcordant zeal againft their eftablifliment. 
 Our Church therefore was confirmed on the 
 jiioft unexceptionable ground, and was de^ 
 monftra.ted, not alone by "the eloquent repre- 
 fentations of its advocates, but by the inge- 
 nuous tribute of foreign applaufef, to be 
 the glory and bright ornament of the Re- 
 formation. 
 
 - • Henry; by entering into a controveriy with Luther, had 
 drawn the attention of his fubjeds to the difputed points. Dur. 
 ing the vexatious delay of his application at Rome, he encou- ' 
 raged a difcuflion of the Pap3,l claims, and endeavoured to in- 
 timidate the Pope, by moderating, and in part fafpending, the 
 perfecution of reputed herefy. Ann Boleyn, his favourite 
 QneeJ^, was naturally provoked to Ihew her refentment to the 
 power which had obftrufted her advancement, and was by 
 principle inclined to favour the Reformers. 
 t Grotius Epift. ad Boet. 
 
 la 
 
id S E R M ON I. 
 
 ,"' In the defcription of a work/ great and 
 extenfive /as was the' Reformation, advancing 
 by progreffive ftages of improYement; it Is 
 not heceffary to notice' every fucceffiye 
 change, or to advert to every effort. Suffi- 
 cient is it, if, by a' reprefentation of its per- 
 manent inftitutlons, its general confiftency 
 with reafon and' rehgioii,'and the folidity of 
 its principal foundations, be fhewn. As, by 
 the magnitude of its objed, and the extent 
 of its defigns, it involved the various interefts, 
 and engaged the colledted paffions of the na- 
 tion in its progrefs, it couM.notbut occafion- 
 ally exhibit characters of exceptionable caft. 
 Interefted men' often profeffed a popular 
 caufe, and debafed it with prejudicial and 
 unworthy councils. The dete<3:ed error pof- 
 fefled a lingering influence ; ' the ancient 
 clarm was reluftantly refigned. Such were 
 the blemiihes of a fcheme of human con- 
 ^uA ; defefts inconfiftent with the general 
 fpirk of the Reformation, and leaving but 
 few ftains. The juft principle, though ob- 
 ftru6led in its growth, was finally matured. 
 The fincere doArine, though indullrioufly 
 clouded, Was at length cleared. The. noble 
 circle of the ConfefTors and diflinguilhed 
 leaders of the reformed faith, rejedls the de- 
 formity 
 
S E R M ONI. 29 
 
 formity of thefe fufpedled chara<Sers, yyho 
 were attradled by bafe allurements to efpoufe 
 the caufe. The integrity of the perfe<3;ed 
 (eftablrifhment difclaims the difcredit of thofe 
 errors, which were with di:fficulty removed 
 .from. the. fabric with which they had been, 
 long incorporated. In the completion of, the 
 work there is much indeed to. e.?cite our 
 reverence. Its. importance can he eflimated 
 by thofe only who obferve its extenfive influ- 
 ence over every department of life ; who conr 
 fider it as affeding every intereft of the com- 
 munity, domeftic, and focial; as contributing 
 to the advancement of liberal enquiry, moral 
 •improvement, civil and religious freedom. 
 
 The eftablifliment of juft. principles mufl 
 ever be confidered as the bafis of public and 
 private happinefs. " All the earth, calleth 
 " upon the ti:uth, and the heaven bleifeth it : 
 " it 6ndureth, and iS always ftrong. With 
 ^' her, there is no accepting of perfons or re- 
 " wards ; .but flie doeth the things that are 
 " juft, and refraineth from all unjuft' and 
 " wicked things ; and all men do well like 
 "of her works, , and flie is the flrength, 
 " kingdom^ power, and majefty of all 
 " ages *." Its, permanent charadlers are re;- 
 
 ■ ' ' ■ • Efdras, chap. iv. ver. 16. 
 
 •^Mf^M' . corded 
 
3<^ S E R M O N I. 
 
 corded only in the pages of revelatidn, fteady 
 and imchangeable, while the theories of 
 fancy and the delusions of falfehood rife but 
 to difperfe, flourilh, and ■ are forgotten with 
 the vanity which gave them birth. 
 
 The doiftrines of Ghriftianity are nevei- 
 inerely ipeculative ; nor is any particular dif- 
 clofed in Scripture, folely to play on the 
 imagination. Every communication is in- 
 tended to fix the mind to fome folid obje<3; 
 that calls for reverence, and intimates th6 
 precepts of practical obfervance*. Hence 
 do moral virtues emanate from pure faith, 
 with a luftre and coniiftency dependent on 
 ,thc vigour of its attention, and the ftrength 
 of its conviAion. 
 
 The broad features of human corruption, 
 exhibiting ftriking though varied a^efts in 
 every age, charadlerife fo ftrongly each pe- 
 riod, that religion can no where difplay its 
 predominant and unclouded character ; andj^ 
 in contrafting the great outlines of compa- 
 rifon between different ages, we are ofteti 
 
 * " opinions," fays Bifliop Warburton, " concerniftgf the 
 " nature of the I)eity, fo entirely influence all religious prac- 
 " tice, that this invariably takes its charafter from thefe, and 
 *• becomes more or lefs perfeft, as thefe.are nearer to or far- 
 " thcr removed from the truth." See Alliance, p. 60. and 
 Plato's EutyVh, 
 
 unable 
 
S E R M ON L 
 
 51 
 
 unable to aftsortain the relative iuperlorityi 
 If, however, by a comprehenfive eftim^te of 
 the complicated evils which have counter- 
 aded the operation of Chriftianity, we would 
 -afcertain its full €ffe<fts, it would undoubtr 
 ediy be found that they have been lalutary 
 and important in proportion to the fidelity 
 with which its precepts have been commu- 
 nicated and enforced : not only in great and 
 prominent difplay, biat in general and exten- 
 iive influence, among all ckfles and defcrip- 
 tions of men, whether profeffing reverence 
 for inftru6tions of revelation, or unconfci- 
 cmfly adopting what they afFe6l to difi-egard 
 or oppole * : improved in numberlels circum- 
 jftances, which give perhaps no glow to the 
 colourings of hi^ftory, though they certainly 
 brighten the views of the times concerned, 
 and contribute to dil|)erfe the prejudicial in- 
 
 • The members of the Romifti Church have nndottbtedly 
 perceived the folly of many doctrines profelTed in their Greed; 
 but as thofe doflrines are comiedled with eftabliihed inSituv 
 tions, favourable circumftances mnft coittribate to their re^ 
 moval. At prefent their champions Iheher themfelves under 
 qualifications and fubterfuge, difavpwed by pofitive prafike 
 aiid authoritative declarations. Tkife who, ofiviided by djti 
 corrt^ionr of Aipecfiition, have been led to overlook the tef< 
 tipaaoifii., and undervalue . the importance of relif ion, ^ave 
 often borrowed its ptecepts and adopted its principles. *' 
 
 fluencc 
 
3^ 5 E R M O N L 
 
 fluence of that evil, which lours with eternal 
 enmity to the welfare of mankind. 
 
 To eftimate the importance of Chriftianity 
 tontrafted with fuperftiti&n — with morality 
 deflitute of vital faith — with honour capri- 
 cious and variable — with philofophy vague 
 and fallacious, it is expedient not fo much to • 
 contratft different ages, however on fuch 
 comparifon its glorious charafter, might be 
 illuftrated, but rather to trace the different 
 advances made under the guidance of hu- 
 man wifdom and divine inftrudlion through 
 Cmilar circumflances ; in co-exifling flates!, 
 with equal improvement in fcience, and cor- 
 refpondent refinement in manners; in differ- 
 ent claffes of men in the lame fociety ; in the 
 circles of individual example. 
 
 The light of fcience and the progrefs of 
 ■enquiry have at all times been favourable to 
 Chriflianity ; and there is a degree of civili- 
 zation congenial to its fpirit, and friendly, if 
 not neceffary, to its fuccefs : but beyond this 
 there is alio a corruption in manners, and a 
 conceit of knowledge injurious to its interefts, 
 and even proudly contemptuous of its in- 
 ftruftions. " The opportunity of leifure" is 
 effential tO" the attainment of information, 
 and facilitates the dedudion of the teliimo- 
 
 nies 
 
SERMON I. 33 
 
 nies of truth : but the habits of indplence, 
 and the diffipation of thoughtlefs vacuity, 
 are calculated only , to enfeeble and to de- 
 bafe the mind. ; The fphere of enquiry is ex- 
 tended, and the coUediions of general induftry 
 compared, as intercourfe between different 
 countries is enlarged ; but the profperity of 
 ftates has too often proved ruinous to the 
 integrity of their charadler ; and the deduc- 
 tions of learning and fober enquiry, are not 
 fel4om overlooked by the carelefs infenfi- 
 bility of the general ranks, or the confident 
 vanity of thofe who deem themfelves en- 
 lightened by the diffufion of a fuperficial 
 knowledge. 
 
 The exifting ftate of life and manners pre- 
 fents aburidant illuftration of the truth of 
 the,fe remarks. At no period, fmce the right 
 of an uncontrolled freedom of judgment has 
 been afTerted, have fiich bold and extravagant 
 opinions been propagated to perplex man- 
 kind ; -or the general claffes of fociety been 
 more milled by men, whofe vivacity of ge- 
 nius and powers of intelleft are employed 
 only on thofe loofe. principles and inaccurate 
 notions, which circulate in popular difcuffion. 
 The reputation for talents, where no folid in- 
 formation exifts, is often fiipported but by 
 - D ' confident 
 
34^ S E R M O N I. 
 
 efficient aiTertion and fanciful argumentr 
 Hence it fo frequently happens, that men, 
 who have profecuted none of thofe ftudiesr 
 which are neceflary to deyelope, even the 
 fcheme of the external evidenc-e of Chriftian- 
 ity, prefume, with defultory remairk and |pre<-* 
 fumptuous decifion, to determine on its proofs. 
 They bring forward perhaps feme folitary 
 particular of fceptical invention, or fome tri- 
 vial circumftance of fiibordinate concern, to- 
 invalidate the conne^ed and confifltent tefti- 
 monies of hiftory. ■ They produce fome pre- 
 carious conclufion from philefephical flate- 
 ments, haftily framed and pa*tially, confidered, 
 to impeach the fidelity of records, which 
 thofe of the moft enlarged minds, who have 
 reafoned from comprehenfive refearch, and 
 from iuch ftores of acquired knowledge, as 
 amidft the habits of modern life are r-arelyi if 
 ever, attained, have attefted with fuUeft con- 
 viiftion ; fuch having learnt by- profound en- 
 quiry and fedate refle<9:ion to think diffidently 
 of their own wifdom, and to reftri<ft their rea- 
 Ibn to objefts within the fcope of its faculties 
 and the limits of its attainments. By thefe 
 naeans, is the authority of religion invalidated- 
 on thofe who are unaccuftomed to contem- 
 plate the concentered rays of evidence befc«-e 
 
 which 
 
S E RM O N I. 55 
 
 "V^hichrJthe (Jbje^ons that occupy the unin^ 
 ilmded itiind' fefdie aild difappear ; and hencfe 
 ' is the faith ^hich has no iblid reliance fur- 
 rendered to vagtie declattaation ; or diftraded 
 with doubts wfeichfrit cannot difperfe, and 
 difficulties which it cannot folve. 
 
 The influence of filch afcendency is ofte'fi 
 likewife employed to " lead daptire" its 
 hearers, by confounding the abufes of religion 
 wida its genuine inftrudlion ; fubverting the 
 faith of thofe who have not leairnt td difcri*- 
 minate between the fmcerity of the f eVealed 
 d(0<ftriiies, and the perverted teaching of falffe 
 profeflbrs; and who forfaking religion beGaxrfe 
 errors have been countenanced by its pr«^ 
 tended fanftion, but plunge inta the unfan 
 thomable depths of human folly. 
 
 The charaiSers of fuperftition and of reli- 
 gion are fuificiently diftin6l, and may eafily 
 be underftood by thofe who do not wifli to 
 blend their defcription. Their oppoiite efFefts 
 may be fully illuftrated fron^ a comparative 
 view of countries illumined by the reformed 
 faith, and thofe ftill overlhadowed by the 
 clouds of error. In the former, religion may 
 be negledled ; but it milleads not in its eftab- 
 liihed decrees, to any prai^ice offenfive to God, 
 or injiirious to man. In the latter, unpte- 
 D 3 judiqed 
 
36 SERMON I. 
 
 judiced obfervation muft admit, that the pub- 
 lic faith is the polluted fource and fountain 
 of fpeculative and praftical evil. 
 
 ,Thofe who would promote the influence 
 of. religion, muft commend and , invigorate 
 the great principles eftabliifhed at the Re- 
 formation. Even thefe principles, it is true, 
 realize not the theoretic perfedion of reli- 
 gion, becaufe they contend with the malig- 
 nity of human corruption. The diipenfa^ 
 tions of the natural world, which at no time 
 have left God " without a witnefs," produced 
 but indireft teftimonies of reverence, and 
 erroneous expreffion of wofihip ; and when 
 we lament the want of apparent efFedls from 
 Revelation, be it remembered, that " this is 
 " .the condernnation, that light is come into 
 " the world, and men loved darknefs rather 
 " than light, becaufe their deeds were evil." 
 
 SERMON 
 
S E R M O N II. 
 
 John xviii. 36. 
 
 Jefus anfwered, My kingdom is not of this 
 worlds 
 
 THE rejedlion of earthly power, in the 
 eflabUfhment of Chriftlanity, was an 
 eminent and chara(fterifl:ic proof of the Di- 
 vine origin of that religion. Its great 
 teacher, pleading an heavenly commiffion, 
 required not the affiftance of the human 
 arm. He - withdrew from the eledljon ^of 
 popular favour*, and held back the fword 
 drawn by the zeal of- his Difciple f. He 
 profeffed to lay the foundations only of a 
 fpiritual kingdom, aiming at no dominion 
 over the temporal pofleffions of men % ; and 
 
 * John, ch. vi. ver-. 15. f Matt. ch. xxvi. ver. 52. 
 
 J Luke, ch. xii. ver, 13, 14. 
 
 D 3 * declaring, 
 
38 S E R M O N U. 
 
 declaring, that though he were a king, his 
 objeft was only, by " bearing witnefs unto 
 " the truth," to eftabli|h an afceiidency over 
 the voluntary converts to its evidence. 
 
 With fuch meek and unafluming charadlers 
 
 had the Meffiah been pourtrayed in ancient 
 
 defcription ! " Behold my fervant, whom I 
 
 " uphold ; mine eled:, in whom my foul 
 
 " delighteth. I have put my Spirit upon 
 
 *' him : he Ihall bring forth judgment to 
 
 ' " the Gentiles. He fliall not cry, nor lift 
 
 " up, nor caufe his voice to be heard in 
 
 ' the ftreet. A bruifed reed fliall he not 
 
 " break, and the fmoking flax fliall he not 
 
 " quench*." With correipondent defigna- 
 
 tion was his kingdom alfo prefigured In pro- 
 
 phecy, as a ftone" cut out of the mountain 
 
 *' without hands," though deftined ultimately 
 
 to fill the earth f, 
 
 A difpenfation revealed from above, and 
 encircled with the tefllmonies. and radiance 
 of its origin, was not defignq^ to wave on 
 the banners of fecular triumph ; but was to 
 fefl its pretenfions on its own evidence, and 
 to depend on the promife of miraculous fup» 
 
 ^ Ifaiah, ch. xlii,. ver. i — 3. 
 f Dan, cjjap. ii. vej. 35, 45. 
 
 port. 
 
SERMON II. 3p 
 
 port.. .'With dicckred eontemjpt of human 
 ftrengtfa andlgreatnefs, God purpofely chofe 
 *' the fooHfti things o£ the world to cenfowftd 
 " the wife, aind the weak, things of the 
 ** worfd to confound the things that were 
 " mighty.": The refiftance which his re- 
 ligion encmintered, ierVed but to illuftrate 
 the irrefiftihle eificacy of the fpirit, which 
 ^' warred not with carnal weapons," though 
 " mighty;. through God to the pulling down 
 ** of ftrong- holds ;"' and ; the difficulties over 
 which it proved viAorious, " cafting down 
 " imaginations, and every high thing that 
 ," exalted itfelf above the knowledge of 
 " God," but furnifhed occafion for the dif- 
 play of the heavenly powers by which it was 
 advanced. 
 
 From the., tenor of thefe defcriptions, and 
 from the invariable reprefentations of Scrip- 
 ture as to the nature of Chrifl's kingdom, it 
 is evident that ^it was defighed to be a domi- 
 nion erefted oji the conviction of mankind-. 
 All violent meafures were difclaimed, and 
 our Lord appealed only to the works which 
 he performed, arid to the Scriptures and 
 witneiTes which offered teftimony to his pre- 
 , tenfions. ' ' . 
 
 , To fuch a kingdom as Ghrift had received 
 D 4 from 
 
40 S E R M O N II. 
 
 from the Father, did he alfo appoint.' his 
 Difciples; w-ho were to prefide over it for 
 adminiflration of his laws, with gradattion of 
 order and diftihdion of office * ; as directors 
 of a real fociety eftablifhed by an apparent 
 foverelgn, with vifible teprefentation and ex- 
 ternal government ; but v^ho were not, " as 
 ^' the kings, of the earth exercife, lordlhip," to 
 ch^/Uenge earthly dominion, or to aflume 
 earthly power f. Such as afpired to fupe- 
 riority, were to feek it by lowlirieis ; and the 
 differences of order, or conceded pre-emi- 
 nence which were to fubfift between them 
 for the purpofes of regularity and concert, 
 w^ere to be rendered fubfervient to conde- 
 fcenfion and humility. The authority with 
 
 * Ephef. ch; i'/. vef. ii, 12. Afts,ch. xx. ver. 28. 
 - f Jt>hn, ch. xviii. ver. 36. Luke, ch. xxji. ver. 25 — 29. 
 The texts here - confidered evidently refpeft the exercife as 
 well as the deri'uation of the fpiritual power. The earlier 
 Chriftiansvvere fenfible of the celeftial nature of Chfift's king- 
 dom. It appears from Eufebius, that fome grandfons of that 
 St. Jude who was called, according to the flefti, the brother 
 of Jefus, having, as derived from the race of David, excited 
 the fufpicious jealoufy of Domitian, flievved, when interrogated 
 concerning Chrift," and the natare, tiine, and place of the ap- 
 pearance of his kingdom, that it was not to be a worldly or 
 earthly^ but an heavenly and angelic kingdom ; to take place 
 at the confummation of time, when coming in his glory Chrift 
 fliould judge ,the living and the dead : and by this account the' 
 tyrant was induced to gut a Hop to the perfecution which pre- 
 vailed. Eufeb. £ce1. Hift. 1. iii. c. 20. 
 
 which 
 
SERMON ,11. 41 
 
 "which they were ihvefted was entirely fpi- 
 rittial, was to addrefs only the confcience, 
 and to derive all its temporal lanftions 
 from the cheerful concurrence of the faith- 
 ful. ; 
 ~; Commiffioned to propofe the conditions of 
 eternal remuneration, the preachers, of the 
 Golpel derived from Chrift no inftrudiion to 
 hold out prefent allurements, or to denounce 
 pireffcnt punifliment. Whatever deeds of mi- 
 raculous kindnefs or feverity might eventually 
 characterize their miniftry in confirmation 
 of the Word *, of ." filver and gold they had 
 " none" to diliribute, but from fuch offerings 
 as were voluntarily laid at their feet ; and 
 againft the houfe or city which Ihould refufe 
 to hear their words, they were directed only 
 to " flikke off the duft of their feet, as a tef- 
 *' timony againft them" of wrath to be trea- 
 fured up againft the day of final judg- 
 m-ent-f-. 
 
 All difclples, it is true, who were admitted 
 by baptifin into the Church under the Gof- 
 pel conditions, were pledged to reverence the 
 
 * Afts, ch. iii. ver. 6. ch. xiii. ver. 11. 
 t Matt. ch. X. ver. 14, 15. Mark, ch. vi. ver. 7 — 11. 
 A&s, ch. xiii. ver. 46, 51. ch. xviii. ver. /^t—6. 
 
 fundions. 
 
4* StE R M O N ir. 
 
 fiimaions, and to obey * the juft inftruaions 
 of thofewho had undertaken a xefpoaBdkt 
 charge; The Minifters of Chrift, as ap- 
 pointed ambafladors and fekpa&orsj' of his 
 laws, were upon principles of eflential pi'o- 
 priety to be 'regarded as iptaking by his au- 
 thority!^. ' A comtniffion derived from his 
 fupremacy, : and' exercifed in conformity to 
 'his precepts; could; not be reje<5ted but at the 
 peril of incurring his 'indignation. Of fuch 
 disobedience indeed, the earlier difciples o£ 
 Ghrift were not guilty j and \Ve find that, 
 during the ^es.iof primitive difcipline, they 
 
 * Hebrewsf, ch. xiii. ver. 17. , Tyndal, in bh anxiety to 
 annihilate ^he fpiritual jurifdjibion, intimates, that; mi^ea-^s 
 fcould be trahflated "be pbrfuaded by," rather than " obey." 
 The force of the precept is ftill equally binding. See Rights 
 ef Chriftian Church, ch. iv. p. i6i. 
 
 f Matt; ch. X. ver. 40. Mark, ch. xiii. ver. 34. Luke, 
 ch. X. ver. 16. ch. xxii. ver. 29. John, ch, xiii. ver. 20. 
 Biftiop Hoadley, in his difcburfe on John, ch. xviii. ver. 36. 
 which gave rife to the Bangbrian controyerfy, making no dif- 
 tinftlon between the invifible and vifible Church, cells his ar- 
 guments upon the idea, that as Chrift is .the exclufive lawgiver 
 of his kingdom, no ohe of h-is fubjefts is jadge over others ; 
 omitting the confideiratiQns that every aftua! fodety muft have 
 3ftual government ; that Chrift appointed Minifters to execute 
 his laws : to retain or to remit fins, and to eaafk regalaxions, 
 ivith confent of the Church, To maintain that no hew laws 
 of diredlion are to be enafted, is to adopt the fancy of the Pu- 
 ritans, who refpefted no c^fcipline: but what was laid down in 
 Scripture, and ;a,Ugwed no' latitude for the difcretionary appli- 
 cation of principles, according to the variations of an incon- 
 fiant world, 
 
 paid 
 
SERMON II. 43 
 
 j^d a cheerful reverence to the Miruftry; 
 jfubnaitted, where they had offended, to pri- 
 vatiE cenfiire and public rebuke ; performed 
 iUcb penitential aib- as were enjoined in 
 «xpreffive teftimony of contrition, and aC- 
 fcnted to every regulation which their duly 
 .coniitituted rulers judged to be of expedient 
 and beneficial tendency to the government 
 of the Church. 
 
 The pallors however were armed with 
 no coercive authority of prefent efFed:, ex- 
 cept that of expulfion of difobedient mem- 
 bers ; and when no miraculous .powers 
 were exerted, no temporal control was af- 
 flirried, even by thqfe who ordained " bi- 
 " ;6aops and deacons in every city*;" and 
 delivered the rule of future iucceflion, diredt- 
 iBg; that the elders who were to feed the 
 
 • I Tim. ch. iii.. Philip, ch. j. ver. i. Bifliops and deacons 
 are mentioned colleflively for the Miniftry. It may be incident- 
 ally remarked, that Clemens Romanns applies the prediflion 
 in Ifaiah, ch. Ix. ver. 17. to biftiops and deacons. - The woid 
 rendered exaftors in our tranflation, is tn-io-xowas in the SeptUr 
 agint veriion ; and the word haxavus was probably (iibftituted 
 by Clemens, to fignify the infeiior rulers of the Church, in- 
 £ead of af^onai;, in accommodation to our Lord's infiruflion 
 in Matt, ch. XX. ver. 26. In the .Chriftian Church, indeed, 
 all rulers are efpecially fervants ; and the application of the 
 prophecy is certainly ftriking, whether we accept of the read- 
 ing of Clemens or not. See Hammond, de Epifcop, Differt. iv. 
 The chapter relates to the time of the Meffiah ; and the He- 
 brew texts and interpretation countenance the application. 
 
 Church 
 
-44 S E R M<) N-IL 
 
 Church of Chflft 'fliould "' take the 6vcr- 
 fight" thereof, under due appointiiiciit iftd'edil, 
 but with cohfent of the congregation* ; not as 
 "- Lords over God's heritage/ ' but as " being 
 *' enfamplesio the flockf ;" as iuch they -^ere 
 to proclaim the Gofpel terms of conimuiiibni 
 and to provide for the pubhc worfhip and* ex- 
 ternal difcipline of the Church ; but were not 
 to exceed the limits of their' authority by 
 inventing arbitrary laws and conditions of 
 faith ; or by impofmg any regimen with 
 temporal fandtions, till confirmed with the 
 uiual operation of good government, and re- 
 gulated in agreement with the deliberate ap- 
 probation of the fociety. 
 
 The 
 
 * A<Ss, ch. i. ch. vs. ver. 3— 5. ch. xiii, ver. 2, xetraarit' 
 hnoii ws-' EKEiOTt, that is, by the Apoftles and their fucceflbrs, 
 fays Clemens, (ruEuooxiiffaini; tm; Exx^>IO■los; ?r»irij;. Clem. Rom.' 
 Ep. i. §. 44. Origen, Hom.ln Levit. Concil. Nicsn, 
 
 f I Peter, ch. v. ver. 3. Matt. ch. xx. ver, 25. The 
 right of the Bilhops and Clergy to .regulate the difcipline of 
 the Church, in fpiritual matters afFefting the Laity as well as 
 Clergy, appears to have been generally admitted in the pri- 
 mitive ages ; though important laws "were ufiially paifed in 
 the prefence of, and withconfent of the people. See Afts, ch. 
 XV. ver. 22, 23. " Solus refcribere nihil potui," fays St. Cy- 
 prian (on an application from Donatus), " quando aprimordio 
 " Epifcopatus mei ftataarim nihil fine confilio yellro & fine con- 
 fenfu plebis, mea privatim fententia gerere." Cyprian, Ep. xiv. 
 vide alfo Ep. xxx. Edit. Fell. Potter ftrains upon thefe paffages 
 difingenuoufly, and to nopappofe. ' It is clear that the Bilhops 
 had the proper title; to direii 5 but they required' the prefence 
 
 and' 
 
SERMON II. 
 
 4^ 
 
 The Spiritual jurifdi(flion of the Church, how- 
 ever it might refped. ejtterrjal objedls, did fiot 
 interfere with any juft appointments of civil 
 government. The gradations of its Miniflry, as 
 marked by no temporal privileges and diftinc- 
 tionsj afFed:ed no interefts of temporal infti- 
 tution. The defcriptions which the Gofpel 
 held out prefented no objedls to feduce men 
 from their allegiance to lawful powers. It 
 left them citizens of exifting ftates, and fub- 
 je6ls of exifting laws. It paid " tribute to 
 ** . whom tribute was due ;" and whatever 
 of compuliive fupport was delegated to the 
 rulers of the Church, in aid of that difci" 
 pline which was efTential to its prefervation, 
 Ihould have been considered as an emanation 
 from' earthly power ; not to be employed to 
 the eftablilhment of an independent empire, 
 
 and concurrence of the people, over whom they had no com- 
 puliive power. See Difooutfe on Church Government. AmU 
 cus Plato, liiagis arnica Veritas; The learned Writer over- 
 looks eventhe oA)) 771 ivL>iM(rtoi in Adls, ch. xv. ver. 22. and la- 
 bours with idle criticilm and elaborate mifreprefentation to 
 lubvert the indifputable iadl, which at laA he is obliged to ad- 
 mit, tibat in the primitive Church the Prefbyters . and people 
 were generally confulted in the decrees which relpeftively af- 
 fefied them. Rogers. fairly admits a confent of approbation, 
 though not of authority, in the brethren of the Apoftolic Coun- 
 cil, mentioned in Adls xv. See Rpgers's Review in reply to 
 Sykres. The changing difcipline. of the Church towards the end 
 of the 4^ century departed frotn the cuftom, and the Reforma- 
 tion reftored it. See Aft. Concil. Carthag. iji Cyprian, p. 158. 
 
 but 
 
4$ SERMON ir. 
 
 but in fubje<tion to the control of feculajf 
 governmerpt. 
 
 Conftituted upon thefe principles, the king- 
 dom of Chrift, difcountenanced or proteded 
 by the civil power, was to be fubmitted to 
 the direftion of thofe who were qualified to 
 liiperintend its concerns ; but who were not 
 authorifed to difturb any civil regulations* or 
 to compel the acceptance of their meafures 
 by any coaftive lan6lion, till ratified by the 
 approbation of the community. The coer- 
 cive power which might be requifite to en- 
 force the decrees of ecclefiacftical inftitution, 
 was to be derived from the regulations of a 
 ibcial oeconomyj and to be reftrifted or en- 
 larged in conformity to the decifions of the 
 general fentiment ; and fhould be regarded, 
 not as a fword of the Miniftry conveyed by 
 their ipiritual commiffion, but as a legitimate 
 cxercife of that authority which muft refide 
 in every well conftituted fociety, for the en- 
 fording of refpedl to its own laws. 
 
 A departure from thefe maxims in two im- 
 portant deviations, as refpefting the contefts 
 between Churches co-ordinate and equal in 
 their inftitution, and the eftablifhment of an 
 independent and temporal power in the 
 
SERMON ,IL 4JI 
 
 Qergy over thte Laity, was produ^ive of many 
 evUs, of which, a curfbry and coHefted- view 
 miy illiiftrate tfoe ■ importaiice of fome prin- 
 ci|rfes, reftored by the firjfl: efforts of the Re- 
 formation in England, M>i' 
 
 In reilfi(9ing on the defcription of pafl: 
 times, it is the duty and intereft of all who 
 •are concerned for the glory, and anxious to 
 promote the influence of religion, to advert 
 principally to thoJe iippediments to its fijc-v 
 cefs, which, have arifen in departments ia 
 whick. they arc efpecially concerned. The 
 paftors and teachers of a Reformed .Churcht 
 are never implicated but by ignorance or 
 malevolence in the charges againfl: the viti- 
 ated rulers who difgraced the Chriftian pro- 
 feffion in former times : but while with the 
 confidence of a renewed fpirit they reje<9: thft 
 indifcriminate imputations which have' been 
 profulely dealt out againft the minifterial 
 charadler, they will inveftigate with candid 
 aiid impartial enquiry every fburce from 
 which corruption ^ay have flowed. 
 
 When, from difregard to the uniform pre- 
 cepts of our Lord, ^he influence and power 
 which naturally refulted from appointment 
 to the faered oflicc became in themfelves the 
 
 €bje(fls 
 
48 S E R M O N H. 
 
 objeds of ambition, a fatal change was ef- 
 fected in the government of the Church. 
 New grounds of diftindlion were eftabhlhed, 
 and difparities introduced, which neither the 
 ordinances of Chrift had authorifed, nor the 
 welfare of the community required. That 
 pre-eminence of direction which the Apoftles* 
 and their fucceflbrs had allowed among 
 themfelves for the purpofes alone of regula- 
 rity and order, and in perfeft confiflency 
 with equal claims of authority, was made the 
 fouridatipn for the eredlion ■ of fiftitious pre- 
 tenfions. The occafional prefident at the 
 iynod, and the elated bifhop of the larger di- 
 
 * St. James, St. Peter, and St. John, feem to have been al- • 
 lowed a kind of pre-eminence over the Apoftles, as " pillars" , 
 qf the Church and chief Apoftles j fee Galat. ch. ii. ver. 9. 
 2 Cor. ch. xi. ver. 5. probably as eminently diftingaiftied by 
 our Lord, and. as having been prefent at the more intimate 
 events and tranfaftions of his life. St. Peter appears to have 
 taken the lead for fome time after our Saviour's afcenlion. See 
 A£ls, ch. i. ver. 15. ch. ii.' ver. 14, 37. ch. iv. ver. 8. 
 ch. v. ver. 15, zg. This however was a mere priority of 
 place, not of order or power. Afterwards James, who, ac- 
 cording to tradition, was appointed Bilhop of Jerufalem by the 
 Apoftles on their quitting that city.'poffeffed the right of con- 
 vening councils, and of preiiding at them. See Afts, ch. xii. 
 ver. 17. ch. xv. ver. 13, 19. ch. xxi. ver. 18. Gal. ch. ii. 
 ver. 12. The precedency does not fe,em to have led him 
 to forget our Saviour's inftruAions. The epifcopal chair or 
 throne of St. James was preferved with great veneration at Je- 
 rufalem in the time of Eufebius. Ecdef. Hift. 1, rii. c. 1 9. 
 
 ocefe 
 
S E R,M 0:N; II. , ^^ 
 
 ocefe *, aflum,ed aii unequal title ^nd a con- 
 trolling po.wer. 
 
 As prefent interefts intermingled in the 
 •cawfe, the difl«:nfions and her?fies which from 
 the firft had been engendered by the vani- 
 ties of human wifdom, gathered ftrength 
 and importance, and difturbed the unity and 
 peaceful conftitutioji of the Church. The de- 
 crees of its la.wful authority were \yeaken)?d 
 by difference of fentiment.: Judgment was 
 fet up againft judgment, and decifions were 
 evaded by infidious appeals. The paffions 
 which had been fupprelTed were again ralfed ; 
 and the Qbje(fts which appeared to confecrate 
 their exertions, were favourable qnly to the 
 impending dominion of an antichriftian fpi- 
 rit f . As pride and emulation pervaded every 
 order and departrnpnt, diflionourable contefts 
 were provoked, and mutual encroachments of 
 jurii^itStion were attempted. The rights of 
 the inferior orders of .the Miniftry were in- 
 vadisd, the diftind;ions of the higher degrees' 
 
 * The fynods, affembled in tbe feoond and following centu- 
 ties, contributed to raife the pretenfions-of thofe who prefideJ 
 in them. The pattern of the Hebrew priefthood was pleaded 
 in apology for the affumption of exterior fplendour. 
 
 t Imminente Antichrifto, lays Cyprian, Epilt. lix.' 
 
 E ufurped. 
 
so S E R M ON II. 
 
 uiurped, and the independency of feparate 
 Churches fuperfeded or controlled. 
 
 As a defire alft) to eftablilh an afcendency, 
 where no advancement of the Spiritual in- 
 terel^s of .Chrift's kingdom was concerned, 
 unhappily prevailed, the veneration of the 
 people for the Miniftry was abuied. Their 
 legitimate claim to be eonfulted in regula- 
 tions of general int'Creft was overlookedi 
 Their application to their bifliops and? paftors 
 for arbitration in civil difputes ;'and, the cha- 
 ritable inftruftions of the Goipel, were .pro- 
 duced as a juftifi cation for the coercive in- 
 terference of the clergy in fecular concerris *; 
 The offerings cheerfully poured out by a 
 grateful piety were accumulated, and feduced 
 the imagination of thofe who had before glo- 
 ried as being " poor, yet niaking many 
 " richf." The coiiftancy of that fortitude 
 which had been difplayed " in much pati- 
 
 * Ambrofe, Epift.-xxiv. Auguft. Sem. xxjv. in Pfalm 
 cxviii. St. Auftin confidered the Bifhops as virtually bound to 
 the office of arbitration by I Con ch. vi. ver. 4. See Bing- 
 ham's Antiq. b. ji. ch. 7. Eufeb. de Vit. Conft. 1. iv. c. 27. 
 But a foundation was hereby laid for more invidious and hurt- 
 ful pretenfions — for a delegation of the caufe to fubordinate 
 Miniftws — and gradually for the ereftion of temporal, under 
 the title of SpirituarCourts. , 
 
 ■f Cyprian, de Lapiis. 
 
 ** ence 
 
Sf E R MO N 11; 
 
 51 
 
 " encei^nd In' affliAions," began tq, yield, 
 and ihrink frdm ;the fevere trials which pre- 
 vailed ; " to fall away," when " tribulation 
 " arofe * ;" and to profefs the faith only 
 when it flouriflied in the courts of worldly 
 protedlion. Even the Hern integrity, which, 
 had endured persecution and oppreffion, re- 
 laxed in • feafons of fecurity and peace ; and 
 the Difciples'of that Lord to -whom: the 
 kingdorhs of the world, and -the glory of 
 them, had been vainly proffered, gazed with 
 too eager fondnefs on thofe profpedts of ad- 
 vantage which occaflonally brightened in the 
 viciffitudes of the Church, captivating un- 
 worthy members to engage in the facred 
 office. A folicitude to retain ,, th-e venera^ 
 tion, merited by the genuine virtues of Chrif- 
 tian fortitude, excited firuitlefs, exertions and 
 inefFe<5luaI aufterity. Hence undue concef- 
 fions to popular prejudice, and vain imita- 
 tions of Heathen pradlices. Hence, as the 
 Spirit had exprefsly foretold, " a departure 
 
 * In the furious and unrelenting perfecu^pns carried on by 
 DeciusTrajan in the third cemur^r, the Church had firft occafion 
 to lament the apojlacy of fome of its^ members, whofe eager- 
 nefs for readmiiiion to Communion, when fecurity wai reftored, 
 was the caufe of great diffenfions. See the Epiftles of Cy- 
 prian, the venerable advocate for difcipline, and Eufeb. Hift. 
 .£ccle£ lib. vi. cap. 44. 
 
 E 3 " from 
 
S3 S E R 51 d N n. 
 
 "^ from the faith, giving heed to feducing fp*i- 
 -" rits and dodrincs of devils; fpbakirig lies in 
 " hypocrify; forbidding to marry, and cbm- 
 *"'- manding ' to abftain from meats, . which, 
 " bod hath created td be received with 
 " thankfgiviiig of thdtti which believe: and, 
 " know the truth*," boafting its fufpe'fted 
 continehce f arid counterfeit reftraint. 
 , Hence alfo it was that " bodily exercife, 
 " profiting little," and founded on abjed coh- 
 ceptioris of God, was preferred to " (godliwefSt 
 " profita'ble unto all things ;" though having 
 only the fhow of wifdoiSi, as' without humility, 
 and " placing the kingdom of God in meat and 
 " drink :" cohdudling the difciples of hini^ who 
 went about doing good to ttiankind, to afcetic 
 devotion arid folitkry rigor, abd inflaming 
 the zeal which Ihould work hy love, to wafte 
 its vigour in myftic ddnterfiiplation, produdlive 
 
 • I Tihj.- ch. iv. ver. i — 3. See tlie account of Tatiah 
 in Molheim, cent. ii. p. 2. •§ 9. & Clem. Alex. Strom. 
 lib. iii. ' 
 
 f See the account pf the ervnumKm, of a vicious and feduft- ' 
 ive cuftom adopted from the Heathen philbfophers, "and firft 
 introduced into the Church of Antioch, by Paul of Samofata, 
 iiLthe third century. The cuftom miift have extenfively pre- 
 vailed, as it is condemned by Cyprian, Bafil, Chryfoftdni', and 
 Jerom, and the Councils of Antioch, Ancyra, and NiCft Sec 
 Dodwell's Differti Cyrian. iij. ■ ~ ' 
 
 of 
 
SERMON 11. 53 
 
 ofi fpletietic pride \* and extravagant foUips. 
 1^h&' arts of woddly contrivance were em- 
 ployed- to rerider Ghriftianity liubfervient to 
 hmtiatvpioje^s ; and whatever would tehd lo 
 %engthen and extend its influence was incor- 
 jlorateA with it, in accommodation to the pre- 
 vailing poffions and prejudices of mankind. 
 The ertors of excqffiVe devotion, the fplendid 
 uites and dmpoiing ceremonies of .Paganifm, 
 werq: countenanced by an indulgent policy -f*. 
 The frauds of the .Heathen priefthood were 
 revived, and the follies of the Gentile philo- 
 fophy allowed to adulterate the tranflations 
 of the Scriptures, and the commentaries on 
 infpired wifdom. ' 
 
 In the ulurpation of the Papal power, 
 gradually ere6l6d in that city, vvhich was 
 deftined " a fecond time to rule over the 
 
 * Paiil, who . fet the example of retirement to the Chrifti- 
 ans, ty'flyiHg from the perfecution of Deicius, had probably 
 imbibed the fantaftic principles of the myftic theology. He 
 •fiveflinthedefarts of Thebais, in a manner cohfiftent with tl»e 
 notions of the Eaftern hermits. The melancholy fpirit of fefclu- 
 fibW ihti^e^fed cotffiderabljr in the fourth century, under the in- 
 'iii;a(Sidns of Woilyiius the Areopagite, ahd laid the foundation 
 '^f mpckery, the difcipline of which was regulated by An- 
 thony." "Bingham's Chriftian Antiq. b. vii. 
 
 flncenfe was introduced into fome Churches in the third 
 ifentu^'y. , See, Beveridge ad Canon. Apoil. p- 461. See alfq 
 .Auguft,.Epift. 119. 
 
 E 3 nations 
 
54 S E R M O N II, 
 
 nations of the earth .*, we" behold a poir-. 
 traiture of thejcorruption which almoft; every 
 where debafed and disfigured the Chriftian] 
 world. ' The veneration' due to a rChurch; 
 claiming the - dignity : of being founded; by. 
 diftingdlhfed' Apoftles at the ceritralj feat; 
 of empire, iand in the firft ages cjelebrated- 
 for eipeciah purity of- faith f , led) other couri- 
 tries to receive,, as of. facred' inftitutiort^ 
 tht)fedo^ineS; which were contrived only to 
 confpire with views of worldly, aggrandife- 
 menti and which, when found to be piro- 
 
 , , du<^iivfe 
 
 * Pegafeus Tibi, ,,, j, 
 
 Tpmo, volaturufque late 
 ' Regnafuper'populofque currus. i ' .' i 
 
 Cafimir, Ode iii. jui Urban. Vni, 
 
 TThis is infufficierrt. - 
 
 Magniifque late diceris arbiter ' 
 
 Coelumque, Terrafque, et Maria, et Styga, 
 Amnemque Cocyti feverum, et 
 
 Elyiiam col^ibereLethen.. ,, SecOdc x. 
 
 It would have been well if. the flattery had been confined to 
 poetry. ;; .;, ,„, .,;,._. 
 
 , t Irenaeus, who, oppofed the arrogant alTunjptions of ViQor, 
 in the difpute about the cel^ibratipn of Eafter, with great pru- 
 dence and moderation, mentionsthe Church of Rome as a very 
 great and ancient Church, which preferved, in common with 
 other Churches governed by the Biihops, in iucceilion from th? 
 Apoftles, the genuine and unfufpe£ted traditions .and ifaith 
 which, the Apoftles delivered ; and maintains that the fincerity 
 pf doftrine might be decided by an appeal to that Church ; 
 'which was allowed to have preferved it uncorrupt, arid which", 
 pn account of its eminent and principal dignity, had the right 
 
 to 
 
SERMON IL 55 
 
 dudlive of prefent advantage, were retained, 
 even by thofe Ghunches which refifted.the 
 pretenfions of Romcj and rejeded the fiipre* 
 macy which it endeavoured to lifurp*.. 
 
 When the Imperial throne was removed 
 by Conftahtine to aHiiftanticapital, the am- 
 /bition of the BifliOps of the new metropolis 
 was fiipported by the partial favour of the 
 Emperor and his iucceflbrs; and as titlesj 
 riches, and privileges were laviflied: with of? 
 tentatious- profufion on the rivals of the Ro- 
 man Pontiffs, the -incentives t'o.jealoufy and 
 diffenfion were multiplied. . The emiilation 
 which flamed with increafing violence be- 
 tween the contending Churches, involved 
 every dependent intereft in the.di^raeeful 
 ftruggle. Raifed above the Churches of the 
 ■\- ■■ • , ■ 
 
 to be confulted. By this |he does not concede ;iany pre-emi- 
 nence of jurifdifdon to the Romifh Church, 'but urges its au- 
 thority again'ft heretics, as eminent and «nqueftionable. Cont. 
 Hasr. 1. iii. c. 3. When claims of ' fuperiority ouer other 
 •Churches, as to decifion and authority, were afterwards fet up, 
 Cyprian arid other Eifhops indignantly rejefted,Ltheni j and 
 the African ChUl-ches pronounced excomm'unicatibn' againft 
 all who fliould appeal to foreign Churches;. ' Cyprian. Epift. 
 Iv. & Praefat; in Concil. Carthag. & da Simplic. Praelaf. 
 Hieron. Epift. ad Evag. The Church of Rome attempted to 
 ground its pretenfions on a fufpefted Canon of tlie Council of 
 Sardis, and on forged decrees of later Councils. Appealswere 
 not allowed by the Councils of Nice or Conftantinople. 
 • * Stillingfleer, Orig. Britan. 226. St. Peter's fucceffor, like 
 the Apoftle, firft cbnfelTed, and afterwards denied Chrift. . 4 
 
 ',','■ E4 £aft. 
 
S6 SERMON ir. 
 
 Eaft *, the Biftiops of Goitftantiinople, while 
 they rejeded the affiimptions of the Paftors 
 of the antidnt capital, were -accvifed of aiming 
 themfelves. at the univerfal fupreihacy of the 
 Church. The conteft, thottgh it implicated 
 trivial ftibjex5ts; of ' difpute, excited rib diffefr 
 ence of fentimeiit on effentikl errors* but 
 ferved only to difgrace the caufe of religion, 
 till it terminated in fchifm. 'arid mutual ex- 
 communication -f". \ 
 
 ' The ftrongeft illuftration, hbwever, of the 
 fatal efFefts which have refulted from a dif- 
 regard to the charadler" 6f Ghrill's kingdom, 
 and to which, in connedtion with our fub- 
 
 * In the Council of Conftantinople, A. D. 381, the Biflibp 
 of that city, Jjy. authority of Theod&fius thfe Gj-eat, was placed 
 in the firft rank after the Bilhop of Rome, to the prejudice of 
 the claims of Antioch and Alexandria. The fucceffors of Nec- 
 tarius availed ■ 'themfelves of the " diftinflion, to extend their 
 power. The Council of Chalcedon' in 45 1 alSgned the fame 
 privileges to the Bifhop of Conftantinpple, as, the Council of 
 Nice had appointed to ithati of Rome. See Can. 28. The 
 Biftiops: of Conftantinople had been- allowed the title of Uni- 
 verfal Bifhop, by Leo and Juftinian, without affuming there- 
 from much accelfion of' power. In the 6th century Gregory 
 the Great took much umbrage at the title, and vigoroufly op- 
 po&d it, as designed to eflablifti a rial and antichriftian' claim. 
 See Moflieim, cent, vi.' p. ii. ch. 2. 
 
 f .See the account of the conteft concerning Photius in the 
 ninth century, and of that between Cerularius and Leo IX. in ' 
 the eleventh century, which produced a final breach of com- 
 munion ; and in which a pretended zeal for religion, in trivial 
 points, was made a pretext for ambitious diiTenfion. 
 
 jed. 
 
S E IR M O N JI. 
 
 57 
 
 jedl, we cannot but- allude, was exhibited 
 aftshr r.'the . inv^fliitiire of ;the Roman Pontiff 
 with thts' -majefty- of a 'ten^poral pirince, 
 *pvheri "he received from the dragon his 
 "power, and fliis feat, and great 'lautho- 
 " rity * ;" then it iwas that every ambitious 
 paflSon was iinflam:ed, and the Tempter .wor- 
 shipped for the glory of thbfe kingdoms 
 which he difplayed. The defire of enlarging 
 the territory, and of irtcreafing the political 
 influence of the Popes, led them to interfere 
 with every . government, and to intermingle 
 their defl*U(ftive principles, till they Idofened 
 and moulded its frame in accommodation to 
 their interefls. As their portentous ihade 
 extended, they erected in almoft every land 
 an hierarchy, often independent of the civii 
 
 * Rev. ch, xiii. ver. z. Pepin compelled Alftulphas to 
 refign'to the fee of Rom^ the exarchate of Ravenna and Pen- 
 tapolis, and other, territories, and reinforced the ceffioo; the fol- 
 lowing year. Charlemagne, and the partial ^efpeft. of Ma- 
 thilda, da^ghtel' of Boniface, Duke iof TaTcany, to Gregory ' 
 VII. added confiderable grants to the papal daminion, which 
 was at firft held as akiiid ofieudal -tenure, in fabje£lion: to the 
 Emperor, who nominated or confirn^ed the eleflion : of the 
 Pope. Innocent III, poiTeiTed the- whole territory from the 
 Adriatic to Oftia. The Spiritual jurifdidlion, as Gibbon has 
 obferved, was extended from the coaft of the Baltic to the 
 ihores pf the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 authority. 
 
55 SJfc R M Q N IL 
 
 arathority *,. endowed with regal.grants and 
 titles -f", claiming injurious privileges and dan- 
 gerous exemptions J ;' ftrengthening the ar- 
 bitrajry powers under which it flourillled, and 
 domineering with haughty infolence over the 
 princes whom it governed. 
 
 Confident in the fkrong dominion which they 
 
 hadeftabliftied, the afpiring pontiffs afFefted, as 
 
 occafion ferved, with inlperious tones and 
 
 forged pretenfions §, the fupreme diredion- of 
 
 .,,,/'. an 
 
 ; • Tli^t Priefts were fo be honoured, aod.not judged by Sk)" 
 Vereigns — that a cuftom contrary to ^ decree of ,the Pope, was 
 void! — that'a clet<kwa;s not to-be ftifed -in a temporal coart, 
 under pain, of ans^th^nia to the plaintiff, and of.excotnnvuhica- 
 tion to the'judge, were maxims of the Canon law. See Can. .• 
 5i5. Concil. Laterals. Reeve's Hift.JDfEiiglifli Law, -Vol. I. 
 ch. ii. 
 
 f The public^grants, or regalia of "territory with which fu- 
 perftitious princes and fovereign ftates, who in tumultuous times 
 wifhed to avail thcmfelves of the Clergy; Invefted ecclefiaftical 
 perfons, and which conveyed temporal titles and royalties, 
 were particularly irtjuriousto their tharadlcr; converting them 
 into fecular princes, and leading them to engage in military 
 operations and political intrigues. Thefe mifchievous grants 
 took place particularly in the 8th century, under the partial 
 countenance of Pepin. 
 
 X The claim' of exemption from the civil jurifdiftion ha;s 
 been maintained by the Romifh Clergy, in remarkable in- 
 ftances, within very recent periods. It is well known that, in 
 order to punifli the Jefuit Malagrida, in Portnigal for his 
 crimes, it was thought neceffary to convift him by the Inqui- ■ 
 fition, not for tr6afon, but herefy, upon fope frivolous charge. 
 
 §. See the account of the decretals and other forgeries in 
 Mich. Geddes's Differt. de Canon. Sardicenf. in Milpellan. 
 
 Traft. 
 
S E R M O N II. 59 
 
 a^ univei^l fovereignty*; maintained not only 
 by,the,<influence of fuperftition and perverted 
 literature -j-, which chained the deluded na- 
 tions, in their bondage ; but by a peculiar ju- 
 rifprudenqe J, uniting -with, and controlling 
 the municipal laws of the' independent king- 
 doms, which they ruled, as fiefs as it were of 
 the papal fee; which they harafled with vex- 
 atious and inquifitorial courts ; and governed 
 hy infidious agents, united in general difper- 
 fion by the ftrongeft ties, and bounden by 
 
 Tra£l. torn. ii. p. 41;. &'Mbflieim. ceiit; 9. p. 2. ^ 2. Mu- 
 j-ator. Droit de St. Empire fur rEtat.Ecclef. Ba^on. Ajuial> 
 865. § S. _ ' 
 
 -.!* That an univerfal and abfoliite power over temporal as 
 well as fpiritBal concerns, Jiath been claimed by diyers Popes, 
 fucceffively for many ages, in folemn declarations and notori- 
 oas praftices iiever formerly difclaimed, is.fullyihefen by Bar- 
 j-o^, in. his treatife on the Pope's Supremacy, ^rjt-^js neceffary 
 occafionally to review thefe teftimonics, as 111!;/ ~have ' beea 
 sverlooked in feme recent rep'refentations of, .tije ftjpe, . 
 
 f The Popes feized every channel of literature. In tbi four- 
 teenth century they had adopted moft of the extravagancies oi 
 philofophy, and employed its volumes in fubferviency to their 
 deiigns ; prohibiting all books which they did not approve. 
 Cardinal Pallayachini once remarked, Senza Ariftotele noi 
 mancavaremo molti articoli da iede. 
 
 X The civil law* written' in a language underftoqd by few 
 but the Clergy, was fubfervient to the fupport of the undefined 
 pretenfions of the ecclefiaftical power ; and when the fpiritual 
 were feparated entirely ftom the temporal courts, juftice was 
 flagrantly violated. The civil and canon law gradually in- 
 terwove their decrees with the common law, and coloured it to 
 9 refemblance of their charadler, 
 
 ; : -' - oaths 
 
6p S E R M iO N II. 
 
 oaiths -of fealty .to thsiir 'ferivix^e ^ ; extending, 
 their foreign influence as their domeftic go- 
 vernment 'jhecame wr-etohed and: defpifed; 
 draining wi{th infatiabie atfarice from every 
 country, revenues to feed -the corruption and 
 inftigate the yiolence of Cheir perfeciiting an3 
 fanguinary Minifters ; and. {»oclaim'ing with 
 final extravagance an authority fuperiqr to 
 that of the infpired writings, of which the 
 facred volume was clofed, and concealed 
 from an unhappy Church •\-. ■. 
 
 The proud waves of this uncontrolled am- 
 bition, which daflied againft -every fliore, ex- 
 tended with p'eculiar violence to this coun- 
 try ; undermining its monuments of civil li- 
 berty,, and defacing its moft facred rights. 
 Treated as a ;Roman province, as the patri- 
 mony of th& Church, its fovereigns had beeii 
 ^degraded' and trampled on J ; its legiflaturel 
 
 * Gregory VII. ; Urban II. and Pafchal II. required an 
 -oath of exclufive allegiance, deftrudlive of fidelity, to princes. 
 See alfo Pontiff. Roman, in Confec. Epifc. 
 
 f The ufe of the Scriptures was interdided by the Lateraii,] 
 Council under Innocent III! a prohibition enforced by fucceed* 
 ing Popes. 
 
 J- See John's oath of homage to Innocent III. CoUyer's 
 Colleft. of Records, Vol. I. 
 
 overawed ; 
 
J ER^ O N II. 6i 
 
 WeraWefl * ; its valaaibie preferment fore- 
 ftall^ii- arid poffeired''by foreigner!, and the 
 ■ivhMfe natioii oppfeiTed by the vexatious ty- 
 rariiiy-bf a jtirifdi<Sion contending for ittde- 
 peflderifey of civil 'cohtrol f, and fubjedling 
 thd ■\^ht)le difeipline and doftrine of thfe 
 Chtitch to profit. 
 
 By vvhatever motives Henry was excited 
 to throw "off the Papal fupremacy, it was a 
 Tifea&re which removed at once the compli- 
 cated cauies of'thofe evils which have been 
 ^dtefcribed, as t6 theii: operation in this coun- 
 try. It effefted by one bold exertion what 
 the predecefTors of the king had often la- 
 boured to eftablilh, a diftinftion between the 
 
 * Till, the time of Ricliard II. the ArchWfliops were em- 
 ^ powered by Bulls, froin Rome to aflefnTjle their Clergy without 
 permiflion of the king, and to pafs canons and coriftitutions, 
 .binding with the king's fanftion. Statute of Prehjunire, 
 ^.H, 1593. "the fuppreffion of the Knights Templars, and 
 the affignment of tKeir land to the Knights Hdfpitallers, now 
 Knights of Malta, confirined by ftatiite of provifion in 1531, 
 and the Legantine "Court of vVoIfey, exhibit 'farther proofs of 
 the Pope's alTumption of temporal pdvijer in England; and the 
 pecuniary exaftidns were'vexatious and exceflive. 
 
 f William the Conqueror authorifed a diflblution of the 
 joint jiirifdiAion of the Bilhopsand Sheriffs, and the feparate 
 .ellabliflimeiit of the (pirltual courts for the exclufive trial of 
 ^iritualcaufes. The Canon law ,_ which the Bifhpps ufed, fooh 
 Embraced more temporal concerns In this country than in any 
 'other; as teftamentary, caufes, tithes, inteftacies, civil con- 
 'ti-aAs, &c. SeeBlackffone.and Reeves's Hill, of Englifli 
 Law. 
 
 fpiritual 
 
€z S E R M 'N • II. 
 
 Spiritual and temporal powers*; and releafed 
 the kingdom from an iron yoke of grievous 
 impofition, under which it had long groaned 
 with impatience and reluftant indignation. 
 
 The beneficial efFedls which refulted from 
 the rejection of this xifurpation, may be il- 
 luftrated in three principal points of view. 
 In the firft, as it precluded all intercourfe of 
 foreign power, and all contefts. of fpiritual 
 pre-eminence with other countries, by al^ 
 ferting the independency of every Church as 
 to the regulation of its internal difcipline. In. 
 
 * Bramhall's juft Vindication of the Church of Englarii, 
 Alfred, who, as well as other Saxon kings, had oppofed the 
 affumptions of the Papal power, with^ood for fix years the 
 Pope's endeavour to reftore Wilfride, Archbiftiop of York, and 
 told the? Pope's Nuncios, that he " honoured them as his pa- 
 " rents, for their grave lives and venerable afpefts ; but that 
 " he would not give any afferit to their legation; becaufe it was 
 " againft' reafon that a perfon once condemned by the whole 
 " Englifti council fliould be reftored upon the Pope's letter ;" 
 and the Archbifhop was not reinftated till he quitted the mo- 
 nafteries of Hengefthill, Dean, and Ripon. •• Fxdelitateih fa.ckre 
 nolui nee volp," faid William the Conqueror. William II. 
 maintained his right of the inveftiture of the Bifhops, and for- 
 bad all appeals to, or intercourfe with, Rome. Henry the Firft 
 and Second, John, and other princes, contefted, and often felt 
 the weight of the Papal power. Edward the Firft- particularly 
 availed himfelf of the Avignon fchifm, to deprefs the ufurpa. ' 
 tion. Some of thefe princes appear to have difputed the fpi-! 
 ritual, as well as temporal pretentions of the Popes, artfully 
 and fuccefsfully maintained ai they were. See Matthew Paris, 
 Hift. Mag. p. 82, 83, 101, 104. and Wilkins's Concil. Mag. 
 Brit. t. i. p. 454, 
 
 the 
 
S E R M O N II. 6^ 
 
 the fecond, as it re-eftafolilhed the Church of 
 Chrlft, as exiiling in this country, on the ba- 
 ils of a fpiritual kingdom, liibjeift in civil con- 
 cerna: to the civil power. In the third, as it 
 reftored the Miniftry to the legitimate obje<fl 
 of their profeflion ; the eilablifliment of 
 truth. 
 
 ■ The evils difpiayed in curfory defcriptiion 
 in the 'preceding part of this difcotirfe, as the 
 fatal Gonfequences of thofe ambitious contefbs 
 of fupeiriority which gradually changed th« 
 chara<5ter of Chrift's kingdom, exhibit but aa 
 imperfed; fltetch of the disgraceful circum- 
 ftances which the fiicceffive fcenes of hifi:®ry 
 diiclpfc; By nothing could th^ be fo di- 
 feifhially counteraifted, as by the adoption of 
 ' the imp9rt:aht principle of the independeiicy 
 of every Church in its national charadser ; as 
 fubjed; to no fpiritual head but Chrift; as 
 conceding no fiaperiority, and claiming no 
 pre-eminence of jurifdi(3;ion ; as authqrifed to 
 frame its own laws, and to regulate its owa 
 governmerit. This principle it is, which, while 
 at tends to reduce the <iifierent affemblies of 
 Chrift's Difciple? to the level of that equality 
 which He eflablilhed, excludes all emulation 
 but that of fidelity to his fervice, and difclaim$ 
 ;every idea of mutual animofity and perlJbcu- 
 
64 SERMON. JI. 
 
 tion ,*;; whiehj, while it acknowledges no paf- 
 tor of an univerfal Church, lir»ii'led to mortal 
 exertions, fubmits the prefervation of the pU" 
 rity of the individual eftabhfhment to the 
 vigilance of its immediate guardians, refpotj- 
 fible. for the integrity of the faith, the'com^' 
 mon pledge committed to the cuftody of all, 
 only to Chpft and his univerfal Church, and 
 reftrifted in the regulation of the exterior re- 
 gimen of the fociety only by orders of neceifary 
 inftitution, and confiderations of local expedi- 
 ency ; which, while it recedes merely from 8 
 nominal centre, prei^rves its appointed orbit, 
 violating no connexion of Catholic union, 
 deraogiog no fyftem of general harmony. 
 
 This important principle, grounded on the- 
 effential charafter of a :(piritual kiagdom., 
 and confecrated by the fan<Stion' of the 
 Apoftles and firft ages *, was the foundation 
 laid by our Reformers, to ^uthorife thofe 
 changes by which they fought to rjeftore-the 
 image and decayed chsrai6fcei: of the Primir 
 tive Church. In the language of early and 
 unadulterated truth they declared, that " sM 
 *' the Apoftles were equal, and all the Bi"' 
 " Ihops were alfo eqjjai^ fmce the whol? 
 
 ■* -Colli Nic. Can. vi. Concil. Coaft, c.'^; '" 
 
 " office 
 
*.*i je^^i^, ^rid ^pif^x3|>at.e .Was one en^jir^ thing; 
 " of^ wjikh evety) >Bi3feo,p had a- complete and 
 *'f;§qi^l fliare *." , Anxious tp; (Exhibit in t|it& 
 ^^e^ep^y of.ikxit renewed Church a, "e5H.7 
 fcrfmi^y to the ipiifi^ mpdel, they witiidr^w 
 not: from^ th& ;0ffgi^al platform of the Ca** 
 thoUcffaith/ibut-rfsom th,e -iiinov9tions of 
 nao4<ffli ' -<|oiTjijpti0n4 Cordial . to maintain 
 t^^ ^pw^ip of general fan^ity, :they pre^ 
 ii^ei^, not to r^refent the light of falva- 
 t^on 1 as . Ibeamiia^^ only within the Jreft^^ed 
 Hjnjffe§i-,€if a ©aliioniai ; e^abiiiHpGient, but- conr 
 fi^er-ed. sU who \vefe united by " .one bap- 
 '.'-ti-fia" to " one.;fai!th>" as eoiiMnoJi Difci- 
 gles'iof. " ofte IvOi^dj" ■ eoRiiiion members of 
 one Church f. :,, . 
 
