of proceeding to give or to receive satisfaction there yet remains a difference in judgment about things which are not of the essence of Christianity yet there will be no unpeaceable striving nor contending no ill and provoking reflexions among such as are of this humble and modest temper but they will quietly and patiently bear with one another in Love as knowing themselves not to be infallible The Servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all Men patient in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves shewing all meekness to all men 2 Tim. 2.24 25. Tit. 3.2 It was said of our Lord himself who was meek and lowly in heart that he shall not strive nor cry neither shall any man hear his voyce in the streets Mat. 12.19 And if this way of proceeding will not reconcile the different-minded to our judgment when we have truth on our side much less will any thing that we can do in a more imperious and passionate way of proceeding For the wrath of Man worketh not the Righteousness of God It is no fit Instrument or Tool for that Work Jam. 1.20 Whereas by a patient and peaceable forbearance not only Unity in affection and Communion is preserved but many times the dissenting party won upon and brought to a better understanding By long forbearing is a Prince perswaded and a soft Tongue breaketh the bone Prov. 25.15 And as for Charity there is nothing qualifies a Man more to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace then this The several properties of it are described by St. Paul in 1 Cor. 13 4-7 Do as it were conspire and naturally tend to promote peace and good agreement To what degree Charity dwells in any Man to that degree it disposeth him to suffer long and to forbear revenge to be kind and ready to do good and indisposeth him to Envy others in what they excell him to vaunt himself or to be puffed up or to behave himself unseemly or unbecomingly in word or deed or to seek his own with neglect of others benefit or to be easily provoked or to think or surmize evil or to Interpret things to the worst sence or to rejoyce in anothers halting though an Adversary but inclines him to rejoyce in the Truth and when right to keep place It enables a Man to bear with all things in another so far as is consistent with his and the general good to believe all things that are any wayes credible that tend to excuse or commend others To hope all things and not to despair but that a Neighbour may by his Charitable endeavours be recovered though he hath miscarried and to endure all things labour pains and many inconveniencies to himself so he may but be serviceable to others And if these be the properties of Charity well may it be called the bond of perfectness and Christians exhorted above all things to put it on How can it be thought that they can ever divide or separate in whom Love with these properties dwells And as Charity is of a healing so it is also of a comprehensive Nature I can scarce propose any endeavours properly useful to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace but more or less of these properties of Charity will be found in them And it is so universally usefull for the right conduct of all affairs in the Church that St. Paul gives it in charge thus 1 Cor. 16.14 Let all your things be done with Charity a line and vein of this should run through all And if all Christians had but this salt in themselves to allude to Mark 9. it would so season their converse that they would have peace one with another Where there is entireness of affection and a peaceable correspondence among Christians it makes them unwilling to differ from one another in judgment or practice There is such a comfort in Love as the phrase is Phil. 2.1 that it makes them very unwilling to admit of any difference that may diminish that comfort or weaken that love And this disposeth them to look not on their own things only but also on the things of others and to weigh without prejudice or partiallity what each offers to other which is the way to have the weaker brought over to the stronger in any thing wherein they differ And in this way doth the Church edifie it self in love Ephes 4.16 Being knit together in love even unto all riches of full assurance of understanding as the phrase is Col. 2.2 And indeed it is a common thing for one Man to be brought over to anothers judgment through affection to him being prepared thereby to give his reasonings the greatest liberty and scope in his judgment Whereas on the contrary it is a strong temptation to Men to differ from them in judgment and practice from whom they have departed in affection St. Paul could easily believe there were divisions in the Church of Corinth when he fore-knew there would be Heresies among them the one being the fore-runner of the other and a lesser difference making way for a greater as by sad experience we have seen in our dayes 1 Cor. 11.18 19. St. Paul observed it in some who having first swerved from Charity they quickly turned aside unto vain jangling 1 Tim. 1.5 6. Whereas Love is the bond of perfectness as it is called it is the strongest bond it holds the parts longest and fastest together Col. 3.14 It being a Master grace and of a benigne Nature it hath a kindly influence upon a mans judgment and whole practice As the integrity of the