be that in the Church of God there should be no noise of Axes and Hammers no difference in judgements and conceits e 2 Cor. 11.19 There must be Heresies saith the Apostle that they that are approved may be made manifest There must be Heresies even as we use to say that that will be must be his meaning is there will be Heresies there is no help for it the wit of men cannot help it The understandings of men are not all of one size and temper God hath distributed his gifts unto men severally as he pleaseth and even they that transcend in the same gifts and have the largest and clearest understandings yet they know but in part and see through a glass darkly and imperfectly and so are subject to divers errors and misapprehensions To which narrowness of our faculties add the consideration of the corruptions that is in our natures and disposition by reason of that pride that naturally aboundeth in us being self-willed and turbulent for the heart of Man is a sowre piece of clay woundrous stubborn and churlish so that the best man is not able to take down his own pride sufficiently there is more ado with this one Viper than with all our other corruptions besides and all those wars and fightings without us what are they but the scum of this pot that boyles within us the ebullitions of our lusts that war in our members f Jam. 4 1. While there is then corruptions in our natures narrowness in our faculties sleepiness in our eyes difficulty in our profession cunning in our enemies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hard things in the Scriptures and an envious man to super-inseminate there will still be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men that will be differently minded No instrument was ever so perfectly in tune in which the next hand that touched it did not amend something nor is there any judgement so strong and perspicuous from which another will not in some thing find ground of variance In the History of the Ancient Churches we find the greatest lights in their several Ages at variance amongst themselves g Irenous with Victor Euseb Hist lib. 5. cap. 26. Cyprian with Stephen l. 7. c. 31. Jerome with St Austine Aug. Ep. 8.19 Basil with Damasus Basil Ep. 10. and 77. Baron Annal. 372.15.25 Chrysost with Epiphanius Sozomen l. 8. c 14.15 Cyril with Theodoret Cyril lib. ad epoptium incepto Hist lib. 14. cap. 55. quoted by Dr Reynolds upon Rom 4.19 All our comfort then is that the time will come but we must not look for it while the World lasteth when the Son of Man will cause to be gathered out of his Kingdome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all things that offend or that minister occasion of stumbling or contention Mat. 13.41 but in the mean time sinite crescere let both grow together unto the harvest must have place ver 30. in this hard necessity therefore seeing for the present it cannot be hoped for there should be such a consonancy and unity of judgement amongst all men no not among wise and godly men but that in many things and those sometimes of great importance they may and must dissent one from another unto the worlds end I say in this hard necessity that the first evil cannot be avoided our wisedome must be to prefer the second that where there is not perfection yet there may be peace good heed must be taken least by the cunning of Satan who is very forward and expert to work upon such advantages dissention of judgements break not out into dissentions of hearts lest by different opinions our affections be estranged and at last quite alienated one from another It is one thing to dissent from another thing to be at discord with our brethren It should be the great care of Christians instead of desiring to find occasions of cavils to separate from their brethren saying I am holier than thou by all means to preserve as much as in them lies in their several places and stations the unity of Faith and Love by which onely we are known to be Christs Disciples You see the Disciples of Christ when they were waiting for the descent of the Holy Ghost upon them according to the promise of Christ they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with one accord in one place h Acts 2 1. And as if they were one man they were of one heart i Act. 4.32 The union and accord of heart amongst Christistians is the best disposition that can be to prepare them to receive the Spirit of Christ yea and is the best token and sign that they have received it Indeed this is the new Commandment the fulfilling of the Royal Law It is Christ's Commandment this is my Commandment that you love one another not but that the rest are his Commandments too but this is peculiarly declared by his mouth written in his blood Walk in love as Christ hath loved you k Eph. 5 2. But this love cannot consist with those divisions and separations which some men make from their brethren not so much out of love to truth as out of hatred and contempt of their persons That 's the second thing to which the Apostle exhorts in the Text in this speaking the same things and being if the same mind and judgement and that there be no divisions amongst us It requires in case of different judgments unanimity in heart and affections 3. There is a third thing in the Exhortation even uniformity