The true and only way of concord of all the Christian churches the desirableness of it, and the detection of false dividing terms / opened by Richard Baxter.

CHAP. IV.

The VNITY of the Spirit in the welfare of the Church.

II. AS the UNITY of the Spirit is the per∣sonal welfare of every Christian, so is it the common interest of the Church, and of all Christi∣an Societies, Kingdoms, Cities, Schools and Fami∣lies: And that in all these respects.

I. UNITY is the very life of the Church (and of all Societies as such). The word LIFE is sometime taken for the LIVING PRINCI∣PLE or FORM, and so the SOUL is the LIFE of a Man, and the SPIRIT as dwelling and working in us, is the Moral or holy-spiritual

LIFE of the soul, and of the Church as mystical: And sometime LIFE is taken for the VNION of the said vital principle with the Organical Bo∣dy, or matter duly united in it self: And so the UNION of soul and body is the Life of a man; and the Vnion of the Political Head and Body is the Life of political Societies: And so the Vnion of Christ and the Church is the Life of the Church; And the Union of the members among themselves, is (as the union of the parts of the organical body) the necessary Dispositio materiae, without which it cannot have Union with the Head; or the effect of Vnion with the Vital principle, and so the Union which is essential to the Church. As that is no Body whose parts are not united among themselves, nor no Living Body which is not united to the soul (and in it self); so that is no Church or no Socie∣ty which is not Vnited in it self; and no Christian Society or Church which is not united unto Christ.

It is a gross oversight of them that look at no∣thing but the Regeneration of the members, as es∣sential to the Church, and take Vnity to be but a separable Accident. Yea indeed Regeneration it self consisteth in the Vniting of persons by Faith and Love to God and the Redeemer and to the body of the Church: And if Vnion be Life, then Divi∣sion is no Less than Death: Not every degree of division: For some breaches among Christians are but wounds: (But to be divided or separated from Christ, or from the Universal Church which is his body, is Death it self: And even wounds must have a timely cure, or else they threaten at least the pe∣rishing of the wounded part.)

II. UNITY is the health, ease and quiet of the Church and all Societies, as well as of each person: And Division is its smart and pain: And a divided disagreeing Society is a wounded or sick Society; in continual suffering and disease: But how easie, sweet, and pleasant is it, when brethren dwell to∣gether in Unity? when they are not of many minds, and wills and wayes; when they strive not against each other, and live not in wrangling and contenti∣on, when they have not their cross interests, wills and parties, and envy not or grudge not against each other: But every one taketh the common in∣terest to be his own; and smarteth in all his bre∣threns sufferings and hurts: when they speak the same things, and mind the same interest, and carry on the same ends and work?

O foelix hominum genus Si vestros animos Amor Quo coelum regitur, regat, saith Boetius.

Many contrivances good men have had, for the recovering of the peace and felicity of Societies: And they that despaired of accomplishing it, have pleased themselves with feigning such Societies as they thought most happy: whence we have Plato's Common-wealth, Moor's Vtopia, Campanella's Civi∣tas solis, &c. But when all is done, he is the wisest and happiest Politician, and the best friend and be∣nefactor to Societies and to mankind, who is the skilfullest contriver, and best promoter of UNI∣TING LOVE. I know that this is (like Life in man) a work that requireth more than Art: But yet I will not say hoc non est artis, sed pietatis opus, as if art did nothing in it: It is Gods work

blessing mans endeavours. Even in the propagation of natural Life, though Deus & sol vivificant, God is the Quickener, and Fountain of all life; yet man is the Generator (even if it prove true that the soul is created): And God will not do it without the act of man: So God will not bless Churches, and Kingdoms and Families, with Vniting-Love, without the subordinate endeavours of man: And the skill and honesty of the endeavourers greatly conduceth to the success of the work: Men that stand in a significant capacity (as Rulers and publick Teachers do) may do much by holy Art to promote Vniting-Love in all Societies; By contriving an Vniting of In∣terests, (and not by cudgelling them all into the same Temples or Synagogues as prisoners into a Jaile); and by diligent clear teaching them the ex∣cellency and necessity of Vnity and Love, and mis∣chiefs of dividing selfishness: But of this more after in due place. All the devices in the world for the felicity of Societies which tend not unto Vnity, and all wayes of Vnity which promote not Love, are erroneous and meerly frivolous: And all that are Contrary to Love are pernicious, whatever the con∣trivers pretend or dream.

