The Cure of Church Divisions, Directions to pastors 2 · Direction 1
DIRECT. I.
Let it be our first care to know and do our own duty, for the strengthening and uniting of the people: And when we see their weakness and divisions, let us first examine and judge our selves, and lament and reform our own neglects.
THat the state of the flocks doth usually follow the state of the Pastors, is known by the experience of all the Churches, in all ages and places of the world. Where there is a holy, faithful, able, diligent, concordant Ministry, there is usually a reformed and agreeing people. And where there is an ignorant, lazy, formal, ungodly and contentious Ministery, there is either a people divided, or else agreeing in ignorance, formality and ungodliness. At least if such a Ministry have been long among them.
And we need no other proof of this, and of the chief cause of the peoples divisions and mistakes, than the accusations and charges of the Ministers against each other. On every side it is the Pastors of the flocks that are accused, by those of the adverse party, as the chief offenders. One side saith, It is you that teach the people errours, and put scruples into their minds, and lead them into contempt of order and authority! And the other side saith, It is you that proudly usurp authority which Christ never gave you, and lord it over Gods heritage, and by your own inventions lay snares before the people to divide them, and will not suffer them to unite in their proper center, and agree in the primitive simplicity. And that bring the Ministery into hatred and contempt by your cruelty and vicious lives.] And whilest each side is thus accused by the other, they have all the greater cause to suspect themselves: Because it seemeth to be agreed on all hands, that it is the Pastors who are principally in the fault, though it be not agreed what the fault is, nor which party of the Pastors must bear the blame.
And indeed where are there any sects or factions, but there are Ministers that head them, and that caused them at first, and keep them up? Is it not the Bishops that have caused the long division, between the Greek and Latin Churches? Was it not principally a contention for their interests, which of them should be the greatest (so little doth C…rists own decision of that controversie among his Apostles, signifie with those men, who are contending about a successive infallible Judge.) Is it not their Councils and their contentious writings and practises, which have been the grand causes of this woful schism? And are not the dividing snares, which cause most of the rest of the schisms of Christendome, the meer usurpations, and impositions of the Roman Prelates? It was the Bishops of each party, with their Presbyters, who headed the divi…i… in the second Council of Ephesus, and in the Council of Ariminum, and many others: And by them the Heres…es of the Arrians, the Nestorians, the Eutychians, &c. with the schisms of the Novatians, Donatists and most others, have been maintained. And among our selves, most parties have their Leaders, who first made the breach, and still keep it open. It is therefore but reasonable that we all suspect and search our selves: And perhaps the lot may find out that Achan who is thought most innocent, and Ionah who is not the worst in the ship, may be the man; and he may be the Iudas who is last in asking, Master is it I? And it is ten to one but the leaders of every party will be found blame-worthy in part, though not in equality.
Besides all that shall be intimated in the following Directions, these causes of the peoples weakness and Divisions are so openly manifest in too many Pastors, that they cannot be concealed or excused.
First, There is so much Ignorance in many that they are not able judiciously to edifie the flocks; nor to teach sound principles in a suitable manner and method to their hearers. Who can teach others that which they never learned themselves?
Secondly, Too many are strangers to the people whom they teach, and know not the weaknesses of the vulgar, and therefore neither justly resolve their doubts, nor answer their objections, nor indeed speak that language which the people understand. They have been bred from their childhood in the Universities among Schollars, and have little conversed with Plow-men and poor people and ignorant persons, who have quite other conceptions and expre…ons than schollars have. Their accurate stiles and wellcouched words, and elegant phrases, are most of them like an unknown tongue, to the greatest number of their auditors. And that which they use as congruous to the matter, is so incongruous to their hearers, that its little to their benefit.
Thirdly, And some in avoiding this exream, do fall into the contrary; and never go beyond the present understanding of the people, and teach them nothing but what they know already; And hereby they bring themselves into contempt entising the hearers to think that their Teachers, are as ignorant as they, and know no more than they teach; And they tempt the people to be puffed up, and think themselves worthy to be preachers, because they can do as much and as well as their teachers use to do.
Fourthly, And how cold and unskilful are many in the application of that doctrine which they have tolerably opened? And speak the truths of the living God, without any affecting reverence or gravity. And talk as drowsily of the evil of sin, the need of grace, the love of God in Jesus Christ, yea of death and judgement, Heaven and Hell, as if it were their design to rock the auditors asleep, or to make them believe that it is but an histrionical fiction which they act, and that nothing which they say is to be believed! There is no need of any more forcible means to entice men to sin, than to hear it preacht against so coldly: Nor is there need of any more to teach men to set light by Christ and Grace and Heaven it self, than to hear them so hearteslly commended: We speak a few good words to the people in a reading tone, like a child that is saying his lesson, as if we believed not our selves; and then we blame the people for their being no more edified by us; and we look they should be much affected with that which never much affected the speakers. If Christ himself who preached with authority, and used to awaken them, with an [He that hath ears to hear let him hear] did yet convert no more than he did, what can we expect upon our drowsie and dry discourses, but drowsiness in the hearers, if not contempt.
