care one of another saith St. Paul that there be no Schism in the Body 1 Cor. 12. 25. And thus also it appears wherein lies the Edification of the whole Church namely in the settled Peace and Unity of all its Members For the Church being a Spiritual House is edified and built up by Unity and Peace but plucked down and broke to pieces by Divisions and Separations And this Peace and Unity is not to be had whilst we all seek to please our selves but only by Love which is a self-denying Virtue and the care of others And thus having explained both the Edification of particular Men in Faith and Manners and of the whole Church in the settled Peace and Unity of all its Members I proceed in the 3. And last Place to shew that this latter is to be preferr'd and must give Laws and Limitations to all means of promoting the former So that no man must ever seek to edifie in Schism or break the Peace of a confessedly sound and Lawful much less of an excellent and very edifying Church upon Pretence that he can edifie more in separate Meetings The latter of these I say is to be preferr'd and must give Laws to all means of promoting the former and particular Mens using any ways or seeking any helps to edifie in particular Graces must always be in subordination to the Unity and Edification of the Church As for all the Duties of Christianity they are bound to them absolutely and no care of maintaining Peace and Unity must ever draw them to forego them So that when any Sins are required in any Church as the Conditions of Communion as Adoration of the Host Worship of Images and Profession of false Articles are in the Church of Rome though thereby they break the Peace and Unity of that particular Church yet must every private Christian stand out and not comply with them For such Peace with that particular Church upon such corrupt terms were nothing less than entering into a Conspiracy both against the Universal Church which disclaims these Corruptions and against Jesus Christ the Head of it seeing it is upon Conditions expresly forbid by his Laws But when all these Doctrines and Duties of Christianity are left free nay openly taught and pressed on all men which in Truth is and our Brethren confess to be our Case then as for all the helps and outward opportunities of improving them as what Prayers they shall use and what Sermons they shall hear and such like these must give way to publick ends and be subordinate to the Churches edification To use the best Prayers and hear the best Sermons and be under the most edifying Helps are very desirable things indeed and he is very careless of his own Soul who when he wants them doth not seek them if they may be had and unthankful to Almighty God if he doth not prize and value them when he is placed under them But when we desire and in all Peaceable ways endeavour to have as good as we can we must at the same time be content to take up with such as we may have and not separate and divide the Church to find better We may be sensible of the want and of our great unhappiness under a less edifying means in any Church when that is truly the Case though God be thanked however our Brethren mistake it it is not so with us and both wish and fairly endeavour to remove the unhappiness But when we are sensible of them and wish they were removed we must not fall into Schism to remove them nor break the Peace and Unity of the Church for better means of private edification To evince this I observe 1. If a Man breaks Unity and publick Peace for better means of private Profiting he cannot be said so much as to improve in private Edification If we allow all Men to reject the established means which stand by publick Wisdom and to chuse any which they fancy better at their own Discretion they will not be likely to chuse such as are really more edifying I know 't is Natural for Men to think well of themselves and that unless they are wise they will be apt to fancy he undervalues them who would beget in them an humble Opinion of their own Judgments But in truth the generality of Men are unmeet and ill Judges in these things so that to set them free from the publick means and bid them chuse better for themselves is not the way to put them under such as are more profitable for them For some would still be changing for varieties sake not to have a more useful but a New Man it being the Property of itching Ears as well as of wanton Appetites to be cloy'd with the best Entertainments when they are held to them and never to like of any thing long And others would think to edifie more by those which really are less edifying They would too often chuse to themselves a Pastor either from his Gesture and Actions the cadence of his Voice his Zeal and Vehemence or from his abounding in affecting Phrases and taking Similitudes or from his Preaching pleasing things and insisting most on their beloved Opinions and for their sakes reject others who treat of more useful and weighty matters and lay out the great Points of Religion in all plainness and speak more to Mens Consciences whose Discourses though less pleasing perhaps to some Fancies are yet I am sure the more profitable Sermons The greatest number of Hearers are observed to be very injudicious in their choice and applause of Teachers and to prefer those who can do them less good before such as are really fitted to do more This is observed by men of the best esteem among our Brethren as well as by others amongst us And 't is no wonder it should be so observable of other Hearers when the Apostle tell us the very same of the Corinthians in his own case He was qualified sure in all respects as one of the most Powerful and Edifying Teachers and the Corinthians had known him well enough to see it and believe so of him But yet such Judges were several among them of edifying Preaching as to prefer others before him and desire rather to be under their Ministry than his which put him upon speaking so much in his own Praise as he doth 2 Cor. c. 11. and c. 12. So that if all Men were set loose from the means appointed by publick Wisdom and were left to chuse better for themselves since the generality are such unfit Judges in this case they would not ordinarily chuse such means as would more profit them But if they were all so wise as to fix on proper means and when they reject the established helps chuse such instead of them as really are more edifying yet if they break the publick Peace to come at them they cannot account themselves to improve in private Edification If a Man breaks Peace to improve
will please himself in some unmeet or unseasonable delight to the disturbance of the whole Houshold And he is an ill Man in any Neighbourhood and a bad Subject in any Country who will seek his own private gain and emolument tho it be at the general loss and when the Publick suffers by it It is ill in any Member for some private end to bring any Detriment to the Publick but especially to make Seditions and break the Peace and Unity which is the Ligament by which it stands for that is the Civil Death and Dissolution of it But as this is against the Fundamental Law of all Communities so particularly against the Laws Christ has made for the Peace and Preservation of his Church who obliges his Members to forgoe their own Private Profit for Publick Peace and Benefit more than any others He puts us in mind that we stand in his Church not as independent individuals who have only our own gain to look to but as Parts and Members God has made us the Body of Christ says St. Paul and Members in particular 1 Cor. 12. 27. And being Fellow-members he would have that beget in us a general care of all that are the same Body with us making us sensible not only of our own but of others wants and ready to denie our selves or forgoe our own pleasure or profit for their advantage If one Member suffer all the Members suffer with it or if one be honoured saith he all the rest rejoyce with it v. 26. And the Members should have the same care one of another v. 25. and let no Man seek his own but every Man anothers wealth 1 Cor. 10. 24. And this looking beyond our selves and having a mutual care of others will keep us from all Schisms and dividing the Church for our particular satisfaction or advantage When the Members have the same care one of another there will be no Schism in the Body v. 25. Among all the Duties he has injoyned he lays greatest weight as I have observed on those which make for Love and Peace so that they must be secured in the first place they are set as the Ruling Virtues which must give Laws which utterly excludes all Plea of breaking them upon pretence of Greater Profiting in any others In Religious Matters says the Apostle let us follow after the things which make for Peace and things whereby one may edifie another Rom. 14. 