Oxford-Paraphrast has fully and learnedly made out in his Annotations on the 2 Thess Chap. 2. not contented to justifie our Separation from the Church of Rome upon the account of Innovations Corruptions and imposing them as necessary Conditions of Communion and so becoming guilty of causal Schism they have represented all the Members of that Church both Pastors and People both in Doctrin and Practice guilty of Heathenish and worse than the most sottish Heathenish Idolatry so foul a Charge and so injurious to that Charity which the Church of England hath always been renown'd for that I hope the Authors of it may have Grace to retract and make satisfaction for that Scandal which is thereby given even to our common Christianity And I have always wondred how it ever could enter into the heart of any man to believe and publickly maintain that so great a number of Christian Professors eminent for Learning and Austerity of Life could be guilty of so damnable an Apostasie concerning the mischiefs of this Charge take the Judgment of the Learned Thorndike in the last words of the first Chapter of his just Weights and Measures And as they who justifie the Reformation by charging the Pope to be Antichrist and the Papists Idolaters so on the other side they who over-charge the Reformation to be Hereticks make themselves thereby Schismaticks before God We hope no ingenuous Person though an Adversary will think the worse of the true Sons of the Church of England for the uncharitable Opinions of some particular Men descended perhaps from dissenting Parents educated in dissenting Times and who never yet sufficiently conquered the Prejudices of their Education if they had they would not maintain such Erastian Positions as these viz. That Christ never appointed any particular Form of Church-Government but left it arbitrary and dependent on the Civil State That Christ Jesus is not to be preach'd if the Magistrate and the Law of the Country forbid it That the King has a Power to execute all Pastoral Offices devolve it on others with many others of the like dangerous consequence which that valiant Champion of Church-Power Mr. Lowth has charg'd upon them and learnedly made good the Charge whereas concerning the last of these Positions neither his present M. nor any of his Predecessors by virtue of their Ecclesiastical Supremacy ever thought themselves indow'd with any other Power but that of Nursing Fathers neither do's the true sence of the Oath invest the Civil Magistrate with any other power in Spiritual Matters than what is purely external and coercive if Bishop Bramhal and others may be thought of equal Authority with the Authors there tax'd let them consider in this very juncture of time the consequence of their own Positions and then lay their hands upon their mouths and be for ever after silent or if they please to look backward let them consider what mischiefs the Fathers of the Church had brought upon themselves had they been of this Opinion when Julian and Constantius reign'd had they spent as much time in defending the Church of England as they have in opposing the Church of Rome they would have prov'd themselves as good Subjects to the Father of their Country and as dutiful Sons to their Mother the Church had they given a true account of ancient Church-Government instead of imbroyling us with Irenicum's and Weapon-salves they had purchas'd as much Renown to themselves and more Benefit to Christ's Catholick Church then might we hope to see the Mischiefs of Separation display'd without a Preface of such Concessions as manifestly tend to the destruction of Vniformity and if it be a sign of a luke-warm and ungenerous temper to desert a Friend in affliction that cruel juncture of time in which those Concessions were made does no ways extenuate the Presumption for it deserves no milder a Name for any private Doctor let his Fame he never so great to assume to himself a more than Papal Power to dictate ex Cathedra prescribe to the Church and unfix what has been establisht by her venerable Authority generally receiv'd and approv'd by all her true Subjects then might we not despair to behold and admire the Beauty of the Church of England in all her heights of Decency and Order her Doctrins believ'd her Liturgies daily frequented her Sacraments frequently celebrated her Rubricks duly observ'd her neglected Discipline restored her Censures dreaded her Governours religiously obey'd then might we not despair to see our Controversies in Religion manag'd with all due deference to the Authority of ancient Fathers and Councils general Tradition and the consent of the Catholick Church and consequently with a design to maintain universal Truths rather than our own private Opinions to confute mens Errors rather than expose their Persons and a return of that Christian Spirit which enobled the Writings of Cassander Grotius Forbes and many other Illustrious Conciliators the decay whereof hath widen'd our Breaches and obstructed that Vnion which ought to be the earnest desire endeavor of every good Christian If the Church of England do's not flourish as much in our days as ever it did since the first Reformation the fault must be in our selves since His Majesty in his gracious Declaration has past his Royal Word for the preservation of the Government both of Church and State as it is now by Law established and we cannot in Honor or Duty require more since his Word has always been as Sacred and inviolable to him as his