ESSAY that a great Part of the Profeffors of our VII. holy Religion, make their Heads the chief Seat of it, and scarce ever fuffer it to defcend and warm their Hearts. Jefus the Saviour has been discovered to them in a good degree of outward Light, but has never been revealed in them with Power, nor their Souls changed by Divine Grace into the Image of the Gofpel. While they boast of their Orthodox Faith they forget their Chriftian Love.

Stellino has fuck his Brain all over with Notions, and fancies his higher Sphere fufficiently illuminated for the Conduct of Mankind, that's round about him, and beneath him: But this Set of Notions is like a Winter-night overhung with Stars; bright and thining, but very cold. Natural Affections have no room in his Soul, 'tis too much Spiritualized with Opinions and Doctrines. His Divinity lies all in his Underftanding, and the common Duties of Humanity scarce ever employ his Tongue or his Hands.

If a Man does but profefs every Tittle of his Creed, and believe juft as Stellino believes, he is declared fit for Holy Communion; and if he will but difpute warmly for the hard Words that diftinguifh his Scheme, and can pronounce Shibboleth well, he shall. not be adjudged to Death or Damnation, but joined heartily to the Fellowship of the Saints,

Saints, tho' his flaming Immoralities. pro- ESSAY claim him a Son of Satan: Satan himself VII. has perhaps a more accurate and nice Skill of the Controverfies of Divinity, than the beft of our Profeffors and Doctors have arrived at; but his Pride and Malice are Chains of Darknefs, and make a Devil of him in fpite of all his Knowledge: Yet Stellino affects too near a Refemblance to Lucifer, that fallen Son of the Morning.

Vices that are odious to human Nature, and wild Licentiousneffes of a bitter Tongue which destroy all civil Society, are very little Faults in his Opinion, when put into the Balance with Orthodoxy and Zeal. If my Converfation among Meu be blameless and honourable; if my Practice confift of Virtue and Piety; if I profefs a folemn Faith in Chrift the eternal Word, the only begotten Son of God, who came into the Flesh, who died to make a true Atonement for the Sins of Men, and teftify my unfeigned Subjection to him, and declare the Grounds of my Hope; yet I must not be admitted to the fpecial Parts of Worship where Stellino prefides, because I am not arrived at his degree of Light, and differ from his Expreffions a little, when I explain the Words fuftification and the Covenant of Grace. His Lips are ever full of Declamation and Controversy, and he harangues copiously upon the most affecting Points of our Religion; he talks U 2 much

ESSAY much of the amazing Condescentions of DiVII. vine Mercy, and of the Kindness and Love

of God our Saviour towards Man; but it

has not yet taught him Love to his FellowCreatures, nor Kindness towards his Brethren.

Such another Chriftian is Mifander; he reverses the Duties of Chriftianity which St. Paul defcribes, he speaks Evil of all Men but his own Party, he is a Brawler and ungentle, fhewing Meekness unto none; and while he pretends that the Grace of God which brings Salvation has appeared unto him, he lives ftill in Malice and Envy, and wears the vifible Characters of the Men of Heathenifm, hateful and bating one another, 2 Tit. 11, 12. 3 Tit. 2, 3, 4. He flourishes and enlarges upon the gracious Qualities of our Redeemer, our great High-Prieft, who is touched with the Feeling of our Infirmities; yet himself has not learnt from fo glorious an Example to have Compaffion on them that are ignorant and out of the way; but rather being exalted in his own Knowledge, he condemns his weak Brother to perish, for whom Chrift died. Take thy Bible, O vain Man, and read a few Lines in the 8th Chapter of St. Paul's first Epiftle to Corinth. Knowledge puffeth up, but Charity edifieth; and if any Man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know; but if any Man love God, the fame is known of

him. And St. John will affure thee, that ESSAY be that loveth not his Brother knoweth not VII. God, and if a Man fay, I love God, and bateth his Brother, he is a Liar, 1 John iv. 8, 20.

Yet let not any think that I advance Charity fo high, as to place it in the room of Knowledge and Faith, or to make it a selffufficient Ground for our Admittance into Heaven at last Nor can I fuppofe it alone to be a fufficient Plea for a Reception into any vifible Church of Christ on Earth. A Confeffion of the Name of Jefus, with the most important and most neceffary Articles of his bleffed Religion, a Declaration of my perfonal Faith or Truft in him, together with a folemn Dedication of myself unto the Lord, may be juftly required of me by that Christian Society into which I defire Admittance. In default of these the biggest Inftances of Charity will never constitute me a Chriftian: Except ye believe that I am he, faith our Saviour, ye fhall die in your Sins, John viii. 24. If a Man ftrive for a Prize, yet is he not crowned unless he strive lawfully; (i. e.) according to the Methods fcribed in the Gofpel, the Knowledge and the Faith of the Son of God, 2 Tim. ii. 5. and the Sentence of our Lord is dreadful and peremptory. He that believeth not fall be damned, Mark xvi. 16. With the Heart Man believes unto Righteoufness, and with

U 3

pre

the

ESSAY the Mouth Confeffion is made unto Salvation, VII. Rom. x. 10. But without Charity my Faith

can never be true, for it must be fuch a Faith as worketh by Love, and discovers itfelf by all the Fruits of the Spirit, Longfuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Meeknefs, Temperance, Gal. v. 6, 22.

Thus far have we traced the Vice of Uncharitableness in many of the Properties that belong to it, and the Caufes of it, and many Inftances in which it difcovers itself in the World, and in the Church; and it appears a very fhameful Vice, and oppofite to the Religion of the Bleffed Jefus.

SECT. II.

An Occafional Vindication of the Apostles from the Charge of Uncharitableness.

But what shall we fay to those who take the venerable Names of the facred Writers, and charge them with the fame fcandalous Practice?

There is one Momus, who is well known. in the World for a Perfon that is ready to find fault with the best of Men, and the beft of Things, if he can fufpect any thing which he imagines worthy of Blame in them. This Man rather than not vindicate himself from the Charge of Uncharitableness, he will bring even the Apostles themselves

into