Church but if he neglect to hear the Church let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a Pubican That is Excommunicate him Now for what faults he is to be Excommunicate they are set down v. 15. Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee c. So it is a scandalous Trespass wherein the offender does persist and remain obstinate on which according to Christ's Rule Excommunication should strick Now sure it is there are many Errors not contrary to fundamental Truths such as many points of Arminianism Antinomianism c. which yet persisted in are Scandalous both to particular Christians and the Church and therefore according to Christs Rule Excommunication should strick upon other Errors than those contrary to the fundamental Points of Religion which is contrary to their assertion Thirdly Neither can we assent that Excommunication should strick on no other Errors but those contrary to the light of Nature and that not only because of what is presently said that Excommunication should strick against every scandalous Sin done against a Brother or the Church wherein the offender does persist and remain obstinate but also according to that Rule whereby they maintain that Excommunication should strick on no other Error but these that are contrary to the very Light of Nature it would follow that the publisher of these Errors following or the like against fundamental Truths should not be censured to wit That the Scriptures are not the word of God That Jesus Christ was an Impostor a Deceiver That we are not justified by free Grace say according to that rule such Hereticks should not be censured no not Ecclesiastically because these Errors are not against Natures Light but Scripture Light only for Natures Light teacheth not the Truths which are contrary to these Errors This much for Church Tolleration but as said is concerning this is not the present Contraversy The main question then is concerning State Tolleration Concerning which some do affirm That whatever the Church may do in Inflicting Church Censures on Hereticks Maintainers of Heterodox Opinions Yet say they no civil Punishment such as Death Imprisonment Mulcts or Fines should be inflicted on any Error or Blasphem whatsoever providing the Maintainers of them carry themselves peaceably do not trouble the State or do evil against the Commonwealth in civil Things We again on the contrary do hold That it is the Duty of the Civil Magistrate to suppress Error Heresie and every sin against the First Table as well as it is his Duty to suppress Adultery Fornication Sedition and other sins against the second Table And that he is not only bound to suppress Errors and Blasphemies that are contrary to fundamental Truths or the Light of Nature but all Error contrary to other points of Truth Now for clearing the State of this Question and freeing it from some odious Imputations that may be cast upon it Before we come to Arguments we shall lay down these Assertions First We do not say that the Magistrate is bound to punish Hereticks at the first step Pains should first be taken to inform them the Judgement of the Church is Antecedent and their Labour is to convince Gainsayers So this must go before the Magistrates Duty they must be found Obstinate before the Magistrate medle with them or punish them Civilly Especially if their Errors be not horrid Blasphemies against God and Natures Light in such the Magistrate is not bound to give so much Forbearance Secondly We do not say that all Errors and Heresies are to get alike punishment but according to the degrees of the guilt that is in them even as it is in sins committed against the Second Table Murder is a more hainous Fault than Fornication and therefore the Magistrate is bound to punish it more highly Even so is it in Sins done against the First Table Blasphemies done against God or a denying of the true God is a higher Sin than Worshiping of the true God after a false manner and therefore the Magistrate is bound to punish it more severely Thirdly As we do not say that every Error and Heresie is to receive the like punishment so neither do we say that every one that maintains the same Error is to be alike punished for there are some that are Seducers or Drawers on of others to Error Disturbers of the Peace of the Church Ring-leaders there are others again that are only seduced and drawn away to Error and these last although they should not be Tollerate yet the power of the Magistrate is to be exercised more sparingly towards them So Secondly There are some rooted in Error confirmed in it who will not hear Instruction There are others that are but weak and are seeking Light whose way evidenceth them to be Conscientious only for the time they are Ignorant and in Humility seeking after Light and these last the Magistrate as all other Christians is to bear much with according to Rom. 15. 1. We then that are strong ought to bear the Infirmities of the weak c. Now this being said to clear the question we come to Arguments to make out this Truth to wit That the Magistrate is bound to suppress and punish Error Heresie and other sins against the First Table as well as he is bound to punish Adultery Theft and other sins against the Second Table The First Argument we bring is from the approven practice of Kings and Magistrates under the Old Testament from which we form an Argument thus If it was the approven practice of Kings and and Magistrates under the Old Testament to suppress Error Heresie and Blasphemy then Magistrates under the New Testament are bound to do the like But so it is that it was the approven practice of Kings and Magistrates under the Old Testament to suppress Error Heresie and Blasphemy and other sins against the first Table Therefore Magistrates under the New Testament are bound to do the like For confirming of this Argument there are two things to be made out First That it was the practice of the Magistrate under the Old Testament to suppress Error and Heresie Secondly As it was their practice so their practice herein is approven of God otherwise it were not binding unto others for Kings and Magistrates did several things wherein they were not approven and so not binding unto us now The first thing then we are to clear is that this was the practice of Magistrates under the Old Testament And we shall begin First with Abraham's practice Genes 18. 19. For I know him that he will command his Children and his Houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do Iustice and Iudgement c. Secondly with Jacob who was a Magistrate in his own Family And we shall see him employing his Power to suppress false Religion In the 35 of Gen. vers 2. Then Jacob said unto his Houshold and to all that were with him put away the strange Gods that are among you
and Reason 4. The Truth being vindicated is applyed to a Practical Vse pag. 47. SECT III. The Doctrine of Errastianism Try'd and found not to be Of God pag. 86. Head l. There is a Church Government 〈◊〉 forth in Scripture ibid. Head II. The power of Church Government belongeth not to the Civil Magistrate pag. 103 SECT IV. The Doctrine of Independency Try'd and found not to be Of God pag. 123. Head I. The power of Church Government is in the Church Officers and not in the Body of Church Members ibid. Head II. The highest power of Church Government is not in Church Sessions or Congregational Elderships pag. 150. Paragr I. There is a Plate-form of the Government of many Congregations by One Common Presbytry holden out in Scripture pag. 152. Paragr II. There is a Plate-form of Government by Synods over many particular Presbytries held forth in Scripture pag. 167. Paragr III. Infertor Church Judicatories are subject Superior pag. 173 SECT V. The Doctrine of Separation Try'd and sound Not to be of God pag. 191 Head I. Shewing what is required for making one a Member of the Visible Church ibid Head II. No Separation from a true Church or Gods Worship in the Church because of the Sins of Fellow-worshipers pag. 214 A Sermon Preach'd before the Synod at Glasgow April 5. 1653. From 1 Cor 1. 10. pag. 235. Sermon Second Preach'd at Irving foom Psalm 51 6. Immediatly before the Giving of the Communion Being a Preparation Sermon in order thereto pag. 287 Sermon Third Preach'd at Kilwinning 11 May 1663 From Luke 7. 23. Vpon the Munday Immediatly after the Giving of the Communion pag. 313. Sermon Fourth Preach'd at Kilwinning From Acts 11 23. Vpon the Munday Immediatly after the Giving of the Communion pag. 340. A BRIEF REFUTATION OF THE ERRORS OF Tolleration c. SECT I. Of Doctrine in General and the Tryal thereof 1 John ch 4. ver 1. Beloved believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God THE Body of this Epistle as we shew'd when first we entred upon the handling of it runs upon three Heads The first is upon Marks whereby to discern real Grace to wit who had it and who not The second runs upon Exhortations to several Duties of Sanctification chiefly Love to the Brethren that Christians would Love them that Love God Love Grace wherever they saw it The third Head whereon it runs is Exhortations to Constancy in avowing Truth against Error In this fourth Chapter there are two of these Heads according to which we may take up the Chapter in two parts In the First There is an Exhortation to stand by Truth and to beware of those who would seduce People from it And that to ver 7. In the second part There is a renewing of the former Exhortations To Love the Brethren And a Confirmation of it by a number of new Arguments to the end Both which have been handled already and yet the Apostle returns again to them because Exhortations against Error cannot be enough inculcate and therefore he reiterats them again and again In the first part of this Chapter There is 1. An Exhortation 2. There are Arguments to enforce the Exhortation The Exhortation is set down in the former part of the first verse Believe not every Spirit that is lend not an Ear to every point of Doctrine covered over with a fair Name but bring every Doctrine to the Touch-stone There are two Things considerable in this Exhortation First There is the compellation he gives them a warm and kindly Stile Beloved And then Secondly There is the Exhortation it self And in it there are two Things 1. What they should not do And 2. What they should do For the First What they should not do Believe not every Spirit Some take the Spirit here for Preacher Believe not every Preacher And some for Doctrine Believe not every Doctrine But both may well be joyned together thus Believe not every Preacher who pretends the Spirit for his Doctrine For the second What they should do It is to Try the Spirits whether they are of God He bids them not cast at all Doctrines because there are some Errors vented for Truths as the natural Heart is ready to do But he Exhorts that they would bring every Spirit to the right Touch stone Thus much for opening up the words We intend if the Lord give us liberty to speak somewhat largely on this Verse of those Doctrines or Errors which are most like to trouble our Church therefore we shall raise some Doctrines before hand which may make way for what we intend Doct. I. The First is from the Apostles dehorting Believers from false Doctrine by many Arguments Hence observe That Christians would by all means eschew any thing that may tend to seduce them from the pure Truths of Jesus Christ Particularly that they would beware of Error Heresy and any thing of that sort Hence there are so many Exhortations in Scripture to stand by the Truth to be rooted in the Faith and to eschew contrary Error So it is a Duty lying on Christians to be guarding and watching against Error or what is contrary to Truth Reas The Reason is because Errour is a Sin and a very dangerous one We shall shew the danger of it in three Things I. It is dangerous because of the desert of it It is Damnable 2 Peter 2. 1. False Prophets are spoken of there as those who bring in damnable Heresies that is highly condemnable We shall afterwads show in what respect Heresies are Damnable 2. Errours are dangerous Sins because they steal subtily in upon People and people do too readily relish them So there are many whose nature abhorres gross Sins against the second Table as Fornication and such like and yet the Devil gets them hooked by this sin of Error Nature is born with a cry against gross Sins committed against the second Table and so naturally there is some kind of loathing in People at them but it is not so in the sins of Error Sathan can transform himself into an Angel of Light and plead Conscience whereas he intends to bear down Truth So the sins of Error are dangerous because subtile 3. They are dangerous in this respect that as they creep easily in So when once they are in it 's hard to get them shut to the door again And that because deluded Conscience pleads for them People tainted with Error think themselves right and therefore whatever is brought against them Conscience casts at all as wrong Now in other Sins to wit such as are against the Second Table altho Affection plead for them yet usually Peoples Light does witness against them And so in this respect it is more hard to get a sin of Error thrust out where it is once rooted than the sin of Prophanity it self Vse This Doctrine may serve to fit you for receiving the following Doctrines which if the Lord will we are to speak of
are the surest Pillars of our Commonwealth but woe to and will be to that Common-wealth that is builded on such Pillars And if Scotland or any party in it joyn with them on these terms our woe is but coming He is a jealous God chiefly in the matter of his Service as is clear from the Second Command The Third use is If this be an Ordinance of God to put Power in the Magistrates hand to punish Error it should make you scar at Error and labour to be grounded in the Truth For we see Error is a sin that God hates and it is a sin that God will have the Magistrate to punish and so a sin that he himself will punish if the Magistrate do neglect it It is natural to men to think If they can live a good Life it is the less matter what be their Opinion but the Lord Judges not so for as he will have other sins punished by the Magistrate so he will have these punished also And such as he usually punisheth himself by fearful Plagues when the Magistrate neglecteth his Duty in punishing other sins so doth he in those We might speak much from History of fearful Judgements sent immediatly by God upon Hereticks but we shall here close SECT III. A BRIEF REFUTATION OF THE DOCTRINE OF Erastianism Head I. That there is a Church Government held forth in Scripture HAving thus show'n that the Doctrine of Tolleration is not of God I proceed to Demonstrate this also in some other of the most Dangerous Errors of the Times We shall begin first with these Errors which are about the Government of the Church and that because the Government of the Church is the hedge of the Doctrine for if once the Government be brangled or shaken the wild Boar of the Wilderness cometh in easily and corrupteth the Doctrine therefore it is that the Devils main design hath been against the Government of the Church to blast and storm this Wall on all Hands The summe of what we have to say in this is to make out these four points First That there is a Government appointed by Christ in his Church distinct from the Civil Government Secondly We shall show that this Government is not in the hands of the Civil Magistrate but in the hands of Christs own officers which he hath appointed for Governing his house By inflicting of Church Censures enacting of Church canons so as they are not to act by derived power from the Magistrate and Appeals are not to be made from them to the Magistrate Thirdly we shall endeavour to prove That this power of Church Government is not in the hands of private Christians or the community of the Faithful but in the hand of Christs own Officers Ministers and Elders And Lastly We shall endeavour to prove that this Authority and Government is not in the hand of particular Congregations or particular Elderships Independently from other Judicatories above them but that this power is given to them so as they must be subject to Superior Judicatories In which propositions we will meet with these Errors that are most dangerously opposite to Church Government at this time The First two propositions are contrary to the Doctrine of Erastians and the last two are contrary to the Doctrine of Independents as they are commonly designed First we shall engage with Erastianism and our Scope in this shall be as in the former to show that however it pretend to the Spirit yet when it is brought to the tryal it will be found not to be of God This Doctrine or Error hath its name from the prime Author of it called Erastus a Doctor of Medicine who upon some discontent did first vent it to wit That Ministers should only meddle with Preaching but should have no power to meet in Church Judicatories Sessions Presbyteries or such like nor should they punish Scandalous sins with Church Censures Such as Suspension or Excommunication But that all power whatsoever in a Nation both in Church and State should be in the hand of the Civil Magistrate This Doctrine so soon as it was vented did get and does yet get many followers chiefly among state Divines and Christians that know more of wordly policy than Christian simplicity so that in a short time if God prevent it not it is like to swallow up all other Controversies about Church Government so plausible and pleasing it is to the powers of the World who cannot well endure to have Christ Reigning besides them Psalm 2. 3. Let us break their bands assunder and cast away their cords from us Both Sectaries and Malignants do aggree in this Error to take the power of Discipline out of the Churches hand 's The spiritual power of Church Censures in the hands of Christs officers is an eye sore to both of them But to come nearer to the point There are two heads of this Erastian Doctrine which we shall labour to refute The First is most gross whereby they affirm That there is no particular Church Government set down in Scripture In a word that there is no Government in the Church by divine right but that this Government is left in the hands of the Civil Magistrate whether to erect any Government at all in the Church or not or if he please to erect one That he may establish That Government which suits best the well-being of the Civil state So that according to this Doctrine the Civil Magistrate may establish Episcopacy this year the next year he may establish Presbytry and the third year he may cast both and establish Independency And if he like He may find out a Government different from any of these and establish it The Second Erastian Error is this whereby they affirm whatever Government be in the Church whether grounded in Scripture or not that according to Scripture it is in the hands of the Civil Magistrate and that he is the chief fountain of Church Government In opposition to the first Error we lay down this Conclusion which God willing we shall make good That Jesus Christ the King and head of his Church hath established a particular form of Church Government in his word which to alter is not in the power of any State whatsoever He hath set down a way for punishing Scandals for inflicting Church Censures Enacting Church canons And hath not left this in the Arbitriment of Kings or Parliaments to set down any Government they please In prosecuting which point we shall follow that Method we keeped in refuting the Doctrine of Tolleration We shall First clear the State of the Question Secondly We shall bring Arguments to confirm the Truth Thirdly We shall Answer these Arguments the Adversary brings against the Truth And so we shall apply all to Use. I. And First for clearing the State of the Question take thir two assertions First we do not affirm that all the Circumstantials of Church Government is set down expresly in the word But only first That all the
