Wor'ster and not Mr. Baxter that is the Pastor of Kidderminster as well as of all Other Parochial Churches in that Diocesse and that the Cure of Souls in That or any other Parish of That Diocesse was never either by Himself or any Other Bishop of Wor'ster committed to Mr. Baxter c. So that the word Sole is the Animadverter's Whimsie and foysted in only to irritate the Rabble against Prelacy as tending toward Popery when not a Syllable ever dropp'd from the Bishops Pen in favour of this feigned and frivolous Assertion To discover the Forgery the Reader needs only compare the Quotation with the Text where he shall find first the Notorious Juggle of his misallegation and Then having lugg'd in by Head and Shoulders the Popes Supremacy under That Blind weakly heaven knows he bestowes his Shot upon the Superiority of Bishops where in fine all he does is but to Combat an Idole of his own Making and which is yet more pleasant the Puppet gets the Better of the Rabbi The Bishop does not deny Parochial Ministers to be Pastors of their Particular Flocks it is not at all the Question but still they are Subordinate and Delegated by the Bishop from whom they Receive Institution and Induction Reserving still to himself the Superintendency of them All. But the man 's for Parity I perceive and against Deputation He 's Consequently â—gainst the King for a Leveller in the Church never fails to be one in the State Let him examine himself and keep his own Counsel B I forbear to â—rge how contrary this Practice is to the Doctrine of the Apostlâ—s both Paul and Peter I hope the Bishop will not take it ill that I do not call them Saints for these Holy men do not need any stile of Honour out of the Popes Kalender B The Animadverter does wondrous well to forbear Paul and Peter for to my Knowledge they are Two of the greatest Enemies he has But what a wipe he gives the Bishop for his Popes Kalender and then he Churrs like a Turky-cock at the Conceit on 't I hope the Bishop will not take it ill quoth he that I do not call them Saints He 's a notable wit I warrant him Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ c. with all the SAINTS which are in all Achaia 2 Cor. 1. 1. Paul c. to the SAINTS which are at Ephesus c. Eph. 1. 1. Salute all the SAINTS Phil. 4. 21. All the SAINTS Salute you Phil. 4. 22. Since we heard of your Faith in Christ Jesus and of your Love toward all SAINTS Col. 1. 4. Was Paul a Papist or what signifies SAINT but Holy Now for a fling at the Bishop by the way of Sole Pastor C When Paul had sent for the Elders of the Church at Ephesus he bids them to feed the Church of God over which not be himself by his sole Authority aâ— Bishop of the Diocess but the Spirit of God had made them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Overseers or to use the proper stile Biâ—hops And Peter commands his Fellow Elders for so doth that Apostle 〈◊〉 to call himself to feed the Flock which was among them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Overseeing or Acting the Bishops not like the Bishop of Worcester as Lording it over Gods Heritage but as Patteâ—ns of the Flock From which places we learn not only that those two so much controverted Names of Bishop and Presâ—yter are without distinction ascribed to the same Persons but likewise that whoever fâ—d the Flock are under Christ whom the Apostle there stilâ—s the Chief Shepheard the next and immediate Pastors of the Flock and to extend the Pastoral Power beyond the actual care of Feeding is a notion altogether uâ—scriptural and likewise leaves us no bounds where to fix till we come to ceâ—re upon some one Universal Pastor who may claim this Power over the whole world by the same parity of reason that a Bishop doth over one Dâ—ocesse C Very good Paul sends for the Elders of the Church at Ephesus and they come I hope so there 's Authority and Obedience The Apostle gives them their Charge also to Feed the Flock whereof the Holy Ghost had made them Over-seers not the Bishop of the Diocesse sayes our Aerius No question of it Does the Bishop of Wor'ster assume any Personal Privilege in Matters Essential to his Function Does he pretend to Act by any other Virtue then That of his Ecclesiastical Mission If not his rude Parenthesis is a double Impertinence Again Peter sayes he Commands his Fellow-Elders c. Par in Parem non habet Imperium A Superiority among Equals is a Contradiction The word in truth is soâ—ter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which intimates rather Exhortation or Entreaty and for his Fellow-Elders it signifies just as much from the Apostle as Fellow-Souldiours from a General Their Commission is to Feed he sayes and Over-see not like the Bishop of Worcester c. Lording it over Gods Heritage c. His Rayling apart Marque now his Inferences First that the Names of Bishop and Presbyter are without distinction apply'd to the same Persons Go to then but can he shew me where the Powers are exercis'd in Common too We do not argue upon