VVHat the Duty of a Christian Subject is towards the Supream and Subordinate Magistrates 2. How they ought to be subject not only for wrath but for Conscience sake 3. Wherein a Christian ought not to be in subjection or a Servant unto men HItherto we have mentioned the Heads of Matters which relate unto the Circumstances of the Natural life now follow the Circumstances of the Spiritual Life of Professors THe Spiritual Life of Professors doth Relate to the Church either as it is made up of Members to make one Body or as in it are Offices and Officers with several Charges Concerning the Members of the Church we must know 1. VVHat Right and Relation a true Professor of Christianitie hath to any or all the Churches of Christ 2. What use he ought to make of that Right and Relation and how he should apply himself to some particular Congregation where his conveniency of Edification is greatest 3. How the Common Profession and the Duties of holy Communion with all the Members of Christ are to be maintained notwithstanding the application may be ordinarily made unto one particular Congregation 4. What the Care is which Members owe to one another in the Communion of Saints to build up each other in the Common Profession 5. What the peculiar Duty and Respect is which all Professors owe unto those that are the Leaders of others in the Profession for their works sake 6. How all Members and Professors ought to walk towards those that are without as to adorn the Doctrine of the Gospel in all things Concerning those that bear Office in the Church of God We must know 1. VVHat the Office of a Pastor is and how he ought to discharge it 2. What the Office of the Teacher is and how he ought to discharge it 3. How the Duties of the Pastor and Teacher are conjoynt and how distinct and separate 4. What the Office of a Ruling Elder is and how he ought to discharge it 5. What the Office of a Deacon is and how he ought to discharge it 6. What Correspondence and Communion these Officers ought to have one with another for the strengthening of each others hands in their Duties towards the Flock 7. What Correspondence and Communion the Officers of several Congregations ought to have one with another for the maintaining of the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace amongst themselves to prevent or remedy Differences and for the propagating of the truth unto others that have not as yet received it Of all these states and Relations the Duties should be laid open as they are prescribed in the Word distinctly Then the state and Calling which hath a respect to all sorts of Societies joyntly as being the Seed-plot and Seminary of all Vertues to be exercised therein is the state of Schooles where ought to be delivered 1. What kinds of Schools ought to be constituted sutable to the Principles and Life of Christianity 2. To whom the Care of erecting and reforming of Schools doth belong and what necessity there is of this work 3. What the peculiar Duties are of School-Masters and Mistresses and of Schollars of both Sexes Hitherto I have reckoned up summarily the Heads of those Truths which will make a full Body of Practical Divinity if they be throughly handled and if the particulars which may be referred thereunto be fitly brought in As concerning the Supplement of Cases of Conscience I shall say nothing for the present hoping that if the Positive Truths be Compleatly handled and a General Rule shewed how to draw from the Tenor of the Covenant a resolution of Conscionable Difficulties there will be no great need of any large Treatise in this kind Yet I will not deny but that a full Body of Case-Divinity may be usefull if well ordered and published by it self but I would not have the Body of Positive Truths overburdened with Cases because our main Study ought to be about the knowledge of the Rules and our exercise about the application of the same to our wayes therefore we need not to propose a body of Difficulties to be resolved but our wisdome will be either to avoyd them so far as may be by a cleer direction preventing them or to overcome them when they cannot be avoyded by such a method as may be easie and followed by all that understand the Truth of Gods meaning and their own duty in the Covenant Thus I have adventured to cut out Work and offer Tasks to those that shall be willing to joyn in compleating this pious Undertaking not that I presume to precribe or limit any within these bounds or to follow this Method but that I would give occasion unto such General hints as these are For unto these three Heads of Principles Substantials and Circumstantials of Practice I suppose all the Collections which may be made out of our Authors may be referred and if this Effect can be obtained in any competent measure I shall have what I intended by these Proposals Hitherto I have spoken of the Body of Practical Divinity which I conceive will answer the request of Forrain Protestant Divines made unto us Now I shall come to the Reasons why it ought to be compiled and imparted unto them Of the Second What the Reasons and Motives are which should induce us to make up this Body of Divinity and Communicate it to Forraine Protestant Churches IF to advance this Gospel-work there were nothing else to move us but the