she that is your Enemy may see it and shame may cover her Mic. 7. 10. That she may be removed that nothing of her be left amo 〈…〉 of her Idolatry and Superstition 〈…〉 your selves in array against Fren 〈…〉 abylon round about all ye that tred the bow shoot at her spare no Arrows for she hath sinned against the Lord saith the Prophet Jer. 50. 14. Some rubbish that escaped our first Reformers was left in the fall of so ancient and great a Building which remains yet untaken away but incumbers the Ground which in the Prayers that we are commanded to use in our Monthly Fasts run thus namely in the Prayer for the High Court of Parliament That all things may be so ordered and settled by their endeavours upon the best and surest foundations that Peace and Happiness Truth and Justice Religion and Piety may be established among us from all Generations Now another Foundation of Peace and Happiness can no Man lay than Christ and his Word We need not send to Rome nor any where else for any thing that concerns Religion The word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart saith the Apostle Rom. 10. 8. and we are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone Eph. 2. 20. In the Prayer for the reformed Churches Purge all thy Churches from their Dreggs and make them meet for a glorious Deliverance that all the World may see that Salvation belongs to our God In the last Prayer Give us Grace Lord seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy Divisions take away all hatred and prejudice and whatsoever may hinder us from Godly Union and Concord that as these is but one Body and one Spirit and one Hope of our Calling one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of us all so we may henceforth be all of one Heart and of one Soul united in one Holy Body of Truth and Peace of Faith and Charity and may with one Mind and one Mouth glorifie thee O God through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen The like Expressions are in the Prayer for the whole State of Christ's Church Militant here on Earth Let us deal plainly with God and our own Consciences and those to whom these Prayers are recommended unless we think to please God and Men with a few fair words of Devotion when our Heart is far from him and the performance of these things we pray for as the East is from the West Be not deceived saith the Apostle God will not be mocked Gal. 6. 6. however we may deceive Men with words smoother than butter but war is in the heart with words softer than oyl yet are they drawn swords Psal 55. 21. Is not this a casting of God's words behind us and taking his name in vain That lays us open to that surprizing expression of our Lord ex ore tuo est have ye not reason to fear the Lords Censure of the Elders of Israel that came and sate before Ezekiel in Babylon concerning whom the word of the Lord came unto him saying Son of man these men have set up their Idols in their hearts and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face should I be enquired of at all by them Exek 14. 3. And that of the Prophet Jeremiah that from the Prophets of Jerusalem hypocrisie is gone out into all the land Jer. 23. 15. If we build continually by our practice that which wont seem to destroy so solemnly by our Prayer what do we make of our selves in the Eyes of the World but Transgressors Gal. 2. 18. Children in whom is no faith Deut. 32. 20. What then are these Dreggs we desire God to deliver us from Are they not the remainder of our natural Corruption and the sin which doth so easily beset us within and of Popery without that have been a snare to us and removed our Souls far from Peace that we may be delivered from them as well as other reformed Churches Again What are these great dangers that we are in by our unhappy Division for the laying of which seriously to Heart we beg God's Grace Are they about matters of no value that in the ballance of the Sanctuary have Tekel written on them as being altogether higher than Vanity Are we like the Man lying in a ditch praying Lord have mercy upon me and yet will not stir Hand nor Foot to help himself out If we will not prevent these dangers when we know what the late attempt to remove the occasion of them cost these Nations that were sore afflicted and sorely tossed with the tempest of a long bloody War and not fully comforted to this day Again Take away all Hatred and Prejudice and whatsoever else may hinder us from Godly Union and Concord And we will part with nothing by our good Will that may please many good people and can never tend to the real damage of any but add more fuel still to the old hatred and prejudice until that be taken out of the way by which the offence cometh that may kindle a fire that will never be quenched and feed a worm that shall never die Mar. 9. 46. from which Judgment the Lord deliver us Lastly All the terms of Union of Peace and Love in Heaven and Earth are mustred up together one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God c. many Vanities that we may with one Mouth and one Mind glorifie God c. Here a Man would think If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort in love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels or mercies if any truth in men Phil. 2. 