Stamp Sometimes God may happen to say to those who are so fond of those Will-worship Ceremonies who hath required this at your hands Isaiah 1.12 And to uphold this Practice they must pull it over Head and Shoulders out of the Text of the Epistle to the Philippians 6.2 10. I do not so much wonder that Papists who seldom make use of Scriptures but to wrest them would make use of the place But for Protestants who pretend and ought to know better I admire they would make use of it It is plain the Text is not literally to be understood or else Men should bow at the Name of Jesus Son of Nun or of the Son of Sirach or of Jesus called Justus then 't is said the Knee not the Head Then there is no Knees in Heaven nor none that can bow under the Earth 'T is there spoken of an Honour due to the Divinity Person Attributes and Works especially as he is our Redeemer and Saviour which is signified by the name of Jesus and if we must kneel or bow when we hear that name the like must be done when we see it written The Apostle doth not mean the Letters of the name but a most humble Submission and Obedience with a giving Praise and Glory to the Person and Commands of the Lord Jesus As to kneeling at the Sacrament I know there must be a Posture that of the time of Institution or as near it as may be must be used several Protestant Churches have different Postures when they receive it and a Care ought to be had of avoiding Superstition and keeping as far as we can from Appearances of Idolatry I confess I would not for all the World if ever beyond Seas where Papists are in a full Liberty and where Protestants receive it not on their Knees I say I would not because my Conscience would not give me leave receive it kneeling which is a Posture of Adoration for fear it were thought I partake of their Idolatry in worshipping a piece of Bread for the true natural Body now sitting at the Right Hand of the Father which thing I abhor more than Death it self But here though with a safe and even Conscience I could receive it kneeling yet may be another could not Must my Will and Practice be the Rule of another Man's Will and Practice Every one is bound to seek for the best Information he can have but when all is done every ones Conscience must be the Judge of what he doth in indifferent things that is which are neithe commanded nor forbidden in the Word of God And the true Christian Prudence is to leave such things at liberty and administer it to those sitting or standing who make scruple to receive it kneeling for 't is no Rule of Charity or Christianity for the sake of Uniformity to break Unity and the Bond of Peace And Ministers ought to have a great care not to become Instruments of Damnation to any for they who receive kneeling Rom. 14.23 and doubting as St. Paul saith are Damned Such Practices must be left for the Wicked Communion of Rome which with Fears Threatnings Sword Fire and every violent way forces People to do things contrary to their Conscience as of late in an high degree it was practised in a Neighbouring Nation and for what they did they gave this reason We know they must be Damned and as good they should be so within our Church as out of it Let them come in and believe what they please Indeed a great Evil there is amongst us That the Posture of receiving the Holy Sacrament an Ordnance of God to Seal the Pardon of our Sins and strengthen our Faith is made use of for a Trial of those who are qualified for Worldly Employments to turn it to Temporal Ends is an unaccountable Prophaneness of that Holy Institution And though without such a by Consideration I could receive it kneeling I declare if I should receive in that manner upon the account of such a Trial I could not avoid believing I had eaten and drank my Damnation All foresaid Lets and Hindrances being laid aside and a Blessed Reformation of all Abuses set a-foot and by every one in their several Stations carried on then upon good Grounds we might hope for Peace grounded upon Truth and for an Happy Success especially if in our different Capacities we would propose to our selves the Glory of God the Salvation of Souls and the Good and Advantage of Church and Country The good Laws we have to encourage Piety and Virtue and to discountenance and punish Ungodliness Vice and every unjust and sinful Practise being renewed put in execution and if any thing therein wanting supplied with new ones good Instructions good Examples good Rules in Families and Care taken by Parents and Masters to see them well observed this would take away Evil and Cursed things from amongst us The Prudence of Officers in Church and State should remedy old Inconveniencies and as much as 't is possible endeavour to prevent new ones Amongst the old ones I shall name a very palpable one which concerns both Church and State and hath been and is every day cause of Grievance and great Inconveniencies and as much as any Destructive of common Society 't is Clandestine Marriages stealing and trappanning young People into Marriages without Advice or Consent of Friends which as yet the Wisdom of our