THE AGREEMENT OF THE ASSOCIATED MINISTERS OF THE County of Essex Proposed to their particular Congregations and to all such of the County that love the Churches Peace with a word of Exhortation to Brotherly Union Rom. 14.19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace and things wherewith one may edifie another 1 Cor. 1.10 11 12. Now I beseech you Brethren by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you but that you be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgment For it hath been declared unto me of you my Brethren by them which are of the house of Cloe that there are contentions among you Now this I say that every one of you saith I am of Paul I am of Apollo I am of Cephas I am of Christ Rom. 16.17 Mark them that cause divisions and offences contrary to the Doctrine which you have learned and avoid them The second Edition Corrected and much Amended LONDON Printed for Edward Brewster at the Crane in Pauls-Church Yard 1658. THE PREFACE THe richest Crown and highest glory of a people is to be Gods Peculiar related in Covenant-nearness to him dedicated to his Praise trusted with his Word the only perfect Rule guided in the alone way of Salvation the true Religion Religion shining in those greater Beauties of Purity Power and Vnity still that Purity being preserved most tenderly the Power held up eminently the Vnity maintained entirely and to have all due provision made for this Crown and Glory to descend and settle upon Posterity for ever To consider how much of the fore-mentioned Glory hath dwelt in our Land together with its gradual declining great decay almost departing the hopes of Reformation given and heightned but soon disappointed sadly turned into fears confusions and such vast evils which once let in have been so lengthened out Above all to seriously view our present condition of sin after soarest smartings more abounding it spreads farther roots deeper rises higher but comes daily nearer to a filling up Of miseries in complicate distempers imminent dangers and so extreme difficulty of healing settlement and security our hearts cannot but break and bleed within us To see Souls more precious than Worlds whose price can never fall lower to run unwonted higher hazards of utter undoing The numbers among us either more setled in ignorance or improved in prophaneness fixed in meer civility and formality without any Power of Godliness or arrived at very Neutrality and not a few which we tremble to mention under fearful Apostacy of damnable Heresies and vilest practises often also attended with hellish blasphemies These Souls all retaining their invaluable worth and for ought can be known possibility of saving should they not have all endeavour of pulling them out of the fire and if by Covenant-Obligation and Sacramental-Dedication they are Christs Propriety and Right should not his Officers and Stewards strive to the utmost to recover them to the King of Glories use and service yet these poor perishing ones as to any effectual order for Instruction or Reformation remain helpless Ah! that we could not go higher to the injuries and dissecurities of Religion it self in those checks given to the progress damps to the Power wide breaches made in the Vnity and most daring attempts against the very Being and Reality almost no Doctrine or practise escaping vain doubting yea impious vilifying and decrying Add that further danger of Opportunity and Temptation either of shifting wayes and Religions till the substance and foundation is overturned or for to shake off profession of Godliness shut out the Knowledge and sit at home at doing nothing Besides which still more endangers many of the elder sort who should derive Religion to succeeding Times by sinful indifferency are ready to let go their hold of the Truth and most of the younger either distracted at diversities of Wayes and Opinions or disacquainted with the very principles of Christianity are never like to take sure hold of it Oh that we had not to bewail the dissatisfactions divisions distances and oppositions among Brethren of the same houshold of Faith and these arising chiefly from less and lower points and punctillioes when in fundamentals and the main there is so great an accord And to all we annex the offence given the weak discouragements to commers in to godliness just scandal to many at home and in Forraign Nations opening wide the mouths and strengthening the hands of Adversaries against us and the most if not all these evils arising chiefly from our unestablishment as to Scripture and Gospel-Order Therefore when Souls are thus perishing Truth lies bleeding divisions continuing enemies insulting dangers and difficulties not abating and which far transcends all that can be said the most precious and glorious Name of Christ so infinitely suffering All this likewise when our calamitous condition is not utterly hopeless but like the patient languishing not from utter defect of remedy but want of the Physitians willingness to joyn together study the case and apply the cure For these things our hearts melt and eyes mourn till the Lord look down from heaven and help