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
There is an Union in Judgement when there is no considerable Difference among the Members of the Church in the matter of Opinion When all Think the same thing And this is here pressed Be prefectly joined in one Judgement 2. There is an Union in Heart and Affections spoken of Act. 4. 32. The multitude of them that believed were of one Heart and of one Soul And this Union is also here pressed Be perfectly join'd together in the same Mind or in Love and Affection as we shew'd in the opening up of the Words 3. There is an Union in Practice and that is when whatever Difference there is in Judgement yet it 's not openly proclaim'd Publick Contradictions and Eristick Debates are eschewed and an unanimous joint practice in these things wherein there is Agreement is followed And this Union is also pressed in the Text I beseech you that ye all speak the same thing So it 's clear the Text means all these three sorts of Union the Doctrine intends them All and as might be made evident other Scriptures press them All. Only this we would know the Order wherein they are pressed to wit So as every Breach in the Former is not to make a Breach in the Latter Every Difference in Judgement is not to make a Rent in Heart or Affection Nor tho a Rent be in both doth it infer necessarly a Divided Practice at least in these things wherein there is Agreement And for that the Scripture is clear especially Philipp 3. 15 16 where v. 15 the Apostle supposeth difference of Judgement among the Philippians as to the point he is there speaking of and subjoineth for matter of Practice v. 16. Nevertheless whereunto we have already attained let us walk by the same Rule That is to say Tho we cannot agree in all things yet let us eschew the prolaiming of Our Differences by Our contrary Practices This much for the first thing to wit What Union the Doctrine presseth It is an Union necessary to the Well-being of the Visible Church particularly an Union in Judgement an Union in Affection an Union in Practice An Union all these wayes is to be sought for and laboured after yet so as if we cannot attain to Union in the Former we are yet still to endeavour it in the Latter For Confirmation of this Truth we might cite several Scriptures 1. These wherein this Union is promised to the Church and that as a rich Covenant Blessing such as Jer. 32. 39. I will give them one Heart and one way that they may fear Me for ever The like is in Ezek. 37. 22. 2. These Scriptures wherein this Vnion is highly commended Especially Ps. 133. 1. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in Vnity and so through the whole 3. These Scriptures which hold out the Mediator's Prayer to the Father for this Union Joh. 17. 21. That they all may be one as Thou Father art in Me and I in Thee that they also may be one in Vs and so v. 23. 4. Those Scriptures where this Union is expresly enjoyned and pressed whereof there are many Such as Philipp 2. 1 2 3. If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of Love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any Bowels and Mercies Fulfil ye My Joy that ye be like minded having the same Love being of one accord of one mind And 2 Cor. 13. 11. Finally Brethren farewel be of one mind live in peace And lastly these Scriptures where Division contrary to Unity is condemned as Rom. 16. 17. I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause Divisions and Offences and avoid them But for further Confirmation of this Truth we shall in the next place bring foreward some Reasons concluding the equity and necessity of seeking after and entertaining of Unity in the Church which shall also serve as motives to the Duty Reason 1. Union furthers Edification So Eph. 4. 3. Union is pressed And One Fruit among many to be reaped hereby is v. 12. the edifying of the Body of Christ. And as Unity furthers Edification so Division marreth it Divisions in a Church tho about small things yet if stiffly mantain'd prove a great stumbling Block to the Weak they are put to doubt all Truths because Men gracious and learned doubt of some So Division not only marreth progress in the building but striketh at the very foundation of what is already built Reas. 2. Divisions in a Church make the Ministers contemptible Of all Men Ministers suffer most this way because usually they are most active in beginning and upholding the Division and usually even these who have Truth for them suffer much if not most this way Paul tho an Apostle and a Man for Truth yet he lost much of the former esteem he had amongst the Corinthians though once they would have pluck'd out their Eyes for him yet through the Division their Distemper grew to such an hight that he was look'd on as Contemptible rude in speech yea A Fool and what not as appears from 2 Cor 10. 10. Ch. 11. 