I neither do, nor dare suggest and insinuate any thing in this dis- course, against any party or body of men ; being convinced, that a- mongst those who differ from us, there are many learned, pious, and peaceable men, who can heartily rejoice to see the work of Christ car- ried on by those that follw not them. But some there are, almost in every place, who are more concerned for a ceremony, than for the substance of religion ; for a tile upon the roof, than a stone in the foundation : Whose envy, if it cannot reach others by imitation, ■will be restless till it meet them by calumniation. In this case, minis- terial prudence will carefully shun all occasions of exasperation ; and if that care be not sufficient to avoid them, it will furnish us with that patience and constancy which will be sufficient to bear them.
Thus we see the necessity and excellency of ministerial faitliful- 7iess and prudence, distinctly considered. Let us, next,
8. View them conjunctly in some special parts of our work, whereinto they shed down their joint and commixed influences. And these, among some others, are the duties of,
1. Defending truth against error.
2. Reproving offenders.
S. Dealing with distressed consciences.
1. There is great need oi faithfulness and prudence, in defending ike truths of Christ, against the errors of the times. Ouv faithfulness indeed will oblige us to do it ; but prudence must direct us how to do it. The establishment of our people in the trutli, is one special end of
THE CHAKACTER OF A TRtJE EVANGELICAL PASTOK. 57t
Ae institution of the ministry, Eph» iv. 11. But without the assist-^ ance of both these graces, that end is never like to be attained. A faithful minister dares not be silent, where the souls of his people are concerned ; yet all his endeavours to secure them, will be to little purpose, i^ prudence be wanting in the management of tliat design. Prudence must both time our contentions, and regulate the manner of them. It will never suffer us to appear too soon, nor too late : Not too soon, because errors are sometimes best cured by neglect^ and in ahttletimegrow weary of themselves; not too late, lest they get head, and be past retrieve : Hasty contenders, like young faulconers^ let fly the hawk with her hood on. Upon the other side, if friendship, or relation to seducers, stop our mouths too long, we may in a few- days he entertained by them, (as Thyestes was by his brother Atreus) with the limbs of our own (spiritual) children. Prudence will notL suffer our pulpits to ring with invectives against seducers, till the more private and gentle methods have been tried in vain ; and then Tveiiher prudeTice nov Jaitlifulness will admit of longer delay. But yet when they both advise us to engage, prudence must regulate the manner of tlx) contention, and commands us to urge Juird ar^ guTuents^ with mild and soft language.
Errorists are usually hot and passionate, proud and daring persons. Most trueisthatof Nazianzen, -^xxsnc, ^ifij^cn %ai (x-cyaXai ravlyjg r/jg ra^xrig a/7/a/, hotand haughty spirits are thecauses of troubles and distractions in the church : Hot to hot will never do well. These heights and heats are best taken down, and cooled by strong and mild reason- ings : " The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.'^
2. The joint commixed influences of both these graces, must be found in all our ministerial reproofs. Reprove we must, or we cannot be faithful ; and prudently too, or we cannot be successful. He that is silent, cannot be innocent ; and yet it is a measuring cast, whether cowardly silence be more prejudicial to the reprover, than indiscreet zeal may be to the reproved. Faithfulness is loth to lose the soul of another for want of reproof : Prudence is jealous of losing it by the ill management of the reproof. Faithfulness saith, it is better to lose the smiles, than the souls of men : Prudence saith, to save both is best Reprehension is Xufn^yialc^v ^a^wv, the chirurgery of the passions; and cutting-work is no easy or pleasant work. Sick and pained men are wayward, and pettish ; but prudence will cast fetters upon their pas- sions, and make them lie quiet, whilst faithfulness probes and searches their wounds to the bottom. Prudence can sometimes convey a re- proof so effectually and inoffensively, that the conscience of the re- proved shall sensibly feel it ; and yet his passions not be awakened by the least injurious touch. Faithfulness considers, and urges the ne- cessity of the duty; prudence considers the quality of the person, time, and manner of application. It will reach the sin, and yet (if possible) Avoid the offence of the sinner. It sometime directs us to convict an
578 THE CHARACTER OF A TRtE EVAXGELICAL PASTOK.'
offender, by transferring the oflSence by way of supposition to our- selves ; sometimes byrelating a suitable history, or folding down are- markablc scripture threatening or example, as it were accidentally, to meet them. How prudently did Nathan prepare David, before he came to touch the quick, with, Thoit art the man ? Above all, pru- dence adviseth us to keep ourselves pure from those sins we reprove in others ; and when we must apply the precious oil of reproof ta them, that we work it in with the warm, soft, gentle hand of love and compassion ; and then the reproof is like to do good, and the reprover receive thanks for his kindue.ss. '■ Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness : Let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break mine head,'' Psal. cxli. 5.
3. Once more ; their joint influeiices must also meet in all our dealings icith distressed consciences.
Conscience is a very tender thing, and when sick and distressed, needs to be handled both judiciously and tenderly. The wound must be searched, saith faithfulness ; it must be searched skilfully, saith prudence : He that can so search and cure it, deserves that excellent encomium. One among a thousand^ Job xxxiii. 23. What expert and dexterous persons at this work, were our Greenham, Crook, Dod, Ball, and Borroughs ! Every empiric can skin over a wound, but a faithful minister will search it thoroughly, and a pru- dent minister will heal it warily ;
Ke vidnus in antiquum rcdeat, malejirma cicat7'ix ; Lest it fester at the bottom, and break out again with greater dan- ger. It requires a great measure of both these graces, to bring ge- neral confused troubles to settle upon the right bottom ; to direct a sin-sick soul to Christ, in the true gospel method ; to furnish the tempted Christian with proper weapons against Satan's assaults, and teach him how to manage them ; to dissolve the doubts, and remove the scruples which arise almost in every step of his way to Christ ; and so to settle the fluctuating soul in a sweet and sure dependence upon him by faith. These things, I say, require much faithful prudence, and prudent faithfulness.