Fifthly, And alas the private work of the Ministery is done as poorly by too many who do pretty well in publick, as if they knew not that it is any considerable part of their employment; or as if indeed they believed not the immortality and preciousness of souls! And if the praise of men constrained them not, to do the publick part somewhat better, they would become contemptible burthens of the Church.
Sixthly, the great duty of Catechizing is so much neglected, that few of the people understand the great fundamental truths; and few are instructed in the true method of the Christian doctrines, who know somewhat of the matter of them. And such defects and languor in the Vital parts, will one time or other appear in the externals.
Seventhly, Formality and imagery choaketh or excludeth the sense, life and power of the most necessary truths. They that teach youth the …rds of the Catechism, do oft content themselves with that much, as if they had made them understanding Christians; and leave them as ignorant & sensless of the importance of those words, as they were before ever they learnt them. The foresaid unacquaintedness with the people and their weaknesses, doth make many teachers lose their labour; while they measure the common people by themselves, and think that they can understand such words as they themselves can understand: When they little know how utterly ignorant abundance are of the matter, when they have learned to speak all the words by rote. Therfore experience hath oft constrained me to say▪ that after all their study and learning in the Universities, such Pastors as did never familiarly converse with the poor and vulgar of the flocks, and try the exercise of personal instruction and exhortation upon them, are no more to be regarded in many controversies about the Pastoral work and discipline, than an unexperienced Physician, or Chyrurgeon, or Soldier or Pilot in many cases of their professions: Which maketh many learned self-conceiced Doctors, become the plagues, while they think themselves the pillars of the Church.
There are no parents or masters but find it presently in their children, how quickly they will learn a Catechism, and therein the Creed, Lords Prayer and Decalogue, while they scarce understand the sense and matter of any of the plainnest words which they have uttered: And we find it is just so with too many of the aged also. And therefore if by other questions and explications, you put them out of their rode, and teach them not to fix their thoughts upon the matter, as well as on the words, it will all prove but as the teaching of a Pa…rot, and not of a true believer.
And what I have said of Catechising, is true also of Prayer & Confession and every other part of worship: In which the Hypocrites part is easie; even the out-side form and lifeless image; But it is the inward Life, the spirit and truth, which is the excellent, heavenly and difficult part.
Eighthly, And some make a formality and a snare of the gift of extemporary expression; And by a preposterous care to avoid all forms, they teach them not these Catechism forms, with that diligence as the matter doth require: But leave their minds void of those orderly well-setled second notions, which should help the first: And thus while some neglect the soul or spirit of Christ…anity, and others neglect the form or body of it; betwixt them both it is too much neglected by almost all.
Ninthly, Too many are meer wordlings, and ungodly self-seekers, and enter upon the Ministery but as a trade to live by, and never had that humble holy mind themselves, which they expect in the people; But as riches, and preferment and honour and ease, are the things which they most seek, so they do proportion and choose the means accordingly; And when they have thus made themselves contemptible, and alienated the hearts of the people from them, they the… call them all that passion can suggest, not for their sin against God, but for crossing their carnal ends and interest.
Tenthly, And under all this ignorance, negligence and vice, pride maketh too many of them to be enemies to repentance, and to all that would bring them to it: so that they are not so much offended with the people for their own faults, as for disliking theirs: scarce a drunkard a swearer in all the parish is so impatient of hearing of their sins, as many of these high minded impenitent Ministers. Nay so far are they from enduring to be accounted of as they are, that they expect applause and great veneration, when they deserve not pardon: And they think they are neglected or treated unreverently, if their ignorance be not called wisdome, and their hypocrisie go not for the only pie…y, and their carnal discourse and conversation, (for which God threatneth their damnation, Rom. 8. 5, 6, 7, 8, 13.) be not cloathed with some fair and honourable names. And when they have thus set the people so pernicious an example, they storm against them for not being more obedient to them, than they themselves will be to God; and for rejecting the precepts and reproofs of that Scripture which they have rejected and despised before their faces.
I humbly propound it therefore to my Brethren, that if they have a people who despise their Ministery, and turn away from them, and speak against them, and seek after other teachers; that they would first impartially ask their consciences, I have we given them no cause or occasion of all this? Is it not long of us? Have we so preached, so privately overseen and taught them, and so lived, as that all this confusion will not be justly laid at our doors?] When we have first truly cleared things at home, we are the fitter then to expostulate with our people; And when we have pulled out the beam of selfishness, carnal…ty, negligence, and pride out of our own eyes, we may the better see to cast the motes of childish peevishness, and discontent out of the peoples eyes.