1. that we are resolved now to fill the Evangelical Prophecy of Zephany to serve the Lord with a pure lip and with one shoulder Zeph. 3. 9. with Uniformity of Doctrine Worship and Discipline that there may be one Lord and his name one according to that of the Prophet Zach. 14. 9. Lord put this heart in those that have commanded us to put up those sweet words to God in truth and simplicity of Heart Amen That we may not be said to have a form of godliness 2 Tim. 3. 5. is an outward delineation of piety of peace and unity denying the power and practise of it as the Apostle speaks or as Jeremiah They have healed the hurt of the Daughter of the my people slighted saying peace peace when there was no peace Jer. 6. 14. and those that are required to make their Addresses to God in these words say Hast thou utterly rejected Judah hath thy soul loathed Zion why hast thou smitten us and there is no healing for us we looked for peace and there is no good and for a time of healing and behold trouble Jer. 14. 19. Then said I ah Lord God surely thou hast greatly deceivid this people and Jerusalem saying ye shall have peace whereas the sword reacheth unto
encrease of God And the Apostle to the Romans So we being many are one body in Christ and every one members one of another Rom. 12. v. 5. and 1 Cor. 12. 12 13. There is one body and one spirit and Ephes 4. 4. and v. 12. For the edifying of the body of Christ So Ephes 5. 23. He is the head of the body the Church and Col. 1. 18. and Chap. 2. v. 17. Which are a shadow of things to come but the body is Christ And be ye thankful 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The former Translation reads it and be ye the amiable This word is not found any where that I know or can meet with in this sense divers of the same Stock I may say and mark still signifie thankful and so do others beside Chrysostom the Syriack Interpreter referring it to Christ although seeing it is put in rank with Duties pertaining to men I rather take it of thankfulness to men each to other of that after Such then is the sense of the words wherein we are exhorted to two Vertues Peace and Thankfulness There be two parts of the words that concern Peace first the Duty Let the peace of God rule in your hearts Secondly two Reasons 1. God's calling You are called to peace The second Reason is That you are in one body Peace which is the Duty that we are exhorted unto is a Moral or to speak in Christian language a Theological Vertue of that worth and excellency which we are bidden to suffer to marshal us and all our actions to give Peace the preheminence let it rule in God's Name in us and over us It is the Peace of God The Evangelical Observation is this Observ That when there shall be a Conflict in our Thoughts between Anger Swelling Disdain Ambition Revenge and on the other side Meekness Mercy Humility Love yea sometimes Justice then let Peace bear the sway and order all things It is not then tho' still to be desired yet to be hoped for so much to be without Conflict with our Passions as regarded that at least they be well Marshalled a wrestling there will be only beware this Contention be not without a Moderator of the Strife which must be Peace Trem. renders it thus Pax sit moderatrix in cordibus vestris Let Peace be the Moderatrix in your hearts It is not to be expected then but there will be Contentions Discords and thereupon troublesom Affections which will strive for the Mastery and dominion as was amongst the Apostles themselves for by the way they had disputed Who should be greatest saith St. Mark 9. v. 34. but yet let Peace rule let her always in your hearts win and have the upper-hand as Erasmus renders this Phrase in his Paraphrase upon this Epistle This was the case between Abraham and his Nephew Lot when there was a strife between the Herdmen of Abraham's Cattel and the Herdmen of Lot's Cattel and the Canaanite and the Perizite dwelt then in the Land Gen. 13. 7 8. And Abraham said unto Lot Let there be no strife I pray thee between me and thee and between my herdmen and thy herdmen for we are brethren Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are men-brethren and so Peace and Love decided the Controversie and prevented all future occasions of difference between the two Families The Reasons of Dissentions are either inward or outward 1. Inward are many first Defects of Understanding when men are not rightly informed and acquainted with all matters Abimelec pleads thus and justifies himself to Abraham who had reproved him because of a Well of Water which Abimelec's Servants had violently taken away Gen. 21. 