if ye find that the Scripture approves of them then make use of their example for imitation and encouragement As a man in a ship hath his hand upon the rudder and his eye upon the Star so it is good to have your eye upon the examples of godly and judicious men but let your hand be alwaies upon the Scripture let go your hold of that ye will run the hazard of making a shipwrack of your faith I dare confidently say that there is no truly godly man though never so learned will presume so much upon himself as to impose upon others his example or practice farther than he can prove the necessity thereof by Scripture why then should any man take a yoke upon him which is not laid upon him I exhort you saith (t) Vos hortamur ut non quod vobis placet aut nobis audire quaeratis sed quod domino complacet consonum est Scripturis Basil in Hom. adv Sabellian Basil not so much to enquire what pleaseth you and what pleaseth me but what is pleasing to God and agreeable to the Scriptures To what inconveniences Augustine had bound himself if he had strictly tied himself to the Fathers before him though very holy and of great learning is well enough known But (u) Alios Scriptores praeter Canonicos ita lego ut quantâlibet sanctitate doctrinâve perpolleant non ideo verum putem quia ipsi ita senserunt sed quia mihi vel per alios auctores Canonicos vel probabili ratione quòd à veritate non abhorreat persuadere potuerint Aug. Epist 19. ad Hieron saith he other Writers besides those that are Canonical I so read that however they may excel in learning and pietie yet I do not think any thing to be true meerly because they have thought so unles they can perswade me by certain testimonies of the Scripture or probable reasons that what they say is true But was Augustine willing that other men after him should deal with his Writing as he did with the Fathers before him Yes For (x) Negare non possum nec debeo sicut in ipsis majoribus ita multa esse in tam multis opusculis meis quae possunt iusto judicio ac nullâ temeritate culpari Aug. ad Vincent Victor lib. 2. saith he I neither can nor ought to deny but as in the Antients so likewise in my works there are many things which may justly and without any rashness be blamed (y) Neminem velim sic amplecti omnia mea ut me sequatur nisi in â—is in quibus me non errata perspexerint Nam propterâ—ae nunc facio libros Retractionum ut nec meipsum in omnibus me secutum suisse demonstrem Aug lib. de Bon. perseverantiae cap. 21. And I would not have any man so to embrace all my writings as to follow me in all things unlesse he see that I have not erred in them for therefore do I make my book of Retractations to shew that I my self have not in all things followed my self Above all 4. Take heed of making crooked the rule and wresting it to the maintenance of any ertoneous or self-Conceit This is a dreadfull sin and he who doth it knowingly speaketh lies in hypocrisie It was a fearfull evil for Lucifer to say I will ascend up and be like the highest is it not as great a sin for any to seek to make the highest become like Lucifer so do they that drag down the Scriptures to patronize any erroneous opinion of their own heads or any evil of their own hearts they go about to make the blessed God and the Holy Ghost the Father of lies than which what can be more abominable It is accounted a capital crime in a Commonwealth to put the States stamp upon false Coin and to put the stamp of the Spirit of God upon an error upon a conceit of a mans own is certainly a great evil before the Lord. We doe with one consent blame the Papists for making the Scriptures a nose of wax that a man may writhe which way he pleaseth let not any Protestant practise that which he so severely condemns in a Papist be his pretence never so plausible Yet alas who doth not see and cannot but be grieved to see how horribly we wrest the Scriptures I should not have said it but that it is too manifest to be hid For it is but usual when mens opinions do not agree with the Scriptures to wrest the Scriptures to make them agree with their opinions The reason of it is this Men receive opinions before they have well examined them by the Scripture having once entertained them out of weakness the strength of their pride causeth them to use this means for the maintaining of them and though it be but some additional point in Divinitie yet now it must needs be fundamental in Religion because it is fundamental to his reputation (z) Optimus Scripturae lector est qui dictoruÌ„ intelligentiam ex dictis expectat potius quà m importat et retulerit magis quà m attulerit nec cogat id videri dictis contineri quod ante lectionem praesumpserit intelligendum Hilar lib. 1. De Trin. Hilarie hath an excellent saying with which I will shut up this head He is the best reader of the Scripture saith he that carrieth away the sense of any place of Scripture after he hath read it not he that bringeth 〈◊〉 with him and so even after a forcible manner labours to make that appear to be in such a Scripture which he presumed was to be found there before he came to read it Men that do thus may not unfitly be compared to Camels that diink not of the fountain as Historians tell us till they have pudled in them with their feet But what if the Scripture in some things be silent