Law-givers hath found no effectual Course to prevent though daily Complaints have at several times put them upon consulting about it He who steals my Goods shall be Hang'd and he who steals my Child shall go Free And if once they be Married according to the Practice of the Church though by reason of young Age and other Considerations unable to bind themselves with such a Tie What is in part or chiefly the cause of this is the Abuse of selling Bonds of Matrimony the Dishonesty and Covetousness of a Minister to get some few Guinea's And Privileged Places by Law or Custom whereof there are too many in and about the City there People are Married in Secret let the Disparity Inconveniency Tricks and Cheats be never so great so visible or so many which to prevent it requires the Prudence Study and Authority of both Civil and Ecclesiastical Powers FINIS
Reflections upon the Dead as well as upon the Living But we must not wonder that a Man who instead of a Sermon for though he uses some very few Scripture-Phrases yet one excepted doth quote no one place out of it but that of his Text maketh a Declaration against Indulgence and Liberty of Conscience He like another Saul Acts 9.1 yet breathing out threatnings and slaughter and is sorry it is not now in his power to persecute I say 't is no wonder if he doth so seeing he maketh bold to say in some places those things which may well be interpreted not only as Reflections but Invectives against the present Government Thus some who go up into the Pulpit are not satisfied with Paul 1 Cor. 2.2 to know and Preach nothing save Jesus Christ and him Crucified but do set up for Statesmen and Teachers of Human Wisdom and upon occasion turn the Preaching of the Gospel of Peace into blowing the Trumpet of War This instead of repairing our Breaches is to make them wider instead of composing our unhappy differences is to increase them instead of reconciling the spirits of Men is to exasperate them 't is to continue our Divisions to propagate Hatred and Animosities to Posterity These are the likely means to divide and subdivide us over and over again for we shall never want some Boanerges Sons of Thunder to inflame our Wounds to put all in a Confusion and in a fair way to Cut one anothers Throats Here indeed the thing is so obvious that I cannot avoid taking notice of how that Tribe of Levi as they call themselves do for the most part for some of them wish things were better mind the Interest of the World not that of Christ Instead of taking Care of Souls which is their Office 't is the least of their thoughts they would be governing the State and make an Hierarchical Monarchy and it may be at last like the Roman Clergy if they could turn Monarchy into Hierarchy and instead of a Pope have a Patriarch for that Spirit since the Reformation run into the Blood of several of them who in some of the late Reigns took upon themselves the Administration of most important Places in State and in their Convocations made such Canons as caused one of their good Friends the Lord Faulkland in his Speeches in Parliament in 1641. highly to Complain that they had taken upon them to do such things as belonged to Parliaments as to appoint Holidays to define what is Treason and in some kind to raise Monies upon Parishes when they charged Parishes to buy certain Books for the use of the Church 'T is sad that those Attempts of theirs and such ill Consequences thereof should so soon be forgotten Do they take this to be a Nation that can be content to be Priest-ridden That now again they begin in a solemn manner to decide about the Constitution of the Government and make us a Conquered Nation and as much as in them lies to lay the Foundation of Slavery for time to come Cannot they be satisfied with the share they have in the Legislative Power but must also some of them take upon themselves to alter the Nature of the Constitution of the Government it were more proper for them to betake themselves to their Books and to take care of the Souls committed to their Charge and not to hazard overturning all to bring again their Diana upon the Stage the Doctrine of Passive Obedience Seeing they have such a mind to be doing there is an occasion offered for them so to be within their Sphere now when Socinianism is coming in a pace And why should not there be some course taken to find out means to prevent and stop it such as may be a Convocation this is the proper Remedy against Heresies practised by the Primitive Church Thus the first Council of Nice assembled against Arrius upon this same account Are the Orthodox Doctrines about the Holy Trinity about the Incarnation Person and Offices of Christ not worthy to be asserted Wherein is the Care of our Church-Officers to keep out this Damnable Heresie are they pleased with it or will they make themselves Accessary to the Guilt of bringing of it in through Neglect or otherwise We all Church and State are alarm'd when we hear of a Forreign Army at our Doors but neither doth mind that Detestable Soul-murthering Heresie which is gotten into some of our Bowels and is