Directions for Dealing with Self-Conceited Opinionists

Another sort there are that we may have occasion of conference with, though they will scarcely stoop to be catechised, and that is, opinionative questionists, that being tainted with pride and self-conceitedness, are readier to teach than to be taught, and to vent their own conceits, and quarrel with you as being ignorant or erroneous yourselves, than to receive instruction; and if they are tainted with any notable error or schismatical dispositions, they will seek to waste time in vain j anglings, and to dispute rather than to learn. I am not now directing you what to do with those men at other times (of that I shall give a touch anon); but only in case they come to you at this time which is appointed for catechising and edifying instruction: nor is it my thought to presume to direct any but the weaker sort of ministers in this, any more than in the former.

It is likely you will have some come to you amongst the rest, that when they should give an account of their faith, will fall into a teaching and contentious discourse. One will tell you that you have no true Church, because you have such bad members; another will ask you by what authority you baptize infants; another will ask you how you can be a true minister if you had your ordination from prelates; and another will tell you that you are no true minister because you had not your ordination from prelates; another will ask you what scripture you have for praying or singing psalms in a mixed assembly; and another will quarrel with you because you administer not the Lord’s Supper to them in the gesture and manner as they desire, and were wont to receive it, or because you exercise any discipline among them. If any such person should come to you, and thus seek to divert your better discourse, I should think it best to take this course with them: —

1. Let them know that this meeting is appointed for instructing the people in the principles of religion, and you think it very unmeet to pervert it from that use; it being a sin to do God’s work disorderly, or to be doing a lesser work when you should be doing a greater: and therefore, as you durst not turn God’s public worship on the Lord’s day into vain or contentious disputing, which discompose men’s minds, and spoil a greater work; so neither do you think it lawful to abuse those times to lower uses which are appointed for higher.

2. Yet let him know that you do not this to avoid any trial of the truth; and therefore that you will at any other fit season, endeavour to give him full satisfaction; or you will as willingly receive instruction from him, if he be able, and have the truth, as you desire he should receive instruction from you: and if it must be so, you will yield to his desire before you part, if there be but time when you have despatched the greater work: but upon condition only, that he will submit to the greater first.

3. Then desire him first to give you some account of the principles in the catechism: and if he deny it, convince him before all of the iniquity of his course: — (1.) In that it is the first principles that salvation most dependeth on, and therefore being of greatest excellency and necessity, are first to be taken into consideration. (2.) In that it is the appointed business of this day. (3.) It is orderly to begin with the fundamentals, because they bear up the rest, which suppose them, flow from them, and cannot be understood without them. (4.) It is the note of a proud, vain-glorious hypocrite, to make a flourish about lesser things, and yet either to be ignorant of the greater, or to scorn to give that account of his knowledge, which the people, whom he despiseth, refuse not to give.

If he yield to you, ask him only such questions as are of great weight, and yet strain him up a little higher than you do the common people; and especially put him most upon defining, or distinguishing, or expounding some terms or sentences of Scripture. As such questions as these may be put to him, which call for definitions, wherein it is ten to one but you will find him ignorant:” What is God? What is Jesus Christ? W’hat is the Holy Ghost 1 What is person in the Trinity 1 How many natures hath Christ? AVas Christ a creature before His incarnation or the creation ‘? Is He called the firstborn of all creatures as God, or as man 1 Is He called the image of the invisible God, and the express image of the Father’s person or subsistence, as a creature, or as God? Was Adam bound to believe in Christ 1 AYas one or two covenants made with Adam before his fall? Did the first covenant of nature make any promise of everlasting celestial glory 1 Did it threaten hell-fire or temporal death 1 Did it threaten eternal torment to the soul only, or to the body also 1 Should there have

,been any resurrection of the body, if Christ had not come to procure it? Should Christ have come, or have been our head, or have brought us to glory, if man had not fallen? lat is the first covenant “? what its conditions “? “What the second covenant, and its conditions? AYhat was the difierence between the covenant with Adam, and that by Moses 1 Was it a covenant of works or of grace, that was made by Moses l What were the conditions of salvation before Christ’s incarnation “? What is forgiveness of sin? What is justification 1 How are we said to be justified by faith? how by works 1 What is faith “? AVhat repentance 1 What sanctification, vocation, regeneration? Is the covenant of grace made with the elect only, or with all; or with whom “? What is free-will? Is there any conversion without the Word “? What is the true nature of special grace and what is the proper difference of a regenerate man from all others 1 AVhat is the Catholic Church ■? How will you know the true Chui’ch 1 How know you the Scripture to be the Word of God 1 What is Christ’s priestly, prophetical, kingly ofiice 1 Be they three ofiices, or but one 1 and be they all 1” — with abundance of the like.

