taken in and Encouraged But because all lies not on those that have Power to impose but much also upon Private Christians Sixthly Hence also it follows plainly That Persons and Churches that are better than others are to own others if Built on the true Foundation for true Christians and Churches and those that are worse than others are to own those for true Christians and Churches that are better than they and to love them as such Some perhaps will say yes if they be in different Kingdoms but not if they be in the same But why not though in the same Kingdom Who made the distinction Seventhly That Persons and Churches Built upon the large and true Foundation of Faith and Love are to strive to hold Communion one with another The stronger and better with those that are weaker and the weaker with those that are better It 's a great Errour to think we may separate for every cause as the Jews did in their Divorces and that there 's no true way of Reforming but by Separateing Therefore they do ill that will not Communicate with Churches where they lawfully may at least sometimes and they do yet worse that will hold no Communion with the best Churches where the best Doctrine Worship and Spiritual helps for Souls are Eighthly That Persons and Churches that own others for true Churches may be oblig'd not to hold Communion with them in the Publick Worship of God at least not constantly Not at all because such Churches may practice things that are unlawful and make them the Conditions of their Communion or Persons may think such things unlawful which are not and while their Errour continues they cannot joyn with them without going against their Conscience Not constantly because such Churches may use many needless inconvenient and suspicious things tho' they that dissent will not say they are absolutely unlawful or may stick in their weaker beginnings or go backward and deny them the use of those Spiritual means which Christ hath given for the promoting their Salvation Ninthly That there may be true Christian Love between those who do not hold Publick Communion with one another because they may both be built on the true Foundation of Faith and Love And it 's a fond imagination to which yet many are too subject to think that those that will not joyn with them cannot love them or that we must needs want love to those we cannot joyn with To think so is a great mistake See Dr. Owen of Evangelical Love disown'd by all Sober Persons and a cursed Root of bitterness and I fear defiles many 'T is a sad thing to see this in so many and is a sign that most build their Religion more upon lesser things wherein the Life of it lies not than on those main things wherein it lies If any say this will cast out Discipline and many choice Truths of Christ and introduce Erroneous Rotten Doctrines I say it will not for tho' People that are weak and disorder'd may be true Christians and Churches it hinders not but that others may and ought to seek after Discipline and Truth and grow in the ways of God And they do ill whoever they are that shall hinder this And a great part of the Evil and Misery of the World lies here To clear these Things yet more fully If the Church of God be built upon such a large Foundation it plainly follows First That they Err greatly that make every useful Truth to be a Fundamental one and they much more that make their Great Errours to be of the Foundation on which the Church is built The Romanists do so by their Creed of the Council of Trent affirming none can be Saved that own it not And they also that set up Opinions of their own to be Fundamental as those do that hold Diocesan Episcopacy and Ordination by it so necessary that there can be no true Church nor Sacraments nor Salvation in an ordinary way without it and whoever else among us that make any of their Opinions so absolutely necessary Secondly They Err greatly that hold all great Errors to be Damnable Heresies and all sinful Divisions to be Damnable Schisms Thirdly They Err greatly that say People are Baptiz'd into a Particular Church or Party and that therefore they forsake their Baptism if at any time they cease to Worship God with that Church or joyn with any other For we are all Baptiz'd into the Faith of Christ admitted into the Universal Church that 's built on this large Foundation and by one Spirit Baptized into one Body 1 Cor. 12.13 But are there any that say so I wish there were not Fourthly From hence it follows that it 's a Great Sin to confine the Church of God to any one Party of Christians whatsoever and cast off others from belonging to it Many are much inclin'd to impropriate Christ to their Party Mead on Ezek. 37. v. 19. as it 's said the Donatists of old did but we must not Unsaint the whole World to Consecrate our own way and they Err greatly that set up particular Churches in opposition to others and so as to disown other particular Churches that are true parts of the Universal Many are apt to destroy God's Invisible Church by their Disputes about the Visible which was appointed for the good of it and to destroy many particular Visible Churches by their strange Notions of Particular or National Churches Fifthly that those of the Church of England that will never joyn in Worship with the Dissenters on the one hand and those