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And here are all degrees to be monifhed, whether they be married or unmarried, to love chattity and cleannefs of life. For the married are bound by the law of God fo purely to love one another, that neither of them feek any frange love. The man muft only cleave to his wife, and the wife again only to her husband: they must fo delight one in another's company, that none of them covet any other. And as they are bound thus to live together in all godlinefs and honefty, fo likewise it is their duty virtuously to bring up their children, and provide that they fall not into Satan's fnare, nor into any uncleannefs, but that they come pure and honeft unto holy wedlock, when time requireth. So likewife ought all mafters and rulers to provide that no whoredom, nor any point of uncleanness, be ufed among their fervants. And again, they that are fingle, and feel in themfelves that they cannot live without the company of a woman, let them get wives of their own, and fo live godly together: for it is better to marry 1 Cor. vii. than to burn.

And, to avoid fornication, faith the Apostle, let every man bave his own wife, and every woman her own bufband. Finally, all fuch as feel in themfelves a fufficiency and ability, through the working of God's Spirit, to lead a fole and continent life, let them praife God for his gift, and feek all means poffible to maintain the fame; as by reading of holy Scriptures, by godly meditations, by continual prayers, and fuch other virtuous exercifes. If we all on this wife will endeavour ourfelves to efchew fornication, adultery, and all uncleannefs, and lead our lives in all godlinefs and honefty, ferving God with a pure and clean heart, and glorifying him in our bodies by the leading an innocent and harmlefs life, we may be fure to be in the number of thofe, of whom our Saviour Chrift fpeaketh in the Gospel on this manner, Bleffed are the pure in heart, Matt. v. for they hall fee God: to whom alone be all glory, honour, rule, and power, world without end. Amen.

A SER.

A

SERMON

AGAINST

Contention and Brawling.

TH

от

HIS day, good Chriftian people, fhall be declared unto you, the unprofitablenefs and fhameful unhonefty of contention, ftrife, and debate; to the intent that, when you fhall fee, as it were in a table painted before your eyes, the evil-favourednefs and deformity of this moft deteftable vice, your ftomachs may be moved to rise against it, and to deteft and abhor that fin, which is fo much to be hated, and pernicious, and hurtful to all men. But among all kinds of contention, none is more hurtful than 1 Tim. i. is contention in matters of religion. Efchew, faith St. Paul, foolish and unlearned queflions, knowing that they breed 2 Tim. ii. ftrife. It becometh not the fervant of God to fight, Strive, but to be meck toward all men. This contention and ftrife was in St. Paul's time among the Corinthians, and is at this time among us Englishmen. For too many there be, which, upon the ale-benches or other places, delight to fet forth certain queftions, not fo much pertaining to edification, as to vain-glory, and fhewing forth of their cunning, and fo unfoberly to reafon and difpute, that, when neither part will give place to other, they fall to chiding and contention, and fometime from hot words to further inconvenience. St. Paul could not abide to hear among the Corinthians thefe words of difcord or diffenfion, I 1 Cor. iii. bold of Paul, I of Cephas, and I of Apollos: what would he then fay if he heard thefe words of contention, which be now almost in every man's mouth? He is a Pharifee, he is a Gospeller, he is of the new fort, he is of the old faith,

he

that

he is a new-broached brother, he is a good catholic father, he is a papift, he is an heretic. O how the church is divided! O how the cities be cut and mangled! O how the coat of Chrift, that was without feam, is all to rent and torn! O body myftical of Chrift, where is that holy and happy unity, out of the which whofoever is, he is not in Chrift? If one member be pulled from another, where is the body? If the body be drawn from the head, where is the life of the body? We cannot be joined to Chrift our Head, except we be glued with concord and charity one to another. For he that is not of this unity is not of the Church of Chrift, which is a congregation or unity together, and not a divifion. St. Paul faith, That as long 1 Cor. iii. as emulation or envying, contention, and factions or fects be among us, we be carnal, and walk according to the fleshly man. And St. James faith, If ye bave bitter emulation or James iii. envying, and contention in your hearts, glory not of it: for where contention is, there is unfteadfastnefs and all evil deeds. And why do we not hear St. Paul, which prayeth us, whereas he might command us, faying, I beseech you in 1 Cor. i. the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that you will speak all one thing, and that there be no diffenfion among you; but t you will be one whole body, of one mind, and of one opinion in the truth. If his defire be reafonable and honeft, why do we not grant it? If his request be for our profit, why do we refuse it? And if we lift not to hear his petition of prayer, yet let us hear his exhortation, where he faith, I exbort you, that you walk as it becometh the vocation, Ephef. iv. in which you be called, with all fubmiffion and meekness, with lenity and foftness of mind, bearing with one another in charity, studying to keep the unity of the Spirit by the bond of peace: for there is one body, one Spirit, one faith, one baptifm. There is, faith he, but one body, of the which he can be no lively member, that is at variance with the other members. There is one Spirit, which joineth and knitteth all things in one. And how can this one Spirit reign in us, when we among ourselves be divided? There is but one faith; and how can we then fay, he is of the old faith, and he is of the new faith? There is but one baptifm; and then shall not all they which be baptized be one? Contention caufeth divifion, wherefore it ought not to be among Chriftians, whom one faith and baptifm joineth in an unity. But if we contemn St. Paul's requeft and exhortation, yet at the leaft let us regard his earneft entreating, in the which he doth very earnestly charge us, and (as I may fo fpeak) conjure us in this form and manner, If there be any confolation in Chrift, if there Phil. ii.