If it be sacrament controversies which he raiseth, tell him it is necessary that you be first agreed what baptism and the Lord’s Supper are, before you dispute who should be baptized; and it is twenty to one, he is not able truly to tell you what the sacraments themselves are. A true definition of baptism or the Lord’s Supper is not so commonly given as is pretended.

4. If he discover his ignorance in the cases propounded, endeavour to humble him in the sense of his pride and presumption; and let him know what it is, and what it signifieth to go about with a contentious, proud behaviour, while he is indeed so ignorant in things of greater moment.

5. See that you are able to give him better information yourselves in the points wherein you find him ignorant,

6. But especially take care that you discern the spirit of the man; and if he be a settled, perverse schismatic or heretic, so that you see him peremptory, and quite transported with pride, and have no great hopes of his recovery, then do all this that I have before said openly l)efore all that are present, that he may be humbled or shamed, and the rest confirmed. But if you find him godly and temperate, and that there is any hope of his reduction, then see that you do all this privately, between him and you only; let not fall any bitter words that tend to his disparagement. And thus I advise, both because we must be as tender of the reputation of all good men, as fidelity to them and to the truth will permit. We must bear one another’s burdens, and not increase them; and we must restore those with a spirit of meekness that fall through infirmity, remembering that we ourselves also may be tempted, and also because there is small hope that you should ever do them good, if once you exasperate them, and disafi’ect them towards

you.

7. See that to such erring persons as you have any hopes of, you carry yourselves with as much tenderness and love as will consist with your duty to the Church of God: for most of them, when they are once tainted this way, are so selfish and highminded, that they are much more impatient of reproof than many of the profaner sort of people.

This way did JMusculus take with the Anabaptists, visiting them in j)erson, and relieving them, even while they railed at him as antichristian; and so continued without disputing with them, till they were convinced that he loved them, and then they sought to him for advice themselves, and many of them were reclaimed by him.

8. Either in the conclusion of your meeting, or at an appointed time, when you come to debate their controversy “^ith them, tell them,” That seeing they think you unable to teach them, and think themselves able to teach you, it is your desire to learn. You suppose disputing, as tending usually to exasperate men’s minds, rather than to satisfy them, is to be used as the last remedy; therefore you are here ready, i± they are able to teach you, to learn of them, and desire them to speak their minds.” If they refuse, tell them you think it the humblest and most Christian edifying way for him that hath most knowledge to teach, and the other to learn; and therefore your purpose is to be either a learner or a teacher, and not be a disputant till they make it to be necessary. “When they have declared their minds to you in a teaching way, if it be nothing but the common pleas of the seduced, as it is likely it will not, tell them, “That this is no new thing to you; it is not the first time that you have heard it or considered of it; and if you had found a Dine evidence in it, you had received it long ago: you are truly willing to receive all truth, but you have received that which is contrary to this doctrine with far better evidence than they bring for it,”

&c. If they desire to hear what your evidence is, tell them, if they will hear as learners, you shall communicate your evidence in the meetest way you can; which if they promise to do, let them know that this promise obligeth them to impartiality, and an humble, free entertainment of the truth, and that they do not turn back in rash carping and contention, but take wdiat shall be delivered into serious consideration: which if they promise, if you are so far versed in the point in hand as to manage it well “ex tempore,” or the person be temperate and fit for such debates, then come in with your evidence in a way of discourse, first shewing your reasons against the grossest imperfections of his own discourse, and then giving him your grounds from Scripture; not many, but rather a few of the clearest and best approved. When you have done, (or without verbal teaching, if you find him unfit to learn that way.) give him some book that most effectually defendeth the questioned truth, and tell him, “That it is a vain thing to say that over so often which is so fully said already, and a man may better consider of what he hath before his eyes, than of that which slideth through his ears, and is mistaken or forgotten: and therefore you desire him, as an humble learner, to peruse that book with mature consideration, because there are the same things that you would say to him; and desire him to bring you in a sober and solid answer to the chief strength of it, if after penisal he judge it to be unsound;” and if possible, fasten some one of the most striking esddences on him before you leave him. If he refuse to read the book, endeavour to convince him of his unfaithfulness to the truth and his own soul. Doth he think that God’s truth is not worth his study 1 or will he venture his soul, as the ungodly do, and the Church’s peace with it, and all to save himself so small a labour ‘? Is it not just with God to give him over to delusion that will not be at a little pains to be informed, nor afford the truth an equal hearing?

