faulty or repugnant to God's word and will not assent and consent to all therein 3. The Papists hereby scandalized do scorn us and say The question is not now of an Infallibility or a Judge that all must assent to It is but who this Infaliible Iudge is whether it be the Pope and a General Council or the English Convocation which is liker to be of greater authority and infallibility we require no greater assent and consent of you to the Canons of the Universal Church than the State and Church of England require to their Books 4. This seemeth to us to let the Articles Liturgie and Ordination Book above the Bible 1. God himself hath not made the assent and consent to every thing contained and prescribed in the Bible necessary to Salvation or to the Ministry 1. There are divers Books in our Bibles whose Divine authority many have questioned who yet were not for that degraded The Apochryphal books are yet controverted by men tolerated on both sides There are hundreds of various Readings where no one is necessitated to determine for this or that Translations are all faulty being the work of faulty men And no wise men will declare that this or that or any Translation hath nothing in it contrary to the Original Word of God. And are our Bishops Books more faultless 5. It is a sin to Confederate with and Encourage such audacious Lording it over the Faith and Souls of men and such ill Examples L. Your instances shew that you expound them too strictly Can you imagine them so insolent and impious as to impose their own Books more strictly than the Bible and require more Assent and Consent M. Call it what you will I must suppose that matter of Fact which is undeniably evident to our senses It 's an ill argument This is unreasonable and ungodly or inhumane Ergo It was not done What is so false absurd or impious that man may not do L. Some say They are Articles of Peace only and not of Faith. M. Some Brains will be cheated with a meer noise of words as Birds with a whistle We deny not but Peace is one of the ends of the Impositions but the question is what are the Means Or whether they will take it for Conformity to promise I will live peaceably or I Assent that I should live in Peace Are you not bound in order to peace to Assent and Consent to all things in the Books Say I Assent that some things are true and good and some things false and bad which yet for Peace I will use and try how it will be taken L. Well What is there in these Books contrary to Gods Word or which you may not Assent and Consent to M. The number is greater than we would have them I will come to the chief of them which I before named to you L. I forgat to tell you that it is not all contained that is Assented to but all that is both contained and prescribed M. 1. A meer quibble to cheat Conscience Ask the Bishop Morley and Bishop Gunning yet living whether this was the sence and I will take their answer 2. Then Assent and Contained had been put in in vain and to deceive if Consent and Prescribed signifie as much without them 3. The word approbation in this Act and nothing contrary to Gods Word in the Canon confute this quibble 4. I told you were it so it 's never the better All in the Book is prescribed to some use They are outside men that think Vse reacheth but the Body Are Articles of Faith Assertions of no use CHAP. IX Point VI. Of the Article of Baptized Infants Salvation M. THE sixth Point of our Non-conformity is a new Article of Faith in these words in a Rubrick which we must Profess Assent and Consent to It is certain by the Word of God that Children which are baptized and dying before they commit actual sin are undoubtedly saved L. And what have you against Assenting to this M. 1. That it is a New Article of Faith. 2. That it is arrogant and divisive making a grand Controversie one Article of Faith. 3. It is certainly false in most if not every one that declareth such assent 4. It is a dangerous adding to the Word of God. L. Why call you a Rubrick an Article of Faith M. It is most expresly made such What is an Article of Faith but that which must be Assented to as certain by the Word of God Will you deny the Name where there is this Definition L. But how do you prove it to be new M. Because it was never made for us before you have the affirmative If you say it was ever before prove it It 's not in the Bible it 's not in our 39 Articles nor Creed L. Are not the old words of the former Book to the same sense M. Not at all If they were why did the New Convocation alter them The old words plainly signifie no more than this that Infants baptized have all ex parte ministri and may be saved without Confirmation Exorcism Chrysme Spittle Salt Milk and Honey and such other additions supposing him ex parte sui under the promise of Salvation that is to be the seed of the Faithful Though I verily believe that after the making of the Common-prayer Book our Canon-Makers in Bancrofts dayes began to warp towards a worser sence But our Defenders of the Liturgy expound it as I say and the tenor of the words may tell the Reader that they meant no more L. Tell me first where it is that your Controversie lyeth M. I. Negatively 1. It is not whether the Infant Seed of one believing Parent should be Baptized This is agreed on 2. It is not whether those may be dedicated to God as our Children and baptized who are Adopted or any way made our own Children as Abrahams bought and born to him in his house as his propriety were Though we cannot say we are certain of this yet we will not contradict them that say they are 3. It is not whether Hypocrites Children have not so far a right to Baptisme Coram Ecclesia as that the Minister ought to baptize them if it be justly demanded 4. It is not whether there be a certainty of the Salvation of all the baptized Infants of true faithful Christians that die before actual sin Though all good Christians are not certain of this yet with the Synod of Dort we hold that Christians have no just cause to doubt of it 5. It is not whether they may not be good men that think all baptized ones absolutely in a state of Salvation None of these are the Controversie II. But it is 1. Whether all Infants without exception that be baptized are saved if they then die 2. Whether this be certain by the Word of God. 3. Whether all that be not undoubtedly certain of it should be no Ministers L. But it is not said All Infants but Infants indefinitely
