^ ' Ipsum nomen perperam a vobis pronunciatur Chrestianus. ' — Teriull. inApol.,c:i]i. cccx. VOL. V. 2 B
386 MEAT OUT OF THE EATER. [ZeCH. XIV. 9.
nor any provoking briar of all that are round about her.' God hath promised to take away all provocation and molestation, and whatever is grievous ; therefore all the cause of its difference and disagreement. Differences in religion stir up the greatest violences and most deadly hatred ; that which should restrain and bridle our passions is the fuel of them. As long as there is difference in religion and worship there will be disturbances, and there cannot be that quiet and happy secu- rity which the promises do generally annex to those times.
2. Because God will then make some visible provision against the scandal of dissensions : the glory of Christ hath been mightily darkened by them ; no such stone of stumbling and rock of offence to the world as the contrariety of opinions and great differences that have been among Christians. Observe and you will find it always to be the great prejudice against Christianity in the primitive times. Sozomen saith, many would turn Christians, but they were always discouraged by that dissonancy of doctrines and opinions that were amongst them.i And so Chrysostom speaketh of a certain Ethnick that came unto him and told him, I would become a Christian, but there is such variety of sects among you that I cannot anchor upon anything as certain in your religion.^ Certainly nothing begets atheism so much as this. Men have suspected the gospel because there hath been such differences and strife about it, it makes them doubt of all to see dis- tinct factions making the word of God ductile and pliable to so many several purposes. Therefore now a universal unity would much vindicate and recover the glory of Christ out of the hands of such a scandal, and be an excellent provision for the credit of Christianity. To this end Christ prayeth and urgeth this very argument to his Father: John xvii. 23, 'Let them all be one;' and again, 'Let them be made perfect in one, that the world may know that thou hast sent me ; ' as if he had said, Father ! thou knowest how easily the world do take up any prejudice against my doctrine ; now, if there should be division among my worshippers, they will think the gospel, a fable, religion but a device. Oh ! let them be perfect in one, that the world may know and own me for the true Messiah. Should we go to our own experiences, this we find amongst ourselves, that reli- gion never lost its awe so much as now. God was terrible in his holy places, in the assemblies of his saints, and in the lives of his holy people, the gravity and the strictness of their conversation had a majesty with it, and did dart reverence and awe into the hearts of men ; but now all this glory and power is lost, and religion is looked upon but as an empty pretence and covert to some designs. It is said. Acts iv. 32, 33, ' The multitude of believers were of one heart and one soul,' and then the truths of Christ ' had power/ and ' great grace fell upon them.' Christianity hath more lustre when there is such a common consent and sweet brotherly accord. The truths of God have their power, and the servants of God their grace with them.
^ ' IXoXXoi)? xptcrrtafij'e:;' airiTptirev i] Si.a<f)wvia ruv Soyfiarajv.'
" ' Venit Gentilis quidam et dicit, Vellem fieri Christianus, sed nescio cui parti adhaeream ; multse enim sunt inter vos pugnse, seditioues et tumultus : nescio quod dogma eligam, quod pra2feram, singuli enim dicunt, Egoverum dico. Hanc obcausam ridicule facti sumus et Gentilibus et Judseis, dum ecclesia ia mille partes scinditur,' &c. — Chrys. in Epist. ad Galat., cap. i.
ZeCH. XIV. 9.] MEAT OUT OF THE EATER. 387
Well, then, the sccandal being so great, the prayer of Christ so urgent, God will at one time or another do somewhat eminently and visibly to right the honour of Jesus Christ, and to recover the lustre of Christianity and our glorious profession ; for I take this for granted, that, at some special times, God will roll away the reproach of every imminent scandal that hath been cast upon Christ and religion. And because God loveth, like the good householder, to bring forth the best wine at last, it hath not been done hitherto, but is reserved for the latter days ; for, indeed, you shall find that all the latter providences are but so many vindications and clearings of Christ from the former scandals of the world ; as for the scandal of meanness hitherto, ' not many noble, not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty are called.' Christ's company hath been despicable and poor, but now, in the latter days, it is everywhere promised that ' kings shall bring their glory into the church,' that they ' shall hold their mouths ' at Christ, Isa. lii. 15 ; that is, with silence and reverence receive his commands ; and the like everywhere. So for the scandal of perse- cution, it is everywhere declared that in the latter days the enemies shall be the subjected party, glad to ' take hold of the skirt of a Jew/ Zech. viii. ; ' Bow to the soles of their feet,' Isa. Ix. ; the magistrates shall call the inhabitants of Jerusalem their strength ; and the like elsewhere. So, again, the church hath been under the abasure of reproaches ; but God hath promised a vindication in the latter days, that he will ' establish Zion a praise throughout the earth,' ' set it as a royal diadem,' Isa. Ixii. 3, with the 7th ; that * he will give them praise in the land of their shame/ Zeph. iii., proportionably to their abasures that they shall have glory. So for paucity and fewness, which is another scandal, there are promises of the gospel's being propagated, of the flowing out of living waters, of the flying in of converts like ' doves to the windows,' Isa. Ix., and the like. So in this present case, because of the variance of the people of Christ under former dispensations, there are promises of special unity and sweet accord in the latter days, of one Lord and one King, of one Shepherd, ' one Head,' Hosea i. 11 ; ' of one shoulder,' Zeph. iii. 9 ; and that God will make Jew and Gentile, and all that fear him, to lie down together in peace and safety, and to be all called by one name.