Power and Duty about Religion and the Churches and Ministers of Christ and the Peoples to Magistrates further opened in a Treatise of NATIONAL CHURCHES Chap. I. The Necessity of Concord THE Judgments of all wise and sober men must needs disallow both the Practice of Division and unwarrantable Separation from the Churches of Christ and the common Liberty for Gathering Churches out of Churches now pleaded for and too much practised by many and also the Occasioning of Divisions and Separations by over rigorous proceedings with tender Consciences and imposition of unnecessary things and too much severity against those that through infirmity are guilty of some culpable Divisions and Uncharitableness For it 's not this Oil that will quench these flames In order to the healing of our dangerous Divisions I think it meet to deliver my thoughts in the ensuing Method 1. To shew the Evil of our Divisions and of the common practice of Private Separated Churches where in Publick there are able godly faithful Ministers and such Publick Churches as may lawfully be owned For I meddle with no other case 2. To shew what the agreeing Publick Ministers should do on their parts for the prevention and cure of these Distractions 3. To give you the true state of the Differences that have occasioned them 4. To propound those Terms by which a safe Reconciliation may be made 5. To which I should add if it were not for being thought too bold or confident the Magistrates Duty both in order to our Agreement and in case we will not be agreed I. Though I take not a Private Meeting or a Tolerated Private Church for so odious a thing in it self considered as some do but confess that such may be Good or Evil as the Cause of the Assemblies the Aspect of the Times and other Circumstances and Accidents shall make them and doubt not but there may be warrantable Separations from one or many particular Churches where the blame may lie upon the Churches and the Private Assemblies sometimes may be more justifiable than the allowed Publick ones yet as unnecessary Separations and Divisions are a great transgression so what the Aggravations of that transgression are and what wrong the Cause of God receives from the Differences among the godly themselves and the Divided and Private Congregations that are gathered by occasion of these differences in many parts of England I shall briefly shew 1. When in one and the same Parishes the boundaries of the ordinary Churches as to habitation there shall be divers Churches one Publick and one Private it will ordinarily cause great Disaffection and Contention among the Christians of that place There will be Pastor against Pastor and People against People and one will be accusing another according to their several apprehensions and making the waies and consequently the persons of each other to he odious or unacceptable to others And hereby Christian Love will be much quenched and Unity and Concord much overthrown and all the Effects of Love abated and the odious remnants of Uncharitableness Malice and Emulations will revive Too common and sad experience puts this out of doubt Alas what Factious Doctrine for Parties and against Parties are usually managed in Publick and Private where these Divisions once appear What unconscionable Censures pass too often on one side or both What bitter unchristian taunts and scorns and reproachful words When publick Writings so abound with these and the Press is become the common scold and the most unchristian Language is spoken so familiarly to all the Land and uncharitableness and fury are afraid of being concealed no wonder if in private among those that are pleased with such discourse the Preacher sit in the Scorners Chair 2. Uncharitableness and Divisions are as plainly urgently and frequently prohibited and condemned in the Word of God as almost any sins that are And Love and Unity Peace and Concord are prest as much as any Duty of Man to Man Certainly these Great Obligations are such as smaller matters cannot dispense with And wonderful it is that so many thousand that abhor the Popes dispensing with Oaths and Promises and Subjects Duties and with some of the positive commands of God can yet without remorâ—e of Conscience so easily so long so confidently dispense with the greatest Duties of Man towards Man even with Charity it self and the effects of Charity He that must owe nothing else must owe Love Rom. 13. 8. Love is the fulfilling of the Law Verse 10. Every Commandment of the Second Table is briefly fulfilled in Loving our Neighbours as our selves Verse 9. Yea he loveth not God that loveth not his Brother 1 Iohn 4 21. Love is of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God He that loveth not knoweth not God For God is Love 1 Iohn 4 7 8. If we love one another God dwelleth in us and his Love is perfected in us Verse 12. God is Love and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him Verse 16. If any Man say I love God and hateth his Brother he is a Liar For he that Loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen how can he Love God whom he hath not seen And this Commandment have we from him that he that Loveth God Love his Brother also Verse 20 21. Every one that Loveth him that begat Loveth him that is begotten also 1 Iohn 5. 