Moderation a Virtue, Treatise · Section 3
SECT. III.
I have now done with one Part of our Vindication from the Imputations thrown upon us on one side: we are obnoxious to many severe Censures from another side, from many of our Dissenting Brethren, who wonder how we can do many things which they cannot, and for not doing them, have suffered for many Years to great Loss and Hardship. It will be necessary to say something by way of Apology to them; which is the second Part of our Vindication.
Two things are most commonly objected against us.
1. The love of the World.
2. That we by our Conformity have left the Nonconformist Brethren under the Censure and ill Character of Factious and Obstinate Men, and have made them the less to be pitied in their Sufferings, and their way of return to the Service of the Church as narrow and strait as it was at first.
To the first we say, That those Brethren that censure us, ought to keep out of the Seat of Judgment; and that every Man's Motive is known to God, and should be observed by his own Conscience, and its Sentence attended to, either for Repentance, or for Peace. We make no Apology for any Corruption of Mind, or Affection. But we hope that many have been carried upon purer Motives.
To the second we can say, and we profess, That we have tasted of their Cup, and it hath been grievous to us, to be separated from our Brethren and Fellow-Labourers in the Lord; and are sure that many of them are glad that good Men have conformed, and say, as some old Nonconformists have said, If good Men did not conform, what would become of the Church of God? The wiser, and holier, and moderate part of our Brethren have been, and are the more charitable in their Censures of us, and have contributed much to our Encouragement, and are comforted to see the common Salvation promoted by any hand, and the Truths of the Gospel with a good Conversation maintained and kept alive. And we do also profess, it is more grievous to us to be judged of them that are One in Christ, than to be reproached by others of a common or worldly Spirit. And it is one part of the great Unhappiness of our constrained and necessitated Separation into two Ways, that our mutual Confidence, Acquaintance, and Communication hath suffered a diminution by it. But if we have with satisfaction to our Consciences conformed, there are great Reasons why we should, yea, more, we ought to put the most candid Interpretation upon the Laws and Terms of our Admission, that they are capable of, and abate the Rigors of a private Judgment as much as may be, for Peace and Communion in Society. And our Reasons for our Conformity are these:
1. We are called to an Office which we must perform and discharge, as those that shall give an Account to Christ at his appearing.
2. We cannot execute this Office with freedom, except we come up to the Legal Terms.
3. We cannot but esteem it an unvaluable Mercy, that the Christian Protestant Religon is established by a Temporal Law.
4. It is meet that we submit to some Test, by which our Governors that protect Religion, may have some reasonable confidence that we will be true to it; and according to the Nature and Use of the Things required, we make a difference between one and another of them; and with a construction of Charity, which thinketh no Evil, we will take the Things in the most favourable sence.
5. We must labour as much as possibly we can to spread, diffuse, and sow the Word of Grace, that true Christianity, its Truth, Faith, Power, and Savour may become National; that every Corner of the Land may be filled with the Knowledg of the Lord.
6. To this end Parochial Limitations do much conduce, (wishing such a Division might be made every where, more conducible to that great End; or that more Ministers, with comfortable Maintenance, might be placed, according to the moving and extreme Necessity of a Multitude of Souls); and as Parochial Bounds do much serve to bring the Knowledg of the Gospel to particular Families and Persons, so a Legal Maintenance is necessary.
7. If there were not Parochial Ministers and Ministrations, what would become of vast Numbers of precious Souls, even the far greater Number of Souls in the Kingdom?
That this Consideration may be the more obvious and apparent, and convincing upon their Minds who differ from us, I will spread it abroad, and lay it open in some Particulars.
(1.) The far greater Number of the Nation are (I think) baptized; they are baptized into Christ, entred and admitted into Covenant with God by Baptism, and these are to be instructed in the Duties of a People in Covenant, and trained up into Meetness for the Privileges of that Covenant-State. The placing of Ministers fitted for this Work, to take care of the Education of Souls in the Christian Faith, and Way of the Lord, is as necessary, as the placing and fixing of School-Masters in particular Schools. And how the Disciples of Christ can be bred and brought up in a better, or so likely a way, is not obvious to our Understandings.
(2.) Tho the Relation of Pastor and Flock is not founded on Right of Patronage, and Episcopal Institution and Induction; yet a Pastor so legally sent, is obliged in Conscience to the oversight of the Souls of that People, and to exercise that Office to which he is called and engaged towards that particular People; and by his fixedness among them, he hath the opportunity and advantage of doing more good upon them, than if he were an ambulatory Preacher; and People have the great Convenience of Access to him in all Cases, for Instruction, and spiritual Good, (if they were disposed) yea far more than if he did, as some Physicians and Lawyers do, that keep Markets and Market-Days, which would be liker an occasional or necessary Visit, than a careful Inspection of a Watchman.
(3.) He that resides upon his Charge, hath the advantage of quiet and constant Studies, continual Employment, and may know the State of the Flock, and what manner of Preaching, and what Subjects are most like to do them good, to do them the most and the greatest Good; and by a personal knowledg of the Congregation, Discipline may be more duly administred.
