Idolater in the earth 12. Those that abhorre Idolatrie as much as they doe beggerie and folly can not but hate and abhorre the badges of Idolatrie as much as the badges of folly and beggerie and therefore can not but accompt that priestly attyre that is enioyned vnto vs by our Prelates an apparell more vnbeseeming the Minister of the Gospell then a Cloake with a thousand patches or a coate with foure ellebowes for beggery and folly being iudgementes and not sinnes the notes of beggerie and folly can not be so odious in a spirituall eye as the notes of Idolatry 13. If it be denyed that the apparell enioyned is popish because it was before popery was this answere may be made 1. It can never bee proved that it was before popery For though not all popery yet some popery was in the Apostles tymes most of the heresies were before the full revealing of Antechrist which notwithstanding wee fasten vpon them and count popish they having intertained them If therefore an errour mainteyned before Popery retayned by Papistes deserue the name of a popish errour why should not vnnecessary apparell though vsed before yet entertayned now only by them and those that receaue it from them bear the name of Popish attyre 2. As a Coat of divers colours is a fooles coate notwithstanding that Ioseph one of the 12. Patriarkes wore one so a white linen garment is a popish garment though some Ministers in the East Churches did weare them and yet it can never bee proved that either they wore such a one as is prescribed vnto vs or that it was a ministeriall garment and not their ordinary civill attyre or proper to the Minister only or if al this that it was wel done for there being no one father that wrote since the Apostles times but haue erred in some matters of Doctrine why may they not as well erre in matters of ceremonie if all the true Churches of God beside our own in England and the greatest parte of the sufficientest Pastors of our owne Church are held to erre in the generall renouncing of these ceremonies why might not some few Ministers in the olde Church as well erre in instituting and vsing them 14. A corrupt and scandalous Ceremonie in the worship of God is so much the more dangerous and scandalous to others by how much the more it comes graced and countenanced with lawfull authoritie A corrupt ceremonie enioyned by a Heathenish Pagan Tyrāt vnto the Ministers of the Gospell living vnder his iurisdiction cannot doe so much spirituall hurt as when it shal be required by a Christian Magistrate for the good conceyt of the institutour and ordeinor of a religious Rite is it that breedes superstition Those therefore whose special calling from God is to edifie the soules of men not to destroy them ought so much the more to avoid these Ceremonies they iudge know to be scandalous and hurtfull to the soules of men by howe much the greater grace and countenance they receaue from the authoritie of man neither can the commandement of the Magistrate bee a sufficient plea at the barre of Gods iudgment seate for a man that by vertue or force thereof alone hath done any action how indifferent so ever in it selfe that his conscience tels him will scandalize his brother and so hurt his soule grosse therfore is the doctrine of them that teach That Paule if the Magistrate had commaund him should haue eaten fleshe though his brothers soule should haue bene damned for it 15. The more indifferent an action is in it selfe the more odious it ought to be vnto vs when we shall perceaue it to hurte our brothers soule which ought to be a thousand times dearer vnto vs then his body or our owne liues for he shewes neither loue nor mercy to his brother that had rather be the instrument of his everlasting damnation then omit the doing of a meere indifferent thing though hee should incurre therefore any bodily punishment whatsoever That forme therefore of Gods service that consists in the vse of such things indifferent as experience manifesteth are a scandall and by consequent a destruction to the soules of infinit numbers ought not to bee vsed of any much lesse of those who are called by Christ to feed the soules of men and not to destroy them How scandalous these Ceremonies are to all how the omission of them cannot be scandalous to any but vnto such as are worse scandalized already by embracing them requires a larger Treatise 16. No Magistrate that is a Christian will chalenge authoritie to destroy the soule of any man and therfore he cannot vpon his owne meere will pleasure without sinne against God enioyne any thing not required by God that evidently tendeth to the destruction of any mans soule and those subiects that being ready to performe any dutie that God requireth vnto the Magistrate shall refuse to doe any such thing so required and shall patiently and meekely yeeld themselues to any punishment the Magistrate shall thinke good to lay vpon them without resistance shall * A paciant suffring when wee cannot in conscience obey is the best obedience performe more true and loyall obedience vnto his authoritie therein then any of those that shall yeeld obedience to any lawes of that kind enacted by never so good a Magistrate and in shew to never so good an end 17. No subiect therefore can take any such authoritie from the handes of the Magistrate which may warrant him to doe any thing that shall evidently destroy his brother soule at any time much lesse in the service worship of God wherin all things that are to be done ought to tende to the edification of his soule in a speciall maner 18. It is plaine in the word of God that the kingdome of God that is the service and worship