Directions to the Pastors Both to Prevent and Heal Divisions
The practice of which, the author doth humbly and earnestly beg of them, as with tears, upon his knees, for the sake of Christ, that purchased the weakest with his blood; for the sake of those who hope to live in peace with Christ for ever; for the sake of those who are in danger of turning to errors, or contemning godliness, through the scandal of our divisions, to their damnation; for the sake of the church; for the sake of the rulers, that they may have the comfort of governing a quiet and united people; and for their own sakes, that they may give up their account with joy to the chief Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, and not with terror for the consuming and scattering of his flock. And the author humbly beggeth of them all, that this country may but see and feel that the pastors do understand, believe, consider, and obey, that will of God wThich these texts of Scripture do express: — Psa. xv, 4; Matthew xxv, 40, 45; xviii, 6, 10; 2 Cor. iv, 3; 1 Cor. ix, 16; Acts xx, 20, 24, 28, 33; 1 Pet. v, 2, 3; Luke xxii, 24, 25; 1 Thess. v 12, 13; 1 Timothy v, 17; Phil, i, 15-18 Acts xxviii, 30, 31; Romans xiv, 1-4 xv, 1-7; xiv, 17-20.
Alas! our preaching, praying, conference, and living, tell all the world that we are weak. How few are there that be not either ignorant, or injudicious, or imprudent, or dull and lifeless, or dry and barren, or of a stammering tongue, in our ministerial work! And in so high a work, any one of these is a loathsome blemish. If we are put to defend our religion, or any necessary part thereof, how weakly and injudiciously is it usually done! In a word, our great divisions among ourselves, with our censures and usage of one another, do tell all the world not only that we are weak, but that too many of us account one another to be worse than weak, even intolerable. And shall we, by our weakness and faultiness, become the people’s scandal, and tempt them to undue separations; and when we have done, be impatient with their weakness, while we overlook our own?
When the young and ungrounded sort of Christians do, by their errors, pride, or passions, disturb the church’s peace and order, it is the pastors that are usually first assaulted by their abuses, and, therefore, are most impatient and exasperated against them. And it were well if we were so innocent ourselves, as that our consciences need not call us to inquire whether this be not partly the fruit of our own miscarriages. However, seeing both the eminency of our grace, and the nature of our office, should make us more sensible of the church’s dangers, and more solicitous of its safety, than the private members are; I think that the chief part of the duty is incumbent upon us, which must be done in order for the prevention of these maladies and for the cure. And, therefore, I think that the principal work of a director in this casef must be with the ministers of Christ themselves. The church’s peace lieth chiefly upon our hands; and if we miscarry, and will not understand instruction, nor bear admonition, nor do our parts, how little hope will be left of our tranquillity. The body must needs languish, when the physician is as bad as the disease.
On every side it is the pastors of the flocks that are accused, by those of the adverse party, as the chief offenders. One side saith, “It is you that teach the people errors, and put scruples into their minds, and lead them into contempt of order and authority;” and the other side saith, “It is you that proudly usurp authority which Christ never gave you, and lord it over God’s heritage, and, by your own invention, lay snares before the people to divide them, and will not suffer them to unite in their proper centre, and agree in the primitive simplicity.”
And while each side is thus accused by the other, they have all the greater cause to suspect themselves; because it seemeth to be agreed on all hands, that it is the pastors who are principally in fault, though it be not agreed what the fault is, nor which party of the pastors must bear the blame.
And, indeed, where are there any factions but there are ministers that head them, and that both caused them at first, and keep them up? It is but reasonable, therefore, that we all suspect and search ourselves, and perhaps the lot may find out that Achan who is thought most innocent; and Jonah, who is not the worst in the ship, may be the man; and he may be the Judas who is last in asking, Master, is it I?
Besides all that shall be intimated in the following directions, these causes of the people’s weakness and divisions are so openly manifest in too many pastors, that they cannot be concealed or excused.
First. There is so much ignorance in many, that they are not able judiciously to edify the flocks, nor to teach sound principles in a suitable manner and method to their hearers. Who can teach others that which they never learned
themselves? n A
Secondly. Too many know not the weaknesses of the vulgar, and, therefore, neither justly resolve their doubts, nor answer their objections.
