symbolizing with legal Ceremonies Gal. 2. that so the Truth of the Gospel might continue in the Churches of Galatia plainly shewing that as Light and Darkness cannot dwell together so the Gospel is exclusive of legal Ceremonies and humane Innovations And seeing all must grant there has been a very great departure from the Truth of the Gospel both in Doctrine and Practice there cannot be a better Method I suppose thought on to amend what is amiss in the Christian World and thereby to restore true brotherly Fellowship than that used by our Lord Mat. 19. 8. to reform a Corruption among the Jews and such an Error too as had a shew of Scripture-Authority for it I mean the Case of Divorce yet our Saviour suppresseth that Custom by referring to the primitive Institution of Marriage From the Beginning it was not so And upon this Text how well does our Brethren I mean the Sober and Pious in the Church of England defend themselves against Popish Innovations both in Opinion and Practice One of them speaks thus As touching each of these Errors we can say with our Saviour in this present Correption of the Pharisees that from the Beginning it was not so and we care not whence they come unless they come from the Beginning This hath ever been saith he the Rule the warrantable Rule to reform a Church When Esdras was intent on building the Temple he sent not to Ephesus much less to Rome he did not enquire into the Rituals of Numa Pompilius but had recourse for a Temple to that of Solomon and for a Rite to that of Moses Indeed for Things meerly indifferent as he observes there must be preserved a Liberty in all Churches to consult and do for the best I dare not say as he To make Constitutions for that 's a great word but to manage her Affairs with Decency Order and Charity But to come more directly to our Doctrine which is Brotherly Fellowship Love and Vnity is carefully to be endeavoured and maintained by all Christians Certain it is that our Love as Christians may go much further than our actual Communion in all things Christian may do and yet this Love it self is a kind of Fellowship The Angels have Fellowship with us and acknowledg themselves our Fellow Servants Rev. 19. 10. and yet they do not partake with us in all our acts of Religion but only by approbation and corroboration in things which are well done Now the best or most orderly sort of Christians cannot conceive a greater disproportion between their Churches and the Churches of the most erring if but well-meaning Societies that conscientiously profess Love and Obedience to Christ And even hence we are obliged to hold as much Brotherly Fellowship with them as we can especially that of Love and Brotherly Compassion For when we consider that even some of all sorts of Christians will rather dye than basely deny their Lord and Master we cannot but have Fellowship with such in our Spirits whilst it is the same and not a feigned Christ to whom they shew their utmost testimony of Love And this Consideration alone may suffice to take away that imbitteredness which is too often found among Christians dissenting one from another Let their Appellations be what they will so that they believe in the true Christ and live well being also faithful to what they know And tho they be never so angry with me for opposing them in their Traditions or erring Notions otherwise yet I must have a Brotherly tenderness towards them all for the Truths sake which dwelleth in them But now for ample or full Communion I see not how that can be attained and maintained but where there is antecedent to it an Union both in Doctrine and Practice in things necessary to the true Constitution and Government of the Church of Christ And seeing also our Differences about these things are not small or trivial it cannot I think be better ordered than that a Friendly Distinction and Brotherly Forbearance be permitted as to ample Communion for that Men cannot comfortably nor peaceably join together till they be agreed in these things I see not that the difference betwixt Paul and Barnabas was so great as to the thing about which they differed as the things about which Christians differ in these days and yet its certain their Contention being great for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies provoking gauling and imbittered Speeches and Minds say the Learned it is certain they could not transact their Affairs in the Gospel together but apart And this was written perhaps to shew that a competent Unity in Judgment must precede our actual Communion and till that be attained among us there is a necessity in regard partly of human Frailty and partly in regard of some precious Truths to forbear one another without destroying the Truth to which we have attained respectively And this is the greatest Love we can extend to one another under these difficult Circumstances 1. To pity and heartily to pray one for another for the Servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle towards all Men in Meekness instructing those that oppose themselves 2. There must be all Patience exercised and Compassion shewed to the Ignorant and those that are out of the way especially where the scruple is tender and conscientious And in the mean time the faithful Minister