give unto you for him hath God the Father sealed And this Subject he prosecutes in the remaining part of the Chapter shewing by many Arguments that there was no way for them to attain the Blessedness of the other World but by receiving and believing his Doctrine and leading their Lives according to it And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon this occasion many of them went back and walked no more with him While he fed them with the Loaves and while they hoped he would be a Temporal King and that they as being the first that had declared for him should be preferr'd to great Places and Dignities under him so long he could not get rid of their Company tho he had endeavoured to do it but when once he came to tell them plainly of their faults and to disswade them from minding so much as they did the Interests of this World when he had acquainted them that his Kingdom was a Spiritual Kingdom and that the only way for them to be made Partakers of it was by carefully observing those strict Rules of Holiness and Virtue which he taught at this they were greatly offended and it was now as hard to keep them together as it was before to dismiss them Upon this occasion many went back and walked no more with him From whence we may observe and 't is the only thing I shall at present observe from hence That 't is the Duty of those who are Ministers of the Gospel boldly to speak the Truth and reprove Vice whatever offence may be taken at them for it In other things indeed it becomes them and it is a part of that prudence which it is their duty to exercise in their behaviour towards others to be as compliant and complaisant as they can 1 Cor. 9.22 and according to St. Paul's Example to be made all things to all men that they may by all means gain some But the Truth of the Gospel is not to be parted with upon any terms neither may they upon any consideration whatsoever sooth up their People in their Sins and cry peace peace when there is no peace Nay if they only wink at their faults if they only forbear to reprove them for their Sins and to acquaint them with the danger of continuing in them they are careless of their Charge and unfaithful to their Trust and while they seem tender of giving Offence do indeed give the greatest Offence at once exposing their Sacred Office to contempt and hazarding the Salvation of their own Souls For so we are plainly told Ezek. 33.7 I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth and warn them from me When I say unto the wicked O wicked man thou shalt surely die if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked man from his way that wicked man shall die in his iniquity but his blood will I require at thine hand Here my Reverend Brethren we see our Duty and the strict Obligation that lies upon us to discharge it And this is what we are to look to to do our own Duty faithfully and leave the issue and event of all to God It may be that our boldness in the discharge of our Ministry may prove a Prejudice to our worldly Interest and many may account us their Enemies and use us as such only because we are their best Friends in telling them the truth but there is no worldly Interest whatsoever so great as to be fit to stand in competition with the Interest of our own and our Peoples Souls Or it may be if we will not hold our peace if we will needs be preaching up unpopular Truths and lashing the reigning Vices of the Age some will take offence at our freedom and now especially that they are as they think at liberty to profess any Religion or to be of none will forsake our Assemblies and either joyn themselves to some other Congregations where they hope they shall hear more comfortable Doctrine or perhaps will throw off at once all show and profession of Religion but be it so the fear or the probability of this will not justify us in neglecting our own Duty which is to be instant in season 2 Tim. 4.2 and out of season and to reprove rebuke and exhort with all long suffering and doctrine This is the Direction that St. Paul gives to Timothy and in him to all the Ministers of the Gospel and that too altho he foresaw that the consequence of it would sometimes be that such plain dealing would disoblige a great many and make them forsake the Assemblies of the Faithful for that he had this then in his mind seems highly probable from what he immediately adds in the very next words The time will come when they will not endure sound Doctrine Verse 3. but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears and they shall turn away their ears from the truth 'T is true indeed we ought as the Apostle there directs to rebuke and exhort with all long-suffering i. e. to temper our reproofs with such Mildness and Gentleness and Prudence as that if it be possible we may give no offence to any but if it be the truth it self that gives the offence and not the imprudent manner of its delivery our business is not to please men but God and we must do our Duty and speak the Words which he hath put into our Mouth and rebuke with all Authority not regarding what may be the consequence of it We may think perhaps that in case our boldness in speaking the Truth and reproving Vice should drive away any from our Assemblies especially if they be Persons of Note and Authority in the place where they live this would be to the disadvantage of our Church and Religion But no such matter for of all those that separate from the Church upon such an account we may truly say as the Apostle St. John does of some Separatists in his time 1 Epist 2.19 They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us Such are as much the Churches Enemies before their Separation as they can be afterwards and of the two she had better have them open Enemies than secret ones But as for all such as are of Honest minds and sincere and hearty in their Professions they will like us the better for that for which the others dislike us whereas on the contrary if we should be afraid to do our Duty if we should be meally-mouth'd and not dare to speak the Truth for fear of the displeasure of such men this would indeed be a great prejudice to our Cause as giving just offence to the best men and too great occasion to such as desire occasion to slight and despise our Office In fine What we can be only afraid of in this case is no more than what