III. UNITY is the strength and preservation of Societies, and Selfishness and Division is their weakness, their dissolution and their ruine. As in Natural, so in Political Bodies, the closest and perfectest Vnion of Parts, maketh the firmest and most durable com∣position. What is the strength of an Army but their UNITY? When they obey one General Commander, and cleave inseparably together, and forsake not one another in fight, such an Army would conquer far greater multitudes of incoherent separable men: when every Souldier thinketh how

to shift for himself, and to save his own life what∣ever become of others, a few run away first, and shew the rest the way, and they are quickly all made conquered fugitives: when they that resolve [We must all stand or fall together, and we will not Live or escape alone; It is more the Army than my Life that I would preserve] these are seldom over∣come by any policy or power. What is the con∣quest of an Army, but the routing and scattering of them? The strength of composed bodies lyeth in the great Number of parts most inseparably conjoyned. Small Cities and Republicks are made a prey to po∣tent Princes, because they are insufficient for their own defence, and are hardly Vnited with their neigh∣bours for mutual preservation. An United flame of many Combustibles consumeth all without resi∣stance; when divided sparks and candles have no such power: Divided drops of rain are easily born, when United streams and floods bear down all be∣fore them. He can break a single thread, that can∣not break a cord that is made of multitudes. And though the chief strength of the Church of Christ be not in themselves, but in their God and Head, yet God fitteth every thing to the use that he de∣signeth it to, and maketh that creature, that person, that society strong, which he will have to be most safe and durable, and to do the works and bear the burdens that require strength. Though we have all one God and Christ and Spirit, yet are there great va∣riety of gifts and graces; and as there are strong and weak Christians, so there are strong and weak Churches and Common-wealths.

O what great things can that Church or King∣dom do, which is fully United in it self! What great assaults can they withstand and overcome! But the Devil himself knoweth that a Kingdom or a

house divided cannot stand, Matth. 12. 25, 26. And therefore by some kind of Concord (whatever it is) even Satans King∣dom is upheld: And by Discord it is that he hopeth and laboureth to destroy Christs Kingdom. And he that would have Christs Kingdom to be stronger than the Devils, must do his part that it be more United, and less divided. All living creatures perish by the dissolu∣tion of parts: what Concord and Discord do in Kingdoms and all societies, he must be stupidly ig∣norant that knoweth not after so long experience of the world. Therefore they who agree in errour, are hardliest convinced (which is the Roman strength) and they take their own Concord for an evidence of truth: And those that disagree and divide and wrangle, are apt to be drawn at last to suspect if not forsake that truth in which they are agreed. Con∣cord corroborateth even rebels and thieves in evil, much more the ser∣vants of God in good.

O unhappy people of God (saith Hierome in Psal. 82.) that cannot so well agree in good as wicked men do in evil! But, by his leave, there is more Unity and Concord among all Christs true servants, than among any wicked men: else the Devils Kingdom would be stronger and perfecter than Christs.

Obj. But this of Jeromes is a common saying, and common experience seemeth to confirm it. How unanimous were the Sodomites in assaulting the house of Lot? and what multitudes every where agree in Igno∣rance and enmity to the godly? and how divided and quarrelsome are the Religious sort?

Ans. The question whether Christs Kingdom or Sa∣tans hath more Vnity and Concord, requireth a distinct∣er kind of answer; which is, I. UNITY is one thing, and similitude is another. 2. Active Concord or Union of excellent coherent and cooperative na∣tures, is one thing, and Negative non-repugnancy of dead or baser creatures is another.