of God must hold fast the form of sound Words he must teach the same Doctrine which was committed to his Trust by the Apostles He must warn others that they teach no other Doctrine He must not give place to Jewish or other Fables And the Church must so walk in Christ as they first received him rooted in the Foundation-Principles established and built up in him Not carried about with every Wind of Doctrine but speaking the Truth in Love must endeavour to grow up into Christ in all things In a word it is the Duty of this Brotherhood to stick close to the whole Councel of God and not to partake with other Mens Sins or Errors in Life or Religion which cannot be done where contrarieties in Doctrine and Practice about things necessary to the true State and Government of the Church of Christ are allowed in the same Fellowship or Community Love the Brotherhood This Fraternity are in a special manner to love one another 1. Because God himself hath loved them with a special kind of Love And if God so loved us we ought also to love one another 1 John 3. It is happy when the Love of Christians is founded upon this bottom viz. the Manifestation of God's Love to them and not upon any thing of human Excellency for this is to have Mens Persons in Admiration and not to admire this Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us 2. Because this is the sweetest Manifestation that we are the Children of God for in this is manifest the Children of God 1 John 3. 10. namely that they
love their Brethren And every one that loveth is born of God And our Saviour makes it the true Character of Christianity By this shall all Men know that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another Joh. 13. 35. 3. Because this is the uniting Grace among Christians this makes their Society sweet their Fellowship desirable it s a Fellowship of Love Phil. 2. 1. This makes them like David and Jonathan they are bound in one Girdle and their Love was wonderful 4. Because this makes the Sufferings of Christians easy when those that suffer love them in defence of whose Faith they do suffer and see themselves beloved of their Brethren even then when all Men seem to hate them This made Paul himself rejoice in his Sufferings Phil. 4. 10 14. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again Ye have well done that ye have communicated with me in my Affliction Let us touch the things briefly which may be sure Evidences of this Brotherly Love 1. If then we love the Brotherhood we are much concern'd about them in our Thoughts For what is the Object of a Man's Love is the Subject of his Meditation All true Lovers know this by Experience and let the Love of the Brotherhood exceed our Love in other cases An instance of this Love we have in St. Paul Col. 2. 1 2. For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you and for them of Laodicea and for as many as have not seen my Face in the Flesh That their Hearts might be comforted being knit together in Love c. 2. If we love our Brethren we bear them much upon our Heart in our Prayers we cannot forget them if we rightly love them Paul made mention of him in every Prayer of his whom he dearly loved 2 Tim. 1. 3. Let all Christian Brethren do so too for we cannot do less for any of them or for many of them we can do no more 3. If we love the Brotherhood we will esteem them highly according to the Vertues which we see in them 2 John v. 1 2 3. And whom we love we will commend and advance as much as we can because it 's the native Property of Love to do so as appears in the interchanges of Love in the Song of Solomon between Christ and his Church and is the way too to encrease Love as all Experience shews 4. If we love our Brethren we will to our best defend their Reputation against those that injure them Thus Paul vindicated not himself only but those faithful Ministers which were with him when some reported of them that they walked after the Flesh and said Let us do Evil that good may come whose Damnation for such vile Reproaches against the Servants of Christ he avers to be just 5. If we love the Brotherhood we will to our Power relieve their Necessities For He that hath this Worlds Good and sees his Brother want and shutteth up the Bowels of his Compassion how dwells the Love of God in him And saith another Apostle If a Brother or Sister be destitute of daily Food and ye say Be ye filled and give them not those things that are necessary what doth it profit Wherefore let Love be without Dissimulation Let it be fervent For to this end were our Souls purified in obeying the Truth through the Spirit even unto unfeigned Love of the Brethren 1 Pet. 1. 22. 