6 16. Reas. 3. The Essential Unity of the Church and the many things wherein a Church agreeth that way should enforce this Union The Apostle Paul Eph. 4. draweth a strong Argument for Unity and Peace in the Church from this Ground The Duty is propounded v. 3. Endeavouring to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace And v. 4 5 6. it is pressed by this Argument There is on Body and one Spirit One Lord one Faith one Baptism One God and Father of all Here are many Ones together in two or three lines as if he had said What a shame is it for you who are so many wayes One to rent in pieces for a thing of so small moment Reas. 4. Divisions in a Church turn away every Man's Eye from his main Task I mean from the joint opposing of Satan's main Design to be wrangling one with another It 's Satans Policy when he intends to bear down Truth in a Church to set those who should oppose him most by the Ears about smaller things that so he may carry his point with less difficulty herein making use of Matchiavils or rather his own Principle divide impera Divide and Carry It 's often seen that the nearer those who differ come to one another they drive on their point against others with the greater Animosity and Eagerness the Jews and Samaritans were at greater variance than Jews and Heathens And the Reason is this The less the Difference is they have the more hopes to bring others to their mind hence their mutual On-setts are more furious and their Disappointments the more bitter the higher they were in their hopes and in the mean time while they mind nothing so much as to bear down one another Satan cometh good speed in bearing down of Truth and Them and All. Reas. 5. Union when once lost in a Church is hardly ever
was One Athanasius And when Antichrist was to prevail it is shown Rev. 11. 3. That notwithstanding all the Tyranny of Antichrist and the torrent of Corruption in these times God should have His Two that is tho not many yet some few Witnesses 3. The Lord in His deep Wisdom doth measure out such a Dispensation for heightning His Churches Tryal And that these who keep their Garments clean may come forth as Gold It is but an inconsiderable Tryal and calls for little Resolution to stand it out When all the Lord's Ministers speak one thing lifting up their Voice as a Trumpet and denouncing the dreadful Judgements of God on all who turn their back on Truth and Piety But when the generality of Ministers at any time do blow the Trumpet of Defection from the Lord That speaks Loyalty indeed If then notwithstanding such Defection People stand to the Lords Banner and in nothing be moved from it And that because the Trumpet gives an uncertain sound speaking one thing one day and another thing the next So that to stumble at Christ's Way because of this when it falleth out is to stumble at the Wisdom of God 4. Therefore should no Man stumble at Christ nor His Way for this because the Lord in all times hath made it and no doubt will yet make it tend to the advantage of His Way in the close So as afterwards times growing more favourable the Church of God hath thereby been freed from a Fleece of Time-servers who would never otherwayes have discovered themselves Besides that others who through weakness had turned aside in some degreâ—â— with the torrent of the time somewhat against their Heart have been made to acknowledge their weakness to God's Glory And so make up by their Repentance the breach they had made on God's Way by their Fall And consequently for any to stumble at Christ's Way because of This is to break their neck on that which in God's method doth make His Way most lovely in the Close There are other Two Points yet which might be handled jointly as the former The one Expressed The other Implyed and both of them serve to confirm the last to wit That whatever we meet with in Christ's Way we should not love Christ nor His Way the less None of these things should make us take up an halt in His Way much less turn our back upon it For 1. It is an happy thing not to stumble at Christ or His Way This is expressed in the Text. 2. The Man who is offended in Christ who turneth his back upon Him because of Stumbling-blocks or Rocks of Offence in the Way That Man is an unhappy Man and cursed I might prosecute both these Points but for the time I shall forbear and only say something in Answer to a needful Question I think one may readily ask what I call Christ's Way whereat we should not stumble For there are Men and Parties of several wayes There are Papists and Protestants Sectaries Socinians Formalists Anabaptists Prelatists or Episcopâ—l-men Presbyterians Independents and Quakers every one whereof have their Own Way about Religion And no doubt all of them will call their Own Way Christ's Way And therefore it is needful to know which of these wayes are Christ's Way indeed that so we may not turn our backs upon it In Answer to which Question It cannot be expected if it were but for the time I can enter in a Debate concerning what is Right or Wrong what is Christs what is not Christs in