IT is too too observable that when Men have once wickedly complyed with discover'd, or weakly given up their Assent to un­search'd Errours, their main business afterwards is, right or wrong, to justify the Principles [Page 6] which they have imbibed: The Care that should have been taken to prevent, is laid out to hide their Deformity and disguise their Shame. Hence the Writings of Fathers, and perhaps the Decrees of Councils are entituled to them; Scripture is wrested, and Antiquity raked into, to give Patronage to the foulest Misdemeanours.

Thus of old, St. Origen was made use of to defend the Heresie of the Arians, St Cyprian of the Donatians, St. Ambrose, St. Jerome, and St. Austin of the Pelagians: And of late the un­commissioned Zeal of Gregory Nazianzene, and the Stories of Theodoret, have been cited to ex­cuse Disobedience to Princes, and to null the rights of their next Heirs.

Thus Schism has always fled for Sanctuary to the Altar, and from those who most constant­ly attended upon it, (especially in the first Ages of Christianity,) has endeavoured to gain Cre­dit and Success.

Thus also too many in our Days, (though God be praised their number decreases, and was never such as they boasted of) too many for the defence of their Separations, plead that Liberty in which they suppose the Primitive Christians stood fast; and renounce that indispensible Com­munion which the Church enjoyns, upon pre­tence that from the beginning it was not so. Whereas indeed, we are assured that the early Fore-runners in the Faith, did not make, or fol­low [Page 7] separate Congregations and divided Inte­rests: but, They continued stedfastly in the Apo­stles: Doctrine and Fellowship, and in breaking of Bread, and in Prayers.

The Words are a Character of the Primitive Christians of the Church in the times of the A­postles. [...] here rendred Fellowship, [...] breaking of Bread, however taken by some learned Men, the former for that most li­beral distribution and wonderfull Charity, con­spicuous in those Days; the latter for breaking of common Broad, according to the custom of the Jews, in the beginnings of their Feasts: Yet by others of great Authority, This is supposed to denote the Eucharist which the Apostles blessed, That the Communion which they were the chief Members of.

Without any farther Explication of the Text.

I. I shall endeavour to shew, that the Primi­tive Christians (not onely such as were contemporary with the Apostles, but those also that succeeded them) were united in Judgment and Practice, as to Matters of Religion, and the Worship of God, They continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship, and in breaking of Bread, and in Prayers.

[Page 8] II. I shall examine what Means were used in the Primitive Church, thus to unite Men in Judgment and Practice, as to Matters of Religion, and the Worship of God.

III. I shall enquire how far, now-a days, the Magistrate and those in Authority under him may proceed, in order to the uniting Men in Judgment and Practice, as to mat­ters of Religion, and the Worship of God.

IV. I shall conclude with an Exhortation to what is here said to have been the Practice of the Primitive Christians, and ought to be ours, that we also be united, and conti­nue stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship, and in breaking of Bread, and in Prayers.

I. I am to shew that the Primitive Christians were united in Judgment and Practice, as to Matters of Religion, and the Worship of God, they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship, and in breaking of Bread, and in Prayers.

At the time when that prodigious effect of Omnipotent Mercy was express'd in the Incar­nation of our Redeemer, the distracted World not keeping any regularly traced Path towards Salvation, wandred in Darkness, and in the [Page 9] Shadow of Death. The Jews had made the written Law give way to the oral; they had prostituted their Understandings to the Direc­tion of those blind Guides, which taught for Doctrines the Commandments of Men, and by magisterial Confidence, and precise Hypocrisie, (Qualifications which often come together) so far enslav'd the Judgments of their Proselytes, that if two of them held contradictory Opini­ons, each notwithstanding was thought infalli­ble. The Heathens, though the Light of Na­ture would not suffer them to be ignorant of what was good, yet could not come to the knowledge of the Lord, much less of what he required in the acts of Devotion. The Jews had lost their way, the Gentiles never knew it.

