or practice And sure no such for Images is in the Creed or Decalogue § 26. The same I may say of many other Religious practices As St. Paul speaketh of meats and drinks and dayes Rom. 14. 15. so must we say of all things that are of no greater necessity If men in all these must be brought to uniformity and practising in the same mode it must be either by argument and perswasion or by force The first we are sure will never do it in all things though it may in many All the twenty reasons before mentioned prove it and many hundred years experience much more It is certain to all save blinded persons that all Christians will never be in all things of a mind about Lawful and Unlawful Duty and Sin And 〈◊〉 that force will never do it St. Paul saith of things indifferent that he that doubteth is damned if he eat because he eateth not of faith For whatsoever is not of faith is sin Ungodly persons that have no true Conscience may go against their false Consciences for worldly ends and wilfully sin for fear of men But so will no true Christian unless in the hour of such a temptation as Peters by a fall from which he will rise again to a stronger resolution than he had before No sound believer will sell his soul to save his flesh nor hazard heaven by wilful sin to save his interest on earth So that this way of forcing men to practise contrary to their Consciences in points in which good and tolerable Christians differ will but make up Churches of wicked men that have no conscience joyned with one party that is therein agreed And I shall shew you in due place that they will never devise what to do with the Conscionable dissenters that shall not be far worse than a charitable and peaceable forbearance § 27. III. It is certain that there will never be so great Concord as that all Disputings opposition and passionate and injurious words and writings will cease among all sorts of Christians No nor among all that are honest and upright in the main For as long as one taketh that for a dangerous errour or sin which another taketh for a necessary truth or duty men will even on Gods account think ill of one another and in some measure speak ill as they think They that know that they must not call evil good and good evil nor put darkness for light and light for darkness will abuse and injure one another in things where they confidently err A Lutheran though pious will speak and dispute against a Calvinâ—â— and a Calâ—inist against a Lutheran And so of many other Parties And though it is greatly to be wished that all Christians had humble thoughts of their own understandings and would stay till they know well what they say before they talk much against things or persons and though it be so with wise and eminently sober humble men yet with too many it is far otherwise and like so to continue Perverse disputings and shameful backbitings and speaking evil of things and persons not understood have such unhappy causes in the remnants of dark corrupted nature that they seem to be like to live till a golden age or heaven do cure them Talking and writing against one another even of the same Religion yea praying and preaching against one another must be expected in some degree I would I need not say silencing and persecuting one another yea excommunicating and anathematizing among the worser sort of men such usage as Nazianzen had from one of the famous General Councils and such usage as Chrysostom had from such Bishops as Theophilus Alexand. and Epiphanius and a Council of other Bishops and such as abundance of excellent men in most ages have met with in the like kind and way may be expected again till Bishops and all Christians become more wise and resined persons § 28. II. But affirmatively there is yet an excellent sort and degree of Unity and Concord to be sought with hope among Christians worthy of all our utmost labour Yea there is a true and excellent Unity and Concord which all true Christians do already enjoy consisting in the following things § 29. I. All Christians truly such believe in One God and believe the incomprehensible Trinity and believe Gods Essential Attributes and Grand Relations to man They believe that he is Infinite in Immensity and Eternity and Perfection even a most Perfect Spirit Life Vnderstanding and Will most Powerful Wise and Good the Creator and preserver the Governour and the End of all of whom and through whom and to whom are all things in whom we Live and Move and have our being Most Holy and True and Merciful and Just whom we are bound to believe and trust and love and serve and obey and praise with all our heart and mind and strength and perfectly and everlastingly to see Love and Praise him to Please Him and be Pleased in Him in Glory is the end and happiness of Saints § 30. II. All true Christians believe in One Mediator between God and man Jesus Christ the Eternal Word God and one in Essence with the Father Incarnate assuming the whole Nature of man conceived by the holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary and was holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners fulfilling all righteousness and overcame the Devil and the world and gave himself a Sacrifice for mans sin by suffering a cursed death on the Cross to ransome us and reconcile us unto God and was buried and went to the departed souls in hades and the third day rose again from the dead having conquered death And having declared the new Covenant or Law of Grace and commanded his Apostles to preach the Gospel to all the world and promised them to send the Holy Spirit he ascended into Heaven before their