their hopes for pardon and salvation either in their own good works or carnaâ— shifts or at least by false conceptions do make Christ not indeed to be Christ To have many Saviours is a damnable errour And how many do the ungodly make to themselves while they depart from the Lord Christ To deny the Holy-Ghost is a damnable errour And what elâ—e do all the ungodly in the world that will not be sanctified by him This is the most palpable errour that they are guilty of They are baptized into the name of the Holy-Ghost as their Sanctifier and yet they will not be sanctified by him Nay some of them make a mock of the Spirit and of sanctification And some of them wâ— hearken to false deceiving Spirits instead of the Holy Spirit oâ— God Some Hereticks have denyed some parts of the Scripture and Infidels deny it all And what less do all ungodly men that believe it not heartily and will not obey it but deny it in parts and refuse subjection to it They will not be so holy not they let Scripture say what it will Are not all the ungodly against the Scripture Many a time have I heard them when the times more encouraged them deriding the Bible and those that did but carry a Bible or speak of the Scripture or read it in their houses Certainly he that fights against Scripture in his life is more against it then he that only denies it with his tongue Moreover the Pelagian Hereticks denyed Original sin and justified mans Nature And so doth profaness in a very great measure Never were the ungodly truly humbled for their Original sin nor saw any such matter in themselves as to make them abhor themselves And what is this but actually to deny it The same Pelagians made light of Grace which is Gods Image upon the soul. But in this the ungodly go quite beyond them They make a matter of nothing of Holiness but account it a fancy or a needless thing and many of them hate it and if the times did but favour their malice there were no living near them for any that fear God In this they are Deâ—â—h in flesh I cannot liken them to any heresie but Devilism they go so far beyond the professions of them all One sect is against those that are their opposers and another see against their opposers but ungodliness is against all that are godly of every party whatsoever and is in open arms or secret enmity against the army of Christ and against himself The Simonians and Nicolaitanâ— and Gnosticks of old did hold that men might do any outward action when there is no other way to escape suffering as long as they keep their hearts to God So think the ungodly as appeareth by their practice Before they will lose their estates and be brought to poverty or before they will lie in prison or be burnt at a stake they will say any thing or do any thing They would worship a piece of bread as if it were God they would turn to Papists or any that can do them a mischief if it were the Turks Alas the particular sects among us do play a small game in comparison of the ungodly and hold but petty errours to theirs One sect is against one Ordinance and another sect is against another Ordinance but the ungodly are against all The Sectaries are against something in the manner or out-side of the work but the ungodly are against the Spirit and Life and substance of the duty it self One sect depraveth the doctrine of Faith and another the doctrine of Repentance and another the doctrine of Obedience But the ungodly deprave all the doctrine of Godliness yea deny it and not only deprave it They sweep away all before them and go by whole-sale They stand not to speak as other Hereticks against this Grace or that Grace but against all It is Godliness it self that the ungodly are against The Sectaries oppose all parts of the Catholick Church saving their own But the ungodly are against the Holy Catholick Church it self as it is a Church and as it is Holy they are against it The Church is a Society combined for holy obedience to Christ and the ungodly are against that holy Obedience The Sectaries would have no Communion of Saints but in their own way But the ungodly are against the Communion of Saints in it self for they are against the Saints that hold this Communion The Papists and Quakers are against our Ministry and rail at them and labour to bring them into hatred So do the worser sort of the ungodly even of them that say they are Protestants of our own Relâ—gion In their houses and in the Ale-houses in their ordinary discourse they are cavilling against the Ministers or reproaching them And some of them are more bitter haters and revilers of them then almost any hereticks that we meet with Yea some of them are glad to hear the Quakers and Anabaptists reproach them and secretly set them on Only they are ashamed to own these revilers because they see them come off in the end with so much disgrace But if they were but sure that Papists or Quakers or any sect that is against a godly Ministry had power in their hands to go through with their work the multitude of the ungodly among us would soon joyn with them How plainly did this appear in our laâ— wars when few Ministers of noted diligence and piety that deâ—ired to have lived at home in quietness could be suffered to live among them but the ungodly rise up against them as if they hâ—d been Turks or Jews and drove them into Garrisons to save their lives The Separatists and Quakers and other sects dispute against the Ministry with cavils and