reioice and glory in ours O take heed of writing contrary to the Copy that Christ hath set you Did God destroy the Jerusalemites by their Divisions And do ye think that he will save us by ours Surely No For if Jesus Christ be the same yesterday and to day and for ever as certainly he is and he is a Deviâ— incarnate that denys it How then can we shelter our selves for safety under the shadow of his Wings that are at variance amongst our selves O take heed of entring into Judgment with Christ or holding an Argument against any thing that he hath spoken Are ye wiser and stronger then he is Is not he a consuming Fire and your selves but dry stuble Will ye contend with him â—or Mastery Can ye speak more for your Divisions then Christ hath already declared against them Do ye not hear what the Lord saith by the Mouth of the Prophet I say Chap. 27. 4. Who would set the Briers and Thorns against me in Battle I would go thorow them I would burn them together Did Christ ever exercise his Prophetical Office in vain Did his Words ever fall to the Ground without effect Did he not Prophecy that Judas would betray him and Peter deny him Did he not Prophecy that false Christs and false Prophets would arise and deceive many And are not his Sayings fulfilled Did he not Prophecy with Tears running down his Sacred Cheeks that Jerusalem would be utterly destroyed and the manner how For are not these his Words Luke 19. 43 44. For the Days shall come upon thee that thine Enemies shall cast a Trench about thee and compass thee round and keep thee in on every side And shall lay thee even with the Ground and thy Children within thee and they shall not leave in thee one Stone upon another because thou knewest not the time of thy Visitation And were not these Prophetical Words of his fulfilled by the Roman Souldiers Did he not likewise fore-tel the spoiling of the Temple in these Words Mat. 24. 2 And Jesus said unto them i. e. his Disciples Se ye not all these things Verily I say unto you there shall not be left one Stone upon another that shall not be thrown down Was not this saying of Christ also sulfilled and verified at the same time that Titus Vespatianus took the City and the Souldiers burnt the Temple notwithstanding himself in Person intreated the Souldiers to quench the Fire newly begun in the Temple and used all means that possibly he could to preseave it bâ—t all to no purâ—ose The Prophecy of Christ must be fulfilled and therefore it was in vain for Titus to endeavour the quenching of those Flames which by a sure Word of Prophecy were kinded and fomented by the civil Discords Divisions and Dissentions of the Sâ—ditious Jews If God take away Peace from us who shall hinder the breaking â—orth of War amongst us If God whet the glittering Sword of War who shall let it rust in the Sheath If he takes away Kings from their Thrones who shall hinder him It was the Son of God that put that word into Balaam's Mouth Num. 23. 19. God is not a Man that he should Lie neither the Son of Man that he should Repent Hath he said and shall he not do it Or hath he spoken and shall he not make it good and may not we say Hath not the Son of God the Lord Jesus Christ into whose Hands the Order Rule and Government of all things in Heaven and in Earth and in the Sea and in all places is given by an eternal Decree of his Father said That a Kingdom divided is brought to Desolation And will he not make good his Word Yea certainly he will There is not one jot or tittle of his Words shall fall to the Ground till all of them are fulfilled Did ye never read and consider that word of the Lord by the Mouth of the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 66 15 16. Behold the Lord will come with Fire and with his Chariots like a Whirl-wind to render his Anger with Fury and his Rebuke with Flames of Fire For by Fire and by his Sword will the Lord plead with all Flesh And the slain of the Lord shall be many The Prophet means that all sorts of carnal Men shall feel the smart Rod of God's Anger when he cometh forth of his place to punish the Inhabitants of the Earth for their Iniquities Now our blessed Saviour tells us that every Trâ—e is known by its Fruit nor hath the Holy Ghost left us without a Testimony of what the Particular Fruits of the Flesh are whereby a Carnal Man may be discerned from one that is truly Spiritual The Test is written in the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians Cap. 5. 