forwards that it was the easiest thing in the world to trip up his heels such a Novice was this Austin all which I could easily believe when it shall be proved that he wrote the first and second Part of the serious Enquiry Really that Man must have amassed a vast stock of confidence that shall hope with one puff of contemptuous Breath to blow away that fair heap of Repute that that Fathers Name has gathered in so many Centuries and he must have an over-weening conceit of his own Rhetorick that can presume to perswade this Learned Age that he was so insignificant a Ceremony so great a Trifler The Papists with incredible zeal have struggled for him the Protestants have tooth and nail wrestled to draw him into their Tents all parties have ambitiously courted his suffrage at last comes one Hugh Grâ—…ot and our Enquirer and they cashier him as an inconsiderable fellow not worth the whistling But Luther had this great Stone thrown at his Head by Bellarmine And the Learned Dr. Field thus puts by the Blow On the Church Book 3. Ch. 42. Luther says he was as worthy a Divine as the World had any in those Times or in many Ages before and that for clearing sundry Points of greatest moment in our Christian Profession much obscured and entangled before with the intricate disputes of the Schoolmen all succeeding Ages shall be bound to Honour his Happy Memory That herein he proceeded by degrees and in his latter Writings disliked that which in his former he did approve is not so strange a thing Did not Austin the greatest of all the Fathers and the worthiest Divine the Church of God ever had since the Apostles time write a whole Book of Retractations Did we not carefully observe what things he wrote whilst a Presbyter and what when made a Bishop What before he enter'd into the Conflict with Pelagius and what afterwards Did he not formerly attribute the Election of those that were chosen to Eternal Life to the fore-sight of Faith which afterwards he disclaimed as a meer Pelagian conceit And would it not vex a Man of our Enquirers Humour that Austin the Presbyter should be more Orthodox than Austin the Bishop The Truth is St. Austin disagrees no more with himself than it became a Wise Man who by long studying the Scriptures and the Primitive Fathers had gained a more concocted and well digested Knowledge of Religion his Retractations were never laid in his Dish but interwoven amongst those Excellencies which Crowned his Learned Head before Now. A piece of such self-denial it was that a proud heart could not bear unless more politick Considerations turned the scale This last Age has few Instances of such an Ingenuity as will confess it self Truths Prisoner though it abounds with too many that surrender themselves Captives to base Lusts and worldly Interest Their own Grotius professes he was progressive and very prone to dislike what a little before he was well pleased with and the Reasons of his Change were evident to all the World § 3. A third Branch of this Charge is That St. Austin disagrees with the Church of England There are indeed a knot of Gentlemen that in spight of Right and Truth are resolved to be the Church of England and with these St. Austin and the Ancient Fathers have no very good correspondence nor are they ambitious of it But that the Ancient Church of England had very high thoughts of Austins Judgment is from hence evident that she quotes his opinion in one at least of the Articles of her Faith and justifies her Authority from his Doctrine Art 29. But yet if the Church should be a weary of him as I am confident she never will and has no further service to command him 't is but transmitting him with Letters of safe Conduct into Holland where the Divines of the Synod of Dort's perswasion will give him better Quarter and a most Cordial welcome and there 's no harm done § 4. Another Branch of this tedious Charge is That he was a Devout Good Man but whose Piety was far more commendable than his Reason Fuit utilis ad monita danda piae vitae ad Scripturas interpretandas satis infoelix That is The Man was a well meaning Zealot One that according to his dim light meant honestly but he never had wit enough to write Obscaene Annotations upon the Canticles he poor Man was little versed in Anacreons Ribaldry nor had much studied Ovid de Arte Amaendi he was a meer stranger to Catullus and Martial and therefore must needs be Satis nay Nimis ad interpretandas Scripturas infâ—…lix The most wretched unhappy Creature that ever bungled at a Text of Scripture It was never my unhappiness but once to hear the learned A. B. Usher reproach'd and it was by a Grave divine of the same Temper and upon the same Account That the Primate was indeed an Honest Man but one of no depth of Iudgment We need not search far for a Reason why these Men cry down Austins Reason In short 't is but to be reveng'd on him for crying down theirs for there 's a certain Maleporrsaway thing as blind as a Beetle and as giddy as a Goose which they have Nick-named Reason and this Austin decries with some severity Thus the Learned Iuell against Harding Art 4. Diris 17. observes That Austin speaking of the Scripture judging Mysteries by Reason faith thus Haec consuetudo periculosa est per Scripturas Divinas enim multo tutius Ambulatur And again Si Ratio contra Divinarum Scripturarum authoritatem redditur quamvis acuta sit fallit verisimilitudine vera enim esse non potest If Reason be brought against the Authority of the Scriptures though it may seem â—…xte and witty yet 't is but fallacious under the shadow of Truth for 't is impossible it should be True And for this he quotes Ad Marcâ—…llinum Ep. 7. And let the Reader have a special care of the Quotation for the Ecclesiastical Politicians sake But that our Austin was no such Shallow-brain'd-fellow no such half-witted-piece as those Divines judge it their Interest to represent him I shall call in the Testimony of Ierome one whose Learning and Judgment may at least counterballance those of the Enquirer I have always says he to Austin Reverenced thy Holiness Increase in Vertue Thou art Famous through the World Catholicks Reverence thee as the Re-builder of the Ancient Faith And I promise you he must be no Blockhead that shall be able to Redintegrate the Ruinous Doctrine of the Christian Church But I shall knock all dead with an infallible and therefore irrefragable Testimony 't is no less I assure you than that of Coelestinus Bishop of Rome We have always accounted Austin a Man of Holy Memory for his Life and Merits of our Communion whom we have long since remembred to have been of so great Knowledge that he was amongst the best Masters It would be impertinent
