Christian, he would feel more warmth for the general interest of his religion than for the detached advantage of his perfuafion, fhould they at any time happen to come in competition. Were he a patriot, he would confult the happiness of his country, not the advancement of a faction. Were he a wife or an honeft man, he would labour to the uttermost of his power to unite and ftrengthen that community which hath protected, and ftill protects him, in the enjoyment of every thing he holds either facred or dear to him. Were he all, or any of these, unanimity, in the balance either of his understanding or heart, would outweigh ten thousand non-effentials.

To draw towards an end, give me leave, my Dif fenting brethren, to obferve to you, that as to the fubject of conformity, you are reducible to two claffes; the firft, of those who think the differences between you and the established church fufficiently material to justify a feparation; the other, of fuch as lay no great ftrefs on thofe differences, either through ignorance of their merits, or because they esteem them matters of no great confequence, and therefore do not continue to diffent fo much on account of thofe differences, as merely because they are unwilling or ashamed to quit the way of worship they were brought up in. Indulge me with a fhort ap plication to each.

And first, let me humbly and earnestly befeech you, who look on the difference between us as material, fairly and calmly to weigh thofe differences againft the fin of fchifm, and the infinite mifchiefs, both fpiritual and temporal, that do or may arise from it. When this is done, confider with the like candour, whether we differ about any thing of real moment, (I speak to you only who agree with us in fundamentals) excepting the fingle point of church government; whether Chrift himself did not govern the church epifcopally; whether he gave us any rea

fon

fon to think he intended this method of government fhould be altered on his leaving the world, whether he did not rather entail it on the church by fending bis apoftles, as his Father bad fent him; whether they did not actually pursue the fame plan; whether Ti mothy and Titus were not conftituted real bishops, with authority over prefbyters and deacons by St. Paul, whether it does not clearly appear from the firft epiftle of this apoftle to Timothy, that he, Timothy, was to fee that proper perfons were appointed both for prefbyters and deacons, and to govern the prefbyters, tho' there called bishops; whether this does not demonftrate three orders in the church, first of Timothy, fecondly of the prefbyters, and thirdly of the deacons; whether that holy martyr St. Ignatius, who was the immediate difciple of St. John, and whofe writings were a long time read in many churches, as next in authority to scripture, does not, in his epiftle to the Magnefians, and elsewhere, plainly diftinguish the fame three orders, affign the fubordination of the two laft to the firft, and technically fix their titulary appellations; whether what he fo delineates in this behalf, is not evidently traced in the practice of all churches down to the reformation; whether at that period many reformers ignorantly blaming epifcopacy for that which Popery the oppref for of epifcopacy, had done, did not proceed rather by pique and prejudice than by reafon or authority, fcriptural or traditional, in rejecting the epifcopal order; whether reformers, already as much heated against former abufes and ufurpations, as the Papifts were bigotted to them, may not be as reasonably fuf pected of prejudice in throwing out, as we in retaining this order; whether the merits, as to this, can ever be decided by our preconceptions of either fide; or by inviduously ripping up old fores, or by bitter invectives against particular bishops, or in fhort by any other method than that of a cool difpaffion

ate

ate appeal to fcriptural authority, explained by the practice of antiquity. After having maturely weighed these things, we beg of you then seriously to confider in the laft place, whether any set of Chriftians can warrantably lay afide the fucceffion of orders, fo plainly founded by Chrift himself, and fo long religioufly kept up by all his churches; and begin a new fucceffion, without even the colour of neceffity.

As to you, who regard this and the other differences between yourselves and us, as nothing, furely you must look on peace and unity on one fide, and fchifm on the other, as lefs than nothing, if you continue to diffent. Nay, if you have a fufficient reafon (and certainly the far greater number of you have) to think yourselves incompetent judges of the merits, your fafeft way must be to join with the eftablishment, because by that means you avoid the fin of fchifm at least, which must be a great and real fin in you, while you diffent, let the merits lie on which fide they will, fince you are conscious of your own inability to fee where they lie.

I could fay a great deal more on this affecting fubject; but having perhaps already trefpaffed too far on your patience, I fhall here conclude, with earneftly befeeching the God of peace and love, to lead us, in the unity of the Spirit, to a right understanding, and a meek and brotherly difpofition in all things, to the glory of our holy religion, and its blefsed author, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, be all might, majefty, dignity, and dominion, now and for evermore. Amen.

DISCOURSE XXVII.

The Cafe of Proteftant Refugees from France confidered.

ADVERTISEMENT.

Some years ago, when the French Proteftants fled from perfecution in their own country, to liberty and protection in GreatBritain and Ireland, and fled in fuch numbers, and moft of them fo indigent, that immediate subfiftence became doubtful; the author drew up this difcourfe with an intention to preach it circularly at the affizes throughout the province of Ulfter. This intention he submitted to a fociety, then formed in Dublin, on the fame principle of charity. Some however of that fociety having objected, that the bifhops would not confent to a proceeding fo uncommon, the defign was over-ruled, and the discourse therefore never preached. The author nevertheless believes, his readers will judge the matter and tendency of the difcourfe not wholly useless, as long as refuge fhall ftill be fought here by our Proteftant brethren on the like occafion.

B

HEB. xiii. 2.

Be not forgetful to entertain frangers.

EFORE I enter on the fubject of this dif courfe, wherein I propofe to recommend our Proteftant brethren, who fly hither from France to avoid the cruelties of a Popifh perfecution, to your further benevolence and affiftance; give

me

me leave to observe, that, fingular as I may seem to fome in what I am doing, no fenfible or religious hearer, I believe, will think my attempt itself needs an apology, unless it is from this confideration, that piety and goodness in distress can want no advocate with the pious and the good. Altho' it is certain, this undertaking fpeaks fufficiently for itself, it may nevertheless appear fomewhat uncouth in one fo inconfiderable and fo little known.

But when, in justification of myself, I shall have told you, that I was born and bred in the vicinity of that French colony, which gave us the linen trade; that for fome years paft, I have had a better opportu nity of knowing the people I fpeak for, than any man perhaps who hears me hath had; and that I have not only known them to be a people of great probity and worth, but have been more indebted to the friendships wherewith fome of them have honoured me, than I am able to exprefs; when these things, I fay, are told you, your own fentiments of gratitude will justify and approve of mine; and you will be well pleased, pursuant to the generous intentions that drew you hither on this occafion, to hear me on a fubject every way affecting, with that indulgence which your humanity is prepared to dictate, and my defects may require.

You are here affembled, it is to be prefumed, rather previously refolved to obey the amiable precept in my text, than to hear reasons for fo doing. Yet fuch is ever the property of a good heart, that, well as it is difpofed in itself, it wifhes for new inducements to ftill greater degrees of beneficence, than its prefent ardors prefcribe; and therefore readily turns its compaffionate attention to the object where these may be found; nay, fearches for them in that object with as much care as the hard heart (I fpeak boldly) does, for felfifh pretences to arm itself with against

the