Divine Rules for Christian Vnity Opened and Vrged A SERMON Preach'd in the Cathedral Church OF NORWICH October 16. 1692. By ERASMUS WARREN Rector of Worlington in Suffolk Be of one Mind 2 Cor. 13.11 If there be therefore 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 of one mind Phil. 2.1 2. LONDON Printed for Samuel Oliver Bookseller in Norwich and are to be sold by J. Robinson in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1692. To the Worshipful MICHAEL BEVERLY Esq MAYOR OF THE City of NORWICH SIR IT was St. Cyprian's Complaint long since and a very sad one because a very true one * Videns ille idola derelicta per nimium credentium populum sedes suas ac templa deserta excogitaverit novam fraudem ut sub ipso Christiani nominis titulo fallat incautos Haereses invenit Schismata quibus subverteret fidem veritatem corrumperet scinderet Vnitatem De Vnit Eccle. That the Devil seeing his Idols left and his Seats and Temples forsaken by a Multitude of Believing People thought of a new Cheat how under the very Title of the Christian Name he might deceive the Unwary He invented Heresies and Schisms whereby he might subvert the Faith corrupt the Truth and cut UNITY asunder And how very successful this Invention of his has been and how many and grievous Mischiefs it has wrought and may still produce Experience shews us and gives us but too good Grounds to suspect I pray GOD make us throughly sensible of it and so deeply affect every one of us with it as that the Dangers which threaten us and grow upon us from our unhappy Divisions may be timely prevented and for ever superseded by a speedy and perfect Closure of all sides And O what a Blessed Change would it be considering how we are crumbled into Sects and Factions to have our many Differences moulded up into one common Interest and all separate Parties melted down into Christian Unity Might this Discourse in the least Measure contribute to that Glorious Work I should never repent of its Publication though I was drawn to it with Reluctancy I confess Sir when I outstood your first Motions to it and those that were made by other excellent Persons while I was in your City I hoped and concluded that I had finally freed my self from farther Solicitations of that nature But when I found that they followed me into the Country and when I met with this Passage amongst others in your Letter It is not only my Opinion that your Sermon will be Serviceable to the Publick towards Healing the Breaches that are amongst us but others of better Judgment than my self do unanimously agree to the same and all People that I converse with desire that I would use my Interest to perswade you to Print it I then thought I had reason to submit and accordingly have done it And truly fear of Censure as well as force of Intreaty prevailed with me to gratifie you in the Instance For in case I had refused they who desired the Sermon might come abroad would have condemn'd me it may be for not duly practising my own Doctrin which press'd Men by all the means they could use to endeavour Unity Than which you both wisely and seriously note in your Letter aforesaid as nothing can be more seasonably discoursed on so there is not any thing more desirable by good Christians or more to be sought after in this divided Nation I heartily wish that All were of your Mind then it might be hoped that their Endeavours after Spiritual Unity would be such as GOD would Bless with Happy Success At least Sir it would make People very careful to omit nothing conducive thereunto if I may judge by your Procedure For not so much as One single Sermon tending to Union could be heard by you but as mean as it is you would have it made publick In case it proves Instrumental that way I shall greatly rejoyce in my compliance with you And if it does not I shall still have the Satisfaction of answering the Desires of many Good Men and more particularly of testifying my self to be Honoured Sir Your most Humble Servant E. Warren Ephesians 4.3 Endeavouring to keep the Unity of the SPIRIT in the Bond of Peace A Most Kind and Important Petition was that which our adorable LORD in the Days of his Flesh put up for his Proselytes St. John 17.21 That they all may be one as Thou Father art in me and I in Thee that they also may be one in us O that the GOD who heareth Prayers would please to answer it in the Fullness of it But that so great a Blessing may come down exuberantly on the Body of Christians and continue with them something must be done on their part That is the Unity their LORD prayed for they must labour after It is stiled the Vnity of the SPIRIT because as it joyns us together in one Mind or Spirit so it is wrought by the Efficiency or Operation of the HOLY GHOST It may be thus described It is a Blessed Agreement of Spiritual Persons in Spiritual Matters to Spiritual Ends. An AGREEMENT For even in Natural as well as amongst Rational Beings there can be no Union where there is no Concord An Agreement of SPIRITUAL PERSONS That is of CHRISTIANS Who though in their Natural Capacity they are like other Men yet in their Religious Profession they are distinguish'd from them it being Spiritual in all regards For the Author of it is Spiritual CHRIST The Rule of it is Spiritual the Gospel The Instruments of it are Spiritual Ordinances The Exercise of it is in Spiritual Duties The Ends of it are Spiritual Excellencies The Motives to