of hope unto the end and let us not be slothful but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises Now the God of Peace who brought again from the Dead our Lord Jesus Christ the great Shepherd of the Sheep through the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant make you Perfect in every good word and work working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight SERMON XI The Blessedness of Good Men after Death The Second Sermon on REV. XIV 13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me Write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth Yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them IN my Explication of these Words I told you that they are in the general Sense and Meaning of them a solemn Declaration of the Blessed Estate of Good Men after this Life but deliver'd upon a Special Occasion as is signified by that expression VOL. II. from henceforth that is from the time of that Vision in which was represented to St. John the last and extremest Persecution of the faithful Servants of Christ and which should precede the fatal downfal of Babylon from that time blessed are the dead which die in the Lord that is considering the Extremity and the cruel Circumstances of this last and severest Persecution we may from that time forward reckon those who are already dead supposing that they died in the Lord to be very Happy in that they do not live to see and suffer those grievous things which then will befall the Faithful Servants of God In my former Discourse I consider'd the Words according to the general intention of them abstracting from the particular occasion upon which they were spoken endeavouring to set forth the Happy Estate of Good Men after this life from the Two Reasons and Grounds mention'd in the Text namely because they rest from their labours and because their works do follow or accompany and go along with them which two particulars constitute the Happiness of the future State Serm. XI That which farther remains and to which I now proceed is to make some Inferences from what I have said upon this Subject And in doing this I shall have an Eye on the special occasion of the Words as well as on their general intention And the Inferences shall be these following First If those that die in the Lord are at rest from their Labours and Pains then this Text concludes directly against the feigned Purgatory of the Church of Rome which supposeth a great number of those that die in the Lord and have obtain'd Eternal Redemption by him from Hell not to pass immediately into Happiness but to be detain'd in the Suburbs of Hell in great Pain and Torment till their Souls be Purged and the Debt of Temporary Punishment to which they are liable be some way or other paid off and dischargeed Secondly Here is a mighty encouragement to Piety and Virtue to consider that all the good we do in this World will accompany us into the other Thirdly It is a great encouragement to Patience under the Sufferings and Persecutions which attend Good Men in this World that how heavy and grievous soever they are at present they will end with this Life and we shall then rest from all our labours Fourthly The consideration of the extreme Sufferings of Christians in the last Times and which perhaps are not far from us should render us very indifferent to Life and all the enjoyments of it so as even to esteem it a particular Grace and Favour of God to be taken away from the Evil to come and by Death to prevent if he sees it good those extremities of Sufferings which seem to be hastning upon the World I. If those that die in the Lord are at rest from all their labours and pains then this Text concludes directly against the feigned Purgatory of the Church of Rome which supposeth a great number yea the far greatest part of those that die in the Lord and have obtain'd Eternal Redemption by him from Hell not to pass immediately into Happiness but to be detain'd somewhere they are not certain where but most probably in the Suburbs of Hell in great Pain and Torment equal in degree to that of Hell and differing only in Duration I say to be detained there till their Souls be purged from the Defilements they have contracted in this World and the Debt of Temporary Punishments to which they are liable be some way or other paid off and discharged They suppose indeed some very few Holy Men to be so Perfect at their departure out of this Life that they do immediately and without any stop pass into Heaven because they need no Purgation and those likewise who Suffer Martyrdom because they Discharge their Debt of Temporary Punishments here But the generality of Christians who die in the Lord they suppose so imperfect as to stand in need of being Purged by Fire and accordingly that they are detained a longer or shorter time as their Debt of Temporary Punishments is greater or less And indeed they have a very Considerable and Substantial Reason to exempt as few as possibly they can from going to Purgatory because the more they put in fear of going thither the Market of Indulgences riseth the higher and the Profit thence accruing to the Popes Coffers and the more and greater Legacies will be left to the Priests to hire their saying of Masses for the delivery of Souls out of the Place of Torments For tho' the Prayers of Friends and Relations will contribute something to this yet nothing does the Business so Effectually as the Masses and Prayers of Priests to that end But how is it then that St. John says that