benefit of all the Learning the Wisdom and Gifts of the Church The Hand the Eye the Ear the Foot and every Member of the Body is as ready to help or serve the whole and every other particular Member as its self But if it be cut off it is neither helpful nor helped O what a Mercy is it for every Christian that is unable to help himself to have the help of all the Church of God Their Directiont their Exhortations their Love their Prayers their Liberality and Compassion according to their several Abilities and Opportunities As Infants and 〈…〉 have the help of all the rest of the â—â—ises that are in Health II. I am now to enquire what you understand by Edification and whether you rightly judge how it is best promoted Now as far as I can learn from those that pretend to it for the Defence of their Separation you take that to be Edifying that 〈◊〉 in you some sensible Devotion that excites in you some Religious Affections such as Love Joy Fear or the like Other things might be added but I suppose you have these chiefly in view when you prefer the Service in your Meetings before that of our Churches The way of Praying in your Assemblies we are told is more Edifying because you can be warmer or more servent in it than in the use of the prescribed Forms The Preaching amongst you is more Edifying and Powerful than that of the Conforming Clergy because you feel the working of it more upon your Hearts and to argue against this iâ— to dispute against your own Experience Nevertheless I shall examine whether there are such Advantages in your way as are pretended and whether the things on which you fix so high an estimate deserve the Preference which you have given them 1. To begin with the way of Praying us'd in your Meetings give me leave to tell you That it may be the Effects of it are not of such a Nature as you conceive nor any Argument of its Excellency It cannot well be thought that a Person should commonly make better choice of the matter of Prayer or express it better or in fitter terms when he speaks with little Deliberation or none at all than he himself or wiser and better Men can in a Form of Words when they have long meditated on the Subject and employ'd many and serious Thoughts about it It must be therefore the Novelty of of his Expressions and probably something in the Tone of his Voice which makes his Performance so agreeable and has such an influence upon you But you are not to think that God is at all wrought upon by the Variation of Phrases or the Modulations of them Nor are these things apt to make any deep Impressions on the Nobler Faculties of the Soul but having done their Work in the Fancy or Imagination they seldom rise higher nor can they do it by any thing of Vertue in themselves Extempore Prayers may have more Power than Forms to produce in some Ill Men a kind of Extempore Devotion some Appearances of Religious Love and Fear and Joy But these being rais'd by Surprize when the Surprize is over they are gone And yet there are many that put great Confidence in such vanishing things Many that live comfortably on the reflection on those delightful Dreams esteeming them Realities and clear Evidences of their Sanctification Many have been famous for what they call the Gift of Prayer who have miserably deceiv'd themselves and been only as Sounding Brass when they were esteem'd as Oracles And many that have thought themselves much Edified by hearing the Extempore Prayers of other Men have been under the same Delusion In such cases I doubt not but both Speakers and Hearers feel such Motions within them as bear a resemblance of true Devotion And these they do not impute to Natural Causes as a little Philosophy would teach them but to Inspiration or the Effectual working of Sanctifying Grace And so they grow up into a strong Opinion that they are the Favourites of Heaven when they allow themselves in the practice of Injustice of Cruelty and Oppression and other grievous Sins I deny not that some Persons who have the Gift of Elocution may upon occasion express the Matter of Prayer in suitable Terms Nor do I question but to hear them when they do so may be of benefit to others Yet if they put too high a value upon this and if it brings them into a contempt of all Liturgies what they took to be a peculiar Priviledge becomes a dangerous Snare to them and instead of promoting cannot but hinder their Edification For my own part I think a well composed Liturgy has much the Advantage of your way of Praying and is much fitter in Publick Assemblies It best secures the Honour of Religion in the Solemnities of Worship and affords us the greatest help in the part that we bear in it In the use of it we have no occasion to be in pain or fear about the next Words that may fall from the Minister however he be a Person of mean Abilities nor have we cause to condemn those that before came from him or any need to revolve them in our Minds as being uncertain whether we may say Amen to them Having approv'd of all before we have nothing to do but to keep our Minds intent on the Matter as it comes before us and to exercise our Devotion as it directs us and then we may have a comfortable assurance that we perform a Service that is acceptable to God and agreeable to his Will As for our own Liturgy the Learned Dr. Beveridge hath very well shew'd the Excellency of it and its Usefulness for Edification And could I prevail with you to persue the Sermon attentively wherein he treats of this Subject I should hope it would give you much Satisfaction What I shall say more of our Liturgy is taken from a great Authority and express'd in these Words The Book of Common Prayer was compil'd in the Times of the Reformation by the most Pious and Learned Men of that Age and defended and confirm'd by the Martyrdom of many and was first Established by Act of Parliament in the Time of King Edward VI and never repeal'd or laid aside save only in the short time of Queen Mary's Reign upon the return of Popery and Superstition And in the first Year of Queen Elizabeth it was again reviv'd and Established by Act of Parliament and the Repeal of it then declar'd by the whole Parliament to have been to the great decay of the due Honour of God and Discomfort of the true Professors of the Truth of Christ's Religion And ever since it hath been us'd and observ'd in the best Times of Peace and Plenty that ever this Kingdom enjoy'd and contains in it an excellent Form of Worship and Service of God grounded upon the Holy Scriptures and is a singular Means and Help to Devotion 2. It hath been said That the
