And, Secondly, an Exhortation, as the final refult of his whole Difcourfe, That they fhould with all charitable condefcenfion and kindness receive, and love, and affift one another, and not defpife, and cenfure, and deprive one another, either of their Charity, or their Communion;

Wherefore receive ye one another; as Chrift alfa receiv'd us, to the Glory of God.

In which words, as they thus lie before us in the Occasion and Design of them, there are two things that will offer themfelves to our confide ration.

First, An Exhortation to these Diffenting Chriftia ans, and in them to all of us, Not to break either Charity or Communion with one another, upon the account of fuch things wherein we may fecurely differ; but mutually to bear with one another in our differences.

See Theodoret, Chryfoft. The ophylact, &c. in loc.

Secondly, An Enforcement of this Exhortation, from two of the greatest Confiderations that can poffibly engage any Christian to an obfervance of it; viz.

First, From the Example of Christ towards us.

Secondly, From the greater Glory that will hereby redound to God.

Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the Glory of God.

I fhall make it my endeavour, with all the plainnefs that I can, to purfue both the Exhortation and the Enforcement in the three following Propofitions.

I. That there may be differences in matters of leffer moment, between very good and zealous Christians, without any juft reflection either upon the Men, or upon their Religion.

II. That thefe differences ought not to hinder fuch Perfons from agreeing together not only in a common Charity, but if it be poffible, in a common Worship of God too.

III. That to this End it is the Duty of all Chriftians, but especially of those who are strong in the Faith, not only to pray for fuch a Union, but, as they have opportunity, heartily to labour Themselves, and earnestly to ftir up all O thers, to endeavour after it.

And, Firft; That there may be Diffe- Prop. 1. rences in matters of lefs moment between very good and zealousChriftians,without any just Reflection upon the Men, or upon their Religion.

For proof of which, I think I need go no farther than the very History of my Text. I have already faid how great a divifion there was between the Jewish and the Gentile Converts, about the Ritual Obfervances of the Law of Moses, and with what a . Zeal the Diffenting Parties manag'd the Difpute, till they had almost loft their Charity, and made a deplorable Schifm in the Church of Chrift. And yet. I am confident no Man will fay that this was at all derogatory either to the Truth of their Common Chrifti

N 4

Christianity, or to the Infallible Authority with which the Apostles had deliver'd it unto them.

'Aas xv. 28. Gal. v. 2.

And for the Parties themselves that thus differ'd with one another, that they had a true Zeal on both fides for the Glory of God, and thought it matter of Confcience, the one to obferve thefe Ceremonial Inftitutions as what God ftill requir'd of them; the other to refufe any fuch Impofition, as not only a needlefs Burden, but even repugnant to the Grace of Chrift declar'd to them in his Gofpel; St. Paul, in the profecution of this very Argument, does clearly bear witnefs to them, Ch. xiv. 6. Where he makes ufe of this very thing as one Reafon why they should mutually tolerate one another in their Diffentions, viz. That however they differ'd in their Notions as to these particulars, yet they were both perfectly agreed in the fame common

Zeal for the Glory of God, and the Rom. xiv. 6. Difcharge of their Duty. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord be eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

And indeed, either we must say, that all, even the leaft Points, relating to our Religion, are fo clearly and plainly reveal'd, that no Honeft Man can poffibly be mistaken, if he will but impartially inquire into them; which from the Differences of whole Parties concerning these things, 'tis plain they are not: Or elfe Men's different Capacities, and Opportunities, and Tempers, and Education confider'd, 'tis in vain to expect that all good Men fhould agree in all their Notions of Religion, any more than we fee they do in any other concerns whatfo.

whatsoever. And who am I, that I fhould dare to pronounce a Sentence of Reprobation against any one, in whom there appear all the other Characters of an humble, upright, fincere Chriftian, only because he has not perhaps met with the fame Inftruction, or read the fame Books, or do's not argue the fame way; In a Word, becaufe he is not fo wife, or it may be, is wiser than I am, and fees farther than I do, and therefore is not exactly of my Opinion in every thing.

Now if this be fo, as both the Principles of Reafon conclude it very well may be, and the common Experienee of Mankind, not only in the particular concern of Religion, but in most other things affures us that it is: That Men's Understandings are different, and they will argue different ways, and entertain different Opinions from one another, about the fame things, and yet may nevertheless deferve on all fides, to be efteemed very good and wife Men for all that: How vain then mult that Argument be, which a Late Author of the Church of Rome, has with fo much Pomp revived against us, from our Differences in a few leffer Points of our Religion, to conclude us to be Erroneous in the greater; and that because we are not exactly of the fame Opinion in every thing, that therefore we ought to be credited in nothing; that is to fay, That because Proteftants when they differ, are mistaken on One Side, therefore when they agree, they

are mistaken on Both?

refies deftre variables

Ages de l'Eglife. l'Eglife Catholique.

Histoire des variationes des

Eglifes Protefantes: par rEvefque de MEAUX. which, may be The Design of feen in the Summary of his Preface+-Les Variationes dans la foy

preuve certaine de fauffete.Charattere des be

Ce Chara&ere renonnu dans tous les Charactere d'immutabilite dans la for de Que le's variationes de l'un des partis (de Proteftants) est une preuve contre l'Autre, &c. ift. It

ft. It is certain that amidst all our other Divifions, we are yet on all fides agreed in whatsoever is Fundamental in the Faith, or neceffary to be believ'd and profeffed by us in order to our Salvation.

There is no good Proteftant, but what does firmly believe all the Articles of the Apostles Creed; and embraces the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God, and Rule of his Faith, and readily acknowledges whatsoever is plainly revealed therein, and is at all times difpofed to fubmit to any thing that can by any neceffary and certain Confequence be proved to him thereby. In fhort, Our Differences, whatfoever they are, I will be bold to fay, They do no more, or even fo much concern the foundations of Christianity, as those of the Judaizing Chrifians here did. If their differing therefore with one another, was no Prejudice to the Truth of their common Chriftianity then, I would fain know for what Reafon our Differences, which are leffer, fhall become fo much a greater Argument againft our common Chriftianity now. But,

Secondly, If our differing from one another in Some Points, be an Argument that we are not certain in any How fhall we be fure that thofe of the Church of Rome are not altogether as uncertain as we are; feeing we are fure that they do, no less differ among themselves, and that in Points too, much more confiderable than we do?

Præf. ad lib. de Summ. P.

For to take only one Inftance inftead of many, and that fo confiderable, that Card. Bellarmin once thought the Sum of Christianity, he meant the Sum of Popery, to confift in it, viz. The Prerogatives of the Bishop of Rome, both in and over the Courch of Chrift, Some

T. P. 592.

Ingolftad. A 1586;

*