hastening into our very Vitals What 's become of all our Watch-men can no effectual course be taken to stop it If formerly any one had spoken or written against Church-Government or its Dependencies though one had quoted Scripture never so much all took Fire punished persecuted and stigmatized such a one But now though this abominable Error doth come in with a bare Face none but one or two of our great Church-men doth bestir himself but seem to be unconcerned O ye that upon this occasion are Dumb Dogs and Idol-Shepherds what account of this can you give unto God What a Pother do Men keep about a Book whether it be King Charles the First 's or Dr. Gauden's as if it was an Article of their Faith if it was a Book of Holy Scripture and the question whether Canonical or Apocripha they could do no more How hot is D. H. upon it Tooth and Nail as much as for a Gospel-truth yet from the beginning of the Book 's appearing in the World it was made a question Whether or not that King was the Author Well let us not believe what Milton saith about it but Dr. Walker hath said enough to satisfie any impartial and reasonable Man but suppose he was not would it not better become D. H. as he is a Minister of the Gospel to make use of his Pen against Socinianism and serve his Master if he be Christ's Servant than vainly to spend his time and labour in a meer Complement to a dead Man who whether the Book be his or not shall never be one jot the better or the worse for it Thus instead of hoc agere to do his Duty is aliud agere that which doth not belong to it And thus whilst the Antichristian Spirit of Socinianism doth rage abroad and if I may so say the Fundamentals of our Religion lie at stake whilst Ravenous Wolves are striving to get into the Sheep-fold that Man trifleth away his Time and Pains with throwing Flowers not upon the Coffin but rather the Ashes of a Carcase Here I solemnly declare I have taken Pen in hand not in the least to detract from King Charles's Memory whose Name I am sorry to see made use of upon so unwarrantable an account but to make known an Abuse not only crept in but strongly setled which I think tends to the Dishonour of God and Disparagement of our Holy Religion to make a Mixture of a dead Man's Worship in the House of God for let Men say what they will the thing
the Worship of God we ought not to mind Humane Traditions but only the Word of God wherein the Lord hath prescribed us Rules to know and Worship him What we said before about the Tabernacle may now be observed concerning the Altar God takes care to declare how he would have it to be either of Earth Exod. 20.24 25. or of Stone but not out of hewen Stone the reason is given for if thou lift up thy tool upon it thou hast polluted it Man's Wits and Inventions do defile the Worship of God he will admit of no such things as Humane Workmanship wherefore he forbids it a second time when he saith Thou shalt build unto the Lord thy God an Altar of Stones Deut. 27.5 6. of whole Stones as 't is expressed in the next Verse Thou shalt not lift up any Iron tool upon them Indeed we must take notice of the extraordinary care God had to regulate even to the least Ceremonies that in the Acts of Religion nothing might be left undetermined and nothing wanting to take away all Pretences of Men for medling in it As to the Worship of God Men sin in the Object and Manner of it The First Commandment is the Rule for the one 1 Kings 16.32 1 Kings 12.28 29. and the Second for the other Ahab sinned against the First he worshipped False Gods Jeroboam worshipped the true God but in a false manner for which both their Names became abominable Evil Kings that came after them were branded for walking after the sins of Ahab or after the sins of Jeroboam 1 Kings 12.32 33. as odious for Worshiping in a false way as Ahab for serving false Gods hear what Scripture saith of him for altering the Circumstances of Place and Time Bethel and Dan he remembred still the deliverance out of Egypt Behold thy God that brought thee out of the Land of Egypt But he changed the time the First day of the Eighth Month even in the Month which he had devised of his own Heart Mark how hainously God takes that Change surely this should be awakening to all that bring into the Worship the Devices of their own Heart Ecclesiastical Laws and Ordinances ought to aim at Edification and to a profitable Declaration and Use of the main revealed in Scripture the Yoke and Burthen of too numerous Constitutions must be avoided in the Church likewise the Tyranny in strictly pressing the Observation thereof as things necessary and the obstinate Continuation of those Injunctions which Time and Experience made appear unprofitable or hurtful 't is unjust for such Ceremonies to make Christian Liberty to suffer any prejudice though they had been instituted upon good grounds and have been of good use yet having by Papists been abused to Superstition they ought to be abolished This is the Sense of true Christians who are acted by a Spirit of Meekness and Charity but unhappily some Men are so fond of preserving their