we relieve not Beggars otherwise But if the Parishes through Poverty or Uncharitableness neglect them the Law of Nature bindeth us to relieve them rather than see them perish All Laws for the meer Ordering of any Duty suppose that the Duty must be done and that as tendeth to its proper end and not that on pretence of Order it be undone If the Coronation of a King be not performed regularly he is King nevertheless by Inheritance or Election and he is King before his Coronation Marriage is valid before God by mutual consent before the Matrimonial Solemnization and where this cannot be had it is no Duty If a Priest would not marry Persons unless they will make some unlawful Promise or do some unlawful thing it is lawful and may be a Duty to marry themselves declaring it publickly to avoid Scandal unless the severity of the Law of the Land do accidentally make it unlawful And in some Countries the sinful course of Priests may make this an ordinary Case And no reason can be given but that here it may be so Sect. XI Many Cases may fall out in which no Ordination by Imposition of Hands or present Solemnity may be necessary to this Office 1. In Case a Company of Christians be Cast upon a remote Island where no Ordainer can be had and yet some of them are qualified Persons It is sinful for them to forbear Gods Publick Worship therefore they must choose the fittest person to perform it viz. Preaching Prayer Praise Baptizing and the Lords Supper And that Election sufficiently designeth the person that from Christs Charter shall receive the Ministerial Power and be obliged to the Duty if he consent 2. In Case the Person be remote and the Ordainers and he cannot meet or Persecutors or Tyrants or other Accidents hinder their Meeting he may be Authorized by Letters without any other Ordination It is well known that this hath of old been practised and Bishops have sent such Letters of Ordination to those absent Persons that have fled from Ordination and so made them Bishops And it being but the designation of the recipient Person on whom Christs Law shall confer the Office that they have to do there is no reason to be given why they may not do it effectually by writing 3. In Case that Death or Persecution hath left none to Ordain that are within reach of the Person to be Ordained If Ordination by Diocesanes were ordinarily necessary yet in those Kingdoms or Countries where there is none it cannot be had as in New-England and lately in Britain in Belgia Helvetia and other Countries Some may say You ought to go for it though as far as from America hither and to seek it Beyond the Seas and in other Lands or stay till it may be had But I answer 1. In some Countries the Governors will not suffer Diocesane Ordination 2. Words are soon spoken but to sail from America hither and that for every Man that is to be Ordained is not soon done some have not health to bear it at Sea some have not money to pay for the Voyage charge 3. It is a sinful loss of a Years time in which they might do God much service 4. A Years Voyage by Sea to and fro may hazard their Lives and so frustrate all their end 5. Some Princes and States forbid their Subjects to be Ordained in Foreign Lands as we forbid Romish Ordination lest it draw a Foreign Power on them 6. It is not lawful to deny God his Publick Worship and our selves the benefit by so long delay 7. It is contrary to the temper of the Gospel which ever subjecteth Ceremony Rites and External Orders to Morals and to Mans good and the great Ends. 8. And it is a wrong to the honour of the Divine Nature for Men to feign that the Great Wise and Merciful God layeth so great a stress upon a Ceremony or Rite or outward Order as to damn Souls and deny his own Worship where it cannot be had 4. And this Ordination is not necessary in Case the Ordainers be grown so wicked or heretical as that they will ordain no good and orthodox Men but only such as are of their own sinful way 5. And in Case the Ordainers require as necessary any one unlawful thing Subscriptions Profession Vow or Practice If any say That God will never permit us to fall under such Necessities they must prove it and Experience disproveth it Sect. XII And if in all such Cases no Ordination be necessary much less is Diocesane Ordination necessary in all Cases and Places As 1. In Countries where no Diocesanes are or are near 2. In Countries where they or their Ordination is not endured by the Governors 3. In Countries where the People being in judgment against it will have no Pastor so Ordained It is not better to have none at all 4. In Countries where Wars do hinder it 5. When the Diocesanes themselves will not venture to Ordain for fear of suffering for it 6. In Countries where the Bishops are so corrupted that they refuse all that are truly fit 7. Or where they refuse all whom the People either choose or will consent to and the Bishops and People cannot agree on the same Man 8. Or wherever the Diocesanes impose unlawful Covenants Promises Professions Subscriptions Vows Oaths or Practices without which they will not Ordain On some or other of these accounts a Romanist would not be Ordained by a Greek or Protestant or Armenian c. and a Greek or Protestant would not be Ordained by a Papist supposing something to be unlawful 9. But when a Parochial Bishop may be the Ordainer in such Cases the Validity will not be denied by most Episcopal Divines 10. And it is truly as valid in such Cases when 1. Senior Presbyters 2. that are authorized by the Magistrate 3. especially that are chief Pastors in Cities and have Curates under them do Ordain though some deny to call them Bishops 11. As the Erastians think that the Christian Magistrate may design the person by the Peoples consent without any other Ordination so Musculus and some other Protestants think that a fit person designed by the Magistrate and accepted by the People need not question his Call to the Office And it 's hard to disprove them 12. If the Opinion of many Papists and Protestants hold true That a Bishop differeth not from a Presbyter in Order or Office but in Degree as the Foreman of a Jury or the President of a Synod 〈◊〉 Colledge or Council of State c. then I see no reason but the Magistrate may make a Bishop of a Presbyter as he may make a President of a Colledge or a Mayor of a Corporation For then the difference being but in the Accidents of the Office and the King being Governor of the Church as far as the Sword is to govern and specially the determiner of meer Accidents and Circumstances circa sacra why may he not
