as to make them agree with us 2. That we do as impartially weigh what those that differ from us do offer for our satisfaction as what we our selves do offer to satisfie them In doing of which we shall in part discharge that duty enjoyned us in Phil. 2.4 Look not every Man on his own things but every Man also on the things of others And by this we shall make it appear that we are willing to agree with those that differ from us as far as possibly we can as far as any reason or ground appears to bear us out in so doing And if we herein begin to those which differ from us it will induce them if there be any candor in them to return the like to us And this is the way to reduce the difference to a narrow compass and to make it as little as may be And when it appears to be but little it will be the easier to satisfie one another about it or however we shall then be the better able peaceably to bear with one another in it But if this be not done it will beget a suspition that we affect to differ and to strive for Victory more than for Truth and Peace and that it is more from a spirit of contradiction than Conscience that we differ 3. When any alter their judgment either upon grounds found out by their own search and studies or offered to them by others so that they come over to them in whole or in part from whom they differed before then beware of representing this as matter of Odium and reproach to them so long as they are not worse in their Morals The contrary that is the doing so hath been an ill practice and such as hath tended greatly to block up the way of a due and Christian compliance with them from whom through mistake they have once professedly differed While it hath been represented as matter of reproach to Men not to stand their ground and to be true to their principles they have once received though found erroneous enough when better considered and looked into it hath proved a great temptation doubtless unto many to neglect an impartial and thorow-examination of the grounds of their Opinion or practice and to be prejudiced against all that is offered by others to convince them of mistake Mens Reputation among their party is a dangerous snare to hold them fast in error and a great impediment to their understanding and discerning the Truth when it is declared to them when it tends to draw them off and to expose them to reproach among their party and a great prejudice and bar against their receiving and owning of it Why do ye not understand my speech Even because ye cannot hear my word said our Saviour to the Jews John 8.43 They had no mind to embrace his Doctrine which would bring them into disgrace with their party the Pharisees and therefore they had no mind so to consider it as to understand it Which made our Saviour say again How can ye believe which receive honour one of another and seek not the honour that cometh from God only Joh. 5.44 But if Men would but understand and consider that it is truly honourable and praise-worthy in the sight of God and Wise Men to love and own Truth where ever they find it and however disguised by its Adversaries and to be of open and free minds to consider and try all things and when they discover Truth to buy it at any rate though it cost them more than the loss of their Reputation among an erring party they would then neither fright others nor be scared themselves from exchanging error for Truth Schism for Peace and Unity by reproachful nick-names V. Direction Those that would keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace had need to be of publick Spirits and still to seek their own personal and private satisfaction in subordination to a publick good and not in opposition to it to preserve the publick Peace and Unity of the Church and the benefits that depend thereon before the pleasing of themselves in things not absolutely necessary but convenient only If this be not observed there will be no avoiding divisions and separations And the Reason hereof is taken from the different apprehensions capacities and tempers of the several parts and Members of the Church By reason of this those circumstances about the administration of Holy things which will best please some good Men will not so well satisfie others This we find to be true by the different usages of the parts of the Reformed Church in several Nations and by the different perswasions and inclinations of the parts of the Church in one and the same Nation yea in one and the same City Town and Parish as is well known So that if one part of the Church should refuse Communion with the other in the same Ordinances unless they can have them administred upon terms best pleasing to themselves and if the other part of the Church of a different opinion therein should do so too separation follows of course till they can all be of one mind in those disputable things But in all such cases the publick concerns of Religion should sway more with us than what otherwise would be more to our liking The profit of the whole is more to be attended than the pleasing of our selves when the question is not which is good and which is simply bad this or that But only which is better this or that St. Paul walked by this Rule in bearing with yea in chusing some things for publick edification sake when circumstances made them