Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A56700
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A sermon preached in the chappel of St. James's before His Highness the Prince of Orange, the 20th of January, 1688 by Symon Patrick ...
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Patrick, Simon, 1626-1707.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing P846; ESTC R23233
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16,187
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39
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exceeding evil It is to be imputed in great part to the Corruption of Christian Doctrine and the Imposition of new Articles of Faith or to the over zealous espousal of such Opinions as are no essential parts of it whereby mens minds have been diverted from the study of serious Piety and Vertue about which most of the Heats and Quarrels in Christendom have arose and not about the Substance of Christianity it self But it is to be hoped that the time is coming apace when Christianity will end as it began in abundance of Truth and Peace by a right understanding of the Will of God and an hearty Submission thereunto in zealous Love unto God our Saviour and unto one another Or to speak in the Prophets Language the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord in the highest and largest sense of those words as the Waters cover the Sea. I have not room to lay before you the grounds of this Hope out of the holy Oracles but that wonderful Work which God hath wrought in our days and before our Eyes by that great Prince whose Spirit he hath stirred up to undertake our Deliverance from Popish Tyranny and whose Proceedings he hath blessed with amazing Success may well awaken the minds of considering Persons to expect greater things he is about to do in the World which groaneth as the Apostle says the whole Creation did in their days to be delivered into the glorious Liberty of the Children of God. Here at least in these Kingdoms and Churches it would be very strange if we should defeat the design of Gods gracious Providence by continuing our old differences and enmities our unchristian roughness and severities frowardly refusing to close together in such an happy settlement as may give security to our Religion and safety to all our other concerns This would set an Eternal brand of infamy upon us if having all agreed so far with a common consent as once more to shake off the Roman Yoke which was about to be put upon our Necks and to preserve the liberty of our Country and of our Religion in its purity and simplicity we should now fall out about other matters And suffer the few things wherein we differ to have a greater power to divide us than the many nay the most things wherein we agree have to unite us God forbid we should prove so ungrateful unto Him and unto the blessed Instrument of his Providence Which hath given us a New opportunity after our shameful abuse of a former to make our selves happy by being like minded having the same love being of one accord of one mind Not looking every Man on his own things but every Man also on the things of others as the Apostle Writes II Philip. 2. 4. Unto this let every one who loves the Lord Jesus in sincerity who hath any love to his Religion and its Honour or loves his country that is his own ease and safety and the wellfare of his Posterity bend his serious study and most earnest endeavours Let every Soul of us do his part that the place where he lives may be in peace And not only wish but labour that the blessed times which we look for when our Lord shall take to himself his great power and shall Reign XI Rev. 17. may begin here in these Churches and Kingdoms Where there never was greater need nor greater reason for Unity than at this present Princes and Governours should study this by making just reasonable and merciful Laws and the people should study it by a humble submission to them and careful observance of them The Ministers of the Gospel should seek this by being the Embassadors of Peace and Love by speaking all the same thing that is Preaching only the undoubted Truths of the Gospel That so they may be one according to Christ's Prayer for his Apostles even as the Father and our Saviour were one and thereby perswade Men more effectually of the certainty of their Doctrine And all their hearers should study to Adorn this Gospel of Peace by learning of them in humility and receiving the ingrafted Word with meekness By setting themselves to the serious practice of plain and unquestionable Precepts and not quarrelling about Doctrines that are uncertain and obscure They who are in Office should indeavour this by faithful execution of the known Laws by maintaining good Order by taking up petty differences among Neighbours which should be the Work of every honest Man as far as it lies in his power The Great and the Rich should labour to bring on these happy days by countenancing True Piety by comforting the poor and indigent by all other Acts of Mercy and kindness unto those who are below them that they may not be tempted to envy their prosperity or murmur at their fullness and abundance but be the better contented in their poor condition In like manner all other Estates and Conditions of Men are obliged to discharge their several Duties conscientiously that they may contribute to the peace and quietness the Prosperity and Happiness of the Society whereof they are Members For as there is no greater Scandal than this among Christians nothing more destructive to Religion among our selves or a greater hindrance to its propagation among Strangers than the perpetual differences and feuds hatreds and enmities of which Christians themselves are the Authors So there is nothing more pernicious and deadly unto those who are embroiled in them If they have no greater respect to the credit of their Religion than to continue still such animosities they shall have this just punishment from God that they shall thereby make one another so much the more miserable For when Religion according to its Nature and design doth not unite and bind Men fast together it makes them so much the sorer enemies one to another No differences so sharp as those among Men of the same profession None so cruel and outragious as those whom Religion sets a quarrelling And therefore let us heartily apply our selves to the diligent study of that Universal Christian Piety which will make us as innocent as Lambs as gentle as the young Kids as humble void of Malice Covetousness ambition or worldly designs as the little sucking Children For this is the very intention of it The Kingdom of God i. e. the Christian Religion is not meat and drink doth not consist in those things about which Men quarrel but Righteousness and Peace and joy in the Holy Ghost And therefore let us as the Apostle there exhorts XIV Rom. 17 19. follow after the things which make for Peace and things wherewith one may edifie another Unto which give me leave to propound a few Motives not of my own but out of one of the Greek Fathers who presses this upon the people of Constantinople when miserably divided Greg. Nazianz O. rat 12. p. 108. c. with equal Zeal and Eloquence First says he look up unto Almighty God the highest and most