9. But above all, before you part, yea, or before you debate the controversy, see that you do sum up the precedent truths wherein you are both agreed. (1.) Know whether he agree to all that is in the catechism, which you teach the people. (2.) Whether he suppose that you may attain salvation, if you be true to so much as you are agreed in. (3.) Whether they that are so far agreed as you are, should not live in love and peace, as children of the same God, and members of the same Christ, and heirs of the same kingdom. (4.) Whether you are not bound, notwithstanding your small differences, to be helpers in the main work of the gospel for the conversion and saving of souls, (5.) Whether they are not bound to manage the private differences so as they may not hinder the main work, and therefore to let the lesser stoop to the greater. (6.) Whether they ought not to hold communion in public worship and church-relation with those that are so far agreed, and walk in the fear of God. (7.) And whether it be not schism to separate from them, for the sake of that small disagreement, themselves being not necessitated by communion to any actual sin.

I speak all this only of the tolerable differences that are among men fearing God; and in that case, if the person be sober and understanding, he must needs ydeld to the affirmative of these questions: which if he do, or to any of them, let him subscribe it, or openly aver it; and then let all the bystanders be made apprehensive that none of the great matters that you deal with them about, are questioned, but all yielded unquestionable; and the affixed scripture leaves them so; therefore there is no cause for them to receive the least discoura£>;ement.

I confess it is past doubt, that differing brethren may well join in recommending the truth that they are agreed in to the ignorant people. Bishop Usher told King James, in his sermon at Wansted, on the Church’s unity, that he made this motion even to the Papist priests themselves, that they might join in teaching the people of that barbarous nation the common principles that both were agreed in: a motion too Christian for sullen, factious zeal to entertain. I will repeat his own words, p. 33: — “The danger, then, of this ignorance being, by the confession of the most judicious divines of both sides, acknowledged to be so great; the woful estate of the poor country wherein I live is much to be lamented, where the people generally are suffered to perish for want of knowledge, (he meant the Papists,) the vulgar superstitions of Popery not doina; them half that hurt that the io;norance of those common principles of the faith doth, which all true Christians are bound to learn. The consideration whereof hath sometimes drawn me to treat with those of the opposite party to move them, that however in other things we differ one from another, yet we should join together in teaching those main points the knowledge whereof was so necessary to salvation, and of the truth whereof there was no controversy betwixt us. But what, for the jealousies which these distractions in matters of religion have bred among us, and what, for other respects, the motion took small effect; and so betwixt us both, the poor people are kept still in miserable ignorance, neither knowing the gTounds of the one religion nor of the other.” So far this learned Christian bishop.

And what wonder if Popish priests refuse this motion, when now among us it is so rare a matter to find any in England, though he differ only in the point of infant baptism, that will calmly and without fraudulent designs of secretly promoting his own opinions by it, entertain and prosecute such a motion from the common good; as if they had rather that Christianity were thrust out of the world, or kept under, than infants should be admitted into the Church! Well, let any party or person pretend what they ^yill of zeal or holiness, I will ever take the “dividatur” for an ill sign: the true mother abhors the division of the child; and the true Christian doth prefer the common interest of Christianity, before the interest of a faction, or an opinion, and would not have the whole building endangered, rather than one peg should not be driven in, as he would have it; he had rather a particular truth, if we suppose it a truth, should suffer, than the whole or the main.

Having given you this advice, what to do with this kind of men in your conference on the occasion now in question, 1 shall add a word or two of advice, how to carry yourself towards them at other times; for the preservation of the unity and peace of your congregations doth much depend on your right dealing with such as these. For, alas! for grief and shame, it is most commonly men that profess more than ordinary relimousness, that are the dividers of the Church.