 This principle, however, when ^adopted in 
 ifs moft extenfijv"e,,(feBfei! did notr;giye any 
 couijt-enance to , uftneceflary revolutions or 
 djy^Qi^, ; fmce, though it admitted th© 
 rig4i.t;,of every -community ; to withdraw 
 frpm "^efleij.tial ; and r/f^P^wienta;! corrup- 
 tjpfls, and to ^ft^Mlfli and regulate its own 
 ^qclefmMc^ djifcspliiie, it iuir»ifftied no apo-, 
 
 * Cyprian, de Unitate. Burnet, Vol.1, b. ii. fol. 138. 
 Collyer's Collea. of RecpnJs, YoJ. II. fol. ,18.^, , - - 
 
 f Nowell's Catediifm, p. 96. A£ts, ch, x. ver. 34., 351 
 Gal. ch. vi. ver. 15, 16. Ephef. ch. jv. ,ver. 5. Col. ch. iii. 
 ver. II, 12. Matt. ch. xxviiL ver. 19. 
 
 y F logy 
 
66, SERMON II. 
 
 logy for caufelefs feparation or wanton dxC- 
 turbance of geheral coiUlitutibnS : it did not 
 let up the individual congrega,tion in op- 
 pdfition to the Catholic Chtirch, nor eredl 
 private judgment as commenlfiirate to the 
 deliberate defiifion of thfc Spiritual authority, 
 Gonfecrated on the ground of religious li- 
 berty, it became the bsfis of toleratibH,' 
 and produced immediate effects in the in- 
 dlalgence conceded to congregatiohs of fo- 
 reigners in this country* ; though indeed a 
 farther extenfion of its import was neceflary 
 to embrace the rights of the individual fub- 
 jeft to the enjoyment' of an unfettered con- 
 fcience, and to that uncontrolled freedom of 
 worlhip which is now allowed. ■ \ 
 '- The retrOfpeft of the corruptidns of the 
 Romifli Church which has- been made, may- 
 ferve alfo to iiluftrate the important advan-' 
 tages which could not but refult from fiib- 
 jeftihg to latwful. control a powerful and am- 
 bitiotis clergy, who, fkrelened under formi- 
 dable protection, and claiming exemption* 
 from civil courts "f*, had been tempted to the 
 
 indulgence 
 
 * As that &f John A-lafco, and the> French and Walloon 
 Churches. See Biirnet and Clarendon's Hift. vol. ii. p. 1 74, 
 
 f An oath was impofed ori Stephen,, that ecdefiaftical per- 
 fons and caufes ihould be fubjeft only to the jurifdiAion of the 
 
 bifliop. 
 
S E R M ON II. 6^ 
 
 indulgence of every vicious paffion ; -whofe 
 jurifdidlion, nearly paramount to the legifla- 
 tive dominion of the country, had exercifed a 
 tyranny of the moft ofFenfxve- and dangerous 
 charadler. 
 
 From the firft meafures of Henry, which 
 cut away the root of the Papal ufurpation, 
 every branch of the independent power of 
 the Clergy foon withered and decayed. Their 
 coercive authority, juflly confidered as of hu- 
 man appointment, was reftrained, by quali- 
 fications judged expedient by the State *-; and 
 
 biflu^. Slaclcftone, b. iii. ch. 8. Henry I, forbad any 
 clerk to attend in temporal courts. In fucceeding leigni 
 there were many contefts on this point. King John, after the 
 conftitutions of Clarendon had paffed, conceded to the Clergy 
 that no clerk Ihould for the future be brought perfonally before 
 any fecular judge for any crime or tranfgreflion, except for of- 
 fences agai-nft the fore(l,laws ; or in the cafe of a lay fee, for 
 which fervice was due to the king, or fome other fecular jjer- 
 fon. See Reeves's Hift. of Englifti Law, vol. i. p. 179. Ed- 
 ward IV. confirmed the exemptions from arrcfl in criminal 
 caufes and penalties of premunire. Collyer,'Vol. I. 52. Places 
 ,of worfliip were confidered as fanftuaries from the Saxon times, 
 , by, -a privilege ufeful in turbulent and vindictive ages, but 
 dreadfully pernicious in later periods. Many abbeys were, by 
 ufurpation or conceffion, exempted from all jurifdi(fUon of Pop; 
 or King. 
 
 • 25 Henry VIII. c. 14. Burnet, Vol. I. b. ii. fol. 147. 
 CoUyer, Vol. II. p. ii. b. ii. fol. 83. The power which the 
 Clergy derived from the confent of their congregations before 
 they were prote£led by the State, may be confidered under 
 Chriftian governments as a derivalion from the State. The State 
 ihould indeed then be regarded not in pppofition to the Church, 
 but as conftituting a part of it: — as the Laity of the Church. 
 
 ^ 2, their 
 
68 S E R MO N fll. 
 
 their jurifditftion, as .far as it was derived 
 from civil delegation, was regulated in due 
 fubferviency to civil intetefts *- The Church 
 became as ^ the Hebrew Church f : under 
 the kingly government ; and the Chriftiftn 
 Church Jc in the earlier ages, as to its ex- 
 ternal direftion, and temporal privileges and 
 immunities, iiibjeft to a civil head, and con- 
 trolable by the civil legiflature. 
 '-• If in the reparation from the Papal fupre- 
 macy the line of difcrimination between the 
 fpiritual and temporal powers was inaccu- 
 rately drawn § ; if, in furrendering the com- 
 plicated 
 
 * In the preamble to 25t/h Of Henry VIH., c. 21. Parlia- 
 ment is faid to have' authority to abrogate, null, amplify, oi* 
 difpenfe with all human laws of this realm. The King is head 
 of the Church only as the reprefentative of the Supreme Powef 
 of the ftate. His power as fuch muft be fanftiQne4 by Parlia- 
 ment ; and laws paffed under his authority in convocation, are 
 not fuppofed to be binding on the Laity till confirmed by Par- 
 liament. See Strange's Reports, ■ 
 
 f I Sam. ch. xv. ver. 17. -i Kings, ch. ii. ver. 26, 27, 
 3;. 1 Chron. ch. xxiii. ver. 6. ch. xxiv. ver. 3. ch, xxviiii 
 ver. 21. 2 Chron. ch. vii. ver. 8, 9. ch. viii. ver. 14:, 1*5. 
 ch, xxiv. ver. 5—9. CoUyer's Ecclef. Hift. Vol. II, p. ii. b. ii. 
 
 X Matt. ch. xvii. ver. 22. Rom. ch.' xiii. ver. 7, i Peter, 
 ch. ii. ver. 13. After the eftablifliment'of Chriftianity under 
 the temporal protection,' the Emperors paffed ecclefiaftical laws, 
 and fummoned councils. The Kings of England had generally 
 confidered the civil fopremacy as their right, as could be fliewn 
 from the time of Lucius. _ • 
 
 § The fpiritual rights of the Clergy would probably never 
 have been affeSe^, had they not been blended with the afTump- ' 
 
 tion 
 
SERMON ir. 6g 
 
 plicated and entahgled claims, ititerwoven 
 by long prefcription with the fpiritual au- 
 thority, fome undue conceffions were made 
 to imperious invafion *, and fome rights 
 
 incautioufly 
 
 tion of temporal power, ; Henry *s tyrannical temper could not 
 brook, the idea of any authority but his own. He was embar- 
 rafled, and wifhed to evade tRe force of Afts, ch. xx. ver. 28. 
 Heb. ch. xiii. ver. 1 7.- and his jealoufy of the former pretenfions 
 of "the Clergy led him to,decIarations injurious to, their fpiritual 
 rights. He affirmed inhis-Letter to the Convocation what was 
 not.ftrifl;ly true, that he claimed nothing more l^y thefupremacy 
 than what Chriftian kings in primitive times affumed in their own 
 domiiiions. The Clergy, who in 1530 fjrft reliiftantly conceded 
 the fupremacy to the king, did it with referve, and as far as 
 might confift with the laws of Chrift ; and 26th of Henry VIII; 
 c. I. was made with reference to this declaration, which was 
 followed by many others in the fame'ftrain. See Declar. on the 
 Funftions and Divine Inftitut. of Bifhops ; Burnet's Adden. 
 fol., I. p. 32,1 ;and PIcwden's Church and State, b. iii, ch. 6^ 
 The fucceffors of.Iienry fhrunlc from this claim, tliough they 
 fometimes affumed j^due powers ; and it was gradually per- 
 ceived that they might decline the fpiritual without injury to 
 the temporal authority.. See Preamble to 25th Henry VIII. 
 c. 21 ; Injunftions of Elizabeth, 37th Article, &c. 
 
 * The 25th of Henry VIII. c. 9. which' gave to commif- 
 fiotiers, appointed by ths king, a power of abrogating Canonf, 
 and which allovved appeals to the king in. court of delegates, 
 feems to affeil the fpiritual rights of the' Clergy-, but was pro- 
 bably deligned to give to the king a cognizance only of civil 
 matters ; " fuch as alEefled his prerogative, or the laws of the 
 " realm." One of the laws o.f the Reformatio Legum' Ecclefi- , 
 afticarum, eftabliflied in virtue of this a£t, certainly tranfgrefres 
 the line, when it afferts that alf jurifdiiftiqn, ecclefiaftical as 
 well as fecular, is derived from the king, as the only fountain. 
 Many ftatutes, and'the firft oaths of fupremacy, hold the fame 
 loofe language ; giving all manper of fpiritual andecclefiafti- 
 cal authority to the king, and taking it from the Eilhops; exi 
 cept as it e.xills by delegation from, and dependency on him. 
 ,F 3 See 
 
70 S E R M O N II. 
 
 incautioufly or bafcly relinqulftied *, they 
 were fteadily reclaimed, and finally reco- 
 vered. The Church, in the ultimate and 
 permanent defcription of its charadler, was 
 countenanced in the polTeffion of its legi- 
 timate powers; but was underftood, in its 
 juft definition, to be a congregation com- 
 pofed of Laity as well as Clergy. 
 
 The fpiritual privileges of its duly ap- 
 
 See 26th Hen. VJII. c. i. 31ft Hen. VIII. c. 17. 37th Hen. 
 VIII. c. 17. ift Edw. VI. c. 2. iftEliz. c. 1. i ft James 
 I. c. 25. 13th Car. II. c. 12. The 25th of Henry VIII. 
 c. zo. gave alfo too much to the civil power, when it com- 
 pelled the Bilhops, under the penalty of premunire, to confe- 
 crate perfons nominated or elected to a bifhopric. But how-, 
 ever exceptionable the terms of thefe flatutes, it does not ap- 
 pear that any deliberate intention exifted, or was underftood to 
 exift in the legiflatur'e, to authorife any invafion of the purely 
 fpiritual authority of the Biftiops. 
 
 * The fnrrender of the biftioprics in the reign of Edward 
 VI. was certainly a moft unworthy conceftion ; and the com- 
 milTion taken out by Cranmer, Bonner, and others (whoeVjCr fet 
 the example], which admitted the derivation of all jurifdiftion, 
 both ecclefiaflical and civil, from the king, to be exercifed at 
 his precarious pleafure, have been juftly Aigmatized, notwith- ■ 
 ftanding the tardy admifTion of other things of divine right. 
 Cranmer's Eraftian fentiments, however, were icon relinr 
 quiftied ; and it was well underftood in ^Elizabeth's reign, if 
 ^not before, that the epifcopal charafter was not derived from, 
 or alienable by, the civil po)ver ; for when Parker was confe- 
 crated Archbiihop, upon a queftion of the competendy of the 
 Biftiops to confecrate, as they had been legally deprived in the 
 late reign, it was dcterinined that, as they had been once con- 
 fccrated, the epifcopal charafter remained, and they might con- 
 vey it. See Ncal, Vol, I. c. 4. 
 
 pointed 
 
S E R M O N II. yi 
 
 pointed rulers were reverenced *. Their mi- 
 nifterial functions, their appropriate powers 
 of ordaining, inftituting, confirming, confe- 
 crating, and conferring of fpiritual authority, 
 though transferred from the Pope to the 
 Bilhops, and ordinaries f, the rightful claim- 
 ants of it, were fully acknowledged. Their 
 jurii<ii<flion, purely fpiritual, was preferved 
 uninjured J, though their ecclefiaftical jurif- 
 di<Jtion, affc(3;ing civil interefts, was to be ex- 
 
 • Mr. Plowden, after a full inveftigation of the fubjeft, has 
 pbferved, that, if we take the ^ole pf the circumftances under 
 our confideration, and examine attentively and impartially the 
 laws rei^eOing this fubjefl, we fhall find that they are empha- 
 tically grounded on the principle that the fource of the fpiritual 
 jurifdidion and Church government is comfitetely out of the 
 competency or power of the civil ihagiftrate. Church and State, 
 b. ii. Cr S' , ' 
 
 t The mixed power of the Pope refolved itfelf into the 
 Church and State. The fpiritual authority, if not in precife 
 defcription, yet in operation, was transferred to the Arch- 
 biihops, Bilhop's, &c. over whom the king has a fuperintend- 
 ant fupremacy of reftraint, and of appeal, in concerns of civil' 
 interelt. Hooker, b. viii. ' 
 
 t See the 25th Henry VIII. c. 1 9. The Clengy, in conformi- 
 ty to a fubmifllon which they had made, are forbidden to af- 
 iemble without the king's writ, or to attempt any thing, when 
 affembled, without the king's licence. The Clergy ^ave cer- 
 tainly a tranfmitted right to exercife a jurifdi£);ion,-inereIy fn»^ 
 ritual, independently of the civil power j but they can have no 
 coa£tive power to enforce their decifioiis, however binding on 
 the confcience, till accepted by the ftate ; and when in alliance 
 with the ftate, they with propriety cpnfent that their ecclefiafti- 
 cal meetings and deliberations fhould be fuggelled and faric- 
 tioned by the civil governor. 
 
 F 4 ^rcifsd 
 
jz SERMON II.. 
 
 ercked, only .in conformity to ftated regiola'* 
 tJoHB ; { with' confent of the civil governor j 
 with deference to the laws^ ftatutes,iand cu^ 
 toms- of the country ; and: was, to bes eatitled 
 ta no coerciiire impofition on: the Laity, till 
 ratified by the acceptance; of jhfi. ftatCi for- 
 mally expreffed by its reprefenta.ti.ves*.. ..:•,:; 
 ■ The ecclefiaftkaL'Canon^^.asithey ha.d;fe8§4 
 framed partly witk the affumption of tetar 
 paral power, were fubje<9ied to. a revifal ; and, 
 as far as they had a civil afpeft, were to reft 
 their validity on the civil ratification ■f*. ; fPhe 
 ecclefia(ftiqaT courts,, reflridted in their cogni- 
 zance and proceedings, infiibordination to a 
 controlling jurifdicSion, as to. concerns of pre- 
 fent intereft, were gradually improved into 
 eftablifhment3 of diftinguifhed equity J. 
 
 ^ ' • Thus 
 
 * Tli^ ' Clergy, though legitimate' Interpreters of Chrift's 
 Willi, have no infallibility ; and the Laiiy mttft judge of the 
 cbnfiftency of their decrees with the revealed law'; ' muft fig- 
 nify their acceptance of them before they can be fubjefted to 
 their temporal eifeft. ' ^ 
 
 f See Z5th Hen. VITI. c. rg. i Eliz. c. i. on which de- 
 Jfettded the authority of the Legatine and F|rovincial Gonflitu- 
 tions. TTie Canons enafteci by the Clergy in the reign of 
 James I. as not confirmed by ParKameht, have been declared 
 to be not obligatory On the Laity, except where they are ex- 
 plana:tory of the ancient Canon law, whatever refpeft they are 
 entitled tofrofli thS Clergy. Blackftone's Introd. 
 
 X By the alterations which took- place at the Reformation j 
 and.fiase, efpecially by. ftatute 13 Car. II. c. 12. the eccleflal^ 
 * tical 
 
SERMON 11. ;^ 
 
 ► Thu* eftimattid, the genuine rights and le- 
 ^tiijjate claifiSJS' of th« Church hme been- 
 foiuiKel- .not only to be compatible with the 
 lighjfcs »R«J authority: of the ftate, but favoiur- 
 aiWe to !the advancement of its higheft in- 
 terefts; The diftintS: ehara^ers of the tv^-o 
 jjijafdi^lions were pi»<Slically marked out *, 
 however - fiace tbejr may have been theoreti- 
 efktty coafbundied. The rqpugsisancies and 
 qlalhing claims of' difcordant powers were 
 Eeocefortb to ceaici If the Hties of their re- 
 ipcftlve operations fliould approach, if would 
 
 titaJ coortsi, which were formerly ftigaiatized for partialitjc and 
 arbitrary proceedings, are tecbpie celebrated Tor moderation 
 and equity. " It muft be.acbfiawledged," fays Sir William 
 Bhfikfioa,^; " ta th? honour of the fpidtual courts, that thougbi 
 '* they continue to' this day to decide many queftions which 
 •• are jafipQil^f of temporal cognizance," yet jMice is in gfene- 
 " ,ra} fo ajbly and impartially j^dipiiniAered in thpfe, tribunals, 
 " elpecially of the fiiperior kind,- and the boundaries of their 
 •' power are now fo well known and eftabtiftied, that no ma- 
 " terial inconveniejice at: grefept arifes from this jurifdiflion 
 " ftill continuing in the afitient 'chaiinel ; and ilipuld an alte- 
 •-* ration be attempted, ^e^ confufion would probably arife 
 " in overturning long eftabliflied forms, and ia new inodd- 
 " iibg i courfe of proceeding^'that has nowprevafled for feveral 
 ".cgntBri^.'/; Blaickftope's Qpm. b. iii. c.;7.. 
 
 • Mr. Plowderi maintains, that the z&s of Parliament in-the- 
 13th and 1 4th centuries, upon the rights and franchifes of the 
 Church of England, exftdly- and forcahly diftinguiftied the true 
 line of demarcation between the fpiritual an4. temporal powers. 
 It is cert^n however that they were very infufiicient barriers 
 againfi the Papal encroachments : and nothing but the final re- - 
 jedtion of the foreign fupremacy could perfedly diffever the 
 two powers. 
 
 be 
 
74 S E R M O N II. 
 
 hi In the concurrence of fimilar defigns ; and 
 the facred wheels of reUgion were to roll on 
 in harmony with thofe of civil government. 
 
 The members of a fpiritual kingdom were 
 now, no more to raife themfelves in the c6n- 
 fidence of impunity, with pretenfions hoftilc 
 to the power by which they were proteded ; 
 or to harrafs and diftraft the fubjefts of their 
 Sovereign with a double fervice, by holding 
 out duties inconliftent with civil allegiance. 
 They were no more to cherifti, with affec- 
 tions alienated by a foreign refidence, any 
 views inconfiftent with the intereft of the 
 country. Detached by no diftant ties, bi- 
 affed by no remote obje<Eb *, they could not 
 but adhere with grateful fidelity to the wel- 
 fare of the flate ; and in the attachment of a 
 confcientious obedience call forth the ener' 
 gies of religion. to invigorate the influence of 
 lawful "government. Limited to the defined 
 eridowments of ancient appointment, here- 
 after to be augmented by no fraudulent arts, 
 they ceafed to provoke envy by exorbitant 
 
 * It is" well known how much the ambitious views of Wol- 
 fey influenced Henry and his kingdom, and how injurioufly to 
 their interefts an artful favourite led his fovereign to form or to 
 break conneflions, to d^eclare for war or peace, as the projeds 
 for the Popedom varied. 
 
 wesdth^ 
 
SERMON II. 
 
 7S 
 
 wealth, or to excite jealoufy by unreafbnablc 
 power. 
 
 The laft advantage which is ftated to have 
 refulted to fociety from the rejedtion of the 
 Papal control, was the reftoration of the Mi- 
 niftry to the legitimate objedl of its profef- 
 fion — the eftablilhment of truth. The ap- 
 pointed advocates of divine wifdom, when 
 not overawed by a pretended infallibility, 
 ventured to remove that veil which had con- 
 cealed the deformity of error. Liberated 
 from the fervice of an earthly mailer, they 
 were left to obey the inflruftions of their 
 heavenly Lord. Releafed from iubjed:ion to 
 the bondage impofed by accumulated tradi- 
 tions, and the erroneous decfees of human 
 policy, they were encouraged to inveftigate 
 truth only at its facred fource ; and its de- 
 ductions could not but flow with a benefi- 
 cial courfe, when reafon, unfettered by pre- 
 judice, laboured with lincerity to clear its 
 ftreams. ' . 
 
 The enlightened rulers of the Church were 
 the guides who took the lead in every mea- 
 lure of a temperate and Ibber change. Their 
 becoming praife it was, to fuggeft the cpuncil, 
 and their .honourable diftindlion, to mature 
 the work. Members of the facred order were 
 
 X thofe. 
 
;6;^ S E R M a ]^ 11. 
 
 thofe, who, forfaking the corruptions of a de- 
 praved faith, proclairaed with zealous alacrity 
 the genuine doctrines of Revelation. Stre- 
 nuous advocates for advancing truth, they 
 fhood forth the champions of its controverted 
 points. Their judicious expofition detailed 
 its evidence ; their eloquent vindications en- 
 forced its arguments with refiftlefs demon- 
 ftration. At every ftep" fome worldly intereft 
 was facrificed; fome lucrative iiiperftition 
 difclaimed. Anxious only for the eftablifh- 
 raent of a pure faith, they* diftegarded conii- 
 •derations of prefcnt profit. The fainted 
 image was broken in pieces, and the vene- 
 rated relic trodden under foot, at the liiggef- 
 tlon of thofe whofe reveniies had been fwelled 
 by the devotion of their credulous and mif- 
 guided votaries, but who no longer wifhed 
 to promote earthly obje(5ls by religion, or to 
 " corrupt the Word of God for gain." The 
 impoflure of fi<5litious miracles was expofed^ 
 and the fallacy of human intereeffions and in- 
 dulgences decried* by thofe who, had they 
 confulted fecular advantage, would have la- 
 boured, as did many interefted men, to fe- 
 cure their continued influence. ■ 
 
 • ' * Aftsi 3rd artrde. 
 
 None 
 
S E R M O N 11. 7; 
 
 None were more ea^er than the Clergy, 
 who had thrown off the bandage of a b]ind 
 reverence to the Papal fee, to acknowledge 
 the enormity of thofe ervils which had fo long 
 pceYftiled'; ;none were more ready 'with in- 
 dignant warmth to reprobate the pretended 
 convsriiftnof the facred elements, the denial 
 of the cup to the Laity, the efficacy of ope- 
 rated lyiafles, the abules of auricular rconfef- 
 fion, the burthien of multiplied facramehts, 
 Lefs Sincere advocates for truth would have 
 fought to check that ardour, which ruftied 
 forward but to.fliare the pillage and alienated 
 po£effions of the Church; and- to reprefs a 
 fpirit which too evidently betrayed, under 
 the pretended zeal of reform, the fchemes of 
 Innovation, and the defigns of felf-intereft ; 
 hut, anxious for the promotion of important 
 principles, they looked only to tht; confirma- 
 tion of thean, and trijfted that the temple 
 of a purified faith would exhibit fufficient of 
 the majefly, and, inviolable iandity of true 
 religion, to awe and repel the inyafion of {a.- 
 crilegious men, and that " He that dwelleth 
 ." in heaven would have his eye upon it and . 
 *' defend it *." 
 
 * 2 Maccabb. ch. iii. 
 
 From 
 
78 .SERMON ^11. 
 
 From the period of the firft reftoration of 
 facred wlfdom, its kws have been maintained 
 by the fucceflbrs of thefe diftingtiiflied men 
 with fimilar and unrelaxing fpirit ; and every 
 change in the progreffive woirfc of Reforma- 
 tion has been defigned but to ■ advance the 
 principles, and promote the influence of re- 
 ligion. .. - ' 
 
 By the members of an enlightened Mi- 
 niftry have the infpired oracles of the fakh 
 been anxioufly ftudied • arid patiently ex- 
 plained ; by their refearches have the fcat- 
 tered documents of revelation been fought 
 out and compared ; by their induftry like- 
 wife have the precepts of truth been circu- 
 lated, and the elements of inftrufticwi diffufed 
 through every rank, till timid and errone- 
 ous policy would reftrain the liberal- exertion i. 
 By them> has the caufe of Chriftianity been 
 eftabliftied on a bafis from which it cannot 
 be removed, while that word which pafleth 
 not away fliall contiriue to be publilhed with 
 every teftimony pf external evidence, and 
 every ^illuftration of human learning. The 
 labours which hiave difclofed the accom- 
 pliftimpnt of prophecy, which have vindi- 
 cated the trutlii of miracles, and brought for- 
 ward 
 
S E R M O N II. 79 
 
 ward the beauty and confiftency' of revealed 
 doflrines, have infcribed their deduftions on 
 monuments that can fall but with the, decay 
 of fcience, and be buried only in the general 
 ruins of literature and knowledge. 
 
 SERMON 
 
SERMON in. 
 
 John xviii. 36. 
 
 Jejui. anfwered. My kingdom is not 'of this 
 world, 
 
 THE promifes held out by Chrift to his 
 Difciples, were not thofe of temporal 
 profperity. The fervants who were to atteft 
 their zeal in the caufe of a Matter that had 
 been wounded in the flelh, were to " arm 
 " ^themfelves with the fame mind" to " take up 
 *' the crofs/' and to fliew the firmnefs and -fi- 
 delity of their attachment in trials and fuffer- 
 ings. Unwilling to ftir up paffions ever ready 
 to kindle, and defirous rather of animating his 
 followers, even to a determined and eftimated 
 difregard of life, and its deareft interefts,, our 
 Redeemer predicted to them only fuch bleff- 
 ings as through perfecution were to be ob- 
 tained. With denunciations of peril, and 
 / G rejedlion 
 
83 SERMON III. 
 
 rejedion and hatred from men, were con- 
 veyed no intermingled encouragements from 
 the profpe<£l of the cohciiiation of earthly fa- 
 vour. The Apoftles and their early converts 
 neither expeded nor experienced the fmiles 
 of that friendfliip which was " at enmity 
 " with God." Taking the prophets who 
 had fpoken in the name of the Lord, " for an 
 " example of fufFering affliftion, and of pati- 
 " ence," and " counting them happy which 
 " endured," confidering themfelves as it were 
 ." appointed to death*," they put on " the, 
 " whole armour of God, having their loins 
 ." girt about with truth, and having on the 
 " breaft- plate of righteoufnefs, that they 
 " might be able to withftand in the evil 
 " dayf^." 
 
 The virtues by which they were to illuf- 
 trate the tendency of their -religioa, different 
 as they were from the vain-glorious qualities 
 which the Heathen world bad been accuf-' 
 tomed to -admire, were to exhibit their 
 higheft excellency amidft fcenes of fbrrow 
 and diftrefs ; and -the integrity of the Chrif- 
 tian faith was difplay^d with peculiar luftre^ 
 amidft the mockeries and perfecution which 
 it fuftained. 
 
 * James, ch. v. ver. lo, ii. i Cor. ch. iv. ver. 9. 
 '/f Ephef. ch. vi. ver. n— ^18. *•' 
 
 In 
 
S E R. MO N III. S3 
 
 In reflefting on the diftinguiilied and ivci- 
 preffive charaAer of the Primitive Church, 
 compared with, the faded features of its glory, 
 in later times, the prosperity which fuc- 
 ceeded its days of afflidlion has been jullly 
 mentioned amidft the many caufes which 
 contributed to the corruption of its prin- 
 ,cipleg*. From fuch reprefentation, how- 
 ever, it fhouldnot haflily be concluded, that 
 the decay of Chriftianity was immediately 
 and uniyerfally the effed: of that earthly fa- 
 vour which naturally flione upoii it, when 
 accepted and countenanced by the opulent 
 and powerful ; nor fliould it be forgotten, 
 that, amidft the fplendour of its exaltation, 
 the Sincerity of its faith was preferved in 
 manyfigwal inftances, " refufing to live in the 
 ." flefh to the lufts of men," -A religion, 
 aeaommodated to the condition of mankind, 
 was deiigned to refift the allurements of fe- 
 ducftion, as well as the threats of terror ; and 
 no inconiiderable part of its inftruftion was 
 diredied to the prefervation of re^tude, 
 apiidft circumftances of cheerful and exhila- 
 irating charafter. 
 
 / If Chrift, for olbviovis and important rea- 
 fons, did not diredtly unfold in his predictions 
 
 * Se; preceding Difcourfe. 
 
 G Z the 
 
84 SERMON III. 
 
 the elevation and temporal glory which were 
 to dignify his Church, ftill was its eftab- 
 lifliment under earthly prote<Sion evidently 
 in the contemplation of the divine fcheme, as 
 revealed in the affiirances of ancient pfo- 
 phecy, and implied in the general declara- 
 tions of Chrift, as to the advancement and 
 univerfal reception of the Gofpel. When 
 David, fpeaking of Chrift under his type, 
 foretold that all kings " fhould fall down 
 " before him," all nations fliould " ferve 
 " him * ;" -when Ifaiah predicted " of the 
 " Holy One whom man defpifed, whom the 
 " nation abhorred, the fervant of rulers," that 
 " kings ftaould fee and arife, princes alfb 
 " fliould worfliip," and that when the ftand- 
 ard of Chrift's Church fhould be fe;t up 
 among the Gentiles, " kings fliould be its 
 " nurfmg fathers, and their queens its nurfing 
 *' rnothers," that they fliould " bow down 
 " with their face toward the earth, and lick 
 " up the dufl;^' of Chrift's feet -|- ; that the 
 Gentiles fliould " come to his light," and 
 " kings to the brightnefs of his rifing ;'* 
 that " the fons of ftrangers fliould build the 
 " walls" of the Church.; that it fliould 
 
 * Pfalm l^xii. vey, ii. Pfalm cii. ver. 15,16. Plalm 
 cxxxviii. Pfalni= cxlviii, ver. u. 
 
 f Ifaiah, ch. xKx. ver. 7, 22, 23. < 
 
 " fuck 
 
S-E R M O N III. 85 
 
 '* fuck the milk of the Gentiles, and the. 
 " breaft of kings *." In thefe and fimilar 
 defcriptions were conveyed lurely fome inti- 
 mations of an earthly profperity, which Ihould 
 accompany the orient beams of the Church, 
 and contribute in the firft ages, as well as at its 
 concluding period, to the manifeflation of its 
 glory to the Gentile nations of the earth; and 
 it cannot but be underftood that the proftra- 
 tion of the Eaftern fages, who with perfonal 
 worftlip prefented rich offerings to the infant 
 humility of Jefus, was but a partial figure of 
 that reverence with which the lb vereigns of 
 the earth were to bow down to the loverly 
 condition of the kingdom which he Ihould 
 cllablifli -with a fmall beginning. 
 
 The obligations impofed on the nations 
 and .potentates of the earth, in their colleftive 
 and fovereign charader, to adopt Chriftianity, 
 and to promote its advancement, were not, 
 urged by Chrift and his Apoflles with fpeeific 
 injun<3;ion, fmce they were tp be collected 
 with fiifficient evidence from the general 
 tendency of the facred inftruftions ; and fmce 
 
 * Ifaiah, ch. Ix. ver. 3 — 16. See alfo ch. Ixii. ver. 2. 
 and Revelations, ch. vii. which Sir Ifaac Newton applies to the 
 exaltation of the Church by Conftantine, Vol. III. p. 74 — TJ, 
 as cited by Dr. Eveleigh, See alfo Lowman on the Revelation. 
 
 G 3 a direA 
 
86 SERMON III. 
 
 a dired; invocation on temporal fovereigritie* 
 would have difcouraged the corifidence of 
 thofe who depended an invifible aid, and vwho 
 in no refped: appear to have leaned on the 
 reed of earthly fuppoft, -till Chriftianity was 
 ere6led with extenfive dominion. 
 
 The exiftetice of fuch obligations, how- 
 ever, may be demonftrated by .a reprefenta-. 
 tipn of the adliial conftitution of civil foci- 
 ety, and df the conclufions which are to be 
 drawn from revelation arid reafon, as to its 
 defiga and duties. In conne6lion with which 
 defcription it is pvirpofed to Hiew, that the 
 evils, which have been ftated to refiilt from 
 the adoption of religion by the temporal 
 power, do not neceffarily arife from, or coun- 
 te-rbalance, the advantages which may be de- 
 rived from its eftablilhment ; and in conclu- 
 ifion to furnifh, in continuation of our general 
 fubjed:, an expofitioli of the principles, on 
 which its civil appointment is maintained, in 
 confiftency with the defign of the Reforma- 
 tion in this country. 
 
 If, without a view to model forms of po-' 
 lity on the Patriarchal fcheme, we would col- 
 led: the duties of the civil governor from the 
 firft inftitut-ion of fociety, we fhould be com- 
 pelled to reject thofe vague and conjeAural 
 
 fpeculations 
 
SERMON III. 87 
 
 Ipeculations which reprefent men to have 
 united in focial compaft with the limited 
 views of proted:ion and fecurity ; and confin- 
 ing our attention to authentic and indifput- 
 able records, flloiild confider conimunities as 
 at firft compoied of the acknowledged de- 
 pendants of the Supreme God ; religious fa- 
 milies multiplied into religious tribes, coher- 
 ing in the union of every intereft, for the pro- 
 motion of the general welfare, the advance- 
 ment of the general happinefs, the celebra- 
 tion of the genieral worfhip. Uniting in his 
 own perfon the fovereign and the prieftly 
 charad:er *, the father of the fainily, the pa- 
 triarch of the tribe, "the founder of the city, 
 or the leader of the colony, was favoured by 
 God, in proportion as he Gountenanced and 
 promoted the caiufe of true religion. 
 
 Under the difpenfation delivered by Mofes, 
 civil and eccleliaftical jurifdidiort were for 
 fome time at leaft united in the fame per- 
 fons; acting indeed as the immediate mini- 
 flers of God, and .communicating in mingled 
 inftruftion the political and religious precepts 
 which were calculated for the government of 
 
 "f Omnibus his nivea cihguntur tempora. vittlii i 
 
 .^neid Vr. 
 
 G 4 a peculiar 
 
88 SERMON III. 
 
 a peculiar people *. From the conftitutipn 
 of a fingular qeconomyj fubjeA to the efpe- 
 cial fuperintendency of God, and diredted. by 
 deputed feryants, to whom his revelatipj^s 
 were d,ire6lly conveyed, and who adted under 
 the power and teftimonies of a miraculous 
 commiffion, we are not authorifed to argue 
 beyond the .Qonclufions whiqh may be drawn 
 from ftridl analogy, and the application of 
 fuch principles as are evidently deduciblo 
 from a contemplation of divine appointmerits, 
 defcribed " for our learning -f- ;" and which, 
 in oafes not: diffimilar, mufl: be allowed to 
 be, irppreffive precedents. In &n&. confi|l- 
 encvj, however, with this referve, it isjuitto 
 maintain that the commendation and favour 
 be^ftowed on thofe righteous princes,, who, 
 when ithe civil and religious departments 
 were diffevered by the eftablifhmpnt of the 
 kingly government, cori tinned to guard and 
 advance the interefts of religion, may be 
 urged tp jrecpnarnend an imitation of their 
 exarnple. 
 
 When the Church of Chrift was fet 
 up, as a ilcingdom, to be enlarged by uncon- 
 
 * As in the cafe of Mofes, Jofliua, the Judges, Prophets, 
 and Sanhedrim. » 
 
 ■f Rom.ch. XV. ver. 4. 
 
 ftralned 
 
S-E R M O N III. 89 
 
 -ftrained aflbcia,tion for fpiritUal jSurpo'fes, it 
 was fubjefted by its divine Founder and his 
 Apoftles only to fpiritual authority. It was 
 ere<9:ed with no ordinances that could in- 
 terfere with dominions already conftituted, 
 and with no regimen but what might confift 
 with, and derive countenance from, exiffing 
 powers. 
 
 The three orders ©ftabliihed in conformity 
 to apoflolical appointment and directions, and 
 claffed after the departure of the Apoftles 
 under the appropriate titles of Bilhops, Priefts, 
 and Deacons *, were inftituted with fubor- 
 dinatlon eflential to good government, and 
 with that propriety of regul$tion which re- 
 quires ,ftiperior qualifications for the fuperior 
 adminifbations of religion. A regimen 
 
 • The primitive diftlnfllon and fiiperiority of the epileopal 
 order appears to be fully demonftrated by the prej'ogatives and 
 jurif4iftion which the Siihops exercifed over the Prelbytety ; 
 by their exclufiye adminiftrations, ai efpecially .that of ordain- 
 ing J by the fpecific enumeration of the three ;ol"ders as eflen.- 
 tial, and by the defcription of their appropriate offices in the 
 earlieft writers. The appointment was apofioHcal j and the 
 records of many Churches exhibitin their firft Bifhops the 
 names of perfons ordained by the Apoftles, befides Titus and 
 Timothy. ' See the Epiftles of Ignatius, paflim ; Irenaeus, 
 1. iii. c. 14. 1. iv. c. 63 ; Tertull. adv. Marcion. 1. iv. c. 5, 
 He attributes the inftitution to St. John, Eufeb. 1. iii. c. 23. 
 iJiero'n. Epift. Ixxxv. ad Evag. Bingham, Antiq. b, ii. ch. 2. 
 
 adjufted 
 
9© SERMON III. 
 
 adjufted by inipired perfons, cannot but 
 be confidered as of divine inftitution ; and 
 however the fervice of the Church might 
 have varied in its lower departments *, on the 
 extenfion df its empire, the three principsd 
 diftinftionsof order, marked out with ap- 
 propriation of peculiar fun(3:ions, and with 
 the affignment of efpecial rights of jurifdicr 
 tion, in connexion with Chrift's promifes, 
 and confirmed by the arrangements and falnc- 
 ti<5ns of the firft ages, claimed a title to the 
 permanent governance of the Church, and 
 had a right ' to exped: temporal homage and 
 civil fupport. The admirable difcipline of 
 the primitive times, moulded in obeditinee to 
 this conftitution, had exhibited at "IHaft the 
 excellency of the model, and the obligations 
 of conforming to a pattern, which could n<5t 
 but be. reverenced. c 
 
 As the boundaries of the Church were 
 enlarged, embracing diftrifts, provinces, and 
 kingdoms, in their extended pale, the ftates 
 
 . * As with refpeft to the prophets of the New Teftameat, 
 who interpreted the Scriptures, and cenfured the difobedienti; 
 the Deacofinefs of the Eaftern Church, and other inferioi' 
 Minilters, as Subdeacons, Acolyths, Exorcilis, &c. i Cor. 
 c. xiv. ver, zg. Bingham, 1. ii. c. 20. 
 
 and 
 
and; civil camrMCitiities which they fenoloifed 
 were naturally led to countenance, by gerie- 
 Fal regulations, an '^conottiy which, itt col- 
 loftive acceptance, they approved ; and which 
 difplayed no appointments of permanent and 
 irreveriible defcfiption, but what were ca- 
 pable of combining with every iyftem> in 
 ssrhich re^larity and ofder fubfifted. 
 
 The Evangelical government, in fpreading 
 over the provinces of the Roman worlds 
 had naturally regulated its external frame 
 in conformity to the allotments of the 
 feveral diilriifts of that empire * ; and no 
 farAer affefted the fecular dominion, than, 
 as by ctotrbHing the paffions, and guiding 
 the minds of riifcn, it r^sndered them peace- 
 able £ahje^s, and called forth virtues which 
 conlpired with the real interefts of fo- 
 
 ciety. 
 
 * In the firft period of Chriftianity each Greek and Roman 
 city, with its fubarbicary territory, was under the government 
 of certain magiftrates appoimed from its own body, whocom- 
 pofed a council or fenate, fubjeft to one chief, ftyled Didlator, or 
 Defenfor Civitatis ; in fuperinduftion ujDon which, the Apoftles, 
 or at leaft the early Preachers of the Gofpel, ere£ied in every 
 fvtch diftriift a Prefbytery, with a Preiident, Apoftle, or Biftiop, 
 or Angel of the Church, whofe power reached over the whole ■ 
 diocefe, which was often of very confiderable extent, and cOm- 
 menfurate with the civil jufifdlaron. Titus, ch. i. ver. ;. 
 Concil. Antioch. ix. Theodoret, Epift. xlii. & cxiii. unjuftly 
 i , fiifpeSed 
 
gz S E R M O N III. 
 
 Cicty. It, was the excellency of its; charac- 
 ter, and theteflimonies ;of its truth, which 
 recommended it to the acceptance of ; man- 
 kind; and as its influence fpread> the fove- 
 reign and the legiflator adopted it under 
 their care, and fupported it by !their autho- 
 rity.,, ' ■'- ' .' 
 That the Heathen Emperors, to whom 
 Chriftianity was prefen ted, with its due evi- 
 dence, were called upon . by every religious 
 confidefation, not only to bow to it them- 
 felves as to a divine revelation, but to pro- 
 mote, by proper meafures and ternperate ex- 
 ertions, its general acceptance, cannot rea- 
 fonably be difputed. Converts to the truth 
 and univerfal importance of that religion, 
 they were expedled, as fervants of the God 
 
 fufpefled Auguft. Epift. Ixviii. edit. Frob. Gfegbr. Naz. Car, 
 de Vit. The metropplitan bifhoprics were eftablifhed in the 
 primacy of provincial towns, for central advafttagfe and confe- 
 derate government. On. the new divifion under Conftantine, 
 the patriarchal fupremacy rofe, in correfpondence with the new 
 conftitution of the different provinces united under one Eparch, 
 Vicar or Prefeft. See Bingham's Ecclef. Antiq. b. ii. ch. i. 
 Petrus de Marca de Concord. Sacerd. & Tmper. I. vi. c. i. 
 When new diftributions of the provinces were made by fucceed- 
 ing Emperbrs, it was fometimes provided that the eccleliaftical 
 allotments Ihould not be aftefted', as in the time of Juftiriiah as 
 ,to Armenia. Quas ad facerdotia Ipeftant volumus in eadeih 
 manere forma. Novat. xxxi, c. ^. See Maurice's Oefenceof 
 Piocefan gpifcppacy. 
 
 whom 
 
SERMON III. 
 
 93 
 
 whom they were- to obey * ; as difciples of 
 the faith into which they were baptized; 
 as rulers of the people whofe welfare they 
 were to confiilt, to confecrate fuch power of 
 countenance and protedlion as they might 
 confiftentiy exercife, to its extenfive promul- 
 gation. It Was only when they exerted co- 
 
 * See Pf.-Ii. ver. 1 1 ; upon which we may remark with St. 
 Auftin, without adopting his intolerant fentiments, that kings 
 are required to ferve the Lord by a peculiar fervice in their fo- 
 vereign charafter, as did Hezekiah. Vid. Ep. 1. ad Bonifac. " If 
 " all Chriftians (faysThorndyke, fpeaking of Conftantine) by 
 " their baptifm do confecrate themfelves to the fervice of God in 
 " his Church, then muft he alfo, by being baptized, confecrate 
 " thepower of the empire to the niaintenance of thatChriftianity 
 " into which he was baptized." The fucceeding fentiments are 
 not equally juft. See Preface to juft Weights and Meafures. 
 Barrow argues on the pofition that every prince is 'obliged to 
 employ the power entrufted to him' to. the furtherance of God's 
 fervice. See Treatife on Pope's Supremacy, Suppofit. v. And 
 the compofers of a part of our Liturgy were of the fame opi- 
 nion ; fince the following paiTage is in the beginning of a prayer 
 in the Communion Service for the z;th of Oftober : " Bleffed 
 " Lord, who haft called Chriftian princes to the defence of thy 
 " faith, and haft made it their duty to promote the fpirituai 
 " welfare, together with the temporal intereft of their peo- 
 " pie." Thefe principles do not militate againft any juft 
 maxims of toleration. Or affeft the chief arguments which Mr. 
 Locke deemed it neceJTary , with fuchdifFufive repetition, to urge 
 againft the ftrange notions of his opponent, that force fhould be 
 employed to compel people to think and examine ; as far as thofe 
 'Arguments relate to the impolition of articles of faith and 
 forms of worfliip. The obligations which bind the magiftrate, 
 bind him only, to meafures compatible with the fpirit of religion 
 and the welfare of fociety. If by the magiftrate we underltand 
 the executive power, it ihould be^xercifed in religious mat- 
 ters only for the prefervatipn of regiilations enafted by the 
 ilate, and not for the enforcing of the eftabliftiment of them. 
 
 ercive 
 
94 s E p 5«| a N , in, 
 
 €i;cive and gerfecuting authority, that- they 
 erred ; fince thefq were inconfifteiit with the- 
 interefts of the fociety, and in violation of 
 tl^e in&u^ions of jeligion, and wer-e not in- 
 deed calculated to promote the caufe of that 
 (jod who, is to be worfhipped in fincerity^ 
 but to extoft a feigned an4 fpurious profel!^ 
 iion of faith *. 
 
 Upon the fame principles, of a duty preiP- 
 ihg with peculiar force on the ibvereign, " of^ 
 " ilrengthening others" .\vhen converted, will 
 the temporal princes of the earth be univer- 
 fally pledged, on the acceptance of Chrifti- 
 anity, to contribute, by fuitable endeavours, 
 tp the general eftablifhment of that religion 
 among their fubjedls. The theories which have 
 fended to reftri<S the views, and to narrow the 
 
 * St. Auftin, in his Epiftle to Vincentius, informs us, that, 
 though he had been averfe to coercive meafiires,, he had been 
 led to change his opinion, when it was urged to him, that liis 
 own city, which bad confifted only of Donatifts, had becfl 
 Brought to Catholic union by the terjor of the Imperial laws, ; 
 that is, to' a nominal profeffion of orthodoxy. It muft be la- 
 mented, that a principle fo deteftable and pregnant with mifl 
 Qhjef fhould derive any countenance from the authority of this 
 pious writpr. Epift. xlviii. Whatever indjreft pr accidentaf,' 
 converlions may have accrued from compulfive conformity,^ 
 they will furnifti no fufficient apology for the exertion of \ 
 coercive power. The Chriftian emperors were unhappily led 
 to intolerance, in f\xbverting tl^e' complicated inter^efts of the 
 Fagan religion, which were interwoven with all the civil regu- 
 lations of fociety. Chriftjariity however fufficiently expofed 
 the ablurJlty of the Heathen theology 5 and its. temples might 
 h,-i'.e been left to madder into rains by liegleft. 
 
 duties 
 
SERMON III. 
 
 95 
 
 duties of the governors of fociety, have beea 
 limited, by the contemplation of the civil 
 magiftrate in his abftrad: charafter, without 
 regard to that relation in which he ftands 
 towards God, or attention to the exiftence of 
 any powers but thoie of coercion *. The 
 duties which expand from that relation em- 
 brace the whole interefts of the community, 
 temporal and. fpiritual ; and though, with 
 neceflary diftindtion it muft be admitted, that 
 the peculiar and appropriate province of the' 
 civil power is confined - to the prefent regu- 
 lation of fociety ; yet, to prevent the fuppref- 
 fion of religious confiderations, it muft be re- 
 membered, that the civil power cannot exift: 
 in real life in any perfons who are free from 
 
 * It muft be obferved, that this difcufllon originates only in 
 a defire to vindicate the motives that fhould operate to the ac- 
 ceptance of Chriftianity. It is admitted, that the civil magif- 
 trate, abftradledly confidered, (hould not interfere ; that coer- 
 cive powers Ihould not be exerted ; but we muft not therefore 
 concluae that the civil magiftrate, as reprefenting the gover- 
 nors of fociety or the ftate, is not bounden to fupport the real 
 intere'fts of religion ; a notion which feems infenfibly to have 
 .prevailed, from the incautious manner in which the term civil 
 magiftrate has beqn employed-, and which, while it was well de- 
 figned tO/difcountenance intolerance and compulfion in religious 
 matters, has appeared to refolve all concern for religion into 
 the apathy or indifference of ftate policy. The arguments em- 
 ployed by Biftiop Warburton to invalidate this obligation, ap- 
 ply only, to the magiftrate in his abftrait executive charafter, 
 as afting without the confent of the majority of the commu- 
 nity. See his Treatife on the Teft Law, Divin. Legal, b. iii. 
 
 facred 
 
96 SERMON III. 
 
 facred obligations, to facilitate , the advance- 
 ment and influence of religion^ by fuch ad- 
 vantages as they may lawfully employ, in con- 
 fiflency with their delegated truft, and the 
 interefts of the- community. , 
 
 It may tend to accuracy of conception, and 
 agreement of opinion upon this fubjedl, if, 
 adopting the term of civil magiftrate as eX- 
 preffive of the civil power, we reprefent it 
 under two points of view, in order to illuf- 
 iirate the duties which attach to it under each 
 charadler. 
 
 The civil magiftrate, conlldered as an ab- 
 Iblute Sovereign, may be ftated, in conformity 
 with the preceding remarks, as bounden, on 
 the acceptance of Chriftianity, to promote 
 the publication of it in his own dominions, 
 by maintaining and protefling its minifters. 
 He is not authorifed to enforce its propagation 
 by the fword, which falfehood and impofture 
 have wielded, or by violence of any kind ; nor 
 even to eftablifli it as the national religion, 
 tvith civil fandlions and endowments, till ac- 
 cepted by a predominant and refpedtable part 
 of his fubjedls *. 
 
 If, 
 
 * Bifhop Warbarton fays, that no particular fcheme or mode 
 of religion is under the care of the magiftrate, as magiftrate, till 
 he has compa£led for :hi purpofe. Alliance, p. 41. Certainly no 
 
 form 
 
S E R_M O N^ III. 97, 
 
 If, under a fecpnd point of view, we confi- 
 der the civil magiftrate as the reprefe;ntat;vc 
 of the community, expreffing the will and 
 afting.by the powers of the State, he isun- 
 queftionably called upon by revelation, to ac- 
 cept Chriftianity ;- to ered it:yicith formal ra- 
 tification and public ii:^ft;itu.tions ; to provide 
 for its m,inifters with competent mai^te^arlcei 
 and to preferve its eiftajblifiiment by arrange- 
 ments adapted to its charadler, and confiftent 
 with the general welfare of his fubjecfts. 
 
 Admitting, as we may do, the diftindl and 
 peculiar defign of religion as to, the principal 
 objeft of its care; allowing that its jurif- 
 di<3:ion refpe6ts the foul, and aims at the re- 
 
 form of eftablifhment is properly witjiin his 'province till 
 adopted by the State. The State is bounden by obligations to 
 God to accept of that form which it conceives to be moftcon- 
 fiftent with the promotion of truth, and the hiaintenance of're- 
 ligion; but the civil magiftrate can have nq arbitrai-y rigjitto 
 jmpofe his own fyftem. Charles, the Firft could 'not have 
 been blannred for propping and recommending, the eftablifli- 
 ment of epifcopacy to Scotland, if he^had confined him felf to 
 " the experiment of its being approved by the totion. He 
 offended- as much ag'ainft religion as policy, when he perfiffed' 
 jn endeavours to eltablifli it in oppofition to the determined 
 fentiments of his fubjeiSs in that country.; However the fo- 
 vereign m,ay hefitate at accepting the guardianlhip of a fyftem 
 which he individually difapprpves, he certainly muft main- 
 tain a delegated truft upon the principles to which he is pledged ; 
 a rule, by departure from which James the Second Juftly loft 
 }iis l^ingdom, and by the obfervance of which the king of Eng- 
 land governs Scotland and Canada, 
 
 H guiation 
 
98 SERMON in. 
 
 gulution of the body, only fo far as the foul 
 is concerned; admitting alfo, that the civil 
 pbWer, in its abftradl defcription, is reftridled 
 in the exercife of its anthority to the direiclion 
 of the external dondu(5l of men, we 'ftill may 
 maintain an univerfal obligation on the com- 
 munity, ahd-6ri the gofvernof reprefenting the 
 fenfe oT the majority of that community, to 
 adopt and'fupport rehgion, as a law revealed 
 by a Supreme =Being *. The refult of which 
 will be an union or alliarice of two powers, 
 b6th emanating from ' a Divine fource ; Tioth 
 originally exfcfcifed by the fame perlbns ; both 
 corifpiring in fome gfen'eral vieWs ; ahd both 
 
 * Mr. Plowden, who In his late publication fairly afcertains 
 the general line of difcriminatlgn between the teijipOral and fpi- 
 ritual powers, appears to maintain exceptionable pbfitions, 
 when he afferts that the duties of the civil magiftrate were not 
 altered by the comniunication of Chriftianity ; and that they 
 are fuch only a? the light and law of nature will infirudl and 
 enable him to perforpi. The' magiftrate is certainly as much- 
 bounden to refpe£l the laws of revelation as thofe of nature ; 
 and their tendency to promote the welfare of fociety is equally 
 ftron^. The civil power indeed is not authorifed to control 
 the confcience, by impofmg Divine revelation or .dogmatical 
 opinions ; but neijier is it authorifed to enforce the acceptance 
 of many principles of the law of nal^ure. The magillrate is 
 bound to reverence and promote the obfei'vance of the la^\rs 
 both of nature and revelation, by 'exertions confiftent with 
 their fpirit ; not to enforce the fpsculative principles of either, 
 by coaftion, though to 'check and punifli external violation of 
 them, where they affeft the welfare of fociety. See Church 
 and States b. i. c. 7. 
 
 capable. 
 
SERMON, m. 99 
 
 capa|^le,xwhile ,they preferve thflv refpedlive 
 ,linf|^ji|p, pif.; prpmoting the prefent welfare oif 
 jtj^^l^^nd^; extending their protedlion over fo- 
 ci e.ty, hke the^c^Hejrubim wjiich overipread the 
 J^etpy-fe^t of the Tabernaclp ; their faces 
 looking one to ajiother, ^nd ftretchiqg out 
 li^iX golden :wings t^ll they join at their ei- 
 .treroities *. . ' " 
 
 The necefRtVrfor this union does not ori- 
 , ^^te;, i;n J^he fjjft inftance, from ^he confi- 
 (dl^^^pn of the conveniences ar^d mutual be- 
 j^^fit sy-liicii muft refult from the cohnpadi, 
 .but^^qnj the religious duty which applies to 
 foci ety, j^Q receive. a Goipelpornmitted to all; 
 a,duty prefljng pn the' aggregate body v^ith 
 colleftive effed:, upon the fame principles as 
 thofe with which it bears upon the indivi- 
 dual ; fmce nothing can difpenfe the com- 
 munity at large from an obligation by which 
 every member Comppling that community is 
 bounden ; and fince " the nation and king- 
 . " dom that' will not ferve" Chrift " ihall 
 *' perifli, and be utterly wafted f.'!- 
 
 The Heff^ngs vsfhich arife from' the con-. 
 ne<5tion^ are bleffings of ineftimiable value. 
 
 » I Kings, ch. vi. ver. 27, 28. 
 f Ifaiah, ch, Ix. ver. 12. 
 
 H 2 ' 'fhey 
 
loo S E R M O N ril. 
 
 •/i 
 
 They;are fubjeds of cheerful refledlion, and 
 fkould tend to ftrengthen the relatidii, and to 
 ^endear the tie ;, but they are not the primaiy 
 argumerits and inducements to the formation 
 of it. The , theories therefore, which areder- 
 figned to^lheyv the neceffitj and eqttity'of 
 an eftabhftied religion, frorri the eflence and 
 end of civil- fociety, and upon the' fundamen- 
 tal principles rrierely of the law of nature and 
 nations, however they may deiponftrate fiich 
 neceffity and equity, do not avail thernrtelVes 
 of the hfgh eft ground *, ..They dfebafC' the 
 motives of adoption, and feprefent religion as 
 an engine to befubjedled to the enipioyrffeht 
 of ftate-policy.., They' fubvtirt the proper 
 
 , * Warbcrtpn, i.n , his ingenious- work of the Alliance, in 
 \yhich criticifm, undeterred by the decifions of partial friend- 
 fliip, has difcovered much falfe and inconfiftetit argument, 
 feems fundamentally to have erred, by reprefenting what are 
 the efficis of an union between Church and State, to have been 
 the original and only m»ti--ves for its formation, and by reafon- 
 ing upon the abllraft idea of a &.?xs with no confideratipn of it 
 as it e.'vifts :. a fociety of perfons whole" religious' duties Cannot 
 be fuperfeded by a political union. The fidlion of an alliance 
 might have been ufefully employed to illuftrate the advantages 
 which refult from a connexion between Church atid State, and 
 the line which ftjould be preferved by^.e^fh in.the connexion ; 
 but it fhould not have been grounded on the aflertion, that the 
 State is influenced to the conjunftion by no motives but thofe 
 ■of political expediency : much elabprate reafoninj; .is built on 
 falfe premifes, and the learned writer is often betrayed into 
 palpable contradiftions. ', ' '* ■' 
 
 and 
 
SERMON III. loi 
 
 %nd fecure foundatioii on which- the argru- 
 ments for the conjundfion Ihpuld be built ; 
 that of the indifpenfable obligation of .ac- 
 cepting a Divine law ; a duty to be eyaded 
 only, upon the prefumption of hefitation as 
 ta th« evidence of the law which profefleth 
 a Irvine authority,;, 'a prefumptipn extremely 
 injurious to the authentic and e;xclufive; telli- 
 monies (£ Chriftianity. 
 
 It fliould be farther obferved, that as the 
 adoption of religion by the State, if it be not 
 abfolutely neceffary to the prefervation of the 
 exiftence and purity of : religion, and alfo to 
 the well-being arid profperity of iociety, is 
 yet extremely conducive tt) thofe objefts, 
 there is fufficient ground to urge the duty 
 of the State to promote iiich adoption : firft, 
 becaufe, upon the higheft motives of reverence 
 to God, it is right to contribute to the pre- 
 fervation of the "exiftence and purity of reli- 
 gion *; and fecondly, becaufe, upon a Subor- 
 dinate confideration very generally relpeded, 
 
 * Warburton maintains, thaj the ailignce between Church 
 and State is neceiTary to preferve the purity, and even the be- 
 ing of religion, as well as to fecure the welfare of the State ; 
 and .yet contends that the only motive which influences the 
 State to promote the prefervation of that being and purity, pro- 
 ceeds from a regard to civil' utility, p- 96. note ; which is not 
 true, if we confider the State as a fociety of perfpns bound to 
 obey God's-laws. r - 
 
 ::> Us it 
 
103 S- fc R ]V)l O N ill. 
 
 it is incumbent on the State, 6r its reprefent- 
 a.tive, to'proniote by' all reafonabl6 ibeahs thd 
 Welfare and happinefs of ifociety oil SfoM a;nd 
 peiriiiahent principles'*. 
 
 If (he ^ViVatte opinion^ which Have mingled 
 themfelt^s with' the actfe^tance of the Chrif- 
 ti'aii faith, d^A the intem^er^tfe paffions which 
 hire beeh kinflled with the Zekl for its eftab- 
 lifliment, have dilgraced' the terrlpdr^i' poWer^ 
 which have engaged iii the pretended caufe 
 of religion, they do ilot iitvalidate the geiieral 
 
 '* wkrburtbri, ^iln tKe alledged cotfritenance of Ariftotle, 
 from the fuppofed origin of civil fociety,. conceives gbvemmeh^ 
 to have;beei:) defigned only for_ a remedy againfl: evil, and that 
 happinefs was a feConddry corifi'deration. Whethef' it b6 a fifft 
 or fecondai-y cgnfiderg^uon, iioweyer,thefe. appears Ito.be ^o 
 reafon to diipute that thg prefent objeft of civilized fociety is to 
 attain all fbffible goo'd that rtlay be procured on fure prin- 
 ciples. The learned author denies that civil government can 
 enforce the fanftion of rewards ; underftanding By rewards 
 fuch as ire coyferfed on every ohe for ofcferving the laws of hii 
 country. Upon fimilar ground, ht mighty Ifeve maintained that 
 government has not the fanftion of puniihment, becaufe oifFend- 
 ers fonietinies efcape ; and he by np means overthrovi's the po- 
 rtion;, maintained from the time of Soloa to the prefent day, 
 that the fandlioii of rewards is one pillar of ike civil govern- 
 ment, agreeably to the reprefentation of St. Paul, whpm he 
 quotes partially ; fince the fecrgd writer ftates that gover- 
 nors are fent by God " for the praife of them that do well," 
 equally as for the " punilhment of evil doers ;" and gives no 
 countenance, in, the mifapplied, text from, i Timothy, ch. i. 
 ver^ g. to Warburton's confined views of the end of ciyil go- 
 vernment. Ergo haec refpublica cenfetur bona quas tota colli - 
 mat, intentaque eft in utilitatem civium, quo felicem vitam degere 
 queant. Cornel. Bertram. Praef. ad Rem. Ebraor. .: .,. 
 
 -pofition. 
 
SERMON JII. 103 
 
 pofition, that the State is bound to adopt 
 Chriftianity, and that the temporal powers 
 are bound to countenance it, by regulations 
 confiftent witli its temperate defign — to pro- 
 mote, not to impofe its acceptance. The 
 principle mufl; not be faqrificed, though 
 abufes may have refulted from the.aflumption 
 of it, without the qualifications which define 
 its limits. In its xeftriifted application it can 
 give no fanjftion to intolerance*; but, oji 
 the contrary, tends to, regulate a convi(3.ion, 
 which cannot be deftroyed, and which ever 
 has, and ever will operate on the confcience 
 of thofe who a&. under religious impreffions, 
 and upon the fuppofition of the energy of 
 which our legiflature has uniformly contrived 
 its- tefis and exclulions. 
 
