The Cure of Church Divisions, Directions to pastors 2 · Direction 20
DIRECT. XX.
The Pastors who will preserve the Churches Peace, must neither neglect to preserve their interest in the Religious persons of their charge; nor yet be so tender of it as to depart from sober principles or wayes to please them, nor to make them their rulers, nor follow them into any exorbitancies to avoid their censures.
BOth these extreams will tend to confusion: First, They that care not at all what men think of them, do but despise their advantages to do good, whilest they think that they only despise the praise or dispraise of men. We are commanded not to please our selves, but to please all men for their good to edification. Rom. 15. 1, 2, 3. Our power over them is upon their minds and wills, and not like Magistrates upon their bodies or estates: Therefore when we have lost their hearts, we have lost our power to do them good: They will not easily hear him that is despised or abhorred by them. Therefore a prudent care must be taken, that we be not prodigal of our interest in them, lest it prove to be cruelty to their souls.
Secondly, And yet if we give up our selves to their conceits and humours, and forsake the way of truth or peace to keep their favour, it will prove the more dangerous extream. I have before noted the peril of Ministers and the Church by this temptation. The rawest and the rashest professours are commonly the most violent and censorious; And so ready to scorn and vilifie the gravest wisest Pastors, who cross their opinions, that many honest Ministers have been overcome by the temptation; to forsake their own judgement, and to comply with the violent to escape their censures and contempt: But this is not the way to the Churches peace. It may prove a palliate cure for a time, to put by at the present some sudden inconvenience: But it prepareth for after troubles and confusions. First, it will make the rashest and indiscreetest people (which is usually the women and young men) to be the Governours of the Church: Whilest all their Teachers must humour them lest they displease them. Secondly, When you have followed them a little way, and think there to stop, you must follow them still further, and never can foresee the end: For that weakness and passion of theirs which crieth up one errour to day, is pregnant with innumerable more; and may cry up more to morrow, and so on. And one errour commonly draweth on more, and one miscarriage engageth them to another: And the last are usually the worst: And the same ends and reasons which made you go out of the way to please them, will make you still follow them, how far soever they go, unless you repent. Thirdly, And if you repent and leave them, it must cost you dearer than prevention would have done: And you might have at much cheaper rates, forsaken them just there where they forsook the way of truth and peace. Fourthly, And you will by following the conduct of giddiness and passion, dis…dvantage your Ministry as to all the less zealous, and all the more sober and peaceable of the godly; And you will bring your selves into contempt with these, for your levity injudiciousness and instability: And so you will lose much more than you will get. Fifthly, And in the mean time you will be made but the vulgars instrument to do hurt: you will be used by them but to confirm themselves in their errours, and to further dividing and unpeaceable designes-Sixthly, And when all is done, and your consciences are wounded, and you are made the heads or leaders of factions, at last those of themselves that God sheweth mercy to, will see their errour, and when they repent, they will give you little thanks for your compliance. A sinful humouring of rash professours, is as great a temptation to godly Ministers, as a sinful compliance with the Great ones of the world: I mean it is a sin, which our station and disposition afford us as great temptations to. For though to a worldling, wealth and honour be stronger temptations; yet to a godly man the applause or censure of those whom we account most wise and godly may tempt much stronglier. And alas how ordinarily doth the fire of Church and state, which flameth about our own ears, convince us of our errour, in following those whom we should lead! O how many doleful instances of it doth Church history afford us! There are not many of the tumults that have cost the lives of thousands about Religion, but were kindled by the young injudicious professours, who drew in their Teachers to humour them in countenancing too much of their disorders. Historians tell us that when King Francis of France had forbid the reproaching of the Papists way of worship, and silenced the Ministers for not obeying him; many of the hot brain'd people, took up the way of provoking them by scornful pictures & libels; hanging up and down in the streets suchridi…ulous and reproachful rhimes and images: But this (which was none of the way of God) began that persecution (by provoking the King) which cost many thousands, if not hundred thousand lives before it ended. And the Synod at Rochel which refused the grave counsel of Du Plessis, Du Moulin and many such others, was stirred up by the peoples zeal; and ended in the blood of many score thousands, and the ruine of the power of the Protestants in France. Abundance of such sad instances might be given, if England need to go any whether else for matter of warning than to it self. He that after the experiences of this age, will think it fit to follow the conduct of injudicious zealots, is left as unexcusable as almost any man, that never had a sight of hell. The dreadful ruine of Ierusalem according to Christs prediction (such as the world hath scarce seen besides) was just in the like manner brought about, by those furious ones whom Iosephus calleth the zealots.
But if you will do all things good and lawful to win men, and offend them by no unnecessary thing; and yet stand your ground, and stir not an inch from truth or seberness, piety or peace, to please any people in the world. This way shall do your work at last: Men will at last perceive the worth of sober principles and wayes: At least when Mountebanks have killed most of their patients, the rest will repent, and wish that t…ey had hearkened to the counsellers of peace. They that run round, when they find themselves giddy and ready to fall, will lay hold upon somewhat which is firm and stable. Compliance with one of the contentious parties, may make you cried up by that party for a time: But the contrary faction will as much cry you down; and your estimation is but like an Almanack for a year: And they themselves that needed your sinful help for some present job, will be like enough ere long to cast you off (as is aforesaid:) And if they do not, you are objects of pity to sober standers by: And in the next age, the name of a Melancthon, a Bucer, a Bergiu…, a Crocius, an Vsher, and other such Peace-makers, will be pretious to posterity, when the memory of fiery dividers will be dishonourable. Keep your standing, and stick closer to truth and justice and peace, than to any party, and resolvedly give up your selves to please God, and you will be no loosers by it; And its two to one but at last some of the contenders, will desire you to be the arbitrators of their controversies, when they are weary of contending, and will give you the honour of healing the wounds, which their rash injudicious zeal hath made.