A discourse concerning evangelical love, church-peace and unity with the occasions and reasons of…

The Principal Cause of our Divisions and Schisms is no other than the Ignorance or Misapprehension that is among Christians, of the true nature of that Evangelical Unity, which they ought to follow after, with the ways and means whereby it may be attained and preserved. Hence it is come to pass, that in the greatest Pleas for Unity, and endeavours after it, most men have pursued a shadow, and fought uncertainly, as those that beat the Air. For having lost the very notion of Gospel Unity, and not loving the thing its self, under what terms soever proposed unto them, ⟨p. 97⟩they consigned the Name of it unto, and clothed with its ornaments and Privileges a vain Figment of their own, which the Lord Christ never required, nor ever blessed any in their Endeavours to attain. And when they had changed the End, it was needful for them also to change the Means of attaining it; and to substitute those in their Room which were suited to the new Mark and Aim they had erected. Farther to evidence these things we shall give some account of the Nature of Evangelical Unity, the means of attaining it; with the false notion of it that some have embraced, and the corrupt means which they have used for the compassing of the same.

The Principal Cause of our Divisions and Schisms is no other than the Ignorance or Misapprehension that is among Christians, of the true nature of that Evangelical Vnity, which they ought to follow after, with the ways and means whereby it may be attained and preserved. Hence it is come to pass, that in the greatest Pleas for Vnity, and endeavours after it, most men have pursued a shadow, and fought uncertainly, as those that beat the Air. For having lost the very notion of Gospel Vnity, and not loving the thing its self, under what terms soever proposed unto them, ⟨p. 97⟩they consigned the Name of it unto, and cloathed with its ornaments and Priviledges a vain Figment of their own, which the Lord Christ never required, nor ever blessed any in their Endeavours to attain. And when they had changed the End, it was needful for them also to change the Means of attaining it; and to substitute those in their Room which were suited to the new Mark and Aim they had erected. Farther to evidence these things we shall give some account of the Nature of Evangelical Vnity, the means of attaining it; with the false notion of it that some have embraced, and the corrupt means which they have used for the compassing of the same.