Sixteen Sermons Volume 2, Sermon 14
SERMON XIV. The beſt Men liable to the worſt Treatment, from Miſtaken Zealots.
Preached on November 5. 1686.
JOHN XVI. 2.
They ſhall put you out of the Synagogues: Yea, the time cometh, that whoſoever killeth you, will think, that he doth God ſervice.
THESE words were ſpoken by our Bleſſed Saviour, when he was about to leave the World; at the thoughts whereof, finding his Diſciples to be exceedingly troubled,VOL. II. he comforts them by the Conſideration of the great Benefit and Advantage which from thence would accrue to them; he tells them that he was going to Heaven to interceed for them, and to make way for their admiſſion there; and withall promiſeth, that his Father would ſend the Holy Ghoſt, who ſhould abundantly ſupply the want of his Preſence with them: but he tells them at the ſame time, that they ſhould meet with very ill Entertainment and Uſage from the World: but ſo had He, Ch. 15.18. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me, before it hated you; and why ſhould they expect to be better treated than He was? v. 20. Remember the word that I ſaid unto you, the ſervant is not greater than the Lord; if they have perſecuted me, they will alſo perſecute you.
And at the beginning of this Chapter he tells them, that he did on purpoſe forewarn them of theſe things, to prepare their Minds beforehand, and to arm them againſt the worſt that might happen; v. 1. Theſe things have I I have ſpoken to you, Serm. XIV.that ye ſhould not be offended. And then he declares more particularly, how far the Rage and Malice of Men ſhould proceed againſt them, and in what kind they ſhould ſuffer: They ſhall put you out of the Synagogues: Yea the time cometh, that whoſoever killeth you will think that he doth God ſervice.
So that our Saviour here fortells Two ſorts of Perſecution, which his Diſciples ſhould be Exerciſed withal, Excommunication; they ſhall put you out of their Synagogues: And Exciſion; Yea the time cometh, that whoſoever killeth you will thinks that he doth God ſervice. And theſe perhaps were but ſeveral Kinds and Degrees of Excomunication; for the clearer underſtanding whereof, it will be requiſite, briefly to explain the Three Degrees of Excommunication among the Jews.
The Firſt call'd Niddui, is that which our Saviour here means, by putting out of the Synagogue; and which he elſewhere expreſſeth by foreign, or ſeparation. Luke 6.22. Bleſſed are ye when men ſhall hate you, and when they ſhall ſeparate yon from their company. And the Effect of this Excommunication was to exclude Men from the Communion of the Church and People of God, and from his Service; which was a great diſgrace; becauſe, after this Sentence, none of the Jews were to converſe with them, but to look upon them as Heathens and Publicans.
The Second Degree of this Cenſure was called Cherem; which included the firſt, but extended farther, to the Confiſcation of Goods into the Sacred Treaſury, and devoting them to God; after which there was no Redemption of them. And of this we find expreſs mention, Ezra, 10.7, 8. where it is ſaid, That they made Proclamation throughout Judah and Jeruſalem, unto all the children of the captivity, that they ſhould gather themſelves together unto Jeruſalem; and that whoſoever would not come within three days, according to the Counſel of the Princes and Elders, all his ſubſtance ſhould be devoted, and himſelf ſeparated from the congregation of thoſe that had been carriied away.
The Third Degree ws Shammatha, when the Rebellious and Contumacious Perſon was Anathematiz'd and Devoted, and, as ſome conceive, according to the Law (Levit. 27.29.) was to be put to death; tho' other very konwing Men in the Jewiſh Learning think it amounted, to no more, than a final Sentence, whereby they were left to the Judgment of God, by ſome remarkable Judgment of his to be cut off from the Congregation of Iſrael.
Of the Firſt and Laſt of theſe Degrees of Excomunication, our Saviour ſeems here to ſpeak; but whether in both Inſtances in the Text, he alludes in the one to the loweſt, and in the other to the highſt Degree of Excommunication among the Jews, is not ſo certain. To the Firſt he plainly does, when he ſays, they ſhall put you out of the Synagogues: And then he adds, that they ſhould proceed much higher againſt them, even to put them to death; the time cometh, that whoſoever killeth you will think that he doth God ſervice; that is, they ſhould not only think it Lawful to kill them, but look upon it as a Duty, as a high Act of Religion, as an acceptable Piece of Worſhip, and a Sacrifice well-pleaſing to God. For ſo indeed the word does not only import, but moſt properly ſignifie, whoſoever killeth you ſhall think, foreign, that he offers a Sacrifice to God; for ſo the word foreign is ſometimes uſed for a Sacrifice; but being joyned with foreign ſeems neceſſarily to be determined to that Senſe.