All those Wayes I shall therefore only give you some general Directions for finding out what is Christ's Way amidst the tide and torrent of so many contrary Opinions And these such that upon the one hand I think there is no Man having his right Wits about him with the least Grain of Piety but he must give his Assent unto them And yet such as through God's Blessing being rightly improven shall not leave you without a Guide what to choose as God's Way and what not First then I doubt not it will be taken for granted by All. That the Way of Christ whereat we should not stumble are the Essentialls of Piety and Christianity I mean Faith in Jesus Christ Repentance unto Life Holiness and tenderness of Walk in eschewing all known Sin and coming up to the Practice of all known Duty This is it I intended mainly all alongs to wit That notwithstanding all the forementioned Rocks of Offence ye would not turn Profligate Profane Debauch'd and Irreligious Atheists but hold on in the Way of substantial Piety notwithstanding of all and over the belly of all 2. But this is not all It 's but a loose way of Religion and very near to no Religion at all for a Man to pretend to no more but adhere to the Practice of substantial Duties and the Faith of Fundamental Truths while in other things he sayes and unsays and rolls about with the times For hereby they may suffer the Devil to do with the most part of Scripture what he pleases For Truths absolutely necessary to Salvation are but few the Lord in Mercy having so provided that the meanest capacity may explicitly comprehend them and all of them seing they cannot be saved without them But tho there be some few Truths only of absolute necessity for Salvation yet there are others in their own kind also necessary to wit for Gods Glory and your own Comfort and the Lord will have you sticking closs by these Truths once knowing them to be Truths as well as by others and that because a great part of Christ's Way lyeth in a Mans adherence even to these Truths to wit God's Glory and the Man 's own Comfort And a Profane loose and indifferent Spirit as to these doth both in the nature of the thing and in God's just Judgement beget in progress of time Profane Indifferency and Atheism as to other more great and substantial Truths So doth the Apostle Paul inform the Galatians Ch. 5. 9. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump Thus then the great Question is to know which is Christ's Way in Truths of that sort that so we may not stumble at it For which in the first place take Paul's Rule Philipp 3. 16. Nevertheless whereto we have already attained let us walk by the same Rule And 2 John 8. Look to your selves that we lose not these things that we have wrought In a word whatever a Man is perswaded on good ground to be Christ's Way let him stick closly by That as his way and whatever he meet with beware of doing any thing wherein his own Heart will condemn him I say this because there are some Truths of an inferiour Nature which are as clearly revealed in Scriptures as other more substantial Truths And consequently a Man may as much be perswaded of the one as the other And tho another Man may think or say he is perswaded of the contrary Error that it is Truth and be deceived
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
tending to the Refutation of divers Errors Error in Doctrine is a subtile temtation the temtation of the time a dangerous temptation because it hath now many advantages to plead for it Now if the Lord shall bless the following Discourses they may prove an Antidote against it And what we have now said shew's how great need ye have to guard against it It is a dangerous Sin and so ye had need to be armed against it Doct. II. Again a general Doctrine arriseth from the connexion of this Chapter with the preceeding In the preceeding the Apostle hath been all alongs stirring up Christians to Sanctification of Life to eschew Prophanity here he subjoyns an Exhortation to cleave to the Truth Which gives us this Obeservation That an Orthodox Judgement or a right Opinion in the matters of Truth is as much to be studied as Sanctification of Life and the contrary of them both is equally to be eschewed That is to say a Child of God is bound to guard himself and to watch as much against Heresy and Error in the matter of Opinion as against Prophanity and gross Sins in the matter of Practise We had need to clear this because there is a conceit in People whereby they are ready to think that for the matter of Opinion it makes not much what men be many that have Error may have Grace Grace and Error say they are consistent And so if men live well it matters not much what be their Opinion We grant indeed every Error does not destroy Grace and Grace is consistent with some Errors yet every Error does in so much weaken the work of Grace within a man And secondly Error is consistent with Grace as other dam-Sins are as David's Adultery was consistent with Grace And that is the point to be proven That Error in the matter of Doctrine is as much to be abhorred by the Child of God as gross Sins in the matter of their Practice Reas. We shall bring several things to clear this Truth to you and the first is this Scripture doth equally discharge both It is as much in guarding against Error as Prophanity So in Hebr. 13 9. Be not carried about with divers and strange Doctrines For it is a good thing that the Heart be established with Grace and in Coloss. 