take on them to be necessary interpreters of its great difficulties If such men forbear that expounding which they forbid others till they will do it better the loss will be the less Scripture speaketh plainlier than this 2. But who giveth this exposition To expound the Law by a common obligatory Exposition is proper to the Law-makers He that maketh the words maketh not a Law if he make not the sense Judges make not the sense but decide particular Cases by it as they understand it The Canons are made by the Convocation which he that denyeth to be the Representative Church of England is Excommunicate The Pulpit Preachers nor the particular Bishops are not the Convocation and therefore have not power to expound their Canons by any Common obligatory exposition much less contrary to the express words Which way most of the Clergy went under Bishop Parker Grindal and Abbot is well known And yet now they are so far from being taken for the Expositors of the Churches sense that they are openly scorned as popular fautorer of Puritans and those of their mind called Grindalizers II. But it is the second that is the Trojan horse whose name is Legion I mean that hath many more evils in the belly of it viz. that we must profess that the three Books Articles Liturgy and Ordination are so utterly faultless that there is nothing in them Contrary to the word of God and that we Assent and Consent to all contained and prescribed in and by them L. What have you against this what is there in it that is contrary to God's word M. God's word is perfect and forbids the least faulty errour or defect If we had never seen the Book we know that men made it and that every one that made it had ignorance error and sin and can a perfect faultless volumn be made by such faulty men Operari sequitur esse They renounce all pretensions to Infallibility in the Articles of Religion L. You interpret the words rigorously By nothing contrary they meâ—n nothing so contrary as that one may not use the Books M. If by nothing they mean not nothing and if by contrary they mean not contrary we will better know what they mean before we subscribe else you may make it lawful to subscribe to any thing in the world and say that the Imposers mean better than they speak L. And Assent and Consent is expresly confined to the use M. 1. I shall prove that that is not true 2. That if it were true it no whit amends the matter nor maketh it lawful to us I. It is not true For. 1. The words of the declaration are as expresly universal as man can speak And the foregoing words to the use do speak but deâ—fine and the words of the Declaration de mediis And all Lawyers agree that when the title of a Law expresseth the End that limiteth not the sense of the words of the Law because the Means may be larger than the End. As the Oxford Act of Confinement is in the title to keep Nonconformists from Corporations And yet Lawyers resolve that it extendeth also to Conformists if one of them should but once preach in a Conventicle The Parliament and Prelates thought that the way to secure the Vse was to oblige them to Assent and Consent to all in the Book contained and prescribed 1. Therefore they ty all to declare in that same form of words and to add no other least they should make any exposition that limits them 2. And the word Assent signifieth an Act of the understanding which must have Truth for its object 3. And it is after exprest by the word Approbation whereas a man may use that which he doth not approve of 2. Oaths Covenants and Professions must be taken in the most usual proper sense unless another be exprest to be the Imposers meaning which is not here done and the words are most universal and without exception 3. And to put all out of doubt the Parliament expounded themselves 1. At the making of the Act this was debated and reasons given against the limited expressions which prevailed 2. Since then a new Act against Conventicles being made it was moved in the Lords House that seeing Non-conformists were thus far forbidden private worship they should be so far invited to Conformity as that a Proviso might be added to this Act that the Declaration in the Act of Uniformity should be understood to oblige men but to the Vse of the things required and the Commons rejecting that Proviso it came to a debate or conference between the two Houses where the Commons gave their reasons against that sense and proviso In which the Lords acquiesc't Though I was not present the Parliament-men that were reported this and I never met with man that contradicted it or questioned the truth of it II. But if it were otherwise it were to us never the better For 1. It were an ignorant reproach of the Church of England to say that they have put any thing in their Liturgy which is of no use This will Include every syllable They themselves tell you in their Prefaces what use the very Calender and every other part are of The use of the Articles of Faith and Doctrines is our understanding assent and belief of them in order to Love and Practice The use of the orders in the Rubrick is to oblige us to obedient practice and so of all the rest And to Assent approve and Consent to every thing contained and prescribed practically even to the use of them is more than a bare speculative assent L. Wherein lyeth the sin of such a Declaration M. 1. In general it is incredible as I said before in consideration of the matter and the Authors together The Book of Articles Liturgie and Ordination are a big Volumn and contain great variety of matter and that high and mysterious The Authors were every one of them men of imperfection that had ignorance error and sin And operation exceedeth not power Who dare say that any Sermon or Prayer that ever he maketh hath nothing in it but what he may assent and consent to Much less so great a Book 2. The Articles which must be subscribed as faultless say Art. 15. Christ alone is without sin But all we the rest though baptized and born again in Christ yet offend in many things and if we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us And Art. 21. General Councils For as much they be an Assembly of men whereof all be not governed with the Spirit and Word of God they may err and sometimes have erred even in things pertaining to God And are our Convocation more infallible than General Councils The Church must be exemplary in humility and is it humility to say we Bishops and Priests having written three Books he shall not preach Christ's Gospel that will not declare that there is not a word in them that is
doth the Church make Kneeling in Receiving necessary to Salvation but enjoyne it as a decent Ceremony M. They that make this Kneeling necessary to Church Communion and avoiding Schism and make Church-communion and avoiding Schism necessary to Salvation do make the said Kneeling necessary to Salvation But so do the Canonists here Ergo. How usually do they apply Christ's words to the Sacrament Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood ye have no life in you If Communion herein be not necessary how come all the dreadful Sermons and Volumnes to thunder damnation against those that do but stay away through fear of unpreparedness and they must be Excommunicated that Communicate not twice a year with them yea though they communicate elsewhere with Nonconformists L. Wherein lyeth the sinfulness of Conformity here M. I. In subscribing Assenting and Consenting to this II. In practising it against Godly Believers L. I have heard that 1661. at the Savoy they maintained that the Liturgy did not bind you to put away them that do not Kneel and so you might subscribe to it M. This quibble served mens turn that were resolved it should be served The case was this They required us to lay by inconveniencies and name only flat sins which the Liturgy required we gave them in a Catalogue of eight This was the first Denying the Lord's Supper to all that durst not receive it Kneeling They were hereupon divided among themselves Dr. Pierson and Dr. Gunning and Sparrow who were the Disputants in policy finding that they should be hard put to it to justifie such rejections devised this evasion that the Liturgy did only bid them give it Kneeling but did not forbid them giving it to others Dr. Morley and others were against their opinion and so they were divided But they permitted the Disputers to go on it being the last day in the way that served their present turn But the case is clear 