excellency of the thing it self and the Call which we have thereunto by forraine Churches with those Arguments which in their Letter they have alleadged Truely these inducements alone might abundantly suffice and ought to engage us most effectually thereunto for if we have any true zeal to the glory of God by the Propagation of the Gospel if there is any sincere inclination to entertain the Communion of the Spirit by the Communication of spiritual Gifts and Graces and if there is any fervency of love toward the Brother hood or affections of serviceableness towards the fellow-members of Jesus Christ all others reasons besides those which they offer unto us will be found superfluous and of little use to perswade because the heart that is rightly set in heavenly places and raised unto the true Objects which unite the same with God is not acted by earthly Motives although it may reflect sometimes not unprofitably upon matters of particular concernment But we find too often and that to our great grief when we have to deal even with men that are accounted emninent in the Profession of Religion and that are of good abilities to judge of all things else that yet those Reasons which in their own nature are best most spiritual and most universal are not towards them most effectual to perswade but the motives which are more particular more outward and of lesser worth doth rather work and take more powerfully with them Whether this doth fall out either because good Men do
his vertues and cause men to take notice of the excellency of his Nature that they may have cause to admire and love and praise him in the same and if we do nor set our hearts entirely to work all our works in God that he may thus be glorified thereby we have renounced in our heart the great end of our Creation which is nothing else but his glory and the only means by which that end is attainable are good works shewed forth unto men Mat. 5. 16. for we are Gods workmanship created in Jesus Christ unto Good Works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding Riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus Ephes 2. 7 10. Thus then the only way to glorifie God the Author of this Talent is to improve it by imparting unto others freely that which Christ hath freely given unto us Nor is there a readier way by which we are made capable of being glorified with God hereafter then thus to glorifie him on Earth we see the slothful servant was deprived of glory because he was slothful and others were made partakers thereof because they were diligent and faithful in using their Talents and the promise is that such as are wise shall shine as the brightnes of the Firmament and they that turn many unto Righteousness as the Stars for ever and ever This then is our wisdome to win souls unto God and turn many unto Righteousness and this will prove the greatest folly and the greatest unthankfulness that we can be guilty of that having so great a Talent in our hand and so fit for such a service we should not thereby Honour God by making it useful to the enlargement of his Kingdom But above all this there is a Law of Justice which doth require this duty of us as a debt to be paid unto all that are susceptible of the benefit thereof but chiefly unto those that challenge is as having a right thereunto all that belong to the houshold of Faith have a right to all the priviledges of the house and all the gifts and treasures pertaining to it are theirs all things are yours saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 3. 21. 22. because every member of the Body hath an interest in all the graces which flow from the head as conferred upon the Body nor doth any member possesse any thing for it self but for the whole nor is any thing in it self but as it standeth in its place to serve the whole and as it belongeth unto other members for we are said to be members one of another So that we have a right to challenge for our use as our own all the graces which another hath if we stand in need thereof nor is it lawful for any to refuse the Communication of any spiritual gift wherewith he is possessed to any that craveth it of him in the name of Christ except he will make himself guilty of the breach of the great and Fundamental law of the Kingdom of Heaven upon which the happiness of that whole State is settled for the happiness of the State of Christianity above all the States of the world is this that al the Subjects thereof are but one new Creature and Spiritual man in Christ that they are made and called to serve one another in Love as he served us and to enjoy him in each other as he is the same light of Truth and light of God in all for the enjoyments and possessions of all other men in all other States and Kingdoms of this World are distinct and peculiar to every one because some things are incommunicably proper to some more then to others as their lot is fallen amongst men and except this Law in natural things were observed there would be nothing but endless and inextricable confusion and strife yea much more then now is amongst the Sons of men But it is not so in Spiritual things the Spiritual man his joy is this that others partake of all his blessings that others have a right in him and interest and he in them for