prescribing only rules in the general as that 1 Cor. 14. Let all things be done decently and in order not peremptorily enjoining any thing in particular to be observed in such a Church what is most convenient for a moderate man to do in such a case To this I answer according to mine own judgement Fifthly That it is most meet where the Scripture is silent we should hearken to the voice of the Church in the first place the Primitive Church and next to that the Church wherein we live Where the Scripture speaks I would have the Church only our Comment but where the Scripture is silent I would have the Church our Text and judge it most fitting that men should follow the great Wheel of the Church and move by that not reserving any proper poles or motions from the Epycicles of their own brains It argues monstrous pride in any man in things of indifferency for in things of absolute necessity I presume the Scripture is resolute to lean unto his own judgement or the opinion of a party against the general assent of the Church I see no reason why our own Church should be slighted by them that cannot deny themselves to be her children much less the Primitive and Ancient Church from the Apostles times Where the Scripture is silent let us hearken and adhere to her testimony I knew that Novelty hath much prevailed against Antiquity in this last age but I see little hopes of Moderation till Antiquity come into more estimation than at present it is In the mean time for so I chuse to break off abruptly Consider what hath been spoken and the Lord give you understanding and Moderation in all things FINIS
to that Sermon of Mutual Love If there be any thing else which I have promised and thou expectest I shall as God gives assistance and this finds acceptance endeavour according to my poor ability to answer thine expectation but for the present I have engaged my self to adde unto these something concerning the Enemies of Love and Moderation the greatest part whereof is at present ready In the mean time if thou receive any benefit by this Blesse God and pray for the unworthy Instrument who is Thine to serve thee in our Lord Jesus JOSIAH HUNTER Loves Companion Philipp 4.5 Let your moderation be known unto all men the Lord is at hand Text THere are two things Beloved which were never more needfull to be pressed than now and they are Moderation and Zeal Perhaps some may judge this at the first reading to be a strange paradox but it is a real truth and if there be any thing strange it is in the times into which we are fallen that do at once require both a great measure of Zeal a great deal of Moderation for who doth not see that in things of less concernment mere notions speculations how hot we are here therefore is need of Moderation But on the other side who sees not that in things of weighty importance both for matter of doctrine and practice faith and love how cold we are here therefore is need of Zeal How hot many men are in defending an opinion and yet cold in opposing an heresie how hot many men are in opposing a ceremonie and yet lukewarm in the maintenance of things of greater concernment and the truth is I never knew the violent prosecution of speculations and politicks but it was ever accompanied with a coldness and loosness in piety and practice I shall make choice of another opportunitie to speak concerning Zeal for the present my subject shall be Moderation And for the right understanding of these words you must Consider that these Philippians to whom the Apostle directs his Epistle were in a suffering condition as appears out of 1 Phil. 27. Only let your conversation be as becommeth the Gospel of Christ standing fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel and in nothing terrified by your adversaries which is to them an evident token of perdition but to you of salvation and that of God for unto you it is given on the behalf of Christ not only to believe in him but also to suffer for his sake having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear to be in me Upon these suffering Christians therefore it is that the Apostle layes this injunction Let your moderation be known unto all men adding also a reason to enforce it the Lord is at hand how at hand that is either for your present succour as it is in Psal 46.1 God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble Or he will come shortly to judgement and put an end to all your sufferings and revenge all the wrongs offer'd to his people as you have it James 5.8 Be ye also patient stablish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh So that though it be many years off in your account yet it is not many dayes in Gods account with whom one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day 2 Pet. 3.8 Let your moderation be known to all men The Vulgar Intetpreter renders it Modestia vestra your Modestie which though it be an effect of Moderation yet it is not moderation it self no more than blushing can properly be said to be modestie because it is an effect of it but as blushing proceeds sometimes from modestie so doth modestie from Moderation In the Original it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your equitie or rather equabilitie or equal carriage being neither too much lifted up in wrath clamor or