1. We know that we have passed from Death to Life because we Love the Brethren He that Loveth not his Brother abideth in death Whosoever hateth his Brother is a Murderer and you know that no Murderer hath Eternal Life abiding in him 1 Iohn 3. 14 15. Yea we ought to lay down our Lives for the Brethren Verse 16. This is the New and frequently urged Command of Christ that we Love one another Iohn 13. 34. and 15. 12 17. Gal. 5. 14. Iam. 2. 8. This is it that we must provoke each other to Heb. 10. 24. and that must continue Heb. 13. 1. We must Love one another with a pure Heart â—ervently 1 Pet. 1. 2â— Yea by Love we must serve one another Gal. 5. 13. And Paul took this to be so Essential to our Sanctification that he tells the Thessalonians 1 Thes. 4. 9. that as touching Brotherly Love he need not write to them for they were taught of God to love one another And can that be the way of God that dispenseth with so Essential a part of Holiness or that secretly and unobservedly extinguisheth this holy Love Let Experience teach you whether the present way of private separated Churches be not the opening a Shop or Forge for Military Engines against each other And under pretence of defending Truth whether they be not the Nurseries of uncharitable Wars among the Servants of the Lord And then as Love is extinguished so the sinful fruits of the contrary Vice do by such Divisions prosper and abound And what weekly Bills of heinous sins might we see that are
Church Concord CONTAINING I. A Disswasive from unnecessary Division and Separation and the Real Concord of the Moderate Independents with the Presbyterians instanced in Ten seeming Differences II. The terms Necessary for Concord among all true Churches and Christians The First Part written 1655. The Second Part 1667. And Published this 1691. To second a late Agreement of the London Protestant Nonconformists And a former Treatise called The true and only terms of Church-Concord By RICHARD BAXTER Mat. 5. 9. Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God 1 Thess. 5. 12 13. We beseech you Brethren to know them who labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and esteem them very highly in Love for their Works sake and Be at Peace among your selves Phil. 2. 1 2 3. If there be any Consolation in Christ If any Comfort of Love If any Fellowship of the Spirit If any Bowels and Mercies Fulfil ye my joy that ye be like minded having the same Love being of one accord of one Mind Let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory but in lowliness of Mind let each esteem other better than themselves 1 Cor. 3. 1 2 3. And I Brethren could not speak to you as to spiritual but as to carnal to Babes in Christ For whereas there is among you envying and strife are ye not carnal and walk as men LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers Chapel 1691. THE PREFACE § 1. IOwe some satisfactory account to the Reader of the Reasons of my Publishing this Book which I have cast by about Thirty four Years It cannot be well understood without the knowledge of the Case we were then in and the Occasion of my Writing it The Ministers of the Churches were then as is usual of divers Opinions about Church-Government 1. Some men for our Diocesane Episcopacy as stated by the Reformation 2. Some were for a more Reformed Episcopacy described by Bucer in Script Angl. 1. Archbishop Usher c. 3. Some were for Diocesans in a higher strain as subject to a foreign Iurisdiction and as parts of an Universal Church Headed by a humane Head the Pope being Principium Unitatis 4. Some were for National and Classical Government by Presbyters only without Bishops 5. And some were for a parity of Ministers and Churches without any superior Bishops or Synods or Governours but to have every Congregation to have all Governing Power in their proper Pastors 6. And some were for each Congregation to be Governed by the Major Vote of the people the Pastor being but to gather and declare their Votes Among all these the 3d sort the Foreigners were utterly unreconcileable and of the 6th we had no great hopes But with the other four we attempted such a measure of Agreements as might be useful in a loose unsettled time to keep up Christian Love and so much Concord as that our Differences should not so much weaken us as to frustrate all our Ministerial Labours § 2. To this end I attempted a double work of Concord in Worcester-shire 1. For the willing Ministers Episcopal Presbyterian and Independent to Associate in the Practice of so much of the Ministerial Office as they were agreed did belong to Presbyters II. To Catechize or personally by Conference instruct all the Families