to work in Bed or go abroad Naked Men that need Marriage must Marry and then liberis operam dare but not to do this before they Marry So Persons that are unfit for the Sacrament must be fit and then receive it but not before they are fit Now if you can force them by a Gaol out of Ignorance unbelief and ungodliness it will be a very charitable work Otherwise you force them upon Sacriledge and Profanation to their Damnation Why else doth the Common-Prayer Book perswade the Blasphemers and hinderers of God's Word and the uncharitable not to come to that Holy Table lest the Devil enter into them as he did into Judas and fill them with all unrighteousness to the destruction of Body and Soul. L. But they that are forced to come will be liker to take preparing Care than if they be let alone M. Look over the foregoing instances Will you make a Law among Heathens that all shall be baptized that this may draw them to believe Or will you Command all Students to Administer the Sacraments that this may draw them to Study and be Ordained c. We disswade you not from forcing all to Hear and Learn But do you think that it is so easie and small a Matter to bring a Man to Repent and Believe and give up his Heart and Life to Christ and prefer Heaven before Earth and a holy Life before a fleshly and worldly Life as that it is but say Do it or thou shalt go to Iail What need a Saviour a sanctifying Spirit a teaching Ministry c. if it be so easily done at a Command Will the fear of a Jail make Men believe the Gospel or Love God Oh how little doth this way savour of any true Knowledge of the State of Man or what Faith or Sanctification is L. Wherein lyeth the Sinfulness of such force M. 1. It seemeth to make a New Gospel-Condition or contradict Christ's Christ saith That none can be his Disciple except he forsake all and follow him This Course saith Thou shalt be saved by Christ if thou hadst rather Communicate than lose all and lie in Jail The Sacrament is an Investing delivering of Pardon and right to Christ and Salvation And none but those that desire them above all the World are capable of these And to give them to the forced and unwilling is contrary to the Gospel 2. It seems to put a Lie on Christ as if he had ever made any such gift 3. It tendeth to deceive poor Souls 4. It forceth them on Sacriledge Hypocrisie Prophanation and Damnation 5. It may distract those Persons with terror who are conscious of their unfitness or those Melancholy Christians that under Temptation tremble for fear of taking their own damnation 6. It polluteth the Church and confoundeth the Infidels Catechumens and Fideles 7. It thereby filleth the Church with such wicked men as prove worse Enemies to the godly than those without 8. In all Elections the Major part of wicked forced Communicants will carry it to chuse Ministers like themselves and carry Church Matters according to their wicked minds 9. Good men seeing this are ready to be frightned out of the Church to Separation as men run out of a ruinous House lest it fall on their Heads or fly from a noisome place with loathing 10. And then the Crowd that thus get Church possession will revile them as Schismaticks and Sectaries and Hypocrites and persecute and destroy them if they can Are not all those sad effects of turning a Church into a Prison and forcing men to seem to take that which Christ professeth he doth not give them And of casting holy things to Dogs and Pearls before Swine and cramming and drenching those with the Body and Blood of Christ who have no right till they desire and beg it and can sell all to buy this precious Pearl We dare not Assent Consent or Swear to such a Course as this nor publish an Excommunication against such men on this account It 's an odd thing to cast men out because they will not come in And I pray you how can Ministers in great Cities and Parishes perform this Canonical Obedience to give in to the Bishop or Chancellor the names of all that Communicated not at Easter when they know not the hundredth part of the Parishioners in some places I do believe that in the two Parishes that I last lived in there are above fourscore thousand Souls And is it like that the Ministers know twenty thousand of these I have been at their Communion even at Easter and Whitsuntide and I never saw five hundred there And if they gave in the names of but twenty or forty thousand Non-communicants tho' it 's like there are nearer two hundred thousand in this Diocess what work would the Bishop and Chancellor have Cannot you easily imagine what their Discipline would be and how they would exhort each Person one by one to Repentance and plead with them for conviction and resolve their doubts Doth not this one thing tell you what the English Diocesan Episcopacy is that giveth one man the Disciplining of many hundred Parishes L. You talk as if you would have a Church of Saints and seem to make Religion too serious a business It is well if we could have a Church of Civil Men and Peaceable Subjects that will use Religion for the Civil Interest as far as will serve the will of Governors and the Common Peace M. I am sure St. Paul wrote to no Church but such as he called Saints and I am sure Christ will save none but Saints An unsanctified Christian and a Church not holy are contradictions in adjecto Christ came not to set up a meer worldly Kingdom and to devise a Religion to serve the Will Ambition or Interest of worldly men nor meerly to promote Civility Wealth and Peace If this be all that you would have go to Aristotle Plato Seneca Plutarch Cicero c. You need not be Christians for this But yet we pretend not to know mens Hearts It is visible Saints that the visible Church consisteth of and with whom we must have visible Communion And it is not left to the will of every Pastor whom he will take for a Saint for then Churches would be of as many sorts or degrees as Ministers strict or loose Opinions are But Christ hath himself made the Articles Essential to Christian Faith and Practice and the Baptismal Covenant and required us to take those into the Church who seriously profess Belief and Consent till they null that Profession by a contrary Profession or Conversation which must be proved against any man before he is rejected For the Church is not a Society to be arbitrarily made or unmade at every Ministers or Bishops will but hath from Christ the fixed Laws of its Constitution and necessary Administration better than our 141 Canons But indeed you have toucht our sore For my part I am past doubt that we should all
for Church Communion and may be forced to it No nor any that do not desire Christ Grace and Glory before all the Baits of sin 2. Did you think I had pleaded that Men may without punishment do what they list and live in wickedness It 's one thing to restrain them from sin and another to constrain them to sin under the name of Religion 3. Nor did I speak against constraining Atheists and Infidels and Malignant Enemies to hear the Gospel 4. But your force cannot constrain them to believe And 5. You ought not constrain them to Lie and say they believe 6. And you ought not prophanely to Lie in Christ's Name by telling an unwilling Communicant that all his sins are pardoned and that you Seal it to him Do as much good by force as you can but do no mischief L. But hath not the King more power over your Family than you have Sure the highest power is the greatest and containeth all the lower in it The last words are a great mistake Political Power doth not contain Natural Personal and Oeconomical and Ecclesiastical in it but supposeth them all unalterable and pre-existent and only useth them to Political ends that is the safety and good of the Common-wealth And as far as this end requireth the King hath more power of my Wife Children Estate Life than I have That is He may see that I use my Personal and Family Government so as may not hurt the Commonâ—wealth and do more harm than good But that Politick Power doth neither contain nor abrogate the other is evident 1. The King doth not eat and drink for me nor digest my Meat nor rejoice or grieve for me 2. The King doth not sin by my sinning nor shall be judged saved or damned for me 3. The King may not chuse my Wife Diet c. As aforesaid Nor hath he right to lye with your Wife as you have nor to dispose of your Children or Propriety 4. The King that ruleth Priests may not do what the Priest doth administer Sacraments use the Church Keys c. So that all that he can do is to over-rule Personal Family and Church Governors to the common good without destroying them L. It is for the Common good that all be forced to Communion M. Yes if you can first force them to Faith and Holiness else it is for the common Church-confusion Corruption and Mens deceit and damnation and not the common good Chap. XLVI Point III. Of forcing Men to Schism by renouncing Communion with true Churches and Members of Christ. M. III. THe Third unlawful part of Lay-Conformity is that they must be forced from Local Communion with all the Nonconformists that Assemble any where save in the Parish-Churches or Chappels and so under pretence of driving them from Schism they are driven into notorious Schism L. How prove you that it 's their Duty to have any such Communion with Nonconformists Conventicles If you are Scismaticks it 's a Sin to Communicate with you M. 1. I prove Communion with us a Duty Tho' it be not every Man's Duty to be Locally present with us it is every Man's Duty not to avoid it as an unlawful thing but to be willing of it as he hath occasion 2. It is a Duty for all Christians to own Communion with all true Members of the Body of Christ. But Nonconformists and their Assemblies for Worship are true Members of the Body of Christ. Ergo The major is most fully proved by Christ Ioh. 17. 24. and Paul 1 Cor. 12. throughout and Eph. 4. 1 2 3 to the 17. and Rom. 14. and 15. and many other Scriptures The minor I prove All those are true Members of the Body of Christ who have all the Essentials necessary to the Constitution of such Members But so have the Nonconformists and their Church Assemblies as afore described Ergo. The major none but the ignorant of Logick will deny As to the minor They that have true Christian Faith Hope and Love have all that is Essential to personal Members And the Churches that have Pastors and People communicating in that Faith Hope and Love in Doctrine Worship Sacraments and tolerable Discipline are true Churches parts of the Universal Church But such are many Persons and Churches of Nonconformists Ergo. The major all sound and knowing Christians grant For the minor no proof is necessary but our Profession till it be disproved And let the Accusers of the Brethren as they love themselves take this warning before they undertake to disprove it Do it by no Argument that will ten times more condemn your selves and your Church than such Nonconformists 2. The second Argument is this It is a Sin of Schism to refuse Communion with those that Christ receiveth so we own not any of their sin Rom. 15. 6. c. But Christ receiveth into his Communion the foresaid Nonconformists and their Worshipping Assemblies Proved as before 3. It is a Sin to deny the lawfulness of Communion with Christians and their Assemblies for lesser faults than those Persons and Assemblies had whose Communion Christ and his Apostles were for But so must they that will deny the lawfulness of Communion with the said Nonconformists and their Assemblies The major none will deny that take Christ and his Apostles for their Teachers The minor is easily proved The Church of the Jews had Priests unlawfully introduced and corrupt Teachers and Worship and yet Christ disowned not Communion with them in Synagogues and Temple and Houses save only that he Conformed not to their sinful Traditions and Corruptions The Church of the Corinthians had men guilty of Schism and Faction and quarrelling with the Apostle wronging each other sinful Law Suits Scandalous Persons denying the Resurrection grosly abusing the Sacrament and Communion c. The Churches of Galatia Ephesus Smyrna Thyatira Sardis c. had such faults as I need not tell you of Yet no Man is bid or allowed to disown Communion with them You can truly prove no such by those in question Arg. 3. Ad hominem It is lawful to communicate with the Churches of England that have more Faults than the Nonconformists Ergo it is lawful to communicate with them that have fewer We challenge any to prove so many and such Faults by us as I have here before proved by your Church And if for ours Separation from us be a Duty from yours it proves a Duty much more Arg. 4. It is a Schismatical Doctrine which would teach Men by parity of Reason to renounce communion with all Churches and Christians on Earth or near all But such is that which would teach Men to renounce communion with all the Nonconformists and their Worshipping Assemblies The major is unquestionable The minor is proved In that all or near all the Christians on Earth have as great Faults as the Nonconformists and their Assemblieâ— O that God would so bless the World as to make all the Churches of the Armenians Abassians Syrians
it unlawful to reproach all Churches that we see to be faulty but it is our duty to keep peace with all XXVIII VVe hold mental distant Communion in Faith and Love with many Churches that by imposing sin do deny us local Communion XXIX Though I here tell you once for all that I justifie not all that I can thus bear with yet we can submit by peaceable silence to many abuses in a Church which we dare not subscribe to and approve and use also passive Obedience where active is unlawful XXX VVe are not against God-Fathers and God-Mothers as used of old that is when the Parents are the Covenanters for their Child and their Death or Apostasie is feared for others to promise if they dye or apostatize to take care of the Child or for any Adopters or Owners to do it that take the Child as theirs XXXI VVe are so far from being against true confirmation as it is the taking persons that own their Baptismal Covenant solemnly into the number of adult Members and Communicants that we desire it and have written for it as a chief means of the true Reformation of all our Churches in the Land. XXXII VVe differ not in Faith or meer Doctrine from the Church of England as it 's in the Thirty Nine Articles but only in One new Article put into the new Liturgy of the Salvation of Baptized Infants as undoubtedly certain by the Word of God without any exception if they then dye XXXIII VVe are not against reading the profitable part of the Apocrypha as other Humane VVritings may be read sufficiently distinguished from the word of God. XXXIV VVe are for Corporal VVorship as a due expression of Spiritual And we are against all undecent expressions in Praying or Preaching and all undecent Habits Gestures or Actions XXXV VVe blame not the Liturgy for extending the words of Charity and Hope as far as there is any reasonable ground in Sacraments Absolution and Buryal XXXVI VVe are not for mens invading the Ministry unordained but believe that Senior Pastors or Bishops are ordinarily the regular Judges of the fitness of Candidates for the Ministry XXXVII VVe are not for unlimited Toleration But that the Rulers justly distinguish in Law and License 1. The approved whom they must own and maintain 2. The tolerable whom they must tolerate 3. The intollerable whom they must restrain from doing hurt XXXVIII VVe are for making true Religion as National and extensive as may be and for a National Church 1. As the associated Community of Churches in a Nation is so called 2. And as they are all accidentally united under one Christian Soveraign Though we abhor the casting out all that be not of our opinion and measure and that cannot submit to all that I here enumerate which I and others of my mind can submit to XXXIX VVe are so far from desiring to draw people from the Parish Churches into Conventicles that we would keep up the honour of them to the utmost of our power as knowing how greatly the countenance and maintenance of Rulers conduceth to the furtherance of Religion and that the publick Religion will be the common and National Religion and most will be there And if the Protestant Religion were reduced to Tolerated Conventicles Popery would possess its place and become National and soon withdraw even private Toleration as we see in France XL. VVe are not for Preaching when we are forbidden where there is not a real and evident need of our Labours XLI VVe believe not that the Scots Covenant