The Cure of Church Divisions, Directions · Direction 42 – Direction 45
DIRECT. XLII.
Your belief of the necessary Articles of Faith, must be made your own, and not taken meerly upon the Authority of any: And in all points of Belief or Practice which are of necessity to Salvation, you must ever keep company with the Universal Church: for it were not the Church if it erred in these: And in matters of peace and concord, the greater part must be your guide; In matters of humane obedience, your Governours must be your Guides: And in matters of high and difficult speculation, the judgment of one man of extraordinary understanding and clearness is to be preferred before both the Rulers and the major Vote.
IN several sorts of Controversies and Cases, you must prefer several sorts of Guides or Judges: It is a grand pernicious Errour to think that the same mens judgments must be most followed in every Case. And it is of grand importance to know how to value and vary our Guides, as the Cases vary. And for the most part, every man is more to be regarded in his own way of study and profession, than wiser men in other matters, of other studies and professions: As a Lawyer is to be valued in the Law more than the ablest and most illuminated Divine: And a Philosopher in Philosophy, and a Linguist in the Tongues, and a Physician in Physick, &c. For instance,
First, Suppose it were a Controversie whether Christ be God, or whether there be a life to come, or a resurrection, &c. Here no man must be Judge, because if you are Christians indeed, it is past controversie with you: And you believe this upon the evidences of truth, which have convinced you: And herein the universal Church are your associates.
Secondly, Suppose it be made a Controversie whether you shall use this Translation or version in publick, or another, or whether you shall meet at this hour or that; at this place or that; what words of prayer shall be used in publick; what persons you shall communicate with in publick, and what not, &c. In all such, your lawful Pastors and Rulers are the Judges, and their judgments must be preferred before more learned men that are not related to you.
Thirdly, Suppose the question be among many associated Churches, whether this Church or Pastor be to be disowned as Heretical, or owned by the rest as orthodox Christians. Here the judgement of the Pastors of those associated Churches in Councels, is to be preferred as of the proper Judges.
Fourthly, Suppose the question were among a free people, that want a Pastor, whether this man or that or the other (being all sufficient) shall be the Pastor of that Church: Here the major Vote of the people of that Church should be preferred.
Fifthly, Suppose the question be, whether 1 Iohn 5. 7. e. g. be Canonical Scripture; or the Doxology after the the Lords Prayer, &c. here a few learned Antiquaries, are to be believed before a major Vote or Councel, unskilled in those things, who contradict them.
Sixthly, Suppose the question were of the Object of predestination, of the natur… of the wills liberty, of the concourse of God, and determining way of grace, of the definition of justification, faith, &c. Here a few well studied judicious Divines must be preferred before Authority and majority of Votes: As one clear-sighted man seeth further and better than a thousand that have darker sight: So that you must in such vary your guides, according to their several capacities and the Case. Obedience hearkneth most to Authority; Unity and Concord must depend most on some majority of Votes: Hard questions must be decided by the best studied Persons, and the quickest clearest sights, and not by bare Commands or Votes.
DIRECT. XLIII.
Take heed lest you be tempted to reject a good Cause, because it is owned by some bad persons; or to like a bad cause when it is owned by men that are otherwise good: And that you judge not of the faith and cause by the persons, when you should judge of the persons …ather by the faith and cause.
I Confess when we have no other reason to encline us to one opinion or to another, but only the reputation of them that hold it, caeteris paribus, in matters of meer godliness, the judgment of godly men is much to be preferred before theirs that are ungodly, and they are much liker to be in the right. But when God hath given us other means to know the truth, we must impartially make use of them.
It too oft falleth out that honest people are like straying sheep: If one leap over the hedge, the rest will croud and strive to follow him: And therefore errours are like Languages and Fashions, that follow the Country where they are bred. The religious people in Sweden and Denmark have one sort of errour; In Holland and Helvetia perhaps they have another: In France, and Spain, and Italy they have others: In Greece, and Armenia, and Ethiopia they have others. And it is an easie matter before we are aware, to fall into the common epidemical disease; and to think, This is best, because the best and strictest people are of this mind. And indeed sin doth seldome get so great an advantage in the world, as when it hath won the major vote among the most religious sort of people: If but a Peter separate, Barnabas and many more will follow.
And on the other side, sometimes the worser sort of men may hold fast the truth, and many ignorant persons are apt to reject it, because it is owned by men so bad. But if Truth be the Religion of their King and Countrey, or of their Ancestors in which they were brought up; or if their reputation or peace of conscience lie upon it; or if the defence of it shew their wit or learning; or if they can take an advantage by it, against better men, who erre in that one point: It is no wonder in all these Cases, if the worser sort of men defend the truth.
For instance; If any Sect should rise in England, who should deny Christ, or the Scripture, or the Resurrection, or the Life to come, or the Lords day (for all that they cannot keep it holy, yet) the worser sort of the people would all rise up against such errours. Shall we therefore think that the people are in the wrong? So if any better persons deny Infant Baptisme, or the use of the Lords Prayer, &c. the worser sort of people would be all against them; and yet be in the right.
And yet how many do take a form of prayer or Liturgy to be unlawful, meerly because the most of the worser sort are for it! As a Pharisee can gratifie his hypocrisie by long Prayers, which yet are good in themselves; so can an ungodly person gratifie his hypocrisie and sloth by Forms and Liturgies: which yet doth not prove them to be unlawful.
DIRECT. XLIV.
Ye take the bad example of religious men, to be one of your most pe…ilous temptations: And therefore labour to discover especially what are the sins of Professours in the age that you live in, that you may especially watch and sortifie your souls against them.
SOmetimes the strictest sort run in a gang after one opinion, and sometimes after another: sometimes to overvalue free will with the Pelagians: sometimes to abuse the name and notion of free grace: sometimes they are drawn with Peter to lay about them with a private unwarranted Swor…; or by Politicians tempted into unlawful tumults: sometimes they run together into unlawful Compliances and Conformities to escape some censure or danger to the flesh: And most commonly they are hurried by Passion to follow some erroneous Leader into Schisme and Divisions, which are contrary to Unity, Love, and Peace.
Study well what is the common errour of the religious party in the times and places where you live, that you may take a special care to escape them, (For some such or others it is too probable they have.) Like not their fault for their Religions sake: But specially take heed lest the Devil draw you, to dislike their Religion for their faults. Joyn with them heartily in the one, but not in the other.
DIRECT. XLV.
Desire the highest degree of Holiness, and to be free from the corruptions of the times: But affect not to be odd and singular, from ordinary Christians in lawful things.
AN affectation of singularity in indifferent things, doth either come from such ignonorance as those were guilty of in Rom. 14. or most commonly from Pride, though you perceive it not your selves. If it be to go in a meaner garb than others, and as the Quakers, not to put off the hat; or with the Fryars, to go b…refoot, or in a distinguishing habit, that all men may see and say, This is a singular person in Religion, it is easie to see how this gratifieth pride. Humility desireth not to be specially taken notice of: And therefore in all things lawful, to do as others do, doth gratifie humility very much. It's strange to observe how much stress some persons lay upon their singular habits, gestures, expressions and actions, when they have once taken them up? and how sharp they are against all that are contrary? For as the Masters of every Sect of Monks among the Papists had their several Rules of singularity in things indifferent; and yet presently desired to get disciples to take their names, and follow their rules; so is it with most that begin in singularity: They would have all follow them, that it might grow common.