faces The said Covenant of Grace is summarily this that whereas all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God sin by one man entring into the world and death by sin and so death and condemnation passed upon all in that all have sinned God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever Believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life that is God freely giveth to lost undone sinners Himself to be their reconciled God and Father Jesus Christ to be their Saviour and the Holy Ghost to be their Sanctifier if they will Believe and Trust him and accept the gift and will in serious Covenant which Baptism celebrateth accordingly give up themselves to him Repenting of their sins and consenting to forsake the Devil the world and the Flesh as opposite to God and sincerely though not perfectly obey Christ and his Spirit to the end according to the Law of Nature and his Gospel institutions that so they may overcome and be Glorified for ever And they believe that Christ will come at last in Glory and judge all men according to his Laws
as of that ad quem as Mar. 6. 12. Luke 13. 3 5. Acts 2. 38. 3. 19. 8. 22. 17. 30. 26. 20. Matth. 9. 13. Luke 24. 47. Acts 5. 31. 11. 18. 20. 21. 26. 20. 2 Tim. 2. 15. 2 Pet. 3. 9. Luke 10. 13. 15. 7 10. 2 Cor. 7. 10 11. § 5. Christ himself the Law giver and Judge doth oft in his explications lay his acceptance of men on a few great plain sure necessary things He summeth up the whole Law into the two great Commands the first and the second like unto it even the Love of God and Man and when he tells one that had lived soberly and justly that yet he lacked one thing Luke 18. it is but this plain great necessary duty to prefer his heavenly reward and hopes and Christ to bring him to it before his wealth and prosperity on earth This was not a great Volume of hard opinions but one plain and necessary duty not hard to know but hard to an unbelieving worldly heart to be willing to do So in his great Sermon on the Mount Matth. 5. it is not many dark opinions or small ceremonious practices that he pronounceth blessedness on but the pure in heart the poor in spirit the merciful the peace-makers and such as suffer for righteousness sake And in all his most excellent Sermons and Prayers John 5. 6. 10. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. what have you but our common Catechism truths Which of the controversies of contenders or what nice opinions are there decided or propounded Nay he himself oft distinguishing tells men that God will have mercy and not sacrifice and reproveth the Pharisees that were strict in tything mint annise and cummin and neglected the great matters of the Law Mercy truth and justice and that troubled the Church with their ceremonies and worshipped God in vain with their traditions teaching for doctrines the commandments of men Matth. 15. Yea when he describeth the Judgement to come it is not many hard opinions that he layeth life and death on but on loving relieving visiting his members yea the least of his members yea himself in them And he condemneth those that do it not even to the least What then shall they suffer that interdict and anathematize Kings and Kingdoms and hereticate great part of the Church of Christ yea the Pope and his Councils of military Bishops that have risen to their greatness and conquered the Christian Nations by this art of Anathematizing or cursing Kings and Subjects from Christ § 6. We find Christ preaching also to divers single persons as to Nathaneal to the Samaritan woman John 4. to the blind man John 9. to the Canaanitish woman and others and he never went beyond these few plain divine and necessary terms § 7. And he sent out his disciples to preach but the same doctrine that he had done even to Repent and believe the Gospel and Devils were subject to them that preached this short plain truth who I fear are the Masters of many that spin a finer web And John Baptist went but the same way And among the counsels which he gave to the many sorts that flocked to him see whether any of our Engines of heretication and division and silencing are to be found All the four Gospels are strangers to such things § 8. And the very Controversal Epistles of St. Paul that were written to confute Seducers were written by the same spirit and go the same way The summ of all is Repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ The doctrine of faith in Christ and the abrogation of the burdensome Ceremonious Jewish Law and that the Gentiles â—ere not bound to keep it is the summ of his doctrine 〈◊〉 summeth up all the Law in LOVE Rom. 13. â—â—d in living soberly righteously and godly in the â—orld following the spirit and mortifying the lusts of the flesh living a holy and heavenly life in love and unity and peace And whereas pride and ignorance then began the dividing way and condemning Christians for tolerable differences he oft and plainly reproveth and confuteth this But most fully and purposely to the Romans Chap. 14. 