Dissenters on the other hand that will never joyn with them act against the plain light of this great Truth And thus many that differ most in other things agree in this Dividing Principle and are great hinderers of the Peace and Edification of the Church amongst us The Non-Conformists are accused that they perswade People not to go to the Publick Churches This is very untrue of most of them But it 's most certain that abundance of the Conformists make it their work to dissuade People from going to hear the Non-Conformists tho' unblameable in their Life and Doctrine and followers of Peace with them They do it publickly with much vehemence in their Sermons and privately in their Discourses Some of them say if any do they renounce their Baptismal Covenant some on their Death-Bed have solemnly engag'd some of their Relations never to hear any of the Dissenters and some of them have Preach'd in great Auditories that a Heathen may be Saved but that a Non-Conformist cannot not to mention other things And who then are the People that seek for Peace and who violently oppose it Sixthly Hence it follows not That If we may joyn with a Church sometimes we are bound to do so always Many build much upon this and that People sin greatly if they do not But this is a great Mistake For it follows not that what we may do sometimes we must
LARGE AND SURE FOUNDATIONS Matth. 16.18 Upon this Rock will I Build my Church LONDON Printed in the Year 1693. THE PREFACE THESE Papers were drawn up some time ago and are the result of Setled Thoughts for many years They are made short and plain and cast in amongst others if possibly they may help to unite us in Interest and Affection and to make the Publick Settlement of Religion at any time more Large and Strong to our great Advantage every way Some hopes of this are raised by the Inclinations of many and the several Pieces lately Publissh'd to this end as besides many that I may not have seen or heard of The Heads of Agreement assented to by the Vnited Ministers Free Thoughts occasioned by those Heads Mr. Barker's Sermon on John 21.17 at the Consecration of the Arch-Bishop of Cant. The Grand Question Writ as 't is said by Dr. Woodroff Dr. Sherlock's Sermon before the Lord Mayor Nov. 4. 1688. To which I may add the Spirit of the Church Faction for it is that only and not the Church that violently opposes all Reformation The Design of laying down this great Principle and the Inferences from it is That Persons who have Power may not impose Vnnecessary Things but give all the Liberty that may be this being most pleasing to Jesus Christ and most for strengthning the Publick Settlement That People may joyn with others in the Worship of God as much as may be and not give way to Scruples and Opinions that make them separate needlesly Imposing and Opposing needlesly ruin us much That if People cannot joyn with others constantly yet that they will do it sometimes both those that cannot approve what is publickly injoin'd and they that injoyn those things or in their places practise them That if any cannot do that yet that they will own those they cannot joyn with if they build on the true Foundation for true tho' distemper'd Churches of Christ and unfeignedly seek their good That if they cannot do that through some strict Notions of a Church they are possessed with yet they will own that many amongst them may be sincere Christians and love them as such And that all kindness may be shewed to all Men even to all sorts that Err and are deceived according to the Will and Command of our Lord Jesus Christ whose Kingdom shall stand for evermore But if God for Holy ends shall yet suffer Narrow Foundations and their Wicked Consequences as he doth Plagues and Wars to continue amongst us and in the World why should we complain We are Wanton Humorous Foolish and should be undone without often and sharp Corrections and our God hath used to carry on his Kingdom by the Testimony and Sufferings of his People tho' he sometimes gives them rest that they may multiply Rev. 12.11 Acts 9.31 thereby to set forth his Power and Glory To him we chearfully submit yet endeavouring according to our duty in our places that Princes and People may be found in his ways Isa 61.11 and that Righteousness and Praise may spring up among us and before all Nations Some Passages out of BOOKS that came out since these Papers were drawn up THE Pious and Famous Mr. Robert Boyle who lov'd no Practice that seem'd to lessen the Christian Religion The Bishop of Sarum's Serm. at his Funeral Decem. 1691. p. 25. p. 27. thought pure and disinteressed Christianity a Bright and Glorious thing Hated those Opinions that seem'd to him to destroy Morality and Charity had a most peculiar Zeal against all Severities and Persecutions upon the account of Religion and was observed seldom to speak with more heat and indignation than when That came in his way Union Pursued Printed 1691. in a Letter to Mr. Baxter concerning his late Book about National Churches that Presbyterians and Independants may both be Vnited with the Church of England to which is added a small Tract lately put out called A Draught for Accommodation Dr. Patrick Bishop of Ely Complains Serm. before the Lords Nov. 26. 