From the words thus explained, I ſhall make theſe following Obſervations, very proper for our Conſideration upon the Occaſion of this day.
1. That the beſt of Men may be ſeparated and excluded from the Communion of thoſe who may aſſume to themſelves to be the true and the only true Church; yea and ſuffer under the Notion of very Bad and Criminal Perſons. This our Saviour here foretold of his Apoſtles, ſome of the beſt Men that ever lived: They ſhall put you out of their Synagogues.
2. That they who are thus Excommunicated, by the pretended true Church, may nevertheleſs be real Members of the true Church of Chriſt. Tho' the Apoſtles were thus dealt withall by the Jewiſh Church; they did not ceaſe for all that to be Members of the true Church of God.
3. That from uncharitable Cenſures Men do eaſily and almoſt naturally proceed to Cruel Actions. After they had put the Diſciples of our Lord out of their Synagoguse, and thereby concluded them to be Hereticks and Reprobates, they preſently proceed to kill them, as not worthy to live. They ſhall put you out of their Synagogues; and when they have done that, they will ſoon after think it a thing not only fit, but Pious and Meritorious, to put you to death; the time will come, that they will think it a good ſervice to God, to kill you.
4. That Men may do the Vileſt things, and the moſt Wicked, not only under a grave pretence of Religion, but out of a real opinion and perſwaſion that they do Religiouſly. Murder is certainly one of the greateſt and moſt crying Sins; and yet our Saviour foretells, that the Jews ſhould put his Diſciples to death, being verily perſwaded that in ſo doing they offered a moſt acceptable Sacrifice to God: Yea the time ſhall come, that whoſoever killeth you ſhall think that he offers a Sacriſice to God.
5. That ſuch Actions are never the leſs horribly Impious and Wicked, notwithstanding the good Mind with which, and the Good End for which they are done. The Jews were not excuſed from the guilt of Perſecution and Murder, for all they thought they did well in killing the Diſciples of our Lord.
6. I obſerve that the Corruption of the beſt tilings is the worſt. Religion is the higheſt Accompliſhment and Perfection of Humane Nature; and Zeal for God and his Truth an excellent Quality, and highly acceptable to God: And yet nothing is more Barbarous, and ſpurs Men on to more horrible Impieties, than a blind Zeal for God, and falſe and miſtaken Principles in the matter of Religion; as is plain from the Inſtances here before us in the Text. I ſhall ſpeak as briefly as I can to theſe Obſervations.
1. That the beſt of Men may be ſeparated and excluded from the Communion of thoſe, who may aſſume to be the true and only true Church, and that, under the Notion of very Bad and Criminal Perſons. This our Saviour foretells in the Text ſhould be the Fate of his Apoſtles, ſome of the beſt and holieſt Perſons that ever lived; they ſhall put you out of the Synagogues.
And what the Jews did in the beginning of Chriſtianity, to the Apoſtles of our Lord and Saviour, hath been too frequently practiſed ſince, by ſome of the Profeſſors of Chriſtianity toward one another; and very Good Men have in ſeveral Ages fallen under the Cenſure of Excommunication, and been ſeparated from the External Communion of the Church, and branded with the odious Names of Hereticks and Apoſtates, by thoſe who have arrogated to themſelves to be the only Orthodox and true Church, and have gotten the external Power and Management of Religion into their hands; witneſs the Caſe of Athanaſius and others, in the Reign and Prevalency of Arianiſm; and the ill Treatment, that not only particular Perſons, Eminent for their Learning and Piety, but whole Churches have met with in this kind, from that haughty and uncharitable Church, which makes nothing of thundering out this moſt fearful Sentence of Excommunication, againſt Perſons, and Churches much better and more Chriſtian than her ſelf, and againſt all that will not ſubmit to her pretended Infallibility, and uſurped Authority over the Souls and Conſciences of Men.
But it is our great Comfort, that the Apoſtles and Diſciples of our Lord and Maſter were thus uſed, by a Church that made the ſame Pretences that they do, and upon Grounds every whit as plauſible, as I could clearly ſhew, if I were minded to perſue and make out this Compariſon.