But after his coming, whom the Father sent to be a Light to lighten These, and to be the Glory of Those, the Partition-Wall betwixt Jew and Gentile was broken down, and both united into, and made Members of one Body, where­of Christ is Head. Our Saviour having thus gathered and constituted his Church, and setled an orderly Government in it, the Primitive Christians knew it to be their Duty, and accor­dingly held Communion with the one, and submitted to the other. They rejoyced to be of one Fold, under one Shepherd, not loosely Joh. 10. 16. scattered abroad as Sheep having none: They heard and obeyed his Voice, when he spoke by them, whom the Holy Ghost made Overseers of Acts 20. 28. his Flock. They contended earnestly for the Faith Jude 3. [Page 10] which was once delivered unto the Saints; and, Christ having provided for his Service in a re­gular way, came together in Unity to the House of the Lord, to offer Prayers and Thanks-givings jointly to the Almighty, and Violence to Heaven with united Forces. When the Dis­ciples were but few, These all continued with one accord in Prayer and Supplication, Act. 1. 14. And when the Word of God mightily grew and prevailed, The multitude of them that believed were of one Heart and of one Soul, Acts 4. 32. No foolish Prejudices, uncharitable Surmises, or fruitless search after sarther Purity, excluded them from the Fellowship of their Brethren, from a common Participation of the Sacra­ments and Prayers, and carrying on the designs of Christianity with joint Endeavours and Af­fections. They kept the Unity of the Spirit in Eph. 4. 3. the Bond of Peace, of outward Communion, endeavouring to walk worthy of that Vocation Vers. 1. Vers. 5. wherewith they were called, in one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism.

They knew that the Lord had always even before the times of Christianity been jealous of his Honour, and manifested his Jealousie by re­quiring an awefull Observance, and punishing the least neglect of the Place, where his Ho­nour dwelt. An immediate stroke from Heaven was sent upon the Men of 1 Sam. 5. Ashdod, of Gath, and of Ekron, for detaining the Ark of God; upon the Chap. 6. Bethshomites for looking into, and upon Chron. 13. Uzzah for rashly supporting it.

[Page 11] When that wandring Seat of his Glory, was at length, after above a thousond Years, fixed in Mount Sion, thither the Tribes were bound in Duty to go up to give Thanks unto the Name Psal. 122. 4. of the Lord.

And since (such antiquated Shadows being ceased) God has chosen him a more lasting Ha­bitation, built him a Church, and cemented it with the Bloud of his Son, and promised that shall be his Rest, there will he dwell for ever; certainly to it shall the Gentiles seek: All are Isa. 11. 10. invited, yea obliged to come in, that his House Luke 14. 23. may be filled. The Members hereof who ought to be a Body fitly joined together and compaited Eph. 4. 6. by that which every joint supplyeth, dishonour their Head and make him the Authour of Con­fusion, when they do not approve themselves of the Household of Faith by a common profes­sion Gal. 6. 10. of it, and united Endeavours to shew forth and advance it.

This Union in Judgment and Practice was zealously observed by the Primitive Christians, They continued dayly with one accord in the Tem­ple, Acts 2. 46. Justin Martyr calls their Devotions [...], common Prayers. Upon the first day of Acts 20. 7. the Week (and this constantly as Ecclesiastical History assures us) the Disciples came together to break Bread; that is to partake of the Lord's Supper. Nay it is said that the Lord added to the Church such as should be saved; intimating Acts 2. 47. [Page 12] the Difficulty, not to say the Impossibility of Sal­vation out of the Pale of it, in a State of Non­communion with it. The truth is, there re­main but slender hopes of Glory, to such as live and dye unacquainted with, or in the neglect of the Means of Grace.

It was then thought an indispensable Duty not to forsake the publick Assemblies. At first, the Temple, the Place set apart for religious uses, Mat. 21. 13. Luke 24. 53. was their House of Prayer. And when they were driven thence, and Divine Providence had ordered the Malice of Men, which scatter­ed abroad the Professours, to enlarge the Borders of Christianity, how distant soever in their a­bode, they that embraced the same Truth still preserved Unity and Concord. An external Fellowship in the Word and Sacraments with their Brethren, with all their Brethren as occa­sion presented it self was judged necessary; this transient Communion never to cease, 'till swal­lowed up by that which shall be to everlasting in the Heavenly Jerusalem, in the general As­sembly Heb 12. 22, 23. and Church of the first born, which are written in Heaven.

No care was neglected to prevent or recon­cile Divisions. These were seldom known, it being by no means accounted a sign of Grace and Holiness to fly off upon every dislike, and forbear Society: And when they did break out, the Churches Peace was for the most part secu­red; Men laying aside their private Animo­sities [Page 13] in Religious Concerns (as Marcus Lepidus, and Marcus Fulvius in Civil) in order to the common Good; and allowing that Communi­on was necessary whenever not sinfull, and that difference in Rites and Ceremonies in things in themselves indifferent was never sufficient to ex­cuse the breach of it.

