Stamp Sometimes God may happen to say to those who are so fond of those Will-worship Ceremonies who hath required this at your hands Isaiah 1.12 And to uphold this Practice they must pull it over Head and Shoulders out of the Text of the Epistle to the Philippians 6.2 10. I do not so much wonder that Papists who seldom make use of Scriptures but to wrest them would make use of the place But for Protestants who pretend and ought to know better I admire they would make use of it It is plain the Text is not literally to be understood or else Men should bow at the Name of Jesus Son of Nun or of the Son of Sirach or of Jesus called Justus then 't is said the Knee not the Head Then there is no Knees in Heaven nor none that can bow under the Earth 'T is there spoken of an Honour due to the Divinity Person Attributes and Works especially as he is our Redeemer and Saviour which is signified by the name of Jesus and if we must kneel or bow when we hear that name the like must be done when we see it written The Apostle doth not mean the Letters of the name but a most humble Submission and Obedience with a giving Praise and Glory to the Person and Commands of the Lord Jesus As to kneeling at the Sacrament I know there must be a Posture that of the time of Institution or as near it as may be must be used several Protestant Churches have different Postures when they receive it and a Care ought to be had of avoiding Superstition and keeping as far as we can from Appearances of Idolatry I confess I would not for all the World if ever beyond Seas where Papists are in a full Liberty and where Protestants receive it not on their Knees I say I would not because my Conscience would not give me leave receive it kneeling which is a Posture of Adoration for fear it were thought I partake of their Idolatry in worshipping a piece of Bread for the true natural Body now sitting at the Right Hand of the Father which thing I abhor more than Death it self But here though with a safe and even Conscience I could receive it kneeling yet may be another could not Must my Will and Practice be the Rule of another Man's Will and Practice Every one is bound to seek for the best Information he can have but when all is done every ones Conscience must be the Judge of what he doth in indifferent things that is which are neithe commanded nor forbidden in the Word of God And the true Christian Prudence is to leave such things at liberty and administer it to those sitting or standing who make scruple to receive it kneeling for 't is no Rule of Charity or Christianity for the sake of Uniformity to break Unity and the Bond of Peace And Ministers ought to have a great care not to become Instruments of Damnation to any for they who receive kneeling Rom. 14.23 and doubting as St. Paul saith are Damned Such Practices must be left for the Wicked Communion of Rome which with Fears Threatnings Sword Fire and every violent way forces People to do things contrary to their Conscience as of late in an high degree it was practised in a Neighbouring Nation and for what they did they gave this reason We know they must be Damned and as good they should be so within our Church as out of it Let them come in and believe what they please Indeed a great Evil there is amongst us That the Posture of receiving the Holy Sacrament an Ordnance of God to Seal the Pardon of our Sins and strengthen our Faith is made use of for a Trial of those who are qualified for Worldly Employments to turn it to Temporal Ends is an unaccountable Prophaneness of that Holy Institution And though without such a by Consideration I could receive it kneeling I declare if I should receive in that manner upon the account of such a Trial I could not avoid believing I had eaten and drank my Damnation All foresaid Lets and Hindrances being laid aside and a Blessed Reformation of all Abuses set a-foot and by every one in their several Stations carried on then upon good Grounds we might hope for Peace grounded upon Truth and for an Happy Success especially if in our different Capacities we would propose to our selves the Glory of God the Salvation of Souls and the Good and Advantage of Church and Country The good Laws we have to encourage Piety and Virtue and to discountenance and punish Ungodliness Vice and every unjust and sinful Practise being renewed put in execution and if any thing therein wanting supplied with new ones good Instructions good Examples good Rules in Families and Care taken by Parents and Masters to see them well observed this would take away Evil and Cursed things from amongst us The Prudence of Officers in Church and State should remedy old Inconveniencies and as much as 't is possible endeavour to prevent new ones Amongst the old ones I shall name a very palpable one which concerns