are not desperate and covereth sins instead of condemning without proof would equally cure them both And let me yet conclude with this double protestation against the carping slanderer who useth to falsifie mens words First That I intend not in all this any flattery of the ungodly or making them better than they are or forbearing plain reproof or Church-discipline nor any unlawful communion with the wicked nor countenancing them in any of their sins nor neglecting to call them to repentance Secondly That while I here name persecution my purpose is not to mark out any persons or party above others or determine who they be that are the persecutors But only to detect the deceitfulness of our hearts when we most complain of it and to shew that wherever that sin is indeed it cometh but from the same principle as sinful separation doth even from the death of Love to others Thirdly and I add that though I here aggravate the persecution of unjust excommunications or separations as robbing men of the priviledge of Christians yet leaving them the common liberties of men and subjects it is none of my purpose to equal this absolutely with that destroying cruelty which leaveth them neither and will not suffer them to enjoy so much liberty as Heathens and Infidels may enjoy or as Paul had under such Act. 28. ult DIRECT LVI Keep still in your thoughts the state of all Christs Churches upon Earth that you may know what a people they are through the world whom Christ hath communion with and may not be deceived by ignorance to separate from allmost all Christs Churches while you think that you separate from none but the few that are about you THousands of well meaning people live as if England were almost all the world And do boldly separate from their Neighbours here which they durst not do if they soberly considered that almost all the Christian world are worse than they But narrow minds who can look but little further with their Reason than with their eye-sight do keep out at once both Truth and Love It is a point that I have often had occasion to repeat and yet will not forbear to repeat it here again It is but about one sixth part of the known world who make any profession of Christianity and are baptized besides how much peopled the unknown part of the world may be we know not Of this sixth part the Ethiopians Egyptians Syrians Armenians the Greek Churches the Muscovites and all the Papists are so great a body that all the Protestants or Reformed Churches are little more than a sixth part of this sixth The Papists being about a fourth or fifth part and the other Christians making up the rest And of these Protestants Sweden Denmark Saxony and many other parts of Germany making up the greatest part are such as are called Lutherans And of the other half which are supposed to be more Reformed there is scarce any of so Reformed lives as these in England and Scotland And among these how great a number are they that you separate from If you look to the Papists their worship is by the Mass If you look to the Muscovians they have a Liturgy much more blameable than ours and have a few Homilies instead of preaching If you look to the Greek Church to the Armenians the Abassines and all the Eastern and the Southern Churches in Asia and Africa they also worship God by Liturgies much more lyable to blame than ours and have but little preaching among them besides Homilies and the Members of their Churches are commonly far more ignorant than the worst of ours even than the rudest part of Wales If you look to the Lutherans they have Liturgies and Ceremonies and Images in their Churches though not adored and have far worse Preachers and of worse lives and more unprofitable preaching than is usually found with us and the people more ignorant and vicious If you look to the remnant called the more Reformed Churches in Holland France Helvetia Germany though they have much less of Liturgy or Ceremonies yet are their Church-members usually as ignorant as ours and more addicted to intemperance and there is no less scandal in their lives than among ours Now this being the true state of the world and though we daily pray that it may be better yet it is no better I would only intreat you but to think of it as it is and that to answer me deliberately these few Questions Quest. 1. Do you believe that all baptized professed Christians not denying any essential part of Christianity are Christs Universal Visible Church Qu. 2. Do you not believe that this Church is only One and that every particular Church and every Christian is a part of it Qu. 3. Do you not believe that it is unlawful in any case whatsoever to separate from it And that to separate from the Universal Visible Church is visibly to separate from Christ Qu. 4. Do you not believe that to give a Bill of Divorce to the Universal Church or to many hundred parts of it or to any one part and to declare that they are none of the Church of Christ is not great arrogancy and injury to men and unto Christ himself Qu. 5. Dare you say before God Let me have no part in any of the prayers of all these Churches on earth who use a Liturgy as culpable as ours because I will have no Communion with them Do you set so light by your part in their prayers Q. 6. If you travelled or lived in Abassia Armenia Greece or any Christian Country where their worship is not Idolatry nor substantially wicked nor they force not the worshippers to any false Oaths subscriptions or other actual sin would you refuse all communion with them and all publick worshipping of God Or would you not rather joyn with them than with no Church at all Qâ— 7. When you remember on the Lords days that now all the Christian world are congregate and are calling upon God and praising him in the name of one Christ and in the profession of one Faith dare you think of being a Body separated from them all And can you think that Christ disowneth them all save you Qu. 8. Can you think it agreeable to the gracious nature design and office of Jesus Christ to cast off and condemn so many hundred parts of the Church-universal and to accept that one part only which you joyn with Judge by his actions and expressions in the Scriptures Qu. 9. If there were bâ—t ten persons of your mind in all the world would you believe that God would save none but those ten or accept the worship of no more or that it were lawful to have communion with none but those ten If not how can you think so in a case so neer it Qu. 10. Can you prove that Christ doth separate from all the Christians of the world which you separate from or that they have no visible Commâ—nion with him or
