Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A67825
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A sermon exhorting to union in religion preach'd at Bow-Church, May 20th, and published at the desire of the auditory / by E. Young.
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Young, Edward, 1641 or 2-1705.
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1688
(1688)
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Wing Y64; ESTC R39192
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14,385
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34
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to be Sacred Christ may be left by those that hold together In that prospect that the Holy Scriptures give us of the Kingdom of Antichrist we do not learn that it should be a divided Kingdom but on the contrary that it should be a mighty Confederacy and extensive Union to the setting up of an Idolatrous worship In which case the Holy Spirit cryes Come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins Whensoever therefore the Terms of Communion come to be sinful as they must be where Faith is innovated Inventions obtruded Corruptions past into a Law and Communion charged with such obligations as are not deducible from the Rule of Christ but bear a notorious inconsistence with it There it becomes a Duty to Divide and they are the Separatists that force to Separate not They who deplore the necessity of so doing 'T is our own Case to stand separated from the Church of Rome but we call Heaven to witness that it is not from any spirit of Division in us let but the Holy Scripture be the Rule and primitive Antiquity the Judge and we are ready to abide by the Award and unite in the issue of such a Determination And as they that will agree upon any other Terms must resolve to sacrifice Religion to a League whereas on the other side They that will not agree upon such Terms as these seem resolved to sacrifice Christianity to Faction 2. So I pass to my Second Proposition which is this That it is our Own Things and not the Things of Christ which makes us divide It has always been and always will be a pretence among Christians so long as they divide that Religion engages them to do so But Religion all the while mourns under and remonstrates against the slander Religion implores men to be both more Charitable towards one another and towards Her For it is not only a sin to divide but it is a greater sin to entitle Religion to the guilt of our Dividing The Things of Christ and of Religion are These as the Apostle tells us Gal. 5. Love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance Did ever these Graces engage men to divide the Charge of Religion is this as the same Apostle 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 and of one mind Did ever such a Pathetical Adjuration as This engage men to divide If therefore the practice of men be found to run opposite to these fundamental Graces and most Sacred Obligations of Christianity 't is no rashness to conclude That they are moved by some other Springs than those of a well-weighed Religion Of those that separate from our Communion some pretend Conscience as if our Communion were unlawful and some pretend Edification as if our Communion tho' it were lawful yet it edified not Let us now fairly examine these Two Pretences and see whether they are bottom'd upon the Things of Christ or our Own. 1. As to them that plead Conscience for their separating from us give me leave to premise That it is not sufficient for any man's Repose to say that he is acted by his Conscience in what he does For we ought to consider that since Conscience is no other than our present Perswasion our Conscience must needs lye at the mercy of every thing that has power to perswade us and hence it oftentimes comes to pass that while Conscience acts us it self is acted by Passions and weaknesses and what then must become of the Regularity of what we do I know every man detests the Charge of being sway'd in matters of Religion either by Interest or Peevishness or Pride or Appetites or Aversions or any thing that is either avowedly evil or shamefully weak and therefore I shall not charge any man with being so swayed But yet I shall observe for the Caution of us all that all these things find a way to pass into our Consciences and there to act as securely as it were behind the Curtain even at that time when we should be ready to detest them in their own naked appearance And for the truth of this I shall appeal to some undeniable experience We have known some who out of wantonness of Wit and affectation of singularity have made a perfect new Model of Christian Religion have made a God without Eternity and a Saviour without Satisfaction and a Hell without Torments have first admir'd this their Scheme and then believ'd it and so become Masters of a numerous Sect And thus Vanity has past into Conscience We have known others of a moroser Complexion who falling as it were into dislike with that sweetness that Christianity obliges to and those Sacraments that are the Ties of Union and that Gospel that so instantly presses it have come to believe that the very Gospel-Institutions are but Type and shadow That every Man has a surer word of Prophecy within himself And that God must be serv'd without all Positive Ordinances And these have sprang into a numerous Sect And thus Complexion has past into Conscience Others we know whose Covetousness has first inclined them to teach and then the success of their Doctrine has inclined them to believe that the Merits of Humane Piety may be transfer'd from Person to Person and that the fruits of Repentance may be purchased at a price And thus Avarice has past into Conscience Others we know who having let their Minds grow gross and carnal and then finding themselves either too much aw'd or too much at a loss in their Devotions to a Pure and Invisible Being have introduc'd sensible Objects of Worship and humane Mediators to whom they might address both with more boldness and more carelesness And thus Carnality has past into Conscience Others we know who being of a temper more Zealous and fierce have perswaded themselves that all is Sacred that they do for the advancement of their own Opinions and so have allow'd and practis'd Persecutions Murders Outrages and thought that in these they have done God good service And thus Cruelty has past into Conscience We have known others who being uneasie in their Worldly circumstances and then reflecting on that mysterious intimation that Christ should sometime reign alone upon the Earth have believ'd as they were willing that the time was now accomplish'd and thereupon have cry'd down all worldly Government as Antichristian and hop'd to set up Christ and themselves together And thus Discontent has past into Conscience We know others who being bred up under Masters better skill'd in Affirming than Proving have been taught to believe That the most commendable Faith is that which swallows all things without examination and the more Reason a man hears against himself the more meritorious is his obstinacy And thus Credulity has past into Conscience Others who