2. They who are thus Excommunicated, by the pretended only true Church, may nevertheleſs be true Members of the Church of Chriſt. Tho' the Apoſtles were thus dealt withall by the Jewiſh Church; they did not ceaſe for all this to be real Members of the true Church of God. For it is not calling Hereticks firſt, that proves them that do ſo to be no Hereticks, or acquits them from the ſame or greater Crimes, than thoſe which they are ſo forward to charge upon other Men; nor will God condemn all thoſe who are Excommunicated by Men, and deny Salvation to every one, whom they ſhall pleaſe to ſeparate from their Society, and to call by ſome odious name. Men may be put out of the Synagogue, and yet receiv'd into Heaven; for the Judgment of God is not according to the uncharitable Cenſures of Men; but according to Truth and Right.
The Sentence of Excommunication is certainly very dreadful, where it is duly inflicted; and next to the Judgment of God, Men ought to be afraid of juſtly incurring the danger of this Cenſure; and it ought to be upon very plain and evident grounds, that Men either ſeparate themſelves, or endanger their being cut off from the Communion of the Church they live in: But when it once comes to this, that a Church is infected with groſs Errors and Corruptions, plainly contrary to the Word of God, eſpecially if that Church will impoſe her Errors upon all that are of her Communion; then thoſe who refuſe to comply, do not ſepavate themſelves, but are cut off; do not depart, but are driven out of the Communion of that Church; and Separation in that caſe is as innocent and free from the guilt of Schiſm, as the Cauſe of it is; for the terms of Communion are become ſuch, that thoſe who are convinced of thoſe Errors and Corruptions can have no Salvation, if they continue in that Communion, and then I am ſure their Salvation will not be endangered by leaving it, or being Excommunicated out of it; for that would be the hardeſt caſe in the World, that Men ſhould be Damned for continuing in the Communion of ſuch a Church, and damned likewiſe for being caſt out of it.
Therefore no Man ought to be terrified, becauſe of the boldneſs and preſumption of thoſe, who with ſo much Confidence, and ſo little Charity, damn all that are not of their Communion; for we ſee plainly from the Text, that Men may be in the right and ſureſt way to Salvation, and yet be Excommunicated by thoſe who call themſelves the true Church, and will not allow Salvation to any, but thoſe of their own Communion. The Diſciples of our Lord and Saviour were certainly very good Men, and in a ſafe way of Salvation, tho' they were Excommunicated, and put out of the Synagogue, by the chief Prieſts and the Rulers of the Jewiſh Church. I proceed to the
3. Obſervation, which was this, that from uncharitable Cenſures, Men do by an eaſie ſtep, and almoſt naturally proceed to Cruel Actions. After the Jews had put the Diſciples of our Lord out of their Synagogues, and thereby concluded them to be Hereticks and Reprobates; no wonder they ſhould proceed to kill thoſe, whom they thought not worthy to live; they ſhall put you out of their Synagogues, (ſays our Saviour) and when they have done that, they will ſoon think it a thing not only fit and reaſonable, but Pious and Meritorious, and a good Piece of Service done to God, to put you to death. Uncharitableneſs naturally draws on Cruelty, and hardens Humane Nature towards thoſe, of whom we have once conceived ſo hard an opinion, that they are Enemies to God and his Truth.
And this hath been the ſource of the moſt barbarous Cruelties that have been in the world; witneſs the ſeverity of the Heathen Perfection of the Chriſtians, which juſtified it ſelf by the Uncharitable Opinion which they had conceived of them, that they were deſpiſers of Religion and the Gods, and conſequently Atheiſts; that they were pertinacious and obſtinate in their Opinions, that is, in the Modern Stile, they were Hereticks. And the like uncharitable conceit among Chriſtians hath been thought a ſufficient ground (even in the judgment of the Infallible Chair) for the juſtification of ſeveral bloody Maſſacres, and the cruel Proceedings of the Inquiſition againſt Perſons ſuſpected of Hereſie; for after Men are once Sentenced to Eternal Damnation, it ſeems a ſmall thing, to torment and deſtroy their Bodies.
