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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86549	Salvation from sinne by Jesus Christ: or, The doctrine of sanctification (which is the greater part of our salvation) founded upon Christ, who is both the meritorious, and and efficient cause of sanctifying grace, purchasing it for, working & perfecting it in his people. Applied (as it was specially intended) for the better information of our judgements, and quickning of our affections in holiness, wherein our everlasting our everlasting happiness chiefly consisteth. / Preached in the weekly lecture at Evesham in the county of Worcester, by George Hopkins, M.A. minister of the Gospel there.; Salvation from sinne by Jesus Christ	Hopkins, George, 1620-1666.	1655 (1655)	Wing H2743; Thomason E1608_1; ESTC R208454	135,124	325

forth abortives or untimely fruit But as a woman in travaile that hath sorrow because her houre is come but as soon as she is delivered of the Child she remembreth no more the anguish for joy that a man is born into the world So Christ was in exceeding sorrow and heavinesse at the approach as I may say of a hard bargain when his houre drew nigh Mat. 26.38 But how abundantly was he satisfied when he saw that he had purchased a gratious and a numerous seed as the fruit of his body by those intolerable throwes that tormented his soul Thus likewise Paul having enumerated many grosse sorts of sinners 1 Cor. 6.9 10. addes ver 11. Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus q Nam sanguis Christi purgationis nostrae materia est ex ejus morte et resurrerectione justitia et sanctificatio nobis contigit Calv. in loc Hoc adjecit ut Mediatorem etredemptorem in memoriam redigat per quem nobis tot bona provenerunt Pet. Mart. in loc and by the Spirit of our God What is here wrought by the Spirit was purchased by Christ and is wrought upon his account or in his name for there is no other name given under Heaven whereby we should be saved from our sins This is the fountaine mentioned Zach. 13.1 that is opened to the house of David and to the Inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleannesse that they may be purified therein This is signified in baptism under the Gospell Titus 3.5 Which is called the laver of regeneration For as the washing of water puts away the filthinesse of the flesh so the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 This also was typisied by the ceremoniall washings under the Law if we look back unto them which in themselves were ineffectuall as is plainly expressed at large Heb. 9. take more speciall notice of ver 12.13.14 Neither by the blood of Goats and calves but by his own blood he entred into the holy place having obtained eternall redemption for us For if the blood of Bulls and of Goats and the ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God As likewise Heb. 10. The Apostle shews the insufficiency of the legall rites in the beginning of the Chapter and therefore the Sacrifice of Christ must take place according to Scripture which saith Lo I come to doe thy will O God by which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all And ver 14. by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified according to the tenour of the new Covenant wherein saith the Lord I will put my Lawes into their hearts and in their mindes will I write them as you may read ver 16. see more in the following verses Multitudes of texts to this purpose might be quoted as those that are produced to confirme the Doctrine which I will not stand to repeate and many others I shall summe up all in a word Whatsoever is promised in Scripture concerning our Sanctification is purchased and ratified by Christ Jesus For all the promises of God in him are yea and in him amen unto the glory of God by us 2 Cor. 1.20 Christ the Efficient cause of sanctifying grace Christ the procreating cause of sanctification Christ saves his people as the Efficient cause working Sanctifying grace in them And he is 1. The Procreating 2. The Conserving 3. The Perfecting cause of it For in and by him Grace is begun continued increased and perfected Christ is the procreting or principall efficient cause of Sanctification He is therefore said to be made unto us of God-Sanctification 1 Cor. 2.30 Heb. 2.11 For both he that Sanctifieth and they who are sanctified c. And him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel Act. 5.31 And he is called Jesus the Author and finisher of our Faith Heb. 12.2 And what is said of Repentance and Faith may be said of every Grace for he is the fountaine of Grace and doth willingly communicate and readily distribute to the necessities of his people It pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell Col. 1.19 And in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Col. 2.3 Hid not from but for his people for saith John c. 1.16 of his fulnesse we all receive and grace for grace Christs sanctifying work consists of two parts 1. r Not that these are two really distinct parts or works but one worke in distinct respects or considerations The rooting out of sinne 2. The implanting of Grace Sinne is called the old man the flesh the body of sinne and our old man is said to be crucified with Christ that the body of sinne might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sinne Rom. 6.6 And they that are