66. The better ministers will be apt, through passion, to speak too dishonourably of the other; and the rash and younger sort, and the heretical hypocrites that fall in with them, will take it for part of a godly zeal to speak against them to the people, in such words as Christ used of the scribes and Pharisees.
67. Hereupon the exasperations of each party will be increased more and more; and the powerful, worldly clergy will think it their interest to devise some new impositions, which they know the other cannot yield to, to work them out.
68. Whether they be oaths, subscriptions, words, or actions, which they believe to be against God's word, the spiritual and upright part of the clergy and people will not perform them; resolving to obey God rather than man.
69. Hereupon the worldly part will take the advantage, and call them disobedient, stubborn, proud, schismatical, self-opinionated, disturbers of the public peace and order, "pestilent fellows, and movers of sedition among the people," that will let nothing be quiet, but "turn the world upside down," Acts xxiv. 5, 6; and will endeavour to bring them to such sufferings, as men really guilty of such crimes deserve.
70. And because the suffering and dissenting party of ministers, when silenced, will leave many vacancies in the churches, they will be fain to fill them with men, how empty and unworthy soever, that are of their own spirit, and will be true to their interests.
71. The exasperation of their sufferings will make many, otherwise sober ministers, too impatient, and to give their tongues leave to take down the honour of the clergy whom they suffer by, more than beseemeth men of humility, charity, and patience.
72. When the people, that most esteem their faithful ministers, are deprived of their labours, by the prohibitions of the rest, and themselves also afflicted with them; it will stir up in them an inordinate, unwarrantable, passionate zeal; which will corrupt their very prayers, and make them speak unseemly things, and pray for the downfal of that clergy, which they take to be the enemies of God, and godliness. And they will think that to speak easily or charitably of such men, as dare forbid Christ's ministers to preach his gospel, and by notorious sacrilege alienate the persons and gifts that were consecrated solemnly to God, is but to be lukewarm, and indifferent between God and the devil.
73. And when they take them as enemies to religion, and to themselves, the younger and rasher sort of ministers, but much more the people, will grow into a suspicion of all that they see their afflicters stand for: they will dislike not only their faults, but many harmless things, yea, many laudable customs, which they use; and will grow into some superstition in opposition to them, making new sins in the manner of worship, which God never forbad or made to be sins; and taking up new duties, which God never made duties; yea, ready to forsake some old and wholesome doctrines, because their afflicters own them; and to take up some new, unsound doctrines, and expositions of God's word, because they are inclined by opinion and passion conjoined, to go as far as may be from such men, whom they think so bad of.
74. And the vulgar people that have but little sense of religion, (that are not by the aforesaid interest united to the afflicting clergy,) having a reverence to the worth of those that are afflicted, and an experience of the rawness and differing lives of many that possess their rooms, will grow to compassionate the afflicted, and to think that they are injured themselves, and so to think hardly of the causers of all this.
75. Hereupon the powerful clergy will increase their accusations against the party that is against them, and declare to the world in print and from the pulpits, their ignorance, unpeaceableness, unruliness, giddiness, false opinions and conceits about the manner of worship, and how unsufferable a sort of men they are.
76. By this time the devil will have done the radical part of his work; which is to destroy much of christian love to one another, and make them take each other for unlovely, odious persons: the one part, for persecuting enemies of godliness, and hypocrites, and Pharisees; the other for peevish, seditious, turbulent, unruly sectaries. And on these suppositions, all their after characters, affections, and practices towards each other will proceed.
77. By this enmity and opposition against each other, both parties will increase in wrath, and somewhat in numbers. The worldly, afflicting clergy will multiply not only such as are disaffected to them, but downright fanatics, and sectaries that will run as far from them as they can, into contrary extremes. For when they are once brought into a distaste of the old hive, the bees will hardly gather into one new one; but will divide into several swarms and hives. As every man's zeal is more against the afflicting party, so he will go further from them; some to be separatists, some anabaptists, some antinomians, some seekers, some quakers, and some to they know not what themselves.
78. For the women, and apprentices, and novices in christianity, that have more passion than judgment, will abundance of them quite overrun, even their own afflicted teachers, and will forsake them, if they will not overrun their own judgments, in forsaking those that do afflict them.
79. And many hypocrites that have no sound religion; but ignorance, pride, and uncharitableness, will thrust in among them, in these discontents; or spring up in the nurseries of these briers of passion, and will bring in new doctrines, and new ways of worship, and make themselves preachers, and the heads of sects; by reason of whom, the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
80. And many unstable persons seeing this, will dread and loathe so giddy a sort of men, and will turn papists, upon the persuasions of them that tell them that there is no true unity nor consistency but at Rome; and that all must thus turn giddy at last, that are not fixed in the papal head. And thus they that fly too far from the Common Prayer Book, will drive men to the mass; and the afflicters will make sectaries, and the sectaries will make papists.