upright doth guide them so will their Charity too He that loveth his Brother abideth in the light and there is no occasion of stumbling in him 1 Joh. 2.10 It is doubtless then more for want of love then want of light when the Unity of the Spirit is not kept in the bond of peace This then is the first Direction that we would by a diligent use of all good means and motives cherish and nourish Humility and Charity in our minds and Spirits as principles of such a peaceable behaviour as directly tends to preserve Unity in the Church II. Direction This Unity is to be endeavoured to be kept in the bond of Peace by all good Christians by their being careful to abstain from despising and censuring one another upon account of their different apprehensions about the lesser things in Religion so long as they are agreed in the main Unless these be forborn in such cases its next to an impossibility to preserve peace and Unity among them These unchristian practices as they are the effects of pride and uncharitableness so they are and have been two great peace-destroyers and Church-dividers There is and ever hath been and will be different measures of knowledge understanding and grace in the several Members of the same Body Some are weak in the Faith and some strong some Babes and some strong Men. Upon account
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
to the true God only and only in the Name and Mediation of the only Mediatour Christ Jesus 2. Nor secondly in respect of the matter of which they do consist I know no Prayer in the Lyturgie appointed for the ordinary publick Worship but what refers either to confession of sin or petition for pardon or for the assistance of God's grace and Holy Spirit or for some temporal or other spiritual or eternal Blessings or for the averting of the contrary evils or to thanksgiving to God for benefits relating to this Life or that which is to come and all this in the behalf of our selves and others And if there be nothing but what is of this Nature the matter of the Prayers to be sure cannot be proved to be unlawful 3. They cannot prove Communion in those Prayers unlawful upon account of the words and phrase by which the substantial matter of the Worship is expressed They are not made in an unknown tongue or Language not understood by the people Nor will they ever be able to prove but that in respect of the words and phrase that mode of Prayer is of the common Nature of any right mode of Prayer whatsoever The best mode of publick Prayer is but a medium of conveying the substantial matter of Prayer to the understanding and affection of them that pray and from thence to God It is necessary indeed in this respect that the words and phrase should be significant and expressive of the import of the matter and substance of which the Prayer doth consist As when God is to be magnified for the glory of his perfections and marvellous doings and when we would be humbled for the pravity and degenerateness of our Nature and miscarriages towards him and when in the sense thereof and of God's declared goodness through Christ we would beg forgiveness of sin and the assistance of his grace for amendment and eternal Life in the issue or any temporal Blessing it is necessary that these things be expressed in words and phrases that have some aptness in them to fill the Soul with apprehensions and affections suitable to the respective matter of the parts of Prayer to which they do relate The general Nature of all right modes of Prayer consists in this whether with or without the use of a Book whether uttered in a set Form of words or from the present invention and conception of the mind And it cannot with any colour of reason or truth be denyed but that the Lyturgical mode of Prayer is of this Nature The words and phrase are intelligibly significant of the matter and substance of Prayer to which they relate and so serve for publick edification according to the Rule 1 Cor. 14.9.14 15. And if so then we may if the fault be not in our selves and if a heart be not wanting seriously and devoutly present our necessary Confessions Petitions and Thanksgivings unto God in that mode It is too gross an apprehension of God to think that a greater variety of words and phrases as such do delight him but it is Humilite Reverence sense of wants fervent desires of supply and faith of acceptance through Christ concurring with words significant of such things whether pronounced out of a Book or otherwise that he is pleased with Nor is it comely for us to think that it is the repetition of the same words every day as in the Lord's Prayer that doth displease the Lord but it is the irreverent rash careless and customary pouring out words before him without any due sense of what they import that doth offend him If Men be but attentive and careful to engage their hearts to go along with the matter signified by the words and to be duly affected with the import thereof it is not their being read out of a Book that will make these Prayers unacceptable or ineffectual As on the other hand if Men are careless and unconscionable therein it is not its proceeding from a gift of him that utters the Prayer that will make it acceptable and effectual how excellent soever the matter and words may be I conclude then that the mode of Prayer in our