professing or complying with any thing contrary to the precepts of Christianity I can see no just reason for separation in such a case Shall the meer pretence of prefering some confessedly indifferent modes or Circumstances of worship and discipline excuse a Christian from holding Communion with that Church to which he otherwise of right belongs But where then will be any end of Division What bounds or limits can be fixt to it How is it possible there should be any order any Peace in the Christian Church if every one is at Liberty to break the Unity of the Body meerly for this reason because he could better approve of some other Modes or Circumstances whilst yet he allows those which are in present use to be Lawful Who is it in all other Bodys and Societies of Men that orders such matters but the Governours of each society And who in a Christian Nation should likewise order them but the Governours in Church and State And when they are so order'd what has any private Member of the Christian Body farther to do but to consider whether he can comply with a good Conscience or not And if he can surely the Peace of the Church the keeping the Unity of the Body of Christ the promoting concord and Charity and Edification amongst its Members are strong obligations upon him to do it If any thing plainly unlawful be requir'd then that reply of the Apostles to the Sanhedrim takes place Acts. 4.19 whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge ye But if nothing unlawful by Gods Word nothing unlawful according to our own Judgment and Confession be made a condition of Communion I dare appeal to your selves in a like form of words Whether it be right in the Sight of God to break the Vnity of the Church of Christ Judge ye I should now according to the Method I propos'd go on to consider the Obligation all Christians are under to practice the Duty of the Text. But that I may not exceed the limits of my Time I shall confine my self to what our Apostle himself hath laid down to this purpose in the Context which is indeed so full and emphatical that a very short Paraphrase upon his Words may well suffice The Word he uses in the Text it self is very observable Endeavouring we render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but it denotes as is well known no slight and ordinary Endeavour but a very diligent one a studious and Earnest care to keep the Vnity of the Spirit which plainly shews the weight of the Duty and the strict Obligation which lyes upon all Christians to practice it And no less can be infer'd from what immediately goes before and follows the words In the First verse of this Chapter as I have already observ'd the Apostle intimates that it is a walking worthy of our Christian Vocation that is 't is a behaving our selves Suitably to the design and Nature of the profession we make 't is what Christianity requires of us and that it is so appears more particularly by what immediately follows the Text ver 4.5 6. There is one Body and one Spirit even as ye are called in one hope of your calling one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all What can be offer'd more perswasive than this Let us take a short View of each particular There is one Body that is as I said before the Christian Church throughout the world is but one Society Distributed into Several particular Churches as its parts of which particular Churches if sound in Doctrine and worship and imposing no unlawful Terms of Communion each single Christian is of right a Member in the place in which Providence hath cast his Lot and consequently is bound to maintain and promote the Unity and Peace of the particular Church of which he is a Member in order to preserving the Unity and peace of the whole Body One Spirit every sound part of the Christian Church and every genuine Member of it is under the Influence and Conduct of the Holy Spirit of God to which if he yields himself tractable using all those means which he hath appointed for the attaining his Assistance he will not fail to have his Judgment duly Settled and his mind inspired with a sincere Love to all who are under the Influence of the same Spirit the effect of which will certainly be a Peaceable Conversation and especially a readiness to joyn with all his fellow Christians in every part of the worship of God and his Redeemer It follows As ye are called in one hope of your Calling We all expect the same reward even the Resurrection of our Bodys at the last day and the everlasting Happiness of the Life to come we all hope to meet in the same Region of Bliss and to joyn and live together for ever in one Body in Heaven How then can we fall out in the way thither or refuse to walk together in the same path of Life One Lord whose Authority we all equally own whose Laws we profess to submit to and consequently have the same Rule to walk by and the same obligation to make us observe it As fellow servants we cannot disagree without disowning the Authority of our Common Master As fellow-Members we cannot be disunited without relinquishing so far our common Head One Faith One Baptism We all profess to adhere to that Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints agreeing at least in the fundamental and necessary Articles of it this profession we undertook at our Baptism when we were all initiated into the society of Christians in the same manner being washed with water in the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost declaring our belief in and our resignation to these three Divine Persons And how then can we afterwards be excused if we fall out and divide about inconsiderable and indifferent matters which neither relate to the foundation of our Faith nor contradict the Design of our Baptism And to conclude One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all We are children of the same Heavenly Father and Consequently ought to live in Brotherly Love and Charity in perfect concord and agreement thinking and speaking and Acting the very same things as those who are under the same paternal Government and Authority who are taken care of provided for and directed by the same Providence and the same Grace These are the Arguments by which the Apostle inforceth the Duty of the Text the summe of all which is that the whole Scheme and Frame of our Religion its Author its Rule its Model its end do all oblige us to the keeping of unity so that we cannot any way contribute towards contention or division in the Church of Christ without going Directly cross to our Profession and walking altogether