evil speaking because of the sins of your adversaries nor too much dejected and cast down be cause of the oppressions sufferings which you sustain from your adversaries Let this your moderation or equall carriage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be known that is let it be such that it may be manifest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to all men not only your friends but your enemies not only to the godly and such as are well-affected to you but likewise to the wicked and such as are ill-affected to you Hence I might give you the observation That it is not enough for a Christian to have grace but he must also in his conversatiō manifest it that it may be known to others even all men But that which I intend is this That Christians ought to carry themselves so at all times but especially in suffering times Observ that their Moderation may be manifest to all men For the improvement of this point I will endeavour these three things 1. To shew you what this Moderation is 2. Why it is the duty of a Christian to express it 3. Why especially in suffering times First What this Moderation is to which I answer first negatively what it is not where I remove three things 1. Moderation is not an halting between two opinions when the thorow beleeving of one of them is necessary unto Salvation Elijah said unto the people How long will you halt between two opinions If the Lord be God then follow him but if Baal follow him 2 Kings 18.20 Such were they we read of 1 Zeph. 5. That worshipped and that sware by the Lord and that sware by Malcham This halting argueth at the best great weakness and instability both of judgement and affection if not a corrupt and rotten judgement and affection Contrary to this halting is upright walking which is so often and so much commended to us in Scripture The integrity of the upright shall guide them Prov. 11.3 As for the Upright he directeth his way Prov. 21.29 And the way of the Lord is strength to the upright 10 Prov. 29. Though a man be weak yet if he be upright the way of the Lord shall be strength to him and his uprightness shall guide him and direct him in the way Halting therefore comes from Hypocrisie at the least from unsettledness We read in (b) Mr. Fuller in his Holy State Act. 27 12. of an Haven that lay towards the South-west and towards the North-west It is strange that it could have part of two so opposite parts North and South sure it must needs be very winding Yet there are some mens Souls in such intricate postures that they lie towards the Papists and towards the Protestants and among Protestants there are many that lie towards Anabaptisme Judaisme Arminianisme c. such as these we account not of a moderate judgement but of an immoderate unsettledness or indeed the falseness of their hearts is rather to be feared than the meer fickleness of their judgements Peter and therefore no such wonder of other men though in
of his passions cannot but be subject to perpetual unquietness and like the troubled sea casting out mire and dirt And that which addes to the inward quiet of a moderate person Mr. Fuller is his outward securitie for as his temporal hopes are not great so his fears are the lesse He fears not to have the splinters of his party when it breaks flie into his eyes or to be buried under the ruines of his side if supprest that disgrace which doth usually attend the conquered partie in this kind never troubles him Thus if he have not much Credit in the world yet he hath much securitie in himself which is far better for if he have no hopes to rise he hath no fears to fall Yet farther 3. A Conscience clear from Schism 3. A moderate mans conscience is clear from raising Schisms in the Church and so is not in danger of that woe of our Saviour Luke 17.2 3. Woe to him by whom offences come it were better that a milstone were hanged about his neck and he cast into the sea And in this he hath more comfort than they that rise in this manner have credit Woe to those Ministers that make unnecessary divisions and parties among the people that they may get themselves a name and be cryed up by many followers Certainly some men have a sad account to give to God for the Rents which have been made in the Church And if any godly men have had an hand in them I profess I do even tremble to think what a sharp Conflict they shall have with themselves when they come to die and cast their eye back upon the Church which they have though not intentionally miserably rent and is not now in their power to heal they shall be saved but vix agrè duriter hardly even as by fire 1 Cor. 3. And for other men Ostendant quod volunt de Religione fide digladiantes Theologi c. saith one Let your Swashbucklers or Fencing-Divines pretend what they will for Faith and Religion they love neither Peace nor Truth truly if they do not love both If we would have the waters of piety and verity to be clear the way is not to stir them and trouble them but to let them settle in peace and run down in practice 4. Constancy in Religion 4. The Moderate man is a great deal more constant and durable in his Religion whilst violent men reel from one extremity to another Mr. Fuller For being here in his way to Heaven and jogging on a good Travellers pace he over-takes and out-goes many