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fubftantiation itself. But fo fond are they of their own innovations and errors, that rather than the dictates of their church, how groundless and abfurd foever, fhould be called in queftion; rather than not have their will of us in impofing upon us what they pleafe, they will overthrow any article of the Chriftian faith, and fhake the very foundations of our common religion: A clear evidence that the church of Rome is not the true mother, fince the can be fo well contented that Christianity fhould be deftroyed, rather than the point in queftion fhould be decided against her.

SERMON

XXVII.

The Proteftant religion vindicated from the charge of fingularity and novelty..

Preached before the King, at Whitehall, April 2. 1680)

JOSHUA Xxiv. 15.

If it feem evil unto you to ferve the Lord, chufe you this day whom you will ferve.

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The first fermon on this text.

Hefe are the words of Jofhua; who, after he had brought the people of Ifrael through many difficulties and hazards, into the quiet poffeffion of the promised land, like a good prince, and father of his country, was very folicitous, before his death, to lay the firmeft foundation he could devife of the future happiness and profperity of that people, in whofe prefent fettlement he had, by the bleffing of God, been fo fuccessful an inftrument.

And, because he knew no means fo effectual to this end, as to confirm them in the religion and worship of

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the true God, who had by fo remarkable and miraculous a providence planted them in that good land; he fummons the people together, and reprefents to them all those confiderations that might engage them and their posterity for ever to continue in the true religion. He tells them what God had already done for them, and what he had promised to do more, if they would be faithful to him; and, on the other hand, what fearful calamities he had threatened, and would certainly bring upon them, in cafe they fhould tranfgrefs his covenant, and go and ferve other gods. And, after many arguments to this purpofe, he concludes with this earnest exhortation, at the 14th verfe, Now therefore fear the Lord, and ferve him in fincerity, and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers ferved on the other fide of the flood, and in Egypt; and ferve ye the Lord.

And, to give the greater weight and force to this exhortation, he does, by a very eloquent kind of infinuation, as it were once more fet them at liberty, and leave them to their own election; it being the nature of man, to stick more ftedfastly to that which is not violently impofed, but is our own free and deliberate choice: And if it feem evil unto you to ferve the Lord, chufe you this day whom you will ferve.

Which words offer to our confideration thefe following obfervations.

1. It is here fuppofed, that a nation must be of fome religion or other. Jofhua does not put this to their choice, but takes it for granted.

2. That though religion be a matter of choice, yet it is neither a thing indifferent in itself, nor to a good governor, what religion his people are of. Joshua does not put it to them as if it were an indifferent matter whether they ferved God or idols: he had fufficiently declared before, which of these was to be preferred.

3. The true religion may have feveral prejudices and objections against it: If it feem evil unto you to ferve the Lord; intimating, that, upon fome accounts, and to fome perfons, it may appear fo.

4. That the true religion hath thofe real advantages on its fide, that it may fafely be referred to any confiderate man's choice. And this feems to be the true rea

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fon why Joshua refers it to them: not that he thought the thing indifferent, but because he was fully fatisaed, that the truth and goodness of the one above the other was fo evident, that there was no danger that any prudent man should make a wrong choice: If it feem evil unto you to ferve the Lord, chufe you this day whom you will Serve; intimating, that the plain difference of the things in competition would direct them what to chufe.

5. The example of princes and governors hath a very great influence upon the people in matters of religion. This I collect from the context. And Joshua was fenfible of it and therefore, tho' he firmly believed the true religion to have those advantages that would certainly recommend it to every impartial man's judgment; yet, knowing that the multitude are eafily impofed upon, and led into error, he thought fit to incline and determine them by his own example, and by declaring his own peremptory refolution in the cafe: Chufe you this day whom you will ferve: as for me, I and my houfe will ferve the Lord. Laws are a good fecurity to religion; but the example of governors is a living law, which fecretly over-rules the minds of men, and bends them to a compliance with it.

-Non fic inflectere fenfus

Humanos edicta valent, ut vita regentis:

"The lives and actions of princes have ufually a greater "fway upon the minds of the people than their laws." All thefe obfervations are, I think, very natural, and very confiderable. I fhall not be able to speak to them all; but fhall proceed fo far as the time and your patience will give me leave.

