A PERSWASIVE TO Peace Unity AMONG CHRISTIANS Notwithstanding their different Apprehensions in lesser things 1 Cor. 1.10 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 ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same Judgment Phil. 2.2 Fulfill ye my joy that ye be like minded having the same Love being of one accord of one mind Rom. 14.19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for Peace and things wherewith one may edifie another LONDON Printed for B. Aylmer at the Three Pigeons in Cornhil near the Poultry 1672. A PERSWASIVE TO Peace and Unity AMONG CHRISTIANS THE deep sense of the very ill effects of our Church-Divisions hath put me as it should do every good Christian upon healing considerations An account of some of which I shall give in the following Discourse which I shall ground on the words of St. Paul Eph. 4.3 Endeavouring to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace Which contain that behaviour in part by which Christians may and ought to walk worthy of that Vocation to which they are called Unto which the Apostle doth with the greatest earnestness exhort and perswade them in this and the two former Verses And the words give us occasion to inquire into two things 1. What is meant by the Unity of the Spirit 2. How this Unity is preserved by Peace and how we are to endeavour so to preserve it 1. What is meant by the Unity of the Spirit The Unity of the Spirit is that One-ness among Christians which the Spirit of God worketh or effecteth by the Gospel which is the Ministration of the Spirit For by the Spirits operation through that Men become one in Faith or Perswasion one in Profession one in Affection and one in Communion And by their Union and agreement in these or the three former of these they become one Body or Spiritual Corporation under Christ the Head of it By one Spirit we are all Baptized into one Body and are made to drink into one Spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 For the work of the Ministry till we all come to the Unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God Ephes 4.12 13. 1. They are by the Spirit made one in faith or perswasion touching the great fundamental truths in the Christian Religion such as the Apostle doth instance in in the three following Verses Even as ye were called in one hope of your Calling One Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all First they are all called by the Gospel to embrace Christianity in One Hope of obtaining forgiveness of sins and eternal Life Secondly they all agree in professing Faith in One Lord Jesus Christ as the only Mediator in opposition to the Lords many the many Mediators the Heathen professed to have and to worship 1 Cor. 8.5 6. Thirdly they all agree in the Belief that the Doctrine of the Gospel by Christ and his Apostles contained in the Holy Scriptures is a revelation from God touching what Men ought to believe and how they ought to live called the One Faith and the Common Faith from the Christians unanimous agreement in it Tit. 1.4 Fourthly they all agree and are one in the belief of One God and Father of all in opposition to the many Idol-gods worshipped by others Fifthly there is also One Baptism by which all the Christians with one consent make profession solemnly of their belief in and Dedication to the Worship and Service of the Father Son and Holy Ghost into whose Name they were Baptized and by which as by a sacred Rite they are solemnly declared to be of the one Body the Church By one Spirit are all Baptized into one Body 2. They all agree and are one in the Profession of the Common Faith the fundamental Doctrines of the Gospel the belief of which is of necessity to Salvation Which Profession is called The acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness Tit. 1.1 2 Tim. 2.25 The acknowledgment of the Mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ Col. 2.2 As with the heart they believe unto Righteousness so with the Mouth confession is made unto Salvation Rom. 10.10 3. So far as they are Christians indeed they are all one in affection or Brotherly Love They Love all Men even those that are not Christians with a love of compassion desiring and seeking their good but they love their fellow Christians wish a special kind of love for the appearance of good in them for their one-ness with them in the Faith called a loving or the Truths sake which is in them 2 John 1.2 And a loving them in the 〈◊〉 Tit. 3.15 By which they become One 〈◊〉 and 〈…〉 togethâ—◠〈◊〉 Love Act. 4.32 Col. 2.2 And hence it is that Faith in our Lord 〈◊〉 Christ and love to all the Saints are frequently joyned together in Scripture 4. All they that rightly be of the Unity of the Spirit are also one in Communion One in their Communion in Grace mutually loving one another and praying one for another One in Communion in Gifts edifying one another as they have opportunity And one in Communion in Ordinances communicating together in Ordinances of Divine Worship Spiritually with all and locally with those among whom they live 1 Cor. 10.17 For we being many are one Bread and one Body for we are all partakers of that one Bread These are the things in which the