[5.] As far as truth and conscience will give leave, there should be a profession of brotherhood, a condescension and yielding to one another in love, a walking together, or, at least, a Christian forbearance : Eph. iv. 2, ' With long-suffering forbearing one another in love ;' the strong are to forbear the weak, and the weak the strong, to suffer them a little to walk up to their measures of knowledge ; so Phil. iii. 15, 16, ' Let us, as many as be perfect, be thus minded, and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God will reveal even the same to you ; never- theless, whereunto we have obtained, let us walk together by the same rule, mind the same thing,' Every one hath not the same measure of grace nor degree of light ; as long as they hold of the head we cannot forsake their communion. The apostle speaketh those words last quoted in reference to the controversies of those times ; every one could not see so far into them as others could, as how far the law was to be left and the Mosaical rites discontinued ; therefore, the apostle's rule is, that they should walk together, go sweetly together as far as they could, and those that were grown and had most light (whom he calleth perfect) he wisheth to be thus minded, to act according to their light, but not to discourage others in their weak beginnings ; and for the other sort he wisheth them to wait upon God without murmuring and con- tention, and they would find their hearts directed into the same truths and ways. This is the rule, you see, in such cases ; but now the misery amongst us is, we keep a proud and contemptuous distance, and do not yield, not only as far as religion, but as far as our own private prin- ciples would give leave. We do not walk together in the Lord, and therefore doth Christianity suffer such loss everywhere, for we cannot be helpful to one another's faith.
[6.] Abstain from reproaches and undue provocations, and dispense all civil respects with meekness. I put two rules together : our differ- ences do not only unchristian us, but unman us many times : Gal. v. 15, ' If ye bite and devour one another, take heed ye do not consume one another.' The apostle useth such words as are proper to beasts, for
400 MEAT OUT OF THE EATER. [ZeCH. XIV. 9.
indeed such violence is brutish : God hath armed the beasts with teeth and claws, but man with reason and judgment ; to smite with the hand is beneath a man, and to smite with the tongue beneath a Christian ; and yet how often is it found that Christians are guilty of both ! The controversies between them degenerate into carnal strifes and debates, and are no more religious but personal, because of those mutual revilings, base and low reflections upon the name and credit of each other ; every one will excuse himself for not being first in the transgression. But revenge doth not differ from injury, but only in the order ; one is first, the other second,^ It was no excuse to Adam that Eve was first in the transgression : Christ ' being reviled, reviled not again,' 1 Peter ii. 23. It is no shame to be overcome in such an act ; patient sufferings carry more majesty with them than car- nal replies and defences ; and therefore, though provoked, forbear reproaches. The other part of the rule is, that all civil respects must be dispensed with all meekness and sweetness. Strangeness, and dis- tance, and incivilities do enrage ; we are bid ' to have peace with all men, if possible,' Eom. xii. 18. To pursue all honest ways and means, if possible, noteth it must not be by any indirect course, otherwise we may try the utmost ; for damnable heretics, and such as raze the foun- dation, there are other rules ; we cannot, with safety, bid them God speed: 2 John 10, 'If he do not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into j'our house, nor bid him God speed.' John, the disciple of love, persuadeth to such strangeness in such a case ; so the prophet telleth Jehoram, that were it not for Jehoshaphat, he would ' not look towards him, nor see him,' 2 Kings iii. 14. So when Cerinthus came into the bath at Ephesus, John went away : ' Let us go hence. Hie est Cerinthus, liostis veritaiis — here is Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth,' he having denied the Godhead of Christ. So Marcion, who denied Christ, the resurrection, in effect the whole New Testament, when he came glavering to Polycarpus with a Non agnoscis nos ? — Dost thou not know me ? It was answered by him — Agnosco te 'primogenitum diaholi — I know thee to be the devil's first-born. In these extreme cases, the servants of God have been thus austere ; but in errors besides the foundation, and of a lesser consequence, the other rule taketh place, and you will find that meekness and sweetness of converse gaineth much.
More might be said, but I forbear. Oh ! that that which is spoken were a little considered. None have more engagements to love than Christians ; none have been more exemplary in love than Christians. Once it was said, Aspice ut se mutuo diligunt Ghristiani — see how the Christians love one another ^ ; but, alas ! a little after it was said by a heathen : There are no beasts so mischievous to men as Christians are to one another.^' Oh ! it is too often too true.