us also yea for all 2. Now for the Advice it selfe and here to make use of the aforesaid distribution wee have 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The subject of the advice the unity of the Spirit concerning this two things deserve enquiry 1. What is unity in generall and what it is in this place The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unity notes the joyning together of more things though divers yea though contrary into one as the joyning together of severall bricks or hewen stones or peeces of timber to make one house the putting together of a body propagated from parents and a soule immediatly created of God to become one man the making of Iewes and Gentiles one new man who had beene before of such different dispositions and religions and between whom in that respect there had been such enmity In all these there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unity The unity here spoken of is that of which wee reade under the notion of gathering together into one all things Ephes 1.10 Ephes 2.14 15 16. both in heaven and in earth and of making both Iewes and Gentiles one new man one body one Corporation Verse 19. Verse 21 22. one family one house even one Temple having one head one Lord one King one foundation and corner-stone even Christ who is all in all This unity then is no other then unitas Ecclesiae the unity of the Church as Zanchy saies well Zanch. in locum the conjunction and agreement of the body of Christ the Church composed and made up of diuers people and men coupled and combined under one head Christ be they Iews or Gentiles And this is by S. Bernard Bern. de consid ad Eugen l. 5. c. 8. reckoning up sundry sorts of unity called Vnitas consentanea cum per charitatem multorum hominum est cor unum An unity of consent when by charity passing mutually between divers men they are as if they had all but one heart among them all 2. But why is this unity of the Church called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the unity of the Spirit Here Interpreters differ Some by spirit understand the soule of man and so will have this unity of the Church to be called the unity of the spirit ratione subjecti in relation to the subject of it because the soule not the body is the subject of this unity divers bodies one soule and heart in all Acts 4.32 as S. Luke speaks the bodies of men dispersed far and neare their soules firmely knit together into one so saies Estius Vnitatem spiritus the unity of the spirit Estius in locum that is saies he animorum inter vos conjunctionem the conjunction of your minds among your selves And Mariana thus layes downe the scope of the Apostle in this place Mariana in locum Non vult Apostolus suos animis opinionibus dissentire sed ut idem sapiant The Apostle saies he would not have his Ephesians to dissent in mind and opinion but all to mind the same thing To these learned Calvin assents Calv. in locum Vnitatem spiritus quidam pro spiritali accipiunt quam in nobis efficit Spiritus Dei Some saies he by the unity of the spirit understand here spirits unity which the Spirit of God works in us hee addes certè is solus est qui nos reddit unanimes and indeed it s he alone that makes us to be of one mind but yet he addes Sed ego simpliciùs interpretor de animorum concordia But I saies he doe rather understand it simply of the concord of our minds And indeed hee knowes nothing that knowes not the soule of man to be frequently in holy Writ called the spirit Eccles 12.7 Num. 27.16 The spirit goes to God that gave it saies the Wise man so Moses cals God The God of the spirits of all flesh and the Apostle cals him The Father of spirits Heb. 12 9. Yet others by the spirit understand the holy Ghost the third Person of the ever and equally glorious Trinity who is also in Scripture not seldome called the Spirit without his attribute holy or any other as by our Saviour particularly Ioh. 3.8 Matt. 4.1 So is every one saies he that is born of the Spirit and so S. Matthew speaks Then was Iesus led by the Spirit into the wildernesse c. and thus they will have this unity of the Church called the unity of the Spirit ratione efficientis with respect to the efficient of it namely because the holy Ghost is the Author of this unity Beza in locum Vnitatem Spiritus .i. cujus vinculum sanctus Spiritus est the unity of the spirit that is that unity whereof the holy Ghost is the bond Zanch. in locum saies Beza Vnitatem spiritus quia per sanctum Spiritum fit the unity of the spirit so called because it is caused by the holy Ghost saies Zanchy But these interpretations are not so crosse each to other but that they may well enough consist and stand together as Musculus saies well Musc in locum Anselm in locum and so Saint Anselme having first expounded it Vnitatem spiritus .i. unanimitatem voluntatis ut sit in vobis cor unum anima una The unity of the spirit that is unanimity of will so that there bee in you one heart and one soule doth afterwards adde the other exposition Soliciti servare c. id est solicite servetis quod à vobis non habetis scilicet unitatem id est quod vos estis facti unum quia unitas illa est spiritus id est a Spiritu sancto vobis concessa ideo non est negligenda sed studiose retinenda Endeavouring to keepe c. that is carefully keepe that which you have not of your selves namely unity whereby yee are all made one because this is the unity of the spirit granted to you by the Holy Ghost and therefore it is not to bee sleighted but studiously