preaching Elders or others should so have the sole power of ruling as to doe all in their owne Consistory Classis or whatsoever you may call their convening that the Church should have nothing to doe with their acts of rule but to obey this is assuming to themselves power beyond what is given them This hath brought tyrannie into the Church it hath made the Church-officers to looke upon the rest of the Church in a contemptible way as the common vulgar sort men ignorant and weak not at all fit to meddle with matters of government not so much as to take cognisance or give any consent to what the Church-officers doe But whether they understand or no whether they consent or dissent it makes no matter the determinations of those in place must stand their censures must be submitted to Peter Martyr in an Epistle to the Ministers and such as professed the faith in Polonia exhorts them to endeavour the establishing of Discipline in the Church as soon as they could while peoples hearts were heat with love to and desires after the Gospell he tells them it will be harder to bring it in afterward when their hearts begin to grow more cold and that they might not thinke Discipline a small thing he sayes that those Churches cannot be said to professe the Gospell truly nor solidly which want it he would have them acknowledge it not to be the least part of Christian Religion but must know that the Gospel is neglected by such as shall put off from themselves such a singular excellent portion of it But sayes he this will be the Objection Under the colour of Discipline the Ministers of the Church will tyrannize they will carry things according to their owne mindes To this he answers Tyrannie in the Ministers needs not be feared where the rule of the Gospel for censures is observed for in casting out any who will not be reclaimed the consent of the Church must be had and if it be done by this authority none can complain of the tyrannie of a few Cyprian in his sixt Epistle professeth his resolution to doe nothing without the counsell of the Elders and consent of the people Our Brethren of Scotland in their opposition to the Prelates give very much to the people in the matter of Excommunication It pertaineth say they to the whole Church collectively taken to deny her Christian communion to such wicked persons as adde contumacie to their disobedience therefore it pertaineth to the whole Church to excommunicate them Againe It pertaineth to the whole Church to admit one into her communion therefore to the whole Church to cast one out of her communion And a page or two after The Apostle writing to the whole Church of Corinth will have them being gathered together to deliver that incestuous person to Satan therefore every particular Church or Congregation hath power to excommunicate There they give many arguments to prove that the Apostle would not excommunicate by his owne authority alone but by the authority of the Church and that collectively taken so they say not the Ministers or Elders of the Church onely Let no man say this was the judgement but of one Minister for at the beginning of this Parliament my selfe together with a reverend Brother asked Master Henderson two or three of the Ministers of Scotland being with him Whether we might not take that Book as the judgement of the most godly and able of the Ministers of Scotland for the matters of Church-discipline They answered we might The second way of going beyond their limits is their extending their power to more Congregations then Christ hath given them charge of The chiefe Church-controversie at this day is about this extent I shall onely shew you where the difference lyes betweene one and the other in it The Question is this Whether one that is set by Christ to take charge of a particular Congregation as a Pastor to feed them by Word Sacraments and Rule may keep the Pastorall charge he hath for Word and Sacraments to one Congregation but his charge for Rule shall extend together with others to an hundred Congregations or more Some say that no Minister can have the charge of ruling over people in a large extent then his charge over them for Word and Sacraments reaches they thinke that those people that can say to a Minister That charge that Christ hath given you for Word and Sacraments extends not to take care of our soules to feed them therefore you have no charge of our souls for ruling if you thinke you may preach or administer Sacraments in an accidentall arbitrary way onely not as chalenging power over us for this or looking upon us as those committed to you for whom you are to answer then at the farthest you may exercise rule over us but in this way But others hold this That a Minister may answer to this people thus I confesse I have indeed onely such a particular Congregation to be my flock and although I being desired to help sometimes in another to preach or administer Sacraments yet I doe it not as having the charge of their soules as being Pastor to them But as for that ruling power that Christ hath given me I conceive by joyning of it with others it extends to hundreds of Congregations or more according as our association shall be so as we have not onely liberty to be helpfull to those who have the speciall charge of the Congregations but we have the supreame ruling power in our hands to challenge in the Name of Christ to exercise over these Congregations as we shall see cause I say the supreme power above what your Ministers or Elders in your particular Congregations