you should bee damned 59. Yee say to avoyde the strength of this Argument that the necessitie of the Commandement standeth onlie for Baptisme in publicke and that no Praecept requyreth Baptisme but when it can bee had orderlie with all the circumstances thereof whereof yee say this is one that it bee administred in the presence of that visible Kirke whereof the Children are to bee members Thus first yee condemne as vnlawfull the administration of Baptisme even in the Church God-fathers and God-mothers beeing present if the whole Congregation bee not present there and the lyke doctrine wee finde in others also cited on the Margine which soundeth so harshlie in the eares of some of your owne adherentes that they can not bee perswaded that this is your doctrine Secondlie The commandement of CHRIST tying vs to Baptisme hath no such addition eyther of the presence of the Congregation or yet of the materiall Kirke This belongeth but to the Solemnitie and not to the necessarie lawfull vse of Baptisme Where GOD hath tyed this solemnitie to Baptisme yee can not show by holie Scripture but where GOD hath tyed vs to Baptisme wee haue alreadie showne It is true Solemnities should not bee lightlie omitted but the Law sayeth When evident equitie requyreth they may bee dispensed with for according to that same Law That which is chiefe and principall should not bee ruled by that which is accessorie but contrariwyse As for the place of Baptisme wee may say of it as Tertullian sayeth of the tyme thereof in the 19 Chapter of his Booke of Baptisme Everie day is the LORD'S everie houre day and tyme is fitte for Baptisme it may want of the Solemnitie but nothing of the grace Neyther is such a number as yee requyre to bee present necessarie in this case Our Saviour hath taught vs MATTH 18.19 That if two shall agree on Earth as touching anie thing that they shall aske it shall bee done for them of His Father which is in Heaven For sayeth Hee where two or three are gathered together in my Name there am I in the midst of them Wee beseech you therefore Brethren to take heede that yee prescrybe not to mens consciences Rites of necessitie without cleare warrand from God's word by which yee will never bee able to prooue the necessitie of this circumstance requyred by you in Baptisme 60. The practise of the Prtmitiue Church both in the Apostles tymes and thereafter agreeth with this doctrine and practise of ours Saynct PHILIP baptized the Eunuch on the waye ACTS 8. ANANIAS baptized Saul in a private house ACTS 9. Saynct PAVL baptized the Iaylour in his house ACTS 16. If yee answere as others doe that the necessitie of the infancie of the Church excused the want of the presence of a Congregation wee replye that the same necessitie is found in the cases whereof wee speake for as vnpossible it is for a dying Infant who about Mid-night is at the last gaspe to enjoy the presence of the Congregation as it was impossible for anie of the afore-mentioned the Eunuch Saul or the Jaylour to haue had a Congregation present at their Baptisme yea more impossible and why should there not bee the same effect where there is the same reason 61. The Practise of the Auncient Church in this is also cleare for vs. This is manifest from the 76 Epistle of S. Cyprian from the Oration of Gregorie Nyssen agaynst them who delayed their Baptisme from S. Basill in his 13 Homilie which is an Exhortation to Baptisme Tom. 1 from Gregorie Nazianzen in his 40 Oration whose wordes wee haue cited vpon the margine Hence altho two set-tymes were appoynted for Solemne Baptisme yet the case of necessitie was ever excepted This is cleare by the fore-sayde Testimonies as also by these following Siricius Epist. 1. Cap. 2. Tom. 1. Concil Gelas Epist 9. ad Episcopos Lucaniae Tom. 2. Concil Conc. Antisiodor Cap. 18. Tom. 2. Conc. Matiscon 2. Cap. 3. Tom. 2. Concil Conc. Meldens Cap. 48. Conc. Triburiens Cap. 12. Concil in Palatio Vernis Cap. 7. Conc. Wormatiens Cap. 1. Tom. 3. Concil The learned Causabon in his 16 Exercitation considering all this sayeth Woe to them that in the administration of this SACRAMENT denye their duetie to dying Infantes vnder pretence of I knowe not what Discipline To this same purpose the learned Martin Bucer in the 15 Chapter of his Censure of the ENGLISH LITVRGIE considering Baptisme of sicke Infantes privatelie sayeth In this Constitution all thinges are holilie set downe This same Practise also is allowed by Doctor Whitaker in his Booke agaynst REYNOLDS Pag. 48. 