conquer this passion and therefore none but such as are taught of him to deny themselves in all things can follow his footsteps in this that when he was reviled he reviled not again when he 1 Pet. 2. 23. suffered he threatned not but committeth himself to him that judgeth righteously nor can any promise themselves freedom from vindicative affections who have not learned of him to love their Enemies to blesse them that curse them to do good to Matth 5. 44 them that hate them and to pray for them that despitefully use them and persecute them this Lesson the Apostle had learned being reviled saith he we blesse being persecuted we suffer it and being defamed we intreat 1 Cor. 4. 12. 13. It is evident then that nothing can make a natural man effectually to lay down the resentments of privat injuries but a real change of his nature by the work of grace in conformity to Jesus Christ which only can incline us to be kind and tender hearted towards others forgiving them what they have done to us amisse even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven us Ephes 4. 32. So then all that can be done to cure this as to men incorrigible evil is to hold forth this frame of the spirit of Christ and his Commandement both in our obedience thereunto and in our word of exhortation to move the Conscience of others to follow it The third is the apprehension of Gods vengeance But if those that should thus bear witnes of the life of Christ are to set rather upon the motions of revenge themselves and Rom. 12. 19. incourage those that are bent that way than inclined to take them off what shall we say unto it shall we not acknowledg that it will be just with God that he should execute his vengeance upon those that delight in privat vengeance against others and that take his proper work out of his hands for the Lord hath said vengeance is mine and I will repay it Behold then all ye that kindle a fire of wrathful revenge and compasse your selves about with sparkes of vindicative plots and attempts walk in the light of your fire and in the sparkes that ye have kindled seeing by no perswasions you can be brought herein to deny your selves This shall ye have of mine hand saith the Lord ye shall lie down in sorrow Isaiah 50. 11. Hitherto of the single Remedies The complicated follow as proper to the work of Magistrates and Ministers And why And thus much concerning the single and distinct Remedies which every one in private for himself is to make use of now it remaineth to speak also something of the universal and complicated remedies which all of us with reference one to another should seeke to apply unto our distracted publick Condition to heale the distempers which occasion the same and although all are obliged to desire and endeavour in their places the advancement hereof towards the publick yet properly the procurement and the application thereof doth belong mainly to the Ministery to the Magistracy in their several places and that with a special Reference to each other in their publick Administrations towards the Communalty As then the complication of our distempers doth beget an universal disease both in Religious and Civil Affaires So the general Remedies which flow from the fundamental duties of Love of Righteousnes and of Peaceablenes ought in a way of concurrence to be applyed both to the Church and Common-wealth Now the Ministers of the Gospel are Messengers of Gods Love and the Governours of the State are Ministers of his Righteousnes unto all men and both these as well in respect of their particular imployments as in respect of the common Profession of Christianity are called by God both unto the enjoyment of peace for themselves 1 Cor. 7. 15. Colos 3. 15. and to the practice and procurement of it unto others Rom. 12. 18. and Matth. 5. 9. therefore as the love of God that is our obligation to love him is the ground of all humane peace So the peaceable cure of all publick distempers and the first overtures and addresses thereunto must needes result from the effects and properties of love as it is Christian that is common to all and ought principally to be reached out unto all by the peaceable hand the righteous carriage and orderly behaviour of those that are the Messengers of Divine Love And again as nothing is truly love which doth not tend to a real good of him who is the object thereof or is not intended as a real good towards the object by him who is the Author thereof So nothing can be counted or will ever be found a real good or is intended for such unto any which is neither applyed nor intended as from God And herein the Minister should be the first to apply the Remedy of love Now it belongeth to none more to intend or apply things as from God then to the Ministers of his Word whose Profession it is to be the Messengers of his love as being sent forth to invite all men to partake thereof if therefore these do any thing towards any without a reference unto God and without the affections of his love they are of all men living the most unworthy of their employment it is true that all who glory in the name of Christ to call him Lord are bound to walk by this same Rule of love towards every one even as Christ hath loved us but yet it is evident that the Ministers appointed to publish unto all men his name are obliged herein to go before all others and to make it their special work to teach and perswade others to follow this way as it becometh the Disciples of such a Master and if any doth not this professedly he hath abandoned the main work as well of his Christian as Ministerial Calling for it is clear that the end of the whole Commandement both in respect of the duties of the Law and of the Doctrine of the Gospel is love out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of Faith unfained Rom. 13. 10. and 1 Tim. 1. 5. and 1 John 3. 23. and that Ministers ought to raise their own and other mens thoughts and spirits in reference to the life of God in Christ to a comportment sutable unto this Duty and Doctrine above earthly interests and worldly concernments is a truth so evident that no Christian can make any doubt of it nor also of this that as no engagement is so near to us as this so none is to be preferred to it or ought to take us off from it From whence this conclusion is to be inferred That if any Minister of the Gospel doth at any time take upon him to be a judge of the Affaires of this world between Man and Man about which they are commonly in strife and therein doth take part with the one and opposeth the other as an Agent of the Affaires of this
