'DireEI:ions for yow~ Cbriftians. cl. ~l and another 1hcre iJ Cbrijl; one faith, 1hU i1 t!Je caufe of God, and another Caith111~at.H it ; fl;),;; 1a;Hhat hath any care of his Confcicnce, or of the honour of Go_d an~ his .profe~lon, Willltap before he t 0 oketh where he tball alight ; or run a'fter every one that wl11 whtille hun WJ_rh the n~mc or pre-tence of truth or a good caule : It is a fad rhi~_g to g~ on many years tog~t~er m c~nfurm~, oppoling and abufing thofe that are ag:1infi you, and m fcducm~. others, and_ mif-lmplcymg your zeal and parts and time, and poyfoning all your prayers and ditcourfes, and m the end to fee what: mif~hicf you h~ve done for want of knowledge, aiid with Paul to confefs, that you were mad in op– pofing the.tmrh and fervants of God, though you did it in a zeal of God through ignorance. Wer< ir not rnnch bew:r to Hay till yon have tryed th'e ground, and prevent fo many years gnevous fin, 1~1an to fCape by a fad ~cpentance, and leaye beh1nd you fiinking and venemous fruits of your mi~ t1ake? ( And rvor{e, if you mver rcptnt ytmr [elves ; ) Your own and your Brerbrens fouls are not fa lightly to be ventured upon dangerous untry'Cd wayes. It will not make the 'trmb abd Church amends, to fay at lafi, l had thought I had da>te well. Let. thofe .go to the Wats of dijjmting and crmttnding, and ccnfi•ring, andfiding with a Sdl th~t are r1per,. and better un_derfi:and the. cau~c: Wars are not for Children: Do you fufpend y·our judgement nll you can fohdly and certamly m– form it : and fcrve God in Charity, quicmefs and peace: And ils two to one, but you will Jive to fee the day, that the contenders that would have led you into their Wars, will come offwith fo much lofs rhem(elves, as w11l teach them to approve your peaceable courfe, or teach you to blefs God that kept .you in your place and duty. ~· 3• In all this! deny not, but every truth of God is to be valued at a very high rate; and that he char thall carry himfelf in a neutrality, when Faith or Godlinefl is the matter in conrroverfie, or !hall do it meerly for his worldly ends, to fave his !lake by temporizing, is a falfe-hearted hypocrite, and at the heart of no Reli~ion. But withal I tell you , that all is not matter of Faith9r Godlineft that the Autonomian-Papifi, the Antinomian-Libertine, or other paffionatc patties fhall call fO: And that as we mufi avoid comempt of the fmalltfi Truth, fo we mult much more avoid thfmofi hei– nous fins which we may commit for the defending of an error. And that fome Truths mull be fi– Ienced for a time, ( though not dcnyed) whed the contending for them is unfeafohable, and tendeth to the injury of the Church. If you Were Mallets irl the Church, you mufi not teach your Scholars to their hurt, though it be truth you teach thetn. And if you were Phyfi~tons you mufi tlot cramm them or Medicate them totheit hurt. Your power anq duty is not to DeftruCiion, but to Edification. The good of the Patient is the end of your Phyfick. All Truth is not to be fpoken, nor all Good to be done by all mm, nor at all times. He that will do conttary, and take this for a carnal principle, dothb~tcall [ol7y and fin by the name of zeal and dqty, and fet the houfe on fire torofi his Egg, and with the Phnifees, prefer the outward reft at their S.~bbath before his Brothers life or health. Take heed what you do when Gods horlour, and mens fouls; and the Churches peace are c;onccrned in it. 9· 4· And let me tell you my own obfervation. As far as my judgement bath been able to reach the men that have fiood for Pacification and Modtration, have been the rnofi judicioUI ; and thofe tha; have belt underfi:ood themfelves, in rnofi controverfies that ever I heard under debate among good Chrifiians : And thofe that furioufly cenfured them as luke~arm or corrupted , have been men that had lean judgement , and moft pailion , pride and foul mifiakes in the points in que– flion. 9. 5· Nay, 1 will tell you more of my obfervation, of which thefe times have given us top much proof: Profane and f ormal Enemits on the one h<VJd, and ignora11t filfconceitcd wr~ng/ers on the other hand, who think they are champions for the truth, when they are venting their pafliOns and foncl opinions, are the two Thieves between whom the Church harh fuffer~d from the beginning to this day : The firft are the Perfecutouand the other the Dividerr and dillurbers of the Church. Mark what the Holy Ghoft faith in this cafe, 2 Tim. 2. 23, 24· But fao/ifh and un/earmd queftioHJ avoid, Jtiwwing that tbey dogender ftrife ; mtd the fervant of the Lord muft not jtrive, bttt be gentle unto aU men. PhiJ. 2· 14, I 5· DoaU things without murnturing1 and difpntings: thdt ye m.4y be blamelefs JZHd harmlefi, the~om of. God, without rebukf, in the midft ·of a crool{!d and perverfe generation, am11ng wbom J•ort9fbmc, as lzghu m th~ world, 1 Trm. 6. 3, 4, 5, 6. If any man teach otherwife, a;1d confent not to Jr~holefome word1, even the W()J'ds of our Lard Jefus Cbrijf, and the doUrine wbicb i1 according to godli– lim[s, ht is proud, Jtnowing-nothing, hut doting about queftirms and ftrifes of word1, wbereof comctb envy, jlrife, rayling1, evil jurmijings, pervtrfe difputing1 of men 1{corrupt mind,,&c. So I Tim.1. 4 5• !'i<iiiJer ~ivehe~d to fables and endlejf genealogies, which Minijfer ffl!!eflions, rather than godly edlfr Jng, whJch u zn fazth : Now the end of the commandment is·cbarity, out of a pzere heart and agood confcience and faith unfeigned. ' 9· 6•. Yet I mufi here profefs;that if any falfehearted worldly hypocrite, that refolveth to be on the favmg fide, and to hold all to be lawful that feemeth necdfary to his fafety or preferments lhall take any encouragement from what I have here faid, to debauch his confcience and felt li.is foul and then call all thofe [ fi<rioU< zealots ] that w!ll not be as falfe to God as he' let that man k~ow that I have given him no cloak for fa odious a fin, nor will he tind a coverfor' it at the b1rrof God' though he may delude his confcience, and bear it out by his carnal advantages before the world. ' Dire&. 53.
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