unity of the spirit, in the bond of peace; to have a coagmentation and joining together. (Eph. iv. 16) Factions and divisions in the church, are usually the fruits of the flesh: when one is of Paul, another of Apollos, are ye not carnal? (1 Cor. iii. 4) The apostle warns us to take heed of such as cause divisions and offences, contrary to the doctrine received, as those that serve not the Lord Jesus, but their own bellies. (1 Cor. iii. 3. Rom. xvi. 17, 18) We have seen, by very sad experience, when there hath been no wall nor enclosure to bound and keep within some principles of unity, the wild and exorbitant spirits of men, who, either acted by interest, or driving on designs, or possessed with prejudice against received doctrines, have departed from sound truth and brotherly love,-what flames and confusions have overspread these nations, once famous for unity in orthodox truth! what forsaking of ordinances, what magnifying of deceitful lights, what rage against ministry, what violations of magistracy, what bleeding of princes, what breaking of parliaments, what phrenetick and furious extravagances and disorders have stained the glory of the reformed religion amongst us! The evidence of these doleful effects should now, at last, awaken the spirits of all wise, godly, and sober persons, to close in some healing and uniting counsels; not to foment animosities, nor cherish jealousies one against another, but studying every man his own failings, to be the more remiss in censuring, and the more inclinable unto closing with, their Christian brethren. Why should we shut any out of our love here, whom we dare not exclude from the common salvation hereafter? And, indeed, when the Lord is pleased to send a spirit of unity and agreement amongst a people, to make them tender of each other's safety, and to look on the welfare of the parts, as the common interest of the whole; they are hereby a wall unto one another, as Nabal's servants said of David and his men. (1 Sam. xxv. 26) Every thing is best preserved, when most united. It is easy to break the sticks of a fagot, when the bond is loosed, and they severed each from other; but while they are bound together, they mutually preserve each other. Love is a 'bond.' (Col. iii. 14) The integrity of the body is preserved by the love of the members unto one another. Therefore nature hath taught weak cattle to keep together in flocks, and fishes in

shoals, and birds in flights; whereas beasts of prey live commonly alone, as lions, whales, eagles, kites. "A kingdom, divided within itself, cannot stand :" therefore as Christ is not divided, (1 Cor. i. 13) would not have his bones broken, nor his garment parted; so neither should his church. She is never so terrible, as when she is an army with banners, united and compacted into one body.

k

3. A wall of protection and defence. As the Lord promiseth to encamp about his house and to defend them. (Zech. ix. 8, 15) He is a rock, a tower, a shield, a chamber, a sanctuary, and here a wall, to preserve and protect his people. Great hath ever been the care of states, to keep the walls and gates of cities inviolable; in the Roman law', they are called Res Sanctæ et Divini Juris,' sacred things, and in no case to be injured, and it was a capital crime to climb over them. We read in Diodorus Siculus ", what care Themistocles took to build a wall about Athens; because walls are a great defence and protection to the cities, to which they belong.

The Lord doth thus, as a wall, protect his church. 1. In a way of promise, " I, saith the Lord;" his saying it, is doing it. His word is operative and efficacious. God's promises are the walls about his church. Every thing is preserved by the same word whereby it is created. "He upholdeth all things by the word of his power." (Heb. i. 3) His servants count themselves safe under his promise; they trust in his word. (Psalm cxix. 81)

2. In a way of power, making bare his arm in their cause, then when all second helps fail and are at a stand. Such a defence he was to Israel at the Red Sea, when death was before and behind, and on every side of them; so that they were able to do nothing, but only to stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.'"

3. In a way of Providence. 1. By creatures, with whom he maketh a covenant in behalf of his people, that they Of this league we

shall not hurt in all his holy mountain.'

read, Job v. 23. Hos. ii. 18. Ezek. xxxiv. 25. 2. By enemies, making Moab a covert for his outcasts; (Isai. xvi.

k Psalm xviii. 2. cxliv. 2. Deut. xxxiii. 29. Isai. xxvi. 20. viii. 14. tin. Instit. 1. 2. Tit. 1. sect. 10.

m Lib. 11.

I Jus.

n Exod. xiv. 13.

4) as dead thorns are a fence about a garden. He doth sometimes not only restrain the wrath of evil men, as he did Laban and Esau's from hurting Jacob; but doth make them helpful and beneficial unto them, as the dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees was to Paul: (Acts xxiii. 6, 7) as the Egyptians lent their jewels unto Israel, to hasten them away. (Exod. xii. 35, 36) 3. By casualties, ordering contingent events, and various incoherent emergencies to the protection of his people; as the noise in the mulberry trees; (2 Sam. v. 24) the shining of the sun on the waters; (2 Kings iii. 22) the sudden incursion of the Philistines; (1 Sam. xxiii. 27, 28) the chain of fortuitous events, which we may observe in the history of Joseph, and in the book of Esther.

