A MODELL HEREOF
God Almightie in his most holy and wise providence hath soe
disposed of the Condicion of mankinde, as in all times some must be
rich, some poore, some highe and eminent in power and dignitie others
meane and in subjeccion.
THE REASON HEREOF
1. Reason: First, to hold conformity with the rest of his workes
being delighted to shewe forthe the glory of his wisdome in the
variety and differance of the Creatures and the glory of his power
in ordering all these differences for the preservacion and good of
the whole; and the glory of his greatnes that as it is the glory of
princes to have many officers, soe this great King will have many
Stewards, counting himselfe more honoured in dispenceing his
gifts to man by man, than if tree did it by his owne immediate hand.
2. Reason: Secondly, That he might have the more occasion to manifest
the worke of his Spirit: first, upon the wicked in moderateing and
restraineing them: soe that the riche and mighty should not eate upp
the poore, nor the poore and dispised rise upp against their superiours
and shake off thiere yoake; secondly in the regenerate in exerciseing
his graces in them, as in the greate ones, their love, mercy,
gentlenes, temperance, etc., in the poore and inferiour sorte, theire
faithe, patience, obedience, etc.
3. Reason: Thirdly, That every man might have need of
other, and from hence they might be all knit more nearly together in
the Bond of brotherly affeccion: from hence it appeares plainely that
noe man is made more honourable than another or more wealthy etc., out
of any perticuler and singuler respect to himselfe but for the glory of
his Creator and the Common good of the Creature, Man, Therefore God
still reserves the propperty of these gifts to himselfe as Ezek: 16.17.
he there calls wealthe his gold and his silver, etc. Prov: 3.9 he
claimes theire service as his due, honour the Lord with thy riches,
etc. All men being thus (by divine providence) ranked into two sortes,
riche and poore; under the first, are comprehended all such as are able
to live comfortably by theire owne meanes duely improved; and all
others are poore according to the former distribution. There are two
rules whereby wee are to walke one towards another: JUSTICE and MERCY.
These are allwayes distinguished in theire Act and in theire object,
yet may they both concurre in the same Subject in eache respect; as
sometimes there may be an occasion of shewing mercy to a rich man, in
some sudden danger of distresse, and allsoe doeing of meere Justice to
a poor man in regard of some perticuler contract, etc. There is
likewise a double Lawe by which wee are regulated in our conversacion
one towardes another: in both the former respects, the lawe of nature
and the lawe of grace, or the morrall lawe or the lawe of the gospel!,
to omit the rule of Justice as not propperly belonging to this purpose
otherwise than it may fall into consideraction in some perticuler
Cases: By the first of these lawes man as he was enabled soe withall
is commanded to love his neighbour as himselfe. Upon this ground
stands all the precepts of the morrall lawe, which concernes our
dealings with men. To apply this to the works of mercy this lawe
requires two things: first, that every man afford his help to another
in every want or distress. Secondly, That hee performe this out of the
same affeccion which makes him careful! of his owne good according to
that of our Saviour, Math: 7.12 Whatsoever ye would that men should
doe to you. This was practiced by Abraham and Lott in entertaineing the
Angells and the old man of Gibea.
The Lawe of Grace or the Gospell hath some differance
from the former as in these respects: first, the lawe of nature was
given to man in the estate of innocency; this of the gospell in the
estate of regeneracy. Secondly, the former propounds one man to
another, as the same fleshe and Image of god; this as a brother in
Christ allsoe, and in the Communion of the same spirit and soe teacheth
us to put a diflference betweene Christians and others. Doe good to
all, especially to the household of faith; upon this ground the
Israelites were to putt a difference betweene the brethren of such as
were strangers though not of the Canaanites. Thirdly, the Lawe of
nature could give noe rules for dealing with enemies, for all are to be
considered as friends in the estate of innocency, but the Gospell
commands love to an enemy. Proofe: If thine Enemie hunger feede him;
Love your Enemies, doe good to them that hate you Math: 5.44.
This Lawe of the Gospell propoundes likewise a difference of
seasons and occasions. There is a tyme when a Christian must sell
all and give to the poore, as they did in the Apostles times. There
is a tyme allsoe when a Christian (though they give not all yet) must
give beyond theire ability, as they of Macedonia. Cor: 2.6. Likewise
community of perills calls for extraordinary liberallity and soe cloth
Community in some special! service for the Churche. Lastly, when
there is noe other meanes whereby our Christian brother may be
relieved in this distresse, wee must help him beyond our ability,
rather than tempt God, in putting him upon help by miraculous or
extraordinary meanest.
It rests now to make some application of this discourse by the
present designe which gave the occasion of writeing of in Herein are
four things to be propounded: first, the persons; secondly, the
worke; thirdly, the end; fourthly, the meanest
1. For the persons, wee are a Company professing our selves
fellow members of Christ, in which respect onely though wee were
absent from eache other many miles, and had our imploymentes
as farre distant, yet wee ought to account our selves knits together
by this bond of love, and live in the exercise of it, if wee would
have comforte of our being in Christ. This was notorious in the
practice of the Christians in former times, as is testified of the
Waldenses from the mouth of one of the adversaries Aeneas Sylvius, mutuo solent amare pene antequam norint. They use to
love any of theire own religion even before they were acquainted
with them.
