infinite scandall that comes by dissention Oh that there were such hearts in us Christ expects it from us all but especially from his Ministers for they are his Ambassadours for peace to beseech men in his stead to be reconciled to God reconciliation with God will reconcile us one to another If God so loved us we ought also to love one another 1 John 4. 11. The faces of the Cherubims in the Temple looked one towards another which some think signified the agreement that should be amongst Ministers of the Gospel So the six branches in the Candlestick joyned all in one those who hold the light of truth before others should be united in peace in one amongst themselves The first thing Christs Ministers were to doe when they came to any place was to say Peace be to that place if any sons of peace were there they were to abide otherwise not Surely then it is expected that themselves should be sonnes of peace The contentions of private Christians are offensive but the contentions of Ministers is a scandall with a witnesse Yet in all Ages of the Church the corrupt Clergie have been the greatest causes of divisions they have been of the most cruell spirits against any that differed from them But let not such a spirit be in us we have enough to do to contend with the wicked of the world with the malice of Satan let us not contend one with another Luther writing to the Ministers of Norimberg brings in Christ saying to them Satis est vobis ob nomen meum malorum You are like to suffer evil enough for my name you need not be afflictions one to another It was barbarousnesse in the Priests of Baal to cut and slash themselves but it is worse for the Ministers of Jesus Christ to cut and slash one another 1 Kings 6. 23. The Cherubims were made of the Olive tree If you be typified by them as we hinted before let it appeare that you are olives not brambles yea and v. 31. For the entring of the Oracle the doores were of Olive-tree who will believe that you bring the Oracles of God with you when they see by your froward contentious carriage that you never entred in at these doores People cannot but think it a miserable thing to have a scratching tearing bramble to be over them Oh that God would set the beauty glory of peace friendship love before us That this precious pearle Vnion might be highly valued by us All men are taken in some degree or other with the excellency and sweetness of love and friendship Some men sayes Cicero despise riches others honours those things that by some are delighted in by others are vilified but all men of all sorts have a high esteem of friendship they think there can be no life without it Gen. 34. 21. The great commendation that Hamor and Shechem give of Jacob and his Sons as an argument to perswade the men of Shechem to joyn with them in the giving their daughters to them for wives and in taking theirs is These men are peaceable with us A peaceable disposition is very convincing Cant. 6. 6. My dove my undefiled is but one she is the onely one of her mother she is the choice one of her that bare her What then followes The daughters saw her and blessed her yea the Queenes and the Concubines and they praised her Who I se she that looketh forth as the morning faire as the moone cleare as the Sunne terrible as an Army of Banners Let the Saints be but one and then they will appeare beautifull and glorious indeed yea they will be terrible as an army of Baners Evagrius in his Ecclesiasticall History records an Epistle of Cyrill of Alexandria written to John of Antioch upon the occasion of a Pacificatory Epistle of John unto him his spirit was so taken with it that it breaks forth thus Let the heavens rejoyce and let the earth be glad the mid wall of rancour is battered downe the boyling choler which bereaved the mindes of quietnesse is purged from among us and all the occasion of discord and dissention is banished away for our Saviour Iesus Christ hath granted peace unto the Churches under heaven The Thebans made Harmonia a goddesse they accounted her the defender and patronesse of their City Harmonious peaceable uniting dispositions have much of God in them if not from sanctifying grace yet it is from a common work of the Spirit of God there is a noblenesse in such a heart By the Lawes of England Noblemen have this priviledge that none of them can be bound to the peace because it is supposed that a Noble disposition will never be engaged in brawles and contentions it is supposed that the peace is alwayes bound to him that of his own accord he will be carefull to preserve it It is the base Bramble that rends and teares Nazianzen reports of Alexander who having taken a City and consulting what to doe one Parmenius answered If he were King he would raze the City to the ground Alexander answers So would I too if I were what you are rigour may become you but gentlenesse becomes me Gentlenesse mercy goodnesse love tendernesse of others sufferings are the greatest ornaments to a noble spirit If this be sanctified the glory of God shines bright indeed in such a heart For God glories in this to be the God of peace and love 1 Thess 5. 23. The very God of peace 2 Thess 3. 16. The Lord of peace himselfe Jesus Christ in being the Prince of peace the holy Ghost in being like a Dove that hath no gall the Gospel is the Gospel of peace the Kingdome of God is peace as well as righteousnesse the legacy that Christ left is a legacy of peace the Apostolicall benediction is grace mercy and peace the glory of the Church is in this that it is a City compact at unity within it selfe Yea this will be the glory of that glorious Church that God is raising a new Jerusalem there shall be no more crying there Apoc. 21. 4. Ezech. 14. 9. The Lord shall be King over all the earth in that day there shall be one Lord and his name shall be one There is but one Lord now but he is called by different names but in that day his name shall be but one Zeph. 3. 9. Then will I turne to a people of pure language that they may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one consent The Hebrew word is with one shoulder now we shoulder one another but then all shall serve the Lord with one shoulder This love and peace is compared to the most delightfull and the most profitable things Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell at unity it is like the precious ointment upon the head that ranne downe upon the beard even Aarons beard that went downe to the skirts of his garment as the dew of