out of a pure heart and a little after The Servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all men Patient in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves which tho' it be spoken primarily to the Bishops and Pastors of the Church yet concerns all Christians in general as being Servants also of the same Lord. Mark 9.50 I shall conclude this particular with our Saviours precept to his immediate followers and in them to all that should afterwards believe in him Have salt in your selves and have Peace one with another That is See that you be season'd with that Spiritual Wisdom and that divine Temper of mind which may render you acceptable both to God and men and particularly in order to the same end maintain a constant Peace and agreement among your selves To keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace implies yet more particularly a preserving entire as far as in us lies the External Communion of the Christian Church I am sensible that considering the divided state of the Church in the present Age this is a very tender point to discourse of but as I shall speak so I desire to be heard in the Spirit of meekness and Charity which I am sure is the true Spirit of Christianity External Communion may be very properly call'd the bond of Peace in as much as it shews to all the World that Christians own themselves one Body and especially as it tends to preserve them in that State this being one great end and design of our being appointed to meet together to celebrate the publick worship of God that when we glorifie God and our Redeemer with one Heart and one Mouth our Charity towards our Christian Brethren may at the same time be Inflamed And that it is apt to have this effect I dare appeal to the experience of all that are serious and constant in the publick worship according to the Institution of the Gospel And there can be no doubt but that abundance of that uncharitableness which is to be observ'd in Christians towards each other proceeds from their having first divided Communions and refus'd to worship God and their Saviour together How many unchristian Contentions among our selves in this Nation may be attributed Solely to this Cause I leave all that hear me to judge For after all that men may talk of the Duty and the Possibility of Christians who are of different Communions Loving one another such is the Weakness of humane Nature and the coldness of Christian Charity that as experience convinces us men are easily carry'd from difference in communion not only to a coolness in affection but as the consequence of that a distance and a shyness in conversation First the differing parties admit unkind thoughts of each other then often proceed to hard words to uncharitable censures either of the opinions or which is worse of the Intentions of those that differ from them and it may be at last come in good earnest to strive for Mastery to struggle for superiority and preeminency to contend for Power and Dominion But besides all the Benefits which result from keeping the Vnity of the Spirit c. in the sense I am now speaking of and the Mischiefs which evidently flow from breaking it which are more than I can have time now to enumerate that which I would propose to your impartial consideration is that the Nature and Frame of that Religion which we all profess obliges us to be One in this respect The First Christians assembled in one place offering up their Devotions daily together under the Direction and conduct of the Apostles as long as their number would permit them so to do Thus we read in the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles Acts 2.1 ver 44 45. At the day of Pentecost they were all with one accord in one Place And afterwards in the same Chap. All that believ'd were together and Again They continuing daily with one accord in the Temple and breaking bread from House to House did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart that is they worship God together in the Temple at the Hours of Prayer and then withdrew into some more private apartment to celebrate the Lords Supper together the peculiar Christian service doing all with great simplicity ver 42. Integrity joy and Charity and once more They continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and Prayers Thus did the first Christians and then 't is observ'd that the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be sav'd ver 4â— the unanimity of Christians together with the Blessing of God which is ready to attend it having a mighty tendency to the increasing their Number When the Number of Christians was by this means increas'd and the Religion of our Saviour was spread through many distant Citys and Countrys they were then indeed necessitated to assemble in distinct places to which Purpose the Apostles ordain'd and fix'd Bishops and Lastors in every place where they form'd a Church but still they were one in heart and Soul a fair correspondence was kept up between all these particular Churches and when any Christian travel'd from one city to another he immediately joyn'd with and was receiv'd by the Church settled in that place to which he came as may be easily discern'd in the Sequel of that History of the Acts of the Apostles Every Christian is in truth a Member of the Catholick Church of Christ and consequently dispos'd if he be rightly instructed in his profession to joyn with any sound part of the Church throughout the World wherever his business or occasions shall lead him But forasmuch as the Catholick Church must be distributed into several particular Churches for the good of the whole and the Edification of every particular member of it each particular Christian is by consequence of right a member of that part of the Christian Church in which providence hath cast his lot and where his ordinary abode and residence is there in all reason ought his Stated and ordinary Communion to be provided always that no unchristian no unlawful Terms of Communion are impos'd upon him If any particular Church impose any unlawful Terms of Communion then a good Christian is discharged of this obligation that will be a sufficient plea for his separation from it For which reason if the Romish Communion were established among us which God forbid it ever should be we who have been Instructed in the principles of Christianity as reform'd from the Errors and Corruptions of that Church ought not we could not Consistently with our Principles Communicate with it But wheresoever here is a Church established under the conduct of Bishops and Pastors regularly call'd and appointed to guide and govern it and if the State be Christian with the concurrence of its Authority also in which a good Christian may worship and serve his Maker and Redeemer without