substantial parts of Church Government have a warrand in the word and are therein so fixed and established as they are unalterable by any State whatsoever And Secondly As to the Circumstantials that relate to this Government we say they are set down under general Rules sufficient for the ordering of them such as let all things be done in order and to edification Our Second Assertion is we are not to enter here to show what is the particular kind of Government that is appointed in the word and what things falls under the power of Church Governours and in what relation they are to handle them what are the nature of these Censures and how in all these things they differ from the Civil power It would take long time to clear these The thing we aim at is only this general That Jesus Christ the King of his Church and Lord of his House hath set down in his word a particular way for Governing of his house distinct from the Civil which is not in the power of any State to alter We proceed now to Arguments for comfirming this Truth II. The first Argument is this If so be that under the Old Testament there was a particular form of Church Government different from the Civil set down in the word then there must be also the like set down under the New but so it is that there was a particular way set down under the Old Testament for Governing the Church Therefore there must be the like set down under the new For making out this Argument there are two things we have to clear The First is That there was such a Government as this under the Old Testament warranted by the word The Second thing to be cleared is that therefore and upon the same Reason there must be also the like under the New For proving of the First that there was a particular Government of the Church different from the Gvernment of the state under the Old Testament We shall clear two things First That they had Church Judicatories different from the Civil Judicatories And to prove this we shall cite two places of Scripture The First is in 2 Chron 19. 8 9 10. Ye may read the place at leasure but there are these things in it proving that there was a Church Judicatory distinct from the Civil First We see that there is a Judicatory made up of the Church-men of the Levits and Priests in verse 8. Secondly We see that the things they judged of were spiritual matters distinguished from Civil things by calling the the first sort The matters of the Lord And the Second Matters of the King v. 11. Thirdly We see that in this Judicatory a Church-man was Moderator in the 11 verse And behold Amariah the chief Priest is over you And Fourthly We see that the sentence of the Court was Execute by Church-men in the end of the 11 vers Also the Levits shall be officers before you All which being laid together makes out clearly that under the Old Testament â—â—â—re was a Church Judicatory different from the Civil The Second place is in Jeremiah 26. 8. 9. 10 Where we have these things to make out the present point First We see that there were two Judicatories in the 8 v. There is a Judicatory of the Priests and Prophets condemning Jeremiah as a false Prophet again in the 10. and 1â— v. We see there is a Civil Judicatory made up of States-men When the Princes of Judah hard these things then they came up from the Kings house c. So it is plain they had a Church Judicatory for Church matters as well as a Civil Judicatory for Civil matters The Second thing that we are to speak to in order to the proving of the first point to wit That there was a Government of the Church different from that of the State among the Jews is this that as they had Church Judicatories different from the Civil so they had also Church Censures different from Civil punishments as we have amongst us And First publick confession of Scandalous sins was in use among them we shall clear it from one place of Scripture Ezra 10. 10. 11. And Ezra the Priest stood up and said unto them Ye have transgressed Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your Fathers c. There is confession of sin appointed for a fault that was Scandalous to wit their Marrying with strange Wives Now this confession was not only private to God nor on a Fast day but a personal publick acknowledgment after particular Examination of all one by one And we gather this from the 13. v. where it is said Neither is this a work of one day or two c. And in the 16. v. Three moneths was spent on the business so that this was a personal acknowledgment given by every one of them after the Examination of their guilt as we do in our Church Judicatories Secondly Besides this publick Confession they had the Censure of suspending Scandalous men from the Ordinances as we do suspend from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper we will find this in David his appointing of the offices of the Priests Among the rest it is recorded of Jehoiadah 2 Chron. 23. v 19. And he set the porters at the gates of the house of the Lord that none which was unclean in any thing should enter in They were suspended from the Ordinances because of their uncleaness And for the neglect of this the Priest's are reproved in Ezek. 22 v 26. Her Priests have violated my Law and have prophaned my Holy things they have put no difference between the unclean and clean neither between the Holy and prophane They let all come rushing together to the Ordinances And for this they are reproved Thirdly They had among them the sentence of Excommunication which is set down under the name of Cutting off from among the People And in the new Testament it is expressed by the name of casting out of the Synagogue which certainly was Excommunication It is a Ridiculous alledgence that they say by cutting off was meaned the inflicting of Temporal death by the sword of the Magistrate for the uncircumcised Man-child he that had touched a dead Body and did not wash after it were to be cut off now who would think that such were to be put to death The Second thing to be made out is That therefore there must be a Church Government under the New Testament seing it was so under the Old and the Reason is because no necessity can be alleadged for a â—hurch Government then but the same necessity is now Is not the Church a mixed multitude now as well as then is there not as great need to separate betwixt the precious and the vile now as then Is not the Church now a feild of Wheat and Tares as well as then Is there not need to keep the Ordinances pure now as then by the fence of Government Is there not need now to
The Magistrate hath much power about Church matters but he hath no Church-power properly so called that belongeth only to Christs own officers Secondly For clearing of the question take this Assertion what we deny to the Christian Magistrate in the power of Governing the Church we deny it to him only as a Magistrate for so we laid it down in the conclusion to be proved A Magistrate as a Magistrate hath no power in Governing the Church otherwise if a Christian Magistrate be chosen an Elder he hath power of Church Government being joyned with the rest Only we say as a Magistrate he hath no power to Govern the Church II. We come to the Second thing which is our Arguments to confirm the Truth And the first Argument is this That Jesus Christ hath given no warrand to the Civil Magistrate for the Government of his Church and therefore he hath no right to it 1 We say that Christ in his word hath given no warrand to the Magistrate for Governing his Church And this will appear from all these places where mention is made of any warrand given to any of Church Government There is no word of the Christian Magistrate in any of them only mention is made of Apostles Ministers and Elders so in Matth 16. 19. The power of Governing the Church to bind and loose is given to Peter in the name of the rest of the Apostles but no word of the Civil Magistrate And Matth 18. 17. the power of Excommunication is given to the Church and if he shall neglect to hear them 〈…〉 be c. The Church of Ministers and Elders hath the power but no word of the Civil Magistrate And so in Timoth and Titus the scope of which Epistles is to instruct Ministers concerning the right way of Governing the Church what is spoken there is spoken to them and to Ministers succeeding to them but there is no mention of the Civil Magistrate And therefore we may conclude he hath no right from Jesus Christ for Governing the Church And what he would challenge of that kind is but an usurpation and intruding unto that to which he hath no right Our second Argument is If the power of the Church Government belong to a Magistrate as a Magistrate then it belongeth to every Magistrate but this were absurd We say if the power of Governing the Church did belong to a Magistrate as a Magistrate then it should belong to every Magistrate for whatever belongs to one as such belongs to all such Now this hath many absurdities following on it For by this Rule Heathen Magistrates might have power of Church Government and be Church Governours which were absurd For they are not Church Members Then Secondly Women might be Church Governours for they may be Magistrates in some cases and yet they may not speak in the Church Yea Thirdly By this it should follow that Children not come to age might have the power of Church Government for they may be Magistrates when Magistracy goeth by succession Now Children cannot have the power of Church Government for that power is not to be Exercised by deputies but by the persons themselves who are intrusted with it A Third Argument to confirm the Truth is this That Magistrates as Magistrates are not Church Officers And therefore they have no power to Govern the Church The consequence is clear for if Magistrates have power to Govern the Church then they must be Church Officers if any thing make a man a Church Officer then power to Govern the Church will do it for State Government and State Officers are Relata and have a mutual Relation one to another and so must Church Government and Church Officers have a mutual Relation one to another But in the next place it is evident That a Magistrate as a Magistrate is no Church Officer and that because among all that roll set down in the word of God wherein Christ reckons up his Officers there is no mention made of the Civil Magistrate Ephes 4. There is a roll verse 11. And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and teachers But no word of the Civil Magistrate and in Rom 12 6 7. There is an other roll of Church officers but no word of of the Civil Magistrate whether prophecy let us prophecy according to the proportion of Faith Or Ministery let us wait on our Ministering or he that teacheth on teaching c. But neither in this place or any other is there any mention of the Civil Magistrate Only some of our Adversaries mutter somewhat of 1 Cor 12. 28. That by Governments there mentioned is meaned the Christian Magistrate but it is easily refuted for the text speaketh evidently of such Governours as the Church had at that time And God hath set some in the Church c. Now the Church at that time had no Christian Magistrate nor for above 200 years after So by Governments cannot be meaned the Christian Magistrate but the Ruling Elder who is often spoken of in other places Our Fourth Argument to prove this point is That the Church did enjoy full power of Government within her self and accordingly did exercise it near 300 years before any Magistrate was a Christian and so the Church hath this power within her self yet For the first part of the Argument it is evident if we consider First That which is not controverted to wit that in the space of 300 years after Christ there was not a Magistrate a Christian If we consider Secondly That all this time the Church had full power of Church Government within her self and therefore Paul sayes to Timothy 1 Tim 4. 14. Neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given thee by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery So they had power of Ordination Power also to dispence Censures as Excommunication 1 Cor 5. 4 5 When ye are gathered together To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the Flesh c. And they had power to relax from Excommunication So 2 Cor 2 6. Where Paul commands to relax the Excommunicate man from that Sentence Sufficient to such a man is this punishment which was inflicted of many v. 7. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him c. Fourthly They had Synods meeting together making binding Canons to guide the Church Act 15. The Synod of Apostles Elders and Brethren meet together determine a controversie and Censure those who had troubled the Church Thus the first part of the Argument is made out to wit That the Church did enjoy full power of Discipline within her self long before any Magistrate became Christian And therefore it followes that this power is yet in the Churches hand and not in the Magistrates And that because if the Church at that time had right to dispence this power as undoubtedly she had then they must make it appear how Christ took this right from her and
ground your self in this Truth It may cost you much and though it should stand you never so much it is worth the avowing Christ himself suffered on this account as we have already shown and others of his servants have thought it their Glory to be called unto suffering for it Who am I saith Master Welsh That he hath not only called me to be a Preacher of glad things but also to be a sufferer for his cause and Kingdom To wittness that good confession That Jesus Christ is the King of Saints and that his Church is a most free Kingdom Yea as free as any Kingdom under Heaven That she is free in her Government from all other Jurisdiction on Earth except only Christs We are waiting saith he with joyfulness to leave the last Testimony of our blood for the confirmation of this Truth If it would please our God to be so favourable as to honour us with that dignity Thus He. And who knowes how soon he may honour some of us with that dignity A dignity indeed to suffer for the Royal Crown and Diadem of Our Lord Jesus SECT IV. A BRIEF REFUTATION OF THE DOCTRINE OF Independency Head I. The Power of Church Government is in the Church Officers and not in the Body of Church-Members THE dayes by-past we spake against the Doctrine of Erastianism And shew you that however it had many fair pretences yet it is to be reckoned among those Doctrines which are not of God We are now with the Lords assistance to speak against the Doctrine of Independency Ye Remember when we entered on these controversies about Church Government We shew you there were Four points of Truth which we should Labour to make good The first was That Jesus Christ the head of his Church had appointed in his word a way for the Governing and Ruling of his Church and that he had not left it to the power of the Civil Magistrate King or Parliament To establish what way of Government they please The second point was That this Government of the Church which Christ established in his word was not in the hands of the Civil Magistrate to be Executed by him Thir two points we have made good in our former Disputs against Erastianism The third point of Truth is this That Jesus Christ the head of the Church hath not committed the power of Governing his Church unto the Body of Believers To the community of Church Members but hath established it in the hands of his own officers Ministers and Elders The Fourth point of Truth which we promised to prove was this That Jesus Christ the head of the Church hath not given particular Elderships and Church Sessions the Supream power of Church Government in their hands so as that there should be none above them to call them to an account But that they are subject in the Lord to Superior Church Judicatories such as Presbytries Synods and General Assemblies These two last points we are to make out in Refuting this Doctrine of Independency This Error of Independency above all other we may call a fountain Error It is the Sluce whereby an entrance is made to all other Errors of what sort soever This is the Error whereby the most part of those that hath fallen from the way of Truth these years by past have been first hooked They first turned Independents yet rested not long there but proceeded from evil to worse Our scope shall be in this as in the former points to show That however it hath many fair pretences yet when it is brought to the Tryal it will be found not to be of God There are two main heads of this Error of Independency opposit to the two last points of Truth which we promised to make out The first is That whereby they affirm That Jesus Christ has given the power of Governing the Church unto all those that are Members of the Church Although they be not Ministers or Elders To the community of believers as they call it The second Head of their Error is this They do affirm that Jesus Christ hath intrusted particular Congregations Elderships or Church Sessions with the highest power of Church Government on earth so that there is no Judicatory above them to call them to an account As for the first Head of their Error which we are to speak against at this time Therein they have different Opinions among themselves some affirming that the power of Governing the Church is given to the Body of Church Members the community of Believers without the Minister and Elders yea a power over them to ordain them Censure depose them and inflict all other Church Censures Others give them this power conjunctly with the Church Officers Ministers and Elders Secondly Some give only the power and Authority to Govern to the Church Members But for the Exercise of that power they allow it to the Elders Yet so as to the Peoples deputs to whom they must give an account Others give the People not only the power and Authority but also the Exercise of this Government So that the People may sit down in Church Judicatories themselves enact Church Canons inflict Church Censures c. Thirdly Some give them the Exercise of this power only in some things as the Excercise of the power of Jurisdiction to make Church Canons and inflict Church Censures But not to Preach Others give them a full Exercise of Authority to do all We in opposition to all these lay down this conclusion which we shall Labour to make good from the word of God and solid Reason to wit That Jesus Christ hath not given to the Body of Church Members or to private Christians either the power or Exercise of Church Government neither in whole nor in part but hath intrusted it wholly to his own Officers Ministers and Elders I prosecuting this point we shall follow forth the former Method First We shall clear the State of the Question Secondly Bring Arguments for the Truth And Thirdly We shall propone and answer their Arguments brought against the Truth And Fourthly We shall shall apply the whole to some use I. For clearing the state of the Question Thâ—a it may be known what we do grant to private Christians and what we deny several distinctions would be given First There is difference betwixt Church power or Authority and Christian priviledges We do grant several Christian priviledges to private Christians but these do not infer any Church power or Authority of Governing the Church As for Example We do grant to the People a Power of Electing their own Officers Ministers or Elders we grant to them a power to try the Spirits whether they be of God i e They are not to believe blindly what Ministers say but have a power to Try what they say in Relation to their practice To pass a Judgment of discretion upon it whether it be according to the word or not We grant these priviledges to the People but none of them doth
