1 Cor. 3. 4.

C. 1. 13.

G

* p. 56. Calvin, I am of Knipperdoling, I am of Fox or Nailor) are ge net Carnal? Is

Christ divided? Is there any more then one Body,one Spirit, one Hope, one Lord,

one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all? Where ihere are the Eph.4.4,5,6.

true Fundamentals of Religion and the genuine Apostolical Constitutions kepe Pinc. Lir. C. 3• up (which have been own'd and profest every where, always, and by all,) there can be no solid ground or occasion for divisions amongst us.

But our cupping Adversaries and their Emissaries have Subtily invented many many Scru. ples about the outward Practice of Worship and meer Formal Expressions of Religion; and industriously scatter'd and insinuated them up and down amongst us; and in weak, injudicious, and unsettled Minds have conjur'd up that fright.

full Bug-bear of (at least pretended) tenderness of Conscience; that our pre2 Tim. 3. s. fent divisions are only about the meer outward forms of Godliness, but no ways

against the Doctrine and Power thereof deliver'd unto us by Christ and his
Apostles. All our National Churches and publick Societies are naturally fond of
the outward Dress and Fashion of Religion, into which they were put by
their first Reformers; and the crafty Seminaries of Rome, under the false Dis-
guise of Angels of Light, secretly and studiously promote this Stiffness and
Rigidness of Party against Party, of Nation against Nation; and privately
creeping into Houses and Corners, daily raise and foment new Scruples and
Dissentions in private Men amongst them. Yet every where these poor delud-
cd Creatures upanimously declaim and rail against the Pope, por discerning that
by their Schisms, they in the mean time infallibly do his work. The very fame
ill success must needs attend that lare pious design of other Nations as well as
our own, for propagating Christianity in both the Indies; our Missioners will
assuredly endeavour to settle the Doctrine and Discipline of our Church; the
Lutherans and Calvinists, the Quakers and other Sectaries and new Apostles,
without all doubt will attempt the Jame; as the Papists have for a long time here
and there successfully (if you will believe them) done it before them; and as weso
lately have seen it practised in turning Cyril Lucar one way, and Dofitheus ano-
ther. Now what will the Wiser and Discreeter fort of Heathens thiok or say of
Christians, whom they find thus divided amongst themselves? Must it not be
something like this, is their God the true God of Peace and Love more then

each particular God of our own ? Do they agree more then we? Are not their

• divisions and mutual Persecutions and Hatred of one another, as amazing and Rom. 5. 21,' odious as those of the old Ægyptians, who from the visible things of this

World all indeed knew God but gave his Glory, severally, to Birds and
Şorabo.sig."?. Beasts and creeping things? Nay, they fought and devoured one another,
Fuver.sal.15.for the very Worship of Leeks and Onions ? Is not this much the same

case, or worse, of the present Christians? Who Scorn, Hare, Revile, Curse,
Excommunicate; nay, burn one another? The mutual Spite and Detestation

of the Karaïm and Rabanaïm Jews and Samaritans, divide and separate them Deut. 6.4. as much; and therein they dishonour their one Lord of Israel. Their Ob

stinate and joint aversion for Christians, and Christians contempt of them, look Eph. 4. 6. as if they did not own the same one God and Father of them all. May not

the Heathen have occasion to say alike to all these, where is now the God of
Peace and Love, which they all pretend alike to adore; whilst true Peace and
Brotherly Love, impartial Dealing and universal Charity, is no where to
be found amongst them, in Nation towards Nation, Society towards Society,

scarce in one Man towards another? When the whole world is to be gatherJoh. 10. 16. ed together and to be made one blessed Sheepfold under one Shepherd, can

any one Society of all these Votaries, be so vain and self conceited as to pre-
tend or expect that it will be done only, and exactly, after their own present
particular outward Form of Worship, or precisely after their peculiar
Scheme of Discipline and Admioistration of it? No; that will be the work
only of the Almighty and All-wise Reformer himself, and must be ler a-
lone, as to his own due time, fo wholly to his owo Disposal.

23.