the Irish Air and Soyl If then the substance of the Articles was owned it 's no matter whether the Jurisdiction of the Synod was owneâ—… for I rather think that the Synod of Dort owned the Doctrine of the Church of England than that the Church of England owned that Synods Iurisdiction I must here remember him of his own discourse in the Introduction and desire to know whether he abide by that Doctrine he once Preach'd to us That the Presence of the British Bishops in the Council of Arles was good proof of the Nations Piety Let him show how that Proof proceeds and it s very probable we shall be in a fair way to show him how the Presence of the English Delegates at the Synod of Dort might imply that the Church of England did compromise with it in the Points now in Question I confess I do not well understand the Mystery of one company of Mens making a Faith for another but yet I may plead from an equality of Reason that if the Non-conformists are bound up by the Decrees of a Convocation at London where they have no representatives the Church of England may be as well bound up by the Decrees of Dort where she had her representatives If it be said that this Church had no equal Number at Dort to make a full representation of her Body it may be answer'd that in the Convocation 1571. there was no such equal representation of the Clergy nor any at all of the People who have Souls to save and Consciences to Account for and ought not to be concluded in matters of Faith by what a Couple of Clerks shall agree to who are only chosen by the Parochial Ministers I never saw a good Argument to this day to prove that the people ought to Believe all that their Ministers Believe or that the Ministers are bound to hold all that their Representatives shall subscribe seeing it cannot be supposed that they give them so large a Commission and if they should it were actually void because they give away their Consciences which are none of their own How things are now I know not well but in former times a Convocation had been judged no equal representation either of the inferior Clergy or the Body of the People In the lower house of Convocation there have been in some Diocesses one Dean one Clerk for the Cathedral three or four Archdeacons and for the inferior Clergy of the whole Diocess only Two Clerks to Counterballance all the rest So that all things must of necessity be concluded according to the Temper and Interest of the Cathedrals and that I think was no equal representation but these things are inconsiderable He comes now to draw up a Charge against not the Iurisdiction but the Doctrine of that Synâ—… 1. They were such as knew not how God could be Iust unless he was cruel nor Great unless he Decreed to Damn the far greater part of Mankind A company of silly Souls I perceive they were and their Heads just of the same size with St. Austins But in my poor judgment they took the wrong end of the Staff for it had been much he harder task to make him Iust if he were first supposed Cruel but this is one of those Chymerical Consequences which the persons of this distemper and prejudice use when their Blood is up to fasten upon the Principles of the Calvinists It was an Ingenious Observation of the Author of Orig. Sacr. p. 10. where he assigns this as one cause of errour To question the soundness of Foundations for the Apparent Rottenness of the Superstructures For says he There is nothing more usual than for Men who exceedingly detest some absurd Consequence they see may be drawn from a Principle supposed to reject the Principle it self for the sake of that Consequence which it may be doth not necessarily flow from it but from the shortness of their own Reason doth only appear so to do And if it were possible to perswade these Censurers to so much humility as to suspect they may possibly not be infallible in drawing Conclusions from other Mens Principles all this heat might be over What the Synod of Dort asserts in this matter is thus much Ar. 15. Deus Homines quosdam ex liberrimo justissimo immutabili beneplacito dectevit in Communi Miseriâ in quam se suâ Culpâ praecipitârunt relinquere nec salvificà side conversione donare sed in vijssuis sub justo judicio relictos tandem non tantum propter infidelitatem sed etiam Caetera peccata omnia ad declarationem Justitiae damnare aeternum punire In which as there is nothing but what is Iust so there 's nothing at all that is Cruel 1. That Act of God which our Enquirer for the greater Grace will call a Decree to damn the far greatest part of Mankind the Synod calls a Reliction of some Men or a Decree to pass by some Men. Quosdam Homines decrevit Relinquere 2. They say not that God Decrees to damn Men absolutely but Propter infidelitatem caetera omnia peccata damnare to damn Men for their Infidelity and all their other sins which is neither injustice nor cruelty 3. They say indeed that God Decrees to leave some Men in the common Misery but withal t is such as whereunto they have thrown themselves through their own fault In communi miseriâ in quam se suâ Culpâ praecipitarunt 4. They say this is an Act of Iustice in God to leave them to lie in that common misery into which they had plunged temselves it is Iustissimo Beneplacito So that all the difficulty will be to resolve 1. Whether it be an Act of Cruelty in God to leave Man as he found him in Massá corruptá damnabili And 2. Whether it be an Act of Injustice in God to damn Men for their unbelief and other sins If neither of these it will be no difficult province to make it out How God may be just in damning Men for their sin and yet not cruâ—… leaving them in their sin I am aware that this whole Controversie at last must empty it self into that of Original sin And a difficulty it is that may require strong Heads to prove that will not bring humble Faith to believe how Men have plunged themselves into the common Misery wherein God leaves those some by their own default Culpâ suâ But the Church of England will be responsible for this difficulty who determines in her Ninth Article That in every Person born into the World it deserveth Gods wrath and damnation The pretence for this odious Imputation is nothing but a Fancy which forsooth these great Masters of Wit have agreed to call Reason That that which would be Cruelty and Injustice in Man must presently be so in God As thus Because it would be Cruelty and Inhumanity in me to see my Enemy or if it were but his Oxe or his Asse lie in a
