XI. in general, fo it is in particular against SER M. the temper and fpirit of the gofpel. In the New Testament, our Saviour and hist apostles do not only difclaim all violence and force in propagating their religion, but also encourage and exhort all to a free enquiry concerning the truth of their pretenfions; giving liberty to men to form their notions according to the evidence of things. Thus our Saviour tells the Jews to fearch the fcriptures, and not to take things only upon his authority; for fays he, these are they which testify of me. And again, he urged them to examine his works, whether they did not prove his divine mission. If I do not my Father's works, believe me not; but if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works. And for this reafon, the Bereans are commended in the Acts of the Apostles, because they searched the fcriptures daily. And to the fame purpofe we are exhorted by St. Peter, to be ready to give an anfwer to every man that afketh a reafon of the hope that is in us. And again, to prove all things, and to try the spirits whether they are of God. From all which paffages, and many others, it is plain that the doctrines of chriftianity never P 3 were SER M. were defigned to be impofed with violence XI. on mankind; but that men were to be reasoned into them, to be convinced of their evidence, and the reasonableness of them, or in the language of the prophet Hofea, to be drawn by the cords of a man. And as force and violence are thus contrary to the liberty which the gospel allows of judging for ourfelves, fo are they contrary to the peaceable temper and brotherly affection to which chriftians are frequently exhorted. For how can we be faid to be at peace with men, and to have any affection for them, when we are offering violence to them, and treating them as the worst of criminals. If the great commandment in the gospel is love, how can that be obeyed by bringing distress and mifery on others? Or fhould the duty of endeavouring to con vert men to the faith, make us forget another of equal importance? It is our duty indeed, earnestly to endeavour to convert men, and to bring them to the true knowledge of God, For, fays St. James, he who converteth a finner from the error of his way, shall save a foul from death, and fhall bide a multitude of fins. But this is to be done by rati onal XI. onal means, by brotherly inftruction and SER M. admonition, by bearing with mens weaknefs, and ignorance, and by making great allowance for the prejudices of education, which are not eafily overcome. All our reasonings fhould be in tenderness and love, not unneceffarily offending men, but fuiting ourselves to their temper and capacities, as was the method of Chrift and his apostles; who never used those compulfive methods, which naturally alienate the mind from the truth. But if men remain irreclaimable, if they will not hearken to reason and the plain dictates of the fcripture, if they will fhut their eyes from the light, we are then to leave them to God, who only knows the hearts, and how far they are excufable; fhall not the Judge of all the earth do right? We are not even then to pronounce fentence upon them, or condemn them, for, as the apostle fays, who art thou that judgest another man's fervant? to his own mafter he ftandeth or falleth. But it may be faid, are not the corrupted members to be cut off, that the whole body be not infected? To which it may be answered, that the infection is XI. SERM, to be prevented, if poffible, by public rebuke and admonition; but that no men whatsover, are fit and infallible judges to determine who are the corrupted in matters of faith and opinion. For though we may be often fure that men are in the wrong, and may fee their errors evidently; yet as we know not whether this arifes from the weakness and prejudices of the understanding, or the obstinacy and viciousness of the will, we have no right to say who are corrupt and vicious. If they are weak, they are to be treated with tenderness and compaffion. Him that is weak in the faith, receive ye, fays the apostle. And therefore, as men cannot penetrate into the minds of men, nor difcern the true caufe of their fentiments, God only, who fees into the first springs of action, can have a right to determine upon them. In the last place, the unreasonableness and abfurdity of doing violence to men upon the account of their religious opinions, is evident from experience. For from history we find that the strongest attempts of perfecutors in different ages, have never been fuccefsful. They never were able to form mens minds, and oblige them In XI. them to think as they would have them; SERM, and indeed it was impoffible they should, without altering their very nature. the times of the Maccabees, when a potent idolatrous prince, that ruled over the eastern world, was determined to compel the Jews to a conformance with his mode of religion, we find that notwithstanding his vaft armies, and the cruel flaughters he made, he could never bring over any confiderable number to the worship of his idols. And in the times of the ancient Roman emperors, when they determined to extirpate chrif tianity, which was then beginning to get footing in the world, we fee that after ten perfecutions, continued through feveral reigns, they were fo far from destroying it by all the inftruments of torture they could invent, that on the contrary, it was successful and victorious, and the blood of the martyrs was the feed, and the increase of the church. And in later ages, in the beginning of the reformation, when the court of Rome faw that they could not maintain their doctrines by reafon and fcripture, and were determined to force men into their church, by demanding an implicit faith, after |