A Christian Directory

Tit. 1. Cases of Conscience about Backbiting and Evil Speaking.

Quest. 1. MAy I not speak evil of that which is evil? And call everyone truly as he is?

Answ. You must not speak a known falsehood of any man under pretence of Charity or speaking well. But you are not to speak all the evil of every man which is true: As opening the faults of the King or your Parents, though never so truly, is a sin against the fifth Commandment, [ Honor thy Father and Mother ]: So if you do it without a call, you sin against your neighbors honor, and many other ways offend.

Quest. 2. Is it not sinful silence, and a consenting to, or countenancing of the sins of others, to say nothing against them, as tender of their honor?

Answ. It is sinful to be silent, when you have a call to speak: If you forbear to admonish the offender in love between him and you, when you have opportunity and just cause, it is sinful to be silent then. But to silence backbiting is no sin. If you must be guilty of every man's sin that you talk not against, behind his back, your whole discourse must be nothing but backbiting.

Quest. 3. May I not speak that which honest, religious, credible persons do report?

Answ. Not without both sufficient evidence, and a sufficient call. You must not judge of the action by the person, but of the person by the action. Nor must you imitate any man in evil doing. If a good man abuse you, are you willing that all men follow him and abuse you more?

Quest. 4. May I believe the bad report of an honest credible person?

Answ. You must first consider Whether you may hear it, or meddle with it: For if it be a case that you have nothing to do with, you may not set your judgment to it, either to believe it, or disbelieve it. And if it be a thing that you are called to judge of, yet every honest man's word is not presently to be believed: You must first know, whether it be a thing that he saw, or is certain of himself, or a thing which he only taketh upon report? And what his evidence or proof is? and whether he be not engaged by interest, passion, or any difference of opinion? Or be not engaged in some contrary faction, where the interest of a party or cause is his temptation? Or whether he be not used to rash reports and uncharitable speeches: And what concurrence of testimonies there is, and what is said on the other side: Especially what the person accused saith in his own defense. If it be so heinous a crime in public Judgment, to pass sentence before both parties are heard, and to condemn a man before he speak for himself; it cannot be justifiable in private judgment. Would you be willing yourselves that all should be believed of you, which is spoken by any honest man? And how uncertain are we of other men's honesty, that we should on that account think ill of others?

Quest. 5. May I not speak evil of them that are enemies to God, to Religion, and godliness, and are open persecutors of it; or are enemies to the King or Church?

Answ. You may on all meet occasions speak evil of the sin; and of the persons when you have a just call; but not at your own pleasure.

Quest. 6. What if it be one whose honor and credit countenanceth an ill cause, and his dishonor would disable him to do hurt?

Answ. You may not bely the Devil, nor wrong the worst man that is, though under pretence of doing good; God needeth not malice, nor calumnies, nor injustice to his glory: It is an ill cause that cannot be maintained without such means as these. And when the matter is true, you must have a call to speak it, and you must speak it justly, without unrighteous aggravations, or hiding the better part, which should make the case and person truly understood. There is a time and due manner, in which that man's crimes and just dishonor may be published, whose false reputation injureth the truth. But yet I must say, that a great deal of villainy and slander is committed upon this plausible pretence; and that there is scarce a more common cloak for the most inhumane lies and calumnies.

Quest. 7. May I not lawfully make a true Narration of such matters of fact, as are criminal and dishonorable to offenders? Else no man may write a true History to posterity of men's crimes.

Answ. When you have a just cause and call to do it, you may: But not at your own pleasure. Historians may take much more liberty to speak the truth of the dead, than you may of the living: Though no untruth must be spoken of either: yet the honor of Princes and Magistrates while they are alive, is needful to their Government, and therefore must be maintained, oft times by the concealment of their faults: And so proportionably the honor of other men is needful to a life of love, and peace, and just society: But when they are dead, they are not subjects capable of a right to any such honor as must be maintained by such silencing of the truth, to the injury of posterity: And posterity hath usually a right to historical truth, that good examples may draw them to imitation, and bad examples may warn them to take heed of sin. God will have the name of the wicked to rot; and the faults of a Noah, Lot, David, Solomon, Peter, &c. shall be recorded. Yet nothing unprofitable to posterity may be recorded of the dead, though it be true: nor the faults of men unnecessarily divulged; much less may the dead be slandered or abused.

Quest. 8. What if it be one that hath been oft admonished in vain? May not the faults of such a one be mentioned behind his back?

Answ. I confess such a one (the case being proved, and he being notoriously impenitent) hath made a much greater forfeiture of his honor, than other men: And no man can save that man's honor who will cast it away himself. But yet it is not everyone that committeth a sin after admonition, who is here to be understood; but such as are impenitent in some mortal or ruling sin; For some may sin oft in a small and controverted point, for want of ability to discern the truth, and some may live in daily infirmities (as the best men do) which they condemn themselves, and desire to be delivered from. And even the most impenitent man's sins, must not be meddled with, by everyone at his pleasure, but only when you have just cause.

Quest. 9. What if it be one whom I cannot speak to face to face?

Answ. You must let him alone, till you have just cause to speak of him.

Quest. 10. When hath a man a just cause and call to open another's faults?

Answ. Negatively: 1. Not to fill up the time with other idle chatt, or table-talk. 2. Not to second any man how good soever who backbiteth others; no though he pretend to do it to make the sin more odious, or to exercise godly sorrow for other men's sin. 3. Not when ever interest, passion, faction or company seemeth to require it. But (Affirmatively) 1. When we may speak it to his face in love and privacy, in due manner and circumstances, as is most hopeful to conduce to his amendment. 2. When after due admonition, we take two or three, and after that tell the Church (in a case that requireth it.) 3. When we have a sufficient cause to accuse him to the Magistrate. 4. When the Magistrate or the Pastors of the Church, reprove or punish him. 5. When it is necessary to the preservation of another: As if I see my friend in danger of marrying with a wicked person, or takeing a false servant, or trading and bargaining with one that is like to over-reach him: or going among cheaters; or going to hear or converse with a dangerous Heretic or Seducer: I must open the faults of those that they are in danger of, so far as their safety and my charity require. 6. When it is any treason or conspiracy against the King or Common-wealth: where my concealment may be an injury to the King, or damage or danger to the Kingdom. 7. When the person himself doth by his self-justification force me to it. 8. When his reputation is so built upon the injury of others, and slanders of the just, that the justifying of him is the condemning of the innocent, we may then indirectly condemn him by vindicating the just: As if it be in a case of contention between two, if we cannot justify the right without dishonor to the injurious, there is no remedy but he must bear his blame. 9. When a man's notorious wickedness hath set him up as a spectacle of warning and lamentation, so that his crimes cannot be hid, and he hath forfeited his reputation, we must give others warning by his fall. As an excommunicate person, or malefactor at the Gallows, &c. ) 10. When we have just occasion to make a bare narrative of some public matters of fact; as of the sentence of a Judge, or punishment of offenders, &c. 11. When the crime is so heinous, as that all good persons are obliged to join to make it odious, as Phinehas was to execute judgment. As in cases of open Rebellion, Treason, Blasphemy, Atheism, Idolatry, Murders, Perjury, Cruelty: Such as the French Massacre, the Irish far greater Massacre, the Murdering of Kings, the Powder Plot, the Burning of London, &c. Crimes notorious, should not go about in the mouths or ears of men, but with just detestation. 12. When any persons false reputation is a seducement to men's souls, and made by himself or others the instrument of God's dishonor, and the injury of the Church, or State, or others, though we may do no unjust thing to blast his reputation, we may tell the truth so far as justice, or mercy, or piety requireth it.

Quest. 11. What if I hear daubers applauding wicked men, and speaking well of them, and extenuating their crimes, and praising them for evil doing?

Answ. You must on all just occasions speak evil of sin: But when that is enough, you need not meddle with the sinner; no not though other men applaud him, and you know it to be false: For you are not bound to contradict every falsehood which you hear. But if in any of the twelve fore-mentioned cases you have a call to do it (as for the preservation of the hearers from a snare thereby; (as if men commend a Traitor or a wicked man to draw another to like his way,) in such cases you may, contradict the false report.

Quest. 12. Are we bound to reprove every backbiter, in this age when honest people are grown to make little conscience of it, but think it their duty to divulge men's faults?

Answ. Most of all; that you may stop the stream of this common sin: Ordinarily when ever we can do it without doing greater hurt, we should rebuke the tongue that reporteth evil of other men causelessly behind their backs: For our silence is their encouragement in sin.

Tit. 2. Directions against Backbiting, Slandering and Evil Speaking.

Direct. 1. MAintain the life of brotherly Love. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Direct. 2. Watch narrowly lest interest or passion should prevail upon you. For where these prevail, the tongue is set on fire of Hell, and will set on fire the course of nature, I am. 2. Selfishness and passion will not only prompt you to speak evil, but also to justify it, and think you do well; yea, and to be angry with those that will not hearken to you and believe you.

