in another way than he hath said he will be worshipped and is prescribed by him is in S. T. thus demonstrated Those that worship God after the way of the Common-Prayer-Book worship him in another way than he hath said he will be worshiped in and is prâ—scribed by him But the present Ministers of England worship God after the way of the Common-Prayer-Book Therefore The Minor cannot be denied their subscription before they are admitted into the Ministry with their daily and constant practice are sufficient evidences thereof To this Mr. T. replies Sect 3. 1. Way of Worship not prescribed by God he tells us may be 1st When the Worship is to another thing besides or with God in which sense the Minor was denied and should have been proved Answ 1. But in this sense we discharged the Ministers of England of the guilt of Idolatry What obligation lies upon us to prove a charge against them we never impleaded them as guilty I know not 2. If this be all Mr. T. contends about That they worship not another thing besides or with the true God he fights with a man of straw of his own making 3. When he demonstrates as he how dictates that this alone proves Idolatry i. e. there is no other Idolatry but the worshipping that which is not God by Nature I will acknowledge my mistake we have proved the contrary in which we have the concurrent testimony of the most all Expositors and Casuists that have written about Idolatry who make worshipping the true God in a way not of his perscription to be the Idolatry forbidden in the second Commandment Dr. Willet one of their own tells us as much Com. on Exod. p. 338. So doth the learned Usher Ball Ursin Calvin Wendeline Altingius Ravanellus Maccovius c. besides those we have already mentioned He adds 2dly By another way may be meant another Ceremony or Rite in which the Worship of God is placed but this Author goes not about to prove the minor in this sense Answ 1. By worshipping God in another way I understand the tendring to God a Worship and Service of humane devising that he no where calls for This I prove the Ministers of England do when they draw nigh to God with their Common-Prayer-Book-Service in their hands And Mr. T. talks idely when he saith The Worship of God is not placed therein If it be not they have in many places of the Land no Worship of God at all 't is frequently by them call'd Diviâ—e Service and the Service of the Church 'T is made such a necessary part of Worship that Preaching must give place to it As to what he adds 1. That I suppose that God hath appointed the particularities of the way of his Worship We answer ' That particularities of Worship as such are determined by the Lord we have asserted and proved what Mr. T. hath offered to the contrary in answer to the Preface Sect. 20. chap. 1. Sect. 3. chap. 4. Sect. 9. chap. 5. Sect. 3 4 5 7. is fully answered in our Reply thereunto 2. That the Argument may be retorted upon my self is a vanity of the Animadverter because 1. our dispute is not as he would bear the Reader in hand about every form of expression but of such a form wherein the Worship of God is placed which is â—mposed upon the Churches of Christ without subjection to which it is denied them to worship God at all as such for refusing whereof they are exposed to Excommunications and total ruine in this World 2. We have already proved that forms of prayer enjoyned are condemned by the Lord and praying in the Spirit commended and commanded We proceed in S. T. and prove That to worship God after the way of the common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book is to worship him in a way that is not of his appointment which is the major proposition because the least footsteps of such a way of Worship is not to be found in the Old or New Testament enjoyned by Christ or his Apostles nor for several centuries of years afterwards of which we treat at large in S. T. What Mr. T. is pleased Sect. 4. in the first and second place to answer hereunto we have already replied to He adds 3dly He still acknowledgeth that the Common-Prayer-Book-Worship is the Worship of the true God Answ 1. I do so indeed and so was the Athenian Worship Acts 17. 23. yet an Idolatrous Worship and they themselves Idolaters 2dly Though I grant it to be the Worship of the true God yet I prove it not to be the true Worship of God and therefore Idolatrous He adds 4thly That he doth not except against the matter of the prayers in the Common-Prayer-Book Answ True in the place under consideration I do not but it doth not therefore follow that it 's not liable to exception Somewhat was hinted in S. T. touching this matter and more may be added in its proper place He adds That these three things are affirmed by me 1. That all Liturgies or stinted forms of prayer are not of Gods appointment but of humane invention 2. That they are unduly imposed on Ministers 3. That Ministers do sinfully yea idolatrously use them because it 's â— way of Worship not appointed of