Christs are said to have crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts Gal. 5.24 Grace is called the new man Eph. 4.24 the new creature Gal. 6.15 the first resurrection Rev. 20.6 and the faithfull are risen with Christ Col. 3.1 And we are said to be dead unto sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ Rom. 6.11 In all which we see that the two parts of the worke referre to the death and resurrection of Christ not meerly because Christs death and resurrection purchased it for us but also because by the same power that he raised up himselfe from the dead he actually mortifies our sins and raiseth us againe to newnesse of life The Faithfull have an interest in Christs Death and Resurrection by way of communion with him he communicates unto them the vertue of his Death and Resurrection makes them therein conformable to himselfe Thus saith Paul Phil. 3.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship or communion of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death Obj. Is not the holy Ghost our Sanctifier as Christ is our Redeemer and the Father our Creator in a speciall manner Why then doe you attribute that to Christ as the speciall Efficient which belongs to the Holy Ghost Answ 1. It is true that these works are in some speciall manner attributed to the three persons severally and the holy Ghost is specially called by Divines our Sanctifier as may also be proved from severall texts of Scripture Yet withall we must remember that the workes of the Trinity that are termed workes ad extra are undivided thus God the Father created Eph. 3.9 The Son created John 1.3 All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was

more but what may be retorted again in like manner I know not If he shall say as some do Christ hath repented believed and done all for thee It may be answered so you say he did for Cain and Judas if he did as much for every man as for any man and yet they are damned If he shall say Christ will give thee a believing penitent heart and will take away thy hard and stony heart this destroyes their own tenet for then there is some speciall grace purchased for and bestowed upon one which another hath no share in But I will not now trouble you with the controversie at large onely for your help to satisfie your selves and silence gainsayers consider what hath been already laid down in the foregoing discourse Christ hath by his own blood obtained eternall redemption for us Heb. 9.12 And this redemption is from dead works to serve the living God as you may see ver 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall Spirit offered himselfe without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God See likewise cap. 10.9 10.14 Then said I Loe I come to doe thy will O God By which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all For by one offering he hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified Thus we see he hath redeemed his people from all iniquity as the Apostles expression is Tit. 2.14 He hath purchased for them perfect eternall Sanctification Faith and Repentance which the Gospel requires Christ gives unto his people as a part of what he hath purchased for them He gives repentance unto Israel Acts 5.31 He is Jesus the author and finisher of our faith Heb. 12.2 of his fulnesse we all receive and grace for grace Joh. 1.16 It is from the fulnesse of his Purchase as well as of the fulness of the Grace that dwells in him that his people do receive Christ hath purchased the beginning increase and perfection of all sanctifying and saving grace for his people And herein hath he done more for his people than for others herein hath he done much more for Abel Jacob Peter than for Cain Esau Judas Here is enough to make a partition wall between the Elect and Reprobate 5. This will likewise inform us wherein the multitude of carnal people among us deceive themselves in their accepting of Christ for their Savior They look upō Christ as coming to save them from the wrath of God onely that is due unto them for sin and they are willing to be saved by him We doubt not but the vilest sinner that delighteth in his abominations who saith he is willing that Christ should save him from the wrath of the Almighty speake truth We need not question but any man would be willing to be saved from the flames of Hel yea the Devils themselves would not refuse to be delivered from them for nature it self abhorres sufferings Who would be willing to go to a place of everlast●ng torment But true faith accepts of Christ as a perfect Saviour to save the soule from all its misery both of sin and suffering And this is the main difference between the faith of a child of God and the Faith of the ignorant and carnall multitude There is not the prophanest wretch but would be willing that God should be reconciled unto him blotting out his sins but how hard a matter is it to perswade a sinner to be reconciled unto God willingly parting with his sins All the wooing intreating beseeching and the best Rhetorick we can use is too little to prevaile 2 Cor. 5.20 Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God So saith Peter Dearly beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which warre against the soul This is indeed the great and main work of the Ministers of the Gospel to perswade sinners to accept of Christ for salvation from Sinne