of God standeth not in meates and drinkes nor any such externall rytes having no authoritie from God When therefore without any commandement from God such external things shal be brought into the service of God made the very formes of the same such Rytes must needs be false worship and that forme of Gods service must needes bee adulterate that is made to consist in such thinges For no authoritie can make that a part of Gods kingdome that the worde of God doeth expresly deny to be a part thereof 19. Those Ceremonies therefore in present controversie being meerly by man brought into the worship of God are by no means to be yeelded vnto for it is in effect to make the Kingdom of God to cōsist in meats and drinkes or in such like thinges For if man hath authoritie to make the kingdom of God consist in apparel c. he hath also authoritie if it please him to make it consist in eating and drinking may make them a part of the Liturgie aswel as any of those things that are in controversie 20. Those peculiar Rites and Ceremonies which are in that maner forme vsed in the service of God that if God himself did but ratifie confirme that present sse of them should then be parts of his true outward worship must needs as they are vsed without Gods ordinance be partes of a false outwarde worship But our surplices crosses kneeling at the Lordes Supper c. are such that if God should but command to vse them as we vse them that is if hee should require every Minister in divine service to weare a surplice to note ioy dignitie or sanctitie or in Baptisme to crosse a child in signe c. Nay though he should expresse no vse at all but barely enioyne the things thēselves to be vsed in his service yet they should bee partes of Gods true outward worship for whatsoever God tieth in a peculiar maner to his worship is a parte thereof These Ceremonies therfore in controversie having such a vse in the service of God vnto which they are peculiarly tied must needes be vsed as partes of Divine worship for else the bare ratifying of their present vse could not make them true worship Being therefore as they are vsed partes of divine worship and not parts of true divine worship because not commanded of God they are partes of false divine worship for that divine worship that is not true worship is false worship FINIS
they are naturall yet are they not such as nature by violence forceth and wringeth from men as the actions of panting and breathinge such as men cannot at their pleasure abstaine from or lay downe for laughter in extreeme mirth and weeping in great sorrow though they be naturall impressions and signes of inward and hidden passions yet are they not Ceremonies but such signes only are ceremonies wherein there is concurrence both of nature and will in the framing and vse of them as appeareth in the particulars aboue specified and therefore are such as may vpon some speciall or particular occasions be omitted or suppressed 8. Thus much of naturall ceremonies Instituted ceremonies are such outward rites and signes as by reason of some Analogie or similitude are ordeyned and appointed to signifie and shadow forth any mystical truth They being not brought forth by nature to any such end or purpose of whiche kinde are all the Iewish Ceremonies Our Sacramentes All Paganish Popish rites those Ceremonies in present controversie For none of al those externall rites doe by nature signifie any such matter but their vses significations are put vpon them only by the wil of the institutor or vser and are not so much intended for decencie order as for solemnitie and state 9. Those things that are put to this Ceremoniall vse being not made by nature to any such end or purpose must if they be not vaine and foolish borrow light from some word of institution for the more mysticall the Ceremonies of this kinde are and of secreatecsense of greater grace they are 10. Naturall Ceremonies if by institution appointment they bee put to any other vse thē nature it self hath fitted them vnto doe loose their name and become Instituted Ceremonies as kneeling tied to eating and drinking in the Sacrament c. CHAP. IIII. Of civill and religious Ceremonies in generall THE vse of both these kindes of ceremonies that is naturall and instituted is either in civill services of man to man or in religious services of man to God from whēce ceremonies receave a second denomination and are called whether they be natural or instituted either Civill or Religious Ceremonies 2. Civill Ceremonies therfore are such Rites and Ceremonies as are performed in Civill offices and duties betweene man man as they are members of a civill body or incorporation The right vse whereof is called Civilitie and the contempt rudenes the end of civill Ceremonies is to signifie and shadow those inward affections that one man desireth to shew to another in the due vse of these ceremonies cōsistes humanitie lowlines curtesie good manners civill state and pompe c. because the Ceremonies of this kinde are not controverted we passe them by 3. Religious Ceremonies are such outward Rites as are perfourmed in religious duties and services of man to God and they are outward shadowes of zeale devotion faith holynes reverence of the maiestie of God c. 4. In the vse of these Ceremonies especially doth externall worship cōsist whether true or false 5. Religious Ceremonies are either Common or Proper common Ceremonies are such as are equally vsed in civill and religious matters bowing the knee vsed in prayer is a religious ceremonie signifying in that action a Divine reverence of God Yet it is not a ceremonie peculiar and proper to Religion