of God which is at Corinth to them that are Sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be Saints And he directs the second in like manner supposing them to have a Federal Holiness as a Church when of Inherent Piety there was so great a defect among them and when so many of them were guilty of great Enormities He labours to inform them and for that purpose he charges them to expel the Incestuous Man from their Communion He reproves the Vicious and threatens them with Ecclesiastical Censures He admonishes the Litigious to submit their Differences about things pertaining to this Life to the decision of some Arbitrator chosen amongst themselves He commands them to do all things decently and in order and warns them not to come irreverently to the Lord's Supper but to examine or approve themselves before they did partake of it All this while he says not a Word that might encourage any of them to forsake the Publick Assemblies on the Account of the Scandals that were given But on the contrary he requires them all to be compacted or knit together He puts them in mind that they were Members of the same Community and that there ought to be no Schism in the Body And says he to them with great Tenderness and Affection I beseech you Brethren by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no Divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same Mind and in the same Judgment 2. The Pretence of Separating from the Church because Wicked Men are tolerated being admitted it would be attended with great Evils What they are will better appear when I come to treat of the Consequence of Schism but the Consideration of some that relate to our present Case may not here be omitted 1. If this Pretence were allow'd it would lay a Foundation for perpetual Divisions For then any Party professing greater Sanctity how unjustly soever might withdraw themselves from the Church and say Stand from us for we are more Holier than you And then others might say the like to the first Dividers and a third sort to the second and so on as long as it was possible to make any farther Subdivision An Eminent Nonconformist has given us this Account of a Person who would reform his Bible in such a manner that he cut out the Contents Titles and every thing else but the Text it self believing them to be Humane Devices and consequently Idolatrous And agreeable to this Action was the rest of his Conversation For he would come at no Man nor suffer any Man to come at him But having shut up himself and his Children in his House Sustenance was brought to them and put in at some Hole or Window but he suffered no Man to come and Minister unto them no not when he and they lay Sick and in great Misery And when by Order his House was broken open two of his Children were found Dead and one of them had been so long unburied that the Body was corrupted and it did annoy the Room This Man lived up to his Principles and pursued them as far as they would go And his Example may teach us that if we think our selves obliged when the Law permits us to forsake the Church because it admits of a Mixt Communion and that we may joyn with a better People we should soon see the like occasion to desert these also And then we must seek out other Company and so go on till we are pent up within so narrow a compass that we could move no farther 2. This Pretente being admitted Men professing much Religion when they have little of the Sense or Power of it would be encouraged to raise and keep up such Disturbances as might serve the designs of their Ambition or other Worldly Ends. And whilst the Meek and Lowly would study to be quiet and do their own Business the Assuming and Arrogant would be New-modelling the Churches Mr. Baxter a Man of great Experience says That he never saw one Schism made in which Pride conjunct with Ignorance was not the cause and that to his remembrance he never knew one Person forward in a Schism but Pride was discernably his Disease Pride is so active a Principle that only by it cometh Contention And if it meets with great Encouragement as it does too often there is no doubt to be made of its readiness to furnish the World with Reformers in all Societies and Governments Reformers I mean that would condemn Miscarriages abroad and bestow bitter Invectives on them at a distance but cherish them at home Such Reformers were Korah and Absalom and many others Who to make themselves Heads of Faction or considerable in it have not spar'd to speak evil of Dignities and to cast Reproach on the best of Men that stood in their way whilst in the mean time with good Words and fair Speeches they have deceiv'd the Hearts of the Simple Not long after the Death of St. Paul there was amongst the Corinthians a grievous Schism a wicked and impious Sedition as Clemens Romanus calls it And this was kindled as he informs us by one or two mean Persons who were Rash and Confident such as had a high Opinion of themselves and despised others And the Incendiaries that have come after them have so constantly been of that Temper that to say any thing in their Vindication when their Cause will admit of no defence is to put Fire into the Hands of those who would burn up the Houses of God in the Land 3. This Pretence for Separation being admitted it would put Men upon a Work for which they are no way fit which is the Judging one another before the Time And in this the Uncharitable and Censorious the Envious and Malicious would have so great a stroke that it could not be expected but that they would be forward to condemn others that are better than themselves and that they would be most busie in gathering New Churches who were fit to be Members of none You pretend in vain says St. Austin to the Donatists that before the Time of Harvest you fly from the Tares which you say are mixt amongst us whereas you your selves are the Tares For if you were the Good Grain you would bear with that Mixture and not separate your selves from the Corn of Christ 4. Separation from a Church upon a Pretence of joyning with a better People casts a Reproach upon the Deserted And if it be an Offence to treat a Private Person contumeliously or diminish his just Reputation it must be a greater when the same is done to a Community You have need therefore to be very sure that you were in the right when you did forsake the Church of England as unworthy of your Communion and prefer'd before it the Dissenting Congregations It will not be sufficient for you to say That amongst the Conformists many
