thou must answer for it and be judged by it at the last day That for the first motive for this forsaking the assemblies which you see is groundlesse the prejudice men have to their Pastor concerning his life Obj. 2. Concerning his opinion For so will some say would you have us bound to hear him who is popishly affected or the next door strict in the Law too canonical nay we fear superstitious and so may mix the childrens bread with poyson and mislead us out of the right way is it not dangerous to hear him Answ To this I oppose these considerations was not Elias Jeremy John Baptist Saint Paul and our blessed Saviour who spake as never man spake accounted pestilent fellows ring leaders of Sects troublers of State Deceivers of the people how should these instances warn you of slandering your Pastor causelesly or concluding him erronious upon the malicious hear sayes or surmises of those that are not able to judge of the doctrine whether it be of God or no. Yet suppose he be erronious then must you consider of what Nature his error is for though all truths be pretious yet are truths of different natures some essential fundamental points de Fide of the faith once delivered to the Saints some circumstantial ceremonial indifferent some are perspicuously revealed in the Scriptures wherein errors are damnable some are more darkly revealed of which wise and holy men in all ages have doubted now if it be onely in circumstantial and less necessary truths wherein you dislike your Pastors opinions then must not this difference of opinion beget in you any heart burning or alienation of affection though you do discentire think diversly yet ought you not discordare disagree they that unwillingly differ in judgment ought yet to be one in heart The Spirit of God is promised to lead all his chosen into all necessary truths but not to all less essential disscâ—ntions have in all ages been between great Clerks and holy Saints contentions have even through Satans crast been cherished in the Church they are apt to disagree on earth that shall meet in the same heaven What remaines then but that love be still kept on foot and we all endeavour to avoid bitterness of contention about these things to follow the truth in love As in building Solomons Temple there was no noise heard of Ax or hammer f 2 Kings 6.7 So in the spiritual building of the Church we should not let any sound of contention be heard among us such is the duty of both Pastor and people especially it is the peoples duty to be so a ware of Satans stratagems which is to divide them from their Pastor if it be possible as not to entertain any needless jealousies or evil surmisings judge cautiously of your minister if possible Search the Scriptures as the Bereans did to see if what he delivers be agreeable to Gods word and if you find of a truth that he and you differ in opinion in things less necessary and material your care must be to pare the Apple and leave the worm and that which is eaten by it take the good and leave the bad which directions being sound and wholesome if they be observed it will naturally follow that this is no sufficient ground neither for any to leave our Church assemblies for any prejudice men have against their Pastors opinion Obj. 3 The third prejudice is against their gifts alass will some say our Minister though he be good and orthodox yet is hê a very mean preacher he is no Body for gifts where such or such come in comparisons His knowledge shallow how can he inlighten us he is no Orator how can he work on our affections or perswade us what good can we expect from his dry sapless weak Sermons or why should we be bound to hear him when we may have better by whom we may profit more to this I oppose these considerations Answ 1. There may be in Ministers great difference of gifts without any in equality at all for which the one should be preferred before the other For he who is inferior to him thou admires in one kind may excell in another perhaps in a kind more useful and benefical The gifts of God to his Church are dispenced in a marvellous great variety so that there are scarce any two ministers but they differ in their gifts g Cor. 12.14 There are diversity of gifts but the same Spirit In the Body natural the eye seeth better but the tongue uttereth better if the whole body were eye what would it do for a tongue Saint Paul had more learning and knowledge h 1 Cor. 11. being at Lystra stiled for his utterance Mercury or chief speaker i Acts 14.11 yet was not of that excellent presence as other Apostles were Barnabas in comforting the afflicted excelled him being therefore stiled the son of Consolation k Acts. 4.36 John Baptist was excellent in terrifying secure sinners l Luk. 12.17 he came in the spirit and power of Elias but our Saviour was milder not breaking the bruised reed nor quenching the smoking flax m Mat. 12.20 In liklyhood Peter did in some gifts excell the rest to whom Christ gave in special charge to feed his Lambs n Joh. 21.15 Yet in powerful reproving of sin and denouncing Gods judgments James and John excelled him being therefore styled Boanerges Sons of thunder so in the great diversity of his gifts that is amongst ministers yet each of them excelleth in their