admittance and access to God And will you now reâ—use and undo your selves The sanctâ—fied are Gods Jewels Mal. 3.17 his treasure and peculâ—ar people the beloved of his soul and his delight and the only people in the world that shall be saved This is true for God hath spoken it And you may be of this blessed number if you will God hath not separated you from them or shut you out by forbidding you to come among them O do not you separate and shut out your selves You see your godly neâ—gâ—bours in possession of this priviledge And may not you have it if you will May not you study the Wâ—rd of God and call upon him in prayer and seâ— your selves for heaven as well as they Where doâ—h the â—cripture command them to it any morâ— then you or forbâ—d yâ—u any more then them The door â—s open you may come in if you will You have the same means and call and offer and 〈◊〉 â—nd leave to 〈…〉 life as thâ—y And wâ—ll you 〈…〉 much of thediffâ—renâ—â— yâ—â—rselves as to be the only râ—â—users God hath done so much for you by the deâ—â—h of Christ and so orderâ—d the matter in the promises and offers of the Gospel that none of you shall be able to say at â—â—st I wâ—uld â—uin have bâ—en 〈◊〉 the blâ—ssed 〈◊〉 anâ—â—ain hâ—vâ— livâ—d in the Vniâ—n and Communiâ—â— of Saints but I 〈…〉 nâ—t give 〈◊〉 and Christ â—nd his Church wâ—ulâ— nâ—t râ—ceivâ—â—e and entertâ—in me Not a man â—r woman of you shall have this excuse And thâ—reforâ— come in and joyn with the Saints thank God that you may 8. And consider also that if you will not Agree with us in matter of Holiness we can never well make up the rest of our differences Our smaller Controversies will never be well agreed if you will not agree in the main But if this were Agreed we should in season certainly heal the rest It would make a mans heart ake to hâ—ar wretched sinners talk of our differences about Bishops and Ceremonies and Common-prayer and Holy-daies and Infant-Baptism and the like that are dead in their sins and are yet disagreed from us in the very bent of heart and life Alas Sirs you have other matters then these first to talk of and trouble your selves with A man that is ready to die of a Consumption should not be taking care to cure the warts or freckles in his face We have greater matters wherein we differ from you then kneeling at the Sacrament or observation of daies or other Ceremonies or doubtful opinions in matters of doctrine Let us first be Agreed all to serve One Master and seek One End and be Ruled by One Law and hate known sin and live a holy life and then we shall be ready to treat with you about a further Agreement But to talk of small matters when we differ in the greatest matters in the world as much as your souls are worth and in matters which Heaven or Hell lyeth on this is but childish trifling and whatever we may do for the Peace of the Church with such yet to your selves that will be small advantage Nay I must tell you that it is usually but the cunning of the Devil and the hypocrisie of your own hearts that makes you turn your talk to these controversies when the great breach is unhealed between Christ and you It s commonly made a shift to delude and quiet a debauched conscience Our poor people will not by any perswasion be drawn to an holy heavenly life but live in worldliness and fleshliness â—n swearing and drunkenness and lying and deceit and filthiness and proâ—anâ—ness and hate the Minister or Christian that doth reprove them and then forsooth they talk of Common-prayer Boâ—k and Holy-dayes and Bishops and knâ—eling at the Sacrament to makâ— oâ—hers and perhaps â—heir deluded hearts believe that this is the controversie and diffâ—rence And so a wretched drunkaâ—d or worldling peswades himsâ—lf that he is a Râ—ligious man as if the difference between him and he godly were but about these Ceremonies or Church-Orders When alas we differ in greater matterâ— as light and darkness life and death yea next to the difference between Heaven and Hell And I must tell you that you do but wrong the party or cause that you pretend to when you will â—eeds engage your selves among them What hath done more to the dishonour of the Bishops and Common-prayer Book and other late Orders and Ceremonies of the Church then to see and hear the rabble of drunkards swearers scorners at holiness and such like to plâ—ad for them and be violent defenders of them If you would devise how to shame these things and bring them down you can scarce contrive a more effectual waâ— thâ—n â—o set all the ungodly scandalous wretches to cry thâ—m up and become theâ—r Patrons For it wâ—ll make abundâ—nce of soberer people begin to question whether it be liâ—ely to be good that hath such Defenders on one side and Adversaries on the other side And therefore Sirs let us begin our closure and agreement in the main if you would be ever thâ— better for it and have Unity indeed And if you say What the neâ—rer shall we be for Agreement in the other things Do not the Godly still differ about Church-Government and Orders and Ceremonies I answer 1. If we never should be Agreed in these on earth we might bear it the more quietly because our very hearts and souls are United in the main even in matters abundance greater and in all that salvation is laid upon and therefore we have this comfort in thâ— midst of our differences that we shall all shortly come to Heaven and that perfection and blessed face of God will Unite and perfectly agree us in all things 2 In the mâ—an time we could hold a holy Communion with them in the substance of Gods Worship and we have a daily Communion with them in the Spirit and and an endeared Love to one another 3. And the Holiness of their natures will encline them to mannage our remaining differences with meekness humility self-denyal moderation and with great râ—spect to the safety of the whole Church and the honour of God and of the Gospel 4. And yet I must add that with such there is a far greater advantage to hâ—al the smallest difference that remains then with any other When we have one God to awâ— us and one Heaven to draw us and one Christ for our Head â—nd one Spirit and new nature to principâ—e us and dispose us and one Law to Rule us and have all one ultimaâ—e End and Interest heâ—e is a greâ—â— advantage for healing of any particular differences that may arise If the livâ—r or splâ—â—n or stomack or brain or lungs be unsound the sores that are without will hardly be cured yea if there were none these inward diseases may breed thâ—m but when all is well within the strength of nature without a medicine will do much
Countries of Professed Christians hath caused many to fall off and caused the enemie to insult We will not for all this break our Rule nor presume to search the hearts of men any further then they appear in outward Evidence We will still take all Professors of Christianity as Christians that Null not their own Profession Basil was advised by Athanasius himself to receive the Arrians themselves into Communion if they did but disown their former errors and subscribe to the Nicene Creed and seek the Communion of the Churches And he practised this though many were offended at it But yet we must needs say that it is better for the Church to have a few that are Holy and answer the nature of their holy Calling then to have multitudes that will but prove our shame and make the Infidel world believe that Christianity is not what it is Yea and these are they most commonly too though they may proceed to a higher profession that are carried about with every wind of doctrine and that turn to Heresies and cause and continue the Divisions of the Church For they that are such serve not the Lord Iesus when they profess to serve him Rom. 16.17 When Heresies do arise it is such chaff as this that is carried away that the Approved Christians indeed may be made manifest 1 Cor. 11.19 Abundance of proud unsanctified persons do us as much good in the Church as fire in our thatch or as mutinous souldiers that are but the enemies agents in the Army to set all the souldiers together by the ears or discover their Councils or blow up their magazins And would you have us contented with such a kind of Agreement and Communion with you as this which you and we are like to be so little the better for if not the worse 9. Furthermore it is not this meer Ageerment in Profession that will satisfie Christ himself and therefore it must not satisfie us It is not in this that he attaineth the principal ends of his Redemption nor seeth the travaile of his Soul Alas the blood of Christ is lost to you and all the Ordinances and means are lost and all the labour of Ministers is but lost to you as to any pardon of sin or life or Heaven that ever you shall have by them if you goe no further And would you have us be contented with such an Agreement as this 10. Lastly Consider that if we Agree no further then in an outward Profession of the Christian faith alas it will be but a short Agreement We may be together here a while in the Church as fishes good and bad in one net but when it is drawn to the shore a separation will be made Here you may sit and kneel among us a while and go away with the Name of Christians But alas it is but a little while till this Agreement will be broken and a dreadful everlasting separation must be made Dreadful to the unsanctified but joyful to the Saints And what great good will it do to you or us to be tyed together a little while by words and shews and then to be everlastingly separated as far as Light from darkness Heaven from Hell and the Greatest Joys from the Greatest sorrows O blame us not if we motion to you and beg of you a far neerer Union and Agreement then this I think I have now sufficiently proved that If we will be indeed of One Religion and ever come to a right Agreement it is The Vnity of the sanctifying Spirit that must do it It must be a Union and Agreement in true Conversion and Holiness of life and nothing lower will serve the turn If God do us any good by the Profession Gifts or Interest of Hypocrites and unsanctified professors we 'l thank him for it and take it as a mercy But it is a higher Design that must be in our Hearts and woe be to them that come no nearer the Holy Catholik Church and the Unity of the Spirit and the Communion of Saints then by an Outward profession and participation of Sacraments and such like outward Ordinances of Communion Quest. BVT suppose we should be Vnited in the Spirit and Agree in Holiness do you think this would heal the Divisions of the Church Doe you not see that the most godly are all in pieces as well as others Is it not such that have been the principal causers of our late Divisions You promised to shew us How we might do well for all our other differences if we were buâ— Agreed in Holiness will you now shew us what Advantage that would be Answ. To be Agreed in Holiness and to be Heartily one in the Essentials of Christianity is an exceeding advantage to us in all our disagreements about lesser things As 1. Were we but once Vnited in the main and Sanctified by the Vniting Spirit of Christ our Principal differences were healed already We should no longer be of different minds whether sin or holiness be best or whether earth or heaven should be chosen for our portion nor whether God or the flesh or world should be obeyed You little think what abundance of differences are at once reconciled in the very hour of a sinners conversion Before that hour we differed in Judgement from all wise men from all the Saints of God from all the holy Prophets Apostles and Martyrs as well as from all the Godly about us and from all men of right Reason and faith and experience Yea we differed from the Holy Ghost from Christ from God himself yea from none so much as him Wicked wretches you differ from the Godly because they Agree with God but you differ more from God then from them When you despise a Holy life are his thoughts like your thoughts when you revile his servants and scorn his yoak and burden as too heavy are you then of the mind of Christ O no Your darkness and his Light are far more distant then you are able to conceive Were you but once Reconciled to God by converting sanctifying light you would at once be Reconciled to his servants for in the matters of chief concernment to the soul they are all of his mind for he is their Instructer And then what a day of healing would that be Oh what abundance of differences are ended upon the day of true Conversion And withal what abundance of differences would be new made For now you Agree with the Devil and with your fleshly desires and with distracted wicked men and all this Agreement would then be broke For this friendship with the world is enmity to God Iam. 4.4 and such Divisions as these Christ tells us that he came to send Luke 12.51 But you would presently be Agreed with God with the Holy Scriptures with all the Apostles and Servants of the Lord and with all men of Spiritual wisdom and experience in the world in the great and principal matters of your lives And it is a multitude of particulars that
