Greatly therefore doth it concern all of us in our places and orders to put to all our power, prayers, interests, for preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace, and for pursuing and promoting the Peace of Jerusalem, that in nothing we give offence to the Church of God; rather be willing to silence and smother our private judgements, to relinquish our particular liberties and interests, to question and mistrust domestica judicia, (as Tertullian calls them) our singular conceits and fancies,1 than to be in any such thing stiff and peremptory against the quiet of Gods Church. The Weak to be humble and tractable; the strong to be meek and merciful; the Pastors ⟨p. 11⟩to instruct the ignorant, to reclaim the wandering, to restore the lapsed, to convince the froward with the spirit of meekness and compassion: The People to obey, honour and encourage their Ministers by their docible and flexible disposition, to suspect their own Judgements, to allow their Teachers to know more than they; not to hamper themselves, nor to censure their Brethren, nor to trouble their Superiors by ungrounded Scruples, or uncharitable prejudices, or unquiet, and in the end uncomfortable singularities. How did our Saviour pour out his Spirit in that heavenly Prayer, for the Unity of his People: That they may be one, and one in us, and made perfect in one? How doth the Apostle pour out his very bowels in this respect unto the Church? If any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, be ye like minded. Take heed of strife, of vain-glory, of pride in your own conceits, of censure of your Brethren, of private respects. Lay aside your own reputation, be in the form of servants; have such humble judgements, as that you can be willing to learn any, though unwelcome Truth; to unlearn any, though darling Error: have such humble lives and purposes, as that you can resolve to obey with duty, whatsoever you are not able with reason to gainsay. The godly Princes, how careful have they ever been to suppress ⟨p. 12⟩and remove Dissentions from Gods Church?2 Constantine the Great writeth Letters, publisheth Edicts, makes large Orations to the Bishops of the Nicene Council at their Sitting and Dissolution, to no other purpose than only for preservation of Peace.3
Greatly therefore doth it concern all of us in our places and orders to put to all our power, prayers, interests, for preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace, and for pursuing and promoting the Peace of Ierusalem, that in nothing we give offence to the Church of God; rather be willing to silence and smother our private judgements, to relinquish our particular liberties and interests, to question and mistrust domestica judicia, (as Tertullian calls them) our singular conceits and fancies,1 than to be in any such thing stiffe and peremptory against the quiet of Gods Church. The Weak to be humble and tractable; the strong to be meek and merciful; the Pastours ⟨p. 11⟩to instruct the ignorant, to reclaim the wandering, to restore the lapsed, to convince the froward with the spirit of meeknesse and compassion: The People to obey, honour and encourage their Ministers by their docible and flexible disposition, to suspect their owne Judgements, to allow their Teachers to know more than they; not to hamper themselves, nor to censure their Brethren, nor to trouble their Superiours by ungrounded Scruples, or uncharitable prejudices, or unquiet, and in the end uncomfortable singularities. How did our Saviour poure out his Spirit in that heavenly Prayer, for the Unity of his People: That they may be one, and one in us, and made perfect in one? How doth the Apostle poure out his very bowels in this respect unto the Church? If any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, be ye like minded. Take heed of strife, of vain-glory, of pride in your own conceits, of censure of your Brethren, of private respects. Lay aside your own reputation, be in the forme of servants; have such humble judgements, as that you can be willing to learn any, though unwelcome Truth; to unlearn any, though darling Errour: have such humble lives and purposes, as that you can resolve to obey with duty, whatsoever you are not able with reason to gainsay. The godly Princes, how carefull have they ever been to suppresse ⟨p. 12⟩and remove Dissentions from Gods Church?2 Constantine the Great writeth Letters, publisheth Edicts, makes large Orations to the Bishops of the Nicene Councel at their Sitting and Dissolution, to no other purpose than only for preservation of Peace.3
- 1[Greek or Hebrew], Christ. in Gen. Hom. 4.〈non-Latin alphabet〉, Chryst. in Gen. Hom. 4.
- 2Euseb. de vit. Constant. l. 2 c. 63-68. lib. 3 c. 12. & 20.
- 3Evagrius l. 3 cap. 30Euagrius l. 3 cap. 30