 From the obligation thus ftated, as bind- 
 ing on the fovereign, or the community to 
 
 adopt 
 
 * Warburton profeffes to expofe the abfurd reafoning of 
 thofe, who, thinking an eilabliftiment to be of Divine right, 
 defend it on the doftrine of intolerance : but it does not ap- 
 pear that more fanftion is given to intolerance by thofe who 
 affert the nece'ffity' of ah eftablifhed religion from motives of 
 religious confideratipn, than by thofe who mafetain that ne- 
 ceffity from the eifence and end of civil fociety,.upon funda- 
 ■ mental principles df natural religion ; reprefenting doftrines 
 whi«h relate to the being of Gbd,"his providence, and the na- 
 tural and eiiential difference between tii oral good and evil, to 
 he within the province of the magiftrate. The motives for 
 
 tl 4 the 
 
104 SERMON Iir. 
 
 adopt feligion, and to promote its influencd, 
 refults the propriety of its eftablilhment with 
 national fariAions ; and with fuch appoint-- 
 ments for its difcipline • and fervicej as are 
 congenial to its fpirit, and calculated to ad^ 
 vance its defign. Its inftitutions, eredled on 
 the prefumption of the concurrence of the 
 majority, or reprefentative body of the State, 
 are properly prote^Sted by the care of the civil 
 magiftrate ; though eydry coercive power, 
 ■which on received principles of toleration he 
 is entitled to : exercife, muft refiilt frojn the 
 manifeft neceffity of fupporting the public re- 
 gulations which the legiflature has approved-; 
 and fhould be reftriifted in its exertion by 
 the c±a.i£t rule of fuch defenfive operation ; 
 and notwithftanding the civil and fpiritual 
 powers be in confequence united in mainte- 
 nance of the fyftem, it is neceflary, for the 
 honour and defign of religion, as well as for the 
 peace and happinefs of fociety, that theyfhould 
 
 the adoption, of religion, in neither cafe, and perhaps lefs fo in 
 the former than in the'Iatter, juftify the fetting up of, or the 
 maintenance of a national religion upon principles fubverfive of 
 the peace, of fociety. Rouffeau, -as Mr. Plowden has re- 
 marked, with equal epcouragement to intolerance, maintained 
 that, the fovereign might infift on the external obfervdnce of 
 refpeft ,to the doftrines of one omnifcient, and all-provident 
 Gpd, of a future life, and the'fandlity of the fecial contradl. 
 
 continue 
 
S 'E R M O N III: lo^ 
 
 continue to aft as ftriftly as poffible in the 
 lines of their refpeftive jurifdi6tion *. 
 
 The fubjed; exifting under fuch. eftablifli- 
 ment, is held by every focial princi|)le to re- 
 verence it at leaft as the legitimate conftitution 
 of the country; and though his confcience 
 Ihould n'ot fuffer him to conform to the col-» 
 leftire decilion, as ta its declarations of faith, 
 or expreffion of religious fervice, he can have 
 no right to difturb its appointments, or to re- 
 fdfe his contribution to the general allotments 
 for its fiipport -j". He muft nec'effarily fOrego 
 the advantages which refiilt from employ- 
 ments requiring confidence ;i and has every in- 
 dulgence compatible w^ith the prefervation of 
 
 I 
 
 * Reges fascalaribtis, pontifices fpiritualibus ofdinandis fefa 
 impendunt, quamdiu nejatra poteAatura in alienos limites irifi- 
 liet, mutua concordia res Chriftiana amplificabitur. Marca, 
 Jib. ii. c. i. 
 
 f Neal afferts, that Hooker's propofition of the obligation 
 to fiibinit to the eccleiiailical laws of- the eitablifhed Church, 
 into which we are baptized, is inconfiftent with the principles of 
 the Reformation. Muft I, fays this prej udiced and unfair writer, 
 beat Rome a Pa|)ift? Sec. Hooker however did not mean 
 to impofe a Ipcal faith. Hut' to contend for fubmiffion to laws 
 ratifi^ byjaft authority. " See Hift. of Puritans, Vol, I. b. viii. 
 and Ecdef. ,Polit. h. vii. Our Saviour, it has been obfarved, 
 paid the civil tribute, of which a part was applied to the fup'- 
 port of idol'atry ; and . the Romanifts are, without intoterance, 
 required to take the p^th of allegiance, and to maintain the 
 Proteffantfucceflion, "' ■- - 
 
 ' the 
 
io6 S'E RM O N III. 
 
 the eftafelifhment, if he be tolerated In the 
 exercife- of a \vorfhip feparately erefted, and 
 be allowed by temperate argument to recom- 
 mend his opinions. 
 
 Where there is no national eflablifhment, 
 the peace and fecurity of government mufi: 
 refult from the multiplicity and equipoife of 
 different fedls ; fmce every fedl having a de- 
 cided aftendency, will naturally endeavour to 
 fubftantiate its difcipline by the refpe6tability 
 of publit appointments, hovirever in depref- 
 iion it may ftitirmuf at the diftinfttons which 
 they muft occafion. v-'m 
 
 Chriftianity, though it rofe into efirimation 
 indepcridently of human aid, may reaibnably 
 accept of fuch fiipport as is furnilhed in con- 
 flftency with its fpirit. Proud as it may be 
 of having triumphed by its own vigour, in 
 defiance of earthly frowns, there is no argu- 
 ment that it fliould reje6l the countenance 
 of the great. Its native energy once afcer* 
 tained, it detra<^s not from its praife, that, 
 when miraculous fiapport was withdrawn, its 
 maintenance and propagation was to be af^ 
 'fifted by fecondary and ordinary means favour- 
 able to its profperity, and (affording occafioii for 
 the difplay of holy reverence and. attachment. 
 • The Minifters of the Gofpel, on the poil- 
 
 tivc 
 
g'E R M ON IIL loy 
 
 tive declarations of facred authority*, may 
 claim "fome Itipport, as the recorp pence of 
 thofe fpiritual lafjburs which they undertake ; 
 tftoagh' they may -be content to wave every 
 title to a fpecific mode of provlfion, but what 
 refults from an eftablifhed-poffeffion of that 
 pfeportion which the State hdth deliberately 
 approved, upofi judicious and importarlt con- 
 fiderations, and with deference to an example 
 and precedent of Divine appointment "f. 
 
 'I'he propriety of an affignment on fome fixed 
 principles cannot but be obvious. In the firff: 
 airdour of in:^ired zeal the appointed ApofUes 
 and delegated fervants of Chrift were found 
 ready, to engage in the propagation of that 
 fajith which they had embraced ; and the pious 
 gratitude of thofe, who reapbd the fruits of 
 their fpirltiial induftry, was equally ready to 
 allot the fheaves of the earthly harvett for 
 theif fapport : but whfen the a^ful and im- 
 jjl-effive teftimonies of a Divine commiffion 
 no longer continued to excite the public ve- 
 nfefation, it became necelTary that more per- 
 manent maintenance fliould be fupplied than 
 
 . * Matt. ch. X, ver. lo. Luke, ch. x, ver. 7. i Cor. 
 ch. ix. ver. i — i;. Gal. ch. vi. ver. 6. 2 Theff. ch. iji, 
 ver. 9. 1 Tim. ch. v. ver. 17, 18., 
 
 f See an Effay on the Revenoes of the Church of England. 
 
 what 
 
io8 S E R M ON III. 
 
 what might be derived from- the capricious 
 and fluctuating fpirit of . voluntary bdxievo- 
 lence. The Minifters of the Gofpel could 
 not be expefted, in every ftate of fociety> to 
 dedicate' themfelves to vinv^^earied exertions, 
 if they were to depend merely on gratuitctus 
 offerings ; ' and their character mull have , 
 furvk from independency and rectitude, in 
 proportion as it became neceflary to com:ply 
 with prevailing opiniohs; 'and to court po- 
 pular favour for that contribution, which, 
 hqwever- liberally and judicioully it may be 
 furnifliedin fmall focieties, or' by feifts ftrug^ 
 gling for pre-eminence, can conduce in ge- 
 neral but to expofe religion to the danger of 
 being made fubfervient to worldly purpofes. : 
 
 The motives by which, the ftate is bounden 
 to adopt religion, and to fupport it by 'civil 
 fanftion, being thus vindicatedj it may be 
 expedient to Ihew that the operation of thefe 
 motives is not neceffarily produftive of pre- 
 jtidice, either to religion or to the ftate ; and 
 that the evils which have been reprefented to 
 flow from the conjunction are either falfely 
 afcribed to it, or of little importance when 
 viewed in competition with the advantages 
 ^^vhich■ muft be derived from the union. J" 
 
 Ifj waving all hiftorical enquiry upon this 
 iiij- , flibjecEl, : 
 
SERMON III. 
 
 109 
 
 fubjedt, we werfc to confiile our attention to 
 theory, it would' be 'o'bvious to remark, that 
 w^hat appears to 'bfe the natural confequence 
 of the propagation of Chrtftiatilty, and agree- 
 able to the defign of God, as faras we can cal- 
 led: from general reafoning and attention td 
 his revealed will, could not have any tendency 
 neceflarily hoftile to religion or fbciety ; and 
 that whatever inconvenience may have fprung 
 from the alliance, muft have proceeded from 
 the erroneous principles upon-vvhich it was 
 regulated, and can furnilh no juft argument 
 agaiilft the general ''propriety and advantage 
 of a civil eftablifhment of religion. 
 
 Thofe who; with -avowed or c!oncealed 
 averfion to eftablifhments, reprefent the com- 
 mencement of the decay of Chriftianity to 
 have been coeval with the time;bf the adop- 
 tion of it, with fecular fupport byConftan- 
 tine, feem not to have adverted to the many 
 caufes of corruption which had. begun to ope- 
 rate previoufly to that period, in a Church 
 built indeed on the virtues of its firft profef- 
 fbrs; and make no allowa;nce for thofe fugi- 
 tive and evanefcent circumftances which 
 overfhiadowed diftant ages ; though they have 
 ■left no afcertained effe<fts of their .malignant 
 influence. 
 
 The 
 
no SERMON Jir. 
 
 The noxiotis tares of hereiy were fown by 
 the enemy, together w^th ,tlie fcattering of 
 the good feed ; the chaff of human ^error was 
 mUed, with the ;e^rU«ft gatherings qf the -Qof- 
 pel. Ivc^g ,at lead before thp tiijQe of Conftan- 
 tine had the fajlvirements of earthly objedls* 
 feducedthe followers of the crofs, which .lie 
 ere<R:ed, it is tr^e, with top dazzling orna- 
 ments f . It may be allowed, indeed^ i^^^t 
 the prodigal munificence with which Jie ;^er- 
 Corated the Church, .r3.ifedT from dejedtion ; 
 the fijdden fplendour with w:3^}ph he invefte^ 
 'the lowly Minifters, whom he hiad renewed 
 from " gr.e^t tribulatlpn J ;" the dangerous 
 immunities and privileges §. wl^ichhe.^^dhis 
 
 f^9»9(Si^prs'^ 
 
 * See preceding Xlifcourfe, and particularly Eiii^b, ;Hill. 
 Ecclef. 1. viij. c. i. Iviy- c. 23. 1. v. c;..20. as cited by Dr. 
 Eveleigh, andthe account of Paul of Samofata in Eufeb. I. vii, 
 c. 30. 
 
 f Eufeb. de Vit.rConft^nt. 1. i. c. 30, Helena, the mo- 
 ther of Conftantine, was the firft who'ga,ve rife to the w<3i&ip 
 of the crofs, which afterwards degenerated in^o , idol^fry-^ , by 
 erefling magnificent Churches in honpur of the a£lual cr^fs of 
 -Chrift, which ftie profeffed to have difeovered at Jerufalem, in 
 a planner of which Socrates gives an account very remajdi- 
 aSle, but", according to the opinion of Lowth, entitled to credit. 
 See alfo Salpit. Sever, and Jortin, Vol. II. p. 238. 
 
 J Rev. eh, vii. ver. 14. , 
 
 §- Conftantine allowed an appeal from the civil courts to the 
 ■Bifhops, whofe fentence was to be valid, and fuperior to the 
 decrees of the judges, as much as if it had been prpnp.iiiiced by 
 the Emperor himfelf ; and was to be executed by the rulers of 
 
 Hhs 
 
SERMON III, III 
 
 focceflbrs! conceded to them ; the fources 
 of unreftrained; wealth which were opened*, 
 and the ■ incentives to emulation, which were 
 raifed by too partial favour, did confpire !to 
 accelerate the influence of corruption. The 
 attra<5tion of imperial patronage, and the ter^ 
 ror of the imperial fceptre -f-, contribu'ted t^ 
 multiply the crowds of unworthy and un- 
 weaned converts; and the luftre.of)th«it faidi 
 which had Ihone brightly in a contrad:ed 
 
 the provinces and his oiKcers. The EmperoT refufed to take 
 cognizance o£i"fome crimes alledged aggiaft-SifliPps, ,^nd left 
 t^epi^o.the.jiidgment of the Clergy. Sozprri. Hift. 1. i. ^. 9. 
 Decretl'p; ii. Cauf. 11^. q. 1. c. 41. Eufei).;Hift. & de 
 Vit. Conftant. . , ' •-, , ' i , . 1 
 
 * It appears that the -Chriftian Minifters of Cpnftantinople 
 had as"yet'airumed no externaHplendour, fince Eufcbius de- 
 icribes th'eiBifliops, vyhqin Cdnftantine wiflied ,to;raife in thp 
 eAimaiion of the people,,as clothed, in poor attire, .coniiftently 
 with the accounts of 'Ammianus Marcellinus, and of Gregory 
 Nazianzen, fpeaking ofhimfelf.and St. Bafil. Ettfeb. de Vit. 
 Conftant. 1. vi. c, 42. cum notis Valef. Edit. Reading. Con- 
 ftantine' might have confirmed the property, before annexed to 
 the Church, and have eftabliftied it with liBeral appointments', 
 without injary to religion ; but he opened flood-gates of evil, 
 when he fuffered devotion to pour in unlimited treafures,.by 
 ,unpeftrained grants and teftamentary bequefts. 
 
 .f The Conliitutipn of Conftantine p.nd Licinius, publilhed at 
 -Milan about A. D. 313, conceded a general toleration upon 
 the moftliberal principles, and attributed the trattquill;ty then 
 enjoyed, to indulgence. Eufeb. 1. x. c. 5. It would have 
 been honourable to the pcefeiTors of the Goljjel, and happy for 
 the world, if the fanie Chriltian principles had continued to 
 operate. Vid. Enfeb. in Vit. Conftant. 1. ili. c. 63. Cod. 
 'Theod. 1. xvi. tit, 10. 1. iv. & xii. 
 
 circle, 
 
112 . SlE R M ON in. 
 
 circle, was- w,eakened by diffiifion, and glim* 
 mered only with' the fcattered and uncertain 
 rays which it conti-nued, though with dimi- 
 nifhed glory, to emit. But what- argument 
 can thence be drawn againft fuch. liberal and 
 difcreet appointments, as m3.y ihdicate be- 
 coming reverence ; and- fuch competent and 
 permanent provifion as may fepure indepen- 
 dency and encouragement to the labourers in 
 •a fpiritual fervice ? r ^" >. 
 
 If a provifion were not made adequate for 
 the fupport of a Miniftry, fufficient as tf> 
 number to preach to the poor as to. the rich, 
 and refpedlable as to qualifications for the at- 
 tainment of learning, Chriftianity would in- 
 fenfibly fmk into disregard with, the general 
 clafles of Ibciety, and become the lubje<S of 
 rare and fpeculative, difcuflion. Its compli- 
 cated eviderice, contained in remote records 
 and languages, known only to the inftrufted; 
 its prophecies, interwoven with accounts of 
 ancient hiftory and its do6trines, deducible 
 from laborious collation^ would be confidered 
 only by the ftudioijs in filent enquiry ; and 
 its inftrudlions, defcriptive of the Divine at^ 
 tributes, and impr-effive of religious obliga- 
 tions, V. quid be admired only in abftrafted 
 contemplation : whereas that evidence, when 
 
 pfefented 
 
SERMON m. ii| 
 
 preientdd with frequent dfemonftration .to 
 public attention, and thofe dodfeines incul- 
 cated in familiar expofltion, bring forward re- 
 itgion to.general fisgard and obfervance. Its 
 inftitutiona, fet ijp with national fanftion. Are 
 viewed With habitual reterence, ; its worfhip, 
 i^xpreCed by exterior a.6ts of celebration, is 
 |ie!irf<[»med with focial concord, and its max- 
 ims, imbibed by daily hearing, affimilate with 
 the principle? of our cdwidud:, and meliorate 
 the ehara^er of our thoughts, words, and, 
 anions. 
 
 If it be ftated, that indolence is the reflilt 
 of fecurity, and that the exertions , of an 
 eftablifhed Miniftry may be deadened in the 
 eonfidence of proted.ion *, it is an argument 
 deduced from the consideration of a partial 
 hyppthefis; and to have any weight, muft 
 fijppofe the ftippreffion of hoftility, which ever 
 ealtef^ir vigilance, and the diftribution of ap- 
 
 • Hume ftatfis Ac ad!*atitige of eftabliftiment to be, to-bribe 
 the jofialenl^e of fpkitual gijidev by.affigning ftated falaries to 
 their profelEon ; and rendering it faper|uoUs to be farther 
 aftive than merel/ to prevent' their fleck from ft*aying in queil 
 of new,p.a^eB. . The feirwftic hiftpriarn might have reflefted* 
 that' adliyky cannot retain the flock in the oldTpaftures, orilefs 
 they are prefeS-vei in a flate of perffe^on faperior to that o£ 
 the nenr. Hift. of England, ch; xxix. _ . ^ 
 
 .: -J 1. point^ents 
 
114 SERMON m. 
 
 poiixtmehts lb equal) as to fuperfede every 
 fecular encouragement to emulation. It muft 
 alfo harflily fuppofe in men, whofe minds hav^ 
 been awakened to every ferlous motive and 
 fblemn obligation, an indifference to every 
 con'fideration which they have profefled. Cal- 
 culated as is the national eftablilhment of 
 fome approved fyftem, to prevent by its 
 ftability the endlefs vibration of uncertain 
 interefts, and the mutual intolerance of fed:s 
 ruling with traiifient and anxious triumph, it 
 can by no means ftill, the ftridlures or reprefs 
 the jealous complaints of thofe who are ever 
 eager to expofe its defedts, and inllilt over 
 its unworthy members. 
 
 The evils then which have refulted from 
 the injudicious and extravagant favour be- 
 llowed at different times on the Church, by. 
 no means outweigh the great and folid ad- 
 vantages which have been urged ; and they 
 certainly furnifh no jufl argument againft a 
 civil eftablilhment of religion, as fupported in* 
 agreement with the principles of the Reform- 
 ation in this country.^ The. excellency of 
 thofe principles may be vindicated upon the- 
 ftrong and important ground of their ten-, 
 dency to efFcduate fuch advantages in an 
 
 eminent 
 
SERMON III. 115 
 
 eminent degree> from their confiftency with 
 the defign of revelation, and their conformity 
 to the character and difcipline of the early 
 Church. ' 
 
 It was a favourable efFe6l of the peculiar 
 views of Henry, thatj while his refentment 
 urged him to break down the tower of that 
 ufurpation which had been raifed above the 
 ftrufture of the Chriftian Church, he had no 
 wifh to deftroy the original form of its edi- 
 fice. Its principal) ftipports were preferved 
 uninjured; its ancient pillars remained un- 
 ihaken. The appointments of that order by 
 which all thii^gs in heaven and earth are kept 
 in harmony ; which were regulated with 
 fimple diftindions and appropriate functions ; 
 and which were endowed with privileges 
 adapted to the genius of our conftitution, 
 continued to confolidate the well-compa<fted 
 frame of fpiritual and civil government. Mo- 
 nadic inftitutions and their dependencies, the 
 iprime intention and ancient utility of which 
 were deftroyed in the general corruption of 
 their eftabliihments, were, (with indifcrimi- 
 nate violence and unjiift fpoliation it muft be 
 admitted,) fuppreffed*. Thofe unendowed 
 
 orders. 
 
 ■ f Witnefs Malverfle and Godftdw. Cranffler refufed to con- 
 
 fent to the application of the revenues of the fuppreffed eftab- 
 
 I 2 Ijfhments, 
 
ii6 SERMON IIlV 
 
 ofders, who& ambitious intrigues and offidou9 
 fervices had" been craftily employed in fu?p- 
 port of former fuperftition *, wefe aboli&ted ; 
 but the epifcopal form of governmeHi,^ with 
 its fuitable appendages and :&ibo!Xiinatef < iAlli- 
 tutions, refting on its ancient rights and ju- 
 rifdidlion, and privileges, ftill maintainfed its 
 degrees in due dependency of rank ; diftribut- 
 ing its members through every department of 
 fociety, preferving in its elevation a luflf e that 
 commands refped:, and defcending in its hu- 
 mility wherever ignorance and abafement 
 demand its care, . »ft« 
 
 Notwithftanding the unjuft alienations and 
 embezzlement of the ecclefiafticai revenues 
 which the Church fuftained, to the deplor- 
 able impoverlfliment of fome of its labo- 
 
 lifliments to the king's ufe. Latimer Jnterceded particularly 
 with Cromwell for Malveche,that it might be all«)wed to fl#nd,; 
 " not in monkery, but fo as to be converted to preaching, ftudy, 
 " and prayer. Alas, my good lord, fays he, fh^U wenQt fee 
 " two or three in every ftiire changed to fuch a remedy_^^ 
 The imperious wants however, and fturdy determination ot 
 Henry, were not to be refifted ; though tlte P^Kli^l^Qt %ei^9^ 
 aptly yielded to the. menaces of the king, wjijo.liad the afllir- 
 ance afterwards to afert in his-fpeecfi to th& Pariiflinent, that 
 the fpoU h^ been comrakted to. Juin "wit^ojiit his defire, and 
 promifed to" employ it well, towards the fuppbrt of thepqor, 
 and the advanceilient of learmng. » See -Igsltaaa. Hift. '■ "''-'£i 
 * W^rburton has obferved, that tlie religious orders of the 
 Church of Rome who had no endowment, were the perfons who 
 got poffeffion of the power of the Church. Almoft all nations 
 have deemed an eftaijliftiment to be neeeflkry. .•,- * 
 
 rioi^ 
 
S E R^IC ^ N ilf. II 
 
 fioxis dhdiivfeli^'ii^paFttlierits; the liberal a1 
 fi^anil»t r'efetvad tdltbe getietal apj^ttit^eni 
 oi iht "dlafeiiflttiietitj ftvelllrtg in prdportio 
 Wiih'ttie 'iflcfetffmg^**klti^ of fhe reqiiifites < 
 %h, cestaiijy -feouf ed the Clergy fmtii the h« 
 e«fi|fy^of «ni*v6khy G(5fttrivane€ ; and froi 
 t^t^^tile de^hdence on tho ■ fovef eign, ( 
 -iliit ]f*©c£iri€fi?fe Feliatvce- oft. f he- people, whic 
 kj.idiffei-feat cotiH^i6s'had^6^udfy tended 1 
 d^rade thf^ {kcred "eharadlfer ; rendering tl 
 l^aftfeof Chrifb io*H*times thfe 'flaves' of a 
 bftsafrji* power^ aiid femeitirnes the 'iksioTas, abe 
 tms of fa<fti6n and intrigue *."i'Wtere t1i( 
 have fiocfj beeii' unreafonably bia&d,- af 
 ha«sfe- conintewanced priricifJfes- unfavourable ' 
 &S1^im l&erty,- it has been the effe!^ of ii 
 voluntary err©!-; or of iuch iiftfltieA'(*e'and ii 
 ducements as • no rdgfi-lation* edulS' iiftterly ' r 
 move, and wHich''f©fem 4nd«6d»^to be'as effe 
 tuatly eountera^ed, as perhaps by any arrang 
 ment could be accpmpli'lhed by- the multip 
 city of channels into which the ecclefiaftic 
 patronage of the- country is diflributed f . '^ 
 An eftabliffement fo conftituted as to ha 
 
 ■^ See Lord Molefworth's AceDuot of Denmark, ch. xvi. 
 
 t If a patronage, diftrib'uted intoroyal and epifcopal depa 
 ments ; among colleges ; civil and ecclefiaftical corporatioi 
 and individuals, be pot properly difpofed of, what arrangem 
 can be adopted ? •' 
 
 I 3 
 
iiS S E R M N III. 
 
 no, iptereft but in maintaining that dignity 
 which refults Sfrom the preservation and ad" 
 vancement of truth, could not but be calcu* 
 iated to promote the ; inilnence of ChriiU- 
 anity. The paffions and evil imaginations of 
 men> inilamed by the fuggeftion of the apof-^ 
 tate fpirit, might ftill continue to refill, its 
 evidence and, I to. rejedl its precepts; but ftill 
 that evid:enee and thofe, precepts, renewed 
 ■with regular enforcement, mull produce ef- 
 fefts of beneficial operationj difcerniWe by 
 thofe who Ihpuld take a comprehenfive view 
 of life, and allow for the obllru^ions.and un- 
 favourable circumftances which impedi? their 
 tendency. Human wildom can contriye nO" 
 thing,, better calculated to advance the true 
 inter efts of religion, than by providing for its 
 general and lincere promulgation ; and it 
 would be di^cult to Ihew by what means 
 the conftant preaching of the Word would 
 be fecured fo efFeftnally as by the Sup- 
 port of a regular minillry> duly educated 
 and appointed to their office ; piaintained 
 with cornpetent endowment; and with iuch 
 appointments, as, while they furnilh general 
 ipdepend^nce, keep alive the fpirit pf emula- 
 tion. 
 
 When the do^rines of the national faith 
 
 were 
 
S E R M ON III. lip 
 
 were Specified in ]pre.clfe articles, the charac- 
 ter' of the Church, 'which the State defigned 
 •to proiteft, was fully defined. It was a ne- 
 ceflary cOilditidn of the connedlion which was 
 to fubfift, that every change which the con- 
 ■^fiiftipn df an enlightened nation might de- 
 mand' in the progrefs of the Reformation, 
 fhould be ratified by the reprefentative deli- 
 beration <Df the pieople, before it couid be en- 
 titled' to the civil countenance -and fanc- 
 tion which it claimed. The futility of thofe 
 refiexibns is therefore manifeft, which would 
 difparage the Reformation by reprefenting it 
 as the changing work of political contrivance; 
 fince' it is certain that the ' legiflative powers 
 of the State interfered -in the reftoration of 
 truth, not! as fpiritual guides, but as expreffing 
 the fenfe of the community, as to the defcrip- 
 tion of the improving principles which it de- 
 signed, to accept, and as to the civil fandlions 
 with which it was difpofed to ratify their eftab- 
 lifliment. The legitimate "interpreters of the 
 iacred Word were confulted, and generally 
 firft depofed the doftrines of the . Scriptures 
 which were reftbred*; but they profeffed no 
 infallible authority in expounding them ; and 
 
 * Heylin. Hift. of Prefbyter. 
 
 I 4 the 
 
J20 3 E R M O N JU, 
 
 tkp aflent of 'the Laity, regularly dfeclj^i^, 
 was requifite to fignify their 3|)^r©Jj»tipii*j of 
 the principles that were to become artidcis of 
 their faith, and the boundaries of the Ghiirch 
 which was to ^sM for their fupport.' The 
 dodrines thus ratified furnifli to future, gcnee 
 rations the charader of that eftabliflinaoat 
 which claims their proteftioh ;+ and every va- 
 riatioa in that charafter muft continue to re- 
 quire the fandlion of the power which im" 
 parts it? protecStion to a fpecific Church. 
 
 The ftern injunftions * delivered by the 
 State, to impofe on the fubjeift a iknA: con- 
 formity to the worlhip and inftiii^utiojns of th* 
 national Church, in the earlier periods of its 
 independency f, were, if viewed' diftin<Sly 
 from political confiderations, apparently in' 
 
 * It is not meant' to cenfiire thje operation of thofe injunc- 
 tions which refpedted tlie mjniftry, who were certainly ^o obey 
 the direftions of the+ulers of the eftabliftied Church, or to re- 
 linquifli their preferment ; as fome did in the reign of Qaeen 
 EUzabeth> to the number of zoo, or ^43, g,s other accounts 
 flat-e. _■- . . '■ • 
 
 f The ftatutes pf i Eli?, c. 2, 33 Eliz. c. i, z. 35 Eligs. 
 c, 2. 29 Eliz. c. 6. 35 Eliz. c. ,1. 1 Edvv. VI. c. z. 2 and 3 
 Edw. VI. c. 21. 3 Jac. c. 4, 5. zi Jac. c. 28. 22 Car. II. 
 CI. 13 and ij. Car. 11, c. 4. enjoined conforjtnity to.the (fer- 
 vice and rites of the Church, under pain of increafing pecjunir 
 ary nmlAs, imprifonmeni and banifhitient. A fmall fiiie, im- 
 pofing attendance on fome kind of public worftiip, might pro- 
 bably bejuftifiedj but fome of thefe were excefftve, and, 3.11owed 
 no frpe4pm of confcience. 
 
 compatible 
 
IS E E M O N III. 121 
 
 jBompatiWe with.the genuine fpirlt of Chrif- 
 tiAm^V and inocMififtent with thofb ri^ts of 
 a coflftfifeaentious and unfettered reafon, which 
 were ^ &Uy aiferted by the general fpiiit df 
 the Riifornaatioitu Triae it is that they were 
 but ieldom. enforced ; but ftill, as they were 
 iiBtpreflcd with th« feal of fcverity, they hare 
 hssti. TepeaJed, or viaftually iupprefled, under 
 the tniiuence of thofe peculiar maxims of li- 
 b^al toleration, upon which the Church of 
 Ehglaindtis at j»«fent maintained *; The de- 
 cided fupport now ^ven to the national 
 ChasFch, though it preferves the edmmunity 
 from reeling with every change; pretends not 
 tO' juphold an eftablifliment which Ihall fiir- 
 vive the conviftion of its excellency in the 
 majority of the people. 
 
 - IDifciaiming all control over the confciehces 
 bf men, the legiflature admits an unreftrained 
 profeffion of faith, and an unmoleflied, nay a 
 
 • 1 W;>M. &!St. I. c. i8. 'confii;med by 19 G. Ill, 
 c, 44. ft^'-lo. Ann. c. 2. fijifpend?d penal laws ' againft dif- 
 fenters (except oppugners of the Trinity) , who fliould take 
 the oaths of allegiance and'fijpremacy, and fubfcribe to the de- 
 claration againft popery, arid certify their place of public meet- 
 ing to the Bifhop, Archdeacon, or Juftice. Some obfolete pe- 
 nalties and difabilities ftill remain, by laws, which it is better, to 
 negleft than to repeal. See tie arguments, on Lord Stan- 
 hope's bill, propofed in 1789. See alfo the Articles of Union, 
 5 Ann, c. 8. 
 
 protedled. 
 
iZ2 ,SIE R M O N in. 
 
 pmtefted, exe?cife of eyery kiftd of worfhi|>-*. 
 It reftri<fts"n6't freedom of enquiry j it prohi* 
 &its not the fober difcuffion of any fpeeiilativ* 
 'dod:rine ; though it vindicates the m^efty 
 of the . Supreme Being,' and the ackriow-? 
 kdged revektibnof Ws laws from contumely 
 and ; reproach f^ and -with temperate and 
 proportioned punifhment inf[i£ls civil penal- 
 ties, and precludes from citil privileges thole 
 apoHate ' mifcreants, who, with during rejec- 
 tion of all religion; or direft'attactks OnChriA 
 tianity ; and i itsr; fundamental • do£h:ines> would 
 deftroy the principal iprings on which focial 
 fecurity depends J, 
 
 Fmm 
 
 * iW.ScM: ■ 
 
 t I Hawk. p. 6, 7. I Vent. ^93. 2 Strange, 834, as quoted 
 by Blackftone, b. vi. c. 4. 
 
 4 In confequencfe of the licentious abufe of the toleration, 
 reftored towards the clofe of the lafl: century, it was enafted, 
 with the moderation of niitigated laws, by flat', g & 10 of W. 
 III. chat if any peribn educated in, or having made profeiTioi) 0/ 
 the Chriftian religion, fhould by writing, preaiching, teach^g, or 
 advifed fpeaking, deny the Chriftian religion to be true, or the 
 holy Scriptures t;o he of Divine autliority,.he ftio^Jd, upon the 
 iirft olFence, be declared incapable to l^old apy office, or place 
 of truft, and for the kfOvA bf rendeiied incapabi,e of bringing 
 any a^tipn, being guardian, executor, legatee, or purchafer of 
 lands, and fliould fulFer three years imprifonment without bail : 
 ftiM however, with indulgent confiderationiit is provided, that 
 if within fpuf months after the firft convi^i^qtn the delinquent 
 will, in open court, publicly renounce, he [s difcharged for that 
 once froni all ctifabilities. Blackftone's Qomi, b. iv. c. 4. By 
 the fame ftatute, if any perfon educated in the Chriftian felir 
 ~ gjonj or profefling' the fairie, ftiall by writing, teaching, or ad- 
 
 vjfed^ 
 
SERMON Jir. 123 
 
 From thofe who undertake to preach the 
 doArines of the National Church as of a con- 
 gre^tion of the faithful, the legiilature, de- 
 firous of preventing diverfity of opinions, 
 where union and conliftency are {q important, 
 naturally demands a teft of uniformity, an 
 ^S^tance of concordant fentiment * ; and 
 thjerefore requires liibfcription to its articles, 
 franved in conformity to early practice, as 
 pEeflimed Aandards of orthodo:?cy, and as the 
 creed and, avowed ,profeffion of its faith. 
 Wrpm thofe .whom it admits to offices of trufl: 
 and power, it reafbnably ftipulates for fome 
 proofs and pledges of regard to the combined 
 interefts of Church and St^te, 3,nd fome Se- 
 curity againft fufpeded and often blended 
 iefigns of religious and political hoftility f ; 
 in Gonvidion of the invariable operation of 
 the wilh to .fubyert thofe principles which 
 
 /ifed fpeaking, deny any one of the perfons in the holy Tri- 
 lity to be God, he Ihall "andergo the fame penalties. Reli- 
 gious impoftors are alfo puniihable by temporal courts, as they 
 :end to overthrow all religion, and afFe£l the fecarity of go. 
 rernment. '' The penalties are mildly and reludlantly infi|i£led : 
 hey indicate a diie reverence for religion, but are not era- 
 ployed to difcoorage the difcuiEon of any queftion that^may 
 ead to the inveftigation of truth. 
 
 * I Eliz. c. 12. ij & 14 Car. II. c. 4. 5 Ann, c. 8. 
 ■an. 36. 
 
 t Statut. 13 Car, II, Stat. 2 p. i, ■Stat. 25 Caf . II. 
 ;. 2. 
 
 the 
 
154 S E R M O N III. 
 
 the confcience condemns, aitd to eftablifli 
 tfeofe which it approves.' ' Regretting how- 
 ever the eventual effecft of partial exclufions 
 of the fubje6t from honours 'and emoluments, 
 of general emulation, extending tothi^ preju- 
 dice of cbnfcientious liieh * ; and lamenting 
 the fedudtive i-nfldence of temptation 'tb^'6t- 
 caiionaJ or pretended conformity, it WdtiM 
 willingly adopt any ci'it^nbn that could tte 
 fuggefted, equally effieat^iotiSy to fecufe the 
 civil and'ecclefiaftical pblrty of the country. 
 It mitigated 'this operation of its laWs, and with 
 impartial regard to the claims and advantage 
 of every defcr$ptkm of men, apportions its 
 indulgence to its confidence in their known 
 principles and views f • ; 
 
 ' " That 
 
 * Opinions will vary as to the extent of the neceffity of jm- 
 pallng lefts ; but the only jull principle upon which they can 
 be enferCed, is the prefervatioti of the integrity and fecuriiy bf 
 the eftaWiftiment. It may be obferved, that Mr. Plowd«t» 
 feems^ by a partial extraft, to have in one refpeft inadivei'tently 
 placed in falfe li^ the tendency ef Mr. Paley's reafoaing oa 
 this fubjeft ; who in obferving that he perceives no reafon why 
 men of different religious perfuafions may not fit upon the fame 
 bench> deliberate in the fame council, or fight in the fame 
 ranks, fpeaks only of the operation of dtfcordancy ifi reltgieus ■ 
 opinions, and ncjt of the political inexpediency of excluding 
 from thofe departments perfons who might affedt the fecurity of 
 the eftabliftiment. Church. and State, b. iii. ch. 3. 
 
 f The political principles generally connected with the 
 creed and interefts of the Papifts, and the ferious grounds of 
 
 complaint 
 
S- E R M N m. 125 
 
 ■ r. That; the legiflature Ihould not riik the 
 fafety of the ecckfiaftical government, by 
 telinqiiifhing regulations of experience and 
 ciEei«a%efiio« to: the vague profefficm- of 
 clamorous and iint/erefted difcontent; and 
 that it fhould not contra^ the circles of de- 
 fence by the demolition of every outward 
 bulwark, defcribed as offenfive by thofe who 
 would proHt by its deftruAion, is but the cau- 
 tion of a felutaary prudence. That it fhould 
 not fufFer the ordinances of its Church to be 
 reviled or defpifed with impunity *, or its 
 appointments to be difparaged -j- or obftruAed 
 by dietraftion and contemptuous ridicule, is but 
 
 eomplatit and alarm wlSch they forniftied by their opinioiw 
 andt«9!ndvidi, were tke cai^s of the feverities which they have 
 ^xp^enced. Such mitigations as are compatible with the 
 fi£etf of the'country have been extended: to them.'efpecially 
 by 1 8, 9Qi aiiad 3 1 of Geo. III. with a liberality reipefling 
 every confcientious fcruple ; and they will continue to receive, 
 as they' &all be found to merit, iadiilgeacej and as caufes of 
 diftruil: ihaU be removed. 
 
 * I Edw, VI. c. I, and i Eliz. c. i, which enadl fine and 
 nufoifenaaeat againft revilers of the Sacrament ; i Eliz. 
 c. 2. which decrees penalties of a Jimilar defcription, againft 
 thole who fpeak in'derogatien or contempt of the Book of Com- 
 mon VtMyet. Blackflone fai)?^ that the terror of thefe laws (for 
 they feldom or ever were executed) proved a principal means, 
 under Providence, of preferving the purity as well as decency 
 pf our national W^isfhiip. ' - ■ .— * 
 
 t' Statute I Car. I. c. i. 29 Car. II. c. 7. for preventing 
 by fine tlje profanation of the Lord's day j fee alfo i Geo. I. 
 againft fwearing. 
 
 the 
 
155 SERMON III. 
 
 the temperate provifion of a dlfcreet autho- 
 rity, and what every ftate which would coun-" 
 tenance a religious eltablilhment muft adopt*. 
 
 The line of forbearance is drawn with the 
 ftridleft regard to freedom of confcience, and 
 intolerance is buried in our country, never 
 again, we truftj to rife. 
 
 The Roffian hierarchy erred in the arbi- 
 bitrary inipofition of its decrees on the State. 
 We confider the State as it were a part of the 
 Church, and invite it to a joint acceptance of 
 regulations, adopted with equal and co>nfent-" 
 ing regard to the interefts of religion and fo- 
 ciety. The eftablifliment refts on the bafis 
 of the general approbation, confirnied by ex- 
 perience of advantages long enjoyed. If 
 it have its defedls, , ftriking with the piagrti- 
 tude of prefent evil, they iHould not miflead 
 us to difparage its comparative merits, far 
 beyond competition as they are ; or to forget 
 ■that in all human conftitutions fomewhat of 
 poflible excellence muft be facrificed to prac- 
 tical expediency. 
 
 The inadequate and diiproportioned provi* 
 
 * The direftory was fupported by an ordinSnce in 164 J, 
 which fubjefted thofe who wrote in derogation of It to a difcre- 
 tionary fine, not exceeding 50 1., Blackftone's Com. If. iv. 
 c, 4. 
 
 fion 
 
SERMON III. 
 
 127 
 
 fion for the humbler, though equally important 
 - ftations of the Church, cannot but be lament- 
 ed, on the mofl ferious and interefting prin- 
 ciples; in refleAing on the degraded conle- 
 quence, the curtailed power, and not feldom 
 the fcanty ind embatrafled fubfiftence of the 
 diligent and diftinguilhed paftors of the Church. 
 Confiderable are the difficulties which ob- 
 ftrud: the remedy ; coniiderable, but not, we 
 truft, infiiperable. While thus they operate, 
 the merit, which is inadequately recdiiipenfed, 
 mull recoUeft, that no iyftem could diftribute 
 its equal rewards to all ; that none could an- 
 nihilate the influence of partial friendfliip or 
 erroneous preference. It will recoiled!:, that 
 an eftablifliment, of which the greateft defe<3: 
 is that it cannot remunerate the lervices of 
 all its members, but exhibits the charadler of 
 all human difpenlations. Weighing its own 
 deferts, not by the fallacious eftimatc of»felf- 
 love, but with the humility that induceth 
 content, and ftimulateth to difinterefted fer- 
 vice, it will look to that recompence which 
 no partial fentences will decree- — no unequal 
 allotment djfturb. 
 
 SERMON 
 

 SERMON IV. 
 
 John ?x. ,aj, ^2, 33. 
 
 5r&» J&/</ ^fJk^ ^^ f^^ a^aini^Pe^ce be unto 
 yaii^ As J^y F(ttl^erb^t^ fiui me, even fo fend 
 I you. And 'wben ^e bad /aid this, he breathed 
 pn ibemf ai)4faith y.ntQ them. Receive ye the 
 Jloly Ghofi. Wbofe-Jo^er fins ye remit, they 
 ■are remitted unto tbem', and wbofe'foever fins 
 ye retail^ they are rf, 
 
 THIS folemn delegation of the higheft 
 authority was imparted by Chrift to 
 his Apoftl^js, after his r?jfi;irre(3:ion. from the 
 grave, when he bcftorwed, in final benedidllon, 
 the perfed: charter and ra^ficatipn of a Di- 
 vine <x>mmiiEon, and transferred to theqi 
 thc^ earthly government of his kingdom ; in 
 words which feem to import the deputation 
 of the fame power which he had received 
 
 K from 
 
lao S E R M O N IV. 
 
 from the Father, when he " made himfelf 
 " of no reputation, and took upon him the 
 " for m " of n fervant * • ; " hpvne,'; invefted with 
 an office, to be fulfilled in the fubfefviencyand 
 obedience of the human nature. The com- 
 munication was accompanied with the gift of 
 the Holy Ghoft, whofe guidance was effential^ 
 ly and indifpenfably neceffary to direct the em- 
 ployinent of fueh important authority as ap- 
 pears to have bfetn entrufted to the Apoftles, 
 whenaffured that " whofe-foever fins they re- 
 ,'^ minted fliduld be remitted;" and " wkofe-fo- 
 .''.ever fins they retained fhould be retained :' 
 fince the words lead us' td uhderfi:and no lefs 
 than the conveyance of a judicial right to de- , 
 cide on the remiffion oY'retMnment of fins, as, 
 to their 'final confequcnces and reward. • 
 
 For the iIlufl:ra:tion of 'the full extent of the 
 .commiffioji thus confisrned to the Apofl:les, it 
 may be expedient to confitler what povfers 
 \Yere exerdifgd by Chfift" in the ordinary dif- 
 charge o*f that niiniftry, which " being- found 
 '^' - in fafhion, as a man he humbled himfelf" 
 w accept ;. fince as the' Father had fent him,^ 
 'fo fent he^'fhe Apoftles ; with fimilar appoint- 
 jnent to preach 'the Goipel, and with equal 
 
 ^. . ,_ * Philip, ch. ji. ver. 7, 8. 
 
 aferai;ice, 
 
^ S E R m; N IV. 131 
 
 affurance, in his name, to apply the promifes 
 of admifljon to, and continuance in, its privi- 
 leges. In dependency on this enquiry, and 
 with reference to our general theme, it is 
 deiigned' to inveftigate the permanent rights 
 which may be undefftood to be derived to 
 the ■fucceflbrs of the Apoftles, with relpedlto 
 this great power, the fandlion of the Spiritual 
 auth,ority ; as vindicated with the reje<ftion of 
 unfounded pretenfions, and the eftablilhment 
 of juft claims at the Reformation. 
 
 The abfolute arid uncontrollable power of 
 ere6ling the flandard of good and evil, and of 
 marking out the limits of obfervance and 
 tranfgreffion, is the effential and. eminent pre- 
 rogative of God ; of him who " maketh peace 
 *' and createth evil *," who implanted the 
 moral ferife, and revealed the unerring rule, 
 -^his exclufive right it muft be to enforce or 
 to relax the fternnefs of his rpquifitions upon 
 principles of unfearchablc wifdomf; to iflue 
 out inexorable decrees, or tq intimate condi- 
 tiortal threats and promifes; to irnpute ini- 
 quity, or to vindicate fufpedled.righteoufnefs ; 
 to diflribute wrath in the prefer^t life, or to 
 
 * Ifaiah, ch. xly. ver. 7. ' 
 
 •J- Exod. ch. xxxiv. ver. 7. a^tvjai a-jj-afTrijixra yap jaovu t» 
 Qfu ^vvaiot. Chryfoftom. in 1 Cor. ch. xv. 
 
 ^ K 2 withhold 
 
132 S E R M O N IV. 
 
 withhold a proportioned reward, till the dif- 
 pealation of that final judgment, in which 
 inercy will be mingled with unimpeachable 
 juftice. Th^t he who poiTdTeth the power may 
 del^ate it however to his minifters, to exef- 
 cife with fueh authority, and on f»ch terms, 
 ^as he appoints, can admit of no queftion. - 
 
 That ow bleffed Redeemer was true and 
 perfeiS God, That as the prophets had 
 defcribed the Meffiah *, and as on his ap- 
 pearance he was declared to be f, he was 
 " one with the Father," we conlider as an 
 eftabliflied truth. From this effential nature 
 radiated tlie excellencies of that glory which 
 exifted " in the beg'mning," and conftituted 
 the fufficiency o( that charader which alone 
 could offer up an adequate atonement for the 
 fins of mankind J. This incorruptible per- 
 
 • liaklt, ch. IX, ver. 6. 
 
 f JoJmi, ck. X. vet. 30. and Mr. Hawtrey's Appeal to the 
 New Teliameat, p. 44— 50. i John, ch. v. ver. 21. Luke, 
 ch, i. ver. 16-, 17. coiupaped with Malachi, ch. iii. ver. i. 
 Maxt. ch. i. ver. 23. John, ch. xiv. ver. 10. Rom. ch. ix. 
 ver, 5. Revei. ch. i. ver. 7, 8. ch. xvii. ver. 14, 19. 
 
 X ChrtH, as God alone, could offer a &dsfa£toTy obktion to 
 the Divine juiiice ; and a body was " prepared for him," that 
 he might have fomewhat to offer. Heb. ch. x. ver. 5 . This 
 {latemeot Iblves the qucAicn, which has occafioned great dif- 
 putes in the Lutlieran Church, concerning the expiation^ whe- 
 ther it were made by Chrift in his Divine or human chara&r. 
 Moflieiin, cent, 16, &&.. 3. p. z. 
 
 feftion 
 
^ S E R M O IT IV. 133 
 
 fe<3ioil it was, which could not partake of the 
 pollution and iatbafement of the flelh, and' 
 broke forth with frequent manifeftation on 
 eartji, in the aflumption of eternal attri- 
 butes *, in the declarations of Almighty- 
 power f. Still however, in the reyerent 
 contemplation of Chrift's charaAer are we 
 authorifed to confider him, when that " glory 
 " which he had before^ the wofld|" was 
 veiled under human condition, as engaged in 
 the execution of an office to be performed, 
 in its ordi;nary exercife, with fubje(flion to 
 the Father §. He who had been in the form 
 of God, ■ and by whom " all things were 
 " made," pfofefTed, in the miniftration^of the 
 fervice || which he had undertaken, to derive 
 all power and knowledge from the Father. 
 
 Hence with a declaration of inferiority, re- 
 ferring, it is conceived, to his human nature 
 
 * John, ch. i. ver. i, 3^ 1 4. ch. viii. ver.'58. ch. xi. ver. zj, 
 26. ch. xvii. ver. 5. Col. ch. i. ver. 17. Heb. ch. i. ver. 3. 
 
 f JohiiiCh. ii. ver. 19. ch. vi. ver.40, 44. ch. x. ver. 18, 
 28. Col. ch. i. ver. 17. ^ 
 
 ',; I John, ch. xvii. ver. 5. 
 
 ' § Irenzus reprefents the Divine nature to have been quief- 
 cent at the temptation, crucifixion, and death of Chrift, but to 
 have been affillant (or the human na\ure to have been ab- 
 forbed) in his viftory, his refurreftion, and afcenfion. Cont. 
 ^laeref. 1. iii. c. 21. ;_ 
 
 II TsTOfiEiio; v7ri!«oos. Philip, ch. ii. ver. 8. 2 Cor. ch. viii. 
 ver. g. 
 
 K 3 ' 'in'tl 
 
134 SERMON IV. 
 
 and office, and not to any diftinftion reiulting 
 from a myfterious fubordlnation in the iden- 
 tity of the Godhead *, or to any merely filial 
 dependency in the eternal or in the human 
 generation of the Son-f-, he affirmed, that he 
 " could do nothing of himfelf ;" that he de*- 
 livered doftrine not his own, and " {pake 
 " not of himfelf," and " knew not J." 
 
 This, 
 
 * The fubordlnation of tiie Son, admit'tecl by teat-ron, Bull, 
 Waterland, Biihop Horfley, and others, implies no inferiority 
 in the Divine nature of Chrift, but a difference of ordef and 
 office. See Defenf. Fid. Nica^n. cap. xi ; Pearfbn on the 
 Creed ; Waterland on the Athan. Creed ; and Preface tp Eight 
 Sermons on the Defence of the Divinity of Chrift ; Bifhop 
 Horfley's 15th Letter to Prieftley 5 Tertull. adver. Prax. c. ix, 
 xii, xiii.^' , 
 
 f Mr. Hawtrey's fuggeftion, in his late learned works, has 
 been fully inveftigated by the ftandard of Scriptufe and th'e 
 primitive Creed. We have only to obferve, that if it could be 
 proved, that the term Son was firft aflumed when the Word was 
 made fleih, it would not leflen the difficulties of thefe paflages, 
 in which Chrift profeffes his fubordination and fubjeftion to the 
 Father ; and it muft have been in the reality of his human na- 
 ture,' and not merely in title, that the inferiority of Chrift ob- 
 tained. The notion is mentioned by Waterland and Sherlock 
 as an ancient and erroneous opinion ; and it may be appre- 
 hended indeed that, the proofs of Chrift's Divine nature, which 
 are drawn from a generation not taking place till his appear*- 
 ance in the fiefh, will not tend to eftablifli the eternal equality 
 of our Lord. See the Ep. of Chefter's and Mr. Hodfon's late 
 Publications. 
 
 J John, ch. V. ver. 19, 30. ch.vii. ver. 16. ch. viii. ver. 28. 
 ch. xii. ver. 49, 50. ch. xiy. ver. 10. Adls, ch. i. ver. 2. 
 Luke, ch. ii. ver, 52. Mark, ch. xiii. ver. 32. Irenseus, who 
 cites this laft verfe, fupppfes Chrift to have been ignorant of the 
 day and hotir iher'elB referred to ; in perfeft confiftenCy with 
 that belief in the Divine nature of Chrift, and his equality with 
 
 God, 
 
S;E R M ON JV. 135 
 
 •vThis.was ^;$fj{able e^ed: of the? alTuxijiption 
 oii^.n human charafter for the execution ot" a 
 delegated comi^iffion, in conformity to the 
 req-i^ifitioHs of God's will, and for an example 
 of ob64ience^to mankind. It. rwas agreeaUe 
 alib:;to the defign of an appointment, whicli 
 >vas' to be def^<flive in no formal evidence,, to 
 feftdnno felf-attefted report^. Thje works, 
 which were to . bear fiiffrage to, Chrift's pre- 
 tenfions, were to argjie a concurrent authority, 
 and an unity of will, demonftrating that the 
 Father had fent him, that he dwelt in him, 
 and' had not given him the Spirit by meafuref. 
 
 Coniiftently 
 
 God, which he every where ferverilly maintains. Cont. Haeref. 
 1. ii.. c. 4 8. and npte. Feuard. in cap. xlix. It may be obferved, 
 however, that when Chrift fays that the Son " knowethnot,"'it 
 Teems inftiiEcient merely to fuppofe him toafcribea precedency 
 bf knowledge to the Father, and to profefs to derive it, as he did 
 life and eternal generation, from hihi ; fince, however derived, 
 if he poffeffed the knowledge, he could not, as God, fay that he 
 knew not. But in'his human charafler he might a^erc that he 
 knew not — It was not within the comjerency and' concern of 
 his miniftry. Liglitfoot obferves well on the place, that we 
 muft diliinguifh between the excellencies and perfeftions which 
 flow from the hypoftatiqal union between the two natures, and 
 thofe which flovV from the donation and anointing of the Holy 
 Spirit. I 
 
 * John, ch. v. ver. 31. ch. viii. ver. 14 — 18. ch. x. ver. 
 37, 38. ch, xiv. ver. 9, 10. 
 
 f John, ch. iii. ver. 34, 35. John,.ch. xi. ver. 41. It is 
 deferving of notice, ^that St. John, who infifts^more forcibly 
 than any of the facred writers on the'Divine nature and attri- 
 butes of Chrift, furnilhes alfo the moft abundant proofs of Jiis 
 ailing, in his office of prophet and minifter, by a delegated com- 
 ■' ' K 4. • miffion. 
 
Confidently With this re^refentation, the 
 indications of ah imparted authority were fur- 
 riiihed on the firft admiffion <^ Chrift to his 
 febnfecrated office, Ivh^n the heavens were 
 opened at his ba;^tiftn, and the Spirit of (5od* 
 of whom alfo he was conceived, defcended iri 
 ^KMb tnanifeftation *> and lighted upon him ; 
 Rn<l he was " anointed with the Holy Ghoft 
 " and with powet f ." By the influeftte of 
 this Spirit, which was to " bear ^^irithefs in 
 " earth :^," the functions 'of the p!r6phetic 
 chara6ler were fulfilled §, and theminiftry of 
 an obedient fervice directed \\. ■ 
 
 In contemplating the condu6l of an incar- 
 
 hiiffion. By aflerfing the Godhead in 'the flioft unfequiv66it 
 term's in the prior part of his Gofpel, the Evahgdliil pt6cbidcA 
 the dedudion of cbncluflbns derogatory tb Chfiill's digtiity, 
 from his fubfequent ftatemeht. See alfo Matt. ch. xxviii. 
 Ver. iS^ 
 
 * Zii vu/XaTiMu'tihi, Luke, ch. iii. ver. %z, with 'a bodily 
 ftiape, hovering, as a dove hovers vnlh dutfpread wings, and 
 probably with a difplay of glorious light. See Patrick's Wit- 
 nefles, ch. iv. p. 75. and Taylor's Duflor Dubitant. b. ii. 
 rule 6. 
 
 f , AftSi ch. X. ver. 38. J i John, ch. v. ver. 8. 
 
 i It had beeh 'fbrelhewn of Chrift to Mofes, that he Ihould 
 utter the words which God fliould " put into his mouth," and. 
 fpeak what he was coihihanded. I)eut. th. xviii. ver, 18, 19. 
 It was the eflential charafter of a prophet riot to fpeak in his 
 own name, br.what was not commanded him. Deut. ch. xViii. 
 ver. 20. Numb. ch. xxii. ver. 18. Jerem. ch. i, ver. 7. 
 
 II Luke, ch. ii. ver. 27. ch. iv. ver. 1 — 18. Afts, ch.i. 
 ver. 2. Matt. th. xii. Ver. 18. Watefland's 6th SeriflOn. 
 
 nate 
 
SERMON IV. 13J 
 
 iiate God, whofe adlions were- perhaps in' 
 tended to be iliuftrative of his Divine attri 
 butes, als well as expreffite of the nature o 
 his commiffion, it would be prefumptuous 
 by any poiitive diicrimination of his works 
 to determine, which are to be confidered a 
 the fcxertions of an omnipotence inherent ii 
 his own perfon, and which are to be regardet 
 as the teftimonies and offices of the Spirit 
 The concurrence of defign, and the coftjunc 
 tion of ;powers difplayed.in a glorious and con 
 fummate fchenae of mercy, when the voici 
 of the Father accompanied the defcent of th 
 Spirit, and the influence of the Spirit con 
 fpired with the adminiftration of the Son 
 have produced an union of operation betweei 
 thofe who are of equal glbry ; in which th 
 refpeftive agents are not always diftinftl 
 chatadlerized. Therefore it is that our Lord 
 when appearing in his prophetic and mini 
 ffcerial chara<fter, performs thoife atftions whicl 
 are afcribed to the guidance of the Hoi 
 Ghoft *, with the authoritative voice of a; 
 uncontrolled and fupreme Power -f* ; and witl 
 intention to advance the faith offers up ai 
 
 » Matt. ell. xii. ver. 28. Rom. ch. viii. ver. 11. 
 f Matt. ch. viii. ver. 3. Mark, ch. i. ver. 25^^27, 4; 
 ch. V. ver. 41. John, ch. ii. ver. 19. 
 
 addreJ 
 
138 S E R M O N IV. 
 
 addrefs to the Father for the reftoration of 
 him that was dead, though himfelf empow- 
 ered at all times " to quicken whom- he 
 " would *." Hence alfo is the eternal Spirit 
 fpoken of by the facred writers in refped; to 
 Chrift, with a latitude which leaves us to 
 doubt whether the Divine nature of our Lord 
 or the Holy Ghoft be Intended f . 
 
 As however the publication of the Golpel, 
 and the works which were wrought in con- 
 firmation of its claims, are ufually alcribed 
 to the efpecial influence of the Spirit ; the 
 power of remitting ,and of retaining fins may, 
 at leaft, with confiftency o( defign, be confi- 
 dered alfo as the gift of the Spirit; appointed 
 in fupport of an authority deftitute of earthly' 
 fan6lions ; annexed in the fcharad:er of our 
 Lord to the priefthbod with which he was 
 invefted, when rendered " like unto his bre- 
 " thren, to make reconciliation for the fms 
 " of the people J ;" which he exercifed in 
 its firft difcharge, when the Spirit of the Lord 
 
 * John, ch. xi. ver. 42. compared witli ch. v. ver. 21 — 2^. 
 
 •{■ Heb. ch-. ix. ver. 14. vyhere fome underfland by the eter- 
 nal Spirit " tlie Hoi/ Ghoft," and fome the " Divine nature 
 of Chrift." See Whitby on Matt. ch. iii. ver, 16. and Sher- 
 lock's Scripture Proofs, ch. i. Heb. ch. viii. ver. 3, i Peter, 
 ch. iii. ver. 18. 
 
 J Heb. ch. ii. ver. 17. ch. vii. ver. ?4, 25, 
 
 was 
 
SERMON IV. 
 
 139 
 
 •was upon him, becaufe the Lord had " an- 
 " ointed him to preach good tidings unto the 
 " meek, had fent him to bind-up the, broken- 
 " hearted, - to proclaim liberty to the cap- 
 " tives?^." 
 
 The Goipel was founded on the promife of 
 fprgivenefs and reconciliation ; fo, wfis it wit^ 
 nefled to be, by the prophets f, proclaimed by 
 the Baptift, and preached by the Apoftles J. 
 Ih the ordinary exercife of his miniftry, therer 
 fore, Chrift propofed the forgivenefs of fins to 
 all, who accepted the terms of falvation ; and 
 when by a particular application he certified 
 the hope of pardon to thofe who prbfefled a 
 faith in his power, he may be fuppofed to 
 have exerted> not an extraordinary and partial 
 prerogative of the Godhead, " fince he came 
 " down from heaven, not to do his own will," 
 or to receive any that the Father did not 
 draw, but rather a right of that judgment 
 which " was committed to him" who '' had 
 " the key of David§ ;" in confiftency with the 
 ■defign of his office ; though indeed that judg-. 
 
 * Ifaiah, ch. Ixi. ver. i. f Afts, ch. x. ver. 43. 
 
 X Luke, ch. xxiv. ver. 47. John, ch, i. ver. 12. A^s, 
 ch. ii. ver. 38. ch. xiii. ver. 38. ch. v. ver. 31, 32. Rom. 
 ch. iii. ver. 25. Col. ch. ii. ver. 14. 
 
 § John, ch.vi.ver. 38,44. ch. v. ver. 2z. Rev. ch.iii. v. 7. 
 
 ment. 
 
