Chapter XXXIV: Cases and Directions About Self-Judging (2)

81. When the violent clergy, instead of a fatherly government of the flocks, have driven the people into passions, distempers, and uncharitable disaffections to themselves, and have also been the great cause of multiplied heresies and sects by the same means, instead of being humbled and penitent for their sin, they will be hardened, and justify all their violences, by the giddiness and miscarriages of those sectaries, which they themselves have made.

82. And when they publish the faults of such, for the justification of their own violence, they will draw thousands into an approbation of their courses, (to think that such a turbulent people can never be too hardly called or used,) and consequently into a participation of their guilt.

83. By all this, the dissenters will be still more alienated from them; and many will aggravate the crime of the ministers that conform to their impositions, and obey them: and for the sake of a few that afflict them, they will condemn many laudable conforming ministers, that never consented to it, but could heartily wish that it were otherwise.

84. And the younger, and more indiscreet, passionate sort, will frequently reproach such, as unconscionable temporizers, that will do any thing for worldly ends, and that as hypocrites for a fleshly interest, concur with the corrupters and afflicters of the godly.

85. These censures and reproaches will provoke those conforming ministers, who are not masters of their passions, nor conquerors of their pride, to think as badly of the censurers as their afflicters do, and to join with them in the displaying of all enormities, and promoting their further sufferings, and publishing the folly and turbulency of their spirits, with spleen and partiality.

86. By these kind of speeches, preachings, and writings, multitudes of the debauched will be hardened in their sin against all religion: for when they observe that it is the same party of men, who are thus reproached, that are the strictest reprovers of their lewdness, their fornications, tippling, gaming, luxuries, and ungodliness; they will think it is no great matter what such a defamed, giddy sort of people say, and that really they are worse themselves.

87. Each party of these adversaries will characterize the adverse party as hypocrites: the passionate sufferers will call the afflicters hypocrites and Pharisees, that have no religion, but a formal show of outside ceremonies and words, and that tithe mint and cummin, and wash the outside, while within they are full of persecuting cruelty, and are wolves in sheep's clothing, loving the uppermost seats, and great titles, and ceremonious phylacteries, whilst they are enemies to the preaching of the gospel of Christ, and get revenues to themselves, and devour not only the houses, but the peace and lives of others, under pretence of long liturgies; and that devour the living saints, while they keep holy days and build monuments for the dead ones, whom their fathers murdered, &c. And the powerful clergy will call the others hypocrites, and labour to show that the Pharisees' character belongeth to them, and that their pretences of strictness in religion, and their long praying and preaching, is but a cloak to cover their disobedience, and covetousness, and secret sins; and that their hearts and inside are as bad as others, and that their fervency in devotion is but a hypocritical, affected whining and canting; and that they are worse than the lesser religious sort of people, because they are more unpeaceable, and disobedient, and add hypocrisy to their sin.

88. The ignorant, worldlings, drunkards, and ungodly despisers of holiness and heaven, being in all countries most contradicted in their way, by this stricter sort of men, and hearing them in pulpit and press so branded for hypocrites, will joyfully unite themselves with the censurers; and so they will make up as one party, in crying down the precise hypocrites; and usually make some name to call them by, as their brand of common ignominy: and they will live the more quietly in all their sins, and think they shall be saved as soon as the precisest, that make more show, but have no more sincerity, but more hypocrisy, than themselves.

89. The suffering party, seeing the ungodly and the conforming afflicters of them thus united, and made one party in opposition to them, will increase their hard thoughts of the adverse clergy, and take them for downright profane, and the leading enemies of godliness in the world, that will be captains in the devil's army, and lead on all the most ungodly against serious godliness, for their worldly ends.

90. And the young and indifferent sort of people, in all countries, that were engaged in neither part, being but strangers to religion, and to the differences, will be ready to judge of the cause by the persons: and seeing so many of the dignified, advanced clergy, and the more sensual sort of the people, on one side, and so many men of _strict lives_ on the other, that suffer also for their religion, and hearing too that it is some name of _preciseness_ that they are reproached by, will think them to be the _better side_; and so the title of the godly will grow by degrees to be almost appropriated to their party, and the title of _profane_ and _persecutors_ to the other.

91. All this while the nonconforming ministers will be somewhat differently affected, according to the different degrees of their judiciousness, experience, and self-denial.

Some of them will think these passions of the people needful, to check the fierceness of the afflicters (which doth but exasperate it); and therefore will let them alone, though they will not encourage them.

Some of the younger or more injudicious, hot-brained sort will put them on, and make them believe, that all communion with any conforming ministers or their parish churches is unlawful, and their forms of worship are sinful and antichristian; and that they are all temporizers and betrayers of truth and purity, that communicate or assemble with them.