62. The Congregation say yee where-of the Chylde is to bee a member hath interest in this and there-fore ought to bee present no lesse than at Excommunication where-by a rotten member is cut off In this case of necessitie there is no prejudice eyther to the Chylde or to the Congregation thorow the want of the Congregations presence for there is no neglect nor contempt of the Congregation in this case or of anie of the members there-of and the Chylde by Baptisme though privatelie administred is ingrafted into CHRIST and so beeing joyned to the head of the Church becōmeth also vnited vnto the Church which is His Bodie If Excommunication requyre the presence of the whole Congregation because the power of binding and loosing is delyeered by CHRIST to everie particular Church or Congregation collectiuelie taken as it is affirmed in the Dispute agaynst the English Popish Ceremonies Part. 3. Cap. 8. Pag. 182 then it is not alyke with Baptisme the power where-of is committed to the Pastors of the Church MATTH 28. But altho that ground bee not true as wee thinke it is not yet Excommunication is done in presence of the People For this censure may not bee inflicted but onelie for publicke offences and therefore must be publiekc as the offence is That others also may feare 1. TIM 5.20 and haue no companie with the delinquent that hee may bee ashamed 2. THESS 3.14 and so your similitude holdeth not 63. As for the administring of the Sacrament of the LORD'S Supper wee say it is most profitable for comforting of the Soules of men fighting with the terroures of Death and that the case may fall out wherein they most ardentlie desire it and consequentlie that Pastors who are the Stewards of GOD'S House ought not to denye to his Children so hungring and thirsting in this conflict that heavenlie refreshment which wee are not ashamed with the anciēt Fathers to call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Viaticum though yee seeme to condemne this It is manifest by the writings of the ancient Fathers Justine Martyr in his 2 Apologie Eusebius in the 6 Booke of his Storie 36 Chapter and others that the Sacrament was administred to sicke persons privatelie The famous O Ecumenicke Councell of Nice in the 13 Canon and second part there-of appoynteth the same or rather confirmeth the ancien
thanke Thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because Thou hast hid these thinges from the Wyse and Prudent and hast revealed them vnto Babes even so O Father for so it seemed good in Thy sight Besides if yee compare the Divynes Ancient and Moderne who are of our judgement with these who favour your opinion eyther in number or in the excellencie of their gifts ye shall find that in this the advantage is greatlie ours In the meane tyme yee shall know that wee can bring farre better reasons to free our selues of prejudice than these which yee haue brought agaynst vs to wit the soliditie of our Argumentes which haue put you to such straytes pardon vs to say that which everie one who hath eyes may see that oft-tymes yee doe not so much as attempt to answere them beeing glad to passe them by with the show of an Argument in contrarium or some other lyke shift our humble and earnest attestations in calling GOD the onlie competent judge as witnesse of our sinceritie in the inmost thoughtes of our soule our seriouslie professed Resolution to concurre with you if wee should get satisfaction from you the Modestie Ingenuitie and Peaceablenesse of our wrytings to you and on the contrarie your too great disdainfulnesse and asperitie in your second Answeres bewraying not onlie the weaknesse of your myndes farre by our expectation but also the weaknesse of your cause to vnpartiall Readers who ascrybe this to the pungent force of our Answeres judging that they haue made you some-what more cholericke than you were before To this wee will adde the great reluctance which some of the most Judicious Subscribentes did finde in their Consciences before they subscrybed your Covenant together with the Limitations and Reservations wherewith they subscrybed it evidentlie arguing their strong apprehension of the dangerous ambiguitie and haske sounding of the wordes of the Late Covenant so that even these who are now joyned with you haue beene much affrighted with those thinges which terrifie vs. As for your Protestation in the ende of your Epistle that yee can no more bee brought to our mynde than yee can bee drawne from the profession of our Religion as it hath beene reformed sworne c. Altho this importeth no small prejudice possessing and over-ruling your myndes yet looking to the invincible force of that Trueth which wee mayntayne wee even yet hope that at last it shall prevaile with you especiallie considering that our controversie is not concerning the reformed Religion wherevnto wee as sincerelie adheare as anie who-so-ever but concerning the equitie of that forme of Covenant which yee latelie made Wishing you and all others to adheare truelie and sincerelie to the same true Religion and to all the dueties which in it are recommended to you wee most humblie and earnestlie pray the Almightie GOD to pittie His Church in this Kingdome and to vnite all our heartes in Trueth and Peace in these most dangerous dayes which although they bee to you dayes of gladnesse as yee professe yet to those who loue the peace of Sion and the tranquillitie of this Kingdome they are Sad and Melancholious dayes in respect of the blacke clowdes of GOD'S wrath hanging over our heads threatning vs with stormes of fearfull Calamities which wee pray the Almightie GOD to avert THE FIRST DVPLY IN our Disputes agaynst the Papistes which haue bene frequent and by GOD'S grace not vnfruitfull as wee haue learned that to multiplie objections agaynst the Trueth is a thing