be any comfort of love, if you have any fellowship of the Spirit, if you have any boavels of pity and compaffion, fulfil my joy, being all alike affected, having one charity, being of one mind, of one opinion, that nothing be done by contention, or vain-glory. Who is he, that hath any bowels of pity, that will not be moved with thefe words fo pithy? Whole heart is fo ftony, that the fword of these words, which be more tharp than any two-edged fword, may not cut and break afunder? Wherefore, let us endeavour ourselves to fulfil St. Paul's joy here in this place, which shall be at length to our great joy in another place. Let us fo read hould read the Scripture, that by reading thereof we may be made the Scrip- the better livers, rather than the more contentious difpu

How we

ture.

ters. If any thing be neceflary to be taught, reafoned, or difputed, let us do it with all meekness, softness, and lenity. If any thing fhall chance to be spoken uncomely, let one bear another's frailty. He that is faulty, let him rather amend, than defend that which he hath spoken amifs, left he fall by contention from a foolith error into an obftinate herefy. For it is better to give place meekly, than to win the victory with the breach of charity, which chanceth when every man will defend his opinion obftinately. If we be the Chriftian men, why do we not Matth. xi. follow Chrift, who faith, Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart? A difciple muft learn the leffon of his fchoolmafter, and a fervant muft obey the commandment James iii. of his mafter; He that is wife and learned, faith St. James, let him fhew bis goodness by his good converfation, and fobernefs of his wifdom. For where there is envy and contention, that wifdom cometh not from God, but is worldly wisdom, man's wifdom, and devilish wisdom. For the wifdom that cometh from above, from the spirit of God, is chafte and pure, corrupted with no evil affections; it is quiet, meek, and peaceable, abhorring all defire of contention; it is tractable, obedient, not grudging to learn, and to give place to them that teach better for the reformation. For there fhall never be an end of ftriving and contention, if we contend who in contention fhall be mafter, and have the overhand : : we fhall heap error upon error, if we continue to defend that obftinately, which was fpoken unadvifedly. For truth it is, that ftiffnefs in maintaining an opinion breedeth contention, brawling, and chiding, which is a vice among all other moft pernicious and peftilent to common peace and quietnefs. And as it ftandeth betwixt two perfons and parties, (for no man commonly doth chide with himfelf) fo it comprehendeth two most deteftable vices: the one is picking of quarrels, with fharp and con

tentious

I

tentious words: the other ftandeth in froward answering, and multiplying evil words again. The firft is fo abominable, that St. Paul faith, If any that is called a brother be 1 Cor. v. a worfbipper of idols, a brawler, a picker of quarrels, a thief, or an extortioner, with him that is fuch a man fee that ye eat not. Now here confider that St. Paul numbereth a Against fcolder, a brawler, or a picker of quarrels, among thieves quarrel picking. and idolaters; and many times there cometh lefs hurt of a thief, than of a railing tongue: for the one taketh away a man's good name; the other taketh but his riches, which is of much lefs value and estimation than is his good name. And a thief hurteth but him from whom he healeth: but he that hath an evil tongue troubleth all the town where he dwelleth, and fometime the whole. country. And a railing tongue is a peftilence fo full of contagioufnefs, that St. Paul willeth Chriftian men to forbear the company of fuch, and neither to eat nor drink 1 Cor. v. with them. And whereas he will not that a Chriftian woman fhould forfake her husband, although he be an Infidel, or that a Chriftian fervant fhould depart from his mafter, which is an Infidel and Heathen, and fo fuffereth a Chriftian man to keep company with an Infidel: yet he forbiddeth us to eat or drink with a fcolder, or quarrelpicker. And also in the fixth chapter to the Corinthians, be faith thus, Be not deceived; for neither fornicators, neither 1 Cor. vi. worshippers of idols, neither thieves, nor drunkards, nor curfed Speakers, ball dwell in the kingdom of heaven. It must needs be a great fault, that doth move and caufe the father to difinherit his natural fon.. And how can it otherwife be, but that this curfed fpeaking muft needs be a moft damınable fin, the which doth caufe God, our moft merciful and loving Father, to deprive us of his most bleffed kingdom of heaven? Againft the other fin, that ftandeth Againft froin requiting taunt for taunt, fpeaketh Chrift himfelf, fay- ward aning, I fay unto you, Refift not evil; but love your enemies, and Matt. v. fay well by them that fay evil by you, do well unto them that do evil unto you, and pray for them that do hurt and perfecute you; that you may be the children of your Father which is in beaven, subo fuffereth bis fun to rife both upon good and evil, and fendeth his rain both upon the just and unjust. To this doctrine of Chrift agreeth very well the teaching of St. Paul, that chofen velfel of God, who ceaseth not to exhort and call upon us, faying, Bless them that curfe you; bless, I Rom. xii. fay, and curfe not; recompenfe to no man evil for evil; if it be poffible (as much as lieth in you) live peaceably with all men.