Presbyterian having any due regard unto a Kings Honour and perhaps it will be the last if the Commonwealth Principle gets a little more footing among us p. 41. The Presbyterians have approv'd themselves to be as Good Subjects as any of their Neighbours both in this and neighbouring Countries for the neighbouring Countries let him ask the French Protestants and the persecuted Vaudois For this let him consult their Confessions which assert Obedience and Subjection to the Higher Powers I have known several Presbyterians who had that regard to a Kings Honour as to quit all their Preferments rather then take the Engagement to exclude the King when many Episcopal Men submitted to it It 's true they generally took Part with the Parliament in our unhappy Civil Wars and so did abundance of Church-Men But Passive Obedience and Non-resistance in 1688. have eminently justified Forty One If the Republican Principle gets footing it s amongst some of his Jacobite Brethren who under Colour of that Principle wou'd promote the Interest of their Old Master I know not any one Presbyterian who is for a Commonwealth I confess they are not for making Princes Absolute as the Rector is who declares that the King's Coronation Oath is a voluntary Act of Grace unto which the King is not obliged by the Fundamental Constitution and that the Prince in Effect is the sole sovereign Power if he pleaseth to usurp and exercise it * Serm. of Subjection by the Rector of Bury p. 21 22. 2ly 'T is no reflection on the King adds he to deride the Scots Reason The Scotch Parliament Reason for the ACT was their Inclination the King was to please them I say 't is a reflection on the King to deride their Reason when he had approv'd it and inserted it into his Letter of Instructions to his Commissioner in Scotland The Letters of Princes and their Laws confirm'd in Parliament ought to be treated with more Respect or at least with less Scorn especially by a Person who not only enjoys his Preferments under His Majesties Protection but hath taught us such an intire resignation to the Will of the Sovereign that he allows us not the Liberty of Petitioning and Addressing him when we are Aggrieved Nay we are bound in Conscience to obey tho' he shou'd prove a Tyrant and it 's an Act of Grace in him to oblige himself to govern according to the Laws For he is the sole Soveraign Power and is accountable to none but God for any Misgovernment In a Word he gives the Prince the most Arbitrary Power and deprives the Subject from asserting his own Priviledges †Serm. of Subj p. 13. 21 22. For such a Man to deride the Acts of his Prince looks not only Vngrateful and Inconsistent but may tempt us to suspect that either he does not believe his own Doctrine or else that he Calculated it for the Episcopal Meridian that is whilst Princes support Episcopacy which I dare say is agreeable to his Inclination we are to honour and obey them but if they Favour Presbytery we may deride their Letters and Royal Acts. In a Word whilst the King pleases the Rectors Inclinations he is his Humble Slave and will allow him an un-bounded Power but if he comply with the Scotch Inclination our Loyal Rector dare deride the Reason of his Compliance and ridicule his Royal Wisdom under pretence of exposing the Scots Reason 'T is pity but this Gentleman had been of his Majesties Council to advise him how to Pen his Letters and to instruct him how to Word his Instructions to his Prime Ministers of State ARGVMENT II. His 2d Argument to prove the Dissenters Guilty of Corrupting the Word of God is this The Corruption in appearance favours the Dissenters and their Design against Episcopacy TO this Argument I answer'd three Things 1st He durst not say the Corruption favours the Dissenters for he knows the Contrary But he slily says it does in appearance favour them this appearance is only to himself for I believe no Dissenter ever thought of it This he takes no notice of 2ly I told him that I knew no Principle of any sober Dissenters that is favoured by this Corruption I refer'd him to the Directory for Ordination and the Heads of Agreement between the Presbyterians and Congregational Men in 1691. in both which the Power of Ordination is lodged in the Ministers and not in the People to whom they ascribe only the Power of Chusing them according to this very Text Acts 6. 3. and the Rector's concurrent Testimony if that were of any Validity * Tent. Novum p. 4. He allows the People as much Power in making their Minister as the Dissenters do and therefore by this Argument must either acquit them or condemn himself Here the Water sticks to the Rector he knows not which way to turn him about rather than retract his malicious Calumny like a Man hardoned in Sin he 'l make use of any sorry shift to Paliate his Guilt and Expose the Innocent He cannot deny this to be the Judgment of the Dissenters that Ordination belongs to Ministers and Election ordinarily to the People But saith he among us the Bishop Institutes and Appoints by an Act altogether distinct from Ordination as we believe was the Case of the Deacons But among the Dissenters the Pastors Ordain and the People chuse and appoint ' em p. 43. He may believe what he pleases but the Text mentions no other Appointment of the Apostles but what was by Prayer and Imposition of Hands Acts 6. 