Irenicum to the Lover of Truth and Peace, Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV.
The eighth dividing Principle. If others be againſt what wee conceive to be truth,The 8. dividing Principle. wee may judge them going againſt their owne light.
THis is a worſe, a more dividing Principle then the former; it is worſe to make our judgments the rule of other mens actions, then other mens judgements the rule of our actions: This makes men who differ, to have exceeding hard thoughts one of another, it cauſeth a mighty ſpirit to riſe in them one againſt another. A man cannot judg worſe of another, then this, that he goes againſt his owne light. Of all things conſcientious men knows not how to bear this; yet how ordinarily will men who are weak, judg thoſe that are ſtrong, becauſe they cannot ſee into the reaſons of their actions? therefore thoſe that do them, muſt needs do them againſt their own light: If they ſee another mans garb, and manner of converſe, and way, to be differing from their owne, they preſently judge him ſinning againſt his own conſcience, to be acted by by-ends to doe what he does meerly out of cunning and craftineſſe; This is from the pride and ſowrneſſe of mens ſpirits. This is farre enough for you to goe in judging your brother, were I in his condition, ſhould I doe as hee doth, I ſhould goe againſt my light, I ſhould act by by-ends; but therefore to conclude that he goes againſt his light, and acts by by-ends, is very ſinfull. Many carnall men thinke, if they ſhould make ſuch a ſhew of Religion; if they ſhould doe ſuch things as ſuch and ſuch men do, it would be hypocriſie in them, and they judge truly, becauſe their Principle would not beare out their practice; but therefore to judge all that do ſuch things to be hypocrites, we account to be a very wicked thing. If thou hadſt any ſpirit of humility or wiſdome in thee, thou wouldſt rather think, it may be hee ſees what I do not, I am to look to mine own heart and wayes, by what principles I goe my ſelf: Men who are weake, and can ſee but a little way into things, muſt take heed they cenſure not others, who know how to manage buſineſſes better then themſelves; ſome may do that acceptable to God, that thou couldſt not doe without an evill conſcience: The ſame honeſty and ſincerity may continue in a man, though in true wiſdome and diſcretion he applies himſelf diverſly, according as occaſions are divers; as the hand remaines the ſame, whether cloſed into a fiſt, or extended abroad, or bended this way or that way as occaſion ſerves. Wherefore for your direction in this, take theſe five rules.
Firſt, we are bound to give the beſt interpretation upon our brethrens actions we can, if they be not apparently ill; we ſhould not do as the Logitians, Sequi partem deteriorem, but incline to that which may any way be conceived or hoped to have any goodneſſe in it; we muſt rather wrong our ſelves by thinking too well of them, then wrong them by thinking too ill of them. This would help exceeding much to peace.
Secondly, we ſhould rather be jealous of our ſelves then others, knowing more of the evils of our own hearts then we can do of any others.
Thirdly, if we know certainly we are right, and others not, our hearts ſhould rather be taken up with admiring and bleſſing Gods goodneſſe to us for what he ſhewes us, then in cenſuring our Brethren for what he hath denied them.
4ly. We muſt remember, that not long ſince we were our ſelves of another mind, & yet we ſinned not againſt our light.
5ly. We muſt conſider alſo, that in other things our Brethren ſee what they do not, and we would be loath to have ſuch meaſure from them,Nolo libertatem meam captivari quam Paulus dedit, dicens, Omnia probate, quod bonum eſt tenete. Luther. that they ſhould judg us, going againſt our light, and to be acted by by-ends in that wee differ from them. We muſt grant that liberty to our Brethren we would have our ſelves; that is not to be involved in the judgments of others, but try all things, and keep what God makes known to us to be good; This liberty, ſayes Luther, Paul hath given me, & I will ſtand to it, I wil not ſuffer it to be captivated.
The ninth Dividing Principle. Rules of prudence are ſufficient to guide us in naturall things and civill affaires, and may as well ſuffice us in ſpirituall and Church-affaires.
A Great part of our diviſions about Church-affairs comes from this Principle: If God would help us with right apprehenſions about t…is, our diviſions would in a great meaſure vaniſh. Thoſe whoſe conſciences are taken with a contrary principle, namely, that there muſt be inſtitutions for all things that are properly Eccleſiaſticall and ſpirituall, they cannot yeeld to any ſuch thing, till they ſee the ſtamp on, an inſtitution upon it: Others who think becauſe Prudence is enough to order civill affairs, there needs no inſtitution for theſe things, they think ſuch as ſtand for them to be too rigid and ſtiffe in their way.