1. The Canon forbids them on pain of Suspension to give the Sacrament to any that Kneel not And they all take the Oath of Canonical obedience And though in Licitis honestis be added the terms signifie that they are to take the Canons as Licita honesta And these Canons ipso facto Excommunicate all professed Nonconformists 2. They all subscribe to use the form of administrating Sacraments in the Common-Prayer book and no other 3. The Church therefore expounds its own meaning in the Liturgy by the Canon that give it to them Kneeling signifies give it only to such 4. If any doubt of it let them try and their Suspension according to the Canon will expound it to them L. If the practice be sinful in rejecting such Assenting and Consenting and Subscribing to do it must be sinful M. The sin lyeth in what I before said about refusing Baptism 1. It maketh new terms of Church Communion 2. It contradicteth Christ's appointed terms which require all Christians to receive each other in Love and Concord And Paul expresly decideth such cases Rom. 14 and 15. Receive one another as Christ received us to the Glory of God. Will Christ that receiveth them to pardon grace and endless Glory own these Rejecters and Condemners Or will he not say In as much as ye did it to one the least of these my brethren ye did it to me And who is he that condemneth when it is Christ that justifieth 3. They shall answer for depriving Christ's Members of their right as truely as if they oppressed Widows and Orphans and turned them out of their houses and inheritance 4. They shall answer for Schismatical tearing the Church by their Engines 5. And for usurping a needless and hurtful dominion over mens faith and consciences by their Church Legislation 6. And for using that office which is made for the edifying and comfort of the Faithful to drive conscience and obedience to God out of the world by making doubtful ensnaring impositions and then persecuting and rendring odious all that dare not obey them for fear of sin while they bear with the Rabble that hate serious godliness and encourage them by preferring them in their communion L. But what pretence have any against Kneeling M. 1. It is not a necessary point of Salvation or communion and therefore if they err they are not therefore to be Excommunicate unless you will Excommunicate all that have errour and sin that is your selves and every living man. 2. They have the pretence of real fearing that it is a sin to differ in the Gesture from Christ's administration thinking that a Table gesture was intended by him to signifie his sacrifice-Feast 3. They fear breaking the Second commandment which is against corporal seeming to worship as Idolaters do though the heart mean better and so against symbolizing with Idolaters and against scandalous hardening them in their sin Because Papists are known to kneel to the Bread as unto God and worship it And these Papists live among us and are now hoping to set up their Idolatry Though for my part I think that the publick Doctrine of the Church takes off this argument of Scandal yet it is such as very Learned and holy men think valid as you may see in Mr. Rutherford's Letters and many others 4. And ad hom̄inem I see not what the Excommunicators can say for themselves while they condemn all of Schism that obey not General Councils especially the four first and that differ from the Universal Churches customes And yet the very first Nicene Council and divers after forbid all Kneeling in adoration on any Lord's day in the year and on any weeks day between Easter and Whitsunday And all the Ancients assure us that this was one of the chief ceremonys that the Church then called Universal agreed in And it was never put down by any other General Council but at Rome grew out of custome by degrees and that not till a thousand years after Christ as Dr. Heylin confesseth And shall these same men that cry up the Church and the Laws of Councils Excommunicate those that obey them as Schismaticks and pass for the followers of the Church themselves In a word I dare no more cast godly Christians from Christs Sacrament for fearing least Kneeling in Receiving be a symbolizing with Idolaters contrary to the Second Commandment than I durst turn Widows and Orphans out of their inheritance for not speaking the same language or wearing the same fashions as I do CHAP. XV. Point XII Of Consenting to the false Rule to find out Easter-day in the Liturgy M. THE next Point is materially a trifle but formally so palpable an untruth that we cannot deliberately declare that we Assent to it viz. They tell us in their Calender truly how to find Easter-day and they add another Rule to find it always which is frequently false as every Almanack will tell you viz. that it is always the first Sunday after the first full Moon which happens next after the
they ought to be restrained and there are lower punishments than depriving them of their Toleration which are for lower faults 2. But if Rulers will oppress we cannot help that and must not therefore be ungoverned CHAP. LXI Whether the Extirpation of the Non-Conformists be not rather to be attempted than an Vnion with them by these means L. IT 's long since our former Conference and now there is discovered a Treasonable Plot against the King and his Brother and a multitude of Addresses tell us that it was the Plot of the Dissenters and the Product of Conventicles and therefore â—â—ave the extripation of them all and that they may no more be trusted as having Principles were concileable to Monarchy and Subjection and the loudest cry now runs that way M. What is the Treasonable Plot L. To Kill the King and Duke and raise an Army and to Change the Government or Governours at least M. Who do they mean by Dissenters or Conventiclers L. All that Conform not to the Church of England as it is now setled by the Law. M. The Law setleth the Essentials Integrals and Accidents of the Church Do you mean every one that disliketh any one Office as Lay-Chancellors use of the Keys or any Ceremony or Form If so I do doubt most that come to Church and Communicate with it dissent from some such Circumstances L. Well suppose it be those that separate from it M. There are now these following sorts of known Dissenters called by many Conventiclers I. Those that like the way of Episcopacy and Liturgy best as here setled but yet will also occasionally join with other Churches as the French Dutch Lutheran or some Non-Conformists II. The Pacifick Non-conformists who at the King's Return Petitioned for Arch-Bishop Vsher's Model of the Primitive Episcopal Government and thankfully accepted the King's Declaration III. The Presbyterians who are for Government only by Synods of equal Presbyters Teaching joined with meer Ruling ones IV. The Independants and Separatists V. The Anabaptists who are half Arminians and half not VI. The Fifth-Monarchy Party most of which are Anabaptists also VII The Quakers VIII The Papists IX The Infidels Iews Hobbists and Atheists Is the meaning that all these are the guilty Rebels to be destroyed or which of them is it L. If all I doubt the King would lose no small part of his Subjects But you know the Papists are not numbred with the Dissenters or Conventiclers M. Say you so Do those that differ but about a Ceremony or Lay-mans use of the Keys or the largeness and paucity of Bishops Churches dissent more from you than the Papists that would bring King