686 .. Of Emnam 1\!ftraint. ~ies for tiJt rig!Jt manner of Worjhip. formance nf it, aJ the dcfellive performance Hworfo th4n duing it mort perfeli!J•· And in fuch a cafe the D.:fccts which arc utterly involuntary arc none of yours imputativcly at all, bttt his that hinder. eth you ( unlefs as fame other fin mightc.ufe that). As if I were in a Counuey where 1 could have hberry to Read a11d Pray but not to Preach, or to Preach only onCe amontth and no more ; 1r is my duty to do fo much as I can do, as being much better than nothi~tg, and nor w forbear all, becauji: I cannot~~ all. Objta. r. Obj. B1<1 Y'" ,mufl forbtar '" part. ofyour dNty l An[ro. True: but nothing is my duty which is mturally tmpoffiolefor me todo. Either I can do tt, or 1c1nnot: If I caR t mujt ( fuppof-ing it a duty in all other rc:fped:s) but if I cannot I am not bound to it. ObjcC1. 2• OJj. But U ilnot fujf(ritrg tha~ mujl t.kttr J ?U :[or .'hat H.a carnal. rtafon : and your {ujfcri;rg may d1moregood ~han J.our prtach1ng. An[w. Srtjfermg 1~ conf1de~a~le enher as a pain to the jltjh, or as an unrefilhble hmdr.u~ce of the work of the Gofp:l: As 1~ IS ~eerly a pain to the fitjh, l ought not to be deterred by 1t from the work of God : But as lt f urczbly bindereth me from that work, (as l>y lmpri~tJnmcnt,. d~ath, cutting out the rongue, &c.) I may lawfully forefte ir, and by lawful means avmd H, when HIS fincerely for the rPIJrltof Cbrijl, and not for the faving of tht fit.fh. Tf Paul forcfaw that the Preachingof one more Sermon at D:JmafoiHwas like to hmdu h1s preachmg any more, becaufc the Jews watcht the gates day and night to kill him, it was Pauis duty to be let doom by the w•Y i• • ba[/(,et, and to tfcape,and preach elfrwhm, Ad. 9· 2 5· And when the Chri· llians could not fafely meet publickly they met in fecret, as ]oh. 19. j8. Aa. 12. 12,&c. whether Pards fuffcringatD.zmafcJU for Preaching one more Sermon, or his preaching more clfewhere, was to be chofen, the interell of Chrifl and the Gofpel mull direCt him to rcfolve : That which is belt for the Church, is to be chofen. Dirc{l. l-4· 9• 2 5· DJrcC.l. J 4· Rrmcmbtr that no material duty i1 f ormaUy t1 duty at aU titptl : tb.2t JJ?bitb H a duty in itf [etJfon U 110 dHt} out of [tafon. Affi.rfl':lative precepts bind not to all times, (ex~ cept only to habiu, or the fecret intention of our Hlti.rhaU end, fo far as is fufficient to animate and o.Cluatc the mea11s, while we arc waking and have the ufc of reafon ). Pr~ying and Preaching that are very gnat duties, m-y be {o unfeafona.bly performed as to be fins: lt forbearing a prayc[ or Sermon or Sacrament one. day or mcnth, be rationally like to proc;ure your help or Hberry to do it afterward, when that once or few timu doing it were like to hinde-r you from doing it any more, it would beyourdutythcn to forbear-it tor thAt time (unJcCsin fomcextraordinary cafe): Fo'r even for the life of an Oxe or an Affe , and for Mercy to mens bodies, the rejt and holy worP.. of a Sabbath might be interrupted : mu<h more for the fouls of many. Again I warn you, as you mufl not pretend the interefl of the tnd againI\ a peremptory ab(olurc command of God, fo mull you not cafily conclude a command to be ab[olute and peremptory to that which certainly contradi6h the EnS : nor eafily take that for a Du'y which ccrcainly is no means to that good which is the end of duty, or which is againfl it. Though yet no feeming apti– tude as a means, muft make that lecm a dutr, which the prohibition of God harh made a fin. Ditta. 15• §. 26. Dired:. 15· It if ev<r unfeafonable to perform a Jeffir dHty of Worjhip, when a grtattr jheuld be done : 1htrefore it much C'lncerntth you to be abit to di(cem whtn tw~ duties are inconfiftent which H then tht grtatcr and to be preftrred : In which the lnttrrjf of tbt end mutt much direct you :'that being ufually the grearell which hath the greate!l tendency to the gteat– eflgood. Dirc/J. 16. §. 27. DireCt. 16. 'lrettnd Hot one part of Gods W""jhip •gai•ft another, when aU in their place and order may be done. Set not Prtachjng and Praying againft each other : nor pub– lici(. and private Wodhip again{\ each other ,: nor inrernal Worfhip againt\ external ; but do all. Dircll. 17 • ~· 28. DireCt. 17· Ltt not an iHordinatt rr{pel1 to m•n, or commsn et~ftomt be too ftrong a byM tq pervert your judgements from the Rule of Worjhip ·: nor yet any groundlefi prejudice ma~e you 1ifi•Jie th(Jt rvhicb H not t(J be difli"-cd. The crrour on thefe two extreams dmh hll the World wirh cor– ruption and contentions about the Wodl1ip of God. Among the Papifis, and Ruffians and other M · fide' ignorant fort of Chrifiians, abundance of corruptions are continued in Gods Wor!hip by the in~J~immt_ mter power of cufiome, tl:adition and education : and all feemeth right to which they have turn ~x invtbeen lqng ufld: and hence the Churches in South, Eafi and Weft continue fo long ovcrfprcad ter\_ 1 a confue· with ignorance and refufe reformation. And on the other fide meer prejudice makes fame fo ~~~(;i~u~r~.. much difi"fie a prefcri.bcd form of Pr1yer, or the way of Wor!hip wh1eh they have not been m ;q,,. <onufod to, and which they have heard (ome good men fpeak againfl, whole judgementS they high– (uetuJo . lye{\ eficemed, that they have not room for fobcr impartial n:afon to deliberate try and judge. h~n~ {;~s Fa6tions have engaged moll ChrHHans in the World into feveral panies, wher~by Sltan hath got i•~ba~bar1s this great advantage, that inflead of Wor!hipping God in Love and Concord, they lay but their longe ma~i· zeal in an envious, bitter, cenforious, uncharitable reproaching the manner of each orhcrs Wor– m~s: qu1ppc fhip. And bccaufe the interefi of their Parties rcquireth this, t4ey think the intcrdt of the u~uat1 0: Church and Ca.ufe of God requireth it : and that they do God fervice when they make the ~~:~rbi Religion of other men fcem odious : when as among moll Chrifiians in the World) the errours confuetudo radices profundiffimas :~&it. In omni natura motio eO dimurniot ac vehememior, quo rn~gis efi ad unum determinat::&. Jlj. Acoft• de J;u{, /, •· P• 219· only
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