1. Great reverence is to be given to fuperiors. Government is not to be disturbed upon pretence of private judgment: that is to be confined to the direction of the inferior man.

2. No difturbance must thence arife to the church of God. I Cor. xi. 16. If any feem to be contentious, we have no fuch custom, neither the churches of

God.

3. Suppofe the worft; 'tis fafer to err in an error that is common, than in an error that is perfonal.

4. It becomes the modesty of particular perfons, where their fentiments are fingular, to bethink themselves better to ask themselves this fober question. How went the spirit of God from the generality of his worshippers, and determined itself to me? which being done, thefe good things will find place; caution and warinefs: more diligence in enquiry expectation of being further informed. Thefe inftead of conceitedness, fondnefs of our own opinions, felf-confidence and peremptorinefs.

If we would do what becomes us, in fense of our liableness to be mistaken, if what is due to the discerning of truth, we should not run away with an opinion, before we have submitted it to fevere and impartial examination by others, and perfons most competent; and have well weighed what others can say not till after we ourselves have thought it again and again, day after day. We fhould doubt and deliberate, before we refolve and determine. Nothing are we fo fure of, as of that which we are fure of after doubting. Where this is not C 3 done

done, there are easy perswasions, credulity, lightnefs of faith whence it comes to pass, that men are greatly poffeffed, strangely perfuaded in matters where there is very good affurance that things are otherwife. Let therefore the modefty always becoming a chriftian spirit, accompany private judgments, and if you would give credit to it, let good life and unblameable conversation attend upon it: think. that thou mayeft be mistaken, as well as others.

I have by cautions, bound up private judgment in particular perfons to its good behaviour; fo that it neither extend, nor enlarge itself, to the disturbance of government, or confufion of order, or other act of unrulinefs in God's family; which things are in the first place to be refolved on, and fecured : for ra→ ther a particular mischief, than a general inconvenience.

But I wish more were capable of the use of private judgment than there are. 'Tis a fundamental right belonging to intellectual natures: but to the exercife of it more is requifite than moft men have to fhew preparation thereto, by education, confideration, and conference: for we are born only with. powers and faculties; and fo with poffibilities of acts and habits: we are no-bodies where we have not thought. 'Tis the lamentable condition of lapfed mortals, that, of the generality of men it may be faid (through none-ufe, mifuse and abuse of themselves) what God faid of the great city of Nineveh, Jon. iv. II. wherein are more than an hundred and twenty thousand perfons who cannot difcern between the right hand and the left I fay,

who

who, in matters of reafon, religion, and confcience, have no judgment of right or wrong, true and false, good and evil. And man that hath no understanding may be compared with the beafts that perish, Pfal. xlix. 12. He hath not honour and preminence above beasts,

Now, I fay, having secured publick settlement and peace, thofe fuggeftions for accord, harmony, and charity notwithstanding difference of apprehenfions in certain matters, may take place but I have here no confideration of four forts of persons : 1. Not of atheists, whose fentiments are forced and unnatural.

2. Not of enthusiasts, who know not to day, what they shall think to morrow.

3. Not of felf-flatterers, who are fondly perfuaded concerning themselves; and will hardly admit that for evil in themselves, which paffes for fuch otherwhere.

4. Not of hypocrites, who do not mean what they pretend. Truth with them, is not an end,

but a means.

But all fair allowance for the humble, modest, meek and ingenuous; with great abatement for their many disadvantages, weakneffes of parts, want of leifure, probable ignorance for all which, their ho nest fimplicity and fincere meaning make compenfation. Some think, that if they agree not in all things about religion, they muft ftand at diftance from one another; but this is a great mistake : the text faith, Whereunto we have already attained, let us walk by the fame rule. And I Cor. xiii. 7, 8. Chari

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ty never faileth, doth not behave itself unseemly; beareth all things; endureth all things; hopeth all things. 1 Pet. iv. 8. Charity covereth a multitude of fins, both of the object, and of the fubject; of him we have to do with, and alfo of ourfelves for to the compaffionate, God fhews compaffion; and it fhall be meafured to us according to our own measures, Matth. vii. I, 2.

DISCOURSE XXVII.

The Frailty of HUMAN NATURE.

T

GENESIS iii. 19.

Duft thou art, and to duft thou shalt return.

HE occafion of this meeting is to fhew our laft refpects to the memory of a deceased gentleman, Mr. Charles Bunock: a perfon taken away in his youth, and full ftrength and (being deeply sensible of the frailty of this life) had this text of scripture oft running in his thoughts. And for the advantage of thofe that fhould furvive him, he made it his requeft, that it might be preached upon at his funeral. And according to his defire, I fhall offer to your confideration fomething from these words, dust thou art, &c.

These words are part of that fentence which God paffed upon our first parents Adam and Eve, after their tranfgreffion; which was full of difloyat

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ty and disobedience. God, when he made them, placed them in a paradife, which confifted of all earthly happiness, furnished and accommodated to all uses and purposes. Only God prohibited them the use of one tree; whether to exprefs God's fovereignty, and to try their obedience and gratitude whom he had newly rais'd out of nothing to fuch a height and excellency of being, that he became head, and lord of all other creatures in this visiblworld, who all became fubject to him, and owned his authority; which in all reason, fhould have engaged him unto all obfervance of God; I fay, whether it was for the trial of his loyalty and obedience, or whether it was (as fome do imagine, and that not without reafon) by way of notice and admoni tion to him, as a thing that would prove hurtful to him. For that which may be good for one purpose, may not be good for another. All things were not made for food, nor all food for every conftitution. And if fo, it was rather a caution, than prohibition; which doth yet aggravate the unreasonableness of those perfons, who feemed by their action, to quarrel with God for impofing upon them, and abridging them of their liberty; if there was no neceffity upon a moral account. But I will not ftand to determine, whether of these two be true. The words do plainly fhew God's offence and difpleasure, upon occafion of Adam's miscarriage; and are in themselves, partly declaratory and convictive, partly minatory and instructive.

Ift. They are declaratory and convictive. What! Thou that art but duft, that fo lately received thy