copal corruptions, in the pressing of any troubles, let them now give God the glory, and be ashamed of their own hearts, lest it be bitterness in the end. (2.) In the time of prosperity, by our fierce contentions about mint and cummin, whilst the weightier things of the gospel have been undervalued, languishing about unprofitable questions, &c. but I shall not touch this wound lest it bleed. Use 3. For exhortation, that every one of us, in whose hand there is any thing, would set in for the help of those parts of this island that as yet sit in darkness, yea, in the shadow of death, and have none to hold out the bread of life to their fainting souls. Doth not Wales cry, and the North cry, yea, and the West cry, Come and help us? We are yet in a worse bondage, than any by your means we have been delivered from; if you leave us thus, all your protection will but yield us a more free and jovial passage to the chambers of death. Ah, little do the inhabitants of Goshen know, whilst they are contending about the bounds of their pasture, what darkness there is in other places of the land; how their poor starved souls would be glad of the crumbs that fall from our tables. O that God would stir up the hearts (1.) Of ministers, to cast off all by-respects, and to flee to those places, where, in all probability, the harvest would be great, and the labourers are few or none at all. I have read of a heretic that swam over a great river in a frost to scatter his errors; the old Jewish, and now popish pharisees, compass sea and land to make proselytes; the merchants trade not into more countries, than the factors of Rome do, to gain souls to his holiness. East and west, far and wide, do these locusts spread themselves, not without hazard of their lives, as well as the loss of their souls, to scatter their superstitions; only the preachers of the everlasting gospel seem to have lost their zeal. O that there were the same mind in us that was in Jesus Christ, who counted it his meat and drink, to do his Father's will, in gaining souls! (2.) Of the magistrates, I mean of this honourable assembly, to turn themselves every lawful way, for the help of poor Macedonians. The truth is, in this I could speak more than I intend; for perhaps my zeal and some men's judgments would scarce make good harmony. This only I shall · say, that if Jesus Christ might be preached, though with some defects in some circumstances, I should rejoice therein. O that you would labour to let all the parts of the kingdom taste of the sweetness of your successes, in carrying to them the gospel of the Lord Jesus; that the doctrine of the gospel might make way for the discipline of the gospel, without which it will be a very skeleton. When manna fell in the wilderness from the hand of the Lord, every one had an equal share; I would there were not now too great an inequality in the scattering of manna, when secondarily in the hand of men; whereby some have all, and others none; some sheep daily picking the choice flowers of every pasture, others wandering upon the barren mountains, without guide or food. I make no doubt but the best ways for the furtherance of this are known full well unto you, and therefore have as little need to be petitioned in this, as other things. What then remains? but that for this, and all other necessary blessings, we all set our hearts and hands to petition the throne of grace. A COUNTRY ESSAY FOR THE PRACTICE OF CHURCH-GOVERNMENT THERE. READER, THIS, be it what it will, thou hast no cause to thank or blame me for. Had I been mine own, it had not been thine. My submission unto others' judgments being the only cause of submitting this unto thy censure. The substance of it is concerning things now doing, in some whereof I heretofore thought it my wisdom modestly hæsitare (or at least not with the most peremptorily to dictate to others my apprehensions), as wiser men have done in weightier things; and yet this not so much for want of persuasion in my own mind, as out of opinion that we have already had too many needless and fruitless discourses about these matters. Would we could agree to spare perishing paper; and for my own part, had not the opportunity of a few lines in the close of this sermon, and the importunity of not a few friends urged, I could have slighted all occasions, and accusations, provoking to publish those thoughts which I shall now impart. The truth is, in things concerning the church (I mean things purely external, of form, order, and the like), so many a Laudatur ab his, culpatur ab illis. b See August. Ep. 7. 28. 157. de orig. anim. ways have I been spoken, that I often resolved to speak myself, desiring rather to appear (though conscious to myself of innumerable failings) what indeed I am, than what others incuriously suppose. But yet the many, I ever thought unworthy of an apology, and some of satisfaction; especially those, who would make their own judgments a rule for themselves and others, impatient that any should know what they do not, or conceive otherwise than they, of what they do; in the meantime, placing almost all religion in that, which may be perhaps a hinderance of it; and being so valued, or rather overvalued, is certainly the greatest. Nay, would they would make their judgments, only so far as they are convinced, and are able to make out their conceptions to others, and not also their impotent desires, to be the rule; that so they might condemn only that, which complies not with their minds, and not all that also, which they find to thwart their aims and designs. But so it must be. Once more conformity is grown the touchstone (and that not in practice, but opinion) amongst the greatest part of men, however otherwise of different persuasions. Dissent is the only crime, and where that is all that is culpable, it shall be made all that is so. From such as these, who almost hath not suffered? but towards such the best defence is silence. Besides, my judgment commands me, to make no known quarrel my own; but rather if it be possible, and as much as in me lieth, live peaceably with all men: Ispov róλeμov I proclaim to none, but men whose bowels are full of gall: in this spring of humours, lenitives for our own spirits may perhaps be as necessary, as purges for others' brains. Farther, I desire to pro 4 Immortale odium et nunquam sanabile bellum, Odit uterque locus. Juven. Grace scire, aut polite loqui, apud illos hæresis est. Eras. de Scholiast. voke none; more stings than combs are got at a nest of wasps even cold stones, smitten together, sparkle out fire: 'the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood.' Neither do I conceive it wisdom, in these quarrelsome days, to intrust more of a man's self with others, than is very necessary. The heart of man is deceitful; some that have smooth tongues, have sharp teeth: such can give titles on the one side, and wounds on the other. Any of these considerations would easily have prevailed with me 'stultitia hac caruisse,' had not mine ears been filled, presently after the preaching of the precedent sermon, with sad complaints of some, and false reports of others, neither of the lowest rank of men, as though I had helped to open a gate for that which is now called a Trojan horse; though heretofore counted an engine likelier to batter the walls of Babylon, than to betray the towers of Sion. This urged some to be urgent with me for a word or two about church-government, according to the former suggestions, undermined, and a toleration of different persuasions, as they said asserted. Now truly to put the accusers to prove the crimination, for so it was, and held forth a grievous crime in their apprehensions (what is really so God will judge), had been sufficient. But I could not so evade; and, therefore, after my sermon was printed to the last sheet, I was forced to set apart a few hours, to give an account of what hath passed from me in both these things, which have been so variously reported; hoping that the reading may not be unuseful to some, as the writing was very necessary to me. And here at the entrance, I shall desire at the hands of men that shall cast an eye e Noli irritare crabrones. Si lapides teras nonne ignis erumpit? Ambros. lib. 1. cap. 21. Prov. xxx. 33. Job xxxiii. 21. Prov. xxv. 18. Vid. Remed. contra gravam nationis Germanicæ. Luth. præfat. ad lib. de concil. Protest. 34. ministrorum. 4. Conclus. That generally all writers at the beginning of the Reformation. Si accusasse sufficiet, quis erit innocens? 8 Nec nos obniti contra, nec tendere tantum Sufficimus. |