Mercy though we press after all Truth make us large and wise in both and to Practise this which hath been owned by many but observed by few Thirdly Hence it follows that the true Unity of the Church lies not in Uniformity as many through Custom or Interest strongly imagine For the true Unity of Christians lies in their Hearts and Souls the multitude of the Believers were of one Heart and Soul and all that believe and obey the Great things of Christ Acts 4.32 are truly United to him and to each other tho' they differ in useful things taught by Christ and much more if in unnecessary things impos'd only by Men And the Apostles pressed not Uniformity in outward Rites but this inward Unity one Spirit one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all who is above all Eph. 4.4 5 6. John 17.21 and through all and in you all And Christ our Lord whose Prayers were always heard prayed that his Followers might be one which was never granted if their Oneness lie in outward Uniformity 'T were well if only some Fops said there can be no Unity without Uniformity in lesser Things Many Great and Worthy Persons stick too much in that Conceit notwithstanding the Clear Demonstration to the contrary But Unity in them is none of the Fundamentals nor hath Christ laid our Unity on them which are so many that Men would never agree in them Besides many Churches that had true Unity had divers Forms of outward Administrations and so may have yet Socr. l. 5. c. 2â— Soz. l. 7. c. 29. Spond anno 633. n. 10. and Uniformity in Worship was but late brought in In Spain not 'till the year 633 in the Fourth Council of Toledo and in many Kingdoms to this day and among the Romanists themselves there are varieties of Rites and Customs tho' they agree in the main and divers Orders of their Religious to whom People of all sorts resort are exempted from the Bishops Further People may have great Uniformity and no Unity They may sit together in the same Church say the same words and use the same gestures and yet have their hearts full of Malice and Enmity and usually the bitterest Enemies of true Religion and Godliness are most earnest for a Unity in needless Ceremonies and formalities It sticks much with many that there can be no Decency or Order without Uniformity in Ceremonies 1 Cor. 14.33.40 and that those who obey them not are Contentious and go against the Custom of the Churches of God But this cannot prevail against a clear Demonstration It 's certain all things must be done Decently and in Order Nature teaches this tho' St. Paul had not mention'd it But cannot things be so done without a great many needless Commands of Men Cannot Baptism be decently and in order Administred without the sign of the Cross or the Lord's Supper without Kneeling or a Surplice What if some will stand with their faces towards the East some otherwise and most with their Eyes towards the Minister that Officiates Luke 4.20 as Nature seems to teach All sorts are for Order and Decency and Believe God is not the Author of Confusion but of Peace But it 's said they that obey not such Orders are Contentious and go against the Custom of the Churches of God 1 Cor. 11.5.13.16 Not so but they that needlesly impose them are Contentious and go against the Custom of the Apostle and the best Churches that impos'd no such things And the Custom there mention'd for Women to have their Faces not their Heads only covered was a laudable thing in the Judgment of all and the contrary to it seem'd then to be even against Nature as well as against the Mind of the Apostle * Tertul. de veland virginibus c. 17. quae si fuerit in pectore cognoscetur in capite faeminarum And if any of the things pressed now by some were of that Nature they would be very Contentious that would not obey them And therefore all true Protestants at home and abroad for to be sure they hold the Fundamentals are one and have a true Unity tho' otherwise they differ in many things and to their shame quarrel too Which is a wonderous Comfort to all good Men that bewail these Contentions and labour to have them more United Fourthly It follows hence plainly that none may endeavour by Craft or Force to Root out and Destroy those that Build on the large and true Foundation if they err in useful Truths or will not joyn with them in the solemn Worship of God or at least not constantly but only some times And they sin yet more that set themselves chiefly to destroy those that seem most seriously to Build on the true Foundation of Faith and Holiness For if such be true Christians and Members of Christs Universal Church and ought to be Cherished and Received into Particular Churches without having other useful Truths much less unnecessary things imposed on them then for certain they may not be destroyed by Vexations Fines Imprisonments Dragoonings or Death Those that are true Christians by Profession much more if in reality though they Err are to be cherished by Particular Churches and not to be so used Especially when our Holy Religion is not to be Propagated by Force or Violence nor even Hereticks and Schismaticks as many hold are to be proceeded against in that manner but only by Spiritual Censures and Weapons Fifthly It follows hence That this and other Nations cannot be happy unless we Build on larger Foundations than we have done and