4. Men may do the vileſt and moſt wicked things, not only under a grave Pretence of Religion, but out of a real Opinion and Perſwaſion of Mind, that they do Religiouſly. Murder is certainly one of the greateſt and moſt crying Sins; and yet our Saviour foretels, that the Jews ſhould put his Diſciples to Death, being verily perſwaded that in ſo doing they ſhould offer a moſt acceptable Sacrifice to God; yea the time cometh, that whoſoever killeth you ſhall think that he offers a Sacrifice to God.
Not but that the great Duties and Virtues of Religion are very plain and eaſy to be underſtood; and ſo are the contrray Sins and Vices: But then they are only plain to a teachable, and honeſt, and well-diſpoſed mind; to thoſe who receive the word with meekneſs, and are not blinded with wrath and furious Zeal; to thoſe that receive the truth into an honeſt heart, and entertain it in the love of it; they are plain to the humble and meek; for the humble God will guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his ways; ſuch as theſe God ſeldom ſuffers to fall into fatal miſtakes about their Sin, or Duty, ſo as to call good evil, and evil good; to call light darkneſs, and darkneſs light; to think Uncharitableneſs a Virtue, and downright Murder a great Duty.
But if Men will give up themſelves to be ſwayed by ſelf-Love and ſelf-Conceit, to be governed by any baſe or corrupt Intereſt, to be blinded by Prejudice, and intoxicated by Pride, to be tranſported and hurried away by violent and furious Paſſions; no wonder if they miſtake, the Nature; and confound the Differences of things, in the plaineſt and moſt palpable caſes; no wonder if God give up Perſons of ſuch corrupt minds to ſtrong deluſions, to believe lies. It ought not to be ſtrange to us, if ſuch Men bring their Underſtandings to their Wills and Intereſts, and bend their Judgments to their Prejudices, make them to ſtoop to their Pride, and blindly to follow their Paſſions, which way ſoever they lead them; for God uſually leaves ſuch perſons to themſelves, as run away from him, and is not concerned to ſecure thoſe from ſplitting upon the moſt dangerous Rocks, who will ſtear their Courſe by no Compaſs, but commit themſelves to the wind and tide of their own Luſts and Paſſions.
In theſe Caſes Men may take the wrong Way; and yet believe themſelves to be in the right: they may oppoſe the Truth, and perſecute the Profeſſors of it, and be guilty of the blackeſt Crimes, and the moſt horrid Impieties, Malice and Hatred, Blaſphemy and Murder; and yet all the while be verily perſwaded, that they are ſerving God, and Sacrificing to him.
Of this we have a plain, and full inſtance, in the Scribes and Phariſees, the chief Prieſts and Rulers among the Jews, who becauſe they ſought the Honour of Men, and not that which was from God, and loved the Praiſe of Men, more than the Praiſe of God; becauſe they were prejudiced againſt the Meanneſs of our Saviour's Birth and Condition, and had upon falſe Grounds (tho' as they thought upon the Infallibility of Tradition, and of Scripture interpreted by Tradition) entertain'd quite other Notion of the Meſſias, from what he really was to be; becauſe they were proud, and thought them ſelves too wiſe to learn of him; and becauſe his Doctrine of Humility, and ſelf-Denyal, did thwart their Intereſt, and bring down their Authority and Credit among the People; therefore they ſet themſelves againſt him with all their Might, oppoſing his Doctrine, and blaſting his Reputation, and perſecuting him to the Death; and all this while did bear up themſelves with a conceit of the Antiquity and Priviledges of their Church, and their profound Knowledge in the Law of God, and a great External ſhew of Piety and Devotion, and an arrogant Pretence and Uſurpation of being the only Church and People of God in the World: And by virtue of theſe Advantages, they thought they might do any thing; and that whoſoever oppoſed the Authority of ſo ancient and good a Church, muſt needs be very bad Men, and deſerve to be proceeded againſt in the ſevereſt manner. As if any pretence of Piety could give a Priviledge to do wickedly, and by how much the Wiſer and Holier any Man took himſelf to be, he might do ſo much the worſe things.
There is another remarkable Inſtance of this in St. Paul, who out of a blind and furious Zeal, for the Traditions of his Fathers, Perſecuted the true Church of God, by Impriſonment and Death, and all manner of Cruelties; and all this while he verily thought that he was in the right, and that he ought to do all theſe things againſt the name of Jeſus of Nazareth. And if God had not in a miraculous manner checkt him in his courſe, and changed his Mind, he would have ſpent his whole life in that courſe of Perſecution and Cruelty, and would (with Pope Paul the IV. upon his Death-Bed) have recommended the Inquiſition (or if he could have thought of any thing more ſevere) to the chief Prieſts and Rulers of the Jewiſh Church.
