who appointed not this kind of Covenanting established the Christian Church in that way of Unity that it was one Church but these have ordered this method for the dividing it 20. Secondly This casts a disparagement on Christs Institution of Baptism as if this Ordinance of his was not sufficient and effectual for the purposes to which he appointed it whereof one was the receiving Members into his Church and the Communion thereof The Scriptures declare Christians to be Baptized into one Body 1 Cor. 12.12 and that they who are Baptized into Christ have put on Christ Gal. 3.27 and therefore by this Sacramental Ordinance members are received into fellowship with Christ and communion with his Church But these expressions in the Assembly-confession of (i) Conf. c. 27. n. 1. Sacraments being Instituted to put a visible difference between those that belong unto the Church and the rest of the World And of Baptism being ordained by Christ for the solemn admission of the party Baptized into the visible Church are rejected and left out in the declaration of Faith by them of the Congregational way And we are told by the New England Independents that (k) Answ to 32. Qu. to qu. 4. they do not believe that Baptism doth make men members of the Church and they there say strangely enough that Christ Baptized but made no new Church Wherefore when Christ appointed Baptism to receive members of his Church this Covenant which he never appointed is by them set up thus far in the place and room of it 21. Thirdly By making this Covenant the only right ground of Church-fellowship they cast a high reflexion on the Apostolical and Primitive Churches who neither practised nor delivered any such thing as if the Apostolical Model must give place to theirs and those first Churches must not be esteemed regularly established But this Covenant managed in the dividing way is somewhat like the practice of Novatus who hath been ever reputed guilty of great Schism who ingaged his followers by the most solemn Vow that they should never forsake him nor return to Cornelius their true Bishop only his Covenant had not a peculiar respect to a particular Congregation But this bond of their own promise and vow was intended to keep them in that separation which the more solemn Vow of Baptism and undertaking Christianity ingaged them to reject And it is a great mistake to imagine that the former ought to take place against the latter or that men may bind themselves to act against the will of God and that thenceforth they ought not to observe it 22. Fourthly The confinement of Church-membership to a single Congregation entred under such a particular Covenant is contrary to several plain duties of Christianity For according to this notion the peculiar offices of Brotherly Love as being members one of another and that Christian care that follows thereupon it limited to a narrow compass together with the exercise of the Pastoral care also which ought to be inlarged to all those professed Christians with whom we do converse And it is of dangerous and pernicious consequence that the duties of love and being helpful to one another and provoking to love and good works upon account of our membership with the Church visible though these things be in practice too much neglected should be straitned by false and hurtful notions and opinions It was none of the least miscarriages of the Jews that when God gave them that great Commandment to love their Neighbour as themselves they should satisfie themselves in the performing this duty with a much more restrained sense of the word Neighbour than the Divine Law intended And it must not be conceived that false imaginations concerning the bounds of the Church and fellowship therein will be esteemed in the sight of God a sufficient discharge from the duties he requires men to perform to others nor will this be a better excuse under Christianity than the like mistake was under Judaism 23. Thirdly I shall consider their placing the chief Ecclesiastical power and authority in the Body of the people or the members of the Church To this purpose by some of them we are told that (m) Answ to 32. Qu. to Q. 14. in Peter and the rest the Keys are committed to all Believers who shall join together in the same confession according to the Ordinance of Christ and they give the people the power of (n) Answ to Qu. 15. censuring offenders even Ministers themselves if they be such And on this account at least in part I suppose the Congregational Churches in their Declaration of Faith omitted the whole Chapter of (o) Ch. 30. Church censures contained in the Assembly's Confession in which they had declared the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to be committed to the Church Officers Now besides that the way of Government and Censure by the major Vote of the people hath been the occasion of much confusion in some of their Congregations that which I shall particularly insist on is the great sin of intruding upon any part of the Ministerial Authority or neglecting due regard or reverence thereto How plain is it in the Scripture that the Apostles governed and ordered the state of the Christian Church and that Timothy and Titus and the Angels of the Churches did and were to do the like It was to the Apostles as chief Officers of the Christian Church that Christ declared Joh. 20.23 whosesoever sins ye remit they are remitted and whosesoever sins ye retain they are retained and Matt. 18.18 whatsoever yet shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose in Earth shall be loosed in Heaven And by these and such like words the power of inflicting Censures and receiving to and conferring of the priviledges of the Church as well as of dispensing all those Ordinances whereby the grace of God and remission of sins are particularly tendered are appropriated to the Officers of the Church as part of their Office 24. In this plain sense were these Christian Laws generally understood by the Primitive Church which practised accordingly which they who read the ancient Canons must necessarily confess And the same is manifest from the particular Writers of the first Ages For instance even (p) Cyp. Ep. 27. S. Cyprian from what our Lord spake to S. Peter of the power of the Keys and of binding and loosing infers the Episcopal honour and that every act of the Church must be governed by those Prefects or Superiors And from those words and what our Saviour spake to his Apostles Jo. 20. about remitting sins he concludes that only the Governours in the Church (q) Ep. 73. can give remission of sins And when Rogatianus a Bishop complained to Cyprian concerning a Deacon who behaved himself contumeliously towards him S. Cyprian commends his humility in addressing himself to him (r) Ep. 65. when he had himself power by virtue of his Episcopacy and the
