1. Where unity and peace is wanting, there is much precious time spent
to no purpose. How many days are spent, and how many fruitless journeys
made to no profit, where the people are not in peace? how often have many
redeemed time (even in seed-time and harvest) when they could scarce
afford it, to go to church, and, by reason of their divisions, come home
worse than they went, repenting they have spent so much precious time to
so little benefit? How sad is it to see men spend their precious time,
in which they should work out their salvation, in labouring, as in the
fire, to prove an uncertain and doubtful proposition, and to trifle away
their time, in which they should make their calling and election sure, to
make sure of an opinion, which, when they have done all, they are not
infallibly sure whether it be true or no, because all things necessary to
salvation and church-communion are plainly laid down in scripture, in
which we may be infallibly sure of the truth of them; but for other
things that we have no plain texts for, but the truth of them depends
upon our interpretations, here we must be cautioned, that we do not spend
much time in imposing those upon others, or venting those among others,
unless we can assume infallibility, otherwise we spend time upon
uncertainty. And whoever casts their eyes abroad, and do open their ears
to intelligence, shall both see, and to their sorrow hear, that many
churches spend most of their time in jangling and contending about those
things which are neither essential to salvation nor church-communion; and
that which is worse, about such doubtful questions which they are never
able to give an infallible solution of. But now where unity and peace
is, there our time is spent in praising God; and in those great
questions, What we should do to be saved? and, How we may be more holy
and more humble towards God, and more charitable and more serviceable to
one another?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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