I will not trouble you with nearer Inſtances; tho' the Jewiſh Church is not the only Church in the World, that hath countenanced the Deſtruction and Extirpation of thoſe who differed from them, as a piece of very acceptable Service to God, and meritorious of the Pardon of their Sins.
5. I obſerve that ſuch Actions as theſe are never the leſs horribly Wicked and Impious, notwithſtanding the good Mind with which, and the good End for which they are done. The Jews were not excuſed from the guilt of Perſecution and Murder, for all they thought they did well, in killing the Diſciples of our Lord.
For to make an Action good and acceptable to God, the goodneſs of all Cauſes, and of all Circumſtances, muſt concur; and any one defect in any of theſe, does vitiate the whole Action, and ſpoil the goodneſs of it. We muſt do it with a good Mind, being verily perſwaded that what we do is good and acceptable to God; in which ſenſe St. Paul ſaith, that whatever is not of Faith is Sin; and we muſt do it for a good End, for the Honour of God, and the Service of Religion, and the Benefit and Edification of Men. But there is one thing wanting yet, which is often forgotten, but is mainly conſiderable, viz. what we do with a Good Mind, and to a Good End, muſt be Good and Lawful in it ſelf, commanded or allowed, or at leaſt not forbidden by God: If it be; what good Circumſtances ſoever may belong to the Action, the whole Action is ſtark naught; becauſe the very Matter and Subſtance of it is Evil, and Unlawful, and Damnable, tho' done for never ſo good an End. So St. Paul tells us, that they who ſaid they might do evil, that good might come, their damnation was juſt. He tells us indeed, that ſome would have charged this Doctrine upon the Chriſtians, and particularly upon himſelf; but he rejects it, with the greateſt deteſtation; and (which is not unworthy of our obſervation) in his Epiſtle to the Roman Church; as if the Spirit of God, to whom all Times are present, had particularly directed him to give this Caution to that Church, that in future Ages they might be warned againſt ſo Pernicious a Principle, and all wicked Practices that are conſequent upon it.
And we find that St. Paul, after his Converſion, did think it no ſufficient Plea and Excuſe for himſelf, and his Perſecution of the Chriſtian Profeſſion, that what he did was out of Zeal for God and his true Religion, as he was verily perſwaded; but, notwithſtanding that, acknowledged himſelf a Murderer, and one of the greateſt Sinners; for which, without the great Mercy of God, he had periſht everlaſtingly.
6. And laſtly, I obſerve that the Corruption of the beſt things is the worſt. Religion is certainly the higheſt Accompliſhment and Perfection of Humane Nature; and Zeal for God and his Truth an excellent Quality, and highly acceptable to God: and yet nothing is more barbarous, and ſpurs Men on to more horrid Impieties, than a blind zeal for God, and falſe and miſtaken Principles in the matter of Religion.
Our Saviour compares the Chriſtian Religion, and the Miniſters and Profeſſors of it, to Salt and Light, The moſt uſeful and delightful things in the World. Religion enlightens the minds of Men, and directs them in the way, wherein we ſhould go; it ſeaſons the Spirits and Manners of Men, and preſerves them from being Putrified and Corrupted: but if the Salt loſe its ſavour, if that which ſhould ſeaſon other things, be tainted it ſelf; it is thenceforth the moſt inſipid and offenſive thing in the World, good for nothing, but to be caſt upon the Dunghil: if the light that is in us be darkneſs; how great is that darkneſs?
Miſtakes and falſe Principles are no where ſo pernicious, and of ſuch miſchievous Conſequence, as in Religion. A blind and miſguided Zeal in Religion is enough to ſpoil the beſt Nature and Diſpoſition in the World. St. Paul (for ought appears) was of himſelf of a very kind and compaſſionate Nature; and yet what a Fury did his miſtaken Zeal make him! It is hardly credible how madly he laid about him, but that he himſelf gives us the account of it, Acts 26.9, 10, 11. I verily thought with my ſelf (ſays he) that I ought to do many things, contrary to the name of Jeſus of Nazareth; which thing I alſo did in Jeruſalem, and many of the Saints I ſhut up in Priſon, having received authority from the Chief Prieſts. And when they were put to death, I gave my voice againſt them; and I puniſhed them oft in every Synagogue, and compel'd them to blaſpheme, and being exceedingly mad againſt them, I perſecuted them, even to ſtrange Cities.
