A Christian Directory, Part 3: Christian Ecclesiastics

Direct. VII. Pray against the usurpations or intrusions of impious, carnal, ambitious, covetous pastors into the churches of Christ.163 For one wicked man in the place of a pastor, may do more to the increase of a schism or faction, than many private men can do. And carnal men have carnal minds and carnal interests, which are both unreconcilable to the spiritual, holy mind and interest; for the "carnal mind is enmity against God, and is not subject to his law, nor can be," Rom. viii. 7. "And they that are in the flesh cannot please God," ver. 8. And you may easily conceive what work will be made in the ship, when an enemy of the owner hath subtilly possessed himself of the pilot's place! He will charge all that are faithful as mutineers, because they resist him when he would carry all away. And if an enemy of Christ shall get to be governor of one of his regiments or garrisons, all that are not traitors shall be called traitors, and cashiered, that they hinder not the treason which he intendeth. And "as then he that was born after the flesh, persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now: but what saith the Scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son," &c. Gal. iv. 29, 30. It is not the sacred office of the ministry, nor the profession of the same religion, that will cure the enmity of a carnal heart, against both holiness and the holy seed. The whole business of the world from age to age is but the management of that war, proclaimed at sin's first entrance into the world, between the seed of the woman and the serpent, Gen. iii. 15; and none of the serpent's seed are more cruel or more successful, than those of them that creep into the armies of Christ; and especially that get the conduct of his regiments.164 Neither brotherhood nor unity of professed religion, would hold the hands of malignant Cain from murdering his brother Abel. The same religion, and father, and family reconciled not scoffing Ishmael to Isaac, or profane Esau to his brother Jacob. The family of Christ, and an apostle's office, did not keep Judas from being a traitor to his Lord. If carnal men invade the ministry, they take the way of ease, and honour, and worldly wealth, and strive for dominion, and who shall be the greatest, and care not how great their power and jurisdiction are, nor how little their profitable work is; and their endeavour is to fit all matters of worship and discipline to their ambitious, covetous ends; and the spiritual worshipper shall be the object of their hate: and is it any wonder if the churches of Christ be torn by schism, and betrayed to profaneness, where there are such unhappy guides?165

Direct. VIII. In a special manner, take heed of pride; suspect it and subdue it in yourselves, and do what you can to bring it into disgrace with others.166 "Only by pride cometh contention," Prov. xiii. 10. I never yet saw one schism made, in which pride conjunct with ignorance was not the cause: nor ever did I know one person forward in a schism, (to my remembrance,) but pride was discernibly his disease. I do not here intend (as the papists) to charge all with schism or pride, that renounce not their understandings, and choose not to give up themselves to a bestial subjection to usurpers or their pastors: he that thinks it enough that his teacher hath reason and be a man, instead of himself, and so thinketh it enough that his teacher be a christian and religious; must be also content that his teacher alone be saved: (but then he must not be the teacher of such a damning way:) but by pride I mean a plain overvaluing of his own understanding, and conceits and reasonings, quite above all the evidences of their worth, and an undervaluing and contempt of the judgments and reasonings of far wiser men, that had evidence enough to have evinced his folly and error to a sober and impartial man. Undoubtedly it is the pride of priests and people, that hath so lamentably in all ages torn the church. He that readeth the histories of schisms and church confusions, and marketh the effects which this age hath showed, will no more doubt whether pride were the cause, than whether it was the wind that blew down trees and houses, when he seeth them one way overturned by multitudes, where the tempest came with greatest force. Therefore a bishop must be "no novice, lest being lifted up with pride (ἵνα μὴ τυφωθεὶς) he fall into the condemnation of the devil," 1 Tim. iii. 6. And if such stars fall from heaven, no wonder if they bring many down headlong with them. Humble souls dwell most at home, and think themselves unworthy of the communion of their brethren, and are most quarrelsome against their own corruptions. "They do nothing in strife and vain-glory, but in lowliness of mind each one esteemeth other better than themselves," Phil. ii. 2, 3; and "judge not lest they be judged," Matt. vi. 1. And is it likely such should be dividers of the church? But proud men must either be great and domineer, and as Diotrephes, 3 John 9, 10, love to have the pre-eminence, and cast the brethren out of the church, and prate against their faithfullest pastors with malicious words; or else must be noted for their supposed excellencies, and set up themselves, and speak perverse things, to draw away disciples after them, Acts xx. 30; and think the brethren unworthy of their communion, and esteem all others below themselves; and, as the church of Rome, confound communion and subjection, and think none fit for their communion that obey them not, or comply not with their opinion and will. There is no hope of concord where pride hath power to prevail.

