Whether prefence make the Mil1ijlers fins to be otlrs ! cammitttdt!Jt OraclCJ ofG1Jd. Rorn. ~· 4• To .them pcrt:~inetb the Adoplion and tiJe glory a~d CovtJZantJ, and 1he giving of tbe Law, and the fervice of Gud and the prtmifeJ: Till rhe C!~urch hnd caufc to call: them ouc, they have the external priviledgcs of irs Communion. Ir hatb made abundance w incur the guilt of tinful fcpJration, to mifundt:rfiand rhofc: Tc:xts of Scripture: thH call Chrifii,ms ro fc:parate from Heathens, Intidt:ls and Idolaters: As 2 Cor. 6. 17. 1Yherefure come out fr Jm ammt,. them and be ye feparate faith the Lord, &c. The Text fpeaketh only of [cpa,.1i11g from the world, who are Infidel! and Idol.sters, and no members of the Church, and ignount peoph: ordinarily c. X pound it, as if it were meant of feparating from the Churcb bccaufe of the ungodly that art members of it : But that God that knew why he called bis people to frparate from the World, do!h never c.t.ll thcrn to fepua.te from the Chzttcb·uJti.verfaJ, nor from any particular Church by a ment11t [epar.;tio 1 t fo as to unchmch them. We read of many loathfome corruptions in the Churches, of Corinth, G:J/.Jtia, Laodicea, &c. but yet no commJnd to feparate from them. So many abufc Rev. r8. 4· Come out of her nry people : . As if God commanded them to come out of a trae Church bec1ufe of its corruptions or irnp~:rfcctions, becaufe he calleth them out of Babylon? It's true, you mull putake wirh no Cburch in their finr, but you may putake with any Churcb in their holy prpftffi.m and ~oJrjhip, fo far as you c1n do it without partaking with them in their finr. 747 , 9· SS. DireCT. 1J, Vndtrftaml. what it U that ma~etb you partak,.erJ of tbt finJ of a Church, or any Dirdi. I I · member of it; lijf you tbink.. yot' are bound to [ep<Jr.Jte fron! them in good, M well M in evil. M.my fly from the publick Aifemblics, lefi rhey partake of the hns of thofc that arc there prefcnt. Ccr· tainly oothing but Coufem ( dired: or indirect ) can make rheir ta-uIts. to become yours: And therefore nothing which fignifitth nor fome fuch con{ent fhould be on that account avoided. 1. If you by word or fubfcription or further.mce own any mans fin, you dirtflly con{cJJI eo ir : 2· If you neglell ~my duty which lyerh upon you for the cure of his fin, you i11direaJy con{tnt: :For you confmt that he fhdl r.1ther continue in hil fin, than you will do your part to help him out of ir. Confidn there· fore how fu you are bound to reprove any fin, or to ufe any other means for the reformation of ir, whether it be in the Paflor or the people; and if you negkt! aJlY fuch means, your way is to reform your own neglect_, and do your duty, and not to feparare from the Chu1Ch, before you have done your dury to reform it. But if you have done all that is your part, then the iin is none of yours, though you rem:lin therc''prefent. · 9· 89. I< is a turbulent fanfie and difquieting errour of fome people to think, that their .pre[ence ~•]1. in the Ajfembly and continu1nce with the: Church doth make them guilty of the perfonal hults of Whether pre– thofe they joyo with: If fo, whowould ever joyn with any AiTembly in the World ? Qgefi. But what r'".J b,' "'fi', i.f they bt grofr and fcand.JloUf finntrJ that art membtrs of the Church l An[fJJ, If you be wanting in eo en. to m. your duty to reform ir, it is your fin: But if bare prefence made their fins to be ours, it would alfo mlke all the fins of the Aifembly ours: But no word of God doth intimate any fuch thing, Pa11l never told the Churches of Galatia. and Corimh Co, that had fo many defiled members. ~efi. But what if they ~re fins committed in the open Affembly, even by the Minifter himfelf in hM praying, preachinJ!. and other adminijlrati•uu .? and what if' all thif he impufed on him by a Law, and fo I am certain before h,;nd, tb11t I mujl joy11with that which Vi unwarrantable in Gods Worjhip l AnjW. The next Din.