〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 its manifest that hee requires of us an earnest diligent and industrious endeavour for the preservation of this unity and so the word is at all hands rendred solicitè servantes solicitously keeping saies Saint Ambrose soliciti servare solicitous to keepe it sayes Saint Hierome satagitè servare make it your businesse to keepe it sayes the Syriack Translator So S. Anselme Vnitas illa spiritus non est negligenda sed studiosè retinenda This unity of the Spirit is not sleightly but studiously to be kept and maintained So that it is as if the Apostle had said Labour to preserve this unity tooth and naile doe your utmost diligence tanquam pro aris foris as if it were for your life and livelihood and religion and all 3. The course prescribed for the preservation of this unity The Apostle had said Endeavour to keepe the unity of the Spirit they might now say But what course shall wee take that we may preserve it The Apostle staies not till they should ask him this question he prevents and anticipates them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the bond of peace he doth as it were with one breath tell them what they should do and how they may effect it But what is this In the bond of peace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in for by In the bond of peace that is by the bond of peace By the bond of peace that is by peace as by a bond so Estius Estius in locum In vinculo pacis i. e. pace tanquam vinculo quodam animos vestros colligante In the bond of peace that is peace as a certaine bond knitting your hearts together So Saint Anselme In vinculo pacis Ansel in locum i. e. pax concordia exterior sit quasi nexus vinculum interioris unitatis spiritus In the bond of peace that is outward peace and concord may serve as a tye and bond of the inward unity of the spirit And a little after having said Vnitas spiritus est studiosè retinenda The unity of the spirit is studiously to be kept he addes Quam poteritis hoc modo servare viz. in vinculo pacis i. e. ut pax taliter inter vos habita vinciat vos insimul conglutinet which unity of the spirit ye may thus be able to keepe namely in the bond of peace that is if peace thus had among you tye you in and glew you together And so our blessed Apostle contents not himself to teach them and us in them how to keep and maintaine this unitie but also by way of illustration he sets forth the nature and usefulnesse of peace by a similitude fit for the purpose comparing peace to a bond by which divers things being put together are held together and kept from falling asunder Take a fagot and keep the band of it firme and uncut the fagot remaines firme cut or burne the band asunder and all the sticks fall each from other of such nature and usefulnesse is peace live we peaceably and quietly together and the unitie of the Church is preserved and maintained give we way to schisme and contention and the whole is dissolved And this office of peace is excellently set forth by the Greeke word for peace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which as by some it hath its notation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dico to speake because in time of warre silent leges lites dirimuntur non verbis sed gladiis the laws are silent and differences are composed not with words but with the sword but in time of peace controversies are peaceably ended by laws and by pleading so by others it hath its rise from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 necto to knit together quia connectit dissidentes in unum because it linkes together parties jarring So that the summe of all is this that Saint Paul exhorts us by all possible meanes and with all possible diligence to endeavor for peace one with another by it as by a bond to keepe the unity of the Church and not by schismes and contentions to violate it 2 Now to prove and demonstrate the truth of the point that it is our dutie so to do 1 For the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Though it were in no other place of Scripture given in charge yet this one testimony might well suffice Saint Paul giving this charge not as an ordinarie man guided by a private spirit but as the Pen-man of the holy Ghost and immediately guided by that Spirit of truth and wisedome who is not lyable to errour and mistakes in the advice which he gives so that it is not so much Saint Paul as the great God by him that gives this in charge so that to any that shall in this point refuse to yeeld obedience we may well speake in the words of the Apostle 1. Thes 4.8 He that despiseth despiseth