A Plain and Familiar Christian Conference, Introduction
The Introduction.
Chriſtophilus.
Mr. Philomathes, I am heartily glad to ſee you; methinks you are mightily enjoying your ſelf in your pleaſant and retired walks; will not my company diſturb your meditations?
Philomathes.
I take it kindly, Sir, you are pleaſed to give me a Viſit, for indeed, I live ſomewhat lonely, I am glad of good company, eſpecially ſometimes for divertiſement, but there is no friend more welcome than your ſelf to me, becauſe your chearfulneſs revives me, and your diſcourſe profits me.
Chriſtoph.
Dear Sir, I deſerve not ſo great a character and commendation, it is your generous diſpoſition that leads you to ſpeak theſe things, for you know we uſe to differ pretty much in many things, eſpecially in matters of Religion, and in diſcourſe ſeemingly hot opponents of each other, but I think never the worſe Friends.
Phil.
Sir, I have, ſo near as I know my own heart, a moſt cordial love to every one that fears God, though he be not in every thing of my mind; but for you, Sir, I have more than an ordinary reſpect and eſteem, as having been my old acquaintance, and intimate friend and neighbour in all the late Changes in Church and ſtate, for above theſe forty years we never had any laſting difference, but for the moſt part a very friendly correſpondence.
Chriſt.
And to your great honour, with a grateful remembrance, may I often rehearſe to the praiſe and glory of God, the marvelous Chriſtian kindneſs and commiſeration that you ſhewed to me, and my wife and family in our late Perſecutions, that you often ſheltered me from the rage of my enemies; and when they haled me to Priſon, and plundered all my goods, that my Wife and Children had not Beds to lie on, Victuals to eat, nor Veſſels to dreſs any thing in left, you were pleaſed to take them into your houſe, and provide plentifully for them; and this you did when you were in a capacity to have done us more hurt than they who did it, and ran no ſmall hazard from time to time in not doing it.
Phil.
No, no, I hope God will keep me from a perſecuting ſpirit; I bleſs his name he hath kept me from it hitherto, and it is a change in our Nation much to be admired, that we have ſuch a day of Liberty as we have, that all good men may live quietly and peaceably one by another, and ſerve God according to their Conſciences.
Chriſt.
Ay Sir, eſpecially if we conſider the ſtupendous circumſtances of Providence theſe few laſt years paſt, that hath wrought about matters to effect that which we ſo long prayed and waited for.
Phil.
But my friend, I muſt whiſper a word in your ear, things are not right yet.
Chriſt.
No, no, nor will not be yet, as they ſhall be, but bleſſed be God they are ſo well as they are, and that God is going on ſo faſt in the way of his Providence towards finiſhing his Myſtery.
Phil.
I ſee you are on your Prophetick hints ſtill, I muſt confeſs my ſelf here Aſinus ad lyram, for the darkneſs of Prophecies, and the diſagreement of Interpreters, and Events refuting ſo many that have been very confident, hath quite diſcouraged me, that as I look not into them my ſelf, ſo I give little heed to what others ſay, for all men will abound in their own ſenſe; and a man may be ſaved whether he be right or wrong in thoſe things.
Chriſt.
Well Sir, then we'll let thoſe things alone, I would not introduce any ungrateful diſcourſe, but would rather enter upon ſomething more ſuitable to your genius.
Phil.
Say you ſo? I will be ſo bold with you then, as to ſtart ſome matter for our diſcourſe, which may be of uſe to me, and it is that which I have been juſt now meditating on, when walking by my ſelf, and I can't tell what is the matter with me (there may be ſomething of God in it) my mind for ſome months ſince hath been much running on ſuch things: My Friend, I am thinking about a Church of Chriſt, whether or no Chriſt inſtituted any? or whether there be any Viſible Church but what is eſtabliſhed by the Laws of Men? our Parſon ſtands very ſtifly on this latter Opinion, and truly to give him his due (though a while ago he ſeemed a little of a Perſecuting ſpirit, which I always chid him for) he is a learned man, a good Divine, an eloquent Preacher, and indeed an indifferent good liver, unleſs now and then in ſome company he may drink a glaſs of Wine too much, which a good man may do. Indeed he was upon this Point Sunday laſt, and I am thinking he did not give ſufficient Scripture ground to prove what he ſaid.