Separation of the Reformed Churches themselves from the Church of Rome with which they once held Communion is against that Church So that if there be any thing in this Argument it holds every whit as strong against them as against us But the truth of it is the Argument its self is of no force against either one or the other But in the Case of Separation the only point to be considered in order to the discerning where the blame lies is for what cause the Separation was made For if the ground of our separating from the Roman Church be as indeed it was because we could not communicate with her without Sin this justifies our Separation and is indeed a just Objection against that Church which enjoined such unlawful terms of Communion And on the other side if the Doctrine that we profess and teach be Pure and Orthodox and our Worship to say the least of it such as may in every part of it be lawfully joined in if even they who dissent from us cannot fix on any one thing in our Communion which they can prove is unlawful if consequently the ground of their Separation from us be either because they will not endure sound Doctrine or because they have itching Ears which nothing will please but Novelties they indeed are highly to blame who separate from us upon such trifling Accounts but it is no more a just Objection against our Church That there are some that separate from it than it was against that Church which was at first Assembled and governed by our Lord himself in Person that there were some who when they had listed themselves under him as his Disciples did afterwards upon an unreasonable and groundless disgust go back and walk no more with him 3 What may further be observed from hence in general is this That the Example of a Multitude is not a sufficient inducement to follow their practice any further than the same may be justified by reason For in the Text we are told that many of our Lords Disciples probably not fewer than 5000 went away from him at once and as far as appears by the History there were only 12 that remained with him a very small number in comparison with that great Multitude that went away and yet there can be no doubt but that these were the True Church and that they which went away were Schismaticks From whence therefore by the way we may observe how vain and trifling that Argument is which they of the Church of Rome do urge in behalf of their Church and to perswade us to return to it taken from the great Multitude of those that are of the Roman Communion in comparison with the Reformed Churches For granting that the Roman Church is of much greater extent than the Reformed nay if we should grant it to be of larger extent than all the Christian Churches besides that are not of her Communion which yet is certainly false this is but a very sorry Argument to prove her to be the True and only True Christian Church For if truth be always on the side of the greatest number Which was the True Church in Abraham's time when he was of a Religion by himself Was it in his small Family or amongst the Idolatrous Nations that dwelt round about him Or which was the True Church in all that long Tract of time from Moses to our Saviour Was it not confined to a very small spot of Land even when it was at its largest extent And that again contracted to a much less compass in Elijah's time when there were not in Ten of the Tribes of Israel above Seven thousand men who had not bowed the knee to the image of Baal 1 Kings 19.18 Again if that be always the True Church which is the largest time was when the Arian Hereticks were the True Christian Church and the Orthodox Professors of Christianity who were but a very few in number in comparison with them were consequently miserably deluded and rank Hereticks And thus according to this Rule given by the Romanists for finding out the True Church truth and goodness are really nothing at all but vary according to the Fancies and Customs of Men and what is true and good now may in the next Age become very false and wicked But by what hath been said it appears that the true Worshippers of God have sometimes been but a very few and that the True Church of Christ hath in some Ages consisted but of a very small number and what has been once may be again So that tho we should grant that the Roman Church is larger than any one or even than all the Reformed Churches together yet still these may be the True Churches of Christ and that not for why may not the True Religion and the right Worship of God be confined to a narrow compass now as well as it hath been in former times The truth is number or fewness are both meerly accidental and extrinsecal things sometimes a multitude may be in the right and sometimes probably much oftner they are in the wrong and whether they be in the right or no is a thing to be inquired into not