Yec

Yet he hath sufficiently directed us what to do in the niean time; Let * p. 51. your Light, faith he, só shine before Men, that they may see your good Mat. 5. 16 works and Glorify your Father which is in Heaven. This divine Rule will quite frustrate the malicious Policy of Rome by working a better understanding amongst all the Reformed; and it will fully answer and confound all the Obje&tions and Cavils of all other Gainsayers. Let your Light; the Faith and Divine

* p. 528 Knowledge of Religion which you pretend to and profess, appear so publickly, clearly, and constantly, in the sight of all Men with whom you Converse; that they may see your good Works, your Pious, Devout, and Innocent Behaviour ; your sincere and itcady Practice of Uprightness and true Holiness in all your ways; thus they will be convinc'd that you your selves are in good carnest, and that you aim at nothing else, but the Glory of the true God, which they cannot withstand, but must acknowledge and admire as well as you. This incomparable Lesson alone, well understood and diligently Practised, will, by God's help, bring to nought all those Evils which the Craft and Subtiba ty of the Devil or Man worketh against us.

Let us now see what blessed Effect the punctual Observation of it must certainly produce as to the common Enemy. Thou (whoever thou art ) that doft declare thy self a profest Adversary to the Doctrines and ways of Rome, place not any part of thy Religion (nor ever think to thew it) only in fiercely declaiming against her many Enormities and Errors, or in daily inveighing against her outward Forms and Ceremonies, (which are commonly but the empty Shells, or rather meer various Dresses or falhionable Shadows of true inward Devotion ) but make the glory of God and his Righteousness the whole and only end of all thy Actions. Now though some of her furious Inquisitors may Reproach, Persecute, Torment and most despitefully use you, yer, believe me, Thousands to one amongst all the rest, seeing your perseverance in only the unfeigned Exercise of a holy Life, your Christian Patience, your Calmness and entire Resignation of your self up to the will of God, and his most Wife disposal under all your sufferings, will infallibly in their Hearts condemn them and pity you; and glorifying God in you, they will be ready to cry out (if they durft) the fear of God is in you of Cor. 14. 253 a Truth; or with the Centurion, certainly this is a righteous Man. For Luk 23. 47. most Men naturally pity even a common Malefactor who deserves to die; but all the sufferings especially the Blood, of a quiet, harmless, silent Lamb, will force and create Compassion in any Heart that is not perfect stone. Bless them that Curfe you, faith Christ, and this is the will of God himself too, that with Mat. 5. 44. well doing, not railing or useless wrapgling, you may put to silence the Ignorance? Pet3. IS. and Malice, of foolish Men. Thus the Blood of the Martyrs became the Seed of the Christian Church, Let the fiercest Mecusiot brand you with the name of Heretick, and perfecute you as such, he must be confounded with shame whilst he see your good works, your Righteousness far exceed his own; whilst he' behold your Innocent Life, though he speaks evil of you as of an evil doer, 1 Pet. 3. 16. be will be ashamed that falsly accuse your good Conversation in Chrift.

The fame most blessed and powerfull Rule duly Practised, will in like manner secure all Reformed Christians and differing Woshippers of the same true God from those unreasonable Heats, Animosities and froward Divisions which have so long reigo'd amongst them; and by this from the reproach and Calumny and wicked Desigos of their common Enemy. See how fully and most aptly to our purpose the divine Apostles have explain'd it. Be not Wife in your own Conceits

. Walk with all Lowliness and Meekness, with Long suf-Eph. 4. 2; 3. fering, forbearing one another in Love; endeavouring to keep the Vnity of the Spirit, (the lame Faith, Hope, Charity, the only true Principles of Religion,) in the Bond of Peace. Let nothing be done through Strife or Vainglory, but in Lowliness of Mind; let each esteem other better then them. felves; look not every Man on his own things, but every Man also on the things of others. Be not so proud and rafh as to Damn all the World who

b

Mat. 5. 20.

Rom. 121 16

Phil. 2, 3, 4

are

Heb. 10. 24.

Mat. 50

verf. 17.

24.