and determine our thoughts in the debate it selfe lest they miscarry and be suffered to wander upon use lesse and by-matters uncertainly as it happeneth unto others in the debates of this and of some other kinds therefore I declare before-hand that my resolution is unalterably to wave every thing which shall be offered that hath no direct or collaterall tendency and subordination towards the discovery of these Rules for to finde out a cleare demonstration of the truth of these is the whole fruit of all this Disquisition The termes of the Question explained Thus having determined the end of the debate let us come to look upon the point of difference which may be between us And here I cannot definitly say wherein others differ from me in a positive opinion I see what the positive difference of their practice is from mine but men oft-times doe more then they think they doe but that they who allow at large which I do not Ministers to meddle in matters of State may judge wherein I doe differ from them I shall follow the method formerly set down and first open my sense of the question and then declare both the agreement and the difference which I conceive to be therein between us The termes of the question I understand thus 1. By the Ministers of the Gospel of Christ I understand certain men who take not upon them at their own hand but are called in an ordinary and orderly way to teach other men the knowledge of Christ to perswade and exhort them to receive him and walk in him by faith and love for the salvation of their own soules and the enlargement of his kingdome towards others in the world to pray for and with them and to oversee their wayes that they may be found conformable to their profession And this I conceive is the whole substance of their imployment 2. By the Gospel of Christ I understand the glad Tidings of Gods free Grace offered to us in the new Covenant made with mankind in Christ that we may entertain it by faith 3. By the Sermons of those Ministers teaching this Gospel I meane their ordinary speeches to their hearers concerning this subject by which they ought to bring them to the obedience of faith 4 By the Magistrates I understand certain men whom God hath exalted and set over the visible Societies of men for their good to over-see their wayes and order them in righteousnesse by power and authority to make them conformable unto his known will 5. By State-affaires which are said to be the employments of the Magistrate I mean all things which concerne either the visible societies or the single persons of men as relating to their outward state and condition of life in the world wherein power and authority can be exercised for the ordering of the same 6. By Power I mean the forcible meanes of constraining through feare those that are in subjection to doe that which their superiors will have them to do This is that which the Apostle calls the Sword Rom. 12. 4. 7. By Authority I meane a right to administer a charge and to beare rule therein over others for the government of their wayes whereunto those that are to be governed owe respect and submission And this is that which the Apostle calls to be subject for conscience sake Rom. 12. 5. These are the things whereof the question doth speak but The thing questioned or the matter of doubt The question it selfe or the thing questioned concerning these things is this Whether yea or no it doth appertain to the calling and charge of those that are employed in the service of Christ for spirituall matters when they are about that service to utter in publick their particular thoughts concerning worldly matters which appertain to the calling and charge of those who are set in power and authority over the Common-wealth To this question whether we should say absolutely Yea or absolutly No or in some respect yea and in some respect no and how farre yea and how farre no in each respect is the matter of doubt which by a friendly conference and debate fitted to search after hidden Truths may be resolved And that we may endeavour this so as to bring the matter to an issue without distractednesse or confusion let us first consider that wherein we agree as a known and determined truth then view that which remaineth yet unknown as an undetermined doubt that by the help of some principles and the right application thereof unto the point of difference we may make a way for our understanding to determine the same The matters of agreement The matters wherein I suppose an agreement will be found are these 1. That the terms of the question as they have been opened are truths viz. That by Ministers and Magistrates and their employments such men such things and such actions are to be understood as were described in the opening of the question and that the point of doubt in generall doth lie there where it is said to lie For if either these termes or any of them be otherwise understood or the point of doubt otherwise placed than hath been now mentioned although in words we may seem to agree upon the stating of the question yet the thing it selfe is not agreed upon therefore this must needs be presupposed to be so before we can proceed to any other points of agreement and then I shall offer this further 2. That Iesus Christ who is now at the right hand of God having all power in heaven and earth hath ordained in this world both these kinds of Officers some to preach the Gospell unto men as Ministers of his Word and Mysteries 1 Cor. 9. 14. and chap. 4. 1. with Tit. 1. 7. and 1 Pet. 4. 10. and some to rule the Societies of men to keep them in good order as Magistrates endued with power to punish the evill and reward the good Rom. 13. vers 1. till 8. and 1 Pet. 2. vers 13. till 18. 3. That the employments of these two Officers although they are coexistent under Christ towards the same men who are to be governed by them and concurrent towards them for his ends upon them yet they are distinguishable the one from the other chiefly in respect of their different objects of their different immediate ends of their different fundamentall rights to their charges and the properties thereof and of their different wayes of administring their charges 4. That the object of the Ministeriall administration is nothing else but the truth and will of God in the Gospel as it is revealed in the Scriptures and that the object of the Magistraticall administration is the Truth and Will of God as in the Principles of right Reason and the Law of Nature it is revealed 5. That the immediate end of the Ministeriall administration of their object is to bring mens soules to have communion with God in Christ by his spirit and that the immediate end of the