easie as yee say but fruitlesse and vaine so also wee haue learned that to multiplie Evasions agaynst solide Arguments brought for the Trueth is a thing no lesse easie but altogether vnprofitable which wee pray you take heede to How forcible are right wordes but what doeth your arguing reproue IOB 6.25 2. Yee say that our objection agaynst your calling and the warrand of your cōming to vs was framed published in Print before it was proponed vnto you and ere your Answere could bee had Indeede our DEMANDES were at the Presse at your comming that they might be in readinesse but were not published before your selues in your Sermones did publicklie reade them and dispute agaynst them in audience of such of our People as were there present for the tyme albeit that written copie of them was delyvered to you onlie and not at that tyme communicated by vs to anie other 3 Your Authoritie which ye acclayme is neyther from his Majestie nor warranded by Act of Parliament nor by the Lordes of his Majesties Counsell nor by anie Nationall Synode of this Kingdome nor by anie Judicatorie established in it And both in your first Answere as also now agayne yee professe that yee came not hither to vsurpe the Authoritie of anie Civill or Spirituall Iudicatorie As for your multitude which yee call allmost the whole Kirke and Kingdome it beeing destitute of Authoritie foresayde maketh no warrand of ordinarie calling Therefore yee seeme to pretende an extraordinarie calling from GOD alleadging an extraordinarie necessitie at this tyme which truelie wee see not in anie such degree as may deserue and warrand so great a change from the receaved order which is publicklie by Lawes established in this Kirke and Kingdome That saying of the Apostle Let vs consider one another to provoke vnto loue and to good workes which yee alleadge for your extraordinarie imployment importeth not an extraordinarie calling but an ordinarie duetie to bee performed by all Christians according to their Callings 4. The Word of GOD and the Canons of Councells doe so permit to Pastors the care of the whole Kirke as they must remember to doe all thinges Decentlie and in Order and not to interpone themselues in their Brethrens charges and agaynst their will And praised bee GOD there was not anie Combustion Errour or Confusion in these places of our charges as yee doe alleadge Neyther did our People stand in neede of such helpe from you And if yee meane the Combustion of our Nationall Kirke wee doe thinke your remeede not convenient as beeing in our judgement not agreeable to the right way of Trueth and Peace 5. Whereas yee alleadge that if some members of this Kirke had not cared more kyndlie in this tyme of common danger than others haue done the whole bodie had beene ere now dangerouslie if not desperatelie diseased Wee answere That wee most heartilie wish anie disease of this Church to bee tymouslie prevented and cured But withall wee wish this to bee done without a rupture and such a dangerous division chieflie seeing our Church is not infected with anie such Erroures nor is in such dangers as may giue just occasion of so fearfull a division which in it selfe is a sore disease and from which in holie Scripture wee are often and verie earnestlie dehorted Dionysius Bishop of Alexandria in his Epistle to Novatus recorded by Eusebius Lib. 6. Historiae Cap. 37. worthilie sayeth You ought rather to haue suffered anie thing
not more deceaved by this errour wee pray you marke that a thing commanded by our Superioures in Church or Policie may bee two wayes inexpedient to wit eyther in respect of some particular Persons who through weaknesse or malice doe stumble at it or else in respect of the bodie in generall because it is contrarie to Order Decencie and Edification If the thing commanded bee inexpedient the first way onlie wee may indeed in such a case for eschewing the Scandall of the weake forbeare the practise of the thing commanded hic nunc in some particuâ—ar places and tymes provyding alwayes wee doe this Without offence of our Supericures and without the Scandall of others who by our forbearance may bee made to vilipend the Authoritie of Lawes But wee can not in such a case totallie and absolutelie denye obedience to a Law as wee haue alreadie proven Neyther is your Argument brought to the contrarie valide in respect wee ought more to looke to the vtilitie and benefite which the bodie of the Church may receaue by the thing commanded and by our Obedience to our Superioures than to the harme which some particular Persons may receaue there-by 47. If the thing commanded bee in our private judgement inexpedient the second way wee ought not for that to denye Obedience to the Lawes of the Church for when the inexpediencie of a thing is questionable probable Arguments may bee brought pro and contra concerning the expediencie of it wee haue sufficient warrand to practise it if the Church by her publicke decree hath declared that shee thinketh it expedient Your errour who are of the contrarie mynde is verie dangerous may proue most pernicious to the Church for it maketh the Church obnoxious to perpetual Schisme disconformitie