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cause_n	authority_n	church_n	great_a	2,167	5	3.1621	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80635	Some treasure fetched out of rubbish: or, Three short but seasonable treatises (found in an heap of scattered papers), which Providence hath reserved for their service who desire to be instructed, from the Word of God, concerning the imposition and use of significant ceremonies in the worship of God. viz. I. A discourse upon 1 Cor. 14.40. Let all things be done decently and in order. Tending to search out the truth in this question, viz. Whether it be lawful for church-governours to command indifferent decent things in the administration of God's worship? II. An enquiry, whether the church may not, in the celebration of the Sacrament, use other rites significative than those expressed in the Scripture, or add to them of her own authority? III. Three arguments, syllogistically propounded and prosecuted against the surplice: the Cross in Baptism: and kneeling in the act of receiving the Lord's Supper.	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.; Nichols, Robert, Mr.	1660 (1660)	Wing C6459; Thomason E1046_2; ESTC R208022	73,042	79

scandall because it afford no hurtfull conclusion which may be naturally and necessarily thence deduced except as much and more may be deduced from some Conformities that do not use the Ceremonies so oft as the Law requireth The rayling Inferences of some malicious Papists are but meer inconsequences and do not proceed from our forbearance but from their malice 3. The use of Ceremonies ought to be free This the Law seemeth probably to import Jewel of the private Mass tract 2. div 9. in the end of his answ Stat. 13. Eliz. cap. 12 which enjoyneth subscription with this exception to the Articles of Religion which onely concern the confession of the true Christian Faith and the Doctrine of the Sacraments This practice onely limits subscription to the things expressed leaving as it may seem other things at liberty Neither was there any hurt that came to the Church of God by the free use of the Ceremonies in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's Reign Sir Edward Cook his speech at Garnet's Arraignment P. Mart. Epist cuidam in Angl. Scripta an 1559 Vide loc com p. 1225. Bucer censura Mr. Casaubon Mr. Hooker Eccles Pol. 1. Lib. 5. Sect. 67. For the space of 10 years Papists came generally to the Church but since the urging of these Rites they have not been so forward This God hath not blessed the imposing of them as the leaving of them free 4. Worthy men the maintainers of these Rites in the Dayes of King Edward viz. Peter Martyr and Bullinger upon better con-consideration did retract their Judgments Forraign Divines disallow these Rites and may not we be suffered to doubt of them 5. Since the urging of these Ceremonies these Points have sprung up for the defence of them viz. The Churche's Authority binds the Conscience That it 's not to be enquired into whether Christ be present in the Sacrament by Consubstantiation or Transubstantiation and that it doth no way hinder or further us however it standeth That relative adoration of God before a Creature with respect unto it without speciall Warrant may be lawful c. May not this breed some doubt of the quality of the cause that is by great Schollars thus maintained 6. As yet we have nothing to settle our doubting-consciences upon but th●se two Points which yet are not without some doubt 1. That the Rites imposed are indifferent 2. That in such things the Churche's or Magistrate's Authority binds the Conscience Yet are we taught that no individual Action is indifferent Thom. Mort. Apolog. Lib. 1. Cap. 47. indifferency resting in the general Nature Aquin. 1.2 18. Artic. 97. That particulares Magistratuum leges mullum habent in conscientias dominatum Whitak contra Duraeum Lib. 8. Sect. ultim That no man incurreth the guilt of Damnation but by breaking the Laws of God Dr. Pield of the Church Lib. 4. Cap. 33. to which purpose some other Worthies do write Perkin's Treatise of Conscience Cap. 2. Sect. 7. in the end If it should be said that the use of the Vail 1 Cor. 11. may afford Warrant unto us for such Rites as are in Question We are to consider That the use of the Vail was in ordinary use not in meer Ecclesiastical use Gen. 24.65 Also it was not not a Symbolicall Sign but a Natural indicant Sign of modesty This considered doth not our humble suit seem reasonable that till these Propositions be better cleared we may be foreborn 7. Resolution in matter of Ceremonies is not easy because the holy Scriptures which in weightier matters is clear is more dark in things of lesser moment So that the Media to be used in Argument either for Calvin instit Lib. 4. Cap. 10. Sect. 8. Beza Epist 24. Zanch. de operib Redemp cap. 4. de cultu ●●tern qu. 4. Dr. White 's defence p. 287. or against the Ceremonies are difficult to be found out Hence it is That from the beginning there have been great Controversies and that among the greatest in matter of Ceremonies as Bellarm. saith De effect Sacram. Lib. 2. Cap. 3. 