Certaine considerations shewing the necessity of a correspondencie in spirituall matters betwixt all Protestant churches an especiall meanes for effecting whereof and healing our present breaches would be a nationall synod / by John Dury.

Of the first.

In the truth of our Religious profession of [ 1] Christianity, we should consider the things where∣in

it doth consist; the end wherefore God giveth his graces, for which wee should make use of the same, and the meanes by which wee may attaine to this end.

The truth of Christianity consisteth in the sound∣ness of the Doctrine, & in the holiness of the life of the Professors, Tit. 1.1, 3, 8. To maintain & advance both these, Protestants are obliged one towards another, by the communion of Saints, whereof they make profession in the Symbole of the Apo∣stles. But the communion of Saints is not onely the conjunction of beleevers in faith, and hope, and hearty prayers towards God one for another; but also a reall endeavour to communicate the graces which God hath bestowed upon every one seve∣rally, to each other in common, by a charitable care to provoke one another unto love, and to good workes, Heb. 10.24. which cannot possibly be done, except a Correspondency for maintain∣ing of Truth and Holinesse be intended: There∣fore such a Correspondency is absolutely necessa∣rie to be intended; and if it be not intended, the communion of Saints is broken, and the truth of Doctrine, with the life of Holinesse, will suffer losse and damage thereby, and God will infallibly require such a losse at the hands of those which are causes thereof, or doe not hinder it when they may.

The end wherefore God doth give the graces and gifts of his Spirit, is, that the Members of the [ 2] body of Christ should profit thereby one to∣wards another, 1 Corinth. 12. 7. and that they

should trade therewith, to gaine more graces, Luke 19. 12, 13. Matth. 25.14. But it is no more possible to doe this, without an intention of main∣taining an intercourse of Spirituall Corresponden∣cie, then it is possible for the members of the bo∣die, which are not knit together by joynts, sinews, and veines, to conveigh bloud and nourishment one to another: Therefore a course of Corre∣spondencie is absolutely necessary to be intended; or, if it be not intended, and put in practice, Gods intention, in giving his gifts unto his Church, is not fulfilled, and hee may, and will justly deprive such of them as make no good use thereof.

The end, to which wee should use Gods graces, [ 3] is the glory of God, 1 Corin. 10.31. and our mu∣tuall edification, 1 Corin. 14.26. and Rom. 14.19. and 15.2. These two ends are subordinate one to another: For, God cannot be glorified otherwise by us, then by this, that we bring forth much fruit one towards another, John 15.6. and Matth. 15.6. because our good cannot reach to him, as David saith, Psal. 16.2. but to the Saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent Ones, in whom should be all our delight, ibid. ver. 3. But it is not possible to intend this communication of our goodnesse unto the Saints, by the endeavour of mutuall edifica∣tion, except we use meanes to know one anothers condition, of which, the chiefe is a constant course of mutuall intelligence and correspondencie: Therefore a settled Correspondencie is wholly necessary to be intended, if wee will not deprive God of his glory, and his Saints of the interest

which they should have in us by the right use of our talents.

The meanes by which this end is to bee at∣tained [ 4] is, to endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, which wee are com∣manded, and by many reasons exhorted to doe, Ephes. 4.3, 4, 5, 6. Now this endeavour, because it is the immediate effect of true charity, therefore it is the true meanes of mutuall edification: For onely charity is that which doth edifie, as may appeare clearly by 1 Corinth. 8.1. and Chapt. 13. Ephes. 4.15, 16. Now charity cannot bee main∣tained, except there be an endeavour to know one anothers estate; nor can the unity of the Spirit bee kept or sought for, without this same care: There∣fore a Correspondencie for mutuall intelligence in Spirituall matters, tending to unity and peace in the profession of the truth, is a thing absolutely necessary to bee intended by those that make sin∣cere profession of the Gospell; or, if they intend it not, it is apparent they neglect a fundamentall duty of the life of Christianity, because they make no use of the chiefe and onely meanes of mutuall edification, wherein God is chiefly glorified.