people being sensible onely of an outward austerity and formal pretension of Godliness without any conviction of inward power and efficacy they will not hazzard a cut finger for the advancement of your Government Yea some wise men conceive that you would not so eagerly oppose the antient Government of the Church with your novelty but that you fear your former bold enterprizes would not be safe without attempting somewhat that 's worse Brevibus Gyaris aut carcere dignum Or that by indulgence and favour you may come off among those of your party with the reputation of resolute and conscientious men Or that some principal sticklers and leaders among you may have their conscience better informed with a Deanary or Bishoprick Or because there are some unquiet and unpeaceable spirits among you who conceive that Atheism profaneness impiety and all irreligion would violently break into the Church unless they stood in the gap to keep it out Alas Good men They are like those little woodden statues which are set under the main beames of an house with very piteous faces as if they bare up the whole building whereas indeed were they taken away the house would stand very well without them But what is their pretence They conceive the Christian faith is in hazzard and would be lost if they stood not up in defence of it And therefore they alledge scripture for warrant of their contention that they may sin by the Book For why They ought as they say to contend for the faith that once was given to the Saints Jude verse 3. That is saith the Gloss of the Quarto Bible against the assaults of Satan and Hereticks Whence some gather that they should strive with others for the Apostolical faith But in reason men ought first to contend for the faith once given to the Saints that it might be in themselves viz. faith in Christ the wisdom of God and power of God 1 Cor. 1 That faith that is the obedience of faith as Rom. 1. and 16. That victorious faith which overcomes the world 1 John 5.4 Whereas therefore some then as at this day had brought in a lazy kinde of imagination which they called faith that Christ had done and suffered all things for them and so became ungodly and turned the grace of God into wantonness and so sinned that grace might abound And so they denyed the Lord Jesus Christ the onely Lord when they obeyed other Lords as Esay 26. And pretended impotency weakness and inability to do the will of our onely Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ These Jude exhorted to contend for the true faith once delivered to the Saints For had we the true faith which was once given to the Saints it would no doubt empower us against all ungodliness and all wantonness yea all the lust of the flesh lust of the eyes and the pride of life which are all that is in the world 1 John 2.16 And the true faith is the victory that overcomes that world 1. John 5.4 Which faith were it in us it would overcome that pride of life whence comes this contention who should seem to be the greatest But they will have no Peace they say without Truth This is an old juggle whereby the credulous and ignorant multitude were seduced into the late War and so perswaded to believe a lie Not but that peace is and ought to be joyned with truth as Zech. 8 16.19 and elsewhere But is not peace also found coupled with righteousness Esay 32.17 and with holiness Heb 12.14 and love Psalm 119.165 and purity James 3.17 And what Truth is that which is joyned with Peace Is it not notoriously known that they are wont to call their Principles and Opinions which they have chosen to hold by the glorious name of Truth according to which they account themselves and would be accounted by others Orthodox But doth not our Lord Jesus call himself The Truth John 14.6 Now mark what kinde of Truth the Lord Jesus is Ephesians 4.20 Ye have not so learnt Christ if at least ye have heard him and have been taught in him as the Truth is in Jesus that ye put off according to the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your minde and that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and holiness of Truth Whence follows truth in speech wherefore putting away the lie speak ye every one truth to his neighbor c. This truth they had learned to whom St. John wrote 1 John 2.21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth but because ye know it and that no lâ—e is of the truth This is the Truth unto which the true Peace is â—oyned and without which there is no Peace Wherefore beloved Brethren let us beware lest under what pretence soever we break the peace of the Church or the peace of the Nation either of which ought to be more dear unto us than our own lives Let us take heed O let us advisedly seriously and timely take heed brethren lest contrary to the practise of Christ and the holy Apostles according to the custom of the unbelieving Jews and Heathens and some Zealors of our own we go about to reform the world It was said of the Lord Jesus that he perverted the Nation when he converted it and of the Apostles that they turned the world upside down when by the weapons of their spiritual warfare they cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalted it self against the knowledge of God and exalted the humility and meekness of Jesus Christ They never went about to reform a people by raising Riots Routs and Tumults They were not the Apostles but the unbelieving Jews who moved with envy took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort and gathered a company and set all the City in an uproar Acts 17.5 Let us beware beloved Brethren lest we go about to reform the Church as the woman did when she sought her groat according to an old false reading of the vulgar Translation Luke 15.8 evertit domum she overturned the house when she should have onely swept it according to the true reading everrit domum For surely the wise woman the Church seeking the Lords image lost in his Coin Man by the light of the Lords Candle which is his Spirit Prov. 20.27 she sweeps and cleanses the house from all filthiness of flesh and spirit until she finde her Lords image in righteousness and holiness of Truth and so becomes reformed and renewed in the spirit of her minde This this is the true Reformation of the Church not overturning it as Bertius saith we do when we go about to reform it O let us prove him a false prophet who hath these words in his Breviarum totius Orbis terrarum page 7. Habent hoc prâ—prium Calvanistae ut statum in quem irrepserunt evertant neque
