the Church of Rome produceth For in plain terms we make our selves Schismaticks by grounding our Reformation upon this pretense For on the one side wee profess the Separation to have been our intent not a consequence of the Reformation by the fault of the Church of Rome in not complying with it Because wee give such a Reason for it as if be true wee cannot without renouncing our Christianity hold communion with those whom wee charge with it Whereas Reformation is indeed and alwayes was the thing intended Division in the Church which it hath occasioned is the crime of those that refuse to come in to it upon such terms as the common Christianity requireth On the other side this cause which would bee more then sufficient to justifie Separation did it appear to be true Charges the mischiefes of the Schisme upon those that proceed upon it before it be as evident as the mischiefes are which they run into upon it So that should this Church declare that the change which wee call Reformation is grounded upon this supposition I must then acknowledg that wee are the Schismaticks For the cause not appearing to me as hitherto it hath not and I think will never be made to appear to me the separation and the mischiefes of it must be imputed to them that make the change And as they who justifie the Reformation by charging the Pope to bee Antichrist and the Papists Idolaters So on the other side they who overcharge the Reformation to bee Haeretickes make themselves thereby Schismatickes before God CHAP. II. The supposition of Antichrist and Idolatry prejudicial to the truth The supposition of one Visible Church the ground of Communion as well within the Reformation as in the whole Church What the Romish Missionaries get by the charge of Haeresie and the pretense of Infallibility What we get by the charge of Idolatry and Antichrist Immoderate charges vaine on both sides The charge of Schisme on both sides moderate as to the Church The sin of Schisme as to God horrible The Schisme of the Donatists in charging the Catholickes to bee Apostates The sad consequences of that Schisme FUrther as I began to say before supposing for Disputes The supposition of Antichrist and Idolatry prejudicial to the truth sake but not granting for truth that the Pope is Antichrist and the Papists Idolaters And that thereupon wee are to have no communion with the Church of Rome are not the particulars to bee decided by the same Reasons and therefore upon the same termes as if neither the Pope were Antichrist nor the Papists Idolaters For this being clear beyond Dispute what do wee gain by a supposition so impossible to bee set in the light of competent evidence Even that which wee see is come to pass An unchristian rather then an unreasonable apprehension That the further wee run from them the neerer wee shall come to the truth of Christianity Whereas wee are to take no less heed that wee run not beyond the Church of God The Unity whereof if it bee indeed ordained by God is ordained to no other purpose then to render the true bounds of Christianity that is the means of salvation visible to all Christians For the truth of the particulars in difference stands where it would stand whether the Pope bee Antichrist and the Papists Idolaters or not But they that believe them so must needs thereupon incline to believe them further from the truth then indeed they will appear to bee if it bee not true And therefore must needs have a hand in the Schisme in departing further from them then they ought to do He that takes the Pope for Antichrist and the Papists for Idolaters can never weigh by his own Weights and mete by his own Measures till he hate Papists worse then Jewes or Mahumetans who cannot be Idolaters which some but few of them profess to do Is not he that runs from Rome with this Opinion in danger to forget the Proverb Ita fugias ne praeter casam and run by the door of Gods Church Now suppose wee can have no Communion with the Church The supposition of one Visible Church the ground of Communion as well within the Reformation as in the whole Church of Rome because it appeareth that the Pope is Antichrist and the Papists Idolaters Yet ought wee to hold Communion with all Christendom besides that own not Antichrist nor his Idolatries I say if the Visible Unity of the Church appear to bee the Ordinance of God in the next place to holding the truth of Christianity we shall stand obliged to hold Communion with the rest of the Church But this Communion cannot bee maintained without an express profession that the Visible Unity of the Church is the express will of God and his Ordinance though the will of man render it frustrate This profession it is that obligeth all to stand to those grounds and those termâ— upon which it is to bee maintained Whatsoever differences may arise to render it questionable And it is the not acknowledging of thâ—se grounds that hath made way for those Divisions which have succeeded within the Reformation in several parts of it For as they have all proved incurable for want of this Principle of Unity So it is not possible that ours which have come to pass in the last place should be cured upon any other principle of Christianity to the salvation of souls however the benefit of publique peace may prevail to keep them from doing that mischief in the World which they have done The truth is they of the Church of Rome have overcharged What the Romish Missionaries get by the charge of Hâ—reâ—ie and the pretense of Infallibility us in calling us Haereticks Taking that charge to signifie division upon matter of Faith But they that would have the Pope Antichrist and the Papists Idolaters have revyed it upon them and taken their Revenge beyond the bounds of blameless defense For the profession of Idolatry necessarily signifies utter Apostasie from Christianity to Paganisme There is nothing else known by the name of Idolatry in the Scriptures By which they must prove if they do prove them Idolaters For the Idolatry of the Gnostickes which I am confident is mentioned in divers Texts of the New Testament may well bee accompted the Idolatry of the Pagans though pretending to bee Christians Because they did not stick to exercise the same Idolatries with the Pagans when occasion was offered though they had their own Idolatries besides whether peculiar to their several Religions or as Magicians This is the reason of that which I said before that wee need not Dispute which side is the true Church if wee can prove them Idolaters But it is to be feared that the Romish Missionaries do advantage themselves more by the pretense of Haeresie then they by the pretense of Idolatry or Antichrist For having obtained this great truth that there is no salvation out of Gods Church and then
JUST WEIGHTS AND MEASURES That is The present STATE of RELIGION Weighed in the BALANCE and Measured by the STANDARD of the SANCTUARY According to the Opinion of HERBERT THORNDIKE LONDON Printed by J. M. for J. Martin J. Allestry and T. Dicas and are to be sold at the sign of the Bell in St. Paul's Church-yard 1662. TO ALL Christian Readers I Have heard that in the time of our Late Troubles the Presbyterians were put to nonplus by the Fanatickes demanding of them a ground in the Scripture for a National Church I let pass that mistake of both parties which the term of National involveth For the state of the Question must needs concern that part of the Church which every respective Sovereignty containeth Now one Sovereignty may contain several Nations As there are two in this Kingdom of England But wee need not marvel that they could give no answer to a demand which their own Title allowed them no ground to answer Had they believed the Creed which they thrust out of the Church and that Article of it which professeth one Catholick Church they might have had an answer to it But such a one as would have destroyed the pretense of their Presbyteries For were the Unity of the Church which that Article professeth meerly Invisible with God by Communion in his Spirit the Usurpers of Sovereign Power might make Presbyteries Churches by as good a Title as that by which they make themselves Sovereigns But the Unity which that Article professeth is Visible with that Church which is or ought to bee always one and the same from our Lord and his Apostles by Communion in the Offices of Gods Service especially the Eucharist to distinguish it from Haeresies and Schismes whom the Title of Catholick visibly distinguisheth from the Church That Title the Presbyteries cannot pretend to because it is as visible that their authority is derived from the Long Parliament and their own consent as it is visible that the authority of the Whole Church is derived from our Lord and his Apostles For the Unity of the Church is not derived from Constantine but from our Lord and his Apostles and the Law imposed by them upon all Christians to maintain Communion among themselves upon those terms which the Common Christianity supposed in the said Communion may allow Whereby the Church is Visible by being Catholick It is manifest by what Title and therefore upon what terms Constantine first in the Empire and after him all Christian Powers in their respective Sovereignties doe make Religion a Law to their Subjects For being to bee baptized and made a member of the Church by the act of the Church If all Christians by their Baptisme do consecrate themselves to the service of God in his Church then must hee also by being baptized consecrate the Power of the Empire to the maintenance of that Christianity into which hee was baptized part whereof is the Unity of the Catholick Church And as the effect of this obligation is visible in bringing the World into the Church So is it a visible advantage for the Church that the profession thereof is a Law to Christian States by the rewards and penalties whereby it is inacted For when all are constrained to bee Christians according to the Laws of the Land so much the more will bee Christians according to the Laws of God and of his Church And as it is evident that without such Laws Unity in Religion will not prevail in the World which cannot prevail with the help of them No less manifest is it that without Unity Christianity will soon come to nothing He that considers the decay which a little time of disunion hath visibly made in the Christianity of this Kingdom is past cure by reasoning if he question this consequence This is that Principle which must justifie the Reformation which wee profess by maintaining the due bounds and terms and measure of it This is that which must reunite the parties which hitherto are at distance if wee will have them united to the purpose of saving souls out of satisfaction in the Laws which they are to execute not only to the purpose of publick peace for hope or fear of the rewards and penalties which they are inacted with This is that which must secure the Conscience of the Kingdom that those rewards and penalties will bee allowed as for the service of God at the great day of judgment And how much this concerns the present Case now that Religion is to bee re-established by the Law of the Land it is manifest enough Let the Presbyterians submit to the due terms upon which the Fanaticks may be acknowleged members of this Church as acknowleging the Covenant of Baptisme for the condition of holding the State of Gods Grace and the Recusants shall stand bound to own the Faith of this Church for the Faith of the Catholick Church Let the Laws of this Church bee Ruled by the Laws of the Catholick Church in those times which hee that owneth one Catholick Church from the beginning cannot disown and all shall appear bound to bee of this Church as visibly the same Church with that which was from the beginning For the Church is Visible by the Laws of it And therefore if the Laws bee the same the Church is visibly the same And all that are not of it shall bee evidently liable to such penalties as belong to them that disobey those Laws of their Country which the common Christianity requireth Let no man then marvel that being setled in this opinion upon all the consideration which our long distractions have allowed me time to take I am not afraid to publish this brief view of it referring my self for proof of the particulars to that which I have published heretofore Let it not seem strange that I deliver it some times with that resolution and assurance which seems to admit no contradiction to it For though the Faith of Gods Church bee always the same yet I profess of my self that the Laws of this Church are to bee Ruled by the Laws of the primitive Church with that allowance which the difference of the present time and that state of Christianity which it hath introduced from that which then was may require And by professing this I do really and not only for a formality submit my self to the authority of Superiors as well as to the judgment and censure of every Christian For how far the present times are capable of those Rules which all times are to go by that would bee one and the same Church with that which was from the beginning I take not upon me to judge as belonging to the account of Superiors Nay before I have done you shall see I compromise my Opinion it self and not only my own proceeding according or not contrary to it to the authority of Superiors and to better judgement And therefore let it be lawful to plead for the improving of the Laws of this Church so long
as it is lawful to plead for the abolishing of the Laws of this Kingdom For as it is manifest that our Ecclesiastical Laws are the Laws of the Kingdom So would I not open my mouth for improving them were it not to make them the Laws of Gods only true Church THE CONTENTS CHAP. I. IF the Church of Rome bee a true Church Reformation is the restoring of that which hath been If the Pope bee Antichrist and the Papists Idolaters the Church of Rome no true Church If no Visible Church then no sin of Schisme Antichrist may bee an Idolater but cannot bee the Head of a Church Though it were Idolatry to worship the Host yet to kneel at the Communion would bee Holy That which the Church of Rome professeth is not Idolatry if it bee a true Church They that separate from the Church of Rome as Idolaters are thereby Schismaticks before God pag. 2 CHAP. II. The supposition of Antichrist and Idolatry prejudicial to the truth The supposition of one Visible Church the ground of Communion as well within the Reformation as in the whole Church What the Romish Missionaries get by the charge of Haeresie and the pretense of Infallibility What we get by the charge of Idolatry and Antichrist Immoderate charges vain on both sides The charge of Schisme on both sides moderate as to the Church The sin of Schisme as to God horrible The Schisme of the Donatists in charging the Catholicks to bee Apostates The sad consequences of that Schisme 8 CHAP. III. They that hold by One Visible Church are to own the consequences of it Nothing to bee changed but upon that ground Wee cannot bee the same Church with that which was otherwise Though that which shall be setled will find advocates Civil Laws of Religion to bee changed till this Rule bee attained The beginning and rise of our differences The present state of them What terms of agreement with the Presbyterians wee ought to allow The Laws of the Primitive Church the Standard of all change Our present Case is â—ot the Case of our Forefathers The Acts of Henry VIII no Acts of our Forefathers in Religion Imperfection of Laws in Religion no imputation to our Forefathers The pretense of tender Consciences is no Rule It serves Papists as well as Puritans 15 CHAP. IV. Erastians can acknowledge no Visible Church founded by God Their opinion inableth Sovereigns to persecute Gods truth by Gods Law Persecuting the truth is the use of a Power which no Sovereign can have If any Sovereign may punish for the Religion which hee professeth then are Subjects bound to renounce Christ if the Sovereign command it No offense but charity in declaring the true ground of reconcilement or punishment Why it ought to bee declared The declaring of it no offense to Superiors 24 CHAP. V. Wee have the same evidence for the Visible Vnity of the Church as for the truth of the Scriptures The Church founded upon the Power of the Keys The Vnity of the Church Visible by the Laws of it The Law which endoweth the Church with consecrated Goods How the Vnity of the Church is signified by the Scriptures How in the Old Testament 29 CHAP. VI. How far the Scriptures are clear to bee understood of themselves Tradition limiteth the sense of the Scripture Difference between the Tradition of Faith and Ritual Traditions The difference between Haeresie and Schisme The dependence of Churches evidenceth the Vnity of the Whole Church The form of this dependence throughout the Roman Empire No exception to bee made to it for the British Church Episcopacy by this form inviolable in all Opinions And the Church a standing Synod The Church Visible by disâ—â—â—ing Hâ—reticks and Schismaticks The breaches that have come to pasâ— evidence the same 35 CHAP. VII Reformation to bee bounded by that wherein the Visible Church agreeth No change without regard to the Rules of the Catholick Church Regular authority in the Church of Rome the means of Vnity absolute of Schismes How wee are visibly one with the only Church of God reforming without the Church of Rome 45 CHAP VIII What means God hath provided private Christians to discern the true Church The duty of all Estates for the Re-uniting of Schism The ground and extent of Secular Power in Church Matters How the conscience of Sovereign Power is discharged maintaining the Church 49 CHAP. IX Difficulty in receiving the Fanaticks into this Church How their Positions destroy the Faith Absolute Predestination to Glory destructive to Christianity Justifying Faith includeth the profession of Christianity The Nature of Faith according to the Scriptures sheweth the same So doth the state of that Question which St. Paul disputeth The conseâ—â— of the Church â—erein with the ground of it The sense of this Church 54 CHAP. X. Why Justifying Faith is not trust in God through Christ Of Justification according to the Council of Trent Of Justification according to Socinus Wherein his Hâ—resie consisteth How the misunderstanding of Satisfaction and Imputation occasioned it Vpon what grounds hee is to bee refuted The helps of Grace granted iâ— consideration of Christs obedienâ—â— And therefore they infer Original Sin by the fall of Adam Wherein the Covenant of Grace consisteth That the state of Grace is forfeited by hainous sin The danger of the contrary Position according to the ground of it 63 CHAP. XI What Law of God it is that may bee fulfilled by a Christian Of doing more then Gods Law requireth Whether our Lord gave a New Law or not Of the Satisfaction and Merit of Christian Works Original Sin is not Adams sin imputed to his Posterity Wherein Original Sin consisteth What Original Righteousness signifieth What good the Vnregenerate are able to do by the Law of Nature 73 CHAP. XII Vpon what terms that which is possible may become future The difference between necessity antecedent and consequent The difference between freedom from necessity and from bondage Freedom from necessity always requireth indetermination not always indifference The Object determineth the Will saving the freedom of it Whence the certainty of future contingencies ariseth How this appears in the Scriptures God no cause of sin according to the Scriptures Concerning the middle knowledg of God 80 CHAP. XIII No absolute Predestination to Glory Predestination to Grace absolute How Glory is the end of Grace In what terms the Faith of the Church standeth as concerning this point 86 CHAP. XIV Duty of a Christian as a Christian and as a Member of the Church How Anabaptists deny the Faith how they are to bee reconciled with the Church Their Error in rebaptizing for want of dipping What concerns Salvation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist How the Elements are consecrated into the body and bloud of Christ according to Gregory Nyssene The consequence hereof in the Errors concerning the Eucharist How the Eucharist a Sacrifice and yet no ground for private Masses The Eucharist not the Sermon the Chief Office of Gods service 91
CHAP. XV. The ground that determines the Form of our Service The Offices of which the Service is to consist Of the Vse of the Psalms Of reading the Scriptures commonly called Apocrypha What Preaching it is that the Scripture commendeth There may bee Preaching without Sermons and Sermons without Preaching The difference between the second Service in the Antient Church and our Communion Service The general Preface and the Prayers of the Church at the Eucharist The Prayer of Oblation instituted by St. Paul and the matter of it The Lords Prayer at the Eucharist The place for the Common Prayers 97 CHAP. XVI Difference in the state of Souls departed in Grace before Judgement The antient Church never prayed to remove them out of Purgatory To what purpose they were remembred at the Eucharist The Saints departed pray for the Militant Church Of prayers to the Saints departed No Common Prayer in the Pulpit by Gift but in a set form at the Communion-Table Apostolical Graces subject to Order Of the Graces of the Spirit in St. Paul and the Original of Litanies The Prayers of the Eucharist how prescribed by the Apostles Prayers of the Reformed Churches in the Pulpit but by a form The effect of the Long Parliament Prayers by the Spirit 105 CHAP. XVII The Lords Day observed by the Authority of the Church Therefore other Festivals and times of Fasting are to bee observed How places and persons become qualified for Gods Service Preaching not convertible with Ministring the Sacraments Times places peâ—sons and things consâ—crated to Gods Service under the Gospel Câ—reâ—oâ—ieâ— signifying by institution nâ—â—â—ssary in Gods Service What kind of signification requisite Not enough for the Presbyterians to allow Cerâ—monies 112 CHAP. XVIII Offices which the Fathers call Sacraments for their Ceremonies Why the Bishop only Confirmeth The effect of Ordination requireth Ceremony in giâ—ing it Why the Ordinations of our Presbyters are void The necessity of Penancâ— The observation of Lent and the Vse of it The necessity of private Penance for the cure of secret sin Of anointing the sick according to St. James Mariage of Christians not to â—ee Ruled by Moses Law Instituted Ceremonies are Sacraments with the Fathers The Ceremonies of these Offices justifie Instituted Ceremonies 118 CHAP. XIX The worship of the Host in the Papacy is not Idolatry Christianity would sanctifie kneeling at the Eucharist though it were What Images the second Commandment forbiddeth Reverencing of Images in Churches is not Idolatry Of honouring Images and of having them in Churches Mutual forbearance which St. Paul enjoyneth the Romans not enjoyned elsewhere Tender consciences arâ— to submit to Superiors 125 CHAP. XX. The Declaration of V. Eliz. enableth Recusants to take the Oath of Supremacy What further ambiguity that Oath involveth What scandal the taking of it in the true sense ministreth That this Oath ought to bee inlarged to all pretenses in Religion that abridge Allegiance The extent of secular Power in Reforming the Church 131 CHAP. XXI The pretense of Infallibility makâ—s the breacâ— unrâ—concileable So doth the pretense of perspicuity in the Scripture The Trial must suppose the Catholick Church The Fanaticks further from the truth of Christianity then the Church of Rome The consequence of their principle worse then that of Infallibility The point of Truth in the middle between both How sâ—lvation is concerned in the mater of Free Will and Grace Salvation concerned in the Sacraments upon the same terms The abuses of the Church of Rome in the five Sacraments The Grace of Ordination The Reformation pretended no less abuse on the other side The point of Reformation in the mean between both The Superstitions of the Church of Rome The Superstitions of the Pâ—ritans Why the Pope cannot bee Antichrist How it is just to Reform without the See of Rome 136 CHAP. XXII The present State of the Question concerning our Service The Reformation pretended abominable Such Preaching and Praying as is usual a hindrance of salvation rather then the means to it What Order of Service the continual Communion will require What form of Instruction this Order will require Of that which goes before the Preface in our Communion Service of the Prefaces and the Prayer of Consecration Of the Prayer of Oblalation and the place of it Of the Commâ—â—â—oration of the dead in particular Why the Communion Service at the Communion-Table when no Eucharist A secondary Proposition according to present Law 150 CHAP. XXIII How the Law distinguishes Moral Precepts from Positive How the spiritual sense of the Decalogue concerns Christians The meaning of the First Commandment in this sense The extent of the Second Commandment Of the Third Commandment What the sanctifying of the Sabbath signifieth The meaning of the Fifth as to Christians The meaning of the five last according to Christianity 164 CHAP. XXIV That no Clergy man ought to bee of more Dioceses then one Of inferior Orders in the Clergy and their Offices The conversation of the Clergy and the use of Church goods The ground for promotions to higher degrees The Vniversities may bee serviceable to some part of this Discipline Reasons for it Publick fame of sin to bâ—e purged by Ecclesiastical process Sinners convict by Law not to communicate before Penance The Cure of notorious sin the Bishops Office The Church not Reformed without restoring Penance Publick or Private What means there is left for the restoring of it 172 CHAP. XXV Gods mercies and judgements require the perfecting of the Reformation which wee profess The restoring of the Ecclesiastical Laws is not the restoring of the Church Yet are wee not therefore chargeable with Schisme by the Church of Rome What Schisme destroys the Salvation of what persons by instances in the most notable Schismes Difficulty of Salvation on both sides the Reformation remaining unperfect An instance hereof in the Cure of souls departing by the Order in force A Supplication for a full Debate of all maters in difference The ground of Resolution one Catholick Church the first and chief point of the Debate The consequence of it in Vniting the Reformed Churches An instance in the having of Images in Churches An Objection for the Church of Rome answered That which excuseth the Reformed Churches excuseth not our Schismaticks 184 A Letter concerning the present State of Religion amongst us Vnder the Act of Establishment prosecuted by the Ordinances constituting the Triers and Commissioners for ejecting of Scandalous Ministers 207 The due Way of composing the differences on Foot preserving the Church According to the Opinion of Herbert Thornedike 223 JUST Weights Measures CHAP. I. If the Church of Rome bee a true Church Reformation is the restoring of that which hath been If the Pope be Antichrist and the Papists Idolaters the Church of Rome no true Church If no Visible Church then no sinne of Schisme Antichrist may bee an Idolater but cannot be the Head of a Church Though it were Idolatry to worship the Host yet to
kneele at the Communion would bee Holy That which the Church of Rome professeth is not Idolatry if it bee a true Church They that separate from the Church of Rome as Idolaters are thereby Schismatickes before God SInce the time that I could understand the Dispute about If the Church of Rome bee a true Church Reformation is the restoring of that which hath been Religion when it was demanded on the behalf of the Church of Rome Where was your Church before Luthers time The Answer hath always been Even where it is now The answer was That it is the same Church that it was A Church which was sick and is now cured Which was corrupted and now is cleared of her Corruptions This answer supposeth that the Church of Rome was a true Church when that Change which wee call Reformation was made And therefore granteth as it hath always been granted that so it is at present For it cannot bee questioned that it is the same Church now which then it was Though the Council of Trent may have encreased the corruption of it And upon these terms all dispute of choice in Religion comes to trial upon this issue Whether the change that is made hath restored that which was in the beginning or not An issue not to be tried but by going to trial upon the particulars in which the change consisteth But are wee all content to goe to tryal upon this issue It If the Pope bee Antichrist and the Papists Idolaters the Church of Rome no true Church were good that wee did understand one another whether wee bee agreed upon it or not For if wee bee then may wee expect to build Solomons Temple without any noise If not wee shall bee the Builders of Babel Wee shall never understand one anothers Language For of a truth there is another reason alleged for the breach between us and the Church of Rome to wit that the Pope is Antichrist and the Papists Idolaters If this pretense bee true wee need not seek farther for the reason of the distance Wee are to owne the Separation for our own Act and to glorie in it For it is done by Gods expresse Command Come out of her my People As to the Jewes in the Captivity of Babylon so to the Christians in the Apocalypse If it bee the Church of Rome that Babylon there signifieth But if this plea bee good it may bee inconsistent with that which the former plea supposeth And though wee cannot goe to trial upon the truth of it without going to trial upon the particulars in difference Yet it is necessary to provide that wee contradict not our selves It is necessary also to consider the importance and consequence of it Whether the reason of the distance amount to so heavy a charge or not It is necessary that wee understand our selves whether wee admit the consequence of our own supposition or not And indeed it concernes us to the purpose Wee all beleeve If â—o â—isible Church thâ—n no sinne of Schismâ— one Catholicke Church for an Article of our Creed upon which the hope of our Common Salvation hangeth If any man be allowed to say I beleeve it not I must be allowed to say I must not bee of that Church in which hee is allowed â—o say it It were good to understand Whether the Unity of the Church out of which no man is saved bee the Visible Unity of those that communicate in the Offices of Gods Service Or whether it be enough that being invisibly United to Christ they are invisibly United to one another by Christ For if the Visible Unity of the Church be not founded by God then is there no crime of Schisme in breaking that Unity But onely of Heresy in breaking it upon an errour in the Faith If there bee such an Unity And therefore such a crime in breaking it Care would bee had that wee ground not our selves in this state of Separation upon that which will render us accessory to it Now I do not doubt that whosoever hath gone about or Antichrist may bee an Idolater but cannot bee the Head of a Church shall goe about to perswade the Jewes that hee is the Christ whom they expect must needs ipso facto bee Antichrist For the word signifies no more than one that pretends to bee Christ in opposition to the true Christ And therefore to Christians who beleeve in the true Christ a false Christ and an Antichrist are both one And S. John 1 John II. 18 22. IV. 3. II John 7. signifies nothing else by that name but those whom our Saviour calls false Christs Mat. XXIV 24. Mark XIII 22. And therefore hee that pretendeth to bee such a Prophet and a Prince as the Jewes expected that their Christ should bee in opposition to the true Christ in whom Christians beleeve As hee is a false Christ so is hee Antichrist For there is no other mention of Antichrist in all the Scriptures but this Other Scriptures are onely supposed to speak of Antichrist But presumption without evidence must not bee taken for truth I do not doubt then that Mahomet is really Antichrist Though the Mahumetans expected no Christ Because hee is the author of a Law which they take for Gods Law And of a power founded upon that Imposture As the Jewes expect that their Christ shall restore Moses Law and the power which God first founded upon it But neither can the Jewes Antichrist nor the Mahumetans Antichrist bee Idolaters without rooting up the Alcoran or the Law of Moses which was not the way to win either the Jewes or those whom Mahomet had to do with Notwithstanding I believe Manicheus was Antichrist and an Idolater both I believe he taught the Idolatry of the Persians in his two Gods the principles one of good the other of evil He pretended indeed to come from Christ as having his Spirit And therefore sent out his twelve Apostles as our Lord Christ had sent his But yet that he brought in his own new Law instead of Christianity no man that knows his positions can doubt And is not hee Antichrist that pretends to do what Christ indeed hath done Therefore I deny not that the Pope may bee Antichrist though the Papists bee Idolaters But I do not grant that the Pope can bee Antichrist granting the Church of Rome to bee a true Church For to bee a ttue Church presupposes the profession of so much Christianity as is necessary to the salvation of all Christians But the salvation of no Christian can stand with the profession of a false Christ And therefore granting the Pope to be Antichrist they that own him can bee no Church So this plea will bee inconsistent with the former which supposeth the Church of Rome a true Church when the Separation fell out As for the charge of Idolatry it is at present alleged in Bar Though it were Idolatry to worship the Host yet to kneel at the Communion would be Holy
vain do wee Dispute whether the Papists the Prelatick or the Puritans bee in the right Whatsoever Religion the Law of the Land shall establish shall bee that which God enjoyneth And the Sovereign shall bee able in point of conscience to punish those that refuse it whether right or wrong though it cannot be denyed that as Christendom is at present divided some Subjects must needs bee punished for the right I know but one that hath looked this objection in the face His first Answer was that they that are punished for the right Religion shall bee gainers by their sufferings they shall have their share in the reward of Martyrs This is the Answer that Julian the Apostate made the Christians complaining of their sufferings under him Therefore it is evident that a Christian must not allege it For if he that suffers shall have a Martyrs reward what reward shall he that punisheth have but a Persecutors So a Christian Sovereign for using the power that God gives him shall have a Persecutors reward If it bee said No marvel Because he uses it amiss not because Persecuting the truth is the use of a Power which no Sovereign can have he goes beyond the bounds of it Either God hath enacted the contrary of that which the Sovereign enjoyneth or not If not then is that which the Sovereign enjoyneth contrary to no Law of God And therefore it obligeth the Subject If so then cannot the Sovereign Power enjoyn it And therefore it is extended beyond the bounds of it in that case Again either abusing his power by enacting that Religion which he ought not he obligeth his Subject in conscience to God to profess and to exercise the Religion which he enacteth or not If not then must the Subject for the security of his conscience bee Judge whether the Sovereign abuse his power or not If so then as before wee Dispute about Religion to no purpose For every man is bound to that which the Law of his Country enacteth Nay there will be no reason why Christians under the Turk shall not live as Mahumetans For the quality of a Christian is one and the same in the Subject as in the Sovereign And therefore there can appear no reason why it should give the one the right by the Act of his Will to oblige the will of the other which an undoubted Sovereign a Pagan or a Mahumetan hath not And indeed he hath answered otherwise since Namely That a man is bound to renounce Christ with his mouth if the Sovereign command it For hee shall bee saved by beleeving in him with the heart the same time which is all that his Christianity requireth This Answer is plain English But it comes to this point That a Christian is saved by the inward act of Faith If any Sovereign may punish for the Religion which hee professeth then are Subjects bound to renounce Christ if the Sovereign command it without the outward By beleeving without professing There is another that intended it seems to shew the late Usurper by what right hee might protect both Presbyteries and Congregations dealing with others according to his Interest He supposeth that a Christian being justified by his Faith is at his choise to make himself the member either of an Independent Congregation or of one that shall associate it self into a Presbytery with others Whereupon the Sovereign supposing both of them to bee the Godly party must needs finde himself bound to protect them both He saith not by what right he could punish those for their Religion whom hee took not for the Godly party By what right hee could hinder them in the free profession and exercise of their Religion which indeed is a greater punishment then a Christian neither Haeretick nor Schismatick can bee bound to endure But hee need not tell him by what right hee could exclude them from belonging to the Godly party Those whose Religion cannot stand with Usurpation cannot seem Godly to Usurpers In the mean time as you see this Author stands upon the same ground with his fellow that a Christian is justified by the inward act of Faith without the outward by beleeving without professing Only hee saith by beleeving before hee profess the other though hee profess the contrary of that which he beleeveth But neither of both hath offered to say either that the Will of the Sovereign is by Gods Law the Rule of Religion to the will of the Subject which hee is to answer God by at the day of Judgement Or that Gods Law can allow the Sovereign to punish the Subject for that Religion which it enableth not the Sovereign to oblige his Subject to profess All must come to this point that a Christian is bound to renounce Christ if his Sovereign command it For if a Christian bee bound in conscience to obey whatsoever his Sovereign commandeth in point of Religion then if the Great Turke command his Subjects to renounce Christ they are bound to obey it Which whether it bee not a position for Macchiavellian Atheists that make no more of Christianity then of an expedient to Govern people in peace I leave to all that are capable to judge Thus much for certain he that thinks himself tyed to renounce his Christianity if his Sovereign command him is no longer a Christian As having recalled the Vow of his Baptisme to profess Christ until death And this is that which I conjure our Brethren the Presbyterians to lay to heart That the visible growth of this opinion by their continuing this distance upon trifles threatens to render them that would have no Religion at No offense but charity in declaring the true ground of reconcilement or punishment all the strongest side In this open and stiff opposition of four Religions though not distinguished into four Communions Recusants Prelatickes Puritans and Erastians For I oversee the Fanatiques as swallowed back into the belly of the Presbyterians shall it bee a crime shall it bee an offense for me to say what point of Christianity in my poor opinion reconciles all to unity that admit Gods truth That beleeving two Articles of our Creed One Catholick and Apostolick Church and one Baptism for remission of sins if wee beleeve that they signifie any thing wee are all bound to submit all partialities to that which they signifie Not as if Recusants depending upon a Forain communion and the head of it that shows no inclination to Unity upon terms of Gods truth were likely to take notice of one mans poor opinion concerning the consequences of common principles But because wee are our selves so far chargeable to God for our Schisme with the Church of Rome and the mischiefes of it as wee neglect those consequences And because the Justice of the Kingdom in the penalties of all Recusancy may easily bee rendred visible if wee keep close to them but not possibly otherwise As for those that make the Pope Antichrist and the Papists Idolaters can they
