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SER M. Romish Doctrine of Perfecution; by which VI. all the Authority, wherewith God has in

vefted men for the Incouragement of Vir tue and Punishment of Vice, has been wickedly and perverfely imployed in forcing a violent and hypocritical Pretenfe of Unity of Opinion, in matters generally of doubtful Speculation, and oft-times of Ungodly Practife too; to the entire Subverfion both of Truth and Charity.

Laftly; WITH regard to erroneous Notions concerning every man's own private Duty in the Government of HimJelf: Every Opinion that gives Licence to Any Sort of Debauchery; that gives men Incouragement to fin, in hopes that Grace may abound; turning the Grace of God into Lafcivioufnefs, as the Apostle expreffes it, and making Chrift the MiniJer of Sin; Every fuch opinion, I fay, is a Root of Bitterness, and brings forth Fruit unto Death. Of This Sort is That defperate Notion which has prevailed fo much in the Church of Rome; a relying upon repeated Confeffions and Abfolutions for the Pardon of Sins, in the Practice of which they ftill however continue. And of the fame Kind is That dangerous ex

pectation

VI.

pectation even among Proteftants too; SER M. when Men of loofe and debauched Lives flatter themselves, that, without Any real Virtue or Holiness, they fhall be accepted of God, upon their performing, on a Bed of Sickness and at the Approach of Death, fome of those external Duties, which were instituted on purpose to be Obligations and Affiftances to Holiness of Life. But our Rule is One, and Plain: He that doth Righteousness, is Righteous. Which is the literal Meaning of the Figure in the Text: Every Tree is known by bis own Fruit: For of Thorns men do not gather Figs, nor of a Bramble-bush gather they Grapes.

SERMON

SERMON VII.

The Nature of Religious Truths.

2 TIM. ii. 25.

In Meekness inftructing those that oppofe themfelves, if God peradventure will give them Repentance to the acknowledging of the Truth.

A

S Light is neceffarily and effen- S ER M.
tially different from Dark- VII.
nefs, notwithstanding those
who are blind cannot diftin-
guifh That difference; fo,

notwithstanding the Weakness and Blind

VOL. III.

L

nefs

SERM.nefs of men's Understandings, and the VII. much worse Confufion arifing from the Corruption and Perverfeness of their Wills; yet Truth is ftill, in the Nature of Things, always Real and Invariable, and, for the most part, diftinguishable alfo from Error. In fome kinds of things, 'tis indeed very difficult for Us to discover where the Truth lies; the Causes of things, being abftrufe; the Ends and Designs of them, remote; the things themselves, often intricate; the Manner how they may poffibly be, diverfe and various; and our Understanding, in itself finite and fallible. But This difficulty of finding out the Truth, is generally in things of That nature only; which are of no great importance for us to know. As the Eyes of our Body, are fitted only to difcern things within the reach of fuch a distance, as 'tis of Use to us in Life to comprehend within our View; fo our Understanding, which is the Eye of the Mind, can very difficultly fearch into the Truth of numberlefs things, which it does not concern us diftinctly to know. But in All things of importance, in all things of great and

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