Person and Prerogative ought to be to us wherefore instead of somenting needless Fears and Jalousies concerning our Religion which even in a Coffee-House is dangerous but from the Pulpit do's naturally rise into Disorders and Tumults the people are to be taught the Duties of Submission Humility and Obedience to their Governors both Civil and Spiritual that as Religion is not to be propagated by Force so neither is it lawful to take up Arms against lawful Authority in defence of it they are to be instructed in the Duties of Passive Obedience and non-resistance from the Doctrines of the Scripture the Principles of the Church of England and the Practice of the Primitive Christians when under the severest Persecutions In the same Declaration He is pleas'd further to add That He knows the Principles of the Church of England are for Monarchy and the Members of it have shew'd themselves good and loyal Subjects therefore he will always take care to defend and support it so that out of his abundant Goodness and Clemency he has confirmed his Word by the surest Tyes of Interest and Princely Gratitude It pleased the Almighty in whose hands are the Fate of the greatest of Potentates to call to Heaven his dearest Brother and to leave him the deepest Mourner in the Nation in that very period of time when they might have promis'd themselves a secure enjoyment of earthly Blessings for had not that glorious Monarch like Moses by an invincible Patience and Magnanimity
withstood the murmurings and ingratitudes of a rebellious People freed us from the Slavery and Tyranny of our Egyptian Task-masters brought us out of a Wilderness of Confusion and placed us within the prospect of a Canaan of Peace and Order and yet to his lawful Successor the mighty Joshua Providence decreed the full possession of those Blessings which he the lamented Moses only liv'd to have a sight of And what may we not promise to our selves under his most auspicious Reign and in nothing more auspicious than in the peaceable devolution of the Crown upon his Head after so many bold and wicked Attempts to cut off his Succession this seems no less miraculous than his Predecessor's Restauration may his Subjects learn from hence That Kings are of Divine Right and dread the Vengeance of that God by whom they reign may they never forget the miseries they have escap'd nor grow weary of the benefits they are sure to enjoy under his wise and steady Conduct may his Reign be long and prosperous and to compleat his Happiness may all his People give him the same dutiful Obedience now he is King which he so religiously paid to his Sovereign when he was the highest of Subjects and to say no more may he live to accomplish those glorious things for this Nation for which he seems to be design'd by that special Providence which has attended him through the whole course of his life and has now plac'd him on the Imperial Throne 2 Pet. Chap. 3. ver 16. In which are some things hard to be Vnderstood which they that are unlearned and unstable Wrest as they do also the other Scriptures unto their own Destruction THE clearness of Scripture in all points necessary to Salvation to all such as sincerely endeavour to believe and find out the True Sense thereof as it is a Principle which suits very well with the nature and design of a Rule with the Justice and Goodness of God in propounding it as such and hath been urged with some success against those who plead a necessity of having One Supreme infallible Judge to decide and determine all Controversies which shall happen to arise concerning that Faith which was once deliver'd to the Saints Whose Decisions and Determinations say they ought to be Receiv'd by all the Sons of the Church for as much as the Church is the same in all Ages with equal Assent and Veneration with those of the Apostles And this to be the only sure way to keep the Vnity of the Faith in the Bond of Peace Whereby on the other hand 't is said New Articles of Faith may be daily imposed the Doctrines of men pass for the Commandments of God and humane Inventions receive the stamp of Divine Authority whereby men seem precluded the genuine methods of coming to the Knowledge of the Truth and those Precepts of searching the Scriptures seeking the Kingdom of Heaven trying the Spirits are rendred Ineffectual whereby men are so far from being able to give an account of their Faith that their Vnderstandings are enslav'd by a Principle of blind Obedience so far from being led into the ways of Religion by the cords of men that they seem rather to be driven like Beasts and acted like Puppets as 't is phras'd by a late Author As this Doctrine of the Clearness of Scripture hath prov'd successful to the beating down the pretences to an absolute Infallibility and uncontroulable Soveraignty over the Consciences of men so on the other hand hath it mightily embolden'd the Patrons of Liberty not only to despise their Ecclesiastical Superiors to throw off all obedience to Christ's Ministers Whom He notwithstanding a little before his Return to his Fathers Court for the further negotiating and advancing the affairs of His Church Anointed and Ordain'd to perform the Apostolical Offices of Preaching the Gospel Remitting Sins Inflicting Censures Ministerially conferring the Holy Ghost Deciding Controversies and Administring the Sacraments in his stead here on earth till his second coming but likewise to invade their Function usurp their Sacred Calling especially that part of it