Unity of the Spirit doth especially consist Not that I limit it to these only for it is the work of the Spirit in the Gospel to be bringing the Believers to speak all the same thing and to be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgment in the lesser things of Religion as well as the greater but their actual agreement lyeth mostly in the greater 2. How this Unity is preserved by Peace and how we are to endeavour so to preserve it Unity in the whole community of Christians is preserved by each Member's observing the Laws and Rules made for the Government and good Order of the whole in their carriage towards each other For while every Man Acts his own part only and keeps in his own Rank according to Rule there is no confusion no disturbance no division and peace and confusion or disorder are put in opposition to one another 1 Cor. 14.33 Christ the Head of the Church or Spiritual Corporation hath made several excellent Laws and Rules to govern the Members of his Body in their behaviour one towards another for the common good of the whole and for the Honour of their Religion and of him who is the great Founder of it As that all their things should be done in Charity That they be gentle and courteous humble and condescending in Honour
of proceeding to give or to receive satisfaction there yet remains a difference in judgment about things which are not of the essence of Christianity yet there will be no unpeaceable striving nor contending no ill and provoking reflexions among such as are of this humble and modest temper but they will quietly and patiently bear with one another in Love as knowing themselves not to be infallible The Servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all Men patient in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves shewing all meekness to all men 2 Tim. 2.24 25. Tit. 3.2 It was said of our Lord himself who was meek and lowly in heart that he shall not strive nor cry neither shall any man hear his voyce in the streets Mat. 12.19 And if this way of proceeding will not reconcile the different-minded to our judgment when we have truth on our side much less will any thing that we can do in a more imperious and passionate way of proceeding For the wrath of Man worketh not the Righteousness of God It is no fit Instrument or Tool for that Work Jam. 1.20 Whereas by a patient and peaceable forbearance not only Unity in affection and Communion is preserved but many times the dissenting party won upon and brought to a better understanding By long forbearing is a Prince perswaded and a soft Tongue breaketh the bone Prov. 25.15 And as for Charity there is nothing qualifies a Man more to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace then this The several properties of it are described by St. Paul in 1 Cor. 13 4-7 Do as it were conspire and naturally tend to promote peace and good agreement To what degree Charity dwells in any Man to that degree it disposeth him to suffer long and to forbear revenge to be kind and ready to do good and indisposeth him to Envy others in what they excell him to vaunt himself or to be puffed up or to behave himself unseemly or unbecomingly in word or deed or to seek his own with neglect of others benefit or to be easily provoked or to think or surmize evil or to Interpret things to the worst sence or to rejoyce in anothers halting though an Adversary but inclines him to rejoyce in the Truth and when right to keep place It enables a Man to bear with all things in another so far as is consistent with his and the general good to believe all things that are any wayes credible that tend to excuse or commend others To hope all things and not to despair but that a Neighbour may by his Charitable endeavours be recovered though he hath miscarried and to endure all things labour pains and many inconveniencies to himself so he may but be serviceable to others And if these be the properties of Charity well may it be called the bond of perfectness and Christians exhorted above all things to put it on How can it be thought that they can ever divide or separate in whom Love with these properties dwells And as Charity is of a healing so it is also of a comprehensive Nature I can scarce propose any endeavours properly useful to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace but more or less of these properties of Charity will be found in them And it is so universally usefull for the right conduct of all affairs in the Church that St. Paul gives it in charge thus 1 Cor. 16.14 Let all your things be done with Charity a line and vein of this should run through all And if all Christians had but this salt in themselves to allude to Mark 9. it would so season their converse that they would have peace one with another Where there is entireness of affection and a peaceable correspondence among Christians it makes them unwilling to differ from one another in judgment or practice There is such a comfort in Love as the phrase is Phil. 2.1 that it makes them very unwilling to admit of any difference that may diminish that comfort or weaken that love And this disposeth them to look not on their own things only but also on the things of others and