and Kingdom under a foreign Jurisdiction and introduce all the Mass and doctrinal corruptions of their Church Read Bishop Downham's Catalogue of Popish Errours de Anti-Christo or Dr. Willet's Chamier's Iewell 's or any such and judge And do you think that the Mass is no Conventicle or more lawful than the forbidden assemblies of Protestants L. Well But it 's Protestant-Dissenters that I mean. M. So then You would have Protestant-Dissenters rooted out and not Papists or Infidels L. We would have those rooted out that were in the Plot which the Papists were not M. No doubt but such a Plot as you describe deserveth the extirpation of those that were guilty of it But I pray you compare not the innocency of Papists in their Principles with the Protestants Or read Bishop Barlow's and Hen. Fowlis's Books and Prin's History of Bishops Treasons and judge as you see cause But it 's none of my business now to accuse the Papists Do but grant that the innocent should not suffer for the crimes of the guilty and we are agreed L. But is it not justly supposed that the whole Party is guilty of those Principles which have caused particular mens rebellions and that it is their Preachers and Conventiclers that have caused all M. You that are a Lawyer should know somewhat of the Rules of Iustice or Humanity at least Come on and let you and I consider soberly of the case And first to your face I challenge you to name and prove any the least difference between the Non-conformists who sought for Concord at the King's Restoration or the party of meer Non-Conformists and the Protestants of the Church of England in their Principles about the Power of Princes and the Subjection and Patience of the People Name any difference if you can L. You would make one believe that great Numbers are inhumanely impudent that charge them with such heinous difference if there be none M. Why do you not name the difference if there be any Contrarily 1. We all take the same Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy 2. We Subscribe all the same Articles of Religion about the Power of Magistrates 3. We have often professed our consent to all that is written for Magistracy and Subjection in all the Scripture in any General Council save what is for the Papal Tyranny over Princes and People or in any Confession of any Christian Church Greek Papist or Protestant that ever we saw and for all that for the Power of Kings but not all against it which the generality of Fathers Historians Philosophers Politick-writers Lawyers Canonists or Divines are for And is not all this yet enough 4. I have oft told you where e.g. Bishop Andrews in Tortura Torti Sir Fran. Bacon Lord St. Albans and many others have vindicated the principles of the English Non-conformists as the same with the Church's in point of Loyalty against the Papists accusations L. But do not you know who wrote the Political Aphorisms or Holy Common-wealth condemned lately by the Oxford Convocation M. And do not you know 1. That the Author had never leave to confute his accusers about it 2. Do you not know that he hath divers years ago written a large Book called his Second Plea for Peace fully opening the Principles which he and his Consenters hold and no man hath writteâ— one word against any of them that I hear of to this day Is this fair dealing then to silence what at large he owneth and name only a writing 29 years ago which he never was heard about 3. Do you not know that the Famously Learned Tho. White a Papist wrote at the same time the like Doctrine and will you charge that on the Party of Papistâ— 4. The Historians Rule is Distingue de temporibus Do you know in what times that was written And know you not that few men then living wrote and spake more plainly against the Usurpation than he did 5. And you see that the Oxford Convocation condemn the writings and principles of the Doctors of the Church of England as well as others And as for Knox and Buchanan we are no more guilty of their words than of Iewell 's Bilson's Hooker's Laud's or any such L. But if you differ not from the Church of England in Principles of Loyalty why do you not take the
it unlawful to reproach all Churches that we see to be faulty but it is our duty to keep peace with all XXVIII VVe hold mental distant Communion in Faith and Love with many Churches that by imposing sin do deny us local Communion XXIX Though I here tell you once for all that I justifie not all that I can thus bear with yet we can submit by peaceable silence to many abuses in a Church which we dare not subscribe to and approve and use also passive Obedience where active is unlawful XXX VVe are not against God-Fathers and God-Mothers as used of old that is when the Parents are the Covenanters for their Child and their Death or Apostasie is feared for others to promise if they dye or apostatize to take care of the Child or for any Adopters or Owners to do it that take the Child as theirs XXXI VVe are so far from being against true confirmation as it is the taking persons that own their Baptismal Covenant solemnly into the number of adult Members and Communicants that we desire it and have written for it as a chief means of the true Reformation of all our Churches in the Land. XXXII VVe differ not in Faith or meer Doctrine from the Church of England as it 's in the Thirty Nine Articles but only in One new Article put into the new Liturgy of the Salvation of Baptized Infants as undoubtedly certain by the Word of God without any exception if they then dye XXXIII VVe are not against reading the profitable part of the Apocrypha as other Humane VVritings may be read sufficiently distinguished from the word of God. XXXIV VVe are for Corporal VVorship as a due expression of Spiritual And we are against all undecent expressions in Praying or Preaching and all undecent Habits Gestures or Actions XXXV VVe blame not the Liturgy for extending the words of Charity and Hope as far as there is any reasonable ground in Sacraments Absolution and Buryal XXXVI VVe are not for mens invading the Ministry unordained but believe that Senior Pastors or Bishops are ordinarily the regular Judges of the fitness of Candidates for the Ministry XXXVII VVe are not for unlimited Toleration But that the Rulers justly distinguish in Law and License 1. The approved whom they must own and maintain 2. The tolerable whom they must tolerate 3. The intollerable whom they must restrain from doing hurt XXXVIII VVe are for making true Religion as National and extensive as may be and for a National Church 1. As the associated Community of Churches in a Nation is so called 2. And as they are all accidentally united under one Christian Soveraign Though we abhor the casting out all that be not of our opinion and measure and that cannot submit to all that I here enumerate which I and others of my mind can submit to XXXIX VVe are so far from desiring to draw people from the Parish Churches into Conventicles that we would keep up the honour of them to the utmost of our power as knowing how greatly the countenance and maintenance of Rulers conduceth to the furtherance of Religion and that the publick Religion will be the common and National Religion and most will be there And if the Protestant Religion were reduced to Tolerated Conventicles Popery would possess its place and become National and soon withdraw even private Toleration as we see in France XL. VVe are not for Preaching when we