no not as it is a Conditional Covenant 3. That all except the elect or most or many at least are still under that first Covenant of Innocency made with Adam as prescribing to them and requiring of them sinless innocency or perfection as the only condition of their salvation As if God still said to sinners I will save you if you are not sinners 4. That the Covenant of Grace was made only to and with Christ and no other 5. That there was and is an eternal Covenant of Redemption made between God the Father and the Son which is neither Gods Essence a Divine Person or Decree but a proper Covenant 6. That God gave no grace pardon or salvation by Covenant till Christs incarnation 7. That the same faith objectively considered was necessary to salvation under the first edition of the Covenant of grace as under the last viz. to believe that Jesus the son of Mary is or must be the Messiah and that he must die for sin and rise again and intercede in heaven and return to raise us and judge the world 8. That Christs Disciples were not in a state of justification till they believed all this 9. That all men shall not be judged as they believed and kept or brake the condition of the Covenant in that edition which they were under but all according to the tenor of the last edition 10. That no faith in God as gracious and merciful to sinners and as pardoning sin was necessary before Christs incarnation 11. That God before did pardon sin without any respect to the future sacrifice and merit of Christ as mans Redeemer 12. That no souls were glorified or received to heaven and happiness till Christ's resurrection but reserved in some Limbus till then X. Of the Covenant made with Abraham and Moses Law and the Israelites 1. That Abraham was the first true Believer or the first to whom a promise or Covenant of Grace was made 2. That the Covenant of Grace was made to no other people in the world but the Israelites were Gods whole visible Church on earth and did not only add to them a Covenant of peculiarity 3. That this promise to Abraham and his seed in whom all Nations of the Earth should be blessed extended no way to the believing Gentiles 4. That all Heathens children that were circumcised were certainly saved if they died before actual sin 5. That Moses Law bound men to no spiritual duty nor promised any future reward or happiness after this life 6. That Moses Law was given by an evil God or evil Angel 7. That Moses Law was the same as the Law or Covenant of perfect innocency first made for Adam 8. That all the world was bound to keep Moses Law as such even the judicial and ritual parts of it 9. That under that Law God gave no grace to obey him 10. That the converted Jews are still bound to keep Moses Law 11. Yea and all converted Gentiles now 12. That we are bound to form our Church government according to the Mosaical or Jewish XI Of Redemption by Christ incarnate and the Gospel or last edition of the Covenant of Grace 1. That Christ brought no more Grace than was as ordinarily given before his incarnation 2. That he was habitually or actually a sinner guilty of original or actual sin 3. That Christ was properly reputed a sinner by God or a proper sinner by imputation in that he took our sin to be his own or God took him to be guilty of the fault of all our sin and not only one that undertook to bear the punishment deserved 4. That Christ was as guilty of our sin as we were of Adams 5. That Christ was habitually or actually holy and fulfilled all righteousness in the Legal person of every elect person or of every true believer so that the Law therefore judgeth them to have been what Christ was or done what Christ did therein they doing it in him 6. That Christ was not a satisfying sacrifice for sin 7. That Christs satisfaction and merit were not sufficient for their proper use and effect without our satisfaction and merit to make up their defect 8. That Christ was not the Saviour of the world or that God did not so love the world as to give his only son that who ever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Or that God hath made no such promise or grant to all to whom the Gospel cometh that if they repent and believe in Christ they shall be pardoned and saved or that this conditional universal pardon was no fruit of Christs death 9. That none but the elect have any mercy purchased by the death of Christ nor are bound to be thankful to him for any such 10. That Christ suffered the same pains of hell hatred of God and torment of Conscience which all the elect should else have suffered 11. That Christs Righteousness and sacrifice are not the true meritorious cause of our righteousness pardon justification and salvation 12. That Christ must be oft really sacrificed 13. That Christ at his last supper did make the bread and wine become his real body then living and that it was broken and his blood shed by himself really before he was crucified by the Jews 14. That Christ felt no real pain as St. Hilary Picâ—av ill said 15. That Christ died not but another in his shape 16. That Christ took not his body into Heaven 17. That all power is not given to Christ nor are Kings and Magistrates his Ministers nor hold their power by him 18. That Christ is no Law-giver and made no Law 19. That he is not our sufficient intercessor with God by whom we may have access and acceptance 20. That Christ sendeth not forth his spirit to be his agent and witness to the end of the world in sanctifying his elect XII Of Faith Repentance and sanctification 1. That Faith repentance holiness and obedience are not necessary in us to our salvation because Christ was righteous for us and repented and believed in our stead 2. That believers are under no Law of God 3. That he may be pardoned and saved who forbeareth only the outward Acts of sin through meer fear and is absolved by a Priest though he love sin better than holiness and had rather keep it than leave it 4. That loving others and doing them good and no harm is all the Love of God and Holiness that is necessary to salvation 5. That Faith and Repentance are of nature or by meer natural power and free-will and not the gift of grace through Christ 6. That God giveth grace equally to all till good improvers make a difference 7. That men may be holy in the restored Image of God without the grace of the Holy Ghost 8. That men need not the Spirit of God to help them to pray or preach 9. That the sins of sanctified persons are not judged by God to be theirs and that he seeth them
if it were Lay-Chancellors power of the Keys or Diocesanes too large Churches infiâ—â—â—â— speciei But I will not profess That I Assent Consent to and Approve all these Faults or any One of them nor will I Covenant never to endeavor in any place and calling to reform them nor justifie all that are guilty of them § IV. If one sin of Davids in numbring the People was so sorely punished and one sin of Achans of the Bethshemites of Uzzahs of Uzziahs of Josiahs of Ananias and Saphiras yea at first of Adam and Eve if one false Article of the Arians so troubled the Church of Christ and one Error about Images in Churches so corrupted the Church and made such sad work in Councils and Kingdoms a wise Man will not wilfully own one sin § V. And indeed Christ hath determined That he that breaketh one of the least of his Commandments and teacheth men so shall be called the least in the Kingdom of God Matth. 