Chriſt.
Sir, I am not a little ſtartled at this humour of yours; you know how often you have been moved to great paſſion upon my ſtarting Diſputes upon that Point, and that you looked upon things of this nature (how clearly ſoever proved from Scripture) to have as little certainty in them as you do the Interpretation of Prophecies now.
Phil.
It's too true indeed what you ſay of me, and I thank you for it, but Nemo mortalium omnibus horis ſapit; it may be God is fixing my heart to a more ſerious and impartial conſideration of theſe things, from which two things hindered me. 1. A rooted prejudice took in from the Univerſity, and daily company, eſpecially with them of the Gown of both ſorts againſt theſe things. 2. Worldly Intereſt; I did not dare to ſuffer my mind and conſcience to be overcome by the light of ſome Truths, leſt they ſhould ſo far prevail as to prejudice my Eſtate and Reputation among the leading men of the times; I ſhall ſpeak two words, which ſhall introduce you with chearfulneſs into this diſcourſe. 1. In our former converſes about theſe things, although I uſually (as you know the manner is for diſcourſe ſake) gave you much oppoſition, yet there were many Arguments which you uſed pinched me very hard, and although I ſeemed to blow them off with little regard, yet they ſtuck in my mind afterward, and now recur with no ſmall evidence and demonſtration, eſpecially ſuch as flowed ſo clearly from Scripture, as I know there were many: tho' I made as if I would not ſee it. And I have had a great veneration for Scripture, and I have often thought that it muſt be the ſtandard for our Religion, whatever men ſay, elſe we muſt turn Papiſts or Mahometans. And there was one place among the reſt which you preſſed upon me for ſtrictneſs of walking according to Goſpel Rules in the ſervice of Chriſt, Joh. 15.14. Ye are my friends if ye do whatever I command you. From this place I have had many checks of conſcience in reading over the Books of the New Teſtament (in the courſe I obſerve in my family) ſeeing ſo many things commanded by Chriſt, which I take no regard to, eſpecially in Goſpel Inſtituted Worſhip, and I have thought that ſure Chriſt commands Believers much more than meer Morality, which made me to queſtion my true friendſhip to Chriſt, and that I was not carried forth in the practice of that little Religion which I pretend to, from a right principle, but from carnal, and did but what a meer prudential moral man might do; viz. to attain to a little ſeeming negative Holineſs; and ſeeing upon examination I find the fruit no better, I queſtion the goodneſs of the Tree. Indeed I pleaſed my ſelf that I was not of a perſecuting ſpirit, and now I find this came from the natural conſtitution God hath given me; I was always of a compaſſionate nature, hating cruelty. Likewiſe I took up from the Goſpel a Moral Rule, to do as I would be done by; now in all this I find there was nothing but nature, and meer morality, not any thing of grace; here now I finding my ſelf meerly natural, I ſee the reaſon why all the myſteries of faith and order (the commands of God in the Goſpel) were meer fooliſhneſs to me. And I manifeſted a love to you and others of your perſwaſion, becauſe you were always the faireſt and honeſteſt ſort of men to deal with, except here and there an Hypocritical knave. Such will be found among the ſtricteſt Profeſſors in this world: though I often had my mouth ſtopped when your inveterate Enemies condemned all, and your very Religion it ſelf for your ſakes. Beſides, I did love you, becauſe I ſaw you good Commonwealths men, & for the moſt part aſſerted our Civil Liberties, as well as Spiritual. And laſtly, as I may tell you, I had no little condemnation in my conſcience by obſerving the converſation of ſome of you, and looked upon it as ſome kind of expiation for my extravagancies and compliances, and ſo a palliate cure of my ſtinging conſcience to ſhew as much countenance to you as could well ſtand with my circumſtances. And I was willing to have a general reputation among all Parties for a good honeſt prudent Gentleman of a religious inclination, though differing in ſome ſmaller matters, and ſometimes carried away by a ſort of men to thoſe practices I approved not of, but could not well avoid; and you know I was never no ſwearer, nor did ever care for healths, and ſeldom out of the way by a glaſs of Wine more than ordinary.