81. When the violent clergy, instead of a fatherly government of the flocks, have driven the people into passions, distempers, and uncharitable disaffections to themselves, and have also been the great cause of multiplied heresies and sects by the same means, instead of being humbled and penitent for their sin, they will be hardened, and justify all their violences, by the giddiness and miscarriages of those sectaries, which they themselves have made.
82. And when they publish the faults of such, for the justification of their own violence, they will draw thousands into an approbation of their courses, (to think that such a turbulent people can never be too hardly called or used,) and consequently into a participation of their guilt.
83. By all this, the dissenters will be still more alienated from them; and many will aggravate the crime of the ministers that conform to their impositions, and obey them: and for the sake of a few that afflict them, they will condemn many laudable conforming ministers, that never consented to it, but could heartily wish that it were otherwise.
84. And the younger, and more indiscreet, passionate sort, will frequently reproach such, as unconscionable temporizers, that will do any thing for worldly ends, and that as hypocrites for a fleshly interest, concur with the corrupters and afflicters of the godly.
85. These censures and reproaches will provoke those conforming ministers, who are not masters of their passions, nor conquerors of their pride, to think as badly of the censurers as their afflicters do, and to join with them in the displaying of all enormities, and promoting their further sufferings, and publishing the folly and turbulency of their spirits, with spleen and partiality.
86. By these kind of speeches, preachings, and writings, multitudes of the debauched will be hardened in their sin against all religion: for when they observe that it is the same party of men, who are thus reproached, that are the strictest reprovers of their lewdness, their fornications, tippling, gaming, luxuries, and ungodliness; they will think it is no great matter what such a defamed, giddy sort of people say, and that really they are worse themselves.
87. Each party of these adversaries will characterize the adverse party as hypocrites: the passionate sufferers will call the afflicters hypocrites and Pharisees, that have no religion, but a formal show of outside ceremonies and words, and that tithe mint and cummin, and wash the outside, while within they are full of persecuting cruelty, and are wolves in sheep's clothing, loving the uppermost seats, and great titles, and ceremonious phylacteries, whilst they are enemies to the preaching of the gospel of Christ, and get revenues to themselves, and devour not only the houses, but the peace and lives of others, under pretence of long liturgies; and that devour the living saints, while they keep holy days and build monuments for the dead ones, whom their fathers murdered, &c. And the powerful clergy will call the others hypocrites, and labour to show that the Pharisees' character belongeth to them, and that their pretences of strictness in religion, and their long praying and preaching, is but a cloak to cover their disobedience, and covetousness, and secret sins; and that their hearts and inside are as bad as others, and that their fervency in devotion is but a hypocritical, affected whining and canting; and that they are worse than the lesser religious sort of people, because they are more unpeaceable, and disobedient, and add hypocrisy to their sin.
88. The ignorant, worldlings, drunkards, and ungodly despisers of holiness and heaven, being in all countries most contradicted in their way, by this stricter sort of men, and hearing them in pulpit and press so branded for hypocrites, will joyfully unite themselves with the censurers; and so they will make up as one party, in crying down the precise hypocrites; and usually make some name to call them by, as their brand of common ignominy: and they will live the more quietly in all their sins, and think they shall be saved as soon as the precisest, that make more show, but have no more sincerity, but more hypocrisy, than themselves.
89. The suffering party, seeing the ungodly and the conforming afflicters of them thus united, and made one party in opposition to them, will increase their hard thoughts of the adverse clergy, and take them for downright profane, and the leading enemies of godliness in the world, that will be captains in the devil's army, and lead on all the most ungodly against serious godliness, for their worldly ends.
90. And the young and indifferent sort of people, in all countries, that were engaged in neither part, being but strangers to religion, and to the differences, will be ready to judge of the cause by the persons: and seeing so many of the dignified, advanced clergy, and the more sensual sort of the people, on one side, and so many men of strict lives on the other, that suffer also for their religion, and hearing too that it is some name of preciseness that they are reproached by, will think them to be the better side; and so the title of the godly will grow by degrees to be almost appropriated to their party, and the title of profane and persecutors to the other.
91. All this while the nonconforming ministers will be somewhat differently affected, according to the different degrees of their judiciousness, experience, and self-denial.
Some of them will think these passions of the people needful, to check the fierceness of the afflicters (which doth but exasperate it); and therefore will let them alone, though they will not encourage them.
