The two great causes that keep divisions from being hated as they ought, are, 1. A charitable respect to the good that is in church dividers, carrying us to overlook the evil of the sin; judging of it by the persons that commit it, and thinking that nothing should seem odious that is theirs, because many of them are in other respects of blameless, pious conversations. And indeed every christian must so prudently reprehend the mistakes and faults of pious men, as not to asperse the piety which is conjunct; and therefore not to make their persons odious, but to give the person all his just commendations for his piety, while we oppose and aggravate his sin; because Christ himself so distinguisheth between the good and the evil, and the person and the sin, and loveth his own for their good while he hateth their evil; and so must we; and because it is the grand design of Satan, by the faults of the godly to make their persons hated first, and their piety next, and so to banish religion from the world; and every friend of Christ must show himself an enemy to this design of Satan. But yet the sin must be disowned and opposed, while the person is loved according to his worth. Christ will give no thanks for such love to his children, as cherisheth their church-destroying sins. There is no greater enemy to sin than Christ, though there be no greater friend to souls. Godliness was never intended to be a fortress for iniquity; or a battery for the devil to mount his cannons on against the church; nor for a blind to cover the powder-mines of hell. Satan never opposeth truth, and godliness, and unity so dangerously, as when he can make religious men his instruments. Remember therefore that all men are vanity, and God's interest and honour must not be sacrificed to theirs, nor the Most Holy be abused, in reverence to the holiest of sinful men.
The other great hinderance of our due apprehension of the sinfulness of divisions, is our too deep sense of our sufferings by superiors, and our looking so much at the evil of persecutions, as not to look at the danger of the contrary extreme. Thus under the papacy, the people of Germany at Luther's reformation were so deeply sensible of the papal cruelties, that they thought by how many ways soever men fled from such bloody persecutors, they were very excusable. And while men were all taken up in decrying the Roman idolatry, corruptions, and cruelties, they never feared the danger of their own divisions till they smarted by them. And this was once the case of many good people here in England, who so much hated the wickedness of the profane and the haters of godliness, that they had no apprehensions of the evil of divisions among themselves: and because so many profane ones were wont to call sober, godly people, schismatics and factious, therefore the very names began with many to grow into credit, as if they had been of good signification, and there had been really no such sin as schism and faction to be feared: till God permitted this sin to break in upon us with such fury, as had almost turned us into a Babel, and a desolation. And I am persuaded God did purposely permit it, to teach his people more sensibly to know the evil of that sin by the effects, which they would not know by other means: and to let them see when they had reviled and ruined each other, that there is that in themselves which they should be more afraid of, than of any enemy without.
Direct. V. Own not any cause which is an enemy to love; and pretend neither truth, nor holiness, nor unity, nor order, nor any thing against it.[159] The spirit of love is that one vital spirit which doth animate all the saints. The increase of love is the powerful balsam that healeth all the church's wounds; though loveless, lifeless physicians think that all these wounds must be healed by the sword. And indeed the weapon-salve is now become the proper cure. It is the sword that must be medicated, that the wounds made by it may be healed. The decays of love are the church's dissolution; which first causeth scissures and separations, and in process crumbleth us all to dust: and therefore the pastors of the church are the fittest instruments for the cure, who are the messengers of love, and whose government is paternal, and hurteth not the body; but is only a government of love, and exercised by all the means of love. All christians in the world confess that love is the very life and perfection of all grace, and the end of all our other duties, and that which maketh us like to God; and that if love dwelleth in us, God dwelleth in us; and that it will be the everlasting grace, and the work of heaven, and the happiness of souls; and that it is the excellent way, and the character of saints, and the new commandment. And all this being so, it is most certain that no way is the way of God, which is not the way of love; and therefore what specious pretences soever they may have, and one may cry up truth, and another holiness, and another order, and another unity itself, to justify their envyings, hatred, cruelties, it is most certain that all such pretences are satanical deceits.[160] And if they bite and devour one another, they are not like the sheep of Christ, but shall be devoured one of another, Gal. v. 15. "Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law," Rom. xiii. 10. When papists that show their love to men's souls by racking their bodies, and frying them in the fire, can make them apprehensive of the excellency of that kind of love, they may use it to the healing of the church. In the mean time as their religion is, such is their concord, while all those are called members of their union, and professors of their religion, who must be burnt to ashes if they say the contrary. They that give God an image and carcass of religion, are thus content with the image and carcass of a church for the exercise of it. And if there were nothing else but this to detect the sinfulness of the sect of quakers, and many more, it is enough to satisfy any sober man, that it cannot be the way of God. God is not the author of that spirit and way which tends to wrath, emulation, hatred, railing, and the extinction of christian love, to all save their own sect and party. Remember, as you love your souls, that you shun all ways that are destructive to universal christian love.
Direct. VI. Make nothing necessary to the unity of the church, or the communion of christians, which God hath not made necessary, or directed you to make so.[161] By this one folly, the papists are become the most notorious schismatics on earth; even by making new articles of faith, and new parts of worship, and imposing them on all christians, to be sworn, subscribed, professed, or practised, so as that no man shall be accounted a catholic, or have communion with them, (or with the universal church, if they could hinder it,) that will not follow them in all their novelties. They that would subscribe to all the Scriptures, and to all the ancient creeds of the church, and would do any thing that Christ and his apostles have enjoined, and go every step of that way to heaven that Peter and Paul went, as far as they are able, yet if they will go no further, and believe no more, (yea, if they will not go against some of this,) must be condemned, cast out, and called schismatics by these notorious schismatics. If he hold to Christ the universal Head of the church, and will not be subject or sworn to the pope, the usurping head, he shall be taken as cut off from Christ. And there is no certainty among these men what measure of faith, and worship, and obedience to them, shall be judged necessary to constitute a church member: for as that which served in the apostles' days, and the following ages, will not serve now, nor the subscribing to all the other pretended councils until then will not serve without subscribing to the creed or council of Trent; so nobody can tell, what new faith, or worship, or test of christianity, the next council (if the world see any more) may require: and how many thousand that are Trent catholics now, may be judged heretics or schismatics then, if they will not shut their eyes, and follow them any whither, and change their religion as oft as the papal interest requireth a change. Of this Chillingworth, Hales, and Dr. H. More have spoken plainly.[162] If the pope had imposed but one lie to be subscribed, or one sin to be done, and said "All nations and persons that do not this, are no christians, or shall have no communion with the church," the man that refuseth that imposed lie or sin, is guiltless of the schism, and doth but obey God, and save his soul; and the usurper that imposeth them, will be found the heinous schismatic before God, and the cause of all those divisions of the church. And so if any private sectary shall feign an opinion or practice of his own to be necessary to salvation or church communion, and shall refuse communion with those that are not of his mind and way, it is he, and not they, that is the cause of the uncharitable separation.
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.