commend it; I could chufe rather to comment thereon, with tears, than words: It is juft matter of lamentation, to think what feeble influences fuch divine and pathetical exhortations have, upon the minds and hearts of profeffed Chriftians. But it is not lamentations, but proper counfels, and convictions obey. ed, must do the work.

The primitive, and pureft churches of Chrift, confifted of imperfect members, who, notwithstanding they were knit toge ther by the fame internal bond of the Spirit, and the fame external bonds of common profeffion, and common danger, and enjoyed extraordinary helps for uniting, in the prefence and doctrine of the apostles among them; yet quickly discovered a fchifmatical spirit, dividing both in judgment and affection, to the great injury of religion, and grief of the apostles fpirits. To check and heal this growing evil in the church at Corinth, the apostle addreffes his pathetical exhortation to them, and to all future churches of Chrift, whom it equally concerns, in the words of my text; Now I beseech you, brethren, &c. Where note,

1. The duty exhorted to,

2. The arguments enforcing the duty.

1. The duty exhorted to, namely, unity; the beauty, ftrength, and glory, as well as the duty of a church. This unity he describes two ways, r. As it is exclufive of its oppofite, fchifm, or divifion: all rents, and rath feparations, are contrary to it, and destructive of it; I beseech you, brethren, that there be no divifions [or fchifms] among you. 2. As it is inclufive of all that belongs to it, namely the harmony and agreement of their judgments, hearts, and language. (1) That ye all speak the fame thing. (2.) That ye be perfectly joined together in one mind. And, (3.) In the fame judgment. This threefold union in judgment, affection, and language, includes all that belongs to Chriftian concord, makes the faints Zooxo, men of one heart and foul, the lovelieft fight this world affords, Acts ii. 46, 47.

2. The arguments enforcing this duty upon them, come next under confideration. And thefe are three; (1.) I beseech you. (2.) I beseech you, brethren. (3.) I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Thefe arguments are not of equal force and efficacy; the firft is great, the fecond greater; the last the most efficacious and irrefiftible of all the reft: but all together should come with fuch power, and irresistible effica cy, upon the judgments, confciences, and hearts of Chriftians, should perfectly knit them together, and defeat all the de

figns of Satan, and his agents without them, or of their own corruptions within them, to rend afunder their affections, or communion.

Argum. 1. And firft, he enforces the duty of unity by a folemn, apoftolical obfecration, and adjuration, I beseech you, faith he; he had power to command them to this duty, and threaten them for the neglect of it: He had in readiness to revenge all disobedience, and might have fhaken that rod over them; but he chuseth rather to intreat, and befeech them: Now I beJeech you, brethren; here you have, as it were, the great apostle upon his knees before them, meekly, and pathetically intreating them to be at perfect unity among themfelves. It is the in treaty of their fpiritual father, that had begotten them to Chrift. Now [1] beseech you, brethren: I, who was the inftrument in Chrift's hands of your converfion to him; I, that have planted you a gospel-church, and affiduously watered you; I beseech you all, by the fpiritual ties, and endearments betwixt you and me, that there be no divifions among you. This is the first argument, wrapt up in a folemn obfecration.

Next, he enforces the duty of unity, by the nearness of their relation; I beseech you, brethren: Brotherhood is an endearing thing, and naturally draws affection, and unity with it, 1 Pet. iii. 8. Be ye all of one mind, having compaffion one of ano"ther; love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous; ye are the "children of one Father, joint-heirs of one and the fame in"heritance." To fee an Egyptian fmiting an Ifraelite, is no ftrange fight; but to fee one Ifraelite quarreling with another, is most unnatural, and uncomely: The nearer the relation, the ftronger the affection. "How good, and how pleafant is it "(faith the Pfalmift) for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Pfal. cxxxiii. 1.

But the greateft argument of all, is the laft, viz. In the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift. In this name he befeeches, and intreats them to be at perfect unity among themselves. In the former he fweetly infinuated the duty, by a loving compellation, but here he fets it home by a folemn adjuration; I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift: That is to fay, 1. For Chrift's fake, or, for the love of Chrift; by all that Chrift hath done, fuffered, or purchased for you; and as Chrift is dear, and precious to you, let there be no divifions. If you have any love for Chrift, do not grieve him, and obftruct his great defign in the world, by your fcandalous fchifms. Mr.

John Fox never denied a beggar that asked an alms of him, for
Christ Jefus fake

2. In the name of our Lord Jefus Christ, that is, in the authority of Chrift; for fo his name, alfo, fignifies, 1 Cor. 9.4. and it is as if he had faid, If you reverence the fupreme authority, and fovereignty of Chrift, which is the fountain out of which fo many folemn commands of unity do flow; then fee, as you will answer him at the great day, that ye be perfectly joined together in one mind, and in one judgment. The point will be this.

Doct. Unity amongst believers, efpecially in particular churchrelation, is as defirable a mercy, as it is a necessary, and indifpenfable duty.

How defirable a mercy it is, and how necessary a duty, let the fame apostle, who preffeth it upon the Corinthians in my text, be heard again, enforcing the fame duty with the fame warmth, upon the church at Philippi, chap. ii. ver. 1, 2. “If "there be therefore any confolation in Chrift, if any comfert "of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels of "mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the "fame love, being of one accord, of one mind." In handling this point, I will fhew,

1. What unity among believers is.

2. How the neceffity, and defirableness of it, may be evin. ced.

3. And then lay down the motives, and directions about it. (1.) What unity amongst believers is, and more particularly fuch believers as ftand in particular church-relation to each other.

