correspondence any light or loose behaviour with known Adulterers or persons strongly suspected of that Wickedness Under the Law God strictly prohibited such things unto his People which were in themselves lawful enough though not necessary because they were observed by their idolatrous Neighbours See read consider and compare at leisure Levit. 19.27 28. 21.5 6. Deut. 14.1 2. with Isa 15.2 Jer. 48.37 9.26 25.23 49.32 according to the import of the Original noted in the margent of your larger Bibles at these three last Texts and Deut. 12.30 they are charged by him not to ask or enquire How did these Nations being idolatrous serve their gods that I may do so likewise And in the New Testament Christ insisteth upon the practice of the Gentiles as an argument to disswade his Disciples from taking thought for outward things For after all these things do the Gentiles seek c. Mat. 6.32 Besides for Saints to borrow of a superstitious wicked and idolatrous Generation Enemies unto God and to all that truly love and fear him a Model or Platform of Worship to be presented unto him by which they have in conjunction with other unhallowed Artifices supported nourished and kept up an Antichristian Interest for a long time in the World when as they the Saints have the manifold Wisdom of God before them in the Scriptures and may have his Spirit also for the asking to direct and teach them how to worship and serve him acceptably from time to time must needs in the eye of Reason it self be spiritually unnatural and most unbecoming those who pretend to the high honour and dignity of being Children of Light The Apostle Paul pleads this twice together by way of bar to the eating of things offered unto Idols by Christians The Earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof 1 Cor. 10.26 28. The connexion of this reason with that which he desires to perswade unto by it is this It is most unworthy the Sons and Daughters of God to defile themselves with eating the Devils meat that which hath been sacrificed and given unto him whereof he hath no great plenty neither whenas their Father is Lord and Owner of a world of Provisions clean and wholesome wherewith they have no cause to fear or doubt but that he will sufficiently supply them And of those who did or should presume to eat of the Devils portion he demandeth argumentatively and with great earnestness and vehemency of spirit thus Do we provoke the Lord unto Jealousie that is to the fiercest of his displeasure against us Are we stronger than he meaning otherwise that we are not like to escape the severity of his anger if we continue so to provoke him 1 Cor. 10.22 Is it not altogether as ill consistent with the Wisdom Honour and Peace of Believers in these days to be found of that Worship which hath been devised contrived formed and fashioned no man knows by what Rule nor by whose Directions by men justly given up by God unto strong delusions and to believe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Lie of Lies 2 Thes 2.11 and to walk in abominable Idolatries as Peter speaketh whenas God in and by the Scriptures and supplies of his Spirit hath vouchsafed unto them means and opportunities in abundance to inable themselves to worship him with a Worship pure and clean no ways charged or encumbred with any suspicion or jealousie of Satans interposure with the least of his Fingers in the moulding and framing of it That which is commonly pretended to hide the baseness of the Parentage or Original of the Liturgy impleaded is but a vail that is transparent and easily seen thorow by those that are willing to examine it and look a little narrowly into it For the Martyrs and other pious and learned men in whose weakness the importune Commenders and Obtruders of this Liturgy our apocryphal Lord Bishops with those that are younger Brethren in the same iniquity with them do so much glory for advantage sake as if they were the Fathers or Compilers of it the truth is they were neither so nor so unless in a diminutive sense onely and that which is not much considerable for their purpose And if they had been as desirous to honour those Martyrs and pious men they speak of as they are to exalt themselves they should with the good Sons of Noah have cast some covering over their nakedness and not publish it upon all occasions as now they do unto the world with an intent to cover or rather to justifie their own by it Some afterwards Martyrs and other good men were indeed the Authors of our English Liturgy as such I mean as English and haply as wanting many strains of that gross Superstition Error and Idolatry which are sound in the Latin Mass-Book and likewise as having some few things of lesser moment added and inserted by way of accommodation to the Civil State the Romish yoke as well in Civil as Ecclesiastick affairs having been newly cast of by it Nor do I doubt but that much may be pleaded and this very Christianly for the justification of those worthy and good men in respect of the uprightness of their hearts the honesty and sincerity of their intentions in the Work who by a little refining of the said Popish Devotions and by altering the property of the Language wherein they were written thought they might make them commodious enough for English Protestants yea and probably they might suppose that when they brought the Service of God such as it was and they