all their Grace and that he is a debtor of all that he hath unto every one and every one are debtors of all that they have unto him So that none can count himself happy or compleate in any thing or ought to rest contented within himself without the Happiness Perfection and contentedness of others Thus none can want what another hath and what God hath given unto any it is to be offered unto all and he that doth not live by this Rule in the Church of God doth exclude his own soul from the Communion of Saints and maketh himself incapable of all the Felicities of Christs Kingdom We see then how many and how strong the obligations are which bind us unto this duty of Spiritual Communication of the graces which we have received to profit withall for if we should not intend this we shall discover our selves to be of all men the most ingrateful towards God and most unworthy of all the Honours which he hath cast upon us We shall shew our selves destitute of all love both to God and man and of all faithfulness in the trust committed unto us of all sincerity in our Profession and of all care either to advance Gods glory as becometh the Disciples of Christ or to be advanced unto glory by him or to maintain the happiness of our own Estate by fellowship with his members or finally to discharge the debt of Righteousness which we owe unto others on Gods behalf for God hath assigned the payment of all the debts which we owe unto him which are the fruits of his Graces towards us to be laid out upon the members of Jesus Christ that much joy and many thanksgivings from many hearts and mouths may redound to the glory of the Father through him If then we should hold this truth of God in unrighteousness we should not onely be found enemies to God and our selves so far as in us lyeth to frustrate him of his intent and our selves of all the honour whereunto he doth design us but opposite unto all goodness to suppresse the brightness of his glory to darken the comforts of his Children to defraud our Brethren of their just claim and expectation and to deprive all sorts of men of that wherein we are indebted unto them for it is not onely our Brethren that challenge that which is their right of us on Gods behalf to whom we owe this duty as a debt but we owe it unto all men that either now or in after ages may profit thereby towards the advancement of Christs Kingdom and that is the thing which our Brethren in the conclusion of their Letter presse though briefly yet throughly upon us for having proposed Gods intention in giving his Gifts our duty answerable thereunto and their demand grounded upon both they present unto us the benefits which
the union of all these parts is to be discovered that we may see the entire frame of the whole course which is conformable unto the will of God in all things as well inwardly as outwardly in all Duties at once which will make up the substance of the parts of a Godly life And to bring us unto this Perfection God hath given a peculiar Rule whereunto he doth oblige all men to be so fully conformable that whosoever transgresseth in any one Point thereof is guilty of all Jam. 2. 10. because the true and perfect observation of any one Duty doth import a full confirmity of our Wills to the Will of him who doth command all the rest and the transgression of Gods will in any one particular doth bewray an inconformity of our wills from the will of him who doth command all the rest and this is to be a transgressor of the whole Law because the whole Law is nothing else but the will of God and the substance of the whole Obedience is nothing else but a total subjection of our wills unto his will as it is revealed in the Law Rom. 2 20. for God hath given the form of knowledge and of the truth in the Law to this end that we should not displease him but to sâ—udy to please him in all things for the whole substance of our Religious fear and love is conâ—racted unto this aim that we should do nothing that is displeasing but every thing as it is acceptable unto him Our performance 〈◊〉 of all Duties in order to the fulfilling of Gods will and observance of the Law is the substance of the whole life of godliness For the Ten Commandments given in Mount Sinai which God wrote 〈◊〉 in Tables of Stâ—ne are the Universal Rule of Righteousness as they contain the nature of all Duties which are generally obliging unto every one and as they comprehend in one expression both the Spiritual and Bodily perfection of every Humane Action The Doctrine then of the Ten Commandments should be delivered to this effect in Four distinct Heads The First should contain the Rules of interpreting the Commandments The Second should let us see the Abstract of all the Duties commanded and sins forbidden therein The Third should let us know the Definition or Description of all these Duties and Sins with the Means and Helps subordinate unto the duties and the causes which beget and the signes which manifest the sins and although perhaps some of the things formerly mentioned in some of the parts of the life of godliness may come to be named here again yet this is not to be counted any Tautologie or superfluity because the same thing may be more then once handled under different notions and respects in severall places Here