English Lyturgie doth in the general Nature and quality of it agree with all right modes of publick Prayer whatsoever and with the general Rule by which all right modes of Prayer are to be squared The question is not whether it be the best but whether it is so competently useful as to render Communion in Prayer by it lawful 4. They cannot prove Communion in the Prayers of the Lyturgie unlawful in respect of the method repetitions abruptions responses or conclamations thereby used For so long as the Scriptures in which the duty of Prayer is enjoyned have not determined whether it shall be with the help of a Book or without or whether longer or shorter or whether all the publick Prayer meet for the Assembly shall be put up to God in two or three Prayers or more or whether all shall be pronounced by the Minister only or part by the People also or whether kneeling or standing I cannot see how it will be proved unlawful to do it any of these wayes as circumstances in the case may be For the question before us is not at all which is most convenient where Men are at Liberty to chuse but only what is Lawful or which is to be chosen under a necessity of either using such a mode or of separating It is not unlawful for all the People in a Congregation to pray to God or praise him together with one voyce in singing of Psalms and how then it will be proved unlawful for them to do it in another way of praying I know not We read of many that by their conjunction of voyces were as one to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord 2 Chron. 5.13 They may perhaps think such repetitions of the same Prayer as are used by the Lyturgie may be forbidden by our Saviour when he said when ye Pray use not vain repetitions as the Heathen do Mat. 6. But they will hardly prove it if they do but consider what the vain repetitions which the Heathen used were For there seems to be no likeness or proportion between the repetitions in the Lyturgie and those of the Heathen For they repeated the very same words it may be a hundred times over and more in a little time as they in 1 Kings 18.26 who from Morning untill Noon cryed O Baal hear us O Baal hear us The very same words are used twenty six times in Psal 136. and often in many other Psalms and yet I dare not say they are a vain repetion and I suppose nor they neither * If accompanied with suitable affection without expectation of acceptance meerly for much speaking which makes repetition vain It is said of our Saviour that again he went away and prayed and spake the same words Mark 14.39 5. Although they should be able
in Christ Jesus in their Baptism by which they put him on as there he saith that he so stiles them and not from the effectualness of the Faith of every one of them For he chargeth them with being removed from the Gospel of Christ to another Gospel Chap. 1.6 with not obeying the Truth Chap. 3.1 and tells them that he was afraid of them lest he had bestowed labour on them in vain Chap. 4.11 that he stood in doubt of them and was travelling in Birth again with them for the forming of Christ in them ver 19 20. There are many that are the People of God by professed Obligation on their part that are not so by special interest in the promise on God's part for want of performing the special Condition And such are the Servants of God indeed but they are called in Scripture Sloathfull Servants unprofitable Servants wicked Servants foolish Virgins Branches in Christ the Vine that bear no Fruit. 2. A National settlement of the Christian Worship in the Parish-Churches by the Higher Powers is more for the interest of Religion and Men's Salvation then if there should be none It is for the interest of Religion in a Nation that are of the true Religion by profession that the Higher Powers there being of the same Religion do take order 1. That God be publickly Worshipped by the People in the use of Gospel-Ordinances 2. That places for publick Worship be provided for that end 3. That Church-Officers competently qualified be appointed to administer those Ordinances in those places and that maintenance be appointed them that they may attend that Work 4. That all the People of the Christian Profession be required to attend the publick Worship 5. That this be enjoyned under such moderate penalties as may secure the Law from contempt or careless neglect 6. That some be appointed to see the Law put in Execution which yet cannot be practicable without a distribution of the whole into parts in the same or some such way as that is by which the whole Nation is divided into Parishes 7. That Church-Discipline be established and duly exercised for the purging of the Church and keeping it pure The first of these particulars that the Higher Powers take care that God be publickly Worshipped by the People is evident of it self Nature teaches all Men to Worship him whom they acknowledge to be their God and by themselves or others to teach those under their Government to do the like as appears by universal practice And the second of the fore-mentioned particulars is consequent upon the first and the third upon the second and so on That these things are for the interest of Religion every Man's reason will easily discern For hereby a face of Religion will be kept up in every place in such a Nation and the means