Gods of worships not accidentall And secondly that these our Ceremonies are esteemed imposed and obserued by the intention and doctrine of the Church of England for things of such nature For this I constantly auerre and resolutely holde that if they can be proued matter of this nature that they are doubtlesse to bee refused of all in a case of confession vnto the losse of Ministery and of life it selfe Howbeit of this I can by no meanes be perswaded as yet and I will giue my Brethren the reasons thereof namely because the Church of England doth not so esteeme them impose them or obserue them for parts of Gods worship But here it wil be first asked what I mean by the Church of England To which I answere that as the Church is considered two wayes first for the Congregation of the faithfull scattered here and there or for the whole societie of English men compact in one entire body visibly professing the religion of Christ distinguished from the bodies of Scotland France Germany other Countreys So by the Church of England in either acception ceremonies are not esteemed imposed or vsed as parts of Gods worships Of the Church in the former sence I know my Brethren make no question the latter I will iustifie For the doctrine and practise of the Church of England I take to be that which by coÌ„mon consent of the whole State King Nobles Bishops Iudges Commons in Parliament is taught and commanded Whatsoeuer commeth hence cometh from the compleate bodie of the Church of England and is to bee ascribed to it as to the visible Church Now the doctrine of this Church of England is included in the Bookes established by this power which are the booke of Articles and the booke of Common prayer Now for the doctrine of our Church in this point the booke of Articles expresly teacheth first that it is not lawfull for the Church to ordaine any thing that is contrary to Gods word Act. 20. Secondly that the Church ought not to enforce any thing to be beleeued besides the holy Scriptures for necessitie of saluation Act. 20. Thirdly that nothing of traditions and Ceremonies be ordained against Gods word Act. 34. Fourthly that euery particular or Nationall Church hath authoritie to ordaine change and abolish Ceremonies or Rites of the Church ordained onely by mans authoritie so that all things bee done to edifying Act. 34. So likewise the Preface of the common prayer booke tit of Ceremonies enacted by Act of Parliament that is by the authoritie of the visible Church of England this doctrine of Ceremonies is set downe We thinke it conuenient that euery country should vse such Ceremonies as they shall thinke fit to the setting forth of Gods honour and glory and to the reducing of the people to a most peafect and godly liuing without error or superstition and that they should put away other things which they perceiue to bee most abused as in mens ordinances it often chanceth diuersly in diuers countreys And thus wee see the doctrine of our Church doth not esteeme any Ceremonies as parts of Gods worships but doth disclaime it vtterly And for the application of their doctrine to our Ceremonies that wee may see what maner of Ceremonies and of what nature the Church of England doth propose to be practised and with what affection such as practise them should performe it the said Preface to the Booke of Common prayer saith of the Ceremonies prescribed in that Booke That they are retained for a discipline and order which vpon iust causes may bee altered and changed and therfore not to be esteemed equall to Gods Law Now according to this doctrine and application thereof by our Church all doctrines and practise of intention and action should bee conformed to this they should be referred If there bee any contrary direction or doctrine taught published or inioyned by any one person or many together or in diuers places it is nothing to the point For they who preach esteeme practiâ—e and impose any Ceremonies otherwise by any conceit word or acte then according to the afore mentioned direction they doe it contrary to the iudgement of the Church of England and it is to bee esteemed as the iudgement and practise of priuate persons violating the doctrine and lawes of this Church for the which they shall answere vnto God and are liable to the censure of authoritie Whatsoeuer Ceremonie therefore of our Church is either imposed or the omission censured by any persons or by any Minister practised or obserued by superstitious or ignorant people as a part of Gods worship is onely accidentall adherent and not inherent to our Church neither ought it to bee laide vnto the charge of our Church Neither doe any of the Diuines Abridg. fol. 38. 