2. 8. Bewar lest any man spoil you through Philosophy We need not insist to multiply Scriptures to this purpose any that are acquaint with Scripture especially the Epistles of the new Testament will find Exhortations against Error to be as pressing as against any sin else Secondly as Scripture discharges both alike so it aggravates the sin of Error as much as the sin of Prophanity There is nothing almost that Scripture brings to aggravate gross sins against the second Table but it uses the same to aggravate Error In the Epistle to the Gallat 5. 19. Adultery Fornication Lasciviousness c are called the works of the Flesh An odious name But in ver 20. Heresy gets the same name also and is rekoned up amongst the works of the Flesh. So in the Epistle to the Coloss. 2 18. a superstitious mind is called a fleshly mind Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility And worshiping of Angels intruding into those things which he hath not seen vainly puft up by his fleshly mind And both get one name Thus in 1 Peter 2 11. If fleshly lusts be aggravated from this that they fight against the Soul they are soul destroying sins So Heresy and Error are branded with a worse name in the 2 Peter 2. 1 who privily bring in damnable Heresies Heresy is damnable a soul destroying sin not for this respect only that they deserve Damnation For the meanest sin of Infirmity is damnable that way in it self it merits damnation therefore this Scripture must mean somewhat more when it calls Heresy damnable than to rank it amongst our ordinary infirmities Neither are they called damnable in that sense as if the Soul guilty of Heresy could not be saved For many Hereticks have repented unto Salvation But they are called damnable sins as other gross sins are called damnable that is to say justly and highly Condemnable They are damnable because they marr the work of Grace they marr the thriving of Grace the lively acts of Grace even as Davids Adultery so long as he lay under it did Reas 3 There is a third Reason to prove this point and it is this Stability of the heart in Grace and stability of the mind in Truth stand and fall together So that upon the mind 's wavering in the matters of Truth the heart will begin to waver in the matter of Grace also Prophanity followeth upon Error Error received and imbraced oftentimes endeth in Prophanity at the last And therefore it should equally be watched against with Prophanity it self Now to make what we have said appear viz. That Error in the matter of Truth and Prophanity against Holiness of Life usually go along together Ye would first look to Experience Experience makes this good that Error for the most part ends in a prophane Godless Life Scripture experience clears it So the Apostle Jude descrives these Hereticks he speaks of to be vile Livers And later than Scripture Experience makes this good also That Error and Prophanity for the most part follow hard upon the heels one of another It 's true Sathan ensnares People at the first to Error by a pretence of leading them to a more strick way than others But the thing he is aiming at is still more loosness Ye need not seek a more clear proof than what ye see before your Eyes Did ever ye see a more Godless company of men than divers of those Hereticks amongst us who were first drawn on to Error by a pretence of walking after a more strict way of Holiness than others They could not joyn in worship with the Presbyterians many in their Churches were so prophane as they pretended but would gather Churches of their own and would Joyn with none but those that had evident signs of Grace and so came of it They would be stricter than God would have them and therefore many of them have turn'd so abominably loose And so Experience aboundantly clears that Error and Prophanity do follow hard one upon another But we shall clear it also from Scripture And our first proof is from those Scriptures holding forth That Error in the matter of Doctrine hath usually its rise from some unmortifyed Lust within which makes way for such an Error So Rom 16 17. 18. I beseech yoâ— Brethren mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them Now from whence come these divisions contrary to the right Doctrine v. 18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own Belly and by good words and fair Speaches deceive the hearts of the simple Unmortified corruptions within bloweth wind in their