1. As there is a great similitude between incohe∣rent sands or drops of rain, so is there between un∣godly men: They are very like in their privations and ungodliness: but this is no Vnity at all. But the faithful are not only Like, but Vnited, as many drops in one Ocean, or as many Candles united in one flame, or many Sun-beams in one Sun and aire. 2. All these sands, or dust or dead bodies, quarrel not among themselves, because they are unactive be∣ings, whose nature is to lye still; while parents and children and brethren may have many fallings out: And yet there is that Vnity in Parents and Children, inclining them to the Loving Communion of each other, which is not in the sand or dust or dead.

And so wicked men in some cases have not those vital principles which are necessary to an active quarrel, and yet may have far less Vnion than the Godly in their scandalous discord. Swine and Dogs will not strive or fight for Gold or Lands or Lordships, as men do; nor Asses for the food or de∣licates of men; nor yet for our ornaments or gay cloathes: Brutes never contend for preheminence in Learning, nor fall out in argumentation as men do; Because their faculties are as dead to all these things: And that which moveth not, doth not strive: so wicked men strive not who shall please God best, or who shall be soundest in the faith, or the great∣est enemy to sin, which is the commonest cont••nti∣on of good men, (while some of them mistake some

sins for no sins, and some take those to be sins that are none) But Brethren that oft fall out, have yet more Vni∣ty, than strangers that never think of one another, or than fellow-travellers that quietly travel in the way. Godly persons are all closely United in one God, one Christ, one faith, one hope, one bond of Love to one ano∣ther, one mind, and one design and work, as to the main. There is no such Vnion as this among the un∣godly. It's true, that they all Agree by way of si∣militude, in being all blind, all bad, all worldly and fleshly, all void of Gods spirit, and all enemies to the godly: But so all dead Carkasses agree in being dead, and all toads agree in being toads and poyso∣nous: And yet when the fable feigneth the belly and the hands and feet to fall out, because the hands and feet must labour for the belly, they had then more Vnity than several Carkasses, ••oads or serpents that never fall out: yea if a gowty foot be a tor∣ment to all the Body, it hath yet more Vnity with the body than another mans foot hath that putteth it to no pain.

But yet the perfectest Vnity hath also ••ase and strength, and safety. Things United are durable. Death when it creepeth upon decaying age, doth it by gradual separations and dissolution: The fruit and the leaves first fall from the tree, and then one branch dyeth, and then another: The combined parts of our nutritious juices are first loosened, and then separated in our decaying bodies; and then the pained parts feel the ill effects: The hair falleth off; The teeth ••ot and fall out: and we dye by degrees, as by a coalition of parts we lived by degrees in our generation and augmentation; saith Boetius, Omne quod est, tam

diu manet & subsistit, quam diis sit unum; sed interit & dissolvitur quando unum esse desierit. We live while we are One: We dye when we cease to be One: and we decay when by separation we hasten towards it; and we grow weak when by looseness we grow more se∣parable. Therefore all Loosening opinions or princi∣ples, which tend to abate the Love and Vnity of Christians, are weakening principles and tend to death. Schisms in the Church, and feuds or wars in the Commonwealth, and mutinies in Armies, are the ap∣proaches or threatnings of death: Or if such ••e∣vers and bloody fluxes prove not mortal, the cure must be by some excellent remedy, and Divine cle∣mency and skill. Discordia Ordinum est reipublicae ve∣nenum, saith Livy. For (as Salust. saith) War is easily begun (as fire in the City easily kindled,) but to end it requireth more ado. And the ••nd is seldom in the power of the same persons that began it; much less will it end as easily as it might have been pre∣vented. It's like the eruption of waters that begin at a small breach in the damm or banks, but quick∣ly make themselves a wider passage. Prov. 26. 17. He that passeth by and medleth with strife which is not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears. Prov. 17▪ 14. The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention before it be medled with (or exasperated or stirred up to rage.) As passion inclineth men to strive, rail or some way hurt, so all discord and division inclineth men to a warring depressing way against others; As Gregory saith [When perverse minds are once engaged ad studium con∣trarietatis, to a study of contrariety, they arm themselves to oppugne all that is said by another, be it wrong or right; for when the person through contrariety is dis∣pleasing to them, even that which is right, when spoken

by him is displeasing. And when this is the study of each member, to prove all false or bad that another saith or doth, and to disgrace and weaken one ano∣ther, what strength, what safety, what peace, what duration can be to that society?