4. In a way of grace, the Lord planting such beauties and rays of spiritual majesty upon his servants, as causeth their very adversaries to reverence them, and fear to annoy them; as Herod did John; and Felix, Paul; for wisdom maketh a man's face to shine.' (Eccles. viii. 1) There are flowers which they call wall-flowers; and there are graces, which I may call wall-graces, which have a special protecting virtue in them: Innocency, whereby we put to silence the frowardness of foolish men: (1 Pet. ii. 15) Wisdom, which God hath given for a defence. (Eccles. vii. 12) By this, Abigail diverted the ruin intended against Nabal and his family. Meekness and humility: for the lowest things are safest. A tempest breaks an oak, but not the ears of corn which yield unto it. A cannon-bullet battereth a lofty tower of marble, which is deaded by a raw mud-wall. A soft spirit turneth away wrath.' (Prov. xv. 1) Holy fortitude, which is a fence against terror. (Prov. xxviii. 1) Spiritual peace and joy,' which is a garrison to the heart. (Phil. iv. 7) The joy of the Lord is the strength of his servants. (Nehem. viii. 10) The invincible power of faith, which is a shield against Satan, and our victory over the world. (Eph. vi. 16. 1 John v. 4) Hope, the anchor of the soul, the whetstone of Christian courage the more we expect for the future, the securer we are for the present against the fear of evil. Lastly, The spirit of supplication, which flies to the name of the Lord as a strong tower; which wrestles and prevails with God; 'Vincit invincibilem, ligat omnipotentem ;' and therefore is a principal part of the Christian panoply. (Eph. vi. 18) And

thus is the Lord a wall of protection to his church; in a way of promise; in a way of power; in a way of Providence; ordering creatures, enemies, casualties to the defence of his people; and in a way of grace.

And his protection is like that of a wall, in these two respects: 1. He is a near, present, ready defence. Evil may be at hand, when help is too far off to come seasonably in. But the wall joins, and is near unto the city: such a defence the Lord is; a present help in trouble. (Psalm xlvi. 1) A God near at hand, not in a journey, or a sleep, or out of the way, when he should help us. (Jer. xxiii. 23) Nigh unto his people, in all that they call upon him for. (Deut. iv. 7. Psalm lxxxv. 9)

2. An adequate and proportionable defence. A wall defends a city on every side. As the enemies compass the church about with danger, (Psalm xxii. 12, 16, and cxviii. 10, 12) so doth the Lord compass it with mercy. (Psalm xxxii. 10)

But the strongest walls, though of iron or brass, (for such we read of, Ezek. iv. 3. Jer. xv.20) may, by military engines, be scaled, battered, or demolished. Therefore the Lord, to shew that he is an impregnable protection, saith, that he will be "a wall of fire," which cannot be scaled nor broken down; which consumes all engines that attempt any thing against it; as the flaming sword kept the way of the tree of life P; the pillar of fire secured Israel; fire in the bush kept any from coming near to cut off the boughs, and yet did not itself consume them. He is a fire in the enemy's wall, to overturn it; (Jer. xlix. 27) but to Jerusalem, he is a wall of fire to defend it. He once defended the church with a wall of water; (Exod. xiv. 22) and still defends it as a wall of a fire, by himself, who is a consuming fire'; (Heb. xii. 29) by his angels, who are a flaming fire. (Psalm civ. 4) Therefore Solomon carved cherubims on the walls of the temple, (2 Chron. 3, 7) to signify, that angels are the walls of the church. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, to deliver them. Psalm xxxiv. 7)

• Exempla divinæ custodiæ in præsentissimis periculis.-Vide in Philippi Camerarii Horis Subsecivis,' part. 2. cap. 7. P Gen. iii. 24. ¶ Exod.

xiv. 19, 20.

r Oeous word wupivod's vocat Plato. Diog. Laert. in Platone.

Vid. Raynold. Lect. Apocryp. Lect. 47.

And his protection is like fire in these four respects.

1. It is terrible and conspicuous, which, in a wonderful manner, doth strike fear into his enemies; as he promised to go before his people as a consuming fire.' (Deut. ix. 3) The prophet describes the terrible majesty of the Lord by a 'throne of fire' (Ezek. i. 26, 27) and the glorious coming of Christ by flames of fire.' (2 Thess. i. 8, 9) We are bid to praise him in the fires,' (Isa. xxiv. 15) for those conspicuous mercies, whereby he hath shewed himself a consuming fire' in behalf of his people. He answereth his people by terrible things; (Psalm lxv. 5) things which they looked not for; (Isa. Ixiv. 3) to make his name known unto his adversaries.

2. It is an impregnable and invincible defence. Other walls, though high, though broad, by battering rams have been demolished, and by mounts scaled. The walls of Babylon were two hundred feet high, and fifty feet broad, as Diodorus Siculus, Pliny, and Herodotus report'; yet even these were broken down. (Jer. li. 58) But no man dare climb, no engines can be applied against, a wall of fire; it will devour the batteries, that are made against it.

3. It is a constant and perpetual defence: for this is not a wasting, but a fixed fire; like that in the bush, which did not consume it, but dwelt in it. (Deut. xxxiii. 16) He is a sun and a shield; his protection is an enduring thing, as the fire of the sun. (Psalm lxxxiv. 11, and lxxxix. 36) The defence which is over his glory, upon the assemblies of Sion, viz. the pillar of the cloud, and of fire, is never taken away.' (Isa. iv. 5. Exod. xiii. 22)

4. It is an active, an offensive, an efficacious defence. Other walls are defensive only, to prohibit and hinder assaults but a wall of fire doth fight for those whom it doth defend. It is not only a wall, but a magazine; not only a fence, but a weapon; not only a muniment, but an army. As Israel's wall of water did drown Pharaoh; so the three children's wall of fire, did devour those that threw them into it. The protection of God about his church, is a most operative and a most efficacious protection.

We have taken a view of the wall: let us consider the city

Job xxxvii. 22.

Diod. Sicul. lib. 1. cap. 4.-Plin. Hist. Nat. lib. 6.

cap. 26.-Herodot. lib. 1. p. 74. Edit. Græco-Lat.