labour to bear down him that speaks it So Hereticks are called Murmurers Complainers Jude verse 16. So a Minister in reproving Error would guard against this danger lest he do more hurt than profit and all the Issue of his pains be to work a prejudice against himself And Secondly This Argument will be the more strong considering the evil that comes by prejudice There is nothing that makes people run faster headlong into Error than prejudice against Faithful Pastors Therefore this hath been the Devil's Method First To bear down the Ministry by making the people first cast at one then at another and so at all that their Ears being once stoped with prejudice at what Ministers say their Ear may be boared to let in any Error that the Devil or his Instruments pleaseth to vent Therefore a Minister would make it his Study so to behave himself that there be no ground of prejudice given by him but that all his Carriage may savour of a Resolution to entertain Love Now because our fear is that Error may spread and that if the Lord give us leave we intend from this Verse to speak to the most infecting Errors We shall solve this Question What a Minister is to do for entertaining Love For clearing of this we shall first shew what he is not to do He is not to be silent at Error for fear of Irritating and losing Affection That were not Love considering what is said of the nature of Error It is all one as if we would not reprove a loose Liver for fear of angring him Secondly Neither is he to speak against them in a Cold-rife manner as if it were a thing indifferent whether they return to a right Judgement or not No He must as he would be faithful to God aggravate the evil of Error to the utmost declare its hazard denounce what Scripture pronounceth against it whether it anger them or not Better anger and loose them than anger God What then must he do Answer As in other sins he must first reprove them Levit. 19. ver 17. And secondly so reprove as it may argue Love to the person reproved Jude ver 23. Only there would be this difference betwixt reproving of Error and other sins Other sins may be inveighed against without pains to convince the person reproved that such are sins Nature is born with a cry against such But Error hath an erring Conscience to stand up in its behalf therefore the most of a Ministers work would be in convincing from the Word that the thing he holdeth is Error Otherwise to inveigh against what he holdeth without this will harden him more he will look on it as the Man's passion and that he hath nothing to say from Scripture or Reason against what he holdeth 2. In dealing with erring persons there would be a difference put betwixt Seducers and those who are seduced Those who are rooted in Error and those who are only Doubters so Jude verse 23. For Use Ye may see from this what a great Task Ministers have and how great need of help there is from people to Ministers in Erring times In some respect it is harder to deal with one Man tainted with Error than with twice so many Prophane Livers A prophane Mans Conscience must readily say the same that we say and so keep us at Reverence But an erring Mans Conscience speaks against us takes us to Err and so readily cannot endure us and yet we must speak venturing in Gods strength But there is need so to speak least in speaking we loose more then we gain The next thing that followes is the Exhortation Believe not every Spirit That is do not credit every Doctrine that hath a fair pretence Or every Preacher that pretends the Name of the Spirit From this we learn That the Spirit of Error began very early to trouble the Church in the primitive times when the Apostles were yet living there were even then some who contradicted them to their very face so the averrers of Circumcision Justification by workes denyers of the resurrection c. Reas 1. The Reason is first because the Spirit of Error is shameless it will affront the most convincing evidences for it is natures Brood and credit is so engaged in it that it trampleth upon all that would bear it under if an Apostle were speaking a Sectarian Spirit would out-dare him It is an affronted and malapert Spirit Secondly The Lord saw it fitting that in the latter ages of the Church his People should be tryed by erring Spirits and therefore he would have the primitive times troubled with them also that we might be the less troubled seeing that even the Apostles themselves were not fre'd from such like perplexity as to have to doe with Spirits of Error But there is an other Reason why the Lord suffers his Church both in former times and in latter times to be troubled with the Spirit of Error set down in the 1 Corinth 11. verse 19. For there must be also Heresies amongst you that they which are approved may be made manifest among you There must be Heresies there is a must be put upon it Now this is not an absolute necessity but a necessity or a must be upon the supposition of Gods most wise decree to permit wise decree