3 6. which he cannot deny to be meant of Ordination He disingenuously mis-represents us when he says the People Chuse and Appoint they Chuse indeed but the Ministers Appoint or Ordain 'em to the Office which they very rarely or never do Sine Titulo I noted that the Dissenters cou'd be under no Temptation to Corrupt this Place the Peoples power of chusing their Ministers being asserted in this very Text Acts 6. 3. Look ye out among you c. and v. 5. they chose Stephen c. To this he ridiculously replies they chose not the Persons immediately into the Office design'd them p. 44. The Presbyterians never asserted such an Election which he cannot but know though he thinks fit to abuse them The Peoples choice does not appoint or establish 'em in their Office nor oblige the Ministers to ordain 'em if they judge them not duly qualified As to his granting the Peoples power of chusing their Ministers he says he is of the same Opinion still being under no necessity to alter it that he is sensible of I know not what changes in Opinion his Necessities may oblige him to but if his Argument or any other Necessity require it it seems he can change as there is Occasion It is certain at present he allows the People as much Power in chusing their Ministers as we do And therefore this Corruption does no more favour us than it does the Rector
Lord the work of the Hands of the Crafts-Man and putteth it in a secret Place In the Liturgy the words to worship it are added to the Text which denounceth a Curse upon such as make an Image for any Religious Ends as suppose to beget in us good reflections to be a help to our Devotions c. but the Addition restraineth the Curse to the Act or Intention of Adoration Now there is a Controversy of greater Consequence than that of ye and we depends upon this Addition viz. whether it be lawful to use Images as suppose a Crucifix c. for Religious Ends provided we don 't worship them The Papists say it 's not only lawful but in some Cases necessary that they are Laymen's Books and great helps to Devotion The Protestants affirm according to the Scripture they ought not to be made at all for the Ends of Religion much less set up either in the Congregation or in a secret Place Deut. 27. 15. Isa 44. 10. Habb 2. 18 19. This Addition in the Liturgy seems to favour the Popish Doctrine that we may use Images in our Devotions provided we don 't worship them I am the more Confirm'd in this by the Images of Christ and his Apostles which I find Printed in several of our Common-Prayers and I doubt not but they are intended as helps to Devotion and I wish they were not designed as an Introduction to Image Worship in the late Reigns when projects of that kind were conniv'd at However this be the making of such Images is against the Scriptures especially the 2d Commandment as is prov'd at large in the Book of Homilies It 's shew'd there 1st That no Image of Christ can be made but a LYING IMAGE because he is God and Man Nor can any true Image of his Body be made because it is unknown now of what Form and Countenance he was and there be in Greece and at Rome and in other Places divers Images of Christ and none of them like to other and yet every of them affirmeth that theirs is the True which cannot possibly be Therefore as soon as an Image of Christ is made by and by is a LYE made of him which by God's Word is forbidden 2ly If an Image of Christ cou'd truly be made yet it is unlawful that it should be made yea or that the Image of any Saint shou'd be made especially to be set up in Temples Ireneus reproves the Hereticks call'd Gnosticks for carrying about the Image of Christ In the same Homily is proved the unlawfullness of such Images from Lev. 26. Exod 20. and Deut. 27. and they quote this last Text aright without the Addition in the Common-Prayer * Serm. against Peril of Idolatry Part 3d. One may justly wonder that such a publick Use of Images shou'd be allow'd in our Churches and no Body that I hear of reprove or condemn it tho' all our Episcopal Ministers have subscribed to the Book of Homilies as containing a Godly and wholsome Doctrine The having of Images in our Books of publick Devotions is as unjustifiable as the setting 'em up in our publick Churches nay the former is in this respect Worse than the latter because in the latter Case one Image serves a whole Congregation but in the former there are as many Images as there are Worshippers with Pictur'd Common-Paryer-Books in their Hands Christians shou'd avoid all Occasions and Appearances of Idolatry but the Rectors Zeal runs another Way I will not tempt him to execute the fiery Sentence he passed on the Bible upon his Common-Prayer