life long no good be done yet you may take that Comfort your Master did Though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious in the Eyes of the Lord. And in the Verse before I have laboured in vain I have spent my strength in naught in vain Yet surely my Judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God God knoweth with what uprightness I have done his work and therefore I know he will Crown me with Glory though my labour hath been lost as to the most part of the People THE SIXTH SERMON THe next sort of Persons in reference to whom Duty lies upon you are Christian Societies Assemblies that profess the Christian Religion and joyn together in the worship of the true God These are called Churches and of these there are two sorts false and true and your duty is to separate from those and hold fellowship with these Three things are required to the constituting of true Churches 1. That the Word of God and Doctrine of Salvation be truly taught in them ye are of the houshold of God and are built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets upon this Rock this truth confessed by thee I will build my Church the Church is God's Register that keeps his Records faithfully the Pillar and ground of Truth where the Doctrine of the Law and Gospel is truly taught God dwells with that People and Salvation may be there had 2. That there be Pastors and Ministers lawfully called How shall they preach except they be sent pray the Lord of the Harvest that he will send sorth Labourers into his Harvest Christ hath given his Ministry to his own Church 3. That the People receive and embrace the Doctrine and Religion of Christ and submit to and joyn together in the Worship of God Then they that gladly received the Word were Baptized and they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship in breaking of Bread and Prayers Hereby may be discerned which are false Churches and which true The Roman Political Church as the Constitution of it is false and of Man's Invention Obj. They have the Apostles Creed the Books of Canonical Scripture and Baptisme Answ They acknowledge the Creed in profession and word but overthrow much of the sense by their superadded Articles and false expositions They retain the words of Scripture though in much not the sense of the Holy Ghost nor can Baptism though for substance according to the first Institution prove them a true Church more than Circumcision could Samaria to be so or a Seal pulled from the Writing and set to the bare paper A Thief may shew a true Man's Purse but that proves him not to be a true Man and they overthrow inward Baptisme the life of that Sacrament imputed righteousness and holiness which in Gods Church must go together with the outward Element 2dly As Papists they have no true Ministers the Romish Priest as such is no Minister of Christ not only because of the Anti-Christian Doctrines which he teacheth overthrowing the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles but also in that he offereth Christ a real Sacrifice for quick and dead wherein chiefly stands his Office and because as a Papist-Priest he receives his very Power from the Pope whose Office is not of Christ Qu. Why then should not one Baptized by a Mass Priest be Rebaptized Answ Because the action of a lawful Calling done by one that is not lawfully called is not a nullity the Ministry is lawful though as corrupted by them is bad 3dly Their People oppose God's true Worship and live in palpable Idolatry and profess themselves the Members of a usurping trayterous head the Pope Obj. Anti-Christ sitteth in the Temple of God therefore the Church of Rome is God's Church Answ In the Popish Church there is the hidden Church of God mingled as a little Wheat with much Chaff as a little Gold with much Dross So that though the Church of God be where Anti-Christ sitteth yet the Church whereof he is Head is no Church of God for there are no means there to beget or preserve spiritual life whether we regard Doctrine or Worship To speak plainly it is a part of the Universal Visible Church of Christians so far as they profess Christianity acknowledge Christ their Head but it is the Visible Society of Trayterous Usurpers so far as they profess the Pope to be their Head just as if a Traytor should make himself Deputy of Ireland against the King's will and all the People believe he is so and so profess themselves Subjects to the King as their Soveraign and to him as his Deputy Here it is a true Kingdome as it is still under the King and yet a Kingdom of Traytors or Rebels Secundum quid or so far as they adhere to the Usurping Deputy against the King's command From this Church therefore which is spiritual Babylon the Mother of Harlots and abominations of the Earth no Spouse of Christ but a Strumpet no House of God but an Habitation of Devils once indeed a famous Church but now dead and buryed and as is the Mother so is the Daughters God's People are bound to separate Come out of her my people and yet not from such therein who mean well in the general and secretly discent from her damnable Corruptions is this Obligation of Separation upon you Rom. 18. 