not man but God as if any man shall refuse to obey a charge brought him from the King and delivered in the Kings name by any messenger though never so meane he despiseth not the messenger but the King himselfe from whom and in whose name it is delivered to him But yet to put all out of question behold how as in other particulars so in this both testaments agree breathing forth the same truth In the old Testament heare we David Psal 34.14 Seeke peace and pursue it seeke it as the man his stray sheepe Luk. 15.4.8 as the woman her lost groat pursue it as the Huntsman his game heare the Prophet Zach 8.19 love the truth and peace In the new Testament heare we first our blessed Saviour the King Counsellour and Prophet of his Church concerning whom the charge was given from heaven at his transfiguration Mat. 17.5 This is my beloved Sonne heare him and concerning whom Moses brings in God speaking in so dreadfull a tone so long before Deut. 18.19 Whosoever will not hearken to my words which he shall speake in my name I will require it of him and what is more expresse then the charge which he gave his Disciples Have salt in your selves Mar. 9.50 and have peace one with another Next heare we Saint Paul with whom nothing is more familiar nor he more frequent in any thing then in charges of this kinde If it be possible Rom. 12.18 and as much as lyes in you have peace with all men And Let us follow after the things that make for peace Rom 14 19. Yea where he saw this counsell most necessarie see how earnest he is I beseech you 1. Cor. 1.10 brethren in the name of the Lord Iesus Christ that there be no divisions among you but be perfectly joyned together in the same minde and in the same judgement see his earnestnesse in delivering this charge I beseech you I that am the Apostle of the Gentiles beseech you Gentiles I might command you in a businesse
men heare we therefore how the Scripture limits this study of peace Love the truth and peace Zach 8.19 Heb 12 14. saith the Prophet Follow peace and holinesse saith the Apostle No further therefore is peace to be maintained by us then as may be without the prejudice of truth and holinesse Therefore 1. with Hereticks against the foundation we are to have no peace no not to bid them 2. Ioh. 11. God speed He that bids them God speed saith the Apostle Euseb Inst Ecclis l. 3. c. 25. is partaker of his evill deeds To this purpose Eusebius from Irenaeus relates how Saint Iohn the beloved Disciple going into the bath at Ephesus to wash himselfe and finding Cerinthus the Hereticke in the bath went away without washing and said Fugiamus hinc ne balneum corruat in quo Cerinthus veritatis inimicus lavat Let us flye hence lest the bath fall on our heads in which Cerinthus the enemy of the truth washes himselfe And that Polycarpus meeting Marcion the Hereticke and Marcion saying to him Euseb hist Eccles t. c. 14. Agnoscis nos dost thou not know us refused to change any words with him onely returning him that tart answer Agnosco te primogenitum Satanae I know thee to be the eldest sonne of the divell In this case therefore it will be good for us to take up Saint Austins resolution Aug. tom 6. contra Faustun Manich. l. 29. ca. 2. Mancat potius nobis adversus Manichaeos pro veritate certamen quà m cum illis in falsitate concordia Let us rather contend with the Manichees for the truth then agree with them in falshood 2. With abhominable wicked persons blasphemers drunkards adulterers and the like in their sinnes with such maintaine no peace So sayes S. Austin Pax cum bonis custodienda est Aug tom 10. de Temp. Ser. 166. non cum sceleratis iniquis qui pacem inter se habent in peccatis suis Pax cum bonis bellum cum vitiis semper habendum est Maintaine peace with those that are good not at any hand with wicked and unrighteous persons maintaining peace among themselves in their sinnes we are alway to keepe peace with good men but withall to bid battell against the vices of men In these cases warre is better then peace contention then concord agreement in errour and sinne is not peace but conspiracie Christ had better have a troubled Church then none at all It is more for the honour of God that there be in the Church truth and holinesse with contention then quietnesse with heresie and impiety Quest 2. But doth this exhortation for the study of peace and unitie exclude all going to law for the deciding of controversies happening betweene men about meum tuum the proprietie of goods Ans At no hand God commands peace he no where forbids us to make use of the Magistrate and his laws for the preventing or righting of wrongs This may be