Bishop Dioscorus by it at length these Churches are counted Jacobites from the name of one Jacobus Zanzalus or little Jacob of Syria who is said to have taught them the position of Eutyches condemned by that Council Whether so or whether a fond zeal for the reputation of Dioscorus hath served to divide that people from the Church upon a meer difference in terms the breach still continues and the Abyssines depending alwaies upon the Church of Alexandria are said to continue in it Since that what breach of intercourse and communion hath fallen out between the Greek and Latine Church or upon what cause and how far it continues I need not relate But there can bee no question that it disposed these Western parts to that breach which the Reformation hath made Within the Reformation I need not speak of the Division between the Calvinists on the one side and the Lutherans in the Empire the Arminians in the Law Countries on the other side I am only this to demadn did ever any of these parties declare that the Visible Unity which these breaches interrupt is not Gods Ordinance That one of the Parties is not always guilty to God for the mischief of Schisme That Christian charity is not highly concerned in violating that Communion which Christianity enacteth Until the dregs of our times I do not know that it was ever Disputed that Christians are not bound to bee members of one and the same Visible Church I have already said that the Reformation was not made by common consent I must now acknowledg futher that it proceeded not expresly upon the profession of one Visible Church though neither denying nor questioning the same No marvel then if in all things it bee not confined to the consequences of it And therefore no marvel that dissentions have fallen out in it No marvel that they who dare not look so clear a principle in the face can wrangle out the salvation of souls upon pety scruples which the admitting of it must needs presently disperse CHAP. VII Reformation to bee bounded by that wherein the Visible Church agreeth No change without regard to the Rules of the Catholick Church Regular authority in the Church of Rome the means of Vnity absolute of Schisme How wee are visibly one with the onely Church of God Reforming without the Church of Rome AS for the Church of England where Episcopacy stands Reformation to bee bounded by that wherein the Visible Church agreeth setled by the Law of the Land as well as by the Law of God and the right of goods consecrated to the Service of God by investing them upon his Church is maintained by the same Are we not to fear the curse of God if in all things of Religion wee mete not by the same Standard if wee weigh not by the same Weights Can wee pretend to weigh by the same Weights unless wee admit the whole Faith and all the Lawes of the Catholick Church Unless wee confine the Reformation to the restoring of that which hath been without introducing that which cannot appear to have been Men see new fanfies every day in the Scriptures which the same man sees not to morrow another man never sees The Profâ—ssion of Faith the Rules of Government the Rites of Gods service are the things that must make a Church a part or no part of the Whole Church For if the Church bee a Visible Body it must bee visible by the Lawes which it useth And if it bee to continue one and the same Body from the first to the second coming of our Lord the Lawes of it will necessarily change as the Lawes of all Bodies do but the authority whence they proceed must needs continue the same If corruption and abuse bee to bee Reformed and those in whom the authority visibly resteth agree not Restoring that which was you have the Authority of the Apostles and their successours for the reviving of their acts Introducing that which was not you go by the spirit of the Fanatickes the dictate whereof appears not in the Scriptures by the consent of the Church In fine mater of Faith is to the worlds end the same that the whole Church hath always from the beginning professed If you impose more the Church of Rome will have a better pretense then you can have namely a better claim to the authority of the Church For it is an imposture to induce any man to think that professing Christianity they can renounce the Scriptures The issue is and will bee whether you or the Church shall be judge Untill you distinguish between the present Church and the Whole Church not contesting the Faith of the present Church so far as it holds with the Whole But in mater of Church Law which for the reason that hath been said is necessarily changeable though the difference of times and the estate of things will not indure the restoring of Primitive Discipline yet shall it bee easie thereby to discern what is abated for Unities sake what is rejected because the Catholick Church and the Lawes of it are not owned And upon these terms it will bee easie to answer all demands No change without regard to the Rules of the Catholick Church not only here but at the great day of Judgement at which otherwise the account cannot bee clear They that would have it thought that the mischiefs which wee have seen have not been acted for nothing would have the Law of the Kingdom in mater of Religion changed to give them content without considering what cause wee give the Church of Rome to take us for Schismatickes balking the Whole Church that wee may bee reconciled to those that have broken from us For supposing for the present though not granting that all Papists are Idolaters and the Pope Antichrist The Unity of the Church is nevertheless as it hath been proved a part of Christian truth Nor can Papists bee Idolaters or the Pope Antichrist for beleeving any thing which the Whole Church beleeveth for commanding or for practicing that which the Whole Church hath commanded or practiced Nay not for that which the Whole Church of any age hath allowed part of the Church to practice For God forbid it should bee said which it were senseless to imagine that part of the Christian World should own part of it for Christians being indeed Idolaters and Partizans of Antichrist The Church must have been utterly lost in that case and the Reforming of it must not bee the mending of the old Church but the making of a new Church Yet is it not enough for these men to allege the antient Church in any particular They must weigh by their own Weights and mete by their own Standard if they will not fall under Gods curse They that stand not to the consent of the Church in all things answer themselves when they allege it Nay they may invite us to bee Schismatickes for their sakes in that for which they truly allege the antient
weight and consequence the want of Charity will lye on that side which shall refuse that reason which had it condescended to those mistakes might have been redressed How much more when there is no other choice left but either to continue at the distance under which wee were borne or to give our selves up to the will of those who not having given satiâ—faction in the trust which they undertake condescend to no terms of better assurance for the future And truly though the sin of Schisme hinder salvation more What Schisme destroyeth the salvation of what persons by instances of the most notable Schismes then any other sin because it involveth the body of the Church and so hindreth the salvation of more yet is there no cause to think that all who are involved in the state of Schisme are involved in the sin of it The less cause there is for it the greater breach of charity by it Therefore the greater the more visible the causes are of that change which occasions it the less is to bee imputed to them that follow such causes Especially to private Christians when such causes are as visible on the one side as the interest of each mans salvation is visible to the contrary on the other side Besides I said afore that Schisme in the Church is the same which Civil War in the state of the World Now though War cannot bee just on both sides for the heads and causes of it yet for those that follow their heads in causes too difficult for private persons to judge it will bee no guilt of bloud to follow that authority which appears to them Visible Which if it bee true as it is evidently reasonable there will no question remain that there may bee salvation on both sides of a Schisme The Schismes of the Novatians Montanists Donatists Meletians and perhaps divers others were grounded upon such causes as the Unity of the Church did no less visibly outweigh then the consent thereof to the contrary was visible Notwithstanding so long as the Faith remained intire as it doth not appear that they disbelieved from their beginning any thing necessary for the salvation of all to bee believed and the Offices of Gods Service were ministred by them according to the Order of the Church as not differing about any of them I should bee as loth to condemn all the partizans as to excuse the causes of them to or from eternal death How much more in the Schismes of the Luciferians of that at Antiochia between Meletius and Paulinus of that between Rome and Constantinople in the cause of Acacius and perhaps in others in which there was onely breach of Communion upon some discontent in the governing of maters in the Church without either difference of Faith or in the Offices of Gods service I confess Pope Gelasius de vinculo anâ—thematis in the cause of Acacius takes it for granted all along that the want of Communion with the Church of Rome rendred all liable to that curse which Christians by failing of the duty of Christians either as Christians or as members of the Church do incurre upon the sentence of the Church But hee who admitteth that constitution of the Church which I maintain will not easily admit the sentence of a part suppose all the West engaged in the Act of the Church of Rome able to damn all the Christians of the East that adhered only to the successors of Acacius not being able to redress his miscarriage which his successors themselves owned not Rather is the Church of Rome to answer God for the souls that miscarried by maintaining the breach open beyond that which the good of Christendom required Nay I cannot condemn the opinion of those who allow a possibility of salvation in the Sects of the Nestorians in the East and the Jacobites in the South notwithstanding that they stand divided from the Church upon occasion of the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon which it imbraceth For it is possible that they may understand the terms of their distance in such a sense as may very well stand with the Decrees of those Councils So that the difference being occasioned by personal discontents though it were mortal to those who brought it to pass yet may it not bee so to those that know not how to help it if it occasion not the want of means necessary to salvation otherwise But this is not to say that these parties are not bound to concur to the visible Unity of Gods Church by communion in the Offices of his service Should they profess themselves free from an obligation concerning all Christians as members of the Church I would not excuse those that take upon them to continue such breaches because they know not that which they should know But those that are only sufferers in such breaches I should not exclude from the hope of salvation upon that account not wanting otherwise that which is necessary to the salvation of all Christians which the divisions of the Church must needs render very difficult for the greatest part to obtain This I would say much more of the Schisme between the Greek and Latine Church being well assured that there is no such defect in the Faith of the Greek Church as may warrant the Latine Church to sentence them for Haereticks And as for Schisme that the Latine Church by undertaking more then one part of the Church can undertake without the consent of the other in maters of common concernment hath the greater hand in it whatsoever the truth bee of the Disputes that occasion it And therefore it is much to bee lamented that the See of Rome should pursue no other terms of reuniting those distressed and persecuted Churches unto it self but those of absolute submission to the dictates thereof without why or wherefore Not being afraid to raise them persecution by unbelievers that they may bee necessitated to that submission which will increase their persecution from their Sovereigns Seeing then that we have so many instances of Schismes which exclude not the hope of salvation especially for those that are sufferers in them that is for private Christians How far ought wee to bee from yielding to the unreasonable demands of the Missionaries charging the Schisme upon the Reformation whereof the abuses which they maintain are the onely true cause For though it was always and still is a very difficult thing to see the true point of Resormation so as to bring those that feel the abuses to consent in it yet the abuses being both visible and palpable the faults committed by the mistaking of it will bee imputable to those that will condescend to no reason as well as to those who proceed to a change without due information in the ground and measure of it And therefore upâ—n that account there can bee no bar to the salvation of private Christians that are no actors but sufferers in such breaches though the misunderstanding of the due ground and measure
the Schisme which the Reformation hath made between us and the Church of Rome hath dissolved the obligation of being members of the Church If that change which is called Reformation preserve not such a Church as ought to bee acknowledged for a true member of the whole or Catholick Church it is no Reformation but the destruction of Christianity Now when these Laws inable Souldiers and Justices of the Peace as well as those that call themselves Ministers to make publick Preachers as well such as have received no Ordination from the Church as those that have It is manifest that all difference between Clergy and People is by them dissolved and made void And by consequence the Corporation of the Church which grounds and creates all the difference which hitherto by all Christians hath been received between these two qualities True it is that for the present as well those who have lawful authority to officiate the publick Service of God by Ordination from the Church are admitted to or maintained in their Benefices by these Laws as those that have none Though it bee well enough known that those who have such authority do pretend to act by virtue of it and not by this Law further then as by submitting to it they remove that force which hinders their right otherwise gotten to take effect But it is as true that supposing this Law to continue an age none such can remain And when none such remains then there shall bee no Church in England but by equivocation of words if the premises bee true And therefore those that acknowledge such as have no other authority but from this power for their Pastors cannot consequently profess to believe one Catholick Church nor hope for salvation by being members of it For supposing for the present though not granting that the power which makes these Laws is from God yet can it not bee pretended to bee from our Lord Christ and his Apostles And therefore this authority derived from it cannot bee derived from any act of theirs constituting the Church and enabling it to give this authority by acknowledging whereof Christians presume that they are members of the Church Now that you may see why the belief of Christs Church is an Article of our Creed I say further that you cannot acknowledg such men for your Pastors because you are not secured by these Laws that they are not Haereticks For seeing the Act of Establishment pretends only to hold forth the Christian Religion centained in the Scriptures and that all the Haerefies that are this day in the world do maintain themselves to profess the Christian Religion contained in the Scriptures it is manifest that these Laws provide not that they shall not bee Haereticks which are sent you for Pastors Here I must not complain that whereas all that profess Faith in God by Jesus Christ though differing from the profession held forth are protected in the exercise of their Religion Popery and Praelacy are excepted though it cannot bee denied that both profess Faith in God by Jesus Christ Nor that those who hold the profession established by the Laws under which wee were born are refused that protection which is tendred Socinians enemies of the Trinity and Satisfaction of Christ who manifestly profess Christian Religion contained in the Scriptures and Faith in God by Jesus Christ For my business is not to say what they that made these Laws should have done instead of making them but what you are to do now they are made But if it bee answered that those that make these Laws repose trust in them to whom they grant these Commissions that they will not take any to bee godly men that are Haereticks To this I say that will not serve your turn for several reasons For those that profess all that this law requires them to profess that is Faith in God through Jesus Christ and the Christian Religion contained in the Scriptures cannot bee judged ungodly for whatsoever they profess besides by any power derived from this Law but an arbitrary power to bee exercised at the will of the Commissioners And how are you assured that no Haeretick shall obtain a certificate of three Neighbours and so answer their demands that they shall think him in Gods grace However you are not warranted to trust your salvation and the salvation of those that depend on you either upon the judgement of these Commissioners or of them that make the Laws If it be demanded why the Secular Power and the Commissioners thereof are not as well to bee trusted with the salvation of the people as those that may pretend authority from the Church the answer is ready That when you acknowledge a Pastor sent by the Church you neither trust his person nor the person of him that sends him but the Laws which the Church hath received from our Lord and his Apostles For limiting his profession and undertaking to exercise the function which hee receiveth according to them hee bâ—comes thereby qualified for his charge But hee who acknowledges no such Laws because hee acknowledges no Catholick Church destroys the trust you are to have in those whom you acknowledge your Pastors that they are not Haereticks And here I must not fail to give you notice that those Presbyterians and Independents who having departed from the Church of England upon pretense of erecting Presbyteries and Congregations do now make themselves Commissioners to execute these Laws which destroy both Presbyteries and Congregations have thereby destroyed the ground of all trust which the Church might have had in them for conduct in Christianity For what profession can it bee presumed that they will stand to when they stand not to that for which they have destroyed the Unity of this Church which is the reason why Haereticks and Schismaticks though they may bee re-admitted to the Communion of the Church upon repentance yet by the Rules of the Catholick Church cannot bee re-admitted to bee of the Clergy For these Apostasies make them uncapable of that trust which the Church must necessarily repose in the Clergy That you may see this is not for nothing I say further that that there is among us a damnable Haeresie of Antinomians or Enthusiasts formerly when Puritans were not divided from the Church of England known by the name of Grindletons and Etonists These do believe so to bee saved by the free Grace of God by which Christ died for the Elect that true faith is nothing but the revelation hereof and by consequence that all their sins past present and to come being remitted by this Grace to repent of sin or to contend against it is the renouncing of Gods free grace and saving faith Another opinion there is which I cannot say the Presbyteans hold or require to bee held but in regard their Confession of Faith and Catechisme disclaimes it not and therefore allows them that hold it to bee of their Faction may well bee said to maintain it That for a
visible to the common reason of all men that seek it If this bee true then no power of the Church can extend so far as to make any thing a part of the common Christianity which was not so from the beginning but it must needs extend so far as to limit and determine all maters in difference so as the preservation of Unity may require And therefore the Unity of all parts supposing the profession of Christianity whole and intire we shall justly bee chargeable with the crime of Haeresie if wee admit them to our communion who openly disclaim the Faith of the whole Church or any part of it For those are justly counted Haereticks as to the Church by the Canons of the Church that communicate with those who profess Haeresie though no Haereticks as to God not believing it themselves But the Unity of all parts being subordinate and of inferiour consideration to the Unity of the Whole wee shall justly bee chargeable with the crime of Schisme if wee seek Unity within our selves by abrogating the Laws of the Whole as not obliged to hold communion with it I confess I am convicted that as things stand wee are not to expect any reason from the Church of Rome and those who hold communion with it in restoring the unity of the Church upon such Laws as shall render the means of Salvation visible to all that use them as they ought And this and only this I hold to bee the due ground upon which wee are inabled to provide an establishment of Unity in Religion among our selves as heretofore a Reformation in Religion for our selves without concurrence of the Whole But if wee should think our selves at large to conclude our selves without respect to the Faith and Laws of the whole Church wee may easily bring upon our selves a just imputation of Haereticks for communicating with Haereticks but a juster of Schismaticks if wee abrogate the Laws of the whole Church to obtain Unity among our selves as declaring thereby that we are not content to hold Unity with the Whole unless a part may give Law to the Whole So far am I from that madness which hath had a hand in all our miseries of thinking the right measure of Reformation to stand in going as far as it is possible from the Church of Rome For were it evidenced as it neither is nor ever will bee evidenced that the Pope is Antichrist and all Papists by their profession Idolaters yet must wee either rase the Article of one Catholick Church out of our Creed or confess that the Pope can neither bee Antichrist nor the Papists Idolaters for or by any thing which is common to them with the Whole Church I know some will think it strange that the Pope should excommunicate us on Maundy-Thursdays that wee should swear in the Oath of Supremacy that no forreign Prelate hath or ought to have any Jurisdiction or Authority Ecclesiastical in this Kingdom and yet wee bee subject to do such Acts for which the Church of Rome may justly renounce communion with us But the word ought in that Oath is Indicative and not Potential not deberet but debet For it were a contradiction for the Church of England to pray for the Catholick Church and the unity thereof and yet renounce the Jurisdiction of the whole Church and the General Council thereof over it self King James of excellent memory acknowledgeth the Pope to bee Patriarch of the West that is Head of the general Council of the Western Churches And the right R. Father in God Thomas L. B. of Winchester under Q. Elizabeth in his answer to the Seminaries Apology being demanded why wee own him not so in effect answereth bluntly but truly because hee is not content with the right of a Patriarch For should hee disclaim the pretense of dissolving the bond of Allegiance should hee retire to the privilege of a Patriarch in seeing the Canons executed the Schisme would lie at our door if wee should refuse it Now if they curse us while wee pray for the Unity of the whole Church is it not the case of the Catholicks with the Donatists For these rebaptized them whom those had baptized whited over the inside of their Churches when they became possessed of them scraped over their Altars being Tables of wood in detestation of them as Apostates and persecutors while the Catholicks called them brethren and acknowledged them rightly baptized and received them that were converted from that Schism in their respective Orders The Unity of the Church is of such consequence to the salvation of all Christians that no excess on one side can cause the other to increase the distance but they shall bee answerable for the souls that perish by the means of it And therefore not departing from the opinion which I have declared concerning the terms upon which all parties ought to reconcile themselves until I shall have reason showed me why I should do it I shall now go no further then the maters that are actually questioned among us not extending my discourse to points that may perhaps more justly become questionable then some of those which have come into dispute Professing in the beginning that I believe they may and ought to bee setled by a Law of the Kingdom obliging all parties beside Recusant But that the mater of that Law ought to bee limited by the consent and Authority of the Church respective to this Kingdom And withall that I think it ought to be held and shall for mine own part hold it an act meerly ambulatery and provisional for the time For though there is no hope of reconcilement with the Church of Rome as things are yet is there infinite reason for all sides to abate of their particular pretensions for the recovering of so incomparable a benefit as the Unity of the Whole If ever it shall please God to make the parties appear disposed to it Now the errors which wee are to shut out if wee will recover the Unity of a Visible Church that is of Gods Whole Church are two in my judgement First though some things have been disputed in other parts from whence the same consequence may bee inferred yet England is the place and ours the times which first openly and downright have maintained that there is no such thing as a Church in the nature of one visible Communion founded by God But it is maintained by several parties among us upon several grounds For some do not or will not understand that there can bee any Ecclesiastical power founded by that act of God which foundeth Christianity where there is Secular Power founded also by those acts of God whereby hee authorizeth and inforceth all just Sovereignties Though all times all parts all Nations of Christendom since Constantine profess to maintain the Church in that power in which they found it acknowledged by Christians when hee first undertook to maintain that Christianity which hee professed all this must bee taken either for meer
that the Church of Rome is Gods Church which as I said in the beginning hath always been granted how easie is it to infer That there is no salvation but in Communion with the Church of Rome For how many of them whom they deal with can distinguish a Church from the Church or give a Reason how God having founded one Church it may nevertheless stand so divided that salvation may be had on both sides Which Reason being once overseen the Infallibility of the present Church is swallowed ipso facto and all the Decrees of the Council of Trent must down with the same assurance as the H. Trinity Nor need you distinguish between Haeresie and Schisme when once the Church shall have pronounced Thus save they the labour of proving Transubstantiation Purgatory Prayers to Saints Latine Service the half Communion and other points of difference all of them too tough to bee overcome All of them are clearly gained by the prejudice which men have imposed upon themselves that the Church which enjoyns them cannot erre Whereas nothing can bee more evident then that which I proposed at the beginning That it cannot be tryed which side is the true Church but by going to tryal upon the particulars in difference But they who charge the Pope to be Antichrist and the Papists What wee get by the charge of Idolatry and Antichrist Idolaters the higher their charge the more to do must they have to perswade common reason that so great a part of mankind should expect to besaved by professing to contradict that which themselves profess And suppose that a prejudicate zeal can transport a man to think the wisest people upon earth those that Govern the See of Rome and all those whom their wisdom carries along so far out of their wits as to contradict by their profession that which themselves profess When all this is done every Text of the Scripture that cannot bee expounded to this supposition will bee a peremptory bar to their pretense And how much is there of the Apocalypse it self that is acknowledged not to bee fulfilled as yet in that sense how much of the rest of the Scripture that cannot without violence be reconciled to it And when a Novice grounded upon this supposition is forced from his ground upon Remonstrance of such Reasons How ready is he to fall into the snare of the Missionaries Whether or not this be the reason of that which wise men have observed that the passage from the one extream to the other is more easie and frequent amongst us then from the mean to the extream let men of discretion judge Let not them lead the people by the Nose to believe that they can prove their supposition when they cannot and then expect that it be maintained by them that own the Church of Rome for a true Church And therefore must contradict themselves if they maintain it It is then Achitophels Counsail that hath prevailed on both Immoderate charges vaine on both sides sides For make the quarrel irreconcileable and nothing but Conquest must end it But what joy have they of their expectation on either side In all troubles of Christendom since Luthers time what gaping hath there been for the sack of Rome and the downfall of the Pope upon a Prophesie ten for one more probably fullfilled in the sack of Rome by the Gothes and Vandals many hundred years ago And all the Civil blood all that abominable desolation in Religion which wee have seen our late Usurper seemeth to have accompted meer godliness in order to that work which God had designed him for as he thought himself inspired to believe Nay did not some of the Reformation prick up their ears and begin to think well of his Christianity for that works sake And yet this expectation hath not been more vain then the deep designes of the See of Rome to reduce the Reformation to the obedience thereof by conquest do now after a long tryal appear desperate for the future Now if the parties be willing to abate of their charges as they have reason to do there is a way for both to come off with credit For the charge of Haeresie naturally shrinks into the Measure of Schisme whensoever they shall be pleased to explain themselves And they seem to do it at least as many of them as now insist upon the charge of Schisme Let our people follow their example and extend the Idolatry they charge them with to all Superstition And I will undertake to find them Idolaters in all professions Namely all those that commit Idolatry to their own imaginations As for the mutual imputation of Schisme it is a civil and a The charge of Schisme on both sides moderate as to the Church moderate challenge in comparison of those For Schisme is nothing but civil War in the Church And in civil Wars as in all Wars though it be rather impossible then difficult to name a War that shall be just on both sides yet it is easie to find a War that is unjust on both sides St. Augustine commends the saying of one in his time that declaimed upon the Rape of Lucrece Mira res said he duo fuerunt Adulterium â—â—us commisit A strange thing that a man lying with a woman only the one should commit Adultery I will not compare War with Adultery which carries sin in the name of it For I will not say that all War is sin But he that can look upon the mischiefes either of civil War in the World or of Schisme in the Church with the heart of a Christian will not think strange that both sides should bee Schismaticks to God though only one part can bee Schismaticks to the Church For when the cause may bee visibly decided as in the Schisme of the Donatists then the one side are Schismaticks the other is the Church But when it cannot as perhaps it will prove between the Reformation and the Church of Rome then if the blame of the Schisme fall on both sides both sides shall bee Schismaticks to God neither to the Church But though I make it a moderate charge as to the Church The sinne of Schisme as to God horrible when one side challenges the other to bee Schismaticks Yet as to God the sin of Schisme is of an horrible tincture For an Haeretick or an Apostate in the sight of God destroys only his own soul But he that causeth division in the Church either peremptorily destroys or probably hinders the salvation of all that are parties to it So the Authors of Schisme must answer for all the souls that perish by it How the means of salvation depend upon the Unity of the Church is a thing that must appear by proving that God hath ordained it for that purpose But if so it prove then may every man see how heavy a charge the crime of Schisme will prove in Gods sight The mischief of Haeresie will lye in the Schisme which it
they who believe no salvation out of Gods Church are to change nothing for other reasons then such as the Visible Unity of it may justifie in case it appear to bee founded by God For that Principle as it is evidence in maters of Faith questionable Wee cannot bee the same Church with that which was otherwise amongst us so it is the Standard in mater of Church Law to measure the distance between the true point of Reformation and the present Church of Rome by that which is visible in the Catholique Church allowing for that difference which the change of time may have brought forth They that find themselves bound by this principle to bee visibly one and the same Church with the Catholick will find it easie to impe and to ingraffe the Faith and Lawes of this Church into the Original and Catholick Faith and Lawes of Gods whole Church by this Rule But impossible to make us visibly the same Church with it upon other Terms I do no ways doubt that though a change should bee made Though that which shall bee sâ—tled will find advocates for the worse which God forbid there would bee found men to maintain it For the Lawes of Kingdoms and Common-wealths are of great force to frame the opinions and manners of particular persons And that in mater of Religion in this Estate where Christianity is setled by the Lawes of Sovereignties And the Church goods which are now recovered out of the hands of Usurpers must then bee the reward of those that shall have most to say for the Lawes that shall bee made And therefore while wee are upon this plea for our selves against the Church of Rome I find it no unreasonable freedome that I take to set forth the consequence of it in the change that is or may bee pretended I know it is a Maxime necessary to the quiet of all States Civil Lawes of Religion to bee changed till this Rule bee attained that Lawes are not to bee changed for hope of amendment But it is no less necessary to enter an Exception to it for those Lawes by which the Reformation is to bee setled in several Sovereignties of Christendom For if the Visible Unity of the Church bee Gods Ordinance then they ought all to have been made of necessity ambulatory as provisions only for the time and not to bee taken for setled till all had been agreed upon a Rule whereby Communion might bee maintained amongst them all whatsoever differences might fall out any where And I am well assured that they could never have attained any such Provision without supposing the Visible Unity of the whole Church the grounds and consequences of which Supposition being taken for Gods Ordinance first brought it to pass And having attained it I am well perswaded that the breach between the Reformation and the Church of Rome could not have subsisted Now that several Sovereignties have made their several changes without communicating with one another that is as not tyed to the Visible Unity of the Whole it is become infinitely more difficult to unite them without expressely agreeing in this principle then it would bee to unite all agreeing in it For the grounds and consequences of it would bee necessarily the Scale to balance and the Standard to measure all differences They who for the present are not divided about Religion The beginning and rise of our differences as wee are may perhaps think these considerations too far fetched to trouble themselves with Wee that cannot make up the present breaches without new provisions are onely to advise whether wee will trust God and our Lord Christ with the success weighing by our own Weights and meting by our own Measures For our case is evidently this The Reformation under Edward VI. raised a party against it not as preferring Luther before Calvin but as preferring Unity with the Catholick Church before difference from the present Church of Rome The Relation of the troubles at Francford published by the Puritans shews that they were as much divided about obedience to their Sovereign persecuting the Reformation which they professed as about obedience to their Bishops and the power of erecting Churches of themselves When the Bull of Pius V. against Queen Elizabeth came forth the Papists who from the beginning of her Reign had outwardly conformed to the exercise of Religion established by her Lawes withdrawing themselves in obedience to the Bull got thereby the name of Recusants About the same time they that rested not content with the Reformation established appearing in a party got themselves the name of Puritans Whereby it appeareth that the Jealousie of the State upon the other party together with the hatred of the people against it for the persecutions under Queen Mary gave them boldness and opportunity to shew themselves and success to make them considerable That abatement of the Forme setled under Edward VI. which to content them had been made under Queen Elizabeth gave them appetite to demand more The Recusants in the mean time as consenting to the attempts that were made against the person of the Sovereign and the State by virtue of that Bull because in mater of Religion they all gave obedience to it were involved in such penalties as the severity of the Lawes occasioned by the hainousness of those attempts provided Thus passed the time on till the same appetite animated The present state of them by the Credit of the late Parliament helped the pretenses thereof for reforming the Government to set three Kingdomes upon pretense of Religion also on the Fire of one Civil Warre For the Irish Rebellion which the example of the Scottish Commotion had brought forth falling in with the one party though not so heartily as the new Insurrection of Scotland with the other made the breach wider by uniting all into two parties The quarrel being decided they who pretended no more for the Warre but Episcopacy Liturgy and the Ceremonies brought in a new Confession of Faith and new Catechismes as well as a Directory and an Ordinance for Church-Government The sword that had decided the quarrel it seems was to make good the difference without pleading the Word for the trial of it In the mean time I will not say that those damnable Doctrines preached by the Sects which the Warre had brought forth are the necessary consequences of the Doctrine brought in of new And of the difference between it and that which was before But this I will say that there is no Visible difference between the Presbyterians and the Phanatickes These sheltring themselves under the quality of those whensoever the Law forbids their peculiar Assemblies And I say farther that if there bee such a thing as a Catholick Church all the Phrensies of the Phanaticks are justly imputable to those that distinguish not themselves from Phanaticks But admit them to their Communion as Phanaticks Upon this account I use the name of Puritans though seeming a term of
bee allowed to forejudge my opinion because it makes our Reconcilement with the Church of Rome easier then they would have it For if division in the Church without evident and valuable cause bee a sin to God it will certainly bee the sin of the Kingdom to bear them out in it by stating our Reformation upon undue grounds For the terms of it must needs bee according to the grounds of it which being either invisible or inconsiderable in comparison of the benefits of Unity must needs translate some part of the blame to rest upon that side which exceeds And therefore to excuse my freedom in publishing that Why it ought to bee declared which follows Let no man grudge me this Plea for my self at the day of Judgement that being convicted that our agreement cannot bee acceptable to God but upon the consequence of those two suppositions according to that which follows I am not at rest till I have said it Could there bee peace had by compounding the Interest of two parties without providing for the Interest of our common Christianity in those two Articles what joy could a Christian expect of that which should bee purchased at so unconscionable a Rate Here is nothing said but that which hath been said when Arbitrary power might have made it a pretense for Persecution had the Interest of Usurpers allowed it It is a short view of that which I have published heretofore presented to those that may desire to see in one prospect what is the true consequence of it in the composing of those differences that remain still on foot And the danger of being involved in the Crime of Schisme before God obligeth me to declare that opinion which being not declared may render me lyable to that charge in Gods sight Therefore there is no offense to Superiors in declaring it The The declaring of it no offense to Superiors Lawes of Kingdoms go by a Rule that is made of such metal as may bend and be fitted to the body which they are to rule Only they are to aim at an inflexible Rule of Gods truth which is the Inheritance of every Christian And therefore he that sees it made crooked is bound to set it straight This is not to say what publique Authority should do but what it should intend to do A thing necessary to bee said when there bee those who would have it intend that which it ought not to do In fine the difficulty and danger of our case seems to supersede for the present the Rule of Obedience in the Church CHAP. V. Wee have the same evidence for the Visible Vnity of the Church as for the truth of the Scriptures The Church founded upon the Power of the Keyes The Vnity of the Church Visible by the Lawes of it The Law which endoweth the Church with Consecrated Goods How the Vnity of the Church is signified by the Scriptures How in the Old Testament Wee have the same evidence for the Visible Unity of the Church aâ— for the truth of the Scriptures I Say then that the Unity of the Church signifies nothing unless it signifie the Visible Unity of Communion in the outward offices of Gods Service Not onely the Invsible Unity of the heart in Faith and Charity Unless the Church bee founded by God for an outward Society Visible to the common reason of man Not onely for an Invisible Number the Unity whereof onely his own Invisible Wisdom inwardly designeth And I say it because I conceive I have proved it by the same evidence upon which wee accept the Scriptures for the Word of God Upon which wee hold our common Christianity For I have shewed that wee believe the Scriptures for the Scriptures the matter of Faith for the Motives of Faith there related That is wee hold those things which the Scriptures relate sufficient to oblige all the people of God afore Christ to bee Jewes All the people of the world after Christ to bee Christians This in the nature of a reason obliging a man to bee a Christian For in the nature and kind of an effective cause I do not suppose much less grant that any thing is sufficient much less effectual without Gods Spirit â—ut if an Unbeliever should ask mee why I believe that to bee true which being true I grant sufficient to oblige mee to believe It will not serve my turn to say that I find it written in the Scripture So long as the question is why I believe the Scripture My answer must bee that the consent of all Christians in submitting to the Gospel which they would not have done had they not known the motives to bee true for which they did it assures mee as much that they are true as if I had seen the things done which moved them to believe Especially being as much convicted by the light of Reason and Nature that Christianity goes beyond Judaisme for advancing the Service of God and goodness as that Judaisme goes beyond the Religion either of Pagans or Mahumetans For this being the reason why wee believe that must bee The Church founded upon the Power of the Keyâ—s alleged by all that will allege any reason to Unbelievers It must needs have the same force in evidencing the sense that wee allow it in evidencing the credit of the Scriptures If the consent of all Christians in submitting to Christianity upon Motives recorded in the Scriptures assure mee that they are true And therefore the Scriptures the Word of God and Christianity the onely Religion by which wee can bee saved Then the consent of all Christians in owning the obligation of holding Visible Communion with the Church is to assure mee that it is Gods Ordinance For the act or the acts of our Lord upon which the Church is founded I allege the Power of the Keyes described by the effect of binding and loosing and to that effect granted to St. Peter Mat. XVI 18 19 To the Disciples assembled after the Resurrection John XX. 19-23 in the terms of remitting and retaining sinne To the Church Mat. XVIII 15-18 in the same terms as to St. Peter to the effect of rendring him that obeys not a Heathen man or a Publican to him that would bee a Christian Here you have a certain Power deposited with certain Persons the effect whereof is Visible in the succession of Person deriving the authority which they claim from the visible act of those Persons which are here trusted with it And in the maintenance of Visible Communion amongst true Christians by excluding the false It is true Haereticks and Schismaticks exclude themselves out of the Church For they would bee the Church themselves if they could tell how But it is the authority of the Church that obligeth Christians to avoid them as the Jewes to whom our Lord spake did then avoid Heathen men and Publicans And it obligeth by declaring them Haereticks and Schismaticks I know there bee those that would have the imputation of
