The Nature of Edification, Title page – Preface
A DISCOURSE Explaining the Nature of Edification. BOTH OF Particular Persons in Private Graces, AND OF The Church in Unity and Peace. And shewing That we must not break Unity and Publick Peace, for supposed Means of better Edifying in Private Virtues. IN A VISITATION SERMON At COVENTRY, May 7. 1684.
BY JOHN KETTLEWELL Vicar of Coles-Hill in Warwickshire.
LONDON, Printed for Robert Kettlewell at the Hand and Scepter over against St. Dunstans Church in Fleetstreet. MDCLXXXIV.
THE PREFACE.
EDification, as applied to the whole Body, is in Scripture-Notion the Uniting of the Church; but now by a very unhappy, tho' a very common Mistake, it is made the great Pretence for Dividing it. For that wherein our Dissenting Brethren hope to shelter themselves in forsaking us, is their Edifying more in Separate Congregations. This is thought a Good Answer to all Laws requiring Communion with the Parish-Churches; for no Law, they think, can hinder them from Edifying, and saving their own Souls: and a sufficient Reason for their rejecting of any Imposed Pastors; which they fancy are not to be appointed by the Will of the Patron, or the Prescription of the Church, but by every Mans own Choice, because no other is so much concerned for his Edification, as he himself is. To remove this Cause of Separation, some Worthy*See a Discourse of Profiting by Sermons: and another Of Edification. Persons have taken very Pious and Profitable Pains, in shewing how unjust the Charge of an Unedifying Ministry is upon our Church, and how partial they are in ascribing more Edification to their Meetings. And if our Brethren will peruse what they have said with impartial Minds, and see this, as they may if they will lay aside all Prejudice, there will be no need of saying any more to satisfie them in this Business. But if after all they will be Judges themselves where they Edifie most, and in their Iudgment prefer their own Ministers: yet still there is enough to with-hold them from Separation on this account, because they are to edifie and build up the Church of God as well as themselves, and must not break the Publick Unity and Peace to carry on their own Profiting in Private Graces. And therefore, referring them to the forementioned Discourses (whose Principal Design I think that is) to convince them that their Assemblies are not more, and ours less Edifying: in that part of this Sermon which concerns this Case, I have applied my self more expresly to those who shall still be unconvinced, and think they are: and shewn them, that supposing, what indeed is otherwise, that among them Particular Men have better Means of Edification, yet will not the search of that warrant them to divide the Church, and betake themselves to Separation.
And as it will not justifie the People in Hearing: so, which is the only thing I shall add further, much less will it justifie their Ministers in Preaching in a Separate Meeting. For the Preachers are not less, but more obliged than the People are, to edifie the Church of God in the first place. And whatever Necessity they may think lies upon them to Preach the Gospel, in Places where there are no other Preachers: yet where there are, (and our Brethren will not deny there are store of Sound, and Profitable ones among us,) the Care of Edifying the whole Church ought surely to restrain them from breaking Unity by Preaching, and from drawing Men off from hearing us, only in Hopes they may Profit more by joyning with themselves. The Duty, and the Desire, (as of reaping greater Profit themselves, so) of ministring to the greater Profit of any other Particular Christians, must stop, as this Discourse shews, in Peaceable ways. And therefore till our Brethren can Conform, and preserve Unity under their Preaching; they ought to be silent, as the Old Peaceable Nonconformists were, and quietly suffer the People to be taught by others; and not exercise their Ministry out of any Hopes of doing more Good with it to their Particular Hearers, when thereby they must cast off the Authority of their Lawful Superiors, and make a Rent and Division in the Church.