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A96916 A vvord in season: or motives to peace, accomodation, and unity, 'twixt Presbyterian and Independent brethren Drawn from necessity of duty, necessity of expediency, and from the possibility of atchieving. Walwyn, William, 1600-1681, attributed name. 1646 (1646) Wing W3547D; Thomason E314_18; ESTC R200502 5,418 9

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A Word in Season OR Motives to Peace Accommodation and Vnity 'twixt PRESBYTERIAN AND INDEPENDENT Brethren Drawn from necessity of Duty necessity of Expediency and from the Possibility of Atchieving CHristian Reader whoever thou art that dost cast an eye on these ensuing Motives thou art desired yea and required how despicable so ever the pen-man seem unto thee in the Name of that Son of peace and by all thy interest in that spirit of peace love and union not to slight the Motion nor yet onely in a curfory way to passe thy favourable verdit on it as good and so to lay it by But seriously ponder in thine heart the seasonablenesse of the motion And necessity of speedy action towards the within mentioned peace and accommodation Before that which is now our notorious sin division be by the hand of Iustice turned into a most eminent plague unto us Before the fire which we have kindled break forth into a vehement flame not to be quenched but wi●h the blood of the kindlers We know how great a matter a little fire kindleth And as by all the ensuing Motives so by this also knowest thou not that it will be bitternesse in the end Thou art intreated to lay by all prejudice against this duty so much and so many wayes prest upon us and industriously act towards it with all thy might And if upon perusall of this paper thou say You tell us that we all know already and perswade us unto that we are before willing unto but tell us something of the way to accomplish It s answered the Author is sufficiently perswaded that the wayes are many and easie enough to finde and that its rather want of will then skill that the work is not done already and that the difference is not so much in principles as in spirits And that if the ministry of each were but by the people ingaged to confer and consult together and each for accomodation sake to give way as much as with safety and good consciences they may the work would not be long a doing And further That way is most like to win upon the people that 's found out and agreed on by the Ministers of either party of their own designing to the work also Ministers are like best to approve and most cordially to ingage for it in perswading with the people Secondly to agree upon the way is the worke of both parties together and not of one alone each can best tell what will give them satisfaction Thirdly if a way should be propounded and set down in writing it either must be very largely set down with all its circumstances and objections answered or else the propounder must be at the elbow of each Reader to answer objections or in stead of helping he might peradventure hinder the work Fourthly The prescribing a way though excellent could not accomplish without the former Fifthly nor would it likely availe much though never so perfect seeing severall persons have severall apprehensions and the same thing seemes better to another in another forme Nor is it for the honour of the publique to take up the conceptions of a private spirit another being as Good and if the result of more publike Labours be Better as being more ingaging For these and the like Reasons he hath put thee upon the ingageing the Ministery to this so desireable so blessed a worke Motives to Peace Accommodation and Unity 'twixt PRESBYTERIAN and INDEPENDENT Brethren c. FIrst That we may be like our Father who is One and undivided we also must Be and Appear so He seekes Reconciliation with Vs when separated fro● him and must not we seek Reconciliation with Brethren He loves the Vnited and will dwell among and blesse them Psal 133. 1 Cor. 13.11 He hates discord and the advancers of it Pro. 6.16.19 Secondly That we dishonour not Jesus Christ our Master before the world and occasion not them to say That either Christ is not in us and we not Christians as we professe to be or else Jesus Christ is not the Son of God whom the world knows to be a God of peace and union and knows there is no division in him John 17.21.23 And so Thirdly That we make not frustrate the last and earnest prayer of Jesus Christ to his Father for us Joh. 17.21 23. That we may be one in Spirit in word and in working as the Father and the Son is one and hold forth that union to all the world that the world may know that Jesus Christ whom we professe is of the Father and that the father hath sent him Fourthly That we mak not frustrate the glorious designe of Jesus Christ who dyed As that he might reconcile Man to God so also to reconcile man to man That he might make in himselfe of twain One and so making Peace Ephes 2.15 16 c. Isa 