15. Him that is weak in the faith receive ye but not to doubtful disputations or not to judge his doubtful thoughts instancing in differences about meats and dayes Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth for God hath received him Who art thou that judgest another mans servant to his own master he standeth or falleth Yea he shall be holden up for God is able to make him stand Let every man be fully perswaded or assured in his own mind He that regardeth a day regardeth it to the Lord c. But why dost thou judge thy brother or why dost thou set at naught thy brother For we shall all stand before the judgement-seat of Christ Let us not therefore judge one another any more but judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block in his brothers way If thy brother be grieved with thy meat now walkest thou not charitably Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ dyed For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men Let us therefore follow after the things that make for peace and things wherewith one may edifie another For meat destroy not the work of God All things indeed are pure but it is evil for that man that eateth with offence I is good neither to eat flesh or drink wine nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth or is offended or maâ—â— weak And he that doubteth is damned if he eat beâ—cause he eateth not of faith For whatsoever is not 〈◊〉 faith is sin Ch. 15. We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please our selves Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification For even Christ pleased not himself c. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one towards another according to Christ Jesus That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorifie God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ wherefore receive ye one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God § 9. I know not what can be spoken more plain and home to the case in hand and the humane unnecessary impositions which have so many ages torn the Churches of Christ And yet all this is nothing to the Imposers The different exposition of this one part of Scripture hath had a great hand in the calamitous distractions silencings imprisonments scatterings that have been exercised in many Nations of the world The controversie lyeth here The One side say that All this was spoken by St. Paul only
performance-sake to engage us to do what we promise 2. And as a known false Covenant is null as to the benefit of the Covenanter though not as to his obligation so at the entrance a mans word is his credible profession but if he by notorious wilfulness violate this word or promise in any essential point he then so far nullifieth his verbal profession as to his benefit and proveth his Covenanting to be false And therefore all disciplined Churches do cast out gross impenitent violaters of that Covenant in such essential parts § 2. But what is such violation and for what fin men are to be cast out is a difficult question in some instances 1. I take it for a sure rule that no man is to be further cut off from the universal Church by sentence than he first morally departeth or cuts off himself For the Pastors have not their power for destruction but for edification And their office is subservient to Christ who came not to destroy mens lives but to save them even to seek and to save the lost They are not to be hurtful but helpful to mens souls § 3. 2. He therefore that apostatizeth or denyeth any one essential article of Christianity cuts off himself first and is to be declared by the Churches sentence to have so done if he repent not If he timely repent it must prevent the sentence § 4. 3. Whatever sin amounteth to an evident refusal of promised subjection to Jesus Christ cuts off the sinner morally from Christ and if he prevent it not by repentance he is to be sentenced accordingly by the Church who do but thus declare who depart from Christ and cut off themselves § 5. 4. Every sin is not a renouncing of our allegiance or subjection to Christ nor to be censured by excommunication 1. There are sins of meer infirmity or imperfection in duty as imperfection of sincere faith love hope obedience prayer c. 2. There are sins of sudden passion and surprize which the will habitually abhorreth and the sinner quickly repenteth of 3. There are sins of ignorance which a man knew not to be sins 4. There are sins of meer forgetfulness 5. Yea it is not all presumptuous sin that is a renouncing of our subjection A faithful man knoweth that the least sin should be avoided and he may know that vain jesting or idle words are a sin And he may be often guilty of these by some degree of presumption that is he may be tempted to think that all men being sinners such a sin may stand with grace and for want of due excitation not fear it or fly from it because it is a little one as he would do from perjury murder or some greater sin No small evils or danger doth so much suscitate the soul to resist and avoid it as a greater doth no man is so careful to avoid the prick of a pin as of a sword This want of suscitation through the smallness of the thing maketh less resistance and so some degree of presumption in all men § 6. 5. No one Act of sin sufficiently repented of is matter for a just excommunication be the sin never so great For the penitent are pardoned If the Repentance be before the excommunication it preventeth it For the first part of discipline is to perswade the sinner to repentance as being intended for his recovery and salvation and excommunication is never just but when the sinner will not repent As under the Law of Innocency death was the wages of any sin but under the Gospel faith and repentance are the remedying conditions so accordingly though Adam was cast out of Paradise for the first sin none are to be cast out of the Church for any sin meerly as a sin but as not repented of by a believer I say not that this is the Magistrates rule in punishing the body but the Pastors in excommunicating § 7. 