5. As he that truly believeth God in one thing will believe him in all which he knoweth to be his word so he that obeyeth him truly in one thing will obey all that he knoweth to be his Command whoever be against it § VI. And it is dangerous for a mortal Worm to set his law or will against his Makers and destroy or punish a Man for obeying God sufficient means should be used first to convince all Men that the thing is evil and that it is not God that doth command it else it is a setting up ones self above God and against him and saying You shall not obey God but me But when death cometh can you save either your self or him from the justice of that God whom both you should have obeyed CHAP. XIV Vnlimited Toleration will wrong and divide the Church § I. ALL sober Men are so far agreed in this that I need not say much of it no doubt there are intolerable Errors and Sins And though Mr. Hales and others say It is not Heresie unless it be wilful and we seldom know the wilfulness of another Yet in truth 1. It is not only formal subjective Heresie which maketh the Man an Heretick which we must resist and restrain but also material objective Heresie whatever be the Divulgers mind 2. And also there is a wilfulness which is Privative when the Will doth not its duty to discover Truth and Error as well as a positive willingness to err which Augustine saith That few or none can have And no mans will is wholly innocent in any culpable Sin or Error § II. Doubtless mans Conscience is not properly his Lawmaker nor his Law though some unaptly say so but only his discerning of that which is his Law no more than the Lawyers eye or reason or skill is the Law of the Land And therefore to have an erring Conscience taking that for Gods Law which is not is a Sin where it was possible to know it § III. And therefore Gods Law is not suspended but violated by mans Error God hath not as many sorts of Law as men have Opinions of it or Consciences in Error If a man should think that God bindeth him to kill steal slander c. this would not make any of these no sin but it would be no small sin in him that would father such wickedness on the most holy God and on his Law If an erring Conscience think that God forbiddeth our duty to Princes Parents Children Neighbors Justice Charity c. This would not dissolve any of his Obligations but be an added sin in slandering God Far be it from any sober man to think That the Magistrate must let all men do all the Evil which they will but pretend God and Conscience for § IV. Nor is the Papal Doctrine true or tolerable That Priests onely are for mens Souls and Princes but for their Bodies and Temporal Concerns and so that the Priest is as much higher than the Prince as the Soul is than the Body Indeed the Minister of Christ is to manage only the Word which worketh on the Soul by the way of Sense and not of the Sword but yet it is to be finally for the good of Souls that the Magistrate useth the Sword As the voice toucheth the Ear so doth the Sword the Flesh for the benefit of Souls either the sinners or other mens And verily he that saith otherwise and placeth the bonum publicum which is the end of Government meerly in the bodies prosperity dishonoureth and debaseth Magistracy and setteth Princes lower than Priests Parents or Friends Godly men that believe the vanity of things Transitory and Corporeal would have as low an esteem of the Means as of the End and so of all Civil Rules if they believed this But he that is the King as well as the great High-Priest of the Church for holy Ends and for mens Salvation hath made Princes his Officers subordinate to him for those Ends as well as Pastors I will not stand here to confute one or two Scotish Divines that have written against me for saying That Princes and Magistrates are now the Mediators Officers and have their Power from Him into whose Hands all Power in Heaven and Earth is given Sober Thoughts in wise Christians will save me that labour § V. And he that saith By me Kings reign and will have Kings to be the Churches Nursing-Fathers will not take it for an excuse of their neglect to say We were authorized onely for mens Bodies It is not equally for all that have Bodies nor for bodily Ends but to see to the execution of Gods Law by their Bie Subordinate Laws and Gods Laws all look to higher Ends. § VI. And he that said They are the Ministers of God to us for good meant true and durable good no doubt And when he saith That they are a Terror to evil doers he meaneth such as is contrary to the well-doing which they must encourage And is Piety and Christianity none of that He doth not except Blasphemy Idolatry Opposition to God Christ Holiness Heaven Justice or Charity from the number of Evil Works which are the worst of them It is therefore certain That Princes may and must punish many sins against the First Table and such against the Second as would shelter themselves under pretence of Conscience § VII But all the doubt is What bounds here to set where it is so dangerous to go too far And it is one of the most necessary Cases of Conscience which a Christian Prince hath to study and resolve in which he must neither hearken to a proud envious idle worldly Clergy nor to injudicious Zealots nor to licentious Hereticks but avoid Extreams § VIII In short what I have before said decideth the Case 1. He must Tolerate no one Sin how small soever which is within his Cognizance and Jurisdiction which he can indeed cure by righteous means which will do more good than hurt 2. Thoughts Heart Sins and Secret
saying That for one infallible old Gentleman at Rome we have Thousands of Hot Spirits in England that pretend to more of the Divine Perfections than ever he did For if the Holy Ghost doth personally indwell in Sectaries then they are personally possessed with all the glorious Attributes of the Godhead pag. 26. And 28. The Idolatry of the Papists will be as excusable at the great day of Accounts as the unreverent Rudeness and superstitious Sowreness of the Sectary And p. 29. The gross Usurpation and Invasion of the Priestly Office by Sectaries to erect Churches c. throws more dirt upon the Christian Religion than the grossest Errors in the Roman Church c. Answ 1. I know none so worthy of the Name of Sectaries as the Papists that damn all Christians save themselves and feign themselves onely to be all the Church 2. It 's like by these Sectaries he meaneth those that are not Re-ordained or have not uninterrupted Episcopal Ordination And if all such Reformed Churches are so much more dirty and injurious to Christianity than the grossest Errors of the Papists it 's better be of the Papal Church than of them 3. Doth pretending to the help of Gods Spirit in Praying and Preaching and Living arrogate more than pretending to Papal Infallibility in the Office of an Universal Monarch and Judge of the sense of all Gods Word The word Personal I have heard used by none but this and such Accusers But what he meaneth by it who can tell First If it refer to the Person of the Receiver how can the Holy Ghost dwell in any man and not dwell in his person Secondly If it refer to the Person of the Holy Ghost what Christian before this man did ever doubt that took the Holy Ghost to be God whether the Person as well as the Essence of the Holy Ghost be every where Doth not the Scripture say That the Holy Spirit dwelleth in Believers Rom. 8. 11. 1 Cor. 3. 16. 2 Tim. 1. 14. c. and God dwelleth in us 1 Joh. 4. 12. 15 16. And that we are an habitation of God by the Spirit Ephes 2. 