to weigh without prejudice or partiallity what each offers to other which is the way to have the weaker brought over to the stronger in any thing wherein they differ And in this way doth the Church edifie it self in love Ephes 4.16 Being knit together in love even unto all riches of full assurance of understanding as the phrase is Col. 2.2 And indeed it is a common thing for one Man to be brought over to anothers judgment through affection to him being prepared thereby to give his reasonings the greatest liberty and scope in his judgment Whereas on the contrary it is a strong temptation to Men to differ from them in judgment and practice from whom they have departed in affection St. Paul could easily believe there were divisions in the Church of Corinth when he fore-knew there would be Heresies among them the one being the fore-runner of the other and a lesser difference making way for a greater as by sad experience we have seen in our dayes 1 Cor. 11.18 19. St. Paul observed it in some who having first swerved from Charity they quickly turned aside unto vain jangling 1 Tim. 1.5 6. Whereas Love is the bond of perfectness as it is called it is the strongest bond it holds the parts longest and fastest together Col. 3.14 It being a Master grace and of a benigne Nature it hath a kindly influence upon a mans judgment and whole practice As the integrity of the upright doth guide them so will their Charity too He that loveth his Brother abideth in the light and there is no occasion of stumbling in him 1 Joh. 2.10 It is doubtless then more for want of love then want of light when the Unity of the Spirit is not kept in the bond of peace This then is the first Direction that we would by a diligent use of all good means and motives cherish and nourish Humility and Charity in our minds and Spirits as principles of such a peaceable behaviour as directly tends to preserve Unity in the Church II. Direction This Unity is to be endeavoured to be kept in the bond of Peace by all good Christians by their being careful to abstain from despising and censuring one another upon account of their different apprehensions about the lesser things in Religion so long as they are agreed in the main Unless these be forborn in such cases its next to an impossibility to preserve peace and Unity among them These unchristian practices as they are the effects of pride and uncharitableness so they are and have been two great peace-destroyers and Church-dividers There is and ever hath been and will be different measures of knowledge understanding and grace in the several Members of the same Body Some are weak in the Faith and some strong some Babes and some strong Men. Upon account
dishonour but rather their glory to condescend to those that are below and that those again whose standing is in the Valley would not think it too much to travel up the Hill to meet them And if it be thought too much to strive who shall go before another in giving Honour Rom. 12.18 yet if both sorts that differ would but go as far as they well may both in respect of Conscience and prudence towards compounding the difference how soon and how easily might both ends be brought together and the bond of Peace which hath been broken be pieced again To this end consider and lay to heart those few things which I shall lay before you 1. I shall commend to you the best patern which you can imitate and against which there can be no exception and that is God himself who though he be so infinitely above all as to stand in no need of the Friendship of Men yet out of the Infinite goodness of his Nature hath humbled himself not only to behold the things on Earth but even to seek the reconciliation of his Enemies to himself and to propose new and easie terms of Friendship when the old had been violated God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them 2 Cor. 5.19 And not to reconcile them to himself only but also to one another in their common head and center of Union Christ Jesus That in the dispensation of the fulness of time he might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in Heaven and which are on Earth Ephes 1 10. And to that end hath sent forth Ambassadours of Peace to beseech them to be reconciled to God and to bring them all to the Unity of the Faith and knowledge of the Son of God Ephes 4.13 And how can we think our selves to be partakers of a Divine Nature unless we find some resemblance of this goodness of God's Nature in our selves inclining and disposing us to concord and good agreement with fellow-Christians by removing out of the way all that unnecessarily hinders it Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God Mat. 5.9 And why the Children of God but because herein they resemble him who is the God of Peace that loves Peace and seeks Peace and delights to see Men designing it and labouring at it with heart head tongue and hand Be ye therefore one and all followers of God as dear Children and walk in Love Eph. 5.1 2. Be perfect be of one mind live in Peace and the God of Love and Peace shall be with you 2 Cor. 13.11 Can you be ambitious of any greater Honour then to be like God A likeness to God is the highest Honour and