in actions this seems to be properly in the very letter of the Text that you all speak the same things for that we may do so three things seem essentially necessary thereunto 1. That you all submit to the same Government For there is a necessity of Government to prevent confusion of one Government both in Church and State to prevent division Where there is an Anarchy or no Government confusion must needs follow among the members As it was in Israel When there was no King in Israel every man did that which was right in his own eyes l Judg. 17.6 and where there are in one body diverse Governments division must needs follow among the members as it was in Israel when Jeroboam set up a faction against the House of David * 1 Kin. 12. for the transgressions and consequently for the punishments thereof many are the Princes thereof n Pro. 28.2 Indeed we in this Nation need not be told the miseries of no Government or of many Governments or many Governors our own experience will sure for one Age make us dread it and inexcusable fools if we desire it We have all the reason then in the World to obey the Apostles precepts of submitting to them that of right are set over us and being subject to every Ordinance of Man for our own as well as for the Lords sake o 1 Pet. 2.13 And whoever speaks otherwise inciting men to cast off this yoke from their
well as the best and the word be to be esteemed for it own worth and his sake whose it is who ever be the minister publishing it If thou may profit by the meanest if the fault be not thy own and the profit depends not on his gifts but Gods blessing Then though thou may rightly covet the best gifts and bless God for them when thou injoyest them yet mayest thou not despise the meanest of Gods Ministers nor despair of profit by him Nor is this then a sufficient plea for forsaking the publick assemblies the Pastors defects in gifts 4. The last prejudice is from his carriage supposed to be indiscreet perhaps intollerable It s true will some say our Ministers life is good his opinions Orthodox and his gifts excellent but he behaves himself strangely in his place Either he is alwayes chiding and reproving us A meer Boanerges a son of thunder telling us oft of Hell and Damnation as Ahab said of Micaiah prophecying concerning him ever evil no good This made Faelix distaste St. Paul when he preached of temperance before him and Drusilla who was most unchast and of judgment before him an unjust judge or perhaps he is ridged in keeping us to Church orders he will not bear with us in what he dislikes though it were his prudence to pass by To this Ioppose several considerations I confess there may be indiscretion in the best Pastors It s a difficult thing both to please men in wisdome and yet to save and not betray their soules in faithfulness Yet on the other hand it is ordinary for people to blame them that are faithful for their faithfulness under the notion of indiscretion Remember Gods strict injunction to those watch men of Israel to cry aloud and not to spare to warn men from the Lord in every evil course and that under pain of being guilty of the blood of their souls that miscarry by their negligence And if you consider this how can you wonder if they be very tender of suffering any sin to lie upon you they observe unreproved unreformed if they fear Gods displeasure more then mans and take heed least that you call discretion be not nicknamed so being in truth Laodicean Lukewarmness or want of Zeal Do but in the next place survey the generality of people in these dayes how dull of hearing are some how froward and untoward others how nicely Hipocritical and tickle others and how secure others and it will seem almost impossible for a faithful Pastor to work on you to reformation unless they speak more then discretion and modesty would almost permit Consider also if it be not better the people be not reproved and kept awake and at last saved through the Pastors reproofs and corrections however deemed indiscreet then muzzled in their sins Is it not better a wholsome though smarting plaister be laid on where need is than that corruption should fester doth not more souls perish by the Ministers luke-warme coldness then indiscretion better are the faithful words of a friend than the deceitful kisses of an enemy It is blessed thunder if it do but awake men out of their sins you are much more beholdto your Pastor for his plain dealing and honest hearted reproofs in faithfulness to God and your souls than if he should flatter you in your sins with placentia speaking pleasant things All which particulers duely considered do shew how groundless mens forsakeing the assemblies is also because of the prejudice they too often cherish against his carriages and indiscretion Truth is what ever men pretend the root of all is secret malice against the Church ministry bread and nourished in their hearts or at least want of love malice cannot judge well of any thing that comes from him a man loves not perverts his meaning construes wrong all his words and actions suckes poyson from that from which a diligent Bee would draw the sweetest honey in these dayes malice between Pastors and People flames out hot or at least love is cold and we know Christ bad his Apostles look for this entertainment in the world and so we need not think it strange concerning this fiery tryal He bad them expect to be reviled and persecuted and have all manner of evil spoken of them telling them the Prophets of old had been so used before them a Mat. 5 10 12. And Saint Paul saith of himself and his fellows that they found their Masters words true by experience for they were reviled persecuted defamed accounted the filth of the world and the off-scouring of all things b Cor. 4 12-13 And when God opened to him at Ephesus a large and effectual door That is blessed his ministry mightily and gave it enterance into the hearts of men Yet were there many adversaries raised up against him c 1 Cor. 6 9. Nay it is made a kinde of marke of an unfaithful Minister not to be thus used d Luke 6. 