righteousness and holyness which sometime are taken for the same are the image of God Heb. 12.12 as Plato with the scripture affirms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby we are enabled to enjoy that happiness that Eye-salve whereby we see God for God cannot be approached unto but by somewhat of himself The eye cannot see the sun but by being informed by the light of the sun In thy light shall we see light Since therefore righteousness and holyness is of God it 's necessary for the obtaining and enâ—oying the peace rest quietness and assurance for ever as the Scripture often testifies Deut. 16.20 Righteousness righteousness shalt thou follow that thou mayest live and inherit the Land Righteousness and peace have kissed each other Psal 85.10 which the Apostle figuratively understood Heb. 7.2 Melchisedec is first by interpretation King of righteousness and after that King of Salem which is King of peace Nor let it seem strange that I seem to have gone so far about to seek the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The things that make for peace and meanes to advance it It is a true solid and durable peace which I propounded to my self to enquire after and to commend to the two divided parties Such a peace cannot consist with iniquity There is no peace to the wicked saith my God Yet how many at this day promise themselves peace without the things which make for peace Against such the Lord denounceth most heavy judgements Deut. 29 19. Yet do not many resolve to walk in their old corrupt ways wherein they walked before and thereby brought the wrath of God upon themselves and the whole land And yet they hope for peace and cry and call upon God to come unto them in their evil ways and walk with them but they will not stir out of their own evil ways to walk with God in his way of righteousness and peace Yea and do they not think to be accourted righteous because Christ is righteous But does not our Lord say expressely the contrary Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances and the bag of decitful weights Mich. 6. Yea many there are who promise themselves peace yet practise not righteousness which is the immediate adequate and propor cause of it It 's an heavy complaint and I am afraid it 's too true that many who profess themselves the righteous people are yet no just dealers that they will lie cheat over-reach their brethren in bargaining c. and all under a form of godliness and pretence of righteousness They remember not that he is righteous who doth righteous things 1 John 3.7 Besides many there are even of those who profess religion and know that the effect of Righteousness is Peace who single out some certain duties and parts of righteousness and lay on them the stress of all religion as keeping the sabbath as one of the greatest Commandements if not the very greatest of all which yet the Jewes accounted one of the least When in regard of many other duties that was dispensed withall as in periculo vitae cessat sabbatum when life is in danger the sabbath ceaseth Nor does our Lord blame them but justifies them who lead their Ox or their Ass to the water on the sabbath day their mercy to their beast excused the breach of the sabbath Yea the Priests brake the sabbath and were guiltless Besides this duty of the sabbath they urge abstinence from cursing and swearing and drunkenness All which though parts of righteousness yet upon the matter they tend rather to make men good husbands then good Christians Mean time other great things of the Law and main parts of Righteousness are forgotten as having God for our God to love him with all our heart all our soul all our might and with all our understanding and to love our neighbor as our selves â—o fear God and honor the King To be subject to principalities and powers and that not onely for fear but also for conscience sake Not to kill not to commit adultery not to steal not to lie but every one to speak truth to his neighbor not to bear false witness not to go beyond our brother in bargaining not to covet To do udgement love mercy and to walk humbly with our God To deny our seâ—ves and take up our cross dayly and follow the Lord Jesus c. unto which our Lord Jesus directs us as the more weighty things of the law and gospel and wherein the righteousness whose effect is peace consists of these Altum silentium few or no words of these or if words but words Christ hath done these things for them But I must not omit certain other services which are of high estimation and indeed of far greater account then those now recited Such are days of humiliation and prayer hearing the word receiving the Sacrament which for their greater honor are called Gods Ordinances which are more venerable among some then the Commandements of God which are called his Ordinances Levit. 18.4 and elsewhere with these and such like Temple-worships the hypocritical people of old deceived themselves which were most-what ineffectual as Zech. 7. they kept a fast threescore and ten years the Lord owned it not as done to himself so that a man may perform such service unto God his whole life time for that 's the age of a man saith David yet all that time not please God which I much fear may be said of our like kinde of Worships We had our monethly fasts for many years when we smote with the fist of wickedness at which very time was the inundation of all unrighte ousness and all abomination in the land and blood touched blood and the hand of God was stretched out against us The Lord instructed Solomon how to award national judgments and upon what terms he will give peace to the land 2 Chron. 7.4 If my people who are called by my name do humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their evil ways then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal the land Many of us seem to exercise the three former humble themselves and pray and seek Gods face and glory much that they are a praying people And if the Lord vouchsafe any good success to them presently they ascribe it unto their prayers as the effect of them Mean time little care is taken of turning 〈…〉 their evil ways little exhortation thereunto whereas â—â—â—ed therein lies the principal stress of the Lords direction And commonly men have three reasons especially why the turning from their evil ways is not so much urged 1. They think it impossible wholly so to do Yea 2. herein they are the more remiss lest they should fall into that new heresie found out by Pâ—scator as I take it of the Perfectists And 3. lest they should seem to merit by so doing And for these reasons some I fear conscientiously abstain from doing good But unless there be an universal