of God to commit the great affairs of his House to those whom he hath not qualified to that purpose Besides no instance can be given that ever he trusted any with those things but he promised them furniture and in some measure enabled them accordingly So when he sendeth forth Moses Jeremiah Isay c. he giveth them furniture and when he sendeth out the Apostles he furnishes them for that End So John 20. 21 Then said Jesus to them again peace be unto you as my Father sent me even so send I you There is the commission given them and upon the back of this in v. 22. And when he had said this he breathed on them c. There is the Furniture And so does he to Ministers whom he entrusts with this power He promises them Furniture Matth 28 20 and lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the World There a promise made to the Apostles and in them to the Ministers as appears from these following words even unto the end of the World And so these promises could not be fully verified in the Apostles who were to die within a little but in Ministers their successors to the Worlds end Now it is very evident he hath neither made such promises to every particular believer for Governing the Church neither doth he perform them unto them What Is every believer furnished with that measure of knowledge prudence and wisdom that is required for the right managing of the affaires of Church Government Yea God doth not require it of them And so certainly it stands not with his wisdom to have committed the power of Church Government to all and every one of believers This for ouâ— third Argument Our Fourth Argument for the Truth is If so be that the power of Governing the Church belongeth to Church Members Then it belongeth to them either as they are gifted for it and chosen out for that purpose And if so then we have our intent For then all are not Church Governours but only those who are gifted and chosen And so Church Officers Or it belongs to them as believers or Church Members and if so then it Belongs to all for every one is a Church Member as well as another and every one that hath Faith is a believer as well as another and whatever priviledge floweth from Faith belongs to every believer the meanest as well as the greatest So if the right of Church Government be grounded on Faith and Grace then every believer and none but believers should have the right of it from whence shall follow many absurdities as that Children as well as Parents the simple as well as the wise Women as well as Men may Preach Administrate the Sacraments lay on hands in Ordaining the Ministers sit in Sessions inflict Censures Excommunicate and what not Secondly Then none but believers should have right to Church Government So none hath power to Baptise Censure c. But they that have Grace And upon this People should have Reason to doubt whether they be rightly Baptised or not because they know not if the Minister who Baptised them had Grace or not and if he wanted Grace he had no power of Church Government by this Doctrine And so no power to Baptise We bring a Fifth Argument for the Truth and it is this private Christians are in no place of Scripture acknowledged to be Church Governours There are no names nor titles given to them importing this power to be in them as is given to Church Officers 1 Tim 5. 17. Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour And 1 Corinth 12. 28. And God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly Teachers c. But no title of that kind is given to private Christians Yea they are set down plainly under names in opposition to Governours As the flock to Overseers Acts 20. 28. Take heed tberefore unto your selves and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers c. Yea and are commanded to honour obey submit to their Governours set over them and distinct from them Hebr 13. 17. Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves c. Now it is strange to imagine That Christ should have intrusted them with highest power of Government And yet in all the stiles he gives them there is nothing imported of that power but much of their Subjection Surely he hath not done so with Officers as we have shown And let any discover the Reason of the difference A Sixth Argument for the Truth is this If so be that the power of Governing the Church be given but only to some then it does not belong to all but so it is that the power of Governing the Church is only given to some therefore not to all Church Members The first part of the Argument cannot be denyed For the second That it is only given to some see those proofs that limit this power only to some as Ephes 4. 11. And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets c. Some and therefore not all 1 Cor 12. 28. which we cited before and God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly teachers There are but some that he hath set for Governing his house and therefore not all and Heb 13 17. Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves c. Tim 5. 17. as is likewise before cited There are some then that rule to whom the rest ought to submit And so all are not Rulers There is a Seventh Argument for clearing the Truth And it is this That power which Jesus Christ hath not set down rules and limits to order it by in his word is not of God but he hath set down no Rules how to direct the managing of Church Power in the hand of Church-Members therefore it is not of God The first part of our Argument That whatever Power is appointed of God he hath set down Rules how to order it is very clear As we may prove by the Enumeration of lawful Powers He hath set down Rules how to Regulate the Power of a King that he play not the Tyrant He hath set down Rules to Regulate the Power of Masters Parents by So the Power in the Hand of the Church Officers is regulated that they Rule with Diligence Rom. 12. 8. And so through the Epistles to Timothy and Titus But so it is that he hath set down no Rules to order Church Government by in the Hands particular Believers For in no place of the word will such Rules be found Ye that are the flock govern the Pastors and feed them watch over the People of God lay hands suddenly on no man I say there are no such directions given to private Christians and therefore this pretended Power is not of God Our last Argument for the Truth is If so be the Power of governing the Church doth belong to every
in the minds of many if it were but for this one Reason that they who are intrusted with it do not Labour to beautify it It is looked on by many as a place of respect and not of Office If a man be Richer than his neighbour he thinks he is not respected if he be not an Elder and having goten the name he cares for no more Now is that the way either to make People respect thy Person or thy Office Let me obtest and charge all of you who have taken on this Heavenly Calling as ye will Answer on your hazard to Jesus Christ the chief sheepherd that ye would study by all means so to walk in it as to beautify it and that so much the more as the Devil is Labouring to disgrace it And this now for the First Head of Independency Head II. The highest Power of Church Government is not in Church-Sessions or Congregational Elderships WE come now to the Second Head And it is That for which mainly they are called Independents The point they affirm is this That every particular Church Session or Congregational Eldership is instructed with the highest power of Church Government on Earth so that there is no power in the Church above them to call them to an account when they go wrong to rescind any Act once concluded though it were never so unjust They grant that a Synod of Ministers and Elders may meet to consult about matters but withall affirm that they have no Ecclesiasticall power to command in the Lord any Congregation whatsoever So that if a man be wronged by a Session As for instance if he be unjustly censured as it may very readily fall out he must sit with his wrong there is no power to right it till Christ come in the Clouds Or if a particular Congregation divide turn Hereticks run wrong as many of the Independent Congregations doe there is no Church power to heal the breach unless it be by giving an advice which they may either follow or not follow as likes them best We again grant That particular Elderships have a power from Jesus Christ to Exercise Discipline in these things which concern the Congregation in particular But as for other things of more publick concernment that is to say Things that concern other Congregations as well as them these ought to be handled by a Superior Judicatory And that even in those things of particular concernment They are lyable to Appeals and the inspection of the Superior Judicatory So that wherein they shall be found wrong partial or Erronious They may be called to an account For shewing the fashood of this Error as also for the vindicating of the Government of the Church of Scotland that is now so much spoken against we shall labour to make out with the Lords assistance these Three Truths from the word of God The first it this That besides the power of Church Government that Christ hath given to particular Elderships There is also holden forth in his word A plat-form or a Copy of the Government of many Congregations by one Presbytry over them all in common The Second Truth that we shall make out is this That besides the Church Government that Christ hath established by Presbytries there is also holden out in the word greater Church Judicatories to wit Synods made up of Commissioners from several Presbytries instructed with power of Church Government from Christ also And Thirdly We shall labour to make out this Truth That the inferior Judicatories are to be Subject to the Superior as Sessions to Presbytries Presbytries to Synods Synods to General Assemblies So that the Superior judicatories have power over the Inferior in the Lord to receive Appeals from them and complaints 〈◊〉 them to Censure them for Miscarying in the matter of Discipline and to enact Church Canons or conclusions binding to them which Inferior Judicatories are bound to obey in the Lord. ¶ I. There is a Platform of the Government of many Congregations by one common Presbytery holden out in Scripture COncerning the State of this Question I only premit this That however we have the very name of this Presbytry whereabout we dispute holden out in 1 Tim 4. 14. Whereby I might easily show is meaned the Presbytry we plead for yet we shall not dispute about names Though the Name were not yet it is sufficient that the Thing be in it And this we shall make good to wit That in Scripture is holden out a pattern of the Government of many Congregations by one common Presbytry The proof of this point we might instance almost in all the Churches that were planted in the Apostles time As in the Church of Jerusalem The Church of Antioch Ephesus Thessalonica Corinth and of Rome We might easily make it appear that those Churches were not single Congregations but Presbyterial Churches under one common Government But in stead of spending of time in pointing out this in all these Churches we shall instance it only in the Church of Ierusalem That by this One ye may know what to judge of the rest And first concerning the Church of Jerusalem planted by the Apostles we shall labour to make out thir two things 1. That in that one Church there were many particular Congregations And 2. That all these particular Congregations made up but one Church and was guided by one common Presbytry and Judicatory set over them all in common Which two being made out the point we intend will appear evidently to wit That there was here a Government set over many Congregations in one common Judicatory such as our Presbytry is over all the particular Church-Sessions in the bounds The first thing we shall make out is this That there were moe Congregations in the Church of Jerusalem than one and this from four grounds First From the multitude of Church Members that were in Jerusalem Secondly From the multitude of Pastors Teachers and Elders that were there moe than could get work in one single Congregation Thirdly From the diversities of Languages that were among the People of that Church And Fourthly From the way of their meeting and the place they resorted to for Gods service And first For the multitude of Church Members that was at Jerusalem If we compare place with place we will find that they amounted to many thousands and so behooved to be moe than one single Congregation Take a view of some of these places Acts 1. 15. they are numbred to be about ane hundred and twenty And Act. 2. 41. there are added unto them about three thousand Souls and then in v. 47. There is daily Addition of moe and moe the Lord added unto the Church daily such as should be saved Act. 4. 4. We see yet a greater increase There are about five thousand and the nuâ—ber of the men was about five thousand concerning which five thousand it is necessarly to be understood that they were added presently excluding the rest of the numbers before
had been converted and indued with saving Grace neither doth Grace here signify Gods Grace inherent in them but Gods Grace and free Favour which he saw in the effects of it in that it wrought so Powerfully in bringing a great many to embrace the Doctrine of the Gospel among whom there doubtless were many sincere and real Converts though all of them were not so However the thing he saw was The mighty progress and success of the Gospel and this occasioned by a strong and cruel Persecution mentioned verse 19 the Ministers are forced to flee from their Flocks wherever they go they Preach Gods Grace and mighty Hand accompanies their Labour to the Conversion of many thousand Souls this is the Grace which Barnabas saw Hence take this Doctrine That sadest Persecutions for Truth do frequently prove an occasion of the Gospels spreading Thus it was Act 8. 3. Saul made havock of the Church entring into every House and haling Men and Women committed them to Prison v. 4. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where Preaching the Word Even as far as Phâ—nice Cyprus and Antioch as it is ver 19 of this Chapter The making havock of the Church occasioned the enlargement of the Church which hath frequently fallen out since which gave ground to that true and ancient saying The Blood of Martyrs is the seed of the Church The Reasons why the Work and Grace of God thrives best at such times may be many As 1. Peoples Ears are then bored and readiest to drink in the Word with greediness because then they have little other comfort left them Affliction and Persecution is a Tasty Sawce to make the Word Relish Psal. 141. v. 6. When their Judges are overthrown in stony places they shall hear my words for they are sweet 2. At such times the Servants of Christ are more diligent in their Work as they can have access to it and more fervent in dealing with God by Prayer for a Blessing to their Work because the thriving of their Work is all the reward which they can then expect And 3. The Lord doth then usually countenance the Labours of his Servants most because they are most despised few do then care for them or takes any notice of them And therefore the Lord takes this way both to hearten them and to put respect upon them And 4. The Couragious Constant and Cheerful enduring of Hardships and Sufferings for Truth doth commend that Truth for which they suffer unto others even to indifferent Spectators and makes them enquire after it and desirous to know what so much worth there can be in it I shall not insist for Application hasting forward to the latter part of the Text Only if it be so Then People are not to lookupon Persecution and a suffering time for Truth whenever it comes as so sad so dismal and dreadful a thing For this at least may be expected to be lovely in it The same Truth which men labour to bear down shall spread the faster and the further And that this is so the following Doctrine will shew Another Doctrine ariseth from the first effect this sight did work on Barnabas It made him Glad for so saith the Text Who when he came and had seen the Grace of God was glad The Doctrine is this That the Gospel and Truth do spread and gain ground among People is matter of Joy and gladness to a Godly heart though the times were otherwise never so sad For there were many things to make Barnabas sad at this time If we consider 1. How they had stoned the first Martyr Stephen to death a man full of the Holy Ghost and used him so as if he had been the most notorious Malefactor that ever the Earth carried And 2. The prosperous state of the Churches Enemies the Scribes Pharisees High-Priests a company of degenerate corrupt Church-men who at that time did sit at Jerusalem guiding all things at their pleasure That if any did but mutter against their State and Dignity though in the furthest part of all the Realm their hand could easily reach them They needed no more but hound out a Saul with a Commission if it were to Damascâ—s to take them and bring them bound to Jerusalem As is clear from Acts 9. 1 2. And 3. if ye consider his own poor condition and that of others the Servants of Christ at that time who were hunted from corner to corner yea from Kingdom to Kingdom These and many such things as these were at that time to make Barnabas sad and yet this makes him take all in the better part and in a manner digest all That when he came he saw the Grace of God had accompanied the Labours of his despised Servants and a rich Income of Souls to the knowledge of Christ and the Gospel And when he saw this he was glad He is in some sort so transported with it That in a manner he forgets Stephen's death he envyeth not the prosperous state of the Churches Enemies noâ— doth much resent his Own hard lot or that of others who were Christs Faithful Saints and Servants All which cleareth the Doctrine That the spreading of Truth will make a Godly Heart Glad though the times otherwise were never so sad Thus was it with the Apostle Paul Philip 1. 12. The things which happened unto me saith he meaning his Bonds Imprisonment and other harsh usage have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel Whereupon v. 18. he breaks out What then notwithstanding every way whether in pretence or in Truth Christ is Preached and I therein do rejoyce yea and will rejoyce For Vse 1. Try your selves by this What it is that makes you Glad Is it the thriving of Gods work in Souls The down-bearing of Sin The growth of Piety If so It speaks thee to be a man of Barnabas temper and upon the other hand If things of that kind do rather make the sad and if the back-going of Gods Work The destroying what he hath built The plucking up of what he hath planted The thriving of sin and Wickedness The general Loosness of the times If I say these things make thee Glad It speaks thee to be a man of a woful temper a very Godless Heart But 2. If this be a thing that will make a Godly Heart Glaâ— in the saddest of times then Pray to God for it that it may be so That the Work of God may thrive in Hearts That those woful Spiritual Plagues of Security Deadness and Hardness of Heart may be removed and the Gospel may take many by the Heart who never hitherto knew the Power of it It 's easie for God to bless his Truth in the Mouth of his despised and persecuted Servants and to make a gracious Change tho Wickedness were at the greatest hight And if he do it whatever may be the other sadness of the Times thou who art a Godly Heart shall have reason to be Glad yea and thou shall
A BRIEF REFUTATION OF THE ERRORS OF Tolleration Erastianism Indepéndency AND Separation Delivered in some SERMONS From 1 Joh. 4. 1. Preach'd in the Year 1652. To which are Added Four Sermons Preach'd on several Occasions By Mr James Fergusson Late Minister of the Gospel at Kilwinning EDINBVRGH Printed by George Mosman and are to be Sold at his Shop in the Parliament-Close Anno Domini MDCXCII TO THE HONOURABLE M r. Francis Montgomery OF GIFFINE HONOURED SIR SO soon as I resolved upon the Publication of the following Papers I fixed on You as the only Person to whom they should be Addrest And indeed whether I look on the Author or on my Self I conceive I was many wayes Obliged so to do For as to the Author You are a Worthy Branch of the Noble and Ancient FAMILY of EGLINTOUN whereof God had given Him the peculiar Charge and Oversight in the Ordinary Course of his Ministry A Family which as Himself somewhere testifies were his great Encouragers in going about all the parts of his Function with Joy and not with Grief and for which he had sent up many Fervent Prayers to the Throne of Grace of the Effects whereof You your Self me Blessed be God yet a living Instance It was to that Noble Patriot and Zealous Instrument of Our late Reformation Your Grand-Father and to the Noble Earl Your Father then Lord Montgomery and to Your most Examplarly Pious and Religious Mother That the Author did Dedicate his Exposition of the Epistles to the Galatians and Ephesians And as all who have the Honour to know You are glad to see You so Naturally trace the Religious Example of Your Honourable Predecessors in Your firm Adhering to Your Principles and Purity of Religion Your Encouraging of Piety and Persons Pious Your Streight Sincere and Vpright Deportment towards All a Quality as Eminent in that Noble Earl Your Grandfather as rare in this Generation so I nothing doubt but that if it had pleased God to have spared the Author to Publish any other of his Works He would have looked upon Your self as the most Proper person to whom he should Present them As for my self Your Respect to the Author's Memory with your undeserved kindness to all his Relations and to my Self in particular Do strongly oblige me to take all Occasions for testifying my Thankful Acknowledgements And I presume I can scarce give You a more Acceptable Testimony of my Gratitude than the presenting You with the ensuing Papers which tho the Publication be posthumous yet I hope a serious perusal of them will be sufficient to supersede any further Commendation And indeed my near Relation to the Author will not allow me to speak either of Him or his Works what perhaps others might And therefore without giving You any further trouble but Commending You and Your Vertuous Lady to the Protection of the Almighty And Wishing That as God has blessed You with an Hopeful off-spring who are as so many Living Images of your selves in whom you see your own Lives renewed who by Their Good Enclinations do already give us cause to expect the best of Them So You and They may live together till You see Them prove a Comfort unto You And that after You are gone They may be no less Vseful in Their Generation than now You are I shall humbly crave leave to subscribe my self in all duty Honoured Sir Your most obliged and most humble Servant JAMES FERGVSSON TO THE READER THere are divers years past since the Reverend Learned and Pious Author of the following Discourses fell a sleep in the Lord and is gone to receive the fruit of his Labours from the chief Shepherd of the Sheep Yet we have in his Memory a lasting proof of the Truth of that Word Pro. 10. 7. The memory of the Just is Blessed And that of Psalm 112 6 The Righteous shall be in everlasting Remembrance Their memory is Precious and Honourable For I can truly say though I have heard many of high and low Degree speak of Master Fergusson I never heard any make mention of him but with Honour and Respect As a Man of great Piety and Learning and Eminent for Prudence and Moderation And I am confident there will be no need of Epistles of Recommendation for any of his Works to any who either knew Himself or have perused his Judicious and Pious Treatises published already on the Epistles to the Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians and Thesâ—alonians Nor am I so presumptuous as to imagine my Testimony could raise the Esteem of any thing done by so Famous and Worthy a Man But being his Mediate Successor to the Parish of Kilwinning where he did for many years Labour in the Work of the Gospel and being desired by his Son of the same Name I could not deny to express the esteem I have for his Memory Though I had not the Advantage of knowing him while he lived I am informed the following Discourses were the subject of Divers Sermons delivered to that People in a time when there was much need of Warning It was after that through a Boundless Tolleration a deludge of Errors had broken in upon England and the Sectarian Army having Subdued Scotland and dispersed themselves in all the Parts of it Corrupt Men and Seducers among Them did endeavour to pervert the People from the Truth Then it was anno 1652. When this worthy Author as a Faithful Watchman gave to his Flock Warning of the Danger And that they might be rooted and grounded in the Truth did represent to them the necessity of a sound and well-informed Judgement in order to Holiness and Salvation and for that end did excite and direct them to Try the Spirits and afterwâ—rd for their further Instruction and establishment in the Truth took notice of some particular Errors by which they seem'd to be in greatest hazard at that time and did in a plain and convincing way Refute the Errors and Confirm the Truth making alwayes some Practical Improvement of what he had delivered Although the Reverend Author was known to be a great Master of School-learning and was invited to be Professor of Divinity in the Famous University of Glasgow which yet he humbly refused yet he did not calculate these Discourses for the School or Court But being to speak to a Countrey Congregation wherein were many Common People for whom they seem to have been intirely designed since the Author could never be induced to Publish them in his own time He had such a sense of the holy Apostles example 1 Cor. 14. 18 19. that he choosed to speak to the edification of the meanest and he had a peculiar faculty of making things intricate plain and easie to be understood And I am confident that those who are not for pleasing their fancy with fine notions or their ear with jingling-words but desire to have their judgement informed and their conscience satisfied will find here that which will be very edifying For his