25. And Abimelec said I wot not who hath done this thing neither didst thou tell me neither yet heard I of it but to day A right understanding prevented a sad falling out and danger of War between the Israelites and the men of Gilead about the Altar of memorial that was reared up at the Banks of Jordan till the true meaning thereof was known Josh 22 12. The whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shilo to go up to war against them 2. Weakness of Judgment is a second Reason of Dissention for though in general we may discern what is good or evil as that no man is to be wronged and that we must do unto others as we would be done unto yet when we come to the particulars we resolve far otherwise Deteriora sequor 3. Stifness in Opinions once received and entertained is an occasion of continued Differences even amongst men of the same Profession as between the Pharisees and Saduces there arose a Dissention and the Multitude was divided Acts 23. v. 7. 4. Pride is a great Makebate only by Pride cometh contention saith Solomon Prov. 13. 10. Men have forgotten that exhortation of the Apostle Peter Yea all of you be subject to one another and be clothed with humility for God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble 1 Pet. 5. 5. 5. Envy is a cause of deadly Dissentions insomuch that Solomon asks the Question Prov. 27. 4. Who is able to stand before envy before this Son of Anak The ground of the first Quarrel between Cain and Abel that ended in innocent blood Gen. 4. 5. The Lord had respect to Abel and his Offering but to Cain and his Offering he had no respect and Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell Moses tells us That Jacob heard Laban's Sons say Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's hath he gotten all this glory and Jacob heheld the countenance of Laban and behold it was not towards him as before This occasioned Jacob's stealing away from Laban secretly with all that he had as ye read Gen. 31. 1 2. 27. 31. See also Gen. 27. 41. where it is recorded That Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him and Esau said in his heart the days of mourning for my father are at hand then will I slay my brother Jacob. Again Genes 37. 4. 8. When Joseph'd brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him and his brethren said unto him Shalt thou indeed reign over us and shalt thou indeed have dominion over us and they hated him yet more for his dreams and for his words Stephen the Proto-martyr quotes this Scripture in his last Speech before the Jewish Sanhedrim and the Patriarchs moved with envy sold Joseph into Egypt but God was with him Acts 7. v. 9. Enviest thou for my sake saith Moses to Joshua that would have him forbid Eldad and Medad to prophecy in the camp would God all the people of the Land were Prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them Numb 11. v. 29. What a dreadful Judgment did Envy bring upon Corah and his Confederates when they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said
end and largely doth he garnish this Similitude in the place I named right now pressing it to divers Duties which shortly to name because they serve to the maintenance of Peace in her Soveraignty are these 1. To rejoyce each at others good If one member be honoured all the members rejoyce with it 1 Cor. 12. 26. 2. To suffer Compassionately each with other And whether one member suffer all the members suffer with it ibid. 3. To have Care each of another That there should be no schism in the body but that the members should have the same care one of another v. 25. to nourish and cherish them 4. The more weak and base to be compassed with Honour with the more comely Nay much more those members of the body that seem more feeble are necessary and those members of the body which we think to be base upon those we bestow more abundant honour and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness verse 22 23. 5. The worthier not to think they may be without the baser nor the baser think they are not in any place or reckoning because not the worthiest And the Eye cannot say to the Hand I have no need of thee nor again the Hand to the Foot I have no need of you v. 2. 6. If the Foot shall say because I am not the Hand I am not of the body is it therefore not of the body And if the Ear shall say because I am not the Eye I am not of the body is it therefore not of the body v. 15. 26. Thus far the Apostle in his excellent Parallel between the Members of the Natural Body and the Members of the Body Mystical These Opinions and Practices befit such as would keep peace such as are Members of one Body which very Consideration that they are found in the Natural Body should draw us into the practice of them in the Spiritual and Mystical Christ our Lord flows into us by his Spirit of Peace and Love and gives us Grace so to do and this will enable us to obey the Apostle in the words before this Text. And above all things put on charity which is the bond of perfectness This word Bond is taken sometimes for the Sinews and Ligaments of the Joynts as Chap. 2. v. 19. Sometimes for the Band that tieth a thing composed of a great many small parts into one as a Sheaf or Faggot so I think Peace is called Ephes 4. 3. endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace And this Perfectness may be taken 1. For the perfectness of every man in the Gifts of the Spirit which are dissolved and fall one from another without Love Or 2ly For the whole Body of the Church which is dissolved and falls asunder without love of which in the two places last named I will include herein both inward perfectness in private Christians and publick in the body of the Church So the Church Christ's Body it is capable of a kind of perfection even when it is most imperfect in the Eyes of the World as now it was and when the Apostle wrote that Ephesians 4. v. 3. Observat The thing that makes the Perfection of the Church is Love He therefore that loves not is imperfect in Christianity A Child in Grace if he have any yet is Carnal not Spiritual a Babe not a Man as the Apostle concludes of the Corinthians from hence 1 Cor. 3. 1. 3. And those that take no care to maintain Love with their even Christians they do as much as they may maim lame and make imperfect the Body of Christ laying aside his new Commandment That ye love one another as I have loved you John 13. 34. Let Papists and such as rejoyce in bitterness against their Brethren think on this Let us learn by all means to maintain Peace and Love the untimely breaking of some Truth is not worth so much as to break Love As the curing of some Disease not worth the pain of the Cure as of some Wens and Warts c. worth the cutting c. and this is to be followed of us It is more than seasonable that we were put in mind of this Point for we are faulty in it much Now if one be more scrupulous than another in Ceremonies and Matters indifferent Minister or other one sort there is that presently abate their love Again if another take a little liberty in such things the other side bears not that hearty affection which should be unto him Though thus either think of the other they are men that intend to do vertuously yet there is not this equal Communication of the Offices of Kindness which this Form Above all things put on love would require What if men dissent from us in sundry Points of Judgment or of Affection as both may be and justly yet let the Consideration that they are Members of the same Body with us Men reclaimed to God Men which according to that which they know endeavour to Serve and Worship God makes us to strive so much the more that it might not seem to come through our Default that any Strangers should be between us or Differences grow to greater Extremities we shall have the better in the handling of the Cause to say nothing of the Truth whether we have it on our side or no. I would to God that we could be content in Matters of no great Consequence when many Differences be among us to comprise them with that of the Apostle If any man think otherwise the Lord shall reveal this also unto you Phil. 3. 15. And in the mean space in our Speeches Countenances Gestures Writings be mindful of this standing Rule That Love belongs to all the Saints as the Apostle describes these Colossians by their Faith in Jesus Christ and their Love to all the Saints Chap. 1. 4. So by letting go vain Clamours we shall find more Truth than we do as being better disposed to seek it which indeed no passionate man is and sure I am we should have more peace and comfort and be freed from much foolish Suspicions among our selves and many slanderous and foul Imputations from our common Enemies God give us Grace to see our Faults put a Remedy thereto in time before by our Dissentions we have weakened our selves that both together we be not matchable to our third and worst Adversary see Psalm 133. And be ye thankful The second Duty we are exhorted unto in this Scripture is the duty of thankfulness what variety is between these two Words Amiable and Thankful every man may at the first view easily conceive But our latest Translation of the Word is the best that for Amiable puts in Thankful whereunto the propriety of the Word and Authority of other Interpreters doth so lead me as Ephes 5. 4. but rather giving of thanks and 1 Thessal 5. 18. In every thing give thanks And although they 〈◊〉 Chrysost Bruno Osiandor refer it to God
I did it to God's Glory that I might express my Thankfulness to him and the joy of my Heart in doing him Service whom since the rest know not they are not to be respected if they scorn nor is it to be wondred if they be strangely affected with it as above the compass of their Conceit Fifthly How without hope of Requital are all yea the least of God's benefits that call for Thankfulness a cup of cold water only given to drink in Christ's name because ye belong to Christ shall not lose a just and superabundant requital saith our Lord Mar. 9. 41. See the full and final requital of all good and charitable Deeds Matth. 25. 34 35 36. Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world For I was an hungry and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in naked and ye cloathed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prinson and ye came unto me The Wicked he requites here sometimes in their own Coin as Adoni bezek acknowledgeth when his thumbs and great toes were cut off As I have done to threescore and ten Kings so hath the Lord requited me Judg. 1. 