those that die in the Lord are happy because they rest from their labours If so be the far greatest part of those who die in the Lord are so far from resting from their labours that they enter into far greater Pains and Torments than ever they endured in this World And therefore Bellarmine that their Doctrine of Purgatory may receve no prejudice from this Text would have from henceforth in the Text to be dated from the day of Judgment when he supposeth the Pains of Purgatory will be at an end But why from henceforth should take date from the day of Judgment he can give no Reason but only to save Purgatory from being Condemned by this Text. For St. John plainly speaks of the Happiness of those that should die after that time whatever it be which he there describes but that time cannot be the day of Judgment because none shall die after that time Just thus Estius one of their most Learned Commentators deals with another Text which by the generality of their Writers is urged as a plain proof of Purgatory he shall be saved yet so as by fire Upon which he says it is sufficient that there is nothing in this
John 3.8 For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he might dissolve or demolish the works of the Devil by which St. John does more especially mean the idolatrous worship of the Heathen which consisted in the multitude of their Gods and the bloody and barbarous Rites and Sacrifices whereby they Worshipped them and likewise in the multitude of their Mediators between the Gods and Men who were also esteemed by them an inferiour sort of Deities Both these kinds of Idolatry had strangely prevailed and over-run the World before the appearance of our Lord and Saviour who came on purpose to deliver Mankind from the horrible Superstition and Slavery of the Worship of false Gods to pull down this Kingdom of the Devil and to demolish that Fabrick which he had been so long a rearing and to beat him out of those strong holds which he thought had been impregnable God indeed gave some check to these many Ages before and not long after their first appearance by the Jewish Religion which was on purpose introduced and confirmed and established by so many and such mighty Miracles to preserve and keep alive in the World the primitive Tradition and Belief of the One true God and likewise to be as it were some Shadow and rude Draught of that more perfect Dispensation of the Christian Religion which by one Sacrifice once offered and by one Mediator between God and men was to put an end to the infinite Superstitions of the Heathen Worship and all the bloody and barbarous Rites of it and likewise to the Idolatry they were guilty of in the Worship of their inferior Deities whom they look'd upon as a middle sort of Powers between the Gods and Men and therefore addrest themselves to them as Mediators between the Superior and Heavenly Gods and Men here on Earth This was plainly one of the great designs of the Christian Religion and therefore it concerns Christians to understand it and to be very careful that they do not suffer themselves to be deluded by any specious Pretences whatsoever to bring these things back again into the Christian Religion for the ruin and extirpation whereof it was purposely designed and intended And this seems plainly to be the meaning of that Caution wherewith St. John concludes his Catholick or General Epistle namely That Christians should be very careful that they were not carryed back again into the Heathen Idolatry by the confident Pretences of the Gnostick Hereticks to higher Degrees of Knowledge and. Illumination than other Christians had that is by their pretending to be the Infallible Church and the only true and genuine Christians For it is against this Sect that this Epistle is plainer designed which St. John thus concludes Chap. 5. from Ver. 18. to the end We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not meaning that he doth not commit the Sin unto death which he had spoken of just before viz. Apostacy from Christianity to the Heathen Idolatry or that which was very like it whosoever is born of God doth not commit this sin but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself and that wicked one toucheth him not that is he preserveth himself from the Contagion of Idolatry into which the Devil was so busie to seduce Mankind And we know that we are of God that is do belong to the true God and are Worshippers of him And the whole world lieth in Wickedness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in the power or under the dominion of that wicked One that is the greatest part of Mankind was sunk into Idolatry and the Worship of the Devil And we know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true We know that is we Christians are better Taught by the Christian Religion to acknowledge and worship the only true God And we are in him that is true in or by his Son Jesus Christ that is we Worship the only true God by his Son Jesus Christ And then he concludes Little Children keep your selves from Idols Intimating hereby that the Worshipping of any other besides this only true God and by any other Mediator than Jesus Christ is Idolatry There were indeed two very ancient and common Notions both amongst Jews and Gentiles of the Original whereof it is hard to give any certain account only this is certain that they did prevail very early and did very generally possess Mankind And they were these First That God was not to be appeased towards Sinners meerly upon