more than most of the Lutherans or Calvinists and others of the Reformation have hitherto done The Misery of these parts of the World formerly and to this day comes in a great measure by going against this plain Truth All generally run upon this that there can be no Union or Quiet unless we agree almost in all useful Truths taught by Christ nay and in all things too appointed only by Men And the hands of many who have Eminently owned this great Truth have been chief in this Trespass as King James Arch Bishop Laud and others The Romanists have mightily darkned and opposed this great Truth and few of us are yet throughly freed from those Principles wherewith they have long corrupted the World And Dr. Henry Moore spake not much amiss though he was sharply Censured for it by Dr. Beaumont when he said His Apollogy added to his Mystery of Iniquity 1664. our Church is not quite emerged out of the general Apostacy and that the Reformers having separated from the great Babylon have Built less and more tolerable ones but not to be tolerated for ever And it will be the glorious Work of great Princes to cause the Publick Constitutions about Religion in their Dominions to be large and good and such as a great Part of the Holiest and best Christians may not be Excluded and Trampled upon but
LARGE AND SURE FOUNDATIONS Matth. 16.18 Upon this Rock will I Build my Church LONDON Printed in the Year 1693. THE PREFACE THESE Papers were drawn up some time ago and are the result of Setled Thoughts for many years They are made short and plain and cast in amongst others if possibly they may help to unite us in Interest and Affection and to make the Publick Settlement of Religion at any time more Large and Strong to our great Advantage every way Some hopes of this are raised by the Inclinations of many and the several Pieces lately Publissh'd to this end as besides many that I may not have seen or heard of The Heads of Agreement assented to by the Vnited Ministers Free Thoughts occasioned by those Heads Mr. Barker's Sermon on John 21.17 at the Consecration of the Arch-Bishop of Cant. The Grand Question Writ as 't is said by Dr. Woodroff Dr. Sherlock's Sermon before the Lord Mayor Nov. 4. 1688. To which I may add the Spirit of the Church Faction for it is that only and not the Church that violently opposes all Reformation The Design of laying down this great Principle and the Inferences from it is That Persons who have Power may not impose Vnnecessary Things but give all the Liberty that may be this being most pleasing to Jesus Christ and most for strengthning the Publick Settlement That People may joyn with others in the Worship of God as much as may be and not give way to Scruples and Opinions that make them separate needlesly Imposing and Opposing needlesly ruin us much That if People cannot joyn with others constantly yet that they will do it sometimes both those that cannot approve what is publickly injoin'd and they that injoyn those things or in their places practise them That if any cannot do that yet that they will own those they cannot joyn with if they build on the true Foundation for true tho' distemper'd Churches of Christ and unfeignedly seek their good That if they cannot do that through some strict Notions of a Church they are possessed with yet they will own that many amongst them may be sincere Christians and love them as such And that all kindness may be shewed to all Men even to all sorts that Err and are deceived according to the Will and Command of our Lord Jesus Christ whose Kingdom shall stand for evermore But if God for Holy ends shall yet suffer Narrow Foundations and their Wicked Consequences as he doth Plagues and Wars to continue amongst us and in the World why should we complain We are Wanton Humorous Foolish and should be undone without often and sharp Corrections and our God hath used to carry on his Kingdom by the Testimony and Sufferings of his People tho' he sometimes gives them rest that they may multiply Rev. 12.11 Acts 9.31 thereby to set forth his Power and Glory To him we chearfully submit yet endeavouring according to our duty in our places that Princes and People may be found in his ways Isa 61.11 and that Righteousness and Praise may spring up among us and before all Nations Some Passages out of BOOKS that came out since these Papers were drawn up THE Pious and Famous Mr. Robert Boyle who lov'd no Practice that seem'd to lessen the Christian Religion The Bishop of Sarum's Serm. at his Funeral Decem. 1691. p. 25. p. 27. thought pure and disinteressed Christianity a Bright and Glorious thing Hated those Opinions that seem'd to him to destroy Morality and Charity had a most peculiar Zeal against all Severities and Persecutions upon the account of Religion and was observed seldom to speak with more heat and indignation than when That came in his way Union Pursued Printed 1691. in a Letter to Mr. Baxter concerning his late Book about National Churches that Presbyterians and Independants may both be Vnited with the Church of England to which is added a small Tract lately put out called A Draught for Accommodation Dr. Patrick Bishop of Ely Complains Serm. before the Lords Nov. 26. 