have for though these Ministers and Elders of yours be admitted to be members of our Court yet if they all should be of a contrary minde from us in some matter that concernes your Congregation we yet will judge and determine we will censure and exercise all kinde of Ecclesiasticall Jurisdiction in that congregation as we see cause though it may be not one of us ever saw any of the faces of any of the men of your congregation before Here I say lyes the great dividing controversie which is right which is wrong is not my worke to shew all I am to doe is but to shew you what the controversie is about which there is so much dispute And though I determine not the case either way yet I shall leave two considerations to help you in your thoughts about it First the extent of power of Jurisdiction must be by institution as well as the power it selfe all juridicall power whatsoever either in State or Church receives limits or extent from the same authority it first had its rise this is impossible to be denyed If a man by a Charter be made a Mayor of a Towne he cannot therefore challenge the power of a Mayor wheresoever he comes except the authority
That is not enough sayes the Apostle to justifie them though there should be no hurt in them yet seeing they perish in the use seeing there comes no good by them you must not doe them But what if they shall be commanded by authority may wee not doe them then No sayes the Apostle that is another argument against them they are after the commandements and doctrine of men if it be a meere ordinance of man and there be no other reason in the thing but because man enjoynes it in the Church you are not to doe it Yea in some respect we have not so much liberty in things indifferent if they be enjoyned by men as we had before This is thought to be a very strange assertion by some but consider this one thing and it will not appear so Though I might doe such a thing before yet if man shall take upon him this authority to command meerly because of his will and pleasure if I now obey I am in danger to edifie him to strengthen him in his sinne he challenges this authority and I seeme to yeeld it to him certainly he is strengthned in it by my subjection except I doe this at least professe against any such authority of man granted by Jesus Christ But say some If you take from Governours power to command things indifferent you take away all their power for things necessary are required without them and things sinfull they may not command Surely this conceit comes rather from tradition then from due consideration for it is not power enough to see to the keeping of the commands of God that the Ordinances be kept pure that there be justice between man and man to reward those which doe well and to punish the evill doers Yet thus farre must be granted to the Officers of the Church they have authority from Christ to declare dogmatically when a thing in it selfe indifferent yet by reason of some circumstances comes to be a duty and this is to be regarded more then the declaration of any private brother or brethren for they doe it by way of office in the name of Christ This we finde Acts 15. the Apostles and Elders sent their Decrees 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their dogmaticall determinations about some things in themselves indifferent but as cloathed with those circumstances they call them things necessary they determine them to be done from the reason of the things not from their authority those things were duties before they decreed them and had been had they never decreed them Even forbearing the eating of blood was a duty in case of offence though their decree had never been and otherwise it was no duty notwithstanding their Decree for afterward Paul sayes that whatsoever is sold in the shambles they might eate of it asking no question for conscience sake and every creature of God is good if it be received with thanksgiving Thus we have seen what the bounds are which God hath set to men in authority or at least the controversie about them Let them be carefull to keep within their bounds as they are set to keep others within theirs by this Church and State may enjoy much peace CHAP. XXIII The fourth dividing practise Gathering of Churches disorderly THis is cryed out of as the greatest dividing practice of all You may speak of this or that to be dividing amongst us say some but above all things this Gathering of Churches is the great divider amongst us To this I shall speak in these six things First it is not absolutely unlawfull for a Church to be gathered out of a Church Voetius that learned Professor of Viretcht answering Jansenius pleading against us for seperating from the Romish Church which was the most ancient and famous Church No sayes he it is not absolutely evill to separate from such a Church for then the Christians gathering themselves out of the Jewish Church were Schismaticks which is false Doctor Jackson a Prelaticall man in the 14. Chapter of his Treatise of the Church gives two reasons which he sayes are just and necessary for which men whether few or many may and ought to seperate themselves from any visible Church First because they are urged or constrained to professe or beleeve some points of doctrine or to adventure upon some practices which are contrary to the rule of Faith or love of God Second in case they are utterly deprived of freedome of Conscience in professing what they inwardly beleeve or bereft of some other meanes either altogether necessary or most expedient to salvation For which latter he quotes 1 Cor. 7. 