a iust cause to breake it Now to be one here whether in Church or Common-wealth is not properly taken as if all were to be shrunke vp into one Body But One is taken here saith Paulinus pro multorum vnanimitate for the vnanimitie and consent of many in one And the Church and Common-wealth take them seuerally or together they are they can be no otherwise One then Vnione multorum by the vniting and agreeing of many in one And so S. Luke Acts 4. The Church was a multitude of Beleeuers sed coâ—vnum but they liued as if they had had but one heart among them This Vnity then is so One as that it is the vniting of more then one yet such a vniting of many as that when the Common Faith is endangered the Church appeares for it as One. And when the common safety is doubted or the common peace troubled the state appeares for it as one As Israel was said to be knit together as One man Iud. 20. And indeede when One Man is not more at Vnitie in himselfe for his owne defence then the Church and state are for publike defence then both are iustly said to be at Vnitie You see what Vnitie is Will you see what hurt followes vvhere t is broken First Fraction makes vneuen reckonings And t is hard very hard for a man that breakes vnitie to giue either God or man a good account of so doing Hard to giue account but that 's not all For if Vnity be broken if a Diuision bee made the parts must be aequall or vnaequall If the parts be aequall neither of them hath more then halfe its strength If they bee vnaequall one hath not so much And that which hath more vsually hath more pride and so lesse will to vnite And yet for all this pride farre weaker it is then when there was Vnity and altogether Nay in breach of Vnity there is not alwaies safetie for the greater against the lesse For in that greeuous breach in Israel when the Eleuen Tribes came out against Beniamin foure hundred thousand strong and their quarrell good yet they fell twice before them Iudg. 20. Nay this is not all not any almost of the hurt which followes in either Church or state when discontents haue swallowed vp their Vnity For the Church Nothing saith S. Chrisostome doth so prouoke God to anger as to see diuisam Ecclesiam his Church purchased by one blood to be One Body made more made other then One. And for the Common-Wealth A people is as one Cittie yet such a one saith Saint Augustine cui est periculosa dissentio as to whom all breach of Vnity is full of danger For Church and state together It was a greeuous Rent among the Iewes when Manasses deuoured Ephraim Ephraim Manasses and both fell vpon Iudah Esay 9. What followed was God pleas'd with this or were the Tribes in safety that were thus diuided No sure For it followes The wrath of the Lord was not turn'd away but his hand was stretched out still Still How long was that How long Why Till Ephraim and Manasses which could not agree at home were with the rest of the ten Tribes carried away into perpetuall captiuity And Esay liued to see his Prophecy fulfilled vpon them For they were carried away by Salmanasar in the sixt yeere of Hezekiah when Esay flourished This wrath of the Lord was fierce and the people dranke deepe of this Cup. Therefore I goe a farre off both for time and place to fetch this Instance And doe you take care not to bring it neerer home And I pray obserue it too The hand of God was stretched out vpon Ephraim and Manasses but there 's no mention which was the first or which the greater offender Ephraim or Manasses What 's the Reason 'T is because the breach of vnity scarce leaues any Innocent and the hand of God is stretched out vpon all I presse Vnity hard vpon you pardon me this Zeale O that my thoughts could speake that to you that they doe to God or that my tongue could expresse them but such as they are Or that there were an open passage that you might see them as they pray faster then I can speak for vnity But what then will any kinde of Vnity serue the turne Surely any will doe much good But the best is safest and that is the Vnity of the Spirit The learned are not altogether agreed heere what is meant by the Vnity of the Spirit For some thinke no more is meant by it then a bare concord and agreement in minde and will Lett 's keep this and both Church and state shall haue a great deale of freedome from danger But others take the Vnity of the Spirit to be that spirituall concord which none doth none can worke in the hearts of men but the Holy Ghost And I am apter to follow this sence because if you take it but for a bare agreement in iudgment Saint Paul had said enough by naming Vnity Hee needed haue made no Addition of the Spirit And because in the Text 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which for the most points out the Holy Spirit And because else Saint Pauls words which Bucer calls Ardentia verba zealous and burning words adde nothing to any euen the Coldest exhortation of the Heathen to Vnity The Vnity then of the Spirit to which the Apostle exhorts includes both Both concord in minde and affections and loue of charitable vnity which comes from the