The Cure of Church Divisions, Directions · Direction 22
DIRECT. XXII.
Make not your selves judges of other mens actions, much less of their state, before you have a call, and before you have sufficient acquaintance or proof, of the person and of the case.
VEry common reports and very confident presumptions, may all prove injurious and false. You may hear that such a family is prophane, and that such a person hath no religion, that such a one is covetous, & such a one erroneous, &c. and when it comes to the trial, it may all prove false. However it must be as false to you, till you know, or prove it to be true: you may be ignorant of another mans faults, without any faultiness of your own: But you cannot rashly censure another without being your self faulty though the matter should prove true. Justice must be observed as well in private as in publike judging. As no Judge in any Civil or Ecclesiastical Court, must condemn any man without sufficient proof (which made Christ say Matth. 18. 15, 16. Take one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established) so no man in his own thoughts must condemn his brother, by any rash or groundless sentence. It is safer for you to judge better of another than he is, than it is to judge worse of him than he is. In many cases it may be your duty to judge better of him than he is; because you must judge according to proof; And if the evidence or proof deceive you, it is none of your fault to be so deceived. And yet you are not hereby bound to believe a falshood: All that you are bound to believe is, that it is probable that such a person is vertuous, innocent or sincere: And this is no falshood: for that may be probable or likely which is not true.
Few well consider of the meaning of Christs words in Math. 7. 1, 2. Iudge not that ye be not judged: For with what judgement ye judge ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again: I doubt not but part of the sense may be, He that judgeth without mercy of another, shall have judgement without mercy from God; as St. Iames expresseth it. But that… not all; but the rest of the sense is [And he that j…dgeth cruelly rashly and falsly of his brother, shall be so judged of by other men himself.] Not that God will cause it, but he will permit it; and therefore can foretel it; and make a righteous punishment, of the sin which he doth but permit. Do you not know that other men will censure and backbite you, as boldly and as busily as you do censure and backbite others. Is it such a pleasure to you to imitate the Devil, the great accuser, as that you will be as much accused your selves, and as hardly thought of, rather than you will give it over.
And see here how sin doth cross it self. Most of the censorious, are proud persons, who think others much worse than themselves; and therefore speak worse of their common and more ignorant neighbours, that they may be thought to be no common nor ignorant persons themselves; and they are offended with the Pastor of the Church, for admitting such persons into communion with such as they: That so their piety may be more conspicuous than their neighbours: when all this while they are but preparing for their own dishonour; And others will judge as bad of them. When usually the meek and humble and merciful Christian who judgeth hardly of himself and tenderly of all others; is tenderly and lovingly judged of by all. The Prelatist saith, [what obstinate persons are these Non-conformists, They do all to keep the approbation of their party▪] And are they not requited by many of them whom they censure, who say [What temporizing hypocrites are these Formalists and Latitudinarians! They would turn Papists or any thing to save their skins, or get preferment. What perjury or other heinous crime will they not number with things indifferent.] The Papist thinks the Protestant a Heretick unworthy to live on earth and therefore thirsteth for his blood; And is he not requited by the censures of them that think that he is but a blood thirsty limb of Antichrist himself? If he think that the Protestant cannot be saved, because he is not a member of the Pope, or Roman Church, the Protestant requiteth him oft times with concluding, that a Papist cannot go beyond a reprobate, nor a worshipper of the Beast be saved. If the Independent censure the Presbyterian as a favourer of looseness and formality, the Presbyterian can requite him, by censuring him to be an enemy to order, government & peace, and a turbulent cause of all confusion. The same I may say of all other sects: It is not now my purpose to take part with any of them, nor to speak against any one of them more than the rest: But to them tell all of their mistake in their censorious way, & how certainly they prepare for the same measure and judgement which they give to others. Rom. 14. 4. Who art thou that judgest another mans servant? To his own m…ster he standeth or falleth: Yea he shall be holden up, for God is able to make him stand.—But why judgest thou thy brother, or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? We shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ— So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. It is strange that those men that can understand a text against swearing and drunkenness, can see no light nor feel no power in such words as these.