23. Ye are bought with a price bee not ye servants of men Although sayes he we were perswaded that we could communicate with such a Church without evident danger of damnation yet inasmuch as we cannot communicate with it upon any better termes then legall servants or bondslaves doe with their Masters we are bound in conscience and religious discretion when lawfull occasions and opportunities ore offered to use our liberty and to seeke our freedome rather then to live in bondage This doctrine was allowed of in the Bishops times Now suppose upon these two grounds there be a withdrawing from a Church Christ does no where require his people to live without Ordinances all their dayes rather then they should joyne themselves together into another body Secondly yet where these causes are not but men may communicate without sinne professing the truth and enjoy all ordinances as the freemen of Christ Men must not seperate from a Church though there be corruption in it to gather into a new Church which may be more pure and in some respects more comfortable First because we never finde the Saints in Scripture seperating or raising Churches in such a case and secondly There would be no continuance in Church fellowship if this were admitted for what Church is so pure and hath all things so comfortable but within a while another Church will be more pure and some things will be more comfortable there The generall peace of the Church should be more regarded by us then some comfortable accommodations to our selves Thirdly Although you cannot for the present communicate with the Church in which you are without sinne or bondage yet you are not presently to withdraw to gather into another or to joyne with another you are bound to give so much respect to the Church as to continue with much long-suffering to seeke the good of that Church to remove the sinne that is upon it with all good meanes you can You must beare much with a brother much more with a Church Fourthly If things were in that ordered and settled way as they ought there ought to be no gathering of any new Churches without consulting and advising with neighbour Churches Christ would have all Churches unite themselves and have conjunction one with another being all of the same body of Christ If then there be to be raised a new Sister Church
require why should we distinguish where the Scripture doth not You will say The nature of the thing spoken of will require that it must be restrained to those things that belong to his cognisance Such a limitation must of necessity be granted therefore it is true that the Magistrate cannot command every good thing nor punish every evill the abstruse controversies in Religion come not under the cognisance of a Magistrate as a Magistrate only such things as are against the rules of common justice and equity and the common light of Christianity where he is to govern Christians for he is to enjoyn and punish such things only as if he were not the community of people which sets him up ought to enjoyn and punish for he hath his power from them but of this more in the next Principle If you shall say But those Scriptures speaking of Civill Magistrates wee must understand them to be meant onely of civill things The Magistrate hath his appellation civil because the power that he exercises is civill the things that he do are civill he cannot do the works of a Church-officer by all the power he hath as administer Sacraments and the like but this hinders not the use of his civil power and the doing of external acts upon the outward man subservient to spiritual good indeed what he doth hath not any spirituall efficacy in it for then it were worship Though he cannot work in a spirituall way upon mans soule by his power it is not an Ordinance set apart by God to that end yet he may by the exercise of his power upon the outward man restrain it from the externall act of evill or bring it to an externall good his power still that he exercises is civill yet ordered to the help of spirituall good either removendo prohibentia or applicando media externa or cohibenda a malo externo removing outward things that hindered applying outward means or keeping from outward evils Whatsoever Commandement requires any duty requires us to make use of all things that may help us to the performance of that duty if there be any civil naturall spiritual helps we are bound to make use of all Only here lies the great doubt Whether hath God appointed the use of the Magistrates power to be a helpe to the things of Religion Hath God made this to be an Ordinance for the spirituall good of people That it is by God an Ordinance for their civill good is plaine out of those Scripture before mentioned but how doth it appeare that ever God intended it to be an Ordinance for their spirituall good What naturalnes there is in any thing it hath it from God for nature is Gods worke if there be a naturalness in it to work upon the outward man for the furtherance of spiritual good this is from God if I should use it to work upon the inward man expecting a spirituall efficacy then I make it an ordinance to my self and sin against God presuming to put more in a creature of his then it was appointed to In this consisted the evil of ceremonies they were used in a spirituall way to work upon the heart of man by vertue of that institution that man put upon them beyond what God in their natural power ever put into them But