both Church and State and hath been and is every day cause of Grievance and great Inconveniencies and as much as any Destructive of common Society 't is Clandestine Marriages stealing and trappanning young People into Marriages without Advice or Consent of Friends which as yet the Wisdom of our Law-givers hath found no effectual Course to prevent though daily Complaints have at several times put them upon consulting about it He who steals my Goods shall be Hang'd and he who steals my Child shall go Free And if once they be Married according to the Practice of the Church though by reason of young Age and other Considerations unable to bind themselves with such a Tie What is in part or chiefly the cause of this is the Abuse of selling Bonds of Matrimony the Dishonesty and Covetousness of a Minister to get some few Guinea's And Privileged Places by Law or Custom whereof there are too many in and about the City there People are Married in Secret let the Disparity Inconveniency Tricks and Cheats be never so great so visible or so many which to prevent it requires the Prudence Study and Authority of both Civil and Ecclesiastical Powers FINIS
c. was given in Mercy or Anger I leave to every Sober and Impartial Man to judge and whether he was taken away in Wrath I am not so positive as to determine Sure I am after his Death things were furiously carried on till they were overturned first and then restored through God's Mercy The two Brothers were Papists the one secretly the other openly yet both were prayed for as Defenders of the Faith and as our most Religious Kings who had undertaken to destroy our Religion and openly lived in Notorious Sins They who in the Church pronounced such Lyes have no cause to be satisfied with themselves for so doing The Consideration of this engages me to speak of something which is proper enough for my present purpose Almost in every Age it hath been a Trick of State for the Civil Power to strengthen their Designs with putting on the Cloak of Religion the Generality of the People have a kind of Veneration for those who have the managing of Holy Things This Roman Emperors knew very well which made them add to their Dignity the Titles not only of Consuls and Tribunes but also of Pontifex Maximus High Priest which Popes constantly take with the addition of Optimus most Good one of his Names of Blasphemy Simeon and Levi are sometimes Brethren in Iniquity * Gen. 49.5 Instruments of Cruelty the Spiritual and Temporal Swords joyned together cut very deep Popes who pretend to both think themselves for it the more considerable and thereby heretofore especially before the Reformation proved the more dangerous At first they were not in the same but in two different hands for not to speak of Constantine's Donation which now is out of doors and was long ago known for a Sham it began in the days of Phocas and Bonifacius III. Phocas had made away his Master the Emperor Mauricius whilst he laboured under a Fit of the Gout and this to make him self Emperor The other was Bishop of Rome earnestly desirous to be universal Bishop which his Predecessor Gregory the Great had so much declaimed against Phocas sent to him If you will but own me to be lawful Emperor I will make you to be owned universal Bishop within the Empire Thus they agreed to the Prejudice of those on both sides concerned against them At first the People had Right of choosing their Ministers and Church-Officers Acts 6.2 3. and the manner was with * Acts 14.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lifting up of their hands as an Approbation of him or those that were named Long time after when Hierarchy was formed Deans and Chapters eleced their Bishops as to this day 't is continued amongst Papists in most parts of Germany but in France after the Concordat or Agreement between Francis I. and Pope Leo X. they deprived of that Right the Clergy of that Kingdom the King taking upon him the Nomination and the Pope reserving for himself the Confirmation by his Bulls That here that was the manner appears by the remaining shadows of it called Congè d'Elire for he must be elected who is named by the King The same Mockery for 't is no better if true as generally said is used on the part of the elected Bishop who being asked Visne Episcopari though he hath been sueing for it and made what Interest he could to get it comes with a Lye in his Mouth Nolo Thus Corruption being crept into the Church and amongst the Officers thereof we must not wonder to see so many ill Effects and Consequences of it And I desire no Exceptions be taken against what I am about to say for no Man more than I hath greater Honour for true and worthy Ministers of the Sanctuary though none more grieved than I am at the Abuse therein committed it is to my purpose and