Legislative Authority that they would prefer the loss of 100000 Souls to the Abrogation of an old Superstition This is properly the Spirit whereby the Church of Rome is acted and 't is to be wished there was not so much of it amongst us Indeed the Will of God ought to be the Rule of every Mans Will for 't is the Ground and Spring of all Reason and Justice But 't is very unreasonable for any Man or Men especially in things relating to Conscience to lay down his own or their own Will which is so fallible to be a Rule for the Will of other Men and as it were to force it upon others because a Man differs from me I must make him say as I say and do as I do or else Cut his Throat as well as if I should fall out with one because his Shape Stature and Features are not altogether like mine We know in the Primitive Church they sometimes had different Rites and Ceremonies for which no Violence or Compulsion was offer'd by one to another the Church must not force or impose a Necessity the Officers of it in indifferent things have no such right but to guide and direct not by constraint 1. Pet. 5.2 but willingly saith Peter in another sense As about indifferent things there is danger of Superstition so a liberty to do or not to do ought to be allowed or else that Liberty is taken away when the Observation is imposed by any humane Power This obliges the Body and the Body goes not alone so the Mind not being content with what the Body goes about Conscience is not at rest Hence arise Scruples which become endless Colos 2.16 such are eating some kind of Meats keeping of an Holiday which is our first question using in the Church some sorts of Habits Rom. 14.6 He that regards a day doth or ought to keep it to the Lord. Yet in things indifferent we must have regard to our Brethren 1 Cor. 10.24 Rom. 14.13 23 and have a Care that no Man put a stumbling block or occasion to fall in his Brothers way If this had been well thought upon so many stumbling-blocks and snares in Indifferent Things had not been laid in the way of others the more because the Apostle saith in the same Chapter and last Verse Whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin if any one doth such things and is not fully persuaded than he doubts so he is damn'd These very things are of a greater Consequence than some imagine for when once the Conscience is fallen into the Snare she enters into a Labyrinth whence the coming out is very difficult as I could instance in some things new doubts scruples and difficulties at the Heels one of another Upon Trifles sometimes great debates arise Whether or not God will have us to use this or that the Conscience becomes uneafie under the Yoke and growing restless it runs sometimes into Confusion or Despair so that in few words this is without necessity and out of wilfulness and uncharitableness to lay the stumbling-block before weak and tender Consciences God sometimes suffering the Devil with his suggestions to step in and their Natural Corruptions to work Luke 17.1 our Saviour pronounceth a Wo to those who do so This may be said of Ceremonies in general for if St. Peter calls those which had been instituted by Gods own Command and Appointment a Yoke which neither our Fathers nor we were able to bear Acts 15.10 and that imposing it upon the Neck of the Disciples was tempting of God in a time when the Christian Church was but newly Born and that the Jews thereto used were to be Converted It seems it had raised difficulties to their Conversion and not been proper to change all at once but by degrees what shall we say now who live so long after under the Gospel a Covenant of Liberty after the Light of it hath so clearly shined and we have declared against and left off-several of them to see any Ceremonies
imposed upon us though never so few for that is imposed which is enjoyned by Civil or Ecclesiastical Laws under Penalties which yet we all agree do not per se and in their Nature bind Conscience Hereby many Pious and Learned Men are kept out and the Church deprived of their Labours the Hearts and Prayers of God's People divided and in the bottom upon no other ground than sic Volo sic Jubeo such is our pleasure At first God winked at such things but now those old things are 2. Cor. 5.17 or ought to be done away Amongst the Reasons we have in Print before the Common Prayer Book about Ceremonies why some are abolished and others not this is given for one the Gospel of Christ is not a Ceremonial Law What is said there of many we here say of any so that as 't is confessed there ought not to be many we say there ought not to be any we know some of our first Reformers were against them and if those that were for them had known the ill Consequences of Imposing those Ceremonies they had not wanted Charity or Moderation as too many have of late the Dispute is not about the Number but about the Nature of them even as we see in our Civil Government Is it not true that one who would go about to raise a Penny without Act of Parliament is as much a breaker of the Law as if he went about to raise a Pound So is he guilty