39. mentioned in the depriued Ministers reasons nor can any Diuinity iustifie or say that the questioned Ceremonies are imposed by the Church as parts of Gods worships for this cause or will perswade men to suffer themselues to be depriued for refusing to coÌ„forme vnto them For here is no such case of confession to which we are inforced seeing we may all freely and ought as in obedience to the Church confesse the doctrine thereof agreeing to Gods Word and conforme vnto the Ceremonies according to the doctrine namely as to things which are no worships of God nor needfull to saluation And as for them that hold teach or conforme vnto them as to the parts of Gods worships they are to be esteemed as malefactors condemned by the Church which can no more preiudice the doctrine of the Church then the practise of theeues rebels and murtherers can preiudice the good lawes of our Common-wealth that are made against them and it were no lesse strange to blemish our Church with the iudgement or practise of the one then to brand the Common-wealth with the practise of the other Now where my Brethren say that the Apostles neither obserued nor imposed the Ceremonies of the Iewes as parts of Gods worship I referre them to my answere in the former member touching the seruice of God and do adde that if they vsed them not as parts of Gods worship taken strictè yet they did vse them inioyne theÌ„ as parts of his worship taken latè or in a larger sence seeing God may be said to be worshipped by that he is serued and he is serued by duties done according to his will and they conformed inioyned coÌ„formity to those ceremonies that they might do duties according to his will viz. the winning of the Iewes the freedome of their teaching and the like But now whereas it is demanded further by my Brethren what it is vnto the purpose I alledge that the Iewes esteemed imposed obserued them as necessary to saluation Acts 15. 1. 5. and the rest I answere first that I might make those Ceremonies analogicall with ours that as our Ceremonies were and are holden as parts of Gods worship and needfull to
so farre foorth onely as they agree and consent 4 They alleadge the vngrounded opinions of some priuate fathers we their trueth so farreforth as they agree to Gods word and examples of the Prophets of Christ and his Apostles 5 They insist vpon Fathers further from the Apostles from Apostolicall and Primitiue purity wee most of all insist on those who were most neere to the Apostles as being most pure and free from Antichristian contagion 6 They are only for the former Fathers we bring the consent of all our later worthy Fathers and teachers of the most reformed and purest Churches of the world Obiect This were to giue and to ascribe as much to man as to God to make them the grounds and iudges of our faith or practise yea it is so farre from being a sinne to sway from all iudgements that it is a sinne to iudge that all iudgements should bee the rule of our consciences Answ This obiection is both vnfit and vntrue It is vnfit because the argument concludeth not that they are or that we should make them the grounds and iudges of our faith and practise But that it is an errour and a sinne to condemne the whole Church of Christ for teaching errour and for practising and maintaining sinne Next it is an vntruth to call the whole company of Saints and spirituall persons Man opposed vnto God Which appeareth further by considering the aequiuocation of the word Man For man is taken either for meere man i a carnall man or to the poynt a company of carnall men prophane ignorant and erronious which cannot know nor perceiue the things of God because they are spiritually discerned 1. Cor. 2 14. and so it is true if the case were thus that wee should put the iudgement of this thing to a company of carnall persons for in this case it is sayde that all men are lyers Rom. 3. 4. But there is also the spirituall man which hath vnderstanding to iudge what other men do say 1. Cor. 10. 15. and discerneth all things euen the deepe things of God Psal 25. 14. 9. 1. Cor. 2. 15. 10. 12. Dan. 12. 10. Iohn 7. 17. 1. Iohn 2. 27. The consent in iudgement of which company is not to be termed a company of men opposed against God But such as being built one the foundation of the Prophets Apostles and Christ the corner stone Eph. 2. 