teftine Quarrels and Animofities in their one s E R M. common Intereft; and not to allow themselves XXII. in the least Thought of incenfing, or vexing, orn oppreffing one another, whilft their All lies at stake, and they are engaged in the Defense of their one whole common Intereft. For this mutual Ill-will doth naturally tend to their own Ruine and Destruction. Their Enemies fo well know this, that they never fail to endeavour to bring it about, where it is not; and to make a fad use of it where it is, by improving it to their own Purposes. Nor will God refift, and hinder, the natural Tendency of what is founded upon the Folly and Imprudence of Those who might know better. When a Nation is collected within itself; and has a Centre, in which the Parts of it all meet; and one common Purpose in view, on which its Happiness entirely depends; and no little Interests and divided Plots moving in it; how formidable is that Nation, and how difficult to be overpowered and undone by any Enemies? They therefore, who first begin to scatter Jealoufies and Uneafineffes in it; to difunite any Parts of it from the others, let it be under what Pretence it will, are the firft who leffen, weaken, and diffolve its Strength; the first who give Life and Encouragement to its Enemies: little confidering into what Mischiefs

fuch

SER M. fuch Beginnings have been improved, thro the XXII. Cunning of Adverfaries, on one fide, and the Weakneffes and Paffions of human Nature, on the other.

There are fome Nations fo bleffed by Providence, and enjoying fuch Advantages from Nature, always to be improved by Art, that a close Union amongst themselves would be the greatest and most probable of all earthly Securities to them; and fuch a Fence of Safety, as would be strong enough against the Force of All the Powers of this World united against them. And perhaps, this may be one Reafon why we often fee fuch a Nation the fartheft of all others, from defiring, or contriving, or effecting, that lafting and good Union within themfelves, which would make their Natural Defense so secure and unmoveable. They are certain, indeed, of being taught, by frequent Experience, that God will not keep off the Danger and Fear of their Ruine, without it but it is often feen, that they will not let that Experience itfelf have that Effect upon them which it ought to have.

I cannot here pafs over in Silence the Senfe of Abraham in this Matter; a Perfon, who had a greater Title to Profperity and Happiness, without his own Wifdom, than any Nation upon Earth can pretend to. God had promised

him, to give him a moft defireable Land; and SER M. to make of him a glorious People: yet, he xxII, knew perfectly well, that inteftine Quarrels and Diffenfions amongst Him, and his Relations and Friends, would be of fatal Confequence to him, and ruine all his future Hopes. The facred Hiftorian leaves it upon Record, as a Matter of fome Moment, (Gen. xiii. 5. &c.) that the Subftance of Abraham and Lot was great, So that they could not dwell together; and the Confequence of this was, that there was a Strife between the Herdsmen of Abraham's Cattle, and the Herdsmen of Lot's Cattle; and, the fame Hiftorian remarks, that the Canaanite and Perizzite dwelt in the Land, i. e. Abraham and Lot dwelt amongst Nations, which were Enemies to them both; and therefore, ready enough to make use of all Opportunities, and take all Advantages, in order to ruine and extirpate them. And we find Abraham, so fenfible of the ill Confequence of this Quarrel, if he should infift upon what he in Juftice might have demanded; that he yields up all his own Concerns to the Concerns of Peace, and to the common Intereft: Let there be no Strife, fays he, betwixt Me and Thee, and betwixt my Herdsmen and thy Herdfmen; for we be Brethren. Is not the whole Land before thee? feparate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the Left Hand, I will go to the Hh

Right;

SER M. Right; or, if thou depart to the Right, I will go XXII. to the Left. What greater Inftance of Goodness, and Condefcenfion, and Regard to the common Concern of both, could we poffibly imagine?

1.

But how different is this, from the Violence of Thofe, who give themselves up to the Study of a particular Intereft; and make the prefent exalting of that, the main Bent of their Thoughts and Labours, to fuch a Degree, that, even when the Whole is in Danger, They are feen rather to give the common Enemy an Advantage, than let go an Opportunity of revenging Themfelves upon Others, or railing their own Power and Interest above theirs? But in this Temper there can be little, or indeed nothing, of that Public-fpiritedness, which is fo neceffary to the Happiness of a Nation; and which must be guided by these Principles, That whatever is for the Intereft and Security of the Whole, ought moft readily to be followed and practifed, by all the Members of the Whole; and ftill more, that whatever is contrary to that, ought, for that very Reason, to be, upon the first Thought, rejected and condemned, tho' it tend to what we otherwife moft earneftly wish, on fome pri-, vate and particular Account: And farther, that Nothing indeed can be for the Interest of a Part, in the End, which is not for the Intereft of the Whole, in the Fate of which that Part must

be

be involved. This is what we may fairly gather's E R M. to have been the Wisdom of Abraham in fuch a XXII. Conjuncture; and this (we may fairly conclude, from the natural Tendency of mutual Jealoufies and inteftine Differences) is the most interesting Point, which a Nation ought to gard, when its All is at Stake; and fuch an Instance of Wisdom as Almighty God expects, from all Societies, upon the fame Occafions.

III. I come now to the Third Obfervation propofed from the Text, piz. that the Confideration of their latter End, ought to be of great Force to move all Nations to prevent their own Mifery and Diffolution, by fuch Methods, as their great Governour has, either by Reafon or Revelation, laid before Them; and particularly, by utterly forfaking thofe Vices, which otherwise must be their Ruine.

I fhall not here repeat, what I have often, upon like Occafions, obferved to you, concerning the Dealings of God with wicked, incorrigible Nations, recorded in the Old Testament. But I fhall add that, even under the Gospel, we have had a fresh Declaration of this, in the Lecture our bleffed Lord read to the Jews, (Luke xiii.) upon the Subject of certain fevere and extraordinary Providences that had happened to fome particular Perfons of that Nation. Suppofe ye, fays he, (ver. 2.) that thofe Galileans, zolofe

Hh 2