IV. UNITY is also the BEAUTY, and Comeliness of the Church and all societies: Perfect UNITY without Diversity is proper to God. But ab Vno omnia: that all the innumerable parts of his Creation, should by Order and VNITY make ONE UNIVERSE or world; that all the members of the Church of Christ, of how great va∣riety of gifts, degrees and place soever should make one Body, this is the Divine skill; and this Order and Vnity is the Beauty of his works. If the Order and Vnity of many Letters made not words, and of many words made not sentences, and of ma∣ny sentences made not Books, what were their ex∣cellency or use? If many Notes ordered and united made not Harmony, what were the pleasure of mu∣sick or melody? And how doth this Concord make it differ from a discordant odious noise? The Unity of well-ordered Materials is the Beauty of an Edi∣fice: And the Unity of well-ordered and proportioned members, is the symmetrie and Beauty of the Body▪ It delighteth mans nature more to read the history of Loves, and amiable concord (which is the charm∣ing snare in tempting Lust••books) than to read of odious and ruinating discords: And no doubt but the many histories of sinful discord, and their effects are purposely recorded in Scripture, to make it the more hateful to all believers: This is the use of the recorded malice of Cain to Abel, of the

effect of the Babel division of tongues; of the disagreement of the servants of Abraham and Lot; of the envy of Jo∣sephs brethren, and of Esau's thoughts of revenge against Jacob, and of Ja∣cobs fear of him; of the discord of La∣ban and Jacob; of the bloody fact of Simeon and Levi, and Jacob's dying de∣testation of it and his curse; of the two Hebrews that strove with each other, and one of them with Moses; of the Israelites murmurings and mu∣tinies against Moses; Abimelech's cru∣elty against his brethren; of the tribe of Ephraim's quarrel with Jephta; and the Israelites with the Benjamites and their war; of the envy of Saul against David, and his pursuit; of his and Doegs cruelty against the Priests; of Absoloms rebellion against David; of Joabs murders and his death; of Solomons jealousie and execution of Adonijah; of Rehoboams foolish dif∣ference with his subjects, and the loss of the ten tribes, and Jeroboam's reign; of the continual wars of Juda and Israel; of the many malicious actions of Priests and people against Jeremiah, Amos and other Prophets and Messengers of God; of the persecuting cruelty of Herod against Christ and the Infants, in his jealousies about his Crown; of the Jews malicious and foolish oppo∣sition to Christ, of Christs disciples striving which should be the Greatest, and the aspiring request of James and John; of the short dissention of Paul and Barnabas, &c. Are not all these, unpleasant histories to us, and written to make dissentions odious? To this end

it is that we have the sad history of the early con∣tentions between the Jewish and the Gentile Christi∣ans about Circumcision, and the Law, and the re∣conciling assembly, Act. 15. To this end we have the sad history and sharp reproofs of the factions and sidings among the Corinthians; of the false Apostles envy raised against Paul among the Corin∣thians and Galatians; and of those that preached Christ out of envy and in strife, to add affliction to his bonds, Phil. 1. of the many heresies that rose up even in those first Churches to trouble, desile them and disgrace them; To this end we have the abun∣dance of sharp rebukes of contentious persons, and such as strove about words, and genealogies and the Law; and the reproofs of many of the Asian Chur∣ches, Rev. 2. & 3. and the odious description of the hereticks, 2 Pet. 2. & Jud. &c. not only as cor∣rupters of doctrine, but in a special manner as Sepa∣ratists and dividers of and from the Christian Chur∣ches. To this end we have the sad predictions that two sorts should arise and tear the Churches, Act. 20. Grievous wolves that should not spare the flocks, and some of themselves that should speak perverse things to draw away disciples after them. To this use we have so many vehement obtestations, and exhortati∣ons against discord and divisions; even in those times of vigorous Love and Concord: such as 1 Cor. 1. 10, &c. & 3. &c. Phil. 2. 1, 2, &c. 3. 14, 15, 16. and abundance such, of which hereafter. And even those that by their Master are taught not to be too forward in seeing the mote in anothers eye, must yet be intreated to Mark them that cause Divisi∣ons and offences and avoid them; and whereas they that were such, pretended to be the most excellent ser∣vants of Christ, and to speak more sublimely and spi∣ritually, for greater edification and advancement