may have something to do to keep Man humble upon this Hypothesis But whether of these Two Principles makes the nearer Approach to the Church of England I mean that Doctrine which is express'd in the thirty nine Articles let the 10. Art judge The Condition of Man is such after the Fall that he cannot turn nor prepare himself by his own Natural Strength to Faith and calling upon God wherefore we have no power to do good Works pleasant and acceptable to God without the Grace of God preventing us that we may have a good will and working with us when we have that good will Our Enquirer will tell us by and by p. 9. That there has been little or no alteration made in the Doctrine of this Church since the beginning of the Reformation And therefore I conclude that there has been no alteration made from an Anti-Arminian to an Arminian sense for that cannot be called little or no alteration Now that this 10 Art in the beginning of the Reformation in Edw. VI. Reign had an Anti-Arminian sense will be out of Question to him that remembers what Addition there was then made to it The Grace of Christ or the H. Ghost by him given doth take away the Stony Heart and giveth an Heart of Flesh and although those that have no will to good things he maketh them to will and those that would evil things he maketh them not to will yet nevertheless he forceth not the will Articles Printed by I. Day Anno 1553. Cum Privilegio If this then be the sense of the Article let him go practise at home and turn his Brains how to keep Man Humble and yet neither make him Stock nor Stone and when he has found out the Mystery send word to the Synod who I am assured never asserted higher than this amounts to But if this be not the sense of the Article at present though it was once so then it must follow that the Church has more than a little alter'd her Doctrine since the Reformation And then a worse thing than all this will follow for p 8. He allows That if this Church did approach too near Popery it would serve to justifie a Secession from it But says another if it approaches too near Arminianism it approaches too near Popery and therefore our Enquirer will warrant any Mans Secession from the Church without the least imputation of Schisme What a close connexion there is between those two errours we shall hear e're long and thither we refer the Reader when we have told him that the Church of England is certainly free from any Tincture of Arminianism and so far free from any spot of Popery only it concern'd the Enquirer to understand the consequences of his own scandalous Reflections I have done with his first Answer 2. I come now to his second The Artiâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Church do with such adâ—… prudence and wariness handle thesâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 paerticular respect was had to these Men and care taken that they might Abundare sensu suo I cannot imagine what greater Reproach he could throw upon these famous Articles and their worthy Compilers then to suggest that they were calculated for all Meridians and Latitudes As if the Church did imitate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Delphian Apollo whose Oracles wore Two Faces under one Heed and were penn'd like those Amphilogies that cheated Croesus and Pyrrâ—… into their distruction Or as if like Ianus they looked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 backwards and forwards and like the untouch'd Needle stood indifferently to be interpreted through the two and thirty Points of the Compass The Papists do never more maliciously reproach the Scriptures than when they call it a Lesbian Rule a Nose of Wax a Leaden Dagger a Pair of Scamans Trowzes a Movable Dyal you may make it what a Clock you please And yet they never arriv'd at that height of Blasphemy as to say it was Industriously so penn'd by the Amannenses of the Holy Ghost I dare not entertain so little Charity for an Assembly of Holy and Learned Men convened upon so solemn an occasion that they would play Legerde main and contrive us a Systeme of Divinity which should be 〈◊〉 pacis non veritatis The Conventicle of Trent indeed acted like themselves that is a pack of Juglers who when they were gravelled and knew not how to hush the noise and impâ—…rtunate Clamour of the bickering Factions the Craftiâ—…r Lâ—…ng Mâ—…n found out a Temper as they call'd it to skin over that Wouâ—…d which they could not heal and durst not search And what was the success of these Carnal Policies only this Both parties retained their differing opinions believed just as they did befâ—…re and when they fâ—…und how they had been cajouled the Conâ—… versiâ—…s which for a while had been smothered under the Ashes of a Blind Subscription broke out into a more violent flame The craft of this Politick Juncto that impartial Hâ—…storian Pietro Polaâ—… has opened to the World Hist. Conne of Trent p. 216. In the â—…ear 1546. says she In the end of the Session Dominicus a Soto principal of the Dominicans wrote Three Books of Nature and Grace wherein all his old Opinions were found Then comes Andreas Vega a great Man amongst the Franciscans and he â—…ites no less than Fifteen Books upon the 16 Points of the Decree that passed that Session and expounded all according to his own Opinions And yet their opinions were directly contrary to one another though both supposed to agree with the Decree of the Council So Righteous it is with God that they who