〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he fall into the condemnation of the Devil 1 Tim. 3. 6. And if such Starrs fall from Heaven no wonder if they bring many down headlong with them Humble souls dwell most at home and think themselves unworthy of the communion of their brethren and are most quarrelsome against their own corruptions They do nothing in grife and vain glory but in lowliness of mind each one esteemeth other better than themselves Phil. 2. 2 3. and judge not lâ—st they he judged Matth. 6. 1. And is it likely such should be Dividers of the Church But Proud men must either be great and domineer and as Diotrephes 3 John 9 10. love to have the preheminence and cast the Brethren out of the Church and prate against their faithfullest Pastors with malitious words or else must be noted for their supposed excellencies and set up themselves and speak perverse things to draw away disciples after them and think the brethren unworthy of their Communion and esteem all others below themselves and as the Church of Act. 20. 30. Rome confound Communion and Subjection and think none fit for their Communion that obey them not or compâ—y not with their opinion and will There is no hope of Concord where Pride hath power to prevail § 86. Direct 9. Take heed of singularity and narrowness of mind and unacquaintedness with the Direct 9. former and present state of the Church and world Men that are bred up in a corner and never read nor heard of the common condition of the Church or world are easily mislead into Sschism through ignorance of those matters of fact that would preserve them Abundance of this sort of honest people that I have known have known so little beyond the Town or Countrey where they lived that they have thought they were very Catholick in their Communion because they had one or two Congregations and divided not among themselves But for the avoiding of Schism 1. Look with pity on the Unbelieving world and consider that Christians of all sorts are but a sixth part of the whole earth And then 2. Consider of this sixth part how small a part the reformed Churches are And if you be willing to leave Christ any Church at all perhaps you will be lothe to separate yet into a narrower party which is no more to all the world than one of your Cottages is to the whole Kingdom And is this all the Kingdom on earth that you will ascribe to Christ Is the King of the Church the King only of your little party Though his flock be but a little flock make it not next to none As if he câ—â—e into the World on so low a design as the gathering of your sect only The less his stock is the more sinful it is to rob him of it and make it lesser than it is It is a little flock if it contained all the Christians Protestants Greeks Armenians Abassines and Papists on the Eâ—â—th Be singular and separate from the unbelieving world and spare not And be singular in Hâ—liness from Prophane and nominal hypocritical Christians But affect not to be singular in opinion or practice or separated in Communion from the universal Church or generality of sound believers or if you forsake some common errour yet hold still the Common Love and Communion with all the faithful according to your opportunities 3. And it will be very useful when you are tempted to separate from any Church for the defectiveness of its manner of Worship to enquire how God is worshipped in all the Churches on Earth and then consider whether if you lived ☞ That â—oâ— above that knoweth the heart dâ—â—â—â— disâ—ern that frail mâ—n â—â— some of theâ—r conâ—radictions iâ—tâ—nâ— the same thing and aâ—â—eâ—â—eth bâ—th I. Vâ—â—â—â— â—sâ—aâ— 3. 7. 15. among them you would forsake Communion with them all for such defects while you are not forced to justifie or approve them 4. And it is very useful to read Church history and to understand what Heresies have been in times past and what havock Schisms have caused among Christians For if this much had been known by well-meaning persons in our dayes we should not have seen those same Opinions applauded as new light which were long agoe exploded as old Heresies nor should we have seen many honest people taking that same course to reform the Church now and advance the Gospel which in so many ages and Nations hath heretofore destroyed the Church and cast out the Gospel A narrow soul that taketh all Christs interest in the world to lye in a few of their separated meetings and shutteth up all the Church in a Nutshell must needs be guilty of the foulest schisms It is a Catholick spirit and Catholick principles loving a Christian as a Christian abhorring the very names of Sects and Parties as the Churches wounds that must make a Catholick indeed § 87. Direct 10. Understand well the true difference between the visible Church and the world Direct 10. lest you should think that you are bound to separate as much from a corrupted Church as from the world It is not True faith but the Profession of true faith that maketh a man fit to be acknowledged a member of the Visible Church If this Profession be unsound and accompanied with a vitious life it is the sin and misery of such an Hypocrite but it doth not presently put him as far unrelated to you as if he were an infidel without the Church If you ask what advantage have such unsound Church-members I answer with the Apostle Rom. 3. 1 2. Much every way chiefly because unto them are committed the Oracles of God Rom. 9. 4. To them pertaineth the Adoption and the glory and Covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the promises Till the Church find cause to cast them out they have the external priviledges of its Communion It hath made abundance to incur the guilt of sinful separation to misunderstand those Texts of Scripture that call Christians to separate from Heathens Infidels and Idolaters As 2 Cor. 6. 17. Wherefore come out frâ—m among them and be ye separate saith the Lord c. The Text speaketh only of separating from the world who are Infidels and Idolaters and no members of the Church and ignorant people ordinarily expound it as if it were meant of separating from the Church because of the ungodly that are members of it But that God that knew why he called his people to separate from the World doth never call them to separate from the Church universal nor from any particular Church by a mental separation so as to unchurch them We read of many loathsome corruptions in the Churches of Corinth Galatia Laâ—dicea c. but yet no command to separate from them So many abuse Rev. 18. 4. Come out of her my people As if God commanded them to come out of a true Church because of its corruptions or imperfections because
any such necessary p. 916 Q. 173. What particular Directions for Order of Studies and Books should be observed by young Students who intend the Sacred Ministry p. 917 Q. 174. What Books should a poor man choose that for want of money or Time can have or read but few There are three Catalogues set down but somewhat disorderly as they came into my memory 1. The smallest or Poorest Library 2. A poor Library that hath considerable Additions to the former 3. Some more Additions to them for them that can go higher With some additional Notes p. 921 TOME IV. Christian Politicks CHAP. I. GEneral Directions for an Upright Life p. 1 The most passed by on necessary reasons CHAP. II. A few brief Memoranda to Rulers for the interest of Christ the Church and mens salvation p. 5 CHAP. III. Directions to Subjects concerning their duty to Rulers p. 9. Of the Nature and Causes of Government Mr. Richard Hookers Ecclesiastical Policy as it is for Popularity examined and confuted Directions for obedience Duty to Rulers Q. Is the Magistrate Iudge in Controversies of faith or worship p. 20. Q. 2. May the Oath of Supremacy be lawfully taken in which the King is pronounced Supream Governour in all Causes as well Ecclesiastical as Civil p. 20. Q. 3. Doth not this give the Pastors power to the Magistrate Q. 4. Hath the King power of Church Discipline and Excommunication Q. 5. If Kings and Bishops differ which must be obeyed Q. Is he obliged to suffer who is not obliged to obey p. 25. Of admonition of Rulers Q. 1. Whether the sound Authors of Politicks be against Monarchy Q. 2. Whether Civilians be against it Q. 3. Are Historians against it Greek Roman or Christian Q. 4. Whether Athens Rome Aristotle Philosophers Academies be against it Q. 5. Are Divines and Church discipline against it Q. 6. Is Scripture and Christianity against it Objections answered Q. Are Papists Prelatists and Puritans against it Bilson and Andrews Vindication of the Puritans Christianity is the greatest help to Government Further Directions Tit. 2. Q. Whether mans Laws bind the Conscience Q. Is it a sin to break every Law of man More fully answered p. 36 37 CHAP. IV. Directions to Lawyers about their Duty to God p. 39 CHAP. V. The Duty of Physicions p. 43 CHAP. VI. Directions to Schâ—olmasters about their duties for Childrens souls p. 44 CHAP. VII Directions for Souldiers about their duty in point of Conscience Princes Nobles Iudges and Iustices are past by lest they take Counsel for injury p. 46 CHAP. VIII Advice against Murder p. 50. The Causes of it Wars Tyranny malignant persecuting fury Unrighteous judgement oppression and uncharitableness Robbery Wrath Guilt and Shame Malice and Revenge wicked Impatience Covetousness Ambition c. The Greatness of the sin The Consequents Tit. 2. Advice against Self-murder The Causes to be avoided Melancholy worldly trouble discontent passion c. p. 54. Besides Gluttony Tipling and Idleness the great Murderers CHHP. IX Directions for the forgiving of injuries and enemies Against wrath malice revenge and persecution Practical Directions Curing Considerations Twenty p. 56 CHAP. X. Cases resolved about forgiving wrongs and debts and about self defence and seeking â—ur Right by Law or otherwise p. 61 Q. What injuries are we bound to forgive Neg. and Affir resolved Q. 2. What is the meaning of Matth. 5. 38 c. Resist not evil but whosoever shall smite thee c. p. 63 Q. 3. Am I bound to forgive another if he ask me not forgiveness Luke 17. 3 c. p. 64 Q. 4. Is it lawful to sue another at Law 1 Cor. 6. 7. Q. 5. Is it lawful to defend our lives or estates against a Robber Murderer or unjust Invader by force of Arms Q. 6. Is it lawful to take away anothers life in defending my purse or estate only p. 65 Q. 7. May we kill or wound another in defence or vindication of our honour or good name p. 66 CHAP. XI Special Directions to escape the guilt of persecution Determining much of the Case about Liberty in matters of Religion p 67. What is persecution The several kinds of it The greatness of the sin Understand the Case of Christs interest in the world Q. Whether particular Churches should require more of their members as Conditions of Communion than the Catholick Church and What Penalties to be chosen that hinder the Gospel least More Directions to the number of forty one CHAP. XII Directions against Scandal as Given p. 80. What Scandal is and what not The sorts of scandalizing The Scripture sense of it Twenty Directions CHAP. XIII Directions against Scandal taken or an aptness to receive hurt by the words or deeds of others Especially quarrelling with Godliness p. 88. or taking encouragement to sin Practical Directions against taking hurt by others p. 90. CHAP. XIV Directions against soul-murder and partaking of other mens sins p. 92 The several wayes of destroying souls How we are not guilty of other mens sin and ruine CHAP. XV. General Directions for furthering the salvation of others p. 95 CHAP. XVI Special Directions for holy Conference Exhortation and Reproof Tit. 1. Motives to holy Conference and Exhortation p 97 Tit. 2. Directions to Christian edifying discourse p. 100 Tit. 3. Special Directions for Exhortations and Reproofs p. 101 CHAP. XVII Directions for keeping Peace with all men How the Proud do hinder Peace Many more Causes and Cures opened p. 103 CHAP. XVIII Directions against all Theft fraud or injurious getting keeping or desiring that which is anothers p. 107 Tit. 2. Cases of Conscience about Theft and such injuries Q. 1. Is it sin to steal to save ones life Q. 2. May I take that which another is bound to give me and will not Q. 3. May I take my own from an unjust borrower or possessor if I cannot otherwise get it Q. 4. May I recover my own by force from him that taketh it by force from me Q. 5. May we take from the Rich to relieve the poor Q. 6. If he have so much as that he will not miss it may I take some Q. 7. May not one pluck ears of Corn or an Apple from a Tree c. Q. 8. May a Wife Child or Servant take more than a Cruel Husband Parent or Master doth allâ—w May Children forsake their Parents for such Cruelty Q. 9. May I take what a man forfeiteth penally Q. 10. What if I resolve when I take a thing in necessity to make satisfaction if ever I be able Q. 11. What if I know not whether the Owner would consent Q. 12. May I take in jeast from a friend with a purpose to restore it Q 13. May I not take from another to prevent his hurting himself Q. 14. May I take away Cards Dice Play-books Papist-books by which he would hurt his soul. Q 15. May not a Magistrate take the Subjects goods when it is necessary to their own preservation Q 16. May I take from
would make us serious § 6. And Ministers are not set up only for publick Preaching but for private counsel also according Acosta noteth it as a great hinderance of the Indians conversion that their Teachers shifâ— for beâ—ter livings and stay not till they are well acquainted with the people and that the Bishops are of the same temper Haec tanta claâ—es est anâ—m â—â—um ut satis deploâ—aâ—i â—â—â—â— possit Nihil Sacerdos Christi praecâ—aâ—â— proficiet in salute Iâ—dorum sine familiari hominum rerum nâ—â—â—â—tia l 4. c. 10. â— â—9â— Sunt autem multi qui injuncto muneri câ—piose se satisfacere existimanâ— Orationem dominâ—â—â—â—m symbolum salutationem augâ—â—cam tum praecepta decalogi Hispan idiomate identidem Indis recitantes eorum infantes baptizantes mortuos sâ—pelientes matrâ—mâ—nio juvenes collocante rem sacram festis diebus facientes Neque conscientia quam uâ—iâ—â—m â—auterizatam non habeaut mordenâ—uâ— quod dispersae sint oves domini c. c. 7. p. 373. to our particular needs As Physicions are not only to read you instructions for the dyeting and curing of your selves but to be present in your sickness to direct you in the particular application of remedies And as Lawyers are to assist you in your particular cases to free your estates from encumbrances and preserve or rescue them from contentious men Choose therefore some able Minister to be your ordinary Counsellor in the matters of God And let him be one that is humble faithful experienced and skilful that hath leisure ability and willingness to assist you § 7. As Infants in a family are unable to help themselves and need the continual help of others and therefore God hath put into the hearts of Parents a special Love to them to make them diligent and patient in helping them so is it in the family of Christ Most Christians by far are young or weak in understanding and in grace It is long before you will be past the need of others help if ever in this life If you feel not this your infirmity and need it is so much the greater God will have no men to be self-sufficient we shall all have need of one another that we may be useful to one another and God may use us as his messengers and instruments of conveying his mercies to each other and that even self-love may help us to be sociable and to love one another And our souls must receive their part of mercy by this way of communication as well as our bodies And therefore as the poor above all men should not be against charity and communicating that need it most so young Christians that are weak and unexperienced above all others should be most desirous of help especially from an able faithful guide § 8. But be sure you deal sincerely and cheat not your selves by deceiving your counsellor and hiding your case To do so by your Lawyer is the way to lose your suit And to do so by your Physicion is the way to lose your life And to do so with your Pastor and soul-counsellor is the way to lose your souls And let the judgement of your Pastor or judicious friend about the state of your souls be much regarded by you though it be not infallible How far such must be trusted I am afterward to open to you with other of your duties belonging to you in this Relation I now only proceed to General advice Direct 8. KEep right apprehensions of the excellency of Charity and Unity among believers and Direct 8. Against Unchaâ—â—â—â—ableness and Schism See more in Tâ—n 2. Câ— 23. receive nothing hastily that is against them especially take heed lest under pretence of their Authority their Number their Soundness or their Holiness you too much addict your selves to any Sect or Party to the withdrawing of your special Love and just Communion from other Christians and turning your Zeal to the interest of your Party with a neglect of the common interest of the Church But Love a Christian as a Christian and promote the Unity and welfare of them all § 1. Use often to read and well consider the meaning and reason of those many urgent passages Utrumqueâ—mperium Mâ—hoâ—eâ—â—â—â—m Pontificium ortum est ex dissidus de doctrina Cum in Oriente diâ—aceâ—â—â—â—ae essâ—â—t â—â—clesiae 〈…〉 n multorum 〈…〉 in Scripture which exhort all Christians to Unity and Love Such as Iohn 11. 52. 17. 11 21 22 23. 1 Cor. 3. 10. 17. 12. throughout 2 Cor. 13. 11. 1 Thess. 5. 12 13. Phil. 2. 1 2 3. 1 Pet. 3. 8. Rom. 16. 17. 1 Cor. 1. 10. 3. 3. 11. 18. And Iohn 13. 35. Rom. 12. 9 10. 13. 10. 2 Cor. 13. 11. Gal. 5. 6 13 22. Col. 1. 4. 1 Thess. 4. 9. 1 Iohn 3. 11 14 23. 4. 7 11 16 19 20 21. Surely if the very life of Godliness lay not much in Unity and Love we should never have had such words spoken of it as here you find Love is to the soul as our Natural heat is to the Body whatever destroyeth it destroyeth Life and therefore cannot be for our good Be certain that opinion course or motion tends to death that tends to abate your Love to your Brethren much more which under pretence of zeal provoketh you to hate and hurt them To Divide the Body is to kill it oâ— to maim it Dividing the essential necessary parts is killing it Cutting off any integral part is maiming it The first can never be an act of friendship which is the worst that an enemy can do The second is never an act of friendship but when the cutting off a member which may be spared is of absolute necessity to the saving of the whole man from the worse division between soul and body By this judge what friends Dividers are to the Church and how well they are accepted of God § 2. He that loveth any Christian aright must needs love all that appear to him as Christians And when malice will not suffer men to see Christianity in its profession and credible appearance in another this is as well contrary to Christian Love as hating him when you know him to be a true Christian Censoriousness not constrained by just evidence is contrary to Love as well as hatred is § 3. There is a Union and Communion with Christians as such This consisteth in having one God one Head one Spirit one Faith one Baptismal Covenant one Rule of holy living and in loving and praying for all and doing good to as many as we can This is a Union and Communion of Mind which we must hold with the Catholick Church through the world And there is a Bodily local Union and â—â—â—â—muniâ—â— which consisteth in our joyning in body as well as mind with particular Congregations And this as we cannot hold it with all nor with any Congregation but one at once so we are not 〈◊〉 to
the Love of God we must be content to be shut out from the Love of God § 47. Inst. 9. Thus also the vulgar separate the Mercy and the Iustice of God! As if God knew Instance 9. not better than man to whom his mercy should extend And as if God be not merciful if he will be a righteous Governour and unless he will suffer all the world to spit in his face and blaspheme him and let his enemies go all unpunished § 48. Inst. 10. Thus many separate Threatnings and Promises Fear and Love a perfect Law and a pardonining Instance 10. Gospel As if he that is a man and hath both fear and Love in his nature must not make use of both for God and his salvation and the Law-giver might not fit his Laws to work on both As if Hell may not be feared and Heaven loved at once § 49. Inst. 11. Thus hypocrites separate in conceit their seeming Holiness and devotion to God from Instance 11. duties of Iustice and Charity to men As if they could serve God acceptably and disobey him wilfully Or as if they could love him whom they never saw and not love his Image in his works and children whom they daily see As if they could hate and persecute Christ in his little ones or at least neglect him and yet sincerely love him in himself § 50. Inst. 12. Thus by many Scripture and Tradition Divine faith and humane faith are commonly Instance 12. opposed Because the Papists have set Tradition is a wrong place many cast it away because it fits not that place When mans Tradition and Ministerial Revelation is necessary to make known and bring down Gods Revelation to us And a subservient Tradition is no disparagement to Scripture though a supplemental Tradition be And man must be believed as man though not as God! And he that will not believe man as man shall scarce know what he hath to believe from God § 51. Inst. 13. Thus many separate the sufficiency of the Law and Rule from the usefulness of an Instance 13. Officer Minister and Iudge As if the Law must be imperfect or else need no Execution and no Iudge for execution Or as if the Iudges execution were a supplement or addition to the Law As if the Question Who shall be the Iudge Did argue the Law of insufficiency and the promulgation and execution were not supposed § 52. Inst. 14. Thus also many separate the necessity of a publick Iudge from the lawfulness and Instance 14. necessity of a private judgement or discerning in all the rational subjects As if God and man did govern only Brutes or we could obey a Law and not judge it to be a Law and to be obeyed and not understand the sense of it and what it doth command us As if fools and mad men were the only subjects As if our learning of Christ as his Disciples and meditating day and night in his Law and searching for Wisdom in his Word were a disobeying him as our King As if it were a possible thing for subjects to obey without a private judgement of discretion Or as if there were any repugnancy between my judging what is the Kings Law and his judging whether I am punishable for disobeying it or as if judging our selves contradicted our being judged of God! § 53. Inst. 15. So many separate between the operation of the Word and Spirit the Minister and Instance 15. Christ As if the Spirit did not usually work by the Word and Christ did not preach to us by his Ministers and Embassadors And as if they might despise his Messengers and not be taken for despisers of himself Or might throw away the dish and keep the milk § 54. Inst. 16. Thus many separate the special Love of Saints from the common Love of man as man Instance 16. As if they could not Love a Saint unless they may hate an enemy and despise all others and deny them the Love which is answerable to their Natural Goodness § 55. Inst. 17. Thus many separate Universal or Catholick Union and Communion from particular Instance 17. And some understand no Communion but the Universal and some none but the particular Some say we separate from them as to Catholick Communion if we hold not local particular Communion with them yea if we joyn not with them in every mode As if I could be personally in ten thousand thousand Congregations at once or else did separate from them all Or as if I separated from all mankind if I differed from all men in my visage or complexion Or as if I cannot be absent from many thousand Churches and yet honour them as true Churches of Christ and hold Catholick communion with them in Faith Hope and Love Yea though I durst not joyn with them personally in Worship for fear of some sinful condition which they impose Or as if I need not be a member of any ordered worshipping Congregation because I have a Catholick faith and Love to all the Christians in the world § 56. Inst. 18. Thus are the outward and inward worship separated by many who think that all Instance 18. which the Body performeth is against the due spirituality or that the spirituality is but fansie and contrary to the form or outward part As if the heart and the knee may not fitly bow together nor decency of order concur with Spirit and truth § 57. Inst. 19. Thus many separate faith and obedience Pauls Iustification by faith without the Instance 19. works of the Law from Iames's Iustification by works and not by faith only and Christs Justification by our words Matth. 12. 37. And thus they separate free Grace and Iustification from any necessary condition and from the rewardableness of obedience which the Antients called Merit But of this at large elsewhere § 58. Inst. 20. And many separate Prudence and zeal meekness and resolution the wisdom of the Instance 20. Serpent and the innocency of the Dove yielding to no sin and yet yielding in things lawful maintaining our Christian liberty and yet becoming all things to all men if by any means we may save some These Instances are enow I will add no more § 59. Direct 18. Take heed of falling into factions and parties in Religion be the party great or Direct 18. small high or low in honour or dishonour and take heed lest you be infected with a factious censorious uncharitable hurting zeal For these are much contrary to the interest Will and Spirit of Christ Therefore among all your readings deeply suck in the doctrine of charity and peace and read much Reconciling moderating Authors Such as Drury Hall Davenant Crocius Bergius Martinius Amyraldus Dallaeus Testardus Calixtus Hottonus Junius Paraeus and Burroughs their Irenicons § 60. The reading of such Books extinguisheth the consuming flame of that infernal envious zeal described Iames 3. and kindleth charity and meekness and mellowness and