railings but the ungodly would dispute them down with halters and hatchets with fire and sword if the merciful Governour of the world did not tye their hands The Quakers and many Anabaptists and Separatists are against Tythes and all settled maintenance of the Ministry And do I need to tell you that the ungodly covetous worldlings are of the same mind What need had Ministers else to sue for their Tyâ—hes Were it not for fear of treble damages the Ministers in many Parishes of England should not have bread to their mouthes nor cloathes to their backs before they got it by suit at Law How commonly do they think that all is woon and is currently their own that they can but defraud the Minister of If it were not that they are under disgrace the Quakers would soon have disciples enow upon this very account because they are against Tythes And gladly do the ungodly covetous people hearken to that doctrine and get their books and would fain have that opinion take as Orthodox If the Prince and Parliament would but turn Quakers and cry down Tythes yea and Ministry too the miserable ungodly multitude would quickly be of that Religion and entertain their Laws with ringing of
is the final part of the Duty here required To keep the Vnity of the Spirit The Preserving cause is the Peaceable behaviour of the members and this is the mediate Duty here required In the bond of Peace Our own Endeavours are hereto required because as every natural body must by eating and drinking and fit exercise and usage be a cause of its own preservation and not forbear these under pretence of trusting the all-sufficiency of God and as every Political Body must by Government and Arms in case of need preserve themselves under God so must the Body of Christ the Church be diligent in using their best endeavours to preserve the Being and well-being of the whole So that you see here are two causes of the Churches Unity expressed 1. The principal Constitutive cause in which our Unity consisteth and that is The Spirit 2. The Preserving cause by which our Unity is cherished and that is Peace which therefore is called the bond of it The fifth and sixth verses do open this Vnity of Spirit in its parts effects and ends There is One Hope of our Calling that is One Heaven or Life Eternal which is the end of our Christianity and Church Constitution There is one Lord Jesus Christ One Head one Saviour one Soveraign Redeemer to whom by this Spirit the members are all United There is One Faith both one summe of holy Doctrine which all that will be saved must believe which was used to be professed by the adult at Baptism and One internal saving Faith which this Spirit causeth in our Spirits and useth it as a means of our union with Christ in whom we do believe There is One Baptism or solemn Covenanting with God the Father Son and Holy-Ghost and the same promise there to be made by all And there is One God the Father of all from whom we fell and to whom we must be recovered and who is the End of all and to whom Christ and all these means are the Way So that all these are implyed in and conjunct with the Vnity of the Spirit The sense of the Text then briefly is this As all the living true members of Christ and the Church have one Spirit and so one Faith by which they are all united to Christ the Head and so to the Father in and by him which Vnion in One Spirit is your very Life and it that constituteth you true members of Christ and his Church so it must be your care and great endeavour to preserve this Spirit in you and this vital Vnity which by this Spirit you have with Christ and one another and the way to preserve it is by the bond of Peace among your selves It is here evident then that all the members of Christ and his Body have One Spirit and in that is their Union All the question is What Spirit this is And that 's left past all doubt in the Chapter For though the common gifts of the Spirit are sometime called by that name yet these are no further meant in the Text then as appurtenances or additions to greater gifts As godliness hath the promise of the common mercies of this life as well as of the special mercies of the life to come but yet with great difference the later being absolutely promised and the former but limitedly so far as God sees best for us Even so the Spirit gave to the members of the Church both Sanctifying Grace and common Gifts but with great difference giving Sanctification to all and only the members of Christ but giving common gifts also to some others and to them but with limitation for sort and season and measure and continuance as God should see good It is then the same Holy-Ghost as our Sanctifier into whose name we are baptized as wel as into the name of the â—ather and the Son and in whom we all profess to believe that is here meant in my Text. And it is only the Sanctified that are the people United to Christ and to One another This is proved expresly by that which foâ—loweth vers 6 7. It is those that have the One Hope one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God the Father vers 12. It is the Saints and body of Christ that are to be perfected by the Ministry vers 13 15 16. It is those that must come in the Vnity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ and that grow up in all things in Christ the Head It is the Body that is Vnited to him and compacted in Love and edifieth itself in Love vers 20 21 22 23 24. It