alone upon free grace if he doth help to persecute any in their bodies or states for outward relations and interests rather than study to addresse and convert their soules to God and if he doth set himselfe in a state-way either to gain power and authority in his own hand to share it with the magistrate or to subordinate his ministeriall imployment unto wordly ends of State-government to cover the tricks thereof with a cloke of Conscience and Religion that people should worship the Image which he sets before them if I say any man doth pervert the use of his ministery thus yet professing himselfe to be the servant of Christ he doth play the part of the false Prophet who doth work miracles before the great Beast and exerciseth all his power over men And the Rev. 13. 11 12 13 c. and chap. 19 20. greater the naturall and acquired parts and gifts of this man are and the more revealed and spirituall truths or mystcall shewes thereof he doth mix with this kind of service the more fire he doth cause to come down from heaven and the more deeply he doth deceive and therefore he shall accordingly receive also with the false Prophet so much the more of his reward if he repent not 5 If therefore such as are in power look upon religion onely as Jeroboam did in order to their owne interests and will suffer none to stand in places of employment but men of their own creating that will serve turnes towards the people and if ministers that are in places of employment look onely upon their Magistrate as the Jewish Priests did upon Pilate when they delivered Christ up to be crucified by him and affect him no further than he will act their designes whether they agree or disagree upon their matters together it is apparent that by so doing they conspire to make the people that are led by them miserable and desolate because neither of them follow either the true work or the right way of their employment neither towards the multitude or towards one another but if they doe openly disagree they conspire then by tearing them in pieces and setting them in factions against one another to make their misery and desolation sudden and without remedy For except God turn their hearts to a right course and set them upon the works of their calling wthout partiality and direct their counsels in a loving righteous and peaceable way as Christ hath appointed his Disciples to walk for his glory towards the good of those that are under their charge and for their own mutuall happinesse they shall never be able for feare of one another to intend or attend any other designes but such as are acted by power and violence whereupon the great Dragon their master in these courses doth set them and whieh for want of Christian love and compassion can end in nothing else but in mercilesse cruelties equally ruinous to each other and to the Common-wealths of humanesocieties Of the duties of Love Righteousnesse and Peace joyntly Hitherto we have seen both what the proper workes and wayes of the Magistracy and Ministery are as they relate unto the ends for which Christ hath ordained them and what the error and deviation is from those works and wayes And lastly also what this deviation doth produce in all societies where the duties of Love of Righteousnesse and of Peace are not thought upon to referre the whole state thereof unto Christ as Christians ought to doe Let us now come to the second point of our Disquirie which is to discover what the naturall properties and proper acts are of true Love of Righteousnesse and of Peaceablenesse which Christians and chiefly their Leaders unto happinesse ought to intend towards all men but especially towards each other in the workes of their employment and above all in times of distresse Now to speak of these duties ingenerall as to commend their worth their necessity their usefulnesse and such like I conceive it needlesse for certainly it is not so much for want of knowledge of that which we ought to doe that we run into errors as by reason of our perturbation and of our by-respects which beget in us a disregarding of these and an observation of other matters and are begotten in us through partiality in our selves and fore-stalment of thoughts concerning others For it is by reason of these things that we play the hypocrites and lye against the Truth for which cause our sin is the greater For to him that knoweth to doe good and doth it not to him it is sin saith the Apostle Jam. 4. 17. Of the duty of Christian love by it selfe Therefore as concerning the duty of Christian Love it cannot be supposed in probability that any in the Ministery or in any other charge amongst Christians should be ignorant of the nature therof because it is known to all that have been taught the first Principles of the knowledge of Christ that the duty of Christian love is two-fold First the affection by which we cleave to God as to our Father in Christ And next the affection by which we embrace our neighbour for Gods sake as Christ hath embraced us Now concerning our love to God and friendship to Christ it is evident that it stands onely in this That we keep the commandements of the Father and that we doe whatsoever Christ doth enjoyne us to performe John 15. 14. and 1 John 5. 5. whence it is further manifest that to neglect the known will of God and to set our selves in a course which is contrary to his commandements is openly to renounce Christs friendship and plainly to become a hater of God and hatefull to him And as for the commandement wherein God will have us to shew our love and Christ our friendship to himself it is known by all to be none other but the Law of Love whereof the whole substance hath been delivered unto us in the new commandement which Christ hath given us when he sairh John 13. 34 35. A new Commandement I have given you That ye love one another as I have loved you that ye also love one another by this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if yee have love one to another The true evidence then of our love towards God is this That we love the Brethren For he that saith he loveth God and hateth his brother is a lyar saith the Apostle 1 John 4. 20 21. For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen And this Commandement have we from him That he that loveth God love his brother also The end for this alwayes is to be lookt upon as that which doth manifest the nature and property of every thing of love is to seek the good of that which is beloved Now our goodnesse Psal 16. 2 3. 1 Cor. 10. 24. 1 Cor. 13. 5. cannot extend unto God therefore God hath appointed us