and peace not broken We have questionlesse heard of men who having beene at law together for the determining of some difference happening betweene them have yet travelled together from the place of their abode up to this City and have beene at bed and board together in a friendly manner The Apostle therefore requiring the studious preservation of peace and unity forbids not the other onely this is required by vertue of this charge that we go not to law for every trifle but for matters of importance that we try all other fairer meanes first that we make peace the end of our suits that we be charitably affected each to other while the cause is depending and finally that we rest quietly in the determination of the Iudge howsoever the cause be ended with or against us neither insulting over the partie whom we foile nor envying or maligning in case we receive the foile And now these questions thus cleared 3. Come we to the application And here 1 The world justly deserves sharpe reproofe for the scarsitie of peace and the little care that men have to maintaine the unity of the Church In which regard we may justly take up the complaint of S. Gregory Nazianzen in that cause Greg. Naz. orat 12. Pax ab omnibus laudatur à paucis servatur All men praise peace few keepe it The Papists in this case flie in our faces as Schismaticks for so they ordinarily brand us objecting to us that we have broken the peace and made a rent in the Church A breach there is we confesse but whether we or they be guiltie of it let any indifferent man be judge Onely for the manifestation of it give me leave to represent to you a parable used by a reverend Prelate of this Church A man invites his friend to a feast Jos Exon. columba Noe. they eate and drinke together and are merry at last the Master of the feast drinks to his guest and gives him an apple but suddenly a spider falls into the cup and the apple is worm-eaten whereupon the guest for the time abstains the Master of the feast urges his guest to eate of the apple and to drinke of the wine the guest replyes It is not safe see you not the spider in the cup see you not the worme in the apple let me first take out the spider then I will drinke let me cut out the worme then I will eate I like the wine well and the apple I like not these hereupon the Master of the feast grows cholerick at his guest as over-nice he throws the dishes and cups at his head and at last shamefully thrusts him out of doores say now whether of them hath broken the peace and violated the laws of hospitalitie It is just the case betweene the Papists and us I hope then you will be able to give the sentence that it is not we but they that have broken the peace But the particular application of the parable as easie and obvious I leave to you But for that which they object to us of the breaches and divisions that are among our selves in regard of which they are ready to conclude that we are not a true Church It were good they would consider two things 1. That we are not the first betweene whom there have beene divisions Witnesse Saint Paul and Barnabas witnesse Saint Hierome and Ruffinus witnesse the Easterne and Western Church about the celebration of Easter yet the two former couples were still held godly men eminent men and the latter couple both acknowledged Churches of Christ 2. That there are not wanting among themselves great differences and that about such points as they acknowledge fundamentall points of their Religion as about Purgatory the blessed Virgin the power of the Pope and such like whereas the differences among us are onely in superstructures in lesse principall truths whiles in the maine and fundamentall points of our Religion we have God be thanked a firme concord as may appeare
not either take or give offence And thereunto S. Austin addes of his own Quia contingit ut una Ecclesia habeat alios Sabbato jejunantes alios prandentes mos eorum mihi sequendus videtur quibus corum populorum congregatio regenda commissa est Quare si meo consilio acquiescis Episcopo tuo in hac re noli resistere quod facit ipse sine ullo scrupulo sectare Because it so falls out that in one and the same Church some may fast on Saturdayes and others dine the custome of those seems to me to be followed to whom the government of the Church is committed If therefore you rest in my advice resist not thy Bishop in this thing and what he doth follow thou without scruple The observation of this rule and care to walk according to it would not a little tend to the preservation of the peace and unity of the Church 7 Shut out tale-bearers if we would shun private breaches