design not their Confessions for an Instrument of Truth which is Gods End should not find them an Instrement of Peace which is all their End They that will separate Truth from Peace shall certainly miss both of Pâ—…ace and Truth The Title prefix'd to the Book of Articles does abundantly secure us of their Honesty The Catholick Doctrine believed and professed in the Church of England Now how shall we at all believe if we know not what to belâ—…eve And if the Trumpet gives an uncertain Sound 't is all one as if it were not Sounded That which is every thing and every where is nothing and no where That which has no determinate Sense has no Sense and that 's very near akin to Non-sense The Iews indeed have a Tradition that the Manna was what every Mans appetite could relish and such a Religion would these Men invent as should be most flexible where it ought not to bend and where it should yield there to be inâ—…exible Strange it is that Religion of all things in the World should be unfix'd and like Delos or O-Brazile float up and dâ—…n in various and uncertain Conjectures What Aristotle â—…'d to say of oâ—… of his Books That is was Editus non Editus and what was the just reproach of the Rhemists Testament that it câ—…e forth as some reporâ—… of a great Princes Sword with
those Errours in time and not only of those Errours but of Gross Popery like by such means in time to Creep in amongst them as they found by late experience it dangerously begun I say not that the Articles of the Church encline to Popery nay they detest it but this I say that if they did encline to Arminianism they must to Popery If they do not why are they with allowance so misconstrued if they do then the secession of the Non-conformists is thereby justified Having therefore made this Objection for the Dissenters he will give them their Answer and prove the unreasonableness of this suggestion That the Church of England approaches too near the Superstitions of Rome 1. It s certain says he there hath been little or no Alteration made either in the Doctrine Discipline or Liturgy since the first Reformation Little or none Does he mean for the better or the worse To say there has liâ—…le or none been made for the better is a Commendation so cold that silence had been more an Honour than such praise The Reformation was begun as the times would bear A fair Copy was set for posterity to imitate never dreaming that their Rudiments should have been our utmost perfection That their first step should have been our Hercules Pillars and a Ne plus ultra to all future endeavours To say there has been little or no Alterâ—… made for the worse is a more modest way of Defamation but â—…enters have many things to say to this § 1 That there have been consâ—…ble Alterations made in the Articles themselves if not as they remain in Scriptis yet as they are publickly interpreted for we subscribe not to a heap of Letters and Syllables but to the sense and meaning of certain propositions as they are owned by the Church What the Church owns say they we can no otherwise understand then by those Writings which appear every day Licensed and approved by those of greatest Authority in the Church Now if we may judge of the meaning of the Articles by those Writings They are as much Altered as if Negatives had been changed into Affirmatives or Affirmatives into Negatives In former times they were generally subscribed because the most scrupulous were generally informed by those of most eminent place in the Church that the meaning was found but now say they we are informed otherwise we see our mistake the words have a different and contrary meaning and therefore we must be excused in subscription 2. They will say That what the Enquirer calls little or nothing is a very great something for it concerns us not so much what is put into the Liturgy or Rituals as what is made a Condition of Communion whiâ—…h the Church Now in the beginning of the Reformation though many things were in use yet few imposed as the necessary Terms of enjoying a station in that Society Things supposed indifferent were used as in different In the 13th of Q. Eliz. subscription is only required to Doctrinals and such Subscribers though not ordained by Prelates were admitted to officiate as Ministers of the Church of England But now subscription is peremptorily required to all and every thing contain'd in the Book of Commonprayer The Book of ordering Bishops Priests and Deacons wherein are considerable Doctrinal Additions and Alterations such as the different Orders of Bishops Priests and Deacons supposed to be distinct jure divino A Doctrine which A. B. Cranmer understood not as is evident from his M. S. exemplified in Dr. St. his Irenicum In the beginning of the Reformation Ceremonies were retained to win upon the people who were then generally Papists and doted upon old usages and not as the necessary conditions of Communion They were retained not to shut out of Dores the Protestants which is their present use but to invite in the Romanists which was their Original end but there 's nothing more common then for Institutions to degenerate and be perverted from the first Reasons of their usage and yet still to plead the Credit of their Originals Thus Indulgences and Remission of sins were first granted to all that would engage in the Holy War to recover the Sepulchre of Christ out of the hands of the Saracens but in process of time they were dispensed to them who would massacre the Waldenses and Albigenses and such as could not obey the Tyranny of the Romish saction Thus was the Inquisition first set up to discover the Hypocritical Moors in Spain but the edge of it since turned against the Protestants And thus were the Ceremonies perverted at first made a Key to let in the Papists and now made a Lock to shut out Protestants What a glorious work must it then be to abolish those Engines that seeing they are become weak to do Good they may be rendred as impotent to do mischief Imitating herein the Apostle who once circumcised Timothy to gain the weak Iews yet stoutly refused to Circumcise Titus least he should stumble the weak Gentiles 3. The Ceremonies its true crept into the Church pretty early