Numb.VI. f1 P T .E N D I X. 115 attending him, or by committing the Care ofour Souls to him : charts, t. To (11th as are intolerably unable in Knowledge or Utterance or Practice ; 2. Or ro fach as are Atheifis, Infidels, or true Hereticks; ;. Or to notorious Malignants, that do mote harm than good. XVIII. Though its a hard Queflion how far other Vicès difoblige us from fub- mining to fach á Miniltry, e. g. Perjury, Renóancing, Reformation and Repentance, great Errours, Drunkenneß, Idleneß, and fuch like ; yet t.He that can without great- er mifchief than benefit, havea better, fhould undoubtedly prefer him. 2. And a Man that feeleth the need of a better to his own Soul, and knoweth how much a Scandalous Minillry wrongeth Chrift and theChurch, is very unfit to beperfecuted or troubled for preferring his Soul's benefit before a Humane Parilh Order : Fop Cyprianand an African Council, in the Cafe of two Portugal Bishops, have laboured to prove out ofScripture, That ALibellatike, and folath likefcandalous Sinner, is sou capable of beinga Bilbop or Pallor, andoughtto beforfaken by the People, though the boar Bafbops sun bon. 2. Pope Nicbolas, and the Canons of Tome Councils, Command that no one hear Maß of a Priest that livetb in known Fornication. And may not a Chriilianbe tolerated in beingbut as ßriet against Vice as thePapilla andCpnncils are; and beingof the opinion of fo holy a Martyr as Cypriots : and erring ( ifhe err ) but as heand that African Councildid. XIX: All this is but Preparatory : To the Cafe, I fay, yòu muff diffinguish be- tween the Command and the Prohibition of your Rulers and your Parents. I. The Command of your Prince is theCommandof a lawful Power ; and to hear honefi tolerable Minifters (fach as wehave many) in the Publick Affemblies, is a lawful Command ( whatever forcefay without profit againfi is ) and therefore, you ought to obey it. Andyour Parents are a lawful Power (for the many Reafons which I publicklynamed) exprefly mentioned rather than Princes, in the fourth Corn. mandment : And to Hear and Communicate in the Affemblies of Orthodox godly Uri- Pansunlawfully prohibited .by Man, is a lawful Command, and ought tobe obeyed. Both the Powers are lawful, and both the Commands lawful, and both muff be obeyed as far as you can, at feveral feafons: But you cannot be in twoplaces at once. 2. Intendingno dilhonour to Authority, I muff not betray Truth and Souls, while it is my Office to refolve their Doubts propofed ; with fubmiffion to bettet Information, I am pall doubt, that both the Prohibitions inyour Cafe here are lawful, and neither of them to be forma), obeyed. That is, in general to take any trueMini- ' fters of Chriftfor no Minifters, or Chriftians for no Chrifiians, and Churches for noChurches, and fo to avoidthem, or to take their Communion for Sinful when it is not, isa heinousfin: He that thus avoideth lawful Communion as unlawful, re- Eproacheth the People and Worship of the Lord, and in a,degree doch as it were xc mmunicate all thofe Churches, judging them unworthy ofCommunion: And if it be a great fin ralhly to Excommunicate one Chrifiian, what is it fo to Ex- communicatewhole Parifhes, Cities, Counties, or Congregations? Tout Parents forbid you to hear in Pubiick : It is an unlawful Prohibition of a lawful thing corm. manded by the King and Laws, and you are not to obey it. You fay the Laws forbid you to joys with any Nenconformable Minifters and Chriffiansin other Affetn- blies than the ParifhChurches: If they do fo, I humbly conceive that it is an un- lawful Prohibitionof a thing that God to force commandeth, and therefore is not robe formally obeyed. God commandethus not toforfake the affembling of our (elves, Hebr. co. He chargethall true Minifters, to preach his Word, and be in- fiant, inßafen andout ofJeafon ; and woe be to them that are truly called , and not lawfully depofed, if they preach not the Goffel, when them is need. He that shall fay, That now inEngland there is not true needof the joynt Labours of all faithful Miniftersof Chrift, Conformifis and Nonconformifis, will but flrew that ignorance or unconfcionable indifference in the Mattersof Salvation, as will warrant all wife Men to fufpeet his Counfel, and all that know the Fallhood to rejeet ir. Chrifi requireth all his Servants to live in purity, love and peace; andconfequentlynot to rejeét Communion with each other as unlawful, when it is not fo, nor to go any further fromeach other than they needsmuff; nor unjufily to judgeone Man,nnach lets Chriftian Societies. He that in thedays ofthe Emperours of various Opinions (Conflantius, Valens, TheodofsusJunior, Zeno, Anaßafiuc, the Leo's and others, that were forcefor Images, andforce againfi them, would have called the Paffors and Affemblies unlawfuland unfit for Communion , becaufe they were forbidden, would have beenaguilty Separatiti. And fomay be be that feparatoob fromforbiddenAffem- P z blies3
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