he was wont They hinder the blessing of God Psalm 133. The Psalmist commending the love of Brethren concludes There the Lord commanded the blessing even life for evermore There that is where the love of Brethren is there is a blessing a blessing commanded by God it comes with power and this no less then life and this life for evermore God dwels in Salem sayes Luther not in Babylon where there is peace not where there is confusion Lastly yea they hinder all good They are like the Torrid Zone nothing can prosper under it When the Dog-star rises no plants thrive as an other times When a fire is kindled in a Town the bels ring backward When fires of contention are kindled in places all things go awke There is little joy in any thing Thus you see how great evill there is in our divisions in respect of what good we lose by them now then consider whether it be possible that any gain we can get by them can recompense this loss can any thing got by them quit the cost But if it could be supposed our loss may be recompensed yet I am sure nothing can countervail the evill there is in them in respect of the sinfulness of them That is the next head CHAP. XXVIII The sinfulnesse of our Divisions THough there be sin in many things mentioned yet we considered them in reference to our good that was hindred but now let us consider what venome of sin there is in them The number 2. hath been accounted accursed because it was the first that departed from unity The departure from that unity God would have is a very cursed thing for it hath much sin in it That which S. Aug. sayes of originall sin we may well apply to our divisions They are sin the punishment of sin the cause of sin nothing but a heap of sin First they are against the solemn charge and command of God and of Jesus Christ 1 John 3. 23. This is his commandement that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another as he gave us commandement It is not an arbitrary thing that we should love one another but it is the command of God and a great command joyned to that of beleeving in his Son Jesus Christ The one is as truly necessary to salvation as the other Let men talk of faith of believing on the Son of God of trusting to free grace in Christ yet if they have dividing contending spirits no love no sweetness no grace of union with the Saints their faith is a dead faith And because God stands much upon this to have his people live together in love at the beginning of the verse he sayes it is his commandement at the end of the verse he sayes he gave us commandement And it is also observable that he sayes of the commandement of love that he gave us that commandement It is a gift for it is a sweet commandement We should not onely submit to it as being bound by the authority of it but we should open our hearts to it and embrace it joyfully as a gift from God The commandement of love God gives us as a gift from his love The excellency of these commandements are further amplified ver 24. And he that keepeth his commandements dwelleth in him and he in him I do not thinke that you can finde in all the Scripture any command of God in one ver and a piece of another so inculcated and commended Again chap. 4. 21. This commandement have we from him that he who loveth God loves his brother also If you think you have any command to love God or to believe in Jesus Christ know the same authority layes a command upon you to love your brother also Joh. 15. 12. This is my commandement that ye love one another as I have loved you And ver 17. These things I cowmand you that ye love one another Christ you see likewise makes a great matter of the Saints loving one another Surely the sinne then must needs be great that breaks such a great commandement as this upon which God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son layes so much weight Secondly these unkind and unloving divisions are against the prayer of Jesus Christ yea against that prayer he made for us a little before he died Joh. 17. 21. he prayes to his Father that all who did believe and should after believe on him might be one as his Father is in him and he is in his Father and that they may be one in the Father and him as if he should say Oh Father I am now going out of the world and I foresee when I am gone even those whom thou hast given me who are one in me and in thee will meet with strong temptations to divide them one from another but oh Father I beseech thee let thy fatherly care be over them to keep their hearts together that they might be united in the strongest union that is possible for creatures to be united in Oh Father let them be one as thou and I am one Would we not be loath to lose the benefit of that heavenly prayer of Christ for us in that 17. of Joh. read it over see what soul-ravishing excellency there is in it seeing he hath expresly said he intended us who live now in it as well as those Disciples who then lived with him let us prize this prayer as being more to us then ten thousand worlds Luther writes a chiding Letter to Melancthon By those sinfull distrustfull fears and carking thoughts of yours sayes he you do irritas facere praeces nostras you make void our prayers How great then is the evill of our divisions by them we do what in us lies to make void as concerning us the prayer that blessed prayer of Jesus Christ Sathan sayes Christ to Peter hath desired to winnow you like Wheat but I have prayed for you that your faith fail not He shall not prevail sayes Christ Why Because I have prayed for you Oh blessed Saviour is not thy prayer against our divisions as strong Canst not thou prevail with thy Father as well in this as in that We know thy Father did and does ever hear thee some way or other this prayer of CHRIST is and shall be heard yet our sin is not the less for it tends to the frustrating of Christs prayer Sathan desires to winnow us in our divisions but he desires not to have the Chaffe divided from the Wheat he rather would have the Chaffe mixed with the Wheat The mixing the Chaffe with the Wheat makes a great stirre amongst us But Christs prayer which helped Peter in his winnowing we hope will help us in ours only let not us do any thing that makes against it Thirdly our divisions are against our own prayers How often have many who now are estrang'd from one another heretofore so prayed together as their hearts have seemed to melt one into