1691. on Deut. 4.9 p. 12. that many were kinder to the Papists than to the Protestant Dissenters that the Papists their sworn Enemies made them their Tools to destroy each other We to repent truly of this and take heed lest our Affections that seem'd to be disposed to Reconciliation be again alienated one from another We ought to have a greater kindness for Infidels p. 15. than many of us had lately one for another Did we not begin to reflect with grief upon our Zealous folly p. 17. Did we not resolve to be Friends upon some terms or other and to joyn together for our mutual Preservation And do we now break out again into the said Outrages Do our Spirits boil up with anger at the very mention of Reconciliation c. His Prayers for Charity Peace and Vnity The Prayers Appointed for the Publick Fast in the Year 1692. The Church of God is Built on Large and Sure Foundations THE Blessed God whose tender Mercies are over all his Works hath a Company of People in the World call'd his Church which he purchased by the Blood of his only Begotten Son Acts 20.28 and calls by his Word and Spirit to know and serve him so as to set forth his Glory here and obtatin Everlasting Salvation This Church or Congregation of God for so the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Signifies is call'd by several Names as the Kingdom of Christ the Flock of Christ the Body of Christ and is oft call'd a House and said to be built upon a Foundation Isa 28.6 1 Pet. 2.4 5 6. And this House of God being very great must needs have a great and large Foundation Solomon said the House he was to build for God was great and the Foundation of it was Great and Costly how much Greater must the Spiritual House of God be which reaches over all the World Not only through Pontus Galatia Asia Cappadocia and Bythinia which sounds great but through all Nations and Ages It s Foundation must by no means be narrow vile or weak Now the Foundation of this House is JESUS CHRIST and the great Truths Concerning him reveal'd to us by God in his Word not Humane Reason 1 Cor. 3.11 Eph. 1.20 21 22. nor the Traditions of any Men whatsoever but the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the Chief Corner-stone in whom it grows up into a Holy Temple for a Habitation of God through the Spirit Yet all things reveal'd in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are not the Foundation upon which Christ's House or Congregation is built for many of those things are for the Superstructure and Perfecting of it but only the Great and Main Things concerning Jesus Christ our Saviour which are necessary to be believed and practised by all and therefore the Churches Foundation is Large and sure This is manifest every way First From the Holy
This will dishonour Christ to take in Erronious Persons if they hold and practice the Essentials of Christianity R. No But it 's for the Honour of Christ to be so Compassionate and extend his Grace so far as to receive such and his Churches are made for the curing of such and therefore the Pastors of Churches should not be such though the People may If we have not the Errors of such may we not have sins as provoking as their Errors If many besides those that are most Orthodox have true Faith and Love and the Spirit of Christ why should they not be Received In the House of God there is Room for all of several Perswasions that have the Wedding Garment Ob. The Apostle saith Gal. 5.2.9 Behold I say unto you that if you be Circumcised Christ shall Profit you nothing c. R. True 2 Pet. 2.1 2. Tit. 3.2 For they added to the Foundation somthing that destroyed it Such are to be Cast out and all that shall bring in Damnable Heresies A Heretick after the first and second Admonition is to be Rejected Ob. Our Lord severely threatens Churches for suffering those that taught the Doctrines of Balaam Rev. 2.14 15.20 and of the Nicolaitans R. True For those were great sins against the Plain Commands of Christ and such Persons were not to be Born 1 Cor. 5.5 but be proceeded against by Church Censures as the Incestuous Corinthian was Ob. To what end then serve the Confessions of Faith of our and other Reformed Churches in which are many useful Truths besides those that are absolutely necessary if all are not to be kept out of their Churches that will not own them R. They are useful to shew the Truth those Churches have attained to Tim. 4.6.7 Heb. 5.12 1 Cor. 3.1 2 12. Acts 20.27 Mat. 28.20 and which they are to promote For it 's plain we must go on to Perfection and not be always Babes yet Babes and imperfect ones are not to be kept out We are not to stay only on the Foundation but must Build Gold and Precious Stones upon it and make known all the Councel of God and teach the Baptized all that Christ hath Commanded But we must not imagine these Confessions were made that all who are Ignorant or differ in any thing from them should be kept from Communion with them for there are several degrees of knowledge and of means to get it They that have more are to own it and they that have less are not to be rejected as cut off from Christ Where God gives much he requires much and where little he requires but little Our Practice confirms this for the Articles of the Church of England are not required to be Subscrib'd unto by Private Christians but only by the Minsters who are to teach others and ought to have more knowledge than they And some say that they Subscribe them not as Articles of Faith but of Communion that is they will hold Communion with those that hold them which seems scarce tolerable in Ministers tho it may be enough in private Persons that Subscribe them not Against Fisher §. 