the Truths which they are acquainted with They hold it or imprison it in unrighteousness Rom. 1.18 and therefore is wrath revealed against them They like not to retain God in their knowledge and therefore God doth oft give them up to a reprobate mind Rom. 1.28 They receive not the truth in the love of it that they might be saved no wonder therefore if God give them up to strong delusions to believe a lye that all they might be damned that believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes. 2.10 11. When they know the Iudgement of God that they that do such things are worthy of death yet they do them and have pleasure in them that do them Rom. 1.32 We may well think that God will sooner reveal his Truth to them that will obey it then to them that will but bury it in the dunghil of a corrupted heart And that he will rather hold the candle to his servants that will work by it then to loyterers that will but play by it or thieves or fornicators that had rather it were put out or to enemies that would do mischief by it and will throw away the candlesticks the Ministers and put the candle into the thatch Is there not many an ungodly person that hears me this day that is convinced in his conscience that a holy life is best and yet will not follow it and obey his conscience Are there not convictions at the bottom that the diligent heavenly Christian whom thou reproachest is in a safer condition then thy self and yet thou wilt not imitate such Can you expect that God should acquaint such with his truth that are so false to it 22. If we were but all Agreed in true Holiness we should have the great advantage of a tender conscience together with an illuminated mind For spiritual wisdom with tenderness of conscience is a great part of sanctification And it is a great advantage in controversies and debates to be wise and tende-conscienced For wisdom makes men able to discern and a tender conscience will make them afraid of mistaking and contradicting the truth and will keep them from rashness and unadvisedness and levity so that such an one dare not venture so easily upon new conceits and will be more suspicious of himself and of any thing wherein himself is much concerned Especially if he see grâ—at probabilities against it or the judgment of the Universal Church or of many wise and godly men against it and see that its like to have ill effects in all such cases a godly man will be tender-conscienced and therefore cautelous But is it so with the ungodly no but clean contrary None so bold as the blind Solomons words describe them exactly Prov. 14.16 The fool rageth and is confident If he be in an error or entangled in any evil cause or way you know not what to say to him for his recovery The less he knows the more he despiseth knowledge and sets his face against his Teachers as if they were but fools to him and scorns to be Ruled by such as they whom God hath made his Rulers Will you go to dispute or debate the case with one of these why be sure of it they will put you down and have the day It would do a man good to dispute with a wise and learned or sober rational man and to be overcome by Reason and by Truth But no man will have so sure a conquest against you as he that hath the least of sense or reason He will go away and boast that you could not convince him As if a mad man should boast that the Physicians could not all of them cure him An obstreperous proud selfconceited fellow will never yield to the clearest reason nor never be put down We have a Proverb that Ther 's no gaping against an Oven especially if it be hot If he have passion as well as ignorance and a tongue he will have the best He that speaks nonsence sayth nothing while he seems to speak These men have the faculty of saying nothing an hour or two together in abundance of words And there 's no confuting a man that saith nothing Nonsence is unanswerable if there be but enough of it Who would dispute against a pair of bagpipes or against a company of boyes that whoote at him If you will make a match at barking or biteing a curre will be too hard for you And if you will try your skil or strength at kicking a horse will be too hard for you And if you will contend with multitude of words or by rage and confidence a fool will be too hard for you as you may see by Solomons descriptions and by daily experience But if you will dispute by equal sober Reasoning it is only a wiser man by evidence of Truth that can overcome you And to be thus overcome is better then to conquer For you have the better if Truth overcome you and you have the worse if you overcome the truth So that you may easily perceive what an exceeding hindrance to Unity and Peace it is to have to do with ungodly persons that are blind and proud and brazen-faced and of feared consciences that fear not God and therefore dare say anything as if they could out-face the truth and the God of Truth But the sanctified have Illuminated minds and therefore are the more capable of further information and they have tender consciences and therefore dare not be unadvised and contentious and strive against the light and therefore have great advantage for Agreement 23. And if all these Advantages should not yet so far prevail as to bring us up to a full Agreement yet if we be but united in the Spirit and a Holy life we should be the more easily able to bear with one another under all our lesser differences until the time of full Agreement come We should hold our differences as Brethren their diversity of statures and complexions or at least as common human frailties with Love and compassion and not with hatred and divisions We should Lovingly consult together upon Rules or terms on which we might manage our unavoidable differences to the least disadvantage to the cause of Christ and to the common Truths that we all maintain and to the work of God for other mens conversion and to the least advantage to sin and Satan and the malice of ungodly men And I think this is a fair Agreement for Imperfect persons short of Heaven to have Unity in the Spirit and Agreement in things of greatest weight and to bear with one another in smaller matters and manage our differences with meekness and with Peace 24. Lastly If all this be not enough there is yet more for our encouragement 1. If we are but once United in the Spirit and Agree in an Holy heart and life we have the infallible promise of God that we shall shortly all arrive in Heaven at the place and state of full
perfection where all our differences will be ended and we shall be perfectly Agreed in mind and will being One in him that is the only Center of Universal Peace and Concord And it s a great comfort to us in our darkness and differences that we are in the sure and ready way to perfect light and Harmony of mind 2. Yea and till we do come thither we are still on the mending hand and if we do but thrive in Holiness we shall certainly thrive in Concord and in Peace And it s a comfort to a sick man not only to be certain of a full recovery but to feel himself daily on the mending hand 3. And in the mean time God himself will bear with all our differences though not so far as to approve or cherish them yet so far as to own us for his children though we are too often falling out with one another and so far as to pitty our frailty and infirmity and to pardon us and deal as a Father with us And if our quarrels cause him to use the rod it is but to keep us in quietness afterwards that as we had the taste of the four fruits of our contentions so we may after have the quiet fruits of righteousness And thus I have given you in four and twenty particular discoveries a sufficient Proof that A Vnity in the Spirit and an Agreement in Holiness hath abundant advantages for our further Agreement in lowers things and such as all other men are destitute of and therefore that there is no way possible for a just a safe a durable Agreement but that we all Agree in a Holy life and be United in the sanctifying Spirit of Christ. BUt perhaps you will Object If all this be so whence comes it to pass that there are so many differences still among those that you call the sanctified Do we not see that they are more contentious and divided into partyes and make more stir about Religion then any others Answ. 1. The differences among the godly are nothing for number or greatness or weight in comparison of yours I have shewed you in my Discourse of the Catholick Church twenty great and weighty points in which they all agree together and in which the ungodly agree not with them What if they agree not whether Church-Government should be exercised by the Elders only the flock consenting or by all the flock the Pastours Guiding Or whether One among the Pastours should be of a superior Degree or of a superior Order or whether they should only be of the same Degree and Order though chosen to preside and moderate for the time What if one think that its Necessary to read the publick Prayers out of a Book and another think its necessary to pray without book and a third more truly thinks it is in it self indifferent whether it be within book or without with other suchlike differences as these which will keep no man out of Heaven Are these like our differences with ungodly men Our differences with you are Whether Heaven or Eath is chiefly to be loved and sought after Whether Grace and Holiness or sin and carelesness be the better whether it be the more sweet and desirable life to be heavenly minded and live in the Love and Service of God and to be much in holy communion with him and meditating upon his Law and upon the Life to come or on the contrary to live to the world and to the flesh whether it be better to obey the Word of God and his Ministers that speak it in his name or obey our fleshly desires and the proud conceits of ignorant minds In a word our difference with the ungodly though they will not confess it and speak out is plainly this whether Heaven or Earth be better and whether God be God and shall be our God and whether Christ be Christ and shall be our Christ and whether the Holy Ghost shall be our sanctifier or whether we shall live after the flesh and Rule our selves against the Will and Word of God and so in effect whether God be God and man be man and whether we should live as men or as beasts and so whether we should choose Salvation or Damnation If you could but understand your selves and the depth of your deceitful hearts you would see that here lyeth the difference For though some of the unsanctified have a fair and plausible deportment and will speak handsomly of the Christian Religion because they have had ingenuous Christian education yet all this is indeed but little more then formal complement so far are they from a Heavenly mind and a heart that 's truly set on God as their careless lives and carnal unsavory conference sheweth if not their scorns at a state of Holiness So that our differences are nothing in comparison of the difference with you 2. Moreover the servants of God do mind the matters of Religion more seriously then others do and therefore their differences are brought to light and made more observable to the world Their very heart is set upon these heavenly things and therefore they cannot make light of the smallest truth of God and this may be some occasion of their difference Whereas the ungodly differ not about Religion because they have heartily no Religion to to differ about They trouble not themselves about these matters because they do not much regard them And is this a Unity and peace to be desired I had rather have the discord of the Saints then such a concord of the wicked They are so careful about their duty that they are afraid of missing it in the least particular and this with their Imperfect light is the reason of their disputings about these matters But you that are careless of your duty can easily agree upon a way of sin or take any thing that comes next to hand They honour the Worship of God so much that they would not have any thing out of order but you set so little by it that you will be of the Religion that the King is of let it be what it will be And its easy to agree in such an ungodly careless course Astronomers have many controversies about the positions and motions of the heavens and all Philosophers have many controversies about the matter of their Sciences when ignorant men have none of their controversies because they understand not and therefore regard not the things that the learned differ about And will you think ever the better of Ignorance or ever the worse of Learning for this The controversies of Lawyers of Historians Chronologers Geographerr Physicians and such like do no never trouble the brains of the ignorant But for all that I had rather be in Controversie with the Learned then without such controversie with you If you scatter a handful of Gold or Diamonds in the street perhaps men will scramble for them and fall out about them when swine will trample on them and quietly despise them because
not with Infidelity Sensuality Impenitency or any ungodly course If men be not so much as weak Believers and seem not Saints at least of the lower form receive not these into your Communion but leave them under your common compassionate charity If you can prove that God receiveth them not then do not you Receive them But as you are Christians take heed of cutting off or despising the Members of Christ and of giving a Bill of divorce to any soul that is truly espoused to him You have Drunkards and Railers and notorious ungodly ones enough to exercise all your Zeal if you joyn both head and heart and hand against them And can you find in your hearts to fall upon one another for indifferent things or smaller matters which the Unity of the Church doth not consist in I speak to both sides impartially and I beseech you so understand me What if thy weak Brother pray upon a Book darest thou therefore despise him and what if thy Brother pray without Book darest thou therefore judge him Nay darest thou desire that none but such should have liberty to Preach or Worship in the Church What if thy weak Brother dare not receive the Sacrament unless he Kneel in the act of receiving it darest thou therefore despise him And what if thy Brother on the other side do rather take it in another gesture because he is sure that Christ and his Apostles sinned not in so doing and because he finds that our Kneeling is contrary to the practice of the ancient Church yea ad hominem I may say contrary to General Councils yea to the last Canon of the first General Council it self which even the Canonists say that no Provincial Council or Bishops can repeal with many other reasons dare you therefore judge him because he dare not imitate you rather then Christ and his Apostles and the Primitive Church for many hundred years If any imagine that I go against this necessary Toleration my self because all here receive the Sacrament sitting I answer Let them prove that ever I refused one person meerly because they would take it Kneeling if they can If you say Why then are not all admitted to take it Kneeling I answer Soft and fair There are greater matters then Kneeling in the way Do but first let go your vicious courses and agree with us in a holy life turn unfeignedly to God and live in the Church Order that he hath plainly commanded and then if I cannot give you satisfaction you shall have liberty to take it in the gesture that you desire so be it you will grant me my liberty as I grant you yours One instance more Tomorrow is the day called Christmass day and many days called Holy days do follow it If you will but Read and Mark this Chapter Rom. 14. I am perswaded it may prevent a great deal of sin that many of you on both sides may be guilty of Is it not a wonder that after so large and plain a decision by the Holy Ghost as here you find there should yet be any controversie among us about this Case Do you take the word of God for your Rule or not If you do why then doth it not Rule you and end the difference