how can naturall and externall things be helps to things spirituall and divine Any mans reason yea sense may tell him that the taking away externall hindrances and the putting upon externall use of divers things may keep from much evill and further much good that is spirituall and divine though it cannot reach to the spiritualnesse and divinenesse of that good yet it reaches to the externall action without which that divine and spirituall good cannot be Wherefore seeing the New Testament sets out the power of Magistrates and requires submission to them in such generall termes from this we may draw such a conclusion Therefore the Lord intended to leave Christians for their subjection to Magistrates to the light of nature to the equity of the generall rules that were in Scripture before time if God should say Ye are Christians see you part not with that liberty Christ hath purchased for you we may give this account Lord we found in thy word that once thou didst make use of the power of Magistrates in matters of Religion in the New Testament there was nothing revealed to forbid their power in them nay Lord Thou toldst us there that thou hast appointed them for our good and to be a terrour to evill workes in the generall From thence we gathered that in our yeelding to their power it was thy will we should make use of those generall rules in Stripture wee found before the times of the Gospel of the light of nature Being also perswaded it was thy mind we should make use of all the naturall helps we could for our spirituall advantage we found it recorded in thy Word that thou didst allow of the exercise of such power in the things of Religion even to those who had only the light of nature to guide them and being the use of it reached only to the outward man we did not see a necessity of a speciall institution for this knowing what naturalness it had in it to be an externall help was put into it by thy self therefore we made use of it God will accept of this account Add yet a consideration or two 1. When the Apostles were convented before Civil Authority about matters of Religion we never find that they pleaded for themselves You have no power to meddle with us in the things of Religion they belong to Jesus Christ only who is our King to that government he hath set in his Church No their plea was only the justness of their cause that what they professed and preached was the truth of God they did it in obedience to God 2. If all men be bound to improve all the abilities gifts talents they have for the propagation of the Gospel the Magistrates are bound to improve those which are peculiar to them If a man hath more wisdom then others or a greater estate or more friends he is to make use of all these for helps to the furtherance of Religion if then a man hath more power then others he is to improve that likewise not onely by countenancing what he conceiveth to be right but by all other means according to the dictates of Reason not forbâ—â— by Scripture But we have often heard that of Tertullian urged If it be therefore said it is lawfull because the Scripture doth not forbid it is therefore unlawfull because the Scripture doth not command Ans In the matters of Gods worship this rule is to be urged but not in matters civil or natural though in their way subservient to worship their Reason may guide very far But you will say What will you then make the Magistrate a Judge in all causes of
there might be the exercise of love charity forbearance meekness long-suffering of one towards another Christ bids us charges us to be at peace amongst our selves If we should say O Lord Jesus wouldst thou have us be at peace one with another there are many things in thy Word that we and our Brethren have different apprehensions of for though blessed be thy Name the great necessary things of salvation be clearly revealed yet many other things are so dark to us that through our weakness we cannot all of us see the same thing Now is it thy mind O blessed Saviour that one man who conceives himself to understand the truth and that it may be rightly compell another to his judgement And dost thou also require that wee must not bring our judgments to our Brethrens till thy light brings them How then is it possible that we should be at peace one with another Do not all Divines say There are some things in Scripture wherein the Elephant may swimm some things where the Lamb may wade matters of Discipline are acknowledged by all not to be revealed with such clearnesse but that truly conscientious upright diligent men may not be able in many things to see the mind of Christ in them And to what end hath Christ done this think you 2ly Compulsion in such things as we are speaking of is to straine Justice so high as to make it summa justitia which is the degeneration of it As Physitians say of the uttermost degree of health it is a beginning of sickness If Justice be wound up a peg too high it breaks Though Justice were to be managed by the most holy wise self-denying and meek men upon the earth yet there would be much danger in winding it up to the highest for it is administred by men full of infirmities to men full of infirmities therefore God will not have it strained too high he will rather have charity to be above Justice then Justice to be above charity This I have out of Luther though he was a man of a fiery spirit he could tell how to contend where there was cause yet in an Epistle that he writes to the Divines of Norimberg upon occasion of