which consists in Preaching and Expounding the Word For say they since 't is confess'd the Scriptures are sufficiently clear to all unprejudiced minds such as are free from the clogs of Passion and Interest Why should these pretended Ministers of Christ take so much upon them Are not all the Congregation Holy and Learned as well as they Are they the only Temples of the Holy Ghost And doth the Spirit of Prophecy reside solely in their Breasts During the Dispensation of Moses 't is confess'd there was a necessity of an Aaron all along under the Legal oeconomy the Priests Lips did preserve Knowledge and likewise during the Reign of the Prophets there was an appropriate Ministry But the case is quite different under the Gospel God having made clearer discoveries of himself and poured out more liberally of his Spirit upon all Flesh The sense of the Law that was Doubtful Typical and Mysterious the Prophecies were industriously couch'd under dark Parables and deliver'd in obscure sayings But then the light the glorious light of the Gospel as 't was universal 't was likewise so clear that any one that runs may read Why then should we not assert that Liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and since we have a Command to work out our own Salvation Why should we pin our Faith upon other mens sleeves Thus these men under the goodly Pretences of Christian Liberty become enslav'd to spiritual pride and conceitedness plead the Prerogative of the Gospel in prejudice of Christ's own Ambassadors urge for their own private Conceptions clearness of Scripture to their own Confusion and pry so long into the Doctrines of Theology till at length they light on those hidden Mysteries which they being Vnlearned and Vnstable Wrest unto their own Destruction The way thus prepar'd my Text yet leads me into these following Considerations 1. That the clearness of Scripture doth no ways lessen the Authority or take away the Necessity of Spiritual Guides 2. That though the Scriptures be clear in themselves yet private men abandoning their Lawful Guides and following their own Corrupt Fancies may deprave and distort them to their own Destruction 3. That for preventing Mistakes from rising and suppressing Errors when risen 't is the duty of Private men to submit their Judgments in matters of Religion to the Determinations of those whom God hath constituted to be their Spiritual Guides and Governours unless it manifestly appear that such Determinations are contrary to Gods Word I. I begin with the First That the Clearness of Scripture c. For if the Scriptures be so Clear and Self-evident as is pretended then may men with greater security rely on the Directions of their Guides and they have the less Reason to suspect their Conduct in those things wherein they themselves being Judges they cannot be mistaken if they sincerely attend them the clearness of the Law
that we have to deal with men of such a sceptical Genius as that they do not only inquire into the Grounds and Reasons of our Faith but moreover deny our very Creed with whom a Treatise of Humane Reason is of more Force than the Revelation of St. John the Divine To the Consideration of these Men I offer Two Things which I judge most proper I. First The Answer which Origen made to Celsus when 't was objected by that Calumniator against the Christians that their Religion was built on a very sandy Foundation which durst not undergo the Test of Reason but commanded its Converts not to Examine but Believe and their Faith should Save them In part he owns the Objection but wisely retorts it upon his Adversary by telling him that the Philosophers were the greatest Dictators in the World Witness the Ipse dixit of Pythagoras that their Systems contain'd some such secret Dogmata which their Disciples swallowed solely upon the Credit of their Masters And if the Masters of the Wisdom of this World which is either Foolishness or at best but Science falsly so called required so great submission from their Scholars how much greater is to be given to those Doctrines which are contain'd in the Writings of the Evangelists and Apostles who were Taught of God and spake as they were inspired by the Holy Ghost II. Secondly I urge the Authority of my Lord Bacon whose if any methinks should be admitted by these Virtuosi in Religion The Divine Prerogative saith he extends it self to the whole Man and requires not only Obedience from our Wills but Submission from our Understandings And therefore as we are bound to obey the Divine Law though our Wills reluct never so much against it so are we obliged to believe whatsoever God hath reveal'd though never so improbable to our Understandings For if we believe no more than what we can demonstrate to be true we do not believe the Truth deliver'd for the Authors sake but the Author for the Truths sake and so we pay no more Respect to the Oracles of God than we do to the Writings of Men though never so much suspected by us The Faith which justified Abraham was conversant in a matter incredible to Reason And therefore the higher the Mysteries of Religion are above our Reason the greater is the exercise and triumph of our Faith and the Honour done unto God in Believing To conclude this Point Great is the use of Reason in Religion both as to the manner of interpreting the Scriptures and the deducing true Consequences and wholesom Conclusions from thence and if it be wholly suppress'd our Religion will degenerate into Superstition we shall