sinne is the mire that carnall persons stick in and are unwilling to be drawn out of 6. This will also informe us who they are that are the best Gospel preachers that most exalt the riches and grace of Christ undoubtedly those that preach Christ a Saviour from sinne as well as from the fruit and effects of sinne Many thinke there is no Gospel-preaching but onely the preaching of pardon and remission of all sin to the worst of sinners If we preach the doctrine of Sanctification that is accounted Legall doctrine but if we perswade swearers drunkards and the worst of sinners that they have nothing to do but believe their sins are pardoned already and that the legal work of repenting watching striving against sin and care to please God must not be regarded then we shall be extolled for preachers of free-grace Alas poor mistaken souls are Christ and Grace onely exalted in the pardon of sin and must we take no heed to the sanctification of sinners Is it a Gospel-work to preach Christ as having taken away suffering the fruit of sin and is it a legall Doctrine to preach Christ for the destruction of sin that is the cause of suffering and the worst of evils You have pretended to be admirers of Free-grace if you are so indeed you may here stand and wonder with your selves at your gross mistake and that you have admired the grace of Christ no more You have amired that murder persecution witchcraft blasphemy and the like should be forgiven that Manasseh Paul and many of the Jews that crucified Christ should be freely pardoned you have been ready to cry Grace grace riches of grace grace abounding and super-abounding to such a work as this 'T is true there is cause enough to magn●fie this wonderfull work of Christ and we may well say This is the Lords doing and it is mervailous in our eyes I would not willingly in the least dimmish this pardoning grace of Christ Yet come and behold and admire Grace once more to wit the sanctifying Grace of Christ Is it not a wonder to see the Wolf dwell with the Lamb and the Leopard lie down with the Kid and the Calf and the young Lion and the falling together and a little Child to lead them To see the Cow and the beare feed and their young ones lie down together and the Lion eat straw like an Ox To see a sucking Child play upon the hole of the Aspe and the weaned child put his hand upon the Cockatrice den Isa 11.6 7 8. To see a Sinner become a Saint 2 Chr. 33. Gal. 1.23 1 Cor. 10.20 2 Pet. 1.4 1 Joh. 1.3 to see a Sorcerer become a sincere Worshipper of the Living God To see a furious Persecutor become a painfull Preacher of that Faith which once he destroyed To see those that had formerly communion with Devils to be made partakers of the Divine nature

is the sanctifying of the heart Circumcision Deut. 30.6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soule that thou maist live Rom. 2.29 He is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God Consider the foregoing verses On the contrary evil and unsactified hearts are called uncircumcised in Scripture Lev. 26.41 If then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled Jer. 9.25 26. Behold the daies come saith the Lord that I will punish them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised Egypt and Iudah and Edom and the children of Ammon and Moab and all that are in the utmost corners that dwell in the wildernesse for all these nations are uncircumcised and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart Acts 7.51 Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and eares ye doe alwaies resist the holy Ghost as your fathers did so doe ye Circumcision then as you see was not onely a seale of the righteousnesse of faith The Passover The Passeover or Paschall Lamb Exod. 12. was a Type of Christ the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world as it hath been explained before The sprinkling of the blood upon the doore-posts signified the sprinkling of the blood of Christ upon the heart and soule for removing of the filth as well as the guilt of sin which was also signified by other sprinklings and washings of the Law as I shall shew you anon Sacraments extraordinary The Baptism in the cloud and in the red Sea figured the same which is now signified by our Baptism under the Gospel of which I shall speak in its due place The Manna in the wildernesse was a type of Christ who is the bread of Life upon whom whosoever feedeth by faith hath a spirituall life in Christ he dwelling in Christ and Christ in him to wit by the graces of his spirit Christ himself thus expounded what the Manna signified as you may read at large Ioh. 6.48 to 59. Types The Brazen serpent Numb 21.9 with Iohn 3.14 15. was a type of Christ restoring spirituall life as well as delivering from the death of condemnation As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the wildernesse even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life And this is life eternall that they might know thee the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent John 17.3 The Laver Exod. 30.17 typified our sanctification by the Blood of Jesus Christ Eph. 5 25 26. Even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himselfe for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word We read of the Laver of regeneration Tit. 3.