Haeresie and Schisme to bee now meer Bug-bears to fright children with But would any of them owne any of the Sects which were shut out of the Church for Haereticks or Schismaticks from the time of our Lord till the time of Constantine for true Christians Whether they would or they would not is not considerable For if all good Christians then did then did all good Christians owne the Visible Unity of the Church And there is as great a consent of Christians in the Visible Unity of the Church as in the truth of Christianity saving this difference That all Christians good and bad true and false agree in the truth of Christianity Onely those that are neither Haereticks nor Schismaticks in the Unity of the Church Let no man mistake this evidence as if so great a truth The Unity of the Church Visible by the Lawes of it were read onely in two or three Texts of Scripture They who take upon them to argue of such matters as these ought to know that the Lawes of all Commonwealths when first they are founded are the wills of their Rulers according to that measure of Power whereby they Rule Therefore if our Lord trust his Disciples and their Successours with the Rule of his Church hee trusts them also to make Lawes for the Ruling of it Provided that they tend to inforce not to avoid those Lawes which hee in person hath left them as Christians For Disciples that is Christians hee left them actually Not actually Members of his Church as not yet actually formed though virtually founded in the Power of the Keyes which hee left his Disciples These Lawes are as Visible as the Lawes of any Kingdom or Commonwealth that is or ever was are Visible I do not owne the Popes Canon Law to have the force of obliging us For I maintain a great deal of Usurpation in the Power by which it was made as well as a great deal of abuse in making the Law given by our Lord of no effect by the matter of it But I maintain the Popes Canon Law and the same is to bee said of that Canon Law whereby the Patriarch of Constantinople now governs in the Eastern Church to bee derived from those Rules whereby the Disciples of our Lord and their Successours governed the Primitive Church in Unity And this no less evident then the Christianity of this time is to bee derived from the Christianity of that time For as the present Law of the Church is but the corruption of the Primitive no more is the present Christianity whether of the Reformation or of the Church of Rome but the corruption of the Primitive For why shall I make nice to say it pretending all Reformation to be nothing but the restoring of Primitive Christianity And to that end of such Lawes in the Church as may bee the means to restore it Among those Lawes there is one which obliging those who The Law which endoweth the Church with Consecrated goods have given up themselves to God for Christians to give up their goods to maintain the Assemblies of the Church for the Service of God wherein the Communion of the Church consisteth estateth the Power of dispensing the maintenance thereof upon the Rulers of the Church This provision how little soever notice many take of it who pretend to understand the Scriptures began first in our Lord and the Disciples that attended upon him continually For it is evident by the Gospels that those Disciples which did not attend upon him continually furnished by their contributions a stock whereupon they subsisted Judas you know was trusted with it and was the first that committed Sacrilege in robbing the poor of Church goods For the poor could not have attended upon the Doctrine of our Lord had they not been provided for by the richer of his Disciples And the goods of the Church are still the patrimony of the poor for the same reason that being provided for they may attend upon Gods service Therefore the reason was the same when the Christians at Jerusalem gave up their lands and their goods to maintain the Church in contitinual attendance upon the Service of God When the Corinthians maintained their Feasts of Love When the Christians afterwards built those Churches and laid those lands to them which Eusebius saith being pulled down and confiscated by Diocletian were restored by Constantine When Christian Kingdoms and States by a civil Law indowed the Church with Tithes and Glebes and Mansions A thing as general as Christianity no People no Country being known where the Church was ever setled without maintenance estated upon it by the Church it self at the least if not by the Law of the Country over and above The form of Government in every Commonwealth is stated How the Unity of the Church is signified by the Scriptures upon certain powers wherein Sovereignty consisteth which Lawyers and Philosophers call sometimes Jura majestatis Here you have in the Governors of the Church the power of admitting into and excluding out of the Church The power of giving Lawes to the Church The power of dispensing the Exchequer which God hath provided for the Church And in fine the power of propagating these rights to their successours Whereby it pretendeth not to bee a Commonwealth Because Christianity pretendeth to maintain Civil power and the right of this World in the same hands and upon the same terms which it findeth But it appeareth to bee a Visible Society founded by God under the name of the Catholick Church upon the command of holding communion therewith to which hee obligeth all Christians And all those Scriptures of the New Testament that mention any of these rights signifie no less when the meaning of them is measured by that Rule without which there is no means to determine the sense of any Scripture that is questionable And the same is signified by those Scriptures which mention sometimes several Churches sometimes one Church containing all Christians and all Churches For the parts that is particular Churches being Visible Bâ—dies the Whole must needs bee understood to bee a Visible Church The practice of all Christians owning an obligation in point of Right to maintain the powers which the Scriptures for the most part only mention as mater of Fact determines them to signifie more then they express As for the Scriptures of the Old Testament the calling of the How in the Old Testament Gentiles to bee one new people of God with the Jewes that should beleeve is but foretold in them by Prophesie And therefore the Visible Unity of the Church consisting of them cannot bee otherwise declared in them then by that correspondence in which the Church answereth the antient people of God The Unity thereof was the Unity of a Commonwealth maintaining it self by force of Armes in the possession of the Land of promise in which God had placed them upon condition to live by his Law The Unity of the Church consisting
inviolable in all opinions And the Church a standing â—ynod from Rome Hereby it may appear that the Visible Unity of the Church must stand or fall with Episcopacy And therefore no marvel that it should not bee acknowledged by them who acknowledg not Episcopacy For the soul of this unity consisting in the resort of inferiour Churches to superiours and in the correspondence of parallel Churches neither can this resort nor this correspondence ever appear to have been had and exercised but between Bishops as heads in behalf of their Churches Whether by a treaty of Bishops personally assembled in Council or by correspondence between Bishops by means of their Presbyters Deacons or inferiour Clergy good intelligence were preserved between Churches towards the maintaining of communion in the whole it maters not The Church in the form which I state is a standing Synod able by consent of the chief Churches containing the consent of their resorts to conclude the whole In all the records of the Church let them shew me one Presbyter that ever answered for his Church to the rest of the Church at least in his own name for if in the name of and by Commission from his Bishop it is for my turn and let them take all And therefore though Episcopacy must needs bee declared for part of Gods Law by the Scriptures understood as the consent of the Church directeth against which no Scripture can bee rightly understood yet supposing the Church Visible by Gods Law I have enough to make them Schismatickes that oppose it though I should make Episcopacy no part of Gods Law but introduced by consent of the whole Church For that part which submitteth not to the consent of the Whole in maters which Gods Law referreth to the Whole for the preservation of that unity which it enacteth are justly to bee taken for those that violate the Unity which Gods Law enacteth Epecially in a Law of that consequence as one of those Rights wherein the chief power of the Church consisteth It is strange to see how fondly men argue that Presbyters have the power of the Keys which made the Apostles Apostles Therefore much more are they equal to Bishops As if they could not have that power in private maters between God and the conscience of particular Christians Reserving the same power for the Bishops peculiar in things which being publick concern the Body of each Church For in the cause of Arius this power was in the Council of Nicaea and in no less Had Athanasius of Alexandria or Alexander of Constantinople loosed him whom the Synod had bound though at the instance of Constantine they had been sinners to God and to his Church in violating the Unity thereof which hee hath made more inviolable then any temporal endowment of it How far are wee now from having evidenced the Visible Unity of Gods Church to bee a part of the common Christianity The Church Visible by disowning Haeretickes and Schismatickes supposing these things proved the proofes whereof have no way been insringed Haeretickes are condemned by themselves saith Paul because they know they forsake that profession upon which they were baptized members of the Church But it is Titus that is to refuse them The Church avoids them because the Bishop finds them incorrigible If other Bishops and their Churches duely informed from Titus do the like then is the Visible Unity of the Church visible in their proceedings If they do not the like then must they break communion with Titus and his Church by a perpetual Rule of the Church holding all Excommunicate that shall acknowledge an Excommunicate person to bee a member of the Church But wee read of no breach in the Church for any of those whom the Church hath declared Haeretickes Except what shall by and by bee excepted Thus far all the Church owneth the Visible Unity of the Church As for Schisme how many occasions of it have been prevented The difference about keeping Easter the difference about rebaptizing Haeretickes Many other differences have threatned breaches in the Church which have been prevented through the conduct of Christian Prelates Other divisions that have come to pass have been re-united sometimes sometimes not The communion of the Church of Sardinia with the rest of the Western Churches stood interrupted by the discontents of Lucifer Archbishop there And therefore I conceive for his time and no more The Church of Antiochia stood divided within it self under two Bishops for a mater of threescore years till by the intercession of the West as well as of the East it was re-united The East under Constantinople stood divided from the West under Rome upon the cause of Acacius for some seventy years till the Church of Rome was satisfied How long the Schism of Montanus lasted for at the first it was but a Schisme if wee judge by Tertullian who is the best record that remains of it I say not It seems to have turned into an Haeresie first and then to nothing as other Haeresies have done The Schisme of the Novatians for it was no more seems to have returned to the Church by pieces And so that of the Meletians The Donatists seem to have continued till Africk was overrun by the Mahumetans In all these breaches what signifies the attribute of one Catholick Church but a Visible Unity opposite to so many visible Apostasies St. Austine saith that if a stranger asked an Haeretick or Schismatick the way to the Catholick Church hee durst not shew him the way to his own Church because the title was not questionable Not meerly because the Catholick had more belonging to it as some would have us judge of Religion by counting Noses but as Optatus saith quia rationalis ubique diffusa because the due reason why men are Christians swayed men to stand to the unity of the Church all over The undue reason that moved men to break with it prevailed but here and there At all hands discounting Haeretickes and Schismatickes whom they that follow do seldom approve so many Christians so many witnesses of one Catholick Church which by being Catholick was alwaies and must needs bee Visible And thus far wee have the same evidence for one Visible Church as for the rest of Christianity After the Council of Ephesus the reputation of Nestorius held The breaches that have come to pass evidence the same entire in the East notwithstanding the Decree of the Council The Records of the Church have preserved us no intelligence how or by what means Those that write of the Wars of the holy Land afterwards represeut us the Nestorians in the East so numerous as might well stumble those that pretend to decide the Controversie of Religion by the Poll in our Western parts But whether the breach stood upon the opinion or upon the person of Nestorius is more then I am able to decide For in Aegypt likewise after many troubles about the Council of Chalcedon and the condemning of their
Church A justifiable nay a commendable custom of the antient Church may come out of use without any violence any fraud any purpose to defeat that pious intent to which such a custom was instrumental They who had rather break with the Church of Rome then comply with a change which the change of time and the state of things by time hath brought to pass should bee in my opinion Schismatickes But what if our Fanatickes should bee content silently to return into the communion of this Church as Presbyterians What if it appear that they are Bullion Haeretickes for the positions they profess though not stamped by conviction and contumacy succeeding and the Declaration of the Church upon that It will not then bee clear how wee shall wipe off that imputation to which wee shall bee liable by the perpetual Rule of Gods Church for receiving and communicating with those that have stamped themselves Schismatickes as Schismatickes those that have declared themselves Bullion Haeretickes as Bullion Haeretickes without any ground to presume that they are changed Certainly wee cannot allege the Catholick Church for our selves but it will rise in judgementagainst us when wee stick not to it What condition wee fall into if wee submit to the Church Regular authority in the Church of Rome the means of unity absolute of Schisme of Rome upon terms of conquest it is manifest enough For wherein the Pope hath not limited his own authority by the Council of Trent wee render our selves to the mercy of it Missionaries shall have done a great effect if they perswade us that wee are Schismatickes unless wee return to those abuses which wee see with our eyes which wee handle with our hands they are so evident and so gross Well may they perswade simple Christians that they must first resolve which is the true Church and then what is true and what is false in Religion by that which the Church so resolved teaches This is a great deal the shorter way then to justifie the particulars which by this means they impose upon them And if wee render our selves upon these terms what remains but that wee admit whatsoever the Pope shall impose for the future though wee know that the Power of the Whole Church extends not to it Which how shall wee answer at the Day of Judgement either for our selves or those that depend upon us And yet I have shewed that the Church of Rome hath and ought to have when it shall please to hear reason a regular pre-eminence over the rest of Christendom in these Western parts And hee that is able to judge and willing to consider shall find that pre-eminence the only reasonable means to preserve so great a Body in Unity And therefore I count not my self tied to justifie Henry the VIII in disclaiming all such pre-eminence when it was enough for his purpose to disown it as not extending to his case For by the regular constitution of the Church which I have described if the Pope excommunicate any man injustly he does it in his own wrong hee excommunicates himself thereby from all that shall adhere to him whom hee excommunicates His advantage is only this If more adhere to the chief Church then to the less For which though there bee regularly a presumption yet if Usurpation appear either in sentencing or in the mater or in the effect of the sentence hee that exceeds his authority breaks it upon him that exceeds not like the waves of the sea against a rock But of the Usurpations of that Church wherein they consist How wee are visibly one with the only Church of God Reforming without the Church of Rome and by what means effected in due place that the difference may bee Visible between the infinite and the regular power of the Pope In the mean time what I have said of this point I must say of all maters in difference That as the Church of Rome cannot hinder us of restoring our selves to the Primitive Right of the Church by which a Christian Kingdom duely may maintain the Service of God neither consenting to the abuses which other Churches maintain nor breaking with them in other maters so are wee to go no further then the consent of the Church will bear us out For if we make new and private conceits of the Scripture and the sense of it Law to the Church which wee Reform wee found a new Church upon that Christianity which the only Church of God never owned But if wee only restore that which by abuse of time may appear to have come to decay wee impe and ingraffe the Church which wee Reform into that only Church which they that Reformed not succeed For how should wee depart from Unity with that Church the authority whereof wee follow in the change which wee make If therefore wee are to bee without offense to Jewes and Gentiles and to the Churches of God as St. Paul commands then are wee to bee without offense also to the Church of Rome Now it is no offense to the Church of Rome that wee build Unity among our selves upon an opposition to the abuses of it But if upon an opposition to that which it holdeth from the Whole Church wee give them cause to take us for Schismatickes as not reverencing in her the Whole Church which wee are bound to hold with CHAP. VIII What means God hath provided private Christians to discern the true Church The duty of all Estates for the Re-uniting of Schisme The ground and extent of Secular Power in Church Matters How the Conscience of Sovereign Power is discharged maintaining the Church UPon these terms the choice of Religion would become What means God hath provided private Christians to discern the true Church more clear which otherwise must become far more doubtful by the setling of our present differences For I grant it a thing too difficult for every Christian that is concerned to chuse his Communion to try the particulars in controversie by the consent of the Church But I maintain the same difficulty in trying which Church it is that preacheth the true Word of God and rightly and duly administreth the Sacraments which others would have the marks of the true Church For without trying the particulars in Controversie how shall it appear where the Word is preached where the Sacraments are ministred as they should bee And how shall they bee tryed but by the Scriptures expounded according to the consent of the Church As for them that would have us take the decree of the present Church to bee Infallible they are first to tell us upon whose credit wee take that Infallibility For you see wee believe not the present Church that it is the Church to wit founded by God Wee accept it upon the consent of the whole Church Neither is any thing Infallible in Christianity but upon the same ground It is not the decree of the present Church but the witness and agreement of the
Whole Church that renders any thing Infallible Now it is true every Christian hath the Judgment of discretion in the choice of Religion in point of fact That is to say supposing the division or rather the divisions that are on foot in the Church But in point of Right it ought to bee otherwise God having provided the Unity of the Church on purpose that simple Christians might not bee put to so hard a choice For when the Catholick Church was so Visibly distinct from all Sects that a Sectary would have been laughed at had hee called his own Church the Catholick Church of that City Willfully must hee perish that should forsake that Church which hee could not mistake But in our case what avails it to allege the Title of Catholick while the ground of the Title remains disputable Especially the division between the Greek and Latine Church having rendred it almost insignificant afore And the number of Protestants as I said of Nestorians rendring it questionable where the signification will light Seeing therefore that the malice of man by dividing the The duty of all estates for the re-uniting of Schisme Church rendreth it Invisible as hard to bee seen though not Invisible as not possible to bee seen What remaineth but that all publick persons and whosoever is interessed in the divisions of the Church understand and consider what account they owe for the Souls that must needs miscarry by the divisions which they maintain wheu they need not For how shall hee bee clear that professes not a desire of condescending to all that which truth will allow on either side for the advantage of peace on both sides And seeing neither side can make peace without the consent of both but either may have truth alone What remaineth but that all Reformation bee confined within those bounds which the Faith and the Law of the Catholick Church fixeth For though they that profess and intend to Reforme by that Rule may fail in applying their Rule to some matters Though seeing what the Rule requires they may bee fain to abate of it because the Body which they intend to regulate is not capable of the strict Rule Yet it is a reasonable ground of confidence for a single heart that the right Rule is expresly professed to bee intended For though in all divisions the parties acknowledging One Visible Church must needs hold the one the other Schismaticks unless they will bear the blame of the division themselves Yet is there no appearance in reason that God will take them for Schismaticks that follow so fair a profession in general though it may not come to effect in some particular And this is the only way to provide a clear discharge for the The ground and extent of Secular Power in Church maters Secular Power that is Sovereign in establishing such a Reformation by Law to the people of it and enacting the same with such priviledges and penalties as Christianity either alloweth or requireth For it is manifest from the premises that the Church by Gods Law is Judge in the matter of all Lawes according to which Religion is to be enacted by any Sovereign Yet is the Sovereign Power Judge also of their Judgment as not only it self a Member of the Whole Church and Heir to all right which the Unity thereof intitleth any Christian to but as Protector of the Church and of the Faith and Lawes of it That is as Protector of all Subjects within the Church of the respective Dominions in all right which the Law of the Church in the Dominion thereof setleth And therefore bound to judge whether that which the Church either of the respective Dominion or united with the same shall determine bee such as the Uuity of the Whole Church either alloweth or requireth or not For it is onely the Sovereign Power that can enact it for a Law upon all the Subjects thereof to the effect of Secular priviledges or penalties And seeing the Faith and Communion of the Church is the inheritance of the Secular Power that is Christian It is manifest that hee is trusted for his Subjects in matter of Religion to no purpose if hee bee to trust the Church at large in the matter of his Office And yet Gods Law having provided the Church to limit all matters questionable upon the constitution of the Church It is also manifest that all Secular Power is to suppose the Faith of the Church as always the same from the beginning And the Lawes in being as acts of the same authority which was founded by God in the Whole Church from the beginning before any Secular Power was Christian Which if it protect not why is it Christian I say it is bound to acceâ—t them for such in case it appear not by the Faith and the Lawes of the Whole Church that they are otherwise And in that case though the Secular Power be Judge for it self yet the Church and the Law of the Church is the Rule by which it is to judge As for that which present necessity requireth â—o be restored or setled a new for the Church respective to every Sovereignty It is also maniâ—est that the Secular Power both may and ought to see the Church under it to do their Office Knowing that it is their Office as to preserve the Faith which is always the same So to maintain Unity by suiting the Laws which are to be with those which have been from the beginning Whereof common reason in all publick Powers is a competent Judge I need say nothing that Secular Powers may and are to see that under pretense of Ecclesiastical Power or Jurisdiction their own rights bee not invaded having said That the power of the Church produceth no Secular effect But as the enacting of the Church Lawes with Secular priviledges and penalties is onely the effect of Secular Power So is it accountable to God alone for the use of it And as the Unity of the whole Church must needs bee concerned How the Conscience of Sovâ—reign Power 〈…〉 in the Lawes of the Church respective to this or that Sovereignty So is it not possible that any Sovereign should bee Judge in the concernments of those that are not his Subjects The divisions of Christendome which I alleged afore make full evidence for this For what need further dispute about Religion were Subjects as Subjects by Gods Law bound to stand to the will of their Sovereigns in that which concerns them as Christians This shews how much Sovereigns are concerned for their discharge to God to seek the peace of Christendome For if as at present it cannot bee had upon just terms it is not the opinion of this or that Divine It is not the opinion of any person whatsoever not acting in a quality capable by the constitution of the Church to oblige the Church respective to the Sovereign Much less is it his personal skill in matters of Religion though as great as any mans that
there delivers introduces a New Law which obliged not under the Old Testament For I have shewed that under it the Fathers were saved as Christians that is by worshipping God in Spirit and truth But that there was a two-fold sense in Moses Law And that by keeping it according to the Letter they held the Land of Promise according to the Spirit though in a less measure then the Gospel requires they attained the world to come The Satisfaction and Merit of good works done by Christians Of the Satisfaction and Merit of Christian works may bee understood to bee grounded either upon their intrinsick value or upon that mark which the Gospel of Christ stampes them with in consideration of Christs merits and sufferings But that intrinsick value at which they are valued by those who make them worth life everlasting upon terms of commutative justice rises upon the account of Gods Spirit by the Grace whereof they are done And the Grace of Gods Spirit is not granted but in consideration of our Lord Christ and his obedience And therefore this intrinsick value is meerly imaginary even in the opinion of them that advance it unless they will needs contradict themselves For the value of our Lords obedience is necessarily extrinsick to us to whose account it redoundeth only by imputation of Grace And therefore there is no intrinsick value of Christian works supposing the Gospel to bee that which I have said For being performed by virtue of Gods Grace they cannot bee acceptable to the effect of salvation but by the same Grace But the merit or the satisfaction which is ascribed unto them being grounded upon that Grace bringing salvation to all which hath appeared by the Gospel it is not possible to imagine what it can derogate from the merits and satisfaction of our Lord Christ It is true men may forget their own grounds as I have said that they do who would have the works of Christians to merit heaven upon terms of commutative justice And forgetting themselves they may contradict themselves ascribing that for debt to them that do them which is not due but upon the account of Christs obedience But still the worse Divines the better Christians For the truth which they profess if they profess it not in vain shall bee an Antidote against that pride destructive to the humility of a Christian which the opinion of a mans own merit produceth Whereas they who exclude all consideration of our works from the great trial of the Day of Judgement do thereby exclude Christianity out of the heart as they do the Creed out of the Church Whereas they who suppose gross and hainous sins to bee pardoned before they see the fruits of Repentance in works of mortification by extraordinary exercises of devotion with fasting and almes do contribute as much as their allowance signifies to the murther of that soul which might have been cured had not their authority made men believe that there needs no such cure There is an opinion crept into the Church of Rome on the other side that imperfect sorrow for that sin which by Confession is submitted to the Keys of the Church serves to cure such sin how great soever And that Penance is enjoyned to redeem the debt of temporal punishment to bee paid in Purgatory if not here as remaining due when the guilt is done away Whereas the works of mortification are but the exercise and the performance of that contrition which the Gospel requires to qualifie a man for pardon of his sin And therefore the authority of the Church cannot supply the want of that condition which the Gospel requireth in him that seeks forgiveness But only procure it by excluding him from the Communion that shall refuse the cure which the Church prescribeth Now this is an opinion which that Church allows but enjoyns not And therefore whether there bee more danger there by this opinion or by the other extreme where all works of mortification are cried down for superstitious I leave to the conscience of discreet Christians The Catholique Church hath used the terms of satisfaction and Merit in a true sense and to a good purpose and it were easie to shew that the same sense is allowed though not enjoyned by the Church of Rome even since the Council of Trent were this the place I have said that the obedience of the second Adam is not immediately Original Sin is not Adams sin imputed to his posterity imputed to any particular mans account but first to the common account of mankind and to the account of particular persons as they are qualified for it by being good Christians And now I must say accordingly that the disobedience of the first Adam is not imputed immediately to the damnation of any particular but to the bondage of all â—is posterity For no man shall bee condemned at the last day but for the works which hee shall bee found to have done in the body And for what hee shall then bee condemned for the same God decreed that hee should bee condemned from everlasting So being become slaves to sin we are ransomed by Christ But as this ransome intitleth us not to life till wee embrace the terms of it neither doth this bondage damn us till wee beome parties to it by our sins If this bee true then doth not Original sin consist in the Imputation of Adams sin to his posterity as Catharinus held at the Council of Trent with great applause And indeed I need not dispute that God cannot in justice punish one man for another mans sin because you see the posterity of the first Adam according to the flesh is punished for his sin no otherwise then it is rewarded for the second Adam and for his righteousness The interest of our common Christianity is safe so long as the necessity of Christs coming and the reason of it for the cure of the breach which Adam made remains evident and unmoveable Nor is there any difficulty in resolving the nature of Original Wherein Original Sin consisteth Sin That should drive us to this novelty All sin is an act or an habit that faileth of that measure which Gods Law requires Original Sin hath only this peculiar that giving the like inclination as other habits do it is not contracted by custom but by birth Call this inclination to that which Gods Law forbiddeth Concupiscence and you have expressed the whole nature of Original Sin For calling it concupiscence you make it to bee the want of Original Righteousness But you express over and above what it is that succeedeth in mankind born in Original Sin instead of Original Righteousness to wit that disorder in our inclinations which concupiscence signifieth The Question only remains whether Original uprightness What Original Righteousness signifieth shall signifie only Innocence or supernatural Grace over and above For it may bee supposed that man was created at the first only to the happiness of this life upon condition
And therefore there is no ground for private Masses by granting the Eucharist to bee in this nature a Sacrifice But can any man say that it is not the principal Office of The Eucharist not the Sermon the Chief Office of Gods Service Christian Assemblies That it ought not to bee frequented upon all the chief occasions for the Assemblies of Gods Church That the ordinary work for which wee meet all Lords days and other days if on other days wee ought ordinarily and solemnly to meet is a Sermon with an arbitrary Prayer before or after it That they who take the pains to minister the same are to bee excused of celebrating the Eucharist or ministring the prayers of the Church which it is to bee celebrated with unless it bee three or four times a year and much more of reading the Scriptures or praising God upon Davids Psalter and the Hymns of the Church I confess Calvins Reformation is much after that form And all the arâ— of the Blessed Reformation here pretended hath been to impose it for a Law upon this Kingdom without once pleading that it is for the best But so grosly prejudicial to the Service of God and the Common Christianity that it were injurious to fear that a Christian Kingdom can suffer such an Imposture derogating far more from the perpetual Custome of Gods Whole Church then it can from the present Law of this Kingdom That therefore I may make way to the determining of that which remains most questionable amongst us What is the best form of Service which the Church of this Kingdom can worship God with I must in the first place lay down that Rule by which all Reformation of Lawes Ecclesiastical is to bee directed together with the ground of it CHAP. XV. The ground that determines the Form of our Service The Offices of which the Service is to consist Of the Vse of the Psalmes Of reading the Scriptures commonly called Apocrypha What Preaching it is that the Scripture commendeth There may be Preaching without Sermons and Sermons without Preaching The difference between the second Service in the Ancient Church and our Communion Service The general Preface and the Prayers of the Church at the Eucharist The Prayer of Oblation instituted by S. Paul and the matter of it The Lords Prayer at the Eucharist The Place for the Common Prayers THat ground upon which the form of our Service is to bee The ground that determines the Form of ouâ— Service determined is to determine all that remains to bee determined in matter of Religion by Law of this Kingdom The true sense of the Scripture is not to bee had but out of the Records of Antiquity especially of Gods ancient people fâ—â—st and then of the Christian Church The obligation of that sense upon the Church at this time is not to bee measured against the primitive practice of the Whole Church The Reformation of the Church is nothing but the restoring of that which may appear to have been in force especially since Christianity hath been protected by the Lawes of the Empire Because the greatest difference between the primitive time of Christianity and this is the difference between the state of Persecution and of Protection by the Law of this Kingdom It is therefore necessary that both sides professing the Reformation should agree upon the true ground of Reformation and so upon the Rule which that ground will maintain and evidence that is to submit all that is in question to the visible practise of the primitive times before those abuses were brought in which the Reformation pretendeth to restore For if God have founded a Visible Church which all this supposes then cannot the Pope bee Antichrist nor the Church of Rome Idolaters for any thing which the practise of the Primitive Church justifieth And seeing the Church is Visible by the Lawes of it there can no Church bee visibly one with that which was from the beginning but by ruling it self by the same Lawes so far as the state of the Bodies for which they are made is the same That which shall bee said concerning the form of our Service is an instance hereof The sense of the Scriptures which have been alleged shall appear to agree with the primitive order of Gods Church The reviving of the order is the point of Reformation in this particular allowing for avoiding just offense in altering the Law of the Kingdom without necessary cause as the wisdom of Superiours shall find requisite I must now suppose that the Offices of Gods Service for The Offices of which the Service is to consist which the Church of God assembleth ordinarily and solemnly are the praises of God the instruction of the people in the duties of their Christianity whether by reading the Scriptures or by handling the same And lastly the Common Prayers of the Church especially those which the Eucharist is to bee celebrated with And this Order which I put them in here is that which the Church from the beginning hath always observed The Psalter of David in the first place hath been so generally Oâ— the use of the Psalms frequented by the Whole Church for the Instrument to make the Praises of God sound forth that it ought not now to bee questioned as questioned it is visibly enough by any that would pretend to bee of Gods Church The order of reading the Psalms which the Law of this Kingdom requires is admitted because they are part of the Scripture But all endeavours used that no devotion of the people bee exercised by it The Psalms in Rhime must engross that Wee have seen a Civil War in the time whereof these Psalms in Rhime being crowded into the Church by meer sufferance and so used without order of Law have been employed on both sides to brand the adverse party with the marks which the Psalms set upon the enemies of David and of Gods People that is of Christ and of Christians More freely by them who sang them at the head of their Armies to that purpose I hope those ways do not please at present And therefore say freely that the disorder ought not to continue Some of our Fanaticks I know have torn them out of their Bibles They thought themselves not concerned in them though David were The Jewes though they allow many of them to belong to the Messias would not have them belong to our Lord Christ But the Church uses them supposing them all fulfilled in Christ and Christians whether particular souls or the body of his Church Upon this Account they are the exercise of Christian Devotions But not the Psalms in Rhime The musick of them hath proved too hard for the people to learn in an hundred years And yet no way more commendable then the Rhimes themselves are And repeating a little in much time The tunes used in Cathedral and Collegiate Churches are easie to learn and serve that Order which Law setleth for Devotion not for reading
them as Scripture The order for reading the Scripture appears necessary by the Of reading the Scriptures commonly called Apocryphâ— jealousies of this time For were it arbitrary how obvious would it bee to deprave publick or private proceedings by Lessons chosen on purpose That the Books called Apocrypha are not the Writings of Prophets inspired is agreed Though those Writings are properly called Apocrypha which the Church authorizeth not to bee read Whereas these being always read in the Church are therefore properly called Ecclesiastical by Rufinus The chief objections against them resolve into some passages that seem not to agree with the Doctrine of the New Testament But so that the like are found in the Old The Fact of Razias the Proceeding of Judith the Lye of Tobits Angel are the greatest blocks of offense Not considering the Fact of Jael or that of Sampson or the Lyes that seem to bee rewarded under the Law If offense bee taken at them why not at these But it is no offense to good Christians because good Christians do not presume the Law and the Gospel to bee both one And therefore are content to know their duty under the Gospel letting that which agreeth not therewith in the Old Testament pass without offense In the mean time it is evident that the Doctrine of Christianity beginneth to bee discovered in them more clearly then it stands discovered in the Law and the Prophets Hereupon the Wisdom of the Primitive Church imployed them for the instruction of the Catâ—câ—umeni that were yet but learners of Christianiny And therefore wee are to insist upon the use of them for edification of the Church in the better understanding of the manners and good works of Christians much abased by those who would put these Books to silence But the whole Church having always used them to lay them aside now were not to restore the Church but to build a new one As concerning the necessity of preaching so effectually set What Preaching it is that the Scripture câ—mmendeth forth by the Scriptures there is utterly a mistake in the meaning of them That preaching which the Scripture maketh absolutely necessary to salvation is the publishing of the Gospel to those that know it not The instruction of Christians in their duty is called teaching in the Scripture I have made evidence of this difference The Apostles Commission is to teach them whom they have baptized all that the Lord had commanded them The Kingdom of God is not in word but in power But if wee call the teaching of Christians preaching then it must bee such for mater and for manner both as may indeed convict Christians of the duty of Christians and that not in the opinion of him that preacheth but according to the Doctrine of the Church Whosoever thinketh himself tâ—ed to Preach that which the Church tyes him not to Preach not tyed to Preach that which it tyeth him to preach is in a fair way to edifie the people to ruine by improving an undue zeal to the dividing of the Church In the mean time the Church preacheth without Sermons by There may bee Preaching without Sermons and Sermons without Preaching the Psalms and the Scriptures and by that order in which it provideth that they bee read Besides all those Forms in which it prescribeth the Offices of Gods Service to bee performed Which if they contain all that is necessary generally and probably to the salvation of all Christians supposing them duly Catechized in those things which the salvation of all and which their particular estate requires they that never heard many Sermons may have heard more and better preaching then hundreds and thousands of Sermons dangerous if not destructive to salvation a thing which experience proves more then possible can furnish them who shall do nothing but run from Sermons to Sermons I grant it was a just complaint at the Reformation that the people were not taught their duty But I do not grant either that they cannot bee taught their duty without two Sermons every Lords day Or that they are like to bee taught their duty by two Sermons every Lords day It is not possible to have men for all Churches fit to preach twice a day to the edifying of the people It will not bee possible to maintain their preaching such as may bee accompted an Office of Gods service In the antient Church for divers hundred years all that The difference between the second Service in the antient Church and our Communion Service were admitted to stay all this while that is till the Sermon were done were not to bee present at the Eucharist were not to communicate As Converts not baptized as the relapsed as the possessed by unclean spirits in which ranck the Lunaticke the Epilepticke the Frantick were accounted And reason good for they were not to communicate at least till death And yet they were not to bee dismissed without the prayers of the Church Prayers fitting their several estates for their proficience or for their recovery that they might come to communicate I will not here undertake that all which remained did always communicate though I doubt not I may undertake that the rule of the Church required them always to communicate For when the world was come in to the Church the Rule that prevailed in time of persecution there is no marvel that it could not then prevail By St. Chrysostome alone it appears sufficiently that the Rule was well enough known but not in force even in his time So when they that might not communicate were dismissed they that would not communicate remained nevertheless For the Eucharist was not to bee set aside for their negligence This is the difference between the first and second Service which is not the same with our Communion Service For the first Service ended when the prayers of the Church began Our Communion Service is that which is properly called the Liturgy in Greek Namely the Office which the Eucharist is to bee celebrated with That which goes before the Offertory belongs not properly to the second Service according to the Primitive Form For the presenting of the Elements was always every where the beginning of it The prayers of the Church began with Thanksgiving to God The General Preface and the Prayers of the Church at the Eucharist for making man and setting him over the creatures for taking care of him after his Fall teaching the Patriarches giving the Law sending the Prophets and when all this did not the effect required for sending our Lord Christ From this Thanksgiving both the Action of the Sacrament and the consecrated Elements are still called the Eucharist And it is called a Preface in a very antient African Canon to wit to the consecration of the Elements which followed Which as I said before is nothing else but a prayer that God would send the Holy Ghost upon the present Elements and make them the Body and Blood of Christ that