members of the visible Church The Integral and accidental Union I pass by now 2. Besides this Union of the Universal Church with Christ the Universal Head there is in all Particular organized Churches a subordinate Union 1. Between 1 Thes. 5. 12 13. the Pastor and the flock and 2. Between the People one towards another which consisteth in these their special Relations to each other 3. And there is an Accidental Union of many particular Churches As when they are United under one Civil Government or Consociated by their Pastors in one Synod or Council These are the several sorts of Church-Union Direct 2. § 4. Direct 2. Understand also wherein the Communion of Christians and Churches doth consist that you may know what it is that you must hold to In the Universal Church your Internal Communion with Christ consisteth in his communication of his spirit and grace his word and mercies unto you and in your returnes of Love and Thanks and Obedience unto him and in your seeking to him depending on him and receivings from him Your Internal Communion with the Church or Saints consisteth in mutual Love and other consequent affections and in praying for and doing good to one another as your selves according to your abilities and opportunities Your external communion with Christ and with most of the Church in Heaven and Earth is not mutually visible and local For it is but a small number comparatively that we ever see But it consisteth in Christs visible communication of his word his officers and his ordinances and mercies unto you and in your visible learning and reception of them and obedience to him and expressions of your Love and Gratitude towards him Your external communion with the Universal Church consisteth in the Prayers of the Church for you and your prayers for the Church In your holding the same faith and professing to Love and Worship the same God and Saviour and Sanctifier in the same holy ordinances in order to the same eternal end § 5. Your external Communion in the same particular Congregations consisteth in your assembling together to hear the Preaching of Gods word and to receive the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ and pray and praise God and to help each other in knowledge and holiness and walk together in the fear of the Lord. § 6. Your Communion with other neighbour Churches lyeth in praying for and counselling each other and keeping such correspondencies as shall be found necessary to maintain that Love and Peace and Holiness which all are bound to seek according to your abilities and opportunities § 7. Note here that Communion is one thing and subjection is another It is not your subjection to other Churches that is required to your communion with them The Churches that Paul wrote to at Rome Corinth Galatia Ephesus Philippi c. had Communion together according to their capacities in that distance but they were not subject one to another any otherwise than as all are commanded to be subject to each other in humility 1 Pet. 5. 5. The Church of Rome now accuseth all the Christians in the World of separating from their Communion unless they will take them for their Rulers and obey them as the Mistres Church But Paul speaketh not one syllable to any of the Churches of any such thing as their obedience to the Church of Rome To your own Pastors you owe subjection statedly as well as communion and to other Pastors of the Churches of Christ fixed or unfixed you owe a temporary subjection so far as you are called to make use of them as sick persons do to another Physicion when the Physicion of the Hospital is out of the way But one Church is not the Ruler of another or any one oâ— all the rest by any appointment of the King of the Church § 8. Direct 3. By the help of what is already said you are next distinctly to understand how far Direct 3. you are bound to Union or Communion with any other Church or person and what distance separation or division is a sin and what is not that so you may neither causlesly trouble your selves with scruples What Unity is among all Christians Gal. 3. 20. 4. 5 6. Ephes. 4. 5. 1 Cor. 12. 12 13. nor trouble the Church by sinful Schism § 9. I. There must be a Union among all Churches and Christians in these following particulars 1. They have all but One God 2. And One Head and Saviour Jesus Christ. 3. And One Sanctifier the Holy Ghost 4. And One Ultimate End and Hope even the fruiâ—â—on of God in Heaven 5. And one Gospel to teach them the Knowledge of Christ and contain the promise of their salvation 6. And one kind of faith that is wrought hereby 7. And one and the same Covenant 1 Pet. 1. 16 Eph. 4. 11 12 13. of which Baptism is the seal in which they are engaged to God 8. And the same Instrumental founders of our faith under Jesus Christ even the Prophets and Apostles 9. And all members of the Eph. 2. 20 21 19. same Universal Body 10. And all have the same new nature and Holy disposition and the same Holy Affections in Loving God and Holiness and Hating sin 11. They all own as to the essential 1 Joh. 3. 11 14 23 parts the same Law of God as the Rule of their faith and life even the sacred Canonical Scriptures Psal. 122. 2. 1 Pet. 2. 1 2. Joh 3. 6. Heb. 10. 25. 1 Cor. 10. 16 17. 12. Every member hath a Love to the whole and to each other especially to the more excellent and useful members and an inclination to holy Communion with each other 13. They have all a propensity to the same holy means and employment as Prayer learning the word of God and doing good to others All these things the True living members of the Church have in sincerity and the rest have in Profession Râ—m 12. 1. Eph 2. 10 11. What 〈…〉 sity â—â—l be in the Church 1 Joh. 2. 12 13 14 § 10. II. There will be still a diversity among the Churches and particular Christians in these following points without any dissolution of the fore-described Unity 1. They will not be of the same Age or standing in Christ but some babes some young men and some fathers 2. They will not have the same degrees of strength of Knowledge and of Holiness some will have need to be fed with milk and be unskilful in the word of Righteousness 3. They will differ in the kind and Heb. 5. 11 12 13. measure of their gifts some will excell in one kind and some in another and some in none at all Mat. 17. 2. 13. 3â— Rom. 14. 1 2 21. 4. They will differ in their natural temper which will make some to be more hot and some more mild some more quick and some more dull some of more regulated wits and some more scattered and
of the Church 28. Take heed to your selves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the Church of God So 1 Thess. 5. 12 13. Heb. 13. 7 17 24 c. 1 Cor. 7. 23. If the whole Church be come together into one place c. Thus far it is no question but Church-forms and Government is of Divine appointment And man can no more alter this or set up such other without Gods consent than a subject can alter or make Corporations without the Kings consent 2. But besides these two sorts of Divine institution there are other allowable associations which some call Churches God hath required these particular Churches to hold such Communion as they are capable of for promoting the common Ends of Christianity And Prudence is left to determine of the Times and Places and manner of their Pastors Assemblies Councils and Correspondencies according to Gods general Rules If any will call these Councils or the Associations engaged for special correspondencies by the name of Churches I will not trouble any with a strife about the Name In this case so far as men have power to make that Association or Combination which they call a Church so also if they make Officers suited to its ends not encroaching upon the Churches or Officers of Christs own institution I am none of those that will contend against them Nor will this allow us to deny Communion with them 3. And in those Churches which Christ himself hath instituted there are Officers that make but for the Integrity and not for the Political Essence of the Church As Deacons and all Pastors or Presbyters more than One. For it is not essential to it to have any Deacons or many Pastors As to this sort of Officers Christ hath appointed them and it is not in mans power to alter his institution nor to set up any such like in co-ordination with these But yet if they should do so as long as the true Essentials of the Church remain I am not to deny communion with that Church so I own not this corruption 4. But there are also as circumstantial employments about Gods Worship so Officers to do those employments which men may lawfully institute As Clerks Church-wardens Door-keepers Ringers c. It is not the adding of these that is any sin By this time you may see plainly both how far Churches Officers and Church-Government is jure Divino and how far man may or may not add or alter and what I meant in my Proposition viz. That if men introduce a new Universal Head to the Church Catholick or a new Head to particular Churches instead of that of Christs institution this is in sensu Politico to make new species of Churches and destroy those that Christ hath instituted for the pars gubernans and pars gubernata are the essential Constituents of a Church And with such a Church as such in specie I must have no communion which is our case with the Papal Church though with the Material parts of that Church as members of Christ I may hold communion still § 30. 5. If particular members are guilty of obstinate impenitency in true Heresie or ungodliness or any scandalous crime the Church may and must remove such from her communion For it is the Communion of Saints And the offender is the Cause of this separation § 31. 6. If a whole Church be guilty of some notorious scandalous sin and refuse with obstinacy But not denying her to be a Church unless she cast off some essential part But so disowning her as in a Thess. 3. to Repent and Reform when admonished by neighbour Churches or if that Church do thus defend such a sin in any of her members so as openly to own it other Churches may refuse communion with her till she Repent and be Reformed Or if they see cause to hold communion with her in other respects yet in this they must have none § 32. 7. If any Church will admit none to her personal Communion but those that will take some false Oath or subscribe any untruth or tell a lye though that Church do think it to be true as the Trent Oath which their Priests all swear it is not lawful to do any such unlawful thing to obtain Where any Church retaining the purity of doctrine doth require the ownâ—ng of and conforming to any unlawful or suspected practice men may lawfully deny conformity to and communion with that Church in such things without incurring the guilt of Shism Mr. Stilliâ—â—fleet Ireâ—ic p. 11â— communion with that Church And he that refuseth in this case to commit this sin is no way guilty of the separation but is commendable for being true to God And though the case may be sad to be deprived of the liberty of publick Worship and the benefits of publick communion with that Church yet sin is worse and * 1 Sam. 15. 22. Prov. 15. 8. obedience is better than Sacrifice God will not be served with sin nor accept the Sacrifice of a disobedient fool Eccles. 5. 1 2. Nor must we lye to glorifie him nor do evil that good may come by it Just is the damnation of such servers of God Rom. 1. 7 8. All publick Worship is rather to be omitted than any one sin committed to enjoy it Though neither should be done where it is possible to do better It is not so unwise to think to feed a man with Poysons as to think to serve God acceptably by sin § 33. 8. If any one Church would ambitiously Usurp a Governing power over others as Rome doth over the world it is no unwarrantable separation to refuse the Government of that Usurping Church We may hold communion with them as Christians and yet refuse to be their subjects And therefore it is a proud and ignorant complaint of the Church of Rome that the Protestants separate from them as to Communion because they will not take them for their Governours § 34. 9. If any by violence will banish or cast out the true Bishops or Pastors of the Church and set up Usurpers in their stead as in the Arrians persecution it was commonly done it is no culpable separation but laudable and a duty for the people to own their Relation to their true Pastors and deny communion with the Usurpers as the people of the Eastern Churches did commonly refuse communion with the intruding Bishops even to the Death telling the Civil Rulers that they had Bishops of their own to whom they would adhere § 35. 10 If a true Church will obstinately deny her members the use of any one Ordinance of God as Preaching or Reading Scripture or Prayer or Praise or Discipline while it retaineth all the rest though we may not separate from this Church as no Church which yet in the case of total rejection of Prayer or Praise is very questionable at least yet if we have opportunity we must remove our local communion
Love are the Churches dissolution which first causeth sissures and separations and in process crumbleth us all to dust And therefore the Pastors of the Church are the fittest instruments for the cure who are the Messengers of Love and whose Government is paternal and hurteth not the body but is only a Government of Love and exercised by all the means of Love All Christians in the world confess that LOVE is the very â—â—â—â— and perfection of all Grace and the End of all our other duties and that which maketh us like to God and that iâ— Love dwelleth in us God dwelleth in us and that it will be the everlasting Grace and the work of Heaven and the Happiness of souls and that it is the excellent way and the character of Saints and the Nâ—w Commandmâ—nt And all this being so it is most certain that no way is the 1 â—â—â—â— 4. 7. 8. â—â—â—â— 13 35. 〈…〉 way of God wâ—â—câ—â—â— not the way of Love And therefore what specious pretences soever they may have and one may cry up Truth and another Holiness and another order and another Unity it seâ—â— to jâ—â—â—â—â— their â—nvyings hatred cruelties it is most certain that all such pretences are Satanical deceiâ—â— And â—â— they bile and devour one another they are not like the sheep of Christ but shall be dâ—â—â—â—â—â—d one of another Gal. 5. 15. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour therefore Love is the fulfilling 〈…〉 4. 2. 〈…〉 of the Law Rom. 13. 10. When Papists that shew their love to mens souls by racking their bodies and fryâ—â—g them in the fire can make men apprehensive of the excellency of that kind of Love they may â—â—â—â— it to the healing of the Church In the mean time as their Religion is such is their Concord while all those are called Members of their Union and Professors of their Religion who must be burnt to ashes if they say the contrary They that give God an Image and Carkass of Religion â—â—â—â— 1. 4 are thus content with the Image and Carkass of a Church for the exercise of it And if there were nothing â—llâ— but this to detect the sinfulness of the Sect of Quakers and many more it is enough to satisfie any sober man that it cannot be the way of God God is not the author of that Spirit and way which tends to wrath emulation hatred railing and the extinction of Christian Love to all â—â—vâ— their own Sect and party Remember as you love your souls that you shun all wayes that are destructive to universal Christian Love § 83. Direct 6. Make nothing necessary to the unity of the Church or the communion of Christians Direct 6. which God hath not made necessary or directed you to make so By this one â—olly the Papists are become see 〈…〉 p. 52â— the most notorious Schismaticks on earth even by making new Articles of faith and new parts of worship and imposing them on all Christians to be sworn subscribed professed or practised so as that no man shall be accounted a Catholick or have communion with them or with the Universal Church if they could hinder it that will not follow them in all their Novelties They that would subscribe to all the Scriptures and to all the antient Creeds of the Church and would do any thing that Christ and his Apostles have enjoyned and go every step of that way to Heaven that Peter and Paul went as far as they are able yet if they will go no further and believe no more yeâ— if they will not go against some of this must be condemned cast out and called Schismaticks by these notorious Schismaticks If he hold to Christ the Universal Head of the Church and will not be subject or sworn to the Pope the Usurping Head he shall be taken as cut off from Christ. And there is no certainty among these men what measure of faith and worship and obedience to them shall be judged necessary to constitute a Church-member For as that which served in the Apostles dayes and the following ages will not serve now nor the subscribing to all the other pretended Councils until then will not serve without subscribing to the Creed or Council of Trâ—nt so no body can tell what New Faith or Worship or Test of Christianity the next Council if the world see any more may require and how many thousand that are Trent-Catholicks now may be judged Hereticks or Schismaticks then if they will not shut their eyes and follow them any whither and change their Religion as oft as the Papal interest requireth a change Of this Chillingworth Hales and Dr. H. More have spoken plainly If the Pope had imposed but one lye Dâ— H. More saith Myst. Redemp p. 495. l. 10. c. 2. There is scarce any Church in Christâ—ndome at this day that doth not obtrude not only falshood but such falsehoods that will appear to any free Spirit pure contradictiors and impossibilities and that with the same gravity authority and importunity that they do the holy Oracles of God Now the consequence of this must needs be sad For what knowing and conscientious man but will be driven off if he cannot assert the truth without open asserting of a gross lye Id. p. â—26 And as for Opinions though some may be better than other some yet none should exclude from the fullest enjoyment of either private or publick rights supposing there be no venome of the persecutive spirit mingled with them But every one that professeth the faith of Christ and believeth the Scriptures in the Historical sense c. to be subscribed or one sin to be done and said All Nations and persons that do not this are no Christians or shall have no communion with the Church the man that refuseth that imposed lye or sin is guiltless of the Schism and doth but obey God and save his soul And the Usurper that imposeth them will be found the heinous Schismatick before God and the cause of all those Divisions of the Church And so if any private Sectary shall feign an opinion or practice of his own to be necessary to salvation or Church communion and shall refuse communion with those that are not of his mind and way it is he and not they that is the cause of the uncharitable separation * See Hales of Schisme p. 8. § 84. Direct 7. Pray against the Usurpations or intrusions of intrusions of impious carnal ambitious Direct 7. covetous Pastors into the Churches of Christ. For one wicked man in the place of a Pastor may do more In Ecclesiâ—s plus certaminum gignunt verba hominum quam Dei magâ—sque pugnatur fere de Apolline Petro Paulo quam de Christo Retine divina Relinque humana Bucholcer to the increase of a Schism or faction than many private men can do And carnal men have carnal minds and carnal interests which are both unreconcileable to the spiritual holy mind and interest For the
place 2. And great haste allowed me not Time to transpose them If you say that in such a work I should take time I answer You are no competent judges unless you knew me and the rest of my work and the likelyhood that my time will be but short They that had rather take my Writings with such defects which are the effects of haste than have none of them may use them and the rest are free to despise them and neglect them Two or three Questions about the Scripture I would have put nearer the beginning if I could have time But seeing I cannot it 's easie for you to transpose them in the reading III. The resolution of these Cases so much avoideth all the extreams that I look they should be displeasing to all that vast number of Christians who involve themselves in the opinions and interests of their several sects as such and that hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with respect of persons But there will be still a certain number of truly Catholick impartial Readers whose favourable acceptance I confidently prognosticate and who being out of the dust and noise and passions of contending sides and parties and their interests will see a self-evidencing Light in those solutions which are put off here briefly without the pomp of formal argumentation or perswading Oratory The eternal Light reveal himself to us by Christ who is the Light of the World and by the Illumination of the spirit and word of Light that we may walk in the Light as the Children of Light till we come to the World of Glorious Everlasting Light And what other defect soever our knowledge have if any man hath knowledge enough to kindle in him the Love of God the same is known of Him and therefore is Beloved by Him and shall be Blessed with and in Him for ever 1 Cor. 8. 1 2 3. CASES OF CONSCIENCE ABOUT Matters Ecclesiastical Quest. 1. How to know which is the true Church among all pretenders that a Christians Conscience may be quiet in his Relation and Communion I HAVE written so much of this already in four Books viz. one called The Safe Religion another called A Key for Catholicks another called The Visibility of the Church another called A true Catholick and the Catholick Church described that I shall say now but a little and yet enough to an impartial considerate Reader The terms must first be opened 1. By a Church is meant a Society of Christians as such And it is sometimes taken Narrowly for the Body or Members as distinct from the Head as the word Kingdom is taken for the Subjects only as distinct from the King And sometimes more fully and properly for the whole Political Society as constituted of its Head and Body or the Pars Imperans pars Subdita 2. The word Church thus taken signifieth sometime the Universal Church called Catholick which consisteth of Christ and his Body Politick or Mystical And sometime some Part only of the Universal Church And so it is taken either for a subordinate Political Part or for a Community or a Part considered as Consociate but not Political or as many particular Political Churches Agreeing and holding Concord and Communion without any Comon Head save the Universal Head 3. Such Political Churches are either of Divine Constitution and Policy or only of Humane 2. By Christians I mean such as Profess the Essentials of the Christian Religion For we speak of the Church as Visible 3. By True may be meant either Reality of Essence opposite to that which is not really a 1 Cor. 11. 3. 1 Cor. 12 12. Eph. 1. 22 23. 1 Cor. 6 15. 1 Cor. 12. 27. Eph. 4. 4 5. Matth. 28. 19 20. Church in this univocal acception or else Sound and Orthodox in the Integrals as opposite to erroneous and defiled with much enormity And now I thus decide that question Prop. 1. The True Catholick Church consisteth of Christ the Heâ—d and all Christians as his Body or the Members As the Kingdom consisteth of the King and his Subjects Prop. 2. As all the sincere Heart-Covenanters make up the Church as regenerate and mystical or invisible so that all that are Christened that is Baptized and profess Consent to all the Essentials of the Baptismal Covenant not having Apostatized nor being by lawful Power Excommunicated are Christians and make up the Church as Visible Prop. 3. Therefore there is but One Universal Church because it containeth all Christians and so Ephes. 4 4 5. 1 Cor. 1â— 12. Mark 16 16. Rom 14. 1 6 7. 15. 1 3 4 leaveth out none to be the matter of another Prop. 4. It is not Ignorance or Error about the meer Integrals of Christianity which maketh them no Christians who hold the Essentials that is the Baptismal Covenant Prop. 5. That the Baptismal Covenant might be rightly understood and professed the Churches have still used the Creed as the explication of the Covenant in point of faith and taken it for 1 Cor. 15 1 2 c. the Symbol of the Christian Belief And no further profession of faith was or is to be required as Matth. 28. 19 20. necessary to the Being of Christianity Prop. 6. If proud Usurpers or Censurers take on them to excommunicate or unchristian or unchurch others without authority and cause this maketh them not to be no Christians or no Churches Rom. 14. 3 4. John that are so used Prop. 7. Therefore to know which is the true Catholick or Universal Church is but to know who Rom. 6 1 2 c. are Baptized-Professing-Christians Prop. 8. The Reformed Churches the Lutherans the Abassines the Copties the Syrians the Armenians Ephes. 4. 4. 5. the Jacobites the Georgians the Maronites the Greeks the Moscovites and the Romanists do all receive Baptism in all its visible Essentials and profess all the Essentials of the Christian Religion though not with the same Integrity Prop. 9. He that denyeth any one essential part in it self is so a Heretick as to be no Christian nor true member of the Church if it be justly proved or notorious that is none ought to take him Tit. 3. â—â— 3 John for a Visible Christian who know the proof of his denying that essential part of Christianity or to whom it is notorious Prop. 10. He that holdeth the Essentials primarily and with them holdeth some error which by James 3 â— Phi. 3. 15 16. Heb. 5. 1 2. unseen consequence subverteth some Essential point but holdeth the Essentials so much faster that he would forsake his error if he saw the inconsistence is a Christian notwithstanding And if the name Heretick be applicable to him it is but in such a sense as is consistent with Christianity Prop. 11. He that is judged a Heretick and no Christian justly by others must be lawfully T it 3. 10. Matth. 18. 15. cited and heard plead his Cause and be judged upon sufficient proof and not
unheard or upon rash presumption Prop. 12. Christianity and Heresie being personal qualities and no where found but in individuals Ezek. 18 17. Gen. 18 3 24 â—5 nor one man guilty of anothers error it followeth that it is single persons upon personal guilt that must be judged Prop. 13. Any man may judge another to be a Christian or Heretick by a private judgement of 1 Cor. â—0 1â— Acts 1. 19. 1 Cor. â— 3 4 5. 1 Cor. 11. 3. Mat. 5. 11 12. John 16. 2. discerning or the reason which guideth all humane actions But only Church Rulers may judge him by that publick Judgement which giveth or denyeth him his publick priviledges and Communion Prop. 14. If by notorious injustice Church Rulers condemn Christians as no Christians though they may thereby deny them communion with those publick Assemblies which they govern yet do they not oblige the people to take such injured persons for no Christians Else they might oblige all to believe a lye to consent to malicious injuries and might disoblige the people from Truth Righteousness and Charity Prop. 15. There is no one Natural or Collective Head and Governour of all the Churches in the 1 Cor. 12. 27 28 29. world the Universal Church but Jesus Christ And therefore there is none that by such Governing power can excommunicate any man out of the Universal Church And such Usurpation would Eph. 4. 5 6 7. 1 Cor. 1. 12 13 3. 22 23. be Treason against Christ whose Prerogative it is Prop. 16. Yet he that deserveth to be excommunicated from one Church deserveth to be Ephes. 5. 23. 4 15. excommunicated by and from all if it be upon a Cause common to all or that nullifieth his Christianity Col. 1. 18. 2. 19. Prop. 17. And where neighbour Churches are Consociate and live in Order and Concord he that 3 John is orderly excommunicate from one Church and it be notified to the rest should not be taken into the communion of any of the rest till he be cleared or become fit for their communion But Ephes. 5. 11. 1 Cor. 5. 1â— this obligation ariseth but from the Concord of Consociate Churches and not from the Power of one over the rest And it cannot reach all the world where the person cometh not nor was ever known but only to those who through neighbourhood are capable of just notice and of giving or denying communion to that person Prop. 18. From all this it is clear that it is not either Papists alone or Greeks alone or Protestants alone or any party of Christians who are the Universal Church seeing that Church containeth All 1 Cor. 1â— 12. John 13. 3â— 1 Cor. 13 1 2 c. Christians And that reviling others yea whole Nations as Hereticks Schismaticks and no Christians or Churches will no more prove the Revilers to be the only Church or Christians than Want of Love will prove a man to be one of Christs Disciples who by Love are known to all men to be his Prop. 19. It is therefore the shameful language of distracted men to cry out against other Christian Nations It is not you but we that are the Catholick or Universal Church And our shameful Controversie which of them is the Catholick is no wiser than to question Whether it be this house or that which is the Street Or this Street or that which is the City Or whether it be the 1 Cor. 12. 12. 1 Cor. 6. 17. 10. 17. Kitchin or the Hall or the Parlour which is the House Or the Hand or Foot or Eye which is the Man O when will God bring distracting Teachers to Repentance and distracted people to their wits Ephes. 4. 3 c. Prop. 20. There is great difference in the Purity or soundness of the several parts of the Universal Church some being more Orthodox and holy and some deâ—â—led with so many Errours and sins Gal. 4. 11 12. as to make it difficult to discern whether they do not deny the very essentials Prop. 21. The Reformed Churches are the soundest and purest that we know in the world and Rev. 3 8 9 10 11 12. 2 10 11. Act. 14 22. Tit. 1 5. Rom. 16. 4 16. 1 Cor. 7 17. 11. 16. 14. 3â— 34. 2 Thes. 1. 4. Rev. 2. 23. therefore their priviledge exceeding great though they are not all the Universal Church Prop. 22. Particular Churches consisting of Lawful Pastors and Christian people associated for personal Communion in Worship and holy living are societies or true Churches of Christâ— institution and the chief parts of the Universal Church As Cities and Corporations are of the Kingdom Prop. 23. There are thousands of these in the world and a man may be saved in one as well as in another Only the purest give him the best advantages for his salvation And therefore should be preferred by all that are wise and love their souls so far as they are free to choose their Communion Prop. 24. The case then being easily resolved which is the true Church viz. All Christians ☜ as Christians are the Catholick or Universal Church and All Congregations afore described of 1 Cor. 1. 13. Rom. 16. 17. Act. 20. 30. true Pastors and Christians being particular true Churches differing only in degrees of purity he is to be suspected as a designing deceiver and troubler of the world that pretending to be a Learned man and a Teacher doth still perplex the Consciences of the ignorant with this frivolous question and would muddy and obscure this clear state of the case lest the people should rest in the discerned truth Prop. 25. The Papal Church as such being no true Church of Christs institution of which by it self anon it followeth that a Papist as a Papist is no member of the Church of Christ that is Acts 2. 44. 1 Cor. 1. 10. 1 Thes. 5. 12 13. no Christian. But yet whether the same person may not be a Papist and a Christian and so a member of the Catholick Church we shall anon enquire Prop. 26. There are many things which go to make up the fitness and desireablness of that particular Heb. 10. 25. 1 Tim. 3. 7. 3 Joh. 12. Church which we should prefer or choose for our ordinary personal Communion As 1. That it be the Church of that place where we dwell If the place be so happy as to have no divided Churches that it be the sole Church there However that it be so neerâ—â— to be fit for our Communion 2. That it be a Church which holdeth Communion with other neighbour Churches and is not singular or divided from them Or at least not from the Generality of the Churches of Christ nor Act 16 32 34. Act 10. 2. 22. Act. 18. 8. Col. 4. 15. differeth in any great matters from those that are most pure 3. That it be under the Reputation of soundness with the other Churches aforesaid
