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XIV.

Phil. ii. 2, That ye be like-minded; how?SER M. why, having the fame love, being of one accord, of one mind; let nothing be done through ftrife or vain-glory, but in lowlinefs of Mind. St Peter alfo explains himself after the fame manner, 1 Pet. iii. 8, Finally be ye all of one mind. How? Is it by following each other ignorantly and implicitly? No: but, having compaffion (fays he) one of another, love as Brethren, be pitiful, be courteous. This is That Charity, which whofoever has not, the Text clearly affirms he cannot be a good Chriftian: And whofoever has it, cannot eafily fail in any Other inftances of Virtue; For Love, is the Fulfilling of the Law.

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AUKTION V

SERMON XV.

The Nature of Relative Duties,

COL. iii. 20, 21, 22. Children, obey your Parents in all things; for This is well-pleafing unto the Lord. Fathers, pro

voke not your children to anger,
left they be difcouraged. Ser-
vants, obey in all things your.
Mafters according to the flefb.

T is the constant Method of SFR M:
St Paul in all his Epiftles, XV.
first to inlarge upon and ex-
plain diftinctly the particular
point or question, which

was the occafion of his writing at That

XV.

SER M.time to That particular Church; and then to add fuch general exhortations to the practice of all Chriftian Duties and Virtues, as might at all times be of Use to All Churches and to every Chriftian in all Ages and in every part of the World. Thefe general Exhortations are, in the main, the fame in All his epiftles; easy and plain, univerfal and unvaried, fuited to all Capacities, and containing the most important and fundamental Principles of Religion. The former part of the several Epiftles ufually relates to fome particular Controverfy between the Jewish and Gentile Converts, which at That time gave Trouble to the Apostles: And These parts of his Writings cannot be rightly understood any other way, than by attending carefully to the Occafion and State of the particular queftion which he is there determining. And therefore it has been a great Error in these latter Ages of the World, and the Cause of many vain difputes among Chriftians, that, without attending to the Defign and Scope of a Discourse written in an argumentative manner, Men have frequently picked out

and

and applied to Themselves fingle Paffages, SER M. which, in the courfe of the Apoftle's Ar- XV. gument had plainly a View only to the State of the then Jewish or Gentile Church. From this One mistake, 'tis evident, have fprung all the vain Controverfies concerning Faith and Works, concerning Juftification and Sanctification, concerning Election and Reprobation, and the like: wherewith while the Minds of Men have been needlessly diftracted, they have been the lefs apt to attend to the great and weightier Matters of the Law, to the moral and general Exhortations, repeated and inculcated univerfally in every epiftle, as things by every Chriftian indifputably eafy to be understood, and indifpenfably neceffary to be practiced.

THE Words of my Text are part of the general Exhortation, which concludes the epifle to the Coloffians. In the Beginning of This chapter the Apostle exhorts them to fet their affections on heavenly things, to mortify every vicious and inordinate appetite, to lay afide all Malice and Contentioufnefs among themfelves, and to live in the practice of univerfal Love, Chari

ty

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