Chriſt.
Sir, I am ſure now you ſpeak like a very honeſt Gentleman indeed; I have often heard your diſcourſe with delight, but never with ſo much complacency as now, you have by this got my very heart, for I hope you are through grace raiſed to a better ſavour and truer reliſh of ſpiritual things than ever I perceived in you.
Phil.
I wiſh that be true, God grant that through his rich grace it may be ſo. I will add a word more concerning my ſtate in grace by and by, but let me firſt mention the other thing to induce you to proceed in anſwering my deſire, and it is this; I am now willing candidly to enquire into your way of Worſhip, that which you call Goſpel Order, and to lay aſide all wrangling diſputes and prejudices, and take things calmly, and with a ſincere impartial attention, that ſo I may have the cleareſt information that may be of the true mind and will of Chriſt; for now I ſee it is to no purpoſe to ſerve Chriſt in a way that he never revealed or appointed; ſuch ſervices I am convinced are neither acceptable to him, nor profitable to us: therefore our gracious and wiſe Lord tells the corrupt worſhippers of his day, In vain do ye worſhip me, teaching for Doctrine the commandments of men. I was much ſtartled at that Text once by an able Preacher (ſlipping in a ſtrange place into a Conventicle where no body knew me) who did open and apply that place notably; I wiſhed in my mind ſome of my acquaintance had heard him, but that was not a day for ſuch as I and them to be ſeen at a Conventicle.
Chriſt.
Sir, I ſhall now moſt gladly comply with you in the command you lay upon me, but I pray Sir, how came you ſo in love with the Lord Jeſus Chriſt? you may remember how in your familiar diſcourſes with me at your Table, you would take occaſion a little merrily to deſcant upon my name, and ſay, it was a marvelous Puritanick name, ſure thy Father was a great Puritan, Browniſt, or Anabaptiſt.
Phil.
Sir, I remember it very well, and I am convinced I did very ill in it to jeſt with ſpiritual things, for I find now I had as good have joked on the name Chriſtian, for indeed he is not worthy of that name who is not a friend of Chriſt, and ſuch I deſire to be, and hope through the free grace of God I ſhall be for ever hereafter; and oh that through the Word of God, and the effectual operation of his Spirit, I may be made wiſe unto ſalvation, and then my name will not only be Philomathes, but Polumathes!
Chriſt.
Amen; It is my hearty deſire and prayer to God for you that you may be ſaved, and always hath been ſince I knew you; but I pray how came you all of a ſudden to be ſo great a friend unto Chriſt, as I hear you now profeſs, to my unſpeakable rejoycing?
Phil.
On a ſudden! no, no, man, it is not on a ſudden; God hath been longer dealing with my heart than you, or any one hath known of, though you hear of it but now. It would be too long to acquaint you with the dealings of God with me, the many convictions of conſcience that I have wreſtled with, and at laſt through the prevailing power of Sin and Satan, palliated with ſome Religion, or ſtifled with merry companions, or by reſolutely caſting off convictions: from reading the Word, from hearing it, from the good Education my good Parents gave me (for indeed to tell you the truth, they were Puritans, and I▪ the Lord forgive me, an Apoſtate wretch from the Principles I was inſtructed in: however all was palliated under the name and carriage of a prudential man) convictions from the converſation of good men, from the ſins of prophane ones, that I was often an eye and ear-witneſs: of convictions, from the preaching of our Parſon that preached againſt ſome ſins that he was too too much guilty of. I was convinced it was my duty to do as he ſaid, not as he did; but all this while I was in the gall of bitterneſs, and the bond of iniquity, whatever I or others thought of me, for I knew not Chriſt, and taſted no true ſavour of him: I had ſomething of a form of godlineſs, but no power; my Religion, ſuch as it was, was a meer ſlavery to me; the world, and the luſts of my own heart kept me a ſlave to the Devil.
Chriſt.
When do you think thoſe bonds began firſt to be broken, and how?
Phil.