it seems esteemed it such as by a little purgation might be cleansed from all the noysom dregs of Popery and so become lawful out of an unknown Tongue into a Language which the People understood they had in a good sence brought light out of darkness and so might be well apaid in their Consciences with their Work But though it be granted that they were persons of eminent worth both for their Piety and Learning yet questionless they were no Prophets or else the spirit of Prophecy failed them in reference to the event and consequence of their Common-Prayer-Book Atchievement For had they so much as once dreamed that this Book would prove such a Root of Bitterness unto the Nation as it is too well known it hath been that it would create those sad distempers those divisions distractions tumults and confusions whereby both sin and sorrow have been abundantly encreased amongst the inhabitants of the Land or that it would be an Engine in the hands of men of unmerciful high-imposing Spirits wherewith to rack the Consciences and wreck the Comforts Liberties Estates c. of many thousands of the Saints and dear Children of God in the Nation being at this day employed and like to be employed in these bloody executions unless the Righteousness of God will please to restrain the remainder of the wrath of men Had I say the good men we speak of but once dreamed of those
as you may presume of all their appurtenances and pre-requisites as 1. Episcopacy the Pillar and Ground-work of all 2. Of Penal Impositions of them without which they would not be suffered to live where the light of true Christianity shineth 3. Of subjection to the Comâ—ands of Authority whether with scruple or without a Principle that will enable men to swallow them though they be Camels with severall other Hierarchical notions and devices necessary for the supporting of that frame this Champion I say of Liturgies who alloweth us not the liberty of calling him by his Name yet insulteth with this Argument over all that opposeth him in his way That Service of God which is consonant to holy Scripture is lawful The Service of God performed by a Prescribed Liturgie is consonant to holy Scripture Ergo. This Syllogism were it narrowly sifted how much dross would be found in it Both Propositions being ambiguous and speaking nothing distinctly the whole Argument amounts to nothing unless it be a snare to catch the unwary and less considerate For the Philosophers Rule is true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not to signifie one thing distinctly and with determination is to signifie nothing Let us touch a particular or two in either Proposition In the Major 1. The word lawful signifieth both that which is lawful simply or in the nature of it and circumstances secluded or that which is lawful in the practique of it where circumstances alwayes have to do and many times render that unlawful in the doing or to be done which in the nature of it was lawful enough and might have been lawful also in the Practise We shall not need to give Instance the Notion is common and clear So then this Proposition That Service of God which is consonant to the holy Scripture is lawful may be true in the former sence of the word lawful and yet false in the latter which yet questionless is the sence of the Syllogizer for he argues for the lawfulness of the use or practise of the Service he speaks For that Service of God which is really truly and in it self consonant to holy Scripture may be distonant and contrary hereunto in the judgment and conscience of those on whom it is imposed and so the use of it during this state of their judgment unlawful unto them There are other circumstances besides this now mentioned which may render even such a Service of God as is consonant to holy Scripture unlawful to be practised But we shal leave these at present to exercise the Thinking faculty of the Disputer Only I desire leave to put this Question to him at this turn Whether it being supposed that the Service of God contained in the Liturgy of Basil Gregory or any of those now used in many of the Reformed Churches is as consonant to the holy Scripture as that set forth in the English Service-Book is notwithstanding lawful to be used by the Ministers of this Nation If not for I presume he will appear on the denying hand then is there some-what more than a consoâ—ancy to holy Scripture required to make the Service of God LAWFUL in the practique of it and this in the judgement of this Argumentator must be the Command of that Authority within the Jurisdiction of which it is performed A worthy Position the Consequences whereof I wish he would seriously and unpartially compute at his leisure But 2. Neither is this expression or phrase consonant to the holy Scripture free from ambiguity in the sense meaning of it as the Episcopal dialect hath enlarged its signification For they who are wont to plead for an imposition of Liturgies and Ceremonies call that which is not contrary to the express letter of some particular prohibition or other in the Scripture consonant to the Scripture as well as that which is agreeable to some express command there Now then if by consonant to holy Scripture he only means not repugnant or not contrary to some express prohibition in holy Scripture his Proposition is broadly repugnant unto the Truth For it hath been formerly proved from the holy