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A44512
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The blessed advantages of peace and peace-makers In a sermon preach'd at the Savoy in London upon the fifth of St. Matthew; Ver. IX. Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God. By Anthony Horneck, D.D. late preacher at the Savoy.
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Horneck, Anthony, 1641-1697.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing H2820; ESTC R215358
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19,312
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50
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Father which is in Heaven will let Men and Angels see that they are his Children that they are so not in Name only but in Deed. He will give the unbelieving World a visible Demonstration that they are so in the last Day in the great Day of Account he will place them at Christ's Right-hand and the Men that would not believe and repent shall behold how dear they are to him for the great Redeemer shall carry them up into his Father's Kingdom If Sons then Heirs Heirs of God and joint Heirs with Christ saith the Apostle Rom. VIII 17. Christ as Man and Mediator became Heir of his Father's Royalty and Power so shall they in the right of adopted Children As Christ ascended into Heaven so shall they as Christ was exalted so shall they as Christ was enthron'd so shall they as Christ was advanced from a low Estate to the highest Dignity so shall they as Christ lives for ever so shall they as Christ cannot be hurt by the second Death no more shall they as Christ had power given him over the Nations over Hell and Devils so shall they reign over all their Enemies as Christ shall judge the World and the Apostate Angels so shall they being Fellow-Sons Fellow-Heirs they all share in his Authority and Grandeur It 's true all this must be believed for it is not seen yet but who can forbear to believe it when we have the Word of the living God for it In a word They shall be Possessours of Heaven and Earth for not only their Father but their Elder Brother is so Crowns and Diadems are preparing for them Crowns which fade not away Crowns which the Moth cannot corrupt nor Thieves break through and steal Crowns made of Beams of Eternal Light Crowns which not only adorn their Heads but fill their Faces with incomparable Beauty Crowns such as Angels wear Crowns which cannot be viewed cannot be thought of without Eternal Admiration Inferences 1. It is easie to guess what Tempers and Actions are contrary and directly opposite to the admirable Qualification recommended and commanded in the Text. Peace being either publick or private and the publick either Political or Ecclesiastical either of Church or State whoever they be that wilfully pusht on by Pride or Passion or some worldly carnal Design without a just lawfull or warrantable cause disorder or disturb that Peace cannot be true Disciples of Christ because they have an Aversion from that peaceable peace-keeping and peace-making Temper which Christ with all the pathetick Adjurations imaginabe hath enjoyn'd his Followers I shall not here reflect on secular Estates and Princes who either begin or maintain an unjust War either to enrich themselves by the Spoils of their Neighbours or to advance their own Glory or to enlarge their Empire and Dominion for the very Light of Nature confutes these Practices and he that is but a Novice in Religion may see nothing is more contrary to the Design of the Gospel However I cannot but spend some considerations on the sad Divisions and Quarrels that are among those who call themselves Christians upon the account of Religion I wonder not to see Mahometans and Jews scandaliz'd at these Divisions the Jews especially when they read such lofty Promises of the Peace and Unity of the Church that was to be under the Messiah as Isa. II. 4. They shall beat their Spears into Plough-shares and their Swords into Pruning-hooks Nation shall not lift up Sword against Nation neither shall they learn War any more and Isa. XI 6. The Wolf shall dwell with the Lamb and the Leopard lie down with the Kid and the Calf and the young Lion and the Fatling together and a little Child shall lead them Though these Prophecies have been in a great measure fulfill'd not only in the Apostles times when the Jews and Gentiles who were mortal Enemies before united into one Church under their common Head Christ Jesus but afterward when the Empire became Christian and the Heathen Powers who had most violently persecuted the Christians submitted to the Gospel and embraced those whom they had burnt before and though these Prophecies may moreover be said to be exactly fulfilled partly with respect to the Design and Tendency of the Christian Religion the design and intent of Christ's Laws being to make Men peaceable and partly with respect to the signal change that 's actually wrought upon those who are truly not only in profession and outwardly but inwardly too converted to the Faith of Christ for upon this Conversion their former Hatred and Enmity to others is laid aside and they are all for Peace and Concord though I say these Prophecies are actually accomplish'd in despite of all the Sects that profess Christ's Religion yet the Jews a dull hard inconsiderate sort of People and who are guided much by their Senses seeing the everlasting quarrels that are among Christians and how one party persecutes and abuses the other and upon what slight occasions they quarrel and fall out and break Peace and Communion one with another I wonder not to see them offended at these doings and harden'd in their Unbelief for not to mention the Divisions Heresies and Schisms in the ancient Church at this day the Eastern Churches stand divided against the Western the Western is broke into several Parties the Church of Rome against the Protestants and the Protestants against the Church of Rome and the Protestants are divided among themselves In these Divisions the Church of Rome erects her head and pretends she is the only true and Catholick Church because they are united among themselves But to shew the weakness of this boasting 1. At this rate every particular Church must be the Catholick Church because the Members of every particular Church are united among themselves So in the Church of England her Members and Pastors all subscribing to the Articles of her Communion and professing the same Doctrine Ceremonies and Worship whether they be in Europe or Africa or Asia or America and there is no particular Church that 's constituted by any publick Authority but may boast of this Unity 2. It is not a bare Union of Men that makes a Church a true Church but that Union must have Truth for its Foundation else you know Thieves and Robbers and High-way-men and Pyrates and Buccaneers because they agree among themselves might lay claim to this Title and the most perverse Hereticks because they agree in certain points might say they are the true Church and Heathens and Pagans because they agree in Superstition and in believing a Multitude of Gods might bid fair for this character However 3. The Unity the Church of Rome boasts of is only a pretence for all the World knows the mighty differences that are within her own Bosom of the Scotists and Thomists of the Franciscans and Dominicans of the Jansenists and Jesuits who stick not to call one another Hereticks not to mention the late Divisions betwixt the Disciples of