to bee retained And so this unity of the Church is in two respects called the unity of the spirit 1. For that it is not bodily but a spirituall unity there is not corporalis contactus a bodily touching one of another not the bodies of Christians united into one but their hearts and soules Acts 4.32 as appeares from the fore-named passage of S. Luke 2. For that it is the holy Ghost that is the Author of this unity as the soule and body are united together by the spirits the wasting of which causeth death in the separation of soule and body asunder so by the operation of the Holy Ghost working in us brotherly-love each to other Christ hath coupled all his Elect Iewes and Gentiles into one body in Christ and betweene themselves and this is that which the Apostle saies 1 Cor. 12.13 We are all by one Spirit baptized into one body 2. The thing required with respect
not either take or give offence And thereunto S. Austin addes of his own Quia contingit ut una Ecclesia habeat alios Sabbato jejunantes alios prandentes mos eorum mihi sequendus videtur quibus corum populorum congregatio regenda commissa est Quare si meo consilio acquiescis Episcopo tuo in hac re noli resistere quod facit ipse sine ullo scrupulo sectare Because it so falls out that in one and the same Church some may fast on Saturdayes and others dine the custome of those seems to me to be followed to whom the government of the Church is committed If therefore you rest in my advice resist not thy Bishop in this thing and what he doth follow thou without scruple The observation of this rule and care to walk according to it would not a little tend to the preservation of the peace and unity of the Church 7 Shut out tale-bearers if we would shun private breaches there is a generation of men that go up and down from one to another carrying the devils pack like Pedlers seeking to curry favour with all sides these are mischievous persons A whisperer Prov. 16.28 saith Solomon separates chiefe friends If therefore we desire to maintaine peace let us walk by Solomons rule Prov. 25.23 As the North winde drives away raine so doth the angry countenance the backbiting tongue And the issue we shall finde according to that other adage of his Prov. 26.20 Where no wood is the fire goes out and where no tale-bearer is strife ceases And for the preventing of publick breaches hearken to the counsell of Saint Paul Mark them that cause divisions and avoid them Rom. 16.17 There is a brood of ill-minded men who care not what they say or write whereby to worke in men an ill opinion of the Church wherein they live though never so apparantly false and that they may the more easily insinuate and winde themselves into the mindes of well-meaning people they will make a faire pretence of zeale for the good of the Church as if all that they did were altogether for the preservation of the truth of Doctrine and the purity of Gods worship when God knows it is if not onely at least especially for their owne advantage to raise themselves a name by defaming of others whose preferment they envy such as these the Apostle would have us to marke and avoid and according to this is the advice of Saint Cyprian that famous Bishop of Carthage Admoneo pariter consulo saith he Câ—pr Epist 40 〈◊〉 plebem de quinque Presbyter Schismaticis factionis foelicissimi ne perniciosis vocibus temerè credatis ne fallacibus verbis consensum facilè commodetis ne pro luce tenebras pro die noctem venenum pro remedio mortem pro vita sumatis nec aet as vos corum nec authoritas fallat c. I admonish and counsell you that ye do not rashly beleeve pernicious words nor hand over head give assent to deceitfull speeches lest ye take darknesse for light night for day poyson for remedie and death for life Let neither their age nor authoritie deceive you c. Let this be our care and we shall be well shielded against Schisme and division and enabled to maintaine unity and to live in peace and so the God of love and peace shall be with us To which God Father Sonne and holy Ghost be rendred of us and the whole Church all honour and glory praise and power might and majestie from this time forth and for evermore Amen FINIS Errata PAge 3. line 24. for Apostles reade Apostle p 6 l 3 for spirits r spirituall p 20 l 9 for dissentio r dissensio p 28 l 4 for slaughter r laughter p 37 l 2â— for iniunction r iniunction p 49 l 7 for pretend r did pretend p 51 l 3 for defraudeiur r defraudetur l 19 for Diaboli sed pax Dei r Diaboli sed pax Dei p 52. l 23 for Saint Bernard Hic et r Saint Bernard hic et p 53 l 30 for Thus as Tertullian testifies Valentinus hunting r Thus as Tertullian testifies Valentinus hunting c. p 57. l. 27 for God The other c. r. God the other
