Of Unity IN RELIGION

RELIGION being the chief band of human so-

ciety, it is a happy thing, when itself is well

contained within the true band of unity.  The

quarrels, and divisions about religion, were evils

unknown to the heathen.  The reason was, because

the religion of the heathen, consisted rather in

rites and ceremonies, than in any constant belief.

For you may imagine, what kind of faith theirs

was, when the chief doctors, and fathers of their

church, were the poets.  But the true God hath this

attribute, that he is a jealous God; and therefore,

his worship and religion, will endure no mixture,

nor partner.We shall therefore speak a few words,

concerning the unity of the church; what are the

fruits thereof ; what the bounds; and what the

means.
 
 

The fruits of unity (next unto the well pleasing

of God, which is all in all) are two: the one, towards

those that are without the church, the other,

towards those that are within.  For the former; it is

certain, that heresies, and schisms, are of all others

the greatest scandals; yea, more than corruption

of manners.  For as in the natural body, a wound,

or solution of continuity, is worse than a corrupt

humor; so in the spiritual.  So that nothing, doth so

much keep men out of the church, and drive men

out of the church, as breach of unity.  And there-

fore, whensoever it cometh to that pass, that one

saith, Ecce in deserto, another saith, Ecce in pene-

tralibus; that is, when some men seek Christ, in the

conventicles of heretics, and others, in an outward

face of a church, that voice had need continually

to sound in men's ears, Nolite exire, - Go not out.

The doctor of the Gentiles (the propriety of whose

vocation, drew him to have a special care of those

without) saith, if an heathen come in, and hear

you speak with several tongues, will he not say

that you are mad? And certainly it is little better,

when atheists, and profane persons, do hear of

so many discordant, and contrary opinions in re-

ligion; it doth avert them from the church, and

maketh them, to sit down in the chair of the

scorners. It is but a light thing, to be vouched in so

serious a matter, but yet it expresseth well the

deformity.  There is a master of scoffing, that in his

catalogue of books of a feigned library, sets down

this title of a book, The Morris-Dance of Heretics.

For indeed, every sect of them, hath a diverse pos-

ture, or cringe by themselves, which cannot but

move derision in worldlings, and depraved politics,

who are apt to contemn holy things.
 
 

As for the fruit towards those that are within; it

is peace; which containeth infinite blessings.  It

establisheth faith; it kindleth charity; the outward

peace of the church, distilleth into peace of con-

science; and it turneth the labors of writing, and

reading of controversies, into treaties of mortifica-

tion and devotion.
 
 

Concerning the bounds of unity; the true plac-

ing of them, importeth exceedingly.  There appear

to be two extremes.  For to certain zealants, all

speech of pacification is odious.  Is it peace, Jehu,?

What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee be-

hind me.  Peace is not the matter, but following,

and party.  Contrariwise, certain Laodiceans, and

lukewarm persons, think they may accommodate

points of religion, by middle way, and taking part

of both, and witty reconcilements; as if they would

make an arbitrament between God and man.  Both

these extremes are to be avoided; which will be

done, if the league of Christians, penned by our

Savior himself, were in two cross clauses thereof,

soundly and plainly expounded: He that is not

with us, is against us; and again, He that is not

against us, is with us; that is, if the points funda-

mental and of substance in religion, were truly

discerned and distinguished, from points not

merely of faith, but of opinion, order, or good in-

tention.  This is a thing may seem to many a matter

trivial, and done already.  But if it were done less

partially, it would be embraced more generally.
 
 

Of this I may give only this advice, according to

my small model.  Men ought to take heed, of rend-

ing God's church, by two kinds of controversies.

The one is, when the matter of the point contro-

verted, is too small and light, not worth the heat

and strife about it, kindled only by contradiction.

For, as it is noted, by one of the fathers, Christ's

coat indeed had no seam, but the church's vesture

was of divers colors; whereupon he saith, In veste

varietas sit, scissura non sit; they be two things,

unity and uniformity.  The other is, when the

matter of the point controverted, is great, but it is

driven to an over-great subtilty, and obscurity; so

that it becometh a thing rather ingenious, than

substantial.  A man that is of judgment and under-

standing, shall sometimes hear ignorant men dif-

fer, and know well within himself, that those

which so differ, mean one thing, and yet they

themselves would never agree.  And if it come so

to pass, in that distance of judgment, which is be-

tween man and man, shall we not think that God

above, that knows the heart, doth not discern that

frail men, in some of their contradictions, intend

the same thing; and accepteth of both? The nature

of such controversies is excellently expressed, by

St. Paul, in the warning and precept, that he giveth

concerning the same, Devita profanas vocum novi-

tates, et oppositiones falsi nominis scientiae.  Men

create oppositions, which are not; and put them

into new terms, so fixed, as whereas the meaning

ought to govern the term, the term in effect gov-

erneth the meaning.There be also two false peaces,

or unities: the one, when the peace is grounded,

but upon an implicit ignorance; for all colors will

agree in the dark: the other, when it is pieced up,

upon a direct admission of contraries, in funda-

mental points.  For truth and falsehood, in such

things, are like the iron and clay, in the toes of

Nebuchadnezzar's image; they may cleave, but

they will not incorporate.
 
 

Concerning the means of procuring unity; men

must beware, that in the procuring, or reuniting,

of religious unity, they do not dissolve and deface

the laws of charity, and of human society.  There

be two swords amongst Christians, the spiritual

and temporal; and both have their due office and

place, in the maintenance of religion.  But we may

not take up the third sword, which is Mahomet's

sword, or like unto it; that is, to propagate religion

by wars, or by sanguinary persecutions to force

consciences; except it be in cases of overt scandal,

blasphemy, or intermixture of practice against

the state; much less to nourish seditions; to author-

ize conspiracies and rebellions; to put the sword

into the people's hands; and the like; tending to

the subversion of all government, which is the

ordinance of God.  For this is but to dash the first

table against the second; and so to consider men

as Christians, as we forget that they are men.

Lucretius the poet, when he beheld the act of Aga-

memnon, that could endure the sacrificing of his

own daughter, exclaimed: Tantum Religio potuit

suadere malorum.
 
 

What would he have said, if he had known of

the massacre in France, or the powder treason of

England? He would have been seven times more

Epicure, and atheist, than he was.  For as the tem-

poral sword is to be drawn with great circumspec-

tion in cases of religion; so it is a thing monstrous

to put it into the hands of the common people.  Let

that be left unto the Anabaptists, and other furies.

It was great blasphemy, when the devil said, I will

ascend, and be like the highest; but it is greater

blasphemy, to personate God, and bring him in

saying, I will descend, and be like the prince of

darkness; and what is it better, to make the cause

of religion to descend, to the cruel and execrable

actions of murthering princes, butchery of people,

and subversion of states and governments? Surely

this is to bring down the Holy Ghost, instead of the

likeness of a dove, in the shape of a vulture or

raven; and set, out of the bark of a Christian

church, a flag of a bark of pirates, and assassins.

Therefore it is most necessary, that the church, by

doctrine and decree, princes by their sword, and

all learnings, both Christian and moral, as by their

Mercury rod, do damn and send to hell for ever,

those facts and opinions tending to the support of

the same; as hath been already in good part done.

Surely in counsels concerning religion, that coun-

sel of the apostle would be prefixed, Ira hominis

non implet justitiam Dei.  And it was a notable

observation of a wise father, and no less ingenu-

ously confessed; that those which held and per-

suaded pressure of consciences, were commonly

interested therein., themselves, for their own ends.