esteem'd Forasmuch says the Apostle as ye are zealous of Spiritual Gifts seek that ye may excel to the Edifying of the Church 1 Cor. 14. 12. There is no doubt to be made but the use of this Word Edification is taken from another Metaphor which signifies the Church For the Church being in Scripture call'd a House and the Members of it being said to be Living Stones the adding to it such Materials and the polishing and perfecting those that are in it are the Edification of it This House is already built and established upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief Corner-stone But it is not as yet finish'd nor will it compleatly be so till the end of the World And we shall be reckon'd amongst the Builders or Edifiers of it if we repair its Breaches if we enlarge it or raise it higher or contribute any thing to its strength or splendor That is if we bring new Proselytes into the Church or confirm those that are in it if we are instrumental in the Conversion of some or in advancing any in Knowledge and Piety in Faith and Practice Without Practice there is no true Edification but all that are duly exercis'd in Holiness are perfected by it and others are invited and drawn into the Church by their Example The Churches says St. Luke had rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria and were Edified and walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Ghost were multiplied Acts 9. 31. The Church in many respects may be compar'd to a House but more especially for the Vnity and Order of Building But on both these I have treated before and what I shall add will only be farther to explain what is meant by Edification and to remove the Mistakes about it 1. Vnity is required in this Spiritual House and all the parts of it ought to be compacted like those of an Artificial Building or a Natural Body The more they are so the better they are prepar'd for Edification and Improvement in things Divine They are call'd to Peace in One Body and being knit together in it they increase with the Increase of God Coloss 2. 19. As Divisions are the cause of Weakness and Deformity in this Body so on the contrary Vnion helps to strengthen and adorn it Thus when the Schism which I mention'd before was broken out amongst the Corinthians The Vile or Ignoble on that occasion rose up against the Honourable Persons of no Reputation against those that were highly esteem'd the Foolish against the Wise and Young Men against the Aged For which cause Justice and Peace were far from them Every one did forsake the Fear of God and in his Faith became blind None of them lived according to the Rule of his Precepts or walked worthy of Christ But they all followed their own depraved Lusts having taken up an Unjust and Impious Envy by which Death entred into the World This is the Account that Clemens Romanus gives of them But he also acquaints us that when they were United Their Piety was wonderful their Hospitality magnificent and their Knowledge perfect That they were all of an humble Mind boasting of nothing more willing to be subject than to govern and to give rather than receive That they were content with the Portion which God had allotted to them and carefully attending to his Word That they had Hearts enlarged with Mercy and that before their Eyes they had the Sufferings of Christ That a profound and advantageous Peace being given to them they had an insatiable desire of doing good and that then there was upon them all a plentiful Effusion of the Holy Spirit That being fill'd with Holy Purposes they did with chearfulness and a pious Confidence stretch forth their Hands to Almighty God beseeching him to be merciful to them if unwillingly they sinned against Him That their care was Day and Night for the whole Brotherhood that through the Mercy of God and a Good Conscience the Elect might be saved That they were Sincere and Inoffensive and forgetful of Injuries and that all Sedition and all Schism was then abominable to them That they lamented the Faults of their Neighbours and esteem'd the Wants of Others as their Own That they were firm and steady in doing good and forward to every good Work That they were adorn'd with a Conversation altogether Vertuous and Venerable and did all things in the fear of God whose Commandments were written upon the Tables of their Heart By this and many other Examples it appears that the Unity of the Christians is highly beneficial to them And we may add That it also promotes the Edification of the Church by the strong Inducement it affords to those that are without to embrace the Christian Faith and become Members of the same Community They will see says Mr. Baxter that the Design and Doctrine of Christianity is good and excellent beseeming God and desirable to Man when they see it does produce such good Effects as the Love and Vnity and Concord of Manknd And it is an exceeding great and powerful help to the Conversion of the World in this respect because it is a thing so conspicuous in their sight and so intelligible to them and so approved by them They are little wrought on by the Doctrine of Christ alone because it is visible or audible but to few and understood by fewer and containeth many things which Nature doth distaste But the Holy Concord of Believers is a thing that they are more able to discern and judge of and do more generally approve The HOLY CONCORD of Christians must be the CONVERSION of the Unbelieving World if God have so great a Mercy for the World which is a Consideration that should not only deter us from Division but make us zealously study and labour with all our Interest and Might for the healing of the Lamentable Divisions amongst Christians if we have the Hearts of Christians and any sense of the Interest of Christ 2. The Church resembles a House in Order And Order is to be observ'd in all our Endeavours for the Edification of it This Living Building resting upon Christ and being fitly framed together groweth unto One Holy Temple in the Lord. And as an Organical Body being fitly joyned together and computed by every Ministring Joynt supplying something according to its Power in proportion to the other parts it increaseth to the Edifying of it self in Love Mr. Baxter says very well That Enemies both Spiritual and Corporal are deterred from assaulting the Church or any of its Members while they see us walk in our Military Vnity and Order In this posture every Man is a Blessing and Defence unto his Neighbour As every Soldier hath the benefit of all the Conduct Wisdom and Valour of the whole Army while he keepeth in his place so every weak Christian hath the use and