on the fingers to make him more warry and to scar all Justified Persons in time coming from doing the like We might so run through all the Errors of the time as that of Independency whereby power is denyed to Presbytries O say they to put power in Presbytries and make them receive Appeals from Congregations it is to Tyrannize over particular Flocks and therefore say they nothing is better than that every Congregation have compleat power within themselves and be left to their own guiding not being countable to any Judicatory above them but only to Christ This seems a specious Bait for such as would have liberty but when it is duly pondered it will be found most contrary to Truth For by this means if a particular Flock should Err and if one should sufâ—er wrong at the hands of a particular Session there is no remedy to repair the oppressed man and to bring the Erring Congregation to a right mind and how far this is derogatory to Jesâ—s Christ who was perfect in all his house any man may judge We might run through more of them But because we have a mind to refute these Errors by themselves we shall insist no further here having said enough to clear the point that the most dangerous Errors may be born in under the fairest pretences and therefore ye would not take all to be Gold that glisters take not all for Truth that is decked up with a bundle of brave high ravishing expressions Doct. 6 We proceed Believe not every Spirit sayes he He speaks not this in vain It supposes he saw an inclination in them to believe The point of Doctrine that ariseth from it is That when foul Error is holden out under fair Names and backed with fair pretences There is a danger lest people drink them in and believe them for John saw that hazard and therefore gives them a Watch-word So in the 16 of the Rom. ver 18. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own Belly and by good words and fair Speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Their baits hook'd the simple before they were aware We need no further proof of this than the Example of our neighbour Church in England Errors which could not have been named but People would have loathed at them such as the Arminian Error against free Grace c. Yet being decked with the name of new light they are greedily drunk in by too too many Wee shall give some Reasons to make you sensible of this hazard How great danger there is when Error is in spreading that People be taken off their feet with it We shall point at four or five things that speaks this hazard And the first is the proneness of our nature to Drink in Untruths We see this in Eva for Error is natures brood And as we said Error is the copy of some Lust and therefore it soon infects Truth again it hath nothing in us no party for it in our hearts and therefore it is harder to make us take with it there must be word upon word and precept upon precept we drink in Truth slowly and after much pains taken upon us we are hut to begin to learn it but the Spirit of a man is quick to take up Error Ye will find men more able in a short time to debate for Error than in a long time to debate for Truth I would seek no greater presumption that such a tenent is an Error than this that as soon as it is set on fire it runs through great numbers and sets their Spirits on edge for it we are not so hot for Truth it is not our nature to be so taken with it Reason 2 Then there is a Second thing that speaks this hazard and it is the shallowness of Peoples apprehension together with their foolish hast before they try From the shallowness of many it is that they cannot put a difference betwixt a fair pretence and a foul Error that is hid under it and from the hast of Peoples Spirit it is that they ingage suddainly with any thing having the colour of Truth and being once ingaged they are still the more and more involved These two laid together are another thing to point out this hazard Reason 3. We may add a Third and this is desire of Novelty in People spoken of in 2 Timoth Chap 4 v. 3 after their own Lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears And they shall turn away c. Where by the way observe that Lust within is the cause of drinking in Error from without But the thing we mark is That they have an itching ear lusting after new things and this comes from their little practising of old Truths Reas 4 There is a Fourth Reason and it is the diversity of baits and pretences that is put upon several Errors according to Peoples several humors So subtile is Sathan that he puts a bait on for every appetit there are some that are Piously strict and are enclined so to be both towards themselves and others and he hath a bait to catch those to wit a pretence of strickness which the Error of Separation is covered with for this Error alloweth Church fellowship with none but these that have a real evidence of Grace in them It is a way think they to shame natural Men. Again there be some whose humor is for looseness he puts on a bait to gratify this humor also let them believe in Christ and let them live as they like sayes the Antinomian and so according to Peoples several humors there is a bait put on by the Devil upon Error Now when these baits and Peoples humors agree it is like powder and fire presently they kindle Reas. 5 There is a fifth thing which speaks this hazard and it is this The Lord that Error may be a tryal in his holy Justice lets out more than ordinary parts and abilities on spreaders of Error and on the Spirits of People when they are taken with it The Lord for a Judgement to themselves and for a tryal unto others gives them as we speak a cast of their craft he elevates them above their ordinary Sphere or what is their ordinary way And this we speak not without Scripture It is said of false Antichristian Teachers they shall come with lâ—ing signs and wonders And there is a Spirit of Error which he foretells shall accompany Error Be not soon shaken in mind neither by Spirit nor by word c. In that place that we already cited 2 Thess 2 2. When we look on all these things we hope we have made out the point viz. that foulest Errors even when they are colloured with fairest pretences there is a danger lest People drink them in The use of the point is If there be this hazard then ye would be afraid of your selves it is said The Righteous fear alwayes I would seek no clearer mark of any person that is
like to be taken in the snare than that they think themselves so stout and stedfast that no Error will gain upon them and I would think it an evidence very good when people are afraid of themselves and do humble themselves in the sense of their own weakness and are employing Christ daily to bear them through For Blessed is he that feareth alwayes Only remember that this fear would be of the right Stamp And for clearing this we shall point at three or four things wherein this holy fear does consist specially with Reference to Error First where â—his fear is There will be a labouring to root Truth in the heart Ye know when People are affraid of losing any thing that they will labour by all meanes to be sure of it A man that hath this Holy fear over himself lest he be ensnared with Error will study to gett Truth rooted in the heart Prov 2. 16. The Spirit of God speaketh of hiding of understanding putting it in the secret place of the heart A second thing accompanying this fear is a forecasting what Truth may cost you there would be a fore-casting of this and a taking an Essay of the Cross before hand and this for fear lest that to eschew suffering ye quite the Truth if the tryall come on you unexpectedly Paul while he is exhorting the Disciples to stedfastness informs them That through much tribulation we must enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Acts 14. 22. Then there is a third thing accompanying this Holy fear and that is a fear to venture on Temptations to Error except there be a Providence putting to it of necessity and this fear rises from the Sense of our own weakness to engage with or stand the shock against Temptations this is implyed in that direction which the Apostle Paul gives 2 Timoth 3 5. At the end of the verse From such turn away v 6. For of this sort are they which creep into houses When a man is sensible of his own weakness the fear of his being ensnared will keep him from walking among snares A fourth thing accompanying this Holy fear is that tho ye find these Truths ye have had once sealed to your Spirits begin to be questioned and that ye are not able to answer what is brought against them and so perchance your Judgment may incline to think that what ye thought once to be Truth is now Error Yet where this Holy fear is ye will rather suspect your own want of knowledge to discern than any way suspect the Truth to be untruth and it will make you at least abstain from venturing even on that which your light points out for the time Now by these ye may know what is the Fearlessness that makes People to be in danger and it is this when it makes thee so inconcerned that thou never Labours to get Truth brought lower than thy head when thou never casts an account what Truth may stand thee when thou art so confident of thy own wit and knowledge that thou will venture uncalled to dispute with Sectarian Spirits or when any thing is born in as Truth contrary to what thou hast maintained as a Truth before and contrary to thy Covenant engagment thou grippes presently to it without once suspecting that thy own shallow understanding may be deceived This I sayâ— speaks a fearlesness that borders neigh unto Error Doct VII The Doctrine that followeth next from these words Believe not every Spirit is that Ministers the Servants of God are not to clap Peoples heads or indulge them in this inclination of theirs to Error they are not to humor them in it but on all hazards they are to testify against it Therefore sayes John Believe not every Spirit So also the Apostle Paul does very sharply inveigh against People when they are beginning to tamper with Error And lest People should say Paul and John were Apostles and knew what was Error and what was Truth being guided by an infallible Spirit and that therefore they might stoutly testify against Error but for other ordinary Ministers they may err as well as other People and so it is ill reasoned from what the Apostles did to what Ministers may now do Therefore to clear this we shall give a place where Paul bindes it as Duty on every ordinary Minister to to testify against Error In the Acts ch 20. v. 28. Therefore take heed unto your selves and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers c. And in the 29. Verse he gives an instance wherein they were to take heed to the flock For I know this that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you not sparing the Flock verse 30. Also of your own selves shall men arise c. So it is a duty lying on all ordinary Preachers to watch over their People lest they be seduced with Error and that because First of that which we spoke of before that Error in the point of Truth should be as much eschewed by People as other particular sins and therefore Ministers are bound to guard People against it And secondly Truth is a precious Jewel and therefore in a special manner they ought to contend for it And Thirdly the Souls of People ought to be pretious to Ministers and therefore Ministers ought to watch over them they ought to guard them against Error because as other sins so Error is a damnable Soul-destroying sin And therefore as Ministers love Truth and Souls committed to them so they must watch over the People and guard them against Error Vse I. This show's the great task lying upon Ministers at every time but chiefly in an Erring time we spoke somewhat of this before how difficult it is for a man to meddle with reproving of Error more difficile than to reprove Prophanity because a prophane Man's Conscience is convinced of the evil of his way and therefore however he may be displeased with free Preaching against his sin yet his Conscience clears the Minister and thus he keeps him at least at some reverence But it is not so in a Soul taken with Error the misinformed Conscience speaks for it and therâ—fore whatever is spoken against him he casts at it as Error and untruth and readily the man that speaketh it may lose respect for his pains and yet we see the Word of God binds it on Ministers to speak against it Vse 2. But Secondly If it be so that Ministers be bound to reprove Error and testify against it then the People are bound to take the word of reproof from them we mean not that they should be so bound as what Ministers say should be the Bible but this much we say That People should presume as much on them as another to ask Councel from them as much as from another and to respect them as much as any other And that for these Reasons First because the publick Minister hath a promise which private men have not at
least not such an ample grant as it is Matth 28. 19. Goe ye therefore and teach all nations c and lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the World It doth not exeem them indeed from Erring themselves but the promise is there more largly given to them than to others And Secondly Ministers as called watch men have the charge of Peoples Souls God hath charged them with them which he hath not charged others with there is not a charge of Peoples Souls laid on private men by way of office every one is bound indeed by way of Charity to take a care of the Souls of others contrair to that of Cain am I my brothers keeper But beside this tye of Charity lying on sent Ministers there is a tye by vertue of a particular charge So that place Act 20. Take heed to the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers He hath given them a special Charge and so they are charged in a special way with Peoples Souls Then there is a Third Reason it is Sathan's Method to bring in Error on People by casting in prejudices betwixt them and sent Ministers which we have cleared sometimes from Scripture and so it should be watched against lest Sathans subtility prevail so far as to bring People to dis-respect their Ministers for if that be once gained he hath prevailed very much Doct VIII Now further he sayes Believe noâ— every Spirit But bring them to the tryal Doe not cast at all but try the Spirits Hence take this Doctrine It is not Gods way that People because there are differences about Religion should therefore believe no Religion that is not Gods way So Matth 16. we see the Apostles practise Christ sayes unto them whom say they that I am Say they some say thaâ— thou art John the Baptist some Elias others Jeremiah or one of the Prophets But whom say ye that I am They do not Answer we know not what to say there are so many different sayings about thee but say they Thou art Christ the son of the living God Reas So People are not to cast at all Religion because there are differences about it and that because First that were to give way to the Devils plot His design in raising up Error about Religion is to make People Atheists so as not to care for any Religion and so when the use which thou makest of different Opinions is that thou wilt believe none Thou fulfillest the Devils design Secondly thou makes use of Gods Providence to thy destruction The Lords Providence in raising up Error is to make men seek more after the knowledge of the Truth And when thou makest that use of it to cast at all Religion thou mockest the Holy Counsel of God to thy own ruin The Use then of the Doctrine is to reprove those of this stamp to wit Prophane Atheistical men that make no differences about Religion but this Let Church-men once agree among themselves what 's right and what 's wrong untill then the back of our hand to altogether that is a wofull way Indeed there may be a doubt proposed here viz. What else shall poor ignorant People do about differences in Religion but to lay aside the care of all when they see every party have their own Reasons stronger than these poor People can Answer I Answer there are some directions grounded on Scripture which if we walk by may bring us to a safe shore amidst these rocks of contrary Opinions And the first is this that for Differences that concern not Peoples practice I would not have People trouble themselves much with them as for example Our late unhappy Differences about the publick Resolutions the Lord hath taken the occasion of them away so I would not have any troubling themselves much about them Whatever Differences in matters of practice fall in it seems to be a safe rule that when the occasion of such Practices are removed all Contention about them should be laid aside Secondly As to the Differences wherein Peoples practice is concerned take these Rules First For these that are uncontraverted Truths make Conscience of the practice of them which will help to the knowledge of other things this rule Christ prescrives John 7. 17. sayes he If any man do his will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God c. There is something that thy Conscience is clear of to be Duty and although the Differences of Opinion might be some excuse to make thee keep off from these things about which there is difference yet how art thou excused for neglect of these things which thou art convinced to be Duty as Prayer Reading the Word c. Secondly We would know whatever be the contrary Opinions about matters of Religion yet there is but one true way and the knowledge of this one way may be attained to by those who seek humbly after it At least if thou be judging thy self and as a damned Bankrupt or Dâ—vour by Nature be closing with Christ and drawing Grace from him to make thee Holy Thou wilt attain to the knowledge of as much of these things debated as will take thee home to Heaven A Third Direction is That ye should beware of calling in question any of these Truths that once have been Sealed into your Spirits by the Spirit from the Word of God 2 John ver 8. Look to your selves that we lose not those things which we have wrought The point of Truth that People have got thus Sealed to their Conscience should not readily be called in question A Fourth Direction is this That in seeking out Truth under Differences we should beware of Loftyness of Spirit 1 Cor. 14. 32 it is said The Spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets How much more ought the Spirits of private persons to be subject to the voice of Christs Ambassadors speaking in his Courts This is not as if we would make Ministers Sayings the Peoples Rule to walk by But this much will follow that in a constitute Church where Discipline is Exercised there should be that Humility in People that whâ—n doubts arise concerning any point of received Truth within the Church they should offer their Judgement and the Reason of it to the Prophets and Christs Courts to be tryed before they lay down any new Opinion as a solid Truth That much is contained under this The Spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets if it mean any thing at all Doct IX Now we proceed The next thing that we come to is what People should do Try the Spirits and the Rule of Tryal is whether they are of God The first point we learn is that how fair soever the pretence be that our Doctrine is colloured with it should not be taken upon Trust but the Spirits must be Tryed Such we see was the practice of the Bâ—reans and they are commended for it they would not take the Apostles Doctrine on