then all duties whatsoever and every thing opposite thereunto are only to be handled as they are commanded and forbidden in the Law which is the universall rule of Righteousness to shew the perfection of the Law and the nature of every action as it agreeth or disagreeth with the rule and the quality of every vertue and vice as it is ranked by God in the whole frame of that life which the Law doth require or condemn all which are material points of knowledge and can no where be properly handled but in this consideration of the Law The fourth and last head should describe the watch which all men should have aswell over themselves as over others for the observation of the Law for as all particular vertues make up but one perfection of obedience by their conformity unto the Rule of the Law so all mens observation of the Law in their several wayes doth make up but one submission to the will of God in them all their joynt care of each others conformity unto the Law for all Professors as they are members of each other in Christ make up but one body and spiritual man in him and this is the substance of the whole life of godliness when by the grace and truth which is in Jesus Christ the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit for the Law of the spirit of life which is in Christ being through Faith effectuall in us to free us from the Law of sin and death which is in our nature doth make us conformable unto all that is well-pleasing unto God so that in every thing we are enabled to prove what is that holy perfect and acceptable will of God Which things being laid open I suppose all that justly may be desired concerning the substantials of the life of godliness in the whole and parts will be sufficiently discovered and so the second part of this body of Practical Divinity will be made up Of the Circumstantials of the Life of Godlinesse ALthough the former rules of Piety which are common to all Believers and Professors may well suffice to direct every one upon all occasions what to do not only because they contain the grounds of all duties and the properties of all vertues but because God in the Covenant hath expresly promised that he himself will teach all his children and Christ hath engaged himself to send unto his Disciples a spirit which shall lead them in all truth yet seeing the Scripture doth lay open not only the substantiall rules of the whole Profession in the general nature of vertue and vice by the precepts of the Law but doth mention in particular tearms the circumstantial duties also which are considerable in order to the Profession therefore these ought distinctly to be opened and made the third part of this body Where again I shall desire that it may be observed that the things here to be handled should be distinguished from the same things handled before in this respect that in the foregoing part all actions are to be considered in order to that which is their perpetuall nature and substantial property never to be altered but in this part all actions are to considered in order to that which is alterable in them according to the circumstances therefore in the former part although the heads of all things which are to be mentioned here may be brought in and named in their own places yet the handling of them ought not to go any further then to define the universal nature and properties thereof as it is common to all times places cases and circumstances but in this part the particular cases and circumstances which are ordinarily incident to persons of several conditions are to be taken into consideration to shew them the rule of their walking therein to observe that which is righteous and answerable to the Law Here then we presuppose the knowledge of the definition and true notion of all vertues and vices which is the proper work of the substantial Doctrine for under that respect all things are handled there and we reflect upon the various subjects objects relations and occasions of putting forth these actions which
Scripture hath left to every mans conscience to work upon in the several Occurrences of his life wherein the variety of his Circumstances changes the nature of the action and makes a man doubtful what to do or not to do is to be the matter of that which you call Case-Divinity Now who doth not see that these two must be joyned together either in one body of Treatise or else so if they be two several Volumes and Treatises yet in the Method they may be all one so that the cases must be referred every one to his Action of which he is a Case just as in Grammer the Exceptions must needs be referred to the Rules and every Exception to his own Rule otherwise all is in a confusion so it is here the cases are as it were Exceptions of the General Rule which therefore must needs be first delivered from whence you see that I am not of your minde when you say that Case-Divinity must first be ruled before Practical Divinity for Case Divinity cannot be Ruled except you have first a Rule to Rule it by Now the Rule is that which I say is the matter of Practical Divinity viz. all such expresse Determinations as the Scripture doth deliver concerning all the parts and actions either of the general and substantial or of the particular and accidental state of Christianity