there is a generation of men that go up and down from one to another carrying the devils pack like Pedlers seeking to curry favour with all sides these are mischievous persons A whisperer Prov. 16.28 saith Solomon separates chiefe friends If therefore we desire to maintaine peace let us walk by Solomons rule Prov. 25.23 As the North winde drives away raine so doth the angry countenance the backbiting tongue And the issue we shall finde according to that other adage of his Prov. 26.20 Where no wood is the fire goes out and where no tale-bearer is strife ceases And for the preventing of publick breaches hearken to the counsell of Saint Paul Mark them that cause divisions and avoid them Rom. 16.17 There is a brood of ill-minded men who care not what they say or write whereby to worke in men an ill opinion of the Church wherein they live though never so apparantly false and that they may the more easily insinuate and winde themselves into the mindes of well-meaning people they will make a faire pretence of zeale for the good of the Church as if all that they did were altogether for the preservation of the truth of Doctrine and the purity of Gods worship when God knows it is if not onely at least especially for their owne advantage to raise themselves a name by defaming of others whose preferment they envy such as these the Apostle would have us to marke and avoid and according to this is the advice of Saint Cyprian that famous Bishop of Carthage Admoneo pariter consulo saith he Câ—pr Epist 40 〈◊〉 plebem de quinque Presbyter Schismaticis factionis foelicissimi ne perniciosis vocibus temerè credatis ne fallacibus verbis consensum facilè commodetis ne pro luce tenebras pro die noctem venenum pro remedio mortem pro vita sumatis nec aet as vos corum nec authoritas fallat c. I admonish and counsell you that ye do not rashly beleeve pernicious words nor hand over head give assent to deceitfull speeches lest ye take darknesse for light night for day poyson for remedie and death for life Let neither their age nor authoritie deceive you c. Let this be our care and we shall be well shielded against Schisme and division and enabled to maintaine unity and to live in peace and so the God of love and peace shall be with us To which God Father Sonne and holy Ghost be rendred of us and the whole Church all honour and glory praise and power might and majestie from this time forth and for evermore Amen FINIS Errata PAge 3. line 24. for Apostles reade Apostle p 6 l 3 for spirits r spirituall p 20 l 9 for dissentio r dissensio p 28 l 4 for slaughter r laughter p 37 l 2â— for iniunction r iniunction p 49 l 7 for pretend r did pretend p 51 l 3 for defraudeiur r defraudetur l 19 for Diaboli sed pax Dei r Diaboli sed pax Dei p 52. l 23 for Saint Bernard Hic et r Saint Bernard hic et p 53 l 30 for Thus as Tertullian testifies Valentinus hunting r Thus as Tertullian testifies Valentinus hunting c. p 57. l. 27 for God The other c. r. God the other
the body Nor in this case will thy Almes-deeds afford thee any comfort be they never so abundant Aug. tom 2. vel Fulgent de fide ad Petr. Diacon Si quis remanens alienus ab Ecclesiâ Catholicâ eleemosynas largas dederit pro eo quod in hac vita non tenet Ecclesiae unitatem non habet vitam aeternam sayes the same Father or Fulgentius If any man remaining a stranger from the Catholike Church shall giue large almes even for this that in this life he holds not the unity of the Church he shall misse of life eternall Nor canst thou in this case have comfort in thy fasting nor will it be of any acceptance with God If the Iewes aske Esa 58.3.4 Why have we fasted and thou regardest it not God returnes answer Behold ye fast for strife and debate Nay should it so happen that a man violating the peace of the Church should suffer ought neither in this could he have comfort Si aliquis ex talibus sayes Saint Cyprian Cypr. epist 57. ad Cornelium in exilio that glorious Martyr and famous Bishop of Carthage speaking of the Novatians fuerit apprehensus non est quod sibi tanquam de confessione nominis blandiatur cum constet si occisi ejusmodi extra Ecclesiam fuerint fidei coronam non esse sed poenam perfidiae If any of them sayes he shall be apprehended they have no cause to flatter themselves with the confession of the name of Christ since it is manifest that if such should fuffer death out of the Church it were not a Crown of faith but a reward of disloyalty And elsewhere Etsi oecisus propter nomen fuerit extra Ecclesiam constitutus Cypr. epist 52. ad Antonian ab unitate charitate divisus coronari in morte non poterit Though a man separated from the