and capable Persons in our Parishes who would come to us or admit us to come to them in order at due appointed times God gave our People in many Parishes willing Minds and encouraged us by unexpected great success The most laborious Ministers took the hint and seconded us in many Counties First and chiefly in Westmorland and Cumberland and then in Dorsetshire Wilâ—shire Hampshire and Essex and Dr. Winter and others in Ireland The terms of our Association the Reader may see Printed at large 1653. But theirs of Westmorland and Cumberland more large and worthy the Consideration of the present tolerated Churches I pray you read them § 3. But when it came to closest Practice As the Foreigners Prelatists and Popular called Brownists kept off so but few of the rigid Presbyterians or Independents joyned with us And indeed Worcestershire and the adjoyning Counties had but few of either sort But the main Body of our Association were men that thought the Episcopal Presbyterians and Independents had each of them some good in which they excelled the other two Parties and each of them some mistakes And that to select out of all three the best part and leave the worst was the most desireable and ancient Form of Government But that so much as might Unite them in the Comfortable Service of Christ was common to them all The most of our Ministers were Young men bred at the Universities during the Wars and engaged in no Faction nor studied much in such kind of Controversies but of solid Iudgment and zealous Preachers and eminently Prudent Pious and Peaceable And with them there joyned many that had Conformed and thought both the Common-Prayer and the Directory Episcopacy and Presbytery tolerable And these in 1660. did Conform but most of the rest were ejected and silenced Though of near Ten Thousand that the Parliament left in possession there were but Two Thousand cast out by the Prelates we strongly conjectured before hand who those would be Satan desired to have Power to sift us as wheat And the chaff and the bran stayed in and made that which some called the best in the World And indeed much of the bran is honoured by us as very useful But the simila was too fine and precise for the pallates of the Great Churchmen and was cast out in the sifting And the Sifters did but call the Similago Simulatio and such other names and out it went with Scorns and Devestation And the hatred of it is propagated as the natural Progeny of revived true simulation and revenge But though fur-fur be a name of no honourable sound or sence as it looks to Brethren and the Church yet for my part I do with thanks for England and with lamentation for other Lands consent with them that say Few Churches are so well fed God can use this for the cleansing and drying up the Hydropical tympanite of this Land And Christ I hope will Remember the Penitent part of them when he cometh in his Kingdom and they that rob'd others of their Civil and Church Rites may yet be with Christ in Paradise Furfure pinguescunt pulli si lacte madescat Even those that read this Praise with displeasure taking Repentance for a Disgrace and being loth to think they need it may yet by Grace repent and live Through God's great Mercy the excussed simila hath been Childrens food though the Milstones have made it unfit for seed But God will aliunde provide seed Though we cannot but dread the abundance and malignity of the Seminary Tares § 4. But our trouble next to the ignorance and badness
Christian Nature and unbeseeming a sensible Member of Christ. With what hearts do such dividing Brethren read all those passages of Scripture that speak of the Unity of the Catholick Church We have all one End one Hope one Law There is one Body and one Spirit even as we are called in one Hope of our Calling one Lord one Faith one Baptism one Baptismal Coveanting with God Eph. 4. 4 5 6. one God and Father of all who is above all through all and in us all therefore must we endeavour to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace v. 3. For as the Body is one and hath many Members and all the Members of that one Body being many are one Body so also is Christ For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body 1 Cor. 12. 12 13. And the Spirit and Ministry are given to this one Body for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ till we all come in the Unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect Man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ that we henceforth be no more Children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine by the fleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in wait to deceive but speaking the truth in Love may grow up in him in all things which is the Head even Christ from whom the whole Body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the Body to the edifying of it self in Love Eph. 4. 