that part of the Christian Church which is establish'd in this Nation and not of that only but of the truly Catholick Church throughout the World For the Sacrament of the Lords Supper was intended by our Lord as a Badge and Symbol of such our Communion And upon this Occasion I thought I could not chuse a more proper Subject than the words I have now read to you wherein we are so expresly exhorted to regard and to promote as far as in us lyes the Unity and Peace of the Church of Christ Endeavouring to keep c. St. Paul had been in his preceding Discourse putting the Ephesians in mind of the Extraordinary Grace of God towards them in taking them within the Pale of his Church that whereas they had been Gentiles Ch. 2.11 12 13. without Christ Aliens from the Common wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenants of Promise Nay having no hope and without God in the World they were Now brought near to God by the Blood of Christ being together with the believing Jews adopted into his Family He exceedingly magnifies this their Privilege in those Remarkable Words v. 10 2 21 22. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and Forreigners but fellow Citizens with the Saints and of the Houshold of God and are built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the Chief corner-stone in whom all the building fitly Framed together groweth into an holy Temple in the Lord in whom you also are builded together for an Habitation of God through the Spirit To the same purpose he goes on throughout the Third Chapter both to extol this Favour of God towards them and to pray that they might be thorowly Sensible of it after which he begins this Fourth Chap. with a Serious Exhortation to them that they would walk worthy of this their Vocation particularly in the exercise of much Humility and Charity Ver. 1 2. I therefore the Prisoner of the Lord beseech you that ye walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith ye are call'd with all lowliness and meekness with long-suffering forbearing one another in love and as it follows in the words of my Text Endeavouring to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace From which Connexion of the Words we may observe by the way That the keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace whatever that means is absolutely Necessary to our walking worthy of our Christian Vocation and that in order to this we ought to have our minds well season'd with Humility and Charity two most excellent Christian Graces whereby we shall be best dispos'd to the exercise of all other Vertues which our Holy Religion Requires and for want of which it comes to pass that the Professors of Christianity are so miserably divided as they are at this day But I proceed to the words themselves in treating of which I propose this Method To Explain the Duty which the Apostle here urges upon the Ephesians shewing what it is to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the bondof Peace To consider the Obligation which all Christians are under to the Practice of this Duty To shew how we may best attain to the Practice of it To Explain the Duty it Self shewing what it is to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace By the Vnity of the Spirit I conceive the Apostle here means such an Vnity as properly belongs to a Body which is inspired in the whole and every part of it by one and the same Spirit I know that some will have this phrase to signifie no more than an Vnion of the Spirits or minds of Christians This is indeed contain'd in it but 't is by no means the full Sense of the Expression The Vnion which is between Christians is Principally and in the first Place in their Minds or Spirits but I take the word Spirit here to relate to the Divine Spirit which as the Apostle presently after observes animates the whole Body of Christ and makes it indeed to be one For so it follows ver 4. there is one Body and one Spirit And to the same purpose 't is frequently exprest in other places Thus in the preceding part of this Epistle Chap. 2.22 In whom that is in Jesus Christ you also are builded together for an Habitation of God through the Spirit And very Remarkably in the Former Epistle to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 1â— 12 13. As the Body is one and hath many Members and all the Members of that one Body being many are one Body So also is Christ For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body whether we be Jews or Gentiles whether we be bond or Free and have been all made to drink into one Spirit That is The Church of Christ may be fitly compar'd to the Body of a Man which has many Members but all of them united by one Spirit which is diffused through every part and quickens the whole Just so says he the Church consists of abundance of particular Believers but these are all admitted by Baptism to the Priviledge of being put under the Conduct of the Holy Ghost in whose Name they are baptized together with that of the Father and of the Son and whose assistance they may constantly depend upon if they do not resist and drive him away from them And they are farther constantly made to drink into the same Spirit that is by partaking of the other Sacrament that of the Lords-Supper Particularly of the wine there poured out they may