1. I must premise, that the chief part of your work to preserve the Church from such, doth cousist in the prevention of their fall: for when they are once thoroughly infected, be the error what it will, they are but seldom recovered; but if they be beaten out of the error which they first fell into, they go to another, and perhaps thence to another, but seldom return to the truth.

2. To which end, it is most desirable that the minister should be of parts above the people, so far as to be able to teach them, and awe them, and manifest their weaknesses to themselves, or to all. The truth is, for it cannot be hid,- it is much long of the ministers, that our poor people are run into so many factions; and particularly, the weakness of too many is not the least cause. When a proud seducer shall have a nimble tongue, and a minister be dull and ignorant, so that such a one can baffle him, or play upon him in the ears of others, it brings him into contempt, and overthrows the weak; for they commonly judge him to have the best cause that hath the most confident, plausible, triumphant tongue. But when a minister is able to open their shame to all, it mightily tendeth to preserve the Church from their infection.

3. It is necessary also to this end, that you frequently and thoroughly possess your people with the natiu’e, necessity, and daily use of the great unquestionable principles of religion, and of the great sin and danger of a perverse zeal about the lower points before the greater are well laid, and let them be made sensible how it is the principles, and not their smaller controversies, that life or death depend upon.

4. Make them sensible of the mischiefs of sch.sni.

and the great and certain obligations that lie upon us all to maintain the Church’s unity and peace.

5. When a fire is kindled, resist it in the beginning, and make not light of the smallest spark; and therefore go presently to the infected person, and follow him by the means hereafter mentioned, till he be recovered.

6. Especially use a fit diversion. When a small controversy begins to endanger the Church, raise a greater yourself, which you have better advantage to manage, and which is not likely to make a division; this is, Ifet them know that there are far greater difficulties than theirs to be first resolved, such as some of the questions before mentioned, and so give them a catalogue of them, and set them at work upon them, that they may be matter of avocation from that sore, where the humours begin their conflux, and also that they may be humbled in the sense of their ignorance, and their proud self-conceits may be somewhat abated.

7. See that you preach to such auditors as these some higher points, that stall their understandings, and feed them not with all milk, but sometimes with stronger meat; for it exceedingly puffs them up with pride, when they hear nothing from ministers but what they know already, or can say themselves. This makes them think themselves as wise as you, and as fit to be teachers; for they think you know no more than you preach: and this hath set so many of them on preaching, because they hear nothing from others but what they can say themselves; and ministers do not set them such patterns as may humble them, and deter them from that work. Not that I would have you neglect the great fundamental verities, or wrong the weak and ignorant people, while you are dealing with such as these; but only when the main part of your sermons is as plain as you can speak, let some one small part be such as shall puzzle these self-conceited men; or else have one sermon in four or five on purpose for them; not by heaping up citations of fathers, nor repeating words of Latin or Greek, unless when you are convincing them of the difficulty of a text of Scripture, for they will but deride all this; but take up some profound questions, such as the schools voluminously agitate, and let them see that it is not your obscure manner of handling, but the matter itself, that is too hard for them, and so may see that they are yet but children that have need of milk, and that you would be more upon such higher points, if it were not that their incapacity doth take you off.

8. See that you preach as little as may be against them in the pulpit, in any direct manner, opposing their sect by name, or by any reproachful titles; for they are exceedingly tender, proud, passionate, and rash, ordinarily, that are entangled in a schism; and they will but hate you, and fly from you as an enemy, and say you rail. The way therefore is, without naming them, to lay the grounds clearly and soundly which must subvert their errors; and then the error will fall of itself: and when you are necessitated to deal with them directly, do it not by short, unsatisfactory applications, and toothed snatches, or irritating reproaches; but, without naming them, take up the controversy, and handle it thoroughly, peaceably, and convincingly, and so let them alone in public; yet

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be not too long upon it; but give them your fullest evidence in a few sermons, not saying all that may be said, but choosing out that which they can have least pretence to quarrel with, and passing over that which they may say more against, or will require more ado to clear and defend.

