The Cure of Church Divisions, Directions · Direction 35 – Direction 39
DIRECT. XXXV.
Think not that you are guilty of all the Faults of other mens worship with whom you joyn; no not of the Ministers or Congregations; Nor that you are bound to separate from them in worship; because of all the faults in their performance.
THis Errour is a common cause of separations; but such as will suffer no two men to joyn together, but will turn all Chur…es into confusion, and crumble them to dust, if it be fully practised. For there is no man alive that worshippeth God without some sin, as I said before. Do you ever pray your selves in secret or in your families without sin? Must all separate from you for this? Or may not you bear anothers failings as patiently as your own? Your own you are still guilty of, because they are your own: but not of another mans which you cannot help. If I believed that I were partaker of the guilt of all the false doctrine, or faulty preaching, or prayer which was used in the Church where I am, I would flye from all the Churches in the world: But whither to go I could not tell.
Obj. But If I joyn with them that worship God amiss, do I not approve of their sin or signifie my consent to it?
Answ. Approving and consenting are acts of your own mind: and whether you do so or not, is best known to your self: But it is a Profession of consent that we have now to speak of. And I say that our presence at the prayers of the Church, is n… profession of consent to all that is faulty in those prayers. Why do you not offer to prove it to be so, but barely affirm it without any proof? I never heard a word of proof for this bare assertion to this day. But its easily disproved.
First, no man can in reason and justice take that for my Profession, which I never made by word nor deed, according to the common sense of words and actions: But according to this common sense I never did by word or deed profess that I consent to all which is uttered by the Pastor in the publike prayers.
Secondly, When the profession which we make by our Church-commun…on is publikely declared to be another thing, totally distinct from this, no man may justly interpret it to be this which is quite different: But it is another thing which we profess by our Church-communion; That is, I profess my self only to be a Christian, in my Baptism when I enter into the Church, and in my daily communion with it: And I profess to be a member of a Christian Society, and to hold Communion with them in Faith and Love and in worshipping God according to his word: And I pro…ess subjection to the particular Pastors of that Church, as Christian Pastors, who are to teach the people that word of God, and guide them in worship and discipline according to that word. This is every mans profession in his Church-communion and no more; unless he make some some further particular expression of more, as every sect useth to do, in professing the opinions of their party. Why then should any lyar charge me to make a profession which I never made, when my profession in my Christian communion is described by Christ himself who instituted it? And why should I turn lyar against my self, and say that my presence is a profession of that consent which I never made the least profession of?
Thirdly, The wording of the publike prayers, is the Pastors work and none of mine: It is part of his office, as the wording and methodizing of his Sermons is: And if he do it well the praise is not mine but his: And if he do it ill the dispraise is not mine but his. Why should any hold me guilty of another mans fault, which I neither can help, nor belongeth to any office of mine to help, any further than to admonish him.
Fourthly, I do not profess an approbation and consent to all the faults of my own secret or family prayers: Much less to another mans, who is not in my power. I have d…sorders, and defects and incongruities and other faults in all my prayers; And if my very speaking and committing them signifie not my approbation of them, how much less is it signified where it is not I but another man that speaketh and committeth them.
Fifthly, And as I have said, This opinion would make it unlawful to joyn with any Pastor or Church on earth, because no sin must be approved of and consented to: and every one mixeth sin with their prayers.
Obj. But (say those on the one extream) if I joyn with one that is known to be a Separatist, an Anabaptist, an Antinomian, an Arminian, &c. his own profession doth before hand bid me to expect not only that the manner but the matter of his prayer be erroneous.
Answ. First, it is granted that no man may in his choise, prefer an erring person or mode of worship before a better. Secondly, But when the question is not, whom you should prefer but whom you may joyn with, it is not his errours that are yours, nor his profession that is yours. I come to joyn with him as a Christian Pastor whose office is to preach the Gospel: And while men are the agents I know that all that they do will be imperfect and …aulty: And it is not my knowing their …aults that makes them mine, but rather may preserve me from them.
Obj. But for ought I know he may put heresie or blasphemy into his prayers, when I know not what he will say, before I hear it.
Answ. For ought you know your Physician, or your Cook, may give you poison, and your Nurse may poison your child: But though that should make you careful whom you trust, yet somebody must be trusted for all that. You go not upon certainty in any case where man is to be trusted, but upon probability. Men are not to be distrusted in their own profession, if they be lawfully called to it, by cautelous and able triers, till they have forfeited their trust: And as he would not mend the matter who should make a Law, that no Physician shall give any medicine but one and the same to all in such diseases, and that fetcht from the Kings Apothecary; And no Cook shall sell any meat but what is drest by the Kings Cooks; for fear lest they should poison men; so he that would say, No Pastor shall preach or pray but in prescribed words, lest he should speak heresie or blasphemy, would but destroy the Pastoral office, for fear lest it should be abused.