receive and if they are sincere Christians they do so farther communications of the same Spirit Now this gives a clear account of the Expression in the Text the Vnity of the Spirit that is such an Unity as becomes a Body thus animated by the same Spirit viz. an Unity in Judgment and an Unity in Affection or in other words an Unity in Truth and in Charity together with all that External and Visible Unity which is Naturally consequent upon the Former For so it follows in the bond of Peace by which is meant a Peaceable Conversation with each other as in all other respects so especially in Spiritual Affairs the avoiding all Dissension and Division with respect to External Communion the Living and Conversing together and especially the Communcating with each other in all the Ordinances and Institutions of Religion as one Body This peaceable demeanor is the Bond of Unity amongst Christians not only shewing them to be one but preserving them in that state So that you may take my Explication of this Duty in the Four Following Particulars To keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace implys the maintaining as much as may be an Unity in Judgment especially as to the main and Principal Doctrines of the Christian Faith It implys also the preserving and cherishing of Love and Affection amongst Christians It farther implys a quiet and Peaceable
Nay a kind and amicable demeanor towards each other in our whole Conversation It implys yet more particularly a preserving entire as far as in us lyes the External Communion of the Christian Church To keep the Vnity c implys the maintaining as much as may be an Unity in Judgment especially as to the main and Principal Doctrines of the Christian Faith 1 Cor. â— 10 This is what St. Paul exhorts the Corinthians to Now I beseech you Brethren by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no Divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyn'd together in the same Mind and in the same Judgment 'T is true Christians as well as all other Men may be suppos'd and fairly allow'd to differ in some matters which are of no great consequence but there are certain Truths deliver'd down to us in the Scriptures from our blessed Saviour and his Apostles which are to be faithfully adher'd to by all Christians even such as wherein Christianity it self is concern'd and which cannot be denyed without Subverting or at least shaking and endangering the Foundation as there as likewise many others which are necessary to be understood and believ'd if we will form any true Scheme of our Religion or arrive at any competent Knowledge and Understanding in it Why else should St. Paul require Timothy to hold fast the form of sound words which he had heard of him 2. Tim. 1.13 14. And again to keep by the Holy Ghost that good thing which was committed to him Why did he order him to abide at Ephesus on purpose as himself sayes 1. Tim. 1.1.3 Tit. 2.1.2 that he might charge some that they should teach no other Doctrine Why does he command Titus to speak the things that become sound Doctrine And to teach those under his charge to be sound in the Faith And why again does he in the same Epistle set it down as a Qualification of those Bishops whom Titus should ordain that they should hold fast the faithful word as they had been taught Tit. 1.9 10 11. that they might be able by sound Doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gain-sayers and to stop the Mouths of unruly and vain talkers and deceivers And lastly what else can St. Jude mean Jude v. 3. by his exhorting those to whom he writes Earnestly to contend for the Faith which was once deliver'd unto the Saints Now as all the Truths of Christianity which are propos'd to our belief are contain'd in the Holy Scriptures which we Protestants assert to be the compleat Rule of our Faith as well as our Minners So the main and Fundamental Articles of the Christian Faith were at first contain'd in that short Formulary of Confession which was made by Christians at their Baptism This form of sound words was according to the Apostles Expression committed to or deposited with those whom they ordain'd to Officiate in the Church to be by them delivered unto the Saints that is to all Christians at their Baptism And accordingly the profession then made is by the antient Christian Writers commonly call'd the Rule of Faith the Summ of which was that the Person baptized did acknowledge God the Father as the Creator of all together with his only begotten Son as appearing in our Nature and dying for our Redemption rising again and ascending into Heaven and sitting on the right hand of the Father from whence he is expected to come again and judge the World and also the Holy Ghost the Sanctifier the Guide and the Comforter of all True Christians with the Resurrection of the dead and the Life of the World to come This was afterwards drawn up into that Form which we have in the Apostles Creed which as occasion was given came to be farther explain'd in those which we call the Nieene or Constantinopolitan and Athanasian Forms Farther explain'd I say For these last mentioned Forms do contain no more in substance than that which we call the Apostles Creed as that likewise contains the very same in Substance with the antient Forms of Profession made at Baptism