to Doctrine and Instruction It is profitable for Doctrine and Instruction It will make a man perfect in that as well as in reproof Vse This reproves First the Papists they cast by the rule of the Word and will have their Traditions and their Poâ—es Decrees to be the rule But of this enough already in the preceeding Doctrine In the second place it reproves the Sectaries some whereof reprove the Word they will have a higher tryal and rule to examine by and it is the inbearing of Gods Spirit say they He is the Spirit of Truth and can he bear in a Lye But say we how know they the Spirit of the Devil by the Spirit of God except they bring it to the Word So the Word is the Rule yea and the last Rule But here is a doubt which we shall speak to This is a very hard task may some say for poor ignorant People to try Doctrines by the Word the Word it self is obscure and every one pretends the Word all Parties will say that they have the Word and so it is hard for us to know what is of God and what not if we have no other rule but the Word I answer it is very true there are very few Sectaries who will not pretend the Word And yet it does not follow that ye may cast by the Word But Secondly we say although the Word be in some places obscure and although Men of Opinions as contrary to the Word as Light is to Darkness may every one of them wrest the Word yet there is as much of the Word clear if it be rightly studied as will make a man know what is right and what is wrong Hence that Epithet given to the Word The word of the Lora is a Lamp to direct thy Paths The Word of the Lord is not unfitly compared to a Sea wherein Elephants i. e. men of greatest parts and Learning may swime and readily lose their fect how great soever their parts be if they rely upon them And yet it may be compared to a shallow calm running Stream wherein Lambs that is men of mean Gifts may wade and find out Gods mind in it if they be humble and take Gods way for searching of it But say ye what is that way of God wherein people may hope so as not to miscarry in the searching out of Gods mind in his Word In answer to this we shall give several Directions First A man that would not mistake Gods mind in his Word should be a diligent Reader of it Acts 17. 11. and searched the Scriptures daily c. it was their daily task And Secondly Reading of the Word should have Prayer going alongs with it Prov 2. 3. Yea if thou cryest after knowledge and liftest up thy voice for understanding ver 4. If thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasures Then c. this crying and seeking is certainly in Prayer as well as in other means When people joyn Prayer with the Reading of the Word they will more readily attain to the knowledge of Gods mind Than a man that takes no more with him but his own natural parts Thirdly The word should be read with Meditation Psal 1. 2. in his Law doth he meditate day and night And Fourthly with Self-denial Prov. 3. 5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thine own understanding We should go to the Word with a deep sense on us of our own Ignorance to seek Light from it There are several other directions how People may be led to get the meaning of the word we shall speak of some First Obscure places being compared with these that are more clear will be clear also There are some places obscure but the Lord hath been so Graciously condescending in contriving the Scriptures that there are other places to make them clear So there is an obscure place we are not under the Law but under Grace which at first seems to sound as if People needed not to take heed to the Law But there is another place that clearly shows how we are not under the Law There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ. They are freed from the condemning power of the Law but not from the directions of it Secondly in obscure and dark places of Scripture on which men according to their several Conceptions would Father several senses the meaning that agrees most with the â—nalogy of Faith should be taken this is that which Paul calls the forme of wholsom words So there is a place controverted he laid on him the iniquitâ— of us all Says the Antinomians all our sins were laid on Christ and so do what we will we are not bound to seek pardon or mourn for tâ—em for our sins are laid on him and so we have none Now this gloss is contrary to the whole current of Scripture which holds out that believers have sin in them a body of Death 1 John 1 8. If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the Truth is not in us It holdeth out believers at their best condition as Mourning for sin and praying for the pardon of sin Rom. 7. Psalm 25. 11. So that this Antinomian sense cannot be right because it is contrar to the whole current of Scripture and therefore the laying of our iniquities on him must be the guilt and punishment of our iniquity and not the being of sin it self which was bound upon Christ So another place the promoters of Tolleration pleads from is that in Phil. 3 15. that Counsel that Paul gives Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded And if in any thing ye be otherwise minded God shall reveal even this unto you say they there is Tolleration whatever be Peoples differences let them walk according to their Light we say again that what Paul sayes of mutual forbearance must not be extended to all Errors but it must only be applyed to these that were Errors of infirmitie As Rom 15. 1. we then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please our selves And that the opposite meaning cannot be right because it is contrair to the current of many other Scriptures which command Hereticks to be Excommunicat An Heretick after the first and second admonition reject and not so much as bid them God speed So this is another way to know the meaning of the Scripture And this much now for directions to help you in the study of Gods word that you may attain to know Gods mind in it and so to know whether a Doctrine be of God or not We thought to have spoken of these other marks which do not infer necessarly a Doctrine to be of God but for the most part do follow on such a Doctrine but the time being now ended I shall only name them First That Doctrine which is of God will have Holiness following upon it And so that Doctrine of the
Heaven to consume the Samaritans and from this they argue That when People refuse Christ in his Person much less when they oppose him in his Doctrine it is not his mind that they should be punished but admonished and waited on But before we Answer they must prove the Quarrel was for Religion Now this cannot be made out for the Reason why James would have â—ire coming down from Heaven was because of an Act of Inhumanity in denying lodging to Christ and that because of the great envy and hatred betwixt these two people the Jews and Samaritans The Second Answer we give is although the Quarrel had been for Religion yet it makes not against this Doctrine because they were wholly Idolaters utterly ignorant of the Gospel and our Doctrine is not that when a Nation is lying in Idolatry that the first thing that should be done is the Magistrates sword to slay them or to seek fire from Heaven to consume them We say it is utterly unlawful to goe with fire and sword to force the Indians to embrace the Christian Faith only they should be taught instructed and restrained from spreading Blasphemies reproaching the Son of God c. Our Question is whether or not a People that are Members of the visible Church that have bound themselves by Covenant to adhere to the Christian Truths whether or not when they fall away from Truth to damnable Error the Magistrate may make them stand to their Covenant as Josiah did 2 Chron 34. 31. And he caused all that were present to stand to it Object 6. The Sixth Objection is this say they If Magistrates may punish Error and Heresy then he may force the Conscience for what they hold is as they profess according to the light of their Conscience Now to force the Conscience is a fearful sin who dare meddle with Conscience but the God of Conscience Answer This Argument seems plausible but for Answer to it we say Conscience cannot be forced properly Only we say that the Magistrate may punish for or restrain sin in such outward motions as come from an evil informed Conscience and if this be a sinful forcing of the Conscience then it were a sin to punish those who from Conscience killed the Apostles John 16 2. the time cometh that whosoever Killeth you will think that he doeth God Service Yet we hope none will say the punishment of such would be a sinful forcing of the Conscience so it were a sinful thing to punish those who made their Children to pass through the fire unto Molech under the name of Conscienceâ— These and many other absurdities would follow on this Tenet of theirs that none ought to be punished for any thing they do following the indytments of a deluded Conscience What have there not been and yet are Hereticks who pretend Conscience for the vilest villanies of the World The Jesuits pretend Conscience for stobbing Kings and Magistrates The Gâ—ostâ—cks to have Wives common And ancient Hereticks hath made it a point of Conscience to practice Adultery and some present Hereticks to Marry their Sisters so that the â—igher in Blood the Persons Married are the Marriage is to them the more spiritual and a number of such like villanies Now will any think it a sinful forcing of Conscience to punish such whatever they tatle of Conscience But Secondly To what they say for the Magistrate to punish men for Error is a persecuting of men for Conscience To this we Answer Then it should follow that God commanded sin to the Godly Magistrates under the Old Testament for it is clear they had a command to punish men for Idolatry Thirdly if this be a persecuting of Conscience then it is a persecuting of Conscience to Preach against Error to refute it by good Reason To make this Consequence clear know as there is a Persecution with the hand so with the Tongue and it is the bitterest Persecution that is called job 5. 21 The scourge of the Tongue And the mocking of Christ was one of the fearfullest Persecutions he met with he trusted in God c. And so according to this Doctrine it were unlawful to Preach against them c. Why For it is a sin to persecute them for Concience But Fourthly our Answer is It is not the hurt inferred that makes sinful Persecution but it is the cause for which the punishment is inflicted There is a Seventh Objection they bring against this Truth and it is this say they If Magistrates were bound to punish Error and Heresy it would lay a tye on Magistrate to know what is Truth and what is Error Now say they there are many intricate Questions about the nature of Error and Truth which the Generality of Magistrates are ignorant of and therefore say they according to this Doctrine we put power in the hand of the Magistrate whereby he may punish those that profess the Truth if the Magistrate mistake and take Truth for Error A dangerous Doctrine If Magistrates turn ignorant or corrupt This seemeth plausible But we shall Answer to it If this Argument hold strong then it would follow that the Civil Magistrate hath no power to punish sins against the second Table for there are a number of difficult Questions even about these as in some cases of Murther Incest matters of false Witness And the Lord sayeth Deut. 17. 8. If there arise a matter too hard for thee in Judgement between blood and blood between plea and plea and between stroke and stroke c. Which suppones there are many doubtful questions even about things Civil which the generality are ignorant of and so it may fall out they may punish the honest man for the knave and yet this doth not evert the ordinance of Magistracy neither doth it follow that he hath no power to punish for Civil crimes Secondly they may argue as well against what is commanded to Masters of Families That he receive not an Heretick within his house 2 John v. 10. and 2 Timoth 3 6. For of this sort are they which creep into houses c. Rom 16. 17 18. Now I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause divisions and avoid them c. By all which he supposeth certainly they have some knowledge to judge who are Hereticks and who not else how could they elchew them and so they may argue as well against these commands as against this Doctrine For may they say this is to put it on Masters of Families to know who are Hereticks who not to know what is Truth and what not and this the generality of Masters of Families are ignorant of and so a power put on them to barr the door on honest men in stead of an Heretick Now when they free these Commands from these consequences we shall free this Doctrine from them also Thirdly Neither the word nor this Doctrine putteth a power on Magistrates to punish Truth their power is only to punish Error They may indeed so abuse their power but
suppress sin as well as then Is not Christ perfect in all his House as well as Moses Yea in a word there can nothing be alleadged for a necessity to have a Church Government under the Old Testament but the same may be brought to prove the necessity of it under the New The Second Argument we bring to prove this point is taken from the native end of Church Government which is spiritual to wit For the edifying of the Body of Christ Ephes 4. 12. To gain the Soul of our offended Brother to Repentence Matth 18. 15. It is that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus 1 Corinth 5 5. So the end of the Church Government is a spiritual end and therefore it must have a Divine Original Church Government whose end is spiritual can be no humane Ordinance for such produceth no supernatural effects therefore it must have a higher warrand for it than that of the Magistrate Our Third Argument is taken from this that all the substantials of Church Government are set down expresly in Scripture from which we make this Argument That Government whose substantial parts are all set down expresly in Scripture the Magistrate hath no power to alter it or put an other in its place but so it is that all the substantial parts of Church Government are set down expresly in Scripture Therefore the Magistrate hath no power to alter it The thing we have to make out in this Argument is this That all the substantials of Church Government are set down in Scripture And to clear this we shall reckon up five things First That Church officers have their warrand from Scripture Thess 5 12. 1 Tim 5. 17. Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour especially they who labour in the word and Doctrine There is a Ruler or an officer with power to rule established in Gods house What they say That by Ruling there is meaned Preaching because Ministers guide People by Preaching is a frivolous Exception and that because of what is in the end of the Verse especially they who labour in the word and Doctrine So labouring in the word and Doctrine is one thing and Ruling is another thing and not one and the same as their Exception affirmeth But we shall find a more clear place for it in Heb. 13. 17. Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves There are Officers established with power to Rule and the People are commanded to submit and give Obedience to them and so there are Rulers Officers established in Gods Church Secondly The Courts and Judicatories of the Church have a warrand in Gods word and for this see Matth 18. 17 18. And if he shall neglect to hear them tell it unto the Church Verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven The Adversaries are so shamless that they say by the Church is here meaned the Civil Magistrate and that the complaint should be made to them But it is sure the Civil Magistrate is not here meaned And to prove it The Judicatory here meaned is that whereof the Apostles should be Members and therefore in v 16. It is said whatever ye to wit the Apostles shall bind on earth c. Now sure it is Jesus Christ gives no power to his Ministers to sit in Civil Courts and to judge of Civil business The third substantial of Church Government that hath warrand in the word is the subordination of lesser Judicatories to greater and this is warranted in Act 15 2. Where Paul and Barnabas come up from Antioch to a General Council at Jerusalem because the controversie in hand could not be ended at Antioch where there is a Court with power They determine the Question Censure the Schismaticks giving them the name of Lyars v. 24. The Fourth substantial of this Government set down in Scripture is the order of proceeding in relation to Censure 1. By private Admonition Then more pubâ—ick Matth 18. 15. The fifth thing is The nature and kind of thir Censures which are not bodily as takingâ— way the life but spiritual to wit Admonitions reproofs Casting out of the Church Matth 18 17 Let him he unto thee as an Heathen and a Publican Now from all this It evidently appears that Christ hath set down all the Substantials of Church Government in his word And seeing he hath done so what man dare alter it taking any prudential way for the good of the Church at his pleasure Yea there is a charge given to preserve all these inviolable till Christs coming 1 Tim 5. 21. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect Angels that thou observe these things without preferring one before another doing nothing by partiality So that which Christ hath set down concerning the Government of his house is unalterable by any person whatsomever till the coming of Jesus Christ. So much for the third Argument There is a Fourth and it shall be our last which is this If so be that Christ hath left his House without any particular Government only referring it to the Civil State to appoint what Government they please it would reflect much on the wisdome of Jesus Christ For the Church visible is his Kingdom his House his Vinyard his Garden And shall we say that he hath appointed no Laws to Govern no Courts to guide this Kingdom but left it to the Civil Magistrate to appoint by whom and how it pleaseth him best A King of Clay would not do so with his Kingdom much less he who is the King of Glory This for the Arguments to confirm the Truth we shall in the next place Answer their Objections III. The First is say they from 2 Tim 3 16. The word of God is able to make a man perfect and therefore there is no need of Government We Answer This same Argument may as well strick against Magistracy But Secondly We say which we made already appear That the Government of the Church is grounded on the Word Hence their Argument proveth not because the Government of the Church is a part of the Word and is commanded by it and so it is not an adding to it But if they say the bare Preaching of the word is enough We Answer Not to detract any thing from the word Preached which is the mean appointed by God to save Souls yet the Exercise of Dicipline is necessary also It is necessary we say for Three Reasons 1. To keep the Ordinances of God from being polluted by the rushing foreward of Dogs and Scandalous Persons All the Preaching that can be to bid Scandalous men keep back will not do Then 2. It is necessary for keeping the Church from being infected by the contagion of Scandalous men Hence sayeth the Apostle Paul a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump Therefore put the incestous man from among you 3. It is necessary for the good of the Soul