22. Is Gods Word worse than Popery Or is not this to reproach God and his Word and Spirit more than the Reformed Churches do by not having Bishops who are accused by Mr. Dodwell to sin against the Holy Ghost Thirdly But if Personal should mean the mode and title of Union as if by Hypostatical Union like Christs the Holy Ghost and Believers be made one Person who are those Sectaries that hold such a thing who shew the state of the English Religion And this is one of the men that cry out against Toleration and tells us that There can be no stability of Government in England till there be a settlement in Religion No settlement of Religion but by uniting Affections No uniting Affections but by unity of Religion And so on Therefore Rulers must force all to be of one Religion Next to the thought of the Heathen and Apostate Nations case it is one of the saddest to me that Rulers and People that have too little studied such matters should lie under the temptation and horrid abuse of Clergymen that write and talk at such a rate as this man doth 1. Will he maintain That there is no Union of Religion wherever men are not of one opinion form or mode in every Circumstance Rite or Ceremony or every accident or integral of Faith Are any two men in the world then of one Religion any more than of one visage or slature c 2. If this man had Rulers that differed from him as much as he doth from the Nonconformists would he and could he presently change his judgment or would he falsly profess a change lest he should not be of one Religion with his Prince or rather must it not be he or such as he that must be the standard of that one Religion to all 3. Doth he believe That Prisons or Flames will make men of one Affection Would such usage win himself to love the judgment and way of those that he suffered by 4. Or if men of many Opinions and Affections be forced into the same Temple as a Prison doth their corporal presence make them of one Religion and Affection It is a doleful thing to hear Preachers of the Gospel cry out for Blood Flames or Prisons to make whole Kingdoms of one Religion confessing how unfit they are to do it themselves who have undertaken the Office that should do it Woe to the Princes Church and People that have not wit and grace to escape the snares of such ignorant Tyrannical Counsellors Abundance more such Pamphlets have lately endeavoured to destroy Love and Peace and infect the Land with Malice and Cruelty § XII The Roman Doctrine and Laws for exterminating and burning Hereticks is the top and perfection of this hypocritical wickedness which murdereth Gods Servants and depopulateth Countries on pretence of Charity Unity and Government And when so many Princes became guilty of serving this bloody Clergy that never knew what manner of spirit they were of it was Gods wisdom and justice to permit the same Councils of Bishops and the same Popes to decree their Deposition which decreed their Subjects extermination Lateran sub Innoc. 3. what can be more contrary to Nature to Humane Interest or to the Doctrine Example and Spirit of Christ And whose blood is safe while such blood-sucking Leeches are taken for the Rulers of the world and the Physicians of Souls § XIII All this I perceive is on occasion of Objections but superadded to what I fullier said before Part II. Chap. 8. But I still say That Toleration must have its due bounds and not extend to intolerable Doctrines Practices or Persons To proceed then Every one that will must not be Tolerated to be a publick Pastor and Preacher no not of the Truth For some insufficient men may by that manner bring a scandal or scorn on the sacred Doctrine and Worship of God and taking Gods Name profanely and in vain is worse than silence much less should men be suffered to preach or dispute down anys Point of Christian Faith or Duty § XIV In a word The Prince that will escape the dangerous Extreams of Licentiousness and oppressing Persecution must 1. Have an eye to the Holy Scripture and Apostolical Institution and to the Law of Nature together as his Rule 2. He must make the true publick Good which lieth in mens spiritual welfare his end 3. He must make the promoting of Obedience to God and his Laws the chief work of his Office and of his own Laws 4. He must abhor and avoid all carnal Interests contrary to the Interest of Christ and mens Souls 5. He must do all with Caution from a Spirit of Love and a Care to preserve mens fear of God 6. He must take heed of Partiality or hearkning to the counsel either of Atheists prophane men or of an ignorant proud and cruel
dividers sense I tell you if you will be welcome to God in your prayers or any other religious services you must come as in Vnion with Christ and with his Universal Church God will receive no one that cometh to him as alone and divided from the rest As you must have Union with Christ the Head so must you have with his Body A divided member is no member but a dead thing Little think many ignorant persons of this who think that the singularity and smallness of their sect or party is the necessary sign of their acceptance with God Because they read Fear not little flock As if a little flock must separate from Christs little flock for fear of being too great And as if his Flock which then was but a few hundreds must be no greater when the Kingdoms of the world are become his Kingdoms Yet such have there been of late among us who first became as they were called Puritans or Presbyterians when they saw them a small and suffering party But when they prospered and multiplyed they turned Independents or Separatists thinking that the former were too many to be the true Church And on the same reason when the Independents prospered they turned Anabaptists And when they prospered they turned Quakers thinking that unless it were a small and suffering party it could not be the Little flock of Christ As if he that is called The Saviour of the world would take it for his honour to be the Saviour only of a few Families or Villages and his Kingdom must be as little as Bethlehem where he was born Should they take the same course about their Language and say that it is not the language of Canaan but of the beast if it grow common and so take up with a new one that it might be a narrow one the folly of it would discover it self And what is the excellency of a Language but significancy and extensive community and what greater plague since Adams sin hath befaln mankind than the division of tongues as hindering communication and propagation of the Gospel And what greater blessing as a means to universal Reformation could be given men than an universal common language And what is the property of Babel but division and confusion of tongues And doth not all this intimate the necessity of a Union of minds While we keep in the Vnity of the Body and spirit we may we must strive for such a singularity as consisteth in an excellency of degree and endeavour to be the best and holiest persons and the usefullest members in the body of Christ But if once you must separate from the body as too good to be members of so great or so bad a society you perish God will own no Church which is so Independent as not to be a member of the universal not any person who is so independent as not to come to him as in Communion with all the Christians in the world We must not approve of the faults of any Church or Christian and so communicate with their sin by Voluntary consent But disowning their sin we must own them as Christs members and have communion with them in faith and Love and holy profession of both and while we are absent in body must be as present in spirit with them and still come to God as in communion with all his Church on earth and offer up our prayers as in conjunction with them and not as a separated independent thing 2. And as our Vnity is part of our necessary fitness for duties of holy worship so is it also for duties of the second table that is of Justice and Charity to men And this is