Do you not read the Apostlâ—s words ver 14. One man esteemeth one day above another another esteemeth every day alike Let every man be fully perswaded in his own mind If you were Papists that would say the Scripture is obscure and therefore you must have a General Council you could scarce devise how a Council should speak more plain then this But nothing will serve some men but their own wills Dare you on the one side despise your weak Brother now for esteeming â—hese days above the rest Why perhaps it is to God that he esteemeth it and the ancient custom of the Church and practice of many godly persons do perswade him that it is right And dare you on the other side condemn or reproach them that make not this difference of days as you do If we are contented that you have your Liberty which truly I would not deprive you of if it were in my power cannot you be contented that we have ours There are three opinions about these Holy days 1. Some think the observance of them a necessary Religious Duty 2. Some think the very outward observance to be an intolerable sin 3. Some know that both these extreams are erroneous and therefore they take the thing in it self to be indifferent but as circumstances or accidents may make it Good or Evil And these are in the right They that are in the Middle can bear with others but the other cannot bear with them nor with each other There is no proof that ever I saw that the Church observed any of these days of many hundred years after Christ. For the Clement the Dionysius the Cyprian that are cited for it are known to be spurious And it is unlikely that none of these would have been mentioned as well as the Lords day if they had been then observed when there was so much ado about the time of Easter day Yea it is certain that of divers hundred years after Christ it was not agreed on which was the day of Christs Nativity some thought it was on Ianuary 6. and therefore called it the Epiphany or Appearance And of old both the birth day and Circumcision of Christ were supposed to be on that same day that is on the sixth of Ianuary Caessianus witnesseth that the Egyptians were of that mind Collat. l. 10. c. 11. And Epiphanius witnesseth the same of the Greek and Asian and Syrian Churches Epiphanius himself and Nâ—zianzen and many others were of this mind that it was on Ianuary 6. and that thence it was called the Epiphanis And Chrysâ—stom in Hom. in Natal Dâ—m tells us that it was but ten years before he wrote it that the Romans had perswaded the Church of Constantinople to change the day to December 25. And yet the Countryes about Ierusalem held to the 6. of Ianuary as Causabon hath shewed Exercit. 2. cap. 4. p. 170 171. cap. 11. p. 186 187. Yea indeed the Day of Christs Nativity is yet unknown as if God had kept us ignorant of purpose Many very learned men as Broughton Helvicus Scaliger Beroaldus think that the day was about Autumn in the beginning of October Calvisius Paraeus and many more are for other times then December 25. and Iac. Cappellus and many others still go the old way for Ianuary 6. And Th. Lydiat out of Clem. Alexandr is for May 20. Scultetus Clopenburgius and many others do shew that indeed the time is utterly uncertain And no wonder if the day be uncertain when the very year is so uncertain that there is no probability of ever comeing to a full agreement about it among the Learned in Chronologie till the last comeing of Christ agree them Our late most Learned Chronologer Bishop Vsher was
Catholick Vnity OR The only way to bring us all to be of one Religion By Rich. Baxter To be read by such as are offended at the differences in Religion and are willing to do their part to heal them JAMES 3.17 But the Wisdom that is from above is first Pure then Peaceable Gentle easie to be intreated c. London Printed by R. W. for Thomas Underhill and Francis Tyton and are to be sold at the sign of the Anchor and Bible in Pauls Church-yard and at the three Daggers in Fleet-street 1660. To all those in the severall Parishes of these Nations that complain of the disagreements in matters of Religion Men and Brethren AS in the midst of all the impiety and dishonesty of the world it is some comfort to us that yet the Names of Piety and Honesty are still in credit and ungodliness and dishonesty are terms of disgrace so that those that will be ungodly and dishonest are fain to use the Mask and Vail of better names to hide their wickedness so also it is some comfort to us in the midst of the uncharitableness and discords of this age that yet the Names of Love and Concord â—ound so well and are honoured by those that are furthest from the Things For thus we seem agreed in the main cause and have this advantage in our debates that whatever shall be proved to be against Love and Unitâ— and Peace we are all oâ— us obliged by our professions to dâ—sown I may suppose that all that read these words will speak against the uncharitableness and contentâ—ons and divisions of the present times as well as I. Doth it grieve my soul to hear professed Christians so censoriously condemning and passionately reviling one another while they are proudly justifying themselves I suppose you 'l say It grieves you also Do I mourn in secret to see so many divisions and subdivisions and Church set up against Church and Pastors against Pastors in the same Parishes and each party labouring to disgrace the other and their way that they may promote their own I suppose you will say You do so tâ—o Do I lament it as the Nations shame that in Religion men are of so many minds and manage their differences so unpeaceably that it is become the stumbling block to the ungodly the grief of our friends and the derâ—sion of our enemies I know you will say that this also is your lamentation And is it not a wonder indeed that such a misery should be continued which all men are against and which cannot be continued but by our wilfull choice Is it not strange that we are so long without so great a blessing as Unity and Peace while all men say they love it â—nd desire it and while we may have it if we will But the cause is evident while men love Unity they hate the Holiness in which we must Unite While they love Peace they hate the necessary means by which it must be obtained and maintained The way of Peace they have not known or knowing it they do abhor it As well as they love Unity and Peace they love the Causes of discord and division much better The drunkard and whore-monger and worldling say they love the salvation of their souls But yet while they love and keep their sins they will miss of the salvation which they say they love And so while men love their ungodliness and dividing wayes we are little the better for their love of peace If men love Health and yet love Poyson and hate both medicine and wholsom food they may miss of health notwithstanding they love it Where know you a Parish in England that hath no disagreements in matters of Religion In this Parish where I live we have not several Congregations nor are we divided into such parties as in many other places But we have here the great division some are for Heaven and some for Earth some love a holy diligent life and others hate it some pray in their Families and teath them the word and fear of God and others do not some spend the Lords Day in holy exercises and others spend much of it in idleness and vanity some take the service of God for their delight and others are weary of it and live in ignorance because they will not be at the pains to learn Some make it the principal care and business of their lives to prepare for death and make sure of everlasting life and others will venture their souls on the wrath of God and cheat themselves by their own presumption rather then be at this sweet and necessary labour to be saved Some hate sin and make it their dayly work to root out the relicts of it from their hearts and lives and others love it and will not leave it but hate those that reprove them and endeavour their salvation And as long as this great division is unhealed what other means can bring us to any happy Unity It would make a mans heart bleed to consider of the folly of the ungodly rout that think it would be a happy Union if we could all agree to read one form of prayer while some love and others hate the holiness which they pray for and if we could all agree to use the sign of the Cross in Baptism while one half either understand not the Baptismall Covenant or wilfully violate it and neglect or hate and scorn that mortified holy life which by that solemn Vow and Covenant they are engaged to They are solicitous to bring us all to unity in the gesture of receiving the Sacrament of the Lords Supper while some take Christ and life and others take their own damnation When they should first agree in being all the faithfull servants of one Master they make a great matter of it that the servants of Christ and of the Devil may use the same bodily posture in that worship where their hearts are as different as spirit and flesh Poor people think that it is the want of Uniformity in certain Ceremonies of mans invention that is the cause of our great divisions and distractions When alas it is the want of unity in matters of greater consequence even of Faith and Love and Holiness as I have here shewed If once we were all children of one Father and living members of one Christ and all renewed by one sanctifying Spirit and aimed at one end and walked by one Rule the word of God and had that special Love to one another which Christ hath made the mark of his Disciples this were an Agreement to be rejoyced in indeed which would hold us together in the most comfortable relations and assure us that we shall live together with Christ in everlasting blessedness But alas if our Agreement be no better then to sit together in the same seats and say the same words and use the same gestures and Ceremonies our hearts will be still distant from each other our natures will be contrary and the
malignity of ungodly hearts will be breaking out on all occasions And as now you hear men scorning at the practice of that Religion which themselves profess so if God prevent it not you may shortly see another War take off their restraint and let them loose and then they will seek the blood of those that now they seem to be agreed with At furthest we are sure that very shortly we shall be separated as far as Heaven and Hell if there be not now a nearer agreement then in words and outward Shews and Ceremonies It being then past doubt that there is no happy lasting Unity but in the Spirit and a holy life What hindereth us from so safe so sweet so sure a Peace Why might not all our Parishes agree on such necessary honourable and reasonable terms Why is there in most places but here and there a Person or a Family that will yield to the terms of an everlasting peace live as men that believe they have a God to serve and please and immortall souls to save or lose Is not God willing that all should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth 1 Tim. 2.4 and that all should agree in so safe a path Why then doth he invite all and tender them his saving mercy and send his messengers to command and importune them to this holy Concord He would take them all into the bond of his Covenant How oft would Christ have gathered all the Children of Ierusalem to him as the Hen gathereth her Chickens under her Wings but it was they that would not Mat. 23.37 He would have the Gospel preached to every creature Mar. 16.15 16. would have the Kingdoms of the world become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ. What then is the cause of this sad division in our Parishes Are Ministers unwilling that their people should all agree in holiness No it would be the greatest favor you could do them and the greatest joy that you could bring to their hearts They would be gladder to see such a blessed Unity then if you gave them all that you have in the world O how a poor Minister would boast and glory of such a Parish He would bless the day that ever he came among them and that ever he was called to the Ministry and that ever he was born into the world for their sakes How easie would all his studies and labours be if they were but sweetned with such success How easily could he bear his scorns and threatnings and abuses and persecutions from others if he saw but such a holy Unity among his people to encourage him So far are your Teachers from excluding you from this happiness that it is the end of their studies preaching prayers yea and of their lives to bring you to partake of it And glad would they be to preach to you and exhort you in hunger and thirst in cold and nakedness in all the contempt and derision of the world if thereby they could but bring their parishes to agree in a life of faith and holiness And sure our difference is not because the godly will not admit you to joyn with them in the waies of God For they cannot hinder you if they would and they would not if they could It is their joy to see the house of God filled with guests that have oâ— the wedding garment We must conclude thereforâ— that it is the ungodly that aâ— the wilfull and obstinate divâ—ders They might be unite to Christ and reconciled 〈◊〉 God and they will not The might be admitted into thâ— Communion of Saints anâ— into the houshold of Goâ— and partake of the Privâ—ledges of his children anâ— they will not They have leaâ— to Read and pray and meditate and walk with God in a heavenly conversation as well as any of their neighbours but they will not It is themselves that are the refusers and continue the division to the displeasing of God and the grief of their friends and the gratifying of Satan and the perdition of their own immortall Souls We might all be united and our divisions be healed and God much honoured and Ministers and good Christians be exceedingly comforted and the Church and Commonwealth be delivered and highly honoured and themselves be saved from everlasting misery if we could but get the hearty consent of these foolish obstinate ungodly men What say you wretched Souls can you deny it How long have your Teachers been labouring in vain to bring you to the hearty Love oâ— God and heaven and serious holiness How long have they been perswading you to set up Reading and Catechizing and constant fervent prayer iâ— your families and yet it is undone How long have they in vain been perswading the worldling from his worldliness and the Proud person to humility and the sensual beast from his tipling and gluttony and other fleshly pleasures And besides this most of the disorders and divisions in the Churches are caused by ungodly men I will instance in a few particulars 1. When we ask any godly diligent Ministers either in London or the Country why they do not unanimously catechize instruct and confer with all the Inhabitants of their Parishes man by man to help them to try their spirituall state and to prepare in health for death and judgement they usually answer us that alas their people will not consent but many would revile them if they should attempt it 2. When we ask them why they do not set up the practice of Discipline which they so unanimously plead for and why they do not call their people to Confirmation or open profession of faith and holiness in order thereto they tell us that their people will not endure it but many will rather set themselves against the Ministry and strengthen the enemy that now endangereth the Churches safety or turn to any licentious Sect then they will thus submit to the undoubted Ordinance of Christ which the Churches are so commonly agreed in as a duty 3. We have an ancienâ— too-imperfect version of the Psalms which we sing in the Congregations in the judgment of all Divines that ever I spoke with about it of what side soever it is our duty to use a better Version and not to perform so excellent a part of the publick Worship so lamely and with so many blemishes And if you ask the Ministers why they do not unanimously agree on a Reformed corrected Version most of them will tell you that their people will not bear it but proudly and turbulently reproach them as if they were changing the Word of God 4. In many places the Sacrament of Baptism is ofter used in private houses then in the publick Assemblies and if we ask the reason of so great a disorder the Ministers will tell us that it is the unruliness and wilfulness of the people that proudly set themselves above their Guides and instead of obeying them must rule them and have their humors