Spirit of God and returnes to it And indeed the Grace of Gods Spirit is that alone which makes men truly at peace and vnity one with another Ei tribuendum non Nobis To him it is to bee attributed not to vs saith Saint Augustine T is Hee that makes men to be of one minde in an house Psal. 68. Now one minde in the Church and one minde in the state come from the same fountaine with One minde in an house All from the Spirit And so the Apostle cle erely ver 4. One Body and one Spirit that is One Body by one Spirit For 't is the Spirit that ioynes all the members of the Church into one Body And 't is the Church that blesses the state not simply with vnity but with that vnity with which it selfe is blessed of God A state not Christian may haue Vnity in it Yes And so may a state that hath lost all Christianity saue the Name But Vnity of the Spirit nor Church nor state can longer hold then they doe in some measure obey the Spirit and loue the Vnity This vnity of the Spirit is closer then any corporall vnion can bee For Spirits meete where Bodies cannot and neerer then Bodies can The Reason is giuen by Saint Chrysostome Because the Soule or Spirit of man is more simple and of one sorme And the Soule apter in it selfe to Vnion is made more apt by the Spirit
A SERMON PREACHED On Munday the Seauenteenth of MARCH At Westminster At the opening of the PARLIAMENT By the Bishop of BATHE and WELLES LONDON Printed for RICHARD BADGER 1628. EPHES. 4. 3. Endeauouring to keepe the Unitie of the Spirit in the band of peace THIS Chapter is a great Scripture for Vnity For here we find there is but One Lord whom we serue ver 5. But One God and Father whom wee worship and obey ver 6. But One Spirit whom we receiue while he sanctifies vs ver 4. One Lord One God and Father One Spirit Three in One all Three but one God blessed for euer But one Baptisme by which we are cleansed But one Faith by which wee beleeue ver 5. But one hope vpon which we relye v. 4. But one knowledge by which we are illightened ver 13. But One Bodie of which we are members ver 4. Different Graces but all tending to One Edification Diuers offices but all ioint-Ouerseers of the same worke Till the Building be One and we One in it ver 11. This Chapter is as pressing a Scripture for Exhortation And the first Exhortation is That men would walke worthy of their Calling ver 1. Their calling to be Christians Their calling in Christianitie And that to shew themselues worthie they would endeauor to keepethe Vnity of the Spirit in the band of peace ver 3. All for Vnity And let me tell you VVe often read of One in the Scripture but the word Vnity in the Abstract is no where read either in Old or New Testament but onely in this Chapter and here 't is twice For we are exhorted to keepe it ver 3. But how long why euen till we be made perfect ver 13. that is to the end ofthis life VVhy but what need was there of this Exhortation at Ephesus What why sure very great need For Saint Anselm tells vs Schisma fuit there was a Schisme and a rupture there And Charismata the eminent Graces which God had giuen many of them was made the cause of the Schisme For Corruption at the heart of man breedes pride euen out of Gods graces And they which had these gifts despised them which had them not and separated from them This gaue occasion to false teachers to enter in and lye in wayt to deceiue ver 14. This was the state of the Church of Ephesus How was it in the Citie and the Common-wealth there-while How why the Citie was then a very famous Citie in Ionia a part of Asia the lesse At this time subiect to the Romane Empire Their Proconsul and other Deputies were ouer them Acts 19. But Diana was goddesse there and the Citie heathen Ephesus then was Ethnicke No Religion but Paganisme auowed by the state And the Citie was a stranger to the Church that was in it A Stranger and without as the Apostle speaks 1. Cor. 5. Yet such is the force of Christian Religion that as Herod Ierusalem were troubled when Christ was borne S. Math. 2. So here Demetrius and Ephesus were troubled when the name Religion of Christ was borne and nursed vp among them For the word of God did no sooner growe and preuaile at Ephesus Acts 19. 20. but by and by there arose no small trouble about it ver 23. The Citie and the state Heathen yet troubled when Religion came in Therfore A Citie a state Christian must needes be more troubled when Religion goes out And the ready way to out Religion is to breake the Vnitie of it And the breach of the Vnity of Religion will be sure to trouble the City first and hazard the state after For the state whether Pagan or Christian hath euer smarted more or lesse as the Church hath crumbled into Diuisions S. Paul I know wrote this Epistle to the Church of Ephesus not the Citie And hee called for Vnitie bound vp in peace for the Churches good without any expresse mention either of Citie or state Yet hee well knew that the good both of the State and the Citie would follow vpon it For Vnity is a binder vp And Vnity of Spirit which is religion's vnity is the fastest binder that is