to bestow that good which by us is communicable upon men our brethren that beare his image For love seeketh not his own but the good of others And in Christian love the good which is to be sought and the way of seeking and imparting it unto others is no where so discernable as in the example of Christs love unto us for he procured and imparted unto us that which in it selfe was the onely good and to us that whereof we stood in greatest need For nothing it self is good but God and that which advanceth his glory Now we were separate from God and came short of his glory Rom. 3. 23. but Christ brought us neare unto him and received us into his glory Rom. 15. 7. Ephes 2. 13. Whence it is that the Apostle exhorts us to receive one another as Christ also received us to the glory of Goll Rom. 5. 7. The end then and aim of Christian love doth tend to that good alone which makes us partakers of Gods glory for it aimes at the reall perception of Gods kindnesse of his mercy of his truth of his faithfulnesse and of all his goodnesse towards us that all may find it and in the covenant of Grace through Iesus Christ embrace it for this is that glory whereinto Christ did receive us As for the way of seeking and imparting this good unto others we see by Christs example a most excellent property of this love that it doth humble and deny it selfe and forsakes its own interests and conveniencies for the good of others and that even to the utmost For Christ through his love to us though he was in the form of God and thought it no robbery to be equall with God yet made himselfe of no reputation but took the shape of a Servant upon him and became obedient even unto death and laid down his life for us Whence it is also that we are exhorted by the Apostles to have the same mind wich was in Christ Jesus Phil 2. 7. And to lay down our lives for the Brethren 1 John 3. 16. We see then that the naturall properties and proper acts of Christian love tend wholly to engage the heart first to a perfect obedience unto the will of God in all things and then particularly to obey his will in this That we should procure the good of our neighbour even as Jesus Christ did procure for us that which was our good Thus then through love to him to doe to others that which he did to us is the true Being of Christian love Of the duty of Righteousnesse by it selfe As for the nature and proper acts of Righteousnesse all do know First that nothing can be accounted right in Christianity which is not conformable to a Rule Secondly that no such Rule can be accounted absolutely good straight and perfect but Gods will Rom. 12. 2. Thirdly that this Will is revealed in his Word And fourthly that this Will and Word are the way of holinesse wherein we ought to walke with God for without holinesse no man shall see his face Heb. 12. 14. 1 John 4 16. The proper act of righteousnesse therefore is the straightnesse of our will in subordination unto Gods will to walk with him Now as God is Love and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him so it followeth that he that walketh in love walketh with God and God with him Whence it is that the whole Law is fulfilled in the duty of love because all the straightnesse of the spirit of man is the integrity of his love in subordination to the will of God So that as the law of love is found to be the main principle of righteousnesse so all the acts of righteousnesse are nothing else but the fulfilling of this law Whence it is that the proportion which is the measure of the straightnesse of all actions between Man and Man is taken from the naturall principle of love which every one hath to himselfe for by the law we are commanded to love our neighbour as our selves Levit. 19. 18. Matth. 22. 39. And Christ makes the Rule plainer to us when he saith that all things whatsoever we would that men should doe to us we should even likewise doe unto them for this is the Law and the Prophets Matth. 7. 12. And according to this Rule God shall right all things that are out of frame for with what measure we mete unto others it shall be measured unto us again Matth. 7. 2. Now the cause why Love is the root of Righteousnesse is because it engageth the affection to be harmlesse and to pay willingly unto others all things which are due unto them for their good Whence it is also cleare that hatred is the root of all unrighteousnesse because it engageth the affection to the quite contrary motions Now as Righteousnesse is the daughter of Love so it is the mother of Peaceablenesse for by giving to every one his due contentednesse is begotten which preventeth the cause of strife and maintaineth peace So then the end of Righteousnesse is to direct our way to live with God by the uprightnesse of our spirit and actions in conformity to his will As concerning Peaceablenesse the nature and property of it is inwardly that quiet and meek disposition of the mind which is of great price in the sight of God and outwardly that sweetnes 1 Pet. 3. 4. and gentlenes of the carriage towards men which neither taketh nor giveth occasion of offences Of the duty of Peaceablenes The end of Peaceablenesse is to maintain increase and restore the joy which commeth from the enjoyment the augmentation and recovery of that which is good appertaining to us in the way of righteousnes And to gain this end two things are in the life of Christianity to be observed namely what the proper acts of Peaceablenes are in our selves and towards others and whence the disposition of the soul which doth beget them is begotten in us The proper acts of Peaceablenes in our selves are to study to be quiet 1 Thess 4. 11. not to mind high things but to condescend to things of low degree Rom. 12. 16. for of Pride cometh nothing but contention Prov. 13. 10. and to behave and quiet our selves as a child that is weaned from his mother Psa 131. that is to wean our soules from the lusts of the flesh for warres and fightings come from nothing else but from our lusts that warre in our members Jam. 4. 1. if therefore we have Salt within our selves to mortifie these lusts we shall be able to have Peace one with another as Christ commands us Mark 9. 50. The acts of Peaceablenesse towards others are in respect of all men to shew all meeknesse unto all men Tit. 3. 2. in respect of those that are of a quiet disposition to be of the same minde towards them Rom. 12. 16. endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit with them in the bond of Peace Eph. 4. 3.