19 20 21. Now the works of the Flesh are manifest which are these Adultery Fornication Uncleanness Lasâ—â—viousness Idolatry Witchcraft Hatred Variance Emulations Wrath Staifé Seditions Heresies Envying Murders Drunkenness Revellings and such like of the whach I tell you before as I have told you in time past that they which do such things shall not Inherit the Kingdom of God But the Fruit of the Spirit is Love Joy Peace Long-Suffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance against such there is no Law Hence we are inform'd that Hatred Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditioâ—s Herisies Envyings and Murders are works of the Flesh as well as Adultery Fornication Uncleanness Lasciviousness Idolatry Witchcraft Drunkenness Revellings and the former more perniclous to the Soul than the later The great Phisician of Souls hath put this Question out of doubt in two several Discourses that he had with the Scribes and Pharisees The first in Mat 21. 31 32. Verily I say unto you that the Publicans and the Harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you For John came unto you in the way of Righteousness and ye believed him not but the Publicans and the Harlots believed him And ye when ye had seen it Repented not afterward that ye might believe him And in Chap. 23. 15. He pronounceth a Wo against them saying Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for ye compass Sea and Land to make one Proselite and when he is made ye make him twofold more the Child of Hell then your selves Ask the Apostle St. Paul and he will give you a further account who is a Carnal Man 1 Cor. 31 2 3 4. And I Brethren could not speak unto you as unto Spiritual but as unto Carnal even as unto Babes in Christ I have fed you with Milk and not with Meat for hitherto ye were not able to bear it neither yet now are ye able For ye are yet Carnal for whereas there are among you Envying and Strife and Divisions are ye not Carnal and walk as Men For while one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollo are ye not Carnal Consult likewise and consider what the Apostle St. James hath written to this purpose Chap. 3. 13. Who
reproachfull Epithites of Trimmers Gadders and Changlings as the Product of discontented Spirits that did not know when they were well or at leastwise would not And then in Chap. 6. he follows his Charge and Reproves them 1. For a stubborn Refusal to walk in the Antient ways of the Church 2. For Revolting from them by a perpetual Backsliding Ver. 28. 3. For being no better than Reprobate Silver And in Chap. 18 He calls upon them to Return from the Evil of their own new Ways to walk in the Antient and true ways of God from which they were without any just Cause ungratfully and unkindly departed But instead of hearkning to him they gave him this resolute Answer at ver 12 There is no Hope but we will walk after our own Devices and we will every one do the Imaginations of his own Heart To which dreadful Answer of theirs the Prophet makes this lamentable Reply ver 13. Therefore thus saith the Lord Ask ye now amongst the Heathen who hath heard such things the Virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing And again at ver 15. he pronounceth a dreadful Sentence against them in the Name of the Lord in this Form of Words Because my People have forgotten me and have burnt Incense to Vanity and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the Antient Paths to walk in Paths in a way not cast up I must confess I have had great searching of Heart what the meaning of the Peoples words might be in the first Part of their Answer viz. There is no Hope Certainly it could not be There is no Hope of Salvation For the close of their Answer imports the contrary for they said We will walk after our own Devices and we will every one do the Imaginations of his own Heart It seems by this Answer that they did intend to serve God some way or other but it must be in such a way as pleased them and in no other way did they intend to walk So that I understand by these Words of theirs There is no hope they mean that the Prophet had no hope of Reclaiming them from following their own ways that he might as well hold his Peace and say nothing as to persuade them to return from their new Practice that they had taken up to Repair to the Antient ways of God and so eager and to earnest and so intent and resolute were they to make good their seditious Words that they were making ready to run a way from him and get out of the hearing of him and this is clear if we consider the words of the Prophet in Chap. 2. 25. His Words There are these Wiâ—h hold thy Foot from being unshod and thy Throat from thirst but thou saidst there is no Hope no for I have loved Strangers and after them will I go They were putting off their Shooes to run in their Vamps with more speed and hast to get out of his sight and hearing and such a thirsty desire had they after strange Novelties that they could not stay so long with the Prophet as to give him the hearing of what it was that he had further to say to them For he would willingly have Reasoned with them butthey were in such hast that they would not stay to hear the sound of his Trumpet sound a retreat to them to return to the good old way that they had cast behind their Backs and at last by their frequent refusing to hear him and the snapishanswer that they gave him He calls Heaven and Earth to bear Witness against them in such Words as these Be astonished O ye Heavens at this And be horribly affraid Chap. 2 12. And then with bitter Sighs calls to the Earth O! Earth Earth Earth Hear the Words of the Lord. Chap. 22. 