been used for spilling mens blood, on account of a difagreement in fentiment,never till now I believe was this text insisted on; which yet our author makes the cause of the religious wars, maffacres, and executions which have happened among Chriftians. It was referved to himself to make this discovery, and to find the dogma of deadly hatred between the feveral parties that should arife in the Chriftian church establifhed here. But I hope it will appear very foon, that he has no reason to triumph in his interpretation.

As perfecution for confcience fake is a thing moft unjuft in its own nature, because a violation of the great rule of equity, to do as we would be done to, and most pernicious in its tendency, because it ferves to make men affume a hypocritical fhew of that faith which they have not, inftead of producing a change of judgment in favour of principles which they before rejected; fo it is moft repugnant to the

hominem poft unam et fecundam correptionem devita,' for he imagined that devita was De vita tolle, Take out of life;' See Bibl. des Sciences, tom. 19. page 117. Erasmus moreover informs us, that the fame fine interpretation was put on it by an old and grave divine in the council of Constance, who urged it to prove, that by canonical Scripture an heretic was to be capitally punished; as he had it from Coletus, a man of known integrity, who prefided when the thing happened. The paffage being curious, I give it in his own words, Erafm. Annotat. in N. Teftam. ad Titum, iii. 10. Hic locus eft, quem fenex quidam theologus et imprimis feverus in concilio produxit, cum ⚫ veniffet in quaeftionem, num quis effet locus in literis canonicis qui juberet haereticum affici fupplicio capitis, Devita, devita, inquit, putans devita Latinis effe de vita tollere. Id ne quis fufpicetur meum ⚫ effe commentum, accepi ex Joanne Coleto, viro fpectatae integritatis, quo praefidente res acta eft. Eamus nunc et negemus periculofum effe " errare in verbis.'

precepts of Jesus and his apostles. When two of his apoftles asked leave from him to command fire from heaven to confume the Samaritans who had expreffed their displeasure against them for their different belief, by refufing to fupply them with provifions in their way to Jerufalem, how did he rebuke them fharply, faying, 'Ye know not what manner of fpi' rit ye are of. The son of man is not come to deftroy mens lives, but to fave them?' Luke ix. 53 -56. Yet certainly fuch a miraculous defcent of fire from heaven must have contributed much more to make all those profelytes to their place of folemn worship that should be spectators of this punishment, or hear its fame, than any killing by the fword, or like human inftrument of death. And how does he exhort to love and bless, to pray for, and do kind offices to all men, without exception, urging it at the fame time, by the example of God's extensive goodnefs and beneficence, Matth. v. 44-48? In the fame manner his apoftles teach, That the servant ' of the Lord ought not to ftrive, but to be patient 'toward all men, in meekness inftructing fuch as oppose themselves, if God peradventure will grant them repentance.' 2 Tim. ii. 24, 25. 'That the

ftrong ought to bear with the weak.' Rom. xv. 1. Why, however, do I dwell on particular precepts? It is even inconsistent with the whole genius and spirit of the gospel, which was intended to enlighten mens minds in the knowledge of truth, to bring them to a chosen and voluntary obedience of it, and to unite them by these ties in the bonds of reciprocal kindness and charity. It were very ftrange then if in this paffage there was a direction to apply all

the terrors of the lofs of life, or, indeed, of any corporal chastisement, to bring men to foundnefs in faith.

Thefe circumstances afford the ftrongest presumptive evidence that a rule of this nature is not contained here, even before we examine it more closely. But when we proceed to confider the occafion and import of the words themselves, we are fatisfied of it beyond all fufpence and hesitation. For it is plain our Lord is not here speaking of errors in fpeculation, or mistakes in opinion, but of injuries between man and man as to fubftance, or reputation, and good name, or some similar intereft. If thy brother 'fhall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault

between him and thee alone,' expoftulate with him in the moft private manner about it: if he ' fhall hear thee,' yield to thy remonftrance and admonition, by undoing of what hath been amiss, or repairing the injury he hath committed, as far as he can, thou haft gained thy brother,' recovered him to his duty, restored him to be thy friend, re-eftablished harmony and peace between you, and prevented his continuing under the divine displeasure by perfeverance in the wrong. But if he will not hear thee, take with thee two or three more, that • in the mouth of two or three witneffes, every word may be established,' that there may appear fufficient vouchers for thy friendly application to him, and thy fair representation of the injuftice he hath done, and that the fame may have greater weight and influence through their concurrence in it. But if he 'fhall neglect to hear them,' or be still refractory, notwithstanding their advice, inftead of altering his 'be

haviour, and making good, as far as in his power, the thing wherein he hath trefpaffed against thee, • tell it unto the church,' + to the affembly or convention; say some a civil convention or affembly, alluding to that which the Jews are declared by fome to have had in their fynagogues for arbitration of controverfies and difputes; fay others an ecclefiaftic affembly, the fociety of worshipping Christians, with which the offender has communion and fellowship. "And if he neglect to hear the church,' the affembly whether of the one or the other kind, omit to comply with their pleasure and direction, and will not be brought to reafon and justice by all these methods, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publi

+ It is certain the word xxλnia, here rendered church, fignifies any number of men called or gathered together, whether upon fecular, or facred occafions. It is ufed of a civil affembly in the New Testament itself, Acts xix. 32, 39, 40. and in this sense some have interpreted it here. Mr. Bourn, in his Sermon on the Parable of the generous Monarch, or the Duty of Forgiveness, makes it fome court of arbitration, which was in the Jewish synagogue, without a compulsive authority of law. Bp. Stillingfleet, in his Irenicum, expounds it to fignify a private meeting of select friends, book 2. chap. 5. as Selden had done before him, de Synedriis, lib. 1. cap. 9. But, as it is taken commonly in Scripture for an affembly on account of religious purpófes, others think it here denotes the congregation, or meeting of Christians to which he belongs, whose duty it is to cenfure him in proportion to his fault. Bafnage, however, in his History of the Jews, page 465. understands, not the church, in a judicial capacity, or as having a tribunal erected to take cognizance of faults, and to punish them; but as an affembly of serious Christians, to whom the name and trefpafs of the offender was to be published, for his fhame and difgrace, for It was cuftomary among the Jews,' fays he, to deal fo ⚫ with faulty perfons in their fynagogues, I mean to proclaim their behaviour four fabbath days.'

can.' Who now can have any doubt that our Saviour is treating here of offences against neighbours, and not of herefy or heterodoxy of fentiment? and that he intends not a brother's having any difference with a man about truth, but a brother's violating some of those rights which belong to him, whether in property, or liberty, or character, or the like? And as to the manner of behaving which he prescribes, or allows toward the injurious party who is obftinate and unreclaimable, that the injured perfon fhould treat him as a heathen mant, or a publican, it can never be reasonably explained to fignify that he should put him to death, or kill him. For how abfurd to make Christ give an injunction, or even a permission to put a period to the life of another, whenever he is incorrigible in his fault, or continues not convinced of having done wrong, and by consequence, not difposed to make reparation for it, be the fault ever fo flight, the wrong ever so inconsiderable? especially, after his own lessons of patience under small violations of property, and honour, and freedom, Matt. v. 38-41. Besides, when was it ever heard, by what antient writer is it at all recorded, that the Jews were accustomed, whenever they were equal to the work, and favoured with an opportunity for

Mr. Voltaire cites the text, as a pagan man;' but the expreffion 'an heathen or gentile man,' must be much more fit and proper. For the name of pagans was not given to the worshippers of idols till Chriftianity prevailed, when they who continued attached to false gods, were chiefly fuch as dwelt in the country, or inhabited the villages instead of the cities: thofe, as might be expected, being more tenacious of the prejudices of education. See Libanius's Orat. pro Templis, and Ant. Univ. Hift. 16. 385.