I40 SERMON IV. , 
 
 ment, in its full and final admlniftration, 
 could be exercifed by him alone who was 
 perfed God, 
 
 That the remiffion of fins, annexed to a 
 faithful acceptance of the Gofpel, and the 
 pardon- held out by our Lord on particular 
 occafions, extended to the eternal event, there? 
 is full authority to conclude. In the in- 
 ft^nce of the p«raljtic, whofe faith, doubt- 
 iefs, as well as that of the peirfbns who* 
 brought him, Jefas bad feen, the forgivenefa 
 of fins conveyed in the Divine afiurance, can- 
 not juftly be refl:ri<3:ed to any imaginary caufe 
 ©f that diaRjrder, under which the fick man 
 laboured; nor is there any fiifficient'reafon 
 to fiippofe our Saviour's declaration to import 
 lefs than a pardon for all the fins of which he, 
 who was the obje(3: of his mercy had been 
 guitty ; as well as to eternal as to prefect ccaife-* 
 quences * ; a promife, that, if the faith which 
 then exifted fhould continue, his fins flicwld be 
 remitted in eonclufive judgment, and the man 
 have a claim to the privileges of everlafting 
 life. That the Jews fo undejfiiood the alTur- 
 
 • Whitby confiders the palfy as an effeft of, orjndgment 
 for, the fms of the man, and that out Lord fpeaks of the remif- 
 fion only of the temporal punifhment inflifted for fins, and ob- 
 tained by the faith, not of tlie palfied man, but of thofe who. 
 brought him. 
 
 ance> 
 
S EIlM O N tV. 141 
 
 ance, h clear, fince they imputed blafphemy 
 to our Lord * ; and it fliould be oblerved, as a 
 prelkmption that Chrift aded in virtue of a 
 <ieirived, comniiffipnij that fee tejcd^ the impu- 
 tation, not bj the affertionof that undisputed 
 prerogative whic^ as God he might have exer* 
 dif^, but by arguing, that it was uot more dif"? 
 fiicult to forgive iins than to perform a mi* 
 lucle ; and as a j^xiof that the Son <y£ Man 
 had " power on earth -f-" to forgive fms, he 
 commanded th© paralytic to arife, and ^- 
 moaftrate his r^^k>ration to i^kh and vi* 
 
 Thofe who reftrid: the forgivenels of (ins 
 mentioned in t^is relation, cannot at leafl: 
 deny, that upon other occafious our Lord 
 extended complete forgivenels, as well to the 
 woman who anointed his feet with oint- 
 ment J, as to the male&ftor, whole repent- 
 ance and faith he diicernsd, when at his cxu- 
 
 ' • Mark, di. ii. vcr. i — iiXtTheiricafoning, diat Godonly 
 could forgive iins, that.is, by his own authority, was juft alto ; 
 but it wi'u liot prove that the remilTion of fin« might cot be an- 
 nexed, as a ianfiion to the ^iritual authority to be exercifed 
 by man. 
 
 t Matt. ch. ii. vet. 10. ch. ix. ver. 6. May we not under- 
 fiand Chrift here to fig«ify, that even " on earth," in his hu- 
 roan chara^er and oifise, he had that power ? That he had 
 in heaven, as God, was indiipntable. 
 
 t Luke, crh, vii. ver, 47. 
 
 ■cifixioii 
 
143 s k R Al O N IV". 
 
 cifixion he promifed that on that day the fuf- 
 ferer fliould be with him in Paradife. • 
 
 Whether we fuppofe Chrift to have exerted 
 this powei- in his own uncontrolled prerogative 
 as " the Prince of Peace," or in virtue of his 
 imparted commiffion, we can have no /uf-^ 
 ficient reafon, it is prefumed, to doubt that 
 the authority configncd by him to his Apof- 
 tles, w^hen " he breathed on them, and laid, 
 " Receive ye the Holy Ghoft," was plenary; 
 and as extenfive as to its efFefts, as that which 
 he himfelf had exercifed; an authority not only 
 to publifk the terms of evangelical falvation, 
 but to apply, by a judicial discrimination *, 
 its irifallible decrees to the individual. 
 
 The delegation, thus given in final ap- 
 pointrrient to the Apofhles, has been fuppofed 
 to be a confirmation only of that promise 
 which had been previoufly made in other 
 terms to St, Peter -f, and afterwards to the 
 reft of the Apoftles ; when our Lord had af- 
 firmed to them, that " whatlbever they fhoiild 
 " bind on earth Ihoulji be bound in heaven, 
 " and whatfoever they Ihould loofe on earth j 
 
 ■^ I Cor. ch. V. ver. 12. 
 
 + Matt. ch. xvj. ver. 19. Hammond on the plat?, and 
 Marftial's Penitential Difcipline of the Primiiive Chi^rch, p. 12, 
 
 "3- 
 
 " ihould 
 
SERMON IV. 143 
 
 ** fhould be loofed in heaven *." The words 
 of our Saviour on each oocafion, feparately 
 or jointly confidered, feem to imply no lefs 
 than an abfolute; and, authoritative power, c)f 
 remitting and of retaining 'fins, as to. their 
 pardon or punifiiraenf in a future life ; and 
 thofe, who, by the :keys of the kingdom of 
 heaven, liave underflood merely the keys of 
 the Chriftian Church, and by the power of 
 loofmg and binding; of remitting and re- 
 taining ; a power only of abfolving ,from, or 
 of fettering by, ecclefiaflical cenfures, muft 
 at leaft admit, that the binding on heaven f 
 irtiports a Divine ratifiqation of the earthly 
 fentenoe. 55.. 
 
 This authority, however unrefljriined, could 
 not be abufed by thofe who adled uniformly 
 under the direction of the Holy Spirit, " who 
 f' guided them into all truth, and fliewed 
 '* them things to come "J;;" who " fearched all 
 '• things, yea thei deep things of God§." " As 
 ** my Father hath fent me," faid our, Lord, 
 
 • Matt. ch. xviii. ver. i8. Origen. in Matt. torn. xii. 
 § 10, II. 
 
 t Heav«n is put in diftindlion from earth . The Apoftles 
 could bind on earth,, only as they were rulers of a church on 
 earth. , , 
 
 ' J John, eh. xvL ver. 13. 
 
 § J Cor. ch. ii. ver. 10. 
 
 whom 
 
144 SERMON. IV. 
 
 whom we know to have Had power to :for- 
 give fins, " even fo fend I you," without any 
 limitation of autihLority, or qualification, as to 
 the nature of the fms *, and with a promifc, 
 that if they had faith, they fhouid " do woiks 
 " as great or greater, than thoie which they 
 " had feen him perform f," and that " when 
 " the Son of man fliould fit upon the throne 
 *' of his glory, they alfo fhouid fit upon 
 " twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes 
 « of Ifrael +." 
 
 The Apoflles, as minifiers of a Lord who 
 "came into the world to'fave finners," exr 
 crcifed their power *' in the fpirit of meek- 
 *' nefs§ ;" and with regard to the correction 
 of thofe whom they addrefTed, they inflid|-ed, 
 it is true, feaiful and impre^ve puTiiihjxie»iJt» 
 
 * Wheady conceives that our Lord empowered the Apqilles 
 {to remit fins even in relation to God, jnfomHch that thofe fip; 
 which they fliouId declare forgiven by virtue of this commif* 
 €on, ihouid he aftuail^y forgiven of God himfelf, fo as to bt 
 itnpute^ no ^ore ; but fiill .wUhes tq reftrl^ the power to 9 
 fbrglvenefs of the fins of thofe on whom fome temporal cdamity 
 or difeafe had been inflidted as a punilhment for fins. The 
 terms of the cpmmiffion, however, by no means rCftrain the 
 forgivenefs to thofe whofe exceffive Has are fuppofed to have 
 drawn down temporal judgments ; and it Ihould be remem- 
 tered, that our Saviour on oneoccafion declared that the blind- 
 uefs of a man, whom he reftored to fight, was not tlie punifh- 
 jnent of any fin. 
 
 f John, ch. xiv. ver. 12. t Matt. ch. xix. v^r. 28.' 
 
 § 'i Cor. ch. iv. ver. z i . 
 
 on 
 
SERMON IV. 14 
 
 on thofe who dared to " tempt th6 Spirit c 
 " the Loi'd,'" or to withftand their miracu 
 lous« embafly arid defign ;' and- in the cafe c 
 Xnanias and; Sapphira hate' ' b&eti' by fom 
 imaginted to haW' exerted th'eir power of re 
 taining fins to its fiilleft extent; fiince the de 
 creei* which -in its execution precluded- repent 
 ance, and dembnftrated^ the^ ©it^itoe "concur 
 rence, might be'^pprSh^ded- to- indicate 
 fkial and dectlivef^' rgiti^taki<sli i as alfo it i 
 contended, tliat on other ocbafiOns they im 
 precated eternal deftrudion on- thofe wh 
 loved not the Lord Jefus*. .Their fentenc 
 however, in general, though irfallibly furec 
 accomplilhraent, as founded on- unerring ob 
 fervation, was irreverlEible, only as the condi 
 tion of the perfon remained-unaltered ; an 
 they or their immediate delegates, folemnl 
 authorifed, in the power of the* Spirit, deli 
 vered to Satan ^ thofe whofe flagitious crime's 
 
 * I Cor. ch, xvi. ver 32. Marin-atha is a Syrlac expreiflic 
 for " the Lord cometlj." and has beenfuppqfed to import fin; 
 deftruftion. See Whitby. See alfo Galat. ch. iv. yer. i; 
 2 Tim. ch.- iv. ver. i ).. John, ch. v. ver. 16. 
 
 f I Cor. ch. V, ver,. 5. i Tim. ch. i. yer., 20. The d( 
 livering to Satan, might be the giving up of the body to t) 
 power pf evil fpirits, who, at the time of the preachin? ( 
 the Gofpel, often poffeffed the perfons of men., Thofe yil 
 jyere baptized, and who remained in "the communion of ii 
 
 L ' Churcl 
 
146 5 E R M O N Iv- 
 
 or apoilate rejedlion of the faith, forfeited the 
 fjrotedlion of the Church, with defign ulti- 
 mately to defeat the powers of darknpfs ; for 
 -the »^' deftruaion'only. " of the fleih, that 
 .'* the fpirit might be faved in the; day of the 
 ". Ljordyjefusf^," that thofe 3^ ^om they con- 
 demaedr might ," learn -not to blafpheme;" 
 ■ajid: they intermingled, with their threats ex- 
 hortation to, repentance, ^that '• the things 
 " which they -had fpoken, might not come , 
 " upon thofe whom they beheld bounden iu 
 " the bonds of iniquity." 
 
 ;That the Apoftles einployed their autho- 
 rity in releafmg iinners from a guilt to be 
 remembered no more, may perhaps be argued 
 from the diredlion given by St. James, that 
 " if any fliould be fick, he fliould call for the 
 " elders of the Church, who might pray 
 " over him ; and that the prayer^ of faith 
 " fliould fave the fick ; and if he had com- 
 
 Church, were probably (creened by its proteftion ; and hence a 
 confiderable reputation to the Church miraculoujly fanftioned, 
 when deftitute of civil fupports. The Apoftles, and their im- 
 mediate defcendants, appear to have pofTe/Ted the power of 
 lengthening or contrafting the phain, by which Satan and his ' 
 minifters were controlled. Theod. Some think that the ex- 
 preflion imports only a rejeftion from Chrift's kingdom into 
 that of theadverfary. See Critical Hift, of the Apoft. Creed,, 
 p. 141. 
 
 * Aftsj ch. viii, ver, 2z. , 
 
 " mitted 
 
SERMON IV. 147 
 
 ■*.* mitted fins,- th^y ;ihould be forgiven 
 "' him *." : . ■' ' •' 
 
 , While the full extent of the cornmiffion 
 cntrufted to the Apoftles is afTerted, . itijs 
 obvious to remark, that fuch,. unreftrained 
 power qould be conllgned only , to thofp 
 whom the guidance of the HolyjGhoft pr©^ 
 ferved from error. It could not be continued 
 to any, who, with penietration rnerely hu- 
 man, and with paffions inftigated , by uncon- 
 trolled corruption, might be biaffed to undue 
 partiality, or inflamed to difproportion'ed 
 wrath. The .peremptory .and unqualified 
 claim of remitting and of retaining fins, muft 
 necefi!arily be confidered as the peculiar pri- 
 vilege of the infpired mini-fters of the Gdf- 
 pel ; as reftri(fted, together with the gift and 
 miraculous powers of utterance and opera- 
 tion, to thofe who ailed under the diredlion 
 of the Holy Ghoft ; though an authoritative 
 right of conditional abfolution and condem- 
 ng,tion, as to eternal confequences, may be 
 regarded as the permg,nent fupport of the 
 
 * JamM, ch. V. ver. 14, 15. The Apoftle (peaks in an 
 authoritative tone, a^ESr,«T««. It may be obferved, that St. 
 James does not coiifider the diforder as the effefl of fm, but 
 ftates a cafe, in which is implied a doubt, whether the fick per- 
 ftm ftiould be guilty or not of any efpecial fins.- 
 
 L 2 fpiritual 
 
148 S E R M O N IV. , 
 
 fpiritual authority, tranfmitted' with the ge- 
 neral title of the miniftry. 
 
 At whatp'-^i-iod the immediate and mira- 
 culous influence of the Spirit'^as withdrawn 
 from the Ghurch> has not been decided with 
 fiifficieM eyidence to determine controveriy *. 
 It does not however appear, that the pfi- 
 initive and uncorrupted fucceflbrs of "the 
 Apoftles, thotigh, with the general rights of 
 the miniliry^ they claimed the appropriate 
 authority of applying God's threats and pro- 
 mifes, as to their effefts in a future life-f-;' and 
 Jnfifted on the dodlrine of the remiffibh of 
 fms by the triie Church, as an" article of 
 Faith J, to be believed by thofe who were 
 
 • * Tl^e power ofiperforinri|ig miracles, which may be cqnfi- 
 dered as an appendage of the power of the Spirit, is generally 
 fuppofed to have ceafed in the third, or at fartheftin the: fourth 
 century. Gibbon affigns, as the third caufe for t;he rapid ad- 
 vancemfent of Chriftianity, the miraculous powers of the 
 Church I yet invalidates his argument by, imjjeachihg their au- 
 thority. 
 
 fays St..Chryfoftom. See. alfo Com. in Mattji- torn. xii. §. 14. 
 Tert\illian confiders the Church cenfure as a Divine cenfure ; 
 as a prejudgment of the future fentence; Tertull. Apol. c. 
 xxxix. In the third century it was decreed, in the Eafiern aijd 
 Weftern Churches, that abfolution fliould be given to thofe at 
 t,he point of death, with reference, to eternal reward, ua. in7i-. 
 ■mhf uiraMarmtui. Eufeb. Ecclef. Hift. 1. vi. c. xliv. EpilL 
 prim. Cleri Romani ad Cyprian, et ad,Clef: Carthag; 
 
 I Apoftles Creed. Cyprian. Epift. 69—70. Edit. Fell. 
 Hieron. con. Lucifer — Perhanc enim ftjit Ecclefia qua in ter- 
 ris eft. .Augu'ft. Enchlrid.x. Ixiv. 
 
 baptized. 
 
SERMON IV'. 149 
 
 baptized, yet pretended to any infallibility in 
 judging of the internal charadler of thofe, 
 whom they addreffed. Their fentence was 
 uttered in full convidlion of its accomplilh- 
 ment, on a fuppolition «f the reality of the 
 circumftances, on which they pronounced*; 
 generally in connected cohfuderattion with 
 the decree of admiffion to> or exclufion from 
 Church communion : b\it occafioaally with 
 affurance of conditional forgivenefs; and fome- 
 times with an unalterable fentence, as to 
 eternal confequences, and to thofe who had 
 incurted no cenfure of eccleiiaftical difci^line. 
 Briefly then to recapitulate what, with a 
 diffidence becoming on fiich a fubjefl, we 
 woiild be underftood to maintain; the power 
 of remitting and of retaining fins is con- 
 fidered as the neceffary and permanent fanc- 
 tion of the Spiritual authority ; exercifed. by 
 Chrift and by his Apoftles, with preternatural 
 knowledge and peremptory application, and to 
 
 * The fentence of exclufioh was grounded qn the prefump- 
 tion of abfcifion from Chrift's eternal kingdom. Dr. Stebbing 
 makes, therefore a very erroneous affertion, when he affirms, 
 that in the primitive Church public abfolution was nothing more 
 than a releafe from Church cenfures.and a reftoration of the of- 
 fender to the privilege of vifible communion : a ftatement the 
 more noticeable,, as inferted in a book adopted by the fociety 
 for promoting Chriftian knowledge. See an account pf the 
 prayers. and facrament of the X<ord's Supper, p. 55. 
 
 L 3 be 
 
rscx SERMON IV. 
 
 be inherited by their lucceiTorSi in the go- 
 vernment of the Church, as among the ge- 
 neral rights of the rninlftry ; but with no 
 aflumption of intuitive penetration ; with 
 implied conditions, though authoritative de- 
 claration. 
 
 It was not till the principles of the primi- 
 tive faith were changed, that the prefump- 
 tuous boaft of infallibility was confiftently 
 clalined by thofe, who afFeded the unquali- 
 fied and unconditional power of remitting 
 and retaining fins, and dared to prophane that 
 pretended power, with the interefted defign 
 of profiting by the credulity of mankind *. 
 The proclaimed fuccefTors of St. Peter, after 
 departing from the integrity of his faith, ar- 
 rogated with offensive prefiimptlon a pecu- 
 liar title to the pofleffion of thofe keys, 
 which they falfely maintained to h^ve been 
 bequeathed with eiclufive prerogative to 
 that Apoftle f ; , and to, confer a jurifdiftion 
 
 * Even in thfe time of St. Jerom, the arbitrary power of ab- 
 folving fins was afTumecl. This father fpeaks of feme, who 
 thought that they could condemn the innocent and abfolve the 
 guilty, I Com! in Matt. I. iii. He in one place reprefents the 
 power as declaratory, but in another confiders the priefts as in 
 fome meafure judging before the final day. See Epift. ad 
 Heliod: 
 
 f Cypriafl de Lapfis, Epift. 33. & de Unitat. where he re- 
 prefents the Church, for the fake of unityl to originate from 
 onej but all the Apoftles to have equal power. 
 
 definitive 
 
SERMON IV. 151 
 
 definitive as to the interefts of the prefent 
 and of future Hfe, competent to regulate the 
 decrees of temporal and' eternal judgment *. 
 The claim thus extended was- rendered 
 the foundation for the fiipport of that au- 
 thority, which'Was ufiirped over the minds 
 and perforis of men. Hence, when the in- 
 creafing offences of the Church (hrunk from 
 the fcandal of public penance, and were to 
 be tittered only in the whifpers of private 
 confeflion f , the fentence of the prieft be- 
 came gradually to be confidered as eflen- 
 tial to l^lvation, and Efficient in itlelf, with- 
 out regard to that full and complete repen- 
 tance, which fliould qualify for abfolution. 
 Teniporal expiations were accepted for fpi- 
 ritual offences, on the ftipulated price of re- 
 demption, as well from ■ future punifliment, 
 as froni ecclefiaftical cenlure. Sin was em- 
 boldened by the fancied facility of its remif- 
 
 * R. Simon Biblioth. Com. iii. c. 3fxxiii. 
 
 ■f Auricular confeiiion indeed had been eflabli(hed in the 
 third century, in the Greek' Church, and in the fifth century 
 in the Weftern Church, by Leo the Great. By infenfible de- 
 parture from the fpirit of the inftitution, it was required as he- 
 ceffary to falvation J with minuteft enumeration of particulars, 
 and without cautious provifion for repentance. Origen Horn . z. 
 jn Pfalra xxxvii. Leo Epift. 69, and 7^. Auguft, de Sym- 
 boL de Catech. 1. i. c. vi. Concil. Lateran. It has been long a 
 Heremptory and roifchievous form in the Romifh Church. . 
 
 ' L 1 4 fion. 
 
152 S E R M O N IV. ■ 
 
 fion, and ieven ericpuraged' by fecret , cOnnU 
 vance, for tfeie advantage which relulted from 
 the . «facrificf of its profits : the vifions of 
 l^ur^tory,. the efficacy of foUtary mafles, 
 the intferceffions and transferahte ttiefjt of 
 faints were proclaimed ; the mealures of 
 iiiwiulgence were meted out, and the fale of 
 imaginary treafures of fuperftuous righteouf- 
 nipfs was carried on with fcandalous and 
 avowed traffic. 
 
 Such as rejected the profftred terms of- 
 falyation, injurious as they were to the doc- 
 trine of Chrift's atonement, were perfecuted 
 with vindi<3:iye feverity ; were expofed to de- 
 nunciations of eternal wrath, and forfeiture 
 of temporal pofTeffions. Individual^ were fe- 
 vered from the conne<S:ions of fociety, and 
 often deprived of freedom and of life. Mo- 
 narchs wefib dethroned*, their fobjed;s excited 
 to rebellion, and interdicted kingdoms were 
 ravaged by bigotted and confederate inva- 
 ders 'jf. The terrors of Pagan excommunica- 
 tion 
 
 * Innocent HI, excommunicated Philip King of France, 
 Alphonfo of Leon, Raymond of Touloufe, and John of Eng»- 
 land. . 
 
 f The petty princes of fiurope were compelled by the Papal 
 power to perfecute heretics wherever they could be difcovered, 
 ahd the religious ordSi^ were eftabliftied to fight againft them. 
 
 Raymond 
 
SERMON IV. 153 
 
 tixDn were revived*, and the confidence and 
 J)eace of fociety deftroyedji by treachery and 
 violence. 
 
 When the rights of the Church were in- 
 ypftigated at the Reformation in this country, 
 the fame moderation and regard to juft claims 
 were preferved in this important point as in 
 others; and while the genuine privileges of the 
 different orders f of the miniflry were reve- 
 renced. 
 
 i^ayimond Couijt of Touloufe was obliged to enter into a era- 
 fade againftthe Albigenfes/"his own fubjedls'. Hift. des Trou- 
 badours. The emperor Frederic not only condemned thofe to 
 be burnt, who were convifted by the ecclefiailical judge, but 
 directed, that, if any temporal lord, after admonition, ihould 
 negltiS" to extirpate heretics from his territories, within a year, 
 it fliould be permitted to catholics to feize the lands, and ex- 
 terminate the heretical poffeflbrs. Lyndewode de Hereticis 
 Cod. I, ;, 4. as cited by Blackllone. The Emperor was him- 
 , felf expelled from the throne of Sicily by his own conftitution 
 — -neque enim lex Eequior. 
 
 * Molheim obferves, that in the eighth century excom- 
 munications in Europe acquired wew acceffions of terror. He 
 reprefents the barbarous converts to Chriftianity, to have con- 
 founded the excominunication in ufe among the ChtilHatis, 
 with that wkich had been, praftifed in the times of Pagariifm. 
 Cent. viii. p. ii. ch. ii. §. 6. note P. Csefar de Bell. Gall. 1. vi, 
 c. xiii. Tacitus Orat. 49. See alfo Jofeph; de Bell. Jud. 1. ii. 
 c. vii. for account of the terrible excommunication eftabliftied 
 by the EfTenes. ' 
 
 t Neal affirms, that in Edward's ordinal, " the form of or- 
 daining a biihop arid prieft is the fame," and that" the Reform- 
 ers in his reign believed but two orders in Holy Scripture." 
 See Hilt, of Puritans, ch. ii. Neither of which pofuions is true. 
 Cpllyer has pointed out fome differences in the terms. See 
 v©l. i. p. ii. b. iv. The three orders are feparately enumerated 
 
 in 
 
154 S E R M O N IV. 
 
 renced, their fiditious preteniions were re- 
 jeded. Eveiy juft power, which could be 
 derived in virtue of a tranfmitted authority, 
 was aflerted on the ground of a legitimate 
 and uninterrupted fucceffion from the Apof- 
 tles : whatever of exclufive right, whatever 
 of permanent jurifdidtion, could be juftly 
 challenged by the priefthood, as compofed of 
 " Ambaffadors of Chrift, rightly called to 
 " their office, and ordained by the laying on 
 " of hands," and duly appointed ." ftewards of 
 " the myfteries of God," however afFe6led or 
 infringed by tranfient declarations *, was fi- 
 nally refpecled and ratified -|-. Such power 
 
 indeed. 
 
 in the form, and in the,a£l confirming it, as they had been in 
 the neceflary Erudition of a Chriftian Man. See Hammond on 
 the Power of the Keys. Taylor's Life of Chrift, p. iii. §. 1.6. 
 Wells's Paraphrafe on i Cor. v. 
 
 * As by thofe of Henry, Edward, Elizabeth, &c. See pre- 
 ceding Difcourfe. 
 
 f In a declaration of the funftions and divine inftitation of 
 bilhops and priefts, figned by Cromwell and Cranmer, the fpi- 
 ritual power of the miniftry to preach and teach the word of 
 God, to adminiSer the facramehts, and to confer the Holy 
 Ghoft, to confecrate the bleffed body of Chrift, to loofe and 
 abfolve from fins true penitents, to bind and excommunicate 
 fuch as be guilty in manifeft crimes and fins, to order and con- 
 fecrate others in the fame office, is fully afferted. See Burnet, 
 vol. i. Addenda, fol. 321. 
 
 Even Cranmer's comhiiffion reluflantly admitted fome 
 rights, " divinitus commiffa;" and Gardiner in his .work, de 
 vera Obedientia, maintains that the fword of the Church extends 
 to teaching and excommunication. The Erudition of a Chrif- 
 
 tiai\ 
 
SERMON IV. 155 
 
 indleed, and fuch jurifdid:ion, it was per- 
 ceived, could only be of a ipiritual nature ; 
 importing a right to offer and to withhold 
 the facraments; to admit and to rejed; from 
 the fellowftiip of Chrift's kingdom ; to fu- 
 pefintend its difcipline and adminiftration, 
 and to impart to others that authority, which 
 they had been empowered by their comniif- 
 iion to exercife. 
 
 The exclufive right of the Clergy to de- 
 aiounce the fpiritual threats, and to unfold the 
 ipiritual promifes of the Gofpel, to judge of 
 ■offences, and tp apply the fentence of exclu- 
 iion from, or admiffion to, Chrift's kingdom 
 w^as not invaded : underftood however it was, 
 'that this right implied * no undefined power 
 of fetting up new principles of rejeilion or 
 
 tian Man allowed that the fun£lions of the Clergy confifted iti 
 preaching and adminiltering the facraments,, in the power of 
 binding and looiing, that is, in giving abfolution, and admitting 
 the penitent to church-communion, and in excommunicating 
 thofewho refufe to be reclaimed. The fpiritual adl of inftitn- 
 tion is preferved as a preliminary to indudlion. 
 
 * The 25th, ©r Henry VIII. confirmed the 5th of Rich. 
 II. and 2~Henry. V. c. 7. by which the bilhops were allowed to 
 be judges of herefy, though it repealed 2 Henry IV. c. 15. 
 which left too much to the judgment of the bifliops, not 
 requiring legal proceedings. All thefe ftatutes were re- 
 pealed by I Ed. VI. c. 1 2. and after their revival under Mary, 
 were abrogated a fecond time by i Eliz. c. 1 . which eftabliftied 
 the High Comraiffion Court. The civil fanctions annexed to 
 thefe ftatutes authorized the interference of the Legiflature. 
 
 favour. 
 
15^ SERMON rV. 
 
 favour, or of departing from that criterion 
 of obedience, and thofe laws of fellow fliip, 
 "which Chrift and his Apoftles had eftabliftied. 
 This chief and effential right of fpiritual 
 authority, which is derived from the tranf- 
 mitted claims of the miniftry, and which 
 conftitutes the bafis of the inherent jurifilic- 
 tion of the facred order, was accurately de- 
 fined and duly guarded in the declarations 
 and offices of the eftabliflied Church. Claim- 
 ing ho infallibility of judgment *, though 
 profeffing a facred and dlfinterefted call, ■ 
 the lawful minlfters of the Church pre- 
 tejided not to that plenitude of power, 
 which had been delegated, doubtlefs with 
 perfbnal refl:ri6tion, to thofe who had received 
 a miraculons infpiration of the Holy Ghoft, 
 for their immediate, direction ; qualifying 
 them with unerring fentence to pronounce 
 "^cn the remiffion or retention of fm, as to the 
 
 * The words of our Lord, " Receive ye thei Holy Ghoft," 
 adopted into our Ordination Service, may be juftified, not only 
 as fupplicatory, but as in fome degree authorltadve on the part 
 of thofe who have a due appointment to convey the minifte- 
 rial powers in theij; ordinary extent, and may prefume on the 
 divine ratification of a form confecrated in agreement with the 
 facred inflitution. See Burnet, p. ii. p. 145. The words, 
 " Do you truft you have the Holy Ghoft," do not imply the 
 neceffity of a miraculous impulfe, but fuch pious refolution and 
 views, as may be fuited to the faithful difcharge of the minifte- 
 rial oi&ce. 
 
 decifion 
 
SERMON IV. ' 157 
 
 decifion pf ati eternal judgment ; to affix or to 
 diffolve the unqueftionable feal of cbtidemna- 
 tiorl *. AfTerting Only the minifterial and ex- 
 clufive right of applying God's promifes and 
 threats, they afpired to exercife the office 
 of admitting to, and of expelling from, the 
 communion of Chrift's earthly kingdom, re- 
 fpeftively, thofewho revered or difobeyed his 
 laws, and as they rightly adminiftered fuch 
 fervicej to releafe from, or to expofe to the 
 divine wrath, thofe^ whom they addreffed f . 
 
 ■ So 
 
 * Thefe pretenfions were fometimps afferted in the moft un- 
 qualified terms. In a work called Cranmer'^s Catechifm, and 
 fuppefed to be written or tranflated by him from 1 a Latin ver- 
 fion of a German book, it is affirmed, that when the true 
 Church by its minifters doth pronjife remiffion of our fins, and 
 here on earth doth abfolve us, we may furely truft, that in heaven 
 alio, and before God, we are abfolved and pardoned. It is far- 
 ther flated in the work, that God hath given the keys of the 
 kingdom of heaven and authority of ^irgiving fins to his mini- 
 fters. See Collyfer Hift. vol. ii. p.'ii^b. iv. fol. 251. It (hould 
 have been added, that the abfoliition is valid, only as we are en- 
 titled to it, of which the Church has ho infallible power to de- 
 cide. See alfo a too loofe account in the Inilitution of the Chrif- 
 tian man, " which words being fpoken by the prieft on earth, 
 •• he ought to believe that they fhall be ratified in heaven, and 
 " that he is already freely pardoned for the merit of Chrift's 
 " paffion." See the Bifliop of Cheiler's Edit, of Nowell's Ca- 
 tediifm, p. 7. 
 
 t Jewelli Apolog. All muft admit that the fentence of 
 excliiubn from (!;hrift's Church, when duly adminiilered, is 
 ratified by eternal fanflidns. But fome writers feem to dif- 
 pute the power of the Church to apply by its minifters fdr- 
 giveriefs to the individual. Thus Wheatly conceives that the 
 
 words 
 
158 S E R M O N IV. 
 
 So far the rulers of a fpiritual kingdom ftill 
 ijiay pronounpe with reludance that fen- 
 tence, which, while it e^idudes from the 
 communion of Chrift's faith on earth, thofe, 
 who obftinately rejed: his laws, clofes on 
 theiir guilty view, the gates of eternal falva- 
 tion ; or by " the miniftry of reconcilia- 
 " tion,". cheerfully ■ proclaims to the itn- 
 feignedly dejedled and contrite mind, thofe 
 terms of forgivenefs, which are the pledges b£ 
 God's everlafting pardon. 
 
 That our Church claims fto more, even 
 where it has been cenfured as affuming a too 
 lofty tone, may be proved on examination of 
 the ftrongeft form of abfolution which it 
 employs * ; in which is aflerted only the 
 
 power 
 
 words of St. John, ch. xx. ver. 23. confer only a power of ex- 
 communicating and abfolving ; and that no authority can be 
 urged from hence, for the applying of God'5 pardon to the 
 confcience of a linner, or for abfolving him any otherwife than, 
 from the cCnfures of the Church. And yet afterwards he al- 
 lows that the favour or difpleafure of God is not wholly un- 
 concerned in thofe afts of the Church, and argues from Matth. 
 ch. xviii. ver. 18. that whatever fentence Ihall be duly pafTed, 
 ihall be ratified by him whom they reprefent. It is to be 
 lamented that the inconfiftencies on' the fubjeft of abfolution, 
 in a book fo defervedly in general ufe, Ihould not have been 
 reftified in the later editions. See fedt. v. 
 
 * See the abfolution in the Service for the Vifitation of the 
 Sick. Wheatly favours the opinion, that the Church here in- 
 tends only to remit its own cenfures. But the reafon affigned for 
 thus reftriding the abfolution feems ,to be uivfufEcient, fince the 
 
 defire , 
 
SERMON IV. 
 
 159 
 
 power of the Church, to abfolve fmners who 
 " truly repent and believe in Chrift *," and 
 
 defire of pardon, vyhlch In the Collefl; that follows the finnei* 
 IS reprefented to entertain, is the defire which he had before 
 exprefled as a preliminary to abfolution, and which he might 
 -flill entertain, without diftruft of the prieft's authority, in the 
 hope of God's ratification of the fentence pronounced. The 
 perfon prayed for is not fuppofed to be under any cenfure; and 
 it is perhaps more reafbnable to imagine, that the Church de- 
 figbs, in this ancient form, t<i convey to the afflifted penitent 
 the affurance of God's pardon, on the fuppofition of the exift- 
 ence of repentance and faith ; by a formal aft which Chrift has 
 promifed to ratify ; confiftently with which the prayer of the 
 prieft may be offered up for the revival of a decayed nature^ 
 and for the prefervation of the fick member in the unity of the 
 church. The prieft does not, as has ' been urged, pretend to 
 any intuitive.knowledge of the human heart, but decides on 
 the prefumption of the Sincerity of the repentance which is pro- 
 fefled. Biftiop Bancroft affured King James at the Hampton- 
 Court conference, that the Cohfeflions of Augfljurg, Bohemia, 
 and Saxony, retained this form; and that Calvin approved 
 fuch a general confelHon and abfolution as was ufed in the 
 Church of England. The King called it an apbftolical ordi- 
 nance. ^ 
 
 * It deferves to be noticed, that in the American Liturgy 
 this form is omitted in the fervice of the,Vifitation of the Sick, 
 and no direftion is given for particular confefiion or abfolution., 
 In the form for the Vifitation of Prifoners, is a direftion to 
 the minifter to exhort the criminal to a particular confeftion of 
 the fins for which he is corfdemned : after which, the minifter is 
 to declare to him the pardoning mercy of Gpd, in the forn< 
 which is ufed' in the Communion Service, which is theifame as 
 that in our Communion Service, and which is in fupplicating 
 form. No£withftanding therefore the compilers of this Liturgy 
 profefs that their Church is far from intending to depart from 
 the Church of England, in any eflential point of difcipline or 
 worftiip ; they feem to have defigned to relinquiih particular 
 confefiion of fins, and the authoritative power of abfolution in 
 the priefthood — its efiiential and important claim, and without 
 which the facerdotal commifiion is deftitute of fanftions. 
 
 the 
 
i6o SERMON IV. 
 
 the prieft, in virtue of fuch authority;,- a6ls 
 only on the fuppofition of the exiftence^of 
 repentance, in the perfon who humbly and 
 heartily defires aibfolution, and for whom 
 the prayer of faith has been made ; nor does 
 it appear that our Church defigns, in any of 
 her fervice, to lower her authority in this 
 relpedl, whatever difference of expreffion or 
 mode of affurance may be employed; but 
 that it uniformly exerts an appropriate pow^r 
 in virtue of its exclufiye privilege *, to be ex- 
 ercifed by its minifters, upon fuch grounds of 
 deciiion as the human judgment can form, 
 and to be confirmed by divine ratification, 
 only fo far as it is adminiftered in confiftency 
 with circumftances eftimated by fallible ob- 
 fervation. 
 
 * Some have confidered the abfolution, or remiflion of fins, 
 in the daily fervice, to be only a jdeclaratory form. See Bennet. 
 But it is prefumed, that here, as well as in the fervice of the 
 Vifitation of the Sick, the Chorch deftgns to exercife" an ap- 
 propriate and appointed power, of pronouncing and conveying 
 pardon, on the exprefs condition of repentance and faith. As it 
 is an efpecial and authoritative aft of the fully appointed and 
 authorized minifters of the Church, it feems not to have been 
 defigned, that i deacon (hould pronounce it. Our ordination 
 gives to the deacon authority, only to read the Gofpel, and to 
 preach ; but feems to confider an efpecial guidance of the Holy 
 Ghoft, as ftill neceffary for the difcreet ufe of the power of ab- 
 folution, faying to the prieft, " Receive the Holy Ghoft : whofe 
 •• fins thou doft forgive, they are forgiven; and whofe fins thou 
 " doft retain-, they are retained." 
 
 A pecu- 
 
S E R M O N IV. i6i 
 
 A peculiar right then, 'annexed tp the fa- 
 cred office, efTential to the prefervation of a 
 government deftitute of temporal fan<9;ions, 
 and neceflary for the reftoration of thofe, 
 who after baptifm decline, is aflerted to be 
 exercifqd not with the peremptory and judi- 
 cial decifion of an infallible difcernment, but 
 ftill with an authoritative application, on con- 
 ditions prefiimed or expreffed, A power de- 
 rived from the Apoftles, and different from 
 that which every Difciple of Chrifl may. a{- 
 fume j to be adminiltered with relinquifh- 
 ment only of their intuitive confidence, fuf- 
 ficient to convey terror or confplation to the 
 mind, when confcious of the juflice of the 
 declaration, as then unqueflionably valid, and 
 fure of Divine ratification ; but impoflng jio 
 indifpeniible obligation on the individual to 
 cohfider his falvation as dependent on the 
 fentence, by fealing it with a facram^ntal 
 importance, or by reprefenting it as of more 
 than difcretionary utility *. 
 
 This 
 
 * Our Church, in the Exhortation before tlie Comipunion, ' 
 diredits, " that if any perfon cannot quiet his own conftience by 
 felf-examination and public, confeffion of fins, he fhotjld apply 
 to ferae difcreet minifter, that he may receive the benefit of 
 abfo)tttion,",&c. So in the Vifitation of the Sick, the prieft 
 is direfled to move the fick perfon to make cfpecia,! 9onfeflion 
 pf his fins ; and when he feels his confcience troubled with any 
 
 M weighty 
 
i62 S E R M O N IV. 
 
 This right, challenged by the minifters of 
 a true Church, is claimed in virtue of their 
 
 weighty matter, the prieft is to abfolve him, if he humbly and 
 heartily defire it. In the firft book of Edward was a claufe, 
 fmce expunged, in which it is faid, that " fuch as fhould be 
 " fatisfied with a general confeffion, fhould not be offended 
 " with them that do ufe to their farther fatisfying the auricular 
 " fecret confeflion to the prieft ; and that thofe who thought it 
 " needful, to the quieting of their own confciences, particular- 
 " ly to open their Tins to the prieft, fhould not be offended with 
 • " thofe that are fatisfied with their humble confeffion, and the 
 ," general confeffion of the Church; but in all things follow 
 " and keep the rule of charity." Our Church did not mean 
 to difcountenance private confeffion and abfolution, but the 
 mockery ajud indulgence of auricular confeffion and remiffion. 
 It preferred public forms, not upon any different ground of . 
 their refpedting merely a releafement from Church cenfures, 
 upon which principle they would be nugatory when no fentence 
 has been uttered, and no fcandal given, but as they are more 
 general and are not liable to abufe. On fuitable occafions, the 
 private abfolution is approved upOn the fame principles of re- 
 gard to a final remiffion of fins ; and there is no foundation for 
 Dr. Stebbing's fancy, that private abfolution was continued ~ 
 merely in compliance with popifh prejudice. If 'the order be 
 now ufelefs for private abfolution, when required before the com- 
 munion, there are fome, it is prefumed, ftill livihg, who remem- 
 ber its utility ; and private abfolution to the fick is now in 
 daily ufe, to the ferious confolation of many in moments of 
 fevereft trial. See Dr. Stebbing's Brief Account of Prayer and 
 the Lord's Supper, p. 56. Private abfolution may be very 
 falutary, though not indifpenfibly neceffary to falvation; and 
 it is never allowed in our Church, but on the exprefs condition 
 of unfeigned repentance. It fhould be obferved, that Dr/Steb- 
 bing admits, in conclufion, that a'power to declare forgivenefs 
 upon the terms of the Gofpel is challenged by our Church, 
 and wrapt up in the minifterial, office. It is well'known that 
 Dr. Reynolds, who in many refpedls difapproved of the regu- 
 lations of our Church, received abfolution on his death-bed 
 ' with impoiition of hand^ from Dr. Holland. See, Combes on 
 the Abfolution in his Companion to the Teii^ple.- 
 
 appointrnent 
 
S E R M O N IV. 16^ 
 
 appointment t^ their high office by thofe 
 lawful rulers who have derive4 a trafifrhitted 
 jurifdidion in regular fucceffion froni the 
 Apoftlesi •* The honour no man talteth unto 
 " himfelf, but he that is called of God *" — 
 by fiich means as he has eftablifhed. A 
 miffioft ratified by them who have " autho- 
 *' rity in the congregation" to fend, muft b^ 
 eflentialf , as we colle<S from precedent J; and 
 the minifterial privileges during fucceffive 
 centuries were fuppofed to flow only by con- 
 veyance of epifcopal ordin£ition||. They cannot 
 
 confiftently 
 
 * Heb. ch. V. ver. 4. This appears to be an univerfal rule 
 applied to Chrift, and applicable to the miniftry, refpe£ling fnp- 
 ceilion. See Rogers's Review-, p. 154 — 159. 
 
 f Rom. ch. X. ver. 15." Rogers's, p. 159, 160. 23 Article, 
 
 j Barnabas and Paul, thoilgh perfonally called by the Holy 
 ChoU:, were feparated for the work of the miniftry by the 
 minifters of the Church, by falling and prayer, and impo- 
 iition of hands See A£ls xiii. . 
 
 II The advocates for Pre(byterian ordi'nation would do well 
 to confider wherefore Titus was left at Crete to ordain, and 
 Timothy fent to Ephefus, if the laying on of the hands of the, 
 prelbytery were fufi^cient. Timothy derived the gift of the 
 Holy Ghoft only from St- Paul, however the preftjytery might 
 concur in the impofition of hands. Comp. i Tim- ell- iv. ver." 
 14, and 2 Tim. ch. i. ver. 6 ; as the council of Carthage con- 
 ferred this privilege of the prefbytery, Concil, Car- 4. Car, 
 referving tjbe benediftion to the bifhop therein. Hieron. Ep. 8 j, 
 a4 Evagr. Poteftas ergo peccatorum remittendorum Apoftolis 
 (data eft, et ecclefiis quas ilU a Chrifto miffi conftituerunt, et 
 epjfcopis qui eis ordinatione yic^ria fugceflerunt, Hoftes auteni 
 unius catholicajecqlefijE in qua nos fumus.et adverfarii noftriqui 
 Apoftplis fucceflimus, facerdptia ftbi illicita contra n6s. vendj- 
 
 M 2 , cantes. 
 
1 64 S^E R;M QlN IV. 
 
 confidently be underftodd to be derived from 
 appointment to the facred office ; by . thofe 
 who have not themfel yes received the autho- 
 rity vvhich they pretend to delegate ;. and 
 whatever extraordinary meafures of divine 
 indulgence may be conceded to unavoidable 
 departure from apoffcolical inftitution, the 
 confidence of wanton, deviation muft,,to ifay 
 the.leail, be prefumptuoua and full of danger ; 
 and tends to;fan<3;ion the: vain pretenfions of 
 every precarious fhepherd who climbeth into 
 the.fold^and whofe voice the fheep'<;an with 
 no, .well-grounded fecurity obey ; who in- 
 vadeth ian office which he hath no affiirance 
 that Chrift will ratify, or rather which it is 
 evident that Chrift muft condemn as in dif- 
 regard of his appointment. 
 
 This eminent prerogative of the fpiritual 
 
 cantes, et altaria profar.a pOnent?s,quid aliud funtquam Chore, 
 Dathanet Abiron &c Cyprian, Ep, 75. 1 he validity-ofpreiby- 
 terian ordination has been fometimes contended tcr in calcs 
 of neceffity ; and irregular miniflers were frequently allowed 
 to officiate in the fcarcity of partors in Elizabeth's ri-ign. Bi- 
 fhop Bancroft infilled that the Scotch prefbyters, who had 
 npt received epifcopal ordination, might be confecrated in the 
 reign cf Jam«s. It has however been juftly condemned in all 
 cafes not unavoidable, as an unauthorised deviation from the 
 practice of the Church for fifteen centuries; and the confe- 
 cration of the Scotch bilhops was' chiefly juftifiable upon thfe 
 idea that the whole epifcopal ch?.rafter might be conveyed at 
 cije ordination. ' 
 
 power. 
 
S E R M- O N. IV- i6s 
 
 power;' Xhe, riafct of applying *-Gbd's -rtbjrcats 
 
 anct promifes, may be confidered as mailieri- 
 
 ableitrom the miniftry; which, under no cir- 
 
 cuniftances of conne6lion with the State, can 
 
 be fiirrenderie'd or relinqulfhed. A privilege it 
 
 is; derived from aDivitie commiffion; which, 
 
 as it kfFedis no temporal intereft,.andr beareth 
 
 no fword but that of ihe Spirit, is, to.be exer- 
 
 cifed independently of all temporalo power. 
 
 Separate from, or connected, vvjith-tjie ;§tatQ, 
 
 it muft preferve its independent vigour; -inca^ 
 
 pable of fuffering frond external changes; ap^d 
 
 retaining its unperilhable force, as doth, 'the 
 
 foul its, native energies, in conjun6licxn with 
 
 or divorced from the bodyi The confirmation 
 
 which it receives frpm the State, it;receiy-esas 
 
 a tribute of Voluntary co-operation; ;defigned 
 
 to ftrengthen the prefent imprpffien of its 
 
 fentence, and not to fuperfede its authority*. 
 
 The decrees of expulfion frolti vifible com^ 
 
 ;• The minifters of the Chufcji may certainly exercife thejr 
 power of fpiritual jurifdiftion againft every perfon.even againft 
 thfe fupreme magiftrate, wtho may meritexclufionfrom commu- 
 , nion ; as they excommunicated Andronjcus, Governor of Pto- 
 lemais, and clofed the gates. of the Church againft the Empi- 
 rors Philip arid Tiieodoiius,. till public teftimony of repentance 
 had been given. See Synef. Epift. 5^8, ad Epif. p. 198. 
 Eufeb. Ecclef. Hift. lib. iii. cap. 3 3. They tranfgreffed theit 
 power only by attempting to annex to the fejitence temporal 
 iaafkioas, and penalties aot>)ithorifed by the community. 
 
 M 3 munion. 
 
l66 S E R M O N IV. 
 
 munion, whifch as a confequence of this au- 
 thority are uttered by the miniftry, are to be 
 reguiated by the magiftrate cmly as civil ef- 
 fed:s are annexed by him to its 'declamtions. 
 The legiflpitive powers of difcipline, and the 
 mingled rights of jurifdi<ftion, which in confift- 
 ency with, and dependency on fuch authority 
 are exerted, muft be reftridled in due fub- 
 ferviency to temporal government, without 
 the fan^ion of which, affemblies ought^not to 
 be gathered together*, or civil penalties to be 
 infli^ed. 
 
 While the original rights of the facred oTr 
 der, and even thofe acquired privileges which 
 iv€r6 not -unfriendly to the interefts of the 
 community, were duly reverenced in agree^ 
 raent with the principles of the Reformation, 
 the claim of the miniftry to dire6l in the ex- 
 pofition of the terms of communion, was not 
 tjverlookedi. That the doxftrines of feith and 
 the forms of public worfhip which they com- 
 mended, ftiould be canvafTed by the legifla- 
 ture ; and be accepted only as they were 
 judged to be confiftent with the inftru^ions 
 of Revelation, was but an efFe^ of the fober 
 exercife of tlaat confcience which Chrift has 
 
 * I Maccab. ch. xiv. ver. 44. 
 
 left 
 
SERMON IV. 167 
 
 eft unfettered and free, and the legitimate 
 cxpreffion of that concurrence which had 
 been , deemed neceffarjr in the primitive 
 
 That the right of excluding from the com- 
 munion of the national worlhip, thofe who 
 violated the fundamental laws of its confti- 
 tution, fliould be exerted only upon known 
 principles and expreffed limitations, was but 
 a charitable provifion. The fentence was to 
 be uttered by its appointed * and accuftomed 
 judges f ; but to prevent fuch vague and ar- 
 bitrary 
 
 * John, ch. XX. ver. 21 — 23. Titus, ch. iii. ver. lo. The 
 right of the bifhops of the primitive Church to grant or with- 
 hold communion was fo clear, that no Chriilian was admitted to 
 communion, in a foreign congregation, without credential letters 
 from his own bifliop, which were called Litera: commendatorix, 
 communieatoriaE or dimiflbriae. Thefe letJ%rs were ftyled alfo 
 Liters formats, and were written with peculiar forms and 
 marks, to prevent furrepiitloiis recommendations. See Bingham, 
 book ii. ch. 4. 
 
 f Statute 5 and 6 of Edward VI, Jt is provided in 29 C. 2. 
 c. 9, which abolifhed the writ De Hxretico comburendo, that 
 nothing in the faid a^ Ihall extend to take away or abridge the 
 jarifdi^on of Proteflant archbithops or bifhops, or any other 
 Judges of eccleiiafiical courts, in cafes of atheifm, blafphemy* 
 herefy,. or fchifm, &c. but that they may punifh the fame ac- 
 "Eordingtohis Majefty'secclefialUcal laws, by excoHimunicati«m» 
 deprivation, and other cenfurgs not extending to death. Upon 
 the abrogation of ancient ftatutes againft heretics, the cogni- 
 zance of hereJy and puniftiment of heretics returaed into its an., 
 cient channel and bounds ; and now belongs to the archbilhop 
 as metropolitan of the province, and to every bi&op within his 
 ■pwji proper diocefe, who are to puniih only by ecckfiaftical 
 
 M 4 cei^res. 
 
i68 S E R M O N IV. 
 
 bitrary conftruftions as fatal remembrance 
 had regiftered in the records of perfecution *> 
 it was juftly determined that the fpeculative 
 line of herefy Ihould be in, fome degree defined 
 by the ftandardof the Scriptures, and the po- 
 fitive decifions of the primitive councils f. 
 The zeal of religious convi<3:ion was pru- 
 dently tempered by deliberate regulation; and 
 
 cenfures. And fo, faith Lold Coke, it was putin, ure in all 
 Queen Elizabeth's reign ; aad fo it was tiefolved by the chief 
 juftice, chief baron, and two other of the judgesj upon confulta- 
 tioDin the 9 Jac. in thecafeof Legate, Gibfon, 353. Noperfon 
 can be indifted or impeached for lierefy before any temporal 
 judge, or other that hath temporal jurifdiftion. Burn, Ecclef. 
 Law, article Herefy. 
 
 * Under the terra of herefy the Romifli Church perfecuted 
 every deviation from its own arbitrary decrees. See Lynde- 
 wode, cap. de Hsret. Fox's Martyrs, &c. The. Canon 
 Law, with dreadful latitude, reckoned upon 88 forts of herefy, 
 Ayl. Par. -In England, by z Hen^ IV. c. 15, paffed at a time 
 when perfecution obtained its chief powers, the diocefan might 
 by his own authority convift heretics, and the fherifFwas bound 
 ex officio to commit them to the flames if required,, unlefs the 
 convift abjured. 
 
 f B. g. 1 Eliz. c. I. Herefy was limited to what had been 
 adjudged to be fo by the authority of the canonical Scriptures, 
 or fome of the four firft general councils ; or fome other gene- 
 ral councils wherein the fam^ was de(;lared to be herefy, by the 
 exprefs and plain words of the faid canonical Scriptures, or fuch 
 as Ihouid be judged to be herefy by the High Court of Parlia- 
 ment, with the aflentof the clergy in convocation. . It has been 
 thought that ftill too much latitude was allowed in the con- 
 ftruftion of herefy by this aft ; which, as it created the High 
 Commiffion Court, was repealed : though its rules are confi- 
 dered as good direftions in the ecclefiaftical courts. The fouf 
 firft general councils defined herefy with great accuracy. 
 
 decrees 
 
SERMON IV. i6g 
 
 dfecrees were no longer to be deli^rered out at 
 the fuggeftion of party intereft or private ma- 
 lice, to loofen the ties or diflblve the con- 
 ned:ions of fockl life. Reafonable it was that 
 the Church Ihould iffue its excommunications, 
 as in the, pureft ages *, with concurrence of 
 the whole corigregation, whofe ohfervance 
 could alone, give prefent validity to the fen- 
 tence-f-; and in confideration of the politi- 
 cal fandiions annexed to its decrees J, fubmit 
 the regulation and .extent of its efFedls to the 
 direftion of the civil power §. 
 
 Where the civil power has itfelf aflumed 
 the right of excommunication, it has not 
 
 * Matt. ch. xviii. ver. 16, 17. 1 Cor. ch. v. ver. 2 — 13. 
 2 Cor. ch. iv. ver. 10. z Theflkl.'ch. iii. ver. 6—14. Gal. 
 ch. v.ver. 12. Clem. Rom. Epift. 
 
 f Thus the archbifliop and clergy in the reign of Henry I. , 
 who excommunicated the breakers of the Great Chartfer, pro- 
 feffed to do it in the prefence, an4 by the affeilt of the King, 'he 
 Earl' of Cromwell his brother, the Earls of Norfolk and Suf- 
 folk,' Marfhal of England, and other peers. " 
 
 J An excommunicated perfpn is difabled from ferving in any 
 court, and an excommunication may bfe pleaded in abatement 
 of his' aflion. 
 
 § 25Hen.VIII.c. 14. 32Hen./VIII. c. z6. 34 Hen. VIII. 
 CI. 35 Hen. VIII. c. i, 2. Excdmmtinicafioij, to have a 
 civil effeiS, miift be pronounced by the biftiop, and fignilied 
 by him to chancery, whence the writ De excommunicato capi- 
 endo is iffued to the ftierifF, to imprifon the party without bail- 
 or mainprize, till he hath made fatisfaftion to the Church. If 
 a non inventus is retained, a capias is to be awarded, with a 
 proclamation for appearance within fix days, on pain of pecu- 
 niary fines with increa'fing weight. 
 
 ' •'•^' beeh 
 
lyo SERMON IV. 
 
 been on the prefumption of any spiritual autho- 
 rity * ; but either by an excefs of the temporal 
 jurifdiftion, or in virtue of that conceded Su- 
 premacy, which the ibvereign may be em- 
 powered to exeroife with the concurrence or 
 the Church, of which the judicial fentence 
 ha? been at the fame time required f . 
 
 By the principles of the reformation, there- 
 fore, no fpiritual rights of the Clergy were in- 
 fringed; the hallowed laws of the divine 
 founders of the Church were regarded with 
 reverential awe ; the civil power lent its 
 
 ■ * Bifiwp Jewel thas defei-ibes the limits of Elizabeth's 
 claim. " She preacheth not, Jhe miniflereth not the facrament, 
 " flie doth neither excQmmunicate, nor abfblve from excom- 
 " munication, ihe fitteth not to give fentence in fpiritual courts, 
 " Ihe challengeth not the difpenfation of , the keys of the king- 
 " dom of heaven, her majefty is fupreme governor over her 
 " fubjedls. The Bifhops within her realm are fubje£b to her." 
 View of a feditious' Bull, p. xiv. Can. 39. '' 
 
 f By 31ft of Edward I. when no infringement of the fpiri- 
 tual po\^er was apprehended, it was direAed, that the arch- 
 bifliops and bifhops fhould pronounce the fentence of excom- 
 munication againft thofe who by word, deed, or council, Ihould 
 do any thing contrary to the charters of the liberties of England, 
 or of the forefts, or in any point break or undo them. In fome 
 fiatutes of Edward VI. the right of excoijimunication was af- 
 fianed by the civil power, 5 and 6 Edw. ch. jv. The^iritual 
 power may by its independent authority excommunicate for 
 ^iritoal offences, but the civil fanflions to its fentence muft bp 
 derived from the ftate ; and upon this principle the general in- 
 terference of the leg-iflature is juilified. Burn reprefents a gene- 
 ral aft of pardon to have the power of releafing from the penal- 
 ties of excommunication, meaning doubtlefs from the civil pe> 
 nalties. See alfo Articuli Cleri, 9. Edw. II. Art. 7. 
 
 ' aid. 
 
SERMON IV. 171 
 
 aid to fupport their efFedt and influence ; pro- 
 vided for their promulgation, and continued 
 to countenance the claims of thofe appointed 
 to communicate them. With the minifters 
 it refts, " to fpeak, and to exhort, and to re- 
 *' buke with all authority," to vindicate theni- 
 felves from contemptuous difregard * ; as to 
 afpire to no arbitrary controul, lb not to 
 flirink from thofe well founded rights, which 
 they derive from their commiffion j nor from 
 that lawful power, with which the ftate hath 
 Judged it expedient to give prefent effe^ t© 
 tiieir juft decifions. 
 
 That all jealoufy of an undue affumption 
 of temporal power in the Clergy is now re- 
 moved, or mufl: reft on ancient prejudice ot 
 fuipicious refentment, the friends of true 
 religion may rejoice : ftill however may the 
 fober and d^nterefted zeal of fidelity to 
 Chrift's fervice be allowed to regret, that a 
 teluitance to have recourfe to compulfivc 
 ttieaiures, fhould have acquiefced in the neg- 
 le<9;, even of thole temperate exertions of le- 
 gitimate authority, which the difcipline of the 
 Church, and the welfare of the community, 
 ■commend. 
 
 * Titus, ch. ii. ver. 15. 
 
 Whatever 
 
173 S E R M d'^N IV. 
 
 Whatever conceffions jnay 'have been 
 timidly made^ in accommodation to' a- re- 
 laxed fyfteni, the theory is falfe arid-'dan- 
 gerdus, which iancftions the negled of : falu- 
 taryiaws.- -' • ' ' ' ,;:i;'-7aj 
 
 In the regulation of the fpiritual depart- 
 merits, rio uniform and' impartial maintfenSiice 
 of regimen w^ill be cenfured or difregarded. 
 In the general adminillration' of the ecde- 
 fiaftical jurifdidlion, the civil power is not 
 unwilling to fecond the difcreet exertions of 
 a lawful authority ** Unwife w'Cre the 
 council, that would flimulate to any rigorous 
 ihflid;ioil of humain laws, thofe who, by gfen- 
 tlehefs and forbearance, fhould encourage 
 the growth of the religious principle : but 
 the warm eft aflerters of iritelleftual freedom 
 have admitted the propriety of reftraining 
 public offences. Thofe who have had no wifh 
 to revive the falutary difcipline of the Church, 
 
 * Blackftone affures us that the notion is groundlqfs, which 
 feme entertain, that the courts of Weftminfter Hall are at open 
 variance with thofe of Doftors Commons. It is true, he ob- 
 ferves, that they are fometimes obliged to ufe a parental autho- 
 rity, in correfting the excefles of thofe inferior courts, and iri 
 keeping them within their legal bounds : but on the other 
 hand, they afford them a parental affiftance, in fiepreffing the 
 infolence of contumacious delinquents, and in refcuing their ju- 
 rifdiftion from that contempt, which, for wantof fufricient com- 
 pulfive power, would be oth;rwife fure to attend it. Coram, 
 vol. iii. ch. 7. 
 
 have 
 
S;E R M O N HiV. 173 
 
 have contended, that its lecclefiailical cenfures 
 mighb-be iffued with ,a lefs, timid, and lefa 
 feqble, Yoice; and that the interrogatories of 
 its ..official ! enquiry, Ibouki. not be repeated 
 with mere formal and ineffedlual injunction.' 
 Confide^gtipiis' ;pf expediency and feafon, an^ 
 a regard to: the preyaiUng temper of fociety, 
 muft doubtlefs; ' be allowed to, operate : but 
 1% mtuft not be forgot ten, that the fear of pre- 
 fent punifti'ment, and the fhame of prefent 
 difgrace, wheadifcri^etly worke;d. upon, imay 
 con;trribute-to reformation of manners. Powers 
 delegated iri trufl for the. correction of pre-- 
 vailing immoralities, when ■ exercifed with 
 confcientious and difpaffionate regard, to the 
 welfare of ^ciety," muft be honourable ; and 
 eannot indeed be relinquiftied without a de- 
 fprtipn of duty, which the ejxtent of evil, and 
 the defpair of remedy will not juflify. 
 
 Thofe, however, who in leriient compliance 
 with prevailing abufes, retreat from exertions 
 of authority, which might be deemed invi- 
 dious by perfbns whom no moderation can 
 reconcile to coercive reftraints, in concerns 
 of religious obligation, Ihould at leaft, as 
 knowing the " terror of the ,Lord," with 
 more anxious fplicitude, perfuade men on 
 thoie motives of eternal confideration, which 
 
 they 
 
1/4 SERMON IV. 
 
 they are efpQciially appointed to proclaim ; 
 they fliould exhort and convince gainikyers, 
 not neglecting fudh rebuke, even fliarp re- 
 buke, as eftabliftied eharafter and afcendant 
 influence may render impreffive, efpeciaiUy- 
 towards thofe " unruly and vain talkers and 
 *' deceivers," who fubvert eftabliftied princi- 
 ples *; and not admitting to the communion, 
 thofe, whofe notorious and open depravity isi 
 the caufe of public fcandal. 
 
 Thofe alfo among the laity, who are 
 loudeft to condemn every temporal fanftion, 
 designed to reprefs the infolent, and to dif- 
 Gountenance the flagitious, fliould at leaft be 
 teady to teftify their reverence for that Spiri- 
 tual authority, which our Lord unqueftiona-, 
 bly deftgned for the permanent fupport- and 
 adminiftration of his kingdom ; ftiould be 
 careful, that they weaken not real claims, 
 by complaints againft fi(?litious pretenftons ; 
 nor labour to invalidate the influence of a 
 circumfcribed authority^ by imputing to it 
 the fcindal of ancient exceffes f. Thofe who 
 
 * Tit. ch. i. p—ij. 
 
 •|- Few, it is hoped, will reafon fo faft as Hume, who aflerts 
 fomewhat incautioufly as a philofophical hiftorian, that " the 
 crijelty and treachery, which attended the puniftiment of John 
 Hufs and Jerome of Pr^ue, prove the melancltoly truth, that 
 toleration is none of the virtues of priefts, in any form of eccle- 
 fiaftical government," ch. xix. A. 14?2. 
 
 would 
 
SERMON IV. 175 
 
 would difp^rage the facred profeflion, muft 
 go back to former ages, for intolerance of 
 zeal or extravagance of power; and the ma- 
 levolent attempt, but betrays a prejudice, 
 which will not difcrimiriate, and a defign, 
 which aims at a darker purpofe. In the 
 perfbn of his minifters, they impeach an au- 
 thority derived from Chrift; difregarding the 
 precepts of the Son, who " being made' per- 
 " fe£l, became the author of eternal falvation 
 *' to all that obey him *." 
 
 • Heb. ch. iv, v. 9. 
 