of Salvation will be ready at hand and all will come under an obligation of Man's Law as well as God's to make use of them And hereby through the Blessing of God knowledge and the fear of the Lord will be propagated more then if the People were all left at liberty to do that which is right in their own eyes to provide or not provide themselves with such helps or to use or neglect them as they please We see by experience that there is generally the least face of Religion in those places that have been most neglected in the publick provision And it is upon the account of such necessary things as these that Kings and Queens were promised as a great Blessing to the Church under the Notion of Nursing Fathers and Nursing Mothers to train up and Educate their People in Religion Isâ— 49.23 And the better any Kings and Rulers are the more careful and the more zealous will they be to promote and propagate true Religion in their Dominions by their Authority And usually the success answers the zeal and diligence of such as we see it did in the good Kings of Judah and their People When all Kings fall down before him all Nations shall serve him according to the Prophesie Psal 72.11 It will be so with the People when the Kings of Nations subject themselves to Christ not only in their personal but more especially in their Regal capacity For which cause it should seem St. Paul exhorted the primitive Christians to make Supplications Prayers and Intercessions for Kings and all that are in Authority as for other respects so especially for their Conversion to Christianity they being then Heathen both that Christians might live peaceable and quiet Lives in all godliness and honesty and also that Christianity might be propagated in their Dominions to the Salvation of many the more For this is implyed in the reason of the exhortation in these words For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour who will have all Men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth 1 Tim. 2.2 3 4. And when the primitive Christians had accordingly for a long time travelled by fervent Prayer for the Conversion of the Heathen Emperours to Christianity at last they obtained their Petition in Constantine that famous Christian Emperour upon whose Victories over the Enemies to Christianity and the propagation of the Christian Religion by publick Authority throughout his Dominions that joyful acclamation was heard in the Church as Interpreters understand Now is come Salvation and strength and the Kingdome of our God and the Power of his Christ Revel 12.10 Christianity and so the Kingdome of God was in the Empire before by private mens profession of it but when it came to be backed by Imperial Edicts and Laws and to be seconded by the power and strength of the Empire Then and not till then was that new Song sung in the Church Now is come Salvation and Strength the Kingdome of our God and the Power of his Christ I would it were better considered by some who would be thought great Enemies to Popery how that in this proper and eminent point of Popery they symbolize with the Pope himself and all that are thorow-Papists viz. In denying Kings to have any power in matters Ecclesiastical When the ten Kings Revel 17.13 parted with this Ecclesiastical Authority to the Pope upon his Usurpation they gave their Authority which God had invested them with as well as their Strength unto the Beast And as fast as they fall off from him they re-assume it again as we see all Princes and Governours of the Reformed Religion have done And of all the Kings that have professed Christianity ever since there was a Nation professing it there hath not I think been one but who have claimed a power about ordering Church-affairs except such as have given their power and strength unto the Beast And shall we not then interpret and understand the Ancient Prophesies that went of them by the event in what we see fulfilled That Kings may abuse this power to the propagating a false Religion or in corrupting the
into and more uncharitable in censuring others as carnal as time-servers as Men of the World only because of the National way and not of theirs though otherwise never so worthy Many of these are growing indeed but it is farther and farther into separation till at last they commence Quakers 4. If you prize your comfort prize harmony and good agreement not among this or that sort or party only but among all that do agree in things of absolute necessity to Salvation to all For those that are living and not dead or benumb'd Members of Christ's Body cannot but be pained with the rending of one Member of that Body from another If one Member suffer all the Members suffer with it 1 Cor. 12.26 Was it not a sad sight to see the Man in Mar. 5.5 cutting himself with stones And an Argument that he was possessed with an evil Spirit And I pray you how much less doleful is it to see the People of God Members of the same Body cutting and wounding themselves For so they do when they cut and wound one another For they are Members one of another Rom. 12.5 Alas how unnatural is this For no Man yet ever hated his own flesh Certainly where thus it is they are under a Spiritual phrenzy and madness and are objects of very great commisseration as well as occasions of great trouble and disturbance in the