Truth will out a sermon preached on the 20th of June, 1683, upon the discovery of the new plot / by a presbyter of the Church of England.

CHAP. III. Joyning graces.

1. Wisdom.

THe deepest seas are the most calm, so men of the deepest judgments are most quiet. A man of understanding is of an excellent spirit, Prov. 17.27. or thus, is of a cool spirit, for so the word signifies; his spirit is not heat with passion, there is a cool dew of examination and deliberation upon his spirit, he weighs the circumstances, consequences, and issues of things; he orders and disposes of things so, as jarrs, contradictions and oppositions are prevented. The wisdom that is from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, and easie to be entreated, James 3.17. Rea∣son and Wisdom have a majesty in them, and will force reve∣rence. Let passion reverence the presence of Reason, sayes Basil, as children doing things unseemly are afraid of the presence of men of worth.

2. Faith.

1. THis unites us to Christ and God, and in them to one another.

2. Faith commits all causes, all fears, injuries to God.

3. Faith lays hold upon, and improves those gracious pro∣mises that God hath made to his Churches for union. Faith sues out the Bond.

4. Faith is able to descry the issue of troubles and afflictions; Though Sense sayes, It will not be, Reason, It cannot be, yet Faith gets above, and sayes, It shall be, I descry land: and thus it quits all in the soul; all being quiet there, the turbulent mo∣tions that are in our spirits one towards another are soon quieted.

3. Humility.

COloss. 3.12. Put on as the elect of God, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind. Ephes. 4.2. With all lowli∣ness and meekness, and long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Philip. 2.3. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better then himself. We may say of Humility, as Tertullus, Acts 24. said

of Felix, By thee we enjoy great quietness. An humble heart looks upon every truth of God as infinitely above it self, therefore it is willing to receive it from any; a child may lead it, Esa. 11.6. One Baldassar, a German Divine, writing to Oecolampadius, hath this notable expression, Let the Word of the Lord come, let it come, and we will put under six hundred necks if we had them. Such a disposition as this would make much for peace. Esa. 32.18, 19. we have a promise, that the people of God should dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in quiet resting places, and the City shall be low, in a low place. When the heart lyes lowest, it is quietest.

4. Self-denyal.

THe joynts in the body cannot joyn, but one part must be hollow, and give way to the other. Condescention of one to another is a principal thing in friendship. Phil. 2. the ex∣ample of Christ emptying himself, and making himself to be of no reputation, is set before us as an argument for our union, that therefore we should do nothing through strife, be like min∣ded, having the same love, and be of one accord, and one mind. It is indifferent to a heart emptyed of Self, whether it conquers, or be conquered, so Truth may triumph. In other conflicts the Conquerour hath the honour, and the conquered is disgraced; but in the conflict for truth, both conquered and conquerour are honourable; the mercy is the greater to him that is conquered, but he must have a self-denying heart to make him think so.

5. Patience.

THe Olive, the Emblem of Peace, will continue green, though overflown by the waters for a long time toge∣ther. After Noah had been so long in the Ark, the Dove brought an Olive leaf in her mouth to him. It may be an em∣blem of Patience as well as Peace. Patience and Peaceableness are near akin. Ephes. 4.2, 3. Long-suffering is amongst the gra∣ces, where the unity of the spirit is to be kept in the bond of peace.

There is a notable story I find in the lives of the German Divines: One Vitus Theodorus a Divine, sends to advise with Melancthon what he should do when Osiander preached against

him; Melancthon writes to him, and beseeches him for the love of God, yea charges him, that he should not answer Osian∣der again, but that he should hold his peace, and behave him∣self as if he heard nothing. Vitus Theodorus writes back again, This was very hard, yet he would obey. Let not men be too hasty to oppose oppositions, but let them go on patiently in a constant way, resolving to bear what they meet with, and God at length will make their righteousness break forth as the light. Confute evil reports by thy life. He that knows not to bear calumnies, reproaches, injuries, he knows not how to live, saies Chytraeus, another German Divine.

6. Joy in the Holy Ghost.

ROm. 14.17. The Kingdom of Heaven is righteousness, peace, joy in the Holy Ghost. This grace in the heart puts a grace upon all a mans conversation; it makes it lovely and amiable. The beams of the Sun shining upon the fire will put it out; The beams of this spiritual Joy will put out the fire of our passions.

7. Meekness, Gentleness.

MIlk quenches Wild-fire, Oyle (says Luther) quenches Lime, which water sets on fire. Opposition will heat, will fire men, when meekness and gentleness will still and quench all. Cicero says, Sweetness in speech and carriage is that which seasons friendship; severity in every thing and sadness must not be among friends in their converse; such a kind of car∣riage may have a seeming gravity, but friendship must have a remisness, it must be more free and sweet, disposed to all mild∣ness and easiness, Ephes. 4.2, 3. Meekness comes in as a speci∣al grace for peace and unity, so Col. 3.12.

8. Love.

THat is the special uniting grace; Faith indeed hath the preheminence in our union with Christ our head, but Love is the Grace that Unites the Members. 1 Corinth. 13. the Apostle shews many of his Fruits of this Grace, all tending to Union and Peace; It suffers long, it envies not, it is not puffed up, it behaves not it self unseemly, it seeketh not her own, it is not easily pro∣voked, thinketh no evil, beareth all things, believeth all things,

hopeth all things, endureth all things; Bearing all things, and Endu∣ring all things seem to be the same, therefore some would have it, it covereth all things, for so the word also signifies; but there is a greater elegancy in it in the Translation, Beareth all things, it is like the cross main Beam in a House, supporting the whole Build∣ing; and were it not for some who have the love of God and his truth, and the good of the publick, enabling them to undergo what they do, all things in Church and State would be ready to fall into confusion, to be nothing but a heap of Rubbish, but this Love ena∣bles to bear all things: But if they have no encouragement, but see that thô they hazard themselves never so much, be of never so great use, do the greatest Services that can be expected from men, yet when mens turns are served, they are little regarded, but en∣vyed and narrowly watched. 4. Spy out any thing that may have some shew of excepting against them, and left to shift for them∣selves as well as they can, when they might justly expect a greater reward of their Services, yet are disappointed, their hearts are griev∣ed; but yet because they are acted by a principle of Love to God, his cause, the publick, they therefore still hold out, go on in their way, labour to be as instrumental as they can for good, commit themselves and all their endeavours to God, expecting encouragement from him, and so they endure all things; such men are worth their weight in gold; here is a heart that hath much of the Spirit of God in it: God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, dwel∣leth in God, and God in him: No marvel though these men act so swiftly in their way; no marvel though their motion in publique service be so speedy, for their Charet is like that Charet of Solo∣mons, Cant. 3.10. The middle thereof is paved with love, and this is for the daughters of Jerusalem: Now the love of God be for ever with these his servants, the blessing of the Almighty, and all his Saints, be with them, upon them, in them and theirs for ever.

These with other uniting graces that might be mentioned, are the graces that God expects should be in a special manner acted in these times; and this is in a holy manner 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to serve the time, as some Copies have it, Rom. 12.11. This is the most suitable work for the times wherein we live. What is more sea∣sonable for divided times than uniting graces? and that union that comes from the acting of these graces, is a spiritual, holy, truly Christian union, a raised union to a far higher pitch than any natural excellencies can raise unto. It is an excellent saying

of Clemens Alexandrinus, If the spiritual man be in us, our huma∣nity is fraternity. What then is our fraternity? it is raised to that which hath no name to express it: The union of the Saints in heaven is beyond the union of fraternity; this which is of grace is of the same nature.