evident in the nature of the thing No man will be exact in Justice till he do as he would be done by And who can do that who Loveth not his neighbour as himself What is our unity but our Love to others as our selves And how can we do the works of Love without Love It is divided SELF that is the cause of all the unmercifulness and injustice in the world Unity maketh my neighbour to be to me as my self and his Interest and welfare to be to me as my own and his loss and hurt to be as mine And were he indeed my self and his welfare and his hurt mine own you may judge without many words how I should use him whether I should shew him mercy in his wants and misery whether I should rejoice with him in his joy and mourn with him in his sorrows whether I should speak well or ill of him behind his back and whether I should persecute him and undo him whether I should defame him and write books to render him odious and to perswade the rulers that he is unworthy to have the liberty of a Christian or of a man to preach to pray to be conversed with or to live Would not uniting Love make a wonderful change in some mens judgements speeches and behaviour and make those men good Christians or good Moralists at least who now when they have cryed up Morality and Charity and good works would perswade men by the Commentary of their practice that they mean Malignity cruelty and the propagating of hatred and all iniquity Where there is not a dominion of LOVE and UNITY there is a dominion of SELFISHNESS and ENMITY and how well these will keep the Commandments which are all fulfilled in LOVE how well they will do good to all men especially to them of the houshold of faith and provoke one another to Love and to good works it is easie for any man to judge Once alienate mens hearts from one another and the Life will shew the alienation 3. This UNITY of SPIRIT and spirit of unity is our necessary preservation against sins of commission as well as of omission as aforesaid even against the common iniquities of the world LOVE and UNITY tyrannize not over inferiours contrive not to tread down others that we may rise and to keep them down to secure our domination They oppress not the poor the weak or innocent They make not snares for other mens Consciences nor lay stumbling-blocks before them to occasion them to sin nor drive men on to sin against Conscience and so to hell to shew mens authority in a thing of nought Had this ruled in Ahab and his Prophets Michaiah had not been smitten on the mouth nor fed in a Prison with the bread and water of affliction nor had Elijah been hunted after as the troubler of Israel Had this unity of spirit ruled in Jeroboam and in Rehoboam one had not stretcht out his hand against the Prophet nor the other despised experienced Counsellours to make heavier the burdens of the complaining people Had it overcome the SELFISHNESS of the Kings of Israel their Calves and High places had not engaged them against the Prophets and been their ruine Had it prevailed in the Kings of Judah and their people Jeremy had not been
first Disciples to give the world such a specimen of Love in this extraordinary way of Community For as extraordinary works of Power that is Miracles must be wrought by the first Preachers of the Gospel to shew Christs power and convince the unbelieving world so it was as needful that then there should be extraordinary works of Love to shew Christs Love and teach them the great work of Love which he came to call and bring men to For the first Book that Christ wrote was on the Hearts of Men which no Philosopher could do In fleshly tables he wrote LOVE TO GOD and MAN by the finger of his Spirit many a year before any Book of the New Testament was written And as his Doctrine was Love one another and Love your enemies forbear and forgive c. so his first Churches must extraordinarily exemplifie and express this doctrine by living in this extraordinary community and selling all and distributing as each had need And afterwards their Love-feasts did long keep up some memorial of it For they were the first sheet as it were of the New Book which Christ was publishing And LOVE was the summ of all that was imprinted on them And their Practice was to be much of the Preaching that must convert the world Christ was not a meer Orator or teacher of Words And non magna loquimur sed vivimus was the profession of his disciples He came not meerly to talk and teach men to talk but to Do and teach men to Do even to do that himself which none else ever did and to teach his followers to do that which no other sort of men did in this world But this leadeth me up to the next Use of Unity V. The SPIRIT of UNITY and LOVE is the Great means of the Churches increase There is a twofold augmentation of the Church 1. Intrinsick and Intensive when it Increaseth in all Goodness and hasteth to perfection And it is this Vital principle of Vniting Love or the Spirit of Vnity which is the immediate cause of this 2. Extensive when the Church is enlarged and more are added to it And it is a Life of Vniting Love among Christians that must do this as much or more than preaching Or at least if that preaching which is but the effect of Knowledge produce Evangelical Knowledge in the hearers yet a Life of Love and Vnity is the adapted means of breeding Love and Vnity the Life of Religion in the world Light may cause Light but Heat must cause Heat and it must be a Living thing that must generate life by ordinary causation That which cometh from the Head may reach the Head and perhaps the Heart but is not so fit to operate on Hearts as that which cometh from the heart Undoubtedly if Christians did commonly live in such Love and Vnity among themselves and shew the fruits of common Love to all about them as their Great master and his Religion teacheth them they would do wonders in converting sinners and enlarging the Church of Jesus Christ Who could stand out against the convincing and Attractive power of Uniting Love Who could much hate and persecute those that Love them and shew that Love This would heap melting coals of fire on their heads Our Saviour knew this when he made this his great Lesson to his disciples and when he prayed Joh. 17. 21 22 23 24. over and over for them which should believe on him through the Apostles word that they all may be One as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me And the Glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be One even as we are One I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in One and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me O when will Christ revive this blessed principle in his followers and set them again on this effectual way of preaching that Love may draw the world into the Churches Vnity Some look for new miracles for the converting of the now-forsaken Nations what God will do of that kind we know not for he hath not told us But Holy Vniting Vniversal Love is a thing which he hath still made our certain duty and therefore we are all bound to seek and do it And therefore we may both pray and labour for it in hope And could we but come up to this known duty we should have a means for the worlds conversion as effectual as miracles and more sweet and pleasant to them and us Obj. But why then is the world still unconverted when all true Christians have this love Ans 1. Alas those true Christians