heresie denied the resurrection of the bodies as you may observe in the 15. Chapter some would defile the Christian doctrine with Judaicall Superstitions which some false Doctours would introduce in the Church as necessary to salvation moreover they would infect the doctrine of the Gospel with the prophanations of the Gentiles as it appears by the 8. and 10. Chapter Concerning the Discipline and government of the Church some there were among the Corinthians who would not have any desiring to live according to their own minds that they might give themselves to all licentiousness without any reprehension or correction which prevailed so far that the Church of Corinth did bear with the whoremongers drunkards and contentious which gave our Apostle occasion to write the 5. and 6. Chapters of our Epistle to extinguish that monster of licentiousness As for the Ceremonies there was division in the Church for among the Corinthians some would not submit themselves unto the performance of them as you may see in our Chapter where you must observe that the divisions of the Corinthians were not about the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ nor about heresie which everteth the doctrine but about the manner of preaching and praying and about the manner of receiving the holy Sacrament Concerning the first the contention was about the covering of the head as if we should now dispute about a hat and a coife for men and women had engaged themselves in that division According to the custome of the Corinthians as well as to that of the Church of England the men were to be uncovered as well during the Sermon as during the prayers and women as now they are were to be covered as you may see by the 4. and 5. verses of our Chapter where we may very well take praying and prophesying actively and passively actively for those that pray and preach and passively for those that joyn their vows and prayers with him that prayeth as those that are present at the hearing of him that preacheth so that not onely he that did preach according to the custome of the Church of Corinth was to be uncovered but those also that were present at the hearing of the Sermon but some lovers of divisions would not submit to that custome Some men covered themselves in the holy Assemblies and some women were uncovered which S. Paul hearing of endeavoureth to instruct them about these things shewing them the lawfulness of that custome which the Church had thought fit to be observed by both Sexes in their publick and holy meetings from the 6. ver to the 16. ver For the manner of receiving the holy Sacrament be it standing or kneeling the Apostle leaves it to the custome and ordering of the Church that such things might be established not by the common people but by the Ecclesiastical Superiours for these injunctions belong onely to them as being sub potestate ordinis under the power of order which is insinuated in the 1 Corinth 14. at the last verse Let all things be done that is by the Ecclesiastical Superiours decently and in order but if these injunctions regard the Ecclesiastical Superiours know ye also that the Ecclesiastical corrections for the prophanation of the Lords Supper belong to their persons as it appeareth by our Text I hear that there be divisions among you which hath relation to the following verses where the Apostle condemns the profanation of the Corinthians against the holy Sacrament And indeed it was very sit for the Apostle to condemn their profanation which was committed in their banquets of charity which were kept in the Church before the participation of the Sacrament for it came to pass soon after the institution of these banquets that the rich men that were at the expences of them would not tarry for the poor and so the rich were drunk and the poor hungry as the Apostle speaks in the 21 ver of our Chapter the rich man came to the Sacrament without reverence being in that sinfull and shamefull condition and the poor discontented for as I have said these banquets were kept in the Church before the reception of the holy Sacrament although soon after the Apostles time that custome was changed and these banquets kept after its celebration as it appears by Tertul. Apolog. for the Christians and Chrysostome in moral homil 27. their prophanation then caused divisions in the Church and disorder among the Christian Corinthians which obligeth the Apostle Paul to write and say I hear that there be divisions among you But brethren if all these things which I have mentioned were among the Corinthians give me leave to tell you without offence that the same things are to be found among us who have desiled the glorious Church of England as the Corinthians did the eminent Church of Corinth it was that Ecclesiastical monster of division that spoiled it when it did appear against doctrine discipline and Ceremonies and it is that monster that is yet ready to ruine that glorious Church which as a Phoenix is newly born of her ashes consider I beseech you the divisions which are yet entertained amongst us and you shall see that they regard the Doctrine Discipline and Ceremonies for heresie reigneth yet in England Socinians Anabaptists Quakers and Millenaries with others appear in great number and with a damnable considence endeavour to corrupt and desile the Evangelical doctrine that they may insinuate and scatter their errours and heresies among the poor Christian people licentiousness appeareth too much in this Kingdom we are willing to give our selves to all the corruptions of the world but we are not willing to be reproved for our sins we slatter our selves in our iniquities and wickedly make use of the Christian liberty to maintain our rebellion as for Schism it is too well known in this Countrey and I wish as my duty with my affection to this Nation obligeth me that that monster might be hated of all and that those that have been contentious might quietly return into the Church let them consider that those things which they trouble the Church for touch not the substance and body of Religion but onely the circumstances of it and they shall learn of our Apostle to hate divisions for saith he speaking about these things to the Corinthians if any man seem to be contentious we have no such custom neither the Churches of God and to correct their irregularities about the holy Sacrament I hear that there be divisions among you which shews the contentious that schism about Ceremonies leads to prophanation about other things and to heresie if it be not stayed but behold there are some monsters that appear unto me black and obscure coming from the dark prison of the prince of the air the God of this world and that is pride with many other daughters of hell which you shall see in the second part of my Text. The second Part. As pride made division between God and the Angels that are now devils