19. Above all things says he again put on Charity which is the Bond of Perfectness i. e. which by binding us together perfects us for all other Graces are imperfect as I before noted without Unity and Peace and it must be added to them to gain acceptance Col. 3. 14. And let the Peace of God rule in your Hearts whereto you are also called in one Body i. e. of all others Peace must give Laws and be the Ruling Virtue because it secures that which is the greatest Profit and most to be aim'd at in all Societies viz. Unity v. 15. Thus are Men in all Societies and the Members of Christ's Church more than any obliged to be most tender of Publick Benefit and Peace and to deny themselves in any Private Interests and Advantages rather than in pursuit of them to break Unity and work Publick Disturbance When they are Members of Publick Bodies they must have Publick Spirits and not seek their own Benefit against the Benefit of the Community So that if any man seeks only to please himself and to carry on his own Profit and Satisfaction he can only be Good then when there is none in the World besides himself and he lives alone but is an ill man and an awkward mis-form'd Member in all Society and Communion 2. This breaking Unity to redress and supply less edifying Means in the Church is like Sedition in the State for redress of Civil Defects and Grievances and subject to a like Condemnation What Sedition is in the Civil State that Schism is in the Church of Christ. It breaks one Society into many Pieces and makes them no longer one Body but so many several Bodies as there are disjoynted Parties And therefore church-Church-Schisms are call'd Seditions both by St. Paul the Works of the Flesh are Heresies Seditions i. e. Heresies and Schisms Gal. 5. 20 and by St. Clement ordinarily and other Apostolical Writers And when this is made in any Church for Means of better Edification because the established Helps happen to have some Defects and are not so fitted to our Profit as we would have them it is such another way of Redress as when a Sedition is made in a State to remedy the Defects and Grievances of any Kingdom In both which as the Remedy is most sinful being such an high and open Breach of Peace which God has made the most sacred of all Duties so is it withal most foolish and a way of Cure incomparably worse than the Disease For surely the tearing Things to pieces is the worst way of mending Faults and Sedition and the utter loss of Peace are among the worst of Grievances that can befal any Communities 3. 'T is against the End even of the best Helps and Means of Edification which is to establish Peace and keep out Schism and so are utterly perverted when they are made the Ground of Separation As for Private Graces and Improvements themselves the Exercise even of them is oft-times subject to this End and they are always best and most perfect when they are so used as that we may not only profit our selves with them but edifie the Church too Love and Peace are the Ruling Virtues as I have shew'd which must guide the rest and the Great End whereto all others must be made subservient This Rule St. Paul gives the Corinthians for the management of themselves in other Duties Let all your things be done with Charity so that even other Duties are in danger of losing their Grace when they are exercised uncharitably 1 Cor. 16. 14. And the Exercise of Devotion even in inspired Prayers and Hymns when Men were acted by them he tells them must be with deference to Peace and Publick Edification Every one saith he hath a Psalm but let all things be done to edifying 1 Cor. 14. 26. But as for all the outward Means and Helps of Edifying in these Private Graces they are more absolutely subservient to Peace and must be so used for profiting Private Men as that they be sure at the same time to edifie the whole Church and maintain Union These Means of Edification are either those Publick Officers God has appointed in his Church or those Gifts he bestows upon them for the Edification of Believers And tho it be a great Design of both these to edifie particular Persons in Faith and Practice yet is it an higher End to edifie the whole Church in Peace and Unity and keep out Schisms 1. This Edification of the whole Church and preserving Peace and Unity is the main
When the Corinthians broke the Unity of the Church on this pretence of greater profiting the Apostle charges the great sin of Schism upon them Under their Divisions they had this to plead that the common means were unedifying and that the Publick Assemblies were not so ordered as that they might receive the greatest profit by them When they came together every one had a new inspired Psalm or a Doctrine or a Revelation or an Interpretation the uttering whereof all at once bred nothing but confusion and was not as he says a doing things unto edifying 1 Cor. 14. 26. They were generally so forward to shew their Gifts of Tongues that every one in the Assembly that could was for uttering a Prayer or Revelation or an Exposition in a strange Language And this made their understanding Unfruitful unto others v. 14. So that the unlearned not understanding what was said could not say Amen at their giving of thanks v. 16 that the Speaker only edified himself v. 4 but that the Congregation was not edified v. 17. Nay there was then not only much unedifyingness in their Publick Assemblies but they divided on this pretence to associate themselves with more edifying Teachers They were Zealous as my Text says of Spiritual Gifts and mighty admirers of Gifted Men but very prone to slight others who were inferiour to them They were all for setting up the most powerful and edifying Pastors they gloried in Men. 1 Cor. 3. 21. They would flock to those they most admired where they thought to edifie most and become their followers but separate from others they were puffed up for one against another 1 Cor. 4. 6. Yea for the sake of their admired Teachers they would disparage even St. Paul himself alledging that he was rude in speech i. e. made less elegant clear and Edifying Sermons and less gifted than some other more followed Ministers 2 Cor. 11. 4. 6 which put him upon speaking so much in his own defence and commendation as he doth 2 Cor. c. 11. and c. 12. For so he excuses all that glorying and setting forth his own Praises I am become a fool in glorying but by such unjust preferring them above me ye have compelled me 2 Cor. 12. 11. But when they broke the Unity of the Church and burst thus into Strife and Division to set up the most Powerful Gifted Men and seek better means of edifying he tells them they are guilty of the great sin of Schism Whereas there are among you these Divisions tho shelter'd under these pretences ye are Carnal and walk as Men. 1 Cor. 3. 3. 5. And lastly If this Pretence of Edifying better by the Rent they make be a good and warrantable Reason for it there can be no such thing as Unity in the Church nor any stop to Separations For this Pretence will serve almost all men and that almost at all times to break loose so that no fast hold can be taken of them in any Church If the Rule be to break off from others and still to unite with that Teacher by whom he edifies most the next Question is Who shall judge who that is and that must be every man for himself for every man seems best able to tell his own Gains by what he finds and one is not a fit Judge of anothers Profit And when every man must seek a Teacher whom he fancies most tho in opposition to such as the Law has appointed since mens Fancies are infinitely various in this Point how can there be any Bond of Union in any Neighbourhood For one is most pleas'd with melting Tones and Voice and Vehemence another with pretty Sayings choice Similitudes and affected Allegories thinking there lies much Spirituality in affecting Phrases a third thinks Figures and Phrases only amuse the Fancy but darken Knowledge and is for hearing Weighty and Useful things deliver'd in Intelligible and Plain Discourses In Sermons some seek witty Conceits and Resemblances others ostentation of Learning in citation of Authors and Greek and Latin Sentences Some again think lightly of both these and seek more to be inform'd in Deep and Mysterious Points or to be fed with Discoveries of new Notions others to hear a clear State of hard Cases a third prefers the most pathetical moving Preachers a fourth is for the subtilest Disputants who shew most Dexterity and Skill in Controversies Thus various are Mens Judgments in these things And therefore if every Man be at liberty to chuse that Preacher by whom he edifies most in what he fancies best there is not like to be any setled Union in Parishes or Churches Nay the same Man will not be at unity with himself at different times For Mens