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copy to the Head of every College, and one copy to the Mayor of the city of Oxford, and one copy to be put into the Bodleian library, and the expense of printing them shall be paid out of the revenue of the land or estates given for establishing the Divinity Lecture Sermons; and the preacher shall not be paid, nor be entitled to the revenue, before they are printed.

Also, I direct and appoint, that no person shall be qualified to preach the Divinity Lecture Sermons, unless he hath taken the degree of Master of Arts at least, in one of the two Universities of Oxford or Cambridge, and that the same person shall never preach the Divinity Lecture Sermons twice.

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CONTENTS.

SERMON L

LUKE xii. 51.

Suppose ye that I am come to give Peace on Earth?
I tell you nay, but rather Division.

DISSENTIONS in the church-their fatal effects-contrary to
the spirit of the gospel-Our Saviour's prophecy in that re-
spect, how fulfilled-even in the earliest ages of the church-
Arguments drawn from hence by the adversaries of
Christianity, ill founded-Guilt of schism-Wherever there
is separation from the church a schism, and some one answer-
able for it-Texts by which our Lord enforces the necessity of
union-Schism of late considered as hardly criminal-not so
formerly Necessity of bringing back to men's minds the true
doctrine-The particular end of such lectures as the present-
No absolute authority claimed for the church-Separation in
some cases a duty-but where causeless a great sin-This the
doctrine of the church at the reformation-Even of the puri-
tans-Acted upon by the latter-Shewn by their destruction
of the church when they came into power-Continued to be

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TEXT considered-Inference from thence, and from other

similar texts of the necessity of conformity-What is required
of us in Scripture-Adherence to the old ways-Unifor-
mity-Teachableness and humility-Dissentions and Divisions
to what attributed-Not a word in Scripture to justify the
unbounded liberty of private judgment contended for by some
persons-What is the liberty there spoken of-In what par-
ticulars only the old covenant superseded by the new-Both

the Old and the New Testament written for our admonition---

Effect of all laws to produce uniformity-Particularly shewn

in the case of the Jews-Examples drawn from the earlier

ages Before the deluge--Subsequent thereto-In the imme-

diate descendants of Noah-General apostacy in consequence

of men being left to themselves--The Jewish nation on that

account selected and set apart-Tied to a strict rule-Relaxed

in the time of the judges-Consequence-Strict observance of

the established order required in subsequent ages-Schism of

Corah and his fellows-Separation of the ten tribes-Extended

by Jeroboam to religious worship-Why-Its fatal conse-

quences-All these instances conclusive against schism-

Strongly in favour of adopting a certain degree of ceremony

in religion-View of the question under the New Testament---
Our Saviour complied with established forms-Submitted to
the hierarchy-Exhorted people so to do--The apostles did
the same-Ordinances of the law reasoned upon by them
Made the foundation for the rule and discipline of the church
-This rule and discipline when established in the church most
rigidly enforced by the apostles-Instances-Strong condem-
nation of those who walked disorderly-Who broke the
peace of the church-The rule intended to be continued-
Directions to Titus and to Timothy evidently designed for
their successors as well as for them.
P. 47.

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Ye shall know them by their Fruits.

TEXT explained and commented upon-To judge of a doc.
trine not so much from the lives of its professors as from the

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