many years could not approach notwithstanding the affection and good will of his faithfull subjects you see the glorious Charles the great Monarch of England in possession of his own Kingdomes and with him peace and quietness for the good of the persecuted Church that after a silence of persecution where she was not seen by the eyes of her afflicted Children she may enjoy the silence of prosperity in all godliness But that great favour of our God is not regarded by many of this Kingdom who so envy its happiness that they seek with their unquiet minde to ruine it they are divided from the rest of their brethren when as they may be united together to the glory of the great God of heaven the God of union the advancing of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and salvation of their souls Perhaps there are many present that will be offended at my discourse but I will have them know that my intention is not to please some nor offend any for it is onely to shew you what I with orthodox Learned men conceive by the Scripture and Antiquity to be true therefore I exhort you all in the Name of the Almighty God whom you adore and fear that you hear me with attention humility and charity and above all if there be any in this Congregation that are contentious I desire them to hear me without partiality and prejudice that I with the grace of our blessed Saviour may remove the spirit of contention which our grand Apostle Paul blameth in the Corinthians for in the 16 ver speaking to the contentious he saith if they would remain in that humour if any man seem to be contentious we have no such custome neither the Churches of God after which he reproves the Corinthians for their irregularities by which they did prophane the Lords Supper and caused divisions in the Church saying I praise you not that you come together not for the better but for the worse for when you come together in the Church I hear that there be divisions among you which last words I have chosen to entertain you with by the special assistance of the blessed Spirit but that you may have a clear intelligence of them I shall divide my Text into two parts where in the first I shall speak of the divisions and in the second part I shall shew you the causes and ocasions of them as you may see in my Text I hear that there be divisions among you The first part If oppression be a monster with many heads so is division which you cannot look upon without fear and horrour in Kingdomes Families and Churches for you know that there is a civil or political division which ruineth all things in Kingdomes Cities and Villages for by that division Kingdomes are destroyed men slain Virgins defloured women abused children corrupted Cities everted Villages ruined houses by fire consumed Palaces demolished and the most pleasant dwellings wasted nay more then that Emperours and glorious Kings dethroniz'd so that nothing but desolation and ruine appears before our eyes as you your selves lately have seen in this Kingdom but this monster of division is not satisfied to spoil the glorious Kingdomes of the earth it reacheth further unto private families to confound them for there is a domestical division which everteth all oeconomical order and government and procreates confusion and disorder in families for in that fatal division the Father is against the Son the Son against the Father the mother against the daughter the daughter against the mother the husband hates his wife and the wife despiseth her husband nay you see that monster of division go up and down in the house to the ruine and destruction of all things in families for in that division Parents neglect their children with their employments and spend all that they have by profusion and carelesness But me thinks I see this monster of division go yet further and by a damnable presumption endeavour to enter into the Church of God to spoil and defile it me thinks it prevaileth so far that the Church seems rather a chaos or confusion then a distinct fabrick and if that Ecclesiastical monster be not stayed that it go no further it will spoil and ruine the sacred house of the Almighty God which the Apostle Paul did well know for hearing of the Ecclesiastical diuision among the Corinthians he writes unto them to extinguish it saying I hear that there be divisions among you I hear saith the Apostle not by a special revelation as if God should have revealed him that which the Corinthians would not have him know but by letters or rather by some that came from Corinth who informed S. Paul of the disorders of the Corinthians and so writing unto them saith I hear that there be divisions among you as he had told them in the 2. verse of the first Chapter concerning their contentions about Paul Apollo and Cephas it hath bean declared unto me that there are contentions among you But for a clear intelligence of the Ecclesiastical division of which the Apostle here speaks you must observe that it is vel circa doctrinam vel circa disciplinam vel circa ceremonias Either about the doctrine or about the discipline or about ceremonies where the Ecclesiastical division about the doctrine is that by which the true principles fundamental points of Religion are everted which is such a pernicious division that from thence comes her pestilent daughter heresie the division about discipline is that by which the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction established for the correction of Christian sinners and preservation of the Church is destroyed which is that division which most shamefully brings forth licentiousness the Ecclesiastical division about Ceremonies is that by which the rights of the Church observed in the outward service of God are most irreverently despised and abolished which is a division from which cometh schisme which the Apostle speaks of when he saith I hear that there be divisions among you for the word of my Text in the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 schismes which nevertheless may be extended to the division about doctrine and discipline by which the Church is rent as well as by that of Ceremonies and much more Indeed all these divisions were to be found among the Corinthians for among them some there were who would corrupt the doctrine by their erroneous opinions some among the Corinthians did condemn the marriage not as if it were instituted by a wicked God or by the devil as Simon and Saturninus said but as a thing somerhing impure which was not fit for a Christian whose life was to be every way most pure which obliged the Corinthians to write unto the Apostle Paul to have his judgement about it which was that marriage was lawfull for every man as you may see in the 7. Chapter of our Epistle nay honourable in all and the bed undefiled some among the Corinthians being infected with the Sadduces