necessary thereunto which out of those circumstances he would not have chosen nor could well bear with Even as I saith he please all Men in all things not seeking my own profit but the profit of many that they may be saved 1 Cor. 10.33 Under some circumstances he would forbear things which under others he would not and thus he would eat no meat while the World stands rather than make his Brother to offend He chose to labour with his own hands for his support rather than to take Money from others when he saw the interest of the Christian Religion would be disadvantaged thereby And he Circumcised Timothy purified himself and took on him a Vow after the Jewish mode when so to do tended to publick good though otherwise the doing of such things could not be without some regret to him considering how slightingly he speaks of them at other turns And thus he took up and laid down many things even as the publick interest of Religion lead him to it To them that were under the Law he became as one under the Law and as without Moses's Law to them that were without it and all this he reckoned to be consistent with his being under the Law to Christ To the weak he became as weak that he might gain the weak he was made all things to all
their coming together and exercising themselves in the Holy Ordinances of the Lord was not for the better but for the worse 1 Cor. 11.17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not that you come not together for the better but for the worse But what was the cause of this or upon what doth he ground this charge of their going backward in Religion Verily it was their Divisions that was the cause of this mischief For first of all saith he when you come together in the Church I hear that there are divisions among you ver 18. That Church abounded in Spiritual gifts being enriched in every thing in all utterance and all knowledge so that they came behind in no gift Chap. 1.5.7 They thrived in these indeed but then they went backward in their Humility and Charity and goodness of their Spirit and temper which made the Apostle to spend almost a whole Chapter in commending Charity above Spiritual gifts to them besides the several hints he gives of their being puffed up Though they might well have been Spiritual Christians considering the opportunity and means they had to make them such yet because of Euvring Strife and Divisions among them some following one Teacher and some another in opposition St. Paul could not as he saith write to them as to Spiritual but only as to Carnal such as were but Babes still and unthriven in the Life and Spirit of Christianity their envying strife and divisions keeping them thus low under the means of higher attainments in grace 1 Cor. 3.1 2 3. The truth is Divisions Wranglings and Janglings and Contentions eat out the very heart of Religion Men may grow rich in a Form of knowledge and express a great zeal for the out side of Religion and yet in the mean time be languishing in the very vitals of Christianity when that knowledge and zeal is not improved and spent for the farthering of Peace and Love with other Christian Virtues Your Divisions and Contentions Christians will be as a Worm at the root of your Tree that will keep it from thriving whatever cost you otherwise bestow upon it If then you have any mind to keep up Religion in heart among us and not to have your Wine to become as Water having lost its Spirit If you would have the Gospel-Ordinances yield their increase and your Religion not degenerate into Form If you would yield the Lord the acceptable and pleasant Fruit of all his cost and not such as is starvie harsh and unsavoury If you would not turn the Fruit of Righteousness into Hemlock If you would be free from such a distemper as will hinder your Spiritual relish and convert your food to a noxious humour and subject you to a spiritual languishing in the midst of a plentiful provision for Spiritual health and growth Then lay aside your divisions about matters of doubtful disputation and follow after the things which make for peace and things whereby you may edifie one another in love What knowledge soever you have and what zeal soever you express for any truth as you conceive it to be yet if while you hold fast other things you let go Charity your knowledge of and your zeal in prosecuting and promoting the same though it were to the losing of your life will profit you nothing 1 Cor. 13.2.3 I hough I understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though I give my Body to be burned and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing A thing which neerly concerns all such to mind that are more careful and tender lest some other controverted and supposed truth should suffer then charity peace and concord should suffer and care not what rents and divisions they make so they may but propagate their particular opinion If there be bitter zeal as some translate it glory not of thy knowledge and lie not against the truth in saying that 's the way to promote it Jam. 3.14 If you would thrive under the means of grace indeed and be growing up to perfection then be sure to be much for Charity and Unity You have much talk of perfection among some and many that pretend to it that are far from it but I think it consists in nothing more next our