at his arraignment it was as notoriously false as any of the other things above-mentioned It was not possible that he who was King of Kings and by whom Kings reign should be an enemy to that Authority which he himself upheld or that he who came into the World to advance the honour and dignity of his Father should set himself against those Powers which were his Ordinance and Established by him It could not be supposed that a person of that singular integrity which every where appeared in him who had sharply reproved the Pharisees for asserting such Doctrines as made void the fifth Commandment should himself be guilty of giving an example of the same fault and in an higher degree Nor could there be any reasonable pretence that he who was so great a friend to all mankind whose life practised and whose openly declared Doctrine enjoined an universal love even to enemies that he should be an enemy to Caesar who was the Minister of God for the good of men and under whose Government peace and property and order was in some considerable measure established in the World Upon such considerations as these the ancient (l) Tertul. Apol. c. 28 29 30 31 32. ad Scap. c. 4. Apologists for Christians under Pagan Emperors declared it impossible for him who was a Christian to be an enemy to the Emperour when he might not be an enemy to any man upon Earth and was particularly obliged to reverence him whom God had constituted And the same consideration will shew that they who are enemies to their Princes and Superiours and are opposers of Government cannot be truly Christians 31. But it is here observable that this accusation was only a crafty fetch intended wholly to serve a present turn that by pleading this they might possess Pilate with a prejudice against him and make it appear necessary that he should condemn him or else not shew himself faithful to Caesar in that Office which was committed to him And that upon this accusation On this accusation our Lord was condemned as an enemy to Caesar and for this cause Pilate Sentenced him to be Crucified is evinced from the Title written upon his Cross Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews which both S. Matthew and S. Mark call his accusation Mat. 27.37 Mar. 16.26 And that for this thing he was condemned to die was noted by S. Hierome (m) Hier in Mat. 27. who yet declares that he could not sufficiently admire that when they had suborned false Witnesses nullam aliam causam invenirent interfectionis ejus quam quod rex erat Judaeorum they could find no other cause to put him to death than his being the King of the Jews And for a further confirmation that this was the ground on which he was Crucified it is observed and sufficiently cleared by (n) Annot. on Mar. 15. b. Dr. Hammond that it was the usual custom of the Romans on this manner to give a publick signification of the crime for which any man was punished And it may be noted from S. John that till it was urged that Pilate could not be Caesars friend if he let Jesus go and that whosoever makes himself a King speaks against Caesar Pilate was desirous to have released him Joh. 19.12 But when he heard this saying he sat down in the Judgment-Seat and delivered him to be Crucified v. 13 16. 32. But yet this accusation was not charged upon him by the Jews out of any true kindness they had for Caesar but only out of malice and enmity against the blessed Jesus The name of Caesar as was noted by Tertullian (o) Tert. Apol. c. 28. was more sacred and inviolable amongst the Romans than any of their Gods and therefore to charge him with opposing Caesar was the most likely way for them to obtain their end and therefore when they brought him before Pilate this was the accusation which they then urged against him Luk. 23.1 2. But though at this time they pretended themselves well affected to Caesar This was managed by those ◠who were no friends to Caesar and concerned for the securing his Authority yet in truth neither the Pharisees nor the other Jews had any real kindness for him and were desirous if they knew how to shake off his authority And at this very time they could shew themselves friends to Barabbas who had made insurrection against the peace of the Government and had committed murder in the Insurrection And they knew well enough that Jesus had enjoined men their duty to Caesar 33. The Governours and Clergy of our Church have in some things met with a kind of proceedings somewhat like this There are persons who are not very eminent for loyalty themselves The like accusation against other innocent persons who know our Clergy to be faithful Subjects and friends to the King and to teach others the same and yet they will endeavour to charge them with undermining the Kings Authority and encroaching upon the Rights and Royalties of the Crown But let such persons consider what sincerity they use in such things as this and whether besides the uncharitableness which appears in these actings towards others they do not offer violence to themselves and act against the inward sense of their own consciences Thus were the primitive Christians defamed as if they opposed the Majesty of the Emperor (p) Tertul. ad Scap. c. 2. Circà Majestatem Caesaris infamamur though the Christians of that age had never been guilty of any acts of rebellion and neither thought nor spake unworthily of their Rulers And S. Paul was called a pestilent fellow and a mover of Sedition Act. 24.5 34. And now I have thus far discoursed of the exorbitant extravagancies of a reproaching tongue I here declare that it is not my design in this Chapter Hence we are watchfully to take heed of joining in reproaching others to charge even such men who are too much overtaken with some degree of this sin as if they were arrived to that height and excess which I have here described But the things I aim at are First To warn all men against giving the reins to uncharitable censure and reproach since this evil practice is that which Satan hath made great use of in all the Ages of the World as the first and chief means to oppose all the ways of true piety and goodness And hereby he hath done great mischief in the World the oppositions which both Christ and Christianity and all good men met with in the world have proceeded very much from this cause and the violence and persecutions which the primitive Christians underwent was the consequent hereupon And we may hence discern also into what strange exorbitancies men may be led though they come not up to the highest extravagancy if they yield their tongues to be governed by their own passions or by the unjust clamours of other men against them who should govern and