So that there are no New Articles contain'd in any of these Creeds but only an explication of the ancient Baptismal Profession according to the Tenor of the Holy Scriptures and agreeable to the declar'd Judgment of the First and best Christian writers extant So that it is in truth the want of a due acquaintance with the holy Scriptures at least the true sence and meaning of them as understood by those who were nearest to the time of their being written and best able to judge in the case that makes some in our days whilst they profess themselves Christians yet so openly and vehemently to inveigh against these Forms in which our Christian Faith is exprest Which I the rather take notice of because there have appear'd of late divers writers who have in a bold and insolent nay rude and Scurrilous manner attackt those Doctrines which have so constantly from the beginning of Christianity been own'd as some of the first Principles of the Christian Religion Nay it is too apparent that under the pretence of opposing the Doctrine of the blessed Trinity all Religion especially that which hath been reveal'd hath been Struck at So that we may in this Age repeat St. Judes complaint that there are certain men crept in ungodly Men Jude ver 4. denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ upon which account we ought to exhort one another as he did those to whom he wrote earnestly to contend for the Faith ver 3. which was once delivered unto the Saints and that not only against Socinianism and Arianism but even against gross Scepticism and downright Infidelity Now if we would keep the Vnity of the Spirit in this first sense which I am speaking of we ought strictly to adhere to the Doctrine which we receiv'd when we were baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost and thereby dedicated to our great Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier we should seriously consider and endeavour fully to understand the Profession of Faith we were then baptized into settling our Judgments in all the great Articles of our Religion by the careful study of the Holy Scriptures which were indited by men indued with a divine Spirit and which are therefore able to make us wise unto Salvation We should by the daily use of these endeavour to improve our minds not only in the absolutely necessary but in all the other Doctrines of Christianity such as will help us to understand the true Scheme and consequently the great worth and excellency of that Religion which we profess still growing and increasing in all that useful Knowledge which these Books are able to furnish us with To which purpose as we should read them with seriousness and humility so we should make use of all those Methods which
are proper for the helping us to understand an antient Book not leaning to our own understandings to such a degree as may hinder us from consulting with those who are best qualified to assist us adding withal our Earnest prayers to Almighty God for the aid of his Holy Spirit to enlighten and to sanctifie out Minds in the use of them by which means we shall not fail to preserve that Vnity of the Spirit with respect to our Judgments which St. Paul may be understood here to exhort us to To keep the Vnity of the Spirit implys also the preserving and cherishing of Love and Affection amongst Christians After an honest care used for the information of our Understandings we may possibly differ as I observ'd before in matters of less weight and moment as we find some did even in the Apostles days This may fall out from the difference there is between the Parts and Abilities of several Men. A Serious Study and Practice of the Christian Religion do indeed tend to enlarge the Understandings and minds of men but yet still there is left that difference which Nature has made between the capacity of one Man and another Besides that some have much greater Advantages and fairer Opportunitys for the improving of themselvs than others have Whence it comes to pass that there are weak as well as strong Christians babes in Christ such as have need of milk as well as others that are well grown and are able to digest stronger meat Even men of equal capacities and abilities may through their different Advantages through their tempers or their Conversations have differing apprehensions concerning several points of Christianity it self But yet in this case we may all keep the Vnity of the Spirit with respect to our Affection and Charity towards each other Christian Love is due to the Christian Temper and Spirit wherever they are to be found The Image of God and our Redeemer wherever it appears ought to engage the hearty approbation and cordial Love of Every one who pretends to bear the same Resemblance Mutual Charity is so necessary to the Members of the Christian Body that we know 't is made by our Lord himself the distinguishing Character of his Disciples this being the special and peculiar Precept which he gave them John 13.34 35. 