First, It is here fuppofed, that a nation must be of fome religion or other. Joshua does not put it to their choice, whether they would worship any Deity at all. That had been too wild and extravagant a fuppofition, and which it is likely in those days had never entered into any man's mind. But he takes it for granted, that all people will be of fome religion; and then offers it to their confideration which they would pitch upon: Chufe you this day whom you will ferve, whether the gols which your fathers ferved, &c.

Religion is a thing to which men are not only formed VOL. II.

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by

by education and custom; but, as Tully fays, quo omnes duce naturâ vehimur; "it is that to which we are all car"ried by a natural inclination:" which is the true reafon why fome religion or other hath fo univerfally prevailed in all ages and places of the world.

The temporal felicity of men, and the ends of government, can very hardly, if at all, be attained without religion. Take away this, and all obligations of confcience cease; and where there is no obligation of confcience, all fecurity of truth, and juftice, and mutual confidence among men, is at an end. For why fhould I repofe confidence in that man, why fhould I take his word, or believe his promife, or put any of my interefts and concernments into his power, who hath no other restraint upon him but that of human laws, and is at liberty in his own mind and principles to do whatever he judgeth to be expedient for his intereft, provided he can but do it without danger to himself? So that declared Atheifm and infidelity doth justly bring men under a jealoufy and fufpicion with all mankind. And every wife man hath reafon to be upon his guard against those, from whom he hath no caufe to expect more juftice, and truth, and equity in their dealings, than he can compel them to by the mere dint and force of laws: for, by declaring themfelves free from all other obligations, they give us fair warning what we are to expect at their hands, and how far we may truft them. Religion is the strongest band of human fociety; and God fo neceffary to the welfare and happiness of mankind, as it could not have been more, if we could fuppofe the being of God hi..felf to have been purpofely defigned and contrived for the benefit and advantage of men. So that very well may it be taken for granted, that a nation must be of fome religion or other.

Secondly, Though religion be a matter of our choice, yet it is neither a thing indifferent in itself, nor to a good governor, what religion his people are of. Notwithstanding the fuppofition of the text, Jofhua doth not leave them at liberty whether they will ferve God or idols; but, by a very rhetorical fcheme of fpeech, endeavours to engage them more firmly to the worship of the true God.

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To countenance and fupport the true religion, and to take care that the people be inftructed in it, and that none be permitted to debauch and feduce men from it, properly belongs to the civil magiftrate. This power the Kings of Ifrael always exercifed, not only with allowance, but with great approbation and commendation. from God himfelf. And the cafe is not altered fince Christianity: the better the religion is, the better it deferves the countenance and fupport of the civil authority. And this power of the civil magiftrate in matters of religion was never called in queftion, but by the enthufiafts of thefe latter times: and yet, among thefe, every father and mafter of a family, claims this power over his children and fervants, at the fame time that they deny it to the magiftrate over his fubjects. But I would fain know where the difference lies. Hath a master of a family more power over those under his government than the magiftrate hath? No man ever pretended it: nay, fo far is it from that, that the natural authority of a father may be, and often is, limited and reftrained by the laws of the civil magiftrate.. And why then may not a magistrate exercife the fame power over his fubjects in matters of religion, which every mafter challengeth to himself in his own family; that is, to establish the true worship of God in fuch manner and with fuch circumftances as he thinks beft, and to permit none to affront it, or to feduce from it thofe that are under his care? And, to prevent all misunderstandings in this matter, I do not hereby afcribe any thing to the magiftrate, that can poffibly give him any pretence of right to reject God's true religion, or to declare what he pleases to be fo, and what books he pleases to be canonical and the word of God, and, confequently, to make a falfe religion fo current, by the stamp of his authority, as to oblige his fubjects to the profeffion of it; because he who acknowledgeth himself to derive all his authority from God, can pretend to none againft him. But if a falfe religion be eftablished by law, the cafe here is the fame as in all other laws that are finful in the matter of them, but yet made by a lawful authority in this cafe the fubject is not bound to profefs a falfe religion, but patiently to fuffer for the conftant profeffion of the true.

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