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Here is plain Scripture for Obedience in neral, and Men fhou'd be

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fure that the Commands of the fupreme Power are immoral and against the divine Law, before they venture to disobey them.

I am aware that the Act of Toleration will be pleaded upon this Queftion; but I cannot fee that it has any Thing to do with it: For the Act of Toleration goes no further than to exempt Men from temporal and legal Punishments for their Nonconformity; the Point of Confcience therefore in refufing to obey the lawful Commands of the fupreme Power is juft the fame as it was before the Act of Toleration. Penalties add nothing to the moral Obligation of Laws, and therefore cannot weaken it by being fufpended or remitted. And this brings me

2dly, To the Motive ufed by St. Peter for enforcing the Duty I have been laying down. Submit your felves to every Ordinance of Man, for the Lord's Sake; that is, in regard to Chrift, and the Chriftian Religion. As Members of the civil Society, they were under the fame common Obligations to Obedience with all other Subjects; but as Chriftians they were laid un

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SER M. der new Obligations to this Duty by the Precepts of the Gofpel, which improved all moral Duties, by enforcing them with new Obligations. Two of thefe we find with refpect to the Duty before us, the first is in thofe Words of St. Paul to the Romans, ch. 13. v. 5. Wherefore ye muft needs be fubject, not only for wrath, but allo for ConJcience Sake. It was before, a Point of good Policy and Prudence to be obedient to the civil Power, but here it is made a Point of Religion and Confcience, for the Neglect of which every Chriftian is accountable to God, under whofe Authority the lawful Magiftrate executes his Office. The Second is found in the Words of my Text, which requires a Submiffion to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's Sake; that is, for the Sake of Chrift, and the Credit and Honour of his Religion, which might justly be reproached by Unbelievers, if Chriftians were worse Subjects than others.

It is true that we do not, as the first Chriftians did, live in a heathen Country, but yet there are, God knows, too many Infidels with Chriftian Names received in Baptifm, that live among us, and who rejoice at every Occafion of vilifying Christianity

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for any unwarrantable Principles and Prac- SER M. tices of its Profeffors. And as Obedience

to the civil Power is a moral Duty, and neceffary to the Peace and Order of the World, they will take great Advantages against the Religion of Chrift, from any avowed Principle in Chriftians against Subjection to Laws.

It will confirm them in their Infidelity, to fee a Body of Chriftians who pretend to more Purity and Sanctity than others, feparating from the Communion of the established Church because they cannot relish Prayers read out of a Book, and have taken Diftafte at a certain Sign or Mark made with the Finger, or at certain Actions and Geftures of the Body, which are Things in their own Nature indifferent and innocent, and which an unprejudiced Man will wonder how they fhould be made finful by being used to a pious End.

It must be the Sport of Infidels to fee Christians difpute and quarrel, and separate, and perfecute upon Matters of fuch little Importance, and they will prefer the Religion of Nature as giving no Occasion to fuch Disturbances and Mifchiefs among Mankind,

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Let those therefore who feparate from our Communion feriously confider these Things; let them examine into their own Hearts, and judge if the Prejudices of Education, and an acquired Relish of Devotion be not at the Bottom rather than a pure Principle of Confcience. Let them weigh the evil Confequences of breaking Unity, and deftroying Charity, and confirming Infidelity, and of caufing the Way of Truth to be evil spoken of. And let them hear St. Peter before a thoufand uninfpired Teachers, when he commands them to fubmit themfelves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's Sake.

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SERMON VII.

2 COR. 4. Last Verse.

While we look not at the Things which are feen, but at the Things which are not feen: for the Things which are feen are Temporal, but the Things which are not feen Eternal.

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N the former Part of this Chapter, St. S ER M. Paul gives a History of the great Hardships and Perils which he, together with Timothy, had been exposed to while they were propagating the Chriftian Faith. From thence he proceeds to fhew the true Grounds of their great Patience and Conftancy under those Trials, 0 4 namely,

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