Direct. 3. Especially involve not yourselves in any faction, Religious or Secular. I do not mean, that you should not love and imitate the best, and hold most intimate communion with them: But that you abhor unlawful divisions and sidings; and when error, or uncharitableness, or carnal interest hath broken the Church into pieces where you live, and one is of Paul, and another of Apollo, and another of Cephas; one of this party, and another of that; take heed of espousing the interest of any party, as it stands cross to the interest of the whole. It would have been hardly credible, if sad experience had not proved it, how commonly and heinously almost every Sect of Christians, do sin in this point against each other? And how far the interest of their Sect, which they account the interest of Christ, will prevail with multitudes even of zealous people, to bely, calumniate, backbite and reproach those that are against their opinion and their party? Yea, how easily will they proceed beyond reproaches, to bloody persecutions. He that thinketh that he doth God service by killing Christ or his Disciples, will think that he doth him service by calling him a deceiver, and one that hath a Devil, a blasphemer, and an enemy to Caesar, and calling his Disciples pestilent fellows, and movers of Sedition among the people, and accounting them as the filth and off-scouring of the world: That zeal which murdered and destroyed many hundred thousand of the Waldenses and Albigenses, and thirty thousand or forty thousand in one French Massacre, and two hundred thousand in one Irish Massacre, and which kindled the Marian Bonefires in England, and made the Powder Mine, and burnt the City of London, and keepeth up the Inquisition, I say, that zeal will certainly think it a service to the Church, (that is, their Sect,) to write the most odious lies and slanders of Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Beza, and any such excellent servants of the Lord. So full of horrid impudent lies are the writings of (not one but) many Sects against those that were their chief opposers, that I still admonish all posterity, to see good evidence for it, before they believe the hard sayings of any factious Historian or Divine, against those that are against his party: It is only men of eminent conscience, and candour, and veracity, and impartiality, who are to be believed in their bad report of others, except where notoriety or very good evidence doth command belief above their own authority and veracity. A siding factious zeal, which is hotter for any Sect or party, than for the common Christianity and Catholic Church, is always a railing, a lying, and a slandering zeal, and is notably described, James 3. as earthly, sensual and devilish, causing envy, strife, and confusion, and every evil work.

Direct. 4. Observe well the Commonness of this sin of backbiting, that it may make you the more afraid of falling into that which so few do scape. I will not say, among high and low, rich and poor, Court and Country, how common is this sin: but among men professing the greatest zeal and strictness in Religion, how few make conscience of it. Mark in all companies that you come into, how common it is to take liberty to say what they think of all men; yea, to report what they hear, though they dare not say, that they believe it? And how commonly the relating of other men's faults, and telling what this man or that man is, or did, or said, is part of the chatt to waste the hour in? And if it be but true, they think they sin not: Nay, nor if they did but hear that it is true. For my part I must profess, that my conscience having brought me to a custom of rebuking such backbiters, I am ordinarily censured for it, either as one that loveth contradiction, or one that defendeth sin and wickedness, by taking part with wicked men: And all because I would stop the course of this common vice, of evil-speaking and backbiting where men have no call. And I must thankfully profess, that among all other sins in the world, the sins of SELFISHNESSE, PRIDE, and BACKBITING, I have been most brought to hate and fear, by the observation of the commonness of them, even in persons seeming godly: Nothing hath fixed an apprehension of their odiousness so deeply in me, nor engaged my heart against them above all other sins so much, as this lamentable experience of their prevalence in the world, among the more Religious, and not only in the profane.

Direct. 5. Take not the honesty of the person, as sufficient cause to hear or believe a bad report of others. It is lamentable to hear how far men otherwise honest, do too often here offend. Suspect evil speakers, and be not over-credulous of them. Charity thinketh not evil, not easily and hastily believeth it. Liars are more used to evil speaking, than men of truth and credit are. It is no wrong to the best, that you believe him not when he backbiteth, without good evidence.

Direct. 6. Rebuke backbiters, and encourage them not by hearkening to their tales, Prov. 25. 23. The north wind driveth away rain: So doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue. It may be they think themselves religious persons, and will take it for an injury to be driven away with an angry countenance: But God himself who loveth his servants better than we, is more offended at their sin: and that which offendeth him, must offend us: We must not hurt their souls, and displease God, by drawing upon us the guilt of their sins, for fear of displeasing them. Tell them how God doth hate backbiting, and advise them, if they know any hurt by others, to go to them privately, and tell them of it in a way that tendeth to their repentance.

Direct. 7. Use to make mention of the good which is in others (except it be unseasonable, and will seem to be a promoting of their sin) God's gi • ts in every man deserve commendations; And we have allowance to mention men's virtues oftener than to mention their vices. Indeed when a bad man is praised in order to the disparagement of the good, or to honor some wicked cause or action against truth and godliness, we must not concur in such malicious praists: But otherwise we must commend that which is truly commendable in all. And this custom will have a double benefit against backbiting: It will use your own tongues to a contrary course, and it will rebuke the evil tongues of others, and be an example to them of more charitable language.

Direct. 8. Understand yourselves, and speak often to others, of the sinfulness of evil speaking and backbiting: Shew them the Scriptures which condemn it, and the intrinsical malignity which is in it: as here followeth.

Direct. 9. Make conscience of just reproof and exhorting sinners to their faces: Go tell them of it privately and lovingly, and it will have better effects, and bring you more comfort, and cure the sin of backbiting.

Tit. 3. The Evil of Backbiting and Evil Speaking.

§. 1. 1. IT is forbidden of God among the heinous damning sins, and made the character of a notorious wicked person, and the avoiding of it is made the mark of such as are accepted of God, and shall be saved, Rom. 1. 29, 30. it is made the mark of a reprobate mind, and joined with murder and hating God, viz. full of envy, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters: Psal. 15. 2, 3. Lord who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor. And when Paul describeth those whom he must sharply rebuke and censure, he just describeth the factious sort of Christians of our times, 2 Cor. 12. 20. For I fear lest when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: Lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults. Ephes. 4. 31. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind one to another, and tender hearted —

§. 2. 2. It is a sin which gratifieth Satan, and serveth his malice against our neighbor. He is malicious against all, and speaking evil, and doing hurt, are the works which are suitable to his malignity? And should a Christian make his tongue the instrument of the accuser of the brethren, to do his work against each other?

§. 3. 3. It signifieth want of Christian Love. For love speaketh not evil, nor openeth men's faults without a cause, but covereth infirmities: Much l • ss will it lie and slander others, and carry about uncertain reports against them. It is not to do as you would be done by: And how essential Love is to true Christianity, Christ himself hath often told us.

§. 4. 4. It is a sin which directly serveth to destroy the hearers Love, and consequently to destroy their souls. If the backbiter understood himself, he would confess that it is his very end to cause you to hate (or abate your love to) him whom he speaketh evil of. He that speaketh good of a man representeth him amiable: For amiableness and goodness are all one. And he that speaketh evil of a man representeth him hateful or unlovely: For hatefulness, unloveliness and evil are all one. And as it is not the natural way of winning love, to entreat and beg it, and say, I pray you love this person, or that thing; but to open the goodness of the thing or person, which will command love. So is it not the natural way to stir up hatred, by entreating men to hate this man or that; but to tell how bad they are, which will command hatred in them that do believe it. Therefore to speak evil of another, is more than to say to the hearers, I pray you hate this man, or abate your love to him. And that the killing of Love, is the killing or destroying of men's souls, the Apostle John doth frequently declare.

§ 5. 5. And it tendeth also to destroy the Love, and consequently the soul of him that you speak evil of. For when it cometh to his hearing (as one way or other it may do) what evil you have reported of him behind his back, it tendeth to make him hate you, and so to make him worse.

§. 6. 6. It is a great make-bate and peace-breaker where ever it is practiced. It tendeth to set people together by the ears; When it is told that such a one spake evil of you in such a place; there are then heart-burnings and rehearsals, and sidings, and such ensuing malice, as the Devil intended by this design.

§. 7. 7. They that use to speak evil of others behind their backs, its ten to one will speak falsehoods of them when they do not know it. Fame is too ordinarily a liar, and they shall be liars, who will be its messengers. How know you whether the thing that you report is true? Is it only because a credible person spake it? But how did that person know it to be true? Might he not take it upon trust as well as you? And might he not take a person to be credible that is not? And how commonly doth faction, or interest, or passion, or credulity, make that person incredible in one thing, who is credible in others where he hath no such temptation? If you know it not to be true, or have not sufficient evidence to prove it, you are guilty of lying and slandering interpretatively, though it should prove true: because it might have been a lie for ought you knew.

§. 8. 8. It is gross injustice to talk of a man's faults, before you have heard him speak for himself. I know it is usual with such to say, O we have heard it from such, as we are certain will not lie. But he is a foolish and unrighteous Judge, that will be peremptory upon hearing one party only speak, and knoweth not how ordinary it is, for a man when he speaketh for himself, to blow away the most confident and plausible accusations, and make the case appear to be quite another thing. You know not what another hath to say, till you have heard him.