6. Yea the time and means of admonition for bringing the sinner to repentance must be competent and such as are suitable to a rational hope of his repenting and not as some Lay Chancellors do if a few rough words make them not repent presently excommunicate him nor pro forma to say thrice I admonish you I admonish you I admonish you and then I excommunicate you It is not a jeasting matter nor to be past as hastily as angry word The sinner must be gravely and seriously told of the evil of his sin and if it be something which he taketh for no sin he must be convinced by Scripture proof and must be heard speak for himself with patience and if he hear not a more private admonition he must be reproved before the Church that many may consent for the more authoritative conviction and for the warning of others and that the Church may thereby clear themselves as not consenting to the sin 1 Cor. 5. And the excommunication is only to pass at last when repentance justly seemeth hopeless § 7. But yet there is much difference herein to be made in respect of the difference of sins and of persons 1. A sin of errour or ignorance or controverted as also a smaller sin requireth a longer time of patience for the sinners conviction before he be judged to be impenitent But a notorious sin against the light of nature or plainest proof and of most scandalous consequence must have shorter time of patience yet so much as that the sinners passion may be over and he may have leisure well to consider of the evil and of the Churches reproof § 8. As gravity convincing reason compassion and patience are certainly necessary so it seemeth very convenient at least that when the sinner is admonished before the Church the Congregation joyn with the Pastor in earnest Prayer to God for his conviction and repentance and if that prevail not at once in tolerable cases to do it again before the sinner be cast out Ye ought to mourn saith St. Paul 1 Cor. 5. Men will not cut off a corrupt member of the body hastily nor till flat necessity nor without sense of pain § 9. It is not every sin that a man repenteth not of that is a just cause of excommunication For there is no man living that hath not some sins which he no otherwise repenteth of than as in general he hateth all sin so far as he knoweth it For every man hath sins of ignorance and every man hath some degree of errour and some faithful men have more than others and take some sins to be duties or no sins and some have darker minds than others that are hardly convinced and cannot perceive the force of an argument against the prejudice before received And some are educated where some sins are praised and converse with such persons as by their parts and interest in them harden them in their errour How many thousand zealous Papists Nestorians Eutychians Greeks take others for hereticks by mistake and perhaps by words and actions wrong or
Spirit and sufficient Rule 23. That men must believe the Scripture without reason for their believing it or must believe it to be Gods word without seeking any proof that it is his word 24. That it is meritorious to believe the Scripture to be Gods word without knowing any proof or reason of it this being an infused faith and proof making it but acquired 25. That we must believe Gods word no further than we have evidence of truth from the nature of the matter revealed 26. That Mahomet is the Paraclet promised by Christ V. Of the Creation 1. That this world was from eternity and not made in time 2. That an evil God made this earth or a middle God between the perfect God and the evil one As old Hereticks variously spake 3. Or that such an evil or middle God made the body of man 4. Or that such an evil or middle agent made the woman 5. That God made sin and death and disorder before sin deserved them 6. That when God had made this world he left it to the Government of certain Angels who fell and necessitated man to fall 7. That the World is Gods body and he the Soul of it and no more 8. That the world came by chance or by a fortuitous conflux of atomes and was not made by Gods wise and powerful word or action 9. That there is nothing in the world but matter and motion and the various shapes of matter caused by motion or at least nothing but God and matter and motion and its modal effects 10. That the world is Infinite as being made by that infinite God who made it as great and good as he was able and therefore infinite in his own similitude VI. Of Angels and Spirits and Heaven 1. That men can certainly tell the space number and order of all the celestial regions orbs or spaces and the number of Angels or when the first were made 2. That this world or earth was made by Angels only 3. That the fallen Angels were necessitated by God to sin and to tempt man 4. That God hath so left to Angels the Government of this world as not to govern it himself save by such leaving all to their free contingent action 5. That all that which scripture ascribeth to the Holy Ghost is done only by Angels 6. That we may know which are our Guardian Angels 7. That men may choose their own guardian Angels or spirits 8. That we must pray to Angels though we see them not or have no special notice when they hear us 9. That Angels lusted after women and begat Giants of them before the deluge 10. That they fight with each other for the government of the Kingdoms of this world even the good Angels among themselves VII Of Man as man in his nature and first state 1. That mans soul is God or part of God 2. Or is only a part or act of an universal soul of the world and is no singular or individual substance in each one 3. That the soul is but a quality motion or action of a higher agent 4. That the soul is mortal and dieth with the body