account to your Brethren then this This is to abuse your conscience and the indulgence of God and the respect he would have men shew to the consciences of his people this is a hardning conscience against the truth no true tenderness of it Secondly If Conscience be such a thing as none must have the power over it but God such a thing wherein thou hast to deal so much with God thou hadst need keep it very clean it is above all creatures next to God take heed of defiling it oh keep it pure Unclean consciences are good enough to prostrate to men but consciences reserved for God need be kept unspotted and very clean Doves love white houses the holy Ghost loves a pure conscience Thirdly thou wilt have none to commaud thy conscience let conscience then command thee if thou wilt rebell against thy conscience it is just with God to suffer men to tyrannize over thy conscience When you complain of men seeking to have power over your consciences lay your hand upon your heart and say Have not I rebelled against my conscience I have resisted the power of it over me just therefore it is that others should seeke to bring it under their power CHAP. VII They who are for a Congregationall way doe not hold absolute liberty for all Religions BUt for all that hath been said Are there not yet a sort of men who though they would colour over things put fair glosses upon their opinions and ways saying they would not have such an absolute liberty as to have all religions suffered yet do they not come near this in their tenets and practise Doe not men in a Congregationall way take away all Ecclesiastical means that should hinder such an absolute liberty as this for they hold every congregation hath sole Church power within it selfe and they are not tyed to give any account to others but meerly in an arbitrary way will not this bring in a toleration of all Religions and a very Anarchy First I know none holds this and how farr men in a congregationall way are from it shall appear presently In the clearing of this thing I shall not argue for one side or other I shall only shew you that there is in effect as much means to prevent or subdue error heresie schisme in the congregationall way which you call by another name as there is in that way other Brethren endeavour to hold forth I am not here to plead what is right what is wrong but onely to shew you the difference is not great so far as concernes this thing what one holds the same the other holds in effect if this be done with clearness then the great out-cry against that way as fomenting divisions by opening a gap to all kind of liberty will I hope be stilled and your hearts in some measure satisfied I confesse were it as many of you are made to believe that that way gives liberty or at least hath no helpe against all errors heresies it must be acknowledged it were a means of most fearfull divisions and in no case to be tolerated But certainly you will find it far otherwise This argument I am now about namely how far Brethren agree in a matter of so great moment and in that which they are by some thought most to disagree in and their disagreement most feared as a matter of dangerous consequence I know cannot be an unpleasing argument to you although we cannot be ignorant that there is a generation of men that are vexed when they hear how near their brethren come to them in way of agreement it serves more for their turns to have the distance wide they would keep open the wounds yea widen them but God forbid there should be such a spirit in you Wherefore for your help in this thing these two things are to be premised 1. That the only way the Church hath to keep downe errors or heresies is spirituall as for other means they are extrinsicall to the Church this all acknowledge as for subjection to the Magistrate if he pleases to interpose to that both they and we must yeeld 2. The vertue of spiritual power works not upon the outward man by its prevailing upon conscience therefore so far as men are conscientious so far it works and no farther Now then see what difference there is in the Congregationall way from the Presbyterian for the prevailing with mens Consciences to reduce to the trueth those who goe astray from it First Those in the Congregationall may acknowledg that they are bound in conscience to give account of their ways to Churches about them or to any other who shall require it this is not in an arbitrary way but as a duty that they owe to God and man Secondly they acknowledge that Synods of others Ministers and Elders about them are an ordinance of Jesus Christ for the helping the Church against errors schismes and scandals 3ly That these Synods may by the power they have from Christ admonish men or Churches in his name when they see evils continuing in or growing upon the Church and their admonitions carry with them the authority of Jesus Christ Fourthly as there shall be cause they may declare men or Churches to be subverters of the faith or otherwise according to the nature of the offence to shame them before all the Churches about them 5ly They may by a solemn act in the name of Jesus Christ refuse any further communion with them till they repent Sixtly they may declare and that also in the name of Christ that these erring people or Churches are not to be received into fellowship with any the Churches of Christ nor to have communion with one another in the ordinances of Christ Now all this being done in Christs name is this nothing to prevail with conscience You will say What if they care not for all this That is as if you should say What if they be not conscientious What if nothing