4. Much less ought you to separate from Churches which have made separation from Rome as the reformed Protestant Churches in France Germany and other Countreys and these of Great Britain and Ireland have done in whose Congregations is found truth of Doctrine a lawful Ministry and a People professing the true Religion submitting to and joyning together in the true Worship of God I am not ignorant that many of you whose Habitation I question not but the Lord is who have your Habitations in all the several Countries of this Kingdom have drunkin a deep prejudice against all the Parochical Congregations whereof you are legal Members and where all you were baptized and thereby were made the Members of Christ the Children of God and Heires of his Kingdome I fear some of you will startle at these expressions found in the Common-Prayer-Book But if you consult the Holy Scripture you will finde them warranted in a Sacramental sense and your prejudice hath so far wrought upon you that you have forsaken the assembling of your selves together with your Neighbours in the publick Meeting Places I know with whom I am dealing Persons that have a comfortable assurance that they dwell in God and therefore are willing to hear any thing that may tend to the increase of their comfort and unwilling to retain any errour in their judgments or practice that may defile and dishonour their dwelling place or cause it to be evil spoken of by them that are without whose mouthes you know your absenting your selves from all the Solemn Assemblies open wide to cast a scandal upon your
Persons as prophane and upon that strict profession of walking precisely according to the Rule of the written Word which they think gives you no Warrant for your seperation from their Society in the service of God and my humble and earnest request to you is to lay aside your prejudice and examine by that good Word whether your separation be not sinful I shall presume you will freely grant both that it 's necessary to Salvation that a Man be a member of the true Visible Church because in the Word you finde the profession of the true Religion yea the very hope of Salvation and joyning to the true Chruch going together and that so long as God continueth the Doctrine of Salvation to a People and his Solemn Worship so long he dwells among that People and Salvation may be had there and that no utter separation may be made from those Assemblies where God dwelleth and where Men may be assured to finde Salvation though there may be many great corruptions both in Doctrine and Worship in those Assemblies There were so in the Church of the Jewes in Christ's time the Priests and Teachers were ignorant and wicked and had a corrupt and unlawful entrance into their Calling and the People were like to the Priest generally notoriously and obstinately ungodly and the Worship used in that Church was wofully corrupt many superstitious Ceremonies the Observation whereof were more strictly urged than the Commandments and Ordinances of God the Temples made a Den of Thieves the Discipline and censures shamefully abused the Doctrine was corrupt in many points and the great Sacrament of the Passover ill timed yet the Word tells you Christ whose example it binds you to follow and you profess your selves followers of him in all imitable things made no separation from this Church professed himself a Member of it was by Circumcision incorporated a Member of it received Baptisme in a Congregation of that People was a hearer of their common-service and their Teachers allowing and commanding his Disciples to hear them communicated in the Pass-over with the People and the Priest no more did his Apostles make separation from this Church after his Ascention till their Day had its period Peter and John went to their publick Prayer in their Temple So Paul and Barnabas in their Synagogue By their example it appeares that till God hath forsaken the Church no Man may forsake it and that it is no sufficient warrant to separate from a Church because it is guilty of such sins and corruptions as deserves God should forsake it and for which he hath threatned in his Word that he will forsake it till it appear that God hath put in Execution that which he justly threatned we ought to acknowledge and receive it as his House and not to refuse to dwell with him in it For shall Man be holier than God and hate corruption more than he And yet we may not communicate with it by consenting to any corruptions that are or shall be detected or proved to be in it wherein we have our Saviour's example to guide us All this I take for granted that you will surely grant because many Books