But here you have no great temptation to this errour; Because though a man may poison your bodies against your wills, yet no one can poyson your souls but by your own consent. If he speak words of heresie or blasphemie, if you disown them in your minds, and consent not to them, they are none of yours, nor can do you hurt: They may be your temptation and your grief, but they are not your sin.
And yet I shall tell you in the next direction, how far they are to be avoided.
Obj. But (say those on the other extream) duplicate page duplicate page When I know before hand by their Common-Prayer-Book, what their errour in worship is, and yet joyn in it, do I not seem to approve it?
Answ. Do not barely affirm, but prove, that all fore-known…faults of the Pastors words in prayer are mine, if I separate not: How doth fore-knowing them make them mine. Take heed that thus you make not God the greatest sinner and the worst being in all the world.
For God fore-knoweth all mens sins; and God is present when they commit them; and he giveth them all that life and time and strength and breath, by which they do them: and he hath communion with all the prayers of the faithful in the world, what faults soever be in the words or forms: he doth not reject them for any such failings. Will you say therefore that God approveth or consenteth to all these sins?
I know before hand (as is said before) that every man will sin that prayeth (either by defect of desire, love, faith or fervency, or by wandering thoughts, or disordered words, &c.) And I know that every erroneous person (commonly) doth use to put his errours into his prayers and preaching. But how doth all this make it mine? I am bound to hold communion with all Gods people on earth as I have occasion; not as they are sinners, but as they are Saints: And I come as to the Communion of Saints: And though both they and I do bring our sins to that communion, and I fore-know them; yet I lament both theirs and mine; and so far am I from consenting to them, that they are my grief, and I beg forgiveness both for them and me.
Obj. But you said that it belonged to the Pastors office to word his own Sermons and Prayers: Therefore prescribed forms destroy the Pastors office: And I may not consent to such usurpations by tyrannical men.
Answ. First, the Pastor is the mouth of God to the people, & of the people to God: And he doth word his own Sermons and Prayers; or else his voice could not conduct you. But if he that is conscious of his own infirmity, do take the help of others in wording them, that doth not destroy his office, but help him in the exercise of it. If a weak Minister learn a prayer out of the writings of some abler Divine and use it in the Pulpit, this is no destroying of his office.
Secondly, and if they that fear the effect of Ministers weakness shall force them to use the words of others, the speaker still maketh them his own words before you joyn with him. And if it did hinder the free exercise of all his office, it doth not destroy it.
Obj. But he doth it voluntarily, whereas the weakness of conceived prayer is involuntary.
Answ. It is with more probability said, that a man is involuntary, in doing that which another compelleth him to do, than that which no man but himself only is the author of: It is said to him that readeth the Liturgy [Do this, or nothing] But no body saith to an erring, weak, confused Minister, [Put in your errours into your prayers, or pray disorderly or you shall be punished.] Every Separatist, Anabaptist and Antinomian doth too willingly put his errours into his prayers.
Obj. But the Liturgy is imposed on the ablest as well as on the weakest Ministers.
Answ. Whether it be well or ill imposed, is none of the question now in hand: No nor whether it be lawfully used by the Speaker: But whether you may lawfully joyn in it. And however it be imposed, till the Minister consent to use it, you shall not be put to joyn with him in it. And when he doth consent, he maketh it his own words, and (for reasons which seem good to him) he doth choose those expressions rather than others: (Even because he must use those or none) so that he is still in the exercise of his office; And it is his personal fault, if it be a fault, to use those words, and none of yours: Whether he do it willingly as the best, or do it with a half will as of necessity, or whether there be tyranny in the imposing them or not; you are not guilty of any of this, by joyning with a Christian Church that useth them.
DIRECT. XXXVI.
Yet know what Pastors you may own, and what not, and what Church-communion you may remove from or forbear: And think not that I am perswading you to make no difference.
THis is a point that I have more largely handled elsewhere, and can give you now but these brief hints, lest I be too tedious.
First, He that is not at all able to do the essential works of the Ministry, that is, to teach the people the Christian faith, and a holy life, and to pray and praise God with them, and administer the Sacraments, and in some measure oversee the manners of the flock, is no Minister, nor to be owned: For he wanteth the essential qualifications: As an illiterate man can be no Schoolmaster, nor he a Physician, a Pilot, an Architect, who is utterly ignorant of their work.
Secondly, he that preacheth Heresie, that is, denieth any essential point of Christianity or Godliness, after the first and second admonition is to be avoided.