to be taken for granted For Truth and Goodness are always the same but the Fancies and Opinions of men are infinitely various and uncertain And therefore seeing God hath not left it to us to determine among our selves by most Votes which is the True Religion and the Right Worship of God but hath himself clearly stated and fully determined this matter in the Books of Scripture many hundred years ago that Determination of his is and will ever be most undoubtedly true 't is that therefore that we must stick to and abide by let the Crowd or the Multitude go which may it will And so much for the first thing Many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him II. The second thing which I took notice of in the words was the occasion of this great Schism intimated in that Clause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from that time or as it may be rendred upon that occasion Many of his disciples went back Now what the occasion was we must learn from the foregoing part of the Chapter and it was in short this Our Saviour well knowing the Hypocrisy of that great Crowd that followed him and that all their pretended Zeal for him was really nothing else but Interest plainly tells them of it v 26. Verily verily I say unto you ye seek me not because ye saw the miracles but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled and thereupon takes occasion to perswade them to withdraw their Hearts and Affections from this World and from their Temporal Interests and Concernments and to give themselves up to be instructed by him in the way and means of Salvation v. 27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life which the son of man shall
themselves to and do ordinarily communicate with own the same Scriptures profess the same Creed worship the same God and are in all respects of the same Religion that we are of But if it be so then why do they go from us If they believe that we have the words of eternal life what need they go elsewhere what can they hope for more in the Communion of any other Church than they might have in their own If they are really of the same Religion with us why do they break our Communion why do they make a rent and a Schism in the Church for nothing They indeed that forsake a Corrupt Church or an Idolatrous Worship they that leave the Communion of a Church in which they think they could not be saved act prudently and wisely but to forsake a Church and at the same time to profess that they are still of the same Religion with that Church which they have forsaken is a practice which I think no account can be given of This is certainly to break the Unity of the Church for nothing and needlesly to make a rent and a Schism in the Body of Christ and that very thing which they plead in excuse for their Schism does to my apprehension render it altogether inexcusable For if ever Schism be a sin it is certainly so when there is no cause for it and there can be no just cause to leave that Church which we were bred in and are Members of and to go over to another which professes the same Faith teaches the same Doctrines and agrees in all the Essentials of Worship with that Church which we leave For why should a man leave the Establish'd Church and go to another or set up another against it when by his own confession he does not mend himself by the change but might have been saved as well in that Church which he leaves as in that which he goes to But I know it is pleaded by this sort of Separatists That though they agree with us in the Substantials of Religion they differ from us in the Circumstantials and therefore go for the most part to other Religious Assemblies because there they think God is worshipped after a purer manner than he is amongst us That tho there be in the Established Church all things necessary to Salvation and she has the words of eternal life yet she has also some unnecessary Observances some Rites and Ceremonies which they think might be better omitted and which are not used in those Religious Meetings which they join themselves to But to this the answer is easy Either these Circumstantials of our Worship these Rites and Ceremonies are lawful to be used or not now if they be not lawful to be used if for instance it be unlawful to be present at and to join in those Prayers which the Minister puts up while he is clothed with a white Garment or if it be unlawful to receive the Sacrament upon the Knee why do they ever do these things at all why do they do that to qualify themselves for an Office which if it be a sin they ought not to do to gain the whole world But if these things be lawful and the only thing they have to say against them is that they are in their opinion needless and superfluous Observances what a small reason is this to make a Schism and Division in the Church There can be no end of Separations and Divisions if they may be justified by such fanciful dislikes as these for the Fancies of men are so infinitely different as to such things that 't is impossible that the same should please all people so that either Church-communion is no duty or else such dislikes of the Fancy only cannot be a sufficient ground of a Separation for there is no Congregation where the Minister is not cloathed with some Garment or other and where the Sacrament is not received in some posture or other and there is no Garment or posture which some may not have a fancy against as well as against these and with as good reason Nay not only the Fancies of divers men but even of the same men at divers times are so very different as to such things that what