3.18 But it is the Lord that is the portion of the Saints Psal. 16.5 They lay up a treasure in heaven Mat. 6.20 and there they have their conversations Phil. 3.20 Being risen with Christ they seek the things that are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God for they are dead and their life is hid with Christ in God Col. 3.1 3 4. The business that the Saints and that the ungodly have in the world is clean contrary Their business is for Heaven and yours is for earth They are sowing to the spirit in hope of everlasting life and you are sowing to the flesh and shall reap corruption Gal. 6.6 7. They are making Provision for another life that never shall have end and you are making provision for the flesh to satisfie its desires Rom. 13.14 And how is it possible for these to be United What concord between light and darkness or Christ and Belial or righteousness with unrighteousness 2 Cor. 6.14 15. Can two walâ— together except they be agreed Amo. 3.3 We must better agree of our business in the world and of our journeys end before we can keep company with you While you are for earth and we for heaven it is not possible that we should go one way While one is for the world and another for God they must needs differ For God and the world are masters that are unreconcileable If you will cleave to one you must despise the other The work of the Butcher and the Souldier is to kill and the work of the Surgeon and Physitian is to cure And do you think these will ever take one course The Souldier studies how to wound and kill The Surgeon studies how to close these wounds and heal them And surely these must go contrary wayes Sirs as long as your business is principally for the flesh and the world and the business of the sanctified is against the flesh and world and for the Spirit and the world to come how is it possible that you should be agreed You must bring heaven and earth together first yea heaven and hell together first before you can have a Christian Unity and Agreement between the sanctified and the unsanctified 5. There is no Vnity to be had but in the Gospel The Apostle tels us there is One Faith Eph. 4.5 If an Angel from heaven would preach another Gospel he must be accursed Gal. 1.10 11. But the unsanctified do not truly and heartily entertain this Gospel You think and say you truly believe it when you do not If you truly believed it your lives would shew it He that indeed believes an everlasting Glory will sure look after it more then after the world or the flesh 6. There is no Christian Unity but in the Christian Nature Contrary natures cannot close Firâ— and Water the Woolf and the Lamb the Bear and the Dog wiâ— not well Unite The sanctified havâ— a new divine and heavenly nature Ioh. 3.6 2 Pet. 1.4 2 Cor. 5 1â— Their Disposition is another way then it was before But the unsanctified have the old corrupt fleshly nature still One is as the fire still bending upward the other as the earth or stone still bending downward to the earth And how can these agree together 7. There is no Christian Vnity to be had where the Affections run quite contrary wayes But so it is with the sanctified and the unsanctified One loves God above all and cannot live without holy Communion with him and retireth into him from the distractions of the world and maketh him his Rest Content and Solace The other mentions the goodness of God but findeth no such sweetness in him nor desires after him One treads the world underfoot as dirt or valueth and useth it but as a help to heaven And the other makes it his happiness and sets his heart on it One delighteth in Holiness and the other hateth it or regardeth it not One hateth sin as a Serpent or as death and the other makes it his meat and drink and business And how is it possible for men of such contrary affections to be agreed and natures at such enmity to Unite 8. The sanctified and unsanctified are moved by contrary Objects One lives by faith on things that are out of sight and strives for Heaven as if he saw it and strives against Hell as if he saw it for his faith is the evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 7. We live by faith and not by sight 2 Cor. 5.7 2 Cor. 4.18 But the unsanctified live upon things that are seen and things believed little move them because they are not heartily believed 9. The Holy and the unholy do live by contrary Laws One liveth by the Law of God and there asketh counsel what he must think or say or do resolving to obey God before his flesh and all the world The other will say he will be ruled by Gods Law till his flesh and carnal interest contradict it and then he will take his lusts for his Law His Pride is a Law to him and the pleasures and profits of the world are a Law to him and the will of great ones and the customs of men are his Law And how is it possible for mâ—n to agree that walk by such contrary Rules as these 10. There is no true Vnity but in the Covenant with Christ. As Marriage Vniteth man and wife so every truly sanctified man hath delivered up himself to Christ in a peremptory absolute Covenant and hath quit all claim of interest in himself and is wholly Gods But the unsanctified will not be brought to this any further then the lips and therefore they cannot be well United 11. The true members of the Church are built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Eph. 2.20 21. But the unsanctified regard them not if they cross their minds 12. There is no true Christian Vnity but with the Holy Catholick Church The body is but one 1 Cor. 12.12 13. Eph. 4.4 But the unsanctified are not of the Holy Catholick Church but only in the visible external Communion of it 13. There can be no true Christian Vnity with the Saints without a special Love to the Saints For by this we know that we are passed from death to life because we love the Brethren he that lovetâ— not his brother abideth in death 1 John 3.14 By this must all men know that we are Christs Disciples John 13.35 Love is the bond and cement of the Church He that doth not heartily love a godly sanctified man because he is such hath no true Unity with the Church But the ungodly love them not as such They see no such beauty and loveliness in Holiness Though Scripture call it Gods Image they be not in Love with Gods Image but think it a conceit or hypocritical pretence or a wearysom thing Why poor carnal wretches do you hate the godly and yet would you have Unity with them Do you hate them and yet cry
whom we serve is the only God and that he and none but he should rule us and that we have grievously wronged him by disobeying him so long And yet would you have us again forsake him If we should lie in tears till we die it were too little to satisâ—â—e his Justice for one of the sinâ— we have already committed and if it had not been for the wonderful â—ave and suffâ—â—ing of the son of God we had been lost for ever And yet must we turn to this course again God forbid It was not so wise nor honest a course We our selves saith Paul were sometime foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another you hear how he calls his former life But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he sâ—ved us by the washing of regâ—neration and renâ—wing of the Holy Ghost Tit. 3.3 4 5. And should Paul have turned a fool again and be deceived and disobedient again to Agâ—ee with the rest of the deceived world O Sirs we have seen that which you have not seen and tasted that which you never tasted Had you seen and tasted the Love of God in Christ and the delightful hopes of eternal life and felt the comfort of his service and the joyes of the Holy Ghost you would never wish us to come back again to agree with you in sin but you would abhorr your selves the very thoughts of your former folly Why you may better perswade a man to repent that he was born and â—o go into the womb again 〈◊〉 perswade us to â—epent thaâ— we are new-born and return to our 〈◊〉 staâ—e of death Deaâ—h is not so â—weet to us â—or Hâ—ll â—or the wâ—aâ—â— or 〈◊〉 so 〈◊〉 â—or sin wâ—â—h 〈◊〉 pleâ—sure so 〈…〉 thaâ— we should turn to them again for â—eaâ—e with you If we have scaped them 〈◊〉 and will not take that for a warning to come â—here no more we deseâ—ve to pay for it Why Sirs we have made a solemn Covenant with God in the face of the Congregation in our Baptism and oft renewed it in the Loâ—ds Supper and vowed that we would be his and absolutely and unreservedly his And would you wish us to break so solemn a Covenant What honesty is in such persidiousness We have renounced the flesh the world and the devil and should we turn to them agaâ—n for Peace with you O what a cursed Peace were that Let me tell you that we have not found God so â—ad a Master as to forsake him for the sake of you or any creature We have tryed hâ—m â—nd fouâ—d him 〈◊〉 to us then all â—he woâ—ld He hath never given us cauâ—e to forsâ—â—e him And if we should now afâ—er all â—he tryals of his love turn back to the way of sin and ungodliness the Devil himself would charge us with dishonesty What! must the godly turn drunkards and worldlings and hateâ—s of godliness to have Peace with you Why you may next perswade us even to turn Devils that we may be reconciled to you The God that made us hath forbid us upon pain of his hot displeasure to walk in your wayes He saith to every one of us as to Ieremy 15.19 Let them return unto thee but return not thou unto them And should we obey God or men Judge you whether Why Sirs are you so utterly unreasonable as to wish us or any man living to love you better then God or to regard you more then God or obey you before God Or should we be so much worse then mad as to yield to you if you did desire it Why what are you in comparison with the Almighty O poor worms that are even dying while you are speaking that are but as bubbles ready to burst when you are swelled to the highest in ungodly pride That even while you are eating and drinking and making merry are passing on apace to weeping and gnashing of teeth and everlasting woes and lamentations What should we regard such dust and dirt as you are before the glorious God! It were far greater wisdom and honesty for your children to set up a dog or a toad and say This is more to be loved and honoured then my Father If a Traytor against an earthly Prince deserve to be hang'd drawn and quartered certainly that man that would forsake God and his Laws to please such silly worms as you did deserve to be hang'd in the flames of Hell and to be tormented by infernal fiends and ground to powder by the wrath of the Almighty Well! if you have eyes that can see you may see now past doubt that we cannot turn to you that are ungodly with any wisdom or honesty in the world nor without the highest madness and dishonesty But can you say so of your turning in to us Is it contrary either to Wisdom or Honesty for you to turn unfeignedly to God and to become a sanctiâ—ied godly people Me thinks you should not have such a thought in youâ— hearts And therefore if we be not all of a mind and go not all one way it is most apparent that it is not long of us but of you 3. If we do Vnite and Agree it must be upon terms of Safety This much I hope you cannot deny us You would not sure wish us to Agree to our own destruction and to make a bargain with you that we may all joyn together in cutting our own throats Do you think that this were a wise combination How much less should we make an Agreement to go the certain way to Hell and to joyn together in damning our own souls for ever Sirs if you dislike the way of Holiness do but find out any other way that will safely bring a man to heaven and we will promise you to joyn in it But unholiness will never do it God hath told us as plain as can be spoken thâ—t except a man be born again and be converted he cannot enter into the Kingdom of heaven Joh. 3.3.5 Mat. 18.3 anâ— that without hâ—liness no man s◠〈◊〉 the Lord Hâ—b 12.14 and that the righteous thâ—mselves are sâ—â—reely sâ—rvâ—d 1 Pet. 4.18 and that if any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things are past away and all things become new 2 Cor. 5.17 and that if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8.9 So that if God know who shall be saved it is as certain as any thing in the world that no unsanctified man can be saved If leaping into the water be the way to drowning or leaping into the fire be the way to burning or leaping down from the top of a stâ—â—ple be the way to break your necks as sure is an unholy life the â—ay to everlasting torment And would you wish us to undo our sâ—lvâ—s everlastingly for your â—riâ—ndship