their Repentance without the Death and Suffering of some other in their stead and that God would accept of this vicarious Punishment and Suffering instead of the Death of the Sinner himself And this seems to have given the Original to the Sacrifices of Living Creatures to appease the Wrath of God towards Sinners which in process of time as the Worship of false Gods prevailed in the World did proceed to that Degree of Superstition and barbarous Inhumanity that by the instigation of the Devil Men offered up the Blood of their Children and Sacrificed their Sons and Daughters to their Idols and false Gods Secondly Another common Notion which had likewise possest Mankind was That God was not to be immediately approached by sinful Men but that their Prayers were to be offered up to the Deity by certain Mediators and Intercessors that were to procure for them the Favour of the Gods and the gracious Answer and Acceptance of their Prayers And this was the Original of that other sort of Heathen Idolatry which consisted in the Worship of their Demons and Heroes that is of Angels and Souls departed viz. of such eminent Persons as had been great Benefactors to Mankind and for their worthy Deeds upon Earth were Canonized and translated into the number of their Inferior Gods By these as the chief Courtiers and Favourites of Heaven they address'd their Prayers and Supplications to the Superiour Gods Now with these Notions which had generally possess'd Mankind how imperfect soever God was pleased to comply so far as in the Frame of the Jewish Religion which was designed for a Type of the more perfect Institution of the Christian Religion and a Preparation for it I say God was pleased to comply so far with these Notions as to appoint Sacrifices to be slain and offered up for the Sinner and likewise an High Priest that once a year should enter into the Holy of Holies with the Blood of Sacrifices that were offered up for the People to make Expiation for them and in vertue of that Blood should interceed for the People as the Apostle to the Hebrews does declare at large And when God sent his Son in the fullness of time he was pleased likewise in the dispensation of the Gospel that perfect institution which was never to be altered to have so much regard to these common Notions and Apprehensions of Mankind as to
for his Religion when he cannot be persuaded to live according to it So that by this we may try the Sincerity of our Resolution concerning Martyrdom For what Profession soever Men make he that will not deny himself the Pleasures of Sin and the Advantages of this World for Christ when it comes to the push will never have the Heart to take up his Cross and follow him He that cannot take up a Resolution to live a Saint hath a Demonstration within himself that he is never like to dye a Martyr SERMON X. The Blessedness of Good Men after Death Preached on All-Saints Day REV. XIV 13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me Write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth Yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them I Will not trouble you with any nice Dispute about the Author of this Book of the Revelation or the Authority of it VOL. II. tho' both these were sometimes controverted because it is now many Ages since this Book was received into the Canon of the Scriptures as of Divine Authority and as written by St. John Nor shall I at this time enquire into the particular meaning of the several Visions and Predictions contained in it It is confessedly in several parts of it a very obscure Book and there needs no other Argument to satisfie us that it is so than that so many Learned and Inquisitive Persons have given such different Interpretations of several remarkable Passages in it as particularly concerning the slaying of the Two Witnesses and the number of the Beast The words which I have read to you tho' there be some difficulty about the Interpretation of some particular Expressions in them yet in the general Sense and Intendment of them they are very plain being a Solemn Declaration of the Blessed State of Good Men after this Life And that we may take the more notice of them they are brought in with a great deal of Solemn Preparation and Address Serm. X. as it were on purpose to bespeak our attention to them I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me Write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth And for the greater Confirmation of them the special Testimony of the Spirit is added to the voice from Heaven declaring the Reason why they that die in the Lord are Pronounced to be in so happy a Condition Yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them In the handling of these Words I shall First inquire into the particular Sense and Meaning of them Secondly Prosecute the general Intendment of them which I told you is to declare to us the Blessed Estate of those that die in the Lord that is of Saints and Good Men after they are departed this Life First I shall enquire into the particular Sense and Meaning of the Words To the clearing of which nothing will conduce more than to consider the Occasion of them which was briefly this In the Visions of this and the foregoing Chapter is represented to St. John the great Straits that the Christians the true Worshipers of the True God should be reduced to On the one hand they are Threatned with Death or if they be suffered to live they are interdicted all Commerce with Humane Society Chap. 13.15 And he had power to