being either annihilated or asleep or sunk into a meer potentia or hath no knowledge will sense or action or is swallowed up in the universal soul so as to lose its proper or numerical existence 5. That mans soul is of the same species as the bruits 6. That mans spirit only is immortal and continueth after death but not his soul 7. That mans soul or spirit was from eternity 8. That it was made before this earth and sinned in a former body and was thrust for punishment into this body and world 9. That the souls departed of men are sent back into beasts or at least into other men and so are oft born 10. That mens souls are fallen Angels 11. That Adams soul was made first male and female before it was incorporate 12. That Adams body was the cloathing that God made him after he sinned having no body before 13. That neither soul nor body was made after Gods image as Epiphanius ill affirmeth 14. That mans Vital faculty Intellect and Will are but accidents of his soul 15. That the soul is moved but as an engine by an extrinsick cause and hath not any Essential self-moving form or power 16. That no man can do more or less or otherwise than he doth because God as the first mover necessitateth all his actions 17. That the will hath no habits but a meer power and liberty 18. That Adam and Eve had no holiness or holy inclination to love God as God and to obey him but a meer neutral possibility 19. That Adam had not help or strength sufcient or necessary power to have forborn his first sin 20. That man was made only to be an inhabitant of earth as Angels are of heaven and is not capable of an higher habitation VIII Of sin Original and subsequent 1. That God is as much the Cause of all sin as he is of darkness and such other privations and that he made Adam sin or that he irresistibly predetermineth every ones will to every forbidden act which it doth 2. That the Devil irresistibly necessitated Adam to sin and so some superior cause did the Devils 3. That sin is not only the occasion of much good but a proper cause and as such is decreed willed and caused by God 4. That God made a Covenant with Adam that if he sinned all that came of him should be reputed sinners farther than they were really seminally in him and by natural in-being and derivation were partakers of his guilt and corruptions and so that God made them sinners by his arbitrary imputation when naturally they were not so 5. That Original sin necessitateth every sin of omission or act which ever after followeth in the world 6. That sin being a meer privation all are by nature deprived of all moral good and so all are equally evil and as bad as those in hell notwithstanding any thing that the Redeemer hath done to prevent it 7. That infants have no Original sin no guilt of Adams sin and no sinful pravity of nature 8. That Infants have no participation of guilt of any nearer parents sin but Adams only and God doth not inflict any punishment on children for their fathers sin because of their derived guilt by nature 9. That therefore Infants have no need of a Saviour to suffer for their sin nor of a pardon 10. That Infants need not the Holy Ghost to sanctifie them by killing any sinful pravity or inclination in them 11. That sin was not the cause of death 12. That sin deserveth not hell or an everlasting punishment IX Of Redemption and the Covenant of grace made to Adam and Noah 1. That God made no promise Covenant or gift of grace to Adam after his fall 2. That God made the Covenant of grace only to Adam and the elect and not to all mankind in him
not and hateth them not nor punisheth them with any correcting punishment 10. That they that have the spirit need not study for matter method words or affection 11. That they are perfect or their duties perfect who have the spirit because all the spirits works are perfect 12. That the day of grace may be so past with some as that sincere faith and repentance and a changed will that loveth holiness and consenteth to the Covenant of grace may be rejected of God and unavailable to salvation XIII Of Justification and pardon 1. That God forgiveth the deserved punishment of no sin but requireth it of the sinner himself and Remission is only the destroying of sinful dispositions and preventing future sin and not forgiving the punishment of what is past or will be 2. That Christ's sacrifice and righteousness is not the meritorious cause of our pardon Justification adoption and Salvation 3. That Christ is not the Lord our righteousness or made of God to us wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption nor we made the Righteousness of God in him or that it is not the Righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ which justifieth us 4. That Christ suffered for his own sin being either actually a sinner or our sins made properly his own sin in the guilt of culpability and not only of punishment before he suffered for them And so that he was by real imputation or Divine reputation the greatest Atheist infidel malignant murderer adulterer c. in the world these sins being in their forms or culpable guilt translated from all the elect on him 5. That all the elect were justified from eternity or before they were born or while they were no true believers by that justification which the Scripture meaneth when it saith we are justified by faith 6. That the elect are justified by the Law of innocency made to Adam or the Law of works made to and by Moses to the Jews because they were Legally in Christ fulfilling them and did perfectly fulfill them in him 7. That the sense of the Law of innocency was Thou or