SERM. you grow in Grace, and take Delight in your III. Christian Duties, and to give you all that Satisfaction K 3 come to Agreement with them as foon as you can, without prejudicing your own legal Rights? And are you defirous only to do Juftice to yourself, or thofe you are concerned for, without doing any Hurt or Injuftice to your Adverfaries? And are you free to do them any neighbourly Service that hath no Relation to the Points in difpute with them? In fhort, though your Differences be of that Nature, that they will take fome Time to be compounded, yet are you in the mean Time fo reconciled to their Perfons, that you can fay your Prayers for them, and wish that you may both meet in Heaven in intire Friendship and Love? I fay, if you have this Disposition of Mind, notwithstanding all Actions, Suits or Controverfies with them, yet your Bond of Charity is not broken. And you may both fay your Prayers, and come to the Sacrament with a good Confcience; nay, if you can do the one, you may certainly do the other. That Degree of Uncharitableness which may justly hinder you from coming to the Sacrament, may justly hinder you from faying your daily Prayers. Whoever can fincerely put up this Petition, Forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive them that trefpafs against us, may at the fame Time come to the Communion without Blame upon Account of bis Charity? In fome Cafes indeed of abufive and injurious Treatment, fome Doubts may arife, how Chriftian Charity will oblige us to behave ourselves with Refpect to our Conduct towards the offending Party; and how far it may, or may not be confiftent with Brotherly Love, to take the legal Advantages of the Aggreffor. Though this perhaps is rather a prudential Point, than a Point of Confcience. However, be that as it will, yet certainly III. SER M. tifaction and Peace of Mind which a Man defires to reap in the Practice of his Religion; and moreover that it is generally necessary for the Prefervation of your Souls and Bodies to Life everlasting. God grant you may not only be worthy Communicants but frequent Communicants too; for your own Sakes, and for the Sake of his dear Son Jesus Christ. To whom, &c. certainly this is a very fafe and innocent Doubt, and need be no Bar at all to a Man's Communicating, provided that he continue till fuch Time as his Doubt be removed, or Satisfaction in it can be obtained, in a Refolution and a Difpofition, whatever shall be afterwards determined in his Cafe, to be governed wholly by the Rules of Charity and Prudence. And now having mentioned, and resolved these three Cafes of doubting, I fancy it will be hard to find any more, or at leaft actually to meet with them, unless it be among fome dif order'd and melancholy Chriftians, against whofe endless Scruples there is no Fence in the World. 135 CONCIO ad CLERUM, habita in John vii. 17. Εάν τις θέλῃ τὸ θέλημα αὐτὰ ποιεῖν, γνώσεται περὶ τῆς διδαχῆς, πότερον ἐκ τὸ Θεὸ ἐσω, ἢ ἐγὼ ἀπ' ἐμαυτε λαλώ, Verf. Vulg. Si quis voluerit Voluntatem ejus facere, cognofcet de Doctrinâ, utrum ex Deo fit, an ego à meipfo loquar. H IV. ÆC verba Chrifti infignia, notatuque S ER M. digniffima, licèt primo intuitu minimè videantur interpreti negotium faceffere, Senfum tamen paulò reconditiorem continent, nec facilè nifi priùs inftitutâ indagine eruendum. Quem ut penitùs & diftin&tè perspi ciamus, operæ pretium fuerit fingulas s proews voces, principales faltem, ad examen revocare, earumque vim & pondus penfitare. Per Doctrinam intelligendum eft Evangelium; feu Voluntas Dei hominibus per Chriftum annunciata. Hoc liquet ex verfu præcedenti, Mea doctrina non eft mea, fed ejus qui mifit me. Continuò fequuntur ipfa textûs verba quæ difcutienda fumpfimus. Doctrina autem Chrifti propriè dicta ab omnibus diftinguenda eft præcedaneis notitiis Divinæ Voluntatis, cum fit eximia præ cæteris, & ipfius anías nomine fpeciatim infigniatur. Gal. iii. 1. 1 Tim. ii. 4. & alibi. Quamobrem per excel lentiam Doctrina dici meretur. Illud autem cognofcet de Doctrinâ, fi quis ad fenfum malit quàm ad literam reddere, interpretandum eft de Fide Chrifto adhibendâ : Evangelium nempe, toto animo amplectetur, nil ambigens quin Deum habeat Auctorem. Non enim dictum eft fimplicitèr cognofcet, sive intelliget Doctrinam, (quemadmodùm nonnulli folent exponere fed γνώσεται περι τῆς διδαχῆς, de Doctrina; id fcil. quod fcire maximi est momenti, Tóregov in Tew, An a Deo promanaverit, necne; Cœleftifne fit, an terrena; Divina, Divina, an humana. Hoc igitur de quo cognofcendum, rectèque judicandum eft, non folum ipfam Doctrinæ materiem complectitur, verum etiam cætera veritatis ejus yvwgiouara, divinæque Originis indicia. Quæ plurima & præclara ei adjunxit Deus, quafi fatellitii vice, dignitatem ejus ut tuerentur & confervarent, hominumque animos novitate rei perculfos ad agnitionem ejus, debitamque obfervantiam cultumque excitarent. Non igitur de cognitione Doctrina, quæ & qualis fit, inftituitur quæftio; nec enim intellectu adeo difficilis eft, ut vel vulgi captum fuperet, aut a rudi agreftique ingenio refugiat, aut teneri dedignetur : Sed totius rei cardo in hoc verfatur, utrum de Divinâ ejus auctoritate fatis conftet; utrum pro iis quibus est notis & characteribus excellentiæ intrinfecùs confignata, proque eo quo eft Teftimoniorum fatellitio extrinfecùs ftipata, cœleftis Oraculi nomine & titulo excipienda fit, & ab omni Gente & in omni fæculo veneranda. Hoc eft illud præcipuum & cognitu imprimis neceffarium, cujus xgious non cuivis mandatur, fed iis folummodo promittitur, qui ex præfcriptâ conditione hoc fibi tribui meruerunt, SERM. IV. At |