11. chap. Fifthly That we make not the Command of Jesus Christ of none effect unto us viz. As I have loved you That ye love one another Joh. 13. Have peace one with another Mark 9.50 Let us follow after the things that make for peace and whereby we may Edifie one another Rom. 14.19 Seek peace and follow after it Psal 34. Be of one mind and live in peace 1 Cor. 13.11 Sixthly Nor the earnest request or beseeching of Jesus Christ by his Apostle That we all speak one thing and that there be no divisions among us 1 Cor. 1.10 Seventhly That we dishonour not Religion and the Gospell of Christ seeing it becomes the Gospell that the professors of it stand fast in One Spirit and One Mind striving together for the saith of the Gospell Phil. 1.27 and the contrary thereof so much occasions scandall to those without and staggering to weak brethren and makes both subject to question whether Religion be Divine or Humane Eighthly That we call not our Christianity into question amongst fellow Christians and evidence not to them that we are Carnall walking in envyings strife and divisions 1 Cor. 3.3 But that we may give Testimony that we are their fellow Disciples of Christ as Iohn 13.35 and beloved of God as Iohn 17.23 at end Ninthly For that either we grant one another to be brethren fellow Members and to have all drunk into one Spirit and then how do we dishonour and grieve that spirit of Peace Love and Union by our contrariety thereunto or else one denies the other party to be such and then how great how sad how sinfull is that Division In regard of God his Son his holy Spirit our Selves our brethren for that we are Brethren and the Cananite and the Perosites are in the Land viz. The eyes of Papists and carnall Protestants are upon us Motives from the expediency It s expedient and therefore necessary neither having ground to beleeve that the State will so establish the One as not to suffer the other what inconveniency will ensue without Accommodations Between both neither will be able to
keep their Members in good Order but all discontented spirits will slight and cast off the yoake and be gone Nor will that love and sweetnesse be maintained 'twixt husbands wives parents children brethren all relations Nor will that neglect of the Study of things more excellent more tending to piety Iustice and Charity to maintain our pre-ingagements to this or that Discipline be prevented Nor that making of sides or parties so prejudiciall to States Churches and all Christians be prevented Nor the wicked hopes of our Enemies so throughly disappointed Nor shall we without accommodation communion know so wel those that notoriously dissent in doctrine and not in Discipline onely nor can we prevent the flowing in of errours without controule Nor can it be prevented but any party of headstrong persons will make a Church or confederacy at their pleasure and slight and set at nought all the Churches Nor will as we may justly fear envy clamors and slanders by the brethren of each party be layd aside Nor will Royalists and Episcopall Spirits be so well brought in but will set up Assemblies of their own Factions which by Rules of Accommodation may be prevented and they won to love Religion and the Brethren It s our duty therefore necessary its necessary and therefore our duty and the necessity thereof dayly more and more appears to every discerning eye that sees into the spirits and jealousies of each party and considers the mischiefes that may insue If ye bite and devour one another take heed c. Gal. 5.15 It s possible to be atchieved for First our Father hath promised to give one heart and one way Jer. 32.39 He that made the stick of Judah the stick of Ephraim one Jer. 37.16 17. Can yea will unite all his people and will turn to them a pure language and they shall serve him with one consent Zeph. 3 9. And his name shall be one Zac. 14.9 Secondly Our Lord Christ hath prayed that it should be so Joh. 17.21.23 and made it one of his last and great requests unto his Father and left it as a Legacy to Us Iohn 14.37 and 16.23 and 20.19 It therefore must and will be so Thirdly Because the Spirit by which we are all sanctified is one and the same and therefore will be alwayes acting us towards it and will at last effect it 1 Cor. 12.13 Made to drink into one Spirit and baptised into one body and having entrance by one Spirit unto the Father Eph. 2.18 It s possible for Our Lord Christ is prevalent and cannot fail of obtaining with the Father and he is able to deliver to us what he hath bequethed and God is faithfull who hath promised and righteous to give Jesus Christ what he hath purchased And that sweet and powerfull spirit is able and very willing to carry one that glorious designe of the Father and the Son wherein himself also is alike ingaged in the hearts of his It s possible for as great things and very much greater are done among us by the Spirit of the Lord. How great things even to the heigth of admiration hath been before our eyes done By that