1 John 3 11. that they should Love one another even as he had lov'd them St. John therefore calls it the Message which they had heard from the beginning that they should love one another There is indeed nothing more universally recommended to Christians and nothing more vehemently urg'd upon them than this kind of Unity Rom. 12.16 Col. 3.12 13 14. Thus St. Paul Be of the same mind one towards another and Again Put on as the elect of God that is as sincere Christians Holy and Beloved bowels of mercies kindness Long Suffering forbearing one another and forgiving one another even as Christ forgave you so also do ye And above all these things put on Charity which is the bond of Perfectness that is which is the most perfect Bond or Tye whereby Christians are united to each other And to name no more just before the Text as an Introduction to this keeping the Vnity of the Spirit he exhorts the Ephelsians to be long-suffering ver 2. forbearing one another in love And according to all these excellent Precepts it was the mutual Affection of the primitive Christians by which they were distinguished and for which they were envied by their Enemies when they could look upon them and say Behold how they love one another Nothing ought to separate one Christian from another in this respect but what at the same time separates him from Christ For whilst we are Members of the same Body whilst we are all united to the same Head 't is absurd not to retain a regard to each other suitable to such a Relation To keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace farther implies a quiet and Peaceable nay a kind and amicable demeanor towards each other in our whole Conversation This is necessarily consequent upon the former such a Behaviour being the natural effect of inward affection and good will so that I need not insist largely on this after what I have said upon the foregoing particular I shall only take notice that as it includes a meek and Gentle treatment of each other in all respects so more particularly with respect to our Speech I mean that we never provoke or I ritate our fellow Christians by any rude or undecent Language which is so far from being allowable in a Christian that it is altogether unbecoming a Man But I thought fit to mention it both because this is too common a fault the Tongue as St. 〈…〉 Jane expresses it being an unruly evil insomuch that if any man offend not in word he pronounces him a perfect man and able to bridle the whole body vers 2. as also because the consequences of it are oftentimes very deplorable as the same Apostle observes Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth ver 5 6. And the tongue is a fire a world of iniquity so is the tongue among our Members that it defileth the whole body and setteth on fire the course of Nature and it is set on fire of Hell but especially because too many professing Christianity to the great dishonour of their profession upon every slight difference that happens amongst them about their Opinions in Religion are exceedingly prone to this Evil accounting it a Testimony of Zeal for God and his cause when they can express themselves in very bitter and reproachful terms not considering what St. ver 16 17 18. James adds in the conclusion of that Discourse that this Wisdom namely which is accompanyed with bitter envying and Strife descendeth not from above but is Earthly sensual devilish whereas the wisdom which is from above is first pure then Peaceable Gentle and easie to be intreated full of mercy and of good fruits and the fruit of righteousness is sown in Peace of them that make Peace For which Reason St. Paul thus bespeaks the Ephesians in the Chapter out of which my Text is taken Let all Bitterness and Wrath and Anger and Clamor v. 31 32. and Evil Speaking be put away from you with all Malice and be ye kind one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Indeed for a Peaceable behaviour in the general the New Testament throughout abounds with plain and excellent Precepts Thus St. Paul 1. Thes 5.13 14 15. to the Thessalonians Be at peace among your selves and Again Be patient towards all men See that none render Evil for Evil unto any man but ever follow that which is good both among your selves and to all men 2 Tim. 2.22 24. 25. In like manner to Timothy Follow Righteousness Faith Charity Peace with them that call on the Lord
professing or complying with any thing contrary to the precepts of Christianity I can see no just reason for separation in such a case Shall the meer pretence of prefering some confessedly indifferent modes or Circumstances of worship and discipline excuse a Christian from holding Communion with that Church to which he otherwise of right belongs But where then will be any end of Division What bounds or limits can be fixt to it How is it possible there should be any order any Peace in the Christian Church if every one is at Liberty to break the Unity of the Body meerly for this reason because he could better approve of some other Modes or Circumstances whilst yet he allows those which are in present use to be Lawful Who is it in all other Bodys and Societies of Men that orders such matters but the Governours of each society And who in a Christian Nation should likewise order them but the Governours in Church and State And when they are so order'd what has any private Member of the Christian Body farther to do but to consider whether he can comply with a good Conscience or not And if he can surely the Peace of the Church the keeping the Unity of the Body of Christ the promoting concord and Charity and Edification amongst its Members