are forbidden where there is not a real and evident need of our Labours XLI VVe believe not that the Scots Covenant or any other doth oblige us to Sedition Rebellion Schism or any sin nor doth disoblige us from any Obedience due to any Superior XLII VVe refuse not the Oxford Oath or any such because it is an obligation to obey our Rulers in Lawful things nor because it restraineth us from resisting Authority for we give as much to Humane Soveraignty and confess as much obedience due to them from Subjects 1. As any Text of Scripture speakes 2. Or any General Council save what they give to the Pope and his Vassals 3. Or as any Confessions that we know of of any Christian Churches agree in 4. Or which Lawyers Politicians and Historians Protestants Papists or Heathens agree in as far as we are acquainted XLIII VVe are not against the use of Synods or Councils nor against Princes using their advice for such Laws circa sacra as belong to them to make VVe believe Councils should be used as far as the common good and Communion of the Catholick Church requireth it though no Foreigners have Jurisdiction over us And we hold that if they agree of any thing conducible to the common good though their agreement be not a Law but a Contract yet the general command of keeping the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace obligeth all to hold such concord for the ends sake that have no special reason against it In these Forty three things we oppose not conformity L. And if yet after all this Agreement we must be destroyed by divisions the heavy Curse of God is on us and will surely fall on them that are the causes of it who ever they be CHAP. IV. A brief enumeration of the things imposed on us which is the matter of our Nonconformity M. DO you know what it is that we are required to conform to L. I know it is to use the Liturgies Ceremonies and submit to the Bishops as your Governours I know no more M. And yet dare you become our Judge If you are no more exact and just in matters of Law your Clients must pay for it Before I come to handle the particulars I will set together here the things required of us and how much of them we refuse I will tell you when I try them and give you our Reasons against them I. Whereas few of the Nonconforming Ministers were at Age and Ordained till Diocesans were put down in England and were Ordained by an Assembly of Senior Pastors which were then in possession of the Power and had many years the Approbation of the whole National Assembly of Divines at Westminster before they were admitted to any Incumbency none of these may now exercise their Ministry unless they be Re-ordained by Diocesans II. No man can be Ordained by them and admitted to any Cure that will not take the Oath of Canonical Obedience as they call it and in his Ordination Covenant to obey his Ordinary III. No man must Preach the Gospel by the authority of his Ordination and Office till moreover he have got a Licence from the Bishop to Preach and till he have got that Licence to Preach he may not take upon him to Expound in his own Cure OR ELSEWHERE ANY SCRIPTURE OR MATTER OR DOCTRINE but shall only study to read plainly and aptly without glossing or adding the Homilies already set forth or hereafter to be published by lawful Authority Can. 49. IV. No man may be Ordained or be a Licenced
Licensed as is aforesaid presume to appoint or hold any Meetings for Sermons c. nor attempt by Fasting and Prayer to cast out any Devil c. L. All this was done to prevent Abuses M. It fell out well that they did not forbid Christianity or reading Scripture in a known Tongue to prevent abusing it And next that they forbad not Law and the use of Reason which is most of all abused But do not you thâ—â—k that they make very unworthy Men Ministers or that they change or maim the Pastoral Office when no Minister no not the wisest may be trusted to fast and pray with his Neighbours Should a Master of a Family be forbidden this in his House the Iews forbad it not to Cornelius What jealousies have such a Clergy of one another And of Preaching Fasting and Praying What if some Neighbours have some great Temptations some great Guilt some great Danger by a Plague or the like or some great Affliction some Friends near Deathâ— or some important Business of great moment as Marriage Travel Navigation c. Must the Bishop know all their secrets that their Pastor at home must know Or is he a capable Judge for many Hundred Parishes when they must Fast or Pray Or did you ever know any go to him for such a License Are not those unworthy Ministers that be not fit to be trusted to Fast and Pray with their People while the Law is open to punish all abuses of it And are not those over-subject to Prelacy that will Swear Obedience in this any more than against Preaching the Gospel Dan. 6. 5. We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel except we find it concerning the Law of his God. Chap. XXXVI Point XXXIII Of the Excommunication of the three last Canons M. THe quality of the rest of the Canons resolve me that it is unlawful for me if commanded to publish an Excommunication against any upon the three last L. What â—e the three last M. The 139th is Whosoever shall hereafter affirm that the Sacred Synod of this Nation in the Name of Christ and by the King's Authority assembled is not the true Church of England by Representation let him be Excommunicate and not restored till he repent and publickly revoke this his wicked Error L. What fault can you find with this M. 1. No Man can tell what is the Church representative till they know which is the Church real And this they tell us not either as to Matter or Form. 1. Whether the Church real be only the Clergy or also the Laity Whether the King and Parliament Nobles Gentry and Commons be all Represented in the Convocation If yea by what Law or Power And may we say that King and Parliament do what these do What need they then after to confirm their Canons And they that hold the Church Laws bind in Conscience as such before King and Parliament confirm them will bring King and Parliament under their Obedience if not Excommunication But if they pretend not to represent the King and Laity they falsly exclude them from being part of the Church 2. They are utterly disagreed de Forma what the Church of England is either it hath an Ecclesiastical constitutive Soveraign Power or not If not it is not an Ecclesiastick Body Politick And of late their disputing Doctors plainly confess that it hath no such specifying Summa Potestas and so is formally no Political governed Church The King's Government of it by the Sword which none deny they say is but an Accident of it and not Essential to the Church And so in sum it is but a meer Community or a voluntary Confederacy of many Churches that make no unifying Politie And that is to be a Church only in a loose and not proper sence as the Assembly at Nimegen was a Kingdom 3. I doubt not but Thousands of Lâ—y-Men and many Dissenting Ministers are true Parts of the Church of England And therefore that the Convocation represented our part only of that Church 4. If they be but a Community they can make no Laws but only Contracts Laws are only the Acts and Instruments of Rulers Therefore we owe no Obedience to them as being no Commands of Rulers till the Civil Power make them Laws save as particular Pastors may make them Laws to their several Flocks 5. If they make them obligatory