A perswasive to peace, amongst the sons of peace. Or a treatise of Christian peace, wherein is shewed the nature, necessity, and excellency of it : as also that it is a duty incumbent upon all Christians, especially those who are invested with chiefe power and authority to do what they can to procure it : with a proposall of some means that may be fit for this purpose. / By Tho: Whitfeld minister of the Gospel.

CHAP. XIIII. Shewing what magistrates may do more than others for procuring the peace of the Church.

VVHat magistrates may do more than others for si∣lencing

and quieting those contro∣versies and contentions that are in the Church, and so for procuring peace and good agreement, may appeare in these particulars.

1 The magistrate may make choyce of a considerable number of those Divines that are of different judgments, singling out such as are most pious and conscientious, and of the most meeke and mode∣rate spirits, and cause them to meer in a loving and amicable way, not to dispute, but to consult and de∣bate about the readiest and like∣liest way about composing their differences, and bringing things to a good agreement.

2 He may cause them plainly to declare in what points they all agree, and wherein they are all of one mind and judgment, and would be ready to assist each other in maintaining and defending the fame truths.

3 There being no question but such as these will agree in all sub∣stantialls, in so many truths as may give sufficient testimony that they are all sons of the same heavenly father, all brethren in Christ, members of the same mysticall body, and such as have true inte∣rest in the same covenant of grace: the magistrate may then cause them seriously to professe and pro∣mise, as in the presence of God, that they will sincerely and hearti∣ly endeavour to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, to edifie one another in love, and to bring things to a good agree∣ment amongst themselves, and for this purpose willingly yeeld each to other, so farr as they may, salvâ conscient â.

4 He may likewise cause them to shew wherein they disagree, & dissent one from another; which being likely not to be in matters of

doctrine but only of discipline and government. And that not in the substantialls of it (wherein almost all good men agree): but only in the circumstantialls, and things of lesser moment. Such as are no way fit to be laid in the ballance with the peace of the Church. In these things the magistrate may per∣swade the lesser part to yeeld to the greater, since the rule is. That the spirits of the prophets must he subject to the prophets. And if this rule be renounced, there will be left no way for composing of dif∣ferences. And there is no great doubt but such as are truly pious and of meeke and humble spirits, will be perswaded to yeeld to their brethren in things that are not pre∣cisely determined by the word, & to waite with patience, till either their owne judgment be altered, or they can perswade others to be of their mind, rather than by a∣bounding

in their owne sense, to disturb the peace of the Church, and cause it to be rent in snnder with fractions and divisions: since the rule is, that every one ought to please his neighbour in that which is good and tends to edification, Rom. 15.2. That we ought to seeke peace and ensue it, and if it be possible to have peace with all men. If with all men, much more with those that are joyned to us in the strongest bonds of the best and nearest rela∣tion, that are joyned to the same head, and are living members of the same mysticall body with our selves.