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A66185 An exhortation to mutual charity and union among Protestants in sermon preach'd before the King and Queen at Hampton-Court, May 21. 1689 / by William Wake ... publish'd by His Majesties special command. Wake, William, 1657-1737. 1689 (1689) Wing W242; ESTC R4543 15,773 37

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whole World against us and teach Men to believe that 't is a Work of Piety to root us out of it and therefore that whosoever killeth us does do God service But in this as well as in the rest of their Errors they give us but the more effectually to understand how little they have in them of the true Spirit of Christianity for sure such things as these they could never do but only that as our Saviour in that other case before said they have not known the Father nor Him. And I hope I shall need no Argument to perswade you not to be misled by that which we all of us so justly lament as one of the most deplorable Corruptions even of Popery it self Christianity commands us to love our Enemies and sure then we cannot but think it very highly reasonable not to hate our Brethren but especially on such an account as if it be once admitted will in this divided state of the Church utterly drive the very name of brotherly Love and Charity out of it seeing by whatever Arguments we shall go about to justifie our uncharitableness to any Others they will all equally warrant them to with hold in like manner their Charity from us There is no honest sincere Christian how erroneous soever he may be but what at least is perswaded that he is in the right and looks upon Us to be as far from the Truth by differing from Him as We esteem Him for not agreeing with us Now if upon the sole account of such differences it be lawful for us to hate Another we must for the very same reason allow it to be as lawful for Him also to hate Us. Thus shall we at once invert the Characteristick of our Religion By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have love one to another and turn it into the quite contrary Note whilst we make our hatred to our Brother the great mark of our Zeal for our Religion and conclude him to love Christ the most who the least loves his fellow Christian. How much rather ought we to consider with our Apostle the love of our dear Master to us even whilst we were yet his Enemies and love those whom we ought to hope notwithstanding all their Errors are yet still his Friends and not think those unworthy of our Charity whom we piously presume God will not think unworthy of his Favour We suppose them to be mistaken in those things wherein they differ from us and perhaps they are so but yet we must consider that we our selves also are but Men and therefore may err and They as verily think Us in the wrong as We do Them And for ought I know we must leave it to the Day of Judgment to decide the Controversie which of us is in the right In the mean time if they are mistaken I am sure our uncharitableness is not the way to convince them of their Error but may rather indispose them to consider the weight of our Arguments as they ought whilst they see so little regard in our Affections towards them In short if we are indeed what we esteem our selves to be the strong in the Faith let us then remember that tho Charity be their Duty too as well as ours yet 't is to such as We are especially that St. Paul addresses the Exhortation of the Text to bear the Infirmities of the weak and to receive one another as Christ also hath received us to the Glory of God. But 2. Such Differences as these ought not only not to lessen our Charity but if it be possible not to hinder us from joining together in the same common Worship of God with one another This was what these dissenting Christians notwithstanding all their Heats and Contentions nevertheless still continued to do They did with one Mouth glorifie God even when their differences would not suffer them to do it with one Heart They united together in a common Worship of God tho they could not unite either in Opinion or Affection with one another Indeed where mens Errors are such as utterly do subvert the very Essentials of our Religious Worship it is then in vain to hope for any Communion in the Publick Service of God with them We must not destroy the Principles of Christianity out of a Zeal to enlarge the Communion of Christians He would be a very condescending Votary indeed who for the sake of praying to God with the Papist would pray to the Blessed Virgin and Saints too with him Who rather than be excluded their Churches would bow down before their Images and not only worship their Host but even give up his Right to the Cup in the Eucharist only that he might receive that Holy Sacrament in their Company It is no doubt a very desirable thing to lessen the differences of Christians and enlarge their Communion as far as ever we can And it has never gone well with the Church of Christ since men have been so narrow spirited as to mix the Controversies of Faith with their Publick Forms of Worship and have made their Liturgies instead of being Offices of Devotion to God become Tests and Censures