the being influenced by such passionate censures guide lead and direct them since our Saviour who was the most excellent guide that ever the World had and the most innocent person was so highly defamed and so injuriously aspersed with unreasonable calumny 35. Secondly I intend hereby to manifest how much courage stedfastness and constancy is necessary for the sincerely pious man It may be the portion of any such person whomsoever Unreasonable censures are to be couragiously undergone in his speaking and doing well to be misrepresented and exposed to calumny and slander Our great Master hath foretold that his servants must in this particular expect the same measure which himself received But let no good man be dismayed if he be thus treated in the World but let him be stedfastly resolved to pursue his duty and to be unmoveably upright and conscientious whatsoever respect or disrespect he may meet with among men Whoever is made more remiss in well-doing or whose spirit is royled and discomposed by undeserved censures doth hereby fall into temptation and the snare of the evil one but he that resolvedly holds fast his integrity and runs with patience his Christian race amidst all these oppositions this is the man who rightly dischargeth the duty of a Christian and taketh up his Cross and followeth his Lord. 36. And it is infinitely better for any man being the pious mans advantage to fear the censure of the greatest part of the World in well-doing than to neglect what may please God and do good to men since hereby he gains the blessing of Christ Our Saviour declared Luk. 6.22 Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you and cast out your name as evil for the Son of mans sake Rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy for behold your reward is great in Heaven Wherefore though a clear and good reputation and general esteem is useful and desirable to a good man because it gives him many advantages of doing good in his generation yet if in the faithful and prudent management of his duty he meeteth with hard measures from the uncharitable expressions of other men it may justly so far as concerns himself rather affect him with joy than disturbance Yea with respect to these words of Christ which I have now mentioned the Author under (q) Epist ad Oceanum S. Hierom's name thinks it a thing desirable to be reproached and evil spoken of Quis non maledici desideret saith he ut mereatur Christi nomine laudari coelesti copiosaque mercede munerari This also was a mighty satisfaction to S. Austin who declared that whilst he opposed the Donatists (r) Aug. cont lit Petil. l. 3. c. 7. he underwent sharp and opprobrious reproaches from the enemies of the glory of Christ but then reflecting upon the blessing in this case pronounced by our Lord he adds Quisquis volens detrahit famae meae nolens addit mercedi meae he that willingly lessens my reputation doth unwillingly add to my reward But he who is turned aside from the paths of goodness by the slander of men is guilty of greater rashness and imprudence than that traveller who takes a journey of great concernment to his life and estate and yet will stop his course or go out of his way if he discerns the wind to blow upon him CHAP. III. The manifold sinfulness and severe punishment of reproaching and speaking evil especially against Superiors 1. HAving shewed the unreasonable proceedings of a reviling tongue and how unruly an evil it is I shall now add some further general considerations concerning the greatness of the sin of reproaching others especially our Superiours And in this Chapter I shall shew two things First How many great sins are contained in it and Secondly What a dreadful punishment is denounced against the practisers of it Wherefore 2. First This is a complicated and multiplied sin and so comprehensive an evil that very many great transgressions are contained and linked together in it S. Basil seems to think that a reproaching Spirit (a) Bas in Esai c. 2. might be the beginning of all sin in the world which may well be accounted true if we consider it with respect to God and include under it that disposition of mind from whence it flows Uncharitable evil-speaking includes very many great sins For the closing with that temptation whereby the Serpent reproached the infinitely good God was that which brought sin and ruine on mankind And it may well be thought that the original transgression of the fallen Angels was their having ill thoughts of the highest good and thereupon being forward to depart from God and to draw others from him into the same defection And this is the very root of reproaching or that disposition of spirit from whence it ariseth 3. And this ought to be the more detested because the exercise of this sin includes in it many heinous offences Now though one single sin which any person willingly and wilfully pursues is sufficient to manifest him void of the fear of God and estranged from the Christian life yet where the evil heart can readily choose and the conscience suffer many notorious sins to prevail without being either so watchful as to observe them or so faithful as to raise all the powers and faculties of the soul to oppose them here is a mind and conscience so much the more grosly defiled and vitiated His condition is like that of the man into whom the unclean Spirit entring taketh with him seven other Spirits who enter in and dwell there And as that body is in a bad condition in which divers dangerous diseases are reigning so that soul cannot be in any safe condition where many great sins do rule and govern it And it is considerable in this case that a defaming temper and the neglect of forsaking it by repentance alwaies include a voluntary choice and therefore hath in it as all other sins of choice have a want of reverence to God and his laws And besides this 4. First It contains under it an opposition to 1. It is inconsistent with Christian love and neglect of the great command of love It was our Saviours Doctrine that among all the precepts given by God in the Old Testament that of loving God with all the heart was the first and the other of loving our Neighbour the second which is like unto it And the wisest men among the Jews have owned and acknowledged the same truth (b) Phil. de Charitate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philo speaking of the love of men esteemeth it so nearly allyed unto Religion towards God that he calls it its Sister and Twin And it can be no small sin to live in the breach of so great a Commandment This duty is so particularly pressed and inculcated by Christ on all his Disciples and so great Motives are superadded to the force this Commandment had before that it appears under the Gospel as