6. The last Evidence If we love the Brotherhood we will seek and preserve as much as we can the Peace of the whole and the Prosperity of every part Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem saith David they shall prosper that love thee for my Brethren and Companions sake I will now say Peace be within thy Walls and Prosperity within thy Palaces How greatly does the true Son of David our Lord Jesus pray for this Blessing upon the whole Church That they all may be one as he and his Father are one And what Christian will not tremble to think of doing any thing against the tenour of his blessed Prayer I will conclude this point with a solemn Protestation against those Evils which chiefly hinder the love of the Brotherhood and the first is Pride 1. Only through Pride cometh Contention saith the Spirit when Men are admirers of themselves Proud Boasters they soon become despisers of those that are good and Enemies to the Love of the Brotherhood Diotrephes being got to this point presently makes havock of the Church by casting the Brethren out of the Church that shewed their brotherly Love to the travelling Ministers And why because he loved to have the Preheminence insomuch as he spared not to undervalue the Apostle himself Aproud Professor cannot love the Brotherhood 2. As all proud Men are Enemies to brotherly Love so most of all such as take themselves to be infallible about things most disputable being vainly confident that God is opposed when their Impositions are not obeyed These Men commonly drive furiously rend and tear if their Mandates meet with dislike or non-reception These Men will ever stand strenuously upon Niceties and make things which are doubtful and meerly indifferent to become necessary 3. Those who make Gain their Godliness are great Enemies to Brotherly Love these are called greedy Dogs by the Prophet greedy Wolves by the Apostle these seek their own not the things of Christ They are Enemies to him their God is their Belly they mind earthly things they change with every Wind for Preferment They are Lovers of their own selves They teach things which they ought not for filthy Lucres sake They love not the Brotherhood but their Money Thus much to the second Point We come now to the third part of our Text. Fear God Hence the Doctrine has been propounded thus Doct. III. Christians must have an awful Fear of God before their Eyes that in Matters of Religion they may serve him only and not provoke him by sinful Courses nor by the Fear of Man To come rightly to the performance of this Duty we must endeavour to have a right knowledg or Belief of this God whom we are to fear for this our Saviour makes to be the weighty part of our Religion Faith and the Fear of God Now in this Faith which anteceeds the Fear Worship and Service of God we must consider the Essence and Attributes of God In the first he is infinitely beyond the reach of our knowledg or finding out unto Perfection Job 4. 24. It is but a small portion that we know or can know of him in this World Faith therefore satisfies it self with knowing that God is or that there is one God That he is a Spirit Eternal Pure Omnipotent Immutable Invisible Merciful Faithful Holy Just and Good and that he is infinitely and perfectly so and whatsoever else may be said to represent him Great and Glorious Great in his Sovereignty and Dominion Glorious in his doings towards
respect of that which is now every where to be found shut Heaven against them unless those converted Souls were converted in that Case Let us tremble to think of this It 's clear from this Instance that such as are of an haughty Mind cannot honour all Men. They are Bladders puffed up with this Wind break this Bladder there is meer Emptiness Their Goodness vanishes when they cannot lift themselves above others Whereas the truly gracious Soul studies how to serve God and all Men for his sake and thus to honour them is the greatest Respect that any Christian can give to Men. Thus did our Lord himself honour all He took upon him the form of a Servant Phil. 2. 7. And indeed his great Design in his Life and Doctrine was to restore Mankind to a State of Grace and Reconciliation with God and thereby to Amity and Concord one with another 2. Next to our Saviour let us hear his beloved Disciple John He often speaks to the whole Church under the Title of Little Children and the Metaphor is very fit for Christians as in other respects so chiefly in this to put them in mind they must in no wise be of a lofty and wrathful Spirit He tells us the Love of God is not in those Men who have the Pride of Life in them 1 John 2. 15 16. They cannot honour esteem or count all Men precious till that Image of Christ which standeth in Humility be formed in them 3. The Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 10. 32 33. does not only teach the Brotherhood that they must shew all Meekness to all Men and give no Offence to Jew nor Gentile but puts himself as becomes all true Ministers of Christ for a Patern to the Flock Tho saith he I be free from all Men yet I have made my self Servant unto all that I might gain the more I am made all Things to all Men that I might by all means save some 1 Cor. 9. 19 20 21 22 23. How precious did he count the Jewish Nation tho they generally hated him he could be content to be undone himself rather than they should be lost Rom. 10. 1. And no less concern'd for the poor Gentiles that they also might be happy Rom. 15. 16. And hitherto did tend the Scope of all his Labours to warn teach and to present every Man perfect in Christ Jesus Col. 1. 28. 4. And forasmuch as the Tongue is the ordinary Witness of the Spirit of Pride and that whereby all Men are incident to dishonour one another he strictly obligeth all Christians to let their Speech be always with Grace seasoned with Salt that they may administer Grace to them that hear them Col. 4. 