Humours and Opinions of these Matters daily alter and when they change by this Rule they must also change their Teachers and so are never like to be true and constant even to their own admired Congregations If Men then are free to leave the Establish'd Ministry and adhere to any whom they think they can hear more profitably 't is plain the Church can be no such thing as the Scripture every where declares it is viz. One Body And thus upon all these Accounts it appears that the Edification and Unity of the Church must be preferr'd and sought in the first place and limit us in seeking out the best Means and Helps of Edifying in Particular Virtues So that we must never seek to supply supposed Defects and get better Means of Private Edifying by a Schism We may labour after them as we can in all Peaceable ways but must in no wise for their sakes break the Unity of the Church and make Divisions For this as I have shewn is against the Fundamental Law of all Communities which forbids Men to seek their own Private Profit at the Publick Loss it is against the Fundamental Laws of Christs Church who ingages all his Members to deny themselves and forego their Private Profit for Publick Peace and to be careful of it before all other Duties it is like raising Sedition in the Civil State for Redress of Grievances which is a most Foolish as well as Sinful Course it is an utter perverting of the true End of all Helps and Means of Edifying whose main Design is to maintain Peace and prevent Schisms it makes Separation endless and renders it impossible that there should be any such thing as Unity in the Church and when Men have divided the Church on this Pretence they have been charged with the great Sin of Schism in the Scriptures So that in seeking the best Means of Private Edification every Good Man must stop in Peaceable Ways which are the onely Ways that are Innocent yea and the Ways that are best too all things consider'd and the Benefit of Peace being cast into the Scales tho some others should happen to be better when consider'd abstractly in themselves And therefore no Conscientious or Wise Man must ever attempt to procure a Means more edifying to
A DISCOURSE Explaining the Nature of Edification BOTH OF Particular Persons in Private Graces AND OF The Church in Unity and Peace And shewing That we must not break Unity and Publick Peace for supposed Means of better Edifying in Private Virtues IN A VISITATION SERMON At COVENTRY May 7. 1684. BY JOHN KETTLEWELL Vicar of Coles-Hill in Warwickshire LONDON Printed for Robert Kettlewell at the Hand and Scepter over against St. Dunstans Church in Fleetstreet MDCLXXXIV THE PREFACE EDification as applied to the whole Body is in Scripture-Notion the Uniting of the Church but now by a very unhappy tho' a very common Mistake it is made the great Pretence for Dividing it For that wherein our Dissenting Brethren hope to shelter themselves in forsaking us is their Edifying more in Separate Congregations This is thought a Good Answer to all Laws requiring Communion with the parish-Parish-Churches for no Law they think can hinder them from Edifying and saving their own Souls and a sufficient Reason for their rejecting of any Imposed Pastors which they fancy are not to be appointed by the Will of the Patron or the Prescription of the Church but by every Man 's own Choice because no other is so much concerned for his Edification as he himself is To remove this Cause of Separation some Worthy Persons have taken very Pious and Profitable Pains in shewing how unjust the Charge of an Unedifying Ministry is upon our Church and how partial they are in ascribing more Edification to their Meetings And if our Brethren will peruse what they have said with impartial Minds and see this as they may if they will lay aside all Prejudice there will be no need of saying any more to satisfie them in this Business But if after all they will be Judges themselves where they Edifie most and in their Iudgment prefer their own Ministers yet still there is enough to with-hold them from Separation on this account because they are to edifie and build up the Church of God as well as themselves and must not break the Publick Unity and Peace to carry on their own Profiting in Private Graces And therefore referring them to the forementioned Discourses whose Principal Design I think that is to convince them that their Assemblies are not more and ours less Edifying in that part of this Sermon which concerns this Case I have applied my self more expresly to those who shall still be unconvinced and think they are and shewn them that supposing what indeed is otherwise that among them Particular Men have better Means of Edification yet will not the search of that warrant them to divide the Church and betake themselves to Separation And as it will not justifie the People in Hearing so which is the only thing I shall add further much less will it justifie their Ministers in Preaching in a Separate Meeting For the Preachers are not less but more obliged than the People are to edifie the Church of God in the first place And whatever Necessity they may think lies upon them to Preach the Gospel in Places where there are no other Preachers yet where there are and our Brethren will not deny there are store of Sound and Profitable ones among us the Care of Edifying the whole Church ought surely to restrain them from breaking Unity by Preaching and from drawing Men off from hearing us only in Hopes they may Profit more by joyning with themselves The Duty and the Desire as of reaping greater Profit themselves so of ministring to the greater Profit of any other Particular Christians must stop as this Discourse shews in Peaceable ways And therefore till our Brethren can Conform and preserve Unity under their Preaching they ought to be silent as the Old Peaceable Nonconformists were and quietly suffer the People to be taught by others and not exercise their Ministry out of any Hopes of doing more Good with it to their Particular Hearers when thereby they must cast off the Authority of their Lawful Superiors and make a Rent and Division in the Church 1 COR. XIV 12. Seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the Church THis Rule is here laid down in the Case of Extraordinary and Miraculous Gifts such as Prophesie or Inspired Preaching Tongues Miracles and the like which the Corinthians zealously coveted to amuse Beholders and get themselves a Name more than to Do Good with them to others and Edifie their Brethren But it is equally applicable to all Ordinary Gifts and Natural or Acquired Endowments as prompt and penetrating Wit clear Understanding sound Judgment Prudence in Conduct Fluent and Elegant Speech and the like for God's Design is the same in both he entrusts us with them not to feed Vanity and only seek Praise to our selves but to Profit and Edifie our Neighbours And as it holds in all sorts either of Natural or Miraculous Gifts so also in all Places and Offices which make room for the Exercise and Employment of them For as Edification is here made the End of all Gifts and Abilities so is it elsewhere of all Offices and Dignities in the Church God gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the Perfecting of the Saints and the Edifying of the Body of Christ Eph. 4. 11 12. So that Edification is the Great End of all those Gifts wherewith God endows Men and of all those Stations and Capacities whereto he calls them to shew their Gifts in It is the main thing which all are to seek and propose to themselves in all opportunities either of doing or receiving Good Forasmuch as ye are zealous of Spiritual Gifts seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the Church In Discoursing upon these Words I shall First Explain the Nature of Edification and shew what Improvements it implies Secondly Press it as the Great Point whereat they are to aim on all sorts of Christians First I shall explain the Nature of Edification and shew what Improvements it implies And this well deserves to be distinctly and clearly stated both for its own sake because God has made it the Prime End whereto all Mens Parts and Opportunities are to be directed and also for the Churches because the lamentable Divivisions that have so long prey'd upon the Vitals of Religion and the Bowels of this Church are in great part owing to Mens Mistakes about it For one of the Commonest and I think of the most Specious Pretences our Dissenting Brethren give for their leaving our Parish-Churches is that they Edifie and Profit more in their Private Meetings If this Pretence were true it seems very plausible For St. Paul directs all Men to make Edification their Aim in these things and it seems to argue a great Goodness and a great Wisdom and so to be most commendable in any Man to desire to be better'd by all the Prayers he uses and every Sermon which he hears And whether it be true or no they think they are