we ought to do (a) Contr. Apion l. 2. Josephus accounted it a great advantage which the Jews had for guiding them to goodness and vertue that when the Lacedemonians and Cretians instructed others in their duty by examples only and the Athenians and many others did this only by precepts the Jews made use of both these methods jointly But in the Christian Dispensation we have both more excellent precepts and an higher inforcement of them and also a more exact pattern and example than ever the Jews had The life of Christ recommends those practices in which we are to follow him to be the most honourable and the wisest undertakings in that herein our lives are made conformable to the most glorious person that ever appeared in our nature and we herein do what he who is infinitely wise chose to do And his life also shews that as he in our nature was a perfect pattern of meekness so he can and will by his grace enable us if we resolve piously and diligently to follow him and serve him to perform these duties also though we attain not to the same perfection It is in all cases very useful (b) Ign. Epist ad Ephes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he who instructeth another in what is good should himself do the same for this hath a considerable influence upon the practice of others but no example of any other teacher can be so highly profitable as that of Christ is the perfection of which maketh it a compleat rule and guide And his example especially in the acts of his humility and lowliness we in duty ought always to follow and safely may 3. Some things are observed by (c) Nazian Orat. 40. Nazianzen in the practice of our Saviour which are not to be proposed for our imitation to wit such as he did according as occasions and circumstances offered themselves as his celebrating the holy Communion in an upper chamber His temper of mind is in all things to be our examp e. and after supper and in the night and even that very night in which he was betrayed and such also as spake the Dignity and Divinity of his person And what he did in the discharge of his Mediatory Office though all Christians are highly concerned therein being interested in the benefits thereof yet the performance of these actions were so peculiar to himself that none other are to do the like Of this nature was his giving up himself to death for the working our redemption and to be a Propitiation for the sins of the World But yet it is observable that in this singular act of his Mediatory Office and the like may be said of others that excellent temper of mind in which he performed this work is that wherein we stand obliged to follow him and this will recommend to us patience and meekness 4. Thus with respect to God whilst he gave up himself to be a Sacrifice for sin this was a rare instance of obedience to the will of his Father even in the most difficult performance and of submission to the pleasure of his Father in drinking that Cup which he gave him to drink without any murmuring or repining And in these things it is our duty to follow him and that the same mind be in us which was in Christ Jesus Phil. 2 5.-8 And with respect to man this his Priestly action of making atonement was performed out of the greatest love to us and it contained the highest expressions and evidences of this love in that he was willing to do so much and to bear so much for men who were sinners and enemies and also in that he did thereby effectually procure for them the greatest good And here we are commanded to imitate him and to walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Eph. 5.2 And towards them who were his cruel and inhumane enemies who both crucified and reviled him in his great sufferings when in his own body he did bear our sins he expressed a temper of eminent meekness patience and kindness and herein we are commanded to follow his steps who when he was reviled he reviled not again 1 Pet. 2.21 23. And besides this instance in what other things we are not to imitate the particular actions of our Lord there are yet some general considerations with respect to the Spirit and temper of mind in which they were done that are of great use for our imitation And on this account it may be affirmed (d) Aug. de vera Relig. c. 16. Tota itaque vita ejus in terris disciplina morum fuit that the whole life of Christ was a most excellent instruction for our duty which was S. Austins inference after he had considered many things which our Saviour did and especially his patience meekness and self denial 5. And the precepts of meekness and patience and of governing our tongues are as plainly and fully enjoined in the Gospel as any other commands whatsoever If some men will causelesly be our enemies and will hate Meekness and patience are great duties of Christianity curse and persecute us however men had been taught or allowed before to love their Neighbour and hate their enemy the will of our Lord is that we love our enemies bless them that curse us do good to them that hate us and pray for them that despitefully use us and persecute us Mat. 5.44 And if we meet with them who work us evil and rail against us the rule of Christian practice is 1 Pet. 3.9 not rendring evil for evil or railing for railing but contrariwise blessing And these and other such like precepts are so excellent and amiable that if the meekness and innocency and charity which Christianity requires did universally prevail and obtain in the World it would make the Society of mankind wonderfully more sweet delightful and comfortable than it is and their converse would be free from the poyson and venome of the old Serpent And surely the laws which are established for our guidance especially where God is the law-giver who is able to save and to destroy ought to be accounted of sufficient authority and influence to command subjection and obedience But the example of our Lord doth here add a mighty perswasive vertue to his precepts besides what I above mentioned in that he was far better than any of us who deserved most from men and yet was worst treated by them hath left such an exact pattern of meekness and patience And then much more ought we to practise these duties since we deceive our selves if we think the evil we undergo whether of this kind or of any other is not deservedly ordered to us with respect to the general disposing of all things by Divine Providence Upon which consideration David exercised himself in patience towards Shimei And it may justly seem incongruous that if a
