in the service of God without any speciall warrant but when I considered that this is the very Diana for which you strive and the wall of separation between you the Church I thought fit to inlarge my selfe upon this point to manifest unto all those who love the trueth that sitting hath no more ground in Christ's Institution then kneeling And now to proceed Sect. 36. I will shew you other Ceremonies used by you in Gods worship without any speciall warrant The next to sitting at the Communion is sprinkling in Baptisme for which there is no warrant but the custome of the present Church for the auncient Ceremonie in Baptisme was not aspersion but immersion which Ceremonie was sanctified by the Baptisme of our Saviour Matth. III. 16. Mark I. 10. for the Evangelists say When he was baptized he came out of the water and therefore he went in into the water The same was used by the Apostles and thereunto the Apostle alludeth shewing that the mortification of sinne the increase of that mortification and the vivification of the new man are signified by the Ceremonie of Baptisme for the dipping in Baptisme had three parts their going down into the water their continuance in the water and their comming up out of the water The going downe into the water figureth the mortification of sinne by the power of Christs death for all wee sayeth the Apostle which have beene baptized into Iesus Christ have been baptized into his death The continuance in the water noteth the increase of that mortification by the power of Christs death and buryall We are buryed with him by Baptisme into his death The comming up out of the water ratifieth our rising againe unto newnesse of life Like as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father so wee also should walke in newnesse of life Rom. VI. 3.4 This Ceremonie was continued in the Church for many hundred yeares and to that purpose in ancient times they had places in each Church for dipping called Baptisteria and Lotiones neither was sprinkling generally practised in the Church till 1300. yeares after Christ when to use your owne words Antichrist was in his full height Now can you shew me any reason why you may leave a Ceremonie which was certainly used by Christ by his Apostles and the whole auncient Church and was of singular use for fignification and in stead of it take another not so significant brought into the Church by Antichrist And that yet it shall not bee lawfull for the whole Church to lay downe another Ceremonie to wit sitting at the Communion whereof there is no certainty nor likely hood that ever it was used by Christ or his Apostles or any Church in the world and in place of it to use another which is a great deale more decent and comely Thirdly you use to injoyne pennance to receive penitents in a white sheet and I am sure that if a Surplice in Gods Service be a Ceremonie so is a white sheet in publick pennance and absolution and there is no more warrant for the one then for the other Fourthly you use a Ceremonie in Marriage by joyning of hands and pronouncing of words which are not commaunded Fiftly I could tell you that the time was in the dayes of the Presbyterie when that Church whose orders you so much approve did use a Ceremonie in Ordination and a very strange one It was not imposition of hands but shaking them by the hand to bid them welcome into their Societie because forsooth they were loath in any thing to have a conformitie with the auncient Apostolick Church Sixtly you professe to honour the Church of Geneva as a fit patterne unto all other Churches and yet they use the Ceremonie of godfathers in Baptisme and wafer Cakes in the Communion against which one Ceremonie I could say more then can be said against all the Ceremonies of our Church Finally the lifting up of the eyes to Heaven the spreading out of the hands the knocking of the breast sighing and groaning in Gods service are Ceremonies used by none so much as by your selves And yet I confesse that if they proceed from a sincere heart they are lawfull expressions of devotion By this time you doe all see that whereas you deny Ceremonies in Gods worship which are not commaunded you are evidently convinced by your owne practise I thinke that I have said enough Sect. 37. to overthrow that ground which you have laid that no Ceremonies ought to bee used in Gods service without a speciall warrant from the word Now for the conclusion of this poynt I will appeale unto the confessions of the reformed Churches and the suffrages of divines You professe to approve the Articles of the Church of England as contayning nothing but trueth though not so manie particulars as you account to be matters of faith and those Articles doe ascribe such a power to the Church to ordaine Ceremonies as you may see in the XX. Article The Church hath power to decree rites or Ceremonies and againe in the XXXIIII Article Every particular or Nationall Church hath authority to ordaine change and abolish Ceremonies The same you may reade in the Articles of Religion of the Church of Ireland which were printed in the dayes of Queene Elizabeth As for the Iudgement of other Reformed Churches I shall referre you to the Harmony of Confessions and the writings of their learned Divines where you may learne I. That it is not only lawfull but expedient and requisite to use Ceremonies in Gods worship II. That those Ceremonies should be significant III. That it is not necessary that the same Ceremonies bee observed in all Churches at all times IV. That we are not bound to observe all those Ceremonies which were used by the Apostles and the Primitive Church V. That we may retain some Ceremonies used by the Iewes namely Ceremonies of order not of prefiguration VI. That we may use some Ceremonies used by the Pagans VII That wee may retaine some Ceremonies of the Papists VIII That the governors of the Church have power to make choice of Ceremonies to change and abrogate some and to ordayne others as they shall see occasion Finally That wee are bound to observe all Ceremonies which are injoyned by lawfull authoritie provided that they bee qualified with these conditions following Instit lib. IV. c. 10. §. 14. Mr Calvin requireth three conditions That they have In numero paucitatem in observatione facilitatem in significatione dignitatem I. For number they should be few for when the Church is pestered with the multitude of them it makes the estate of Christians to be more intollerable then the condition of the Iewes as it is in the Church of Rome whose missalls are larger then the booke of Leviticus whereof Gerson Polydore Virgill and others did complaine in their time II. They should bee easie for observation III. For signification they should be grave decent and
humane inventions but Gods Ordìnance because they bee naturall circumstances of Worship II. They could not well be expressed in the Scripture and that first because they are so numerous Ioh. XXI 25. All things that Iesus did are not recorded because our Bible should not grow too big for us and was it fitt then the Scripture should record all things that are or may be lawfully incident to the particular service of God So it should have swolne in quantity above the Popes Decretalls whereas the Canon of our fayth should be briefe that all may peruse it III. Because they are so chaungeable and diverse according to the diverse conditions of the Church they could not be commaunded by an unchangeable Law but were to be taken up by occasion Therefore the Apostle having instructed the Corinthians in matters of fayth and godlinesse puts off these other matters till his owne comming that he might see what was most expedient 1. Cor. 1◠34 Other things will I set in order when I come In which words he promiseth to appoint things belonging to outward Order and Politie Aug 1. epist ad Ianuar. chrysost in Loc. Muscul in Loc. Calvin in Loc Baeda Aretius Beza Whitaker de perfect Script Quaest VI. c. 6. 10. Moulin Buckler of faith p. 46.47 or as St Austin calls it ordinem agendi as I proved unto you at large at our last meeting both from the notation of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and from consent of all writers Now we know that he never came unto the Corinthians after that who then thinke you did order those other things but the governors of the Church And yet the Church of Corinth being a particular Church and so to be governed by one Law one would thinke that the Apostle might have prescribed unto them a compleat forme for outward Order and Politie But he foresaw in his wisedome that the Church would not alwayes be in the same condition and that those Orders that were agreeable for her Infancie would not suite so well with her afterward when she was growne unto ripe yeeres Therefore hee puts off these other things till his comming which being prevented the Governours of the Church had power to determine of these things Now sect 22 if the same Orders will not serve one Church at all times * Tert. de cor mil. Basil de S. sanct cap. 27. Con. Toll IV. c. 5. how was it possible for the Scripture to expresse all matters of Order belonging to the Catholicke Church Wee know that which is fit for the Church in one Nation is not so fit for another And that which is fit at one time is not so fit at another The Church is sometimes in prosperitie sometimes in adversitie sometimes hath to doe with Pagans sometimes with Heretickes and those diverse by reason whereof the Church hath beene occasioned to chaunge her Rites as namely dipping in Baptisme which she hath chaunged from thrise to once and againe from once to thrise So hath shee chaunged many other Ceremonies laying some downe and taking others up And how could she otherwise doe for who can imagine that one and the same fashion can accord unto the Church in her Infancie and fuller growth persecuted and in Peace flying into the wildernesse and resting as the Dove in the Arke at one time dwelling in Hierusalem a Citty built at unitie within it selfe at another diffused over the whole world You may as well shape a coat for the Moone to fit her both in her waxing and in her waning in the full and in the want as to set downe one manner of Discipline for all Churches at all times The internall beauty of the Church is alwayes the same Ps XLV 13. but her outward garment is of diverse colours And requisite it is it should be so for if in these things there were no alteration Ceremonies would be taken to be matters of substance As Calvin hath well observed saying As concerning rites in particular let the sentence of Augustin take place which leaveth it free unto all Churches understand Nationall Respons ad medias not Parochiall Churches to receive their owne Customes yea sometimes it profiteth and is expedient that there bee difference lest men should thinke that Religion is tyed to outward Ceremonies Tertullian's rule therefore is infallible Lib. de Virgin veland◠Regula sidei immobilis irreformabilis caetera disciplinae conversationis admittunt novitatem correctionis Thus it is cleare that these things are not expressed in Scripture but are to be ordered by the Church My II. sect 23 Argument is taken from the consent of all learned Orthodoxe Divines auncient moderne who doe acknowledge that the Church hath authoritie to make Lawes for matters of Order and outward Politie and to appoint Rites and Ceremonies to bee observed in the worship of God that al men who are within the Cōmunion of that Church are bound to give obedience unto these Lawes Neither was there ever any learned Divine of the Reformed Churches who did deny Ceremoniall Traditions or indeed any Traditions but such as doe crosse either the verity or the perfection of the sacred Scripture Here it were easie for me to hold you till night onely in delivering the suffrages of Divines for confirmation of this point but I will content my selfe with a few The reformed Church of France in her Confession published in the yeare 1562. sayth Wee confesse Fatemur tum omnes tum etiam singulas Ecclesias hoc jus habere ut Leges Statuta sibi condant ad Politiam communem inter suos constituendam Ejusmodi porto statutis obedientiam deferendam esse Qui hoc detrectant cerebrosi pervicaces apud nos habentur Apud Calvin in opusc that all and every Church hath this power to make Lawes for establishing Common Politie amongst her own members And that obedience is to be given to these Lawes and those who refuse to obey are accounted with us obstinate and brain-sick And so they are indeed M. Calvin whose judgment you professe to honour and follow hath most judiciously determined this Question of the power of the Church in appointing of Ceremonies and outward Orders to bee observed in the worship of God whose judgement I will deliver in these propositions following I. a In externâ disciplinâ ceremonijs nonvoluit sigillatim praescribere quid sequi debeamus quod istud pendere à temporum conditione praevideret neque judicavitunam saeculis omnibus formam convenire Lib. IV. Instit c. X. §. 30. In externall Discipline and Ceremonies Christ would not particularly prescribe what we should follow because he fore-saw that would depend upon the conditions of the times and he thought that one forme would not bee agreeable unto all ages II. b Si enim velut in medio positae singulorum arbitrio relictae fucrint quoniam nunquam futurum est ut omnibus idem placeat brevi futura
done this trespasse ver 31. I wish that our brethren who are offended at our kneeling and other Ceremonies upon an erroneous conceipt of Popery and superstition were as apt to be informed of the trueth and then perceiving the innocency of our Church which hath beene so often manifested and that she observeth these things onely to retaine a Communion with the Ancient Catholicke Church that it may appeare that she hath a part in that God whom they worshipped They would not persist to accuse her but with Phineas blesse God that she hath not done that trespasse And yet we have a better warrant for kneeling at the Communion and a more necessary use of it then the Reubenites â—â—ed for their Altar It being a uaturall gesture which God hath sanctified for his worship and which these men themselves use in other ordidances And here I would be beholding unto the brethren if they would shew me a true reason why it should be lawfull for them to kneele in prayer and not at the Communion which is a reall prayer and thanksgiving When that gesture hath beene Idolatrously abused by the Papists oftener in prayer then in receiving of the Sacrament a thousand times for one Can the Popish abuse of kneeling make it uncleane to us in one Ordinance and not also in another where it hath beene more defiled Let them wynd themselves out of this if they can I thought I had sufficiently taken away the first exception That kneeling at the Sacrament hath beene abused to Idolatry by shewing that all things so abused are not to be abolished albeit the inventions of man That kneeling is no invention of man And that our kneeling neither was nor is abused to Idolatry But perusing the Libell againe I find some Scripture alleadged by the Disputer to prove his assertion with as much fidelity as the devill did alleadge Scripture in the Gospell Yet I will stay to examine it The place is Deuter. XII 4. Yee shall not doe so unto the Lord your God and ver 30.31 From whence he labours to inferre that it is unlaw full to kneele at the Communion because in so doing Wee serve our God without warrant as Idolaters serve their God contrary to that Commandement Where this clause without warrant is inserted by him only to make way for an escape But he will find his passage stop't if he will be pleased but to observe what he may learne from what I have already said especially in my Sermon namely that in the word of God without relation to any Ecclesiasticall constitution there is as much warrant for kneeling at the Sacrament as for sitting standing or any other gesture and more for kneeling then for either of them the same being more sutable unto worshippers And that now the Church according to that liberty which God hath allowed her to determine such circumstances having ordayned that gesture we have not only a warrant but also a necessity laid upon us to observe it forasmuch as it is necessary to obey authority necessary to maintaine the Peace of the Church necessary to preserve the liberty of our ministeries necessary to receive the holy Sacrament And as the case stands unlesse wee kneele we disobey authority disturbe the Churches peace lose the liberty of our ministery and the comfort of the Sacrament Let us see then whether kneeling at the Sacrament come within the compasse of that prohibition ye shall not doe