One-Hundred Forty-Five Sermons Upon John 17, Sermon 116
SERMON CXVI. Of Chriſtian Ʋnity; Setting forth ſome Rules for Ʋnity in Doctrine, Church-Order, and Affection; for the preventing of Errour, Schiſme and Wrath.
JOH. 17.21.
That they alſo may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee, &c.
TO prevent or heal any breach that may be made in doctrine by errour, we have given ſome Remedies, and there are more remaining:
As firſt, Candidly and truly to lay down or report the opinions of others that do diſſent from us; There is nothing hath made the gap wider, and more raked into the ſores of the Church then ſuch a malevolent and ill diſpoſition, to pervert the opinions of others, to make them hold ſuch monſtrous things, as they do with all their hearts deteſt; It was thought that the Apoſtle James therefore was moved to write that Epiſtle for works as well as faith, becauſe ſome did miſunderſtand Pauls writings, as if he had taught Faith onelyonly was enough to ſave, though it was not accompanied with an holy life. How often was Chriſt and the Apoſtles traduced for preaching ſuch things that they never taught, and all this was done by their malicious enemies to make them more odious, and to bring greater danger upon them; And do not the Papiſts to this day repreſent the Proteſtants as if they were the moſt damnable and blaſphemous heret…ques that ever were? But if it be not lawful in civil matters to bear falſe witneſſe againſt another, much leſs in Religious and doctrinal matters; whether therefore it be by writing, preaching, report, or any other way Gods Word and Conſcience requireth of us, that we are to repreſent the Opinions of others truly and really, not put a ſence of our own upon them, and then fight with that, this is not the way to bring the ſtraying Sheep back again, this will never reduce to unity, for the party diſſenting will preſently ſee, that truth is not ſought for but victory, That the end of diſſenters is not to bring him to the knowledge of truth, but to diſgrace and defame him, and this will never convert, Therefore that is neceſſary in all diſputations to ſtate the controverſie aright, for that is like the firſt concoction, which if it miſcarry is not mended afterwards, men may write voluminous books, and bring multitude of arguments to no purpoſe, if the true ſtate of the controverſie be not laid down: To know therefore the true and proper diſtance is the only way at laſt to unite, as the beſt way to recover out of a diſeaſe is to be truly informed what it is.
A ſecond Remedy, uniting in matters of doctrine is, not to impoſe ſuch Concluſions and inferences upon the doctrine maintained by diſſentients, that are not the proper and genuine effect thereof, To caſt that upon them as their doctrine which is but our inference that we may make through ignorance or any other diſtemper, is not fair, eſpecially when they do with their whole ſoul abhor ſuch Concluſions; There were ſome Spiders that would ſuck poiſon from thoſe ſweet herbs the Apoſtle had planted, becauſe he ſhewed that where ſin had abounded grace did much more; Therefore ſome forced this conſequence upon the Apoſtles doctrine, Let us ſin that grace may abound, Rom. 6.1. And thus the Papiſts deal with us, and Lutherans alſo, how often do they charge this hideous calumny and conſequence upon the Proteſtants doctrine, as if we made God the authour of ſin? whereas we uſe but the Scripture words and ſuch expreſſions, no, nor ſuch harſh ones neither, as ſome of their own Popiſh Writers do, only it's truth in them but blaſphemy in us; Indeed what is the evident and plain Conſequence of a Doctrine, that is to be accounted of as the doctrine it ſelf; As whatſoever is a clear genuine conſequence from Scripture is Scripture, but not every conſequence, We are apt to deduce, Thus it is here, what is evidently a conſequence from any Doctrine, we may charge it upon the doctrine, but then we muſt be ſure it's the proper and natural childe, not a baſtard, that it is the true iſſue not ſuppoſitions.