denounced against by the laws of civil Societies and inflicted upon such offenders in many civil Societies this carrying so great an opposition to the laws of nature and the publick quiet and good of the World Lipsius (p) Lipsius in Orat. de Calumnia tells us that the Athenians imposed a pecuniary penalty upon such offenders and that the ancient Romans set a mark upon the forehead of him who was guilty of this crime with the letter K. If this was so I do not doubt but this letter K was to signifie Kalumnia or Kalumniator Calumnia being one of the three words which are noted by (q) Scalig. Animadv in Euseb Chronol p. 114. Scaliger to have been only written with K. and not with C. in the most ancient use of the Latin tongue And this was a publick declaration that the Reproacher or Calumniator deserved to be openly marked out and branded for an infamous person 21. But since a great part of mankind have had as great an esteem for their good name as for their lives in the ancient famous Laws of the (r) Duodec Tabul Fragment Tit. 25 n. 3. twelve tables it is declared that though very few crimes were by those laws punished with death yet the reproaching and defaming others was thereby made a capital offence And in the ancient laws of the Empire this is related to have been sometimes punished with stripes and sometimes by making the person Intestabilis or one who by the law was not permitted to make any Testament to dispose of his goods at his death But by the Constitution of (s) Cod. l. 9. Tit. 36. leg unic Valentinian and Valens both he who is the author of a Calumny and he also who casually findeth a libel and divulgeth it seem guilty of death to wit where the calumny is some great matter of defamation And I above noted that this offence was sometimes capital amongst the (t) n. 14. Jews To this I shall add the consideration of S. Chrysostome concerning the dangers of reproaching Superiors with respect to what God established and effected under the Mosaical Dispensation He considers (u) Hom. 2. in illud Salutate Priscillam Aquilam that if he who reviled his Father or Mother must die the death Exod. 21.17 Lev. 20.9 how severe a punishment must he deserve who doth this to his Spiritual Father And when he had mentioned the dismal misery which befel Corah and his Company for speaking against Moses and Aaron he then considers the case of Miriam Miriam with Aaron had reproached Moses because of the Aethiopian Woman by Gods judgment in this world which he had Married Num. 12.1 with other expressions of contempt And for this cause Gods wrath was kindled against her and by the hand of God she was smitten with leprosie and must be put out of the Camp of Israel and bear her shame And as S. Chrysostome observes this punishment for this offence could not be avoided though Moses prayed and fell down before God on her behalf yea though she was Moses his own Sister and the person as he goes on who preserved the life of Moses calling his Mother to nurse him and led the women in their praises Exod. 15. as Moses did the men 22. But the inflicting the eternal judgment of God and his severe wrath in another world is far more dreadful than any temporal penalty and in the world to come And since the most High God is infinitely righteous in all his laws threatnings and judgments whatsoever he sets himself against and wheresoever he executes his fierce anger it gives manifest evidence that that which provokes him so to do must be greatly evil as well as dangerous And it is necessary to abhor and avoid those things which expose to the divine vengeance which is utterly intolerable Now that the punishment of those who yield themselves to this sin of evil speaking will be very sad may appear by two Considerations 23. First By taking a review of it The several sins contained in it are all destructive and observing the danger of every one of the several sins above mentioned which are contained under this of reproaching and therefore what the sad consequence must be of all these meeting together Doth it oppose the great and necessary duty of love He that loveth not his Brother abideth in death 1 Joh. 3.14 Doth it include a breach of the fifth Commandment and an opposition against our Governours when it hath respect to them they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation Rom. 13.2 Is the violation of the sixth Commandment included in it When S. John had said He that hateth his Brother is a murderer he immediately adds and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him 1 Joh. 3.15 Doth the reproacher speaking against charity usually exceed the bounds of truth all lyars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Rev. 21.8 And among the eight sorts of lies reckoned up and of all them condemned by (w) de Mendac ad Cons c. 14 21. S. Austin this which is altogether pernicious or hurtful to another is the highest except that one of lying concerning the Faith and Doctrine of Religion Is this sin a practice of unrighteousness the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.9 Is it a yielding to passion and an opposing peace and meekness they that do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Gal. 5.21 24. Now if the summ of all these particulars be cast up and put together it will amount to thus much even the treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath And it will be hence manifest that they who indulge themselves in this sin do put several bars to shut out themselves from the Kingdom of Heaven When our Saviour had said to the young man Mat. 19.17 If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments and was again asked which Commandments he must keep among six which our Lord expressed as necessary for him to observe that he might have eternal life these are four Thou shalt do no murder Thou shalt not bear false witness Honour thy Father and thy Mother and Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self And I have above shewed that in this sin of evil speaking especially when it is directed against Superiors there is a transgressing all these four precepts 25. Secondly By considering the severe punishment particularly denounced against or inflicted upon the practisers of this sin I have above noted divers instances of Gods heavy Judgments expressed in the Scripture as the sad calamity which came upon our first Parents and all their Posterity for their hearkening to and entertaining the reproach and evil suggestion of the Serpent the dismal punishment of Corah and his complices for their speaking against Moses and Aaron and other such like And the Author under (x) ad fratres in