be so far from paying God a Reasonable Service that we shall offer Him the Sacrifice of Fools But then it must be kept to a due temper for if it be not managed by prudent Guides 't is apt to grow wild and extravagant to hurry us on to a Belief of the Foulest Impostures to a Practice of the Grossest Impieties which either the prevalency of the World the domineering Enmity of the Flesh or the implacable Malice of Satan can propound to be believed or practis'd II. The second Reason of private Mens falling into Error is their Instability in not adhering to their Guides but forsaking them to go astray in the intricate paths of Error and Deceit Heresie being nothing else but an Excision from and Disobedience to the Church in points of Faith And therefore the Apostle pronounceth an Heretick Self-condemned one who hath want only chosen to himself those Opinions for an obstinate Defence whereof after full and plain means of Conviction he justly falls under the Censures of the Church is Excommunicated the Assembly of the Saints and so without Repentance and Reconciliation continues in a very dangerous estate if that of Heathens and Publicans be acknowledg'd such Not in vain then are those frequent Cautions against Falling away those repeated Admonitions to Perseverance those earnest Exhortations to hold fast the Profession and contend for the Faith which was once deliver'd those so much inculcated Commands of obeying those who are set Over us in the Lord Heb. 13.7 Remember them which have the Rule over you who have spoken unto you the Word of God whose Faith follow Ver. 17. Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your Souls For in vain may those men commit themselves to the immediate Assistance of God who neglect to hear his Guides and violate His Commandments in hopes to procure His help and favour For from that very moment of time they cease to be Members of the Holy Catholick Church they are become Out-lawries in a Gospel-sense they have lost the Protection of the Heavenly King and they lay under the Deprivation of the Benefits belonging to the Subjects of that Jerusalem which is above And what wonder if being in this forlorn condition the Tempter take his advantage lead them into the Wilderness and there present to their disturb'd Fancies false Schemes of Religion suggest unworthy apprehensions of God and whatsoever is by him thus suggested is by them mistaken for new Light and holy Inspirations And because this Spirit of Delusion dares put forth among Christians no Doctrines but such as pretend to be founded on the Scriptures to this purpose they are wrested and tortur'd their Scope is mistaken their Sense abused their Periods miserably mangled their whole Design perverted to countenance every Wild Opinion which either a capricious Fancy can imagine or a malicious Wit invent And from hence it comes to pass that we have as many several sorts of Christians as there are different Humors or Interests of men and the Gospel with St. Paul though in a quite contrary sense is become all things unto all men And having made thus bold with the Scriptures it cannot be expected that they should deal more modestly with any Authority inferiour to that the most ancient Traditions must now give place to new Discoveries The Consent of the Catholick Apostolick Church be born down by the Dictates of a private I might say familiar Spirit Whereas there is all the reason in the World to believe that the Apostles best knew the mind of their Master that they faithfully and fully communicated their knowledge to their Successors and so by certain steps and degrees we may arrive at this fundamental Truth That as the Church is the most faithful Keeper so the most authentick Expositor of Scripture Which fairly ushers in my third and last Consideration That for the preventing Mistakes from rising and suppressing Errors when risen 'T is the duty of Private Men to submit their Judgments in matters of Religion to the Determinations of those whom God hath Constituted to be their Spiritual Guides and Governours unless it manifestly appear That such Determinations are contrary to Gods Word And this I shall assert very briefly both from the Qualifications of the Persons who
is so far from lessening the Authority that it rather conciliates reverence to the Judge The Profession of Physick doth not therefore become useless because the Aphorisms of Hippocrates contain the necessary Rules for Health and may be understood by those who are capacitated and will take the pains to do it The Scriptures they do clearly contain the Doctrines of Salvation And one way whereby Christ prov'd himself the true Messias was by answering that Character the Prophets had given of Him that the Poor should have the Gospel Preached unto them i. e. Men as of small Capacities and less Estates so of humble and teachable Dispositions men who are Poor in Spirit as well as in Fortune And the perfection of the Christian Law consists in this that therein God hath prescribed a reasonable service The Rules of Life which are therein laid down are not so much the product of absolute Power and Soveraignty as the Result of infinite Mercy and Goodness And these His Attributes led Him to consult the wants and commiserate the Necessities of the meanest of Mankind And therefore as when He took upon Him to deliver Man He did not abhor the Virgins Womb and that He might become a Sacrifice for Sin was content to be disarray'd of His own Eternal Glory to take upon