6. And he that will obey our Text to honour all Men must remember that he speak evil of no Man an Impiety which God knows even reigns amongst Christians The Tongue is an unruly Member a World of Iniquity And hence the Apostle James is very bold telling us our Religion is vain if we bridle not that Member Jam. 3. 9 10 11 12 13. How can that Tongue be fit to bless God to profess the Christian Religion which is exercised in cursing speaking evil or wishing ill to any Man My Brethren these Things ought not to be Doth a Fountain give sweet Water and bitter at the same place This is not to be found in Nature nor to be expected in Grace Christians must be known to all Men by their Fruits of Righteousness Meekness Goodness and Faith otherwise Men shall never be moved to glorify God in their behalf 5. That Christian who will honour all Men must love all Men without this he cannot esteem them nor count them precious Whom we love not we have no delight to honour It is in a manner peculiar to the Christian Doctrine that Men should love their Enemies pray for them that persecute them and despitefully use them Let us therefore pay this Debt to honour all Men in Love He that will do this must bear Mankind upon his Heart in Prayer and Supplication 1 Tim. 2. 1. This is a Lesson for Christians as such they must love their Neighbours as themselves and all Men are their Neighbours The Royal Law obliges them to it Jam. 2. 8. If ye fulfill the Royal Law according to the Scriptures Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self ye do well but if ye have respect to Persons that is love one and hate another ye commit Sin and are convinced of the Law as Transgressors Were Christians filled more with this Fruit of the Spirit we should see an end of these Animosities opprobrious and abusive Epithets or Brands of Reproach and Infamy which are daily cast upon Men and too frequently found among Christian Men. It is to be lamented that Men who are precious in the esteem of God should not be esteemed so by one another But honour all Men says our Text and the Arguments to enforce the Duty are many of which some we will urge in this place and the first shall be this First They are Men as well as our selves our Equals by Creation the Workmanship of the Hands of the same God and therefore are we bound to honour all Men as Men nor can we slight despise or dishonour them but we dishonour our selves For they are Flesh of our Flesh and God hath made of one Blood all Nations of Men to dwell upon the Face of the Earth and he is the God of the Spirits of all Flesh And thus we have all one Father as one God hath created us we are all his Off-spring not as some prophanely have said that Man is no more God's Off-spring than an Hog for he did not consult the Creation of any thing as he did the Creation of Man Gen. 2. Nor did he breath into the Nostrils of Hogs the same Spirit of Life and Wisdom which he breathed into Man David admires the Goodness of God in the degnified State of Man Psal 8. 4 5. And let us beware of base thoughts concerning Man lest we value him no more than the Beasts of the Field and so dishonour him whom God created in great Honour and to this day notwithstanding his Fall hath set him over the Works of his Hands All Men are our Brethren let us honour them as such for what Brotherhood soever we attain yet our humane Fraternity is antecedent and not made void by any Post-Fraternity which is good but rather more indeared This was seen in St. Paul the nearer his Relation was to God upon the account of Christianity the more was his Love and the greater his Sorrow for his Brethren according to the Flesh Rom. 9. 2. Let not Christians think that their Relation nor Obligation of Nature to Mankind is destroyed or made less by their being Christians such a vain Conceit will alienate us from our own Flesh and make us quite pervert the Text which puts us in mind that our Religion does strongly engage us to honour them all
It was a Vertue in the Philosopher who would not be accounted of this or that Nation Tribe or City but entitled himself a Citizen of the whole World meaning he had an equal respect for Mankind and if his Relation might be an Honour he would be related to them all that he might honour them all Secondly Christains must honour all Men because God himself hath honoured them all setting his Love upon them and manifesting it to them and that divers ways As 1. In the common Acts of his Providence of which we have an excellent Account in the 107th Psalm to which I refer you It is he that giveth them fruitful Seasons filling their Hearts with Joy and Gladness he gives them Life and Breath and all things Hence they even all Nations are called his People and the Sheep of his Pasture Psal 100. 1 2. and upon this very ground are required to pay their Debt of Thankfulness unto him 2. God has greatly honoured Mankind in the gracious Act of Redemption I say in this he has greatly esteemed all Men and counted them very precious That God hath done this for all Men nothing can be more plain than these Testimonies There is one God and one Mediator between God and Man who gave himself a Ransom for all 1 Tim. 2. 