Direct. IX. Take heed of singularity, and narrowness of mind, and unacquaintedness with the former and present state of the church and world. Men that are bred up in a corner, and never read nor heard of the common condition of the church or world, are easily misled into schism, through ignorance of those matters of fact that would preserve them. Abundance of this sort of honest people that I have known, have known so little beyond the town or country where they lived, that they have thought they were very catholic in their communion, because they had one or two congregations, and divided not among themselves. But for the avoiding of schism, 1. Look (with pity) on the unbelieving world, and consider that christians of all sorts are but a sixth part of the whole earth. And then, 2. Consider of this sixth part how small a part the reformed churches are. And if you be willing to leave Christ any church at all, perhaps you will be loth to separate yet into a narrower party, which is no more to all the world, than one of your cottages is to the whole kingdom. And is this all the kingdom on earth that you will ascribe to Christ? Is the King of the church, the King only of your little party? Though his flock be but a little flock, make it not next to none; as if he came into the world on so low a design as the gathering of your sect only. The less his flock is, the more sinful it is to rob him of it, and make it lesser than it is. It is a little flock, if it contained all the christians, protestants, Greeks, Armenians, Abassines, and papists on the earth. Be singular and separate from the unbelieving world, and spare not; and be singular in holiness from profane and nominal hypocritical christians; but affect not to be singular in opinion or practice, or separated in communion, from the universal church, or generality of sound believers: or if you forsake some common error, yet hold still the common love and communion with all the faithful, according to your opportunities. 3. And it will be very useful when you are tempted to separate from any church for the defectiveness of its manner of worship, to inquire how God is worshipped in all the churches on earth, and then consider, whether if you lived among them you would forsake communion with them all, for such defects (while you are not forced to justify or approve them).167 4. And it is very useful to read church history, and to understand what heresies have been in times past, and what havoc schisms have caused among christians: for if this much had been known by well meaning persons in our days, we should not have seen those same opinions applauded as new light, which were long ago exploded as old heresies: nor should we have seen many honest people, taking that same course to reform the church now, and advance the gospel, which in so many ages and nations hath heretofore destroyed the church, and cast out the gospel. A narrow soul, that taketh all Christ's interest in the world, to lie in a few of their separated meetings, and shutteth up all the church in a nutshell, must needs be guilty of the foulest schisms. It is a catholic spirit and catholic principles, loving a christian as a christian, abhorring the very names of sects and parties as the church's wounds, that must make a catholic indeed.

Direct. X. Understand well the true difference between the visible church and the world, lest you should think that you are bound to separate as much from a corrupted church as from the world. It is not true faith, but the profession of true faith, that maketh a man fit to be acknowledged a member of the visible church. If this profession be unsound, and accompanied with a vicious life, it is the sin and misery of such a hypocrite, but it doth not presently put him as far unrelated to you, as if he were an infidel without the church! If you ask what advantage have such unsound church members? I answer with the apostle, Rom. iii. 1, 2, "Much every way, chiefly because unto them are committed the oracles of God." Chap. ix. 4, "To them pertaineth the adoption and the glory and covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises." Till the church find cause to cast them out, they have the external privileges of its communion. It hath made abundance to incur the guilt of sinful separation to misunderstand those texts of Scripture that call christians to separate from heathens, infidels, and idolaters: as 2 Cor. vi. 17, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord," &c. The text speaketh only of separating from the world who are infidels and idolaters, and no members of the church; and ignorant people ordinarily expound it, as if it were meant of separating from the church because of the ungodly that are members of it: but that God that knew why he called his people to separate from the world, doth never call them to separate from the church universal, nor from any particular church by a mental separation so as to unchurch them. We read of many loathsome corruptions in the churches of Corinth, Galatia, Laodicea, &c.; but yet no command to separate from them. So many abuse Rev. xviii. 4, "Come out of her, my people;" as if God commanded them to come out of a true church because of its corruptions or imperfections, because he calleth them out of Babylon! It is true, you must partake with no church in their sins, but you may partake with any church in their holy profession and worship, so far as you can do it without partaking with them in their sins.

Direct. XI. Understand what it is that maketh you partakers of the sins of a church, or any member of it, lest you think you are bound to separate from them in good, as well as in evil. Many fly from the public assemblies, lest they partake of the sins of those that are there present. Certainly nothing but consent (direct or indirect) can make their faults to become yours. And therefore nothing which signifieth not some such consent should be on that account avoided. 1. If you by word, or subscription, or furtherance, own any man's sin, you directly consent to it. 2. If you neglect any duty which lieth upon you for the cure of his sin, you indirectly consent; for you consent that he shall rather continue in his sin, than you will do your part to help him out of it. Consider therefore how far you are bound to reprove any sin, or to use any other means for the reformation of it, whether it be in the pastor or the people; and if you neglect any such means, your way is to reform your own neglect, and do your duty, and not to separate from the church, before you have done your duty to reform it. But if you have done all that is your part, then the sin is none of yours, though you remain there present.