The judicious, and experienced, and most patient and self-denying sort, will themselves abstain from all that is sin; and as far as it is in their choice and power, will join with the churches that worship God most agreeably to his word and will; but so, as that they will not be loud in their complaints, nor busy to draw men to their opinions in controvertible points; nor will unchurch and condemn all the churches that have something which they dislike as sinful; nor will renounce communion of all faulty churches, lest they renounce the communion of all in the world, and teach all others to renounce theirs: but they will sometimes communicate with the more faulty churches, to show that they unchurch them not (so they be not forced in it to any sin); though usually they will prefer the purest: yea, ordinarily they will join with the more faulty, when they can have no better, or when the public good requireth it. They will never prefer the interest of their nonconforming party, before the interest of christianity, or the public good. They will so defend lesser truths, as not to neglect or disadvantage the greater, which all are agreed in. They will so preserve their own innocency, as not to stir up other men's passions, nor to make factions or divisions by their difference. They will so dislike the pride and worldliness of others, and their injuries against God and godliness, as not to speak evil of dignities, nor to cherish in the people's minds any dishonourable, injurious thoughts of their kings, or any in authority over them. They will labour to allay the passions of the people, and to rebuke their censorious and too sharp language, and to keep up all due charity to those by whom they suffer; but especially _loyalty_ to their kings and rulers, and peaceableness as to their countries. They will teach them to distinguish between the cruel that are masters of the game, and all the rest that have no hand in it; and at least not to separate from all the rest for the sake of a few. If they will go as far as Martin (in Sulpitius Severus) to avoid all communion with Ithacius and Idacius, and the councils of bishops, that prosecuted the Priscillianists, to the scandal of godliness itself; yet not for their sakes to avoid all others, that never consented to it: nor with Gildas, to say of all the bad ministers, that he was not _eximius christianus_, that would call them ministers, or pastors, rather than traitors. They will persuade the people to discern between good and evil, and not to run into extremes, nor to dislike all that their afflicters hold or use; nor to call things lawful, by the name of sin, and anti-christianity; nor to suffer their passions to blind their judgments, to make superstitiously _new sin_ and _duties_, in opposition to their adversaries; nor to disgrace their understandings and the truth, by errors, factions, revilings, or miscarriages; nor to run into sects; nor to divide Christ's house and kingdom, while they pretend to be his zealous servants. They will persuade the people to patience, and moderation, and peace, and to "speak evil of no man," nor by word or deed to revenge themselves; much less to resist the authority that is set over them by God; but to imitate their Saviour, and quietly suffer, and being reviled not to revile again, but to love their enemies, and bless their cursers.

92. The more sober sort of the people will be ruled by these counsels, and will do much to quiet the rest. But the heretical part, with their own passions, will exasperate many novices and injudicious persons, to account this course and counsel aforesaid, to be but the effect of _lukewarmness_ and _carnal compliance_ with sin, and a halting between two opinions, and a participation in the sin of persecutors and malignant enemies of godliness: and they will believe that whoever joineth with the parish churches, in their way, is guilty of encouraging them in sin, and of false worship.

93. Hereupon they will defame the nonconforming ministers last described, as men of no zeal, neither flesh nor fish; and perhaps as men that would save their skin, and shift themselves out of sufferings, and betray the truth. And when such ministers acquaint them with their unsound principles and passions, they will say of them that they speak bitterly of the godly, and join with the persecutors in reproaching them.

94. And they will carry about among themselves many false reports and slanders against them; partly because passion taketh off charity and tenderness of conscience; and partly because an opinionative model, and siding religiousness, hath ever more followers, and a quicker zeal, than true holiness; and partly because they will think that human converse obligeth them to believe the reports which those that are accounted good men utter; and partly because that they will think, that the upholding of their cause (which they think is God's) doth need the suppression of these men's credit and reputation that are against it.

95. But the greater part of the honest nonconformist ministers will dislike the headiness and rashness of the novices and the sectaries, and will approve of the aforesaid moderate ways. But their opportunities and dispositions of expressing it will be various. Some of them will do it freely, whatever be thought of it; and some of them that have impatient auditors, will think that it is no duty to attempt that which will not be endured, and that it is better to do what good they can, than none. And some will think, that seeing the worldly clergy forbid them to preach the gospel of salvation, they are not bound to keep up any of their reputation or interest, as long as they have themselves no hand in the extremes and passions of the people. And some that have wives and children, and nothing but the people's charity to find them food and raiment, being turned out of all public maintenance by their afflicters, and prosecuted still with continued violence, will think that it is not their duty to beg their bread from door to door; nor to turn their families to be kept on the alms of the parish, by losing the affection of those people, whose charity only they can expect relief from: and therefore, they will think that necessity, and preservation of their families' lives and health, will better excuse their silence, when they defend not those that would destroy them, against the over-much opposition of the people; than the command of their afflicters will excuse their silence, if they neglect to preach the christian faith. And some will think, that finding themselves hated and hunted by one party, if they lose the affection of the other also, they shall have none to do their office with, nor to do any good to; and that they shall but leave the people whom they displease, to follow those passionate leaders, that will tempt them to more dangerous extremities, against the peace of christian societies.