so unto the Lord your God namely as the nations did And certainely that precept concernes not kneeling for the nations bowed unto their gods yet must we bow unto the Lord our God for that Negative in the second Commandement Thou shalt not bow downe to them nor worship them includes an affirmative Thou shalt bow downe unto the Lord thy God and worship him Besides if we must not use any of these gestures which Idolaters have used in their Idol-worship then we must not worship God at all for if you take away all gestures you must take away all the outward worship of God forasmuch as it is not possible for us to worship God but in some position of body And take away one gesture upon that ground that it hath beene used in Idol-worship Then take away all for all gestures have been abused by Idolaters in their Idol-worship and are common to them and us in our service of the true God They kneele so doe we They stand so doe we They sit so doe we And because the Disputer sayes A man cannot commit Idolatry sitting I shall desire him to consider what the Apostle speaketh of sitting at Table in the Idols temple I. Cor. VIII 10. and what he may reade in prophane writers how that sitting was commonly used at the sacrifices of Hercules Macrob Saturn lib. III. c. 16. But it is not heathenish Idolatry that offends these men but Popish that not so much in any other Ordinance as in this of the Sacrament Let them therefore know that all maine gestures have been applyed by the Papists unto their Sacrament of the Altar standing sitting kneeling The Priest stands the Pope sitts the people kneele Now shall it be unlawfull for us to use the gesture of the people and not also unlawfull to use the gesture of the Pope So that if that Commandement forbid one gesture used by Idolaters to be used in the service of God it forbids all and makes more strongly against them then against us But indeed neither that commandement nor any other in the Word of God can bee extended unto gestures or any other actions which are lawfull in themselves as shall easily appeare if we take a view of the places Deut. XII 2.3.4.5 Yee shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the nations which yee shall possesse served their gods upon the high mountaines and upon the hills and under every greene tree And you shall everthrow their Altars and breake their pillars and burne their groves with fire and you shall hew downe the graven linages of their gods and destroy the names of them out of that place Ye shall not doe so unto the Lord your God But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there even unto his habitation shall yee seeke and thither thou shalt come And againe ver 30.31 Take heed to thy selfe that thou be not snared by following them after that they be destroyed before thee that thou enquire not after their gods saying how did these nations serue their gods even so will I doe likewise Thou shalt not doe so unto the Lord thy God for every abomination to the Lord which he hateth have they done unto their gods for even their sonnes and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods In which places foure things used by the Idolatrous nations are forbidden and made unlawfull unto Gods people I. Their Idols and Images of their gods which must be destroyed you
A TREATISE OF THE AVTHORITY OF THE CHVRCH The summe wherof was delivered in a Sermon preached at Belfast at the Visitation of the Diocese of Downe and Conner the tenth day of August 1636. BY HENRIE LESLIE Bishop of the Diocese Intended for the satisfaction of them who in those places oppose the Orders of our Church and since published upon occasion of a Libell sent abroad in writing wherin this Sermon and all his proceedings are most falsely traduced Together with an ANSWER to certaine Objections made against the Orders of our Church especially kneeling at the Communion 1. COR. XI 22. Doe yee despise the Church of God AVGVST Contraratiorem nemo sobrius contra scripturas nemo Christianus contra Ecclesiam nemo pacificus senserit CIC. lib. 2. De Nat. Deor. Vestra solùm legitis vestra amatis caeteres causâ incâ—gnitâ— condemnatis DVBLIN Printed by the Society of Stationers Printers to the Kings most Excellent Majesty Anno Dom. 1637. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THOMAS LORD VISCOUNT WENTWORTH Baron of Wentworth-Woodhouse Lord Newmarsh and Oversley Lord Deputy General of the Realme of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of the Countie of Yorke and Lord President of His Majesties right Honorable Councell established in the North of England and one of the Lords of His Majesties most Honorable Privy Councell RIGHT HONORABLE SOCRATES reports that there happening a terrible fire in Constantinople which consumed a great part of the city and fastened on the Church the Bishop went to the Altar and falling downe upon his knees would not rise from thence till the fire was quenched and the Church preserved So when I entered into my charge whereunto I was called by your Lordships gracious favour I found a great fire kindled in that Church which though it was but Ignis fatuus proceeding from inconsiderate zeale yet it threatned the destruction of our Church and the utter abolishing of all good order wherefor l indeavoured to bring diverse buckets of water out of the Sanctuary for quenching of that flamme albeit as yet I have not found either my paines or my prayers to be so effectuall At first the Apostles Quaere tooke a deepe impression in me â— Cor. 4.21 Shall I come unto you with a rod or in love and in the spirit of meekenesse And therefor I begun with gentle perswasions suspendens verbera and producens ubera 2. Tim. 2.25 as the fathers speake even in all meeknesse instructing them who are contrary minded as having such a charitable opinion of them as Salvian had of some Arian haeretickes in his time Salv. de Cubeâ—n l. 5. Errant sed bono animo errant and Euthymius of others Eâ—thym in Luc. 14. Quidam Pharisaei semi-mali But I found that I had to doe with men praeoccupyed with praejudice and partiality and so wedded to their own wills that they were resolved to receive no information making good the saying of Maxentius Ap. Bâ—gn in Biblioth T. 4â— Mens contentioni indulgens non sanari fed vincere cupiens aversa ab eis quae recte dicuntur tantum intenta est in hoc ut inveniat quod pro partibus suis loquatur A contentious mind desiring victory and not truth takes no notice of that which is truely spoken and deviseth only how to elude the same and find something to speake for his owne part VVhereupon I altered my course and finding by the symptomes of their disease that it is a head-paine or rather heady I remembred that when the Shunamites child cryed my head 2 Kings 4 1â— my head his father bid carry him to his mother So I thought it the best course to carry them unto their mother the Church and shew them both her authority to injoyne those orders which they oppose and her power to censure and correct such as are disobedient unto her constitutions But for all this They persist in their errors grow more resolute in their opposition and more diligent to draw disciples after them Revel 12.12 like unto him of whom it was said He is come downe unto you having great wrath because hee knoweth that he hath but a short time So that it may be said of them as the Prophet of the hard hearted Iewes Ierem. 5.3 Lord thou hast stricken them but they have not sorrowed thou hast consumed them but they have refused to receive correction they have made their faces harder then a stone and have refused to returne And this is no new thing for haeretickes to bee confirmed in their errors by their sufferings It was observed in ancient time that not only Christianitas but even haeresis mortibus crescit And surely I have many times wondered how those men who are none of the learnedest should be able to draw such a faction after them and bewitch the minds of the people for every one of these Presbyteriall Dictators is more esteemed then the whole Church of God they take upon them to teach their mother to give suck the people have plucked out their owne eyes and given to their teachers being now able to see nothing but through their spectacles unto whom they doe ascribe more then Papall Infallibility But I find that it hath beene so in former times that in a faction neither the learnedest men nor the best but the most factious are regarded Primianus and Maximianus were the heads of the two factions of the Donatists and sayeth S. Augustin It was well for them that faction fell out else Primianus might have beene Postremianus and Maximianus Minimianus But now in schisme either of them was a jolly fellow and the head of a party So faction gaines these men more esteeme then otherwise they could either have or deserve in Gods Church And besides their forwardnesse to lead a faction I have observed diverse other meanes wherby they have wonne the affection of the people unto a generall liking of their cause I. A great shew of holynesse like the Encratites of old who termed all other Christians that lived not in like austerity Psychicos that is carnall And yet even in this they come farre short of that mortification which was either in Pelagius of old or is at this day in the Socinians whom I may justly terme sentinam haereticorum the worst of haeretickes II. Their diligence in preaching which yet in them is rather the labour of the lungs then of the brain and I thanke God many of the conformable Clergie are as painefull as they III. To taxe the faults of men in chiefe place and the present government which the multitude being ever prone to innovation and dislike of the present Lawes are apt to approve as Nazianzen observed in his time he is thought the holiest man that can find most faults and the greatest zelot for the trueth who is pleased with nothing but what proceeds from his owne devising Are not these they whom S. Peter describes that should arise In populo II. Pet. 2. amongst the people despisers
two distinct powers upon earth the one of the Keyes committed to the Church to worke upon the conscience by binding or loosing the soule that is retaining or remitting of sinnes the other of the sword committed to the Prince to worke upon the outward man laying hold on the body and goods And neither of these is to intrude upon the execution of the others office When St Peter who had the Keyes committed unto him ventured to draw the sword he was commaunded to put it up Matth. 26.52 as a weapon that belonged not to him So when Vzziah would execute the Priests office he receaved the like check It pertaineth not unto thee Vzziah to burne incense unto the Lord â— Chron. 26.28 but to the Priests thesonnes of Aaron that are consecrated The magistrate therefore is not to take upon him to weild the Keyes which are here committed to the Church If thou complaine to him of an Injury done by thy brother he will punish him And that is not it that Christ aymes at he will not have his disciples so careful of the repairing of their wrong as of the amendement of their brother In a word he gives not precepts Oeconomicall or politicall but prescribes a Law unto the Conscience which is that if thy brother amend not after private admonition to Convent him before the Church IIII. Sect. 11. Neither by the Church are we to understand S. Peter and his supposed successor of whom the Iesuits say Papa est Virtualiter tota Ecclesia for our Saviour spake unto Peter and Peter answers him vers 21. How oft shall my brother sinne against me Now if Peter be offended he is to goe to the Church that cannot be himselfe Besides Peter may be the man who gives the offence if he did not I am sure the Pope doth And shall wee complayne of himselfe to himselfe Wee are like to have an ill hearing Finallie Sect. 12. nor by the Church are we to understand a Generall Councell That can not be called so oft as one offendeth is to be corrected And therefore it is foolishly done of the Papists to alledge this text for the infallibility of the Church Lib 3. de ver Dei cap. 5. observandum hic quidem Dominum loqui de injurijs quas unus ab aliquo patitur Lib. 4. de Rom. pont Conveniunt omnes Catholicâ— posse Pentificem etiam ut Pontificem cum suo coetu consiliariorum vel cum generali Concilio errare in Controverâ—ijs facti for they themselues doe not ascribe infallibility to any particular Church but onely to a Generall Councel confirmed by the Pope of which this Text can not be understood Besides that which is here referred to the Church is a matter of fact not of faith So Bellarmine doth acknowledge that Christ speakes of personall injuries And that in deciding of such Controversies in matters of fact which depend upon information and testimonies of witnesses The Pope may erre even with a Generall Councell at his elbow he saith is confest by all Romanists And then how this Text used by all their writers to prove the infallibility of their Church can serve their purpose no reasonable man can see By the Church then wee must understand the Governours of the particular Churches wherein we live except the person to be corrected Sect. 13. be in that place that he cannot be Iudged but by a higher Court in which case the Church we are to goe unto is a provinciall or Nationall synod So St Chrysostome and with him the generall consent of all doctors expounds it of the prelates and chiefe Pastors of the Church who have Iurisdiction to bind and loose such offenders in the words following So a learned Schooleman Parisiensis de sae ord c. 10. Potestas Iudiciaria est ipsius Ecclesiae Cujus minister ad hancrem Episcopus est constitutus As they who governe in the Commonwealth are called the Commonwealth so they who rule in the Church be called the Church because they hold the chiefe place in it As the body is said to see when it is onelie the eye that seeth So the Church is said to heare that which they onely heard who are as it were the eyes of the Church All the companie of beleevers are called Saints And yet the Apostle giveth this title unto some who were in authority aboue the rest for composing of controversies I. Cor. VI. So albeit the whole multitude of beleevers be called the Church Yet in a speciall manner this title is given to them who are chiefe in the Church for authority power St Iohn wrote his Epistles to the Angels of the Churches that is the Bishops And yet he concludeth Let him that hath an care heare what the Spirit sayth vnto the Churches So that the rulers are called the Church not onely by our Saviour but also by St Iohn because they did represent the Church whereof they had charge And in the Old Testament the Hebrew word Eda which signifieth the Church is sometimes used to expresse not the promiscuous multitude but the assembly of Iudges the Councell of the Rulers Psal LXXXII 1. God standeth in the congregation of gods So that this acception of the Church is not without precedent as some have alleadged And now having found the Church Sect. 14. let us see wherein the Church is to be heard The necessitie layd upon us to heare the Church presupposeth a power in the Church to direct yea and to commaund though not in her owne name yet in the Name of GOD who committed this power unto her That the Church hath a power I thinke no man will deny All the Controversie is touching the extent of this power which I will reduce unto certaine heads neither with the Papist deifying her power nor with the lawlesse Libertine vilifying her authoritie Bee pleased therefore to understand the Churches power for Instruction for Ordination for Determination for Direction and for Correction First it belonges to the Church to keepe and propound the sacred Oracles and to apply them by preaching and administration of the Sacraments II. To ordayne Ministers appoint them their Stations and direct them the manner how they are to discharge their dutie III. To decide Controversies in Religion IIII. To enact Lawes not only to containe men in obedience to the Law of God but also for Circumstances and Ceremonies in the outward administration of Gods worship V. To censure offenders Of the first three but briefly First Sect. 15. the Church is to keepe the holy Scripture as a depositum that which hath beene committed unto her wherein she is as a faithfull Register or Notarie that keepes the Originall Records from corruption Deut XXXI 24. When Moses had finished the Book of the Law he gave it to the Levites to be kept in the side of the Arke from them must the King receive his Coppie Deut. XV II. 18. The Apostle sayth Vnto them were