26. Wo to you when all men speak well of you for so did your father of the false Prophets e Gal. 1.10 If I yet pleased men I should not be the servant of Christ the reason is what ever men pretend it is a Ministers fidelity and plainness and boldness in reproving mens sins that 's the prime cause of their hatred and malice against them when Jeremy complained every one did curse him though he had neither lent nor borrowed upon usury he hints the cause in the next words that he was a man of strife and contention with the whole earth f Jer. 15.10 Ahab hated Michaiah because he prophecyed not good concerning him but evil g 1 Kings 22.8 The two witnesses did vex and torment men by their ministry h Re. 11.10 Indeed this evil made Moses Jeremy and Jonah to find out so many excuses as fearing to enter upon this so hateful and thankless a calling and it tempts many good Ministers either to give over the calling if they can live without it or at least to be unfaithful in performing it as breeding them so much hatred and displeasure with men I said saith Jeremy i Jer. 20 9. I will not make mention of him nor speak any more of his name but his word was in my heart as burning fire shut up in my bones and I was weary with forbearing I could not stay Now for a remedy of this disease oh that people would consider that near relation they stand in and that dear affection they owe to their Minister they are their fathers spiritual fathers begetting them to Christ Pastors Shepheards Watch-men such as must give an account That they would consider the strict command of God for love hence under the Law the Priest was to carry in his garments the names of the twelve Tribes on his â—oulders to signifie the weighty burden he undertook and in his breast plate to shew his entire affection unto them and this affection it is that maketh Ministers faithful in
their office to watch over their souls unwearyedly to spend and to be spent to win them to Christ And so in spiritual regeneration as in natural regeneration it is love that begets Children unto Christ And on the other hand the people should be as careful of love to their Ministers Saint Paul records of the Galatians k Gal. 4.15 That they would have pluckt out their very eyes to have given them unto him far short of the Galatians are those that muzzle the mouths of the oxen that should tread out the corne That abridge the hire of the labourer and withhold the Churches right The Galatians was willing to forsake the dearest things they had in the world their very eyes if not their life for the Gospels sake and its ministry l Gal. 6.6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate to him that teacheth in all good things So I say consider what love is commanded by God from Ministers to their people and people to their Ministers But on the other hand see from whence all variance betwiâ—â— them comes even from the Devils craft and malice for no way hath he more effectual to hinder the efficacy of the word then this His five thousand years experience hath taught him that it is to little purpose to mutter a syllable directly against Gods word he sees no likelyhood to beget in Christians especially in Protestants adirect hatred of the word as such His policy then directs him to work obliquely to distil into mens hearts a hatred of their Ministers so to make them set at naught the word they preach This is the devils craft Now consider lastly how unreasonable this is what is the matter Is there some petty quarrel betwixt you wipe it of are there some occasions of disaffections look it be not causless as for the most part they are Do they reprove your sins drunkenness or sacriledge or perjury or rebellions or prophanations of Gods day or the like Alass they would not do it but in love to your souls they would have your good will and gladly be beloved of you if they durst forbear to please you but necessity lies upon them to cry a loud and not to spare to tell Judah of her sins and Israel of her abominations should you not then rather love then hate them for this and say let the righteous smite me and it shall be a kindness for faithful are the wounds of a friend but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful m Prov. 27.6 All these considerations do bid you shake off anger envy and despight by all means not to entertain the least seed thereof No evil reports no Idle accusations against your Pastor n 1 Tim. 5 19 But rather to pray for them to God to deliver them from unreasonable