of Knowledge than the Apostles did, it was no ill censoriousness to judge, that being the Causes of Di∣visions and offences, contrary to Christs doctrine of Love, Vnity and peace, they did not serve the Lord Jesus (whose great and last command was Love, which he made the Nature and character and badge of his true disciples) but by those good words and fair speeches deceived the hearts of the simple and de∣ceivable. Here there are four words especially to be noted: 1. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which we translate good words, is commonly translated flattery; but as Beza well noteth, it signifieth a speaking of things that are plausible in themselves for some good that is in them, and that are pretended to be all spoken for the hearers good; as Satan pretended when he tempted Eve; yea, perhaps to be necessary to their salvation, or to make them the most knowing and excellent sort of Christians. 2. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which sig∣nifieth both to Bless them as ministers do that desire their happiness, and to praise them and speak well or highly of them: And so almost all sects and di∣vided bodies are gathered by flattering the hearers into a conceit that thus they shall become the surest and most excellent Christians; and all others are far inferiour to them. 3. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, It is the Hearts of such hearers that are deceived, and not their heads or reason only or chiefly: For the good words first take with them by moving their Passions or affe∣ctions; And then the Praise, fair promises and speeches kindle a kind of secret spiritual pride and ambition in the heart, as Satans words did in Eve to be as Gods in Knowledge: And the Heart thus infected and puft up promoteth the deceit of the un∣derstanding. 4. And this is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, hominum minime malorum, as Beza translates. It is not simple fools, but such simple persons as we call harmless or

innocents, (as the Vulgar Latine translates it), well meaning men, or not ill men: People that fear God and have good desires and meanings, are for want of Judgement and watchfulness overcome by divi∣ders.

And on the contrary, the amiable examples of Vnity and Concord, and their happy effects, are re∣corded in Scripture, to make us in Love with them: but none so eminent as that of the first Christians. It is very remarkable, that when Christ would shew the world the work of his Mediation in its notable effects, and when he would shew them the excellency of his disciples about the common world, and of his Church under the Gospel above that under Moses Law, he doth it by shewing them in the power and exercise of Vniting Love. Love was it which he came to exercise and demonstrate (his Fathers and his own): Love was that which he came to kindle in their souls, and bring them to possess and practise: Perfect Love is the perfect felicity which he hath promised them: Love and Unity are the matter of his last and great Command: These are the Chara∣cters of his genuine disciples, and of the renewed Di∣vine Nature in them: It was Love and Vnity which must in them be the witness of Christs spirit and power, to convince the unbelieving world; And therefore it is Love and Vnity which is the matter of his last excellent prayer for them: John 17. 22, 23, 24, 25. & 15. 12, 17. & 13. 34. 1 John 3. 14, 23. & 4. 21. And all these his preparations, precepts, examples, and prayers, were accordingly exempli∣fied in the wonderful Love and Concord of his fol∣lowers. When the day of Pentecost was come, in which the Holy Ghost must be most eminently com∣municated to them, they were all with One accord in one place, Acts 2. 1. The Apostles had an Vnanimity

and Concord before, proportionable to the measure of their grace, which was preparatory to their recep∣tion of the eminent gift of the Spirit, which increased their unanimity. And v. 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46. the three thousand that were suddenly added to the Church, continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellow∣ship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers: And all that believed were together, and had all things com∣mon, and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men as every man had need: And 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, praising God, and having favour with all the people.] What greater de∣monstration could be given that Christ is the great Reconciler, the messenger, gift and teacher of Love, the Prince of Peace, and the great Vniter of the divided world, both with his Father and Him∣self, and with one another.