is those that hâ—vâ— so leâ—rned Christ as to put off tâ—e â—ld man thâ—t is câ—rrupt â—nd are râ—neweâ— in the Spirit of their â—inâ—s and put on the nâ—w man which â—fter God is reâ—tâ—â— in righteouâ—neâ—s and true holiness If thereâ—â—re any words be plain its plain tâ—at its true â—aints only that are here spoken of that have the Vnity of spirit which they must preserve in the bond of Peace And therefore I shall make this Observation the ground of my discourse Doct. The true Vnity of the Catholick Church of Christ consisteth in this that they have all one Sanctifying spirit within them By the Holy-Ghost within them they are all United to Christ and to one another By this One Spirit they are all made â—aints or an Holy people having One Heaven for the matter of their Hopes One Christ their Head One summe of Christian doctrine which they believe containing all the Essentials of Christian Faith and One living principle of Faith to believe it One solemn Covenant with Christ and One God the â—ather their End and All. It is only the Sanctified that have true Christian Vnity and it is unholiness or ungodliness that is the cause of the miserable Divisions of the world Now Sirs you see the Only way to Vnity Even to have One Sanctifying spirit within us and be all an Holy People and there is no way but this Now you see the principal cause of Division even unholiness and refusing the Spirit of Grace In handling this point 1. I shall give you some Propositions that are necessary for the fuller understanding of it 2. I shall demonstrate the Point to you by fuller Evidence of Reason 3. I shall make Application of it I. PRop 1. Though it be only the Sanctified that have the true Unâ—on of Members wâ—th Chrâ—st and the Body yet all that make Profession of Sanctification and Null not that Proâ—ession have an Extrâ—nsick Analogical Union in profession As the wooden or dead leg is united to the body and the dead branch to the Vine And so even Hypocrites must not only dwell among us but be of the same visible Church with us as the chaff and tares are in the same corn-field And as long as they seem Saints we must value them and use them as Saints and love them
and have Communion with them as Saints Not as conceiving them certainly to be such but probably and by that humane faith by which we are bound to believe their profession not as we believe God who is Infallible but as men that are fallible And this in several Degrees according to the several Degrees of their Credibility and the Probability of their Profession So that you must not after this mâ—stake me as if I tyed our external Church-Communion only to true Saints for then we must have Communion with none because being not able to search the hearts we know not what Professors are sincere But yet even this External Church-Communion belongs only to them that make Profession of Love and Holiness as well as of Belief and no lower Profession must serve the turn Prop. 2. There is a Common Vnity of humane Nature that we have with all men and a common Peace that as much as in us lyeth we must hold with all Rom. 12.18 But this is nothing to the Unity in questâ—on which belongeth to our happiness The Devils have a Unity of Nature and some order and accord in Evil for if Satan be divided how can his kingdom stand Mat. 12.26 Prop. 3. The Unity of the Saints in the Spirit of Holiness consisteth in this life with much imperfection and discord according to the imperfection of their Holiness But as Grace is the seed of Glory and the beginning of Eternal Life for all its weakness and the sins that accompany it Iohn 17.3 So the Unity of the Spirit of holiness is the seed and beginning of the perfect Unity in Heaven for all the differences and discord that here accompany it II. HAving shewed you the only bond of Unity I come now by fuller evidence to convince you of the truth of what is said and even to force it into your understandings if you will but use your Reason and believe the Word of God It is unholiness and ungodliness that causeth our Discord and it is the Spirit of Holiness that is the Vniting Principle and there 's no true Christian Vnity to be had with ungodly men Never think of Vnity by any other way then Sanctification You are as on the other side of the River and cannot be united to the servants of Christ till the Spirit Convert you and pass you over You are dead men and unfit to be United to the living and it s the Spirit that quickneth and this Life must be our Vnion You madly rail against Division and yet stand at a distance from Christ and his Church and maintain the greatest division in the world Believe it you do but doat and dream if you think to have true Christian Vnity on any other terms then by the Sanctifying Spirit of Christ. And this I shall now evince as followeth 1. You know sure that there can be no Christian Unity but in God as your Father and the Center of Vnity All the true members of the Catholick Church must say Our Father and be as his children United in him If you will have Unity without the favour of God it must be the Unity of Rebels and such a concord as is in Hell The family of God do all Unite in him As all the Kingdom is United in one King so is all the Church in God Can you think it possible to have Unity as long as you will not Unite in God Well then there 's nothing plainer in the Scripture then that all men by nature are departed from God and none