God With respect to which he affirms 1. That stinted forms of Prayer and Service of God which are not otherwise faulty then in that they are stinted may be lawfully used by a Minister of the Gospel in his publick Administration 2. That such Prayers and Service are a Worship of God in a way of his appointment Answ 1. And both these might be granted him without the least detriment to the Cause undertaken by us For the Common-Prayer-Book-Service is otherwise faulty than in that it is stinted viz. because abused to Idolatry the matter of it is in not a few things liable to exceptions the Rites and Modes enjoyned therein abominable 2. He should have proved one thing more viz That a Service devised by man as the Common-Prayer-Book is may lawfully be imposed and as so submitted to and that this is justifiable A failure wherein renders us unconcern'd in what is nextly offered by him This he expresly tells us p. 222. He will not justifie So brave a Champion is he for the Clergy that when he should come to a close encounter he fairly takes his heels and quits the Field leaving them poor men to shift for themselves as well as they can However we attend the proof of his Assertions 1. Christ appointed the Lords Prayer to be used by the Apostles as a stinted form tying them to the use of so many words and no more Mat. 6. 9. Luke 11. 2. Answ 1. Notoriously false as we have manifested together with the invalidity of mens arguings from hence for a stinted imposed Liturgie cap. 6. of this Treatise 2. Nor is this one of the Placita of the Separatists Grotius is of the same mind on Luke 11. 1. Teach us a compendium of those
Audi dicit Dominus non dicit Donatus aut Rogatus aut Vincentius aâ—t Hilarius aut Ambrosius aut Augustinus sed dicit Dominus And Epist 112. I will not have you follow mine authority to think it necessary that you believe any thing therefore because I say it And generally abhorred by the Reformed Churches The Helvetian Confession speaks roundly and fully to this matter Quapropter non patimur nos c. Wherefore we suffer not our selves in controversies of Religion or matters of Faith to be imposed upon with the bare opinions of the Fathers or determinations of Councils much less by received customs or the multitude of persons thinking the same things or by prescription of long time We admit no other Judge of Faith than God himself pronouncing by the holy Scriptures what is true what false what is to be imbraced what not We rest in the judgments of none but such as are spiritual taken from the Word of God Harmon Conf. cap. 2. Certainly Jeremiah and the rest of the Prophets grievously condemned the Councils of the Priests instituted against the Law of God and diligently admonished that we hearken not to Fathers or go in their wayes who walking in their own inventions decline from the Law of God Before the consciences of any can be satisfied in the judgment and practice of the Fathers primitive Writers two things they had need be assured of 1. That what is handed out to them be indeed their sayings and practices whose they are pretended to be For suppose my conscience ought to be satisfied in what they say or do yet I had need be assured that what I reade or hear of their sayings or practices be indeed theirs and not the interpolations or impostures of others fraudulently mixed in their Writings and imouted to them which this Animadverter knows to be no easie matter to assure any body of The most of them have unquestionably been exposed to corruption and adulteration by them into whose hands they have fallen from whom we have received them Particular instances whereof lie near at hand to be produced were it needful Of Ignatius his Epistles some talk much that they are at least wondrously corrupted if not wholly forged and counterfeit were easie to demonstrate To mention only what you have Epist. 2. Fear and reverence your Bishop as Christ for so the holy Apostles commanded you He that obeyeth the Bishop and Presbyters is within the Altar and abides pure but he who doth any thing without the Bishops and Presbyters is without the Altar defiled in his conscience and more miserable than an Infidel For what is a Bishop but one endued with the power of Christ who is God whose prescript as man he follows and obtains Authority more sublime than all Empire and Principality And what is the Presbytery but an holy Council the Counsellors and Assessors of the Bishop And Epist 7. speaking of the same persons Amongst all men I will not say none are more excellent but none can be found so like to God c. Expressions that the simplicity of that Age was wholly ignorant of and could not entertain without a blush nor think of but with great abhorrency of spirit The like may be said of other of the Ancients Ambrose is made to speak after this rate The Episcopal honour and dignity can be by no comparisons adaequated if you compare it to the fulgor of Kings and diadem of Princes this would â—e as much beneath