mean Peasant who is an offender shall have the same treatment from men with an excellent and gracious Prince or shall be in the same storm abroad in his voyage or journey that he should be in a fury as thinking himself too good to be thus dealt with while his good Prince goes through all this with a quiet and calm demeanour 6. To imitate Christ in these duties is the way to happiness But there is yet a farther very weighty consideration upon which all Christians stand bound to follow this example of our Saviour and that is that the imitating him in this very thing is directed and enjoined as the course we are to take for the obtaining happiness Mat. 11.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls So that the following him in humility and meekness is the walking in the path of rest for this as all acts of goodness and duty bringeth here serenity and peace to the mind of him who practiseth it and is one of the great duties to be performed in order to perfect peace and rest hereafter And those his Servants who thus serve and follow him shall be with him where he is Thus S. Austin (e) De Temp. Serm. 61. Enarrat in Ps 90. having considered those words of S. Matthew Chap. 11.29 and of S. Peter 1 Pet. 2.22 23. observes that that example of our Lord which it is necessary for us to imitate is not that which is too high and great for us in our capacities to perform as to restore the dead to life or to walk upon the Sea but it is to be meek and humble in spirit and that we should love not only our friends but even our enemies with all our hearts 7. And as this duty is particularly recommended to us There is no true piety in them who do not walk as he walked as one especial and main thing in which we are to imitate our Lord and shall be highly rewarded by so doing so it will be useful to take notice in general that it is a very vain thing for any to talk of Christ and Christianity and of their hope and interest in him if they do not follow his example and live according to his life And of this we are assured by S. John 1 Joh. 2.6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked And these words are the more necessary to be minded and seriously regarded because S. John in the former part of that Chapter doth particularly undertake to declare and reckon up in large and comprehensive expressions divers of those things which are of absolute necessity for every man to observe who would be owned as truly Religious and in a comfortable relation to God To this purpose he saith v. 4. He that saith I know him and keepeth not his Commandments is a lyar and the truth is not in him And v. 5. But whoso keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected hereby know we that we are in him And after he had inserted some emphatical expressions to manifest the weight and excellency of these things which he was now discoursing he proceeds to assert v. 9. He that saith he is in the light and hateth his Brother is in darkness even until now and v. 15. If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him And amongst these he expresseth what I now mentioned v. 6. concerning walking as he walked Which Verse also is intended to express what is so necessary to true Christianity and communion with Christ that they cannot consist without it How far then do they go astray who are so negligent of Christian meekness and gentleness as if fierceness and passion were rather to be accounted the practices of our Religion 8. 2. Our Lord's example peculiarly requireth reverence to Superiours Cons 2. Our Saviour's example is particularly set before us to silence and suppress all evil speaking against Superiours and reproaching them who are in Authority and to engage us to behave our selves towards them with reverence and due respect And for the manifesting this I shall shew three things 9. First That this is the scope and intention of S. Peter in proposing to us the example of Christ 1 Pet. 2.21 23. for the proof of which I need only make a brief reflexion on the foregoing Verses To this purpose it is urged by S. Peter That Apostle had spoken of the duty of Subjects to their King and Governours v. 13. commanding them to submit themselves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether to the King as Supreme or unto Governours as unto them that are sent by him And he continueth his discourse with particular respect to them unto the end of v. 17. concluding it with these precepts Fear God and Honour the King And v. 18. he comes to speak of that duty and respect which is due to those Superiours who are in a more inferiour domestick relation and are not furnished with that Dignity and Honour which belongs to them who govern in an higher rank and capacity And here he commands Servants to be subject to their Masters with all fear c. and then he proceeds to declare what patience meekness and reverence is to be expressed towards such Superiours by those who are subject to them though they should meet with hard measure from them and suffer undeservedly by them And for the guiding Christians in this case he bringeth in the example of Christ and this part of it particularly that he who did no sin when he was reviled he reviled not again and when he suffered he threatned not v. 22 23. 10. Secondly That our Saviour did behave himself Our Saviours practice expressed great respect to Superiour Relations particularly to his Parents with that respect to superiour Relations both in words and actions which is fit to teach us to do the like In his Divine nature he was Lord of all even in the depth of his humiliation and in his humane nature he was advanced to an high dignity in Union to the Divine and as our Mediator But yet considering him as made under the law and in the form of a servant and he therein carefully performed the duties of the fifth Commandment as well as any other precepts of the law of God both to his Parents and to all that were in Authority whether Civil or Ecclesiastical When he took on him the nature of man he became subject to those duties which belong to that nature and tend to the publick good and order of the World In his younger years he began his life with subjection to his Parents Luk. 2.51 And this thing deserves to be the more especially taken notice of because as some (f) Ludolph de Vit. Chr. P. 1. cap 16. Barrad in Concord Evang. Tom. 1. l.