I am going to make Application of it Our late Courts in order to carry on these ends of enlarging the Royal Authority and Prerogative went about to get on their side as many especially leading Men of the * I call them so according to Custom for else 't is an Usurpation began amongst Papists for the word Clergy or Heritage belongs to all God's People 1 Pet. 5.3 Clergy as they could the most ambitious and greedy of Preferment were the fittest for their purpose Preach saith the Court to them Monarchy to be Jure Divino not the Gospel but the Extent of Royal Prerogative Preach Non-resistance Passive Obedience the Sinfulness of not obeying or opposing any thing commanded by Supream Powers These Doctrines began to ring out of the Pulpits and Obedience to Man more than to God was pressed a Conformity to the Canons of the Church more than to the Word of God because they had the Stamp of Royal Authority What doth the Court do for this One hath a good Benefice another a Place in the University One is made a Prebend Archdeacon Dean and Bishop they that were greedy of such Places seeing this to be the way to Preferment fell into the same Road and followed the steps of those that went before so that for the Generality to be for Absolute Monarchy was in a Subject a better Qualification than Learning Virtue and Piety To such Ministers as these I say in the words of the Prophet Malachi And now O ye Priests this Commandment is for you Mal. 2.5 2. If ye will not hear and if ye will not lay it to heart to give Glory unto my Name saith the Lord of Hosts I will even send a Curse upon you and I will curse your Blessings Yea I have cursed them already because ye do not lay it to heart And so the Prophet goes on till Verse the ninth which contains these words Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the People according as ye have not kept my ways but have been partial in the Law The Court never to want such Men went further They would have Episcopacy to be Jure Divino though Bishops be the King's Creatures they promised to maintain the Church as by Law established with all Annexes and Dependences Ruin to all Dissenters but Papists which was pretty well put in Execution No Moderation in the Minds of some no opening the Mouth against Ignorant and Scandalous Ministers not an hairs breadth of any Ceremony to be dispensed with though to the overthrowing of all Rules of Christian Prudence and Charity Hence it is that some of Corrupt Principles and Practices were in Church advanced to the highest Preferments because Men-pleasers though otherwise unworthy of it and so they were Ministers of the Court more than of Christ they were thought to be sufficiently qualified if able but to promote that Interest and to be true Sons of the Church though never so much Sons of Belial and Prodigal Sons But in this too much like Papists we are pleased with specious names more than with things and are so doting upon Accidents and Formalities that we neglect the Substance
our Dross then there will be Peace and Plenty within Honour and Safety round about and God will humble our Enemies abroad To bring this good Work to an happy End Prejudices about controverted Matters must be laid aside Stumbling-blocks removed the Vail rent the Partition-wall pulled down that we may go all together into the House of God joyn in his Worship and make but one Sheep-fold And let this be taken notice of That amongst the Diffenters from the Church who own and have a Ministry by way of Office who Administer both Sacraments and are for Order and Government in the Church there is nothing whereby those who are called Church-men may justly be offended But in the Church by Law established there are several things which Dissenters think they have cause to except against So that the Ground of Church-men disliking Non-conformity is Negative that is They have not and do not act that which they would have them to do and have But the Ground of Dissenters not liking Church-mens Practice is positive that is They do and have things which they think they ought not to do nor to have And this is the State of the question between Protestants and Papists for these do believe all we do believe but we do not believe all what they believe I shall not say much about the Matters in dispute so many things having already been said and written about it only shall in few words modestly lay down some reasonable Grounds of an Agreement and Union First As to the Common-Prayer-Book under two Notions I st As to the Matter of it 2d As to the Manner of using it As to the Matter Out of it a good Liturgy could be made taking away many Superfluous Repetitions and altering several Expressions Dubious Dangerous or otherwise liable to Just Exceptions There is some Gold I mean Good things but they must own