it as if thou shouldst compare Lead to the brightness of Gold For thou mayest see the necks of Kings and Princes bowed down to the knees of Priests c. De Dignitat Sacerd. cap. 2. And cap. 3. There is nothing in this World to be found more excellent than Priests nothing more sublime than Bishops Which those who have in the least enquired into the state of affairs in that Age will be constrained to acknowledge to be counterfeit and spurious The like may be manifested of the rest and of these in other points but that design would require a Treatise by iâ— self larger than we intend this to be But 2ly suppose things with respect to them were otherwise than we have manifested them to be and we could be ascertained that thus they said and writ thus they did and practised we had need ere our consciences could be satisfied be ascertained of one thing more viz. That in their Writings they were as the Prophets and Apostles guided by an unerring Spirit that in their practice they were to be our examples for if I am not assured that what they write is infallibly true I am not to believe it for sure it will not be pleaded that there is any obligation lies upon me to imbrace what any man saith right or wrong because he saith it and yet except I believe it conscience will not cannot be satisfied in their indoctrination Now this is infallibly false Mr. T. knows who writ retractations of a great deal he had writ before and had he lived longer we might have see more Books of retractations And this they themselves acknowledg So Austine I cannot deny but there are many things in my Works as there are in the Writings of my Ancestors which justly and with good discretion may be blamed D. 9. Negat And Anselme writes that in their Books which the Church reads many times are found things corrupt and heretical Comment in 2 Cor. Let the wise Reader peruse their Books and he shall find this true that I say The same may be said of the practice of the Fathers Of what they did we have uncertain rumours wherein they acted exorbitantly and not according to rule they are not to be heeded So that not what the Father 's said and did is sufficient to satisfie my conscience in any point but only what Jehovah speaks in the Scripture All which I say not to detract from the true worth of the Worthies of old but to manifest the weakness of Mr. T. his Assertion That it will not conduce much or be of good use to satisfie mens consciences c. wherein truly it is of no use at all not being appointed by the Lord for such an end though I deny not but to other ends and purposes it may be useful as for stopping the mouths of Adversaries who glory in the Fathers and primitive Writers as if they were all for them To remove prejudices out of the minds of people against Truth upon account of its seeming novelty c. as I said in S. T. Nor shall I at any time refuse for the manifestation of the vain brag of persons that they have all Antiquity on their side though I cannot admit of what they say into my Creed because they say it the only foundation of Faith being the infallible speakings of God in the Scriptures to debate from thence the matters in controversie with Mr. T. And doubt not but it may be made manifestly to appear that things are
did not enjoyn no not so much as permit we suppose may be clearly demonstrated from the ensuing considerations To which Mr. T. Sect. 5. 1. If by attendance on their Ministry be meant a constant and ordinary hearing of them as their ordinary Shepherds doubtless neither Christ did command nor permit his Disciples such an attendance Answ 1. Very good a constant attendment upon the present Ministers of England cannot be proved from this Scripture Christ did not permit his Disciples so to attend on the teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees 2. Own them as our ordinary Shepherds we may not for so the Scribes and Pharisees were not to be own'd by the Disciples of Christ as Mr. T. grants Wherein how much the greatness of Truth hath prevailed upon him others will judge But 3. hearing being an institution of Christ to be conformed to according to the directions given forth by him thereabout I am not able to divine by what Law or Rule I may hear a man rarely upon whose ministry if by providence I have an opportunity afforded so to do I may not more frequently constantly attend Nay 4. I am apt to think that Mr. T. by this one concession hath given away the whole of his concern in this Argument The Scribes and Pharisees might not be heard as their ordinary Shepherds by the Disciples the present Ministers of England should it be granted it were proved by this Argument lawful to hear them are not then to be heard as our ordinary Shepherds or Ministers because of any thing that is contained in this Scripture or can be deduced from it Now as such for the most part we must hear them or not at all they being imposed on us as our Parish Ministers our hearing required of us by Law is hearing them