~ction containeth thofe difiinctions that are necdfary to the anfwcr of this. §. 90· DireCt. 12· DijiirtgHi{h caref;clly, I· Betwem aMinijftrs Ptrfonal f.;.ultJ, and hU Minijierial DireCI. 12. f:mlts , 2· Between hi-t tolcr,;b/e weak,.ntffeJ dnd bU im?lerable in{ufficimcies. 3· A;td betweeu tht 'WIJT~ -=[] of the Jlrfinijl'rr ,;md of the C~Jugregation. And then youwin fee your doubt reCO\vc:d in thcfc following Propofilions. 9· gr . I· A Minijli'rs per[ona\ faulu (as [wearing, lying, drunkennefs, &c. ) may damn himftlf, S~irh Cka1tb~s and muU be ml tter of lamentation to the Church ; and they mull do their bdt eo reform them or (m r.a~r!.J ro get a better P..tfior by any lawfUl means : But in cafe they cannot, hH fin Hnone of theirs, nor dorh tT:~~ ~;:J·:~~ .. it make his adminiHrarion nuU Dr inejfef1ual : nor will it allow you to fcparate from the' Worfhip Letternh:~.t which he adminiflreth. Thout,;h many of the Priells were wicked men the Godly Jews were not foun? well, thereby difobliged from God!i publick Wmfhipor facritices which we.re to be offered by their hands. but ~~eu not O:herwifehow fad a cafe were the Chttrch in.,. thlt mull anfwer for the (~ns which they nc:ver commit- rhem.elves.. tcd, nor could reform ! But no Scripture chargeth this upon them. 9· 92· 2. lr is not aU Mit~ifteri.JI faults that will aUow you to [ep.jratt ftom, or difown a Minifter, but only thrift that prove him Of hH minijfra1ion utterly intolerable. Such are, y, An utter infufficiency Yet _I ex~ufe in lznor:vledge or utterance for the necc.ff.;ry parts of the Minifierial work: As if he be not able eo :~~~~f:ffi~i: Teach the ncceffary points of Chrifiian Religion, nor 10 adminifler the Sacraments and orher pnts of ency i!l Mi· publick Worihip. 2. If he fer himfelf to oppofe the very ends of his Miniftry, and Preach down niftm. God~intfi, or any p~rt of it that is of neceJ!it1 to _falvarion : Fo~ then_ ~c doth.th~ D::vils work, in ~~~~L;:~: feekmg. the damnaoon o~ fouls, ~nd fo maketh ~tmfdf the .Dev1~s Mmtfier, and IS not the Minilter !fl..._i 1fttfuitia of Chrtll. F9r the end ts dfcnttal to the Relation. Hercm I mclude a Preacher of Herefit, that ~c jla~itii& doth preach up any damning errour, and preach down any necejfary foving Truth : that is, that ;:~~:~~f~Puh- ~;~is arrtnd"'! cf!. And Gildas fa..ith to the ungod;ly Pafior.s of Britain, ApM~et err;? Ct!>n qui V/JS [1Ctrd/Jtts fcie."s tx CIJrde dic~~:if~:~ ~ffi:x~ lm_NM Chrlflla.lf~m.---. .ff!.!!.~m/J~O .vo; a!l7~ui f~lvetzs, ut fit fel!ltum l~. ca:lu,, a. ctelo /Jb fcdrt adempu? ~ im'lta~i11m ptcclf.torum fmub~« to'l'ptd'''.?_.fe!~ rati/Jll~ al1qt11d 1n ttna ~1gab1lf1,. fJIIIJd fu?ra m~ndum mam l:gmrr, pro?rtr v,fm!t i_l[o; q,j, ita li.e;a1i iitiqujratibtM in hoc ~~~~d?.tm~mm, ut PI ut/os 'llunqu''!f. af•mdaru, [td 11f ufaufta ttt~an er~afiJI!~, ~ron CIJ4t!trfi in ba~ vita ad Jominum, decidatis, fol. u\t 0 llfi71W_ b.tJ, .&: n~,, facrrdous! 0 '"·' atqm malorum, & IIM pontifim ! tntdltores, & woA fJ'4{hrum Apojlo!or11m fumf]am i i"nfwgnarorua & ltDit Clrrijh mtilifln--pag. SJI. 1mpref. Ba@. Preacheth
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