of the Opinions of their Brethren But yet when all is done the Truths of Christianity must not be sacrificed to the Peace of Christians nor the Honour of God be given up to keep up a Unity and Communion with one another But where mens Differences are in Points that do not at all affect their Religious Service or not so much but that God may be very well worshipp'd and yet Communion with our fellow Christians preserved too in such cases as this our dissentions ought not only not to lessen our Charity but not to break our Unity neither We may continue to differ as the Christians in my Text did and yet with one Mind and one Mouth glorifie God as St. Paul exhorted them to do And this brings me to the Third and Last Point III. That to this End it is the Duty of all of us but especially of the stronger Christians not only to Pray for such a Union but also as they have opportunity heartily to labour themselves and earnestly to stir up all others to endeavour after it I do not believe there is any good Christian so little affected with those unhappy Divisions under which the Church at this day labours as not both heartily to deplore them and to think that nothing could be too much that might innocently be done on all hands for the redressing of them But then I am sure the natural Consequence of this must be what both my Text and this Discourse are designed to exhort you to viz. That we ought every one of us not only heartily to pray for such a Union but also as we have opportunity earnestly to labour for the attainment of it Indeed for what concerns the whole Body of the Catholick Church on Earth so many are the Disputes that
and offences contrary to the Doctrine which we have learnt and avoid them With what a scrupulous care did St. Paul manage himself between the dissenting parties in my Text What admirable Rules did he lay down for them to walk by and with what an affectionate earnestness did he enforce them If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of Love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any Bowels and Mercies fulfil ye my joy that ye be like-minded having the same Love being of one Accord of one Mind And may I not beg leave tho not with the Authority yet with the Charity of St. Paul to apply all this to those unhappy Divisions that at this day rend in pieces the Church of Christ among us and beseech you by all these endearing Considerations to pursue those things which may make for our Peace and for the closing of those breaches which the malice of our Enemies too successfully begun and our own weaknesse has too fatally kept up among us Never certainly was there a time since our Divisions first began in which we had greater reason to consider of such a Union or I hope a fairer opportunity to promise our selves an Accomplishment of it Only let us all be as careful to improve it as I am perswaded we have all of us not only seem'd to desire but have indeed earnestly long'd for it Let us shew the sense we have of that wonderful Deliverance God has given us out of the hand of our Enemies by uniting our selves in the strictest League of Friendship with one another Hitherto we have defended our Church by our Arguments let us now by our Charity settle and establish it against the like Dangers for the time to come This will indeed render both our selves and our Religion Glorious to the World and may be a Happy Augury that the blessed time so long wrapped up in sacred Prophecy is indeed now ready to be revealed When the Church of Christ being purged from those Corruptions that have so long defaced its Beauty shall again appear in its primitive Purity When all Heresie and Schism being every where abolished and the Mystery of Iniquity laid fully open and the Man of Sin destroy'd true Religion and sincere Piety shall again reign throughout the World God himself shall pitch his Tabernacle among us and dwell with us and we shall be his People and he shall be our God. O Blessed State of the Church Militant here on Earth the glorious Antipast of that Peace and Piety which God has prepared for his Church Triumphant in Heaven Who would not wish to see those days when a general Reformation and a true Zeal and a perfect Charity passing through the World we should All be united in the same Faith the same Worship the same Communion and Fellowship one with another When all Pride and Prejudice all Interests and Designs being submitted to the Honour of God and the discharge of our Duty the Holy Scriptures shall again triumph over the vain Traditions of Men and Religion no longer take its denomination from little Sects and Factions but we shall all be content with the same common primitive Names of Christians and Brethren and live together as becomes our Character in Brotherly Love and Christian Charity with one another And who can tell but such a Change as this and which we have otherwise some reason to believe is nigh at hand may even now break forth from the midst of us would we but all seriously labour to perfect the Great Work which the Providence of God has so gloriously begun amongst us and establish that Love and Unity among our selves which may afterwards diffuse it self from