violent men whose hot and ill-grounded zeal was quickly tired The Moderate man is alwaies going on in hi◠Journey towards Heaven whereas the other tumbles up and down but rids no way Lastly once in an Age it goes very hard Universal applause and approbation in the Conclusion if the Moderate man be not in fashion each extreme courts him to make them friends and surely he hath a great advantage to be Peace-maker between two opposite parties Time-servers are ofttimes left in the lurch if they do not only give their word for the times in their constant discourse but also give their Bond for them and write in their defence such when the times turn afterwards to another extream are left in the briars and as Mr. Fuller saith wittily come off very hardly from the Bill of their own hands And therefore that Council which he gives is as every thing else that he hath written most excellent He that intends to meet with one in a great Fair and knows not where may sooner find him by standing still in some principal place there than by traversing it up and down so take thy Stand upon some good ground in Religion and keep thy Station in a moderate yet fixed posture never turning after the times to follow them and an hundred to one they will come to thee once in thy life time and be as glad to meet with thee as thou wouldst be to meet with them Unto these inducements to Moderation I will adde only some directions Directions to make the word of God our Rule and that is this If ye will be Moderate make the written word of God your Rule for the written word is uniform and invariable and so will he be so far as humane frailty will permit that makes the word his Rule he that keeps close to the word will be uniform and alwaies like to himself not Proteus like ever appearing in a new shape The word of God will ballance and settle the Judgment and teach a man to get the Mastery over his own affections The word is called a Line In Com. loc de S. Scriptur Ps 19.5 The Hehrew word as saith Gerrard doth signifie the Tongue of a Ballance Juxta quam aequilibrium constituitur that makes the Scales even equal As we desire Moderation therfore to be exact in it because the more exact it is the nearer it commeth to an exact aequilibrium study to know the word in its own sense then submit to it and make it your rule For the improvement of this direction observe the following particulars 1. Make the Word your rule not the Times A man cannot be truly moderate and a Time-server 1. Not the Times the times change so frequently so suddenly and sometimes so violently from one extreme to another The times under Dioclesian were Pagan under Constantine Christian under Constantius Arrian under Julian Apostate and under Jovian Christian again and all within the Age of one man the Term of seaventy years as saith my Author Could he have been a moderate man that should have been alwaies of the Religion for the time being Our English History gives us an example of such an one viz. A Bishop of our own Nation Dr. Kitchin who for Covetousness could dissemble all Religions with the times so as to be the Popes sworn Servant while he was an Abbot an half Papist when King Henry had cast off the Pope A Protestant under King Henry the sixth a down-right Papist with Queen Mary a Parliament Protestant again when he took the oath of Supremacie under Queen Elizabeth Was this a moderate man No but Cambden calls him rightly the Calamity of his See And such unsound and unsetled men are the Calamity of this age Dr. Playfere in a Sermon entituled The Path-way to Persecution having his Text out of Phil. 3. I presse forward towards the mark saith that Temporizers run besides the mark by going about in a Circle they go about many things but bring about nothing they do omnia pro tempore nihil pro veritate all things for the Times nothing for the Truth they make a period but never a full stop they are alwaies learning but never come to the knowledge of the Truth The Times are inconstant and variable How can that mans carriage then be equable and uniform who maketh them his Rule to
walk by and not the Word Religion hath two great Enemies Superstition and Innovation he that would not be an old Time-server or a new Time-server must walk between these two if he would make streight paths unto himself and his Guide must be the Word My Son saith the wise man fear thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change Prov. 24.21 Then we must meddle little with the times for what is more given to change than they the Scripture bids us instead of serving the times to save our selves from them Acts 2.40 to beware of them See that ye walk not as fools but as wise because the daies are evill Ephesians 5.16 17. And then the Apostle addes immediately Wherefore be not unwise but understanding what the Will of the Lord is We must labour therefore ye see especâ—ally in evill times to know what the will of God is out of the VVord that we may follow what is pleasing unto him not that which is pleasing unto the times otherwise we are not wise for the greatest wisdome is to comply with God as I think and not with the times The times that we live in are evill and perilous times he that shall bind himself Apprentise to serve them 7 year shal find it very difficult to serve them so as