they who should receive them worthily might bee filled with his Grace The common prayers of the Church that is of those who were admitted to Communion with the Church were always made at the Altar or Communion-Table in the action of the Sacrament Reason good How can Christians think their prayers so effectual with God as when they are presented at the Commemoration of the Sacrifice of Christ crucified the Representation whereof to God in heaven makes his Intercession there so acceptable Especially by those who maintain the Covenant of their Christianity contracted at their Baptisme by communicating in the Eucharist Here then that is at the celebrating of the Eucharist prayers The prayer of Oblation instituted by St. Paul and the â—ater of it supplications and intercessions were made for all estates in the Church and for their respective necessities For the averting of all Gods Judgements for the obtaining of all his blessings For publique Powers and their Ministers for the Governors and Ministers of the Church high and low for publique Peace and prosperity for the Seasons and Fruits of the Year for the Sick and Distressed for the helps of Gods Grace in all parts of that Christianity which wee profess passing by daily offenseâ— for particular occasions of interceding with God which each particular Congregation may have And there bee good and sufficient witnesses the Author of the Commentary upon St. Paul to Timothy under St. Ambrose his name the Author de Vocatione Gâ—ntium St. Augustine and Pope Caelestine in his Epistle ad Gallos that this was the practice of the whole Church and that in obedience to St. Pauls instructions to Timothy 1 Tim. II. 1-6 And this confirmes my opinion that St. Paul ordering prayers supplications intercessions and thanksgiâ—ings for Kings and all in authority means that prayers supplications and intercessions bee made for Kings and the rest at Thanksgiving that is when the Eucharist is celebrated For that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the sense of antient Christians signifies the celebrating of the Eucharist I have produced plentiful evidence However the antient Chuch manifestly signifieth that they did offer their Oblations out of which the Eucharist was consecrated with an intent to intercede with God for publique or private necessities And that out of an opinion that they would bee effectual alleging the Sacrifice of Christ crucified then present which renders Christs intercession effectual for us And this is the true ground why they attributed so much to this Commemoration of the Sacrifice which makes nothing for the effect of it in private Masses but more then will bee valued for the frequenting of the Holy Eucharist The Consecration ended always with the Lords Prayer The Lords Prayer at theâ— Eucharist Which confirms my opinion that St. Paul when he saith How shall the unlearned say Amen to thy thanksgiving 1 Cor. XIV 16. means that Amen which came after the Lords Prayer taking Thanksgiving there for celebrating the Eucharist For there is nothing so generally evident in Antiquity as the beginning of the Consecration at Sursum corda or lift up your hearts And the ending of it with the Lords Prayer and the Doxology which in my opinion being so frequented upon this occasion by the licentiousness of Copyists in time came to bee crouded into the Text of the Scripture For it is manifest enough that the most considerable Copies do not own it But the Common Prayers for all estates as it seems sometimes The Place for the Common Prayers went before the Consecration sometimes came after it For I am to seek for evidence in the Records of the Latine Church importing that they came after the Consecration And yet I have made it evident that they were used of old by the Latine Church at celebrating of the Eucharist though now not found in the present Latine Mass And the Liturgy of the Church of Alexandria and the Aethiopick depending upon that Church have them before the Consecration But the best and most Greekish Forms and Authorities agreeing therewith make them come after it CHAP. XVI Difference in the state of Souls departed in Grace before Judgement The antient Church never prayed to remove them out of Purgatory To what purpose they were remembred at the Eucharist The Saints departed pray for the Militant Church Of Prayers to the Saints departed No Common Prayer in the Pulpit by Gift but in a set form at the Communion-Table Apostolical Graces subject to Order Of the Graces of the Spirit in St. Paul and the Original of Letanies The Prayers of the Eucharist how prescribed by the Apostles Prayers of the Reformed Churches in the Pulpit but by a form The effect of the Long Parliament Prayers by the Spirit ONe point of these prayers I must speak to here in particular Difference in the state of Souls departed in Grace before Judgment To wit the Commemoration of the dead for which the Mass is now pretended by the Church of Rome a Sacrifice for quick and dead to what effect the Scripture expounded by the practice of the whole Church may bee thought to allow it I have shewed out of the Revelation that the souls of Mâ—rtyrs appearing before the Throne of God in the Court of the Tabâ—rnacle to wit in the Jerusalem which is above The Throne appears to St. John indeed but is to bee understood in the Holy of Holies and therefore is not seen in the Couâ—t of the Tabernacle But those 144000 that were sealed and preserved from the destruction of Jerusalem appear not in the Court of the Tabernacle but on Mount Sion a place of inferior holiness And sing not the Martyrs song but are only able to learn it which no body else could do Sufficient Arguments of difference in the State of blessed souls though all beneath that which the Resurrection promiseth which all of them earnestly desire Suppose the place bee the third Heavens suppose that it is called Paradise because of necessity it answers the Figure of the earthly Paradise suppose that in respect of the Saints that dyed under the Law it is called Abrahams bosome There may bee inferior Mansions in the mean time before the Rusurrection for souls of inferior holiness though they depart in the State of Grace For how oft do the Apostles signifie a sollicitous expectation of the Day of Judgement in those whom they suppose to dye Christians A thing which can by no means stand with the estate of those that are before the Throne of God praising him day and night in the Court of the Tabernacle And therefore St. Ambrose and St. Augustine had great reason to follow the fourth Book of Esdras written without doubt by a very antient Christian though not authorized by the Church placing the generality of souls departed in the state of Grace in certain secret receptacles signifying no more then the unknown Condition of their estate For the practice of the Church in interceding for them at the
Celebration of the Eucharist is so general and so antient that it cannot bee thought to have come in upon imposture but that the same aspersion will seem to take hold of the Common Christianity But to what effect this Intercession was made that is indeed The antient Church never Prayed to remove them out of Purgatory the due point of difference For they who think that the antient Church prayed and do themselves pray for the removing of them from a place of Purgatory pains into perfect happiness by the clear sight of God offend against the Antient Church as well as against the Scripture both ways For Justine Martyr makes it a part of the Gnosticks Haeresie that the soul without the body is in perfect happiness They indeed held it because they denyed the Resurrection But the Church therefore believing the Resurrection believes no perfect happiness of the Soul before it And the great consent of the Antient Church in this point is acknowledged by divers learned Writers in the Church of Rome Neither is the consent of it less evident in this That there is no translating of Souls into a new estate before the great Tryal of the general Judgement In the mean time then what hinders them to receive comfort To what purpose they were remembred at the Eucharist and refreshment rest and peace and light by the visitation of God by the consolation of his Spirit by his good Angels to sustain them in the expectation of their tryal and the anxieties they are to pass through during the time of it And though there bee hope for those that are most sollicitous to live and dye good Christians that they are in no such suspense but within the bounds of the heavenly Jerusalem yet because their Condition is uncertain and where there is hope of the better there is fear of the worse therefore the Church hath always assisted them with the prayers of the living both for their speedy tryal which all blessed souls desire and for their easie absolution and discharge with glory before God together with the accomplishment of their happiness in the receiving of their bodies Now all Members of the Church Triumphant in Heaven The Saints departed pray for the Militant Church according to the degree of their favour with God abound also with love to his Church Militant on earth And though they know not the necessities of particular persons without particular Revelation from God yet they know there are such necessities so long as the Church is Militant on earth Therefore it is certain both that they offer continual prayers to God for those necessities and that their prayers must needs bee of great force and effect with God for the assistance of the Church Militant in this warfare Which if it bee true the Communion of Saints will necessarily require that all who remain sollicitous of their tryal bee assisted by the prayers of the living for present comfort and future rest That the living beg of God a part and Interest in the benefit of those Prayers which they who are so neer to God in his Kingdom tender him without ceasing for the Church upon earth As for prayers for the translating of Souls out of Purgatory the beginning of their coming into the Church is visible And so is the coming in of those prayers which call upon the Of Prayers to the Saints departed Saints departed by name in any publique Office of Devotion in the Church The voluntary devotions of private persons most of them ignorant and carnal are no Argument of the Original and general practice of the Church And there is no mark of these invocations till Processions were frequented with Litanies which consisted most an end of them and could not bee in use before the time of Constantine but were not in use till a good while after it The abuse hath encreased so far especially in addresses to the blessed Virgin that the same things are desired of them and in the same terms in which they are desired of God even in the holy Scripture That the appearance of Devotion to the Mother is visibly and outwardly no less then to the Son So that were there not a profession of that Church extant contradicting the proper sense of such prayers and forcing them that address them unless they will contradict themselves to abate their own meaning and to expound them to signifie no more then obtaining that of God which they are desired to grant of themselves they could not bee excused of Idolatry But can by no means be excused for leading simple Christians upon a Praecipice of such horrible danger by encouraging both them and those that teach them such devotions For did not carnal Superstition hope for temporal blessings from such voluntary applications wiâ—hout that promise of God which the condition of our Christianity engageth how should a Christian bee induced to go about by a Saint that hath immediate access to God to the same effect That which hath been said of the Primitive Liturgy barreth No Common Prayer in the Pulpit by Gift but in a set form at the Communion Table the pretense of this time requiring the Liturgy setled by Law of this Kingdom to bee changed upon a ground never heard of in the Church for 1600 years That every Minister whether meaning Bishop Priest and Deacon or Priest only is to have a gift in praying and that his people ought to pray that which his gift furnisheth and not that which the Church prescribeth And to the end that such gifts may be used that no Minister be tied to celebrate the Eucharist above thrice a year and that in case hee have convenient company But that they whose age and infirmity enables them not to preach and pray thus in the Pulpit reading the Service over and above bee not tied to minister the Service prescribed Now would I have those that demand this to shew me that ever the prayers for which the Church meeteth were made in the Pulpit for 1500 years after Christ I know I have alleged a prayer of St. Ambrose before his Sermon I know there is a passage of St. Augustine alleged to the same purpose But neither of them signifies any more then a prayer to God to bless them in their preaching The Common Prayers of the Church are another thing even that which I have said The common prayers of the Church on all ordinary and solemn Assemblies were made at the Altar because the Eucharist was held always and ought to bee held always the principal Office of Gods service for which Christians ought to assemble more frequently then there can bee either ability or opportunity for preaching And that which I have said of the Primitive Liturgy is full evidence hereof For I have shewed a set form of it which these men return a non inventus of to his Majesties Commission but that ever there was any Prayer of the people used in the Pulpit will
never appear I grant that there were miraculous Graces under the Apostles Apostolical Graces subject to Order which St. Paul directs the use of in ministring the prayers of the Church But that all Ministers had them they who require an ordinary Gift in all Ministers to that purpose cannot prove Much less that this ordinary Gift is to succeed those miraculous graces in all Ministers For even then St. Paul saith that the Spirits of the Prophets were to bee subject to the Prephets because God is not the God of confusion but of order And therefore charges all that pretended to such graces to acknowledg the Grace of an Apostle in him and to bee subject to the Orders which there hee gives out If the immediate inspirations of Gods Spirit were so dispensed that inferiors could presume nothing to the prejudice of Order against Superiors upon that pretense Much more now that Christianity is setled and the Unity of the Church a part of it are the Gifts of inferiors to bee ruled by the gifts of Superiors that Order in which Unity consisteth may bee preserved Of the Graces of the Spirit in St. Paul and the Original of Litanies St. Paul saith that the Spirit maketh intercession for the Saints with groans unutterable And St. Chrysostome saith thereupon that they who had these Miraculous Graces being imployed to minister the prayers of the Church did offer them to God with those deep sighs and groans which could hardly express what the Spirit suggested But addeth that the Deacon did the same in his time And this is visibly true by all that remains of the Liturgy in the Records of the Church It is evident that though the Bishop or Priest celebrating the Eucharist did offer the Common Prayers which I have described yet the Deacon also indited the same to the people from point to point as you have it to this day in our English Litanies the people answering from point to point Lord have mercy or some such acclamation as our Litanies do direct So far is the Catholique Church from the Maxime now pretended that the Priest alone is the mouth of the people in their prayers And the sighs and groans of that deep devotion which St. Paul saith the Spirit then moved and St. Chrysostome that the people answering the Deacon then expressed the form of our Litanies now containeth and expresseth And indeed those prayers which the Deacon indited are called Litanies in divers of the antient Liturgies Shewing that our Litanies are but a Transcript of them for the use of other occasions besides the Celebration of the Eucharist And Smectymnuus may remember how much they mistook Justine Martyr thinking hee had said that the Minister prayed thus according to his Gift Who saith indeed that hee prayed with all his might to wit with all the Devotion he could use Which devotion as it is not to bee found in their Pulpit Prayers pretending to apply the Gift to the present occasion so it visibly breathes in the Litanies through all occasions of Gods Church When miraculous Graces failed the prayers of the Church The Prayers of the Eucharist how prescribed by the Apostles were not to fail And the Apostles having delivered that which I have said to the Church whosoever was authorized to celebrate the Eucharist both must bee and easily might bee instructed how hee should discharge that Office There is so much agreement both for mater and manner in that which remains of it in the Records of the Church as to justifie those that affirm it to bee received by Tradition from the Apopostles Thus was the Forme prescribed from the beginning In time abuses might come For what Rule can there bee in humane business that shall not bee subject to abuse Therefore the African Canon which I spake of Orders that Bishops should confer the Forms which they used to wit through their Dioceses with their fellow Bishops Other Canons succeeding that the same Form should bee used throughout every Province In time the Church of Rome obtained that the Form thereof should bee received all over the West Wee see in the mean time what this pretense of Gifts tends Prayers of the Reformed Churches in the Pulpit but by a form to Even to shut the Eucharist out of doors or to confine it to thrice a year in case there bee company which case may bee so managed that a man need not bee tied to celebrate the Eucharist all his life time This is the satisfaction the Church hath for their withholding the Eucharist so many years from those that could not indure the ignorance malice and insolence of their Buckram Triers I grant that Calvins Reformation brings the Common Prayers from the Altar into the Pulpit And by that means confines the Communion to four times a year But are wee to follow Calvin in that wherein the whole Church of God is against Calvin Wherein the Rule of this Church and the Law of the Kingdom agrees with the whole Church against Calvin Was it the way to reform the abuse of private Masses to shut out the Communion excepting four times a year It must bee said that it was not the Reforming but the Deforming of the Church And the reforming thereof consists in restoring the Eucharist into the place that it ought to hold among the Offices of the Church So that the Communion thereof may bee most generally and continually frequented by Christians most prepared But Calvin dreamed of no Gifts all the while The Form of Common Prayer is as much prescribed according to Calvin as according to the Church of England though it bee read in the Pulpit It is the new Gospel of the Long Parliament that setup the The effect of the Long Parliament Prayers by the Spirit pretense of praying by the Spirit the Gift whereof is now claimed for every Ministers privilege in bar to Gods Church Though it bee manifest that the greatest part have no such gift so to minister the Offices of the Church as may bee to the discharge of the people the honour of God and of Christianity yet the Law of the Land must bee changed as supposing that which wee see is not The weaknesses and Imperfections the Falshoods the Blasphemies the Slanders the Sedition the Schisme that wee have known vented in such prayers oblige us to conclude that there is no such Gift in all Ministers At least not of Gods Spirit And therefore that wee must not forsake Gods Church changing the Form that is ruled by the Patern thereof and the Eucharist to boot for the Arbitrary prayers that every Ministers Gift shall vent in the Pulpit CHAP. XVII The Lords Day observed by the Authority of the Church Therefore other Festivals and times of Fasting are to bee observed How places and persons become qualified for Gods Service Preaching not convertible with Ministring the Sacraments Times places persons and things consecrated to Gods Service under the Gospel Ceremonies signifying by institution
necessary to the Salvation of Christians as Christians are by that mark for ever distinguished from things necessary to the Salvation of Christians as Members of the Church Because the Salvation of private Christians is concerned in not understanding the intent of the former sort But in the latter sort cannot bee concerned by not understanding the intent of them but by violating that Order and Unity of the Church which the Regular Use of them serveth to maintain That which I am to say of them here consists of two points That they are Ofâ—â—ces necessary to bee â—inistred to all Christians concerned in them And that they are to bee solemnized with those Ceremonies for which they are without any cause of offense called Sacraments by the Fathers of the Church How necessary iâ— it that those that are baptized Infants when Why the Bishop only Confirmeth they come to discretion and to receive the Eucharist should give account of the hope that is in them and undertake their Christianity upon which it is grounded For hee hath not this hope to God hee appeareth not to the Church to have it but upon these terms And thus far the parties seem content But why should not Presbyters Confirm as well as Bishops that can baptize and celebrate the Eucharist which is more to the Salvation of Christians By Commission from Bishops that they may do it is a point very disputable The practise of the Greek Church in the case is not new Besides some appearance of the like under S. Gregory in the West But that serves not the turn They must have the Catechising of them after their mode and make the grounds of Salvation what they please and not what the Church appointeth So the Answer is easie For neither is Baptism or the Eucharist ministred but by authority from the Bishop And to Catechize beside that Form which the Church allowes is to sow the seed of everlasting dissention in matter of Faith Hee that thinks there was a Reason why S. Peter and S. John should come to Confirm those whom the Deacon S. Philip had baptized can never want a reason why the Bishop alone should do it For hee cannot minister the means of Salvation alone But the Faith and the Unity of his Church with the rest is not to bee preserved without him Therefore the Gift of the Holy Ghost which Baptism promiseth dependeth upon the Bishops blessing because it dependeth upon the Unity of the Church Therefore Haereticks and Schismaticks who by departing from the Unity of the Church barre themselves of the effect of their Baptism being received with the Bishops blessing in the Primitive Church were justly thought to recover their Title to it If Ordination were taken for the conveying of publick Authority The effect of Ordination requireth Ceremony in giving it to minister the Offices of Gods Church by the act of those that have received by their Ordination authority to propagate the same there would bee no mervail that S. Paul should suppose a Grace received by Timothy through the laying on of his hands or the hands of the Presbytery For if the profession of Christianity inferre the Grace of Baptism shall not the profession of that Christianity which the state of the Clergy in general or that particular degree to which every man is ordained importeth inferre the Grace which the discharge of it requireth What is there to hinder it but the want of sincerity in undertaking that which the Order that a man undertakes requires him to undertake This is that which renders those Prayers of the Church of no effect as to God whereby the power is effectually conveyed as to the Church In the mean time shall not those Prayers bee solemnized with Why the Ordinations of our Presbyters are void due Ceremony by which so great a Power in the Church is conveyed Now seeing Presbyters never received by their Ordination authority to ordain others seeing no Word of God gives it them seeing all the Rules of the Whole Church take it from them The Attempt of our Presbyters in Ordaining without and against their Bishops must needs bee void and to no effect but that of Schisme in dividing of the Church upon so unjust a Cause They could not receive the Power of the Keyes from them that had nothing to do to give it And therefore in celebrating the Eucharist they do nothing but profane Gods Ordinance Therefore the lawful Ordaining of them is not re-ordaining but Ordination indeed instead of that which was only so called If a Christian after Baptism fall into any grievous sin voiding The necessity of Penance the effect of Baptism can it fall within the sense of a Christian to imagine That hee can bee restored by a Lord have mercy upon mee No it must cost him hot tears and sighs and groans and extraordinary prayers with fasting and almes to take Revenge upon himself to appease Gods Wrath and to mortifie his Concupiscence If hee mean not to leave an entrance for the same sin again If his sin bee notorious so much the more Because hee must then satisfie the Church that hee doth what is requisite to satisfie God that is to appease his wrath and to recover his Grace The Church may bee many ways hindred to take account of notorious sin But the power of the Keyes which God hath trusted it with is exercised only in keeping such sinners from the Communion till the Church bee so satisfied And for this Exercise the time of Lent hath always been deputed The observation of Leâ—â— and the use of it by the Church The Fast before the Feast of the Resurrection stands by the same Law by which that stands For the Feast was from the beginning the end of the Fast So the Lent-Fast and the keeping of the Lords day stand both upon the same authority For the Lords day is but the Remembrance of the Resurrection once a week It doth not appear that the Fast was kept forty days from the beginning That it was kept before Easter whensoever Easter was kept that is from the time of the Apostles it doth appear The baptizing of Converts the restoring of the Relapsed and the preparing of all by extraordinary Devotion to solemnize the Resurrection was the work of it Did this Church desire the restoring of this Order and yet disowne Lent Daniel abstained from pleasant meat when hee fasted The Jewes forbad all that comes of the Vine on the day of Attonement The Whole Church of God always forbore Flesh and Wine when they fasted And shall our Licentiousness make the difference of meats superstitious Then let the late Parliament Fasts bee Reformation that provided a good break-fast to fast with and heard a Sermon as well after Dinner as before If Sin bee not notorious there is no cause why it should not The necessity of private Penance for the cure of secret sins bee pardoned without help from the Church supposing that the
sinner exact of himself that Penance which the Church would or ought to impose But whether all sinners can bee brought to know what that is or knowing to impose it upon themselves let the common reason of Christians judge They that assure them of pardon and the favour of God without it whether it bee themselves or their false teachers plainly they murther their souls The Church of Rome in making the Keys of the Church the necessary means for pardon of all sin that voids the Grace of Baptisme goes beyond the bounds of truth In procuring a Law that all submit to it once a year goes not beyond the bounds of Justice It were to bee wished that the abuses of that Law might be cured without taking it away For if it bee the power of the Keys that makes the Church the Church It will bee hard to shew the face of a Church where the blessing of the Church and the Communion of the Eucharist is granted and yet no power of the Keys at all exercised Nay it will appear a lamentable case to consider how simple innocent Christians are led on till death in an opinion that they want nothing requisite for the obtaining and assuring of the pardon of their sins when it is as manifest that they want the Keys of the Church as it is manifest that the Keys of the Church are not in use for that purpose St. James ordaineth that the Presbyters of every Church Of anointing the sick according to S. James pray for the sick with a promise of pardon for their sins This supposeth them qualified by submitting their sins to the Keys of the Church which the Presbyters do manage The promise belongs not to the Office of Presbyters upon other terms Hee requireth them also to anoint the sick with oyl promising Recovery upon it Not to all that should bee anointed For Christians then should not dye if true Christians But as the Disciples of our Lord had used it to evidence their Commission to the World So was the manifestation of Gods Spirit residing in the Church granted for the benefit of his Church Neither is there any cause why the same benefit should not bee expected but the decay of Christianity in the Church In the mean time the forgiveness of sin according to St. James comes by the Keys of the Church Recovery of health from the prayers of it So the Unction of the sick is to recover health not to prepare for death as the Church of Rome now useth it But supposing the health of the soul restored by the Keys of the Church All the pretenses for Divorce of lawful Mariages all the incestuous Mariage of Christiaâ—â— not to bee Ruled by Moses Law Contracts all the unchristian solemnizing of Christian Wedlock which the blessed Reformation hath authorized are to bee attributed to one mistake that the Mariage of Christians stands by the Law of Moses not by the Gospel of Christ Our Presbyterians in their Confession of Faith duely prohibit Mariage in those degrees of alliance which are prohibited in blood But out of Leviticus if they will prove it their word must serve for our warrant that this is the sense If Man and Wife bee one flesh then is a Man as neer his Wifes Kin as his own But man and wife are not one flesh by Moses Law licensing plurality of wives and divorce though by the Law of Paradise It was dispensed with after the Flood and not revived but by our Lord. That Divorce and plurality of wives was not restrained but by the Gospel it is impudence to Dispute much more to deny The Mariage of the Niece with the Uncle of the half blood hath puzzled all them that would make it unlawful by Moses Law The Mariage of a Christian with two Sisters successive will bee as hard to condemn by the same Granting the premises all these Disputes cease Mariage is the Bond of one with one not to bee dissolved till death by the Law of Christ not by the Law of Moses Whether Adultery dissolve the Bond or not I leave it disputable for the present as I find it Mariage with a Pagan was void by Moses Law St. Paul enables Christians to hold to it Therefore hee refers them not to the Law Christianity improves Moses Law in all things Therefore Christians cannot be regulated by Moses Law in Matrimonial causes Therefore in the prohibiting of degrees as well as of divorce For Moses Law prohibits more then that Law which the Children of Noah received after Flood had done It were better to restrain all that which the present Canon Law restrains then that the incests of the late licentious times should bee tolerated For the present Canon Law restrains not much more then the Greek Church restrains But if the Authority thereof bee not binding by reason of the Usurpations of the Church of Rome yet to depart from the Canons of the Whole Church and of those times which wee acknowledg would bee a departure from the whole Church Hee that would bar the Cross in Baptisme for fear it should Instituted Ceremonies are Sacraments with the Fathers bee taken for a Sacrament what would hee say to St. Ambrose that cals it down right a Sacrament I know not what hee would say I know what hee should do Hee should understand St. Ambrose by St. Ambrose when hee makes a Kiss to bee a Sacrament as a Religious sign of that Religious Affection which Kinsfolk professed to their neer Kinsfolk whom in his time they saluted with a Kiss to signifie that as St. Ambrose declareth At this rate St. Pauls holy kiss must needs bee a Sacrament For it was a Religious signe of that charity which Christians professed to Christians when they were to receive the Communion with them At this rate it is no marvel that there are found seven Sacraments in the Fathers For there are more then seven to bee found if there bee as many Sacraments as Ceremonies instituted by the Church If this bee true the discharging of instituted Ceremonies The Ceremonies of these Offices justifie instituted Ceremonies will bee a Defection from Gods Church If Confirmation Ordination and Penance bee Offices in which the Church is indebted to God and to his Church If the effect of them bee of such consequence that they have been always solemnized with the Imposition of hands that Ceremony shall bee enough to make them Sacraments at this rate and yet no neerer to Baptisme and to the Eucharist then that reason of the difference which I have setled will allow Nay let the prayers of the Church for the recovery of the sick who submit to the Keys of the Church bee solemnized with anointing a thing fit enouâ—h to bee done may but the ground upon which and the intent to which it is done appear and that shall bee a Sacrament and yet the want of it no more prejudice to salvation then the disusing of the Kiss of peace which
must needs honour them with the honour proper to God though in so doing they honoured indeed the Devil that brought in Idols Nay the Council it self though it acknowledg that the Image it self is honoured by the honour given to that which it signifieth before the Image yet it distinguisheth this honour from the honour of our Lord. And therefore teacheth not Idolatry by teaching to honour Images though it acknowledg that the Image it self is honoured when it need not For indeed and in truth it is not the Image but the Principal Of honouring Images and of having them in Churches that is honoured by the honour that is said to be done to the Image because it is done before the Image The Furniture and Utensils of the Church were honoured in the Spotless times of the Church as consecrated to Gods service though the honour of them being uncapable of honour for themselves was manifestly and without any scruple the honour of God But Images so long as they were used to no further intent then the Ornament of Churches the remembrance of holy Histories and the raising of devotion thereby as at the first they were used by the Church came in the number of things consecrated to Gods service And that Council was never of force in the West till the usurped power of the Pope brought it in by force Nor did the Western Church when it refused the Council discharge the having of Images in Churches upon those reasons and to those purposes which I have declared So far they remain still justifiable For hee that sees the Whole Church on the one side and only Calvin on the other side hath hee not cause to fear that they who make them Idolaters without cause will themselves appear Schismaticks in the sight of God for it For what are they else who please themselves in a strange kind of negative superstition that they cannot serve God if they serve him with visible signes of reverence who hate the Images because they hate the Saints themselves and their Christianity And therefore that it bee not thought that we are tyed to those terms of distance which ignorant Preachers drive their Factions with It is necessary to declare the grounds of truth though it displease St. Paul writing to the Romans that were partly Jews Mutual forbearance which S. Paul enjoyneth the Romans not enjoyned elsewhere partly Gentiles converted to Christianity as appears by the whole Epistle forbids them to condemn or despise one another for making conscience of things meats and times hee expressâ—th forbidden by the Law or for using them without difference Hence it is now argued that nothing can bee imposed upon any Christian which out of tenderness of conscience hee may think it against Gods Law for him to do The Answer is by denying the consequence And the reason because it is a particular order of St. Paul to that Church for the present estate of it at that time And therefore it doth not follow that the Church can make no Law For it could make no Law if it were enough to discharge any man that it is against his conscience to obey The evidence for this reason is this because it appears that the Apostles did order otherwise in the same cause when the case was not the same For it is manifest that the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem had made an Act in Council commanding the Gentiles that were converted to Christianity to abstain from Fornication and things offered in sacrifice to Idols from things strangled and from blood In fine from those things from which strangers that were licensed by the Law to live in the Land of promise were hound to abstain And might not those converted Gentiles have scrupled whether or no it were lawful for them to bee so far Jews had not the authority of the Apostles been sufficient to put an end to their scruples But it is manifest likewise that when St. Paul differed with St. Peter at Antiochia about the necessity of compliance with the Jews for Gentiles turned Christians hee did forbid and must needs forbid his followers to shew this compliance lest by that means hee might hold them in an opinion of the necessity of the Law for the salvation of Christians Here were contrary Provisions with force of Law in that very case wherein St. Paul commands only mutual forbearance at Rome in that estate wherein he writ his Epistle And if St. Paul were in the right which they who take his writings for Scripture do not doubt then were St. Peters followers bound to obey him notwithstanding any tenderness in their consciences And hee commands Tit. I. 10-15 to stop the mouths of those Deceivers of the Circumcision that would not have all things pure to the pure because their own consciences were defiled Notwithstanding that they must needs have followers that were touched in conscience to think those things unlawful which the Law allowed not And their teachers mouths being stopped were the hearers at their choise whether they would follow them or not Whereby it appears that Inferiors are to follow the Judgment Teâ—der coâ—sciences are to submit to Superiâ—urs of Superiors in matters subject to the power of Superiors notwithstanding the scruples of their own consciences to the contrary And that the reason why the Romans are forbidden to condemn commanded to forbear one another is because St. Paul thought it not meet to order any thing else in the business during that estate Seeing that hee ordereth otherwise in it for other estates So that all that remains is whether the matter in question â—ee within the power of Superiors or not In which there can bee no doubt amongst us the matters in question being acknowledged indifferent in themselves And therefore capable to signifie that which Christianity not only alloweth but requireth And certainly there is no Law whether Ecclesiastical or Civil that errour may not scruple at as inconsistent with a good conscience Why should not I beleeve that a Quaker is really touched in conscience that hee ought not to pay his Tithes though in obedience to the Law of the Land as well as a Presbyterian that hee ought not to receive the Communion kneeling For I see many of the Church of Rome suffer for denying the Right of a Prince excommunicate by the Pope though it bee matter of Civil Law Therefore if hee that graspes too much is in the way to gripe nothing then an exception that lies against all Law will do no effect against a few Ceremonies of this Church CHAP. XX. The Declaration of V. Eliz. enableth Recusants to take the Oath of Supremacy What further ambiguity that Oath involveth What scandal the taking of it in the true sense ministreth That this Oath ought to bee inlarged to all pretenses in Religion that abridge Allegiance The extent of secular Power in Reforming the Church THe Usurpation of temporal power by the Pope upon the The Declaration of V. Eliz.
