other gospel to you than that ye have received, let him be accursed, and yet he owns, verse 7. that it is not another gospel, but merely a perversion of the gospel of Christ; and is this enough to be accursed for? Answ. Let Momus consider how grossly the gospel must be perverted, when it is turned into such a sense as the Galatians seem to have been taught by these troublers of their church, verse 7. it is such an error as would have carried them again into Judaism, with all its yokes of bondage, would have obliged them to be circumcised and to observe the Jewish festival days, months and years; Gal. iv. 10. chapter v. 2. Such an error as shews them to have run back to the ceremonies of the Jewish law of justification and acceptance with God, verse 4. Such an error as gave occasion to the apostle to charge them, if ye pursue it ye are fallen from grace, that is, from the gospel of grace: And that Christ would profit them nothing, would become of no effect to them, verses 2, 4.

And after all it must be said these are the words of scripture, and of the Spirit of God, and not merely of St. Paul himself as a private writer; and will the man deal thus with scripture? You see to what lengths this temper will carry a man. But still he pursues his accusation against the apostles, and makes St. John to be grossly guilty of want of charity in his second epistle, verses 9, 10. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, that is, the doctrine of Christ mentioned in the foregoing verse, receive him not into your house, nor bid him God speed; for he that biddeth him, God speed, is partaker of his evil deeds.

Now to answer the unreasonable censure of this Momus, let us enquire what this doctrine of Christ is; and where should we find the most important parts of it but in the same writer? Chapter i. verse 7. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin; Chapter ii. verse 2. Jesus Christ, the righteous, is not only our advocate with the Father, but he is also the propitiation for our sins. Chapter iv. verse 10. God loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins, and that every true christian is born of God, chapter v. 1, 4. that is, as other verses of this holy writer in his gospel explain it, he is born of the spirit of God; John i. 13. and iii. 5, 6. It appears then that the errors of such whom the apostle would here exclude from our friendship, are such as do not acknowledge Jesus Chrst to be the Messiah, or not to be a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of men, nor allow that every true christian is regenerated and born of God, or of his Spirit, that is, by the powerful, renewing and sanctifying influences thereof, as other scriptures explain it, particularly John i. 12, 13. John iii. 3, 5. and as St. Paul expresses it; Epli. i. 19, 20. By such a mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead.

Again, I would ask Momus, why are the names of Christ and the Holy Spirit appointed so generally to be used in baptism, which is the ordinance which initiates us into christianity? Is it not to put us in mind that when we profess christianity we profess the chief articles that relate to him as our Saviour, viz. Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for our sins, we profess to be born of the Spirit, or regenerated and renewed to holiness by the Spirit of God? Now if a man asserts himself to be a christiau, when he believes and professes neither of these doctrines, then St. John may be to blame indeed in denying the benefit of common christian friendship to such a mau. But whither would this Momus lead us? What? would be make a christian out of such adversaries to the name and gospel of Christ as neither trust in him as a propitiation for their sins, nor hope to be renewed and made holy by the Holy Spirit of God? Let us learn of the hea then poet:

"Est modus in rebus, sunt certi denique fines."

There must be some measures and bounds set to every general virtue, and even to christian charity itself. This does not extend to infidels in the same sense. Surely, there must be due limits set to every thing of this kind: They can scarce be justly called christians, and treated as such, let their profession be what it will, who renounce Jesus Christ in his chief design of coming into the world, as a propitiation for sin, and who renounce the Spirit of God as the effectual spring of our regeneration and holiness. If all deists and infidels may be received into the christian church, into our good esteem and friendship, those may also be our fellow-christians, who deny the most important principles of christianity: But let us take heed that we do not give that which is holy to such who have no claim to it; Mat. vii. 6. and give charity and christian friendship to those, who seem, according to the word of God, to have no pretence to it.

It has been objected indeed against this second as well as against the third epistle of St. John, that they have not sufficient proof of their divine original: Now it would be too large in this place to enter into a discussion of that question: But there is nothing said in this epistle that is disagreeable to the sense of other holy writers in other parts of scripture; and by our protestant writers these epistles have been generally represented as part of the word of God in the New Testament: Nor can I find suflicient reason to reject it, merely because some persons, that need a more abundant measure of indulgence and of charity than the scripture seems to allow, will not allow it this post of honour, and that is because it excludes them from our good esteem, from christian communion and friendship. Yet after all this censure of Momus and his followers, if any such there be, I would still hope and persuade myself there are some serious aud pious souls

who have been honestly seeking after the truths of religion, and searching the word of God to find them, who may have indulged some incautious and unhappy hour, wherein they have suffered themselves to be led away into this great snare and temptation of the evil one; so that they have begun to doubt of this blessed doctrine of the atoning sacrifice for sin by the blood of Jesus Christ, though it is so strongly, so expressly, and so often asserted by several of the apostles in their writings.

It is my sincere and earnest desire, that God would speedily break these unhappy snares, whatsoever they are, by which their thoughts have been captivated into so dangerous a mistake; 2 Tim. ii. 25, 26. that he would please to open the eyes of their mind by his enlightening grace, that they may not run on so far in this way as to be exposed to the loss of the benefit of this only propitiation for sin, and lay themselves open to that severe sentence of the word of God, that there remains no further propitiatory sacrifice for them, but a certain fearful expectation ;-Heb. x. 26, 27. Forgive me, blessed Jesus, if any of the softer influences of animal nature have warped me aside, while I am treating of this glorious virtue of charity, to indulge these milder sentiments, and depart in any measure from the stricter sense and sentence of thy holy word.

SECT. III.-The Mischievous Effects of Uncharitableness.