largely asserting all this have been many Years in the hands of those who have led away many to separation a syllable whereof they have not gain said and they are in yours nor have I heard a word of your dissenting But this I hear you say that you question the constitution of the Church of England and that you cannot joyn with their Congregations in Divine Worship because they stand under an Antichristian Government and the worship in them is a devised worship Touching the constitution of the Church of England I have no more but this to commend to your consideration namely the answer that was long since given to the Brownists to which I never saw reply given Their Objection was this that the People of England were never rightly called for in the beginning of the Queen's Reign they were by her command and Proclamation compelled to embrace the Protestant Religion and to conform to God's worship whereas in the New Testament we have no Example of People compelled to the Service of God christ commanding Fishermen to convert souls by preaching not Princes to make Disciples by compulsion Therefore the church of Christ had no right constitution The Answer to the separation of old is this that if we speak of a Church first planted the people of such a Nation are first called by the word before they come to be a Church but it is not so of a Countrey where for a long time true Religion hath been professed which is our case And as to that part of the Object that there is no such example in the New Testament 1. The Magistrates were then Enemies to the Christian Religion 2. It sufficeth that we have examples in the Old Testament 2 Kings 23. 21. 2 Chr. 15. 13. 33. 16. 34. 33. Nor have Christian Princes less power in their Dominion to abolish Idolatry and by Law and penalties to compel their Subjects where there is a parity of reason 3. We finde that private Governours in the New-Testament have required and brought in their Families to embrace and profess the Christian Faith Joh. 4. 53. Acts 10. 21. 16. 34. 18. 8. 1 Cor. 1. 16. But that these did any more than teach and command them to learn consent and profess some question if they did so much And so much they did may and ought to do Gen. 8. 9. And whether a Christian Magistrate may do more For though it 's out of all doubt that not only all external duties of the Second Table but also all such of the First Table of the Moral Law are directly and properly of political cognizance yet they doubt much whether any Evangelical Ceremonies or Formes of Worship which relate to Christ be so because they are supernatural and Conscience is the only Rule whereby the Merit of those Duties is to be Judged which must be satisfied before any Papal Injunction can be imposed or obedience can be safely yielded and therefore they would have the ranged not among the essential but among the contingentials of Political Government But they earnestly deny that any internal duties and matters of Faith and Evangelical Doctrine fall within the spheer of that cognizance either directly or indirectly because no humane power extends to acts of the Soul and it is the duty of the Minister and not of the Magistrate to reform even in such matters and yet the Magistrate may and ought to exercise his power for restraining and punishing the fruits and effects of such Errours when the peace of the Common-wealth comes to be disturbed thereby but he has no warrant to punish the misbelief or incredulity concerning Articles of Chirstian Faith no nor Idolatrous Formes of Worship unless they proceed from the errour or obliquity of their Subjects
Sin and misery is that which this Treatise doth instruct thee in even to dwell continually with GOD who is the Original Life and Light and Love and in whom all wise and holy Souls are united and employed in delightful Harmony And are no further divided discordant contentious uncharitable than they depart from GOD And to retire more in mind from this dark perverse confused World which to the best is a Wilderness though the way to Rest and to the Worldlings is a place of snares and sin a Babel and a Bedlam Habitation where the Prince of the Powers of the Aire who ruleth in the Children of disobedience is busily and successfully fitting Souls for a sadder state Watch and pray that thou maist be saved from this present evil World but especially and above all thine Enemies from thy Self Happy is the Man whose Selfishness Pride and Lust do not subvert his Soul and whose own Opinion Will and Way is not his Ruine I Rest An unworthy Servant of Christ for his Church Rich. Baxter Acton June 4. 