they like one day they oftentimes dislike as much the next so that he who goes from a Pure and Orthodox Church upon such trivial accounts cannot tell himself whither he shall go at last but it is most probable that if he goes on thus indulging his Fancy he will be one day of this Sect another of another and a third of a third till at last having tried all Sects and found in every one something that he disliked he will come to be of no Religion at all Or if not so yet 't is highly probable that while he thus busies himself about the Ceremonies and Circumstantials of Religion he will neglect the substance of it and omit the weightier matters of the law judgment mercy and faith without which all his zeal for the external Purity of the Divine Worship will avail him nothing Thus having as briefly as I could run through all those Particulars which the Text offered to our meditation I proceed in a few words to apply what hath been said and indeed the Application is so easy that I shall not need to be long in it For as it happened to our Saviour in the 1st verse of the Text so it hath happened to this Church whereof we are Members many that formerly joined in her Communion and seemed as hearty and zealous in it as any have of late forsaken her I will not make the application so near as to say that they then followed her for the Loaves and for their temporal Interest tho their leaving her just at this time might well enough make that be suspected neither will I say that the true reason of their leaving her is because her Doctrine is too pure and too good for them But whatever was the motive of their separation 't is matter of fact that there are many now gone away tho God be thanked not near so many as it was bragg'd there would be if ever a Toleration were granted many there are that are gone back and will now walk no more with us But the number of Separatists from any Church is not as I have shewed a just objection against it neither ought it to be any inducement to others to follow their Example for what hath now happen'd to our Church is not near so much as befel our Lord himself who had 5000 Disciples that deserted him at once while only twelve remained with him And what he said to them I may say to you that still continue in our Communion If you are disposed to follow the Example that these have set you you have now free liberty to do it You also may go away if you please there is no restraint now laid upon you by the Laws the whole matter is between God and
your selves But nevertheless let me tell you you are still as much obliged in conscience to hold communion with us as ever you were and if we have the words of eternal life if the Doctrine which we profess and teach be pure and orthodox if the Holy Sacraments are duly and rightly administred amongst us and if our Worship be such as you may lawfully join in here is no just ground for a separation and if you separate without just ground from the Established Church in which you were born and bred and with which you ought to hold communion in sacred things you rend the Body of Christ and are Schismaticks before God altho you are not guilty of any State-crime nor incur any legal Penalties Consider well then what you do If we have the words of eternal life why should you leave us what can you hope for more in any other Communion Consider at least before you go away from us whither you will go when you have left us and forsake not this Church till you are sure you have found out a better to join your selves to It was very reasonably put by Joshua to the Children of Israel Josh 24.15 If it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord chuse you this day whom you will serve whether the gods that your fathers served that were on the other side of the floud or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell And 't is no less reasonable in this case Some Religion you must be of or else you can have no hope of Salvation and whatsoever Religion you are of it must needs be your duty to make a publick profession of it so that if you forsake the Established Church you must go to some other Chuse you then before you forsake the Religion and Communion that you were brought up in chuse you I say what Religion you will be of what Communion you will adhere to Will you return back again into Egypt or in the words of Joshua will you serve the gods that your fathers served that were on the other side of the floud I mean will you go over to the Church of Rome i.e. will you go to a Church that has most notoriously corrupted the Faith of Christ To a Church that takes away the key of knowledge from her people not suffering them to look into the Holy Scriptures which are the Oracles of God and the words of life To a Church that has enlarged her Creed to double that of the Apostles and enjoins as necessary to Salvation the belief not only of the greatest Falsities but of the most evident Contradictions To a Church whose publick Service is not understood by her Members and which makes her Children say Amen to they know not what In fine Will you go to that Church whose Worship and Service you cannot join in without being guilty of Idolatry What is there in this Church that can charm or tempt you to her Communion unless perhaps it be the very easy terms on which she promises you Salvation And this indeed is a reasonable Inducement to such as would fain go to Heaven and yet are resolved not to part with their beloved Sins But in a matter of such great importance to us as this is 't is good to go upon sure grounds and not to try an experiment that if