§. 9. 9. Backbiting teacheth others to backbite: Your example inviteth them to do the like: And sins which are common, are easily swallowed, and hardly repented of: Men think that the commonness justifieth or ext •••• at • th the fault.

§. 10. 10. It encourageth ungodly men to the odious sin of backbiting and s • andering the most religious righteous person. It is ordinary with the Devils family to make Christ's faithfullest servants their table-talk, and the objects of their reproach and scorn, and the song of drunkards? What abundance of lies go currant among such malignant persons, against the most innocent, which would all be shamed, if they had first admitted them to speak for themselves? And such slanders and lies are the Devils common means to keep ungodly men from the love of godliness, and so from repentance and salvation. And backbiting Professors of Religion encourage men to this: For with what measure they mete, it shall be measured to them again. And they that are themselves evil spoken of, will think that they are warranted to requite the backbiters with the like.

§. 11. 11. It is a sin which commonly excludeth true profitable reproof and exhortation. They that speak most behind men's backs, do usually say least to the sinners face, in any way which tendeth to his salvation. They will not go lovingly to him in private, and set home his sin upon his conscience, and exhort him to repentance: but anything shall serve as a sufficient excuse against this duty; that they may make the sin of backbiting serve instead of it: And all is out of carnal selfsaving: They fear men will be offended if they speak to their faces, and therefore they will whisper against them behind their backs.

§. 12. 12. It is at the least but idle talk, and a mis-spending of your time: What the better are the hearers, for hearing of other men's mis-doings? And you know that it no whit profiteth the person of whom you speak. A skillful friendly admonition might do him good! But to neglect this, and talk of his faults unprofitably behind his back, is but to aggravate the sin of your uncharitableness, as being not contented to refuse your help to a man in sin, but you must also injure him and do him hurt.

Tit. 1. Cases of Conscience about Iudging of others.

Quest. 1. AM I not bound to judge truly of everyone as he is?

Answ. 1. There are many that you are not bound to meddle with, and to pass any judgment at all upon. 2. There are many whose faults are secret, and their virtues open: And of such you cannot judge as they are, because you have no proof or evidence to enable you: You cannot see that which is latent in the heart, or done in darkness. 3. You neither ought on pretence of charity, nor can believe an evident known untruth of any man.

Quest. Doth not charity bind me to judge men better than they are?

Answ. Charity bindeth you, 1. Rather to observe the best in them, than the worst: 2. And as I said, to judge of no man's faults uncalled: 3. Nor to judge of that which is not evident, but out of sight: And thus consequently it bindeth you to judge some men to be better than they are: but not directly.

Object. Then a man is bound to err and to believe an untruth.

Answ. No: You are not bound to believe that it is certainly true, that such a man is better than he is: Because you have no evidence of its certain truth. But you are bound to believe it a thing probable or verisimile, likely to be true, by an opinion or fallible human faith: And this is not a falsehood: For that is likely and probable to you, which hath the more probable evidence, and more for it, than against it: So that the thing which you are to believe immediately is this proposition, There is more evidence to me to prove it likely that this man is sincere than contrary: And consequently you believe this, and believe not the contrary, because the contrary hath no evidence. But you are not to take it as a certain thing, that the contrary hath no latent reality.

Quest. 2. How far may I judge ill of one by outward appearances, as by the countenance, gestures, and other uncertain, but suspicious signs?

Answ. There are some signs which are not so much as probable, but a little suspicious, and which men are very ordinarily mistaken by: As those that will judge of a man at the first look by his face: And those that will judge a studious, serious person (a Lawyer, a Judge, or a Divine) to be morose or proud, because they are not complemental; but of few words; or because they have not patience to waste precious hours in hearing an empty vessel sound; an ignorant self-conceited person talk foolishly. Such censures are but the effects of injudiciousness, unrighteousness and rash haste. There are other signs which make it probable to a wise and charitable person, that the man is bad ( e. g. proud, or covetous, or an hypocrite). If with these, there are as great signs to make the contrary probable, we must rather incline to the better, than the worse. But if not, we may fear the worst of that person, but not conclude it as a certainty: And therefore we may not in public censures, proceed upon such uncertainties, nor venture to divulge them; but only use them to help us for due caution, and pity, and prayer, and endeavor for such a ones recovery and help.

Quest. 3. How far may I censure upon the report of others?

Answ. According to the degree of the credibility of the persons, and evidence of the narrative; not simply in themselves, but as compared with all that is to be heard on the contrary part: Else you are partial and unjust.

Quest. 4. Doth not the fifth Command oblige me in honor to Parents and Princes, to judge them to be better than their lives declare them to be?

Answ. You are gradually to honor them more than others, and therefore to be more afraid of dishonoring them, and must not sit in judgment on them, to believe any harm of them, which evidence doth not compel you to believe: But you are not to judge any sin the less, because it is theirs; nor to judge contrary to evidence, nor to call evil good, nor to be willfully blind, nor to flatter any in their sin.

Quest. 5. Whom must we judge for sincere and sanctified Christians?

Answ. 1. All those that Profess to be such, whom you cannot disprove. 2. But as there are several degrees of evidence and probability, so must there be several degrees of your good opinion of others. Of some who give you the highest probability, you may have the strongest confidence short of certainty: Of others you may have less; and of some you may have much more fear than hope. 3. And yet in matters of Church-rights and public communion, your fears will not allow you to use them as no Christians: For their profession of faith and repentance is certain: And as long as your fears of their hypocrisy or unsoundness is but uncertain, it must not (on that account) prevail to deprive another of his right.

Quest. 6. But is not my error my sin, if I prove mistaken, and take that man for a sincere Christian who is none?

Answ. If you judged it to be certain, your judgment and error was your sin; But if you only judged him a Professor of Christianity, and one that on that account you were bound to have Church-communion with as if he were sincere, because you cannot prove the contrary, this was no error: Or if you erred for want of sufficient evidence to know the truth, this error is not in itself a sin.

Quest. 7. Whom must I judge a visible member of the Church, with whom I am thus bound to hold communion?

Answ. 1. If you are the Pastor of the Church who are made the Judge, at his admittance by Baptism or afterwards, you must so judge of everyone who maketh a credible profession of true Christianity, that is, of his present Consent to the Sacramental Covenant: And that profession is credible; which is, 1. Understood by him that maketh it, 2. Deliberate, 3. Voluntary, 4. Seemingly serious, 5. And is not disproved by valid evidence of the contrary. These are the true measures of Church communion: For every man, next God, is the Judge of his own heart: And God would have every man the Chooser or Refuser of his own mercies.

2. But if you are but a private member of the Church, you are to judge that person a visible member of the Church, whom the Pastor hath taken in by Baptism, and not cast out again by excommunication: Except the contrary be notorious: And even then you are oft obliged for order sake to carry yourself towards him as a visible member, till he be regularly cast out.

Quest. 8. Whom must I judge a true worshipper of God, and whom not?

Answ. Him that professeth true Christianity, and joineth in true Worship with a Christian Church, or privately (when hindered) acknowledgeth the true God in all his Essential Attributes, and heareth his Word, and prayeth to him for all things necessary to salvation; and praiseth him accordingly; not giving the Worship proper to God unto any creature: And doth all this as a sinner redeemed by Jesus Christ, trusting in his Merits, Sacrifice and intercession, and giveth not his Office to any other. And he is a false Worshipper who denieth any essential Attribute of God, or essential part of the Office of Christ; or giveth these to any other! or refuseth his Word, or excludeth in his prayers, anything essential to Christianity, or absolutely necessary to salvation. But secundum quid, in lesser parts, or circumstances, or measures, every man on earth is a false Worshipper, that is, he offereth God a worship some way faulty and imperfect: and hath some sin in his worshipping of God: And sin is a thing that God requireth not, but forbiddeth even in the smallest measures.

Quest. 9. Which must I judge a true Church of Christ, and which a false Church?

Answ. The Universal Church is but one, and is the whole society of Christians as united to Christ their only Head: And this cannot be a false Church. But if any other set up an Usurper as the Universal Head, and so make another Policy and Church, this is a false Church formally, or in its policy: But yet the members of this false Church or policy, may some of them as Christians be also members of the true Church of Christ: And thus the Roman Church as Papal is a false Catholic Church, having the Policy of an Usurper: but as Christians they may be members of the true Catholic Church of Christ. But for a particular Church, which is but part of the Universal, that is a true Church considered merely as an ungoverned Community, which is a true part of the Catholic, prepared for a Pastor, but yet being without one: But that only is a true Political Church, which consisteth of Professed Christians conjoined under a true Pastor, for Communion in the profession of true Christianity, and for the true worshipping of God, and orderly walking for their mutual assistance and salvation.

Quest. 10. Whom must we judge true Prophets and Pastors of the Church?

