satisfied and you feel a great deal of comfort in the way you take to worship God and have the testimony of your Conscience that you do act sincerely and as you think for the glory or God But how easily may Men flatter and deceive themselves with such pretences Do not Jews and Mahometans all Hereticks and Schismaticks pretend the same And are not many of them fully as Zealous and consident in their way and do they not as much condemn you in their thoughts as you can them Nay those that killed the Apostles thought they did God service So that to rely upon an inward satisfaction Joh. 16.2 the pretence of Conscience without solid reason and foundation in Gods word is the common mistake that deludes the greatest part of Mankind If ever then you hope to appear with comfort before God you must lay aside fancy and perswasion and examine both your Faith and your Lives according to the holy Scriptures If we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel in part or in whole or neglect any part of This let him be accursed Gal. 1.8 When our Saviour began to preach this was the Summ of his Doctrine Repent and relieve the Gospel Mar. 1.15 When he sent his Apostles into the world it was with this large Commission Preach the Gospel to every Creature he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16.15 16. St Paul afterwards speaking of the Day of Judgment Says God shall Judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel Rom. 2.16 Again Christ Jesus shall he revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his power The Gospel does not only contain promises but precepts duties as well as rewards And therefore our Saviour when he is asked what a man should do to be saved gives this answer If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments Again if ye love me keep my Commandments St James says whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all Jam. 2.10 This contains all articles of our Creed and all other Christian duties we must not think then our Zeal for one duty will excuse our neglect of another we must not so much regard what we have done but supply that we have not done If through errour or mistake any have lived in Schism Heresie Disobedience or breach of any other command he must repent and amend for no confidence and self conceit can justifie us before God while we live in neglect of our Duty Obedience to Governours and love and unity with our fellow Christians necessary Duties of the Gospel AS our Saviour came into the World to reform the errours and vices of corrupt Nature and teach Men the principles of Peace and Vertue so in his Gospel he has given most severe commands of mutual love and obedience to his Bishops and Governours because without it there would be nothing but ignorance and errour quarrels and confusion and as it was in the Jewish Nation when there was no King in Israel every one did what was right in his own eyes so it will be in the Church where there are no Governours or none that are hearkened to or regarded every man will follow the devices of his own heart Therefore when he founded his Church the first thing he does is to appoint Governours with power not only to shut out of his Church but out of Heaven all those that contemn their authority and will not be governed by them Matt. 16.18 19. Vpon this rock will I build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it and I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdome of Heaven whatsoever thou shalt bind on Earth shalt be bound in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven And though in this place it be promised to St Peter to shew that each single Bishop had that power in his respective charge whilst he lives in communion with and conformity to the Church yet Matt. 18. it is said whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and when our Saviour actually bestows this power John 20.23 he gives it equally to all the Apostles whose soever sins ye remit they are remitted and whose soever sins ye retain they are retained Again he says he that receiveth you receiveth me he that rejecteth you rejecteth me and he that rejecteth me rejecteth him that sent me And when he was going into Heaven that he might fully provide for the order and government of his Church he gives his Apostles authority over the whole World to rule and to punish them as well as to teach and comfort them and this power is to last to the end of the World All power is given unto me in Heaven and Earth go ye therefore into all the World make Disciples all Nations and lo I am with you alwayes unto the end of the World Matt. 28. The Apostle Hebr. 13. bids Christians remember them that have the Rule over you who have spoken to you the word of God whose faith follow v. 7. again Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your Souls v. 17. And 't is our Saviours express command if he refuse to hear the Church let him be unto thee as a Heathen and a Publican and then he adds to shew whom he means by the Church that 't is the Bishops and Governours of his Church whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven Matt. 18.17 18. So that it is beyond all possible doubt that there are Bishops and Governours sent by Christ to continue to the end of the World and there is a Church that must be hearkened unto under peril of being shut out of the Kingdom of Heaven There must be a method and order observed in appointing the Bishops and Governours of the Church that Men may know whom they ought to obey and whose punishments they ought to avoid ALL Men confess in general that Christ has left Bishops and Governours in his Church but they are not all agreed who are those who have this Authority committed to them Now there must be some orderly method for our direction in this as well as other matters or else the Authority will signifie nothing and not attain that end for which it was appointed For if every body be left to follow whom he please then all censures and excommunications will come to nothing assoon as Men are shut out from one Pastor they will run to another if one will not comply with their humour they will go to another that will and so the Christian society which ought to be the