in matters of externall Policie in respect men ordinarilie are divyded in judgement concerning the expediencie of these thinges Suppone then that in a Synode consisting of an hundreth Pastors threescore of them thinke this or that particular Ceremonie to bee expedient for the good of the Church and in respect of the plurality of their voices mak an Act to be concluded for the establishing of it shall the remnant fourtie who are of the contrarie judgement denye Obedience to the Act of the Synode because they are perswaded that the thing concluded is inexpedient and shall they by doing so rent the bodie of the Church Truelie if wee were all of your mynde wee should never haue Peace nor Vnitie in this Church Yee will say perhaps that this our Argument is Popish and leadeth men to acquiesee without tryall or examination in the Decrees of the Church Wee answere that in matters of fayth the trueth where-of may bee infalliblie concluded out of GOD'S word wee ought not without tryall to acquiesce into the Decrees of the Church And in this respect wee dissent from the Papistes who ascrybe too much to the Authoritie of Councells as if their Decrees were infallible But in matters of Policie if we bee certayne that in their owne nature they are indifferent and if the expediencie of them onlie bee called in question seeing no certayne Conclusion concerning their expediencie can bee infalliblie drawne out of GOD'S Word which hath not determined whether this or that particular Rite bee agreeable to Order Decencie and aedification wee ought to acquiesce into the Decree or Constitution of the CHVRCH altho it bee not of infallible authoritie and that partlie because it is impossible that other-wayes wee can agree in one Conclusion concerning matters of this nature and partlie because if wee denye Obedience to the Decree of the CHVRCH in such matters our Disobedience shall proue farre more vnexpedient and hurtfull to the CHVRCH than our Obedience can bee 48. Seeing then what-so-ever yee haue hither-to sayde concerning the Question proponed by vs may bee easilie aunswered with a retortion of the Argument vpon your selues that wee may eschewe all such Logomachie wee must take some other course and trye which of these two Preceptes is in it selfe of greater moment and obligation for thence wee may collect which of these two Preceptes doeth obliedge vs in the case foresayde the other giving place to it and not obliedging vs at all in that case If yee say that the Precept which forbiddeth vs to doe that where-by our weake brother may bee scandalized is in it selfe more obligatorie or doeth more strictlie tye vs to the obedience of it as beeing of greater moment yee must bring a solid Reason for you which wee thinke yee will hardlie finde Wee knowe yee saye that the Precept concerning Scandall is more obligatorie and of greater moment because it concerneth the losse of the soule of a Brother But this Reason is not valide first in respect our Brother if hee bee scandalized by our Obedience to our Superioures sinneth not by our default who doe obey For our carriage in giving Obedience is such as may rather aedifie our Brother Secondlie The Precept which forbiddeth Disobedience concerneth the losse both of our owne soules and of the soules of others who may bee entysed to that sin by our denying Obedience to the lawfull commandements of our Superiours Thirdlie If that Praecept of eschewing Scandall causeleslie taken doe so strictlie obliedge vs when our Superioures requyre Obedience of vs it may happen that a man shall bee in an inextricable perplexitie not knowing whether hee shall obey or denye Obedience to the Commandements of his Superioures in respect hee may feare the Scandall of the weake whether hee obey or denye Obedience For as wee sayde before manie are most readie to bee Scandalized by our denying of Obedience to our Superioures in thinges lawfull and otherwyse expedient and that because wee by nature are most vnwilling to bee curbed and to haue our Libertie restrayned by the Lawes of our Supeperioures For this cause as Calvin judiciouslie noteth Instit Lib. 2. Cap. 8. § 35. GOD to allure vs to the duetie of Obedience to our Superiouree called all Superioures Parentes in the fift COMMANDEMENT 49. But wee with good warrand doe averre that the Precept which forbiddeth resisting of the Civill power and in generall the denying of Obedience to the lawfull Commandements of our Superioures is of greater obligation and moment And first wee proue this by an Argument taken from the dyverse degrees of that care which wee ought to haue of the Salvation of others for this care tyeth vs to three thinges to wit first to the doing of that which may be aedificatiue and maye giue a good example to all Secondlie to the eschewing of that which may bee Scandalous or an evill example to all that is to the eschewing of everie thing which is eyther sinne or hath a manifest showe of sinne Thirdlie To abstayne even from that which altho it bee lawfull yet it may bee to some particular persons an occasion of sinne Of these the first two are most to bee regarded in respect they concerne the good of