Names but Things Can Presbyters Ordein Inflict a Censure or as Meer Presbyters can they Govern Let 's see a Text for 't If they are Overseers in Respect of their Flocks They are yet part of the Flock Themselves in respect of the Diocesan Bishop They Oversee and they are Overseen according to the Scale of Order and Authority His next Deduction is Haeretical Church-Parity to which he adds that the Pastoral Power extends only to the Actual care of Feeding Is 't not a Shephard's Duty as well to Govern his Flock as to Feed it To Keep in Straglers c. Bishop Andrews will tell you in his Opuscula Posthuma that Pastor in the Latin Church is alwayes taken for a Bishop for one that Governs as well as Feeds and Governs even the Feeders of Particular Flocks In Homer the King himself is call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Shepheard of his People Touching his Universal Pastor by the same reason we are to have an Universal King EXCEPTION III. A IT seems to be a Light and to say no more unseemly trifling with sacred Scripture to affirm that those words of our Saviour concerning such as come not in by the door and therefore are Thieves and Robbers ought to be understood of such Ministers as preach to Congregations without the Bishops License Which thing the Bishop in great heat and Earnestnesse as if he had done very well in it tels us more then once that it was the Principal reason why he silenced Mr. Baxter A SOmebody resolve me whether This Libeller has more Wit or Honesty and take the Naked Truth of the Story Baxter for Brevity sake throwes out one Dancy the Minister of Kidderminster from his Living and
same Church therefore the less Laudable or what Proportion is there betwixt the Apostles Case and Our's Their business was to Preach the Gospel to all Nations and lay the Foundation of Christianity but our Dispute is only Whether or no we shall Obey their Delegates in Matters Indifferent Again the Bishop speaks of the English Church and State whose Interests are Commixt and Enterwoven to a degree of Inseverable complication His slight esteem of Uniformity swayes not at all with me when I consider That Notable and Divine saying of Sir Francis Bacon The outward Peace of the Church distilleth into Peace of Conscience And it turneth the Labours of Writing and Reading of Controversies into Treatises of Mortification and Devotion Concerning Circumstantials I think it much more suitable for the People to Obey than for the Church to Forbear and let them say what they please of Agreeing in Essentials when I see a perverse Posture I think it no breach of Charity to suspect a Froward Mind C And whereas the Bishop thinks he hath got some advantage by reviving the memory of our late Civil â—ars which were he either Christian or Man enough he would wish were eternally buried in silence I must to use his own Phrase tell him in his ear that our Wars did not arise from the separation of Conscieâ—tious dissenters but from the violence and fury of unconscioâ—able Imposers who would not allow their Brethren who desired nothing more than to live peaceaâ—ly by them that sob◠〈◊〉 which the Law of God commanded and no Law of Man could justly deprive them of C See now he Raves again were he either Christian or man enough c. still at the Memory of our late Warrs he Starts and Methinks looks as if that quarter of the House were Haunted But here he tells the Bishop a tale in his Ear and as arrant a Tale as ever he told in his Life The Violence and Fury of Unconscionable Imposers was the Cause of the Warr. He sayes In a Strict sense 't is Truth A Pack of Contriving Knaves drew in a Rabble of Believing Fools and against Conscience Law Honour and Gratitude Levy'd a War against the King because he would not give away his Crown and Betray his People This is the Short of All. See the Exact Collections and you shall find who Rais'd the Warr and upon what Pretense Alas the Brethren only desired to live Peaceably he tells us and to enjoy that Sober Liberty which the Law of God Commanded and no Law of Man could justly deprive them of The Scotch Rebellion was a Sober Liberty was it not So was the Plunder of Sir John now Lord Lucas and the Lady Rivers The Tumults Flocking to Whitehal and Westminster The Posting up of Those that would not Murther the Earl of Strafford The Cries of Crucifie him against That Learned and Reverend Prelate the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury The Defacing of Church-Windows and Monuments The Defaming Sequestring and Murthring of the King All Thâ—se were in our Animadverters opinion Sober Liberties Where â—oes the Law of God Command These Liberties so that no Law of Man as he pretends can justly hinder them His Sacred Majesty whom these Libertines Murther'd was of another Judgement Those with Me had I think cleerly and â—ndoubtedly for their Justification the Word of God and the Lawes of the Land together with their own Oathes Those on the other side are forc'd to flie to the shifts of