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Show chrifliam jbut~!d: ma{c tbrifts -r Love ofGoddotb gtiiile them, this is oae ufe of the Banner·! while theColonrs keep in their quarters,the Souldiers keep there too; b~t affoon as the Colours move a\\ the Souldirrt move, March, or · fight accordi01; to the direction they have from the Standnd; i£ the Colours by their motion direel" them t_o do. or fulfcr, they do accordingly. ·So fhould the true Chr~.ciJ of God, {ojhould tvery trulybelieving Soul. A< it· is faid of the l[raelitts, that they were guided by the Cloud and the Pillar of tire, and till they movd th•y mooed. 11o1, and whm thty ""vcd they f~•ytd not; that the Love of CluH\ lbou!d be to every brlievinz. Sot<l, and to every Church of God,. They lhould do, when the love r{'"C br;j! direcls them to do for 'him. ; they {hould fuffer for him wben.again the . love ofChrifl diredeth them to fulfer. The love of Chrifl fhould be thm Coloms; That's thot they [hould obfewc in all their ad ions and fay, Can I do this and love.Gh<ifl ? can I do thi~ and' keep the lavr of' CbriJ1? His ·Ban.ner to us is Love. Oh that now thofe that hear me this day, would let it be as I have faid,make theLqvc of Chrit\ the principle of all their Afrions'-! All our Actions are of no worth· that flow .not from this' Principle. Ah would men in all their -l}dions, their momentous Actions; bm Keep their eye upon thdr Colours, but eye the love of Chrifl, and fee if this or that Acticn anfwers ChrH\s Love to them, or would be a teflimony of their love to Chrill; how much Sin and wickednefs might be avoided! would men and women but mo-ut' as they fee this Banner moves. a! the love of Chrifl doth indeed conflrain them ; ljow much duty would be done which is omitted! how free would ChrijliaHJ be to the poor! The Apo!Hc faith conC~rning others, how dweUs the love of God *-lil•m ? How holy would they be in their converfations:_ Chri!t faith,lfyou Lovr me kt•P my Commandmmtr. l hatlen to a fourth Conclulion. 4· 'the Lovt of Cbrijl: ' i<'tbJ~ which unir.lb the Churcbfl of God, 4· Cond. and pJrticular beli<verJ botl>·unto CIJri!f and unto one •not her. l told you that the Banner is a Sign of Vnion; that fuch and fuch Soul· cliers arc united under [uch a Captain, and are one and the fame Company. Chrifls L011e wnto the S•uls of men, is that which unit• cth them in Companies <alled ChHrcbm for what is a Church, but a Company of people whotn Chrifl hath out of his Love called out of the world, to ferve him according to his wi\P 'Tis that which Uoiteth be!iners amongft themfelves, and unto Cbrifl ; what _is it that makes believers· all 'Of ani heart , but the Love of Ch{hrded\ <r.bnll:r41;>J.ir.>OHI:a. malte t;hr:ifls Lov~ the f!411fferfor VtJiou. {bed abtOaP 4B"l! th,e\1' ~ll ; and thtir joynt-agreernent to love Cbritf a~ai11,,anq. W fcty.c,"h,\ln.: l ~1al\ ap!liY· .t!i>,!.lrO;polition only with a,.,"'ilh,_ : l"h~t qli;G,hrijfiaHJ ~UP' (heir l:;ol•,.,s, and .WC'i" but pQffdfed of rhi~trutl\; fo~ want of a,~g!1t; unqerilanding or con-formable walking, to which are thofe fad . breaches and fepa-rations, and rents amongfi Chrifiians, both as to Communion, and as to Brotherly AffeCtion. Let partic)ll~~ Churches, and parti-cular Chri!lians, d>ffa·iQ an hundred things, (as it is irqpoflible b~l that t\;e,.e, !honld be variety of.app.~eheu{ions among(\ them,) cerpinly Chriflian Communio•,.and Chrillia11 Charity {hould not be broken,bcrwixt thofc to whom the love ofChrift is in comm"on diflributed, or who agree in the main Uniting Grace, viz;·. Lwe t1 . Cbri]l:. Tell me no •;ll(lre thcrc(ore a.s.an Argument to perf wade roe, to break ofl-Communi'o11 witb Cbrijiia111; or to cafi th~m out of my molt (qtim>re ttrcdioru; That thefe or thefe Chri!\ians; are not in all potnt·s of my perfwa!ion : Triis man or woman thin\j.s, ·that the t:;h,urch fhould b: governed by a common [ujfragr ; an&- . ther by the Elders of it; a thir~ by a Bi{hop: That this man thinks, ·Children (J,ould npt bt'b•ptifod while they c01:ne to years ofdlfcreti-on, at~d1 then by .dippin6; aoothel'!hinks Children may be baP-ti• . zed , and tl1>t either by {prinkjiHg, pouri1tg or 4ippi~tg. This man t\links God [hould be worfhilJped with this or this Ritr and Cerr-mony; ·another thinks it ought not to be. 1,.~ the quef\ion be only this; Doth this man fo live, Co walk, that_ I can by the Word o(God conclude, that he is one whom Cbrift lovet ( no~withfland · ing thefe failure~) and one that loves Chrift and his Golpel; my heart [hal\ cleave to bim'l will not pl'clcntly be of his Judgment in a\\ things, I will nor have CommLmion with him, and be like hirn wherein I think he tins againf\God;bltt I will love him as a Chri- 1\i~n, Chrifls B••merover his people is Love.And a\\ tl)at belong to . . this B mner are but one Comp'"y.and 0101\ br •nr with bi11t in Glory. ·~ S· Tht Love of. .Cbri(l u a fig'-' of hi< ~rotdJion 'tp bu pe~ple. "(be S. Co ,\,· Banner they fay IS for a S•gn of Protethon11 am lure Chnlls. love is · ~ a leal ofit.Thcre are Come that think the Metaphor of tbeText is not taken from a tnilitary BJnner, but from a Cuflome which ;he Eaflern Nations had at Mlfriagcs to _lpread a covering over the Bris\e,in token that fhe was now under the Protedion ofher Hufban4. lam Cure the believer,and tbcChurch is under thcProtedion ofChrilh and I am Cure his Love is his Banncr,aqd Cn!',ageth him ~ prc:1t~Cl her, as It eng;t.,Wth the Eagle to CAttY her Chickens up- Nz · oa |