fittest to judge and that no other Persons are so able to tell them what Prayers and Sermons they are most benefited by as from their own Experience they are able to tell themselves And therefore fancying it is for their greater growth in Grace and Edification they take heart and think no Good Man who knows how bad he is at best and is careful to grow as good as he can will blame them for it to break the Unity of the Church and joyn themselves to Separate Congregations Whereas were they truly inform'd in the Scripture-Notion of Edification they would see clearly that there can be no Pretence of Edifying in a Schism and that supposing in some Respects they could edifie more as they say by their own Preachers yet would not that authorize them to make a Rent in the Church and separate from us Edification in Scripture-sense is the same as Benefiting or Profiting A Neighbour as St. Paul notes is Edified when he is pleased to his Good Rom. 15. 2 and strange Tongues he says do not edifie the Church because they do not profit it 1 Cor. 14. 5 6. So that by our being Edified in Religion is meant our Profiting and advancing in it when we attain either some Particulars which before we wanted or more Strength and Firmness in those we have already The Reason why this Benefiting in Religion is call'd Edifying is because both every Private Christian and the Whole Church is compared in Scripture to a Building Sometimes Particular Christians are called the Temple of God Know ye not says St. Paul that your Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is spoken of Particular Persons 1 Cor. 6. 19 and again What agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols 2 Cor. 6. 16. The Temple of God i. e. a believing Husband with Idols i. e. with an unbelieving Wife who worships Idols that being plainly the Case there treated of v. 14 15. And at other times which is the most general use the Whole Church or Community of Christians is styled so The Church is called the House of God in the House of God saith the Apostle which is the Church 1 Tim. 3. 15. 'T is call'd his Temple Ye are the Temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in or among you as it did in the Temple among the Jews 1 Cor. 3. 16 and his Building Ye i. e. the Church of Corinth are God's Building 1 Cor. 3. 9 and the Church of Jews and Gentiles mention'd Eph. 2. 19 is call'd the Building fitly framed that grows into an holy Temple in the Lord builded for an Habitation of God thro the Spirit v. 20 21 22. And this Application of it to both these is well noted by Theophylact The Temple of God says he is a Title given in common both to the Church or Collection of all the Faithful and to every Private Christian. And because in Scripture-Language both the Whole Church and Particular Christians are thus call'd God's Building pursuant to that Metaphor the adding and laying together those Excellencies that are to integrate either the Whole Body or any Good Man or the giving Strength and Firmness to them is call'd Edification Now in explaining this Profiting and Spiritual Edification I shall shew 1. Wherein lies the Edification of Particular Men and Private Christians and that is in any Growth or Improvement either in Faith or Manners 2. Wherein lies the Edification of the Whole Church and that is mainly in the setled Peace and Union of its Members 3. That this latter is to be preferr'd and must give Laws and Limitations to all Means of promoting the former So that no Man must ever seek to edifie in Schism or break the Peace of a confessedly Sound and Lawful Church upon pretence that he can edifie more in Separate Meetings 1. I shall shew wherein lies the Edification of Particular Men and Private Christians and that is in any Growth or Improvement either in Faith or Manners This Benefiting of Particular Men is one sort of Edification the Scripture speaks of He that prophesies saith St. Paul speaketh unto men to edification i. e. to the benefit of every one that hears him 1 Cor. 14. 3. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying i. e. to improve your Brethren as you converse with them Eph. 4. 29. And let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification i. e. to profit him in Religion Rom. 15. 2. In these and other Places the Edification spoken of is that of Particular Men and Private Christians when they are any ways furthered and assisted in those Things which may please God and save their Souls Now Religion consisting of two Great Parts Faith and Obedience the Spiritual Profiting and Edification of every Man must consist in his being any ways assisted encouraged or improved in either of these Duties So that then every Person is edified when his Life and Practice is any thing amended or his Knowledge of Religious Matters is more clear and perfect or his Belief of them more firm and setled or his Affections for them more fervent or his holy Resolutions and the Religious bent of his Heart more unalterably establish'd or his Conscience more freed from Doubts or fuller of Comfort and Joy in God than it was before 1. The chief Instance of any Particular Mans Edification and that which indeed is the End of all the rest is when his Life and Practice is any thing amended And thus 't is when he is more Devout and resign'd to God more Just and Charitable to all Men more Humble Temperate and Mortified to this World or improved in any other Parts of Good Life and Conversation When he gains more Virtues or gets a greater Degree of Constancy and Firmness in them having fewer Escapes and standing in harder Trials and doing his Duty with more delight and easiness than he was wont to do This Amendment of Life is one way of Edifying For St. Paul says of Church-Censures whose End is Reformation of Manners that they are given for edification 2 Cor. 13. 10 and of vain Questions and Disputes which make none the better Livers that they do not minister to godly edifying i. e. to Edification in Godliness 1 Tim. 1. 4. Yea it is the principal point and the main thing in Edification For the Religion of a Good Life is that which thro the Merits and Grace of Christ must save us all at last and which God will look at in the Day of Judgment It is the very End and Accomplishment of Faith and Knowledge for by Works as St. James saith Faith is made perfect Jam. 2. 22. It is the Casting Point and the One thing necessary in Religion so that when Men seek to edifie in Religion they must seek above all to be better'd and improved in Holy Living And when they seek to be edified in
Belief especially of weighty and useful Things when he is more fervent in Godly Affections chiefly if they are accompanied with Convictions of Reason and rais'd by powerful Arguments when he is more unalterably fixed in virtuous and holy Resolutions more satisfied in Practical Cases and Doubts of Conscience or more comforted with Joy in God and the Hopes of Eternal Happiness I proceed now 2. To shew wherein lies the Edification of the Whole Church and that is mainly in the settled Peace and Union of its Members Edification in the Scriptures doth Principally and most commonly refer to the whole Church For it as I have noted is most usually styled and most properly resembled to a Building since it contains in it such a Number of Particulars which as so many live Stones as St. Peter says are built into this Spiritual House 1. Pet. 2. 5. And this Edification of the Church or Body of Christians is spoken of by St. Paul in the Text Seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the Church and so again to the Ephesians Christ gave Apostles and Prophets c. for the perfecting of the Saints and for the edifying of the Body of Christ. Eph. 4. 11 12. Now this edifying of the whole Church lies mainly in the settled Peace and Union of its Members and the Great instrument of that is Love which makes us look not altogether at our own things but at the things of others 1. The edification of the whole Church I say lies mainly in the settled Peace and Union of its Members The Church indeed is edified in the edification of its particular Members when they grow in Faith and Manners because it is not barely a Body of Men but a Body of Men professing Faith and Holiness so that then it is perfected and improved when they grow in these Virtues And so those Gifts which were most instructing and most apt to improve Knowledge and Good Life as Prophecy are said here to be more for the edification of the Church than other Gifts less instructing as Tongues But the edification Peculiar to it as it is one Body and a Church is the Peace and Union of its Members For Peace and Unity edifies and builds up as Separation and Division dissolves and plucks asunder all Societies The laying together and cementing Wood and Stones builds up as the dividing and scattering them abroad pulls down a House and so do Unity or Division build up or destroy all Communities A House or City divided against it self says our Saviour shall not stand and every Kingdom divided against it self is brought to desolation Mat. 12. 