14. And Arch Bishop Laud saith our 39 Articles are not declared to be Fundamental but onely not Erroneous or Superstitious nor imposed under Pain of Damnation but for a peaceable Consent And whereas the fifth Cannon Excommunicates all that hold them in any part to be Erroneous or Superstitious it s to be understood of those only that affirm it boldly and publickly and not of those that hold it privately Secondly That no Churches may impose Ceremonies and Unnecessary Things upon such that they may be received into Communion with them For if any useful Truths Revealed by God may not be impos'd on those that hold the necessary Fundamental Truths to the end they may be admitted into Communion with them much less may Ceremonies and Things invented by men and not appointed by God especially when they are suspected or judged unlawful by many be imposed on them for that end This is plainly unlawful and is the Cause of abundance of Divisions and Offences If any say the Rulers of the Congregation or Church as we use to speak may appoint divers things never appointed by God Thorndike of Relig. Assem ch 9. p. 212. and many with him if indifferent and not sinful in themselves and require them to be owned and practised by all that shall be suffered in their Communion and that they that oppose such things resolutely are not to be born with but opposed because such are Enemies to Publick Order that it 's not lawful to Dispence with Publick Order for their sake that are Weak for so there will never be any Order It 's clear by what is laid down they may not and that these and all other pretences are Vain For if Persons holding all necessary Truth Rom. 14. clear for this Daven on Col. 2.20 The Naked Truth c. may and ought to be received without owning many useful Truths revealed by God then they that hold all necessary Truths and many other useful Truths too ought to be received without owning or practising such things as were never appointed by God and they judg though perhaps Erroniously to be sinful or at least very doubtful and Inconvenient For if many of Gods useful Truths are not to be pressed as Conditions of their Communion much less may Ceremonies and needless Laws of weak if not worldly men be pressed as necessary to it Mr. Chillingworth is clear in this and 't is a wonder Arch Bishop Laud and King James before him were not so but acted quite against this Principle which they highly own'd * K. Cha. at last saw this Anno 1642. Answ to the 19 Propos would have tender Consciences exempt from such Ceremonies at are judged by some sober men to be indifferent and by others absolutely unlawful 'T is related in the Life of Mornay du Plessis that in the Year 1591. he Discoursed with an English Bishop how ill it was for them in England to Silence and Punish Ministers for not using the Ceremonies and that in the Year 1608. he wrote to the Lord Carew our Embassadour to excite King James to procure an Union of all the Protestant Churches and said the King stood too much upon petty differences among his own Subjects and pressing the Ceremonies upon them And in the Year 1615. du Moulin was sent to the King about means to Unite all the Reformed Churches But our great sin and misery is that many who are for a great largeness as to useful things taught by Christ are for great strictness as to Ceremonies and things taught only by Men. A Notorious Practice against this plain Truth Some possibly are too strict in pressing the necessity of many useful things taught by God as Conditions of Communion but large as to things indifferent prescribed only by Men. This is a far less Fault But the God of
taken in and Encouraged But because all lies not on those that have Power to impose but much also upon Private Christians Sixthly Hence also it follows plainly That Persons and Churches that are better than others are to own others if Built on the true Foundation for true Christians and Churches and those that are worse than others are to own those for true Christians and Churches that are better than they and to love them as such Some perhaps will say yes if they be in different Kingdoms but not if they be in the same But why not though in the same Kingdom Who made the distinction Seventhly That Persons and Churches Built upon the large and true Foundation of Faith and Love are to strive to hold Communion one with another The stronger and better with those that are weaker and the weaker with those that are better It 's a great Errour to think we may separate for every cause as the Jews did in their Divorces and that there 's no true way of Reforming but by Separateing Therefore they do ill that will not Communicate with Churches where they lawfully may at least sometimes and they do yet worse that will hold no Communion with the best Churches where the best Doctrine Worship and Spiritual helps for Souls are Eighthly That Persons and Churches that own others for true Churches may be oblig'd not to hold Communion with them in the Publick Worship of God at least not constantly Not at all because such Churches may practice things that are unlawful and make