 SERMON 
 
SERMON V. 
 
 Matt, xxvlii. 30. 
 
 Lo! I am 'Wifh y.ou always, even unto the end 
 of tidie world. 
 
 TO the Difciples, whom he was about to, 
 leave, and to whom he had rerealect 
 the prolpe<3; of fufferings and of forfow, our 
 Saviour judged it expedieiit alfo to difclofe the 
 gleams of co^folation. With defign to foothe 
 them, in their affll<3:ion, for the lofs which 
 they were about to fuftain in his departure, 
 he promifed to fend to them " another Com- 
 " forter *," who ftiould abide with them for 
 ever : and in order to encourage ,them in 
 the difficulties arid perfecutioR which they 
 were to endure in- the publication of his 
 faith, he furnifhed the affurance of a perma- 
 
 * John, ch, xiv. vw, i6, 17, 23. cb. zv. ver. 26., 
 
 N ' -neilt 
 
178 S E k M O N V. 
 
 nent countenance and protedlion, to be ex- 
 perienced in the omniprefence of his Divine 
 nature *. . .. T*'; '■• '*^'" ; ; ' .'J^ , •; 
 
 That the foundation of the Church which 
 •Chrift had eft^bUflied ihould remain folid and 
 inimove3,ble araidft every change ; that " the 
 " gates of hell ihould not prevail againfb it ;" 
 and that its duration Ihould furvive the paffing 
 away of the material world, was declared on 
 other occafions^ in a ftraiii of fimilar encou- 
 ragernent. Such intimations miift have infpired 
 with cheerful fentim ents thbfeiwho might have 
 been otherwifedepfeffed with the refleftion, 
 that without human affiftance they were to 
 be oppofed by every earthly power, and who 
 in the confidence alone of Divine armour 
 could be expefted to ftand againft the " wiles 
 " of the <levilf," and ". to. wreftle," not 
 merely " againft flefli and blood, but againft 
 " principalities, agairift powers, againft the 
 *' rulers of the^darknefs of this world, againft 
 " fpiritual wickednefs in high places J." 
 
 * The Drtniprefence of Chrift may bexolledted from Col. 
 ch. I. ver. 17, arid Heb. ch. i. ver. 6. as well as from the 
 text ; and is admitted by Ireftzeus, Clemens Alexandrinus, and 
 other Fathers. See Bull, Def. Fid.Niceen. § 14. c. iii. 
 
 f Matt. ch. xvi'. ver. 18. ch. x'xiv. ver. 31. Luke^ch. 
 xxi. ver. 33. 
 
 X £ph. ch. vi. ver. 11, iz. 
 
 That 
 
SERMON V. 179 
 
 That the Apoftles and earlier Dlfciples of 
 Chrift derived confiderable fupport and ani- 
 mation from contemplating the exteiit of 
 thefe promifes, as well as from benefiting by 
 their effefts, it is reafonable to fiippofe. The 
 .heavenly favour which was to fliine ' upon 
 them, was not that of any precife defcription, 
 or unifoirm influence. A general guidance, 
 a liiperintendent care, was all that .the Divine 
 aflurances had implied ; and accordingly they 
 fopn underftood that there were " diverfities 
 " of gifts, though the fame fpirit ;" and col- 
 lected from the earlieft events of their mi- 
 niftry, that the perfonal prOteiSion, which 
 they were to experience, in the afflictions that 
 they had been taught to expeft, was to be 
 indefinite and variable: that though in 
 Chrift's name they fliould " caft qut devils, 
 *• and fpeak with new tongues, fliouId take up 
 " ferpents, and if they drank any deadly thing, 
 " it ihould not hurt them * ;" yet that in per- 
 fetution they fhould " flee from city to city ;" 
 and that he who' might efcape through 
 every viciffitude of danger, the violence of 
 that " city which ftoned her prophets," " the 
 " perils of the'wildernefs," the perils of a 
 
 • M^rk, ch. xvi. ver. 17, i?, andAfts, ch. xxviii. ver. 3, 
 
 N 2 thrice- 
 
i8p &E, R M O N V. 
 
 ;l;hrice-fufferedHiip wreck, and thf? venomous 
 hold of the viper, might be permitted, as hp 
 }^a.d declared himfelf ready, to, be martyi;ed 
 for the name iof the, Lord Jefus *; tha;t what 
 . they fhould: fpeak, though fuggefted by thp 
 Spirit, would often ferve but as, a ti^ifuony 
 againfl tbofe who rejected its adflfefsf, g,nd 
 perfecuted its iervants unto death. 
 
 Beholding without y^aloxa^y the " dif^r- 
 " ences of adminiftration" which thgy per- 
 ceived, to be fubfervi^nt to the defigns of 
 their Lord, and regardlefs of perfonal a:fi[}ic- 
 tion in their zeal for the promotion o|^ the 
 Gpfpel, they doubtjednotjof the finaj aqcorn- 
 plilhmcnt of God's promifes ; and. demon- 
 flrated, in the conftancy which they dif- 
 played, the vigour and influence of the Spirit 
 which fupported. them. 
 
 Tha>t the general iuperintendence which 
 gave efficacy to their labours, and rendered 
 jcven their fuflibrings conducive- to the, eftab-- 
 lifhment Efiid confirmatapn of the iajith, 
 Ihould continue to fecure a fiicqpflSoji. pf the 
 miniflry, and to affift its exertions,, they h^ 
 
 * A£ls, ch. xji, ver. ij. 
 
 t Matt, ch, X. ver. 17, 18, 30. 
 
 ample 
 
S E R M O N V. rSi 
 
 aott^g' caufe of Confidenicie to believe; fince 
 CMft had dired:ed them to " go and teach 
 " aill nations," promifing at the fame time a 
 pnJteding cafe, 'which fliould continue, not 
 alone, during tiie preaching of the Apoftles, 
 ir6t &l«)toe, as hath been idly affert'ed, till the 
 end , dt the Jewilh age, but through every 
 fiicceffive generation, ; till all nations fliould 
 fee baptized into the U(fli-v<erial kingdom, . 
 which ftibiiild fubfift in the difpenfations of 
 efl^it^; 
 
 ■ Of the continuanxre of this protedling care 
 no reaiorsabie doubt can be entdrtained. Of 
 th* fpecife import and latitude of the pro- 
 niifei dififerent opinions have been formed, 
 not feldbm erroneous, and in proportion pre- 
 judifcial in their influence. 
 
 A curibry view of the errors which have 
 fefeen engendered by a too fanguifte and un- 
 rellrainfed interpretation of our Saviour's 
 wdrd^, as connedled with affurances of a 
 fimiiar defcription, will ferve to demonftrate 
 the irapo'rtance of that juft conftrucftion 
 ■syhich was adopted at the Reformation ; apd 
 which, tended with confiderable efFedl to 
 ftrengthen the , foundation chofen for the 
 re-eflablifhment of the fincere dpdlrines of 
 Chriftianity. ' 
 
 N 3 A grofi 
 
i82 S E R M, O N V. 
 
 A grofs and carnal expeAation of a per- 
 fonal return of our Lord, to produce the im- 
 mediate reftoration of a temporal fovereignty 
 to Ifrael, appears at firft to have exifted even 
 in the minds of the Apoftles, when com- 
 manded to wait at Jerufalem for "the pro- 
 " mife of the Father *." It was built pro- 
 bably upon thdfe Iplendid defcriptions of 
 Chrift's kingdom, which the ancient prophets 
 had furnifhed in reprefentation of its final tri- 
 umph ; and was perhaps in fome degree con- 
 firmed by a mifconftruiSion • of thofe dif- 
 courfes of our Lord, that related to the pe- 
 riod which fliould fucceed his fecond ad- 
 vent f . 't'he Apoftles however, though their 
 intriifive curiofity was difcouraged by Chrift, 
 were foon enlighteried by the Holy Ghoft, to 
 difcover that thefe vifions of future glory 
 were to be referred tO' a diftant zera, when 
 the blindnefs " which had happened to If- 
 " rael fhould be done away," and " the ful- 
 ^' nefs of the Gentiles be come in %" That 
 
 / « the 
 
 * 'Afts, ch. i. ver. 6, where fome fuppofe that a^Mf^vatus 
 ftioajfi be rendered, af point ox,eftabliJh, 
 
 f Matt. ch. vi. ver. lo. ch. xXvi. ver. 29. Luke, ch. xxi. 
 ver. 31. ■ ' ' 
 
 X Rom. ch. xi. ver. 24, 25. Pf. ii. ver. 8. Tfaiah, ch. 
 ■xsxv. Ix. ixv. Jer. ch. iii. ver. 13 — 17. Eaet. ch. xxxvi, 
 
 ' ' ver. 
 
S E R M 6 N V. 183 
 
 '' the Prince of Life" was " received by the 
 *^ Heavens till the time of the reftitution of 
 ** all things*/' and that the perfect righteouf- 
 nefs, which was to be " the manifeftation of 
 *' the fpns of God f ," glorified by his perfonal 
 prefence, was to be looked for under " new 
 <' heavens and a new earth J." 
 
 Leaving to the fcoffers and fenfual follow- 
 ers of their own lufls to enquire after the 
 promife of Ghrift's coming, with premature 
 ''and incredulous derifion, they underftood 
 that for the advancement of his 'kingdom, 
 holiriefs and godly converfation fliould be pro- 
 moted § ; and looked only to thofe immedi- 
 ate effeds of Ghrift's influence ; which were 
 amply experienced in the rapid- difFufion of 
 the Goipel at its firft rife, when " its doc- 
 " trine flione forth as the morning, and fent 
 *' forth her light afar oiF|f." 
 
 The expedation of a perfonal' prefence of 
 Chrift to prefide over and direft the eftab- 
 
 ver. 24. 36. ch. xxxvii. Zech. ch, viii..ver. 7, 8. Rev. 
 ch. xix. ver. 7, 8. ch. xxi. ver. 2, 9, lo; which allude to 
 effefts of Chfift's kingdomi .not fully to be experienced till it3 
 univerfal and perfefteftablilhment. 
 
 * Aits, ch. iii. ver. 21. See a-lfo Matt. ch. xxvi. ver. n. 
 
 f Rom. cli. viii. ver. 19, 21. 
 
 J 2 Peter, ch. iii.' ver. 13. 
 
 J. 2 Eeter, ch. iii. ver. 14, . || Ecdus, ch. xxLv. ver. 32. 
 
 N 4 lilhment 
 
i64 ' SEHMON, y. 
 
 lifhment of his kingdom, appears to rhave 
 been flowly relinquifhed, as the evangelical 
 Jji^eiifatian , difclofed its character ; though 
 it retained, an influence over, thpie wibofe 
 heated imaginations anticipated with «fger 
 impatience, the fecond advent of our-Lor^,' 
 and a too extenfive inte:rpretation of the .E>i- 
 vine promifes continued to excite ftiaiftaken 
 notions of the nature and effe^ of our Lord's 
 Superintendence over iiis Cburch. 
 
 Among thofe who uftderftood. die prbmlfes 
 to import only a fpiritual prefenoe, fonme 
 imagined that the refiilt of fu-oh fviperint^nd- 
 ence, how^ever invifibly prefiding over, the 
 Church, muft neceflarily imply the prefervft- 
 tion of the integrity of all its departments ; to 
 .be dialplayed on earth with unvaried repre* 
 fentation, ftedfaii; in the fincerity of its pro- 
 feffed faith, and perfe<5l in the purity of its 
 exterior inftitution and fervice. Hence, after 
 the fatal fchifms which took place in the 
 contefts of the early ages ; when the liberal 
 ipirit of Chriftianity contracted its viewfe to a 
 confined circle ; each feparate affeinbly, arro- 
 gating to itfelf the cxclufive claim of an un- 
 corrupt fyftem of faith and difcipline, began - 
 to entertain fentimcnts of Hoftility to thofe, 
 with whom it had broken communion.; and 
 
 to 
 
SERMON V- 185 
 
 to cohiid^r the ra&ft trivial differlgafees of 
 «pi«B<)n as conftituting infiiperabk barriers 
 of diftini^ioa. Fenced -v^^itliin the narrow 
 boundaries 1 of local (prgudice, each contem- 
 plated- his fe§)e«ftive dj;ftri<5t as the " garden 
 ^' encIofcd*i)" the peculiar province of Chrift^s 
 prefence. Partial traditions reverenced as 
 revealed truths, and national cuftoms infen- 
 fibly /blended with the rites of primitive ob- 
 fervance, were maintained as dodlriftes ef- 
 ieritial, to falvation. The intemperate zeal of 
 bigotjy was Mndled ; and the blind fury of 
 perfecution began to mge> which, while it 
 ib^gfat for the name, violated every principle 
 of religion. 
 
 The notion of a promiled cdntinnance of 
 an unchanged portraiture of the true Church, 
 to preferve, under the giSidance of Chrift, per- 
 fona-Uy prefiding in his^ vicar, through all ages, 
 its original form and unfaded glory, its tranl^ 
 mitted do<3:rrne unclouded* its pure inftitu- 
 tions and ceremonies undebafed, was the falfe 
 ground on which the Roman prefiimption 
 refled the claim of its pretended infallibility ; 
 profeffing to confine itfelf to the rock which, 
 Chrift had eftabliflied, while it piled oh the 
 
 • Canticles, ch. iv. ver. iz. 
 
 foundation 
 
i85 S E R M O ISPJ V. 
 
 foundation of St. Peter's confeffidft' the pe- 
 rilhable materials of htiroan vanity *. Hence 
 the anticKriftian boaft of an earthly lupre- 
 •macy, which, though its -reputed oracles va- 
 ried with every intereft, perlifted in the front- 
 lefs aflertion of unde via ting truth f ; and 
 though the only unerring law of faith was 
 Tejefted, maintained as Catholic and uniform 
 a Creed, difcoloufed with (Jiverfities which 
 could be concealed alone in ages of darknefs. 
 Thofe who rejedt the Roman hierarchy, as 
 a vitiated and apoftate miniflry, to be ex- 
 cluded from the contemplation of the Chrif- 
 tian Church, iand yet behold in the latitude 
 of Chrift's promifes tjie prefervation of the 
 perpetuated image of his kingdom, with often- 
 iible charadlers and indefedlible faith ; have 
 .fometimes referred with desultory and chang-, 
 ing appeal to the fcatfered congregations at 
 different times fet up with profeffed reform- 
 ation from the corruptions of a depraved 
 
 • I Cor. ch. iii. ver. 12. , 
 
 f The dodlrine is ftill maintainod by fome in fi^ll vigour. 
 " This primacy of the- Pope," fays Mr. Charles Plowden, 
 " imports the power of government by laws ; and the promife 
 " of Chrift warrants that thefe laws ftiall not deviate from th? 
 " path of eternal truth, or lead the faithful into error." See 
 Confidrt-ations on the Fallibility of the Holy See, p. 78, as 
 (quoted in a Letter to the; (Roman) Catholic Clergy, by Sir John 
 'ihrcqkmortOin. , 
 
 Church : 
 
S E R M O N V. 18/ 
 
 Churfch * : but however cheerfully a tribute 
 of commendation may be paid to thofe who 
 withdrew from a fandluary profaned with 
 vanities, and appear in diftant fcenery the ad- 
 vocates of truth and precurfors of reform, it 
 were fond admiration not to defcry the errors 
 which feceffion did not leave, and which con- 
 tinued often to triumph in the delufions and 
 herefies of the fecluded {eAs. It were blind 
 and partial reverence to forget the broken 
 iucceflion of the miniftry ; and the frequent 
 interruptions, in the Ihifted reprefentation, and 
 transferred government of the Church. 
 
 Waving the minute defcription of thefe 
 different opinions, and leaving the refutation 
 
 . • As the Maflalians or Euchites in the Eaft ; (fee Cave's 
 Hift. Literar. Vol. II. p. 199.) the Waldenfes in the Weft, 
 who at a very early period cherifhed the expiring flame of reli- 
 gion, and cultivated a reformed faith in the valleys of Pied- 
 mont and Navarre, and in the twelfth century were alTembled 
 in ^great numbers under Peter Waldus, at Lyons : the Beren- 
 garians,, who appeared in Prance iij the eleventh century ; the 
 Catharifts in Italy ; the Albigenfes, who were originally co- 
 lonies of Paulicians from Bulgaria in Thrace ; the Wicklif- 
 fites in England, and the followers of Arnold of Brefciaj of John 
 llufs, and Jerome of Prague; which fe£ts are to be, com- 
 mended in many relpefts for withdrawing from exifting cor- 
 ruptions, and for the doftrineiS and manners which they dif- 
 played, hut moft of whom retained errors of faith and pradlice, 
 which furniflied fubjeft of malignant, exultation to the Church 
 which perfecuted them. Leger's Hift. Gener. des Eglifes Vau- 
 doifes. Turretin. Hift. & Lardiier's Credib. Baronius, A. D. 
 1148. No. 38. 
 
 Of 
 
^Pwti^ Bni^y '^ ^ieert«ja -err^U'eMis ill thtss^ 
 1® the eVideinije wliic^ v?ill natHfally ?fefuk 
 fe&m dfefe.feiaa&Iilhttiteiat .©f triath, it taay fefe 
 expediehr t6 'feoffiin^ 'mr' Lord's pmtiifibS 
 within their ^ae Miiftitfe 6f interpfetati^ti, as 
 T4TiCDa»e«(ted with the reVfekti^jns of tfe-e fiaai 
 -gbry of thte Ghurch ; aftd tb iiVa^mtfe their 
 ^mpktioft^ without m^vi to the fcsta^gfeta'- 
 tions af mifconeeption, or the bo&ftifigs @f 
 prejiidice. 
 
 That th«& C%iiitch of <ifed, feadval ift it* &ri^ 
 gisk v^ith the Creation of mafi*, hath eSciftM 
 through all &ges in a diftin<a dia4:adfc1f,"illa- 
 fiiined by thofe bfeams of Divihfe revtslation 
 fvhidi it reflefts ; and that it Ih^II coritifttifeto 
 flourifli with various degrees of waining and 
 renovated fpleftdor, till the great city, " de- 
 " fcending out of Heaven," and " having 
 " the glory of God f ," Ihall appear, no otit' 
 who reviews the fatred records, and contem- 
 plates the unroilfed fcroH of prophecy, can dif- 
 pute J : but that the affumnce of the prophets, 
 01 of our Lordi extended to the prefervation 
 
 • Tlie Cfenrcli is reprdented fey Newen to have exifted fifr- 
 fbre the creation of tlie heavens and earth ; as indeed it did if» 
 the rdigioas harmony of the celeftial fervants of God. Nowell. 
 Catech. p. 95. Hejb. eh. xii. ver, 2Z, zy. ' 
 
 •f kfevd. ch. xxi. ver. 10, iz. 
 
 J See Pearfoa, Thorndyke, Suu 
 
 of 
 
.§ Evit M O N V, 189 
 
 j^ any -viipiW*- k|iage€>f; t^*t Clt^fqb., to pec- 
 i^v^re under one foBtw q£ polity in the un- 
 Ghan^-ed p5qfe.fl[V5n:q^ tki^ faijtlj * muft be de- 
 JEiied on ^ j^ft'q^jEJiui^ion of the promifes, 
 and q^i aa itjjf ar-tial retrofpe^ of tbe hiftory 
 of paft, ages. Sufficient i^ it, for the vindica- 
 t^ji of thi^ Divine truth, that in a^ times 
 CJh^ift has contin,ue<i toipretetl the ftruc- 
 tur© of the ChiMSchi ; t© fecure the diftind: 
 a^tniniftrations. and, facramen^tal itiftitutions 
 which he appointed, ; and fo fac to irradiate 
 the ijjterioT ol^ hji^ Temple hy i^e :5efi:d§nce of 
 litis glory, a§ tiOr preferve m the Scriptures 
 tja^^ per^nanency pftfeat " light whicittUghteth 
 *' every man that. Cometh ijito the world," 
 and:tibiat " toas m^y as ha<ve received him, 
 " to them gaye he pow,^ to become the 
 f' ions of Qefd; even to, thepi that believe 
 " in.l;^is nanae ;|^." 
 
 Jf we look. liftcJk to tjie {jpening of the Di- 
 vine fcJien?^, we find that, the- firft promife 
 
 * It IS well known td be an artiole of the Romifli faith, even 
 among thofe who reject the Papal infallibility, that Chrift 
 ^on\ifed that his Church IbouJd never fail to teach the faidi 
 Avhlch he delivered ; and that the doftrine which the fiomifti 
 Church ever has taught, and now teaches, is the fame doftrine 
 which was revealed to the ApqlUes. See R. Plowd^n's Letter 
 to a Roman Catholic, p.. 42. 
 
 f John, ch. i. ver. 9, iz. 
 
 which 
 
igo S E R M ON V. 
 
 which aflured a refloration, intimated a ptC'* 
 vious defeat Iff. The earlieft covenant was 
 eftablifhed with threats, and the radiant bow, 
 which was fet in the clouds of diipierfing 
 wrath, was given with cohfideration, that 
 "the imagination of man's ' heart was evil 
 " from 'his youth-f." The deliverance from 
 Egypt, and the prefervation in the wilder- 
 nefs, were displayed amidfl: frpquent mur- 
 murings of the whole congregation. The 
 golden calf was worfliipped in Horeb, while 
 the tables of teftimony were written by the 
 finger of God on Sinai ; and through every 
 period the " kingdom of priefts" contained 
 the children of tranigreffion J. 
 
 So alfo the Chriftian Church, though' it 
 was confecrated with " new and living Ways 
 " of entrance," and was to be approached 
 with " a true heart in full aflurance of 
 " faith," exhibited, even under the imme- 
 diate prefence of its High Prieft, no circle of 
 perfeft and unmingled chara«^rs. In the ia- 
 cred band of the Apoftles were to be found. 
 
 * Gen. ch'. iiL ver. 15, Heb. ch. xi. ver. 7. Gen. ch. ix. 
 ver. 5, II. 
 
 f Gen. ch. viii. ver. 21. chi! ix. ver. 14, 15. 
 
 X The Hebrew flation was holy in refpeft of the' reparation 
 of the people to God's fervice ; not for .their fanftity. See 
 Pearfon on the Creed, Communion of Saints. 
 
 even 
 
S E R M O N V. ipt 
 
 even among thofe who " were numbered 
 ** with them, and had obtained part of their 
 ** mihiftry," one who denied, and another 
 who, betrayed his Mafter. After Chrift's de-' 
 parture, among the rulers, whpfe general fer- 
 vice was faithful, there was blameable con- 
 du<3: *, and difference of opinion. Among 
 *' the multitude, who believed with one foul," 
 were thofe " whole heart Satan had filledf." 
 The Churches addreffed by the Apoftks erred> 
 and had need of repentance J. The net, 
 which was to " be call into the fea," was in- 
 tended indeed to " gather of every kind;" 
 and in the field, which the kingdom of Hea- 
 ven refembled, " the wheat and the tares ■ 
 " were to grow up together unto the har- 
 " veil." It was ever in the convidlion of 
 Chrift and of bis Apollles, that many who 
 took up the crols Ihould, in a llate of trial 
 and warfare, " fall away ;" that " offences 
 '* iHull come," and herefies arife, by which 
 the evidences of truth Ihould be called up. 
 
 « Galat. ch. ii. ver. ii. 
 
 \ A£b, ch. iv. ver. 33. ch. v. ver. 3. 
 
 X Revel, ch. ii and iij. Many of the firft Chriftians in-' 
 clined to Jiidaical rules. Gal. ch. v. ver. 2. Some of the 
 Church of Corinth deniecl the refurreftion, and profaned the 
 Eucharia. ' 
 
 and 
 
192 -: SERMON V. 
 
 and they that Ihouldi be approvQ^ would be 
 made raanifeft. ^ 
 
 AGCordingly, the impartial voice of hiftorjr 
 proclaims, that as the converts multiplied, the 
 profeffion of the faith was corrupted ; the cha- 
 rad;er of the- rcmn&ty debafed ; the diifcipEhe 
 of manners; fubverted; and in fucceeding 
 times we, look in vain for the extenaial r^re- 
 fentatioa of a true Church, any farther, than 
 as it was to be tbund ia the fucceflajcm of a 
 legitimate, though depraved mmifey ', in the 
 prefervatioa o£ the lively oracles of tcuth; and 
 in the profeffion of the genuine faiths mingled 
 with, and obfcured by the fiSitious; do6ferine& 
 of human invention. 
 
 All tlkerefore that the gracious affurances of 
 our Lord, with refpcfft to the protedioH' and 
 guidance, of his Church, can be flated, in it& 
 ample extent to have promifed, muil be, that 
 in the body, of which he was the myfticai 
 head, fhould continue to, exift, through all" 
 9ges,. the union of a common fellowship, 
 the unperifliable permanency of the Divine 
 Word, and the effential- appointments and 
 ordinances of a real Church. 
 
 This- Church, in its vifible charafter, was 
 to- continue to exhibit the chequered Ihades 
 
 of, 
 
•S E'R M O N V. ip3 
 
 of an eairthly reprefentation, and to realize 
 the defcriptiori of its unblemifhed purity, only 
 in the perfeclidn of its fihat glory *. No fanc- 
 tioti then, was given by the fkcred promifes 
 to the pretences of an irifallible atid unchang- 
 ing profeffion of the faith, not tb the arrogant 
 conceit of thofe who, r^jefting the ofteniible 
 iriftitutions, confider the^Chiirch as compofed 
 Only of members invifibly united, and predef- 
 tinated by partial eleftion to the fpiritiial 
 kingdom. 
 
 As the 'confined limits of a local eftabHlh- 
 riient were thrown down, this Church was 
 ho longer to be refi;ri<fted to any favburdd and 
 peculiar peoplef,_or to ber orgfetnized in acconi- 
 modation to aiiy politic form of temporal go- 
 vernment. Separate congregations," exiffing 
 in diftindl charader, or combined in volun- 
 ta!ry conjunftion, were to compofe conneSed 
 parts of an univerfal difpenfation ; not con- 
 brained in fubjedli'on to any partial afceri- 
 dahcy, but each regulated by its own laws;, 
 in dependency on gcriefal principles, and in 
 
 * This idea of the Church was received at the commence- 
 ment of the Reformation, as agreeable to its ftate in this life, 
 i|bi habet nvalos bonis fimul admixtps. See a definition of the 
 Church, correaed by Henry VIII. in Bumet's Addenda, 
 f ColoiT. ch. iii. ver. 1 1 . 
 
 6 the 
 
194 SERMON V. 
 
 Jjie, coherence of muti?^Jt attachment ; and all 
 ,wj.ightene4 by rays, diverging %in;fhat " Suo 
 " of RightQonfnefs," which cap alone conftitute 
 the cjentr^of a Church e^ten^ed through hea- 
 ven and parth. In thp Acjred writings, ai)4 f\oi. 
 in traditionary .^o^rine, pr in, the , precarious 
 profeffion of a varying faith, was ^o be pr.e- 
 fqrved " the |b^ni,of dod^ine and found. >vor,ds 
 .'f5»^]^ch,,was. firft delivered to the Saints;" 
 l&nce " aU, 'nations were to be baptized into 
 " that one houfhold of God," w^xich; was 
 ",; built uppti fthe founda4:iQn, . of the Apoftles 
 " ,and prophets, Jefi^s Chr^ hipife],f .bp;ng the 
 " .chief qof;»er-fl:one, in whom all the build- 
 " ing, fitly iiranpi^d together, groweth into an 
 *' holy Temple in the Lord *." 
 . . In the prefervation of^ . theXs unerring and 
 fufficient; oracles of truth, the accomplilh- 
 mentof.a fignal part of, the.Piylne promife^ 
 PS to the fiiperintendence of the Church, 
 may be maintained; lince it was furely, no 
 inconfidefable jdemonftra^lipn, ; of an efpecial 
 providence, tha;t an holy law; denouncing 
 through every page inlpi'red cenfures againft 
 exifting doctrines and manners, fhould, though 
 withdrawn from general attention, be pre- 
 
 ' Ephef. ch, ii. ver. 20, 21. 
 
 fervcd 
 
S E R MO N V. 195 
 
 ierved with unabated fidelity, by thofe, whoife 
 flagrant departure from its'ittftrudlions it ex- 
 pofed, and whofe dbwnfall it predi6led; and 
 be tranfinitted "with integrity^ and the unani- 
 mous conferit of all Churches, till it roufed 
 the difpofition to reform. It was no trivial 
 evidence of Chrift's care, that the records of 
 -tevelation ihould be fecure from injury, in. 
 langiiagfis little known but to thofe whdrri 
 evfery line rebuked with , keeneft reproach ; 
 through ages of dkrknefs fevtourable. to bafe 
 defign, and in which fuperftition might have 
 united every intereft in confederate meafureg, 
 had not ambitious diflenfion eftablilhed the 
 vigilance of mutual hoftility *. 
 
 The Coiifeffion of Faith, contained in thefe 
 writings, is the rock on which Chrift has built 
 his indefediible Church. Of its fincere pro- 
 feffors, linked in invifible fellowfhip, and cha- 
 xafterifed by the obfervance of eflential ordi- 
 nances, no age, it is prefumed, has been def^ 
 titute ; nor Ihall the gates of hell at any time 
 
 * It is a paTpable and pregnant demonftratipn of the truth 
 of Chriftianity, as well as of God's providential care of his 
 Church, that the Prophecies of the Old Teftament have been 
 conftantly preferved with unfufpefted integrity by the Jews, vyho 
 rejeathe Gofpel ; and the inftruaions of the NewTeftament fe- 
 cured to us by thpfe corrupt Churches which were molt inter- 
 elled to fupprefs them. 
 
 O 2 prevail 
 
19^ SERMON V. 
 
 prevail againft fuch Catholic Church* ; fo as 
 to.deflroy its ex^ence by external oppreffion, 
 ;or to undermine its foundatians, by internal 
 hjerefy. By the infallible teft and criterion of 
 infpired wifdom are the pretenfions of ,every 
 earthly reprefentation. of ,fuc^ communion of 
 ■the faints to be; tried and exarnined f ; and, in 
 proportion as its decrees are reverenced, will 
 -the genuine charadler and excellency of the 
 Church be difplayed, and, the coming of the 
 heavenlykingdom be advanced., , , ,.■ 
 ' , ,,We, who believe the; divine declarations 
 and promifes to intimate>J af?.d aflure §,;.the 
 perpetuated fnpcxMon of a miniftry with regu- 
 
 ♦ ;\Vhitby conceives our Saviour's promife in Ma,tt.-ch. xvi. 
 V. i8, to imply, that evert death itfelffliould not prevail 'againft 
 the genuine membei-s of Chrift's Church, or that they ihall en- 
 joy a happy refurreffion. . But our Loi^d is generally, underftood 
 to have defigned to fignify, that the ChurchrwhicK (houid be 
 built on St. Peter's -preaching, ihould' never be deftroyed on 
 earth by external or inteftine injury. A promife which im- 
 ported, not an exemption from error, but a fecuritj^ frohi de« 
 Jlruftion by the afcendancy of the powers of darknefs., 'A^nt 
 means Death. The gates of hell, being an Hebraical expreffion, 
 mean Hell or Death. 
 
 f Concil. Carthag. A£t. torn. i. p. 1189. 
 
 J The fervants mentioned in Matthew, ch. xiii. v. 27, who 
 propofed tc gather up the tares ; and the ftevvards; who axe de- 
 fcribed as the rulers of the Lord's hdufehqld.to retoain.till his 
 coming in. Matt. ch. xxiv. ver. 45, 46 ; rouft by analogy bb 
 confidered as the minifters of Chriil's Cliurch." See tetter's 
 Church Govern, ch. iv. ~ 
 
 § Matt. ch. xxviii. v. 20. 
 
 lar 
 
SERMON V. 197 
 
 lar appointment and tranfriiitted claims, have 
 certainly fufficierit ground to maintain their 
 completion in ■ the •unbroken continua,nce of 
 the facred orders. Still indeed we muft ad- 
 mit, the gradual degeneracy of thofe orders 
 into blind and deceitful guides; fo far only 
 dire<Sed bythe influence of Ch rift and the 
 Holy. Spirit, as reiadered fubfer.vient to pre- 
 ferve the fundamental dod:rines of religion, 
 mingled in external profeffion vyith the groff- 
 eft errors ; and to fupport and tranfmit the 
 rights of the fpiritual authority. The often- 
 fible -pillars, and the vifible reprefentatives of 
 the Chriftian mihiftry, they doubtlefs were : 
 and, aS members of the facred lineage, tranf- 
 ferred to ^heir followers the privileges and 
 fund:ions of their appointed office. 
 
 Such immortal fucceffion in the inftitution of 
 the priefthood,for " the work of the miniftry," 
 for " the edifying of the body of Chrift," till 
 we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the 
 knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect 
 man ; appears to have been a provifion efl'ential 
 to the character, and contrived for the order 
 andpeaceof the Chriftian Church; precluding 
 diftra^iohs ; and .difcountenancing felf-ap- 
 
 * See Manning's England's Converfion and Reformation 
 .compared. 
 
 ,D".T^^::^ O 3 pointments. 
 
198 S E R M N V- 
 
 pointments *, pregnant with error and difor-< 
 ders -f-. The degeneracy of thofe who hav© 
 tranfmitted a derived power, can furnifli no 
 fufficientobjeftion to the val-idity of its com-* 
 munications ; nor was the effed of Chrifl's 
 ordinance done aWay by their wickednefs, 
 except as the dodkines of revelation were 
 perverted in accorqmodation to corrupt man-« 
 ners J; ^^ 
 
 The prefervation of the miniftry, imparted 
 in the divine promiffc, impHed no infalUble 
 
 smoLyuyn oc-ndii, Ignat. adv. Trail. Ecclefia non eft quje non 
 liabet facerdotem. Hieron, cum Lucifer, c. 8. 
 
 f Bithop Hoadley, in ah argument which afFefts the jnft 
 precenfions of our Chureh, afferts, that there is the greateft ap- 
 pearance, and.humanlyfpeaking, a Gsrt-ainty againft the regular 
 and uninterriipted fucceffion of bilhops ; in proof of which af- 
 fertion, he appeals to the opinion of thofe who m3,intain all lay 
 bapiifms, and all ofRces performed by perfons who either have 
 been irregularly ordained, or have forged their pretenfions tq 
 ordination to be mere nullities. How the opinion of fuchper- 
 fojjs affed^s the argument, it is not eafy to difcover. Lay bap- 
 tifms have no direct relasion to the fubjeft ; and whatever might 
 the nullity of the offices performed by perfons irregularly or 
 furreptitioufly ordained, there is no ground to maintain that 
 there ever was a period deftif ute of a legitimate miniftry, or 
 even thatfuch perfons ever attained to the epifcopal order; and 
 therefore it does not appear upon what hiftorica! evidence the 
 affertion can be fupported, e;feept it be that of the nag's h.rajd 
 prdiTi9,tLsn. The Ro'manifts, admit the validity pf our ordi- 
 nation to the Reformation, as derived by St. Auftin from St. 
 Gregory. See F. Couirayer on the Validity of Engiilh Ordinat. 
 Burnet's Reformation Vindicat, and Lindfay's Vindication of 
 the Churchof England, ', ■ -' 
 
 J z6 Article. ' ,■-,;..«,„ ., , 
 
 " guidance. 
 
SERMON v.- 159- 
 
 guidance, any further, than as its members 
 Ihould attend to that written wurd whicK was 
 left for their diredlion; nor cduld it be deemed 
 requifite that the itiflueiice of the Spirit, 
 howev'^er efpecially to be imparted to the rtii- 
 mftry, fhouldfttperfede the appointed oracles 
 of inflruftion, or difpenfe with fmcerity of 
 intention' and integrity of obedience : and 
 when, therefore, from the feduftion of un- 
 worthy motives, the paftors who tiranlgreffed, 
 deferted " the fountain of livirig waters*," and 
 obeyed the voice of that antichriftian power, 
 *' whofe coming was after the* working of 
 " Satan, with all deceivablenefs of un- 
 " righteoufnefs in them that perifti -j- ;" they 
 
 forfeited 
 
 "* Jerem. ch. ii. -v. 8. 13. 
 
 t 2 Theffal, ch. ii. v. 9, 1 o. Tlie difciples of Chrift bad 
 been fully cautioned againft that Man of Sin who was to ap- 
 pear. The Fathers, who lived before the deftrudlion of the 
 Roman empire, ^xpedled Antichrift to rife on the ruins of that 
 dominion. See Tertul. Apol. c. Z2. et ad Scap. c. i. Hier. 
 ad Algos. Chryfoft. et'Arabrof. in 2 Theffal. c. 2. Origen 
 in Matt. Tradl 27. Many of th§ earlier reformers confidered 
 the Roman PontifTas Antichrift, See Jfwell's VieW'of Sedi- 
 tious Bull, and on 2 TheiTaf. ch. ii. V.47J arid Paule's Life of 
 Whitgift. Thofe who objeft to this application upon the no- 
 tion of its being inconfiftent'with the idea that the Church of 
 Rome is a true Church, do not feem to have adverted fufficiently>* 
 to 2 Theff. ch. ii. ver. 4. where the Son of Perdition is defcribed 
 as " flatting in the Temple of God j" by which St. Chryfoftom", i 
 Theodoret, and others, underftand the Chriftiaji Church., S^e . 
 Chryfoft, in Loc» torn. iii. Theod. in Epift. Div Decret. Au- 
 
 O 4 gUft. 
 
aoo S E R M OrN V. 
 
 forfeited their pretenfions to the ,divine di- 
 redlion, by departing from the eftablifhed. 
 fources of illumination and grace. 
 
 The precife charadler and the fpecific efFe6l 
 of the fpirit, the moments of its impulfe, 
 and the limits of its afpiratijon, " no man 
 ". knoweth." That it bloweth, however, 
 -Uy appointed courfes, and through hallowed 
 ways, and that it breathes its filent influence 
 undbr . the mild inftr;u<5tion of the infpired 
 writings, perfe(9;ed its the facred depofitory of 
 divine wifdom, for perpetual guidance of the 
 Church, will admit of no contrpyerfy. When. ■ 
 therefore, forfaking as it were the Shecinah 
 of God's prefence, the infatuated rulers of; 
 the Church turried to the idols of their own 
 creation ; and with arbitrary affumption of in- 
 fallibility, and prefumptuous boafts of a divine 
 impulfe, alTembled their proftitute and ambi- 
 tious councils; and fet up precarious traditions 
 and decrees, while they violated the la>vs of ac- 
 knowledged revelation; they but blafphemed 
 the authority of Chrift's name, who, as his in- 
 
 giaft. de Civit. Dei, 1. ii. c. 19. The antichriftian charafters 
 were very early difplayed ; and the extravagant adulation of 
 Ennodius maintained in the fixth century, that the Roman Pon- 
 tiff was conflituted judge in the place of God. See Moflieim, 
 C^nt. VI. p. ii. ch.|2. 
 
 ftrudlions 
 
SERMON V. 201 
 
 ftrudions were difregarded, left them to the 
 wanderings of their own vanity. 
 
 To thofe who, amidft prevailing delufipns, 
 were felicitous to difcern the veftiges of the 
 true faith, it was confolation to reflet, that, 
 the Sacred Writings were difperfed in Ian-? 
 guages fo different, and among nations fo 
 feparated and adverfe to each other, that no 
 cl^ange of dodrine could pafs undetefted; 
 that-.the, very feAs.and herefies which fcan-- 
 dalized the faith, prevented the mutilation of 
 its records ; and, that when the volume of its 
 dodlrines fhould be again unfolded to general 
 regard, its authority mnft be refpe<Sed; that 
 the external form of the Church, with primi- 
 tive appointments and fundamental do&ines, 
 flill remained, and that where two or three 
 were in fincerity gathered together in Chrift's 
 name, he was in the midil of them *. ' 
 
 By the interpretation of the Scriptures into 
 the languages of different nations, the propa- 
 gation of the Gofpel was accelerated at its 
 firft preaching through the moft diflant re- 
 gions f . As the imparted bleffing was with- 
 drawn 
 
 * Origen, Com. in Matt. torn. xii. 1510. 
 f The Syriac, Egyptian, and .^thiopic verfioni, were made 
 at very early periods of ths Church ; and contributed,, as well 
 
 as 
 
ios S--E R M O N V. 
 
 fh^stWri and hidden from mankind, grofs darlc- 
 nefs overihadowed the people*, and was dif- 
 perfed only tvhen the bearhs of revelation 
 again burft forth. It was by the' provid'ential 
 reftoratitrtl of the Scriptures, which took place 
 at the revival' of literature, that the cor- 
 ruptions of the Romifh Church were firfi 
 iliccefsfully expofed, and the Reformation 
 happily commenced. Where this' pillar of 
 permanent direffion led the way, though it 
 might be " cloud and darkneft" to thofe who 
 were hardened againft God's inftrudlrons, 
 *' it gave light" to all who followed the di" 
 vine iftandard. To the exclufive infallibility 
 afcribed to the Holy Writings by the advo- 
 cates of truth, muft be attributed the reno- 
 vation of thofe principles which had been 
 I'ead in the Simplicity of the primitive faith. 
 Awakened to a perufal of the iacred pages, the 
 " captive daughter" of the Church " Ihook 
 " herfelf from the duft, and loofed herfelf 
 " from the bands of her neck f." The^ dif- 
 
 as the L'atin tranflation from which they were raade, to facili- 
 tate the advancement of religion. Origin was particularly in- 
 djiftrions in circulating copies. 
 
 * The Scriptures were read in the vulgar tongue in the 
 Weftern Church, till the fixth or the feventh century, when the 
 Latin language ce^fed to be fpoken as the vulgar tongue at 
 R-onie. See Ufher's Colleft. by Wharton. ; 
 
 ■f- Ifaiahj ch. lii. v. i-, 2. •■*"■- 
 
 perfed 
 
S E R M Q N V. 203 
 
 p^fed;and ;deje<R:cd members of the faith, 
 reanimated by the fpirit of the Lord, were 
 railed upj as it were, by 3 refxirreftion, and ce- 
 affembled to compofe the living reprefentation 
 of Chrift's body *» 
 
 No where, was the reftored Tohime', more 
 joyfully unfolded, or more ea^rlyperufcdy^^than 
 in this country. The friends of religion anxi- 
 coifly promoted its acceptance. The ddhe- 
 rents to error obftinately endeavoured to fup- 
 prefs, or iniidiouifly; laboured to coruupt, its 
 evidence -j-. The^ efforts of integrity, how- 
 ever, happily prevailed : and under the influ- 
 ence of. Chrift's pre&nce, experienced in the 
 animation of his oracles and words, the lead- 
 ers of reform proceeded to refcue theinfli- 
 tutions and doftrines of the Church from the 
 deformities which had " changed their glory 
 ".for that which did not profit;};." Con- 
 vinced that the Church of Rome, .like pre- 
 ceding Churches, had erred ; as in living and. 
 ceremonies, " fo in matters of faith," they 
 
 * Ezek. ch. xxxvii, / ,; . ; ■ 
 
 t See the Account of the infidious plan of Gardiner to ob- 
 fcare the tranilation of the Scriptures, by retaining Latin words, 
 Burnet, vol. i. fol. 315. _ ■''; 
 
 J Our Church retained every catholic do£triqe ; every ddc- 
 trine which had been Bnitef felly ■ received j rejefting local tra- 
 ditions and adventitious errors, 
 
 determined 
 
204 SERMON V. 
 
 determined to liften oniy to the Scriptures *, 
 as to " celeftial voices,'! as" to the power of 
 " God, againft which, neither law or cuftdm 
 '•- Ihould be heard f ." . J , . i. ' 
 
 Abiding by the facred lift of '" thofe books 
 "of whofe authority was never any doubt" 
 in- the univerfal Church, and which had uni- 
 formly been confidered ,as " the perfedion of 
 " uncorruptnefs," as rbeinjg'' dictated by the 
 word of God and his Spirit, they confidered 
 tradition as changeable and uncertain, and 
 determined wholly" to reft on the Sacred Wri- 
 tings in fubjed:s of fajthi, as , the foundation 
 and final, refort of. all their perfuafions. ■ Even 
 thofe venerable works which had been ireceiv-' 
 ed as canonical in an inferior fenfe, by writers;]; 
 -and councils of the early ages ; but which,\ as 
 not included in the Hebrew canon, or in the 
 undifputed; catalogues acknowledged by the 
 Church,. had no claim to be regarded as in*- ' 
 fpired and infallible ;- they retained but for 
 example of life and, inftruftion of manners §, 
 In the interpretation of the Scriptures, it 
 was reafonable, that primitive conftrucSion and 
 
 .. . •.T.- ' ' , ■:■ ■ 
 
 * I g Article. 
 
 t;j€W/eli. Aptvl. , 
 
 J .Igoati. Ep. ad Philad. Irenae, 1. ii. c. 47. 
 
 § Cofin's Schokft. Hift. . . ,, ;^ 
 
 f i.:. . early 
 
S E K M O N V. 595 
 
 early explications fliQuld bc:; regarded. H^nce 
 as commentators, on :thei.?j,gept|in8i wifdom, 
 the. councils of the uncorrtipted tiAies w§re 
 revered. Hence, as enlightened interpreters 
 of the revealed Word, the learned, men atid 
 fathers of, the Church were, duly efteemed ; 
 ^^ vvh^le they were difpg,raged,by the^omifli 
 CbuiFph, with ppnfciqtis ^pprehenfipn of the 
 < tfftimony which they,furn'iflied,.§yr reformers 
 <^fid€red tjiem " as inftruments of the 
 " mercy of God,, and .vgflels: fijll, Qf grace.*." 
 " They defpifed thelti-topt; they reverenced 
 " them, and gave th^jjaks unto. God for them, 
 " as vvitnefles of fthe truth, ' as worlihy pillars 
 " and ornaments in the JChurch of God. Yet 
 "did they not build upon them> nor. make 
 " thenj, the foundation, and warrant :. of i their 
 " , confcience ; theyj^did.not put their truft in 
 " them, their truft was in the name of the 
 
 " Lordf." : ; ' ' ' ^ 
 
 Thofe on the contiiient, who had " blown 
 " the firft trumpet, and let up the.fign" pf re- 
 formation, the reftorers of our Church re- 
 garded as great and illuflrious men ; admjred 
 their bold and awakdned /pirit; their zeal for 
 
 * Taylor's^ Diffuafive from Popery. 
 
 f See a Treatift on the Scriptures, compofed froni Jewell's 
 Sermons, publiihed in 1570. Alfo Jewell's Apol. and his 
 Sermon on I Peter, ch, iv. ver. 1 1, and the Writmgs of the 
 jleformers pa^m. 
 
 truth ; 
 
506 S E R M O N V. 
 
 truth; refpeded their many emment virtues; 
 gloried in the animation of their common 
 caufe. They did not however enlift under 
 their bannersj- or afltime th^eir titles. Every 
 leader but Chrift, w^ith the exclufive venera- 
 tion of the primitive faith *, -they difclaimed; 
 liftehing to thofe who preceded them in the 
 glorious wcKrk, not as didiators of their creed, 
 but as monitors ^nd guides; affifting them to 
 " comprehend, With all faints, what was the 
 " bYeadth and length and depth and height 
 " and love of Chrifh -f-."' ■ ' -^ - 
 
 Adopting the juft and liberal idea of a ca- 
 tholic union, reftilting frdrh a common de- 
 pendency on oneinvlfible Lord, the advocates 
 for our- national inftjtlition confidered, with 
 charitable affedlion,-' every congregation re- 
 form^ed to fundamental principles. The 
 
 * The earlier Chriftians anxioufly avoided the diftinftions 
 of party titles. Chryfoftom, Horn, xxxiii. in Aft. Heretics firft 
 clafiby.' under leaders, Epiphag. HEeref. 42. Nazian. Orat. ad 
 Epifcop. Bingham's Chriftian Antiq. ch. i. § 6., In the liberal 
 comprehenfion of their charafter, the difciples of Chrift were 
 flyled Catjiolics. ■ - 
 
 f Ephef. ch. iii, ver. 18. Our reforniers, while, they re- 
 jefted the intemperate and obtruded councils of Calvin, ac- 
 cepted the ajTiftaiice of Bucer, Peter Martyr, and; others. , Du 
 Pin, whofe works are too voluminous to be accurate, however 
 candidly he might defign .to be fo, aflerts what is much too 
 ftrong, when-hefays, " C'eift..a Bucer et a Fagius qu'il faut ^m- 
 ♦• puter le changement de religion en Aiugleterre et en Ecoffe." 
 Vide Biblioth. des Auteurs HeretiqUes 1^ 16 Se 17 Siecie. 
 
 Church, 
 
S E^ MO N V. 36; 
 
 Church, it was pereeived, whi^h had fpread 
 its mi^titudes to the uttcrmoft ^arts of thq 
 earth, though ditftipguilhed in different di^lrir 
 bxutions under different names^ mightpreferve, 
 as doth the ocean that roUeth in -divers divi- 
 ^ons, its effential nature, its connected waves* 
 Contending only for thofe neceCary dodlrines 
 and ordinances^ upon ..wl^ich ,the Chriftian 
 laith fliould,refty they admitted that rites and 
 ceremonies, and. particulars of, human ap- 
 pointment, might vary, in confiftency with 
 t;he regulations of .fepaf ate fbcieties, .. , 
 
 : £yery congregation, exifling in the fellow- 
 ihip rof religious unjon, mi^fl: define the terms, 
 of it& affociatioh, and defcribe the tenets of 
 its faith. The, v^ipety of conftru<3;ions ad- 
 mitted in partijal and fp,nciful interpretations 
 ^ Sapifitjire, indices the n^eeffity of poiitive 
 explications ; whic^i may concentrate opintions, 
 in fbme ipecific points ; which may refute 
 falfe imputations ; determine wavering fenti- 
 ment, and iecure confiftency of inftruiSlion. 
 The do&ines of our Church, which were 
 drawn out into exprefs expofition with defign 
 to fix that uncertainly of the faith which the 
 rgedion of the papal authority was repre^ 
 fented to have occafioned, were fuch only 
 asj after comprehenfive examination, were 
 
 approved. 
 
5o8 SERMON V. 
 
 approved. They were 'flowly ratified, and 
 cautloufly expreflcd. Tile ancient Creeds 
 ■which were adopted, and the articles and 
 forrtiularies of faith which were compofed, 
 ■were comrhended to acceptance only as pre- 
 fiimed to be faithfully expreffive of revealed 
 inftruftion ; fince nothing was deemed ne- 
 ceflkry to falvation which was not either 
 read in Scripture, Or might not be proved 
 thereby *. Thiey were framed with clear and 
 explicit declaration in elTential points> though 
 with much latitude of expreflion in doubtful 
 and' controverted queftions. Thus judici- 
 oufly conftrucSed, they have contributed moft 
 efFe(3:ually to affift the enquiries, and unite 
 the opinions, of the members of our Church 
 in the chief pririciple:s of faith ; at the fame 
 time that they draw not a line of profcrlption 
 on thofe fubjecfts, which for ages have been 
 difcufled without fatisfa<Sory foiution or per- 
 fe6l agreement. < 
 
 Our Church, which came out and with- 
 drew itfelf from the innovations and affump- 
 tions of a corrupt dominion, had no defign 
 to eftablilh its union, on any principle that 
 might fanftion future ufiirpatioris. It ad- 
 
 * Sixth Article. 
 
 mitted 
 
SERMON V. 30^ 
 
 mitted that a feceffion did not imply a 
 fchifm, and that a removal from external 
 cammunion did not necefTarily import a de- 
 sertion of Catholic ;fellowlhip. Its advocates 
 contended, however, that a feparation for tri- 
 vial caufes, or flight objed;ions, was a pre^ 
 fumptive departure from the faith, and a po- 
 fitive breach of that harmony, which is the 
 band: of union;;; that the individual j rejec- 
 tion of public decifions, -yvhere no do6lrines 
 afFedang the fubftance of the faith were con- 
 ^ei:ned, argued a piiroud and intolerant fpirit, 
 ■which would prellimptuoufly ered: its own 
 opinion as the ftandard of direftidn. They 
 did not think that any declaratisns, or pre- 
 cife expofitionsi , could control the human 
 underftanding, which had exerted itfeif with 
 energy, and ' burft even the complicated 
 chains with, which it had been fettered, by 
 the tyranny of the Roman See. They, hoped, 
 however, for acquiefcence with their deter- 
 minations, fb far as they Ihould be found con- 
 Ibnant to the authority now iiniverfally eftab- 
 lilhed. 
 
 The liibfcription to its articles, required 
 from, thofe who undertake to preach the doc- 
 trines of the Church, and are received into 
 the bofom of its confidence and favour, im- 
 , P plies 
 
2 to S E R M O N V. 
 
 plies no arbitrary impofition of itstdQcrees:; 
 fmce the adoption of the fpiritual office is vo- 
 luntary and unconftrained ; ' and the diftribu- 
 tion of truft and advantages muft be regu- 
 lated with confideration of itheconnedlion be- 
 tween fpeculative principles and pradiical in?- 
 ftitutibns. Jf the intended uniformity require 
 the acceptance of precife aatfticles in their 
 known and ordinary fenfe ; ;it does not pre- 
 clude a freedom of interpretation, where the 
 original intention, or the precife.import, is am- 
 iMguous and undefined. The affent, likewifo, 
 required from thofe who are admitted to. pro- 
 fit by endowments connected with theseftab- 
 -lifhment, is ufually vindicated upon principles 
 of limilar confideration, though lels imme- 
 diate force*. 
 
 The power, which the Church claims, of 
 appointing the rites and ceremonial of exte- 
 ,rior obfervance,. is -the inherent right of every 
 religious fDciety,:to provide; for its own r^egi- 
 men, in particulars of- varying and' unpre- 
 fcribed charafter; a rightixjf filbjeiftii^ itrhe 
 
 * Tlia requifition of aflent to the 'Aviudes ac matriculation 
 and adnjiflion to degrees at the Univetfities of Oxford and 
 Ca;mbridge, feems to be defigued to ftcure the integrity of re- 
 ligious principles In thofe whofe "e.ducation is' to be provided 
 for, and many of whom are to become minifters of the eftab- 
 liflied Church. 
 
 fancies 
 
SERMON V. :3ii 
 
 fancies and extravagancies of individuals to 
 the decorum of public regulation, that " all 
 *' things may be done in order," and with- 
 out contemptuous tranigreffion of lawful di- 
 redlion; its proclaimed authority in matters 
 of faith*, is not that of controlling the inde- 
 pendency of private, judgment, or of fetting 
 up jdon^inion over the iaaind by any arbitrary 
 decrees; but a declaration of the pre-emi- 
 nence of the deliberate and colle(9ive deci- 
 fion of duly-conftituted teachers, entitled to 
 deference, and beft qualified, in doubtful 
 queflions, to fettie and terminate offenfive 
 controverfy f. 
 
 To vindicate the rights of fuch authority, 
 
 • The firft claufe of the 20th article, which afferts that the 
 Church has povyer tp decree rites and eeremopigs, jwjd authprjt^ 
 in controverfies of the faith, though ftated by Heylin to have 
 been e^taifttin the Reg^fter of Gonypcation, and fo referred to by 
 ' Laud ; and i^id'to have- been printed tioth in -Latin and Englifh 
 in 'iy6z; and according to Strype, in two copies which aji- 
 peai^ in 1563; was^ofnitted by thejntereft of the Puritaijs 
 in 1 571 and. 16 1 2, and i,ts p.uthenticity injpeached ; the prin- 
 ciple was admitted by the earlier Reformers, and the claufe was 
 ratified by Pai;li»ment in 1662. See Jtieylia's Hift. of thie 
 Prefbyterians, 1, vi. p. 268 ; Vernonjs Life of Heylin, and 
 Nealj Vol. L ch. iv.' It is curious, that in the Aflembly^s 
 Confefljon, ch. xxxi. art. 3. it is ^erted, that it belongeth 
 to fynods minifterially.to deteqniqp controverfies of faith and 
 cafes of confciehce. Hence were the words of liaiah, " Look 
 " unto the rocl^ &flin yd>?qce ye are hewn," &c. well applied 
 tothe Piifenters, who ob^efted to the claufe in the 20th articU. 
 
 f See Prefece concerning ceremonies, in Prayer-Booltt 
 
 P 2 is 
 
zi2 S E R M O N V. 
 
 is not to difpoflefs revelation of its paramount 
 (■fupremacy, or to dejedl reafon from its feat. 
 To the former, our Church afcribes the fove- 
 reigntj df Unerring decrees ; to the latter, it 
 appeals as aiathorifed to judge, but under 
 principles of reverence for the credible wit- 
 nefles of truth, arid -under obligations to 
 weigh, with impartial fpirit, the depofitions 
 of general wifdom againft'the fuggeftions. of 
 particular fancy: It challenges to its aflembled 
 miniftry thq ability to expound the db&ines 
 of revelation, with fairfcr ' pretenfions to ex- 
 adlnefs,, than can ;be alledgdd by thofe, who 
 with ordinary application and fingle judgment, 
 Ipeculate' in private interpretation with pri- 
 vate prejudice. Preiiimptuous muft be the in- 
 dividual who with confident vanity contemns 
 the guidance of the coUedlive fentiment ; the 
 comprehenfive refearch of rightly appointed 
 ^nd regularly educated guides ; who fpurns 
 the decifion of a Church emancipated from 
 prejudice, and modelled by men of unpre- 
 cedented talents, in conformity to that facred 
 plan, which, under every impreffion favour- 
 able to truth, they ftudied. To fome autho- 
 rity he muft at laft iubfcribe ; and depend 
 pn the fidelity of thofe who difentangle what 
 is difficulty and elucidate what is obfcure ; 
 
 ' who 
 
S E R M O N V. 213 
 
 who interpret -the niceties of; the original 
 languages, and deduce the particulars of re-^ 
 mote connection 'and external illuftration.and 
 teflimony. ' - 
 
 That authority hath every clairri to regard, 
 and may reafonahly be allowed to determine 
 in doubtful points, which, in its legitimate 
 office and,pow«r, decided in the. confiftency 
 of the common voice. The rellorers of the 
 faith, which we profefs, required no blind fub- 
 miffion as infpired teachers ; but whatever of 
 general guidance might be prefumed to di- 
 fe£t the enquiries of a devout fpirit, was vin- 
 dicated with ftrong pretenfions by thofe, who, 
 by careful ftudy and proficiency irt requifite 
 attainments, were qualified for the fearch of 
 truth ; and whatever of efpecial and perma- 
 nent direction was enfiired by Chrift's pro- 
 mifes to the appoirited leaders of his people, 
 ■might be claimed with juftifiable and pecu- 
 liar confidence by the lawful minifters and 
 interpreters of his inftrudlion *, who had en- 
 gaged with difinterefted zeal in the reflora- 
 tion of true religion. 
 
 Thofe who have reje6led all fuch authority 
 
 ' * Clavis eft Expofitio Legis. Tertull. cont. Marclan. lib. iv. 
 Chryfoft.Hsref. 44, Hieron. in Efaia, 1. vi. c.i^. 
 
 , P 3 have 
 
214 S E R M O N V. 
 
 have fluAtaated with endlefs hefitatlon and 
 uncertainty, as the wantonnefs of their fancy 
 hath varied; or have yielded thernfelves to the 
 pretences of infalUbility and the delvriions of 
 infpiration ; have feparated frb'm communion 
 with a true Church, but to be " carried about 
 " with every wind of dodrine, by the fleight 
 " of men and cunning craftinefs, whereby 
 " they lie in'^wait to deceive." 
 
 If the varieties of conftruftion, received by 
 different Churches as well as by individuals, 
 be alledged to prove the exiftemce of frequent , 
 error in the collective decifion, and to inva- 
 lidate the prefumption of Divine guidance in 
 the aggregate council ; it fliould bfc remem- 
 bered, that, fince the reftoratio/i of the ex- 
 clufive authority of the facred writings, the^ 
 varieties have prevailed chiefly in queftions 
 of ambiguous character and indiftinft revela- 
 tion : that the great and fundamental doc- 
 trines of Chriftianity have been maintained 
 by almoft every public reprefentation of the 
 Catholic Church; while herefies and enormous 
 errors have rifen with individuals, and de- 
 luded the vanity of fubdivifions and feds. 
 The Papal decrees, were framed with affeda- 
 tion of fuperiority to, or total difregard of, 
 Scriptute. Councils, have erred by liftening 
 t to 
 
S. ERMON V. 21.5 
 
 to- the reports of tvaidition*; but the Churches, 
 reformed on the 'bafis of 'Scripture, have ac- 
 corded in moft of the fundamental points of 
 faith; and approximated to each other^ in pro- 
 portion as they ha^e difclalmed the dictates 
 of private authority. It is the luft of foHtary 
 |>pide which engenders fpeculations injurious 
 to the faith ; which confecrates its own fen- 
 cies, and eredls its independent" and delufive 
 light. By the operation and influence of 
 private vanity, opinions rife into do&ines, . 
 €e6kines fwell into diftin<9:ions, and diftinc- 
 tiohs iricreafe into fefts ; extending and mul- 
 tiplying into endlefs circles, deiftrud;ive of the 
 peace and harmony of fociety. True wif- 
 dom, neither confident in its own opinions, 
 nor contemptuous of thoie of others, corre<5ts 
 
 * Erafmus \x^'"'^<*-y^<^- That the Scriptures were alone fiif- 
 iicient to falvation, -was an heretic?.! opinion before the Refor- 
 mation. See Pox's Martyrs, art. "Lambert. Mr. Eyre, in his 
 late Letter to Mr. Churton, fpeakiiig of the Scriptures, afferts, 
 that " to fuppdfe th^t a dead Ipttep, a dumb writipg, often ob- 
 " fcure, can be the means which God has pleafed to make ufe 
 " of to teach mankind what they are to believe and praftife, is 
 " to fuppofe an impoffibility," &c. &c. And this profane de- 
 clamation, from apparently a fincere and pious Avriter, is to 
 prove the neceflity df a conftant fubfifting tribunal ; without 
 whidh undefined tribunal'he reprefents the Scriptures; though 
 he allows- them to ha.ve proceeded from the Holy Ghoft, to 
 " be an appit of difcord, a fenfelefs fyftem." p. 15 — 19. 
 