kind one may have deeper matter another a more eloquent mouth one may be sweeter in comfort another more powerful in reproof one may be graceful in pulpit another in private conference one may be excellent in interpreting to increase knowledge another in application to breed good affections in men o 1 Cor. 12.8 To one is given a word of wisdome by the Spirit to another the utterance of knowledge by the same Spirit one may excel in this gift another in that none in all Now 2. Consider this is the Lords doing for the beauty and benefit of his Church their different education dilligence or industry is not all the cause of this diversity of gifts though it be one Gods gift being now to be acquired in the use of these means whence St. Pauls injunction to Timothy p Tim. 4. â—3 give attendance to reading c. But it comes chiefly from Gods free disposition who distributed to every man severally as he will q 1 Cor. 12.11 And this 3. Makes much for Gods glory and the benefit and beauty of his Church For Gods glory for the greatness of his wisdom and freedome of his grace shineth in this difference perspicuously and for the Churches beauty and benefit for flowers of divers bigness for colour and smell do adorn a feild exceedingly with it's party coloured coat difference of voice base treble tenor and counter tenor and difserence of strings in an
of their feet They are but like Cain as fled from the place of rest so dwelling in the Land of Nod i.e. of wandring Vid. Dr. Stillingfleet's Sherinah in locum till they return to the Ark again They are like children tossed to and fro with every wind of Doctrine and even when they think themselves fixed they most-what still have some jealousies remaining in their minds that possibly they are deceived so that they seldom have any rest unless they come at last to a hardness of of heart and a stupid and benumming in sensual security crying Peace where there is no Peace for no true peace no true rest is to be had till they come to this speaking the same things without division from their Brethren How often do we see them like drunken men reeling to and fro carried from this to that extreme till they come at last to conclude in Atheism and Infidelity whereas by being united particular Christians would be strengthened in the truth having nothing more to do but to grow in Grace and make Progress from degrees to degrees in Holiness which is the very design of Christianity Indeed 3. It concerns every one to labour after this Unity if they do but consider that this alone will put them in a fit posture to receive the blessing of God It is remarkable the Psalmist e Psa 134. exhorts the people Behold bless ye the Lord all ye servants of the Lord which stand in the House of the Lord. Mark he exhorts them plurally Ye and all ye bless ye but in the third verse he prays to God to bless the people singularly The Lord bless thee out of Sion Plures hortatur ut benedicant iâ—se uni benedicit saith S. Austin He exhorts all to bless the Lord but he blesseth all from the Lord as one man It hints that then God useth to bless his people when they are at unity as one man So Christ came to his Disciples with a blessing when they were a rowing together f Mâ—â— 1â— 2â— and to his Apostles with a blessing of Peace when they were assembled together g John 2â— 19 and he sent his Holy Ghost to them when with one accord they were met together And so the Promise runs Where two or three is met together in my Name there am I in the midst of them While Christians disagree in their manner of serving and blessing and worshipping God God will not bless them as He will do if in one way and with one mouth and heart they glorifie their Father if they speak the same things and there be no divisious amongst them if he will hear the prayers of Christians when two or three are united together how much more when several thousands nay not only all in a Congregation but all in all Congregations throughout a whole Land are united speaking and asking the same things In this case sure if in any the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent taketh it by force On the contrary if there be divisions we can never be so hopeful in our prayers for these divisions most-what causeth alienation of affections and so we cannot pray with such hopes of Audience because we cannot then lift up pure hands without wrath the clamour of our boiling malice to each other will out-cry our prayers our dissentions will make that sweet Incense stink in Gods Nostrils and will turn our Prayers into Curses if we do not speak the same things but there be divisions amongst us Many more Motives I might heap up to inforce our Exhortation especially that drawn from the many examples we have set before us as that of God the Father who being provoked by us yet by all means seeks peace and union with us hath sent his Ministers of Reconciliation to beseech us to be reconciled unto him loadeth us with his blessings causeth his Sun to shine and his Rain to fall on us and all to induce us to be at peace with himself And can we be partakers of the Divine Nature or Sons of our Heavenly Father if we be not Followerâ— of him as dear Children in endeavouring to be united one with another Nay