Sermons, Treatise · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. The Ʋſes which are to be made of the two last Theſes.
§. 1.
THat the truth lies between theſe two. I ſay, between a forcible Entry, or violent Intruſion unto this Ordinance, and an unjuſt invaſion of the Communicants right; For both the Ordinance it ſelf, and right of the Communicant are hedged in; As in all Corporations, whoſoever will, may not intrude into the freedom, nor yet the rights belonging to that freedom be taken away, but in an orderly way. That which God hath made common, we may not incloſe or make ſeveral, v…z. the Goſpel or preaching thereof, and that which God hath made ſeveral, we may not make common, that is, this Sacrament; As he cannot allow this Table to any that are not of the houſe, ſo neither can we turn out of the houſe ſuch as have right to come to this Table: Some are diſpleaſed that they ſhould not have the ſame right to the Word, and to the Table; No, for as thou art a ſinfull man, thou haſt a right, and duty to hear the Goſpel, though an Heathen, but not to this Sacrament, till thou be a Chriſtian, and duly qualified profeſſour of Chriſt: Are you not pleas'd that God gives you a nearer and more inward admittance unto Communion and fellowſhip with Chriſt, than to Jews and Infidels, and ſuch as are called Chriſtians, but little better than they? Would you not have him make more of his children, than of common ſervants? While you would raiſe up a right unto wicked men to Gods inner Ordinance, you do but depreſſe and lay low the difference and favour, which he vouchſafes to his Covenant people; A King may ſend a Proclamation of pardon to rebels, while the Sword is in their hand, but he ſeals it not to them, or invites them to his Table, till they ſubmit and accept conditions.
§. 2.
No private grudge, or diſtance, or animoſity of any man in authority can warrant the diſpoſſeſſion of any juſt right of a Communicant to this Ordinance. I have told you already, We are not Lords of the Sacrament, but Stewards; the Table is the Lords Table, not ours; No ſervant can upon any private grudge againſt his fellow-ſervant forbid him the houſe or table provided by the Maſter; No private Citizen can forbid the priviledge and rights of freedom to his fellow-citizen; This is but the exerciſing of private revenge by the way of Gods publick Ordinance, and to proſtitute the ſame to our envy and malice; The King ſaid to his ſervants, binde him hand and foot, that hath not the wedding-garment, and take him away, Matth. 27. 13. The King ſaid it, Let all the Lords ſervants take heed of caſting out any, but upon the Lords warrant, and upon his command. I ſhould tremble that my ſelf, or any elſe ſhould make my Office ſerve my private ſpleen, neither can any man loſe his right upon my ſuppoſition or ſuſpicion of ſcandalous ſin, but clear and convictive evidence.
And what I ſay of private grudge, I would be underſtood to ſay of private differences in opinion, ſpeculative or practick, provided they be ſuch as godly men do ordinarily diſſent in; or (as the Apoſtle ſaith) Such things wherein the Kingdom of God conſists not, Rom. 14. 17. For verſ. 3. Let not him that eateth deſpiſe him that eats not. Let not him that eateth not, judge him that eats, and the reaſon is given, verſ. 4. He is another mans ſervant, to his own Master he ſtands or fals. Such diſcord need break no muſick, we may as ſoon make all faces alike; as all judgements, and we ſhould not be ſo proud as to think all are Blackmores beſides us. For God hath received him (ſaith the Apoſtle, Rom. 14. 3. therefore let us receive him, and let him receive at the Lords board, and yet I would have no man think, that I dare ſpeak in favour of, or invite hereſie to the Lords Table; For as there is a great difference between our daily ſinnes, and thoſe we call ſcandalous, or flagrant, and atrocious, ſo there is alſo between many errours of judgement, and pernicious hereſies; And if we compare ſuch hereſies with ſcandalous ſinnes of moral life, you ſhall finde, that hereſie is more infectious and peſtilential, though the other may be as mortal; So the Plague is more to be avoided than the Dropſie: Hereſie overthrows the faith of other men more eaſily, than drunkenneſſe doth their morals by the example; By ſcandalous ſinnes we open others mouths to blaſpheme, by hereſie we our ſelves blaſpheme, 1 Tim. 1. 20. And you finde that it is ſaid of hereſies, as it is of Adultery, Murder, They that doe ſuch things ſhall not inherit the Kingdome of God, Gal. 5. 19. And if there be any thing higher, it's ſaid, They bring upon themſelves ſwift deſtruction, 2 Pet. 2. 2. and therefore they are as farre removed from this Table, as any other.