Answ. He is a true Prophet, who is sent by God, and speaketh truth by immediate supernatural revelation or inspiration. And he is a false Prophet, who either falsely saith, that he hath Divine revelations or inspiration, or prophesieth falsehood as from God. And he is a true Pastor at the bar of God, who is, 1. Competently qualified with abilities for the Office. 2. Competently disposed to it, with willingness and desire of success: And hath right ends in undertaking and discharging it. 3. Who hath a just admission, by true Ordination of Pastors, and Consent of the flock: And he is to be accounted a true Pastor in foro Ecclesiae, in the Churches judgment, whom the Church judgeth to have all these qualifications, and thereupon admitteth him into possession of the place, till his incapacity be notorious or publicly and sufficiently proved, or he be removed or made uncapable.

Tit. 2. Directions for the Cure of sinful Censoriousness.

Direct. 1. MEddle not at all in judging of others without a call. Know first whether it be any of your work. If not, be afraid of those words of your Judge, Matth. 7. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Judge not, that ye be not judged: For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged, &c. And Rom. 14. 4. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own Master he standeth or falleth. And verse. 10. & 13. But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at naught thy brother? We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ—Everyone of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another anymore. 1 Cor. 4. 3, 4, 5. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment—Therefore judge nothing before the time till the Lord come, who both will bring to light the bidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts —Col. 2. 16. Let no man judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new Moon, or Sabbath.

Quest. But when have I a call to Judge another?

Answ. You may take the answer to this from the answer to Quest. 10. Chap. 23. Tit. 1. 1. If your Office or place require it, as a Magistrate, Pastor, Parent, Master, Tutor, &c. 2. If the safety of the Church, or your neighbor do require it. 3. If the good of the sinner require it, that you may seek his repentance and reformation: 4. If your own preservation or welfare (or any other duty) require it.

Direct. 2. Keep up an humble sense of your own faults, and that will make you compassionate to others. He that is truly vile in his own eyes, is least inclined to vilify others: And he that judgeth himself with the greatest penitent severity, is the least inclined to be censorious to his brother. Pride is the common cause of censoriousness: He that saith with the Pharisee, I fast twice a week, and pay tythe of all that I have, I am no adulterer, &c. will also say, I am not as other men, nor as this Publican: when the true penitent findeth so much of his own to be condemned, that he smiteth on his own breast and saith, God be merciful to me a sinner. The prouder self-conceited sort of Christians are ever the most censorious of their neighbors.

Direct. 3. Be much therefore at home in searching, and watching, and amending your own hearts: and then you will find so much to do about yourselves, that you will have no mind or leisure to be censuring others: Whereas the superficial hypocrite, whose Religion is in externals, and is unacquainted with his heart and Heaven, is so little employed in the true work of a Christian, that he hath leisure for the work of a censorious Pharisee.

Direct. 4. Labor for a deep experimental insight into the nature of Religion, and of every duty. For no men are so censorious, as the ignorant who know not what they say: whilst experienced persons know those difficulties and other reasons which calm their minds. As in common business, no man will sooner find fault with a Workman in his work, than idle praters who least understand it. So is it commonly in matters of Religion: Women and young men, that never saw into the great mysteries of Divinity, but have been lately changed from a vicious life, and have neither acquaintance with the hard points of Religion, nor with their own ignorance of them, are the common proud censurers of their brethren much wiser than themselves, and of all men that are more moderate and peaceable than themselves, and are more addicted to Unity, and more averse to Sects and separations than they. Study harder, and wait till you grow up to the experience of the aged, and you will be less censorious, and more peaceable.

Direct. 5. Think not yourselves fit Judges of that which you understand not: And think not proudly that you are liker to understand the difficulties in Religion, with your short and lazy studies, than those that in reading, meditation and prayer have spent their lives in searching after them. Let not pride make you abuse the Holy Ghost, by pretending that he hath given you more wisdom in a little time, and with little means and diligence, than your betters have by the holy industry of all their lives: Say not, God can give more to you in a year, than to others in twenty. For it is a poor argument to prove that God hath done it, because he can do it. He can make you an Angel, but that will not prove you one. Prove your wisdom before you pretend to it, and overvalue it not: Heb. 5. 11, 12, showeth that it is God's ordinary way to give men wisdom according to their time and means, unless their own negligence deprive them of his blessing.

Direct. 6. Study to keep up Christian Love, and to keep it lively: For Love is not censorious, but is inclined to judge the best, till evidence constrain you to the contrary. Censoriousness is a Vermin which crawleth in the carcass of Christian Love, when the life of it is gone.

Direct. 7. Value all God's graces in his servants: And then you will see something to love them for, when hypocrites can see nothing: Make not too light of small degrees of grace, and then your censure will not overlook them.

Direct. 8. Remember the tenderness of Christ, who condemneth not the weak, nor casteth Infants out of his family, nor the diseased out of his Hospital; but dealeth with them in such gracious gentleness, as beseemeth a tender-hearted Savior: He will not break the bruised reed: He carrieth his Lambs in his arms, and gently driveth those with young! He taketh up the wounded man, when the Priest and Levite pass him by. And have you not need of the tenderness of Christ yourselves as well as others? Are you not afraid lest he should find greater faults in you, than you find in others? And condemn you as you condemn them?

Direct. 9. Let the sense of the common corruption of the world, and imperfection of the godly moderate your particular censures. As Seneca saith, To censure a man for that which is common to all men, is in a sort to censure him for being a man; which beseemeth not him that is a man himself. Do you not know the frailty of the best, and the common pravity of human nature? How few are there that must not have great allowance, or else they will not pass for currant in the balance. Elias was a man subject to passions: Jonah to pievishness: Job had his impatiency: •• ul saith even of the Teachers of the primitive Church, They all (that were with him) seek their own, and not the things of Jesus Christ. What blots are charged on almost all the Churches, and almost all the holy persons, mentioned throughout all the Scriptures? Learn then of Paul a better lesson than censoriousness, Gal. 6. 1. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault; ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the Law of Christ. Let every man prove his own work, and then be shall have rejoicing in himself alone, &c.

Direct. 10. Remember that Judgment is God's prerogative (further than as we are called to it for the performance of some duty, either of Office, or of private Charity or self-preservation): And that the Judge is as at the door! And that judging unmercifully maketh us liable to judgment without mercy. The foresight of that near universal Judgment, which will pass the doom on us and all men, will do much to cure us of our rash censoriousness.

Direct. 11. Peruse and observe all the Directions in the last Chapter against evil-speaking and backbiting, that I may not need to repeat them: Especially avoid 1. The snare of selfishness and interest: For most men judge of others principally by their own interest: He is the good man, that is good to them, or is on their side; that loveth and honoreth them, and answereth their desires: This is the common false judgment of the corrupted selfish world; who vilify and hate the best, because they seem unsuitable to them and to their carnal interest: Therefore take heed of your judgment about any man, that you have any falling-out with: For its two to one, but you will wrong him through this selfishness. 2. Avoid passion; which blindeth the judgment. 3. Avoid Faction; which maketh you judge of all men as they agree or disagree with your opinions, or your side and party. 4. Avoid too hasty belief of censures, and rebuke them. 5. Hear every man speak for himself before you censure him, if it be possible, and the case be not notorious.

Direct. 12. Keep still upon your mind a just and deep apprehension of the malignity of this sin, of rash censuring: It is of greatest consequence to the mortifying of any sin, what apprehensions of it are upon the mind. If religious persons apprehended the odiousness of this as much, as they do of swearing, drunkenness, fornication, &c. they would as carefully avoid it: Therefore I shall show you the Malignity of this sin.

Tit. 3. The evil of the Sin of Censoriousness.

§. 1. 1. IT is an usurpation of God's Prerogative, who is the Judge of all the world: It is a stepping up into his Judgment Seat, and undertaking his work, as if you said, I will be God as to this action: And if he be called, The Antichrist who usurpeth the Office of Christ, to be the Universal Monarch and Head of the Church, you may imagine what he doth, who (though but in one point) doth set up himself in the place of God.

§. 2. 2. They that usurp not God's part in judging, yet ordinarily usurp the part of the Magistrate or Pastors of the Church. As when mistaken censorious Christians refuse to come to the Sacrament of Communion, because many persons are there whom they judge to be ungodly, what do they but usurp the Office of the Pastors of the Church? To whom the Keys are committed for admission and exclusion? And so are the appointed Judges of that case? The duty of private members is but to admonish the offender first secretly, and then before witnesses, and to tell the Church if he repent not, and humbly to tell the Pastors of their duty, if they neglect it: And when this is done, they have discharged their part, and must no more excommunicate men themselves, than they must hang Thieves when the Magistrate doth neglect to hang them.

§. 3. 3. Censoriousness signifieth the absence or decay of Love: which inclineth men to think evil, and judge the worst, and aggravate infirmities, and overlook or extenuate any good that is in others. And there is least Grace where there is least Love.

