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may construe to be the threescore Queens here spoken of,) you shall turn your eyes to the true, inward, universal company of God's Elect and Secret Ones, there shall you more perfectly find Columbam unam, one Dove; for, what the other is in profession, this is in truth that one Baptism is here the true Laver of Regeneration; that one Faith is a saving reposal upon Christ; that one Lord is the Saviour of his Body. No natural body is more one, than this mystical: one Head rules it; one Spirit animates it; one set of joints moves it; one food nourishes it; one robe covers it. So it is one in itself, so one with Christ, as Christ is one with the Father: That they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me; John xvii 22. O blessed Unity of the Saints of God, which none of the make-bates of hell can ever be able to dissolve!

And now, since we are thus and every other way one, why are we not united in love? Why do we, in our ordinary conversation, suffer slight weaknesses to set off our charity? Mephibosheth was a cripple; yet the perfect love of Jonathan either cures or covers his impotency. We can no more want infirmities, than not be men: we cannot stick at infirmities, if we be Christians. It is but a poor love, that cannot pass over small faults; even quotidiane incursionis, as that Father speaks. It is an injurious niceness, to condemn a good face in each other for a little mole. Brethren, let us not aggravate, but pity each others' weaknesses; and, since we are but one body, let us have but one heart, one way: and, if we be the Dove of Christ, and his Dove is one, oh let us be so one with each other as he is one with us.

And, as the Church and Commonwealth are twins, so should this be no less one with itself and with her temporal head. Divisum est cor eorum, Their heart is divided, was the judgment upon Israel; Hos. x. 2. Óh, how is every good heart divided in sunder, with the grief for the late divisions of our Reuben! We do not mourn, we bleed inwardly, for this distraction. But I do willingly smother these thoughts; yea, my just sorrow chokes them in my bosom, that they cannot come forth but in sighs and groans. O thou, that art the God of Peace, unite all hearts in love to each other, in loyal subjection to their Sovereign Head. Amen.

(2.) As the Church is one, in not being divided; so she is but one, in not being Multiplied. Here is unus, uni, unam; as the old word is. He, the true Husband of the Church, who made and gave but one Eve to the First Adam, will take but one wife to himseif, the Second Adam. There are many particular Churches: all these make up but one universal; as many distinct limbs make up but one entire body, many grains one batch, many drops and streams

one ocean.

So many regions as there are under heaven, that do truly profess the Christian Name, so many National Churches there are: in all those nations, there are many Provincial; in all those provinces, many Diocesan; in all those dioceses, many Parochial Churches; in all those parishes, many Christian Families; in all

those families, many Christian Souls : Now, all those Souls, Families, Parishes, Dioceses, Provinces, Nations make up but one Catholic Church of Christ upon earth.

The God of the Church cannot abide either conventicles of separation, or pluralities of professions, or appropriations of catholicism. Catholic Roman is an absurd Donatian solecism. This is to seek Orbem in urbe, as that Council said well. Happy were it for that Church, if it were a sound limb, though but the little toe, of that mighty and precious body, wherein no believing Jew or Indian may not challenge to be jointed.

Neither difference of time, nor distance of place, nor rigour of unjust censure, nor any unessential error, can bar our interest in this Blessed Unity. As this flourishing Church of Great Britain, after all the spiteful calumniations of malicious men, is one of the most conspicuous members of the Catholic upon earth; so we, in her Communion, do make up one body with the holy patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors and faithful Christians of all ages and times. We succeed in their faith, we glory in their succession, we triumph in this glory.