can prevaile with conscience I demand what can any Church-power do more to work upon mens conscience for the reducing them from evill You will say They may doe all this with more authority then the Congregationall way will allow We need not contend about the word Authority But how much higher is an act of authority in the Church then for the Officers of Christ to act in the name of Christ If you say private Brethren may admonish and declare in the Name of Christ This is more then if any private Brethren should doe the same thing for a Synod is a solemne Ordinance of Christ and the Elders are to be looked on as the Officers of Jesus Christ But our Brethren say There is one meanes more in their way then the Congregationall way hath that is if the sixe former will not worke then Synods may deliver to Satan In this very thing lies the very knot of the controversie between those who are for the Presbyteriall and those
should rather be taken up with admiring and blessing Gods goodnesse to us for what he shewes us then in censuring our Brethren for what he hath denied them 4ly We must remember that not long since we were our selves of another mind yet we sinned not against our light 5ly We must consider also that in other things our Brethren see what they do not and we would be loath to have such measure from them that they should judg us going against our light and to be acted by by-ends in that wee differ from them We must grant that liberty to our Brethren we would have our selves that is not to be involved in the judgments of others but try all things and keep what God makes known to us to be good This liberty sayes Luther Paul hath given me I will stand to it I wil not suffer it to be captivated The ninth Dividing Principle Rules of prudence are sufficient to guide us in naturall things and civill affaires and may as well suffice us in spirituall and Church-affaires A Great part of our divisions about Church-affairs comes from this Principle If God would help us with right apprehensions about tâ—is our divisions would in a great measure vanish Those whose consciences are taken with a contrary principle namely that there must be institutions for all things that are properly Ecclesiasticall and spirituall they cannot yeeld to any such thing till they see the stamp on an institution upon it Others who think because Prudence is enough to order civill affairs there needs no institution for these things they think such as stand for them to be too rigid and stiffe in their way It divides also upon this ground In the corrupt estate of the Church such as ours yet is if we binde to institutions we shall be sorely pinched with many things that will be very troublesom to us but if we go according to the rules of common prudence we may decline or alter what would pinch take up what may be commodious for us Hence the principle is very desirable if it can be maintained men will strive hard before they wil lose it and on the other side God is looked at as a jealous God who will not suffer a mans wisdome to share with him in the things of his worship which are spirituall and holy to appoint and leave out as may be most commodious for the freedome of them from trouble therefore they dare not yield to any Ordinance that is beyond civill but upon some institution of Christ in his Word and this divides Now for your help in this As God hath given two lights to the world the Sunne the grater to rule the day and the Moone the lesser to rule the night So he hath given two Lights to man to guide his course the Scriptures the greater to guide man especially in his spirituall condition in those more immediate references he hath to God for his worship and enjoyment of communion with him The other the less the light of Reason to be his guide in naturall and civill things in the ordering his life for his naturall and civill good and though it is true Religion makes use of Reason and we have help from the Scriptures in our natural and civill affairs yet these two lights have their distinct speciall use according to those distinct conditions of man When I say we must have Scripture and in it institutions for those things which are spirituall and properly Church-affairs I mean whatsoever is made use of for the drawing my soule neerer to God or God neerer to me or for the tendring up my Homage to God beyond what it hath in the nature of the thing put into it by God for that I must have an institution I must not frame any such thing to my self If I make use of any thing of mine own for such an end that I may worship God by or that God might convey some spirituall efficacy to me in the use of it because it is a thing that I thinke as fit for such an end as other Ordinances I find in the Word and yet have not an institution for it in this I sinne against Christ the Lord who alone hath power to set apart the use of what he pleaseth for the tendring up homage to God or the conveighing of any spirituall efficacy from God into the hearts of his servants Mans naturall and civill good is not so high but reason and prudence will reach them but for such things as these are all the reason prudence in the world lies too low they can not without sinfull presumption attempt the putting any thing of their own in the place of these Therefore there can be no other officers in the church to act by any spiritual power then what we find in the Word no new Ordinances no new Courts erected no kind of authority no extent of authority any further then we find in Scripture The proof is evident all Church Ordinances are for spiritual ends to work by a spirituall efficacy beyond