Church-Laws as the Acts of the Convocation then it seems the Representative Church governeth the Real and the Presbyters in Convocation exercise a Legislative Power which is the highest that Bishops can pretend to 6. These being left thus in uncertainty in the dark how comes that Man to deserve Excommunication or be wickedly erroneous that herein declareth his dissent I dare not publish such an Excommunication if commanded L. What is the 140th Canon M. Whosoever shall affirm that no manner of Person either of the Clergy or Laity not being then particularly assembled in the said sacred Synod are to be subject to tâ—e Decrees thereof in Causes Ecclesiastical made and ratifyed by the King's Majesty's Supream Authority as not having given their Voice to them Let him be Excommunicated and not restored c. Here craftily in a Parenthesis they put in the King's Authority and if they mean only his Obligation on us no one of us denieth it But because their disputing Doctors take that but as an Accident we may say that the Papists themselves are oft put to say that General Councils bind not the absent till they receive them And the French long received not the Council of Trent nor many Churches other Councils L. What is the last Canon M. The 141st for so many Church-Commandments we have God's Ten being but a little part of our Religion is Whoever shall affirm that the Sacred Synod assembled as aforesaid was a Company of such Persons as did conspire together against Godly and Religious Professors of the Gospel and that therefore both they and their Proceedings in making Canons and Constitutions in Causes Ecclesiastical by the King's Authority Let them be Excommunicated and not restored c. Here again we doubt not of the King 's obligatory Power But what the Persons and their Works were I think a Point that Christians may differ about and not deserve Excommunication It seems they could foresee what Men would judge of them and no wonder tho' they had not the Gift of Prophecy I am none of their Judge but leave God's Work to himself But I must say that this Book of Canons doth no whit increase my esteem of Council of Prelacy of Humane Canons or Clergies Laws nor of the particular Bishops and Clergy that made them And that I will neither publish such Excommunications nor promise or swear to do it Tho' I know that stretching pretences satisfie some Men like theirs that own the name of Sacred to that Synod because Sacrum quod sanctum simul execrabile signat A professed and relative Sanctity may be granted them Chap.
Plea for Peace declared my Political Principles which after all thoughts I stand to And no one hath given me a word of Exceptions against them to this day after so many years but some in meer Malice tell me of my Aphorisms revok't without taking notice of this I here repeat that I am ready to engage to the utmost that I renounce all Rebellion Treason and Sedition and all Principles tending thereto that I am for as much Power of Princes and Obedience of Subjects as any Text of Scripture speaks for or as is given or asserted by any General Council or the Confession of any Christian Church that I have seen except what is ascribed to the Pope and his Substitutes And I hold it unlawful to take Arms at all against the King that is against either his Authority Person Rights or Prerogative or against any lawfully Commissioned by him yea or unlawfully except in such Cases as God's Law of Nature or the King himself by Law or contrary Command shall bind Men to resist L. And so you will suppose that God's Law of Nature bindeth you in some Cases to resist And will not all Rebels plead that Law M. Dare you say that there is no such Case King Iames writeth that a King may not make War against his whole Kingdom If Ten Irishmen pretend a Commission to Kill all the Parliament and Protestants in the Land or to seize on the King's Garisons or if King Iohn give his Kingdom to the Pope ask Hooker Filson or Parliaments what the Law of Nature saith to these Cases Chap. XL. Point XXXVII Of Assenting and Consenting to the Damnatory Clauses of Athanasius's Creed L. I Hope you will not quarrel with the Creed M. I take the Creed called Athanasius's tho' the Author is unknown to be an excellent Explication of the Doctrine of the Trinity And could wish that it were more used and learnt of all But I am not so far to judge other Men as to conclude all Men certainly damned for ever that are not so well skilled in that Mystery as to believe every word there written L. I have heard Learned Men say That the Assent and Consent is not to be extended to the Damnatory Clauses but only the Doctrinal Articles M. They that can make Laws and Oaths speak or mean what they list need not stick at any thing Is not the Damnatory part a part of the Book of Common-Prayer and contained in it L. But they prove thus that it meaneth no such Consent or Approbation The Liturgy requireth you to read the Apocrypha and yet not to believe all things in it to be true For say they divers things in Tobit are evidently false And so tho' it bind you to use and read Athanasius's Creed it binds you not to believe all in it to be true M. This Cheat is too gross to deceive a School-Boy with Is Athanasius's Creed a real part of the Common-Prayer Book contain'd in it or not L. Yes no doubt we there find it both contained and prescribed Verbatim M. Is the Apocrypha any part of the Common-Prayer Book and contained in it or not L. If there be any Sentences out of it there inserted those are part else the Apocrypha is no part of the Book It is only the Order to read it that is a part M. Is not this a palpable Deceit to argue that we are not bound to Assent and Consent to that which is contained in the Book because we are not so bound to that which is not contained in it Chap XLI Point XXXVIII Of Saying Common-Prayer twice a day every day in the Year ordinarily L. IT is but that you shall every day say the Morning and Evening Service not being lett by Sickness or other urgent Cause And what have you against this M. I think when the Book was made to help the ignorant Vulgar out of Popery every day to use the Common-Prayer was a very good help to them But the Case is much altered and People now have more suitable Helps and Ministers have so much other Work to do in their Studies and with their Neighbours every day and some Prayers to use more suitable to their Families and Closets that it must needs be a sinful Impediment against other Duties to say Common-Prayer twice a day If they were commanded to Preach twice a day every day in the year it would cause a sinful Omission of other Duties how good soever Preaching be in it self L. But then you have urgent Cause of forbearance M. We are not for abusive dallying with Covenants about Sacred things It is evident by the instance of Sickness that the Authors of the Imposition meant only extraordinary Causes as urgent and not that we should take our ordinary Work for such an urgent Cause As if a Man that is bound to spend most of the day in his Shop should Covenant to go Thirty Miles every day if he be not lett by urgent Cause L. But you see that almost no Conformists do thus therefore it 's certain that they do not so understand it M. That 's a warning to take heed of promising that which we see so many that promised it not perform They are our Monitors to take heed of such a playing with Sacred Covenants and deceiving the Law instead of