are so few and the hypocrites that are selfish worldlings are so many that the poor people that live among professed Christians do judge of Christianity by those false professours who are indeed no Christians Men see not the hearts of one another Thousands of ungodly persons for interest education and custome take on them the name of Christians who never were such indeed by heart-consent When these counterfeit Christians live like Infidels men think that Christians are no better than Infidels For they think they must judge by the greater number of such as go under the Christian name But if the world could tell who they be that are truly Christians at the heart they would see that they have that spirit of Love which is not in unbelievers 2. And alas the Love and Vnity even of true Christians is yet too imperfect and is darkened and blemished with too much of the contrary vice were Christians perfect Christians they would indeed be the honour of their profession Then Love would be the powerful principle of all their works which would taste of its nature and as it is said of Wine Judg. 9. 13. it cheereth God and man so I may say God and man would be delighted in the sweetness of these fruits For with such Sacrifice God is well pleased Heb. 13. 16. But alas what crabbed and contrary fruits how soure how bitter do many distempered Christians bring forth If it will increase the Church and win men to the Love of Christianity to be reviled or persecuted to be contemned and neglected to be separated from as persons unworthy of our-love and kindness then Christianity will not want propagaters The pouring out of the Spirit was the first planting of the Christian Church And where there is most of Love there is most of the spirit As there needeth no forcing penal Laws to compel men to obey God so far as Love prevaileth in them so if Love were more eminent in the Church Pastors and Professors that they preached and ruled and lived towards all men in the power of sincere and fervent Love there would be less pretence for all that violence oppression and cruelty which hath been long
will say You shall not communicate with us unless you will swear or say or do some unnecessary thing it is he then that is the divider and unjustly casteth out a Christian CHAP. VII What are the necessary terms of Concord of these single Churches with one another in the same Kingdome or in divers § 1. THat they be under the Government of a Christian Magistrate is necessary to the well-being or great advantage of them though not to the being of which more in due place § 2. That they live as neighbour Churches in Unity of faith and love and avoid all things contrary and to their power help each other according to need and opportunity is their duty § 3. It is necessary that they agree in all things necessary to the communion of men as members of the Church universal mention'd before and in all things essential to particular Churches § 4. If any one excommunicated justly for heresie apostasie or impenitence in any crimes shall offer to defile and endanger any other Church by intrusion or deceit the Church which cast him out is bound by the Laws of Love and Concord to send notice to such endangered neighbour Churches of the person and his case to prevent their hurt And unless the Church that cast him out have criminally forfeited their credit other Churches are bound by the Law of Charity to take their sentence as probably just and not to receive the ejected person till he have either proved his sentence unjust or profess repentance Not that they are bound absolutely to exclude him and deny him audience though yet they claim no superiority over the Church that excommunicated him but as neighbours and parts of the same Church universal they must hear both sides before they deny any Christian communion that claimeth it at least when his allegations have great probability of truth and seem to weigh down all that they have received against him And they may absolve the Criminal upon a just profession of true repentance but such a prosession will not stand with a refusal to confess in the same Church where the man sinned without some special probable reason it being that Church which is most wronged by the scandal and hath heard the causes § 5. If any Church in the same Kingdom or another be accused of violating the Christian faith or of any crime which Christians are bound to disown by avoiding the criminal it is the duty of the accused Church to be ready to satisfie the offended Churches by answering the accusation not as to Rulers by the reasons of obedience but as to Christian neighbours by the rule of common equity and love and for the preservation of unity and peace § 6. If the charge be but general that the Church is guilty of heresie or unsoundness in the faith it is the duty of the accused Church to send to the offended the Profession of their Faith and Religion which need to be no more than this which the offended ought to take as satisfactory We hereby profess that we stand to our Baptismal Covenant fiducially believing in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost our Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier and give up our selves to him accordingly in these Relations Believing the articles of all the Creeds in which the universal Church ever agreed and desiring the things contained in the Lords Prayer and consenting to obey the ten Commandements as delivered to us in nature and by Christ and we profess our obligation and Consent to Believe Love and obey all that we do or shall understand to be the revealed word of God even the sacred Canonical books of Scripture and in this common Belief and Love and practice to livein the Communion of the unniversal Church of Christ Renouncing the Devil the world and the flesh as they are enemies to any of this and all doctrines desires and practices contrary hereunto so far as unfeignedly to endeavour to resâ—â—t and overcome them and when we 〈◊〉 and sin to rise by true repentance And all this in Hope of the Love of God the Father the Grace of the Son in our Pardon Justification and Adoption and the Communion of the Holy Ghost and of the Perfection of these and of our selves with the Church in everlasting Glory This may be briefly exprest in Baptism and to present persons that may receive our explications where they doubt of our understanding or sincerity But to distant suspecting persons or Churches such largeness is useful and this is enough § 7. But if any particular heresie or crime be charged on a neighbour Church it is not to be believed without proof nor they to be disclaimed till the charge be sent to them and their defence be heard And herein they ought to offer satisfaction to the offended Church 1. By denying the charge if false 2. By explaining words and actions which are ambiguous and to be suspected 3. In controverted cases by renewing the foresaid profession of all that is necessary explicitely to be held and promising to renounce any opinion or practice as soon as they perceive it contrary thereto 4. And in all cases of words or deeds expressly contrary to Gods doctrine or Law or which they shall be convinced to be sinfull to confess the errour or crime and humbly crave the prayers of the Church for pardon and profess their purpose of future reformation This is the means and this is enough