And lest it should not bind fast enough it calls in the band of peace So that no man can exhort vnto and endeauor for the Vnity of the Church but at the same time he labours for the good of the state And if it were so at Ephesus where the state was Heathen much more must it needs be so where the state is Christian. I shall follow my Text therfore both in it selfe and in the Consequent which followes vpon it In it selfe and so 't is for the Vnitie of the Church And a maine Text it is sayth S. Ierome against Heresie and Schisme In the Consequence it hath And so t is for the Vnity of the State And a full Consequence it is For Vnitie not kept in the Church is lesse kept in the state And the Schismes and diuisions of the one are both Mothers and Nurses of all disobedience and dis-ioynting in the other So the Apostles exhortation goes on directly to the Church by Consequent to the State And it will behoue both Bodies that all the seuerall members of each Endeauor to keepe the Vnity of the Spirit in the band of peace The Text hath sixe particulars For first here 's the thing it selfe to which the Apostle exhorts That 's Vnity Secondly All Vnity will not serue the turne It must be the Vnity of the Spirit Thirdly what 's to be done with this Vnity It must be kept Fourthly there will bee no keeping of it without a strong Endeauour Fiftly this Endeauour to keepe will bee to no purpose if it be not in peace And sixtly Peace it selfe cannot hold it longe except it bee bound vp in Vinculo in the strongest band that peace hath I beginne with that which is the matter of the Apostles Exhortation T is Vnity A very charitable tye but better knowne then loued A thing so good that 't is neuer broken but by the worst men Nay so good it is that the very worst men pretend best when they breake it 'T is so in the Church Neuer Heretick yet rent her bowels but he pretended that hee raked them for truth T is so in the state Seldome any vnquiet Spirit diuides her Vnion but hee pretends some great abuses which his integrity would remedie O that I were made a Iudge in the land that euery man which hath any Controuersie might come to me that I might doe him Iustice. And yet no worse then Dauid was King when this Cunning was vsed 2 Sam. 15. Vnity then both in Church and Common Wealth is so good that none but the worst willingly breake it And euen they are so farre ashamed of the breach that they must seeme holyer then the rest that they may bee thought to haue
not seuered without violence Yea but for all this it needs keeping In the Church it needes keeping And therefore the Prophets and Gouernors of the Church are called Custodes Keepers Watchmen and Ouerseers Ezek. 3. Acts 20. And they must watch as well ouer her peace as her Truth And yet there are so many that scatter the tares of Schisme and Heresie that her vnity is not kept In the Common wealth it needs keeping too For her Gouernors are Custodes Ciuitatis Keepers of the Citty But there also there are not few that trouble the waters for their owne fishing And many times a Common-wealth is in danger to loose her Vnity iust as Ephesus did Act. 19 At which time all the Cittie was troubled but the greater part knew not why And the true Cause of the Diuision was no more but this Demetrius and his fellowes were afraid they should loose their gaine if Diana and her Temple kept not vp their greatnesse Now this noyse at Ephesus doth not onely tell vs that Vnity needs keeping but it informes vs farther of the way to keepe it The way to keepe vnity both in Church and state is for the Gouernors to carry a watchfull eye ouer all such as are discouered or feard to haue priuate ends For there 's no priuate end but in something or other it will be lead to runne crosse the publique And if gaine come in though it be by making shrines for Diana 't is no matter with them though Ephesus bee in an vproare for it And certainely there 's no keeping of Vnity in either Church or state vnlesse men will be so temperate when it comes to a lumpe at least as to lay downe the priuate for the publique's sake and perswade others to doe the like Else saith Saint Chrysostome Quicquid ducit ad amorem sui diuidit vnitatem whatsoeuer leads men to any loue of themselues and their owne ends helps to diuide the vnity And the Schoole applies it both to Church and state For in the Church they which seeke their owne and not that which is Christs who is publicum Ecclesiae the publique interest of the Church depart from the Vnity of the Spirit And in an earthly Cittie the vnitie of that is gone when the Cittizens studdie their owne not the publique good Why but when then is Vnity to be kept When why surely at all times if it be possible But especially it is to bee kept when Enemies are banded together against Church or state Then aboue all other times looke well to the keeping of Vnity Am I deceiued or is not this your Case now Are not many and great Enemies ioyn'd against you Are they not ioyned both against the Church and against the state Are they ioyned and are you diuided God forbid It cannot be that you