25. So that the edification of the Church which consists of such a vast number of Members is the keeping and establishing them in Unity and Peace and nothing is more opposite to edifying than Schisms and Divisions St. Jude opposes Edification to Separation These be they who separate themselves but contrary to that Ye Beloved building up your selves on your most Holy Faith c. intimating that to edifie or build up they must forbear to Separate Jude v. 19. 20. St. Luke says the Churches were edified when they ceased to be Persecuted and Dispersed and were suffered to be settled and united Then says he had the Churches rest throughout all Judea Galilee and Samaria and were edified Acts 9. 31. where by Edified I think we may well understand their being settled in Peace and established not only because their Rest is given as the reason of it to intimate that then they were edified when they were no longer scattered but also because the increase in Grace and Spiritual Comfort the other meaning of Edification is mentioned besides and added to it were edified and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost were multiplied v. 31. And St. Paul says the Church edifies it self not only when by the supply of all the Parts there is an increase in Goodness but when moreover it preserves Unity and the Whole Body is compacted by what every part supplies So that Edification must imply Unity and Compactness in the Body as well as other instances of Personal and Private Virtue From Christ says he the whole Body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joint supplies makes increase of the Body unto the edifying of it self Eph. 4. 16. Thus in the Scripture Notion doth the Edification of the Church consist in the Unity Peace and Compactness of its Members And this St. Paul plainly teaches when he exhorts to Follow after the things which make for Peace because it is with them we must edifie one another Rom. 14. 19. And when he ascribes Edification to Charity that Great Bond of Peace and Union 't is Charity says he that Edifies 1 Cor. 8. 1. And thus Theophilact well explains the Scripture Notion The Building says he that is all the Faithful compacted and united into one Body So that in his Sense the Church is then Built up when it is compacted and united And again Knowledge without Charity puffs up and swells and by that means divides from other Members and makes a Schism Whereas on the contrary Charity edifies opposing Edification to Separation i. e. maintains Union 2. And The great instrument of this Peace and Union is Love which makes us look not altogether at our own Things but at the Things of others If Men seek only themselves and will use nothing but what seems best to their own Fancies and works most upon their own Humours and Affections it is not possible there should be Peace and Unity in any Church For there is almost as great a diversity in Fancies and Affections especially about lesser matters as there is in Faces and it is never to be expected that in such cases all Men should like and approve of the same things more than that all Palates should be pleas'd with the same Meats and Sauces So that whilst every Man will please himself and gratifie his own Humour there is not like to be any Union and Edification of the Church But that which works this Peace and Union must be Love of others The Body increases saith St. Paul by the supply from every Part to the edifying of it self in Love Eph. 4. 16. And whereas Knowledge puffs up and cares not though we lose others Charity says he edifies i. e. preserves Peace in the Church and keeps together all its Members 1 Cor. 8. 1. The Members of Christ saith St. Austin are coupled to each other by the Charity of Union it being Love which unites them and by the same Charity they cohere to Christ their head too 'T is Love that is the Publick-spirited Virtue which as the Apostle says seeks not her own 1 Cor. 13. 5 and carries us to deny our selves out of care and kindness for our Brethren And this care of others is the only thing which can maintain Unity and prevent Schism The Members must have the same
in Knowledge he loses more than he gets for in Christianity Love is better than Learning and a peaceable Temper in the Eyes of God of higher Price than a skillful Understanding Covet earnestly the best Gifts among which Prophesie and Knowledge must have Preference and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way to be coveted beyond all of them viz. the way of Charity which he begins there to treat of 1 Cor. 12. 31. If he disolves Unity and incurs Schism to profit better in some other Duties of a Christian he takes a very mistaken course since Love and Unity are most especially recommended and are the very chief of them If it be possible and as much as lies in you live peaceably with all men Rom 12. 18. Above all things my Brethren put on Charity which is the very bond of perfectness i. e. most perfect in it self and that which perfects all other Virtues Col. 3. 14. And above all things have fervent Charity among your selves for Charity shall cover the multitude of sins i. e. it shall stand you in more stead at the Great day than any other Duties 1 Pet. 4. 8. And now abideth Faith Hope and Charity these three all Chief and Cardinal Graces but the greatest of these is Charity 1 Cor. 13. 13. Thus are Love and Peace and Unity the very top of Christian Duties and the most edifying things in all private Persons so that they are first to be secured and must not be parted with in hopes thereby to improve in any others Nay without them we cannot edifie in any others to any purpose For if we throw aside Charity which seeks not her own but has a care of other Men v. 5. and that care of others as he declared just before will keep out Schism the greatest Proficiency in Knowledge or other Virtues is unprofitable and useless We have no profit at all by Knowledge or other accomplishments of our Understandings Tho I have the gift of Prophecy and understand all Mysteries and have all Knowledge and the Tongues of Men and Angels and Faith to remove Mountains If after all I have no Charity it profits me nothing 1 Cor. 13. 1 2. Nay we have no profit by the bravest Actions but even the best and costliest things we do a sad Case God knows are thrown away and will not avail to save us Tho I am Heroically liberal in Alms and leaving my self naked bestow all my Goods to feed the Poor yea tho I die for Religion and give my Body to be burned a Martyr yet if I have not Charity it profits me nothing v. 3. So true was that Observation of the Primitive Christians that wilful Schism that consummate Breach of Charity and Union is the same among other Virtues that the Dead Fly is among the Costliest Oyntments it will mar all that any man doth and is not to be expiated by any thing no not by Martyrdom Schismaticks says St. Cyprian tho they are slain for confessing Christ yet is the stain of Schism so deep their very Blood cannot wash it out It is an inexpiable Crime from which a man cannot be purged though he dies for Christ. Let him give himself to fry in the Flames or be tore in pieces by Wild Beasts that shall not crown his Faith with Victory but pass only for the Punishment of his Treachery He may be slaughter'd but he shall not be Crown'd For he cannot be one of Christs Martyrs who is not one of the Churches Members Thus are Charity Peace and Unity the most excellent and edifying things in every private Christian nay of that necessity that no other Gifts or Graces not the deepest Knowledge nor the noblest Alms nor Martyrdom it self are of any use or able to profit us without them So that when to edifie in other Duties Men transgress them they give away more than they get and are not so truly advanced forward as set back and so cannot pretend to go on in Private Edification But besides that they are thus really made worse as Private Christians I observe 2. That if they were as much improved as really they are hindred yet would it by no means be lawful for them to make a Schism and break the Peace and Unity of the Church to be better edified For though it be well that Men should seek to edifie and profit themselves in particular Virtues and do this with care seeking after the best means yet at the same time it is equally true also that in so doing they must secure the Peace and Edification of the whole Church They must not be so zealous for any means of better edifying and profiting themselves as for its sake to make a Rent in the Church and create Publick Disturbance And this may appear from these Reasons 1. Because it is against the Fundamental Law of all Societies which is That no Man shall seek his own Private Profit and Enrichment by the Publick Loss and Dissettlement And particularly 't is against the Laws Christ has made for the Peace and Preservation of his Church who engages his Members to forego their own Private Profit for the Publick Peace and Benefit more than any others 2. This breaking Unity to redress and supply less edifying Means in the Church is like Sedition in the State for Redress of Civil Defects and Grievances and subject to a like Condemnation 3. 