because it is a ceremonie that is and may be vsed to the Magistrate to shadow forth also civill worship due vnto him Of which nature all naturall Ceremonies seeme to be and any Instituted Ceremonie may bee if it haue no reference to Religion in the vse 6. Though matters of civill order and decencie be very improperly called Ceremonies they being rather matters of substance and it being impietie wilfullie and without necessitie to neglect them in the Congregation of Saintes or to do any thing contrary vnto them Yet all things tēding therto may for doctrine sake be referred to this head For though Gods worship doe not consist in them yet Gods worship is profaned in the wilfull contempt neglect of them Yea as farre forth as naturall and civill decencie comelines are outward shadowes of inward worship They may bee safelie reputed partes of diuine worship 7. Matters therfore of order and decencie in the service of God are all such matters as are drawen from the ordinarie civill customes of men and which for any to neglect wilfully would seem to the reason of a natural man a disorderly vnseemely thing As to come to the assembly clothed and that in seemely and usuall apparell according to our civill callings in the world to sit there quietlie and in a comely manner in respect of compositiō of body to give as much as may be vpper place to our civill superiours that the place of mecting be fair swept that the Table of the Lorde in the time of Communion bee spread after the civill fashion of the Coūtrey with a faire table-cloth that men pray bare-headed c. These orders vsed in civill meetinges of men wherein civil decencie is observed and kept ought not to bee neglected in religious meetings and therefore they may be called common Ceremonies or orders 8. These ceremonies of civill order and decencie are of that nature necessitie that for the Magistrate wilfully to inhibite were sinne in him and for any particular man not to vse and observe as much as convenientlie hee can though authoritie had never enioyned them in particular were impietie And therefore they are of a farr different nature from the ceremonies in controversie For let it be supposed to bee no sinne to vse these when the Magistrate enioyneth thē yea suppose them to be holy ornamentes and Rites yet if no authoritie humane or divine had iustituted them it had bene no sinne for any man to neglect them nay it were a foule sinne to vse them For example Our Lords spirituall enioyne every Minister in Divine service to weare a white linen Ephod or surplice they may if it please them as lawfully enioyne him to have painted before and behinde two faire red crosses but if a private man vpon his owne head should vse his Surplice so though it bee an honourable signe that he addeth it would be made a grievous crime 9. They therefore doe but gull the simple of the world that from humane authoritie to institute such civill orders as are aboue specified doe inferre that man hath authoritie to bringe into the service and worship of God such ceremonies as are cleane of another nature As though because the Magistrate may ordeine such Ceremonies as without his ordināce were impietie for a man not to observe therefore hee may ordeyne such ceremonies whiche without his ordināce at least were impietie and wickednes for any to vse CHAP. V. Of Ceremonies peculiar to Religion THOSE Ceremonies that are proper to Religion are such as in a peculiar manner are tied to religious persons actions and purposes only especially such as
A Treatise OF DIVINE WORSHIP TENDING to prove that the Ceremonies imposed vpon the Ministers of the Gospell in England in present controversie are in their vse vnlawfull 1604. A Treatise of Divine worship tending to prove that the Ceremonies imposed vpon the Ministers of the Gospell in Enland in present controversie are in their vse vnlawfull CHAP. I. Of divine worship in generall DIVINE worship is any actiō or service that is immediatlie and directlie performed vnto God him selfe whether the true God or a false whether commanded by divine authoritie imposed by humane or assumed vpon our owne heads pleasures For in this latitude of sense is divine worship to be cōceaved that it may comprehend vnder it both true and false worship 2. Though all Actions and services that Man performeth vnto Man are not partes of civill worship yet every Action and Service that man performeth directly to God is a parte of divine worship and ought meerely to concerne his own glorie It being impossible to imagine how the creature should performe any service or doe any action to the Creator him selfe but worship For the ground of worship is the sence of some excellent eminencie of goodnes in the partie worshipped defect and inabilitie to doe an answerable good to a good receaved in the partie worshipping for wee need not to worship God if we could be as good to him as he is to vs therfore except we should mock him because receaving all good from him we are not able to doe the least good vnto him all that we can doe is to worship him that is to glorifie him aboue all thinges debase our selues before him as nothing in his presence 3. All speciall things therfore done in the service and worship of God is worship and a part of that honor that is done vnto him And what so ever speciall thing done in divine service is not a speciall honor and worship vnto God must needes be a dishonor and abuse of his Maiesty who requireth nothing but worship at our handes vnto whom we can not possibly doe any other good 4. If therefore a man shall doe any speciall action in the service of God of which there is no vse out