Christ for thee shall be innocent and obey perfectly to the end or die 8. That the Gospel Covenant or Donation is not Gods justifying instrument gift or Law 9. That God reputeth us to have been perfectly innocent from our birth to our death or at least since our believing because we were so Legally in Christ and yet reputeth us such sinners as need a Saviour and Christ suffered for our sins though we were so innocent 10. That the elect have no need of pardon at all because they are perfectly obedient by imputation 11. That at least we need no pardon of any sin committed since we believed save only of temporal correction 12. That pardon and justification actually remit all sin at once that is yet to come and is yet no sin as well as that which is past and present 13. That pardon and justification are perfect as soon as we believe 14. That therefore no true penalty no not corrective is inflicted or remaineth after our first faith 15. Therefore to such none of their wants of grace or Communion with God nor permitted sin nor suffering nor death are any true punishments for sin for the demonstration of paternal justice 16. That therefore no believer must pray for the pardon of sin it being perfected already nor seek for it of Christ by faith 17. That therefore there is no further condition or means to be used by us for pardon of new sins or for fuller pardon 18. Therefore there is no other or perfecter justification at the last judgement 19. That faith is not imputed to us for Righteousness 20. That against the false accusations that we were impenitent infidels ungodly hypocrites we need no personal Repentance faith piety or sincerity to justifie us as the righteousness contrary to this accusation but only the imputed righteousness performed personally by Christ himself 21. That we shall not be judged according to our works nor in any respect justified before God by our works nor is St. James so to be understood nor Christ that saith By thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned Mat. 12. 22. That men are justified by the works of the Law of Moses or of innocency or some other works which must be joyned to the righteousness of Christ to make it sufficient to its proper part or office and are not only subordinate thereto 23. That we are justified by faith only in our Consciences as knowing that we are otherwise justified before God 24. That we are justified only by inherent righteousness and that pardon of sin and acceptance for Christs merits and mediation is none of our justification at all 25. That a man unjustified must believe that he is justified that thereby he may be justified taking justification in the same sense 26. That God doth not make men just before he sentenceth them just 27. That Christ justifieth only by his Priestly Office and not by his judicial sentence 28. That we are justified by no act of faith but only by the act of resting on or also accepting Christs imputed justifying righteousness 29. That being perfectly justified by the first act of faith we are never after justified as to continuation by any act after that first instant 30. That to expect justification by believing in God the Father or the Holy Ghost and in Christ as Christ in his person and whole office of a saviour and not only by the foresaid single act is to seek justification by works reprehended by Paul or unlawfully 31. That faith or repentance are not by Gods gift or promise made any conditions necessary to be done by us through his grace that we may have right to Christ or pardon or justification 32. That our believing in Christ is of equal impossibility to us as our personal perfect innocency 33. That to believe Heaven and that God will glorifie us for the sake of Christ and as a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him is no act of that faith which justifieth as a Condition of justification or salvation 34. That it is all mens duty to believe that they are elect 35. That justifying faith is only a full assurance that we are elect 36. That true faith is inconsistent with doubting or imperfection 37. That it is unlawful to trust to any thing in us or done by us as a means or condition of pardon or salvation though but subordinate to Christ 38. That no meer death-bed faith or repentance is accepted to salvation or pardon because good works are part of the condition 39. That there is no degree of pardon given by God to any but the elect that are saved 40. That all praise that is ascribed to any thing in our selves or done by us or to any subordinate act of man as a means to our salvation or final justification is a dishonour to God and our Saviour and
we relieve not Beggars otherwise But if the Parishes through Poverty or Uncharitableness neglect them the Law of Nature bindeth us to relieve them rather than see them perish All Laws for the meer Ordering of any Duty suppose that the Duty must be done and that as tendeth to its proper end and not that on pretence of Order it be undone If the Coronation of a King be not performed regularly he is King nevertheless by Inheritance or Election and he is King before his Coronation Marriage is valid before God by mutual consent before the Matrimonial Solemnization and where this cannot be had it is no Duty If a Priest would not marry Persons unless they will make some unlawful Promise or do some unlawful thing it is lawful and may be a Duty to marry themselves declaring it publickly to avoid Scandal unless the severity of the Law of the Land do accidentally make it unlawful And in some Countries the sinful course of Priests may make this an ordinary