The Cure of Church Divisions, Directions · Direction 10
DIRECT. X.
Expect not that any one lawfully received by Baptism into the Christian Church, should be cast out of it, or denied the priviledge of members, but according to the rules of Christian discipline, by the power of the Keyes, that is; for obstinate impenitency in a gross or scandalous sin, which the person is proved to be guilty of: and this after private and publick admonition, and tender patient exhortation to Repentance.
HEre are two things which I desire you to observe. First, what is Christs appointed way, for removing members from the Communion of the Church. Secondly, how great a sin it is to remove them by a contrary and arbitrary way of our own presumptuous invention.
First, It is here supposed that the person is not a professed Apostate: For there needeth no casting out of such. He that turneth Turk or Heathen, or openly renounceth Christianity, or ceaseth the Profession of it, doth go out of the Church himself, and needeth not to be cast out. Unless it be any Tyrant who will come to the Communion in scorn, while he professeth but to shew his lawless will. He that seeketh the Communion of the Church in sobriety, thereby professeth himself a Christian. and for such as being Baptized continue this profession, Christs way of rejecting them is plainly described in the Gospel. Mat. 18. 15, 16. If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother: But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more; that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established: And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the Church: But if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be to thee as a Heathen man, or a Publican.
Tit. 3. 10. A man that is an Heretick after the first and second admonition reject.
1 Cor. 5. Ye are puffed up and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed, might be taken away from among you: For I verily as absent in body, but present in spirit, have j…dged already as though I were present, concerning him, that hath so done this deed; in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ, when ye are gathered together and my spirit; with the power of our Lord Iesus Christ to deliver such a one to Satan.—V. 7. Purge out therefore the old leaven— v. 11, 12, 13. With such a one no not to eat—Do not ye judge them that are within?—Therefore p… away from among your selves that wicked person.
By all this it is plain that the Church must exercise a regular course of justice, with every person that it shall reject: He must first be told pr… vately of his fault, and then before two or three; (unless, at least, the open notoriety make the private admonition needless) And then it must be told the Church: And the Church must with compassion, tenderness and patience, and yet with the authority of the Lord Jesus and the powerful evidence of truth, convince him and perswade him to repent: And he must not be rejected, till after all this, he obstinately refuse to hear the Church, that is, to Repent, as they exhort him.
Note here, that no sin will warrant you to cast out the sinner, unless it be seconded with Impenitency: It is not simply as a drunkard, or a fornicator or swearer, that any one is to be rejected: but as an impenitent drunkard, or fornicator, or swearer, &c.
Also that it is not all impenitency that will warrant their rejection: But only impenitency after the Churches admonition.
Note also, that no private person may expect, that any offender be cast out, either because his sin is known to him, or because he is commonly famed to be guilty, till the thing be proved by sufficient witness.
Yea that the admonition given him must be proved, as well as the fault which he committed.
Yea if all the town do know him to be guilty, and witness prove that he hath been privately admonished, he may not be rejected till he be heard speak for himself, and till he refuse also the publike admonition.
This is Christs order, whose wisdom, and mercy and authority are such, as may well cause us to take his way as best. And yet the ignorance or rashness of many professors is such, that they would have all this order of Christ overturned: And some of them must have such a drunkard and such a swearer kept away and rejected, before ever they admonished them or exhorted them to Repentance, or prove that any one else hath done it; much more before they have told the Church, or proved that he hath neglected the Churches admonition. And some go so much further, that they must have all the Churches taken for no Churches, till they have gathered them a new: and must have all the Parish at once rejected (till they have gathered out some few again) without any such order of proceeding with them, as Christ appointeth: It may be a thousand shall be cast out at once, when never a one of them was thus admonished.
Obj. They were never members of a true Church; and therefore need no casting out.
Ans. Were they never baptized? or is not baptisme Christ… appointed means of admission into his Church.
Obj. They were baptized in their Infancy, and afterward bred up in ignorance and profaneness, & know not what their baptisme is, nor ever soberly…wned it.
Answ. Either they still profess themselves Christians, and attend Gods ordinances with the Church or not: If not, then they are Apostates; If they do, then they do own their Baptismal Covenant by a continued profession: If you accuse them of not understanding this profession, or of living contrary to it, you must proceed against them one by one as Christ appointeth; and first admonish them, and then tell the Church; and not say they are ignorant and profane, and expect upon your saying so, they should all be unchurched. Ye… if you prove them ignorant, if they be willing to learn, it is fitter presently to instruct them than to excommunicate them: nor do you reade of any excommunicated for meer ignorance. But we confess that in gross ignorance, they may shew themselves uncapable of sacramental Communion, and may be denied it while they are learning to know what they do. But the mercy of God hath made points absolutely necessary so few, that this may be done in a short time, if the Persons be willing, and the Teachers diligent, and sufficiently numerous for that work. And though it is to be lamented, that in many great City-Parishes, the Ministers are not enough to catechize the twentieth part of the people, yet for the generality of Parishes through the Land, if Catechizing were used as it might be, there would not any great numbers be long kept away for meer ignorance. And he that is the cause of his Parishes ignorance by neglecting Catechizing and personal conference, & then unchurcheth them, for the ignorance which he is guilty of, doth take but a preposterous course, for his own account and comfort, or for the people… good.