* p. szi are not absolutely of your Mind in all the outward Formalities of Religion ; do.

ting and quarreling about empty, doubtfull, and unnecessary, Questions, and

Strifes of Words; and the various Administrations of Sacred Ottices; where* Tim. 6.4,5.0f cometh Envy, Railings, evil Surmisings, mapz817.53:51. fretting and mi1 Pet. 3. 9. tually galling Pamphlets of Men of corrupt Minds; never render nor recom. Rom. 12. '7 pence Evil for Evil, or Railing for Railing, but contrarywile Blefjing,

Provoke one another, not to vain Jangling, but only to Love and to good
1 Tim. 1. 6. Works; strive to outrun or out-vy one another and get the Mafery, not in
2 Tim. 2. 14. words, or in fiercely maintaining unnecessary Disputes, but only in the Exer-
i Cor. 9. 25.cife and steady Practice of a good Life approved unto God.

Is there any Congregation or Society of Christians or other Worshippers of
Gal. 5. 19. the true God who teach or allow of Adultery, or any other of the Works of

the Flesh? Though here and there fome Licentious, Atheistical, Prophane or

Jesuitical Spirits, may endeavour to mince, or lessen, or palliate many of them,
* p. 53. yet they all seem unanimously to Detest and publickly Abhor both the Names

and the very Things. There are none but own all Christ's Heavenly Doctrine
in his Sermon on the Mount; He came not to destroy Morality but, a głócena
to advance it to its highest Perfection in the Hearts of Men. He indeed
hathi abolished the Ceremonial Law of the Jews and all its Works; but for the
ten Commandments and the whole Moral Law, he hath not only established
it in its full force and extent, but he hath illustrated and clear'd it up from all
those false Glosses which the corrupt Jews had put upon it; he had freed us

from the works of the Ceremonial Law, but by no means from the works of
Gal. 5:22, 23, the Gospel; not from the Fruits of the Spirit; not from the Crucifying of

the Flesh with its affections and Lufts. What foever things are true, ho-
Phil. 4. 8. 99 nöt, pure, lovely and of good report, allVirtues and things worthy of Praise,

are fill out indispensable Dury; do these things, as the Holy Apostle himself
did them all before you, and the God of Peace shall be with you!. Ler à
Mat's perswasion or profession be what it will, I am ture it is but Preronce, Va-
nity, and Deceit, if after a strict Examination and Enquiry. I fwd his Life and
ways contrary to these plain Rules and Dictates of Natural, as well as Re.
vealed Religion. An immoral Man can never be a true Christian. It is á true
Faith and trust in God and a firm dependance upon all his Faithfull Promites,

accompanied with the works of the Gospel (its only Fruits, to wit, the Pra-
1 Joh. 5. 4. 5. ctice of a Holy and Innocent Life in the sight of God and Man) which only

will give us ihe Victory over the World; by only this Union of Faith and
Rotti, 8. 37. good Works, we shall be more then Conquerors through him that loved us;
Jam.2.17, 20. nor oply over the common Enemy, but over our felves. This Union in the
Joho 3. 8. fubftantial Parts of Religion will murually abate the vain Hears, uncharitable

Animofities and Dispures, about the meer outsides of it, the weak and beggar:
ly Elements or Rudiments, of our Education, or our owo private Fancies and
Conceits. Whether then the Practice of a holy Life be only and entirely the
work of God alone in us; or whether it be the Effect of Man's free will

guided, ftrengthen’d and supported by God's gracious Aflistance and Concurrence
Joh. 3. 36. with ic; thus far we all agree that without Faith, and Holiness no Man shall

see the Lord. For my own part, so long as out of a fincere and steady Faith
Heb. ii. 1.4. in God, I, by his Gracious Artistance do live the Life of a good Chriftian,

performing to my utmost my Duty to him and to my Neighbour, as I have
beći taught it in my Catechism; lee any Precise, Censorious or Conceited Man
call me a Formalist or meer Moralist or what he pleaseth, I shall matter it not.