are United to him but those that are regenerate and made new creatures not a man is his child by Grace and in his favour but only those that are sanctified by his Spirit Ioh. 3.3 5. Mat. 18.3 2 Cor. 5.17 Heb. 12.14 So that there 's no true Vnity without Sâ—nctification because there 's no reconciliation with God nor Unity with him without it 2. There can be no true Christian Vnity but in Christ the Redeemer and Head of the Church For how can the members be United but in the Head or the Schollars but in their Teacher or the Subjects but in their Soveraign You know there 's no Christian Vnity but in Christ. Well then What Unity can we have with those that are not in Christ The unsanctified have indeed the name of Christians but what is that to the nature Some branches not bearing fruit are said to be in him the Vine by outward profession but they are dead and withered and must be cut off and cast away for the fire and so are unfit for Communion with the Vine Iohn 15. He that is in Christ is a new creature old things are past away behold all things are become new 2 Cor. 5.17 If any man have not the Spirit of Christ which is this sanctifying Spirit the same is none of his I pray you mark the plainness of these passages All you that are unconverted and unsanfied are out of Christ and none of his though you may talk and boast of him as long as you will And therefore you cannot have Vnity with Christians till you will first have Unity with Christ himself Till you are engraffed into him you are not engraffed into the Catholick Church but only seem to be what you are not 3. The dead cannot be United to the living who will be married to a dead corpse or would be tyed to it and carry it about It is life that must Unite us The unsanctified are dead in sin Eph. 2.5 and the Spirit is given to quicken the dead that they may be fit for converse What Union can there be between a block and a man or a beast that hath but a sensitive life and a man that hath a rational Soul So what Union between the sensual world and the sanctified Believer If you could have Vnity without the Sanctifying Spirit why are you then Baptized into the name of the Holy-Ghost as your Sanctifier To have a Vnity of Being is common to us with the Devils for they are Gods creatures and so are we To have a Vnion of Specifick Being is common to us with all the damned for they are men as well as we and common to the Devils among themselves But it must be a Unity in the Spirit of Holiness that must prove us happy and afford us comfort 4. There is no possibility of having Unity with those that have not the same ultimate principal end But the sanctified and the unsanctified have not the same end nay have contrary ends If one of you will go to York and the other to London how can you possibly go one way This is the great difference that sets the world and the sanctified by the ears You serve Mammon and they serve God You have one portion and they another Your portion is in this life Psalm 17.14 Here you have your good things Luke 16.25 and here you lay up your treasure Mat. 6.19 21. Your belly is your God and you mind earthly things Phil.
we ever agree with such men as these that think themselves wiser then God and Scripture and dare prefer the very folly of their own muddy brains before the word and wisdom of their Maker Give these men as plain Scripture and Reason as you will they have more wit as they think then to believe you and what they want in Reason they have in Pride and Self-conceit and therefore your wisdom is folly to them But now when the Spirit of Holiness comes it takes them down and abaseth and humbleth the proud and self-conceited and makes them ashamed of the folly and weakness of their own understandings so that a man may speak to them now as to men of reason and have a hearing and consideration of his words A humble godly man is low in his own eyes and therefore suspicious of his own understanding in doubtfull things and therefore is more flexible and yielding to the truth when others are so stiffened by Pride that they are readier to deride the wisest that shall contradict them If therefore we could but all Agree in Holy meekness and humility what readier way could there be in the world to draw to an end of our differences and divisions 10. Moreover if we could but Agree in Holiness it would free us from that uncharitableness that causeth our Disagreement in other things and it would possess us with a special endeared Love one to another And who knoweth not that Love is a uniting healing thing Sanctification principally consisteth in Love to God and man and this the unsanctifyed principally want It s want of Love that makes men surmise the worst of one another and make the worst of all that they say do and draw matter of contention from that which never gave them Cause Love would put a better sence upon mens words and deeds or at least would bear them far more easily But instead of Love there is a Natural Enmity in all that are unsanctified to all the servants and the ways of God And can we ever be agreed with our Natural enemies why Malice will so pervert their understandings that all that we say or do will be misconstrued and as a man that looks through a red glass thinks all things to be red that he looks upon so these men through the distemper of their malicious minds will finde matter of quarrelling with all that we can say or do Ill will never saith