the Romish Masse worship When we speak of impossibility of this or that you are not to imagine that we thereby derogate any thing from the Omnipotence of God God forbid no but that which we say of Impossibility is truly for the dignifying of his Power as when we say of the God of Truth It is Impossible that he should lye Heb. 17. or for the Lord of Life and in himselfe Immortall that he should dye I would not have brought disputes into the Pulpit if the importunity of this our unseasonable Season had not exacted it of me The next and last brand falleth upon the Reverence given to Christ at the hearing of the name of him our Saviour Jesus and therefore Iesus because our Saviour which they call ô black tongue Idolatrous Beloved Brethren I appeale to every Conscience of Man when I heare mention of my Saviour my heart is inwardly lift up to reverence the person of Christ in my soule now on the Throne of Majesty shall it not then be lawfull for me to expresse the same prayse of him which my body who hath redeemed me both body and soule for his prayse But reasons will not down with these men except such as may seem to be Divine We shall offer them not an only seeming but even a convincing reason from God himselfe who to preserve his people from Idolatry least they might make any Image of him the high way to an Idolatrous worship commanded them to remember that when he manifested his presence among them you saw no shape said hee how then did they perceive his presence he tells them you heard only a voyce as if God had said unto them pinge sonum Let your Painters picture a voyce or any man adore a voyce if hee can how impossible this is you may know by this my every voyce which while I utter is transient past and flowne before you can fasten your thoughts upon it and yet in despite of truth it selfe they will have us Idolaters Before I can end the point of kneeling I cannot silence my griefe to see all gesture of kneeling almost shut out of the Church And yet wee all know that kneeling in prayer time was the Decorum practised by Patriarchs Prophets Apostles and Christ Himselfe now what gout it is that hindereth whether of prid or lasinesse or perversnesse I know not This I know that take away the outward forme of Devotion the inward will sooner coole hetherto we have beene exercised in the first consequence of this Text which is the confutation of the errors of the Schismaticall faction Our second remaineth which is the condemnation of their practises yet before I can enter upon it I would gladly be understood concerning the premises namely that I have not so pleaded for Ceremonies and Litturgy as to prejudice the wisdome of them who by just Ecclesiasticall Order shall so regulate these matters as may be most conducible for peace unanimity and uniformity in the Church In the interim it cannot be offensive that the Child after so much vile ugly aspersions cast upon our Mother should vindicate her honour by whom through the blessing and mercy of GOD hee hath his soules spirituall birth and breeding And now I hasten to our last passage whereunto we have been induced by the same Text Wee have no such Custome nor the Churches of God These words necessarily implying that they who are contentious against the Customes of the Apostles and Churches of God doe by their separation from her make themselves Advesaries against the Church against her members against God and against their owne soules these foure For the Church is thereby left to a vexatious destruction breach of Christian libertie loade of infamy and lurch of spirituall maintenance as much as can possibly bee wrought First The very separation it selfe is to the Church as a rupture in the body of Man which did make Chrysostome to burst out into this hyperbole These that raise contentions in the Church are worse than they who pierced the sides of Christ In which figure there is this truth That Christ who gave his naturall body for His Mysticall body which is his Church will require a severe accompt of them who shall rent the peace of the Church The liberty of the Church by the confession of all Christian Churches none excepted is a power in GODS Church to order things indifferent according to the Apostolicall rules of Decencie order and edification whereupon wee make bold to call these contentious men for their contrary opinion of judging this liberty of Gods Church unlawfull superstitions strange will some say They who enveigh against superstitions so bitterly and in that pretence fall into separation from the Church to bee termed superstitious Yes Beloved and we need not to straine a gnat in proving it That Admirable Man of God and Pastor in the Church of God in Geneva whom without preface of honour I cannot name to wit Calv. upon the words of Deutronomie wherein Gods People were forbid to make any compacts with the Heathen which being no morrall but onely a judiciall Law and therefore was not to bee exacted now of Christians reflecting upon the libertie of Christians in their use of Ecclesiasticall rites gave this caution that none urge to vehemently this against Ceremonies according unto the Apostles doctrine wherein condemning them who tooke away the Christian libertie of eating meates by these and their contrary prescripts Eate not taste not handle not which is all one with moove not reade not and other cases of indifferency Are not then these men