Whether presence be not a consent to sin.

It is a turbulent fancy and disquieting error of some people, to think that their presence in the assembly, and continuance with the church, doth make them guilty of the personal faults of those they join with: if so, who would ever join with any assembly in the world? Quest. But what if they be gross and scandalous sinners that are members of the church? Answ. If you be wanting in your duty to reform it, it is your sin; but if bare presence made their sins to be ours, it would also make all the sins of the assembly ours; but no word of God doth intimate any such thing. Paul never told the churches of Galatia and Corinth so, that had so many defiled members. Quest. But what if they are sins committed in the open assembly, even by the minister himself in his praying, preaching, and other administrations? and what if all this be imposed on him by a law, and so I am certain beforehand that I must join with that which is unwarrantable in God's worship? Answ. The next direction containeth those distinctions that are necessary to the answer of this.

Direct. XII. Distinguish carefully, 1. Between a minister's personal faults and his ministerial faults. 2. Between his tolerable weaknesses and his intolerable insufficiencies. 3. And between the work of the minister and of the congregation. And then you will see your doubt resolved in these following propositions.

1. A minister's personal faults (as swearing, lying, drunkenness, &c.) may damn himself, and must be matter of lamentation to the church, and they must do their best to reform them, or to get a better pastor by any lawful means.168 But in case they cannot, his sin is none of theirs, nor doth it make his administration null or ineffectual; nor will it allow you to separate from the worship which he administereth. Though many of the priests were wicked men, the godly Jews were not thereby disobliged from God's public worship, or sacrifices which were to be offered by their hands. Otherwise how sad a case were the church in, that must answer for the sins which they never committed, nor could reform. But no Scripture chargeth this upon them.

2. It is not all ministerial faults that will allow you to separate from or disown a minister; but only those that prove him or his ministration utterly intolerable.169 Such are, 1. An utter insufficiency in knowledge or utterance for the necessary parts of the ministerial work: as if he be not able to teach the necessary points of the christian religion, nor to administer the sacraments and other parts of public worship. 2. If he set himself to oppose the very ends of his ministry, and preach down godliness, or any part of it that is of necessity to salvation: for then he doth the devil's work, in seeking the damnation of souls, and so maketh himself the devil's minister, and is not the minister of Christ: for the end is essential to the relation. Herein I include a preacher of heresy that doth preach up any damning error, and preach down any necessary saving truth; that is, that preacheth such error as subverteth either faith or godliness, and doth more harm in the church than good. 3. If he so deprave God's public worship as to destroy the substance of it, and make it unacceptable, and offer up a public false worship to God, which he disowneth in the very matter of it. As if he put up blasphemy for praise and prayer, or commit idolatry, or set up new sacraments, and guide the people thus in public worship. As the papist priests do that adore bread with divine worship, and pray to the dead, and offer real sacrifices for them, &c.: such worship is not to be joined in. 4. Or if they impose any actual sin upon the people: as in their responds to speak any falsehood, or to adore the bread, or the like: these faults discharge us from being present with such pastors at such worship. But besides these there are many ministerial faults which warrant not our separation. As, 1. The internal vices of the pastor's mind though manifested in their ministration: as some tolerable errors of judgment, or envy and pettish opposition to others. "Some indeed preach Christ of envy and strife, and some of good will: the one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds; but the other of love," &c. Phil. i. 15. Here is an odious vice in the public ministry, even an endeavour to increase the sufferings of the apostle; yet it was lawful to hear such preachers; though not to prefer them before better. Most sects among christians are possessed with a tang of envy and uncharitableness against dissenters, which useth to break forth in their preaching and praying: and yet it is lawful to join with such. 2. It is not unlawful to join with a minister that hath many defects and infirmities in his ministration or manner of worship: as if he preach with some ignorance, disorder, unfit expressions or gestures, unmeet repetitions; or if he do the like in prayer, or in the sacraments, putting something last that should be first, and leaving out something that should be said, or praying coldly and formally. These and such like are faults which we should do our best to reform; and we should not prefer such a ministry before a better; but it is lawful and a duty to join with such, when we have no better. For all men are imperfect, and therefore the manner of worship as performed by them will be imperfect. Imperfect men cannot be perfect in their ministrations: we must join with a defective and imperfect mode of worship, or join with none on earth: and we must perform such or none ourselves. Which of you dare say that in your private prayers, you have no disorder, vain repetitions, flatness, or defects? 3. It is not unlawful to join with a minister that hath some material error or untruth in his preaching or praying, so be it we be not called to approve it, or make it ours, and so it be not pernicious and destructive to the ends of his ministry. For all men have some error, and they that have them may be expected sometimes to vent them. And it is not our presence that is any signification of our consent to their mistakes. If we run away from all that vent any untruth or mistake in public or private worship, we shall scarce know what church or person we may hold communion with: the reason of this followeth.

