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SERMON

On PHIL. IV. 5.

By THOMAS BRETT. L. L.D. Rector of Bettelhanger in Kent.

LONDON:

Printed for JOHN WYAT, at the Rofe in St. Paul's Church-yard. 1714.

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Oderation being a Vertue which has of late Years been wonder-. fully cried up, and continually in the Mouths of fome, who glory in nothing fo much as the Name of Moderate Men, and who are continually preffing this Portion of Scripture upon all zealous Members of the Eftablish'd Church, as if our Zeal for our most excellent Religion was not to be reconciled with this Precept of St. Paul, I think it very requifite that we fhould con fider what is the true, natural, genuine Meaning of thefe Words, and the Duty required by the Apoftle in this Text. In order to which I fhall fhew sysc

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First, What Moderation is, in what Senfe it isla Vertue, and in what it is not fo. And Secondly, How it is to be made known. odwor.. wiw.nol!..

I. First, Then we may obferve that Moderation is a Word not to be found in our En glish Bibles, except in this one Place, where fome will have it, that it is not well renA 2 der'd,

der'd, as not answering the true Sense of the Original. But I defign not to find Fault with the Tranflation, or to quarrel with the Word, which I think a very good one, if it be rightly understood. And I am perfuaded the best way to understand it may be, to confider how our Tranflators have render'd the original Word here us'd in other Parts of the New Teftament. Acts xxiv. 4. we find it tranflated Clemency. 2 Cor. x. 1. Gentleness, and ir Tim. iii. 3. Patience. And in the Old Teftament, Pfal. 1xxxvi. sis where the fame Word is used in the Greek, we find it render'd a Readiness to forgive. The Latin Tranflations, as the vulgar Latin, Arias Montanus, Beza and Tre melius render'd it by fuch Words as fignifie Lenity or Mildness, Equity, Modesty or Humir lity. And I take it that our Word Maderation, as it fignifies a Vertue, and as it is to be understood in this Place, comprehends all thefe. So that to fay, Let your Moderation be known unto all Men, is the fame as to fay, Behave your felves towards all Pérfons, that whofoever you have to deal with may find you to be kind, gentle, patient, ready to forgive, mild, equal, modeft and bumble. But certainly there is nothing in the whole Scripture that can give a Colour to that Conftruction, which those, who pride them. felves in the Name of moderate Men, put üpon this, excellent Precept: Who make the Moderation here recommended by St. Paul to confift in having a moderate Opinion

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for all Religions, and to believe it an indifferent thing, whether a Man goes to this Church, or to that Meeting-Houfe. To think Episcopacy and an Epifcopal Clergy a good political Inftitution for fome Times and fome Countries, and what may be born and comply'd with as long as it can't be remedied, but that no Man has any Obligation in point of Confcience to fubmit to this Ecclefiaftical Government, but that, if he dislikes it, he may occasionally or altogether feparate from it, and choose what Paftor he pleases for himself, and he that' blames him for fo doing, is a Man, they fay, that wants Moderation, and has no Regard to this Precept of the Apostle. In fhort the Moderation, fo much cry'd up at this Time, confifts in believing all Religions call'd Proteftant to be agreeable to the Inftitution of Christ, tho' they neither adminifter his Word or Sacraments according as he has appointed, nor believe those Articles of Faith which he has taught in the Gofpel. If we will be moderate according to the Moderation in fashion, we must not condemn those who deny our Saviour's Divinity, as the Socinians; thofe who refuse Baptifm to Infants, and deny the Soul to live when separated from the Body, as the Anabaptifts; nor those who reject both the Sacraments of Baptifm and the Lord's Supper, and renounce the Lord that bought us, and redeem'd us with his Blood, believing in no other Christ but an imaginary

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