9. Be sure to keep up some private meetings, draw them in among you, and manage them prudently. By this means you may keep them from dividing meetings among themselves, where they may say what they will behind your back without control; for most professors are addicted to private meetings, which, well ordered, are of great use to their edification; and if they have not the opportunity of such as they should have, they will attend such as they should not. In the managing of them, as to the present purpose, observe these things: — (1.) Be sure to be always with them yourselves. (2.) Let not the main exercises of the meeting be such as tend to contention, or to private men’s proud ostentation of their parts, but such as tend to the edification of the people; not for private men to preach or expound Scripture, nor, as some do, to let every one of them speak to questions of their own propounding; but to repeat the sermons that you have preached, to call upon God, and sing His praise. (3.) Yet let there be some opportunity for them to speak, and appear in a learning way. To which purpose, when you have done repeating, let all that are present know, that if they doubt of anything that was delivered, or would have anything made plainer to them, or would be resolved in anything else that concerneth the subject in hand, or any other case of need, you desire them to propound their doubts; and so let them have the liberty of questioning as learners, while you remain the teacher, and resolve all the doubts yourselves, and do not set them on disputing, by leaving it to them to make the answer. And if you have not competent abilities “ex tempore” to resolve their doubts, you were much better let pass this too; but if you have, it will he of very great use, both for their edification, and the maintaining of order and their necessary dependence on you. (4.) But if you perceive them so set upon the exercise of their own parts for ostentation, that they are likely to didde, if they have not opportunity to do it, be not too stiff against them; but mildly let them know that it is for their good that you dislike it, both because it is a sign of a proud heart, that had rather teach than learn, especially where a teacher by ofiice is in place, and where there is no necessity; and also because you fear it will not tend to the edification of the flock, but to vain j anglings, or to excite others that are unable to an imitation. Desire also to know of them, whether they have any truth of God to reveal to them, that you do not reveal. If they have not, why should they desire needlessly to tell them what they are daily told by you 1 If they have, it is necessary that you know it and consider it, before you consent it should be taught to your flock. But if this mild resistance satisfy not, let them take their course awhile, rather than separate from you, imless they be already perverse and subtle heretics, and when they have done their exercises, tell them, that as you give liberty to all to propound their doubts about what you have delivered, so you must take the like liberty that you give: and so propound, first, Whether the understandings of people are likely to be more edified by such vain obtrusions of vanity, or by a fastening well upon their memories the things that they have lately heard; and so whether such exercises or repetitions be more necessary: and then open the weaknesses of their discourse; the mis-expounding of Scriptures, the errors in matter, in method, and in words; and that not in a contemptuous or disgraceful way, but as the points wherein you remain unsatisfied. By such means as these you will quickly shame them out of their way of ostentation, and make them give it over.

10. Make use of your people’s parts to the utmost, as your helpers, in an orderly way, under your guidance, or else they will make use of them in a disorderly and dividing way in opposition to you. It hath been a great cause of schism, when ministers would contemptuously cry down private men’s preaching, and withal desire not to make any use of the gifts that God hath given them for their assistance; but tllrust them too far from holy things, as if they were a profane generation. The work is likely to go poorly on if there be no hands employed in it but the ministers. God giveth not any of His gifts to be buried, but for common use. By a prudent improvement of the gifts of the more able Christians, we may receive much help by them, and prevent their abuse, even as lawful marriage preventeth fornication. And the uses you must especially put them to are these: — (1.) Urge them to be diligent in teaching and praying with their own families, especially catechising them, and teaching them the meaning of what they learn, and setting it home on their affections; and there if they have a mind to preach to their children and servants, so they undertake not more than they are able to do, I know no reason but they may. (2.) Urge them to step out now and then to their poor ignorant neighbours, and catechise and instruct them in meekness and patience, from day to day; and that will bring them more peace of conscience than contemning them. (3.) Urge them to go often to the impenitent and scandalous sinners about them, and deal mth them with all possible skill and earnestness, yet also with love and patience, for the converting, reforming, and saving their souls. (4.) Acquaint them with their duty of watching over each other in brotherly love, and admonishing and exhorting one another daily; and if any walk scandalously, to tell them their fault before two or three, after the contempt of private reproof; and if that prevail not, to tell the officers of the Church, that they may be proceeded with as Christ hath appointed. (5.) At your private meetings, and on days of humiliation or thanksgi’ing in private, employ them in prayer, and in such learning questions as is aforesaid. (6.) If there be any very ignorant or scandalous sinner that you know of, and you cannot possibly have time yourselves to speak to them at that season, send some of those that are able and sober, to do it in your stead, to instruct the ignorant, and to admonish the offenders, as far as a private man on a message from a minister, and in discharge of his own duty, may go. (7.) Let some of them be chosen to represent the Church; or to see that they have no wrong, and to be their agents to prepare all cases of discipline for public audience, and to be present with the Church-officers at appointed meetings, to hear the evidences that are brought in against any scandalous, impenitent sinners; and to discern how far they are valid, and how far the persona are obliged to make satisfaction, and give public testimony of repentence, or to be further proceeded against. (8.) Let such as are fit, be made subservient officers — I mean deacons; and then they may afford you help in a regular way, and will by their relation feel themselves obliged to maintain the unity of the Church, and authority of the ministry, as they have some participation of the employment and honour; and so by a complication of interests you will make them firmer to the Church; but then see that they be men competently fit for the place.