§. 4. 4. It showeth also much want of self-acquaintance, and such heart-employment as the sincerest Christians are taken up with. And it showeth much want of Christian humility and sense of your own infirmities and badness; and much prevalency of Pride and self-conceitedne • s: If you knew how ignorant you are, you would not be so peremptory in judging: And if you knew how bad you are, you would not be so forward to condemn your neighbors. So that here is together the effect of much self-estrangedness, hypocrisy and pride: Did you ever well consider of the mind of Christ, when he bid them that accused the adulterous woman, John 8. 7. He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her? Certainly adultery was a heinous crime, and to be punished with death, and Christ was no Patron of uncleanness: But he knew that it was an hypocritical sort of persons whom he spake to, who were busy in judging others rather than themselves. Have you studied his words against rash censurers, Matth. 7. 3, 4. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brothers eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite! first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote which is in thy brothers eye. I know well that impenitent sinners, do use to pervert all these words of Christ, against any that would bring them to repentance for their sin: and account all men rash censurers, who would make them acquainted with their unsanctified hearts and lives. But it is not their abuse of Scripture, which will justify our overpassing it with neglect: Christ spake it not for nothing; and it must be studied by his Disciples.

§. 5. 5. Censoriousness is injustice, in that the censurers would not be so censured themselves: You will say, Yes, if we were as bad, and did deserve it. But though you have not that same fault, have you no other? And are you willing to have it aggravated, and be thus rashly judged? You do not as you would be done by: yea, commonly censurers are guilty of false judging; and whilst they take things hastily upon trust, and stay not to hear men speak for themselves, or to inquire thoroughly into the cause, they commonly condemn the innocent; and call good evil, and put light for darkness; and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him, when God hath cursed such with a woe.

§. 6. 6. And false censuring is the proper work of the Devil, the accuser of the brethren, Rev. 12. 10. Who accuseth them before God day and night! And Christians should not bear his Image, nor do his work.

§. 7. 7. Censoriousness is contrary to the Nature and Office of Jesus Christ: He came to pardon sin, and cover the infirmities of his servants, and to cast them behind his back, and into the depth of the Sea, and to bury them in his grave: And it is the censurers work to rake them up, and to make them seem more and greater than they are, and to bring them into the open light.

§. 8. 8. Censoriousness causeth uncharitableness and sinful separations in the censurers: when they have conceited their brethren to be worse than they are, they must then reproach them or have no communion with them, and avoid them as too bad for the company of such as they. Or when they have usurped the Pastors work in judging, they begin the execution by sinful separation.

§. 9. 9. Censoriousness is an infectious sin, which easily taketh with the younger and prouder sort of Christians, and so setteth them on vilifying others: And at this little gap there entereth all uncharitableness, backbitings, revilings, Church-divisions, and Sects, yea, and too often rebellious and bloody Wars at last.

§. 10. 10. Censoriousness is a sore temptation to them that are censured, either to contemn such as censure them, and go on the other hand too far from them; or else to comply with the errors and sinful humors of the censurers, and to strain their consciences to keep pace with the censorious.

And here I must leave it on record to posterity for their warning, that the great and lamentable actions, changes and calamities of this age, have arisen (next to gross impiety) from this sin of censoriousness producing these two contrary effects, and thereby dividing men into two contrary parties: The younger sort of Religious people, and the more ignorant, and many women, having more zeal than judgment, placed too much of their Religion in a sharp opposition to all Ceremonies, Formalities and Opinions which they thought unlawful; and were much inclined to Schism and unjust separations upon that account; and therefore censured such things as Antichristian, and those that used them as superstitious or temporizers: And no man's learning, piety, wisdom or laboriousness in the Ministry could save him from these sharp reproachful censures. Hereupon one party, had not Humility and Patience enough to endure to be so judged of; nor love and tenderness enough for such peevish Christians, to bear with them in pity, as Parents do with froward Infants; but because these professed holiness and zeal, even holiness and zeal were brought under suspicion for their sakes; and they were taken to be persons intolerable, as unfit to lie in any building, and unmeet to submit to Christian Government; and therefore meet to be used accordingly. Another sort were so wearied with the profaneness and ungodliness of the vulgar rabble, and saw so few that were judiciously religious, that they thought it their duty to love and cherish the zeal and piety of their censorious weak ones, and to bear patiently with their frowardness, till ripeness and experience cured them (And so far they were right). And because they thought that they could do them no good, if they once lost their interest in them (and were also themselves too impatient of their censure,) some of them seemed (to please them,) to be more of their opinion than they were; and more of them forbore to reprove their petulancy, but silently suffered them to go on; especially when they fell into the Sects of Antinomians, Anabaptists and Separatists, they durst not reprove them as they deserved, lest they should drive them all out of the Hive, to some of these late swarms. And thus censoriousness in the ignorant and self-conceited, drove away one part to take them as their enemies; and silenced or drew on another party to follow them that led the Van in some irregular violent actions; and the wise and sober moderators were disregarded, and in the noise of these tumults and contentions could not be heard, till the smart of either party in their suffering forced them to honor such; whom in their exaltation again they despised or abused. This is the true sum of all the Tragoedies in Britain of this Age.

Tit. 4. Directions for those that are rashly censured.

Direct. 1. REmember when you are injured by Censures, that God is now trying your Humility, Charity and Patience: And therefore be most studious to exercise and preserve these three. 1. Take heed lest Pride make you disdainful to the censurers: A humble man can bear contempt: Hard censures hurt men so far as they are proud. 2. Take heed lest imbecility add to your impatience, and concur with pride: Cannot you bear greater things than these? Impatience will disclose that badness in yourselves, which will make you censured much more: And it will show you as weak in one respect as the censurers are in another. 3. Take heed lest their fault do not draw you to overlook or undervalue that serious godliness which is in many of the censorious: And that you do not presently judge them Hypocrites or Schismatics, and abate your charity to them, or incline to handle them more roughly than the tenderness of Christ alloweth you. Remember that in all ages it hath been thus: The Church hath had peevish children within, as well as persecuting enemies without: Insomuch as Paul, Rom. 14. giveth you the copy of these times, and giveth them this counsel, which from him I am giving you. The weak in knowledge were censorious and judged the strong. The strong in knowledge were weak in Charity, and contemned the weak: Just as now one party saith, [ These are superstitious persons, and antichristian: ] The other saith, [ What giddy Schismatics are these? ] But Paul chideth them both; one sort for censuring, and the other for despising them.

Direct. 2. Take heed lest whilst you are impatient under their censures, you fall into the same sin yourselves: Do they censure you for differing in some Forms or Ceremonies from them. Take heed lest you over-censure them for their censoriousness: If you censure them as hypocrites who censure you as superstitious, you condemn yourselves while you are condemning them. For why will not censuring too far, prove you hypocrites also, if it prove them such?

Direct. 3. Remember that Christ beareth with their weakness, who is wronged by it more than you, and is more against it. He doth not quit his title to them for their frowardness, nor cease his love, not turn every Infant out of his family that will cry and wrangle, nor every Patient out of his Hospital, that doth complain and groan: And we must imitate our Lord, and love where he loveth, and pity where he pitieth, and be merciful as our heavenly Father is merciful.

Direct. 4. Remember how amiable a thing the least degree of Grace is, even when it is clouded and blotted with infirmities: It is the Divine Nature, and the Image of God, and the seed of Glory: And therefore as an Infant hath the noble nature of a man, and in all his weakness is much more honorable than the best of Bruits (so that it is death to kill an Infant, but not a Beast): So is the most infirm and froward true Christian more honorable and amiable, than the most splendid Infidel. Bear with them in love and honor to the image and interest of Christ.

Direct. 5. Remember that you were once weak in Grace yourselves; And if happy education under peaceable Guides did not prevent it, its two to one but you were yourselves censorious. Bear therefore with others as you bear with crying children, because you were once a child yourself. Not that the sin is ever the better, but you should be the more compassionate.

Direct. 6. Remember that your own strength and judgment is so great a mercy, that you should the easilier bear with a censorious tongue. The Rich and Noble can bear with the envious, remembering that it is happy to have that worth or felicity which men do envy. You suffer fools gladly seeing you yourselves are wise. If you are in the right, let losers talk.

Direct. 7. Remember that we shall be shortly together in Heaven, where they will recant their censures, and you will easily forgive them, and perfectly love them. And will not the foresight of such a meeting cause you to bear with them, and forgive and love them now?

Direct. 8. Remember how inconsiderable a thing it is as to your own interest, to be judged of man: and that you stand or fall to the judgment of the Lord. 1 Cor. 4. 3, 4. What are you the better or the worse for the thoughts or words of a man? When your salvation or damnation lieth upon God's judgment. It is too much hypocrisy, to be too much desirous of man's esteem and approbation, and too much troubled at his disesteem and censure, and not to be satisfied with the approbation of God. Read what is written against Man-pleasing, Tom. 1.

Direct. 9. Make some advantage of other men's censures, for your own proficiency. If good men censure you, be not too quick in concluding that you are innocent, and justifying yourselves: But be suspicious of yourselves: lest they should prove the right; and examine yourselves with double diligence. If you find that you are clear in the point that you are censured for, suspect and examine lest some other sin, hath provoked God to try you by these censures: And if you find not any other notable fault, let it make you the more watchful by way of prevention, seeing the eyes of God and men are on you; and it may be God's warning, to bid you take heed for the time to come. If you are thus brought to repentance, or to the more careful life, by occasion of men's censures, they will prove so great a benefit to you, that you may bear them the more easily.