1691. on Deut. 4.9 p. 12. that many were kinder to the Papists than to the Protestant Dissenters that the Papists their sworn Enemies made them their Tools to destroy each other We to repent truly of this and take heed lest our Affections that seem'd to be disposed to Reconciliation be again alienated one from another We ought to have a greater kindness for Infidels p. 15. than many of us had lately one for another Did we not begin to reflect with grief upon our Zealous folly p. 17. Did we not resolve to be Friends upon some terms or other and to joyn together for our mutual Preservation And do we now break out again into the said Outrages Do our Spirits boil up with anger at the very mention of Reconciliation c. His Prayers for Charity Peace and Vnity The Prayers Appointed for the Publick Fast in the Year 1692. The Church of God is Built on Large and Sure Foundations THE Blessed God whose tender Mercies are over all his Works hath a Company of People in the World call'd his Church which he purchased by the Blood of his only Begotten Son Acts 20.28 and calls by his Word and Spirit to know and serve him so as to set forth his Glory here and obtatin Everlasting Salvation This Church or Congregation of God for so the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Signifies is call'd by several Names as the Kingdom of Christ the Flock of Christ the Body of Christ and is oft call'd a House and said to be built upon a Foundation Isa 28.6 1 Pet. 2.4 5 6. And this House of God being very great must needs have a great and large Foundation Solomon said the House he was to build for God was great and the Foundation of it was Great and Costly how much Greater must the Spiritual House of God be which reaches over all the World Not only through Pontus Galatia Asia Cappadocia and Bythinia which sounds great but through all Nations and Ages It s Foundation must by no means be narrow vile or weak Now the Foundation of this House is JESUS CHRIST and the great Truths Concerning him reveal'd to us by God in his Word not Humane Reason 1 Cor. 3.11 Eph. 1.20 21 22. nor the Traditions of any Men whatsoever but the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the Chief Corner-stone in whom it grows up into a Holy Temple for a Habitation of God through the Spirit Yet all things reveal'd in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are not the Foundation upon which Christ's House or Congregation is built for many of those things are for the Superstructure and Perfecting of it but only the Great and Main Things concerning Jesus Christ our Saviour which are necessary to be believed and practised by all and therefore the Churches Foundation is Large and sure This is manifest every way First From the Holy
shall receive everlasting life and then added This is the Sum of my Faith other additaments which Ignorance and Corruption have superinduc'd into Christianity I simply refuse beseeching God to Purge his Church c. And in the simplicity of this Faith saith the Author he liv'd and dy'd Rex arbitratur rerum absolute necessariarum ad salutem non Magnum esse Numerum nullam ad Concordiam breviorem viam fore quà m si diligenter separentur Necessaria à non Necessariis â—t de Necessariis conveniat omnis opera insumatur In non Necessariis libertati Christianae locus detur Simpliciter Necessaria Rex uppeâ—â—at quae vel expresse Verbum Dei praecipit credenda faciendare vel ex Verbo Dei necessariâ consequentiâ Verus Ecclesia elicuit Si haec diffinctio adhiberetur at Jus Divinum à Positivo seu Ecclesiastico candide separetur non videtur de Necessariis longa contentio futura King James Isaac Casaub in Epistola ad Card Peron Regis Jac. nomine scripta a much Greater Person before him by the Pen of Isaac Casaubon spake the same that the things absolutely necessary to Salvation are but few Mr. Chillingworth a Person of Note whose Book against Knot was Licens'd by the Professors of Divinity at Oxford sets that Passage in the Front of it The Prot. Relig. a safe way to Salvation at Oxford 1638. §. 30. §. 43. and in his Epistle to the King calls it a Blessed Doctrine and in his Preface saith All things necessary to Salvation are evidently contain'd in the Scripture and that there 's no Conclusion in the whole Fabrick of his Discourse that is not naturally deducible out of it And that he that believes the Scripture sincerely and endeavours to believe it in the true sence cannot possibly be a Heretick and if no more than this was requir'd of any Man to make him capable of Christian Communion then all Men so qualified tho' different in Opinion be of necessity one in Communion And Men shall find this not only a better but the only means to suppress Heresie and restore Unity And in his Answer to Knot 's Preface §. 12. that to say that Christians of different Persuasions and Communions such as hold all those things that are simply necessary to Salvation may obtain Pardon for the Errors wherein they die ignorantly by a general Repentance is so far from being a ground of Atheism as Knot said that to say the contrary is to cross in Diameter a main Article of our Creed and to overthrow the Gospel of Christ Dr. Stillingfleet having Cited with applause Irenicum ann 1662. Part 1. Ch. 6. §. 