what is naturall or civill and the efficacy of the power of government consists much in those who govern if they have not their Charter to authorize their power and the extent of it it loses its efficacie though it be otherwise managed with never so much wisdom and justice the same act that is an act of Justice in one is murther in another yea the same mans act done within such limits is an act of Justice and if done beyond those limits it is murther But you will say Surely there is use of reason and prudence in matters spirituall how far may their use extend To the doing of these two things First by reason I may compare institutions and argue from one institution to another and so find out institutions that lie more in the daâ—k by others which are more apparent Though the thing that I gather be not terminis in Scripture yet if I gather by necessary consequence from an institution one or more it hath the force of an institution in it If I make Reason to be the Basis the ground of my consequence it wil never rise up to that height as to raise an institution but if I make some other institution the Basis of my consequence then it may Secondly when I have found out an institution then reason prudence comes in to help to manage this in a fit and comâ—ly way applying it to fit persons and times making use of fit seasons due order and whatsoever naturall or civill conveniences may further the due administration of it The Prelates abused that Scripture Let all things be done decently and in order for they joyned institutions of their own to Gods to make them decent and orderly But that Scripture only shews you when you have an institution of Christ you are to apply by the use of reason and prudence what natural or civill helps you can for the better managing this
themselves though their lives be ill There is a mighty change in mens spirits now from that which was heretofore Times have been when any opinion that tended to loosenesse was presently distasted as unfavoury and rejected by such who made profession of Religion Sleidan in the tenth book of his Commentaries sayes The Devill that sought to doe mischiefe at Munster was not a skilfull Devill but rude and simple because he sought to prevaile by tempting men to loosenesse whereas sayes he if he had beene a cunning Devill he would rather have deceived by abstaining from flesh by abhorring Matrimony by shewes of wonderfull lowlinesse of minde c. he might sooner have taken men this way but truly now the most cunning Devill sees it to be the best way to attaine his ends to raise up and foment opinions that â—end to the liberty of the flesh so be it he can carry them on under the colour of magnifying free grace he findes that these things are exceeding suitable to mens spirits in these times that they are taken in by such who formerly appeared so conscientious that hee feared hee should never have beene able to have prevailed with them hee never found a way like to this to prevaile with such men yea never a way like to this to choake the Word when it first begins to worke upon the heart he hath blasted more young seeming converts this way then ever hee did by any way since he was a Devill Heretofore the way was to stirre up others to deride them for following the Word and for praying now he hath a way worth two of that to make them to deride others for their conscienciousnesse in following the Word and praying and this strengthened with a high perswasion that hereby they are the great magnifiers of the free grace of God in the Gospel the only men who understand the Gospel way This Devill now lookes upon himselfe and his fellowes as simple and foolish in all their former devices here is an experiment beyond them all seeing this Christ must needes be magnified hee will magnifie him too seeing the Gospel must goe on hee will put it on too hee will finde out a device here to strike at the practise power life of godlinesse in a more secret and prevailing way then ever formerly was done it is like in this generation the former principles of godlinesse will not be got out but if this way prevails still in proportion to what it hath done in a generation or two it is like to bring generall prophanenesse and licentiousnesse upon the face of the Christian world more then any way of Satan ever did since the world began for here is a way to be loose and prophane and to satisfie Conscience too CHAP. XXII The third Dividing Practice Men no keeping within the bounds that God hath set them FIrst when men will be medling with that whith concernes them not that is out of their sphere 1 Thes 4. 11. Study to be quiet and doe your owne businesse Prov. 20. 31. It is an honour for a man to cease from strife but every foole will be wedling Choller in the gall is usefull to the body but if it overflow the body growes into distemper presently we may be all usefull in our places if we keepe to them contenting our selves with the improvements of our talents in them thus both our selves and others may have quiet When Mannah was gathered and kept in that proportion God would have it it was very good but when men must have more and keep it longer then God would have them then it breeds worms Thus it will be in all that we have or doe let us keepe our proportion God sets us and all will be well but if we thinke to provide better for our selves by going beyond our measure wormes are presently bred in all But especially where men will not keepe within their bounds in their power over others for what is all our contestation at this time it is not about mens stretching their power beyond their line both in State