The Cure of Church Divisions, Directions to pastors 2 · Direction 21
DIRECT. XXI.
The Pastors who will preserve the peace of the people, must not contend among themselves: Especially they must take heed, that they engage not in any needless enmity, against any of those Divines, who for their learning or piety are most highly reverenced in the Church.
FIrst, When Pastors fall into parties, they alwayes draw the people with them: some will take one part, and some another. If the Officers divide, the souldiers will certainly be divided. And though one of the dividing parties may get the advantage of the sword, and suppress the other, they are nevertheless in the way to increase the schism, while the people will think never the worse of the party which is afflicted and trodden down. Schismes are most commonly begun or at least formed among the Pastors: And among them the cure must be begun; and principally performed. And when the wound is made, it must not be despised; but the threatned issues must be foreseen; and the necessity of a cure apprehended: and scarce any pains or cost must be thought too great to quench the fire. The proud and carnal person, who thinks all is well, if he can but secure his interest, and by spurning at dissenters, make them seem contemptible; doth cast oil upon the flames, and may himself feel the greatest heat at last. And he that can stand by as unconcerned, and deny his service to Love and Peace, and to the wounded Church, lest it cost him too dear, may soon find that he hath lost, even that which he hath thought to save. O that the Peace-makers would cry aloud, and sound the retreat to contending Pastors, and O that God would rebuke that pride and carnality, self-conceitedness and love of worldly things, which will not suffer them yet to hear.
Secondly, And especially when those that are most reverenced and valued by the zealousest Christians, are envied, or afflicted by the rest, it ever tendeth to divisions in the Church. For the sufferings of such will never abate their esteem, with those who honour them. And if fear should stop their mouths for a time, the fire will still burn within, and be too ready to break out into more open schisms when opportunity serveth them. Yea the Churches of old have found great cause to be very tender how they used such reverenced valued Pastors, though they should fall into any errour; and sometimes to connive or bear with much, lest they should occasion a far worse disease, by the imprudent curing of a lesser.
And I dare be bold to proclaim to the contentious Pastors, of all the Churches wheresoever, that True Piety, Love, Humility and Prudence, can happily heal a great many of dissentions, which to the carnal, uncharitable, proud and imprudent, seem uncurable, and by their malignant-medicines are still exasperated a…d made worse.
But alas this quarrelsome distemper in Ministers, hath had such pernicious effects upon the Church, and is still going on to more confusion, that it deserveth and calleth for our common lamentation. And if we must lament it with despair, as an uncurable disease, I fear we must with equal despair lament the Churches ruines, and the consumption of Religion. For how can we expect that the people should hear, if the Pastors be obdurate and remediless? And who shall cure them, if their Physicians themselves be they that do infect them?
I speak not against the necessary defence of Truth, so be it that it be truth indeed which we defend, and that the defence be indeed necessary; and that the manner be suited to the end, and to the nature and rule of Christianity. But the itch which caused the Churches scab, is of a different description. For fi…st, it proceedeth from a salt acrimoni…us humour in the blood: Not that there is no blood in our veins which hath better principles and qualities: But alas it is tainted with this c…rroding salt, which hath bred our leprosie: As if Christ had made us the salt of the earth, not to preserve the world from putresaction, but to bite and fret all that we have any thing to do with (yea and those that we have nothing to do with) and by the salt Ca…a…hs of our back-bitings and peevish censures and reproaches, to bring the Church of Christ into a consumption. There is in many of us a love and zeal for Truth in the general (and no wonder if we are but men.) But when we meet it we know it not; but …evile it, and scratch it by the face: As the Jews did long for the coming of the Messiah, but when he came, they knew him not, but crucified him as a deceiver and blasphemer; their prejudice fixing them in the dungeon of unbelief. Mal. 3. 1, 2, 3. The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his Temple; …ven the Messenger of the Covenant whom ye delight in—But who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth. For he is like a refiners fire, and like fullers sope: and he shall sit as a refiner, and purifier of silver, and he shall purifie the sons of Levi—What abundance of the zealous …nourers of Tristh are daily employed in revising and contradicting it? As they do by Peace, even prosecute it to the death, by the most perverse oppositions, and unpeaceable principles and practises, while they cry up nothing more than Peace? And do they deal any better by Holiness it self. He that is for a Holiness, which consisteth not in Love to God and man, (to God for himself and to Man for his sake) is like the Heathens who are zealous for a God; but he must be made of something unlikest to him that is God indeed: Or like the Mahometans, who are zealous Musselmans or believers; but it is in the most gross deceiver. And he that will promote Love by sna…ling and barking at all that are strangers to him, and not of his own house, shall at last partake of the fruits of such Love as he promoted: And he may as wisely hope at last to bring the Church to Peace also, by werrying it, by splenetick censures and divisions, in despight of the experience of our present age, and of all the world. What ever is done against LOVE is done against Holiness and against God, and against the Life of the Church: And therefore if any Love-killer do call himself, a servant of Christ and a friend to Holiness or to the Church, he must first prove that murdering it is an act of friendship, and a service acceptable to Christ: One would think by their practise, that some men took Abrahams trial for their Law, and accounted it the work of justifying faith, to kill the Church, and offer it up in sacrifice to Christ: But before they bring us to believe that such a sacrifice is acceptable to him, who offered himself a sacrifice for the Church, and who calleth for a living acceptable sacrifice, Rom. 12. 1. They have need to make a better proof of their authority, than Kelley did of his Revelation, when he brought Doctor Dee to consent to adultery by the same pretended warrant: God who is Love accepteth not such a sacrifice at the hands of Love-killers and Church-destroyers.
