their days from all other Church ordinances, if through weakness they cannot be convinced of that. Now let one who is in a Congregational way, and connot fee Chrifts mind in the Presbyterial Government, yet come to one of thofe Churches, and fay, he would gladly in all his ways fee the mind of Chrift, and enjoy all his ordinances, but he cannot fee that a Minifter who takes only the charge to feed by Word and Sacraments one Congregation, yet should with others have the charge of ruling an hundred or more; and till he be convinced otherwife, he cannot in his practice acknowledg that Government to be Chrifts, would you yet receive fuch a one to communion with you in all other Church-ordinances? If you would, I make no question then but if we well understood one another, and were of quiet fpirits, we might live together in peace. Let not miscarriages in particular men or Churches in things of this nature, hinder our peace; what we fay ought to be suffered in us, we profeffe to be our duty to fuffer that or any thing of the like nature in others:and where there hath not been that brotherly and Chriftian forbearance as ought to be, there hath been finne committed against Chrift: but let not this hinder brotherly and Chriftian agreement amongst our felves, or any other Churches of Chrift•. 4ly. Evills that are small or uncertain, or come by accident, must rather be fuffered, then any good that is great, certain, and per fe, fhould be hindered. We must take heed that in our zeal to oppofe evill, we hinder not a greater good: If opposition of evill lies fo far out of your reach as you cannot come at it but by hindering much good, you must be content then to let it alone. 4. nenda. Bern. Laftly, if the evils be fuch as only can be removed by fuper. Suadenda eft natural means, we muft not ufe violence for the removing of fides non impothem, though God hath fuch authority over us, as hee may us do in aujuftly punish us for not doing that which we are unable to do dia eft ifta by the ftrength of nature; yet one man hath no fuch autho- prædicario que rity over another. verberibus evi The power that God hath given a Magiftrate, is but a na- git fidem. turall help at the moft, & therefore it can go no farther then Greg. 1.2. ep. 522 to help us in a naturall way, to do what we are able to do by a natural power; when it hach gone so far, there it must rest. I shall refer the Learned to Zanchy upon the fourth Comment, where they may fee more about this. CHAP. X. The fourth dividing Principle, Divifion is the best way to maintaine Dominion. "Hisis Machiavels principle, Divide & regna. When Division is got into fuch a Principle as hath not only in the bowels of it, that is fomething to foment it by what may be drawn from it; but when the principle carries divifion in the very face of it, not collaterally, or by confequent avowing it, but dire&ly & immediately justifying it, then it grows firong indeed, who can ftand before it? When this is brought down to the people, it is expreffed by that Proverbiall fpeech, It is good fifbing in troubled waters. The divifions of the times are our advantages. Some mens ends are beft ferved,w' en church and State are moft divided. They never had such comings in as now they have. It is true, it may be defired that men in evil things should not agree,that they may be like the witnesses that came againft Chrift, who could not agree in their teftimony. Paul caft a bone of diffention between the Pharifees. and Sadduces. But when men love divifion, and defire the continuance of it; Firft, to maintain that which is evill; Secondly, to aime at their owne ends, not regarding what publike mischiefes come, fo their own private advantages may be ferved; not caring what house be on fire, fo their eggs may be rofted, if they may have fome poor, pedling, private benefit by them. 3ly. Not caring what the divifions are, whether againft good, or against evill, fo be it their turn may be ferved: This is abominable, and curfed is that man that wishes for, or rejoyces in, or feeks the continuance of divifions, for these bafe ends. Yea that man is not worthy to breath in fo good a Land as England is, who would not willingly lay downe his his life to cure the present divifions and distractions that are amongst us, who would not defire with Nazianzen, as formerly Jonah, to be caft into the Sea himself, so be it all might be calin in the Publique ? Oh cruell, hard-hearted man, who for his own private advantage is not fenfible of the woful miseries of Church and State, yea of that dreadfull dishonour to the name of God, caufed this day by our fad divifions, miferable distractions ! juft it were that fuch a man should be feparated to evil, and that his name fhould be blotted out from under heaven. But if things were fetled in Church and State, fome men fhould not have fuch liberties as now they have, therefore they are willing enough to have our differences continued, their plot is to lengthen them out. Firft, That which thou calleft feeking to lengthen out divifions, it may be God now accounts, and will another day call feeking after the neareft union with himselfe, and the firmeft union of his Saints. Secondly, the liberties these men feek for, are either evill or good; Ifevill, oh