But the most judicious and resolved ministers, that live not on the favour or maintenance of the people, or are quite above all worldly interest, will behave themselves wisely, moderately, and yet resolvedly; and will do nothing that shall distaste sober and wise men, nor yet despise the souls of the most impotent or indiscreet: but by solid principles, endeavour to build them upon solid grounds; and to use them with the tenderness, as nurses should do their crying children. But yet they will not cherish their sin, under the pretence of profiting their souls; nor, by silence, be guilty of their blood; nor so much as connive at those dangerous extremes, that seem to serve some present exigence and job; but threaten future ruin to the churches, and dishonour to the christian cause. And therefore they resolve not to neglect the duties of charity to the bitterest of their persecutors; and the rather, because it will prove in the end a charity to the church, and to the souls of the passionate, whose charity they labour to keep alive. And silence at sin is contrary to their trust and office: and they will not be guilty of that carnal wisdom, which would do evil that good may come by it; or that dare not seek to cure the principles of uncharitableness, divisions, or extremities in the people, for fear of losing advantages of doing them good; or that dare not disown unlawful schisms and separations, for fear of encouraging those malignants that call lawful practices by that name. They will do God's work (though with prudence, and not destructive rashness, yet) with fidelity and self-denial. And they will lay at Christ's feet, not only their interest in the favour of superiors; and their peace, and safety, and liberty, and estates, and lives, which are exposed to malignant cruelty, among the Cainites of the world; but also all the good thoughts, and words, and favour of the religious sort of people, yea, and pastors too. And they will look more to the interest of the whole church, than of a narrow party; and of posterity, than of the present time; as knowing, that at long running, it is only truth that will stand uppermost, when malignant violence, and sectarian passions, are both run out of breath. And therefore, in simplicity, and godly sincerity, they will have their conversations in the world; and not in fleshly wisdom, or selfish blinding passions or factions. Let all men use them how they will, or judge or call them what they will; they will not therefore be false to God and to their consciences. And seeing it is their office to govern and teach the people, they will not be governed by the favour of the most censorious, ignorant, or proud; but will guide them as faithful teachers, till they are deserted by them, and disabled. But the sober, ancient, wise, and experienced, will always cleave to them, and forsake the giddy and sectarian way.

96. In the heat of these extremities, the most peaceable and sober part, both of the conformists and nonconformists, will be in best esteem with the grave and sober people; but in the greatest strait, with both the extremes.

97. The godly and peaceable conformists, will get the love of the sober, by their holy doctrine and lives: but they will be despised by the sectaries, because they conform; and they will be suspected by the proud and persecuting clergy, as leaning to the dissenters, and strengthening them by their favour; because these ministers will, in all their parishes, more love and honour the godly nonconformists, than the irreligious, ignorant, worldly, dead-hearted multitude, or the malignant enemies of godliness.

98. Hereupon these conformists being taken for the chief upholders of the nonconformists, will be under continual jealousies and rebukes. And perhaps new points of conformity shall be devised, to be imposed on them, which it is known their consciences are against; that so they may be forced also to be nonconformists, because secret enemies are more dangerous than open foes.

99. These conformists being thus troubled, will feel also the stirring of passion in themselves; and by the injury, will be tempted to think more hardly of their afflicters than before. And so will part of them turn downright nonconformists; and the other part will live in displeasure, till they see an opportunity to show it. And these are the likeliest to cross and weaken the worldly, persecuting clergy, of any men.

100. And as for the moderate nonconformists, that understand what they do, and why, and seek the reconciling of all dissenters; they will also be loved and honoured by the sober, grave, and experienced christians: but both extremes will be against them. The sectaries will say, as before, that they are lukewarm, and carnal, selfish, complying men. The proud, imposing clergy will say, that it is they that have drawn the people into these extremes; and then complain of them that they cannot rule them. And they will tell them, that till they conform themselves, their moderation doth but strengthen the nonconformists, and keep up the reputation of sobriety among them. And the nearer they come to conformity, the more dangerous they are, as being more able to supplant it. And thus the moderate and reconcilers, will be as the wedge that is pressed by both sides, in the cleft of church divisions; and no side liketh them, because they are not given up to the factious passions or interest of either.

101. Only those will, in all these extremities and divisions, keep their integrity; who are, 1. Wise. 2. Humble and self-denying. 3. Charitable, and principled with a spirit of love. 4. And do take the favour of God and heaven alone for their hope and portion, whatever becometh of them in the world. But the WORLDLY persecuting, and the SECTARIAN party, will be both constituted by these contrary principles: 1. Ignorance and error. 2. Pride of their own understandings; every one thinking that all are intolerable that are not of their mind and way. 3. Uncharitableness, malice, or want of love to others as to themselves. 4. And overvaluing their worldly accommodations, honours, and estates.