3. Whatſoever truth God may have indeed made known to us, or if in our perſwaſion only, we are to be very careful how we publiſh it; This hath been conſtant fire in the Church of God when men either have, or in perſwaſion only, ſome doctrine different from the current way of the Church at that time; Now it's a very hard thing thus to be with childe as it were, and not to be full of pain till we have delivered it to the world; Why is an obſtinate broacher of damnable doctrines called an heretitk but becauſe he chooſeth his own way? He invents and excogitates a doctrine of his own, therefore compared to theeves and robbers, that go not in by the door but climbe up ſome other way; Now ſuch qualifications as theſe are neceſſary,
1. To queſtion and examine thy own ſpirit, not preſently to believe thy own heart; This is a firebrand in the Church, when men have no modeſt doubtings and queſtionings of their own ignorance and proneſſe to erre even in that thing they are ſo confident of; how modeſtly doth the Apoſtle Paul ſpeak 1 Cor. 7. when he determined the caſe about marriage, I think alſo I have the Spirit of God, and he diſtinguiſheth between that which he had as an expreſſe command from the Lord, and what he was inwardly directed unto, whereſoever the Spirit of God leadeth into all truth, there he doth likewiſe into all humility; Thus Luthers Tunè ſolus ſapis es is famouſly known, though the Papiſts charge him falſly with contempt of all others.
2. Before we publiſh it to the world to communicate our thoughts to thoſe that are able, wiſe, and learned in the Church of God, who have the Spirit of God and his Ʋnction as well as we; Paul though called immediately by Chriſt, yet went up to Jeruſalem to confer with the chief pillars there, and though he was thus miraculouſly converted, yet he muſt go to Ananias to be further directed, 1 Cor. 14.14. thoſe that had extraordinary gifts yet were to ſubmit themſelves to others, The Spirit of the Prophets is ſubject to the Prophets, which is interpreted two waies, and both pertinently to my matter:
1. If the meaning be, The ſpirit of the Prophets is ſubject to other Prophets, they have power to judge the doctrine we publiſh, then it will much more follow, that what we have in an ordinary way is expoſed to the examen of others.
2. If by it we underſtand it thus, there is no Prophet having the Spirit of God moving in them that is ſo extraordinarily wrought upon but he may retain thoſe motions, and vent them in an orderly way, not to ſpeak while others are ſpeaking, which ſeemeth to be the ſcope of the Apoſtle in that place; This is very pertinent to my matter, that no man can have ſuch revelations and impulſes from Gods Spirit but that he is in a divine method and good order to declare them, for the unſeaſonable publiſhing of ſome things is like good Phyſick but not adminiſtred in its fit ſeaſon.
Laſtly, To keep up the unity of faith this is a ſpecial means, when we do highly prize and delight in the known plain truths of Chriſt▪ Paul that was ſnatched up in the third Heavens, yet deſired to know nothing but Chriſt crucified; Peter thought it not inconvenient to write the ſame things they knew already; Certainly nothing hath more rent and torn the Church of God then affectation of ſingular high things, To bring in ſome unheard and unknown Truths, Oh this is the pride of mens hearts, to have it ſaid, Such a man was the firſt that brought that nation into the world, as the Jeſuite of his ſcientia media, Ego primus inveni; But to be weary of the known truth is in effect to be weary of the ſame God, the ſame Chriſt, Why do we not deſire a new Sun, a new Earth, a new world as well?
II. Rules to keep up unity in Church-order, and to prevent Schiſm.In the ſecond place, What will keep up unity in the Churches order, and prevent Schiſm there; For although the Scripture uſe the word ſchiſm in a large ſence, yet Eccleſiaſtically it is reſtrained to the breach of order in the Church, and that hath often been when they have kept the unity of the Doctrine, They did not divide from the doctrine but communion in Church-ordinances; Now to keep up an intire body in this, Conſider,
1. That if ſuch be the corruption of the Church, that thou canſt not keep fellowſhip with her but by partaking of her ſins, Then before thou leaveſt that place take the way the Scripture commands, Be ſure that it be not for ſome leſſe corruption, but that which doth eat up the very vitals of Religion; Do not thou leave it till God leaveth it; Do not thou unchurch it till God doth.