 P J. the 
 
3i5 S E R M O N V. 
 
 the bias of perfonal prejudice ; the influ- 
 ence of habit, of intereft> and of paffion ; is 
 ftudious, when the judgment is advanced to 
 maturity, to reform the errors of. early adop- 
 tion, and to refped: thp decifions which have 
 long been reverenced. 
 
 That entire agreement of opinion, which 
 can refult only from perfeft knowledge, it 
 w^ere fruitlefs on earth to exped:. Difference, 
 in Subordinate particulars, is not incompatible 
 with, foundnefs of dodtrine and integrity of 
 faith. The vefture of religion, it has ; been 
 obferved, may ftill exhibit its variegated co- 
 lours, if, like that of Chrift, having no feam, 
 it be not rent. The Church, which is to, ad- 
 mit all nations and people of the earth, muil 
 continue to receive its members, diftinguilhed 
 by the diverfities of human character. Con- 
 vinced, however, that when hereafter it fliall 
 be prepared with undefiled purity *, it fhall 
 be a glorious Church without blemilh, it is 
 our prefent concern to labour fqr the ad- 
 
 * Cyprian deUnitate, Bacon de Unitat. Alia font in quibus 
 inter ft aliquando etiatn doftiffimi atque optimi regulas Catho- 
 lics doftores falva fidei compage non confcfnant. Auguft. C, 
 Jul. I, 2. p. 8. 
 
 f Canticle, vi> ver. g. Rev. ch. xzi. ver. .2. 
 
 vancement 
 
SERMON V. 517 
 
 vancement of its Jjerfedlion. As wfr confplte 
 in fincerity of intention, fo do we approach 
 in corre^ondence of opinion ; as we con- 
 form to the pradical inftrud:ions of rehgion, 
 fo fliall we coalefce in the acceptance of its 
 ipeculative dodirines. 
 
 SERMON 
 
SEE MO N VI. 
 
 2, TiM- iii. 1 6. 
 
 iAIl Scr^tuf'e is given by. infpiration of God', 
 and is profitable for doBrine, for reproof, for 
 correSiion, for tnfiruStionm Righteoufnefs. 
 
 THE great and important principle of the 
 Efficient and exclufive authority of the 
 Scriptures, to be refpedled as the unerring 
 guide in all matters of faith and religious. in- 
 ftruftion, was the leading ftar which con- 
 duced our Reformers to the difcovery and 
 acknowledgment of truth ; as indeed the 
 glory of revelation, which had flione around 
 thofe who abode In darknefs on the Conti- 
 nent, had roufed their attention to the voice 
 which proclaimed the Saviour who was " to 
 *' guide their feet into the way of peace *" 
 
 * See Matt. ch. ii. Luke, ch..i. ver. 79. ch. ii, _ 
 
 A difregard 
 
ZiO' SERMON VI. 
 
 A difregard to revealed wifdom, it wa* 
 perceived, and a fubftitution of human for 
 Divine authority, had besenr in every age the 
 caufe of error. The exifting evils could never 
 have been fo fuccefsfuUy maintained, had not 
 the facred Volume been w^ithheld from th& 
 general clafles of fociety ; and the removal 
 of them could not be completely effected 
 but by its reftoration to general notice. 
 
 To the people who- had been feduced by 
 the abominations of idolatry, or milled by 
 the fuggeilions of earthly councils, to whom 
 *' religion had become a reproach;" the pro- 
 phets of ancient times had " fprea^ out their 
 " hands," and exclaimed, " Stand ye in the 
 *' ways, and fee and alk for the old paths, 
 " where is the good way, and walk therein, 
 ." and ye Ihall find reft *." To the mif- 
 guided and deluded Jews, who cavilled at 
 the tefti monies of the Gofpel, our Saviour 
 commanded that they fhould " fearch the 
 " Scriptures ;" for in them they thought they 
 had eternal life, and from ignorance of which 
 they had often erred -f-. To the fame per- 
 manent and undeviating rule did the primi- 
 tive Chriftians refer on every difficulty, as ta 
 
 * Ifaiah, ch. Ixv. ver. 2, 3, 
 f Matt. ch. xxii, ver. 29. 
 
 indifputabic 
 
fe'ER IS^ O N VI. 521 
 
 Indifputable, and the only -fhtt authority by 
 which, " whatever was concealed uiider the 
 " fliade aiid cloud of error, might be opened 
 " to "the light of truth *." Similar wer6 the 
 exhortations bf thofe who fought- to bring 
 back the prefence of undefiled religion to oiir 
 country. Poffeffing themfelves • at once of 
 that firm and tenable ground, " other foun- 
 ** dation than which no man could lay ;" they 
 determined on it, as on the eftablifhed rock, 
 to reflore the Church, which was to exhibit, 
 tvith renovated charafter, the integrity of the 
 Chriftian faith f. * ' 
 
 The tranflation of the Scriptures into the 
 language of this country, had opened the firft 
 glimmerings of the reftoration of true reli- 
 gion J,;, and though we refer the zpra of the 
 
 commencement 
 
 * Cyprian. Epifl:. 74. Chryfoft. Horn. 49. in Oper. im- 
 perfeft; •TOeophilus, &c. 
 
 f See the eloquent. Treatife on the .Scriptures, compofed 
 from Jewell's Sertnons, among his works. 
 
 J Wickliffe effefted a tranflation of all the Scriptures, It 
 was made from the Vulgate ; which Coverdale pronounced to 
 be fo greatly corrupt, as he thought none other tranflations were. 
 See Epif. dedicated to Henry VIII. Some parts of Scripture 
 had been before tranflated ; but the Anglo-Saxonic verfioni 
 were bec6me not only unintelligible as to the words and fpel- 
 ling, but illegible as to the letter dnd ch^rafter, to the people,' 
 and even to many of the learned. See Caxton's Life, and 
 Lewis's DilTert. prefixed to his Hiftory of Tranflations. In the 
 reign of Henry VI. Reginald Peacock, Bifliop of Cbichefter, 
 
 who 
 
33^ SERMON VI. 
 
 commencemeat of the Reformation to tW 
 reign of Henry, w,e fhould not overlook the 
 previous circumftances which' ha4 prepared 
 the way .fpr its advancenoent. ,The indications 
 of approaching truth had, long been hailed, 
 and the impatience of tJje enlightened part 
 of manjcind brooked with indignation its de^ 
 lay. The dodrjioes Q,rvi p^etenfions of the 
 Papal po.>yer;Jb?L^ often been aflailed,vdeep as 
 ■was jts fouj;idation, and confirmed as were its 
 extended inter.efts*. r, 
 
 1]he firfl: yerfions which appeared, -thou^ 
 very defective, excited a fpirit which thofe, 
 who were intere^fted to fupp€H?t corruption, 
 vainly laboured to difcourage ; and tfcieqpiniT 
 ons which .they inipired fo " mighitily grew 
 " and flowrifbedj" efpecialXy among tlicife 
 
 who had been employed many years in tranflating the Scrip- 
 tures, was conyifted of herefy. -It w^scuftonjary to fa(|en'.bits 
 of Scripture about the jiecks of the bollards, who were cotv- 
 demned to the .flames. ,Ap abbot, who was unck of arcjibi- 
 fliop Wickliffe, is related to have faid, that he was fure ' thp 
 Romifh religion <;puld not, continue long, for he had read the 
 Scriptures over and over, and could never find .therein that it 
 was founded by God. Strype and Paule's.Life of Whitgift. 
 
 * The Papal authority was- obliged to moderate its de- 
 crees, even in ^he thirteenth centur.jr, againft Biftiop proft- 
 head, whom Matthew Paris calls Ro^l3^o^^m Mallev^ et 
 Contemptor; for fear of alienating the piiigljfli, nation. Sep 
 CoUyer, Vol. I. Newton on the Prophecies, Vpl. HI. ^p. 
 j8i— iS'6, 
 
 ■ who 
 
S E RM O N VI. 531, 
 
 who had been atifliyiated by the revival of li- 
 terature, iiiat, even^ring the Hfeof the ear- 
 lieft trafiflators of the ikered V^ume, half 
 the nation was repre|ented, inthe lajiguage of 
 interefted complaint, to have borwed to thek 
 influence ; extending, in defiance of the odi- 
 ous and unchriftian feverity, with which they 
 were oppofed*. 
 
 The evidence of truth brightened in pro- 
 portioa as it was difcufled; and to the con- 
 vi<3:ion which it excited, rather than to the 
 
 * TTke Monldih wriferj Hate, with rexaggerated lainent3>^ 
 tion; that Jialf th^'kingdom had .been led,, ev.ea in the time of 
 Wicldiffe, to emhrace his doibrines. The Londoners appear 
 toi have been ftrongly- alFe£led to -them, in the reign of Richafd 
 the Second, in Uie time of 'Henry the Fifth they had 
 fpread'fo muchythat though a'tho4ffaad'>mai'ks were offered for 
 the^pprehenfion of 'Locd'Cokhani, a dillinguiihed aiTertor of 
 Wickliffe's opinions, who had been condemned for herefy, and 
 a. perpetual exemption from taxes to any town which fhould 
 fecure him, lie remainedconcealedin Wales four years. Chau- 
 cer, who fatyrized the vices of the Clergy, and who is re- 
 prefented by Fox to have brought many to the knowledge of 
 true religion ; and Erafmus, who had lighted the way to the 
 threftiold of the Reformation, confiderably advanced the caufe. 
 The conduft of the Clergy had rendered theni fb obnoxious in 
 the reign of Henry the Eighth, that, in the affair of Horfey, 
 who was accufed of having alfilted in the murder of Richard 
 Hunne ; Fitzjames, Biftiop- of London, made intereft with the 
 ^^g-that thematter might be examined in council ; and if the 
 atcufed ihould4)e- found innocent, the Attorney-General might 
 be inftmfted to allow the indidhnent falfe ; alledging, that the 
 people of London did fo favour herefy, that they would con- 
 demn any Clerk, though- innocent as Abel. See Holinflied's 
 Chron. A. 1382. Fox, Eurnet,i;c. 
 
 unbridled 
 
534 S E R M N VI, 
 
 unbridled piaffions of a diflblute foverelgn, 
 are we to look for the firft caufe of the Re- 
 formation in this country. 
 
 The fentiinent which had fwelled with 
 gr^at and iricreafing energy, waited but the 
 favourable occafion to- display its vigour. 
 Henry would probably have fooner burft his 
 bonds afunder, if he had not been withheld 
 by confiderations of confiftency in that caufe, 
 which he had been prompted in the pride of 
 controverfy to defend *. That at laft he was 
 urged to break the ties which enchained the 
 ipirit of Reform, by the irritation and ob- 
 iiacles which his paffions encountered, , is in- 
 deed unqueftionable ; and in this, and in 
 many other inftances, it would be interefting 
 to confider, were it within the fcope of our 
 defign, how remarkably thofe paffions were 
 rendered inftrumental to the furtherance of 
 
 * Henry, ^before the agitation of. his divorce, had feen th? 
 neceflity of a reform in the Church, and inftrufted his Com- 
 Hi-iffioners, at the Council of Lateran, to conclude every thing 
 for the good of the Catholic Church, and for a reformation of 
 the head, and of its members. In a bull which Wolfey had 
 obtained from Rome, the manners and ignorance of the Clergy 
 were ftrongly ftigmatized j they were faid to be " given over 
 " to a reprobate mind." Even Sir Thomas More had, with 
 open and covert refleflion, accufed them in his Utopia of cor- 
 ruption of doflrine, in accommodation to the corruption of 
 their lives. 
 
 the 
 
SERMON VI. S2S 
 
 t|ie Pivine purpofe *• ; and by -yvh^t induce- 
 ngients he, who had been the applauded 
 champion of popery, was led to be the firft 
 who. fliould " go up upon her walls, and de- 
 " ftroy ; but not make a full end : and fhould 
 " take away l\er battlements, which were 
 " not the Lord's -j-." 
 
 The hiflorlans, who detail the pfogtefs of 
 the Reforrnatlon, in its gradual advancement 
 to perfection, while they develope the various 
 paffions which engaged in the furtherance of 
 the grand defign ; and the fluftuating changes 
 which were rendered, by the control of Pro- 
 vidence, fubfgrvient to one uniform and con- 
 fiftent fcheme ; unfold to our admiration 
 many fcenes of ftriking and -important cha- 
 
 * Verfifque ^d divinorum operum executionem humanls ad-' 
 feftibus. Turret. Hift. Ecclef. Saec. i6. § 5. Wolfcy, even 
 before the King's headftrong paffions had been totally un- 
 reined, uttered a little before his death a very fingnlar enco- 
 mium upon Henry. " He is a prince," fays the degraded fa- 
 vourite, " of-inoli roy^l carriage, and hath a princely heart ; 
 " and rather than he will mifs for any part of his will, he will 
 " endanger the one half of his4dngd6ni. T doaflare you, 
 " that I havjS often kneeled before hini.» fometimes three hours 
 " together, to perfuade him from his will and appetite, but 
 " could not prevail." See Fiddes's Life of Wolfey, p. 501 . 
 
 f Jerem. ch. V. ver. 10. The excefles of the Papal ui'urp- 
 ation provoked their own reform. , It is worth obfervation, 
 that in England the immediate caufe of the rejeftion of the fu- 
 premacy was an application for a divorce ; a concern in which 
 ' the Popes had often interfered, with moil capricious and un- 
 jufiiiiable cruelty. ' 
 
 Q rafter. 
 
zz^ S E R M O N VI. 
 
 radler; which it were foreign to, our ptlrpofe 
 tb review, fince we feek only, by defcribing 
 the principles, adopted and confirrned in the 
 eflabliflinient of the work, to point out the 
 chief caufes of the excellency of its charadler. 
 
 lii the prefent continuation of our ge- 
 neral plan, it is intended' to Ihew that the 
 principal caufes which muft be affigned for 
 the advancement of the Reformatiori ; and 
 for the fidelity with which our Church is 
 diftinguifhed in the exprel^on of its doftrine 
 and faith ; are, firfl:, that revelation was re- 
 fpefted and adhered, to in, all points in which 
 the Scriptures were found to difclofe in'ftruc- 
 tion ; and fecondly, that tbofe Scripttires 
 were explained, not by the private interpre- 
 tation, or arbitrary conftrudlion of individu- 
 als, biafled by perfbnal prejudice; but by col- 
 ledliye explication ; after general enquiry and 
 deliberate difcuffion. 
 
 That the progrefs of the Reformation, in 
 its advancement to perfection, muft be at- 
 tributed to the prevailing influence of truth, 
 impofirig its irrefiftible conviction, and in- 
 ducing the neceffity of change, in proportiori ■ 
 as the Scriptures were unfolded :- that reli- 
 gion did not always bend as the fcieptre in- 
 clined, or conform to the defigns of political 
 
 contrivance ; 
 
SERM;O.N VI. 
 
 527 
 
 cobtrivance; but that it afTerted its o;wn rights, 
 arid vindicated its own &n&\ty, by the in- 
 fluence of reafon on the public mind,, iwillr 
 appear from the moft car^kfs ^rg'trofpeft ; 
 whatever invidious reprefentations may have 
 been made to the- cohtrarj'. /Henry benefited 
 the cauie of truth chiefly by the fte.ady coun- 
 tenance which he gave to the communication 
 of the facred Hght ; in other refpedts he pro- 
 moted the Reformation, only where his paf^ 
 fions impelled him to defiiltory concurrence 
 with its friends. Rejedling the fupreraacy of 
 the Roman fee, arid fpoi)ing the revenues of 
 its inftitutions, he receded from its faith with 
 hefitation and reluctance ; and the Reform- 
 ers, who had at firft been gratified w^ith Ibnae 
 declarations of fincere docStrine*, -with re- 
 
 . 'f.. : ■ ' . gret 
 
 . • Henry has been injurloufly reprefented to have relin- 
 quiflied no doftrines of the Romifh faith, except the fupre- 
 mafcy. See Dii Pin, Bibliotheque des. Auteurs Heretiquesi p. i, 
 ch. 4, &c. But it Should be recollefted, that the declaraiion 
 of Convocation in 1536, which was correfted by the King, and 
 the Inilitution of a Chriflian Man, approved by him in 1537, 
 refuted many Popifh opinions, and 'flated many points of faith 
 in oppofition to the Romifli perfuafions. Cranmer likewifo 
 obtained, in 1 5 46, permiffiiJn to have prayers, prpceffions, and 
 litargies, in the vulgar tongue; and might have, perhaps, avail- 
 ed himfelf farther of Gardiner's abfence, on his embafly to the 
 Emperor, had not the -vigilant favourers of fuperftition written 
 over to inform the King, that if he proceeded any farther, the 
 emperor would break off all intercourfe vvith Ijitn ; a threat 
 
 ^, , 0^2 which 
 
2^8 SERMON VI. 
 
 giet faw him afterwai^s' feduced under the 
 influence of the Romifla partj * ; and ob- 
 tained every farther conceffion with difficulty.: 
 The fpeculative opinions of Henry wa- 
 vered with, the flud:uations of his temper: 
 Uncontrollable by the diftates of others, they 
 changed with his fuppofed interefts, or in 
 conformity to the views of thofe, who engaged 
 his affeftions and flattered his vanity. In- 
 flated with the idea of his own fuperior wif- 
 dom,- he continued, however, at all times to 
 be equally jealous of the orthodoxy of his 
 faith ; and> in the prerogative of an undefined 
 fupremacy, determined that the ientiments 
 of his fubjecSs lliould vary with his. decifions. 
 In the infancy of opinions the public mind 
 certainly yields in accommodation to every 
 deciflon, more pliantly than when time has 
 ' flrengthened, and controverfy confirmed its 
 h'las. The impreflions which it had received 
 in the days of Henry, in many important 
 
 WWicli had much efRft with Henry, who wiflied to profit by 
 the influence of the Emperor, to prevent any interference of 
 She Ccoiin^il of Trent, in the affairs of England. See Burnet, 
 , &c. 
 
 * In the Neceflary Erudition of the Chriftian Man, pub- 
 lifhed 1542, vVithout confent of Convocation, but afterwards' 
 confirmed by parliament, the feven facraments were re-eftab- 
 liftied, and fome exceptionable principles, relating to tranfub- 
 ftantiation and maffes, introduced. 
 
 points. 
 
SERMON ■ VI. a^g 
 
 points, may be pronounced to have befenftiU 
 recent and timid ; mingled with doubts, and 
 liftening with deference to authority.^ The 
 leaders of reform were, in fame particulars, 
 as yet, under the influence cif long-eftabhfhcd 
 notions; and where they were cnHghtejned to 
 ^difcover truth, they were often unwilhng to 
 •rifk the 'Conceffions which they had obtained, 
 by any hazardous oppofitton to their foye- 
 reign's opinions ; which feerh to have vibrated 
 with alternate favour, between the fupporters 
 of the corrupt, and the advocates of the re- 
 formed faith. 
 
 They exerted themfelves principally in 
 confirming his difpdiition to allow the Scrip- 
 tures to the people, who read them, with 
 anxious attention ; and in promoting the ge- 
 neral ufe and improvement of them; while 
 thofe who were interefted in ancient iuper- 
 ftitions, 'ftrove- with folicitude to withhold 
 them, and not-feldom prophanely to impeach 
 their utility*. Hence, though the Reformers 
 
 , ' had 
 
 * Crannier,in 1539, obtained permiffion for private perfons 
 to read the Scriptures in their own hoafes. Bibles had been fet 
 *ip in the churches in i 536. Bonner, to gratify Henry, placed 
 fix of the great Bibles in St. Paul's church in 1541. They 
 were read with inconceivable avidity by crowds whp afTembled 
 around them. Parents had, their children inftrudled in read- 
 
 Qw3 i"S. 
 
230 S-E R M.O N VL 
 
 had the mortification to fee rthe principled of 
 'the Romiih- faith -'renewed,, and confirnied by 
 
 penalties- of unprecedented rigour* ;•; and the 
 ' mifts of returning e^ror overfpreg.d the con- 
 -cludiiig years of the Kingf ; ye.t were theyfa- 
 ' tisfied ■ that tliey had efFeftually ibwed the 
 • feeds which . muft ripen, in' more aufpjcidus 
 
 times'; and could only labour to mitigate, by 
 
 fubfequent qtialification^ the operation of thofe 
 
 }H;g,'purpofeIy to carry. them to St. Paul's,, and hear tjiem re,^d 
 the Scriptures. The exclufive authority of the infpired writings 
 was flowly vindicated. In Matthew's' Bible, printed in 1537, 
 and in the Great Bible, which appeared in 1539, the apocry- 
 phal hfioks are ftyled, under an ancient. But inaccurate title, 
 Hagiog'raph^. -Gardiner ventured one day,, in the prefejice of 
 
 _tiijs King, toch^l,lpnge,Cranmerto ihewf any difference between 
 the; authority of Scripture, and that of the apoftolical canons' : 
 betraying indeed fuch weaknefs in the.conteft with the, ipodefl 
 and learned primate^ that the King fharpfy told him, tha,t.Cran- 
 mer was an old and experienced captain, and not to be troubled 
 by frefhmen and novices. _ • • ..1.'., 1. 
 
 * The fix articles which eftablifjied the doftrines of tranfub- 
 ftantlationi communion in one kind, priyate maffes, auricular 
 confeffion, the celibacy of the prieftj, and vows of chaftity, 
 vi'ere juftly faid to be written and expquted in bipod; and gave 
 
 ' a fanftion to the decrees of religious perfeciition, which both 
 parties had long caufe to regret. Theyjwere ratified by..a Par- 
 liament, which, vyith equal fervility, laid tlie civil privileges of 
 tiib people at the foot of the thi'orie, by fetting up the king's 
 proclamation; and that of the counfellots of his fori, when under 
 age, upon the fam.e footing with an aft of parliament. 
 
 f It is well known that Henry left 6obl. per' annum to St. 
 
 . George's chapel, Windfor, for ever, for two priefts to celebrate 
 mafs at his tomb 4aily, and fo'ur yearly obits. The money \yas 
 ptherwife applied. Sanders affirms, that he had thoughts of 
 b.eiiig reconciled to Rome. ^ 
 
 feyerities 
 
SiE R M ON VI/ 531^ 
 
 icverlties of which they had vainly l§||3pured to 
 prevent-the eftablilhment *. ^ . :,,,;v/ : 
 
 If. the fiffl: break and earliejr beams of the 
 RefcMrmation in its daWn indig^tcd ", the ;day- 
 " fpring" pf revelation; the full and, Cheerful 
 light whici} enlivened the entire jfabric off the 
 eftablifhed Church, was.derived from the fame 
 fource. In contemplating the progrefs of the 
 Reformation in the reign of Edward, we be- 
 hold ,^ he lingering iliades of fuperftitiqn at 
 length depart; whiles youthful fovereign, like 
 Jflliah, " turning ,tp the Lord with all his 
 '* heart," proceeded, undei* the guidance of the 
 venerable Primate of the Church f , to purify 
 the fan<3:uary from its remaining pollutions ;};. 
 
 We 
 
 * Cranmer flremioufly oppofed the bill for three days, though 
 reque'fted by the Kir)g to withdraw. In 1542, he procured an 
 aft for the advancement of true religion, which lowered the 
 fpirit of the former afts. See Burnet, and Fox, vol. ii. p- lo. 
 37. Some of the Reformers confcientioufly relinquifhed a jsower 
 that muft have been employed to enforce the fix|articles. Near 
 five hundred perfons were imprifoned on account of theih, biit 
 releafed by Cranmer's interceflion. 
 
 f Cranmer was copliderably affilled by Dr. Cox and Mr. 
 Cheek, the king's preceptor*. 
 
 X In the firft yearof th3 regency, in i 547, the protedlor So- 
 merfet, .availing himfelf of a power given to the royal procla- 
 mation in Henry's resign j after fufpending the jurifdiftion of 
 the bifliops,, appointed a general Vifitation throughout England, 
 by yifitors cbnfifting' of clergy and laity ; who were appointed 
 to'correft the immoralities and irregularities of the clergy ; to 
 extirpate fuperltitions, and to re-eftabli(h further the difcipline 
 
335 SERMON VI. 
 
 We fee an improved miniflry, arrayed in thfe 
 decent veftments of primitive ule *, no 
 longer adoriii^ the elevated reprefentation of 
 Chrift's body ; -liut diftributing its confecrated 
 emblems -f, and inviting all to the commu- 
 nion of that cup, of which all w^ere com- 
 manded to partake |. ' We hear awakened 
 
 and worlhip of ?the primitive Cjiurchi , AH images which had 
 got been abyfed to idolatry were to be retained ; and the people 
 vV^re to be taught not to contemn teremonies ftill continued, but 
 only to avoid particular fuperftitions. In the next year images 
 v/ere entirely rernoved. See Burnet,, 
 
 * In the rubric of the iirll liturgy, publilhed in 154S, the- 
 
 alb, the cope^, a'nd other veftihents, ^ere enjoined j but in that 
 
 , of the revifed liturgy, in 1552, the prieft was reftridled to the 
 
 iurplice, and the bifhop to the rochet. Wihite garmtos were 
 
 ufed in the ancient church. See Chryfoft. Hom. 60. 
 
 fin the year i5'47. Parliament enadled that the ' facrament 
 fliould be given in both kinds, and thai the people ftiould re- 
 ceive with the prieft. In the new office fet forth in 154-8, a 
 communion was eftabliflied ; .and, in 1549, Ridley fummed.up 
 flie evidence againft the doftrihe of the corporal prefence, after 
 long difputatipns, had taken, place at Oxford, Cairabridge, and 
 in parliament'. In the rubric of 1 548, it was dire£led,'that the 
 wine fhould be miied with " a. little pure and clean water." 
 This direffion however was emitted in the fervice revifed in 
 1551; when fome alterations were made in palKges in the 
 confecration atid delivery of the euchariftj which feeiiied to fa-' 
 vour the rejefled notions. 
 
 J It has been remarJced, that our Saviour, when delivering 
 the bread, >vhich never has beeij refufed, fays only, Take, eat; - 
 but, when giving the cup, he ?dtfs. Drink ye all of it: as if 
 prophetically warning his difciples to avoid an error. St. Paul's 
 dire£lions to the Corinthians mew, thdf the apoftle difapproved, 
 not of the prijhiiive cuftom of pvery one's drinking at the • 
 Lord's table, but of drinking un'wortMy and to excefs. i Ccr, 
 fh. xi. ve}-. zit-28. gurnetj vol. ii. p. ii. bi i. 
 
 multitudes. 
 
S E R M ON Vr. 235 
 
 multitudes pdur out the •ftrains of thankfgiv- 
 ing, in a language underftood by all, agree- 
 ablyto facred precept * ; and taught to con- 
 fider Chrift's meritorious lufFeringS as the fole 
 caufe of juftification ; and to endeavour to 
 fulfil the terms of acceptance by faith in that 
 ^'tonement, and by earneft induftry in the 
 wdfks of pradlical righteoufnefs. 
 
 The convi<^on which reiulted from the 
 flow and gradual operation of truth, wdiile 
 it fecured the eftabliftiment of thofe changes, 
 which, however irregularly accomplilhed f , 
 Were effected in confiilency with the gene<- 
 ral wilh, gratified and imprefled the public 
 mind. The Reformation therefore took a 
 flow arid deep root, and was prepared to en- 
 dure thofe llorms which it afterwards {u{- 
 tained. 
 
 A conformity, the efFe<3: of fincere con-r 
 verfion, was very generally eftablilhed; thou^ 
 the influence of ancient prejudice, inflamed 
 
 • '1 Cor. ch. XIV. ver. 11 — 15. 
 
 f Somerfet and his party eSe&si many changes, without 
 fufEcient attention to the rights and concurrence of the fpiri- 
 tual power. He direAed that bilhops fhould be elected by 
 letters patent, and that eccl.eijaftlcal prpcefles fhould be made 
 in the kiifig's nam^, diflblyed an4 cohfifcated the revenues of 
 (ol^egej; and chaun^ries, Iiofpitals, fraternities, ike. and many 
 Jayni^n jyere a^Jipwed to Hold eocleilaflical bencfi$:es. See 
 } Edyy. VI^ c, 12. 
 
 by 
 
334 S E R IVI O'.N; VI, 
 
 by the degraded priefthooci ; together with 
 the: remembrance of fome advantiagqs, , which 
 the peopie: had eELJoyed.undef the pofleflbjs 
 of the monaftic! houfes, who often pur- 
 chafed fayour by bofpitahty, and indulgence; 
 induced fame to wifli for/the reftitution.of 
 the alienated- propeky. of : the Church to 
 ancient purpofes. The , fupei^ition , which 
 fwelled in the clamours o£ popular difcon- 
 tent, and which, in its bigotted and rebel- 
 lious folly, demanded thei reftoration, of the 
 mafs and of the fix articles, fubfided with re- 
 turning; order ; and the principles, of the Re- 
 formation, flowed with the. full and . irrefift- 
 lable tide of general and well-founded perfiia- 
 iion *. :' . , . , L . , 
 
 A faith, effcablifhed on thg evidence of th& 
 Scriptures, now generally difclofed, could 
 .••;■■ , ■ ;not ; 
 
 * On the acceffion of Edward,- the zeal of the people for 
 the Reformation outran, in fome inftances, the public mea- 
 fures ; and the removal of the Romifli fuperftitions was fo ge- 
 nerally acceptable and popular, that, when Somerfet was dif- 
 placed from the protectorate, Warwick, his ambitious fuccef- 
 for, did not dare to avow his principles, in oppofition to the 
 voice of his Sovereign, and themajority of the people-; but was 
 obliged to yield to the ftream, and to court favour by fupport- 
 ing the prevailing caufe ; 'difguifinghis opinion fo artfully, as 
 to deceive many, and gratifying his avarice at the fame time, 
 by removing from their feats of eminence, both in Church and 
 State, thofe who adhered to the Romilh fentiment?; and un- 
 
 juftly 
 
S E R'M O'Nt VI.: 235 
 
 not be'de!ftroyed';jthough the untimdy death 
 of » Edward > threw a gloomy Ihade -over . its 
 profptrity ; and the dark 'and ; tremendous 
 fcene which fucceeded, but contributed to 
 endear the characfter of -the Reformation to 
 general regard.. As the. abjured iuperftitipn 
 was reftored, the : -bigotry and ' terrors, by 
 which alone it could be fupported, returned 
 in its tniin*-; but they returned: only toex- 
 
 fuftly feking, and converting to private pillage, the ricli vo- 
 lumes offu.perftjtion,aiidof fufpefled literature, from the- pub- 
 lic libraries' of Oxford.' Godw^in de Pr:eful. Anglic. Wbo'd's 
 Hiflr. Anitiq. Oxen. 1. i. p. 271. Mary, on her acceffion, was 
 compelled to ftipulate, that fhe wo uld^ prefer ve the Reformation; 
 and ftie coiild not conftrain her firft Parliament to co-operate 
 with her ■4'iews. :Neal, Vol. Ii ch. iii. p. gp, :- • ■ , 
 
 * The cruelties of Mary's reignwere dreadful ; though 
 they have bee^, perhaps, ex^g'^frra'tdi, Hcarn and Gollyer 
 h^ve qcmpilained of the falfehoods of Fox, whofe gloomy mind, 
 in binifhment, received every report and tale conveyed tp 
 him. It has been repl-efented as an unworthy aft to promote 
 the- Reformation, that this hook was fet:. up -by the royil au- 
 thority in the Churches 3 and in fome canons, publiihed in 
 1571, called a perfeft and confummate hiftory. See Hearnii 
 Praef.. in. Camden. AnnaL.p. 42. Twenty-feven perfons, ho>v» 
 ever, are admitted to have fuiFered during this fliort rejgn ; fix- 
 teen Biftiops were ejeded,.and three-fourths of the clergy are 
 faid to have been deprived of their livings ; zooo of yvhom were 
 removed for their marriages. Even Bojiner was fatiate^ with 
 blood, and required the inftigation of the King and Queen to 
 proceed. Fifty-two perfons were executed in one fe01op at 
 Oxford ; anda gallow's and 3 gibbet was in almoft every ftreet. 
 See- Jewell's View of a, Seditio'usi Bull, p. 22. The Queen 
 was meditating farther' crueltiee, when death clofed the 
 wretched fcene. See, a curious account of circumftances which 
 preyeated. the efFniion of blood in Irejand, in Moftieim. 
 
 hibit 
 
535 ' S E R M O N VI. 
 
 hMt a fad contrail to the glojy of that caufe 
 Which with dilated luftfe appeared to decline 
 and fet. Th^y ferved but to ;ilhjftrate, in 
 ftrong and indelible features, Bie character of ■ 
 that faith which they laboured,' by oppreffive 
 violence, to deftroy, and the excellency of 
 thofe principles which triumphed in 'oppo- : 
 fition to their decrees. 
 
 'In vain, by trampling oh the rnfiittltions 
 of Edward, did the infatuated and mifguided 
 Queen feek, to leffen, the reverence of the 
 public, for the fervice which he had eftab- 
 liihed. , In vain, by endeavoiu-s to filence * 
 or dllcountenance the advocates of reform f, 
 did fhe ftrive to conceal the truth, that glared 
 with fulleft teftimony. Thofe who were J 
 
 " again- 
 
 * All perfons throoghoot-England were forbidden to preach 
 without a licence from Gardiner ; ateftriftion defigned to ope- 
 tate as an interdift. Coverdale, Biihop of Exeter, and Hooper 
 of Gloiicefter, incurred the difpleafare of the Council, by 
 preaching with difregard of the prohibition. 
 
 •[■ Peter Martyr, Bernardin Ochinus, John A-lafco, and many, 
 ether foreigners, left the country. 
 
 J 2 Peter, Ch. i. ver. 20. The Parliament indeed, which' 
 the Queen affembled, feeonded. her views, hefitating only 
 when they were apprehenfive of refiinding the poffeffions of .the 
 Church. The Pope was obliged, in this refpeft, to affeiit by 
 his Legate^ though with words of infidious referve, to the con- 
 tiiloance of fome lands in the hands of rapacity. See Har- ;. 
 lei&n Mifcell. Vol. II. p. 264 — 266. Sir Henry Spelman in- 
 forms us, that the Pope would not .concede a difpenfaticin for 
 the fale or allotment of the religious houfes ; and the reveren- 
 tial 
 
S E R M- O N VI. ^3; 
 
 " again entangled and overcome, €ftuI4 not 
 *< ;drag back a relu<3:ant nation to the poUu- 
 " tions from which it had efcaped * ;" and 
 
 ^ the unholy zeal, which dired:ed its vindiAive 
 fury againft the unfliaken confeflbrs of thcf 
 faith, but exalted their virtues to the glory of 
 martyrdom, and conferred on them the ra- 
 
 ;diancc of an heavenly crown. 
 
 The convidiion of the truth of thofe prin- 
 ciples, which Mary had vainly endeavoured 
 to deftroy, had fptead fb generally and fq 
 deeply ; that no fooner had, Elizabeth, 5n af- 
 cending the throne, accepted the Scriptures as 
 " the word of truth -j-" and law of reverence, 
 than the pillars of fuperftition, which had 
 
 tial fears of the people refufed, for fome years, to inhabit them. 
 Similar impreffions do not feem to have prevailed among ihe 
 ■poffeflbrs of the alienated lands. The account, however, of 
 the fate of many of thofe who (hared the plunder, may, with- 
 out fuperftition, be allowed to have been remarkable, what- 
 ever conduiiona may be drawn upon the fubjeft. See Spel- 
 man's Hift. of Sacrilege. 
 
 * The Proteftants exprefled their regret at the change.with 
 ftrong reprefentations. " Inyenimus," fays Jewell, in a letter 
 to Peter Martyr, "paflim votivas reliquias divorum, clavosqui- 
 bus fatui Chriftttm crucifixum fuiffe fomniabant, & jicfcio quas 
 portiunculas facrse Qrucis. MagarUm Se veneficarum ubique 
 immeafum excreverat. Eeclefias Gathedrales nihil aliud eraht 
 quam fpeluncie latronum, aut fi quid hequius aut foedius diet 
 poteft ; fi quid erat obftihatas nequitise, id totura erat in pfelby- 
 teris.illis praefertim qui aliquando ftetiffent a noftra fententia." 
 
 f See Holinfhed, and Strype's Annals, p. 30. 
 
 been 
 
2^8 s E R M o:Ni vr, 
 
 befen^again fet up 'by the bigotry of the court, 
 fuddehly gave way. The interefted and 
 IiireUng advocates of a caufe whkh they had 
 maintained, chiefly with views of feeular po- 
 hcy, deferted its defence; iind again, di-flem- 
 bled, or changed, in acGOrhmodation to: ex- 
 ifting rho^tives ;■ and -Ehzabeth was led by her 
 wifeft ftatefmen to contemplate the people 
 as eager to throw off" the. yoke * to 'which 
 they had been >conftraiiied to fubmit ; and 
 proceeded with judicious meafures to: re- 
 eftablifh the reformed worfhip 6f Edward's 
 
 ■'-. If the bulk of the nation had not been inclined to tKe Re. 
 formation, Elizabeth would not have facrificed her own Gpinir 
 ens, whichfavoured at leaft fome of the doftrines, and pre- 
 ferved in her own chapel the objedk and external magnificence 
 of the Romifli wprfhip. It was neceffary, indeed, to reftraia 
 the zeal of the, people, by proclamations, from intemperate 
 nieafurfes ; and the profperity of her reign, notwithftanding the 
 attempts of Romanifts and Puritans, is, attributed to tjie gene- 
 ral fatisfaftion of the people in the eftablilhed religion. Of 
 the f(5urteen.bilhop5 who remained on her acceffion, thirteen, it 
 is true, refufed again to change, arid take the oath of fupre- 
 macy, though moft of them had fworn to the oath in the reign 
 of Henry j and one of them (Tunftal) had written in its det 
 fence.. Of the inferior clergy, only 80 redlors and vioars,, 
 50 prebendaries, 15 heads of colleges, iz archdeacons, and ■ 
 as many deans, feicrificed their interefts to their principles ; fo 
 little was the body of the clergy attached to, or influenced by, 
 the religion which.had been pfofeflpd.,. The Proteftants in the 
 ibrmer reign had Ihewn a confcientions conviftion. See 
 Camden. 
 
 time; 
 
S E R M' a N VI.' 
 
 33^ 
 
 time * ; to refome with 'foftened, though ftill 
 indeed with too lofty claims, the fupremacy 
 which had been again 5 furrendered to a fo- 
 reign power f; and to advance the Reforma- 
 tion nearly to that perfection of dbd:rilie, dif-' 
 cipline, and worfhip, which it now difplays,' 
 To the infliienfce then of facred truth, 
 beaming from the Scriptures, are we chiefly 
 indebted for the rife, progrds, and completion 
 
 .-![> :- ;• 
 
 * I. Eliz. c. 2. Burnet, Vol. II. fpl. 386. The fecondLi- 
 turgy of Edward was re-eftablifhed, with rome^alterations, by 
 the Queen's aathprity. The petition^ to bje '5, delivered from 
 " the Biftiop of Rome, and all his deteftable enormitiea," was 
 expu'nged from the Liturgy. The form at the delivery of the 
 Eucharift, in Edward's firftboo^, and that fubftitated for it in 
 the fecond, were united ; and the Rubric, which ftated. the 
 kneelitignot to hlave been intended oh account of any real and 
 "effential- prefence of Chrift, was omjtted, probably with d^fign 
 10 conciliate the Romanifts. The fpiritual Prefence, however, 
 was aflerted in the Articles ; and, at firft, in feme terms wuich 
 the Convocation rejeded as fuperfluous.. Jeweiil complained of 
 tardy, meafures ; iw?re» Cpa^jwod's;, morantur currum, faid the 
 zealous Reformer. See Burnet, foL 3. p. B. 6. Colleft of 
 Records.p. 58. 
 
 f The I ft Eliz. c. i.. though it united the fupremacy and vi- 
 iitatorial poWtr to the Crown, and net, as did z6 Henry VIII. 
 c. J. to tlie King and his heirs ; though it direfted that thofe 
 who were tb exercife this aiithority Ihould be appfointed by let- - 
 ters patent, and reltrifted arbitrary conftruftions of herefy, ftiH 
 
 ' affigne^ljuriifdiftions and fpiritual pre-eminences to the Queen, 
 which required fubfequent qualifications, and countenanced in- 
 tolerdht'psoceedings'j as thofe of the High Commiffion Court, 
 &C. See-Stillingfleet,concerning the Illegality of the Ecclef. 
 
 , Cdmmia;' ♦ . I ( 
 
 > ' of 
 
Z40. S E R M O ;N VI. 
 
 of the Reformation, hy gentle tranfitions m 
 this country,; 
 
 Not however fglely to the rcftoratiori of 
 the Scriptures to general notice, but to the 
 juft and judicious principles upon which they 
 were explained, muft be attributed the fince- 
 rity of the doftrine ^nd worfhip eftablifhed 
 in the per fedled character of the Church. 
 The facred writings, while they were reve- 
 renced with implicit deference, by our Re- 
 formers, upon every point on which they 
 conveyed infbrma,ti6n:, were not corifidered 
 by them, as by' fome they were prepofte-^ 
 roufly reprefented to be, {o entirely the rule 
 of human actions, as to fuperfede fecular 
 jurifdiftion ; or to preclude ecclefiaftical di" 
 region in matters of changeable nature and 
 contingent exigency ; a notion leading to ex- 
 travagant diftortions of facred inftrudlion, 
 and pregnant with mifchief to fociety. The 
 rights of the temporal authority were fully 
 acknowledged ; and a difcretionary power, we 
 have feen, of decreeing iiibordinate particu- 
 lars, was underflood to be re&ed in the 
 Church ; and was to be exerdfed with no re- 
 ftridion but that of conformity to the prin- 
 ciples of revelation, and refpe^ for the con- 
 ftitutions of civil government- 
 
 ' The' 
 
SERMON. .VI. 241 
 
 The firft affertors of reform*, alfo, while they 
 i-eftored tbe Scriptures to their exclufiVe autho- 
 rity in all points of fpecific corhmunication ; 
 prudently forefaw, that the wantonnefs of pri^ 
 'Vate conftruftion would engender .div.erfity of 
 fentiment, in the interpretation of revealed 
 dodlrines. Anxious to preferve the efficacy^ 
 of that faith, which, in its genuine operation, 
 conduces to union of fentiment j and to pre- 
 vent •" the unliable from wrefting the Scrip? 
 " tures to their own deftrucftion," they deli- 
 vered very admirable precepts of cautiori j 
 and after mature . and comprchenfive exami- 
 nation ; after frequent difcuflion, and trium- 
 phant controverfy, in which candour and 
 
 • Some foreign Reformpi-s carried their veneration for the 
 Scriptures fo far, as to regard them as the exclufive rule of di- 
 reftion. Hooker flates it to be, the liead theorem of the Puri- 
 tans, that the Scripture of God is fuch a rule of human ac- 
 tions, that fldkply whatfoever we do, and are not by it diredted 
 thereunto, the fame is fin; an opinion, as Hooker and Warbur- 
 ton have obferved, tending to promote alterations in civil go- 
 vernment; and havingiindeed aSually effefted them in our coun- 
 try. From this principle alfo arofe the vague and perverted 
 application of Scripture examples, and the profane and difguft- 
 ing abufe of the facred language in ordinary life, which pro- 
 duced fo much mifchief in the laft' age 5 which was the charac - 
 teriftic of hypocrify ; which tended to damp genuine piety, and 
 excited an unhappy fpirit of levity and difregard to religion. 
 See Hooker, Ecckf. Pol. b. ii. 
 
 R ikrfingtk 
 
242 S E R M ON VI. 
 
 ftrength of argument were confpicuous *, 
 compofed the full confeffion of their faith ; 
 framed on the declaration of Scripture, as 
 i-nterpreted with deference to primitive ex- 
 pofition, and the tradition of the Church 
 when Catholic and uniform; but with difre- 
 gard of partial conftruftion, and with rejec- 
 tion of unwarranted reports. 
 
 Hence, with a fidelity expreffive of thofe 
 revealed dodlriaes which influenced the prac- 
 tice of the pureft ages, the enlightened faith 
 of our Church contemplates, in the three per- 
 fons of the. eternal Trinity, : the united glory , 
 of the joint authors qf the creation, redemp- 
 tion, and fan6tification of man ; entitled to 
 the praifes ^ and thankfgiving of thofe who 
 are baptized into the Church in their iacred 
 
 * In the frequent disputes between the advocates for the two 
 Churches, the Proteftants difpSayed irrefragable argument and 
 great moderation; while the baffted Romanifts betrayed only 
 the weaknefs of their caufe, and theperverfenefs of their .tem- 
 per. Jewell's biographer fays of the Papifts, at the Weftmin- 
 fter conference in Elizabeth's reign, that, like Verres, non 
 quidjefponderent, fed quemadmodum non refponderent Jabora- 
 bant. In the difpute before Convocation in 155 ?» conceded 
 with pretended candour, the Proteftants compelled the Ro- 
 manifts to admit, that, upon their principles, Chrift had, in his 
 laft fupper, held himfelf in his hand, and had fwallowed and 
 eaten himfelf. The Romanifts, however, claimed the viftory, 
 and renewed the debate. Wefton, die Prolocutor, concluded 
 it, by faying, " You have the word, but we have the fword." 
 'Burnet, CoUyer, &c. , 
 
 name 
 
S E R M O N VI. 
 
 «43 
 
 name ; to th6 iexclufion of the worlhip of all 
 dependant beings, however " highly fa- 
 *' voured*," however elevated in celcftial 
 dignity, and fanftified in triumphant righte- 
 ouihefs. Looking but to one Mediator, 
 even Chrift Jefus, it reftraineth all indireft 
 iupplication, injurious to tht Divine inter- 
 ceffion ; and addrefleth only to the everlaftjng 
 God its prayers for the affiftarit fervices pf 
 thofe holy Angels, who by " his appointment" 
 alone can " fuccour and defend us on earth-j*;" 
 and who if, as " beholding the face of the 
 " Father J," they may be conceived, with 
 pious and unceafing charity to intreat for the 
 iiiccefsful warfare of the Church on earth § ; 
 can ftill have no title tp that invocation 
 which afcribes Divine attributes to created 
 beings; and mifleads the attention of Chrift's 
 Difciples to fprbidden worfliip pf thpfe who 
 
 are 
 
 * Luke, ch. i. ver. 28. 
 
 t See Colleft fof St. Michael and All Angels. 
 
 j Matt. ch. xviii. ver. 10. 
 
 § Rev. ch. V. ver. 8. Luke, ch. xv. ver. 10. and Zech. 
 ch. i. ver. 12, 13. where perhaps the interceding Angel is to be 
 confidered as the Divine Logos; the Angel, of the New Cove- 
 nant. Mr. Eyre, in his Letter to Mr. Churtcn, attempts^ 
 from dicfe and ether texts, to juftify the invocation of Saints, 
 in the Romiih Church : but however they may tend to prove 
 that the Saints take an interest in the welfare of the Church, 
 they will not authorife' fupplication to them. Mo&s, Saraud, 
 R 2 Noah, 
 
H4 . S E R M:,0 N VI. 
 
 are hut "fcllow-fervants in the adoration of a 
 j(talous God-, the foleibbje<5lof deyotroti.; the 
 only fource of bleffing to mankind. .Reve- 
 rencingi, however, with preceding genera- 
 tions, thofewho, by Divine a,pprobation, or 
 diftinguiflied rlghteoufnefs, Wei-e commended 
 as examples to the world ; it intreats for its 
 members, that they may be empowered to 
 fallow, " the blefled Saiiits in all virtuoiis 
 " and godly living *," and preferves the in- 
 "ftrudlive memorial of the^ir fidelity by ap-r 
 pointed feflivals. 
 
 IncludiiDg in its compreheftfiVe conception 
 of the Divine fcheme &£ the reftor^tion of 
 liiankind, an extent of ^tenement commen- 
 feirate Tvith the effedl. of that difobedience l^y 
 ■v^hich " infirmity was liiade permanent f" 
 our Church prefcribe? rio limits to the ex- 
 pansion of God's mercy, while it reprefents 
 the vicarial facrifice as the only meritorious 
 caufe of falvation. 
 
 Noah, and. Job, are mentioned in Jer; ch. xv. ver. i . and 
 Ezek. ch. xiv. ver. 14. hypothetically, not as interceffprs, but 
 as perfons who, if living, would be approved in the fight of 
 s God. If the writing, which came fro|n Elijah to Jehoram, 
 proceeded from Elijah theTiflibite, it is more probable that it 
 was prx^phetically dictated, as Kimchi has fnggefted, than that 
 it was compofed by Elijah, as Mr. EyreiiuppofeSj after, the 
 prophet had quitted the world. ' . ' , 
 
 * Calleft to All Saints Day. 
 If 2 Efdras, ch. iii, ver, zz^ Heb. ch- ix. ver. iz — 28. , 
 
 - ■ ' " Unfolding 
 
se;r;K,on yi. 545 
 
 Unfolding 1(!^d ^hairafter o£ an univfiEfal co- 
 veniBjt, gta.ciq\^j held out from heaven, hut 
 cfiti^liiopfally- to be appropriated, it n^aintains 
 the general nec^il^ty of faitk in the fufferings, 
 and obfcrvance of the laws, of : Chrifi: : the 
 forijier availing to juftification only as it ira- 
 piies a reverence for a ^avionr's medi;ation, 
 and generates obcidiencej the latter accept- 
 ablSj only, as difplayed in co-operation with 
 the fiiggeftions of God's grace, and in con- 
 formity to the terms of the Gofpel *. Thus 
 is refcued the great do,<Srine of Divine atonpr 
 ment, in excluiion to the fancied efficacy of 
 aJl mortal iatisfasftion or interceffipn— to the 
 fuppreffion, on the one hand, of that pare- 
 furaptuous confidence which razeth the fbun- 
 daltions of our hope, to eredi the Babel of a 
 fidlitious merit on an human bafis ; and, on 
 the other, to the removal of that dangerous 
 delufion, whicTi, gazing on a,h abilrafted 
 faith, overlooks the falutary and eflential 
 dodlrines of righteoufnefe and moral virtue^f. 
 
 Reading 
 
 .? Homily on the Nativity. 
 
 f Ari;icle XI. and Homily en the Salvation of all Mankind. _ 
 The Romanifts at^'i^uted juftification excluCvely to good' 
 works ; afterwards explaining, of works proceeding from fajth, 
 and (vith fubtleties of firft and fecond juftification, or of faith 
 and fanftification. The Lutherans, in yeh^meiit oppofuion to 
 ^is, attributed juftification to faitli alone ; and fome of oar 
 
 R 3 early 
 
54^" S E R M 0>T Vr. 
 
 Reading, in the proclaimed predeftination 
 of God's purpofe, no abfblute and irrefpeA- 
 ive decree of unconditional eledlion *, much 
 lefs of irremediable reprobation, our Church 
 conflders God's foreknowledge as confident 
 with the freedom of human ad:ions ; and elec- 
 tion as importing a fbrefeen conformity to 
 the Divine willf.' Preaching the neceffity 
 
 and 
 
 early wl-iters dilated fo forcibly on faith, as to invalidate good 
 works. Our Church however admits the general neceffity 
 of good works 5 differing fron^ the Calvihifts iii .confidering 
 them not merely aseffedls, but as co-efficient conditions with, 
 faith. 
 
 * 'The TnftltutionofaChfiftian'Manrejefts the curious con- 
 ceit of predeftination, anditeachesjthat we fhould " always be 
 " afrai4 qf the weaknefs and in-bred corruption of the flefti." 
 Ths Ni^ceflary Erudition of a Chriftian Man admits the title 
 of the whole human race ; and aiTerts, that God's promifes are 
 fufpended on conditions, and fuppofe our endeavours to obe- 
 dience. See Collyer; Vol. 11. p. ii. b. iii. fol. i88. The 
 homily againft the Fear of Death was defigned to fliew that ^f- 
 furance of eternal happinefs is the refultof a godly and virtu- 
 ous life. In a Preface to an E^^polltion of the Decalogue, by 
 Bifhop Hooper, is this remarkable paffage : " It is not a C|irif> 
 " tian man's part to fay that God hath written fatal laws, as 
 " the Stoic, and with neceffity of defliny violently pulleth one 
 ',' by the hair into heaven, and thrufteth the other headlong 
 *' into hell. The caufe ofrejeftionbr damnation, is fin in 
 " man, which will not hear, neither receive, the promife of the 
 " Gofpel." See alfo Latimer's Sermons ; Redmayne's Trea- 
 tife ; Jewell's Apol. c. i8 ; Homilies on the Mifery of Man, 
 and on declinijig from God ; Nichol's Vindication. 
 
 f See the Homilies, Liturgy, and Articles. Mofheiin, and 
 ipther writers, reprefent the Church of England as Calvinifti- 
 cal, in the points above referred to; and Burnet ftates, that 
 the firll Reformers were generally jn the Subjapfarian hypothe- 
 cs. 
 
SERMON Vr. 247 
 
 and faving efficacy of God's grace, which in- 
 fpires and affifts every got>d defign, it affcribes 
 to it no irrefiftible control, or irreverfible re- 
 ftraint' * ; but while it exhorts to fervent fup- 
 plicati'on, and reverence for the appointed 
 means of its conveyance, it enforces alfo a 
 vigilant regard to Scripture, of which every 
 text commands obedience ; and a cultivation 
 of that righteous difpofition, which, under 
 
 fis, which maintained a partial falvation by Chrift. It has 
 JiQwever been often fliewnj that the Creed, Homilies, Liturgy, 
 Articles, and Catechifm of our Church, do not in their general 
 xonilfu£lion fupport the Calvinian rigours, whajever ambi^ 
 guous expreffions fome of them may contain. They admit the 
 redemption of'the whole world l)y Chrift; the, freedom of the 
 human will ;. the acceptable nature of good works, and the pof- 
 fibility of a fall from grace. They decide not with St. Auftin 
 on the fate of infants unbaptized, but it is ftated in' the Ru- 
 bric, that thofe whoar« baptized, and die before aflual finj 
 are undoubtedly faved. There is therefore at leaft reafon to 
 doubt, whether thofe who framed the 1 7th Article defigned, as 
 Burnet deems proibable,^ to aflert thd dodlrine of abfolute de- 
 crees ; and it is a plaulible opipion at leaft, that _", by thofe 
 *'whom he hath chofen in Chrift," from Ephef.'ch. i. ver. 4. 
 may be meant only thofe whofe obedience in Chrift God fore- 
 Haw, '• eleft, according to the foreknowledge of God," i Peter, 
 ch. i. ver. z. The words admit of a conftruAion confiftent 
 with the doflrine of conditional decrees ; and. the annexed cau*- 
 tions require that they ihould be fq interpreted.. It. is certain 
 that the Reformers were fully impreffed with the neceffity of 
 moral . righteoufnefs, and inculcate its precepts with unwearied 
 diligence ; and if the Articles are Calviniftical, it may be en- 
 quired, why the Calvinifts petitioned againft the literal and 
 gramipadcal fenfe, on the appearance of Charles's declaration, 
 and have fo often wilhed to alter them. 
 
 * Homily on the Refur^edtion, and 1 6th Article. 
 
 R 4 the 
 
«4? S E R M O N VC 
 
 the Infllience of defcending favour, offers up 
 the fragfancB of : acceptable produdions to 
 God. ..; 
 
 If we cdnfider the pr&^ical appIicatipn,of 
 thefe dodrine^, -as illuftrated, ip. the external 
 inflitutions and public worfliip, of the .Church, 
 we ihall find equal reafon ; to approve the 
 fteady attention paid to the inftru6lion?; of re- 
 velation. . The facrattient^l apppinttnents, re^ 
 flriSed to the initiatory and commemorative 
 rites, which ^ere ordained hf Chrift hitofelf 
 as the efFedual means and pledges of Divine 
 grace, the lafting arguments of truth, the 
 perpfetual mpnuments,- on which the princi- 
 pal doctrines of the faith are infcribed in in- 
 delible and imprellive charad;ers, ■ wey e , re-^ 
 tained to Animate the faith : and advahce, by 
 the operation of the Holy Ghoft, the gene* 
 ra!l work of falvation in our Church *. 
 
 The Liturgy, and Forms of Thankfglving 
 and Prayer, qompofed on early models, with 
 
 * Waterknd has ftiewn, by hiftorical Aatement, the utility 
 of the facraments, ih an important point of view, as haffing 
 confirmed and fecured the prime articles of the faith, through 
 fucceffive ag^s ; -baptifm hath guarded the doftrine of the 'J'n- 
 iiity, by a form which unqueftionablydemonftrates the exiftt 
 ence of three perfons in the facred union ; and the Eucharift 
 has prefervfed the juft doflrine of the Divine and human nature 
 ofChrill againft various heretics. See Preface to the Doc- 
 trinal Ufe of the Chriftian Sacraments. 
 
 feleftion 
 
SERMON VI. 249 
 
 fele^pn from j^^itjcleiiit -lit;3.nies, were per-» 
 feded, after frequent revifign, with, .adpai- 
 rablp conformity to the great principles of 
 veneration for the Divine attributes, and t;hci 
 expreffion, and .encouragement, of h"i^an 
 gratitude and humihty. Qont-rived to regu- 
 late the defultoiy, fervors of the |irnaginationj 
 by .the guidance-pfa-chaflened and reverent 
 tial, fpifit of piety *, they are ftill caleulate4 
 
 * Prefcribed forms of prayer are autHoHfe'd by the exanlple 
 of the Jews, by the inftru^lions of Chrift, of, the Apoftles, and 
 of the Primitive Church. See Old Tell, paffim. Matt. c)). 
 vi. ver. g. ch. xxvi. ver. 30. Ephef. ch. v. ver. 19. 1 Tim. 
 ph., ii. ver. i, 2. Augaft. glerm. 5.8. c. 10. |tom. v. col. 342. 
 Eufpb. Hift. Bafil. Epift. ad. NeocKfar. Lightfoot's Works, 
 Vol. I. p. 922, 942 — 6. The Liturgies afcribed to Sc. 
 ^Matthew, St. Mark, ^pd St. Peter, are cpiifidfired as fpu- 
 rious ; .that attribaj;e*d to St. James, was received as ge- 
 huiHe by the Greek Church, is eit«d by the Council of 
 Tru-Uo, and maintained by antient writers. Collyer, p. ii. 
 b. iv. P..252. Bingham's Antiq. b, ii. ch. vi. §.2. There 
 are others afligned to Ciemeiit, Bafil, Chryfoftom, and Am- 
 brpfe. Prayers, as expteffivp pf deliberate and permanent im- 
 preffions, cannot be too cautioufly worded. Unprepared ftrains 
 of devOtldii are fuitable only to the individual j'and congrega- 
 tLons fliDEld mot be Jiurripd away by the etude rh^pfodies and 
 irregular feryors whicn the judgment hath no time to confider. 
 In the time of Cromwell, When the people would not bear the 
 ttfeof the Liturgy, .fqme of the^ clergy .formed their, prayers 
 froiii it, and repea;ted them, as extempbraneous, with great- ap- 
 plaufe ; as did Sanderfon and Bull j the latter of whom brought 
 over many of his family to the Church fervice,on explaining tp, 
 themihe harmlds arti£ce whieh'he had ufed hi thus pronounc- 
 ing the baptilkial fervice. See Nelfon's Life of Bull. Per- 
 haps a fimilar plan might be fuccefsfully atlopted by the regu- 
 lar clergy in preaching ; thctogh it muft be with great difere- 
 tion. See i Cor. ch. ix. ver. zo. 
 
 to 
 
 V 
 
35© S 'E R M. N VI. 
 