yet they laid no weight no stress upon them It was decreed by the Councel of Sardica that none should be made a Bishop 〈◊〉 â—…e that had passed the Inferiour Orders and continued in them for some time and yet we see they insisted not upon such a Canon when it might prejudice the Church and exclude useful persons from the Ministry and therefore Nectarius was chosen Patriarch of Constantinople not only being a Lay-man but unbaptized As our Enquirer commends and admires the Churches Wisdom in forming her Doctrinal Articles that men of various perswasions might subscribe them so her tenderness and wisdom had been no less admirable had she recommended Ceremonies with such an Indifferency that they who were passionately sond of them might be humoured and they that protest they scruple them in Conscience towards God might fairly let them alone for it can be no dishonour to a Church to be as Lax in Ceremonies of humane constitution as in Doctrines of Divine Revelation 4. Dissenters say from good grounds that that which makes all an insupportable burden viz. That we must subscribe according to the clause of the 20th Article that The Church has power to decree Rites and Ceremonies is added since the Beginning of the Reformation And this they think heavier than all the Ceremoniâ—…s put together many could practice a thing supposing it indifferent in it self and having a real tendency to a greater good who can by no means subscribe that the Church has such a power to take away my liberty I have taken notice that in the Ancient Bibles of this Church the Contents of Psalm 149. ran thus The Prophet exhorteth to praise God for his Love to his Church and for his benefits But in the latter days we had got high ranting Language The Prophet exhorteth to praise God for his Love to his Church and for that power that he hath given to his Church over the
Ex Graecis Bonis fecit Latinas non Bonas This could not be the Reason to be sure No no says he They are commanded so to do by the Head of their Church There 's the Reason then what needed all this stir The command of a Superiour will hallow or at least excuse an erroneous Action As a Transcendent in our Church speaks and if this Doctrine would but pass we should have a sweet time on 't Our Superiours must impose and judge what 's Indifferent and Decent and we have the easiest life in the world nothing but to wink hard and lift up our Legs high enough and there 's no danger And yet the Papists learn'd not possibly all this Lesson of withdrawing from the Church of England from their own Superiours they might be taught the Doctrine neater home A. B. Laud being ask'd by a Lady Whether she might be Saved in the Romish Communion Answered readily Madam You may and the good Lady took his word and ventured it It 's possible it might be the same Lady that Dr. â—…uller Ch. Hist. B. 11. p. 217. tells us of She being ask'd by the same Prelate Why she had changed her Religion Answered Because I ever hated a Crowd And being desired to explain her meaning herein she replyed I perceived your Lordship it should have been Grace by her Ladyships favour and many others are hastning thither as fast as you can and therefore to prevent a press I went before you What design of Reconciliation with Rome and upon what terms Grotius carried on is pretty well known by this time of day That he had a Party here in England or expectations of one his own words testifie Aequis multis non displicuisse Grotil Propace Labores Nâ—…unt Lutetiae in omni Gallia multi multi in Poloniâ Germaniâ in Angliâ non pauci plaâ—…idi pacis Amantes Discus p. 16. There were I see by this a Company of Loving Sweet-natur'd Tractable Souls here in England that would have step'd half way over the Ditch to meet his Holiness Especially since Mr. Mountagues time who informs us That the Controverted Points between England and Rome are of a lower and inferiour Nature which a Man may be ignorant of without peril of his Soul and may resolve to oppose this or that without peril of perishing for ever That Images may be used for instruction of the Ignorant and excitation of Devotion And that the Church of Rome has ever continued form upon the same foundations of Sacraments and Doctrine instituted by God They are not single Instances of those who have not abhorred the Communion of Rome which I could give but I will spare the Living and cover the Dead Nor will I say that these or such as these were Papists yet methinks they did incline and warp desperately towards it there 's an odd Distinction we often meet with of a Sensus Compositus and a Sensus Divisus which may a little illuminate us Now because my Readers are not like to be any of the more deadly learned sort I will a little explain the Distinction to their Capacities by a very familiar though I confess a very homely Comparison It 's impossible say I that a Maggot should ever be a Fly That is in your Sensus Compositus or so long as it continues to be a Maggot because these have Two distinct forms and the one keeps the other out of possession whilst it hath a Nail or Tooth to scratch or bite But now it s not only possible but easie for this Fly to become a Maggot in Sensu Diviso that is for the Maggot to strip her self of her old shape and appear in another likeness I shall be modest in the Application and hope the Reader will not be immodest Such persons as I have mention'd could never be Papists whilst they adhered to the Doctrine of the Church of England but yet such were their disposednesses that way that the transition was easie to slide from such loose Principles into Popery and yet the Church the mean time might be Innocont 3. Quest. Whence comes it to pass that the Romish Church have more spight against our Church than against any Sect or Party whatsoever When it is once well proved that they have so it will be time enough to enquire why they have so but we must suppose one half of his discourse to be true that we may have leave to answer the other The spight of the Roman Faction against Protestancy as such has so eminently discovered it self under whatever denominations they have been differenced that none of them have cause to boast of it or be ambitious to tast