them the Conditions of their Communion or Persons may think such things unlawful which are not and while their Errour continues they cannot joyn with them without going against their Conscience Not constantly because such Churches may use many needless inconvenient and suspicious things tho' they that dissent will not say they are absolutely unlawful or may stick in their weaker beginnings or go backward and deny them the use of those Spiritual means which Christ hath given for the promoting their Salvation Ninthly That there may be true Christian Love between those who do not hold Publick Communion with one another because they may both be built on the true Foundation of Faith and Love And it 's a fond imagination to which yet many are too subject to think that those that will not joyn with them cannot love them or that we must needs want love to those we cannot joyn with To think so is a great mistake See Dr. Owen of Evangelical Love disown'd by all Sober Persons and a cursed Root of bitterness and I fear defiles many 'T is a sad thing to see this in so many and is a sign that most build their Religion more upon lesser things wherein the Life of it lies not than on those main things wherein it lies If any say this will cast out Discipline and many choice Truths of Christ and introduce Erroneous Rotten Doctrines I say it will not for tho' People that are weak and disorder'd may be true Christians and Churches it hinders not but that others may and ought to seek after Discipline and Truth and grow in the ways of God And they do ill whoever they are that shall hinder this And a great part of the Evil and Misery of the World lies here To clear these Things yet more fully If the Church of God be built upon such a large Foundation it plainly follows First That they Err greatly that make every useful Truth to be a Fundamental one and they much more that make their Great Errours to be of the Foundation on which the Church is built The Romanists do so by their Creed of the Council of Trent affirming none can be Saved that own it not And they also that set up Opinions of their own to be Fundamental as those do that hold Diocesan Episcopacy and Ordination by it so necessary that there can be no true Church nor Sacraments nor Salvation in an ordinary way without it and whoever else among us that make any of their Opinions so absolutely necessary Secondly They Err greatly that hold all great Errors to be Damnable Heresies and all sinful Divisions to be Damnable Schisms Thirdly They Err greatly that say People are Baptiz'd into a Particular Church or Party and that therefore they forsake their Baptism if at any time they cease to Worship God with that Church or joyn with any other For we are all Baptiz'd into the Faith of Christ admitted into the Universal Church that 's built on this large Foundation and by one Spirit Baptized into one Body 1 Cor. 12.13 But are there any that say so I wish there were not Fourthly From hence it follows that it 's a Great Sin to confine the Church of God to any one Party of Christians whatsoever and cast off others from belonging to it Many are much inclin'd to impropriate Christ to their Party Mead on Ezek. 37. v. 19. as it 's said the Donatists of old did but we must not Unsaint the whole World to Consecrate our own way and they Err greatly that set up particular Churches in opposition to others and so as to disown other particular Churches that are true parts of the Universal Many are apt to destroy God's Invisible Church by their Disputes about the Visible which was appointed for the good of it and to destroy many particular Visible Churches by their strange Notions of Particular or National Churches Fifthly that those of the Church of England that will never joyn in Worship with the Dissenters on the one hand and those Dissenters on the other hand that will never joyn with them act against the plain light of this great Truth And thus many that differ most in other things agree in this Dividing Principle and are great hinderers of the Peace and Edification of the Church amongst us The Non-Conformists are accused that they perswade People not to go to the Publick Churches This is very untrue of most of them But it 's most certain that abundance of the Conformists make it their work to dissuade People from going to hear the Non-Conformists tho' unblameable in their Life and Doctrine and followers of Peace with them They do it publickly with much vehemence in their Sermons and privately in their Discourses Some of them say if any do they renounce their Baptismal Covenant some on their Death-Bed have solemnly engag'd some of their Relations never to hear any of the Dissenters and some of them have Preach'd in great Auditories that a Heathen may be Saved but that a Non-Conformist cannot not to mention other things And who then are the People that seek for Peace and who violently oppose it Sixthly Hence it follows not That If we may joyn with a Church sometimes we are bound to do so always Many build much upon this and that People sin greatly if they do not But this is a great Mistake For it follows not that what we may do sometimes we must