them You will wish and wish a thousand times that you had done as they did and lived as holily as the best on earth You will then wish O that it were to do again and that my life were again to be lived and God would but try me on earth once more Those tongues that railed against Religion will a thousand times more reproach your selves for those reproaches and the neglect of this Religion You will then cry out Where was my wit and reason when I made so mad a change as of God for the creature Christ for sin and Heaven for Hell Do you think Sirs that it were any wisdom for us to Agree with you now in that for which you will fall out with your selves for ever and to go with you in that loose ungodly way which you will wish your selves that you had never known Besides we know that it is only the Saints that we must live with for ever and therefore you must become Saints if you would be Unitâ—d to us here What! Should we be so careful to Agree with you a while and be separated from you eternally or do worse by suffering with you But if you will Unite with us in Christ and Holiness this will be a lasting Unity which you will never have occasion to repent of The Union between the Lord Jesus and his members shall never be dissolved Heartily joyn with his servants now in the wayes of Holiness and you shall certainly joyn with them in the state of Happiness and in the joyful fruition and praises of the Lord. Well Sirs in this much of our treaty I have layed the case plain and open before you and shewed you that we cannot come over to you It is not Possible nor Honest nor Safe we cannot forsake an holy life without forsaking God and our Redeemer and our salvation which no man that is a man indeed should desire us to do nor can we do it till we first forsake our understandings But oâ— your side the case is oâ—herwiâ—e You may turn to God and an holy life without any hurt or wrong to you at all nay it is the only way to your felicity and if you do it not you are undone for ever So that the case is past all controversie before you that there is no way in the world to Unity but by Consent in Piety If half the Common-wealth turn Rebels and so shall make a Division in the body the way to Unite them is by the returning of the Rebels to their Allegiance and not for the true and lawful subjects to turn all Rebels and joyn with them For without the Head there cannot be a Union So that if the world be still divided and disagreed it is not long of the godly but of the ungodly And if you would have an Agreement it s you that must yield who cause the disagreement You may do it and must do it or do worse but the godly may not yield to you What say you now would you have Unity or Division Would you have Peace or no Peace You complain that the world is of so many minds Would you have them all reconciled and of one mind If you would let us see it The work sticks with you on your hands it lyeth and it is you that must do it if ever it be done If you would have all ungodly you deserve not to live on the earth Shall we then without any more ado agree all upon a life of Holiness O that our Towns and Parishes would all joyn together in this Agreement and it must be this or none But perhaps some of you will say What need you make so many words about a matter that no boâ—y doth deny We all knâ—w we should â—e Holy and Godly and nâ—ne should be ungâ—â—ly who doubts of this But the Question is What Holinâ—ss and Godliness is Tell us thâ—refore whâ—t you meâ—n by it â—nâ— who those be that you takâ— to be the Godly sanctified people Answ. If we are all agreed of the Necessity of Holiness then those that are not yet agreed to be Holy themselves do sin against their own consciences and condemn themselves in the things which they allow and wilfully divide themselves from Christ and from his Church And if any of you have been so long Baptized into the Name of the Holy-Ghost as your Sanctifier and yet know not what Sanctification is and who are to be accounted sanctified and godly you shew that you have perfidiously cast away and broak your Covenant with God and made but an â—ll use of your Baptism or any Means and Ordinances since But if you know not who are godly or ungodly I shall quickly tell you A godly man is one that being formerly in a state of sin and misery both strange and backward to God and heaven and an holy life and prone to earthly flesâ—ly pleasures is now by the powerful wâ—rk of the Word and Spirit of God converted to unfeigned faith and repentance broaken-hearted for his former sin and misery flying to Christ as the only Hope anâ— Physitian of his soul and so is made a new creature having his heart set upon God and everlasting life and contemning all the pleasures of the flesh and the things of this world in comparison of his hopes of Glory hating all known sin and not wilfully living in any and loving the highest degree of Holiness and willing to use the means that God hath appointed to destroy the remnants of sin and bring him nearer to perfection This is a truly godly man And he that is not such is ungodly He that yet remaineth in his Natural depraved state and is unacquainted with this great and holy change that hath any sin that he had rather keep then leave and any that he wilfully liveth in and wilfully neglecteth known duties as one that had rather be free from them then perform them and had rather live a fleshly life then a spâ—ritual and an holy life and is more in love with the creature then with God with his life on earth in flesh and sin then a life in heaven wiâ—h God and his â—aints in perfect holiness this man is undoubtedly a wicked and ungodly man how evilly or religiously soever he may seem to live in the world And so I have in a few words told you who they be that are godly and who are the ungodly The Question now that we are treating about is whether we shall all agree together to be godly Do you not believe it to be best and necessary If not you are blind If you do let us agree on it without delay You tell us with many great complaints of the many differences and divisions that are among us but shall we Agree so far as we are agreed that is shall we agree in heart and practice so far as we are agreed in opinion and profession O that you would make a solemn Covenant that you will but Consent and go along
with the Godly so far as you confess you ought to do and would but Unite with us in faithfulness to the truths which you cannot deny I think it will be best to call you to the tryal in some particulars 1. I hope we are all Agreed that there is one only God that maâ—e us and preserveth us and Redeemed us and therefore that we are wholly his and should resign our selves and all that we have absolutely to him for his service He is not worthy the name of a man that denyeth this And shall we aâ—l Agree now in the Practice of this much Shall we wholly resign our selves and all that we have to God and labour to know what God would have us be and do and that let us resolve upon whatever the flesh or the world say to the contrary Were but this much well resolved on we were in a fair way to a full agreement 2. We are all Agreed in Opinion or Profession that this God is our only Happiness and his favour is better then all the world and that he is infinitely Wise and Good and Powerful and therefore that he must be Loved above all things whatsoever and must be most feared and served and trusted and depended on And shall we but Agree all in the Practice of this much O that you would but heartily consent and do it Did we but joyn together in Loving God above all and fearing and trusting and serving him before all we should quickly be of one heart and soul and in a very fair way to a perfect agreâ—ment 3. We are all Agreed that profess Christianity that sin hath made us miserable and brought us under the wrath and curse of God and that the Lord Jesus Christ having Redeemed us by his blood is the only Physitian and Remedy for our souls and having manifested such infinite Love in our Redemption and also purchased Dominion over us we are strongly bound to Rejoyce in his salvation and fly to him for Safety and rest upon him and live in the thankful admirations of his Love and in careful Obedience to his gracious Laws And shall we all Agree in the Practice of this much Will you fly to Christ with broken bleeding hearts for safety from sin and wrath and Hell and set more by him then by all the world Will you study with all Saints to comprehend his Love Eph. 3.18 19 and admire him and his mercies and devote your selves to him and be ruled by him O that we were but all agreed in this much 4. We are all agreed in Opinion or Profession that the Holy Ghost is the Sanctifier of Gods elect or of all that shall be saved and that except a man be born again by the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of heaven and that without holiness none shall see God and that no man is the Son of God that hath not in him the Spirit of his Son 1 Cor. 12.12 13. Eph. 4.5 Ioh. 3.5 6. Heb. 12.14 Rom. 8.9 Gal. 4.4 Were we but all such now as we are agreed we must be and would you but all Consent to this Sanctification and newness of life the great difference were healed and the work were done 5. Moreover we are all Agreed or seem to be so that the holy Scripture is the word of God and of infallible truth and therefore must be believed and made the Rule of our Judgements and our lives Shall we all agree now in the practice of this Will you appeal to the Scripture and shall it be our Rule If the flesh perswade you to another course and murmur at the strictness of Gods Word if custom be against it and the greater number be against it if your profits or pleasures or worldly honours be against it and your former opinions and practice have been against it will you yet believe the Scripture before all and be ruled by it above all the world You are agreed I hope that God is to be obeyed rather then men or then the flesh and the Devil Will you resolve that 〈◊〉 shall be so O if the Word of God might be the Rule how quickly should we be agreed For all the Popish cavils at its difficulty and mens divers expositions yet how soon should we be agreed 6. We are all agreed in Opinion or Profession that there is a heaven for the Sanctified even an endless unconceivable Glory with God in the seeing of his face and enjoying him in perfect Love and Joyes and that the seeking of this everlasting Glory should be the main and principal business of our lives which all things must give place to He that will deny this can have no pretence to call himself a Christian. O that we might but all agree in the practising of this and that the principal love and desire of our souls were set upon the Heavenly blessedness and the chiefest of our care and labour might be laid out for the obtaining of it Agree in this and all will be agreed at last 7. We are all Agreed in our profession that there is an Hell or state of endless torments where all the finally unsanctified and ungodly must be for ever But why do we not agree in the diligent avoiding of such a dreadful misery and using our best endeavours to escape it 8. We are all agreed in Profession that the flesh is our enemy and must be mortified But will you agree in the practice of this mortification We are agreed iâ— Profession that the world is our enemy and must be contemned and that it is a vain and worthless thing compared with the Glory that is to come But yet mâ—n 〈◊〉 not agree to renounce the world unfeignedly and to be stranger to it and part with all rather thâ—â— with God and a good Conscience but while men spâ—ak contemptuously of the world they seek 〈◊〉 far more eagerly then heaven We are agreed that the Devil is our enemy and yet men will not forsaâ—â— his service 9. We are all agreed in profession that sin is a most hateful thing hated of God condemned by his Word and the only cause of the damnation of souls And yet men love it and live in it with delight Shaâ—l we agree all to deal with sin as we speak of it Will Magistrates and Ministers and people joyn together to banish it out of Town and Countrey Particularly we are agreed I hope that whoredom and wantonness and gluttony and drunkenness and strife and envying and lying and deceit and cursing and swearing and railing and backbiting and speaking against an holy life are all groâ—s hateful damning sins which every Christian must abhor But why do you not agree in the hateing and forsaking and beating down of these sins But Town and Countrey swarmeth with them as a carkase doth with maggots or a stinking pond with frogs and toads So that Magistrates and Ministers punishments and perswasions the Laws of the Land and the Laws of God can do but little to