But when all looking bewailing pities and prayers can little avail without endeavours of redress in a right way first resolved and then unanimously carried on for which the conceived expedient is a Brotherly Association long since in our thoughts and already begun by others godly learned in divers Counties others of different judgement in point of Church-Government shewing the hitherto hindred Vnion to arise not so much from difference of principles inconsistent with Vnion as from defect of will and inclination and this from a grand failing in Brotherly Love Therefore laying aside all private respects and carnal interests and resigning our selves wholly up to the Lord we resolve in his strength according to what we have attained to unite together for carrying on the work of Reformation and discharge of our duties in our respective places and not only an Associating in this particular County but correspondency with our Brethren in other parts of the Nation yet hereby not binding up and limiting our selves from further improvement of Vnion which we hope the Lord will teach and stablish in his time Vniversally And for an Introductive to the work in hand and freeing our selves from imputed Innovation in the Doctrine of Religion we declare that as all way formerly we have owned so we do and by Christs assistance will ever own and maintain the form of wholesome words contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament in the constantly received sense of the Orthodox Churches of Christ exprest more especially as to the Fundamentals of Faith in that most Ancient and Vniversally received Creed called the Apostles in the therewith agreeing famous Nicene Creed and that notable Creed of Athanasius to which we might add those excellent Creeds of the Great Councils of
Churches and among the people of Jesus Christ They are by Office Guides and Leaders First To lead by preaching Christians into union shewing the Gospel-duty the Necessity Excellency and Utility To set home all Gospel Directions and Inducements upon the Consciences and Hearts of Christians and do all they can to light warm and winne them to it And they are likewise to guide and leade by example Give the fairest Copie Set the most excellent president of endeavours Industry and Zeal for godly unity If Ministers leade not will their people begin alone If they are listless will people be lively and active If they are of a low narrow cold cowardly spirit will people in probability be of an high heroical zealous temper No the Ministers Light must help to direct their Heat to warm their Resolution and Zeal to help others to be resolute and zealous And people also should design and endeavour union to cooperate and go along with their godly Ministers in good and necessary wayes Not neglect their Ministers herein to let them go and act alone but honour them with yieldings to and followings of them in what they follow Chirst Formerly what a spirit of willingness was there to hear learn believe and do as their godly Ministers guided and perswaded What a Gospel yieldingness and great sequaciousness was seen among people that turned greatly to their own Edification and the great Comfort and high encouragement of their godly Ministers Christs Ministers they have ever been Satans great eye-soar and speciall envy and Satan hath ever endeavoured to make their credit run as low as he could that the Gospel might run the lower and be glorified the less in peoples hearts A man is so far passable with others as he hath esteem and credit in their hearts and will accordingly prevail with them It is Satans grand design to make the Reputation of the Ministers of Christ run low that thereby the Doctrine they bring might be little regarded Gods design in Scripture and Christs great drift in the Gospel is to set up the Ministers very high in peoples hearts that they should have them in singular Honour for their work sake knowing this would exalt both his Word and himself also But this hath been Satans design and effected more of late then ever since the Reformation yea other Ages scarce any have exceeded ours But the loss is least to Ministers and most to the Hearts that suffer themselves to be prejudiced against them The Word loses its efficacy but the people the profit and their souls into the bargain also if they look not to it But as Ministers of Christ must leade and let their Light shine before their people so people must let in their light and suffer themselves to be guided and perswaded as for their own Edification so Ministers great encouragement and comfort Thus in this great work of Union both should help and encourage each other and then the Adversaries may be disappointed and in time our Divisions healed up Some looking into the obstacles likely to hinder Union among those of different judgements gave some years since among others a matter of ten Reasons which though not in the same method nor in all the words at length yet is thought not amiss to mention here As 1. Some place too much of their Religion in standing off from others as if the height of a Christian lay in rigid Separation from those that are of a