Christ his Son did become Incarnate to unite us to God and make our peace with God yea and loe the Prince of Peace came to dwell amongst men for this end when peace was amongst men in Augustus's days when there was general quiet and union through all the World and at his Birth the Angels proclaimed peace on Earth good will towards men O how then can we be Disciples of Christ and not follow after peace to speak the same things and that there be no divisions amongst us yea and this Oyl of Charity poured on Christ the Head did run down to the Beard yea unto the skirts of all his garments for all the Saints of God now in heaven have gone thither in this way of peace Abraham said to Lot Let there be no contentions amongst us for we are Brethren Stephen prayed for his Persecutoâ—s Father forgive them The Saints were ever peace-makers and not peace-disturbers or dividers Nay very wicked men and Devils are sensible of the benefit of this way of union one with another therefore did Ephraim and Manasseh agree together against Judah Herod and Pilate Scribes and Pharisees against Christ Nay very bruit beasts covet an union saevis inter se convenit ursis and shall we be more blockish than they In a word God stiles himself the God of Peace Christ the Prince of Peace his Name is Immanuel a Name of Peace was Crowned at his Baptism with a Dove the Emblem of Peace being in the building 〈…〉 Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Corner-stone the place of Peace coming into the World with a Song of Peace and going out of the World with a Legacy of Peace The Spirit the Bond of Peace the Gospel the Covenant of Peace and the word of Reconciliation Ministers Ambassadours thereof Jerusalem the type of the Church signifies in the Hebrew Tongue the Vision of Peace and the bliss in Heaven we all look for is nothing else but Eternal Peace where we shall all speak the same things without division to the glory and praise of God If then we be Sons of the God of Peace Servants of the Frince of Peace Temples of the Spirit of Peace Professors of the Gospel of Peace if we have any Consolations in the Ministers the Ambassadours of Peace if we be Citizens of Jerusalem the Vision of Peace and hope to be gathered to our Fathers to enjoy an eternal Sabbath of Peace if there be in us any consolation in Christ any comfort of love any fellowship of the Spirit let it be our care to walk by this Rule of Peace Unity Unanimity and Uniformity with our Brethren to speak the same things and that there be no divisions amongst us but let us be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and the same judgment and as
men may foolishly imagine that they can do well enough with the private use of the words though they injoy not the publick and can pray well enough by themselves though they have no society with the general and publick devotions Yet is it sure on the contrary that there is no such promise made to the private as to the publick Nay none at all to the private if the publick be neglected or contemned Such a woeful thing it is for men to do themselves the greatest injury that can be to deprive themselves of Gods presence by forsakeing the assemblies of his people upon this ground Gods people complained of the effect of the rage and fury of their enemies t Psal 47 7â— They razed the sanctuary to the ground defiled the dwelling place of Gods name and burnt up all the Synagogues of God in the land And Jeremiah in his Lamentations u Lam. 1.4 The waies of Zion lament because no man cometh to the solemn feasts all her gates are desolate And hence the sentence of excomunication hath ever by religious soules been accounted the greatest of punishments as casting them out of Gods presence and giving them up to Satan x 2 Cor. 5.5 so sottish are they that willfully excommunicate themselves by forsakeing the assemblies It is like a mans being outlawed in matters of civil Government by which he is deprived of all the benefits and protection belonging to a subject of the realm Just so doth this censure put them out of the priviledges of Christians and our of Gods protection for a time so as to be reckoned as strangers or forraâ—ners as heathens and publicans y Matt. 18.17 The sin of these men will best be discovered if we pass from this eighth proposition to the second General in the Text. 2. The Apostles taxation of some for this sin of forsaking the Assemblies and so putting themselves in a way of apostacy or falling back from or wavering in the profession of the true faith for so the Text runs not forsaking the Assembling your selves together as the manner of some is So then in the Apostles judgment those some whoever they be are blame worthy and are to be reproved and sharply rebuked what motives soever they may have for forsaking the publick Assemblies of the true Church they cannot forsake them and be innocent it is an act that cannot be acceptable unto God not forsaking the Assembling of your selves together as the manner of some is As there are diverse persons that forsake the assemblies So are their motives to forsake them different some give â—ne account thereof and some another all blame worthy Let us but consider and weigh the Apollogies and motives of some of them 