committed the Oracles of God Therefore Epiphanius proves Epiph. de menâ— pond the Bookes of Wisedome and Ecclesiasticus not to be Canonicall because they were not kept in the Arke And S. Augustin calls the Iewes our Librarie-keepers who are so zealous of the Old Testament that they will rather loose their life then one line of it So carefull also hath the Christian Church beene of both Testaments that many Martyrs have chosen to give their Bodies rather then their Bibles to bee burnt Neither doth it onely belong to the Church to keepe the holy Bookes but also to discerne betweene true Scripture and false And so shee is the Defender of the Scripture to which purpose the Spirit of Christ is given unto her whereby she knoweth the voyce of the Bridegroome Here the Church of Rome hath abused her power and betrayed her trust inserting into the Canon diverse Apocryphall bookes which were not written by divine inspiration nor received by the Church in S. Ieromes dayes And as she is the keeper and maintainer of the holy Records So she is as a Herauld Common-cryer to publish notifie propound and commend these Records as the Word of God unto all men For this cause is the Church called the Pillar of Truth because shee beareth up the Truth by her publicke ministery and sheweth us the holy Bookes So that the Testimonie of the Church is an excellent meanes to know the Scripture to be from God even the first motive and occasion of our faith The Key which openeth the doore of entrance into the knowledge of the Scriptures The Watchman that holds out the light in open view and presents the shining beames thereof to all that have eyes to discerne it The guide that directs and assists us to finde out those Arguments in Scripture wherby the Divinitie of it is proved And so like the morning starre introduces that cleare light which shineth in the word it selfe But the testimony of the Church is not the onely nor the chiefe cause of our knowledge nor the formall object of our faith As the Samaritanes at first believed for the saying of the woman Ioh. IV. 39. but afterward because of his own word saying Now wee beleeve not because of thy saying for wee have heard him our selves And as Nathaneel was induced to come to Christ by the Testimony of Philip but was perswaded to beleeve that he was the Messias by what he heard from himselfe as may appeare by his confession Rabbi Ioh. I. 45 4â— thou art the sonne of God so men are first induced to beleeve that this Booke is the holy Scripture by the Testimony of the Church but after they receive greater assurance when their eyes are opened to see that light which shineth in the Scripture To use a more familiar similitude If a man bring you a letter from your father and tell you he received it out of his owne hand you beleeve him but are better assured when you consider the seale subscription forme of Characters and matter contayned in the Letters So are we perswaded of the divinity of the Scripture The Scripture is an epistle sent unto us from God our father The Church is the messenger and tells us that shee received it from him Wee give credite unto her Report but when we peruse it and consider the divinity of the matter the sublimity of the style the efficacy of the speach we are fully perswaded that the same is from God indeed In a word the Church commends the Scripture to be Gods word not by her owne authority but by the verity of the thing it selfe and arguments drawne out of Scripture which proveth it selfe to be divine even as the Sunne manifests it selfe to bee the Sunne a learned man proveth himselfe to be learned and as Wisedome is justified of her children for which cause the Scripture is called a fyre a hammer a word that is lively mighty in operation a light shining in a darke place All which sheweth that it hath a certayne in-bred power to prove manifest it selfe without any outward testimony And therefore the Authority of the Scripture in respect of us doth not depend vpon the voyce of the Church And yet is the Church bound to give testimony to the Scripture we are bound to heare her Testimony Further as the Church is to propound Sect. 16. so to expound the Scripture apply them by preaching and administration of the Sacraments Wee are all of us so blinde in heavenly mysteries that we may say with the Eunuch of Ethiopia Act. Vâ—ll â—â—4 How can I understand except I had a guide God hath appointed us guides to expound unto us the Scripture and to apply the same for doctrine for confutation for Correction for Instruction These bee the uses of Scripture II. Tim. III. 16. and it is The man of God that is the minister and Pastor who is to expound the Scripture and apply it unto these ends In the II. of Haggai vers 12. the Lord sayth Aske now the Priests concerning the Law And Malach. II. 7. The Priests lips should preserve knowledge and they should seeke the Law at his mouth To them it belongs to teach preach labour in the word divide the word exhort confute rebuke as the Apostle directs his two Sonnes Timothie Bishop of Ephesus and Titus Bishop of Creta When Christ was to remove his bodily presence he established his ministry upon earth when he ascended up on high he gave gifts unto men He gave some to be Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastours and teachers Eph. IIII. 11. He sent forth his disciples with the like commission as he receaved from his father saying As my father sâ—â—t me even so I send you And agayne Goe teach all Nations baptizing them c. Matth. XXVIII 19.20 That this is the office of the Pastors is manifest and acknowledged by all but they must remember that they expound Scripture by Scripture and according to the meaning of the Law-giver comparing spirituall things with spirituall things and adding nothing of their owne Herein the Church of Rome hath abused her power assigning unto Scripture what sense she pleaseth even that which will make most for her owne turne This is ingenuously confessed by Cusanus Apud Illyâ— Clav. Script p. â— Tract 7. that the Church may expound the Scripture one way at one time another way at an other time still fitting the sense of the Scripture to the practise of the Church As they have done touching these words in the institution of the Sacrament Drinke yee all of this which by the auncient Church sayth he were so vnderstood that even the people were to receave the cup By the moderne Church in another sense But howsoever they have betrayed their trust let us not despise the Iudgement of the Catholick Church in expounding the Scripture For as the Scripture is the perfect rule of faith so the Iudgement of the Church
is a speciall meanes to direct us in applying this rule Every man doth challenge some trust in the Art he professeth And is there any that hath studyed the Scripture so well as the Bishops Pastors Doctors of the Church in all ages Besides they have a calling to expound the Scripture are therfore called Guides Rulers Lights Spirituall Fathers Teachers Ambassadors of Christ and disposers of the secrets of God Finally they have not onely a calling but a promise of the assistance of the spirit Matth. XXVIII 20. Loe I am with you unto the end of the world By vertue of which promise it is certaine that all the Pastors of the Catholick Church in all ages did never erre dangerously and therefore their Iudgment to be preferred before the opinion of any private man for God hath commaunded us to heare and obey them II. Sect. 17. The Church is to judge of the abilities of men and who are fit for the Ministery to conferre Orders appoint them their Stations and direct them in the exercise of their Function This power was committed unto Timothie and Titus and must continue in the Church untill the end of the world For as now we are not to expect new revelations so neither extraordinary missions And therefore hee that will take upon him the Office of a Minister not being called by the Church Ioh. X. is an Intruder a Thief that commeth not in by the doore but climbeth up another way What will you say then to some Dominees heere amongst you who having no Ordination to our calling have taken upon them to preach and preach I know not what even the foolish visions of their owne heart As they runne when none hath sent them 11 Sam. XVIII 23.29 and runne very swiftly because like Ahimaaz they runne by the way of the plaine So like Ahimaaz when they are come they have no tydings to tell but dolefull newes They think by their puff of preaching to blowe downe the goodly Orders of our Church as the walls of Iericho were beaten downe with sheepes hornes Good God! is not this the sinne of Vzziah who intruded himselfe into the Office of the Priest-hood And was there ever the like heard amongst Christians except the Anabaptists whom some amongst you have matcht in all manner of disorder and confusion III. sect 18 It belongs unto the Church to decide controversies in religion The Apostle sayth Oportet haereses esse There must bee heresies So there must be a meanes to discover reprove condemne those herisies and pronounce out of the word of God for truth against heresie Deut. XVII 8.9.10 Under the Law the Priests assembled together had authority to give sentence in matters of Controversie The same authority did our Saviour give unto the governors of his Church when he gave them the power of the Keyes and commaunded others to heare them for that their sentence is the sentence of God Titus is commanded to reject an hereticke and so hee had power to Iudge him Doe we therfore make the Church an absolute Infallible Iudge of fayth No Onely God is the supreme Iudge of absolute Authority because he is the Law-giver And in all Common-wealths the supreme power of Iudgement belongs to the Law-giver Inferiour magistrates are but Interpreters of the Law Therefore in Scripture these two are joyned together Esay XXXIII 22. The Lord is our Iudge the Lord is our Law-giver And Iames IV. 10. There is one Law-giver able to save and destroy His throne is established in heaven but in earth we may heare his voice in the holy Scripture revealing his will to the sonnes of men whereby he speaketh to us for God now speaketh to us and teacheth his Church not by any extraordinary voyce from heauen not by Anabaptisticall Enthusiasmes but by the mouth of his holy Prophets and Apostles whose sentence is contayned in the holy Scripture Lib. V. that wee may say with Optatus Milevitanus De coelo quaerendus Iudex Sed ut quid pulsamus ad coelum cùm habeamus hic in euangelio testamentum The Iudge is in heaven But we need not goe so farre to know his sentence when we have his will expressed in the Gospell So Moses Deut. XXX v. 11.12.13.14 This commaundement which I commaund thee this day is not hidden from thee neyther is it farre off It is not in heaven neyther is it beyond the sea But the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest doe it This word being lively and accompanied with the power of the Spirit doth illuminate the minds of men with the knowledge of the truth reprove convince and condemne error and therefore is said to accuse judge condemne Ioh. v. 45. VII 5. XII 4.8 by our Saviour himselfe And so though properlie the Scripture be not the Iudge but rule of faith yet we call it the Iudge by a Metonymie because God who is the Iudge speaketh in it and by it Poli◠lib. III. c. 16. So the Philosopher sayth The Law is the Vniversall Iudge that magistrates are but Ministers and Interpreters of the Law to apply it to particular causes and persons That which the Magistrates doe in Civill matters the chiefe Pastors of the Church are to doe in matter of Religion If a controversie arise they are to heare the reasons on both sides compare them try by the Touchstone of the word weigh them in the ballance of the Sanctuary And so that which the word hath defined in generall they are according to the rule of this word to apply unto the particular cause and controversie pronouncing for truth against error Yet so as they swarve not from the Rule whereunto God hath tyed them Esay VIII 20. To the Law to the Testimony if they speake not according to this word there is no light in them So that the Church doth Iudge and determine controversies not as an absolute infallible Iudge but as a publicke Minister and Interpreter by a subordinate power which yet is more to be esteemed then the Iudgement of any yea of a thousand private men Shee is not the Iudge but interpreter of Scripture Shee doth not Iudge of the verity of Gods Law but of the truth of private mens Iudgements And that especially if the matter in controversie bee of weight when the Bishops are assembled in Councell When there was a Controversie touching Circumcision the Apostles and Elders assembled at Ierusalem for composing the matter Act. XV. The godly Bishops in the primitive Church following their example did at all occasions assemble in Councells for determining Controversies condemning of hereticks and clearing the Truth by their joynt suffrages even in time of persecution under Pagan Emperours they did celebrate diverse Provinciall Synods as at Antioch at Casarea at Carthage And in that famous generall Councell of Nice wherein Arrius was condemned the Fathers saw such a necessitie of this Synodicall Iudgment
for preserving the peace of the Church that they ordayned that in every Province once every yeare the Bishops should assemble in Councell The same afterwards was injoyned by the Emperour Iustinian And so it was observed in the Church and by the sentence of Councells generall or particular all heresies arising were condemned Those Assemblies being lawfully called and proceeding orderly are great and awfull representations of the Church Catholick the highest externall Tribunall which the Church hath on Earth their authoritie is immediatly derived and delegated from Christ their decrees binde all persons within their Iurisdiction to externall obedience And it is not lawfull for any private man to oppose his judgement to the publicke He may offer his contrary opinion to be considered of so he doe it with evidence of Scripture and reason and very modestlie But if he doe factiously advance his own conceit and despise the Church so farre as to cast off her communion as many of you have done hee may bee justly branded and condemned for a Schismaticke In the IV. sect 19 place wee are to consider the Churches power for making of Lawes to direct us in the order that is to be observed in the outward administration of God's worship This is the thing which I must principally endeavour to prove for if the Church may make Lawes of things Indifferent and appoint matters of Order Decencie and Politie then are you bound even for Conscience sake to submit your selves unto the Orders of our Church which you now so violently oppose I will therefore joyne issue with you in this point and prove as I hope by arguments unanswerable that the Church hath such a power I. sect 20 All things lawfully incident to the outward worship of God are not expressed in the Scripture as sayth Tertullian Harum aliarum ejusmâ—di disciplinarum si legem expostules Scriptu rarum nullam invenies De Corona â—â—il If you looke for a Law in Scripture for these and such other like matters of discipline you will finde none And therefore certainly they are left to be ordered at the discretion of the Church Doe wee therefore derogate from the perfection and sufficiencie of Scripture God forbid You shall understand there is great difference betweene matters of Faith and matters of Order The Apostle hath distinguished them Col. II. 5. Beholding your Order and the stedfastnesse of your Faith T.C. first Reply p. 26. Your great master Cartwright compares matters of Faith unto garments which cover the Churches nakednesse matters of Order unto chaynes bracelets rings and other Iewells to adorne her and set her out which no man will say are of that necessitie as the former Now matters of Faith and whatsoever is essentiall in the worship of God are plentifully set downe in Scripture but besides there are other matters of Order concerning the circumstances of Time Place and Person the outward forme of Gods worship all which are not expressed in the Scripture for albeit these things be not altogether omitted in Scripture yet are they not taught so fully as the former Matters of Faith are so perfectly taught in holy Writ that nothing ever can neede to be added nothing ever cease to bee necessary But as for matters of Order and Politie both much of that which the Scripture teacheth is not alwayes needfull and much the Church of God shall alwayes neede which the Scripture teacheth not And this doth nothing derogate from the perfection of Scripture For we count those things perfect which want nothing requisite to the end for which they were ordayned Now the end for which God delivered the Scripture was to bee the