I am persuaded, if ministers had thus made use of the parts of their ablest members, they might have prevented much of the divisions, and distractions, and apostasies that have befallen us; for they would have then found work enough upon their hands for higher parts than theirs, without invading the ministry, and would rather have seen cause to bewail the imperfection of their abilities to that work which doth properly belong to them. Experience would have convinced and humbled them more than our words can do. A man may think he can stir such a block, or pluck up a tree by the roots, that never tried; but when he sets his hand to it he will come off ashamed. See that you drive them to diligence in their oYn works, and let them know what a sin it is to neglect their families, and their ignorant, miserable neighbours; and then they will be kept humble, and have no such mind to be running upon more work, when they feel you spurrino; them on to their own, and rebukino- them for the neglect; nor will they have any leisure for schism atical enterprises, because of the constancy and greatness of their employment.

11. Still keep up Christian love and familiarity with them, even when they have begun to warp, and make defection; and lose not your interest in them, while you have any thoughts of attempting their recovery.

12. If they do withdraw into separate meetings, follow them, and be among them, if it may be, continually. Enter a mild dissent as to the lawfulness of it; but yet teU them that you are willing to hear what it is that they have to say, and to be among them for their good, if they will give you leave, for fear lest they run to further evil, and be not easily removed. But hold on, unless they absolutely exclude you; for you may thereby have the opportunity of a moderate, gentle, opposing their errors, and so in time may manifest the vanity of their course; and you will prevent much of that impudent reviling, and grosser venting of further error, which they will do more freely where there is no one to contradict. They may say anything when there is none to gainsay them, and make it seem good in the eyes of the weak. By this means, if any seducers from abroad come in to confirm them, you will be ready to oppose them; and so, at the least, you will do much to prevent the increase of their party. It hath been a very great cause of the schisms in England, that ministers have only contemned them, and when they have withdrawn into private separate meetings, have talked against them to others, or reproved them in the pulpit, and in the meantime fled away from the faces of them, or been strangers to them; while they have given seducers opportunity to come among them, be familiar with them without contradiction, and to have the advantages of deceiving them, and even doing what they listed. Oil that the ministry had been more guiltless of those errors and schisms that they talk against! But it is easier to chide a sectary in the pulpit, and to subscribe a testimony against him, than to play the skilful physician for his cure, and do the tenth part of the duty that lieth upon us to prevent and heal such calamitous distempers. I am not finding fault wdth the prudent reprehensions of such in public, or testimonies against them; but I think too many of us have cause to fear, lest we do but publicly proclaim our own shame in the guilt of our negligence or imprudent “weaknesses, and lest, in condemning them and testifying against them, we testify against and condemn ourselves.

13. If you be not well able to deal with them, do as I before advised; give them the best book on that subject to peruse.

1 4. If all this will not do, get the fittest neighbouring minister that you know to come over and help you; not in public, nor as a set disputation, (without necessity,) but let him come as occasionally and “ex improviso” — come upon them in one of their private meetings, as desirous to see and hear them, and so take the opportunity to deal with them. And if after that there be any disputations appointed, be sure to observe the old rule — fioht with them on their own ground, and keep up the war in their quarters, and let it come as little as you can into your own; and therefore go to their assemblies, but let them not come into yours. For with them you can lose little, and may gain much; but at home you can gain little, but it is two to one will lose some, let the error be never so gross. The sectaries commonly observe this course themselves, and therefore you will have much ado to get their consent to bring your disputations into their own assemblies.

