THE WAY OF TRUE PEACE AND UNITY, IN THE TRUE CHURCH OF CHRIST, IN ALL HUMILITY, AND BOWELS OF LOVE, PRESENTED TO THEM. BY WILLIAM DELL, One of the least, and most unworthy of the Servants of God, in the Gospel of his dear Son. PSALM CXX. 7. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war. Utrum nos schismatici sumus an vos, nec ego nec tu, sed Christus interrogetur ut indicet ecclesiam suam, August. contr. liter. Petil. l. 2, c. 85. U THE COMMONS OF ENGLAND, ASSEMBLED IN PARLIAMENT. AS you are busy about the peace of the kingdom, to settle and establish that upon a right and sure foundation so God hath engaged my heart to meditate the peace of the church. And though I have excluded your power from having a hand in this work, yet I have not in any measure wronged you, as you shall perceive, but rather endeavoured to preserve you from dashing yourselves against that rock, against which, all the ignorant and unwise rulers and kingdoms of the world, both have, and yet shall, dash themselves in pieces. It shall be your wisdom to be built up, together with the church, on Christ; but it would be your confusion, to go about to build the church on yourselves and your power; seeing this building is too weighty for any foundation, but Christ himself. Your power will do well in the kingdoms of the world, but not in God's kingdom, which is Christ's inheritance, from the beginning to the end. You shall be happy to be subject in it, but none must be lord or law-giver here but Christ himself. Let not the devil, who, in these last times, hath, in many places, translated the mystery of iniquity, from the ecclesiastical kingdom of the clergy, into the temporal kingdom of the magistrate, any longer keep it there: seeing it will be as pernicious in this, as in that for it will be no less dangerous an evil, for the magistrate to make himself lord and law-giver in the church, than for the Pope, or general council, in all the kingdoms called Christian; as for the archbishop or national assembly in particular kingdoms. Men have commonly thought, that to preserve the godly in worldly peace and prosperity, is to preserve the church; whereas, to preserve them in faith, hope, love, in union and communion with Christ and the Father, in and through the Spirit, this only is to preserve the church; and this often times, is better done by Christ, whose work only it is, in affliction, than in prosperity., Wherefore, do you look to the care of the state, and trust Christ with the care of his church, seeing he is both faithful and able to save it perfectly. The peace of the church lies in Christ only, and no part of it out of him, no not for a moment; and this their peace, Christ is able to preserve in himself, in the midst of the most cruel, and desperate evils of the world. Now what the true church of Christ is, and wherein its peace and unity lies, is here, in some measure declared, for the good of the faithful every where: and particularly for your good; lest you, being glorious instruments in the hand of God for one work, should miscarry in another. And this I have done, through God, not because I was worthy to do it, but because it was worthy to be done. For why should the church any longer be ignorant of the things that belong unto its peace? and why should the members of it any longer lie as scattered bones, dry and dead, and not gathered up into the unity of a living body? and who could longer endure, to see unskilful physicians, under pretence of healing the church, wound it still deeper; and under pretence of procuring its peace, hurry it into endless dissensions and divisions. In this case of necessity, I could not but speak, both out of duty and love; and I hope none of you will despise to hear, who consider, that God, when he lays aside the wise and prudent, chooses babes and sucklings to perfect his praise out of their mouths; that so he himself may be the more glorified and admired in his weak and mean instruments. Now let his praise be above the earth and the heavens; and let him give you the honour that all his saints have: and this is his hearty desire, who humbly writes himself, Your servant in the gospel, WILLIAM DELL. |