but I will recommend to his Reading the learned and pious Homilies against Idolatry which mention with Approbation Epiphanius's renting a painted Cloth wherein was a Picture of Christ or of some Saint affirming it to be against our Religion that any such Image shou'd be had in the Temple or Church If this Act of Epiphanius does not raise an Emulation in him to purge his Church of Images he ought at least to declare against the Corruption of Scripture to which he is accessary by giving his Assent and Consent to all and every Thing contain'd in the Liturgy Thus I have gratified his Request and given him such an Instance as he desires and yet I will not say this is a Corruption of which all the Episcopal Party is Guilty because I believe few of 'em have taken notice of it For a farther Confirmation of his Charge against the Dissenters he saith out of Arch-Bishop Laud's Speech that the Puritans expung'd part of the XX. Articles of the Church of England concerning the Power of the Church to decree Rites and Ceremonies 'T is yet Sub-Judice whether that Clause was added by some of the Bishops Friends or expung'd by some of their Adversaries whether it were the one or t'other it does not concern the Controversy in Hand Tho' it may seem more probable they were added by some Ceremonious Gentleman for the Puritans alledged that the Clause was not to be found in the Latine or English Articles of King Edward VI. or Queen Elizabeth ratified by Parliament The Arch-Bishop can't say that this Clause was in the Articles of King Edward VI. but comes off with this sly Answer That the Articles made in the time of King Edward VI. were not now in Force and therefore not Material whether that Clause be in or out * Heyl. Life of Laud. p. 339. I thought Articles of Religion were not like Acts of Parliament to be repealed at pleasure However one may conclude from Arch-Bishop Laud's Words that the Clause about Ceremonies was not in the Original Articles of the Reformed Church of England in King Edward VI. time If it had been in he would have taken notice of it as he does of all the Editions that had it in Queen Elizabeth's time If it was to be found in the Records of Convocation Anno 1562. as the Arch-Bishop saith it is a sign the Church of England was grown more Ceremonious than it had been in King Edward VI. time Be this Matter as it will it concerns not us tho' the Rector according to his wonted Justice reproaches us with it Remark on Remarks p. 51. 63. †Mr. Baxter 's Life p. 639. Arch-Bishop Vsher Arch-Bishop Williams Bishop Morton Bishop Holdsworth c. in a Committee at Westminster 1641. mention this Article among the Innovations in Doctrine in the Church of England He has a pleasant Digression on these Words of mine no Dissenters have urg'd this Corrupt reading in favour of a Popular Covernment in any of their Writings against Bishops and Ceremonies Remark p. 14. which he thus reports No Dissenters have urg'd this Corrupt reading against Bishops and Ceremonies And then adds who ever thought that ye had any thing to do with the Ceremonies p. 52. I spoke of the Corrupt reading as applied to a popular Government which is evident by my Words I Note this as an Instance of his Unfairness and pass by his
Cambridge was far from being Presbyterian at that time the Heads of Colledges being all Episcopal a List of which Mr. Francis Talents communicated to me which I find agreeing with Mr. Fullers * Church History To this the Rector Answers That Mr. Owen talks like one who knows not Cambridge Nor had diligence enough to inform himself and Mr. Talents he fears is past his Memory and Judgment not to say his Integrity p. 37. 39. Mr. Owen has known Cambridge above twenty Years ago when he was admitted Student there Mr. Talents Judgment Memory and Integrity deserves not to be reflected on since Mr. Fuller in his History of the University of Cambridge fully writes the same thing he mention'd But saith he besides these sixteen Heads there are Fellows Scholars Noble-men a Follow-Commoners Persioners and Sisars or Servitors which make up about 2000 among which there were many that favour'd Presbytery especially in Emanuel which not long after furnished six Colledges with Heads and it was call'd pure Emanuel from the abundance of Puritans in it p. 39. The Rector informs us of what every body knows that there are a great many Students in Cambridge and if he can find there five or six Presbyterians among two Thousand Scholars he thinks he has prov'd his Charge against that Party of Corrupting the Word of God This puts me in Mind of a Passage in Lactamius He saith that as Diocletian was Sacrificing and the ordinary Marks in the Intrailes of the Sacrifices not appearing Tages that were set over the Diviners said that their Rites did not succeed because there were some prophane Persons i. e. Christians that had thrust themselves into the Assembly * Lactant of the Prim. Pers Ergl. by Dr. Burnet p. 75. This occasion'd the last and great Persecution of the Christians under that Emperour and his Collegues The Rector is as just to the Furitans as the Pagan Priests were to the Ancient Christians their being upon the spot is sufficient to make the one and the other Criminals Thus St. Paul was Accused for bringing Greeks into the Temple and the Evidence was they had seen Trophimus with him in the City Acts 21. 