common Life whatsoever whether Natural or Civil it is altogether false and indefensible I shall not go about to confute this Opinion 't is not my Business or Intention to enter into Disputes of the Merits of the Cause it has been sufficiently done by more skilful Hands and learned Pens But this Weapon is so made that it may be turned against your own selves it offends as much as defends you and cuts both ways like a two edged Sword for by that Rule you can no more defend the wearing your short Cloaks and little Bands than the other party their Gowns and Rochetts and it will be as difficult to prove from Scripture your Institutions and Formalities as the other their Ceremonies and Customs The Holy Word of God is a perfect and most absolute and sufficient direction as to all things concerning our Salvation and as to that point we need not the help of Traditions but certainly in things indifferent and in things about the common Actions of Life we need not seek any farther than the Light of Reason and the common Rules of Discretion and not expect particular Warrants only from the Scripture for every action of humane Life All that we are to take care of is that our Actions be regulated as near as may be to those Rules laid down in the Holy Scriptures for us to walk by at least that they be no ways contradictory and then it will be sufficient to maintain their Legality whilst they are established by the Law of Nature or that of Reason without seeking to deduce Authority for them out of the Holy Scriptures These are the chief things that at present occur to my Memory which lye in the way that leads to Peace and Unity and which if removed will render the way more plain and eaven These are not things of Indifferency you will not own them nor plead for them and I question not when you have lay'd aside your imbittered Passions and rigid Dispositions against your Adversaries you will be willing to put to your Hands that all these Stones of offence may be done away and which should not have been mentioned but for that end But I would not have you think that I am Partial and that this Call ought not also to be heard on the other side and that I would not incite those also of the Church of England to do their part in every thing that may be justly required of them And here I cannot but justifie them from any aspersion of that Nature in that in all their Writings they have held out to you the right Hand of fellowship they have invited you to come in to them they have Called to Unity they have desired your Fellowship and that there may be no longer this Distance and Separation they have at all times exhibited a willingness to have this breach made up they would receive you into their Churches they would Communicate with you as Brothers they would provide for you as Sons they would take care of you as Fathers if you would own them as such What then makes this breach What is it continues this Separation What makes you so stiff in things of small moment Why should not they yeild Say you why should not you obey Say they One would think the weight of Authority should in this Case cast the ballance but sure you have put something more into the scales than what appears to the World that neither the kindness shown you by your Opposers the Indulgence of Princes nor the commands of Authority are able to move up your heavy scale But I would also have this Call reach to the Ears of those of the Church of England to whom with Reverence and Submission be it spoken that you are also desired to continue to use all means that this Unity may be effected and that you would on your parts endeavour to remove all Obstacles thereto You must then endeavour to forget all that is past you must not remember our late Troubles Wars Confusions Devastations as the effects of an unholy War for Religion you must not tell them any more of their unsanctified and bloody Covenant you must not say they are a stiff-necked Generation and people of a perverse Mind and Heart you must not mention their proud and arrogant Tryers nor fright them with the Hobgoblin Smectymnnus you must now forget all that 's past and continue that kindness and moderation that most of you have still on all occasions shown them that the distance that is yet between you may be overcome and that you may meet as Brothers and be united in Heart and Spirit These Rubs being presupposed to be removed what is it now that you Contend for Things as you your selves say of small moment trifles Ceremonies c. 