Thirdly. And how cold and unskilful are many in the application of that doctrine which they have tolerably opened; and speak the truths of the living God without any affecting reverence or gravity; and talk as drowsily of the evil of sin, the need of grace, the love of God in Jesus Christ, yea, of death and judgment, heaven and hell, as if it were their design to rock their hearers to sleep, or make them believe that it is but an historical fiction which they act, and that nothing they say is to be believed! There is no need of any more forcible means to entice men to sin, than to hear it preached against so coldly: nor is there need of any more to teach men to set light by Christ and grace, and heaven itself, than to hear them so heartlessly commended. We speak a few good words to the people in a reading tone, like a child that is saying his lesson, as if we believed not ourselves: and then we blame the people for being no more edified by us; and we look they should be much affected with that which never much affected the speakers. If Christ himself, who preached with authority, and used to awaken them with an “He that hath ears to hear, let Mm hear,” did yet convert no more than he did; what can we expect upon our drowsy and dry discourses, but drowsiness in the hearers, if not contempt?
The aforesaid unacquaintedness with the people and their weaknesses, doth make many teachers lose their labour, while they measure the common people by themselves. An 1, therefore, experience hath ofttimes constrained me to say, that, after all their learning in the universities, such pastors as never conversed familiarly with the poor and vulgar of the flock, and tried the exercise of personal instruction upon them, are no more to be regarded in any controversies about the pastoral work and discipline, than an unexperienced physician, or pilot, in many cases of their professions; which maketh many learned, self-conceited doctors, become the plagues, while they think themselves the pillars, of the church. Some make a formality and a snare of the gift of extemporary expression, and by a preposterous care to avoid all forms, teach not the people with that diligence which is necessary, but leave their minds void of those orderly, well-settled, secondary means, which should help the first; and thus, while some neglect the soul of religion, others neglect the body of it: between them both it is almost all too much neglected.
It is needful to the people’s edification and union, that their pastors excel them much in knowledge and utterance, also in prudence, holiness, and heavenliness of mind and life. Because God useth to work by means, and vary the success according to the quality of the means and instruments, we may well conclude that the gifts and holiness of the pastors are very excellent and needful helps to the people’s settled piety and peace. Where these are wanting, the order and means are wanting, by which God useth to convey his blessing.
Our grave attire will go but a little way to keep up our reputation, without some better testimony of our worth. An empty head, a stammering tongue; dry, dull, and disorderly preaching; senseless, cold, or confused praying; vain and frothy conversation; will much abate the reverence of our persons.
It is their double measure of the spirit of wisdom and goodness, which must procure a double measure of honour to the ministry. If we excel ever so much in learning, it will not suffice, unless we excel in our proper ministerial gifts — preaching, exhortation, and prayer, which are the works of our office. Yea, though we excel them in all these abilities, it will not serve the ends of our ministry, unless we excel them in holiness, and every Christian virtue. The devil knoweth more than ministers; and if he have a tongue, he wanteth not utterance. He is the most excellent and honourable who is most like God, and hath most of his image. God hath more proposed himself to man’s imitation in goodness, than in greatness: he hath not said, “Be great; for the Lord your God is great;” but, “Walk in the light, as he is in the light;” “Be ye holy; for the Lord your God is holy.” To be great and bad, is to be able to do mischief: to be learned or ingenious and bad, is to be wise to do evil, and to be a crafty, subtle instrument, of the devil. Jeremiah iv, 22. It was no laudable description of Elymas. Acts xiii, 8, 10. Satan never would transform himself into an angel of light, nor his ministers into the ministers of righteousness; nor would Pharisees and hypocrites cover oppression by long prayers; if light, righteousness, and long prayers, were not laudable in themselves, and necessary in the preachers of the word of God, and had not the appearance of good in them, as a cloak for wickedness.