obeying it Chap. XLII Point XXXIX Of forcing the unwilling Parishioners to the Sacrament and Accusing and Excommunicating the Refusers L. HOw are you bound to this by Conformity M. 1. We must assent and consent to the Rubrick which commandeth That every Parishioner shall Communicate three times a year at least 2. The Oath of Canonical Obedience binds us to obey the 112 Canon as well as the rest which saith The Minister Churchwardens Questmen and Assistants of every Parish-Church and Chappel shall yearly within 40 days after Easter exhibit to the Bishop or his Chancellor the Names and Surnames of All the Parishioners as well Men as Women which being at the Age of 16 years received not the Communion at Easter before And then they are to be Excommunicated if they refuse and to lie in Jail till they die when taken by the Writ De Excommunicato Capiendo L. And why should not men be forced to their Duty and to their own good if they are backward to it M. The internal part is the first and chief part of their Duty without which the external is not their Duty but their great Sin. It is the Duty of Heathens to Believe and be baptized but not to be baptized till they believe It is the Duty of Candidates for the Ministry to get Ability and Ordination and to officiate But not to officiate before they get Ability and Ordination It is the Duty of every Man to believe the Truth of the Gospel and to profess that belief But to say he believeth when he doth not is Hypocrisie and Lying It is a sloathful Man's Duty to rise and dress him and go to his Work but not
A thousand will be unnamed when you have done your best at it But the Rule must not name every Errour against it The contrariety will be discernable It is enough that men profess a perfect Rule and renounce all contrary and be responsible to the Church and their Rulers when they corrupt Religion contrary to the Rule and their own Profession An Errour not manifested hurts not others and none is punishable till proved If Heresy be kept secret the Church must not make new Laws and Tests to make men confess it but punish it when it is vented L. But shall Ministers make no profession but what a Papist or a Heretick will make M. No if a Papist or Heretick will profess all that is necessary else we must make more Must we make new Creeds or new Scriptures as oft as dissemblers will falsely profess that already made This was the temptation to those multitudes of Creeds by which Councils distracted the Churches which Hilary decryeth L. But the Bishops will never take down the Oath of Canonical Obedience and all the other Oaths and Subscriptions that are formed to their Interest M. I cannot help that Over-doing is un-doing If ever Episcopacy be cast out it will be by such over-doing which will not let men live in Peace that would not molest them L. 6. Why do you seem to grant the Bishops and Patrons votes in the choice of Pastors when before you seem to have much against them M. I have nothing against the Ordainers judging of the fitness of the Ordained nor of Magistrate or Patrons disposal of Temples and Tithes And because nothing but necessity will weigh down the great inconvenience of maintaining distinct Pastors while â— setled Lecturer hath the Temple and Tithes therefore I suppose that the Bishop and Patron will have their Votes And I suppose you know that it is vain to motion to Patrons to resign this power were it worse than it is else Advowsons would not be sold at such rates as they are by many Patrons And my silence where speaking will do no good is no sign of my approbation L. But do you think that the Communicants shall have a negative Vote in choosing Pastors M. I think they will not till God raise up better men than many Patrons are But I am past doubt that God's Law of Nature and Scripture and the whole consent of ancient Churches Fathers and Councils are for it And methinks were not carnal Interest stronger with them than Religion men that are professedly for God's Law and Church-Canons and Customs should not obstinately oppose them all Yea the highest Episcopal Men are in this against them Mr. Thorndike saith that till the Clergy and People again choose their own Bishops there needs no other reason be given of the contempt of Episcopacy Yea I have proved past denial oft that no Non-consenter can be a member of any Pastoral Church nor any man be a mans Pastor that doth not consent It 's reason then to speak for the Flocks Consenting Vote L. But they may be forced to consent M. I shall give you a reason against that anon L. Do you think the ignorant vulgar are fit to choose themselves a Pastor The most are usually the worst M. If the Church-men will make the uncapable rabble Communicants and then deny them Church-privileges because they are uncapable they condemn themselves for taking yea forcing in such uncapable men Even as the Bishops that Ordain Ministers that cannot Preach and then by their Canon forbid them to Preach 2. And yet I will say That never knew any places in City or Country that have oft had better Pastors for Learning and all Worth than where the Communicants were the choosers Yea even the ignorant usually have a gust that discerneth and valueth good and able men 3. And yet I speak not so high as for their Power of first Choice but only of Consent nor yet to choose who shall be a Minister but who shall be their Pastor The Bishop asketh not their consent at Ordination L. But you know that if there must three Consents go to it The Ordainers the Patrons and the Communicants they may never agree and frustrate all M. Humane faultiness puts inconveniences into all actions But we must not cure it with a worse If you would take no Physick till three Physicians agree it 's a less mischief than to give any man that can buy that Power a right to impose what ignorant fellow or enemy he will to be your sole Physician Three Locks and Keys in three hands to so great a Trust may be better than one in an untrusty hand Shall every Papist or Atheist choose me a Physician as fitter than I 2. But if they should never agree it is but every one stopping at his own part The Ordainers have done their part and the Patron hath chosen a Teacher for Auditors and a Pastor for such as will accept him and the People that trust him not may go to one that they can trust and this is better than worse L. But the Patron will prevail against them as long as he must nominate though the Bishop and People had a Negative Vote for if they refuse one he will still name another of his own complexion M. Uncurable evils I cannot help I can but wish that no Patron had ever built Churches or given Glebes at so dear a rate as thereby to buy from the Church its Privileges L. But can you think that the Bishops will ever abate Re-ordination of thsoe ordained by Presbyters M. I think not and therefore I have no hope of concord by their Concession But I know that former Bishops would have done it and the Church of England still owned such since the Reformation and God may send England such again and for such an age I write and not for this with any great hope And if you would not have the Land confounded with doubts whether they be Baptized or whether they had any valid Sacraments and whether the Papists or Protestants be the true Church c. it concerns you all to regard the decision of this Case L. But you speak only against Re-Ordaining those that are already Ordained and nothing for the time to come M. 1. You know it is hopeless to move for that 2. And it 's meet that Ordination should be well regulated 3. And when all the unjust impositions are removed as is here desired few moderate men will scruple Ordination L. VII Your 7th hath so much reason that I can say nothing against it but that I doubt the Bishops will never abateâ— their Ceremonies or any part of their Liturgy so far to endure any to disuse it though they meddle not against it M. I know what 's necessary and just but I know not what men will grant I am of your mind of those in possession except some few But if any man will make and keep up any instruments of division and hurt on