well Our very obedience to the Law of God and seeking to save our own souls will be matter of quarrel and taken to be our crime If we will not run into Hell fire with them and think there is no danger when we know the contrary it will be a fault sufficient for their malice to reproach us with so that if we should Agree with ungodly men in all our Opinions of Religion yet if we will not damn our souls and make no bones of displeasing the great and dreadfull God there is no Peace to be had with them They have no Peace with God and they have no solid Peace with themselves for God hath professed that there is no peace to the wicked Isa. 48.22 And how then can we expect that they should have peace with us But Sanctification doth beget that effâ—ctual Love that is as healing to a divided Church or to disagreeing persons as the most precious Balsom or Wound-selve is to bodily wounds Love will not let you rest in wrath but will keep you under smart and disquietness till you are either at Peace or have done your part to have procured it Husband and Wife Parents and Children Brethren and Sisters do seldomer fall into greater dissentions then strangers do And when they do fall out they are easilier reconciled The Spirit of Grace doth possess unfained Christians with as dear a love to one another as is between the nearest Relations For by our New birth the Saints are Brethren in Christ. If you saw an Army fighting or a company of people quarrelling and scolding at one another do you think there could be a readier way to make them all friends and end their quarrels then to possess them all with a dear and tender love to one another If it were in my power to cause all contenders to Love those that they contend with as themselves do you think I should not soon agree them Why you know if you know any thing in Christianity that Sanctification causeth men to Love their Neighbors as themselves and to Love one another with a pure heart fervently 1 Pet. 1.22 For by this we know that we are passed from death to life because we love the Brethren He that loveth not his Brother abideth in death Joh. 3 14. And therefore it is a case exceeding plain that the readiest way in the world to reconcile our lesser differences is to be united in the Spirit and to Agree upon a Holy Life 11. Moreover were we all united in the Spirit We should have all one God one Master of our Faith and one Law-giver and Iudge of all our Controversies And this would be an exceeding help to unity The Principal cause of Divisions in the world are the multitude of Rulers and Masters and Judges For with unsanctified men their own Conceits and Carnal Interest is their Counsellor and Judge The Rulers of the world that have the power of the sword and can do them good or hurt in their estates are the Masters of their Religion more then God They will follow this Man or that Man that best pleaseth their fancies and fleshly desires and so will never be of one minde But Sanctification takes down all other Masters of our Faith save Christ and those that declare his will Let flesh and blood say what it will let all the world say what they will if God say the contrary his word shall stand and be a Law to them And can there be a readier way to Unity then to bring us all into one School and subject us all to one Lord and Master and to bring us all to refer our differences to one most wise infallible Judge Though we do not yet understand his will in all things yet when we understand it in the main and are resolved to search after the knowledge of the rest it is a great preparative to our Agreement when we all look but to one for the deciding of our controversies Whereas the unsanctified have as many Judges and Guides as persons For every man is a Guid and Judge to himself 12. Moreover were we but once Agreed in Holiness We should all have one Light for the ending of our differences and that Light would be the true Infallible Light For we should all have the same Holy word of God as the extrinsick Light which is most True as coming from the Lord of Truth And we should all have the Spirit of Truth within to teach us the meaning of that word without and to help our understandings and assist us in
that it is impossible that Unity should consist in these 3. Furthermore if our Unity were laid on these Religion would be for none but the learned and as the Ancients ordinarily argue against the Heathens that cavilled at the plainness of the Scripture God should be then Partial and should make a way to Heaven that poor men cannot go For the poor cannot possibly attain to so much Learning and spend so much of their lives in study as may bring them to the knowledge of all these lower difficult points 4. Yea if our Unity or Salvation lay on these it is certain it would shut us out all both from Unity and Salvation so that there would no two be at Unity in all the world and no One be saved For all men on earth are Ignorant in many lesser truths even such as are revealed to us in the Scripture and we should endeavour to understand What man dare affirm that he understandeth every word of the Holy Scripture Did the Pope himself think that he had attained to this Infallibility he would ere this have written us an infallible Commentary If the best must say with Paul himself we know but in part then sure those smaller doubtful things which all the truly sanctified know not are not the matter of the Unity of