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A49134
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Vox cleri, or, The sense of the clergy concerning the making of alterations in the established liturgy with remarks on the discourse concerning the Ecclesiastical Commission and several letters for alterations : to which is added an historical account of the whole proceedings of the present convocation.
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Long, Thomas, 1621-1707.
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1690
(1690)
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Wing L2986; ESTC R1029
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58,819
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80
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hold their Synods or Sacred Assemblies to deliberate and consult of things belonging to the Church constituted in that Province And p. 22. All such Churches by their Synods have power to make Laws as they shall judge expedient for the better Administration of the Publick Worship of God and of his Word and Sacraments within their Province otherwise it could not well be that any Provincial or National Church should long subsist or be at peace And p. 23. Moreover it belongs to all the Churches of God to establish by Ecclesiastical Penalties such Canons by them made lest any thing contrary to them should be without Impunity committed Object But our Divisions had almost betrayed us to Popery and Slavery for prevention of which danger for the future it is adviseable as much as may be to inlarge the Terms of our Communion Ans But who betrayed us to those Divisions were they not such as causelesly separated from us and were more ready to joyn with the common Enemy of the Protestant Religion though they call'd themselves true Protestants than with the Church of England Whereof he that wrote the Defence of Dr. Stillingfleet's Sermon of Separation gave an Account and even dared the Opponents to call him to the proof of it viz. That Dr. Owen c. were entertain'd as Pensioners to the late King and by him encouraged to continue our Divisions by which the Papists got great advantages against us And whereto tended the flattering and fulsom Addresses of the Sectaries to the late King to stand by him with their Lives and Fortunes and to obey him without Reserve but to continue those Divisions and foment those Seeds of Discord which were grown up and ripen'd almost for the Harvest to cut us all down and utterly destroy us And what if some leading Presbyterians be by our Alterations let into the Church and advanced to such Preferments as they hope for to be Bishops Deans Arch-deacons c. what security have we that they will not promote Divisions in the Church more dangerous than the Schism they made by Separation from us as some Bishops and others that had been sour'd with that Leaven being preferred in the Reign of Charles the Second did attempt A secret Enemy within the Walls of a well Fortified City is more dangerous than an open Foe in the Field I have read in the Life of Judge Hales written by the present Bishop of Sarum p. 71. That there was a Bill for Comprehension contrived by Bishop Wilkins Sir Orlando Bridgman and that Judge which though it contained more reasonable Terms than what are now proposed as I have been informed for the Admission of some Dissenters into our Communion yet it was opposed by the Clergy because they thought a Faction within the Church would prove to be more hurtful than a Schism without it And when one Party was let in upon Terms not perhaps unreasonable another Party upon other Terms less reasonable would solicite their Admission And it was objected That as some might come in so others that were in our Communion might take Offence by the Alterations and desert it and seeing our frequent Changes in some things they might suppose that there is nothing certain among us and from the many Disputes about our Liturgy proceed to question our Articles and at last fall off to the Church of Rome which they saw more constant to their Principles For which and other reasons the Bill was cast out by the Votes of the House of Commons with whom the same Considerations may still prevail And now let the Men that are given to Change produce those weighty and important Reasons required in the Preface to the Common-Prayer or that great Necessity which Dr. Beveredge requires for the Alteration even of incommodious Laws Is it necessary that an honest Man should voluntarily resign his Freehold to a litigious Person who neither desires nor deserves it and perhaps would improve the possession of it to his ruine Is it necessary that a Parent should yeild to a disobedient Child upon his own unreasonable terms Is it necessary that a good Man should accuse bear false witness against and condemn and execute himself and be a Felo de se Is it necessary that the Citizens should suffer a breach to be made in their Wall to give advantage to an Enemy when they are ready to open their Gates to let in any that offers a reasonable assurance that he is a Friend Is there any necessity to Reform that Church which is conseft to be the best Reformed Church in the World that Church to whose Pattern all the rest do desire and only want power and opportunity to conform their own Is it necessary we should do more for those who wilfully departed from us and as our Saviour intimates Not being content to be with us were against us than we have done for those forreign Protestants Men of great Learning and tender Consciences who voluntarily offer themselves to our Communion without insisting on any Terms with us Is it necessary that a Church in which all things necessary to Salvation may be freely enjoyed should accuse herself of want of Christian Charity and of imposing such sinful Terms for admitting others into her Communion as were purposely designed to keep them out and afterward voluntarily cast off those things and thereby confess themselves guilty of so great Uncharitableness Is it necessary that a Church which hath Authority to judge for itself what is decent and orderly should subject herself to the Judgment of her Members to determine for her or themselves what is decent and expedient and what is not especially when the Exception from Obedience to the Church in such things ought to be as evident and unquestionable as the Command to obey them in such Matters is Is it necessary that we should give greater Offence to the Papists from coming into our Communion now in this juncture of time by our Variableness and Defect of the Solemnity of Publick Worship which hitherto they have objected against us Is it necessary we should part with any thing to them whom we have reason to suspect that they will not leave craving till they have all When all these things are proved to be necessary then shall we be ready to make Alterations in our Ceremonies and other Circumstances if the Dissenters will be content to let us injoy what is substantial and necessary to the well-being of our Church In the mean time we shall account our selves Happy in the number of those English-men that know when they are well REFLECTIONS ON A DISCOURSE CONCERNING The Ecclesiastical Commission SIR I Have also conferred with my Brethren concerning a Book intituled A Discourse concerning the Ecclesiastical Commission 1689. Of which we shall not say so much as the Author doth of a former Commission for the like affair viz. That he never entertain'd a good Opinion of it We only remark that this Author hath laid the foundation which he
