Direction 4. Respectful deportments to those that are beneath us in gifts, or estates, is an excellent conservative of church-peace ; lofty and contemptuous carriages towards those that are beneath us in either respect, is a frequent occasion of bitter jars and animosities. The apostle chargeth it upon the Corinthians, " That no one be '' puffed up for one against another ; for w ho maketh thee to differ " from another ?" 1 Cor. vi. 7. AVhat respectful language did holy Mr. Brewen give to his own godly servants ? Remember, Christians, that there is neither rich nor poor, bond nor free, but all are one in Christ Jesus. This indeed, destroys not the civil differences God hath made between one and another ; grace will teach the godly servant to give double honour to a religious master or mistress, the private Christian to a godly magistrate, or minister. It will teach the people to know them which labour among them, and are over them in the Lord, and admonish them, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake, and to be at peace among themselves, 1 Thess. v. 12, 13. and it v/ill also teach superiors to condescend to men of low degree, and not to think of themselves above what they ought, but " with all lowliness, meekness, and long- " suffering, to forbear one another in love, keeping (this way) the " unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," Epli. iv. % 3.
Direction 5. This gentle language and respectful deportment would naturally and constantly flow from the uniting graces of wis- dom, humility, and love, were they more exalted in the hearts of Christians.
Wisdom would allay those unchristian heats, Prov. xvii. 27. a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit, so we render it; but the Hebrew signifies a cool spint ; " the wisdom that is from above " is gentle and easy to be intreated," James iii. 17.
Humility takes away the fuel from the fire of contention ; only from pride cometh contention, Prov. xiii. 10. How dearly hath pride, especially spiritual pride, cost the churches of Christ !
Love is the very cement of societies, the fountain of peace and unity : it thinketh no evil, 1 Cor. xiii. puts the fairest sense upon
A sr>RMOK ON COSriiL-UNITV. GOT
iloubtfiil words and actions, it bcarcth all things. '• Love mc (saitli " Austin) and reprove me as thou pleasest:'" It is a radical grace, bearing the fruits of peace and unity upon it.
Direction 6. Be of a Christ-like forgiving spirit one towards another, Eph. iv. f31, 3^. " Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, " and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all " malice, and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving " one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."** Hath thy brother offended thee ? How apt art thou also to offend thy brother.? And, which is infinitely more, how often dost thou every day grieve and offend Jesus Christ, who yet freely forgives all thy offences ? Remember friend, that an unforgiving is a bad fiign of an unforgiven person. They that have found mercy, pitv, and forgiveness, should of all men in the world be most ready to shew it.
Direction 7. Be deeply affected with the mischievous effects and consequents of schisms and divisions in the societies of the saints, and let nothing beneath a plain necessity divide you from communion one with another ; hold it fast till you can hold it no longer with- out sin. At the fire of your contentions your enemies warm their hands, and say, Aha, so would we have it ; Your prayers are ob- structed, Matth. V. 24. " First be reconciled to thy brother, and " then come and offer thy gift.'' Edification is hindered ; Fe- verish bodies thrive not, Eph. iv. 15. God is provoked to remove his gracious presence from among you. " Be of one mind (saith the " apostle) live in peace, and the God of peace shall be with you,*' 1 Cor. xiii. 11. implying that their contentions would deprive them of his blessed company with them. The glory of your so- ciety is clouded : " If ye l\ave bitter envyings and strife in yotn- " heart, glory not," James iii. 14. Glory not in your church privileges, personal gifts and attainments ; whatever you think of yourselves, you are not such Christians as you vogue yourselves for, living in sin so directly contrary to Christianity. The name of Christ is dishonoured. You are taken out of the world, to be a people for his name, that is, for his honour : but there is little credit to the name of Christ from a dividing, wrangling people. The alluring beauty of Christianity, by v/hich the church gains upon the world, Acts ii. 46, 47. is sullied and defaced, and thereby (as I noted before) coversion hindered, and a new stcme, as it were, rolled over the graves of poor sinners, to keep them down in their impenitency : Tremble therefore at the thoughts of divisions and separations. St. Augustine notes three sins severely punished in scripture. The golden calf, with the sword ; Jehoiakini's cutting the sacred roll, with a dreadful caytivity ; but ihesclii>;m of Korafi
608 A SERMOX ON GOSPEL-UNITY.
and his accomplices, Avith the earth's opening her mouth and swal- lowing them up quick.
DircctioPo 8. Let all church-members see that they have union with Christ, evidencing itself in daily sweet communion with him. Lines drawn from a circumference come the nearest to one another in the center. When God intends to make the hearts of men tone, he first makes them new, Ezek. xi. 19. "I will give them '' one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you.*'' And the more any renewed heart tastes the sweetness of communion with G(m1, by so much it is disposed for unity and peace with his people. Our forwardness and peevishness plainly discovers all is not well betwixt God and us. Nothing so opposite to, or abhorred by a soul that enjoys sweet peace and communion with Christ, than to live in sinful jars and contentions with his people. Return therefore to the primitive spirit of love and unity ; forbear one another ; forgive one another ; mortify your dividing lusts; cheiish your uniting graces; " mark them which cause divisions and offences, contrary to the " doctrine ye have learned, and avoid them,'' Rom. xvi. 17. In a word, and that the word of the apostle in the text, " I beseech you, '•' brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak '^ the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but " that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the *' same judgment.''
END OF THE THIRD VOLUME.
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