Body of Christ not of the body of the Pope Let Christian and Catholick be all your titles as to your Religion Mark those that cause divisions and offences and avoid them Rom. 16. 17. § 31. Direct 11. To this end Overvalue not any private or singular opinions of your own or Direct 11. others For if once spiritual pride and ignorance of your own weakness hath made you espouse some particular opinion as peculiarly your own you will dote on the brats of your own brains and will think your conceits to be far more illuminating and necessary than indeed they are as if mens sincerity lay in the embracing of them and their salvation on the receiving of them And then you will make a party for your opinion and will think all that are against it deserve to be cast out as enemies to reformation or to the truth of God or to the Church And perhaps twenty years after experience may bring you to your wits and make you see either the falshood or the smalness of all those points which you made so great a matter of and then what comfort will you have in your persecutions § 32. Direct 12. Obey not the solicitations of selfish passionate disputers Bishops and Divines falling Direct 12. out among themselves and then drawing Princes to own their quarrels when they find their arguments will not serve hath been the distraction division and ruine of the Christian world And he that falleth in with one of the parties to bear out that by the ruines of the other is lost himself in their contentions Would Rulers let wrangling Bishops and Disputers alone and never lend them their Swords to end their differences unless the substance of Religion be endangered they would be weary of quarrelling and would chide themselves friends and no such tragical consequents would follow as do when the Sword interposeth to suppress the discountenanced party and to end their Syllogisms and wranglings in blood § 33. Direct 13. Take heed lest an uncharitable hurting spirit do prevail under the name of holy Direct 13. Zeal As it did with Iames and Iohn when they would have fire from Heaven to have revenged the contempt of their Ministry To whom Christ saith Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of Luke 9. 55. The difference between a Christian zeal and an envious contentious censorious hurtful zeal is excellently described by the Apostle Iames Chap. 3. throughout Where envying and strife is there is confusion and every evil work The wisdom from above is first pure then peaceable gentle easie to be intreated full of mercy and good works without partiality and hypocrisie § 34. Direct 14. The Catholick Church and Particular Churches and our Communion with each Direct 14. must be distinguished and a man must not be cast out of our Catholick Communion because by some tolerable difference he is uncapabable of Communion with some particular Church If a man be impenitent in any Heresie or sin which is contrary to the common nature of Christianity or Godliness and so unfit for Catholick Communion he is to be cast out of Christian Communion But if some particular Church do impose any unnecessary doctrine or practice and he dare not approve it or joyn in it be it right or wrong yea or if he withdraw himself from one Church through the badness of the Minister or through any falling out between them and joyn to another that hath a Minister more suitable to his case these are not crimes to be punished with ejection from Catholick Communion He that is not fit for Communion with some one particular Church may be fit for Communion with many others that give him no such occasion of difference or distaste Without Catholick principles persecution will not be avoided § 35. Direct 15. Let Church Union and Communion be laid upon none but Catholick terms which Direct 15. are possible and fit for all to be agreed in Common Reason will tell any impartial man that there See my Treatise of A True Catholick and Cath. Church can be no more effectual engine to divide the Churches and raise contentions and persecutions than to make Laws for church-Church-communion requiring such conditions as it is certain the members cannot consent to If any man knew that my opinion is against the doctrine of Transubstantiation or of the Dominicans Predetermination and he would make a Law that no man shall have Communion with that Church who subscribeth not to these he unavoidably excludeth me Unless I be such a Beast as to Believe nothing soundly and therefore to say any thing If ever the Churches agree and Christians be reconciled it must be by leaving out all dividing impositions and requiring nothing as necessary to Communion which all may not rationally be expected to consent in Now these Catholick principles of Communion must be such as these 1. Such points of faith only as constitute Christianity and which every upright Christian holdeth and therefore only such as are contained in our Baptismal Covenant or Profession which maketh us Christians And not those other which only some stronger Christians believe or understand Because the weak are not to be cast out of the family of Christ. 2. Such points as the Primitive Churches did agree in and not innovations which they never Sâ—e Viâ—cent Lâ—â—iaens practised or agreed in For they are our pattern and were better than we and no more can be necessary to our Concord and Communion than was to theirs 3. Such points as all the Church hath sometime or other at least agreed in For what reason can we have to think that the Churches should now agree in that which they never hitherto agreed in 4. Such points as all the true Christians in the world are now agreed in For otherwise we shall exclude some true Christians from our Christian Communion 5. No points of Worship much less of Modes and Circumstances which are not necessary and more necessary to the Churches good than is the Communion of all those persons who by dissenting are like to be separated or cast out and whose omission would not do more hurt than this separation and division is like to do 6. Especially no such things must be made necessary to communion as the most conscientious are ordinarily fearful of and averse to and may be forborn without any great detriment to godliness § 36. Object But it will be said that Catholick Communion indeed requireth no more than you say Object But particular Churches may require more of their members For that may be necessary or fit for a member of this particular Church which is not to at all Answ. Catholick Communion is that which all Christians and Churches have with one another and the terms of it are such as all Christians may agree in Catholick Communion is principally existent and exercised in particular Churches as there is no existent Christianity or faith which existeth not in individual Christians Therefore if one particular Church may so narrow the door of its Communion then
another and another and every one may do so if not by the same particular impositions yet by some other of the like nature For what power one Church hath herein others have And then Catholick Communion will be scarce found existent externally in the world but a meer Catholick Christian would be denyed Communion in every particular Church he cometh to And how do you hold Catholick Communion when you will admit no meer Catholick Christian as such to your Communion but only such as supererogate according to your private Church-terms 2. But grant that every Church may impose more upon its members it must be only that which is Necessary to those common things which all agree in And then the necessity will be discernable to all sober minded persons and will prevent divisions As it is Necessary that he that will communicate with our Churches do joyn with them in the same Translation of Scripture and Version of Psalms and under the same Pastor as the rest of the Church doth For here the Church cannot use variety of Pastors Translations Versions c. to fit the variety of mens humours There is an evident necessity that if they will be one Society they must agree in the same in each of these Therefore when the Church hath United in one if any man refuse that one person or way which the Church is necessarily United in he refuseth communion with that Church and the Church doth not excommunicate him But if that Church agree on things hurtful or unnecessary as necessary to its communion it must bear the blame of the separations it self 3. And grant yet that some Churches cannot admit such scrupulous persons to her communion as dare not joyn in every punctillio circumstance or mode It doth not follow that those persons must therefore be excommunicated or forbidden to worship God among themselves without that which they scruple or to joyn in or with a Congregation which imposeth no such things upon them Persecution will unavoidably come in upon such domineering narrow terms as those The man is a Christian still though he scruple one of our modes or ceremonies and is capable of Catholick Communion And if private and little inconveniencies shall be thought a sufficient cause to forbid all such the publick worshipping of God on pretence that in one Nation there must not be variety of modes this is a dividing principle and not Catholick and plungeth men into the guilt of persecution It was not so in the Churches of the Roman Empire In the dayes of Basil his Church and that at Neocaesarea differed and ordinarily several Bishops used several forms of prayer and worship in their several Churches without offence And further § 37. Direct 16. Different faults must have different penalties And excommunication or forbidding Direct 16. men all publick worship of God must not be the penalty of every dissent Is there no smaller penalty sufficient if a doubtful subscription or ceremony be scrupled than to silence Ministers therefore from preaching the Gospel or excommunicating men and forbidding them to worship God at all except they can do this This is the highest ecclesiastical penalty that can be laid on men for the greatest heresie or crime Doubtless there are lesser punishments that may suffice for lesser faults § 38. Direct 17. Every friend of Christ and the Church must choose such penalties for Ministers and Direct 17. private Christians who offend as are least to the hinderance of the Gospel or hurtful to the peoples souls Therefore silencing Ministers is not a fit penalty for every fault which they commit The providence of God as I said before hath furnished the world with so few that are fit for that high and sacred work that no man can pretend that they are supernumeraries or unnecessary and that others may be substituted to the Churches profit For the number is so small that all are much too few and so many as are silenced so many Churches either the same or others must be unsupplyed or ill-supplyed And God working ordinarily by means we may conclude that silencing of such Preachers doth as plainly tend to mens damnation as the prohibiting of Physicions doth to their death and more And it is not the part of a friend either of God or men to endeavour the damnation of one soul much less of multitudes because a Minister hath displeased him If one man must pay for another mans sins let it be a pecuniary mulct or the loss of a member rather than the loss of his soul. It is more merciful every time a Minister offendeth to cut off a hand or an arm of some of his flock than to say to him Teach them no more the way to salvation that so they may be damned If a Father offend and his children must needs pay for â—ll his faults it is better beat the children or maim them than forbid him to feed them when there is none else to do it and so to famish them What Reason is there that mens souls should be untaught because a Minister hath offended I know still those men that care not for their own souls and therefore care as little for others will say What if the People have but a Reader or a weak ignorant lifeless Preacher Doth it follow that therefore the people must be damned I answer no No more than it followeth that the City that hath none but Women Physicions must dye of their sicknesses or that they that live only upon Grass or Roots must famish Nature may do more to overcome a disease without a Physicion in one than in another Some perhaps are converted already and have the Law written in their hearts and are taught of God and can make shift to live without a Teacher But for the rest whose diseases need a skilful diligent Physicion whose ignorance and impenitence extreamly needeth a skilful diligent lively Teacher he that depriveth them of such doth take the probable course to damn them And it is the same course which the Devil himself would take and he partly knoweth what tendeth to mens damnation He that knoweth what a case the Heathen Infidel Mahometan world is in for want of Teachers and what a case the Greek Church the Moscovites the Abbassines Syrians Armenians Papists and most of the Christians of the world are in for want of able skilful godly Pastors will lay his hand on his mouth and meddle with such reasonings as these no more Object But by this devise you will have the Clergie lawless or as the Papists exempt them from the Magistrates punishments for fear of depriving the people of instruction Answ. No such matter It is the contrary that I am advising I would have them punished more severely than other men as their sins are more aggravated than other mens Yea and I would have them silenced when it is meet and that
Vows The use the obligation VVhether any things be indifferent and such may be Vowed As Marrying c. May we Vow things Indifferent in themselves though not in their circumstances In what Cases we may not Vow VVhat if Rulers command it VVhat if I doubt whether the Matter imposed be lawful Of Vowing with a doubting Conscience Tit. 2. Directions against Perjury and Perfidiousness and for keeping Vows and Oaths The heinousness of Perjury Thirty six Rules about the obligation of a Vow to shew when and how far it is obligatory useful in an age stigmatized with open Perjury Mostly out of Dr. Sanderson VVhat is the Nullity of an Oath Cases in which Vows must not be kept p. 700 How far Rulers may Nullifie a Vow Numb 30. opened Of the Accidental Evil of a Vow Of Scandal Q. Doth an error de persona caused by that person disoblige me ibid. CHAP. VI. Directions to the people concerning their Internal and private duty to their Pastors and their profiting by the Ministerial Office and Gifts p. 714 The Ministerial Office opened in fifteen particulars The Reasons of it The true old Episcopacy Special duties to your own Pastors above others Of the Calling Power and Succession of Pastors The best to be preferred The Order of Minirial Teaching and the Resolution of faith How far Humane faith conduceth to Divine Of Tradition VVhat use to make of your Pastors to p. 724 CHAP. VII Directions for the discovery of Truth among Contenders and how to escape Heresie and deceit Cautions for avoiding deceit in Disputations p. 725 CHAP. VIII Directions for the Union and Communion of Saints and for avoiding unpeaceableness and Schism p. 731 VVherein our Unity consisteth VVhat diversity will be in the Churches VVhat Schism is VVhat Heresie VVhat Apostasie VVho are Schismaticks The degrees and progress of it VVhat Separation is a duty Q. Is any one form of Church Government of Divine appointment May man make new Church Officers The Benefits of Christian Concord to themselves and to Insidels The mischiefs of Schism VVhether Papists or Protestants are Schismaticks The aggravations of Division Two hinderances of our true apprehension of the evil of Schism Direrections against it Of imposing defective Liturgies The Testimonies of antiquity against the bloody and Cruel way of Curing Schism Their Character of Ithacian Prelates CHAP. IX Twenty Directions how to worship God in the Church Assemblies p. 755 CHAP. X. Directions about our Communion with holy souls departed now with Christ. p. 758 CHAP. XI Directions about our Communion with the holy Angels p. 763 The Contents of the Ecclesiastical Cases of Conscience added to the Third Part. Q. 1. HOw to know which is the true Church among all pretenders that a Christians Conscience may be quiet in his Relation and communion p. 771 Q. 2. Whether we must esteem the Church of Rome a true Church And in what sence some Protestant Divines affirm it and some deny it p. 774 Q. 3. Whether we must take the Romish Clergie for a true Ministry p. 775 Q. 4. Whether it be necessary to believe that the Pope is the Antichrist p. 777 Q. 5. Whether we must hold that a Papist may be saved p. 778 Q. 6. Whether those that are in the Church of Rome are bound to separate from it And whether it be lawful to go to their Mass or other worship p. 779 Q. 7. Whether the true calling of the Minister by Ordination or Election be necessary to the essence of the Church ibid Q. 8. Whether sincere faith and Godliness be necessary to the being of the Ministry And whether it be lawful to hear a wicked man or take the Sacrament from him or take him for a Minister p. 780 Q. 9. Whether the people are bound to receive or consent to an ungodly intolerable heretical Pastor yea or one far less fit and worthy than a competitor if the Magistrate command it or the Bishop impose him p. 781 Q. 10. What if the Magistrate command the people to receive one Pastor and the Bishop or Ordainers another which of them must be obeyed p. 787 Q. 11. Whether an uninterrupted succession either of right Ordination or of conveyance by jurisdiction be necessary to the being of the Ministry or of a true Church p. 787 Q. 12. Whether there be or ever was such a thing in the world as one Catholick Church constituted by any head besides or under Christ p. 789 Q 13. Whether there be such a thing as a visible Catholick Church and what it is ibid. Q. 14. What is it that maketh a visible member of the universal Church and who are to be accounted such p. 790 Q. 15. Whether besides the profession of Christianity either testimony or evidence of conversion or practical Godliness be necessary to prove a man a member of the Universal visible Church ibid. Q. 16. What is necessary to a mans reception into membership in a particular Church over and above this foresaid title Whether any other tryals or Covenant or What p. 791 Q. 17. Wherein doth the Ministerial office Essentially consist p. 792 Q. 18. Whether the peoples choice or consent is necessary to the office â—f a Minister in his first work as he is to convert Insidels and Baptize them And whether this be a work of office and what call is necessary to it p. 793 Q. 19. Wherein consisteth the power and nature of Ordination and To whom doth it belong and Is it an act of jurisdiction and Is imposition of hands necessary in it p 794 Q. 20. Is ordination necessary to make a man a Pastor of a particular Church as such and Is he to be made a General Minister and a particular Church-Elder or Pastor at once and at one Ordination p. 795 Q. 21. May a man be oft or twice ordained p. 796 Q. 22. How many ordainers are necessary to the validity of Ordination by Christs Institution Whether one or more p. 798 Q. 23. What if one Bishop Ordain a Minister and three or many or all the rest protest against it and declare him no Minister or degrade him is he to be received as a true Minister or not ibid. Q. 24. Hath a Bishop power by divine right to ordain degrade or govern excommunicate or absolve in another Diocess or Church either by his consent or against it And doth a Minister that officiateth in anothers Church act as a Pastor and their Pastor or as a private man And doth his Ministerial office cease when a man removeth from his flock p. 799 Q. 25. Whether Canons Be Laws and Pastors have a Legislative power p. 800 Q. 26. Whether Church-canons or Pastors directive determinations of matters pertinent to their Office do bind the Conscience and what accidents will disoblige the people you may gather before in the same case about Magistrates Laws in the Political Directions As also by an impartial transferring the case to the precepts of Parents and School-masters to Children without respect to
hold it with any that will drive us from it unless we will commit some sin Statedly we must hold it with the Church which regularly we are joyned to and live with and Occasionally we must hold it with all others where we have a call and opportunity who in the substance worship God according to his Word and force us not to sin in conformity to them It is not Schism to lament the sins of any Church or of all the Churches in the world The Catholick Church on earth consists of sinners It is not Schism to refuse to be partaker in any sin of the purest Church in the world Obedience to God is not Schism It is not Schism that you joyn not Bodily with those Congregations where you dwell not nor have any particular call to joyn with them Nor that you choose the pureâ—â— and most edifying Society rather than one that is less pure and profitable to you â—aeteris paribus supposing you are at liberty nor that you hold not Bodily Communion with that Church that will not suffer you to do it without sinning against God Nor that you joyn not with the purest Church when you are called to abide with one less pure But it is worse than Schism to separate from the Universal Church To separate from its Faith iâ— Apostasie to infidelity To separate from it in some one or few essential Articles while you pretend to hold to Christ the Head is Heresie To separate from it in Spirit by refusing Holiness and not loveing such as are truly holy is damning ungodliness or wickedness To differ from it by any error of judgement or life against the Law of God is sin To magnifie any one Church or party so as to deny due Love and Communion to the rest is Schism To limit all the Church to your Party and deny all or any of the rest to be Christians and parts of the Universal Church is Schism by a dangerous breach of Charity And this is the principal Schism that I here admonish you to avoid It is Schism also to condemn unjustly any particular Church as no Church And it is Schism to withdraw your Bodily Communion from a Church that you were bound to hold that Communion with upon a false supposâ—tion that it is no Church or is not lawfully to be communicated with And it is Schism to make Divisions or parties in a Church though you divide not from that Church Thus I have briefly told you what is Schism § 4. 1. One pretence for Schism is Usurped Authority which some one Church may claim tâ— Command others that owe them no subjection Thus Pride which is the Spirit of Hell having crepâ— into the Church of Christ and animated Usurpations of Lordship and Dominion and contending for superiority hath caused the most dangerous Schisms in the Church that ever it was infested with The Bishop of Rome advantaged by the Seat and Constitution of that Empire having claimed the Government of all the Christian world condemneth all the Churches that will not be his subjects And â—o hath made himself the Head of a Sect and of the most pernicious Schism that ever did rend the Church of Christ And the Bishop of Constantinople and too many more have followed the same Method in a lower degree exalting themselves above their Brethren and giving them Laws and then condemning and persecuting them that obey them not And when they have imposed upon other Churches their own usurped Authority and Laws they have laid the plot to call all men Schismaticks and Sectaries that own not their tyrannical Usurpation and that will not be Schismaticks and Sectaries with them And the cheat lyeth in this that they confound the Churches Unity with their pretended Authority and Schism with the refusal of subjection to them If you will not take them for your Lords they cry out that you divide from the Church As if we could hold Communion with no Churches but those whose Bishops we obey Communion with other Churches is maintained by Faith and Charity and Agreement in things necessary without subjection to them As we may hold all just Communion with the Churches in Armenia Arabia Russia without subjection to their Bishops so may we with any other Church besides that of which we are members Division or Schism is contrary to Unity and Concord and not to a Usurped Government Though disobedience to the Pastâ—rs which God hath set over us is a sin and dividing from them is a Schism Both the Pope and all the lower Usurpers should do well first to shew their Commission from God to be our Rulers before they call it Schism to refuse their Government If they had not made better advantage of Fire and Sword than of Scripture and Argument the world would but have laughed them to scorn when they had heard them say All are Schismaticks that will not be our Subjects Our Dominion and will shall be necessary to the Unity of the Church The Universal Church indeed is One united under One Head and Governour but it is only Jesus Christ that is that Head and not any Usurping Vicar or Vice-Christ The Bishops of particular Churches are his Officers but he hath Deputed no Vicar to his own Office as the Universal Head Above all Sects take heed of this pernicious Sect who pretend their Usurped Authority for their Schism and have no way to promote their Sect but by calling all Sectaries that will not be Sectaries and Subjects unto them § 5. 2. Another pretence for Schism is the Numbers of the Party This is another of the Papists motives As if it were lawful to Divide the Church of Christ if they can but get the greater party They say We are the most and therefore you should yield to us And so do others where by the Sword they force the most to submit to them But we answer them As many as they are they are too few to be the Universal Church The Universal Church containing all true professing Christians is much more than they The Papists are not a third part if a fourth of the whole Church Papists are a corrupted Sect of Christians I will be against Dividing the Body of Christ into any Sects rather than to be one of that Sect or divided party which is the greatest § 6. 3. Another pretence for Schism is the soundness or Orthodoxness of a Party Almost all Sects pretend that they are wiser and of sounder judgement than all the Christian World besides yea those that most palpably contradict the Scriptures as the Papists in their half-communion and unintelligible service and have no better reason why they will so Believe or Do but because others have so Believed and Done already But 1. The greatest pretenders to Orthodoxness are not the most Orthodox 2. And if they were I can value them for that in which they excell without abating my due respect to the rest of the Church 3. For the whole Church is Orthodox in