events of businesses Now the difference between envy and jealousie is this that we envy those whom we love not because they enjoy the good which we want but we are jealous over those whom we are obliged to love lest we be deprived by them of that which we pretend to possesse This passion may be harmlesse if the love upon which it is grounded be pure but if pride doth mix it self therewith then we are jealously affected towards others but Gal 4. 17. with Gal. 6. 13. not well as the Apostle terms it because it maketh us willing to exclude others from that which is their advantage and priviledge that they may be brought under our power to affect us and that we may glory over them How far lawfull and commendable Wherein unlawfull and discommendable And what effects they work upon the Subjects Now therefore there may and ought to be in Magistrates and Ministers a commendable and lawfull jealousie and fear which is for the good of the societie over which they are set this is a prudentiall care to watch for the good and prevent the evill which may befall to those whom they love and over whom they are set Thus the Apostle was jealously affected towards the Corinthians I am saith he jealous over you with godly jealousie for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chast virgin to Christ but I fear lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ 1 Cor. 11. 2. 3. His jealousie was not a fear lest he should lose somewhat of his esteeme amongst them or his particular interest in them be lessened for elsewhere he renounces this designe and gives up his whole esteeme to their advantage when he saith I pray to God that you do no evill not that we should appear approved but that you should do that which is honest though we be as reprobates 2 Cor. 13. 7. But lest they should lose somewhat of their neernesse towards God and their common interest in Christ be lessened And according to this pattern not onely Ministers but faithfull Magistrates ought to be prudentially watchfull and jealously fearfull not so much for their own interest in the affections of those that are under them lest they seem to be lessened therein but for the good and advantage of those that God hath committed unto their charge lest they come short of that felicitie which they are bound to procure unto them Thus an upright-hearted Magistrate will be carefull to prevent the seeds of Mutinie of Discontentednesse and of Division lest thereby the publick Peace and welfare of the people be lost and disturbed rather then that he should lose his pre-eminencie and the advantage of his place therein For if he doth love them and is faithfull to the trust committed by God unto him for them he will wholly quit this of his own for the purchase of that unto them chiefly when otherwise it cannot be obtained and this he ought to do because he is bound to know that God hath set him in his place for the good of the people and not made or given up the people to the pleasure of his will and meerly for him to be a Ruler over them the Court flattery which hath darkned this truth hath caused the Leaders of the Nations to erre and destroyed the way of their paths For the great ones that have power in the world being flattered into pride and self-love and forgetting that they are servants of the Communaltie for the publick good thereof make use of their places and abuse their trust to satisfie private passions they look upon all men and things as made to serve their wils and whatsoever is not subordinate unto the way of that pleasure and greatnesse wherein they delight to appear above others is made an object of their jealousie and suspition as if all that are not slaves unto their appetites were opposites unto or competitors of their greatnes When this imaginary suspitiousnes hath put the spirits of those that are in supremacy out of frame they pervert the course of their Government setting themselves rather to vex and grieve those that disagree from their sense in any thing onely because they go not their way to humour them in all things though they be otherwise harmlesse and quiet in the Land then to oblige every one indifferently in every thing to all common duties of mutuall serviceablenesse of love and of faithfulnesse to a publick interest which is the onely true work and ought to be the whole and single aime of those that are in places of Authority but when this is not their true aime and work as tending to the good of others they can do nothing else but minde themselves ambitiously and then their jealousies must needs run in this strain because they can reflect upon nothing but in order to themselves in which snare when once they are taken whether they be Magistrates or Ministers according to their dealings with those that are under them the reward of their hands is justly given to them for the Lord who cannot be mocked doth cause every man reap that which he doth sowe if therefore such as rule sowe the seeds of perverse jealousies and fears upon the grounds of ambition and self-will in the minds of those that are in subjection they must expect to reap nothing from their affections but the fruits of gall and wormwood and when their spirits are once embittered their fears being restlesse and their discontentednes easelesse they put themselves upon the causes of troubles and disquietnesse unto themselves and to those that are over them for seeing they are made to conceive by that which they finde in a vexatious government that they cannot confide their safetie any longer unto the hands of those that seek to enslave them they are naturally inclined and easily brought over to set up to themselves new interests that are not onely different but opposite to those that are intrusted with the management of publick affairs Whence it is that they hearken readily to such as augment their fears and foment the evill impressions which they have taken up against their superiours by which means as the fire devoureth the stubble and the flame consumeth the chaffe so the root of the greatnes of the Grandees of the Earth becometh rottennesse and their blossome goeth up as dust and this justly because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts which is the law Isa 5. 24. of humi 〈◊〉 itie and love to serve others with their talents for a publick good and despised the word of the holy One of Israel which is the word of Righteousnesse and of Faith teaching all men to live unto God according to the simplicitie of the Gospel For because that law and this word is not entertained by the Rulers of the Earth and those that are ruled by