Canon of our Faith and guide unto salvation within the compasse whereof those matters of Order Ceremonie and Circumstance doe not come for they respect not Credenda but Agenda or rather modum agendi Not points of doctrine but matters of practice or rather the manner of performing of outward duties And as it is no disgrace for Nature to have left it to the wit of Man to devise his owne attire no more is it any disgrace for Scripture to have left a number of such things free to be ordered at the discretion of the Church But indeed it is a great commendation to the Scripture to have omitted those things which neither needed nor could bee particularly expressed They needed not because they are so obvious And they could not both because they are so numerous and because so chaungeable I. They neded not sect 21 because they are so obvious for what need is there of any high consultation about such things as are easie and manifest to all men by common sense As a great councellour of state whose wisedome in weighty affaires is admired would take it in scorne to have his Councel solemnely asked about a toy which a poore plow-man could resolve So the meannesse of these things is such that to search the Scripture for ordering of them were to derogate from the reverend authority and dignity of the Scripture The Apostle speaking of a matter of this kind touching being bare or covered in Church assemblies using long haire or being shorne hee brings an Argument from Nature Doth not even Nature it selfe teach you II. Cor. XI 14. As nature that is Custome which is an other nature had taught the Corinthians that it is not comely for a man to have long haire So nature it selfe doth teach us that when a man commeth to present himselfe before the Lord by prayer he should doe it with al humility of mind and humiliation of body as the Psalmist sayth Ps XCV 6. Worship and fall downe kneele before the Lord our maker So likewise when wee make confession of our sayth or lift up our voyces to praise God that we should use a gesture sutable to expresse our resolution And diverse things of this kind hath the Church appointed ex ductamine rationis for albeit the substance of the service of God being above the pitch of naturall reason may not be invented by men as it is amongst the heathens but must be receaved from God himselfe yet in matters of lesser moment especially concerning outward behaviour in performance of Church-actions De Resur carnis Luminis naturalis ducatum repellere non modó stultum est sed impium Lib. IV. de Trin c. VI. wee may bee directed by naturall reason as saith Tertullian Wee may even in matters of God bee made wiser by reasons drawne from the publick perswasions which are grafted in mens minds And St Austin It is not onely foolish but impious to refuse the guydance of naturall light And if nature direct us in any thing then certainelie in this what gestures are fittest for Gods worship for gestures are naturall in so much that one of your owne Authors speaking of gestures Treatise of Divine worship p. 30. sayes that Nature stands sn stead of a direction and that they are not to be esteemed
est rerum omnium confusio Ibid. § 23. That yet these rites must not be left free for every man to use what fashion he pleaseth but must be established by Law otherwise for asmuch as the same orders will never please all men there will follow great confusion in the Church III. c Prout Ecclesiae utilitas requirit tam usitatas mutare abrogare quam novas instituere conveniet Ibid. §. 30. That it is lawfull for the Church when she findes it convenient to chaunge and abrogate old Ceremonies and to institute new in their roome IV. d Christiani populi officium est quae secundum hunc canonem fuerint instituta liberâ quidem conscientiâ nullâque superstitione piâ tamen facili ad obsequium propensione servare non contemptim habere non supinâ negli entiâ praeterire tantuÌ„ abest ut per fastum contumaciam violare apertè debeat Quód siquis obstrepat plus sapere hic velit quà m oportet videat ipse quâ morositatem suam ratione Domino approbet Nobis tamen illud Pauli satisfacere debet nos contendi morem non habere neque Ecclesias Dei §. 31. That it is the dutie of every Christian not to contemne or neglect such constitutions but to keep them without superstition with a free conscience and with a pious and facile propension to obedience And if any will oppose them and be more wise then is needfull let him looke to it which way he will approve his morositie unto God for that of S. Paul should satisfie us that we have no custome to contend namely about such matters nor the Churches of God V. e Neque tamen permisit Dominus vagam effraenamque licentiam sed cancellos ut ita loquar circumdidit And aâ—gaine Confugere hic oportet ad generales quas dedit regulas See §. 10. That God hath not given his Church unlimited power to establish what Ceremonies shee lists but hath bounded her within certaine rules So that here wee must have recourse unto the generall rules layde downe in the Scripture Now the generall rules bee especially these Let all things be done decently and in Order I. Cor. XIV 40. Doe all things to the glory of God I. Cor. X. 31. Let all things be done to edifying I. Cor. XIV 26. follow those things which concerne Peace Rom. XIV 19. Of which kinde many more might be gathered out of Scripture which are the very Rules and Canons of the Law of Nature written in all mens hearts which wee are bound to observe though the Apostle had not mentioned them for they were not delivered in the Law of Moses and yet the Iewes observed them unwritten as being edicts of Nature and thereby framed such Church-Orders as in their Law was not prescribed So the Christian Church in all ages having respect unto those generall rules hath established Lawes for the outward forme and administration of God's worship See harmony of the confess Sect. 17. Zarich in 4. ptaecept Martyr epist ad Hooperum and a Cloud of witnesses alleadged by Archdishop Whitg ft in the defence of his Answer and Oâ— Forbesse in his Irenicum as I will shew in the next place I will not trouble you any more with quotations but referre you to the confessions of all the reformed Churches and to the Bookes of all learned Protestants who have written of Traditions Rites and Ecclesiasticall constitutions Thirdly this hath beene the practice of all Churches to make Lawes of things indifferent and to appoint certaine Rites in the administration of God's worship The Apostles did it They appointed some which we reade of and yet holde not our selves bound to observe as abstinence from blood and strangled the kisse of Charitie sect 24 and Widowes to bee imployed in the service of the Church And many more which are not recorded as is confessed by the learned Whitaker Deperfect Script q. VI. c. 6. The Apostles sayth he did in every Church institute and ordayne some Rites and Customes serving for the seemlinesse of Church-regiment which they have not committed to writing The Primitive Church did both institute new Rites and abrogate some used by the Apostles as I thinke you will confesse Yea even the Church of the Iewes did institute many things without any speciall warrant Foure set Fasts whereof you may reade in the Prophecie of Zacharie Zach. VIII and by the authority of Iudas Maccabaeus the Feast of Dedication which our Saviour sanctified with his blessed presence The Musicke of the Temple that David brought in wee reade it approved wee never read it commaunded The appointment of the houres for day lie sacrifice the building of Synagogues throughout the Land See T. C. Reply p 35. the erecting of Pulpits and Chaires to teach in the order of Buriall The Rites of Marriage are not prescribed in the Law but taken up by themselves So I may say for the forme of administration of the Sacraments it was not prescribed who should be the Minister of Circumcision in what place it should be ministred with what kind of knife after what manner the Child should be presented what gesture should bee used either by the Minister or the people what words should be used As for the Passeover though the forme of it be more particularly prescribed yet it is certaine that the Church after changed some things and added many things to the first institution The gesture used in the first Passeover may appeare by many circumstances in the Text to have been standing and yet I thinke you will confesse that they changed it afterwards into sitting or lying And they added many things which were not commaunded as washing of their feete after they had eaten the Lambe and after that a second course of Sallets in which the soppe given to Iudas was dipped The dividing of the Bread into two parts the reserving of the one part for a while under a napkin and at the end of the Supper dividing it into so many parts as there were persons and delivering it unto them The forme of blessing which was used all which are set downe particularly by Beza Beza in Matth. XXVI 20. who professeth that he collected the same out of Paulus Burgensis Tremellius and Sâ—aliger And for all these they had no direction in the Word but they were appointed by the Churches discretion Now if the Church of the Iewes had such power much more the Christian Church for Agar was in bondage Gal. IV. 25.26 with her children but Hierusalem which is above is free For in God's worship they were bound unto many circumstances of Time Place and Person which no man will say wee are under the Gospell And indeed they being a Nationall Church onely were to be governed by one Law and all things incident to the worship of God amongst them might bee expressed in that Law But the Christian Church being spread farre and wide over the face of the
Earth doth require Lawes for governement so diverse as could not be expressed in the Gospell So that Churches both under the Law and the Gospell have exercised this power And I hope you are so charitable that you will not condemne all Churches that ever have beene IV. But say sect 25 you should condemne all Churches and account nothing pure but what is used in your Conventicles I dare joyne issue even upon that and appeale unto your owne practise Doe you not practise and appoint many things in your owne Congregations which are in themselves free as not being expressely commaunded in the Word What warrant have you for Pulpits Pewes Bells What for the outward forme administration of the Sacraments What for the forme of Excommunication and receiving of Penitents Finally what particular direction have yee for the order of God's service as when you are assembled whether the Minister should begin with praying or preaching with reading or singing of Psalmes whether the Celebration of Baptisme and Marriage should be before or after Sermon All these things are ordered by your owne discretion and that diversly in diverse Congregations according to the humor of the Minister And will you not allow so much power to the Church as every one of your selves doth usurpe as a Pope in his owne Parish V. sect 26 Let us consider the priviledges of all other societies of men whether Citties Families or other Corporate Bodies and wee shall finde that they have power to make Lawes to binde all persons within their Communion that those Lawes are to be observed though they be of matters injoyned to be performed in God's service As if a Master of a Family should direct his children and servants how to demeane themselves in the Church commaunding them strictly to kneele at prayer especially at their comming in to crave God's blessing upon themselves and to stand in time of Sermon that they may heare more attentively and to turne to their Bible as oft as any place is alleadged by the Preacher for the confirmation of his doctrine they were bound to obey him and he would call them to account if they did not observe his directions How much more hath the Church power to make such Lawes binding all that are within her Communion to obedience Surely as the Lord convinceth the disobedience of his people Ier. XXXV by the obedience of the Rechabites to the commaundement of Ionadab their father so may I justly accuse your disobedience to the lawfull Orders of the Church by the obedience of your children and servants unto you For shall the housholder commaund in his house and be obeyed and not the Rulers in the Church Shal the Mayor make Lawes in a Towne and not the King in his Kingdome Or were it not strange that God himselfe should allow so much authoritie to every poore Family for the ordering of all which are in it and yet the Church which is the Citty of the great King the House of the living God the Spouse of Christ the New Hierusalem have no authoritie to commaund any thing which the meanest of her children shall in respect of her constitution be bound to obey Finally sect 27 whosoever hath power to repeale Lawes hath also power to make Lawes but the Church hath lawfully repealed Lawes made of things indifferent as the Law of abstinence from blood and strangled enacted by the Apostles II. Cor. XIII 14. II. Tim. V. without any limitation of time The same might bee said of the kisse of Charitie commaunded by the Apostle And of the Widowes who were appointed to bee entertained by the Church for the service of the Saints As also of the Love-feasts used in the dayes of the Apostles All these were abrogated by Ecclesiasticall authority Therefore the Church hath power to make Lawes of such matters And these Lawes being made are to be observed Yea if there be no law to direct us in these things then ought wee to follow the custome of the Church wherein wee are In ijs rebus de quibus nihil certi siatuit serij tara mos populi Dei instituta majorum pro lege tenenda sunt Epist 86. according to that golden rule of S. Austin In these things which the Scripture hath not determined the custome of Gods people should be unto us a Law He shewes that this was his owne practice touching fasting and the like observations when he was in Rome he followed the fashion of Rome And when hee was in another place he conformed himselfe to the custome of that place And he sayth he learned this from S. Ambrose who when he had asked his Councell touching fasting on the Sabbaoth day returned him this answer When I come to Rome Cum Romam venio jejuno Sabbato cùm hic sum non jeiuno sic etiam tu ad quam fortè ecclesiam veneris ejus morem serva si cuiquam non vis esse scandalo nec quenquam tibi Ego â—crâ— de hâc sententiâ etiam atque etiam cogitans ita semper habui tanquam eam coelestioraculo susceperim sensi perturbationes fieri per quorundam fratrum contentiosam obstinationem superstitiosam timiditatem tam litigiosas excitant quaestiones nisi quod ipsi faciunt nihil rectum existiment Epist 118. ad Ianuar. I fast the Sabbaoth when I am here namely in Millain I fast not So also thou keepe the custome of the Church whereunto thou commest if thou would neither offend nor be offended And he sayth he never thought upon this advice but he esteemed it as an Oracle from Heaven And this same advice he giveth to every man touching his carriage in matters of this kind Eo modo agat quo agere viderit Ecclesiam ad quam devenerit And those that doe otherwise hee chargeth them with contentious obstinacie and superstitious feare raising strife because they account nothing right but what themselves doe Now would to God that you who came out of Scotland had followed this advice and so conformed your selves unto the Orders of this Church and not sought factiously to bring in amongst us the customes of the place from whence you came and such customes too as even the Church of that Kingdome hath most wisely repudiated Wee finde that the Apostle himselfe did deferre much unto the custome of the Church when there was a question in Corinth touching the behaviour of men in publicke assemblies as whether men should pray bare women covered or contrary he resolves the whole matter into the Churches custome hee doth not leave every man free to doe what he will but will have the Churches custome to be observed If any man be contentious we have no such custome nor the Churches of God The Apostle had used sundry reasons to prove that men should pray bare women vailed As I. from the signification vers 3. The man is the womans head I. cor XI 16. Whence followeth that wives should be subject
