The staves of beauty & bands opened in a sermon preached at Yarmouth, August…The staves of beauty & bands opened in a sermon preached at Yarmovth, August…

7. To be of a candid Judgement; not to widen, but as much as may be to narrow Differences, and to reduce Controversies to as near an Agreement, as is possible; and in the managing of them, to retain Suavity and Ingenuity; not to infer without undeniable Evidence, odious and invidious consequences from those Doctrines of our brethren, which ⟨p. 79⟩we our selves dislike; but to believe other men as perspicacious to discern, and as tender to decline such desperate Rocks as we our selves. It argues great want of Charity towards others, and of Humility in our selves, when by our perverse Disputings, we go about to charge such opinions upon others, as from their own mouths we are assured, and therefore should in Charity believe, that they do detest. Pride in our selves, and Prejudice against others, are Two great Impediments to the healing of Divisions.

I shall shut up all with one observation out of the Text more, which is this, That what Christ in the beginning of the verse did undertake, I will feed the flock of slaughter, in the latter end thereof he makes it good, I fed the flock. Christ never undertook more in a way of Office then what he finished, nor more in a way of Promise then what he performed. He undertook a difficult service, to feed ⟨p. 80⟩his Church not only with his Doctrine but with his Blood; he had a^z Command and Commission to do it, and this Commission he accepted,^a Lo I come to do thy will O God. And though it were so hard a duty, that his humane nature did shrink, and as it were draw back from it,^b Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, yet he submitted his will to the will of his father, and was^c