12 13 14 15. Note here the Unity of the Catholick Body and who is the Center of the Church and in what way it prospereth to perfection and all will tell you of Unity in Christ and Communion of the several parts in Love God hath tempered the Body together having given more abundant honour to that part that locked that there should be no Schism in the Body but that the Members should have the same care one for â—nother and whether one Member suffer all the Members suffer with it or one Member be honoured all the Members rejoyce with it Now ye are the Body of Christ and Members in particular 1 Cor. 12 24 25 26 27. O how much the Nature and Unity of the Church Universal even the Body of Christ is forgotten by most men that withdraw into separated Assemblies upon those grounds and terms as condemn or cost off most of the Universal Church of Christ. And how do they look upon the face of the World if indeed they know what state it is in and hath been in when they can find in their hearts to keep up our Divisions of which more anon 6. Moreover our Divisions and Separations do much destroy the Power of Godliness partly as is said by destroying Love and all the Operations of Love wherein it principally consisteth and partly by diverting Professors of Religion from Practical Doctrine Conference and Meditation and filling them with Fancies and Opinions and Passions So that when once in a Town there is Church against Church and Pastor against Pastor almost all or too much of their time is taken up in wrangling and contending and making their Cause good against each other and they strive not to overcome each other by Meekness Patience and Love It is the raising of an Ecclesiastick War through all the Quarters of the Land And few thrive by these Wars above any Wars Mark whether Holiness Love and Heavenliness appear as much in their Families and Lives where this War is raised and Fire kindled as it did before 7. Moreover it keepeth out too often a Saving work of Grace and turns off many that were coming on and crusheth fair hopes too often in the bud Many a Minister hath rejoyced in the Hopes of a Conversion which seemed to be begun on the younger sort especially of his Hearers And when they have seemed to be somewhat humbled changed resolved for a Holy Life suddenly some Divider or other layeth hold on them and turneth the stream of their Thoughts and Zâ—al upon Opinions and barren Controversies and spoileth our hopes of the work of Grace and formeth them up into Contentious Hypocrites And alas how apt are such separated Assemblies to â—empt men to this miserable case even as Ale houses are to make men Drunk Sober men may be there but there 's the Nursery of Opinionative Religion 8. But there is no effect so grievous to my thoughts as the common hardening of the ungodly Who sees not how it makes them think unbelievingly or contemptuously of all Religion when they see so many Churches and ways and hear them so condemn each other they think they may warrantably condemn them all and say as bad by them or speak as contemptuously of them as they do of each other They think they are as well already as turning to such a divided People can make them And when they think of turning the Tempter asketh them as the Papists use to do Which Party will you turn to Why rather to this than all the rest What a readiness did I see to entertain the way of Godliness presently after the Wars in many places that had before been under the Power that most reproacht it Till they saw us by the Ears among our selves and see us fall into so many Parties and then they turned their reverence into contempt Let no man fly to God's Decrees here and say that Offences must be and Heresies must arise that the approved may be manifested and that the Elect cannot be deceived to Perdition For Sin is Sin and Misery for all this They may on those Grounds as well let Physicions have leave to give men Poison or any mâ—n to set our Towns on fire because nothing can be done against God's Decrees It is as true among the Indians and Turks that the Elect cannot be deceived to Perdition and that God knoweth who are his as here and yet I hope all Christians will lament the Sin and Misery of the World of Infidels and Idolaters and pray and endeavour as far as they can their recovery by the Gospel We must fetch no such Conclusions from any Decrees of God as shall hinder from praying that his Name may be Hallowed his Kingdom come and his Will be done in the Earth as it is in Heaven Such as may encourage us to dig Pits for the Blind and cast such stumbling blocks in their way and be Servants to the Tempter and Enemy of Souls in hindering them from Salvation And what can we to hinder them more than to bring the Churches and Holy Worship and Ways of God into doubt or contempt among them 9. Our Divisions make us and the Cause of God to be our Adversaries Reproach and his Name is evil spoken of among them through