7. We are all ready enough to requite Evil for Evil to give him quid pro quo as good as he brings as the Proverb rimes as Sampson served the Philistines As they have done unto me so have I done unto them Jud. 15. 11. But it being impossible to requite God in any thing it is a most heinous Provocation of his justice to render Evil for Good Do ye thus provoke the Lord O foolish people and unwise saith Moses with Astonishment and Abhorrency Deut. 32. 6. 'T is left as a sad blot in Hezekiah's Scutcheon tho' otherwise a good Man and a good King by God's own Testimony He trusted in the Lord God of Israel so that after him there was none like him among all the Kings of Judah nor any that were before him But Hezekiah rendred not again according to the benefit done unto him for his heart was lifted up therefore there was wroth upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem 2 Chr. 32. 25. For after the defeat of Senacherib's Forces by an Angel of God that slew in one night an hundred fourscore and five thousand men of war in the Assyrian Camp and after the recovery of his Health confirmed by a sign from Heaven in the Sun's Retrogradation by ten degrees and the addition by Patent from God of fifteen years to his days with exceeding much Riches and Honour yet for all this he was not so careful to please God in an humble and thankful Acknowledgment of such great Favours as God was to pleasure him in them all Sixthly Consider from what odds the Person giving to our baseness have been all his benefits he being the great Independent Jehovah greatness is stampt upon all his Benefits to us and we a Seed of evil Doers a people laden with Iniquity children that are corrupters our spot is not the spot of his Children we are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked and in want of all things as our Lord writes to the Church of Laodicea Rev. 3. v. 17. Lastly Consider with what advantage of time and order in first bestowing have his Benefits been to us No eye pittied thee to have compassion upon thee I said unto thee when thou wast in thy Blood live saith the Lord Ezek. 16. 5 6. we love him because he first loved us saith the Apostle 1 Joh. 4. 19. His love to us is an antecedent love we love him with a consequential love because he hath cast his love upon us first and therefore is no way indebted to us for our love The Apostle asks this question Who hath first given unto him and it shall berecompenced to him again for of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory for ever Amen Rom. 11. v. 35 36. It is said by some we can never requite our Parents by some also we owe more to our Masters and Teachers than to Parents in as much as one gave being the other well being doubtless in both respects we cannot requite God and Christ First Our Parents begat our Bodies he gave us our senses who is therefore styled by the Apostle The Father of our Spirits Heb. 12. 9. 2. Our Masters and Teachers gave us with God's Blessing Knowledge and Learning Christ teacheth us the way to Heaven who is the Way the Truth and the Life Christ gave himself to us and for us to wash us from our Sins in his own Blood Joh. 14. 6. without which it had been better for us to have been any thing rather than men yea at all not to have been Let us with the Psalmist again and again say What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me Psal 116. 12. all his benefits are above us even the one also of our former means to express Gratitude here fails us what can we wish or desire to the most absolute and perfect Being Only we may acknowledge the Benefits and the Excellency and Liberality of the Giver which further may desire that all others would do the like this is our utmost unless further to endeavour not to be disobedient to this Heavenly Author of much good to us which yet is our duty otherwise the less we have means to the former the more ought we to be in this and say with the Man after God's own Heart I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live I will sing praises to my God while I have my being my Meditation of him shall be sweet I will be glad in the Lord Psal 103. 33 34. and in another At Midnight will I rise to give thanks to thee because of thy righteous Judgments Psal 119. 62. Let us beg of him as another Benefit that he will give us Grace and a mind to do these things who hath given the ground an occasion of them even the same our Lord Jesus Christ Now because the Apostle Peter saith no Prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation 2 Pet. 1. 20. so neither are all of sole private application but some are of a larger Extent and Compass than others if I should have studied long for a fit Text Psal 119. 16. Thy commandment iâ— exceeding broad and turned the whole Scripture I could not have had a fitter passage or greaâ—◠〈◊〉 in all the Book of God he calls more both for private and publick application than this that is in so strange a manner laid open before us to look into it and yet no more strange than true as the truth is in Jesu before whom I stand for this Doctrin of the Peace of God that ought to rule in the Hearts of all Believers gives great help advantage and admonition to Kings Law-makers Rulers to