'T is true they are not Essentials matters of Faith things of absolute necessity to Salvation things of indifferency yet not trifles and of no weight or value If they be as you say why stand you so stiff against them Why all this bustle and do about nothing But you have a refuge Conscience They plead the same for retaining them and also have Antiquity and Authority to back them Common Prayer will not down with you no set Form it stints the Spirit with other small and frivolous objections against some parts of the Liturgie For shame leave off at last those needless Cavils of which some of your selves have been ashamed You know that Forms of Prayer have been in all Ages both in the Greek and Latin Churches and are not only of a primitive Institution in the very Infancy of the Church when there was a double measure of the Spirit poured down upon its Bishops and Pastors but our Lord Jesus Christ himself thought good to leave a Set and prescribed Form of Prayer and also the like Forms were used of old in the Jewish Church and Service they were not left to their own Inventions I will not go about to argue the Case with you but if it be Lawful to Pray in a set Form as I suppose none of you will gainsay it is then expedient because Commanded by Authority But have you not a Christian Liberty left you to exercise your Gifts and to shew your Eloquence and Parts in Prayer Ex tempore before your Sermons And that the Spirit may not be quenched as you say may you not enlarge your selves And is it not an usual practice in our Churches Why then should you scruple so much at our Liturgie Would you have none But all the Gifted and Ungifted left to their own Inventions In your time had you not a Directory What was it but a Form of Worship after your Mode And what Church is there abroad even Geneva it self without some Forms both of Worship and of Prayer That our Book of Common Prayer was taken out of the Mass Book and that it was the Mass in English as many of the ignorant have been Taught to cast the greater Odium
upon it is an Imposture enough discover'd and unmask'd Speak out is there any thing Sinful or Unlawful in the Liturgie Or that is not agreeable to Gods Word Prove but that and then you do something for the Church holds in her Articles of Religion That it is not Lawful for her to ordain any thing that is contrary or besides the Word of God Besides have not your requests been gratified in many things in altering several passages in the Liturgie as in the Offices of Marriage Churching of Women and Burials what is it you would then have all or none Cannot you be pleased without it be wholly cast aside Will no Concessions else serve your turn O that you would make some weighty exceptions and not use such a frivolous and vain Cavilling against it not worth the Answering or that you would shew the World one of your own that were better before you take away this that would be reasonable and worthy your undertaking And since some of you have allowed of a Liturgie and for peace sake of many inconvenient Circumstances in Gods Worship Baxt. Disp p. 487. Safe way p. 198. and acknowledg also that the Governors of the Church have a decisive power in things undetermined in Scripture why should you not yield to accept of this equitable Proposition to accept of and Conform to this Form of Prayer and these Rites of the Church till better be Instituted or Ordained As to the Cross in Baptism a Moral Hiroglyphick only of our Saviours Death and Crucifixion Godfathers and Godmothers Confirmation Kneeling at the Sacrament Bowing at the Name of Jesus Standing up at Reading the Creed and other things of the like Nature are these things worthy to cause an Eternal Separation betwixt you Are they of so great moment as to make so wide and long a breach in a Nation Are they of worth and value to make you run into Contempt and Rebellion Let us know your Minds if any of these should be yeilded to your tender Consciences and disused to please you would you then Conform in all the rest Would not your Answer be as formerly to Queen Elizabeth That you would not leave a Hoof behind All the Ceremonies of the Church must be laid aside you would have a naked Religion without Cloaths which is not seemly Ceremonies are but the Garments and decencies of Religion not part of it but somewhat that it cannot well be seen without they are like our Cloaths that may be altered that may be cut to the mode and size of the Times without altering the form of our Body There have been Laws made for prohibiting the use of some Garments and that have injoyned the wearing of others though before it was at the choice of the People to wear or not wear them after such Laws made they were no longer indifferent It is even so of our Ceremonies they are indifferent things of themselves but being injoyned by Authority they are now no longer so Obedience is no indifferent thing that is absolutely injoyned by the Word of God 't is obedience to Ecclesiastical Laws that is required This obedience is either justly due to these Laws or it is not If it is why then do you disobey If you say it is not 1 Pet. 2.13 you contradict the Scriptures Submit to every Ordinance of Man whether it be unto the King as Supream or unto Governors c. Rom. 13.1 Let every Soul be subject to the higher Powers However it is the safest way to obey should they Command things doubtful let the blame lie upon them you will be excused God requires not