unity of the Church should suffer death for the name of Christ he could not be crowned in death Saint Austin also tels Donatus as much who was a Priest of the Donatists foris ab Ecclesia constitutus Aug epist 204. ad Donatum preibyt Donat. à vinculo charitatis separatus supplicio aeterno punireris etsi pro Christi nomine vivus comburereris Being out of the Church and separated from the bond of charity thou shouldest be everlastingly punished though thou shouldest be burned alive for the name of Christ Nor doe these holy Fathers say all this of their own heads but as they have learned it from Saint Paul who plainly sayes as much 1 Cor. 13.3 Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poore and give my body to be burned and have not charity it profits mee nothing Nothing can be said more plain for this purpose for if all this be unavaileable without charity then so it is without a study of unity charity and the study of peace being undivided companions As therefore we would not lose our labour nor strip our selves of comfort in all that we doe or suffer it stands us in hand according to Saint Pauls injunctinn to study peace and unity 3 To furnish us with opportunities of doing and receiving good mutually by the improvement of the Communion of Saints for God hath in singular wisedome distributed his manifold graces not giving some all and some none at all but giving each man in the Church his proper share and dividing to each man his severall gift according to that station in the Church to which he hath designed him so that as no man is absolute so there is none but may be in his way beneficiall there is none but may stand in need of another there is none but may be usefull to another the head cannot say to the foot 1 Cor. 12.21 2 Tim. 1.16.17 I have no need of thee Saint Paul stands in need of Onesiphorus his reliefe and Onesiphorus needs Saint Pauls prayers The ordinary Christian stands in need of the Ministers instruction exhortation and comfort and there is not the most eminent Minister in the Church who needs not the prayers of the meanest Christian how earnest therefore and how frequent is Saint Paul in desiring the prayers of Christians for him Rom. 15.30.31 I beseech you brethren for the Lord Iesus Christs sake and for the love of the Spirit that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me 2 Thes 3.1 c. And furthermore brethren pray for us Thus Saint Austin writing to Darius a lay man Ora pro me Aug. epist 264. ad Darium ne deficiam ora fili ora sentio quid dicam sentio quid petam non tibi videatur indignum quasi ultra merita tua fraudabis me magno adjutorio si non feceris c. Pray for me that I faile not pray sonne pray I know what I say I know what I desire let it not seeme to thee an unfitting thing and as it were beyond thy merits thou shalt deprive me of a speciall helpe Tertul de baptismo if thou doe it not So Tertullian Ore ut cum petitis etiam Tertulliani peccatoris memineritis I desire that in your prayers you would also remember Tertullian a sinner And so Saint Bernard Iuvate me orationibus vestris ut semper possim Bern. in Cant. Ser. 36. loqui quae oportet opere implere quae loquor Helpe me with your prayers that I may alway both speake such things as I ought and practise what I speake In this regard who sees not how usefull it is to maintaine unity For so long as there is mutuall peace there will be societie and so an opportunitie and readinesse to do good by the employment of the abilities wherewith God hath in any kinde furnished us and we shall be as ready to reape benefit by the abilities of others But let peace be violated and way given to discord and jarring and presently there follows strangenesse we shall be ready to flye off one from another in time of need and one to scorne to be beholding to another as therefore we desire to reape the benefit of the communion of Saints it stands us in hand to endeavour to keep peace and unity Thus I have done with the proofe of the point wherein I have the more enlarged my selfe because the point is practicall but the more I have spoken of this the lesse I shall need to dwell upon the application To which I were now immediately to come but that there are two questions which need resolution Quest 1. How farre and with whom must we minde and studie peace Answ Heare we the Apostle If it be possible and as much as lyes in you Rom. 12.18 have peace with all men With all men then certainly with al them that live in the pales of the Church If it be possible and as much as lyes in you saith the Apostle There are cases then in which it is not for us to have peace with