6. We see Jesus made a little lower than the Angels for the suffering of Death That he by the Grace of God should taste Death for every Man Heb. 2. 9. For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God being justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption which is in Christ Jesus Rom. 3. 23 24. He is a Propitiation for our Sins and not for ours only but also for the Sins of the whole World Surely he that against the Light of these plain Testimonies can or will think that God neglected the greatest part or any part of Mankind in the most important Business of Redemption must needs have a very low esteem and dishonourable thoughts of that part of Mankind cannot value them much above the fallen Angels or Devils for whom no Ransom was given and consequently they cannot honour all Men. The Devils are but Sinners shut up to the Judgment of Eternal Fire without means of Recovery and these Men that narrow up the Redemption of Man to the Elect only shut up the remainder of Men in that Condemnation which is inevitable And what Honour can belong to such How should we count them precious if indeed God hated them from all Eternity It is not saying That we know them not by Name and therefore ought to honour all Men that will salve the Business For the truth is if we heartily honour all Men we must be sure that God would have us do so and of this we cannot be sure if we think God made them only to damn them For if the Esteem or Honour which we give to all Men proceed not from sincere Love to them and Desire of their Happiness it is but Hypocrisy no true Honour for the Honour which we owe to all Men is not founded upon any thing wherein they are dignified above us but upon those Blessings or Favours from God which are common to us all and wherein he has made no difference between one and another And therefore if we truly esteem love and wish all Men well in the Case of their Salvation me must believe that God does so too or else we cannot do it heartily Augustine's Speech here is worthy of Remembrance O vehement Love that God for Man's cause can vouchsafe to become Man Who can hate Man whose Nature and Likeness he beholds in the Humanity of God Surely if God has not loved all Men in Christ we have no cause to count them precious because we see them not favoured in the Humanity of God 3. That our God counts all Men precious may be seen in the Order given that the Word of Peace or Reconciliation may be preached to all Men or to every Creature to be made known to all Nations for the Obedience of Faith Mat. 28. 19. Rom. 16. 26. Surely this Message with the Messenger and Messengers that brought it to all Men does stupendously evidence how precious God accounts all Men. He may justly demand What could have been done to evidence my Love to Man and the precious Esteem I have of him which I have not done Has he not sent his Apostles whose Words have gone to the uttermost parts of the Earth Rom. 10. Yea he hath sent his Son whom he hath made Heir of all Things yea he hath sent thus to those that would not accept these Tokens of Love Estimation or Honour John 1. 11. Mat. 21. 38. Surely it is an Act of Honour towards the Party visited when the King comes to visit the Beggar yea the Traytor Whence is this to me said Elizabeth that the Mother of my Lord should come to me And whence is this to Man or what Honour hath God conferred upon Man that our Lord himself should come to Man to redeem him by the Death of the Cross and to make all Men see what is the Fellowship of this mysterious Piece of Godliness which is God manifest in the Flesh c. by the Light of the Gospel Thirdly Christians must honour all Men because this is one effectual way to recommend the Way of Christianity or the Truth which we profess to the acceptance of all Men. And hitherto may be referred these and the like Rules Walk in Wisdom towards them that are without If you salute your Brethren only what do you more than others The Servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle towards all Men. Render to no Man Evil for Evil but overcome Evil with Good Shewing all Meekness to all Men. Giving a Reason of the Hope that is in you with Meekness and Fear That Christian that shall walk towards all Men according to these Rules shall certainly honour all Men and greatly recommend the Truth to them all for thus shall he himself become an Epistle of Christ read and known of all Men. 1. Cor. 3. 2. I shall conclude this first Doctrine with a solemn Protestation against all such as would set up their Religion by Violence Blood and Treachery by what Name soever distinguished for if this be their Scope they have not known Christ nor the Divine Power of Christianity Cain leads the Van to this unreasonable Troop who never did nor can honour all Men till they be delivered from this Principle No they desire to kill that they only might be honoured By this unchristian sort of Christians what unspeakable Butcheries have been committed Hundreds of Thousands in a neighbouring Nation in this Age cruelly destroyed What Hangings Burnings and Tormentings all Europe over And this pretendedly to advance Holy Church As if our Saviour's House must be built with Blood when yet he plainly tells us he came not to kill Men but to save them and sharply rebukes his