some Pretended Fears and wild Fundamentals of State as they call them which Actually overthew the Present Fabrick both of Church and State c. These are the Words of that Blessed Martyr and in the same Meditation again I am Guilty in This Warr of nothing but This that I gave such Advantages to some Men by confirming their Power which they knew not how to use with That Modesty and Gratitude which became their Loyalty and my Confidence Here we see the Authority of a Nameless Libeller against Records Living Witnesses and the averment of a Dying Prince Put stay whether his accompt be True or False is but one part of the Question The Danger Scope and malice of it deserves another Look Hâ—re's first the Bloud of the Last Warr cast upon the Late King and Consequently the Regal Rights of the King Regnant expos'd to a Dispute for 't is express'd that the 〈◊〉 Diâ—enters were deny'd That Liberty which no Law of man could deprive them of which manifestly implies both the Oppression of the Late King and the Insufficiency of Monarchy it self as to the Ends of Government If That Warr was fair on the Peoples side Then so would another upon the same score be Now in which regard the very Hint is Seditious Further it casts a Dangerous reflexion upon the present Government These execrable Papers 't is odds his Majesty neither sees nor hears of and what a Scandal is it then under the Reign of the Son to see such Libelling Against the Ashes of the Father Hee 'll say perhaps he only tells what Caus'd the Warr without pretending to Defend it That shift may serve him to some purpose provided he was never formerly engag'd with the Faction if he was never Ambitious of testifying to the World his Real Esteem of the singular Worth and Eminence of the greatest Villein in Nature he 's the more capable of Mercy But does not what he is appear from the whole drift of his Discourse What does he but Defame the King under the Visor of his Animadversions upon the Bishop For what has the Bishop done without the Kings Authority Again under the Cloke of an Exception to One Bishop what does he but inveigh against the Church the Episcopâ— Dignity and Function and in fine why against the Bishops but only as the likelyest way to enflame the People by Degrees against the King Does not his Majesty enjoyn the Practice of Those Ceremonies which he condemns the Bishops for But what he drives at will more fully appear from that which follows D And whether the publick maintaining of the very same Positions and Practises may not in time beget the same Feuds and Animosities although this Bishop cares not yet I doubt not but His Majesty as he now doth so will alwayes graciously consider D These Four Lines well apply'd would settle the Nation in perfect happiness but in another sense then he intends them 'T is very true the Publique Mainteining of the very same Positions and Practices that rais'd the last War will most infallibly produce Another unless the Sticklers be a little better look'd to They Preach'd and Libell'd up an Army against our Late Sovereign are they not at it now again for Another Ceremonies and Lord Bishops were mighty Grievances They are so still And then the Kings Prerogative came in Play They are fairly offring at it Now to And what was the Event of All The Holy men Divided the Spoyle Overthrew the Government Murther'd the King Begger'd and
when he 's Out or he has the worst luck that ever man had to be still on the wrong side Is there no Difference betwixt the same Sinful Act Solitary or Exemplary Between Cursing the King in my Heart or in the Mercat-place Betwixt a Private Invective against a Bishop and a Publique Libel As much as betwixt a Murmur and a Rebellion the Peoples Sinnes are Mine too that sin by My Encouragement or Example We are told that 't is not Scriptural to impose things Needlesse as Necessary and to debar from the Communion for Recusancy A Decency is enjoyn'd and if the Church pro hîc nunc may not determine of That Decency who shall To see Five hundred several Persons worshipping in as many several Postures Is This a Decency Bring them to One There 's Order I 'll Kneel says One Sit says another Stand a Third There 's no Religion pretended either in chusing This or That or in forbearing it Only when the Church commands for Uniformity sake That Posture to be observ'd by All which was before by many Practis'd and without Scandal to the Rest Then such a Coyle there 's kept One can't do This nor T'other That and nothing must be done with Doubting The thing Impos'd they say is Triviall Truth but the Reason of imposing it is Considerable 'T is Publique Order and the Imposing Power within the bounds of Decency and Order is beyond Question Sacred But Rest we upon This Issue The Thing required is in it self confest on all hands to be Trivial Now say whether is more to blame the Church for Barring you the Communion because you will not do what they are perswaded you ought to do or you for Refusing it rather than do that which you