it fails will be fatal to us Now that Faith and Obedience will carry us to Heaven is agreed on all hands and the Scripture it self plainly assures us but that any thing less will do it we have no good ground to believe And particularly That Confession with the Priests Absolution will do as well as a Holy Life That those that want Good Works of their own may for Money or by some slight Penances purchase as much as they want of those who abound in merit And that they who take little or no care of themselves while they live may have sufficient care taken of them by their Friends when they are dead these are very comfortable Doctrines indeed but they are no where taught in Scripture or grounded upon Reason they are Doctrines for the truth of which we have only their word whose gain in teaching them is is so evident as may justly render their Testimony suspected But without entring upon a particular Examination of them this one thing alone is a sufficient prejudice against all such easy Methods of Salvation by whomsoever proposed That they are clearly contrary to that Account which our Blessed Saviour who is Truth its self hath given us of the way to Heaven and to that advice which he grounds thereupon in Matth. 7.13 14. Enter ye in at the strait gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be that go in thereat Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there be that find it Well then If you will not go over to the Church of Rome whither is it that you 'll go when you leave us Will you go and join your selves to any of the Separate Assemblies here at home But if so To which of them will ye go For here is such variety of ways at once offered to you as is enough perfectly to confound and distract you I have not time now to tell you how many several Sects there are of Dissenters from the Church and much less to give you a just and compleat Character of them that you may consider which of them to chuse but in general they may be reduced to these Four Sorts 1. Some of these Sects there are that have either no Creed or no Sacraments or no Orders or no Rule to guide them by but the Light within them Will you go to any of these But if you do can you tell what Religion you shall be of or whether you shall be of any at all 2. Others of them there are that positively deny the most Fundamental Articles of the Christian Faith as the Doctrine of the Ever Blessed Trinity the Incarnation of the Son of God the Satisfaction of our Saviour and the like Will ye go to them But if you do this is to add heresy to your Schism and to multiply your Iniquity 3. Others again there are that teach such Doctrines as either directly or in their immediate consequences give too great Encouragement to Vice by rendring a good Life unnecessary But I hope I have already mentioned a sufficient prejudice against all such easy Religions so that you will not so much as once think of going to them 4. Lastly Others there are that profess the same Faith with the Church and are as they themselves say of the same Religion that we are of and differ from us only in some External Modes and Rites of Worship Will you go over to these But why should you make a Schism in the Church for nothing Only because her Rites and Ceremonies are not exactly suited to your fancy Why should you break the Unity of that Church whereof you are Members and with which you agree in all the Essentials of Doctrine and Worship only for the sake of two or three harmless Ceremonies which she uses indeed in her Publick Worship for decency and order sake but which she enjoins not as any parts of Religion or as things necessary in themselves and which being no where forbidden in Scripture cannot to be sure be unlawful to be used Rom. 4.15 for where there is no law there is no transgression If then the Sect you design to go to be of the same Religion with the Church that you leave why should you leave her seeing by your own confession she has the words of eternal life as well as they And if she has to what purpose should you go elsewhere Is it first for better Prayers that you go thither That can hardly be However 't is what you can't be sure of not knowing what their Prayers will be till you have heard them Our Prayers indeed are known what they are they are free to be read and examined by all You may if you will satisfy your selves before you join in them that they are directed to the right Object of our Worship that they are composed of such Petitions as are proper to be put up in Publick and that they are grave and serious and fitted to excite Devotion whereas if you go to the Separate Assemblies you know not what God you shall worship at least you know not with what you shall serve God till you come thither you are much like a man that subscribes a Paper or Petition to his Prince without reading it Or secondly is it for better Preaching that you go thither That 's e'ne as it happens and you may as easily be disappointed in this as in the other case And without magnifying our selves too much this I'm sure I may safely say That many that have gone from their own Church to a Separate Assembly to hear a better Sermon have heard a worse But however that be so long as the Doctrine that is preached in both places is the same as you grant it is there cannot be so much difference in the Words and Phrases wherein it is expressed or in the manner of its delivery as will serve to justify a Schism And besides what the Apostle says is most undoubtedly true Paul may plant and Apollo may water but it is God that giveth the increase If the Seeds be both of the same