8. Are learned Protestants deceived or not when they say Popish Ceremonies are to be condemned because there is an opinion of holiness necessity and worship annexed wherewith they are urged Or can our's be freed from this holiness or necessity seeing they are reputed religious Rites and urged under a great penalty both upon Minister and People as the Canons shew 9. Lastly If this Proposition be true that is given and agreed of by the Learned Rites of meer humane Invention of no necessary use antiently abused to Idolatry now superstitiously used among many ignorant persons are to be abolished It is a worthy labour to resolve us that our Ceremonies be not such We are taught Dr. Willet Synops 2. Gen. Contr. qu. 3. part 2. p. 110. Edit 1614. Tho Rogers his expos of the 39. artic Act. 20. pag. 101. 102. that Ceremonies to be in the Church must not be in nature impious in use superstitions for their weight not over heavy and grievous to be born that for their worthiness in the eyes of the Ordainers they be neither of an equall prize nor of more account then the Ordinances of God so as for the performance of them the Law of God must be left undone that they be not against the liberty of Christians or any way contrary to the Commandment of God but tend both to the nourishing and increase of Love friendship and quietness among Christians and retaining of God's People in God's holy fear c. FINIS

It is fitly answered saith Martyr That God gave the Law Com. places part 2. cap. 5. S. 26. not to himself but unto us so then we must follow the same neither may we bring him into order if he otherwhiles would do any thing of special Prerogative he must be suffered to do after his own will but we must obey the Law that is made Those special Precepts of God saith Ursinus did as much derogate from the second Commandment concerning Images Ursin tom de Imag. pag. 43. as that singular Commandment in times past given unto Abraham concerning the offering of his Son Isaac may be said to have detracted from the sixth Precept of the Decalogue Tert. de Idolat Of old Tertullian returned the same Answer to the like Objection Well and good saith he one and the same God both by his general Law forbad any Image to be made and also by his extraordinary and speciall Commandment willed an Image of a Serpent to be made If thou be obedient to the same God thou hast his Law Make no Image but if thou have regard to the Image of the Serpent that was afterward made by Moses then do thou as Moses did Make not any Image against the Law unless God command thee as he did Moses They add further that they were types of spiritual things which now have not place in the Church of God Certainly saith Martyr these Images had some figurative meaning Ubi supra But they were not set forth as an example for us to follow and seeing they were external things and had the Word added to them they were after a sort Sacraments of those times and it is only God and not man that can make Sacraments And in Conclusion they shut up their Answer with this Martin de 2. praec pag. 166. Martyr ubi supra That we must attempt nothing without the Commandement and Warrant of God For it is to be noted That Solomon and Moses which made the Cherubins durst not make any other they only made that which was commanded unto them by God They painted not upon the Walls the acts of Abraham nor the doings of Adam Moses or o●hers of the Fathers By all this they sufficiently declare That in their judgments the erecting of Images in the Temple for signification only without speciall Warrant from God is a breach and violation of the holy Law and Commandement of God U●s tom 2. de divis decalog Fulk Rejoyn against Martial Perk. Arm. aurea Martin ubi supra Lumb l. 4. dist 1. T. Aquin. pag. 3. q. 83. a●t 1. Jewels Apol. Angl. pag. 37. And in their Expositions upon this Commandement they teach That it condemneth all counterfeit means of Gods Worship and requireth the observation of Rites and Ceremonies prescribed by the Lord in which only we ought to rest For it becomes us not to think our selves wiser than God who would not have his Church to be instructed with dumb signs but with the lively preaching of the Word The Sacraments are Images in the eyes of all the Learned and unlawful by this Commandement had not God himself commanded them What Are they unlawfull only as seals and not as visible signs of God's Will and Pleasure Yes as signs also for a sign signifying by resemblance and an Image are equivalent and in largeness of sense but one and a sign is a sign from him that hath a power to institute it The affirmative part enjoyneth obedience to all the Worship appointed by God all which was significative Heb. 8.5 8.1 But by the nature of the affirmative we learn Therefore we may conclude that the institution of significant Ceremonies is directly contrary to the Moral Law of God and without his warrant is utterly unlawful The quality of the Negative Nullum enim signum sensib●l● potest esse causa gratiae nec illam infallibiliter signare nisi ex Domini institutione Bell. de Sac. l. 1. c. 11. Atqui in Sacramentis significare gratiam est eid●m Sacramentaliter conferre Chem. de Sac. l. 3. c. 8. 4. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin But significant Ceremonies not approved of God in his Word cannot be instituted or used in faith Man hath a twofold light given him for his guidance and direction Natural Reason and Super-natural Instruction and what cannot be determined by the former must be warranted by the other otherwise it is unlawful and consequently not of Faith But natural reason cannot determine what Ceremonies significant are meet and fit to be used in the solemn Worship of God For man hath neither power nor authority to bless nor liberty to annex any such forged or devised signs to the holy Institution nor wisdom to discern what is fit and acceptable in that kind He that is of authority to institute a sign to be the teacher of my understanding and an inciter of my devotion must be able to give vertue inherent or assistance to that which should be the cause of such effects else is the sign vain and fruitless the deviser idle and presumptuous Now man of himself can give no power to any Symbolical sign of hi● devising H●r Con●ess W●tte n. breg tit de consecrat aquae salis M●rtyr Com. Places p. 4. c. 9. Sect. 5. ●un de cult Sanct. l. 3. c. 7. n. 12. to produce such effects For the vertue of things comes either from the Word of God put forth in the first Creation or from his after-institution or from the Churches ●mpetration which obtaineth by prayer those effects of things to which they serve by God's Creation and Institution not any creating or new conception of things to supernatural uses So that what force or vertue to ends or purposes supernatural God hath not p●t into the creature that man by his institution cannot communicate unto it Things natural have indeed by creation an aptness in them to represent spiritual and some agreement with them But the determination of them to this purpose the blessing of them in this use is from Him only that gave them their first being Man cannot give any blessing to his devises Zepp de Sac●am l. 3. c. 12. Greg. 2. Nor hath he any warrant to begg Gods blessing upon them for God will not be effectual by Traditions or humane Ceremonies but by the order and mean● appointed by Himself M●tth 15.8 according to that They worship me in vain by the Precepts of men Therefore such humane ceremonies can work no true devotion no motions of heart pleasing to God no confirmation of faith or serious repentance● but only have an opinion of wisdome in voluntary worship Col. 2.23 Again What understanding is there in man to assure him that he may lawfully annex signs of his own devising to the Word and Sacraments which God hath ordained for the full instruction of his Church Levi● 10.1 Deut. 1.18 17.3 1 Reg. 16.14 2 Reg. 17.26 God hath disallowed the

in Faith Do we then leave nothing to the Arbitrament of the Church Nothings but what was left to the Power and Authority of the Jewish Church for we have a Canon as perfect a direction as exact and particular as ever they had Many honourable witnesses of God's truth have judiciously observed That Christ in holy Scripture hath not singularly and specially prescribed concerning externall Discipline and Ceremonies for that he foresaw these things were to depend upon the occasions and opportunities of times which must be determined by generall Rules given for direction in these cases whose Judgment we imbrace with reverence acknowledg consonant to the words of wholesome Doctrine so it be understood according to their true intent and meating Of matters meetly accidentall circumstan●iall or naturall concerning Discipline or Worship But thence to infer a liberty to ordain in substantial matters of Discipline significative Ceremonies whatsoever shall seem good in our own eys without the approbation and warrant of Gods Word is more than the Learned grant or the Truth it self will permit As touching the Church saith Martyr she altereth not her form Loc. Com. part 1. c. 11. Sect. 12. It is alwayes one manner of Common wealth nothing is hid from the understanding of God the Author of the Laws The Lord of the house was not inferiour to the servant in fidelity What our Saviour Christ heard and saw of the Father that he manifested to his Disciples charging them to teach the Church to observe it What they received of the Lord that they delivered in great simplicity without any addition of new doctrine to his Doctrine or of devised symbolical signs to his Signs never once intimating in their Epistles