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A26945 The judgment of Mr. Baxter concerning ceremonies and conformity with a short reflection upon a scandalous pamphlet intituled, A proposition for the safety and happiness of the king and kingdom : in a letter to a gentleman of the House of Commons. Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.; Gentleman of the House of Commons. 1667 (1667) Wing B1290; ESTC R5453 5,194 18

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THE JUDGMENT OF Mr. BAXTER CONCERNING CEREMONIES AND CONFORMITY WITH A SHORT REFLECTION upon a Scandalous Pamphlet Intituled A Proposition for the Safety and Happiness of the KING and KINGDOM IN A LETTER to a GENTLEMAN of the House of Commons LONDON Printed for R. Jenaway in the Year 1667 SIR I Suppose the Pamphlet which you sent mee was designed rather to let me see the Impudence of this Licentious Age than to draw me into the Impertinence of Answering it The Lameness of the Style the Sence and the Coherence but especially the Weakness of what he calls Arguments make me ashamed to deal with such an Adversary Yet in running it over I could not but observe this one Confession It is not the Dignity of the Bishops their Lordships and Revenues It is not their Cathedrals Organs and their Divine Service in what State and Magnificence they please It is not Common Prayer no nor any Ceremony of the Church whatsoever for all its significancy if it be but a circumstance of Worship and no more that could hinder most of the Sober Nonconformists to come over to you but it is these Declarations Subscriptions and Oaths which you impose on them in your Acts. Now though I think it no hard matter to make it appear that these Declarations Subscriptions and Oaths contain nothing in them but what is absolutely necessary to the Safety of the Church and State and that those men who refuse to make such Acknowledgments and Engagements are utterly unfit to be intrusted with the Cure of Souls and the office of Preaching to the People which like other good things as it is excellent in the Use so is it no less dangerous in the Abuse Yet supposing for once that these Oaths and Subscriptions were as unlawful as they would have the World believe What is this to those that are not required to Subscribe or Swear Is not this a plain Acknowledgement that notwithstanding all these Clamors against the Governours and the Ceremonies of the Church yet there is indeed no just ground of separating from either since no Swearing or Subscription is required of the Multitude of which they so much boast and whose Cause they pretend to plead Of these by their own Confession as many as are Judicious and Sober may come over and Conform So that we have only a few Factious Men that call themselves Ministers that make all this Noise as if for their sakes the KING and PARLIAMENT must undoe all that they have done for the Restoring of Religion and good Order in the Church and preserving Peace in the State and because the City and the Ships have been lately burnt these Men that are well skilled in blowing Coals must have leave to set the whole Kingdome in a Flame The Worthy Gentlemen of your House will I hope consider this Which that you may not look upon only as an unwary word dropt from a loose Pen I shall add for Confirmation what I long since observed in a Book written by a great Rabbie of that Tribe under the Title of Five Disputations of Church Government and Worship Printed at London 1659. A time when he could have but small encouragement to say more than be thought in this matter THE JUDGMENT OF Mr. BAXTER CONCERNING CEREMONIES AND CONFORMITY THose Modes or Circumstances of Worship which are Necessary in Genere but left undetermined by God in Specie are left by God to humane Prudential Determination else an Impossibility should be necessary But many such there are that are Necessary in Genere but left undetermined of God in Specie therefore many such are left to humane Prudential Determination § 5. Yet it is in the Power of man to determine of such Modes and Circumstances as are necessary to the performance of that Worship which God hath instituted in his Word and therefore lawful Governors may in such Cases bind us by their Commands 1. It is left to humane Determination what Place the Publick Assemblies shall be held in 2. It is left to man to determine of the Time of Holy Duties except only where God hath determined of it already 3. It is left to the Determination of humane Prudence what Utensils to employ about the Publick Worship of God Here therefore we must thus conclude 1. That every misordering of such great affairs is the sin of them that do it 2. But yet that the Subject is not exempted from Obedience by every such mistake of the Governor but by some he is § 67. If the mischoosing of such Circumstances by Church-Governors be but an Inconvenience and do not destroy the Ordinance it self or frustrate the Ends of it we are to obey 1. For he is the Judge of his own work and not we 2. The thing is not sinful though inconvenient 3. Obedience is commanded to our lawful Governors We must obey in all things lawful And when we do obey in a Case of Miscommanding it is not a doing evil that good may come of it as some do misconceive but it is only a submitting to that which is ill commanded but not evil in him that doth submit It is the Determiner that is the cause of the Inconvenience and not the Obeyer Nor is it inconvenient for me to Obey though it be worse perhaps to him that Commandeth While he sinneth in Commanding he may make it my Duty to Obey § 6. Dist 4. We must distinguish between Ceremonies imposed by a Lawful Magistrate or Church-Governors and such as are imposed by Usurpers or Men without Authority § 25. Prop. 12. It may be very sinful to command some Ceremonies which may lawfully yea must in Duty be used by the Subject when they are commanded § 27. Prop. 14. Yet certain things that are commonly called Ceremonies may lawfully be used in the Church upon Humane Imposition and when it is not against the Law of God no person should disobey the Commands of their Lawful Governors in such things Of Set-Forms and the Book of common-Common-Prayer Prop. 1. A Stinted Liturgy is in it self Lawful 2. A Stinted Liturgy in some parts of Publick Service is ordinarily necessary 3. In the parts where it is not of Necessity it may not onely be submitted to but desired when the Peace of the Church requireth it 7. The safest way of Composing such a Publick Form is to take it all for Matter and Words out of the Holy Scriptures 8. Yet is not this of such Necessity but that we may joyn in it or use it if the Form of Words be not from Scripture Prop. 1. A Stinted Liturgie is in it self Lawful This is thus proved Argument 1. That which is not directly or consequentially forbidden by God remaineth lawful A stinted Liturgy is not directly or consequentially forbidden by God therefore it remaineth lawful The Major is undoubted because nothing but a Prohibition can make a thing unlawful Sin is a transgression of a Law where