do always for in many cases we do things sometimes for several Reasons which we will not may not do always Hundreds of Instances might be given and strong Reasons too By this Rule we should be bound constantly to Communicate with the worst Churches that we think we may Communicate with sometimes but if we could sometimes Communicate with the Greek Churches in their way would we always do it if we could do otherwise Or with the Lutherans would we always do it Or if the Lutherans could joyn with us as the Synod at Charenton in France permitted them to do would they do it always Or if the Nonconformists can joyn sometimes with Churches where there are corrupt and unprofitable Ministers scandalous and malicious People divers bad impositions and an exclusion of some things that Christ hath given for the Churches benefit must they do so always Besides this would tempt the Nonconformists wholly to leave the Conformists Churches for the Conformists argue thus All Churches that may be sometimes Communicated with ought always to be Communicated with But the Conformists Churches say the Dissenters may sometimes be Communicated with therefore they ought always be Communicated with But the N. C. hereupon will argue thus Those Churches we may not always Communicate with we may never Communicate with so say the Conformists But the Conformists Churches may not always be Communicated with say the N. C. Therefore they ought never be Communicated with And this Arguing will be stronger with the N. C. than the other because they are more strongly perswaded they ought not always to joyn with the Conformists than that they ought to joyn with them sometimes But this Principle is deeply laid in the hearts of many N. C. Reformation but not Separation and they say tho' they cannot Conform they must Preach and strive to save Souls and in their places to reform what 's amiss tho' they say the Conformists Churches are not unlawful to be Communicated with They own them as true Churches and would help on the work of God that is done in them and believe the Conformists also should own them and be glad of their assistance 7. Seventhly That Wickedness in Heart and Life against Christ's Commands destroys the Church as well as Errours against his Truths For a profession of Obedience to Christ is as necessary as a profession of his Truth and a sincere Obedience is as necessary to make one a true living Christian as an unfeigned belief of the Truth It 's wickedness that tears the Church of God amongst us and abroad more than any thing and Love which includes Holiness Unites it most and builds it up 1 Cor. 13. It 's not so much difference in Judgement that causes our Divisions as the wickedness and hatred of the Power of Godliness and those that own it tho' of the same way with them and it 's wickedness that chiefly leads People into bad Opinions They therefore go against the Foundation of the Church that neglect it and countenance the debauch'd World Mr. Baxter's Book of Cain and Abel or the formal dead World and those that hate God The great Enmity lies here between the Godly and the Wicked the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent and they do not build up but pull down the Church that take part with these Luke 12. Our Lord came to send Fire on the Earth not Peace but a Sword And whence is this but from the wickedness of Men that Fights against him 8. Eighthly That Persons may be true Christians tho' they Err and go much against this main Truth * Yet he that hateth his Brother is a Murtherer and no Murtherer hath everlasting life abiding in him 1 Joh. 3.15 Tho' they be Ignorant or Err in divers useful Truths and be Zealous for their Errours Tho' they Practice divers things in their Lives and in the Worship of God which they ought not Tho' they impose their Errours and Practices on others as necessary to Communion with them Tho' they Vex Fine Imprison Banish and use Cruelties against those that differ from them Tho' they say those that joyn not with them are no true Churches nor can be Saved And much more those that own others for true Christians and Churches and Persecute them not tho' they dare not hold Communion with them when they might and ought For many of these tho' they sin and many of them very greatly may not be in a state of Damnation for they may do such things ignorantly through Custom Weakness or Temptation and may have in their Hearts true Faith in Jesus Christ and Love to him and his Saints and be saved by a General Repentance The Lutherans generally will not joyn with the Calvinists nor our Conformists with the sober Dissenters nor the Anabaptists with either and who dare say that all of those are in a state of Damnation Thus we see what need all sorts of Christians have of this Charitable but true Principle and they especially that are so forward to impose upon others and exclaim against them and Fine Trouble and Punish them too But though some of these may be Saved it highly concerns such to look well to themselves that they be of that number and not like those Jews of old that strove to make the Scriptures serve their Gain and Ambition Grotius on Mat. 21.38 thereby killing the Heir that they might be Great and Rule the People 9. Ninthly Hence it plainly follows that this is the only true way to build up the Church of God Not for People to Conform to all things in the places where they shall live nor to require all to agree to all things taught by Christ or invented by Men and root