cause that as many as would not worship the Image of the Beast should be killed And Verse 17. That no man may buy or sell save he that had the Mark of the Beast And on the other hand they that do Worship the Beast are Threatned with Damnation Chap. 14.9 10. If any man do worship the Beast the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God and shall be tormented with fire and brimstone So that whenever this should happen it would be a time of great Trial to the sincere Christians being threatned with Extream Persecution on the one hand and Eternal Damnation on the other and therefore it is added in the 12 Verse Here is the Patience of the Saints Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus This is represented in St. John's Visions as the last and extremest Persecution of the true Worshipers of God and which should preceed the final Downfall of Babylon And when this should happen then he tells us the Patience of the Saints would be tried to purpose and then it would be seen who are faithful to God and constant to his Truth and upon this immediately follows the Voice from Heaven in the Text And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me Write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth Yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them The main Difficulty of the words depends upon the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from henceforth which Interpreters do variously refer to several parts of the Text. Some by changing the Accent and reading it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 would change the signification of the word into omninò omninò beati sunt they are altogether blessed very happy who die in the Lord. But this is altogether destitute of the Countenance and Warrant of any ancient Copy We will then suppose that the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to be rendered as we Translate it from henceforth from this time All the Difficulty is to what part of the Text we are to refer it Some refer it to the word Blessed Blessed from henceforth are the dead which die in the Lord As if from this time and not before the Souls of Good Men were immediately after Death admitted into Heaven which many of the Ancient Fathers thought the Souls of Good Men who died before the coming of Christ were not But then this Blessedness ought to have been dated not from the time of St. John's Vision but of Christ's Ascension according to that of St. Ambrose in the Hymn called Te Deum When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers Others refer it to dying in the Lord Blessed are the dead that from henceforth die in the Lord. But this hath no peculiar Emphasis in it because they were blessed that died in the Lord before that time Others refer it to the words following concerning the Testimony of the Spirit yea from henceforth saith the Spirit All these Varieties agree in this Sense in general That some special Blessedness is Promised and Declared to those who should die after that time But what that is in Particular is not easie to make out But the most plain and simple Interpretation and that which seems to be most suitable to the Occasion of these words is this that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from henceforth is to be referred to the whole Sentence thus from henceforth blessed are the
that their works shall be rewarded but that they shall go along with them and that they are blessed upon this Account and this implies that they shall receive a sure Reward For as the Apostle Reasons God is not unrighteous to forget our Work and Labour of Love Verily there is a Reward for the righteous as sure as there is a God that judgeth in the Earth But how Great and Glorious that shall be I am not in any measure able to declare to you It may suffice that the Scripture hath assured us in general that God is the Rewarder of Good Men and that he will make them Happy not according to what can now enter into our narrow Thoughts but according to the exceeding greatness of his Power and Goodness If we are to receive our Reward from God we need not doubt but it will be very large and such as is every way worthy of him to bestow For he is a great King and of great Goodness and we may safely refer our selves to him in confidence that he will consider us not according to the Meanness of our Service but according to the Vastness of his Treasures and the Infinite Bounty of his Mind If he hath promised to make us Happy tho' he have not particularly declared to us wherein this Happiness shall consist yet we may trust him that made us to find out ways to make us happy and may believe that he who made us without our Knowledge or desire is able to make us Happy beyond them both Only for the greater Encouragement of our Holiness and Obedience tho' he hath promised to Reward every Good Man far beyond the Proportion of any Good he hath or can do yet he hath declared that these Rewards shall be proportionably greater or less according to the degree of every Man's Piety and Virtue So our Saviour tell us that they who are persecuted for righteousness sake great shall be their reward in heaven Matt. 5.12 That there will be a difference between the Reward of a righteous Man and a Prophet that is of one who is more publickly and eminently useful for the Salvation of others And among those who are Teachers of others they that are more industrious and consequently more likely to be successful in this Work shall have a more Glorious Reward as