3. The sense of the church, and all its members, is to be judged of by their public professions, and not by such words of a minister which are his own, and never had their consent. I am by profession a christian, and the Scripture is the professed rule of my religion; and when I go to the assemblies, I profess to worship God according to that rule: I profess myself a hearer of a minister of the gospel, that is to preach the word of God, and that hath promised in his ordination, out of the holy Scriptures to instruct the people committed to his charge, and to teach nothing (as required of necessity to eternal salvation) but that which he shall be persuaded may be concluded and proved by the Scripture. This he professed when he was ordained, and I profess by my presence, only to hear such a preacher of the gospel, and worship God with him in those ordinances of worship, which God hath appointed. Now if this man shall drop in any mistake in preaching, or modify his prayers or administrations amiss, and do his part weakly and disorderly, the hearers are no way guilty of it by their presence. For if I must run away from God's public worship because of men's misperformance, 1. I should join with none on earth; for a small sin may no more be wilfully done or owned than a greater. 2. And then another man's weakness may disoblige me and discharge me from my duty. To order and word his prayers and preaching aright, is part of the minister's own work, and not the people's; and if he do it well, it is no commendation to me that am present, but to himself; and therefore if he do it amiss, it is no fault of mine or dispraise to me, but to himself. If the common-council of London, or the court of aldermen, agree to petition the king for the renewing of their charter, and commit the expressing of their request to their recorder, in their presence; if he petition for something else instead of that which he was intrusted with, and so betray them in the substance of his business, they are openly to contradict him and disown his treachery or mistake; but if he deliver the same petition which he undertook with stammering, disorder, defectiveness, and perhaps some mixture of untruths in his additional reasons and discourse, this is his failing in the personal performance of his duty, and no way imputable to them that sent him, and are present with him, though (in modesty) they are silent and speak not to disown it; for how can it be their fault that a man is wanting in his personal sufficiency and duty (unless it be that they choose not a better). And whether he speak ex tempore or more deliberately, in a written form or without, in words that other men taught him or wrote for him, or in words of his own devising, it altereth not their case.

Of imposed defective liturgies.

Object. But if a man fail through weakness in his own performance, I know not of that beforehand; but if his faulty manner of praying be prescribed and imposed on him by a law, then I know it beforehand, and therefore am guilty of it.

Answ. To avoid confusion, fix upon that which you think is the thing sinful. 1. Either it is because the prayers are defective and faulty. 2. Or because they are imposed. 3. Or because you know the fault beforehand. But none of all these can prove your joining with them sinful. 1. Not because they are faulty; for you may join with as faulty prayers, you confess, if not imposed.170 2. Not because imposed, (1.) Because that is an extenuation, and not an aggravation: for it proveth the minister less voluntary of the two than those are that do it without any command, though the error of their own judgments (as most erroneous persons will). (2.) Because (though lawful things oft become unlawful when superiors forbid them, yet) no reason can be given why a lawful thing should become unlawful, because a lawful superior doth command it. Else superiors might take away all our christian liberty, and make all things unlawful to us by commanding them. You would take it for a wild conceit in your children or servants, if they say, when you bid them learn a catechism, or use a form of prayer, It was lawful to us till you commanded us to do it; but because you bid us do it, it is unlawful. If it be a duty to obey governors in all lawful things, then it is not a sin to obey them. 3. And it is not your knowing beforehand that maketh it unlawful: for, 1. I know in general beforehand, that all imperfect men will do imperfectly; and though I know not the particular, that maketh it never the lawfuller, if foreknowledge itself did make it unlawful. 2. If you know that e. g. an antinomian or some mistaken preacher would constantly drop some words for his error in prayer or preaching, that will not make it unlawful in your own judgment for you to join, if it be not a flat heresy. 3. It is another man's error or fault that you foreknow, and not your own; and therefore foreknowledge maketh it not your own. 4. God himself doth as an universal cause of nature concur with men in those acts which he foreknoweth they will sinfully do; and yet God is not to be judged either an author or approver of the sin because of such concurrence and foreknowledge: therefore our foreknowledge maketh us no approvers, or guilty of the failings of any in their sacred ministrations, unless there be some other guilt. If you say that it is no one of these that maketh it unlawful, but all together, you must give us a distinct argument to prove that the concurrence of these three will prove that unlawful, which cannot be proved so by any of them alone, for your affirmation must not serve the turn; and when we know your argument, I doubt not but it may be answered. One thing I still confess may make any defective worship to be unlawful to you; and that is, when you prefer it before better, and may (without a greater inconvenience) enjoy an abler ministry, and purer administration, but will not.

Object. But he that sitteth by in silence, in the posture as the rest of the congregation, seemeth to consent to all that is said and done: and we must avoid all appearance of evil.