dissentions risen amongst them he hath this passage Judgement must serve not rule over charity otherwise it is one of those four things that Solomon says troubles the earth namely a servant ruling or the Maid heire to her Mistresse if therefore you would have peace sayes he charity must rule over justice you must not suffer justice to rule over charity 3ly If men goe upon this principle they will be in danger of opposing truth as well as falshood and compelling to falshood as well as to truth for in matters doubtful controversal amongst good and peaceable men it is not easie to have any such grounded confidence as to be out of all danger of mistake there is more confidence needfull in a thing that we impose upon others then in what we practice our selves If a thing be to us rather true then otherwise we may lawfully do it but this is not enough to be a ground for the imposing it upon others who cannot see it to be a truth in such a case we had need be very sure The weak drislings of our probabilities guesses opinions are not enough to cause the stream of another mans conscience to stop yea to turne its course another way especially considering that in such things we have oftentimes misgiving thoughts our selves yea and not long since we were confident that what wee now condemne was true and what we now are ready to enjoyn others we then did as confidently condemn There must be great care taken that when we seek to pluck up tares wee plucke not up the wheat also this may be understood of things of truths and falshoods as wel as of persons we may be mistaken in the one as well as in the other Pluck not up the tares Christ does not sorbid casting out any wicked men from the Church but as Hierome hath it in those Countries tares were very like the wheat therfore take heed says Christ what you do in plucking up when you have to deale with men whose condition is any way doubtful be sure they be hypocrites or else meddle not with them do not pluck them up upon every surmise because you think they are not right for then you may pluck up a wheat as well as a tare he may prove to be a godly man therefore you had better let tares grow If you do but thinke that such men are not right you were better let them continue in the Church then by venturing upon them to be in danger to pluck up the wheat Thus in respect of things good or evill there are some things apparently evill they are rather thistles and bryers then tares we may freely pluck up them but other things though perhaps they may prove evil yet they have some likeness to good so as you can hardly discern whether they be good or evill Now saith Christ take heed what you do then do not out of eagerness oppose all evill to get out every tare pluck out some wheat too what if that you oppose with violence as evill prove to be good you had better let forty tares stand then pluck up one wheat Fourthly If men take this power upon them to compell men to do whatsoever they conceive good and to deny or forbear whatsoever they conceive evil they take more power upon them then ever the Apostles took The government of the Saints under the Apostles was a great deale more milde sweet gentle then this The rule the Apostles went by Phil. 3. 15. was Let therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded God shall reveale even this unto you neverthelesse whereunto wee have already attained let us walke If any should be otherwise minded then I or the other Apostles God will reveale it in due time we will not force him only let us walke up to what we have attained This rule Zanchy saith Augustine would repeat a thousand time and Chrisostome hath a good note upon this place he does not say God will bring them to it if they be otherwise minded but God wil reveal it noting the love and goodness of God to those who are otherwise minded excusing them that it was not through wickedness but for want of knowledg that they did otherwise Acts 15. where the Apostles and Elders were met together the furthest they would take upon themselves was to lay no other burden but those necessary things The false teachers put a yoke upon them which was such a burthen that neither they nor their fore-fathers could bear v. 10. yet it was no juridicall authority that these had over them surely the yoke they put upon them in the judgments of all was but doctrinall But for us say the Apostles we finding what the
mind of the Holy Ghost is dare not yoke you as they did all that we burden you with is these necessary things no Church-officers no Synod can go further then this but certainly every matter in controversie amongst godly and peaceable men cannot be conceived to be necessary Rom. 14. is a very usefull place for this Him that is weak in the faith receive but not to doubtfull disputations Receive him though he understands not all you do do not trouble him neither with nor for doubtfull things One believeth he may eate all things another who is weake eateth herbes let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not neither let him that eateth not judge him that eateth vers 5. One man esteemeth one day above another another esteemeth every day alike let every man be fully perswaded in his owne minde Upon this he gives generall rules to doe all to the glory of God all these people were not in the right for a man not to eate flesh out of conscience when the thing was not forbidden certainly was a sin or to make conscience of a holy day which God required not was a sinne Now the Apostle did not come