comely not foolish and ridiculous as are the apish gesticulations in the Masse and many other Ceremonies used in that Church as their manifold crossings kissings kneelings whisperings washings anointings spittings blowings breathings and a number of the like Unto these three conditions I will adde two more I. Ceremonies must not be injoyned as things in themselves absolutely necessary and wherein Gods worship doth consist II. We must not ascribe unto them spirituall effects as the Papists doe who say that their crossing and sprinkling of holy water are effectuall to purge away veniall sinnes drive away divells and sanctifie the parties Now the Ceremonies injoyned by our Church have all these conditions For number they are few as ever was in any Church for observation easie for signification worthy for quality grave decent and comely for antiquity reverend The worship of God is not placed in them neither are they pressed upon the consciences of people as things in themselves necessary like the Commaundements of God we ascribe no merit remission of sinnes nor other spirituall effects unto them Finally they are purged from the drosse of all Popish superstition And therefore you are bound in conscience to observe them they being injoyned by lawfull authority And now I am come to the last thing wherein the power of the Church is to bee considered Sect. 38. and that is for correction The Church hath authority to censure her disobedient children whether they be Heretickes or Schismatickes or inordinate livers And on the other part upon their repentance to restore release and absolve them Like a good Mother she hath both Vbera and Verbera a dâ—g to feed and a rod to whip her unruly children This power was alwayes in the Church I finde that there was amongst the Iewes three degrees of censures Ioh. IX 22. XII 42. XVI â— The first was called Niddus a separation or casting out of the Synagogue The second they called Herem which is Anathema when an offender was cut off from his people by the sentence of death Deut. XVII 12. And that man that will doe presumptuously not harkening unto the Priest or unto the Iudge that man shall die The third was Shammatha or Maranatha which was a peremptorie denunciation of Iudgement delivering the obstinate malefactor as it were unto everlasting death for the word signifies as much as Dominus venit The Lord commeth This last is not mentioned in the Law but as it seemes was brought in by the Priests and Scribes after that the Romans had taken from them the power of life and death neither can the Church now use that censure unlesse we knew certainely that a man had sinned against the Holy Ghost The second which is the sentence of death belongeth onely unto the civill Magistrate who to that purpose hath the sword committed unto him So that the censure which properly belongs unto the Church now is onely separation by excommunication And there ever was and alwayes must bee a power in the Church to impose that censure upon contumacious offenders We have the first example of it from God himselfe hee cast Adam out of Paradise which was a type of the Church and banished him from the tree of life which was the Sacrament of immortality he cast forth Cain from his presence that is from the place appointed for his worship wherein Adam and his family used to meete for the service of God Afterwards when the Church of the Iewes was established their Councell of Elders called the Synedrium had power to cast men out of the Synagogue Yea under the Law those who had contracted any bodily uncleannesse must not eate of the Passeover till they were purified after the manner of the Law How much more ought they who are defiled with sinne bee barred from the Communion of our Sacraments seeing the pollution of the soule is more odious in the sight of God then bodily uncleannesse When our Saviour did institute the Church of the new Testament he gave such an authority unto his Apostles and their successors in the words following my text Whatsoever ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven And whatsoever ye loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Which he expounds after this manner Io XX. 23. Whosoevers sinnes yee remit they are remitted unto them And whosoevers sinnes ye retaine I. Cor. 5. they are retayned The Apostle did exercise this power upon the incestuous Corinthian I. Tim. I. â—0 and upon Hymenaus and Alexander The same power hee committed unto his two sonnes Timothie and Titus The governors of the Church are reproved for neglecting this censure Revel II. 20. as the Angell of the Church of Thyatira for suffering the woman Iezabel to teach and deceive Gods servants And the Angel of the Church of Ephesus is commended for his zeale in censuring offenders Thou canst not beare them which are evill and thou hast tried them which say they are Apostles are not Revel II. 2. Finally the censure of excommunication was of frequent use in the Primitive Church especially against heretickes and disturbers of the publicke peace Tert. in Apol. Cypr. epist lib. I. ep 3. as both Tertullian and St Cyprian doe testifie And I find that this censure had two degrees the first was Suspension called Abstentio whereby men were barred some from the Communion of the Sacrament onely others from the Communion of certaine prayers also and some from entering into the Church which they built upon the Commandement of our Saviour Matth. VII 6. Give not holy things to dogges neither cast your pearles before swine The other was Excommunication wherby a man was cut off from the body of Christ as a rotten member cast out of the Church and delivered into Satan who raignes without the Church wherein the Churches sentence is rather interloquutory then definitive And yet the same no wayes to be contemned because when it is done Clave non errante Apologet. cap. XXXIX the same is ratified in Heaven Therefore Tertullian truely cals this censure summum futuri Iudicij praejudicium The former of these censures may be called the Apostles rod shall I come unto you with a rod I. Cor. IV. 21. The other is the sword Apostolicall Gal. V. 12. Abscindantur Let them bee cut off that trouble you This latter is that which is mentioned in my Text Let him bee unto thee as a Heathen man and a Publican and in the words following it is called a binding or retayning of sinne for as the Church hath power to loose such as are penitent so to commit others unto the Lords prison binding their sinnes upon their backe untill their amendement or binding them over unto the Iudgement of the great Day if they shall persist in their pertinacie The same by S. Paul is called a delivering up to Satan The end of Excommunication is threefold I. The glory of God for when men are suffered in the Church to doe what seemeth good in their
namely Confirmation of children absolution of penitents private baptisme of children in case of necessity the Communion of the sicke and almost whatsoever hath any conformity with the Ancient Church If I were not weary to dig in this dung-hill I could shew you many such portenta opinionum which these new masters have vented to the great scandall of the Church and hinderance of Religion that I may complaine with the Prophet Iet XII 10. Pastores multi yea and Stulti Many Pastors have destroyed my Vineyard There is crying out against dumbe dogges of the Cleargie who cannot preach for whom I thinke no man will plead but that lawlesse fellow called necessity Yet I know not whether it be more hurtfull for the Church to have Canes non latrantes or Catulos oblatrantes The ones silence or the others untimely barking In teaching is not so much good as there is hurt in teaching such doctrine when with the good seed of the word the tares of error and schisme are sowen and the children of the Church brought in dislike with their mother Prov. XXX 17. Solomon sayes The eye that mocketh his Father and despiseth the instruction of his Mother The Ravens of the valley shall picke it out and the young Eagles shall eate it What then shall become of his tongue who slandereth his Mother shall not Davids imprecation against Doeg fall upon him Psal LII 4.5 O thou deceitfull tongue God shall destroy thee for ever If you have slandered your neighbour you are bound in conscience to make him satisfaction what satisfaction then can you make unto the Church your Mother whom you have slandered with no lesse then whoredome Whereas even strangers have given her this testimony that shee is of all Churches this day for doctrine most pure for discipline most conforme unto the primitive and Apostolicke Churches for learning most eminent for good workes most fruitfull for Martyrs most glorious II. Albeit their strife were only about Ceremonies yet were it nor safe for the Church to winke at such persons though they contend but for trifles for if the contentious humour be not let out it will fester and spread like a gangrene Contention will grow a schisme and a schisme will prove an heresie So it was with the Corinthians I. Cor. XI Where the Apostle complaines first of their unreverent behaviour in the Church v. 16. Then of schismes v. 18. After that of heresies vers 19. If men be suffered to disgrace Ceremonies they wil proceed further to contemne and profane the Sacraments as in Corinth when they had sit covered at prayer they grew as unreverent and bold with the Sacrament eate and drunke as if they had beene in their owne houses vers 22. It is therefore good to quench the sparke when it is first kindled lest it increase unto a great flame and burne up Church Religion and all III. Consider that alâ—eit in Churches of diverse kingdomes the unity of faith may subsist with diversitie of Ceremonies and orders according to that saying of Gregory In unâ fide nil officit Ecclesiae sanctae consuetudo diversa yet in the same nationall Church we must labour not only for unity in faith but also for uniformity in discipline otherwise order can not bee maintayned peace cannot be preserved when every man hath a fashion by himselfe there will follow infinite distraction and confusion Therefore sayth the Synod of the Belgick Churches Articuli hi mutari augeri minui postulante ecclesiarum utilitate possunt debent non erit tamen privatae alicuius Ecclesiae id facere sed dabunt oâ—â—nes operam ut illos observent donec Synodo aliter constituatur These Articles namely concerning outward order and Politie may be changed augmented or diminished yet it belongeth not unto any private Church to doe that but they must all labour to observe them untill the Synod shall otherwayes appâ—ynt Finally I pray you to remember that when those men had the government in their hands there was never any Church more zealous to vindicate her orders from contempt nor more forward to inflict severe censures for small offences then they were And so much they did professe The Church of Scotland in their constitutions which were printed with their Psalme Bookes say A small offence may justly deserve excommunication because of the offenders contempt and contumacy And againe Any sinne may be pardoned rather then contempt of wholsome admonitions and lawfull constitutions of the Church Now shall they inforce others to the observation of their orders and punish the disobedient with the severest censures And shall not the Kings Majesty and the governours of our Church inforce them to the observatioÌ„ of our orders which have beene established by the whole Church in a lawfull Synod and confirmed by Act of Parliament and by his Majesties Royall authority Oh my brethreÌ„ deceive not your selves think not that the Church the King the State the Law and all will stoope to your fancies No if you will not obey the constitutions of the Church you must feele the weight of her censures If you will not submit your selves unto the Church as to your Mother shee will not owne you for her children but cast you out as Hagar and Ismael were cast out of Abrahams house for their mocking and proud disobedience Thus have I spoken at large of the Churches power for instruction for Ordination for determination for direction or making of Lawes and finallie for Correction or censuring offenders In all which the Church is to be heard for if hee neglect to heare the Church Let him be unto thee c. And so I am come to the second part of my Text the inference sect 40 Let him bee unto thee as a heathen man and a Publicane In which words one thing is implyed and another thing expressed The censure of the Church is implyed for if wee must account such men as Heathens and Publicanes then the Church by her publicke sentence must declare them to be such else how shall we know that they refuse to heare the Church Againe obedience to the Churches sentence is expressely commaunded for in these words all the members of the Church are injoyned to take notice of her sentence accounting no otherwise of all those who despise her admonitions then as Heathen men and Publicanes For sit tibi is a worde of commaund you must hold them for such And that you may the better conceive the meaning of this phrase you must understand that our Saviour alludeth unto the custome of his owne time and the practise of the Iewes as St Paul borroweth a phrase from the Iewish Church â— Cor. XVI 22. when he useth that fearefull imprecation If any man love not the Lord Iesus Let him be Anathema Maranatha So our Saviour here borroweth a speech from the custome of the Iewes to expresse the condition of those who should bee excommunicated by the Christian Church Let him be unto
and put your speculations in practise And as I heare some of you are about to follow them God knowes whither The Donatists had no true ground for their scparation but their own wills Their rule was Quod volamus sanctâ—m est Aug. cont ep Parmen lib. 2. cap 13. It is so with you for all your reasons hath beene answered to the full in so much that all wise men can discerne that it is not true reason that makes you stand out but will Passion a desire to please the people and as you are pleased to terme it your conscience August Pasim Optatus The Donatists did glory much in their sufferings challenge unto themselves the honour of Martyrs whereby they did confirme the hearts of simple people in their errors and rend the Church with schismes and divisions you have boasted as much of your sufferings as ever they did albeit very few of you have beene as yet touched and those that were questioned deserved a greater censure then was imposed I will say no more of your sufferings Qui resistit potestati Dei ordinationi resistit qui autem resistunt sibiipsi judicium acquirunt gravius perseâ— quitur siliuâ— patrem malè vivendo quà m Pater filium castiganâ—â—â— gravius â—n illa Saram persecuta est per iniquam superbiam quà m cam Saâ—a per debitam disciplinam c. De Vnitat Eccles Tract in Ioban Matth. V. 10. then S â— Augustin did unto the Donatists that they that resist draw punishment upon themselves for resisting the ordinance of God That the sonne persecutes the father more by his dissolute living then the father doth the sonne by chastising him That Agar the handmaid did persecute Sarah her mistresse more grievously by her proud disobedience then Sarah did her by just correction That Ismael was cast out of Abrahams house for Isaacs sake and yet the Apostle calls not Isaac but Ismael the persecuter And often he repeats this saâ—ing Non poena sed causa facit martyrem So it is onely the cause that puts a difference betweene a Martyr and Malefactor I shall therefore intreat you to looke before you leape and consider well the cause for which you suffer for as it is a blessed thing to suffer for righteousnesse sake so if ye suffer for evill doing you have no cause to rejoyce Esse Martyr non potest saith Cyprian qui in Ecclesia non est Adregnum pervenire non poterit qui eam quae regnatura est derelinquit It is a sinne to resist a lawfull ordinance to suffer for your disobedience is a greater sinne but the greatest of all is by suffering to confirme simple people in their errors intertaine faction and division and rend the bowels of the Church Here in the last place Sect. 42. I shall beseech you who professe to make a conscience of all sinne to consider how by your standing out against the orders of the Church you involve your selves into the guilt of many great and grievous crimes As I. Disobedience to lawfull authority for wee are bound in conscience to obey our superiours in all things that are notcontrary to the word of God This is the confession of the Church of Scotland printed in the beginning of their Psalme bookes and it is grounded upon Gods word Our Saviour commands us to heare the Church Matth. XVIII 17. Rom. XIII 1. Mebr. XIII 17. I. Pet. II. 13. The Apostle to bee subject to superiour powers and to obey them that have the over-sight of us S. Peter To submit our selves unto every humane Ordinance But to subsume these things you refuse to confent unto are commanded by lawfull authority and are not contrary to Gods Word but things in their owne nature meerely indifferent as hath beene not onely proved but