always to please the times and impossible always to serve them please God and remain idem homo 2. Not divine Providences 2. Make the VVord you rule not divine Providences VVe may make dangerous constructions of providences if we rest in them do not compare these Revelations of God in his works with and interpret them by the Revelation that he hath made in his word When David had spent some time and serious thoughts upon the study of that great point touching the outward visible prosperity of wicked men and the outward seeming infelicity of the godly he professeth Ps 13.16 17. when I thought to know this it was too painful for me until I went into the Sanctuary of God then understood I their end It was evident from the event that it was the will of God the Israelites should be worsted in that war which they upon just grounds undertook against the Benjamites Jud. 20. but if any should from hence have concluded that the Israelites quarrel was not good because their success was bad he would have made a dangerous mis-construction of Gods providence in that particular case Therefore we must always make such a construction of the various works of Gods providence as may consist with the verity of the standing and invariable rule of his word otherwise we shall lose and incautelously engage our selves to justifie any unwarrantable opinion or practice which God in his just providence and for ends at present unknown to us permits to spread and prosper when he doth nothing less than approve of them to be true and just The judgements of the Lord are unsearchable and his ways past finding out Rom. 11.33 We must not think therefore to trace him here If we can parallel any passage of providence with the like instance out of Scripture then we may probably conjecture what the mind of God is in it and what disposition of heart and frame of life the Lord doth expect from us otherwise we cannot nor are we to fashion our lives hearts according to the providence of God but according to his word which teacheth us rightly to interpret providence For providence generally is a Revelation of what God had unknown to us decreed from eternity that he would do not a revelation of what he would have us do unless we know the mind of God in that Providence which if we cannot gather from the Word our own fancies are but incompetent Judges and long enough may we conjecture ere we make a right conclusion How many strange and almost not to be paralleld occurrences of Divine Providence have we in this Nation within a few years met withall if any one now should have steered his course not according to the Compass of the Word but every present and sudden apparition of Providence I doe not see how he could keep a streight path but either he must walk in crooked and by-ways and ways not cast up or else in Circulo and so for diverse years have rid no ground in his journey toward the heavenly Canaan 3. Make the Word your rule 3. Not the examples of men not the judgement or practice of any man be he never so learned and godly further than ye see them to be agreeable unto the Word Christs example we must follow for he left us an example that we should follow his steps 1 Pet. 2.21 But we may not write after any other Copy farther than we see it to agree with the original Be ye followers of me saith Paul as I also am of Christ 1 Cor. 11.1 So far as we see any man to follow Christ we may follow him but no farther I presume none of you will say that we are bound to follow Peter though a Disciple and Apostle of Christ in denying his Master The best men have had their errors and their failings which we have therefore recorded to teach us that we should make the exampâ—â— of no man how godly soever our rule to walk by for there is not the best man living but may and doth sometimes tread awry and I am perswaded the Lord suffers men of great parts many times to fall into errors of judgement and men of much grace to fall fouly in their conversation lest others might have their persons in admiration if not adoration Were I a man of the greatest learning and holiness of Conversation in the world I think I should as earnestly pray to God that others might not trust to me as that I might not trust to my self for when I once saw people begin to applaud me and imitate me ex industria I should then be very fearfull that the Lord would leave me to my self as he often doth the most able and Godly men that people may see they are men of like passions infirmities with themselves The Psalmist saith Bishop Hall compares the Law of God to a Lantern Psal 119.105 Good example bears it It is safe following him that carries the lighr but if he walk without the light he shall walk without me For that a man should be so wedded to any mans person that he must make no separation from his infirmities is both absurdly servile and unchristian And that for which I do the rather urge this so much is because I see in these times wherein godly men are of such different opinions many religious persons judge themselves most secure from falling by leaning unto the examples of some eminently learned and Godly Ministers but the safest way is to have recourse to the word examine by sound reasons and plain testimonies deduced from thence whether their opinions or practices be good and