same to enable them to perform it To which purpose it must needs bee requisite that this tender bee attributed not to the Faith of him that receives though the tender must needs become frustrate without it but to the Faith of the Church and the act of that Faith in executing the order of our Lord and deputing the Elements to bee the body and blood of Christ by Consecration before the receiving of them This who so holds shall neither bee engaged either to Transubstantiation or Consubstantiation nor yet to hold either of both destructive to the Salvation of them that are bred in them holding that which is necessary to Salvation Namely the renewing of the Covenant of Baptism in and by Communion in the holy Eucharist As for them who abhorring Transubstantiation communicate with Consubstantiation It is enough that I say as afore that they weigh not by their own weights nor mete by their own measures For how is it more destructive to the Grace of the Sacrament that the body and blood of Christ is thought from the Consecration the subject of the accidents of those Elements that once were then that they should possess the same dimensions which the substance of the Elements filleth And that not by virtue of the Consecration but of the Hypostatical Union of the flesh and blood of Christ with his God-head But the errour of the Sacramentaries taking this Sacrament for a meeâ— sign to confirm a mans Faith leaving it indifferent whether consecrated or not leaves it also indifferent whether used or not though the Socinians only owne the consequence But if the Faith which it confirmeth bee thought to bee the assurance of a mans Praedestination then involveth in the Haeresie of the Fanaticks The abuses of the Church of Rome in Confirmation As for the rest of those Ordinances which the Church of Rome counteth Sacraments as well as Baptism and the Eucharist though not to the like effect It is manifest that they tend all of them to a wholesome Communion in the Holy Eucharist Confirmation was for many hundred years given after Baptism before receiving the Eucharist which was to bee received by those that were baptized upon their Baptism If the Bishop himself baptized them as usually hee did baptize those that were baptized in the mother-Mother-Church at the usual times of Easter and Whitsontide then did hee Confirm them immediately If they were baptized in their Parishes which fetched Chrisme from the Mother-Church on Maundy Thursday in token of the license to baptize which they had from the Bishop they were brought to the Mother-Church to bee Confirmed A manifest sign of that which I said That Confirmation is reserved to the Bishop because his authority it is that must allow the baptized to bee of the number of the Church For whereas the Gift of the Holy Ghost promised in Baptism depends never the less upon the continuing of the Baptized Members of Gods Church Is it strange that the Holy Ghost which Baptism promiseth a Christian as a Christian should bee given him again by Confirmation as a Member of Gods Church when hee that believes and lives as a Christian otherwise cannot have the Holy Ghost unless hee continue in the Church over and above Now that all are baptized Infants how necessary it is that Confirmation should pass upon them before they come to receive the Eucharist I need not dispute Boâ—h sides acknowledging that as well the tryal of their knowledge as the exacting of their profession in Christianity is a thing due unto them from the Church And therefore in the Church of Rome where this substance of the Office is not provided for it is little more then a shadow Professing Unity with the Church by seeking the Bishops blessing but neglecting the reason for which the Unity of the Church is provided by God for the Salvation of a Christian to wit the exacting and allowing of his Christianity All Ordination tends to the Celebration and Communion of In the other fâ—ur Offices the Eucharist As well that of Bishops to the intent that they may Ordain the other Orders And that of Deacons that they may wait upon the Celebration of it As that of Priests that receiving the Power of the Keyes to warrant the effect of it they may therefore have power to celebrate it Whereby it may appear how great an abuse it is to this Ordinance in the Church of Rome that a Priest is Ordained to sacrifice for quick and dead Understanding for the dead to deliver their Souls from Purgatory pains to the sight of Gods face But for the lâ—ving That all that assist or assist not so the Priest intend them though they mind not what is done much less understand or assist it with their devotions by virtue of the work done have the Sacrifice of Christs Cross applyed to them to such effect as the Priest shall intend Whereas the celebrating of Ordination with the Communion of the Eucharist signifieth plain enough That the Grace of ministring aright the Office which they receive depends upon the Christianity which they profess to receive it with by communicating in the Eucharist As well as the effect of it upon the Christianity of those to whom they shall minister the same As for the ministring of the Keyes of the Church in Penance whether publick in notorious sins or private for the assuring of those which are not notorious that they have right to the Eucharist you see it tends still to Communion in it And you may as easily see how great is the abuse of this Ordinance in the Church of Rome when it is taught That submitting to the Keyes of the Church by Confession turneth imperfect sorrow for sin or as some say sorrow for the guilt of punishment not for the offense of God which they call attrition into contriâ—iâ—n which is that sorrow which intitleth to forgiveness Whereas the power of the Keyes is ordained to procure this sorrow by barring a sinner from the Communion till it appears that hee hath it not that submitting to the Keyes ipso facto hee hath it And upon this abuse there hangs a second that when the sinner undertaking the Penance enjoyned to make his conversion appear is thereupon admitted to the Communion before the performing of it for which there may bee many reasonable occasions though not according to the Primitive Rule the performing of it is thought and said not to pretend the qualifying of him for pardon but the redeeming of temporal pains remaining due after â—in is pardoned and therefore to be paid in Purgatory if not satisfied here Things whereof there is no mark in the Faith and Practise of the Catholick Church The Unction of the sick I have shewed to bee only an appendage of the Ministry of the Keyes in that estate tending to the recovery of bodily health And therefore called extream Vnction by abuse in the Church of Rome as if the intent of it were to prepare
against the conflict of Death with the spiritual enemies of the Soul For though the Church ordaining Prayer for bodily health can by no means forget the health of the Soul if it mean to remember the Common Christianity Yet appeareth it nevertheless what ground and occasion the Institution of S. James pretendeth And so it appeareth what dependence the Unction of the Sick holdeth upon the Communion of the Eucharist As for the Marriage of Christians if it bee under a peculiar rule by virtue of the Common Christianity and that the interest of the Church in allowing of Marriages is grounded upon the same It is far from any imputation of abuse that the Church of Rome celebrateth the same at the Eucharist For seeing our Christianity is particularly concerned in the duties of Marriage How should the Grace of God enabling to discharge the said duties bee expected but by reviving the obligation of our Common Christianity which the receiving of the Eucharist signifieth I will not undertake to clear the See of Rome from all abuse of Ecclesiastical Power in multiplying the Impediments of Marriage as beyond necessity so beyond the Interest of Christianity and in dispensing in them again for favour or for reward as having been prohibited for no better reason then this That Power appears most in that which there is least reason for On the other side dispensing in those degrees which the Law of Moses prohibiteth and therefore Christianity ought to bee farther from allowing It seemeth to stretch the Power of the Church beyond the bounds of it And thus it appeareth first what relation these Offices hold with the Eucharist and the Communion of it and then what is the point of Reformation in which the voiding of those abuses standeth On the other side they that now are content with Confirmation The Reformation pretended no lâ—ss abuse on the other side so they may have the giving of it themselves and the Catechizing of them that receive it after their mode not distinguishing themselves from the Fanaticks cannot bee presumed to Catechise according to the Christianity of Gods Church But in as much as they Usurpe unto themselves authority without their Bishops and against them they cannot make Members of Gods Church by the Confirmation which so they may give So they bar the gift of Gods Spirit which Baptisme promiseth a Christian as a Christian by barring the Unity of Gods Church Again Ordaining all whom they Ordain to one and theâ— same Office of Preaching the Word and Ministring the Sacraments First they usurpe the power of Ordaining which they never received any authority by their Ordination to exercise And that in despite of their Bishops as seducing the people from the way of salvation which by their Ordinations they pretend to teach So receiving no Power of the Keys by their Usurpation they receive no power to celebrate the Eucharist but only to commit sacrilege by profaning so high an Ordinance And then they tread under foot the Hierachy of Bishops Priests and Deacons in despite of the whole Church dividing the authority of their Bishops among themselves but abolishing the Order of Deacons by confounding the title of Ministers common to all three Orders for ministring their several Offices with that sense in which the lowest Order are called Deacons for ministring to Bishops and Priests in their Offices As for the power of the Keys which is not that which God left his Church unless the effect of it bee the binding and loosing of sin It is plain enough that under pretense of taking away the scandal of notorious sin they would have power to shame and domineer over their neighbours overtaken with sin but without pretense of curing their sin for the condition upon which they are restored Such Discipline goes no further then the outward man and the restraining of him from sin for shame of the world The presumption of a voluntary change in the inward man for hope of Gods Grace by the Sacrament of the Eucharist must bee the effect of the Keys of Gods Church As for this power in sin that is not notorious what do they pretend more then their Preaching Which whether it bee such as shows the cure of sin let their diligence in Preaching mortification witness And yet whether every Christian can learn or will bee induced meerly by Preaching to use that mortification which is requisite let them that are able judge But what visiting of the sick do they pretend but to pray by them or comfort them without ever entring into the ground of their comfort upon examination of the conscience The blessing of Mariage they have reserved to the Church but upon an ungrounded presumption that the Mariage of Christians is to bee ruled by the Law of Moses The insufficience whereof being discerned by the people when they were loose from the Law of the Land hath occasioned all the incests and other disorders of the late times In the mean time whereas all these Offices are either provided to bring Christians to the Eucharist or to bee celebrated with the Eucharist It is demanded that godly Ministers bee not tied to celebrate the Eucharist above thrice a year It should rather bee demanded how they come to bee counted godly Ministers that demand this I shall not need to say how the point of Reformation is The point of Reformation in the mean between both found through which the line of it is to pass in these particulars Confirmation fitteth for the Eucharist by the profession of Christianity and by being a Member of Gods Church Ordination giveth some degree in the Clergy above the people and therefore supposeth the profession of retiring from the world more then other Christians undertake to do The Eucharist conveyeth Gods Spirit for the performing of this profession sincerely and resolutely made Both requiring the Unity of the Church both are to bee ministred by that authority without which nothing is to bee done in each Church The reconciling of notorious sin is the Bishops peculiar The Priest hath authority to cure that which is made known to him But this authority is not arbitrary in either of both The rigor of antient Discipline by the Canons of the Church is quite out of force But in these lees and dregs of Christianity which now wee draw there is some reasonable ground to presume upon that a sinner is resolved to live a good Christian for the future Let that bee limited and the power of the Keys will have effect in barring the sinner from the Communion till the presumption bee visible in him But to what shall the Keys of the Church reconcile him when the Eucharist is celebrated but thrice a year To what purpose is the visiting of the sick but that upon such presumption they may have the Eucharist to maintain them in the great journey which they are going The duty of Mariage among Christians depends wholly upon this supposition that God gives the maried an
interest in one anothers body which cannot bee dissolved but by death Therefore it is celebrated with the Eucharist that they who mary with the resolution of Christians may bee enabled by the Spirit of God which the Sacrament promiseth to perform the same The charge of Superstition upon the Church of Rome is to The Superstitions of the Church of Rome bee justified by many particulars in tendring those things to God for his service wherein his service consisteth not In the first place the multiplying of Masses for the quick and for the dead without any pretense of the concurrence of a Congregation to the action much less of any Communion At this rate it matters not much in what language it is performed seeing there is no mans devotion required to assist the Priest in it The like is seen in the Vows of Pilgrimages and in the visiting of divers Churches for the gaining of Indulgences For had men nothing else in mind then that Service which is acceptable to God in all places why should they think themselves more acceptable to God for the travel which they undergo that they may perform it far from home whereby they forgo that opportunity for it which they know without bettering the mind which were it as it might bee would find means to better it self every where But there appears in it a carnal affection to the Memories of Saints out of a carnal affection to the things of thiâ— world wherein carnal men hope to bee assisted by the Saints in recompense of their voluntary devotions though Christianity allows them not the confidence to seek them at Gods hands The same is to bee said of an innumerable number of things that Monastical Orders observe nay of the overvaluing of the estate it self of continence or retirement from the world Which being no part of Christianity but a help and an opportunity for that wherein it consisteth satisfieth outside Christians with that which Pagans can do the outward work without that inward disposition which only Christianity formeth All these and many more observations which they set innocent Christians on work about must needs speak them superstitious notwithstanding that there is always in them a pretense of serving God according to Christianity For the more straw and chaff the less grain and where the intention of the mind is spent upon the shell of Christianity there can it not have strength to bring the kernel of it to ripeness The Ceremonies wherewith they overcharge the publick service of the Church are of the same nature For they that understand not the meaning of them and therefore distinguish them not from the Office which God accepteth must needs put that to the account of his service which is but the means to procure it But what shall wee say to them who think they oblige us The Superstitions of the Puritans when they allow the people to kneel to lift up their eyes and to hold up their hands at their Prayers Do they not think they oblige Almighty God in serving him without any other sign of reverence It is not possible that they should stand upon it to the disquiet of the Church if they did not Did they not take it for the service of God that the same Houses should bee Common and Holy Stables and Churches the same Vessels Chalices and drinking Cups the same Tables Altars and dining Bords it is not possible that they should trouble the Church about it as they do But it is plain enough that they serve him without reverence or devotion because they think so To these men all set times of fasting all the estate of continence all obedience to Superiors all works of Mortification and Penance stand suspected for Superstitious They would not think themselves far enough from the Papists if they should do the good works of Christians For fear of private Masses the Eucharist must bee celebrated thrice a year And wee must have the Opus operatum of a Sermon in exchange for the Opus operatum of a Mass But this is not reforming of Religion It is stocking up the Vineyard of the Church instead of Pruning it I need not say what is Reformation and at what point it stands The distance from the extreams makes the mean visible The truth is there will bee necessarily superstition in all Religions so long as the Church hath chaff and corn in it For they that are sensible of that obligation to God which they are not willing to discharge will always discharge themselves to God upon that which they are content to do for his service but which hee is not content with because it signifieth not the obedience of the inward man which hee requireth Not that there must needs bee Superstition in using things indifferent of themselves much less in using such as in reason may serve to advance attention and devotion in Gods Service But because as there may bee Superstition in using them So there is Superstition in thinking that by forbearing them a man does God service But to think Schisme acceptable to God rather then use them is without doubt as great superstition as any the Church of Rome teacheth Having shewed why the Church of Rome cannot bee charged Why the Pope cannot bee Antichrist with Idolatry I may from thence infer that the Pope cannot bee Antichrist I do not grant that either St. Paul in the second Chapter of his second Epistle to the Thessalonians or St. John in the Apocalypse speaks any thing of Antichrist But hee that exalts himself above all that is called God as St. Paul speaketh there must bee one that should make himself God according to the Idolatry of the Pagans And the fornication which the Whore of Babylon in the Apocalypse makes the Nations drunk with is necessarily the same Idolatry Therefore if the Pope teach no such Idolatry hee cannot prove Antichrist either by St. John or St. Paul The Fathers have thought that both of them prophesie of such a one as shall indeed bee a false Christ if ever there shall bee such a one Because hee shall impose a new Religion as from God upon all whom hee shall seduce But St. Johns Catholick Epistles where Antichrist is mentioned do not signifie that any such is to come And therefore wee are not tied to their opinion in the interpretation of a Prophesie which is no mater of Faith But though the Pope bee not Antichrist nor the Papists Idolaters How it is just to Reforme without the See of Rome yet I conceive I have shewed sufficient reason why this Kingdom and Church of England might and ought to Reform Religion without and against the consent of the Church of Rome supposing that which seems to bee manifest by all that hath followed that the Church of Rome would never have condescended to any such change And the Unity of the Church determining the measure and the bounds of Reformation they must needs be the same indeed as they
would bee were the Pope Antichrist and the Papistâ— Idolaters Though to those that believe them so because they believe them so the measure and the bounds of Reformation will never appear to stand where indeed they do But let them look to the consequence of their own imaginations This one must needs render them Schismaticks to God abhorring communion upon imaginary reasons But will render us with them Schismaticks both to God and to his Church if wee make all that to bee Reformation which their imaginations tainted with such a prejudice would have to bee Law to this Church and Kingdom CHAP. XXII The present State of the Question concerning our Service The Reformation pretended abominable Such Preaching and Praying as is usual a hindrance of salvation rather then the means to it What Order of Service the continual Communion will require What form of Instruction this Order will require Of that which goes before the Preface in our Communion Service Of the Prefaces and the Prayer of Consecration Of the Prayer of Oblation and the place of it Of the Commemoration of the dead in particular Why the Communion Service at the Communion Table when no Eucharist A secondary Proposition according to present Law I conceive I have by this time shewed a reason for that The present state of the Question concerning our Service which I said in the beginning that there is so much in question between us and the Puritans comprising in that name all the parties into which it stands now divided as if it were decided for them would give the Papists the advantage against the Protestants Now as for the great question amongst us concerning our Service if it were truly stated it would soon be at an end If it may bee once considered that the question is indeed and in truth whether Sermons shall drive the Communion out of the Church or not whether or no arbitrary Prayers in the Pulpit shall chase out of the Church those which St. Paul commanded to bee made and the Church by his command hath frequented ever since I conceive the Dispute would bee easily decided And that is the thing in question indeed and in effect how little soever it appear Certainly if there were never any common Prayers made in the Pulpit if there were always common Prayers made at the Altar they who had no common Prayers but at the Eucharist had the Eucharist as oft as they had common Prayers Not as if the Church did never assemble but when the Eucharist was celebrated But because their desire and endeavour was to celebrate the Eucharist once every day and that in the morning unless it were a Fast and always at dismissing the Assembly as the principal Office of it For hence the Eucharist came in time to bee called the Mass which had formerly been the name of the Assembly it self from the dismissing of it And they who endeavoured to celebrate the Eucharist every day were not like to let Lords days and Festivals pass or think them solemnized as they should bee by Christians without it Since therefore I claim that this came by Tradition of the The Reformation pretended abominable Church from St. Pauls order I will infer no less then I have proved That to change the Communion every Lords day and Festival together with Morning and Evening Prayer every day in the Church and that with the Litanies upon Wednesdays and Fridays which the Law of the Land hitherto requireth for two Sermons every Sabbath with arbitrary Prayers afore or after them would not bee Reformation but Apostasie For it is manifest that at the Reformation the Eucharist was in possession in all Churches though the Communion had been surceased Nor was it ever excepted that the frequenting hereof had in it any colour of abuse or abatement to that very Christianiâ—y which wee receive from our Lord and his Apostles The abuse was in private Masses It was also a just complaint that the people were not taught their duty out of the Holy Scriptures and that the instructing of them by preaching was neglected beyond all reason and conscience But was it ever pretended that the reforming of the abuse in private Masses consisteth in two Sermons a Sabbath for wee must speak like Jews if wee will not offend tender consciences with the Prayers of the people such as the Minister shall please before or after it which is the Reformation now pretended Had it been said that this is Reformation when abuses were so visible that the name of Reformation was popular it had been easily answered that this were to bring the chief Office of Christianity to little or nothing And therefore if this bee the form that was called Reformation in some places it must bee said that it was easieâ— to see what ought not to bee then to settle what should bee But for a Christian Kingdom having upon deliberation setled an order whereby the Eucharist is to bee celebrated all Lords days and Festivals for Reformations sake to leave Ministers of tender consciences free not to celebrate it above thrice a year and that having a competent number to communicate which may bee not once in seven years as now is demanded I hope it shall never bee said in the streets of Gath that it past undetested It is necessary for him that is come to the state of salvation Such Preaching and Praying as is usual a hindrance of salvation rather then the means to it as a Christian to learn how hee is to live as a Christian and to grow every day in the knowledg of his duty that hee may discharge it But shall hee bee able to do this by hearing two Sermons every Sabbath and as many more as if hee did nothing else Or may hee not bee able without it Certainly that which their Preachers now do is so far from being necessary that it is no fit means to the salvation of the generality of Gods people They may easily make it a trade never to fail to while out an hour or two in the Pulpit in discoursing the meaning of their text in framing Doctrines out of it and proofs of those Doctrines more plentiful a great deal when they are so manifest that they need not then when they are so obscure that they cannot bee proved to the generality of Christians and upon these Doctrines and Proofs Exhortations Invectives Instructions Reproofs such as the driving of Faction shall require and yeâ— hee that would learn his duty shall bee as far to seek after many thousands of such Sermons as afore And yet it shall bee an act of no less charity to Preach a Sermon of Christian instruction and exhortation in and to the known duties of all or the generality of Christians then it hath always been reputed by Gods Church But let not a man therefore think if hee have any doubt in some difficult point of Doctrine in some nice case of Conscience in the meaning of some leading text of
Scripture that hee is to depend upon the Pulpit for resolution in it where it is easie as St. Gregory Nazianzene answered St. Jerome about the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in St. Luke to make you believe by the pleasing delivery of Language that you have satisfaction and yet when you come to seek where it lies remain in as much doubt as before And if you hackney out Ministers to two Sermons a Sabbath the people must not expect that from them in private which they cannot expect from the Pulpit But if it bee thought part of the instruction due to Gods people to make the Laws of the Church and of the State and the proceedings of publick Government a subject for the Pulpit In which as I said it is not possible for particular Christians to bee satisfied by all the Inquiry they can make in private then what may come to pass I need say to no man that hath seen what hath come to pass amongst us I let pass less abuses of vain-glory priding it self in the volubility rather then Eloquence of Language and rendring more able Curates not so ready speakers contemptible to their people and the like In which regard it may many times bee questioned whether the gifts of praying and preaching which wee hear so much of bee Gifts of Gods Spirit which ordinarily suppose Christianity or of the evil spirit which always put it to flight For all that I have said of the bad effects of Preaching is to bee understood much more of those prayers whereby evil doctrine is repeated to God for a blessing of his Spirit upon it For Christian people being weakly superstitious as the generality of all people are are apt to place the bond of that Religion wherein they think themselves tied to God in that which they see and hear alleged to God in so reverend postures That Form of Service which wee hitherto use hath well deserved What Order of Service the continual Communion will require all that hath been said in defense of it being assaulted by violent hands even in those parts in which it ought to bee inviolable Nevertheless professing as I do that the restoring of the continual Communion is such a point of Reformation that the Church is not to bee at rest till it bee brought to effect I must not stick to declare what will bee requisite to render our Communion Service useful to that purpose I have said that the word Lituâ—gy is proper to signifie nothing else but that form of Service which the Communion is celebrated with But I have shewed alsâ— that those prayers for all states and conditions of men in Christs Church which are contained in our Litanies are to bee offered up to God at the celebrating of it And seeing it was at the Reformation and is at present a Law in the Church of Rome that all Christians should bee present at Mass all Sundays and Festivals And that Reformation consists in restoring the Communion It seemeth to me that the pretense of Reformation is not made good till the present provision bee brought to effect that the Eucharist bee celebrated all Sundays and Festivals in all Churches and Chappels And so that all Christians may bee tied to bee present that they may bee brought as neer as the Church ought to bring them to communicate Supposing this the intent of the Church How should it bee attained without two Assemblies every Sunday and Holy-day-morning in all Churches For let never Sabbatarians hope to make us so perfect Jewes as to bring us to dress no meat on Sundays If they could a Parish can never bee all at Church at once The order of the Church never becomes the Church till it demonstrate a care of all Christian souls a like Between the hours of eight and twelve there is time enough for two Assemblies For who would wish that either of them should last above an hour The Liturgy is an Office consisting of Psalmâ— and Lessons intermixed with Hymns and of the Eucharist which the common Prayers for all states conditions and necessities in the Church are to bee offered up to God with Now though that which wee call the first Service bee compleat for the intent of it yet I must needs find it too long for this purpose to allow time both for the Eucharist and for the iâ—struction of the people which I do not intend to exclude out of those Assemblies which I confine to an hour And how easie were it to frame for this purpose an Order of Psalms and Lessons according to the order of the whole Church Which requires that the Epistles bee read after the Old Testament and the Gospels after them as in our Communion Service the Gospel comes next afore the Creed For there would bee room for brief Lessons out of the Law and Historical Books out of the Sapiential Books and Prophets And after for the Epistles and Gospels which not onely wee but the Lutherans as well as the Church of Rome do now use with Hymns between each according to the Canon of Laodicea received by the Whole Church This is the place for the instruction of the people according What form of Instruction this Order will require to the order of the whole Church And truly the greater and more solemn Assemblies may bee capable of edifying by learned and eloquent Sermons which the generality of Parish Churches the edification whereof the Church iâ— to study are very little the better for And the endless number of strifes that arise about the Scripture and variety of judgments fansies and interests in what is fit to bee preached make the design of Homilies necessary rather to restrain the abilities of Indiscreet Preachers then to help the inabilities of unlearned Preachers Only that they bee so framed as to contain a course of familiar instruction in the whole body of Christian Doctrine not concerning Faith alone but all the chief duties of Christians which these that wee have do not satisfie though not unfit for the time when they were set forth And being so framed Though it bee all one to the edification of the Church whether the mater of them bee delivered by word of mouth as every Minister can best insinuate it into the minds of his hearers or as it may bee couched word for word in writing yet will it bee absolutely necessary for the instruction of all preserving the Unity of the Whole that the Ordinary have account not only negatively that nothing bee taught the people contrary to the form But positively that the whole mater of it bee taught the people in such time as the Law shall determine to bee repeated again and again for the certain proficience of all For it must not avail to say that the people will not come to Church unless they may bee entertained there with variety Unless the people bee content to bee conducted by that which is best to save their souls though it please not their fansies it shall
bee but a Church in name that shall bee Ruled by the fansies of those whom it is to Rule And when the interest of publick peace so visibly concurreth with the interest of saving souls it will hardly become the profession of a Christian Kingdom not to trust God for the success of that which is designed upon so Christian considerations This is the place where the first Service ended and the second Of that which goes before the Preface in our Communion Service began in the antient Church The Creed follows after the Sermon in Dionysius who writing a little before the Council at Chalcedon is the first that mentions it in the Service Hee calls it an Hymn and wee may call it the Catholick Hymn glorifying God for the substance of Christianity with his whole Church That which wee call the second Service following immediately hereupon was nothing but the Eucharist and the prayers of the Church which it is to bee celebrated with And that is the reason why I do not think our Communion Service sufficient for those Assemblies in which the first is too long to hee used For the Office ought to consist of Psalmes and Lessons with Hymnes interposed of an instruction and of the Eucharist with the prayers which it is celebrated with Now it hath been always the use of Christs Whole Church even from the Apostles to offer at the Eucharist both the Bread and Wine which it is to bee consecrated of and also what their hearts moved them to contribute for the maintenance of Gods Service And therefore the Prayer for the whole state of Christs Church is here proper in regard of those that offer to that purpose the rest that offer not concurring with their prayers to that effect for which they offer The confession of sins afore the Eucharist is seen in some of the antient Liturgies nor do I find it questioned on any hand as either unseasonable or not requisite in this Action The Decalogue and Answers which since Q. Elizabeths time wee begin the Communion Service with seem more proper to be placed here to branch forth the particulars of those sins which wee confess For the Commandments are certain heads to which men may refer the sins for which they ask pardon and grace to avoid them But there is great reason why they are not found in the Service of the antient Church The reason is because the Decalogue is proper to the Law and unproper to Christianity and it is a sad effect hereof which wee see For it is certain and manifest that the Sabbatarian error hath had the rise or increase from the construction which ignorant Preachers have made of the prayer for remission of sins against this fourth Commandment which the Church prescribeth Nor have I ever found any authority of the Church for using the Decalogue for the Rule by which the sins of Christians are to bee ranked but only in some late Offices of those ages which wee who profess the Reformation are not to own After the confession of sins the General Preface which follows Of the Prefaces and the Prayers of Consecration after Sursum corda would bee inlarged with thanksgiving to God for making the World and man for not forsaking man having forsaken him when hee was made Lord of his Creatures but first sending the Fathers to reclaim their several Ages then giving the Law and the Prophets to instruct his own people in his service And when these means took not the effect which hee sought for sending his Son to redeem and reconcile us to him by the death of his Cross After this the Proper Prefaces and the Seraphims Hymn are of too antient and general use in the Catholick Church to bee omitted without a mark of Apostasie from the devotion of it which they express The Prayer which wee consecrate with seemeth agreeable to the intent of Gods Church but more agreeable in that form which the first Book of Edward the VI. revived by the Scotish Liturgy prescribeth And that Memorial or Prayer of Oblation which is there prescribled to follow immediately after the Consecration is certainly more proper there then after the Communion ending with the Lords Prayer and the Peace after that For this is the form of the whole Church so constant and so uniform that I am thereby perswaded that the close of it For thine is the Kingdom the the Power and the Glory for ever and ever being alwaies frequented by the Church either in terms or in substance in this place upon that occasion afterwards came to bee put into the Copies of St. Matthews Gospel For it is well enough known how many antient Copies and Commentaries have it not But there is not any of the antient Liturgies that hath not some form of Doxology in this place either in the same terms or to the same purpose And seeing it is manifest that the Kiss of Peace is an Apostolical custom and used in the Western Church before the Communion though before the Consecration in other places though the Ceremony bee set aside in regard of the change of times and customs it should not seem burthensome that the Christianity is remembred which it expresseth But if my Opinion might pass I would not rest contented Of the Prayer of Oblation and the place of it herewith I would enlarge this Memoral with all the Principal heads of our Litanies which might seem to comprize the necessities of all estates and conditions in the Church according to that measure which the Time would allow For this would bee the offering of Christs sacrifice upon the Crosse for the necessities of all Christian people which the whole Church of Christ hath alwaies frequented from the beginning without any pretense of sacrificing him again no reason requiring any more then to commemorate that sacrifice And here would there bee room for all private and publick necessities as well of the Church and Kingdom of the Diocese Province and Country and the respective Governours thereof as of the Congregration and of any particular member of it and that according to such Order as the Ordinary may find cause to give in cases that do indeed require a provision for the Time The antients celebrating the Eucharist every day had by that means daily opportunity of interceding for particular necessities according to St. Pauls order for such intercessions the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth They that consider not the defect which follows upon the decay of this order are ready to impute the defect that is found of forms of intercession for particular occurrences to the prescribing of set forms by the Church not allowing the arbitrary fansies of Curates But hee that hath known the manifold folly malice that our London Pulpits have vented taking upon them to intercede for what occasions they think fit in what form they please will find it absolutely necessary to redeem the scorne that our profession suffers from such disorders by