102. Hereupon the instruments of a foolish shepherd, will still be used to the greater scattering of the flocks. And because none are so able to dispute against them as the moderate, therefore they will be taken for their most dangerous adversaries. And when they are greatly inclined to the healing of these wounds, the violent and lordly will not suffer them; but will pour oil upon the flames, which moderate men would quench. And, as if they were blindfolding and scourging Christ again, they will follow the people with afflicting wounds; and then charge the moderate ministers with their discontents; and charge them to reduce them to peace and conformity. And if they cannot get them to love and honour those that are still scourging them with scorpions, the scourgers will lay the blame on these ministers, and say, it is all long of them that the people love not those that wound them. And they that cry out most for peace will not endure it, nor give the peace-makers leave to do any thing that will accomplish it; nor will keep the spur out of the people's sides, whilst they look that others (spurred more sharply) should hold the reins; which yet at the same time they take out of their hands, and forbid them to hold, by forbidding them to preach the gospel. So that it will be the sum of their expectations, Perform not the office of pastors, nor preach the gospel of peace and piety to the people any more: but yet, without preaching to them, see that you teach them all to love and honour us, while we silence you, and afflict them; or else we will account you intolerable, seditious schismatics, and use you as such.

103. In some kingdoms or countries, it will be thought, that the people will be brought to no obedience to the _lordly pastors_, till their most _able_ or _moderate ministers_ are kept from them, by banishment, imprisonment, or confinement; which will accordingly be done.

104. When the ministers are banished or removed, that restrained the people's passions, the people will make preachers of themselves; even such as are suited to their minds.

105. Where papists or heretics are shut out by laws, they will secretly contribute the utmost of their endeavours, to make the sufferings of _dissenting protestants_ as grievous as possibly they can; that in despite of them, their own necessities may compel them to cry out for liberty, till they procure a common toleration for all, and open the door for _papists_ and _heretics_, as well as for _themselves_.

106. "Surely oppression will make wise men mad," Eccl. vii. 7.

107. Madmen will speak madly, and do madly.

108. They that speak and do madly, will be thought meetest for Bedlam, and for chains.

109. When the ministers are banished or removed, and the people left to their passions, and their own-made guides and teachers; passionate women and boys, and unsettled novices, will run into unwarrantable words and deeds; and will think those means lawful, which seem to promise them deliverance, though they be such as God forbiddeth.

110. The seditions and miscarriages of some few will be imputed to the innocent.

111. For the sake of such miscarriages, in some kingdoms, the sword will be drawn against them, and the blood of many will be shed.

112. Hereupon the misguided, passionate youth, being by the proud clergy deprived of the presence of that ministry that should moderate them, are likely enough to think rebellion and resisting of authority, a lawful means for their own preservation; and will plead the law of nature and necessity for their justification.

113. If any of the sober, wise, experienced pastors be left among them, that would restrain them from unlawful ways, and persuade them to patient suffering; they will be taken for complying betrayers of religion, and of the people's lives; that would have them tamely surrender their throats to butchery.

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As in a parenthesis, I will give them some instances for this prognostic.

(1.) The great Lord Du Plessis (one of the most excellent noblemen that ever the earth bore, that is known to us by any history) being against the holding of an assembly of the French churches, against the king's prohibition, was rejected by the assembly, as complying with the courtiers (because they said, the king had before promised or granted them that assembly); but the refusing of his counsel cost the blood of many thousand protestants, and the loss of all their garrisons and powers, and that lowness of the protestant interest there that we see at this day.

(2.) The great divine, Peter De Moulin, was also against the Rochellers' proceedings against the king's prohibitions (and so were some chief protestant nobles); but he was rejected by his own party, who paid for it, by the blood of thousands, and their ruin.

(3.) I lately read of a king of France, that hearing that the protestants made verses and pasquels against the mass and processions of the papists, made a severe law to prohibit it. When they durst not break that law, their indiscreet zeal carried them to make certain ridiculous pictures of the mass priests and the processions; which moderate ministers would have dissuaded them from, but were accounted temporizers and lukewarm: by which the king being exasperated, shut up the protestant churches, took away their liberties, and it cost many thousand men their lives. And the question was, Whether God had commanded such jeers, and scorns, and pictures, to be made at so dear a rate, as the rooting out of the churches, and religion, and the people's lives?

(4.) Great Camero (one of the most judicious divines in the world) was in Montabon, when it stood out in arms against the king (accounted formerly impregnable). He was against their resistance, and persuaded them to submit. The people of his own religion reviled him as a traitor: one of the soldiers threatened to run him through. In a Scottish passion he unbuttoned his doublet, and cried, _Feri, miser_, Strike, varlet, or do thy worst; and in the heat, striving to get his own goods out of the city, fell into a fever and died. The city was taken, and the rest of the holds through the kingdom after it, to the great fall of all the protestants, and the loss of many thousand lives.

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114. Where the devil can bring differences to extremities of violence, the issues are not hard to be conjecturally foreseen; but are such as my prognostics shall no further meddle with, than to foretell you, that both sides are preparing for the increase of their fury and extremities, and at last for repentance, or ruinous calamities, if they do as I have described.

115. Carnal and discontented statesmen and politicians, will set in on both sides, to blow the coals, and draw on feuds for their own ends, and head the discontented people to their ruin.

116. But in those countries, where the difference never cometh to such disorders, there will be a war bred, and kept up in the people's hearts; and neighbours will be against neighbours, as Guelphs and Gibellines.

117. When kingdoms are thus weakened by intestine discontents, it will increase the hopes and plots of foreign enemies, and make them think that one party (that suffer) will be backward to their own defence, as thinking they can be no worse (which is the hopes of the Turks in Hungary).

