declare to the world as one that believes a Judgment to come that upon the most diligent search and careful inquiry into this matter I cannot find any plea sufficient to justifie in point of conscience the present Separation from the Church of England If there be no sufficient plea to justifie the Separation then these that by their Separation break the peace of our Church are guilty of a sin as great and dangerous as Murder in the opinion of this Reverend Person And thence we may conclude it will cry aloud for vengeance in the ears of God as Bloud doth But the Learned Dean out of his abundant desire of Union and Compassion towards Dissenters does make some Proposals of Accommodation with the soberest of them The particulars are many and not to be considered in this short Discourse In general therefore I do readily agree with the Learned Doctor Pag. 82. that the use of the Sacraments in a Christian Church ought to be most free from all exceptions and they ought to be so administred as rather to invite than discourage scrupulous persons from joyning in them and therefore I would have nothing made as a Condition of Communion but what was most clear and undoubted in the practice of the Ancient and Catholick Church or evidently deduced from the Word of God and generally held lawful by the greatest part of sober Divines in all Ages But I do not see we can agree to the taking away of the ancient Constitutions and Ceremonies of the Primitive Catholick Church without great scandal to many sober Christians and weakning of out cause and giving great advantage to the Adversaries of the Roman Church which the Reverend Dean does very excellently set forth pag. 4. of his Preface It is of mighty consequeuce for preventing the return of Popery that men rightly understand what it is For when they are as much afraid of an innocent Ceremony as of real Idolatry and think they can worship Images and adore the Host on the same grounds that they may use the sign of the Cross or kneel at the Communion when they are brought to see their mistake in one case they will suspect themselves deceived in the other also For they who took that to be Popery which is not will be apt to think Popery it self is not so bad as it was represented and so from want of right understanding the differences between us may be easily carried from one extreme to another For when they find the undoubted practices of the ancient Church condemned as Popish and Antichristian by their Teachers they must conclude Popery to be of much greater Antiquity than really it is and when they can trace it so very near the Apostles times they will soon believe it settled by the Apostles themselves For it will be very hard to persuade any considering men that the Christian Church should degenerate so soon so unanimously so universally as it must do if Episcopal Government and the use of some significant Ceremonies were any parts of that Apostacy Which is a matter so incredible that those who can believe such a part of Popery could prevail so soon in the Christian Church may be brought to believe that many others did So mighty a prejudice do the Principles of our Churches enemies bring upon the Cause of the Reformation And those who forgo the testimony of Antiquity as all the Opposers of the Church of England must do must unavoidably run into insuperable difficulties in dealing with the Papists which the Principles of our Church do lead us through For we can justly charge Popery as an unreasonable innovation when we allow the undoubted Practices and Government of the ancient Church for many ages after Christ The use of the Cross and Surplice and other Orders of the Church being then of undoubted Antiquity in the Christian Church to take them away to satisfie our Dissenters who count them Popish and Superstitious is to undervalue the Piety of the primitive Fathers and will expose us to the just reproaches of the Church of Rome and harden the Dissenters in their former belief Whereas if the Testimony of Antiquity be of so great moment to uphold the Authority of our Church we ought rather to be immovable in adhering to ancient Customs that we may teach the Papists that 't is Novelty not Antiquity that we reject in them and to root out of the minds of the Dissenters that foolish persuasion that signficant Ceremonies are superstitious which can never be done otherwise than by shewing that they must condemn the Catholick Church in the purest Ages upon the same account and expose our Religion to the extravagant Fancies of every conceited Humorist and so drive away many sober men from our Communion To keep up then the Reverence of Antiquity and preserve the Honour of the Reformation we must not take away the use of the Cross and Surplice and other Orders of our Church which are of such undoubted Antiquity and universal practice in the Catholick Church And as for Toleration the same Reverend Author does say pag. 79. It will be found impossible to root out Popery where