of Mofes : They were exceedingly given, and generally addi&ed unto forcery, magick, and watch-craft, in which they grew more and more notorious till Chrifts time. This is intimated in that blafphemy of the Jewes against our Saviour, Vide Montague Thou art a Samaritan, and haft a Devil, taxing him with the pra- A. & Mon. Яice of that people, who commonly being Witches, had fa- of the Church miliar fpirits attending on them, for otherwife they knew he cap. 7. p. 473. was no Samaritan, but a Galilean of Nazareth: They were alfo 474. c. exceedingly divided amongst themselves. Epiphanius recites four feverall fects of them, the Offens, Sebuæans, Gorthenians, and Poftheans; Trath is the bond that keeps to unity, but errour is wilde, you know not where to find it, nor your felves if you give way to it: Our prefent times will be a teftimony of this to all future generations. The wild and unruly divifions of our times is to be the fubje& of the future difcourfe. I am not ignorant nor unfenfible of the difficulty, the trouble, the danger there is in medling with such a subje& at such a time as this. He that meddles with the divifions of the times, may expect to be divided himself, to have his name, his repute, to be cut afunder and thrown this way and that way : It is an unthankfull work to meddle with a divided people; a man may with as much fafety put his hand into a neft of Hornets. A learned man being once asked why he did not write his judgment about the controverfie of his time, anfwered, To what purpofe? it would not help the caufe, but much hazard him that should meddle. That which one once faid to Luther, when he was about intereffing himself in fecking R1formation, fonnds in my cars, when I first thought of having to do with this Argument, O Luther, rather get you into your Abi in Cellam Cell, and fay, Lord have mercy upon us.. dic miferere It is a great part of the skil of a Minister to divide the word noftri. aright; but this skill of his will be put to it, when he comes to divide the word amongst a divided people, to give every part its portion. I should never have ventured to have chofen a Text on purpose for such an argument; but seeing Providence hath brought it fo fully into my way, Ifhall now venture upon it, with my heart caft and fixed upon that promife, Pro. 11. 3. The uprightnesse of the upright shall guide him.

Cuiufui reipublice Chriftiana & cui bono mibi.

Γιαβόλος.

I shall caft what I intend into this mould:

1. The caufes of our Divifions.

2. The evill of them.

3. Cautions about them, that we may not make an ill use of them.

4. Remedies or cures of them.

The causes of our Divifions.

The principal caufe from without, is the Devil, he feeks to keep his own kingdom free from divifions, but seeks nothing more then to cause divifions in the Kingdom of Chrift. The Mabumetans, who worship a cursed impoftor: The Pagans, who worship the Sun, Moon, and Stars: The Egyptians, who worfhip Onions, Lecks, Cats and Dogs, never had fuch divifiong amongst them as the worshippers of Jefus Chrift have had, and have at this day amongst themselves; for all the former are the Devils kingdom, which he fecks to keep at peace; but he is that envious one who fows the feeds of divifion in the Kingdom of Chrift; hence those who foment divisions amongft Chriftians are called Devils, 1 Tim. 3. 11. The wives of Deacons muft not be flanderers: The word may be tranfla. ted Devils: women are moft liable to the Devils temptations this way, because they are weak, and are in danger to run a way with fudden apprehenfions without due examination ; and what can foment divifion more then flandering, fo far as any, especially in the Church, hath a hand in caufing or fomenting divifion, fo farre as fhe is a Devil in Scripture-language, the part of the Devil is a&ted by them. I remember Cajetan hath a note upon that place in the Gofpel, where the devils being caft out of the man, who had a legion in him, prayed Chrift that they might not goe out of that region; why would they not go out of that region? fays Cajetan; He gives this answer, The Devils have certain places to which they divide their work, fuch Devils to fuch a place for fuch a fervice, and such to another for another service; now these Dvils were loath to be difplaced of their region, though they were caft out of the man, having further work to do in that

place:

place: If this be fo, furely the Devills that are appointed to caufe and foment divifions and diffentions above all regions, love to be in the region of Churches, for no where do divifions fuch hurt as there, and at this time especially; for now the Devils fee they cannot prevail to get men to their old fuperftitious vanities; but fome reformation there wil be, they now feek to mingle a perverse spirit of divifion amongst men, hoping they fhall prevail here, though they could not hold their own in the former. God put enmity between Satan and the Saints,but it is the Devil that puts enmity between Saints and Saints. When we hear fearful thundring, and fee terrible ftorms and tempefts, many people fay, that ill fpirits are abroad; furely thefe bluftering forms of contention are raised and continued from evill spirits: But the truth is, all the Devils in hel could do us no great hurt in dividing us from God or from one another, were it not for the corruption of our own hearts: Wherefore as the Lord fays to Ifrael, Perditio tra ex te, thy deftruction is from thy felf: So may we now fay of England, Divifio tua ex te, thy divifion is from thy felfe.