118. It will be a great injury, and grief, and danger to christian kings and states, to have their kingdoms and commonwealths thus weakened, and the cordial love and assistance of their subjects made so loose and so uncertain.

119. And it will be a continual vexation to wise and peaceable princes, to govern such divided, discontented people; but to rule a united, loving, concordant, peaceable people, will be their delight and joy.

120. A WORLDLY, covetous, proud, domineering, malignant, lazy clergy, will, in most christian nations, be the great plague of the world, and troublers of princes, and dividers of churches; who, for the interest of their grandeur, and their wills, will not give the sober, and peaceable, and godly ministers, or people, leave to serve God quietly, and live in peace. And the impatient, self-conceited, sectarian spirit, which, like gunpowder, takes fire upon such injuries, is the secondary divider of the churches, and hinderer of christian love and peace; and by their mutual enmity and abuses, they will drive each other so far into the extremity of aversion and opposition, that they will but make each other mad; and then, like madmen, run and quarrel, while sober men stand by and pity them; but can help neither the one party nor the other, nor preserve their own or the public peace.

121. The grand endeavour of the worldly clergy, will be (in most kingdoms of the world) to engage princes on their side, and to borrow their sword, to do their work with, against gainsayers: for they have no confidence in the power of the keys; but will despise them secretly in their hearts, as leaden, uneffectual weapons, while they make it the glory of their order, that the power of the keys is theirs.

122. If princes suppress disorders by the sword, the said clergy will ascribe the honour of it to themselves; and say it was _their order_, that kept up so much order in the churches. And when they have put princes to that trouble, will assume to themselves the praise.

123. The devil will set in, and do his utmost, to make both rulers and people believe, that all this confusion is long of the christian religion, and the strict principles of the sacred Scriptures; and so to make men cast off all religion, and take christianity to be contrary to their natural and civil interests.

124. And the papists will every where persuade high and low, that all this cometh by meddling so much with the Scriptures, and busying the common people with religion; and leaving every man to be a discerning judge of truth and duty, instead of trusting implicitly in the judgment of their church. And so they would tempt princes tamely to surrender half their government (that is, in all matters of religion) to the pope; and persuade the people to resign their reason or humanity to him; (that he who is so far off may rule it all over the world, by his missionaries and agents, who must live upon the prey;) and then he knoweth that he shall have both swords, and be the universal king.

125. To this end, they will strive to make some rulers as bad as they would have them, to do their work, and to make the rest thought worse of than they are, that they may have a fair pretence for their treasons and usurpations; which was the case of all the writers, that plead for Pope Gregory the Seventh, against the German emperors; who took that advantage, to settle the cardinals' power of elections; and, in a council at Rome, to declare the pope to be above the emperor, and to have power to depose him: and as bad was done in the general council, at Lateran, under Innocent the Third. Can. 2, 3.

126. Concerning princes, I shall give you no prognostics but Christ's; that it will "be as hard for a rich man to enter into heaven, as for a camel to go through a needle's eye." And therefore, you may know what men the rich will be, in most countries of the world.

127. And the rich will be the rulers of the world; and it is meet it should be so: not that men should rule because they are rich, but they that rule should be rich; and not exposed to contempt, by a vulgar garb and state.

128. But some wise and good princes and magistrates God will raise up, to keep the interest of truth and justice from sinking in barbarousness, and diabolical wickedness.

129. And where princes and magistrates are bad, they will seldom do so much hurt as good, or prove very cruel, where the worldly and corrupt clergy do not animate and instigate them; their reason, their interest, and their experience will lead them, by man-like usage, to seek the people's love and quietness, and their kingdom's unity and strength. But bloody persecutions (such as that of the Waldenses, Piedmont lately, France, Ireland, Queen Mary's, &c.) are ordinarily the effects of clergy interest and zeal.

130. The grand design of the devil, through the world, will be to corrupt the two great ordinances of God, _magistracy_ and _ministry_; and turn them both against Christ, who giveth them their power. The instances of his success, are most notorious in the Turkish empire, and the papal kingdom, called by them the catholic church; which Campanella, de Regno Dei, doth labour to prove, by all the prophecies cited by the millenarians, or fifth-monarchy men, to be the true universal kingdom of Christ; in which, by his vicar the pope, he shall reign over all the kings and kingdoms of the earth.

A PROGNOSTICATION

OF THE CHANGES THAT WILL BE IN CHRISTENDOM IN THE GOLDEN AGE,

AND TIME OF TRUE REFORMATION AND UNITY.

1. Because it is made part of our prayers, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven;" and, "we look for a new heaven, and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." I hope their opinion is not true, who think that the earth shall still grow more and more like to hell, till the general conflagration turn it into hell, and make it the proper seat of the damned. Yet, lest this should prove true, I will place my chief hopes in heaven; remembering who said, "Sell all, and follow me, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven" (and not on earth). But supposing that ever the world will come to full reformation and concord, (of which I am uncertain, but do not despair of,) I proceed to my prognostics of the way.