In this text Acts 2. and marvellous example, you see the design and work of the great Reconciler: When men fall out with God, they fall out with one another: when they depart from the only Center of Vnity, they can have no true Unity among them∣selves: when they lose the Love of God, they lose the Love of Man as for Gods sake and interest. And he that cannot see and Love God in man, can see nothing in man that is worthy of much love: As he that loveth not a man for his soul and its operati∣ons, more than for his body, loveth him not as a man: And few have any great Love to a dead Corpse. Cicero could say, It is your soul that we speak to, and converse with: were that departed we should speak to you no more. God is more to every man, than his soul: If God were not their life and amiable∣ness, all men would be unlovely loathsome carkasses:

Therefore wicked men that cannot Love God and Goodness, can Love none thoroughly but themselves and for themselves, or as Bru••es by a low or sensitive kind of love: For it is self that they are fallen to from God and Man: And yet while self is carnally and inordinately loved instead of God and Man, it is but destroyed and undone by that inordinate ido∣latrous love: And he that loveth Himself to his own destruction (with a Love more pernicious than ano∣thers hatred) doth love his friends but with such a kind of killing love: (as I have seen some Brutes kill their young ones with the violence of their love, that would not suffer them to let them alone.) Thus all love to man, saving a pernicious love, doth dye, where the love of God and goodness dieth: And Cain giveth the world the first specimen or in∣stance of depraved nature, in envy and wrath, and finally in the murder of his Brother, and undoing Himself, by setting up and adhering inordinately to himself.

But when Christ reconcileth God and Man, he re∣concileth Men to one another: For he teacheth men to love God in Man, and Man for God, with a Ho∣ly, noble, reasonable kind of Love: And so to love all men, as far as God hath an Interest in all: And to Love all Christians with an eminent Love, as God is eminently interessed in them. And this is Christs work on the souls of men; and much of his business which he came for into the world. And therefore he would have his first Disciples to give the world such a specimen of Love in this extraor∣dinary way of Community: For as extraordina∣ry works of Power, (that is, Miracles) must be wrought by the first Preachers of the Gospel, to shew Christs power, and convince the unbelieving world; so it was as needful that then there should be

extraordinary works of Love, to shew Christs Love, and teach them the great work of Love which he came to call and bring men to: For the first Book that Christ wrote, was on the Hearts of Men, (which no Philosopher could do); In fleshly tables he wrote LOVE TO GOD and MAN by the finger of his Spirit, (many a year before any Book of the New Testament was written). And as his Do∣ctrine was [Love one another] and [Love your ene∣mies, forbear and forgive, &c.] so his first Churches must extraordinarily exemplifie and express this do∣ctrine, by living in this extraordinary community, and selling all, and distributing as each had need: And afterwards their Love-feasts did long keep up some memorial of it: For they were the first sheet, as it were, of the New Book which Christ was pub∣lishing: And, LOVE was the summ of all that was imprinted on them: And their Practice was to be much of the Preaching that must convert the world. Christ was not a meer Orator or teacher of Words: And, non magna loquimur, sed vivimus, was the profession of his disciples: He came not meerly to talk, and teach men to talk; but to Do, and teach men to Do; even to do that himself which none else ever did, and to teach his followers to do that which no other sort of men did in this world: But this leadeth me up to the next Use of Unity.

V. The SPIRIT of UNITY and LOVE is the Great means of the Churches increase: There is a twofold augmentation of the Church: 1. Intrinsick and Intensive; when it Increaseth in all Goodness, and hasteth to perfection: And it is this Vital principle of Vniting Love, or the Spirit of Vnity, which is the immediate cause of this. 2. Extensive, when the Church is enlarged, and more are added to it: And