Molinos and their Opponents and were it not for fear of Fire and Prisons and the Inquisition some of these would break out into open War against their Adversaries and Competitors Nay 4. There is no Christian Church that hath been more guilty of breaking the Peace of Christendom than the Church of Rome and because several Churches would not satisfie or gratifie her Ambition would not put their Necks under her Yoke nor believe the falsest and idlest thing in the World her Supremacy and Infallibility she hath boldly separated her self from their Communion this was the reason why she separated from the Eastern Churches and by this insolence she hath forced the Protestant Churches from her Communion and not he that is forced away but he that forces is the Schismatick And indeed that which justifies the Protestant Churches separation from her or breaking Peace and Communion with her is 1. Because she would impose that upon the Consciences of Men which Christ and his Apostles never imposed 2. Because she hath turned the Spiritual Worship of the Gospel into carnal and mechanical Devotion and introduced innumerable Superstitions which have no foundation in the Word of God and would have them believ'd as firmly as the Gospel it self 3. Because she hath brought in a Worship which with all the favourable Interpretations imaginable cannot be excused from Idolatry even the Worship of dead Men and Women of the Bread in the Eucharist of Images and Pictures and Reliques c. contrary to the Design of the Gospel 4. Because though she hath been often entreated admonished and exhorted to reform these Abuses for some hundred Years together yet she is obstinate and instead of reforming hath harden'd her self in them and thinks to hector Men by her Power and Authority into a Belief of that which cannot be defended with solid Arguments 5. Because rejecting the Supreme Authority of the Scriptures which are the sole Rule of Faith she hath made her pretended Head and such Councils as he shall call or approve of the sole Dictators and Expositors of the Doctrine of Christ requiring blind Obedience to their Decisions contrary not only to the Word of God but to the Sense of all true Antiquity So that there can be no peace I mean no Peace of Communion with Rome for though we are commanded to live peaceably with all Men yet we are withall to have a due regard to Truth Eph. IV. 15. Nor must Peace be bought at so dear a Rate as to comply with Men in their Sins and Errours which is the Reason why Peace and Holiness are join'd together in that known Exhortation of the Apostle Follow peace with all men and Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord Heb. XII 14. Indeed an external Peace we are to maintain with all Mankind but this differs much from Peace of Communion in Divine Worship and Sacraments The Divisions among Protestant Churches are to be deplored so much the more because the Points they differ in are inconsiderable and might easily be composed if Men had but peaceable Tempers and were resolved to lay aside Interest and carnal Respects and Punctilio's of Honour and Credit c. for they all agree in Fundamentals all are satisfied that the Church of Rome hath notoriously deviated from the simplicity of the Gospel and the matters in difference are things in which Salvation is not concerned And upon that account their labours deserve great Commendations who heretofore and very lately have endeavour'd to reconcile the Protestant Churches into a perfect Union A blessed Work Blessed are the Peace-makers that endeavour to make Peace among the jarring Members of Christ's Body and though they may fail of Success yet they shall not lose their Reward In the mean while those who widen or heighten these differences and incite the respective Parties to hatred and wrath and animosities one against another to be sure are no Children of the God of Peace and had need at least before they die make publick Satisfaction for the dreadfull Effects their Heats and Passions do produce But as this Peace among Protestant Churches is very much to be wish'd and pray'd for so I despair to see so glorious a Work take effect except the differing Parties would resolve to stand to the Rules following 1. That the respective Parties which agree in the chief Points of Religion do not make any of those Points they differ in fundamental as if the Fortune of Religion depended upon it or as if those different Points were so many different Religions 2. That the differing Parties do not damn one another for those differences there being nothing that hath done Religion more hurt than Men's damning one another for things which Christ and his Apostles have affixed no Damnation to 3. That notwithstanding the little differences that are among them they make one Church and endeavour after the Welfare and Prosperity of it and join together in publick Prayer and in the Sacrament of the Eucharist which is the Badge and Symbol of Fraternity and Amity 4. That one Party be not presently jealous and suspicious of the other as if the opinion which one Party espouses were embraced or maintain'd in a Humour or for worldly Ends but that they charitably believe it 's Conscience that puts them upon it at least till either the Party espousing that opinion confesses that Conscience is not at the bottom of it or that it appear by undeniable Evidences that a worldly or sinister design is the foundation of it 5. That the differing Parties do not multiply the controversies which are amongst them make them neither more numerous nor greater than really they are and that they do not interpret an accidental unwary expression that may drop from the Pen or Mouth of one party as a new controversie 6. That one party do not charge the other with consequences which they do not own nor with Doctrines and Positions which they detest from their hearts 7. That each party defending or proving their opinion do it with great modesty without provoking or exasperating or approbrious Language and revilings or bitter reflections on the other 8. That of these differing parties none do vye with the other except it be in living up to the Precepts of the Gospel particularly those of patience long-suffering and charity These rules I apprehend to be the foundation of Peace and Concord of Protestant Churches that differ in points of no great concernment and were these Maxims once put in practice the particular controversies might soon be compromised To this purpose is that saying of the Apostle Nevertheless whereto we have already attained let 's walk by the same rule let 's mind the same things and if any be otherwise minded God will even reveal that unto you Phil. III. 15 16. But however II. If we cannot mend the Publick let 's endeavour to reform particular Persons It is a sad sight to see Christians divided among themselves but it is as dismal a