One-Hundred Forty-Five Sermons Upon John 17, Sermon 114
SERMON CXIV. Of Ʋnity among the Godly, More particulars ſetting forth the Excellency of it, and miſchiefs of Diviſion; Anſwering this Objection, viz. Seeing God hath promiſed one heart and way, and Chriſt praied for it, How comes it to paſſe that there ſhould be ſo many breaches amongst the Godly.
JOH. 17.21.
That they may be one as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, &c.
WE are deſcribing the Excellency of Union, and the miſchief of breaches amongſt the godly, we ſhall adde to the fore mentioned, As
1. Diviſions and differences they are the fruit of the fleſh; Whereas love,9. Diviſions are the fruit of the fleſh. peace, and kindeneſſe they are the fruits of the Spirit, ſo that a man cannot more demonſtrate himſelf to be in the fleſh, and devoid of Gods Spirit in any thing then by a contentious dividing ſpirit; There are ſome men like thoſe old Spaniards the hiſtorian ſpeaks of, that cannot live without an enemy, So theſe Salamanders can only be in the fire, they are unquiet reſtleſs men, and theſe like Marcion with great boldneſſe and delight will cry out, we will caſt fire into the Church and divide it, But theſe demonſtrate of what nature they are, and who is their Father, even that envious one, the devil, who delights to ſow tares amongſt the wheat, Gal. 6.20, 21. &c. you may there ſee two chief principles of mens actions in the world, whereof the one is immediatly oppoſite to the other, the fleſh and the Spirit, now it's good to obſerve what the works of the one and the other are; of the fleſh, he inſtanceth in hatred, variance, ſtrife, emulations, &c. all tending to break unity, and of the ſpirit the clean contrary, love, peace, gentleneſs, &c. all uniting, If then we would know who is a godly man, who hath the Spirit of God; Judge of the Tree by its fruit, he is full of love, gentleneſs, and meekneſs; It's impoſſible that pride, arrogancy, and envyings ſhould be the fruit of Gods Spirit; Hence the Apoſtle 1 Cor. 3. doth thus argue, If there be envyings and diviſions among you, are you not carnal? Thus the Apoſtle James c. 3.13, 14. ſpeaks notably to this, Who is a wiſe man? let him ſhew it by a good converſation with meekneſſe, he divides wiſedom into that which is earthly and deviliſh, the mother of envyings and ſtrife, and the wiſedome from above, which is firſt pure and then peaceable, yea, verſe 14. Whoſoever hath the Name of Religion, yet is haunted with this devil: The Apoſtle bids him glory not, and lye not againſt the Truth, So that though a man pretend never ſuch ſingular gifts, ſuch extraordinary Teachings of Gods Spirit, yet if contentious, he is not to glory▪ yea, he lieth againſt the Truth; Thou ſaiſt, it's for the truth thou art thus contentious, It's for the truth thou haſt made theſe diviſions, No, the truths of Chriſt are to be maintained by the Spirit of Chriſt, As the wrath of man worketh not the righteouſneſſe of God, ſo neither doth the perverſeneſſe of man the truths of God, ſo far then as any in the Church of God are contentious and ſtriving, ſo farre they demonſtrate the power of the fleſh reigning in them.
2. This Unity is neceſſary, becauſe all other things in Religion are reduced to one;10. Becauſe all things are reduced to one. If therefore all things agree in unity, every thing in Religion tends to this; Why ſhould not the people of God embrace it? The ſeveral Unities are notably made an Argument to our purpoſe, Eph. 4. For the Apoſtle at v. 1. having exhorted believers to walk worthy of their calling, he inſtanceth in ſuch graces as procure Ʋnity with all lowlineſſe, meekneſs, forbearing one another; See theſe graces are the comely, worthy graces of our holy calling, and you have the end of theſe graces, v. 3. endeavouring, we muſt make it our aim, our labour, our ſtudy and praier to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, hereupon he enumerates v. 4. why there ſhould be ſuch Unity, There is one body, Chriſt hath not many bodies, no more then a man hath; All the people of God are one body; Now how deſtructive is it when one part of the body ſhould conſpire againſt the welfare of another? Let grace do that in this myſtical body which nature doth in this natural; Then there is one Spirit, There is but one Spirit that enlightens and ſanctifieth the whole Church of God, why then ſhould there be ſo many contrary opinions and waies, yet pretended to be of the ſame Spirit? Indeed the Apoſtle ſaith, there are diverſity of gifts and operations, yet the ſame Spirit; He doth not ſay contrarieties and the ſame Spirit, for that is as impoſſible as darkneſs to come from the Sun; If then there be but one Spirit, let not the godly give occaſions to the adverſaries to blaſpheme, ſaying, the Calviniſtical Spirit is one thing, and the Lutheran ſpirit another; Again, there is one hope of our calling, we are called to one Inheritance, there is only one Heaven prepared for all the godly, Why then ſhould they be ſo different by the way, when at our journeys end we muſt all be received into the ſame place of glory; It is true our Saviour ſaith, Joh. 14.2. In his Fathers houſe are many manſion places; There is room enough for all, yet it's but one houſe, if one Church cannot now contain us, how ſhall we think one heaven will? It followeth, there is one Lord, that is Chriſt, who is to be worſhiped and ſerved by us; Indeed if there were many Lords, as the Papiſts ſet up many Saints in heaven to have their peculiar worſhip, then no wonder if there were ſeveral faiths and worſhips alſo, but the Lord Chriſt is one; This the Apoſtle urged the Corinthians with to compoſe their diviſions, Is Chriſt divided? 