2. God will stir up some happy king, or governor, in some country of christendom, endowed with wisdom and consideration; who shall discern the true nature of godliness and christianity, and the necessity and excellency of serious religion; and shall see what is the corruption and hinderance of it in the world; and shall place his honour and felicity in pleasing God, and doing good, and attaining everlasting happiness; and shall subject all worldly respects unto these high and glorious ends. And shall know, that wisdom, and godliness, and justice leave the most precious name on earth, and prepare for the most glorious reward in heaven: in comparison of which, all fleshly pomp and pleasure is dross and dung, and worthy of nothing but contempt.

3. This prince shall have a discerning mind, to know wise men from foolish, good from bad; and among the ministers of Christ, to discern the judicious, spiritual, heavenly, sober, charitable, and peaceable sort, from self-seeking, worldly men; that make but a trade of the ministry, and strive not so much for heaven, and the people's salvation, as they do for worldly honours, power, and wealth. And he shall discern how such do trouble the churches and the world, and cause divisions, and stir up violence, for their own worldly interests and ends.

4. He will take the counsel neither of worldlings, nor true fanatics, and dividing persons; but of the learned, godly, self-denying, sober, peaceable divines; with his grave and reverend senators, judges, and counsellors; that know what is reason and justice, and what belongeth to the public good, as well as to the true interest of the church, and of men's souls.

5. He will know those men, whom he is concerned to use, and to judge of, as far as may be, by personal acquaintance and observation; and not by the partial reports of adversaries, behind their backs: and so he will neither be deceived in his instruments, nor disappointed by them.

6. He will call together the wise, peace-making persons; and with the strictest charge, commit to them the endeavours of reconciling and uniting the several parties; by drawing their differences into the narrowest compass, and stating them more correctly than passionate men do; and by persuading them to love and peace, and to all such abatements and forbearances, as are necessary. And his own prudent oversight and authority (like Constantine's at Nice) will facilitate the success.

7. He and his people will inquire, what terms of concord are meet, not only for some one corner or country, but for all the christian world; that when he hath found it out, he and his kingdom may be a pattern to all christendom, and the spring and leaven of a universal concord of all christians.

8. Therefore, he will inquire of Vincent. Lirinensis, Catholic Terms of _Quod_, 1. _Ab omnibus._ 2. _Ubique._ 3. _Semper, receptum est._

(1.) What all christians are agreed in, as christians, in the essentials of their religion.

(2.) What all christians did agree on, in the apostles' time, which was the time of greatest light, love, and purity.

(3.) What all christians, in all kingdoms of the world, since then, to this day, in the midst of all their other differences, have been and still are agreed in, as their religion.

For he will see, that there is no hope of agreeing the disagreeing world (at least, in many an age) by changing men's judgments from what they are, and bringing them all in controverted things to the mind of some party; nor to agree them on any terms, in which they do not really agree. But that their concord must be founded in that, which they are indeed all agreed in; leaving the superfluities or additions of each party, out of the agreement.

9. The peace-makers will then find, that the christian religion is contained in three forms.

(1.) In the sacramental covenant with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, as the briefest formula.

(2.) In the creed, Lord's prayer, and decalogue; as the summaries of the _credenda_, _appetenda_, and _agenda_, matters of faith, will, (or desire,) and practice, as the larger form.

(3.) In that canon of Scripture, which all the churches receive, as the largest form or continent.

And that he who is understandingly a sacramental covenanter with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, was ever taken for a visible christian. And therefore baptism was called our christening; and the baptized taken for christians, before they knew the controversies of _this_ church, or _that_: and that the competent, explicit understanding of the creed, the Lord's prayer, and decalogue, was ever taken for a competent understanding of the sacramental covenant, and more. And that he that implicitly receiveth the commonly received canonical Scripture, as God's word, (though he understand no more than as followeth,) and that explicitly understandeth the creed, Lord's prayer, and decalogue, and receiveth them, and consenteth to the sacramental covenant, always was accounted, and is still to be accounted, a christian. On these terms, therefore, the peace-makers will resolve to endeavour the union of the churches.

10. Therefore they will pare off, and cast away, (as the greatest enemy to unity,) all those unnecessary controversies, or things doubtful, which christians (yea, or divines) were never agreed in, and which never were the happy and successful means or terms of any extensive concord; and which have long been tried to be the great occasions of all the scruples, and contentions, and divisions, and woeful consequents in the churches. And they will once more say, "IT SEEMETH GOOD TO THE HOLY GHOST, AND TO US, TO LAY UPON YOU NO GREATER BURDEN THAN THESE NECESSARY THINGS," Acts xv. 28. All christians shall, in general, receive the canonical Scripture as God's word; and more particularly, the creed, Lord's prayer, and decalogue, as the summary of necessaries; and shall profess, with competent understanding of it, their consent to the sacramental covenant; and vow and devote themselves therein to God. And this shall be all the title, which they shall be forced to show, for their visible church communion. And though a higher measure of the understanding of the same principles and rules, shall be required in teachers, than in the flock; and accordingly, the ordainers shall try their understandings, together with their utterance and ministerial readiness of parts; yet shall the teachers themselves be (ordinarily) forced to no other subscriptions, professions, or oaths, (besides their civil allegiance,) than to assent and consent to all aforesaid; and to promise ministerial fidelity in their places. All councils, called general or provincial, canons, decretals, articles, formulas, rubrics, &c. shall be reserved to their proper use; but be no more used for insnaring and dividing subscriptions, professions, or oaths; or made the engines to tear the churches.