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Whither go ye then, ye weak, ignorant, seduced souls, that run to seek this Dove in a foreign cote? She is here, if she have any nest under heaven. Let me never have part in her or in heaven, any Church in the world have more part in the Universal. Why do we wrong ourselves, with the contradistinction of Protestant and Catholic? We do only protest this, that we are perfect Catholics. Let the pretenced look to themselves: we are sure we are as Catholic as True Faith can make us; as much one, as the same Catholic Faith can make us: and, in this undoubted right, we claim and enjoy the sweet and inseparable communion with all the blessed members of that mystical body, both in earth and heaven; and, by virtue thereof, with the Glorious Head of that dear and happy body, Jesus Christ the Righteous, the Husband to this one Wife, the Mate to this one Dove: To whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, three persons and one God, be given all praise, honour, and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

SERMON XIX.

THE FASHIONS OF THE WORLD:

LAID FORTH IN A SERMON AT GRAY'S INN, ON CANDLEMAS-DAY.

ROMANS Xii. 2.

Fashion not yourselves like to this World.

THAT, which was wont to be upbraided as a scorn to the English, may be here conceived the Emblem of a Man: whom ye may imagine standing naked before you, with a pair of shears in his hand, ready to cut out his own fashion. In this deliberation, the World offers itself to him, with many a gay, misshapen, fantastical dress: God offers himself to him, with one only fashion; but a new one, but a good one. The Apostle, like a friendly monitor, adviseth him where to pitch his choice: Fashion not yourselves like to this world; but be ye changed by the renewing of your mind.

How much Christianity crosses Nature, we need no other proof than my Text. There is nothing that nature affects, so much as the fashion; and no fashion, so much as the world's: for our usual word is, "Do as the most." And, behold, that is it, which is here forbidden us; Fashion not yourselves like to this world.

All fashions are either in device, or imitation. There are vain heads, that think it an honour to be the founders of fashions: there are servile fools, that seek only to follow the fashion once devised. In the first rank is the World, which is nothing but a mint of fashions; yet, which is strange, all as old as mis-beseeming. Wę are forbidden to be in the second: if the World will be so vain as to mis-shape itself, we may not be so foolish as to follow it.

I. Let us look a little, if you please, at the pattern here damned in my Text, THE WORLD.

As in extent, so in expression, the World hath a large scope; yea, there are more worlds than one. There is a world of creatures; and, within that, there is a world of men; and yet, within that, a world of believers; and, yet within all these, a world of corruptions. More plainly, there is a Good world, an Evil world, an Indifferent.

A Good World, as of the creatures in regard of their first birth, so of men in regard of their second; a world of renewed souls: in the first act of their renovation, believing; John xvii. 20: upon their belief, reconciled; 2 Cor. v. 19: upon their reconcilement, saved; John iii. 16.

An Evil World, yea set in evil; 1 John v. 19: a world of corrupt unregeneration, that hates Christ and his; John xv. 18: that is hated of Christ; James iv. 4.

An Indifferent World, that is good or evil as it is used: whereof St. Paul, Let those, that use the world, be as not abusing it; 1 Cor. vii. 31.

This Indifferent World is a world of commodities, affections, improvement of the creature; which, if we will be wise Christians, we must fashion to us, framing it to our own bent, whether in want or abundance.

The Good World is a world of saints, whose Souls are purified in obeying the truth through the Spirit; 1 Peter i. 22. To this world we may be fashioned.

The Evil World is a world of mere men and their vicious conditions. God hath made us the lords of the indifferent world; himself is the Lord of the good; Satan is lord of the evil, Princeps kujus Sæculi. And that is most properly the world, because it contains the most; as it is but a chaff-heap, wherein some grains of wheat are scattered. To this evil world then, we may not fashion ourselves, in those things, which are proper to it as such. In natural, in civil actions, we may, we must follow the world: singularity in these things is justly odious: herein the World is the true Master of Ceremonies, whom not to follow is no better than a cynical irregularity. In things positively or morally evil, we may not.

There is no material thing, that hath not his form. The outward form is the fashion: the fashion of outward things is variable with the times; so as every external thing, clothes, building, plate, stuff, gesture is now in, now out of fashion: but the fashions of Morality, whether in good or evil, are fixed and perpetual. The world passeth and the fashion of it; but the evil of the fashions of the world is too constant and permanent, and must be ever the matter of our detestation: Fashion not yourselves like to this world.