1 Corin. 1.13. unleſſe there were many Chriſts, or Chriſt be divided into many parts, there ought not to be many diviſions in the Church; how abſurd would it be to ſay, I have one Chriſt, and another he hath another, a third a third Chriſt; There is one faith, one ſyſteme of doctrine to be believed, Though there may be many particulars, yet they make up one intire Truth, So that although there be many Religions, and many faiths in the world, yet indeed there is but one; Even as the Apoſtle ſaith, There are foreign called gods, nuncupative gods, but to us there is one only God, So there are many called Religions, many called Churches, but indeed there is one only; The next argument is, there is one Baptiſm, that is one profeſſion of the doctrine of faith; Though there is not one baptiſm in number, yet there is one in kinde; Chriſt hath appointed but one way for the profeſſion of his name▪ and being called upon by us; The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is alſo made an argument of unity, 1 Cor 10.17. So that the Sacraments in their ſignification denote unity; They manifeſt one body, one ſpirit, how ſad then is it that ſo many …ents and diviſions ſhould be made in the Church about Sacraments, which yet are the bodies and ſeals of unity and communion! Laſtly, there is one God and Father of all; Becauſe there is one God only, therefore we ought to be at unity, God being One cannot be divided in himſelf, he cannot command things to be believed or done contrary to himſelf; Therefore let all theſe unities make us ſerious in endeavouring after unity, yea, we might adde, that in hell there is unity, all the devils agree againſt the Church, There could be a Legion of devils in one man; Shall there then be unity againſt us, and not we at unity among our ſelves?
Queſt. Seeing God hath promiſed one heart and way, and Chriſt praied for it, how comes it to paſſe there are ſo many breaches among the godly.Theſe things thus urged, let us anſwer that Objection, Seeing God hath promiſed one heart, and one way, and Chriſt hath alſo thus earneſtly praied for it, who is not denied any thing by the Father, how is it there are ſo many breaches amongst the godly? That we may cry out contrarily to the Pſalmiſt, Behold how ſad and deſtructive a thing it is for brethren to be at diſcord one with another, how comes it about that the godly do no more remember of what ſpirit they are? That they conſider not the Spirit of God deſcended in the ſhape of a Dove, That Babel was to be built by confuſion of tongues, but Jeruſalem without any noiſe of the hammer, and therefore Solomon muſt build the Temple, not David, becauſe he had been a man of war.
That this may not ſcandalize any, Conſider theſe things.
Anſw.1. Though unity among the godly be thus neceſſary, yet that inferreth neceſſarily diviſions and oppoſitions to the world, and therefore we are not to wonder if the Goſpel and powerful diſpenſing of Chriſts waies makes fractions and troubles in the world, for the godly cannot have peace with themſelves but they muſt be in open oppoſition to the world; Therefore in this Chapter, and in other places our Saviour informs them that the world will hate them, So that we are not to ſay, That the Goſpel of Chriſt is in it ſelf of a turbulent dividing nature, as carnal Politicians ſuggeſt, and that therefore the beſt peace and unity is where Atheiſm doth abound, for if by the Goſpel there be ſad diſtractions and concuſſions of Kingdoms and States, it's not from the genius of the Goſpel, but from the oppoſition and corruption of mens hearts; Therefore when our Saviour ſaid, he came to ſend fire and ſword in the earth, Luk. 12.49. that Father ſhould be againſt Son, and mother againſt daughter, That a mans Enemies ſhould be thoſe of his own houſe; This was not from the nature of Chriſts doctrine but the corrupt indiſpoſition of the ſubject, as when the Sun doth offend ſoar eyes, or the medicine and potions taken diſturb the humours and makes a man the ſicker, in theſe caſes not the Sun or the Phyſician is to be blamed, So if the Introduction of Chriſts Kingdom and his Ordinances make great diviſions in a place; It's not Chriſts way but wicked mens ſins that are to be blamed; This then is to be concluded upon, that the godly and the wicked can have no unity, The godly may not come off to the worlds principles, and the world will not come off to the godly mans principles, and therefore there muſt be a perpetual enmity, which made the Wiſe man ſay, That the Righteous was an abomination to the wicked, and the wicked to the Righteous; Pro. 29.27.