When that great irreconcileable Controversie arose about the keeping of Easter, Polycarp be­ing sent from the Eastern Churches to Anicetus chief Patriarch of the Western, though they could not agree as to the matter in hot Dispute, yet all other Endearments passed between them, they received the Blessed Sacrament together, and mutually consented in behalf of the Parties for whom they treated; that, however the Bu­siness they met about could not be composed, Peace and Communion should not withstanding be religiously maintained.

Such was the Unity of the then Christian World, even among those of different Denomi­nations and Interests, and that were indepen­dent upon one another.

Such from the beginning was, and continued to be the practice of all; except that now and then that fretfull humour called Zeal, (which, when not according to Knowledge, is at best but a well meaning Phrenzie,) or else Ambition, carried on or defeated, made Men forsake the Communion of the Church, and disturb its [Page 14] Peace (Let the present Troublers of our Israel assign which they please, perhaps it would be hard to excuse some of them from either of these Incentives to Separation) By the impulse of the former, the Catharists in the East, the Nova­tians in the West and the Donatists in the South all Types of modern Zealots, with a Pharisaical Haughtiness thank'd God that they were not as other Men; and concluded themselves too Holy to join in Prayers and Sacraments with their Brethren. To the later, to wit, Ambition, Eusebius refers the Heresie of Montanus, Tertul­lian that of Valentinus. When Aerius had in vain aspired to a Bishoprick, the disappointment moved him (after the barbarous usage of that Tyrant, who cut on stretch'd others to the Pro­portions of his own Stature) to deny the Di­stinction of Order, and shrink a Bishop into a Presbyter. And however the Lord Bacon, and other learned Men, thought Arianism took its rise from an aversion to Pagan Dotages, preci­pitant Zeal against many Gods hurrying on to acknowledge but one Person in the God-head; yet Theodoret affirms, that Alexander's being preferred before Arius, incensed the rejected Competitour to set on foot and propagate his detestable Doctrines.

'Tis true indeed, many all along apostatized from the Truth, or held it in unrighteousness. the Enemy presently sowed Tares in Christ's Wheat. There was a Judas among the Apostles. And when the number of Professours encreased [Page 15] to an hundred and twenty, there were half Christans that durst not openly own, false that soon forsook the Gospel. Among the seven Deacons, Nicholas was the Founder of an abo­minable Heresie. Six of the seven Asian Chur­ches are accused of deadly Sin. In succeeding Ages sundry Heresies arose; St. Austin reckons eighty eight, Bellarmine about two hundred. Nay once Christ's Promise of being with his Church unto the end of the World seem'd to be forgotten by him, and the Gates of Hell to pre­vail against the truely Apostolical Religion; while Arianism, that subtile Serpent which crept before and flyly insinuated it self, now slush'd with Success raised its Head, and threat­ned ruine to all that durst oppose its Reception. (For, after the famous Battel where the Cross was first the Banner on each side, and Christians first fought against Christians, Constantlus ha­ving totally defeated Magnentius, freed the Ea­stern Empire, and gain'd the Western; Valens an Arian Bishop (as Numa to establish his Ido­latry, Mahomet his Impostures) pretended a se­cret Message from Heaven, and easily persuaded the Conquerour to owe his Victory, and there­fore afford all imaginable Protection to that Doctrine which he had espoused, and the Al­mighty was judged in so signal a manner to ap­prove. Hence that blasphemous Heresie secu­red in the Favour, and assisted by all the Power of the Emperour, mightily encreased, and its Title to Universality, like that of an Usurper's Race to Soveraignty, seem'd to be unquestion­able [Page 16] when the onely one and without a Ri­val.)

But to return; However the forementioned troubled, and this last Pestilence very much overspread the Roman Empire, yet in many places of Persia, India and Ethiopia, of Egypt, France and Italy, the Orthodox Religion ob­tained: And they that held it, especially when restored to its former Lustre, censured the o­thers for being through zealous perverseness guilty of Heresie and Schism: Heresie, that most dangerous denial of the Catholick Faith; Schism, than which some of the Fathers thought that Idolatry, others that Sacrilege was not worse, which St. Ignatius took to be the original of Evils, St. Cyprian to be a Sin of so heinous a Nature, that Martyrdom it self could not ex­piate for it.