Faith gets above and sayes It shall be I descry land and thus quiets all in the soule all being quiet there the turbulent motions that are in our spirits one towards another are soon quieted 3. Humility COloss 3. 12. Put on as the elect of God bowels of mercies kindnesse humblenesse of minde Ephes 4. 2. With all lowlinosse and meeknesse and long-suffering forbearing one another in love endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace Phil. 2. 3. Let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory but in lowlinesse of minde let each esteeme others better then himselfe We may say of Humility as Tertullus Acts 24 said of Felix By thee we enjoy great quietnesse An humble heart looks upon every truth of God as infinitely above it selfe therefore it is willing to receive it from any a child may lead it Esay 11. 6. One Baldassar a German Divine writing to Oecolampadius hath this notable expression Let the Word of the Lord come let it come and we will put under six hundred necks if we had them Such a disposition as this would make much for peace Esay 32. 18 19. we have a promise that the people of God should dwell in a peaceable habitation and in quiet resting places and the City shall be low in a low place When the heart lyes lowest it is quietest 4. Self-denyall THe joynts in the body cannot joyne but one part must be hollow and give way to the other Condescention of one to another is a principall thing in friendship Philip. 2. the example of Christ emptying himselfe and making himselfe to be of no reputation is set before us as an argument for our union that therefore we should doe nothing through strife be like minded having the same love and be of one accord and one minde It is indifferent to a heart emptyed of Selfe whether it conquers or be conquered so Truth may triumph In other conflicts the Conquerour hath the honour and the conquered is disgraced but in the conflicts for truth both conquered and conquerour are honourable the mercy is the greater to him that is conquered but he must have a self-denying heart to make him think so 5. Patience THe Olive the Embleme of Peace will continue greene though overflowne by the waters for a long time together After Noah had been so long in the Ark the Dove brought an Olive leafe in her mouth to him It may be an Emblem of Patience as well as Peace Patience and Peaceableness are neere akin Ephes 4. 2 3. Long-suffering is amongst the graces where the unity of the spirit is to be kept in the bond of peace There is a notable story I finde in the lives of the German Divines One Vitus Theodorus a Divine sends to advise with Melancthon what he should do when Osiander preached against him Melancthon writes to him and beseeches him for the love of God yea charges him that he should not answer Osiander again but that he should hold his peace and behave himself as if he heard nothing Vitus Theodorus writes back again This was very hard yet he would obey Let not men be too hasty to oppose oppositions but let them go on patiently in a constant way resolving to bear what they meet with and God at length will make their righteousness break forth as the light Confute evill reports by thy life He that knowes not to beare calumnies reproaches injuries he knowes not how to live sayes Chytraeus another German Divine 6. Joy in the holy Ghost ROm. 14. 17. The Kingdome of heaven is righteousness peace joy in the holy Ghost This grace in the heart puts a grace upon all a mans conversation it makes it lovely and amiable The beames of the Sunne shining upon the fire will put it out The beams of this spirituall joy will put out the fire of our passions 7. Meeknesse Gentlenesse MIlk quenches wild-fire Oyle sayes Luther quenches Lime which water sets on fire Opposition will heat will fire men when meeknesse and gentlenesse will still and quench all Cicero sayes Sweetnesse of speech and rarriage is that which seasons friendship severity in every thing and sadnesse must not be among friends in their converse such a kinde of carriage may have a seeming gravity but friendship must have a remisness it must be more free and sweet disposed to all mildness and easiness Ephes 4. 2 3. Meekness comes in as a speciall grace for peace and unity so Col. 3. 12. 8. Love THat is the speciall uniting grace Faith indeed hath the preheminence in our union with Christ our head but Love is the grace that unites the members 1 Cor. 13. the Apostle shews many of the fruits of this grace all tending to union and peace It suffers long it envies not it is not puffed up it behaves not it selfe unseemly it seeketh not her owne it is not easily provoked thinketh no evill beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things endureth all things Bearing all things and enduring all things seem to be the same Therefore some would have it it covereth all things for so the word also signifies but there is a greater elegancy in it in the Translation beareth all things it is like the crosse maine beam in a house supporting the whole building and were it not for some who have the love of God and his truth and the good of the publiquâ— enabling them to undergo what they do more then any encouragement from men all things in Church and State would be ready to fall into confusion to be nothing but a heap of rubbish but this love enables to beare all things But if they have no encouragement but see that though they hazard themselves never so much be of never so great use do the greatest services that can be expected from men yet when mens turns are served they are little regarded but envyed and narrowly watched to spy out any thing that may have some shew of excepting against them and left to shift for themselves as well as they can when they might justly expect a great reward of their services yet are disappointed their hearts are grieved But yet because they are acted by a principle of love to God his cause the publique they therefore still hold out go on in their way labour to be as instrumentall as they can for good commit themselves and all their endeavours to God expecting encouragement from him and so they endure all things such men are worth their weight in gold here is a heart that hath much of the spirit of God in it God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him No marvell though these men act so swiftly in their way no marvell though their motion in publick service be so speedy for their Charet is like that Charet of Salomons Cant. 3. 10. The middle thereof is paved with love and this is for the daughters of