love to God then in the Saints Love and Unity This is the cry of the Scripture That they made perfect in one John 17.23 Be perfect be of one mind live in Peace 2 Cor. 13.11 Above all these put on Charity which is the bond of perfectness Col. 3.14 If we love one another God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us 1 John 4.12 If some do grow in grace after they have fallen into dividing wayes and separating practises as I am not so uncharitable but to think that they do while the errour lyes not in their will but in their judgment yet this growth is not to be attributed at all to that wherein they differ from other good Christians not of their way who grow in grace too but to those sound Principles of Christianity wherein both the one and the other are agreed And I have good reason to think that the same improvement of those unquestionable Principles by which they grow in grace their separation notwithstanding would set them much forwarder in that growth in case they were at Liberty from the intanglements of separation then under them it can Because those wayes of Division and Separation do Naturally tend to narrow Men's Spirits and Charity and to cause them to think that many are not of the Church of Christ which indeed are and to have low thoughts of many that yet are highly eminent in the Church for their worth and Service and all because they are not of their way and besides through prejudice they deprive themselves of many happy advantages of Spiritual growth which otherwise they would make use of And those that abound most in a well-grounded and regular Charity have doubtless the more of God's presence and assistance with them for their Spiritual growth and comfort too as others for want of it have the less If he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him 1 Joh. 4.16 then those that abound most in Love must needs have most of God's presence both to assist quicken and comfort them Live in Peace and the God of Love and Peace shall be with you to increase these and to help you to propagate them 2 Cor. 13.11 and to give you great Peace in so doing as some have found by Experience But though the wayes of separation among us do but as the Rickets hinder some in their growth and not totally deprive them of it yet it is to be feared they make some others much worse then they were before they came into them more goodly and self-conceited more proud and imperious slighting and despising others that are much better then themselves and over-valuing themselves quite upon account of the Form and Church they are got
their contrary wayes And if the Lord in such a case will not despise or judge such an one so as to condemn him though under a mistake but of that Nature as certainly he will not but pity and pardon him for he hath compassion on them that are ignorant and out of the way much less should we who are fallible our felves and compassed about with infirmities Who art thou that judgest another mans Servant saith our Apostle to his own Master he standeth or falleth every one of us shall give an account of himself to God Let us not therefore judge one another any more ver 4.12 13. for that is a judgment belongs not unto us There is one Law-giver and one Judge who art thou that judgest another Jam. 4.12 That is what dost thou make thy self to be that darest to undertake such a thing And as we should be afraid to judge one another so we should of despising one another in any case like that before mentioned for our Saviours serious caveat against it argues it to be both much against his mind and of dangerous consequence to our selves and others Take heed that ye despise not one of these little Ones Mat. 18.10 He knew that his little Ones because but little Ones in knowledge and grace that have little of these to render their fellowship much desirable are apt to be neglected and slighted and to be thereby discouraged and turned aside he therefore cautions those that are stronger to take heed lest they should be betrayed into any carriage towards them as signifies their slighting of them Our Saviour had shewed before how sad a thing it would be for any Man to be instrumental in turning any weak Christian aside by any undue carriage towards him when he said in ver 6. Wo be to the World because of offences c. and wo be to him by whom the offence cometh And it would be far more Christ-like of whom it is said He shall not break the bruised Reed nor quench the smoaking Flax to use more care pains and tenderness towards the weak and feeble to preserve and increase that little spark of Christianity in them though it be no more and though there be no more appearance of it than there is of fire when only smoak can be discerned then towards those that are strong and do not stand in so very much need of tenderness in our carriage and applications to them Which also agrees excellently well with St. Paul's Metaphorical Discourse in 1 Cor. 12.23 24 25. Those Members of the Body which we think to be less honourable upon these we bestow more abundant honour and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness For our comely parts have no need but God hath tempered the Body together having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked that there should be no Schism in the Body implying that