I might deſcend lower, and give Inſtances both of former and later times, of Emperours and Princes, both Heathen and Chriſtian, that of themſelves were mild and gentle; and yet through a miſtaken Zeal, and the inſtigation of their Chief Prieſts, have been carried to Cruel and Bloody things. And indeed nothing gives ſo keen an edg, even to the mildeſt Tempers, as an erroneous and wild zeal for God and Religion; it is like Quick-Silver in the back of a Sword, that is not very ſharp of it ſelf, which gives a mighty force and weight to its blow, and makes it to cut terribly.
And it is very ſad to conſider, that the zealous Proſecution of Miſtakes in Religion, hath produced ſadder and more barbarous Effects in the World, and more frequently, than the ordinary Corruptions and Degeneracy of Natural light is apt to do; as the decay of the richeſt and moſt generous Wines makes the ſowereſt Vineger; ſo that the Paſquil or Libel againſt Pope Ʋrban the VIII. upon occaſion of his taking off the Brazen Roof of the Old Capitol (which had held out ſo many Ages, and that notwithſtanding Rome had been ſo often ſackt by Barbarous Nations) and his ſelling it to inrich his Family [quod non fecerant Barbari, fecerunt Barberini] may, with changing the Name and Occaſion, be applyed to a great many others; that they have been guilty of thoſe Cruelties againſt Chriſtians, upon account of difference in Religion, which the moſt Barbarous Nations never exorciſed upon one another.
I have done with the Obſervations and the Text; and ſhall I now need to make any Application of what hath been ſaid, to the Occaſion of this day? The thing applys it ſelf; ſince the horrid Deſign of this Day was undertaken and carried on upon the ſame Pretences and Principles, upon which the Jews perſecuted the Diſciples of our Lord, and much in the ſame Method; for they firſt thunder'd out an Excommunication againſt them, and then took it for granted, that it would be an acceptable Sacrifice to God, to deſtroy them.
I will not go about to aggravate the Comſpiracy of this Day, it is paſt my skill; nor will I extend the blame and guilt of it any farther than the plain Evidence and Reaſon of the thing does enforce. It is a thing ſo ſcandalous to Humane Nature, and ſo great a Reflection upon any Church and Religion, to be acceſſory to the contriving or countenancing of any ſuch Deſign, that I am very well contented, that it ſhould be confined to as narrow a compaſs as may be, and none eſteemed guilty of it, but thoſe that were openly in it, or have ſince endeavour'd to excuſe it. All that we deſire of others, is, that they would declare their hearty deteſtation of ſuch abominable Practices, and be as good as their word; and that they would not account it a ſervice and ſacrifice to God, to deſtroy all that cannot be of their Mind.
So that the Inference from all this Diſcourſe, in ſhort, ſhall be this, that Men ſhould take great care to inform their Conſciences aright, and to govern them by the plain Rules of Good and Evil, the Law of God written upon our hearts, and revealed in his Word, which forbids ſuch Practices as I have been ſpeaking of, as clearly as the Sun ſhines at Noonday; and that we would always be afraid to do a bad thing, tho' gilded over with never ſo glorious Colours, and ſpecious Pretences of zeal for God and his Truth. For a Man may do a thing with an honeſt Mind, and for a religious End, and be Commiſſioned and Countenanced (as St. Paul was) by them who take themſelves to be the only true Church in the World; and yet at laſt prove to have been all the while a Blaſphemer, and a Murderer, and the greateſt of Sinners; for none of theſe Pretences are ſufficient to warrant and ſanctifie a wicked action: Before this can be done, the immutable nature of Good and Evil muſt be changed.
I will conclude all with that gentle Reproof of our Bleſſed Saviour to his Diſciples, when their Zeal for him had tranſported them to make that cruel Requeſt to him, that he would (as Elias had done upon a like occaſion) call for fire from heaven to deſtroy the Samaritans: Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of; for the Son of man came not to deſtroy mens lives, but to ſave them; hereby declaring to us the true Spirit and …per of Chriſtianity, and that they … contrary to it, are ignorant … …ature of the Chriſtian Religion: Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of; for the Son of man came not to deſtroy mens lives, but to ſave them.