further of it It were well improved if they who are Objects of their implacable spight could learn to love more and agree better amongst themselves The Papists think themselves excusable in persecuting all when 〈◊〉 Protestant so suriously persecutes another they know no Reason why they should love us better than we love our selves And truly against whom their spight is hottest is hard to judge If we compare the Cruelties of the Parisian Massacre â—…ith the Butcheries of the Irish Rebellion we shall find the true Reason why they flew more in Ireland than Paris was because there was more to be slain The Fire may go out for want of matter but I dare say never for want of a good Stomack to its Food In short their spight is there the greatest where they can shew it most as to one that 's very hungry the biggest Dish is ever the best The Papists judge of the Object of their hatred as one did of Tullies Orations The longest is to be sure the most Excellent And yet I conceive the Enquirer to be quite out in this matter The Papists may spight the Church of England upon the account of its fair and vast Revenues great Dignities marvellous Honours Wealth Splendour and whatever is desirable to the Eye because hereby the Church is able to vye with her and yet their malice upon the pure account of Religion may be greater against other lesser weaker parties whose Principles stand more directily in opposition to those of Rome I do not doubt but our Enquirer could bring better Arguments than these to prove the distance of Religion between the Two Societies for this I am sure is too weak unless it may appear that their spight is levelled against the Church meerly on account of those Principles wherein she differs from Dissenters 4. Quest. How comes it to pass that they of all Men most Zealously â—…and in the Gap to oppose the return of Popery That Gap at which Popery must enter if ever it enters into England is the Division between Protestants and if that Gap were well stop'd Popery might look â—…ver but would never leap over or break through the â—…dge This Gap of Divisions is made by the imposition of such things which in the Judgment of the Imposers are indifferent in their own Nature but
doubt not both of the purity and peace of their Consciences because 1. He allows no other Election then Gods determining absolutely of temporal Blessings p. 74. But the Church of England Art 17 having described a particular Election to Everlasting Life from Gods Everlasting purpose tells us That the godly consideration of Predestination and our Election in Christ is full of sweet pleasant and unspeakable comfort to Godly persons and such as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ. He then that disowns this Doctrine must needs want one main ground of a pure and comfortable Conscience 2. They who own Justification by works want another bottom of a comfortable Conscience So the Church of England Art 11. Wherefore that we are Iustified by Faith only is a most wholsome Doctrine and full of comfort All peace then is founded in Grace In Gods Grace as the Fountain whence it springs and in the Operations of Grace upon the Soul as the Evidences of that Grace in God and though men may bless themselves in Evil and flatter themselves when they find prosperous Iniquity yet if any one be a lyar a persecuter a hater of Godliness and Godly Men a slanderer c. God speaks no peace to him and therefore it s more adviseable to boast less of a comfortable Conscience and mind the things that belong to a comfortable Importance 3. The last pretended cause of the Dissenters withdrawing from the Church of England is A Charge against the sufficiency but especially the sanctity of the Clergy The Dissenters do gladly acknowledge that the Learning and Piety of very many of the Ministers of the Church of England is such as deserves an honourable place in their hearts that they have not such a valuation for some of our Enquirers co-partners they beg his excuse till they may see more cogent Reasons to alter their Judgements when they are in the Humour to take a few sorry Sophismes candied over with Rhetorick to be Learning or uncharitable censoriousness crusted over with smooth Hypocrisie to be Piety they see nothing to the contrary but they may enlarge their Charities That there are many of the present Establishment eminent for sound Learning and exemplary Holiness who exercise Christian tenderness towards those who dissenting in Conscience do suffer for Conscience is the rejoycing of their Souls under their great pressures And they know that the more Learned and Godly any person is the more humble he must needs be A little knowledge ferments aâ—… impotent heart and makes it intolerably arrogâ—…nt but he that knows much amongst other things must needs know that he that stands in need of mercy from God and therefore will more readily shew pitty to Man He that knows what a tender Conscience is at home will pitty and indulge it wherever he meets with it abroad He that knows much cannot presume all the world enjoys his measures of Light The Enquirer might therefore well have spared this odious and invidious discourse had he not found it necessary first to make a Man of Clouts and then execute it And yet his Victory cannot be great in trampling on those that lye on the ground and can be laid no lower but in their Graves for to Hell he cannot send them Two needless things he will say to this Objection for he is full Et si non aliqua noâ—…uisset 〈◊〉 esset 1. Supposing this Objection had been true yet it could not be made by any Protestant without contradicting his principles No why not Oh for the Papists are taught that the efficacy of all Divine offices depends upon the intention and condition of him that administers but Protestants are taught it seems otherwise that the efficacy of all Divine Ordinances dependâ—… upon the Divine Institution and the concurrence of Gods Grace wiâ—…h my use of them The Reader must give me leave to repeat my former caution which is always understood though not exprest that I deny not the sanctity of the English Clergy my only task is to examine the strength of his Arguments which are sometimes so weak as would tempt