between Arminius and Episcopius c. for the Remonstrants and Gomarus Sibrandus c. for the Predestinarians distracted Holland not a little and had an ill Influence upon the Affairs of England at least so far as concern'd the Church But the Mournfullest part of that History is the Ill Usage Martinius Crâ—cius the Bishop of Landaff and others had who though they were acknowledg'd to be Sound in the Faith of those Times which generally followed the Judgment of Calvin as to the mean points controverted yet if at any time they appear'd moderate in their Behaviour gentle in their Words and for Accommodation in some particulars with the Remonstrators or Free willers Gomarus and his Followers not observing that Gravity of the Assembly the Rules of Debate and least of all the Meekness of Christian Communion fell foul of their Brethren reproach'd their Tenderness and began to fix Treachery upon their Sober Endeavours of Accommodation as if they intended to execute as well as maintain their Reprobation and blow up their Friends rather than not destroy their Adversaries But if we will yet rise higher in our Enquiry and view the Mischiefs of Earlier Times the Fourth and Fifth Centuries after Christ will furnish us with Instances enough We cannot possibly forget the Heavy Life some men made about the Observation of Easter Day as if their Eternal Happiness had been in Jeopardy for so far were they degenerated from the Love and Meekness of Christianity that about keeping of a Day which perhaps was no part but to be sure no Essential part of the Christian Religion they fell to pieces reproach'd revil'd and hated one another A Day was more than Christ who was the Lord and End of Days and Victory over Brethren better than the Peace and Concord of the Church the Great Command of Jesus But the Remarkable and Tragical Story of Alexander Bishop of Alexandria and Arius his Priest in their known Debate about the Nature and Existence of the Son of God with the lamentable Consequences thereof as all Writers upon that Subject have related witnesseth to the truth of what I say The Bishop's Curiosity the Niceness of Arius the Presumption of the one to expound beyond the Evidence and Simplicity of the Text and the Captious Humor of the other that would not bate the Bishop any thing for his Age or the Rank he held in the Church but Logically exacted the Utmost Farthing of the Reckoning began the â—ray Which as it became the Perplexity of Church and State some Ages so it raged to Blood and those that had been persecuted like Sheep by the Heathen not long before turn'd Wolves now to each other and made sport for the Infidel doing their work Nay so much more Christian was Themistius the Philosopher that in his Oration called CONSUL he commended and advised the Emperour Jovianus to Exercise Moderation and to give that Liberty of Conscience which profest Christians refused to do to each other who seem'd to think they never did God better Service than in Sacrificing one another for Religion Did we duly reflect upon the Unnatural Heats Divisions and Excommunications among them the many Councils that were called the strong and tedious Debates held the Translations of Sees the Anathemas the Banishments Wars Sackings Fires and Blood-shed that followed this Unnatural Division that sprang from so nice a Controversie one would verily believe no less than that Religion it self had been in Utmost Hazard that Judaism or Paganism were over-running Christianity and not that all this Stir had been made about an Iota For the whole Question was whether HOMOUSIA or HOMOIUSIA should be received for Faith in which the difference is but the single Letter 1 Certainly we must do Violence to our Understanding if we can think that these men were Followers of that Jesus that Lov'd his Enemies gave his Blood for the World who hated their Brethren and shed one anothers Blood for OPINIONS The Heathen-Philosophers never were so Barbarous in their Differences But how easily might all these Confusions have been prevented if their Faith about Christ had been deliver'd in the words of Scripture since all sides pretend to believe the Text and why should any man presume to be Wiser than the Holy Ghost 'T is strange that God and Christ should be wanting to express or discover their own mind or that the words used by the Holy Ghost should have that Shortness Ambiguity or Obliquity in them that our frail Capacities should be needed to make them more Easie Proper and Intelligible But that we should scarcely deliver any one Article of Faith in Scripture-Terms and yet make such Acts the Rule and Bond of Christian Communion is in my Judgment an Offence hainous against God and Holy Scripture and very Injurious to Christian Charity and Fellowship Who can express any Man's mind so fully as himself and shall we allow that Liberty to our selves and refuse it to God The Scriptures came not in Old time said the Apostle Peter by the will