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renuing of the holy Ghost The blood of the Sacrifices sprinkled signified the blood of Christ in its sanctifying vertue Heb. 9 1● 14. For if the blood of Bulls and of Goats and the ashes of an Heighfer sprinkling the uncleane sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot to God purge your conscience from dead workes to serve the living God! chap. 10.22 Let us draw neer with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water The Promises 2. Let us consider the Promises even of the covenant of promise Jer. 31.33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those daies saith the Lord I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people Ezek. 36.26 27. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh And will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and do them Here you see how large a part of this Covenant consisteth in the promises of sanctifying grace Prophecies 3. Let us consider the Prophesies Zach. 13.1 In that day there shall be a fountaine opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleannesse It is the uncleannesse of sin that is washed away by this Fountain of Grace Isa 61.1 2 3. The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek he hath sent me to binde up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound c. This freedom here spoken of is from a state of thraldome in sin from the bondage of corruption as well as from the obligation to punishment for it is said ver 3. the latter part That they might be called trees of righteousnes the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified The like we have chap. 42. 6 7. I the Lord have called thee in righteousnesse and will hold thine hand and will keep thee and give thee for a covenant of the people for a light of the Gentiles to open the blind eyes and bring out the prisoners from the prison them that sit in darknes out of the prison-house Here we see that the opening of blinde eyes is spoken of and what is that but the grace of saving knowledge and what the prison is you may gather out of my foregoing words upon the former text Mal. 3.2 3. He to wit Christ is like refiners fire and like fullers sope And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver and he shall purifie the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousnesse Sacraments of the N.T. 4. The Sacraments of the New Testament signifie the same sanctifying grace Rom. 6.4 We are buried with him by baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the father even so also we should walk in newnesse of life 1 Cor. 6.11 But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified Here you see the washing of Baptism signifies the sanctifying as well as the justifying vertue of the blood of Christ John 1.35 He that sent me to baptise with water the same said unto me Vpon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remain on him the same is he which baptiseth with the holy Ghost See also chap. 5.3 Except a man be born of water and of the

in his Epistle to Titus c. 2. pressing the duties of severall ages sexes and orders of people to ver 11 useth this with other weighty arguments that Christ gave himselfe for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purify unto himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good works ver 14. Thus also Peter exhorting the elect to be active in the wayes of holinesse not fashioning themselves to their former lusts 1. Pet 1. from ver 10. to v. 18. useth this as a most forcible argument among others ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold from your vaine conversation received by tradition from your Fathers but with the precious blood of Christ Arg. 1 The First Argument is drawn from Gods honour that is the chief work of Christ our Saviour wherein God is most honoured but God is most honoured in the saving his people from their sins therefore is this the chief work of Christ c. That that is the great or chief work of Christ wherein God is most glorified will need little proof for that must needs be the greatest work that most effectually atteineth the highest end And what end higher than the glory of God which was the supreme end of all Christs undertakings Joh. 17.4 That God is most glorified in the saving his people from their sins is manifest by its contrary God is most yea onely dishonoured by the sinnes and not all by the sufferings e As a cause or occasion given of his dishonour although the wicked take occasion to blaspheme God when his people are brought low Psal 79.10 12. of his people Gods people by their holinesse glorifie him and he is much honoured in the midst of their sufferings whereas Sin dishonours him in the midst of ease and abundance of mercies Gods honour Will well agree with the sufferings of his people but Sin is directly injurious to his glory though by accident he gets himselfe glory by it as he at first produc'd light out of darkness Thus God is much honoured by the great sufferings of Job while he sinneth not Job 1.20 21. yea God is so much honoured that he makes his boast against Satan of his Servant Job cap. 2 3. And the Lord said unto Satan hast thou considered my Servant Job that there is none like him in the Earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill and still he holdeth fast his integrity although thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause And on the contrary how much is God dishonoured by our sinfull ease and prosperity yea most dishonoured by it in those that are redeemed from the guilt and punishment of sinne The grosse miscarriages of Gods people give occasion to the Enemies of God to blaspheme his name and wayes Thus when David had foulely offended saith the Lord by his Prophet Thou hast given great occasion to the Enemies of the Lord to blaspheme 2 Sam. 12.14 The crimes of Professors are ever the most scandalous yea the sins of Gods dearest children are most offensive to God himselfe because they are also committed against the greatest mercy and loving kindness The Lord in this case is ready to say with the Psalmist Psal 55.12 It was not mine Enemy that reproached me then I could have born it But when a Sinner is saved from his sins God is much honoured both before Angels and Men. Arg. 2 The second Argument is drawn from the greatnesse of the evill of sin above suffering That must needs be the greatest work in our Salvation whereby we are saved from the greatest evill but sin f It is better for a man to be cast into the torments of Hell among the Damned than to be overcome with any Sin Hookers Souls Prepar pag. 16. See Master Burroughs his Treatise of the Evill of Evills is the greatest evill and therefore our Salvation from it must needs be answerable That sin is the greatest evill is evident for many reasons 1. It is the procuring cause of all other evills and therefore must needs it self be the worst of evills The cause is ever more eminent than its effect whether for good or evill a good cause is better than its effect and an evill cause is worse That sin is the onely procuring cause of all evills is without controversie for as sin entred in the world death entred by sin and death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Rom. 5 12. And the wages of sin is death saith Paul Rom. 6.23 Death temporall with all the evills of life as sicknesse wounds sorrowes and whatsoever else tendeth to Death and Death eternall All the horrour of hell is the fruit of sin the foundations of Hell are laid upon sinne Hell the worst of torments was built meerly for sinners therefore sin must be the worst of evills And because that sin is the Souls greatest evill and unhappinesse it is that when God comes to deliver a Soul out of meer pity and bowels of compassion his Eye chiefly pities them and his Bowells yerne over them because of their misery in sinne it selfe as you may read at large Ezek. 16. the former part of the Chapter And the saving mercy that he sheweth his love in is opposed to hardning in sinne rather than damning for sinne Rom. 9.18 He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth And the punishment of sinne with sin we account the greatest judgement 2. Sinne is Mans greatest evill because it hinders him from the enjoyment of the greatest good which is God himselfe It is sinne onely that separates between God and the Soule this is the onely partition wall Isa 59.2 Your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sinnes have hid his face from you 3. Sinne is the greatest evill because of all things it is most displeasing to God the chiefest good yea there is nothing displeasing to God but sinne primarily and this is an abomination to him and therefore Sinnes are called in Scripture abominations Ezek. 9.4 And the Lord said unto him goe through the midst of the City through the midst of Jerusalem and set a marke upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the Abominations that be done in the midst thereof Prov. 15.9 The way of ths wicked is an Abomination unto the Lord. And God doth so loath sinners for their sinne that he will not abide them in his sight The foolish shall not stand in thy sight thou hatest all workers of iniquity saith David Psal 5.5 But the evill of suffering is not at all in it selfe displeasing unto God Yea he himselfe who is infinitely good is the Author of it and there is no evill of suffering but what comes from him as the principall efficient Can there be evill in the City and the Lord hath not done it Amos 3.6 As by being saved from sinne Arg. 3 Man is

their dainties and hope we will make no bones of the rest for after we have thus feasted with them a while they may expect us willing to fast with them too seeing Ignorance is become the mother of our Devotion But through the mercy of God though many have surfeited yet it is not become an epidemicall disease Yea blessed be his name he hath reserved to himself for the good of his Church a considerable party of faithful Ministers whom he hath furnished with ability and courage earnestly to contend for that faith that was once delivered to them that were Saints indeed Yea England is at this day furnished with a greater number of godly able and faithfull Ministers of the Gospel than any of the generations of our Ancestors before us or than is found in any other nation throughout the world A second sort of those that hinder the salvation of others are such as are enemies to the Churches Reformation No doubt but the keyes of Doctrine and Discipline are both Christs ordinary meanes for the saving of soules yea the severe censure of excommunication called a delivering up to Sathan is but for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 5.5 And the sharpnesse of Discipline as Paul likewise tells us is a power