especially with the Girdle of truth faithfulness and sincerity as also with strength Psal 18.39 and with chastity wherewith the Lord implies his Spouse should be girded Jer 13.11 O my Brethren both of Episcopal and of Presbyterian perswasion consider and be hearily ashamed of your common error that ye have both been so grosly mistaken that ye have neglected the common enemy even the Devil against whom we are all engaged by our Vow in Baptism and deserted the common Cause of Christianity the crucifying of the old man and are fallen foul one upon another Do you know no better the devices of Satan Are you so little known to your selves that you take no notice of your lusts that war in your members Do you no more regard them who are without What opinion think you hath the religious and irreligious world of you Remember the Cause you are engaged in is the Cause of God you have entred covenant with him upon these terms that you should fight against the world the flesh and the devil The Cause is Gods Cause and must needs be good The Apostle calls it so Fight the good fight of Faith 1 Tim. 6.12 It 's a Cause wherein all the people of God have been engaged from the beginning even since the Lord put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent and promised that the holy seed Christ should break the serpents head It is the Good Old Cause Let not the old subtile Serpent any longer beguile you who deceives the Nations Quit your selves like men Lay down your Enmity one against another and joyn all your forces and all your courage against the common enemy and so the God of Peace shall bruise Satan under your feet quickly Mean time let us enquire into the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things which make for Peace and 7. By what means Reconciliation may be made between the divided Parties THe Divine Life the effect whereof is Peace is discovered to St. John Revel 21. and every one who is willing is invited thereunto But it s vain labour to discover the life which is above to the wise saith Solomon Pro. 15.24 unless we have a Jacobs Ladder whereby we may ascend thereunto This we may do by divers steps or means which are either such as remove obstructions out of the way of peace or such as positively direct our feet into that way For as the godly life is a necessary means for the obtaining the eternal life and peace which is homogeneal and of the same nature with it so is the death unto sin a necessary means of obtaining the godly life as the Apostle reasons Col. 3.4 when Christ which is our life shall appear then shall we appear with him in glory mortifie therefore your earthly members whence it is that sinful men are said not to know the way of peace Rom. 3.17 And who can direct us better into this way than he who is the Prince of Life Acts 5. And prince of peace Esay 9. who appeared the Day-spring from on high to visit us to give light to them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace Into this way he leads us by precept and example By precept of humility and lowliness of mind by self denyal and taking up the cross dayly Humility is the first step toward Mortification and that extream necessary because pride the contrary hereunto obstructs the way of Peace Pro. 13.10 For onely by pride cometh contention And if onely by pride whence I beseech you proceed the present contentions among us Is it not because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every one would be greatest Truly a very strange thing it is that men eminent for learning and profession of Christianity should so openly spend their zeal and heat about that old dispute who should be the greatest Luke 22. 'T is true this Controversie was among the Apostles but they had not yet received the holy spirit which I desire both parties advisedly to consider Why should they not rather endeavour after the fairest object of emulation the onely lawful contention who should be the best The Lacedemonians herein condemn too many of us Christians who were wont to exercise their Children in such questions as these who in all Sparta was the most sober most just most prudent most valiant man c. And it was one of them who say Nemo me major nisi qui me melior No man is greater then I unless he be better then I am Yea although I doubt not but the main design of the Covenant was outing of the Bishops and Inning of the Presbyters in their room yet in the close of the Covenant by an over-ruling hand the Covenanters vow That our true and unfeigned purpose desire and endeavor for our selves and all under our power and charge both in publick and private in all duties we owe to God and man to amend our lives and each one to go before another in the example of real Reformation This close of the Covenant which is most consonant unto the word of God hath been I fear quite forgotten and the main endeavour hath been to go one before another in wealth and honor as for the endeavour and strife to exceed one another in performance of our duties toward God and man O how modest most men are O how easily doth every man yield to another to go before him Yet if any man according to the Covenant endeavor to exceed others in goodness who have bound up themselves by their principles which they resolve not to exceed if he endeavor to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect he is accounted at least erroneous in his judgement if he can escape the Gardiners sheers of Discipline and cutting off for presuming to grow in grace above his neighbors The contention is not who should be the best man but who should be the greatest And onely from pride comes this contention And this is a great part of self which is to be denyed That 's the second step Self-denyal There are in man since the fall the abridgements of three selfs One whereby he agrees with the beast and lives according to the principles of brutish man 2. Another whereby he agrees with the old fubtil scrpent which deceiveth all the world with false principles of corrupt reason Revel 12. 3. The third whereby he agrees with God and the heavenly man 1 Cor. 15. This last we must deny to be ours not I but the grace of God which was with me The fear of God and keeping his Commandment is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the man saith Solomon Eccle. 12. what ever else is in the man it 's either the beast or the devil Both which make up the corrupt self which the true man must deny The Grace of God which is able to save all men hath appeared saith St. Paul teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts Tit. 2. Such