Now if we have not dwelt too long on this subject, viz. in tracing out this mischief through its several springs and properties, and if my reader be not quite out of breath, I would ask him to take another turn with me and walk down to a short survey of the same vice in its mischievous effects; that we may be more warmly animated to pursue this iniquity to the death: If it were possible, we would leave it neither root nor branch, name or memory in the christian world.

I. The first and most obvious mischiefs I meet with among christians of an uncharitable humour, are the constant disquiet of their own spirits, the vexation they give their neighbours, the injury they do to their own edification, and to the edification of all that converse with them. Singulario has a set of notions and rules whereby he adjusts his own creed and his practice; and whatsoever he hears in religious conference, or in public duty, that does not precisely square to his model, disquiets his ears, disrelishes with his taste, disturbs his conscience, and thus prevents all the benefit that his soul should receive from the discourse or worship.

I grant it very lawful for a man to be disgusted with a sermon, where the greatest part is spent in notions contrary to his judgment, and dressed up in language very foreign to his usual way of converse about divine things; this is shocking to the

spirit of the best christians, and the conscience is so nauseated. with the largest part of the entertainment that his soul cannot be nourished, and it is proper for him to forbear attendance upon such a preacher, and chuse one more suited to the temper of his own spirit. But Singulario hath an aversion to a whole hour's discourse, because there were three sentences of a strain different from his opinion. He reaps no blessing from a sermon of excelent composure, of divine materials, of an evangelic frame and just method, because there is one expression in it that is the characteristic of another sect. He sits uneasy under a noble discourse of justification or of faith, because, it may be, the minister doth avoid the terms imputed, meritorious, condition and instrument; and mentions none of the tortured words of noise and party. I will not indeed commend a preacher that is always affecting to disguise his own opinions, and for ever hiding himself in ambiguous language, and that in points of moment, thereby to maintain the everlasting applause of all sides. But I must chide Singulario for the wry faces he makes at church when he hears but a word or two of contrary sound, or when his ears miss and long for a set of darling phrases.

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Three years ago I was in company with Acharissa, a sout old christian of a very narrow spirit, and gave her a gentle admonition for the frequent reproaches she cast on the ministers of Christ, that did not preach exactly according to her humour; I blamed that petulant Iberty which she took with all her neighbours and acquaintance, to censure them severely for every lesser difference of practice or worship: I recommended to her reading that valuable sermon of the reverend Doctor Tillotson, Against Evil-speaking;" but I could not persuade her to peruse those few pages, not only because of that strong propensity she had to speak evil of others, but because it was the work of an archbishop; "which sort of office, said she, is a mere human invention, and the scripture knows it not." I know another name which has the same narrow spirit. Sequilla hath ever given up the conduct of her soul to the curate of the parish, and after many years' attendance on his ministry, in great security of conscience, is well assured that she shall go to heaven at last. Perhaps by some terrible providence, or by some plain word of scripture, she is awakened to a deep and frightful sense of sin, and danger of eternal death. She is visited by the curate, and though he saith some good things to her, yet she finds not the way of peace. A kind neighbour recommends to her some book of consolation written by a dissenter, but she refuses the book and the comfort at once, lest she should be guilty of that damnable sin of separation from the church. How can I ever, said she, expect the peace of God from the pen of a schismatic? And thus endures the racks of coascience rather than she will

indulge charity enough to hear or to read what a non-conformist hath written.

Presbycolo a christian of the same stamp, heard a sermon lately and commended it above measure, confessed how much light and love was kindled in his heart by it, and bestowed unusual strains of respect upon the minister; but Presbycolo, said I," This man never had the hands of a bishop, or preachingelder, laid upon his head to ordain him." At once I saw his colour change, his spirits sink, and he concluded that all the divine affections in his soul under that sermon must needs be counterfeit," because now I know, said he, the preacher is no minister of Christ." O the wretched influence of this vice of uncharitableness upon feeble and deluded souls! It proceeds so far at last as to make persons scrupulous of attending upon any ordinance, lest the administrator should not be a man exactly of their stamp. Thus their hearts are vexed with everlasting disquiet, for they can hardly hear a prayer, or an exhortation, but they find some offence in it; like a man with a thorn in his hand, whatsoever he takes hold of gives him pain, but the cause lies in` his own flesh. There are other instances of this kind to be met with in the world. Nitidelli wears his hair three inches below his shoulders, and it is ever well beautified with powder; he frequently eats of a dish of food where blood is one of the ingredients, and he often takes half a pint of red wine to his own share He maintains serious religion at home and abroad: But Censorina cannot join with him in the special ordinances of worship. It is a shame for him, she cries to wear long hair, he is a wine-bibber, and he abstains not from blood; nor can I be reconciled to him upon any terms, unless he retrench these horrible excesses. But he still goes on careless and regardless of the peace of his fellow-christian, and scorns her little clamours, rather than endeavours, by gentleness and compliance to satisfy or remove them.

Now walkest thou not charitably, O Nitidelli, for thou grievest thy sister with thy meat and garments, for whom Christ died: Rom, xiv. 15. But I would fain have Censorina learn also, that the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Both of you therefore ought to follow after things which make for yeace, and things wherewith one may edify another." Verses 17, 19.

Nor is this mischief confined to single persons: It makes a farther progress still, and infects the neighbour and acquaintance. Every Monday, in the evening, Crites sits at the head of a club that meet together to arraign and sentence the sermons of the foregoing day. "Did you mark, my friends, such an expression under the fourth head? It sounded harsh in my ears. Surely the man is not orthodox; pray acquaint your families of