us into all the other parts of the Christian World besides But however whether we shall ever see I do not say such a Blessed Effect as this but even any good Effect at all of our Endeavours here on Earth or no yet this we are sure we shall not lose our Reward in Heaven When to have contributed tho in the least degree to the healing of those divisions we so unhappily labour under shall be esteemed a greater Honour than to have silenced all the Cavils of our Enemies and even to have pray'd and wish'd for it and where we could not any otherwise have contributed our selves but to have exhorted others to it shall be rewarded with Blessings more than all the Stars in the Firmament for number Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one towards another according to Christ Jesus That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorifie God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. To Him be Honour and Praise for ever and ever Amen FINIS BOOKS Published by the Reverend Mr. WA●● Printed for RICHARD CHISWELL AN Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England in the several Articles proposed by the late BISHOP of CONDOM in his Exposition of the Doctrine of the Catholick Church 4 o. A Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England against the Exceptions of Mons. de Meaux late B of Condom and his Vindicator A Second Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England against the new Exceptions of Monsieur de Meaux late Bishop of Condom and his Vindicator The FIRST PART in which the Account that has been given of the Bishop of Meaux's Exposition is fully Vindicated the Distinction of Old and New Popery Historically asserted and the Doctrine of the Church of Rome in point of Image Worship more particularly considered Second Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England against Monsieur de Meaux and his Vindicator the SECOND PART A Discourse of the Holy Eucharist in the two great Points of the Real Presence and the Adoration of the Host In Answer to the Two Discourses lately Printed at Oxford on this Subject To which is prefixed a Large Historical P●eface relating to the same Argument Two Discourses of Purgatory and Prayers for the Dead 4 o. A Continuation of the Controversie between the Church of England and the Church of Rome being a full account of the Books that have been of late written on Both sides An Historical Treatise of Transubstantiation Written by an Author of the Communion of the Church of Rome rendred into English. With a Preface Preparation for Death being a Letter sent to a Young Gentlewoman in France in a distemper of which she died Printed for WILLIAM ROGERS A Discourse concerning the Nature of Idolatry in which a Late Author viz the Bp. of Oxford's true and only Notion of Idolatry is considered and confuted 4 o. The Sum of a Conference between Dr. Clagett and F. P. Gooden ab●ut Transubstantiation Publish'd by this Author And to be added to Dr. Clagett's Sermons now in the Press which will be Publish'd this Term. Printed for Richard Chiswell and William R●gers AN Exhortation to Mutual Charity and Union among Protestants In a Sermon Preach'd before the King and Queen at Hampton Court May 26 1689. In the Press A Sermon Preach'd before the Honou●ab●e House of Commons at St. Margaret's Westminster June 5. 1689. Being the Fa●t Day appointed by the King and Queens Proclamation to Implore the Blessing of Almighty God upon their M●jesties Forces by Sea and Land and Success in the War now declared against the French King. Other Tracts by the same AVTHOR A Sermon Preached at Paris on the 30 th of January S. V. 1684 5. The Present State of the Controversie Sure and Honest Means for Conversion of all Hereticks and wholsom Advice and Expedients for the Reformation of the Church Translated and Published with a Preface A Letter from several French Ministers fled into Germany upon the account of the Persecution in France to such of their Brethren in England as approved the King's Declaration touching Liberty of Conscience Translated from the Original French. See ch xiv 1. Acts xv 1. xxi 20. Acts xv 19 28. Gal. v. 1. c. Gal. v. 1. Rom. xi 18 c. Rom. xv 1. Ibid. Verse 2. See Theoderet Chrysost. Theophylact c. in loc Prop. 1. Acts xv 28. Gal. v. 2. Rom. xiv 6. H●st●ire des variations des Eglises Protestantes par Mr. l' Evesque de MEAUX The design of which may be seen in the Summary of his Preface Les Variations dans la foy preuve certaine de fausset é. Charactere des heresies d'estre variables Ce Charactere reconnu dans tous les Ages de l' Eglise Charactere d'immutabilitè dans lay foy de l' Eglise Catholique Que les variations de l' un des partis de Protestans est une preuve contre l' Autre c. Praef. ad lib. de Summ. P. T. 1. p. 592. Ingoldstad A. 1586. Bellarm to 1. p. 1377. de Not. Eccl. A. See Mr. Chillingworth p. 99 100. Bellarm. ib. p. 1378. B. Prop. 2. John c. xvi 2. Verse 3. Joh. 13.35 Verse 1. 7. Prop. 3. Rom. xv 1. * See the Petition of the Archbishop and Bishops to King James for which they were committed to the Tower. Phil. ii 6 7. 1 Joh. iv 11. Rom. xiv 19. Joh. xiii 35. Rom. xii 18. Rom. xvi 17. Phil. ii 1. 2. Rev. xxi 3.