Tit. 1. Cases of Conscience about Trusts and Secrets.

Quest. 1. HOw are we forbidden to put our Trust in man? And how may it be done?

Answ. 1. You must not trust man for more than his proportion, and what belongs to man to do: You must not expect that from him which God alone can do. 2. You must not trust a bad unfaithful man to do that which is proper to a good and faithful man to do. 3. You must not trust the best man being imperfect and fallible, as fully as if you supposed him perfect and infallible: But having to do with a corrupted world we must live in it with some measure of distrust to all men (For all that Cicero thought this contrary to the Laws of friendship). But especially ignorant, dishonest and fraudulent men must be most distrusted. As Bucholtzer said to his friend that was going to be a Courtier, Commendo tibi fidem diabolorum, Crede & Contremisce: He that converseth with diabolical men, must believe them no further than is due to the children of the Father of Lyes. But we must trust men as men, according to the principles of Veracity that are left in corrupted nature: And we must trust men so far as reason showeth us cause, from their skill, fidelity, honesty or interest: So a Surgeon, a Physician, a Pilot may be trusted with our lives: And the skilfuller and faithfuller any man is, the more he is to be trusted.

Quest. 2. Whom should a man choose for a matter of trust?

Answ. As the matter is: One that hath wisdom, skill and fidelity, through conscience, honesty, friendship or his own apparent interest.

Quest. 3. In what cases may I commit a secret to another?

Answ. When there is a necessity of his knowing it, or a greater probability of good than hurt by it, in the evidence which a prudent man may see.

Quest. 4. What if another commit a thing to me with charge of secrecy, and I say nothing to him, and so promise it not: Am I bound to secrecy in that case?

Answ. If you have cause to believe that he took your silence for consent, and would not else have committed it to you, you are obliged in point of fidelity, as well as friendship: except it be with robbers or such as we are not bound to deal openly with, and on terms of equality.

Quest. 5. What if it be a secret, but I am under no Command or Promise at all about it?

Answ. You must then proceed according to the Laws of Charity and Friendship: and not reveal that which is to the injury of another, without a greater cause.

Quest. 6. What if it be against the King, or State, or common good?

Answ. You are bound to reveal it, so far as the safety of the King, or State, or common good requireth it: Yea, though you swear the contrary.

Quest. 7. What if it be only against the good of some third ordinary person?

Answ. You must endeavor to prevent his wrong, either by revealing the thing, or dissuading from it, or by such means as prudence shall tell you is the meetest way, by exercising your love to one, without doing wrong to the other.

Quest. 8. What if a man secretly entrust his estate to me, for himself or children, when he is in debt, to defraud his Creditors?

Answ. You ought not to take such a trust: And if you have done it, you ought not to hold it, but resign it to him that did entrust you. Yea, and to disclose the fraud, for the righting of the Creditors, except it be in such a case as that the Creditor is some such vicious or oppressing person, as you are not obliged to exercise that act of charity for; or when the consequents of revealing it, will be a greater hurt, than the righting of him will compensate; especially when it is against the public good.

Quest. 9. What if a delinquent entrust me with his estate or person to secure it from penalty?

Answ. If it be one that is prosecuted by a due course of Justice, cujus poena debetur reipublicae, whose punishment the common good requireth, the case must be decided as the former: You must not take, nor keep such a trust. But if it be one whose Repentance giveth you reason to believe, that his impunity will be more to the common good than his punishment, and that if the Magistrate knew it, he ought to spare or pardon him, in this case you may conceal his person or estate; so be it you do it not by a lie, or any other sinful means, or such as will do more hurt than good.

Quest. 10. What if a friend entrust me with his estate to secure it from some great taxes or tributes to the King? May I keep such a trust or not?

Answ. No; if they be just and legal taxes, for the maintenance of the Magistrate or preservation of the Common-wealth: But if it were done by a Usurper that had no authority, (or done without or beyond authority, to the oppressing of the subject, you may conceal his estate or your own) by lawful means.

Quest. 11. What if a man that suffereth for Religion, commit his person or estate to my trust?

Answ. You must be faithful to your trust, 1. If it be true Religion and a good cause for which he suffereth. 2. Or if he be falsely accused of abuses in Religion: 3. Or if he be faulty; but the penalty intended from which you secure him is incomparably beyond his fault, and unjust. Supposing still that you save him only by lawful means, and that it be not like to tend to do more hurt than good, to the cause of Religion or the Common-wealth.

Quest. 12. What if a Papist or other erroneous person, entrust me (being of the same mind) to educate his Children in that way when he is dead? and afterwards I come to see the error, must I perform that trust or no?

Answ. No: 1. Because no trust can oblige you to do hurt: 2. Because it is contrary to the primary intent of your friend; which was his Children's good. And you may well suppose that had he seen his error, he would have entrusted you to do accordingly: You are bound therefore to answer his primary intention, and truly to endeavor his Children's good.

Quest. 13. But what if a man to whom another hath entrusted his Children, turn Papist or Heretic, and so thinketh error to be truth? what must he do.

Answ. He is bound to turn back again to the truth, and do accordingly.

Obj. But one saith this is the truth and another that; And he thinketh he is right.

Answ. There is but one of the contraries true. Men's thinking themselves to be in the right, doth not make it so: And God will not change his Laws, because they misunderstand or break them: Therefore still that which God bindeth them to is to return unto the truth? And if they think that to be truth which is not, they are bound to think otherwise. If you say, They cannot, It is either not true, or it is long of themselves that they cannot: And they that cannot immediately, yet mediately can do it, in the due use of means.

Quest. 14. What if I foresee that the taking of a trust may hazard my estate, or otherwise hurt me, and yet my dying (or living) friend desireth it?

Answ. How far the Law of Christianity or friendship oblige you to hurt yourself for his good must be discerned by a prudent considering, what your obligations •• e to the person, and whether the good of your granting his desires, or the hurt to yourself is like to be the greater, and of more public consequence: And whether you injure not your own Children or others by gratifying him: And upon such comparison prudence must determine the case.

Quest. 15. But what if afterward the trust prove more to my hurt than I foresaw?

Answ. If it was your own fault that you foresaw it not, you must suffer proportionably for that fault: But otherwise you must compare your own hurt with the Orphans in case you do not perform the trust: And consider whether they may not be relieved another way: And whether you have reason to think that if the Parent were alive and knew your danger, he would expect you should perform your trust, or would discharge you of it. If it be some great and unexpected dangers, which you think upon good grounds the Parent would acquit you from if he were living, you fulfill your trust, if you avoid them, and do that which would have been his will if he had known it. Otherwise you must perform your promise though it be to your loss and suffering?

Quest. 16. But what if it was only a trust imposed by his desire and will, without my acceptance or promise to perform it?

Answ. You must do as you would be done by, and as the common good, and the Laws of love and friendship do require. Therefore the quality of the person, and your obligations to him, and especially the comparing of the consequent good and evil together must decide the case.

Quest. 17. What if the surviving kindred of the Orphan be nearer to him than I am, and they censure me and calumniate me as injurious to the Orphan, may I not ease myself of the trust, and cast it upon them?

Answ. In this case also, the measure of your suffering must first be compared with the measure of the Orphans good? And then your Conscience must tell you whether you verily think the Parent who entrusted you, would discharge you if he were alive and knew the case: If he would, though you promised, it is to be supposed that it was not the meaning of his desire or your promise, to incur such sufferings: And if you believe that he would not discharge you, if he were alive, then if you promised you must perform; But if you promised not, you must go no farther than the Law of love requireth.

Quest. 18. What is a Minister of Christ to do, if a penitent person confess secretly some heinous or capital crime to him (as Adultery, theft, robbery, murder): Must it be concealed or not?

Answ. 1. If a purpose of sinning be antecedently confessed, it is unlawful to farther the crime, or give opportunity to it by a concealment: But it must be so far opened as is necessary for the prevention of another's wrong, or the persons sin: Especially if it be Treason against the King, or Kingdom, or anything against the common good.

2. When the punishment of the offender is apparently necessary to the good of others, especially to right the King or Country, and to preserve them from danger by the offender or any other, it is a duty to open a past fault that is confessed, and to bring the offender to punishment, rather than injure the innocent by their impunity.

3. When Restitution is necessary to a person injured, you may not by concealment hinder such Restitution; but must procure it to your power where it may be had.

4. It is unlawful to promise universal secrecy absolutely to any penitent. But you must tell him before he confesseth [If your crime be such as that opening it is necessary to the preservation or righting of King, or Country, or your Neighbor, or to my own safety, I shall not conceal it.] That so men may know how far to trust you.