Toleration is allowed which he does there shew with demonstrative reasons But because some are apt to think a limited Toleration of some sort of men may be granted without any harm It is to be considered First if Schism be such a grievous crime as to be as great and dangerous as Murder how can Toleration be granted to so great a sin without bringing the guilt of the Bloud of Souls upon our Nation Secondly if Schism be a sin of so heinous a nature what a dangerous thing will it be to lay such a stumbling block before the common people as to grant a Toleration of those Preachers who are Masters of Insinuation to seduce the weak and ignorant into such a destructive Separation Therefore when all is done the onely probable way of an Happy Union is by setting aside all thoughts of Toleration or Comprehension upon any other Principles than the Word of God as it has been interpreted by the Rules and Customs of the Ancient and Catholick Church and in them all sober Protestants and devout Christians when they come to understand them will readily agree For this was the principle upon which Luther and the Protestants in Germany began the Reformation witness the Augustane Confession chap. 21. We do not despise the consent of the Catholick Church neither is it our intention to bring into the Church any new Opinion unknown to the Holy Church neither will we patronize any wicked or seditious Opinions which the Catholick Church has condemned For we were not led to embrace this Doctrine by any evil concupiscence but compelled to it by the Authority of the Word of God and of the ancient Church And what these Rules are concerning our present Circumstances the foregoing Discourse will clearly shew but will more fully appear in my former Treatise of The Original of all Plots
A Serious Inquiry Into the Means of an HAPPY UNION OR What Reformation is Necessary to prevent Popery and to avert God's Judgments from the Nation Written upon the occasion of the FAST and humbiy offered to the Consideration OF THE PARLIAMENT By WILLIAM SAYWELL D. D. Master of Jesus College in Cambridge LONDON Printed by A. G. and J. P. and are to be sold by Rand. Taylor near Stationers Hall 1681. A Serious Inquiry Into the means of an Happy Union CHAP. I. My Lords and Gentlemen YOU having made an Address to His Majesty to proclaim a Publick Fast throughout the whole Nation all good men ought to hope your intentions are in a Christian way to appease Gods anger that has been kindled against us and to pursue such Methods as may prevent those heavy Judgments that hang over our heads and therefore I may presume that you will readily embrace any Proposals that shall be offered you out of Gods Word to shew the Causes and Remedies of our Distractions Two things generally are designed in such Fasts 1. An Humiliation under the Sins that have been the cause of those Judgments under which we groan 2. A Supplication for Direction and Assistance to find out and pursue those means and ways which will prevent the Punishments that God does threaten us withall That 't is Sin that does bring confusion and desolation to a People is plain by the threatnings and judgments of God that we read of throughout the Old Testament where are innumerable instances of Gods severe punishments inflicted upon his own People for their transgressing of his Commandments and S. Paul does tell us 1 Cor. 10.6 These things were our examples to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted And they are written for our admonition ver 11. That by avoiding the sin we may also escape the punishment But I need not prove this since your desiring of a Fast is an acknowledgment of your belief thereof The next thing will be to inquire what sins they are for which God does thus shew his indignation against us Now in reckoning up these sins every Party will follow their own inclinations and be sure to acquit themselves and lay all the blame upon their Adversaries Thus a Papist will say all these mischiefs come upon us because we have forsaken the Roman Catholick Church The Presbyterians and Independents because by enacting the Observation of Ceremonies and requiring Declarations and Subscriptions which they will not take we have silenced so many Godly Ministers and scandalized other serious Christians An Anabaptist and a Quaker will say it comes for persecuting the People of God Others again will say and with more reason that God is angry with our Nation for that general Contempt of his Commandments whether it be in open profaneness and neglect of all Religion or else in the licentious profession of an erroneous Faith and Worship to the great distracting of many sober and well meaning People That I may rightly state the whole matter I will reduce the publick sins of the Nation to four heads which I suppose will contain the chiefest things whereby God is provoked to shew his displeasure against us these are Heresie Schism Ignorance and Profaneness Heresie in denying one or more necessary