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A81213 The moderator: endeavouring a full composure and quiet settlement of those many differences both in doctrine and discipline, which have so long disturbed the peace and welfare of this common-wealth. Intended (especially at this time) to beget a brotherly love and unity amongst the ministers and people of all the three nations; the Parliament having now appointed a committee for receiving proposals for the propagation of the gospel. Brotherly unity amongst all Christians, especially amongst the ministers of Christ, being in it self so excellent and comely at all times, and (considering the danger and sad consequences of our present divisions) so desirable and necessary at this time: I conceive all overtures and counsels having a true tendency thereunto, worthy the publike light, and do therefore approve the publication of this ensuing discourse. Joseph Carly. Caryl, Joseph, 1602-1673, attributed name. 1652 (1652) Wing C780B; Thomason E664_1; ESTC R206830 94,748 118

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separately each from other without any care to maintaine good neighbourhood and acquaintance but rather to crosse one another in their walkes and draw sheep one from another how will they bee able to answer it to him that hath intrusted them with the joynt care of his flock I find that when the soul Cant. 1. 7 8 which is in love with Christ doth seeke to find him out it is afraid to turne aside unto the flockes of his companions and when it is directed how to come to him it is bid goe forth by the footsteps of the flock and feed besides the shepheards tents whence wee may observe that the multitude of flocks under many pretending to bee Christs companions doe perplex the soule and turne it aside from him but the unitie of the flock under shepheards that are united is the way wherein Christ is to bee found Thirdly their relation to the workes of their employment doth wholly necessitate them to maintaine mutuall love and unitie because not onely these duties in themselves are a principall part of their worke but what ever else doth belong to their charge whether it concerne the Church or the Gospel it can neither bee acceptable unto God nor profitable unto men except it bee done in the spirit of love and unitie First then that these duties are recommended unto them as a maine part of the very worke which is chiefly to be a●med at in their profession I suppose hath been abundantly made out by that which formerly hath been alleadged Secondly that nothing can bee acceptable unto God without this frame of spirit is evident because God is love and hee that loveth not knoweth not God 1 John 4. 8. and on the contrary hee that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him ibid. Vers 16. Moreover he that doth not all his workes in love as he is commanded 1 Cor. 16. 14. transgresseth the whole Law by the unlovely frame of his spirit because as love is the fulfilling of the whole Law Rom. 13. 8 9 10. So the want of it must needs bee the transgression of the whole Law and hee that is not subject to the Law of God cannot please him saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 7 8. And as nothing can bee acceptable unto God which is not done in love so it cannot bee profitable unto men For if God blesse it not how can it prosper towards them and how can hee blesse that which is displeasing to him And then the Apostle tells us that knowledge is apt to puffe men up but it is Charitie which edifieth 1 Cor. 8. 1. And what I say of love may bee verified of unitie as it is the fruit of love inseparable from it in Christs aime John 37. 23. and equally recommended to us by the Apostle 1 Cor. 1. 10. and 2 Cor. 13. 11. Ephes 4. 1. Ephes 4. 1. till 7. Phil. 2. 2. whence wee see that all things which are to bee done by any must thus bee qualified to find acceptance but if wee looke more distinctly upon the proper workes of their employment towards the Church and for the Gospel wee shall perceive more cleerly the intrinsecall coherence which is found between these duties and the Ministeriall administrations For the workes of their administration towards the Church are all the Ordinances of God belonging to the publick worship in the word and prayer whereunto the Sacraments the Acts 6. 4 Government and the Discipline are subordinate that therein by the Word and Prayer the Saints may have communion with God through the Spirit The whole substance and summe of all that they have to doe is expressed by the Apostle Ephes 4. Ephes 4. from Vers 11. till 17. where I observe that all the gifts and Vers 11. Offices which Christ hath given to his Church both the extraordinary of Apostles Prophets and Evangelists and the ordinary of Pastors and teachers their worke is the same towards the Church unto the worlds end namely this 1. To bee serviceable Vers 12. in perfecting the Saints and in building up the body of Christ in Faith and knowledge till they all come to the unitie thereof unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ Vers 13. Where wee see that the end of their worke is nothing else but the perfection of unitie and consequently if any should not aime at this it is evident that they come short of the true end of their administration of the ordinances and shoot not at the marke which God hath set before them Secondly their service is to preserve by this meanes the Vers 14. Professors of Christianitie from that unsettlement which is brought upon those that are children in understanding by the different doctrines of men and their sleights and cunning craftinesse whereby they lay in wait to deceive the simple and draw disciples after them whence wee may gather that if the true Ministers had done their worke as they should have done in love and unitie from the beginning of the Reformation the deceivers of these times would never have prevailed so as they have done hitherto But because this hath not been intended therefore they have gotten all the advantages that they can desire and wish for both against us and all other Protestants Thirdly their worke is not onely to unite them in faith and Vers 15. knowledge and to preserve them from seducers but to endeavour their growth in all things into him who is their head Christ by the sinceritie and truth of love Fourthly and to this effect their worke is to compact them Vers 16. and joyne them together as one body to build up themselves in love by that which every joynt is able to supply unto another Whence wee may most evidently perceive that the whole substance of their worke towards the Church and Saints to perfect them and build them up is in effect nothing but this to unite them in the faith and knowledge of Christ to preserve them from unsettlement and to cause them grow up within themselves by the loving communication of their graces to each other As concerning the work which they are to intend for the Gospel to maintain the profession of it in the world it is in a word to uphold the truth which is after godlinesse that it Tit. 1. 1. may be acknowledged to bee the grace of God which bringeth salvation and that it may appeare unto all men to teach them to Tit. 2. 11 12 13 14. deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and the Saviour Jesus Christ who gave himselfe for us that hee might redeeme us from all iniquity and purifie unto himselfe a peculiar people jealous of good workes Now to hold forth this word of life the Apostle requireth in all Professours and therefore most of all in
