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
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
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