refuted that I think them not worthy to be named 31. But (e) Ledesim de Scrip. qu. Ling. non legendis c. 13. Coster Ench. c. 17. several Writers of the Romish Church tell us that it is not necessary the people should understand the expressions of the publick prayers and praises and consequently not say Amen to them because these services are not directed to them but to God and they may partake of the benefit of these services though they do not understand them Bellarm de Verb. Dei l. 2. c. 16. as an ignorant Country man may have received advantage from a Latin Speech spoken on his behalf to a Prince Of the pretence that prayers are directed to God and not to the people by whom it is well understood or as absent persons may be advantaged by the prayers which others put up for them though themselves do not hear them But that this is an insufficient defence may appear 1. Because though the Lessons are directed to the people yet these also are read in a tongue they understand not 2. Because the thing here to be considered is not whether one may not be benefitted by anothers prayers and Religious addresses to God which is supposed to be true when we pray for one another but we are here to take notice whether the people ought notto bear a part and to join in those great exercises of Religious piety of prayers thanksgiving and glorifying God in the right performance of his publick worship and service For the whole exercise of Divine worship is not only to seek for blessings from God but also to praise him and glorifie him which the people cannot particularly join in and go along with unless they understand what is expressed in the service And therefore if they ought to join therein by being debarred from understanding it they are hindred from these acts of piety which they ought to perform and God is deprived of a great part of that glory that is due to him and consequently Religion and piety are much prejudiced thereby 32. Now it may be reasonably presumed The people are concerned to-worship God that if the people have such beings and souls as are indued with capacities of worshipping and glorifying God they ought to be employed to this purpose but if they have none such which would be to suppose them not to be Christians or men and to be uncapable of doing acts of duty and Religion and of receiving rewards then will they not be concerned to attend Gods publick worship And these pleas used by these Writers are as plausible to excuse their absence from the publick Assemblies as their not understanding the publick Service But that the people are to join in the duties of Religious worship is not only supposed by S. Paul in that discourse upon this subject 1 Cor. 14. but may be proved from the Psalms and many other Scriptures calling upon all people to praise and laud and glorifie God and from S. John's Visions of the Gospel-Church where sometimes the 144000 sometimes so great a multitude as no man could number are represented joyning together in the worship of God 33. But a thing so manifest as this is stands in need of no further proof siince there are such frequent precepts for prayer thanksgiving and giving glory to God directed to all Christians And the Christian Church from the beginning acknowledged the people to be much concerned in the performing the publick worship of God (u) Just Apol 2. Justin Martyr declares how in the prayers before the Eucharist all the Christians together rose up and presented those prayers and in those at the Eucharist they joined their consent by answering Amen Tertullian declaring the Christian practice saith (w) Tert. Apol c. 39. we go together to the Assembly and Congregation ut ad Deum quasi manu facta precationibus ambiamus orantes that we may earnestly call on God by prayers as with a joint strength and this force saith he is acceptable to God And before both these Ignatius urging and commending the publick service said (x) Ign. Ep. ad Eph. if the prayer of one or two hath so great a force 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how much greater is that of the Bishop and the whole Church And in the Primitive times sometimes an Amen and sometimes other responsals were directed to the people in the ancient Liturgies The result of all this is that whereas the peoples actual joining in the several parts of Gods worship is a great part of their duty and the pious and devout performance of it both tends to the honour of God and to their edification the present Church of Rome by establishing their service in a tongue not understood by the people both unjustly and impiously hinders the due worship of God and that piety of men which is conjoined with it and derived from it 34. I might give a fourth instance Immoral Doctrines hinted at of the hindrances to an holy life in the Church of Rome from those loose rules of practice delivered by divers of their Doctors and Casuists and the allowance their rules give to those gross enormities and heinous vices which the Philosophers and vertuous Pagans would abhor being opposite to the laws of nature and that honesty which prevailed amongst the better part of the Gentiles Of such things as these a large account hath been given in the Mystery of Jesuitism and several other Books as their giving allowance to perjury Murder and other such heinous sins upon sleight occasions as to preserve ones reputation and the like And what endeavours have been used by the doctrine of probability and other methods to uphold those positions which debauch Morality hath been manifested from the Books of Father Bauny Caramouel Estrix and divers others It is acknowledged that vigorous endeavours were used by some of their Bishops to suppress these wretched Principles of immorality but there was as earnest and vigorous diligence used to uphold the same by many Casuists and Divines especially in Flanders and France I do not therefore charge these Principles upon the Church of Rome in general but upon many Doctors therein Some of these abominable and immoral positions were condemned by Pope Alexander the Seventh and many were Sentenced by Pope Innocent the Eleventh and the Inquisition at Rome of the latter of which I shall take some particular notice 35. Amongst sixty five Propositions condemned in the Vatican (y) Decree of Innoc. 11. March 2. 1679. by the Pope and the Cardinals the general Inquisitors these were some (z) Prop. 5. That we dare not condemn him of mortal sin who should but once in his whole life put forth an act of the love of God (a) Prop. 10 11. We are not bound to love our Neighbour with an internal and formal act We may satisfie the precept of loving our Neighbour by only external acts (b) Prop. 15. It is lawful for a