it is a Life of Vniting Love among Christians, that must do this as much or more than preaching: Or at least, if that preaching which is but the effect of Knowledge, produce Evangelical Knowledge in the hearers, yet a Life of Love and Vnity is the adapted means of breeding Love and Vnity, the Life of Re∣ligion in the world: Light may cause Light; but Heat must cause Heat; and it must be a Living thing that must generate life, by ordinary causation: That which cometh from the Head, may reach the Head, and perhaps the Heart, but is not so fit to ope∣rate on Hearts as that which cometh from the heart. Undoubtedly if Christians did commonly live in such Love and Vnity among themselves, and shew the fruits of common Love to all about them, as their Great master and his Religion teacheth them, they would do wonders in converting sinners, and enlarging the Church of Jesus Christ. Who could stand out against the convincing and Attractive power of Uniting Love? Who could much hate and persecute those that Love them, and shew that Love? This would heap melting coals of fire on their heads. Our Saviour knew this when he made this his great Lesson to his disciples, and when he prayed (Joh. 17. 21, 22, 23, 24.) over and over [for them which should believe on him, through the Apostles word, [that they all may be One, as thou Fa∣ther art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me: And the Glory which thou gavest me I have given them▪ that they may be One even as we are One: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in One, and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me]. O when will Christ revive this blessed principle in his follow∣ers, and set them again on this effectual way of

preaching, that Love may draw the world into the Churches Vnity? Some look for new miracles for the converting of the now-forsaken Nations: what God will do of that kind we know not; for he hath not told us: But Holy Vniting Vniversal Love is a thing which he hath still made our certain duty; and therefore we are all bound to seek and do it: And therefore we may both pray and labour for it in hope: And could we but come up to this known du∣ty, we should have a means for the worlds conversi∣on, as effectual as miracles, and more sweet and plea∣sant to them and us.

Obj. But why then is the world still unconverted, when all true Christians have this love?

Ans. 1. Alas, those true Christians are so few, and the hypocrites that are selfish worldlings are so many, that the poor people that live among pro∣fessed Christians, do judge of Christianity by those false professours, who are indeed no Christians: Men see not the hearts of one another. Thou∣sands of ungodly persons, for interest, education and custome take on them the name of Christians, who never were such indeed by heart-consent. When these counterfeit Christians live like Infidels, men think that Christians are no better than Infidels: For they think they must judge by the greater num∣ber of such as go under the Christian name. But if the world could tell who they be that are truly Christians at the heart, they would see that they have that spirit of Love, which is not in unbelievers. 2. And alas the Love and Vnity even of true Chri∣stians is yet too imperfect, and is darkened and ble∣mished with too much of the contrary vice: were Christians perfect Christians, they would indeed be the honour of their profession. Then Love would be the powerful principle of all their works; which would

taste of its nature, and, as it is said of Wine, Judg. 9. 13. it cheereth God and man, so I may say, God and man would be delighted in the sweetness of these fruits: For with such Sacrifice God is well pleased, Heb. 13. 16. But alas what crabbed and contrary fruits, how soure, how bitter do many distempered Christians bring forth? If it will increase the Church, and win men to the Love of Christianity, to be re∣viled or persecuted, to be contemned and neg∣lected, to be separated from as persons unworthy of our-love and kindness, then Christianity will not want propagaters: The pouring out of the Spirit, was the first planting of the Christian Church: And where there is most of Love, there is most of the spirit. As there needeth no forcing penal Laws, to compel men to obey God so far as Love prevaileth in them; so if Love were more eminent in the Church Pastors and Professors, that they preached and ruled and lived towards all men in the power of sincere and fervent Love, there would be less pretence for all that violence, oppression and cru∣elty, which hath been long exercised by the worldly Clergy, and so much the more odiously by how much the more the sacred name of Religion hath been used for its justification or excuse.

VI. UNITING LOVE is the GLORY and Perfection of the Church: And therefore there will be in Heaven much greater Love, and much nearer UNITY, than there is of the dearest friends on earth, yea greater and nearer than we can now distinctly understand.

And again I say, that they that in thinking of the state of separated souls, do fear lest all souls do lose their individuation, and fall into one common soul, do foolishly fear a greater Vnity than is to be

