The Cure of Church Divisions, Directions · Direction 4
DIRECT. IV.
Affect not to be made eminent and Conspicuous in Holiness, by standing at a further distance from these lower Professors, than God would have you.
IT is the loathsome scab of the Romish Church that they who will be taken for Religious, must go into a Monastery of Fryars and Nans, and separate themselves from the rest of Christians, as worldly secular people: that so their Religion may be a noted thing, & they may be set up in their singularity, as publike spectacles, for the world to admire: Though perhaps they come thither but under the gripes of Conscience, to expiate the guilt of whoredome, murder, or some notorious sins, which the contemned seculars never committed. And it is somewhat easie to proud corrupted nature to enter into a life of greater self-denial, than most Monasticks are put upon, when by it they shall be thus separated from the rest of mankind, as a people of more admired holiness. To set our selves up in a separated society, as persons whom the world must account more Religious than the common sort of Christians, hath so much oftentation in it, as is a great allurement to Pride. For many a one who perceiveth how childish a thing it is, to set out ones self to be observed for fine cloathes, or for bodily comeliness, or for high entertainments, curiosities, houses, lands or such vanities, doth yet think that it is an excellent thing, to be honoured by men, especially by the wisest and the best, as a person of Wisdome, and Piety, and Goodness. And indeed it is the truest and the highest Honour to be Wise and Good: And it is exceeding natural to man to desire honour: And it is lawful to have a due and moderate sense and regard to our honour: And all this being so, how easie is it for Pride to take this advantage, and to go a little farther, while we think that we go but this far, and keep within our bounds.
And the root of the errour lyeth in Atheism, Self-fishness, and Carnality. By the first, we neglect the Honouring of God, which should be our utmost aim, and to which all our own Honour should be purely referred, as a means: By the second, we Idolize our selves, and are sunk into, and centered in our selves, and seek that honour to our selves, which we should wholly refer to God alone. And by the third, we over-value Man and his esteem, and live upon the thoughts and breath of mortals, and seek the honour which is given by one to another more than the honour which is of God: Whereas we should make it our grand care and study, to be pleasing to our Maker, which is the highest honour, and lawful and necessary to be sought; and should be more indifferent as to the esteem and thoughts of man, as being no further regardable, than it conduceth to our divine and ultimate end.
And when Pride hath thus turned the eye of the soul, from God, to our selves, and to the Creature, it is a working sin, and will be alwayes seeking to fetch in fewel for its self to feed on, and to find out wayes to make our selves conspicuous and observed in the world: And to separate our selves into distinct societies, that the world may see we are above Communion with the colder duller sort of Christians, is one of the most notable means to this self-exalting end.
And many Christians that are more humble do yet so much mis-understand the Scripture principles of Communion, that they think they should corrupt the Church, and sin against God, if they stood not in a separated state from those of the colder sort. And this is caused much, by taking those Scriptutes to speak of all cold and carnal Christians, which speak only of the Heathen and Infidel world. And this cometh to pass by the happiness of their birth and breeding: because they are born and bred where there are almost none, but professed Christians, and they see not the swarms of Heathens that worship idols and creatures, or of the Infidels who scorn and persecute the Christian name, therefore they live as if there were no such persons. They know that the world and the Church comprehend all mankind; and that the Church is gathered out of the World: And because they see the Church, but see not the world, out of which it is gathered; therefore they are looking for the world in the Church, and think that the commoner sort of Christians are the World; and the better and more zealous sort only are the Church, which therefore must be gathered out of the World: And so they gather the Church out of the Church, while they think that they gather it out of the World. And all this is because they know no more than they see, or at least are affected with no more; but live as if England or Europe were all the world. One years abode in Asia or Africa might cure this errour.
In 2 Cor. 6. 12, 13, &c. the Apostle forbiddeth the Christians to marry with Infidels; because light hath no communion with darkness, nor righteousness with unrighteousness, nor Christ with Belial. And therefore inferreth, that he that believeth hath no part with an Infidel, nor the Temple of God any any agreement with Idols. And for this he citeth the words of the Prophet, Come out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing. All these words which the Apostle so plainly speaketh only against marrying with Infidels and Idolaters, and having communion with them, either intimately or in their sin, are by abundance of ignorant Professors abused, as if they had commanded us to separate from the colder and common sort of Christians, and to come out of the Church whereof they are members. What profaning of Gods word is this? and how gross and palpable a contradicting of its plain expressions? It was a Church of such mixed Christians as our Churches do consist of, to which the Apostle wrote those words; And because he commandeth them to separate from intimacy with Heathens and Infidels (yet so as when they are once married to them, to continue in it); therefore these men say, that one part of the Church is called to come forth and separate from the rest.
And with the like abuse they apply the command [Come out of Babylon] to them that have no communion with Babylon; And when ignorance, uncharitableness, and passion, have taught them to call Christs Churches Babylon, they add sin to sin, the sin of separation to the sin of slander and reproach; and abuse the Text according to their false exposition of it.