it is that thorny hedge which he had made his business to pull down and would endeavour it by going on both sides as long as he lived And what dislike some have not only of the pretended defects in our Liturgy but to any Liturgy for publick Worship is too well known by some very late Writings of the Dissenters And Mr. Baxter affirms That of the Forty sinful Terms for a Communion with us if Thirty-nine were taken away and only that Rubrick concerning the Salvation of Infants dying shortly after their Baptism were continued yet they could not conform Now to what purpose should we begin when we cannot see where to end Is it not better to endure some inconveniencies as in all Constitutions some will be than to expose our selves to certain mischiefs And what can we expect when the Six hundred Alterations in 1661 had no competent effect but were rejected with scorn I wonder how this Author can object to you as if you proceeded on the same false grounds as those Papists Heath and Fecknam did in Primo Eliz. in opposing the Act for Uniformity viz. That those changes were departures from the Standard of the Catholick Church That Points once defined were not to be brought again into question That the Church should be constant to it self For he cannot but know that they opposed the Act for Uniformity Primo Eliz. as excluding the false Doctrines and Superstitions of Rome whereas we plead for the Preservation of Uniformity in Doctrine Worship and Government which are all opposed by some sort of Dissenters I shall leave the indifferent Reader to judge of the Inference which he makes p. 18. That if the Commissioners in 1661 saw reason for making Additions and Alterations to the number of Six hundred That there is equal if not greater reason for some further improvements I think he might rather conclude as he doth immediately after That if they had foreseen what is since come to pass viz. how few of the Dissenters came in upon those Condescentions they would not have done all that they did And perhaps on these Concessions in favour of Dissenters the Papists had those hopes cherished in them of which our Author there speaks of Liberty of Conscience the removal of the Sanguinary and then of other Penal Laws and of Forty Chappels to be opened for them in and about London for they know the Charity of the Church of England is not confined to one Sect as that of the Sectaries is What he says p. 19. That the Conformists have given their Assent and Consent to the Book of Common-Prayer whereof the Preface is a part which says That in Churches Circumstantials may from time to time admit of Alteration is true but not the whole truth for it is added Vpon great and important Reasons which the Author omits and if he speaks it not as being in a good Mood but as his setled Judgment that our Church as it is the best constituted Church in the World then certainly they that cannot conform to our Church must on the same reason dissent from all the other Reformed Churches Page 20. he says He is in part of the Opinion that the Prayers cannot be altered for the better by any meer humane composition But he will not grant it of every Collect and what those Collects are we may have occasion to consider hereafter it is enough that our constant daily Prayers are beyond exception His great business as he calls it will be but a great burthen to the Dissenters as well as himself viz. Adding some Offices to the Liturgy and preparing new ones which are wanting Seeing we have had so many complaints of the length and tediousness of them formerly one thing the Author can scarce pardon himself for when writing of those who he says so angrily though causelesly spake against that Work i. e. of making Alterations he adds They must pardon me if so near after the mentioning of them I take notice of the French Papists who have reviled both the Commission and the persons named in it Herein he scems to joyn all such as are not for Alterations with the Papists and whether they must pardon him for this if the People deal with them as Papists let him consider and pardon himself if he can yet I think the Papists would very willingly have us make more Alterations than most Protestants think sit to make It is a pretty insinuation which he makes p. 21. That the Conformists will naturally be glad if the House in which they resolve to live and dye have all the strength and beauty added to it which can be given it by Commission Convocation and Parliament Ans The strength and beauty which it now hath is by all those means confirmed to them and willingly they would live and hope they may happily dye in it But if the Dissenters will make breaches in that House and take possession thereof deface its Beauty and undermine its Strength and force them to leave it I cannot see how they can naturally be glad of the behaviour of such ill-natur'd Men and that there are some such besides those whom I have mentioned already the Author speaks of some in Northamptonshire and I know such in other Counties who oblige their Communicants and have vowed themselves never to return to the Communion of the Church of England and if the present generation be so bad the next is not like if these Men have their desire to be better In p. 22. the Author considers That now is a fit juncture of time for Alterations And his first ground is the Expediency for things which may be done yet are not to be done at a time when they are not expedient And thus he shews the Expediency The Passions of Men at this time are in a vehement fermentation and he that would allay the Feaver may stay too long if he forbears to prescribe till the bloud is quiet But must the Mother be bleeded if the Children be distempered Must the Passions of Men disturb the Peace of the Church and no Man endeavour to suppress them If a sick Man be distempered and ungovernable the Physician is his friend though he cause him to be confin'd or bound for a time 2. He says the Church hath at this time powerful Enemies Therefore I think she ought to stand on her guard and keep strict watch least they that are so make too near approaches And none are more dangerous than those that are or have been of the same House And though the Church had of late as implacable Enemies as ever and they in great Power yet by the blessing of God she hath out-lived them Obj. 3. Their Majesties have declared their desires of it Ans The Commission says Vpon weighty and important Reasons and that the Alterations prepared by the Commissioners may be approved by the Convocation and Parliament Cannot you wait for that time 2. Their Majesties desire may be best known by their living in