it are Spiritual Inducements The Rewards of it are Spiritual Attainments The very Confederacy in it is by Spiritual Ligaments Whether we consider Christians as tied together in a Community amongst themselves or as a Mystical Body joyned to their Sovereign Head So that Infidels agreeing never so well must be wide of this Unity of the SPIRIT At best they can make but a Political or Superstitious Society An Agreement in Spiritual MATTERS As in Doctrin Sacraments Liturgy Government So that let Christians themselves agree never so fully as to Secular Affairs they would be much below the Unity of the SPIRIT Their Agreement would rise no higher than a Civil or Amicable Combination To Spiritual ENDS As to the Honour of GOD the Interest of His Kingdom the Good and Happiness of the Souls of Men So that should Christians agree never so throughly in Spiritual Matters to Temporal Ends they would be short of the Unity of the SPIRIT still For their Ends must either be Innocent or Sinful If Innocent they would be but a Selfish Association If Sinful an Impious and Vnlawful one And therefore lastly it
one single Duty which GOD has charged upon us more strictly For in the Holy Writings what is more forcibly recommended more peremptorily required more frequently and also more earnestly inculcated than Peace Seek Peace and pursue it Have Peace one with another Be at Peace amongst your selves Follow Peace with all Men. If it be possible as much as lyeth in you live peaceably with all Men. So that it is not enough for us to accept Peace when it is offered to embrace it when we meet it to hold it when we have it But when we have it not we must seek it when it flees from us we must follow it and never stop till we overtake it Though the Terms be hard yet if they be reasonable if they be lawful and so possible Our LORD commands us not to refuse them His Gospel binds us to submit to them and that with all Men. Be they who they will what they will if they be but Men we must if possible live peaceably with them And no wonder such solemn Injunctions from Heaven should be laid upon Christians to maintain Peace when it is a thing not only transcendently Excellent in it self but attended with many inestimable Benefits I beg leave to mention but a few of them It defends from many Sins He that is not at Peace with his Brother is ready to be Angry with him without a Cause To revile him and call him Racha or Fool To be reveng'd on him for his Oversights or petty Injuries To quarrel him and fight him as the unhappy Custom is it may be to kill him at least to Hate him whereby in St. John's account he is a Murtherer though he kill him not Peace is a good Defensative from these Evils and from many other which now I cannot reckon up It is a mighty Friend to Justice Then had thy Peace been as a River and thy Righteousness as the Waves of the Sea says the Prophet Isaiah 48.18 Where Peace flows as a River there Righteousness swells like an Ocean But if the River of Peace be dried or damn'd up the Sea of Justice will be at a low Ebb. It fits us for the Enjoyment of GOD's propitious Presence Live in Peace and the GOD of Love and Peace shall be with you 2 Cor. 13.11 But He that suffered not David to build Him a Temple because he was a Man of Blood will never make them Temples for Himself to reside in that are not Children of Peace For GOD's sake therefore live in Peace that so ye may be Happy in the Fruition of his Presence I might go on and add it is an Help to Duty a Safeguard to Truth a Furtherance of Love the Fewel of Joy a Support of Order an Encouragement of Learning Arts and Sciences the thing which Seasons and Sweetens all Accommodations and crowns the highest Prosperity with Happiness But I give only one Hint more of its Worth It is a main piece of our future Recompence and a Branch of the Eternal Worlds Felicity To every Man that worketh good there shall be Glory Honour and Peace Rom. 2.10 Not only a peaceful Mind and Conscience but a peaceful State and Condition above As there shall be no Difference there betwixt GOD and Man by reason of a perfect Reconcilement and no Feuds betwixt a Man and Himself by reason of absolute Contentment So there shall be no Discord betwixt one Man and another by reason of a thorough Composure of all things and an entire Pacification on all sides fixing the whole Body of Blessed ones in a sweet Agreement As our Sins shall there be turned into Innocence our Corruptions into Holiness our Sorrows into Joys and our Troubles into Triumphs So all our various Enmities and Dissentions shall exspire into endless Peace and Quietness O then let us in some measure live now as we shall do hereafter Live here upon Earth for one short Moment as we must do in the Heavenly Regions for ever if at last we be worthy to inhabit them I now conclude with one Direction which if well observed will conduce effectually to the settling of an Happy Peace amongst us Let us be sincerely Religious The Wisdom that is from above is first Pure and then Peaceable James 3.17 And where this Wisdom which is true Religion prevails in us and gets the Ascendent over all evil Principles it will certainly Impregnate us with its own noble Properties making us not only Pure in our Nature but pacifick in our Temper And nothing indeed can be more powerful either to procure or establish Peace than true Religion For the truly Religious mortifie their Lusts from whence