mind If you cast them not out with abhorrence but dispute with the Devil he hopes to prove too hard at least for such children and unprovided Souldiers as you And if you do reject them and refuse to dispute it with him he will sometime tell you that your cause is naught or else you need not be afraid to think of all that can be said against it and this way he gets advantage of you to draw you to unbelief And if you scape better than so at least he will molest and terrifie you with the hideousness of his temptations and make you to think that you are forsaken of God because such blasphemous thoughts have been so often in your minds And thus he will one while tempt you to blasphemy and another while affright and torment you with the thoughts of such temptations § 4. So also in the study of other good Books he will tempt you to fix upon all that seems difficult to you and there to confound and perplex your selves And in your Meditations he will seek to make all to tend but to confound and overwhelm you keeping still either hard or fearful things before your eyes or breaking and scattering your thoughts in pieces that you cannot reduce them to any order nor set them together nor make any thing of them nor drive them to any desirable end So in your prayers he would fain confound you either with fears or with doubtful and distracting thoughts about God or your sins or the matter or manner of your duty or questioning whether your prayers will be heard And so in your self-examination he will still seek to puzzle you and leave you more in darkness than you began and make you afraid of looking homeward or conversing with your selves like a man that is afraid to lye in his own house when he thinks it haunted with some apparitions And thus the Devil would make all your Religion to be but like the unwinding of a bottom of Yarn or a Skein of Silk that is ravelled that you may cast it away in weaâ—iness or despair § 5. Your Remedy against this dangerous temptation is to remember that you are yet young in knowledge and that Ignorance is like darkness that will cause doubts and difficulties and fears and that all these will vanish as your Light increaseth and therefore you must wait in patience till your â—â—pâ—r knowledge â—it you for satisfaction And in the mean time be sure that you take up your hearts most with the great fundamental necessary plain and certain points which your salvation is laid upon and which are more suited to your state and strength If you will be gnawing bones when you should be sucking milk and have not patience to stay till you are past your childhood no maâ—vâ—l if you find them hard and if they stick in your throats or break your teeth See that you live upon God in Christ and love and practise what you know and think of the excellency of so much as is already revealed to you You know already what is the end that you must seek and where your Happiness consisteth and what Christ hath done to prepare it for you and how you must be justified and sanctified and walk with God Have you God and Christ and Heaven to think on and all the mercies of the Gospel to delight in and will you lay by these as common matters or overlook them and pâ—rplâ—x your selves about every difficulty in your way Make clean work before you as you go and live in the joyful acknowledgement of the Mercies which you have received and â—f the practice of the things you know and then your difficulties will vanish as you go on § 6. 2. Another of Satans wiles is to confound you with the noise of Sectaâ—ies and divers opinions 2 By various Sâ—cts in Religion while the Popish Sect tell you that if you will be saved you must be of their Church and others say you must be of theirs And when you find that the Sects are many and their reasonings such as you cannot answer you will be in danger either to take up some of their Sed peâ—â—â—â—â—â—a nos opinionum varâ—eâ—as hominuâ— que dissâ—nsioâ— Et quia non idem contingit in 〈◊〉 â—os natura certos putamus Illa sic aliis secus nec iisdem sâ—mper uno modo videntur ficta esse câ—â—â—â—aâ—s Qâ—od est lâ—â—ge alâ—â—er Animis omnes tenduntur inâ—â—dâ—ae c. Ciâ—â—â—â—o 〈…〉 b. li. 1. pag. 291. 〈◊〉 cat deceits or to be confoundâ—d among them all not knowing which Church and Religion to choose § 7. But here consider that there is but One Universal Church of Christians in the world of which Christ is the Only King and Head and every Christian is a member You were Sacramentally admitted into this Catholick Church by Baptism and Spiritually by your being born of the Spirit You have all the promises of the Gospel that if you Believe in Christ you shall be saved and that all the living members of this Church are loved by Christ as members of his body and shall be presented unspotted to the Father by him who is the Saviour of his body Eph. 5. 23 24 25 26 27 29. And that by One Spirit we are all baptized or entered into this one body 1 Cor. 12. 12 13. If then thou hast faith and love and the Spirit thou art certainly a Christian and a member of Christ and of this Universal Church of Christians And if there were any other Church but what are the Parts of this one then this were not Universal and Christ must have two bodies Thou art not saved for being a member of the Church of Rome or Corinth or Ephesus or Philippi or Thâ—ssalonica or of any other such but for being a member of the Universal Church or body of Christ that is a Christian. And as thou art a subject of the King and a member of this Kingdom whatever Corporation thou be a member of perhaps sometime of one and sometime of another so thou art a subject of Christ what ever particular Church thou be of For it is no Church iâ— they be not Christians or subjects of Christ. For one Sect then to say Ours is the true Church and another to say Nay but ours is the true Church is as mad as to dispute whether your Hall or Kitchin or Parlor or Cole-house is your House and for one to say This is the House and another Nay but it is that when a child can tell them that the best is but a part and the house containeth them all And for the Papists that take on them to be the whole and deny all others to be Christians and saved except the subjects of the Pope of Rome it is so irrational Antichristian a fiction and usurpation and odious cruell and groundless a damnation of the far greatest part of the body of Christ that its fitter for detestation than dispute And if such a crack
would frighten the world out of their wits no doubt but other Bishops also would make use of it and say All are damned that will not be subject to us But if you would see the folly and mischief of Popery both in this and other points I refer you to my Treatise of the Catholick Church and my Key for Catholicks and my Safe Religion and my Disput at against Johnson and my Winding-sheet for Popery § 8. 3. Another temptation to confound you in your Religion is by filling your heads with practical 3 By Sâ—rupuloâ—iâ—y scrupulosity so that you cannot go on for doubting every step whether you go right and when you should cheerfully serve your Master you will do nothing but disquiet your minds with scruples whether this or that be right or wrong Your remedy here is not by caâ—â—ing away all care of pleasing God or fear of sinning or by debauching conscience but by a cheerful and quiet obedience to God so far as you know his will and an upright willingness and endeavour to understand it better and a thankful receiving the Gospel-pardon for your failings and infirmities Be faithful in your obedience but live still upon Christ and think not of reaching to any such obedience as shall set you above the need of his merits and a daily pardon of your sins Do the best you can to know the will of God and do it But when you know the Essentials of Religion and obey sincerely let no remaining wants deprive you of the comfort of that so great a Mercy as proves your â—â—ght to life â—â—â—â—nal In your sâ—â—king further for more knowledge and obedience let your care be such as tendeth to your profitting and furthering you to your end and as doth not hinder your joy and thanks for what you have received But that which destroyeth your joy and thankfulness and doth but perplex you and not further you in your way is but hurtful scrupulosity and to be laid by When you are right in the main thank God for that and be further solicitous so far as to help you on but not to hinder you It you send your servant on your message you had rather he went on his way as well as he can than stand scrupling every step whether he should set the right or left foot forward and whether he should step so far or so far at a time c. Hindering scruples please not God § 9. 4. Another way to confound you in your Religion is by setting you upon overdoing by inventions of your own when a poor soul is most desirous to please God the Devil will be Religious and set him upon some such taâ—k of Voluntary humility or Will-worship as the Apostle speaks of Col. 2. 18 20 21 22 23. or sâ—t him upon some ensnaring unnecessary Vows or Resolutions or some Popâ—sh works of conâ—â—ited supâ—rerogation which is that which Solomon calleth being righte us overmuch Eccles. 7. 16. Thus many have made duties to themselves which God never made for them and taken that for sin which God never forbad them The Popish Religion is very much made up of such Commandments of their own and Traditions of men As if Christ had not made us work enough men are forward to make much more for themselves And some that should teach them the Laws of Christ do think that their Office is in vain unless they may also prescribe them Laws of their own and give them new Precepts of Religion Yea some that are the bitterest enemies to the strict observance of the Laws of God as if it were a tedious needless thing must yet needs load us with abundance of unnecessary Precepts of their own And thus Religion is mad both wear some and uncertain and a door set open for men to enlarge it and increase the burden at their pleasure Indeed Popeâ—y is fitted to delude and quiet sleepy consciences and to torment with uncertainties the consciences that are awaked And there is something in the corrupted nature of man that inclineth him to some additions and voluntary service of his Own inventions as an offering most acceptable unto God Hence it is that many poor Christians do rashly intangle their consciences with Vows of circumstances and things unnecessary as to give so much to observe such dayes or hours in fasting and prayer not to do such or such a thing that in it self is lawful with abundance of such things which perhaps some change of providence may make accidentally their duty afterwards to do or disable them to perform their Vows And then these snares are â—â—â—â—tâ—rs on their pâ—rplâ—xâ—d consciences perhaps as long as they live Yea some of the Autonomians teach the people that things Indifferent are the fittest matter of a Vow as to live single to pâ—ssâ—ss nothing to live in solitude and the like Indeed all things lawful when they are vowed must be performed But it is unfit to be Vowed if it be not first profitable and best for our selves or others and that which is best is not indifferent it being every mans duty to choose what is best Vows are to bind us to the performance of that which God had bound us to by his Laws before They are our expression of consent and resolution by a self-obligation to obey his will And not to make new duties or Religion to our selves which eâ—se would never have been our duty § 10. To escape these snares it is necessary that you take hâ—ed of corrupting your Religion by burdens and mixtures of your own devising You are called to Obey Gods Laws and not to make Laws for your selves You may be sure that his Laws are just and good but yours may be bad and foolish When you obey him you may expect your reward and encouragement from him but when you will obey your selves you must reward your selves You may find it enough for you to keep his Laws without devising more work for your selves or feigning duties which he commanded not or sins which he forbad not Be not rash in making Vows Let them reach but unto necessary duties And let them have their due exceptions when they are about alterable things Or if you are entangled by them already consult with the most judicious able impartial men that you may come clearly â—ff without a wound There is a great deal of judgement and sincerity necessary in your Counsellors and a great deal of submission and self-denyal in your selves to bring you safely out of such a snare Avoid sin what ever you do for sinning is not the way to your deliverance And for the time to come be wiser and lay no more snares for your selves and clog not your selves with your own inventions but cheerfully obey what God commandeth you who hath Wisdom and Authority sufficient to make you perfect Laws Christs yoke is easie and his burden light Matth. 11. 30. and his Commandments are not grievous 1 John 5. 3. But if your mixtures and self-devised
another and Tempt 25. that of two evils you must choose the lâ—ss as if there were no other way Thus James and John did by sinful unchâ—ritable zeal desire to punish sin Luke 9. 54. Peter would sinfully fight against the sinful Iews Mat. 26. 52. Thus he bids men lie to avoid some dishonour to God and Religion and persecute to preserve the unity of the Church and keep out sin and commit a lesser sin themselves to escape a greater § 74. Direct 25. This is to abuse God as if he had made that necessary which he forbids and Direct 25. had not provided you lawful means enough to use against every sin This is willfully to do that which you pretend you are unwilling to do even to sin Of two evils avoid both but be sure you consent to neither § 75. Tempt 26. He pleadeth Christian Liberty to entise to sin especially to sensuality Hath Tempt 26. not Christ purchased you Liberty to use the Creatures all things are yours No men but the godly have just title to them § 76. Direct 26. He never purchased us Liberty to abuse the Creature as poyson to hurt our Direct 26. selves to hinder Mortification and strengthen our enemy and our snare and to steal away our hearts from God It 's a Liberty from sin and not a Liberty to sin that Christ hath purchased us § 77. Tempt 27. He pleadeth the Necessity of Wife Children Estate Life c. Necessity makes Tempt 27. it Lawful § 78. Direct 27. There is no Necessity of sinning He cannot be Christs Disciple that thinks it Direct 27. more necessary to save his life or provide for Wife and Children than to obey his Lord Luke 14. 26 33. God must be Trusted with these § 79. Tempt 28. But saith the Tempter it 's Natural to Lust to love Honour Ease Pleasure c. Tempt 28. Therefore it 's no sin § 80. Direct 28. Nature is corrupted and sinful And it 's Natural to you to be Rational and to Direct 28. rule your sense and appetite by Reason and not to do what lust or appetite desireth Else man is but a beast § 81. Tempt 29. But saith the Tempter Authority commandeth it It is your Parents or Masters Tempt 29. will and you must obey § 82. Direct 29. There is no power but from God Therefore none against him or above him Direct 29. They must be obeyed in all things lawful but not in sin They cannot save you nor themselves from the wrath of God § 83. Tempt 30. But saith the Tempter you have promised or vowed that you will do it and are not Tempt 30. at liberty § 84. Direct 30. The vow of a lawful thing must be kept but if you vow to sin it 's another Direct 30. sin to perform it and to wrong God or man because you have vowed to wrong him § 85. Tempt 31. But saith the Tempter it is a controversie and many learned and good men Tempt 31. think it is no sin § 86. Direct 31. You have the more reason to be fearful and cautelous when you see that the Direct 31. case is so obsure and the snare so subtile and are sure that many learned and good men on one side or other are deceived before you Remember God is your King and Judge who will not take it for an excuse for sin that learned or good men did it or defended it Consult not with flesh and blood but with God § 87. Tempt 32. But saith the Tempter will you be singular and be pâ—inted or hooted at by all Tempt 32. § 88. Direct 32. In doctrine I will not be singular from the Holy Catholick Church of God Direct 32. In worship I will not in singularity or schisme seperate from the Communion of Saints But in doctrine I will be singular from Infidels and Hereticks and in a holy life I will be singular from the ungodly and prophane and sensual lest if I do as they to avoid their scorns I speed as they § 89. Tempt 33. But you are weak and you cannot help it till God will give you grace to Tempt 33. do it § 90. Direct 33. Therefore I must not be willful and negligent and rash and do that evil Direct 33. which I may forbear nor resist and refuse that Grace and help and mercy without which I can do nothing § 91. Tempt 34. But you repent and ask God forgiveness through Christ every night for the sins Tempt 34. of the day § 92. Direct 34. Repenting is a sorrowful turning of the heart from sin to God You Repent Direct 34. not if you turn not To mock God with such Hypocritical praying and repenting is it self a 〈…〉 us siâ— Will you take it for Repenting if a man that spits in your face and beateth you shall dâ— it every day and ask you forgiveness at night and purpose to do it still because he ask'd forgâ—vâ—nâ—◠§ 93. Tempt 35. Bâ—t every man sâ—nneth daily You do but as the best men in the world do 〈◊〉 â—5 § 94. Direct 35. No true Christian that is Justified hath any sin but what he hateth more than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—th â—â—â—â—d would â—â—in be rid of and striveth against in the use of holy means He hath no beâ—â—â—â—d 〈◊〉 which he would not part with but had â—ather keep than leave § 95. Tempt 36. But thâ—se that seem strict and godly are hypocrites and sâ—â—râ—tly as bad as you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 § 96. â—â—â—â—ct 36 This is just like the Devil the accuser of those that are sanctified and justified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Christ the father of malice and liâ—s to charge that on them which he confâ—sseth is seâ—râ—t and he cannot prove So he said of Iob that iâ— he were touched in his â—state or body he would forsake his godliness but he was found a lyar But be it how it will I am sure I must be 〈◊〉 14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hâ—â—y â—â— I shall not see God and if I live after the flesh I shall die and other mens misery will be no â—asâ— tâ— me § 97. Tempt 37. But saith the Tempter if you will not sin come but near it and do that which â—â—mpt â—7 iâ— laâ—â—ul § 98. Direct 37. Indeed we must not run into a contrary extream under pretence of flying far 〈◊〉 â—7 â—nougâ— from sin But if you keep out of other sin you cannot go too far from any To be near sin is to be near Gods wrath and near that which tendeth to Hâ—ll fire And to come near it is the câ—mmon way of coming to it He that could wish he might do it is infected at the heart allrâ—â—dy Kâ—ep a tender conscience and a constant sense of the danger of sinning § 99. Tempt 38. It 's a great snare when sin is got into credit 1. By putting fair names upon Tempt â—8 it â—alling â—uxuâ—y and Gluâ—tony
never the better Tempt 8. for it § 16. Direct 8. Satan will do what he can to make it go worse with you after than before He Direct 8. will discourage you if he can by hindering your success that he may make you think it is to no purpose so many Preachers because they have fished long and catcht nothing grow cold and heartless and ready to sit down and say as Jer. 20. 9. I will not make mention of him nor speak any more in his name So in Prayer Sacrament Reproof c. the Devil makes great use of this What good hath it done thee But patience and perseverance win the Crown The beginning is seldom a time to perceive success The Carpenter is long at work before he rear a house Nature brings not forth the Plant or birth the first day Your life-time is your working time Do your part and God will not fail on his part It is his part to give success and dare you accuse him or suspect him There is more of the success of prayer to be believed than to be felt If God have promised to hear he doth hear and we must believe it whether we feel it or not Prayers are oft heard long before the thing is sent us that we prayed for We pray for Heaven but shall not be there till death If Moses his message to Pharaoh ten times seem lost it is not lost for all that What work would ever have been done iâ— on the first conceit of unsuccessfulness it had been given off Be glad that thou hast time to plow and sow to do thy part and if God will give thee fruit at last § 17. Tempt 9. But saith the Tempter it gâ—eth worse with thee in the world since thou settest thy Tempt 9. sâ—â—f to read and pray and live obediently Thou hast been poorer and sicker and more despised since than ever before Jer. 20. 8. Thou art a derision daily every one mocketh thee This thou gettest by it § 18. Direct 9. He began not well that counted not that it might cost him more than this to be Direct 9. a holy Christian If God in Heaven be not enough to be thy portion never serve him but find something better if thou canst He that cannot lose the world cannot use it as he ought If thou hadâ—t rather be at the Devils finding and usage than at Gods thou art worthy to speed accordingly Nay if thou think thy soul it self worse remember that we are not worst when we are troubled most Physick makes sick when it works aright § 19. Tempt 10. Satan filleth many with abundance of scruples about every duty that they come Tempt 10. tâ— it as sick persons to their meat with a pievish quarrelling disposition This aileth and that aileth it something is still amiss that they cannot get it down This fault the Minister hath in praying or preaching or the other circumstance is amiss or the other fault is in the company that joyn with them and all is to turn them off from all § 20. Direct 10. But do you mend the matter by casting off all or by running into greater inconveniences Direct 10. Is not their imperfect prayer and communion better than your idle neglect of all or unwarrantable division It is a sign of an upright heart to be most about heart-observation and quarrelsome with themselves and the mark of hypocrites to be most quarrelsome against the manner of other mens performances and to be easily driven by any pretences from the Worship of God and communion of Saints § 21. Tempt 11. The Devil will set one duty against another Reading against hearing praying Tempt 11. against preaching private against publick outward and inward worship against each other mercy and justice piety and charity against each other and still labour to eject the greater § 22. Direct 11. The work of God is an harmonious and well composed frame If you leave out a Direct 11. part you spoil the whole and disadvantage your selves in all the rest Place them aright and each part helpeth and not hindâ—reth another Plead one for another but cast by none § 23. Tempt 12. The commonest and sorest temptation is by taking away our appetite to holy duties Tempt 12. by abating our feeling of our own necessity when the soul is sleepy and feeleth no need of prayer or reading or hearing or meditating but thinks it self tolerably well without it or else grows sick and is against it and troubled to use it so that every duty is like eating to a sick stomach then it is easie to tempt it to neglect or omit many a duty A little thing will serve to put it by when men feel no need of it § 24. Direct 12. O keep up a lively sense of your necessities Remember still that Time is Direct 12. short and death is near and you are too unready Keep acquaintance with your hearts and lives and every day will tell you of your necessities which are greatest when they are least perceived § 25. Tempt 13. The Tempter gets much by ascribing the success of holy means to our own endeavour Tempt 13. or to chance or something else and making us overlook that present benefit which would greatly encourage us As when we are delivered from sickness or danger upon prayer he tells you so you might have been delivered if you had never prayed Was it not by the Physicians â—are and skill and by such an excellent medicine If you prosper in any business was it not by your own contrivance and diligence § 26. Direct 13. This separating God and means when God worketh by means is the folly of Direct 13. Atheists When God heareth thy prayer in sickness or other danger he sheweth it by directing the Physicion or thy self to the fittest means and blessing that means and he is as really the cause and prayer the first means as if he wrought thy deliverance by a Miracle Do not many use the same Physicion and Medicine and labour and diligence who yet miscarry Just observation of the answers of prayer might do much to cure this All our industry may say as Peter and Iohn Acts 3. 12. Why look ye so earnestly on us as if by our own power or holiness we had done this When God is glorifying his grace and owning his appointed means § 27. Tempt 14. Lastly the Devil setteth up something else in opposition to holy duty to make it Tempt 14. seem unnecessary In some he sets up their good desires and saith God knoweth thy heart without expressing it and thou maist have as good a heart at home as at Church In some he sets up superstitious fopperies of mans devising instead of Gods Institution In some he pretendeth the Spirit against external duty and saith The Spirit is all the flesh profitteth nothing yea in some he sets up Christ himself against Christs Ordinances and saith It is not these
into the causes of all the oppressions rapines cruelties and inhumanity which have made men so like to Devils Look into the corrupted lacerated Churches and enquire into the cause of their contentions divisions usurpations malignity and cruelty against each other And you will find that Pride and Worldliness are the Causes of all When men of a Proud and Worldly mind have by fraud and friendship and Simony Usurped the Pastorship of the Churches according to their Minds and Eâ—ds they turn it into a Malignant Domination and the Carnal worldly part of the Church is the great enemy and Persecutor of the spiritual part and the fleshly Hypocrite as Cain against Abel is filled with envy against the serious believer even out of the bitter displeasure of his mind that his deceitful Sacrifice is less respected What Covetousness hath done to the advancement of the pretended Holy Catholick Church of Rome I will give you now but in the words of an Abbot and Chronicler of their own Abbas Urspergens Chron. p. 3â—â— Vix remansit aliquis Episcopatus sive dignitas Ecclesiastica vel etâ—am Parochialis Ecclesiae quae ron fieâ—et litigâ—osa Romam deduceretur ipsa causa sed non manu vacua Gaude mater nostra Roma quonâ—am aperiuntur cataractae thesaurorum in teâ—ra ut ad te consâ—uant rivi aggeres nummoâ—um in magna copia Laetare super iniquitate filiorum hominum quonâ—am in recompensationem tantorum malorum datur tibi precâ—um Jocundare super adjutrice tua discordia quia erupit de puteo infernalis abyssi ut accumulentur tibi multa pecuniaâ—um praemia Habes quod semper sitisti decanta Canticum quia per malitiam hominum non pâ—â— tuam Religionem orbem vicistâ— Ad te trahit homines non ipsorum devotio aut pura Conscientia sed sâ—â—lerum multiplicium perpetratio litium decisio precio comparata Foâ—tun Galindas speaking of Pope Paul the fifth his love to the Iesuites for helping him to money saith Adeo praestat acquirendarum pecuniarum quam animarum studiosum peritum esse apud illos qui cum animarum Christi sanguine redemptarum in se curam receperint vel quid anima sit nesciunt vel non pluris animam hominis quam piscis faciunt quod credo suum officium Piscatum quendam esse aliquando per strepitum inaudierint quibus propterea gratior fuerit qui Animam auri cum Paracelso quam animam Saxoniae Electoris invenisse nuntiet Arcan Soci Iesu. pag. 46. Lege ibid. Iâ—struct secret de Iesuitarum pâ—axi Et Ioh. Sarisbur l. 7. c. 21. de Monach. Potentiores ditiores favore vel mercede recepta facilius absolutione exâ—nerant peccatis alienis humeros supponentes jubent abire in tunicas vestes pullas quicquid illi se commisisse deplorant Si eis obloquetâ—s Religionis inimicus veritatis diceris impugnator hand It is the departing of the heart from God to creatures See the malignity of it before Good men have been overtaken with heinous sins but its hard to find where Scripture calleth any of them Covetous A heart secretly cleaving most to this present world and its prosperity is the very killing sin of every hypocrite yea and of all ungodly men 2. Worldliness makes the Word unprofitable and keepeth men from believing and repenting and coming home to God and minding seriously the everlasting world What so much hindereth the Conversion of sinners as the love and caâ—es of earthly things They cannot serve God and Mammon Their treasure and hearts cannot be chiefly be both in Heaven and Earth They will not yield to the terms of Christ that love this world They will not forsake all for a treasure in Heaven In a word as you heard The love of money is the root of all evil and the Love of the Father is not in the lovers of the world 3. It destroyeth holy meditation and conference and turneth the thoughts to worldly things And it corrupteth Prayer and maketh it but a means to serve the flesh and therefore maketh it odious to God 4. It is the great hinderance of mens necessary preparation for death and judgement and stealeth away their hearts and time till it is too late 5. It is the great cause of contentions even among the nearest relations and the cause of the Wars and calamities of Nations and of the woful divisions and persecutions of the Church when a worldly generation think that their worldly interest doth engage them against self-denying and spiritual principles practices and persons 6. It is the great cause of all the injustice and oppression and cruelty that rageth in the world They would do as they would be done by were it not for the love of money It maketh men perfidious and false to all their friends and engagements No vows to God nor obligations to men will hold a Lover Iâ—m â— 1. 2 3 4 5. 1 Iohn â— â—â— of the world The world is his God and his worldly interest is his rule and law 7. It is the great destroyer of Charity and Good works No more is done for God and the poor because the Love of the world forbids it 8. It disordereth and proâ—aneth families and betrayeth the souls of Children and Servants to the Devil It turneth out prayer and reading the Scripture and good books and all serious speeches of the liâ—e to come because their hearts are taken up with the world and they have no relâ—sh of any thing but the provisions of their flesh Even the Lords own Day cannot be reserved for holy works nor a duty performed but the world is interposing or diverting the mind 9. It tempâ—eth mâ—n to sin against their knowledge and to forsake the truth and fit themselves to the rising side and save their bodies and estates whatever become of their souls It is the very price that the Dâ—vil gives for souls With this he bought the soul of Iudas who went to the Pharisâ—es with a What will you give me and I will deliver him to you With this he attempted Christ himself 2 Tim 4. 10. Matth. 4. 9. All these will I give thee if thâ—u wilt fall down and worship me It is the cause of Apâ—â—â—â—acy and unfaithfulness to God And it s the price that sinners sell their God their Conscience and their salvation for 10. It depriveth the soul of holy communion with God and comfort from 1 â—im 6. 17 1â— him and of all foretaste of the life to come and finally of Heaven it self For as the Love of the world keepeth out the Love of God and Heaven it must needs keep out the hopes and comforts Christs Sheep mark is 〈◊〉 on the Sheep that are shorâ— When the Hâ—ece groweth long the Mark wears out which should arise from holy love It would do much to cure the love of money and of the world if you knew how pernicious a sin it is § 35.