Some of the younger or more injudicious, hot-brained sort will put them on, and make them believe, that all communion with any conforming ministers or their parish churches is unlawful, and their forms of worship are sinful and antichristian; and that they are all temporizers and betrayers of truth and purity, that communicate or assemble with them.
The judicious, and experienced, and most patient and self-denying sort, will themselves abstain from all that is sin; and as far as it is in their choice and power, will join with the churches that worship God most agreeably to his word and will; but so, as that they will not be loud in their complaints, nor busy to draw men to their opinions in controvertible points; nor will unchurch and condemn all the churches that have something which they dislike as sinful; nor will renounce communion of all faulty churches, lest they renounce the communion of all in the world, and teach all others to renounce theirs: but they will sometimes communicate with the more faulty churches, to show that they unchurch them not (so they be not forced in it to any sin); though usually they will prefer the purest: yea, ordinarily they will join with the more faulty, when they can have no better, or when the public good requireth it. They will never prefer the interest of their nonconforming party, before the interest of christianity, or the public good. They will so defend lesser truths, as not to neglect or disadvantage the greater, which all are agreed in. They will so preserve their own innocency, as not to stir up other men's passions, nor to make factions or divisions by their difference. They will so dislike the pride and worldliness of others, and their injuries against God and godliness, as not to speak evil of dignities, nor to cherish in the people's minds any dishonourable, injurious thoughts of their kings, or any in authority over them. They will labour to allay the passions of the people, and to rebuke their censorious and too sharp language, and to keep up all due charity to those by whom they suffer; but especially loyalty to their kings and rulers, and peaceableness as to their countries. They will teach them to distinguish between the cruel that are masters of the game, and all the rest that have no hand in it; and at least not to separate from all the rest for the sake of a few. If they will go as far as Martin (in Sulpitius Severus) to avoid all communion with Ithacius and Idacius, and the councils of bishops, that prosecuted the Priscillianists, to the scandal of godliness itself; yet not for their sakes to avoid all others, that never consented to it: nor with Gildas, to say of all the bad ministers, that he was not eximius christianus, that would call them ministers, or pastors, rather than traitors. They will persuade the people to discern between good and evil, and not to run into extremes, nor to dislike all that their afflicters hold or use; nor to call things lawful, by the name of sin, and anti-christianity; nor to suffer their passions to blind their judgments, to make superstitiously new sin and duties, in opposition to their adversaries; nor to disgrace their understandings and the truth, by errors, factions, revilings, or miscarriages; nor to run into sects; nor to divide Christ's house and kingdom, while they pretend to be his zealous servants. They will persuade the people to patience, and moderation, and peace, and to "speak evil of no man," nor by word or deed to revenge themselves; much less to resist the authority that is set over them by God; but to imitate their Saviour, and quietly suffer, and being reviled not to revile again, but to love their enemies, and bless their cursers.
92. The more sober sort of the people will be ruled by these counsels, and will do much to quiet the rest. But the heretical part, with their own passions, will exasperate many novices and injudicious persons, to account this course and counsel aforesaid, to be but the effect of lukewarmness and carnal compliance with sin, and a halting between two opinions, and a participation in the sin of persecutors and malignant enemies of godliness: and they will believe that whoever joineth with the parish churches, in their way, is guilty of encouraging them in sin, and of false worship.
93. Hereupon they will defame the nonconforming ministers last described, as men of no zeal, neither flesh nor fish; and perhaps as men that would save their skin, and shift themselves out of sufferings, and betray the truth. And when such ministers acquaint them with their unsound principles and passions, they will say of them that they speak bitterly of the godly, and join with the persecutors in reproaching them.
94. And they will carry about among themselves many false reports and slanders against them; partly because passion taketh off charity and tenderness of conscience; and partly because an opinionative model, and siding religiousness, hath ever more followers, and a quicker zeal, than true holiness; and partly because they will think that human converse obligeth them to believe the reports which those that are accounted good men utter; and partly because that they will think, that the upholding of their cause (which they think is God's) doth need the suppression of these men's credit and reputation that are against it.
