his great work, we may read in his Prayer, where
it is the burden and main strain, the great request, he
so iterates, that they may be one, as we are one ver. 11. a
high comparison, such as Man durst not name: but
after him that so warrants us, and again ver. 21. that
they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I
in thee, that they also may be one in us, and so on.
So that certainly where this is, it is the ground
work of another kind of Friendship and love, than
the World is acquainted with, or is able to judge of,
and hath more worth in one drachme of it, than all the
quintessence of civil or natural assection can amount
to. The friendship of the World, the best of them, are
but tyed with chains of glass, but this fraternal love
of Christians, is a Golden chain, both more precious,
and more strong and lasting: the other are worthless
and brittle.
The Christian ows and pays a General Charity, and
good will to all; but peculiar and intimate friendship
he cannot have, but with such as come within the com∣pass
of this fraternal love. Which after a special man∣ner
flows from God, and returns to him, and a∣bides
in him, and shall remain unto eternity.
Where this love is, and abounds it will banish far
away all those dissentions, and bitternesses, and those
••rivolous mistakings, that are so frequent amongst the
most, it will teach wisely and gently to admonish
one another, where it is needful: but further than
that, it will pass by many offences, and failings, and
cover a multitude of sins, and will very much sweeten
Society and make it truly profitable, therefore the Psal∣mist
calls it, both good and pleasant that Bret••ren dwell
together in unity, it persumes all, as the precious ••ynt∣••••••••••••,
&c.