1669. THE CONTENTS The Contents of the first Sermon THe Doctrine is proved by the properties of this Habitation and the conveniences and priviledges belonging to it and the proof in the Text explained The Contents of the second Sermon Two Questions are Answered 1. What it is to make the Lord our Habitation Viz. To make choice of him to close with him and to cleave unto him as our resting place 2. How we may know that we dwell in God Viz. By 4. Characters of such Inhabitants Entrance upon Application in reference to 3. sorts of Men. 1. Such as are or may be sure they have not yet made the Lord their Habitation 7. sorts of these Advice to them and instruction how to make the Lord their Habitation 7. means in order to this end The Contents of the third Sermon Addition of another means viz. to dwell in God to this end get an honest and good heart what such a heart is What power there is in natural Men with Exhortation to exert it 2. Such whose Habitation the Lord is sure enough but they have no sensible comfortable assurance that he is so what the Reasons are of their doubts and fears and how to repell them The Contents of the fourth Sermon 3. Such as have sensible comfortable assurance that the Lord is their Habitation Exhortation to prize this blessing to hold fast and increase their assurance and how 1. Generally to walk worthy of the Lord. 2. Particular Duties in reference to things and Persons 1. To things Viz. Earthly Habitations 1. What their duty is that have no Habitation of their own 2. What their 's that have Houses of their own but may not live in them 3. What their 's that have convenient Dwellings and competent means to live upon 4. What their 's that have stately Houses and abundance of all Earthly things 5. What their 's that have had their Houses burnt and are rebuilding or finished a Word of Caution to all these The Contents of the fifth Sermon Second sort of spiritual Duties viz. In reference to Persons 1. The principal efficient causes of their happiness The Three Sacred Persons of the Deity and the Instrumental Causes 2. In reference to such Persons as are yet without God in the World and how to draw them in The Contents of the sixth Sermon Duties in reference 1. To visible Chuches God's Habitations false Popish to separate from them but Protestant not to separate 2. To Fellow-members of the same Family Live in unity with them though differing in judgment The Contents of the seventh Sermon Other Duties upon the account of the properties of this House Some of the Lawes and Ordinances of this House The General Lawes partly natural partly supernatural The Law of Faith How to manage Faith so as to maintain Life The Contents of the eighth Sermon How faith maintains life against all Instruments of death Nine acts of faith to free the Heart from all discouragement and disquiet some other Laws of the House concerning watching rejoycing praying thanksgiving readiness to remove out of lower into higher rooms By reason of the Author's absence these Errors have escapt the Press with several false pointings which the courteous Reader is desired to amend PAge 4. Line 8. after hereafter add to make use p. 5. l. 20 r. heights or high places p. 8. l. 24. r. pent p. 11. l. 16. r. theirs p. 13. l. 11. your r. their l. 14. such r. which p. 16. l. 10. r. goods p 25. l. 7. r. effected l. 22. rejoyce r. noise p. 35. l. 18. r. felt l. 23. r. persisted p 42. l. 5. twines r. turns p. 44. l. 19. for will r. glory p. 50. l. 21. r. sensualists p. 52. l. 9. r. this p. 61. l. 12. r. both thâ—se themselves p. 78. l. 9. r. was p 79. l 7. r. against them p 82. l 24. each r. which p 83. 18 leave out that to him p 86. l 15. a place r. a feast p 87. l 12. his r. this p 96. acquisition r this of p 97. l 23. r. whence p 101. l 4. r. any real rest p 102. l 7. r sought p 103. l 12. r. nor in the latter p 105 l 6. first r. true p 106. l 4. her r his p 107. l 21 r. prelation p 108. l 14. natural r. mutual p 110. l 16. this r. that p 116. l 5 leave our once p 117. l 21. is r. as p 118. l 14. belike r. because life p 120 l 11. fixed r. first p 125 l 26. persons r. profess p 129. l 6 after Religion add with piety and reason p 132 l 21. r. Against whom p 141. l 7. r. do you likewise p 142. l 3. your r. their l 7. have r know p 145. l 4 these r. your selves l 8. these r. your selves p 148. l 12 turnes to r. workes for p 165 l 3. r. pace l 4 r. when there is solid and true Grace in it l 16 r. generally p 170 l 26. esteem'd r shewed p 175 l 6 so r. to p 178 l 17 the r your p 180 l 8 alone r. a one p 207 l 19 exquisite r. extinct p 208 l 3 r. handsel p 210 l 18 r. premisses p 218 l 3 r. to praise God p 256 l 4 leave out Only p 265 l 18. Even r. Ezekiel p 287. l 6 after Church r. is of the former sort for as l 8 after Invention add So 2dly in it is wanting truth of Doctrine Fundamental Errors Doctrines of Devils in very great number are obstinately maintained there l 23 after so r it being without true preaching but a Seal p 297 l 18 r. the Church of England p â—80 l 12 truth r. touch p 386 l 8 r. prove p 388 l 15 r. emptying p 391 l 7 a desiring r an adhering p 393 l 8 which r such p 397 l 3 scarce r secure p 412 l 10 r. a dedication THE FIRST SERMON Psal 91.