and Church From whence are our State-divisions our Warres but because Princes have been perswaded their power was boundlesse at least not to be kept within those bounds the State sayes it ought to bee They think there is such a distance between them and others that the estates liberties lives of all men within their country lie at their mercy not considering how they come to be raised so high that what they have above others is given to them by those above whom they are No man inheriteth more then was given to his forefathers and so to him whereby they might see that they are not limited onely by the lawes of God but by the lawes of men also namely The agreement between them and the people when they are raised to such dignities There is nothing weakens their right more then the pleading it by conquest Princes have little cause to thank those who plead their right that way The surest foundation for Princes to set their feet on is the agreement between the people and them or their progenitors but if they will goe beyond this agreement what stirres what wofull disturbances doe they make Secondly if either they or any Governours of the State shall instead of being helpfull to the government of the Church take it all from it into their owne hands in this they goe beyond those bounds Christ would have them it is by the Civill power that the Governours of the Church have the peaceable exercise of what power Christ hath given them but they have not their power from them Civill authority cannot put any spirituall power into a man or company of men which they had not before it can onely protect encourage and further the exercise of that power that CHRIST hath given They are inconsiderate men sayes Calvin who make Magistrates too spirituall This evill sayes he prevailes in Germanie and in the Countries about us we finde what fruit growes from this root namely that those who are in power thinke themselves so spirituall that there is no other ecclesiasticall government this sacriledge comes in violently amongst us because they cannot measure their office within its due bounds And for Church-Governours if they would keep within their Limits we might enjoy much peace if first they would assume to themselves no more power then Christ hath given them Secondly if they would not extend it over more congregations then Christ hath committed to them Thirdly if they would not exercise it in more things then Christ would have them Let us looke a little into these three for the want of a right understanding in them hath caused and may yet further cause much disturbance For the first That Christ hath appointed some to rule in his Church and that all the members of the Church are not in the office of ruling is apparent in Scripture 1 Cor. 12. 28. Rom. 12. 8 but that these Officers
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 first gave him his powver shall also extend it Now the Charter by which any Church-Officer is invested with power is the Word therefore we cannot streighten or enlarge the power of a Minister otherwise then we find it in the Word for Civill power it may be streightned or enlarged as the Governours of State shall see cause because their Charter is from man it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secondly man naturally is of nothing more impatient then to have Jurisdiction challenged over him except hee sees the claime to be right and in the point of spirituall jurisdiction man is the most tender of all because in that men come in the Name of Christ to him challenging authority to exercise the power of Christ over him not over the outward man so much as over his soule to deliver it up to Satan Surely there had need be shewne a cleare and full Charter that any men have that gives them such a power as this that men in conscience shall be bound to submit to Now then here lyes the division on sayes his Charter does extend so farre the other sayes hee does not finde it so in the reading of it There is yet a further consideration of the stretching either Civill or Ecclesiasticall authority beyond their bounds which hath been and may be the cause of much division that is their challenging and excercising power in things indifferent beyond what God hath given them for the opening of which we must know First no man either in State or Church hath any authority given him by God to command any thing meerely because hee will especially when the things concerne the worship of God Our Brethren of Scotland in their dispute against English Popish Ceremonies part 3. chap. 8. pag. 127. have this passage Princes have enjoyned things pertaining to the worship of God but those things were the very same which Gods written Word had expresly commanded when Princes went beyond these limits and bounds they tooke upon them to judge and command more then God hath put within the compasse of their power And pag. 136. of the same Booke they say The Apostle 1 Cor. 7. 23. forbiddeth us to be the servants of men that is to doe things for which wee have no other warrant beside the pleasure and will of men This was the Doctrine in Tertullians time You exercise sayes he an unjust dominion over others if you deny a thing may bee done because you will not because it ought not to bee done It is onely the Prerogative of God of Jesus Christ to command a thing because they will God hath appointed Civill Governours to be his Ministers for our good Rom. 13. Those things onely which they can doe in Gods Name as his Ministers and are for the good of a State are the object about which their power is to be exercised they are not to require a thing because there is nothing against it but because this thing is for God And Church-governours are to require onely such things as Christ requires all the exercise of their power ought to be in the Name of Christ hence not because they will or because nothing can be said to the contrary In all they require of us they must be able to say as Paul 1 Cor. 14. 