11. When all those superfluities, and foot-balls of contention, are cast out of the way, the power of the keys, or pastoral government, shall come to be better known and exercised, and the primitive discipline set up; which took place before Cyril of Alexandria took up the sword, and pride swelled the bishops into a secular state, and way of rule. Then it shall be church government, to see that the people be duly taken into the sacramental covenant, and learn the creed, Lord's prayer, and decalogue; and be instructed in the word of God, and live together in sobriety, righteousness, and godliness. And the pastors shall leave secular matters to the magistrates; and be no more troubled nor corrupted by their use of any forcing power: their government shall be a paternal, authoritative exercise of instruction, and of love, and no more; like that of a tutor to his pupils, a physician in his hospital, a philosopher in his school (supposing a divine commission and rule). The church itself shall be all their courts, (supposing the magistrates,) and the people the witnesses; and the present incumbent pastors be the judges, without excommunicating and absolving lay-chancellors, surrogates, commissaries, or officials. And all the materials of contention being now gone, they shall have nothing to do in these courts, but to try whether the people have learned and understand their catechisms, and consent to God's covenant, and communicate in his worship with the church; and when any are accused of wicked living, contrary to sobriety, righteousness, and godliness, to try whether these accusations be well proved: and if so, to persuade the offenders to repent; and by plain Scripture arguments, to convince them of the sin; and with tears, or fatherly tenderness and love, to melt them into remorse, and bring them to confess and forsake the sin. And if this cannot be done at once, to try again and again, and pray for their repentance. And, when there is no other remedy, to declare such a one openly incapable of church communion; and to require the church to avoid communion with him, and him to forbear intruding into their communion: and to bind him over by a ministerial denunciation of God's displeasure, (as against the impenitent,) to answer it at the bar of God himself; as one that is under his wrath, till he do repent. And this is the utmost of the pastoral power that shall then be used (supposing private admonitions): and this only in that church or congregation wherein the sinner had before his communion; and not at a distance, nor in other churches, or parts of the world, where the pastor hath no charge. Yea, this much shall not be exercised irregularly, and at random, to the injury of the flock; but under the rules and remedies afterward here expressed.

12. The primitive church form shall be restored: and as (where there are christians enough) no churches shall be too small, so none shall be greater for number or distance, than to be one true particular church; that is, a society of christians united as pastor and people, for personal communion and assistance in God's public worship, and holy living: that is, so many as may have this personal communion, if not all at once, yet _per vices_, as oft as is fit for them to meet with the church (which all in a family cannot usually do at once). So that Ignatius's church mark shall be restored, To every church there is one altar, and one bishop, with his fellow-presbyters and deacons. And there shall no more be a hundred, or six hundred, or a thousand altars to one bishop, _primi gradus_, and in one church of the first form, called a particular church. Nor shall all the particular churches be unchurched for want of true bishops; nor all their pastors degraded into a new order of teaching ministers, that have no power of pastoral government; nor the true discipline of the churches be made a mere impossible thing, whilst it is to be exercised by one bishop only over many hundred congregations, which do every one of them afford full work for a present bishop. Nor shall the bishop's office be thought so little holy, any more than preaching, and sacramental administrations, as to be performable by a lay-delegate, or any one that is not really a bishop. But the people shall know them that are "over them in the Lord, which labour among them, and admonish them; and shall esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake; and shall be at peace among themselves," 1 Thess. v. 12, 13. Such bishops as Dr. Hammond in his "Annotations" describeth; that had but one church, and preached, baptized, catechised, visited the sick, took care of the poor, administered the Lord's supper, guided every congregation as at present in public worship, and privately instructed and watched over all the flocks; shall be in every church that can obtain such.

13. Where the churches are so great as to need, (as most will do,) and so happy as to obtain, many faithful presbyters or pastors, whether they shall live together in a single college life, or married, and at a distance; and whether one as the chief, or bishop, shall be president, and have a negative voice, or all be equal in a concordant guidance of the flocks; shall be left to the choice and liberty of the several churches, by mutual consent of pastors, and people, and magistrates, to do and vary, as their several states and exigences shall require: and shall neither be called antichristian or odious tyranny on the one side, nor made of necessity to the church's communion or peace on the other, as long as the true pastoral or episcopal office is exercised in every particular church.

14. Neither magistrates nor other bishops shall make the bishop's or pastor's sermons and prayers for him; but leave it as the work of the speaker's office, to word his own sermons and prayers; and to choose a set form or no set form, the same or various, as the case requireth: yet so as to be responsible (as after) for all abuses and mal-administrations, and not suffered to deprave God's worship, by confusion or hurtful errors, or passionate and perverse expressions; but to be assisted and directed to use his office in the most edifying ways, by such kind of helps as his personal weaknesses shall require. And where set forms are used, none shall quarrel with them as unlawful.