banishing those Prayers out of the Pulpit And because the Communion will not bee renewed so frequent as to meet with all those occasions which in the Antient Church it did serve for It must needs bee a Christian design to enlarge the first and daily Service with such forms as may serve for most of such occasions preventing the offenses which have been For the hope of prevailing with God for that which presseth particular persons is the charity of the Congregation in equally desiring the necessities of all Christians When the Eucharist was celebrated upon some particular occasion according to the custom of the antient Church it appears that the general form was throughly observed the particular occasion only mentioned The Eloquence whereby the Church hoped to prevail which God was the devotion and unity which it celebrated the Sacrament with But I must by no means leave this place till I have paid Of the Commemoration of the dead in particular the debt which I owe to the opinion which I have premised and openly profess again and again that wee weigh not by our own Weights nor mete by our own Measures if believing one Catholick Church and enjoying Episcopacy and the Church Lands upon that account wee recal not the memorial of the Dead as well as of the living into this Service There is the same ground to believe the communion of Saints in the prayers which those that depart in the highest favour with God make for us in the prayers which wee make for those thaâ— depart in the lowest degree of favour with God that there iâ— for the common Christianity namely the Scriptures interpreted by the perpetual practise of Gods Church Therefore there is ground enough for the faith of all Christians that those Prayers are accepted which desire God to hear the Saints for us to send the deceased in Christ rest and peace and light and refreshment and a good trial at the day of Judgement and accomplishment of happiness after the same And seeing the abating of the first form under Edward VI hath wrought no effect but to give them that desired it an appetite to root up the Whole what thanks can wee render to God for escaping so great a danger but by sticking firm to a Rule that will stick firm to us and carry us through any dispute in Religion and land us in the haven of a quiet conscience what troubles soever wee may pass through in maintaining that the Reformation of the Church will never bee according to the Rule which it ought to follow till it cleave to the Catholick Church of Christ in this particular Why the Communion Service at the Communion Table when no Eucharist I am not to expect that this Proposition will take effect because some points of it will seem to bee only one mans opinion though it shall never bee that one mans opinion further then it appears to be the visible Order of the whole Church from the beginning or the necessary consequence thereof in this estate For the Church of Rome obliging all to hear Mass all Sunday and Holyday-mornings and the Reformation of the Abuses which wee protest against in the Mass consisting in restoring the Eucharist the Reformation will not bee able to justifie it self in this point till there bee a provision that all may communicate as they ought to do And for the commemoration of the dead in the Oblation though the Reformation under Queen Elizabeth do silence it yet under Edward the VI. it was retained And they who were gratified afterwards by silencing it do now demand as for Reformation that the Eucharist bee not imposed upon tender consciences for fear they should not have room enough for their arbitary Sermons and Prayers which they can never secure the Church that they shall agree with the Profession of it What they will demand next for Reformation how shall it appear For the standard of tender consciences is as invisible as that of Venners spirit that made the rising for King Jesus And having a visible Rule in the consent of the Whole Church it will bee either want of skill or want of charity not to distinguish the remembrance of the dead which the Whole Church hath alwaies frequented from the opinion of Purgatory and the custom of praying to the Saints which succeeding Ages have added But in the mean time the reason is visible why the Communion Service is to bee said at the Communion Table notwithstanding tender consciences which perhaps many that mean well do not perceive If Christian people being seduced by perverse Teachers cannot bee made sensible of their duty in frequenting the Communion the Church is not to forbear calling them to it and putting them in mind of it Weesee there are those who will needs bee Ministers of the Word and Sacraments that have ministred no Communion to their Churches in so many years Instead of taking shame upon them for such abominable contempt of Christianity this mischief is now imagined for a Law when a Law is demanded by which tender consciences may not bee tied to celebrate the Eucharist once in many years Take away the Communion Service from the Communion Table and what mark shall remain of the duty that lies upon the publick to reduce the Law of the Catholick Church which is Gods Law into force What hope of reducing it if the mark bee once blotted out So much it concerns to hold up a daily Protestation of the Right and Duty of the Church and a Contestation with all publick persons in the Church and State to bend the utmost of their endeavours to redeem such an inconsequence and indecorum in Gods Service as the silencing of the principal Office in it And wee are alive at this day by Gods goodness to call God and man to witness that if Order bee not taken in so great a concernment the fault will bee chargeable on those that do not their parts towards it at the great day of Judgement But if my Proposition may not hope for effect in the next A secondary Propâ—sition according to present Law place I shall wish that all Curates would agree in that which by Law they may do so far as I know the Law Or rather that all Ordinaries would agree to impose it upon them That is to divide the Service of God on Sunday and Holiday Mornings into two Assemblies as it stands divided into two Services That all Housholders may stand accountable for their whole Families to see that they serve God in the Church all Sunday and Holiday Mornings as before the Reformation all people were obliged to do For though by the present Law there is not provision for all Christians to communicate Yet is there Order for the Service of God by Psalms and Lessons mixed with Hymns and by the Common Prayers of the Church perfectly summed up in the Litanies And they who shall have performed it shall have celebrated the Lords day or Festival with
it though not so like a Christian as had hee been at the celebrating of the Eucharist The Communion Service might serve as it is for the second Assembly provided that it bee for the reasons premised at the Communion Table The Homily or Sermon after the Gospel comprising that Instruction or Exhortation which is necessary for all Christians would easily come within one quarter of an hour were Curates by the wisdom and diligence of their Ordinaries restrained from impertinencies and held to their duties The Common Prayers of the Church which are perfectly summed up in the Litanies if they were used at this Assembly also they would make the Service of God as compleat as the absence of the Eucharist would allow being the principal Office of it And this is no more then is required by the eighteenth of Queen Elizabeths Injunctions For as the Litanies being used after the Consecration as that Injunction requireth would bee the compleat Prayer of Oblation according to that which hath been said So when the Eucharist is not celebrated the Common Prayers of the Church for all necessities of all estates of Christs Church would bee as compleatly offered to God by the Litanies as they ought to bee offered when the Eucharist is not celebrated And this course would take away some appearances of inconvenience arising from the change of time and the difference which it hath produced in the use of those Services of which our Office consisteth which because common reason understands not therefore the people may check at And yet Superiours may not perhaps find sufficient cause to make any change for the removing of them The extream length of the Office as now it is used is to bee counted in the number of these Besides in that case there would bee no necessity of a Prayer before the Sermon which now bringeth this visible inconvenience that the Prayer for all states of Christs Church which is to follow next after the Sermon goeth before the Sermon also For that Prayer which the LV. Canon enjoyneth is to the very same effect with that which is to follow after the Sermon for the whole state of Christs Church As for other arbitrary prayers before or after Sermons wee are all witnesses what a Trumpet they were of the late Civil War what a means to prepare the minds of people to it And therefore if after so fresh experience the State shall suffer the Church to leave any room for them in the Order of Gods Service the State as well as the Church must bee felo de se in doing it And they that shall insist upon such demands do neither more nor less then ask leave to do the same again Indeed it is easie to foresee an appearance of inconvenience that An Objection in it answered might be objected if this course should bee put in practise For when the Eucharist is not celebrated the Litanies then must follow next after the Prayer for the whole state of Christs Church The substance whereof is the same that is repeated again in the Litanies as containing more briefly the sum of that which in them is branched out into more particulars The practise of the ancient Church furnishes the answer The XIX Canon of Laodicea ancienter without doubt then any form of Liturgy extant prescribes two Prayers to bee made just before the Consecration 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say The Deacon bidding the people pray for the necessities of the Church which hee did name to them from point to point That this is the meaning of the Canon wee understand by all the Eastern Liturgies For there is none of them in which the same Prayer is not repeated again and again the Deacon inditing to the people the particulars which they are to pray for sometimes more briefly sometimes more at large And in one of them namely the Latine Copy of S. Basils Liturgy they are expresly called the first the second and the third Litanees Thus ancient is the Custome of bidding Prayer in the Church For S. Austine also for the Latine Church remembers it when hee says Cum Communis Oratio vâ—ce Diaconi indicitur When Common Prayer is bidden by the Deacons voice Epist CVI. And hereby it appeareth that it was then thought no inconvenience that those Common Prayers of the Church should bee repeated more then once For being the chief act of their Assemblies and the end for which the Eucharist was celebrated To wit that by the memory of Christs Sacrifice upon the Cross all the necessities of his Church might be rendred recommendable to God It is no marvel that they insisted upon them more then once And therefore if in this decay of Christianity the continual Celebration of the Eucharist cannot bee revived in the next place it remains that these Common Prayers bee maintained and frequented with as much devotion as in so wretched times as wee see can bee obtained I have said nothing of that which is commonly called Preaching or of any provision for it Because I say nothing of the First Service and of the use of it at other times besides Sunday and Holiday Mornings But it is easie for mee to say that there will bee as much opportunity for it in the afternoons as the abilities of the generality of Preachers can bee thought competent to imploy with that which shall bee fit to entertain the people I know the general opinion inclines to imploy that time with the Exposition of the Catechisme But the Doctrine of the Catechisme is the work of that time when mens wits are at the best And if the Exposition bee not prescribed as well as the Catechisme more inconvenience may soone bee found in that course then in the Pulpit CHAP. XXIII How the Law distinguishes Moral Precepts from Positive How the spiritual sense of the Decalogue concerns Christians The meaning of the First Commandment in this sense The extent of the Second Commandment Of the Third Commandment What the sanctifying of the Sabbath signifieth The meaning of the Fifth as to Christians The meaning of the five last according to Christianity NOw since this secondary Proposition leaves the Decalogue Hâ—w the Law distinguishes Moral Precâ—pts from Positive and Prayers of it in the place which now it holds in our Service I will not leave this point without expounding the Decalogue in that sense which the Principle upon which I maintain the agreement of the Old Testament with the New requires For upon that Exposition depends the true meaning and intent of that Prayer whereby the Church enjoyns the people to ask pardon of God for their transgressing of the several Precepts the mis-understanding whereof hath occasioned the Errour of the Sabbath which only England of all â—â—ristendome is disquieted with Most Divines do so reason of the Decalogue because the most of the Precepts thereof are Moral as if the difference between Ceremonial Judicial and Moral and much more between Moral and Positive were expresly
large that the Cathedral Churches cannot bee made serviceable under the Bishop to the Government of the Whole Diocese If Colleges of Presbyters were erected in all the Head Towns of Counties the youth of the Counties that pretend to the Clergy restoring this Canon must bee under the inspection of the same If before their going to the University they were listed under them as expecting imployment and maintenance under them that is within the County then must they make account to approve their conversations and studies to them as having no other way to live in that estate to which they addict themselves As for the course of finding imployment and maintenance for them I will go no further to particulars then I have done It is enough that the intention should bee the restoring of the Primitive Canons as the estate of this time will require or allow It would bee no small gain that by restoring this Canon Reasons for it the complaint of pluralities would bee silenced For that persons whose abilities and trust are approved to the Bishop by information of the said Presbyters should have the care of more then one Church would bee no more inconvenience then that those Presbyters have a care of the County the Bishop of the Diocese Always supposing that the incumbent upon the Cure and the rate of his maintenance bee allowed or rather constituted by the Bishop to whom that right originally belongs I will say no more to justifie this Proposition but this That hee who is obnoxious to several Churches that is to several Dioceses either as to the duty of Governing or of being Governed can by no means bee accountable to both according to that account which the constitution of the Catholick Church requireth of every Order and Degree of the Clergy And again that seeing all exemptions privileging against the Ordinary Rule and Government of the Church are the effects and consequences of the Papacy and the Usurpations thereof that the Reformation which wee profess cannot bee justified in it self though in comparison it may abate of the abuse which went afore without restoring a Rule of such consequence Buâ— all this while it is no part of my intent that those who are presently possessed by the Law of the Land should bee presently destituted But that a course bee prouided for the future to which the world may bee disposed by degrees In the second place for the justifying of our Reformation Publick fame of sin to bee purged by Ecclesiastical process and towards restoring the Discipline of Penance it is requisite that all Malefactors convicted by Law of capital or infamous crimes or others of as great malice to God though not so destructive to Civil Society should stand Excommunicate when their lives and liberties are saved till they satisfie the Church of their conversion to God The Law of this Land providing no other trial for sins of uncleanness but that of the Ecclesiastical Courts hath hitherto enabled them to proceed to the trial of publick scandals by deposing witnesses ex officio Which according to the rest of the ignorance and malice of the blessed Reformation hath been construed for an Usurpation upon the liberties of Christian people For it is manifest that under the Old Testament the Rulers of Gods antient people were able every one within the Sphere of his authority to oblige all men to answer upon Oath in any thing wherein they should adjure them to answer For upon this account our Lord himself beeing subject to the Law answered the adjuration of the High Priest And the Levitical Law prescribeth a trespass Offering for him who being adjured to speak his knowledge in any business should conceal it This the Jews extend to the adjurations of private persons if made in open Court But there is no question that the Princes and Judges of that People each in the mater of his Office obliged their Inferiors to answer their knowledg So that they were perjured ipso facto concealing that which they knew of any mans cause Under the Gospel it is evident that the Bishop in Consistory with his Presbyters did try all scandals in the Church by summoning all persons within the Diocese to witness their knowledge And that to this effect That if any man were detected to have concealed his knowledge hee became thereby liable to Penance as for a heinous sin And Constantine the Great authorizing by an Act of the Empire yet extant the Sentences of Bishops in all causes that should bee brought to them by consent of parties gives this reason for it Because their authority was able presently to discover that which Civil Courts could not bring to light by tedious suits Whereby it appeareth that all Christians found themselves tied to answer the truth which their Pastors summoned them to declare for discharge of their conscience Christianity being corrupted by the coming of the World into the Church it might become requisite that the generality of this authority should bee restrained within such bounds as emergent abuses might oblige the Law to provide But when a Power so neerly concerning Christianity is cried down for an Usurpation upon the Church it appeareth that Christianity is at a low ebbe if they who understand so little in the Scriptures or in maters concerning the Church dare undertake to Reform it Adultery is one of the sins which the antient Church in some places durst not warrant forgiveness And therefore did not restore Aulterers to the Communion no not at the point of death If the Law therefore provide no other trial for it but by the Christian Court to take away that means of trial which the Church inheriteth of Gods antient people is in some measure to authorize adultery in a Christian Kingdom That is to call down Gods vengeance upon it Rather it should bee provided that inquisition after all scandals upon publick fame might bee authorized upon terms fit to prevent abuses though not for civil punishment which the Christian Court should have nothing to do with yet for the bringing of sin under Penance And therefore much more that sinners which are become â—â—torious Sinners convict â—y â—â—w nâ—â—â—â— Communicate bâ—fore Penance by conviction in Court according to the Civil Law of the Land ought not to bee admitted to the Communion wiâ—hoâ—â— satisfying the Church by performing fit Penance that God is satisfied And the Curate indeed seemeth to bee enabled by the present Law to refuse all such the Communion much more If hee bee able to refuse those that seem scandalous till they bee tried And if hee do not what he is able to do must answer God for the soul which hee poysoneth by giving him the Eucharist who barres himself the effect of it His Repentance not being manifest as his sin is But if the Law will not leave out the Curate in refusing him till hee have satisfied The choice is hard for him that hath a family to forfeit his Benefice by
doing that which the Law that places him in it bears him not out in though the power of the Keys which hee hath by Gods Law oblige him to it And therefore there may bee hope of mercy for him that is seduced in so hard a choice But then the vengeance must remain upon the Kingdom and upon those that have Power to right our common Christianity and do not The Reformation of Ecclesiastical Law intended under Henry the VIII and Edward the VI hath provided in this case And hee that considers with conscience shall have much ado to justifie the Title of a Christian Kingdom where this right is not maintained I go no further at present then this step to the restoring of The Cure of notorioâ—â— sin the Bishâ—ps Office Penance whether Publick or Private I see there is very good hope that an end will bee put to all that abominable merchandize of Publick Penance which hath been so just a scandal in this Church Such abuses must bee taken by those that value their Superiours as they ought for Reformed so soon as they are râ—sâ—med into the Bishops own hands For no man ought to bee scandalized that all such sins shall not bee put to publick Penance seeing it will bee in the Bishop either in his own person or by committing any difficult case to the most skillful and most faithful of his Clergy to attain satisfaction of a mans conversion in private before hee restore him to the Communion by loosing him from his sin And the conscience of his Inferiors shall stand discharged ministring the same upon his Order In the mean time the Bishops conscience stands answerable to God both for the soul that shall perish by being reconciled before qualified therefore and for the infection of the Church by the sin which is re-admitted before it bee mortified The case is the very same in all sins taking all for convict of them which the Law convicteth And therefore in all those which the Law convicteth not whensoever it shall enable the Church as the Law of a Christian Kingdom should do to convict them by inquisition ex Offâ—cio to the effect of curing them by reduing them under Penance The Church not Reformed without restoring Penance Publick or Privâ—te Now it is true Publick Penance is and was at the Reformation utterly surceased in the Church of Rome But private Penance was in use as still it continues though under those great abuses which I have taxed as the prime institution of our Lord and his Apostles though seldom mentioned in the Records of the Church in comparison of Publick Penance so famous in all the primitive Fathers For the Christian Court being afterwards divided into the outward Court of the Church and the inward Court of the Conscience the one concerning all Jurisdiction to any effect of Excommunication the other concerning sin that is not Excommunicated because not notorious but voluntarily made known the sentence of Excommunication being released a man comes not to the Communion in any case of sin till hee voluntarily undergo the Keys of the Church by opening that sin in this inward Court which hee puts the outward Court to bring to light And thus were the Keys of the Church in force before the Reformation under the See of Rome Now were publick Penance restored then might it clearly bee said that a Reformation were effected in this point For Penance absolutely so called in the antient Church is Publick Penance Some sins of less consequence were referred to some one of the Preâ—byters to bee cured in private by the antientest Customs and Canons of the Church But there is but little mention of them in comparison of the greater that were restored by publick Penance So the restoring of publick Penance would bee effectively Reformation that is the restoring of that which was though private Penance were not enjoyned by Law And of necessity there would bee great hope that Christians understanding by the use of Publick Penance the need they have of the Keys of the Church to assure them the cure of their sins would bee moved in conscience voluntarily to seek that help for the cure of their secret sins For by that means first came private Penance into so general use that it was possible for the Church of Rome to procure secret Confession once a year to bee setled for a Law of all Christian States under it And did the Law here maintain publick Penance then were the Haeresie of the Fanaticks and all imaginations tending to any degree of it quite put to flight the people receiving this impression from the Law that their sins which no man knows but only God cannot bee cured at an easier rate then those which the world knows But as the mater is so long as the Keys of the Church are not in force that is in use for the restoring of sinners to the Communion upon presumption that they are restored to Grace grounded upon the works of Repentance which they shew it is a hard task to maintain the claime of Reformation in the Church For the Church is founded upon the Power of the Keys And therefore where that Power is not in force as during this time of our blessed Reformation there it is a Church in hope and right rather then in deed and in being Wee publickly profess to seek the restoring of Penance And because wee have not effectively sought that which wee profess to seek God hath brought upon us that heavy vengeance which wee have felt The marvellous work that hee hath shewed in restoring us obligeth all to lay it to heart and never to give over the thought of it till by degrees it bee restored in some measure Christian souls perish because they know not what help they want The blessing of the Church and the Communion of the Eucharist being ministred to all without difference give no man any ground of salvation by being allowed it And yet the Church is provided by God that all may have ground for that hope by being of the Church All that Minister the Office by Ministring the same maintain simple souls in a confidence that they want nothing requisite Whereas it is not enough for our discharge that any man may unless there bee probable means whereby all may bee saved But that can by no means bee maintained where the Power of the Keys is not in force What means there is left for the restoring of it The difficulty indeed of the business appears as much by the scandals which the Scottish Presbyteries and our Triers here for the very little time they had have given as by those which served to bring Auricular Confession out of date And no marvel For all the cries for Discipline which our Presbyterians make seem to demand that their Power in it bee as arbitrary as their Prayers No Rule no bounds no limits proposed within which it shall bee ministred which is the difficulty Nor is it possible to
reduce the severity of the antient Canons which the Church of Rome it self hath abated to secret Penance And yet supposing the premises it will bee necessary to follow them in such a form as the World at present may bear Not referring the measure of trial to bee required for the verifying of a mans conversion to the discretion of a Curate or a Parish but referring it to the Bishop and to those whom hee shall discharge his burthen upon in the Cathedral Church in those Colleges which I have proposed or in the Diocese And yet it seems necessary to refer the witnessing of the effect to the Curate and to the Parish For what can bee more reasonable then to presume of a good effect when they that see a mans daily conversation attest it As for the measure it will bee a great work for the Synods of the Provinces to agree upon such a form as the Legislative Power of the Kingdom may find cause to authorize and put in force Which were it effected it would not seem unreasonable to trust particular Ministers with the cure of secret sins having a Rule before their eyes to direct their proceeding I say it would seem reasonable supposing the premises supposing the Clergy lived in that respect to their Superiors in that exercise of their Deacons degree in that sobriety furnishing discretion in valuing mens actions which their people may have ground to trust their souls with For at the present the blessed Reformation having so far perswaded the People that the Minister hath nothing to do but to preach till they bee sure of their salvation who will marvel that they regard not those who detest such impostures Nor would this bee less benefit to the publick Peace and the quiet of Superiors even the Sovereign Who must bee content to have their actions scanned in the Pulpit till there bee a course whereby their people may bee conducted in those things which the Pulpit cannot nor ought to decide The Scottish Presbyters have made us understand how well they understand the bounds of Ecclesiastical Power how much they desire to attempt upon the Secular as well in the Pulpit as in the Consistory And where this great Ordinance for the cure of sin and the salvation of souls is not duly maintained just is it with God to make the neglect of it the seed of publick troubles The maintenance whereof would contribute as much to the publick Peace as to the salvation of souls CHAP. XXV Gods mercies and judgements require the perfecting of the Reformation which wee profess The restoring of the Ecclesiastical Laws is not the restoring of the Church Yet are wee not therefore chargeable with Schisme by the Church of Rome What Schisme destroys the Salvation of what persons by instances in the most notable Schismes Difficulty of Salvation on both sides the Reformation remaining unperfect An instance hereof in the Cure of souls departing by the Order in force A Supplication for a full Debate of all maters in difference The ground of Resolution one Catholick Church the first and chief point of the Debate The consequence of it in Vniting the Reformed Churches An instance in the having of Images in Churches An Objection for the Church of Rome answered That which excuseth the Reformed Churches excuseth not our Schismaticks Gods mercies and judgments require the perfecting of the Reformation which wee profess IT will not become a good Christian to think much that these things are called upon at this time before this Church bee restored to the benefit of the Laws which the Order thereof is to bee established and inforced It will not become any such to say That the same complaint might have been made while the Church of England was the Church of England and before the late breaches in it And therefore might bee spared when all ought to thanke God that wee may bee as wee were For the incomparable mercy that God hath shewed in restoring the Laws with the Crown and the Church with both would leave a mark of ingratitude upon him whosoever having nothing to say against the truth nothing against the great weight and high consequence of the premises should not think it worth the pains for all Estates of the Church and Kingdom to endeavour the redressing of them Especially the profession of Reformation obliging all that think Christians bound to stand to that which they profess not to rest in that which our predecessors had obtained by the first attempt of it For notwithstanding the great difficulties which the extream factions of Papists and Puritans in Church and State had cast in the way of all right endeavours to perfect the Reformation begun according to the true ground and measure of it Wee see what a severe account it hath pleased God to take of all Estates in the Kingdom for laying aside the thought of perfecting that which in so high a point as that of Penance they had acknowledged to bee defective I do not intend to say that the Sacrileges committed under Henry VIII had no hand in this account For there is no such mark to glorifie Gods providence with as when it is visible that the punishment springs out of the sin Nor is there any mean more visible towards the advancing of that confusion which wee have seen then the applying of the endowment of Churches to common uses being found at the dissolution by the irregular Power of the Papacy in the hands of Monasteries But of that guilt the Crown and Kingdom seems to stand in a good measure discharged by restoring that part which the Church stood invested of by the same title as wee see they have done to the due property in such a rate as the publick peace might indure As for private persons that stand invested of the like goods by the like Title there is reason to hope that their account redoundeth not to the account of the Kingdom in the sight of God notwithstanding that the Law alloweth them to use their own conscience in owning or disowning their Title For where the Unity of the Church seemeth to bee concerned it hath been always the practice of the Church to forbear the use of the Keys and to admit those to the Communion whose actions it intendeth not to warrant leaving them to answer God for the same knowing that the Church warranteth them not The Church of Rome in Q. Maries days followed this patern reconciling this Kingdom to the Communion thereof without restitution of that wrong which it claimed to bee done under Henry VIII But if the Kingdom bee liable to an account for the sin of particular persons in detaining Church goods and by that means hindring the salvation of Christian people Shall wee not think that the neglect of perfecting the Reformation begun though obstructed by the difficulty which I have alleged is and ought to bee taken for the ground of that reckoning which God hath made with us And therefore that wee are not
to lay aside the thought of it so long as there appears any means of proceeding to it Now it seemeth manifest to common reason that there can bee no such opportunity for improving the Laws of the Kingdom by which Religion is to bee established as while the minds of men after the breaches which wee have seen remain unsetled to any Order in Church maters For before the breach there is appearance enough that all means of doing this were studiously obstructed by the Puritan party in Parliament And it will appear if it bee well considered that this is it that made it popular having always just cause of complaint which can never bee wanting in any Civil Laws And therefore not in those Civil Laws whereby Religion is setled but always pretending an unjust way of redressing the same But there is a greater reason for us to think that the Church The restoring of the Ecclesiastical Laws of the Land is not the restoring of the Church of England will not bee restored by the restoring of those Civil Laws of the Land which gave force to the Order of it After those manifest and notorious breaches which wee have seen in it For it is visible that it is the Secular power only that is acknowledged by those that return from their Schisme and conform themselves to the Ecclesiastical Laws which it inforceth in consideration of the temporal reward or punishment which they are inacted with It is now found to bee the sin of Superiors when such things are imposed upon tender consciences as they are offended at Not the sin of them who conform themselves to that which is enjoyned And all that hath been pretended for a change in the Laws seems now to bee made a meer Office of Charity to the Kingdom That it might not sin in imposing upon tender consciences that which they were offended at who are safe enough from sinning all the while that they submit to it In like manner they who to bee capable of Benefices get to bee Ordained anew because the Ordination was void which they had from those who had nothing to do to give it do profess openly enough that they do it not because they thought their void Orders defective but to obtain the privileges which the Law of the Land annexeth to that Ordination which it protecteth At which rate the Oath of Canonical Obedience it self will tye them in conscience only to themselves That is to avoid those temporal penalties which the Law punisheth disobeying the Ordinary with In the mean time the Fanaticks are owned by them upon all occasions And not only the Schisme of the Congregations is passed over for a weakness of tender consciences but that damnable error of assurance of salvation without assurance of Christianity the fry that hath spawned all the Congregations of Enthusiasts and Fanaticks must go for a frailty of the Godly in professing the true consequence of common Principles And seeing all severity of Penalties which may restrain the License of such Conventicles must needs insinuate an invitation of returning to Communion with the Church for those who would avoid them It is much to bee considered that they who shall return without disowning their Schisme which is of it self always notorious Or the perverse doctrines which have been notoriously owned for the ground of it do manifestly bring with them their profession into the Church For returning only that they may avoid the temporal Penalties which it inferreth they are at liberty in point of reputation as well as of conscience to practice the Maxime which Michiavel teacheth to make themselves of that party which they intend to overthrow as not having engaged with the Church upon profession of conscience It is not for nothing that the Rules of the Church from the beginning have made them Haereticks and Schismaticks as to the Church that communicate with Haereticks and Schismaticks It is not for nothing that they admit them not to return without disowning their Schismes or their Haeresies It is not for nothing that they admit not the Clergy that have been involved in them in their own Orders But render them incapable of that trust for the future The reason for all is the same The profession of the mouth intitleth to the visible privilege of the Church in communion with it the sincerity thereof in the heart to the invisible privilege of Christianity with God And though there bee great reason to hope that communion with the Church and the daily use of it may bee a mean to restore the heart into a right relish of that which the distance that hath been causeth men to distaste beyond measure yet is there nothing but the solemnity of profession to render such a change visible And therefore it will not serve to justifie the common cause till time render the effect notorious In the mean time the reason of the distance which wee hold Yet are wee not therefore chargeable with Schism by the Church of Rome with the Church of Rome remains the same and therefore the measure of it The abuses which created the necessity for parts of the Church to Reforme themselves without the Whole remain the same Only wee are left without hope of amendment seeing the Council of Trent received without it So no terms of reconcilement but those of conquest which how should this Church and Kingdom bee obliged to accept of to the betraying of all the souls which must needs perish by those abuses And therefore allowing the due value of that sin which Schisme signifieth in the party that causeth it wee shall not need to fear the charge of it though both parties are visibly in the state of it For the Unity of the Church being next in consideration and weight to the substance of Christianity which the being of the Church presupposeth The Faith which only justifieth is seen in making good that profession which intitleth us to bee members of the Church But that Charity whereby that Faith is brought into effect is seen in the first place in maintaining the Unity thereof Which a private Christian maintaineth onely by continuing a member of it So a Christian as a Christian fails of his salvation by failing of that which a Christian professeth as a Christian But a Christian as a member of the Church fails of his salvation by failing of that which a Christian professeth as a member of the Church namely by forsaking the Unity of the Church But a man cannot seem to forsake the Unity of the Church by pursuing the integrity of that Christianity upon which it is founded If the corruption thereof bee so great as may seem to render the communion thereof ineffectual to the salvation of them that use it it will bee Charity to joyn for the restoring of it to so good an effect though a breach succeed by the misunderstanding of those who refuse to joyn for that purpose Though divers mistakes bee committed in a work of so great
of the difference must needs occasion the Ioss of infinite souls by hindring them of the means that is truly necessary for the salvation of Christian This is that which I said afore that Schisme as War may Difficulty of salvation on both sides the Reformation remaining unpersect bee unjust on both sides The charge of which injustice as it will lye upon those which are actors in it and causes of it having power to abate it and not imploying the same to so good a purpose so it leaves a possibility of salvation for both sides And that is no more then hath been said from the beginning of our Reformation by all that allow the Church of Rome a true Church But that difficulty of attaining salvation on both sides which the Schisme inflameth will bee imputable to those that maintain the extreams taking offense at the due ground and termes of composing it And this I confess câ—eates a question upon that which remains for our Ecclesiastical Laws to redress For if they inforce not the due use of the Power of the Keys so great a part of the conduct of Christian souls to salvation and that it is not to bee inforced without restoring Discipline in the Clergy How shall it bee visible that a simple Papist sins in being a Recusant How shall hee that invites him to bee no Recusant assure him of means of salvation visibly sufficient How shall the State bee enabled to inflict upon him the legal penalties of his Recusancy upon other crimes For it is manifest that from those whom the Civil Law of the Land qualifies for the Cure of souls without any ground of pretense that they do concur to the true intent of the Church in ministring the power of the Keys there is not the least appearance for any hope of that help which the Office professeth Indeed alleging on the other side those abuses in private Penance that neglect of publick Penance which the Church of Rome alloweth wee allege a sufficient reason for a change without the authority of it And a possibility of salvation notwithstanding a defect in redressing the same But this possibility will consist in the more then ordinary diligence of private Christians considering the snares which division multiplieth and labouring to supply themselves in that wherein the publick Order of the Church provided by God to supply them of it saileth of the effect which God intendeth A consideration which though the late distraction made it more visible yet will always remain in force till the due ground and measure of Reformation take effect It will bee worth the while to instance this in the Cure of An instance herâ—of in the Cure of sâ—ulâ— departing according to the Order in force souls departing this life according to the Order in force In the beginning of Christianity some sins were questionable in some parts of the Church whether curable by the Keys of the Church or not The Schisme of Novatianus pretended for the ground of it the re-admitting of Apostates As that of Montanus in part the re-admitting of Adulterers But before all were come to agreement in it the same severity had been practised in the Church without Schisme They lest such persons to Gods mercy They engaged not the Church in warranting them pardon The Council of Nicaea seems to have put an end to all difformity in the case There is no mention of denying the Eucharist upon the bed of death after that But supposing publick sinners admitted to publick Penance thereby to give proof of the sincerity of their repentance And binding them over to the remainder of their Penance escaping death Some Canons go so low as to release sin without revealing it upon condition of undergoing the Penance it shall require being revealed in case hee survive The Church of Rome chargeth all Priests of absolve all at the point of death which it alloweth not all to do otherwise As for the Reservation of Penance they who require Penance not to qualifie for pardon but to satisfie the debt of temporal pain that remains after pardon I suppose doe upon that account turn it over to Purgatory But they from whom as I said afore there is no appearance for any hope of that help which the Keys of the Church ministred according to the Order of the Church do hold forth what can wee expect of them towards the preparing of him that lies on the bed of sickness for his passage For the comfort which all pretend to give in that estate may bee imagined to consist in assuring salvation to all that once were assured of it to all that think themselves sure of it by believing it not by their Christianity without which there is no assurance of it If men bee not â—o much Fanaticks perhaps hee assureth them of pardon trusting in the merits of Christ for it Let him see his sin let him renounce his own merits let him trust in the mâ—ritâ— of Christ which hee is sure are of more virtue and value then his sin and the business is done Not considering what the Gospel requireth to give a man interest in the merits of Christ What it requireth of him who shall have forfeited that interest by grievous sin What hee hath done for the mortisying of that concupiscence for the appeasing of that wrath of God for the preventing of that sin for the future whereby hee may formerly have committed that forfeiture Certainly it is no good sign in this Case that our people are so willing to have the Minister pray by them but so unwilling to hear of the Communion because they know it requires them to take account of themselves Nay it is oddes that it is condescended to at the warning of the Curate who must needs let slip the anthority of his Office in requiring account of him that expects comfort from him by offering all that hee is able to give before the account is tendered In the mean time how shall hee who prays onely by the sick and leaves him so as prepared for his passage who absolves him of all sin without being satisfied that hee hath mortified that hee will mortifie any in case he survive rest satisfied that hee hath done his Office and not dismissed his patient insufficiently prepared for so terrible a voyage Especially being satisfied that there are two Keys in the Church as to Christians That it is to loose no sin but that which it bound afore loosing him that appears to bee alive because it bound him when hee appeared to bee dead afore That the Blessing of the Church the Communion of the Eucharist and the Burial of Christians ought to siâ—nifie some reasonable presumption in the Church that they depart in Gods peace to whom it alloweth the same But where is that presumption when hee that is convicted of a capital crime shall bee able to demand the Communion of his Curate without further satisfaction And perhaps have his action of the Case against him