Church of God But O the Comfort of Love as the Apostle phraseth it Phil. 2.1 and the pleasantness of Peace and the delight of harmony which is like a well-tuned Instrument where there is no jarring Behold how good and pleasant a thing it is for Brethren to dwell together in Unity Psal 133.1 A great part of the comfort of a Christian in this World lyes in his Communion with Saints David said the Saints and excellent were all his delight Psal 16.3 And therefore a breach in this must needs make a breach in a Christians comfort 5. The Christian cause and interest in in the World calls loudly upon all such as would approve themselves to have any Love for it or to be any Friends to it and not betrayers of it to Unite and to close up the Divisions that are among us and not to persist in separating practises or to do any thing that contributes thereto but the contrary One great means of facilitating the belief of the Gospel and of propagating the Christian Religion and of bringing it into reputation in the World is the Union and good agreement of all Christ's followers And therefore he prayed so earnestly as we heard before that they all might be one as he and the Father are one that they also might be perfect in one and all for this end that the World might believe that the Father had sent him Joh. 17.20 21. That Men might believe that he came from God indeed and that he was no Impostor but that his Gospel is the infallible Truth and that Religion which is taught thereby is the only true Religion For Christ's followers are those by whom the Gospel is upheld in the World and held forth and witnessed to the World They hold forth the Word of Life Phil. 2.16 they are the Pillar and ground of the Truth 1 Tim. 3.15 And the more unanimous these are in judgment affection and testimony the stronger and more authentick will their testimony be the more Men will be drawn to consider it and to lay to heart the import of it But the more they are divided about it the more this Gospel this Religion comes under suspition in the minds of many and from their differing about lesser things the ignorant the weak and unbelieving will draw arguments of suspition and hesitation about the greater and be ready to conclude the uncertainty of the whole by their differing about a part especially when their difference rises so high and becomes so notorious and publick as it does when they separate about it This is lamentably experienced not only in the continued infidelity of Jews and Turks but also in that Atheism and Sceptiscism which hath so exceedingly increased upon us since these sad times of Division and Separation among us Our Divisions unsettle the minds unhinge and distract the Souls of many that they know not whom to follow or where to fix and by this means they are exposed to be practised upon by seducers and carried away Your Divisions encourageth seducers and the Adversaries of our Reformed Religion in their designs against you and invites them to attempt upon you So that as long as you keep up your Divisions they will make an advantage of it grow upon you and get ground and by little and little draw away your strength and in conclusion over-master you if by Uniting you prevent them not Your Adversaries know the meaning of divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel if you do not and of those words A Kingdome divided against it self cannot stand It hath been no doubt their practice by all the artifice they could to raise and foment your Divisions as it is still to continue and increase them as designing ruine to the Protestant interest thereby And will you gratifie them herein And become their Instruments to accomplish your own destruction and the destruction of that cause and interest which should be more dear to you then your Lives God forbid And therefore let no lesser interests of worldly advantage be it profit be it honour among Men or reputation among a party tempt you to betray this greater interest of your Lord and Master of Religion and of your Souls Be not herein penny wise and pound foolish Revive not that complaint Phil. 2.21 All seek their own not the things of Jesus Christ Expose not Religion to loss and dammage in the main and in the substance of it by being too tenacious of mutable Circumstances Be not so concerned for your Cabbin as to expose the Ship to sinking through your neglect I have now done Only remember I pray you that the things wherein the divided parties professedly agree are such as carry in them the main of Christianity and will make good Christians indeed if lived up to Whereas the things upon which we divide are but disputable opinions the best of which on the one side or the other will never make a good Christian without the other And you know what account God made of Men's zeal though it were for his own institutions as among the Jews of old when they were greatly guilty of sins against Charity Though Men be never so Orthodox in and zealous for their opinions yet if they have not Charity they are but as sounding brass or a tinkling Cymbal A wise Man will not therefore value himself by that which is proper to such or such a party but by that Charity Humility and Sobriety of mind with other graces which are common to those that are good indeed in each party and by these he will value any man of