5. Yet in some rare cases, (as the preservation of our Parents, King, or Country) it may be a duty to promise and perform concealment, when there is no hurt like to follow but the loss or hazard of our own lives, or liberties or estates: And consequently if no hurt be like to follow but some private loss of another, which I cannot prevent without a greater hurt.

6. If a man ignorant of the Law and of his own danger, have rashly made a promise of secrecy, and yet be in doubt, he should open the case in hypothesi only to some honest able Lawyer, enquiring if such a case should be, what the Law requireth of the Pastor, or what danger he is in if he conceal it: that he may be able farther to judge of the case.

7. He that made no promise of secrecy, virtual or actual, may caeteris paribus bring the offender to shame or punishment rather than fall into the like himself for the concealment.

8. He that rashly promised universal secrecy, must compare the penitents danger and his own, and consider whose suffering is like to be more to the public detriment all things considered, and that must be first avoided.

9. He that findeth it his duty to reveal the crime to save himself, must yet let the penitent have notice of it, that he may fly and escape; unless as aforesaid, when the Interest of the King or Country or others, doth more require his punishment.

10. But when there is no such necessity of the offenders punishment, for the prevention of the hurt or wrong of others, nor any great danger by concealment to the Minister himself, I think that the Crime, though it were capital, should be concealed: My reasons are,

• 1. Because though every man be bound to do his best to prevent sin, yet every man is not bound to bring offenders to punishment: He that is no Magistrate, nor hath a special call so to do, may be in many cases not obliged to it.
• 2. It is commonly concluded that (in most cases) a capital offender is not bound to bring himself to punishment: And that which you could not know but by his free Confession, and is confessed to you only on your promise of concealment, seemeth to me to put you under no other obligation to bring him to punishment, than he is under himself.
• 3. Christ's words and practice, in dismissing the Woman taken in Adu • tery showeth that it is not always a duty, for one that is no Magistrate to prosecute a capital offender, but that sometime his repentance and life may be preferred.
• 4. And Magistrates pardons showeth the same.
• 5. Otherwise no sinner would have the benefit of a Counselor to open his troubled Conscience to: For if it be a duty to detect a great crime in order to a great punishment, why not a less also in order to a less punishment. And who would confess, when it is to bring themselves to punishment.

11. In those Countries where the Laws allow Pastors to conceal all crimes that penitents freely confess, it is left to the Pastors judgment to conceal all that he discerneth may be concealed without the greater injury of others, or of the King or Common-wealth.

12. There is a knowledge of the faults of others, by Common • ame, especially many years after the committing, which doth not oblige the hearers to prosecute the offender. And yet a crime publicly known is more necessarily to be punished (lest impunity embolden others to the like) than an unknown crime, revealed in Confession.

Tit. 2. Directions about Trusts and Secrets.

Direct. 1. BE not rash in receiving secrets, or any other trusts: But first consider what you are thereby obliged to, and what difficulties may arise in the performance; and foresee all the consequents as far as is possible, before you undertake the trust; that you cast not yourselves into snares by mere inconsiderateness, and prepare not for perplexities and repentance.

Direct. 2. Be very careful what persons you commit either trusts or secrets to: And be sure they be trusty by their wisdom, ability and fidelity.

Direct. 3. Be not too forward in revealing your own secrets to another's trust: For, 1. You cannot be certain of any ones secrecy, where you are most confident. 2. You oblige yourself too much to please that person, who by revealing your secrets may do you hurt: And are in fear lest carelessness, or unfaithfulness or any accident should disclose it. 3. You burden your friend with the charge and care of secrecy.

Direct. 4. Be faithful to your friend that doth entrust you; remembering that perfidiousness or falseness to a friend, is a crime against humanity, and all society, as well as against Christianity; and stigmatizeth the guilty in the eyes of all men, with the brand of an odious unsociable person.

Direct. 5. Be not intimate with too many, nor confident in too many: For he that hath too many intimates, will be opening the secrets of one to another.

Direct. 6. Abhor Covetousness and ambition: Or else a bribe or the promise of preferment, will tempt you to perfidiousness. There is no trusting a selfish worldly man.

Direct. 7. Remember that God is the avenger of perfidiousness, who will do it severely: And that even they that are pleased and served by it, do yet secretly disdain and detest the person that doth it: because they would not be so used themselves.

Direct. 8. Yet take not friendship or fidelity to be an obligation to perfidiousness to God or the King or Common-wealth or to another, or to any sin whatsoever.

Tit. 1. Cases of Conscience about Loving our Neighbor.

Quest. 1. IN what sense is it that I must love my neighbor as myself? Whether in the kind of love, or in the degree, or only in the reality?

Answ. The true meaning of the Text is, You must love him according to his true worth, without the diversion and hindrance of selfishness and partiality. As you must love yourself according to that degree of Goodness which is in you, and no more; so must you as impartially love your neighbor according to that degree of Goodness which is in him. So that it truly extendeth to the reality, the kind and the degree of love, supposing it in both proportioned to the goodness of the object. But before this can be understood, the true nature of Love must be well understood.

Quest. 2. What is the true Nature of Love, both as to myself and neighbor?

Answ. Love is nothing but the prime motion of the Will to its proper object: which is called Complacence: The object of it is simple Goodness; or Good as such: It ariseth from suitableness between the Object and the Will, as appetite doth from the suitableness of the appetent faculty and the food. This GOOD as it is variously modified, or any way differeth, doth accordingly cause or require a difference in our Love: Therefore that Love which in its prime act and nature is but one, is diversely denominated, as its objects are diversified. To an object as simply Good in itself, it followeth the Understandings Estimation, and is called, as I said, mere Complacence or Adhesion: To an Object as not yet attained, but absent, or distant, and attainable, it is called Desire, or Desiring Love: And as expected, Hope, or Hoping Love (which is a conjunction of Desire and Expectation ): To an object nearest and attained, it is called, Fruition, or Delight, or Delighting Love. To an object which by means must be attained, it is called, seeking love, as it exciteth to the use of those means: And to an object missed it is by accident, Mourning Love. But still Love itself in its essential act is one and the same. As it respecteth an object which wanteth something to make it perfect, and desireth the supply of that want, it is called Love of Benevolence; denominated from this occasion, as it desireth to do good to him that is loved. And it is a Love of the same nature which we exercise towards God, who needeth nothing, as we rejoice in that perfection and happiness which he hath; though it be not to be called properly by the same name. Goodness being the true object of Love, is the true measure of it: And therefore God who is infinitely and primitively good, is the prime and only simple object of our absolute total Love. And therefore those who understand no Goodness in any being, but as profitable to them, or to some other creature, do know no God, nor Love God as God, nor have any Love but selfish and Idolatrous. By this you may perceive the nature of Love.

Quest. 3. But may none be loved above the measure of his Goodness? How then did God love us when we were not, or were his enemies? And how must we love the wicked? And how must an ungodly person love himself?

Answ. If only Good as such, be the object of Love, then certainly none should be loved but in proportion to his Goodness. But you must distinguish between mere natural and sensitive Love or appetite, and Rational Love; and between Love, and the Effects of Love; and between Natural Goodness in the object and Moral Goodness. And so I further answer, 1. There is in every man a natural and sensitive love of himself and his own pleasure and felicity, and an averseness to death and pain and sorrow, as there is in every Bruit: And this God hath planted there for the preservation of the creature. This falleth not under commands or prohibitions directly, because it is not free but necessary: as no man is commanded or forbidden to be hungry, or thirsty, or weary, or the like: It is not this Love which is meant when we are commanded to Love our neighbor as ourselves: For I am not commanded to feel hunger and thirst, nor to desire meat or drink by the sensitive appetite for my neighbor: Nor sensitively to feel his pain or pleasure, nor to have that natural aversation from death and pain, nor sensitive desire of life and pleasure, for him as for myself. But the Love here spoken of, is that Volition with the due affection conjunct, which is our Rational Love; as being the act of our highest faculty, and falling under God's command. As to the sensitive Love, it proceedeth not upon the sense or estimate of Goodness in the person who loveth himself or any other (as Beasts love their young ones without respect to their excellency). But it is Rational Love which is proportioned to the estimated Goodness of the thing beloved. 2. Physical Goodness may be in an object which hath no Moral Goodness; and this may contain a capacity of moral goodness: And each of them is amiable according to its nature and degree. 3. Beneficence is sometimes an effect of Love, and sometime an effect of wisdom only as to the object, and of Love to something else: but it is never Love itself. Usually benevolence is an act of Love, and beneficence an effect, but not always. I may do good to another without any love to him, for some ends of my own, or for the sake of another. And a man may be obliged to greater beneficence, where he is not obliged to greater Love.