to permit and suffer those things for most wise ends and the end for which he permitts them to be is First for the tryal of Persons and secondly for the tryal of Truth First for the tryal of Persons this End is set down in the verse cited Heresies and Hereticks must be that they which are aproved may be made manifest among you The Spirit of Heresie let loose hath a discovering efficacy with it it discovers who are of a humble frame of Spirit and who are Proud Lofty Conceity and of a Selfish spirit It discovers who are light weak and easily carried away with any thing unstable minds as the Apostle speaks and who are more solid and Ballanced with the Spirit of Sobriety and solid Wisdom that is from above It discovers these who have put a price on Truth that they will buy it but will on no termes sell it and also discovers those who have put no price upon it or that will suffer little for it That is the first end why Hereticks must be to discover Persons and try them And secondly Hereticks in the Lords wise Providence tend to the tryal of Truths and the making of them brighter and clearer they scoure Truths so to speak so that the disputs of Hereticks and venting of Error make Truth the brighter The more debating there is betwixt these two Error grows the blacker and Truth the clearer When the Lord hath a mind to have a Truth cleared and rooted in his Peoples Spirits He does in his Infinite Wisdom take this way a strange way indeed and yet making much for the purpose He will let some Error arise to oppose the Truth through occasion whereof more
light breaks out to the clearing of the Truth These are Reasons why Hereticks must be Vse The use is seeing the Spirit of Error began so early to trouble the Church in the Apostles time that were guided with an infallible Spirit then ye are not to wonder that Error should trouble the Church now when there are not such infallible lights as these The Spirit of Error is a bold darring Spirit it will dare to contradict God Himself and find out some shift to cast at that which God Himself sayeth As may be seen Gen 3. The Lord said The day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die And Sathan contradicts it thou shalt not surely die And so no wonder there be such impudence seen in the Spirit of Error now as to cast at any thing which Gods Servants say seeing Satan still Acts the Instruments of Error Vse 2 But secondly from this Doctrine learn not to quarrell with Gods most Holy and wise Providence in that he suffers so many Errors to be We are ready to think that if God had that care of his Church Covenant and Cause as men would think he had he would not suffer such Effronted Spirits and such Blasphemous Hereticks to prevail and to outdare his Truth But that is to quarrel the Lords providence and without a ground He whose furnace is in Zion can make all the tryals of the time that arise from Error to contribute much for the clearing of Truth by this means he will rouse up his People to study Truth to understand it better to search out grounds for it and that is one advantage only ye would know also that these times will be discovering times they will discover many a corrupt heart many unstable hearts and light heads many proud Spirits and many that have Lusts lurking within them So that many will choose that Religion that will gratify their Lusts most For there is not an Error that Sathan hatches but there is one Lust or other within People that speaks for it and there is nothing more ready to make People take in Error than their harbouring of unmortified Lusts. So in 2 Timoth Cap 3. The Apostle speaking of those who should be caried away with false Teachers says in the 6. v. For of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins led away with diverse Lusts Unmortified Lusts are as fuel to make the fire of Zeal for Error to burn very hot in Peoples bosom and so Error will try People this way Doct V. Next observe he sayes Believe not every Spirit that is believe not every Doctrine that hath the name of the Spirit and fair pretences put upon it as if they were the Doctrines of the Spirit of God believe them not From this we learn That the foulest Errors go out oftentimes under fairest names and are backed with most specious pretences what Fouler Errors than these spoken of here The denying of the Son of God And yet what fairer Names than the Spirit What fairer pretences than that they are Doctrines taught by the Spirit of God We will find this of all Errors spoken of in Scripture for the most part Coraâ— Dathan and Abiram's Error whereby they rose up against the Magistracy of Moses and Preist-hood of Aaron hath a fair pretence for it Ye take too much upon you Moses and Aaron are not all the Lords People Holy And Jeroboams Error his Idolatry in setting up the Calf at Dan and Bethel hath a fair pretence 1 Kings 12. It is too fair for you c. The Peoples ease and the publick good is the thing he pretends though his