Him the Form of a Servant and to humble Himself to the Death the shameful Death of the Cross so likewise when He took upon Him the Office of a Teacher by a wonderful Condescent He accommodated His Doctrines to the Reason and humane Affections of His Auditors His Laws obtain'd as much by their suitableness to our Natures as the Authority of the Speaker When He preach'd His Divine Sermon to the Multitude He did not amuse them with Mystical Theology or torture their Understandings with profound Subtilties but as He was the Brightness of his Fathers Glory and the express Image of His Person so He declar'd the Law of God in a most Plain and Perspicuous manner Mahomet indeed that grand Impostor was well Advis'd to pen his Alcoran in swelling Words and mystical Phrases and as in some things to Restrain so in others to Indulge the sensual Appetite For by this Stratagem that sottish People with whom he had to do were content to part with their natural Right to gain an Unlawful Freedom and to Admire what they were never like to Understand But our new and perfect Law-giver Christ Jesus having no other design but the Salvation of Souls and being every way Adorn'd for so noble a Purpose though He made the Gate Narrow and the Path Strait yet He hath promised it shall be Open'd to all that Knock and none unless Wilfully need mistake the Way which leads to Eternal Life But then because He knew there was no Rule so plain but it might be Mistaken no Precept so clear but it might be Perverted no Doctrine so pure but it might be Corrupted Because He foresaw there would arise false Prophets and false Teachers whose business it would be to Seduce the Ignorant and Debauch the Credulous Because He foresaw a perpetual Succession of Gnosticks who in all Ages would set up the Dagon of their own lascivious Fancies in opposition to the Ark of His Covenant and be so audacious as even to confront Divine Revelations with carnal Reasoning therefore to obviate and prevent the mischiefs of such grievous Wolves before He took His Journey into his far Country out of a tender care of that Flock which He had purchas'd with his Blood He appointed Overseers and Pastors of his Flock committed to them and them only the care of Feeding his Flock amplified their Commission with the like Authority which he had receiv'd from his Father promis'd to be with them unto the End of the World and to assist them with that Spirit which should guide them into all Truth If then the Scriptures be so clear as to be understood even by the Multitude then much more by the Disciples in general If by the Disciples in general much more by the College of the Apostles who were His special Favourites and of his Cabinet-counsel If the Nations to whom these Ministers in Chief and Plenipotentiaries for Christ made known the Will of God were throughly instructed for the Kingdom of Heaven then much more both they and their Successors upon whom they in obedience to their Masters Command conferr'd the same Pastoral power which they had receiv'd from Him The Clearness then of Scripture cannot reasonably be urg'd in Prejudice of Christ's Ministers for whatsoever is from hence alledg'd in favour of the People the advantage will be still greater on their side Thus hath God promis'd the Assistance of his Spirit to all private men who sincerely endeavour to find out the Truth then much less will He be wanting to the Governours of his Church to whom He hath committed the care of the Souls of those private men and given power even to confer the Holy Ghost Are the Scriptures clear to them much more to those whom the Son of God hath signaliz'd and set apart for the Lights of the World Two Things are usually brought to hinder this Procedure Either that those Promises of Assistance were made only to the Apostles or else that they depend on the conditioned Righteousness of Men. Where by the way it may be Observ'd that by the First of these the Claim of the People is utterly cut off and by the Second they have as small Advantage But they who argue this might do well to consider that this Objection may strike at the very Foundation of the Faith For if those promises of Assistance which Christ made to his Church be Hypothetical if they depend on the Performance of Men then may the Foundation totter the Gates of Hell prevail Christianity decay and the Gospel it self be lost out of the World before the End thereof notwithstanding all Christ's fair promises to the contrary If they had been confin'd only to the Apostles the Christian Religion had not long surviv'd its Author every Martyrdom of an Apostle had pull'd down a Pillar of the Church and by consequence the whole Fabrick must have fallen to the ground in the very first Century of our Lord. Happy indeed had it been for Christendom that the Imperiousness of some Modern Bishops of Rome had not brought an Odium though unjustly upon Episcopacy in general that their too much Lording it over the Flock had not given Advantage to the Enemies of Church-Authority and their challenging to themselves at least an indirect Power in Temporals had not alarm'd the Kings of the Earth to stand up and take Counsel how they might destroy so dangerous an Vsurpation of the pretended Vicegerent of the Lords Anointed Happy had it been if for the Support of their Secular Greatness they had not wrested the Scriptures to countenance such Doctrines as have no clear and solid Foundation therein and that under pretence of making the Church all Glorious