1. The manner of some is to forsake the assemblies upon pretence of some corruptions in them It is holyness and purity these men pretend to in a high measure and therefore they forsake our assemblies because as they affirm they are unholy being mixt assemblies consisting of both good and bad a vide Robinsons and Cant books a miscellany Multitudes of the seed of woman and of the Serpent and much more they inveigh and rail bitterly against them and thence inferr a necessity of separation from them z Heb. 12.14 but that this is a most corrupt and unsound inference will appear if we consider 1. That the purest Church on earth is not free perfectly free from all corruptions The spouse of Christ is comly yet black It becomes Christs Church to be as true so humble far from arrogating perfection For any Church on this side heaven to say that she is absolute and neither wants nor abounds were the voice of Laodicea or Tyrus in the Prophet As there is no Element which is not through many mixtures departed from its first simplicity so is there no Church that breatheth in so pure an air but it may justly complain of some thick and unwholsome evaporations of sin and error in it Was not the Church typed by Noahs Ark wherein was unclear as well as clean beasts doth not Christ compare it to a feiled wherein grows both tares and wheat promiscuously until the harvest a Mat. 13.12 to a great house wherein are vessels of Gold and Silver and of Brass earth and clay b 2 Tim. 2.20 to a sheep fould wherin are foulded both sheep and Goats c Matt. 25 32. to a company of Virgins all invited by an external call to the Wedding whereof some were foolish some wise d Mat 25.1 to an orchard or vineyard e Esai 61.1 wherein all are not fruitful trees that bring forth their fruit in due season But on some God bestowes digging and dunging unto them and fencing them which cumber the ground and are good for nothing but to be cast into the fire To a vine in which are some branches that onely bear leaves of profession or at the best but sowre grapes Nay sometimes in a true Church even the chiefest members for eminency and Authority are corrupted sometimes the prime Governours of a Church as the chief Priests and Elders in our Saviours time may be great enemies of real goodness Nay to come closer to our selves 2. We must acknowledge that even in our Church and the Assemblies thereof there is such general decay of that first love and primitive piety which consisted chiefly in Humility Mortification Obedience and good works and such a general increase of all filthy and abominable sins and those too frequently uncensured unrereproved that there is just cause for any Godly man to fear least God be about to take away his tabernacle from amongst us and remove our candlestick and go far off from our sanctuary f Ezek. 8.6 3. It is undoubted that when a pious Christian considers these things he ought to be deeply affected with them and neither communicate with a whole Church in any corruptions that are evident corruptions in it nor yet pertake in the sins of any the particular members thereof but observing his brothers prophanness his duty is to admonish him and to bewail his sin and do what lies in him to bring him to a reformation thereof This is the right course but 4. This is no ground at all for him to separate from the Church or to forsake the Assembly there of it is of Mr. Hildershams Doctrines agreable to the ninteenth Article of the Church of England and that those Assemblies that injoy the word and Doctrine of Salvation though they may have many corruptions remaining in them yet they are to be acknowledged true Churches of God and such as none of the faithful may make separation from because 1. There was never Church on earth free from corruptions either in the whole or in its perticular assemblies and yet never did the Saints of God forsake them upon that account Never was there Church from the beginning of the world to this day from one side of the Earth to
one of the best prâ—sbyterian Guides that ever this Church had delivereth as sound Doctrine oppose these perticulars to Mr. Baxters late answer of Toleration not to abused a book wherein are many strange ill disgested conceits in my poor judgment and the pretences of other Setters up of private assemblies and see if they can have consistence and agreement and observe that while this Pious Author allows mens going to another Pastor than their own for better edification yet doth he evidently understand the settled Pastor of a neighbour Church which makes the case quite different from mens present forsaking their own Pastors to hear unsettled intruding preachers who whether they be lawfully called to that holy function I am confident thousands are utterly ignorant not have any good grounds to think it So that for as much as even these sober dissenters which did plead for or at all allowed mens ordinary leaving their own Pastors to go to another have yet allowed it with such cautions as these that men must do it for no by end but for their better edification onely and must be very careful it be not for want of judgment in their choice and it must be with their own Pastors consent and as acknowledging his superiority over them