lower size and will be hardly drawn to remit any thing of their supposed necessary strictness rather desiring to please themselves than bear with the weak suspecting even necessary provisions for admission of the weak as savouring too much of loosnesse and that which may bring on their partaking in other mens sins 2. Some have drunk in such prejudice against their Brethren that fancying the difference greater then it is and supposing a Closure unlawful or scarce possible are the more backward to any thing tending to a composure 3. Ignorance may prove a great hinderance many understand only the practick part of their own way not fully knowing the extent necessity indifferency of their severall principles these out of a zeal to truth will stand off as not knowing how far they may yield 4. Some delight in contentions 5. Some once embittered their blood is not easily cooled 6. Some are pleased with nothing that themselves propound not 7. Many are engaged and will find it a hard task to deny themselves in point of honour and credit which they think will be lost if they alter their course 8. Many are so overdriven by their friends and members of their Congregations that they dare do little for fear of displeassing them 9. Some want publick principles having but one thing in their eye as suppose purity or peace prosecute that to ruine or neglect of other necessary things 10. Some want publick Spirits not caring what become of other Christian so long as they have the Ball at their own foot or things go with them as they would have it Now as the proper cure and relief of Divisions and dangers thence arising must necessarily be from Union a suitable and speedy Union answerable to the nature and extent of the Malady so that must first be removed that is the impediment to it that though many things else concur is chiefly a great defect of publicknesse of Spirit a Spirit carried out to the publick good of the Church of Christ and his Cause together with a grand failing in Brotherly Love 1. That defect and great want of a publick spirit a spirit that hath made so many Prophets Apostles Martyrs Ministers and Saints in all ages to shine so gloriously All Christians whatsoever should endeavour great publicknesse of Spirit should put on and wear this rare Jewel with the rich Pendants of it of purest and greatest aims best contrivances warmest affections strongest highest resolutions for the Churches good against all things whatsoever that interpose But publick Persons Ministers principally they should be of a very eminent and exemplary publicknesse of Spirit as they are lights and leaders so in this in a more observeable manner But now there 's none should be of a meer private and impublick but of the most publick Spirit We should not be like the Snail that houses her self in her shell commonly cleaves to a block or stone and seldome moves and then but for a little food But like the Springs of Water that rise up run over and make a river for general use Not like a Light in a dark Lanthorn which shineth only inward but like the Heavenly bodies that mounted up are still running round the Heaven to carry and convey their light and influence to all It is too evident that great want of publicknesse of Spirit that like an Epidemical common disease hath spread it self about This this is the reason of that want of endeavours for generall Union The School Maxime is Omne negativum fundatur in affirmative
duties we owe to fellow-Christians and preserve us therein Get we but that sincere and ardent Love the Gospel calls for and unity will be both easily brought about and kept a firm and full unity that may answer the Churches present necessity If there be any defect in Union 't is from a deficience in this Bond this affection of Love Were there among other Gospel requisites this publick Spirit were this Gospel Brotherly Love put on this would recover and reduce us to happy unity without which the breaches and distempers are not likely to be healed For to provoke us those especially that are the backward and unactive oh that we could consider things together and once more in Christs name be entreated to endeavour it For is Brotherly Union meerly arbitrary and left to our liberty and not of a Scripture and Gospel necessity Are not divisions among Christians carnall Are not sowers of discord among Brethren abominable to the Lord 1 Cor. 3.3 Prov. 6.12 Rom. 16.17 Must not those that make divisions be marked and also avoided Hath not God in Scripture straitly Commanded Unity Christ most signally and peculiarly enjoyned it Do not his Apostles very frequently in the New Testament Eph. 4.