are strong obligations upon him to do it If any thing plainly unlawful be requir'd then that reply of the Apostles to the Sanhedrim takes place Acts. 4.19 whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge ye But if nothing unlawful by Gods Word nothing unlawful according to our own Judgment and Confession be made a condition of Communion I dare appeal to your selves in a like form of words Whether it be right in the Sight of God to break the Vnity of the Church of Christ Judge ye I should now according to the Method I propos'd go on to consider the Obligation all Christians are under to practice the Duty of the Text. But that I may not exceed the limits of my Time I shall confine my self to what our Apostle himself hath laid down to this purpose in the Context which is indeed so full and emphatical that a very short Paraphrase upon his Words may well suffice The Word he uses in the Text it self is very observable Endeavouring we render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but it denotes as is well known no slight and ordinary Endeavour but a very diligent one a studious and Earnest care to keep the Vnity of the Spirit which plainly shews the weight of the Duty and the strict Obligation which lyes upon all Christians to practice it And no less can be infer'd from what immediately goes before and follows the words In the First verse of this Chapter as I have already observ'd the Apostle intimates that it is a walking worthy of our Christian Vocation that is 't is a behaving our selves Suitably to the design and Nature of the profession we make 't is what Christianity requires of us and that it is so appears more particularly by what immediately follows the Text ver 4.5 6. There is one Body and one Spirit even as ye are called in one hope of your calling one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all What can be offer'd more perswasive than this Let us take a short View of each particular There is one Body that is as I said before the Christian Church throughout the world is but one Society Distributed into Several particular Churches as its parts of which particular Churches if sound in Doctrine and worship and imposing no unlawful Terms of Communion each single Christian is of right a Member in the place in which Providence hath cast his Lot and consequently is bound to maintain and promote the Unity and Peace of the particular Church of which he is a Member in order to preserving the Unity and peace of the whole Body One Spirit every sound part of the Christian Church and every genuine Member of it is under the Influence and Conduct of the Holy Spirit of God to which if he yields himself tractable using all those means which he hath appointed for the attaining his Assistance he will not fail to have his Judgment duly Settled and his mind inspired with a sincere Love to all who are under the Influence of the same Spirit the effect of which will certainly be a Peaceable Conversation and especially a readiness to joyn with all his fellow Christians in every part of the worship of God and his Redeemer It follows As ye are called in one hope of your Calling We all expect the same reward even the Resurrection of our Bodys at the last day and the everlasting Happiness of the Life to come we all hope to meet in the same Region of Bliss and to joyn and live together for ever in one Body in Heaven How then can we fall out in the way thither or refuse to walk together in the same path of Life One Lord whose Authority we all equally own whose Laws we profess to submit to and consequently have the same Rule to walk by and the same obligation to make us observe it As fellow servants we cannot disagree without disowning the Authority of our Common Master As fellow-Members we cannot be disunited without relinquishing so far our common Head One Faith One Baptism We all profess to adhere to that Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints agreeing at least in the fundamental and necessary Articles of it this profession we undertook at our Baptism when we were all initiated into the society of Christians in the same manner being washed with water in the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost declaring our belief in and our resignation to these three Divine Persons And how then can we afterwards be excused if we fall out and divide about inconsiderable and indifferent matters which neither relate to the foundation of our Faith nor contradict the Design of our Baptism And to conclude One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all We are children of the same Heavenly Father and Consequently ought to live in Brotherly Love and Charity in perfect concord and agreement thinking and speaking and Acting the very same things as those who are under the same paternal Government and Authority who are taken care of provided for and directed by the same Providence and the same Grace These are the Arguments by which the Apostle inforceth the Duty of the Text the summe of all which is that the whole Scheme and Frame of our Religion its Author its Rule its Model its end do all oblige us to the keeping of unity so that we cannot any way contribute towards contention or division in the Church of Christ without going Directly cross to our Profession and walking altogether