understand it with his reason and transcribe it with his hand and travel with his feet The Pastors only excommunicate by Judgement or Sentence and the people by obedient execution of it Obj. Who then shall cast out an Heretick or pernicious Pastor if he himself must be rejected Answ. 1. The Neighbour Pastors shall renounce Communion with him and reject him from their neighbour Communion And they shall warn that people to avoid him by virtue of the common relation which they have to the universal Church of Christ. 2. The people as Cyprian determineth are bound to forsake him not by an act of Government over him or themselves but by an act of obedience to God and of self-preservation As Souldiers must forsake a trayterous General or Seamen a perfidious or desperately unskilful Pilot that would cast them all away As the people did always choose their Pastors to Govern them so may they in such a case refuse them without usurping any Government themselves Well! Now let us see what influence this truth should have upon your Church-Communion Do you say that your neighbours are not to be accounted members of the Church nor to be communicated with Who took them into the Church by Baptism Was it not a Minister of Christ If you say no you must prove your accusation If you grant it was it not his Office so to do Hath not God made his Ministers Judges whom they are to baptize And afterward also whom to catechise and instruct and admit to the communion of the Church There is no doubt of it If then they are admitted by an entrusted Officer will you venture to usurp the place yea and to do them the wrong to say that they are no members Is it any of your trust or work I pray you mark what a mercy it is to you that the Officers and not the private members are entrusted with this work First if it were your work you must study and be able to perform it Secondly you must watch for it and constantly attend it If a Heretick pervert the Text of Scripture you must convince him by your skil in the Originals or in the sense How many hundred or thousand persons are there in a Parish to be tried The worst of them must have a hearing and just trial at least before you can refuse him lawfully And how accurately must this difficult work be done that the weakest be not denied his right nor the unfit admitted How long must a sinner be admonished and exhorted to repentance And are you able and willing to leave all your callings to do all this If the Minister that doth it must lay by the business of the world how think you that you can do the same without laying by your worldly business If he must have so many years learning and preparation can you do it without Mistake not it is not for Sermons only that Ministers need all their learning and labour but also for the discipline and guidance of the flocks Thirdly and if it be your work you must be accountable for it before God And do you not fear such a reckoning And if these busie people had their wish would they not be in a worse case than the most dumb and lazy Minister Consider it well and you will find that you are not at all bound to know what the spiritual state of any man is as he is to joyn in Church-communion with you but upon your Pastors trust and word Whether their understanding be sufficient at their admittance you are not any where called to try but the Pastor is And if he have admitted them you are to rest in his judgment unless you would undertake the office your selves whether their profession of faith and repentance be serious and credible you are not called to try and judge But if your Pastor have admitted them he hath numbred them with the visible Christians And it is the credibility of the Pastor that you have to consider and by him you must judge of the credibility of the professour and not immediately by your own trial Who are the persons that you shall meet at a Sacrament or in publike Communion you are not at all required to try And if you never saw them before or heard them speak you may perform your duty nevertheless Indeed if as a neighbour you are called to instruct or counsel or comfort them you must do it But there may be five thousand in one Church with you whose names or faces you are not bound to know but to rest in the knowledge of them to whom the keyes are committed who according to their office take them in Obj. But what if they are notoriously wicked Must I be blind Answ. No you must do your best by neighboâ—rly watchfulness and help though not by Pastoral Government to reform all about you whom you are able to do good to And if you know them to be so bad you must privately admonish them as is proved and then if they hear not tell the Church But if you see a man in the Church at the Sacrament or a thousand men who are unreformed and you know it not you have no reason to avoid the communion of such And if there be a thousand in the Church whose case you are strangers to thâ—s may be no sin of yours and should be no impediment of your communion Obj. But what if câ—rnâ—l negligâ—nt Ministers will let in 〈◊〉 into the Church by Baptism and give them the Lords Supper Shall it be thus in their power to corrupt the Church And must we joyn with them and take no care of it Answ. There is no person in any office or trust but may too easily abuse it And the more noble the work and trust is the greater is the siâ— and calamity of such abuse And no doubt but a bad unfaithful Minister is one of the greatest sinâ—ers on earth and one of the most pernicious plagâ—es to the Church Which could not be unless it were in his power to do very much hurt But it will not follow that therefore you must take his place and become the Church Governours or try all the peoples fitness your selves If a Judge be bad you may say what an intollerable thing is it that one man shall have power to give away mens estates and take away the livâ—s of the innocent and to acquit the guilty But for all that you must not mend it by stepping up into the judgement seat your self and saying that you or the rest of the people will do it better Some body must be trusted with it If you are fittest offer your self to the office The thing that you must do is to do your best to deliver the Church from so bad a Pastor Use all your wisdome and diligence to amend him And if you cannot do that use all your interest to get him out and get a better And if you cannot do that deliver your own soul from him by removing