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. both require and perswade to it yea must we not look to keep it studiously solicitously and zealously endeavour it And that as in other Scriptures is there urged upon very General and equitable reasons that extend to all Christians There are seven ones and all respecting all the People of God as those Ephesians It is not to be endeavoured only with some single persons whom we shall please to pick out to our selves Or with those particular Congregations we are fixed in but with all Christians in General as their condition requires and opportunity is afforded to us And accordingly have not good Christians in all Ages both assented to the Doctrine and earnestly endeavoured the practice of it Doth not all experience of the Churches Evidence the Necessity of it Did not those Churches so excellently constituted by the Apostles themselves soon discover the use and Necessity of it as we see in the case of the Church of Antioch Acts 15. which occasioned that Application to the Church of Jerusalem and thereupon the first and exemplary Christian Synod Whereby that and likewise other Churches were established in the Faith Let matters be never so well Constituted in Churches yet there ever will be New Emergencies and after cases which will call for and still Necessitate union and correspondencie and that cannot be relieved otherwise At this day those Divisions among the Reformed are not they acknowledged and bewailed as sinfull and greatly desired by the Godly of any moderate spirits of all parties to be healed Yea among our selves is it not so acknowledged and bewailed and accordingly are not our desires and Prayers still a going after it Do we not Evidently see the evils and mischief that will unavoidably every day encrease and Grow upon us without Union Ah! What will become of Truth of all Gospel-Truths and the purity of Doctrine which is preserved by Union When the house is burnt and the Gold and Treasure in it melted is it not hard finding it among the Rubbish Pearles if they should be buried in great heaps of sand will they not hardly be recovered How hard will it be for people to find the Treasure the Pearles of Gospel-Truth in the Rubbish and sands of multiplicities of errours And what will become of the life and power of Godliness when mens zeale and fervour still evaporate and breathe forth in contentions and Christians become engaged to maintain Parties rather then Godliness it self Yea how must Ignorance and Prophaness encrease And how will Popery gaine upon us Yea and how will that be kept out at last look seriously to the close What can Magistrates and Ministers do if unity be not recovered At the best must not the Doctrine be highly hazzarded and hardly be saved Must not the Power of Godliness needs sink and be swallowed up in these Quick-sands of Division yea and withall the civil state When hearts are divided and mens wayes and Conscience so continually clash and run cross must not that needs be but in a crazie condition in comparison of that which General union would produce which also would in time work out a happy settlement in the Civil State What though some are of the opinion that disunion is best that makes it not so in it self But why should union the entirest fullest and largest union in States and Kingdoms be best and not in the Church of Christ and among Christians If single persons or small Townes and particular places cannot carry on the Civil Interest without Civil Union nor never sufficiently provide for the security of the Civil State then why must it or how can it be that single Christians or particular Congregations without Consociation can carry on and preserve Religion in a Nation As all former so late Experience proves and after Experience will ever prove the contrary Thus New England it self also acknowledges and practices the contrary and that upon Experience And they accordingly even the strictest of them do not only wish but encourage and provoke the Godly of different Judgements in this Nation to endeavour Unity And certainly this must be very considerable that they of New England who left this Country for liberty of Conscience and went into a desolate wilderness They that had such excellent Christians and Eminent Ministers to form and make up their Congregations They that had so full a Liberty to choose their own way of Church Government and withall had so great countenance and assistance from the Civil Magistrate as ever Churches in the world had yet these these so accommodated and assisted after almost thirty yeares experience find a Necessity of union of Churches and of godly Christians of different Judgement are in expectation daily of it here blame those that are opposite to it or slothfull in it And certainly this fresh experiment brings a cogent and conclusive Argument that out-weighs all colours and pretences made by any for refusal or neglect of unity But to adde no more we our selves Generally see a Necessity of unity we wish it pray for it and expect it also but this layes great blame and sin to our charge that we do so little for it That our Judgements and Prayers concurre in it but our hands stir not and we do not to any purpose endeavour after it What then is and must be the Obstacle to this so Necessary Unity Is it private advantage like men that having a private Trade are enemies to joynt Stocks and Trading in Companies Is it listlesness and a spirit of slothfulness like the sluggard that will not pull his hands out of his bosom A lothness to be unhinged and taken off our old wonts of unactiveness and doing nothing but for our own particulars and so being