It divides alſo upon this ground: In the corrupt eſtate of the Church (ſuch as ours yet is) if we binde to inſtitutions, we ſhall be ſorely pinched with many things that will be very troubleſom to us, but if we go according to the rules of common prudence, we may decline, or alter what would pinch, & take up what may be commodious for us: Hence the principle is very deſirable, if it can be maintained, men will ſtrive hard before they wil loſe it; and on the other ſide, God is looked at as a jealous God, who will not ſuffer a mans wiſdome to ſhare with him in the things of his worſhip, which are ſpirituall and holy, to appoint and leave out as may be moſt commodious for the freedome of them from trouble, therefore they dare not yield to any Ordinance that is beyond civill, but upon ſome inſtitution of Chriſt in his Word, and this divides.
Now for your help in this: As God hath given two lights to the world, the Sunne, the grater to rule the day; and the Moone, the leſſer, to rule the night: So he hath given two Lights to man, to guide his courſe; the Scriptures the greater, to guide man, eſpecially in his ſpirituall condition, in thoſe more immediate references he hath to God, for his worſhip and enjoyment of communion with him: The other the leſs, the light of Reaſon, to be his guide in naturall and civill things, in the ordering his life for his naturall and civill good; and though it is true, Religion makes uſe of Reaſon, and we have help from the Scriptures in our natural and civill affairs, yet theſe two lights have their diſtinct ſpeciall uſe, according to thoſe diſtinct conditions of man.
When I ſay,What are thoſe things we muſt have inſtitutions for. we muſt have Scripture, and in it inſtitutions for thoſe things which are ſpirituall, and properly Church-affairs, I mean whatſoever is made uſe of for the drawing my ſoule neerer to God, or God neerer to me; or for the tendring up my Homage to God, beyond what it hath in the nature of the thing, put into it by God; for that I muſt have an inſtitution, I muſt not frame any ſuch thing to my ſelf; If I make uſe of any thing of mine own, for ſuch an end that I may worſhip God by, or that God might convey ſome ſpirituall efficacy to me in the uſe of it, becauſe it is a thing that I thinke as fit for ſuch an end, as other Ordinances I find in the Word, and yet have not an inſtitution for it; in this I ſinne againſt Chriſt the Lord, who alone hath power to ſet apart the uſe of what he pleaſeth, for the tendring up homage to God, or the conveighing of any ſpirituall efficacy from God into the hearts of his ſervants.
Mans naturall and civill good is not ſo high, but reaſon and prudence will reach them; but for ſuch things as theſe are, all the reaſon & prudence in the world lies too low, they can not without ſinfull preſumption attempt the putting any thing of their own in the place of theſe: Therefore there can be no other officers in the church, to act by any ſpiritual power, then what we find in the Word; no new Ordinances, no new Courts erected, no kind of authority, no extent of authority any further then we find in Scripture: The proof is evident, all Church Ordinances are for ſpiritual ends, to work by a ſpirituall efficacy, beyond what is naturall or civill; and the efficacy of the power of government conſiſts much in thoſe who govern; if they have not their Charter to authorize their power and the extent of it, it loſes its efficacie, though it be otherwiſe managed with never ſo much wiſdom and juſtice; the ſame act that is an act of Juſtice in one, is murther in another; yea, the ſame mans act done within ſuch limits is an act of Juſtice, and if done beyond thoſe limits, it is murther.
But you will ſay, Surely there is uſe of reaſon and prudence in matters ſpirituall; how far may their uſe extend?
To the doing of theſe two things.
Firſt,Anſw. by reaſon I may compare inſtitutions, and argue from one inſtitution to another, and ſo find out inſtitutions that lie more in the da…k, by others which are more apparent. Though the thing that I gather be not terminis in Scripture, yet if I gather by neceſſary conſequence from an inſtitution, one or more, it hath the force of an inſtitution in it: If I make Reaſon to be the Baſis, the ground of my conſequence, it wil never riſe up to that height as to raiſe an inſtitution; but if I make ſome other inſtitution the Baſis of my conſequence, then it may.
Secondly, when I have found out an inſtitution, then reaſon & prudence comes in to help to manage this in a fit and com…ly way, applying it to fit perſons and times, making uſe of fit ſeaſons, due order, and whatſoever naturall or civill conveniences may further the due adminiſtration of it. The Prelates abuſed that Scripture, Let all things be done decently and in order; for they joyned inſtitutions of their own to Gods, to make them decent and orderly: But that Scripture only ſhews you when you have an inſtitution of Chriſt, you are to apply by the uſe of reaſon and prudence, what natural or civill helps you can, for the better managing this inſtitution of his.
From hence we have an anſwer to that Objection is made againſt many things done by thoſe who are in a Congregationall way; what inſtitution have they for many things they do? what for their Covenant? &c.