The caufes of our divifions from our felves, may be refer. red to three heads.

1. Dividing principles; fometimes our divifions come down from our heads to our hearts.

2. Dividing diftempers, fometimes they go up from our hearts to our heads.

3. Dividing pra&ifes, and these come from head and heart, they foment and encrease both.

We will begin with dividing principles: Except fome care be taken of the head, it will be in vaine to meddle with the heart, to cry out againft our heart-diftempers; the chief caufe of many of our divifions lies here: It is to little purpose, to purge or apply any medicine to the lower parts, when the difeafe comes from diftillations from the head.

CHAP.

CHA P. IV.

Dividing Principles.

The fift,

There can be no agreement without Uniformity.

T

His Principle hath a long time caused much divifion in the Church. The right understanding wherein the weakneffe and falfeneffe of it lyes, will help much to Peace, to joyn us fweetly together.

In the fubftantials of worship, Unity is neceffary; there all are bound to go by the fame rule, and to do to the uttermoft they are able, the fame thing. T

But the circumftantials of worship have a two-fold confideration: They are either fuch, as though but circumstances to fome other worship, yet have alfo in themselves fome divine worship, fome fpirituall efficacie, fomething in them to commend our fervice unto God, or to caufe fome prefence of God with us, or to work us nearer to God, by an efficacy beyond what they have in them of their owne natures. As for inftance, Time is a circumftance, but the Lords day hath a worship in it commending our service to God, and an efficacie to bring God to us, and raife us to God: this not from any naturall efficacie of the time, but from Gods inftitution. Now in such circumstances as thefe, there ought to be uniformity; for thefe have inftitutions for their rule, and are not at mans liberty to be altered as he thinks bift in prudence; But there are other circumftances which are onely naturall or civill, fubfervient to worship in a naturall or civill way; They are converfant about worship, but have nothing of worship in them, but are meerely naturall or civill helps to it. When we worship God, we do fomething as men as well as worshippers; hence we have need of fome naturall or civill helps. As for inftance, when we meet to worship God, wee being men as well as Chriftians, muft have a conveniency of place, to keep us from the wea

ther,

ther, to know whether to refort ; and of time to know when. There must be order : Many cannot speak at cnce to difcation; modeft and grave carriage is required of us, as a fociety of men, meeting about matters of weight. In these circumftances, and other of the like nature, there is no worship at all, there is no fpirituall efficacie, there are only naturall or civil! helps to us while we are worthipping; therefore for these circumftances, humane prudence is fufficient to order them.

The right underftanding of this takes away a great prejudice that many have against such as defire to keep to Divine Inftitutions, not onely in Subftantials, but in the Circumftantials of worship; they thinke it an unreasonable thing, that divine Inftitution fhould be required for every circumflance in worship; this hath bred a great quarrel in the church: and well may it be thought unreasonable, if we required Inftitutions for circumstances in worship, which are but naturall or civill helps, and have no worship at all in them for that indeed were endleffe, and a meer vanity. Certainly Inftitutions are to be required onely in things that are raised beyond what is in them naturafly, in tendring my respects to God by them, or expecting to draw my heart nearer to God, or God nearer to me in the ufe of them. The contention about Uniformity is much encreased for want of a right understanding of this difference in the circumftantialls of worship; did we understand one another in this, wee might foon have Peace as concerning this thing.

In thefe latter forts of circumftances we muft alfo diftinguish. There are fome that muft of neceffity be determined, as time and place; it is therefore neceffary, there fhould be an uniformity in thefe, in all the members of every society refpe&ively, that they agree to meet in the fame place, at the fame time, naturall neceffity requires this: but naturall neceffity requires not the binding of severall Churches to Uniformity in things of this kind. The urging Uniformity beyond the rule in fuch things, hath in all ages caufed wofull divifions in the Church. Eufebius tells of Victor, Bishop of Reme, about two hundred yeares after Chrift, broke off com