95. But the greater part of the honest nonconformist ministers will dislike the headiness and rashness of the novices and the sectaries, and will approve of the aforesaid moderate ways. But their opportunities and dispositions of expressing it will be various. Some of them will do it freely, whatever be thought of it; and some of them that have impatient auditors, will think that it is no duty to attempt that which will not be endured, and that it is better to do what good they can, than none. And some will think, that seeing the worldly clergy forbid them to preach the gospel of salvation, they are not bound to keep up any of their reputation or interest, as long as they have themselves no hand in the extremes and passions of the people. And some that have wives and children, and nothing but the people's charity to find them food and raiment, being turned out of all public maintenance by their afflicters, and prosecuted still with continued violence, will think that it is not their duty to beg their bread from door to door; nor to turn their families to be kept on the alms of the parish, by losing the affection of those people, whose charity only they can expect relief from: and therefore, they will think that necessity, and preservation of their families' lives and health, will better excuse their silence, when they defend not those that would destroy them, against the over-much opposition of the people; than the command of their afflicters will excuse their silence, if they neglect to preach the christian faith. And some will think, that finding themselves hated and hunted by one party, if they lose the affection of the other also, they shall have none to do their office with, nor to do any good to; and that they shall but leave the people whom they displease, to follow those passionate leaders, that will tempt them to more dangerous extremities, against the peace of christian societies.
But the most judicious and resolved ministers, that live not on the favour or maintenance of the people, or are quite above all worldly interest, will behave themselves wisely, moderately, and yet resolvedly; and will do nothing that shall distaste sober and wise men, nor yet despise the souls of the most impotent or indiscreet: but by solid principles, endeavour to build them upon solid grounds; and to use them with the tenderness, as nurses should do their crying children. But yet they will not cherish their sin, under the pretence of profiting their souls; nor, by silence, be guilty of their blood; nor so much as connive at those dangerous extremes, that seem to serve some present exigence and job; but threaten future ruin to the churches, and dishonour to the christian cause. And therefore they resolve not to neglect the duties of charity to the bitterest of their persecutors; and the rather, because it will prove in the end a charity to the church, and to the souls of the passionate, whose charity they labour to keep alive. And silence at sin is contrary to their trust and office: and they will not be guilty of that carnal wisdom, which would do evil that good may come by it; or that dare not seek to cure the principles of uncharitableness, divisions, or extremities in the people, for fear of losing advantages of doing them good; or that dare not disown unlawful schisms and separations, for fear of encouraging those malignants that call lawful practices by that name. They will do God's work (though with prudence, and not destructive rashness, yet) with fidelity and self-denial. And they will lay at Christ's feet, not only their interest in the favour of superiors; and their peace, and safety, and liberty, and estates, and lives, which are exposed to malignant cruelty, among the Cainites of the world; but also all the good thoughts, and words, and favour of the religious sort of people, yea, and pastors too. And they will look more to the interest of the whole church, than of a narrow party; and of posterity, than of the present time; as knowing, that at long running, it is only truth that will stand uppermost, when malignant violence, and sectarian passions, are both run out of breath. And therefore, in simplicity, and godly sincerity, they will have their conversations in the world; and not in fleshly wisdom, or selfish blinding passions or factions. Let all men use them how they will, or judge or call them what they will; they will not therefore be false to God and to their consciences. And seeing it is their office to govern and teach the people, they will not be governed by the favour of the most censorious, ignorant, or proud; but will guide them as faithful teachers, till they are deserted by them, and disabled. But the sober, ancient, wise, and experienced, will always cleave to them, and forsake the giddy and sectarian way.
96. In the heat of these extremities, the most peaceable and sober part, both of the conformists and nonconformists, will be in best esteem with the grave and sober people; but in the greatest strait, with both the extremes.
97. The godly and peaceable conformists, will get the love of the sober, by their holy doctrine and lives: but they will be despised by the sectaries, because they conform; and they will be suspected by the proud and persecuting clergy, as leaning to the dissenters, and strengthening them by their favour; because these ministers will, in all their parishes, more love and honour the godly nonconformists, than the irreligious, ignorant, worldly, dead-hearted multitude, or the malignant enemies of godliness.
98. Hereupon these conformists being taken for the chief upholders of the nonconformists, will be under continual jealousies and rebukes. And perhaps new points of conformity shall be devised, to be imposed on them, which it is known their consciences are against; that so they may be forced also to be nonconformists, because secret enemies are more dangerous than open foes.
99. These conformists being thus troubled, will feel also the stirring of passion in themselves; and by the injury, will be tempted to think more hardly of their afflicters than before. And so will part of them turn downright nonconformists; and the other part will live in displeasure, till they see an opportunity to show it. And these are the likeliest to cross and weaken the worldly, persecuting clergy, of any men.
100. And as for the moderate nonconformists, that understand what they do, and why, and seek the reconciling of all dissenters; they will also be loved and honoured by the sober, grave, and experienced christians: but both extremes will be against them. The sectaries will say, as before, that they are lukewarm, and carnal, selfish, complying men. The proud, imposing clergy will say, that it is they that have drawn the people into these extremes; and then complain of them that they cannot rule them. And they will tell them, that till they conform themselves, their moderation doth but strengthen the nonconformists, and keep up the reputation of sobriety among them. And the nearer they come to conformity, the more dangerous they are, as being more able to supplant it. And thus the moderate and reconcilers, will be as the wedge that is pressed by both sides, in the cleft of church divisions; and no side liketh them, because they are not given up to the factious passions or interest of either.