38. giving rules about order and decencie If any man thinke himselfe to be a Prophet or spirituall let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the Commandements of the Lord. You will say But are Governours alwayes bound to shew a reason of their will to those who are under them or may not they obey except they know some good in the thing besides their doing the will of those who doe command them Though no Governours may command but upon reason yet the Governours of State need not alwayes discover the reasons of their commands Wee may give up our Civill liberties so farre as to be bound to yeeld to our Governours commands if wee see nothing against what they command but have cause to suppose that they see some reason that we do not which is not fit to make known to us This is grounded upon this reason that there are Arcana imperii mysteries of State that are not fit for every man to know the secrecie of them conduces most to the good of the State But it is otherwise in the matters of the Church which are spirituall there are no such mysteries in the Church wherein any members of it can be required to be active but it concernes them to understand as well as to doe All the actions of the Church as such must be done for spirituall edification now a man cannot doe a thing for the edifying his soule or the soule of another but he must understand his action and the rule of it he must see it required by the Word or otherwise he cannot expect any spirituall efficacy in what he does I may doe a thing for a civill good wherein I may trust another mans reason and this may be sufficient to attaine my end the procuring of some good meerly civill but this will never be able to reach to a spirituall good I must see the reason the ground the rule of the action my selfe I must judge by the Word that this action at this time cloathed with all its circumstances is by Christ sitted for such a spirituall good that I aime at Besides if things meerely indifferent be enjoyned then is Christian liberty violated No say some Christian liberty is in the conscience so long as a man keepes his conscience free the thing may be still indifferent to him in regard of his conscience though his practise be determined and so Christian liberty is preserved This is the put off that the Prelaticall party made use of against our Brethren of Scotland many yeeres since when they pleaded that by their usurpation Christian liberty was taken from them To that answer of the Prelates they thus reply When the authority of the Churches constitution is obtruded to binde and restraine the practice of Christians in things indifferent they are bereaved of thir liberty as well as if an opinion of necessity were borne in upon their consciences They urge that place Colos 2. 21. where the Apostle gives instances say they of such humane ordinances as take away Christian liberty he saith not you must thinke that you may not touch but touch not you must not practise not be subject to such Ordinances telling us That when the practice is restrained form touching tasting handling by the ordinance of men then is Christian liberty spoiled though conscience be left free if the outward man be brought in bondage this makes up spirituall thraldome say they though there bee no more And further the Apostle gives these two Arguments against these things First sayes he they perish in the use that is there is no good comes of them It may be you will say What hurt is there in them
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
the Line of Truth and beyond it we dare not venture in the least The controversie is not about little or great trouble or inconvenience if it were such a charge might well make us blush the inconvenience or trouble is little yet a few men wil not yeeld to their Brethren who are many for peace sake but the controversie is about sin now whether that be little or great the difference cannot but remain if one part shall urge upon another that which to them is sin as to acknowledg any one thing to be a power of Christ which he cannot see Christ hath owned in his word must needs be therefore the way to peace is not the necessity of coming up one to another because the thing is little but the louing and peaceable and brotherly carriage of one towards another because the difference is but small CHAP. VIII The third dividing Principle That nothing which is conceived to be evill is to be suffered THis is the other extream some think all things should be suffered and they are loose and cause divisions on the one hand others thinke nothing is to be suffered and these are rigid and cause divisions on the other hand If any thing be conceived evil either in opinion or practise if instructions and perswasions cannot reform there must be means used to compell This is a harsh and a sowr Principle a disturbing Principle to Churches and States to mankind This Principle seldome prevails with any but those who have got power into their hands or hope to get it This must needs be a dividing Principle First because of the infinite variety of mens apprehensions about what is good or evill scarce three men agree any long time in their apprehensions of some things to be evil if then nothing that is conceived to be evill must be suffered