2. Let thy endeavours be in thy place to inform and heal before thou doſt depart; Pleade and ſtrive with thy mother, as Hoſ. 2. becauſe ſhe hath committed whoredomes: And then Laſtly, Let thy ſeceſſion be unwillingly; Thou art compelled to make this departure becauſe the Enemies of all godlineſſe will not ſuffer thee or endure thee under their power; Theſe things obſerved, then thou art not guilty of any ſchiſm or breach, but thoſe that gave the occaſion to it; When thoſe of the people of Iſrael would not joyn with Jeroboam in his Idolatry, but ſeparated themſelves, and went to Jeruſalem, where the pure worſhip was; They did not make a ſchiſm, but Jeroboam 2 Chro. 11.13, 14, 15. Thus it is with the reformed Churches; The Papiſt cals the Proteſtant a thouſand times over a Schiſmatick becauſe he withdraweth himſelf from Obedience to the Pope as Head of the Church, but we ſay, ours was not a ſchiſm but a ſeceſſion; They were Schiſmaticks in falling from the primitive order and inſtitutions in the Church, inſomuch that the Pope is the grandeſt Schiſmatick that ever was in the Church, and further we departed not from Rome becauſe of petty corruptions, no, ſhe was a Babylon ere we left her, and then we left her unwillingly: They drave us out perſecuting with fire and fagot, ſo that we may ſay as Muſculus, there is a good Schiſm and a bad Schiſm, a good ſchiſm is when we divide malè unita things evilly joyned, a bad when benè unita things well united.
2. If there be many corruptions in government and adminiſtrations, yet thou art not to make ſinfull Breaches and Rents, for theſe do plus perturbare infirmos bonos, quam corrigere animoſos malos, as Auſtin well; Therefore two things thou haſt to do; Firſt, As thy calling and relation is, ſo to reprove and oppoſe the corruptions that abound; Thus the Prophets of old, and Chriſt with his Apoſtles they did with great Zeal rebuke the corruptions then prevailing, and although carnal and Athieſtical Politicians call this Schiſme and Faction, yet this is to condemn the generation of all the godly Prophets in their ages, and to juſtifie Ahab as if not he but Elijah had indeed been the troubler of Iſrael: 2. When you have thus done your Duty, and ſtill corruptions are ſuffered, leave your Complaints with God who hath promiſed at laſt to take all ſcandals out of the Church, and in the mean while patiently ſigh and groan under that burthen, for we may have a ſinfull impatience in this kinde, as Elijah in part had, and thoſe Diſciples who would needs have fire immediatly conſume the Samaritans, becauſe they would not receive Chriſt.
Laſtly, To prevent Schiſm in the Churches order, take heed of pride, ambition, and ſeeking great things in the Church; It's reported that moſt of thoſe who made the greateſt Rents in the Church did it upon diſcontent, miſſing of that preferment they looked for; The ſpirit of Diotrephes who loved preheminencies, made great diviſions; Even the Diſciples began to quarrell with one another de primatu, Who ſhould be the chiefest? Therefore doth our Saviour ſo often preſſe humility, and enjoyn every one to become like a little Childe.
The laſt particular wherein diviſions are amongſt the godly is in their particular civil deportments,III. Rules for Unity in reſpect of love to prevent wrath and quarrellings. and thoſe are the quarrellings and wranglings the Apoſtle James ſpeaks againſt; Now to prevent theſe, firſt remove the cauſe, kill the Serpent in its Egge, and that is, the luſt of the ſoul: The Apoſtle asketh, From whence comes jars and fightings? Is it not from your Luſts? James 4.1. There is warring within againſt your own ſouls firſt, and then one with another; Dry up this Fountain of luſt, and then the ſtreams will quickly runne no more; Now any kinde of luſt unmortified is ſpark great enough to ſet the Church on fire, a covetous luſt, when men are immoderately given to the world, that cauſeth great diſcord; As the Philiſtims and Iſaac ſtrived about the Well, till at laſt Iſaac came to a place which he called Rehoboth, that is, Rome, Gen. 26.22. Thus here on earth we fall out about earthly things, becauſe the creature is too ſcant to give content to all, but in heaven there will be room enough, So a proud envious luſt, that breaks all Union, inſomuch that till there be a mortification of coveting within there will never be Union without: We might mention the excellency of this Union to prevent heat, but that hath been done already; Let the Sum of all be, as much as in us lieth, to put this prayer of Chriſt into practiſe; Peace is ſo great a matter, that it's called the peace of God, and God is called the God of peace, and Chriſt is called our peace, ſeeing Chriſt praieth for it; We ſee it's not all the Sermons, all the irenicall books can do any good till God give one heart, Be importunate therefore with God, and ſtrive with him for this unſpeakable mercy.