certainly there will be where such care tenderness of proceeding is not used towards such as are least accounted of in the Church Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees and make straight paths for your feet by removing all discouraging impediments out of the way lest that which is lame be turned out of the way but rather let it be healed looking diligently lest any fail of the grace of God Heb. 12.12 13 15. How far all parties of Men among us have made themselves guilty of breaking the Peace and Unity of the Church by this unchristian despising and judging one another concerns them to consider and the guilty to repent of what is past and to reform for time to come that they may not be judged and condemned by God for what they have done That 's the second Direction III. Direction Those that would keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace must be careful to forbear all hard speeches and ill reflexions on them that differ from them especially tale-bearing backbiting and whispering They must make no ill representation of one another behind their backs by raking up and then scattering abroad all the evil they can or whatever may tend to the disparagement or reproach of such as differ from them Because if they should be guilty herein though they may think thereby to weaken the Reputation of the Cause they oppose yet in truth they will be so far from reconciling their Opponent to their Cause as that they will thereby dishonour it and render it the more suspected and Communion with themselves so much the less desirable and all their own arguings the less available and by-standers the readier to fall in with those of a better behaviour as judging thereby their Cause to be better though in it self it should be worse for a good Cause may be spoiled in the handling All such unchristian carriage tends to exasperate imbitter and provoke the Spirits of their Opponents both against them and their Cause and to widen the breach more and more and to set them at the greater distance and to make them the more irreconcilable A froward Man soweth strife saith the Wise man Prov. 26.28 Grievous words stir up anger and the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife and the words of a tale-bearer are as wounds Prov. 15.1 and 26.22 and 30.33 So true it is that the wrath of man doth not work the Righteousness of God Jam. 1.20 It is not for the interest of the Truth nor doth it any wayes advantage the cause of God No if any Man would see any good effect of his endeavours towards the Uniting of Men if he would see the Seed he sows come up let him be sure to avoid all harsh and unpeaceable proceedings therein The Fruit of Righteousness is sown in Peace of them that make Peace Jam. 3.18 The Servant of God must not strive but be gentle to all 2 Tim. 2.24 As we must follow Peace with all Men Heb. 12.14 So in order thereto we must speak evil of no Man Tit. 3.2 IV. Direction In Order to our keeping the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace we must study rather to agree with than to differ from one another and be more sollicitous to find out what will bring us nearer together than what will set us at a greater distance And this is one way of following after the things which make for peace and of studying to be quiet to both which we are exhorted Rom. 14.20 1 Thes 4.11 And to this end I shall recommend these three things 1. To make Conscience of endeavouring as truly and sincerely to find out what may make us of their mind that differ from us if it be to be found out as what may tend to make them of our mind We should be as much afraid of offending against the publick Peace and Charity of the Church as against Truth of being guilty of Schism in practice as of error in judgment and take as much pains to keep our selves from a causless differing from others
had respect to the capacity and temper of the People he preached to them as they were able to bear Mar. 4.33 And did forbear to declare many things to his Disciples which he had to say Because they could not hear them then John 16.12 Christians of all Capacities whether their standing be higher or lower in the Church are to do nothing to one another but what doth well consist with Love The precept is Universal both in respect of Persons and things Let all your things be done with Charity 1. Cor. 16.14 By Love serve one another Gal. 5.13 Forbearing one another in Love Ephes 4.2 The very severities of Excommunication are to proceed from Love to the delinquents soul That the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus And therefore nothing should be imposed that savours of want of Love or tenderness No burdening of one anothers Consciences but rather bearing one anothers burthens and so fulfilling the Law of Christ Imitating St. Paul who said I was gentle among you even as a Nurse cherisheth her Children And without doubt this is the best method to preserve and increase Peace Love and Unity and the edification of the Church Eph. 4.16 Edifying it self in Love VII Direction Those that would endeavour to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace as they ought must not so contend on any side for external circumstances about the administration of holy things as thereby to expose the substantials of Christianity Peace