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as well fay that I made my Brother, because I must love him, as that I made my King, because I must obey him. I obferved to before how St. Paul derived the Duties of Subjection fo low as to the Love of one another: St. Peter, you fee, does the fame. St. Paul's general Rule is, ch. xiii. ver. 7. Render to all their Dues: St. Peter's is, Submit to every human Creature. cludes, ver. 8. Owe no Man any thing but love one another: St. Peter, ch. v. ver. 5. Yea, all of you be fubject one to another. You see the fame Reasoning in both, that both take in all Degrees of Duty into the Doctrine of Submiffion.

St. Paul con

You fee how nearly the Apoftles agree: If St. Paul has faid, that the higher Powers are ordained of God; has not St. Peter faid as much, by telling us, that fo is the Will of God, that with well-doing we may put to Silence the Ignorance of foolish Men? If St. Paul has faid, we must obey for Conscience fake; are we not under the same Obligation, by knowing, from St. Peter, that Obedience is the Will of God?

The Commentators have given themselves unneceffary Trouble, in inquiring into the Characters

Characters of the Princes at the Time these Epiftles were written; for the Difpute was with those who rejected all Sorts of Government, whether they were under good or bad Princes: With the temporal Rights of Princes they meddled not. St. Peter, who wrote to the Difperfed in Afia, where the Governments had always been defpotic, exhorted them, in the first Place, to due Obedience to the King, and then to thofe who were put in Authority under him: Whereas St. Paul, in writing to the Romans, where the Form of Government was not fully established, being in the Hands of the Emperor, fometimes with and fometimes without the Concurrence of the Senate, made choice of an Expreffion that has avoided that Difficulty, and directs Obedience to be paid to the higher Powers, without determining who they were; which was a Point in which he had no Right to interpofe his Authority.

I shall leave this Subject without drawing any Confequences, excepting one only, for the Sake of which I entered into this Inquiry; namely, That the Scriptures are not to be tortured to fpeak in favour of one Bb 2

Side

Side or another; for they ftand clear of all Difputes about the Rights of Princes and Subjects: So that fuch Difputes must be left to be decided by Principles of natural Equity and the Constitutions of the Country.

DISCOURSE

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DISCOURSE XIV.

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GENESIS Xviii. 19.

For I know him, that he will command his Children, and his Houfhold after him; and they shall keep the Way of the Lord, to do Justice and Judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath Spoken of him.

T

HE Words of the Text are the

Words of the Lord concerning

Abraham, the Father of the 製茶 Faithful; and they contain the Reason why the Lord made

Choice of Abraham, to distinguish him from the rest of the World, to make of him

a great and mighty Nation, a Nation to whom should be commited the Oracles of God. Abraham, fays the Lord in the Verse before

Bb3

before the Text, fhall furely become a great and mighty Nation; and all the Nations of the Earth fhall be blessed in him.

It has been Matter of great Difficulty with curious Inquirers to affign the Reasons of God's particular Regard to Abraham and his Pofterity, to whom he made himself known in a very particular Manner; whilst the rest of the Nations of the Earth were permitted to continue in Ignorance and Superftition. I intend not to examine all the Reasons that have, or may be affigned for this Difpenfation of Providence; but, fince God himself has been pleased to give one Reason for his particular Regard to Abraham, it highly concerns us to confider it, as holding forth to us the very best Inftruction by what Means we may render ourselves acceptable to God, and draw down a Bleffing upon ourselves and our Pofterity: Abraham shall furely become a great and mighty Nation; and all the Nations of the Earth fhall be blessed in him: For I know him, that he will command his Children, and his Houfhold after him; and they shall keep the Way of the Lord, to do Juftice and Judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath Spoken of him.

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