Preached at St. Peter's Poor, on the publick Fast- and will foon be Published, TWENTY SERMONS Never before PRINTED. The firft Nine of them Preach'd before the KING in Lent. By BENJAMIN, Lord Bifhop of Winchester. which the Chriftian Religion hath been made SERMON I. Preached at St. Swithin's Church, in 1702. St. MATTHEW X. 34. Think not that I am come to fend peace on earth: Or, as it is in St. LU K E, Chap. xii. 51. Suppofe ye that I am come to give peace on earth? T 1. HE full meaning of thefe Words, SER M. (fpoken by our Lord to his Lord to his Apofiles, when he was giving them Commiffion to preach his Religion to the World) we fhall find to be this; if we confider the fore"You may going, and following Verses. imagine, perhaps, that the Excellence of <c my Religion, and the Evidence that accompanies it, will effectually recommend it to "the Understanding, and the Affections of Mankind; that the Humility, and Meek SERM.“ ness, which it commands, will influence I. "the World; and that fuch an Inftitution "as this will breath Peace, and an univer"fal Calmnefs, into the Minds of Men. But "it will not be fo. How excellent foever "it is in it felf; how much Evidence foever "accompanies it; it will not be received as you would expect: nor will it effectually "contribute to the Peace and Quiet of the "World; though it tends very much in its "own Nature to do fo. Nay, This very Religion, which I came into the World to plant and propagate, (I foresee, and forewarn you of it,) will be made the Occa"fion, and prove the Cause, of much Divi"fion and Strife; of the strongest Paffions, "Hatreds, and Animofities; nay, of the ut"moft Pitch of Malice and Perfecution; "and of the greatest Barbarities, and Cruel"ties and this, amongst Men of the fame "Nation, of the fame Blood, of the fame Family; amongst Men who have the Ties "of Nature, Friendship, Alliance, Intereft, "to make them good, kind, and beneficent, "to one another. Think not that I am come "to fend Peace on earth, that is, Think not "that the Confequence of my coming into "the World, and preaching a new Religion "in it, will be this, that Men will fincerely "' embrace I I. "embrace it; or that it will tame the Paffi- SER M. ons of those who shall pretend to embrace that the World will follow the Pre "it; or xc cepts of Humanity and good Nature, laid "down in it. No, I came not to fend Peace, "but a Sword, that is, The confequence of my coming into the World, and promul"gating this Religion, will not be Peace on Earth, and Good-will amongst Men: but this very Religion, this holy and peaceable Inftitution, will (through the Perverseness of Mankind) be often made a Cover and "Pretence for the greateft Barbarities; and "often prove the Occafion of Disorder, and Paffion, and Malice, and Violence, and of "all the Evils you can imagine." We must observe, that our Lord, in the Text, doth not fpeak of his Defign in coming into the World: for it is very plain that He came with defign to fend Peace and good Nature upon Earth; and to plant the noblest and most extenfive Charity in the Hearts of Men. But he speaks of a most unhappy Confequence of his appearing, and inftituting his Religion: that it fhould be turned, by the Contrivances of the Wicked part God's Creatures, to very bad Purposes, and ill Ufes; to the Disturbance of that World, which it was defigned to comB 2 of pofe I. SER M. pofe and make happy. And because much of this hath been feen in all Ages, and all Nations, in which the Sound of the Gospel hath been heard; and a great deal of it is ftill to be seen in our own Age and Nation; and because many have been offended at Christ, and his Doctrine, on this unhappy Account, and have blamed Christianity for the fake of this, which it hath unwillingly been the Occafion of: therefore, it may be proper and ufeful to make fome Obfervations upon this Subject. And what I defign upon it, is, I. To obferve the Truth of what was here predicted by our Lord: that Chriftianity hath been made the Occafion of much Disturbance; and of many fatal Divifions, Hatreds, and Perfecutions, in the World. II. To vindicate Christianity from the Guilt and Blame of this Unhappiness. III. To confider whence it hath proceded. IV. To make fome proper Obfervations, and draw fome ufeful Inferences, from what I shall have faid upon this Subject. I. I fhall obferve the Truth of what is here predicted by our Lord: that the Chriftian Religion hath been made the Occafion of much Disturbance; of many fad Divifions, Hatreds, and Perfecutions in the World. It |