Though there be no Text of Scripture holds forth this in terminis, Anſw.yet it is grounded upon other inſtitutions, plainly held forth in Scripture.
Firſt, it is clear in Scripture, that beſides the Catholique Church there are particular Churches, Saints imbodied, under ſuch Officers, who are ſo Officers to them as they are not to others: Theſe people can look upon this man as their Paſtor, and this Paſtor upon this people in a peculiar relation; they may do ſome acts of power over one another in their Congregation, which they cannot do over others in another Congregation: Now then it follows, they being a body, muſt needs have ſomething to joyne them together; and the leaſt thing that can be to joyn them, is the manifeſtation of their aſſent to joyn for thoſe ends for which Chriſt hath appointed ſuch a body; and what is their Covenant, but this? OnelyOnly ſome manifeſt their aſſent more largely, ſome more briefly; I know nothing more is required, but to manifeſt their aſſent to joyn with that body, to ſet up all the Ordinances of Chriſt ſo far as they know.
If there be any other thing done in their Churches wherein they make further uſe of reaſon and prudence, then in the two fore-named things, they cannot juſtifie it, but muſt acknowledg it evill.
The tenth Dividing Principle;The 10. dividing Principle. or rather vaine conceit. Every difference in Religion is a differing Religion.
VVHat do you hear more ordinary then this, How many Religions have we now? Shall ſo many Religions be ſuffered amongſt us? we cannot tell now what Religion men are of; upon this apprehenſion they oppoſe ſuch as differ from them in ſome few things, with all the violence they can, as men bringing up new Religions, and would take away their Religion from them; how can they poſſibly accord with men that are of a different Religion from them?
Surely we are more afraid then hurt;Anſw. Though our differences be ſad enough, yet they come not up to this, to make us men of different Religions. We agree in the ſame end, though not in the ſame means; they are but different wayes of oppoſing the common adverſary. The agreeing in the ſame means in the ſame way of oppoſing the common enemy would be very comfortable, it would be our ſtrength, but that cannot be expected in this world.
Livie in his ſtory of a great Battail between Hannibal and Scipio, Lib. 30.ſayes, That at the joyning of the Armies, the ſhouting of Scipio's men was farre more terrible then the ſhouting of Hannibal's, becauſe Scipio's men were all Romans, their ſhouting had all the ſame tone: but Hannibal's Army was made up of men of ſeverall Countries, ſo that in their ſhouting there was variety of the tones of their voyce, wch was not accounted ſo formidable a ſhout as the other. It is true, our adverſaries do not look our oppoſition to them having ſo much diverſity in it, ſo formidable as they would if we were all but one in our way of oppoſing them; But ſtil we are all ſhouting againſt the common enemy; although therefore the terrour upon our adverſary would be greater, if our ſhout were more uniform; yet we hope the victory may be as ſure.
Souldiers who march againſt a common enemy, all under the ſame Captain, who follow the ſame Colours in their Enſign, and wear them upon their hats or arms, may get the day, though they be not all cloathed alike, though they differ in things of leſſe concernment.
Revel. 15. 2. we read of the Saints ſtanding upon a ſea of glaſſe, which had fire mingled with it. Mr. Brightman interprets this ſea of glaſs, the doctrine of the Goſpel, more clear, more tranſparent then the doctrine of the Law, which, he ſayes, was reſembled by the ſea of braſſe that Solomon made; But there is fire mingled in this ſea of glaſſe, that is, ſaith hee, There are contentions & diviſions in the Church, where this doctrine of the Goſpel is taught: But yet mark what follows, They got the victory over the beaſt, and over his image, and over his marke, and over the number of his name, and had the harps of God in their hands, and ſang the ſong of Moſes, &c.
Men who are in a crowd, tread one upon another, yet they all make to the ſame door, they would all go the ſame way: Godly people are divided in their opinions and wayes, but they are united in Chriſt; though they may be divided from ſuch a particular ſociety, yet they are not divided from the Church; it is with the Saints here, as with the boughs of trees in time of a ſtorm; you ſhall ſee the boughs one beat upon another, as if they would beat one another to pieces, as if Armies were fighting, but this is but while the wind, while the tempeſt laſts; ſtay a while and you ſhal ſee every bough ſtanding in its own order and comelineſs, why? becauſe they are all united in one root; if any bough be rotten, the ſtorme breaks it off, but the ſound boughs come into their former place. Theſe times of division may break off men whoſe ſpirits were before unſound, they will never come in to joyne with the Saints again ſo as they ſeemed to doe in former times: but within a while when this guſt is over, others may come in and ſhew themſelves to be all united in, and receive ſap from the ſame root.