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A37056 Certaine considerations shewing the necessity of a correspondencie in spirituall matters betwixt all Protestant churches an especiall meanes for effecting whereof and healing our present breaches would be a nationall synod / by John Dury. Dury, John, 1596-1680. 1642 (1642) Wing D2839; ESTC R15939 5,643 16

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CERTAINE CONSIDERATIONS SHEWING The necessity of a CORRESPONDENCIE in Spirituall matters betwixt all Protestant Churches An especiall meanes for effecting whereof and healing our present breaches would be a NATIONALL SYNOD By John Dury FIDE JVSTVS VIVET DEVS PROVIDEBIT RY Printed for Wil. Hope Anno Dom. 1642. Certain Considerations shewing the necessity of a Correspondency in Spirituall matters betwixt Protestant Churches THere be three heads of reasons by which the absolute necessity of a Spirituall Correspondencie in religious matters betwixt Protestant Churches may be made apparent which are these First the truth of their Religious profession of Christianity doth oblige them to intend a mutuall Correspondency Secondly the condition of the Churches should strongly induce them speedily to settle it one with another And thirdly the danger of the publike states should move them to maintaine it constantly when once it is settled Of the first In the truth of our Religious profession of Christianity we should consider the things wherein it doth consist the end wherefore God giveth his graces for which wee should make use of the same and the meanes by which wee may attaine to this end The truth of Christianity consisteth in the soundness of the Doctrine in the holiness of the life of the Professors Tit. 1.1 3 8. To maintain advance both these Protestants are obliged one towards another by the communion of Saints whereof they make profession in the Symbole of the Apostles But the communion of Saints is not onely the conjunction of beleevers in faith and hope and hearty prayers towards God one for another but also a reall endeavour to communicate the graces which God hath bestowed upon every one severally to each other in common by a charitable care to provoke one another unto love and to good workes Heb. 10.24 which cannot possibly be done except a Correspondency for maintaining of Truth and Holinesse be intended Therefore such a Correspondency is absolutely necessarie to be intended and if it be not intended the communion of Saints is broken and the truth of Doctrine with the life of Holinesse will suffer losse and damage thereby and God will infallibly require such a losse at the hands of those which are causes thereof or doe not hinder it when they may The end wherefore God doth give the graces and gifts of his Spirit is that the Members of the body of Christ should profit thereby one towards another 1 Corinth 12. 7. and that they should trade therewith to gaine more graces Luke 19. 12 13. Matth. 25.14 But it is no more possible to doe this without an intention of maintaining an intercourse of Spirituall Correspondencie then it is possible for the members of the bodie which are not knit together by joynts sinews and veines to conveigh bloud and nourishment one to another Therefore a course of Correspondencie is absolutely necessary to be intended or if it be not intended and put in practice Gods intention in giving his gifts unto his Church is not fulfilled and hee may and will justly deprive such of them as make no good use thereof The end to which wee should use Gods graces is the glory of God 1 Corin. 10.31 and our mutuall edification 1 Corin. 14.26 and Rom. 14.19 and 15.2 These two ends are subordinate one to another For God cannot be glorified otherwise by us then by this that we bring forth much fruit one towards another John 15.6 and Matth. 15.6 because our good cannot reach to him as David saith Psal 16.2 but to the Saints that are in the earth and to the excellent Ones in whom should be all our delight ibid. ver 3. But it is not possible to intend this communication of our goodnesse unto the Saints by the endeavour of mutuall edification except we use meanes to know one anothers condition of which the chiefe is a constant course of mutuall intelligence and correspondencie Therefore a settled Correspondencie is wholly necessary to be intended if wee will not deprive God of his glory and his Saints of the interest which they should have in us by the right use of our talents The meanes by which this end is to bee attained is to endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace which wee are commanded and by many reasons exhorted to doe Ephes 4.3 4 5 6. Now this endeavour because it is the immediate effect of true charity therefore it is the true meanes of mutuall edification For onely charity is that which doth edifie as may appeare clearly by 1 Corinth 8.1 and Chapt. 13. Ephes 4.15 16. Now charity cannot bee maintained except there be an endeavour to know one anothers estate nor can the unity of the Spirit bee kept or sought for without this same care Therefore a Correspondencie for mutuall intelligence in Spirituall matters tending to unity and peace in the profession of the truth is a thing absolutely necessary to bee intended by those that make sincere profession of the Gospell or if they intend it not it is apparent they neglect a fundamentall duty of the life of Christianity because they make no use of the chiefe and onely meanes of mutuall edification wherein God is chiefly glorified Of the second If wee looke upon the Churches and consider as wee ought seriously the lamentable estate wherein they are the causes thereof and the issue which is likely to follow if God doth not prevent the same it will evidently appeare that a mutuall and brotherly Correspondency for maintaining of truth and peace is most absolutely necessary to be speedily settled for publike edification of that which is already decayed and of carefull preservation of that which is yet entire from inevitable ruines in time to come And to make this cleare the Churches should be considered as they stand in relation one to another within themselves and as they relate their common adversaries who watch over them for their destruction In respect of themselves as they stand within themselves their case is fearfull and deplorable for it is most evident that they are not onely strangers one to another and care little or nothing one for another in any Spirituall publike waies which is a great breach of charity and holy communion for which they have deserved and deserve still the judgements which are come and will if prevention be not used further come upon them but they are at variances in great weighty matters and by their variances and disputes they are become full of partialities of sidings and of oppositions one against another so that some of them have studied the overthrow of others which is a miserable and deplorable case when it falleth out amongst brethren and chiefly then when God and his Gospel is so highly dishonoured thereby as by these controversies of Protestants it doth appeare he is for what is more miserable then that men should become as it were mad to devoure one another and that every one should eate the flesh of his