of Man but holy Men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost Who can speak better or express the Mind of the holy Ghost plainer than the holy Ghost the Scripture is the Great Record of Truth that which all these Parties in Controversie agree to be the Declared Mind and Will of God they Unanimously say It ought to be believ'd and profest as such If this be true in what Language can we so safely and properly declare our Belief of the Truths therein contain'd orexpress those Truths as in the very Language of the Scripture And I cannot see how those Persons can be excused in the Day of God's Judgment who make men Heterâ—dox or Heretical for refusing to subscribe their Articles of Faith that are not in Scripture-Terms who at the same time offer to declare their Belief of God Christ Spirit Man's Laps or Fall Repentance Sanctification Justification Salvation Resurrection and Eternal Recompence in the Language of Holy Scripture 'T is preposterous and a Contradiction that those who desire to deliver their Faith of Truth in the Language of Truth should not be reputed True Believers nor their Faith admitted for this were to say that therefore their Faith is not to be received because it is declared in the Language of that very Truth which is the Object of that Faith for which it ought to be received and which is on all hands concluded to be our Duty to believe It seems then we must not express our Belief of God in his Words but our own nor is the Scripture a Creed plain or proper enough to declare a True Believer or an Orthodox Christian Are not things come to a sad pass that to refuse any other Terms than those the Holy Ghost has given us and which are confest to be the Rule or Form of sound Words is to expose a Man to the Censure of being Unsound in the Faith unfit for Christian-Communion Will
for me to judge that this man does rashly and unadvisedly if he shall arise and contradict Is not the Spirit able to reveal somewhat to him which he hath hidden from thee Now if the Spirit have revealed somewhat to him and to that end revealed it that he might contradict that by his means the thing may be revealed to the Church shall I say that he hath done rashly in obeying the holy Ghost And if thou think otherwise verily thou art not perswaded that the Spirit is the Author and Teacher of this Knowledge but that all the praise thereof is due to Studies Watchings and the Wits of men And if this be thy judgment I tell thee again That thou art not only unworthy to be the sole Speaker but worthy rather to be the only person not permitted to speak in the Congregation And that thou mayst the better understand that the most Unlearned ought to be allowed to speak consider God will have himself to be acknowledged the Author of his own gifts he will not have his praise attributed unto our Studies or Wits but unto himself But if the man that hath spent all his Life in Study speak wisely it is not attributed to God but to study In word perhaps it may be attributed to God yet not without a vehement Reluctancy of our Judgment and this is that which I say God will not abide But if so be thou shalt hear a wise word come out of the Mouth of some unlearned Person thou must needs whether thou wilt or no acknowledge God to be the Author thereof So when God was minded to give unto â—srael a Victory against the Midianites under the Conduct of Gideon and Gideon had gathered together Thirty Thousand Men lest the Israelites should boast that they had gotten the Victory by their own Strength and not by the Assistance of God which might have been conceived if Gidean had fought with so numerous an Army he would not suffer him to have above Three hundred that it might appear that he was the Cause of the Victory and not the Number or Valour of those that fought Now besides the Glory of God hereby great Profit does accrue to the Church For if the People shall see now one man now another endued with the Spirit beyond all Expectation many will thereby be encouraged to hope for the same Gift if they shall ask it many will learn and profit and it will thereby come to pass that when Occasion shall be to choose a Minister the Church shall not need to call strange and unknown Persons to that Office but she may have of her own such as are fit to be chosen Men whose Conversation and Manners are sufficiently known And when the number of such as are able to prophesie shall be great the Church will not be forced to use such Pastors as from their very Childhood have proposed to themselves such Offices as the reward of their Studies and addicted themselves to the study of Scripture and Religion no otherwise then they would have done to some Trade whereby they meant in time to get their Living So that a Man can expect but very few of them to prove other then Mercenary or Hireling Pastors Now that it was the Custom of the Jewish Church that all might thus Prophesie we may hence conjecture in that it