Truths of the Gospel Schism in breaking the Unity of Christs Body Ignorance in not taking pains to come to the Knowledge of Truth and Profaneness in acting contrary to their Knowledge and Profession CHAP. II. THat Heresie is a crying sin Heresie and Schism damnable sins that will bring Gods Judgments upon a People where it is publickly allowed is plain because it is a sin that God has threatned with damnation Gal. 5.20 amongst other sins Heresies are reckoned and of them all 't is said They that do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God Titus 3.10 A man that is an Heretick after the first and second admonition reject knowing that such a one is subverted and sinneth being condemned of himself And S. Peter says 2 Pet. 2.1 There shall be false teachers who shall privily bring in damnable heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction We are further taught wherein this Heresie doth consist 2 John ver 9. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God And 2 Thess 1. 7 8 9. The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction So that not onely sinning against the natural light of Conscience or that Religion and Persuasion that a man is convinced of but transgressing the known Doctrine of Christ and disobeying the Gospel is a damnable sin and the publick permission thereof will bring destruction to a Nation Schism Schism a damnable sin that is another damning sin and the open allowance of it must bring Judgment upon a Nation Gal. 5.20 where the word is rendered Seditions it does as properly signifie Schisms also and then of them 't is said They which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God Again Rom. 16.17 Mark those which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them for they that are such serve not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own bellies and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple And S. Jude tells us of those that under the Gospel perished in the gainsaying of Core Jude v. 11. And that we may know what sort of men they are he adds ver 19. These be they which separate themselves sensual having not the Spirit I need not go about to prove that Ignorance of the Gospel and Profaneness are damning sins Ignorance and Profaneness damnable sins and consequently will bring Gods Judgments upon the Nation Now all these four sins follow one from another the first is Heresie or False Persuasion contrary to the truth of the Gospel that as it is damnable alone so it will lead men into Schisms and Divisions and they will make men negligent and careless and that will necessarily keep them in ignorance and make them forget both God and their duty and then the next step is to Profaneness So that to keep out Profaneness we must banish Ignorance and to prevent Ignorance we must quiet Schisms and Distractions and to silence them we must take away Heresies and False Opinions by instructing men in sober knowledge of the Truth and keeping out all Heretical and Schismatical Seducers The first thing then to be set about in order to appease Gods anger is to establish sound and true Religion and prevent the spreading of Heresie and False Doctrine which will unavoidably bring Schism Ignorance and Profaneness For 't is a certain truth that ignorant and profane persons do and will shelter
are peaceably settled according to the publick Order of the Church the pretence of the Peoples Negative cannot free men from obedience or excuse their Schism in departing from them But secondly all that right the People can pretend to is transferred to their Representatives in Parliament who have in their Laws confirmed all the Bishops and Clergy now in possession by their Authority and so they are settled by the Peoples consent likewise and therefore in all respects whatsoever our Clergy are undoubted Ministers of Christ and all within their charge must own them for such and submit to their Authority But the Parliament may alter these Laws and give the People a Negative I will not dispute what they may or may not do in this matter they having formerly made Laws to confirm those Ministers that are already they have undoubted right from the Peoples consent likewise if that does avail any thing and therefore as long as those Ministers live in the Orthodox Profession of true Religion they will be Schismaticks that disobey them That there is an open flagrant Schism is plain and the guilt of this must lie somewhere it cannot possibly be charged upon the Bishops and Clergy and the Church of England for they go on upon the same Rules and Methods that they did before 41 when there were few of these Nonconformists and separate Congregations and according to the order of the whole Christian Church therefore the Crime must wholly lie upon those who run away from their own Ministers and heap to themselves Teachers and Disciples contrary to the Command of Christ and the Law of his Church But they will say They are not the Schismaticks but