Now as for chole Pious well-mioded Christians who are willing and defirous
to go abroad for the Propagation of the Gospel amongst Unbelievers, I heartily
wilh that they would propound to themselves no other end in the World but
only the Glory of the true God. Ler it not be for the Encrease of Riches, or
Power, or Dominion, or vain-Glory; or for the advancement of any Private,

Sratcht, Fond, unnecessary beggarly Principles, Opinions, or Speculations of joh. 3. 8. Meti; but only for the beating down of Sin and the works of the Devil;

Nor

Heb. 11° 6.

Luk. 10. 27,

28.

1 .

Not for the sowing of Schism änd empty Disputes, or poor outward differences * p. 53. of Worship, but for the obtaining of that one thing necessary, the firm Faith in the Doctrine and Promises of the Gospel, join'd above all things with the inward and indispensible Life of Christ. Let their Light thus Shine before Men, having their Conversation honest among the Gentiles and Unbe- 1 Pet. 2. 12. licvers, that by the good works which they shall behold in them, these may glorify God in this their day of Visitation. Let the great Apostle of the Gentiles be their Pattern, who thus expounds chis divine Rule to them, as he did alfo illustrate it by his owo Practice. Giving no Offence in any thing, that the 2 Cor. 6. 3, 4. Ministry be not blamed, but in all things approving our felves as the Mi. 5. 6. 7. gr. nisters of God; in much Patience, in Afflictions, in Necessities, in Diftreffes, in Stripes, in Imprisonments, in Passings up and down, in Labors, in Watchings, in Fastings, by Pureness, by Love unfeigned, by the word of Truth, by the Armor of Righteousness on the right hand and on the Left, &c. I know by my own Experience, and the certain Information of many others, that there arë no greater Obstructions to the propagation of the Gospel amongft Unbelievers, then the Schisms of some, and the bad Lives of other Christians, who live

among

chem. Therefore it must first be the most carnest and joint endeavour of the Reformed at Home, to promote more Love and Charity, the only bond of Peace and Perfectness, among themselves, Forbear- Eph. 4. 2, 3. ing and Forgiving one another, becoming Weak to the Weak; For I must look Col.z. 13, 14. upon all their present outward differences and Divisions to be rather only the meer Infirmities of too forward and bufy Men, then any thing else; nagony & Kenās, they are Zealously affected themselves, and affect others, but not well; and in the next place their Preaching and good Living, Abroad, must inseparably go together, else all will appear but as a meer dead Carcase, be it ever fo pompously and finely garnishe and painted. I can never fufficiently admire the great Erafmus, who bid Christians first overcome the Turks by their Consult. de belLivés, before they attempt to Conquer them by their Arms; He is not a

lo Turc. in fe shamed to call them, what; (as to the Moral part,) they really are, Semi-353. Chriftianos, half Christians already; it is not the subtilty of an Occam or a

Epift.Paulo VolLoyola, but the Life of an A Kempis or an Erasmus that will prevail with them or an Indian.

As for that other matter above named as necessary for the promoting the Reformation among the Greeks udder the Turks, that is, the support of its Cause by a generous Contribution of Reformed Princes and Potentates; truly to me it feems a thing very Impracticable, especially in the present State of Affairs in Europe; Princes find other occasions for their Morey at Home. I utterly de{pair of feeiug in my Days, the English, Dane, Sweed, Brandenburg, Dutch Hans-towns, Swife, and the rest of the Reformed Nations, cheerfully and zealously to enter into any folemn League or Combination for the carrying on fo glorious a Work; and if it could be done, I could not expect so steady and prolpetous a Management of Affairs under so many Heads and Governors, as we find marrers have been and will still be done by the common Enemy, where all is design’d, directed, and Executed by one Supreme Commander, the Pope. lo Cyril Lucar's troubles only the English and Dutch and some wealthy Greeks aslifted him, but they were all at last weary of their vast Expence. Was there now an entire Proreltani Crociata or Crusado, the Pope and his, Pofle's Pea patus, Catholick Sons, Votaries and Valfals would out of Bigottry or Fear casily provide a much larger Purfe; or ourwit them, as at last they then did. The Latius have been long before us in the East, and have ever been as Vigilant and Active in perverting the Greeks, and other poor Ignorant Christians there, as the Apostles were in Converting the first Believers; and by their long Experience and Practice they full well have Learned what Money and Art can do with them, as well as with the Turks. It is plain that many gross Errors, as well as that of Transubstantiation, were fowo and sprouting up in the Church of Rome before Berengarius's Age, 1050. and they early began to be transplant

b a

ed

rendo. T.5. p

338.