is upon Record Luke 4. how our Lord upon the Sabbath day decording to the Custom came into the Synagoguge took a Book and expounded a place of Esay and how being twelve years of Age he sate at Jerusalem in the Temple among the Doctors and did aispute For he could not so do by vertue of any ordinary office forasmuch as his Age was uncapable neither did the Doctors know who he was Yea rather our Lord in so doing must needs make use of the power which was granted to every one to speak It remained in the Christians Congregations until the times of Constantine at the least Forasmuch as we have these words of Eusebius the Writer of Church affairs to that effect If any man inspired by the Grace of God should speak unto the People they all with great silence fixing their Eyes upon him gave such attention as if he had brought them some Errand from Heaven So great was the reverence of the hearers such order was seen among the Ministers One after another another after him Neither was there only two or three that Prophesied according to what the Apostle said but to all was given to speak so that the wish of Moses seems rather to have been fulfilled in them when he said Would God all the People might Prophesie There was no Spleen no Envy the gifts of God were dispensed every one according to his ability contributing his assistance for the confirmation of the Church And all was done with love in such sort That they strove mutually toâ—honour each other and every one to prefer another before himself But to the end this common prophecying may be profitable to the Church we must diligently mark what the Apostle advises For a sure thing it is that the Pride of Man is so great that whatever hath once fallen from him he will by any means have it stand for a Truth neither can he suffer that any man should infringe the same So that if he might be permitted to judge that last spake it will be a Miracle if a man in his Life time should see any one give way to him that contradicts him What is Paul's advice therefore in this case Let two or three Prophets speak and let the rest judge He will not therefore have the same Persons to be Parties and Judges And he adds a little after And the Spirit of the Prophets is subject to the Prophets for God is not the Author of dissention but of Peace So that as soon as any man hath spoken his own mind he ought to rest himself satisfied with the judgment of the rest and not obstinately to make no End of contending if this be not done a sure thing it is there will be no end of strife But what if any man will not be content to submit to the Judgment of the rest Verily I would avouch that being sharply admonished that he disturb not the Congregation and that he go not against the command of the Apostle or rather of our Lord commanding the Spirits of the Prophets to be subject to the Prophets he ought to be cast out of the Society though he should hold the prime place in the Congregation The people likewise must frequently be admonished that liberty for any one to speak in the Congregation is not therefore granted by the Apostle to the end every one should speak what comes to his Tongues end as if he were in a Market but whereas he gives liberty to him to speak to whom any thing is revealed he would have all Rashness and Impudence to be laid aside He that reverences not the Church of God let
comprehends the State of Men in both Worlds it shews to us what that Life is in this World which leads to Misery in the Next and what to Happiness No Sensual Man no Voluptuous Person not those that deck themselves with Delicate Apparel and fare Sumptuously every Day that love their Back and their Belly more then God and the Poor shall be received into Abraham's Bosom or dwell in Blessedness forever let none deceive themselves the Jealous God will not be mocked If ye Sow to the Flesh ye shall reap Corruption but if ye sow to the Spirit ye shall reap Life Everlasting They that live in Pleasures Kill the Just they Crucifie the Just Witness in themselves such Treasure up wrath against the Day of Wrath. Wo Anguish and Triâ—ulation to every Soul that doth Evil whether Jew or Gentile Professor or Prophane Christian or Infidel For the Dives's under all these Names must be turned into Hell but such as through Patience and Well-doing wait for Immortality as poor Lazarus did after all their Poverty Neglect and Hunger shall receive Glory Honour and Eternal Life And truly it is some Comfort to the Miserable in this World that they shall not live always in it and that they have to do with a God who is no Respecter of Persons This Judge is impartial the Poor are upon Even Terms with the Rich and it will not be Quality but Integrity not Riches but Righteousness which will recommend us to him No wonder then if the Prophet Jeremiah in the Name of God charged the Antient Jews Not to go into the House of Feasting and that Ecclesiastes should say That it is better to go to the