perfection the Nature of any Creature is capable of And to live in Love and Peace and to seek Peace and to be Peace-makers is the way to be like him If we love one another God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us 1 John 4.12 2. If you count it either matter of Honour or comfort to be of a temper like Christ or if you think it will give you any confidence towards him for the present and at his coming as undoubtedly it will then by this be perswaded likewise to endeavour with all your might that the Unity of the Spirit may be kept in the bond of Peace For the heart and Soul of Christ is exceedingly set upon Union and good agreement of all that believe in him though they cannot all know alike and think alike in every thing yet for all that he is greatly desirous they should all hold together as one in Faith and Love And therefore in that solemn Prayer of his to his Father John 17. when he was leaving the World he singles out this in special as the matter of his request to his Father in one of the last Prayers he was to make in this World that they all might be one and be perfected in one His heart and desire was so full of this and so set upon it that he is at it over and over mentioning it no less then four times in the same Prayer ver 11.21 22 23. And why was his heart so much in this Was it think you for himself or for us For his own sake or for ours He desired no greater thing for himself then to be Glorified with the Glory he had with the Father before the World was before ever he entred upon his Mediatory Office ver 5. No it was for us Men and for our comfort and benefit that he so much desired it as knowing how much the Peace comfort and Edification of his People depended upon it and how much the Conversion of the World depended on it as necessary to make a right representation of Christ to the World that they might believe that the Father had sent him And was his heart so much in it And did he concern himself so much about it for our sakes And shall we our selves value it so little as to prefer little and inconsiderable things before it and that rather for will and humour then any tye of Conscience O God forbid If we do it is a sign we do not yet well understand the things that belong to our peace but that they are hid from our eyes And if Christ's heart was so much set upon the Unity and Concordance of his followers we must needs think they are Men according to his own heart that heartily design desire and endeavour it too And is not that honour enough Which sounds of most Honour to David That he was a King Or that he was a Man after God's own heart And who are like to be most dear unto Christ but those who are most like him and make one heart with him The more you shall find your hearts run out to this thing as Christ's did the more you find your selves of his mind spirit and temper herein the better assurance you will have and the greater comfort in that assurance of your dwelling in him and he in you Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his Spirit 1 John 4.13 But if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8.9 Truly if Men were but as forward to gratifie and please our Lord in this that is so pleasing to him as they seem to be in some other things in which he never discovered himself to take any such pleasure things would be quite at another pass among us And yet if pleasing him be the business and not somewhat else why should not we be most for that in which he most delights 3. Your contentions and Divisions if you will still live in them and maintain them will hinder your Spiritual improvement and keep you from thriving by the means of grace which you enjoy It was a sad thing that St. Paul charged upon the Corinthians viz. That
their coming together and exercising themselves in the Holy Ordinances of the Lord was not for the better but for the worse 1 Cor. 11.17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not that you come not together for the better but for the worse But what was the cause of this or upon what doth he ground this charge of their going backward in Religion Verily it was their Divisions that was the cause of this mischief For first of all saith he when you come together in the Church I hear that there are divisions among you ver 18. That Church abounded in Spiritual gifts being enriched in every thing in all utterance and all knowledge so that they came behind in no gift Chap. 1.5.7 They thrived in these indeed but then they went backward in their Humility and Charity and goodness of their Spirit and temper which made the Apostle to spend almost a whole Chapter in commending Charity above Spiritual gifts to them besides the several hints he gives of their being puffed up Though they might well have been Spiritual Christians considering the opportunity and means they had to make them such yet because of Euvring Strife and Divisions among them some following one Teacher and some another in opposition St. Paul could not as he saith write to them as to Spiritual but only as to Carnal such as were but Babes still and unthriven in the Life and Spirit of Christianity their envying strife and divisions keeping them thus low under the