even confessed by forraine Divines who live under another Church-governement insomuch that Bishop Hooper who was the first that I know who opposed the Ceremonies of the Church of England especially the Surplis and the Cope was convinced by the strong arguments of Bucer and Peter Martyr and advised by M. Calvin to conforme himselfe even for obedience sake for it ill becommeth those who should teach the people obedience to bee themselves examples of disobedience II. Perjurie for all of you have receaved both the Oath of the kings supremacie and of Canonicall obedience and there is nothing required of you but what the King may lawfully commaund nothing but what the Canons of the Church doe injoyne and what your selves when you entred into the ministery knew that all ministers of this kingdome were bound to observe Consider I pray you whether your proceedings bee correspondent to your oath And how you can excuse your selves from perjurie Did you sweare with a mentall reservation that is but the tricke of a Iesuite and will prove but a poore defence before Almightie God who is the Iudge and avenger of an Oath III. You cast a reproach upon the Church as if she did injoyne things unlawfull and Antichristian you disturbe her peace and rend her unitie shedding the blood of warre in peace and as it were dividing Christs seamlesse coat which is a sinne as great as worshipping of Idols for the time was when it was said Dionys Alexandr apud Niceph Euseb hist eccl lib. 6. cap. 38. Non minoris est laudis non scindere Ecclesiam quà m Idolo non sacrificare And againe Opâ—rtuerit etiam pati omnia ne scinderetur Ecclesia Deiâ— If you ought to suffer all things rather then the Church should be rent then certainly you ought to suffer your owne wills to be controlled by the Iudgement of the Church in matters of outward ordor and decencie IV. The losse of your ministerie which should be dearer unto you then your lives must bee in you a sinne What will you answere unto the Lord in that great day for suffering your selves to bee deprived of your ministery and drawing backe your hands from the plough only for wilfulnesse you may be sure that hee will not Iudge that you suffered for well doing but that you perished in the gain-saying of Core Wee know that the Apostles did become all unto all even practise themselves and advise others to practise Ceremonies as evill and inconvenient in number nature use and evill effects as ours are even in your judgement yea and such Ceremonies too as they had preached against and this they did for to avoyd a lesse evill then deprivation even to get a doore of utterance opened unto them in one place V. Behold and see how this your opposition brings a scandal upon the conformable Clergie as though we were all but time-servers And gives advantage to the Papists for our discord is there musicke The Scripture speaking of the debate betweene the servants of Abraham and Lot doth adde that the Canaanites dwelt in the land Gen. XIII 7. To signifie that though their contention was evill in it selfe yet it was worse because
highest perfection of Religion Besides the weakenesse of their understanding is such that they were not capable either of Arguments or answers but transported with the opponents sighes groanes lifting up of his eyes spreading out of his hands being the best Arguments which ever these zelots learned in the Schooles And indeed of no small waight with the common people As the Orator well knew when being in a certaine defence prevented of his usuall and lamentable conclusion by the teares and more lamentable conclusion of Horsensius he cryed out as one halfe undone Surripuisti mihi ornamenta Orationis meae Is it then any wonder that my conference which was only begun and so rather intended then acted had not the desired successe yet I dare say that censure which Erasmus past upon that conference betwixt S. Augustin and the Manichee may be as truly applyed unto ours Which is this and not impertinent to the present purpose In his actis nescio quid potissimum admirer Aug. Tom. 6. de act cum Foel fol 363. edit Basil Foelicisnè impudentiam qui provocârit ad publicam disputationem ad quam adeo non fuit instructus ut vix Asinus possit insulsius argumentari An populi tolerantiaw quae delirantem beluam citra tumultum auscultârit An Augustini stomachum invincibilem qui tam indoctis ineptijs tamdiu tantâ lenitate responderit In these Acts I know not what cheifly to admire the impudency of Foelix who did appeale to a publicke disputation for which he was so unpraepared as no Asse could have spoken more absurdly Or the lenitie of the people who without tumult heard that raving doting beast or the invincible patience of S. Augustin who with much mildenesse did so long answer to such unlearned fooleries Though I could not come neere that eminent Bishop in learning yet I laboured to imitate him in patience whereof I will yet give a further proofe by revising that Libell and making a full answer to those objections which the Disputer being instructed by the rest of his brethren what weapons to use made against the Orders of our Church at lest as many of them as keepe off the people from Conformitie And yet I finde the Libellers relation so voyd of sense that I should blush to set downe his owne words lest the Eccho might bee taken for the voyce But I hope the reader shall finde that albeit I set not downe all his words yet I have neglected nothing therein materiall And by this my hafty answer Quam non meditor sed effundo all men may receive satisfaction who are capable of instruction And wherein if my style be homely nay abject I desire the reader to remember what sort of people I have to doe with how I apply my selfe to their capacitie And perhaps the very reading of that Libell hath infected my pen with barbarisme At first our Disputer did onely dally with our Translation of the Psalmes Apocryphall Lessons and Collect for Christmasse day wherein he intended onely Velitationem quandam tanquam levis armaturae sending forth his light horsemen rather to view the advantages of the ground then to fight whom I shall not need to encounter in regard the Auditory was generally wearie of these peevish and poore exceptions And the Disputer himselfe hath confess'd as I am credibly informed that it was against his will he did moove those first scruples even in his owne judgement so apparently frivolous but that he was wrought and in a manner enforced thereunto by one of his brethren who praesumed much upon his skill in the Hebrew Besides those exceptions all that was objected for orders sake I shall reduce unto three heads for in the Libell there is neither method nor sense First he desired a warrant from Scripture to justifie our Ceremonies whereunto my answer was That if they meant a particular and expresse commaundement for every Ceremony and Church-constitution I had sufficiently proved in my Sermon that it could not be expected neither are they themselves able to produce such a warrant for such orders as they themselves injoyne and practise in their owne Congregations But if they meant a generall warrant our Church hath as much as they or any other Church yet ever had for their constitutions Even that warrant of the Apostle Let all things be done decently and in order 1. Cor. XIV 40. Which is that great Apostolicall Canon Calvin in locum by which all other Canons must be squared the true Touch-stone to try Ceremonies and the Ballance wherein all Church-Orders should bee weighed And whereas some Ceremonies seeme decent unto some which unto others seeme otherwise Those whom God hath made Governours of his Church and not any private man are to judge of their decencie If private men appoint orders to be used in the publicke worship of GOD as these men doe in their Congregations they must shew their Commission otherwise we must take that for decent in things indifferent which seemeth decent in the eye of publicke authority And those things which they were required to practise were in themselves things indifferent no wayes repugnant unto the Word of GOD had beene esteemed by the Church in all ages to be not onely decent but of singular good use And are now injoyned by lawfull authoritie And therefore they were bound in Conscience to submit themselves thereunto having for the same a warrant in Scripture in all those places which require obedience to be given unto our Superiours Rom. XIII 1. Let every soule be subject unto Superiour powers I. Pet. II. 13. Snbus it your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake Hebr. XIII 17. Obey them that have the rule over you Now what sayth the Libeller to this he struggles like a fish on the hooke and uttereth such pittiful stuffe that I am ashamed to relate it Hee tells us that the meaning of the Apostles words is Let all things ordayned by God be done decentlie and in order Bee it so The Sacrament is ordayned by God and therefore to be received decently Now I have fully proved in my Sermon that God hath not in Scripture either by precept or by example determined what particular gesture should bee used in the Sacrament And therefore the same is left to bee appointed at the discretion of the Church The Church hath appointed kneeling which is a decent gesture as afterwards I shall shew I have also declared that Kneeling is no humane invention but a naturall gesture and so ordayned by God which hath been and may bee applyed to every part of Gods worship He further sayes That rule must abide the tryall of other rules of Gods word This is strange Divinitie Will he question a rule of Gods Word call it to the barre and try it by a surie of its fellowes But I thinke his intent was if hee could have written sense to say that Kneeling at the Communion must abide the tryall of other rules And so it
despisers of our libertie And he who did purifie himselfe to gaine a good opinion of the weake Iewes who were zealous of the Law Act. XXI v. 20. 26. Gal. 11 1â—5 yet when certain false brethren crept in privily to spy our liberty he gave not place unto them by subjection for an houre And whenas S. Peter for feare of offending the Iewes at Antioch forbare to eate with the Gentiles he reproved him for it to his face interpreting that fact of his to be an effectuall seducement albeit he did not preach Iudaisme Why compellest thou the Gentiles to Iudaize ver 14. As hee would not yeeld to any thing to displease those who were wilfull despisers of our liberty no more should we to please those men who are resolved never to be satisfied I am sure the tenderest hearted man amongst them will not forbeare the eating of a fat Capon upon Good-Friday for feare of offending a Papist And why should we forbeare either Surplis Crosse or Kneeling because they are offended at it In these two particulars I shewed in the Court the difference between the things whereof the Apostle speaketh and our Ceremonies so plainly that it was thought sufficient to satisfie any but those in whom affection partiality have put out the eye of reason And upon these two cases I dare now venture the cause first that we are no-where commanded to forbeare the use of a thing indifferent even where we are left to our owne choyce for feare of offending the willfull despisers of our libertie but only to avoyd the offence of weak brethren who are willing to learne the right way have not had leysure and meanes to be informed Secondly that if the Magistrate interpose his authoritie commanding the use of a thing in it selfe indifferent wee are not to forbeare the doing of it for feare of offending any whatsoever they be whether wilfull or only weak And that it is so shal appeare unto him who reades these two Chapters whereunto the Disputer did appeale studies not the syllables but the sense of them And to make this same yet more manifest I will recommend unto the Reader that is desirous of satisfaction these considerations following I. When the Apostle chargeth us to avoyd the offence of our weake brother he gives this reason that we should not please ourselves but our neighbour to aedification Rom. XV. 1.2 Whereby it is evident that he speakes only of these things which are not commanded but left to our own liberty to doe or not to doe in which case he wil have us to please our neighbour if he be a weake brother rather then our selves But if the Magistrate have interposed his commaundement in a thing indifferent then as we can not forbeare it to please our neighbour if he be a weake brother so wee doe it not to please our selves but to please him whom God hath coÌ„manded us to obey not only for wrath but for conscience sake II. A thing in it selfe indifferent being injoyned by lawfull authority becommeth necessary unto us for the use So the Apostles speaking of things in themselves indifferent as abstinence from meates offered to Idols c. When once they had made a constitution touching them call them Necessarie things Act. XV. 28. And the Apostle sayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. XIII 5. It is necessary that you bee subject And surely there is nothing wherein wee can shew our obedience unto the Magistrates authoritie but only in things indifferent which God hath left in our power for those things which God hath commanded wee must doe whether the Magistrate command them or no yea albeit hee should forbid them And those things which God hath forbidden wee must not doe whether the Magistrate forbid them or no yea albeit hee should command them so that there is no scope left either unto the Magistrate to command or unto us to obey but only in things indifferent III. If wee should not obey the Magistrate in a thing indifferent when some men take offence at it then we shall never obey him at all there shall be no order no constitution for there can be no publicke action order or constitution which some men will not dislike IV. Obedience to the Magistrate is a greater duty then the pleasing of a private person and consequently the evill of disobedience greater then the evill of scandall V. If our obedience to the Magistrate in a thing indifferent offend any the evill is not in us but in him who is scandalized for as Tertullian saith Res bona neminem offendit nisi malam mentem It is scandalum acceptum not datum he ought not to be offended being bound to obey the Magistrate as well as we now were it not a strange if I should forbeare to doe my duty because another man is resolved not to doe his VI. As it is a sinne to disobey lawfull authority and no sinne in us if another bee offended at our obedience so there is farre greater danger both to our selves and to all the whole Church in disobedience then can be in the offence of a few brethren Lastly If wee refuse those things that are injoyned we cannot avoyd disobedience But if we observe them we may prevent or remove the offence that is taken at them by informing the people aright that they are things in themselves indifferent whereunto Christian liberty doth extend and that the Magistrate oughâ— to be obeyed in these things But our brethren are so farre from teaching such doctrine that they teach nothing else but disobedience II. Sam. XX. â— like Sheba the sonne of Bichri blowing a trumpet to sedition insomuch that some who are now questioned for frequenting their conventicles being examined upon Oath could not remember any one point of Christian Instruction in all their Sermons but that they preached against keeping of Holy-dayes and kneeling at the Communion If so much paynes had beene taken to teach them obedience to lawfull authority the scandall might have beene removed long erenow Whosoever will be pleased to consider these particulars shall finde that what the Apostle hath spoken of Christian liberty of giving offence makes nothing against our Ceremonies but every way for them Besides those two differences which I have observed betweene their case of whom the Apostle speakes and ours It were easie to shew many other things wherein they are most unlike namely the eating and not eating of meates are private actions in a mans owne power to doe or not to doe But our case is concerning the publicke Ceremonies of the Church which no private man can dispense with The Apostle by forbearing flesh did prejudice none but himselfe But wee in refusing the Ceremonies should prejudice the authority of the Prince The Apostles for bearance did further the course of his ministery and therefore he became all unto-all But our refusall of the Ceremonies should loose us the liberty of ours and that most justly for