20. are also called by holy the Ghost in this respect the pillar and ground of trueth 1. Tim. 3. 15. Obiect A priuate man may see a truth which a great many Godly men may not discerne Answ Though a priuate man may see more into some trueth and explicate or confirme it better than many other yet it were absurd to say that one man might see more then all the faithfull all godly learned Teachers all true Churches that euer were in the world for the rule is good which Lyrinensis giueth Nouè non noua The Papists take the Church for onely persons in office as Pope Cardinall Bishops and Abbots and other Doctors gathered in a Councill and it was well maintained by Gerson that a priuate man by the light of Gods word may see more then they all And the reeson is plaine First because those persons haue many wayes prooued themselues to be carnall and prophane and not able to discerne the things of God which are spiritually to be discerned And againe because they iudge not as it was inioined to the Priest in the law Secundum legem Deut. 17. 11. and so there can be no light in them Esa 8. 20. But the case in question is quite opposite to this in either part and therefore this obiection toucheth not the point Obiect The whole Church of God may erre in some circumstantiall matters All visible Churches may erre in matters not fundamentall The consent of Churches and of the faithfull teachers according to Gods word a rule of fundamental truths that is of al such truths as may quiet a mans conscience it is not so in matters of circumstance Answ 1 Wee hold rightly against the Papists that all particular Churches may erre whereupon wee assume and inferre But the Roman Church is a particular Church Therefore it may erre But that the Catholique Church taken in the sence that our part doe explicate it i for the company of the faithfull in all ages it was neuer holden by any sound diuine But the cleane contrary 2 Though the iudgement of all true Churches in matters fundamentall be infallible because without fundamentalls they could not be Churches and againe albeit all particular Churches may erre in matters circumstantiall and ceremoniall yet it is an hard speach to say that the generall or Catholique Churches or company of the faithfull in all ages haue generally consented in an error neither can there possibly on instance be shewed of such a point no not of a circumstantiall point 3 The depriued Ministers hold it a sinne in nature to practise the ceremonies prescribed in our Church or the like but sinne in nature is a thing substantiall in the practise whereof a mans conscience cannot bee quieted and therefore if the iudgements of all Churches bee brought against them either they must confesse their doctrine in this point to be an error or else that the whole general Church since Christ haue erred fundamentally which is not farre from haeresy and blasphemy and I earnestly do pray them to consider of this poynt Obiect Churches and fathers haue exceedingly differed among themselues in all times heere should wee make their iudgement and consent to bee a rule of our doctrine and practise Answ This is soone answered because I speake not of their differences or of the things wherein they are deuided but only of such things wherein they all consent and agree as namely they all agree that the Christian Sabbath must bee sanctified and that from the ground and in memoriall of Christ his resurrection for they agree that al the bookes of Scripture are the word of God and in the point in question they agree that Churches may vary in their ceremonies and discipline and yet retaine their peace one with another And that ceremonies as inconuenient as our ceremonies are supposed to be in some respect fit to be abolished yet may they be retained and ought to be practised to preuent the diuision of brethren disquiet of the Church hinderance of the Gospel and there are few points wherein they agree more constantly then in this Obiect We are commanded to call no man our teacher vpon earth because one is our Doctor and teacher euen Christ Mat. 23. 8. 10. there is one law giuer Iam. 4. 12. Answ This obiection is much vrged by Brownists as some of the others are But what will they conclude from hence surely if any such thing it must be this Therefore we may not make the iudgement of the Fathers or whatsoeuer men in earth a rule of our conscience And indeed I say