out all that comply not nor to make forms of Agreement in such words as several Parties keeping their Opinions may agree in as Melancthon Bucer and others in the beginning of the Reformation did but plainly to lay down the great Things of the Gospel wherein we agree omitting other things wherein we differ and bearing with each other and mutually loving and assisting each other These Large and Sure Foundations will certainly lead us to this and all that can be said against it is but the effect of Prejudice or Interest The Lutherans and Calvinists by this means might have United and a miserable Breach have been prevented 'T is not so small a thing we aim at as an Union between the Presbyterians and Congregational for wherein almost do they differ Nor only with the Godly Episcopal Men at home but with all every where that build on the true Foundation and hold nothing that overthrows it as gross Idolatry and damnable Heresies do To approve what is good in all and to cleave to what we judge best To Communicate with others at least sometimes and if we cannot do that yet to love them as the Servants of Christ and seek their good What mischiefs have been in the
Christian World for want of this Of old to pass by many others year 192 Victor Bishop of Rome who Excommunicated the Churches of Asia for not keeping Easter on the Lord's Day year 257 Stephen Bishop of Rome who Condemn'd Cyprian and his Followers for re-baptizing those that had been Baptiz'd by Schismaticks year 663 The Saxon Christians in England who so oppos'd the Scotch who kept not Easter after the Roman way that they would not receive Consecration from them nor the Eucharist nor give it to them nay and question'd the Baptism Administred by them year 692 The Latine and Greek Churches separated about Fasting on Saturdays eating Blood Unleaven'd Bread in the Eucharist c. Their Quarrel encreas'd under Photius upon the Nice Dispute of the Procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son and not only by the Son tho' the Superiority of the Bishop of Rome over the Bishop of C. P. was in the bottom years 1054. 1213. 1274. Leo IX Excommunicated the Greeks and Humbert wrote against them And the Latins when they took CP Imprison'd and cruelly us'd the Greek Priests for not using the Roman Ceremonies and the Greeks abhor'd them scrap'd the Altars where they had said Mass c. An Union was made at the second Council at Lyons but the Greeks so oppos'd it at CP that Michael Palaeologus the Emperor who procured it was so hated that when he died he was not suffered to be publickly Buried year 1439 And Union made again at Florence but Marcus Ephesius and Geo Scholarius oppos'd it and it came to nothing year 1564 The Roman Church is yet grown higher enjoyns the Council of Trent and the Creed of it and Damns all that own it not 'T were well if by these Miscarriages Protestants both here and abroad had â—ntâ—â—â— more Wisdom and had avoided those Contests that have been among them God grant we may be Wiser for the future 10. Tenthly This must needs be most agreeable to Princes and Rulers that unfeignedly endeavour to Promote the Kingdom of God Not to say there 's a Moral impossibility of Peace in a State without a strict Uniformity in the Church Not to force Men to the same Opinion and Practice in all things and to vex and destroy all that differ from them whether upon right or mistaken grounds This Course hath been long taken by most and will not do and no wonder for it 's not of God not according to the clear Truth laid down in Scripture by our Great Teacher sent by God nor according to the Rules of true Wisdom For what Wise and Great Prince would be at the head of a Party only and tempt all others to hate him What great Things can he propose to do in the World or have any hope to effect Whereas the other way is of God speaks Universal Goodness and can be grievous to none but to blind Superstitious People and to such Mean and Wicked Persons whose United Carnal Interests lead them to Sacrifice the welfare of the World to their particular Lusts which at length oft ends in their own ruine But when God shall arise to do good to the World which we hope he will tho' we deserve it not he will raise up Heroick Princes and enable them to break the Yoaks of Superstitious and Designing Men and promote Truth and Love who shall Cherish the Good Protect the Peaceable People of all sorts from their Mistakes by all fair means and tread down none but those that Fight against these things And it 's evident that Statesmen oft-times have Larger and Righter Thoughts than many that pore on Books and refine upon Religion and oft prove like the Princes that delivered good Jeremiah from the hands of those Priests and Prophets that would have destroyed him for speaking the Truth which God sent him to do Jer. 26.10.16 This main Principle and the Plain Consequences from it may be displeasing to divers but it is a Great Truth of God and will prevail in his due time FINIS ERRATA PAge 1. line 28. after Holy Scriptures add a Colon p. 2. l. 14. after Gods Church add a Colon l. 49. for chose read chuse p. 4. l. 8. to such as necessary add a Comma at such p. 5. l. 10. for any useful read many useful l. 39. for Muolin r. Moulin p. 6. l. 6. after themselves add a Comma p. 7. l. 12. for others ore r. others are