Truly it was by the Word of God; for when I conſidered ſome places of Scripture, ſuch as Rom. 10.17. faith comes by hearing, &c. & Jam. 1.18. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth; it wrought upon me to look out a little (in my prudential way) after good Preaching, that I might find the gates of Wiſdom. And I would hear ſome of the ableſt men of our Church, eſpecially when I went to London, and truly I heard many notable diſcourſes for Eloquence and Learning, and they ſeemed for to make a great jingle in my imagination for the preſent, but no impreſſion on my heart, that remained very lean ſtill. And the main ſubſtance of their diſcourſes was uſually to cry up our Church for the pureſt in the world, and natural Religion, and the power of the natural man's free will to the imbracing the things of God, the Doctrine of Non-Reſiſtance, and Paſſive Obedience; and in the hearing of thoſe Doctrines, I was ſo far from profiting, that my heart told me ſtill while I heard, that I ſufficiently knew by mine own experience that they preached Lies, and that they cauſed the people to err, ſuch as are ſpoken of, Jer. 14.14. & 23.25, 26, 32. Ezek. 13.8, 9. & 16.29. & 22.28. I pitied the poor Souls that ſate conſtantly under ſuch teaching, and reſolved to give them off, and betake my ſelf to Conventicles; but my covetous heart, in love ſtill with the world, was too hard for me, for there was danger yet in it; whereupon I talked with ſome Whigs that were not ſo ſtrait-lac'd, but that they would hear good Preaching in the Church, and Common-prayer too, if need were, but would ſhake their heads, and make great complaint of the Publick Miniſtry. In brief, I find they were ſick of my diſeaſe, though I liked them the better for it then; they told me of a man or two which the Whigs that had been affrighted from Conventicles had ſmelt out, and went to hear, but they are (ſay ſome) reckoned but Phanaticks in a Mask; the true Sons of the Church hate them with a perfect hatred; quoth I, it's no matter for that, I will hear them what they ſay, if it pleaſe God: Indeed I was ſo diſſatisfied in the preaching of ſome of their London Dons, that I had rather hear our Country Doctor, which I look upon as more orthodox, and was juſt reſolving to leave the Church, and venter it at the Conventicles: No, ſay my honeſt Latitudinarian Whigs (as true Blues for the Peoples Civil Rights as any in the world, but ſince I find them meer bogglers at the Intereſt of Chriſt; and there are ſome N. C. Divines that give large meaſures to their conſciences too, but no more of that) don't do any thing raſhly; conſider, you have a plentiful Eſtate, God be thanked, and you have a Wife and many Children, it becomes you to mind the main chance; theſe are but Punctilio's of difference between the Church of England, and the Diſſenters, the great danger is of Popery, let's all combine againſt that, and not let Proteſtants break one another by theſe ſmall Indifferences. We confeſs we are troubled at this Devil of Perſecution that is broke out in the Church, but we think too they are a ſort of imprudent raſh People, that will be caſt into Priſons, and ruine their Eſtates and Family's for non-compliance in indifferent things, in which cauſe we believe they could not juſtifie themſelves to die. There are many things indeed ſhould be rectified in our Church; but you know our Articles are very ſound, and as for the Prayers and Ceremony's, they are as our firſt Reformers and Martyrs left them. Theſe things being ſpoken at a noted Coffee-houſe for Whiggs, took much impreſſion upon me, and fix'd me with more Reſolution to adhere to the Church; for I knew they were old Profeſſors, and as cunning Shifters, as I was, or I could be in matters of Religion. I thought my ſelf now but a fool to them, ſeeing they had ſtudied and practiſed this Point ſo thorowly; and condemned a narrow throated Conſcience for one of the worſt things in the World for a Wiſe man, it was fit only for Religious fools. But I told them if I did keep my Church, I would hear ſome or other that preached Salvation by Jeſus Chriſt, and if I found ſuch an one I would go near to move my Family, and come up to London, ſo I took my leave and went away, paying my Diſh.
Chriſt.
And did you go to hear the man or men they directed you to?
Phil.
Yea, I'le warrant you, and with a greedy appetite; and there was a great crowd of Whiggs, many of which I knew when they would not have gone to Church for a great deal, ſed tempora mutantur & nos, &c.
Chriſt.
And what was the Subject he was upon?
Phil.