means of higher attainments in grace 1 Cor. 3.1 2 3. The truth is Divisions Wranglings and Janglings and Contentions eat out the very heart of Religion Men may grow rich in a Form of knowledge and express a great zeal for the out side of Religion and yet in the mean time be languishing in the very vitals of Christianity when that knowledge and zeal is not improved and spent for the farthering of Peace and Love with other Christian Virtues Your Divisions and Contentions Christians will be as a Worm at the root of your Tree that will keep it from thriving whatever cost you otherwise bestow upon it If then you have any mind to keep up Religion in heart among us and not to have your Wine to become as Water having lost its Spirit If you would have the Gospel-Ordinances yield their increase and your Religion not degenerate into Form If you would yield the Lord the acceptable and pleasant Fruit of all his cost and not such as is starvie harsh and unsavoury If you would not turn the Fruit of Righteousness into Hemlock If you would be free from such a distemper as will hinder your Spiritual relish and convert your food to a noxious humour and subject you to a spiritual languishing in the midst of a plentiful provision for Spiritual health and growth Then lay aside your divisions about matters of doubtful disputation and follow after the things which make for peace and things whereby you may edifie one another in love What knowledge soever you have and what zeal soever you express for any truth as you conceive it to be yet if while you hold fast other things you let go Charity your knowledge of and your zeal in prosecuting and promoting the same though it were to the losing of your life will profit you nothing 1 Cor. 13.2.3 I hough I understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though I give my Body to be burned and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing A thing which neerly concerns all such to mind that are more careful and tender lest some other controverted and supposed truth should suffer then charity peace and concord should suffer and care not what rents and divisions they make so they may but propagate their particular opinion If there be bitter zeal as some translate it glory not of thy knowledge and lie not against the truth in saying that 's the way to promote it Jam. 3.14 If you would thrive under the means of grace indeed and be growing up to perfection then be sure to be much for Charity and Unity You have much talk of perfection among some and many that pretend to it that are far from it but I think it consists in nothing more next our love to God then in the Saints Love and Unity This is the cry of the Scripture That they made perfect in one John 17.23 Be perfect be of one mind live in Peace 2 Cor. 13.11 Above all these put on Charity which is the bond of perfectness Col. 3.14 If we love one another God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us 1 John 4.12 If some do grow in grace after they have fallen into dividing wayes and separating practises as I am not so uncharitable but to think that they do while the errour lyes not in their will but in their judgment yet this growth is not to be attributed at all to that wherein they differ from other good Christians not of their way who grow in grace too but to those sound Principles of Christianity wherein both the one and the other are agreed And I have good reason to think that the same improvement of those unquestionable Principles by which they grow in grace their separation notwithstanding would set them much forwarder in that growth in case they were at Liberty from the intanglements of separation then under them it can Because those wayes of Division and Separation do Naturally tend to narrow Men's Spirits and Charity and to cause them to think that many are not of the Church of Christ which indeed are and to have low thoughts of many that yet are highly eminent in the Church for their worth and Service and all because they are not of their way and besides through prejudice they deprive themselves of many happy advantages of Spiritual growth which otherwise they would make use of And those that abound most in a well-grounded and regular Charity have doubtless the more of God's presence and assistance with them for their Spiritual growth and comfort too as others for want of it have the less If he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him 1 Joh. 4.16 then those that abound most in Love must needs have most of God's presence both to assist quicken and comfort them Live in Peace and the God of Love and Peace shall be with you to increase these and to help you to propagate them 2 Cor. 13.11 and to give you great Peace in so doing as some have found by Experience But though the wayes of separation among us do but as the Rickets hinder some in their growth and not totally deprive them of it yet it is to be feared they make some others much worse then they were before they came into them more goodly and self-conceited more proud and imperious slighting and despising others that are much better then themselves and over-valuing themselves quite upon account of the Form and Church they are got