taken up of designes persons will never suffer the mind to be at rest but by the apprehensions of evil listning after rumors and reports the heart will be moved as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind The remedy of Tale-bearing and private censuring By every one Therefore the first remedy of tale-bearing and private censuring is this cure of jealousies and feares for where the spirit is free from this distemper and in a serene frame within it selfe following that which is good towards all men before God there will be no listening after evill reports nor entertaining of tale-bearers upon evill surmisings and if no man will lend a tale-bearer his eares he will be soon weary of his employment By the Magistrate But the more direct cure of this disease is partly in the Magistrates partly in the Ministers hand for if the Christian Magistrate would take up Davids resolution and Psalm 101. practice it To know no wicked person To cut off such as privily stander others To cast out of his sight and discountenance every where such as carry tales from one to another and tell lies and consequently to represse railing accusations scandalous pamphlets and injurious reproaches so that a way might be opened at least for a reparation of the injuries of such a nature with infamy to those that inferre the same as in other Common-wealths the custome is If I say this were done by the Magistrate the publick inconveniencie of tale-bearing private censurings and of defamations would soone be cured As the North-wind saith Solomon ariveth away Prov. 25. 23 rain so doth an angry countenance a back-biting tongue If the angry countenance of a private man will doe this to a slanderer in private much more will the angry countenance of a Magistrate be able to effect it when a just reward of punishment will take hold of the transgressors By the Minister But to perfect this cure the Ministers of the Gospel should make it a part of their work as well in privat as publick to make all men sensible of the sinfulnes of whispering and backbiting and of the danger of an unruly tongue which sets the world on fire and is set on fire of hell What shall be given unto Psal 120. 3. 4. thee or what shall be done unto thee thou false tongue sharp Arrowes of the mighty with Coales of Juniper and such as with a deceitful tongue love devouring words God shall likewise destroy Psal 52. 4. 5. them for ever he shall take them away and pluck them out of their dwelling-place and root them out of the land of the living Saith the Holy Ghost and if free passage of the Gospel into the soules of men is to be regarded there is nothing that doth more directly obstruct it and hinder men from entertaining it then envies and evil speakings which are alwayes accompanied with malice guile and hypocrisie as the Apostle doth intimate 1 Peter 2. 1. 2. nor shall we ever see Jerusalem a quiet Habitation nor peace upon Israel till the disorder lines of whispering tale-bearing and passionate censuring be removed from the zeale of the Profession if Ministers themselves too too many were not guilty of this it might hopefully be in some Zelots but the zeale for one and against another party which hath drowned the zeale for meeknes for love and for true unpartial Christianity doth licenciat the spirits of professors to do this without controll by the example of some of their Ministers for it is from the pride of men that dote about questions of their own framing because they mind not with true zeale the undoubted and known truths of the Gospel that this heat of strife and railing and of passionatenes which is mistaken for zeale doth proceed as the Apostle declares 1 Tim. 6. 3. 4. 5. and truly it is hard to know whether Satan doth more harme to the felicity of mankind by the false accusations which unconscionable and profane men give out against the godly in the world or by the privat and faulty reprovings of true faults which disorderly zealous professors give out against them in the Church By all Conscionable Professors of Religion The Rules then to be offered to such as make Conscience of their wayes which may prevent and cure the disorderlines of these courses are these First let us watch over our spirits that nothing be done through strife and vain glory but all things in humility and without murmurings and disputings Phil. 2. 3. 14. Secondly if a man in the way of a lawful Calling must needs contend for Truth and Righteousnes and for the Faith once given to the Saints yet then let him remember that he ought to be slow to speake and slow to wrath because the wrath of man Jam. 1. 19. 2. worketh not the Righteousnes of God for our heat and passions do rather prejudice then advantage the truth in the minds of those to whom it is offered Thirdly let us consider this truth that to relate the faults and errors of one man who is a stranger to another under the pretence of warning him to whom the relation is made of the danger thereof is neither charitable nor positively edifying it is not charitable because the discoveries of mans failings to strangers can proceed from no love to those that faile for love covereth from strangers a multitude of sins nor can it work any love in strangers towards them nor is it possitively edifying to those that are made acquainted therewith because nothing doth positively edifie but the manifestation of Truth and Righteousnes Fourthly and lastly let this Rule be laid to heart that to lay open the faults of any either to himself or to others otherwise then in order to the course which Christ hath appointed to rectifie the same and with a charitable design to bring him that erreth from the error of his way is altogether unlawful and therefore none ought to censure any man or fault but that at the same instant is able and willing to shew the way how to reclaim the man and redresse the fault Concerning the remedy of revenge The first is Prayer Hitherto I have spoken of the distempers which are cureable in our nature by reasonable perswasions the distemper of revenge which we have found to be incureable by ordinary meanes must be referred unto the prayers of the Godly to intercede for those that are in danger thereof that their passion may not be an incentive of the fierce wrath of God against their own soules and over the whole Nation but that the remainder of wrath may be restrained from breaking forth upon Psal 76. 10. others and by the spirit of Christ subdued within themselves The second is Christs Spirit To be held forth by the Ministers for nothing but the mighty spirit by which Jesus Christ did walk in our flesh and overcome the world bound the strong man in our nature and spoiled him of his goods can