Error 3. They do not pretend to sorce themselves into our Parish Churches ordinarily against his will that is the allowed Teacher there 4. While they do in Name disclaim Ordaining them they actually Ordain them For they set them apart to the Office of the Ministry and it is Pastors that do it And this is the substance of Ordination Imposition of Hands is but the Investing Ceremony And if they say that A stated Preacher is no Officer that makes him not to be none And if they say that they Ordain him not when they Approve and Appoint him by an Instrument to that Office that makes it not to be no Ordaining no more than if they should Appoint Men to a Pastoral Charge in one of their own Churches and say It is no Office or Ordination 5. And when the peoples consent is afterward added the Man is more fully separated to the Work 6. But however as long as they allow us our liberty of Ordination and thrust none upon our Communion as Pastors that are no Pastors we have no pretence to make this a stop to our Communion Let us close together and pass this by and God will further inform us and dispel our darkness when we walk together in holy Love and Peace Chap. XI Difference IX THE Ninth seeming Difference is about our Parishes in England whether they are true Churches of Christ or not But here is little or no difference that is stood to whatever any particular persons may think it is not a difference between the parties For 1. It is not desired of them to grant that a Parish as a Parish that is the people yea the Christians inhabiting such a space of ground is a Church It 's possible they may be of many Churches or of none but the Universal 2. Nor is it desired that they take every Member of the Parish no nor every Hearer for a Member of the Church Men of several Churches or of no Church may live in the Parish and hear together 3. Nor are they desired to take any Parish for a true Political Church that hath not a true Pastor with a competent number of professed Christians joined together for personal Communion in Gods Worship But that our ordinary Parishes in England that have true Ministers are true Churches is so familiarly granted by the Congregational party that to recite their words seems needless And therefore they utterly disclaim separating from us as no true Churches 1. That our want of a Church Covenant nullifieth not these Churches I told you before they grant because our consent is our Covenant And our ordinary practice tolerably signifieth that consent Saith Mr Norton p. 21. Siuna externa fidei professione veritatis sanctitatis praxi eodem baptismate uniantur eundem publicum cultum uno in loco frequentent iisdem inspectoribus Ecclesiae subsint c. See the place where he acknowledgeth this a Church without an Explicit Covenant 2. And that the impiety of our Parishes or other incapacity of the Members is not such as to nullifie our Churches they confess Because a good Church may have some bad Members And where the greater number are bad the Pastor and the better smaller part may denominate the Church and it may be true though polluted What Doctrinal and Practical Corruptions were in the Churches of Corinth Galatia and divers of the Asian Churches Rev. 2. and 3. is so plain and hath been so often mentioned that it 's needless to recite the Texts Saith Mr. Norton 28 29. Immo tantum abest ut ob defectum foederis expliciti salva vel ungulae religione in rebus Iesu Christi ullas Congregationes ex Ecclesiarum albo expungamus ut Caetus multò graviora passos essentialibus Dei gratia adhuc in tuto positis tanquam non Ecclesias judicare salvâ conscientiâ nullos posse sanctè testemur Distinguendum inter Ecclesiam puram impuram impurissimam nullam Fundamentalia sive Essentialia sunt materia forma Ecclesiae particularis Materia sunt homines profitentes Doctrinam salutaris fidei Forma est mutuus consensus politicus ad incedendum in illa fide vel verbis vel factis modo aliquo visibiliter significatus Adeo ut non sufficit subitanea aliqua conjunctio sanctae communionis exercitium ad Ecclesiam constituendam nisi constantia illa accedat saltem quoad intentionem quae statum adfert Corporis Membrorum in spirituali quadam politia Qualem consensum nos foedus vocare jam toties diximus As this proveth our Parishes true Churches so that greater corruptions than the Vices of some even Fundamental Errors in the Church it self doth not presently destroy the Church is his Opinion and Parker's cited by him Ibid. saith he Neque tamen Ecclesiam errores fundamentales statim destruunt donec eis addatur contumacia in foro exteriori Ecclesia in fundamento aberrans tamdiu manet Ecclesia quamdiu non est pertinax Certainly here is as large a judgment of Charity as we can reasonably expect and so large as without some distinction will be liable to controversie We easily confess that most of our Churches need much Reformation and that all in our Parishes are not Church Members But yet I may well suppose that we are Agreed that those of them that have true Pastors are true Churches and that this is the case of our Parishes ordinarily or very many at least yea some such Dissenters