THE NECESSITY Of Adhering To the Church of ENGLAND As by Law established OR The Duty of a Good Christian And particularly of PARENTS and MASTERS OF FAMILIES UNDER The Present Toleration By William Saywell D. D. Arch-deacon of Ely These are they who separate themselves sensual having not the Spirit Jude 19. CAMBRIDGE Printed by J. Hayes Printer to the University for Edw. Hall Bookseller there 1692. Decemb. 23. 1691. Imprimatur Gabr. Quadring Procan Jo. Beaumont Humf. Gower Joh. Covel THE PREFACE TO All in any Authority ESPECIALLY To Parents and Masters of Families IN THE ARCH-DEACONRY Of ELY I Have in the following Discourse shewed you the true way to Peace and Happiness upon Earth and the certain means of Salvation in the World to come if you will keep your selves and Families in the Communion of the Church of England and practise those Rules and Orders which She has required for your Publick Devotion and duties of Religion And also made it evident what danger your Children and Servants are in of being ruined if you doe not make use of that Power and Authority which God has given you over them to see them duely Instructed in their Catechism and brought up in a Religious conversation and constant attendance at the Prayers and Sacraments of the Church This I have often urged with great earnestness to your Ministers and Church-wardens as they can very well testifie and this if I had opportunity I should deliver to your consideration in your several Parishes and I doubt not but your Ministers often put you in mind of the same but my strength and other occasions not affording me leasure to do that I do send these Books which you may Read and meditate upon at your spare times And for your farther direction besides your Bible and Common-Prayer I recommend to Your and Their serious perusal a Book called The whole Duty of Man where you have Sober and Pious discourses about your particular Duties and also usefull directions about Prayer and other parts of Private Devotion 'T is not only Meat and Drink you are to take care of for your Families as the Beasts do for their young but you are also to provide for their Souls which are the better part and therefore see them educated in the true Faith and Obedience to God and made usefull Instruments to promote the Peace and welfare of their Country Schism and Heresie will make them enemies to both and to you to It will teach them to be stubborn and self-willed Proud and Morose Peevish and ill Natured False and Treacherous and common disturbers of the Church and State all which inconveniences you will avoid if you bring them up in the constant Communion of the Church of England for She only here teaches them the true old Way and the plain Doctrines of the Catholick Church and She is the only particular Church to whom by the Laws of God and Man you are bound to yield submission and this has been fully made out not only against Papists but all other Schismaticks and Dissenters This all Godfathers and Godmothers ought to take into their serious Consideration and where Parents are careless or erroneous they should use their endeavour to see their God-sons and God-daughters brought up in the Profession of that Faith into which they were Baptized the neglect whereof has made the command of the Church herein so much complained off and condemned by the Dissenters for else no Man in his wits can find fault with the Churches care in this matter Since beside the Parents who have a natural Obligation to breed up their Children in the fear of God others are engaged to take care to see that done in Case the Parents dye or neglect it Indeed it is every Christians care in some measure but that it might be more Orderly managed 't is layd upon some few to take it into their more especial Charge and usually left amongst Friends and Relations which in Reason and Nature will be most carefull to see it done To say it is much neglected is no more then may be said of too many Parents also but the custome is very good and Sureties ought to be more carefull to perform the Trust that the Church and Friends lay upon them and to do what they can by themselves or others is all that is expected But it is not onely teaching them their Catechism is sufficient but you ought to see that they lead their Lives according to those Pious Rules and Directions that the Church has taught them and also carefully to restrain them and to correct them for their Vices and Debauchery such as Swearing Lying Drunkenness absenting from the Church and all other kind of Wickedness and the better to prevent all these mischiefs carry them with you at all times to the Church and take account of them what they have Learned and Observed from the Ministers Sermons and Catechizing and be oftentimes on Sundays c. and other Leasure times putting them in mind of their Duty See Deut. 6.7 This the State as well as the Church does now more particularly require of you Deut. 11.18.19 during the Toleration which is not meant to justifie Heresie or Schism or to warrant that they are in a safe condition that separate from the Church no more then Jews or Hereticks who have the like benefit much less to encourage Ignorance and Profaness but only to take off the Temporal Punishment which the Civil State did inflict Now God does often defer his Judgments to wait for our amendment