Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n
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A66485
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Reflexions upon a pamphlet intituled, An account of the growth of deism in England together with some considerations about the Christian religion.
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Willis, Richard, 1664-1734.
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1696
(1696)
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Wing W2816; ESTC R38311
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32,108
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81
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Pastors Guides Rulers c. given them in the Scripture And no more than all the Reformed Churches claim either expresly in Words or else virtually by making Confessions of Faith to instruct their People Vid. Harm Confess and which they expect not to have openly contradicted by any that live within their Communion Thus much may serve for the first Article about the Power of the Church in Controversies of Faith I proceed now to the second about her Power in Appointing Rites and Ceremonies which Words have for some time sounded a little frightfully in England by reason of the Prejudices some have taken against some Ceremonies in use among us whereas had that Article been expressed in some other Words it 's probable enough it would hardly have met with Opposition for the Meaning of it seems to be no more than this That as God has made it the Duty of those that are intrusted with the Government of the Church to look after the Purity of the Faith and consequently has given them Authority to do it so he has also to take care of his Worship that it be done in such a decent and reverend manner as becomes the Worship of God and to that end to take care to appoint such Times and Places such a Method and Order and other Circumstances of it as may best serve for the Honour of God and the Peace and good Order of the Church and that whoever shall openly break such good Orders established by Publick Authority ought to be rebuked openly as one that offends against the Common Order of the Church and hurteth the Authority of the Magistrate and offendeth the Consciences of weak Brethren But that the Church in this must not act by arbitrary Rules appoint what she pleases or clog Christianity with a number of unprofitable Ceremonies but all things must be done to edifying This seems to be the Sense of it as far as our Author may be supposed to find fault with it the rest is in Opposition to some Points of Popery not needful to be taken notice of at present Now what is there in this that can be justly found fault with Has God made it the Duty of those that are Rulers and Guides in the Church to look after his Worship and see that it be performed with Reverence and Decency and good Order or has he Not If he has made it their Duty he has given them Authority to do it for God makes nothing to be any Man's Duty which he has not Authority to do If he has given them Authority to do it he has by that made it the Duty of other People to comply with such Orders which are not against the Word of God Indeed how can they be said to be Rulers and Guides in the Church who have no Authority not so much as to see that God be Decently served To conclude this Head This is a Power which by what appears to us has been exercised in all Ages of the Church One of the Chief Uses of Synods both of National and General has been to regulate Matters of this kind And as for the Reformed Churches tho' some have determined more and some fewer of the Circumstances of God's Worship yet all have determined some and consequently claimed a Right to do it as much as the Church of England who pretends no Right to do any thing of this kind but so far as it does not contradict God's Word and tends to Edification One thing I would observe to our Author before I proceed and that is That the whole Method of the Publick Worship of God among us is not only appointed by the Ecclesiastical Authority but by the Civil too and cannot be altered but by the same Authority and therefore he need not be afraid of any Excessive Power of the Clergy But I now come to consider a Charge of a much higher nature because it makes the Growth of Deism to come from those Doctrines which Persons that read the Scripture will be apt to conclude notwithstanding all this Author can say against them to be the chief Doctrines of the Christian Religion He says That many turn Deists from the Impossibility of Believing the Doctrine of the Trinity which is made a Point necessary to Salvation and yet is in it self unintelligible of which those who profess it have no Notion and differ widely among themselves about it That he can't see to what End such a Doctrine was revealed which can serve for nothing but to puzzle and amuse but can neither teach Men any thing nor have any Influence upon their Practice These are the chief Things of what he objects about the Doctrine of the Trinity and do deserve to be very seriously considered But because several Persons have designedly written upon this Subject and it 's very like others quickly may again I shall say only some few Words to it and refer my Reader to them It is an Unhappiness in all Controversies that he who objects will be able to talk generally more plausibly and perhaps intelligibly than he that defends The Reason of this is That to defend a Thing well a Man must have a clear and a full Notion of the whole Matter but a little and a superficial Knowledge will be enough to find out Difficulties But this does not hold in any thing so much as when Men dispute about the Nature of God of which we know at best very little and when we come to explain our selves must talk very darkly and commonly then find out our Ignorance of what we thought we knew before I remember Tully somewhere observes That tho' all the Philosophers agreed in this That there was a God yet no two of them agreed what he was Now it 's like some of the Wits of those times might from thence take an Occasion to laugh at the whole Matter that the Business was unintelligible that those who talked most of God did not agree what they meant by that Name but only agreed in a Word which every Man put a different Sense upon But sober and considering Persons would argue quite another way That tho' they could not tell what God was yet so far they knew That he was the Maker and the Governour of the World this almost all of them agreed in and this was a sufficient Foundation for the Worship they were to pay him and as for the Contests about his Nature or Substance or Essence it was a great Evidence that Men were fully convinced of his Being that so many Difficulties and Disputes could never beat them out of the Belief of it The Doctrine of the Trinity if Men will go beyond what is revealed has very great Difficulties in it but if Men will content themselves with what God has told us of the Matter tho' this won't answer all the Questions that Curiosity may ask yet it may give us a Notion clear enough to answer those Ends for which God revealed it The Scripture plainly