and their obligation unto him and as seeking his joy and comfort and incouragement and for as much as this their allowance was only with relation to settled Pastors and if a man should not but with such caution leave the Pastor of his own Church to hear the Pastor of another Church much less may he to hear an unknown novel corner intruder d vide in Hildersham on John 4.32 page 342 By this it appears how tender and nice a good conscience should be to do it and what a horrible guilt of transgressing the very ordnance of God there lyes upon the consciences of most that forsake the assemblies out of dislike of their own Pastours and go to others which particulers being so clearly laid down I come to shew how groundless these mens usual complaints of their own Pastors are And that in these following Objections Object 1. Concerning his life It is lewd or Scandalous so as they cannot look for benefit by his ministry Object 2. His opinion it is dangerous so as they fear to be perverted by him Object 3. His gifts they are mean so as they cannot hope for much good by him Object 4. His carriage it is indiscreet or intollerable and not to be indured 1. It is indeed the weightiest prejudice many have against their Pastors so as to forsake the assembly for his sake when they can justly pretend his life is lewd or scandalous and would you have us then bound up to his minstry whose example is enough to undo us must we needs hear him who hears not himself must he guide us to heaven who walks himself in the in the paths of hell how can we credit his words who shews his own unbelief by his wicked life who confutes his sermons by his practices who pulls down with his life what he builds up with his lips will the Spirit lodge in his lips in whose heart he hath no room will the holy God make use of a prophane instrument who can gather grapes of Thorns or sigs of Thistles how can we be bound to hear him whose life is so lewd or if we hear him what benefit can we hope for from him Ans I confess it is the most grievous complaint this that can be if it be just A wicked minister being of all men most odious and abominable If the salt hath lost its savor it is good for nothing but the dunghil if the light of the world be darkness how great is that darkness The Vrim and Thummim Purity of Doctrine and exemplarity of life are the two great requisites in a Faithful minister of Christ far be it from me to patronize or plead for any in whom there is a notorious defect of these any such enemy of Christ or Judas like traytor to Christ as every scandalous minister is But yet may I oppose to this prejudice these necessary considerations 1. From such the purest Church upon earth cannot be free And that â— By reason of that innate corruption that is in ministers as well as in other men Alas they are but flesh tempered of the same clay with others polluted with the same original corruptions prone to the same vices being Angels by office yet men by nature to whom though God hath committed the heavenly treasure yet are these but earthly vessels still as frail and weak as other men And 2. Being as prone to sin as others their temptions are far more then other mens For Satan the common adversary of all souls knows his greatest advantage is in devouring those that should save mens souls As the Syrians was commanded to fight especially against the King of Israel So do the devils chiefly combate with the Priests and Prophets of Israel The pulling down of these pillars is to weaken or raise the whole building the misleading of these guides is the way to make all to err The smiting of the shepheard is to scatter the slock to lull a sleep these watchmen is the way to surprise the whole army It s Satans compendious way of destruction to prevert those that should convert others to deform those that should reform others so that they being as weak as others and Satan grudging no pains continually to assault them is it any wonder if they be after foiled from such therefore the purest Church on earth cannot be free 2. When thy own Pastor is such yet hast thou reason to hear him and no reason to forsake the publick assemblies for his lewdness sake The heathen Seneca could advise men non quia loquitur sed quid not so much to weigh who speaks as the matter spoken and the Scripture warneth them not to have mens persons in admiration e Jude 16. nor to have the Faith of God with respect of persons f James 2.1 Though an Angel from Heaven should bring an untruth declare another Gospel we ought to give no ear to him let him be accursed g Gal. 1.8 and though a divel from Hell should utter a truth it is not to be rejected for his sake that speaks it Truth is Gods where ever it grows As a mine of God or silver is the Princes in whose ground soever it be found It must be received for the love thereof as truth and for his sake who is the God of Truth by whom soever it be spoken Moses learnt of the Heathen Jethro his Father in Law a plat-form for the ordering the magistracy of Israel h Exod. 4. Pharoah learnt of his prisoner Joseph how to prevent a famine in Egypt i Gen. 41 41. Naaman was instructled by his captive Damosel where he might get his Leprously healed k 2 Kings 5. Old Eli was taught by the Child