Durham: We often spoil our best duties by acting from carnal principles, or to carnal ends

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This is one of the memorable pull out quotations from a manuscript sermon preached by James Durham before the Synod of Glasgow in 1652. It was at the beginnings of the Protestor-Resolutioner schism in the Church of Scotland (one of the nastiest Presbyterian contentions, and we’ve had a lot of them). Similar to his treatise concerning Scandal, predating that book by 7 years. The sermon appears at the end of volume one of the Collected Sermons of James Durham (2017). This is a rough text from the final.
Instance Three. For the third instance I forbear to speak of it. Much edification depends upon the life and conversation of a minister. He should be a pattern of all gravity, sobriety, humility, gentleness, [and] meekness. The grace of the spirit within shining in his conversation, he should have the sum of Christian duty written on his life. Only in reference to what is said before, I shall propose a few caveats:​

(1) That in seeking to shun one extremity we rush not in to another, that we make not our wisdom and prudence eat up and undo our faithfulness and zeal, even as we would not suffer our faithfulness and zeal to undo our wisdom and prudence.

(2) That we take good heed what motive we are swayed with, whether it be from a carnal principle or spiritual, we act or forbear a thing, whether to be approved of men or to God, for we often spoil our best duties by acting from carnal principles, or to carnal ends.

(3) That forbearance or censuring for sin, be to convince the party we forbear and so in subordination to the end of edification to get him to repentance for the same sins; that our forbearance or giving of the more gentle {medicine} be a fitting of the person for taking of stronger {medicine}, whereby we would have the humor he is sick of purged away; for if we lay by we come short of our end.

(4) That in all we be ministerial, and turn not base or servile in seeking to win extreme in[1] what we do or do not.

“5 October 1652 Ephes. 4 11. 12. For the edifying of the body of Christ A Sermon taught before the Synod assembled in Glasgow: by Mr Ja: Durhame,” Sermons preached before the Synodal Assembly in Glasgow [manuscript], 1652, 1658. Sermons on 1 Corinthians 1, v.10, by James Fergusson April 5, 1658, and on Ephesians 4, v.11 and 12, by Mr. James Durham, October 5, 1652. Folger Shakespeare Library, X.d.424, MS Add. 257.

[1] Win extreme in: “win, gain with much labor;” win into, “get the benefit of” (Sc. Jamieson); i.e. here in the sense of an over aggressive pressing of one’s position.​
 
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