Charity and Unity to ruine and destruction For the preservation of that which is most essential to the keeping of the Unity of the Spirit as Peace and Charity are is more to be endeavoured than the retaining what is but circumstantial to it as a more or less convenient mode of Administration is The Unity of the Spirit may be kept in the use of a less convenient mode of Administration when a more convenient cannot be had without the loss of Peace Charity and Unity but the Unity of the Spirit cannot be kept where Peace and Charity are banished Peace Charity and Unity are duties of a higher Nature than circumstances about Administrations that are not absolutely necessary but only more convenient To love our Neighbour as our selves is the Royal Law Jam. 2.10 one of the two great Commandments Mat. 22.39 the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13.10 the more excellent way 1 Cor. 12.31 greater than Faith or Hope 1 Cor. 13. last ver And so Peace is that in which together with Righteousness and Joy in the Holy Ghost the Kingdome of God consists Rom. 14.17 and which is to Rule in our hearts and to over-rule in many cases Col. 3.15 Charity and Peace are great Moral duties in which much of the Christian Religion in the power of it doth consist as being that wherein a Man most resembles God and by which God dwells in him and he in God 1 Joh. 4.16 And when these fall into competition with circumstances relating not to the being but only to the better constitution of Churches and Ministry and the Administration of Ordinances in a better mode and to the better exercise of discipline and government they are to give place to Peace Love and Unity and not Peace Love and Unity to them 1. Because those are but means subordinate and subservient to these as their end and the means as such are no farther useful than they are serviceable to their end Which may be the reason why washing of Saints feet the gifts of Charity the annointing the Sick with Oyl in the Name of the Lord have been dis-used though otherwise once enjoyned 2. Those controverted points about the betterness of wayes and modes of Administration on which side soever the Truth falls are not things wherein the glory of God the Honour and success of Religion and the good and Salvation of Men are so much concerned as they are in the great duties of Love Peace and Unity and what depends upon these and therefore it must needs be a duty of a higher Nature and of greater obligation to secure and promote Love Peace and Unity which are the greater than the betterness of Modes of Administration which are but the less And a Man's duty in the less is to be pleaded only in subordination to his duty in the greater but never in opposition to it And therefore well might St. Paul say above all these things put on Charity which is the bond of perfectness Col. 3.14 And St. Peter likewise above all things have fervent Charity among your selves 1 Pet. 4.12 And if above all things then above the circumstances relating to the constitution of Churches to Ministry Administration of Holy things and discipline I might both amplifie and exemplifie this and over-prove it in shewing how that duties which become so only by institution are alwayes to give way to Moral duties when they come in competition I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice Hos 6.6 Mat. 9.13 and 12.7 Go and be first reconciled to thy Brother and then come and offer thy gift Mat. 5.24 Circumcision waited upon and was suspended upon a Moral necessity forty years in the Wilderness being intermitted so long Josh 5. Now then if positive precepts themselves are superseded by Moral when they come into competition then so are those things much more which are but circumstances relating to institutions and such circumstances too as that it is matter of dispute among Wise and good Men on both sides which whether these or those do best agree with the Nature and ends of those institutions Now that our dividing separating and running into parties upon the account of the lesser things fore-mentioned does tend to the decay and destruction of Love as well as Peace and Unity is a thing too apparent in our own experience to need proof That which is an occasion of separation will certainly lessen if it do not quite destroy Love The Law of Commandments contained in Ordinances which was a Wall of Separation or partition between Jews and Gentiles is called the Enmity Ephes 2.15 Because as it did separate them it was the cause of enmity and laid waste Charity as all separation upon a Religious account ever hath done more or less And to deny this whatever one of late hath said to the contrary is to contradict the general sense and experience of Men. And therefore what is our dividing upon the terms before described but a Method of seeking to purchase little things in Religion with the loss of great Of securing Circumstances with the loss of substance of obtaining supposed conveniencies with the loss of what is certainly and absolutely necessary it is as if they should have Robbed the Temple to build a Synagogue And I fear this will be found an ill way of trading with our Master's Talents and such as will turn but to a bad account when profit and loss is computed The want of a due care to prefer Charity before things less