'T is against the End even of the best Helps and Means of Edification which is to establish Peace and keep out Schism and so are utterly perverted when they are made the Ground of Separation 4. When the Corinthians broke the Unity of the Church on this Ground the Apostle charg'd the great Sin of Schism upon them 5. If this Pretence would acquit from Schism there can be no such thing as Unity in the Church nor any stop to Separation 1. I say thus to break Unity and Publick Peace only that we may have better means to edifie and profit our selves in private virtues is against the Fundamental Law of all Societies which is That no Man shall seek his own private profit and enrichment by the publick loss and dissettlement The Publick Interest in all reason deserves to be more regarded than any Mans Private Benefit For it is infinitely of greater weight and contains more in it So that if any private profiting may claim to be pursued the publick much more wherein every single Mans share weighs as much as that and has the vast number of all the rest added to it And the subsistence of all society and good order requires it should be so prefer'd since otherwise it would evermore be some Mans turn for his own particular profits sake to break it And when any Men embody and combine in Societies by so doing they all virtually ingage and profess to do it And in all Communities he really is and is generally held an ill Man who doth otherwise He is a bad Member in a Family that
End of Gifts Thus we are told of Knowledge which St. Paul rejects when it is used only to build up and please our selves and is not govern'd by Charity that edifies others 1 Cor. 8. 1. And thus also of Prophesie or Preaching that great Means of Edifying Believers For tho it was then an extraordinary and inspired Gift yet was it to be limited by Publick Ends and the Spirit of Prophecy to be stinted and suppressed when it came unseasonably upon them in the Church and by moving several to speak at the same time bred confusion and Publick disturbance The Spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets i. e. to govern them in subserviency to the Churches Peace For God is not the Author of Confusion i. e. he bestows no Gifts to serve that end but of Peace as in all Churches of the Saints 1 Cor. 14. 32 33. And to name no more in this case St. Paul as I have shewed makes Charity that uniting Virtue and sure obstacle of all Schisms the most excellent of all Gifts So that when the gifted Men themselves are zealous to exercise their Gifts or others are zealous to be under them they must both have a higher zeal to shew their Charity and maintain it in the first place Follow after Charity says he again and desire Spiritual Gifts So that in all exercise and pursuit of them they must not fail to follow Love and take it along with them 1 Cor. 14. 1. 2. It is also the great end of those Officers whom God has appointed and empowered and whom he has endowed with these Gifts for the edification of his Church such as Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and Teachers For they are given says St. Paul for the perfecting of the Saints and the edifying of the Body of Christ. Eph. 4. 11 12. They are given for the perfecting of the Saints i. e. for the edifying particular Christians in Faith and Practice but yet so as to be given also for the edifying of the Body of Christ till we come in the Unity of the Faith to a perfect Man So that when these Officers seek to edifie particular Believers they must be sure at the same time to secure another end i. e. the edification of the Body and Unity of the Church They are given as Members which shews evidently they must make up but one Body and keep Unity with the other parts Nay they are given as joynts which are the very Ligaments of Union and Compactness These Officers are given as Members of the Church and that shews they must make up one Body and keep Unity with the other parts For the Unity of the Body is to be the care of all the Members especially of those which excel in Gifts or are highest in Dignity and Office Thus it is as the Apostle observes 1 Cor. 12. in the Natural Body It has several Members very different in endowments and destined some to more some to less honourable Offices But because of this difference the more able and honourable Members do not set up for themselves and seek a Separate Profit or applause or make a Schism and divide from others Tho there be many Members says he they all make up but one Body v. 20. And the Eye tho a more Honourable Member cannot separate Interests or say to the Hand tho less Honourable I have no need of thee nor again the Head to the Feet I have no need of you v. 21. And none seek only themselves which would cause Divisions but they have all the same care one for another if one suffer all the rest suffering or if one be honoured all the rest rejoyceing with it that there be no Schism in the Body v. 25 26. And like to this in Natural Bodies is the difference of Officers in the Church Tho that have variety of Gifts as Wisdom Knowledge Prophecy Faith Miracles c. v. 8 9 10. And variety of Officers and Ministers some gifted more some less some higher some lower in Authority than others for there are differences of Administrations v. 5 God having set first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers after that Miracles and Gifts of Healing i. e. Persons endowed with them Helps i. e. some distributing Charity as Deacons or attending on Impotent and Orphans Governments as Bishops and Presbyters Diversities of Tongues v. 28. Tho I say in the Church there be this difference both of Gifts and Ministries yet must not those differently Gifted or Authorized Officers draw different ways and form divided Parties but all aim at the Unity of the whole Body as its Natural Members As all the Members in the Body Natural are one Body so also is Christ the different Ministeries and Members making but one Body in him likewise v. 12 And the several Ministeries as Apostles Prophets c. are all the Body of Christ says he and Members in particular which therefore must cement together and not fall off and divide from each other v. 27 28. And as we have many Members in one Body Natural and yet all these Members though the Body be but one have not one and the same Office more than these Members of the Church So we being many Members and Officers the variety whereof is described v. 6 7 8. are still to be but one Body in Christ and every one Members one of another the difference in Offices giving no more liberty to divide the Church than the same difference in the Natural Members doth to divide the Natural Body Rom. 12. 4 5. Nay these Officers are not set only as Members which as we have seen is enough to prevent Schism but they are set in the Church as joynts which are to compact all the other parts and are the very Bonds and Ligaments of Union The whole Body says St. Paul fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplies Eph. 4. 16. Every joynt i. e. Every Officer and Church-governour for in them the other Members are joynted and united to one another And since they are joynts they must fasten and unite all the other parts together not tear them from each other what they supply says the Apostle must compact the Body and therefore must in no wise divide it and of one make many So that as for the extraordinary Abilities and edifying power of some Pastors and Teachers it must never occasion or head Schisms and Divisions But must be so applied by them and so sought to by others that whilst it labours to build up Faith and Good Life in particular Persons at the same time it build up Unity in the Church and Body of Christ. When an increase is endeavoured by the effectual working in every part that must be in such measure as the Apostle says again as secures the whole Body and consists with Publick Peace and settlement The effectual working in the measure of every part makes increase of the Body to the edifying it self in Love Eph. 4. 16. 4.
