Chap. V. The HIS T 0 R Y rf tbe PuRtTANs.· 595 " are laid down as the neceifary duties of chrifiianity by our Lord and King " Saviour in his word. What ground can there be why chrifiians lhould Gba~~s II. " not fiand upon the fame terms now, which they did in the time of~ " Chril1 and his apoftles? Was not religion fufficiently guarded and fen - " ced in then? Was their ever more true and cordial reverence in the " worlhip of 1God? What charter bath Chril1 given the church to bin<i. c< men up to more than himfelf has done? Or to exclude tbofe frum " her fociety, who may be admitted into heaven ? Will Chril1 ever thank " men at the great day, for keeping fuch out from communion with his " church, who he will vouchfafe not only crowns of glory to, but lt " may be aureola too, if there be any fuch things there! The grand " commiffion the apoi1Ies were fent out with, was only to teach what " Chril1 had commanded them; not the leaft intimation of any power '' given them to impofe or require any thing beyond what hiri1felf had " lpoken to them, or they were direeled to, by the immediate guidance of " the fpirit of God. It is not, whether the things commanded and re- " quircd be lawful or not ; it is not, whether indifferences may be de- " termined or no; It is not how far chriftians are bound to fubmit to " a reftraint of their chriftian lib~rty, which I now enquire after, but " whether they ccnfult the church's peace and unity who fufpend it upon " fuch things. -- We never read of the apoftles making laws but .of " things nece!Tary, as Afls xv. 19. It was not enough with them that " the things would be neceffary when they had required them; but they " looked upon an antecedent neceffity either abfolute or for the prefent •• ftat e, which was the only ground of their impaling thefe commands " upon the gentile chrifiians. But the Holy Ghoft never thought thofe " things fit to be made matters of law, to which all parties lhould con- " form. All that the apoftles required as to this, was mutual forbearance " and condefcenfion towards each other in them. The apollles valued « not indifferences at all; and thofe things they accounted asfuch which " were of no concernment to their falvation. And what reafon is there " why men lhould be tied up fo ftriClly to fuch things which they may " do or let alone, and yet be very good chriftians; Without all contra- " verfy, the m~in inlet of all the difiraCl:ions, confufions, and divilions " of the chrifiian world, has been by adding other conditions of church " communion than Chrift has done. - Would there ever be the lefs " peace and unity in a church, if a diverlity were allowed as to practices " fuppofed indifferent ? Yea, there would be fo much more, as there '' was a mutual forbearance and condefcenlion as to fuch things. The « unity of. the church is an unity of love and afFeCtion, and not a bare " uniformtty of praCtice and opinion - There is nothing in the pri· '' mitive church more deferving our imitation, than that admirable tem4 G z . " .per~
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