the less considerate to conclude that cannot be true which so bold 〈◊〉 undertaker cannot make out His answer to the Objection is â—…nly more weak then the Objection it self For. § 1 When he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Church of Rome sure the Protestant Dissenters must expect no Quarter The Papists do indeed hold That the efficacy of Sacraments depends upon the Intention of the Priest but that it depends on the Condition of the Priest as to Holiness they assert not I shall produce one evidence of many Tolet de instructione sacerdotis lib. 1. cap. 92. propounds this Question Quando licet à ministris malis accipere Sacramenta When or in what case is it lawful to receive the Sacraments from wicked Ministers And the very moving of the Question implies that at least at sometimes and in some cases its lawful but this will more fully appear from his Answers which he gives 1. Negatively A non-toleratis ab EcclesiaÌ„ non licet ullum Sacramentum accipere etiam necessitatis tempore It s not lawful to receive any Sacrament from those who are not tolerated by the Church no not in case of necessity Here is Doctrine to his own hearts content and wherein the Jesuite may assure himself of our Enquirers suffrage A Non-conformist amongst them may not Baptize or Administer the Supper though the Salvation or Damnation of never so many depended on it And yet when the Casuist thinks better on 't he will except Baptism and perhaps the other Sacraments in the Article and point of deathâ—… A ffirmatively A mâ—…lis ministris dum non sequatur aliquod grave scandatum possumus sacra recipere Nam Ecclesia ipsos tolerat ipsi taâ—…a administrâ—…ntes sibi solis nocent We may receive Sacraments from wicked Ministers such as he there describes provided no grievous scandal follow upon it for the Church tolerates such as these and when they administer the Ordinances they hurt none but themselves Nay he quotes Pope Nick. to back him Isti sunt sicut fax aâ—…censa quae alios illuminat se consumiâ—… unde aliis commodum exhibent sibi dispendium praebent mortis These evil Ministers are like a burning Torch which enlightens others though it wast it self and destroy themselves by that very means whereby they advantage others but at last he comes to this Ab his quibus ex officio incumbit sive sint parati sive non licet petere accipere Sacramenta five ex necessitate five non quia ille ex officio tenetur quandocunque petiero ministrare nec ego jus meum à mitto ex illius malitiâ We may demand and receive Sacraments from those whose duty it is to Administer whether they be prepared or not whether it be in a case of necessity or not Because suâ—…h a one is bound by virtue of his Office to minister when I demand
Erasmus to be the true measure of the Preaching of those times And why may we not charitably suppose that the Romanists have furbisht up their rusty Preaching since the days of Erasmus as well as we have scowred up ours since the days of the Homilies 3. Arg. His fourth Argument is none of the strongest and yet worth all the rest put together which were but the vaunt-courriers to usher in this main one with more solemnity Compare says he but the Preachings generally in our Churches with those ordinarily in Conventicles you will find them unequally matcht Though we could be content they were modestly compared yet we can by no means allow this Enquirer to use his own false weights of comparing and generally such comparisons are odious Non-conformists do not affect strong lines nor are ambitious of the Gigantick Vein and Stile they study not measured sentences nor use the Compasses to every deceâ—…t period they had rather with their Austin have A wooden Key that will open the Lock then one of Gold which makes a fidling din in the Wards and yet confounds them None of them but do praise God for the Learning sound Judgement solid Preaching holy Lives which are to be found among the Conformable Clergy but can he rear his Triumphant Arches to their praises upon no other foundations then the ruines of other mens credits For my part I am always apt to suspect that persons credibility who thinks more to confirm it by two or three ratling Oaths And I never received it as an argument of her honesty that carries her tongue so loosely hung that she deals about most liberally Sâ—…rumpet and Whore but I see he is impatient till he compares them On the one side you have sound Theology strength of Argument gravity of Expression distinctness of Method on the other side nothing more frequent then puerile and flat oftentimes rude and sometimes blasphemous expressions similitudes instead of arguments and either Apish gestures or Tragical vâ—…ciferations instead of Eloquence Reader this Language is pure Cicero I assure thee Ex hac enim parte Pudor pugnat illinc petulantia hinc pietas illinc stupram hinc fides illinc frraudatio I am sorry our Enquirer dwells by so very bad Neighbours that his own mouth must be the very Trumpeter of his praises If the common Cryer could have been engaged for love or money to proclaim them no modest man would have done the drudgery But nemo patriam suam amavit quia magna est sed quia sua 'T is propriety that renders all things sweet and beautiful All this had been pardonable but I see some that love to be Ingeniosi in aliená famâ huge facetious upon other mens fames and perhaps never witty in a Twelve-month but when they write Satyr As all impartial Readers know one half of his Oratory to be false so it s to be feared they may suspect the other moyety not to be very true That 's all an honest man shall get by being in a Knaves company Truth has sometimes been set in the Stocks because it has been found under the same Roof with Falshood He that wishes well to his own due praises let him never desire they should be yoaked with anothers unjust reproach least the hearer knowing the one unrighteously slandered conclude that the other is as unjustly flattered For its an unquestionable maxime He that will be a Sycophant against one will be a Parasite to another Let our Enquirer then sweetly enjoy the ravishments of his pleasing Dreams I shall not awaken him with loud recriminations only softly whisper that of the Poet. Bella es novimus Puella verum est Et Dives Quis enim potest negare Sed dum te nimiùm Fabulla laudas Nec Dives nec Bella nec Puella es Mart. Ep. l. 1. 