that is censured So in the 2 Thess 3. 14 note that man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed And 1 Cor 5. 5. Excommunication serveth for the Destruction of the Flesh that is To tame and mortify its Lusts And so although the word be only the necessary mean for the converting of Souls yet it doth not follow that the Government of the Church should not be exercised to wit that the word may work the better The Second Objection is this That all the Arguments we have to establish a Church Government by Divine right are taken from the Churches practice in the Apostles time and commands given them but it does not follow that what was then should be a rule now and they give this as the Reason of the difference because the Magistrate was then a Pagan and so would not meddle with these things but the case is now otherwise when the Magistrate is turned Christian. We Answer First By this it is granted that Church Government was an institution of Christ at least in the primitive times Now sure it is that every thing instituted by Christ layeth on a perpetual obligation except Christ in his word hath set a period that it should be only so long So if this Argument of theirs have any force they must show from Scripture that Christ hath appointed this period for Church Government so as it should be only in force under an Idolatrous Pagan Magistrate And that the Power of it should cease under the Christian Magistrate But no place of Gods word can be given for the proof of tâ—is But on the contrary a Command is given That which Christ delivered to the Apostles 1 Timoth. 6. 14 Should be keeped to his second coming And therefore it remains a perpetual Ordinance Secondly We Answer That if this were true then the Case of the Church should be worse under the Christian than the Pagan Magistrate If so be that under the one they have an Intrinsecal Power to purge and keep his Church free from Scandals but not under the other would not this be hard Thirdly We Answer That the reasons for which the Church did exercise Government in the primitive times were taken from common Equity and so are binding to the Church at all times We find this 1 Cor. 5. 5. Where a command is given to exercise Discipline by Excommunicating of the Incestuous person The reasons given are First The good of the Mans Soul verse 5. Secondly The good of the Church to be keeped from Infection vers 6. Now the Church is bound to see to these at all times We come to the Fourth thing which is a word of Vse And it serves 1. To reprove those who think debates about the Government of the Church useless and of no value To what purpose is it say they what be the Government and who governs if sin be punished and the Word Preached I answer ' it is of much moment For from what is said it appears that Church Government is an Ordinance of God a part of his word and they who evert it or gives way to the everting of it give way to evert a part of the Word of God yea to the bringing down of the Government of Christs own House It is a point of Truth that concerns no less than the Royal Diadem of Christ and all who have got good of Truth are bound to stand for it yea it is more than an ordinary Truth The question is concerning Châ—ists Kingdom if he have a Kingdom of his own distinct from the Kingdoms of the World If he shall have â—is own Laws Office-bearers Courts Censures according to his will in his Word or if all he hath left to that purpose be to scraâ—ched out and the Civil Magistrate to appoint what Laws Rules Courts he pleaseth in Christs House So it is a point relating to his Kingdom a Doctrine to be avowed and a point of Truth worth the Sustering for and which some have suffered for and boasted in it yea it is a point of Truth that hath this advantage beyond other Truths That Christ hath suffered for it himself in his own person for it 's clear that this was the only point he was accused on by Pâ—late and he avowed it Luke 23. 3. That he had a Kingdom though not of the World yet in the World We shall find that this point was chiefly laid to Christs charge in John 18. 33. 34 35 36 37. And this was the pâ—int that was driven home by the Jews 〈◊〉 Christ John 19. It was his 〈◊〉 on the Cross Jesus Christ of Nazareth King of the Iews And this was the point that straitned Pilate most and put him to it to make Christ suffer Joh. 19. So this point hath this advantage that in a special manner Christ sâ—ffered as a Martyr for it Should any then think it a little thing to suffer for God forbid Yea we may think it an Honour The Second Use If so be that Church Government is an Ordinance of God then those intrusted with it such as Ministers and Elders would discharge it as Service to God so as to be countable to him tâ—ere should be an other frame of Spirit when Men are in Church Judicatories than when they are in Civil Judicatories These are Ordinances of Men thir of God and require more than a common frame of Spirit Alas we may say for the Unministerial like Carriage of Ministers and Elders may justly provoke God to thro us out altogâ—ther A Third Vse of this point is That seeing Church Government is an Ordinance of Jesus Christ then ye that are people should obey and submit to those that are over you in the Lord otherwise if it be not tâ—us looked on it may provoke the Lord to remove the Hedge from us and if this were God knoweth what we would be we are evil now but if people got leave to do every thing that seemeth good in their own eyes we could not but be much worse Ye see what ye are with it but know not what ye will be without it And so much for the first Head of Erastian Doctrine Head II. The Power of Church Government belongeth not to the Civil Magistrate THe Second Head of Erastian Doctrine which we are to prove not to be of God is That whereby they affirm That all the Power of Church Government is in the Hands of the Civil Magistrate And here there are some differences among themselves some giving him all Power to dispence all Church Ordinances and this as a Magistrate without a Call from the Church and so to Preach and to Administrate the Sacraments Others again content themselves to ascribe to him only a Power of Jurisdiction to make Church Laws to inflict Church Censures And herein they also differ some puting this Power wholly in the Hand of the Magistrate Others conjunctly with the Ministers a third placeth it in him as the fountain and in Church-men but as
not have saluted every one man by man and therefore certainly it must be the prime men of the Church But Secondly The name of the Church is very usualy given to Rulers and Judges whether Ecclesiastick or Civil without the People in the Old Testament So Psalm 82 1. God standeth in the congation of the mighty The same word rendred there Congregation is rendred the Church elsewhere And by the Congregation there is meaned the Judges and not the People so we find it taken for the Rulers by comparing Exod 20. 18. 19. with Deut 5. 23. 2 Chron 1. 3. Where Solomon takes up the whole Congregation with him And yet that Congregation is exponed v. 2. to have been Chief-men and Rulers so that usualy in the Old Testament the word Church is taken from Rulers And Thirdly it must be so taken in this place also for in the verse following he telleth what a Church he meaned by v 18 Verily I say unto you whatsoever yee shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven c. Speaking to the Apostles So it must be the Church of Rulers who are so called because they represent the Church doing her business wherein she is concerned Objection Fifth This were say they to establish a yoke of Tyranny over Church Members if power be put in the hands of Officers to make Acts binding to them and they to have no hand in making these Acts themselves We Answer it is no yoke of Tyranny to instruct Officers with power to be over the People in the Lord To Rule them according to his will to make use of their power not for destruction but for edification And this is all we do teach It s true Church Officers may abuse their power but there is no power were it never so good but coming in mans hand may be wrongly used But secondly There is as great danger of Tyranny in the Independent way and more also than in this For if the major part of the Congregation should enact what is wrong and press it on the fewer and better part would not that be Tyranny And surely there is as great liklyhood of this as of what they say that the Eldership may press unjust Acts upon the Congregation And as it is as likly so it is more remeedless for though a Congregation or any in it be wronged by the Elerdership they have a Superior Judicatory to complean to according to our Doctrine But if the lesser part of the Congregation be wronged and Tyrannized over by the greater according to their Doctrine there is no power under Heaven to right the wrong to call the oppressing party to an account So of all Governments under Heaven Independency is the most Tyrannical Obj. VI. The Sixth Objection they bring against the Truth is from Matth 16. 19. Where Christ sayes I will give unto thee the keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatsoever shall be bound on earth c. It is agreed on by both sides that by the Keys there is meaned the power of Governing the Church Now from this place they would infer that the Keys are given to the Body of the People we shall propone and Answer Three of their Objections whereby they labour to prove this consequence The first is this The Keys are given to the Church built on the Rock whereof Christ spake in the preceeding 18 v. But sure it is all that are believers are built on this Rock Therefore the power of the Keys are given unto them We Answer What they say that the power of the Keyes are given to the Church built on the Rock Is said without a ground For he doth not say Vnto this Church built on a rock do I give the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven But I give it to thee Peter Sure none needs to learn our Lord to speak and this change of Person is not without a Reason in the preceeding verse he says upon this rock I will build my Church Now if Christ had meaned to have established the Government in the hands of the body of the Church he might have as easily said unto this Church will I give the keys c. But he says not so but changes the person unto thee to wit Peter will I give the keyes Besides this also every believing woman is a part of this Church built on the rock And yet according to their own grant the power of the Keys is not given unto them The Second Argument they bring from this place is this The power of the Keys is given to those whom Peter did represent But Peter did represent all believers the body of the Church therefore the power of the Keys is given unto them For answer to this we deny what is affirmed that Peter in this place doth represent all believers he doth but represent the rest of the Apostles and those who were to succeed to the Apostes in Preaching the word and Administrating the Sacraments And this we shall make good from other places of Scripture wherein the grant of this power is renewed and confirmed The first place is John 20. 21. Then said Iesus to them again Peace be unto you as my father hath sent me even so send I you and v 23 Whosoevers sins ye remit they are remitted unto them c. Where it is clear the above mentioned grant is renewed and renewed to the Apostles Secondly He did not only represent the Apostles but all Ministers who succeed to the Apostles in Preaching the word and Administrating the Sacraments As in plain also from Matth 28. 19 20. Where ye will find these things clear 1. That there is a grant of power by Jesus Christ unto the Apostles 2 That this grant is made there not only to the Apostles but to these who should succeed to them in Preaching and Baptizing to the end of the World For it is said lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the World And so from this we retort the Argument on themselves That the power of the Keys is given to these whom Peter did represent But so it is Peter did represent the Apostles and Ministers who were to succeed to them in Preaching the word c. And therefore the power of the Keys is given unto them They argue Thirdly from this place that the grant of the Keys is of as large extent as Peters confession v. 16 Thou art Christ the son of the living God Now this Confession belongs to all believers and so also must the power of the Keys We Answer 1. That the grant of the power of the Keys doth belong to all who hold out Peters Confession hath no ground but their own Assertion And 2. We say it is false For this Confession belongs to all faithful Women and Children as well as men who yet by our Opposits own concession have not the Power of the Keys Their last Objection is taken from 1 Cor 5. 5. Where the Apostle commands the Church of Corinth to
cast themselves head-long upon the Errors of the time I do not love that any thing should be done of purpose to make People as we say kyth or appear in their colours I mean to bring out these Practices the Seed whereof thou conceives to be already within which at the best is to cast a stumbling Block before the Blind I might reckon several Practices which are not only Irritating but also in themselves Sinful such as Promiscuous admissions of Clean and Unclean to the Lord's Table Little pains taking by Ministers to Instruct People with Knowledge Shewing much of Passion but little of Reason against Errors There be many whose Zeal is honestly fervent against Error and Confusion who yet by these and such as these are not a little indirectly instrumental to the furtherance of it Our Second Direction how to manage our Differences so as not to further Satan's main design is That all especially Ministers would beware of such things as of their own Nature do prove and by constant observation have proven Fore-runners of Error and Confusion Of which I shall reckon Three The First thing to be eschewed is Unscriptural Expressions while speaking of things Religious as Cases of Conscience Exercises of Mind and Scripture Truths An affected way of bringing forth old Truths in new and uncouth Phrases high soaring Notions serving more to astonish than inform the Hearers Paul 2 Tim. 1. 13. bids Hold fast the form of sound words and not only of sound Doctrine It was Calvin's Observation in his time and severalls since that those who coin new Words and strange Expressions tending only to amuse the Hearers are in hazard to be carried away themselves and to carry others with them unto some New and Dangerous Opinions 2. Ye must beware lest a disgust of old Truths spread amongst the People together with an itching after new Things new Opinions new Cases new Fellowships new Teachers Ye'll find 2 Tim. 4. 3 4. That itching Ears in People go before the turning the Ear from the Truth For preventing whereof Ministers should be much in the inculcating of old Soul-saving and Soul-humbling Truths And for keeping these still fresh and savory much of the need of Christ should be pressed to a Soul-hungring for Christ every bitter thing is sweet but a Soul full of Conceit loatheth the Hony-comb A Third Thing predisposing to Error and so to be guarded against is The undervaluing of the Ministry It hath been Satan's method in drawing on People towards Error at all times and in no time more than these of late First To make them despise their Faithful Ministers that once getting the Ear stopped by prejudice against thesâ— he might get the more ready access for his Emissaries to infect them with Damnable Errors It is the Observation of a Reverend Writer of late speaking to the same purpose That the Galatians were easily seduced so soon as they were made to disgust Paul their Faithful Teacher This much for the Second Direction for managing of our Differences so as not to come short in defence of these Truths which Satan is labouring most to deface Our Third Direction is To be watchful over the first Buddings of Error That way There are some lesser Errors whereby Satan scoureth the Field and maketh way for these great Ones which he mainly intends Whereof as to the present case I shall mention some Concerning which whatever we might speak from our own knowledge of the propensity of severals towards some of them yet I shall rather choise to speak of them in the abstract as such That if People should be taken with them will make way for that Confusion which Satan mainly aimeth at Error 1. The first whereof is That no Man truly Godly ought to be Censured for Opinion or Practice which we conceive he owneth or practiseth from grounds of Conscience tho his Opinion or Practice tend never so evidently to the Renting of the Church Error 2. Secondly That the presence of Scandalous Persons at the Lords Table defileth the Ordinance unto all who Communicate knowing such to be there Error 3. Thirdly That a Minister Scandalous tho not Judicially proved such ceaseth to be a Minister so that it is unlawful to receive either Word or Sacrament at his hand or to join in Discipline with him Error 4. Fourthly That there is no special tye upon People to countenance the Ordinance in that Congregation whereof they are Members But a liberty left to go constantly where they may be most edified tho with the discouragement of those whose hands they are bound to strengthen I have only mentioned these Tenets without Refutation being confident that none of Christs Ministers to whom herein I mainly speak will own them Only I shall point at three things Ministers should make conscience of as their Duty in relation to these or such like First As it is our Duty to watch against prophanity and Scandal upon the one hand so to be learning where any thing of this kind vents it self either in Practice or Contentious Reasoning Secondly We should not think lightly of such when they do appear and that Because 1. They do evidently make way for Satans great design in these times which is to cover the Church of Christ with Confusion 2. Because that however possibly such do not reflect so much upon our own Ministry as upon others who we may conceive have justly procured their own grief yet a year or two may lay them down at the door of him who thinks himself for the time at greatest distance from them and that with so much the more weight as that he did not resent these evils sooner 3. Such would not be thought of lightly Because Experience sheweth That the simple overseeing of such is not the way to root them out but rather to make them take strength And therefore the Third thing that Ministers should make Conscience of in relation to such is To set about the Curing of them wherein ye are to eye two Caveats 1. As ye would thrive so set about the Cure of One evil as not to neglect Another They are not to be approven if any such be who in their Reproofs bend themselves wholly against Error but little against Prophanity and Vice neither are they to be approven if there be any such who pass over the reproof of Error wholly because the Person to be reproved will hardly take with it or that prophane men will take occasion to mock at Piety because of it These things require indeed that the Duty be wisely and tenderly done but not that it be left altogether undone A second Caveat to be eyed is your Cure should be more in Convincing Arguments than in Bitter Reproofs Else it will be taken but for the venting of Passion and that ye have nothing to say in Reason which will make the Disease worse This much for the second branch of our last Use. The Third shall be some Considerations to the People especially for