wonderworking Spirit of providence and how shall we not expect as great things to be done by the Spirit of the Lord Iesus And is not by exceeding much the maine part of the work by that Spirit already done in the hearts of Gods people of both parties and why should we doubt the lesse are we not come neerer and neerer together both in principles and practise and why should we doubt the issue So that all the let is in our selves our straightnesse is in our own Bowels we must be instrumentall to our God in this as in all other great things he hath done among us At the least we must suffer the influence of that all working Spirit of love peace and union upon our hearts and spirits and not resist by a contrary spirit as we too too much Oh that it might not be truly said for the most part doe If there be therefore any desire to be like our Father if any love to his presence and blessing and is there the like power and evidence of especiall presence in Ordinances except by a moderate party as was wont to bee if any love to the honour of Christ and to receive the blessed Returne of the prayer of Christ or to carry on the glorious designe of Christ or to obey his commands or to credit his Gospell or our selves his members or to accommodate his Saints and disappoint the hopes of his enemies If there be any consolation in Christ if any Comfort in love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels mercies fulfill ye my joy That ye be like minded having the same love being of one accord of one mind In lowlinesse of mind let each esteeme other better then themseves Look not every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others Let the same mind be in you that was also in Christ Iesus Phil. 2.1 2 3 4 5. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one towards another according to Christ Jesus That ye may with one mind and on mouth glorifie God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 15.5 6. Now whereas some will say all this is good it ought to be indeed but what is it to me or to our partee our consents and desires are towards it but the other partee dissents and stands at a distance upon such termes that we cannot we may not close And others will say all this is good and desireable but the skill and difficulty is to obtain it Answ To the former its answered If they desire and endeavour it as good what meanes the bleatings which are heard viz. The hard speeches one of another discoveries of jealousies and opposition of spirit one towards another and deterring of indeavours towards accommodation peace and union by Inclination of the vanity of indeavours thereunto At the best wher 's the discovery of such indeavours as ought to be by either party expressing what some particular persons peradventure of their owne dispositions have done what considerable thing hath been by way of condescention done towards accommodation by those that brag most of either partee which ought not in duty to be done though there were no such difference in Being Where is that spirit of accommodation that was in holy James and the Elders assembled Act. 21.18.20 Do not many of us on the contrary drive designs to goe One beyond and to thwart and circumvent Another To both it s answered where 's the Manifestation of the desires toward it by calling for it crying it up and indeavour after it among all the petitions and petitioners that have appeared who petitions for this who as for other things joynes together in Troopes to request men of wisdome peace and love to communicate councels to find out propositions to present to the Committee of Accommodation And whereas many motions may best take Rise from the earnest desires of the people wher 's the endeavors of active men to take the stumbling block and temptation out of the way of Ministers of both parties who are flesh and blood and have their frailties as others and may not peradventure be able to break through the disesteeme and discountenance of those whose eyes they know will be upon them for evill if they shall for accommodations sake yeeld some thing from what they have formerly held forth and maintained or from what men of great countenance now hold What great things have beene done that to helpe in this case have seemed to take their Rise from the motions of the people Whereas the Ministers cannot but see a necessity of accommodation in other regards Oh that they might see a necessity also to accomodate the Importunate desires of the people If this therefore be of God of Christ and desireable to Christians cry it up and with all your might endeavour in it in a spirit of sincerity love meeknesse and humility And the Lord our God shall be with us Now I beseech you brethren by the Name of Our Lord Iesus Christ that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgement 1 Cor. 1.10 FINIS Imprimatur Joseph Caryl London Printed by J. Macock for Giles Calvert dwelling at the black Spred-Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1646.