15. None of the people shall have the high privileges of church communion and sacraments bestowed on them, against their wills; no more than a man impenitent and unwilling, shall be ministerially absolved from the guilt of sin. For every sacramental administration, whether of baptism, or of the body and blood of Christ, is as full an act of ministerial absolution as any pastor can perform: and what he doth to particular persons upon their penitence after a lapse, that the pastor doth to the whole church at the Lord's supper. And as consent is made by Christ the condition of pardon and covenant benefits, which no non-consenter hath a title to; so therefore professed consent is necessary to the sacramental collation or investiture: and those that are but constrained by the apparent danger of a fine or gaols, are not to be accounted voluntary consenters by the church; when the Lord of the church will account none for consenters, that will not forsake all, and endure fines and gaols, rather than to be deprived of the benefits of mystical and visible church communion. The magistrate therefore will wisely, and moderately, bring all the people to hear that which is necessary to their good; but will not by penalties force the unwilling to receive either absolutions or communion with the church, in its special privileges. But if the baptized refuse church communion afterwards, they lamentably punish themselves; and if it be found meet to declare them excommunicate, it will be a terrible penalty, sufficient to its proper use.

16. The magistrate will not imprison, harm, confiscate, banish, or otherwise punish any of his subjects, _eo nomine_, because they are excommunicate; for that is to punish his body because his soul is punished. Nor will he hearken to those unbelieving clergymen, that cry up the power of the keys as their office; and when they have done, scorn it as an ineffectual shadow of power, which will do nothing without the magistrate's force. But he will himself hear and judge before he punish, and not be debased to be the clergy's executioner, to punish before he have tried the cause; because clergymen's pride and passions may else engage him to be the instrument of their vices and revenge. Yea, as he that seeth a man punished in one court, will be the more dilatory to bring him to punishment in another, for the same crime; so the magistrate that seeth a man excommunicated for his fault, will rather delay his civil force against that man, to see what effect his excommunication will have: because the conjunction of the sword against the excommunicate as such, doth corrupt Christ's ordinance, and make the fruit of it utterly undiscernible, so that no one can see whether ever it did any thing at all, or whether all was done by the fear of the sword. And verily, a faithful minister, that seeth a sinner come to confession of his fault, but when he must else lie in gaol and be undone, will be loth to take that man for a true penitent. And to force pastors to absolve or give the sacrament to every one that had rather take it than lie in gaol and be undone, is to set up such new terms of church communion, which Christ will give men little thanks for. Church communion is only a privilege due to volunteers and penitents. But yet the magistrate may punish men with fines or other penalties for the same faults for which they are excommunicated, having tried and judged them in his own court; but not "_quarterus_" excommunicate, but according to the nature of the crime.

17. The schools of learning, and academies, shall not educate youth either in idleness, luxury, or hypocritical formality; but under learned, pious tutors, in learning sobriety and piety; from whence they shall not over-hastily leap into the pastoral office.

18. None under thirty years of age (at what time Christ himself entered on his public works) shall take a pastoral charge, except in case of mere necessity of the church, no, not on pretence of extraordinary fitness; but till then shall employ themselves as learners, catechists, schoolmasters, or probationers. Nor shall they meddle in the pulpits with matters of such controversies as the church is in danger to be troubled with.

19. Ministers shall all be commanded by the magistrate, and advised by the neighbour pastors, to forbear all unnecessary controversies in the pulpits; and to teach the people the foresaid substantials, the covenant of grace, the creed, Lord's prayer, and decalogue, the duties of faith, love, repentance, and obedience; and shall reserve their subtle and curious speculations for schools and theological writings: and so the christian people shall be bred up in the primitive, plain simplicity of doctrine and religion; and their brains shall not be heated and racked with those new-coined phrases and subtleties, which will but distemper them into a proud, contentious, wrangling disease; but will not be truly understood by them, when all is done. And so, when it is the people's work to hear only (usually) the doctrine of the catechism, and simple old christianity, and to talk of no other; 1. Their time will be employed in promoting faith, repentance, love, and obedience, which was wont to be spent in vain janglings and strife of words. And, 2. Religion will be an easier thing; and, consequently, will be more common (as cheap food and raiment is every one's pennyworth): and ministers may hope to bring the generality of their people to be savingly and practically religious: whereas the fine-spun religion of novelists, and wranglers, that pretend new light and increase of knowledge, doth not only dwindle into a cobweb of no use, or life, or power; but must be confined to a few, that can have leisure to learn to talk in new phrases, and will but become the matter of ignorant men's pride and ostentation; and make them think, that they only are the religious people; and all that cannot talk as they, are profane, and not to be admitted to their communion. Whenas the apostolic, primitive, plain religion, without the laces, and whimsies, that dreamers have since introduced, would make men humble, holy, heavenly, obedient, meek, and patient; and spare men the loss of a great deal of time.