Conformities of St. Francis---Popish miracles---What re-

quired to the composition of these saints---Monastic vows---

Supposed evangelical councils---Objections made by Pro-

testants to these and the like practices---Why insisted upon

by the popes---Popish doctrine of traditions... Withholding

the Scriptures from the laity---Prayers in an unknown tongue

---Persecution---Particularly a doctrine and practice of this

church---The fact established---The church of Rome the only

power that has adopted and pursued it as a system---Traced

up, and shewn so to be---Answer to the question where our

church was before Luther---Transubstantiation, a novel doc-

trine---Always some description of Christians who denied

it---Fourth Lateran council---Dr. Milner's assertions re-

specting its authority---Alleged distinction between canons

of doctrine and of discipline...Other allegations---That it is

the laity who persecute---That the clergy cannot, even in-

directly, concur in the shedding of blood---Persecution the

most sure mark of Antichrist---Variations among Protestant

churches no argument against reformation in religion---Such

variations have always existed---Even in the church of Rome

...Union must be sought for only upon proper grounds---

Conclusion.
P. 253

SERMON VII.

HEBREWS xiii. 8.

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and

for ever.

OBSERVATIONS on the text---Weakness of human nature
shewn particularly in its variableness---In the differences
which took place at the reformation---Extremes into which
some of the reformers suffered themselves to be transported---

Disputes upon points of doctrine---Consubstantiation---Pre-
destination...Divine grace---How enforced by the different
parties--Points of discipline---Prejudice taken up against
episcopacy---New order---Presbyterianism---Excesses of cer-
tain bodics of men---Conformity insisted upon by Calvin
and his followers---By Luther---Attempt to ascertain fun-
damentals---Mode and practice of the reformation in this
country---Effects produced---More temper and moderation
--Less spoliation---More lenity towards dissenters---Pu-
ritans...Their principles and language---Origin and growth
of the sect---Required conformity in all the members of
churches---Their professed aim a more complete reformation
---Independents--- When arose, and how increased in number
and consequence---Gained the upper hand of Presbyterians
---Observations---For upwards of a century no considerable
body of men advocates for unbounded latitude---Circum-
stances under which this principle first maintained---Fruits
which it produced---Numbers of sects which started up and
disappeared---Present state of sects in this country---Broad
line of distinction---Some sects differing from us in essentials

Others not---The first properly heretics---The term now
chiefly confined to those who are unsound in their opinions
of Christ---Necessary to consider these, as producing divi-
sions in the church---Their objections to our worship ana-
logous to those which we bring against the Romish church...
Term of Unitarians---Variety among them---Some of them
worship Christ---Some consider the worship as idolatrous---
This variety observed upon, with a reference to the text---
Atonement made by Christ, the peculiar and distinguishing
doctrine of Christians---That which shocked the Jews and
the Greeks---This doctrine always held by the great body of
Christians. Without variation---Further contrast---All Pro-
testants continue to agree in the causes of their separation
from the church of Rome---Never any change in that re-
spect---But in their cause of separation from us the dissenters
are perpetually varying, both as to us, and with respect to

each other---Liberties with Scripture taken by the Unita-
rians---Priestley---Evanson---Monthly Reviewer---Our dif
ferences with them irreconcileable---So of Quakers---They
also vary among themselves---Importance of the true doc-
trine respecting our Lord.
.P. 316.

SERMON VIII.

JAMES iii. 1.

My Brethren, be not many Masters, knowing that
we shall receive the greater Condemnation.

TEXT explained, and commented upon---Applicable par-
ticularly to those who intrude into the ministry---Second
description of Separatists---Not differing in essentials---Great
variety of them---Old denominations out of use---General
term of Dissenters---Why preferred---Prevalence of Me-
thodists---Growth of them---Grounds upon which they
found themselves---Want of education in their preachers---
Consequence of this---Whitfield's followers---Their preach-
ing and doctrines---Leading to Antinomianism---Caution
used in respect to these doctrines by the divines of our church
---By the old Puritans...Why resorted to by later sectaries,
and how handled by them---Imputation against the regular
clergy---Evangelical preachers among the churchmen---Fruits
of the latitudinarian system---As hostile to the more regular
dissenters as to the church---Recapitulation---Main position,
that schism is a sin---Separation may be on justifiable grounds
---Every man must be guided by his conscience---Yet no
foundation for the latitudinarian system---Combination
against the church--- Favour with which certain persons
holding, or supposed to hold heretical opinions in the church,

are spoken of by the dissenters---Objection to the church,
as to the manner of her government, as being exclusive and
uncharitable---Objection refuted---Consequences which would
ensue on throwing the church more open---In point of jus-
tice---Practicability---Meeting at the Feathers Tavern---
Proposed rejection of all tests---Consequences--- Lastly, ob-
jection that the institutions of our church are not calculated
for the promotion of piety examined and answered---Form
of our ecclesiastical government excellent---Shewn in its
effects---Observations and caution addressed to the several
sorts of dissenters---To those particularly who complain of
our ministry as inefficient and unedifying---Conclusion, re-
commending to every man the reformation of himself. P. 365.

SERMON I.

LUKE xii. 51.

Suppose ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, nay, but rather division.

Of all the calamities under which the church of Christ has suffered, there is none which has produced such pernicious and lasting effects, as the dissentions by which in all ages it has been torn. Even the cruelties and oppressions, to which it was exposed at the beginning from the fury of its persecutors, may be said to have been harmless in comparison of these. Indeed, in many respects, it was found, that persecution. rather increased than repressed the zeal of the first disciples. It seems to have operated like that temporary pressure upon certain wellcompacted bodies, which always produces a powerful re-action. It was only when the principle of disorganization was at work on the

B