with his authority and say I will make you leave off keeping such days or you shall eate or to abstain thus as you do is evill and it must not be suffered in you No the Apostle lays no Apostolicall authority upon them but tells them That every man must be fully perswaded in his own mind in what he doth and who art thou that judgest another mans servant the Lord hath received him And yet the Governors of the Churches in the Primitive times might upon much stronger grounds have stood upon such a principle then any Governours of the Church now can there was lesse reason why they should suffer any difference in opinion or practice amongst them then why we should suffer differences amongst us for they had men amongst them immediately inspired who could dictate the mind of Christ infallibly they could tell them the certaine meaning of any Scripture The burden of being under the determinations of such men in points of differences had not been so great as subjection to any Governors now in such cases would be our differences are usually about the meaning of such or such Scriptures in which both sides think they have the right profess one to another as in the presence of God the searcher of all hearts that if they could but see the meaning of such a Scripture to be so as their brethren believe it is they would soon agree and yet though there were in those Primitive times such meanes of reconciling differences more then we have yet there was much mutual toleration amongst them they used no compulsive violence to force those who through weakness differed from them to come up to their judgments or practice Yes It is also more tolerable in Papists not to tolerate any difference in opinion or practice because First they believe they have an infallible Judg to decide all Controversies 2ly They hold implicite faith in the judgment of their Clergie to be sufficient warrant to justifie the belief or practice of the people or of any particular man and yet they suffer differences in opinions and practices amongst them They have their severall orders of their Monks Priests Friars Jesuites they differ very much one from the other and yet agreeing in the root they are suffered supposing those two helps to union they have an infallible Judg and implicite faith wee have cause either to admire at their moderation in their mutuall bearing one with another or at the disquietness the rigidness of spirits amongst us who cannot bear with far lesser things in their brethren differing from them for we professe we know no such externall in fallible Judg upon whom we may depend neither dare we warrant an implicite faith We teach men that every man must be perswaded in his own heart must see the rule of his own actions must give an account of his own way to God now what can men that have the most gracious peaceable spirits you can imagine doe in such a case Before they believe or do what their brethren believe or do they must see the authority of the Word to ground their faith or actions and for the present though sincerely willing to know Gods mind and diligently laborious to search it out yet they cannot see it and yet according to this sowr rigid principle they must be forced to it by violence what is it but to command the full tale of brick to be brought in where no straw can be had if this be not Straw might be had in Egypt by seeking for it but here after the most carefull and painfull seeking for it yet it cannot be had 5ly By this principle the finding out of much truth will be hindered it will stifle mens gifts abilities in arguing and discoursing about truths We know fire is beaten out by striking the flint Although differences be very sad yet the truth that comes to light by them may recompence the sadnesse You cannot beat out a place for a window to let in light but you must endure some trouble Children will think the house is pulling down when the window is beating out but the Father knows the benefit will come by it he complains not that the dust and rubbish lies up and down in the house for a while the light let in by it will recompence all The trouble in the discussions of things by Brethren of different judgments may seem to be great but either you or your posterity hereafter may see cause to blesse God for that light hath been or may be let into the Churches by this meanes men of moderate spirits doe blesse God already But if according to this principle the governors of the Churches must suppress whatsoever they conceive not to be right to what purpose should should there be arguing and discussing of severall judgements and severall ways You will say Those who are the Governours they or those whom they call to consult with may argue and discusse but not others Is not this to deny the Church the benefit of the gifts and graces of thousands of others The Church may soon receive as much prejudice by this as the trouble caused by some differences comes to Sixtly This lays a great temptation to idleness and pride before the guides of the Church Men are naturally subject to sloth and may not this principle suggest such a temptation as this What need we take care or pains to search into truths to be able to convince gain-sayers to câ—râ—y things with strength of Scripture Reason seeing we have power to compel men to yeeld to us And men who can do least by Reason and Scripture are many times strongest in their violence this way this strength must come in to make up their other weaknesse But it may be Conscience will not let them compell