What was done to obviate or disperse the fatal Influence of such Offences, my second General now to be considered will discover. Wherein,

II. I am to examine what means were used in the Primitive Church to unite Men in Judg­ment and Practice, as to matters of Religion and the Worship of God, to keep them stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship, and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers.

[Page 17] The great Universal Architect, all the Works of whose Hands join together to doe him Ser­vice, not having put Enmity but requiring agreement among themselves, the early Pro­fessours of the Gospel, the first-Fruits of Christ, thought the Members of his Mystical Body more especially concerned to maintain Unity and Concord in the Church now newly estab­lish'd. Hence the many affectionate Entreaties to enlarge and secure its Borders, the many ser­vent Exhortations to convince and win the fro­ward to come into, and hold fast Communion with it.

But the Congregation of Believers once ga­thered, if the soft still Voice would not awaken lethargick Sinners and keep them watchfull, nor the Shepherd's gentle call bring back the wandring Flock, these mild Methods failing, harsher were tried, yea gradually advanced to the utmost Severity. When notwithstanding the most ardent Persuasives to Peace and Unity Dissentions sprung up, as Acts 15. it seemed good to lay upon the Brethren necessary things, not all of them (as appears from the 29th verse) necessary antecedent to the Command, and therefore such and so to be esteemed by virtue of it, because the Governours of the Church, in their discretion, thought fit to enjoin them.

[Page 18] But not to insist upon these and other In­junctions of the Apostles to keep Men in the true Faith and Orthodox Worship, or upon their extraordinary power of punishing those which abused or forsook either: Not to tell of St. Paul's striking Elymas with Blindness, St. Peter's speaking Ananias and Saphira dead, and such like miraculous Inflictions; let us observe the ordinary regular Discipline used in after-times to engage Men to be tenacious of the Doctrine, and have regard to the Communion of the truly A­postolical Church. To this end were frequent Penances, and sometimes Excommunications inflicted not onely upon immoral, but also up­on heretical and schismatical Persons. Indeed none of these Offenders could be restrained without authority to punish all: For Men will be apt to run on blindly in the way to Hell, if they do not hearken to such as God has ap­pointed to be their Guides towards Heaven; and will soon become vitious in their Lives, when they leave off being found in Faith, or being orderly in Worship: And the Church will not long retain her Purity, if she cannot be se­vere to the Disturbers of her Peace. Some of the greatest Troublers whereof have kept up their Reputation in despite of, and justified their Separation from her, by making a shew of Re­formation and greater Purity than others; not­withstanding which Pretences her Censures have fallen heavily and justly upon them.

[Page 19] As a Community she must needs have this inherent Power to correct the Members of her Society that offended against the Laws of it. Without the right exercise of such Authority, Christ's Religion would in its Infancy have been buried in Weakness, and have had no hopes of ever imitating him by rising again in Glory. But the Influence of the forementioned Severi­ties made the Christians that lived under a due awe of them to shine as Lights in the midst of a wicked and perverse Generation, to be exem­plary Instances of Holiness in their Lives, lest they should be such of Terrour in their Punish­ments. To weak-sighted Men who could not be so heartily affected with the Reversion of Joy or Misery, present Penalties were, and always will be the chief Sanctions of the Evangelical Law, most strongly fence and secure it from Viola­tion.

In the nonage of the Gospel, when they that embraced it came with a true sense of Religion to publick Prayers and the Sacraments, then to be banish'd from them, to be thrown out of the Church, as the Laodicean Synod, to be wholly cut off from Communion, as the Apostolick Ca­nons, to be delivered over unto Satan, as Scrip­ture styles it, this stampt upon their Minds me­lancholy frightfull Reflexions, and swallowed them up with Horrour and Confusion. The excommunicated were overwhelmed with such anguish of Soul, that to be freed from the in­tolerable [Page 20] Distress, no penitentiary Humiliations were tedious to them: With Tears, Sighs and Groans that cannot be utter'd they constantly begg'd, and at last gain'd Absolution in the end of the appointed time; this was seldom short­ned, except when danger of Death, great Per­secution, the Number, Dignity, or Infirmity of Criminals, induced the Church to mitigate her Sentence towards them. The most scanda­lous Ossenders, Hereticks and Apostates upon a thorow Repentance were admitted to publick Penance and the Sacraments, and the Novatians condemned who would have them excluded from both. By impartial Severities, and cha­ritable prudent relaxations of them. Christiani­ty was propagated in Purity and Holiness, and often without disturbance; became victorious and triumphant over the Temptations of its Sp­ritual, and the Rage of its Temporal Ene­mies.