Thirdly, he that in his application, endeavoureth to disgrace a Godly life, and to disswade the people from it, on false pretenses, and encourage them to a life of wickedness, is a traytor to Christ, and not to be owned in the Ministery. In a word, Any one whose Ministery is such, as tendeth to destruction more than to edification and to do more harm then good. But then remember, that it is not partiality and passion that must here be judge: Nor is every one an opposer of Godliness, who opposeth the errours of a party, or the faults or follies of godly men.
Fourthly, that Pastor or Church who will not let you have communion with them, unless you will say or subscribe some falshood, or commit any sin of wilful choice, doth drive you from their communion by their unlawful terms; and it is not you that are the Separatists, but they.
Fifthly, When you are to choose what Minister or Church you will statedly have your ordinary communion with, you should not prefer a less reformed Church or a less worthy Pastor, or one that is erroneous, before a better, but choose that which is most to your true edification.
Sixthly, If you live under a worse and unreformed Church, or unprofitable Minister, if necessity hinder not, you may remove your dwelling to a better.
Seventhly, and where Churches are near and there is no great hurt or disorder will follow it, you may joyn with another Church without removing your dwelling: But this you may not do, when the hurt to the publick is like to be greater than the good to you.
Eighthly, and you must not conclude that the more faulty Church and Minister may not lawfully be communicated with though for your benefit you choose a better, for this is the true crime of sinful separation.
But surely a mans soul is so precious, that all men should prefer the greatest helps for their salvation before the less; and think no just means too dear to purchase them.
DIRECT. XXXVII.
In your judging of Discipline, Reformation, and any means of the Churches good, be sure your Eye be both upon the true End, and upon the particular Rule, and not on either of them alone: Take not that for a means, which is either contrary to the word of God, or is in its nature destructive of the End.
THere are great miscarriages come for want of the true observation of this rule. First, If a thing seem to you very needful to a good end, and yet the word be against it, avoid it: For God knoweth better than we, what means is fittest, and what he will bless. As for instance, some think, that many self-devised ways of worship, contrary to Col. 2. 21, 23. would be very profitable to the Church: And some think that striking with the sword as Peter did, is the way to rescue Christ or the Gospel: But both are bad, because the Scripture is against them.
Secondly, and if you think that the Scripture commandeth you this or that positive means, if Nature and true Reason assure you that it is against the End, and is like to do much more harm than good, be assured that you mistake that Scripture. For first, God telleth us in general that the means as such are for the End, and therefore are no means when they are against it! The Ministery is for edification and not for destruction. The Sabbath is for man and not man for the Sabbath. Secondly, God hath told us, that no positive duty is a duty at all times. To pray when I should be saving my neighbours life, is a sin and not a duty, though we are commanded to pray continually. So is it to be preaching; or hearing on the Lords day, when I should be quenching a fire in the town, or doing necessary works of mercy: Wherefore the Disciples Sabbath-breaking was justified by Christ; and he giveth us all a charge to learn what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice; which must needs import, I prefer mercy before sacrifice and would have no sacrifice which hindereth mercy. Therefore if a Sermon were to be preached so unseasonably or in such unsuitable circumstances, as that according to Gods ordinary way of working, it were like to do more hurt than good; it were no duty at that time. Discipline is an Ordinance of Christ: But if sound reason tell me, that if I publickly call this man to Repentance, or excommunicate him, it is like to do much hurt to the Church and no good to him, it would be at that time no duty but a sin. As Physick must be forborn where the Disease will but be exasperated by it. Therefore Christ boundeth our very preaching and reproof, with a [Shake off the dust off your feet as a testimony against them. And give not that which is holy to dogs, &c. When treading under foot, and turning again and rending us, is l…kest to be the success, the wisdome of Christ, and not that of the flesh only, requireth us to take it for no duty. This is to be observed by them that think that Admonitions, and excommunications, and exclusion from the Sacrament, must be used in all places and at all times alike, without respect to the End, come of it what will: Or that will tempt God by presuming that he will certainly either bless or at least justifie, their unseasonable and imprudent actions, as if they were a duty at all times. To be either against the Scripture, or against the End, is a certain proof that an action is no duty, because no means.
DIRECT. XXXVIII.
Neglect not any truth of God, much less renounce it or deny it: For lying and contempt of Sacred truth is always sinful: But yet do not take it for your duty to publish all which you judge to be truth, nor a sin to silence many lesser truths, when the Churches peace and welfare doth require it.
TO speak or subscribe against any truth, is not to be done on any pretense whatsoever: For lying is a sin at all times. But it is the opinion of injudicious furious spirits, that no truth is to be silenced for peace. Truth is not to be sold for carnal prosperity, but it is to be forborn for spiritual advantage, and true necessity.