the Bishops and Clergy by imposing unlawful Ceremonies which they cannot submit to as the use of the Surplice and an Aerial Cross and therefore must keep Coventicles of their own Suppose the Church was mistaken in the imposing these Ceremonies what Authority can they have to keep Conventicles Since they are but private men a private Worship in their own Families is all that they can pretend to exercise but that can be no Warrant for them to assemble in publick Congregations and seduce others from their obedience to their lawful Teachers As for the Ceremonies they are no other than the whole Church of God in the purer times did observe and practise For the Surplice S. Jerom upon Ezek. Of the Surplice 42. says The Divine Religion hath one habit in the Ministry and another in common use and conversation And against the Pelagians lib. 1. c. 9. What offence I ask is it against God if I wear a more pure garment If the Bishop Presbyter and Deacon and the rest of the Ecclesiastical Order do go with a white garment when they administer about holy things Take heed O ye Clergy take heed O ye that are devoted to an holy life ye Widows and Virgins you are in danger from these Pelagian Hereticks unless the common people do behold you in sordid and in ragged Woollen Apparel So that they were the Pelagian Hereticks that quarrelled against the use of the Surplice of old for which S. Jerom does deride their folly and madness Concil 4. Carthag c. 41. 't is decreed that A Deacon in the time of his oblation or reading onely should wear a white garment From whence we may very well conclude that Bishops and Priests likewise had a peculiar Habit in their sacred Administrations Theodoret in his History lib. 2. c. 23. does make mention of an holy Garment given by Constantine to Macarius the Bishop when he adorned the Church of Jerusalem that he should wear it at the time of the Administration of holy Baptism And that this holy Garment being afterwards worn by a Stage-player as he was dancing in it he fell down and died Which instances do further prove there were used distinctive Habits in the Primitive Church in the time of the sacred Administration And for the use of the sign of the Cross Antiquity is much more full Of the sign of the Cross that one would wonder how men can neglect much less blame a thing which the godly Martyrs and ancient Fathers did so much use and glory in Tertull. de Coron Mil. c. 3. At every progress and motion c. we sign our foreheads with the sign of the Cross S. Cyprian ep 55. Let the forehead be fortified that the sign of God may be kept secure S. Jerom upon Ezek. 10. In the ancient Hebrew Letters which the Samaritans use at this day the letter Thau is of the figure of a Cross which is made in the forehead of Christians and often signed with the hand S. August tract 11. in Joan. If we say to a Catechumen Do you believe in Christ He answers I believe and signs himself with the Cross of Christ He carries it in his forehead and is not ashamed of the Cross of Christ And in 118. Unless the sign of the Cross be applied whether it be to the foreheads of the Believers or to the water by which they are regenerated or to the Sacrifice viz. in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper by which they are nourished none of them is rightly performed S. Chrysost Hom. 54. in Matth. All things amongst us are performed with the sign of the Cross If any be to be regenerated that is baptized the Cross is used if he be to be nourished with mystical food if he be to be confirmed and whatever else every where the symbol of our victory is at hand And for this cause we make the sign of it with a great deal of care upon our houses and upon our walls and upon our doors upon our foreheads and upon our minds It were easie to bring many more instances of the primitive usage of the Cross but these are sufficient But I will add some few Histories to shew how God himself did miraculously from Heaven encourage the Christians in the use thereof And the first shall be that renowned representation of the Cross in the Heavens made to Constantine before his Army Vide Euseb in vita Const l. 1. Socr. l. 1. c. 1. with this Inscription joyned to it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By this overcome at which the Emperour and the whole Army were astonished and wondered what it should mean But while he doubted and reasoned in his mind about it be fell asleep and in his dream Christ seemed to appear to him with the sign that was seen in the Heavens and commanded him to make a representation of the sign that appeared to him and to use it as a defence against the Conflicts of his Adversaries which when he awoke he declared to his Friends and caused Crosses to be made of Gold and precious stones Gregory Nazianzen tells another remarkable story of a miraculous appearing of a Cross in the Heavens Greg. Naz. orat 2. adv Jul. in the days of Julian the Apostate who encouraged the Jews to rebuild their Temple at