also as a joyful witness both clearing our evidences and opening our minds to discern them The Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirit that we are the Sons of God Hereby we come to have boldness confidence and a perspicuous manifestation of Divine love shed abroad in our heart and certain knowledge and full assurance of knowledge and hope of Faith Let us draw near with all full assurance of Faith The word imports a carrying on with full Saile like a Ship that hath Wind and Tyde and all the Sailes spread to the Wind. Those three parts of God's Kingdome Righteousness Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost are consequents and effects of these three Applications The first namely that of adherence hath Wind and Tide against it The second hath Wind carrying it on but without Tide The third hath both Wind and Tide and all the affections like spread Sailes filled with the Gales of the Spirit causing joy unspeakable and full of Glory In the Church of Rome this Doctrine of full assurance is cryed down and an impossibility of attaining it by any ordinary Christians asserted and the main reason they render for the Confirmation of this Doctrine especially as to the subjective certainty of perseverance whereof Paul speaks when he saith I am sure that nothing shall be able to separate us from the Love of God in Jesus Christ Is the mutability of Man's will but the assurance of Christians depends not upon Man's mutable but upon the immutable will of God and upon his infallible truth who hath promised to keep them whom he receives in him by his strongest power if there can be conceived any degree in Omnipotency we are kept by the Guard of God's Power through Faith unto Salvation They askt what ground hath any ordinary Christian for special faith when there is no special promise nor any Divine testimony by audible Voice such as some choice Persons have had as Gen. 15. 1. Mat. 9. 2. Luk. 5. 20. 47. 48. 23. 42. 43. They are answered we will not contend about bare words whether it be better called special faith or assurance gathered from two promises the one in Scripture the other in our hearts so participating of Faith for that is our sence of special Faith but as to the matter 1. There are general promises with a command to apply them 2. Special Faith is gathered by argumentation thus whoever hath God's Spirit confesseth that Jesus is the Son of God that Man dwelleth in God But so have I so do I therefore I dwell in God 3. Sacraments give ground for special Faith wherein is made special application to the receivers 4. The Spirit is given for this end to believers as a seal and earnest and witness to assure them that God is their Habitation and Salvation And that it 's possible for a Christian in ordinary course to attain this grace if he do what in him lyeth We have God's express promise to this purpose Thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and Redeemer and a charge is laid upon every Christian to make his calling sure and not to come without full assurance when they draw nigh to him in Prayer and other duties of his Worship Let us draw neer him in full assurance of Faith And we have the experience of God's People in all ages for it And though they that profess they had it as Job David Paul were rare Persons Yet the Faith of the meanest Christian is of the same Nature with theirs though not in the same degree This is the Doctrine of the reformed Churches who yet deny not the difficulty of attaining the highest degree and that very few there are that attain it and fewer that have it at all times alike nor any in that perfection but that there is some mixture of doubting And this is one sign of the truth and goodness of it when it is attained with difficulty and assaulted with infidelity For there are many whom Satan and their own heart have deluded in this point who are strongly perswaded that God is theirs never doubted of their interest in him make no question but the Lord is their Habitation who entered not in by the Door never received the spirit of bondage to fear have no fear of offending God no care to please him but live in known sin against the light of knowledge and checks of Conscience which evinceth them to be in the gall of bitterness Now these who in their own conceits have taken up their dwelling in God like those buyers and sellers that took up their seats in the Temple without the Warrant against the consent of the Owner of that House must be dealt with by the Ministers of Christ as those Intruders by Christ were driven out with a scourge And as Nehemiah dealt with Tobiah who had got a Chamber in the Court of the House of God who cast both him and his stuff out of it Avoid prophaneness come not here nothing but holy pure and clear or that which groaneth to be so may enter or abide one Moment at his peril To you who can prove your assurance that you are in