First, if the publishing of all truths were at all times a duty, then all men live every moment in ten thousand sins of omission, because there are more than so many truths which I am not publishing: Nay which I never shall publish whilest I live.
Secondly, Positives bind not always and to all times.
Thirdly, while you are preaching that opinion which your zeal is so much for, you are omitting far greater and more necessary Truths. And is it not as great a sin to omit them as the lesser.
Fourthly, Mercy is to be preferred before sacrifice: What if the present uttering some truth would cost many thousand mens lives? Were not that an untimely and unmerciful word? And is it not as bad if (but accidentally) it tend to the ruine of the Church, and the hurt of souls? It were easie to instance in unseasonable and imprudent words of truth spoken to Princes, which have raised persecutions of long continuance, and ruined Churches, silenced Ministers, and caused the death of multitudes of men.
Fifthly, And where is there any word of God which commandeth us to speak all that we know, and which forbiddeth us to forbear the utterance of any one truth.
Sixthly, And for the most part those men, who are most pregnant and impatient of holding in their opinions on the pretense of the pretiousness of truth, do but proudly esteem their own understandings precious, and do vend some raw undigested notions, vain janglings or errors, under the name of that truth which must by no means be concealed, though the vending of it tend to envy and strife, and to confusion and every evil work. When those that have the Truth indeed, have more wisdome and goodness to know how to use it.
It is not Truth but Goodness which is the ultimate object of the soul. And God who is infinite Goodness it self, hath revealed his Truths to the world to do men Good, and not to hurt them. And the Devil, who is the Destroyer, so he may but do men hurt, will be content to make use even of Truth to do it; Though usually he only pretendeth Truth to cover his lies: And this angel of Light, hath his ministers of Light and Righteousness; who are known by their fruits; whilest the pretenses of Light and Righteousness are used to Satans ends and not to Christs, to hurt and destroy and to hinder Christs Kingdome, and not to save and to do good: As the Wolf is known by his bloody jaws, even in his sheeps cloathing.
DIRECT. XXXIX.
Know which are the great duties of a Christian life, and wherein the nature of true Religion doth consist; And then pretend not any lesser duty, against those greater; though the least when it is indeed a duty, is not to be denied or neglected.
HEaven-work and Heart-work, are the chiefest parts of Christian duty. Christ often giveth us his summaries of the Law, and inculeateth his great Command; Iob. 13. 35. Matth. 22. 37, 38, 39. Luk. 10. 27. And so doth the Apostle Rom. 13. 10. 1 Pet. 1. 22. 1 Iohn. 3. 11, 14, 23. & 4 7, 11, 12, 20. 2 Ioh. 5. And the fruits of the spirit are manifest Gal. 5. 22, 23. Iames saith, that pure Religion and undefiled before God even the father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in adversity, and to keep our selves unspotted of the world, Jam. 1. 27. Paul saith, 1 Tim. 1. 5. The end of the Commandement is Charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned: And then addeth, From which some having swarved, have turned aside to vain janglings—
In a word [The effectual belief of pardon and eternal Glory given through Christ, and the Love of God and man, with the denial of our selves, and fleshly desires, and contempt of all things in the world, which are competitors with God and our salvation, with a humble patient enduring of all which must be suffered for these ends] is the nature and sum of the Christian Religion.
Do nothing therefore as a duty which is a hinderance to any of this. Contentious preachings, and factious sidings which weaken Love, are not of God. The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle to all men, 2 Tim. 2. 24. When you come into a family and find that their Religion consisteth in promoting some odd opinion, and pleading for a party, and vilifying others, be sure that this is a Religious way of serving the devil, being contrary to the great and certain duties of a godly li…e. When you fall into company, which sti…leth all talk of Heaven, and all Heart-searching and Heart-humbling conference, by pleading … this or that opinion, be sure that it is but one way of enmity to Holiness, though not so gross as scorning and persecuting it. That which I said before of Truth, is applyable to this of Duty.
It is one of the most important things in the world, for the resolving of a thousand cases of conscience, and the directing of a Christian life, to know which Duties are the Greater and which are the lesser, and so which is to be preferred in competition; For that which is a duty at another time, is a sin, when it is done instead of a greater! as Christ hath resolved in the case of the Sabbath. If Good must be loved as Good, then the Greatest Good must be most loved and sought. Sacrifice instead of mercy is a sin: Our gift must be left at the altar, while we go to be reconciled to our brother. Math. …. Never hearken to those men who would set up their controverted duties, or any positives and lesser things, against the duties of nature it self, or the great substantial parts of godliness.