Part 20

You see, my brethren, this is a topic which I love to dwell upon. A divine fire kindles in my heart, whilst I am musing on, and writing to you about it: and I should here enlarge, but I must hasten to recommend to you another thing of unspeakable importance to the well-being of christian society, a _spirit of universal love_. Let not bigotry or party-zeal be so much as once named amongst you; for it becometh not saints. Our LORD was a stranger to it. Whosoever did the will of his father, the same was his brother, his sister, his mother. Wherever he saw the marks of true faith, though in a centurion or a _Syrophenician_, who were aliens to the commonwealth of _Israel_, and strangers to the covenant of promise, how did he publish and commend it? Be followers then of him, my brethren, as dear children; and love all who love our LORD JESUS in sincerity and truth, although they should not in all things follow with us. Pharisees and Sadducees, the self-righteous and free-thinkers of this generation, all the children of the devil, whether rich or poor, high or low, however they may differ in other respects, yet agree in one thing, even to conspire against the LORD and against his CHRIST. Why should not the children of GOD, notwithstanding their little differences, unite in one common interest against spiritual wickednesses in high places? O that all who call themselves christians, were thus minded! How should we see the kingdom of CHRIST come with power, and Satan like lightning fall from heaven! From the beginning, it hath been his policy to divide christians into sects and parties, hoping not only to weaken their interest, but to make them thereby believe, that religion wholly consists in being of this or that particular communion: and this subtilty of that old serpent hath so prevailed, that though we all profess to hold one LORD, one faith, one baptism; yet numbers look upon those who differ from them, and that only in externals, almost as creatures of another species, and forbid us with such even to eat. This was once the state of the _Jewish_, as it is now of the christian church;――but GOD shewed his dislike of such a temper, by convincing _Peter_ in a miraculous manner, that he was henceforward to call nothing common or unclean, but freely to converse with all who feared him and worked righteousness, for that all such were accepted of him. My brethren, be not you disobedient to this heavenly vision: for our sakes no doubt it was written, and for as many as the LORD our GOD shall call. The self-righteous, and perhaps some who are weak in faith, will censure and condemn your conduct (as the brethren did _Peter_) when they behold your free conversation in CHRIST: but _Peter_ has furnished you with an answer, “Forasmuch as GOD hath given to them the like gift as to us, who believed on JESUS, what are we, that we should withstand GOD?” How dare we make a difference, when GOD has made none? How dare we not freely converse with those who have received the Holy Ghost, as well as we?