Leiser They permit allow and defend the Baptisme of Women Colloqu Mompelgart fol. 499. Conrad Schlusselb lib. 1. cap. 18 fol. 60. They vse the old hallowed Fonts to baptize in Berne and Lansanna Beza in vita Caluini anno 1538. and euerie where They haue such as vndertake for childrens education in Baptisme commonly called Godfathers Caluin Ep. 302. fol. 491. So in the Lowe Countries as appeareth in Actis inferioris Germaniae M. Can. 41. anno 1581. apud Sculting Anachr Hierarch lib. 9. Touching the Lords Supper THey vse kneeling at the Communion in all the Lutheran Churches Harmon confess Bohem. § 14. fol. 120 and that is the more dangerous because of their doctrine of consubstantiation They vse the Wafer cake as the Papists doe in the Church of Geneua Bez. in vita Caluin They giue it in priuate and vnto the sicke Schluselb lib. 1. cap. 30. fol. 161 162. Harm confess § 16. Witenberg fol. 197. Yea they gaue it vnto onely two ibid. § 14. fol. 146. They retaine the name of Missa the Masse Harm confess § 14. fol. 107. Augustan They keepe none backe from the Communion be they neuer so scandalous of life in the Churches of Heluetia in libello de ritibus Eccles Tigur fol. 16. The ministers doe put in the Bread and Wine into the mouthes of the Communicants ibid. fol. 15. Touching the holy Scripture THey make the Epistle to the Hebrewes and that of Solom Gesner compend de Script fol. 11. Iames and the second and third of Iohn and Iude with the Apocalyps to be either Apocryphals or at least of more doubtful authority then other parts of Scripture in the Lutheran Churches Chemnit Enchir. fol. 63. propositiones Marpurg tom 1. Hunnij fol. 3. tom 2. Winkelman fol. 5. Laelius de verbo Dei proposit 22. fol. 113. propos 22. 130. They reade the Scriptures after the forme of Epistles and Gospels in the Churches of the Lutherans Heluetians Nassouians Countie Palatines as appeareth by the Epistle of Luther Melancthon Heming Gualt Oleuian Textor So Harm confess § 1. fol. 9. Bohem. lib. de ritibus Eccles Tigur fol. 4. They reade publikely the Apocryphal Books of Scripture in the Church Touching prayer and Leturgie THey retaine the forme of their Leturgie like vnto the Masse booke Harm confess § 14. fol. 127. Augustan fol. 131. ibid. Looke the Booke de ritibus Eccl. Tigur fol. 12 13 15 16. they haue the Angelicall Hymne Gospels gloria Patri gloria tibi Domine after the Gospel c. They haue sundry prayers and Hymnes in the Latine tongue Harm confess § 14. fol. 127. Aug. They haue the vse of Waxe candles in the Lutheran and Danish Churches Heming syntag 4. lex Decal § 33. fol. 365. Simlerus de vita Bulling fol. 34. They vse the Surplesse Heming ibid. Simler ibid. They vse no singing of Psalmes in some Churches of Heluetia in lib de ritibus Eccle. Tigur fol. 9. b. They suffer and doe vse priuate prayers at burials ibid. fol. 27. a. b. Touching Churches THeir old Churches idolatrously abused standing East and West with the Chancell and in forme of a Crosse retained euery where They retaine Images in their Churches and maintaine a lawfull vse of them Colloq Mompelg fol. 390 403 404. Schlusheb Theolog. Calu. li. 1. cap. 10. fol. 35. 36. Eckhard Fasc quaest cap. 8. quaest 3. Heming syntag 4. lex Decal § 33. fol. 365. Siml b. sup They retaine Altars in stead of the Communion Table so placed in the Church as are the idolatrous altars of the Papists Colloqu Mompelgart fol. 424. 425. In the Lutheran Churches and also in the Church of Berne Ibid. Heming syntag 4. lex decal § 33. fol. 365. They retaine the vse of Organs in the Church and other musicall instruments Colloq Mompelg fol. 391. 409. Touching discipline THey haue Diocesan Bishops and Archbishops in Simler in vit Bulling fol. 35 36. Heming enchirid class 3. cap. 10. ord Eccle. fol. 348. Idem Syntag. tit gubernat Eccl. §. 15 16 17. fol. 228. Denmarke and superintendants and euen Abbots in Germany among the Lutherans Melancht consil part 1. fol. 95 96 225 276 610. Harm confes § 17. fol. Augustan Some Bishops of France conuerted from Popery retained their place and office still by common consent of the French Church Caluin Epist 373. fol. 646 647 648. So Martyr Loc. com ad finem inter Ep. fol. 1143. Bezae They haue no vse at all of excommunication in the Churches of Countie Palatine Heluetia of Witenberg Mompelgart Erast de excommunica fol. 356 382. Vrsin catech part 2. qu. 83 84. fol. 620. Caluin Epist 166 170 366. neither ruling Elders T. C. his admonit fol. 83 84. They haue holy dayes of Christ his Natiuitie Passion Resurrection Pentecost c. in the Heluetian Churches lib. de ritib. Eccl. Tigur fol. 4. In the Churches of the Low-countries Brownist 2. Letters to Iunius in the Churches of Denmarke Heming Syntagm 4 lex Decal 22. 24. 25. fol. 363. 364. Also in the Church of Berne Aretius Problem loc 99. fal 289. They haue holidaies consecrated to the memoriall of the Virgin Mary the twelue Apostles S. Paul S. Iohn Baptist S. Stephen Innocents Saint Michael Al Saints as appeareth in the Epistles which are before alleadged also Heming vbi sup Harm confess § 19. fol. 176. Bohem. Their Ministers are called by them Sacerdotes Priests as are the Popish Mass-priests Harm confess Bohem. § 11. fol. 47. fol. 4. 62. Aug. Item § 13. fol. 93. Bohem. Heming syntag 4. lex Decal § 11. fol. 43. albeit otherwise the Tigurines disclaime this name being taken in the worser sence Harm confess § 11. fol. 38. They haue Deacons not Collectors for the poore but a degree to the Ministry and an assistant to him yea supplying the place of a Minister in his absence Harm confess 11. fol. 47. lib. 2. de ritibus Eccle. Tigur fol. 7. 16. Their Ministers in the Heluetian Churches doe play the Deacons and gather contributions for the poore lib. de ritibus Eccles Tigur fol. 22. They practise and maintaine auricular confession and priuate absolution Harm confess § 8 fol. 142. 143. Bohem § ibid fol. 147. 150. August ‖ ibid fol. 154. Saxon. ‖ ibid. fol 160. Wittenberg schlusselb Theol. Caluinist lib. 1. cap. 19. fol. 6. 9. Simlerus in vita Bullingeri fol. 34. calleth it priuatam quandam confessionem parum a Papistica differentem yet looke Zepper de Sacram cap. 35. fol. 787. 798. They allow and practise a kind of preaching and absolution of repentant sinners by women in the absence of the minister among the Lutherans Colloqu Mompelg fol. 499. And thus wee see in part the estate of reformed Churches in respect of ceremonies Not that hereby I doe goe about to iustifie these Ceremonies which they doe practise but thinking and professing many of them rather most fit to be abolished in many respects and the Churches of Christ to be reduced so
of the Primitiue Fathers they were also holden operatiue not by the sounder Fathers themselues as Zepperus Perkins and others doe alleadge for them but by others which did so accidentally as the signe of the Crosse was not holden operatiue by the Orthodoxall Fathers of it selfe opere operato but they held their faith operatiue which was exercised in them when they exercised that signe Onely Tertullian is cited to holde that signe operatiue but hee is noted thereby as by many other his singularities to haue beene a Montanist who thus vsed the signe other Ceremonies as operatiue in themselues and in like sort our prescribed Ceremonies are holden operatiue in themselues opere operato by the Papist but not by vs Therefore neither doth this part of the obiection concerne our Church or this my argument who vtterly and professedly disclaime these things 4. For the Popish Ceremonies alleadged such as shauen Crowne holy Water Creame Spittle Salt c. they are not mentioned in this my argument and there may bee other waighty causes alleadged wherefore wee may except against them iustly The Lutherans vse some of them and we all account of them as of true Churches And it is not possible for the true Church to put operation in them or opinion of necessitie or Gods worship or merit in the deed doing for that this tendeth to ouerthrow the foundation and so to nullifie the Church But excluding these grosse apprehensions of those Ceremonies it might proue a matter very questionable whether in case of necessity as of depriuation of ministery and ouerthrow of the Church they ought not to be vsed euen by this my argument Howbeit till question bee made and iustly mooued vpon these points we will omit further disputation because it is a matter meerely needlesse and vnprofitable And so much of this matter Deo soli sit Gloria ¶ A Briefe and plaine Answere to Master SPRINTS discourse concerning the necessity of conformity in the case of Depriuation BEfore particular answere be made to Master Sprints seuerall arguments one thing is necessary to be premised that maketh much against the whole scope and drift of his Treatise viz. That the cause why so many godly and worthy Ministers haue beene heretofore and are daily depriued or suspended or why so many able men that haue desired to enter