And now to the instances, I further answer, 1. When we had no being, God did not properly love us in esse reali (unless you will go to our co-existence in eternity: For we were not in esse reali: ) But only as we were in esse cognito: which is but to love the Idea in himself: But he purposed to make us, and to make us lovely, and to do us good; and so he had that which is called Amor benevolentiae, to us: which properly was not Love to us, but a Love to himself, and the Idea in his own eternal mind, which is called a Loving us in esse cognito, and a purpose to make us good and lovely: That which is not Lovely is not an object of Love: Man was not Lovely indeed, when he was not: Therefore he was not an object of Love: (but in esse cognito. ) The same we say of God's loving us when we were enemies: He really loved us with complacency, so far as our Physical goodness made us lovely: And as morally lovely he did not love us, otherwise than in esse cognito. But he purposed to make us morally lovely, and gave us his mercies to that end; and so loved us with a Love of benevolence as it is called: which signifieth no more than out of a complacence (or Love) to himself, and to us, as Physically good, to purpose to make us morally good and happy. As to the incident difficulty of Love beginning de novo in God, I have fully resolved it elsewhere.

2. So also we must Love a wicked man with a Love of benevolence: which properly is but to love him in his physical worth, and his capacity of moral goodness and happiness, and thereupon, (but especially through the Love of God) to desire his happiness.

3. And as to the loving of ourselves, (Besides the sensitive Love before mentioned which respecteth self as self, and not as Good, ) a wicked man may rationally love himself according to his physical goodness as a man, which containeth his capacity of moral goodness, and so of being holy and serviceable to God and to good men, and happy in the fruition of God. But beyond all such Goodness (which only is amiableness ) no man may rationally love himself or any other, with the true formal act of Love, which is complacence: Though he may wish good to himself or another beyond the present goodness which is in them; nay, he wisheth them good, not because they have it, but because they have it not. And he may be bound to do good, not because they are good, but because they want good.

And though some define Loving, to be been velle alicui ut illi been sit, to desire another's welfare, yet indeed this may be without any true formal Love at all. As I may desire the welfare of my Horse, without any proper love to him, even for myself and use. When God from eternity willeth to make Paul, and to convert and save him, ut illi been sit, it is called Love of benevolence: But properly it is only to be called, A will to make Paul good and lovely; It being only God himself who is the original and ultimate end of that will and purpose; and himself only which he then loveth; there being nothing but himself to Love: till in that instant that Paul is existent, and so really lovely. For Paul in esse cognito is not Paul: Yet no reality doth oriri de novo in God; but a new respect and denomination, and in the creature new effects. (Of which elsewhere).

Quest. 4. Must I love everyone as much as myself in degree, or only some?

Answ. You must love everyone impartially as yourself, according to his goodness: and you must wish as well to everyone, as to yourself: But you must love no man complacentially so much as yourself, who is not or seemeth not to have as much loveliness, that is, as much goodness, or as much of God, as yourself.

Quest. 5. Must I love any one more than myself?

Answ. Yes; everyone that is and appeareth better that yourself. Your sensitive Love to another cannot be as much as to yourself: And your beneficence (ordinarily) must be most to yourself, because God in nature and his Laws hath so appointed it: And your benevolence to yourself and to others must be alike: But your rational estimation, and Love or complacence (with the honor and praise attending it) must be more to everyone that is better than yourself: For that which is best is most amiable: and that which hath most of God.

Quest. 6. Will it not then follow that I must love another man's wife and children better than my own, when they are really better?

Answ. Yes, no doubt; but it is only with that rational estimative Love! But there is besides a Love to Wife and Children, which is in some measure sensitive, which you are not obliged to give to others: And rationally they are more amiable to you, in their peculiar relations and respects, though others are more amiable in other respects: And besides, though you value and rationally love another more, yet the expressions must not be the same: For those must follow the Relation according to God's command. You may not cohabite nor embrace, nor maintain and provide for others as your own, even when you rationally love them more: The common good requires this order in the expressive part; as well as God's command.

Quest. 7. Who is my neighbor whom I must love as myself?

Answ. Not Devils nor damned souls, who are under justice and from under mercy, and are none of our society: But, 1. Every natural man in via being a member of God's Kingdom in the same world, is to be loved as my natural self: And every spiritual man as a member of the same Kingdom of Christ, must be loved as my spiritual self: And every spiritual man as such, above my natural self as such: And no natural man as such, so much as my spiritual self as such: so that no man on earth is excluded from your love, which must be Impartial to all as to your self, but proportioned to their goodness.

Quest. 8. Is not Antichrist and those that sin against the Holy Ghost excepted out of this our Love, and out of our prayers and endeavors of their good?

Answ. Those that (with Zanchi ) think Mahomet to be Antichrist, may so conclude, because he is dead and out of our Communion. Those that take the Papacy to be Antichrist (as most Protestants do) cannot so conclude: Because as there is but one Antichrist, that is, one Papacy, though an hundred Popes be in that seat, so everyone of those Popes is in via and under mercy, and recoverable out of that condition: And therefore is to be loved and prayed for accordingly. And as for those that blaspheme the Holy Ghost, it is a sin that one man cannot certainly know in another, ordinarily at least; and therefore cannot characterize a person unfit for our love, and prayers, and endeavors.

Quest. 9. May we not hate the enemies of God? How then must we love them as ourselves?

Answ. We may and must hate sin in everyone: And where it is predominant, as God is said to hate the sinner for his sin, so must we: And yet still love him as ourselves: For you must hate sin in yourselves as much or more than in any other: And if you are wicked you must hate yourselves, as such: Yea if you are Godly, you must secundum quid, or in that measure as you are sinful, abhor and loath and hate yourselves as such: And yet you must Love yourselves according to the measure of all that Natural and Moral Goodness which is in you: And you must desire and endeavor all the good to yourselves that you can. Just so must you hate and love another: Love them and hate them impartially as you must do your selves.

Quest. 10. May I not wish hurt sometimes to another, more than to myself?

Answ. You may wish a mediate hurt which tendeth to his good, or to the good of others; but you must never wish any final hurt and misery to him. You may wish your friend a vomit or blood-letting for his cure: And you may wish him some affliction, when it is needful and apt to humble him and do him good, or to restrain him from doing hurt to others: And on the same accounts, and for the public good, you may desire penal Justice to be done upon him; yea sometimes unto death: But still with a desire of the saving of his soul. And such hurt you may also wish yourself as is necessary to your good: But you are not to wish the same penalties to yourself, 1. Because you have somewhat else his • to wish and do, even to repent and prevent it. 2. Because you are not bound ordinarily to do execution upon yourself. It is more in your power to repent yourself, and make penalty less necessary by humble confession and amendment, than to bring another to repentance. Yet I may add also, that hypothetically you may wish that destruction to the enemies of God in this life, which absolutely you may not wish. That is, you must desire first that they may repent, and secondly that they may be restrained from hurting others: But if neither of these may be attained, that they may be cut off.

Tit. 2. Directions for Loving our Neighbors as ourselves.

Direct. 1. TAke heed of selfishness and Covetousness, the two great Enemies of Love: of which I have spoken more at large before.

Direct. 2. Fall out with no man: or if you do, be speedily reconciled: For passions and dissensions are the extinguishers of love.

Direct. 3. Love God truly, and you will easily Love your Neighbor: For you will see God's Image on him, or interest in him, and feel all his precepts and mercies obliging you hereunto. As 1 John. 3. 11, 23. & 4. 7, 12, 20, 21.

Direct. 4. To this end let Christ be your continual study. He is the full revelation of the Love of God; the lively pattern of love, and the best teacher of it that ever was in the world: His incarnation, life and sufferings, his Gospel and Covenant, his intercession and preparations for our heavenly felicity, all are the great demonstrations of condescending matchless love. Mark both God's Love to us in him, and his Love to man; and you will have the best directive and incentive of your Love.

Direct. 5. Observe all the good which is in every man: Consider of the good of Humanity in his nature; and the goodness of all that truth which he confesseth; and of all that moral good which appeareth in his heart and life. And let not oversight, or partiality cause you to overlook it, or make light of it. For it is Goodness which is the only attractive of Love: And if you overlook men's goodness you cannot love them.

Direct. 6. Abhor and beware of a censorious disposition, which magnifieth men's faults, and vilifieth their virtues, and maketh men seem worse than indeed they are. For as this cometh from the want of love, so doth it destroy that little which is left.

Direct. 7. Beware of superstition and an erring judgment, which maketh men place Religion where God never placed it. For when this hath taught you to make duties and sins of your own humor and invention, it will quickly teach you to love or hate men accordingly as they fit or cross your opinion and humor: Thus many a Papist loveth not those that are not subjects of the Roman Monarch, and that follow not all his irrational fopperies. Many an Anabaptist loveth not those that are against his opinion of rebaptizing: One loveth not those who are for Liturgies, Forms of Worship and Church-music; and many love not those who are against them: And so of other things (of which more anon.)

Direct. 8. Avoid the company of censorious backbiters and proud contemners of their brethren: Hearken not to them that are causelessly vilifying others: aggravating their faults and extenuating their virtues. For such proud supercilious persons (religious or profane) are but the messengers of Satan, by whom he entreateth you to hate your Neighbor, or abate your love to him. And to hear them speak evil of others, is but to go hear a Sermon against Charity; which may take with such hearts as ours before we are aware.