And thus it is in all buildings, where, if the parts hang loose from one another, the whole structure must of necessity be tottering and unsteady.

This is that the Apostle tells these Ephesians, chap. ii. verse 20, 21., that they are "built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone. In whom," says he, " all the building, fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord." Intimating, there can be no true growth without this harmony and mutual coherence.

They must be built together; and that cannot well be where they separate and stand off from church communion, and keep asunder.

Faction may grow indeed, by itself, in its separations ; it may grow numerous and heady; but this is not growing in the Lord.

If there be a schism and rent in the body, those parts which are cut off from its continuity and fellowship must needs wither and languish, and in short time dwindle and fall to decay, by having the conveyances and passages of the spirits obstructed or intercepted, by which they were to be enlivened and maintained.

It is the unity of worship and outward ministrations that is this bond of peace; that which keeps the Church in peace, by tying and binding up the members of it together.

This is that seamless and uniform coata our Saviour wore; by which was signified the beauty and strength of church ordinances and orderly assemblies in regular and solemn devotions.

a John, xix. 23.

But now, alas! how have we in several parties (with the soldiers) parted Christ's vesture, and cast lots upon his garments!

To return to the metaphor of the body: it is the continuity of the sinews and other vessels, which are disseminated throughout all the parts of the body, which, by a communication of spirits, preserves all the parts in life, and keeps the body itself in health and peace; when that is once stopped or checked, when there is solutio continui, when the bond of peace is once broken, the parts at distance must inevitably, for want of nutriment, decay, and the body itself be in great disorder.

Further, the Church in the Canticles is compared to an army with banners, a society cast into regimental order, where every one keeps to his company, and walks orderly, according to the rules of discipline, in rank and file. It is the due observance of this discipline that is to make her terrible; for an army, though it make war upon the enemy, must be at peace within itself, by having the soldiers in a punctual obedience to their officers, and in a strict regard to the rules and methods of if it mean to prove victorious and successful. And now, what hopes can we, alas! of the English Church conceive of victory and good success, that we shall bear up against a common enemy, when we are thus divided among ourselves? Since it is a sad truth our Saviour has told us, that " a house divided against itself cannot stand; so that, had we no other enemies but ourselves, we cannot promise ourselves long thus to subsist.

war,

May God of his mercy heal these our divisions, and tie us up once more in the bond of peace; for it is not the unity of doctrine alone (did we keep up to that) can keep up this unity of Spirit in the bond of peace, without the unity of worship too; since we find by experience, that those who have once divided from the communion of the Church (be it upon whatever pretence), seldom stop there, but to justify their separation, improve it, dividing further on still, and so run endless division, till they have burst all bands asunder, and cast the cords (or, as some interpreters render it, the yokea) of government from them.

Now, this bond of peace, wherein the unity of the Spirit is to be kept, as was said, mainly respects the ordering of our public assemblies; and that in all religious exercises and duties, as in the reading and expounding of the Word, in the celebration of holy offices, and particularly in the administration and use of the sacraments, where the Spirit is in a more peculiar manner present and assistant. Here is, indeed, the unity of the Spirit, the one sacrament admitting us into churchfellowship, and the other confirming us in it. So our St. Paul, 1 Cor. xii. 13.: "For by one Spirit," says he,

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are we all baptized into one body, and are all made to drink into one Spirit." And to these sacraments his record, his testimony or evidence, is more particularly applied and appropriated. 1 John, v. 8., " There are three that bear witness on earth, the water" in the one sacrament," the blood" in the other," and the Spirit" in both; in like manner as "there are three that bear

a Psalm ii. 3.

record in heaven, the Father, Son, and Spirit;" to show the effectual influences and applications of the same Spirit both above and below; that as those three witnesses in heaven are one, that is, one in essence, so these three on earth agree in one, they are ɛis êv, ad unum, one in consent, or in unum, one in purpose and design, to make us the members of the Church, one: as the Father and Son are one, in the unity of the same Spirit.

IV. A word or two of our last head, that we may draw to a conclusion; and that is partly the arguments why we should endeavour, and partly the means how we may attain, this unity of the Spirit, and preserve it in the bond of peace.

And those we cannot find better than what St. Paul himself has set down, and we need seek no farther for them than the context. The arguments in the three verses following the text, and the means in the verse foregoing.

1. The arguments are taken from all three persons of the blessed Trinity.

(1.) From the Spirit, verse 4., that there is one body, the Church; and one Spirit, which is to animate that body; and one hope of our calling, that is, one and the same hope of glory to which we are called, and of which we are assured by the Spirit, as we are members of that body.

(2.) From the Son, verse 5., that there is one Lord, Christ, the head of the Church; one faith, to bring us to Christ; and one baptism to admit us into the Church.

(3.) From the Father, verse 6., that there is "one

God and Father of us all," our God by title of creation, and our Father by adoption in Christ.

Now seeing, then, that every thing in our religion is thus one, we stand obliged to endeavour the preservation of unity among ourselves; since, by dividing ourselves, we not only weaken our Christian interests, but endanger the forfeiture of those great advantages which Christ's religion affords us.

2. Again, the means and helps of keeping up this unity in the bond of peace, are four, as they are reckoned up, verse 2.

(1.) Lowliness; that we have a mean and humble opinion of ourselves, pride being the great make-bate, and the very leaven of schism.

(2.) Meekness; that we show mild behaviour towards others, and even where there may be just occasion for zeal, yet express no wrath.

(3.) Long-sufferance; that, whereas a patient spirit is a peaceable spirit, we do not precipitate into passion or revenge, but bear with others' infirmities and injuries too, and overcome their evil with our good.a

(4.) Forbearance in love; that we take not advantage of others' ignorance or weakness, nor misconstrue things to the worst sense, but hope all things and believe all things of brethren to the best.

And this, if we could do, however difficult the thing itself may be, however unreasonable others may prove in standing out against unity and peace; yet it will be charitable, it will be Christian-like for us, with all our skill and interest, to endeavour it according to his rule

a Rom. xii. 21.