abroad to preach the Gospel Quest. 3. Answ. If they can neither do Gods work as well at home nor yet take their Wives with them nor be excused from doing that part of service by other mens doing it who have no such impediment they may and must leave their Wives to do it In this case the interest of the Church and of the souls of many must over-rule the interest of Wife and Family Those Pastors who have fixed stations must neither leave flock or family without necessity or a clear call from God But in several Cases a Preacher may be necessitated to go abroad As in case of persecution at home or of some necessity of forreign or remote parts which cannot be otherwise supplied Or when some door is opened for the Conversion of Infidels Hereticks or Idolaters and none else so fit to do that work or none that will In any such case when the cause of God in any part of the world consideratis considerandis doth require his help a Minister must leave Wife and Family yea and a particular flock to do it For our obligations are greatest to the Catholick Church and publick good and the greatest good must be preferred If a King command a Subject to be an Embassador in the remotest part of the world and the publick good withal requireth it if Wife and Children cannot be taken with him they must be left behind and he must go So must a consecrated Minister of Christ for the service of the Church refuse all entanglements which would more hinder his work than the contrary benefits will countervail And this exception also was supposed in the Marriage contract that family interests and comforts must give way to the publick interest and to Gods disposals And therefore it is that Ministers should not rashly venture upon Marriage nor any woman that is wiâ—e venture to marry a Minister till she is first well prepared for such accidents as may separate them for a shorter or a longer time Quest. 4. May one leave a Wife to save his life in case of personal persecution or danger Quest 4. Answ. Yes iâ— she cannot be taken with him For the means which are for the Helps of Life do suppose the preservation of Life it self If he live he may further serve God and possibly return to his Wife and family But if he die he is removed from them all Quest. 5. May Husband and Wife part by mutual Consent if they find it to be for the good of both Answ. If you speak not of a dissolving the bond of their Relations but withdrawing as to cohabitation I answer 1. It is not to be done upon passions and discontents to feed and gratifie each others vicious distempers or interest For then both the Consent and the separation are their sins But if really such an uncurable unsuitableness be between them as that their lives must needs be miserable by their co-habitation I know not but they may live asunder so be it that after all other means used in vain they do it by deliberate free consent But if one of them should by craft or cruelty constrain the other to consent it is unlawful to the constrainer Nor must impatience make either of them ungroundedly despair of the cure of any unsuitableness which is really curable But many sad instances might be given in which co-habitation may be a constant calamity to both and distance may be their relief and further them both in Gods service and in their corporal concernments Yet I say not that this is no sin For their unsuitableness is their sin And God still obligeth them to lay down that sin which maketh them unsuitable and therefore doth not allow them to live asunder it being still their duty to live together in Love and peace And saying they cannot â—â—â—â—th them not from the duty But yet that moral Impotency may make such a separation as aforesaid to be a Lesser sin than their unpeaceable co-habitation Quest. 6. May not the Relation it self be dissolved by mutual free consent so that they may marry Quest. 6. others Answ. As to the Relation they will still be Related as those that did Covenant to live in conjugal society and are still allowed it and obliged to it if the Impediments were but removed And it is but the exercise which is hindered And they may not Consent to marry others 1. Because the contracted Relation was for Life Rom. 7. 2. and Gods Law accordingly obligeth them Marriages pro tempore dissoluble by consent are not of Gods institution but contrary to it 2. They know not but their Impediments of co-habitation may be removed 3. If he that marrieth an innocent divorced woman commit adultery by parity of reason with advantage it will be so here If you say what if either of them cannot contain I answer He that will not take heed before must be patient afterwards and not make advantage of his own folly to the fulfilling of his lusts If he will what he ought to do in the use of all means he may live chastely And 4. The publick interest must over-rule the private and that which would be unjust in private respects may for publick good become a duty It seemeth unjust here with us that the innocent Countrey should repay every man his money who between Sun and Sun is robbed on the Road And yet because it will engage the Countrey to watchfulness it is just as for the common good And he that consenteth to be a member of a Commonwealth doth thereby consent to submit his own right to the common interest So here If all should have leave to marry others when they consent to part it would bring utter confusion and it would encourage wicked men to abuse their Wives till they forced them to consent Therefore some must bear the trouble which their folly hath brought on themselves rather than the common order should be confounded Quest. 7. Doth Adultery dissolve the bond of Marriage or not Amesius saith it doth And Mr. Whateley Quest. 7. having said so afterward recanted it by the perswasion of other Divines Answ. The difference is only about the Name and not about the Matter it self The Reason which moved Dr. Ames is Because the injured person is free therefore not bound therefore the bond is dissolved The reason which Mr. Whateley could not answer is Because it is not fornication but lawful if they continue their conjugal familiarity after adultery therefore that bond is not dissolved In all which it is easie to perceive that one of them taketh the word Vinculum or Bond in one sense that is For their Covenant-obligation to continue their Relation and mutual duties And the other taketh it in another sense that is For the Relation it self as by it they are allowed conjugal familiarity if the injured person will continue it The first Vinculum or Bond is dissolved the second is not In the Matter we are agreed that
Mr. Perkins and Mr. Boltons Works and many the like § 5 Direct 5. Next these read over those Books which are more suited to the state of young Christians for their growth in grace and for their exercise of Faith and Love and Obedience and for the mortifying of selfishness pride sensuality worldliness and other the most dangerous sins My own on this subject are my Directions for weak Christians my Saints Rest a Treatise of Self-denyal another of the Mischiefs of Self-ignorance Life of Faith of Crucifying the World the Unreasonableness of Infidelity of Right Rejoycing c. To this use these are excellent Mr. Hildershams Works Dr. Prestons Mr. Perkins Mr. Boltons Mr. Fenners Mr. Gurnalls Mr. Anthony Burgesses Sermons Mr. Lockier on the Colossiâ—ns with abundance more that God hath blest us with § 6. Direct 6. At the same time labour to methodize your knowledge and to that end read first and Direct 6. learn some short Catechism and then some larger as Mr. Balls or the Assemblies larger and next some Body of Divinity as Amesius his Marrow of Divinity and Cases of Conscience which are Englished And let the Catechisme be kept in memory while you live and the rest be throughly understood § 7. Direct 7. Next read to your selves or families the larger Expositions of the Creed Lords Direct 7. Prayer and Ten Commandments such as Perkins Bishop Andrews on the Commandments and Dod c. that your understanding may be more full particular and distinct and your families may not stop in Generals which are not understood § 8. Direct 8. Read much those Books which direct you in a course of daily communion with God and Direct 8. ordering all your conversations As Mr. Reyners Directions the Practice of Piety Mr. Palmers Mr. Scudders Mr. Boltons Directions and my Divine Life § 9. Direct 9. For Peace and Comfort and encrease of the Love of God read Mr. Symmonds Deserted Direct 9. Soul c. and his Life of Faith All Dr. Sibbs Works Mr. Harsnets Cordials Bishop Halls Works c. my Method for Peace and Saints Rest c. § 10. Direct 10. For the understanding of the Text of Scripture keep at hand either Deodates or Direct 10. the Assembly of Divines or the Dutch Annotations with Dr. Hammonds or Dicksons and Hutchinsons brief Observations § 11. Direct 11. For securing you against the Feavor of uncharitable Zeal and Schism and contentious Direct 11. wranglings and erâ—elties for Religion sake read diligently Bishop Halls Peacemaker and other of his Books Mr. Burroughs Irenicon Acontius Stratagems of Satan and my Catholick Unity Catholick Church Universal Concord c. § 12. Direct 12. For establishing you against Popery on the soundest grounds not running in the Direct 12. contrary extream read Dr. Challoners Credo Ecclesiam c. Chillingworth Dr. Field of the Church c. and my True Catholick and my Key for Catholicks and my Safe Religion and Winding-sheet for Popery and Disputation with Mr. Johnson § 13. Direct 13. For special preparation for affliction sufferings sickness death read Mr. Hughs Direct 13. Rod Mr. Lawrence Christs power over sicknesses Mr. S. Rutherfords Letters c. my Treatise of Self-denyal The Believers Last Work the Last Enemy Death and the fourth Part of my Saints Rest. I will add no more lest they seem too many CHAP. XXII Directions for the right Teaching of Children and Servants so as may be most likely to have success I Here suppose them utterly untaught that you have to do with and therefore shall direct you what to do from the very first beginning of your Teaching and their learning And I beseech you study this Chapter more than many of the rest for it is an unspeakable loss that befalls the Church and the souls of men for want of skill and will and diligence in Parents and Masters in this matter § 1 Direct 1. Cause your younger Children to learn the words though they be not yet capable of Direct 1. understanding the matter And do not think as some do that this is but to make them Hypocrites and to teach them to take Gods Name in vain For it is neither Vanity nor Hypocrisie to help them first to understand the words and signs in order to their early understanding of the matter and signification Otherwise no man might teach them any language nor teach them to read any words that be good because they must first understand the words before the meaning If a child learn to read in a Bible it is not taking Gods Name or Word in vain though he understand it not For it is in order to his learning to understand it And it is not vain which is to so good a Use If you leave them untaught till they come to be twenty years of age they must then learn the words before they can understand the matter Do not therefore leave them the children of darkness for fear of makeing them hypocrites It will be an excellent way to redeem their Time to teach them first that which they are capable of learning A child of five or six years old can learn the words of a Catechisme or Scripture before they are capable of understanding them And then when they come to years of understanding that part of their work is done and they have nothing to do but to study the meaning and use of those words which they have learnt already Whereas if you leave them utterly untaught till then they must then be wasting a long time to learn the same words which they might have learnt before And the loss of so much time is no small loss or sin § 2. Direct 2. The most natural way of teaching children the Meaning of Gods Word and the Direct 2. Matters of their salvation is by familiar talk with them suited to their capacities Begin this betimes with them while they are on their Mothers laps and use it frequently For they are quickly capable of some understanding about greater matters as well as about less And knowledge must come in by slow degrees Stay not till their minds are prepossest with vanity and toyes Prov. 22. 6. § 3. Direct 3. By all means let your children learn to read though you be never so poor whatever Direct 3. shift you make And if you have servants that cannot read let them learn yet at spare hours if they be of any capacity and willingness For it is a very great mercy to be able to read the holy Scripture and any good Books themselves and a very great misery to know nothing but what they hear from others They may read almost at any time when they cannot hear § 4. Direct 4. Let your children when they are little ones read much the History of the Scriptures Direct 4. For though this of it self is not sufficient to breed in them any saving knowledge yet it enticeth them to delight in reading the Bible and then they
what you are going to do that you miss not of the end for want of seeking it The Devil will give hypocritical worldlings leave to play them with the most excellent Ordinances if he can but keep God out of sight even as you will let your children play them with a box of Gold as long as it is shut and they see not what 's within § 25. Direct 11. Be laborious with your hearts in all Gods worship to keep them employed on their Direct 11. Eph. 6. 18. Luke 21. 36. Rev. 3. 3. Col. 4. 2. Matth. 26. 38 40 41. Mar. 13. 33. 34 35 37. duty and be watchful over them lest they slug or wander Remember that it is heart-work that you are principally about And therefore see that your hearts be all the while at work Take your selves as idle when your hearts are idle And if you take not pains with them how little pains will they take in duty If you watch them not how quickly will they lye down and forget what they are doing and fall asleep when you are in treaty with God How easily will they turn aside and be thinking of impertinent vanities Watch therefore unto prayer and every duty 1 Pet. 4. 7. 2 Tim. 4. 5. Direct 12. § 26. Direct 12. Look up to Heaven as that which all your duties tend to that from thence you may fetch your encouraging motives Do all as a means to life eternal separate no duty from its reward and end As the traveller remembreth whither he is going all the way and a desired end doth make the foulest steps seem tolerable so think in every prayer you put up and in every duty that it is all for Heaven § 27. Direct 13. Depend upon the Spirit of God for help You cannot seek God spiritually and acceptably Direct 13. without him Think not that you are sufficient to worship God aright without his help Where this is despised or neglected you see what lamentable work is made by blind corrupted nature in Gods service Sensual wretches that have not the Spirit are fitter for any thing than to Jude 19. worship God If he that hath not the Spirit of Christ be none of his Rom. 8. 9. then he that pretends to worship God without the Spirit of Christ can ill think to be heard for the sake of Christ. § 28. Direct 14. Look also to your tongues and the deportment of your bodies that the whole man Direct 14. may worship God in holiness as he requireth Pretend not your good meanings nor the spirituality of your worship to excuse you from worshipping also with your bodies Your Hearts must be first lookt to but your words and bodies must next be lookt to And if you regard not these it is hardly credible that you regard your hearts 1. Your words and gestures are the due expression of your hearts And the Heart will desire to express it self as it is Many would express their Hearts to be better than they are and therefore good expressions are oft to be suspected But few would express their hearts as worse than they are and therefore bad appearances do seldome lye 2. Your words and actions are needful to the due honouring of God As evil words and actions do dishonour him and the unseemly disorderly performance of his service is very injurious to such holy things so yourmeet and comely words and gestures are the external beauty of the worship which you perform And God should be served with the best 3. Your words and gestures reflect much on your own hearts As acts tend to the increase of the habits so the external expressions tend to increase the internal affections whether they be good or evil 4. Your words and gestures must be regarded for the good of others who see not your hearts but by these expressions And where many have communion in worshipping God such acts of communion are of great regard CHAP. II. Directions about the Manner of Worship to avoid all corruptions and false unacceptable Worshipping of God THe lamentable contentions that have arisen about the Manner of Gods worship and the cruelty and blood and divisions and uncharitable revilings which have thence followed and also the necessary regard that every Christian must have to worship God according to his Will do make it needful that I give you some Directions in this case § 1. Direct 1. Be sure that you seriously and faithfully practise that inward worship of God in which Direct 1. the life of Religion doth consist as to love him above all to fear him believe him trust him delight in him be zealous for him and that your Hearts be sanctified unto God and set upon Heaven and Holiness Read on this subject a small Book which I have written called Catholick Unity For this will be an unspeakable help to set you right in most controversies about the worshipping of God Nothing hath so much filled the Church with contentions and divisions and cruelties about Gods worship as the agitating of these controversies by unholy unexperienced persons when men that hate a holy life and holy persons and the Holiness of God himself must be they that dispute what manner of worship must be offered to God by themselves and others and when the controversies about Gods service are fallen into the hands of those that hate all serious serving of him you may easily know what work they will make of it As if sick men were to determine or dispute what meat and drink themselves and all other men must live upon and none must eat but by their prescripts most healthful men would think it hard to live in such a Countrey As men are within so will they incline to worship God without Outward worship is but the expression of inward worship He that hath a heart replenished with the Love and Fear of God will be apt to express it by such manner of worship as doth most lively and seriously express the love and fear of God If the heart be a stranger or an enemy to God no marvel if such worship him accordingly O could we but help all contenders about worship to the inward light and life and love and experience of holy serious Christians they would find enough in themselves and their experiences to decide abundance of controversies of this kind Though still there will be some that require also other helps to decide them It is very observable in all times of the Church how in Controversies about Gods worship the generality of the godly serious people and the generality of the ungodly and ludicrous worshippers are ordinarily of differing judgements and what a stroke the temper of the soul hath in the determination of such cases § 2. Direct 2. Be serious and diligent also in all those parts of the outward worship of God that all sober Direct 2. Christians are agreed in For if you be negligent and false in so much as you confess your
Ghost forsaking the Devil the World and the Flesh and is solemnly entered a visible member of Christ and his Church a pardoned regenerate Child of God and an heir of Heaven § 15. As the word Baptism is taken for the meer Administration or external Ordinance so the Internal Covenanting or faith and Repentance of the adult person to be baptized is no essential part of it nor requisite to the Being oâ— it but only the Profession of such a faith and Repentance and the external entering of the Covenant But as Baptism is taken for the Ordinance as performed in all its essential parts according to the true intent of Christ in his Institution that is in the first and proper meaning of the word so the Internal Covenanting of a Penitent sincere Believer is necessary to the Being of it And indeed the word Baptism is taken but equivâ—â—ally or Analogically at most when it is taken for the meer external administration and action For God doth not institute worship ordinances for bodily motion only when he speaketh to man and requireth Worship of man he speaketh to him as to a man and requireth humane actions from him even the work of the soul and not the words of a Parrot or the motion of a Poppeâ— Therefore the word Baptism in the first and proper signification doth take in the inward actions of the Heart as well as the outward Profession and actions And in this proper sense Baptism is the mutual Covenant between God the Father Compleat Baptism what it is Son and Holy Ghost and a penitent Believing sinner solemnized by the washing of water in which as a Sacrament of his own appointment God doth engage himself to be the God and reconciled Father the Saâ—iâ—ur and the Sanctifier of the Believer and taketh him for his reconciled Child in Christ and delivereth to him by solemn investiture the pardon of all his sins and title to the mercies of this life and of that which is to come What I say in this Description of a Penitent Believer is also to be understood of the Children of such that are dedicated by them in Baptism to God who thereupon have their portion in the same Covenant of Grace § 16. The word Baptism is taken in the first sense when Simon Magus is said to be Baptized Act. 8. and when we speak of it only in the ecclesiastick sense as it is true Baptism in foro ecclesiae But it is taken in the later sense when it is spoken of as the compleat ordinance of God in the sense of the Institution and as respecting the proper ends of Baptism as pardon of sin and life eternal and in foro coeli § 17. In this full and proper sense it is taken by Christ when he saith Mark 16. 16. He that believeth and is Baptized shall be saved that is He that Believeth and is by Baptism entered into the Covenant of God And in this sense the Ancients took it when they affirmed that all that were Baptized were Regenerated pardoned and made the Children of God And in this sense it is most true that he that is Baptized that is is a sincere Covenanter shall be saved if he die in that Condition Read the Propositions of the Synod in Nâ—w England and the Defense of them against Mr. Davenpoâ—t about the subject of Baptism that he is then in All that the Minister warrantably Baptizeth are sacramentally Regenerate and are in foro ecclesiae members of Christ and Children of God and Heirs of Heaven But it is only those that are sincerely delivered up in Covenant to God in Christ that are spiritually and really Regenerate and are such as shall be owned for members of Christ and Children of God in foro â—oeli Therefore it is not unfit that the Minister call the Baptized Regenerate and pardoned members of Christ and Children of God and Heirs of Heaven supposing that in soro ecclesiae they were the due subjects of Baptism But if the persons be such as ought not to be Baptized the sin then is not in calling Baptized persons Regenerate but in Baptizing those that ought not to have been Baptized and to whom the â—eal of the Covenant was not due § 18. None ought to be Baptized but those that either personally Deliver up themselves in Covenant to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost professing a true Repentance and faith and consent to the Covenant or else are thus delivered up and dedicated and entred into-Covenant in their Infancy by those that being Christians themselves have so much interest in them and power of them that their act may be esteemed as the Infants act and legally imputed to them as if themselves had done it If any others are unduly Baptized they have thereby no title to the pardon of sin or life eternal nor are they taken by God to be in Covenant as having no way consented to it § 19. Direct 4. When you enter a child into the Christian Covenant with God address your selves to Direct 4. it as to one of the greatest works in the world as thâ—se that know the Greatness of the Benefit of the Duty and of the Danger The Benefit to them that are sincere in the Covenant is no less than to have the pardon of all our sins and to have God himself to be our God and Father and Christ our Saviour and the Holy Ghost our Sanctifier and to have title to the blessings of this life and of that to come And for the Duty how Great a work is it for a sinner to enter into so solemn a Covenant with the God of Heaven for Reconciliation and Newness of life â—nd â—or salvation And therefore if any should abuse God by Hypocrisie and take on them to conseâ—â— to the terms of the Covenant for themselves or their Children when indeed they do not the Danger of such prophaneness and abuse of God must needs be great Do it therefore with that due preparation reverence and seriousness as beseemeth those that are transacting a business of such unspeakable importance with God Almighty § 20. Direct 5. Having been entered in your Infancy into the Covenant of God by your Parents you Direct 5. must at years of discretion review the Covenant which by them you made and renew it personally your selves and this with as great seriousness and resolution as if you were nâ—w first to enter and subscribe it and as if your everlasting Life or death were to depend on the sincerity of your consent and performance For your Infant Baptismal Covenanting will save none of you that live to years of discretion and do not as heartily own it in their own persons as if they had been now to be baptized But this I pass by having said so much of it in my Book of Confirmation § 21. Direct 6. Your Covenant thus 1. Made 2. Solemnized by Baptism 3. And Owned at age Direct 6. must 4. Be frequently renewed through the
nothing home at last but repentance and shame Truth which is the means of the good of souls must not be betrayed as for the good of souls § 37. Direct 26. Doubt not of well proved Truths for every difficulty that appeareth against them Direct 26. There is scarce any truth in the World so plain but in your own thoughts or in the câ—vâ—ls of a wrangling wit there may such difficulties be raised as as you can hardly answer And there is scarce any thing so evident that some will not dispute against You see that even the learnedst Jesuits and all the Clergy of the Roman Kingdom will not stick to dispute all the World if they could out of the belief of all their senses while they maintain that Bread is not Bread and wine is not wine And yet how many Princes Lords and Rulers follow them and many millions of the people because they be not able to confute them If they had said that a man is no man but a warm Psal. 22. 6. they might in reason have expected as much belief § 38. Direct 27. Abuse not your own knowledge by subjecting it to your carnal interest or sensuality Direct 27. He that will sin against his Conscience and will not obey the Knowledge which he hath doth Maâ—â—5 29. Rom. 14. 22. deserve to be given over to blindness and deceit and to lose even that which he hath and to be forsaken till he believe and defend a lye that all they might be damned who obeyed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes. 2. 10 11 12. God will not hold him guiltless who debaseth his sacred truth so far as to make it stoop to his commodity and â—ust where he is a Teacher he will be a King and sendeth his Truth as the instrument of his Government and not as a slave or pandor to the flesh He that will do Gods will shall know it Joh. 7. 17. But the carnal mind that cannot be subject to Gods Law is unfit to receive it because it is spiritually discerned Rom. 8. 7. 1 Cor. 2. 14. CHAP. VIII Directions for the Union and Communion of Saints and the avoiding unpeaceableness and Schism THE PEACE and CONCORD of Believers is a thing that almost all those plead Of this subjâ—ct I have written already 1. My Univâ—â—sal Concord 2. My Catholiâ—k Unity 3. Of the True Catholick Châ—râ—h 4. My Châ—istiaâ— Coâ—â—ord for who call themselves Believers and yet a thing that almost all men hinder and resist while they commend it The Discord and DIVISIONS of believers are as commonly spoken against and by the same men as commonly fomented The few that are sincere both Rulers and private men desire Concord and hate Divisions in Love to Holiness which is promoted by it and in Love to the Church and good of souls and the honour of Religion and the Glâ—ry of God And the few of those few that are experienced wise judicious persons do choose the means that is fittest to attain these ends and do prudently and constantly prosecute them accordingly But these being in the World as a spoonful of fresh water cast into the Sea or a spoonful of water cast into the flames of a house on fire no wonder if the brinish Sea be not sweetened by them nor the consuming raging fire quenched by them The other Rulers of the world and of the Churches are for Concord and against Division because this tendeth to the quieting of the people under them Read over Sr. Fr. Bacoâ—s third Essaâ— and Hales of Schism and the making of men submissive and obedient to their wills and so to confirm their dignities dominions and interests And all men that are not Hâ—ly being predominantly SELFISH they would all be themselves the Center of that Union and bond of that concord which they desire And they would have it accomplished upon such terms â—â—d by such means as are most agreeable to their principles and Ends In which there are almost a many minds as Men so that among all the Commenders of UNITY and concord there are none that take the way to attain it but those that would center it all in GOD and seek it upon his terms and in his way The rest are all tearing Unity and Peace in pieces while they commend it and they fight against it while they seek it every man seeking it for Himself and upon his own terms and in his own way which are so various and inconsistent that East and West may sooner meet than they § 2. Yet must the sons of God be still the sons of Peace and continue their prayers and endeavours for UNITY how small soever be the hopes of their success If it be possible as much as in us lyeth Rom. 12 18. we must live peaceably with all men So far must they be from being guilty of any Schismes or unlawful Divisions of the Church that they must make it a great part of their care and work to preserve the Unity and peace of Christians In this therefore I shall next Direct them § 3. Direct 1. Understand first wherein the Unity of Christians and Churches doth consist Or else Direct 1. you will neither know how to preserve it nor when you violate it Christians are said to be United In vâ—ste Christi varietas siâ— sâ—issura non sit They be two things Unity and Uniformity â— Bacoâ— Essay 3. to Christ when they are entered into Covenant with him and are become his Disciples his Subjects and the members of his Political Body They are united to one another when they are united to Christ their common head and when they have that spirit that faith that Love which is communicated to every living member of the body This Union is not the making of many to be One Christian but of many Christians to be one Church which is considerable either as to its Internal Life or its external order and profession In the former respect the bonds of our Union are 1. The heart-Covenant or faith 2. And the spirit The Consent of Christ and of our selves concurring doth make the match or marriage between us and the spirit communicated from him to us is as the nerves or ligaments of the body or rather as the spirits which pass through all The Union of the Church considered Visibly in its outward Policy is either that of the whole Church or of the Particular Churches within themselves or of divers particular Churches accidentally united 1. The Union of the whâ—le is Essential integral or accidental The essential Union is that Relation of a Head and members which is between Christ and all the visible members of his Church The foundation of it is the mutual Covenant between Christ and them considered on their part as made Externally whether sincerely or not This is usually done in Baptism and is the chiefest act of their Profession of the faith Thus the Baptismal Covenant doth constitute us