expected. (And yet nothing else about the souls Immortality is lyable to a rational doubt: For, 1. Its substance certainly is not annihilated: 2. Nor its formal essential Virtues lost, by mutation into some other species; 3. Nor doth the Activity of such an Active nature cease, 4. Nor will there want ob∣jects for it to act upon). Were it well considered that LOVE is as Natural to a soul as Heat is to the Sun, that is, an effect of that Act which its very essence doth perform; 2. And that our UNITY is an Unity of LOVE (Voluntarily performed) it would much abate such selfish fears of too much Unity: For who ever feared too much Love? too extensive, or too intensive? too large, or too near a Union of minds? And as the beloved Apostle saith, that GOD IS LOVE as a name which signifieth his essence, why may not the same be said of souls, which are his Image? that A SOUL IS LOVE? Not that this is an Adequate conception of A SOUL (much less of GOD); but of the partial or inadequate Conceptions, it seemeth to be the chiefest. The SOVL of Man is a Pure (or Spiritual) substance informed by a Virtue of Vital acti∣vity, Intellection, and Volition, (which is LOVE), informing (or animating) an organical body for a time, and separable at the bodies dissolution. And as the Calefactive Virtue is the Essence of the Fire (though not an adequate Conception of its essence; For it is a pure substance formally indu••d with the Vir∣tue Motive, Illuminative and Calefactive) and the act of Calefaction is its essence as operative on a due recipient); so LOVE is the souls essence in the faculty or Virtue, and its Essence as operative on a due object, in the Act: which Act though the soul exercise it not ad ultimum posse by such a Natu∣ral necessity as the fire heateth, yet its Nature or

Essence immediately exerciseth it, though in a fre••r manner: yea, some Acts of Love quoad specificatio∣nem, though not quoad exercitium are exercised as necessarily as calefaction by the fire: yea more, though now in the body the exercise by cogitation and sense be not so necessary, we cannot say that in its separated state it will not be so: yea yet more, even in the body the LOVE of a Mans SELF and of felicity, or pleasure, seemeth to be a deep, con∣stant or uncessant Act of the soul, though not sen∣sibly observed. And if LOVE be so far essential to it, the perfection of Love is the souls perfection, and the exercises of Love are the chief operations of the soul: And consequently the perfection and glory of the Church (which is but a conjunction of holy persons) consisteth in the same Uniting Love, which perfecteth souls.

And indeed Vniformity in circumstantials, and in external Polity were but a Carkass or Image of Unity without Uniting Love which is its soul: As much external Union in good as we are capable of, doth advantage Vnity of spirit: But all Union in evil, and all in unnecessary circumstantials, which is mana∣ged to the diminution of Christian Love, are to the Church, but as the glory of adorned cloathing, or monuments or pictures to a carkass: And the Church-Tyrants that would thus Unite us, and sa∣crifice Love and the means of it to their sort of Vni∣ty, are but like the Physician that prescribed a sic••∣man a draught of his own heart blood to cure him▪ The Inquisitors that torture mens bodies to save their souls, are not more unskilful in their pre∣tended Charity to save men, than is he that hin∣dereth or destroyeth Love, while he seeketh the Churches Unity in humane Ordinances by fraud or fear: When they have killed any Church by Love

killing snares and practices, and glory that it is united in Papal power, splendor and decrees, it is but as if they cut all a mans nerves, or cast him into a Palsie, or killed him, and gloried that they have tyed his limbs together with strings, or bound them all up in the same Winding-sheet and Coffin. That edifieth not the Church, which tendeth not to save, but to destroy mens souls.

Notes

• Mark 3. 24, 25. Luke 11. 17, 18.
• Sicut noxium est si unitas desit bonis, ita pernici∣osum est si sit in malis: Perversos quippe unitas corroborat dum concordant, & ta••∣to magis incorrigibiles quanto unanimes facit. Greg. Moral. l. 33.
• See Whateley's nota∣ble Di••course of this in his Carecloth. Doct. 1.
• De consol▪ philos. l. 4.
• Moral. l. 9.
• Gen. 4. 8, 9. & 13. 7. &c. 19. 4. & 26. 20. & 27. 41. & 31. 36. & 34. 25, &c. & 49. & 50. & 53. Exod. 2. 13. & 16. 2. & 17. 3. Numb. 21. 4, 5, 6. Judg. 9. & 12. & 20. 1 Sam. 18. & 2 Sam. 3. & 15. & 19. 1 King. 12. &c.
• 2 Chron. 36. 16. Mat. 2. & 3. Luke 22. Act. 15. 1, &c. & 15. 39, 40. 1 Cor. 1. & 3. &c.