'Twas then as much as now morally impos­sible that all Men should be of the same Mind, as to Faith and Worship; yet the open avowing of their Dissent was thought necessary to be restrained. Really he that from the moral Im­possibility of an universal Agreement concludes no Laws should be made against Apostasie and Separation, may as well say, that because all Men will never be vertuous and religious, Li­berty should be granted for Immorality and Profaneness; Not that I affirm these later are Crimes in themselves of no deeper a dye than [Page 21] those former, yet this will follow, that both being mightily destructive to the good of the Community ought to be suppressed as far as may be, though there be no hopes of totally rooting them out.

This will be farther evidenced in my third General next to be spoken to. Wherein,

III. I am to enquire how far, now-a-days, the Supreme Magistrate, and those in Autho­rity under him may proceed, in order to the uniting Men in Judgment and Practice, as to matters of Religion, and the Worship of God, to the keeping them stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship, and in breaking of Bread, and in Prayers.

It must be acknowledged that the Prince of Peace would have his Gospel taught, as himself establish'd it, with Meekness and Gentleness; would have Gain-sayers convinc'd, and the Ca­vils of unreasonable Men put to silence by the Power of the Spirit. That the noblest Con­quest which is quietly gain'd over Minds revol­ted from God and Reason; Force may enslave the Man, but this fetters his Will, and captivates his Understanding. Wherefore that restless un­wearied Fury, wherewith some Men carry on the business of Religion in a violent sanguinary way, is not a Christian agreement to propagate our Saviour's Doctrines, but a conspiracy of [Page 22] Traytours against him; not the Zeal of Christi­ans, but the rage of Lunaticks.

But here let me not be mistaken, as if I in­tended to wrest the Sword out of the Magistrate's Hands, who is the Minister of God, a Reven­ger to execute Wrath upon them that doe Evil. That doe Evil I say; for as long as Men keep their Thoughts to themselves, they are indeed, can be accountable onely to the Searcher of Hearts. But when Pride, Obstinacy, Faction, or suppose we, Folly broaches their Opinions to the disturbance of Church or State, to the dangerous violation of the Laws of either, here Christianity does not forbid, nay commands the publick execution of Justice. Even the mischievous Fool (though the designing Knave should not lurk under, as he too often does) may be justly punished. Otherwise the Magi­strate would bear the Sword in vain, would not have Power to take edged Tools out of the Hands of those that ought not to be entrusted with them, and really would be placed as un­guarded Sheep in the midst of Wolves.

Whatever be pretended on the part of Offen­ders, when the Publick lies at stake, Mercy to the Troublers of it is the greatest Cruelty to the Innocent, is the tenderness of Children and Fools, is to destroy the whole Body in com­passion to a few corrupted Members. He that without very good reason winks at Crimes, though perhaps in their own Nature small, yet [Page 23] in their Tendency of fatal Consequence, has more to answer for than he that committed them; because it is less excuseable to counte­nance Offences in cold Bloud, than to act them in hot.

I appeal to the Consciences of those who now think themselves Wronged, and have Ad­vocates (it were to be wish'd I could not say among our selves) that complain they are per­secuted by the due execution of Laws, whether they can imagine it to be a thing indifferent, of no concern to the Honour of God, and the Peace of the State, whether Men be of one Heart and of one Soul or not? Whether when every one says, I am of Paul, and I of Apollo, and I of Cephas, such Divisions do not natural­ly follow as crucisie Christ asresh, and put him to open Shame? And certainly to conceive that our Redeemer would in his Houshold, the Church, be so much less faithfull than Moses as to leave such necessary things out of order with­out Power somewhere to settle them, would be no less absurd than to fancy with Epicurus, that the wise the gratious Father of all, has abandoned the Orphan World to the blind di­rection of Chance.