unworthy of our Heavenly Calling All that farther remains is in the Last place to shew how we may best attain to the Practice of this Duty I have been from the Apostle urging upon you As to this I shall lay down but three plain and easy Directions and so conclude In order to this End we should get our minds thorowly possessed with the grace of Humility This I mention first because 't is that which the Apostle himself adviseth to as a good disposition towards Vnity and Peace ver 1. I beseech you sayes he that you would walk worthy of your Vocation ver 2. How with all lowliness and meekness keeping the Vnity of the Spirit c. Contention of all sorts and particularly in matters of Religion generally flows from pride an over-weening Opinion of our selves and our own Judgments whereas Humility disposeth us to consider impartially our selves and to hear and receive whatsoever good reason can be offer'd by another who differs from us and which is more it disposeth us heartily to seek and to obtain the Direction and Assistance of Almighty God in all our inquiries after Truth who taketh pleasure in resisting the Proud but giveth grace to the Humble We shall do well likewise to take into consideration and lay to heart seriously the many and great mischiefs which contention and division have brought upon the Church of Christ I need not mention the ill effects that have proceeded from this Cause in Foreign Churches of old Experience has taught us enough with respect to our own in which our differences about matters of Religion and the Divisions that have follow'd upon them have produced very deplorable consequences throughout this last Age. Not to mention the civil discord which hath at least been exceedingly heighten'd hereby I fear much of that Scepticism and Infidelity as well as the Profaneness and looseness of manners that have brought a scandal upon our times must be ascribed to this cause I am sure that want of Discipline for the amending our manners which all good men amongst us complain of must necessarily follow upon our being divided into so many several Communions and Partys in Religion 'T is time for us now to lay these things to heart when that which we all know hindered our Union is taken out of the way I mean a design in those who had the management of publick affairs amongst us first to divide us and by that means to prepare us for a change of Religion 'T is certainly the Duty as well as the Interest of all amongst us who have any regard for the Protestant Religion being now so happily and Peaceably settled under another Influence to forget our past contentions whether with respect to the Affairs of Church or State and to do what in us lyes towards the becoming entirely one Body in both We may do well in the last place to lay down this as a certain and undoubted Principle that the Peace and Edification of the Church of Christ and particularly of that part of it to which we belong is infinitely to be prefer'd before all those little things with respect to which we usually contend and divide The main consideration which prevails with a great part of those who divide from the Communion established amongst us is as far as I can perceive that although they allow our publick Service and Communion to be lawful and occasionally declare that they do so by their Practice yet there is something in the other way which they like better and which they say is to themselves more Edifying Now waving all other Answers to this I shall only recite and leave to your Serious Consideration two plain Texts of Scripture rather chusing to speak to you in Gods words than in my own that they may leave the deeper impression on your minds in both which we are taught to prefer the Peace of the Church and the Edification of our Christian Brethren before our own Satisfaction or the meer pleasing and gratifying our selves nay even before all other considerations whatsoever in matters which are in their own Nature indifferent One is that of St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans where having discours'd of some differences which were arisen amongst the Christians of that Church about the use of things indifferent namely Eating some kinds of Meats Rom. 14 1â— and observing some sort of days he concludes First with this Excellent saying the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness and Peace and joy in the Holy Ghost that is Christianity consists not in the Former but in the latter The Former are indifferent and may be used or not used as they conduce to the Peace of the Church and the Edification of our Brethren but the latter are absolutely necessary ver 18. For as it follows he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men And then he adds that Divine Exhortation Let us therefore follow after the things which make for Peace and things wherewith one may Edisie another Not the things which would most gratifie our selves But the things which make for Peace Nay not the things which we may Imagine our selves might be most edisyed by But the things wherewith one may Edifie another The other Text is of the same Apostle who had a truly large Soul and every where expresses a generous Charity in his Epistle to the Colossians He had in the Former Chapter taken notice of the Differences between the Judaizing Christians and others upon which after other Advice he concludes Col. 3.14 15. Above all these things put on Charity which is the bond of Perfectness And let the Peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also ye are called in one Body Charity it seems was in his Judgment to Bind and Tye them as it were perfectly together in Spite of all their smaller differences and a Peaceable Temper of Spirit to over-rule all their little controversies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 about indifferent things The word we translate Rule is Remarkable alluding to the Vmpire in their Games who was to determine all controversies that should arise and particularly to whom the prize did belong as if he had said If there Happen any differences amongst you concerning matters of Religion not necessary but in their own Nature indifferent nay if you it may be could your selves prefer one way before another yet judging neither of them unlawful Let the Peace of God rule in your hearts in all such cases let that determine all such controversies let Judgment or arbitration be always given on the side of Peace and Concord and Vnity for to these things ye are called in one Body After this I shall need to add no more but only to remind you that the Holy Sacrament which we are now going to partake of is the Symbol and Badge of this Vnity I am pleading for 't is that whereby we profess to the World as I observ'd at the first our Communion with God and our Saviour and with all good Christians 't is that whereby upon this Occasion we own our selves Members of the Established Church not as divided from the rest of the Christian Church but as one sound-part of that great Body and 't is consequently that which strictly obligeth us to be henceforward the obedient Servants of God the faithful Disciples of our Lord Peaceable Charitable and Useful Members of his Body Designing and promoting as far as in us lyes the Welfare both of this Church and of the Catholick Church of Christ throughout the World Now to that one God and Father of all who hath call'd us to be Members of his Sons Body to that one Lord who is the Head of this Body and to that one Etâ—â—nal and Invisible Spirit who animates and Influences every genuine part and Member of it be ascribed all honour Praise and Glory now and for ever Amen FINIS A Sermon Preach'd at the Church of St. Mary le Bow To the Societies for Reformation of Manners October the 4th 1697. By Samuel Bradford Rector of the said Church