or any other doth oblige us to Sedition Rebellion Schism or any sin nor doth disoblige us from any Obedience due to any Superior XLII VVe refuse not the Oxford Oath or any such because it is an obligation to obey our Rulers in Lawful things nor because it restraineth us from resisting Authority for we give as much to Humane Soveraignty and confess as much obedience due to them from Subjects 1. As any Text of Scripture speakes 2. Or any General Council save what they give to the Pope and his Vassals 3. Or as any Confessions that we know of of any Christian Churches agree in 4. Or which Lawyers Politicians and Historians Protestants Papists or Heathens agree in as far as we are acquainted XLIII VVe are not against the use of Synods or Councils nor against Princes using their advice for such Laws circa sacra as belong to them to make VVe believe Councils should be used as far as the common good and Communion of the Catholick Church requireth it though no Foreigners have Jurisdiction over us And we hold that if they agree of any thing conducible to the common good though their agreement be not a Law but a Contract yet the general command of keeping the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace obligeth all to hold such concord for the ends sake that have no special reason against it In these Forty three things we oppose not conformity L. And if yet after all this Agreement we must be destroyed by divisions the heavy Curse of God is on us and will surely fall on them that are the causes of it who ever they be CHAP. IV. A brief enumeration of the things imposed on us which is the matter of our Nonconformity M. DO you know what it is that we are required to conform to L. I know it is to use the Liturgies Ceremonies and submit to the Bishops as your Governours I know no more M. And yet dare you become our Judge If you are no more exact and just in matters of Law your Clients must pay for it Before I come to handle the particulars I will set together here the things required of us and how much of them we refuse I will tell you when I try them and give you our Reasons against them I. Whereas few of the Nonconforming Ministers were at Age and Ordained till Diocesans were put down in England and were Ordained by an Assembly of Senior Pastors which were then in possession of the Power and had many years the Approbation of the whole National Assembly of Divines at Westminster before they were admitted to any Incumbency none of these may now exercise their Ministry unless they be Re-ordained by Diocesans II. No man can be Ordained by them and admitted to any Cure that will not take the Oath of Canonical Obedience as they call it and in his Ordination Covenant to obey his Ordinary III. No man must Preach the Gospel by the authority of his Ordination and Office till moreover he have got a Licence from the Bishop to Preach and till he have got that Licence to Preach he may not take upon him to Expound in his own Cure OR ELSEWHERE ANY SCRIPTURE OR MATTER OR DOCTRINE but shall only study to read plainly and aptly without glossing or adding the Homilies already set forth or hereafter to be published by lawful Authority Can. 49. IV. No man may be Ordained or be a Licenced
M. 1. There is no place of doubting of their universal sence For an Indefinite term in re necessaria is equal to an Vniversal And they except the unbaptized from Christian Burial 2. It is Baptized Infants as such that they speak of and that under no other Character nor with the least exception And a quatenus ad omnes valet argumentum 3. The Canon commandeth Ministers to baptize all Infants without exception that are brought to them on any Sundays or Holy-days to be baptized after the Manner of the Church of England 4. I have spoken with the Bishops that brought in and promoted this Article and they own the universal sence supposing the true form of Baptisme and say that as any man hath right to take up an exposed Infant in the streets and take it in so hath any one to bring the Child of a Heathen Infidel Atheist or Sadducee to baptisme 5. If they had meant it only of some baptized Infants and not all they knew the Non-conformists were of the same mind and then they would have told us what sort they mean. L. I. And why may not an Article of Faith be newly declared we have not read the Fathers It may not be unknown to them And I have heard that they are for it M. The most ancient Churches were so much employed in baptizing the adult Converted from Infidelity that we read little or nothing expresly and particularly what they did about Infants in Baptisme They baptized none at age without a serious Profession of true Faith and Repentance and holy Dedication to Christ They used to keep these as Learning Catechumens long before they baptized them save in case of necessity near death Therefore they had their set-times of the year for baptizing two or three times as our Bishops have now for ordaining And after all this strict preparation they pronounced the baptized in a state of Salvation but it was only on supposition that he was a sincere penitent covenanting Believer Even Hildebrand Pope Greg. 7. in his time concludeth that baptisme saveth none that dissemble or have not the Faith and Repentance which they profess which the Papists do ordinarily confess and Protestants much more And as for Infants the Ancients compelled not Christians themselves to baptize them but left them to their own choice Tertullian is for long delay till-they understand saying Cur festinat innocens at as Greg Nazianzene would have them stay at least three years In danger of Death they alway hastened Augustine and many others that had Christian Parents were not baptized till at Age. And they took Christians Infants as Paul did to be not unclean but holy and would receive others brought by such as adopted or owned them as Pro-parents But it was never the judgment of the ancient Churches that all Heathens or Infidels Children have right to Baptisme and Salvation if any will but offer them to Baptism Much less that it is certain by Gods Word that all such are saved 2. Articles of Faith are all contained in the Scripture and that is not new therefore nothing that is new can be an Article of Faith nor can it be said to be newly declared which was there from its beginning L. II. And why call you it arrogant and dividing M. Because it presumptuously condemneth the Reformed Churches and the Christian World determining that to be so certain by Gods Word that none should doubt of it that will be a Minister when the Christian World is of many several opinions about it L. What be those Opinions about it M 1. Some hold that the Covenant being the same pardoning saving Covenant that is made to the faithful and their Seed and their Children expresly called Holy they are all in a state of pardon and salvation before baptisme and baptisme doth but celebrate and invest them in it before the Church and solemnly seal their Covenant right And that this saving right is given only to the seed of the sincerely faithful or at most to those that have such Pro-parents though the Seed of Hypocrites must be received by the Church that know not mens hearts And this I take to be the Truth 2. Some others hold that this right to Salvation belongeth to them that have Grand-fathers and Grand-mothers or remote Ancestors that were truly Godly Christians 3. Some hold that it belongeth to all the Seed of professed Christians how bad soever the Parents be 4. Some hold that it belongeth only to the Children of true Believers that are baptized but not to the unbaptized 5. Some hold that it belongeth to Hypocrites Children that are baptized but not to the unbaptized 6. Some hold that it belongeth to all baptized ones if they have God-fathers that profess Christianity 7. Some hold that it belongeth to all baptized by a true believing Minister for the Faith of the Church 8. Some hold that it belongeth to none that by Baptism are taken into any Congregation guilty of Heresie or Schism 9. Some hold that it belongeth to all that are baptized by a Minister who is ordained by Bishops that have uninterrupted Canonical Succession and not to others 10. Some hold that the Baptisme of a Lay-man or a Woman may be effectual to the Salvation of such 11. Some Conformists hold that all Infants in the World are saved baptized and unbaptized 12. The most of the Papists hold that the baptized are saved both from the pain of Sense and of Loss but the unbaptized are saved from the pain of sense only but not of loss and so have neither Joy nor Sorrow 13. Many wise Men hold that Salvation is certain according to the first Opinion to the Seed of Sincere Believers but that we have no certain notice at all what God will do with all the rest baptized or unbaptized 14. Many think that God hath a certain number of Infants Elect whom he will save and will cast away the rest but that no man can know who they be though the Faithful may have some uncertain hopes for their Children more than others but no Promise 15. Some think that the Common state of Infants in the Life to come is utterly unrevealed and unknown to us I do not say that none of these opinions should be disclaimed But among all which Learned godly men of all Countries hold to say he that is not certain of some one of them as God's word is unmeet to be a Minister is dividing arrogance of men that overvalue themselves L. III. How then can you make good your charge of falsehood May it not be true among many false ones M. I make it good two ways men must say they are certain that are not certain 1. No man can be certain that God's word saith that which it doth not say But God's word doth not say directly or by consequence that all baptized dying Infants are undoubtedly saved He that saith there is such a word let him produce it It is suspicious that these same men
doth the Church make Kneeling in Receiving necessary to Salvation but enjoyne it as a decent Ceremony M. They that make this Kneeling necessary to Church Communion and avoiding Schism and make Church-communion and avoiding Schism necessary to Salvation do make the said Kneeling necessary to Salvation But so do the Canonists here Ergo. How usually do they apply Christ's words to the Sacrament Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood ye have no life in you If Communion herein be not necessary how come all the dreadful Sermons and Volumnes to thunder damnation against those that do but stay away through fear of unpreparedness and they must be Excommunicated that Communicate not twice a year with them yea though they communicate elsewhere with Nonconformists L. Wherein lyeth the sinfulness of Conformity here M. I. In subscribing Assenting and Consenting to this II. In practising it against Godly Believers L. I have heard that 1661. at the Savoy they maintained that the Liturgy did not bind you to put away them that do not Kneel and so you might subscribe to it M. This quibble served mens turn that were resolved it should be served The case was this They required us to lay by inconveniencies and name only flat sins which the Liturgy required we gave them in a Catalogue of eight This was the first Denying the Lord's Supper to all that durst not receive it Kneeling They were hereupon divided among themselves Dr. Pierson and Dr. Gunning and Sparrow who were the Disputants in policy finding that they should be hard put to it to justifie such rejections devised this evasion that the Liturgy did only bid them give it Kneeling but did not forbid them giving it to others Dr. Morley and others were against their opinion and so they were divided But they permitted the Disputers to go on it being the last day in the way that served their present turn But the case is clear 1. The Canon forbids them on pain of Suspension to give the Sacrament to any that Kneel not And they all take the Oath of Canonical obedience And though in Licitis honestis be added the terms signifie that they are to take the Canons as Licita honesta And these Canons ipso facto Excommunicate all professed Nonconformists 2. They all subscribe to use the form of administrating Sacraments in the Common-Prayer book and no other 3. The Church therefore expounds its own meaning in the Liturgy by the Canon that give it to them Kneeling signifies give it only to such 4. If any doubt of it let them try and their Suspension according to the Canon will expound it to them L. If the practice be sinful in rejecting such Assenting and Consenting and Subscribing to do it must be sinful M. The sin lyeth in what I before said about refusing Baptism 1. It maketh new terms of Church Communion 2. It contradicteth Christ's appointed terms which require all Christians to receive each other in Love and Concord And Paul expresly decideth such cases Rom. 14 and 15. Receive one another as Christ received us to the Glory of God. Will Christ that receiveth them to pardon grace and endless Glory own these Rejecters and Condemners Or will he not say In as much as ye did it to one the least of these my brethren ye did it to me And who is he that condemneth when it is Christ that justifieth 3. They shall answer for depriving Christ's Members of their right as truely as if they oppressed Widows and Orphans and turned them out of their houses and inheritance 4. They shall answer for Schismatical tearing the Church by their Engines 5. And for usurping a needless and hurtful dominion over mens faith and consciences by their Church Legislation 6. And for using that office which is made for the edifying and comfort of the Faithful to drive conscience and obedience to God out of the world by making doubtful ensnaring impositions and then persecuting and rendring odious all that dare not obey them for fear of sin while they bear with the Rabble that hate serious godliness and encourage them by preferring them in their communion L. But what pretence have any against Kneeling M. 1. It is not a necessary point of Salvation or communion and therefore if they err they are not therefore to be Excommunicate unless you will Excommunicate all that have errour and sin that is your selves and every living man. 2. They have the pretence of real fearing that it is a sin to differ in the Gesture from Christ's administration thinking that a Table gesture was intended by him to signifie his sacrifice-Feast 3. They fear breaking the Second commandment which is against corporal seeming to worship as Idolaters do though the heart mean better and so against symbolizing with Idolaters and against scandalous hardening them in their sin Because Papists are known to kneel to the Bread as unto God and worship it And these Papists live among us and are now hoping to set up their Idolatry Though for my part I think that the publick Doctrine of the Church takes off this argument of Scandal yet it is such as very Learned and holy men think valid as you may see in Mr. Rutherford's Letters and many others 4. And ad hom̄inem I see not what the Excommunicators can say for themselves while they condemn all of Schism that obey not General Councils especially the four first and that differ from the Universal Churches customes And yet the very first Nicene Council and divers after forbid all Kneeling in adoration on any Lord's day in the year and on any weeks day between Easter and Whitsunday And all the Ancients assure us that this was one of the chief ceremonys that the Church then called Universal agreed in And it was never put down by any other General Council but at Rome grew out of custome by degrees and that not till a thousand years after Christ as Dr. Heylin confesseth And shall these same men that cry up the Church and the Laws of Councils Excommunicate those that obey them as Schismaticks and pass for the followers of the Church themselves In a word I dare no more cast godly Christians from Christs Sacrament for fearing least Kneeling in Receiving be a symbolizing with Idolaters contrary to the Second Commandment than I durst turn Widows and Orphans out of their inheritance for not speaking the same language or wearing the same fashions as I do CHAP. XV. Point XII Of Consenting to the false Rule to find out Easter-day in the Liturgy M. THE next Point is materially a trifle but formally so palpable an untruth that we cannot deliberately declare that we Assent to it viz. They tell us in their Calender truly how to find Easter-day and they add another Rule to find it always which is frequently false as every Almanack will tell you viz. that it is always the first Sunday after the first full Moon which happens next after the
the Church of any outward thing that I remember But you must note 1. That it is the English way of Confirmation that we speak of 2. And that it is not the thing it self but the denying men Church-Communion that neither have it nor desire it which we here dissent from L. What mislike you in the English way of Confirmation M. I must first tell you how the case stands in matter of fact 1. When Christ sent forth Preachers he endued them not all with equal Gifts and Power Tho' most had some extraordinary Gifts and Inspiration it was made tho' not proper to the Apostles yet for the most part their priviledged above all others that the Holy Ghost was given to those on whom they laid hands for miraculous acts especially sudden speaking of Tongues not learnt and Prophesying tho' the gift of Sanctification necessary to Salvation was given to all true Believers by whomsoever converted 2. When the Apostles were dead and these miraculous Insprirations grew rare first and then ceased unless in some very rare instance yet the ordinary Pastors continued the Custom after Baptism to lay on their hands as for the giving of the Holy Ghost As they did also the Ceremony of Anointing the Sick which had been used for miraculous Cures 3. The dead Ceremonies of laying on of hands for the Holy Ghost and of Anointing being used without the Power and former Effects somewhat else must be though on to keep up their reputation And as to that now in question first they added more to the Ceremony of it and Anointed the Person with Oyl and made the sign of the Cross on him thereby to signifie his being Anointed with the Holy Ghost and fortified thereby to follow a Crucified Christ thro' Sufferings And when it was seen that the Holy Ghost was not thereby given for Miracles they thought that he was given in a double degree for Corroboration And some thought that he was not given at all in Baptism that did but wash away guilt but by Confirmation after 4. Hereby Confirmation got the name of a Sacrament as Anointing the Sick also did and was used presently after Baptism for the most part and the Ceremonies of it were made more pompous and it was appropriated to the Bishop for the most part or if Presbyters did it they must use no Ointment to Anoint and Cross them with but what the Bishop made by mixture and blest to make it holy And because he could not go himself to the Sick the Presbyters must fetch all their Ointment for this also ready made and hallowed from the Bishop 5. When Infants were Baptized they thus presently Anointed them also and called it their Chrysm and Confirmation till then he was taken but for a half or imperfect Christian that was only Baptized and not Confirmed 6. Popery having turned most of Christ Ordinances into a dead Image used these called Sacraments to keep up a Ceremonious shew of Religion and to keep up the power of Bishops in that formal way 7. When Reformation prevailed the Papists seven Sacraments were examined and only Baptism and the Lords Supper found to be Christs Sacraments of the Covenant of Grace Ordination to be the Ministerial Sacrament of Orders or Consecration to that Office. Matrimony to be a common Domestick Sacrament of Marriage Confirmation and Extream Vnction to be abusive imitations of Antient Miraculous Acts And Pennance to be some expressions of Repentance made more necessary than indeed they were and Arbitrarily imposed by mans invention to keep up the Dominion of Ambitious Priests over the Souls of deluded men Tho' at first only introduced by meer Direction of Ministers to men of troubled Conscience shewing what restitution and reparations of the hurt they had done by sin were necessary and what expression of their Repentance was most fit 8. Hereupon the Reformers cast away the Sacraments of Pennance and Extream Vnction and reduced the four first to their Primitive State and Use and the abused way of Confirmation they cast off but some desired to make an advantage of the name for another end and duty of great moment which had been neglected to the great corruption of the Church And the Church of England attempted to do this reserving as much of the Antient Form as possibly they could The Adult were of old Baptized before Infants and never without a most solemn personal Profession of Faith and Repentance and absolute dedication to Christ. And that this might be done with the greatest weight and resolution they were usually taught as Catechumens till they came to understanding and resolution before they were admitted to Baptism Their Infants some brought to Baptism and some delayed till they came to Age all being left at liberty and neither Adult nor Infant driven to Baptism nor accepted till it was desired But as Prelacy grew up to Dominion all were forced to be Baptized in Infancy and at last such growing up in ignorance were all taken for Christians while few knew what Christianity was or what it was to be Baptized or what was there promised on their part or on Christs And when these came to have Children they were Baptized and bred up as their Parents were and Christianty for the most part turned into meer Name and Ceremony the Persons being mostly ignorant of its Essentials This corruption of the Church seemed to many to come only from Infant Baptism whereupon they turned Anabaptists and taught that men should not be Baptized till they seriously and solemnly professed their own Faith and Repentance But wiser men saw that we must not deny Infants their Church state and right because of mens abuse and their neglect of other Duties Baptism is one thing and Personal Confession and Covenanting is another It is the Omission of these at Age that hath corrupted the Church and not Infant Baptism which entreth them but into a Church state suitable to their infancy They need not repeat Baptism which they had but to manifest actual Faith and Repentance which in Infancy they had not That which should be done is to make their Transition into the Communion of Adult Christians to be a serious solemn work and not a delusory Ceremony That those Baptized in Infancy may learn what they did and what Christianity is as to our Faith Duty Hopes And when they come to true resolution to own the Baptismal Vow and as solemnly renew it themselves as others made it for them The English Reformers therefore did retain the Ceremony of Imposition of Hands and the appropriation of it to the Bishop and the name of Confirmation and stretcht the use of the Sign Imposition of Hands to the utmost that they durst but instead of applying it to Infants they made it the owning of the Baptismal Covenant and appointed Catechizing to go before it and call for a solemn performance of it And were it used as a rational sober owning of the Baptismal Covenant indeed in an understanding
such as he may not with a good Conscience subscribe unto let him be Excommunicated ipso facto and not restored but only by the Arch-Bishop after his Repentance and publick Revocation of such his wicked Errors L. I hope you that agree with the Church in Doctrine have nothing against Publishing such an Excommunication M. I Subscribe to the Doctrinal Articles as true because I judge of them by what I take to be the Author's meaning But 1. The words in the obvious sence are divers of them liable to Exceptions 2. And some of them about Traditions Ceremonies c. are of small moment and dubious 3. And every word that is true is not an Article of the Creed nor necessary to Church Communion so that all Men must be cast out of the Church that dissent from it And this Excommunication extends to Lay-Men who are not bound to know as much as Ministers L. What is therein the Articles that any good Man can scruple M. Article 3. Learned Men doubt of Christ's going down into Hell. Art. 4. That Christ's Body in Heaven hath Flesh and Bones is contrary to two General Councils that of Nice and that before it at Const. which it confuteth And in this they agree Art. 8. That Athanasius's Creed ought to be omnino recipiendum credendum wholly received and believed when the Damning part is scrupled by many Conformists Art. 9. Bishop Ieremy Taylor was against that of Original Sin. Art. 10 Many called Arminians are against that No Power to do good Works Art. 11. Many Conformists are against the word We are accounted Righteous before God only for the merit of Christ because a subordinate Righteousness is mentioned many Score or Hundred times in Scripture Art. 12. Many think that good Works spring not necessarily from Faith but freely Art. 13. Many think that merit of Congruity may be held and that Men by natural or antecedent Works may be made meet to receive Grace which Dr. Hammond in his Annotations seemeth much to insist on under the Name of Probity Art. 14. The said Dr. Hammond and many other write for good Works over and above God's Commandments as only counselled by God and voluntarily done which this Article calleth Arrogancy and Impiety And many follow Dr. Hammond and yet subscribe this Art. 15. Is denied by them that think Infants sinless when Baptized Art. 16. Many deny falling from Grace given Art. 17. Dr. Hammond and his Followers seem to deny the absolute Election here described Art. 18. Many good Men think some are saved that live up to the Light of Nature and yet this Article curseth them that say so Art. 19. The Description of the Visible Church greatly disagreeth from that now given by many great Church-men not at all mentioning the Bishops or their Government in it And some deny that the Church of Rome hath Erred De Fide. Art. 20. The Churches Power to decree Ceremonies as not limited here is doubted of by good Christians And they see not how that is not made necessary to Salvation contrary to this Article which is made necessary to avoid Excommunication as for wicked Errour Art. 21. Too many deny what is said here against gathering Councils witout the Will of Princes and that Councils may 〈◊〉 in things pertaining to God c. Art. 23. Seems defective about calling Ministers to them that are for uninterrupted Canonical Succession c. Art. 25. Contrary to this Article some great Church-men think that Confirmation at least is a Gospel Sacrament and that it hath a visible sign ordained by God. I will proceed no further herein By this it is evident that many Subscribers are great Nonconformists and if they speak their Minds are Excommunicated ipso facto L. You make our Articles of Religion a doubtful thing what certainty then is there of the Protestant Religion M. The Protestant Religion is the Holy Scriptures older than our Form called the 39 Articles which are a laudable sound account how we understand the Scriptures but not of such perfection that all Men must be Excommunicate that say any word in them is faulty Chap. XXV Point XXII Of Publishing the Sixth Canons Excommunications L. WHat is the Sixth Canons Excommuication M. Whosoever shall affirm that the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England by Law Established are wicked Antichristian or Superstitious or such as being commanded by lawful Authority Men who are Zealously and Godly affected may not with any good Conscience approve them use them or as occasion requireth subscribe unto them Let him be Excommunicate ipso facto and not restored till he repent and publickly revoke such his wicked Errors L. I confess it sounds harshly to lay so great stress on every Ceremony of the Church as to Excommunicate every one that Calleth any one of them unlawful What could be said more of the Ten Commandements or the Creed If it be a wicked Errour to mistake about a Ceremony or to account a Cope or a Pair of Organs unlawful the Lord have Mercy on us what a Case are we all in by wicked Errours What shall my poor Country Neighbours and Tenants do that few of them understand one half the Creed M. Yet 1. The Articles and our Ordination-Vow oblige us to believe and teach that nothing is necessary to Salvation but what is contained in the Scripture or certainly proved by it And that General Councils and all Men are fallible And sure they are very near to Infallibility who are so Infallible about every Rite and Ceremony that they dare bind all the Land to justifie or notblame them on pain of ipso facto Excommunication 2. Yet Grotius and Bishop Taylor that justifie some Lying are Men that deserve Praise with them and in truth And Oh! how many Thousands live quietly in their Communion who err in greater Matters than a Ceremony 3. And judge by what I have said of the Symbolical Crossing in Baptism Godfathers c. whether it be a wicked Errour deserving Excommunication and Ruine to charge any one of their Rites with Sin. 4. Was it not enough to cast us out of Ministry and Maintenance for blaming a Ceremony but they must cast us out of the Church what is Pharisaical if this be not Chap. XXV Point XXIII Of Publishing the Seventh Canons Excommunications M. THe Seventh Canon is Whosoever shall hereafter affirm that the Government of the Church of England under His Majesty by Arch-bishops Bishops Deans Arch-deacons and THE REST THAT BEAR OFFICE in the same is Antichristian or repugnant to the Word of God Let him be Excommunicate ipso facto and so continue till he repent and publickly revoke such his wicked Errors L. Mark here that And connexeth all these Offices it is not OR disjunctively So that you fall not under this Canon if you condemn every Church Office save one if you condemn not all M. That 's a meer violent unjust exposition The Government is the thing named as consisting of many
to be cast out as an impenitent wicked man for this when they that will say all 's well that the Bishops do may live quietly in open vice or ungodliness As Dr. Sloughton saith If you strike a Schismatick and Christ find a Saint lye bleeding and you be to answer for it I would not be in your case for all your wealth If you must kill a Fly on the Forehead of a Child of God with a Beetle or a Butchers Axe you shall not use my hand to give the blow If Chrysostom would rather have his hand cut off than give the Sacrament to a wicked man tho' a Prince I will rather have mine cut off than reject a Saint or my Tongue cut out than curse Christs Members lest he say I cursed him in them Chap. XXVIII Point XXV Of Publishing the Excommunications of Canon 9th 10th 11th Of such as call Dissenters a Church M. THese Canons made against Schismaticks and Conventicles do Excommunicate all that say such are true Churches that have groaned under the burden of grievances c. And is this a just cause of Excommunication I wish they had no such burden laid on them to make them groan But suppose them quite mistaken if a weak mistaken Christian may be a true Christian tho' faulty why may not a mistaken Congregation be a true Church tho' faulty I hope no man of Protestant Faith and Charity will take the Errors of such as they describe for worse than the Papists and yet how many have written tho' confusedly to prove the very Church of Rome a true Church tho' sinful Yea I hope few Protestants will say that our Separatists have half so great Ignorance Error and Corruption as the Moscovites Greeks Abassines Copties Iacobites Nestorians Armenians who yet are commonly by us confessed to be true Churches If they be no true Churches it is either because of the greatness of their Errors or because they go against the Law or Will of Governors not the first as the foresaid instances shew not the latter for no man ever yet owned that Principle that it can be no true tho' faulty Church that is gathered against the Rulers wills For many hundred years the Orthodox did it justly and afterward when some did it unjustly the culpability made it not a nullity Else what a case was the Roman Church in that for many hundred years was kept up by Rebellion against their Lawful Emperors and Princes And how oft have a great part of the Greek Churches been guilty of it And do not the Condemners hereby imitate the Separatists in the sin and reviling as they are reviled The Separatists falsly say that you are no true Churches and you requite them with saying falsly the same by them Chap XXIX Point XXVI Of Executing Canon 27. rejecting Nonconformists from Communion L. THis is but the same that we heard before M. Before I speak against publishing Excommunications This Canon commandeth the Minister executively before they are Excommunicated to give the Sacrament to no one that receiveth it not kneeling or that is guilty of any of the foresaid Points of Dissent unless he confess his fault and promise to do so no more So that here the Minister is to be himself the prime Executioner against such Dissenters before the Courts or Ordinaries Excommunicate or meddle with them L. But none subscribe to this Canon M. I told you they Swear Canonical Obedience and the Canon suspendeth them if they do not do it Therefore it is a necessary part of Conformity But of this I spake before about Assent and Consent Chap. XXX Point XXVII Of refusing Communicants from other Parishes Canon 28. L. VVHY may not this be obeyed M. In some cases it may when Persons straggle without cause But there is frequent need that will justifie it as a Duty Parish Bounds are a humane Order for conveniency but the benefit of an able faithful Minister and the choice and use of such where they may be had is of Divine Appointment and a matter of far greater weight The Canon supposeth Ministers that neither can nor may be suffered to Preach or Expound any Doctrine If a Neighbour Parish have an able Teacher must he drive away poor hungry Souls that seek his Consolatory Communion and Help If Parishes that are bound to maintain their own Poor suffer any of them to be in danger of perishing by cold or hunger a Neighbour Parish tho' forbidden by men is bound by God to relieve them in distress Every Christian is related to all the Catholick Church and as he hath need hath right to the Communion of Saints out of his Parish In London where some Churches have excellent men if a Lord or Gentleman live in a Parish where a Patron hath set over them one that Preacheth not sincerely but railingly in strife contention or gross Error why may not such a man go to a Neighbour Church And why must that Neighbour Minister repel him When yet our Antagonists in this case maintain that the Catholick Church being but one every Christian must Communicate in every place where he hath occasion And that a Diocess is the lowest sort of Church of which Parishes are but parcels And consequently a man never separateth from his Church that separateth not from the Diocesan Chap. XXXI Point XXVIII Of Canon 38. Excommunicating Ministers that repent of Subscribing M. IF Subscribing prove a Sin of which I am past doubt this Canon commandeth the Excommunicating Men for repenting of Sin. Whereas Christ's Law of Excommunication is to Excommunicate none but for not repenting of Sin. Are not these two very contrary And do you think that Christ will stand to such an Excommunication or disown them that are thus cast out Some Mens abuse of Excommunication is such as if at last if all their Canons be executed they would tempt Men to doubt whether they live like Christians because they are not Excommunicate and would make it a good argument He is cast out of the Church for Conscience sake ergo it is a good sign that he is a Man of Conscience Or as if they were but fulfilling They shall cast out your names as Evil doers c. L. Why should you put Cases that may never come to pass I do not think you were ever commanded to Publish an Excommunication against any such M. But to Promise and Swear Canonical Obedience is a thing that is required of us all And promising to Sin is Sin and oft worse than a sudden act Yea if a Minister do but omit some Forms or Ceremony by this Canon he must be first Suspended and then Excommunicate and I must publish it if required Chap. XXXII Point XXIX Of the Execution of the 57th Canon L. VVHat is the 57th Canon and its Execution M. It Suspendeth and after a Month Excommunicateth all that go for Baptism for their Children or Communion themselves from their own Parish because the Minister is no Preacher to another Parish
that hath a preaching Minister When if these be Pastors and feed the Flock they had more need to drive such Men to Preaching Ministers than from them L. But the Validity of the Sacrament dependeth not on the worthiness or ability of the Minister M. 1. But the Edification and consequently the Salvation of Souls hath no small dependance on the Ability and Ministration of skilful faithful Pastors as Mens Health and Lives do on skilful Physicians And no man should deny himself the benefit of such that can lawfully have it nor should starve his Soul in Obedience to Canons If Preaching and that soundly and skilfully be as needless as such men pretend why did Christ Preach and send out Preachers and why did Paul so dreadfully charge Timothy 2 Tim. 4. 1 2. to Preach the Word and be instant in season and out of season c. And why doth he so urge the Ephesian Elders Act. 20. to imitate him that taught them publickly and from house to house day and night with tears And why do the Prelates make every Priest Covenant in their Ordination to instruct the People out of the Scripture and with all faithful diligence to Minister Doctrine and teach the People with all diligence to observe God's Commandements and to use both publick and private Monitions and Exhortations as well to the sick as the whole within their Cures as need shall require and occasion shall be given Why do they Ordain them all to be faithful Dispensers of the Word of God Is all this done by mere Reading that which a Woman or a Boy of 12 years old can read as well as they Do these Men know what Souls are worth how the Reason and Will of Man are moved How strong Sin is and how blind and bad the Heart of Man L. But it is the Sacraments that they are forbidden to go far from an unpreaching Minister M. 1. Other Canons also forbid them oft to Hear in other Parishes 2. If my Need and God's Law oblige me to choose a better Pastor than that ignorant Reader tho' in another Parish is it not fit and my Duty to Communicate with him that I justly take for my Pastor Moreover I must tell you that when an Ignorant Fellow taketh on him the Sacred Office which he is unfit for and so liveth in the constant Sin of omission and of Prophanation of Holy Things and of betraying Souls I take it to be a Sin to harden and encourage such a bold Presumer in so great Evil and to encourage People that need better to be content with such a Pastor Tho' I determine not whether he have the Essentials of the Ministry and tho' I doubt not but the Sacraments are no nullities to them that take him for a true Minister And yet I must add that there are some Abilities Essential without which no Man is truly a Minister of Christ And this Essential Ability as certainly reacheth to the work of Teaching as to Administring Sacraments He is not worthy the Name of a Minister that denies this I would not strain this Necessity over high But I say that he is no Minister that wants Essential Ability And if the Papists and their Emissaries would make the People believe that all not ordained by Prelates are no Ministers and that such excellent Men as Blondel Chamier Sadeel Dalle and all such abroad are none I think them more excusable who take him for none that cannot Preach and must be forbidden to Expound any Doctrine If it were for want of Tongue and Voice he could not read If it be for want of Knowledge can that Man be by Office a Teacher of Christian Doctrine that knoweth it not and cannot teach it and cannot do that for his Flock that every Parent and Husband should do whom the Children and Wives are commanded to learn of L. A man may read sound Doctrine that understands it not and by reading may teach others M. But he is not capable of the Office of a Teacher of Christianity that understands it not no nor so much as of Christianity it self or adult Baptism A Turk that believeth not the Gospel may read it And you may write it on a Pillar and that may teach Men and yet Pillars and Books are not Pastors L. But what 's all this to your Conformity M. 1. It 's unlawful for me to Swear Obedience to this 2. Or to publish an Excommunication against good Christians for not despising their Souls and the Preaching of the Gospel 3. Or to repel such Persons if they seek to me for any Pastoral Helps and Sacramental Communion Chap. XXXIII Point XXX Of Canon 58. that maketh the Surplice necessary to Ministration M. I Am not determining whether it be any Sin to wear a Surplice nor censuring any man for it But when it is known how many learned and excellent Ministers have been against it I take it for a greater Sin than I will name to eject them from the Ministry for it and I cannot approve of such a Canon But enough of this before Chap. XXXIV Point XXXI Of Christening all Children without Exception according to Canon 68. M. THe words are No Minister shall refuse or delay to Christen any Child according to the Form of the Book of Common-Prayer that is brought to the Church to him upon any Sunday or Holy-Day to be Christened I have said so much of this before that I here only say briefly 1. This supposeth a false or unproved Doctrine that the Infants of all Atheists Infidels Jews Hereticks Blasphemers c. are in the Covenant of Grace so far as to have right to be put by Baptism into present Possession of Pardon and of right to Salvation 2. When none must be delayed that are brought to Church the Minister cannot so much as enquire whether the God-fathers know what Christianity is or are Christians or Jews or Infidels Or whether ever they received the Lord's Supper which the Canon makes necessary 3. Till they have given the Church proof from God's Word that all Infants in the World have right to Baptism it is too great Domination over mens Faith to command Obedience on pain of Suspension Had we given no better proof for the Holiness and Baptism of the Seed of the Faithful than these men bring for the Seed of Infidels most good Christians had turned Anabaptists long ago Chap. XXXV Point XXXII Of Can. 72. Against Fasts and Prayer L. VVHat are the words of that Canon M. No Minister or Ministers shall without License and Direction of the Bishop of the Diocess first obtained and had under his Hand and Seal appoint or keep any Solemn Fasts either publickly or in private Houses other than such as by Law are or by Publick Authority shall be appointed Nor shall be wittingly present at any of them under pain of Suspension for the first Fault of Excommunication for the second and of Deposition from the Ministry for the third Neither shall any Minister not
live in Peace and Christian Piety if all yea all Bishops and Priests were but agreed at the Heart what it is to be a Christian and whether the Gospel be certainly true and whether Christ be the Son of God or a deceiver and whether there be a Life after this and a Judgment of all according to their works Yea were they but heartily agreed that there is a God who is the Rewarder of them that diligently seek him and a punisher of the wicked The dispute seems to me to be whether we shall be Christians indeed or worldly Hypocrites called Christians and whether we shall use the Name of God Christ and Religion for Christ and Holiness or for the Flesh against Christ. L. You are very severe in your Censure M. I doubt some will find Christ more severe and be less able to endure his Censure than mine when he shall call some men to account for turning sacred Names and Offices and Ordinances against him to banish Conscience and serious Godliness to say nothing of Veracity common Honesty and Humanity out of the Church and turn his House of Prayer into a place of Merchandise and a Den of Thieves and tempt Turks and Heathens to hate Christians for their wickedness and to fly from the Christian Church lest they should lose all Religion Trustiness and Honesty or the Reputation of them But I speak not now of our Governours whom I leave to God. Chap. XLIII Point XL. Of forsaking our Ministry and ceasing to Preach the Gospel and Banishment Five Miles from Corporations M. THE last part of Ministerial Conformity which I named to you is that if we cannot conform to all aforesaid for fear of Damnation we must cease our Ministry and must not Preach Christs Gospel to any more than four besides our Family nor perform any Worship of God with more but in their way and we must neither dwell nor come within Five Miles of any Burgess Corporation or any place where-ever we lived or travelled and preached since the Act of Oblivion Otherwise we must lye in the common Goal L. Doubtless they that made this Law against you thought you very wicked intolerable men and thought your Preaching very dangerous And indeed so they say of you in the Preface of the Oxford Act. M. They do so and I am glad to find that falseness and wickedness as such is yet disowned in the World and that men do not glory in the very names of them It is a notable evidence that there is a Life of retribution that naughtiness is disowned by all Mankind and the worst would be thought and called honest and true and good and that the World would not Crucifie Christ nor Persecute and Murder his Apostles under the name of righteous holy men but under the name of Malefactors Enemies to Caesar Breakers of the Law and Pestilent Fellows that troubled the Peace and turned the World upside down The Devil himself dare not own the name of Lying Malignity and Murder nor of Persecuting Men for Truth and Goodness and Gods Cause And verily it seemeth the Controversie of many in this Age whether they that scarce speak of God but in Swearing and Cursing nor of Religion but in scorning or threatning the serious practisers of it and that savour little but Eating and Drinking to the full and Playing and getting Riches and hateing all that are stricter than they or those that make Gods Law their rule and Obedience to him the work of their Lives and his serious Worship their delight and Heaven their hope and dare not wilfully sin against God nor be Perjured or Lie I say which of these be the honester Men L. Put you cannot deny that your party hath preached the Nation into Rebellion for the Parliament against the King and therefore are justly sâ—spected till they repent M. 1. What mean you by our party If you mean Nonconformists to the present Laws of Conformity you are easily confuted For the Rebellion was over and the King restored before the present Conformity was Enacted And when there was no such Law there were no Nonconformists to it nor any such Party in being If you mean the old Nonconformists I answer you 1. They were part for the Parliament part against their War and part Neuters 2. There was a multitude of Conformist Ministers for the Parliament for one Nonconformist I have oft proved that there was at the beginning of that Parliament not many more Nonconformist Ministers left in England than were Counties if so many In the Westminster Asâ—eâ—ly there were but seven or eight Englishmen Most of the Sermons before the Parliament which are now most blamed were Preached by Conformists 3. Such as kept in and obeyed the Parliament and Usurpers did most of them Conform of 9000 or 10000 Ministers there were but two thousand that Conformed not And did meer turning to Conformity manifest Repentance 4. But I have oft and oft said if they will silence all that had any hand in Wars except the Conformists and no more we will thank them with great joy For I do not think there are forty that I say not twenty silenced Ministers alive in all England that had any hand in the War against the King. And it 's an odd kind of Justice that should eject and accuse so great a number for other mens Actions 5. But if our Doctrine be Seditious why should not we be allowed rather to Preach openly where Witnesses may convict us and the Law take hold on us than in secret to four where none can convict us 6. And how comes it to pass that whilst so many hundred Ministers are hunted and ruined for Preaching we hear of none at all punished for any False or Seditious Doctrine Do those that watch accuse and ruin us want will to find out our false or ill Doctrine while I am writing this the common talk is two poor Fellows accused such a one and two Beggars or poor Women that stood at the doors took their Oaths against such and such and such many Warrants granted to distrain for Forty Pound or Sixty Pound a Sermon on Ministers and People the Citizens Goods seized and carryed away their Shops made bare many laid in Jayls and thousands waiting for utter ruin of all they have and all this on the account of their Preaching and Hearing as without the Common Prayer and not a word among all these of any False Doctrine spoken 7. And Gods great mercy having of late years opened the Press the Nonconformists have Printed abundance of their Sermons that the World may see what Doctrine they Preached There are two Volumes of Morning Lectures at one place and two at another and one Volume of Lectures against Popery There is a great Volume of Mr. Charnock's Sermons and a great one and maâ—y lesser of Dr. Manton's many Folioâ—s of Mr. Anth. Burgesses divers of Dr. Bates divers of Mr. Richard Alleine's Dr. Gilpin of Temptations and abundance more You
we are Enemies to his saving Work and Office. And he that condemneth them that do not feed and clothe and visit them may condemn us more if we betray their Souls 5. We fear being guilty of serving the Devil in deserting and betraying Souls that are our trust As a Captain that should desert his Station and fly or should desert his Garison and Trust doth let in the Enemy Or as Christ saith The hireling fleeth and leaveth the flock to Wolves God saith to the negligent Watchman Ezek. 33. Their blood will I require at thy hands 6. We shall be a Temptation to the People to imitate us and forsake the truth and turn from Christ For if the Captains fly the Soldiers are like to follow And if we may cease Ministerial Piety they may think they may as well cease Family and Private Piety 7. We may look for the doom of the sloathful Servant that hid his Master's talent and was sentenced to be cast for it into outer Darkness 8. We cast away our hopes of Salvation by Christ if we cast away our Evidence of our Title to his Love As he charged Peter three times If he loved him to feed his Sheep and Lambs so the same extends to us We tell him that we love him not when we wilfully deny to feed his Flock 9. The charge is dreadful that Paul lays on Timothy and consequently on us 2 Tim. 4. 1. I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Iesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom that thou Preach the Word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine When we recite Paulâ— swords Necessity is laid upon me and woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel Some are so vain as to say that this woe belongs to none but those that Christ called immediately as if Men ordinarily called had no such Necessity But Timothy was not called immediately by Christ. 10. Christ himself hath told us that he that puts his hand to the Plow and looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God And that the Servant that will be blessed must give the Children their meat in season and be found so doing For these Reasons we dare not forsake our Office and Work. L. But when you cannot do it you are blameless M. That 's true But we must do what we can Christ foretold his Ministers how they should be used Hated Scourged Killed and yet will have them go on to the Death When they persecute you in one City flee to another was his charge what we cannot do in one place we may do in another and if we cannot Preach to more we must do it to fewer No Suffering will excuse us much less bare Prohibitions which do not disable us L. But by this Rule every silenced Heretick may go on and make himself the Iudge that he is unjustly silenced M. And by your Rule of holding nothing which Men may abuse all good may be put down Usurpers may pretend that it 's them that we must obey Must not we therefore obey the King Lyers will claim belief Must we therefore believe no body Reason is pretended for every Errour and Wickedness must we therefore renounce Reason so false Teachers may Preach when they are forbidden must therefore Christ's Ministers give over because Men forbid them Did the Church do so for 300 years L. Then it had no Christian Magistrates M. Have Christian Magistrates more right to silence the Preaching of the Gospel destroy Souls and oppose Christ's Work than Heathens have 2. Were not Constantius Valens Theodosius 2d Anastasius Zâ—no c. Christian Emperors and yet the Bishops went on when they forbad them Read Bishop Bilson of Christian Subjection and he will tell you that Christian Princes are to Protect Christ's Ministers in their Work but if they forbid it them they must go on and suffer patiently what shall be done against them for it L. But what need is there of your Preaching Have we not Ministers 〈◊〉 without you Hath not every Parish one and some say many Thousands are Ordained of late that want Benefices M. Whether our Ministry be needful is matter of Fact so easily discernable to Englishmen that I think him scarce meet for these debates that doubteth of it if he know the Land. 1. The Supernumeraries that want Benefices do not help the needy Parishes but dwell in the Universities or as Chaplains in Great Mens Houses to read the Common-Prayer and say Grace at Meat till a Benefice fall 2. The greater sort of Parishes have more Work than many Ministers can do They have besides Study and Preaching Children to Baptize Godfathers to Examine whether ever they Communicated Communicants must beforehand give them notice the scandalous and contentious must be admonished all the Communicants examined whether they are Confirmed or ready and desirous to be Confirmed all that Communiâ—ate are not to have their Names taken and sent in to the Bishop all that aâ—e refused the Sacrament to be notified to the Count and prosecuted the Sick to be visited the ignorant and impeâ—itent to be tâ—ught and exhorted Marrying Burying the Poor to be taken care of and much more And about London it is credibly said that there can be no less in the great Parishes than two Hundred thousand Persons more than the Parish-Churches will hold It s thâ—ught that Martins and Giles's in the Fields and Gilesâ—s Câ—â—pplegate and Stepney alone have near an Hundred and Fourscore if not Two Hundred Thousand Persons in them A tender hearted Man would be loth to Famish or otherwise Kill two Hundred Thousand Dogs It was the greatest Massacre that hath been heard of in any credible History of late if not at any time when the Irish in so small a compass murdered two Hundred Thousand Protestants But to starve Souls or by omission of our Duty to betray them to that Ignorance and Ungodliness which is the Cause of Damnation is worse than to Kill the Body There cannot past 4000 hear in these Churches Yea usually not past 2000 can hear the Preacher's Voice intelligently though 5000 or 6000 may come within the Doors And if you suppose that in these 4 Parishes 16000 may hear one Day and those stay at home and 16000 more hear the next Day or time 32000 is but a small part of Eightscore thousand And if so far the greatest number must turn practical Atheists and not publickly Worship God at all why should not such places be denominated Pagan or Atheists from so much the greater part L. But what is four Parishes to all the rest and the Common Case M. I pray you enquire in Clement Danes Westminster Andrews Holborn Sepulchres Christ-Church Aldgate Shoreditch White-Chappel Olives and Magdalenes Southwaâ—k c. and you may hear how many others come near to the same Case And must so famous a City as Lâ—ndon be Paganized or made so
Georgians Circassians Greeks Moscovites Papists Lutherans and all other Protestants c. but as knowing sincere faithful obedient c. as those in England that you revile cast out and prosecute L. But Communion in Schism is unlawful But you are accused of Schism and so are your Assemblies M. And the Church of England is as loudly accused of Schism and Heresie by the Papists and too much by the Greeks if the Patriarch Ieremy spake their Sence Art they therefore Schismaticks indeed None forwarder to accuse than the Ignorant or Guilty Judge by what I have said of our Judgment in my Search for the Schismatick We abhor Schism and have laboured to have healed the Wounds of the Church with all our power these 22 years and more And who be they that have resisted it and hate the only healing Balsam 2. It is not true that we must have Communion with no Church that is guilty of Schism tho' we must not be guilty of Schism it self If the Schism be Apostasy that cuts them off from Christ and the Church universal we must not have Christian communion with such that are no Christians But if they are only guilty of Schism from some particular Church and of Schism in the Universal Church and not from it wounding and not dismembring we must not renounce communion with such save only as with any other scandalous Sins so far as impenitence proveth ungodliness The Church of Corinth was much guilty of Schism and so was that of Galatia and yet none were therefore to renounce their Communion Was not Peter guilty of some Schism Gal. 2. I doubt there are few Churches on Earth that are not herein guilty either in East South West or North. And must we renounce communion with them all That is to commit tenfold greater Schism for fear of Schism 3. Read impartially my Search for the Schismatick and if the Prelates thus mentioned be not far more guilty of Schism than we are I despair of ever understanding what Schism is This would be the strongest Argument for separation from them and is so used by many Separatists Chap. XLVII Point IV. Of obliging the Laity to live without any more benefit of Disciplinâ— than is in the Publick Churches M. IV. THe next part of Lay-Conformity is this Christ who instituted Ministry Word and Sacraments hath also instituted a certain determinate Discipline in his Church of great use to the Church and to particular Souls And this is considerable 1. As a Duty 2. As a Benefit And no Man hath authority 1. To disoblige us from a Duty of Christ's imposing 2. Or to deprive us of a Benefit of Christ's giving But Conformity doth both these to the Laity in a great degree L. What mean you by that Discipline I thought our Church had rather too sharp Discipline I hope you mean not the Geneva Discipline or the Scots Presbyteries and Stool of Repentance M. I mean nothing but what as to the Matter the Episcopal Party write for as the Ordinance of Christ The true exercise of the Keys and the previous Acts. That is That God hath made the Church to be as it were the Porch of Heaven a Society gathered out of the Infidel World sanctified to God and prepared for Glory and therefore he would have none in his Church but such as profess Faith Love and Holiness and renounce a fleshly sensual worldly and profane Life And the Pastors bear the Keys of Trust and Government to judge of such that is who are to be taken in and who to be cast out and who to be admonished and cured of scandalous Sins And all the Members are bound to preserve the Purity of themselves and the Society in their places And therefore if a Brother live scandalously contrary to his Profession his Neighbour that hath notice of it is to tell him of his fault and if he hear not and repent not to warn and admonish him before witnesses and if yet he repent not to tell the Church and if yet he repent not and hear not the Church he is to be avoided as one that is none of their Communion But if warning perswasion Prayers and Patience bring him to Repentance the Church is gladly to pronounce his forgiveness by God and to receive him This is the Discipline which Christ hath instituted and the Christian Churches have Professed L. This calling Men to Repentance personally will but disturb and distract the Parishes Men will never endure it And that 's no Duty that will do harm M. They are not fit to be Communicants or Members of a Christian Church that will not endure it It is the Crime of the Church-Governours that they receive yea drive such into the Church as will not endure the Laws of Christ and Church-Duties and then cast by such Duties because Men will not endure them As if you took Scholars into a School that will not endure Government and Correction or Soldiers into an Army that will not endure Command and Discipline and then omit it and leave them to their wills because they will not endure it Or as if you would take Servants that will not be commanded nor endure Labour and then let them be masterless and idle because they will not endure service Who allow'd you to take and keep such in Christ's Church that will not endure either to live obediently or be called to Repentance I confess that to let all Men alone in their sin is the way to some kind of Peace in the Parish But it is not Christ's Peace but the Devils by which he keeps possession of Souls and Countries till Christ break his peace and cast him out such peace will end in endless sorrow L. What Reasons can you give for the necessity of such a sort of Discipline and why it may not be fâ—rborn M. 1. It is Christ's Law and Institution and that is the same reason that we give for our Christianity it self L. But I have read in Erastus Selden Ludov. Moulin and Prin that Christ did but tell his Disciples how they should carry themselves under the Jewish Government and use their Sanedrims or Iudicatures and did not institute any new sort of Church-Discipline M. Christ's taking occasion from the Iewish Judicatures to institute his Discipline doth no more prove that he did not obligatorily institute it than his calling twelve Apostles according to the number of the Tribes and his taking occasion from former practice for Baptism Ministry Elders c. doth prove that he ordained no such things 2. What need Christ command his Disciples to use that Iewish Government which was in use before and they could not avoid 3. Christ knew that the Iewish Government was presently going down and tells his Disciples that they should be judged and scourged as Malefactors in those Synagogues And is it like then that he is calling them to exercise their discipline in those Synagogues 4. If it were so it will hold à fortiore that if Christ
during the Iewish Policy command them to use such a Discipline much more in his own Churches L. What are your other Reasons for it M. 2. The very Nature of Christ's Church required it which is a Society separated from the World under special Laws of Holiness and Love and for special heavenly Ends If therefore it shall be confounded with the World and not separated to Christ it is no Church 3. Christ did it for the Honour of himself and his Kingdom If he be no more for Holiness than the Infidel and Heathen World is what is he better than they or how is he a Saviour or what is the Church better than Infidels 4. It is needful to save Heathens from deceit that would come into the Church and to convince them that their impure Communion is insufficient 5. It is needful to save Christians from damning deceit that they may not think that a dead barren unholy Faith and Name of Christianity will save them without a holy obedient Heart and Life 6. It is needful to keep Christ's Ordinances from falsifying Profanation If a sealed Pardon and Gift of Life shall in the Sacraments be given as commonly to Dogs as Children it is a taking God's Name in vain and profane belying Jesus Christ. 7. It is needful to bring Sinners to Repentance that they may be Pardoned and Saved 8. And it is needful to the comforting absolution of Penitents 9. Accordingly God 's Church in all Ages hath owned it as their Law of Christ's institution to this day L. But some learned Men say This was but because there was at first no Christian Magistrate But when there was such the Discipline fell into their hands M. The first Christian Magistrates finding the Church in Possession of it confirmed it and too much accumulated and added to it but took it not away Of this see a small Book which I wrote of the Magistrates Power in Religion to Dr. Lud. Moulin which may end all this dispute Briefly I ask you Qu. 1. Would you have all Infidels and Pagans baptized and Communicate without any Profession of the Christian Religion first L. God forbid That 's a Contradiction M. Shall any words go for a Profession or what must that Profession be L. It must be a Profession of Christian Faith and Obedience M. Who must try and judge of that Profession whether it be Christianity or not Is it Magistrates or Pastors L. Magistrates have somewhat else to do Else they must study and exercise that work alone for they will have no time for Civil Government if they undertake this M. Did not Christ institute an Office for it and give them this Power of the Keyes And if one half that Office cease as soon as Magistrates were Christians why not the other half and so Magistrates must Preach Baptize and celebrate the Sacrament L. It must be no doubt the Ministerial Office to judge who is fit to be in Church Communion Else they were Slaves if they must be forced to take all uncapable Men to their Charge and Communion against their Consciences and Wills No Physician Tutor or School-Master will be forced to take such Patients Pupils or Scholars as will not be ruled by him and will make make him do what they list against his Will. M. You must confess the use of discipline or else openly disown the Word of God the very Being of the Church and the Judgment of the Universal Church to this day And do you think then that to deprive the Church of this is a lawful part of Conformity L. How prove you that the Laity is deprived of it M. 1. In our Great Parishes the People are few of them known to the Priest or to one another Of the two Parishes of my last abode I do not think but there are Fifty Thousand unknown to the Minister and to each other And how can these admonish the Offenders or the Minister exercise this discipline upon unknown Persons 2. The People know that it is in vain to begin where there can be no progress To what purpose is it to tell the Church when it 's sure to do more harm than good 1. The swarm of the Vicious is so great that they cannot be Prosecuted 2. The Minister himself forbeareth it as unpracticable 3. The accused must be Prosecuted at rates which Men cannot bear 4. And before Bishops that cannot possibly do this work to one of a Thousand any more than one School-master can Try and Correct all the faulty Scholars in a Diocess 5. And Men must be Judges that will never call Sinners to Repentance with Ministerial Evidence and Love and Patience but like Secular Courts bid them Recant or be Excommunicate 6. And the Cause must be decided by Lay-men that profanely usurp the Power of the Keys And how is Christ's discipline here possible Polluted common Churches frighten away the Religious conscionable People L. Do you not before complain of too much exercise of Discipline by Excommunications M. Yes of Discipline against Christ It is not enough for your Churches to be common and unclean without true Discipline but when you should drive out the Dogs and Swine you turn out the Children Witness all the fore-mentioned Canons As I said you first force in all the ignorant ungodly multitude that are unfit then these are the strength and major part Then they cannot come under due Discipline then this grieveth Religious People and they find fault with it And then they must be taken for Schismaticks and condemn'd and ruin'd for finding fault In short what need there disputing Is it not notorious matter of fact that this Discipline is not exercised against one Drunkard Swearer Fornicator c. of a multitude and are not Men then deprived of the use of it And when it 's known that they cannot have it in most or many Parishes how are they bound to live and die without the benefit of it L. Do you think Men are bound to separate from all Churches that have not this Discipline Sure it is not Essential to the Church M. I do not think that Preaching as distinct from reading is essential to a Church but that it may be at least for a time a sorry Church without it as those in Moscovy are But I would not continue in such a Church that is without it if I can have a better It 's one thing what a Man should endure that can have no better without more hurt than good and another thing what Men should chuse in obedience to Christ and for their own and the Churches good that can attain it Do you think it is lawful to omit all Duty that is not essential to the Church surely your many humane Offices your Forms and Ceremonies your Declarations and Subscriptions to them are further from being essential than true Discipline is and yet you think that the omission of these is unsufferable Is mans accidental inventions more necessary than Christs Ordinance and Church
That 's his act and not theirs and they cannot hinder him They send their Children to be Baptized and not to be Cross'd M. But we have many Antipadobaptists and converted Iews to be Baptized at Age. 2. And tho' I am much of your mind in this yet all wiser Men are not and the case is very difficult as to Infants If one knew beforehand that the Priest would use Oil and Spittle and Exorcism and invocate Saints and Angels over the baptized Child it were hard to say I send him only to be Baptized when he knew how sinfully it will be done The truth is I can justifie no Man that will submit his Child to such a crossing at Baptism that can caeteris paribus have it by another better done tho' Prohibited by Man We must not be guilty of other Mens Sins nor of Church Corruptions L. Christ that will have mercy and not sacrifice would not have men refuse Christendom for fear of a Cross. M. Christ who would have Teachers learn that Lesson I will have mercy and not sacrifice would have no Minister deny Christendom to such as think their crossing sinful And yet he would have no Man commit any Sin to gain Baptism but will save the unbaptized that desired it so they might have had it without and will himself shew Mercy to such as consent not to a polluted Sacrifice And would have us prefer a lawful way when we can have it Baptism is our Renunciation of Sin. CHAP. LI. POINT VIII Of Rejecting not-Kneelers from Communion L. AND well they deserve it that will not reverently receive so great a Gift upon their knees from God. M. Do you think it is for want of humble Reverence Do they not kneel after and longer to God in Prayers publickly and in their Families and Chambers than most that blame them Were Christ's Apostles unreverent that did not kneel at receiving it in his own visible presence Was all the universal Church unreverent that for 600 Years if not 1000 after Christ forbad strictly all Adoration by kneeling every Lords Day because they would use a Laudatory Gesture denoting their belief of Christs Resurrection Do those men shew more Reverence to God and Religion that will kneel at the Altar and scarce ever kneel to God at home and seldom use his Name but with prophanation It is not unreverence that causes their dissent L. I know no just cause they have of this dissent M. I confess nor I while the open Doctrine of the Church renounceth all Bread-worship and Idolatry But were it among Papists where the Doctrine expounds the action I durst not do it But I told you before what moveth them which I must not again repeat But I will repeat it that it is a heinous injury to the Church and the particular Persons that on the account of so small and doubtful a circumstance wherein all antiquity is against the imposers they should deny Communion with Christ and his Church as much as in them lieth to faithful Christians and should turn the Sacrament of Love for no just cause into an occasion of hatred and persecution and the Sacrament of Unity into an Engine of division by their own needless impositions to perplex mens Consciences and set people one against another O what a snare and instrument of wrath and discord and inhumane usage of other men do many turn that blessed Sacrament into which is instituted for the Communion of Saints in unfeigned Love. The more such magnify the Sacrament as the very Flesh and Blood of Christ the more do they condemn themselves CHAP. LII POINT IX Of denying Lay-men Communion in a Neighbour Parish Church when they dare not Communicate in their own Parish for the Reasons aforesaid M. IX DO you think it is a sin deserving exclusion from Christian Communion for a man to think it unlawful for him to own and encourage the Ministry of an ignorant insufficient or grosly scandalous or hurtful Teacher A poor Christian that is unwilling to be damned and readeth that he should love his Neighbour as himself perhaps heareth the Priest tell the People what hypocrites and odious persons Non-conformists are and exhorts them to avoid such and to prosecute them and root them out as the intolerable enemies of Church and State and as unfit to be Members of any Society He is acquainted with divers Non-conformists their Lives and their Books and Doctrines and finds the clean contrary He reads in Scripture See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently He heareth from the Pulpit See that ye hate one another and seek the destruction of one another Christ saith Love your enemies the Priest exhorts them to root out their friends Christ saith He that receiveth you receiveth me and shake off the dust of your Feet against them that receive you not It shall be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah than for such the Priest saith He that receiveth such Ministers sinneth against Christ and he that hath any communion with them is a Schismatick The man readeth Beware of false Prophets and thinks it a sin to encourage the teachers of lies and wickedness and he readeth He that hateth his Brother is a Murderer and hath not eternal Life and if I have not charity I am but as sounding Brass c. He thinks him a false teacher that contradicteth Christ and that seeks to damn the hearers And he thinks that no tongue can more contradict Christ than that which Preacheth down Love and Preacheth for hating godly Men tho' on slanderous pretences and that no man can do more to damn the People than he that draweth them from love to such hatred Another liveth in a Parish where a dry ignorant fellow affords him no such help as he is conscious his soul needeth and where the Common-Prayer is so much better than the Sermon that were it not for that he might better stay at home And where the Priests Conversation encourageth the Drunkards and Prophane and vilifieth godly Men. This man is for the Church-way but for a better Minister The question is whether for this he be so great a sinner that all neighbouring Ministers must drive him away and deny him Communion Another honest Christian taketh it for a sin to kneel at the Railes or to join with the Organs or to receive or desire the Diocesan manner of Confirmation or to forbear Communion with all Christians whom the Church-men here condemn or cast out The question is whether it be no wrong to any of these to be denied Communion at a neighbour Parish where his doubts are removed I prove that he hath right to such neighbour Communion 1. Because he is a Member of Christs Body the Catholick Church and therefore hath right to the Communion of Saints And to believe that in the Creed and condemn it in Practice is to believe to condemnation 2. They themselves teach that a true Christian hath right to Communion with all Churches where he hath
man should not play with Matters of this moment nor take God's dreadful Name in vain nor sport with the Consuming Fire And I hope you grant that Words in Caths and Impositions are to be taken in the properest usual sence unless the Authors otherwise expound them And you know that they have been so far from expounding them otherwise as that these twenty years they have refused it and in Scotland sentenc'd the Earl of Argyle to die for expounding them as some would have us do And what do Oaths or Covenants signify if the Takers may put what sence they will on them and if the most express Universals yea the express Exclusions of all Exceptions may be taken in a particular sence with Exceptions such Swearers and Subscribers give their Rules no security Is it not enough to tell you we will willingly stand to Bishop Sanderson's own Rules in his Excellent Prelections de Iuramento for expounding Oaths and Promises Such as these Expositions of stretchers make Oaths to be none viz. It 's unlawful that is against the King's Law but not against God's to take Arms against the King viz. As King but say the Papists when the Pope excommunicates and deposeth him he is no King on any pretence whatsoever that is any unjust pretence by his Authority against his Person viz. It is to be done by Gods Authority and not by his or against any Commissioned by him viz. Lawfully Commissioned of which we are discerning Iudges The same I may say of all the rest As Assenting and Consenting to all things except many things Swearing Canonical Obedience in Licitis Honestis when we judge ten or twenty Canons if not the very frame to be Illicita Inhonesta c. L. But as you have said that those Great Men Grotius and Bishop Jeremy Taylor were for profitable Lying so you know that Worthy Latitudinarian Dr. who was wont to say That if false Knaves would turn him out of his Ministry and Living by ensnaring Impositions he would take the Words in the best sence he could subdue them to whatever the Authors meant and it was as Lawful for him to defend himself against Knaves with his Tongue as with his Hands and Sword. M. He is newly gone to his Judge Nobis non licet I told you that in my Catechism on the Ninth Commandment I have given unanswerable Reasons against Lying for any Benefit whatever Some say that all our Articles of Religion are but Articles of Peace and we subscribe not to believe them true but not to preach against them At this rate men need not stick at any Oath and may shake off the Oath of Allegiance or any other when they have taken it And if we are thought worthy to be hated and ruined as Rogues for refusing self-saving prudential deliberate Lying and Perjury when Oaths and Veracity are so much of the security of the Estates Names and Lives of Kings and Subjects and so necessary to all humane Converse we patiently commit our Cause to Him that shortly and righteously will determine all CHAP. LVIII Whether Communion with so Faulty a Church be Lawful L. I Shewed what you said against Conformity to a Friend and when he had read it he said What a Self-contradictor is this Man to lay all this Charge on the Church of England and yet himself to hold Communion with it and perswade others so to do Can we touch Pitch and not be defiled And indeed if all this be as bad as you fear I cannot see how any Separatists are to be blamed or how any may Communicate with so bad a Church M. Sic stulti vitia vitant drunken men reel from side to side to keep one right tract or to cut by a thred seemeth impossible to them I. You must distinguish between the Diocesan Churchs as constituted by their Courts of Government and Canons and the Parish Churches II. Between those Parish-Churches which have godly or tolerable Pastors and those that have not III. Between Ministry and Lay-Communion IV. Between stated and occasional Communion V. Between preferring their Churches before better and not avoiding them as null or as unlawful to be Communicated with Understand these five distinctions well and I shall satisfy you L. Apply them and let us hear your judgment M. I. The Diocesan Churches as they depose all inferiour Bishops and Churches and Rule by their Lay-Civilians Church-Censures I disown and hold no Communion with in those errours but only in their Christianity But I peaceably submit to them and would live quietly under them if I might II. Those Parishes that have notoriously uncapable Priests either through utter insufficiency heresy or hurtfulness doing more harm than good I own not to be Organized Churches nor have Commmunion with their Ministers as Ministers not owning them for such III. I hold it utterly unlawful to be Ministers with them on the terms now required of us and therefore I have no such Ministerial Communion with them IV. I preferr them not before better V. I hold not fixed Communion as a fixed Member of their Churches with all that I hold occasional Communion with L. What Communion is it then that you hold with them M. I. With the Diocesans and their Officers I hold mental Communion as a Christian and a Protestant in all the essentials of Christianity and that Reformation which they own II. With the parish-Parish-Churches that have true Ministers I hold mental Communion as true particular Churches of Christ tho' faulty and local Communion on just occasions III. With the Parish-Assemblies that have intolerable Ministers I hold mental Communion with the People as Christians and will not refuse on just occasion to join with them in any good exercise as Lay-men IV. With those Churches that have Ministers and Liturgy as ours that need reformation I profess to join with them as Christians and Protestants that own all the Scriptures and that promise to preach nothing as necessary to Salvation but what is contained in it or may be proved by it And when I Communicate with that Church it is as a Society so professing But if their Sermons Liturgy or Lives have any faults being not Idolatry Heresy Blasphemy or such as rendreth their whole Worship and assembling unacceptable to God I disown Communion in any of those faults tho' I be present V. When I can have better caeteris paribus without greater hurt than good I preferr it and only use occasional local Communion with the Liturgy-Churches as I would do with strangers were I in foreign lands VI. Where I can have no better without more hurt than good I Communicate constantly and only with the Parish-Church where I live as to Local-Communion L. But how can you do either of these without guilt when they are as bad as you have described M. 1. I have not charged the Parish-Churches with that which I have charged the Diocesans their Courts with many honest Ministers never troubled nor excommunicated a