101. Only those will, in all these extremities and divisions, keep their integrity; who are, 1. Wise. 2. Humble and self-denying. 3. Charitable, and principled with a spirit of love. 4. And do take the favour of God and heaven alone for their hope and portion, whatever becometh of them in the world. But the worldly persecuting, and the sectarian party, will be both constituted by these contrary principles: 1. Ignorance and error. 2. Pride of their own understandings; every one thinking that all are intolerable that are not of their mind and way. 3. Uncharitableness, malice, or want of love to others as to themselves. 4. And overvaluing their worldly accommodations, honours, and estates.
102. Hereupon the instruments of a foolish shepherd, will still be used to the greater scattering of the flocks. And because none are so able to dispute against them as the moderate, therefore they will be taken for their most dangerous adversaries. And when they are greatly inclined to the healing of these wounds, the violent and lordly will not suffer them; but will pour oil upon the flames, which moderate men would quench. And, as if they were blindfolding and scourging Christ again, they will follow the people with afflicting wounds; and then charge the moderate ministers with their discontents; and charge them to reduce them to peace and conformity. And if they cannot get them to love and honour those that are still scourging them with scorpions, the scourgers will lay the blame on these ministers, and say, it is all long of them that the people love not those that wound them. And they that cry out most for peace will not endure it, nor give the peace-makers leave to do any thing that will accomplish it; nor will keep the spur out of the people's sides, whilst they look that others (spurred more sharply) should hold the reins; which yet at the same time they take out of their hands, and forbid them to hold, by forbidding them to preach the gospel. So that it will be the sum of their expectations, Perform not the office of pastors, nor preach the gospel of peace and piety to the people any more: but yet, without preaching to them, see that you teach them all to love and honour us, while we silence you, and afflict them; or else we will account you intolerable, seditious schismatics, and use you as such.
103. In some kingdoms or countries, it will be thought, that the people will be brought to no obedience to the lordly pastors, till their most able or moderate ministers are kept from them, by banishment, imprisonment, or confinement; which will accordingly be done.
104. When the ministers are banished or removed, that restrained the people's passions, the people will make preachers of themselves; even such as are suited to their minds.
105. Where papists or heretics are shut out by laws, they will secretly contribute the utmost of their endeavours, to make the sufferings of dissenting protestants as grievous as possibly they can; that in despite of them, their own necessities may compel them to cry out for liberty, till they procure a common toleration for all, and open the door for papists and heretics, as well as for themselves.
106. "Surely oppression will make wise men mad," Eccl. vii. 7.
107. Madmen will speak madly, and do madly.
108. They that speak and do madly, will be thought meetest for Bedlam, and for chains.
109. When the ministers are banished or removed, and the people left to their passions, and their own-made guides and teachers; passionate women and boys, and unsettled novices, will run into unwarrantable words and deeds; and will think those means lawful, which seem to promise them deliverance, though they be such as God forbiddeth.
110. The seditions and miscarriages of some few will be imputed to the innocent.
111. For the sake of such miscarriages, in some kingdoms, the sword will be drawn against them, and the blood of many will be shed.
112. Hereupon the misguided, passionate youth, being by the proud clergy deprived of the presence of that ministry that should moderate them, are likely enough to think rebellion and resisting of authority, a lawful means for their own preservation; and will plead the law of nature and necessity for their justification.
113. If any of the sober, wise, experienced pastors be left among them, that would restrain them from unlawful ways, and persuade them to patient suffering; they will be taken for complying betrayers of religion, and of the people's lives; that would have them tamely surrender their throats to butchery.
As in a parenthesis, I will give them some instances for this prognostic.
(1.) The great Lord Du Plessis (one of the most excellent noblemen that ever the earth bore, that is known to us by any history) being against the holding of an assembly of the French churches, against the king's prohibition, was rejected by the assembly, as complying with the courtiers (because they said, the king had before promised or granted them that assembly); but the refusing of his counsel cost the blood of many thousand protestants, and the loss of all their garrisons and powers, and that lowness of the protestant interest there that we see at this day.
(2.) The great divine, Peter De Moulin, was also against the Rochellers' proceedings against the king's prohibitions (and so were some chief protestant nobles); but he was rejected by his own party, who paid for it, by the blood of thousands, and their ruin.