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.
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