the consent of the Church That is within those bounds wherein the agreement thereof may appear For the setling of those terms upon which the Fanaticks are either to bee disowned by the Presbyterians or owned by this Church As it must proceed upon that supposition so it will render their Recusancy as concerning all the consequence of that issue visibly punishable in those that refuse to give or take satisfaction upon so just terms And the consequence of the same supposition in bounding that which is questionable in the Laws of this Church to the justifying of the Reformation which it pretendeth will leave it without excuse in other maters For the bounds of that distance which wee are to hold with the Church of Rome being the subject of distance among our selves As it is not possible to determine them but upon that supposition So they will oblige all Christians to that penalty which the Laws of a Christian Kingdom are able to inflict upon those that disobey them being made by virtue of the common Christianity As for my self it shall bee a great pleasure to me to compromise all that I have said either of the Faith or Laws of the Church to the issue of such a trial For there is no reason why I should think it a disparagment to my age not to have seen the due consequence of such a principle in so many maters of so doubtful dispute better then such a number of Divines or either side as must bee imployed in such a debate can make it to appear to those whose authority must conduct and govern it That one principle remaining firme which this Church can never disown if it weigh always by the same Wâ—ights and meâ—e by the same Measures it shall bee much pleasure to me to see any mistake of mine in the consequence of it brought to light having a good hope to God that so innocent an inquiry upon so just a principle in a cause so difficult and so concerning will serve to excuse any such mistake in his presence The same will serve to difference the liberty which I use in publishing this from the licentiousness of those who band themselves against the Lawes of their Country they are sure without those terms for submission to them upon which themselves cannot deny that they shall bee the Laws of Gods Church in it Especially seeing I compromise as many hours of study as much follicitude of thought as due a course of inquiry into the grounds of the mater in question as the most of my quality can have imployed to the like purpose since the beginning of our troubles And seeing this liberty must bee my plea at the great judgment of God for any thing wherein I may have ministred mine Office according to that measure which those Laws will inforce in which the best of my own private judgement requires an amendment The consequence of the same in Uniting the Reformed Churches And the acknowledgement of this Principle puts an end to another motion concerning the uniting of all Reformed Churches of all that are called Protestants against the Church of Rome whether this trial proposed come to an issue or not For it is manifest that before the issue of such a trial with them as among our selves all union with them upon account of Religion is but mutual toleration providing that no breach succeed or that none bee made wider then presently it is by the disclaiming of Communion between the parties And that is to bee referred to the wisdom of Superiors the terms which wee our selves ought to insist upon being secured by the express profession of that Principle whereof they are all but the consequences Wee are to stand to Luthers appeal to a Council that should judge by the Scriptures alone limiting the interpretation of the Scriptures as the Rule to judge by to the consent of the Church as the evidence for the bounds of it Had this limitation been expressed in their proceedings at home as it cannot bee said ever to have been disclaimed in their proceedings abroad with Calvinists there had been sufficient ground for preventing not only the particular breach between them but the general breach with the Church of Rome There had been no cause why both parties of Reformed and Catholick might not have continued one Church both Reformed and Catholick Since so great distances are come to pass As it is in vain to expect an union without agreeing first upon the Principle of it So it will not bee safe to maintain Communion upon toleration of differences on foot without protestation for that Principle which must maintain our own Christianity leaving them to themselves and to God in all maters of difference If this Union bee demanded upon the account of common defense against the Powers which own the Church of Rome which seems to bee the inâ—ent of those that would try the cause of Religion by the sword The same protestation will bear out all Christian Powers in point of conscience The interest of their good and the good of their Subjects being provided for by their wisedom For the maters in difference being acknowledged by securing the principle upon which they are to bee decided It will always be in their power to joyn for the maintenance of those Laws whereby the Reformation is setled in their respective Sovereignties Without undertaking for the justice of any Laws but those which each Sovereignty is to answer for because it makes them And the effect of this reservation will bee of great consequence to the retaining of that Christianity which is left us For this limitation will exclude all Power of joyning for the maintenance of Subjects in attempting the Reformation of Religion or the maintenance of the same by force against the Will of their Sovereigns The oversight of which provision in actions of State imputed to the supposition of Religion when they might as well have been intitled to causes of Civil Right hath had a very visible hand in the troubles which we have seen And is the more carefully to bee avoided for the future because the pretense is upon all occasions so studiously advanced by those that have been active in the same I have maintained the lawfulness of having Images in An instance in the having of Images in Churches Churches Now considering the distance between lawful and necessary I find it not amiss to declare by this instance upon what terms the Rule which I have proposed of reducing all customs of this Church to that estate in which wee find them practised during the primitive times of the Catholick Church may bee serviceable to the purpose of Unity amongst our selves For there is so little mention of Images in Churches during neer four hundred years after Christ for increase of devotion for instruction of the unlearned or for the ornament of Churches that it may well bee demanded as for the consequence of that Rule that the use of them though lawful may
bee surceased in Churches And accordingly I do acknowledge that comparing the benefit reasonably to bee expected from the use of them with the abuse to which experience hath discovered them to bee subject I see no cause why the use of them might not bee forborn upon such a reason as might bee effectual to unite us in a Rule bounding the Reformation which wee profess upon the ground of the common Christianity in all particulars The reason is because the having of them is not a necessary mean to that instruction or devotion which is proposed for the end of them and on the other side is acknowledged by all the Reformation to have been the occasion of abuse the preventing whereof will require that care and diligence which the forbearing of them will spare But seeing it hath appeared no breach upon Christianity to have them in Churches and that the abuse which may reasonably bee apprehended by having them to the purposes specified is of no consequence in comparison with that benefit which the Unity of the Church procureth It will never bee lawful to enjoyn this forbearance without declaring that it signifieth not that they are held unlawful Or that wee hold our selves bound to depart from Unity with the Church rather then indure them For seeing the Lutherans do use them in a great measure for the reasons specified If the uniting of us with the rest of the Reformation upon the due ground and terms hitherto required should depend upon a reasonable compliance in that particular it is manifest that it would bee a sufficient reason to oblige us to the same And therefore much more if a general re-union with the Church of Rome should come to depend upon such a compliance The consequence of this instance may bee the means to inform those that are capable what the reason of Unity may oblige us to abate of that which wee take to bee for the best in maters of less consequence that the unvaluable benefit of it may bee obtained in this estate when the protection of Sovereign Powers renders the Unity of the Church so necessary so effectual to the salvation of all For on the other side the interruption of it is that which renders that same salvation questionable by the difficulty which it createth of observing the duty of a Christian as a Christian by the impossibility rather then the difficulty which it procureth of observing the duty of a Christian as a Member of the Church which the breach of Unity alloweth not due conduct to understand To fortifie the necessity of the proposition that I An Objection for the Church of Rome answered make I will here propose an objection in behalf of the Church of Rome against the validity of our Ordinations which I have always taken to have weight and difficulty in it though others do not seem to value it For the answering of this Objection will help to justifie the Offense to bee taken and not given that may come by the liberty which here I use The succession of our Bishops deriveth it self by Ordination of three Bishops which the Canon of the Apostles authorizeth but the Canon of Nicâ—a requireth farther the consent of the Bishops of each Province Whereby it appeareth that Ordination by two or three Bishops is allowed by the Canon of the Apostles upon presumption that the Suffragants of each Province concur in allowing the Act of their fellows Which presumption ceaseth in our case Because it is manifest that the greatest part of the Suffragants did not consent to the Consecration of our Bishops but declared against it being therefore displaced by the Power of the Sword deciding for the lesser part against the greater which the Rule of the Church inableth not to do Whereupon it is argued that the Secular Power was not able to authorize our Reformation as Patron of the Church and the Canons of it To fortifie the Objection I allege the case of Novatianus who was consecrated Bishop of Rome by three Bishops and yet his Consecration was Schismatical because against Cornelius Consecrated by sixteen So the Ordination of Majorinus that was first consecrated Bishop of Carthage against Caecilianus for a head to the Schisme of the Donatists was justly counted Schismatical though it was made by a number more then sufficient of Bishops duely Ordained Which I doubt not may bee found in other Schismes I answer that the Novatians had nothing to charge the Church with but the readmitting of those that had fallen away in time of persecution upon Penance The Donatists nothing but that they who had ordained Caecilianus were Apostates Though they were proved to bee otherwise by several trials which they would never rest satisfied with As for all the rest though both Sects followed the Faith and the Orders of the Catholick Church yet they both rebaptized all those whom they reduced to themselves from the Communion of it as counting all the Church Apostates for communicating with those whom they counted Apostates Is this our case do wee find no fault with the Doctrine or with the Laws of the Church of Rome wherein Sovereigns might find themselves bound to right both themselves and their Subjects notwithstanding the dissent of the Church of Rome For though the Rule of succession by Ordination of Bishops bear them not out in it though the Unity of the Church regularly depend upon the force of that Rule yet seeing the Unity of the Church fails of the end for which God ordaineth it unless it preserve the Christianity which it supposeth intire as well in the publick service of God as in the profession and conversation of Christians it ought not to bee taken for a departure from that Unity that it is restored without that authority which regularly is provided to preserve it For the consent of all other Estates of the Kingdom in that ground and upon those terms which are to take place before the authority of those that dissent will abundantly justifie the validity of those Ordinations which declare an intent of ministring the Office according to the due ground and terms which they suppose And therefore it will not bee so visible when that ground and those terms are not so visible And upon these terms are the Christian people of this Kingdom bound to own and to authorize them in their Orders notwithstanding that the greater part of the Suffragants refused them their concurrence to the same And if the change that is made bee such in maters of greatest weight the case will bee the same though it fail of the Rule in some maters of less consequence And upon these terms I admit the plea of the Reformation That which excuseth the Reformed Churches extendeth not to our Schismâ—tickâ— that succession of Doctrine is of more consequence then succession of persons Not allowing their mistake in thinking the Order of Bishops the supporters of Antichrist For it is evident to him that will use his five senses that the
greatness of the Pope for which they will have him to bee Antichrist stands as well by Usurping upon the Bishops as upon the Crown And therefore it was a spice of madness in our Puritans to proceed upon their example to Ordination without and against their Bishops either by Presbyters or by Congregations Whereas they who could not obtain Ordination from Bishops because they professed the Reformation might more justly think themselves tied to proceed neglecting that which they could not have But trusting in the mercy of God that seeing the abuses of the Church were gross and visible and palpable the zeal of Gods House which carried men to Reforme them before they were agreed upon all that was to bee restored instead of them renders the Reformation imperfect as it is effectual to salvation notwithstanding that they may have failed in maters of less consequence Especially considering that particular Christians who are not able to judge of the publick concernments of the Church may bee able to see the abuses thereof and to reform their own lives and conversations by that conduct which an imperfect Reformation may furnish Not doubting in the mean time that this imperfection is the loss of an innumerable number of souls as well as the abuses of the Church of Rome are And therefore thinking my self tyed to say so that all publick persons of what quality soever in Church or Commonwealth in all the several quarters of Christendom may bee stirred up to consider how much it concerns their discharge at the day of judgement that the Reformation bee reduced to that Rule and that measure in every point which the ground and reason of Reformation evidenceth For then shall wee not need to apprehend any nullity upon unavoidable neglect of Canonical proceeding when the restoring of Christianity which all Canons presuppose and tend to maintain justifieth the defect of it in one for obtaining the end of it in all acts of the Church And this would bee the best ground for hope if yeâ— there bee any hope leâ—t to propagate it through all Christendome by the consent of the See of Rome to the reuniting of the Church upon such terms as that ground and reason requireth The Printer to the Reader IT is thought fit to reprint herewith two short Discourses of the same Author to the same purpose The one concerning the Establishment pretended by the late Vsurpation That hee might not seem now to disown it Though using it with that liberty which all men use in new Editions of their own Writings The other because it toucheth more briefly some of those Heads which are more perfectly though Summarily comprized in the Premises being published to that purpose upon His Majesties happy return in July 1660. A Letter concerning the present State of Religion amongst us Vnder the Act of Establishment prosecuted by the Ordinances constituting the Triers and Commissioners for ejecting of Scandalous Ministers Sir I Have perused the Ordinance for ejecting of Scandalous Ministers and finding it likely enough to send you a Pastor that shall have no authority from the Church have thought it necessary for me to give you the reasons of that opinion which I declared unto you that in that case you ought not in conscience to acknowledge such a one for your Pastor by going to hear him preach and seeming to joyn in his Prayers much less to receive the Eucharist at his hands if such a one shall bee so audacious as to celebrate it This that I may do I must first propose the Case as it is stated by those Acts which pretend to settle Religion among us For first the Act whereby the present Government is established declareth that the Christian Religion contained in the Scriptures shall be held forth as the publick profession of these Nations And that such as profess Faith in God by Jesus Christ though diâ—fering from this profession in doctrine worship or discipline shall bee protected in the exercise of their Religion excepting Popery and Pâ—elacy and those who under the profession of Christ hold forth and practise licentiousness In prosecution hereof an Ordinance is issued forth giving commission to certain persons named in it to examine and try all that have come into possession of Churches since April 13. 1653. all that have augmentations from Parliament all that shall pretend to come into Churches that shall bee void But they are to try them by no other Rule then the Certificate of three godly Neighbours one at least a Minister concerning their conversation in godliness upon their own knowledge and the judgment of five Commissioners that the Grace of God is in their hearts and that they are fit to preach In further prosecution hereof issues forth this Ordinance whereby no man is made scandalous for his judgement but hee that is liable to the Act against Blasphemy of August 9. 1653. And with him is ranked hee who shall frequently and publickly have used the Service since Christmas 1653. Whereby it appeareth that those who have declared their perseverance in the Religion which they have hitherto professed by reading the Service are therefore counted scandalous But those that can pass the trial proposed are thereby qualified in Law to bee Pastors of Parishes And consequently to succeed those that adhere to the Christianity which hitherto they have professed being cast out by the Commissioners for ejecting of scandalous Ministers In the first place then I say that the effect of these Laws is to nullifie and make void one Article of the Creed which hitherto wee profess To wit the belief of one holy Catholick and Apostolick Church This word Church may signifie two things First onely the whole number of Christians Secondly a Communion and Corporation of those that profess true Christianity founded by the will of God and the ministery of our Lord Christ and his Apostles That Christians when they profess to believe the Catholick Church do not mean the first sense that there is in the world a number of men that profess to bee Christians it is manifest because all Christians hope to bee saved by their Faith but they cannot hope to bee saved by believing that which they see Now all men see that there is such a company of men in the world Therefore when they say they believe the Catholick Church as part of that Faith whereby they hope to bee saved they do not profess to believe that there is such a company of men but that there is a Corporation of true Christians excluding Haereticks and Schismaticks and that they hope to bee saved by this Faith as being members of it And this is that which the stile of the holy Cathelick and Apostolick Church signifies as distinguishing the Body of true Christians to wit so far as profession goes from the Conventicles of Haereticks and Schismaticks For this title of Catholick would signifie nothing if Haereticks and Schismaticks were not barred the Communion of the Church And let no man imagine that
have not received the Order of Priesthood shall pretend to celebrate it For the Scripture interpreted by the un-interrupted practice of the Church allows no man under the Order of a Priest to celebrate the Eucharist Not as if those who call themselves Ministers did commit this Sacrilege in consecrating the Eucharist For though the name of Ministers signifies no more then Deacons and that it is truly Sacrilege for Deacons to celebrate the Eucharist Yet they whom they call Ministers if Ordained were Ordained Priests with power to celebrate the Eucharist For they call them Ministers to impose upon the World an opinion which they cannot prove by the Scripture That they are the only Ministers of the Word and Sacraments The second because they know not nor acknowledge the Consecration that is requisite to the celebration and being of this Sacrament by the same Scriptures understood according to the un-interrupted custome and practice of the Church For the whole Church of God allowing the elements consecrated to bee the Body and Bloud of Christ mystically or in the Sacrament alloweth this change to bee made by the consecration before which they were only Bread and Wine Not as if after the Consecration they were not so but because they are then become that which they were not afore to wit the Sacrament of Christs Body and Bloud or the Body and Bloud of Christ spiritually and mystically that is in the Sacrament This Consecration being exactly maintained by the Church of England they that presume to celebrate the Eucharist without acknowledging the same and pretending to destroy the Law by which it is exercised must bee presumed not to acknowledge the necessity thereof to the being of this Sacrament And therefore they and their complices in the Communion thereof to bee guilty of the Body and Bloud of Christ as not distinguishing a sign of mans institution from a Sacrament of Gods appointment and Ordinance As for the Office of Preaching and Praying which they pretend to in behalf of the Church I will mark you out two monstrous Impostures in all the Sects of this time The first is this ground of the now pretended Reformation of Religion in England That the Church is not to assemble for the Service of God but when there is Preaching This seems to stand upon a very gross mistake of those passages of the Apostles writings which declare the necessary means of salvation to consist in hearing the Gospel preached As if they were meant of Sermons in the Pulpit which are onely made to those that are already Christians not of publishing the Gospel to those that knew it not afore convincing them that it is true and instructing them wherein it consists Or as if those that are already Christians wanted any thing necessary to salvation supposing them to persevere in the Christianity which they have professed Not as if their Christianity did not oblige them to hear Sermons when the authority of the Church assures them to bee without offense But because the Offices of publick Prayers and the Praises of God especially in celebrating the blessed Eucharist are the end of all that instruction in Christianity which Christians receive from the Church and therefore all Preaching subordinate to the same as the means to the End And because they may bee daily so frequented without offense and to the increase of the reverence due to Christianity as the experience of our time shows that Preaching cannot bee The second is that the first day of the week called Sunday is the Sabbath by force of the fourth Commandment A mistake so gross that it may well serve for an instance what Faction can do with men that are sober otherwise That God by commanding the Jews to keep the seventh day of the week to wit that day on which hee ended the Creation of the world and for that very reason commanding it should bee thought to command Christians to keep the first day of the week on which hee began the Creation and our Lord Christ arose from the dead That is that the same words of the same Commandment in writing should oblige Jews to rest on the Saturday which oblige Christians to rest on the Sunday is a thing which when this fit of frenzie shall bee past us will scarse bee believed that ever any man would believe True it is this first day hath been observed in and ever since the Apostles time but not by virtue of that Law which their Office was to declare expired and out of date but by the Act of their own authority whereby they gave Laws to Christs Church Let us now only compare the daily morning and evening Sacrifice of Prayer and the Praises of God established by the Order of the Church of England together with the more solemn service of Lords days and Festivals with a bare Sermon upon Sundays ushered in and out with a Prayer of every mans own conceit setting aside the Haeresie and false Doctrine the Faction and Schism the Blasphemy and Slander the ridiculous Follies which this Sermon and Prayer may and which wee have known them contain I say comparing these together the Reformation pretended is and ought to bee accounted the abomination of desolation in comparison of that Order which it destroyeth And therefore upon this account alone those who not being invested with that ordinary Power by which the Church is inabled to correct abuses in the Church shall usurp the Power of the Church to introduce this disorder are thereby Schismaticks themselves and those that acknowledge them for their Pastors complices of Schismaticks It will bee said that these Laws will bee amended as it was many times said awhile since that the Parliament would settle a Ministery To this I say that those who shall bee sent you by virtue of these Laws have every way as good authority as any the Power that made these Laws joyned with a Parliament can give to them that are not otherwise qualified by the authority of the Church That is that this Power and the power of a Parliament together though advising with Divines can do no more then this Power with advise of those Divines which it useth hath done Because both are Secular and able to make men their Ministers to maintain the Interest of that Government which their Power constituteth but not Ministers of the Church to maintain the Interest of that Faith and Service of God which it is trusted with If it bee said that in most parts of the Reformation those from whom the Ministery is propagated had not received by their Ordination Power to ordain others For answer I suppose That the abuses crept into the Church were so great that particular Churches that is part of the whole might and ought to reform themselves without consent or concurrence of the whole I suppose that though there bee in the Church a succession of persons indued with authority in behalf of it as well as of Faith and of Rules or Laws Yet the
authorize them as ever they were to that which they have destroyed to introduce this shadow of a Church If it bee objected that your Estates will bee liable to penalties that may bee enacted against those that withdraw from the exercise of the Religion publickly held forth To this I have no answer but that wee are to obey God rather then man to prefer the next world before this and to bear Christs Cross if wee expect his kingdom Only thus much I must observe that these Laws proceed from a profession that it is not lawful to force mens Consciences in matter of Religion by penalties And therefore though the Praelatical party are not protected in the exercise of their Religion yet cannot they bee punished for it but by denying that which is declared upon the publick Faith Besides acknowledging the Christian Religion contained in the Scriptures and professing-faith in God by Jesus Christ they are as much qualified for protection as those that are protected by the Act of Establishment And not to allow the exercise of that Religion the profession whereof is not disallowed seems to bee to forbid men to bee Christians who are not forbidden to bee such Christians and to expose them to popular tumult contrary to the publick peace whom no Law punishes If the Papists continue nevertheless liable to former penalties perhaps it is because they are reputed Idolaters But because these laws and the profession from whenâ— they proceed may change I must confess you cannot follow my advise but that your estate may become questionable Neither would I give it could I assure you of the kingdom of heaven otherwise If you demand what means I can shew you to exercise your Religion withdrawing from the means which these Acts provide I answer that there are hitherto every where of the Clergie that adhere to the Church who will find it their duty to see your infants Christned your children Catechised the Eucharist communicated to all that shall withdraw from Churches forcibly possessed by them whom you own not for Pastors And if they cannot continually minister to you so dispersed the ordinary Offices of Gods Service you have the Service of God according to the Order of the Church you have the Scriptures to read for part of it you have store of Sermons manifestly allowed by the Church to read you have Prayers prescribed for all your own necessities and the necessities of the Church To serve God with these in private with such as depend upon you and are of the same judgement with you leaving out what belongs to the Priests Office to say I do to the best of my judgement believe an acceptable sacrifice to God which you cannot offer at the Church in such case And though I censure not my brethren of the Clergie that think fit to complie with the power which wee are under in holding or coming by their Benefices I suppose in respect to their flocks rather then to their fruits yet if they believe themselves and their flocks to bee members of the Church of England they must needs believe those flocks that acknowledge such Pastors to bee members of no Church and therefore acknowledge you and own your departure and declare themselves to their own flocks and instruct them to do the like when the like case falls out And so the refusing to hear the voice of strangers will unite us to make a flock under those whom wee acknowledge our lawful Pastors I have found my self pressed to Print Copies hereof for mine own use thereby to declare thus much of my judgement to you and to the rest of my friends because the consequence of owning such men for your Pastors will bee to make us members of several Churches Which must disable me to do any office of a Clergie man towards you unless it bee the prosecuting of this by shewing you further reasons to justifie what I say here and to reduce you to it Though it shall alwaies bee my studie faithfully to serve my friends in all Offices of civility And I hope they will consider what appearance there is that any thing should move me to make my self liable to so much harm as the publick declaring of this opinion will make me liable to but the discharge of my conscience to God and them as the case shall require me to discharge it The due Way of composing the differences on Foot preserving the Church According to the Opinion of HERBERT THORNDIKE I Have found my self obliged by that horrible confusion in Religion which the late War had introduced to declare the utmost of mine opinion concerning the whole point of Religion upon which the Western Church stands divided into so many parties And now finding no cause to repent me of doing it can find no cause why I should not declare the consequence of it in setling of that which remains of our differences For middle waies to so good an end are now acceptable meerly as middle waies and tending to drive a bargain without pretending that they ought to bee admitted How much more an expedient pretending necessity from reasons extant in publick and not contradicted The chief ground that I suppose here because I have proved it at large is the meaning of that Article of our Creed which professeth one Catholick Church For either it signifies nothing or it signifies that God hath founded one Visible Church that is that he hath obliged all Churches and all Christians of whom all Churches consist to hold visible communion with the Whole Church in the visible offices of Gods publick service And therefore I am satisfied that the differences upon which wee are divided cannot bee justly setled upon any terms which any part of the Whole Church shall have just cause to refuse as inconsistent with the unity of the Whole Church For in that case wee must needs become Schismaticks by setling our selves upon such Laws under which any Church may refuse to communicate with us because it is bound to communicate with the Whole Church True it is that the foundation of the Church upon these terms will presuppose the intire profession of Christianity whether concerning Faith or Manners For otherwise how should those Offices in which all the Church is to communicate bee counted the service of God according to Christianity And this profession is the condition upon the undergoing whereof all men by being baptized and made Christians are also admitted to communion with the Church as members of it But nothing can make it visible to the common reason of all men what communion they are to resort unto for their Salvation but the visible Communion of all parts of the Church which having been maintained for divers ages of the Church is now visibly interrupted by the Reformation and before by the breach between the Greek and Latin Church And therefore though it bee visible to reason rightly informed what communion a man is to imbrace for his Salvation yet it is not now
hypocrisie or meer nonsense Others there are that do not think themselves obliged to the unity of Gods Church upon far different Principles There are of our Enthusiasts such as are themselves every one a Church to themselves and by themselves as being above Ordinances and the Communion of the Church provided only for proficients But all Independent Congregations make the same profession and are manifestly grounded upon the same For how can they imagine themselves members of one visible Church who profess that they cannot bee obliged to hold communion with any Congregation but their own And yet with favour the same consequence insuing upon so different pretenses there must bee some supposition common to both upon which both do ground themselves And it is easily visible what that is Both opinions must suppose that a man may bee heir to Christs Kingdom and indowed with Gods Spirit without being or before hee bee a member of Gods Church And the Independents indeed do manifestly profess that knowing themselves and others to bee Gods children and indowed with his Spirit they are in a capacity to joyn in Ecclesiastical Communion with those whom they know to bee such So they become members of a Church being Gods children before without considering how they shall bee members of the Whole Church The others are satisfied that by being members of a State which professeth Christianity they are also members of that one Holy Catholick and Apostolick Church which by our Creed wee profess to believe A ground which holdeth accidentally so long as that State constituteth a visible member of the Whole or the Catholick Church But not imaginable to serve the turn when States differ in point of Christianity and may every day appeal to force whether is the true Church and whether the false For is it not manifest that the professions of the Lutherans the Calvinists the Greeks the Abyssines are protected by Sovereign powers as well as the profession of the Church of Rome or the Church of England Is it not manifest that the Powers that profess them maintain them respectively to bee Gods truth Why then do wee dispute any longer which is the true Religion and which is the false if it bee enough for Christians to resolve all the doubt they can have concerning Religion into the command of their Sovereigne only professing Christianity Is it not manifest that Sovereigns do use to punish their Subjects that conform not to their Laws concerning Religion but follow that Religion which is in force under other Sovereignties Is it possible to imagine that Subjects can bee obliged by one and the same will of God to follow contrary Religions under several Sovereigns Or that Sovereigns can bee inabled by one and the same Law of God to punish their Subjects for serving God according to contrarie professions True it is Subjects that suffer in a good cause shall bee gainers thereby gaining Heaven by their losses of this world But what shall become of the Sovereigns that persecute them being in a good cause Or how shall not some of them bee persecuted in a good cause who are persecuted in contrary causes I know not whether this peremptory difficulty was the cause But I am sure recourse hath been had to a more desperate answer that every Subject is bound to profess the Religion of his Sovereign yea though it in join him to renounce Christ with his mouth remaining bound all the while to believe in him with his heart and that by this belief hee shall bee saved as a Christian Neither is this position tenable but upon this answer nor doth this answer import any less then the utter renouncing of Christianity I know that in the Records of the antient Church those who only professed to believe Christianity who were called Catecbumeni or Scholars to the Church are sometimes called by the name of Christians But I know withall that they were never counted in the state of Salvation till they had taken upon them the profession of Christianity by being adimtted to the Sacrament of Baptisme I know also that this Baptisme though it was not counted void when it was Ministred in due form yet it was never counted effectual to Salvation but when a man is baptized into the true Faith and that in the Unity of Gods Church For though the names of Haereticks and Schismaticks have been made only Bug-bears to fright children with in this time of our troubles yet so long as Christianity continues those that separate themselves from the Church upon pretenses concerning the substance of Faith shall bee properly counted Haereticks But if the cause concern not the substance of Christianity Schismaticks And therefore Christianity consisting not only in believing or purposing with the heart but also in professing with the mouth first sincerelie then the true Faith and lastly by being baptized hee that professeth himself free to renounce his Christianity as far as the mouth hath effectively renounced it because hee hath effectively drawn back that promise upon condition whereof hee was baptized of professing Christianity to the death And truly if every Christian State bee the Church of God within the territories thereof then cannot all Churches concur to make up that one Visible Church of God which our Creed professeth For there is nothing more evidently true then the saying of Plato that all States are naturally enemies one to another especially those that are borderers And this enmity in our daies consisteth visibly in those differences of Religion upon which the neighbour Sovereignties of Christendom are now at distance It is therefore no way imaginable how all Christian States should concur to make up that one visible Church whereinto by being baptized wee obtain the spiritual and eternal privileges of Christians But that it is the profession of the whole Rule of Christianity that makes any people or State a part of the Visible Church being governed by such rules in the exercise of Gods service as may make it the same Society with that which was once unquestionably Gods Church or part of it For otherwise how should the Visible Church continue one and the same from the first to the second coming of our Lord And here you have the second point of our differences For all our Sects under the title of Gods free grace do maintain that the promises of the Gospel and our right in them depends not upon the truth of mens Christianity As if God were not free enough of his Grace if hee should reserve himself a duty of being served as by Christians upon those whom he tenders life everlasting to upon such terms It is no new thing in England to hear of those who profess that God sees not nor can see any sin in his elect So that in their opinion there is no mortal sin but repentance because that must suppose that a man thought himself out of the state of grace by the sin whereof hee repents I think I am duly informed of a