himself by Separation From this it may plainly appear how unwarrantably our Dissenting Brethren act in Separating from us whom they confess to be a sound and lawful Church upon pretence that they can edifie more in Separate Meetings To satisfie them wherein it may be very fit to consider 1. Whether that is indeed true which is supposed by them viz. That their Preaching is in it self fitter than ours is for edification It is an invidious thing to make Comparisons especially when they are to commend our selves but we may very innocently and inoffensively admonish them to examine this Point well before they pronounce thus of it Do they come to hear us before they complain of the unedifyingness of our Sermons And if they come at all is it only now and then by fits or often if not constantly for so long at least till they have heard all the Parts and so can comprehend the whole Design and bear away the Connexion of our Discourses And when they are at Church do they give diligent heed and attend to what we say And in attending do they hear us without prejudice against our Persons and a design to find faults and pick up something to complain of Yea what is more do they hear us as I presume they do their own Teachers with Reverence and composed Thoughts which greatly prepare the Mind to profit and edifie by any Discourses and which tho sometimes perhaps undeserved by the Preachers skill and eloquence are yet always most due to the Religion and Solemnity of the Service and are Tempers that all Men ought to put on whilst others are speaking to them in Gods Name and delivering his Message And after they have heard do they give themselves the trouble to make what they heard their own and apt to stick by them and affect them by meditating upon it and applying it to themselves and so bringing it close to their own Consciences Without this Honesty and Impartiality and Godly care in hearing they would not be edified if the Holy Ghost himself were to preach to them and when Christ himself was upon Earth his Sermons were unprofitable and did not edifie the generality of his Hearers for the want of them and if they are in the same fault in hearing us no wonder they are little edified by our Preaching And after all this when they pass Sentence by what Rule do they try the profitableness of our Discourses Do they judge a Sermon edifying only as it speaks according to their Opinion or insists most on some things and delivers them in such forms of speech as most please them or is full only of the glorious Priviledges of the Saints which though fit to be treated of sometimes must not ingross all our Discourses or be more insisted on than those Duties which are to secure them to us and gives comfortable intimations that they are all theirs which may feast their Fancies with the delightful Thoughts of their being more precious and dear to God than others Do they judge it to be edifying I say only from such things as these or as it answers the foregoing Description of Edification Do they hear Discourses of weightier matters or more plain and intelligible Accounts less darkned with Phrases and Metaphors or stronger Reasons for any Doctrines or clearer Explications of any Duties or more perspicuous and careful states of any Cases or wiser Directions for any Points of Practice or more forcible Motives to ingage to the use of them or more satisfactory Solutions of any important Questions and Doubts of Conscience in the Separate Meetings than they might hear in the Parish Churches If they try the Point by these Measures 't is like they will not be so forward to pronounce against us nor talk so much of the edification of their own Preachers and the want of it in ours 2. If as they suppose their Sermons were fitter than ours are for edification yet are not they sure to edifie more by them For we are but the Means and Instruments but the Effect of all proceeds from Gods Blessing We are only Ministers says St. Paul by whom you believed I have planted and Apollos watered but God gave the increase 1 Cor. 3. 5 6. And we are most sure of Gods Blessing when we keep in Gods own way and wait upon him in those Means which he has allotted us For God is wont to bless most his own Appointments and that not only when they best answer the end of their Institution and are most useful and edifying but even when they are degenerated and edifie less and accordingly our Saviour referred Men to them when that was really the Case The Scribes and Pharisees in his time were far from the most edifying Teachers being both wicked and ignorant two most unedifying Qualities They were Blind Guides Mat. 23. 16 and bad Livers being full of Vain Glory Rapine and Hypocrisie c. v. 5 6 14. But yet unedifying as they were since they sat in Moses Seat he refers the Jews to their Ministry to expect the Blessing of God in their due attendance upon it v. 2 3. The Priests in those Days by the Scripture-accounts of them were far from the Holiest Men so that if the Holiness of him that brings it be any recommendation of the Gift they were not in themselves the fittest to present an Offering But yet because they were the Means of Gods appointing when the Leper was cleansed and was to return God an Oblation Christ orders him to carry it to the Priest because thro his Hands God would accept it of him Mat. 8. 4. Thus is Gods Blessing which is the great cause of our profiting to be looked for in Gods own ways and in attendance upon the means which he has allotted us and we have not a like reason to expect it when we reject them especially if we run into a plain Breach of that Unity and Good Order he has established in his Church in pursuit of others And when Gods Blessing goes along with them we shall edifie more by weaker means so that a more edifying Sermon in an unedifying way such as Schism is is not so like to profit us But 3. If they could edifie more by them yet is it in no wise lawful thus to break the Unity and Peace of the Church for better Edification There is no breaking Publick Peace as we have seen for better means of Private Profiting so that no Man must ever seek to edifie in Schism or to grow in Grace by joyning in Separation And thus I have explained the Nature of Edification and shewn what Improvements it implies viz. Any increase in Private Virtues or in Publick Settlement and Peace So that then any Man edifies in Religion when he is bettered in any Point of Faith or Manners or made more complying with innocent Publick Constitutions and a more peaceable Member of the Church And having thus shewn what it implies I am now 2. To press it
as the Great Point whereat they are to aim on all sorts of Christians And here had I time I should urge all Christians to lay out themselves in improving useful Knowledge and obedient Practice and peaceable Inclinations to stir up and cherish in themselves devout Affections and daily renew and strengthen Holy Purposes and express in the whole course of their Lives the power of Godliness in all due submission to their Governours and tender care of the Churches Peace as well as in all Duty towards God and exercise of Private Virtues For this is truly to grow in Grace and be edified Believers I would intreat you my Reverend Brethren in the Name of Christ whose Ministers we are not only to be exemplary and shining Lights in edifying thus your selves but also to be wise and unwearied in your Labours in carrying on this Edification among all others you can any ways work upon especially those committed to your Charge That you would instruct the ignorant with all assiduitie and plainness convince the erroneous with all gentleness and calm arguings yea with all Patience and Perseverance remembring that it is an hard matter and a work of time for a Man to cast off old and rivited Opinions and that any one is troubled enough in being shewed his error without hearing of it in Anger and Invective Speeches and labour to win all Men over to an universal Holiness with your utmosh skill and diligence That you would study to be plain and useful in all your Sermons Prudently bold and impartial in Reproofs warning Men against all even their beloved Vices with such freedom as may keep their Consciences awake and yet with such shew of tenderness and prudent timing of Reproof as may not tempt them to fly out from us endeavouring to reclaim them from Schism which is most mischievous to the Church and which nothing can excuse before God but an honest Ignorance and the pitiableness of unmasterable Prepossessions and from all Prophaneness and Immoralities which without particular Repentance and Amendment are most surely mischievous to their own Souls which have no Plea of Pardonable Ignorance and Involuntariness and for which there is no Excuse at all In all which by the Love of Christ I would beseech you to shew all Wisdom and Diligence and Patience and unwearied Perseverence and compassionate Tenderness and Love for Souls I would in all Christian Love beseech our Dissenting Brethren and be instant with them since it so nearly concerns both the Church and them that they would seek no longer to build up only themselves but to edifie the Church of Christ which they certainly pull down by their Separation In very deed they may have great Means of Private Edification in our Church and need not seek for better in any other Place They will edifie sufficiently by our Sermons as I have noted if they bring along with them prepared Minds and and without them the Jews could not edifie by the Sermons of Christ and his Apostles And if they cannot edifie by the Churches Prayers too the Fault I am sure is not in the Prayers but in themselves For consider Brethren the Prayers we use are not to give Affections to us but to express those we have so that when we come to Pray we must bring them along with us And if we come with an awful sense of God in our Minds with serious and good Purposes and devout Affections we need