There is a twofold union, one mystical, betwixt Chrift and believers; another moral, betwixt believers themfelves: faith knits them all to Chrift, and then love knits them one to another. Their common relation to Chrift, their head, endears them to each other, as fellow members in the fame body: hence they become fanguine Chrifti conglutinati, glued together by the blood of Chrift. Union with Chrift is fundamental to all union among the faints. Perfect union would flow from this their common union with Chrift, their head, were they not here in an imperfect state, where their corruptions disturb and hinder it; and as foon as they fhall attain unto complete fanctification, they fhall alfo attain unto perfect unity. How their unity with one another comes, by way of neceffary refultancy, from their union with Chrift, and how this unity among themselves shall at last arise to its juft perfection, that one text plainly dif

covers, John xvii. 23. "Iin them, and thou in me; that they "may be made perfect in one," &c.

Unity amongst thofe that hold not the head, is rather a confpiracy, than a golpel-unity. Believers, and unbelievers, may have a political, or civil union; but there's no fpiritual unity, but what flows from joint-membership in Chrift. I will not deny, but, in particular churches, there may be, and still are fome hypocrites, who hold communion with the faints, and pretend to belong unto Christ, the fame head with them; but aş they have no real union with Chrift, fo neither have they any fiacere affection to the faints; and thefe, for the most part, are they that raite tumults and divifions in the church, as difloyal fubjects do in the commonwealth. Of these the apostle fpeaks, 1 John ii. 19. "They went out from us, but they were not of "us; for if they had been of us, they would, no doubt, have "continued with us; but they went out, that it might be "made manifeft they were not all of us."

Sincere Christianity holds faft the foul by a firm bond of life to the truly Chriftian community, wherein they reap thofe fpiritual pleasures and advantages, which affure their continuance therein to a great degree: but those that join with the church, upon carnal, and external inducements, make little confcience of rending from it; and God permits their fchifmatical fpirits thus to act, for the difcovering of their hypocrify, or (as the text fpeaks) "that it might be made manifeft they were not of us;" as alfo, that they which are approved, may, by their conftancy, be alfo made manifeft, 1 Cor. xi. 19.

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It hath, indeed, been faid, that it is never better with the church, than when there are most hypocrites in it; but then you must understand it only with refpect to the external tranquillity, and profperity of the church: For as to its real fpiritual advantage, they add nothing. And therefore it behoves church-officers, and members, to be exceeding careful (especially in times of liberty, and profperity) how they admit members, as the Jews in Solomon's time were of admitting profelytes. 'Tis faid, Amos iii. 3. "How can two walk together, except "they be agreed?" I deny not, but perfons that differ in some leffer points, as to their judgment, may, and ought to be one in affection; but of this I am fure, that when fanctified perfons, agreed in judgments and principles, do walk together under pious and judicious church-officers, in tender affection, and the exercife of all duties tending to mutual edification, glorifying God with one mouth, Rom. xv. 6. and cleaving together with queness of heart, Acts ii. 42. This is fuch a church-unity, as

anfwers Chrift's end in the inftitution of particular churches, and greatly tends to their own comfort, and the propagation of Christianity in the world. Tongue-unity flows from heart unity; heart-unity, in a great measure, from head-unity; and all three from union with the Lord Jefus Christ. The divifions of our tongues come mostly from the divifions of our hearts; were hearts agreed, tongues would quickly be agreed; and then what blessed times might be expected? And fo much briefly for the nature of unity. Next,

(2.) Let us evince, both the neceffity and defirableness of this unity among believers, and this will appear in a threefold refpect; viz.

1. With respect to the glory of God.

2. The comfort and benefit of our own fouls. 3. The converfion and falvation of the world.

(1.) With refpect to the glory of God. The manifeftative glory of God (which is all the glory we are capable of giving him, is the very end of our being, and fhould be dearer to us than our lives) is exceedingly advanced by the unity of his people. Hence is the apoftle's prayer, Rom. xv. 5, 6. "Now "the God of patience, and confolation, grant you to be like "minded one towards another, according to Chrift Jefus, that

you may with one mind, and one mouth glorify God." "Tis highly remarkable, that the apostle, in this petition for the unity of the faints, doth not only defcribe that unity he prays for, one mouth, and one mind, and fhews how much God would be glorified by fuch an union; but he also addreffes himself to God for it, under these two remarkable titles, the God of patience and confolation; thereby intimating two things, (1.) How great need, and exercife, there is of patience in maintaining unity among the faints: They must bear one another's buthens; they must give allowance for mutual infirmitles, for the church here is not an affembly of fpirits of just men made perfect. The unity of the faints therefore greatly depends upon the exercise of patience one toward another; and this he begs the God of patience to give them. And to endear this grace of patience to them, He (2.) joins with it another title of God, viz. the God of confolation, wherein he points them to that abundant comfort which would refult unto themselves from fuch a blessed unity, continued and maintained, by the mutual exercises of patience and forbearance, one towards another. And to fet home all, he lays before them the pattern and example of Christ: The God of patience and confolation grant you to be like-minded, according to Chrift. How many thousand infirmities and failures