world and doth not directly and mainly by raising their spirits above earthly passions and by leading them to the life of Christ endeavour to allay their worldly affections to compose their differences and to reconcile their affections one to another in the love of Christ if I say any Minister doth not set himself to work thus when he is obliged to meddle with carnal controversies about the things of men he hath clearly renounced not only the work of a true Minister of the Gospel but the name also of a true Christian for there can be no earthly concernment of such importance or so near to a Christian as to engage him to forge and cast off the duties and the affections of divine love towards any or not to endeavour the common welfare of all without partiality as Christ hath loved us and endeavoured our welfare if therefore any be found who call themselves The snare wherein some Ministers are caught which doth hinder them from applying the Remedy Ministers and yet make themselves on all sides the chief Actors and Abettors of State differences and controversies by whose instigation under a pretence of Religion the distempers of men are heightned and the common welfare of humane societies is disturbed shall we call them herein Ministers of the Gospel of God shall we say that in so doing they are guiltless before men or shall we not rather say that they are quite out of their way that they are Ministers of the Kingdome of Satan by following their own humours and that the Lord by them doth mingle a perverse spirit amongst the unsound professors of Christianity I do not think or say that all Ministers on all sides are thus set or set themselves a work for that would be a great untruth nor do I take upon me to judge any in particular or to judge in generall of all those that take upon them to meddle in State Matters that they do it against the Dictates of their Conscience for that would be a presumptuous and uncharitable judgement but this I say and judge that so many of the Ministery as are thus set and do meddle as they suppose by an engagement of Conscience with State Matters to take part with one and oppose another party therein and do not studie directly to take off the edge of all mens carnall animosities by the love of Christ that all may be directed to build up one another in all truth and righteousnesse towards the kingdome of God I say so many of the Ministery as take this course let it be upon what pretence soever are in a manifest error and dangerous snare of Satan from which I shall intreat the Lord in mercie to deliver them And that I may not be wanting to my duty and affection to help them out of it according to that rule of charitie Whosoever censures any fault ought to shew the way how it should be redressed I shall in the measure which I have received hold forth and demonstrate the course by which in these our present distractions the Ministers who truly mind the work of the Gospel should walk towards all men without blame to avoid this snare of Satan And to this effect I shall take this for granted that the Ministeriall employment in the Gospel is nothing else but a stewardship wherunto the dispensation of the messages and mysteries of Gods love to mankind in and by Christ Jesus The way to recover them out of the snare is committed and that consequently all the acts of this stewardship must at all times answer the nature and end of this dispensation or if any thing answer it not and is inconsistent with the love of 〈◊〉 to be dispensed therein that this thing let it be what it will and coloured with a shew never so faire is in respect of them unministeriall as to God and unwarrantable as to men Upon which ground this doth manifestly follow that no faithfull Minister of the Gospell will dare to do or say any thing ministerially concerning our present distractions in the State but that vvhich the love of God in Christ doth direct him to do and doth prompt him to say as a Christian unto Christians indeed or unto such as pretend to be the disciples of Jesus Christ Which can be effectually nothing else but that which is fit to incline through the love of God the heart of every one to put on towards each other the bowels of mercy of compassion of kindenesse of meeknesse and of long suffering that the breaches which make us unprofitable one to another in the profession of Christianity may be healed by the unity of the Spirit of Christ in the bond of peace For if all our works and our perswasions center not in Gods love upon the hearts of those with whom we deal through the unfeigned profession of Christianity it is certain that we will venture upon them in the love of this present world for something which doth oblige us to the profession of partialitie for so farre as we go out of the one way we step immediately into the other therefore to keep our selves free from the trappes wherein many are caught by the subtile contrivances of State Mysteries and to help those that are recoverable to recover themselves out of the engagement to further breaches and to prevent the great thoughts of heart which our destructive divisions are like to bring forth Let us reflect as in the sight of God upon the Rules of our Christian duties first in love and then in righteousnesse and in peaceablenesse that so many of us as make not the pretence of Religion and conscience a cloak of maliciousnesse but in all things and above all endeavour without partialitie towards men to approve our conscience in sinceritie before God may finde a directory by the spirit in the word of Truth which is the testimony of Jesus whereby to â—â—â—y how to behave our selves harmlesly as the Sons of God without rebuke in the midst of these distractions that we may not be accessory to the perversenesse and the crookednesse of the generation which doth occasion and foment the same The complicated causes of our publick disease Seeing then our complicated disease doth lye in the generall disagreement of mens imaginations about things past in the unrulinesse of their actions about things present in the unsettlement and difference of their desires about things to come and in the peremptorinesse of their resolutions taken up upon mutuall discontents and future hopes of changes our way to cure these distempers must be also in a complicated course of using Remedies which will meet with the disorderlinesse of mens hearts and actions in all these unsettlements and because the first ingredient and basis of this whole Remedie must needs be Divine Love for without it the rest will be ineffectuall and this ought first to be exhibited in the work of the Ministery by their practise and perswasion we shall take the