Scripture that in matter of Worship not to be commanded and to be prohibited are of a like consideration before God Therefore that Service of God which is consonant to the holy Scripture only in that Episcopally-appropriate sence of the phrase is not upon such an account lawful And that this is or must be his sense of the said phrase or expression is evident from hence because otherwise his Argument would have nothing to do with his Cause For certain it is That prescribed Liturgies or the Service of God performed by them are not consonant to holy Scripture in the other sence of the phrase that is are neither formally or expresly nor yet virtually or consequentially commanded there Thus we see the Major Proposition of the Grand Sylegism in the Grand Debate is homonymous captious and fallacious which is enough to lay the credit of the Argument managed in it in the dust Yet neither is the Minor better conditioned if not worse For 1. Here we have our double-tongu'd expression again Consonant to holy Scripture So that here is lying in wait also for those that do not look well about them 2. These words a Prescribed Liturgy are as double-minded as those other For they may signifie either a Liturgie only penned or drawn up in a method or form of words and phrases and proposed to be used direction wise in or about the Service of God or else a Liturgy imposed by Authority under civil mulcts and penalties The word Prescribed is and may be taken either in the one or in the other of these significations Though in the former sence of the words the Proposition should be admitted yet in the other it will make Anti-Scriptural Divinity For The Service of God performed by an IMPOSED Liturgy is as hath been formerly proved so far from being consonant to holy Scripture that the high displeasure of God is here revealed from Heaven against it But enough of this in the Premises Yet 3. And lastly Suppose we should be so prodigal as to give away all we have in exception against both this and the former Proposition which amounts as we have found by computing it to be no small summe and so grant Conclusion and all and all in the Disputers own sence so that this be not too unreasonably exorbitant from his words yet should we not hereby gratifie him at all in the beloved of his soul the English Service-Book For when he saith in this latter Proposition The Service of God performed by a prescribed Liturgie is consonant to holy Scripture I cannot think that by A Liturgie he meaneth any Liturgie whatsoever or that is possible to be invented by men although the expression whatsoever his meaning be is not competent or workman-like but such a Liturgie which shall contain nothing in it either in matter or form contrary to any precept or direction found in
please another For who or what shall hinder them For if God hath given unto them a grant for such unpositions doubtless he hath not limited or confined them in this grant unto one Form only not hath he prescribed any one Form determinately which it shall be lawful for them to impose and not any other Such a conceit as this never I suppose entred into any of those heads which belong unto the hearts out of which the sad Doctrine of Impositions do proceed Therefore if Kings and Magistrates may impose their Impositions oâ— Forms of Worship imposed may be as numerous as the Idolatrous Altars of Israel were of old which are compared to heaps of stones gathered up and laid in rowes in the surrows of the field Hos 12.11 Yea if they shall vary and change their Forms never so often as suppose every day in the year especially if they see cause as very probably they may if they look narrowly or shall imagine or think they see cause so to do who can justly reprove them for it They may in Scripture phrase shake not the Earth only but also Heaven as oft as they please they may distuâ—b and amuâ—e the World with Mutations and Changes in the Worship of God without end Whereas God himself hath given security unto the World That he will not alter the terms of his Worship declared in the Gospel or ever impose any new Model or Form hereof upon the children of men whilst the World standeth And whereas he interpreteth this saying of his Yet once more I shake not the Earth only but also Heaven in the notion of a Promise But now he hath PROMISED saying c. Heb. 12.26 there is little question but that part of the Grace or good thing here promised consisteth in this that he will once more only or but once more shake the Heavens these restrictive praticles but only c. being frequently omitted and left to be understood By shaking the Heavens he meaneth the dissolving or removing the present external frame or form of Religion or of his Worship together with the great commotions or high workings in the mindes and consciences of men that would ensue hereupon But enough in answer to the second Argument Thirdly Some plead aloud and with no small confidence for the joynt-interest of the Christian Magistrate with God himself in imposing Forms of Worship by an Argument to this effect That which is lawful may be lawfully commanded or imposed by the Civil Magistrate But the Worship of God performed by stinted Forms if these be consonant to the Scriptures is lawful Therefore such Worship as this may be lawfully imposed by the Magistrate To both Propositions I answer in their order To the former 1. By distinguishing