 V 
 
 to awaken and animate religious afFeftions, 
 and to unite the hearts and voices of Chrifl's 
 Difciples, in the performance of fecial wor- 
 
 The ritual appointments and exterior ar- 
 rangements of the Church/ moderated with 
 regard to the folemnity of public fervice, 
 and with confideration of abufes long expe- 
 rienced, retained the decency of order and 
 reverential obfervance *; at the fame time 
 that they were reformed from fuperfluous 
 ceremonies and decorations, whicti had been 
 found to mifleiad the fancy. The judicious 
 fpirit of fober and difcriminating refleftion 
 perceived, that the figrial and expreffive token 
 pf admiffion to the Church of Chrift f, and 
 the outward teftimony of refpeft at the 
 Lord's Table, might be preferved with falu- 
 tary efFed; ; without exciting any falfe or 
 mifchi'evous notions of their intention, or 
 affording any countenance to exploded er- 
 rors. If the veftments of primitive decorum 
 were objefted to, as recalling the image of a 
 
 • See in Hutchinfon's Hift. of Durham, Vol. I. p. 453, an 
 aceount of irregularities which, have refulted from a negleS of 
 public authority. 
 
 f The crofs in baptifm was very ancient. See Tertull. de 
 Corona j Cyprian, de Unitate ; and Prudmiti 1. ii. c. fym. 
 
 corrupt 
 
' S E R M O N- yi. ^1^. 
 
 corrupt and fuperftltious priefthood, it was 
 |»efumed that the objeftion would be tranfi- 
 tnt; and expire with the memory of thofe, 
 who were fblicitous to preferve the refemr 
 blanoe. It was confidered that -abufes only, ' 
 sixid the incentives to them, fliould be » re- 
 moved; and that fome fimple diftindions, 
 were fuited to the appearance and offices of; 
 public celebration; and were authorifed by the 
 exarhple and fentiments of- every age. In 
 particulars of fiibordinatd concern, the im- 
 preffions of ancient euftom were not rudely 
 diftiirbed; and the public authority, was ra- 
 ther inclined to regulate,, and checlt the in- 
 creafe of ceremonies, than to difcountenance 
 thofe harmlels prad;ices, which reft with the 
 difcretion of the individual. ; - 
 
 While the pageantry and the c^enfiveand 
 unmeaning parts of thfi Rqmilli iervice were * 
 fupprefled ; the affedling folemnity of choral 
 celebration, and fomewhat. of t-he ancient 
 pomp of worlhip, was reverently preferved. 
 Thofe, who have wiflied to ^ifcard from our 
 Church thealiiftance of an art, which is con- 
 ceived to be flibfervient to the animation. of 
 celeftial piety ; and which is allowed to 
 awaken jreligious afFe<Sions, and to increafe 
 the warmth of earthly devotion, appear to 
 
 Spiritualize 
 
25Z S E'R M ON VI. 
 
 fplfltualiye too much in' notional refinement; 
 and to cherifli fpeculations more fuited to 
 folitary atitj- afefeafted contemplation, than ' 
 to the geftgi-Ebl expreffion of foeial worftiip *. 
 That the human heart IhouM be allowed' to 
 -profit' by 'impreffions of whieh it is moft^ fuf- 
 ceptible, 'and thp,t a falutary influence Ihould 
 be impai'-tfed by ordinary mean§, is not ulnijea- 
 fbhable^" ' ■' ■.: ,,. . : ' niUl 
 
 In thefe fimiiar fo^6(?t6' of confideration, 
 the precedents of facred appointment fliould 
 not be overlooked ■f'. It is certain that the 
 general claffes of rnanfcind are not infenfihle 
 to the fubfidiary aiids of devotion; and' that 
 religion^ %nay be rendered mOPe awful, in th« 
 eyes of ihanf^ by exterior circumftance. The 
 venerable ftrudlures whioh did honour to the 
 munificent piety of fbriner times, and exhibit 
 fomewhat of^auguft affinity 'to the folemn 
 grandeur of r-eiigion ; and evferi thofe decora- 
 tions a-nd produftions of elegance which have 
 no feduftive tendency, may produce a falutary 
 and beneficial effe<ft. Our Reformers fur- 
 niflied no example to thofe, who, while they 
 
 * The Coramiffioners in 1689 propofed to pat do^vn.challnt- 
 ing in cathedrals. ' ' ' 
 
 t I Kings, <:h. vii.. 2 Chron, ch. vii. yer. 6. Pfalnj xcii. ver. 
 ^50. See alfo Rev. ch. v. ver, 8. ch, j;iv. vpr. a. Auguft. 
 Confeff. • '■ ' ■ ' 
 
 " dwell 
 
S, E,R M O N^ VI. Z53 
 
 " d^s^ll in crelsd htjufes," fhew' rxdt an anxi- 
 ety for tfee buildings tdedicat'ed to the Lord's 
 glory. They.wifhed to difcountenance ex- 
 ternal fplendour but as it led, to evil ; and 
 were aware that religious edifices and reli- 
 gious worfliip might be de'fpoiled of impref- 
 five ornanient and reverential tokens, with- 
 out being in any d'e^ee more fuitable to the 
 perfediion of the Supreme Being. They re- 
 linquflhed with regret sfomis of tho^ repre- 
 fentations, which, as filent monitors, inftrud: ; 
 and contended with justifiable firmnefs againft 
 . the fpirit of inhovation which endeavoured to 
 dfeftroy even the decent comelinefs of the fer- 
 vice that was preferved. Every teftimony 
 of unperverted regard to the jglory of God 
 fthey fought to encourage ; and had their 
 councils been followed, the feque'ftered reve- 
 nues of the Church, which were wafted in 
 lavifli earpenditure and private embezzlefnent, 
 would have been converted to public inftiti** 
 tions, and have conferred luftre and fubftan- 
 tial benefit on the country *. 
 
 Confidered, 
 
 • Heiiry, in compliance with Cranmer's advice, did ereSft 
 fix new bifhoprics ; Wefttnthfter, Chefter, Glonceiiler,, Peter- 
 borough, Oxford, «nd Briftol ; he alfo converted fome piiories 
 into deaneries, with provifion for donations to the poor. This, 
 however, by no means came up tothe ideas of Cr3nmer,.wto 
 : > had 
 
554 S E R M O N VI. 
 
 Confidered, or with reference to preceding 
 abufes, or with regard to the permanent pro- 
 penfities of men, the external flrudture and 
 ordinances of our Church, were framed with 
 judicious and prudent regulation. Modelled 
 in agreement with the inftrudrons of -reviela- 
 ti5n> they difplay a fimplicity equally remote 
 from fuperftition and irreverence ; and it ap- 
 pears that the practical, as well as the Ipe- 
 culative, principles of the Reformation, are 
 grdunded on confiderations decidedly impor- 
 tant to the inter efts of religion. 
 
 Scripture, then, is not that precarious arid 
 uncertain rule, which it has been injurioufly . 
 reprefented to be, by thofe, who would place 
 infallibility on an human tribunal, and confe- 
 crate the decifions of earthly conceit. By a 
 faithful adherence to it, as to a ftandard of 
 falvatlon, the reftorcrs of our Church were 
 conduifted through fucceffive reigns with gi'a- 
 dual^ advancement to truth ; feldom declining 
 
 had it firft recommended to the King to appropriate 18,000 1. 
 per annum as a revenue for eighteen bilhops and cathedrals j 
 and had- projefted other liberal fchemes. But though a reve- 
 nue of upwards of 1 3 1 ,000 ] . or, according to Lord Herbert's ; 
 •ftatement, of i6i,oool. had been collefted from the fuppreffed 
 houfesj 108,000 1. of which were affigned to the King (and the 
 lands, in fome inllances, were not rated at a tenth part of their 
 value), no fufficient fupply remained ; the money being rapidly 
 confumed in Conftrufling and ftrengthening forts, in peculation, 
 and improvident expence. 
 
 by 
 
SERMON VI. 555 
 
 by any unconftrained relapfe into error, and 
 happily extricating themfelyes from the dif- 
 ficulties and impediments which embarraffed 
 their progrefs.. 
 
 If we confider what various and difcordant 
 opinions are fet afloat by the agitation of any 
 great and mpraentous. queftiori ; how rarely 
 agreement can be obtained, efpecially when re- 
 ligious -prejudices and temporal interefts are 
 at the fame time concerned, we muft be con- 
 vinced that no power but that of truth, could 
 have efFefted the eflablilhment of principles, 
 fo fiibverfive of antient peirfuafions ; fo fatal 
 to great and connedled departments of foclety, 
 as were thofe adopted at the Reformation. 
 By a regard to this rule of Scripture, will 
 all opinions be finally regulated in conformity 
 to one eflential faith, and not by liftening to 
 the vague and undefined pretences of tradi- 
 tion, or to the capricious fuggeftions of hu» 
 man vanity. By a reference to it, muft every 
 deviation from Chrift's precepts be afcer- 
 tained and reformed. Vain and fruitlefs were 
 it to maintain what it condemns ; vain and 
 ineffedlual were it to rpfift what it enjoins. 
 Its force finally muft predominate : not how- 
 ever as prejudiced conceptions may imagine, 
 not as private conftrudlion may dixSate, but as 
 
 prevailing 
 
2s6 SERMON VI. 
 
 prevailing evidence requires ; as di^affioriatc 
 ft^tementahd fober confideration determine, 
 muft its revelations be interpreted', and re- 
 ceived. ' 
 
 Anxioully as our Gburch hath laboured 
 to illuftrate every page of the facred writ- 
 ings, it hath found no caufe to depart from 
 thofe eflential principles, which, in con-* 
 fiftency with early and unadulterated con- 
 ftruftion, were eftablifhed as the bails of its 
 regulations. Yet hath it no views which 
 would obflru6l the operation of truth. It 
 evades no eriquiry, it retreats from no tempe- 
 rate diftniffions ; it will not however facrifice 
 its. deliberate faith to every novel luggeftion, ' 
 nor alter its creed in accommodation to every 
 new teacher,^ Difcovering no acceffion of 
 light, it refuieth to tamper with God's word, 
 or to relinquilh its well-founded conviftion. 
 tI!onfciou;5 that, " ere the prefent ye^rs were 
 *' fought out, and ere ever the inventions of 
 *' thofe that now fin were turned, before 
 " thdy were- fealed that have gathered faith 
 " for a treafure *," all things relating to mat- 
 ters of dodtrine were confidered, it continues 
 to refpeft the decifions of thofe- who, with 
 
 a 
 
 * 2 Efdras, cli. vi. ver 5, 6« ; 
 
 pre-"' 
 
SERMON VI. z$^ 
 
 pre-eminent advantages and comprehenfive 
 examination, determined. - Willing to wave 
 unavailing queftions, and " perverfe difput- 
 " ings," and to promote the pracEtical im- 
 provement of mankind, it is felicitous only 
 that ," faith ihould flourilh, and corruption 
 " be overcome ; and that the truth, which 
 ** has been fo long without fruit*," corre- 
 fpondent to Jts excellency, Ihould be reve- 
 renced in its important maxims, and be obeyed 
 in its falutary and eternal laws. ' 
 
 * 2 Efdras, ch. vi. ver. 28. 
 
 SERMON 
 
SERMON VII. 
 
 Z Tim. ii. 19, 20. 
 
 Nen)erthelefs the foundation Jiandeth fure, /javing 
 this feal, the Lord know'eth them that are 
 his ; and let every one that nameth the name 
 of Chriji depart from iniquity. But in a 
 great houfe there are not only vefels of gold 
 and of f her, but alfo of wood and of earth ; 
 and fome to honour ^ and fome to dijhonour. 
 
 IN condemning the profane and cankering 
 vanity of thofe, who, " concerning the 
 " truth; had erred," and who had " over- 
 " thrown the faith of fome," the apcaftle re- 
 fledls with confolation, that neverthelels the 
 foTin ation flandeth fure ; on which all who 
 ihould reft, as on a folid principle, ftiould be 
 confirmed under the ieal * of the Divine ap- 
 
 * 2 Tim. ch. ii. ver. 19. 2 Qor. ch. i. ver. 22. ch. v, 
 ver. 5. Ephef. ch. i. ver. 13. ch. iv. ver. 30. 
 
 S z probation; 
 
26o SERMON VII. 
 
 f ■ ■ I- 
 
 probation ; charasSerized as the Difciples of 
 
 God, amidft the unworthy, and fandlified as 
 
 lieirs of eternal glory. 
 
 In reverence foy that facred foundation, 
 which was eftablilhed as the ground-work of 
 reform in this country, it is fatisfadlory to 
 confider, that its immoveable principles were 
 uniforrrily refpedied ; and hence it was, that 
 thofe who " fet forward the work" perceived 
 it to profper in their hands ; and like the re- 
 turning captives who rebuilt the Temple of 
 Jerufalem,. " . having feparated themfelves 
 " from the filthinefs of the land," refufed 
 again " to break the commandments of the 
 " Lord, and join in affinity with the people 
 " of abominations ;" and " experienced the 
 " hand of God upon them for good *," en- 
 abling them to finifh it according to his com- 
 mandment, notwithftanding the machina- 
 tions of thofe who ftrove to fruflrate their 
 purpofe^ and by concealed and open induf-, 
 try to undermine and overturn the fabric. 
 
 In reviewing the ftruggles of that antichrifr 
 tiar^ fuperftitiqn which writhed under the foot 
 of thig viftorious faith, and the exertions of 
 
 * Ezra, ch. iii. ver. 8. ch. iv. ver. 5. cb. vi. ver. 14,. 
 ?■».. ih. vjii. yer, z?. ch. ix. ver. 14. 
 
 that 
 
SERMON VII. 5^1 
 
 that wild fpirit of innovation which rofe into 
 vigour, under powerful and ambitious' patron- 
 age, we lament indeed, in their' firft mifchief, 
 Ibme wounds inflidled on the ftrength and 
 beauty of the afcendiant form ; but which dif- 
 turbied not the fteady and confiftent firmnels 
 of the Reforma:tion, preferving its charafter 
 unlhaken by danger, and moderate in its moft 
 triumphant fuoeefs. ^ 
 
 It Ihould not detra6l from the reverence 
 due to a Church, which -hath " holden fait 
 ** Ghrift's name," and hath not denied his 
 faith, if " a few things" Ihould be found 
 written agaihft it ; nor need there be any fo- 
 licitude to deny that individuals have often 
 deviated from the maxims of public profef- 
 lion. Impartial refledlion may exult, how- 
 ever, on a retroipeft of the operation of thofe 
 principles which are cohfecrated in characSer- 
 iftic diftinftion of our Church ; and the influ- 
 ence of which it wbuld be injurious not to 
 confider in the eftimation of its pretenfions; 
 In the profecutioii of our, fubjedl, therefore; 
 we Ihall endeavour to illuftrate their efFedi 
 through fiicceffive periods ; not by ftrained 
 and' unqualified panegyric, but by a reference 
 to fubftantial and incontrovertible proofs of 
 excellence. , 
 
 S 3 Amidll 
 
26z SERMON VII. 
 
 Amidft ,the vidffitudes lin which the 
 Church may be contemplated, in the times 
 that fucceeded its full eftablilhment,. it will 
 be found,, if confidere?d in its diftindl cha- 
 ta&.er, to deferve admiration under three prin- 
 cipal points of view. Firft,:as having main- 
 tained a general truth and confiftency in its 
 dodlrines; fecondly, as diftinguifhed for its 
 moderation , and tolerant fpirit ; and thirdly, 
 as having advanced the effential interefls of 
 the country, as well by conlpiring with the 
 deigns of civil liberty, as by promoting reli- 
 gious and moral virtues. 
 
 The changes which took place in the pub- 
 lic Creed and worlhip from the firft com- 
 mencement of ref&rta till its eftablilhment 
 under Elizabeth, were, if we except the vio- 
 lent and partial reftitution of the Romifli faith 
 in the reign of Mary, but iucceffive fteps in 
 the gradual advancement of true religion, and 
 have been idly urged in proof of the fickle 
 and inconftant faith of the nation. 
 
 That fome compliant and interefted men 
 bovyed With their fovereign to the idols which 
 they had been enlightened to defpife *, and 
 facrificed their fa,ith to confiderations of 
 
 * 2 Kings, ch. v. ver.- 18. '■ 
 
 earthly 
 
SERMON VII. 5^3 
 
 earthly advantage, muft indeed be confeffed ; 
 but no proofs can be adduced that the refpeft-* 
 able and predominant part of the kingdonn 
 at any time relapfed into the delufions which 
 they had abjured, however flowly they might 
 relinquilh fome of the errors of inveterate 
 iuperilition. 
 
 Since the period that the national faith 
 was expreffed in precife articles, ratified by 
 the whole Clergy in Convocation *, it does 
 not appear that it has been neceflary to 
 change thofe articles ; and whatever tranfifeiit 
 impreflions may have been made by prevail- 
 ing notions, on the public mind, they have 
 not been allowed to operate fo far, as to lead 
 to the permanent introduftion of piopiilar 
 fancies into the appointed forms of prafeffion, 
 or to vitiate eftablifhed ordinances. If, by 
 the incautious conceffions, or hafly declara- 
 tions, of any of its leading members, our 
 Church has been betrayed into the apparent 
 confirmation of principles incompatible with 
 the fmcerity of the Scriptural dodrine, it has 
 ipeedily recovered its confiftent tone ; and its 
 
 * Four Articles which flood in Edward's code, relating to 
 the refurreftion of the dead, the unperijhable nature of the 
 foul, the Millenarian heretics, and univerfal falvation, were 
 omitted from the Articles confirmed in Convocation in 1562. 
 
 S 4 declared 
 
2^4 SERMON VII. 
 
 declared Creed and" avowed faith have not 
 varied *. . ' 
 
 The chief diverfity of fentiment, which 
 has prevailed among its members, has been 
 in thcxfe fpeculative and curious points, upon 
 which the frarners of our Articles, confcious 
 of the clouds which encircle the Divine Coun- 
 cils, and not prefiiming to break the feals of 
 God's judgments, defignedly, ufed a great lati- 
 tude of expreffion : defirous of leaving all to 
 abound in theif own fenfe ; and willing to 
 fupprefs the agitations and bitternefs of con- 
 troverfy, by fhutting up God's promifes in 
 general declarations of Scripture, 
 
 That dodirines, capable of being confidered 
 in fuch different points of view as are thjofe.^ 
 ■which refpeft the extent of God's decrees, 
 the liberty of the human will, and the ope- 
 rations of the Divine Grace, fhou-ld continue, 
 as tHey have ever done, to excite various opi- 
 
 f Archbiftiop Whitgift, with fome of the Biftidps, having 
 been haftily Jed tofubfcribe to the Lambeth Articles, which were 
 defigned to bind the Univerfity of Cambridge to the rigours of 
 Calvinifm, was compelled, by Elizabeth's orders, to fupprefs 
 them. ,Dr, Reynolds propofed them again, for acceptance, 
 at the Hampton -Court conference ; but was as unfuccefsful in , 
 this as in many other points : they were, indeed, received, by, 
 Uiher's management, in Irclan4. ' • 
 
 nions. 
 
S E R'M O N VII. Z65 
 
 nions, is not furprifing *. If, likewife, we 
 allow Ibmething for the influence which the 
 feelings have over the judgment, we fhall not 
 wonder that thofe, whofe averfion to. the 
 Romifli Church had been originally founded 
 on the pradlical abufes which it countenanced/ 
 and had increafed, under perfonal fufFerings, 
 in the exile which, in times of perfecution, 
 they endured, Ihovild, on their return to their 
 country, betray fomewhat of extravagance, in 
 their difpofition, to every principle hoftile to 
 the faith which they had renounced ; and en- 
 deavour to circulate the dod:rines and fchemes 
 which were moft adverfe to its interefts. 
 
 The defire of commending the excluiive 
 efficacy of the Divine 'atonement, in oppo- 
 
 * The diificulty of reconciling the prefcicnce of God with 
 the free-will of man, is a diffiqulty of natural religion. The 
 exiftence 'of both muft be admitted, though they never have 
 been, nor probably ever will be,' fatisfaftorily explained. St. 
 Auftin, who maintains the confiftency of the doftrines, repre- 
 fents the denial of God's prefcience as abfolute infanity ; and 
 afierts a liberation- from fin by grace. Religiofus animus, fays 
 the Father, utrumque eligit, utrunlque conlitetur. De Civit. 
 Dei, ). V. c. ^. The fpeculative doftrines of faith, which did 
 not afFe£t the praflice, were difcaffed with but little warmth at 
 the firft feparation from the Church of Rome; points ofdifcipline 
 and ceremony engrofled ths chief attention. As both the .4Lr- 
 minian and Calviniftical parties claim the articles on thefe doubt- 
 ful points^ we muft admit, at leaft, that they are framed with 
 comprehenfive latitude. It is remarkable that' the Church of 
 Rome did not decide on the five points canvaiTed at the Synod 
 of Port, 
 
 fition 
 
266.. SERMON VII. 
 
 fition to the i^ancies of mortal interceffion 
 and. human merit, hurried the Reformers on 
 the Continent, and thofe who imbibed their 
 ideas, to dilate, with incautious aiid exceffive 
 enthufiafm, on gratuitous juftification ; fo as 
 to invahdate the important doftrine of free- 
 will, and to difparage the neceffary condition 
 of obedience. 
 
 The difpofition to reward and employ men 
 who, had fufFered for their adherence to re- 
 ligion ; and the indulgence ftiewn to fuch 
 opinions as had no reference to . ancient 
 abufes, nor interfered with preferit regula- 
 tions,, occafioned the reception of many per- 
 fons into ccclefiaflical departments who were 
 ftrongiy tinftured with Calvinian principles ; 
 w^hich were induffcrioufly propagated* and 
 patronized by many eminent men f ; and 
 liftened to the more readily by many of our 
 
 * The Puritans ufed every art to advance their opinions. In 
 an imprefljon of the Common Prayer, publiflied withpretendedi 
 authority by Richard Jugge, in 1577, the whole order of pri- 
 vate baptiftn and of confirmation was omitted. The Geneva 
 Bible was printed with mifchievous notes ; ,andia an imprefiion. 
 of Field's Bible, worked off under the Ufurpation, though not 
 printed till 1 660, the word j>e was fabflituted for <we, in A&s, 
 ch. vi. ver. 3. , 
 
 t As by Cecil, Leieefter, Walfingham, Sir Francis KnoUis, 
 &c. 
 
 eftablilhraent. 
 
S: E R M O N VIL 55; 
 
 cftablifhment *, as conceived to be merely 
 do dlrinal ; and unconnedled with the notions 
 of. external discipline, which fome, in op- 
 pofition to. the unvaried fentiments and in- 
 ftitutions of the Church in proceeding times, 
 began to entertain. 'On the other hand, it will 
 not be thought extraordinary, that, when fpe^^ 
 culative fancies began to fwell into mifchiev-^ 
 Qus fchefnes, and their advocates appeared to 
 brood, with fiiUen difcontent, over proje6ts of 
 religious and political hoftility, thefe prin- 
 ciples fliould be more accurately examined ; 
 and the enlightened members of our Church 
 more loudly contend for the Arminian doc- 
 trines -j-, in thofe points wherein they were 
 
 rationally 
 
 * Hume repuefents above 500 CJ^rgymen to have fubfcribed 
 to a book of difcipline in 1584. Fe)v rtfthe refpeftable Clergy 
 could have wiflied to hatch the Pre/by terian rgbvernment under, 
 the wings of epifcopacyj as Heylin expreffes Mmfelf. See, 
 Hume, note R. to Vol. V. 8vo. NeaJ's Hift. Vol. I. p. 482 ; 
 Dawes' and Strype's Life of Whitgift.. 
 
 f The Calvinian fentiments fpread confiderably among the 
 Clergy in the reign, of Elizabeth, though but with partial ef- 
 fect, as appears &om the public profeffions of faith j -from the 
 delay in the upper Houfe of Convocation in ratifying Nowell's 
 Catfic^iifm ; from the fuppreffion of the Lambeth Articles, and 
 the preaching ,of Baroe, Harfnet, and others. See Articles, Ho- 
 milies, &c ; Preface to. Nowell's Catechifm ; Baroe Prsledl. in 
 Gen. XX. yer. 3. & Prj^eft. 30 ; Harfnet's Sermon, in Ezefe;. ch. 
 iii. ver. 1 1 j and notes to fixth Sermon. On the acceiTion of James 
 the Firft, the Puritans conceived great expeftations, and Dr. 
 Reynolds appeared in his fur gown at the Hampton-Court confe- 
 
258 SERMON VIL' 
 
 rationally oppofed to the harfli and rigorous 
 principles of Calvinifm ; which were relin- 
 quifhed by the Clergy in proportion as they' 
 were canvafled ; and retained an influence 
 chiefly on thofe, whofe gloomy and fanatic 
 temper was favourable to their operation; and 
 who appeared to burn with much of that 
 fpirit which " lufleth to envy." 
 
 Neither is it difficult to underftand, where- 
 fore it happened, that, as the political bias 
 verged towards the deprefled adherents of the 
 Romifh caufe, with defign to counteradl the 
 
 rence ; but thougK the King retained, -pei-liaps, fome prejudices 
 in favour of the fpeculative doftrines (lioweyer averfe to the 
 difcipline) of the Calvinifts, he was rot, probably, at the com- 
 mencement of his reign, very firmly attached to the doftrine of 
 predeftination, or Dr. Bancroft, who was little difpofed to 
 thwart a fbvereign, whom he protefted to have been unparal- 
 Ided from the time of Chrift, would not at the Conference have 
 called it " a defperate doiftrine." The vehement. zeal, which 
 the King difplayed againft Vorftius, was founded on abhor- 
 rence of the'blafphemous opinions which he had publifhed, and 
 on political confiderations. The Englifh Divines, who, at the 
 Synod of Dort, were diftinguifhed for their moderation, re- 
 jefted the Supralapfarian doftrines ; though they adhered to 
 the opinions of St. Auftin. Heylin fays, that they were in- 
 ftrufted not to oppofe the doftrine of univerfal redemption ; and 
 Neal admits, that they did not touch uponuhe received limita- 
 tations, which reftrift the pafTages relating to Chrift's dying 
 for the whole world, to the eledt. The decrees of the Synod 
 obtained but little refpeftin England, where the Armini^n doc- 
 trines were foon efpoufed by the King, and the greateft part of 
 the Clergy. Heylin*s Introduft. to the Life of Laud, Mo- 
 flieiin, &c. 
 
 exertions 
 
SERMON VII. 369 
 
 exertions of the rifmg fed ; * the leading cha- 
 raders of our Church, who Endeavoured to 
 render its fervice more venerable and im- 
 preffive by a revival of its ancient fplen- 
 dour, fliould be fubjeded to the imputation of 
 wifhing to return into the polluted bofom of 
 Rome; an imputation, which, however me- 
 rited by individuals, and however it might 
 animate the hopes of the ever-farlguine Ro- 
 manifts, was frequently unjuft In its applica' 
 tion -j". 
 
 The 
 
 * James the Fkft has been repi'efented to have inclined to 
 popery towards the end of his reign ; and though it is not likely 
 that he would have been difpofed to refign the fupremacy, he 
 appears to have confidered feme grounds of diftiniftion between 
 the two Churches as lefs confiderable than they really were. 
 Charles the Firft difclaimed, on the fcaffold, any difpofition to 
 that religion j his Queen, however, and fome 'of the Court, ap- 
 pear to have entertained the wifli for a re-union with the Ro- 
 man Church. In both thefe reigns ftrong fufpicions operated 
 to the prejudice of the Court, and influenced fome to change 
 the profefficn of their faith. See Birch's Hift. View of the Ne- 
 gotiations between the Church of England, France, and Bruf. 
 fels, publifhed in 1 745 j Winwood's Memoirs ; Tyndal's Con- 
 tinuation of Rapin, Vol. II. c. i8j Harris's Hiftorical and Cri- , 
 tical Account of the Life and Writings of James I. Beringt6n's 
 Memoirs df Pan7ai)i, Charles II. in his laffi jllnefs, received 
 the facrament from Romifli Priefts j and papers were found, 
 after his death, written with his own hand, in favour of the Ro» 
 miih Communion. See Hume. 
 
 f Laud had been twice offered a Cardinal's hat; but what- 
 ever propenfity he difplayed towards fuperftitious^ ceremonies, 
 he protened, at the hour and inftant of his death, that he never 
 endeavoured the fubyerfion of law or reljgipn : and we kogyf 
 
 that 
 
370' SERMON VII. 
 
 The general body of the Clergy does not 
 at any time appear to have declined from the 
 profeffipn of faith to which it had fubfcribed; 
 though every ftep, which retreated from the 
 popular ftandard, was reprefented as a defer- 
 tion to the tents of the adverfe power. 
 
 The difpofition to foften differences not 
 efTential, and to promote union with other 
 Churches, where no momentous do<5lrines 
 muffc be facrificed, has indeed been ever a ge- 
 nuine demonftration of that Chriftian- fpirit 
 which pervades the councils- of our Church. If 
 it hath been fometimes accufed of making too 
 large conceffions, with defign to conciliate ; it 
 hath not been proved that it has ever been 
 fo fafcinated with the love of peace, as to 
 forget the claims of truth *. It hath not 
 
 fallen 
 
 that he brought back Chillingwonh to the Church of England. 
 Rufhworth, Vol. III. p. 132; Whitlock, p. 97; Heylin,'p. ii» 
 
 c- 4- 
 
 * No fpecific conditions feem ever to have been, arranged by 
 our Church, for an union with that of Rome. Archhifliop 
 Wake's projedl, in later times, for an union between the Eng- 
 lifti and Gallican Churches, though flated in the Confeffional 
 to have been framed with conceffions in favour of the grofleft 
 fuperftition and idolatry ; has been.fully Ihewn, by tne tranflator 
 of Molheim, from the original correfpondence of the Archbi- 
 fliop, not to have facrificed any one point of the dodlrine and 
 difcipline of the Chu'rch of England; and it appears that the 
 defire of union with the Church of Rome, exprefled on that oc- 
 cafion, was founded on the ho^res of a confiderable reformation 
 
 in 
 
SERMON VII. 271 
 
 fallen back, into the Ihade of fuperftition, nor 
 been hurried beyond the boundaries erefted 
 fcff the prefervation of important principles. 
 
 When contefts and ambitious diflenfion pre- 
 dominate in fociety, errors of opinion are ge- 
 nerated with prolific rarieity. The vigouf of 
 -invention is exerted to difcover principles that^ 
 may coimtenance prevailing deligns, and vin- 
 dicate corrupt conduct. Our Church, how- 
 ever, continued to preferve its faith, unde- 
 bafed by the numerous follies diffeminated by 
 the inereafing fpirit of difloyalty. 
 
 When rebellion had accbmpliflied its pur- 
 poie, and ufiirpation was feated on the 
 throne ; when fanaticifm and hypocrify per- 
 vaded every civil and ecclefiaftical depart- 
 ment; when the firft principles of fociety 
 were violated *, and that extravagance, which 
 
 was 
 
 in that Church, and an expeftation that its moft abfurd doc- 
 trines would fall to the ground, if they could be deprived of 
 their great fupport, the Papal authority; the deftrudlion of 
 which authority was the very bafis of the correfpondence. See 
 Appendix III. to laft volume of Moflieim, and Biograph. Bri- 
 tan. article Wake. 
 
 * Some idea of the times may be formed from an zd pafTed 
 in 165Q, by which it is provided, that if any perfon fliaHpro-. 
 fefs " that the afts of adultery, drunkennefsjfwearing.andthe: 
 like open wickednefs are in their own nature as holy and right- 
 eous as the duties of prayer, preaching, or giving thanks to 
 God J or if any perfon fliall avowedly profefs that happinefs 
 
 confifts 
 
373 SERMON VIL 
 
 was the criterion of" fandity, daily broii^t 
 forth its new fefts *, the fcattered minifters 
 of our Church; though they beheld its ftriic- 
 ture levelled, together with the broken pil- 
 lars of the ftate, " even to the ground," col- 
 lected, in deprivation and retirement, their 
 faithful congregations 5 kept alive the flame of 
 true religion, and preferved the uncofrupted 
 iincerity of its faith and worfhip,f; till it 
 pleafed God, after trial of their faith in af- 
 flidlion, to raife them again to exaltation. 
 
 So alfo, when the difguft, which had been 
 exqited by ftrained and affe6led piety, ter- 
 minated in levity and difregard to religion, 
 the members of our Church, by their ex- 
 ample and writings, fupported its caufe ; re- 
 pelled, with admirable temper and power of 
 reafoning,. the efforts of profane ridicule and 
 
 confifts in the commiflion of fuch crimes, and that 'there is no 
 fuch thijig as unrighteoufnefs or fin, independent of CQnfcience 
 and opinion ; and if any perfon fhall be convifled of maintain- 
 ing fuch frightful doftrine, he fliall fuffer fix months ifnpri- 
 fonment for the firft, aijd exile .for the fecond offence." Col- 
 lier's Ecclef. Hift. p. ii. b. 9. 
 
 * At that time, fays NicHoI, it was a mod fignal mark of a 
 faint to be the author of fom'e monflrous opinion, p- 59 ; the 
 preachers prayed for and againft one another. See Walton, 
 in his Life of King ; Edwards Gangrasna, Epift. Dedicat. This 
 writer reckons up 176 heretical and blafphemous opinions 
 maintained in the courfe of four years. 
 
 f As did JBulI, Jeremy 'Taylof, Sanderfon, &c. 
 
 licentious 
 
S E R M O N VII. 37 
 
 3 
 
 Ikenlidus infidelity, and maintained the eter-' 
 nal laws of moral and religious obligation^ 
 againft the fubtld mifreprefent^tions ■ #ith 
 which captivating genius and perverted learn- 
 ing laboured to countenance the corruption 
 of a libertine age *. Afterwards, when the 
 delufions of returiting popery began to allure 
 its fickle converts, and to intrance them, to a/ 
 fbrgetfulnefs of the inftrudlions Of wifdomj 
 the advocates of our eftablilhment animated 
 attention to a review of the whole fubjed: 
 of difference fubfifting between the two' 
 Churches ; in which they difplayed an ac- 
 curacy of difl:ind;i<bn> that hath been feldom 
 equalled; aild a force of illuftfation, that" 
 hath never been furpafled. By their induftry 
 were the arts of infidious and perfuafive' 
 eloquence again defeated ; many diff&nters 
 brought over to a Church thus bearing dif- 
 tinguifhed teftimony to truth ; and the Pro- 
 
 * Dr. Seth Ward, Tenifon, Dr. Henry More, Cu^wortli, 
 Cumberland, and others, fuccefsfully oppofed the mifchievous 
 principles of Hobbes. Burnet ajvaken?d and convinced the 
 Earl of Rochefter, with a piety and force of argument tliat 
 Jnuft affeft every mind ; Berkley and Wotton expofed the ten- 
 dency of Shafteflmry's Writings ; and Clarkfi pointed out the 
 arts and falfehood of Ttfland and Collins j See Wood and 
 Leland. ' - 
 
 , T teftant 
 
«;4 SERMON VII. 
 
 tellaijt caufe confirmed „ with irrefiftible 
 weight of evidence *. ^ 
 
 In later times, the ilores oif learning have 
 been brought forward, in the fervice of Chrif- 
 tianity, with continued induftry, by the 
 writers i?f our Church ; and the general truth 
 and fihcerlty of our faith fo fully demonftrated, 
 in oppofition to every rifing herefy, that thofe 
 who would vindicate, its claim to regard, 
 have little, to do but to profit by their la- 
 bours, and dr^w forth the dedu<^ions of their 
 refearch. ,, ■ 
 
 If we advert to the; fecond, favourable 
 point of view, in which puf Church may be 
 confidered, we lliall find/ abundant reafoji to 
 admire that ftei^perate. fpirit, which hath uni- 
 formly guided it jn a courfe of moderation ; 
 and gradually feparated the Iting and rancour 
 of intolerance from the animation of religious 
 zeal. , 
 
 From the firfl: moment of the exertion of 
 that reafon, of which the Reformation af- 
 
 * SeePrefervative againft Popery, containing a feleftion of 
 many admirable Difcourfes, by the mpft eminent .Divines of the 
 reign of James II. among which are .pcoduftions under the dif- 
 tinguiftied names of Burnet, Cave, Hickes, Patrick, Sherlock, 
 Greve, Tillotibn, Stillingfleet, Kidder, Wake, Whitby, &c. 
 
 fertcd 
 
SERMON yil. i?75 
 
 ierted the fights, our Church difclaimed the 
 pretenfions to infallibility ; arid the preflimp- 
 tion of an exclufive title to falvation, which 
 had charafterized the Roman faith ; and pro- 
 duced that temper of bigotry and perfecu- 
 tion, which hath .difgraced its profeflbrs in 
 every age. It dealt out no anathema againft 
 other congregations, though it proclaimed 
 the conditions of the Evangelical Covenant,' 
 and reprobated the notion of indifference as 
 to the choice of faith *. Extending the folds 
 of an ample charity, it embraced,, with the 
 afFe<5lidn of common interefts and hopes, all 
 who were inclined to profit by fuch light and 
 affiftance as Ihould be afforded. It rejeded 
 
 * The 1 8th Article condemns the' prefumptuous fancy, that 
 fclvatioB is to be obtained by or in virtue of every law or feft.; 
 maintaining, nearly in the language. of Scripture, that there is 
 no other name but that of Jefu's Chrift whereby men njuft b^ 
 faved ; by which is not aJTerted, as Mr. Hume ftates, that no 
 Heathen,^ how virtuous loever, can efeape an endlefs ,ftate of 
 mifery, but only that Chrift is the fole caufe of falvation, and 
 that thofe to whom the Gofpel is propofed can have no ground 
 of confidence but by accepting its conditions. See Afts, ch. iv. 
 ver. 12. Mark, ch, xvi. ver, 16. John, ch. xiv. ver. 6. i John, 
 ch. V. ver. 11, 12, Thofe who have not heard ofjthe GofpeU 
 our Church- confiders as out of the covenant of grace, but not 
 therefore deftined to condemnation ; aware of the texts in 
 Rom. ch.ii, ver. 12—14, ij-ch.x. ver. 14. Mr. Gibbon, with 
 fagacity equal to that of Mr. Hunje, difeovers an uncharitable 
 fpirit' in the 8th Article, if there be not a typographical error. 
 See Hume, ch. xxxv. Ann. 1551 j Gibbon, ch. xv. note 7 j 
 Cranmer's Book againft Gardiner, fol. 372. 
 
 T 2 hot 
 
z'jS S E R M ON Vn. 
 
 not from its communion even thofe, whofe 
 errors it had abjured ; departing from their 
 faith, only as that faith had receded from 
 the standard of its fidehty; and holding forth 
 the right ihand of fellowlhip to all who pro- 
 fefled the efferitial doctrines of revelation * ; 
 with a moderation, the conciliatory tendency 
 of which, awakened the folicitude of its ene- 
 mies, who inlidioufly laboured to defeat its 
 intention, and to counteraft its influence f. 
 
 If, after maintaining the lufficiency of the 
 Scriptures, and the decifions of the primitive 
 ages, our Church for fome time impofed the 
 do(3:rines of human invention ; if, after aflert- 
 ing the rights of a confclentious freedom of 
 judgment, it conftrained the exertions of 
 the mind, — not by a juftifiable reje(ftion 
 from offices of inftrucSion and confideiice, 
 but by meafures of obtrulive, and even fan- 
 guinary compulfion, it was in rare and ,fo- 
 
 • The Romanifts, even in the perfons of ambafTadors from 
 foreign countries, (Continued to refort to our Churches for many- 
 years, as Lord Chief Juftice Coke hath informed us ; fo alfo 
 did the Calvinifts. The Pope, by an injunftion in 1569, di- 
 refted the Romanifts to withdraw. Heylin ftates, that the Pu- 
 ritans fet the example. Hift. Prefbyt.. 1. vi.p. 258 ; Andrevys, 
 Tortura Torti. *?: 
 
 f The policy of Rome did not deem it advantageous to the 
 Roman caufe, that any toleration or iodulgcnce fhould be 
 granted. ' 
 
 litary 
 
SERMON yil. 377 
 
 litary Inftances, ere its awakened fpirit had 
 thrown off every prejudice of a corrupt faith ; 
 ere its fecurity refted on a fettled foundation, 
 arid amidft the ftruggles of numerous and 
 ad:ive enemies, who laboured with unrerhitted 
 endeavours to efFedl its deftrudlion. 
 
 The few deeds of cruelty which ftain its 
 annals, it deplores with one common fenti- 
 ment; lamenting the errors of lingering bi- 
 /gotry *, the prejudice, which impeded the 
 operation of pi;inciples, gradually dlfclofed and 
 perfefted. 
 
 To the refolute temper of a vigorous, and 
 jTometirries rigid government, muft be afcribed 
 the laws which operated in fucceffive reigns f 
 
 with 
 
 * The conduft even of Cranraer, in the affairs of Lambert 
 and Joan Bocher, has imprinted a deep fpot on hi^ memory. 
 
 f Joan Bocher, and a Dutchman, were burnt in Edward's 
 days. ' Two Anabaptifts were executed, in the reigii of Eliza- 
 beth, on the fcore of religion; many more were imprifoiiied, 
 haraffed, and baniftied, but chiefly on the charge or fufpifcion of 
 treafon. The general proceedings of the High Commiffion 
 Court, and the oath, ex officio, were very arbitrary. Elizabeth's 
 proceedings were grounded, however, on two unexceptionable 
 principles : the firft,that confcience ought not to be coittrolled, 
 biit by the force of' truth, and the aid of time and inftruftion ; 
 and that caufes of confcience, when they exceed their bounds, 
 and grow to be matters of faftion, lofe their nature; and that 
 fovereign princes ought diftinftly to punifh their prafi;ices and 
 contempt, though coloured with the pretence of reafon and re- 
 ligion. She was reluftantly led to depart from mild meafures. 
 See Walfingham's Letters, concerning the Queen's proceed- 
 T 3 ings; 
 
5/8 SERMON VII. 
 
 with'pettal feverity. againft the aflailants of 
 its conftitution ; who, mafking malicious de- 
 signs under the pretence of confcience, or 
 framing politica;l fchemeswith religious enthu- 
 fiafm, confpired to the fubverfion as well of 
 the civil, as of the ecclefiaftical departments. 
 
 For the capricious and indifcriminate ads 
 of tyranny in the reign of Henry *, and for 
 fome tranfient traces of vindidiive perfecu- 
 tion in iubfequent times, we have no apo-, 
 logy to offer ; as they muft be imputed to that 
 miftaken zeal for religion, which blindly 
 unfheaths the fword of violence to enforce 
 its precarious dictates ; which in former ages 
 hath cpnfecrated the banners of cruelty ; and 
 difp'layed the crofs of Chrift, but to fpread 
 abroad the horrors of devaftation and blood. 
 Thofe, however, who have refle<9:ed on the 
 dangerous aftivity of that unfubdued fpirit 
 
 ings ; Burnet, Vol. III. p. 419 ; and Neal, Vol. I. p. 598 ; 
 Dodd's CJiriftian Hill.' In the reign of James I. two.Arians 
 were burnt, and a phrenzied man, who called himfelf the Holy 
 Ghoft. James, however, in general, combated with argu- 
 ment. He eftablilhed a college at Chelfea, compofed of 20 
 perfons, who \v£re to be employed in the fyftematical refutation 
 of Papifts and Puritans. Moderate Romanifts now admit, that 
 the conduft of their anceftors provoked the feverities of thofe 
 reigns. 
 
 * Under the operation of the ftatute 0/ the Six Articles, Pa-" 
 pifts and Frotellants were conveyed to execution on the fame 
 hurdle. 
 
 which 
 
S- E R M O N VII. z^^ 
 
 •which animated the caufe of the deprelTed 
 party in the reign of Elizabeth * and James ; 
 which A^ras inftigated by the Roman pontiff, to 
 whom it continued to affign a temporal and 
 univerfal fceptre, and a depofmg authority -f"; 
 which leagued with the formidable and 
 threatening enemies of the country at cri- 
 tical and alarming moments ; which every 
 where cherifhed a fufpefted flume, and be- 
 trayed the materials of dangerous prepara- 
 tion, will not difpute the neceffity of fome 
 
 * The Romanifts deiigned to fubvert the conftitution in 
 State as well as Church ; to eftablifti the inquifition under a 
 lefs odious name ; to depofe the Queen ; to new-model the 
 Parliament, with a mixture of ecclefiaftics s and alfo to change 
 the mode of trial by juries ; " twelve filly men," as they were 
 calledi See Parfons' Memorial, with Gee's notes, p. i. b. iii. 
 ch. 45 Foulis's Hiilory of Treafon; Dodd's Church Hiftory. 
 
 f See Jewell's View of a Seditious Bull J Burleigh's Trafts, 
 p. 14 ; Plowden's Church and State, b. i^ ch. 9. b. ii. ch. 7 ; 
 Confpiracy for Tpretended Reformation, &Cv It is a curious 
 circumftaince, that an anfwer to Sir Henry Saville's tranflation 
 of King James's Apology for the Oath of Allegiance, which 
 was made by command of the Conclave by f rancifco Suarez, 
 and entitled Defenfio Fidei Catholicae, was interlined, by the 
 Inquilition at Rome with the doflrihe of depofing and of killing 
 princes j though deteiied by the writer of the Anfwer. See 
 Dr. King's Letter to Walker, prefixed to Hooker's Ecclefialli- 
 cal Polity. The proceedings of the Jefuits to re-eftablifh 
 Popery, exhibit a moft remarkable contmuance of mifchievous 
 defigns .providentially defeated." The feminaries at Rome, 
 Rheims, Valladolid, Saville, St. Omer's, and Douay, counte- 
 nanced, fay the refentment of Philip and the Pope, were fchools 
 of men inftrudled to avail themfelves of every paffion and oc- 
 fafion. 
 
 T 4 extraordinary , 
 
sSo ^ S E R M ON VII. 
 
 extraordinary feverities for the fecurify of the 
 kingdom. 
 
 Thofe, likewife, on the other hand, who 
 haye confidered the mifchievous and offenfive 
 condud: *" of the oppofite party> which fanned ' 
 every fpark of difcontent, and encouraged 
 every breeze of difaffedlion ; which eftabHfhed 
 its riurferies of diflenfion in every part, and in- 
 flamed them with the fanatic notion of their 
 deflination to eftablifli a pattern of imaginary 
 perfe(3:ipn~ of civil and religious difcipline -f- ; 
 thofe who review the charadler of fiich times, 
 cannot be furprifed at difcovering fome adts of 
 rigour in the adminiftration of the fecular 
 
 * Scurrilities and infults were daily iffued from the prefs 
 and the pulpit, even in the time of Elizabeth. See Martin 
 Mar-Prelate; More Work for the Cooper; Thefes Martinians, 
 and other feditious and fchifraatical trafh. Thefe were an- 
 fwered in the fame ftyle of low pleafantry : as by Pafquil's 
 Apology, a Counter Cuff given to Martin, a Fig for my God- 
 fon, &c. Weekly meetings were eftabliftied for cokfultation 
 by the Puritans, and a confiftory fet up in London. Thefe took 
 upon them to appoint fafts ; and they avowed the defign of in- 
 roducing the difcipline. Their proceedings were fo feditious, 
 that Leicefter and Walfmgham deferted them ; and Heyliti 
 ftates, that at a m^eeting at Cambridge, at which Cartwright 
 and Perkins were prefent, they went fo far as to take into coh- 
 fideration how the archbiftiops, bilhops, and other dignitaries, 
 with their appendages, fliould be provided for when ejefted 
 from their preferriient. 
 
 f The enthufiaftic fancies of e!e£lion, and the perverted de- 
 plarations of promifes of Scripture, were induftrioufly employed 
 (p kindle a ipirit of enterprize among th« people. 
 
 powfcr J 
 
SERMON VII. 581 
 
 power : or cannot at leaft difpute, l;hat they 
 relulted from political apprehenfion ; and not 
 from the fuggeflion of the Church, which, 
 wheup its voice was refpe(5led, had betrayed 
 no intemperance of ipirit; ha4 fliewn no wiih 
 
 -io retaliate the cruelties of Mary's reign*; 
 and by its mild and conciliatory temper vhad 
 Sometimes gained its adverfaries to reverence 
 its decifions; and pleaded, with efFe<9:ual fup- 
 plication, for the condemned f. 
 
 By the difcreet and temperate meafures of* 
 the Reformers, perfuading and exhorting men 
 to a confideration of the evidence of truth, 
 was the caufe of reformation advanced ; and 
 not by violence or perfecution. While the 
 
 >>' Scriptures were commended, th« fpirit which 
 
 ■ they breathe was infenfibly adopted ; and if 
 we, refled: on the operation of human paf- 
 
 ' fions, and confider how invariably their fug- 
 geftions fhlngle with the befl: defigns, we fhall 
 
 , jfind fubjed; of admiration, that the caufe of 
 religion could, with fo few exceptions, be 
 
 * Even Bonner efcaped, though there were grounds for 
 ■ proceeding againft him, for having exceeded the fanguinary 
 comraiffions which he ihad received. , 
 
 t See the accounts of Whitgift's condua towards Snape, 
 ,(Cartwright, and Udal j fee alfo his Letter to Beza j likewife 
 , the Relation of Hooker's behaviour to Travers ; Preface to Ec- 
 • • ele^afti^al Polity, &c. 
 
 allowed 
 
58a , S E R M O N VII. 
 
 allowed to previail by its own force ; and that 
 iamidft anxious folicitude, and eonfiidting in- 
 -terefts and diffieulties;.it ibould eftablifla its 
 decrees with fo little violence. 
 
 Look we back to the vaft ftru^ure of fu- 
 perftition- which had been raifed by the ac- 
 cumulations of fucceffive ages ; behold it 
 darkening the land by its fliadow ; reverenced 
 by the multitude, and defended by a zealous 
 and powerful combination of the elevated 
 members of Society ; fee it collapfe with fud- 
 den fall; without injury to the country ; with; 
 out even involving its corrupt fupporters in 
 its ruin, any farther than as their interefts 
 Were immediately implicated and entwined 
 with the departments which were removed, 
 and we Ihall have caufe to venerate the pow- 
 erful operation of truth, which could th\is 
 break up and deftroy a fabrick fo ffcupen- 
 dous. 
 
 It has been often urged as a want of mode- 
 ration in our Church, that it did not concede 
 a little to the prejudices of thofe " weak 
 " brethren," who firft feparated from its com- 
 munion on fome incohfiderable objedlions to, 
 the rites and veftments of its reformed fer- 
 vice. If, however, we reflect how few and 
 fimple were the particulars of external ob- 
 
 fervance 
 
S E R M ON VII. 283 
 
 fervance ■which were infifted on ; how juftifi- 
 able they were from ancient precedent and 
 general approbation; and how neceflary it was 
 that inward and Spiritual impreffions fhould be 
 fignified by exterior tokens of indication and 
 reverence, we fhall be inchned to think that 
 the temper, which was offended at the decent 
 and expreffive ceremonial that was retained, 
 muft have been blinded by indifcriminate zeal, 
 and folicitous to difcover blemilhes* ; and that 
 as the queflion of the right of the Church to 
 dired: in concerns of external arrangement and 
 order was involved in the difpute, we fliould 
 not^condemn the firmnefs which oppofed it- 
 /elf to the reftlefs fpirit of innovation. At 
 
 * Waliingham did ofFer to procure an indulgence for the 
 . Puritans, as to the furpfice, kneeling at the facraraent, and the 
 crofs in baptifm. They anfwered-. That not an hoof fhould be 
 left behind. Lord Burleigh directed fome of the difcontented 
 party to prepare a liturgy : one clafs accordingly devifeda plan 
 upon the Ge.neva fyftem, to which fix hundred objeftions were 
 made by a fecond clafs; and the alterations were difapprovcd 
 by a third, againft whofe ideas a fourth clafs offered their objec- 
 tions ; when the prudent Statefman difraiffed them all, affuring 
 them, that, when they did agree in any liturgy univerfally ac- 
 ceptable, he would affift them. See Heylin's Hiflory of Pref- 
 byterians, 1. vii. fol. 506. The author of the Conffeffional ad- 
 mits, that fome perfons fep^irated from our Church, whofe pride, 
 pafTion, and felf-conceit, knew no bounds ; and whom, pro- 
 bably, the moil rea:fonable forms would not have retained. 
 See alfo Calamy's Life of Baxter, p. 497 ; by which it appears, 
 how difficult it would hawe been to fatisfy the moft moderate 
 Nonconforxnifts. 1 
 
 the 
 
584 SERMON VIL 
 
 the fame time we cannot but with for- 
 row refleft that a feparation, originating in 
 iuch flight caufes, Ihould, with r^fpedl to 
 many, have widened with increafmg depar- 
 ture, into a fchifm' in great and fundamental 
 dodlrines. 
 
 If we profecute the enquiry, we fliall find, , 
 that, when with the mofl fatal exceifes *' re- ; 
 " ligion was turned into rebelHon, and faith 
 " into faftlon," the fmcere fervants of Chrift, 
 who fcarcely breathed under the terror and 
 oppreffive fway of thofe who had clamoured 
 for toleration *, nouriftied no vindidive ha- 
 tred againft their oppreflbrs; though they be- 
 held, amidil fcenes of terror and deftriiftion,' 
 their facred fedifices profaned and defaced,,- 
 and the rights and offices of their appointed 
 ftations invaded and ipoiled f . 
 
 When. 
 
 * Hume ftates the Independents , to have been the firft feft 
 which, during its profperity and adverfity, always adopted the 
 principles of toleration. Popery and Prelacy, however, he al- 
 lows, were by them treated with rigour ; and they deemed the ' 
 doftrine oF fate effential to all religion. Hume, ch. 57.^ The 
 Prefbyterians called toleration an hideous monfter; the great 
 Diana of the Independents ; and had no wifh to encourage it.' ■ 
 In the treaty of the Ifle of Wight, they refufed to allow to 
 Charles the ufe of the Common Prayer-Pook in his own fa- 
 m!ily. In a ftate of fubjeftion they pleaded for toleration, as, 
 all dependent fedls do, but forgot it when in power. 
 
 f From 1641 to 1647, 115 minifters were deprived in Lon- 
 don, exclufive of St. Paul's and Weflrainfter. , More werede-, 
 ' privefi 
 
SERMON VII. 285 
 
 When the unfettled and incoherent frame, 
 "which had been upheld by the vigour of a 
 fingle arm, fell to pieces ; and the Church, on 
 the return of exiled monarchy, was raifed 
 ' from the duft, it was ftained with no cruelty 
 towards its forgiven enemies. The decree of 
 juftice difpofTefled of the feats which they had 
 feized, thofe perfbns only who had occupied 
 them to the prejudice of the rightful claim- 
 ants ; or who refufed conformity to the ap- 
 pointed ordinances of the Church*, and decla- 
 rations of allegiance to the civil government. 
 
 If, when fchemes of comprehenfiori were 
 projected, the advocates of the eftablifliment 
 were very vehemently charged v\4th inflexibi- 
 lity in refufing to concede any change ; it 
 fliould be remembered, that little hope could 
 be entertained of agreement with men who 
 perlifted in a reparation; condemned by. all dif- 
 interefted and impartial obfervers f ; who pro- 
 
 prived in the fpace of three years, than in the reigh of Mary. 
 The benefices were f.lled with bafe and fubfervient, minifters. 
 See Walker's Attempt towards recovering an Account of the 
 Sufferings of the Clergy. 
 
 " See Statute of Uniformity, 13 & 14 Car. II. c. 4. AbovS 
 2000 loft their preferment, and muft be allowed the credit of 
 a fincerity which deferved confideration. 
 
 t As by Calvin, Beza, &c. See alfo. Monf. k Moyne's, 
 Monf. de I'Angle's, and Monf. Claude's Letters, in Collier, 
 Vol.' II. p. ii. b. ix. 
 
 pofed. 
 
sS6 S E R MO N VII. 
 
 pofed, as the conditions of union, a modification 
 ofthe epifcopal form of government in accom- 
 modatioji to the Prelbyterian model ; the abo- 
 lition of unperverted ceremonies and diftindl- 
 ive veftments ; and the adoption of a new li- 
 turgy, drawn up by a fmgle hand unprad;ifed 
 in the forms of antiquity *. The fevere pro- 
 hibitions, which were for a time enabled againft 
 feditious conventicles, eftabliflied under pre- 
 tence of the exercife of religion, were framed 
 in difcouragement of that rebellious fpirit which 
 continued occafibnally to difplay its unextin- 
 guifhed flames -f*, and were feldom enforced 
 except where the fafety of the State was con- 
 cerned. The Sovereign, who had been himfelf 
 opprelTed, was taught .by the charitable in- 
 ftru6tions of our Church, as well as by the 
 voice of feftaries J, how odious, both to God 
 and man, an oppreflbr muft he ; and in his 
 
 * See the Account of the Proceedings at the Savoy Confe- 
 rence. 
 
 ■ -j- As by the rifing of the fifth monarchy men, arid the con- . 
 fpiracy of the'Rump Parliament in i663,the Rye-Houfe Plot, 
 &c. See Hift. of Plot Inform, p. 136; Titles of London 
 Cafes ; Grove's'Perfuafive, &c. - • 
 
 J See the manly Preface' to Barclay^s Apology. The 
 'Quakers fufFered in this reign ; but it was chiefly for refufing' 
 to pay tithes, and take the oath required by the law. As their 
 refufal feems to have been diftated by religious fcruples, we 
 may regret the operation of the law, and approve of the, expe- 
 dients adopted for their relief. 
 
 / reign 
 
SjE RiM O N VII. a8; 
 
 reign the only remaining decfee.of perfecution 
 which di^raced its laws was repealed *. 
 
 From this period, though o'ppofite intcrefts 
 have combined in unnatural union, and per- 
 fifted with unaltered enmity againft the 
 Church, it hath encouraged an increafmg fpi- 
 rit of moderation and indulgence; and reftedj; 
 as to human protedlion,. for fecurity only on 
 its legal and conftltutional barriers, and on the, 
 conviftion excited by the admirable vindica- 
 tions of its caufe, 
 
 The moderation and tolerant fpirit of our 
 Church having been fufficiently Ihewn, we 
 fball proceed to demonftrate that it has ad- 
 vanced the effential interefts of the country; as 
 well by confpiring with the dedfigns of civil 
 Mberty, as by promoting moral and religious 
 virtue. 
 
 "I^lie deliverance from the Papal llipre- 
 macy, was,, as wS'have feen, an emancipation 
 
 • By, virtue of the Statute 29 Car. II. c. g. the Writ de 
 . Hseretico comburendb was aboliflied j " the laft badge of per- 
 "feciitionin the Englifh law," fays Blackftone.b. iv. ch. 4. 
 An heretic is ftillliabfe to^be'imprifoned, by the writ de Ex- 
 communicato Capiendo, till he make fatisfaftion to the Church, 
 which properly foregoes the power, frond a conviftion thatfpd- 
 culative errors, which countenance no praftical evil, fliould be^ 
 controlled by force of argument, and not by imprifonment and 
 bonds ; and that the cauf6 of troth can be little promoted by 
 the extortion of official fees. 
 
 from 
 
izSS S ER M O'N VII. 
 
 from* civil, as well' as from Spiritual tyranny j 
 and every apprehenfion of the return of the 
 Romiih fkith, has been conned:ed in calm and 
 coniidpraible reflection, as well as in popular 
 fea^, with *he ■ apprehenlion of the return of 
 arl^trary power. Thofe who vindicated the 
 rejedlion of the Papal ufurpation, opened the 
 great principles of our'Conftitutional fecurity '; 
 and every ftruggle for a removal of reftric- 
 tions on the confcience, has facilitated the 
 exertions of political wifdom* Religious and 
 civil liberty flourilh under the fame patronage, 
 and expand by the fame favour. From the 
 beginning of the Reformation, till its corri- 
 pletion in the reign of Elizabeth, the advo- 
 cates of the one were the advocates of the 
 other ; and it was only when the pretence of 
 liberty was made " a cloak of malicioufiiefs," 
 that the members of our Church were placed 
 in oppofition to thofe who profeifed a wilh to : 
 advance the caufe of general fecurity ; and , 
 whofe meafures, however they might even- 
 tually contribute to the attainment of equi- 
 table proviiions, were certainly intemperate in 
 their execution,, and extremely deftru^ive in' 
 their immediate operation and tendencies. , 
 
 In the firft reigns which fucceeded the af- 
 fignment of the fupremacy to the fovereign 
 
 power. 
 
SERMON VII. aS^ 
 
 power, the pretenlions of the prerogative were 
 domineering, and impatient of control. ,The 
 flattery, however, which infcribed the diadem 
 with a facred ana indefeafible title, and 
 chained tKe fubjed in flavilh and unrefifting 
 lubmiflion to the throne, originated not with 
 the reformed Clergy ; though it continued to 
 be fupported by them in conformity with a 
 prevailing petfualion, and in oppoiition to 
 the wild enthuliafm of thofe vvho fought 
 rudely to tear away every ancient ianftion of 
 authority ; and whatever may have been the 
 fervile language of individuals who had flou- 
 riflied under Royal favour ; or the intemperate 
 zeal of loyalty, heightened by the fenfe of 
 danger, and by generous attachnient to a de- 
 clining caufe*, it does not appear that the 
 
 minifters' 
 
 * The Homilies breathed the fpirit pf ihe ,tjijie in which they 
 appe^fed ; and the do6lrine of unqualified fubmiffion was as 
 jnuch the dodlrine of the ijpbility and Parliament as of the 
 clergy. In the relgti of Elizabeth, GifFord, a clergymanj was 
 degraded for preaching a limited obedience> In the reign, of 
 Jaine's, there was a Bifhop Andrews at Court a,s well as a Jriflipp, 
 Neile i thoagh certainly the clergy in that reign pufhed ihp 
 dodrine df fiibmiflion much too far 5 and farther indeeli than^ 
 the King himfelf approved, when it interfered with his poli- 
 tics J as on the occaiion of his affijlipg the Hollanders againft 
 Spain. See Biograph. Britan. art. Abbott. Their ton? how- 
 ever was higheft when flie oppofitg principles prevailed to the- 
 moll extravaigattt extent ; and it was increafed in 1640, by' 
 loyal apprehenfxons for a Sovereign harlhly treated and forely 
 U preffed. 
 
i3C)o- SERMON VII. 
 
 minlfters of our Church have been, at any 
 time infenfible to the claims, or unfriendly to 
 the temperatCi exertions of liberty : on the 
 contrary, they have in fignal instances been 
 its diftinguifhed; favourers. They awakened 
 the fpirit which accomplilhed that revolution, 
 to which the friends of freedom look with 
 fondefl veneration *, as to the renovated bafis 
 of the conftitution ; and on many pccafions 
 they have affifted in the ftruggles, and glo- 
 ried in the triumphs, of patriotifra. 
 
 If, in general, they have been found to 
 plead for eftablilhed powers, and fought to 
 moderate the excefles of popular innovation ; 
 if they have laboured to implant the prin- 
 ciple of a confcientious obedience on the 
 ground of religious duty, and have uniformly 
 pppofed thofe wild and pernicious notions 
 
 preffed. When the fad neceffity exifled, a principle of becom- 
 ing refiftance was to be found among the clergy. The objec- 
 tionable doftrine died away with the Nonjurors, except whjsn 
 the voice of party occafionally revived it. 
 
 * The conduft of the clergy, at the period of the Revolu- 
 tion, has been often celebrated; efpecially with refpeft to the 
 proceedings of the Univerfities, Bifhop Compton, the archbi- 
 ihops and fix biihops ; the refufal to read the King's infidious 
 declaration, and the general oppofition to the ecclefiaftical com- 
 miffion : for which the whole body received the thanks of Par- 
 liament. See Journals of Houfe of Commons in 1686; Bi- 
 fhop of London's Sermons, Vol. II. Sermon VII. &c. 
 
 which 
 
SERMON VII. sgi 
 
 which unfettle ftates, it is becaufe they have 
 confiilted the real interefts of fociety. 
 