it self is expressed by the Word Truth Behold thou desirest Truth in the inward parts c. Whereby is not meaned Truth in the Judgement opposed to Error nor Truth in People's Words opposed to the Sin of Lying and speaking Untruth But it is Truth in the Heart and Affections called here Truth in the inward parts In a word it is the Grace of Sincerity and Singleness of Heart For so is this Grace often expressed in Scripture Isai. 38. 3. I have walked before thee in Truth saith Hezekiah and with a perfect upright or sincere Heart And Ephes. 6. 14 Having their loins girt about with Truth c. That is with Sincerity and Single-heartedness This then is That Truth which God requires as a necessary seasoning Ingredient in all Duties and especially in all Religious Performances And which David here holds out with a Behold as the thing which above any other thing he had aimed at and yet would aim more at in his Penitential Address unto God We have then in the Words 1. A Note of Attention Behold which David prefixeth to that which he is to say I call it a Note of Attention for that is the use it serveth for in this place as I shall clear afterwards 2. There is That which he subjoineth to this Behold The Lords Complacency and Delight in the Grace of Sincerity and the Exercise of it as that without which his Present Address could not be savory or acceptable to God Thou desirest Truth in the inward parts I shall observe Two things in General before I come to the Particulars of the Text. 1. From this David holds out the Rule he had walked by and was to walk by for making his Present Address to God In confessing of Sin and pleading hard for Pardon acceptable Hence take this Doctrine That it is not enough that we do somewhat of Commanded Duties but we must labour to do what we do in some measure acceptably David not only confesseth Sin and pleads for Pardon but he aims to do it in Truth that so he may do it Acceptably For while he saith God did desire Truth in the inward parts it is evidently implyed that He aimed to have it There is reason for this Because If the thing we do be not done Acceptably and in the Right Manner though the thing done be never so good in it self the doing of it is but lost labour unto us Thus though it was a piece of Commanded Duty under the Old Testament to offer up Sacrifices to God yet when People made not Conscience to discharge this Duty in the Right Manner all they did was to as little purpose as if they had done nothing at all Hence Isai. 1. 11. To what purpose is the multitude of your Sacrifices unto me saith the Lord c. Yea the more excellent any Duty is in it self and the greater good is to be had by going about any Duty in a Right and Acceptable Manner the greater is the Hurt and Damnage which we incurr by it when we advert not how we do it And when without taking heed to our Feet we rush foreward to it and carry our selves but carelesly in the mean time that we are imployed about it What more excellent comfortable and Soul edifying Ordinance is there than this of a Communion which through God's Mercy ye have yet the liberty of approaching unto Is it not a Feast of Fat things of Wine on the Lees well refined wherein we Feast with Christ and upon Christ His broken Body is Meat indeed the most excellent that Heaven or Earth can afford And yet saith Paul If ye come not to this Ordinance in the Right Manner if ye set not your selves so to go about it as that ye may be accepted in your work if ye eat or drink unworthily without previous Examination of your selves Ye shall eat and drink Damnation and Judgement to your selves Not only shall your Table prove a snare but your meat be turned into poyson And therefore consider this in the entry and labour to have it imprinted on your Hearts That it is not enough to come rushing foreward to your Work not considering how ye come Your coming ought to be according to the Direction given Eccles. 5. 1. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the House of God c. As at all time so especially when ye approach unto such a dreadful Ordinance a this is whereof the advantage is so great if ye come Right and the hurt and hazard so unspeakably great if ye come Wrong But Secondly observe yet in General That in going about Commanded Duties in some measure Acceptably ye ought now and then to reflect upon the Manner and Way of your discharge of Duty even in the mean time when ye are about it For so doth David Here He casts an eye upon the Right Manner how He should have prayed to wit In Sincerity and Truth even in the very midst of his prayer while he saith unto God Behold thou desirest Truth in the inward parts And thus Christ in Luke 8. 18. saith unto His Disciples in the very mean time they were Hearing Take heed therefore how ye hear And surely our Hearts do oft turn formal vain wandering and lumpish or heavy in the Service of God because we do not seriously mind how sinful shameful and unseemly it is that it should be so A check of this kind in time and seasonably to a vain straying and wandering Heart would do much through God's Blessing to make it halt David doth this oft especially Psal. 43. 5. where he turns his speech from God and gives himself a rebuke and check for the present unsuitable frame of Heart wherein he then was Why art thoucast down O my Soul saith he And why art thou disquieted in me hope thou in God c. So that this reflecting upon the Manner and Way how ye discharge Duty even in the mean time when ye are about it is useful When ye find your Heart out of frame a serious timous check given unto it will prove an effectual mean to reclaim it Besides if upon your reflecting thus ye find matters tollerably Right and your Heart in such a frame for the Main as the Lord requireth it will furnish you with matter of boldness courage and confidence as here it doth David who having found somewhat of this Truth and this upright and sincere frame of Heart in his own Inward parts He takes ground of Confidence from That to expect that God who had given him This could also give him more In the hidden part saith he thou shalt make me to know Wisdom For Vse This doth shortly speak two things 1. The Service of God is a Work not of the Outward Man only but also and mainly of the Inward Man The Heart and Mind of a Man must be exercised in it if so be go rightly about it And that many wayes And this is One way The Heart must be exercised by reflecting now
times doth shew your Hearts are woefully backward to Hear and lay to Heart any thing that is spoken to this purpose But seeing the thing is needful and so needful as that all your other pains without coming up to what ye hear to this purpose will be to no good purpose Therefore ye ought to bestir your selves striving in earnest against your own Backwardness And if ye seriously set your selves to strive against it I doubt not but ye will get it overcome at least in part This much for the Note of Attention Behold I come next to that which is subjoined to This Behold viz. The Lords complacency and delight in the Grace of Sincerity and the exercise of it As that without which David's present Address could not be Savory or Acceptable to God Thou desirest Truth in the inward Parts We 'l find Three things in the Words For clearing what it is which makes our Performances accepted of God 1. In general It is somewhat which God desires approves or loves Thou desirest c. 2. It is somewhat in the Inward Parts not so much That which is External and seen by Men as what is Internal and known only to God and the Man 's own self 3. One main particular hereof is condescended on to wit Truth the Grace of Sincerity and the Exercise of that Grace Thou deâ—irest Truth in the Inward Parts Of all which I shall endeavour so to speak as that therein ye may see both your bypast failings for your Humiliation and also may see a Rule to which ye ought to Conform your selves for time to come As in the practise of all Duties so especially in your Address to God at this time First then observe The Rule of going about Commanded Duties Acceptably and in the Right manner is God's approbation For David doth not propose unto himself to follow That which would please his Own Humour or the Humour of others but that which God Desires Loves and Approves of Behold saith he thou desirest Truth c. As if he had said The tâ—ing O Lord which I aim at is That which thou Desires and Approves Thus the Lord saith to Abraham Gen. 17. 1. Walk before me and be thou perfect He â— have His Approbation hinted at in the words Before me the Rule of his walking acceptably This was the Rule which Christ himself when he came unto the World did walk by Psal. 40. 6 7 8 Sacrifice and Offering thou didst not desire Then said l Lo I come I delight to do thy will O my God And there is reason for it If we consider 1. That God is our main Party to whom we must give an account for all we do We must give an Account to others also but he 'l reckon with us when all others have done with us 2. He hath tyed us to this Rule and will reckon with us according to it Deut. 5. 32. Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you You shall not turn aside to the Right hand or to the Left And therefore 3. Ye must look mainly to what He approves or disapproves else all ye do will be to no good purpose Matth. 6. 2. They do their Alms that they may have Glory of Men verily I say unto you they have their reward This ought to make you search what is the Rule ye walk by and to which ye labour to conform your selves most in your walk And for your more easie search I shall point at some who walk not by this Rule 1. Those walk not by this Rule who set themselves to come up in their way not to what God desires but to what the time and any Party who bears â—way in the time desire This is the Rule which the Pharisees would have had all in their time to walk by John 7. 48. Have any of the Rulers say they or of the Pharisees believed on him And it is the Rule that many walk by in all times they know no other Religion than That of the Times and which pleaseth Them best who bear the greatest sway So that if Such should change their way every year once They will not scruple much to change it as oft This is the Rule which these did follow whom God doth threaten Hos. 7. 3. They make the King glad with their wickedness and the Princes with their Lies They cared not what they did if so they might please their King and Rulers by it Such are Time-servers Men-pleasers and so cannot be God-pleasers For saith Paul If I yet pleased men I should not be the Servant of Christ. 2. Those walk not by this Rule of God's Approbation and Desire whose highest design in the point of Duty is To follow the Example of others And whose great enquiry is not so much to know what God Desires as what others do and rest upon that as sufficient that they may do the like This is the Rule which God forbids to follow Exod. 23. 2. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil c. And Broad is the way which leadeth to destruction and many there be that go therein And yet it is a Rule which many follow both as the matter what and the manner how they do it How many are there that though they want not their own Convictions and Challenges for several things they themselves are conscious of yet if there be many who are under the Power of the same Evils with themselves they force themselves to take Peace and hold on because there are many guilty of the same fault Alas That is but a very poor ground of Comfort To go to Hell with Company and speaks but very little zeal for God's Honour else the more thou seest it trampled on by others thou would be the more tender of it and consequently the more Common any sin is thou should hate it the more because God gets the more Dishonour by it This was David's way Rivers of Tears saith he run down mine Eyes because of the wicked who transgress thy Law 3. Those walk not by this Rule who walk only by that which their own Carnal Wit and Natural Reason approves How many are they who though they cannot but know that God in His Word requires more exactness in their Walk yet they rest on that which they think their own Carnal Wit thinks may suffice They 'll do what they can in Religious Duties which indeed is but to do what they please But for further God must forgive them Thus they 'l medle with what is easie pleasant and profitable in Religion But for what is hurtful burthen some or may bring loss they 'l never owne that Because their Carnal Reason suggests unto them that less than that may serve the turn Religion is good but People ought not to impoverish or destroy themselves for it Thus many do easily dispense with themselves for the neglect of all painful Hazards and expensive Duties such as To deal their Bread to the
care about the Heart than if ye had none But as to your accquitting your selves in this particular of making your great work ly about the Heart and Inward parts Try your selves but by these Three things 1. What is your care to restrain and mortify Heart Sins which the Apostle calls the Filthiness of the Spirit As High conceit of your selves and your envying of the good of others because it overshadows you The Sin of Fretting and repining under cross dispensations of not reverencing God in and being contented with your Lott Try I say what your Cares and Endeavours are to mortify these and such like Heart sins 2. Try what Conscience ye make to Discharge Inward and spiritual Duties which require only the Inward man to be acted in them As the Duty of meditating on God keeping intercourse and fellowship betwixt your Hearts and Him The Duty of self judging and calling your self to an account every night of the days work the Duty of stooping to God under Cross Dispensations and constructing aright of every thing that God does Try I say what Conscience ye make to discharge those and such like spiritual Duties 3. Try in what way your greatest Care doth run in these Duties which require both the Outward and Inward man Is your great Care to act from right motives and for right ends or rather do ye not on the contrair take but litle care what be the frame of your Heart within if ye but get the outward work done and a fair out-side which none can challenge Is your desire not only to exercise your Tongue in Praying Your voice and art in Singing Praises but also and mainly to exercise your spiritual Graces your Faith your Humility your Love your Repentance for Sin and your joy in God I fear if ye try by these marks many of us shall find that though the Inward parts bâ— that which God Desireth most yet it is that whereof we do give him least which makes a great part of our Duties to be but shadows of Duty They have the external draughts and lineaments shape and proportion of Duty but no more they are painted Duties like a painted man without life a painted fire without heat Let the tryal of your self in these and judging of your selves for them be a part of your Preparation And take this for a further part of it from the same Ground if ye would have what ye do about your Preparation accepted of by God let your great work ly about your Heart how to get it brought to Duty and wrought up to some good Frame for the Lord desireth mainly the Inward parts and where your backward dead and lumpish Hearts will not move or drive for you beseech the Lord to draw them and make them willing in the day of his Power But now lastly I come to the particular here condescended on as a necessary Ingredient for making our performances Acceptable and savoury viz. The Grace of Truth and sincerity Behold thou desirest Truth in the Inward parts And it gives us this Doctrine That the Grace of sincerity and the exercise of it Is absolutely necessary for making our Duties acceptable to God It 's so necessary that the Lord will accept even very little where it is when heâ—l reject much where it is wanting we 'l see both these if we look to the Scripture verdict of two Kings of Judah The first is Asa He was guilty in many things there were very visible defects in him trary to that which the Law of God required as particularly he caused imprison the Prophet who reproved him 2 Chron 16 10. He did not remove the superstitious High places and yet see what the Spirit of God saith of him 1 King 15 14. The High places were not removed nevertheless Asa his Heart was perfect with the Lord all his days Implying that because he was a sincere upright hearted man the Lord overlooked his many other failings So much is also implyed in Hezekiah's Prayer and the Answer it gets from God 2 Chron. 30. 18. 19. The good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his Heart to seek God the Lord God of his Fathers though he be not cleansed according to the Purification of the Sanctuary And the Lord hearkned to Hezekiah and healed the People The other is King Amaziah 2 Chron 25 2. He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord but not with a perfect Heart Implying that though he did many things which in themselves were Right and Good yet because his Heart was not single sincere and straight in what he did the Lord doth not regard it which cleareth the thing I said before That the Grace of Sincerity and exercise of it is so necessary that the Lord will accept even very little where it is and will reject much where it is wanting Now for opening up this Grace of Truth and sincerity a litle in order to the application of the Point Know 1 Sincerity is a Grace which looketh mainly to the Inside therefore it is here called Truth in the Inward parts If thou be a Sincere man an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile Though a fair outside may please Onlookers because they see no further yet it will not please thee because thou knows it will not please God He desireth Truth in the Inward parts But of this already 2. Sincerity and Truth of Heart makes a man's Tongue and Heart to go together in all his deportment whether to God or man The sincere hearted Man is not a double Man he labours to be that in effect which he gives himself out to be Thus 1. John 3. 18 Truth is opposed to â—air words which are no more but Words My litle Children saith he let us not love in Word neither in Tongue but in Deed and in Truth Implying where Word and Deed go not together there is no singleness sincerity or Truth there 3. Sincerity aims at the right end and works from right approven and spiritual motives The Apostle Paul Philip 1. 15 16. Puts this difference betwixt the sincere and unsincere man The Sincere Man works out of love and good will to Christ and Truth the Unsincere man again works the same Work and as much of it but he works out of envy and strife For some base and by ends This Grace of Sincerity and Truth makes a man look not only to the Substance of his Actions that they be Right and Commanded but also to the Manner of them and chiefly that they be from spiritual motives and for a right end that is for God's Glory Thy own Salvation Thy neighbours good and Edification Now for Vse Ye would try if there be not much want and inlake of this Truth and Sincerity among Us It 's true every inlake and failing in the exercise of Sincerity will not prove a Man to be Unsincere As every act of Hypocrisie will not make a Man an Hypocrite if so he do not countenance himself
in it If so he do bewail it and flee to Jesus Christ to get pardon for it and strength to subdue it It is not for this end I would have you to search and try your Inlakes in the exercise of Sincerity that ye may give your selves over for Rotten-hearted Hypocrites But that you may bewail it take with it judge your selves for it flee to Christ to get it pardoned and to get Grace to amend it And your making this use of your foul Failings as to this point shall be a clear evidence that though there has been much unsincerity and shameless Hypocrisie in you yet ye are no real Hypocrites But the main Use of the Point is That as ye desire to come to the Lords Table Acceptably and in the Right Manner so deal with God sincerely and in Truth that is Let your great Work ly about your Heart and Inward Parts to get some right frame and disposition put on them whereof I spoke before Only an humble hungring frame thirsting after Communion and Fellowship with him is a good frame at such a time Again let your coming flow from Spiritual Motives and level at Right and Approven Ends But especially deal Sincerely and in Trâ—th with God by labouring to be That indeed which by your Act of coming to the Communion ye give your selves out for Now ye give your selves out for many things 1. Your Coming saith That ye have need of Christ and must be at him And therefore deal sincerely and in Truth with Christ in searching out and being affected with the need ye have of Him 2. Your Coming to the Lords Table speaks that ye are weary of your old Masters and have a real mind to change them Now I beseech you deal sincerely and in Truth with God and see it be so that ye are really weary of your old Lusts which formerly enslaved you And that ye have a mind indeed to quite them 3. Ye do hereby give out that you have a mind to take God for your Master to enrol your self in the List of His Soldiers to fight against the Devil the World your own Flesh and every thing which is an Enemy with Him Deal in Truth and dissemble not with God in this See ye come not to give God a Day with a secret purpose to give the Devil an Year 4. Ye do hereby give out that you mind to close with Christ on His own Terms See ye deal sincerely with Him in this also And for this end Ponder well and think on the Terms before hand for if ye close a Bargain with Him on his own terms and so deal sincerely and in Truth with him Ye must first take him Freely For Come and buy saith he without money and without price Isai 55. 1. And therefore ye must not keep back from Him or come heartlesly to Him because ye find no worth in your selves for which ye should be beloved by Him If ye do so ye deal not Sincerely and in Truth with Him 2. If ye take Him on his own Terms and so deal Sincerely with Him ye must take him wholly not only as a Priest to save you but as a King to Rule in you If ye mind to make no other use of Christ but to get your by-past Sins pardoned by Him that ye may take on a new Score in time to come ye deal not Sincerely and in Truth with Him ye pretend to take Him on His own Terms and that is to take Him wholly And yet ye will not take Him as a King to Rule over you 3. Ye must take him with all the hazard that may follow upon your taking of Him ye must take him with a resolution to â—leave to him through Well and through Woe aswell when the World frowns upon him as when it smiles otherwise ye deal not Sincerely with him For these are his own terms whereon ye pretend to close with him If any man saith he will be my Disciple les him deny himself take up his Cross and follow me And lastly Ye must take him Irrevocably for it is an everlasting Covenant So that if the next day when the sensible Fruits of a Communion do not answer your expectation ye loose your grip and quite the Bargain ye do not deal Sincerely and in Truth with Him I shall shut up all I have said by giving some motives for making you deal thus Sincerely and in Truth with him Know 1. He is dealing Sincerely and in Truth with you He minds indeed to close a a most blessed Bargain with you and with all of you who mind to take him at his Word and to give him Credit And if ye will but credit him ye shall find from experience ere long that he hath been sincere real and in earnest with you And to the end ye may trust him He gives the most speaking evidences of His Real sincerity towards you which can be given Before ye take a tryal of him ye have His Word for it His Writ for it His Oath for it and ye shall have His Seal and Pledge of it Even that He shall be all that to you which He gives himself out for so that I may well say The Lord is dealing Sincerely and in Truth with You and therefore do ye so with Him 2. Your dealing thus Sincerely and in Truth with Him as I shew'd before will make him overlook your many other Failings which otherwise he will take notice of and reckon on your Account 3. If ye deal not Sincerely and in Truth with Him now it is a venture when or if ever again ye get such another occasion to do that which ye now leave undone Many of us have often at such times dealt deceitfully with God our Hearts have not been straight before Him And yet for all this he gives us a New Offer That notwithstanding all that is come or gone He shall be our God and we his People And if ye close with this Offer in Truth and on his Own Terms ye shall find him to be forth-coming according to his Offer But if ye shall slight him and deal deceitfully with him seeming to close a Bargain with him when really ye do it not It is a venture I say it over again if ever ye get such another Offer The shaddows of the Evening in respect of the bright Sun-shine of Pure Ordinances we have hitherto enjoy'd seem to be stretched out upon the Land and our Sun drawing towards a declining But though that should not be yet who is there among you can infallibly promise That he shall ever see another Communion yea or hear any number of Sermons after this And therefore while it is to day hear his Voice and harden not your Hearts Behold Now this very present Now is the Acceptable time and the day of Salvation And therefore Seek the Lord while he may be found and Call upon him while he is near A SERMON PREACHED AT KILWINNING MAY 11th 1663. Upon the Munday