and ambition did alienate our first Parents from God so pride and ambition makes a division between the Church and her children for you shall often see the children of the Church to be so ambitious that they will esteem themselves above their mother and indeed there is no schismatick much more an heretick but is ambitious and so the Shoolmen speak when they say that a Schismatick is one who retaining the fundamental points of Religion rends impudently the Church by reason of some Rights and Ceremonies which his ambition approves not of but me thinks that the next daughter of hell is envy which seems sad by reason of the union which she fears in this Kingdom for envy loves nothing but division because that vice and immoderate affection of our soul will never permit us to like what is done by those that we do not like or to consent unto these things which we had no hand to in their Institution for in the injunction of such things we are perswaded by that fatal passion that our advantage is hindred or diminished but behold there is another which is covered with a very black garment where you can discern nothing and that is ignorance which cannot inform us of the nature of those things which are imposed upon us by our Superiours for Ignorance makes us esteem the circumstances and garments of Religion to be of as high a nature as the body and substance thereof and by that means we cannot agree nor receive the circumstantial things which our Superiours impose upon us for the good order of the Christian Church but further give me leave to let another monstrous daughter of hell appear with the others that we may eschew the fatal effects thereof in the knowledge of her nature and that is obstinacy which is not content to cause division but will countenance it for obstinacy as every one knows will always have us to defend that which we once have maintained and blame that which we once have declaimed against although we know not any reason for it and so the obstinate men will remain in their errours and entertain division Now if you consider the causes of our divisions without partiality you will confess with me that Pride Envy Ignorance and Obstinacy were those monsters which would not permit as now will not yet suffer the fomenters of division to adhere to those things which their Superiours imposed upon them for otherwise I do verily beleeve that they had not embroyled this Nation with such a cruel war neither had they upon their pretended occasions so violently persecuted the Church for these things which many who agree in the substance of Religion with their mother the Church contended about are harmless and cannot offend moderate and prudent men for not any of the authours of the division of this Kingdom I hope will blame the moderation of the first Reformers of the Church of England who seriously examined the Church of Rome in its Doctrine Discipline and Worship to reject the Errours and Heresies of the Doctrine the Tyranny and oppression of the Discipline and the Superstitions of the Worship and retain that which the Church of Rome had from the Christian Primitive Church nay more then that they took a way the abuse of things indifferent in their nature and reduced them to a lawfull use But for all that some contentious like those that were in Corinth of whom the Apostle speaks when he saith I hear that there be divisions among you would not be satisfied they blamed many things that could be easily passed by as now many of their imitatours do for the white colour of the garments of the Church of England offend their sight they say that these garments are superstitiously used in the Church of Rome as if in the Church of Rome the Clergy regular secular did not use garments of several other colours as well as white nay more then that those that know the Church of Rome as I have reason to know it having lived among them in their communion 23 or 24 years are not ignorant that she makes use of all sorts of colours so that if we would not use any of those she makes use of we should go all naked so we should prove very fit to be among the Adamites but as S. Jerome saith very well against Pelagius what enmity is it against God if the Bishop Priest and Deacon do go in white vestments when they are to officiate Moreover they will not admit the singing of the Creed nor many pious Songs when other Protestants beyond the Sea whom the contentious approve of sing the Lords Prayer in their temple as the Dutch Churches and those of Hesson or the ten Commandments with that which we call the Song of Simeon as our French Reformed Churches and others do and if they tell me that the Church of England cannot produce any passage of Scripture for the singing of the Creed c. I answer that it is not necessary for circumstantial things and that our Protestants beyond the sea whom the causers of division in this Kingdom do approve of cannot bring any passage of Scripture to prove the singing of the Lords Prayer and the ten Commandments But their contentious humour goes yet further for they will not have the people answer in the celebration of the Divine Service and they are offended at the repetitions which the Church of England makes use of but For the first I say that it is good according to the custome of the Church of England to joyn our selves with the Pastours in the Church as you did this day in the celebration of the Divine Service for it is nothing else but a sacred conceâ—t in imitation of that which the sacred Angels make use of in heaven in their praising of the Lord as you may see in Isa 6. and the Church of England is not the onely Church amongst the Reformed which makes use of answers in the celebration of the Divine Service for the Reformed Churches of Hungaria Transilvania and Lithuania as I am credibly informed make use of some answers in their Divine Service but I need not to pleade in that manner for if in that the Church of England should be alone among the Protestant Churches I would hold it lawfull because it is not against Scripture but rather conformable to it when the blessed spirits and sacred Angels cry or answer one to another Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts Concerning the repetitions of the Church let me tell you that they are as so many productions of a sacred and vehement affection like unto that of David Lord have mercy upon me Lord have mercy upon me and that of the Angels Holy Holy Holy indeed if the Church of England should make use of her repetitions by number as the Church of Rome doth so that by the repeating of so many times such a prayer she should think to merit something before God as the relaxation