DireQ.t6. Dircfi. !7· Direll. tS. Dirtll. 20· Jam. 3· 1. 'Direaiolls agai11jl SGbifm. imagine them to be fo, which woulli fcem barmleji, ir not laudable, if they were tryed by a mind that's clear from preJUdice. §. 99· Dire&. 16. Judge not of tiollriner and worjhip by Perfons, but rather of perfons by their doll ·. and worjhip (together with_tl,ir lives). The world is all prone to be carryed by refpcct to p<rf:.::: I confefs where any thmg ts co be taken upon rrufl, we mull rather trufl the intelligent expe ·~ enced, honeli: and credible, than the ignorant and incredible ; But where the Word of Gal mull~ our Rule, it is perverfe tojudge of 1hing' by the Perfom that hold them or oppoji them: Sometimes: bad man may be m the ught, and agood man m the wrong: Try the way of the worft men befo e you r<jcct it (in difputable things.) And try the opinions and way of lhc be]! and wifift before y~u venture to rccetve them. ,.. 9· lOo. Dire&. 17· Enf/.tve uot your felvu to any Party' of mtn, [o aJ to ht ovtr-defiro 141 to pleafe them, nor over fearful of their cenfort. Have a rcfpc:61: to all the reU of rhe world as wdl as them. Molt men that once CtJgage themielvcs in a party, do think thdr hanour and interetl is involved with them, and that they !land or fall with the favoar of their patty, and therefore make them (be– fore they are awnc) the mafic:rs of their Confciences. ~-101· Dir~C\-. J8. Rer.ard mure the ju~g:ment af aged ripe experien~ed men, that b<.~ve [een tbe fruzts of tbevarJour cour{es of profijforJ of RehgJ(m, than of the Jtnmg, unr~pe, unexperienced hot·beaded, fort· Zeal is of great ufe to execute the refolutions of a well-informed man : And the ze~l of others is very ufeful to warm the hearts of fuch as do converfe with them. But when it comes to matter of Judgement once, to decide a cafe of clifficu!ty,aged experience hathfar the advantage: And in no c:afts m9re, than in thofe where Peace and Concortl are concerned, where rafh hot·headed youth is very prone to precipitant comfcs, which mufi be afterward repented of. §. 102. DireCt. 19• TVIJ£n[trvmt filf conceited feople would ""Y dor>n all by cenfarioufiuji andpaf fion, it if .time for the P.cjfort and the aged and rzper fort of Chrijliam openly to rebuk..e them, and ap– pe.r. againft tbtm a11d }land their ground, •>Id not to "mply aitb the mifguided fort 10 e[cape their cenfuw. Nothing hath more caulcd fchifms in the Church (except the Pride and ambition of the Clergie) than that the riper and more jadicious fort ofpeople together with the Minifiers themfelves have been fo loth to lye under the bitter cenfures of the unexperienced younger hotter fort and t~ avoid fuch cenfures and keep in with them, they have followed thofe whom they lhould have' led and have been drawn quite beyond their own underfiandings. God hath made w IS D 0 M to b; the Gttide of the Church, and ZE AL to follow and diligently execute the commands of Wifdom : Let ignorant well-meaning people confute you as bitterly as they pleafe, yet keep your ground, and be notfo proud or weak as to preferrheir good efieem before their benefit, and before the plealing of God. Sin not again£\ your k.!rowltdge toefcape thecenfure of the ignonnt. Ifyou do, God will make thofe men your f<ourges whom you fo much over-valued : And they lhall prove to their fpiritual Fa– thers as cockercd children ( like .Abfalom ) do to their natural fathers, and perhaps be the breaking of your hearts. But ifthe Paflors and the riper experienced Chrifiians will lland theirground, and fikk together, and rebuke rhe exorbitancies of the cenforious younger-ones, rhcy will maintain the cre– dit of the Gofpel, and keep the truth, and the Churches Peace, and the hott-fpurs will in time either repent and be fober, or be flumed anddifabled to do much hurt. ~· 103. Direct. 20. 1ak; heed how yoH let Iooft your ztal agai1t}ltbe Pajlors of tLe Church, left you bring 1heir perfims and Hext their office into conttmpt, an& fo brea~ the hondt of the Churches Vnity and Peace. There is no more hope of maintaining the Churches Vltity and CiJJJcord without the lvlinijlry, than of keeping the jlrfllgtb or Vnity of the members without the Nerves. If thefe nerves be ''"a!(. or labour of a Convulfion or other difca[c, it is curing and ftrmgtbming them, and not the cutting (hem afunder that mufi prove to the welfare and fafety of theb,dy. Meddle with the faults of the Mini– llry only fo far as tendeth to acure, of them or of the Church, but not to bring them into difgrace, and weaken their interef\ in the people, and difable them from doing good. Abhor that proud re– bellious fpirit, that is prone to fet up it felf agaipf\ the officers of Ch_rill, and under pretence ofgreater Wifdom or Holinefi, to bring their Guides into contempt; and is picking quarrels with them behind their back, to make them • fcorn or odious to the hearers. Indeed a M;nifter of Satan that cloth more harm in the Church than good, mufi be fo detected as may bcfi difable him from doing harm. But he that cloth moregood than hurt, mufi fo be di!fwaded from the hurt as not to be difabled from the Good: My brethren bt not mauy Mafters (or '1eacber1) /tnowing tbat yt flJ:JV rtceive the grealtr CDndemnation. ~-IOf· Dired'.2I· LooJt mort witb an eye ofCbarityonwhatH GoodinotiJtr.IaJtdtbeirworj!iipof Gad, th.m with aJt rye of malice to carp at wb:.~t apptareth tvil. Some men h:1ve fuch difiempered eyes, that they can fee almott nothing but faultine[s, in any thing of another party which they look at: cnv_y and faction maketh them carp at every word and every gef\ure: And they make no Confci– ence of aggravating every failing, and making Idolatry of every miJhkc in Worn1ip, and making Herefie or Blafpheamy of every mifiakc in judgement, and making Apojlacy of every fall ; nay perhaps the truth it- [elf fiull have no better areprefe:ntation. As Dr. H. More well noreth, It would do much more good in the world, if all parties were forwarder to find out and commend what is good in the doctrine and worfhip of all that differ from them. This would win them to hearken to re– forming advice, and would keep up the credit of the common truths and duties of Religion in rhe world, when this envious fnarling at all that others do, cloth tend to bring the world to Atheifm, and banilh all reverence of Religion, together with Chrifiian Charity from the Earth.
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