This goodly Frame of the Universe, might as soon have jumpt together casually, and be kept so, as Men will be joined together (as they should be) without an over ruling Disci­pline, without a coercive Power. The most ra­tional [Page 24] Persuasives (we dayly see) cannot pierce and break the Obstinacy that is rooted by Pre­judice, Peevishness or Design. The Madness of the People is sometimes such that it won't be stilled by any Words, except of him who spoke the World into a Being, and the roaring of the Sea into a Calm. What then, shall Men be per­mitted to embrace and publish what Opinions they please, though such as influence their Acti­ons to the Hazard of Ecclesiastical or Civil Af­fairs? God has not so left himself without a Witness; but besides establishing Divine Laws, has authorized Humane whenever not repug­nant to the other to give knowledge of Salvation to his People, to give Light to them that sit in Darkness, and to guide their Feet into the way of Peace. He demands not onely the Purity, but also the humble Submission of the Heart, ex­pects the Resignation of the Will and Under­standing to him and his Vicegerents. These he has impowered to add to, yea upon occasion to take from, what his own Wisedom had ordain­ed. God appointed the Exod. 12. People to kill the Passover in the first Month, Hezekiah the 2Chron. 30. Levites in the second. Christ himself obser­ved the Feast of Dedication, though of Humane Institution, thereby acknowledging the Au­thority of Rulers in Matters Ecclesiastical.

And certainly, since They are commissioned to lay Injunctions, it will be the Subjects Duty to perform, and theirs to require, yea force Obedience to them. For Authority supposes a [Page 25] right to assert it; and the power of enacting Laws, implies an Obligation to make, and often­times to execute the Sanctions of them.

It is not here designed to whet the Magi­strate's Sword and Rage, to put him upon using the one, and laying out the other in Cruelty and Oppression. No; there should be a Fellow-feeling among the Members of Christ. He that punishes Offences, may and ought to pity the Offenders. The Bowels may yern, while the Hand strikes. The Father corrects in kindness; and by the bye, he spoils his Child if he spare the Rod. God himself in Mercy thinks upon Wrath: the several Chastisements of the Lord, whether immediately inflicted or onely permit­ted by him (as all Penalties should) chastise past miscarriages in order to prevent future; the Sufferer's Obliquity is always the meritori­ous Cause, his or others Amendment the Impul­sive. And surely those that are deputed by him to doe Justice and to shew Mercy upon the Earth, may be kind as our heavenly Father is, that is, punish with design to reclaim.

And if gentler Methods will not prevail, if every Indulgence from the higher Powers onely encourages Men to be more sawcy in their De­mands; if a Factious Seditious Party be manifestly hatching and carrying their treasonable Associa­tions to introduce a tyrannical Commonwealth in the place of the best setled Monarchy, and a novel Religion instead of the truly Apostolical; [Page 26] If designs of bringing in an Egyptian Bondage be so plainly set on Foot that onely they which are surrounded with an Egyptian Darkness can chuse but see them, when Dangers thus threa­ten the Government, undoubtedly they that sit at the Helm of it may lay aside their injured Patience, and proceed to the utmost Severities. Christian Liberty will not in the Subject patro­nize, or in the Magistrate oblige to indemnifie the Licentious effects of it.

Be it for ever remembred, that the great, the good Constantine made severe Edicts against Dis­senters, the Apostate, the barbarous Julian tole­rated them; This the Policy of the most mali­cious Enemy of the Faith in hopes thereby to overthrow it, That of the most religious De­fender to propagate and establish it.

I proceed in the last place to conclude with,

IV. An Exhortation to what is here said, in the Text, to have been the Practice of the Primitive Christians, and ought to be ours, that we also be united, and continue stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship, and in breaking of Bread, and in Prayers.

And here how shall I exhort? wherewithall shall I bespeak you? Let our Thoughts be cast back upon the dreadfull Consequences of Mens forsaking the Truth, or departing from the [Page 27] Communion of the Church which is the Ground and Pillar of it. Divisions besides that they na­turally scatter and weaken a People, also pro­voke God to pour out his Fury upon them, and to smite the Earth with a Curse. When the Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by Dani­el, was to be accomplish'd upon the Jews, at the Siege of Jerusalem, the separating Zealots within concurred no less than the Romans with­out. When Christians were engaged in private Differences too busie to attend the Motions and obviate the Designs of the common Enemy, then the Turks overrun so much of Asia and Europe. When Pelagian Pride endeavoured to advance the depraved Power of Nature, the feeble Essays of Reason, and the corrupted Li­berty of Man's will above the necessity, and against the onely sufficiency of Divine Grace, and upon this and other Heresies Dissensions a­rose; then did God empty the full Vials of his Wrath, raised up the Goths and Vandals, the Huns and Gauls, and other Instruments of his Vengeance to chastise the unhappy Litigants.