for the offenders satisfaction And if the errour be no real and discerned denyal of any necessary article of faith but an undiscerned remote consequential contrariety with which the professed holding of that particular necessary article which they seem to overthrow may stand that Church or person is not to be rejected from Communion or hereticated For instance If a Church be accused to be Nestorians or Eutychians or Monothelites their answer ought to be Mary is the Mother of Christ who is God and in that sense of God but not of the Deity or as God And Christs Naâ—ures Wills and operations are two as distinct but not two as divided But if they have not so much easie skill to explain themselves but say rudely as Nestorius I will not say that God was two or three months old or as Cyril and Eutychius and Dioscorus Christs natures were two before the Union but since One and not Two if withal they prosess that they believe Christ to be true God and true man in one person and do not destroy deny or confound the Godhead and manhood or any other essential point of faith or religion they ought not to be hereticated or rejected § 8. No Church hath power or duty to deny any other Communion to another Church or person but such as they had power to grant them But to remote persons or Churches never seen by them as in other lands or Countries they can grant them no Presential local Communion but only Mental Therefore they can eject them from none but mental They
member of the universal Church who is not a member of some particular Church 23. That none are in the universal Church who are not the subjects of Diocesan Bishops 24. That a man not baptized by one that hath Ordination from a Diocesan Bishop is no member of the universal Church 25. That a member of the visible Church cannot be certainly known because it cannot be known what is essential to a Christian seeing it depends on the sufficiency of the proposal of truths which cannot be known of many or most XVII Of Gods worship preaching and Ministers and his day 1. That there are more Gods than one and several Countreys may worship their several Gods 2. That if we keep our hearts to God we may bow down before Images as Idolaters do 3. That it is not necessary that we actually love God above once a year or once a month or week at most 4. That if we fear Gods wrath and love one another we may be saved without any other love to God 5. That no higher Love to God is necessary than to love him for our selves and others as a Benefactor and means to the Creatures good 6. That Gods word is not to be trusted as infallibly true 7. That because God will be spiritually worshipped outward bodily worship is not necessary to spiritual persons 8. That he that loveth trusteth and serveth God so as yet he loveth trusteth and serveth the flesh and the world and sinful pleasure more prevalently may yet be saved without more 9. That outward worship without inward love and holiness may serve to Salvation 10. That we may give Divine worship to Angels or glorified souls or to the Cross or Images 11. That if prayer move not or change not Gods will it is needless to use much prayer 12. That it is lawful to require the people to pray and praise God in an unknown language instead of words which they understand and such prayer and worship they must preferr or use if the Pope or Bishops command it 13. That any man may make himself or become a Pastor or Teacher of the Church in office who thinketh himself fit without mans election or ordination 14. That none are true Ministers of Christ who are not sent by the Bishop of Rome or some authorized by him or ordained by such 15. That no Ministers are owned as such by Christ nor are the Sacraments administred by them valid that are not ordained by Diocesans or by such as had an ordination themselves by an uninterrupted succession from the Apostles down by Diocesan Bishops or a Canonical succession 16. That all Ministers ought to cease preaching the Gospel and all Churches or persons publick worshipping God who are forbidden by the Pope as some say or by Bishops as others say or by the King or Magistrate as others 17. That it is sinful for Presbyters to preach say some or to pray say others publickly in any other words save those that are written down for them or prescribed by the authority either of Pope Council Bishops or Civil Magistrates 18. That it is sinful to instruct the people or to pray to God or praise him in a form of words premeditated or prescribed by any other or agreed on in Councils 19. That it is sinful to joyn with any Pastor who speaketh any unlawful words in preaching prayer or other ministration 20. That it is unlawful to hold Communion with any Church where scandalous sinners are present or are tolerated members 21. That men may lawfully change the essential or integral parts of Gods commanded worship by diminution or additions of the like 22. That spiritual men are not bound to be members of particular Churches or put themselves under the guidance of any Pastors 23. That all the people are bound to believe all that to be Gods word which the Bishop or Priests tell them is so 24. That the people are bound to do in Gods worship whatever Bishops or other Rulers command them without examining and judging whether it be agreeable to the Law of God 25. That Pope Bishops or Priests can forgive sin even as to the punishment in another life by immediate pardoning power in themselves and not only by preparing men for pardon and offering and declaring it and delivering it ministerially by application from Gods word and in order hereto judging who are capable of Consolatory and Sacramental applications 26. That God pardoneth in heaven all that the Priest pardoneth on earth though erroneously and by mistake 27. That God will condemn to hell all that an erring or malicious Pope Bishop or Priest condemneth 28. That it is lawful to separate from and disown Communion with all parties of Christians differing in things not necessary to Gods acceptance except that one party which we judge to be rightest or allowed by the higher powers 29. That the first day of the week was not separated to Divine worship in commemoration of Christs resurrection by the Spirit of Christ in his Apostles or is not to be observed to that holy use any more than any other day 30. That it is lawful to swear unnecessarily and to use Gods name lightly and vainly in our talk 31. That perjury is lawful for our safety or in obedience to man 32. That Popes Councils or Bishops can dissolve the obligations of our Vows to God or Oaths of fidelity to Princes though the matter be lawful and good and otherwise God dissolve them not 33. That all Oaths and Vows are to be interpreted as not binding us longer than it is for our commodity or safety 34. That we may take Oaths imposed in words whose common sense is false or sinful though not otherwise expounded by the imposer because in charity we must suppose always that our Rulers mean nothing against Gods word or their own or the peoples good 35. That it is unlawful to break any Vow or Oath which was unlawfully imposed on us by man or unlawfully taken by our selves though the matter of it be good or lawful 36. That no Vow bindeth us to that which we were bound to before That all Vowing is sinful and all swearing when lawfully called for the attesting truth and ending strife XVIII Of our duty to our Rulers and Pastors and their duty 1. That Christianity so nullifieth all natural and civil relations or obligations that Children subjects and servants owe nothing to Parents Rulers or Masters but what they are bound to in meer justice and gratitude to them as benefactors or by voluntary consent and promise 2. That Parents owe nothing for their children but bodily provision and not to educate them in Godly and Christian doctrine and practice 3. That Princes may seek their own pleasure and wealth against the common good or above it 4. That they may lawfully make war upon neighbour Countreys only to enlarge their power or dominions or satisfie their pride passion or wills 5. That they or Bishops may fine imprison banish or put to death all