But especially when besides this acrimony of mind, there shall other more pernicious diseases be contracted, and foment these censures & reproaches of their brethren; the malignity of the disease is a sad prognostick. Two such causes of it Paul layeth open, one Act. 20. 30. the other Rom. 16. 17, 18. One is the devilish sin of pride; and a desire to have many disciples to be our applauders [They shal speak perverse things to draw awaydisciples after them] The other selfishness, carnality and coveteousness [They serve not the Lord Iesus, but their own bellies.] And so 2 Pet. 2. 3. Through Coveteousness they shall with feigned words make Merchandise of you: They buy and sell mens souls for gain: These are Gainsayers in a double sense: Their craft bringeth them in no small gain, and lest it should be set at nought, for gain they do gain-say the truth, and raise up tumults against the best of the servants of Christ; as Act. 19. 24, 27. It is for gain and worldly glory, that they say what they say against those that are wiser and sincerer than themselves.
The sum of all this (and most that followeth) is in 1 Tim. 6. 3, 4, 5. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to the wholesome words, the words of our Lord Iesus Christ (mark, it is not to the words of any new faith-makers dev…sing, and to the doctrine which is according to Godliness, he is proud (though he may cry down pride) knowing nothing (though he may cry down ignorance) but doting about questions (though he may seem to be wise and of high attainments) and strifes of words while he seemeth to plead for the life of Religion) whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings (while they pretend to no less necessary a work, than the saving of Truth and the peoples souls): Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds (the impatient scratchings of those whose corrupt blood must needs have vent, and therefore causeth this itch of quarrelling) and destitute of the truth (whilest they think they are saving the life of truth) supposing that gain is godliness (being so blinded by the love of gain that they make themselves believe, that is the cause of truth and Godliness which maketh for their gain; and that the raising of them, is the raising of the Church; and that all tendeth to the interest of religion, which tendeth to make them great and rich) From such turn away (that is; own them not in hypocritical wranglings, but turn your backs upon them, as men unworthy to be disputed with in their way. Answer not the fool according to his folly, i. e. word it not with him in his foolish way; lest you make him think himself worthy to be disputed with. Talk not with him at his rates; And yet answer him according to his folly; by such conviction and rebukes as is meet for fooles, and as may make him understand his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes, and think that none can stand before him.
Secondly, And it is commonly the most ignorant sort of Ministers, who are the liberallest of their supercilious contempt of those, whose understandings and worth are above their censures. If a controversie be started, which they either never studied, or have only turned over the pages of a few books, to number the sheets, and never spent one year in the deep and serious search of the truth which is in question; Or if they have clumsie wits, that cannot feel so fine a thred, nor are capable of mastering the difficulties; None then are (usually) so ready to shoot their bolt, and pass a Magisterial sentence, and gravely and ignorantly tell the ignorant, what e… rours such or such a one maintaineth, as these that talk of that which they never understood. For as I have known many unlearned sots, that had no artifice to keep up the reputation of their learning, than in all companies to cry down such and such (who were wiser than themselves) for no schollars, but unlearned men; so many that are or should be conscious of the dulness and ignorance of their fumbling and unfurnished brains, have no way to keep up the reputation of their wisedome, with their simple followers, but to tell them, O such a one hath dangerous errours, and such a book is a dangerous book; and they hold this, and they hold that; and so to make odious the opinions or practises of others, which they understand not: And this doth their business with these silly soals, who hear not what can be said against them, as well as if they were the words of truth and soberness.
