and make up one entire body of Christ's catholic church, Luke ii. 23: of places, so as all those that truly profess the name of Christ, (though scattered into the farthest remote regions of the earth,) even those that walk with their feet opposite to ours, yet meet with us in the same centre of the Christian faith, and make up one household of God.

Not that we can hope it possible that all Christians should agree in all truths. Whilst we are here, our minds cannot but be more unlike to each other's than our faces; yea, it is a rare thing for a man to hold constant to his own apprehensions. Lord God! what a world do we meet with of those who miscall themselves several religions, indeed several professions of one and the same Christianity!-Melchites, Georgians, Maronites, Jacobites, Arminians, Abyssines, Cophti, Nestorians, Russians, Mingrelians, and the rest that fill up the large map of Christianography; all which, as, whilst they hold the Head, Christ, they cannot be denied the privilege of his members; so, being such, they are, or should be, indissolubly joined together in the unity of the spirit, and maintenance of "the faith which was once delivered unto the saints," Jude 3. It is not the variety of byopinions that can exclude them from having their part in that one catholic church, and their just claim to the communion of saints; whilst they hold the solid and precious foundation, it is not the hay or stubble, I Cor. iii. 12, which they lay upon it, that can set them off from God or his church. But, in the mean time, it must be granted, that they have much to answer for to the God of peace and unity, who are so much addicted to their own conceits, and so indulgent to their own

X

interest, as to raise and maintain new doctrines, and to set up new sects in the church of Christ, varying from the common and received truths, labouring to draw disciples after them, to the great distraction of souls, and scandal of Christianity. With which sort of disturbers, I must needs say, this age into which we are fallen, hath been, and is, above all that hath gone before us, most miserably pestered. What good soul can be other than confounded to hear of, and see, more than a hundred and fourscore new (and some of them dangerous and blasphemous) opinions, broached and defended in one (once famous and unanimous) church of Christ? Who can say other, upon the view of these wild thoughts, than Gerson said long since, that the world, now grown old, is full of doting fancies; if not rather, that the world, now near its end, raves and talks nothing but fancies and frenzies? How arbitrary soever these self-willed fanatics may think it, to take to themselves this liberty of thinking what they list, and venting what they think, the blessed apostle hath long since branded them with a heavy sentence: "Now, I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences, contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them: for they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple," Rom. xvi. 17, 18.

But notwithstanding all this hideous variety of vain and heterodox conceptions, he who is the truth of God, and the Bridegroom of his spouse the church, hath said, "My dove, my undefiled, is one," Cant. vi. 9; one in the main, essential, fun

damental verities, necessary to salvation, though differing in divers mis-raised corollaries, inconsequent inferences, unnecessary additions, feigned traditions, unwarrantable practices. The body is one, though the garments differ; yea, rather (for most of these) the garment is one, but differs in the dressing; handsomely and comely set out by one, disguised by another; neither is it, nor ever shall be, in the power of all the fiends of hell, the professed make-bates* of the world, to make God's church other than one; which were indeed utterly to extinguish and reduce it to nothing; for the unity and entity of the church can no more be divided than itself. It were no less than blasphemy, to fasten upon the chaste and most holy Husband of the church any other than one spouse. In the institution of marriage, "did he not make one? Yet had he the residue of the Spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed," Mal. ii. 15. That which he ordained for us, shall not the holy God much more observe in his own heavenly match with his church? Here is then one Lord, one faith, one baptism :" one baptism, by which we enter into the church; one faith, which we profess in the church; and one Lord, whom we serve, and who is the Head and Husband of the church.

SECT. XXI. The union of Christians in matter of affection.

How much, therefore, doth it concern us, that we, who are united in one common belief, should be much more united in affection; that where there is one way, there should be much more one * Exciters of quarrels. + Real being.

heart, Jer. xxxii. 39. This is so justly supposed, that the prophet questions, " Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" Amos iii. 3. If we walk together in our judgments, we cannot but accord in our wills. This was the praise of the primitive Christians, and the pattern of their successors; "The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul," Acts iv. 32. Yea, this is the livery which our Lord and Saviour made choice of, whereby his menial servants should be known and distinguished: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another," John xiii. 35. In vain shall any man pretend to a discipleship, if he do not make it good by his love to all the family of Christ. The whole church is the spiritual temple of God; every believer is a living stone laid in those sacred walls: what is our Christian love, but the mortar or cement whereby these stones are fast joined together, to make up this heavenly building? without which that precious fabric could not hold long together, but would be subject to disjointing, by those violent tempests of opposition, wherewith it is commonly beaten upon. There is

no place for any loose stone in God's edifice; the whole church is one entire body; all the limbs must be held together by the ligaments of Christian love. If any one will be severed, and affect to subsist of itself, it hath lost its place in the body. Thus the apostle; "That we being sincere in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh in

crease of the body unto the edifying of itself in love," Eph. iv. 15, 16.

But in case there happen to be differences in opinion concerning points not essential, not necessary to salvation, this diversity may not cause an alienation of affection. That charity which can cover a multitude of sins, may much more cover many small dissensions of judgment. We cannot hope to be all, and at all times, equally enlightened. At how many and great weaknesses of judgment did it please our merciful Saviour to connive in his domestic disciples! They that had so long sat at the sacred feet of Him that spake as never man spake, were yet ignorant of those scriptures, which had so clearly foretold his resurrection, John xx. 9, and after that were at a fault for the manner of his kingdom, Acts i. 6; yet He that breaks not the bruised reed, nor quenches the smoking flax, falls not harshly upon them for so foul an error and ignorance; but entertains them with all loving respect, not as followers only, but as friends, John xv. 15. And his great apostle, after he had spent himself in his unwearied endeavours upon God's church, and had sown the seeds of wholesome and saving doctrine every where, what rank and noisome weeds of erroneous opinions rose up under his hand, in the churches of Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Colosse, Philippi, and Thessalonica! These he labours to root out with much zeal, with no bitterness; so opposing the errors, as not alienating his affection from the churches. These, these must be our precedents, pursuing that charge of the prime apostle, "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be