come Wars and Strifes amongst us both Naturally and Judicially at once they subdue their Passions bridle their Tongues bear Affronts suffer Injuries shun Debates obey Magistrates submit to Ministers hate Divisions love Concord offend none oblige all So that would every one of us be sincere Christians no farther Care need be taken for Peace It would as certainly be the Result or Product of our Religion as it is the Law and end of the same And as true Religion would make for Peace verifying its Character of first Pure and then Peaceable so GOD would see that Peace should be the Effect or Consequent of it When a Mans ways please the LORD He maketh even his Enemies to be at Peace with him Prov. 16.7 So that were our ways sincerely Religious and pleasing to the LORD Peace and we should quickly meet and after that should never part our very Enemies would be unable to ravish it from us Then it would not matter in the least how Numerous Malicious Potent Politick Furious Implacable our Adversaries are or at any time prove for they should all be at Peace with us If they would not chuse to be so GOD would make them to be so and would some way or other bind them to the Peace and bind us up in it And when once we are bound up in the Bond of Peace how fast shall we stand in the Unity of the SPIRIT and how securely shall we keep it Provided that is that we always endeavour it And as it behoves us all to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diligently and strenuously endeavouring to keep it by all good Means So particularly by the Use of those good Rules now delivered Which as I dare not so You must not call my Rules For though I have opened and urged them yet as has been noted they are the Rules of St. Paul and so the Divine Rules of GOD Himself Of that GOD Who maketh Men to be of one Mind in an House Of that GOD who best knows by what Rules and Means to make the whole Christian Church be as once it was of one Heart and one Soul Acts 4.32 Which that it may be let us humbly implore it at the hands of GOD Let us make it a daily Petition in our private Devotions And as often as we can let us joyn with the Church in her Publick Prayers and supplicate for Unity with becoming Earnestness Where she prays in the Litany That it may please GOD to give to all Nations Vnity Peace and Concord And in the Collect for all Conditions of Men That all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of Truth and hold the Faith in Vnity of Spirit in the Bond of Peace and in Righteousness of Life And in the Prayer for the Church-Militant That GOD would inspire continually the Vniversal Church with the Spirit of Truth Vnity and Concord and grant that all they that do confess his Holy Name may agree in the Truth of his Holy Word and live in Vnity and Godly Love Where our Church I say prays thus for Vnity let us humbly and heartily joyn in the Petitions pouring them out with an elevated Zeal and the highest Streins of a most intense and vehement Fervency And at present let us beg the invaluable Blessing in part of that Collect which is the last save one in the Office for the late solemn Monthly Fast Which I could wish all Holy Supplicants that are Lovers of Unity would constantly use in their devout Retirements and Addresses to Heaven till such time as they either compose or meet with a more pregnant Form O GOD the Father of our LORD JESUS CHRIST our only SAVIOUR the Prince of Peace look down in much Pity and Compassion upon this Church and Nation Give us Grace seriously to lay to Heart the great Dangers we are in by our unhappy Divisions Take away all Hatred and Prejudice and whatsoever else may hinder us from Godly Union and Concord That as there 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 Bond 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 FINIS
widest Latitude But when we pray thus if we do not endeavour to keep Unity like egregious Dissemblers we not only frustrate our own Devotions but to GOD's Dishonour and the great prejudice of our selves and others set back the Blessing for which we supplicate It is the Judgment of Learned and Pious Men that before the End of the World there shall be an happy Change in it The Jews shall be converted the Gentiles more fully called and true Christianity greatly exalted Now would it not be huge Satisfaction to us to have this Glorious Elevation of Religion come to pass in our days Why then let all unfeigned Servants of JESUS do what in them lyes to hasten it And amongst other things conducive thereunto let them endeavour to keep the Unity of the SPIRIT So we shall see Religion rise and help it to culminate or advance apace to its wished Heighth And when once it gets into its Zenith in the Church and shines forth in its full Strength and Lustre who knows what an Influence it may have far and near and how much of the World may be taken Captive with the Charming Beauty and Glories of it Whereas Divisions do naturally throw Contempt on Christianity and grievously diminish and eclipse it for it makes strangers to it apt to suspect that it is too weak to carry on its own Designs whereof Unity is one Or else that its Professors who are fittest to judge have no great opinion of its worth and therefore slight it in one of the grand Necessaries of it And when they who are unacquainted with our Religion or have little esteem and love for the same have occasion given them to take such crooked