the body Nor in this case will thy Almes-deeds afford thee any comfort be they never so abundant Aug. tom 2. vel Fulgent de fide ad Petr. Diacon Si quis remanens alienus ab Ecclesiâ Catholicâ eleemosynas largas dederit pro eo quod in hac vita non tenet Ecclesiae unitatem non habet vitam aeternam sayes the same Father or Fulgentius If any man remaining a stranger from the Catholike Church shall giue large almes even for this that in this life he holds not the unity of the Church he shall misse of life eternall Nor canst thou in this case have comfort in thy fasting nor will it be of any acceptance with God If the Iewes aske Esa 58.3.4 Why have we fasted and thou regardest it not God returnes answer Behold ye fast for strife and debate Nay should it so happen that a man violating the peace of the Church should suffer ought neither in this could he have comfort Si aliquis ex talibus sayes Saint Cyprian Cypr. epist 57. ad Cornelium in exilio that glorious Martyr and famous Bishop of Carthage speaking of the Novatians fuerit apprehensus non est quod sibi tanquam de confessione nominis blandiatur cum constet si occisi ejusmodi extra Ecclesiam fuerint fidei coronam non esse sed poenam perfidiae If any of them sayes he shall be apprehended they have no cause to flatter themselves with the confession of the name of Christ since it is manifest that if such should fuffer death out of the Church it were not a Crown of faith but a reward of disloyalty And elsewhere Etsi oecisus propter nomen fuerit extra Ecclesiam constitutus Cypr. epist 52. ad Antonian ab unitate charitate divisus coronari in morte non poterit Though a man separated from the unity of the Church should suffer death for the name of Christ he could not be crowned in death Saint Austin also tels Donatus as much who was a Priest of the Donatists foris ab Ecclesia constitutus Aug epist 204. ad Donatum preibyt Donat. à vinculo charitatis separatus supplicio aeterno punireris etsi pro Christi nomine vivus comburereris Being out of the Church and separated from the bond of charity thou shouldest be everlastingly punished though thou shouldest be burned alive for the name of Christ Nor doe these holy Fathers say all this of their own heads but as they have learned it from Saint Paul who plainly sayes as much 1 Cor. 13.3 Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poore and give my body to be burned and have not charity it profits mee nothing Nothing can be said more plain for this purpose for if all this be unavaileable without charity then so it is without a study of unity charity and the study of peace being undivided companions As therefore we would not lose our labour nor strip our selves of comfort in all that we doe or suffer it stands us in hand according to Saint Pauls injunctinn to study peace and unity 3 To furnish us with opportunities of doing and receiving good mutually by the improvement of the Communion of Saints for God hath in singular wisedome distributed his manifold graces not giving some all and some none at all but giving each man in the Church his proper share and dividing to each man his severall gift according to that station in the Church to which he hath designed him so that as no man is absolute so there is none but may be in his way beneficiall there is none but may stand in need of another there is none but may be usefull to another the head cannot say to the foot 1 Cor. 12.21 2 Tim. 1.16.17 I have no need of thee Saint Paul stands in need of Onesiphorus his reliefe and Onesiphorus needs Saint Pauls prayers The ordinary Christian stands in need of the Ministers instruction exhortation and comfort and there is not the most eminent Minister in the Church who needs not the prayers of the meanest Christian how earnest therefore and how frequent is Saint Paul in desiring the prayers of Christians for him Rom. 15.30.31 I beseech you brethren for the Lord Iesus Christs sake and for the love of the Spirit that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me 2 Thes 3.1 c. And furthermore brethren pray for us Thus Saint Austin writing to Darius a lay man Ora pro me Aug. epist 264. ad Darium ne deficiam ora fili ora sentio quid dicam sentio quid petam non tibi videatur indignum quasi ultra merita tua fraudabis me magno adjutorio si non feceris c. Pray for me that I faile not pray sonne pray I know what I say I know what I desire let it not seeme to thee an unfitting thing and as it were beyond thy merits thou shalt deprive me of a speciall helpe Tertul de baptismo if thou doe it not So Tertullian Ore ut cum petitis etiam Tertulliani peccatoris memineritis I desire that in your prayers you would also remember Tertullian a sinner And so Saint Bernard Iuvate me orationibus vestris ut semper possim Bern. in Cant. Ser. 36. loqui quae oportet opere implere quae loquor Helpe me with your prayers that I may alway both speake such things as I ought and practise what I speake In this regard who sees not how usefull it is to maintaine unity For so long as there is mutuall peace there will be societie and so an opportunitie and readinesse to do good by the employment of the abilities wherewith God hath in any kinde furnished us and we shall be as ready to reape benefit by the abilities of others But let peace be violated and way given to discord and jarring and presently there follows strangenesse we shall be ready to flye off one from another in time of need and one to scorne to be beholding to another as therefore we desire to reape the benefit of the communion of Saints it stands us in hand to endeavour to keep peace and unity Thus I have done with the proofe of the point wherein I have the more enlarged my selfe because the point is practicall but the more I have spoken of this the lesse I shall need to dwell upon the application To which I were now immediately to come but that there are two questions which need resolution Quest 1. How farre and with whom must we minde and studie peace Answ Heare we the Apostle If it be possible and as much as lyes in you Rom. 12.18 have peace with all men With all men then certainly with al them that live in the pales of the Church If it be possible and as much as lyes in you saith the Apostle There are cases then in which it is not for us to have peace with