into the ministry haue beene kept backe is not this onely that they haue refused to conforme but that many haue beene and are daily depriued and suspended onely for refusing to subscribe according to the Canon yea many that at the time of their conuention haue not so much as beene charged with non-conformity and of whom by reason they were Lecturers only or for that there were some other that did vse conformity in their churches the vse of the ceremonies was not at all or little required haue beene depriued or suspended for this cause only because they durst not subscribe And who knoweth not that by the 36. Canon no man may be either receiued into the ministry or suffered to preachor catechise except he shal first willingly ex animo subscribe to the 3. articles there mentioned to all things conteined in thē Yea admit that a man were contented both to conforme subscribe also yet if he shall but at any time affirme as it is euident many conformers subscribers also wil not stick sometime to do That the Booke of common Prayer containeth something in it that is repugnant to the Scriptures or that some of the 39. Articles are in any part superstitious and erronious or such as he may not with a good conscience subscribe vnto he is to be excommunicated ipso facto which must needes imply suspension from his ministry and not to be restored till he haue publikely reuoked such his wicked errour So that though all Master Sprints arguments shal proue good vnanswerable whereby he goeth about to iustifie the vse of the Ceremonies in this case yet will he neuer be able to conuince a great number of them that haue either beene kept out or put out of the ministry of so foule a sinne as hee would make the world beleeue they stand guilty of vnlesse he can also iustifie the subscription which he seemeth altogether vnwilling to doe and can proue it vnlawfull for a godly minister to say that there is something in the Booke of common Praier repugnant to the Scriptures or that some of the 39. Articles are in some part superstitious and erronious and such as he may not with a good conscience subscribe vnto And if those conclusions which he setteth downe in the first page of his Treatise and which he saith will follow vpon the proofe of this point That to suffer depriuation or suspension for refusing to conforme is a sinne be the very marke he aymed at in his whole Treatise and the only fruit he expecteth of all these paines he hath taken as indeede they seeme to be then hath hee surely bestowed his time very ill and spent a great deale of labour to no purpose at all From hence it will follow saith he first That seeing those Ministers haue sinned that haue suffered depriuation so refusing to conforme they ought of conscience to offer conformity that they may returne to their ministry 2. That such as not conforming doe remaine in their places are bound in conscience to conforme rather then to suffer depriuation 3. That such as are profitably or probably fitted to the Ministry and desire that calling are tied in conscience before God to promise and practise conformity rather then for refusing it to bee kept out of the Ministry And where be those Ministers to be found in England that haue suffered depriuation for no other cause but for that they haue refused to conforme or that being depriued might haue had assurance to inioy againe and continue in the vse of their Ministry if they would offer conformity Or what Prelate hath he knowen being to admit any into the Ministry hath beene wont to require of him a promise of Conformity and to allow him thereupon though he did refuse to subscribe It is not to bee doubted indeede but that the onely cause that hath been pretended for the depriuation and suspension of some hath bene their refusing to conforme and that liberty hath bene offred vnto others vpon this condition onely if they would conforme But that this hath beene the onely cause why any haue suffred Depriuation or Suspension will hardly bee prooued by Master Spr. or any other man If then he knew it not before let him now vnderstand That the true cause why so many able and faithful Ministers haue suffred themselues to be depriu'd and suspended rather then they would conforme to the Ceremonies prescribed hath been partly but not only this that they haue iudged the ceremonies vnlawfull and partly that they knew though they should haue yeelded to the vse of them they could by no meanes haue bin assured that the bearing