Malefactor dying upon the Gallows that professed to the strengthening of his brethern that hee had overcome all temptation to repentance acknowledging that since his being in prison hee had been strongly moved to repent And that one of Hackets three conspirators when hee was come to himself continued to profess that hee thought himself in the state of Gods Grace all the while But I will go no further then the words which I have quoted in another place out of a Pamphlet written to satisfie the God lie party in Wales being offended at the late Usurpers proceedings which allegeth that wee are not to bee judged at the last day either by our Works or by our Faith but by Gods everlasting purpose concerning each of us by virtue whereof Christ being alive at the heart the violation of all his engagements to them by usurping â—over them as over others made no difference in his estate towards God Whosoever writ this I think I am duly informed that himself caused it to bee published But I am certain that to the everlasting infamie of a Christian Nation if reparation bee not made it is supposed to bee the sense of all the Godly in it And to the same effect my memory assures me to have read in one of his speeches That there are at this day inspirations of Gods Spirit besides the Scriptures though not against the Scriptures Now certainly that which a man hath by virtue of the Scriptures that is of Christianity can by no means bee understood to bee besides the Scriptures And certainly hee that presumeth upon any motion of Gods Spirit not supposing Christianity that is not supposing the Scriptures may by the same reason presume of his own salvation not supposing that hee believes and lives as a Christian The same is the consequence of a Position I will not say injoined by any party but notoriously allowed among us That justifying Faith consisteth in believing that a man is one of them that are predestinate whom God sent our Lord Christ to redeem and none else For how can hee think himself obliged to make good the profession of a Christian who thinks himself assured of all that hee can attain to by so doing not supposing it Indeed it may bee said that our Antinomians and Enthusiasts and other Sects among us whom no conceit without this could have seduced to their several frenzies do think themselves justified from everlasting by Gods decree to send Christ for that purpose whereas this opinion dateth Justification from the instant that God revealeth the said decree by his Spirit in which revelation they think that justifying Faith confisteth And certainly there can bee no reason why God receiving men into Grace only in consideration of Christs obedience should suspend their reconcilement upon that knowledge of his purpose which hee giveth them by Faith For what can bee more unreasonable than that God should justifie a man by revealing to him that hee is justified But the opinion is not the less destructive to Christianity because it is the more unreasonable Now it is possible that the effect of this position may bee stifled and become void in some by reason of other truths which contradict the same indeed and yet are believed by them not seeing the consequence of their own perswasions But those who besides this position do pertinaciously hold absolute predestination to Glory those I maintain are in an errour destructive to Christianity that is in an Haeresiâ— And therefore this Doctrine being such it is no way enough that it is no way injoined to bee taught but it is requisite that it bee disclaimed by those that pretend to recover the Unity of a Visible Church For there can bee no Church where any thing destructive to Christianity which the being of the Church supposeth is notoriously allowed to bee taught Now between these two points of our differences I am to observe a vast difference For this latter is necessary for all Christians to know as being the principle of all those actions which being just for the mater of them must render the men acceptable to God in order to life everlasting And therefore hee that thinketh hee can bee regenerate or justified or the child of God or indowed with Gods Spirit not supposing that hee undertakes and performs the profession of a Christian renounces the Article of his Creed concerning one baptisme to remission of sins But the being of Gods Visible Church consisteth in that Unity which ariseth upon the agreement of all Christians to hold Communion in the visible Offices of Gods service And therefore though it bee an Article of our Creed to believe one Catholick Church yet can it not concern the salvation of every particular Christian to understand the nature of that Society or Corporation which the bond of this Unity createth Nay even they who are best seen in that Government by which this Unity is preserved may well fail in comprehending the reason thereof by reflecting their discourse upon it In the mean time it is necessary for all that believe their Creed to think themselves tied by this Article to maintain the Unity of the Church according to their estate That is for every ones part not to bee accessory to any Schisme that dissolveth it And therefore to deny the crime of Schisme is to deny this Article The consequence of this observation will bee the difference which the Church hath reason to use in reconciling parties at distance from it to the Unity thereof according to the difference of those pretenses upon which they are at distance For those who have only disputed against the being of the Church upon misunderstanding the right of Secular Power which they think the being of the Church inconsistent with shall bee sufficiently reunited to the Church by conforming to the Law by which the Church is and was and may bee established For that there ought to bee provision against such disputes for the future it concerns not me to give warning Only where willfullness hath proceeded so far in maintaining a false position as to make no bones of denying Christianity and teaching Atheism by obliging to renounce Christ if the Sovereign command it it concerneth the Christianity of the Nation to see reparation made But where the Haeretical positions mentioned afore have notoriously been maintained especially where Congregations have been framed and used for the exercise of Religion upon pretense of them there will it bee absolutely necessarie that they bee expresly renounced and disclaimed either by persons in particular or in Body by Congregations To this head I reduce all Anabaptists and Congregations of Anabaptists Those of the fifth Monarchy and Congregations of the fifth Monarchy Quakers and Congregations of Quakers Nay all Independent Congregations in my opinion ought to bee reduced under this measure Not only because their profession is grounded upon the denial of one visible Church But because they suppose themselves children of God and indowed with his Spirit before
they bee members of Gods Church That is setting aside their Baptism and the Covenant which is solemnly inacted by it between God and each soul And though I do refer my self to the wisdom of Superiors in what form this reconciliation bee solemnized yet I must express my opinion thus far that there can bee none so fit as that which the wisdom of the Catholick Church from the beginning hath alwaies frequented By granting them the blessing of the Church with Imposition of hands renouncing for their part their several Sects and Errors That is by the praiers of the Church for the Spirit of God to rest upon them who have barred their baptism from giving it by opposing the peace of the Church which now they retire unto For how shall the Unity of the Church bee secured but by declaring them who violate the same accursed of God Nor let it bee thought that our Sectaries of their own accord retiring themselves unto the Communion of this Church it will bee requisite for the Church to admit them without taking notice of any thing that hath passed For neither is it to bee presumed that they who have made their own wills their Law for so many years will so much as profess conformitie to the Rule of the Church And if they did profess it there is no reason to think that they should stand to it having a dispensation dormant of the Spirit to stand to their profession as the interest of their faction shall require So their coming to Church would bee only an advantage for them to infect others And how should that Communion bee counted a Church which intertains Haereticks as Haereticks and Schismaticks as Schismaticks that is without renouncing positions destructive to the Faith without obliging themselves for the future to hold Unity with the Church Certainly there is no just answer for this if the Church of Rome should object it for the reason why they refuse to hold communion with us Certainly St. Augustine when hee was charged by the Donatists that the Church received their Apostates without rebaptizing them and in their respective Orders could have had no answer if he had not had this That the Church received them not as Donatists but as converted from being Donatists they not refusing to profess so much Certainly it may bee and perhaps is justifiable for the Secular Power to grant them the exercise of their Religion in private places of their own providing under such moderate penalties as the disobeying of the Laws of a mans Country might require For persecution to death for that cause the whole Reformation condemneth in the Church of Rome And I conceive there is no reason for that which will not condemn persecution to banishment But this would require the like moderation to bee extended to Recusants of the Church of Rome True it is in mine opinion those Papists that think themselves tied by the Bull of Pius V. against Queen Elizabeth or that they may bee tied by the like Acts of his Successors against hers are justly liable to the utmost of penalties as professed enemies to their Country But besides that it is manifest that all Papists are not of that opinion which the said Bull presupposeth The State may easier be secured of Papists against all such power in the Pope then of our Sectaries against that dispensation to their Allegiance which the pretense of Gods Spirit may import when they please And whereas it is manifest that many Papists hold against those equivocations and reservations which destroy all confidence of the Sovereign in his Subjects allegiance How shall a State bee secured against that infamous falsehood of the late Usurper in any man that pretends Gods Spirit upon his terms which I mentioned afore Besides the Recusants being for the most part of the good Families of the Nation will take it for a part of their Nobility freely to profess themselves in their Religion if they understand themselves whereas the Sectaries being people of mean qualitie for the most part cannot bee presumed to stand upon their reputation so much So if they cannot bee tolerated in the exercise of their Religion it must bee provided upon what terms they may bee received by the Church And by that which hath been said it may appear what my opinion will require of the Presbyterians for the condition of reconciling our selves into one Church again Namely in the first place their submission to the Act or Decree or Order according to which the Sectaries ought to bee tied to renounce the damnable positions which they have notoriously set on foot For if they should refuse this what reason could bee alleged why they should bee counted Strangers to that infection which they will not exclude As for the other Article of the Creed concerning one Visible Church it is evident that they cannot belong to that Church supposing the Premises For it is evident that there was a time when the whole Church was governed by Bishops and that not against Gods Law for then there had remained no Church And therefore for them to break the Unity of the Church upon pretense of governing this Church by Presbyters is to break Unity unless a part may give Law to the whole which who so do are for so doing Schismaticks And the Church of Rome would have due cause to cast us off for Schismaticks if wee should admit this pretense But this is a point the knowledg whereof cannot belong to the substance of Christianity for the reason alleged before And therefore I do not think the Church tied to exact the express profession of it or the disclaiming of the error that is opposite to it On the other side the Church maintaining the Ordinations of Presbyters alone to bee meer nullities in themselves can never own their Ordinations without renouncing the Catholick Church yet may it consent in the persons upon their consent to the order which shall bee established for the future And indeed what can they challenge by the meer consent of certain Presbyters which the Ministers of Congregations may not pretend to by the consent of their respective Congregations And yet I suppose both parties are agreed not to own them in that Power which the celebration of the Eucharist importeth Let any man that is capable to judge of such maters think upon the madness of the Lancashire Presbyterians without prejudice Of whom I am duly informed that they caused those who were ordained only Deacons in the Church of England to do the office of Presbyters which they had no title to in celebrating the Eucharist And tell me what reason there can bee excluding the Ordinations of the Congregations to admit the usurpations of the Presbyterians As for the form and solemnity in which the consent of the Church to their Ordinations shall bee celebrateed therein I refer my self to the wisdom of Superiors Thinking it would bee a great impertinence in the Presbyterians if finding a necessity of submitting
Keyes viz. that of loosing but bind not as pronouncing absolution without injoyning of Penance The discipline of Geneva they magnifie indeed as they find it described by Bodine in his method of Histories But they distinguish not whether they mean the civil discipline which the Laws of that State inforce or that which the Power of the Keys exercised there according to Calvine doth constitute For the Civil Law of a Christian State especially no bigger then that of Geneva may settle such a discipline over the outward man as may restrain from the outward act of sin without mortifying the inward man to the inward love of God The late Usurpers Army wee have seen well disciplined against the ordinary vices of the Camp Who appearing now to have been then enemies to their Country are thereby discovered not to have followed the reward of Christiens but of Souldiers And the Laws of Christian States by the means of Christianity which they maintain may reach to the mortifying of sin and the quickning of righteousness at the heart But of themselves being Civil Laws and proposing no further reward or punishment then that good which a mans Country signifies they reach no further then the outward man for the better or for the worse Nor is it of any greater consequence to Christianity that the outward act of sin or virtue is repressed or incouraged by the rewards and penalties of Civil Laws But when the discipline of the Church takes place hee who forfeiteth his Christianity by gross sin that is notorious forfeiteth also Communion with the Church and recovereth it not till the presumption bee no less notorious that hee hath recovered his Christianity Now Communion with the Church is the consequence of our Baptisme which intitleth us to life everlasting Therefore it is not duly forfeited without forfeiting the effect of Baptisme our right to life everlasting So our right to heaven depending upon the Communion of the Church the discipline of the Church must needs reach the inward man as effectually as any outward application can reach the heart which is invisible For the presumption is grounded upon visible works of Penance the effects of that invisible disposition without which they could not bee constantly brought forth Whether or no this discipline bee visible at Geneva I will not pronounce This I undertake that comparing the Doctrine of Calvine with their Orders they need not set a value upon the Power of the Keys exercised according to his Doctrine in comparison of the same exercised according to their own Orders So that supposing not granting that the Laws of the Church of England being the Laws of the primitive Catholick Church are to bee changed for conformity with the Reformed Churches it followeth not therefore that they are to bee changed for those of the Churches reformed according to Calvine Certainly the receiving of the Communion kneeling having been one of the Orders of their Reformation from the beginning and so stifly insisted upon by them in Poland they that pretend to change the Law of England in that point for conformity with the Reformation think they have not men but beasts to deal with The Church of England in the Commination against sinners hath declared a great zeal for the renewing of that antient discipline of Penance which was in force in the primitive Church And certainly the Church of England is not the Church of England but in Name till the power of Excommunication bee restored unto it which there was not nor ever can bee sufficient cause to take from any Church But the discipline of Penance though depending upon the Power of Excommunication is as much to bee preferred bâ—â—ore it as it is more desirable to bring men to the Church then to shut them out of it If prejudice and faction have not more to do in the pretenses of this time then the truth of Christianity and zeal to advance it it is a point that cannot bee neglected in any deliberation of Reforming the Church I cannot render a more visible reason why so godly a zeal in those that first prescribed our Reformation to the restoring of Penance hath not been improved by their successors then the partialities which sprung up in it like tares in the wheat and have now prevailed to choke even the power of Excommunication wherein the being of a Church consisteth And though many sinnes of this Nation may bee alleged for the cause why God hath taken this sharp revenge upon us yet can no reason bee so proper why hee should permit the hedge of the Church to bee cast down for all Sects to devour and tread his Vinâ—yard under foot by suffering the power of Excommunication to bee taken from it as the neglect of improving it in and to the discipline of Penance True it is not only all capital but all infamous crimes whereof men are convicted by Law are thereby notorious and require this discipline no less then those which the Law of this Land punisheth not otherwise then by Penance And if the Church did make a difference among those that dye by publick Justice owning only those who approve their desire to undergo regular Penance in case they might survive then were this discipline visible no visible crime escaping it For all capitall and infamous crimes that are not actually punished with death must by that reason remain unreconciled to the Church though free of the Law till Penance bee done And seeing crimes that are not known cannot bee cured upon easier terms then those that are would not the judgement of the Law authorizing the Church in the cure of known sins move even them that believe their Christianity no further then it is authorized by Law to submit invisible sinnes to the same cure For what is it but the slighting of this cure that makes mens sinnes fester and rankle inwardly and break out into greater and greater excesses And therefore to debate of Ceremonies and words in the service and May-poles and Sabbath days journeyes not considering the Power of the Keyes upon which the Church is founded and the restoring of the same is to neglect a consumption at the heart pretending only to cure the hair or the nails Now if any of our Sects insist upon a pretense that deserves to bee insisted upon far bee it from us to cast off the consideration of it because they have unduely separated from the Church for it Our Anabaptists it is known infist upon two points The baptizing of Infants and that by sprinkling not by dipping In both they have neglected St. Peters Doctrine That Baptisme saveth us not the laying aside of the filth of our flesh but the answer of a good conscience to God For were the profession of Christianity celebrated by the Sacrâ—â—â—nt of Baptisme believed to bee that which saveth us men would not go to baptize them as not baptized who by their profession which they acknowledge by seeking the Communion of the Church are under that bond which intitleth them to the Salvation of Christians Nor can there bee any greater presumption then the voiding of Baptisme so celebrated that they expect Salvation upon other terms But in making void Baptisme ministred by sprinkling alone without dipping they neglect St. Peter again when hee maketh the Baptisme that saveth not to consist in cleansing the flesh but in a due profession of Christianity signifying this to bee the principal that onely the accessory Ceremony which it is solemnized with And therefore they are to acknowledge this difference by acknowledging Baptisme so ministred to bee good and valid not void But this being acknowledged well may they insist that it is unduely ministred For it is evident that neitheâ— the Scripture nor the practise of the whole Church can by any means allow the sprinkling of water for Baptisme though the pouring on of water in case of necessity bee allowed Nor doth the Law of the Church of England allow any more then pouring water upon a Child that is weak commanding therefore dipping otherwise And therefore this Law being much weakned by the tenderness of Mothers and Friends supposing all Infants weak which the Law supposeth not and by undue zeal for Forreign Fashions ought to bee revived and brought into use by all Ordinaries that there may remain no colour for such an offense And therefore reparation is to bee made for the sacrilege of the late Wars in destroying the Fonts of Baptisme in Churches and bringing in Christening out of Basins by force I cannot say that I have touched all that is fit to bee touched But I hope I have said nothing but that which followeth upon the ground which I have justified That which is proposed and is not so justified seems to demand the consent of those who propose it as able to hold the Church divided if they bee not contented But that calls to mind a reason on the other side that men use to get a stomack with eating in such cases The due measure is not the satisfying of mens appetites but the improvement of our common Christianity FINIS Faults Escaped thus Amended Pag. 7. line 2. mistakes Point mistakes p. 40. l. 32. none read now p. 49. l. 16. Church p. Church p. 60. l. 36. Lawes r. Land p. 79. l. 14. of the Judgement r. of Judgement p. 84. l. 34. Trihes r. Tribes p. 90. l. 10. Praedestinarians r. Praedestinatians l. 12. West p. West p. 108. l. 33. Bishop Priest and Deacon p. Bishop Priest and Deacon p. 112. l. 14. Service p. Service p. 134. l. 12. all these r. those p. 143. l. 34. he performing r. the p. p. 145. l. 15. Hierachy r. Hierarchy p. 157. l. 24. prescribled r. prescribed l. 29 30. the the Power r. the P. p. 158. l. 6. Memoral r. Memorial p. 173. l. 37. Order r. Orders p. 179. l. 29. leave r. bear p. 189. l. 31. which r. with p. 201. l. 25. Church p. Church
with judgement as well as with truth and righteousness Wee have this evidence for that which I say that the authorities of those Divines of this Church that have declared the sense of the Oath of Supremacy with publick allowance are now alleged by the Papists themselves to infer that the mater of it is lawful as capable of the sense which they declare Now the bounds of Reformation being visible by the Faith The extent of Secular Power in Reforming the Church and the Laws of the Catholique Church the extent of Secular power in Ecclesiastical maters and over Ecclesiastical persons and therefore in the reforming of them preserving Ecclesiastical power in persons that have it by the founding of the Church from God cannot remain invisible For in the first place there can bee no question That the Sovereign as a Sovereign is to maintain his own Rights by such means as hee finds meet against all Usurpations under pretense of the Church and the authority of it For the common Christianity assureth him that all such Usurpations are contrary to it And besides as a Christian Sovereign it is his Inheritance to bee a Member of the Church and a Protector of all his Subjects in the same right Therefore all Christian Sovereigns are born Advocates and Patrons of the Faith and of the Rights of the Whole Church And if by lapse of time they bee gone to decay if by any express Act they have been infringed it lyes in them to restore their Subjects and themselves to those Rights being brought into evidence by the authority and crâ—dit of the whole Church But seeing the determining of the mater of Ecclesiastical Law as well as of Controversies of Faith belongs to those that have authority in the Church by the foundation of it Of necessity the fitting of the present Laws of every Church to those which the whole Church hath been ruled by from the beginning as the difference which may appear in the State of those bodies to which they were given shall require will by vertue of Gods Law belong to those that have such authority by the Foundation of the Church And upon these terms the right of Secular power in Church maters is accumulative and not destructive to the Rights of the Church And upon these terms only the Sovereign is justifiable at the great Day of Judgment in things that may bee done amiss in reforming the Church CHAP. XXI The pretense of Infallibility makes the breach unreconcileable So doth the pretense of perspicuity in the Scripture The Trial must suppose the Catholick Church The Fanatickes further from the truth of Christianity then the Church of Rome The consequence of their principle worse then that of Infallibility The point of Truth in the middle between both How salvation is concerned in the mater of Free Will and Grace Salvation concerned in the Sacraments upon the same terms The abuses of the Church of Rome in the five Sacraments The Grace of Ordination The Reformation pretended no less abuse on the other side The point of Reformation in the mean between both The Superstitions of the Church of Rome The Superstitions of the Puritans Why the Pope cannot bee Antichrist How it is just to Reform without the See of Rome ANd upon Supposition of the premises for which I conceive The pretense of Infallibility makes the breach unreconcileable I have produced competent evidence I proceed to take the Balance in hand and to put the Extreams into the Scales that I may put it to the conscience of all that are resolved to prefer truth before Faction or prejudice where the point of Reformation lyes upon terms of right And how neer the publique Powers of this Kingdom are bound to come to it in this Case when an Uniformity in Religion is to bee setled by Law for the Church of England In the first place then the Infallibility of the present Church is to bee held â—or an Errour of pernicious consequence in the Church of Rome For it submits all the parts of Christianity to the passion and interest of persons that shall bee for the present in power to sway those maters wherein the whole Church is concerned It is a thing manifest in the world that though that which concerns all in point of Religion is to bee treated by all yet that which is treated by all is concluded always by the authority of a few So things passed when Councils were frequented The Freedom of Councils being interrupted and the present Church accepted for Infallible the See of Rome will of necessity bee the present Church And the passions and interests thereof will have as much power in maters of Religion as those passions and interests can allow and stand with What the effect thereof may bee I need not argue to those that profess the Reformation upon that account Only thus far they may seem excusable that there is no Act with force of Law tying all of that profession to maintain it Infallibility may bee claimed for the whole Church And that is true And it may bee claimed for the present Church which is false They that pretend to reduce us to the Church of Rome would spoil their own market if they should distinguish thus Therefore they plead Infallibility without distinguishing On the other side there is as much difference between the So doth the pretense of perspicuity in the Scripture sufficiency of the Scripture for the salvation of all and the clear evidence of all that is necessary to bee known for the salvation of all to all in the Scriptures The one is as true and the other as false as the Infallibility of the present Church is false and the Infallibility of the whole Church is true And to appeal to the Scriptures alone when the sense of them only is questionable is to declare that wee will submit to no other trial but our own sense As they who declare the present Church infallible can never depart from any thing which once it hath declared For it is manifest that they who appeal to the Scriptures The Trial must suppose the Catholick Church alone having before this appeal declared themselves in the points of difference between the Reformation and the Church of Rome do declare themselves tyed in conscience to stand to that sense of the Scripture upon which they ground their opinion in the maters of difference What means then can remain to bring that to a Trial which causes division upon these terms but to acknowledge one Catholick Church which our Creed professeth And by consequence to submit our sense of all Scripture that remains in question all difference in Doctrine all Laws of the Church to bee determined according to the sense and practice of the whole Church that is within the bounds of it For to proceed to divide the Church still into more and more parties and Communions till wee have lost the sense of any obligation to hold communion with
the whole Church is more destructive to the substance of Christianity then all that corruption which the Reformation pretendeth to cure But to confining our sense of the Scripture our opinions in mater of Doctrine and the Laws which wee demand within that which the Faith and the Laws of the whole Church may appear to require wee are half the way onward to the point of Reformation having the ground and the reason and therefore the measure and the terms of it The mistake of the Schools and of the Council of Trent after The Fanaticks further from the truth of Christianity then the Church of Rome the Schools in the nature of Justification and the effect of infused righteousness to which they ascribe it is no way destructive to Christianity No more is the opinion of satisfaction and merit in the good works of Christians so long as it is grounded upon Gods promise which they that inflame that opinion to the highest in the Church of Rome must acknowledg to come into consideration whether they will or not As for the merit of Grace by the works which a natural man is able to do commonly called meritum congrui as that which is fit for God to give though not for the worth of the works It is indeed an Errour of greater danger but never was general in the School and now generally disallowed so far it was always from being enjoyned by the Church But what is this in comparison of that furious Doctrine that the assurance of a mans Predestination is justifying Faith In which the opinion of absolute Predestination to Glory and of Gods predetermining a man to do all that hee doth is twisted together with an Enthusiasme that wee are justified and made the children of God by being assured hereof by his Spirit Not supposing any condition of Christianity in consideration of which it is had and by the knowledg whereof it is assured us For they that believe that Gods predetermination is the reason and the ground of freedom in mans Will and of contingence in the effects of it supposing freedom and contingence do thereby bar the ill consequence of their own mistake But hee that can think himself assured of that which the Gospel promiseth not being assured that hee performeth the Christianity which by his Baptisme hee undertaketh why should hee hold himself tied why should hee study and endeavour himself to perform it Nay holding his Christianity and the Scriptures which The consequence of their principle worse then that of Infallibility teach it by the same dictate of the Spirit which assures his salvation upon those terms why should hee not hold that which Christianity and the Scriptures teach not with the same devotion and assurance which he accepteth the Scriptures and his Christianity with Why should hee not with the Gnostickes and Mahomet and the Mannichees place his salvation in that which the Spirit teacheth him beside and above the Scriptures allowing Christianity for proficients The same consequence takes hold in some measure of those who believe the Infallibility of the present Church For making the sentence thereof the only reason of believing they tye themselves to accept whatsoever it shall decree for mater of Faith and therefore concerning their salvation as much as it concerns their salvation to believe the holy Trinity Indeed there is not so much danger for them For the persons on whom they repose themselves for the Church being persons of that interest in the World which cannot stand with the open corrupting of Christianity The fear is that they may authorize those corruptions which the coming of the World into the Church shall make popular Not that they shall think it for their interest to change that which it is not popular to change In the mean time having shewed the point of Reformation The point of Truth in the middle between both by shewing the point of truth whereby all that the Reformation disputes with the Church of Rome is cleared namely that that Faith which moveth to undertake Baptism is the Faith which alone justifieth I have shewed withal that the express profession hereof is that which must clear us from all impuâ—ation of the Schism with the Church of Rome and of compliance with any Fanaticks that have taught the opposite Haeresie being by such profession excluded from all liberty of teaching it for the future They who take justifying Faith to bee Confidence in God through our Lord Christ do commit the mistake which I have shewed And if they go farther to think that by being assured of Gods Grace they can never dye cut of that estate they may indeed think themselves tyed to return to God by Repentance But may they not easily bee deluded to neglect it thinking themselves certain before hand that they shall do it Which if it bee considered the danger of the mistake will appear no less then that which the Doctrine of the Council of Trent threatneth As for the Question between mans free Will and Gods Praedestination How Salvation is concerned in the matter of Free Will and Grace and Grace taking it by it self as not complicated and twisted with the other concerning justifying Faith the difficulty of it being so great as it is the true resolution of it which is the reconcilement of Grace with free Will can by no means seem to concern the substance of Faith necessary to bee held for the Salvation of all Christians But the denying either of mans free Will or Gods free Grace may and certainly doth concern it And therefore the second Council of Orange having determined as well that no man is appointed by God to death and therefore to sin as that whosoever perseveres until Death is appointed by God unto effectual Grace there appears no necessity why the Church should run any hazard of division by decreeâ—ng farther in the Point which wee see come to pass in the United Provinces having that decree received of old by the Western Church to settle the bounds of necessary Truth Nor is there any other means of settle the necessity of Baptism Salvation concerned in the Sacramentâ— â—pon the same terms and of the Holy Eucharist but the profession of this truth for the sense of our Creed in the Article of one Baptism for the remission of sâ—ns the neglect whereof hath occasioned not only the Sects of our Anabaptists Qâ—akers and other Enthusiasts and Fanaticks but hath given Sâ—cinus ground enough to count Baptism indifferent And some of our Fanaticks to think it a meer mistake that any man was ever baptized with water to make him a Christian since the ceasing of Moses Law and Johns Baptism As for the Sacrament of the Eucharist that which concerneth Salvation in it is manifest admitting the Premises Namely that they who make good or revive the Covenant of their Baptism in receiving it shall receive the body and blood of Christ and by consequence his Spirit hypostatically united to the
if hee refuse it The Curate indeed stands excused by the Law as to his Superiours and to the Church But what will the Law what will the Church what will the Curate say for themselves at the great judgement of God if it appear that a soul perishes by this defect in the Law according to the which hee ministers his Office And a Recusant in this case may say with truth that those abuses which I have taxed the Church of Rome for allowing it commandeth not That hee may possibly meet with one that is not tainted with those novelties of Doctrine But will deal faithfully with his soul in that exigent And therefore may hope that he sinneth not in continuing a Recusant out of hope for that help in this point which hee cannot expect by conforming And therefore that his sin not being visible to him in this point the penalties of Recusancy at least in this regard are inflicted without cause A Supplication for a full debate of all maters in difference Had I not proceeded thus far in setting forth what the justifying of the Reformation which wee profess will require I had not set forth the ground of that most humble supplication which I advance upon it together with a most earnest adjuration if it bee lawful for Inferiors in any case possible to adjure their Superiors to and of all Estates whom the forming of the Laws of Religion in this Kingdom may any way concern by the bowels of Gods mercies in Christ by the bitter passion of his Cross by the merit of his sufferings by that â—hope of salvation which they furnish all Christians with And if the good of this World bee of any consideration after so high concernments by the hope of his Majesties long and prosperous Reign over us by the blessing of his return by the peace which wee enjoy through the same not to think the restoring of Religion by the Laws of this Kingdom the work of one sitting of Parliament or Synod Not to think that a work of that consequence and difficulty can bee concluded and made up by any Laws that may presently bee provided by any humane wisdom Not to think the Laws presently provided so fixed for eternity that further endeavours for the perfecting of so great a work should bee thought derogatory to the authority of Law In fine according to that which I said in the beginning to think the Laws that may presently bee provided ambulatory and provisional till all possible means shall have been tried to put so great a work beyond all imputation of any visible offense Not thinking any pains a burthen that may shew reasonable hope of a good issue to so high a purpose For as there is just cause to think that there remains very much means to bee imployed with such a hope So the time now seems proper now that there is appearance of the restoring of the Ecclesiastical Laws of this Land for imploying the same For the means to bee imployed will consist in a just and full debate of reason upon principles agreed upon between the parties tending to reduce them unto agreement in such things as remain in difference This debate may well seem dangerous to peace not supposing any authority to govern it within the due bounds and to direct it unto the due purpose But supposing as wee must needs suppose all parties liable to that authority which the Law of the Land authorizes because that is acknowledged by all parties neither can the Secular Power allow thsoe whom it owns for Governors of the Church less then to govern and direct all dispute tending to satisfie all that question the Ecclesiastical Law of the Kingdom Nor need they desire more for a reasonable ground of hope for good success There can bee no ground to expect that they who openly profess the Laws of Religion to bee the sins of them that make them can think their duties discharged to God by being instrumental in the executing of them to the intent to them that make them They must needs think themselves bound in conscience to deprave and to pervert the effect of them to their own intent in an infinity of particulars which no diligence of Government can prevent or meet with But when upon full and just debate it shall appear that a change is refused them meerly because they can shew no sufficient reason for it upon those grounds which the common Christianity obliges the parties to acknowledge condescending to all that they can shew such reason for how can it bee imagined that any prejudice or engagement that may bee so honourably quitted will prevail above God and their Country to a defiance of them that carry not the Sword in vain I consess I can hope for no good end of any such Dispute The ground of resolution the being of the Catholick Church the first and chief point of the debate without supposing that sense of the Article concerning one Catholick Church which hath carried me through this discourse for the Principle upon which all mater in debate is to bee tried Nor can I take it for a supposition which they do admit of themselves But I suppose first that the misunderstanding of that which it demandeth being once cleared the truth of it will bee so evident by that reason which must satisfie for the truth of the common Christianity that all shall bee convinced of it by that which they allege for themselves as being the consequence of their own allegations Then I suppose further that it is the first point to bee tried as that which in effect contains more then half the trial of all the rest Which had it been agreed upon might have prevented all breaches And without agreeing upon it leaves all Dispute in Religion endless and without hope of conviction or satisfaction on this side or on that It is not indeed to bee expected that Recusants will ever become a party to such an action though no way concerned in conscience not to own those whom their Sovereign appointeth for Governors of such a debate Not because there would bee any appearance that thereby they should own them for their Superiors But because wee find them not disposed to own the obligation of their Christianity requiring them to concur to it upon those terms to bee more antient then any obligation of their spiritual Superiors to the contrary For if the Unity of the Church take place before the authority of any Superiors provided for the maintenance of it then is every Christian obliged to the due ground and terms of it before the authority of Superiors And therefore cannot refuse them tendered by a part though refused by a greater part And therefore cannot refuse that trial which is the due means to bring them to light though his Superiors refuse it And therefore their refusal can bee no bar to the effect of the action once grounded upon a supposition inforcing the trial by the Scriptures expounded by