28 29. I have heard of a certain late Judge that as he passed a dirty Place in London-Streets he found a Man sheltring himself under a Belcony from a Shower of Rain Sir saith he to the Man I will have you indited for this Nusance The Man told him he was a Stranger there that 's nothing replies the Judg I have found you on the Premisses and you must Answer for the Nusance The Rector thinks he has found a few Puritans in Cambridge in Thirty Eight among near two Thousand Church-men and they must be Guilty of the Corruptive Nusance because he has found 'em on the Premisses But that which spoiles all is the Puritans were Members of the Church of England and generally of the Episcopal Judgment nay the Moderate and Pious Bishops cou'd not escape that Nick-name which was applied to all Calvinists in Doctrine as Dr. Heylyn confesseth †Life of Arch-Bishop Laud. p. 124. Tho' in strictness the Name was given to the Non-con-formists which were very few at that time the Terms of Conformity not being screw'd up to the present height But the Heads of Colledgs were no Puritans no not Dr. Haldsworth Master of Emanuel who was put out by the Parliament and any Man will judge of the State of the University and indeed of all Societies by the Governing Party who have a considerable Influence in their respective Provinces If Cambridge supplied Trinity Colledge Oxford with ten Fellows that were for the Parliament as he affirms p. 39. It does not follow they were Presbyterians before for we know its usual for abundance of People to change with the Times I doubt not but the Rector can Name the Men who took the Covenant and the Engagement and after all approv'd themselves to be right Episcopal-Men Besides many of those that were made Fellows at Oxford in the Year 1638. were very Young and not admitted in Cambridge till after 1648. From the whole it appears that Presbytery in Thirty Eight was not in the Ascendant in England especially in Cambridge where all the Heads of Colledges were Episcopal Thus I have expos'd the weak Vindication of his First Argument from the Circumstance of Time I affirm'd the Scotch Covenant and the Presbyterian Government in Scotland to be more Ancient than Thirty Eight which the Rector cannot deny but he endeavours to prove from the Fundamental Charter of Presbyter examin'd c. that the Reformation in Scotland was first cast into the Episcopal Platform and continued so for fifteen Years p. 40. The Pamphlet to which he refers has been learnedly answer'd by Dr. Rule in his good old Way defended to which I refer the Reader The Reformation there was gradually and with much opposition carried on as it was here in England and no wonder if in such a struggle Esau came forth before Jacob but certain it is when they came to some degree of Settlement Presbytery was set up and the confession of Faith in which they promised to ad-here to that Government was sign'd by King James the I. and his Houshold Anno 1580. and by Persons of all Ranks Anno 1581. by Ordinance of the Council and Acts of the General Assembly It was subscribed again by all Persons Anno Domini 1590. with a General Band for maintenance of the true Religion and the Kings Person I am still of Opinion saith he That the Scotch Kirk put away the Wife of its Youth I mean Episcopacy when it reform'd from Popery and joyn'd it self unto an Harlot I mean Presbytery I think Presbytery as Honest as Episcopacy and I am sure the Church lost it's purity and degenerated into a Harlot under the Lordly and Tyranical Government of Popish Bishops p. 41. What an honourable Character does this Gentleman give to the Reformation in which not only Scotland but most of the forreign Protestant Churches are concern'd When they cast off Idolatrous Popish Bishops they put away the Wife of their Youth when they put themselves under the Conduct of Protestant Pastors they joyn'd themselves to a Harlot In plain English they lived in chast Wedlock under Popery and defiled the Marriage-bed when they became Protestants This looks more like the Language of a Jesuit than of a Protestant-Minister The Rector in his Sermon basely reflected upon the ACT of Settling Presbytery in Scotland tho' touched by the Royal Scepter and also upon his Majesties Words in his Letter of Instructions to his Commissioner in Scotland both which affirms Presbytery most agreeable to the Inclination of the Scotch Nation which is such another Reason faith he as an Adultrer might give for his Wantomess He would fain Palliate this inexcusable Indecency towards the King which I complain'd of tho' he comes off but sorrily 1st This is the first time saith he I ever heard of a