 Converfant with the examples of former 
 times, and the profound reafonings of learned 
 writers, and convinced of the folidity of thofe 
 principles which, are founded on confideration 
 of the permanent paffions of men, they liftcn 
 not to theories which are framed without re- 
 Ipeft to the reftri<S;ions which long experience 
 hath commended ; they confent not to facri- 
 fice certain bleffings for contingent advan- 
 tage: ; they embark not on tempeftuous feas 
 for precarious profit. Any erroneous fenti- 
 ments which they may have occafionally 
 maintained on llibje6ls of warm difcuffion, 
 and afFedling various interefts, have been ex- 
 aggerated, as the , more exceptionable from 
 men from whom reafonable councils are 
 generally expedled, and generally heard ; 
 have left a ftrong impreffioh ; and often caft 
 anundeferved difcredit on the body of a pro- 
 feffion, marked out by a diftind: character, 
 and viewed under the colourings of a tranf- 
 mitted fame from age to age. -But if we 
 judge of their general principles as colledled 
 from the writings of acknowledged autho- 
 rity, they win be found to exprefs a juft mo- 
 deration on fcibje6ls of public intereft ; to re- 
 
 U 2 prefent. 
 
393 S E R M O'N VII. 
 
 prefent, in confiftericy with the voice of ret 
 velation, the general good to be the objed 
 and end of all government ; and to fuppole 
 authority, as ratified by that fan^lion, and obe- 
 dience commanded on that confiderationi : 
 
 The true interefts of the country have been 
 efFeftually advanced by the voice of religion> 
 as confpirin^ vv^ith the temperate exertions cf 
 freedom; and it will appear alio unqueftionabic 
 to every candid and impartial enquirer, that 
 the effential welfare of the kingdom has been^ 
 in every period, confiderably promoted by 
 its reformed preachers ; whofe objedl has ever 
 been to regulate the paffions by the guidance 
 of the underftanding, which they have fou^Jt 
 to enlighten. The firft precepts conveyed by 
 the minifters of reftored Chriftianity, taught 
 the people no longer to confide in the me«- 
 chanical appointments which had been fub* 
 ftituted for the vital works of Chriftianity, by 
 thofe who had availed themfelves of religicrus 
 affections to imprefs the mind with prejudi^^ 
 cial images *. They inflru<fted them to abide 
 by the laws of Chrifl's Teflament, and in* 
 formed them that they were " not redeemed 
 
 * See theihjun£lionsofHenryin I536;0f Edw^dim547; 
 of Elizabeth in 1 551, compared with that of Mary in 1554- ' 
 
 " with 
 
SERMON VII. 593 
 
 " with corruptible things, as fdver and goldj 
 " from their vain converfation, as received by 
 '' tradition from their fathers ; but with the 
 *' precious blood of Chiift, as of a lamb w^ith- 
 " out blemifh and without fpot." Thus were 
 the people led to abhor their ancient fuperfti- 
 tion * of ceremonious offices, of venal indul- 
 gen-ce f and numerated fervices, g.nd to la- 
 bour for the cultivation of a juft faith, dc'- 
 monftrated by the expreffion of practical 
 righteoufoefs J. The fame ufeful inftruxflion 
 hath uniformly continued to promote a found, 
 and unchanging morality, eftablifhed on re- 
 vealed principles ; hath inftilled its early lef- 
 ibns into tfee youth whofe education it lii- 
 peiin tends, and infufed its unceafmg maxims 
 through every clafs and department of fo- 
 fiety. 
 
 It comporteth not with that fpirit of hu- 
 mility, which adorns the profeffion of the 
 Chriftian fervice, to difplay itspretenfions to 
 the regard of men, any farther than is necef- 
 
 * Jajn prinium feiio docilis tua tempera Roxoa 
 Eru'buit, pudet exaili temporis, olit n 
 Prsetericos fcedis cum religionibus annos. 
 :|- Coelma venale deufque. 
 
 X Religionem 
 
 Qu£e filo infertis nmnerat fua murmura Bacchis. 
 
 Mantuan.' 
 
 - U 3 fary 
 
294 SERMON VII. 
 
 fary to illuftrate the tendency of the prin- 
 ciples which we feek to commend; but it 
 were a derogation from the caufe we plead, 
 and an omiffion injurious to the claims of 
 diftinguifhed virtue, to withhold a teftimony 
 of praife from thofe eminent men, who have 
 ftr'eamed in the radiance of a long fucceffion, 
 the examples and ornaments of our Church. 
 Where fp many have contributed to the ad- 
 vancement of the work that has engaged our 
 attention, we have not feledled individuals 
 for partial celebration ; though many names, 
 dear to remembrance, may have feemed to 
 challenge peculiar attention. The prihciples 
 eftablifhed ;n our Church are accepted on 
 the ground of their own excellency, and re- 
 quite not the fan6lion of authority. They 
 were commended, without affumption of 
 perfonal afcendency, by thofe who were wil- 
 ling ;that their reputation Ihould fade in the 
 tranfcendency of Chrift's glory, and their in- 
 fbruftions refolve themfelves into his laws. 
 Yet from the days of thofe, " by whom the 
 Lord wrought great power at the b'eginning," 
 when the rifing caufe derived a luftre from 
 the candid and difinterefted virtues of Cran- 
 mer, the unfhaken firmnefs and enlightened 
 mind of Ridley, the earnell zeal of repentant 
 
 Latimer, 
 
SERMON VII. 295 
 
 Latimer, how many have flourifhed in the 
 lineage of the facred order, whofe memorial 
 might be produced with impreffive effeft ! 
 Since where were any among thofe " who 
 have left a name behind them, that their 
 praifes might be reported," more juftly fa- 
 mous as " leaders of the people by their know- 
 ledge of learning meet for their diredion," 
 " eloquent in their inftrudions ?" Where 
 were any more " peaceable in their habita- 
 tions," " more honoured as the gl6ry of their 
 times," " giving counfel by their underftand- 
 ing, and ' declaring prophecies ;" " merciful 
 men, whofe righteoufn^fs hath not been for- 
 gotten ;"'foremoft in the ranks of literature ; 
 recorded in every monument of benevolence; 
 erninent in the circles of domeftic virtue *. 
 
 May thofe who flicceed in their miniftry 
 walk in their footfteps, and emulate the ex- 
 cellency of their lives ; may " the people tell 
 alfo of their wifdom, and the congregation 
 fliew forth their praife :" may the Almighty, 
 with protecting care of his Church, " give 
 them wifdom in their heart to guide his peo- 
 ple in righteoufnefs, that their good things be 
 not abolilhed, and that their glory may endure 
 for ever-j-." 
 
 * Ecclus. ch, sliv, f Ecclus. ch. xlv, ver. 26. 
 
 U 4 . SERMON 
 
SERMON VIII. 
 
 Ephes. iv. 3. 
 
 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in 
 the btmd of peace. 
 
 ON a contemplation of the full fcope, 
 and perfed; defign of, the Gofpel, it ap- 
 pears to be intended for the promotion of a 
 faith in Chrift, that may illuftrate its excellen- 
 cy by the expreffion of benevolent afFe<3;ions 
 to men. A difpenfation which reveals the Di- 
 vine attributes, and defcribes the infirmity of 
 the human nature, endeavours to aw^aken re- 
 ligious fentiments by motives of gratitude 
 and intimations of dependence ; and the com- 
 munications of good will towards mankind 
 flipulate, as the conditions of favour, a cul- 
 tivation of thofe moral virtues, which, while 
 they conciliate peace on earth, contribute to 
 
 an 
 
598 SERMON VIII. 
 
 an Improvement fufceptible of heavenly re- 
 compence. 
 
 The intimate reliance and union that are 
 imported by thofe declarations, which refpedl 
 the prefidency of Chrift in fupreme connec- 
 tion vv^ith his Church ; and the permanent re- 
 fidency of the Spirit, fanAifying the bodies of 
 the Difciples of our Lord in adaptation to 
 fuch affinity ; furniih to religious refledtion 
 the moll awful confi derations to enforce an 
 imitation of that great example by which we 
 are required to model ourfelves in conformity 
 to " one body and one Spirit." 
 
 To the prefervation of the coherence and 
 union of the frame, which was formed in de- 
 pendency on him who was the myftical head, 
 the infpired writers difplay an earneft folici- 
 tude ; labour to produce " the efFetSual work- 
 " ing in the meafure of every part," only to 
 advance a proportioned and improving fym- 
 metry of the body,' " increasing unto the 
 " edifying of itfelf in love." With fervent and 
 reiterated fupplication they intreat the bre- 
 thren, in the name of the Lord, Jefus Chrift, 
 that they " all fpeak the fame thing, and 
 " that , there be iio divifions among them, 
 " but that they be perfedly joined, together 
 " in the fame mind and in the fame judg- 
 
 " ment;" 
 
SERMON. VIII. sgg 
 
 " ment;" that reje<fting claffes of diftinc- 
 tion, and titles of fedaries, they fliould all 
 unite in " one faith," under " one Lord." 
 For trivial matters, and " foolilh queftions, and 
 " oppofitions of fcience, falfely fo called*," 
 it is forbidden to enter into vain and un- 
 profitable controverfy, and " doubtful difpu- 
 *' tations f ;" while in perfect confiftency 
 with thefe principles, and with defign to fe- 
 cure the integrity of the body, are thofe, who, 
 are called in one hope, inftxudled, to " take 
 " heed unto their doArine J ;" to contend for 
 the faith once delivereci to the faints; to 
 " hold fall the form of found words §," and 
 the man who is an heretic after the firft 
 and fecond admonition to reje<3;|[. 
 
 From the tendency of thefe and fimilar 
 precepts, compared and followed up in the 
 connediion of their defign, may be deduced 
 the moft important inllrudiion for the main- 
 tenance of that faith and that charity, which 
 fhould be joined in infeparable union. 
 
 In conlideration of the faith commended 
 
 * I Tim. ch. vi. ver. 20. 
 
 f Romans, ch. xiv. ver. i — 17. Galat. ch. v. ver. 6, 
 
 % 1 Tim. ch. iv. ver. 16. Theff. ch. ii. ver. 15. 
 
 § 2 Tim. ch. i. ver. 13. 
 
 II Titus, ch. iii. ver. 10. 
 
 by 
 
300 SERMON VHI. 
 
 by the facred writers, it is evident that it is 
 repfefented as the objeft not of confirained 
 and involuntary convidion, but of: rational 
 enquiry. The teftimony which is offered to 
 the obfervation of the mind, is not obtruded 
 as a light to overpower its faculties with ir- 
 refiftible impreffion ; but unfolds itfelf with 
 gradual di^ky, and increafing evidence, as it 
 is viewed with fteady and perfevering exa- 
 mination. The underftanding is invited, fay 
 alluring confiderations, to liberate itfelf from 
 the dominion of thole paffions which ob- 
 ftrudl the exercife of the intelleftual powers; 
 is called upon to " fearch the Scriptures," 
 and " to try the Spirits, whether they be 
 *' of God *." Striking arguments prefent 
 themfelves to the mofi: careiefs and unin- 
 ftru(2ed mind, and are fufficiently brought 
 forward by the teachers and paftors whom 
 God has provided. The Gofpel bearcth the 
 {lamp of the Divine feal, and commends it- 
 felf to all by the conformity of its principles 
 to the dedudtions of reafon ; but as external 
 confirmation is fought, as retired witneffes are 
 examined, the documents multiply, the de- 
 
 * See John, ch. v. ver. 39. Afts, ch. xvii. ver. 1 1. 2 Cor. 
 ch, xiii. ver. 5. i Theffal. ch. v. ver. zi. 
 
 mojiftratioa 
 
S E R M O N VIII. 301 
 
 monftration iftrergtheris. Every date that 
 accuracy explores may contribute to f«bftan- 
 tiate the completion of prophecy; and.'tvery 
 recoord' which diligence revolves may corrobo- 
 rate that imprefliVe evidence which is dedu- 
 ciblc from the examination of the general 
 fuffrdigc of works of every defcription ; of re- 
 cords difperfed through different countries in 
 different languages, and often refcued, in mo- 
 dern times, from privacy and negledl. Hence 
 it is that literature and knowledge are aufpi- 
 cious to teligion, and anxious to confecrate 
 their fervices to its \caufej and hence it is 
 that thofe men of fuperficial attainments, 
 who are " carried about" with the impulfe 
 of every variation, are found to reafon rather 
 from fpeculative fancy than frcma hiftorical 
 tefearch : indulge; a fcepticifm of conje<5hire ; 
 and while they acquielce in the rague con- 
 ceptions of their own mind, indolently de- 
 cline, or faftidiovifly refufe, to inflitute that 
 fearch which is necefiaiy to corred; error, and 
 to inftriad: ignorance. 
 
 As the fedulityof enqtiiry is represented to 
 be ferviceable to the adoption of faith, fo is 
 the firmnefe of conffancy deenaed effential to 
 its prefer vaiticJn. Aware of the crafty iaduftry 
 of thofe, who by iteceiving others derive a 
 
 fancied 
 
303 SERMON VIIL 
 
 fancied countenance in evil ; revelation deli- 
 vers 'injund;ions, that, after having attained 
 the full ftature of manhood, we fliould no 
 longer betray the fickle inftability of chil- 
 dren; that when the whole chain of evi- 
 dence, which connects the fcheme of religibn, 
 has been examined in all its links, and the 
 hopes of mankind have appeared to be fuf- 
 pended in lure reliance on the Divine mer- 
 cy, we relinquilh not fuch dependency for 
 the illufions of the human fancy;' that hav- 
 ing, after mature deliberation, " learrted, 
 " and been aflured" of the truth, we abide 
 by it, and attempt not to walk on the preca- 
 rious waves of life with that unconfirmed 
 faith which cannot but fink amidft the dan- 
 gers that it will experience. 
 
 The ' examination and conftancy which 
 ihould influence and confirm our convidlions 
 of the general evidence and dodtrines of reli- 
 gion, Ihould alfo regulate our condud: as to the 
 external profefllon of the faith, and operate in 
 guiding us as to our refort to, and abode in, 
 thofe courts in which truth appears beft to flou- 
 ri(h. A continuance in communion with any 
 congregation in which fundamental errors 
 fanftion corrupt worfliip, cannot be juftified 
 by any confiderations of cuftom, of kindred, or 
 
 of 
 
SERMON VIII. 303 
 
 of fubmiffion to earthly decrees. Better 
 were it for two or three to affemble in pri- 
 vate Sincerity ; better were it to retreat to 
 the folitary chamber, which looketh towards 
 God's temple, though it expofe us to the 
 perfecution of unrighteous men *, than to 
 partake of the lins of thofe who violate the 
 politive ordinances of • God. But, on the 
 other hand, a derelid:ion of any duly confti- 
 tuted Church, upon objections of inconfider- 
 able moment, is a diffevering of that union 
 which is highly acceptable to God; and a cri- 
 minal adl, involving a reiponfibility in pro- 
 portion to the departure from truth, and the 
 diffenfion and enmity which it muft neceia- 
 rily occafion-f'. 
 
 A? the hope and exped;ation of union is 
 built on the, prefumption of Sincere enquiry, 
 the prefervation of it is with propriety con- 
 lidered as within the province and power of 
 the will. Guilt is reprefented to affociate it- 
 fclf to the wanderings of error, and wicked- 
 nefs appears to overfliadow the fteps which 
 depart from truth. ' 
 
 * Dan, ch. vi. ver. 10. 
 
 •J- Unity in the Church, fays Thorndyke, is' of fo great ad. 
 vantage to the fervice of God, that it ought to overfhadow and 
 cover very great imperfections in the laws of the Church. See 
 Preface to Epilogue. 
 
 With 
 
304 SERMON VIII. 
 
 With defign to enforcc'the application of 
 thefe momentcjus confiderations, we lllall en- 
 deavour, in the conclufion df our general 
 fubj€(3:, to demonftrate the following propo- 
 fitions. Firft, that as fa* as refpefts our imme- 
 diate cdndudt, the prefervation of the unity 
 of the faith will be moft effed:uallj confulted 
 by an adherence to the fundamental principles 
 which appear to hare been adopted by our 
 Church, vipon the moft deliberate regard to 
 experience, the interefts of religion, and the 
 welfare of fociety ; and fecondly, that while 
 it is the duty of all claiTes of men to pro- 
 mote fuch further regulations as Iball be 
 proved to be clearly expedient and favourable 
 to the advancement of Chriftianity, a ftrift 
 attention Ihould be paid to the maintenance 
 <)f that peace and harmony which refult from 
 obfefvance of the charitable leflbns of reve- 
 lation. 
 
 In coniideration of the fubje^ls which have 
 paffed in review before us in the fiicceffive 
 parts of our continued difquifition, it has ap- 
 peared, it is prefumed, with fufficient, though 
 imperfedl illuftratidn, that the Church of 
 England has not only been reformed from 
 thofe abufes which for many ages difparaged 
 the fame, and obftrudled the efFedls of Chrif-r. 
 
 tianity, 
 
S E R M O N VIII. 305 
 
 tianity, but that 'it has be^rneftablifjiedj as to 
 its main pillarsy,on principles eflential to the 
 chara<9:er, and favourable to the impreffions> 
 of religion. , •■ ' ' . - 
 
 The excellency of thofe' 'principles muft 
 always be eftimated by a ^reference to the 
 evils from which they delivered us ; and with 
 regard to paffions which 'are ever; ready to re- 
 new their inifohief, and to convert. the Eden, 
 ■which God hath planted, into a {cene of con- 
 demnation and Gonfcious difbbedience. ■ For 
 this reafon it was judged neceffary to dilate 
 with full, though^ not exaggerated defcrip- 
 tion, on the exceffive growth and gigantic fea- 
 ture of that Ipiifitual tyrknnywrhich was de- 
 ftroyed by the fiirft ■ Ipear of the Reform- 
 ers*; and thofe who will revert to the 
 
 caufes 
 
 * It is expedient fometimes to revive the memory of the 
 real charafter of the papal ufurpations,.Jince the prefent advo- 
 cates for the fupremacy endeavour to reprefent its moft extra- 
 vagant pretenlions to have been grounded on reafonable and 
 falutary principles. Thus Mr. Robert Plowden aiferts, that 
 the defiofing power of, the Pope Was founded on an agreement 
 between all Chriflian people, to have their government fettled 
 by the arbitration of the Pope ; and that whenever difputes 
 arofe concerning the rights and interefts of religion, the fove- 
 reign, who was depofed, was bound to fubmit tp the fentence, 
 in confequence df a fuppofed compa£l between the governor 
 and governed, to abide by the terms which the arbitrator 
 fliould fix. Such fiftitious agreements and imaginary com - 
 pafls might exill in the ambitious fchemes of the Papal policy ; 
 
 X but 
 
3o6 S E R M D^N Vlll. 
 
 caufes which confpired tohthe rife and in* 
 crfe/afy of that, dominion of fuperftitioni,, '^yfeicH 
 is happily paffed away, will be Convinced that 
 the principles, which in fummary recapitu- 
 lation we ftiall ftate, icannot he deferted with- 
 out the hazard, of incalculable evils. 
 
 A departure from tbe^reat and primary 
 principle, appcoYjed, by our Reformers, as to 
 the feparate authority of every . national 
 Chvirch, and voluntary return 6f any . Pro- 
 tellant. congregation to fubjediion to a foreigti 
 jurifdi(flion, is little to be apprehended. A 
 further eftabliflirnent of the principle may, 
 indeed, on rfcafonable grounds of confidence, 
 he expedled ; and the unheeded voice, which 
 ftill preferves the title, and repeats the claitn 
 of univerfal paftorfliip*, whil^ the pjrcle of the 
 fupremacy feems faft contracting to the verge 
 of a wretched territory, but echoes the expir- 
 ing pretenfions of an antichriftian vanity ; and 
 intimates the deftined completidn of thofe pre- 
 
 but the right of interference of the Pope, as umpire in temporal 
 concerns between the fcrereign and his fuhjefts. was never ad- 
 mitted by independent dates, except!^ under the prefTure of 
 dire necelTity ; thongh indeed tyrants and rebels occafionally 
 availed themfelves of it, to fanflify.opptellion and revolt. See 
 Letter on Theological Inaccuracy, p. 97. 
 
 * Licet inmeHto paftoris imiveHalis. Letters from Rome, 
 printed by J. P. Coghkn, In 1794. 
 
 di(3;ions 
 
SERMON VIII. 307 
 
 didions which direded their infallible threats, 
 againfl: the ambition that fliould " oppofe 
 " and exalt itfelf above all that is cajled 
 *' Gp4} pr that is worfliipped." 
 • In, this country feme of thofe, who are 
 ^TOOng the ni^ft refpeftable descendants of 
 its an<;ient advocates, have npt only abjured 
 jts ternporal and depofing powers, but have 
 !^t length eonfidered themfe^yes as enfran- 
 <:|iifcd fjrpfn its fpirituatl- 4prninion ; afferting 
 " tfeeprPper ^nd independent jurifdidlion pf 
 '^ , Separate diocefes*," their iriherent authority 
 erf" appointing their own biflj.pps ■j', uncon- 
 -ficolabie by, and requiripg not the confirma- 
 ±ipn pf a diftant pontjifF; the right of every 
 Chjurch " ,tp d^livpr its own belief, and tra- 
 " ditions, and rnaxims;" and vindicating every 
 other effential privilege, compatible yvlth. ilich 
 faint and indiftind; reverence as they ftill 
 profefs to the titular pre-eminence of an an- 
 cient fee. Such have alfo, at the iame time, 
 advanced towards other principles of the Re- 
 
 * See State and Beljaviour of Englifh Catholics, p. 153. 
 
 ■}• The right which fome of the Cifalpine Romanifls claim 
 of eledling 'their own bifhops, when not fupported by an eftab- 
 lifhment, is conftdent with primitive precedent. Where the 
 civil power confers or ratifies the endowment, it is reafon- 
 able that it ihould nominate the perfon ; , whether by Conge 
 d'Elire, or any other form, is of little importance. 
 
 X 2 formation. 
 
VH 
 
 308 S-E R M O N VIII. 
 
 formation, in cohttendin^ for the -general nit 
 of the Scriptutes in the- vulgar language *- ; 
 in eoilfiderihg them as the teft and' criterion 
 of all human preteniions; -in difcrinrinating 
 betweefii the authbrity of the csLnonkal and 
 the apocryphal bo6ks-; :ih coirred:ing the cor- 
 ruptions of the Vulgate ;■ in difallowing the 
 exiftehcc of an 'unerring authority of inter- 
 •pretati'on"f j'iii-adiTiitting the prtjpriety of a 
 <public fertile in tke language 'df- the people ; 
 in difclaimiA'g the Canons of the Council of 
 Trent,' at 'leaft' as to'difcipline : and inl cbn- 
 feffihg that ; they have difcovered in their 
 Churph, a 'departure from primitive fimpli- 
 city, and abufes in vulgar pra6tice ; in ac- 
 knowledging the validity of the ordinations of 
 our Church "l ; and in intimating the dlftruft 
 of the grounds on which the : celibacy of the 
 priefthood was impofed. 
 
 * By the 4th rule of thie Index of Pius the Fourthj the read- 
 ing of the Scriptures in tranllation, unlefs permiffion were ob- 
 tained, was foj-bidden ; and in Clement the Eighth's edition of 
 this Index, bilhops and inquifitors were deprived of the power 
 to grant a licence either to read or retain £ibles in the vulgar 
 tongue. See,Dr. Geddes's Letter to the Rev. John Douglas. 
 ' f Beringtbri's Refleftions to the Rev. John Hawkins. Sir 
 John Throckmortbn's Letter to the Catholic Clergy.' 
 
 I See Geddes's Letter to the Rev. John Douglas j in which 
 the learned writer confeffes that he fliould have no fcruple in ac- 
 knowledging the jurifdiftipn of the Englilh biftiopS, and in 
 conjmuhicating with'theili, p. 35. 
 
 Thefe 
 
SERMON VIII. 
 
 509 
 
 ■ Thefe conceffions - iftiould not pafs unno- 
 ticed ; and we may hope, that, as the fure 
 and filent convLd:ion of truth fliall further 
 prevail over the prejudice of early impref- 
 iibns, a nearer approximation may be wit- 
 nefled in thoffe, who, as they fhall difpaf- 
 fionately inveftigate the chief decifions of 
 our Church, will find them iaridioned in 
 proportion as the exclufive authority of reve- 
 lation fliall triumph over the exploded infal- 
 libility of human decrees, and the difcordant 
 reports of jarring traditions. 
 
 If, in tracing the operation of truth, we can- 
 not be gratified with the fame effefts, where 
 the ties of eftablifhed connexion with a foreign 
 and ufurped authority ftill iubfift; and are 
 compelled to contemplate many who " feeing, 
 " fee not, and hearing, will not hear," who. 
 perfift in the indifcriminate vindication of 
 every error, and, under the fandion of the 
 Papal example * and autliority, flill retain the 
 
 language 
 
 • No confiderations can induce the policy of Rome to miti- 
 gate its injurious ftatcments, or forego its reprefentatiohs (Jf our 
 Church as heretical. In a Letter^ addreffed Nov. 31', 1792, to 
 the archbiftiops, bifhops, abbots, abbeffes, chapters, and clergy' 
 of Germany, on the fubjeft of the emigrant French clergy,are' 
 the following remarkable words, of invidious diftinftion. " Nos ' 
 " certe maxima laude cumulare debemus nbn folum principes,' 
 " paftores, et populos Catholicos, qui per evangelium edofti 
 
310 SERMON VIII. 
 
 language of ancient hoftllity againft bur 
 Church, and withhold a teftimony to its un- 
 fefuted claims *; it Ihould lead us certainly, 
 while we plead for the fulleft toleration con- 
 fiftent with the fecurity of the ef^abhfhment, 
 and applaud the generous policy of the le- 
 giflature which confents to accept of iiich 
 pledges of civil allegiahCe as are framed' 
 with indulgent deference to every confcien- 
 
 " et <verie eharitathjpiritu iafiammati, hos benigne exceperunt 
 " fidei confeflbres, eofque impensa fua alendds funrpferunt ; fed , 
 " principes etiam et 'pgpuhs acatholicos, et in his praefertim Mag- 
 " nsE Britanniae Regeiri illuftrem, et incly tam illius regni natio- 
 " ntem, qui omnes erga fui fimiles duai quodam fpiritu humani- 
 " tatis, ut ait S. Ambrofius, iifdem fubfidia fuppeditariuit, emu-, 
 " lantes gloriam antiquorum Romanorum, apud quOs videbatur 
 " valde decorum paiere d'omos homintim illuftrium hofpitibus 
 " illuftribus." The words are extrafted, in repetition, in a 
 letter, written SeJ)teiiiber 17,1 794, to the Biihop of Leoii. 
 See Letters from Rome. Throughout the Epiftles, the word- 
 humaijitas is employed to defcribe the benevolence of the Eng- 
 li/h nation ; while pietas and charitas are reprefented as the 
 pure fources of tAe German charity. Such then is fliU, on fueh 
 an occaiion, the fpirit of the Roman councils ! 
 
 * Notwithftanding the validity of the Eiiglifh ordinations 
 is admitted by fome writers of the Romiih Church,, it is. ftill de- 
 nied by moft of its members ; and even by fome who have re- 
 laxed in other {joints, but are unwilling to allow our Church to 
 be a true Church, and who perfift alfo in - charging us with 
 hereiy. '. " Crimen ita grave (fays Jewell) ut nifivideatur, nifi 
 " palpetur, nifi manibus digitifque teneatur, credi facile de 
 " homine Chrifliano non debeat^ Efl enim hserefis deftitutio 
 " falutis, abjeflio gratiae Dei, difceffio a corpore et fpiritu 
 " Chrifti;" See Apol. and Berington's Addrefs to the Pro- 
 teftantDiffenters, printed by Swinney, Birmingham. 
 
 tious 
 
SERMON V«I. 311 
 
 tious fcruple *, iftill vigikntly-lb ^kpofe the 
 tendency of' any -c^inion^^ that militate 
 igaihft profeffionsf. of duty, aiid btlray 
 fotadwhat of unaltered attachnient to dari- 
 g€*6Us prkicipWf . 
 ' '■- ■ - '-^ ^ As 
 
 *.The oath required by 31ft, of IvU prefent Majefly, and 
 taken by moft oftTie Roihan Catholics, is contrived to remove 
 all the c^jeflions ivhich were reafonably urgedby the advo- 
 cates for, the fpiritual:?p>tbQri^y of the Pqie agwft the oath of 
 Elizabeth; who, though" ftie did not feize the Cenfer, feems 
 at irft,'like her predeoeflbrs, to have confidered' herfelf as in- 
 vefted with all the-aftthorjty svjiich the Pope had claimed in this 
 country. It is actohim'odatcd alfo to relieve the fcruples of 
 tliofe whoobjpiaejl to the wordsjijipious, JjeretJQal, and damna- 
 ble, in later oaths. 
 
 f It is with regret that we difcover niany fentiments in the 
 writings of fogie who have taken the cptji, which appear in- 
 cohfiftent with the declaratip^s of allegiance ; as where we find 
 it afferted, that no Catholic' can confcientiouily give his fandlion 
 to t^jercivilje^^bl^mentof any other religion than that of the 
 Romifli Church; fee .Letter to Francis Plowden, Efq; and 
 where, in profefling the charafter of a good fubjeft, it is not 
 thaught nec«flary to be a better fubjed t^an the Roman Ca- 
 tholics were in the reign, of an Elizabeth, e^comitiunicated by 
 the Pope, or in the reign of the Stuarts, to whom they refufed 
 allegiance. See Divine Right of Epifcopacy, by the Rev. 
 JohnMilner. 
 
 X General intimations and hints againft civil eftablifliments 
 of religion; -elaborate apologies for the ancient pretenfions 
 of the Papal ufurpation ; vindications of the confecration oath, 
 according to the form of Clement VIII. which promifes to de- 
 fend the royalties of St. Peter, to e^nlarge the authority of the 
 Pope, and tO'perfecute, or at leaft to purfoe heretics, and which 
 was not only deitgned as an oath of fealty by fome of the Popes, 
 but is reprefented as fuch by moderate Romanifts ; thefe and 
 fimtlar effufions of zeal, together with fome indications of fubter- 
 fuge as to the- oath of allegiaricei' which ftill occafionally appear 
 ;in the produftions of the rigid adherents to thff Ultramontane 
 
 X 4. principles. 
 
JI3 SjE ;R M N ..VIIL« 
 
 As,to;,-thecfecond fubjed of reflediqft ; the 
 cc)p.fiderations upon which a civil inftjtisition 
 of religion is fupported, in- conformity;, with 
 the defign and charader.of a Spiritual dif- 
 penfation in this country, are, it is conceived, 
 o/^ fufficient importance to demonftrate tho 
 propriety, if not the neceffity, of an eftab- 
 lilhmen|: ; which, as we have feen, is calcu- 
 lated to fupprefs that dangerous vibration of 
 uncertairiihterefts, which refults from the uni" 
 verfal wilh to confirm the afcendency of the 
 faith moft approved; and is contrived to furnifh 
 a competent provifion for the miniftry ; the li- 
 mitation of the powers, privileges, and reve- 
 nues of which prevents unjuftifiable affump- 
 tion, at the fame time that it precludes • the 
 temptation to any perverfion of religion, in 
 accomniodatibn to fecular views *. 
 - The fpiritual rights of the priefthood muft 
 continue to be revered, wherever a regard is 
 paid to the claims of a Divine commiffionj 
 
 principles, are not calculated to fupprefs thofe fufpiclons which 
 are at all time*, pferhaps, too read)r to break forth, and, which 
 have been revived of late by ajealoufy of fome prominent cir- 
 ciirnftances, and noticeable induftry in this country. 
 
 * The clergy of a well-'conftituted eftablifliment cannot ex- 
 feed the, hounds marked out by the civil power ; but where 
 menarg.to fubfift,,;and rife by ingenuity, even religion wijl bp 
 eaiployed in fubferviency to human contrivance. 
 
 . , and 
 
^.E R MO N ,Vm. 313 
 
 and the.eflential cpnftitution of the :Qirifl:ian 
 Church. 
 
 V Xhe. fallibility of all human judgment, apd 
 the exclufive title of revelation to dired: the 
 faith of mankind, are alfo principles which 
 cannot be reje<3:ed, without detriment to, or 
 deftru<3;ion of, the interefts of religion. By the 
 negledl of thefe great and fimple truths, the 
 abufes of the Roman Church were introduced; 
 and our reparation from its communion ren- 
 deredneceflary. Where they Ihall be refpedled, 
 Jfincerity of faith will be renewed, and cor- 
 ruptions of dod:rine,: and worfhip difappear ; 
 and the Catholic Church, ho weyer partaking 
 of earthly defedis, ; will exhibit a renewed 
 iplendour, in which the Almighty may 
 " take pleafure, and be glorified," as in an 
 houfe in which " the filver and the gold 
 " ftiall be the Lord's * ;" in which an united 
 Trinity fhall with undivided attention be 
 adored, and effential facraments, v^rith re- 
 ftridled veneration, be obferved; on which thp 
 Lord Ihall beftaw peace, the effed; of unity, 
 and the reward, of fidelity and attachment. 
 
 Waving farther retrofpedl, as engaged only 
 in the; examination of the leading principles 
 
 * Haggaj, ch. ii, ver. 6—g. 
 
 of 
 
314 S^E^ M d N Vm. 
 
 of our ChufcK; and prefuming that the c'ha- 
 ra<SEeriftic dodrines of its faith, which we 
 have had Gccafion in curfory reprefentation to 
 ftate, have been' fufficiently vindicated by 
 different writers, to juftify our confideration 
 of them as eflential to tliie interefts of religion, 
 we fliall proceed to the fecond fubjed: of dif- 
 cuffion"; under which it is propofed to flieWj 
 that, while it is the duty of all clalTes of men 
 to promote fuch farther regulations, as fliall 
 be proved to be clearly expedient and favour- 
 able to the advancement of Chriftianity, a 
 ftrid attention Ihould be paid to the con- 
 fervatiOn of that peace arid harmony which 
 f efiilt from obfervance of its charitable lef- 
 fons. , 
 
 "the importance and' 'bencficid tendency 
 of thofe remedial mea;flires, which were the 
 effed of a temperate fpirit of Reformation, 
 cannot be traced without leading the^ atten- 
 tion to the approval of a conftant care and 
 vigilance for fuch renovation and iriiprove- 
 ment of external appointments, as may be 
 judged falutary and expedient. 
 
 The propriety of " the putting away" of 
 fuch evils as fliall apjpear in any coriliderable 
 degree to counterad: the influence of religion, 
 and to be capable of remo\-al without manifefl: 
 
 injury 
 
(( 
 
 SERMON Vni. 315 
 
 injury or hazard to conftitutions already fealed 
 and confirmed as permanent and univerfal, is 
 a principle perfectly confiftent with the, fpirit 
 of our Church, which in its human authority 
 claims no irreverflble decifion, and enadts 
 no unchangeable decrees; and which indeed 
 hath ratified' the maxim of " keeping the 
 " mean ;" as to public inftitutions and ordi- 
 nances, " between the two extremes of too 
 " much ftifFnefs in refufing, and of too much 
 " eafinefs in : adrtaittihg any variation from 
 
 it * ;" defirous of giving laftitig fdhdity to 
 its eftablifhment, by improving its excellen- 
 cies, and by perfedling its defe<3:ive parts. 
 
 This maxim, which the'wifdom of our 
 Church has fandlioiaed, is difcountenanced, 
 in its reftrifted and defined extent, by none 
 who look with fincerity to the advancement 
 of feligion. 
 
 That different fentiments fhould be enter- 
 tained, as to the defcription of what confli- 
 tutes remediable defedb, and as' to the advan- 
 tage of change, where extehfive confequences 
 are concerned, mufl be expefted, from the 
 difcordancy of human opinions; and from the 
 more enlarged or confined views which are 
 
 * Preface to Common Prayer. 
 
 taken 
 
31,6 S E R M O N VIII. 
 
 o 
 
 taken with regard to the expediency and prp- 
 babje effeft of thpfe meafures which. areto de- 
 range fettled iyfterfts. If, where prefentiiriter- 
 efts are concerned, fome reludlance.to liften, 
 even to reafonable propofitions, toaybe fuf- 
 ped?ed to bias the judgment, without imputar 
 tion, beyond what muft attach from the gene- 
 ral operation of human fefclings, it is uncandid 
 and unjuft to impeach the Sincerity i of convic- 
 tions expreffed on points, to which confidera* 
 tions of intereft do not extend. The loofe 
 and invidious charge wh!ich is often intimated' 
 againft the members of our eftablifhmenti 
 of an indifpofition to meafures. offarther. re- 
 formation, however advifable and falutafy, is 
 harfli and unmerited. An unwilUngnefe to 
 affent to the vague and captious objedlions 
 cif thofe, whofe complaints indicate the lufl 
 of change, and the malevolence of undifcri- 
 minating hatred, they may indeed be fup- 
 pofed to feel ; and it is reafonable that they 
 Ihould fcrutinize with a jealous eye, and 
 fhrink -with cautious apprehenfion from thofe 
 projedls of undefined reform, which are ever 
 fraught with mifchief to fociety ; which pro- 
 vide no remedies for the grievances invidioully- 
 detailed ; -which betray only perfonal feel- 
 ings and interefted views, and feem to con- 
 
 fpirc 
 
S E RM O'N VIII. 317 
 
 fpire to the d^ru6iribn, rather than to the 
 amendment of 'exifting conftitutions. 'They 
 cannot but obferve, that much of the cla- 
 mour" for imptovertient, which is often railed 
 feut to'invigomte- the reprefentations of dif^- 
 <30*itbAt, is founded ^On fallacious and partial 
 ftatemeiit, and on a coihlideration' of thofe 
 tsvilsji which no change but that of human de- 
 -pravity could totally eradicate. They perceive 
 khat falfe conclufions are often drawn from 
 refle<3:ib-n,5 on the want of apparent effeAs of 
 •Chri^knity, oii the lives and manners of 
 men^ibecaufe ever -unwilling to trace evils to 
 theifcoWft.difafFeiftion' to religious duties> and 
 ta/difcem the fource to which reformation 
 Ihould direct its firft attention, -many are de*^ 
 ^firous "that the inefficacy of inflrudiion, of 
 which there is complaint, fhould be alcribed 
 to injudicious regulations in the Church; 
 ■and it Ihould in juftice be remembered, that 
 whatever defefts,. real or imaginary, may be 
 attributed to its appointments, they prevent 
 »not the uncorruptcd communication of re- 
 vealed truth.; the conftant and emphatical 
 teaching of that wifdom, which every where 
 " crieth aloud and uttereth her voice." 
 Still, however^ it is acenliire as unfiipportcd 
 by fa6E, as by any ground of credible accufa- 
 
 tion. 
 
3i8 SERMON VIII. 
 
 tion, which reprefents the profefled afivopajl;^ 
 of truth, as dazzled by Any new difcovery of 
 its principles * ; and as difinclitied to unite ifi 
 any rational ^nd feafonable proportion fgr tJie 
 remedy of fpecific grievances, or for the pro- 
 mption of obje^s which can be proved likely 
 to facilitate, the defign of religion ; however 
 they may be unwilling to tarape;r with rude 
 and Speculative innovation on a work which 
 witisi " great labour was fafhionedf," and 
 however they may be, defirous that ev^ 
 alteration, of long-appyoived appointments, 
 fliould originate, as , did the reforiftation, 
 (With thofe, whom due authority, and fidelity 
 of attachment, may reftrain from iryuring n 
 ftrufture of unequalled excellence J, 
 
 The temporal interells of the clergy are 
 not implicated, as were thofe of the Romifli 
 Church, in the mainteiaafice of any tenet 
 or ordinance, the removal of which might 
 be confidered as favourable to the diiiuiion 
 of truth, and calculated to advance agree- 
 ment of, opinion. Many among them have 
 
 * S.ee Gibbon's pofthumoijs Memoirs. 
 f 2 E<Srasj (jh. viii. ver, 14, 
 
 * Three things are neceffary to Make a public reformation 
 lawful, fays Bishop B;ramihall — jijift grounds, tlMe moderation, 
 fufficient authority. Schiiir., p. 1 14. 
 
 earneftly 
 
S EfR M O N VIII. gig 
 
 f&riiS^ly, laboj^ed to promote ra r^vifal of 
 tbQ Liturgy, an^ a corredion of the eftab- 
 lifhcd v^rfion of the Scriptures : and.tfee op- 
 pofition pf-thofe. who difcourage thefe defigns, 
 fhpuld in cao4pur b.e allowed to be confci- 
 entipvs and difmte:reiled ; to proceed from 
 a, CQnvid:Ion that the ipartictdars, which are 
 JiHejdged to require altfejatlon, are too incon- 
 fidterable .to juftlfy a revival of , jthofe contro- 
 yecfies, which a|5pQar to. have raged with vi- 
 olence in proportion asi.t.they have been bar- 
 t^x and unimportant; and that the advan- 
 tages which could refult from the amendment 
 of flight defed:s would not counterbalance the 
 lii^fchief which would accrue from unfettUng 
 the minds of thofe, who are fatisfied with the 
 general excellency of thefe great works. 
 
 The difcreet and temperate alterations of 
 thejLiturgy, which many eminent members 
 of our Church have approved *, and which, 
 while they led to a removal of blemilhes. 
 
 * The laft review of the- Liturgy, as it new flands, was 
 mzip in 1.^6 1. In 1489 s. commiiHan was iiTued for a fartl>er 
 review, in conFormity with the articles tranfinitted to Convo- 
 cation byAfdibi'lhop Sancroft, and the advice of Tillotfoii. 
 The ten bifltops, and twenty other divines, who prepared a 
 draft of the work, agreed in twenty points, fome of which at 
 leaftdefervedtgreat regard ; and it is to be lamented that the 
 deitgnj and alFo feme fubfequent attempts, entirely failed. 
 
 prejudiced 
 
320 B'ER M O N VIIL 
 
 prejudiced 'none of thofe doftirities;- which 
 are joften interwoven : with addrelTes- to the 
 Deity; and ate defigned to direft attention 
 to thofe attributes -of the Divine nature; and 
 thofe objeils of faith, -which iniprefs' the rrtind 
 with a- conviftion of truth, and animate rcifi- 
 gious aSeftions, would probably ere > this timei 
 have been adopted, had'not the agitation -^iif 
 the fubjedl,* been: found to generate amedig 
 thofe, -who -have fhewn no dlfpofition to ufe 
 even its unexceptionable -parts, the' rCquifi- 
 tion of fuch un(^aUfifcd- alteratibns aS'GouJi^ 
 foot be' conceded without relinquifliment!; of 
 eflential' points. n -'l'- <' 
 
 With'refpe^ to the corite^ion of flich paf- 
 fages of the eftablifhed verfion of the Scrip- 
 tures, as by- general confent fliould be allowed 
 to be erroneous, it is probable, that, as it has 
 been ftrenuoufly recommended, £o, it will be 
 chiefly accomplilhed by the clergy, whenever 
 it fhall be judged expedient. Confcipus that 
 the renderings which might be improved, re- 
 quire amendment rather from confideration of 
 the fcrupulous fidelity due to every line of Di- 
 vine inftruftion, than from any great iniport- 
 ance in the mifconftrudlions ; and fepfible 
 that every caution muft be -neceffary to guard 
 againfl the ftrainod and partial interpreta- 
 tions 
 
S E R M O N YIII- 321 
 
 tio^sof prejudice,, they paufe at the difficulr 
 ties and moment of fuch an undertaking ; 
 while many of them have, by admira|>le 
 tra^flations of individual books, furniflied the 
 i>,obleft proofs of their zeal /for ; religion an4 
 facred literature ; and though their work§ 
 Svoulii not, it appe^rs^ as to their general 
 ftyle and iitrij<6lure, reconcile us to a depar- 
 ture from the uniform apid .majeflic fimpli- 
 city of the effcabliihed yerfion, have deferred 
 the higheft praife for fidelity of interpretatiori 
 and fpiritof Gompofition; while feebler efforts 
 have only ferved to prove the difhoneft arts 
 and preflimptuous vanity of individuals, and 
 the difficulty of - finding men who might 
 compofe an aflembly worthy to review the 
 ;Work which now we reverence, and to weigh, 
 with compreh-enfive ajid impartial accuracy, 
 .the propriety of every change. 
 - If it were judged proper, that the clergy 
 il^ould again affemble to effedtual purpofes in 
 Convocation, it is probable, that thofe projects 
 might be deliberately confidered and matured; 
 and that, in the legitimate exercife of eccleii- 
 aftical authority, fome explanatory emenda- 
 tion of fuch points of profeffion as have been 
 mifconceived or mifreprefented, and fome 
 modification of particulars, of external and 
 
 Y variable 
 
32Z SERMON VIII. 
 
 variable regimen, might be adopted, and ob- 
 tain the concurrence of the civil power: and it 
 could not but be a fubjed; of rational and tem- 
 perate exultation, if the reprefentative- coun- 
 cil were at leaft occafionally reftored to the 
 exercife of its conftitutiorial fundions; to 
 provide, under corredted impreffions, for the 
 govieriiment of the Church, to prevent any 
 infenfible accretion of abufes, and to preferve 
 and renovate, from time to time, the inte- 
 grity of its inftitutions. 
 
 In every conftitution, however, it is more 
 eafy to difcover blemiflies * than to point out 
 the mode by which they may be re(flified ; 
 and he who is fo engroffed by partial defedls 
 as to uridervalue the great and peculiar ad- 
 vantages of our eftablifliment, muft be; little 
 converfant with the obftacles and impedi!- 
 ments which operate to the prejudice of re- 
 ligion in every other country. The advocates 
 for the eftablifliment vindicate it, not as free 
 from all imperfedlions, but as pre-eminently 
 
 * The chief evils which are to be lamented under our 
 eftablilhment, are the impoverifliment of the laborious ftations 
 of the Church, by alienations and corrupt agreements ; the ex- 
 emption of peculiar diftrifts from regular jurifdiftion ; the 
 ereftion of Chapels for private fpeculation and management, 
 and the fimoniacal difpofal of preferment. Thofe who will 
 encounter political ftruggles for the reformation of thefe abufes, 
 will experience little oppqfition from the clergy. 
 
 entitled 
 
i 
 
 SERMON VIIL 333 
 
 entitled to reverence^ from t\e unexception- 
 able principles upon which its chief founda- 
 tions reft J and as requiring no change which 
 ■would juftify any rifk. of injury to a work, fo 
 admirable in its general charader. 
 
 Defirous as its members are for the pro- 
 motion of that union which refults from. 
 the conformity of a common faith, and the 
 convention of a common worihip, it cannot 
 be by the facrifice of eflential principles ; and 
 thofe who, no longer diflepting from our 
 Church on trivial groun,ds of diftindiion, re- 
 jedl either the doftrines which we efteem ne- 
 ceflary to a faving faith *" ; or the form of dif- 
 cipline which we confider as moft conducive 
 to good government, as well as moft agree- 
 able to primitive appointments, we can hope 
 to gain only by conciliatory perfiiafion and 
 found reafoning, which cannot be contro- 
 verted. Truth, fully canvafled, ftn^Uy m,uft 
 
 * The proper godhead of Chrift is certainly adnaitted by a 
 confiderable part of the Diffenters. We are concerned, however, 
 to notice a declenfioa from thedodlrine of the Trinity in many 
 of the Calvinittical congregations j and that even Dr. Watts's 
 Pfalms and Hymns, which had been fo long approved in them, 
 and the ufe of which is alledged by Mr. Beftto prove the ortho- 
 doxy of his party in this refpeft, have now, in fome places, 
 been fuperfeded by a colleftion of Dr. Kippis, Rees, Jervis, 
 and. Morgan ; from which fome paffages favourable, to the doc- 
 trine have been expunged.. 
 
 Y 2 triumph ; 
 
334 SERMON VIII. 
 
 triumph; if not by direA advancement, yet 
 by imperceptible intermixture and gradual 
 afcendency. It is often adopted without ac- 
 knowledgment, and incorporates itfelf with 
 fyftems moft adverfe to its encouragement. 
 
 Convinced, however, that unity of fenti- 
 ment, fimplified to the exaft confiftency of 
 truth in every point, cannot be expelled, while 
 prejudice and paffion Ihall continue to darken 
 the underftanding, and miflead the judgment 
 of men, it imports us, by " bearing with the 
 " infirmities of the weak," to look with indul- 
 gence on every variety of colour that may be 
 blended in the purity of the faith ; folicitous 
 chiefly to difcourage that pride, which engen- 
 dereth flrifes and coiltentions, that exclude 
 from the kingdom of heaven * ; and which 
 feduceth to Reparation, deftrudive of that 
 fabric of which the architefture is union. 
 The time is indeed come when many " will 
 " not endure found doftrine, but, after their 
 " own luft, heap to therrifelves teachers." It 
 concerns us, therefore, " to make full proof 
 " of our miniftry," " to preach with earneft- 
 " nefs the Word, to be inftant in feafon and 
 
 * Gal. ch. V. ver. i^-rzi. 2 Peter, ch. ii. ver. i. Bax- 
 ter's Epift. to fep.irate Congregations. 
 
 " out 
 
SERMON VIII. 325 
 
 ** out of feafon, to .i-eprove, to rebuke, |:o ex- ' 
 " hort with all long-fufFering and dod;rifte *." 
 Elpecial animation is requifite to difcoun- 
 tenance ,that prefumptuous fpirit, whiclji, 
 trampling on revealed wifdom, feeketh to 
 flied a fictitious grace on the forms of human 
 error ; which in its wildeft follies affumes the 
 . port of fuperior inftrucSion, and the tone of 
 improved philofophy ; which conveys, in indi- 
 rect allufio'n, what it prefumes tiot, in pofitive 
 aflertion, to expofe to refutation ; which with 
 popular argument, and not feldom with cap^ 
 tivating eloquence, affetSs to plead the right 
 of that reafon, of which it violates the max- 
 ims and idiifregards the laws. In fuch ani- 
 m5.tion the prefent age hais been fometimes 
 reprefented as deficient. The errors of for- 
 rner times were rather thofe of excefs, than of 
 want of zeal. When corrupt defign laboured 
 to profit by the credulity of mankind, the 
 paflions of thofe who profeffed the faith were 
 indufl^rioufly inflamed in the pretended caufe- 
 of religion, that they might hurry on, the ca- 
 reer of human ambition. In a later period, 
 when the fpirit of religion.recoiled from the fad 
 efFedls of bigotry, the controverfies excited by 
 
 * z Tim. ch. iv. ver. z — 5. 
 
 Y 3 tjie 
 
3^6 SERMON VIII. 
 
 the Reformation kept alive the whole ardour 
 of religious competition. No defed of energy- 
 was obferved in thofe who aflailed, or in thofe 
 who defended the do6lrines and inftitutions 
 ratified by our Church. Religion was the 
 theme of focial converfe, and the fubjeft of 
 heartfelt concern. Men " talked of it when 
 " they fat in their houfes, and when they 
 " walked by the way ; when they lied down, 
 " and when they rofe up." It was not till the 
 •heat of enmity fubfided, and the eagernefs of 
 conteft cfeafed ; till wearied by controverfy, 
 and difgufted by intolerance and hypocrify, 
 that the languor of indifference began to 
 prevail : which, however fhaken off by vi- 
 gorous minds on great occafions, deadens the 
 general fpirit of exertion, and commends, as 
 philofophical, that fceptical neutrality, which 
 amidfl multiplicity of opinions confiders all as 
 equally acceptable to the Supreme Being. 
 
 The eftablifhment of the great and im- 
 portant truth, that no human authority can 
 have a right to did:ate its faith to others^ 
 hath too often led the modern difciples of 
 Gbriflianity to forget that it is ilill an high 
 and momentous obligation to promote the 
 knowledge of revealed truth ; to labour for 
 the confirmation of union and confiflepicy of 
 
 fentiment. 
 
SERMON VIII. ^z'j 
 
 fentiment, and to endeavour, as we would 
 fave a foul from deftruftion, to conveirt him 
 that erreth ; as to avoid the vanity of profe- 
 lytifm to doubtful points, fo to contend with 
 anxious induftry for the eflential tenets of re- 
 ligion *. Vague and fijperficial is the popu- • 
 lar notion, which, from the waverings : of 
 error, would deduce the uncertainty of truth, 
 and reprefent impreflions of faith as capable- 
 of variation, without offence to God, or pre- 
 judice to mankind f; fmce it cannot on re- 
 flection 
 
 * The reader fnay find fome very juft confiderations on the 
 fubjeft of indifferency in matters of religion, in a work entitled, 
 A Treatife concerning Religion, in Refutation of the Opinion 
 which counts all indifferent, by Mofes Amyrault, a profeflbrof 
 divinity, in the laft century, at Saumur, who was confulted by 
 Cardinal Richelieu on the plan of effefting a reunion between 
 the Romifh and Protellant Churches. It deferves to be noticed, 
 that this judicious author, who wrote in the year 1660, bb- 
 ferves, that this indifferency, which he conflders as calculated to 
 ftifle all true fentiments of piety, and to banifh out of the earth 
 all mention of the name of God, began to bear great vogue in 
 France, infomuch that a confiderable number of thofe perfons, 
 who were efteemed the moft poliftied for literature and courtly 
 accomplifhments, were imbued with it ; and that even fome, 
 who bore the title of Divines, inclined to favour it : that the 
 profane humour was immortal, and gathered ftrength every 
 day, Iprouting and enlarging to the ftiame of the age. 
 
 f The reafoning in Mr^ Knight's admired poem, relating to 
 modes of faith, as it had been attempted by Mr. Pope with fo 
 little fuccefs, might as well have been omitted ; and his poetry 
 have been fatisfied with " feeding on fantaftic dreams," with- 
 out undermining, religious principles, and weakening the mo- 
 ' y 4 tives 
 
3?8. SiER M O N VIIL: 
 
 fledion be difputed, that the religious prin- 
 ciple which emanates from the Divine na- 
 ture muft be uniform and, unchangeable; 
 that if revelation be imparted, it cannofc be 
 permitted to us, to rejed; its laws ; that devo-^ 
 tion will be piire, as it reveres its do&ines, 
 and morality be perfed;, as it is enforced by 
 its fanftiouK, and moulded on its Wifdom. 
 
 If the; proofs of Chriftianity have been 
 amply colle6ted, if the reafonings of former 
 times have been concentered with confpicu- 
 ous and convincing demonftration, the gene- 
 ral , clafles of fociety Ihould be familiarized 
 with its evidence, and impreffed with more 
 regular and iyftematic inftruftioii than it 
 mufl be confeffed they appear to be. The 
 luke-warm indifference, which feels no wifli 
 to promote the extenfion of Chriftian know- 
 ledge, indicates a difpofition that, leads to the 
 decay of all religion, and is more ofFenfive in 
 the light of God than the coldnefs of difbe- 
 lief, or the heat of intemperate zeal*. Avowed 
 incredulity may be fatisfied with palpable and 
 
 lives of morality : the effeft of which could only be, to accele- 
 rate that gloomy ftate of ruin which his imagination depifts. 
 
 * Revel, ch. iii. ver. 15, 
 
 convincing 
 
S E R M O N VIII. ^29 
 
 convincing evidence ; the eager fpirlt, which 
 even perfecuteth, may be enlightened to dis- 
 cern its etror ; but thofe who have heard and 
 acknowledged a voice from heaven, who have 
 " feen, and felt," and " handled of the word of 
 " life," and yet are not animated by a defire to 
 proclaim their Lord, and to exprefs their ve- 
 neration for his caufe, follow him but to vio- 
 late his fervice, to deny or to betray him. 
 They join in the Hofannah's of the multitude 
 without dignity, celebrate where their praifes 
 are not heard, and flirink and retire where 
 their teftimony would be acceptable. 
 
 An abhorrence of this cold and inanimate 
 fervice, which Chrift hath declared he will 
 difcard, is confiftent with the moft perfeft 
 moderation. Fidelity of attachment foUow- 
 eth in the courfe which is prefcribed to its 
 obfervance ; true zeal for religion operates by 
 the illuftration of its character. Refpecling 
 " the end of the commandment, which is 
 " charity out of a pure heart, and of a good 
 " confcience, and of a faith unfeigned," it 
 perceiveth that thofe who take the fword 
 but perilh by its wounds, and confidereth all 
 violence as inconiiftent with the Spirit, and 
 diflerviceable to the caufe of religion ; as cal- 
 culated but to provoke refiftance, and con- 
 firm 
 
330 SERMON VIIL 
 
 firm obftinacy. Even aiperity in debate, and 
 ibarpnefs in controveriy, which are the only 
 weapons of intolerance in the prefent day, 
 while they betray perfonal feelings rather 
 than a regard to truth, never yet have pro- 
 moted its advancement. Vain is it to ad- 
 drefs the, judgment, while we irritate and 
 offend the paffions. Generally, as this is con- 
 feffed, the indignation excited by controverfy 
 ftill mingles the bitternefs of refentment with 
 the refutation of argument. The acrimony 
 which formerly appeared in coarfe and viru- 
 lent abufe, now glides, it is true, under a cau- 
 tious decorum. Still, however, is it equally 
 incompatible with the genuine temper of 
 Chriftianity ; and the deliberate malevolence, 
 which infufes its fruit by imperceptible drops, 
 is more uncharitable in its preparation, and 
 more fevere in its tendency, than was the 
 full ftream of inveftive formerly poured out; 
 though it circulate through veins not eafily 
 to be traced, however difcernible in the ge- 
 neral colouring and complexion of the ftyle. 
 
 That deliberate mifreprefentation Ihould be 
 expofed, and intentional falfehood rebuked 
 with fliarp and merited reproof, is certain ; 
 but the refutation of unintentional error, and 
 the expofijre of misguided- ignorance, might 
 . ^ be 
 
SERMON VlIK 
 
 331 
 
 be often more advantageoufly condudled, if 
 lefs of perfonal pride and perfonal animofity 
 appeared. The period will come when the ad- 
 vocate of the faith will receive little praife, if it 
 ihall be found to have maintained its fpccu- 
 lative doctrines by the violation of its moral 
 laws. Truth is ftill too often diigraced by 
 diftatorial petulance, and Ghriftianity preju- 
 diced in the eyes of many, by that overbear- 
 ing pride, which of late years has appeared in 
 too many of its profeffors ; in the effufions of 
 difgufting vanity, and in the affurnption of 
 that imperious authority, by which the indi- 
 vidual, confidering himfelf as it were the chief 
 pillar of literature or of religion, dealeth out 
 his peremptory decrees, with a contemptuous 
 difregard of others, which no diftindiion of 
 talents can excufe, no pre-eminence of learn- 
 ing juftify*. 
 
 Labouring for truth, which is, eftablilhed 
 by enquiry, and confirmed by difcuffion, re- 
 member we, that though it is eternal in its 
 nature, and univerial in its obligatiop, it can 
 
 • There will come a time, fays Hooker, when three words 
 uttered with charity and meeknefs fliall receive a more bleffed 
 reward than three thoufand volumes written with a difdainful 
 ftiarpnefs of wit. See Preface to Ecclef.- Polity. No one bet- 
 ter illulirated the Ipirit of charity and meeknefs than the in- 
 comparable writer himfelf, 
 
 be 
 
332; SERMON Vni. 
 
 be advanced only by gentle meafurcs'and per-r 
 fuafive influence. 
 
 - As Chriftianity was iirft promulgated and 
 fpread abroad by humility, gentlenefs, ex-r 
 hortation, charity, fo Ihoul'd it be promoted 
 with temperate and conciliatory mealiires. 
 Confcious that where its communications are 
 not revered, exiftence is without an objed:, 
 and life d^ftitute of intereft ; integrity preca- 
 rious, and the hope of immortality unaflured ; 
 feek we to diffufe the light which is merci- 
 fully imparted to us. Believing that the, 
 chief and effential principles of religion are 
 eftabliflied as the foundation of our Church, 
 entreat we the Almighty, that as it is built 
 on the faith, fo it may be ceniented by union, 
 and ftrengthened by charity ; that he who 
 " hath in all ages fliewed forth his power 
 " and mercy in its proteftion," will continue 
 to defend it ; that every danger which Ihall 
 arife, like preceding ftorms, may roll away 
 ineffe<9iv€ ; that as it hath profpered, it may 
 ftill profper with the welfare of the coun- 
 try * ; and that the Almighty God, who has 
 built his Chureb upon the foundation of the 
 apoftles and prophets, Jefus Chrift being him- 
 
 See Prayer in the Service for the Relloration. 
 
 felf 
 
SERMON VIII. 333 
 
 felf the corner- ffcone, may grant that we alfo 
 fliould be joined together in unity of Spirit 
 by their doctrine, that we may be made an 
 holy Temple, acceptable unto him, through 
 -Jefus Chrift our Lord *. 
 
 * Colleft to St. Simon and St. Jude. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 P. 1 1, Note *, 1. 1, after uttxia; add &c 
 
 1. 2, after Katnag add Merc, Trif. 
 P. 25, Note *, 1. lOffir Caroloftadt read Carloftadt. 
 P. 27, Note -j-, after Boet. add Le Moyne's Letter to the BVfliop of London^ 
 
 ^ Collier, Vd, II. p. ii, b. 9. 
 
 P. 29, Note,yo>' Bfdras^ ch. iv. ver, 10, read i Efdras, ch, iv, ver, 36—40., 
 
 P. 50, Note *, 1. 3, hjiead of verfe 4. read verfe 7, and Matt, ch, v, ver, 40, 
 
 P. 53, Note *, 1. %,for mockery rMrfmonkifm. 
 
 P. 6oj Note \,for CoUyer j-wrf Collier, and fo paflim, 
 
 P. 65, 1. 6, /of their read its. 
 
 P. 160, 1. 7, /or her read it. 
 
 P, 1871 Note *,f!ir Maflaliaps rejsf McflaUans, 
 
Publijhed by thejame Author, 
 
 A KEY to the Old Teftament and Apocrypha; 
 or an Account of their feveral books, their con- 
 tents, and authors ; and of th? tirhes in which they 
 were refpedtively written. 
 
 DISCOURSES on various Subjefts, illuftrative 
 of the evidence, influencej and dodrines of Chrif- 
 tianity. 
 
 LETTERS during the courfe of a tour through 
 Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, in the years 
 1791 and 1792; with refleftions-on the manners, 
 literature, and religion of thofe countries.