just that when men come to worship God they should rather consider what pleases God than what pleases themselves Now can any one say that God is not pleased with a set Form of Prayer How comes it then to pass that whereas the Holy Scripture makes mention twice of the Devotion used by the Church Triumphant in Heaven we are taught in both places that it consists in a set Form Consult Isa. 6. together with Rev. 4. and you shall find it so Now I hope none dare charge those Blessed Spirits as they may when they please the Ministers of our Church that they use a set Form either because of Poverty of Invention or Laziness of affection No They use it in Testimony that what is always good and proper ought always to please and that it is only the untutor'd infirmities of our own Imaginations that makes us hunt after Change. But beside this we know well enough that the power and energy of Prayer cannot consist in any variety of words but only in suiting our affections to the words that we use Now when we know before-hand the words that are to be used or may have them before our eyes our Soul is at perfect leisure to fuit and raise and change her Affections according to the importance of every Word Whereas while the Soul is held in suspence about the meaning of a Sentence till such time as it be finished as it must necessarily happen in extemporary Prayer she is in a great measure depriv'd of this advantageous leisure and tho' the Imagination be still kept busie yet the affections can never follow but by starts and with disorder And yet more than this Whereas it is apparent that Curiosity does beget attention in Prayer as well as Piety and yet the latter only can be acceptable to God a Man cannot have the advantage but only from a set Form to discern whether his attention be truly pious or no because he can then onely judge how far Piety does move him when it moves him alone and Curiosity is disingag'd If therefore it be our Prejudice that hinders our Edification as it certainly appears it does in this instance of Publick Prayer which an humble preparation of heart may make a better use of to all the ends of Piety than it possibly can of any extemporary Form I hope we cannot say our Prejudice is a thing of Christ's and therefore it is our Own things that in this instance likewise occasions us to divide And now You our Brethren who have faln out with us by the way Consider I beseech you how we shall answer it at our Journeys end Our Quarrel is that we will not walk by the same Rule and yet we are commanded to walk by the same Rule Our Defence is that we imagine another Rule to be better but still what we contend for is onely an Imagination and what we contemn is a Command Nay were we certain that the Rule we propose is better yet we are as certain that Love is better than that How triumphantly has it sounded of late from one side of the Nation to the other That God is the only Sovereign of Conscience Alas that he were so But he is not Were God once the Sovereign of our Consciences in Deed as we all acknowledge he is in Right Farewel Separation Our Mind and Way would then be but one as our God is but one and he not the Author of Confusion but of Peace Could we but once descend from our high pretences of Religion to the Humility that onely makes men Religious Could we but once prefer Christianity it self before the several Factions that bear its name our Differences would sink of themselves and it would appear to us that there is more Religion in not contending than there is in the matters we contend about And you our Brethren the Pastors of those that separate for I am willing to cast away a few words in the air tho' there be none here concern'd to regard them I say you our Brethren the Pastors of those that separate What shall we do to conciliate or oblige you Would you have us come off from the establishment to meet you but that is not in our power Do you think That Establishment so extremely blameable But why will you always be Judges where you are Parties we desire not to be so Let all former Ages and all the wise Men of the Indifferent World at this day be Judges betwixt us In the mean time why do you not youchsafe us your correspondence Why do you not seek the fruits of Peace in the methods of Peace Come and see whether we are those supercilious those untractable those selfish Men See whether you should not be welcome to our Friendships if they were thought worthy See whether you should not be welcome to our Fortunes if they were thought needful Cannot the Consolation of Christ and the Comfort of Love and the Fellowship of the Spirit and bowels and mercies avail any thing to cement us Must our own particularities continue to divide us though the things of Christ conjure us to unite Will you have no regard to the Requests of our Church though all the Cords of Prudence as well as Love draw you on to her Communion If it must be thus In my poor Judgment It is a most unreasonable enmity that the Church of England labours under and I pray God it may be duly repented of before it be brought to a severer Barr. Finally My Brethren You whom the Grace of God has setled in a just affection to our establish'd Church Reverence your Church above all other Churches but Christ himself above every Church Hold fast your Profession without wavering For yet a little while and he that shall come will come and his Reward is with Him Pray for the peace of Ierusalem Let your Moderation be known unto all men Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good And the God who hath loved us and given us good hopes thro' his Grace comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good Word and Work. To whom be Glory c. FINIS