different nature from the course wherein God hath set us which is to be dead with Christ unto the world to crucifie the flesh with the affectios lusts to give up to him that judgeth righteously the righting of all wrongs that are done unto us I shal conclude therefore that the bottome of the demurrer his scruple is beaten out as to spirituall actings in Christian duties under the present Government if it be found manifestly Gods wil that to heal breaches of love amongst brethren and to prevent the increase of publick calamities and confusions in a Common-wealth Christians ought to look forward how in their callings they should by themselves readily performe good duties towards all and not to look backward to demur upon their duties or to intend evill to any by reason of other mens offences or their own privat disaffections in them Hitherto we have lookt upon the first Rule of this Directory shewing the main preparative duty which will fit us to seek a Remedy for publick evils and without which it can not though found out be applyed thereunto to work a cure we have also endeavoured to apply this Rule unto one of the greatest of our present distempers we may now come to the particulars offered in the Apostles words which if men that call themselves Professors of the name of Christ could be perswaded in godly simplicity without respect unto by-matters through love to that which is good in Christianity for it selfe we might hope that the cure of our diseases would soone be accomplished by Gods assistance The particular Duties are considered first in their order as they are to be used towards the Cure Secondly in their distinct branches where is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Loosned knees as in a Palsie Let us therefore if we are resolved to look forward and not backward any more proceed towards a full cure of our evils after this method which the Holy Ghost hath pointed out First let us set upon the duties which are Positive and then upon the Negative that is let us begin our work with the performance of that which is actually good in our own way of walking before we reflect upon the evils which may befall unto us from others to prevent the same This Rule lies in order of the things which are here prescribed and it is very observable in the method of our cure because we are naturally inclined to a contrary and preposterous course which makes us miscarry in most of our undertakings for our natural policy doth lead us rather to look upon others then upon our selves and to observe rather that which is evil in them to their discredit than that which is good to their encouragement and credit and to be more apprehensive of danger from without and constrain to prevent the same than solicitors of safety from within and careful to settle the same all which is contrary to the Rules of true wisdom and prudency and doth oblige mens thoughts to dwell without themselves upon the objects of evils and discontentments whereby they are engaged into crooked courses rather to attend the work of destruction than of edification but true spiritual policy doth set our thoughts in another frame and our course in another method First it sets before us the reality of that which is good and lovely as the end of our undertaking then it presents unto us the effectual meanes of attaining and way of prosecuting the same First by and for our selves Secondly by and towards others also And lastly it reflects upon the evils and impediments which may be incident to the prosecution of the whole designe to prevent and remove the same and according to this method the spirit of God hath ordered the particular duties recommended unto us in this place for the positive duties directing us to intend that which in it self is good are injoyned in the first place in v. 12. 13 14. and afterward the negative duties shewing the evils that are to be prevented are recommended in the second place in v. 15. 16. and of the good things to be intended that which concernes the ordering of our selves to our own works is put before that which concernes our relation towards others for that must needes be a ground unto this and so likewise of the evils to be prevented that which is the most dangerous as being a cause and ground upon which other evils will follow is to be prevented or remedied before tbe other be medled withall namely that which occasions our falling away from grace ought first to be lookt into and remedied before we take in hand to digg up the roots of bitterness and to represse the defilements and the profanation of the profession Thus we see the way of the Cure which Ministers should follow in their own Calling and which they should by Doctrine and perswasion lead others unto according to their several places these then are the particular duties which make up the Remedy of our complicated disease and this is the Order to be observed in making use of the same for in this method the Text doth recommend them to us The particular duty then to be intended First for the ordering of our selves towards our own employments is v. 12. Lift up the hands which hang down and the knees that are loosened and for the ordering of the works of our imployment towards our own undertaking as v. 13. And make straight pathes for your feet Then having rightly ordered our selves and our affairs within our own Sphere our next care is to order our relations towards others where our first dutie is to reflect upon the weaknesse and infirmities which are between them and us that they may be healed and not made worse And this is recommended to us in the latter part of verse 3. Lest that which is lame be turned out of the way but let it rather be healed The second duty is to reflect upon the perfections which are to be upheld amongst us both in reference to one another and all of us in reference to God In reference to one another we are commanded to maintain peace And in reference to God we are commanded to maintain holinesse in verse 3. Follow peace with all men and holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord. Where before we come to the negative duties we may observe briefly that the righteous ordering of our owne wayes is that which doth inable us through love to heale and rectifie the wayes of others and that thereupon the endeavours to maintain peace and holinesse with all men will prove successfull but not otherwise For as there can be no healing of infirmities wrought by us towards others except our owne wayes being rightly ordered we be carried forth in love towards them so there can be no maintaining of peace and holinesse with any except the healing of mutuall infirmities be first lovingly and righteously intended So that we see in what order the complicated endeavours of Righteousnesse