19. and elsewhere Chap. 6. 17 18 19 20. Where after he hath spoken these Words I set Watchmen over you saying Hearken to the sound of the Trumpet But they said We will not hearken He then proceeds in his Appeal to his former Evidence Therefore here ye Nations and know O Congregation what is amongst them Hear O Earth behold I will bring Evil upon this People even the Fruit of their thoughts because they have not hearkned unto my Word but Rejected it To what purpose cometh there to me Incense from Sheba and the sweet Cane from a far Country Your Offerings are not acceptable nor your Sacrifices sweet unto me From whence you may observe if ye will that the true God accepts of no kind of Service done to him that hath not the stamp of his antient High way upon it Enquire of all the Prophets and you will not find one of them that doth not sharply reprove and inveigh against all sorts of Scismaticks that have forsaken the plain High-wayes of Salvation to follow the Dictates of their own Hearts and devise to themselves new ways of Worshipping God and that every one of them did put the Trumpet to his Mouth and sound a Retreat to them to return to the High-way of Salvation wherein God had formerly led them I Confess we are under a Cloud of God's Anger and the Rod of his displeasure is upon us especially in our Divisions about Sacred things for if Unity Peace and Concord in a Kingdom owning Christ for our Lord and Saviour be one of the choice Blessings that we can wish for under Heaven then certainly by the rule of Contraries Divisions Discords and Dissentions are one of the greatest Plagues and Curses that can possibly â—all upon such a Kingdom and People upon Earth If Divisions bring Desolations to a well setled Common-wealth so will Divisions in the Church at last bring ruine and desolation to Religion and make us worse than the Heathen For a People so divided are in the High way to all sorts of Miseries as Christ hath assured and experience taught us If any one beneath Christ had asserted such a thing I might have mistrusted his Prediction but when the only begotten Son of God who is truth it self and therefore can not possibly lie for he is his Fathers true and faithful Witness of all things past present and to come And was not this the Voice of the Eternal Father from Heaven This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear ye him And is not this his saying A Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand but is brought to desolation that is puts the Kingdom where such Divisions are into the direct way of Desolation and Destruction Now I say that since the Son of God hath spoken the Word I dare not give him the lie by thinking that a Nation divided in it self can possibly stand in a state of security Therefore did he give this Advice and Charge to his Disciples to have Salt in themselves and to be at Peace one with another Certainly it was the same thing that the Prophet Jenemiah aimed at in that Word of Advice which with grief of
Heart he gave to Jerusalem a little befere they were carried away Captive into Babilon Chap. 6. 8. Be thou Instructed O Jerusalem Least my Soul depart from thee least I make thee Desolate a Land not Inhabited 'T is true that such Offences will come but woe be to them by whom they do come o ye think that Christ the Prince of Peace will Patronize your Divisions Will ye lay the Burthen of Spiritual Wickedness upon his Back and by force of strange Arguments compel him to bear another Cross This would be one way to Crucifie him afresh and to press him down as a Cart is pressed with Sheaves Are the Divisions of Christians pleasing to God Do ye think that Christ takes it well at your Hands to Foment so many Divisions as ye have crumbled your selves into since ye have left our Church Is the Study of Divisions the visible mark of Christianity Is this to do the Will of God on Earth as it is done in Heaven Are there any sort of Dissâ—nters there No. The Angels were never known since the Fall to fall out amongst themselves either in Heaven above or in any Service that they have been imployed in for Christ upon Earth There is no Strife or Contention amongst them they serve Christ with one Consent and Praise him with one Voice they all Glorifie his name in one Form of sound Words and Perseverance in the same Those two Servants of Christ the Evangelical Prophet Isaiah and the great Evangelist St. John do both agree in their Testimonies concerning this thing The Testimony of the Prophet is written in Chap. 6. 3. And one Cried unto another and said Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole Earth is full of his Glory The Testimony of the Evangelist is written in the Book of the Revelation Chap. 4. 