should so forget the Church of Christ or the Bowels of your owne Countrey and your own Ioyne then and keepe the Vnity of the Spirit and I 'le feare no danger though Mars were Lord of the Ascendent in the very instant of this Session of Parliament and in the second house or ioyned or in aspect with the Lord of the second which yet Ptolomey thought brought much hurt to Common-wealths But suppose all danger ouer I would it were yet keepe Vnity at all times For Enemies are as Cunning as malice can make them And if Vnity be not kept at all times at that time when t is not kept they 'l make their breach And they 'l make it certainely For if the Vnity of the Spirit be gone the Spirit is gone with it And if the Spirit bee gone Christ is gone with him And if they be gone God the Father is gone with them And what misery will not follow when an Enemy shall come vpon a state and finde the whole blessed Trinity Father Sonne and Holy Ghost gone from it to accompany that Vnity which is banished out of it Yea but you will say If Vnity be lost we wil quickly fetch it backe againe Soft First t is more wisedome to keepe it then to bee driuen to fetch it backe Secondly before Vnity be thrust off it would be well thought vpon whether it be in your power to bring it backe when you will The Spirit I am sure is not and t is His Vnity And loose it when you will 't is like the losse of health in the naturall body Iust like For there euery Disease is with some breach of Vnity either by Inflammation in some noble or vitall part or by strife in the humors or Luxations in the loynts or by breaking veines or sinewes still with some breach ofVnity Well What sayes the Patient therewhile What Why He sayes he wil recouer his health then take care to keepe it Yea but what if Death seaze vpon Him before health be recouered What then Had it not beene better safer a great deale to keepe health while he had it And is not death a iust reward of his distempering his humors I will not apply to either Church or Common-wealth but certainely 't is better for both to keepe the Vnity of the Spirit then trust to the Recouery of it when 't is lost Keepe then the Vnity of the Spirit but know withall and it followes in the Text that if you wil keepe it you must Endeauour to keepe it For it is not so easie a thing to keepe Vnity in great Bodies as 't is thought There goes much labour and endeauour to it The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 studie be carefull to keepe it Saint Augustine reades it Satagentes doe enough to keepe it And hee that doth enough giues not ouer doing till it bee kept Nay the Apostle comes so home that hee vses two words and both of singular care for Vnity For He doth not simply say keepe it Nor simply endeauour it but studdie and endeauour to keepe it Now no man can keepe that is not carefull And no man will endeauour that is not studious Neither is it saith Saint Chrysostome euery mans sufficiency to bee able to keepe Vnity And the word implies such an endeauour as makes haste to keepe And indeed no time is to bee lost at this worke VVhy but if there be neede of such endeuouring whence comes it that that which clings so together as all Vnity doth is so hard to keepe Whence why I 'le tell you I presume you 'll endeauour the more to keepe it First then t is hard to be kept in regard of the nature of this Vnity For bee it in Church or bee it in Common-wealth t is Vnum aggregatum One by Collection and Coniunction of many And the Schoole teaches vs that this Vnity is Minima Vnitas A Vnity that is least One And therefore aptest to fall asunder Both because many are not easily kept at One And because euery one of the many by reason of the contrary thoughts and affections which diuide him is
not long together one in himselfe Which is the Reason as I conceiue of that in Philo. That a little difference is able to diuide a Cittie Secondly t is hard to keepe in regard of Opposers against it and slie practicers vpon it And they are many Dauid complained of them in his time Psal. 120. My soule hath long dwelt with them that are Enemies to peace And ther 's no Church nor no state but hath some of these And since the plotting and studdie of these is to breake you must endeauour to keepe the Vnity of the Spirit And you 'll finde the worke hard enough But as to keepe Vnity is a worke of Difficultie and takes vp much endeauour of the best so 't is a glorious worke and worth their endeauour It is a pitifull thing to see a man but reputed wise and his Endeauour vaine But beside the comfort that is within there 's a great deale of honour to see a wisemans endeauour like himselfe And nothing is more like wisedome then Vnity For wise Counsells are seldome better knowne by any thing then this That as they are in themselues One and varie not so they tend to One and distract not That One end is verity in the Church Safetie in the state and Vnity in both Notwithstanding this Good God what spending their is of great endeauours about vanity and things of naught Halfe that endeauour spent in keeping Vnity would doe what