the Power of the Clergy the other two are about the Homilies and the Book of Consecration of Archbishops and Bishops c. I shall therefore take notice only of those two and wait for the third till he explain his Mind more fully The first Article I believe that he drives at is the Twentieth the Words of which are these The Church hath Power to decree Rites or Ceremonies and Authority in Controversies of Faith And yet it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to God's Word written neither may it so expound one place of Scripture that it be repugnant to another Wherefore although the Church be a Witness and a Keeper of Holy Writ yet as it ought not to decree any thing against the same so besides the same it ought not to enforce any thing to be believed for necessity of Salvation The other Article I believe may be the Thirty Fourth which I shall here repeat at large too It is not necessary that Traditions and Ceremonies be in all places one or utterly like for at all times they have been divers and may be changed according to the Diversity of Countries and Mens Manners so that nothing be ordained against God's Word Whosoever through his private Judgment willingly and purposely doth openly break the Traditions and Ceremonies of the Church which be not repugnant to the Word of God and be ordained and approved by Common Authority ought to be rebuked openly that others may fear to do the like as one that offendeth against the Common Order of the Church and burteth the Authority of the Magistrate and woundeth the Conscience of weak Brethren Every particular or National Church hath Authority to ordain change and abolish Ceremonies or Rites of the Church ordained only by Mens Authority so that all things be done to edisying This is not indeed the first time that these Articles have been censured but if rightly understood I cannot see that they Contain any thing more than what all established Churches I ever heard of do either claim expresly or at least in their Practise and no more than what is highly reasonable To begin with the first That the Church has Power to decree Rites and Ceremonies and Authority in Controversies of Faith As for the first part of it the Power of the Church in Rites and Ceremonies it will come in under the other Article and therefore I shall pass it here but as to the other part her Authority in Controversies of Faith I desire to observe first That the Church does not here claim any Infallibility to her self in determining such Controversies she is so far from that that in the very next Article she says Art 21. that even General Councils may err and be deceived 2. I would observe that the Church does not here decree that private Christians are bound to believe any thing as Matter of Faith merely upon her Authority but the Church must bring the Authority of God's Word for what she says when and not before she ought to be believed this she declares in the same Article even of General Councils Art 21. Wherefore things ordained by them as necessary to Salvation have neither Strength nor Authority unless it may be declared that they be taken out of Holy Scripture And therefore 3. Our Church allows all her Members to examine the Truth of what she teaches by the Holy Scriptures nay more encourages them to do it only advises that this be done with Modesty and Humility To this End the Holy Scriptures are translated into our Mother-Tongue and read in our Churches and every body may have them at home and read them as much as they please and I am sure they are in Our Churches frequently exhorted to do so and that not only as a thing which they may do but as a thing which they ought to do 4. I would observe That tho' our Church has for the Instruction and Edification of her Members drawn up her Opinion of the chief Points of the Christian Religion in the Thirty Nine Articles yet she no where requires the Profession of the Belief of them from the People that joyn in Communion with her neither does she Excommunicate every body that does not believe just as she believes if Men will but be modest and not openly oppose tho' she takes care to instruct them in what is the truth yet they may enjoy a great liberty in their Opinions and still live in her Communion So that the Meaning of the Church in this Article seems to be no more than this That God has given the Bishops and other Ministers of the Word Authority to Preach the Gospel and by this made it their Duty to instruct those under their Care in the true Faith And that if any Controversies happen about the Faith they have by this their Commission Authority and by it God has made it their Duty to declare their Judgment in the Case which may be done either by Preaching or by Writing either single or in a Body as in Discretion they see fittest to be done That when they have thus declared their Judgment especially if this be done by the Whole Body of the Clergy of any place their Determination is to be received with Reverence and Respect by the People under their Care Not that they are for that Reason bound to believe it true but they are to carry themselves modestly and humbly to examine the Matter sedately first whether it be true or no and if they should be convinced in their Conscience that the Determination of the Church is wrong and find such Reasons as put the matter past doubt with them yet even then not to oppose or contradict the Publick Determination with their Private Opinions but to keep their Thoughts to themselves unless they are withall fully convinced that the matter is of such Importance that they ought not to be silent or that the Profession of this Error be required of them as a Term of Communion In short They ought to have as great a Regard as possible to the Peace and Quiet of the Church and the Authority of those whom God has set over them This seems to me to be the Meaning of this Article in which there does not appear any very dreadful Power the Church claims over the People here is no enslaving their Consciences no keeping them in Ignorance to serve any Ends or Designs upon them no locking up the Scriptures from them no usurping Authority above the Word of God or making that useless to them by denying People the use of their own Reason in reading of it In short nothing appears here of that horrible Imputation of Priest-Craft The Authority here claimed is no more than what is absolutely necessary to the Peace and Quiet of the Church no more than what is implied in the Authority God has given Ministers to Preach the Gospel no more than what is plainly supposed in those Names of Teachers