our disobedience Finally amongst the Romanes some were offended at the eating of those meates but I doe not reade that any was offended at the not eating of them It is otherwayes with us where one is offended at our Ceremonies ten wiser then they would be offended if we did not use them And farre more if we did follow their fashion in the manner of Gods worship The case being cleere that the Orders which our Church injoynes are neyther contrary to Christian libertie nor to that care wee should have for to avoyd offence In the next place I will labour to finde out the cause of this grosse mistake in the brethren which certainely is this that they doe not rightly consider the nature of Christian liberty whilst they set it upon tenter-hookes and stretch it further then the nature thereof will beare seeking not only a liberty of minde and conscience in things indifferent but a freedome also in their outward actions which is not Christian libertie Calv. Inst lib. III. cap. 19. Sect. 10. but licentious immunity contrary to the doctrine of the Gospell for S. Peter exhorting all men to be obedient unto Magistrates I. Pet. II. 16. he warnes them not to use their libertie as a cloake of maliciousnesse Namely In casting off the bridle of governement It is proper to the libertie of the Creator alone to be unlimited but all lawfull libertie of the creature is and must be bounded not onely by the Law of charitie which these men will acknowledge but also by the law of loyaltie for if all restraint of the outward man were contrary to Christian liberty then were it not lawfull to obey the Magistrate in any thing Then if the King should be pleased to confirme the Orders or as they terme them the circumstances of worship which have beene used in their congregations They were bound to forsake them for the zeale of their Christian libertie And what is this else but to bring flat Anabaptisme and Anarchie into the Church to overthrow all Governement and dissolve the bonds of subjection and obedience to lawfull authority You shall therefore understand that the Magistrate by his Lawes may moderate or restraine the outward actions wherein the externall use of our liberty consisteth The inward liberty of conscience before God notwithstanding remayning intyre He may injoyne any action which in Gods worship may be used lawfully So that no opinion be put upon the conscience which taketh away the full respect of its indifferency And this is that which St Peter sayes We must obey the Magistrates as free that is as being perswaded that the thing commanded in it selfe and to God-ward as Calvin speakes is indifferent and whether we doe it or not doe it in it selfe it commends us not unto God otherwise then that by obeying of the Magistrate we doe also obey God who hath commanded us to be subject unto him Which will better appeare if we consider that Christian liberty is inward and spirituall which may stand with the outward servitude of slaves as the Apostle shewes I. Cor. VII 22. much more with the obedience of free subjects It is seated in the minde and conscience and respecteth nothing but what is betweene God and us It contenteth it selfe if there be no opinion put upon the conscience of the necessity of these things which God hath left indifferent if they be not obtruded as divine Lawes if no Religion be plac't in them nor they pressed as immediate parts of Gods worship It is only the subjecting of the conscience unto a thing indifferent I. Cor. VI. 12. which the Apostle calls The bringing us under the power of a thing which overthrowes our Christian liberty not the necessity of obedience unto lawfull authority but the doctrine or opinion of the absolute necessity of the thing it selfe In a word Christian libertie is not taken away by the necessity of doing a thing indifferent or not doing but only by that necessity which taketh away the opinion or perswasion of the indifferency of it As may appeare by this whensoever the Apostle condemnes the practise of Iewish Geremonies at that time when there was some dispensation and indulgence granted unto Christians till the Synagogue should be buried with honour It is manifest that he condemnes not so much the use as the doctrine and opinion which they had of them because they were urged and used not as things indifferent but as necessary unto salvation For we know that he himselfe many times did use them which he would not have done if they had beene then simplie evill he circumcised Timothie and many Christians who gave their lives for the Testimony of Iesus Christ were circumcised at that time even after their conversion unto the faith And yet when the false Apostles did urge the necessity of Circumcision he said If ye be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing Gal. V. 2 That is If you bee circumcised with an opinion of the necessity of that Ceremony as if it did avayle unto justification so he expounds himselfe ver 4. Whosoever are justified by the Law that is seeke for Iustification by the Law are fallen from Grace That it was only the doctrine opinion they had of Circumcision at that time which he condemnes may appeare further by this that those Ceremonies were not praescribed by a Civill Magistrate who hath power to commaund the outward man in the use of a thing indifferent but only by seducing teachers who had no power of bringing a necessity in the outward practise but by perswading and possessing mens mindes with an opinion of the necessity of these things After the like manner doth the Church of Rome at this day tyrannize over the consciences of men equalling her constitutions unto the Word of God Concil Trid. fess IV. placing Religion in them and ascribing unto them a divine necessity effectuall holynesse But our Church is farre from such an usurpation she doth place no Religion in them ascribe no holynesse unto them nor obtrude them upon the conscience as things necessary in themselves like Gods Commaundements but only requires obedience unto her constitutions thereby to reduce all her Children to an orderly Uniformity in the outward worship of God And to this purpose she hath sufficiently declared the innocencie of her meaning in the Articles of Religion Artic. XX. The Church ought not to enforce any thing besides the holy Writ to be beleeved of necessity for salvation And in the Pre face before the Booke of Common Prayer The Ceremonies that remaine are retayned for a discipline and order which upon just causes may bee altered and changed and therefore are not to bee esteemed equall with Gods Law So that I can not but wonder at the impudencie of the Libeller who changes our Church as Christ doth the Pharisees that she makes the commandements of God of none effect by her traditions Whereas the Pharisees did equall and preferre their owne traditions
unto the commandements of God which is the thing for which they are condemned as shall appeare unto any that reades the Text But our Church is farre from such presumption as may appeare by her doctrine published which I have alleadged as also by that which followeth in the same preface In these our doings wee condemne no other nations nor prescribe any thing but to our owne people only For we thinke it convenient that every Countrey should use such Ceremonies as they shall thinke best to the setting forth of Gods honour and glory and to the reducing of the people to a most perfect and godly living without error or superstition Now I have proved in my Sermon by Arguments unanswerable that the Church hath such a power to ordaine Ceremonies and to make Lawes of things indifferent for decencie and orders sake And that obedience ought to be given unto her constitutions Especially considering that therein our Church was not only assisted but authorized by the Kings most excellent Majesty as the supreme Governor upon Earth In all causes within his highnesse dominions And therefore I shall intreat my good brethren if they will neyther deceive others nor be deceived themselves that in this point of Christian liberty they would have alwayes one eye fixed upon the nature of things indifferent and the other upon the duty of a subject to his Soveraigne And now having vindicated our Church from those aspersions cast upon her of infringing Christian liberty and giving offence by her constitutions I will in the last place turne the Disputers weapon against himselfe and cut off the head of that Philistine with his owne sword shewing that he and his fellowes of all others are most injurious unto Christian liberty Rem XIV 16. which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it were the common good of Christians And also that they are scandalous to all sorts of persons And first Christian liberty as it respecteth things indifferent is not only a freedome from the yoke of bondage but also a right or power to doe many things which they could not doe who were under the Paâ—dagogie of the Law which by the Apostle is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I. Cor. VIII 9. This power or liberty is extended both to Magistrates and to subjects The Magistrate hath this liberty that he is not tyed to any particular Lawes which determine all things incident unto the outward form of Gods worship not mentioned in Scripture But as the Iudiciall Law being-abrogate it is lawfull for him to ordaine civill Lawes so the Ceremoniall Law being abolished to establish ecclesiasticall constitutions such as are not repugnant unto the word of God These men deprive him of this libertie they will not allow him to appoint any thing to be used in the outward forme and administration of Gods worship And if by the consent of the whole Church he doe establish a forme though never so decent they are resolved not to observe it Agayne the liberty of the subject is that being freed from the Moâ—aicall Law he may with a free conscience observe all other Lawes which are established by lawfull authority and are not repugnant unto the word of God I. Cor. VI. 12. Tit. I. 15. I. Pet. II. 13. 16. as knowing that All things are lawfull and To the pure all things are pure This freedome S. Peter magnifies when he exhorts us To submit our selves to all manner ordinance of man As free that is knowing that we are not bound to those particulars as things in themselves necessary but using them with free consciences as being indifferent and therefore such as whereunto our Christian liberty extendeth And is not this a goodly freedome that a Christian having liberty of many things he can make use thereof in one thing rather then in another to please and â—atiâ—fie him unto whose power God hath subjected him without offence to his conscience These men deprive us of this liberty likewise for they will not allow men to obey Magistrates civill or Ecclesiasticall in any constitution established touching the decent administration of Gods worship And as though they were Iudges at Law they have sent foorth a prohibition against all the Canons of our Church Now a negative precept is a restraint of Christian liberty as well as a Positive the false Apostles who laboured to subvert Christian liberty col II 21. did it by forbidding things in themselves lawfull saying Touch not â—aste not handle not And our brethren speake almost the same language Kneele not Crosse not weare not And indeed the Church hath not more positive precepts then they have negative But this is the difference The Church hath authority to command they have none to forbid The Church commands only the use of these things and layes no obligation upon the conscience by pressing them as simply necessary in themselves but they make their negative restraints absolutely necessary place religion in them binding their followers in conscience not only to refuse but also to despise our Ceremonies Whereby they doe not only overthrow Christian liberty but also are guiltie of the breach of the second Commandement by will-worship Lastly As they take both from the Lawgiver and the subject that free power which God hath granted unto them So they deprive themselves of all true liberty while they cherish in their owne minds doubts and scrupulous opinions of the lawfulnesse of these things which are commanded and alleadge their unresolved conscience as an excuse for their disobedience So our Disputer as he is acted in the Libell God alloweth every man to be fully perswaded in his owne minde of what he doeth Rom. XIV 5. Which priviledge I crave to my selfe and all others doubting of kneeling I have shewed before that the Apostle in that chapter as also I. Cor. 8. Speaketh of things left to our owne choyce and not determined by any Law civill or Ecclesiasticall In which case this is a safe rule for the conscience Let every man stand fully perswaded in his owne minde that he may doe or not doe that which hee intends without the offence of God or his neighbour But when the Magistrate doth interpose his authority to command or forbid the use of a thing in it selfe indifferent If any man shall plead that he can not obey because he is not perswaded in his owne minde of the lawfulnesse of the thing commanded he doth but excuse one sinne by another which S. Peter calls having the liberty for a cloake of maliciousnesse for as he ought nor to disobey so he ought not to doubt I. Pet. II. 13. 16. But as I sayd before submit himselfe unto all manner ordinance of man As free that is as being perswaded of the indifferency of the thing before God and so that he may lawfully therein obey his superiours And indeed if a mans doubts and feares were a sufficient excuse for disobedience the Magistrate should be obeyed in nothing for there
example But the accommodation of the gesture to severall parts of Gods worship left altogether to the liberty of the Church And the Church hath thought Kneeling the most decent and comely gesture to be used in the Sacrament wherein her determination is not to be esteemed a meere humane constitution for if an Ecclesiasticall Canon be made as this is of a thing indifferent in a lawfull manner to a lawfull end by lawfull authority according to the generall rules of Scripture The same is approved in the sight of God as not meerely humane but in some sort divine as is confessed by M. Calvin in these words Calv. in I. ad Cor. XIV ult Golligere promptum est has posteriores ecclesiasticas non esse habendas prohumanis traditionibus quandoquidem fundatâ— sunt in hoc generali mandato liquidam approbationeâ—â— habent quasi ex ore Christi And in another place he gives an example of Kneeling in Gods solemne worship Calv. Inst lib. IV. cap. 10. Sect. 30. and moves the Question Quaritur sitne humana traditio whereunto he answers Dico sic esse humanam ut simul sit divina Dei est quatenus pars est decoris illius cujus cur a observatio nobis per Apostolum commendatur Zanch in compend loc 16. Seâ— Epist 24. And to the same purpose we have the judgment of Zanchiâ— of Beza and indeed of all judicious Divines Hath not the Disputer then a face of brasse or as the Scripture speaketh a whoores forehead who calls Kneeling a needlesse humane Ceremonie I have now proved both that all humane inventions which have been abused are not therefore to be abolished which I shall have occasion to manifest further hereafter And also that Kneeling at the Sacrament is no humane invention In the third place I will make it appeare that our Kneeling was never abused to Idolatry for as it was not devised by Papists so we received it not from them To let passe the Church of Scotland where that gesture was intermitted for the space of above forty yeares till all memory of former superstition was past Even in the Church of England the gesture of Kneeling was not continued for in the beginning of King Edwards reigne there was an intermission for a space when all gestures were free But the Church afterwards perceiving the inconvenience thereof thought fit to reduce all her Children to an Uniformity in Gods worship by ordaining one gesture to be used in that Ordinance And she made choyce of Kneeling not out of a desire of conformity with Papists or out of an honourable respect to their worship But having a liberty of gestures allowed her in Gods word she did judge Kneeling of all others to be most fit decent and comely But say that we had received that gesture from the Papists as we did Ordination Baptisme and many other good things yet it cannot be imagined how they could abuse that which was never in their power to use for the gesture which we use is our owne the Papists never had the command of it And Tit. 1.15 Vnto the pure sayth the Apostle all things are pure Surely there cannot be a more senselesse dottage then to think that the Papists by their Idolatrous kneeling have infected ours when their gesture and ours is not the same Apud Plutarch Heraclitus sayd that it is impossible for any man eundem fluvium hiâ— intrare I may say as truely that