of the same and that action so done bring no speciall honor to God the doing of it is a profanatiō of the name of God For all speciall actions done in the Service of God must either bring speciall honor to God or els they must needes dishonor him 5. Divine worship is Internal only or Externall also Internall worship is meerely spirituall performed only within the temple of mans heart of which none are witnesses but God a mans owne conscience All the inward motions of the hart directed vnto God are partes of this worship as faith hope confidence love feare and ioy in God c. which are all of them diverse actes partes of Inward worship in every one of which God is honored All which spring from the apprehension of our owne wantes and Gods infinite excellēcy and goodnes towardes vs. We need not proceed anie further in handlinge of this worship it nothing appertayneth to our present purpose 6. Externall worship is an expressing and setting forth of the Internall by outward signes and rites by which as by certaine outwarde bodily shadowes and colors the spirituall Inward worship of God is made visible and sensible to others CHAP. II. Of Ceremonies in generall THESE signes and rites are called Ceremonies A Ceremonie is a corporeall advmbration of some hidden thing in the mind that it desireth to affect others withall in some effectuall maner for by such meanes as these are the secretes of the soule disclosed and paynted out or figured to our owne and others bodily senses 2. Such actions properlie are ceremoniall that are meere shadowes and signes exhibiting nothing but some similitude and resemblance of such things as man is desirous but not able to exhibite in substance and in deede And therefore are called cōplements because in doing thē a man laboureth to supply that in a shadow that he can not doe in substance And hence it is that the more vnable a man is to doe that he would the more he vseth to supply his defect with signes and tokens CHAP. III. Of Naturall Ceremonies CEremonies are either Naturall or Instituted Naturall ceremonies are all such voluntary compositions gestures of the body as are with moderate deliberation vsed to shadow forth those hiddē motions affections and habits of the mind that are begotten in the mind by some goodnes in those vnto whom they are performed and done for a man performeth no ceremonie vnto him selfe but vnto others and the ground of that ceremonie is in him vnto whom it is performed 2. For example Authoritie in another begetteth reverence in me This reverence possessing and affecting my soule it breedeth in me a desire to manifest it vnto the partie reverēced but I cannot possibly doe it by any other meanes but by some bodily shadow and signe wherevpon nature teacheth me to bow the body the like may bee said of lifting vp of handes casting vp the eyes c. All of which kind are certaine naturall impressions of the soule made in and vpon the body endevouring in and by them to make her hidden motions so visible and effectuall as they may affect our selues others 3. Comelines and decency doth especially consist in the vse of Ceremonies of this kinde and they haue bene ever carefullie observed in the Church of God aswell before Christ as since both in her publique and private ministrations which willfully to neglect were to sinne against God and for any to inhibite only vpō their will and pleasure were impietie But these Ceremonies in controversie are of another nature as shall afterward appeare 4. This first kind of Ceremonies the more naturall they are the more they shall appeare to flow from the free inforced will of him that acteth them the more decent and of greater grace they are for they are such shadowes as are sent forth from our passions by the light of nature and are not fit for any other vse or signification 5. And as nature only frameth them well so if it shal appeare that they proceed from her and are not forced and wrong from men invita minerva she putteth into them such a light that any of ordinarie conceyt may in the signe see the thing signified 6. These Ceremonies though Naturall and therefore common to all men yet are they not in all degrees vniversally the same because havinge their originall from the naturall motions and conceptions of the minde especially passion affection by which they are animated and formed there being in the stock of mankind such diversitie of natures dispositions such diverse degrees of the same inclinations such a divers composition and minglinge of affections it can not be but nature must needes vary and bee divers in them 7. And though
are in a speciall manner tied to the solempne worship of God In these ceremonies consistes the external forme of divine worship and they are the outward badges cognizances of the same 2. All Ceremonies vsed in the service of God are either civill ceremonies to witt such as are also of the same vse out of the service of God or holy Ceremonies to wit such wherin holines consistes in the due vse of them or els they are prophane that is such as have no vse or a superstitious vse The ceremonies in cōtroversie are not * For then the bare omission of thē would argue rudenes and incivilitie civil ceremonies again it is graūted there is no holynes in the vse of them †Som nigher his M. haue given it out that he would if he could hang those that put holines in thē Therefore they are prophane ceremonies and by consequent not to be mingled with holy things 3. As there are diversities of religion and Churches so there are diversities of Rites and Ceremonies by which they are distinguished and ceremonies are the partitiō walles wherby for