scorn And thus he that will be saved must not only go to heaven without the company of the most of his neighbours but must go through their opposition and reproaches and discouragements And the Lord be merciful to the miserable world most places that one shall come into are more agreed against holiness and salvation then for it and had rather that all the Parish would agree together against a godly life which is indeed against Christ and heaven and their own souls then for it And some places are so miserable that you may hâ—ar them thank God that they have not one Puritan in their â—arish or but few at most meaning by Puritans men that seek heavâ—n above earâ—h aâ—d had rather leave their sins then be damned And this dâ—sâ—eaâ—teneth many that have some mind to godliness to see almost all the Town and Parish against it But now if you had all but so much wit and grace as to meet together and make an Agreement that you will All be a holy people to the Lord and you will All joyn together in a godly life and you will All be the sworn professed enemies of the way to Hell and joyn together against your Ignorance and Pride and Covetousness and Drunkenness and Swearing and Railing and all Profaneness and Iniquity and if you would All agree together to set up prayer and reading and holy exercises in every house in Town and Parish and that you will all redeem the time for your souls especially that you will wholly spend the Lords day in the necessary delightful work of God then what abundance of your difficulties would be removed and how easie and pleasant would the way to heaven be Then there would be none to discourage poor ignorant souls by deriding at a godly life nor none to entice them to wicked courses nor none to tempt them by their ill examples and the number of the godly would encourage men as the fewness of them now discourageth Thâ—s troubleth men in theâ—r passage to Heaven when we are ill-yoaked togeâ—her and one draws backward as the othâ—r draws forward and if the husband be for God the wife is for the world or if the wife be for Heaven the husband will needs go the way to Hell and if one neighbour be godly the two if not ten or twenty next him will be ungodly And as the Israelites spies they raise up false reports of the Land of the state of godliness and of the persons themselves to discourage others whereas if you would all agree together you might march on comfortably without all this ado O how sweet and pleasant a life is it to see brethren dwell together in such an holy Unity as this Psal. 133.1 Happy are they that dwell in such Towns and Parishes as these if there be any such in the world Where neighbours go all hand in hand together towards heaven and take sweet counsel together and go to the house of God in company and when others meet in Ale-houses and about fooleries and profaneness they will meet together to talk of their meeting in the presence of God and the joy and praises of the Living God and the Communion with Christ and with Angels and with one another which we shall then possess when they will pray together and comfort one another with such words 1 Thes. 4.18 And when others are talking idly or of the world they will be admonishing and exhorting one another and speaking words that are edifying to the hearers Col. 3.16 Ephes. 4.29 and opening their cases and experiences to each other and faiâ—hfully watching over one another agreeing to tell one another plainly and lovingly of their sins and to take it thankfully of those that do so and endeavour presently to amend What a sweet and blessed life were this if all our Towns and Parishes would agree in it Who would not rather live with bread and water in such a Town as this then be a Lord or Prince among the ungodly Well Sirs it is much in your hands now to make your own and your neighbours lives thus sweet and comfortable and to make the way to heaven thus easie Why then will you not Agree and do it 6. Moreover such an Holy Unity and Concord would be the highest honour to your Towns and Countries that in this world they can possibly receive It is the highest glory of the Kingdoms of the world to become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ Rev. 11.15 You think it a great honour for your Towns to be rich and have fair buildings and to have worldly priviledges buâ— alas these are bawbles in câ—mparison of the other O if it were but the Happiness of this Town and Parish to be brought to such an Holy Agreement as I mentioned that you would all joyâ— together in a godly life and every Family Agree to worship God with holy reverence and all set together against pâ—ofaâ—eness and all known sin what an honour would it be to you of this place How would your fame go through all the Land All Countries would ring of Kedâ—rminster what a victory Christ had gotten there and what an overthrow the Devil and sin had there received and what a blessed place and people it is where they are All agreed to be Holy and to be saved and are all like the antient Primitive Believers that were of one heart and one soul Acts 4.32 O how the world would ring of such a Town where there is not one family that is ungodly that serveth the Devil by worldliness swearing drunkenness or any ungodly course but all are United in Christ and Holiness and are like to live together in Heaven Truly neighbours this would be a greater honour to you and to the Town then if you were every man a Lord or Prince In the eyes of God and all wise men it would be the greatest honour in the world And O what an excellent example would it be to all the Towns and Parishes in the Land When they see your holy Unity and Peace or hear of a place that is so happily agreed it may shame them out of their ungodliness and kindle in them a strong desire to be like you and agree together as you have done O that you would but give them such an example and try the issue 7. And I desire every one singly to consider that it is the unspeakable mercy of God that he calleth you to this holy Union with Christ and Communion of Saints and that he doth not thrust you away and forbid you coming near but will give you leave to be of the holy Society fellow-Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God God hath made his promise and offer so large that you may have part in it as well as others if you will not wilfully shut out your selves The feast is prepared all things are ready and you are every man and woman invitâ—d Christ hath opened to you a door of
to cure such small distempers that arise without The life of â—aith the love of God the love of Brethren and the Churches peace and welfare with the humility and self-dâ—nyal that is in every Christian will do a great deal to the healing of divisions among the Godly They will be content to meet together in Love and pray it out and refer the matter to the holy Scripture and they have all some special illumination of the Spirit But perhaps you will say Why are they not then more fully agreed I answer 1. Because there are such a multitude of ungodly persons among them that hinder them from opportunities and advantages for agreement And many of these ungodly ones are hypocrites that take on them to be godly and so are traytors in our bosoms and hinder peace the more by seeming to be godly when they are not 2. Because of the remnant of sin that is yet in the sanctified and because they are not yet perfect and in Heaven If they had no sin they would have no divisions And as their sin is healed as to the dominion of it but not perfectly till they come to heaven so their divisions are healed in the main but not perfectly till they are perfectly United to God in Glory 9. Consider also I beseech you what a joy it would be to Christ and to the Angels of heaven and to all good men if you would but all make such an Agreement and heartily joyn together in Holiness The whole 15. Chapter of Lukâ— â—s by divers Parables to tell you this wâ—at Joy there is in heaven it self for the conversâ—on of one sinner O what would there be then if Towns and Countries would agree in Holiness And I am certain it should be a Joy to the Princes and Rulers of the earâ—h for such a Unity only will â—old and be a blessing to their Dominions Plutarch makes it Agâ—silâ—us his reason why the Spartans had no Walls because the people being 〈◊〉 of one minde had no need or Walls And Pliny tells us of a stone that will swim if it be whole and sink if it be broken And so will Common-wealths that are brokeâ— fâ—om Christ and void of the cement of the Spirit that should â—nite them And to the Ministers of the Gospel and all good Christianâ— such an Unity as this would be an unspeakable joy Somewhat I know of other mens hearts by mine own Could I but prevail with this Nation yea with this one Town and Parish to meet all together and hearâ—ily Consent Agree and Resolve to joyn all together in an heavenly life I should more rejoyce in it then if I had the house full of gold and silver yea as to mine own interest then if I were Lord of all the world O what a joyful day were this if I could this dâ—y bring you to this Holy Unity and Agreement How comfortably should I spend the few remaining dayes of my pilgrimage among you if you would but all be brought to this Whereas I may now say as David Psalm 120.5 for all the godly that are among you Wo is me thâ—t I sâ—journ in Mesech that I dwell in the Tâ—ntâ— of Kedar My soul â—ath too long dwelt with him that hateth this holy peace I am for peace but when I speak and perswade men to it they are for war and continuance in the dividing course 〈◊〉 ungodliness Alas it grieveth us to see such divisions in all the Churches and Nations of the Christian world and O that we did know how to heal them But when we cannot heal the most ungodly separations and divisions of one Town and Parish it discourageth us from hoping for any great matters of such large extent Some attempts I have made and more I would fain make to further a Union and Peace among the Churchâ—s through the Land But when I cannot procure the Unity of this one Town and Parish what hope can I have to look any further â—lâ—s what a shame is this to you and what a grief to us that we cannot bring one Parish one Village that ever I knew of in all England to be all of a mind in thosâ— great those weighty needful things where it is worse thâ—n a madness for men to bâ— unresolved or disâ—greed As Melanthus made a jeâ—t of a great man that went about to reconcile all Greece and bring all the Princes and Stâ—tes to Peâ—ce when he could not bring hâ—s wiâ—e and her servant-maid to agreement in his own house So with what hopes can we attempt any publick peace when we cannot bring one Parish one Village yâ—a but very few â—amilies to agree in that which they must agree in or else the refusers will be certainly condemned I beseech you â—irs make glad the 〈…〉 of your Teachers â—nd of all good mâ—n by your Agreement You owe us this Comfort and you owe it to Christ and the Angels of heaven deny us not our due but without any more delay Agree togeâ—her to live as Saints What a Joy it would be to your Pastors you are not easily able to believe When Gregory Thaumatuâ—gus came first to be Bishop of Neocâ—sarea he found but seventeen Chrâ—stians in the City And when he lay on his death-bed he desired them to make enquiry how many Infidels were unconverted and they found but just sâ—venteen Infidels left and all the rest were converted to Christianity And though he rejoyced that he left but just as many unconverted Infidels as he found converted Christians yet he grieved withall that he should leave those seventeen in the power of the Devil When I came to you I found you all Professed Christians But Oh that I could say that I shall leave but seventeen unconverted when I am called from you for all that O that there were no more thâ—t are Infidels or Impious under the name of Christians But I and you are unworthy of so great a mercy 10. And I pray you consider this in time that all of you that now refuse this Agreement in Holiness will wish ere long that you had heartily embraced it and joyned with the godly and done as they And why will you not be of the mind that you will be shortly of And why will you be of that way and company that you will wish at last you had not been of The Prodigal in Luke 15. did think it a slavery to be kept up so strictly by his Fathers eye he must have his portion in his own possession and abroad he must be gone but when smart had taught him another lesson and misery had bâ—ought him to himself then he is glad to be an hired servant and casteth himself at his Fathers feet in the confession of his unworthiness to be called a son God grant that thâ—s may prove your case But let me tell it you for a certain truth theâ—e is not one of you that now 〈…〉 tâ— become so 〈◊〉 and joyn your selves in the wayes of God but
leave the infallible judgement to God It is only â—eal Saints that have the internal special Unity of the Spirit and saving Communion but its Professors of Faith and Holiness thaâ— must have external Communion wiâ—h us in Ordinances as they have a visible Union of Profession with the Church But if they profess not Holiness they ought not to have any Christian Communion at all O Christians keep close to Christ the Centeâ— of your Unity and the Scripture which is the Rule of it and cherish the â—pirit which is the vital cause walk evenly and uprightly in a dark generation and give no offence to those without nor to the Church of God Know them that are over you in the Lord and be at Peace among your selves and the God of Peace shall be with you 1 Thes. 5.12 Phil 4.8.9 Object BVt may not a Profession of the same Faith procure a sufficient Vnity among us though all be not Saints and savingly regenerate Let us first be of one Religion and then we may come to be sincere in the Practice of that Religion by Degrees Answ. 1. For the Churches sake we are thankful to God when we see a common concord in Profession though most are false in and to the Religion which they profess Many wayes God doth good to his Church by unfound Professors 1. Their Professing the same Faith doth somewhat tye their hands from persecuting it And of the two we can better bear Hypocrites then Persecutors 2. And it somewhat tyeth their tongues from reproaching the Faith and arguing against it and seducing others from it And of the two it would be more hurtful to the Church to have these men open enemies to the truth and bend their wits and tongues against it and to have the multitude assaulting their neighbours with invectives and cavils against Religion then to have them falsly pretend to be Religious 3. And it is a great mercy to the Church hereby to have the benefit of these mens common parts and interests When they profess the same Religion with us though unsoundly yet it engageth them to stand for the Religion which they profess and their illumination and conviction may lead them to do much service for the truth By this means many hands are at work to build up the Church of Christ. And by this means the lives of many faithful Christians are preserved and their estates much spared Many have skill in building that are not true heirs of the house which they build Many have excellent gifts for preaching and expounding Scripture by which the Church may be edified and the Truth defended against the adversaries when yet the same men may themselves be destitute of the Power of this truth The Church hath great cause to be thankful to God for the gifts of many an unsanctified man Had the Church been denyed the Minâ—stry and Gifts of all mâ—n except Saints it would have been confined to a narrower room and many a soul might have beâ—n unconvâ—rted that have been called by the Ministry of unsanctified men By some such did God work Miracles themselves for the confirmation of the Christian Faith And in times of war if the Church had none but Saints to fight for them it could not stand without a continued Miracle And if we had not the daily help of others in civil and secular affairs we should find by the miss of it what a mercy we undervalued Were every unregenerate man an open enemy to the Church we should live as Patridges and such other birds that must hide themselves from every Passenger 4. Moreover this Profession of Hypocrites doth much restrain them from many a