the Church 5. I have shewed in my Discourse of the Catholick Church that to shut out all from the Church and our Communion that differ from us in such lower things is utterly against the design of Christ and the tenour of the Gospel and very dishonourable to him and to his Church God hath more mercy then to shut out the weak and will you dishonour him so far as to perswade the world that he hath no such mercy The design of the Gospel is Grace and Love How tender was Christ even of his little ones that believe in him How compassionate is he to them in their infirmities And would you go about to perswade the world that he hath so little of this compassion as that he will admit none to Heaven or to the Communion of his Church but those that attain to Knowledge and Agreement in all these lesser doubtful Controversies and indifferent things The Church is small enough already but if you would cut off all that do not Agree in every circumstance you would make it small indeed This is no better then under pretence of Faith and Unity to un-Church the Church and damn your selves and all the world 6. The Arguments in the Text are very forcible verse 3. For God hath received him As if he should say Dare you despise or cast out him that God receiveth ver 4. Who art thou that judgest another mans servant ver 10. Why dost thou judge thy brother or why dost thou set at naught thy brother we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ The Church doth not censure men for small or doubtful things nor must we condemn those that God doth not condemn 7. The laying such stress on smaller things doth multiply controversies and fill the minds of men with scruples and ensnare their consciences and engage men in parties against each other to the certain breach of Charity and ruine of the Peace of the Church and of their souls The fire of Contention will never go out for want of fewel if unnecessary things be made necessary and small things pretended to be great uncertain things pretended to be certain Abundance of vice will be daily set and kept at work upon this borrowed stock 8. And what a world of precious Time will be wasted by this means while men are Studying and Reading to maintain their own opinions and when they must waste their hours when they are together in Conferences and wrangling-Disputations to the discomposing of their own and others minds and certain troubling the Church of God! Oh what use have we for those precious hours for surer greater and more needful things 9. The things that our salvation and the Churches Peace are indeed laid upon are so great so necessary so pleasant and so profitable that it leaveth us the more without excuse to waste our time in things unnecessary We have our great Creator to know and honour we have the mysterie of Redemption to search into and admire we have the Nature and Life and Death and Resurrection and Ascension and Glorification and Intercession of Christ to study and believe and all the Love and Wisdom of God the Mercy and the Holiness and Justice that was revealed in him we have Judgment to prepare for all the Graces of the Spirit of Christ to be received or cherished increased and exercised in our Souls We have a Hell to scape and a Heaven to obtain and the foreseen glory of it to feed upon for the strengthning and delighting of our Souls we have many particular duties of Holiness and Righteousness to attend And in the midst of all this great employment should we make more work and trouble to our selves and that about unnecessary things 10. These unnecessary or lower things when once they are advanced above their ranck do undermine and wrong the greater matters which they pretended to befriend They divert the thoughts and speeches from them and take up the affections and will not be contented with their due proportion but are as the Proverb is like a Begger on horse-back that will never light If men be but set upon Ceremonies or private opinions of their own they are upon it in all companies and you shall sometimes have almost nothing else from them And that 's not all but the Interest of their unnecessary or lower points is ordinarily set up against the Interest of that Body of Christian Verities which we are all agreed in so that they can be contented that Christianity lose much advantage in the greater points that their cause may be advantaged If this were not so we should not have had ceremonies formalities have cast out such abundance of excellent Preachers heretofore Nor private Opinions have set so many against the labours of faithful Ministers as to our grief and shame we have lately seen And the mischief is that unnecessary things made necessary do so involve the Imposers interest with their own that they think they are Necessitated to drive them on and see their Impositions obeyed or else their wisdom or authority is 〈◊〉 â—1 And thus they directly lead men to persecution and occasion those that must needs have their wills to Lord it over Gods heritage 1 Pet. 5.3 when the desire of being the Churches God hath prevailed so far with any of its members as to set them upon a course of Law-giving and domineering and bringing others into a conformity to their wills they look upon all men as sinners that disobey them and think that their power will warrant them to force â—â—edience to their commands or 〈◊〉 to deprive the Church of her Pastors Many a Congregation have I known change