to their segregation: this were to build up Babel, instead of Jerusalem. Faciunt favos et vespa; as that Father said well: Even wasps meet together, in some holes of the earth, or hollow trees; and make combs, as well as the profitable bees: but no man ever bestowed upon them the cost of a hive. If men be allowed a latitude of opinions, in some unnecessary verities, it may not be endured, that, in matter of religion, every man should think what he lists, and utter what he thinks, and defend what he utters, and publish what he defends, and gather disciples to what he publisheth". This liberty, or licentiousness rather, would be the bane of any Church. There cannot be a more pregnant instance, than that of New England, yet fresh, not in our memory, but in our eye; where the late Jezebel', which called herself a Prophetess, had wellnear corrupted and overthrown that Thyatira, by her private, but pernicious conceits; broached, first, amongst her gossips; then, diffused to wiser heads; and, at last, under an opinion of sanctity, entertained and abetted by some of the elders and teachers of that Church, which promised to itself, and professed more strictness of discipline, than that which it left. And what success the dangerous fancies of one Eaton, the father of Antinomianism in this Diocese, hath had, I would rather bewail, than express. The truth is, that if way may be given to this wild freedom, it cannot be, but monsters of opinion must needs pester the world; a real emblem whereof, it pleased God to shew, in that remote colony of our retired brethrena. It was a conceit of old, reported, I perceive, by many historians, that the Huns, a people wherewith, amongst the rest, the civiler parts of the world were much infected, were a breed of men, begotten by certain familiar devils that haunted those deserts, of certain witches which they called Alyrumnas: the truth whereof, as they say, was evidenced in the ghastly and ugly visages of those savage persons. Surely, such a generation we must expect of misshapen opinions, begot betwixt evil spirits and mad phantasies, if every fanatical brain may be suffered to vent and propagate its own whimsies and prodigious imaginations. And, I would to God, our sad experience did not already afford us too lamentable examples in this kind. I profess, some paradoxes, that have looked forth into the pub Faciunt favos et vespa, faciunt Ecclesias et Marcionita. Tertul. advers. Marcion. 1. iv. c. 5. Libertas Prophetandi, challenged by Simon Episcopius, &c. Mrs. Hutchison. See the Discovery of the Anabaptists and Antinomians of New England. a Ubi supra Discovery of Anabaptists, &c. b For. de Gall. Imperio ex Jernande.-Paulus Aquileg. Hist. l. xii. A Faunis Phycariis, &c. lic light, have been so horrible, that I dare not so much as to repeat them: and what shafts one archer hath shot, is known and censured; though I fear they will yet stick fast in many souls. The issue is, that, as we must labour to unite all those, which should be conjoined; so we must take care, if ever we would enjoy peace, to dissipate those, which will not, or should not, or cannot be united d. Those, therefore, who do pertinaciously and unreclaimably maintain doctrines destructive to the foundation of Christian Religion, must necessarily be avoided and suppressed. It is the charge of the Disciple of Love, If any man bring not, i. e. oppose this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God-speed; 2 John 10: and, more plainly of the Doctor of the Gentiles, A man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject; Tit. iii. 10. Those, that fly out from a true established Church, and run ways of their own, raising and fomenting sects and schisms amongst God's people, let them receive their doom; not from me, but from the blessed Apostle Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them, which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine, which ye have learned, and avoid them: for they, that are such, serve not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and, by good words and fair speeches, deceive the hearts of the simple; Rom. xvi. 17, 18. CHAP. II. OF THE WAYS OF PEACE WHICH CONCERN PRIVATE PERSONS. Now, then, for the better prevention or remedy of these mischiefs, which attend spiritual discord, let us address ourselves to the chalking out of those Ways of Peace, which the God of Peace hath called us to walk in; and which shall undoubtedly lead us to our desired end. And those ways are either private or public; Private, such as every Christian must frame himself to tread in; Public, such as are fit for every Church and State. a Hujusmodi hominum pravitati, non tam disputationum studio, quàm authoritutum privilegio est resistendum. Prosper contra Collatorem. SECT. I. The First Private Way of Peace: To labour against the inward grounds of Contention; viz. (1.) Pride :-(2.) SelfLove :-(3.) Envy, and Malice :—(4.) Covetousness. FIRST, then, for each PRIVATE PERSON; the most ready way to peace, is, TO LABOUR WITHIN HIMSELF AGAINST THE INWARD CAUSES AND GROUNDS OF CONTENTION; which are commonly Pride, Self-Love, Envy, Covetousness. (1.) Only by Pride cometh contention, saith the wisest of men; Prov. xiii. 10: whose observation is seconded by all experience; for, what is it, that kindles this fire every where, but height of insolence, and over-weening? "I am better than thou," raises the furious and bloody contestations for precedency: "I am holier than thou," causes a contemptuous separation from company, better, perhaps, than ourselves: "I am wiser than thou," is guilty of all the irregular opinions, that the world is disquieted withal. These three quarrels of emulation, for worth, holiness, wisdom, are they, that put the whole earth into combustion. [1.] In that tribe, which should be sacred, who knows not, what broils have been raised, for but a Priority of Place? What scuffling, and shouldering, and bloodsheds have been, in the records of history, betwixt the trains of Canterbury and York, whether's Cross should take the wall! And what high terms have been between the Sees of Rome and Constantinople, to the great trouble of Emperors and Councils, he must needs be a stranger to the Church-story, that knoweth