The Peace of Chrift's Kingdom is a manly SER M. and Reasonable Peace; built upon Charity, XIV. and Love, and mutual Forbearance, and re- n ceiving one another, as God receives us. As for any other Peace; founded upon a Submiffion of our Honesty, as well as our Understandings; it is falfely fo called. It is not the Peace of the Kingdom of Chrift; but the Lethargy of it: and a Sleep unto Death, when his Subjects throw off their relation to Him; fix their Subjection to Others; and even in Cafes, where They have a Right to fee, and where They have a Power to fee, his Will, as it really is, shall shut their Eyes, and go blindfold at the Command of Others; because those Others are pleased to make Themselves the Sole Judges of the Will of their great Lord and Master.

To conclude; The Church of Christ is the Kingdom of Christ. He is King in his own Kingdom. He is fole Law-giver to his Subjects, and fole Judge, in Matters relating to Salvation. His Laws and Sanctions are plainly fixed and relate to the Favour of God; and not at all to the Rewards, or Penalties, of this World. All his Subjects are equally his Subjects; and, as fuch, equally without Authority to alter, to add to, or to interpret, his Laws fo, as to claim the abfolute Submiffion of Others to fuch Interpretation.

And

XIV.

SER M. All are His. Subjects, and in his Kingdom, who are ruled and governed by Him. Their Faith was once delivered by Him. The Conditions of their Happiness were once laid down by Him. The Nature of God's Worship was once declared by Him. And it is eafy to judge, whether of the Two is most becoming a Subject of the Kingdom of Chrift, that is, a Member of his Church; to feek all these Particulars in those plain and fhort Declarations of their King and Law-giver himself: or to hunt after Them, thro' the infinite Contradictions, the numberless Perplexities, the endless Disputes, of Weak Men, in feveral Ages, till the Enquirer himself is loft in the Labyrinth; and perhaps fits down in Defpair, or Infidelity. If Christ be our King; let us fhew ourselves Subjects to Him alone, in the great Affair of Conscience and Eternal Salvation: and, without Fear of Man's Judgment, live and act as becomes Those who wait for the Appearance of an All-knowing and Impartial Judge; even that King, whose Kingdom is not of this World.

SER

SERMON XV.

Preached at the Funeral of Mrs. Elizabeth Howland, in the Parish-Church of Streatham in Surry, on Friday, May 1, 1719.

REVELATIONS xiv. 13.

I heard a Voice from Heaven, faying unto me, Write, Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth: Yea, faith the Spirit, that They may rest from their Labours; and their Works do follow them.

T

xv.

HERE is nothing in which the SER M. Weakness of Mankind is more betrayed, than in the Notions commonly received in the World, about Happiness and Unhappiness. We all profefs ourselves engaged in the Pursuit of the one, and the avoiding the other; and confequently very much concerned to fix the justest Notions of Them in our Minds. We all feel what a kind of World we now inhabit; and what a fort of Life

X 2

SERM. Life we now live: How full of Vexations, xv. Troubles, Uneafineffes, and Uncertainties;

that is, in other Words, how utterly inconfift-
ent with Happiness. And yet we are com-
monly fo foolish as to call the Living only
Happy; as to think Those Blessed, who have
Fields, and Houfes, and Treasures, in Poffef-
fion; who
yet breath this grofs Air, and en-
joy the good Things of this fordid Earth. If
we see any of Those taken away, in whom
we have any Concern; and an End put to
their Designs, and a Stop given to the poor
Prospect of Happiness They had here below;
We are apt to Mourn over This, as fome fort
of Mifery, tho' We know not what; and to
think of Them, as the Unfortunate; and of
Our felves, who remain, as the Happy.

This Frame of Mind is owing, indeed, to that ftrong Love of the present Life, which the Author of our Nature has Thought fit to implant in Us, in order to make Us bear a Life, which otherwife We should not, in many Cafes, be able to fuftain, so as to answer, in any degree, the Defigns of his Wisdom, in placing us in this Scene of Things. But tho' there be somewhat in this, which unavoidably refults from the Nature of Man; yet the Excefs of this Weakness is to be corrected by Reafon and Religion; Both defigned for the

ridding

ridding Men's Minds of all false Apprehenfi- SER M. ons, especially in Matters of fo great Import- XV. ance. Sense itself, indeed, is fufficient to fatisfy Us very effectually, that this World is not fo defirable a State, as that We should be folicitous to confine either Ourfelves, or Thofe whom we wish Happy, to it: And there needs but very little Experience, and the Trial of a very few Days, to make Us feel this Truth, without the Trouble of much Thought, or Reflexion.

and Religion open to Us Things; a future State of

And then, Reason
another Scene of
Stable Happiness:

A State of Ease and Quiet; of Freedom from
Pain, and Grief, and Trouble, and Uneafi-
nefs ; without Uncertainty, or Anxiety, or
Fear, or Terror; out of the Reach of what
We call Fortune, or Malice, or Envy, or
Detraction, or any Evil; and full of all the
Real Goods that We can be capable of enjoy-
ing.

And as Religion opens to Us the Prospect
of fuch a Scene; fo it affures us, it is prepa-
red for the good and virtuous Part of Man-
kind;
for Those who, by patient Continuance
in Well-doing, have fought after Honour, and
Glory, and Immortality. And confequently,
it teaches Us to correct these Unjuft Concep-
tions, and Partial Notions, about Happiness;