there must needs be continuall opposition between man and man This subjects the generality of men to suffer for many things which they can see no evill in but are perswaded is good this raises an animosity against those by whom they suffer though a man can subject his body and estate to another he cannot subject his reason to another In the common ways of justice men are punished for those things which if they be guilty of they cannot but acknowledg themselves to be worthy of punishment as in Theft Murder Drunkennesse c. And for the fact they are tryed in such a way as they cannot but acknowledg is fit in reason to be subjected to and therefore though they suffer much yet they will yeeld it without disturbance But if this Principle prevails every man almost is made lyable to punishment for thousands of things that he can see no reason why he should be punished It is very hard to bring mens spirits to yeeld in such things But you will say May not men be punished for things that they see no reason why they should be punished for many malefactors may easily escape thus guilt will quickely blind men they will see no reason why they should be punished It is not what men say they see no reason for or what it may be they indeed see no reason for but what men cannot see reason for though they should bend their understandings and strength to the uttermost yea what the generality of man kind and of that community of which a man is cannot possibly see reason for it is impossible for the generality of mankind the community of any Church or State though they should be never so diligent to find out what is good and what is evill yet to be able to understand every thing that is evill to be so If you will have laws made against all things that such as are in authority conceive to be evill then you must give them power to judge not only by the rules of common justice and equity and punish for the breach of them but by the apprehensions that their own raised parts shall suggest unto them and to punish men for not being raised to that height of understanding themselves have but this power is more then is fit to be given to any men upon earth This would bring tyranny both in State and Church For first from whence is the rise of all Civill Power that any man or society of men are invested with is it not from the generality of the men over whom they have power Is it not the power which they themselves had and which they might have kept amongst themselves For who can say that a Democracy is a sinfull Government in it selfe True God establishes it upon particular men by his Ordinance after it is given to them by the people but the first rise is from them and if so then they should make no law to bring those men under punishment who gave them their power but such a Law as these men may possibly come to understand to be equall and just for they act their power and it must be supposed that they never intended to give a power beyond this Those who give power may limit power they may give part to one part to another they may limit the matter about which the power shall be exercised it shall goe so far and no further the utmost limits cannot goe beyond these rules of Justice which they are capable to understand Hence it is that all men in our Law are tryed Per pares by their Peers because it is to be supposed that they are to be accounted offenders and to be punished only so as those who are equall with themselves shall judg them worthy and this likewise is the reason that Courts are in publique no man is to be shut out because all men that will may behold the tryall and justifie the proceedings of Justice against offenders It must needs be supposed then that the rules by which the Judges go must be the rules of common equity and justice that all men may understand beyond what these rules will reach to the Civill State is not to punish not every thing that men of deep judgements and strong parts may apprehend to be evill The power of the Church likewise extends not to the punishment of every thing that either may by the Governours of it be conceived to be evill or that is indeed evill As the rise of the Civil power shews that only such things are to be punished by it as are against the common rules of Justice and Equity so the rise of Church power will shew that only such things as are against common rules such things as some way or other appeare to be against conviction and are obstinately persisted in are by Church censure to be punished The rise of Church power is indeed different from the rise of the Civill yet agrees in this that it limits the Church as the rise of the Civill doth the Civill power The power of Governors in the State arises from the people and they act their power that the
their glory that they can say to the consciences of men Bow down before us A gracious spirit abhors the thought of such a tyranny This to high raising respects due to learned holy men hath been very hurtfull in the Church prejudicial to the souls of men but especially to the honour of Christ I will give you an instance Erasmus was no novice yet how dangerously he was taken with this will appear by a strange expression of his in an Epistle hee wrote to one Bilibaldus How far the authority of the Church prevails with others I know not but with mee it hath that power that I could be of the opinion with Arrians and Pelagians if the Church did but allow that which they taught This you will say is a strange expression coming from a learned man and one too not addicted to the Church that then was in that excess as others were how then did this conceit prevail