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I.

It is apparent from the Nature of this Evil, S E R M. That no Cure for it can be hoped for, till the Kingdom of Chrift shall be established amongst Chriftians; and his own Subjects acknowledge Him, by their Practice, to be their King. And, When Chrift's Authority is once suffered to fettle the Faith and Worship of Chriftians; when Obedience to His Commands, under the Conduct of that Faith, is fuffered to pass for Religion; when the Rule of every Chriftian Man's Conduct is univerfally allowed to be his fincere Attention to the Directions of Chrift; and Chriftians are fo upright as to take That for their Religion, which they find recommended by their Lord, and his immediate Followers: Then, and Then only, the Faith, and Worship, and Practice, of Chriftians, will justly be faid to be all restored, and redeemed from the Follies of Superftition. But till this happy Time comes, How great and deplorable an Unhappiness must it be thought, that the very Believing in Jefus Christ, which was proposed to put a stop to all the Superftition in the World, fhould, by the crafty Defigns of fome, and the Weakness of others, be itself made the Inlet and Occafion to that fame Evil, amongst Any that are called by that Holy Name; and to fo fhameful a Degree, as We fee it to be, many Nations round about us.

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SERM.

I.

Nothing, I am perfuaded, is wanting, but to uncover the Face of our moft Holy Religion: and then, there can be little Doubt, but that It's most dangerous Rival, and powerful Enemy, muft fly before it; and that Chriflianity will at length get the better of the Superflition of Chriftians, as it did at firft of the Superftition of Heathens.

Of

Of contending for the FAITH.

SERMON II.

Preached before the KING, March 13, 1719-20.

Epiftle of JU DE, Verse 3. latter Part. It was needful for Me to write unto You, and exhort You, that Ye should earnestly contend for the Faith, which was once delivered unto the Saints:

N order to find out the Nature of what is SERM.

IN

very strongly recommended to Chriftians

in these Words, I propofe,

I. To explain the Words themselves.

II. To observe from thence by what Methods we can most effectually answer the real first Design of them. And,

III. From the Whole, to draw fuch Ob

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II.

SER M. fervations, as may convince Us of the IniquiII. ty, and Folly, of pretending to answer their ~ Design by other and contrary Methods.

I. The Words ought to be explained. And this Explanation ought to be taken from the plain Purport of the whole fhort Epistle, in which they are; from the Time when it was written; and from the Circumftances of Chriftianity, and of Chriftians, at that Time. The Duty, here recommended to Chriftians, is to contend earnestly for the Faith once delivered to the Saints; that is, in the Language of the Apoftles, to all who profeffed themselves Chriftians: the Title of Saints not being, at that Time, appropriated to particular Perfons; but, in common, given to All Chriftians, to put them in mind of their Profeffion, and what Obligations to Holiness it carried along with it. This Faith, here to be contended for, was the Faith taught and delivered, before this Epiftle was written ; being spoken of here, as already known and fettled. The Expreffion of contending earneftly, Eлaywriedai, is taken from the Contests, Games, and Races, then in Ufe in the Heathen World; in which the Contenders for imaginary Glory ftrove, with all their Might, against their Adverfaries. But, as amongst these Contenders, there were certain Rules and Orders,

by

II.

by which They were all to be governed in s ER M. their Contests; upon pain of forfeiting all Pretense to Victory or Reward, if they tranfgreffed one of those Rules, which were the fixed Laws of thofe Contests: So, the earnest Contention of Chriftians, for the Faith once delivered, must be governed by those Rules, and kept within those Bounds, and directed by those Laws, which their Great Master, the Judge of the Contest, has declared and established.

If any one, who entered into the Contests, or Games, then common in the Heathen World, pretended to get the better, i. e. to overcome, hurt, or deftroy, his Adverfary, by any Method, contrary to the Laws fixed by the Governours or Judges of those Contests; He was not adjudged to have the Glory of Conquest, but the Shame of Injustice. And fo, in the Chriftian Contest, if Chriftian Methods are not uniformly and constantly made ufe of; the Earnestness of the Contention is only a fo much greater Deviation from the Duty of a Chriftian. One Chriftian may crush or opprefs the Perfon of Another, 2gainst whom He contends, on Account of fome Differences in Religion: But he cannot contend for the Faith once delivered, fo as to reap any Fruit of fuch Conteft, without contending

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