no better Helps to express them than the Churches Service For therein are sound suitable and well-composed Prayers which extend to all Necessities begging all needful Graces and praying particularly both against Sins and Calamities and requesting outward Blessings and giving Thanks for Receipt of Mercies and interceding for all States and Conditions of Persons and suited to the Great Periods and States of Life In all which they pitch upon the most pertinent and proper things and express them in Grave Plain and Significant Language and are intermixed with Responses to fix Attention and call back wandring Thoughts and are parcell'd into Collects to give Breath and not weary us out with an uninterrupted continuance of intense Affections So that if we bring with us a Heart to desire these things here we have Prayers to suggest and express our Desires of them yea such as whilst they do express are greatly fitted to increase them Thus fit are they to edifie in themselves and this great Numbers of truly Pious and Devout Souls have found and from their own Experience can testifie concerning them And now if any shall still charge such excellent Prayers as unedifying where lies the blame whether in the Deadness of the Prayers or the Indevotion and Unpreparedness of their own Hearts If a Man thinks the most wholesom and substantial Food distasteful or insipid 't is a sign he has a depraved Appetite And if he feels no Devotion in the use of such Pious Wise and Profitable Forms 't is a sign his Soul is sick and that his Spiritual Sense has lost its Taste since the most agreeable Food is no better rellish'd by it He is Indevout not because the Prayers do not suggest Devout things nor cloath them in Proper and Devout Expressions but because he doth not hold his Mind attent or has not prepared his Heart to be affected with them So that if these our Brethren will take the Godly Care and Pains to mend this Fault which is in themselves and come with Reverent and Prepared Minds they will not I believe complain any longer of Deadness and want of Edification in the Churches Prayers which are not only Good but as those who use them without prejudice and with Devotion in their Hearts can testifie very excellent for that purpose But tho they could not so well edifie themselves in them yet by the Love of Christ I would beseech them to seek no longer to build up only themselves but to edifie the Church of Christ which they pull down by their Separation Make Conscience of Peace and Unity Brethren and think them as Necessary things as any others in Religion Remember it is one of the necessary Properties of Charity to have such care of others as keeps out Schism and that without this Charity there is no Benefit in any Services no not in Martyrdom and how then can you account to your selves the throwing that away for any other thing Esteem your selves as Members of the Body and consider that the Body is built up by Unity This Christ has founded upon himself and the Apostles those Master Builders have edified by compacting it into one and how then will you look either upon him or them who pluck asunder what they put together and pull it down by Division The Design of God in all the most Powerful Gifted Ministers is to build up the Body and keep out Schism and what account will you give to him for crossing that Design in making these not only the Heads of Parties but the Pretence
of Separation If you had lived in Corinth when Men separated as you do here to follow more Gifted Guides would not you have returned again to the Unity of the Church upon the Apostle's Admonition And why then should you not do the same now upon this Intimation that his Reproof reaches you as much as it did them The Way of Separation my Brethren is a most unedifying Course for Unity builds up but Schism destroys the Church and all Societies So that if you would edifie the Church which is Christ's Spouse if you will be at any pains to build it up as he was at the pains to die for it it must be in the way of Peace and by submitting to any thing which you think may be done with a safe Conscience as this Plea it self shews you do think in our Case it being against our Way only because as you say less Edifying not because of any Unlawfulness rather than upon account thereof to divide and form separate Parties I would exhort you the Church-wardens to be careful of edifying not only as Private Christians but also in the faithful discharge of your Oaths considering that Perjury has in it a most horrible Guilt and in the Duties of your Places That when you endeavour to suppress Vices you would be impartial and intire in such endeavours considering that all Notorious Swearing Drunkenness and Immoralities as well as staying away from Church and that all staying away out of Irreligion and Carelessness as well as out of Scruples and pretence of Conscience is equally a matter of your Oath and a Point wherein you may do God and the Souls of Men Service The Church-wardens swear indeed to discharge this only according to the best of their Knowledge but then they must use a competent endeavour to know it and this is no warranty at all to affect Ignorance and much less to pass over what they do know in negligence or connivance And many it may be of those that fail would discharge it so far as they know were it not that they are afraid to anger and displease their Neighbours But 't is most unreasonable any Man should be angered with them for performing their Oaths and discharging a Good Conscience Can any Man if he has left the Conscience have left the Modesty withal so far as to desire them to forswear themselves and destroy their own Souls to do him a kindness Or will any Man that is Conscientious and stays from Church out of Conscience take it ill that they should be tender of their Consciences as well as he is of his and dread the horrid Sin of Perjury the greatest wound to a Good Conscience They have no liberty of Connivance being bound up by Oaths so that if any favour and indulgence be expected it must not be from them but at higher Hands And therefore no Man in any Reason or Modesty can be angred at them for acting faithfully according to their Oaths But if any be that Anger at Men for performing Oaths and a Good Conscience is nothing less than frighting them from their Duty and laying Stumbling-Blocks before others and putting the Burden of the Cross on Good Mens Shoulders for good Actions which has so many Woes denounced to it in the Scriptures And as for the Church-wardens themselves when they incur any Displeasure or Malice of Men on this account they may encourage themselves with this that therein they suffer for Righteousness sake and endure the Cross for keeping a Good Conscience wherein they may comfortably commit themselves to God expecting that either his Providence will prevent any ill effects or infinitely make them up to them afterwards because they have thus exposed themselves only to be faithful in his Service FINIS Books lately Printed for Robert Kettlewel at the Hand and Scepter in Fleet-street THe Measures of Christian Obedience or A Discourse shewing what Obedience is indispensably necessary to a regenerate state and what defects are consistent with it for the promotion of Piety and the Peace of troubled Consciences By John Kettlewel Vicar of Coles-hill in Warwick-shire The second Edition with large Additions in Quarto Price bound 8s An Help and Exhortation to worthy Communicating or A Treatise describing the Meaning Worthy Reception Duty and Benefits of the Holy Sacrament and answering the Doubts of Conscience and other reasons which most generally detain Men from it together with suitable Devotions added By John Kettlewel Vicar of Coles-hill in Warwick-shire In Twelves Price bound 3s Two hundred Queries Moderately propounded concerning the Doctrine of the Revolution of Humane Souls and its conformity to the truth of Christianity together with a Dissertation concerning the Pre-existency of Souls In Octavo Price bound 2s 6d * See a Discourse of Profiting by Sermons and another Of Edification * Eph. 3. 19. Heb. 3. 6. 1 Pet. 2. 5. †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. Comment in Eph. 2. v. 21. * Rev. 2â— 13. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. in Eph. 2. v. 22. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. in 1 Cor. 8. 1. †Unde utique manifestum est eum qui non est in membris Christi Christianam salutem habere non posse Membra vero Christi per unitatis charitatem sibi copulantur per eandem capiti suo cohaerent quod est Christus Jesus Aug. de Unit. Eccl. cont Ep. Peâ—il Donat. c. 2. †It grieves my very Soul to think what pitiful raw and ignorant kind of Preaching is crowded most after in many places for the mere affectionate manner of expression and loudness of the Preachers voice How oft have have I known the ablest Preachers undervalued and an ignorant man by Crowds applauded when I that have been acquainted with the Preacher abincunabulis have known him to be unable well to answer most Questions in the common Catechism Mr. Baxter Cure of Ch. Divis. p 215. And againe The worlds experience puts it past doubt that the generality of the Vulgar Unlearned and Injudicious sort of men do value a man by his Tone and Voice more than for the Judgment and excellency of his matter if not put off by such Advantage Id. Defence of Cure Ch. Divis. p. 108 109. Also Hildersh Lect. 58. on Jo. 4. p. 270. †1 Cor. 14. 1. 5. †c. 12. v. 25. * Tales etiamsi occisi in confessione nominis fuerint macula istae nec sanguine abluitur Inexpiabilis Gravis culpa Discordiae nec Passione purgatur Ardeant licet flammis ignibus tradite vel objecti Bestiis animas suas ponant non erit illa fidei corona sed Paena Perfidiae c. Occidi talis potest coronari non potest Esse Martyr non potest qui in Ecclesia non est Cyp. de Unit. Eccles. p. 113 114. Ed. Ox. †1 Cor. 12. 3â— * Eph. 4. 4. Col. 3. 15.