immediatly after the Giving of the COMMUNION The Third SERMON LUKE 7. 23. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me. Beloved in the Lord THAT place 1 Cor. 1. 23. We Preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block hath had its accomplishment in all Ages and in no Age more than in this Jesus Christ and His way of working both with Churches and Particular Souls hath been a stone of stumbling and rock of offence to many yea moe and moe are stumbling still what through one occasion or other many who once did seem to run well in the way to Heaven in the way of Truth and in the way of Piety have either already taken up or are in hazard to take up such an halt as Christ may be conceived to say to those very few who seem resolv'd to follow him through Better and Worse as once he said Joh. 6. 67. Vnto the twelve when many of his Disciples went back and walked no more with him will ye also go away I have therefore chosen this Text to speak from now immediatly after having engaged your selves to walk in Christs Way that thereby ye may guard against that woeful common evil of Being offended in Christ or of stumbling and taking up an halt in his Way of Truth and Piety notwithstanding all the stumbling blocks and rocks of offence ye may meet with For Blessed is he saith Christ whosoever shall not be offended in me The Words are a Part of Christs Answer to that Question propounded to Him by Two of John's Disciples at John's desire verse 20. Art thou he that should come or look we for another Ye may wonder that John who knew Christ so well should have moved such a Question But the Answer is First Tho Souls know Christ never so well they 'l desire and have need to know him better and to get what knowledge they have of him confirmed to them especially in the day of Trial For John was now in Prison And 2dly They 'l desire that others may know him also For it appeareth from what goeth before that John propoundeth this Question for his Disciples satisfaction and to satisfy their Doubts more than his own Christ's Answer hath two Parts 1. He bids them shew John what they saw him doing Verse 22. Tell Iohn saith he what things ye have seen and heard how that the blind see the lame walk the lepers are cleansed the deaf hear the dead are raised to the poor the Gospel is preached If ye ask what makes this to the Answer of the Question I answer It maketh much for it shews he was doing that which Scripture foretold the Messias would do Isai. 35. 5 6. And therefore he behoved to be the Messias 2. In thir words he answereth a main Objection against this Truth taken from Christ's own low condition and the practice of his Followers which made many bear off him For they expected a Glorious Messias a Great earthly Monarch And because Christ was but obscure and mean therefore they stumbled and were offended in him To this Christ answereth Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended or scandalized in me The word rendered here offended or scandaliz'd seems to be a Metaphor taken from Travellers who having dashed their Foot or Leg at some stone or block in the way do stumble or take up an halt so as they can go no further at least advance not so quickly in the way as they did And Secondly while he sayes Offended in me take this first Actively And so the meaning is They should not take occasion of stumbling from any thing in Christ or in His Way 2. It may be taken Passively so as to point out the Way that we should not stumble nor take up an halt in For there are some wayes to wit Every sinful course and way that it were good for People to stumble in and turn their backs upon But this Way wherein we should not stumble is Christ Himself and the Way of Truth and Piety prescrib'd by him Blessed is he saith Christ who shall not be offended in me As if he had said Happy is that Man who taketh not occasion from Me or any thing in My Way to stumble or turn his back upon Me and that course of Truth and Piety wherein I have commanded him to walk The Words are but One entire Proposition and Sentence I need not therefore spend time in dividing them But shall come to the Doctrines First The Lord applyeth the general Prophesies Concerning the Messias in the Old Testament to Himself in particular shewing they were verified in Him For the Words in me have in them a direct Answer to the Question propounded by John's Disciples and shews the Messias was come and that He is That Messias Whence we might mark That JESUS CHRIST the Son of Mary who was Born in Bethlehem brought up in Nazareth and Crucified in Jerusalem is that very same Messias who was to Come and promised to the Fathers We might observe 2ly That before He gave this Answer that He was the promised Messias whom they were to follow and not to stumble at He doth first prove by Scripture that it was so while he hids John's Disciples tell their Master he was doing such miraculous Works as the Scriptures did foreshew none but Christ should do Whence we might learn That all Questions and Debates about Religion should be determined from Scripture and according to the Rule set down in Scripture For here when a Question ariseth among John's Disciples If JESUS the Son of Mary was the promised Messias neither John the Baptist than whom there was not a Greater Prophet among these that are Born of Women yea nor Christ himself who was Greater than he do take it upon them to determine in it But John sends them to Christ and Christ sends them to the Scripture for a Solution Thus To the law and to the testimony saith the Lord Isai. 8. 20. if they do not speak according to this word it is because there is no light in them The neglect of this Rule hath been the In-let to Humane Traditions without and contrary to Scripture both in Worship and Government in the Antichristian Church And if this Rule once be laid aside there can be no end of Humane Ceremonies untill all that trash which is in the Roman Church be brought in upon the Church of God For if the Authority of a Man can make way for One it may also make way for all the rest But passing those The two following Doctrines are these that I intend most to insist upon And both of them are implyed 1. That there are many stumbling Blocks in Christ's way whereat People are apt to Offend take up an Halt and stumble And yet Secondly There is nothing of that kind which ought to make us stumble For if there were not some stumbling Blocks Christ needed not so much guard against them and by his guarding against them he
ye would 3. Do not needlesly and without a ground call in question the reality of your former closing with him For that as I told you before will make you heartless to set to it of new Or however ye question the reality of what ye have done already yet see that in no terms ye question your Right to close with him by Faith and believe in him for time to come For whatever thou hast done formerly the Gospel Offer is yet at thy door and a Command from God unto thee to close with it and if thou hast not done it in earnest before thy need is so much the greater to do it frequently and in earnest now But now to proceed By the Lord to whom he exhorts them to Cleave is not only meaned The Lord Himself as he is offered in the Promise but generally all that he hath recommended to our care as an evidence of our respect to him Thus we testify our respect to absent Friends by owning their Concerns and Interests and if ye ask what these things are that the Lord Christ hath recommended to our care I answer in two words First His Truth and next his Service So that 1. ye are to Cleave unto and Continue in his Truth against Error according to what the Apostle Jude commands V. 3 Ye should earnestly contend for the Faith to wit the Doctrine of Faith or Truth which was once delivered unto the Saints 2. We are to Cleave to and Continue in his Service whether the Duties of Immediate Worship we should cleave to these against Superstition voluntary neglect Will-worship and Idolatry Or the Duties of our Particular Callings and Stations All which should be gone about as Service to him So Servants are to do their service with good will as to the Lord and not to men Ephes. 6. 7. Now that Cleaving to all These is meaned by Cleaving unto the Lord appears from Deutr. 10. 20. and 30. 20. where Cleaving to the Lord is explained by fearing the Lord by obeying his voice by serving him and swearing by his name Now to speak a little to each of these 1. Ye must Cleave to and continue in his Truth Gaius is commended for this 3 Joh. 3. even that he walked in the Truth And Prov. 23. 23. we are bidden Buy the Truth and sell it not And ye heared from Jude Ye should contend for the Truth For Error contrary to Truth is of a Damning Nature 2 Peter 2. 1. They are called Damnable Heresies And Error in point of Truth makes way for Prophanity and loosness of Life a sound Heart and an unsound Head cannot well subsist Therefore doth Peter 2 Epist. 3. 17. call Error The error of the wicked For helping you to this needful Duty of Cleaving to the Lord by Cleaving to His Truth I shall recommend to you these things 1. Beware of Scepticism or making all Truths debateable or those Truths especially which may bring you in greatest hazard to confess or cleave to This is down right contrary to the Cleaving to Truth here enjoined 2. Do not undervalue any Truth say of no Truth as Lot said of Zoar is it not a little one and so I may skip from it It 's true there is a difference among Truths some greater Truths and some smaller But as it is of Sins so it is of Errors The lesser alwise doth make way for the greater and there is no Truth which cometh not from the God of Truth And therefore no Truth which ye should look on as a thing Indifferent whether ye think so or otherwise of it Besides in times of Defection from Truth it is the usual Artifice of Persecuters to extenuate those Truths they labour to bear down as things Indifferent and very triffles When in the mean time their own practice doth give theâ—r Profession the lie For if they thought them things indifferent and triffles why would they persecute Mâ—n for adhering to them Besides tho some Truths be not so absolutely necessary to Salvation but a Man may be saved tho he think otherwise yet it doth not follow we should be careless of all such Thus tho a Man's hand be not so absolutely necessary but he may live without it yet he were a mad Man who on that account would wittingly and willingly cut it off Besides an Error in some Truths which will not damn one may condemn another who knows at least may easily know it to be an Error and yet will live and die in the Justification of it without Repentance 3. Ye ought chiefly to cleave to those Truths which ye are most engaged to owne either by God's sealing them to your Spirits or by Catechising and Instructing you from your very Childhood in them so that ye are put out of all doubt of the Truth that is in them or by bringing you under most sacred Tyes of Solemn Vows and Oaths to maintain them I say ye ought to look upon it as your Duty chiefly to Cleave unto such Truths 2 Joh. 8. Look to your selves that we lose not those things that we have wrought And Solomon saith It is not safe after vows to make enquiry If a Man's Conscience grow once so wide as to let such Truths pass through either for Errors or Triffles he may perswade himself there is not a Truth in all the Bible if he be hard put to it that he 'l stick at but that meeting with a pressing suitable tentation he 'l let it slip through after them 4. We are to Cleave to Truth not only by retaining the knowledge of it and by giving assent to it in our Judgements but also by giving a modest and faithful profession and confession of that Truth on all hazards when we are called to it This is commanded 1 Pet 3. 15. Be ready alwise to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meakness and fear and Rom 10. 10. With the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation This is necessary both for the honour of God Truth being a piece of his Name which we are bound to confess Rev 2. 13 Thou holdest fast my name and hast not denyed my faith And its necessary also in order to our own Salvation For whosoever saith our Saviour will confess me before men him will I also confess before my father which is in heaven but whosoever will deny me before men him will I also deny before my father which is in heaven This now as upon the one hand it doth not justify unseasonable Confession contrary to Matth 7. 6 Cast not your pearls before swine lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and rent you So upon the other hand it reproves those who dar not or will not give a Confession of the Truth even when they are called to it and much more those who deny the Truth either expresly or Interpretativly That is when they
do that which men are apt to take and have reason to take for a denial of the Truth tho they do not deny it in so many words But Secondly We must cleave unto the Lord by Cleaving to and continuing in his Service for that is the other thing which he hath recommended to our Care as an evidence of our respect to him Joshua bids the People Take diligent heed to cleave unto the Lord and serve him Jos 22. 5. Now this holds first of the Ordinances he hath appointed for his Service and Immediate Worship Ye must Cleave to these In order to which 1. Beware of Will-worship or doing that in his Worship which he hath not commanded Colos 2 20. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the Rudiments of the World Why as though living in the World are ye subject to Ordinances To wit Ordinances and Commandments of Men in Gods Service as he explains verse 22. And he gives some instances of them verse 21. Touch not taste not handle not It is true men may appoint the outward Circumstances of Order and Decency for going about these parts of God's Worship which he hath commanded such as are Time and Place what hour of the day ye shall meet at publick Worship and in what Place and such like which are Common both to Civil and Religious Actions but they may not under that pretext appoint new practices of Worship to God or significant engaging Ceremonies As for example That the Sign of the Cross be used in Baptism As a Token we shall not hereafter be ashamed to Confess Christ Crucified And that Ministers Preach with a White Shirt or Surplice above their Garments to signify the Holiness of their Calling or as the Ancients did ordain those who were Baptized to wear White Garments for the space of eight dayes after Baptism To signify their being washen from Sin For by that same Rule They may command every one to taste Vinegar and Gall at the Communion as a Sign that they shall not be ashamed of Christ who Died so And to put on an Helmet Breast-plate and other Armour in time of Publick Worship To signify our Resolution to Fight the Battle against Sin and Satan so long as we live And suck or drink in Milk publickly in time of Divine Worship In token that by Faith we draw in the sincere Milk of the Word that we may grow thereby Now any may see that to command these and such like were to appoint New Work in Gods Service and more than to do that Work he hath appointed Orderly and Decently Besides many things of Lesser moment and of the same nature with these I mean significant Ceremonies are appointed by God in his Law to which there is yet added that Sanction Deut. 12. 32. What thing soever I command you observe to do it thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it So that the appointing any such things in the Worship of God is an adding to Gods Law which is there prohibited I shall be more brief in the following Directions for Cleaving to the Ordinances of Gods Immediate Worship And therefore 1. Beware of Irreligious Impiety in neglecting these Ordinances Ye are commanded to wait upon them Pray without ceasing Despise not Prophesying or Preaching Speak to your selves in Psalms and Hymns Give attendance unto Reading Ye cannot cleave to the Lord in these Ordinances if ye neglect to go about them ye must countenance publick Ordinances make Conscience of secret Duties 2. Beware of Formality in going about them by resting in an out-side work But above all things strive to bring the Heart up to them otherwise ye do not as ye ought cleave unto them God is a Spirit and will be Worshiped in Spirit and in Truth The Lord will not rockon you to cleave unto them tho ye be present at them if so your Heart be far away from them 3dly Beware of up-sitting or back-sliding from making Conscience of them after ye have once begun That it be not said of you as the Apostle Paul said once of the Galatians Ye have run well but who did hinder you that ye should not obey the Truth Otherwise ye do not cleave unto them But further This cleaving to the Lord by cleaving to and Continuing in his Service doth hold in the Duties of our Particular Callings and Stations And in order to your Cleaving to these or to the Lord by making Conscience of these 1. Do not neglect them I mean those Duties which ye owe whether as Servants or as Masters as Parents or as Children as Husbands or as Wives as Magistrats or as Subjects Much of the Life and Power of Religion is manifested in the Conscientious discharge of such Duties and a man manifests best what he hath by making Conscience of such Rom 12. 11. Ye are not to be Sloathful in Business 2. What ye do even in things of that kind strive to do it as Service to the Lord. For as I have shew'd so much is enjoyned Servants Thus shall ye Cleave to the Lord even by going about your Ordinary Calling when ye discharge the Duties thereof as Service to Him that is when ye do them because He appoints you so to do and that ye may adorn Religion and take away all occasion of Reproach by your Conscientious Diligence in the practice of them 3. Let not the Duties of your particular Stations make you neglect the Duties either of Publick or Private Worship there is time for both ye cannot Cleave to the Lord in the Duties of the one sort if they shall justle out the Duties of the other 4 Strive to keep Communion with God even in the practice of such Duties by sending up secret thoughts and pithy ejaculations to God among hands as Nehemiah did chap. 2. By labouring to make a Spiritual use of every thing that occurs or which ye meet with This much now for their cleaving to the Lord the thing He would have them to do I shall now speak a little only to the manner wherein the Lord would have it gone about It s with a purpose or resolution and a purpose of Heart 1. It 's with a purpose and resolution he would have them take on a fixed resolution to do and that as an help to make them do Hence take this Doctrine That ye may cleave to the Lord and continue constant and stedfast in his Truth and Service ye must take on a fixed Resolution and Purpose so to do I suppose ye have taken on such a Resolution as this at your coming to the Lords Table but tho ye have done it yet your wisdom will be every day to renew it David had taken on such a purpose Psal. 17. 3 I am purposed that my Mouth shall not transgress yea he binds himself by an Oath to it Psal. 119. 106 I have Sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous Judgments This is that piece of the spiritual armour called