design was far otherwise And so these that urged Justification by works and opposed the way of free Grace and being justified by Faith they had their fair pretences O! say they to cast off Workes from Justification will make People secure wee may sin that Grace may abound very taking pretences all of them and as taking as any that Error is now covered over with The Reason of the Doctrine is from the cause for which the Tempter presents Error under fair colours and specious pretences which is this That he may make the Error the more taking For these are the baits he puts on the hook that he may deceive and catch the simple Therefore for use of this Doctrine ye would not be deceived with fair pretences or ravishinglike expressions that Error may be fairded over with See what the Apostle Paul sayes to this purpose 2 Thess cap. 2 v. 2. Where speaking against an Error he beseeches them by the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ That they be not soon shaken in mind or troubled neither by Spirit nor by word nor by letter as from us as that the day of Christ is at hand It supposes that the spreaders of that Error had all these three pretences Firstâ— they pretended the Spirit that it was a Doctrine taught them by the Spirit of God accompanied by his presence in their Spirits with more than ordinary flashes and raptures and In-bearings of the Spirit of Light And Secondly that they had the word or Scripture to alledge for it And Thirdly they picked somewhat out of Pauls Letters for them so would they say In speaking against us he contradicts himself These are fair pretences and yet sayes Paul be not shaken in mind with them So say I ye would guard your self against the fair pretences which Error may have and look not only to the out side but to the inside of them and then ye will find most bitter Serpents Lurking under fairest flowers As for example The Mother of all Error Tolleration hath a fair pretence for it viz. that good men may Err and so in suppressing Error ye may suppress Piety A fair pretence but it hath afoul end For by this meanes Blasphemers Denyers of God and Jesus Christ must have Liberty to vent their damnable Errors if so be that they can but pretend Conscience and so stable roome must be given in Christs Church to every unclean beast that ever was hatched in Hell The Antinomian Errors again have a fair pretence O say they Christ hath become sin for us and therefore it is taken off from us so we are not bound to repent for it for to say that we are to repent were to take the burthen off from Christs Back and to put it on our own These are specious words without solidity but they contradict Scripture Truths where they are narrowly looked to Peter was a justified Person and yet when Christ looked on him He weeped bitterly Davids sin was pardoned and Christ had taken the burthen of it and yet David was to Repent of it and to be corrected for it and so the Lord tells him that the sword should not depart from his house because he had made the Enemies of the Lord to Blasphem and yet sin was not laid upon David to satisfy divine Justice for it Only he must get
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
A Good which they were to Follow The Evil to be Eschewed is in the second Sentence to wit That there be no Divisions or as it is in the Original Schism's among you I shall not enter to speak of the nature of Schism or how it differeth from Heresy It is sufficient for the opening up of the Text to know what Divisions or Schisms the Apostle meaneth by here And that is know'n from the following Verse to wit Their Factious sidings in extolling One Minister and debasing Another with many fruitless Janglings and other bad consequences following thereupon whereof doubtless this was One The engaging of the Ministers themselves in Parties for upholding their Dependants So Verse 12. Every one of you saith I am of Paul and I of Apollos and I of Cephas One saith Paul is best let us follow him Another sayeth Nay but Apollos is best we 'll follow him A third saith Cephas is better than them both I 'le follow none of them Now away with these fruitless Contests saith he In the next place There is the Good to be Followed and that is threefold in opposition to three sorts of Evils which usually accompany Schism in a Church The first Evil accompanying Schism is Flat Contradiction first among Ministers and next among People when not only their Opinions do differ but they are so hot upon the Business that at all occasions they proclaim their Differences In opposition to this he exhorts them To speak the same thing that is They would beware of Contradictions in a matter of so small importance Wherein they agreed they would speak to that Wherein they differ'd they would forbear others spending their time and parts upon more edifying purpose The second Evil accompanying Schism in a Church is Renting of Affections When the Members of one Body turn cold-rife one towards