If therefore Satan, or any of his ministers, would have men credit their falsehood and wickedness, they must pretend to light and holiness. He that would keep up the true honour of his ministry, and be accepted with God, and esteemed by good men, must do it by real light and holiness. An ungodly minister hath a rooted enmity to the holy doctrine which he preacheth, and holy duties and life which he exhorteth the people to. How well, sincerely, readily, faithfully, they are like to do the work which they are enemies to, you may easily judge. Rom. viii, 7. I know that they are not enemies to the honour and maintenance, and therefore may force themselves to do much of the outside work; but where there is an inward enmity to the life and ends of it, we can expect but a formal, inconstant, discharge of such unpleasing duty. Truth is for goodness: the knowledge which maketh you not good is lost, and hath missed its end. If therefore your love to God and man, your mortification and unblameableness of life, your spiritual mindedness, be no greater than the people’s, (or perhaps much less,) do not wonder if you lose your honour with them, and grow very contemptible in their eyes. Mai. i, 10, 14; ii; 1 Sam. ii, 17, 24, 30. If, as Moses, you stand nearer to God than the people do, you must be more holy than they; and your face must shine with the beams of God in the people’s eyes.
If ever the church is healed of its wounds, it must be by the peaceable disposition of the pastors and people. If ever men come to a peaceable disposition, it must be by peaceable doctrine and principles; by a full and frequent explication of the nature, pre-eminence, and power of love; that they may hear of it so much, and so long, till love be made their religion, and become as the natural heat and constitution of their souls. To promote this, the aged, experienced, and ripe kind of ministers, and private kind of Christians, must instil it into young Christians and scholars, that they may have nothing so common in their ears and studies as uniting love.
If I knew that man by whom the salvation of my flock were like to be more promoted than by me, (whatever infirmity of my people might be the cause,) I should think myself a servant of Satan, and an enemy of souls, if I were against it. So Christ be preached, and the people instructed, sanctified, and saved; what if it be done by another rather than by me? have I not liberty to do my best? Shall I oppose the gospel and its success? God forbid that I, or any faithful minister, should be guilty of so odious a sin! I speak without respect of persons. It is easy and common, both in churches and private assemblies, to preach ourselves while we seem to be preaching Christ; and by our perverse preaching to seek disciples for ourselves, even when we are preaching up self-denial, and seem most zealous for the saving of souls. Acts xx, 30.
He is the strongest Christian, and the most godly man, who hath the greatest love to God, and heavenliness of mind and life. And this may be the case of many a one, who, by some error about the circumstances of discipline and worship, is yet under some mistake. He that offendeth me by his mistake, though he be weak in judgment in some points, may yet be a far stronger Christian than I who see his error. He may have more love to God and man; more humility and self-denial, &c. Let us therefore esteem men according to the image of God upon them, and not despise them as weak in grace, because they are weak in this point of knowledge: though still their errors are not to be owned.
Beware of following the heated leaders of a party, and of assuming the lead yourselves; for those who follow you, when God showeth them mercy, they will repent, and give you but little thanks for your labour. The disorders of the church may convince us of our error in following those whom we should have led into better discipline.
There are not many of the tumults that have cost the lives of thousands about religion, but are kindled by the young injudicious professors. Historians tell that when King Francis, of France, had forbidden the reproaching of the Popish way of worship, and silenced the ministers for not obeying him; many of the hot-brained people took this way of provoking him, by hanging up pictures and libels in the streets, (but that was not the way of God,) and began that persecution (by provoking the king) which cost many thousands, if not hundred thousands, their lives before it ended. And the synod at Rochel, which refused the grave counsel of Duplesses, Dumullen, and many others, were stirred up by the people’s zeal, and ended in the blood of many score thousands, and the ruin of the power of the Protestants in France. Abundance of such sad instances might be given, if England needed to go anywhere else for matter of warning than to itself. He that after the experience of this age, will think it fit to follow the conduct of injudicious zealots, will be left as inexcusable as any man who never had a sight of hell.
But if you will do all things good and lawful to win men, and offend them by no unnecessary thing, and yet stand your ground, and stir not an inch from truth and soberness, piety or peace, to please any people in the world, this way shall do your work.