confused 5. They will differ in spiritual health and soundnâ—ss one will be more Orthodox and another more erroneous one will have a better appetite to the wholsome word than others 15. 1. 1 Cor. 8 7 10 12. that are inclining to novelties and vain janglings one will walk more blamelesly than another some are full of Joy and peace and others full of grief and trouble 6. They differ much in usefulness 9. 22. Act. 20. 35. Luk. 1. 6. Phil. 2. 15. Gal. 2. 9 11 13 14. and service to the Body some are Pillars to support the rest and some are burdensome and troublers of the Church 7. It is the will of Christ that they differ in Office and employment some being Pastors and Teachers to the rest 8. There may be much difference in the manner of their worshipping God some observing dayes and difference of meats and drinks and forms and other 1 Thes. 5 4. 1 Cor. 3. 1 4. 5. Eph. 4. 11 12 13. Ceremonies which others observe not And several Churches may have several modes 9. These differences may possibly by the temptation of Satan arise to vehement contentions and not only to the censuring and despisâ—ng of each other but to the rejecting of each other from the Communion Rom. 14. 15. Col. 2. 18 22. Phil. 2. 20 21. 1 Cor. 12. 22 24. of the several Churches and forbidding one another to Preach the Gospel and the banishing or imprisoning one another as Constantine himself did banish Athanasius and as Chrysostom and many another have felt 10. Hence it followeth that as in the Visible Church some are the members of Christ and some are indeed the Children of the Devil some shall be saved and some be damned 1 Sam. 2. 30. Mat. 23. 11. Luk. 22. 26. Mat. 20. 23. Luk. 20. 3â— Mat. 19. 30. Mat. 20. 16. even with the â—orest damnation the greatest difference in the World to come being betwixt the visible members of the Church so among the Godly and sincere themselves they are not all alike amiable or happy but they shall differ in Glory as they do in Grace All these differences there have been are and will be in the Church notwithstanding its unity in other things § 11. III. The word Schism cometh from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disseco lacero and signifieth any sinful Division Schism what and of how many sorts The true placing the Bonds of Unity importeth exceedingly Which will be done if the points fundamental and of substance in Religion were truly discerned and distinguished from points not meerly of faith but of Opinion Order or good intention This is a thing that may seem to many a matter trivial and done already but if â—t were done less partially it would be embraced more generally L. Baâ—on Essay 3. among Christians some Papists as Iohnson will have nothing called Schism but a Dividing ones self from the Catholick Church Others maintain that there is nothing in Scripture called Schism but making divisions in particular Churches The truth is obvious in the thing it self that there are several sorts of Schism or Division 1. There is a causing Divisions in a particular Church when yet no party divideth from that Church much less from the Universal Thus Paul blameth the Divisions that were among the Corinthians while one said I am of Paul and another I am of Apâ—llo c. 1 Cor. 3. 3. And 1 Cor. 11. 18. I hear that there be divisions among you not that they separated from each others Communion but held a disorderly Communion Such divisions he vehemently disswadeth them from 1 Cor. 1. 10. And thus he perswadeth the Romans 16. 17. to mark them which cause Divisions and offences among them contrary to the doctrine which they had learned and avoid them which it seems therefore were not such as had avoided the Church first He that causeth differences of judgement and practice and contendings in the Church doth cause Divisions though none separate from the Church 2. And if this be a fault it must be a greater fault to cause Divisions from as well as in a particular Church which a man may do that separateth not from it himself As if he perswade others to separate or if he sow those tares of errour which cause it or if he causlesly excommunicate or cast them out 3. And then it must be as great a sin to make a causeless separation from the Church that you are in your self which is another sort of Schism If you may not Divide in the Church nor Divide others from the Church then you may not causelesly Divide from it your selves 4. And it is yet a greater Schism when you Divide not only from that one Church but from many because they concur in opinion with that one which is the common way of Dividers 5. And it is yet a greater Schism when whole Churches separate from each other and renounce due Communion with each other without just cause as the Greeks Latines and Protestants in their present distance must some of them whoever it is be found guilty 6. And yet it is a greater Schism than this when Churches do not only separate from each other causelesly but also unchurch each other and endeavour to cut off each other from the Church-Universal by denying each other to be true Churches of Christ. It is a more grievous Schism to withdraw from a true Church as no-Church than as a corrupt-Church that is to cut off a Church from Christ and the Church-Catholick than to abstain from Communion with it as a scandalous or offending Church 7. It is yet caeteris paribus a higher degree of Schism to Divide your selves a person or a Church from the Universal Church without just cause though you separate from it but secundum quid in some accidental respect where unity is needfull For where Unity is not required there dis-union is no sin Yet such a person that is separate but secundum quid from something accidental or integral but not essential to the Catholick Church is still a Catholick Christian though he sin 8. But as for the highest degree of all viz. to separate from the universal-Universal-Church simpliciter or in some Essential respect this is done by nothing but by Heresie or Apostacie However the Papists make men believe that Schismaticks that are neither Hereticks nor Apostates do separate themselves wholly or simply from the Catholick Church this is a meer figment of their brains For he that separateth not from the Church in any thing essential to it doth not truly and simply separate from the Church but secundum quid from something separable from the Church But whatever is A Heretick and Apostate what essential to the Church is necessary to salvation And he that separateth from it upon the account of his denying any thing necessary to salvation is an Heretick or an Apostate that is If he do it as dâ—nying some one or more Essential point of
faith or Religion while he pretendeth to hold all the rest he is an Heretick If he deny the whole Christian faith he is a flat Apostate and these are more than to be Schismaticks § 12. The word Heresie also is variously taken by Ecclesiastick writers Austin will have Heresie to be an inveterate schism Hierome maketh it to be some perverse opinion Some call every Schism which gathereth a separated party from the rest by the name of Heresie Some call it a Heresie if there be a perillous errour though without any Schism Some call it a Heresie only when Schism is made and a party separated upon the account of some perillous errour Some say this errour must be damnable that is in the essentials of Religion And some say it is enough if it be but dangerous Among all these the commonest sense of a Heretick is One that obstinately erreth in some essential point and divideth from the Communion of other Christians upon that account And so Paraeus and many Protestants take Heresie for the Species and Schism for the Genus All Schism is not Heresie but all Heresie say they is Schism Remember that all this is but a Controversie de nomine and therefore of small moment § 13. By this that I have said you may perceive who they be that are guilty of Church-divisions Who are true Schismaticks As 1. The sparks of it are kindled when Proud and self-conceited persons are brainsick in the fond estimation of their own opinions and heart-sick by a feaverish zeal for the propagating of them Ignorant souls think that every change of their opinions is made by such an accession of heavenly light that if they should not bestir them to make all of the same mind they should be betrayers of the truth and do the world unspeakable wrong When they measure and censure men as they receive or reject their peculiar discoveries or conceits schism is in the Egge § 14. 2 The fire is blown up when men are desirous to have a party follow them and cry them up and thereupon are busie in perswading others to be of their mind and do speak perverse things to Act. 20. 20. draw away disciples after them And when they would be counted the Masters of a party § 15. 3. The flames break forth when by this means the same Church or divers Churches do Jam. 3. 13 14 15 16 17. fall into several Parties burning in zeal against each other abating charity censuring and condemning one another backbiting and reviling each other through envy and strife when they look strangely at one another as being on several sides as if they were not Children of the same Father nor members of the same body or as if Christ were divided one being of Paul and another of Apollo and another of Cepha◠and every one of a faction letting out their thoughts in jealousies and evil surmises of each other perverting the words and actions of each to an ugly sense and snatching occasions to represent one another as fools or odious to the hearers as if you should plainly say I pray you hate or despise these people whom I hate and despise This is the core of the Plague sore It is schism in the bud § 16. 4. When people in the same Church do gather into private meetings not under the guidance of their Pastors to edifie one another in holy exercises in Love and peace but in opposition to their lawful Pastors or to one another to propagate their singular opinions and increase their parties and speak against those that are not on their side schism is then ready to bring forth and multiply and the swarm is ready to come forth and be gone § 17. 5. When these people actually depart and renounce or forsake the Communion of the Church and cast off their faithful Pastors and draw into a separated body by themselves and choose them Pastors and call themselves a Church and all without any just sufficient cause When thus Churches are gathered out of Churches before the old ones are dissolved or they have any warrant to depart when thus Pastor is set up against Pastor Church against Church and Altar against Altar this is schism ripe and fruitful The swarm is gone and hived in another place § 18. 6. If now the neighbour Churches by their Pastors in their Synods shall in compassion seek to reclaim these straglers and they justifie their unjust separation and contemn the counsel of the Churches and Ministers of Christ this is a confirmed obstinate schism § 19. 7. If they shall also judge that Church to be no Church from which they separated and so cut off a part of the body of Christ by an unrighteous censure and condemn the innocent and usurp authority over their Guides this is disobedience and uncharitableness with schism § 20. 8. If they shall also condemn and unchurch all the other Churches that are not of their mind and way and renounce communion with them all and so condemn unjustly a great part of the Body of Christ on Earth this is to add fury and rebellion to an uncharitable schism And if to cover their sin they shall unjustly charge these Churches which they reject with Heresie or wickedness they do but multiply their crimes by such extenuations § 21. 9. If the opinion that all this adoe is made for be a damning errour against some essential point of the true Religion then it is Heresie as well as Schism § 22. 10. If this separation from the Church be made in defense of an ungodly life against the Discipline of the Church If a wicked sort of men shall withdraw from the Church to avoid the disgrace of confession or excommunication and shall first cast off the Church lest the Church should proceed to cast out them and so they separate that they may have none to govern and trouble them but themselves this is a Prophane rebellious schism This is the common course of schism when it groweth towards the height § 23. 11. Besides all these there is yet a more pernicious way of Schism which the Church or Court of Rome is guilty of They make new articles of faith and new points of Religion and a new worship of God shall I say or of Bread as if it were a God And all these they put into a Law and impose them on all the other Churches yea they put them into an Oath and require men to swear that without any doubting they believe them to be true They pretend to have authority for all this as Rome is the Mistress of all other Churches They set up a new Universal Head as an Essential part of the Catholick Church and so found or fain a new kind of Catholick Church And he that will not obey them in all this they renounce Communion with him and to hide this horrid notorious schism they call all Schismaticks that are not thus subjected to them § 24. 12. And to advance
and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell even together in unity It is like the pretious oyntment upon the head that ran down upon the heard even Aarons beard that went down to the skirts of his garment As the dew of Hermon and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion for there the Lord commanded the blessing even life for evermore The Translators well put this as the Contents of this Psalm The benefit of the communion of Saints § 53. 5. The concord of Believers doth greatly conduce to the successes of the Ministery and propagation of the Gospel and the conviction of unbelievers and the conversion and salvation of ungodly souls When Christ prayeth for the Unity of his Disciples he redoubleth this argument from the effect or end that the world may believe that thou hast sent me and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them c. Joh. 17. 21 23. Would this make the world believe that Christ was sent of God Yes undoubtedly if all Christians were reduced to a Holy Concord it would do more to win the Heathen world than all other means can do without it It is the Divisions and the wickedness of professed Christians that maketh Christianity so contemned by the Mahometanes and other Infidels of the world And it is the Holy Concord of Christians that would convince and draw them home to Christ. Love and Peace and concord are such vertues as all the world is forced to applaud notwithstanding natures enmity to good When the first Christian Church were all with one accord in one place and continued daily with one accord in the Temple and breaking bread from house to house partook of food with gladness and singleness of heart and when the multitude of believers were of one heart and of one soul c. Act. 2. 1 46. 4. 32. then did God send upon them Act. 2. 41. Act. 4. 33. the Holy Ghost and then were three thousand converted at a Sermon And with great power gave the Apostles witness of the Resurrection of the Lord Iesus and great grace was upon them all How our Concord would promote the Conversion of Infidels Our Concord in Religion hath all these advantages for the converting of unbelievers and ungodly men 1. It is a sign that there is a constraining evidence of truth in that Gospel which doth convince so many A concurrent satisfaction and yielding to the truth is a powerful testimony for it 2. They see then that Religion is not a matter of worldly Policy and design when so many men of contrary interests do embrace it 3. And they see it is not the fruit of a Melancholy constitutions when so many men of various temperatures entertain it 4. They may see that the Gospel hath Power to conquer that self-love and self interest which is the most potent thing in vitiated nature Otherwise it could never make so many unite in God as their common interest and end 5. They may see that the Gospel and spirit of Christ is stronger than the devil and all the allurements of the flesh and world when it can make so many agree in the renouncing of all earthly vanities for the hopes of everlasting life 6. They will see that the Design and doctrine of Christianity is Good and excellent beseeming God and desirable to man when they see that it doth produce so good effects as the Love and Unity and Concord of manking 7. 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 ☜ Divisions but make us zealously study and labour with all our interest and might for the healing of the lamentable Divisions among Christians if we have the hearts of Christians and any sense of the interest of Christ. § 54. 6. The Concord of Christians doth greatly conduce to the ease and peace of particular Believers The very exercise of Love to one another doth sweeten all our lives and duties We sail towards Heaven in a pleasant Calm with wind and tide when we live in Love and peace together How easie doth it make the work of Godliness How light a burden doth Religion seem when we are all as of one heart and soul § 55. 7. Lastly Consider whether this be not the likest state to Heaven and therefore have not in it the most of Christian excellency and perfection In Heaven there is no discord but a perfect consort of glorified spirits harmoniously loving and praising their Creator And if Heaven be desirable holy Concord on earth is next desirable § 56. III. On the contrary consider well of the Mischiefs of Divisions 1. It is the killing of The Mischiefs of Division the Church as much as lyeth in the dividers or the wounding it at least Christs Body is One and it is sensible and therefore Dividing it tendeth directly to the destroying it and at least will cause its smart and pain To Reform the Church by Dividing it is no wiser than to cut out the Liver or Spleen or Gall to cleanse them from the filth that doth obstruct them and hinder them in their office you may indeed thus cleanse them but it will be a mortal cure As he that should Divide the Kingdom into two Kingdoms dissolveth the old Kingdom or part of it at least to erect two new ones so he that would divide the Catholick Church into two must thereby destroy it if he could succeed or destroy that part which divideth it self from the rest Can a member live that is cut off from the Body or a branch that is separated from the tree § 57. Quest. O but say the Romanists why then do you cut off your selves from us The Division Quest. is made by you and we are the Church and you are dead till you return to us How will you know which part is the Church when a Division is once made Answ. Are you the Church Are you the Answ. Whether Papists or Protestants are Schismaticks only Christians in the World The Church is all Christians united in Christ their Head You traiterously set up a new usurping Head and proclaim your selves to be the whole Church and condemn all that are not subjects to your new Head We keep our station and disclaim his Usurpation and deny subjection to
7. 26. 13. Mat. 23. 14. Mar. 1â— 40. Exod. 6. 30. Deuâ— 7. 12. 11. 13. 13. 18. 15. 5. 26. 17. 28. 1. Psal. 81. 8 9 10 11 12. of promoting unity and obedience and the Catholick Church while the Cloak or Cover of it is but the thin transparent Spider-web of humane Traditions and numerous Ceremonies and childish complementing with Goâ— And when they have nothing but the prayers of a long Liturgie to cover the effects of their earthly sensual and diabolical zeal and wisdom as St. Iames calls it 3. 15 16. and to concâ—ct the Widdows houses which they devour and to put a reverence upon the office and work which they labour all the week to render reproachful by a sensual luxurious idle life and by perfidious making merchandize of souls As ever you care what becometh of your souls take heed lest sin grow bold under Prayers and grow familiar and contemptuous of Sermons and holy speeches and lest you keep a custome of Religious exercises and wilful sins For oh how doth this harden now and wound hereafter He is the best hearer that is the holiest liver and faithfullest obeyer Direct 14. Be not a bare hearer of the Prayers of the Pastor whether it be by a Liturgie or Direct 14. without For that is but hypocrisie and a sin of omission You come not thither only to hear prayers but to pray And kneeling is not praying but it is a profession that you pray And will you be prayerless even in the house of Prayer and when you profess and seem to pray and so add hypocrisie to impiety I fear many that seem Religious and would have those kept from the Sacrament that Pray not in their Families do very ordinarily tolerate themselves in this gross omission and mocking of God and are Prayerless themselves even when they seem to Pray Direct 15. Stir up your hearts in a special manner to the greatest alacrity and joy in speaking Direct 15. and singing the Praises of God The Lords day is a day of Joy and Thanksgiving and the Praises of God are the highest and holyest employment upon Earth And if ever you should do any thing with all your might and with a joyful and triumphing frame of soul it is this Be glad that you may joyn with the Sacred Assemblies in heart and voice in so Heavenly a work And do not as some humersome pievish persons that know not the danger of that proud disease fall to quarreling with Davids Psalms as unsuitable to some of the hearers or to nauseate every failing in the Metâ—â— so as to turn so holy a duty into neglect or scorn for alas such there are near me where I dwell nor let prejudice against melody or Church-musick if you dwell where it is used possess you with a spleneâ—ick disgust of that which should be your most joyful work And if you know how much the incorporate soul must make use of the body in harmony and in the joyful praises of Iehovah do not then quarrel with lawful helps because they are sensible and corporeal Direct 16. Be very considerate and serious in Sacramental renewings of your Covenant with God Direct 16. O think what great things you come thither to Receive And think what a holy work you have to See Mâ— Rawlâ—â—s Book of Sacramental Covenanting do And think what a Life it is that you must promise So solemn a Covenanting with God and of so great importance requireth a most holy reverent and serious frame of soul. But yet let not the unwarrantable differencing this Ordinance from Gods praises and the rest seduce you into the common errours of the times I mean 1. Of those that hence are brought to think that the Sacrament should never be received without a preparatory day of humiliation above the preparation for an ordinary Lords days work 2. And therefore receive it seldom whereas the primitive Churches never spent a Lords day together without it 3. Those that turn it into a perplexing terrifying thing for fear of being unprepared when it should be their greatest comfort and when they are not so perplexed about their unpreparâ—dness to any other duty 4. Those that make so great a difference betwixt this and Church-prayers praises and other Church-woâ—ship as that they take this Sacrament only for the proper work and priviledge of Church-members And thereupon turn it into an occasion of our great contentions and divisions while they fly from Sacramental Communion with others more than from Communion in the other Church-worship O what hath our subtle enemy done against the Love Peace and Unity of Christians especially in England under pretence of Sacramental purity Direct 17. Perform all your Worship to God as in heart-Communion with all Christs Churches Direct 17. upon Earth Even those that are faulty though not with their faults Though you can be present but with one yâ—â— consent as present in spirit with all and separate not in heart from any one any further than they separate from Christ. Direct 18. Accordingly let the Interest of the Church of Christ be very much upon your heart Direct 18. and pray as hard for it as for your self Direct 19. Yâ—â— remember in all what Relation you have to the Heavenly Society and Chore and Direct 19. think how they Worship God in Heaven that you may strive to imitate than in your degree Of which more anâ—n Direct 20. Let your whole course of life after savour of a Church-frame Live as the servants of Direct 20. that God whâ—m you Worship and as ever before him Live in the Love of those Christians with whom you have Communion and do not quarrel with them at home nor despise nor persecute them with whom you joyn in the Worshipping of God And do not needlesly open the weaknesses of the Minister to prejudice others against him and the Worship And be not Religious at the Church alone for then you are not truly Religious at all CHAP. X. Directions about our Communion with Holy Souls Departed and now with Christ. THE oversight and neglect of our duty concerning the souls of the blessed now with Christ I have said more of â—his since in my â—â—â—â—e of Faith doth very much harden the Papists in their erroneous excesses here about And if we will ever reduce them or rightly confute them it must be by a judicious asserting of the Truth and observing so much with them as is our duty and commending that in them which is to be commended and not by running away from truth and duty that we may get for enough from them and errour For errour is an ill way of confuting errour The practical Truth lyeth in these following Precepts § 1. Direct 1. Remember that the departed souls in Heaven are part and the noblest part of the Body Direct 1. of Christ and family of God of which you are inferiour members and therefore that you owe
and not under the scandal of Heresie Schism or gross corruption among those that live about 4. That it be under the countenance and encouraging favour of the Christian Magistrate 5. That it be the same Church of which the rest of the family which we are of be members That Husband and Wife Parents and Children Masters and Servants be not of several Churches 6. That the Pastors be able Teachers prudent Guides and of holy lives and diligent in their office 7. That the Pastors be regularly called to their office 8. That the members be intelligent peaceable and of holy temperate and righteous lives But when all these cannot be had together we must choose that Church which hath those qualifications which are most needful and bear with tolerable imperfections The most needful are the first second and sixth of these qualifications Prop. 27. He that is free should choose that Church which is the fittest for his own edification that is The best Pastors people and administrations Prop. 28. A mans freedom is many wayes restrained herein As 1. When it will tend to a greater publick hurt by disorder ill example division discouragement c. 2. When superiours forbid it Of these things I have said so much in my Cure of Church Divisions and in the Defence of it and in the end of my Reas. of Christ. Relig. Consect 1. 2. that I pass them over here with the more brevity As Husbands Parents Masters Magistrates 3. By some scandal 4. By the distance or inconvenience of our dwelling 5. By differences of Judgement and other causes of contention in the said Churches And many other wayes Prop. 29. A free man who removeth from one Church to another for his edification is not therefore a Separatist or Schismatick But it must not be done by one that is not free but upon such necessity as freeth him Prop. 30. It is schism or sinful separation to separate from 1. A true Church as no true Church 2. From Lawful Worship and Communion as unlawful But of this more in its proper place Quest. 2. Whether we must esteem the Church of Rome a true Church And in what sense some Divines affirm it and some deny it WAnt of some easie distinguishing hath made that seem a Controversie here which is so plain â—â—â—â— Mr. Bur 〈…〉 â—nd 〈…〉 's contest hereabout that it can hardly be any at all to Protestants if the question had been but truly stated Remember therefore that by a Church is meant not a meer company of Christians any how related to each other but a society consisting of an Ecclesiastical Head and Body such as we call a Political society 2. And that we speak not of an Accidental Head such as the King is because he Governeth them suo modo by the sword for that is not an Essential Constitutive Part But of a Constitâ—tive Ecclesiastical Head and body 3. That the question is not Whether the Church of Rome be a Part of the Church but whether it be a true Church And now I answer 1. To affirm the Church of Rome to be the Catholick or Universal Church is more than to affirm it to be a true Catholick Church that is a true part of the Catholick Church and is as much as to say that it is the whole and only Church and that there is no other which is odious falshood and usurpation and slander against all other Churches 2. The Church of Rome is so called in the Question as it is a Policy or Church in a general sense And the meaning of the Question is Whether it be a Divine or a Humane or Diabolical Policy A Lawful Church 3. The Church of Rome is considered 1. Formally as a Church or Policy 2. Materially as the singular persons are qualified It is the Form that denominateth Therefore the Question must be taken of the Roman Policy or of the Church of Rome as such that is As it is one Ruler pretending to be the ☞ Vicarious constitutive Governing Head of all Christs Visible Church on earth and the Body which owneth him in this Relation 4. Therefore I conclude and so do all Protestants that this Policy or Church of Rome is no true Church of Christs Instituting or approbation but a Humane sinful Policy formed by the Temptation of Satan the Prince of Pride deceit and darkness The proof of which is the matter of whole loads of Protestant Writings And indeed the proof of their Policy being incumbent on themselves they fail in it and are still fain to fly to pretended false Tradition for proof in which the Sophisters know that either they must be Judges themselves and it must go for truth because they say it or else that if they can carry the Controversie into a Thicket or Wood of Fathers and Church History at least they can confound the ignorant and evade themselves Of this see my Disput. with Iohnson and my Key for Catholicks c. 5. The Bishop of the English Papists Smith called Bishop of Chalcedon in his Survey cap. 5. saith To us it sufficeth that the Bishop of Rome is St. Peters successour and this all the Fathers testifie and all ☞ the Catholick Church believeth But whether it be jure Divino or humano is no point of faith The like hath * System Fidâ—i Davenport called Fransc. à Sancta Clarâ more largely By this let the Reader judge whether we need more words to prove their Church to be such as Christ never instituted when the belief of their Divine right is no part of their own faith 6. If the Church of Rome in its formal Policy be but of humane institution it is 1. Unnecessary to salvation 2. Unlawful Because they that first instituted it had no Authority so to do and were Usurpers For either the makers of it were themselves a Church or no Church If no Church they could not lawfully make a Church Infidels or Heathens are not to be our Church-makers If a Church then there was a Church before the Church of Rome and that of another form And if that former form were of Christs institution man might not change it If not who made that form And so on 7. Our Divines therefore that say that the Church of Rome is a True Church though corrupt do not speak of it formally as to the Papal Policy or Headship but materially 1. That all Papists that are visible Christians are visible Parts of the universal Church 2. That their particular Congregations considered abstractedly from the Roman Headship may be true particular Churches though corrupt which yet being the only difficulty shall be the matter of our next enquiry Quest. 3. Whether we must take the Romish Clergy for true Ministers of Christ And whether their Baptism and Ordination be nullities I Joyn these two distinct Questions together for brevity 1. As True signifieth Regularly called so they are commonly Irregular and not True Ministers But as True signifieth