fit objectors of superstition against the Churches Ordinances who are themselves so grosly superstitious pardon us for who is their in these times that will not stand zealously upon his right of libertie Infamy is after mortall the most grievoust of persecutions which they have multiplyd outragiously by their infamously famous Libels and Pamphlets beside the slanders which as have bin alleadged by imputing Idolatry the vilest of Adulteries unto her as if cursed children should call their mother whore whereas our Apostle held it necessary to admonish all Christians to take heed they give no scandall to the Church of God 1 Cor. 10. bee this spoken to the Sectarists who make themselves scandalous against the Church rather than endure any the least of this which they call the scandalls in the Church The injuries to the members of the Church are the next mischiefes of separation the first is the breach of Unitie O how many obligations did our Apostle put upon his Ephesians for preserving of Unitie in the Church the first is because it is one body second one spirit which is the spirit of Union third one hope of our calling that is to say the hope of one heavenly inheritance after followeth one Lord which is our Head Christ and one faith the soule of our soules and one Baptisme the Seale of the said Faith and last and chiefest one Father of
all who above all things delighteth in the unanimity of his Children for take away Unitie and all Sympathy is dissolved which is a compassionate assertion one to each other which the Apostles sheweth in his comparison betwixt the Church of God and Mans body wherein the Members doe mutually rejoyce and greene at the joy or griefe of each other in so much as if the Hee le bee prickt the tongue cryes I am hurt and every part of the body if it were a tongue would cry the same I am hurt this is called the sympathy of the members of the body but when Members are dislocated and disjoyned then mutuall affection is deaded and where Sympathy ceaseth fare well all Charity which necessarily seperateth it selfe together with the separation now I beseech you losses of Unitie Sympathy and Charity are not these injuries And commonly all these spring from one roote envie For Ecclesiasticall records tell us that the Originall of Schismes hath been that he who according to the first Character of the contentious person did make ostentation of his owne worthinesse and found not respect from Governours in the Church did thereupon picke quarrels with her in one pretence or other even as Aerius the Head of a faction because he could not obtaine to bee made Bishop was the first that spake against the degree of Episcopacy it selfe But yet there was peradventure some title of worthinesse of learning in such kinde of men in ancient times But what now Our Apostle according to the former comparison of members of the Church and parts of mans naturall body wishing the contentation of every part and to avoyd envie The hand saith he will not say because I am not the eye I am not of the body meaning every part of the body contenteth it selfe with the naturall Order it hath in the body else their would be a dissolution of the whole body But in these times the hand and foot both mutine cause they are not eyes and except our Coblers and Weavers bee allowed for Ministers they will acknowledge no head nor member how these should receive so much tolleration anywhere within this Church I know not except men thought themselves worthy to bee led with blinde guides when as there might be as true Doctrin some time expected from Bedlam whereof some examples might be given if such Doctrines were not fitter for a Stage then a Pulpit But to speak one word of them who arrogat the spirit themselves by their extemporall faculty wch they bragge of and enveighing against Popery notwithstanding make themselves Popish yea very Popes for this is the excellency which the Pope of Room boasteth of that he is the supreame and sole infallible Iudge in matters of Doctrine a priviledge thus expressed by the Iesuite Valentianus Papa sive diligentium adhibuerit sive non adhibuerit tamen infalibiter judicat that is whensoever the Pope determineth any doctrine his judgement is infallible whether he use diligence to try the Truth or not which is flatly the heresie of Enthusiasticks As for the impiety against God it is evident in this that the Churches wherein Schisme is made are called the Churches of God And the God of these Churches is called the God of Peace and so stiled by Saint Paul almost in every Epistle aâ—Romans 15.13 in his blessing to them The God of Peace be with you all 2 Cor. 13.11 He joyneth blessing and admonition together Live in Peace and the God of Love and Peace be with you Phil. 4.7 Hee prayeth That their hearts and mindes may bee possessed with Gods peace 2 Thess. 3.16 His Prayer to the Thessalonians is That God would give them peace {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} alwayes and by all meanes Peace is a Iewell But to what end is this even to know that he that is enemy to the Peace of God is also enemy to the God of peace For 1 Cor. 14.33 For God is not the God {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that is of Tumultuousnesse confusednesse but of peace as in all the Churches of the Saints Sacriledge was the last Character wherewith Augustine decyphred this contentious man And Sacriledge being a depriving the Ministers of God of their due God by the Prophet accounteth it a Robery to Himselfe But is it possible that devout men who are so great enemies to Idolatry and assume to bee above all others spirituall should become Sacrilegious The Apostle sheweth this was no newes in his dayes Rom 2.22 Thou that abhorrest Idolls Committest thou Sacriledge Match we now an Idolatrous and a Sacrilegious Man together as the Apostle doth here and the Sacrilegious will thinke that the Idolatrous is farre more execrable then he himselfe can be This Text which I have alleadged will say no for doubtlesse Saint Paul the most excellent disputant that hath bin knowne knew his Logicke in reasoning for when hee condemne the Sacrilegious Iew in comparison of the Idolatrous Gentill it must bee held either as the Schoole speaketh an argument ab aequali that is thou Sacrileger art as ill as the Idolater is or else a minori thou art worst wherefore how ever these contentious men may maske themselves under the visard of Religion and Austerity in abhorring popery superstition or Idolatry yet are they in one respect farre worse than the other in as much as experience of all times hath proved that the Idolater was alwayes a Reverencer of some Diety nor ever was a Superstitious Atheist heard of although contrarily when hath been of any Atheist who was not Sacrilegious that is a rober of Gods right Seeing now that contentiousnesse for separation is every way so pernicious how shall the Seperatist satisfie himselfe shall he think to make a Church of his own which shall be a Church of God let us try this 1 Cor. 12.27 speaking of this Church of God at Corinth he saith You are the body of Christ and Members of your part Wherein we are two have to considerations of the Church of Corinth one as it was a particular Church and compared with that which is called the Catholike and universall Church of Christ And so it is but a Member thereof Secondly as it is compared with its owne Members so is it The body of Christ in it selfe whence it followeth that Members broken from this Church of God in Corinth did therby devide themselves from God Himselfe Cyprian and Augustine had to deale with such contentious persons in their times and either of them proclaimed this saying None can have God for his Father who hath not the Church for his Mother meaning them who were separated from their own Churches The Papists you know arrogate this saying to the Church and Pope of Rome but vainely because Cyprian at this time was at difference with Stephen the then POPE and contemned his excommunication and Augustine was one of them who withstood the Popes usurpation of appeales to Rome It is time to conclude the contentious men being Authors of too many miseries the greatest mischiefe will bee against their own soules because whosoever by contention maketh himselfe an adversary to the Church of the God of Peace doth therein make the God of Peace of the Church an Adversary to himselfe and what must his reward then bee but here sorrow and anguish of soule and in the end endlesse woe As for you Beloved in Christ Iesus bee you exhorted in the words of our Apostle 1 Cor. 1.10 I exhort you Brethren by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you speake one thing and that there bee no divisions among you bee perfect in one minde and in one judgement All Glory bee to God c. FINIS Verse 18. * Calvin Institut lib. 4. c. 1. §. 16. ex August lib. 3. contra Parm. Illi filii mali qui non odio iniquitatem alienarum sed studâ—o contentionum suarum infirmas plebes jactantia sui nominis irâ—etitas vel totas trabere vel ceâ—te devidere affectant superbia tumidi pervicatia vefani calumniis insidiosi sedâ—tionibus tumulenti quine luce veritatis carere osiendantur umbram rigidae severitatis ostendâ—ntes ad sacrilegiem Schismatis occasionem praecisionis Prov. 24.12 1 Cor. 15. Gal. 5.20 Vse Beza Epist. 8. 44. Math. 6.9 Luke 11 2â— Matth. 11. 1 Cor. 14. Col. 2 Ephes. 4.4 1 Cor. 12.27
to the poore and have not Charity I am nothing So that these men having but a shadow of goodnesse they themselves are transparent so that a Man in respect of Charity may look thorow them and then their Character must be just nothing otherwise our Apostle will give them a proper one where hee saith of such contentious spirits Whilst you have Schismes are you not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Carnall When therefore wee are to discerne of these we are not to regard there outwards because their Austerity is but a pretended singularity of Devotion in themselves and tigidity against others which how spirituall soever it may seeme to be yet it may be Carnall For Pride and Envy are Notionals and yet by the Apostle are listed among the Fruits of the Flesh which are the corrupt Acts proceeding from the rationall power of Man even as Heresie it selfe is there termed which beside attribute Sacrilegious what the appetite of Schismaticks hath always been this way is notorious whereof somewhat hereafter I have reserved for the last place a Character which maketh his case most desperate called by Auusten maddish obstinacy of which kind Augustin himselfe had full experience when he said Convincere cos possum convertere non possum convince them I can although I cannot convert them which is not to perswade them although they be perswaded Aristotle his sothisters just whose scope in all Disputes was not verity but victory especially by holding there one conclusion And noâ— that we have so full a presentment of this {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} what shall we do with him What but send him to receive his doome from the Apostle in his next words in the second part of this Text We have no such custome nor the Churches of God As much as to say that the Schismatick by raysing contentions in the Church he is an adversary both to the Apostolicall Order and also to the Custome of all Churches of God And therefore he justly incurreth that judgement from God which he is liable unto In a word these contentions being rise in the Church of Corinth the scope of the Apostle herein was to preserve the reputation and dignity of this Church I must first being with this scope of the Apostle who finding these contentious persons seeking division in this Church will have them know that departing from it was to depart from the Church of God but stay a little could the Church of Corinth be accompted then the Church of God Did S. Paul think so Nay did he not reprehend some in that Church for their impetuous transferring of their Civill jars and suits of Law unto the Courts of Infidels 1 Cor. 6 7. Others for their wicked connivance and indulgence towards the Incestious 1 Cor. 8.5 Others for their vile prophanations in the sacred Assemblies 1 Cor. 11.32 Yea and other some for Heresie to boote 1 Cor. 15 Now is there any Schismatick yea or not Schismatick almost who at the first hearing of thus much would not judge this Corinth to have been a Sinagoge of Satan rather then so much as to carry the title of a Church what would our Apostle have said to this objection if he had been now a live verily the same which he said in the inscription of this his Epistle to the Corinthians when he wrote thus Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ to the Church of God where in Corinth Corinth therefore was then the Church of God Hereby we have this Doctrinall point to wit that we are not to depart from any Church of Christ for any scandall given unto us by any members and professors therein but either for extreame Errours of Doctrine or Godlesse practises as being professed by it You have heard of the resemblances which have been made of Gods Church as namely that it is compared unto a Field wherein are sowen Tares as well as Wheate to a Net wherein are conteined dead fish as well as living and to a Fould having in it Goats as well as Sheep Yet is not the Field to be spoyled because of the Tares nor the Net to be rent because of the dead Fish nor the Fould to be broken because of the Goats But the example of Christ may be our best direction who since his Ascention into Heaven sent his Messages to the seven Angels of the seven Churches in Asia charging five of them with their severall faultes Apo. 2. 3. Saying I have something against thee And I have something against thee and thee And in each of these every Something was a crime of a large cise These Angels by Antiquity were termed Bishops albeit ill Bishops now let us see the processe of Christ against them doth he deprive them at the first No but gives them their particular admonitions denouncing their removall except they should Repent Nor doth he threaten the Innocents together with the Delinquents much lesse doth he denounce eradication of the Office because of their abuse of it no but by reprehending their vices only he thereby justifieth their Offices As we read of the Lord of the unjust Steward in the Gospell he said to him because of his injustice Thou shalt be no longer Steward Out with the unjust Steward then but will the Lord therefore have no Steward and abolish all Steward-ship ever after There was no such meaning neither had Christ here Because the other two good Angels were still continued and conserved In a word I should but aske any of these refractories wherein all their reading of the book of God from the beginning of Genesis unto the end of the Apocalips they ever found a free and visible Church wherin there was not a mixture of Godly and Wicked professors Now that we have vindicated this Church of Corinth you will expect I suppose how wee shall defend our own Corinth the Church of England This must be our next endeavour by retourning to our Text again We have not such Custome nor the Churches of God Which words we say did consequently infer both a confutation of the errors of Schismaticks and likewise a condemnation of their practise we begin with our confutation But first we must understand their criminations against our Church the principall are these her Constitutions Episcopacy Ceremonies and Liturgies The Imputations they lay upon her in these respects are towfold one is the unlawfulnesse of them as being no matters indifferent the other is their other viciousnesses as being either Popish Superstitious or Idolatrous respectively Against the first we shall answer by way of appeale as our Apostle instructeth namely unto the Custome of the Apostles themselves or of other the acknowledged Churches of God Are Constitutions unlawfull We appeale to the Apostles and there Constitutions against eating of strangled or bloud Act. 15. and for brevity sake we challenge all our opposites to bring us the example of any one publick peaceable constituted Church in all the Christian World wherein