8. And they Rest not Day and Night saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come You may plainly perceive by these Sacred Records that there are no Dissenters in Heaven that the Angels do serve Christ in Unity of Spirit and in Uniformity of Words So that we may easily gess who were the first Dissenters even the fallen Angels and therefore the name of a Dissenter can be no Glory to the Professors of the Christian Religion But that the fallen Angels were the first Dissenters from the way of Truth The Blessed Jesus in whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge hath put the Question out of Doubt in his Discourse with the Pharisees in John 8. 44. Where after they had told Christ that Abraham was their Father and that God was their Father Christ tells them plainly that they were Related to neither but that they were of their Father the Devil and the Lusts of your Father will ye do for he was a Murderer from the beginning and abode not in the Truth From these Words of our Saviour we may understaud what the Devils Sin is for which they are Reserved in Chains of Darkness unto the Judgment of the great Day Also From Christ's Words here it is evident that the fallen Angels did know the Truth and by their Unbelief fell from it and of pure and upright Angels became unclean Spirits and Devils For as no Man can be blamed for not abiding in a House wherein he never was neither would Christ have blamed the Devils for not abiding in the Truth if they had not known it and been Instructed in it Wherefore did Christ call Judas Devil Have I not chosen Twelve and one of you is a Devil Was it not because he knew the Truth and Preach'd the Truth and afterwards became an Enemy to it and betrayed his Lord and Master that had taught and Instructed him in it as by his Confession before he Hanged himself it was too manifest A Christians Eternal Happiness consists chiefly in two things A true Faith and an Holy Life A Judgment rightly inform'd in matters of Faith and a Conversation rightly ordered in the Practical Duties of true Holiness Those Men and Women whose Lives and Conversations are Holy are Baptized with the Holy Ghost and they that are truly Zealous for the Honour of God's Holy Name are Baptized with Fire so that to be Holy in our Lives and Zealous in our Spirits for the Glory of the Holy God is an outward Testimony of the inward Baptism of the Holy Ghost and with Fire precedent to which is the Baptism of Water the Gate of Enterance into an outward Profession of the Gospel Now both these Pillars of the Christian Religion are apparently to be seen in the Doctrine and Prayers of our Church to all that have not shut their Eyes against it nor turn'd their Back upon it I am bold therefore to say that the Service of God in our Church is Holy because it is Founded in the Holy Scriptures Composed of Precepts Examples or Commands Collected out of the Holy Scriptures Therefore many of our Prayers are called by the Name of Collests because they are Collected out of those Portions of Holy Scripture that are Appointed to be Read that Day that they are used All the Hymns that we use both at Morning and Evening Prayer are the very Words of the Holy Scriptures or clearly deduced from them Those that Composed it and set it in that Sacred Order as it is now Established by Law were Dr. Cranmer Arch-Bishop of Canterbury Dr. Ridly Bishop of London Dr. Hooper Bishop of Gloucester Dr. Latimer Bishop of Worcester Dr. Thirlby Bishop of Ely Dr. Day Dean of Chichester Dr. Tayler and Dr. Cox Almoner to King Edward 6 th with divers other Pious Learned Holy and Faithful Men who out of a Godly Zeal and Sacred purpoâ—e to advance the Glory of God the Gospel of Christ ' and the Salvation of Souls Formed these Prayers for the Service of Almighty God that his Houâ—e might be called as Christ and the Prophets foretold An House of Prayer for all People suitable to the State and Condition of all sorts of the Sons and Daughters of Men High and Low Rich and Poor Bond and Free Wise and Foolish Learned and Unlearned Saints and Sinners and all that Profess the Gospel of Christ may in one pure Language and Form of sound Words call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one consent for the only Wise God hath promised it by the Mouth of the Prophet Zephaniah Chap. 3. Ver 8 9. Therefore wait ye upon me saith the Lord until the Day that I rise up to the Prey for my Determination is to gather the Nations that I may assemble the Kingdoms to pour upon them mine Indignation even all my fierce Anger for all the Earth shall be devoured with the Fire of my Jealoucy For then will I turn to the People a pure Language that they may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one Consent If all Scripture given by Inspiration is profitable for Doctrine