(4) And not to multiply Arguments in so plain a Case, if we take a view of the great Diversity of People in the Land, Divisions would multiply, Prophaneness and Barbarity, Tares and wild Grapes would in a short time over-run the Field and Vineyard, if there were not able and faithful Parochial Pastors. Let us observe, 1. The great Numbers of those who are persuaded of this Way of Worship, that it is not only lawful, but acceptable to God, and safe and profitable to them; why should not care be taken of them, that they may enjoy the Liberty of their Judgment, and be provided for. 2. Here are those who are educated in this Way, to whom it is become familiar, and who are prejudiced against other Ways, with which they are unacquainted: If respect were not had to these, they would suffer Loss, and be in danger of Temptation and Seduction. 3. Here are O how many grosly ignorant, prophane, stupid, negligent! and these would yet degenerate into a worse kind of Men than now they are, as bad as they are, if there were not a Face, Profession, and Exercise of Religion maintained among them. Fear, Shame, Custom, Conscience, Conformity to others, do sometimes bring these to sit under God's Ordinances, which may be successful upon them, to work them to some Knowledg of God, and Eternal Life by Christ, and to keep them in Awe of God, from running out into Paganism, or brutish Atheism. But if there were no Inspection or Care taken of them, they would grow more careless of God and themselves, and plead the Negligence of Ministers, for their gross Negligence of themselves, and the Things of God. They little care what becomes of them already, and retain but a little sense of God and Godliness now; but they would quickly throw off all, if they were left out of the Ministerial Care. 4. Here are many young and aged, weak, impotent, lame, sickly, that cannot go abroad to seek the Bread of Life; if it were not brought to them, they would also perish. 5. Here are many (tho alas too few) sober, awakened, careful, diligent, and holy Souls, both weak, and confirmed in this Way, that would suffer great Loss, make less proficiency, decay and languish, and be in danger of Temptations peculiar to them, if the Lord's Day were not constantly spent, and each part of it filled up with Ordinances, at a convenient distance from them, or nearness to them.
And to make this Distribution and Distinction of Persons within these Bounds, argumentative and conclusive, I must add, That if wise, Orthodox, able, skilful, diligent, painful Ministers, which I take the moderate Divines of this Church to be, had not, and did not conform, in what a broken, divided, confused State had we been many Years ago! For in the dark, mistaking, and divided Condition of the Nation, Men that study and maintain the Doctrines according to Godliness, that preach the Truth as it is in Jesus, that distinguish between Essentials and Accidentals, between Fundamentals and Ornamentals; that lay the greatest weight upon Foundations and Necessaries; that press the weighty Matters of the great Commandments with greatest urgency, and hang the Garnish upon their proper Pins, provide solid Food for hungry and sound Hearts, and keep the Family best together; these are the Men that draw others in, and keep them in that are brought in. Extremes would never stand so nigh as they do, if Moderation did not come between them. There are no Men so fit to state our Controversies, none so fit to give every Truth its own place, as Men of Inquisitiveness and Temper: None can better take in, or cast out, try and weigh Gold, and make Allowances, than they: They give to God the Things that are God's; to Caesar, the Things that are Caesar's; to Pastors, the Things that are Pastors; and to People and Flocks, the Things that are theirs. They can distinguish between Enemies and Friends; maintain a Christian, necessary Opposition against the Enemies, that they may not spoil us, and take from us what we are entrusted to maintain and keep; and make Accommodation between mistaking and suspicious Friends.
All kind of good Qualities and Graces meet in the most considerable degree in the truly moderate: They follow not Copies, but Originals, look into Things themselves, and gaze not upon Images till they dote upon them; form a Judgment upon the disquisitions of Reason; take the true Measures, as far as they can attain, of Things and Persons, and keep the Rule of right-judging: Their Wisdom and Experience procures a candid Respect to their Judgment and Example, yea, even to their tolerable, and by them unavoidable Mistakes. They who walk in the Way of God, chuse to follow them, because they lead by a double Light, the one of sound Doctrine, the other of holy Example. And if any Men in the World can allure and draw, convince and satisfy Men of other Minds, they are the Men who are endued with that Gift; for they move upon the weight of Reason, and persuade with Affection. All that are truly pious are drawn and allied to them by their Piety, or comprehended in their Charity: They can keep pace with the Strong, and yet are careful not to leave the Weak behind.
The moderate Man accommodates and suits himself to all, not by a servile Flattery, or affectation of Popularity, but by an imitation of God, who doth good to all, and an equal distribution of just proportion of Honour and Duty, of Kindness and Charity to every Man. In a word, his Aims are high to bring Glory to God, his Endeavours are constant, his Submissions to God's Teaching and Will are humble and subordinate; he takes and follows one Rule for himself and others; he labours to bring the Irregular to that Rule, and to keep them to it, that desire to walk by it. He values what and whom others disesteem; he keeps what others throw away, and regains what others lose. He is neither too hot for others to touch, nor too high for others to reach, but the Servant of all, to gain the more. He is the fittest Man in the World to set Things right that are amiss, and to keep Things right that are so. No Man can sooner see an Error, nor pardon it; no Man studies more to magnify God, and Christ, and his Office, and to nullify Idols, and Images, and Fancies; no Man more steady to Things immoveable; no Man sooner drawn to change mutables upon great Reasons, to preserve immovables; no Man more set to gain Christ to himself, and Souls to Christ; no Man hath less to say for little Things by way of Contention, and no Man can say more for them in Reason and Argument, nor more for great Things; no Man easier persuaded to Peace than he; no Man more persuasive to reconcile Man to God, through the Reconciler Christ, nor to reconcile Men to Men, or Christians to Christians. Had not he conformed, many would not, that have. And if the Extremes of Conformity and Nonconformity abate and meet, or endure one another in the same Nation, they must come down and up to Moderation; both Extremes must be bent into a Ring of Comprehension and Unity, by Moderation.