Obj▪ But they refuse to learn or be instructed.
Ans. If that and their gross ignorance be proved together, as you may delay them for the later, so you may reject them for the former; because it sheweth their impenitence: But this must be proved of them, and not affirmed without proof.
Obj. But their Baptisme made them members only of the Universal Church, and not of any particular Church: And therefore will not prove them such.
Answ. True: But he that is a member of the Universal Church, is fit to be received into a particular Church; And there wanteth no more but mutual consent: And if he have statedly joyned with a particular Church in ordinary communion, Consent hath bin manifested, and he is a member of that particular Church, and must not be rejected by it, but in Christs way. And this is the common case in England. The persons who were baptized in Infancy, were at once received into the Universal Church, and into some particular Church, & have held communion at age with both; and have right to that communion till they are publikely proved to have lost their right.
And if we had no Churches, but particular Churches were to be gathered anew, yet he that is a baptized member of the Universal Church, and consenteth to communion with that particular Church in all the ordinances of Christs appointment, doth lay a sufficient claim to his admission, and cannot lawfully be refused, unless he stand justly censured by a Church which formerly he was in. Yet this we confess, that he can be no member of that particular Church, who subjecteth not himself to the particular Pastors of it, and to the necessary acts or parts of their Office and Ministration: Because he denieth his own consent.
11. The sinfulness of unchurching Persons or Parishes, without Christs way of regular process, consisteth in all these following parts. 1. It is a casting off the Laws of the great Law-giver of the Church, and so a contempt of his authority, wisdome and goodness; and a making of our selves greater, or wiser, or hol…er than he. 2. It is gross injustice, to deprive men of so great Priviledges without any sufficient proof of their forfeiture▪ It is worse than to turn whole Parishes out of their Houses and Possessions, without any lawful process or proof; upon rumours or private affirmations that they are Delinquents. It is not doing as we would be done by, what if any should say of you, that you are Heretical and deny Fundamental Truths? Or what if they should say of a separated Church, that they are generally Hereticks or of wicked lives (as the Heathens did of the ancient Christians) and therefore that they are no Church, nor to be communicated with; would you not think that they should every one personally be accused, and proof brought against them, and that they should speak for themselves, before they were thus condemned? 3. And it is an aggravated Crime in them, that so much cry down Church-tyranny in others, to be thus notoriously guilty of it themselves? what greater injustice and tyranny can there be, than that all mens Christi…nity and Church-rights, shall be judged N…ll, upon the censures and rumours of suspitious men, without any just proof or lawful tryal? That it shall be in the power of every one, who hath but uncharitableness enough to think evil of his neighbours, or to believe reports against their innocency to cast them out of the Family of God, and to unchristen and unchurch men arbitrarily at their pleasure? That any man that is but unconscionable enough to say [They are all ignorant and prophane] shall expect to have his neighbours excommunicated. 4. It maketh all Churches to be lubricous and uncertain shadows: when a censorious person may unchurch them at his pleasure. What you say of others, another may say of you; and as justly expect to be believed. 5. It unavoidably bringeth in uncurable divisions: For there is no certain rule of justice with such persons: and therefore they know not who are to be received to their Communion, and who not: And the same man that one thinketh is to be rejected and kept out, another will think is to be received: And who knoweth which of them is to be obeyed. If one say that a Parish is a Church, and another say that they are to be unchurched, who knoweth which of them to believe. 6. It is a reproach to the Church and Christian religion, when we tell the world that, that we have not so much justice and equity among us, as Heathens have in their worldly societies. 7. It depriveth the Church of the solace of her Communion, when the best man is not sure, but a censorious person may at his pleasure turn him out as unworthy. 8. It greatly wrongeth Jesus Christ, who so dearly loveth the weakest of his flock; and hath purchased their priviledges at so dear a rate: and whose body is maymed, when any of his members are cut off: and who taketh the wrong that is done them as done unto himself. These are the great virtues of that censorious zeal, which unchurches Persons or Parishes without just tryal and proof, upon rumours of fame, or their own surmises.