House of Mourning than to the House of Feasting since so many Evils follow it But there is one Feast that even Christ himself allows us though I have little Reason to believe it will be Imitated when I consider the Natural Aversness that is even among Profest Christians to his Self-denying Precepts and Example Then said Jesus When thou makest a Dinner or a Supper call not thy Friends or thy Brethren neither thy Kinsmen nor thy Rich Neighbours lest they also bid thee again and a Recompence be made thee This would beget Feasting the thing which is to be avoided no such matter But when thou makest a Feast call the Poor the Maimed the Lame the Blind and thou shalt be Blessed for they cannot recompense thee but thou shalt be recompensed at the Resurrection of the Just There are few that strive to obey this Counsel there is so little of Fashion or of Interest in it What! Persons of Quality feast the Poor Carve for the Maimed and feed the Blind 't is too Mean too Ignominious If they have the Bones the Scraps the Crums 't is well No no this Doctrine is too like him that taught it to be practised by them that are so Unlike him they that follow him in these things must Take up the Cross Despise the Shame and Sow in Hope But because there is an Everlasting Recompence for those that do I fervently desire of God that it would please him to put it into the Minds of both Magistrates and People to Love Mercy Do Justice Walk humbly with the Lord and Meekly and Charitably towards all men I beseech you in the Tender Bowels of a Christian Man to consider of the Present Conjuncture is this a Time for Feasts and Reveils Plays and Pastimes when the very Wrath of God seems to hang by a slender Thread over our Heads O! let your Moderation be known unto all men now the Lord is so near at hand And I do humbly pray the Supreme Authority of this Land to put a speedy Check to these Exorbitances to Discountenance these Excesses by the Revival of those Old Laws and in making of such New Ones as may be thought convenient to prevent such Pride and Prodigality For I think I may both with Modesty and Truth affirm if the very Unnecessary Expences of most Ranks or Degrees in this Kingdom could be brought into one Publick Purse they would arise to Three Times more Money than either is given or is requisite to the Maintenance of the Poor that are in it and whether this be a thing Practicable or no it matters not the very Preventing of that Excess which is amongst us will be pleasing to Almighty God and one Way or other Beneficial to the Government It may not be improper for me here to add by way of Appendix to this Head of Excess the Sin of GAMING an Invention of much Mischief in the World therefore inconsistant both with Christianity and Civil Government The Evils that attend it are neither small nor few It is First a Great Enemy to Business and that Just Care that people ought to have for the Discharge of their Respective Capacities in their Civil Affairs Next It is one of the Greatest Thieves to Mens Estates Many brave Families have been ruin'd by a Gamester That which hath been got by the Care and Prudence of a Father it may be hath been lost in one Night by the Extravagant Humor of a Son But that the Reward of Virtue should be the Stake of Folly and the Acquest of Worthy Ancestors exposed to the Chance and Hazard of the Die is such Impiety to God's Providence Ingratitude to Parents Injury to their own Families and Disgrace to the Government that I conceive it may very well deserve the Care of our Superiors to prevent that Extravagancy for the future Thirdly It is a great Consumer of Time They who are addicted to Gaming are the most Idle and Useless people in the Government and give me leave to say that men are Accountable to the Government for their Time there ought to be no Idleness in the Land for that End Bridewels are provided Of many other Sins people are Weary but of this never unless to Sleep or Eat or for Want of Money to Play We are commanded to Redeem the Time bècause the Dayes are Evil but these people chuse rather to Lose their Time and fall into the Evil they should avoid A Gamester and a Christian are as opposite as a Saint and a Sinner for the Christian looks to God in the increase of his Estate the Gamester to Skill and Chance and there is no more of God in his Mind than there is in his Game and it cannot be otherwise Fourthly Therefore Gaming deserves to be supprest because it has been the Occasion of Breach of Friendship Quarrels Bloodshed and Murder if we ought to shun the Occasions of Evil to be sure we ought not to indulge them The Last Mischief that belongs to Gaming which I shall mention at this time is the Horrid OATHS and Passionate Imprecations used by the generality of Gamesters but because they are not confin'd to Gaming but run through the whole Conversation of men they may very well challenge a place among those FourCrying Sins that I found my self Obliged in