§. 4.
And what I have ſaid of private grudge, or private differences in judgement; I ſay, laſtly, of private reſpects or partiality, which neither ſhuts nor opens the door well; and if I were to allow or diſallow Communicants, I would not admit my near relations, Wife, Children, Servants, Kindred, Friends, but upon the ſame termes I would admit my enemy, his relations, his Wife, Children; and if I ſhould diſallow any of them upon the ſame terms, I would forbid mine own, elſe were I aJam. 2. 4. reſpecter of perſons, and a judge of evil thoughts; Nor would I ſtretch out my hand to a Parliamentman, and withdraw it from a Scavenger on the ſame termes; Nor ſhould a godly man, Flagranti in crimine, under the ſcandall of drunkenneſſe, or adultery, finde any more welcome than another man under the ſame ſinne, untill repentance made ſome difference; For ſtill I goe upon the ſame Rule or principle; The Table is not ours; We make not the Feaſt; We are not Lords and Maſters of the Ordinance, but Stewards, Servitours, Diſpenſers, that muſt act ad voluntatem Domini.
§. 5.
The third Uſe of this Point, may be to ſatisfie our querulous and complaining diſpoſitions, when we ſee many who are but Jewes outwardly, and they are no Jews; Many that have a forme, but not the power of godlineſſe: Many that walke diſorderly, as the Apoſtle ſaith, 2 Theſſ. 3. 11. Many that deſire to make a fair ſhew, and do foreign, ſet a good face on it, Galat. 6. 12. but are rotten at the core, &c. They complaine, Why are they ſuffer'd? Why are not they caſt out▪ Why do they remain ſpots in our feaſts, as Jude ſaith, &c? And it cannot be denied, we plead not for hypocrites, we are not Advocates and Patrons of fooliſh Virgins, they come unworthily, though they come, and that is bad enough, but why do they come at all? The Anſwer is, That violence muſt not be offer'd to that Rule, Order and way, which God hath ſet down for the prohibiting of any viſible member from his right. It's fit that thieves and robbers, and cheaters were either reformed or purged out of the Commonwealth, but yet it muſt be in the courſe of Law, or elſe the remedy would be a miſchief; That in the mouth of two or three Witneſſes (ſaith Chriſt, Matth. 18. 16.) every word may be eſtabliſht. It is not a thing to be done at randome, as I have ſhewed; Every ſore leg is not preſently to be cut off, there may be as ſore a one under a ſilk ſtocking: The Church ſinnes, if ſhe neglect her duty; but I muſt tell you, That you muſt do your duty firſt. Have you (in private offences) gone firſt to your offenſive brother, and told him of his fault in private, and then if he be not gain'd, have you born witneſſe againſt him? And hath he been convinced of his ſinne by due conviction? Or doth he ſtand out againſt conviction and admonition? And is he obſtinate, and doth perſiſt in his ſinne? One may murder a Felon, he ſhould haply die, but he dies innocently, if he die by a private hand; A man that deſerves to be caſt out, may be caſt out injuriouſly, viz. a non judice. I confeſſe the Argument is plauſible, That the Church, the livelier and purer it is, the better it is, So the Corn-field is beſt that hath no weeds; The Corn that's clean dreſt from chaffe and cockle is the pureſt, but it's rare to finde ſuch a field, or to finde ſuch a floor in the Garner, ſo it is, but not in the barn-floor. I like holineſſe which is of Gods making, not that which is of mans making. The Novatians, or Cathari, the Donatiſts alſo pretended both to a holineſſe above all the Churches of God in the world, but there is (as Calvin obſerved, none of them left in the world to be ſeen, whereas the true Churches of Chriſt continue, and I hope ſhall continue, though they be like Iſrael going forth of Aegypt, that had a mixt multitude among them, as the Scripture ſpeaks.