or Writings any liberty that the Church should have to multiply Rites or Ceremonies for mysticall signification and to annex them to the holy things of God And when we can neither hear from Moses Christ nor his Apostles that the forging and inventing of such observations is allowed before God what warrant can we have to bear us out therein If Cities and Towns-Corporate plead Immunities and Exemptions from the Law and assume to themselves authority to make Decrees of this or that sort being impleaded by the King's Attorney for it either they must shew their Charter to warrantize such Priviledges or incur Censure for their sawciness and presumption So they that challenge priviledg to devise significant Rites in the Worship of God and annex them to the Signs which God Himself hath established must either shew their Charter signed with the authentique Seal of the Court of Heaven or be cast in Judgment when they be impleaded at his Barr. 6. If God be the only Teacher of his Church to instruct it by Word and Sign then no Ceremonies significant may be admitted into the solemn Worship of God for doctrine and instruction but such as bear his stamp are marked with his Seal are warranted by holy Scripture For the chaste Spouse of Christ who knowes the voyce of her Beloved will not acknowledg unwritten Traditions for the Word of God But God is the only Teacher of his Church both by Word and Sign Jam. 4.12 Matth. 23.8 Act. 3.32 As the doctrine which is taught must be from above so the means whereby it is taught must be of God both he that teacheth new doctrines and he that deviseth strange means to instruct the people of God in the knowledg of the truth according to godliness doth run upon his own head Mic. 7.16 Hos 14.1 It is a truth without controversie That as to forgive sins receive into favour and bless with spiritual blessings in Jesus Christ is proper to the Lord alone so it is his peculiar Esay 7.14 38.7 to institute signs and seals of his Covenant and Mercy For none can sign a Lease who hath not power to let and demise it nor annex a seal to any promise that hath not authority to make it and to confer the good promised Jewel Treat of the Sacr. But it seems as lawful to devise new seals of Divine promises as Symbolical signs of spiritual duties seeing to teach the way to heaven and to prescribe what service man should perform to God doth belong to him that hath Power and Soveraignty of life and death who is able to save and to destroy And if we may be bold to invent signs to teach man his duty and link them to the means of God's Worship so long as they signifie no other thing but what the Scripture teacheth Bellar. de Sacr. l. 1. cap. 24. Sect. de Sacr. Why may we not bring in signs also to assure us of the truth of Gods promises when nothing is thereby assured and sealed but what is promised in the written Word As the Duty taught and the Promise confirmed are both from one Supream so the sign of Instruction and the seal of Confirmation do challenge the same authour require the same authority This will the better appear if we shall consider That signs do not become seals by any special institution whereby they are distinguished from signs in regard of the efficient cause but in respect of the thing that they are appointed to sign or signifie Signs of Divine promises are seals true or false vain or behooveful even from this that they are determined to signifie such a thing whether the Institution be of God or Man Signs of mans duty be signs only from what authour soever they have their ordination The reason is because duties are only taught not assured as duties but promises represented by signs are thereby sealed What is a seal Basting Cate. q. 66. of the Sacram. but a sign sealing up a thing promised or a print whereby a thing promised by Covenant is signed Therefore if the Church may not presume to add new seals to the promises of God but is bound to rest contented with them that are commended unto her by the Lord himself She may not devise symbolical signs in the worship of God for the instruction of her children in the wayes of holiness It may further be added That a sign is a visible word and therefore if no voyce must be heard in the Congregation but the Lords alone no teaching signs must be admitted in his worship but such as he hath licensed to speak and stand in place Syntag tom 2. l. 6. c. 38. Polanus saith Those things are impious which are directly opposed to the Commandement of God of which sort are many Traditions of the Papists as the abuse of the Lords Supper the Mass Invocation of dead men worshipping of Images the law concerning Single life Festival dayes dedicated to Saints Images made for religious uses that is that they might serve for the use of Religion either that they might be worshipped or that holy things might be represented by them or that God be worshipped by them For God willeth not this end of Images but will have