sin by which God would be much dishonoured and the Church more wronged and the godly more grieved and the open enemies more encouraged 5. And also it is some honour to the Gospel in the eyes of men to have a multitude of Professors Should Christs visible Church be as narrow as the mystical and should none be Professors of the Faith but those few that are sanctified Believers the paucity of Christians and narrowness of the Church would be a dishonour to Christ in the eyes of the world and would hinder the Conversion of many a soul. All this I have said that you may see that we do not despise a Unity in Profession and that we are not of those that would have all hypocrites and common professors shut out Yea that we take our selves bound to be very thankful to God for the mercy which he vouchsafeth us by the gifts and favour and help and interest of many such Professors And such a Unity of Profession we shall endeavour to our power heartily to promote as knowing that the Church as visible consisteth of such professours 2. But yet for all this I must come closer to your objection and tell you that this Vnity of meer Profession is comparatively so poor a kind of Unity that this will not this must not satisfie us and serve the turn which I desire you to observe in these discoveries 1. This Unity in meer Profession is properly no Christian Vnity because you are not properly Christians If this be all it is but in the bark and shell that we are agreed It is but a seeming agreement from the teeth outward but not an hearty agreement to be Christians What! shall we all agree to say we are Christians when with most it is not so For all this Agreement you will still have one Father and we another You will not be United with us in Christ the Head you will not have the same Holy Spirit who is the Life of the New creature You will be contrary to us in Nature or Disposition You will not have the same Intention and Ultimate End with us but you will aâ—m at one thing and we at another You will not go the same way nor walk by the same Rule and Law as we It will be but a tying â—ogâ—ther the Living and the Dead Bellâ—râ—ine himself confesseth that the ungodly are but dead members It is not life that Uniteth a dead member to the living You will bâ— stilâ— either openly or secretly betraying the Body to which you profess your selves United and taking part with its deadly enemies the flesh the world and the Devil Your very Hearts and ours will still be contrary You will love the sin that we hate and set our selves against and you will dis-relish that Holy Heavenly life which must be our business and delight Your Affections will go one way and ours another You will Live by sense when we must live by faith and you will be laying up a treasure on earth when we are laying up a treasure in heaven You will be asking counsel of flesh and blood when we must advise with God and his holy Word You will look first to your bodies when we must look first and principally to our souls It will be your business to feed those sins which it is our daily work
is contained in this Agreement that 's made when a sinner is truly sanctified 2. If once you were united in the Spirit and Agreed in a Holy life you would differ in nothing that could keep you out of Heaven And if we have some small differences on Earth as long as they are such as cannot hinder our salvation they may be the more easily born Paul and Barnabas had a little falling out but O how sweetly are they now reconciled Hierom and Chrysostom Epiphanius and Iohn of Hierusalem Theophilus and Chrysostom were at odds Luther and Zuinglius had their disagreements But Oh how happily are they now agreed Our imperfection of Knowledge causeth us here to erre and differ in part But if we are all united in Christ and agreed in the main how quickly shall we see that blessed Light that will reconcile all our controversies Marvail not to find some contests among the most learned and most godly unless you 'l marvail that Earth is not Heaven or that in that body we see not the face of God which is the all-disclosing reconciling light If we were all here together in the dark and were of many opinions about the things before us if one did but come in among us with a candle it might end all our differences in a moment When we are newly out of this obscuring flesh and this dark deceitful earthly world O what an unconceiveable reconciliation will be made by that blessed Light There 's no contending or quarrelling For there are none of those errors or passions that should occasion it As Imperfect Holiness produceth an answerable Imperfect Unity so perfect Holiness will prfectly Unite And is not this then the only way to Unity which will help us here to what is here attainable and secure us of eternal perfect concord in the world that we are passing to O see that you be once Agreed in the things that are necessary to salvation and then the hour is neer at hand that will end all your differences and agree you in the rest 3. If once you be but Agreed in Holiness you will have no difference left that shall destroy any Grace in you that 's necessary to salvation The power of Divine faith and Love and Hope and Fear and Zeal will still be safe Your diseasâ—s will not destroy your vital faculties And if the Head the Heart and principal parts be sound you may the better bear a small distemper The disagreements of the ungodly from God from Scripture and the Saints are mortal to them and prove them under the power of darkness and of Satan that leads them captive at his will 2 Tim. 2.26 Eph. 2.23 Acts 26.18 But the differences of the sanctified are but as the different complexions or statures of children or at worst but as their falling out which will not cause the Father to turn them out of his family so that as long as Faith and Love and Hope and other Graces are kept sound we shall certainly do well for all our differences And this is the benefit of Agreeing in Holiness 4. Moreover if once we were all Agreed in the Spirit and in Holiness of Heart and Life we should escape all Heresies or Errors that effectually subvert the Essentials of the Christian faith Mistaken we might be but Heretikes we could not be I stick not upon the bare word whether smaller errors may be called Heresie but taking Heresie as commonly it s taken a sanctified person cannot at least Habitually be a Heretick For should a man so hold a point inconsistent with any one Essential point of the Christian faith at least Habitually and Practically hold it it s as impossible that this man should be then a Christian as that contradictories should be true And therefore certainly whosoever is a true Christian is frâ—e from such Heresies And therefore as if you are sure a man so holds a Heresie you have no reason to believe his shews of Holiness so where you see a great appearance of real Holiness you must long deliberate and have good evidence before you judgâ— that man a Heretick For this is the certain Priviledge of the Sanctified that they cannot be Hereticks though they may have many errors as in sensu composito all confess 5. Morover if we were but all Agreed in true Holiness we should be freed from most of those scandalous sins which are the common occasion of our reproaches and divisions It is sin that is the greaâ— trouble of the Church and of the world Iohn 7.25 This breeds our quarrels This setteth all into a flame When a Drunkard or an unclean person or a slanderer or a raiseâ— or any scandalous person is râ—proved or openly admonished or for impenitency rejected then the Devil and sin bestir themselves and rage against the Church and Officers and Ordinances of God It is sin within that animateth the malignant to bâ— contentious And it is to defend and take part with sin that they fall out with God and his Word and Servants Now Holiness is contrary to this sin that troubleth us Mortification of sin is part of Sanctification If therefore we were Agreed in Holiness it were as ready a way to procure our Peace as quenching the fire in your thatch is the ready way to save your house I know there are too many scandals given by the best But it is commonly but by the weaker worser sort of the best And it is not a common thing with them neither And none of them make a trade of sinning nor have any unmortified reigning sin If a Noach a Lot a David be once scandalous in all his life this is not the case of all the godly and it is not like the case of the ungodly that are either often or impenitent in it And therefore though it may disturbe the Church yet not so much as the frequent and impenitent scandals of the ungodly O could we but all Agree against this make-bate this great disturber and troubler of the world what Peace might we enjoy 6. And also if once we could Agree in Holiness the matter and occasion of offences separations and contentions would cease What caused the Donatists separation of old but the scandals in the Church and the receiving of such upon repentance into Communion or ministry And so the Novatian schism also was occasioned And though the Donatists and Novatians were too blame to be against the Ordination or reception of such Penitents yet the prevention of the sin would have been the prevention of the breach What hath caused so many to turn separatists in England but seeing so many ungodly persons in our Churches and Communion You that are most offended at Schisms and Private Churches are the common occasions of it your selves If such ungodly persons were not in our Assemblies few godly persons would separate from them Though I do not justifie them yet I must needs condemn you as the cause Were it not for you we should be
we ever agree with such men as these that think themselves wiser then God and Scripture and dare prefer the very folly of their own muddy brains before the word and wisdom of their Maker Give these men as plain Scripture and Reason as you will they have more wit as they think then to believe you and what they want in Reason they have in Pride and Self-conceit and therefore your wisdom is folly to them But now when the Spirit of Holiness comes it takes them down and abaseth and humbleth the proud and self-conceited and makes them ashamed of the folly and weakness of their own understandings so that a man may speak to them now as to men of reason and have a hearing and consideration of his words A humble godly man is low in his own eyes and therefore suspicious of his own understanding in doubtfull things and therefore is more flexible and yielding to the truth when others are so stiffened by Pride that they are readier to deride the wisest that shall contradict them If therefore we could but all Agree in Holy meekness and humility what readier way could there be in the world to draw to an end of our differences and divisions 10. Moreover if we could but Agree in Holiness it would free us from that uncharitableness that causeth our Disagreement in other things and it would possess us with a special endeared Love one to another And who knoweth not that Love is a uniting healing thing Sanctification principally consisteth in Love to God and man and this the unsanctifyed principally want It s want of Love that makes men surmise the worst of one another and make the worst of all that they say do and draw matter of contention from that which never gave them Cause Love would put a better sence upon mens words and deeds or at least would bear them far more easily But instead of Love there is a Natural Enmity in all that are unsanctified to all the servants and the ways of God And can we ever be agreed with our Natural enemies why Malice will so pervert their understandings that all that we say or do will be misconstrued and as a man that looks through a red glass thinks all things to be red that he looks upon so these men through the distemper of their malicious minds will finde matter of quarrelling with all that we can say or do Ill will never saith well Our very obedience to the Law of God and seeking to save our own souls will be matter of quarrel and taken to be our crime If we will not run into Hell fire with them and think there is no danger when we know the contrary it will be a fault sufficient for their malice to reproach us with so that if we should Agree with ungodly men in all our Opinions of Religion yet if we will not damn our souls and make no bones of displeasing the great and dreadfull God there is no Peace to be had with them They have no Peace with God and they have no solid Peace with themselves for God hath professed that there is no peace to the wicked Isa. 48.22 And how then can we expect that they should have peace with us But Sanctification doth beget that effâ—ctual Love that is as healing to a divided Church or to disagreeing persons as the most precious Balsom or Wound-selve is to bodily wounds Love will not let you rest in wrath but will keep you under smart and disquietness till you are either at Peace or have done your part to have procured it Husband and Wife Parents and Children Brethren and Sisters do seldomer fall into greater dissentions then strangers do And when they do fall out they are easilier reconciled The Spirit of Grace doth possess unfained Christians with as dear a love to one another as is between the nearest Relations For by our New birth the Saints are Brethren in Christ. If you saw an Army fighting or a company of people quarrelling and scolding at one another do you think there could be a readier way to make them all friends and end their quarrels then to possess them all with a dear and tender love to one another If it were in my power to cause all contenders to Love those that they contend with as themselves do you think I should not soon agree them Why you know if you know any thing in Christianity that Sanctification causeth men to Love their Neighbors as themselves and to Love one another with a pure heart fervently 1 Pet. 1.22 For by this we know that we are passed from death to life because we love the Brethren He that loveth not his Brother abideth in death Joh. 3 14. And therefore it is a case exceeding plain that the readiest way in the world to reconcile our lesser differences is to be united in the Spirit and to Agree upon a Holy Life 11. Moreover were we all united in the Spirit We should have all one God one Master of our Faith and one Law-giver and Iudge of all our Controversies And this would be an exceeding help to unity The Principal cause of Divisions in the world are the multitude of Rulers and Masters and Judges For with unsanctified men their own Conceits and Carnal Interest is their Counsellor and Judge The Rulers of the world that have the power of the sword and can do them good or hurt in their estates are the Masters of their Religion more then God They will follow this Man or that Man that best pleaseth their fancies and fleshly desires and so will never be of one minde But Sanctification takes down all other Masters of our Faith save Christ and those that declare his will Let flesh and blood say what it will let all the world say what they will if God say the contrary his word shall stand and be a Law to them And can there be a readier way to Unity then to bring us all into one School and subject us all to one Lord and Master and to bring us all to refer our differences to one most wise infallible Judge Though we do not yet understand his will in all things yet when we understand it in the main and are resolved to search after the knowledge of the rest it is a great preparative to our Agreement when we all look but to one for the deciding of our controversies Whereas the unsanctified have as many Judges and Guides as persons For every man is a Guid and Judge to himself 12. Moreover were we but once Agreed in Holiness We should all have one Light for the ending of our differences and that Light would be the true Infallible Light For we should all have the same Holy word of God as the extrinsick Light which is most True as coming from the Lord of Truth And we should all have the Spirit of Truth within to teach us the meaning of that word without and to help our understandings and assist us in