As for the younger and emptier sort of Ministers, it is no wonder, if they understand not that which they had never opportunity to study, or have taken but a superficial taste of: But it were to be wished that they were so humble as to confess that they are yet but beardless; and that time and long study is needful to make them as wise as those (who with equal wit and grace) have had many more years of serious study, and greater opportunities to know the truth: and that they have not their wisdome by special inspiration or revelation; nor so far excel the rest of mankind in a miraculous wit, as to know that by a few years lazy study, which others know not by the laborious humble fear…h…s of a far longer time. One would think that a little humility … the turn for thus much.
But it ignorance get poss…ssion of the ancient and … headed, it triumpheth then, and desi… …, and saith, Give me a man that … with him? Or rather, Away with … is not worthy to be disputed … groweth not with years: … wit may be poaring forty or fifty … that which another may sooner understand. Much time and study is necessary to great wisedome: But much time and study may consist with very mean attainments; and doth not alwayes reach the wisedome which is sought. And in such a case, the ancient and grey-headed think that veneration is their due; and that if they gravely sentence such or such to be erroneous, they are injured if they are not believed. They have not wisdome enough to make their age honourable; and therefore they expect that their age should make their wisdome honourable.
Thirdly, and because they are not able to endure the light, nor to stand before the power of open truth, they find it necessary to do almost all their work by back-biting: When they are out of the hearing of those whom they back-bite, among such as are as little sensible of this hateful sin as they; then they have this man and that man; this party and that party to reproach.
Fourthly, And (as Mr. Robert Bolton well noteth) to hide the malignity of their sin, and to cheat the hearers and their own consciences) they will first seem to praise him, and to confess that he is in other respects a very worthy, a learned or a pious man, and then bring in their back-biting with a [but.] And that which must sanctifie all this sin, and turns it into a work of zeal, is the seeming interest of God, and of religion. They do all out of a zeal of God (I cannot say, A zeal for God) though it be not according to knowledge. If it was an untruth which they spake it was for religion: If they did back-bite it was to preserve the hearers from errour and danger: If they reviled that which they never understood, it was to keep the Church from the infection: If they tear the Church, and use their reputation to murder Love, and to make others odious who are wiser than they, all this is but for the defence of truth: And if it be non-sense or envy which they vent, they never repent of it (thats the mischief) because they think that the Lord and the Church, and the hearers have need of it. And so all those Texts are to them Apocripha, which condemn their sin. Psal. 15. 3. 2 Cor. 12. 20. Rom. 1. 30. Prov. 25. 23. And sin is so be friended in mans corrupted nature, that they meet but with few angry countenances to drive away such reverend back-biting tongues.
Nay that they may abuse Gods word and name, against God, to the devils service, they arm themselves (as the Tempter did Math. 4.) with Gods authority and scripture, and will charge those with sin who would reprove their sin, and bring them to repentance: And as Master Herbert noteth, how the Pope under the reverend garb of Christs Vicar, doth do the like things to the suppressing of the Church and Truth, as Turks and Heathens do under the name of open enemies: so these men find that the names of Ministers and Christians, with the words of God abused, are among the well-meaning, a more effectual means to do that work which God abhorreth. I have long used to resist this sin of back-biting; and (not to justifie the faults of any, but) to convince the back-biter of his sin. And I seldome do it, but they report of me that I am a defender of such and such corruptions: One backbiteth men as Prelatists and formalists; another the Presbyterians; another the Independents; and another the Anabaptists; and say such a one is of such a sect, and ever with epithetes of reproach: And when I tell them that the way to do them good, is to convince them of their errour to their faces, and not to talk of them behind their backs, they report me presently to be a patron of the sect, because I was a reprover of their unchristian vice.
And many of them having not so far digested their Religion, as to see the evidences of it in themselves, are fain to take it upon trust from others: And they choose that party to cast this great trust upon, which they think to be most venerable. The Papist chooseth for number and worldly pomp and order: The carnal self-seeker chooseth the party, which may most further his preferment and honour in the world: The honester sectaries do choose the party, which seemeth to them to be the most illuminated or most strict: And some have the wit, to look most at those, that set as many of these together as may be hoped for. But among whomsoever they cast their lot, their way to preserve the reputation of Orthodoxness, and the peace of that conscience which made the choice, is to be liberal in reproaching those that differ in any thing from the sect which they have chosen. (For how much of the Christian world is now in sects, is a thing which requireth more lamentation, than proof.) As the Dominicans when they have written far much more than Calvin about predetermination, they have no way to keep their honour with their sect (the Papists) but to rail at the Calvinists and belye them, and charge them with that which they abhor, that so they may seem sufficiently to differ from them.