intercision as I have proved it hath had as to lawful Popes the whole Catholick Church is nullified and it is impossible to give it a new being but by a new Pope But the best is that by their Doctrine indeed they need not to plead for an uninterrupted succession either of Popes Bishops or Presbyters but that they think it a useful cheat to perplex all that are not their subjects For if the Papacy were extinct an hundred years Christ is still alive And seeing it is no matter ad esse who be the Electors or Consecrators so it be but made known conveniently to the people and Men only Elect and Receive the person and Christ only giveth the power by his stated Law what hindereth after the longest extinction or intercision but that some body or some sort of persons may choose a Pope again and so Christ make him Pope And thus the Catholick Church may dye and live again by a new Creation many times over And when the Pope hath a Resurrection after the longest intercision so may all the Bishops and Priests in the world because a new Pope can make new Bishops and new Bishops can make new Priests And where then is there any shew of necessity of an uninterrupted succession of any of them All that will follow is that the particular Churches dye till a Resurrection And so doth the whole Church on earth every time the Pope dyeth till another be made if he be the Constitutive Head 2. But as they say that Christ only Efficiently giveth the Power to the Pope so say we to the Bishops or Pastors of the Church For there is no act of Christs Collation to be proved but the Scripture Law or Grant And if that standing Law give Power to the Pope when men have but designed the Person the same Law will do the same to Bishops or Pastors For it establisheth their Office in the same sort Or rather in truth there is no word that giveth power to any such Officer as an Universal Head or Pope but the Law for the Pastoral Office is uncontrovertible And what the Spanish Bishops at Trent thought of the Divine Right of the Bishops Office I need not mention I shall therefore thus truly resolve the question 1. In all Ordinations and Elections man doth but first choose the Recipient person 2. And Ceremoniously and Ministerially Invest him in the Possession when God hath given him the power But the efficient Collation or Grant of the Power is done only by Christ by the Instrumentality of his Law or Institution As when the King by a Charter saith Whoever the City shall choose shall be their Mayor and have such and such power and be Invested in it by the Recorder or Steward Here the person elected receiveth all his Power from the King by his Charter which is a standing Efficient conveying it to the Capable Chosen person and not from the Choosers or Recorder only the last is as a servant to deliver possession So is it in this case 2. The regular way of entrance appointed by Christ to make a person capable is the said Election and Ordination And for order sake where that may be had the unordained are not to be received as Pastors 3. If any get Possession by false pretended Ordination or Mission and be Received by the Church I have before told you that he is a Pastor as to the Churches use and benefit though not to his own And so the Church is not extinct by every fraudulent usurpation or mistake and so not by want of a true Ordination or Mission 4. If the way of regular Ordination fail God may otherwise by the Churches necessity and the notorious aptitude of the person notifie his will to the Church what person they shall receive As if a Lay-man were cast on the Indian shoar and converted thousands who could have no Ordination And upon the peoples Reception or Consent that man will be a true Pastor And seeing the Papists in the conclusion as Iohnson ubi supra are fain to cast all their cause on the Churches Reception of the Pope they cannot deny reasonably but ad esse the Churches reception may serve also for another Officer And indeed much better than for a Pope For 1. The Universal Church is so great that no man can know when the Greater part Receiveth him and when not except in some notorious declarations 2. And it is now known that the far greater part of the Universal Church the Greeks Armenians Abassines Copties Protestants c. do not receive the Roman Head 3. And when one part of Europe received one Pope and another part another Pope for above fourty years together who could tell which of the parties was to be accounted the Church It was not then known nor it is not known yet to this day And no Papist can prove it who affirmeth it As a Church e. g. Constantinople may be gathered or oriri de novo where there is none before so may it be restored where it is extinct And possibly a Lay-man as Frumentius and Edesiâ—s in the Indies may be the instrument of mens conversion And if so they may by consent become their Pastors when regular Ordination cannot be had I have said more of this in my Disputations of Church-Government Disp. 2. The truth is this pretence of a Necessity of uninterrupted successive Ordination Mission or Jurisdictional Collation ad esse to the being of Ministry or Church is but a cheat of men that have an interest of their own which requireth such a plea when they may easily know that it would overthrow themselves Quest. 12. Whether there be or ever was such a thing in the world as one Catholick Church Constituted by any Head besides or under Christ THe greatest and first controversie between us and the Papists is not What man or Politick person is the Head of the whole Visible Church But Whether there be any such Head at all eiPersonal or Collective Monarchical Aristocratical or Democratical under Christ of his appointment or allowance Or any such thing as a Catholick Church so Headed or Constituted Which they affirm and we deny That neither Pope nor General Council is such a Head I have proved so fully in my Key for Catholicks and other Books that I will not here stay to make repetition of it That the Pope is no such Head we may take for granted 1. Because they bring no proof of it whatever they vainly pretendâ—â— 2. Because our Divines have copiously disproved it to whom I refer you 3. Because the Universal Church never received such a Head as I have proved against Iohnson 4. And whether it be the Pope their Bishop of Calcedon ubi sup Sancta Clara System â—id say is not de fide That a Council is no such Head I have largely proved as aforesaid Part 2. Key for Cath. And 1. The use of it being but for Concord proveth it 2. Most Papists confess it
3. Else there should be seldome any Church in the world for want of a Head yea never any For I have proved there and to Iohnson that there never was a true General Council of the Universal See also in my Reasons of Christian Religion Coâ—s 2. of the Interest of the Church Church But only Imperial Councils of the Churches under one Emperours power and those that having been under it had been used to such Councils And that it is not a thing ever to be attempted or expected as being unlawful and morally impossible Quest. 13. Whether there be such a thing as a Visible Catholick Church And what it is THe Antients differently used the terms A Catholick Church and The Catholick Church By the first they meant any particular Church which was part of the Universal By the second 1 Cor. 12. 12. and throughout they meant the Universal Church it self And this is it that we now mean And I answer Affirmatively There is a Visible Universal Church not only as a Community or as a Kingdom distinct from the King but as a Political Society 2. This Church is the Universality of Baptized Visible Christians Headed by Iesus Christ himself Eph. 4. 1 5 6 7 16. There is this and there is no other upon earth The Papists say that this is no Visible Church because the Head is not Visible I answer 1. It is not necessary that he be seen but visible And is not Christ a Visible person 2. This Church consisteth of two parts the Triumphant part in Glory and the Militant part And Christ is not only Visible but seen by the triumphant part As the King is not seen by the ten thousandth part of his Kingdoms but by his Courtiers and those about him and yet he is King of all 3. Christ was seen on earth for above thirty years and the Kingdom may be called visible in that the King was once visible on earth and is now visible in Heaven As if the King would shew himself to his people but one year together in all his life 4. It ill becometh the Papists of any men to say that Christ is not visible who make him see him taste him handle him eat him drink him digest him in every Church in every Mass throughout the year and throughout the world And this not as divided but as whole Christ. Object But this is not quatenus Regent Answ. If you see him that is Regent and see his Laws and Gospel which are his Governing instruments together with his Ministers who are his Officers it is enough to denominate his Kingdom visible 5. The Church might be fitly denominated Visible secundum quid if Christ himself were invisible Because the Politick Body is visible the dispersed Officers Assemblies and Laws are visible But sure all these together may well serve for the denomination Quest. 14. What is it that maketh a Visible Member of the Universal Church And who are to be accounted such 1. BAptism maketh a Visible member of the Universal Church and the Baptized as to entrance Matth. 28. 19. 〈…〉 1â— 16. unless they go out again are to be accounted such 2. By Baptism we mean open devotion or dedication to God by the Baptismal Covenant in which the adult for themselves and Parents for their Infants do Profess Consent to the Covenant of Grace which includeth a Belief of all the Essential Articles of the faith and a Resolution for sincere obedience and a Consent to the Relations between God and us viz. that he be our Reconciled Father our Saviour and our Sanctifier 3. The Continuance of this Consent is necessary to the continuance of our visible membership 4. He that through ignorance or incapacity for want of water or a Minister is not baptized and yet is solemnly or notoriously dedicated and devoted to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost in the same Covenant though without the outward Sign and professeth openly the same Religion is a visible Christian though not by a compleat and regular visibility As a Souldier not listed nor taking his Colours or a Marriage not regularly solemnized c. 5. He that forsaketh his Covenant by Apostacy or is totally and duly excommunicated ceaseth to be a visible member of the Church Quest. 15. Whether besides the Profession of Christianity either Testimony or Evidence of Conversion or Practical Godliness be necessary to prove a man a Member of the Universal Visible Church 1. AS the Mediator is the way to the Father sent to recover us to God so Christianity includeth John 14. 6. 1 Tim. 3. 16. 6 3 11. Godliness And he professeth not Christianity who professeth not Godliness 2. He that professeth the Baptismal Covenant professeth Christianity and Godliness and true Conversion 2 Pet. 1. 3. And therefore cannot be rejected for want of a Profession of Conversion or Godliness 3. But he that is justly suspected not to understand his own profession but to speak general words without the sense may and ought to be examined by him that is to baptize him And therefore though the Apostles among the Jews who had been bred up among the Oracles of God did justly presume of so much understanding as that they baptized men the same day that they professed to believe in Christ yet when they baptized converted Gentiles we have reason to think that they Acts 2. 38 39. first received a particular account of their Converts that they understood the three essential Articles of the Covenant 1. Because the Creed is fitted to that use and hath been ever used thereunto by the Churches as by tradition from the Apostles practice 2. Because the Church in all ages as far as Church History leadeth us upward hath used catechising before baptizing yea and to keep men as Catechumens some time for preparation 3. Because common experience telleth us that multititudes can say the Creed that understand it not If any yet urge the Apostles example I will grant that it obligeth us when the case is the like And I will not fly to any conceit of their heart-searching or discerning mens sincerity When you bring us to a people that before were the Visible Church of God and were all their life time trained up in the knowledge of God of sin of duty of the promised Messiah according to all the Law and Prophets and want nothing but to know the Son and the Holy Ghost that this Iesus is the Christ who will reconcile us to God and give us the sanctifying Spirit then we will also baptize men the same day that they profess to believe in Iesus Christ and in the Father as reconciled by him and the Holy Ghost as given by him But if we have those to deal with who know not God or sin or misery or Scripture Prophecies no nor natural verities we know no proof that the Apostles so haâ—â—ily baptized such Of this I have largely spoken in my Treatise of Confirmation 4. It is
Authority of the Pastors Because the Pastors of several Churches do not Lose any of Grotius dâ— Iâ—perio sum pot circ â—acr most solidly resolveth this Question their Power by their Assembling but exercise it with the greater advantage of Concord But as they are made only to oblige the present or absent Pastors who separatedly are of equal Office-power so they are no Laws except in an equivocal sense but only Agreements or Contracts So Bishop Usher profest his judgement to be And before him the Council of Carthage in Cyprians time But it needs no proof no more than that a Convention of Kings may make no Laws to bind the Kings of England but Contracts only 13. But yet we are aliunde obliged even by God to keep these Agreements in things lawful for the Churches peace and concord when greater contrary reasons à fine do not disoblige us For when God saith You shall keep Peace and Concord and keep Lawful Covenants The Canons afford us the Minor But these are Lawful Contracts or Agreements and means of the Churches Peace and Concord Therefore saith Gods Law you shall observe them So though the Contracts as of Husband and Wife Buyer and Seller c. be not Laws yet that is a Law of God which bindeth us to keep them 14. Seing that even the obliging Commands of Pastors may not by them be enforced by the Sword 1 Pet. 5. 2 3. 2 Cor. 1. 24. but work by the power of Divine Authority or Commission manifested and by holy Reason and Love therefore it is most modest and fit for Pastors who must not Lord it over Gods heritage but be examples to all to take the Lower name of Authoritative Directions and perswasions rather than of Laws Especially in a time when Papal Usurpation maketh such ruinating use of that name and Civil Magistrates use to take it in the nobler and narrower sense THe Questions 1. If one Pastor make Orders for his Church and the multitudes or Synods be against them which must be obeyed you may gather from what is said before of Ordination And 2. What are the particulars proper Materially to the Magistrates decision and what to the Pastors I here pass by Quest. 26. Whether Church-Canons or Pastors Directive Determinations of matters pertinent to their Office do bind the Conscience And what accidents will disoblige the people you may gather before in the same case about Magistrates Laws in the Political Directions As also by an impartial transferring the Case to the Precepts of Parents and Schoolmasters to Children without respect to their Power of the Rod or supposing that they had none such Quest. 27. What are Christs appointed means of the Unity and Concord of the Universal Church and consequently of its preservation if there be no Humane Universal Head and Governour of it upon Earth And if Christ have instituted none such Whether Prudence and the Law of Nature oblige not the Church to set up and maintain an Universal Ecclesiastical Monarchy or Aristocracy Seeing that which is Every mans work is as No mans and omitted by all I. TO the first question I must refer you in part to two small popular yet satisfactory Tractates Catholick Unity and The True Catholick and Church described written long ago that I do not one thing too oft Briefly now 1. The Unity of the Universal Church is founded in and maintained by their Common Relation to Christ the Head as the Kingdom in its Relation to the King 2. A Concord in Degrees of Goodness and in Integrals and Accidentals of Christianity will never be obtained on earth where the Church is still imperfect And perfect Holiness and Wisdom are necessary to Perfect Harmony and Concord Phil. 3. 12 13 14. 3. Experience hath long taught the Church if it will learn that the claim of a Papal Headship and Government over the Church Universal hath been the famous incendiary and hinderer of Concord in the Christian world 4. The means to attain such a measure of concord and harmony which is to be hoped for or endeavoured upon earth I have so distinctly fully and yet briefly described with the contrary Impediments in my Treatise of the Reasons of Christian Religion Part 7. Chap. 14. pag. 470 471. in about two leaves that I will not recite them If you say You are not bound to read the Books which I refer you to I answer Nor thiâ— II. To the latter Question I answer 1. To set up such an Universal Head on the supposition of natural Reasons and Humane Policy is 1. To cross Christs Institution and the Laws of the Holy Ghost as hath been long proved by Protestants from the Scripture 2. It is Treason against Christs Soveraign Office to usurp such a Vicegerency without his Commission 3. It is against the notorious light of Nature which telleth us of the Natural Incapacity of Mortal man to be such an Universal Governour through the world 4. It is to sin against long and dreadful common experience and to keep in that fire that hath destroyed Euperours Kings and Kingdoms and set the Churches Pastors and Christian world in those divisions which are the great and serviceable work of Satan and the impediment of the Churches increase purity and peace and the notorious shame of the Christian profession in the eyes of the Infidel world And if so many hundred years sad experience will not answer them that say If the Pope were a good man he might unite us all I conclude that such deserve to be deceived 2 Thess. 2. 10 11 12. Quest. 28. Who is the Iudge of Controversies in the Church 1. About the Exposition of the Scripture and Doctrinal points in themselves 2. About either Heresies or wicked Practices as they are charged on the persons who are accused of them That is 1. Antecedently to our Practice by way of Regulation 2. Or Consequently by Iudicial Sentence and Execution on Offenders I Have answered this question so oft that I can perswade my self to no more than this short yet clear solution The Papists use to cheat poor unlearned persons that cannot justly discern things that differ by puzling them with this confused ambiguous question Some things they cunningly and falsly take for granted As that there is such a thing on Earth as a Political Universal Church headed by any Mortal Governour Some things they shuffle together in equivocal words They confound 1. Publick Iudgement of Decision and private judgement of discerning 2. The Magistrates Iudgement of Church-controversies and the Pastors and the several Cases and Ends and Effects of their several judgements 3. Church-judgement as Directive to a particular Church and as a means of the Concord of several Churches Which being but distinguished a few words will serve to clear the difficulty 1 As there is no Universal Humane Church Constituted or Governed by a Mortal Head so there is no Power set up by Christ to be an Universal Iudge of either sort of Controversies
Church it is done by a double consent to the double relation By baptism he professeth his consent to be a member of Christ and his universal Church and additionally he consenteth to be guided by that particular Pastor in that particular Church which is another Covenant or Consent Quest. 33. Whether Infants should be Baptized I have answered long agoe in a Treatise on that Subject Also What Infants should be Baptized And who have Right to Sacraments And whether Hypocrites are univocally or equivocally Christians and Church-members I have resolved in my Disput. of Right to Sacraments Quest. 34. Whether an unbaptized person who yet maketh a publick profession of Christianity be a member of the Visible Church And so of the Infants of Believers unbaptized Answ. 1. SUch persons have a certain Imperfect irregular kind of profession and so of Membership Their Visibility or Visible Christianity is not such as Christ hath appointed As those that are Marryed but not by Legal Celebration and as those that in cases of necessity are Ministers without Ordination so are such Christians as Constantine and many of old without Baptism 2. Such persons ordinarily are not to be admitted to the Rights and Communion of the Visible Church because we must know Christs sheep by his own mark But yet they are so far visible Christians as that we may be perswaded nevertheless of their salvation As to visible Communion they have but a remote and incompleat jus â—d rem and no jus in re or legal investiture and possession 3. The same is the case of unbaptized Infants of believers because they are not of the Church meerly as they are their natural seed but because it is supposed that a person himself devoted to God ☞ doth also devote his Children to God Therefore not nature only but this supposition arising from the true nature of his own dedication to God is the reason why believers Children have their right to Baptism Therefore till he hath Actually devoted them to God in Baptism they are not legally members of the Visible Church but only in fieri and imperfectly as is said Of which more anon Quest. 35. Is it certain by the Word of God that all Infants Baptized and dying before actual sin are undoubtedly saved Or what Infants may we say so of Answ. I. 1. WE must distinguish between certainty objective and subjective or plainlyer the Since the writing of this there is come forth an excellent Book for Infant Baptism by Mr. Ioseph Whistoâ— in which the Grounds of my present Solutions are notaâ—â—y cleared Reality or Truth of the Thing and the certain apprehension of it 2. And this certainty of apprehension sometime signifieth only the Truth of that apprehension when a man indeed is not deceived or more usually that clearness of apprehension joyned with Truth which fully quieteth the mind and excludeth doubting 3. We must distinguish of Infants as Baptised Lawfully upon just title or unlawfully without title 4. And also of Title before God which maketh a Lawful claim and Reception at his bar and Title before the Church which maketh only the Administration lawful before God and the Reception lawful only in foro ecclesiae or externo 5. The word Baptism signifieth either the external part only consisting in the words and outward action or the Internal Covenanting of the heart also 6. And that internal Covenant is either sincere which giveth right to the benefits of Gods Covenant or only partial reserved and unsound such as is common to hypocrites Conclus 1. God hath been pleased to speak so little in Scripture of the case of Infants that modest men will use the words Certainly and Undoubtedly about their case with very great Caution And many great Divines have maintained that their very Baptism it self cannot be Certainly and undoubtedly proved by the Word of God but by Tradition Though I have endeavoured to prove the contrary in a special Treatise on that point 2. No man can tell what is objectively certain or revealed in Gods Word who hath not subjective certainty or knowledge of it 3. A mans apprehension may be True when it is but a wavering opinion with the greatest doubtfulness Therefore we do not usually by a Certain apprehension mean only a True apprehension but a clear and quieting one 4. It is possible to baptize Infants unlawfully or without any Right so that their Reception and baptizing shall be a great sin as is the misapplying of other Ordinances For instance one in America where there is neither Church to receive them nor Christian Parents nor Sponsors may take up the Indians Children and Baptize them against the Parents wills Or if the Parents consent to have their Children outwardly Baptized and not themselves as not knowing what Baptizing meaneth or desire it only for outward advantages to their Children Or if they offer them to be Baptized only in open derision and scorn of Christ such Children have no Right to be received And many other instances neerer may be given 5. It 's possible the person may have no Authority at all from Christ who doth Baptize them And Christs part in Reception of the person and Collation and Investiture in his benefits must be done by his Commission or else how can we say that Christ doth it But open Infidels Women Children madmen scorners may do it that have none of his Commission 6. That all Infants baptized without title or right by mis-application and so dying are not undoubtedly saved nor any word of God doth certainly say so we have reason to believe on these following grounds 1. Because we can find no such Text nor could ever prevail with them that say so to shew us such an ascertaining Word of God 2. Because else gross sin would certainly be the way to salvation For such mis-application of Baptism by the demanders at least would certainly be gross sin as well as mis-applying the Lords Supper 3. Because it is clean contrary to the tenour of the new Covenant which promiseth salvation to none but penitent Believers and their seed What God may do for others unknown to us we have nothing to do with But his Covenant hath made no other promise that I can find 〈…〉 d we are â—ertain of no mans salvation by Baptism to whom God never made a promise of it If by the Children of the faithful be meant not only their Natural seed but the Adopted or bought also of which they are true Proprietors yet that is nothing to all others 4. To add to Gods words Especially to his very Promise or Covenant is so terrible a presumption as we dare not be guilty of 5. Because this tyeth Grace or salvation so to the outward washing of the body or opus operatum as is contrary to the nature of Gods Ordinances and to the tenour of Scripture and the judgement of the Protestant Divines 6. Because this would make a strange disparity between the two Sacraments of the same
meant either that Government formally Ecclesiastical which constituteth a Church of Christs making or else some Government about the Matters of the Church which is formally either Magistratical or humane by contract c. 4. So by Church Officers are meant either such as are accounted essential to a Church in the pure Christian sense or Integral at least as Deacons Or else such as are accounted but Accidental to it and Essential only to the humane form And so I answer 1. As there are some things circa sacra or Accidents of Gods special Church Worship which are left to humane prudence to determine of so the same humane prudence may determine who shall do them As e. g. Who shall repair the Buildings of the Church the Windows the Bells the Pulpits the Tables c. who shall keep the Clock who shall keep the Cups Cloaths and other Utensils who shall be the Porter the keeper of the Books c. Who shall call the people to Church or ring the Bells or give them notice of Church assemblies who shall make bread for the Sacrament or provide Wine or bring Water for baptism who shall make the Graves and bury the Dead or attend Marriages or Baptizings c. Who shall set the Tune of the Psalm or use the Church-Musick if there be any who shall summon any of the people on any just occasion to come to their Pastors or who shall summon the Pastors to any Synod or lawful Assembly and give them notice of the time and place When they are to meet who shall be called first and who second Who shall sit highest and who lowest Who shall take the Votes or moderate or guide the Disputations of the Assembly Who shall be the Scribe and record what is done Who shall send abroad their Agreements and who shall be the Church-messenger to carry them The Agents of such Circumstantials may be chosen by the Magistrate or by the Churches or Pastors as is most convenient Though I doubt not but in the beginning the Deacons were meer servants to the Pastors to do as much of such circumstantial work as they were able of which serving at Tables and looking to the poor and carrying Bread and Wine to the absent c. were but parts And all went under the name of Ministring to the Pastors or Churches And therefore they seem to be but such an Accidental Office appointed by the Apostles on such common reasons as Magistrates or Churches might have appointed them if they had not 2. If one will call all or many of thâ—se Church-Officers and another will not it is but a strife about Names which one will use more largely and the other more narrowly or strictly 3. If Magistrates by authority or the Churches by Agreement shall distribute the Countrey for conveniency into Parishes not making all to be Church-members that dwell in those Prâ—cincts but determining that all persons that are fit in those proximities and they only shall be members of that particular Church and then shall denominate the Church from this accident of place it is but what is left to their discretion 4. And if the said Magistrates or Churches shall divide a Kingdom into Provinces and say that whereas God commandeth us the use of correspondencies mutual advice and Synods for the due help concord and communion of Churches and all things must be done in order and to edification therefore we determine that so many Churches shall make up such a Synod and the Churches of such a district shall make up another Synod and so shall be specially related to each other for Concord as advisers all this is but the prudent determining of Church circumstances or accidents left to man 5. And if they shall appoint that either a Magistrate or one Pastor shall be for Order sake the appointer of the times and places of meeting or the President of the Synod to regulate and order proceedings and keep peace as is aforesaid it is but an Accident of the Sacred Work which man may determine of Therefore a Lay-man may be such a President or Regulater 6. And if they will call this man by the Name of a Church-Governour who doth but a common part therein and from thence will call this Association or Province by the name of a Church which is but a company of Churches associated for Concord and Counsel the Name maketh it not another thing than it is without that name And the name may be lawful or unlawful as times and probable consequents make it fit or unfit as to use 7. So much of Church matters as is left to the Magistrates Government may be under Monarchy Aristocracy or Democracy and under such subordinate Officers as the Supream Ruler shall appoint 8. And if the Magistrate will make Assemblies or Councils of Pastors to be his Councils and require them frequently to meet to advise him in the performance of his own trust and work about Religion and the Church he may accordingly distribute them into Provinces for that use or order such circumstances as he please 9. And if a Province of Churches be called one Church because it is under one Magistrate or a Nation of Churches called a National Church because it is under one King or many Kingdoms or an Empire called one Catholick Church because they are all under one Emperour it must be confessed that this question is but de nomine and not de re And further 1. That in sacred things that which is of Divine and primary institution is the famosius analogatum and not that which is but formed by man 2. That when such an ambiguous word is used without explication or explicating circumstances it is to be taken for the famosius analogatum 3. That in this case the word Church or Church-form is certainly ambiguous and not univocal 4. That â— National Imperial or Provincial Church as Headed by a King Emperour Magistrate or any head of mans appointment is another thing from a Church of Christs institution and is but an Accident or adjunct of it and the Head of the Humane form if called the Head of the Church of Christ is but an Accidental Head and not Constitutive And if Christs Churches be denominated from such a Head they are denominated but from an accident as a man may be denominated cloathed or uncloathed cloathed gorgeously or sordidly a neighbour to this man or that c. It is no formal denomination of a Church in the first acception as it signifieth the famosius analogatum though otherwise many kind of societies may be called Ecclesiae or Coetus But Divines should not love confusion 10. It seemeth to me that the first distribution of Churches in the Roman Empire into Patriarchal Primates Metropolitical Provincial Diocesan were only the determination of â—â—ch adjuncts or extrinsick things partly by the Emperours and partly by Churches Consent upon the Emperours permission And so that these new Church Governments were partly Magistratical or by