confess you may do We shall conclude this Point against him from his own Text Whoever is not Against Me is for Me. Let him Prove us Against Christ if not we are for him which Argument will not serve him because as he is not For him in his Scruple so he is against him in his Disobedience For 't is but dissolving a General into Particulars and whatsoever is virtually conteyn'd in the One is Deductively found in the Other upon which ground I dare be Positive that to kneel at the Communion if Appointed by the Church Apostolique is a Duty within the Intention of That Precept Let every thing be done Decently and in Order B Unto which sacred Canon nothing can be more directly contrary than what the Bishop most incompassionately tels us That the Lawes do well to punish even with non-admission to the Sacramenâ— such as will not or perhaps dare not kneel And the Reason he gives is equally Apocrypha Because saith he it becomes not the Law-givers to endanger the Churches peace for their sake As if first It did not much more become all Law-givers in the things of God to observe the Law of Christ which is a Law of Love and Liberty Secondly As if the Churches peace would not be much more endangered by the pressing of things doubtful than by the forbearance of them For since by the enforcing of such things as God hath no where commanded our Christian liberty is inâ—inged from hence it follows that if we ought not yet we lawfully may refuse to subâ—t unto such Impositions as our Saviour did in not washing his hands before meat and the Apostle Paul in the case of Circumcision B This is answer'd already but let me add To Tolerate any Inconformity by a Law opens a Gap to all Heresies and Schismes as the Liberty of Venting Private opinions against the Law tends manifestly to Seditions and Rebellion The Animadverter tells us of a Law of Love and Liberty Does he mean a Liberty to do what we list or what we ought Not the former sure for such a Freedome were destructive of Love Not Three men of Three Thousand Naturally Agreeing But Two or Three lines further he opens his Mouth and tells us the meaning of the Liberty he would be at A Liberty that leaves us so Free that if we ought not yet we Lawfully may refuse to submit unto such Impositions To make out This Seditious determination he brings Two Instances The One of our Saviour's Eating with Unwash'd hands which appears to us rather as a Pretermission than an Opposition The Other of St. Paul's Circumcising of Timothy as he would have it in Complyance with the Ceremony but the Text says otherwise and that it was to render him more Acceptable to the Jews Therefore Paul would that he should go forth with him and took and Circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters Acts 16. 3. but however the Imposition was not the Question in either Case EXCEPTION VII A AS for the Chain of Consequences which the Bishop liâ—ks and tiâ—s together As that from Diversity in external â—ites ariseth Dislike from Dislike Enmity from Enmity Opposition thence Sehism in the Church and Sedition in the State For 〈◊〉 of which he doth very virulently instance in our unhappy times To prevent which he tels us That the State cannot be safe without the Church nor the Church without Unity nor Unity without Uniformity nor uniformity without a strict and rigorous Imposition To all this I answer that it is a 〈◊〉 Rope of sand and the parts of his Chain do 〈◊〉 little hang together as Sampsons Foxes did before they were tied by the Tails which course the Bishop hath imitated not forgetting to put in even the Firebrand it self to make up the Comparison A LAying his Gall and Vanity aside his Virulences Ropes of Sand and Firebrands wee 'll come to the Intermission of his Fury for it takes him by Fits his Sober Folly B Nothing is more clear than that there hath been nay ought to be Diversity in external Forms without any Dislike at all as to the Person of another For the Apostles that preached to the circumcision gave the right hand of Fellowship unto the Apostles of the Gentiles although their Outward Rites in publick Worship were far more different than those which by any of the most distant perswasions are now practised iâ— England 2. The State may be preferâ—ed without the least reference to the Church unlesse it turns Peâ—secuter of it as is evident iâ— those 300 years before Constantine's time in which there was no Church at all legally countenanced and for some scores of years after both the Christians and Geâ—tiles were equally advanced and favoured 3. Vnity I mean such as Christ came to establish which is an Unity in heart and spirit doth not in the least depend upon Uniformity but upon Charity i. e. a Christian and a Candâ—d forbeaâ—ance of one another iâ— things circumstantial when we agree in the Essentials of Worship which is a thing that meer Civility would teach though Religion were silent in it B Because Diversity of External Formes in several Churches does well enough Is Uniformity in the