of encroaching upon Christian Liberty who imposes one Ceremony as if he imposed an hundred for as he may not impose many so he may not impose any And suppose the things imposed were lawful which is not granted yet every Christian must have respect whether the things he useth or doth be profitable and will do him good as well as to that whether or not it be lawful Though Paul had Circumcised Timothy yet seeing an abuse crept in he would not Circumcise Titus and giveth a good reason for it Cal. 2.4 Because of false Brethren unawares brought in to spie out our Liberty which we have in Christ Jesus that they might bring us into Bondage So that this very Ceremony and Sacrament of the Law Circumcision he look'd upon as a Bondage Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free Gal. 5.1 13. and be not entangled again with the Yoke of Bondage This by way of Consequence he infers out of what he said in the foregoing Chapter which is expressed by the Word therefore this he strengthens with a Reason in the 13th Verse for Brethren ye have been called unto liberty only use not liberty for an occasion to the Flesh for a Cloak to Licentiousness Our Christian Liberty we are to defend against those who lay Snares for it so we must not part with it especially when doing it confirms People in their Superstition and Error Men in Authority may not Command but what is good nor forbid but that which is Evil and what is indifferent may not absolutely and for ever be commanded or forbidden only as much it draws towards Good or Evil. Among the several places of Scripture wherein St. Paul gives a Caution about our Christian Liberty not to be imposed upon by others none is more conspicuous than the Epistle to the Colossians he warneth us to take heed lest any Man spoil us through Philosophy and vain deceit Colos 2.8 16 18 20 21 22.23 after the Tradition of Men after the Rudiments of the World and not after Christ What these vain Deceits Traditions of Men Rudiments of the World are he saith Verse 16. Meat or Drink respect of an Holiday or of the New Moon in a voluntary Humility Worshipping of Angels c. Wherefore if we be dead with Christ as we are from the Rudiments of the World why though living in the World are ye subject to Ordinances touch not handle not taste not which are all to perish with the using after the Doctrines of Men c. After this clear Truth 't is to be admired how the following expressions can drop from any Mans Pen. No Ceremony no Religion Sine Ceremonii actum est de Religione It must be a meer shadow of Religion whereof Ceremonies are Soul and Life and the Quintescence of it This is an Accident not a Substance a Name not a Power of Religion Would to God there were not so many amongst us of that Religion who ought to know better then we could hope things would go better than they do Was there not Superstition from the beginning of Christian Religion Would not some have had the Ceremonies of Moses Law concerning Meats keeping of days c. even of Circumcision to be continued as appeareth Acts 15. St. Paul was taken up about rectifying those Abuses as we see in his Epistle to the Galatians Colossians and elsewhere Those that are for our Ceremonies do or must own how they who were for keeping up the Popish Ceremonies remaining among us were in the wrong To say because Ceremonies are setled by Law they may not be removed or altered is to afford Papists an Argument to hinder a Reformation amongst them And by the same reason they might have stop'd the Work of Reformation when it began The Authority God hath given the Church is not for Destruction but for Edification 't is abused when otherwise St. Paul had as much Authority as our Ecclesiastical Law-givers he saith 2 Cor. 8.10 Chap. 1.24 13.10 For though I should boast somewhat more of our Authority which the Lord hath given us for Edification and not for your Destruction I should not be ashamed And he plainly declareth Nor for that we have Dominion over your Faith but are helpers of your Joy Now to go about to force People under Penalties to say as they say to do as they do and to believe as they believe that the Ceremonies are Good which we look upon to be Unlawful Is not this to pretend to have Dominion over our Faith The same Apostle saith to give Offences and lay a Stumbling-block before them that are weak such let them account us to be is to Sin against the Brethren But saith he 1 Cor. 8.12 When ye sin so against the Brethren and wound their weak Conscience ye sin against Christ And suppose such things as are imposed were lawful yet all things that are so are not expedient he looks to the edifying 1 Cor. 10.23 29. he will not use things lawful to him because they edifie not And in the use of such things he will have Men not to do any thing to offend yet to follow the Dictates of ones Conscience Conscience I say not their own but of the others for why is my liberty judged by anothers Conscience Men must not presume to destroy Christian Liberty 2 Cor. 3.17 And where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty As St. Paul would not make use of