Bible But I pray you mark it the way of God is to shame the sinner how good soever in other respects that the sin may have the greater shame and Religion may not be shamed as if it allowed men to sin nor God the Author of Religion be dishonoured nor others be without the warning But the way of the devil is To hide or justifie the sin as if it were for fear of disparaging the goodness of the persons that committed it that so be may thereby dishonour Religion and Godliness it self and make men believe that it is but a cover for any wickedness and as consistent with it as a looser life is and that he may keep the sinner from repenting and blot out the memory of that warning which should have preserved after-ages from the like falls Scripture shameth the Professours though a David Solomon Peter Noah or Lot that the Religion professed may not be shamed but vindicated Satan would preserve the honour of the Profâ—ssâ—urs that the Religion prosessed may bear the shame and so it may fall on God himself When God turneth Lots wife into a Pillar of Salt Satan is willing to seem so tender of the honour of the godly as to take it down that it may be forgotten God saith to the Israelites that when those that pass by shall ask why hath God done all this great â—vil against this people the posterity shall recount their ancestors sins and say Because they sinned against the Lord their God c. But Satan could find in his heart to pretend more tenderness of the names and honour of the Church so he might but undo the present age by impeniâ—ency and after ages by taking Gods publick warnings from before their eyes On these terms he will be all for the honour of professours But God will make men more tender of his honour and less tender of our own and more willing openly to take shame to our selves to vindicate the honour of Religion before he will give us a 〈◊〉 discharge It is the nature of true Repentance to cry out as publickly as we can to all the world and be glad to leave it upon record It was not God or Religion that ever encouraged me to these sins but it was my own doing Religion is clear but I am guilty Pardon this long excursion on this subject And if you cannot bear it I cannot help that I made not the sore nor galled place which is so tender I only mind you in answer to your objection that Faction and opinions will raise persecutions and have done even by such as you yet do not separate from I know none of you that separate from the Anabaptists and Separatists who were the authors of these aforesaid persecutions nor do I urge you to it Therefore do but impartially judge of the sin Obj. But it is one thing to persecute for particular opinions and interests as almost all parties have sometimes done and another thing to perseâ—nte for Godliness it selfe Answ. I confess it is and the difference between these two is very great But I pray you consider first that they are but few perhaps not one of all that you separate from that ever persecuted you any way at all Nor can you prove that ever they so much as allowed of it Secondly That they whom you and I do suffer by do not believe that they persecute us for Godliness but think that here the case is more defensible than yours was For you had no just authority over us When the Anabaptâ—sts did pull down the Ministers they pull'd down the Magistrates too And therefore it was a perscution of equals without authority But those that we Ministers suffer by now are our lawful Rulers who have made Laws to require us to subscribe and say and swear and do the things which we do not And therefore they think that we suffer but for a different opinion joyned with disobedience It is not all men whom they forbid to preach but us who dissent and do not obey them It is not all men that are godly whom they imprison but those that meet to worship God in a place and manner differing from theirs and forbidden by them So that how can you say that this is not for differing opinions Obj. But we forbid not them to hold their own Church-communion though we separate from them we never denied them the liberty of their consciences Answ. Some of your judgement denied many of them much of that liberty which consisteth in worshipping of God in their own way when you were in power But suppose they had not it is but another way of uncharitableness The vice expressed seemeth to be the same For you condemn them as unfit for Christian-Communion and therefore you exclude them from yours And you take their Church-communion among themselves to be but a prophanation of holy things which maketh them the more impious and therefore the more odious And you tolerate it in them as you tolerate mens folly and madness or leprosie or plague because you cannot cure it And I pray you judge whether there be any more Christian Love in this kind of dealing than there is in that which you call persecution Or at least wheâ—her it proceed not from the same uncharitableness I suppose you to be spiritual and not carnal persons at least in profession and therefore that you are not so tender of the flesh as to take its suffering to be any great matter to you in comparison of any of the sufferings of the soul. When you refuse Communion with men as judging them unfit for fellowship with the visible Churches of Christ you judge them the visible members of the devil and condemn them to the loss of the greatest priviledges on earth and to be left out with the dogs with Publicans and Heathens Though you think that you have no more to do your selves in the execution of this sentence but to separate from them yet you declare that you think that all others should do the same So that your tolerating their Communion among themselves is no great signification of your charity The sum of all that I say to you is this It is but one and the same sin in the Persecutor and the Divider or Separatist which causeth the one to smite their brethren and the other to excommunicate them the one to cast them into prisons as Schismaticks and the other to cast them out of the Church as prophane the one to account them intollerable in the land and the oâ—her to account them intollerable in the Church the one to say Away with them they are contumacious and the other to say Away with them they are ungodly The inward thoughts of both is the same that those whom they smite or separate from are bad and unlovely and unfit for any better usage When Love which thinketh no evil till it is necessitated and believeth all things which are at all credible and hopeth all things which
