been obferved to refide chiefly among the middle and lower fort of people, who are neither tempted to pride and luxury by great riches, nor to defperate courfes by extreme poverty and truly I upon that account have thought it a happiness, that thofe who are under my immediate care are generally of that condition. But where party hath once made entrance, with all its confequences, of hatred, envy, partiality, and virulence, religion cannot long keep its hold in any state or degree of life whatfoever. For if the great men of the world have been cenfured in all ages for mingling too little religion with their politics, what a havock of principles muft they needs make in unlearned and irregular heads? of which indeed the effects are already too vifible and melancholy all over the kingdom. Another ill confequence from our want of bro, therly love is, that it increafeth the infolence of the Fanatics. And this partly arifeth from a mistaken meaning of the word moderation; a word which hath been much abufed, and handed about for feveral years paft. There are too many people indif ferent enough to all religion; there are many others who diflike the clergy, and would have them live in poverty and dependence. Both thefe forts are much commended by the Fanatics for moderate men, ready to put an end to our divifions, and to make a general union among Proteftants. Many ignorant well-meaning people are deceived by thefe appearances, ftrengthened with great pretences to loyalty; and thefe occafions the Fanatics lay hold on to revile the doctrine and difcipline of the church, and even infult and opprefs the clergy, wherever their numbers or favourers will bear them out; infomuch that one wilful refractory Fanatic hath been able to disturb a whole parish for many years together. But the moft moderate and favoured divines dare not own, that the word ma deration deration with refpect to the diffenters can be at all applied to their religion, but is purely perfonal or prudential. No good man repineth at the liberty of confcience they enjoy; and perhaps a very moderate divine may think better of their loyalty than others do; or, to speak after the manner of men, may think it neceffary, that all Proteftants. fhould be united against the common enemy; or out of difcretion, or other reafons best known to himself, be tender of mentioning them at all. But ftill the errors of the diffenters are all fixed and determined; and muft, upon demand, be acknowledged by all the divines of our church, whether they be call ed, in party-phrafe, high or low, moderate or violent. And further, I believe it would be hard to find many moderate divines, who, if their opinion were asked, whether diffenters fhould be trufted with power, could according to their confciences. anfwer in the affirmative: from whence it is plain, that all the ftir which the Fanatics have made with this word moderation, was only meant to increase our divifions, and widen them fo far as to make room for themselves to get in between. And this is the only scheme they ever had (except that of deftroying root and branch) for the uniting of Proteftants, they fo much talk of. I fhall mention but one ill confequence more, which attends our want of brotherly love; that it hath put an end to all hofpitality and friendship, all good correfpondence and commerce between mane kind. There are indeed fuch things as leagues and confederacies among those of the fame party; but furely God never intended, that men fhould be fo limited in the choice of their friends: however, fo it is in town and country, in every, parish and Atreet; the paftor is divided from his flock, the fa ther from his fon, and the house often divided against itself. Mens very natures are foured, and: their paffions inflamed, when they meet in party D3 clubs, Serm.4. clubs, and spend their time in nothing else but railing at the oppofite fide; thus every man alive among us is encompaffed with a million of enemies of his own country, among which his oldeft ac7) quaintance, and friends, and kindred themselves, are often of the number. Neither can people of different parties mix together without conftraint, fufpicion, and jealoufy; watching every word they fpeak, for fear of giving offence; or elfe falling into rudeness and reproaches, and fo leaving themfelves open to the malice and corruption of informers, who were never more numerous or expert in their trade. And, as a further addition to this evil, thofe very few, who, by the goodness and generofity of their nature, do in their own hearts defpife this narrow principle, of confining their friendship and efteem, their charity and good offi ces, to those of their own party, yet dare not difcover their good inclinations, for fear of lofing their favour and interest. And others, again, whom God had formed with mild and gentle difpolitions, think it neceffary to put a force upon their own tempers, by acting a noify, violent, malicious part, as a means to be distinguished. Thus hath party got the better of the very genius and conftitution of our people; fo that whoever reads the character of the English in former ages, will hardly believe their prefent pofterity to be of the fame nation or climate. I III. I fhall now, in the laft place, make ufe of fome motives and exhortations, that may perfuade you to embrace brotherly love, and to continue in it. Let me apply myfelf to you of the lower fort, and defire you will confider, when any of you make ufe of fair and enticing words to draw in cuftomers, whether you do it for their fakes or your own. And then for whofe fakes do you think it is, that your leaders are fo induftrious to put into your heads heads all that party-rage and virulence? Is it not to make you the tools and inftruments, by which they work out their own defigns? Has this fpirit of faction been useful to any of you in your worldly concerns, except to those who have traded in whif pering, backbiting, or informing, and wanted fkill or honesty to thrive by fairer methods? It is no bufinefs of yours to inquire, who is at the head of armies, or of councils, unless you had power and skill to chufe, neither of which is ever like to be your cafe: and therefore to fill your heads with fears and hatred of perfons and things of which it is impoffible you can ever make a right judgement, or to fet you at variance with your neighbour, becaufe his thoughts are not the fame as yours, is not only in a very grofs manner to cheat you of your time and quiet, but. likewife to endanger your fouls. Secondly, In order to restore brotherly love, let me earnestly exhort you to ftand firm in your religion, I mean the true religion hitherto established among us; without varying in the leaft, either to Popery on the one fide, or to Fanaticifin on the o ther: and in a particular manner beware of that word, moderation; and believe it, that your neighbour is not immediately a villain, a Papift, and a traitor, because the Fanatics and their adherents will not allow him to be a moderate man. Nay, it is very probable, that your teacher himself may be a loyal, pious, and able divine, without the leaft grain of moderation, as the word is too frequently understood. Therefore, to fet you right in this matter, I will lay before you the character of a truly moderate man; and then I will give you the defcription of fuch an one who falfely pretendeth to that title. A man truly moderate is steady in the doctrine and difcipline of the church, but with a due Chriftian charity to all who diffent from it out of a principle principle of confcience; the freedom of which, he thinketh, ought to be fully allowed, as long as it is not abused; but never trufted with power. He is ready to defend with his life and fortune the Proteftant fucceffion, and the Proteftant established faith, against all invaders whatfoever. He is for giving the crown its juft prerogative, and the people their juft liberties. He hateth no man for differing from him in political opinions; nor doth he think it a maxim infallible, That virtue fhould always attend upon favour, and vice upon difgrace. Thefe are fome few lineaments in the character of a truly moderate man. Let us now compare it with the defcription of one who ufually paffeth under that title. A moderate man, in the new meaning of the word, is one to whom all religion is indifferent who, although he denominates himself of the church, regardeth it no more than a conventicle.. He perpetually raileth at the body of the clergy, with exceptions only to a very few, who he hopeth, and probably upon falfe grounds, are as ready to betray their rights and properties as himself. He thinks the power of the people can never be too great, nor that of the prince too little; and yet this very notion he publifheth, as his best argument to prove him a moft loyal fubject. Every opinion in government that differeth in the leaft from his, tends directly to Popery, flavery, and rebellion. Whoever lieth under the frown of power, can in his judgement neither have common fenfe, common. honesty, nor religion. Laftly, his devotion confifteth in drinking gibbets, confufion, and damnation; in profanely idolizing the memory of one dead prince, and ungratefully trampling upon the afhes of another, By these marks you will eafily diftinguifh a truly moderate man from those who are commonly, but very falfely, fo called: and while perfons thus qua |