6. a large Passage of Mr. Hales concerning Schism saith The Primitive Church was very large in their Foundation and proposed only the main Truths in great simplicity and charg'd not People with loads of Articles as in latter Ages and much less would burthen Men with imposing doubtful Practices upon them as a ground of Church Communion St. Augustin saying the Rule of Faith is common or fit both for the Weak and Strong And he goes upon this Principle in his Defence of Arch-Bishop Laud's Book Multitudes of places to this effect might be Cited out of Dr. Owen Mr. Baxter and many other of the Non-Conformists as would it hurt Kings or Souls to have all Christians hold their Unity and Communion just on the terms they did under St. Peter and St. Paul c. The Nature of Religion in 3 Discourses put out by Mr. R. Baxter Anno 1684. Our Famous and Judicious Judge Hales to add no more says Religion is plain and easie to be known is best in its Simplicity and Purity but is hard to be kept from Corruption by additions which choak and stifle it This is done by the Subtleties of the Schools by turning Religion into Politick Contrivances for Wealth and Power and by Contests about Church-Government and Ceremonies so as to lay the weight of Religion on them c. To this are added the Testimonies of Sir Francis Bacon and of Dr. Isaac Barrow Many sayings that pass current amongst all Attest this as in necessariis Unitas in Adiaphoris libertas in Utrisque Charitas c. But it 's needless to add more Scriptures Reasons or Authorities for this It 's certain therefore that all that believe the great necessary Truths hold Christ the Head and obey His Great Commands are true Members of Christs Universal Church and shall be Saved though they be Ignorant or Erronious in many Useful things For their Works may be burnt and they suffer loss but they shall be Saved yet so as by Fire And those that would Build the Church of God indeed and thereby do good to the World must keep their Eyes strongly fixed on this large Foundation of it in Faith and Love because the Blindness of many which yet goes under the Name of Zeal and Knowledg is such that instead of it they have laid Narrow and False Ones some by adding many things as Necessary that are not found in Scripture or are contrary to it or but their Nice Disputes of things mentioned in it and others by Imposing many Useful Truths as Necessary and Excluding all that own them not And this main Truth may be greatly abused as it hath been * As the Naked Gospel seems to do while it pretends to enlarge Charity and explode Imposition Some its like may press it to make the Foundations so large as to set up a new Heathenism and make Christ our Saviour in effect needless or to lay aside many excellent Truths now owned among us and privily to bring in damnable Heresies that overthrow the Foundation But we are firmly to cleave to it because it 's a most certain Truth and of the greatest Consequence if well minded to build up the Church of God For From hence it plainly follows First That if all who Believe and Obey the Necessary Truths of the Gospel are Members of the Universal Church of God then no Particular Churches may require such Persons to profess and own divers other Useful Truths to the end they may be received into Communion with them Many believe they may and ought to propose many Profitable Truths to such as Necessary Conditions of their Communion with them and will bring many Plausible reasons for it But it 's clear by the former Principle they may not For if they be true Members of Christ's Church though they do not know or own those Truths why should those Truths be pressed upon them to make them Members of such a Church or Churches in Particular Part 1. Ch. 2. § 3.4.5 c. Shall they Exclude those that Christ receives This is Evil and causes great Divisions Dr. Stillingfleet in his Defence of Arch Bishop Laud builds much on this that only the Truths that are necessary to be believed in order to Salvation are necessary to believed as to Church Communion Ob.
do always for in many cases we do things sometimes for several Reasons which we will not may not do always Hundreds of Instances might be given and strong Reasons too By this Rule we should be bound constantly to Communicate with the worst Churches that we think we may Communicate with sometimes but if we could sometimes Communicate with the Greek Churches in their way would we always do it if we could do otherwise Or with the Lutherans would we always do it Or if the Lutherans could joyn with us as the Synod at Charenton in France permitted them to do would they do it always Or if the Nonconformists can joyn sometimes with Churches where there are corrupt and unprofitable Ministers scandalous and malicious People divers bad impositions and an exclusion of some things that Christ hath given for the Churches benefit must they do so always Besides this would tempt the Nonconformists wholly to leave the Conformists Churches for the Conformists argue thus All Churches that may be sometimes Communicated with ought always to be Communicated with But the Conformists Churches say the Dissenters may sometimes be Communicated with therefore they ought always be Communicated with But the N. C. hereupon will argue thus Those Churches we may not always Communicate with we may never Communicate with so say the Conformists But the Conformists Churches may