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A05171
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A sermon preached on Munday, the seauenteenth of March, at Westminster at the opening of the Parliament. By the Bishop of Bathe and Welles.
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Laud, William, 1573-1645.
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1628
(1628)
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STC 15305; ESTC S102879
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18,331
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48
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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