God to be of God by the qualification of your Persons as having formerly been humbled for your living without God in the World and at present humble your selves to walk with your God and resolve so to do to the end of your life Unto you I am sent with a manifold Word of Exhortation 1. To prize this as the greatest blessing and rejoyce in it more than in all other blessings and accordingly to praise God for it that he hath given you to know that he is your Habitation Lifting up the Light of his Countenance upon you and giving you Eyes to see that Light There be many that say who will shew us any good Lord lift thou up the light of thy Countenance upon us Thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time when their Corn and Wine increased because thy loving kindness is better than life my Lips shall praise thee Thus will I bless thee while I live Because thou hast caused me to feel the effects of thy Grace at full even as the Sun shooteth out his Beames at Mid-Day And because I finde this to be the life of my life without which every Day would be more bitter to me than Death Therefore for this above all Mercies will I bless thee every Day and I will praise thy Name for ever 2. To hold fast what you have and be alway adding to it as worldly Men do by their Earthly substance How oft are Christians exhorted to hold fast every good spiritual thing that they have gotten Hold fast as with Tooth and Nail the faithful Word The pure and sincere Doctrine of the Gospel against those Gain-sayers that would snatch it from you and not only the matter but the forme
it is for Brethren both by nature and grace to dwell together in Unity both of judgment and affection Next he expounds and so proves the pleasure and the profit of this two-fold Unity First by parable and similitude which is double to shew the pleasure he compares it to that odoriferous anointing Oyl which God commanded to be made and compounded after the Art of the Apothecary which when it was poured upon Aaron's head ran down upon his Beard and thence went to his Skirts So this sweet communion of spiritual grace cunningly composed of united minds and affections passeth down from Christ our Head not only upon the stronger Professours which are as great an Ornament to the Church as a Beard is on the Face of a Man but also to the meanest and weakest Christian Members To set forth the pleasure of it he compares it to Dew which is a special blessing sent upon the Earth for the refreshing thereof which falls freely and therefore is said to be begotten of God and finely distilled down in so small drops that it cannot be perceived till it be laid and fully it falls into lowest Valleys as well as highest Hills and fitly in Spring for growth in Harvest for ripening and fruitfully making the Ground bring forth abundantly So it is in all these respects with spiritual graces especially with this And then he proves it by plain strong and binding demonstration where this Unity is God commandeth the blessing and life for ever-more that is promiseth and fully performes it in this life spiritually and corporally and hereafter Eternally I hinted this Unity to be twofold and will speak a little to both First of mind and judgment it is a thing greatly to be wished and sought after that all God's Children and Servants dwelling together in the same House might be of one mind and judgment in all points The Apostle oft earnestly presseth this frequently striketh upon this String Now I beseech you Brethren by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no Divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgment be of one mind for matter of Opinion If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort and love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels of mercy fulfill ye my joy that ye may be like-minded being of one accord and of one mind A most passionate obtestation importing a most vehement desire of their good agreement whereunto he conjures them by all the bonds of love between him and them Perswasion it self could not speak more perswasively Here are so many words so many Weapons able to pierce and work upon any heart that had not an Iron sinew How many Arguments doth he take from one to inforce his Exhortation with all possible carefulness To keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace One Body one Spirit one Hope one Lord one Faith one Baptisme one God and Father of all The Apostle well knew the neerer they were agreed in Judgment the faster their affections would be knit one to another and beside the great advantage that all wicked Men take at the disagreement of God's People should make them desirous to be all of one mind and to compose all the differences that are between them Let there be I pray thee no strife between thee me between c. for we are brethren not only upon this account but because