we are told by the Angel Dan. 12.3 And they that be Wise or as it is in the Margin rendred they that be Teachers shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever So likewise we find in the Parable of the Talents that he that improv'd his Talent to Ten was made Ruler over Ten Cities And St. Paul 2 Cor. 9.6 speaking of the Degrees of Mens Charity and Liberality towards the Poor says expresly He that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly but he that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully which by Proportion of Reason may be extended to the Exercise of all other Graces and Virtues 1 Cor. 15.41 42. The Apostle there represents the different Degrees of Glory which Good Men shall be invested with at the Resurrection by the different Glory and Splendor of the Heavenly Luminaries There is one glory of the Sun another of the Moon and another glory of the Stars for one Star differeth from another Star in glory So also is the Resurrection of the dead So that the more any Man suffers for God and the more Patiently he Suffers the more Holily and Virtuously the more Charitably and Usefully he lives in this World the more good Works will accompany him into the next and the Greater and more Glorious Reward he may hope to receive there which as the Apostle Reasons in the Conclusion of that Chapter concerning the Doctrine of the Resurrection ought to be a mighty Encouragement to every one of us not only to be stedfast and unmoveable that is fix'd and resolute in the Profession and Practice of our Religion but abounding likewise in the work of the Lord forasmuch as we know that our labour is not in vain in the Lord. Every Degree of Diligence and Industry in the Work and Service of God will most certainly one day turn to a happy Account Having therefore such Promises dearly Beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God The more perfectly holy we are here on Earth the more perfectly happy we shall be in Heaven and continue so to all Eternity I have now done with the Two Reasons which are here given in the Text of the Happiness that Good Men such as die in the Lord shall be made Partatakers of in another Life because they rest from their labours and their works accompany them they are freed from all the Evils which they suffer'd and shall receive the Reward of all the Good they have done in this Life I should now have proceeded to make some Inferences from this Discourse But those I will reserve for another Discourse on this Subject All that I shall add at present as the Application of what I have already said is That this should stir us up to a careful and zealous Imitation of those Blessed Persons described in the Text who are dead in the Lord and are at rest from their Labours and whose works do accompany them Let us Imitate them in their Faith and Patience in their Piety and Good Works and in their Constancy to God and his Truth which was dearer to them than their Lives Thus their Virtues and Sufferings are described in the Visions of this Book Chap. 13.10 Here is the Patience and the Faith of the Saints and Chap. 14.12 Here is the Patience of the Saints Here are they that keep the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus and Chap. 12.11 And they overcame by the Blood of the Lamb and by the Word of their Testimony and they loved not their Lives unto the Death In this Way and by these Steps all the Saints and Martyrs of all Ages have ascended up to Heaven and attained to that Blessed State which they are now Possessed of after all the Evils which they Suffered in this World They are now at rest from their labours and all the good Works which they have done are gon along with them and they are now and shall for ever be receiving the Comfort and Reward of them And if we tread in their Steps by a zealous Imitation of the Piety and Holiness of their Lives and of the Constancy and Patience of their Sufferings we shall one Day be Translated into their Blessed Society and made Partakers with them of the same Glorious Reward If we have our Fruit unto Holiness our end shall be everlasting life If we be faithful unto death we shall receive a Crown of Life Let us then as the Apostle to the Hebrews exhorts Chap. 6.11 12. Every one of us shew the same Diligence to the full assurance
the Congregation of Israel Of the First and Last of these Degrees of Excomunication our Saviour seems here to speak but whether in both Instances in the Text he alludes in the one to the lowest and in the other to the highst Degree of Excommunication among the Jews is not so certain To the First he plainly does when he says they shall put you out of the Synagogues And then he adds that they should proceed much higher against them even to put them to death the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doth God service that is they should not only think it Lawful to kill them but look upon it as a Duty as a high Act of Religion as an acceptable Piece of Worship and a Sacrifice well-pleasing to God For so indeed the word does not only import but most properly signifie whosoever killeth you shall think 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he offers a Sacrifice to God for so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is sometimes used for a Sacrifice but being joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seems necessarily to be determined to that Sense From the words thus explained I shall make these following Observations very proper for our