that the Lord hath given us to edification and not to destruction 2 Cor. 13.10 And if so then the resisting of this work of Christ tends to the saving of the flesh and destroying of the spirit directly to destruction and not to edification Bitter Pills and purging Potions are for the health of the body though harsh to the taste and as those that hinder the sick from the means of recovery are plainly accessary to their death so is it in the case of our present Church-distempers How doe some plead the disadvantage of these times as those that cried out The time is not come that the Lords house should be built Hag. 1.2 others are ready to scorne and deride the work as Sanballat and Tobias because of the weaknesse and paucity of the builders But if the work be the Lords as I doubt not but it is he will surely declare that his strength is made perfect in weaknesse Others by reason of their wilfull exorbitances are bent to reject the yoke of Christ as too heavy for them though easie in it self and to say in their hearts Who is Lord over us Oh that such would seriously consider that saying of Christ Luke 19.27 But those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them bring hither and slay them before me Remember likewise what I lately told you that those that would be free from the reach of Christs Discipline are fitter to be ranked amongst Heathens and Infidells than to be retained and priviledged as members of the Church of Christ 1 Cor. 5.12 What have we to doe to judge them that are without do we not judge them that are within Those that are without indeed are free from the rod of Church-discipline but those that are within ought to be ruled by it 3. A third sort of those that hinder the work of Christ in the saving of his people from their sins are Church-dividers such as cause divisions and contentions in the Church of God The Church is called Gods building and Ministers are called builders in Scripture and the work of edification or building consists in mortizing pinning and firmly joynting the parts together to which the Apostle alludes Col. 2.2 being knit together in love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is metaphoricall and signifies to frame and fix together as Carpenters firmely joyne beames and other timber for the strengthening of their building And if so then unmortizing unpinning and pulling downe for such is the work of division doth not raise but raze the building is the ready way to the ruine and destruction of it The materiall Temple was built by Solomon in a peaceable reigne and by the peaceable and united endeavours of them that laboured in the Building and when Iosiah repaired the decaies of the Temple he gave money to buy timber for couplings 2 Chron. 34.11 But when axes and hammers were lifted up to hew down and knock in pieces how fast was the beauty and strength thereof destroyed And how like is the voice of dividers to the voice of the Sons of Edom who at the sacking of Jerusalem cried Raze it raze it even to the foundations thereof Psal 137.7 The Church also being here in a militant condition is fitly compared to an Army an Army terrible with banners Cant. 6.4 10. An Army in the field though the particular parts of it be committed to the oversight and conduct of severall Captains and other Officers yet are they all one Army under one Generall who gives them all one word and one field-mark whereby his Souldiers may know and owne each other in the Battel and their beauty strength safety and terriblenesse to the Enemy lies in their order unity and cordiall cleaving each to other under their Generall who is Commander of all So is the Church of Christ one body under Christ one Lord Generall knowne by one Word or profession of Faith signed by one Baptisme and animated by one Spirit engaging in one Cause and encouraged with one Hope and by intire adhering each to other all joyntly following the conduct of Christ the faithfull Captaine Generall of their Salvation they become beautifull strong safe and the more formidable to their spiritall Enemies And aptly to our purpose the Apostle exhorteth that we stand fast in one Spirit p Sat hostiū externorum habemus Satis digladiatum pugnatum est à nostris nonne gravissimo vulnere Ecclesiarum nostrarum caeterarum Christi Tempus esse ut illud Pauli recte perpenderemus Quid si invicem mordetis videte ne invicem consumamini Joan. Pistorii Ep. ad Joan Sturm Zanch. Ep l. 1. Phil. 1.27 Those that understand any thing belonging to military Policy know that it is much better to fall upon an enemy in severall Parties than to let them draw up together in one Body much more to take the opportunity when they are full of mutinies among themselves When the Moabites thought that the Kings that came against them with their Armies had fallen one upon another they cryed Vp Moab to the Spoile Had it been true according to their thoughts they could not have had a greater advantage But doubtlesse Sathan doth not mistake his opportunity of making a prey and spoyling thousands of soules by the advantage of our late and present distracting divisions Jerusalem was a type of the true Church under the Gospel When David had conquered the Jebusites taken the castle of Sion and the whole city was united under his government and in one way of worship he himselfe being a type of Christ the King of his Church then was that Psal 122.