there is also Dross which ought to be purged What these things are hath been said and named at many and several times though we have some amongst us who out of Ignorance or Obstinacy take the Prayer-book to be of an equal Authority with the Holy Bible and that to read and hear it read at the appointed times is sufficient Performance of Christian Duty Nay * Abbot against Church-forsakers one of some Note hath written That all the Wit of Angels and Men can find no Fault with it A bold Assertion too positive for any Humane Book Several other things in that kind which I omit have been said by others not willing to press too far upon the Subject and I think there is enough said by the by upon the Matter of the Common-Prayer-Book only I add That the Preference therein given to the Apocrypha before some places of the Canonical to be read when the others are to be lest out is not at all to be approved Several Exceptions are taken against the Order and Distribution of several parts of the Book out of several lame and maimed parcels of Scriptures as three or four Verses of one Chapter as many of another especially in most places the leaving out that excellent and comfortable Clause of the Lords Prayer For thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory which in us raises Hopes and Confidence of being heard and that God will give us what we ask him in the six Petitions First Because he is our King Now a King grants the Just Petitions of his Subjects Secondly Because he is able to give what we ask according to Christ's direction And Thirdly Because what we ask is for his Glory Then dividing the Matter of the Prayer-book into Gospels Epistles Collects or Prayers is after the Pattern of Popish Missals and Rituals and clear out of the way of Liturgies of all Reformed Churches Secondly Several things are said against the Manner of using it as in a certain Tone or Singing way which is the Popish of the very Prayers in Cathedrals Then as to the place some at the middle of the Church others by the Altar as if there was in the Church one place Holier than the other or that God will hear us there better than here Then as to the Posture sometimes sitting then standing as if the Epistle was not the Word of God as much to be heard with a Reverence if standing be a more reverend Posture than sitting as the Gospel being both the Word of God Nay Gospel is made different from Gospel for in the first Lesson a whole Chapter being read People sit but at the second Lesson when few Verses of a Chapter of the Gospel are read then every one stands up Herein is too much of Formality and I could almost say too mimical for Christian Reformed Churches Thus the Liturgy ought to be mended so to be imposed as not to exclude Extemporary Prayers of Ministers As to the formal Ties called Church Ceremonies they ought wholly to be abolished as introducing Superstition under the name of Decency and being contrary to Christian Liberty Such is the use of Surpliss so abominably abused in the Church of Rome where 't is thought necessary when they perform their Idolatrous Worship of the Mass at the very act of Idolatry and some amongst us have been so Superstitiously inclined as to say Angels have appeared in it But let them look how they can prove out of Scripture that the * Matt. 28.3 Angels Raiment as white as Snow †Mark 16.5 that the long white Garment ‖ Luke 24.4 and the shining Garments of the two Men were a Surpliss And to say as some do that that colour is a Sign of Purity and Candor which is of it to make a Sacrament I would have those who are so much for the Surpliss to remember how fine Linen as well as Purple and Scarlet is reckoned among the Merchandise of Babylon Rev. 18.12 As to the Sign of the Cross in Baptism it is an Addition to the Sacrament None but he who hath right to Institute Sacraments may make any Addition Diminution or Alteration thereunto without Impiety or committing Sacrilege And it were to have a mean Opinion of the Lord Jesus's Divine Wisdom to think he left with his Church an Imperfect Ordnance in the Institution and none may institute Sacraments but he that can bestow the Graces thereby signified Bowing towards the Altar For so some call Improperly the Communion-Table as the Minister a Priest is very unfit for Protestants and Reformed Christians when Papists from whom 't is derived do it 'T is according to their Principle they believe Transubstantiation to be made upon such places and therefore they give them such Signs of Religious Worship But 't is very odd for us so to do who do not believe one place in the Church to be Holier than the other And what need in Cathedrals and some Chappels of Candle-sticks and unlighted Candles upon the Altars in the day-time As for bowing at the Name of Jesus it is of the same