Eph. 2.1. And you hath he quickned who were dead in Treſpaſſes and Sins, &c. He inſiſted on the dead ſtate of the Natural man, ſhew'd how all the Imagination of his Heart was evil; he could not of himſelf do any good, Rom. 3.12. and backed his Doctrine with ſo many full and plain places of Scripture, that my mouth was fully ſtopped and my Heart became guilty before God. I ſaid with my ſelf, Bleſſed be God, I hope ſome men in the Church have got the cue of the Goſpel. I hope all have not abdicated the thirty nine Articles from their Pulpits. I went in the Afternoon to hear a man much commended too, and he was on that Text, Mat. 16.26. What will it profit a man, &c. And he deſcribed the excellency and worth of a mans Soul ſo well, ſhewing nothing could be a valuable ranſom for it but Chriſt; and decried the world at ſuch a rate, eſpecially when it comes in competition with the Eternal welfare of the Soul; that my two great bulwarks were battered down in a manner in one day, and Chriſt even ready to take poſſeſſion. I ſaw now I was but a poor undone, wretched, wicked, condemned creature, and that I had hitherto ſold my Soul to preſerve my Eſtate. Whereupon I retired my ſelf to my Lodging, and ſpent much time in Prayers and Tears, and reſolved now if God would give me ſtrength, I would ſlip into a Conventicle, which accordingly I did next Sunday, where I heard a very awakening diſcourſe upon, Gal. 3.10. As many as are of the Works of the Law, are under the Curſe. Whereby I underſtood the deſperate Condition I was in, in Relation to the Law, which he opened exceeding well, Whereby the Law came, Sin revived, and I died, Rom. 7. After this I made a ſhift to get into a place where I heard a worthy man preach very lively and clearly on Act. 16 31. whence he opened the Nature of Faith, and ſhewed how it ſaved, viz. Inſtrumentally by cloſing with, and laying hold upon the Lord Jeſus Chriſt for Juſtification and Sanctification, and how Chriſt was made Sin for us, and bare the Curſe: After this I began to ſavour the preaching of Jeſus Chriſt, and found my Soul more refreſhed with one of theſe Sermons, than with an hundred others. I heard alſo from Acts 4.12. There is no other Name under Heaven given, whereby we can be ſaved, and from Heb. 7.25. He is able to ſave to the uttermoſt all them that come, &c. from Joh. 14.6. I am the Way, the Truth, &c. It would be endleſs to acquaint you with the precious diſcourſes, that I have ſince heard in London when I came up, eſpecially from the time of Liberty; and what warmth of Love was wrought in me to the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, with ſome meaſure I truſt of a true and lively Faith, that through the ſtrength of Freegrace I hope I ſhall be a Chriſtophilus now all my days, but I muſt tell you one thing, that the Devil is a Conventicler too, as well as a Son of the Church, for I ſee many very looſe perſons there for hearers, and not a little falſe Doctrine deliver'd in many of them.
Chriſt.
Theſe things always have and will be; as for prophane hearers, I diſlike not that, for there is then the more matter for a converting Miniſtry to work upon; and as for falſe teachers, they were many in the Apoſtles time, as Paul and Peter tell us in their Epiſtles. This ſhould not diſcourage you; But be faithful to the Death, and you ſhall have a Crown of Life, Rev. 2.10.
Phil.
I hope by the help of God I ſhall, but I will tell you there is one difficulty, I cannot get over yet, and that is this; I have heard you ſay, it's the Duty of a Believer, to follow Chriſt fully, to deny himſelf and take up his Croſs, and to add or joyn himſelf to ſome Church; which I have not done any otherwiſe than to partake ſometimes with the Church of England, and ſometimes at a Meeting; which I am much diſſatisfied in, for many weighty reaſons not to be now inſiſted on. That which keeps me at this day is my great Ignorance of, and Eſtrangedneſs to the order of the Goſpel, I being not fully ſatisfied whether Chriſt hath inſtituted any Stated Goſpel Church, and if he hath, where among all your different perſwaſions in matters of worſhip it is to be found. I wiſh you would be pleaſed to give me the cleareſt account you are able in brief of your perſwaſion and practice in theſe matters.
Chriſt.
Sir, I ſhall chearfully endeavour it, but that things may be more clear and plain to your underſtanding, I pray make your enquiries of the points you would be reſolved in, and your objections as they occur.