with men more weak who gave up their consciences to others through their blind superstition Wherefore secondly though great respect is to be given to men holy and learned yet not such that a man must be judged obstinate if hee submit not to their judgments and determinations For First if a man should believe or do any thing before he sees some other grounds besides their judgments or examples though the thing were in it selfe never so good yet it would be sin to him If indeed this were enough to answer Christ Lord I am a poore weake man I cannot find out thy truths my self therefore I seeing learned godly men to be of such a judgement and doing such things I thought it too much presumption for mee to differ from them therefore I also believed it to be true and practised accordingly This were an easie way for people to agree and it might well be judged obstinacy to gainsay But this account Christ will not take for he tells us Whatsoever is not of faith is sinne and the judgments and practices of godly learned men he never made to be the rule of faith 2ly If God in revealing his mind to men alwayes did it according to the proportion of their gifts and graces then it were too much boldnesse for any to differ from those who are most eminent but experience tels us it is otherwise as God causeth his rain to fall upon one field and not upon another and as the wind blows where it lists so are the workings of the Spirit of God upon men Although hee reveales to all his Saints whatsoever is absolutely necessary to salvation yet for other truths a man of eminent parts shall know one another of weaker shall know another David was a man as eminent for parts was filled with the Spirit of God as much as Nathan both in regard of Prophesie and godliness yet sometimes that was revealed to Nathan which was kept hid from David When the Book of the Law was found and read before Josiah they send to Huldah the Prophetesse yet there were Prophets in the Land at that time But you will say Is it not more likely that men of learning and piety should know what is right and what is not better then others True it is more likely they should but God many times doth things which we think are not likely that which is the most unlikely to us God many times chooseth as best to serve his ends Thirdly If there were no other reason why a man of weaker parts should differ from other then because he is conceited of his parts thinks himselfe more able to understand then those who are far his betters then there would be more liberty to deale severely with him But being â—here may be this reason why men who are weak yet differ from those who are eminent Christ hath laid this charge upon them that they must not believe or practice any thing in the matters of Religion but what they shall see ground for out of his word If a man shall be jealous of himself fearing lest his own understanding should mislead him and in the use of all meanes he can seeks to God and yet cannnot see from Scripture the ground of those things learned and godly men have determined and having received such a charge from Christ not to alter his judgment or practice till in the use of these meanes he should receive further light from him what would you have this man do If he yeelds to you he sins against the charge of Christ and his own conscience if he doth not either now or after such a time you prefixe him alter his judgment and practice you judg him obstinate and in the name of Christ deale with him as such do not you by this make that bond that Christ hath laid upon him to do all he doth from a principle of faith heavier then Christ would have it Fourthly the more learning the more godliness men have the more pains they take in finding out the truth there is the lesse ground to judg those obstinate who differ from them because they differ You will say How can that be For if men be very learned and godly and take much pains to finde out the truth there is the more reason we should believe their judgements more then our owne We must indeed honour them then the more but yet the exquisitenesse of their learning the eminency of their godliness the industry of their labours for the finding out of truth may excuse those from obstinacy who cannot see into the ground from the word of all that they are able to see for is it not more then probable that men who are weak and exceedingly beneath them should through meer weakness be unable to see the rule of Scripture in those things which they have got the sight of by the help of their great learning godliness and indefatigable labours Can it be that men who have not attained to that eminencie who are not able to take so much pains in searching that they though they have their help added should be able to attain to what these men so eminent and industrious have attained to Can they in a few months come to see that which they have been studying and debating one with another divers years before they could see it can they be satisfied in their consciences of the mind of Christ when these eminent men for a long time could hardly satisfie one another yea it may be after all the helpe of their learning godliness and painfull labours they look upon many things but as probable as more likely to be so then otherwise they have not a Plerophory in their own hearts and shall those who doe not see ground enough for the foot of Faith to settle upon be judged and dealt with as obstinate Because they yet are not of their mind God forbid Fifthly there is much danger in making this to be the rule for if to go against the judgment of godly and learned men be obstinacy now