ART. Priests the world judged themselves fafe from practices on their own families.

XXXII.

When we confider thofe effects that followed on the impofing the celibate on the Clergy, we cannot but look on them, as much greater evils than those that can follow on the leaving it free to them to marry. It is not to be denied but that, on the other hand, the effects of a freedom to marry may be likewise bad: that state does naturally involve men in the cares of life, in domestick concerns, and it brings with it temptations both to luxury and covetousness. It carries with it too great a difpofition to heap up wealth, and to raife families: and in a word, it makes the Clergy both look too like, and live too like the rest of the world. But when things of this kind are duly balanced, ill effects will appear on both hands: those arise out of the general corruption of human nature, which does fo fpread itself, that it will corrupt us in the most innocent, and in the most neceffary practices. There are exceffes committed in eating, drinking, and fleeping. Our depraved inclinations. will infinuate themfelves into us in our best actions: even the publick worship of God and all devotion receive a taint from them. But we must not take away those liberties, in which God has left human nature free, and engage men to rules and methods, that put a violence upon mankind: this is the less excufable, when we fee, in fact, what the confequences of fuch refraints have been for many ages.

Yet after all, though they who marry, do well; yet thofe who marry not, do better, provided they live chafte, and do not burn. That man, who fubdues his body by fafting and prayer, by labour and ftudy, and that feparates himself from the Acts vi. 4. concerns of a family, that he may give himself wholly to the miniftry of the word, and to prayer, that lives at a distance from the levities of the world, and in a courfe of native modefty and unaffected severity, is certainly a burning and fhining light: he is above the world, free from cares and defigns, from afpirings, and all thofe reftlefs projects which have fo long given the world fo much scandal: and therefore thofe, who allow themselves the liberty of marriage, according to the laws of God and the Church, are indeed engaged in a ftate of many temptations, to which if they give way, they lay themfelves open to many cenfures, and they bring a fcandal on the reformation for allowing them this liberty, if they abuse it.

It remains only to confider how far this matter is altered by Vows; how far it is lawful to make them; and how far they bind when they are made. It feems very unreafonable and tyrannical to put vows on any, in matters in which it may not be in their power to keep them without fin. No vows ought to be made, but in things that are either abfolutely in our power, or

in things in which we may procure to ourselves thofe affift- AR T. ances that may enable us to perform them. We have a foederal xxxII. right to the promises that Chrift has made us, of inward affiftances to enable us to perform those conditions that he has laid on us; and therefore we may vow to obferve them, because we may do that which may procure us aids fufficient for the execution of them. But if men will take up refolutions, that are not within those neceffary conditions, they have no reason to promise themselves fuch affiftances: and if they are not so absolutely masters of themselves, as to be able to ftand to them without thofe helps, and yet are not fure that they shall be given them, then they ought to make no vow, in a matter which they cannot keep by their own natural ftrength, and in which they have not any promise in the Gofpel, that affures them of divine affiftances to enable them to keep it. This is, therefore,' a tempting of God, when men pretend to ferve him, by affuming a ftricter courfe of life than either he has commanded, or they are able to go through with. And it may prove a great fnare to them, when by fuch rafh vows they are engaged into such a state of life, in which they live in conftant temptations to fin, without either command or promife, on which they can reft as to the execution of them.

This is to lead themselves into temptation, in oppofition to that which our Saviour has made a petition of that prayer which he himself has taught us. Out of this, great distractions of mind, and a variety of different temptations may, and probably will arife; and that the rather, because the vow is made; there being fomewhat in our natures that will always ftruggle the harder, because they are reftrained. It is certain that every man, who dedicates himself to the fervice of God, ought to try, if he can dedicate himself so entirely to it, as to live out of all the concerns and entanglements of life. If he can maintain his purity in it, he will be enabled thereby to labour the more effectually, and may expect both the greater fuccefs here, and a fuller reward hereafter. But because both his temper and his circumstances may fo change, that what is an advantage to him in one part of his life, may be a fnare and an incumbrance to him in another part of it, he ought therefore to keep this matter still in his own power, and to continue in that liberty, in which God has left him free, that fo he may do, as he fhall find it to be most expedient for himself, and for the work of the Gofpel.

Therefore it is to be concluded, that it is unlawful either to impose, or to make fuch vows. And, fuppofing that any have been engaged in them, more, perhaps, out of the importunity or authority of others, than their own choice; then though it is certainly a character of a man that shall dwell in God's

holy

Píal xv. 4.

9.

Matth. xv.