1 5. Let not the authors of the schism outdo you, or go beyond you in anything that is good; for as truth should be more effectual for sanctification than error, so if you give them this advantage, you give them the day, and all your disputations will do but little good; for the weaker people judge all by the outward appearance, and by the effects, and are not able to judge of the doctrine itself. They think that he hath the best cause whom they take to be the best man.

I extend this rule both to doctrine and life. If a libertine preach up free grace, do you preach it up more effectually than he: be much upon it, and make it more glorious on right grounds than he can do on wrong. If, on the like pretences, he magnify the grace of love, and, in order to cry down fear and humiliation, be all for living in pure love to God, do not contradict him in the assertive, but only in the negative and destructive part; but outgo him, and preach up the love of God, with its motives and effects, more fully and effectually than he can do on the corrupt grounds on which he doth proceed: or else you will make all the silly people believe that this is the difference between you, that he is for free grace and the love of God, and you are against it; for if you dwell not upon it in your preaching as well as he, they will not take notice of a short concession or profession. So, if an enthusiast do talk all of the Holy Ghost, and the light, and witness, and law within us, fall you upon that subject too, and do that well which they did ill; and preach up the office of the Holy Ghost, His indwelling and operations, and the light, and testimony, and law within us, better than they do. This is the most effectual way of settling your people against seduction. So if you be assaulted by the Pelagians — if they make a long story to prove that God is not the author of sin, do you fall upon the proof of it too. If they plead for free-will, do you plead for that free-will which we have, (the natural liberty, which none deny, consisting in a self-determining power, and supposing actual indetermination,) and deny only that liberty which the will hath not; that is, either a freedom from God’s government or from the necessary guidance of the intellect and moral force of the object; or that true spiritual, ethical freedom from various inclinations, which consisteth in the right disposition of the will; though the sanctified indeed have this in part, and that predominantly. So if any Pelagian or semi-Pelagian will go about industriously to prove man’s power, or rather impotency, to will or do evil, do it as effectually as he; for this is indeed but to prove a man a sinner, under pretence of proving him free, or at least to prove him defectible, if it be not the ill inclination, but the possibility of sinning, that they defend: in which case we can say more than they. So if they go about laboriously to prove that Christ died for all, I woidd endeavour to do it as effectually as they, that it might appear to the people that the difference between us is not in this, that they woidd magnify the riches of grace above me, or that I would leave sinners hopeless and remediless, and without an object for faith, any more than they; nor that I abase or reject express scriptures, when they own them in their proper sense:

but I 7nuld let them know that the controversy lieth elsewhere, viz., Whether Christ, in offering Himself a sacrifice for sin, had not a special intention or resolution, in compliance with His Father’s predestinating will, infallibly and effectually to save His chosen, even such and such by name, in making His blood applied effectually to the pardon of all their sins, and to give them His Spirit to seal them unto glory; having no such will, intention, resolution, in dying (no more than His Father had in predestinating) as to the rest of the world. So if one that is for private men’s preaching, come and inveio-h ao-ainst ministers for inhibitins them to use the gifts of God for the edification of the Church, I would not presently set to thwart him, but I would rather fall a persuading private men to use their gifts in all the ways that I even now mentioned, and sharply chide them for using them no more; and then among my cautions or reprehensions meet with his desired abuse in the end. And what I have said by way of instance in these few points, I mean in all others. Preaching truth is the most successful way of confutino- error; and I would have no seducer to have the glory of outgoing us in any good, and so not in befriending or defending any truth. Once more: If a Socinian should fall a pleading for the Church’s peace, and for unity upon the ancient simplicity of faith, I would labour to outgo him in it, and then would shew that the ancient simple faith condemned him. If he would plead reason for Scripture, or the Christian religion, I would endeavour to outgo him in it, and he should not have opportunity to glory that he only had reason for what he held, and I had none. But I would shew, that as I have reason to believe the Scriptures, so that Scripture condemneth his errors. If a Separatist will plead for the necessity of Church-order and discipline, so would I as well as he; and shew him that it is only disorder and confusion, inconsistent with right order and discipline, that I dislike in him or those of his way. And so would I do by others in this case.