much against it And what Learned men wrote against it read but Mich. Goldastus his many Volumes of Collections and you may see Yea the Papists are not agreed of the very essential Form and Constitution of their Church and therefore are indeed of several Churches One Party thinks that the supremacy is in the Pope another that it is in a general-General-Council and a third that it is in the Pope and general-General-Council agreeing and yet all these so far bear with one another as to cover over the difference with the Name of one Church and to repute each other as True Roman Catholicks Yea more it is by an Allowance of Dissenters or different ways of Worship that the Pope doth chiefly keep up 〈◊〉 Kingdom When any Religious people have fallen into a dissatisfaction with the loose Discipline and Conversation of the Bishops and their Churches the Pope alloweth them to set up by themselves and exercise a stricter Discipline Worship and Conversation of their own devising which he alloweth and no Bishop shall have power to impeach And thus he keepeth them in dependance on himself as the only Defender of their humours inventions and liberties of different ways On such accounts there are multitudes of Sects among them under the name of Friars and Fathers and Sisters c. The Benedictines Augustinians Dominicans Franciscans Iesuits Carthusians c. And all have their several ways of Discipline but it sufficeth that all depend upon one Pope In Rome it self Philip Nerius being a Serious Religious man was unsatisfied with the dead formal way of the Bishops and Mass-priests and to bring men to knowledge and seriousness in Religion he borrowed a Church and set up a Lecture or Course of Serious Extemporate Worship almost like the exercise called Prophecying that Arch-Bishop Grindal was for and the Lord St. Albans Bacon writes for Four Zealous men spent the whole day one in Extemporate praying and one in Preaching and Expounding Scripture and one in telling the people the History of the Church and the Lives and Miracles of Saints and one in Praying again just like those here hated as extemporate Puritans The Bishops said they were proud hypocrites that drew crowds of people after them for reputation of sanctity and they persecuted Nerius and accused them to the Pope and silenced him The silencing Bishop was presently struck with death and Nerius went on Baronius being his second The crafty Pope instead of calling them Fanatick Rognes and Rebels thinks it policy to turn this stream of Pious Zeal into his own channel to drive his own Mill and he rescueth them from the Prelates and alloweth their Exercises and calleth them by the name of the Oratorians and honoureth the leaders so that he drew them to depend on him and Baronius to write those many great Volumes of Ecclesiastical History which have done Rome greater service than any one Writer that I know of in the world and to this day the Oratorians are the most sober Puritan Papists Thus did he make use of the Sectarian singularity of Ignatius Loyola a Souldier turned to Superstition allowing them as others to set up by themselves from under the power of the Bishops in dependance on the Pope alone whereby he hath mastered Emperours and Kings and Kingdoms and made great attempts on Abbassines Greeks yea on Congo Iapan China and the Heathen World. And I have credibly heard that Dr. Tho. Goodwin Philip Nye and Dr. Owen the Leaders of our Independants did tell the King that as the Pope allowed these orders of Religious parties in meer dependance on himself without subjection to the Bishops all that they desired was not to be the masters of others but to hold their own liberty of Worship and Discipline in sole dependance on the King as the Dutch and French Churches do so they may be saved from the Bishops and Ecclesiastical Courts 2. But further Do you forget that the Spaniards by their sacred Cruelty and Inquisition have lost the Low Countries and had almost lost the seventeen Provinces 3. And do you not know that ever since the days that the Arrian Gothes possessed Spain they have been like Ireland a blind superstitious People whose Ignorance most fitteth them for such a kind of Concord And is there not a Concord in their way among the enslaved ignorant Muscovites and among the Turks and many Heathens Satan himself is against the dividing of his Kingdom 4. And do you think that the effect of Spanish and Italian Tyranny and Concord doth answer the cost The Cruelty of their Inquisition hath made their names as odious as of Cannibals or Wolves insomuch that the Lord Bacon thought that an Invasive War against them as the enemies of mankind that violate the Laws of Nature and Nations was just And the many millions that they most cruelly murdered and tormented in Mexico Peru Hispaniola c. among whom were divers Kings do tell the World what are the fruits of their Catholick fury and Arbitrary Government Their Arch-bishop Barth de Casa and their Jesuit Ioseph Acosta eye witnesses of undoubted credit report that which renders them liker devils than men And Gage that lived there among them seconds it And it was no small infamy to their King Philip that he put to death his Son and Heir Charles Are these the patterns that you would have us imitate And as for Italy 1. Read of all their Histories and then name that Country on earth if you can that for many Generations hath been infested with so much Civil War and Blood as Italy hath been yea Rome it self 2. And since policy hath setled it of late in Peace what a Peace is it and of what effect It is said by travellers that no Country more aboundeth with Atheists and Infidels that are indeed of no Religion And truly if it be God and Conscience that you would have banished out of England and Infidelity Sadduceism Hobbists Malignity Drunkenness Whoredom Perjury that you would have take the place I dare say that the Devil will not fight against such Concord but will promote it withal his policy and power by himself and all his agents Ecclesiastical Civil and Military 4. Yet further Why look you not on all the rest of the World as well as Spain and Italy Indeed Iapan restored Concord but it was by so devilish and cruel Torments of Christians and those that would not accuse them as rendreth their names odious to mankind of which Varenius will satisfy you But what France what Ireland and others have got by cruelty I have told you before And though I am far from justifying the Hungarians men that I know not or their case for flying to the Turks for help do you think that the Countries now ruined by War and the many thousands in Austria Silesia Moravia and Hungary killed and taken Captives and the thousands killed in Fight and the Famine that the next year is like to come on the ruined Countries where