ART. holy hill, that though he fwears to his own hurt, yet he changes XXXII. not; he is to confider, whether he can keep such a vow, without breaking the commandments of God, or not: if he can, then, certainly, he ought to have that regard to the name of God, that was called upon in the vow, and to the folemnities of it, and to the fcandals that may follow upon his breaking it, that if he can continue in that ftate, without finning against God, he ought to do it, and to endeavour all he can to keep his vow, and preferve his purity. But if, after he has used both fasting and prayer, he ftill finds that the obligation of his vow is a fnare to him, and that he cannot both keep it, and also keep the commandments of God; then the two obligations, that of the law of God, and that of his vow, happening to stand in one another's way, certainly the leffer must give place to the greater. Herod's oath was ill and rafhly made, but worse kept, Matth. xiv. when, for his oath's fake, he ordered the head of John the Baptift to be cut off. Our Saviour condemns that practice among the Jews, of vowing that to the Corban or treasure of the Temple, which they ought to have given to their parents, and imagining that, by fuch means, they were not obliged to take care of them, or to fupply them. The obligation to keep the commandments of God is indifpenfible, and antecedent to any act or vow of ours, and therefore it cannot be made void by any vow that we may take upon us and if we are under a Vow, which exposes us to temptations that do often prevail, and that probably will prevail long upon us, then we ought to repent of our rafhness in making any fuch vow, but must not continue in the observation of it, if it proves to us like the taking fire into our bofom, or the handling of pitch. A vow that draws many temptations upon us, that are above our ftrength to refift them, is, certainly, much better broken and repented of, than kept. So that, to conclude, celibate is not a matter fit to be the fubject either of a law, or a vow; every man must confider himself, and what he is able to receive: He that marries does well, but he that marries not does better.

5.

ARTICLE

ARTICLE XXXIII.

Of Excommunicate Perfons, how they are to be avoided.

That Person which, bp open Denunciation of the Church, is zightly cut off from the Unity of the Church, and Excommunicate, ought to be taken of the whole Multitude of the Faithful, as a Heathen and a Publican: Until he be openly reconciled by Penance, and be zeceived into the Church by a Judge that hath Authority thereunto.

A

XXXIII.

LL Chriftians are obliged to a ftrict purity and holiness ART. of life and every private man is bound to avoid all unneceffary familiarities with bad and vicious men; both because he may be infenfibly corrupted by these, and because the world will be from thence difpofed to think, that he takes pleasure in such persons, and in their vices. What every fingle Chriftian ought to fet as a rule to himself, ought to be likewife made the rule of all Chriftians, as they are conftituted in a body under guides and pastors. And as, in general, fevere denunciations ought to be often made of the wrath and judgments of God against finners; fo if any that is called a Brother, that is, a Chriftian, lives in a courfe of fin and fcandal, they ought to give warning of fuch a perfon, to all the other Chriftians, that they may not fo much as eat with him, but may separate them- 1 Cor. v. felves from him.

II.

In this private persons ought to avoid the moroseness and affectation of faying, Stand by, for I am holier than thow: if one Gal. vi. 1. is overtaken in a fault, then those who are fpiritual ought to reStore fuch a one, in the spirit of meeknefs: every one confidering himself, left he be alfo tempted. Exceffive rigor will be always fufpected of hypocrify, and may drive thofe on whom it falls either into defpair on the one hand, or into an unmanageable licentiousness on the other.

The nature of all focieties must import this, that they have a power to maintain themselves according to the defign and rules of their fociety. A combination of men made upon any bottom whatsoever, must be supposed to have a right to exclude out of their number, fuch as may be a reproach to it, or a mean to diffolve it: and it must be a main part of the office and duty of the paftors of the Church, to separate the good from the bad, to warn the unruly, and to put from among

them

AR T. them wicked perfons. There are feveral confiderations that XXXIII. fhew not only the lawfuliefs, but the neceffity of fuch a prac

tice.

First, that the contagion of an ill example and of bad practices may not spread too far to the corrupting of others: Evil 2 Tim. ii. communications corrupt good manners. Their doctrines will eat and spread as a gangrene: and therefore, in order to the preferving the purity of those, who are not yet corrupted, it may be neceflary to note such persons, and to have no company with

17.
2 Theff. iii.

34.

Jude 23.

1 Cor. v. 2, 5, 7.

'Cor.ii.

1, 2, 3

1 Tim. i.

20.

them.

A fecond reafon relates to the perfons themselves, that are fo feparated, that they may be afhamed: that they may be thus pulled out of the fire, by the terror of fuch a proceeding, which ought to be done by mourning over them, lamenting their fins, and praying for them.

The Apostles made ufe even of those extraordinary powers that were given to them, for this end. St. Paul delivered Hymenæus and Alexander unto Satan, that they might learn not to blafpheme. And he ordered that the incestuous perfon at Corinth fhould be delivered to Satan for the deftruction of the flesh, that the fpirit might be faved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Certainly a vicious indulgence to finners is an encouragement to them to live in fin; whereas when others about them try all methods for their recovery, and mourn for those fins in which they do perhaps glory, and do upon that withdraw themselves from all communication with them, both in fpirituals, and as much as may be in temporals likewife: this is one of the last means that can be used, in order to the reclaiming of them.

Another confideration is the peace and the honour of the Gal. v. 12. fociety. St. Paul wifhed that they were cut off that troubled the Churches: great care ought to be taken, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blafphemed, and to give no occafion to the enemies of our faith to reproach us; as if we defigned to make parties, to promote our own interefts, and to turn religion to a faction; excufing fuch as adhere to us in other things, though they should break out into the most scandalous violations of the greatest of all the commandments of God. Such a behaviour towards excommunicated perfons, would also have this further good effect; it would give great authority to that fentence, and fill men's minds with the awe of it, which must be taken off, when it is obferved that men converse familiarly with thofe that are under it.

Thefe rules are all founded upon the principles of focieties, which as they affociate upon fome common defigns, fo in order to the pursuing those, muft have a power to feparate themselves from those who depart from them.