be sure that they would not differ as much among themselves, as they do from me? And my writings would be like the picture which the great painter exposed to the censure of every passenger, and made it ridiculous to all, when he altered all that every one advised him to alter. And, to tell you the truth, I was never yet blamed by one side as not sufficiently pleasing them; but I was blamed also by the contrary side, for coming so near them: and I had not wit enough to know which party of the accusers was the wiser? And therefore am resolved to study to please God and conscience, and to take man-pleasing, when inconsistent, for an impossible and unprofitable work; and to cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils, whose thoughts all perish as he passeth off the judicature of his stage, to the judicature of God. Object. IV. Your ecclesiastical cases are dangerously reconciling, tending to abate men's zeal against error.' of Answ. The world hath long enough escaped the danger peace and reconciliation. It had been well if they had as long escaped the danger of your conceited, orthodox strife, which hath brought in confusion and all evil works. I take it to be a zeal effectively against love, and against unity, and against Christ, which, with the preachers of extremes, goeth under the name of a zeal against error, and for truth. Object. V. Are all these numerous Directions to be found in Scripture? Shew us them in Scripture, or you trouble the church with your own inventions.' Answ. 1. Are all your sermons in the Scripture? And all the good books of your library in the Scripture? 2. Will you have none but readers in the church, and put down preachers? Sure it is the reader that delivereth all and only the Scripture. 3. Are we not men before we are Christians? And is not the light and law of nature, divine? And was the Scripture written to be instead of reason, or of logic, or other subservient sciences? Or must they not all be sanctified and used for divinity? 4. But I think that as all good commentaries, and sermons, and systems of theology, are in Scripture, so is the Directory here given, and is proved by the evidence of the very thing discoursed of, or by the plainest texts. Object. VI. You confound your reader by curiosity of distinctions.' Answ. 1. If they are vain or false, shame them by detecting it, or you shame yourselves by blaming them, when you cannot shew the error. Expose not yourselves to laughter by avoiding just distinction to escape confusion; that is, avoiding knowledge to escape ignorance, or light to escape darkness. 2. It is ambiguity and confusion that breedeth and feedeth almost all our pernicious controversies; and even those that bring in error by vain distinction, must be confuted by better distinguishers, and not by ignorant confounders. I will believe the Holy Ghost, 2 Tim. ii. 14, 15, 16. that logomachy is the plague by which the hearers are subverted, and ungodliness increased; and that orthotomy, or right dividing the Word of Truth is the cure. And Heb. v. 15. Discerning both good and evil, is the work of long and well exercised senses. Object. VII. Is this your reducing our faith to the primitive simplicity, and to the creed? What a toilsome task do you make religion by overdoing? Is any man able to remember all these numberless Directions?? Answ. 1. I pray mistake not all these for articles of faith. I am more zealous than ever I was for the reduction of the Christian faith to the primitive simplicity; and more confident that the church will never have peace and concord, till it be so done, as to the test of men's faith and communion. But he that will have no books but his creed and Bible, may follow that sectary, who when he had burnt all his other books as human inventions, at last burnt the Bible, when he grew learned enough to understand, that the translation of that was human too. 2. If men think not all the tools in their shops, and all the furniture of their houses, or the number of their sheep, or cattle, or lands, nor the number of truths received by a learning intellect, &c. to be a trouble and toil, why should they think so of the number of helps to facilitate the practice of their du ty? If all the books in your libraries make your studies or religion toilsome, why do you keep them? and do not come to the vulgar religion, that would hear no more but Think well, speak well, and do well,' or 'Love God and your neighbour, and do as you would be done by.' He that doth this truly, shall be saved. But there goeth more to the building of a house, than to say, Lay the foundation, and raise the superstructure: universals exist not but in individuals; and the whole consisteth of all the parts. 3. It is not expected that any man remember all these Directions. Therefore I wrote them, because men cannot remember them, that they may upon every necessary occasion, go to that which they have present use for, and cannot otherwise remember. In sum, to my quarrelsome brethren I have two requests, 1. That instead of their unconscionable, and yet unreformed custom of backbiting, they would tell me to my face of my offences by convincing evidence, and not tempt the hearers to think them envious. And 2. That what I do amiss they would do better: and not be such as will neither laboriously serve the church themselves, nor suffer others; and that they will not be guilty of idleness themselves, nor tempt me to be a slothful servant, who have so little time to spend; for I dare not stand before God under that guilt. And that they will not join with the enemies and resisters of the publication of the Word of God. And to the Readers my request is, 1. That whatever for quantity or quality in this book is an impediment to their regular, universal obedience, and to a truly holy life, they would neglect and cast away. 2. But that which is truly instructing and helpful, they would diligently digest and practise; and I encourage them by my testimony, that by long experience I am assured, that this PRACTICAL RELIGION will afford both to church, state, and conscience, more certain and more solid peace, than contending disputers, with all their pretences of orthodoxness and zeal against errors for the truth, will ever bring, or did ever attain to. I crave your pardon for this long apology: it is an age where the objections are not feigned, and where our greatest and most costly services of God, are charged on us as our greatest sins; and where at once I am accused of conscience for doing no more, and of men for doing so much. Being really A most unworthy servant of so good a Master, |