Consideration upon the Occasion of this day 1. That the best of Men may be separated and excluded from the Communion of those who may assume to themselves to be the true and the only true Church yea and suffer under the Notion of very Bad and Criminal Persons This our Saviour here foretold of his Apostles some of the best Men that ever lived They shall put you out of their Synagogues 2. That they who are thus Excommunicated by the pretended true Church may nevertheless be real Members of the true Church of Christ Tho' the Apostles were thus dealt withall by the Jewish Church they did not cease for all that to be Members of the true Church of God 3. That from uncharitable Censures Men do easily and almost naturally proceed to Cruel Actions After they had put the Disciples of our Lord out of their Synagoguse and thereby concluded them to be Hereticks and Reprobates they presently proceed to kill them as not worthy to live They shall put you out of their Synagogues and when they have done that they will soon after think it a thing not only fit but Pious and Meritorious to put you to death the time will come that they will think it a good service to God to kill you 4. That Men may do the Vilest things and the most Wicked not only under a grave pretence of Religion but out of a real opinion and perswasion that they do Religiously Murder is certainly one of the greatest and most crying Sins and yet our Saviour foretells that the Jews should put his Disciples to death being verily perswaded that in so doing they offered a most acceptable Sacrifice to God Yea the time shall come that whosoever killeth you shall think that he offers a Sacrisice to God 5. That such Actions are never the less horribly Impious and Wicked notwithstanding the good Mind with which and the Good End for which they are done The Jews were not excused from the guilt of Persecution and Murder for all they thought they did well in killing the Disciples of our Lord. 6. I observe that the Corruption of the best tilings is the worst Religion is the highest Accomplishment and Perfection of Humane Nature and Zeal for God and his Truth an excellent Quality and highly acceptable to God And yet nothing is more Barbarous and spurs Men on to more horrible Impieties than a blind Zeal for God and false and mistaken Principles in the matter of Religion as is plain from the Instances here before us in the Text. I shall speak as briefly as I can to these Observations 1. That the best of Men may be separated and excluded from the Communion of those who may assume to be the true and only true Church and that under the Notion of very Bad and Criminal Persons This our Saviour foretells in the Text should be the Fate of his Apostles some of the best and holiest Persons that ever lived they shall put you out of the Synagogues And what the Jews did in the beginning of Christianity to the Apostles of our Lord and Saviour hath been too frequently practised since by some of the Professors of Christianity toward one another and very Good Men have in several Ages fallen under the Censure of Excommunication and been separated from the External Communion of the Church and branded with the odious Names of Hereticks and Apostates by those who have arrogated to themselves to be the only Orthodox and true Church and have gotten the external Power and Management of Religion into their hands witness the Case of Athanasius and others in the Reign and Prevalency of Arianism and the ill Treatment that not only particular Persons Eminent for their Learning and Piety but whole Churches have met with in this kind from that haughty and uncharitable Church which makes nothing of thundering out this most fearful Sentence of Excommunication against Persons and Churches much better and more Christian than her self and against all that will not submit to her pretended Infallibility and usurped Authority over the Souls and Consciences of Men. But it is our great Comfort that the Apostles and Disciples of our Lord and Master were thus used by a Church that made the same Pretences that they do and upon Grounds every whit as plausible as I could clearly shew if I were minded to persue and make out this Comparison 2. They who are thus Excommunicated by the pretended only true Church may nevertheless be true Members of the Church of Christ Tho' the Apostles were thus dealt withall by the Jewish Church they did not cease for all this to be real Members of the true Church of God For it is not calling Hereticks first that proves them that do so to be no Hereticks or acquits them from the same or greater Crimes than those which they are so forward to charge upon other Men nor will God condemn all those who are Excommunicated by Men and deny Salvation to every one whom they shall please to separate from their Society and to call by some odious name Men may be put out of the Synagogue and yet receiv'd into Heaven for the Judgment of God is not according to the uncharitable Censures of Men but according to Truth and Right The Sentence of Excommunication is certainly very dreadful where it is duly inflicted and next to the Judgment of God Men ought to be afraid of justly incurring the danger of this Censure and it ought to be upon very plain and evident grounds that Men either separate themselves or endanger their being cut off from the Communion of the Church they live in But when it once comes to this that a Church is infected with gross Errors and Corruptions plainly contrary to the Word of God especially if