as much as may be in a way of Concord with the united faithful Pastors and Churches in your proximity or Countrey 3. Look to the publick good and interest of Religion more than to your particular Congregation 4. Neglect not the greatest advantages for your own edification But rather take them by a removal of your dwelling though you suffer by it in your estates than by any division disturbance of the Churches peace or common detriment 5. Do not easily go against the Magistrates Commands unless they be apparently unlawful and to the Churches detriment or ruine in the reception of your Pastors 6. Do not easily forsake him that hath been justly received by the Church and hath possession that is till necessity require it Quest. 106. To whom doth it belong to Reform a Corrupted Church to the Magistrates Pastors or People Answ. A Church is reformed three several wayes 1. By the personal reformation of every member 2. By doctrinal Direction and 3. By publick forcible Execution and constraint of others 1. Every member whether Magistrates Pastors or People must reform themselves by forsaking 1 Cor. 11. 28 29 31 33 34. 1 Cor. 5. 11. Dan. 3. 6. all their own sins and doing their own duties If a Ruler command a private person to go to Mass to own any falshood or to do any sin he is not to be obeyed because God is to be first obeyed 2. The Bishops or Pastors are to Reform the Church by Doctrine Reproof and just Exhortations 1 Cor. 5. 3. 4 5 1. Pet. 5. 2 3. Luke 22. 24 25 26 27. and Nunciative Commands in the name of Christ to Rulers and people to do their several duties and by the actual doing of his own 3. The King and Magistrates under him only must Reform by the Sword that is by outward force and Civil Laws and Corporal Penalties As forcibly to break down Images to cast out Idolaters or the Instruments of Idolatry from the Temples to put true Ministers in possession of the Temples or the Legal publick maintenance to destroy punish or hurt Idolaters c. Supposing still the Power of Parents and Masters in their several families Quest. 107. Who is to Call Synods Princes Pastors or People Answ. 1. THere are several wayes of Calling Synods 1. By Force and Civil Mandates 2. By The question of the power of Synods is sufficiently answered before Pastoral Perswasion and Counsel and 3. By humble intreaty and petition 1. Magistrates only that is the Supream by his own power and the Inferiour by power derived from him may call Synods by Laws and Mandates enforced by the Sword or Corporal Penalties or Mulcts 2. Bishops or Pastors in due Circumstances may call Synods by Counsel and perswasive invitation 3. The people in due Circumstances and necessity may Call Synods by way of Petition and Intreaty But what are the due Circumstances Answ. 1. The Magistrate may Call them by Command at his discretion for his own Counsel or for the Civil peace or the Churches good 2. The Pastors and people may not Call them nor meet when the Magistrate forbiddeth it except when the necessity of the Church requireth it Synods may profitably be stated for order when it may be lawfulâ—y obtained both as to limits of Place numbers and Time But these prudential Orders are not of stated necessity but must give place to weightier reasons on the contrary 3. Synods themselves are not ordinarily necessary by Nature or Institution Let him that affirmeth it prove it But that which is statedly necessary is The Concord of the Churches as the End and a necessary correspondency of the Churches as the Means and Synods when they may well be had as a convenient sort of means 4. When Synods cannot be had or are needless Messengers and Letters from Church to Church may keep up the Correspondency and Concord 5. In cases of real necessity which are very rare though usefulness be more frequent the Bishops and people should first petition the King for his consent And if that cannot be had they may meet secretly and in small numbers for mutual consultation and advice about the work of God and not by keeping up the formality of their set numbers times and places and orders provoke the King against them 6. The contempt of Synods by the separatists and the placing more power in Synods than ever God gave them by others yea and the insisting on their circumstantial orders making them like a Civil Senate or Court have been the two extreams which have greatly injured and divided the Churches throughout the World Quest. 108. To whom doth it belong to appoint dayes and assemblies for publick Humiliation and Thanksgiving Answ. THe answer of the last question may serve for this 1. The Magistrate only may do it by way of Laws or civil Mandate enforced by the sword 2. The Pastors may do it in case of necessity by Pastoral advice and exhortation and nunciative command in the name of Christ. 3. The people may do it by Petition 4. As ordinary Church Assemblies must be held if the Magistrate forbid them of which next so must extraordinary ones when extraordinary causes make it a duty 5. When the Magistrate forcibly hindereth them natural impossibility resolveth the question about our duty Quest. 109. May we omit Church-assemblies on the Lords day if the Magistrate forbid them Answ. 1. IT is one thing to forbid them for a time upon some special cause as Infection by May we omit Church-Assemblies on the Lords day if forbidden by Magistrates pestilence fire war c. And another thing to forbid them statedly or prophanely 2. It is one thing to omit them for a time and another to do it ordinarily 3. It is one thing to omit them in formal obedience to the Law and another thing to omit them in prudence or for necessity because we cannot keep them 4. The Assembly and the circumstances of the Assembly must be distinguished 1. If the Magistrate for a greater good as the common safety forbid Church Assemblies in a time of pestilence assault of enemies or fire or the like necessity it is a duty to obey him Because positive duties give place to those great natural duties which are their end so Christ justified himself and his disciples violation of the external rest of the Sabbath For the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath 2. Because Affirmatives bind not ad semper and out of season duties become sins 3. Because one Lords day or Assembly is not to be preferred before Many which by the omission of that one are like to be obtained 2. If Princes prophanely forbid holy assemblies and publick worship either statedly or as a renunciation of Christ and our religion it is not Lawful formally to obey them 3. But it is lawful prudently to do that secretly for the present necessity which we cannot do publickly and to do that with smaller numbers which we
more mercy from Christ than there is faith in Christ. 14. No man could ever be saved without Believing in God as a merciful pardoning saving God though many have been saved who knew not the person of Christ determinately For he that cometh to God must believe that God is and that he is the Rewarder of them that diligently seek him who is no respecter of persons but in every Nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him 12 Ps. 145. 9. 〈…〉 4. 10. Rom. 10. 20. 13 Act. 4. 12. Joh. 14. 6. 14 Heb. 11. 6. Act. 10. 35. 2 Thes. 1. 11 12. Jâ—r 10. 25. 〈…〉 10. 12 13 1â— 15. 15. All Nations on Earth that have not the Gospel are obliged by God to the use of certain means 15 Act. 14. 17. 17. 27 28 29 30. Rom. 1. 19 20 21 22. 2. 4 7 10 14 15 16 27. Isa. 55. 6 7. and improvement of certain mercies in order or tendency to their Salvation And it is their sin if they use them not 16. God hath appointed no means in vain which men must either not use or use despairingly But his Command to use any means for any end containeth though not an explicite promise yet great and comfortable encouragement to use that means in hope 17. Therefore the world is now in comparison of the Catholick Church much like what it was before Christs incarnation in comparison of the Jews Church who yet had many wayes great 16 Jonah 4. 2. 3. 10. Act. 10. 35. Mal. 3. 14. Isa. 45. 19. Deut. 32. 47. Mal. 1. 10. Prov. 1. 22 23 24. Gâ—n 4. 7. Rom. 3. Rom. 2. advantage though God was not the God of the Jews only but also of the Gentiles who had a Law written in their hearts and an accusing or excusing Conscience 18. Those over-doing Divines who pretend to be certain that all the World are damned that are not Christians do add to Gods word and are great agents for Satan to tempt men to Infidelity and â—o Athâ—ism it self and to disswade mankind from discerning the Infinite goodness of God and occasion many to deny the Immortality of the soul rather than they will believe that five parts in six of the world now and almost all before Christs incarnation have Immortal souls purposely created in thâ—m to be damned without any propounded means and possibility-natural of râ—tnedy And as I know they will pour out their bitter censure on these lines which I could avoid if I regarded it more than truth so with what measure they mete it shall be measured to them and others will dâ—mn them as confidently as they damn almost all the world And I will be bold to censure that they are UNDOERS of the Church by OVER DOING See more in my Vindication of Gods Goodness Quest. 158. Should not Christians take up with Scripture wisdom only without studying Philosophy and other Heathens humane Learning Answ. I Have already proved the usefulness of common knowledge called Humane Learning by twenty Reasons in my book called The Unreasonableness of Infidelity pag. 163. part 2. sect 23. Prov. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Psal. 92. 5 6. 104. 24 25. 113. 5 6. 107. 8 15 21. Psal. 66. 3. 4. Psal. 111. 2 3 4 5 6. 145. 7 8 9 10 11 17 18 19. Act. 2. 6 7 8 9. 21. 40. 24. 2. 1 Cor. 14. 2 4 9 13 14 19 26 27. Rev. 9. 11. 14. 16. 5. 9. Psal. 19. 1 2 3. 94. 10. 139. 6. Prov. 2. 1 2 3 4. 8. 9 10 12. 1 Cor. 15. 34. Prov. 19. 2. Job 32. 8. 38. 36. Yet I refer the Reader to my Treat of Knowledge which sheweth the Vanâ—ty of pretended Learning to which I refer the Reader And only say now 1. Grace presupposeth Nature We are men in order of nature at least before we are Saints and Reason is before supernatural Revelation 2. Common knowledge therefore is subservient unto faith We must know the Creator and his works And the Redeemer restoreth us to the due knowledge of the Creator Humane Learning in the sense in question is also Divine God is the Author of the light of nature as well as of grace We have more than Heathens but must not therefore have less and cast away the good that is common to them and us Else we must not have souls bodies reason health time meat drink cloaths c. because Heathens have them Gods works are honourable sought out of all them that have pleasure therein And physical Philosophy is nothing but the knowledge of Gods works 3. And the knowledge of Languages is necessary both for humane converse and for the understanding of the Scriptures themselves The Scriptures contain not a Greek and Hebrew Grammar to understand the language in which they are written but suppose us otherwise taught those tongues that we may interpret them 4. The use of the Gospel is not to teach us all things needful to be known but to teach us on supposition of our common knowledge how to advance higher to supernatural saving knowledge â—aith Love and practice Scripture telleth us not how to build a house to plow sow weave or make our works of art Every one that learneth his Countrey tongue of his Parents hath humane Learning of the same sort with the learning of Greek and Hebrew He that learneth not to read cannot read the Bible And he that understandeth it not in the Original tongues must trust other mens words that have Humane Learning or else remain a stranger to it But though none but proud fools will deny the need of that humane Learning which improveth Col. 2. 8 9 23. 1 Cor. 2. 1 4 5 6 13. 3. 19. 2 Cor. â— 12. â—ob 28. 28. Prov. 1. 7. 9. 10. Joh. 17. 3. Gal. 4. 9. Eph. 3. 10. 1 Joh. 2. 13 14. Col. 1. 9 27 28. Eph. 6. 19. 1 Cor. 2. 11. Col. 3. 16. nature and is subservient to our knowledge of supernatural Revelations yet well doth Paul admonish us to take heed that none deceive us by vain Philosophy and faith that the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God and that the knowledge of Christ Crucified is the true Christian Philosophy or Wisdom For indeed the dark Philosophers groping after the knowledge of God did frequently stumble and did introduce abundance of Logical and Physical vanities uncertainties and â—alsities under the name of Philosophy by meer niceties and high pretendings seeking for the glory of wisdom to themselves when as it is one thing to know Gods works and God in them and another thing to compose a systeme of Physicks and Metaphysicks containing abundance of errours and confusion and jumbling a few certainties with a great many uncertainties and untruths and every sect pulling down what others asserted and all of them disproving the methods and assertions of others and none proving their
the Jews Instances of this desperate sin are innumerable There is no way so common by which Satan hath engaged the Rulers of the world against the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and against the Preachers of his Gospel and the people that obey him than by perswading them as Haman did Ahasuerus Esther 3. 8 9. There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the Provinces of thy Kingdom and their Laws are divers from all people neither keep they the Kings Laws therefore it is not for the Kings profit to suffer them if it please the King let it be written that they may be destroyed When once the Devil hath got men by error or sensuality to espouse an interest that Christ is against he hath half done his work For then he knoweth that Christ or his servants will never bend to the wills of sinners nor be reconciled to their wicked wayes nor take part with them in a sinful cause And then it is easie for Satan to perswade such men that these precise Preachers and people are their enemies and are against their interest and honour and that they are a turbulent seditious sort of people unfit to be governed because they will not be false to God nor take part with the Devil nor be friends to sin When once Nebuchadnezzar hath set up his golden Image he thinks he is obliged in honour to persecute them that will not bow down as refractory persons that obey not the King When Ieroboam is once engaged to set up his Calves he is presently engaged against those that are against them and that is against God and all his servants Therefore as Rulers love their souls let them take heed what cause and interest they espouse § 26. Direct 6. To Love your neighbours as your selves and do as you would be done by is the Direct 6. infallible means to avoid the guilt of persecution For Charity suffereth long and is kind it envieth not it is not easily provoked it thinketh no evil rejoyceth not in iniquity but rejoyceth in the truth it beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things endureth all things 1 Cor. 13. 4 5 6 7. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour therefore Love is the fulfilling of the Law Rom 13. 10. And if it fulfill the Law it wrongeth no man When did you see a Man persecute himself imprison banish defame slander revile or put to death himself if he were well in his wits Never fear persecution from a man that Loveth his neighbour as himself and doth as he would be done by and is not selfish and uncharitable § 27. Direct 7. Pride also must be subdued if you would not be persecutors For a proud man Direct 7. cannot endure to have his word disobeyed though it contradict the Word of God Nor can he endure to be reproved by the Preachers of the Gospel but will do as Herod with Iohn Baptist or as Asa or Amaziah by the Prophets Till the soul be humbled it will not bear the sharp remedies which our Saviour hath prescribed but will persecute him that would administer them § 28. Direct 8. Passion must be subdued and the mind kept calm if you would avoid the guilt of Direct 8. persecution Asa was in a rage when he imprisoned the Prophet A fit work for a raging man And Nebuchadnezzar was in a rage and fury when he commanded the punishment of the three witnesses Dan. 3. 13. The wrath of man worketh not the will of God Iames 1. 20. The nature of wrathfulness tendeth to hurting those you are angry with And wrath is impatient and unjust and will not hear what men 〈…〉 say but rashly passeth unrighteous sentence And it blindeth Reason so that it cannot see the truth § 29. Direct 9. And hearkning to malitious backbiters and slanderers and favouring the enemies Direct 9. of Godliness in their calumnies will engage men in persecution ere they are aware For when the wicked are in the favour and at the ear of Rulers they have opportunity to vent those false reports which they never want a will to vent And any thing may be said of men behind their backs with an appearance of truth when there is none to contradict it If Haman may be heard the Jews shall be destroyed as not being for the Kings profit nor obedient to his Laws If Sanballat and Tobiah may be heard the building of the Walls of Ierusalem shall signifie no better than an intended rebellion They are true words though to some ungrateful which are spoken by the Holy Ghost Prov. 29. 12. If a Ruler hearken to lyes all his servants are wicked for they will soon accommodate themselves to so vitious a humour Prov. 25. 4 5. Take away the dross from the silver and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer Take away the wicked from before the King and his Throne shall be established in righteousness If the Devil might be believed Iob was one that served God for gain and might have been made to curse him to his face And if his servants may be believed there is nothing so vile which the best men are not guilty of § 30. Direct 10. Take heed of engaging your selves in a Sect or Faction For when once you depart Direct 10. from Catholick Charity there groweth up instead of it a partial respect to the interest of that Sect to which you joyn And you will think that whatsoever doth promote that Sect doth promote Christianity and what ever is against that Sect is against the Church or cause of God A narrow Sectarian separating mind will make all the truths of God give place to the opinions of his party and will measure the prosperity of the Gospel in the world by the prosperity of his party as if he had forgot that there are any more men on the face of the earth or thought God regarded none but them He will not stick to persecute all the rest of the Church of Christ if the interest of his Sect require it When once men incorporate themselves into a party it possesseth them with another spirit even with a strange uncharitableness injustice cruelty and partiality What hath the Christian world suffered by one Sects persecuting another and faction rising up in fury to maintain its own interest as if it had been to maintain the being of all Religion The blood-thirsty Papists whose Inquisition Massacres and manifold murders have filled the earth with the blood of innocents is a sufficient testimony of this And still here among us they seem as thirsty of blood as ever and tell us to our faces that they would soon make an end of us if we were in their power As if the two hundred thousand lately murdered in so short a time in Ireland had rather irritated than quencht their thirst And all faction naturally tendeth to persecution Own not therefore any dividing opinions or names Maintain the Unity of the
Sedition among the people and accounting them as the filth and off-scouring of the world That zeal which murdered and destroyed many hundred thousand of the Waldenses and Albigenses and thirty thousand or forty thousand in one French Massacre and two hundred thousand in one Irish Massacre and which kindled the Marian Bonefires in England and made the Powder Mine and burnt the City of London and keepeth up the Inquisition I say that zeal will certainly think it a service to the Church that is their Sect to write the most odious lyes and slanders of Luther Zuinglius Calvin Beza and any such excellent servants of the Lord. So full of horrid impudent lyes are the writings of not one but many Sects against those that were their chief opposers that I still admonish all posterity to see good evidence for it before they believe the hard sayings of any factious Historian or Divine against those that are against his party It is only men of eminent conscience and candour and veracity and impartiality who are to be believed in their bad report of others except where notoriety or very good evidence doth command belief above their own authority and veracity A siding factious zeal which is hotter for any Sect or party than for the common Christianity and Catholick Church is alwayes a railing a lying and a slandering zeal and is notably described Iames 3. as earthly sensual and devilish causing envy strife and confusion and every evil work Direct 4. Observe well the Commonness of this sin of backbiting that it may make you the more afraid Direct 4. of falling into that which so few do scape I will not say among high and low rich and poor Court and Countrey how common is this sin but among men professing the greatest zeal and strictness in Religion how few make conscience of it Mark in all companies that you come into how common it is to take liberty to say what they think of all men yea to report what they hear though they dare not say that they believe it And how commonly the relating of other mens faults and telling what this man or that man is or did or said is part of the chatt to waste the hour in And if it be but true they think they sin not Nay nor if they did but hear that it is true For my part I must profess that my conscience having brought me to a custome of rebuking such backbiters I am ordinarily censured for it either as one that loveth contradiction or one that defendeth sin and wickedness by taking part with wicked men And all because I would stop the course of this common vice of evil-speaking and backbiting where men have no call And I must thankfully profess that among all other sins in the world the sins of SELFISHNESSE PRIDE and BACKBITING I have been most brought to hate and fear by the observation of the commonness of them even in persons seeming godly Nothing hath fixed an apprehension of their odiousness so deeply in me nor engaged my heart against them above all other sins so much as this lamentable experience of their prevalence in the world among the more Religious and not only in the prophane Direct 5. Take not the honesty of the person as sufficient cause to hear or believe a bad report of Direct 5. others It is lamentable to hear how far men otherwise honest do too often here offend Suspect evil speakers and be not over-credulous of them Charity thinketh not evil not easily and hastily believeth it Lyars are more used to evil speaking than men of truth and credit are It is no wrong to the best that you believe him not when he backbiteth without good evidence Direct 6. Rebuke backbiters and encourage them not by hearkning to their tales Prov. 25. 23. Direct 6. The north wind driveth away rain So doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue It may be they think themselves religious persons and will take it for an injury to be driven away with an angry countenance But God himself who loveth his servants better than we is more offended at their sin and that which offendeth him must offend us We must not hurt their souls and displease God by drawing upon us the guilt of their sins for fear of displeasing them Tell them how God doth hate backbiting and advise them if they know any hurt by others to go to them privately and tell them of it in a way that tendeth to their repentance Direct 7. Use to make mention of the good which is in others except it be unseasonable and will Direct 7. seem to be a promoting of their sin Gods giâ—ts in every man deserve commendations And we have allowance to mention mens vertues oftner than to mention their vices Indeed when a bad man is praised in order to the disparagement of the good or to honour some wicked cause or action against truth and godliness we must not concur in such malitious praists But otherwise we must commend that which is truly commendable in all And this custome will have a double benefit against backbiting It will use your own tongues to a contrary course and it will rebuke the evil tongues of others and be an example to them of more charitable language Direct 8. Understand your selves and speak often to others of the sinfulness of evil speaking and Direct 8. backbiting Shew them the Scriptures which condemn it and the intrinsecal malignity which is in it as here followeth Direct 9. Make conscience of just reproof and exhorting finners to their faces Go tell them of Direct 9. it privately and lovingly and it will have better effects and bring you more comfort and cure the sin of backbiting Tit. 3. The Evil of Backbiting and Evil Speaking § 1. 1. IT is forbidden of God among the heinous damning sins and made the character of a notorious wicked person and the avoiding of it is made the mark of such as are accepted of God and shall be saved Rom. 1. 29 30. it is made the mark of a reprobate mind and joyned with murder and hating God viz. full of envy debate deceit malignity whisperers backbiters Psal. 15. 2 3. Lord who shall abide in thy tabernacle Who shall dwell in thy holy hill He that backbiteth not with his tongue nor doth evil to his neighbour nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour And when Paul describeth those whom he must sharply rebuke and censure he just describeth the factious sort of Christians of our times 2 Cor. 12. 20. For I fear lest when I come I shall not find you such as I would and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not Lest there be debates envyings wraths strifes backbitings whisperings swellings tumults Ephes. 4. 31. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be kind one to another and tender hearted § 2. 2. It is
measures every man on earth is a false Worshipper that is he offereth God a worship some way faulty and imperfect and hath some sin in his worshipping of God And sin is a thing that God requireth not but forbiddeth even in the smallest measures Quest. 9. Which must I judge a true Church of Christ and which a false Church Quest. 9. Answ. The Universal Church is but one and is the whole society of Christians as united to Christ their only Head And this cannot be a false Church But if any other set up an Usurper as the Universal Head and so make another Policy and Church this is a false Church formally or in its policy But yet the members of this false Church or policy may some of them as Christians be also members of the true Church of Christ And thus the Roman Church as Papal is a false Catholick Church haveing the Policy of an Usurper but as Christians they may be members of the true Catholick Church of Christ. But for a particular Church which is but part of the Universal that is a true Church considered meerly as an ungoverned Community which is a true part of the Catholick prepared for a Pastor but yet being without one But that only is a true Political Church which consisteth of Professed Christians conjoyned under a true Pastor for Communion in the profession of true Christianity and for the true worshipping of God and orderly walking for their mutual assistance and salvation Quest. 10. Whom must we judge true Prophets and Pastors of the Church Quest. 10. Answ. He is a true Prophet who is sent by God and speaketh truth by immediate supernatural revelation or inspiration And he is a false Prophet who either falsly saith that he hath Divine revelations or inspiration or prophesieth falshood as from God And he is a true Pastor at the bar of God who is 1. Competently qualified with abilities for the Office 2. Competently disposed to it with willingness and desire of success And hath right ends in undertaking and discharging it 3. Who hath a just admission by true Ordination of Pastors and Consent of the flock And he is to be accounted a true Pastor in foro Ecclesiae in the Churches judgement whom the Church judgeth to have all these qualifications and thereupon admitteth him into possession of the place till his incapacity be notorious or publickly and sufficiently proved or he be removed or made uncapable Tit. 2. Directions for the Cure of sinful Censoriousness Direct 1. MEddle not at all in judging of others without a call Know first whether it be any Direct 1. of your work If not be afraid of those words of your Judge Matth. 7. 1 2 3 4 5. Iudge not that ye be not judged For with what judgement you judge you shall be judged c. And Rom. 14. 4. Who art thou that judgest another mans servant To his own Master he standeth or falleth And vers 10. 13. But why dost thou judge thy brother Or why dost thou set at nought thy brother We shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ Every one of us shall give account of himself to God Let us not therefore judge one another any more 1 Cor. 4. 3 4 5. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you or of mans judgement Therefore judge nothing before the time till the Lord come who both will bring to light the bidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts Col. 2. 16. Let no man judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of an holy day or of the new Moon or Sabbath Quest. But when have I a call to Iudge another Answ. You may take the answer to this from the answer to Quest. 10. Chap. 23. Tit. 1. 1. If your Office or place require it as a Magistrate Pastor Parent Master Tutor c. 2. If the safety of the Church or your neighbour do require it 3. If the good of the sinner require it that you may seek his repentance and reformation 4. If your own preservation or welfare or any other duty require it Direct 2. Keep up an humble sense of your own faults and that will make you compassionate to Direct 2. others He that is truly vile in his own eyes is least inclined to vilifie others And he that judgeth himself with the greatest penitent severity is the least inclined to be censorious to his brother Pride is the common cause of censoriousness He that saith with the Pharisee I fast twice a week and pay tythe of all that I have I am no adulterer c. will also say I am not as other men nor as this Publican when the true penitent findeth so much of his own to be condemned that he smiteth on his own breast and saith God be merciful to me a sinner The prouder self-conceited sort of Christians are ever the most censorious of their neighbours Direct 3. Be much therefore at home in searching and watching and amending your own hearts Direct 3. and then you will find so much to do about your selves that you will have no mind or leisure to be censuring others Whereas the superficial hypocrite whose Religion is in externals and is unacquainted with his heart and Heaven is so little employed in the true work of a Christian that he hath leisure for the work of a censorious Pharisee Direct 4. Labour for a deep experimental insight into the nature of Religion and of every duty Direct 4. For no men are so censorious as the ignorant who know not what they say whilest experienced persons know those difficulties and other reasons which calm their minds As in common business no man will sooner find fault with a Workman in his work than idle praters who least understand it So is it commonly in matters of Religion Women and young men that never saw into the great mysteries of Divinity but have been lately changed from a vicious life and have neither acquaintance with the hard points of Religion nor with their own ignorance of them are the common proud censurers of their brethren much wiser than themselves and of all men that are more moderate and peaceable than themselves and are more addicted to Unity and more averse to Sects and separations than they Study harder and wait till you grow up to the experience of the aged and you will be less censorious and more peaceable Direct 5. Think not your selves fit Iudges of that which you understand not And think not proudly Direct 5. that you are liker to understand the difficulties in Religion with your short and lazy studies than those that in reading meditation and prayer have spent their lives in searching after them Let not pride make you abuse the Holy Ghost by pretending that he hath given you more wisdome in a little time and with little means and diligence than your betters have by the