II. But, because evils are infinite, as wise Solomon hath observed; it will be requisite to call them to their heads, and to reduce these FORBIDDEN FASHIONS to the several parts, whereto they belong. I cannot dream with Tertullian, that the soul hath a body; but I may well say, that the soul follows the body: and, as it hath parts ascribed to it according to the outward proportion, so are these parts suited with several fashions. Let your patient attention follow me through them all.

1. Begin with the HEAD; a part, not more eminent in place, than in power. What is the head-tire of the world? Surely, as outwardly we see in this castle of the body the flag of vanity hanged out most conspicuously in feathers, perukes, wires, locks, frizzles, powders, and such other trash; so the inward disguise of this part is no less certain, no less obvious to wise and holy eyes. And what is that but fancies, mis-opinions, mis-judgment? all, whether vain thoughts; Psalm xciv. 11: or evil thoughts; Isaiah lix. 7. To this head refer novelties of device, heresies, capricious, superstitious conceits, whereof the instances would have no end. And these

errors of the Mind, are either in false Principles or false Conclusions; and both, whether in matter of speculation or practice.

It is a world, to see what false Maxims the world lays down to itself: all which are as so many grounds of disguises of this great and graceless head. I do not tell you, that the fool hath said, There is no God; or, hath pent up that God in the circle of the heavens; or, whatever other imagination the very impudence of the world is ashamed to justify; as even in outward pride there are certain pudenda mysteria, which vain dames use, but hide: I speak of received and current axioms, which the world takes for granted, and fears not to aver: such as these; "We must do according to custom:""If it be nanòv einɛíμevov, an ill weed well rooted, we may not pull it up" "Wrongs may not be offered; they may be returned:" "There can be no better justice than retaliation:" "The lie must be answered with a blow, the challenge with a combat:" "Our honour must be tendered, whatever becomes of our soul:" "Reason must be done in drinking, though without reason:" "We may lie for an advantage:" "We may swear upon provocation:" "We may make the best of our own:" " Each man for himself:" "Youth must have a swinge:" "It is good sleeping in a whole. skin:" "Religion must be tuned to reasons of State;" and a thousand of this kind.

And from these false premises are raised pernicious Conclusions of resolution to the soul. What should I speak of profane and wild thoughts, of sensual and beastly thoughts, of cruel and bloody thoughts? These are the fashions of the world, whereto we may not fashion ourselves, remembering that of wise Solomon, The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord; Prov. xv. 26. These dresses, perhaps, seem not uncomely to carnal eyes; but God tells us how he likes them: they are as naught as old: he spits at them, in a just detestation; and will spit at us, for them. Say not now, therefore, "Thought is free:" no; it is so far from that, as that it may be unpardonable; as Simon Peter intimates to Simon Magus; Acts viii. 22. Away then with all the false positions and misconclusions, all the fantastical or wicked thoughts of the world. It is filthy, let it be filthy still. Let not us fashion our Heads like unto the World.

2. Now, not only the whole Head in common, but every part, every power of sense in this head, hath a fashion of its own, that we must not follow in the world. Look first at the EYES. The Eyes of the World have a four-fold evil cast, that we may not imitate; the Adulterous, the Covetous, the Proud, the Envious. The Adulterous roves and looks round about, the Covetous looks downward, the Proud looks aloft, the Envious looks asquint.

(1.) The first are Eyes full of Adulteries; 2 Peter ii. 14: every glance whereof is an act of beastliness: βλέπων ἐμοίχευσεν, saith our Saviour; Matth. v. 28: the very sight is a kind of constupration. The same word in the Greek, nóg, signifies both " the apple of the eye" and "a virgin:" I may not now discuss the reason. Sure I am, many an eye proves a bawd to the soul; and I may safely say,

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