men o 2 Thes 3.1 And as St. Paul speakes of Epaphroditus to receive them in the Lord with all gladness and hold such in reputation p Phil. 2.29 Laying a side all malice and guile and evil speaking as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby and then I dare say you will find no cause of forsaking the publick assemblies of the Church for your Pastors sake which was the second grand motive we propounded to consider why men are willful to forsake our Church assemblies as the manner of some is Besides these two grand occasions of forsaking the assemblies there be others we need not speak so largely of because being but named they cannot but be abhorred and being seen they discover their own nakedness such are these following 1. Some forsake the assemblies and separate themselves from us out of mear Ignorance takeing offence at many things in our assemblies causelesly or without any weighty reason they do not and are not able to distinguish between the essentials and circumstantials in Religion and so look upon any supposed mistake in the latter with detestation proper only to the perversion of the former and thence violate charity and break communion with those that hold the same faith with them These eager Spirits having a zeal without knowledg blow up minute differences with lasting contentions They raise disputes about a pin or a nail of the Temple that even endangers the whole fabrick they set the same value upon the leaves and bark of the tree as upon the fruit it self they make ado a bout a nail or tile of the house as if it were of the same concernment with a pillar or a beam they look upon that as simply evil which is onely so in some respects as it is wrong circumstantiated or which is onely not perfect in all degrees whereas did but men deliberately prize that which they oppose and proportion their displeasure to the just weight thereof their contentions would soon be calmed and never become quarrells with the Church of God Nay indeed in many it is meer sottish Ignorance that is the cause of their forsakeing the assemblies of the Church of God they was never grounded in the first principles of the Oracles of God and especially they would never learn their obligation to the Church they was baptized in to hold communion with it Perhaps these men will say they would fain do right and go the right way but they would never hearken to their right guides but gave their ears first to seducers being a little too much affected with that shew of piety they saw in them they put themselves wholy upon their directions and examples and so are carried hoodwinckt or blindfold into Schisms and damnable errors Thousands there be that have separated themselves that are meer Ignorants silly women especially that was alwaies learning but never came to the knowledg of the truth having better affections than principles whom because they would not receive the truth in the love thereof God hath given up to strong delusions to believe lies and so in some that 's one cause of their forsakeing the assemblies meer Ignorance 2. This Ignorance is oftentimes proud or conceited So that 's another cause damnable pride The wisest of men arraignes this vice as the ring-leader of divisions q Prov. 13.10 Onely by pride cometh contention Indeed there are few sins unto which pride is not either a parent or nurse but above all Schism and Heresie hath its immediate discent from it having so many lineaments and features of this deformed mother See some of these heads very largely and learnedly discoursed of by the author of the whole duty of Man in the causes of the Decayes of Christianity to whom I here acknowledg my self much indebted as sufficiently attests its extraction It is pride that makes some men dislike whatsoever is not of their own invention or whatever is imposed by their superiours or whatever others have a hand in whom they contemn or hate be it never so good or true or what is contrary to that they have formerly maintained and they are
not only loved the wayes of covetousness but ensnared the people in uncleannesses and upon those in the Gospel that made Gods house a house of Merchandize and so a den of thieves So that another ground and reason of mens forsaking and propagating separations from our publick assemblies Covetousness selfe interest I 'le name a 5. Even Idleness and this both spiritual and natural spiritual for because many men will take no paines in the practise of the duties of godliness which might well imploy mens whole lives therefore they fall into nice and new opin ions to imploy their active mindes So spiritual Idleness in things in which they should be imployed makes men curious and curiosity contentious The zeal of practise of humility and patience and self denyal and mortifying the flesh with the affections and lusts and renouncing the world and the other parts of real goodness this zeal grows cold and so that of disputes gets and gathers heat and vigor A lass our good works in this age fall short of the first Christians and then no wonder that our controversies exceeds theirs because we spend not our time in the one which is irksome to flesh and blood and therefore we imploy it in hammering and forging the other Pharaoh understood this well though he applyed