they do not know their worth will you therefore think that swine are happier then men The Living are vext with strifes and controversies about almost all the matters in the world when the dead carkasses in the grave lie still in peace and are not troubled with any of these differences And will you say therefore that the dead corps is happyer then the living Sirs the case is very plain if you will see that thus it is as to the matter in hand It is a Death in sin and complyance with the times and carnal Interest and a disesteem of spiritual holy things that is the cause of the Agreement of the wicked But the godly know the worth of the things that you set light by and therefore make a greater matter of them then you and therefore no wonder if they have more debates and controversies about them 3. And this also is another Reason of the difference It is the Interest of Satan to Divide the servants of Christ but to Keep his own in Unity and Peace and therefore he will do what he can to accomplish it He knows that a Kingdom divided cannot stand And therefore he will do his worst to Divide Christs Kingdom and to keep his own from being divided By a deceitful Peace it is that he keeps his servants to him And by casting among them the matter of contentions and divisions he hopeth to get Christs followers from him So that the Devil himself is the promoter of your Unity and Concord but the destroyer of ours and therefore no wonder if you have fewer differences 4. Besides the way that ungodly men go in is so suited to the common corruption of nature that it is no wonder if they be all agreed All the world can agree to eat and drink and sleep And therefore all the sensual sinners in the world may easily agree upon an overloving of meat and drink and sleep and so of riches and honours and pleasures And as its easy so it is not much desirable no more then if you should all agree to cast your selves headlong into the Sea when every house is infected with the Plague there is an Agreement among them But had you not rather be one of those that disagree from them But to Agree in a holy heavenly life is contrary to corrupted nature and therfore no marvail if it be more difficult When a Physician hath an hundred Patients in hand he may easily get them all to Agree to eat and drink that which they desire But if he require them to forbear the things that they most Love because they will hurt them the understanding sort will agree to him but so will not the rest In a rotten house the fall of one bearer may occasion the fall of all the house because their weight inclines them downward But if you take up one stone and cast it upward all the rest of the stones in the heap will not flie upward with it It s easier to draw others with us down hill then up the hill 5. And it is considerable that the differences among the servants of Christ are not alwayes from themselves but from the ungodly enemies that contrive their dissentions and set them together by the ears that they may fish in troubled waters and the better attain their wicked ends It is the envious man that soweth these tares while we are asleep and casteth in this wildfire among us 6. Moreover one of the greatest causes of the troublesome breaches and divisions in the Church is because there are so many unsanctified persons among us that seem to be of us and to be truly godly when it is not so You think it is the godly that have these divisions when the most and worst of all our Divisions proceed from the ungodly that have an unsound and unrenewed heart under the cloak of piety and zeal For if they were truly gracious persons they durst not do as many of them do 1. They durst not so rashly and easily venture on novelties as they do without deliberation and reading and hearing what can be said on the other side 2. They durst not so easily make a division in the Church of Christ. 3. Nor so easily cast a stumbling-block before the weak and matter of reproach to our Christian profession before the wicked 4. Nor durst they so easily reproach and condemn and cast off the unanimous faithful Ministers of Christ. 5. Nor durst they so easily censure the universal Church in former ages as many of them do 6. Nor durst they sacrifice the success and honour of the Gospel and the common acknowledged Truths and the saving of mens souls thereby to their private opinions and ends 7. Nor durst they make so great a breach in Charity nor so arrogantly condemne or slight their brethren whose piety and soberness they cannot deny These with many other evidences do let us know that ungodly men crept in among us are the causes of most of our most dangerous divisions And will you lay the blame of this upon Religion which the Devil and the secret enemies of Religion do perform It s your dâ—shonour and not ours For these men are of your party though they seem to be of us Satan knows well enough that if he have not some of his followers to be spies in Christs Army and to raise mutinies there and betray the rest he is like to be the more unsuccesful in his attempts Was Iudas more a dishonour to Christ or to the Devil He was among the followers of Christ indeed but he told them beforehand of him that he was a Devil and he never betrayed Christ till Satan had entered into him 7. Lastly the Saints themselves are sanctified but in part and many in a low degree and being Imperfect in Holiness must needs be as Imperfect in holy Unity and Peace It is not their Holiness that causeth their contentions but the remnants of their sin And therefore it s but small credit to the way of sinners Were we but perfectly rid of the vices which you cherish and perfectly separated from the waies that you so much delight in and had we no remnants of your disease and sinful nature in us we should then have perfect Unity and Peace Do you think that its long of our Religion that we disagree No if we were but perfectly Religious we should be perfectly agreed It is because we are Holy in no greater a measure and not because we are Holy at all It is not because of the way of Godliness that we have chosen but because we walk no faster and no more carefully in that way It is our too oft stepping out of it and not our walking in it that breaketh our Peace with God and man and our own consciences Search all the Scripture and see where you can find that ever God encouraged his servants to divisions No but on the contrary he oft and earnestly cries them down and warneth all his followers to
avoid them and the causers and fomenters of them There was never Master so much for Unity as Christ and never was there a Law or a Religion that did so much condemne Divisions and command brotherly Love and Peace and concord and forbearing and forgiving one another as the Christian Law and Religion doth And will you yet say that our Divisions are long of our Religion or of Christ the author of it You may as wisely say that eating is the cause of weakness because that some are weak for all their meat But you will find that none can live without it Or you may say as wisely that Physicians are the causes of the diseases of the world because they do not cure them all I tell you there is none in all the world that have done so much for Unity and Peace as Christ hath done No all the world set together have not done half so much for it as he He hath preached Peace and Unity forgiving and forbearing and Loving one another yea Loving our enemies and he hath gone before us in the perfect practice of what he taught He hath offered himself a Sacrifice to the Justice of his Father that by his blood he might reconcile us unto God He is the great Peacemaker between God and man between Jews and Gentiles taking away the enmity and becoming himself the Head of our Unity and giving us One Spirit one faith one baptism that we might be One in him who is One with the Father So that to charge the Center of Unity with our Divisions and the Prince of Peace himself with our Discords or his holy Word or waies with our Disagreements is all one as to charge the Sun with Darkness and to say that our Law-givers and Laws are the causes of theft and murder and Adultery which condemne them to death that are proved guilty of them The cause of all our disagreements and divisions is because we are no more Holy then we are and because we are no more Religious So that I may leave it now as a Proved Truth that we must Unite in the Spirit and Agree in Holiness of Heart and life if ever we will have true Unity and Agreement AND now Sirs you have seen the only way of Unity opened to you It s plain and past all doubt before you If yet you will divide from God and his servants and if yet you will be numbered with the straglers or quarrellers do not say but Peace was opened and offered to you Do not say You could not have Peace but that you would not Do not say any more hereafter that there were so many Religions and so many waies that you could not tell which to joyn with Never more pretend the differences of the godly as a cloak for your ungodliness I have opened the nakedness of such pretences You shall not be able when your lives are scan'd to look God in the face with such an unreasonable impudent pretence Your consciences and the world shall then be witnesses of your shame that while you cryed out of Sects and heresies and were offended at the Divisions of the Church it was your selves that were the cause of it It was you and such as you that were the great Dividers and that obstinately proceeded in your Divisions when the way of Peace was opened to you and would not be United in the Spirit to Christ nor would not Agree in Holiness with his Church when you were acquainted that there was no other way to Peace Would you but have joyned in a firm and everlaling Covenant to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost as your only Creator Redeemer and Sanctifyer as members of the Holy Catholick Church and have lived in the Communion of the Saints you should have received the Forgiveness of sins the Resurrection of the just and Everlasting Life But in refusing and obstinate refusing these you refused all your hopes of Blessedness and wilfully cast your selves on the wrath of God and therefore must endure it for ever THE last Advice that I have to give upon the ground of this Doctrine is To all that are United in the Spirit and Agreed upon an Holy life I mean to say but little to you now but briefly to tender you these two requests 1. I beseech you Christians but to live as Christians in that holy Unity as your principles and profession do engage you to Hath true Christianity and Holiness such abundance of advantages against division and yet will you be guilty of it Against all these bonds and healing principles and helps will you be dividers Doth it not grieve you and even break your hearts to hear ungodly persons say that Professors are of so many minds and partyes that they know not which of them to follow and that we had never concord since you bore sway O do not seek by your contentious wayes to perswade people that Holiness is a dividing thing and that Religion doth but tend to set the world together by the eares Is it not a precious mercy to us of this place that we have among us but one Church and one Religion and and have not Church against Church and Christian against Christian I charge you from the Lord that you be thankful for this benefit and that you look upon divided places and compare their case with yours that if ever dividers come amongst you the sense of your felicity in this blessed Unity may cause you to reject them and that you do not suffer any Dalilah to rob you of your strength and glory Were you but once here in pieces among your selves what a scorn would you be to all the ungodly what sport would it be to them to hear you disputing against one another and reproaching and condemning one another as bitterly as the wicked do reproach you all Do you not pitty those places where divisions have made Religion to be a scorn and the tender Love and Unity of the Saints is turned into uncharitable censures and separations Take warning then that you come not to the like If you should you would be as unexcusable as any People in the world because you have tryed and tasted so much of the sweetness and benefits of Unity as you have done shew men by your lives that Holiness is the most certain way to Unity as ever you desire either to propagate Holiness or to have any evidence of it in your selves 2. Judge by this undoubted truth of any doctrine that shall be offered you and of the wayes of men and of your selves 1. Suspect that doctrine that tendeth to divisions in the Church If it be not for Unity it is not of God Rom 16.17 Christ came to heal and reconcile and is the Prince of Peace and therefore sendeth not his servants on a contrary errand He will justifie your dividing from the unbelieving world but he hateth dividing among his servants He that 's for Church-division is not in that for Christ or you 2.