A discourse concerning meekness and quietness of spirit to which is added, A sermon…

3. True Ch••••anity aims at no Worldly Benefit or Advantage, and therefore must by […] means be called a Sect. Those that espouse a Sect are supposed to be governed in it by their secular Interest, and to aim at Wealth, not Honour, or the gratification or some •ase Lust: The Pharisees proved themselv•• […] a Sect by their Thirst after the praise of […]; and their greedy devouring of Widows Houses: But the Professors of Christianity have not only been taught by the Law of their Religion to live above this World, and to look upon it with a Holy Contempt, but have been exposed by their Profession to the Loss and Ruin of all their secular Comforts and Enjoyments. Are those to be accounted politic and designing Sectaries that have for Christ cheerfully su••ered the loss of all things? ¹Is that a Sect which instead of preferring a Man to Honour, or raising him an Estate, lays him open to Disgrace and Poverty, renders him obnoxious to Fines and Forfeitures, Banishments and Imprisonments, Racks and Tortures, Flames and Gibbets, which were the common Lot of the Primitive Christians? Caesar Vaninus a swo•• Enemy to the Christian Religion, and one who was industrious in searching out Objections against it, owned he could find nothing in it that savoured of a Carnal and Worldly Design; No, it hath always approved it self a Heavenly Calling, ²and the strictest Professors of it (even their Enemies themselves being Judges) have had their Conversation in the World in Simplicity, ³and Godly ⟨p. 8⟩[…], not with Fleshly Wisdom Very unjustly therefore it is called a Sect.

3. True Ch••••anity aims at no Worldly Benefit or Advantage, and therefore must by 〈…〉 means be call'd a Sect. Those that espouse a Sect are suppos'd to be govern'd in it by their secular Interest, and to aim at Wealth, not Honour, or the gratification or some ase Lust: The Pharisees proved themselv a Sect by their Thirst after the praise of ; and their greedy devouring of Widows Houses: But the Professors of Christianity have not only been taught by the Law of their Religion to live above this World, and to look upon it with a Holy Contempt, but have been expos'd by their Profession to the Loss and Ruine of all their secular Comforts and Enjoyments. Are those to be accounted politick and designing Sectaries that have for Christ chearfully suered the loss of all things?