1

Baron. An.

* po 54. ed into the East; Jerusalem was taken hy the Latins, A. C. 1099. and Cont

ftantinople was likewite their Prey, A. C. 1204. The Greek and Eastero Prelates were all asleep; and it is no wonder that they did not know or mind what

was all this time contriving at Rome, for they often knew not what was done 1054. §. 32. among themselves at home. These Ages are own’d by the Latin Writers them. Baronius.Ricio selves to have been most Corrupted in their Morals, especially all the Eccle1000, 1001. 'fiafticks from the Popes themselves to the meanest Clergy. The common Fame

was every where spread abroad, that Anti Christ was then to appear, and that the Abomination of Desolation was then to set in the Temple, according to Daniel; and the grofs Immorality of all Christians, made People then both believe and expect it. Therefore they were deservedly called Leaden Iron, Obscure or Dark Ages, Whilft such universal Wickednels and Ignorance reign’d, fome few Politick, Projecting, leading Doctors (though not half Learned them." felves) had yet Cunning and Power enough to impole upon all the rest any extravagant Nations which they thought might advance the Papal and Ecclesiastick Empire and Authority, as haih been Noted before. Where Medicare upon

what King James the First used to say, that if there was an Heu-and-cry made after Anti Chrift, he would sooner lay hold of the Pope for him, then any one else in the World. It manifestly seems to me that his real. coming ought to be dared from these very times. The violence of Popith Princes, cfpecially of Robert King of France against Berengarius, sufficiently shews with what Reluctancy the Metusiot's Doctrine was first set on foot, carried on, and settled. Marcus Eugenicus and Cabasilas, a little before the Council of Florence, were warping towards the Corporeal Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, according to the Roman opinion; for School Divinity had been broach in the East long before; yet they stiffly maintaio'd that Controverly which ro this very day remains between the two Churches, the Greeks afferring the Change made in the Elements (whatever it is) to be done only by the Invocation of the Priest; the Latins as stiffly saying, that it is made only by the words of

Christ; the Emperor would by no means fuffer the Roman Doctripe to be Bibl. Patr. T. pur into the Florentine Definition; and Cabafilas was called a Schismatick; 2. p. 200.

and the three Patriarchs and Metropolites, who were at home, when the Emperor return'd from the Council, Condem'd him and renounced it. Alas! It was very very late before the Reformed Pastors knew any thing of the Latios Practices in the East; these had been playing their Game among the Illiterate and unwary Greeks, some hundreds of Years before the name of Protestant was heard of in Europe ; from whence only proceeded the profound silence of those for a while; but now upon a strict and diligent enquiry, the whole Mystery of the Latin Iniquity, will be daily more fully discovered and copfuted to their shame.

There is of late a very Pious design set up and encourged by many Reformed Christians, for a folemn (and more vigorous then formerly) Conversion of Vn. believers in both the Indies, especially that of the West; and many large contributions have been, and still are daily, made for that blessed purpose; bur befides thole obstructions hinted above, the Latins have been there also long before us, and will most certainly oppose and trouble the Reformed Missioners to the utmost of their Wit, Malice, and Power; so that I can see nothing to support them, but God's blessing, upon their Holy Life, and mutual Charity amongst

themselves. Let them ever have in their Minds that grievous Wo, pronounced Mat: 23. 15. against the Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites; ye compass Sea and Land to

make one Proselite, and when he is made, ye make him two fold more the Child of Hell, then your felves; yet after all I cannot bur think that it would be the most solid Foundation and blessed Beginning of that glorious Work, if all the miserable Slaves in all the Reformed Plantations ( which are absolutely in their own Power) were first converted, (and not bought and fold and used) as they pow are (like meer brute Beasts,) before there is any attempt made upon other People or Proyinces.

C H A P.