as such This by this Argument Mr. T. grants cannot be proved We produce several reasons in S. T. why we suppose Christ neither commanded nor permitted his Disciples to hear the Scribes and Pharisees 1. There are not a generation of men of whom he speaks more contemptuously and chargeth with greater enormities than he doth that generation of Scribes and Pharisees and that in this very Chapter see v. 5 23 25 27 28 29. and v. 6 7. and v. 13 15 16 19 24 26. and v. 16 17 18 33 34. And can it be imagined that Christ should have no more tenderness to poor Souls than to direct them to an attendance upon such persons as these for teachings are they likely motives to perswade or enforce any thereunto 2. Yet this is what he immediately subjoyns having said Whatever they bid you observe that observe and do To which Mr. T. These personal evils were not sufficient motives to keep them back from hearing Gods Law expounded by them Answ 1. But their exposition of Gods Law was abominable intollerable had they been guilty of no personal evils not to have been born a sufficient ground of it self to have forborn hearing them they corrupted perverted it by their expositions 2. We are in the mind Mr. T. hath not his second in the World of sober-minded men who will aver that such personal evils as those mentioned are not a sufficient Bar to hinder the attendment of Saints upon preaching or expounding of the Law by those upon whom they are to be found 3. 'T is sure a bad cause he hath undertaken the defence of that in the pursuit thereof he is forced to assert the lawfulness of heâ—ring persons that we infallibly know to be Hypocrites for Christ having told them so they knew it to be infallibly true proud men whom the Lord abhors such as shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men will not go in themselves nor suffer others such as make their Proselites worse than themselves either by their evil example or by making them more zealous for their Traditions and more bitter against the Preachers and preaching the Gospel than themselves who are blind guides preverters of Scripture such as make void the Commandments of God by their Traditions that are Serpents a Generatâ—on of Vipers that cannot escape the damnation of Hell that kill crucifie scourge persecute the Messengers of the Lord. To repeat â—o absurd a Position is confutation sufficient and honour more than enough I wonder if our Animadverter could write it without blushing Jeroboam was not to be blamed who made Priests of the lowermost of the people Our Animadverter thinks if the scum of the World and Hell get into a Pulpit with a Bible and common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book in their hand and a Surplice on their back they may lawfully be attended Tush Paul was too scrupulous and almost a Phanatick who talks of qualifications in Bishops 1 Tim. 3. 2 Tim. 2. Tit. 1. 'T is no great matter what they are so they read some Scripture and interlâ—ce it with the traditions of men persons may lawfully hear them witâ— out more adoe This is some of that Hay and Stubble that Mr. T. his Theodulia is stuft with that will one day be burnt up We add 2. 'T is not likely that Christ would command or permit his Disciples to attend upon the preaching of the Scribâ—s and Pharisees because they preached false Doctrine viz. justification by the works of the Law which was diametrically opposite to the Doctrine he preached and the work he was upon To which our Animadverter replies Christ doth not permit them to hear the Pharisees teach all the Doctrines of their Sect touching some of which he forewarns them Mat. 15. 14. 16. 12. but as they taught them the duties of Moses Law Answ 1. But if Mr. T. calls this an answer I am afraid he will not find a second in his Assertion it being indeed nothing like one The Question is Whether Christ commanded or permitted his Disciples to hear the Scribes and Pharisees We prove he did not because they preached false Doctrine another Gospel to what was preached by Christ Mr. T. answers He did not permit them to hear all the Doctrines of their Sect. But Sir the Question is Whether he permitted them to hear any at all to attend upon their preaching who were every way such Anti-Gospellarians that he should do so we conceive is not rational to imagine when the very scope of their preaching tended to the overthrow of that he came to promulgate But 2. if they were to attend them only as they taught the duties of Moses Law as he saith they were so seldom to attend them that upon search it will be found they were not to do so at all since they had so foully perverted it that upon the matter they made it another thing 3. By Mr. T. his Argument 't is lawful for persons to hear such as preach another Gospel for so did the Scribes and Pharisees Paul was out when he wisheth such accursed calls them Dogs Gal. 1. 8. Phil. 3. 2. and bids them beware of them i. e. not attending upon their preaching We add as a third