the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwell in the Land and because of our dissention we shall give them occasion to speak evil of our holy Religion and alienate their hearts more from it How oft have you had this cast in your Dish by enemies both to the form power of godliness when you have perswaded them to embrace both Agree first among your selves There is no such stumbling Block at this Day in this Land laid in the way of ungodly Men through God's just Judgment indeed and it is necessary there should be such offences but woe unto you if you become occasions of such offences if you repent not that you are so and labour not to take away the stumbling Block out of your way by endeavouring to be all of one mind But because perfect Unity is not to be expected till the Church be come to her perfection There must be Heresies among you Sects and Dissentions concerning Tenets and Grounds of Doctrine and wayes of Worship It is a thing unavoidable by reason of the Devil's malice Men's wickedness and God's most wise counsel and according to the frequent predictions of the Holy Ghost God indeed hath promised to give his People One Heart and one Way But the meaning is that they shall all agree in all Fundamental points of Doctrine and in all substantial ways of Worship in which they should joyntly and conformably serve him but in points of Religion and Circumstances of divine Worship that are of inferiour moment there will be Brethren different in Opinion and practice from you towards whom you are bound to bear brotherly love which is of a bearing and forbearing nature and not suffer difference in judgment to work in you the least alienation of affection towards them What a deal of pains does the Apostle take to work Christians to a charitable Toleration each of other 1. Disswading them from censuring one another for or in the use of things indifferent the parties that dissented were weak and strong Christians the things wherein were Meats and Days the strong thought all difference of Meates prohibited by the Law to be abolished by Christ and therefore did not forbear to feed on any and they conceived all Jewish Festivals to be abrogated by God and so observed them not The weak not seeing their own liberty in the case of Meates choose rather to eat Herbs than with a doubting Conscience to feed upon Meats forbidden and conceiving the Festivals not to be abrogated still observed them In both these cases the Apostle gives negative directions and exhortations to both sorts of Christians Viz. That in the case of Meates the strong should not contemn the weak as superstitious for abstaining Nor the weak censure the strong as prophane for neglecting the observation of distinction of them And in the case of Dayes that neither of them should do any thing with a gain-saying or doubting Conscience pressing these directions with sundry Arguments and that by no means the strong should give the least offence to their weak brethren by abuse of their liberty 2. And he perswades every one to study not to please himself but his Neighbour to edification for his good by the example of Christ who did not only not please himself but sought the good of others and so saith he must we bearing one with another receiving one another as he received us to be partakers of
his glory It is the guise and property of too many of you that think you are assured you are the Lords to question whether others be so that dissent from you Yea to pass sentence against some of them as out of God for no other reason but because they are not of your mind and way and to say of them that its love of the World or fear of trouble or some other by-respect and base end that keeps them from embraceing these Gospel-truths which you hold and whereof they have had sufficient conviction or if indeed they see them not to be such that it is because the God of this World hath blinded their Eyes Nor least of all can you bring your hearts to look upon or love as Brethren these who have been of the same mind and way with you and are apostatized from their principles and practices Turn-Coat-Rogues Have patience and ponder with your selves what rashness you discover in censuring any Man to be Godless because he sees not those truths which you think you do and they may clearly see to be revealed and commanded by God Barnabas was a good Man and full of the Holy Ghost and Faith and yet he could not see that that Paul saw Viz. That it was lawfull and fit for them to converse with the Gentiles even in the presence of the Jewes God bestowes his gifts on his Servants in different measures and degrees None that sees the truth in all things but in some points he is ignorant and erreth Setting aside the Prophets and Apostles who were infallibly guided in penning the Scripture Who almost of all the ancient Fathers but held some gross Errour Justin Martyr besides that he was a millinary held that it was the Angels