And you should be as loath that they should outgo you in the practice of a holy and righteous life, any more than in sound, diligent teaching. Do any of them express a hatred of sin, and desire of Churchreformation 1 So must we do more. Do any of them use to spend their time when they meet together in holy discourse, and not in vain j anglings? Let us do so much more. Are they unwearied in propagating their opinions? Let us be more so in propagating the truth. Do they condescend to the meanest, and creep into houses to lead captive the silliest of the flock 1 Let us stoop as low, and be as dihgent to do them good. Are they loving to their party, and contemners of the world? Let us be lovers of all, and especially of all saints, and do good to all, as we have power, and especially to all the household of faith; and love an enemy as well as they can do a friend. Let us be more just than they, more merciful, more humble, more meek and patient; “for this is the will of God, that by well-doing we may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.” Let us excel them in a holy, harmless, righteous, merciful, fruitful, heavenly life, as we do in soundness of doctrine; more just than they, more merciful, humble, meek, and patient; that by our fruits we may be known, and the weaker sort of our people may see the truth in this reflection that cannot see it in itself; and that our light may so shine before men, that they may see our conversation, and glorify our Father which is in heaven; and even they that obey not the Word, may without the Word be won by the conversation of their teachers. (I Pet. iii. 1, 2.) Oh, how happy had England been — how happy had all the Church been — if the ministers of the gospel had taken these courses! It would have done more against errors and schism than all our chiding hath done, or than all the force can do which we desire from the maoistrate.

Three sorts of persons that we may meet with in our conference, are now over: — 1. The grossly ignorant and unconverted. 2. The doubting, troubled believer. 3. The cavilling questionist, or seduced schismatic. The fourth sort that I should speak of in this direction, are those that by a professed willingness to learn and obey, and by other signs, do give us some probability that they may have true repentance and faith, and yet by their ignorance, or lukewarmness, (being not noted for any syecial profession of godliness,) or by some uneven walking, do make our fears to be as great or greater than our hopes: so that we are between hope and fear of them, doubting the worst of their present safety, though we have not grovmd to charge them to be unconverted, impenitent, unsanctified persons. I think half that come to me are of this sort, and ten of this sort, if not forty, for one that I dare flatly say are unregenerate. Now, it may be a great difficulty with some younger ministers what you should do with this sort of people, where they have no sufficient ground to determine of them as godly or ungodly, whatever their fears or hopes may be. Of these I shall only briefly say this: —

1. The first directions may suffice in the main for dealing with these, and are as much fitted to these as to the worst: for as we may tell a notorious, ungodly man, “Your case is miserable, you are a child of death;” so may we tell these, “I much fear your case is sad — these are ill signs — I wonder how you dare so hazard your salvation;” and so abating of the several degrees of the hopeful good that appeareth in them, we may see, in the first case, how to deal in this.

2. I would advise you to be very cautious how you pass too hasty or absolute censures on any that you have to do with; because it is not so easy a matter to discern a man to be certainly graceless that professeth himself a Christian, as many do imagine it to be: and you may do the work in hand as well without such an absolute conclusion as with it, as the former examples, which will serve all with a little alteration, do shew.

3. The general description of the ministerial work may supply the rest. I shall therefore only add: — (1.) Keep them close to the use of private and public means. (2.) Be often with the lukewarm to awaken them, and with the careless to admonish them. (3.) Take the opportunity of sickness, which will bow their hearts and open their ears. (4.) See that they spend the Lord’s day, and order their families aright. (5.) Draw them from temptations, and occasions of sin. (6.) Charge them to come and seek help in all great straits, and open their temptations and dangers before they are swallowed up. (7.) Strike at the great radical sins: self-seeking, fleslily-mindedness, sensuality, pride, worldliness, and infidelity. Keep them to the reading of Scripture and good books, and direct them to those that are most likely to awaken them. (8.) Engage their godly neighbours to have an eye upon them. (9.) Keep up discipline to awe them. (10.) Maintain the life of grace in yourselves, that it may appear in all your sermons to them; that every one that comes cold to the assembly may have warming helps before he departs.

I have done my advice, and leave you to the practice. Though the proud may receive it with scorn, and the selfish and slothful with some distaste and indignation, I doubt not but God will use it, in despite of the oppositions of sin and Satan, to the awakening of many of His servants to their duty, and promoting the work of a right reformation: and that His much gTeater blessing shall accompany the present undertaking for the sadng of many a soul, the peace of you that undertake and perform it, the exciting of His servants through the nation to second you, and to increase purity and the unity of His Churches. Amen.

December 25, 1655,