another and their Affection dyeth In opoosition to this Evil he exhorts them to be Joined together in the same Mind or the same Affection It 's true the Word here rendred Mind is used indifferently for the whole Faculties of the Soul as the Understanding Will and Affections But the Understanding being spoken to under the Word Judgement which followeth We think with some of the best Interpreters That by the Mind here is meaned the Affections So the thing he presseth in the second Place is That not only they would forbear others in the matter of their Publick Expressions but also would labour to blow at the Coal of their almost dying Affections The third Evil accompanying a Schism is Difference of Judgement And in opposition to this he exhorts them to be Perfectly joined in the same Judgement The meaning is They would labour to remove the Root of the Difference by coming to One Judgement Not as if the Apostle had been careless what Judgement they had been of providing they had been One No the one part of every Contradiction is Truth and there is no Truth which the Apostle would have denied for Peace This for the Duty pressed Next there are some Arguments perswading to this Duty As 1. There is the Apostles Insinuation partly in his Affectionate Exhortation I beseech you partly in his lovely Compellation Brethren 2. There is his Grave Obtestation By the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ That is to say as the Name of Christ is dear to you which ye profess so much respect unto so set about the Cure of these Factions and Fractious Sidings and Schisms by which His Name suffereth so much There is a third Argument to enforce this Duty in the words perfectly joined whereby the Apostle hints at the great Evil the Church was under by the present Schism and the great good they should attain to by the removal of it The word in the Original is borrowed from the Office of Chirurgeons and that part of it which consists in the mending of broken Bones and setting in joynt of Dislocated Members So it imports 1. That through occasion of the Schism they were put all out of joynt All the Members of the Church were Dislocated and therefore unfit so long as they remained in that case for doing of any good Office to the Body 2. It imports that their following of his Advice for removing of the Schism would set every Member of the Body in it's own place and so enable the Body for going about actions profitable unto it self which now the whole Members being out of joynt it could not do This This much for opening up the meaning of the Words Divers points of Truth arising from the several branches of the Text might here be handled but I intend to insist upon One arising from the scope which will comprehended the most part of the rest It is this Vnity in the Church is a thing much to be laboured for and sought after and Division and Schism in a Church is much to be eschewed In prosecuting this Doctrine I shall first distinguish Vnion That we may know what Vnion is meaned 2. I shall confirm the point 1. By Scripture 2. By Reason 3. I shall apply the Doctrine for our Vse First then To know what Vnion the Text and Doctrine speaks of It 's fit you know That there are several sorts of Union 1. There is an Union of the Church Invisible the tye and bond whereof is Inward Graces All the Members of the Church Invisible are United to Christ the Head by Faith and one to another by Love This is not the Union here meaned The Text speaks of a Visible Union of the Church Visible In Opposition to a Visible Rent and Schism Secondly There is an Union of the Church Visible and of it's Members among themselves This again is twofold The first is That Vnion which is necessary to the Being of a Church and the Being of a Member So that a Church cannot be a Church nor a Man a Member of the Visible Church without it Wherein this Vnion consists is Controverted betwixt Us and the Independants But the Doctrine meaneth not of This Vnion either So we insist not on it The Vnion pressed in the Text is such that the Church at Corinth for the time did want and yet remained a Church The Union therefore here meaned is A second sort of Union belonging to the Visible Church To wit That which is necessary to the Well-being of a Church without the which tho a Church remain a Church yet she losseth much of her outward Beauty her Authority is much weakned her great work which is the edification of her self in Love Eph. 4. 13. is much retarded She remains a Church but not such a Church as is described Cant. 6. 10. Who is she that looketh forth as the Morning fair as the Moon clear as the Sun and terrible as an Army with Banners A divided Church is not such a Church But for further understanding of the Vnion here pressed ye would know that this Union which is necessary to the Well-being of a Church is Threefold 1.
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
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