all our hearts desire and more too VVhy but then how shall we be able to set our Endeauour right to the keeping of this Vnity of the Spirit How why the Apostle tells you that too ver 2. And the way he proposes is so direct that I dare say if you endeauour you shall keepe the Vnity of the Spirit both in Church and state First then all Endeauour to keepe the Vnity of the Spirit is void if it bee not vertuous For the Spirit will neither bee kept nor keepe men together in vice Next Among all vertues foure are most necessarie to preserue Vnity The Apostle nameth them and I 'll doe no more They are Humilitie at the heart Meekenesse in the Carriage Patience in point of forbearance And Charitie whose worke is supportation of the weake that scandall be not taken and Vnity broken And Concerning this last great vertue whose worke is supportation of the weake 't is an Excellent passage which Saint Augustine hath Art thou so perfect that there is nothing in thee which an other need support I wonder if it be so T is rare perfection But be it so Why then thou art the stronger to support others Is vnity like to be broken and dost thou say thou canst not support others Ergo habes quod in te alij sustineant Therefore thou art not yet so perfect as thou thoughtest but thou hast somewhat that others may support and beare in thee Endeauour then to keepe the Vnity of the Spirit that we must But in what is Vnity best preserued In what why that followes next T is in peace saith the Apostle Now Peace in this place is not taken as 't is opposite to Warr. But it is that Peace which opposes all iarring and falling out especially falling off one from another It is not considered heere as opposite to warr For that Peace and Warr cannot possibly stand together But this Peace in which Vnity is kept is most vsefull most necessarie when Warr is either threatned or begunne For as there is most need of Vnity against Vnited Enemies so is there most need of peaceable dispositions to Vnite at home against forces from abroad Therefore the Learned agree heere That Peace stands for a Calme and quiet dispose of the hearts of men and of their carriage too that the Vnity of the Spirit may be preserued And certainely without this peaceable disposition t is in vaine to say wee endeauour for Vnity either to get or to keepe it The Peace then heere spoken of differs not much from the vertue of meekenesse Onely it adds aboue meekenesse towards others quietnesse with them As it agrees with meekenesse so t is the way to Vnity As it adds aboue it so t is the Treasurie in which Vnity is kept T is an ancient Rule for kingdomes and a good Iisdem Artibus quibus parta sunt facilè retinentur They are kept in subiection order and obedience by the same vertues by which they were first gotten Now the vnity of the Spirit is a great part of the Kingdome of grace Therefore this Kingdome too if it be gotten as it is by peace then in peace it must be kept For you shall neuer see the Vnity of the Spirit dwell in a froward heart that is enemie to peace That affection of which Saint Bernard was is the great keeper of Vnity And sure he dwelt in peace Adhaerebo vobis etsi nolitis etsi nolim ipse I will sticke and bee one with you though you would not haue me doe it nay though any tentation in my selfe would not haue me doe it And therefore they are quite out of the way in the Church saith Saint Ierome that thinke they can hold the vnitie of the Spirit Disfipatâ pace when they haue shaken peace asunder And they are as farre mistaken in the Common-wealth that steepe all their humors in gall and yet would intitle themselues Patrons of vnitie And surely such in what state soeuer they liue know not of what Spirit they are though all other men see t is fire they call for S. Luke 9. Why but what need is there of this Exhortation to Peace this Endeauour for Vnity what need in regard of the times the time it selfe preaches I may hold my peace But what need there is in regard of mens persons and conditions which are to comply with the times that I 'le tell you The best peace that is and the fairest calme that the Soule of man hath is imperfect in this life What then What why therefore saies the Schoole though the Soule bee at rest and peace with God and consequently in it selfe and with others yet there is still some repugnancy both within and without which disturbes this peace For whatsoeuer is imperfect is vnder perturbation And the more a Man is troubled the lesse perfect is his peace Out of which it followes againe that all Exhortation to recall a mans passions to peace is very needfull for the keeping of vnity And hee that is offended at S. Pauls Exhortation to peace is not at peace in Himselfe Will you say farther that this peace which keeps and this vnity of the Spirit which is kept is the blessing and the gift of God It shall euer bee farre from me to denie that But what then Because they are Gods blessings must not you endeauour to get them And because they are Gods gifts must not you be carefull to keepe them Nay ought not you be the more carefull to keepe