The carnality of religious contention in two sermons preached at the merchant's lecture in…The carnality of religious contention in two sermons preach'd at the merchant's lecture in…

The former unite it the more, increase it's strength and vigour. The latter divide and enfeeble it.

As to those of this latter kind, nothing is more evident, or deserves to be more considered, than that as the Christian Church hath grown more carnal, it hath grown more contentious, and as more contentious, still more and more ⟨p. iv⟩carnal. The savour hath been lost of the great things of the Gospel, which have less matter in them of Dispute or Doubt, but which only did afford proper Nutriment to the Life of Godliness, and it hath diverted to lesser things, (or invented such as were, otherwise, none at all) about which the contentious, disputative Genius might employ, and wherewith it might entertain, feed and satiate it self.

Thereby hath it grown strong and vigorous, and acquired the Power to transform the Church from a Spiritual Society, enlivened, acted and governed by the Spirit of Christ, into a mere carnal thing, like the rest of the World. Carnality hath become, and long been in it a Governing Principle, and hath torn it into God-knows-how-many Fragments and Parties; each of which will now be the Church, enclose it self within it's own peculiar Limits, exclusive of all the rest, claim and appropriate to it self the Rights and Privileges which belong to the Christian Church in common, yea, and even Christ himself, as if he were to be so enclosed or confined: And hence is it ⟨p. v⟩said, Lo here is Christ, or there he is, till he is scarce to be found any where; but as, through merciful Indulgence, overlooking our sinful Eollies, he is pleased to afford some Tokens of his Presence both here and there.