think that they may be true Churches without Pastors so that here between the parties there is no disagreement whatever particular persons hold Many are more afraid lest a great many Parishes should be Made no true Churches in a Political sense by setting over them such as are no true Ministers than be proved none before they are made None But I see no danger of this while we have liberty of Election and Ordination Chap. XII Difference X. THE Tenth Controversie is about 1. Taking Members out of other Churches 2. And separating from the Parish Churches by gathering out of them a select number to be a distinct Church And here there is a Practical Difference to our woe But in order to Reconcilement I should hope that I might suppose our Agreement in all the other points of Difference to be sufficient and that being satisfied in those the Brethren that have been for withdrawing from our Churches will be satisfied to join with us for their Reformation and not do as they have some of them done For we have therefore come as near them as we can in the rest that they might have no just occasion to depart from us And if that yet they will depart when the offence is removed then it would be as if they should say We are against Concord and Unity as such And our judgment for Division as such that is for Dividing without cause When we have answered all that our Brethren alledge for their withdrawing we may expect that
for no Churches without proof nor before they are heard speak for themselves And that those that have possession of the publick Maintenance and Temples I know no fitter Name for them will not gather a part of the people into a new Church as if there were none before till it be proved upon equal hearing Nor that they would not Dissolve the old Church instead of Reforming it nor withdraw from them instead of casting out the unfit in an orderly way of Discipline unless where Discipline and Reformation cannot be had If we propose the exercise of Discipline to a Parish and the most will rather disown or refuse to own their Relations as Members than live under Discipline and so Separate themselves from us or profess that they never took themselves for Members then the blame will lye on them and they are the Separatists But if they Own their Relations and offer to live as Christians under Discipline in holy Communion surely they must be cast out upon proved accusations Man by Man in Christs way Matth. 18. or not at all I confess by drawing out a few from the rest we may scape a great deal of labour trouble and ill will of those that should be cast out But the selfish easie way is not like to be the way of God 3. We desire that Pastors that preach the Faith may not be the lowest in Charity nor uncharitably censure all those as ungodly and unfit for Church Communion that want but distinct Conceptions and fit Expressions through the lowness or neglect of their Education or that are not able to be the mouth of a Family in Prayer while they are willing to perform the Duty if they could and to learn that they may perform it And that the weak in Faith may be received and the little ones suffered to come to Christ even all that are willing to give up themselves to him and of those that so come to him none may in any wise be rejected or cast out till they turn from Christ and the Holy Covenant That the Lambs may be carried in our Arms and the bruised Reed may not be broken and that the tenderness of Christ to the least of his Members may be remembred and the price of Souls and our own former weakness and also how much more grievous it should be to us to keep or cast out one of our weak Brethren that Christ would have received than to let in many intruding Hypocrites who shall be made serviceable to the Church and their Masks shall be our just excuse though not their own And specially remember that it is Christ that is the Lord of the Family and we are but Servants and therefore we must take all our directions from him and shut out none but those that we are sure he would have shut out And remember that in doubtful cases we are allowed to incline to the more charitable side Force not Men unjustly by refusing them to seek acceptance in other Churches Though I intended at first more brevity than will consist with long citatiâ—ons I shall recite a few words of Judicious Mr. Noyes of New-England Temple measured p. 63 64. saith he No Wheat must be pulled up with the Tares the Tares must rather be tolerated that Rule which requireth more than is necessary in the weakest Believer must needs exclude the called of God And that Rule which necessarily or absolutely requireth unnecessary Experiences savoriness of Speech suitableness of Spirit to our tempers persuasion of sound Conversion c. such a Rule I say requires much more than is necessary or competible to the weakest Believer To require a persuasion in our Hearts of the Conversion of all that are admitted is too much unless we can meet with a Rule that will admit all Saints and also afford such a persuasion It will contradict the Rule of our admission to make our apprehensions part of the Rule Our fancies are a leaden Rule and if we are severe and have no certain Rule to regulate us we shall exclude the weak more often than we shall receive them 4. The lowest degree of absolute probability that a person is converted should be satisfactory The weakest Christians are to be received Rom. 14. 