not. Yea, what is it, that hath made such havock in the Church of Christ, for these many hundred years, but the Man of Sin, his advancing himself above all that is called God? so as he, that was first an humble subject, ready to lick the dust of the feet of princes, now would be lording it over the great monarchs of the earth; who must think it no small honour, to be admitted to hold his towel, to serve in his dish, to bear his canopy, to hold his stirrup, to lead his horse, to kiss his foot. He, that was once, singulis minor, a servant of servants, is now major universis: so much greater than a General Council, that, to make but the comparison, is heretical. Lastly, he, that was once dragged to every bar, now makes but one tribunal with God. How hast e Dum gloriam usurpant, turbant pacem. Bernard. Ep. 126. Antique Roma throno quòd urbs illa imperaret, jure Patres privilegia tribuere; et, cá consideratione moti, 150 amantissimi Dei Episcopi novæ Romæ throno æqualia privilegia tribuere, &c. Concil. Chalced. Acts 15. Can. 27. * Vide Librum Sacr. Cer. Hodie tenere Concil. Generale esse supra Papam; dicet hæreticum. Paul thou climbed up into heaven, O Lucifer! How hast thou said in thy heart, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation! Isa. xiv. 14. [2.] In the second place, what divisions are wont to be made by an over-conceit of Sanctity, needs no other instance, than that of the proud Pharisees; who thereupon kept their distance from the Sons of the Earth, as their scorn styled them; and could say, as they had learned of their arrogant predecessors', Stand by thyself: come not near to me; for 1 am holier than thou; Isa. lxv. 5. And, under the times of the Gospel, what need we any other witness, than the cells and cloisters of retired votaries, whose very secession proclaims their contempt of sinful seculars; and doth as good as say, This people, which knoweth not the Law, is accursed? And, what other can be the language of those picked combinations of Saints out of Churches, Churches out of Parishes, Members out of Congregations, and Seekers out of Select Members, which we hear of in our woeful subdivisions? [3.] But that, which is guilty of the most general debate, is the over-valuation of Wisdom: out of the opinion whereof, every man is ready to idolize his own imagination; and to fall foul on any, whosoever will not fall down and worship it. Hence are those infinite paradoxes, not in philosophy only, but, which can never be enough lamented, in matter of religion; daily hatched, and stiffly maintained, to the unspeakable disturbance of our Christian peace. Whosoever, therefore, desires to have his bosom a meet harbour for peace, must be sure to quit it of this blustering inmate of pride; which, wherever it lurks, will be raising storms and tempests of contention. (2.) The pew-fellow to pride is Self-Love, and no less enemy to peace. This makes a man to sacrifice to himself, with Sejanus; and to admire and over-prize ought of his own; and weds him to his own particular interest, with the neglect, or, if need be, the affront of all others. This moves every man to make that challenge, which the blessed Apostle most justly professed, And I think also, that I have the Spirit of God; 1 Cor. vii. 40. And, if a Micaiah will be pretending a different light, this stirs up a Zedekiah to buffet him; and to ask, Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto thee? 1 Kings xxii. 24. This is it, that turns every man's goose into a swan, and Grysald. Aqil. de Confes.-Nec à Papa ad Deum potest appellari, cum sit idem causes the Hermit to set more value upon his cat, than Gregory upon the world. This is it, that requires fair glosses to be set upon our own actions', and renders us impatient of all contradiction: and, where it finds the least opposition; like a violent torrent which is dammed up with slight turfs, it bears down all before it, and impetuously gusheth forth, and fills the channels, and overspreads the plains: so as, where this prevails, there can be no room for Peace. (3.) If yet there can be a more direct and professed enemy of peace, it is that of Enry and Malice. 66 These disaffections to the persons, have ever raised a hostility to the best causes. 'My puisné, my rival, my enemy is advanced I lie still neglected: am I so tame as to suffer it?" "My unequal neighbour goes away with the reputation: no man looks at my abler parts and better merits: while he is all, shall I abide to be nobody?" "Shall Jacob go away with the birthright and blessing?" saith Esau: Gen. xxvii. 41: "Shall Eldad and Medad prophesy?" saith Joshua; Num. xi. 28. "Shall Moses and Aaron overtop us?" saith Korah and his company; Num. xvi. 3. "Shall David be sung up for victories?" saith Saul; 1 Sam. xviii. 8. "Shall Nehemiah build the walls of Jerusalem ?" saith Sanballat; Neh. ii. 19. Hereupon, straight follow secret underminings, open oppositions, deadly contestations. Envy in the bosom, is like a subterraneous fire shut up in the bowels of the earth, which, after some astonishing concussation, breaks furiously out, with noise and horror; and if a city, a mountain be in the way, blows it up, or swallows it down into that dreadful gulph which it maketh. And Who is able to stand before envy? saith wise Solomon; Prov. xxvii. 4. No mortal tongue or pen is able to express the woeful stirs, that have hence been raised in the Christian Church, even from the first plantation of it. No sooner is the woman delivered of her male-child, than this red dragon stands before her to devour it; Rev. xii. 4. Yea, even in those saddest times, ere the Church could have space to breathe herself from her public miseries, under that hot persecution, begun by Decius and continued by Gallus and Volusianus and Hostilianus Perpennam, when as the Christians could not meet in their wonted caves and vaults for their holy devotions; yet, even then, an emulous Novatus could be scuffling with Cornelius, the Bishop of Rome, for his Chair; and that so fiercely, as that he forced the Communicants, upon k Broimard. Summa Prædic. verb. Divitiæ. Jura Rom. Pontificum sunt reverenter glossanda. Jo. Major. Disp. an Concil. sit supra Papam. Cornel. Epist. ad Lupicinum, Episcopum Viennensem. |