it is impossible for any man eandem actionem â—iâ— peragerè for though the man be the same the knee the same the end the same yet the Action repeated is not the same for to make an action such as kneeling is the same all these things must concurre Idem agens Idem agendi modus finis tempus locus All which are impossible to concurre any oftner then once So that it is certaine that our kneeling at the Sacrament is not Individually and Numerically the same with that which is used by the Papists I will now proceed further and shew that it is not so much as of the same kind with theirs being distinguished from it by two or three substantiall differences The first is taken from the Agents their kneeling is the gesture of Papists ours of Catholickes Now if Papists and Protestants be two diverse kinds of worshippers which I thinke the brethren will acknowledge then their actions of worship must be as different in kind as be their Agents The second difference betweene their kneeling and ours is taken from their different ends and objects which makes them yet more distant for Actiones distinguuntur finibus gestures and actions are principally distinguished by their objects and ends They in kneeling at the Sacrament worship their breaden-god Wee detest that abominable bread-worship and worship only the great God of heaven and earth in his owne Ordinance his Son Iesus Christ who sitteth at the right hand of the Father in heavenly places From these two differences there arises a third that their kneeling is formally evill Ours good and commendable so that if any man for the abuses of their kneeling shall condemne ours it is all one injustice as if ye should condemne an innocent man for the crime of a malefactor Esay V. 20. Proverb XVII 1â— and so he falleth directly under the curse of the Prophet Woe be unto them that call good evill And of the wise-man He that Iustifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the lust they are both abomination unto the Lord for as S. Austin sayes Peccat Lib. IIV cap. 15. de lib. arb qui damnat quasi peccata quae nulla sunt And those men condemne our kneeling for sinne which is none but an expression of many vertuous affections And for this I am sure they have no warrant for whensoever God commands his people to destroy monuments of Idolatry the commandement is to be understood of the same Individua which have beene abused not that the whole Species for their sake is to be destroyed Deut. VII 5. They are commanded to cut downe the groves of Idols yet they did not cut downe all groves for then they should not have left one tree growing They are also commanded to overthrow the Altars of Idols yet the Israelites did not thinke themselves bound by that commandement to overthrow the Reubenites Altar though it were erected without any warrant and in shew had some repugnancie with Gods commandement for as you may read Iosh XXII When the Tribe of Reuben Gad and the halfe tribe of Manasses erected an Altar upon the passages of Iordan the other Tribes were so offended that they were about to destroy both it and them imagining that it had beene for sacrifice But when they were truely informed that it was only for a memoriall that they had a part in the God of Israel they were well pleased they blessed God and Phineas said This day we perceive the Lord is among us because you have not
pit wherein people may fall then leaving it open to set one to bid people goe about it O acumen Aristotelicum he should first have proved that kneeling is a pit I have shewed that it is not but surely his heart is a deepe pit of error and deceipt It is no blocke to stumble at but the blocke is in his head Ps 14.5 which makes him feare where no feare is This is superstitiosa timiditas as S. Austin Epist 118 ad Ianuar. truely censures it It is indeed to feare superstition with a superstitious feare Finally sitting at the Sacrament is as much occasion of unreverence and prophanenesse as kneeling is of Idolatry And albeit I have so charitable an opinion of the brethren that I think they use not sitting of purpose to expose the Sacrament to contempt yet if any from thence take occasion to prophane it putting no difference between that supper and a common supper They cannot be excused because they did appoint that gesture without any lawfull calling contrary to the commandement of their Superiours and the custome of the Church But if any man should superstitiously abuse kneeling we are not to be blamed not only because we teach men to worship God and not the Elements But also because we have a lawfull calling to kneele the commaÌ„dement of authority And since some men will turne all gestures into sinne it is enough for us that the Word allowes them we have a calling to use this gesture and if we should refuse to use it wee should occasion worse effects the disturbing of the Churches peace the losse of our Ministery and of the comfort of the Sacrament As these men doe by their disobedience So to turne to the Disputers Argument against himselfe That which is an occasion of unreverence prophanation of the Sacrament disturbing the Churches peace losse of our Ministery and the comfort of the Sacrament is to be avoyded aswell as that which may be an occasion of Idolatry But sitting at the Sacrament and refusing to kneele is the occasion of all these Therefore to be avoyded I come to the third exception that Kneeling is an appearance of Idolatry will-worship so contrary unto the word of God I. Thess V. 22. Abstaine from all appearance of evill Surely the brethren content themselves with the sound of Scripture and As the foole thinkâ—th so the bell clinketh They never search into the sense and meaning of it If they should expound that Text so as if the same were to be extended to all appearances of evill whatsoever without any manner of restraint or modification Then may we not doe good duties at any time if the same have an appearance of evill unto others Then must we condemne diverse actions which are approved in the word of God As Lacobs laying of rods before the cattell had a manifest appearance of fraud The Reubenites Altar had an appearance of defection from God and of separation from their brethren Ruths going to the bed of Boaz had a manifest appearance of unchastity Eziekiahs asking of a signe had a shew of diffidence and Davids dauncing before the Arke of levity Obadiah his falling on his face before the Prophet Elijah had an appearance of Idolatry The Apostle Pauls shaving of his head and purifying of himselfe was a shew of Iudaisme And his pleading that he was a Pharisee to put dissention betwixt the two sects might seeme dissimulation and worldly policie Therefor it is certaine that the Apostles precept must be understood with some limitation To helpe them then to the understanding of that Text I say I. That howsoever that precept may be applyed unto matters of practise yet the Apostle speakes there only of matters of doctrine as M. Calvin observes following therein S. Chrysostome and S. Ambrose and as is evident by the words going before Despise not prophecying try all things and keepe that which is good And then Abstaine from all appearance of evill Where he teaches us how prophecying or preaching shall be profitable Calv in loc Docet qualiter nobis utilis futura sit prophetia citra periculum nempe si attenti erimus ad omnia probanda siâ—evitas festinatio aberit And Quum nondum ita comperta est doctrinae falsitas ut meritò rejici queat sed tamenaliqua haeret sinistra suspitio timetur ne quid veneni lateat Vbi autem subest falsi metus aut mens dubitatione est implicita pedem referre vel gradum suspendete convenit and without danger unto us namely If we be carefull for to try the doctrine as the Bereans did by the rule of Gods word And then embrace that which wee find to be good reject that which is manifestly false But if any thing be doubtfull neither so evidently true that it ought to be embraced nor so manifestly false that it ought to be rejected We are to keep off from it till we have more thoroughly proved it This is to abstaine from all appearance of evill or as the word beares all evill appearance And would to God that these mens disciples had followed this advise then should they not have beene so much infected with the poyson of their doctrine II. The appearance of evill which we are to abstaine from is not in respect of others but in respect of our selves We should abstaine from that which appeares to us after due tryall and examination to be evill for it is every man himselfe that is to prove all things that is all doctrines and not others for him And he is to keepe that which is good not that which appeares good unto others But that which he himselfe after tryall evidently finds to be good And so he is to abstaine from that which after tryall appeares evill unto himselfe whatsoever it appeare unto others And so this is all one with that which the Apostle requires Rom. XIV 5. Let every man be fully perswaded in his owne mind But then if any man should apply this rule to the practise of things indifferent he must extend it no further then to those things which are in our owne choyce as not being determined by any constitution civill or Ecclesiasticall III. If the precept be extended unto those things which appeare evill unto others then those others are only men of sound Iudgement rectè sentientes to whom nothing seemes evill but what indeed is evill And so nothing is forbidden but what is evill As the Syriack expresses it Abstain from all kind of evill or from every evill thing As namely intire familiarity with wicked persons and Communion with them in evill which is not onely an appearance of evill but evill it selfe And so this precept is all one with that of the Apostle Iude who borrowing a Metaphor from the Ceremoniall pollution of the Law bids us Hate even that garment which is spotted by the flesh ver 23. Also the unseasonable practise of holy duties without regard to the circumstances
of time and place comes within the compasse of that prohibition as for a man to kneele downe and pray in the market place And for the brethren to keepe their exercises in private conventicles and at unseasonable houres This is not only an appearance of evill but evill because it is contrary to that discretion which God requireth appointing every thing to be done in due season and in lawfull manner But what is this to kneeling at the Sacrament It cannot come within the compasse of the Apostles prohibition for it is not evill in it selfe and it appeares not evil to us we being fully perswaded in our conscience both of the lawfulnesse and expediency of it Neither doth it seeme evill unto any Iudicious men but only unto humorous fooles whose heads are crazed in the principles of understanding for whose sakes we ought not nor can not abstaine from it considering first that the publicke doctrine cleeres our practise from all evill and appearance of evill And if it were not for the doctrine of the Church there is no gesture we could use in Gods worship but it would carry a shew both of heathenish and Popish Idolatry forasmuch as all gestures have beene abused by them Againe we have a lawfull calling for to use it The Commandement of authority And it is not a shew of evill in a thing indifferent that can make it unlawfull to him who hath an honest calling to use it Finally if we should refuse this gesture for the pretended shew of evill what other gesture can we use which hath not a greater appearance of evill If we use sitting it hath a manifest appearance of unreverence prophanenesse contempt of the holy Sacrament And refusing to kneele being commanded hath more then a shew of arrogance pride presumption of faction and disobedience But for any to refuse so farre as rather then kneele to lose their ministery and the comfort of the Sacrament is not only an appearance but a pregnant evidence of vile hypocrisie while they straine at a gnat and swallow a Camell refusing the greatest good for avoyding of that which is but by misconstruction a shew of evill to some few people only whom they themselves have deluded But the Disputer will prove our kneeling at the Sacrament to bee an appearance of Idolatry And how He tells us The body goes as farte as it can goe if it would commit Bread worship pardon me good Reader for presenting thee such non-sense And againe that When we kneele our outward behaviour is as like the Idolatrous kneeler as can be so that none can tell whether we worship God or the bread And that A Magistrate can doe no more for his heart when he would suppresse Idolatry then curb the outward expressions of it for the heart no man can know whether it be committing Idolatry or not but by the outward acts This miserable man is so blinded that hee is a fitter object of pitty then subject of instruction for hee will not consider that all gestures are common to true worshippers and false That kneeling did first belong unto Gods service and albeit it bee now used by Idolaters by unjust alienation yet it is fit that we should give unto God that which is his owne he having sayd Vnto me every knee shall bow That unlesse we use these gestures in the worship of God which are used by Idolaters And so our behaviour be as like theirs as can be we shall use none at all And take away all gestures then take away the whole outward worship of God That it is not the outward gesture which distinguisheth betwixt a true worshipper and an Idolater but their Doctrine and Profession I will now further tell him that our kneeling at the Sacrament is no liker the Papists kneeling then their sitting is like unto the Popes except only that they have not so great a shew of devotion And as a Magistrate can doe no more when he would suppresse Idolatry then restraine the outward act So our Kings Majesty when he would bring these men to an orderly forme in Gods worship he can doe no more but injoyne the outward expression thereof by a decent and reverent kneeling hee can not roote out of their harts unreverence prophanenesse arrogancy pride praesumption and hypocrisie which are the only true cause of their opposition Now as to his other aspersion that kneeling is an appearance of Will-worship I shall need to say no more then I have already when I treated of Christian liberty namely that we doe not place either Worship or Religion in that gesture nor lay any opinion upon the consciences of people of the necessity thereof But such is his ignorance that hee can not distinguish between these things Quae spectant ad cultum which belong unto the worship of God and wherein it consists And those things Quae conducunt ad cultum which only conduce unto Gods worship as the changeable circumstances of time and place and the outward forme and order of Administration of which sort is our kneeling at the Communion but a changeable circumstance albeit of all other gestures the most decent expression of worship And so not being esteemed by us to be worship it can not be called Will-worship Besides we have a warrant from the Word both by precept and president to kneele in Gods service But as for them who make sitting necessary and essentiall unto the Sacrament as a part of Christs Institution without any warrant from the Word And who bind the consciences of their people by their negative precepts to refuse our Ceremonies I have proved both in my Sermon and in this discourse that they are guilty of will-worship in the highest degree So that the Disputer alleadged that place Col. II. 23. against will worship in an ill houre to his owne head for these men whom the Apostle charges with will worship did not urge the necessity of doing any thing which God had not commaunded but the necessity of abstayning from some things which God had not prohibited as may appeare by the words going before Touch not Taste not Handle not So that there may be will-worship in making conscience of abstayning from a thing that is indifferent as if it were in it selfe unlawfull as well as in placing Religion in the observation of it This is indeed the brethrens case They bind the consciences of men under paine of sinne not to kneele not to crosse not to weare a surplice and in a word not to observe any thing injoyned in our Church whereby they are as guilty of will-worship as the false Apostles were And besides their will-worship they are guilty of disobedience which the false Apostles were not for there was no commandement to injoyne Touching Tasting Handling But they were things left unto their owne power whereas our Ceremonies are injoyned by lawfull authority And now to turne his weapon against himselfe That which carryes a greater appearance of unreverence prophanenesse contempt of the