2. Seeing there cannot be unity between Sheep and Wolves, the godly and the wicked, hence it is that even in the Church of God there being ſo many ſtill that retain their beaſtly nature, and though they have the title of Chriſtians, yet are really of the devil, hence it is that in Chriſts Church there is many times ſuch deadly oppoſition; Wonder not then if among thoſe that yet pretend highly to Chriſt there be ſad diviſions, for many are in the fleſh ſtill, many ſavour not experimentally the things of God, There ſhall ariſe among you men that ſhall ſpeak perverſe things, ſaith the Apoſtle, Act. 20.30. So there ſhall be falſe Prophets who will bring in damnable hereſies, 2 Pet. 2. and why? becauſe they are men of corrupt mindes; If then all that pretend to Chriſt, to his Spirit, had indeed Chriſts Spirit, there would be no ſuch diviſions, but ſaith the Apoſtle 1 Joh. 2. They went from us, becauſe they were not of us, and 1 Co. 11. there muſt be hereſies that the foreign ſuch as are ſound may be eſteemed; Therefore though Chriſt hath thus praied, and God thus promiſed, yet in the Church there will be grievous rents, becauſe theſe are not of the Church though in the Church, and therefore were not included in Gods promiſe or Chriſts praier; Hence it is that the Scripture is full of ſuch predictions, that there ſhall ariſe falſe Prophets, that there ſhall be wolves in ſheeps clothes, that Satan will transform himſelf into an Angel of light, by which if it were poſſible the very Elect would be ſeduced; Therefore you are not thus to argue when you ſee raging diviſions amongſt thoſe that profeſſe faith in Chriſt and holineſs, that therefore Chriſt praied in vain, or that there is no Truth, no Religion at all, but rather that there are many hypocrites in the Church, many who for their pride, rebell on againſt the Light, and other ſins, ſhall be left by God, and given up to believe a lye, From ſuch differences conclude upon this pious meditation, That even under the known light of the Goſpel men may ſadly apoſtatize, and become heretikes, yea perſecutors of the Truth, if the ſpirit of God keep them not in an holy fear; Therefore in the midſt of theſe differences ſay, there is a ſeeming believer, a ſeeming Church, a ſeeming profeſſor, and ſuch commonly for ſome corrupt end or other make a breach in Chriſts body.
3. There is an unity in fundamentals or eſſentials, and an unity in circumſtantials or leſſe principals; Now as when God hath promiſed, and Chriſt praied for the ſanctification of his people, hereby they are ſeen to have ſo much grace as ſhall certainly bring them to heaven, for though they have not all the degrees of grace, and neither are freed from all ſin, yet they have the eſſence of grace that will certainly bring to eternal glory; Thus it is in unity, although in many things they have not attained to the ſame minde, to the ſame judgement, yet they all agree in thoſe things, that are neceſſary to ſalvation, and this is called all truth, The Spirit of God ſhall leade them into all Truth, Joh. 26.13. and they have the unction which teacheth them all things, 1 Joh. 2.20. Hence Mat. 25. it's not poſſible to deceive the Elect, viz. in fundamental things, ſuch as ſhall exclude Salvation; It's true, the diſciples doubted a while about Chriſts Reſurrection, which was a fundamental Point, but it's one thing to doubt, and another thing heretically to oppoſe it; The godly then cannot live and die in a fundamental errour, no more then in a groſſe ſin unrepented of, becauſe theſe do neceſſarily oppoſe ſalvation, and this may be a great comfort to the godly under the diverſity of Opinions and ſeveral ſubtle waies of thoſe who would bring in damnable Hereſies.
4. Even in acceſſories and leſſe principals their unity ſhall be conſummated in Heaven, and ſo we muſt underſtand Chriſts Praier as in his other Petitions, with an extent to heaven, where is the compleating of all grace and holineſſe; The comfort is, that one day all the godly will lay aſide their bitterneſſe and cenſures of one another, They will all with one mouth, and in one way, praiſe and glorifie God without any difference at all.
5. Chriſt hath not given his Spirit to the Church to its full meaſure in this life, and therefore they know but in part, They love but in part, Now all diviſion ariſeth from ignorance in the minde and corruption in the heart, as long therefore as theſe reliques ſhall be in us ſo long will theſe diviſions be: As long as the earth emits vapours, ſo long will thunder and lightnings be in the ayr.
Laſtly, The devil doth yet put forth his power, and his work is to fill the Church with differences, and raiſing up Inſtruments thereunto, that ſo his kingdom may the more proſper: Therefore though heretical Incendiaries are taken away, yet becauſe the devil dieth not therefore he is ſtill ſetting his cloven foot where God hath raiſed up any Church.