Let it also be observed, When pastors fall into parties, they always draw the people after them. Some take one side and some the other. If the officers divide, the soldiers will. If one side suppresses the other, it will nevertheless increase the schism, while the people will pity and plead for the party that is troden down. As to the younger and emptier sort of ministers, it is no wonder if they understand not that which they never had opportunity to study, or have taken but a taste of; but it were to be wished that they were so humble, as to confess that they are yet but beardless, and that time and long study is necessary to make them as wise as they think they are. O that the ministers of Christ were once sensible, not here only, but through all the Christian world, what a plague the conjunction of their ignorance, contentiousness, and their dividing, selfish zeal, hath been to the church of Christ! And what they have done against the souls of men, by violence and by heading parties, and by laying heaven and hell, and the salvation of their souls, upon the opinions which they never understood; by departing from the primitive simplicity, to maintain their side and sanctity by backbiting and reproaching others, whose persons perhaps they never saw, nor ever once soberly discoursed with face to face. Yet they make it their piety to revile by hearsay, and judge in a cause they never heard, nor understood. If ever God show mercy to his church, he will give them pastors after his own heart, who shall abound in light and love; and lead the people into concord upon the ancient terms; and make it their work to put this love-killing spirit to death, whether it work by striving disputes, or dividing principles and practices, or by reproaching others; by corporeal cruelty, or by a religious, censorious cruelty, which doth not kill nor strike men; but unchurch and damn them.
Are not the sons of Levi yet refined, when they have been in so many furnaces, and so long? When wisdom, holiness, and humility, are their nature, and selfish pride and worldliness are cured, this wrinkled, malignant enmity, will then cease, and an honest emulation to excel one another in wisdom, love, and all good works, will then take place; and then we shall not, like drunken men, one day fight and wound each other, and the next cry out of our wounds, and yet go on in our drunken fits to make them still wider.
I shall end these directions by recommending the following scriptures, which by the blessing of God may lead you to the spirit and practices I have been treating of: — Isa. ix, 6, 7; xl. 11; xlii, 1-4; xliv, 3-5; Ezek. xxxiv, 2-5; Isa. xi, lxv, xxv; ii, 3-5; Mai. ii, 5-10; Zee. ix, 9; Matt, xi, 29; Luke iv, 18; Mark iii, 21; John iv, 32, 34; ix, 4; Luke xxii, 24; Matt. xx, 25-27; John xviii, 36; Luke xii, 14; 1 Pet. v, 2-4; 2 Cor. i, 24; Matt, xxiii, 8; 1 Cor. iv, 1-3; 2 Cor. x, 8; xiii, 10; Acts xiii, 18-20, 29-34; 2 Cor. xii, 5; 2 Tim. ii, 23-25; 1 Tim. iii, 2, 3; Tit. i, 7-10; 2 Cor. x, 3-5; Rom. xiv, 1; xv, 2, 3; Phil, iii, 15, 16; Eph. iv, 2, 3; Phil, ii, 3; James iii, 17; 1 Thess. ii, 5-7; Gal. v, 22; 2 Cor. x, 1; Gal. vi, 1; Col. iii, 12, 13; 1 Tim. vi, 11; Tit. iii, 2; 1 Pet. iii, 4; Lev. xix, 18; Rom. xii, 9, 10; xiii, 10; John xiii, 34, 35; xv, 12, 17; Gal. v, 14: 1 Thess. iv, 9; 1 Pet. i, 22; ii, 23; Matt, v, 44, 45; vi, 14; v, 39-41; 1 Thess. v, 12-14; 1 Cor.ix,19.
Question. To what purpose do you set together all these words of Scripture, without any exposition, or telling us what you conclude from them?
Answer. I avoid all glosses, that you may not say, I have imposed anything of my own upon you, which is not the mind of your Lord himself. I set them together, that such as overlook them may have a deeper sense than they have had, first, of what is the true spirit of a Christian; secondly, of what is the office of the ministry, and which way they are to win souls, silence gainsayers, extirpate errors, prevent or cure schisms, and secure the church’s peace.
As for those who can seriously read all these words of the Spirit of God, and yet can find in them no matter of correction, without a commentary and argumentations, I have no more to say to them at this time, but to add Christ’s next words, John xiii, 18: “I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen.” I shall annex a few texts that characterize a spirit contrary to Christianity, and the faithful ministry, and with them I shall conclude: — 1 John iii, 12, 13; Heb. xi, 4; John viii, 44; 1 Sam. xxv, 25; xxii; Ezra iv, 13, 15-17; Esther iii, 8; Dan. iii, 12; vi, 5; Amos vii, 12, 13; Matthew xxiii, 29-31; John xi, 48; Acts iv, 1, 2, 17, 18; Gal. iv, 29; 3 John 9-11; 1 Thess. ii, 14, 15; Luke ix, 54, 55.