and explaining in what sence and how far it is to be admitted 1. It is not lawful for the Magistrate to command very many things which may notwithstanding be lawfully done by those that are commanded A single man may lawfully marry or marry such or such a mans daughter but the Magistrate cannot lawfully command him to do either the one of the other So a man may lawfully give the one half of his goods unto the poor as Zacheus did yet the Magistrate cannot lawfully impose this upon any man Such cases as these are without number Therefore it is but a lame consequence It is lawful for a man to pray or worship God by a set Liturgie or stinted Form of Prayer therefore it is lawful for the Magistrate to impose this upon him 2. Some things simply and indefinitely considered and circumstances secluded may be lawful the property of the lawfulness whereof may be altered by circumstances one or more intervening It is a rule approved and made use of by a late learned Bishop of this Land Quod licitum est mutatur ex superveniente causâ That which is lawful may be changed and become unlawful by means of some circumstance coming in the way and lighting on it This hath been explained and argued formerly Marriage or a married life simply and in it self considered is lawful for men But if men be either Eunuchs from the womb or made such by men as our Saviour speaketh to them it is not lawfull and other circumstances besides these may render it unlawful unto others Stinted Forms of Prayer in themselves unto some men under some circumstances may be lawful yet the use of them especially the constant use of them to some other men may be unlawful as particularly unto those upon whom God hath poured out the Spirit of Prayer upon such tearms that by the exercise hereof they are inabled to glorifie God more than themselves and many worthy Ministers are by their gifts of preaching As though men that are impotent in their limbs or lame may use crutches for their support or relief in going Yet it had been very sinful for those who by the special savour and power of God were either by Christ or his Apostles perfectly restored unto the use of theis limbs to have either neglected or concealed the grace of God vouchsafed unto them in that kind by walking upon Crutches afterwards Yea it had been unlawful for the Council or any Magistrate to have commanded them thus to do So that things that are simply and in themselves lawful but unto some men are and unto others may by circumstances become unlawful cannor lawfully by a general command at least and which shall equally and without exception exact obedience from all men be commanded by the Magistrate and consequently the use of set Forms of Prayer though lawful in it self cannot lawfully be thus commanded by him 3. And lastly for the Proposition in hand Things that are meerly and only lawful or in such a sence as things lawful are opposed unto or diâ—â—inguished from things that are expedient as the Apostle himself opposeth them 1 Cor. 6.12 and 10.23 doubtless are not in whole or in part the object of the Magistrates Authority nor can lawfully be commanded by mâ—n The reason is because the Power and Authority of a Magistrate is too serious solemn and sacred an Ordinance of God to busie or imploy it self about trisles or impertinencies or things of no concernment to the benefit or good of those under him The Apostle speaking of the Magistrate He is saith he the Minister of God to thee for GOOD that is for thy good or thy wealth as the former translation had it He hath no Deputation or Commission from God to use his Authority or Power for the gratification oâ—hâ—s own humour or fancy as by trying conclusions upon thee whether thou wilt obey him in doing such or such things at his command which have no reasonable tendency either to his good or thine or any other mans No the tenour of his Commission ingageth him to impose only such things upon thee by his Authority which have a natural and direct tendency to the benefit and welfare of the State in which thou
Debater prophanely enough praseth tâ— For to acknowledge a gift of Prayer in any man is unto these men as the shadow of Death is but fuel to feed the evil hâ—mour of pride vain-glory c. therefore it is better denied then granted unto them But would they who thus argue be content upon the credit of their Argument to be denied the possession and enjoyment of their great places of Power and Domination in the Church or of their luxuriant Revenues For doubtless these are a kind of fewel more apt and dangerous to feed the fire of Pride Ambition Lordliness and Cruelty in them Or do they think it better for them that God by some stroke of Sickness or the like should deprive them of their Memories Wits Understandings Learning c. because they may make fewel of them to feed and nourish the sinful humours of Pride and Vain-glory then that he should grant unto them the liberty of using and enjoying them The notion of Truth in this Verse is too hard for the Argument Nil prodest quod non laedere possit idem There is no profitable thing But what may hurt and damage bring 2. The loveliness of Uniformity and Consent amongst Ministers united under the same Civil Government ravisheth the Judgments of some into an high approbation of Liturgies and Forms of Prayer imposed But may not Ministers be uniform and consenting in Doctrine unless