Wee are then all commanded and that as a dutie wherein wee are to walke worthy of the vocation wherewith wee are called to study the unitie of the Spirit in the bond of peace because all our fundamentall relations to all the meanes and to Christ and God the Authors of our salvation are one and the same Ephes 4. 1 2 3 4. 5 6. and 1 Cor. 1. 10 11 12 13. and 2 Cor. 13. 11. Col. 3. 13 14 15. Therefore wee are commanded againe and againe to be of the same mind each towards another Rom. 12. 16. Phil. 2. 2. to have the same love and to be of one accord Phil. 2. 2. and 1 Pet. 3. 8. and 1 John 4. 7 8. 11 12. 5. 1. and 2 John 5 6. and 1 Pet. 1. 22. and the measure and hight of this love is that we are bound in imitation of Christ to lay downe our lives for our brethren 1 John 3. 16. and Joh. 15. 12 13. far more then ought wee to deny our selves in lesser things The effects of these graces and the meanes to honour the holy profession by the practise thereof are of two sorts the one positive the other negative The positive effects of the spirit of love and unitie are the expressions of all good will towards others in the common profession and the use of all the meanes whereby the integritie thereof may be upheld in every one These are chiefly 1 Mutuall care to build up each other to pray for each other to keep each other in the love of God Jud. 20. 21. and to this effect 2 To looke to each others things and not to our owne things alone Phil. 2. 4. and 1 Cor. 10. 24. 3 To serve each other in love Gal. 5. 13. 4 To please our neighbour for good to his edification Rom. 15. 2. 5 To provoke one another to love and good workes Heb. 10. 24. and to follow the good whereunto we are provoked Hebr. 12. 14. 6 To exhort and admonish one another Heb. 3. 13. Rom. 15. 14. 7 To preferre others to our selves in love and by humility Rom. 12. 10. Phil. 2. 3. 8 To have compassion on each other in cases of infirmitie considering our owne condition lest wee also be tempted Jud. 22. Gal. 6. 1. 9 To beare one anothers burdens and in the spirit of meeknesse supporting the weake to restore one another Gal. 6. 1 2. and 1 Thes 5. 14. Rom. 15. 1. 10 To make a difference of faults and to save some as pulling them out of the fire Jud. 22 23. The negative effects of this spirit are the inclinations and indeavours whereby all evills which may occasion the breach of unitie or love are avoided And to this effect wee are commanded 1 Not to seeke or to please our selves Rom. 15. 1. 3. Phil. 2. 4. 6 7 8. 2 Not to have any evill will or hatred against any 1 Pet. 2. 1. and 1 John 2. 9 10 11. 3 Not to bee vaine-glorious to provoke any or to envie one another Gal. 5. 26. 4 Not to revenge or recompense evill with evill Rom. 12. 17. 19. 21. and 1 Thes 5. 15. but to forbeare and to forgive one another in cases of offence Ephes 4. 2. Col. 3. 13. 5 Not to murmur nor dispute nor to give offence unto any Phil. 2. 14 15 16. and 1 Cor. 10. 32. 6 Not to strive nor to fight nor to beat our fellow servants Matth. 24. 49. and to avoid this it is especially required in the Ministers of the Gospel 2 Tim. 2. 24 25. Of all which and such like duties whereof the Scriptures are full and which tend to perfect the Saints in their holy communion and to direct brethren in the common profession of Christianitie to advance truth and holinesse in themselves and others wee must say this that they oblige Ministers in a threefold respect above others For they are not onely bound to observe these rules in all their wayes as they are Christians but they are moreover bound to observe them First towards all more eminently then other common professors because they are appointed to bee the Salt of the earth and the light of the world and as a City built upon a hill that cannot bee hid Matth. 5. 13 14. Secondly towards their fellow Ministers more especially and distinctly then towards others because they are bound to them by a double tie of followship viz. by that of Christianitie and that of the Ministery And thirdly they are bound to observe these rules towards the workes and in the performances of their Ministeriall administrations more exactly then in and towards other common duties because those workes and performances are of a more important nature then other workes as being more universail and more leading in their kind and such as more neerly concerne the glory of God and reflect upon the soules of men in order to him so that a small failing in any of these is more hurtfull to the profession then a greater fault in any other kind So that wee must forcibly conclude that because all the common rules of Christianitie are more obligatory unto Ministers towards one another in the duties of their calling then unto common professors that therefore the chief and most fundamentall rules of the holy profession which concerne love and unitie communion and correspondency are more binding towards them chiefly in the workes of their Ministeriall administration then towards any others and consequently that the neglect of the least of these duties in any of them is a greater guilt and lesse excusable then in any others the commission of a grosse misdemenour A little moat in the eye will trouble the whole body more then a great handfull of dirt and dust cast upon any other part of the face and the least prick that may bee in the heart or in the pia mater of the braine as Physitians say will kill a man infallibly but a great wound in the flesh nay a stab through the whole body may be cured A thorne in a small joynt will indanger a gangrene to the whole body whereas a great impostume in a part of the flesh will be without danger may be a means though with some trouble to purge the whole of many evill humours Thus a little sparke of disaffection in one Minister against another or breach of unitie in the least dutie of their charge may prove infinitely more hurtfull to the whole Church of God then great and grosse hostilities in common professors for matters of outward concernment Now amongst all the faults and defaults of Ministers in their charge that of the want of mutuall love and of care to maintaine the unitie of the spirit in the profession of Christianitie together with a delight to stand at a distance by themselves is to me one of the greatest because it doth directly crosse the chief end of their Ministeriall function which is to gather the beleevers into one visible body and to bring that body to the