2. For the worke wee have in hand, it is by a mutuall consent through a
special overruleing providence, and a more than an ordinary approbation
of the Churches of Christ to seeke out a place of Cohabitation and
Consorteshipp under a due forme of Government both civill and
ecclesiastical! In such cases as this the care of the publique must
oversway all private respects, by which not onely conscience, but meare
Civill pollicy cloth binde us; for it is a true rule that perticuler
estates cannott subsist in the ruine of the publique.
3. The end is to improve our lives, to doe more service to the
Lord, the comforte and encrease of the body of Christ whereof wee are
members, that our selves and posterity may be the better preserved from
the Common corrupcions of this evill world, to serve the Lord and worke
out our Salvacion under the power and purity of his holy Ordinances.
4. For the meanes whereby this must bee effected, they are
twofold, a Conformity with the worke and end wee aime at; these
wee see are extraordinary, therefore wee must not content our
selves with usuall ordinary meanest Whatsoever wee did or ought
to have done when wee lived in England, the same must wee doe
and more allsoe where wee goe: That which the most in theire
Churches mainteine as a truthe in profession onely, wee must bring
into familiar and constant practice, as in this duty of love wee must
love brotherly without dissimulation, wee must love one another
with a pure hearse fervently, wee must beare one anothers burthens,
wee must not looke onely on our owne things but allsoe on the
things of our brethren, neither must wee think that the lord will
beare with such faileings at our hands as tree clothe from those
among whome wee have lived.
Thus stands the cause betweene God and us. Wee are entered into
Covenant with him for this worke, wee have taken out a Commission the
Lord hath given us leave to draw our owne Articles, wee have professed
to enterprise these Accions upon these and these ends, wee have
hereupon besought him of favour and blessing: Now if the Lord shall
please to heare us, and bring us in peace to the place wee desire. then
hath tree ratified this Covenant and sealed our Commission and will
expect a strickt performance of the Articles contained in it, but if
wee shall neglect the observacion of these Articles which are the ends
wee have propounded, and dissembling with our God, shall fall to
embrace this present world and prosecute our carnall intencions
seekeing grease things for our selves and our posterity, the Lord will
surely breake out in wrathe against us, be revenged of such a perjured
people and make us knowe the price of the breache of such a Covenant.
Now the onely way to avoyde this shipwracke and to provide for our posterity is to
followe the Counsell of Micah, to doe Justly, to love mercy, to walke humbly with our God,
for this end, wee must be knitt together in this worke as one man, wee must entertaine
each other in brotherly Affeccion, wee must be willing to abridge our selves of our
superfluities, for the supply of others' necessities, wee must uphold a familiar Commerce
together in all meekenes, gentlenes, patience and liberallity, wee must delight in eache
other, make others Condicions our owne rejoyce together, mourne together, labour, and
suffer together, allwayes haveing before our eyes our Commission and Community in the
worke, our Community as members of the same body, soe shall wee keepe the unitie of the
spirit in the bond of peace, the Lord will be our God and delight to dwell among us, as
his owne people and will commaund a blessing upon us in all our wayes, soe that wee shall
see much more of his wisdome power goodnes and truthe then formerly wee have beene
acquainted with, wee shall finde that the God of Israell is among us, when tenn of us
shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies, when hee shall make us a prayse and
glory, that men shall say of succeeding plantacions: the lord make it like that of New
England: for wee must Consider that wee shall be as a Citty upon a Hill, the eies of all
people are uppon us; soe that if wee shall deale falsely with our god in this worke wee
have undertaken and soe cause him to withdrawe his present help from us, wee shall be made
a story and a byword through the world, wee shall open the mouthes of enemies to speake
evill of the wayes of god and all professours for Godssake; wee shall shame the faces of
many of gods worthy servants, and cause theire prayers to be turned into Cursses upon us
till wee be consumed out of the good land whether wee are going: And to shutt upp this
discourse with that exhortacion of Moses that faithfull servant of the Lord in his last
farewell to Israell Deut. 30. Beloved there is now sett before us life, and good, deathe
and evill in that wee are Commaunded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one
another to walke in his wayes and to keepe his Commaundements and his Ordinance, and his
lawes, and the Articles of our Covenant with him that wee may live and be multiplyed, and
that the Lord our God may blesse us in the land whether wee goe to possesse it: But if our heartes shall turne away soe that wee will not obey, but shall be seduced and worshipp
other Gods our pleasures, and proffitts, and serve them, it is propounded unto us this
day, wee shall surely perishe out of the good Land whether wee passe over this vast Sea to
possesse it;
Therefore lett us choose life,
that wee, and our Seede,
may live; by obeyeing his
voyce, and cleaveing to him,
for hee is our life, and
our prosperity.