how dearly do they buy that which is evill, with bringing the guilt of all that evil that comes from our divifions upon themselves; you need not wifh any enemy more evil upon his head then this ; certainly such a man hath load enough upon him. But if thofe liberties they feek be good, or but fuppofed by them to be fo, why then should they feare a right fetling of things? what ever is good, can be no enemy unto good. That Scripture, Rem. 13.3. is enough to keep their hearts from fearing the right ordered power of authority, efpecially from fearing it fo farre, as by the feare of it, to be driven into fuch a defperate guilt of wickedneffe as this is, to defire or endeavour the continuance of fuch publique mifchiefe for their own ends. Rulers, faith the Text, are not a terrour to good works, but to evil; wilt thou then not be afraid of their power? doe that which is good, and thou shalt bave praife of the fame. Surely then the power was as formidable to any thing a chriftian heart could fuppofe good, as now any power is like to be that we have to deale with. Thirdly, it is a fign of a very poor, low, unworthy spirit, Anfw. I. to think that any in whom thou haft any perfwafion there is any feare of God, or intereft in Chrift, fhould have no higher thoughts for their support and encouragement in what they conceive good according to the mind of Chrift, but fuch as the hopes or defires of continuance of fuch wofull evils in the divifions of Church and State raifeth in them, if they did believe that Chrift took no more care of them then fo, but, left them to fuch miferable fupports as these are, their condition were fad indeed. 41y. If fuch bafeneffe of spirit as this is, were ruling in them, which hath in it the malignity of all the dregs of an evil spirit, furely you would find it working in them in fome other thing, fave only in that wherein they differ from you. For certainly it is impoffible but that man that is so left of God to fuch dregs of evill, muft needs break out to fome other vile evils in a little time. It were ftrange if fuch horrid wickedneffe of a mans heart should break out in nothing else. The Lord therefore be Judg between his fervants and thofe men, yea thofe men profefling godlineffe, who have fuch hard thoughts of them; and the Lord convince them of all their hard fpeeches, and hard writings in this thing. CHAP. XI. The fifth dividing Principle. That every man is bound to professe and practice alwayes what be apprehends to be truth. T His hath the greater ftrength, because it comes under a fhew of exa& godlineffe: I do not mean an hypocriticall fhew, but an appearance to mens confciences. It is very dividing: For, firft, if while many things lye in mens owne thoughts, they cause much ftrife within themfelves; their reafonings are very divers: Though they have all the fame tin&ture from the fame affe&ions, and are swayed by the fame ends then when these things come abroad, before others, who have not the fame reafonings, nor the fame affections, to give them such a tin&ure, but reasonings and affections running quite another way, nor the fame ends to (way fway them, but quite different to poyfe them a crofs way, there muft needs be much ftrife, such divifions as will be hard to reconcile. If men fometimes can hardly prevail with their own thoughts to agree, notwithstanding the sway of their own affections and ends; how are they like to agree with othere, whose affections and ends are so various from theirs. Secondly, if men doe prefently profeffe and practice what they conceive to be right, they muft neceffarily profeffe and recant, recant and profeffe; for in many things, what they apprehend to be true at one time,they fufpe&t, yea fee cause to deny at another; and what confufion & diforder would there be in matters of Religion, if continually by fome or other there should be profession ofthings as true and good, and calling the fame things prefently into queftion, yea within a while denying and renouncing them? And if not fo, then 3. If a man hath once made profeffion of what he conceives to be a truth, differing from others, if it proves to be a mifapprehenfion, there lies a great temptation upon him to ftand out in it, to ftrive to make it out to the utmoft; for nothing is more contrary to a mans nature,then to acknowledg himfelf to be miftaken in his understanding, and to lye down in the fhame of rafhneffe and inconfiderateneffe in his actions; therefore whatsoever mens own thoughts be within, in their own fpirits, they had need take heed what they doe, when they come to make open profeffion, and practice what they apprehend, and engage themfelves thereby to maintaine; there are not many who attaine to Auguftines felf denyall, to publish retra&ations to all the world. Now if a man through the ftrength of this temptation, fhall ftill retaine what he hath made profeffion of, and others fhall fee his weakeneffe, joyned with wilfulneffe; they muft oppofe him in it, and fo contention and divifion is like to rife higher and higher. In regard therefore of the great ufefulneffe of this point, and the difficulty of the right understanding it, I fhall endeavour to fpeak to it under these three Heads. Firft, to fhew wherein Profeffion is neceffary. 3. 1. 2 3 |