child of God And if you knew how every word of oblequy especially by back-biting against your brethren doth tend to infect the hearers with the same vices and kill their Love and lead them into divisions you would take heed for the sake of others Unless you are of those who are foolisher than the devil and would build Christs house and Kingdome by dividing it Math. 12. One raileth at Luther and another at Calvin and another at Arminius and another at this man and another at that for matters which are above their reach and the people are taught to rail at all and to make it also their talk behind mens backs â—o prate against this man and that man and the other and in time to shew it by breaking into sects In a word such carnal courses of their Teachers do make or harden carnal professors to be one for Paul and another for Apollo and another for Cephas but few sincerely and prudently for Christ so that instead of Holiness Love and Concord we have in almost all company little but ignorant censorious wrangling at the opinions of those that they never were acquainted with or at the controverted practises or circumstances of worship which are not suitable to their prejudice and custom and of which they never desired to be the impartial hearers of a just account If ever God will shew mercy to his Church he will give them Pastors after his heart who shall abound in Light and Love and lead the people into Concord upon the ancient terms and make it their work to bring this Love-killing spirit inâ—o hatred whether it work by the way of stâ—iving-disputes or dividing principles or practises or by reproaching others by corporal cruelty or by a Religious censorious cruelty which doth not strike men but unchurch and damn them and separate from them as men unfit for christian communion And whilest the Pastors take another course we must patiently wait and pity the Church and fore-see our further misery in this prognostick though the guilty being puffed up with the conceits of their preciousness to God do promise themselves the desires of their hearts Are not the sons of Levi yet refined when they have been in so many furnaces and so long When wisedom holiness and humility are their nature and selfish pride and worldliness are cured this wrinkled malignant ENVY will then cease and an honest emulation to excel one another in wisdome and Love and all good works will then take place And then we shall not like drunken men one day fight and wound each other and the next day cry out of our wounds and yet go on in our drunken fits to make them wider DIRECT XXII Lastly Let all the Ministers of Christ so deeply study their wonderfull pattern of Love and tenderness meekness and patience and all those passages of Holy Scripture which still commend those vertues to his servants till their souls are cast into this sacred mould and habituated to this Image and imitation of their Lord And then Vertue will go from them and they will be healing among all where-ever they shall come As fire goeth out from the flinty contenders by their collisions which maketh them still incendiaries and consumers of the Churches Peace I Will therefore end these Directions with the bare repetition of some more of those sacred words besides those forecited which may be fit to breed such a gracious habit in those that will faithfully study and receive them Isa. 9. 6 7. The government shall be laid upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor the mighty God the everlasting father the Prince of Peace Of the increase of his Government and Peace there shall be no end Isa. 40. 11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd he shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosome and shall gently lead those that are with young Isa. 42. 1 2 3. 4. Behold my servant whom I uphold mine elect in whom my soul delighteth I have put my spirit upon him he shall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles He shall not cry nor lift up nor cause his voice to be heard in the street A bruised reed shall he not break and the smoking slax shall he not quech he shall bring forth judgement unto truth He shall not fail nor be discouraged till he have set judgement in the earth and the isles shall wait for his law Isa. 44. 3 4 5. I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground I will pour my spirit on thy seed and my blessing on thy off-spring And they shall spring up as among the grass as willows by the water-courses One shall say I am the Lords and another shall call himself by the name of Iacob and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord and surname himself by the name of Israel Psal. 110. 2 3. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power in the beauties of holiness Ezek. 34. 2 3 4 5. Wo to the shepherds of Isâ—ael that feed themselves should not the shepherds feed the flocks Ye eate the fat and cloath you with the wool ye kill them that are fed but ye feed not the flock The diseased have ye not strengthened neither have ye healed that which was sick neither have ye bound up that which was broken neither have ye brought again that which was driven away neither have ye sought that which was lost But with Force and with Cruelty have ye ruled them and they were scattered because there is no shepherd Read the rest of that Chapter Isa. 11. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Iesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him the spirit of wisedome and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes nor reprove after the hearing of his ears but with righteousness shall he judge the poor and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked The wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid and the calf and the young lion and the faâ—ling together and a little child shall lead them And the cow and the bear shall feed their young ones shall lie down together and the lion shall eat straw like the oxe and the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice dâ—n They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea See also cap. 65. 25. Isa. 2. 2 3 4 5. And it shall come to pass in the last dayes that the mountain of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hils and all nations shall flow unto it And many people shall go and say Come ye and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob and he will reach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths For out of Zion shall go forth the Law and the word of the Lord from Ierusalem And he shall judge among the nations and shall rebuke many people And they shall beat their swords into plow-shares and their spears into pruning-hooks Nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn waâ—s any more O house of Iacob come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord. Mal. 2. 5 6 7 8 9 10. My covenant was with Levi of life and peace and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me The law of truth was in his mouth and iniquity was not found in his lips He walked with me in Peace and Equity and did turn many from iniquity For the Priests lips should keep knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the Messenger of the Lord of hosts But ye are departed out of the way ye have caused many to stumble at the Law ye have corrupted the Covenant of Levi Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people according as ye have not kept my wayes but have been partial in the Law Zech. 9 9. Behold thy King cometh unto thee he is just and having salvation lowly and riding on an ass He shall speak peace to the heathen and his dominion shall be from sea to sea Math. 11. 29. Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls Luke 4. 18. He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted 43 I must preach the Kingdome of God to other Cities also for therefore am I sent Mark 3. 20 21. The multitude cometh together again so that they could not so much as eat bread And when his friends heard of it they went out to lay hold on him for they said He iâ— beside himself Ioh. 4. 32 34. I have meat to eat that ye know not of My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work Ioh. 9. 4. I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day the night cometh when no man can work Luk. 22. 24. And there was a strife among them which of them should be accounted the greatest Math. 20. 25 26 27. But Jesus called them to him and said ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority upon them But it shall not be so among you but whosoever will be great among you let him be your Minister and whosoever will be chief among you let him be your servant Even as the son of man came not to be ministred to but to minister and to give his life a ransome for many Ioh. 18. 36. My Kingdome is not of this world â—lse would my servants fight Luk. 12. 14. Who made me a judge or a divider over you 1 Pet. 5. 2 3 4. Feed the flock of God which is among you taking the over-fight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind Neither as being Lords over or Over-ruling Gods heritage but bein ensamples to the flock And when the chief shepheard shall appear ye shall receive a crown of Glory 2 Cor. 1. 24. Not for that we have dominion over your faith but are helpers of your joy Math. 23. 8. Be not ye called Rabbi for one is your Master Christ and all ye are brethren 1 Cor. 4. 1 2. Let a man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the mysteries of God 2 Cor. 10. 8. 13. 8 10. For we can do nothing against the truth but for the truth according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification and not to destruction Act. 20. 18 19. Ye know after what manner I have been with you at all seasons serving the Lord with all humility of mind and with many tears 20 And have taught you publickly and from house to house In every City bonds and afflictions abide me but none of these things move me neither count I my life dear unto my self that I might finish my course with joy and the ministery which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testifie to you the grace of God 29 30 31. Grievous wolves shall enter And of your own selves men shall arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears 33 34. I have coveted no mans silver or gold or apparel yea your selves selves know that these hands have ministred to my necessities and to them that were with me I have shewed you all things how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak 2 Cor. 12. 5. Of my self I will not glory but in my infirmities So 9 10. I take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches in necessities in persecutions in distresses for Christs sake for when I am weak then am I strong 2 Tim. 2. 23 24 25. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid knowing that they do gender strifes And the servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle to all men apt to teach patient in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth 1 Tim. 3. 2 3. A Bishop must be blameless apt to teach no striker nor greedy of filthy lucre but patient Tit. 1. 7 8 9 10. A Bishop must be blameless as the Steward of God not self-willed or self-pleasing or stiffe in his own conceit not soon angry not given to wine no striker not given to filthy lucre but a lover of hospitality a lovâ—r of good men sober just holy temperate holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught that he may be able by sound Doctrine both to exhort to convince the gain-sayers for there are many unâ—uly and vain talkers and deceivers whose mouths must be stopped 2 Cor. 10. 3 4 5. For though we walk in the flesh we do not war after the flesh For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience