The Cure of Church Divisions, Directions · Direction 26
DIRECT. XXVI.
Use not your selves needlesly to the familiar company of that sort of Christians, who use to reproach and censure them, that are more sober, Catholick and charitable than themselves: Unless you also be as much or more with the soberer sort, who will shew you the sin and mischiefs of uncharitableness, censoriousness, and divisions.
NOthing is more experienced, than the power which the converse of chosen familiars hath upon the minds of the injudicious and unsetled. Which maketh education and the converse of our youth, to have so great a hand in choosing mens opinions and Religion: And is the cause that Religion is as Languages are, diversified by the territories or bounds of Countries. They that are bred among such as use to speak of dissenters, as odious, as hypocrites, as hereticks, as schismaticks, as ungodly, as proud fanaticks, are very like to be possessed themselves with the same spirit of malice and detraction. The words of those whom you respect, especially when you hear them not confuted, will make you believe that it is so indeed, and that the persons are as mad or as odious as they make them. And thus, the Papists think odiously of the Protestants, and the Lutherans of the Calvinists; and the Arminians and Anti-Arminians, the Diocesans and the Presbyterians, the Paedobaptists and Anabaptists of one another: because they converse only with such as paint them in an odious shape. And thus if you use only or chiefly to converse with the censorious Separatists, you shall hear so many invectives against them that are truly Catholick, and sober, as will make you think that Love and Peace and Catholick Communion, are some sinful and mischievous things. Sometimes they will deride them as ridiculous; and sometimes they will call them temporizers, formalists, or luke-warm hypocrites, who will do any thing in compliance with their own commodities, and for the saving of their flesh. And sometimes they will thunder out some terrible threatnings against them and their way, as heinously sinful. And this language will form the belief and affections of ignorant Christians, into its own uncharitable mold; as a necessary part of Christian zeal. As it was the common way of the success of the Quakers, to come into Christian assemblies, and in a prophetical strain, like men commissioned from heaven, in the name of the most high God to denounce his judgements against the faithfullest Pastors and their flocks, and pronounce them condemned enemies of the light; and so by the very terrour of their words, they frightened many women and boys into their sect, before they understood at all what it was that they were against or for: so do the Separatists declaim against the sinfulness of Parish assemblies and communion, and of forms of prayer and such like, till they have frightened the ignorant into their mistaken zea…
Therefore, though I am not perswading you to separate from these feaverish persons, as they do from others, yet I would advise all the younger and unsetled sort, that love themselves, not needlesly to choose the familiar frequent company of such: Our private company is at our own choice.
And as the company of fierce self-conceited dividers, is so very dangerous, so on the contrary, the company of grave, experienced, sober, charitable and judicious Divines and other Christians, is exceeding helpful to settle the minds of the younger and weaker sort: with them they shall hear the unity of the Church, and the doctrine of Christian Love and Concord, humility, meekness and moderation opened; and the sinfulness and lamentable consequents, of schism, self-conceitedness, censoriousness and discord; which among others they should never hear.
And let me leave this warning to the Church of God, that if ever it may be hoped that Unity, Love and peace shall be recovered, it must be by the training up of the younger Christians, under the precepts and examples of such grave, judicious, experienced and peaceable guides, instead of educating them in the smoaky schorching chimney, of young, unexperienced, self-conceited teachers, who burn with the ambition of applause. And let the sober be-think them whether our times and teachers are better and purer than theirs, to whom Paul said, Act. 20. 30. Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. And Eph. 4. 14. He gave the Church Pastors and Teachers, for its Unity and per…ection [That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and …unning craftiness, whereby they lye in wait to deceive.]