Subjects that are not of their religion or may compell all to those ways of worshipping God which they shall judge best be they right or wrong 6. That Gods Laws are not obligatory to Kings and Kingdomes 7. That Princes or people may preferr their worldly interest before the interest of Religion Souls and God or may set them in opposition against it 8. That Princes must imprison or otherwise punish such as are excommunicated and not absolved by the Clergy without knowing whether the cause be just or unjust by their own exploration 9. That Princes may break Oaths and Covenants when their interest requireth it 10. That subjects have no liberty or propriety in any thing either life wives children or estates but what is at the meer will of Princes to dispose of as they please 11. That it is lawful for subjects to disobey the authority and commands of the higher powers because Christ hath freed us from subjection to men 12. That all Governing authority is originally in the people and by them given to Rulers on what terms they please 13. That therefore the people may depose any Princes where they see cause or may call them to their bar and judge and punish them having themselves the highest governing power 14. That if Princes injure the people the people may therefore rebel take arms against them and depose them 15. Contrarily that no people may defend their lives houses or posterity nor the chastity of their wives by resisting any Tyrants or against the will of Rulers that have no true authority to destroy them 16. That subjects may break their oaths of allegiance whenever their own worldly ends require it or if the Pope disoblige them 17. That if one King wrong another the wronged King may destroy all the others innocent subjects 18. That no war is lawful 19. That it is lawful to defame and dishonour Princes if they are sinners though the contempt tend to disable them from necessary government 20. That none but sanctified persons have true Governing power or dominion 21. That children are bound to obey their parents subjects their Princes and servants their Masters in nothing but what they think is wisely or justly commanded them though it be good or lawful in it self 22. That Parents may not teach children forms of Catechism or prayer nor command them any duty which the child will but say is against his Conscience nor restrain him from any sin which he pleadeth Conscience for 23. That Christian Parents in want may â—ell their Children for slaves to Idolaters or Infidels for supply 24. That Children may disobey their parents in any matters of Religion if the Pope Bishop or Priest so command them XIX Of Duties to our equals or neighbours as such 1. That no man is bound to love another but for his own sake and so far as he is beneficial to him 2. That we are not bound to do another a greater good to the least hurt to our selves 3. That men are not bound to love and preferr the common good of multitudes of their Countrey or the world before their own commodities or lives 4. That no killing of malefactors is lawful by laws and judgement 5. That it is lawful to kill our enemies for meer private revenge or to prevent some evil to our selves though they are innocent 6. That it is lawful to have many wives at once 7. That it is lawful to put away wives or for wives to depart whenever their fleshly or worldly interest seemeth to require it 8. That it is lawful to commit adultery at least by the husband or wives consent 9. That fornication is no sin or no great sin 10. That it is lawful when our need doth urge us to rob steal defraud or oppress others 11. That restitution or reparation is no duty 12. That it is no sin to deceive another by borrowing when we are unable and unlikely to repay and do conceal this 13. That it is not a duty for them that are able to labour in some lawful useful calling for their own maintenance and the common good 14. That it is lawful to lie for our commodity when it hurts not others 15. That it is lawful by backbiting slandering and false witness to disgrace our enemies or be revenged on them 16. That it is lawful for Judges knowingly or rashly to pass unjust judgement against the innocent or just and for advocates or others to promote it 17. That it is lawful for the poor to covet other mens goods and for men to desire and endeavour to draw from others whatever seemeth desirable or needful to our selves 18. That it is no sin to love the world flesh and life better than God Christ grace and glory 19. That it is no sin to be discontent and impatient in our sufferings nor a duty to deny our fleshly pleasure profit or reputation and life for God and for spiritual and everlasting benefits 20. That it is no duty to love our enemies forgive wrongs and forbear each other in their infirmities and provocations XX. Of Death Judgement Heaven and Hell 1. That the souls of believers go not to Christ and happiness nor the souls of the wicked to misery before the Resurrection of the body at the last judgement 2. That there is no Resurrection of the body at least of the wicked or of Infants 3. That Christ will not come in glory to judge the world 4. That we shall not be judged according to what we have done in the body 5. That the faithful shall not be justified and judged to life everlasting 6. That the wicked shall not be condemned to hell or everlasting punishment with the Devils but without holiness men may see God and be saved 7. That no man can know that he hath certain right to Salvation 8. That there is a fire of Purgatory where those that after shall be saved must make penal satisfaction for some of their sins and from which the Popes pardons and masses and other mens merits may deliver souls 9. That the justified shall not live in Glory with God and Jesus Christ and the Angels and the triumphant Church 10. That there is an aereal life of trial before the final judgement where the justified and wicked souls shall again live under conditions of yet winning or losing their heavenly glory 11. That the Devils and damned shall all be delivered at last and either be saved or have another life of tryal And the Glory of the blessed also will have an end and they must by revolution be tryed in flesh here again 12. That it is not a duty to seek first the Kingdome of God and its righteousness and lay up a treasure in heaven and there have our hearts and conversations and thence to fetch our motives and our chiefest hopes and comforts under all the sufferings of this transitory life and the expectation of our certain change THis or such a Catalogue of dangerous doctrines is not to be