Measures of it no wonder if they be prejudiced and set against it and so its Propagation be check'd and hindred Upon this account in the first place let us zealously endeavour to keep the Unity of the SPIRIT else we plainly declare that we have no thorough Sense of the Nature of our Calling and no just Concern to advance it as we ought and so neither do nor can walk worthy of it And therefore St. Paul exhorting Christians to a Conversation becoming the Gospel which is the same thing as to walk worthy of their Vocation adviseth them to stand fast in one Spirit with one Mind Phil. 1.27 That for the first Rule Secondly Learn to be deeply Humble Pride in a Society is like Motion in Matter which naturally works a Separation of Parts and the Dissolution of Continuity and is able to turn the hardest Rock into volatile or fluid Atoms But Humility on the other side is like Rest which unites and Consolidates And therefore to preserve Unity the Apostle will have us in the second place to walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with all Lowliness Pride makes Men conceited and Self-conceit makes them singular and Singularity makes them differ from others and Difference from others be it in Opinion or Practice breeds Dissention and Dissention shatters Unity Pride makes Men Morose and Moroseness makes them Peevish and Peevishness makes them Captious and Humorous and captious Humorsomness hinders Compliance in requisite things and Non-compliance hinders Conformity and Non-conformity disturbs Unity Pride makes Men Heady and Headiness makes them Unruly and Unruliness makes them Disorderly and Disorderliness makes them Disobedient and Disobedience disjoynts Unity Pride makes Men Contentious it is the sole or chief cause of their being so Only by Pride cometh Contention Prov. 13.10 And Contention begets Division and Division is an actual Breach of Unity Pride makes Men Ambitious and Ambition makes them Furious in driving to what they aim at And when their Fury is up and they are hot in their Chase they care not through what they run so they attain their End If Heresie or Schism Sedition or Rebellion lye in their way they matter not rushing into any of them perhaps not plunging into all But then Unity is sure to be overthrown and trampled on Nor are particular Churches only thus rent to pieces by Pride but also the Church Universal is filled with Schisms For what is it that makes one Church Vsurp upon another that sets one Church to Domineer over another that causes one Church to Excommunicate and Anathematize another whereby Catholick Unity is destroyed but Pride chiefly As we prize and love Unity therefore let us down with Pride and resolve to walk humbly with GOD and all Men towards our Betters Equals and Inferiors towards them that are our Friends and them that are our Enemies towards them that agree with us and them that dissent from us let us walk with Lowliness If they be haughty and insolent towards us let us for inestimable Unity's sake demean our selves with all Lowliness towards them And why should we not For Lord What have we to be proud of Are we not Frailty and Dust and so Nothing Are we not Corruption and Sin and so worse than nothing And for such Nothings and worse than Nothings as we to swell with Pride would be Folly and Sin enough though the Poyson of it wrought only within us But when its Venom is spreading and diffusive and breaths out a Contagion fatal to Unity not to throw off Pride and put on Humility must be sinful Folly of a larger size and GOD forbid we should be guilty of it Thirdly Labour for a meek Temper of Mind As the Wise Man assures us Wrath is Cruel and Anger is Outragious Prov. 27.4 And truly so Cruel is Wrath that it will kill Unity where it is not restrained And as Solomon there expresses it such a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or outragious Inundation is Anger that if it be not kept within Bounds it will not fail to overflow and drown it And therefore to preserve Unity the Apostle urges us in the third place to walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Meekness Anger we know is a short Madness as the Moralist teaches And where it Tumultuates and Rages it even degrades Humanity and makes Men to act in ways unworthy of themselves It distracts the Mind and roils the Spirit and throws it into wild and ruful Disorders It puts down the use of Judgment for the time and exalts Phrensie into the Throne of Reason It quite overthrows Wisdom's Empire and putting the Scepter into Folly's hand sets it up to domineer in all our Capacities For then it is to use Philo's Distinction that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Feminine Part of us prevails against 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Masculine That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Child in us according to Simplicius is too hard for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the inner Man as the Christian Doctrin calls it That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Beast according to Plotinus vanquishes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the intellectual Power That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the Stoicks Vnreasonableness bafles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Mind That Passions which according to Maximus Tyrius are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