1. and the weakest can hold forth no more than the least degree of an absolute probability the strongest can hold forth no more than the highest degree of probability Again either the highest or the lowest or some middle degree of probability is requisite The highest is not And what rule is there for some middle degree If it be not in our power to require a Years experience for more degrees of probability why a Months experience I have elsewhere proved that the true condition which Mr. N. here calls the Rule is nothing but A CREDIBLE PROFESSION and that it being to be received upon a Humane Belief that hath a fallible object IT IS TO BE TAKEN FOR A CREDIBLE PROFESSION WHICH CANNOT BE PROVED FALSE OR INCREDIBLE This is the Scripture-way and this is the ancient way of the Churches And if you will needs on either hand forsake these Terms I presume to Prognosticate you shall but wrong your Brethren and your Souls and the Church and Christ and bewilder your selves and make work for Repentance With confidence after long consideration and disputing the point I speak it But I return to Mr. Noyes Page 64. The Practise of the Apostles Acts 2 c. must confine our prudence They were better directed and instructed than we are And they expected no Testimony nor a days experience They could not in so short a time make any Inquisitions or hear any perswasive relations The youngest Converts must be instantly imbraced Therefore some days of Experience or Testimonies are not necessary Some are ignorant and of an arid Constitution and Expression Therefore an explicit savour of Language is not equally requisite in all The Apostolical Rule was large It suffered many corrupt Members to creep in None as far as we read were put by Yet Converts were many young ignorant rude and Conversions were sudden and passionate If ample relations of the work of Grace be necessary then either for satisfaction or for edification Not for satisfaction as hath been proved Not for edification For 1. Would it not be as profitable for all Members to come about again at certain seasons 2. Such relations do uncover the nakedness of Brethren and Fathers 3. They slander such as are not Gifted such as cannot express themselves in good language 4. Pride is set on the stage in the House of God 5. Hypocrites are provoked to paint and act themselves 6. Such relations are known to afflict the afflicted who came to us and with us in love and we here hide our Faces from them 7. The eloquent and such as have Athletick constitutions carry away undeserved respect from Countrey Christians Materiam superabat opus Hence issue comparisons Nay we foster instead of preventing suspicious partiality 8.
but in words or very narrow seem more material wide and dangerous than they are and shall hereupon proclaim their Brethren to be heretical or blasphemous and use to revile them and renounce Communion with them and would silence the Pastors if it were in their Power These under the Name of the Ministers of Christ do powerfully militate for the Devil against the Love and Peace of Christians and are the pernicious Incendiaries in the Churches of Christ. Q. 5. What is the Magistrates Power and Duty about Religion and the Churches and Ministers of Christ Answ. I shall say more as to their Power than as to their Duty because I know not how it will be endured or how that counsel will be taken or followed which is not desired It more concerneth us to consider of our own duty to them 1. All the forcing Power about matters Ecclesiastical whether by corporal Penalties or forced Mulcts belongeth only to the Magistrate Besides what Parents and Masters may do And if any Pastors use it it must be as Magistrates receiving it from the Soveraign And the Sword is so unseemly in a Pastors hand and so ill taken by the people and so adverse to the persuasive Loving Government which he must exercise and hath ever been of such unhappy effects to the World that it were to be wished that Princes would keep their Sword from the Clergy to themselves and commit it to such Officers as have not so much other work to do and are not so likely to abuse it 2. If any Pastors will declare that Princes are bound to punish men meerly as Excommunicated by them without any tryal of the Cause before themselves or Officers and will Excommunicate Magistrates for not Imprisoning Banishing or Burning or otherwise afflicting those whom the Clergy have Excommunicated or judged to be so used Much more if any will teach and declare that Excommunicate Kings are no Kings yea