it ill when he thought the Israelites proposals of travelling into the wilderness to their divotions was the effect of their idleness and so increast their taskes as the properest way to divert their design and as spiritual Idleness so also natural is often the cause of division For as experience sheweth such men as desert or neglect their secular callings are most apt to run after new teachers and with the widowes that neglected their office of Ministration to be busibodies and in many families the she-zealots neglecting their proper business the guiding of the house have therefore run into conventicles and upon them have seducers acted their designs most leading captive silly women to become duck coyes to whole families besides these there are another sort of Idle persons to that can sit at home lurke by their fire sides when they should be in Gods house and though they have little or nothing to hinder them from attending his ordinance yet any pretence a showr of rain a sore finger an Aking head a thin blast of weather will serve the turn to divert them O that such would remember Hezekiahs example who with in three dayes after he had been sick of a most painful and mortal disease went into the Temple a Esa 38.22 And the woman that on the sabbath resorted to the Synagogue though she had a spirit of infirmity eighteen yeares b Luk. 13.10 â—1 Alass the cause is mens hearts are dead and void of grace and the love of God and his word and so they find little comfort they take no delight in his publick worship and therefore are glad of an excuse David loved Gods tabernacle well For his heart and his flesh rejoyced for the living God c Psa 84.12 Those that tast how sweet the Lord is will desire the sincere milk of this word d 1 Pet. 2.2 3 O thou that art so careless whether ever thou appear in the assemblies of Gods Church in this life thou hast cause to fear thou shall never stand in the congregation of the righteous in the life to come e Psa 1.5 That 's a fifth cause of mens forsakeing or absenting from the assemblies as the manner of many is 6. There is a sixth which I will name because I will miss none and but name it because I have spoken in effect to it before The manner of some is to forsake them upon pretence they can spend their time and serve God as well pray and read good books at home as in the Church of God But God loves the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Jacob f Psal 87.2 David sure being both a prophet and a King could serve God as well in private as any pretenders and he had both a prophet and a Priest with him in his Banishment yet did he for all that long for the publick worship of God bewailed the want of it exceedingly g Psal 84.3 But I have fully shown you before the excellency and acceptableness of publick worship perfoâ—rmed by Godly ministers together with his people in a publick place above any private whatsoever that 's a sufficient consideration to convince them of sin that forsake the assemblies upon this account as the manner of some is Thus have I now both discovered the evident duty of all Christians and their obligation to frequent the publick assemblies in order to the publick worship of God and the sin of those men that either upon pretence of corruptions in the Church though they acknowledg it Orthodox and right in the substantials of religion or of some faults in the ministers life or opinion or gifts or carriage but in truth out of malice or hatred against him or out of pride or curiosity or Idleness or upon pretence they can as well serve God at home do neglect or forsake the publique assemblies Now what remaines but a word of exhortation to all that have an ear to hear what Gods Spirit saith unto the Churches and members of them 1. I beseech you Beloved in the Lord to learn to lay to heart your obligation to attend upon Church Assemblies and beware of those that endeavour the divisions of the Church or to divide and separate you from it It 's the Apostles own earnest exhortation g Rom. 16 17. now I beseech you brethren mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the Doctrine which you have learned and avoid them They are no lovers of your souls as they pretend they are no servants of God for your good they are no fit guides for salvation that for things meerly external adiaphorous indifferent matters of meer order or decency separate themselves from the society of a true Church and would have you so to do As if a furious brainsick sailor should upon every occasion of anger or discontent cast himself overboard presuming to be safe enough out of the ship the ordinary road way of Gods saving any soul is in the unity of the Church And that is in a conjunction of them to some visible ordinary congregation according to that h Act. 2.47 the Lord added to the Church such as should be saved but exceruntè nobis they who go out from amongst us because they was never of us as to their hearts I will not presume to judge them as to their final state yet this I 'le say that the Church being the Spouse of Christ and Schism and Heresie being a work of the Flesh an effect of so bad causes as I have shown you fully ranked by the Apostle with fornication and drunkenness and adultery and the like I would not dye in their state for all the