When these expresse determinations are set down in their natural order then we have a Rule of understanding and conscience by which every man is able to direct himself afterwards in the several Occurrences as his occasions may fall out for the spirit of Obedience dwelling in his conscience and being informed and strengthened by the Rule of the Word will discern the duty which is most requisite to be performed in the particular occasion wherein a man is Neither is it possible as I suppose that all the incident cases of this nature can be truly determined so that they will satisfie every mans conscience For the different measures of knowledge and of the apprehensions of the Rule make the conscience doubtful And therefore except the setled and infallible Rules be first received and proposed all particular decisions of doubtful cases will become nothing else but a matter of inextricable dispute by which means instead of a Body of Practical Truths we shall have a new kind of Polemical Divinity in matters of Practice because the preposterous course being taken to begin at doubts before the true Rules be known whereby to frame our life we shall hardly ever finde the right way For after that different opinions are once taken up in matters of doubt we see how hardly they are laid down and how that men before they will seem to have erred in the particular determination of the doubt will sometimes strain the sense of many Principles as in matters of Theory the Papists do plainly Therefore I think that to begin at cases is a preposterous course every way and to do as you say that these cases should first be sent into all Churches to be allowed of and then published I think is dangerous to cause much contradiction and a great deal more laborious then to make up the chief and more profitable part of the Work which if it be well done may stand by it self without contradiction or fear of opposition being clearly the truth both in the Word and in every mans Conscience And then either when this is done or whiles it is a doing if some be set a work to gather Cases as you say out of all M. S. Letters conferences correspondences c. he ought to referre the Cases to the Heads of the Practical part so that all the Cases stand in the same order wherein the Infallible Rules of Practical Directions were delivered corresponding in the same matters as more particularly and as it were Individual Determinations of the same End and Means of an Action or rather as an application of the Rule delivered to a particular object wherein every body might not hit the right way of proceeding FINIS An Extract of a Letter written by George Horne Doctor in Divinity and publick Professor of History in the University of Leyden To Samuel Hartlib Esq IDea illa Theologiae Practica Domini Duraei it a me affecit ut vix quicquam a Te hactenùs profectum magis Crede mihi nullum Divinius remedium sedandis illis Polemicis inter Protestantes affectibus rixosis verae pietati propagandae etiam apud Atheos Haereticos convenientius Nunquam illud ingens Irenicum Opus ad optatum stabilem finem deducetur nisi hoc effecto Incredibiliter mihi tota Dispositio Scopus placent Et quid quaeso remorae quo minùs Vester Ille Iosua Suâ Authoritate id intra breve tempus Orbi exhibere possit Abundat Britannia Viris capacissimis ad hunc laborem natis Longè profectò satiùs in ejusmodl Opere occupari curas manus plurium quà m in consarcinandis Commentariis Scripturarum quibus jam obrutus est Orbis Ecclesiae velut sub onere quodam gemunt Legam autem relegam totum Opus attentiùs si quid incidat quod aliquid ad Templi illius Hierosolymitani structuram conferre possit studiosè annotabo quanquam profectò eâ in parte Vestrates palmam obtinent ut id Opus non aliundè quà m ab Anglia exspectare Christianus Orbis possit Contulerunt tot pientissimae Animae tot jam annis copiosam materiam quid restat nisi ut Salomo aliquis evocatis Artificibus Templum longè illo Ceremoniali magnificentius exstruat In English MR. Dury his Idea of Practical Divinity hath pleased me as much as any thing that ever you sent me Believe me there is not a more Soveraigne remedy then this for the Putting an end to the controversies and quarrels now between Protestants nor fitter for the Propagating of true piety even amongst Atheists and Hereticks That great Work of Pacification will never be brought to the desired end of settlement but by this means The whole Order and Scope of this Work do please me exceedingly And I pray you what can hinder Your Josua from imposing it on the World by his Authority within a short time England doth abound with men that are most fit for this Work and as it were born to perform it It were certainly much better to have the cares and hands of many men imployed about such a Work as this then in compiling of Commentaries on Scripture wherewith the world is already over whelmed and the Churches groan under them as under a burden But I will read over this whole Tract more heed fully and if any thing come into my mind which may conduce towards the building of this Temple of Jerusalem I will carefully set it down Although in this part your English men do so excell that the Christian World needs not to have it done by any else So many godly Souls having for these many