though a Foreigner that hath no Power over them Excommunicate them or that they may be kill'd as Tyrants or that the Pope or any other have Power to depose them and dispose of their Dominions see the Council at Lateran under Innocent 3d. Can. 3. and the Council at Rome under Gregor 7. If such be Subjects they are injurious to the Civil Power If they are Foreigners they are open declared Enemies 3. The Office and Power of Kings and other Magistrates is from God and their lawful Commands are to be obeyed for Conscience sake and not to avoid their Punishments only 4. Their Office is to promote Obedience to God and to his Laws by making Subordinate Laws of their own and to be a terrour to Evil-doers and a Praise and Encouragement to them that do well 5. The Clergy as well as others must be subject to Kings and Magistrates Nor is it tolerable Doctrine which would exempt their Persons or Estates except it be by the King's consent 6. Princes must not only promote natural Obedience to the true God but also the special Faith and Obedience of the Gospel by means which are suitable thereunto 7. Princes may make Laws forbidding the Publication of all pernicious Damning Doctrines and the Practice of Idolatry and of all great and notable Crimes against the Law of God and may Correct the Offenders by convenient Penalties with Prudence and Moderation 8. If heretical covetous or lazy Pastors corrupt God's Word and Worship notoriously or neglect their certain Duty to the betraying or endangering of the Flocks or are persons uncapable of the Office the Magistrate may drive them on to their Duties and moderately and prudently punish them for their negligence and unfaithfulness and may forbid the uncapable to exercise that Office 9. Such Circumstances of Worship and Orders of Assemblies before instanced as are fit for Common Determination and Agreement in all the Churches being such whose Determination is not proper to the Pastors Office may on moderate terms and by religious advice be determined of by Magistrates And all their lawful Determinations must be obeyed 10. There needeth not the device of Popes or Patriarchs to call Councils or to keep Peace among the Pastors of the Church For the Magistrate must do it as a great part of the work of his Office Every Soveraign may call such Pastors unto Councils as are his Subjects And several Princes by agreement may call their respective Subjects together when there is Cause And proper Universal Councils as is shewed are things which never were known nor are not to be expected And it must be a very extraordinary necessity which must warrant the Pastors of several Kingdoms to hold Councils together when they are forbidden by their Kings Princes also may correct Church-Tyrants and Usurpers and Destroyers of Faith or Piety or Peace They ought to restrain such Pastors as would raise Seditions or Rebellions or Persecutions of the Innocent or that pretend Religion for the open and obstinate revilings of their Brethren and are proved to be unquiet Firebrands to kindle Dissentions and destroy Mens Love to one another or arbitrarily to oppress the Flocks 11. When any question Who must be Iudge in cases of Heresie Infidelity or Idolatry as divulged or practised the true answer is obvious and easie 1. In regard of publick Ecclesiastical judgment and the Sentence of Excommunication or Absolution the Pastors of the Church are the proper Judges by virtue of the power of the Keys 2. In regard of publick civil judgment in order to corporal forcible punishment or impunity as there is just cause the Magistrate is the only publick Judge 3. In regard of that private judgment of discerning by which every rational person must know his own Duty both to God and Man and discern when and how far to obey Man without disobeying God every such rational person is a Iudge that is a Discerner of what he ought to do And Christ always the final Judge 12. Yet may not the Magistrate invade the Pastoral Office it self nor Ordain or Dâ—grade Ministerâ— in that Spiritual Sense as it is committed to Church-Guides nor Administer the Sacraments nor exercise the proper power of the Church Keys which Christ committed to Church Officers by such Excommunications or Absolutions as are proper to that power nor may they hinder the â—astors from the due performance of their Office in matter or manner Nor forbid the necessary Preaching of the Gospel or publick worshipping of God by all or any of his Ministers But are bound to promote it with studious diligence as Patrons of the Church 13. But if they should forbid us the necessary Preaching of God's Word or necessary assembling for God's publick Worship as we must not account those seasons and circumstances necessary which are unnecessary so that which is necessary indeed we must not desert till we are disabled to perform it seeing it is greater Sacrilege if we alienate a person consecrated to God in so sacred an Office than if we should alienate conseorated Goods