I

*1 Cor. 14. 12.

† 1 Cor. 11. 21. & 4.6.

2 Cor. 11.

4, 6.

hearing the moft edifying Teachers, and who being zealous of Spiritual Gifts, * admired them whom they fuppoled to have the beft Gifts, glorying in Men, † and being puffed up for one against another, flocking after thofe Teachers whom they had moft in admiration: and fome there were, who even difparaged St. Paul himself as rude in Speech ‡, as who should fay, not fo well gifted, or by whofe Preaching they edified lefs; and others were for Paul, as well as fome for Apollo, and others for Cephas, which he calls Contentions and Divifions, and for which he tells them, they were carnal and walked as Men, which, if Chriftians can do, it will be impoffible to put any ftop to Separations: Yea, we may then fay, farewell to all ChurchUnity, for it's a pretence that will almoft at all times ferve almost all Mens turns, that have a mind to break loofe from any Church's Communion, or from the folemn Affemblies thereof, and there can be no faft hold of them in any Chriftian Church whatsoever.

*

*I Cor. 1.

10, 11, 12.

There can be no Union in any Kingdom, City, Parish, Town, Neighbourhood or Family, if every one may go to hear what Teacher he fancies moft; for one Man will fancy this Mans way, and another Man anothers, and few Men the best, that is, the plaineft Preaching, well bottomed in God's Word and Sound Reason, which is beft and apteft to convince the judgI 4

ment

ment and work upon the confcience, nay, and the fame Perfons will have different humors and fancies at different times, to that what pleases them for a time, will not please them a little while after, and fo by the rule of going, as they fancy, to edifie beft, they are never likely to be conftant to any Minifter, but will be changing Teachers as often as their fancy changeth; but it's enough to fay, that this is apparent Schilm, if we will heed the Apoftle's cenfure of it: And therefore,

3. As faful in the Church, as any Sedition is in the ftate, having the fame effects there as here, even breaking all into pieces, and making as many Bodies of one Body, as there be oppofite Parties and Meetings. When there is a Schifm made in the Church, in pretence of Deficiencies in its Edification; it is juft fuch a remedy as Sedition or Rebellion is in the State, in pretence of redreffing Defects and Grievances: Both are alike finful, and are in St. Paul's Catalogue of the Works of the Flesh, * and are open Ruptures and Breaches of that Peace and Charity which God ftrictly requires, and which is the most facred of all Duties in his fight, and both of them are alike foolish too, being a Cure and Remedy incomparably worse than the Diteafe, for they tear all in pieces, and can be no good way to mend any faults, but will increase them, and to this I add what is most weighty.

* Gal. 5. 19,

20.

4. To make better Edification, the Ground of Separation, perverts all means of Edification, and defeats God's end in beftowing them, for they

a re

*

*

1 Cor. 16. 14. & 14. 26.

†1 Cor. 14.

are all by Divine Appointment fubfervient to the Church's Peace and Unity, and defigned to keep Schifm out of the Church: From hence that Rule of the Apoftle, Let all things be done in Charity, as well as, Let all things be done to Edifying. He is fpeaking there of infpired Gifts (peaking with unknown Tongues, and dictating Holy Prayers, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs) and them he injoyns to be managed with Charity; and therefore, when the Spirit of Prophefie or Preaching came upon any unfeafonably, caufing confufion by feveral Perfons fpeaking in the Church at the fame time, he was for ftinting the Spirit for this reason, that God is not the Author of confufion in the Churches. † And in his Epiftles to the Ephefians, the makes this the great end of Chrift's giving all that variety of Church-officers, extraordinary and ordinary, Apofties, Prophets, Evangelifts, Paftors and Teachers, all for Edification of the Body of Chrift, as well as for the perfecting of the Saints, that is, edifying particular Chriftians in Faith and godly Practice, which must be in subferviency to the edifying of the whole Body of Chrift, till we all come in the Unity of the Faith unto a perfect Man: So that thofe Officers being given to edifie particular Chriftians, are allo given to edifie the Body, whereof they are Members, and the Unity of the Body must be the care both of Church-officers and Church-members, even as all the Members in the natural Bo

32, 73.

Eph. 4. 11, 12, 13.

dy,

*

dy, both the more honourable, and the lefs ho nourable, being all but one Body, have no Separate Interefts, nor do any of them fay, I have no need of thee, but they have the fame care one for another, that

* 1 Cor. 12.

20, 21, 25,

26.

there may be no Schiim in the Body: And tee what variety of Gifts he there mentions, † Wisdom, Knowledge, Prophecy, Miracles, &c. and what variety of Officers alfo, fome more gifted, and of higher Authority than others, first Apostles, se

Ibid & ver.

8, 9, 10.

+ Ibid, ver. 5, 28.

* Ibid. ver. 12, 27, 28.

*

condarily Prophets, thirdly Teachers, &c. all defigned by God, and all to aim themselves at the Unity of the Body, which they could not do by different ways, or by forming divided Parties; for as the many Members having different Offices in the Natural Body, are still but one Body, fo are the many Officers in, and Members of the Church but one Body in Chrift, and all Members one of another. †The difference of Gifts and Otfices in the Church, fhould no

+ Verl. 6, 7,

8.

more divide the Church than the like difference of Members in the Natural Body divide it; nay, thofe Officers, as well as private Chriftians are not only Members, which to confider, fhould keep them from Schifm and Divifion, but also, they are Joynts, which are to compact all the other Parts, and are Bonds and

* Eph. 4. 16.

Ligaments of Union : for fo faith * the fame Apoftle, the whole Body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every Joynt Supplieth. Mark the expreffion well, every Joynr, every Churchofficer, in whom the Members are joyned and united to one another. What thefe Joynts fupply, muft falten, unite and compact the Body, the Church, and mult in no wife tear or divide the Members from each other. By all which it is plain, that one Minifters greater Gifts excelling others, fhould by no means occation Divifions, and neither fhould the better gifted Minifter make that bad ufe of his Gifts to draw another Minister's People from him, nor fhould particular Christians forfake their own Minister, because another Minitter is better gifted, and can editie him better as he thinks; for this will be a monstrous perverting of God's End, in giving thofe Gifts more to one than to another; for God would have all Mens Gifts to be to uled and applied, as to make increafe of the Body to the edifying it felf in love.

In this Answer to the 18th Queftion, I have been much larger than I defigned, but not without caufe, for I have found this to be the almost conftant Plea of the common People for their going to the Conventicle, who have formerly frequented the Church, That they do but go thither for better edifying; and why may not a Man go where he finds he can edifie beft? And a Reverend Brother, very opportunely putting Mr. John Kettlewell's Sermon upon 1 Cor. 14. 12.