But the greatest reason of this contentious back-biting quarrelling humour, is Ignorance it self; which will not give them leave so much as to see the difficulty of the points which they oppose; much less the truth of that which they have not been used to. The way which is spoken against, they think they may also boldly speak against.
And hypocrisie (though mixed with sincerity) hath too great a hand in this with many. The less men are taken up in that true religion which consisteth in Hea…en-work and Heart-work, in the Love of God and man, and the mortification of their selfishness and pride; the more they are addicted to make it up with a contentious zeal for their several wayes, opinions and modes of worship, that they may not seen to be cold or neutral in religion. They never understood the third Chapter of I…mes, nor many other such texts of scripture.
O that the Ministers of Christ were once sensible, not here only but through all the Christian world, what a plague the conjunction of their ignorance and contensiousness, and their dividing selfish zeal hath been to the Churches of Christ? And what they have done against the souls of men, by violence, and by heading parties, and by laying Heaven and Hell upon the opinions, which they never understood! and by departing from the primitive simplicity and charity! And how odious a practise it is, of ignorant Ministers, to keep up the reverence of their wisedome, or Orthodoxness or piety, by the secret back-bitings and reproaches of others, whose persons perhaps they never saw; or whom they never once soberly discoursed with face to face; or whose writings perhaps they never read, or thought it not worth their time and labour to understand them; and yet take it to be their piety to revile by hear-say and blind surmises, and judge in a cause which they never impartially heard and understood.
There is none of those Ministers of Christ whom you reproach, but is to be serviceable to h…s master for the saving of mens souls: And you are satans instruments to block up their way, and to turn away the hearts of people from their doctrine. If every Minister (especially your selves) who hath as great an errour, should be made odious for it to their hearers; you might all put up your pipes, and find that your artifice hath first silenced your selves, by the righteous law,—Nec enim lex justior ulla est: Quam necis artifices arte perire sua. Or in the words of Christ; With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Did you see the ugliness of Ignorant peevish contentious zeal, as contrary to holy Light and Love, you would think you saw a devil, spitting out fire and brimstone, and would never more take it for your honour, nor for a mark of a child of God.
And if you knew how every word of oblequy especially by back-biting against your brethren▪ doth tend to infect the hearers with the same vices and kill their Love, and lead them into divisions, you would take heed for the sake of others. (Unless you are of those who are foolisher than the devil, and would build Christs house and Kingdome by dividing it. Math. 12.) One raileth at Luther, and another at Calvin, and another at Arminius, and another at this man, and another at that, for matters which are above their reach; and the people are taught to rail at all; and to make it also their talk behind mens backs, …o prate against this man and that man and the other; and in time to shew it, by breaking into sects: In a word such carnal courses of their Teachers, do make or harden carnal professors, to be one for Paul, and another for Apollo, and another for Cephas, but few sincerely and prudently for Christ: so that instead of Holiness, Love and Concord, we have in almost all company little but ignorant censorious wrangling, at the opinions of those that they never were acquainted with, or at the controverted practises, or circumstances of worship, which are not suitable to their prejudice and custom, and of which they never desired to be the impartial hearers of a just account.
If ever God will shew mercy to his Church, he will give them Pastors after his heart, who shall abound in Light and Love, and lead the people into Concord upon the ancient terms; and make it their work, to bring this Love-killing spirit in…o hatred; whether it work by the way of st…iving-disputes, or dividing principles or practises, or by reproaching others: by corporal cruelty, or by a Religious censorious cruelty, which doth not strike men, but unchurch and damn them, and separate from them as men unfit for christian communion. And whilest the Pastors take another course, we must patiently wait and pity the Church, and fore-see our further misery in this prognostick; though the guilty being puffed up with the conceits of their preciousness to God, do promise themselves the desires of their hearts.
Are not the sons of Levi yet refined? when they have been in so many furnaces and so long! When wisedom, holiness and humility are their nature, and selfish pride and worldliness are cured, this wrinkled malignant ENVY will then cease; and an honest emulation to excel one another in wisdome and Love and all good works, will then take place. And then we shall not, like drunken men, one day fight and wound each other; and the next day cry out of our wounds; and yet go on in our drunken fits, to make them wider.