Case And no reason can be given but that here it may be so Sect. XI Many Cases may fall out in which no Ordination by Imposition of Hands or present Solemnity may be necessary to this Office 1. In Case a Company of Christians be Cast upon a remote Island where no Ordainer can be had and yet some of them are qualified Persons It is sinful for them to forbear Gods Publick Worship therefore they must choose the fittest person to perform it viz. Preaching Prayer Praise Baptizing and the Lords Supper And that Election sufficiently designeth the person that from Christs Charter shall receive the Ministerial Power and be obliged to the Duty if he consent 2. In Case the Person be remote and the Ordainers and he cannot meet or Persecutors or Tyrants or other Accidents hinder their Meeting he may be Authorized by Letters without any other Ordination It is well known that this hath of old been practised and Bishops have sent such Letters of Ordination to those absent Persons that have fled from Ordination and so made them Bishops And it being but the designation of the recipient Person on whom Christs Law shall confer the Office that they have to do there is no reason to be given why they may not do it effectually by writing 3. In Case that Death or Persecution hath left none to Ordain that are within reach of the Person to be Ordained If Ordination by Diocesanes were ordinarily necessary yet in those Kingdoms or Countries where there is none it cannot be had as in New-England and lately in Britain in Belgia Helvetia and other Countries Some may say You ought to go for it though as far as from America hither and to seek it Beyond the Seas and in other Lands or stay till it may be had But I answer 1. In some Countries the Governors will not suffer Diocesane Ordination 2. Words are soon spoken but to sail from America hither and that for every Man that is to be Ordained is not soon done some have not health to bear it at Sea some have not money to pay for the Voyage charge 3. It is a sinful loss of a Years time in which they might do God much service 4. A Years Voyage by Sea to and fro may hazard their Lives and so frustrate all their end 5. Some Princes and States forbid their Subjects to be Ordained in Foreign Lands as we forbid Romish Ordination lest it draw a Foreign Power on them 6. It is not lawful to deny God his Publick Worship and our selves the benefit by so long delay 7. It is contrary to the temper of the Gospel which ever subjecteth Ceremony Rites and External Orders to Morals and to Mans good and the great Ends. 8. And it is a wrong to the honour of the Divine Nature for Men to feign that the Great Wise and Merciful God layeth so great a stress upon a Ceremony or Rite or outward Order as to damn Souls and deny his own Worship where it cannot be had 4. And this Ordination is not necessary in Case the Ordainers be grown so wicked or heretical as that they will ordain no good and orthodox Men but only such as are of their own sinful way 5. And in Case the Ordainers require as necessary any one unlawful thing Subscriptions Profession Vow or Practice If any say That God will never permit us to fall under such Necessities they must prove it and Experience disproveth it Sect. XII And if in all such Cases no Ordination be necessary much less is Diocesane Ordination necessary in all Cases and Places As 1. In Countries where no Diocesanes are or are near 2. In Countries where they or their Ordination is not endured by the Governors 3. In Countries where the People being in judgment against it will have no Pastor so Ordained It is not better to have none at all 4. In Countries where Wars do hinder it 5. When the Diocesanes themselves will not venture to Ordain for fear of suffering for it 6. In Countries where the Bishops are so corrupted that they refuse all that are truly fit 7. Or where they refuse all whom the People either choose or will consent to and the Bishops and People cannot agree on the same Man 8. Or wherever the Diocesanes impose unlawful Covenants Promises Professions Subscriptions Vows Oaths or Practices without which they will not Ordain On some or other of these accounts a Romanist would not be Ordained by a Greek or Protestant or Armenian c. and a Greek or Protestant would not be Ordained by a Papist supposing something to be unlawful 9. But when a Parochial Bishop may be the Ordainer in such Cases the Validity will not be denied by most Episcopal Divines 10. And it is truly as valid in such Cases when 1. Senior Presbyters 2. that are authorized by the Magistrate 3. especially that are chief Pastors in Cities and have Curates under them do Ordain though some deny to call them Bishops 11. As the Erastians think that the Christian Magistrate may design the person by the Peoples consent without any other Ordination so Musculus and some other Protestants think that a fit person designed by the Magistrate and accepted by the People need not question his Call to the Office And it 's hard to disprove them 12. If the Opinion of many Papists and Protestants hold true That a Bishop differeth not from a Presbyter in Order or Office but in Degree as the Foreman of a Jury or the President of a Synod 〈◊〉 Colledge or Council of State c. then I see no reason but the Magistrate may make a Bishop of a Presbyter as he may make a President of a Colledge or a Mayor of a Corporation For then the difference being but in the Accidents of the Office and the King being Governor of the Church as far as the Sword is to govern and specially the determiner of meer Accidents and Circumstances circa sacra why may he not