they all preach and this constantly one and the same Sermon verbatim Or would it argue that the Metropolitan and his Diocesan were at odds if in case THEY should happen to preach the one should take his Text out of St. Paul the other out of St. Peter Apagè quisquilias 3. Our Grand Debater tells us sad Stories of men whose names for their most admired and rare faculties in extemporary Praying might have been None-such and who for their horrid and unparallel'd wickedness and blasphemies likewise need not have changed this name Of both these characters compassing the Earth to and fro he findes three men in Germany one Swenckfield a notorious Arch-Heretick in England one Hacket a Blasphemer in Muscovia John Basilides Duke of this Country who it seems was an horrid Hell-Hound For these wicked mens sakes conceived Prayer must be cast out of the Church as a menstruous Cloth and Liturgies and Forms of Prayer imposed like fine pure white shining Linen brought into the Church in its stead Similes habeat labra lactucas Like Cause like Plea A carnal Interest I see is as bad as a Gift which as the Scripture saith blindeth the Eyes of the Wise Otherwise a man of his Parts and Learning would never have leaned on such a broken Reed as this which pierceth his own hand For is not this reasoning of the same calculation or rather of a far better Bishop John the thirteenth was a man monstrously vicious guilty of the foul crimes of Incest Murther Perjury Extortion and what not Bishop Silvester the second was a Sorcerer and compacted with the Devil for his Bishoprick Bishop Hildebrand was a most wicked and reprobate Monster a Necromancer a Conjurer a Murtherer a man of whose villanies Histories are ashamed All these were Bishops of one and the same See and this called Apostolical And besides these three there have been seven times three more Bishops also of the same See equal unto these in ways and practices of all kinds hateful and abominable in the sight of God and men And how many others of the Episcopal Investiture in other parts of the World have been evil Beasts idle Bellies Pests and Vipers where they have had to do who is able to conceive or comprehend Therefore down with the Hierarchy down with it even to the ground and let the place of it in the Church know it no more but let Pastors and Teachers govern the Churches of Christ in its stead Will the Gentleman acknowledge any concluding force in such an Argument as this Yet evident it is that it hath ten times more strength in it for the removal of Episcopacy out of the Church then his reasoning hath against conceived Prayer Because Satan sometimes transformeth himself into an Angel of Light is it any reason why an Angel of Light indeed should if it were possible transform himself into some dark and dull Creature But doubtless such Arguments as these will never bring Liturgies into nor conceived Prayers out of request Yet there is one Argument more wherewith the Friends of Liturgy-Devotion imposed please themselves not a little in their way This we shall take into a little consideration and herewith conclude The Plea is this That not the use onely but the imposition also of Liturgies and Forms of Prayer however now quarelled by some amongst us have been allowed and practised in the Christian Church anciently yea and are at this day admitted and practised in many if not in all the Reformed Churches abroad I shall not enlarge the discourse either with an examination of the truth of what is here affirmed or in weighing the validity or pertinency of the pretences in case they should be found Realities and Truths otherwise then as I find them ready weighed to my hand in the Ballance of the Sanctuary Onely these two things by the way 1. That I do not believe the imposition of Liturgies to be so ancient amongst Christians as seems to be suggested in the Plea 2. That I know that the Liturgies if they must be so called which are used in other Reformed Churches taste much more savourly of the Reformation then that imposed upon us When our Saviour prophesieth thus Every Plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be plucked up by the Roots Mat. 15.13 he clearly supporeth that Practices and Opinions in the Church which are not pleasing unto God because not of his planting may not onely spring up and get in hither and find place here but a so take rooting that is may work and wind into and as it were wrap themselves about the Judgements and Consciences yea and insinuate into the affections alâ—o not onely of multitudes of the common or meaner sort of men but even of many pious learned and great men likewise for without this they could never take such deep and fast rooting as is here intimated they may Now this rooting of the Plants we speak of in the Church supposeth a possibility or rather a probability of their long continuance here before they come to be plucked up by the Roots Plants that have thrust their Rooâ—s well into the Earth and have spread and wrapt them about the Clods and Stones thereof are like to grow and flourish and bring forth Fruit for many years The Metaphor by which â—he abolition and casting out of these Apocryphal Prâ—ctâ—ces and Dâ—ctrines from the Church is here expressed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall being eâ— pull'd or rather torn up by the Roots implieth that when God will endure them no longer but