true Servant of Christ nor ever owned intentionally the doing it by others They lament the impositions and would be glad we were united by their removal They would fain have good men restored and they do their best to promote godliness And the Ordinary Lords-Day part of the Liturgy tho' not faultless containeth things true and good and it was a very great and excellent degree of Reformation to make that Book And the most of all its faults are in the By-Offices Baptism Confirmation and Burial the Rubricks which the Lords-Day common Worship is not concerned in nor do the Congregation approve 2. Sin hath brought woeful faultiness into all the Churches on Earth And there are very few on Earth that have not worse Doctrine and a worse Liturgy than ours What then Must we either own or hide all their faults or else disown and renounce them all No neither but disown what is evil and own what is good and separate from none of them further than they separate from Christ. 3. But I pray you answer me a few questions 1. Do you think any Church on Earth to be faultless L. No For all men are faulty but the difference is great M. No doubt it is great But 2. Do you think that you are guilty of all the faults of the Church that you join with L. They say no not of the secret Faults But of the open they say we are partakers by our presence M. Do you think there is any Church on Earth that hath no open Faults And will you join with none L. But they say It is not Faults of Conversation that they mean but in Ministry Doctrine and Worship M. I am sure Conversation Faults are oft alledged for separation But is there any Minister or Church that hath no open Faults in Ministry and Worship L. They mean not small Infirmities such as weak faulty expressions methods disorders dullness c. but gross intolerable Faults M. So then you are come to what I hold I profess that if I see or hear any such Blasphemy Idolatry Heresy or Malignity as renders the Worship abhorred of God I will abhor it and avoid it L. Is none of all that such which you have described M. Nothing in the ordinary Lords-Day Worship which the Congregation must join in Yea I dare not say that their By-offices viz. Baptism it self notwithstanding their kind of Godfathers and Crossing doth frustrate the Sacrament to the capable And the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is very Piously Administred in the words of the Liturgy And if they force men thither or admit them that are unfit that maketh not the words of the Liturgy unfit for the Faithful and their faults in Discipline are none of mine L. But Faults known before hand become mine if I join with such a faulty Worship M. Then you must join with none on Earth You know before hand your own faults that you will be guilty of in prayer Must you therefore forbear to pray Suppose I have a teacher that is an Anabaptist an Antinomian or hath some known tolerable Errour which I know before hand he holds and useth to vend in his Praying and Preaching Is it unlawful to join with such Then Presbyterians Independants and all that differ in judgment must still run away from one another L. But to commit a Fault themselves makes it but their own but if they impose it on me it 's mine if I be present M. You should have said only It 's mine if I commit it If you were commanded to burn a Martyr your presence maketh you not guilty if you do it not nor consent to the doing of it 2. It 's one thing to impose on you the committing of a fault and another thing to impose on you to hear another man commit it 3. And it 's one thing to impose that which you can refuse and another to force you to do it When an Anabaptist or an Antinomian or a Preacher of undecent Expressions or Disorder teacheth in the Assembly he imposeth on them all to hear his Faults but not to approve them or do the like Or if he command them to believe his Errours it is a refuseable imposition and they may choose L. But in the Congregation I must do as they do M. What must you do that is sin Must you say all that the Priest will say Must you believe all his mistakes Must you put up any unlawful request to God L. Yes say they we must pray for Bishops M. I think verily they have need of prayer But they seem to be very humble petitioners themselves when they bid you pray for them but as to a God that worketh great Marvels But muâ—â— you needs own every petition in the Assembly By what Obligation Do you undertake to own every petition that your own Preacher will put up before you know what he will say Yea or if you knew he would speak amiss I have elsewhere told you that one of the zealousest Non-Conformists against Prelacy was old Mr. Humphrey Fâ—n of Coventry and he was wont after every Collect in the Common-Prayer to say Amen aloud except the Prayer for the Bishops And he thought his silence was sufficient notice of his Dissent L. But the broken Responses are ludicrous and intolerable M. Prejudice may make any thing seem so But 1. The Iews Church used such as the Scriptures tell us 2. They are the oldest part of all the Liturgy used by the Church when Holy fervency would not endure to be silenced or restrained to a bare Amen 3. And if it were not that prophane Men use them unreverently and so bring them into disgrace but they were again used fervently by zealous Christians they would seem quite another thing 4. And we do the same thing in effect when all the people sing the Psalm save that the tune keepeth them better in time and order and avoideth the confusion L. But my Friend saith that the Apostle saith with such no not to Eat and from such turn away And you seem to suspect them tho' you only say what you avoid your self of Lying Perjury Persecution c. And is it not a sin to Communicate with such M. 1. I never told you that I took all the Parish-Ministers or People for persecutors No nor for Lyers For when they say that ex animo they hold that nothing in the Liturgy or Ceremonies c. is contrary to the Word of God they speak as they think But it would be a lye in me who am otherwise perswaded And for Perjury it 's one thing grosâ—y to be perjured I charged them not with that And it 's another thing to say or do somewhat that may make a man some way guilty of other mens perjury This is it which affrights me from Conformity but as to them they understand the words of Oaths and Promises and Impositions otherwise than I do as I told you the Earl of Arâ—yle did and I doubt not but
many worthy men such as Mr. Gurnal and others known to us were drawn in by having leave to declare that they took the impositions in such a sence as they thought Lawful as the Arians at the Council of Seleuciâ— and the Acacians drew many in to them by giving them all leave to subscribe in their own sence And though I can justifie none of this yet what ever their words were and though they were not faultless their hearts abhorred Perjury But I pray you ask your friend these Questions 1. Did none that are for separation from the Church of England take the Corporation-Oath and Declaration You know that many of them did 2. Do they ever since avoid Communion with all those men You know they do not And yet none of the Ministers Subscriptions to me seem half so frightful as the Corporation Declaration Do they not then here shew Partiality and themselves justify our Communion with the Conformists Yea when Mr. Eaton and some other Independants wrote against the obligation of the Covenant and of the Oath of Allegiance and many called the Covenant an Almanack out of date did the rest avoid communion with these L. But briefly tell me why you Communicate in the Parish Churches M. Briefly 1. Because Christ hath Commanded us to live in the utmost Love Union and Concord with all his Church on Earth that we possibly can 2. Because they hold all the essentials of Christianity which constituteth them Members of Christ's Church and no errour that nullifieth their Christianity or maketh their Communion unlawful to me 3. Because my own edification hath required it I have long lived where I could have no better Communion and after I found Communion with both sorts most profitable to me I found the Liturgy in the main fit for my serious desires and praises to God and the Preachers that I heard were profitable Preachers and if some words were amiss I past them by and the very Concord and Presence of Christians though faulty is pleasant to me 4. I lived where and when these Parish Churches were slandered by mistakes to be such whose Communion was unlawful and my constant avoiding them would have made me seem a consenter to the slanders and so to be guilty of scandal 5. I lived in a time and place where the Rulers and Laws Commanded Parish Communion and to forbear it against such commands and penalties seemeth plainly to tell the world that I hold it unlawful which is an untruth 6. I had seen whither this extream of separation had brought this Nation formerly and of late and what a hopeful Reformation it shamed and destroyed and that by such Rebellious and mad actions as made them and accidentally others the scorn and hatred of the World and have occasioned all our sufferings 7. I lived where men that I thought guilty of our sinful persecution and the danger of the land did discern the mistake of them that overcharged the Liturgy and Parish Communion and thereupon took them for a proud Fanatick sort of People worthy of all that doth befal them and think they do God service in ruining us all as if we were such And I durst not thus scandalize and harden men in grievous persecutions 8. I was loth to misguide others by my example and I doubted not but when necessity drove them to it many would see cause to Communicate with the Parish Churches And I was willing that they should sooner see these Reasons and not seem to do it only to save themselves 9. I had read the writings of those excellent men of God against Brownists or Separation heretofore who then were the Non-Conformists that did suffer so much for Reformation He that will read what is written by Mr. Iohn Paget Mr. William Bradshaw Mr. Gifford Mr. Hildersham Mr. Brightman Mr. Iohn Ball Mr. Rathband Dr. Ames First and Second Manuduction c. and lately Mr. Iohn Tombes the Pillar of the Anabaptists and for hearing by Mr. Philip Nye may see enough for just satisfaction especially in Mr. Ball 's Trial of Separation And though the case of Conformity be since made much harder to the Ministers to the Laity the change is not so great as herein alters the case of Lawfulness or Duty 10. I found that St. Paul charged the Church of Corinth as having among them men Carnal guilty of Schism slandering the Apostles guilty of sinful Law-Suits and defrauding each other bearing with incest disordered profane and drunk at Sacramental Communions some decryed the Resurrection c. The Galatians seem more to be accused than they as depraving the Christian Doctrine The Colossians faulty almost all the Seven Churches of Asia charged with grievous corruption And yet in all these no man is commanded to separate from any one of these Churches nor blamed for not doing it 11. And which is most of all I find that Christ himself who was certainly sinless held open Communion with the Iewish Church in Synagogues and Temples and Commanded the people their duty even to the falsly obtruded Priests and to hear the Pharisees while they delivered Moses's Law though he condemned and separated from their false Doctrine and superstitious traditions and corruptions These are my Reasons for Lay-Parish-Communion L. But you did not answer from such turn away and with such not to Eat c. M. The answer is obvious 1. It is the duty of the Church to cast out wicked impenitent men and this Christ commandeth them but he never bids particular Christians to separate from the Church where some such are because the Church omits its duty For then you should separate from duty from Gods Worship and holy Communion on pretence of separating from sinners 2. But for Family and Private Converse every Christian is judge himself and must refuse all familiarity with scandalous Christians which encourageth them in sin or seemeth to own it God Commandeth no man to do that which is not in his power to put a scandalous impenitent man from the Church is in the Churches power and so that command belongs to them it is not in your power and therefore belongs not to you save to admonish men and tell the Church but to put men from your table and familiarity is in your power and belongs to you Suppose the King write to the City of London to put all Rebels out of their Company and Converse its easie to understand that every one must do it only in his own place Every single man cannot turn such out of the Common-Council The City Rulers must do that and till it be done single men may not deny obedience to the Governours But all may turn them out of their houses shops and familiarity L. But they say it is a receding from our former Reformation and pulling down what we built M. The Separators pull'd it down with a witness but it is no such thing Did the Covenant or our Profession ever bind us to take the Liturgy to be worse than
inserted those restraints of the hurt and abuse of the Diocesan form and their Courts as may do much to secure Religion And if they be kept from doing harm we have most of our end Their faults are not ours who cannot remedy them 4. And you are mistaken in thinking that this form of Reconciliation will cause no Concord Less was accepted with published thanks to the King for his Declaration 1660. And I believe that the Dissenters would be so few as that the Concord of Consenters would render them inconsiderable or uncapable of being dangerous to our peace L. But 1. what makes you put in so much that no body denieth Do you not seem hereby to intimate unjustly that all this is denied you M. 1. I have no hope of Concord but by disputing ex concessis and improving mens own principles Do you think I am so foolish as to expect that Adversaries so fierce should change their judgments by any thing that I can say if their own interest or their own principles by inference change them not 2. We want nothing more in reality and practice than that which is most granted us in shadow and general words who grant not that we must obey God before man And must love God above all our neighbours as our selves and must do as we would be done by And must bear with the receive the weak and persecute none c. And if this were done we were all agreed O happy England if all were granted practically and indeed which men in general words approve But if they grant this and yet will not grant it but seek to ruine them that seek it are they not unexcuseable L. Why begin you with the qualifications requisite to Baptism as if you spake to Infidels M. Because I cannot build without a foundation This is the chief thing necessary to our Reformation that the Church may consist of capable persons L. Why name you Parents and Pro-parents instead of God-fathers and God-mothers M. Because it belongs to him to covenant in the Childs name or behalf whose will may justly go as for the Childs will and that is they whose he is and who have the power of him and whom God hath commanded and authorized to this office and who are obliged to educate him and seek his well-fare By Pro-parents I mean such as by Adoption or otherwise justly take the child for theirs which when Parents leave them Orphans is usual I say nothing against God-fathers as seconds presupposing this much L. But I pray you who shall be judge whether the profession be Understanding which must be made by the Adult or by the Parent By this trick you will make the Priest the chief Governour of the Church and he shall keep out whom he pleases as for want of understanding the words of the Covenant M. 1. I confess that this is the first and most momentous part of the power of the Keys But it tells us that it is not only Bishops that have that power But either some-body or no body must have this power or trust 1. If No-body Turks Heathens Sadducees any may be baptized tho' in scorn and may be members of the Church at pleasure and the Church shall indeed be no Church being confounded with the World. A Parrot may be taught to say those words A man of about 80 Years of age in the Parish where I taught being ask'd who Iesus Christ was pointed to the Sun and said That was he and ask'd Wh was the Holy