not always be Communicated with say the N. C. Therefore they ought never be Communicated with And this Arguing will be stronger with the N. C. than the other because they are more strongly perswaded they ought not always to joyn with the Conformists than that they ought to joyn with them sometimes But this Principle is deeply laid in the hearts of many N. C. Reformation but not Separation and they say tho' they cannot Conform they must Preach and strive to save Souls and in their places to reform what 's amiss tho' they say the Conformists Churches are not unlawful to be Communicated with They own them as true Churches and would help on the work of God that is done in them and believe the Conformists also should own them and be glad of their assistance 7. Seventhly That Wickedness in Heart and Life against Christ's Commands destroys the Church as well as Errours against his Truths For a profession of Obedience to Christ is as necessary as a profession of his Truth and a sincere Obedience is as necessary to make one a true living Christian as an unfeigned belief of the Truth It 's wickedness that tears the Church of God amongst us and abroad more than any thing and Love which includes Holiness Unites it most and builds it up 1 Cor. 13. It 's not so much difference in Judgement that causes our Divisions as the wickedness and hatred of the Power of Godliness and those that own it tho' of the same way with them and it 's wickedness that chiefly leads People into bad Opinions They therefore go against the Foundation of the Church that neglect it and countenance the debauch'd World Mr. Baxter's Book of Cain and Abel or the formal dead World and those that hate God The great Enmity lies here between the Godly and the Wicked the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent and they do not build up but pull down the Church that take part with these Luke 12. Our Lord came to send Fire on the Earth not Peace but a Sword And whence is this but from the wickedness of Men that Fights against him 8. Eighthly That Persons may be true Christians tho' they Err and go much against this main Truth * Yet he that hateth his Brother is a Murtherer and no Murtherer hath everlasting life abiding in him 1 Joh. 3.15 Tho' they be Ignorant or Err in divers useful Truths and be Zealous for their Errours Tho' they Practice divers things in their Lives and in the Worship of God which they ought not Tho' they impose their Errours and Practices on others as necessary to Communion with them Tho' they Vex Fine Imprison Banish and use Cruelties against those that differ from them Tho' they say those that joyn not with them are no true Churches nor can be Saved And much more those that own others for true Christians and Churches and Persecute them not tho' they dare not hold Communion with them when they might and ought For many of these tho' they sin and many of them very greatly may not be in a state of Damnation for they may do such things ignorantly through Custom Weakness or Temptation and may have in their Hearts true Faith in Jesus Christ and Love to him and his Saints and be saved by a General Repentance The Lutherans generally will not joyn with the Calvinists nor our Conformists with the sober Dissenters nor the Anabaptists with either and who dare say that all of those are in a state of Damnation Thus we see what need all sorts of Christians have of this Charitable but true Principle and they especially that are so forward to impose upon others and exclaim against them and Fine Trouble and Punish them too But though some of these may be Saved it highly concerns such to look well to themselves that they be of that number and not like those Jews of old that strove to make the Scriptures serve their Gain and Ambition Grotius on Mat. 21.38 thereby killing the Heir that they might be Great and Rule the People 9. Ninthly Hence it plainly follows that this is the only true way to build up the Church of God Not for People to Conform to all things in the places where they shall live nor to require all to agree to all things taught by Christ or invented by Men and root out all that comply not nor to make forms of Agreement in such words as several Parties keeping their Opinions may agree in as Melancthon Bucer and others in the beginning of the Reformation did but plainly to lay down the great Things of the Gospel wherein we agree omitting other things wherein we differ and bearing with each other and mutually loving and assisting each other These Large and Sure Foundations will certainly lead us to this and all that can be said against it is but the effect of Prejudice or Interest The Lutherans and Calvinists by this means might have United and a miserable Breach have been prevented 'T is not so small a thing we aim at as an Union between the Presbyterians and Congregational for wherein almost do they differ Nor only with the Godly Episcopal Men at home but with all every where that build on the true Foundation and hold nothing that overthrows it as gross Idolatry and damnable Heresies do To approve what is good in all and to cleave to what we judge best To Communicate with others at least sometimes and if we cannot do that yet to love them as the Servants of Christ and seek their good What mischiefs have been in the