the most parte one Church is devided frō another For he that shall with a more narrow eye seeke into these things shall see that for the most parte the diversities and varieties of Ceremonies are the begetters of diversitie of doctrines and opinions whereby one Religion differeth from another 4. The more one Church differeth from another in Rites and Ceremonies the more it vseth to differ in substance of doctrine and the more one Church draweth neare vnto another in Ceremonies the more it draweth neare vnto it in substance of doctrine The Churches of France Scotland in substance of doctrine doe so much the more differ from the Synagogue of Rome by how much the farther they differ from her in Ceremonies then other Churches and some in the Church of England that doe strive to come to Rome in Ceremonies come so much the nearer to her in doctrine as might appeare by divers instances if the matter were not too too apparent 5. He that hates the Religion it selfe hates all the shadowes and shewes of the Religion he that loves the shadowes and rytes of a Religion he loves the Religion it self he loves a Pope wel that loves the triple Crown he loves a Fryer well that dotes vpon his Cowle and shaven crowne and out of question he loves a Maspriest with all his heart that is mad vpon his massing attire or any part therof 6. As it is rudenes and want of civilitie to neglect or contemne a Civill Ceremonie so it is prophanes irreligion to neglect or contemne a Religious Ceremonie as outward civilitie consists in the due vse of civill Ceremonies so outward holines religion consists in the due vse of all Religious Ceremonies Those Ceremonies therefore are prophane and not beseeming the true worship of God that are so far from any shew of holines in the vse of them that they make the partie that refuseth the vse of them to seeme and to be reputed pure holy and precise of which nature our Ceremonies in controversie are 7. As civill Ceremonies tend to the honor of them vnto whō civil worship is due is a part therof So Religious Ceremonies tend to the honor of him vnto whom religious worship is due and is a parte therof neither can a man possibly imagine how any thing should be religious whether a Substance or a Ceremonie but it must needes respect him that religion it selfe respecteth as therefore we performe civill honor vnto those vnto whō we performe civill ceremonies so we performe Religious Divine honors vnto those that we obey in a religious ceremonie They therfore that claime perform obedience therin do claime perform that which is due only to God 8. Nothing intended or done by man is an honour to God but that which is an obedience vnto God in some Commandement All Ceremonies therefore of Religion that are an honour vnto God must be commāded by God himselfe and to bring in such Ceremonies into his worship as are no honour to him is to mocke God 9. All Religious Ceremonies or Ceremonies of Religion are spiritnall that is are ordeyned for spirituall vses and endes and not for civill or temporall and therefore are outward notes and testimonies of those things that make vs spirituall men and they are partes of spiritual honor due vnto spirituall authoritie and lordship 10. All spirituall Lordes may clayme as their due spiritual worship and therefore may institute religious Ceremonies for looke what difference there is betweene humane and divine Temporall Spirituall the same differēce there is betweene the peculiar worship due to the one and to the other if therefore Temporal Lords may require all civill rites and honors Spirituall Lordes may require all Divine and Spirituall rites and honors 11. Civill honor reverence onely can not nor ought not to please a Spirituall Lord hence it is that the Spirituall Lordes of our Church cānot cōtent them selues with such honor that we giue to civill Magistrates and Princes but we must obey them in peculiar religious duties and services and surely it is meete that if there bee any such besides Christ that we performe spirituall homage vnto them and they are not worthie that high style that wil be content with temporalls when spiritualls are due 12. Those Ceremonies that are enioyned by true spirituall Lords are truely spirituall holy even as spirituall and holy as the Sacraments though they consist of som things in their own nature indifferent and those Lordes are not spirituall that are not able by their sole authoritie and word to hallow that which before was not holy 13. Those that can make a Surplice a Cope a Crosse c. to be ornamentes of Religion and holy Ceremonies can whē it pleaseth them make a shaven Crowne a Monkes habit spitle in Baptisme holy Water the triple Crowne all the Missall rytes as holy For they are al of the same nature and those that can finde no reason to prove those vnholy and vnlawful would finde none to proove anie other externall Rite to bee so if they should in the same maner be imposed 14. Those that have power vpon their owne will and pleasure to bring into Gods service some indifferent thing may bring in any * For all indifferent thinges are of the same nature indifferent thinge those that may bring in without special warrant from God pyping into his service might aswell bringe in dauncing also those that haue authoritie to ioyne to the sacrament of Baptisme the sign of the crosse haue authoritie also no doubt to ioyne to the Sacramēt of the Supper flesh broth butter or cheese and worse matters then those if they will Yea those that have power to make peculiar formes of Religion worship have power to make and invent a Religion worship of their owne CHAP. VI. Of Divine worship