Knowing therefore the Terrours of God on High when Men do not keep Peace upon the Earth, be we persuaded at this time to lay aside our Divisions. No doubt our Circumstances are very sad. What shall I equal to thee that I may comfort thee O Daughter of Zion? For thy breach is great like the Sea, who can heal thee? Fearfulness and Trembling are come upon the Land, and an horrible dread hath overwhelm'd it. [Page 28] Manasseh is against Ephraim, and Ephraim a­gainst Manasseh, and both against Judah. Fears and Jealousies, some just, more ungrounded pos­sess and distract Men. We seem fitted, appoin­ted for Destruction. We sustain Damocles his Fate, a single Thread keeps off the devouring Sword, aand reprieves our ruine. Long, long may the Divine Protection with Favour compass and defend as with a Shield the Breath of our Nostrils, the Anointed of the Lord, under whose shadow we yet live among worse than Heathens, among those on each side who surely put off the Bowels of Men when they took the Name of Christians, whom neither the Vengeance of Heaven nor the Insamy of Earth can fright or shame from brutish Cruelty.

In these our Distractions we sly for Succour unto thee O Lord, who for our Sins art justly displeased. Let not Mens eager peevish Phrenzie that won't brook being put off to thy time of bringing Salvation move thee to withhold it. Be thou mercifull to our Iniquities and to the Trou­bles of our Israel, for both are great; great be­yond any but thy Mercy and thy Wisedom to work out our Redemption.

Dangers are wont to enlarge Mens Thoughts, to disturb them into warmth and vigour, and make them with Croesus his dumb Son break through the Impediments, if not with Sampson doe things above the strength of Human Nature. And then does not common Prudence invite, [Page 29] Self-preservation constrain us to be now especial­ly upon our guard and united, that we become not a Prey to the Enemies of Church and State?

The contrivances of those that have evil will at Sion, should call forth and put on work all the Powers of our Souls, provoke an uniform Con­stancy, and quicken us to muster up and joyn all our Forces to prevent those Calamities, which for ought we know, if once submitted to, can never be redressed.

Nothing can extricate us out of present Fears and Dangers, but engaging the God of all strength to be on our side, by being perfectly joyned together in the same Mind and in the same Judgment. St. Paul assures us, that if we be of one Mind and live in Peace, the God of Love and Peace shall be with us. What then 2 Cor. 13. 11. must be judged of them who obstruct God's Fa­vour and Protection by refusing to give up an Opinion, to sacrifice a Thought to Unity and Concord? What of others who widen our Breaches by half-Conformity, by being politick­ly Orthodox, that is, Rebels in disguise to God and the King? Yet all boast themselves true Sons of the Church of England; surely such as Nero was to Agrippina, surely of a viperous Brood, that unnaturally tear the tender Bowels which yern'd for them.

Oh, pity rather and bind up the Wounds of a bleeding Church. Think upon her crying out, [Page 30] Is it nothing to you all yo that pass by' Behold and Lam. 1. 12. see if there be any Sorrow like unto my Sorrow which is done unto me wherewith the Lord, pro­voked by your unwarrantable Divisions, hath afflicted me in the day of his fierte Anger. The ways of Zion do mourn because Men come not to Vers. 4. the solomn Feasts, to the publick places of Assem­bly; her Gates are desolate, her Priests sigh, she is in bitterness. And lest the Lord should be so far enraged as to cast off his Altar and abhor his Sanctuary, be we persuaded to approach them Lam. 2. 7. constantly and reverently. Be we stedfast in the Doctrine delivered to and by the Apostles, continue we in the Fellowship, and submit to the Government of their Successours, and forsake not the assembling of our selves together as the Heb. 10. 25. manner of some is. Then from a joint Participation of the Sacraments and Prayers, from the Com­munion of Saints on Earth, we may be transla­ted to that blessed everlasting Fellowship above in the highest Heavens, where the whole Fa­mily of God's chosen with one Heart and with one Voice shall sing eternal Hallelujahs to him that sitteth upon the Throne, and to the Lamb for evermore.