that begat those Gyants Athenagoras that the Souls of those Gyants were Devils Ireneus that man was not created perfect Clemens Alexandrinus that none were saved by Christ before his Incarnation Tertullian that God was corporeal that Montanus was the Paraclete that a Christian falling twice after Baptism was damned Origen understood much of the Scripture allegorically Hierom that Angels were many Ages before the World that there is no sin in Infants or not deserving punishment Ambrose that the Gospel was preached to Devils Chrysostom that the Fathers were in Hell before Christ that we are justified by works Augustine's Book of retractations witnesseth his manifold Errours for a long time Luther the great Reformer held consubstantiation Not only particular persons but whole Counsels and Churches have erred The reasons of this proneness in Men to erre are 1. Truth is but one Errour manifold there is but one right many by-paths 2. The Seeds of all Errours are naturally in all Mens hearts 3. Errour hath usually on it the Vizard of truth 4. The understandings of the strongest Christians are so weak that it is easie for them to mistake 5. Satan and his Instruments are full of subtilty and cunning craftiness 6. God suffers Errours to spring up in his Church to punish the wicked and for tryal of his own and for cleering of truth Contraries opposed mutually argue each other This consideration should teach you not to be insolent in censuring and not to be stiff in your own Opinions or perswasions Others may be in the right and you in the wrong And if you be in the truth Love them not ye less that erre from it in infirmity but pitty them more and pray for them and though you know it to be passion or prejudice that hath blinded their judgments a greater infirmity than simple ignorance yet believe they may be godly Men for all that and if they be so you are bound to love and reverence them how much soever they differ in Judgement from you And if Men that are as practically godly as your selves hold those to be truths which you hold to be errours seek not to draw them over to you but let them quietly enjoy themselves take the blessed Apostles advice I press toward the mark Let us therefore as many as be thus perfect be thus minded and if any thing be otherwise minded God shall reveal this unto you Nevertheless whereto we have already attained Let us walk by the same Rule Let us mind the same thing So far as you freely can joyn with your dissenting brethren in Duties of Divine Worship And let not them that are without have occasion to say you are of several Religions or to call you by several Names any longer But rather to wonder at your mutual love and peaceable and quiet spirits free from any appearance of raising contention either in Church or State They that do so having the Brand of graceless Men set upon them by the Holy Ghost Now I beseech you Brethren mark them that cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them for they that are such serve not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own Belly and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Every Man that dwells in God is of a peaceable disposition quiet in the Land As for them that you call Apostates consider that their Apostacy is not from any fundamental point in Religion or substantial worship of God And that love of their callings and the works thereof and of their Peoples Souls and Conscience of obeying the Magistrate in all things not expresly forbidden in the Scripture might move them to do what they have done and charity binds you to make the best construction Finally In reference to those that are of your own mind and way Let brotherly love continue And abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment rejoycing and weeping together and laying out your selves in a special manner in a faithful employment of God's gifts for the good one of another in things temporal Gal. 6. 10. Heb. 13. 16. 2 Cor. 8. 9. Psal 112. 5. and in spirituals by example Rom. 15. 1 2. 1 Cor. 10. 33. by admonition 1 Thes 5. 14. Heb. 3. 13. Prov. 10. 21. by consolation 2 Cor. 1. 4. Esay 54. Prov. 25. 25. Rom. 1. 12. and by prayer Eph. 6. 16. Jam. 5. 15 16. John 16. 24. By thus doing you shall improve that branch of the Communion of Saints which you have among your selves and be the fitter to improve that which you have together with Christ by the Spirit in respect both of substance and Offices and Virtues THE SEVENTH SERMON THere remaineth yet very much of Duty to be performed by and to be pressed upon you whose habitation the Lord is and who know him to be so And first upon the account of the properties of this House wherein you dwell The first whereof is height And the first duty upon this account is to lift up your hearts and voices as high as may be in praises and prayers 1. In praises acknowledge your selves bound to acknowledge 1. As all other