impossibilities But certainly God has given to the Governors of the Church a Power of making Laws and Canons Let all things be done decently and according to order 1 Cor. 14.40 And according to this Rule of the Apostle the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England are as few decent comly and fitting as in any Church of the Christian World and all Exceptions against them that I ever could yet see empty and of no substance Manton on Jude Some of you have told us there are but two Lawful Causes of Separation from the Church Persecution and a general corruption of Doctrine for both these Causes and no other have we Separated from the Church of Rome and if you can prove these two marks of Separation to be inherent to the Church of England you will have sufficient to ground your Separation as Lawful and have some plea for what you do but till then I beseech you set your face towards the Temple of Obedience and be refractory no longer and since these things which make this Breach between you are not of any great Moment are but Ceremonies and the outward Garments and Garnatures of Religion leave off that obstinacy and submit your selves to the Ordinance of Man for the Lords sake The great Cry that you have made against these Rites and Ceremonies of the English Church hath been that they were Popery and of Popish extraction borrowed from the Church of Rome but all this while you tell us not what Popery is neither can you disown or dissent from all that is held or practised by the Church of Rome Certainly our Forefathers to whom we owe these things our Reformation from the Romish Church and the Purity of our Religion would not have laid down their Lives and have been Martyr'd by the Church of Rome if it had then been thought either by themselves or by the others that what they had done as to the Reforming the Ceremonies of the Church or towards the maintaining the Doctrines they Held or that the Orders and Discipline they had Constituted had been Popery or rather not opposite in some measure thereto As by Dissenting she shewed the Church of Rome that she had no dependency upon her and that she so far disowned her as she had disowned God by laying aside all those gross Corruptions for which our Church Separated from her so on the other side by retaining some of her harmless and innocent Ceremonies they shew'd her they did not do any thing by the Spirit of Opposition only whereby they might take offence without having a just ground and cause for it But Bishop Sanderson in his Preface to his Sermons tells you what in Truth Popery is Sand. Pref. Sect. 15. That it is those Doctrines which are contrary to the Word of God or but superadded thereunto as necessary Points of Faith to be of all Christians Believed under pain of Damnation and all those Superstitions used in the Worship of God which either are Vnlawful as being contrary to the Word of God or being not contrary and therefore Arbitrary or Indifferent are made Essentials and imposed as necessary parts of Worship From all which the Church of England hath been sufficiently Vindicated and Cleared and you cannot but know in your own Consciences that she disowns the shaddow of all those things and you
Schism Heresie and Rebellion were let in to disturb the Peace the Quiet and the Unity of the Church Thus I say it was effected by the means of Satan that Evil one who still makes it his great business where ever he finds Unity and Peace to spoil and deface them and to raise up Strife and Separation Since Separation and Division among Brethren proceeds from the Cunning and Malice of Satan why should it continue any longer in our Israel Why should not every Man put to his helping hand to build up the Walls of Unity Are we not Brethren Have we not one Father God One Head Jesus Christ Is he not our Common Shepherd Have we not one Faith Salvation by Christ Do not we Believe him come in the Flesh Do not we Confess his Name Are we not all Christians And indeed are we not also of one Mother the Church Why then this Separation This Division This drawing several Ways Why cannot or why do not you Unite as you ought to do If there be any obstacles and stumbling blocks of offence that lie in the way set to your Hands and endeavor to remove them I suppose they are not so many nor so great but they may be easily enough removed if you go about it willingly and sincerely if you are not byassed or perverted by your own Passions and your own contradictory and perverse Wills if you are not Stubborn and Dogmatical and not too stiff in your own Opinions in small matters you must yeild somewhat in Love one to another that the Work may be done and the Breaches made up and that the Walls of a perfect Uniformity may at last be built for the security and welfare both of Church and State And that this may be Effected and that our happy Unity may be lasting and perpetual that the Stones may be made smooth and polished fit for the building that they may lye fast equal and close all ruggedness and gratings must be done away for whilst they remain they will not be fit for the building and there will be but little hopes of Conformity and entireness You must then lay aside that bitterness of Spirit which some of you call Zeal wherewith you upbraid those of the contrary Party and to the multitude cunningly insinuate an Opinion of Holiness and Integrity of your Selves and of loosness and neglect of your Adversaries always on the least occasions lashing them with sharp and severe reproofs ripping up the faults of Bishops and the Clergy of the Prelatical Party You must leave these common Aspersions which abound among many throwing all Faults and Errors on the Ecclesiastical Government and to it impute all Faults all Corruptions endeavoring thereby to win to your selves the Opinion of Wisdom you must also leave to intrude upon the People and your Hearers your own Form of Church Government as the only remedy to avoid all Evils as the only true Way to walk in and as if Salvation were hard to be purchased any where else and giving it so many glorious Titles and Encomiums and so possessing the minds of Men with an overweaning of the one and a bitter and malicious Scorn and Detestation of the other Leave also to interpret the whole scope of Scripture as if framed to maintain your own Form of Government presenting your Followers with false Glosses whereby they read only as you would have them and pervert Scripture to maintain the false Ideas of their sickly Imaginations and thus every Sect makes the Scripture to speak in favour of their Way and false Opinions to maintain their Schism and Separation calling all Samaria and Babylon that are not of themselves and their own Congregations Sion and Jerusalem You must also leave off those Names of Separation and Distinguishment calling your selves the Godly the Brethren the Good People Gods Children the Sanctified and others the Ungodly Reprobates Worldlings Time-servers Men-pleasers Moralists and Latitudinarians Arminians and the like You must also lay aside that eager endeavor of making Proselytes especially of the weaker Vessels who are apt to be easily led and perswaded by godly and Religious pretences though thereby they do great damage to their Husbands and Families making the Separation within their private Walls as wide as that which you have caused in the Nation You must also cease to cry out and exclaim against Magistrates and Rulers Kings and Governors as Severe Cruel and Tyrannical upon the least restraint of your Liberties as if you were thereby become Martyrs for the Cause of Christ and branding those that perhaps not with out occasion given thereto put some moderate restraint upon you with the Titles of Blood-suckers and Blood-thirsty Men Persecutors and Tormentors drawing all the Scriptures that any way favour the Innocency of such as have Suffered for the Truth by wicked Tyrants to your own selves and apply them still to your Case as if you were the Persons pointed out by the Finger of the Holy Ghost and for whom they were chiefly intended Also you must not speak contemptibly of Bishops as you too frequently do giving them scurrilous Names as Limbs of Antichrist Locusts of the bottomless pit domineering Lords Usurpers Spiritual Tyrants Lordly Bishops c. and calling the Ministers of the Gospel in contempt Priests nay Baal's Priests Time-servers Hirelings State Divines dumb Dogs vain Bablers with such like Language those whom the Scriptures Dignifie and Honour with the Titles of Christs Embassadors Gods Stewards Pastors of Christs flock Stars Angels Gods receive too often from you contrary Denominations being scandalized at the Title of Lord given to Bishops which is an Honorary Name annexed to their Temporalties by the Kings of England you call them in Disdain Lordlings Proud Imperious Arrogant and the like You must also leave to Whisper in private against the Governors and against the Secular Power as if tending to and infected with Popery and of complaining to your Disciples that you are fain to fly to Corners and to Private Meetings like the Primitive Christians whilst Papists Drunkards and Swearers are not medled with or disturbed that you are more roughly handled than those who go to Mass that your Godly Meetings are disturbed whilst Taverns Ale-houses and Play-houses are never look'd into and where they commit Enormities without Check or Controle that you are the true Church and that the Word and Sacraments are by you dispensed in Purity and according to the Primitive Institution that the publick Places of Gods Worship are defiled with Common Prayers Singing Anthems Read-Sermons and Set-Prayers Organs and such like as you call them Superstitious rags of Popery You must also utterly lay aside all your Reverend thoughts of your great Idol the Covenant the Moloch of Presbytery the Scottish Dagon a very Monster of Rebellion this must be never thought of more but laid aside and drowned in the Sea of Oblivion You must also leave off your continual Scoffing at the publick Prayers of the Church which you have
abuse her when you tax her of Popery or Superstition by reason of her Rites and Ceremonies But you too often confound Superstition and Idolatry together sometimes the keeping of Christmas is Superstitious the Cross the Surplice the Common Prayer Book the Holy Days the Vigils Lent all Superstitious and sometimes 't is the Idol Christmas the Idol Common Prayer Book the Idol Saints Days and the like But as you know what Idolatry is the giving an Holy and Religious Worship to any thing that is only due to our Maker the only true God so you may know also that Superstition is not the doing or omitting of any thing more or less than is necessary in matters of Religion by reason of the Obligation laid upon them by Superiors but it is the performing or not performing those things by reason of a necessity that is laid upon them that they are sinful of themselves whereby the Consciences of Men are inslaved and terrified And by this means all things that you Judge to be Unlawful though indifferent in themselves till commanded by Authority you prohibit under the Obligation of Sin thereby imposing on the Consciences of others a necessity of not using them though commanded by Authority as being of themselves vile and sinful and this is truly Superstition But what is it you would have Would you have no Government No Discipline No Form in the Church If any why not this as is already Established Since you are not able to Convince it or Convict it either of Popery or Superstition You would have your own you think that purer and better but you must then stay till you can Convince the Magistrate also you must Convince your King and Governors make them first of your Perswasion exhibit to them your Arguments your Reasons your Perswasions all you have done hitherto is nothing you see Thousands are not of your Mind and they will not believe your Church Government and your Classical Form to be any ways Quadrate with such a Monarchy as this is it may perhaps be fit for a small City a little Commonwealth a Province or so it may be fitted for the Constitution of Geneva or some Cantons of the Switzers but it can never be made to sit well about the Necks of these three Kingdoms neither will you be able to perswade the King to pull down the Bishops to set up arbitrary and boundless Tryers to lay aside the Ancient Liturgie and to bring in its place your Directory to put down Ecclesiastical Courts and set up Commissioners we have had too late tryal of your Way and the Tyranny of your Church Government cannot so soon be forgotten when every the Heads of your Classes were as Absolute as Popes and your Inferior Clergy as Proud as Cardinals But had the King and State a mind to gratifie you and to set up your Form would not there still be as many Dissenters for you are not yet agreed among your selves you have not yet shaped a Form that would please others the Independent Anabaptist Quaker Cry out against it and had rather live under the Rule of the Bishops than under the rigid Government of Presbytery it will be impossible to please you all and you may as soon hope to fit a Garment for the Moon Till you are agreed then of a better Form of Ecclesiastical Government and that you are able to Convince the King and the State and your other Dissenting Brethren that you have a better and one more agreeable to the Constitution of this Nation to the Primitive Institution and Purity without the unlawful Argument of the Sword and Rebellion submit I say in Gods Name and for Conscience sake to this as is set up and be no longer Separatists and Congregate no longer by your selves but be perswaded as you ought to hearken to the Call both of God and Man of the Scriptures that press you to Unity and Amity of your Brethren that invite you to Conformity and Communion and to your Superiors who Command you to Submission and Obedience As to the Doctrine of the Church of England you have not wherewith to find any the least shaddow of Cavilling against it you cannot but Confess its Principles to be found but all your Pique is against its Discipline or Church Regiment which as the Learned and Rational Mr. Hooker Law of Eccl. Poâ— Lib. 3. Sect. 3 Hooker tells you is a thing different from Matters of Faith and Salvation But who is it that ought to lay down the Rules and matters of Church Polity and to frame the Laws and Constitutions of Church Government Are they not Men And such to whose care the Governance of the Church is Committed To Kings the Nursing Fathers and to subordinate Ministers as Bishops c Would you have all Laws already laid down in Scripture And nothing left for the exercise of the Light of Reason in these matters But there is no doubt but these Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity may be made by Man Legally and by the Authority of God Luminis naturalis dictatum repellere non modo stultum est sed impium August Lib. 4 de Trin. Cap. 6. and in which Man may make use of his Reason following therein the Rules of the Law of God and the Law of Nature which in the substance is one with the Moral Law of the Scripture and also though these Humane or Canon Laws be not expresly set down in any part of the Scripture yet they ought upon unerring Principles to be deduced therefrom or at least without Contradiction unto any positive Law or Command in Scripture By this means the Laws of Man may be said to be the Laws of God For he owns the very Laws of the Heathen to be of himself though framed by the Light of Nature only and by him written in their Hearts by which the Gentiles were either Excused or Condemned 2 Rom. 15. Why then fly you from these Laws as such Bug-bears Why do you not in all Humility and Singleness of Heart yield Obedience to them for the Lords sake Where lies the Illegality of them Because you cannot find Lawn Sleeves and Rochets in Scripture therefore must they not be worn And because you do not Read of Gowns Tippets square Caps and Canonical Girdles therefore 't is unlawful for Ministers to wear them When God gave us the Light of the Scripture he did not take from us the Light of Reason this indeed is but a dim Light in respect of the other and ought not be trusted to in matters of Faith Divine and Supernatural things but being in Conjunction with the greater Light of Gods Word we have a clear and perfect Sun-shine to see as far as an Humane condition will permit of into the business both of Doctrine and Mannors and we are thereby inabled to give Rules in matters of Faith and Life For though the Scripture is a perfect and absolute Rule in it self and contains all things within it self
in all these places where the Gospel of Jesus Christ was Received all having the same Faith the same Sacraments and the same Form of Government so as they seemed but one Body and in a perfect Unity one with another that every thing might be done with Decency and in Order Socrates and Euschius have given us whole Catalogues of Bishops successively to their Times and we find them nominated in many Histories and Writings of Old and from their beginning deduced down to our Times This is the Regiment you would have pull'd down this is one Form you oppose a Government of Divine Institution by that of the Holy Ghost conferred on the Apostles and by them on others and so successively in the Church in all Ages and thorow all times by Ordination and Laying on of Hands so that there can hardly be manifested a more plain and evident Truth I am not Ignorant that you admit of the Name of Bishops and of Presbyters but would make them of equal Authority you would indeed be all Bishops or Popes rather Subjection and Obedience are things that have seem'd very scandalous to you But there is nothing more plain than that Bishops had not only the preheminency of Order but of Rule also And as there were in the Jewish Church the High Priest the Inferior Priest and the Levites who were not only different in Order and Superiority but there was a distinction so that the one might do what the other might not do the Levites might not Intrench on the Office of the Priests and the Priests could not enter into the Sanctum Sanctorum So in the Church of Christ the Bishops the Presbyters and the Deacons were distinct in Order and Office the Deacons were subservient to the Presbyters and they to the Bishop to whom the Power of Rule and Ordination was only given and the Presbyters again received theirs of Administring the Sacraments Dispensing the Word c. from them being by them Ordained thereto The Bishops are the Fathers the other the Children they Command not as Lords and Arbitrarily these obey not as Slaves but as Sons they Rule and these obey according to the Word of God and according to that Primitive Institution which made that excellent Harmony all things being done for the Glory of God I know the many long and tedious Cavils and Disputes which some of the most Subtle of you have entred into about this thing and what dust you have raised about this Jurisdiction But it has been all laid and none that have Eyes but can see clearly into the matter that Christ gave Power to his Apostles to Rule and Govern his Church and that the same Power was by them Conferred to others Mar. 16.15 Matt. 10.24 Matt. 28.19 20. and so shall continue to the end of the World according to Christs Commission But if you cannot find in Scripture that you ought to submit to Bishops as your Fathers I hope you will believe Mr. Calvin and for his sake have at least a better Opinion of them who says Calvin Epist ad Card. Sandolet Nullo non anathemate dignos Arbitror qui se Episcopis libentissime non submittunt I think them worthy of a Curse who do not willingly submit themselves to Bishops Open then your Eyes at last and look not so asquint on this Form of Government and more particularly as it is here Establish'd in the Church of England which certainly is the most like and comes nearest to the Primitive Institution of the Apostles and the next Ages of any Church in the World both for the Purity of its Doctrine and the Order of its Government its Ceremonies being both Few and Decent and its Power regulated by Just Laws And as one says Vindication of the Conforming Clergy p. 50. The Church of England is a body of so firm a Constitution and so excellently Temper'd and so well Shap'd and of so clear a Strength and Vigor in all its Limbs that no outward Force is able to Injure it nothing but some inward Corruption and decay in the Vital parts that can possibly bring it to the Ground Indeed you had trip'd up its Heels and lay'd it along but it was but a Foil you see how soon it arose again and in that little Interspace or Interregnum as I may term it what horrid Confusions were amongst us With all your Arts you could not hinder others from invading your Province Instead of Surplices you beheld Scarlet Cloaks Wigs and Swords as Ornaments to those who Preached in your Pulpits nay the very Women invading the Chair and challenging a Liberty though expresly contrary to the Rule of the Apostle You saw what ill Steers-men you were and how the Ship of the Common-wealth thrived under your Government in what danger of Drowning or of being Split upon the Rocks or Perishing in the Quicksands Methinks this little Tryal might Convince you of the Weakness and Imbecillity of the one and the Firmness and excellent Temper of the other Government by which this Land has so long Flourished and which is so fitted not only to Monarchy making that Maxim good as we by Experience saw no Bishop no King but also to the Temper and Constitution of the People of England that there can be no better Government ever thought on which shall be here so well Approved and Received It is not only my Opinion but of many more the most Eminent and Learned of the Nation and those not of small Repute and who have been Able to give sufficient Proof to maintain their good Opinion of the Excellency of our present Form of Church Government and among the rest the Learned Mr. Hooker has these Words Pref. Sect. 1. which he sets down as his full Perswasion Surely the present Form of Church Government which the Laws of this Land have Established is such as no Law of God nor Reason of Man hath hitherto been alledged of force sufficient to prove they do ill who to the uttermost of their power withstand the alteration thereof And contrarywise The other which instead of it we are required to accept is only by Error and Misconceit named the Ordinanee of Jesus Christ no one proof as yet brought forth whereby it may clearly appear to be so in very deed And these two Assertions he hath so fully and unanswerably Maintained in his excellent Book of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity that methinks you should lay your Finger on your Mouths and no longer speak against this Form of Church Government nor remain at this Distance and in this state of Separation till you have found out better Arguments for to Justifie your so doing than those you have yet made known to the World However low and mean Opinion you have of this Form of Church Government as it is now Establish'd in England 't is otherwise respected abroad By others 't is look'd upon with Envy and Admiration The beauty of the Church of England is not so
Evil and your Opinion that you may Separate and not Conform can never make it Good to you notwithstanding your scruples nor can any ways Justifie your Actions because Disobedience is of it self a great Evil. Now our Governors or those in Authority over us have Commanded those things to be done about which you scruple and that by the Authority of the Scripture 1 Cor. 14.40 Let all things be done decently and in Order which gives them a Power to make such Constitutions therefore all your scruples of Conscience cannot take off the greater Obligation of Obedience which you are expresly bound to in Conscience by Gods Command and you are no longer sui juris where a Superior Power has determined your Liberty If you scruple to play at Cards and Dice or any other indifferent thing of which you have Power to determine to do or not to do if you do it against your Conscience you sin because you are sui juris in that Case there being no Obligation upon you to the Contrary but if you scruple coming to Church because of the Ceremonies being both a good Action and Commanded by Authority not to do it must certainly be a great Sin notwithstanding your scruples to the contrary for you are not at your own choice but under Obedience and thereby bound in Conscience as if God had Commanded them himself for he hath given you his strict Command to obey the higher Powers Rom. 13.1 1 Pet. 2.13 and to submit to their Ordinances neither will it avail you to plead your scruples of Conscience Rom. 13.5 since you are Commanded to obey for Conscience sake and since what is Commanded is no Sin For if the Magistrate should Command us to take Gods Name in vain or to Commit Fornication we may with a safe Conscience disobey because we have an higher Obligation upon us for that God has Commanded the Contrary and we are bound to obey God before Man Be at last Convinced and stand no longer upon these niceties and scruples about things of lesser weight when greater Dangers are impending and much trouble is ready to arise by reason of this Separation and Disunion between you Salust have a care that by your discord you do not ruin your selves Discordia maximae Res dilabuntur it is able to overthrow Kingdoms give the Hag no longer entertainment among you let her be banished from our Churches as well as from our Kingdom that at last we may meet with oneness of Heart and singleness of Mind as becometh Brethren 1 Pet. 1.22.3.8 Love one another with a pure Heart fervently Be ye all of one Mind having Compassion one of another Love as Brethren Whatsoever the pretences of many are yet we find that Interest sways more with them than Religion very few do refrain purely for Conscience sake Many do it because they have been bred so and will not or care not to be better inform'd most remain Nonconformists without being able to shew any tolerable Reason why they are so besides those Idle Opinions they have of the Impurity of the Church of England Methinks these sort of People who shun the Church out of a certain squeamishness of her nearness as they falsly think to Popery should be afraid of those visible advantages their Separation gives to those of that Religion to contrive its setting up again in this Land and that this fear should let them see that it is their Common interest to Unite with and strengthen the Hands of their Brethren Certainly though you intend no such thing yet you are a means of the great increase of Popery in this Land by your Divisions How would that Party rejoyce could they see Episcopacy as it is now Established in this Land pulled down they would not much care what Form you would set up for they believe and not amiss that Confusions and Distractions would soon follow on which they ground their not improbable Hopes of Raising up their own Church upon our broken Pillars You cry out continually with no little noise of the growth and increase of Popery or of People perverted to Popery in this Land but look not on your selves as the Means and Cause by your Separation giving them the same pretence for that plea of yours Liberty of Conscience and that they ought not to be compelled any more than your selves Luc. 6.31 Do as you would be done unto If you would not be compelled why should they Prout vultis ut faciant vobis homines vos etiam facite eis similiter What reason have you to lay any force upon others when you will not have any laid upon your selves The Common Interest could make Herod and Pilate though Enemies to become Friends for fear of a Common Enemy the King of the Jews See I beseech you now if it be not your Interest to close with those of the Church of England against your Common Enemy of Rome and if it be not now most seasonable to effect it This Union would be the best means in the World to frustrate all their Plots and Designs against us It would put them quite out of Heart and dash all their Hopes They would then lose their sheet Anchor their last Refuge It would take away all their Advantages and put them past all their shifts It is the only way to bring Peace and Happiness to the Nation We need to fear no Enemies abroad if we were thus United at home we should be like the bundle of Arrows not to be broken together but being parted asunder into Factions easily broke into pieces Union is the Life and Blood of Government both in the Church as well as in the State A Doeg or Achitophel at home is worse than the Philistines or Moabites abroad Our mischief is from our selves Eras Apoth Patriae periclitantis potius habenda est ratio quam privatae incolumitatis We should rather regard the safety of our Country than of our selves Cicero said their was a select place of Happiness and Eternal felicity reserved in Heaven for those who preserved helpt and brought good to their Country Som. Scip. And I am of the Opinion that by your Conformity you will merit more than by all your scruples of Separation By your submission you will deserve the Reward of Victors you shall have the Garland of Praise to adorn your Brows the Palm of Conquest shall be put into your Hands and the Olive Branch of Peace shall be placed on your Trophies your Country shall applaud you your King shall cherish you and your Brethren shall rejoyce with you you shall have the right hand of fellowship given to you and there shall be no longer any difference in our Israel Cic. Off. l. 1. Pro patria quis bonus dubitet mortem oppetere What good Man doubts to meet Death for his Countries sake says Cicero The task is not so difficult that is required of you you are desired to Live for your