Ghost Said he thought the Moon What wiseman will be the Pastor of such a Church 2. Christ hath instituted an Office for this judgment and given them the Keys Therefore there must be some such judge 2. If Some-body who must it be 1. If it be every expectant for himself it will be as before and there will be no Church Any Heathen may come in 2. If it must be the Magistrate you call him to attend this Service and to teach and try all that are baptized at age and all Parents for their Children And if you lay on him the Pastors Office you make him Pastor 3. If it must be the Bishop it is impossible and no Bishop will do it when he doth not so much as know or see one of an hundred in his Diocess It must then be the Parish-Minister or No-body 3. Those must be trusted with it whom Christ hath appointed for such trust But that is the Ministers To them he hath commited the Keys of his Church or Kingdom 4. Those must be trusted with it that must Execute it It is the Minister that must Baptize And therefore he must judge whom to baptize or else he is but an Executioner like one that washeth any one that 's foul and not a judge of what he doth nor must answer for it 5. The Universal Church ever since Christ's days hath agreed in this And shall we now overthrow it And as to the exception against the Power of the Pastor 1. All power may be abused shall we have no King no Judge or Justice or Bishops because they may abuse their power 2. It is so natural to men to consult their own carnal Interest which will here most lie in pleasing the people and sloathfully to omit so costly and troublesome a duty that it 's enough to foretell that a hundred will sin in making the door too wide for one that maketh it too narrow and doleful experience tells us this We are confounded by the contrary extream 2. He that is refused wrongfully by one Minister may find enough that will receive him 3. We grant appeals to Rulers in case of Male-administration 4. The setting open the Church-doors without an examiner will be an hundred fold worse And you must be like the Woman that would never have her house swept lest her servant should chance to sweep out a pin What think you of all the ancient Churches that taught the Adult long as Catechumens before they would baptize even them that begg'd it L. 2. In your second Article again you give the Minister a power to judge of mens Understanding But I need no further answer to that But do you not thus make Examination by Ministers necessary to the Sacrament M. I make it needful to Confirmation or Adult-Communion but that is but once in a Man's life L. But is it not enough that Children own their baptismal Covenant by coming to Church and not denying it without any Confirmation or other Profession M. Many come to hear that are no Christians Children are born in Nescience and when they come to age must be made knowing Christians and believe and obey for themselves if they will be saved and they cannot consent to their baptismal Covenant if they understand it not This is the thing that hath corrupted the Church Those that were Infant-Christians and at age were no Christians have filled many Congregations Yet I confess that where Confirmation and Personal Trial is by the
wickedness that wicked men destroy the just and as for sinning that they persecute them that will not sin It is for Religion that Religion is impugned and for the Church that the true Children of the Church are Persecuted And is it for the Gospel that the Preachers of it are silenced and destroyed Without the Church a false Religion is set up against Christianity But within it an Image of Christ and of the Church and of Concord and Religion is set up against Christ Church Concord and Religion and men in the Garb of Magistrates and Pastors do prosecute the War as by Christ's Commission and in his Name And sin is defended and propagated by false pretended opposition If the Iews had known him they would not have Crucified the Lord of Glory Heathens would not for Idols fight against God nor Mahometans for a Deceiver against Christ if they knew what it is that they are doing Christ who was Crucified as a Blasphemer and Rebel foretold his Disciples that they should be kill'd as an act of service to God. Where the Gospel is believed it is a crime so horrid to silence and destroy Christ's faithful Ministers and forbid his publick Worship and render his most conscionable Servants odious and plot their extirpation and ruine that none dare do it but those that know not what they do When Christians as a Sect were every where spoken against Paul was exceeding mad against them and persecuted them to strange Cities and verily thought that he ought to do many things against the Name of Jesus Act. 26. But when he heard from Heaven Why persecutest thou me it stopt his rage and changed his judgment But alas How slender a means will serve to deceive the wicked A meer nick-name or malicious slander yea the avoiding of a sin which they think to be no sin is enough with them to make the best men seem the worst while Perjuries Adulteries Blasphemies Prophaneness Cruelty and Persecution are tolerable motes in the eyes of their Companions All the Holiness Wisdom and Miracles of Christ and his Apostles would not serve to make them pass for good yea or tolerable men while Sadducees who denied Spirits the Resurrection Ceremonious hypocritical blood-thirty Pharisees went for meet Rulers of the Flock And how can it be expected that he who thinks not Holiness desireable to himself should think it any excellency in others Or that he that thinks his own sin but a tolerable frailty should much abhor it in the World Satan then hath his Army not only among Infidels but nominal Christians And it is commanded by Honourable and Venerable Names and he pretends a good and righteous Cause whereever he fighteth against Christ and Holiness But by the fruits he may be known in the greatest pretenders whatever names he call them by It is the most profitable Preaching which he laboureth to suppress and the most faithful Pastors that he would silence the most conscionable Christians whom he striveth to make hateful and the more Spiritual Worship of God which he would hinders And therefore even among Christians we have great cause to warn men to fear least they be enticed into Satan's service against Christ and their own Profession and Salvation And especially in an age 1. Where worldly and cross Interests are set up against the Interest of Christ and Conscience 2. Where these worldly and cross Interests have already wasted Christian Love and Contentions have begun a Mental War. 3. When these have prevailed by scorns and slanders to make Conscionable Christians pass for some contemptible criminal or erroneous Sect and this Reproach is fortified by Honourable and Reverend Names Lest therefore such Causes too visible in the World should draw the ignorant and rash into the dreadful Sin of fighting against the Interest of Christ and Souls by hindering Christ's Ministers from their necessary Work and faithful Christians from worshipping God I will humbly beseech all that are in danger of such Temptations but seriously to exercise their own Reasons in the present Consideration of these following Questions and to take up with no other Answer to them which will not bear weight at Death and Judgment when worldly Pomp and Pleasures leave them and not worldly Interest Wit or Grandeur but the Righteous Lord the Lover of Holiness and Holy Souls will be the dreadful and final Judge The Questions to be well Considered Quest. 1. ARe we not on all sides agreed that we are Mortals posting to the Grave Doth any Man think he shall not die And is striving or mutual Love and Quietness a fitter Passage to the dust Do not all Men constrained by natural Conscience at a dying Hour repent of hurting others and ask Forgiveness of all the World Yea if you are not worse than most Heathens Are we not agreed That Man's Soul is immortal and that we shall all be shortly in another World and that it shall be with us there as we live on Earth If any doubt of this should not the least probability of such an everlasting Life of Joy or Misery prevail against the certain Vanity of such a shadow as this World Or if yet they believe not another Life Why should they not let those live in quietness that do believe it and dare not hazard their everlasting Hopes for nothing as long as they do no hurt to others Q. 2. Do not all Christians believe That the Knowledge of God our Creator and Redeemer and a holy Heart and Life are of necessity to our Salvation Do we not see That Children are not born with Knowledge nor free from fleshly and worldly Inclinations Doth not the World's Experience tell us how hard and how long a Work it is to make the Ignorant understand the very Articles of Faith and necessary Duty to God and man and as hard to perswade their Carnal Minds to the hearty Love and Practice of them and to save them from the damning Love of sinful Lust and worldly Vanities and how wofully the best Teaching is frustrate with the most Q. 3. Are we not all Vowed to God in our Baptism renouncing the Seduction of the World the Flesh and the Devil And do all understand and keep this Vow And is not the perfidious Violation of it a most damning Sin And when Thousands of full Age are yet to learn what Baptism is and what they Vowed Have they not great need to be plainly taught it Q. 4. Is a Baptized Infidel or ungodly Person any better or safer than the Turks or the Salvages in America Will the Name of Christians save perfidious Hypocrites Or Will it not be easier for Sodom than for such Q. 5. If Christian Knowledge and Practice be not necessary Why pray we for Conversion of Heathens and Infidels And Why doth the Article of the Church of England condemn those that hold That all may be saved in their several Religions And what are we better than Turks and Heathens Q. 6. Are not all Men
on Earth bound solemnly to worship the God that made them And do not all the Idolatrous Heathens and the Mahometans offer their God some publick Worship And must not Christians publickly worship Christ Are not holy Assemblies for Doctrine Prayer Praise and Communion Commanded to that end and the Lord's day separated thereto and all forbid to forsake such Assembling Q. 7. Let the Bills of Mortality and the knowing Inhabitants tell you Whether there be not some Hundred Thousands in the great Parishes in and near this City more than can come into their Parish-Churches and hear If they would all but shew their willingness to come in if they could and Twenty Thousand stood at St. Martin's in the Church-Yard and Streets and as many at Stepney and at St. Giles Cripplegate and Ten Thousand at Giles in the Fields and so of the rest and should say We are here desirous to come in and cannot What would you say to them Are they not more miserable that are content to stay at home Q. 8. What would you have all these Thousands do Multitudes of them are hardened already by this seeming necessity into self-excusing and a custom of neglecting all publick Worship And how think you do they spend their time at home Is it not the time for sinful Practices or Idleness at the best And would you have all these Thousands turn Atheists or live more impiously than Mahometans And are not these to pay to the Church that cannot come in it and the Weak that cannot stand and can get no Seats And are not the Church-wardens bound to present all these Thousands that have no Room And shall all these suffer as Recusants while the Rich that can pay for Seats escape If you say they should seek room in other Parish Churches do you know what it is for a man to wander into the City with his Family to seek room he knoweth not where The Tabernacles where Churches stood are small and we see the Church full already where is profitable Preaching and the Seats at least possest and the worse men are the more need they have but the less they feel it and are unlikely to seek help at such a rate who would come in if it were near them Q. 9. Are all these many Thousands that stay at home or worse hunted and prosecuted fined and imprisoned for it as seditious and Enemies to the King or to the Peace as some are that worship God as wisely as they can And do you believe that such a Worship of God as hath nothing in it contrary to the Holy Scripture or contrary to the Practice of the Apostles of Christ is worse than none at all or than meeting at Plays and Taverns and deserveth scorn imprisonment and ruine Q. 10. Suppose it be Ignorance and Errour in such Ministers as take it to be a sin against God yea a heinous sin to take all the Oaths Declarations Subscriptions and Covenants imposed for Conformity while they willingly take the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy and suppose it be an Errour in those People who think their Souls need better Pastoral Helps than they can have in many Parishes shall this Errour be punished with keeping them from all God's publick Worship unless they will sin against their Consciences or change their Judgments which they cannot change Yea suppose some Communion or Ceremony be indifferent which they mistake for sin will you forbid all men to worship God till they have no Sin or Errour Is there any one such a man on earth Are you such your selves And shall all the World be driven therefore from worshipping God Little do men know how great a part of the daily Thoughts even of Orthodox Learned men are Errours Q. 11. Can there be a more horrid thing in the world than either to condemn or excommunicate all men who dare not do that which after their best search they think to be more heinous Sin than they dare name lest the very naming of it offend and are desirous to have their Reasons heard and to make it necessary to Communion or to their Liberty to worship God that all Men and Women must know even all indifferent things to be indifferent or lawful in God's Worship which men may impose on them Have not all sober Peaceable Divines agreed that things necessary for all to know are few and that Christian Concord can never be expected on any other terms than by agreeing in those few plain necessary things And who knoweth not that indifferent things are numberless as well as small no mortal man knoweth them all And if a poor Christian that feareth the Justice of God do take that Oath that Covenant that Declaration or Subscription yea or that humane Symbolical Badge of Christianity or other Ceremony to be a heinous Sin which others say is a thing indifferent Must all as Atheists be kept from worshipping God till they know all these things to be indifferent Q. 12. Did not the Lord Iesus himself make it his prime Gospel Law That all that profess Repentance and Faith in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost should by Baptism be made visible Christians and all Christians live in Love to one another and Holy Communion and jointly worship God Q. 13. Was it not the Nature of all the Old Heresies to depart from this Universal Christian Love and Unity and that on pretence of some singular Opinion of their own in which they thought they were wiser than others and would have had all to be of their mind and should those that cry down Heresie go the way of Hereticks if they can but get Number and Power to pretend Catholicism Q. 14. Did not the Holy Ghost by St. Paul as plain as the Pen of Man can write determine Rom. 14. and 15. and Eph. 4. 6 7 c. and 1 Cor. 12. that Christians should receive each other into Communion and live in Love and Peace notwithstanding differences about Meats Days and such indifferent things yea or Weaknesses in Faith and Holiness And did not Christ mind the Ceremonious Pharisees That God will have Mercy rather than Sacrifice and that they worshipped God in vain while they preferred their Ceremonies and Traditions to his Word Q. 15. Had it been Reason or Impudency rather in the Pharisees if they had cryed out against Christ and his Apostles for not Conforming to their Traditions You are Schismaticks and disturb the Church's and the Nation 's Peace and cast all into Confusion And was it not Turbulent Arrogancy that made the Iewish Christians so urgent with all the Gentiles to be Circumcised when they were left to their own Ceremonies and no body medled with them or hindred them If men love that Diet let them use it But must none live that cannot love the same Q. 16. Will you give men leave to open all the real Faults they can find in the Diocesan or Parish Churches And if they prove far more than they can prove in