SECT I. An Inquiry what is declared the Rule of Faith by the Scriptures HE first goeth about to prove by Scripture That the Rule of Faith is self-evident from Isai 35.8 This shall be to you a direct way so that fools cannot err in it Which words as cited by this Author shew only the knowledge of God under the Gospel to be so clear and evident that they who will seek after him and live to him though of low capacities may understand so much as is requisite for their right walking which Protestants assert also and own this evidence to be in Scripture But that Tradition may be proved this Rule of Faith by Scripture he alledgeth Isai 59.21 This is my Covenant with them saith the Lord my Spirit which is in thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart from thy mouth and from the mouth of thy seed and from the mouth of thy seeds seed from henceforth for ever But 1. to have Gods Word and Spirit in their mouth proves their delivery not a Rule of Faith or unerring then must the speeches of every private Christian who shall be saved be a Rule of Faith because the Scriptures assure us That every one who shall be saved hath both the Spirit of Christ and his word in their mouth see Rom. 8.9 Rom. 10.9 10. Mat. 10.32 2. Though all who are born of God shall have his word in their mouth this will not secure us that what is by any Society of men declared as truth upon Tradition is Gods Word no more than what the Psalmist saies Psal 37.30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom and his tongue talketh of judgement would assure that the Doctrines owned by the way of Tradition among the Jews were alwaies the true Doctrines since it might well be that those Jews were not such righteous men as it may also be that the generality of some visible Church are not Gods seed 3. Gods Word may be in the mouth where the holy Scriptures are the Rule We read Josh 1.8 This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night Where it is evident that when Joshua was to keep the Law in his mouth he had the Book of the Law for his Rule and had his acquaintance with the Law by meditating in it God saith Mal. 2.6 concerning Levi The Law of truth was in his mouth and Vers 7. they shall seek the Law at his mouth and when they did thus in Ezra's time he read the Law out of the Book of Moses and that Book did Hilkiah send to Josiah While S. Paul professed his Faith with his mouth he declared that he believed all things written in the Law and the Prophets When we read Deut. 31.21 22. This Song shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their Seed vers 22. Moses therefore wrote this Song the same day and taught it the Children of Israel Is it not evident that it was from the writing of Moses that this Song was in their mouth and that writing by which they were taught surely was their Rule to know this Song by Next to this he urgeth as pithy and home but not to his purpose Jer. 31.33 I will give my Law in their bowels and in their hearts will I write it and notes that S. Paul contradistinguisheth the Law of Grace from Moses 's Law in that the latter was written in Tables of Stone and the former in fleshly tables of mens hearts But 1. What proof is here of Tradition being the Rule of Faith Had the Scripture said that under the Gospel Christians should receive the Law of God no otherwise than from one anothers hearts it might have seemed to serve his purpose S. Austin de Spiritu litera c. 21. having mentioned the place fore-cited of Jeremy and that of S. Paul to which this Discourser refers inquires what are the Laws of God written by God himself in their hearts but the very presence of the holy Spirit who is the finger of God by whom being present Charity which is the fulness of the Law and the end of the Commandment is poured forth in our hearts Now if God causeth his commands to be inwardly imbraced by a Spirit of love and piety this is far from conveying to them a Spirit of infallibility 2. Nor doth S. Paul contradistinguish the Law of Moses and the Gospel in those words but he contradistinguisheth the way of Gods inward writing in the heart from the way of his outward writing in those tables For even the Law of Moses was also written in the hearts of them who feared God as the Laws of Christ were more eminently in the hearts of Christians Hence such expressions as these Psal 119.11 Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee Psal 37.31 The Law of his God is in his heart none of his steps shall slide Yea Moses tells the Jews Deut. 30.11 This Commandment which I command thee this day it is not hidden from thee neither is it far of v. 14. but the word is nigh thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou maist do it Yet though Gods Law before the coming of Christ was in the hearts of his people yet was the Book of the Law then their Rule as now is the Old and New Testament 3. If that place of S. Paul be considered 2 Cor. 3.3 it will evidence that what the Holy Ghost going along with his Ministry had written in the fleshly tables of their hearts was enough to commend his Apostleship which is the scope and design of that place but it no ways signifies that these Corinthians even at this time were not capable of erring in any Doctrine of the Faith for he declares to them in this same Epistle chap. 11.3 that he fears lest as Satan beguiled Eve so their minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ 4. And if we could have been assured as we cannot that the delivery of truth in the Church of Corinth was a Rule of Faith this would plead much for the Tradition of the Greek Church rather than of the Roman which agreeth not with it and so would destroy Romish Tradition But as this Discoursers citations of Scripture Authority are very impertinent I shall in brief observe whether the Scripture do not evidently declare it self to be the Rule of Faith To the which purpose besides many other places observed in the foregoing part of this answer let these be considered S. Luke 1.4 5. It seemed good to me also having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first to write unto thee in order most excellent Theophilus that thou maist know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed Now that is a Rule of Faith which is the best way to ascertain us of Faith and from these words it is evident that even in the times