and Parents and Masters do sometimes think it convenient to wink at Offences in their Children and Servants and so thô the State does not at present punish Dissenters yet it does so far disapprove of their Wayes that all the Obligations in Conscience to Conform to the Church still remain both by the Laws of the Church and State also Neither is any Man thought fit to be admitted to any Office or Place of Trust that does not joyn in Communion with the Church of England Besides you must consider thô Punishments may be an outward means yet 't is voluntary Obedience makes good Christians If therefore you will discharge your Duty to God to the Church and State and the Obligation you owe to your Families you must diligently observe these Directions and take more particular Care at this time in the educating of your Children and Servants in the Communion of the Church nay if you expect they should receive any Benefit from any Publick employment in Church or State And I pray God direct you and make you carefull herein and I as I have opportunity shall sometimes come and see and enquire how well your Parish-Churches and Sacraments are frequented by those who would be accounted hearty Friends and true Sons of the Church of England For if they are careless herein how can we expect it from others who would rejoyce at our Destruction and the Papists in the end will
and private discourses and if you can throughly convince your Parishioners that they ought to forsake all other Meetings and joyn in the Communion of the Church of England and that they are bound to reverence you as Christs Officers established by the Catholick Church as really you are while you are regularly Constituted and faithfully discharge your Places they will easily hearken to you in all other Duties Many perhaps will read these Papers that will not look into a Church But the design of this Discourse is not only to shew them the necessity of adhering to the outward Communion of the Church but to let them see how much Religion in generall and the publick Peace and quiet of Conference is concerned in it if they will goe upon good grounds also that either through Ignorance or Errour they are like to loose the main Principles of the Gospel My first desire therefore is that you would take care in Expounding to your Flook those Articles Rubricks and Canons which concern Faith Hope and Charity and the essential Duties of the Gospel and then upon occasion not always dwelling upon Matters of Discipline let them know how usefull and necessary these things are so preserve the unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace and in righteousness of Life and be sure not to neglect those Laws that 〈◊〉 Catechizing and Expounding the same for the instruction of Old and Young according to their several Capacities and I desire you to consider what weight this Church has layd upon Catechizing as well before as since the Reformation and see the fundamental Principles seriously imprinted upon the Peoples minds which you find * Quilibet sacerdos plebi praesidens quater in anno vel per sevel per alium exponat populo vulgariter absque cujuslibet subtilitatistextura Phantastica quatuordecem fidei articulos decem mandata decalogi duo precepta evangelii viz. geminae charitatis septem opera misericordiae septem peccata mortalla cum sua progenie septem virtutes principales ac gratiae Sacramenta Idem de officio Archidiacon cap. Vt Archid. Vt Archidiaconi quotiens Presbyteros invenerint statutis temporibus populo minime haec omnia praedicasse sen publicasse totiens eos arguant poena canonica castigando supplere compellant quae temerè omiserunt Linwood Provincial lib. 1. de officio Archipresbyteri c. 〈…〉 And then stir them up to shew their Faith by their good works in frequenting the Publick Prayers and Sacraments and leading Holy Lives answerable to their Profession For if they really are or desire to be good Christians and Members of the Church of England they must not only rely upon talking and outward Profession but sincerely observe the Rules and Orders of the Church both by themselves and Families There has been a great outcry made against many Pious and Learned Divines under the Name of High Church-Men c. and others have been magnified as more rational and moderate Men but all that I could see the Church-Men aimed at was Jud. 3. earnestly to contend for the Faith once delivered to the Saints in opposition to Insidels and Hereticks and so to preserve the Purity of the Gospel and to keep a Decency and Reverence in the worship of God and I appeal to the experience of the Nation where the Publick Prayers and Sacraments are more devoutly offered up and frequented and what Congregations shew the most Religious behaviour in the Church And since 't is the Gospel by which we must be Judged at the last day there is no other way Philip. 1.27 to appear with hope before God then having your Conversation as becomes the Gospel of Christ Now all these Orders of the Church which are contended for are only applying the Rules of Gods Word as may most tend to edification and to direct Men in the particular circumstances of each Ones Duty and without some such Orders and observance of them I do not see how Men can keep up a publick Worship of God without being a Scandal to Infidels and Sober Christians and why the Ancient Rules and Customs of the Church should be thought an offence I cannot understand nor how the taking them away can advance Piety in the Nation These Books I commit to your Hands and desire you to lend them about in your several Parishes and make the best use of them you can for the benefit of those that you have any hopes will be the better by them And put them in mind to read and observe the Directions in the former Book FINIS