165. Yet there is one Salvo for their credits which all the Fraternity of Gentlemen-Raylers do use to bring themselves off and heal all again when at any time they have most unconscionably over-lasht and that is when they have pour'd out all the contempt and scorn have heap'd up all the slanders and reproaches that they can make or rake together then to make an Honourable Retreat and tell you they do confess there may be one or two that may be innocent God forbid says our Gentleman that I should charge all the Non-conformists with such Indecencies Nay I can tell him more then that God forbids him to charge any one with such Indecencies unless he had better proof of them And had he known any individual guilty of these crimes he should have personally charged that one that he might be brought to Repentance for his prophanation of Gods holy Name and not involve a whole party under the scandalous suspicion All the charity that these words necessarily contain is that they are All such save one Suppose another as charitable as himself should write after his Copy and when he had with much pleasant Scurrility and Drollery made the Devil sport with the Indecencies of Church-men should come off at last with this Epanorthosis God forbid I should charge all the Conformists with these extravagancies what would it argue but a more crafty and safe way of Hypocritical Calumny Thus I remember a Gentleman once in a frolick told his Companions They were all Fools but one and when a young Gallant of the knot more tender of his Reputation then it deserved and willing to venture more for it then 't was worth began to draw The other takes him aside and whispers him in the Ear How do you know but that I intended your self by that single exception And this little dust parted the fray Well I see he is sick till he comes to particulars Asaheâ—… would not take Abners civil warning some men seek mischief to themselves and all the Friends they have cannot stave them off from the Duel the more you hold a Coward the more eager he is to engage let the man alone pray let him alone and in the mean time I will fortifie my self with patience that no provocation of his may tempt me to a back blow under the fifth rib for how then should I lift up my face to my dear Brethren 1. Their Sermons are generally about Predestination About it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what a word was that for a wise man The Church of England in her 17th Article propounds the Doctrine of Predestination to be believed by us according to the Scriptures that which is the matter of Faith ought to be the subject of our Preachings 1 Cor. 4. 13. we believe and therefore we speak And yet I am confident that our Enquirer and his like preach more write more and make more noise about that serious point then the Non-conformists I presume I may have heard my share of their Sermons and yet I can assure the Reader I never heard that Doctrine professedly handled in my life I speak not this in their excuse or
this over-charged slander may not recoil and hurt the Enquirer But though he be very uncharitable I shall endeavour to give the most charitable construction of his words that they will bear And therefore observe That though he be engaged not to render evil for evil yet he never promised not to render evil for good § 2. If being a Clergy-man says he and continuing in the Church he shall debauch his Office and undermine the Church which he should uphold such an man also may then debauch his life too and yet have a very charitable construction among the generality of Dissenters What must Enemies expect from this Man who has no mercy an his Friends There are many Holy and Learned persons now within the Bosom of the Church who having considered the terms of enjoying the more publick exercise of their Ministry have overcome the difficulties of Subscription and do yet retain their former Orthodoxy and sobriety of Conversation These perâ—…ons knowing what Conscience is do exercise great tenderness towards it in their Brethren who cannot get over their rubs and obstacles and these if I mistake not are the Glory of the Church of England for purity of Doctrine and piety of Conversation for all true Learning and useful knowledge Against these persons The Enquirer has a desperate stitch as those that undermine the Church which they should uphold that is if they condescend never so little to a tender Conscience in one of those little institutions which themselves cal indifferent the whole Church must presently fall about their Ears but if the Church were built upon Christ the Rock and not upon the Wool-packs of Ceremonies such condescension would never undermine it These are taxed also with debauching their Office And indeed if the Office of Ministers be to become Informers If Preaching the Gospel be nothing but to make a Pâ—…ther about Ceremonies I hope they will debauch it still but that any of these do debaucâ—… their Lives and are thereupon more acceptable to Dissenters is a loâ—…d falshood only to let us understand how wel he has learned Christ. § 3. If a man says he be of the most Holy Conversation but Zealous for the Interest of the Church this man shall have worsâ—… Quarter from the fiery Zealots of other parties then one of a more loose life and meaner abilities Let no man reply If a man be of a loose Convâ—…rsation and but Zealous of the Grandeur and for the Ceremonies of the Church this man shall have fairer quarter and more encouraging preferments from the fiery Bigots of Conformity then one of a severe life and greater ministerial Abilitits To interpret this mystâ—…ry we must inform our selves what is the Churchâ—…s true Interest as it is a Church It s very easie to mistake in stating the True interest of any Society and if we mistake there its impossible we should be regular in the means of pursuing it An errour in the first concoction is never rectified in the second The true Interest of every true Church of Christ is to promote Holiness and Conformity to his Commands engaging thereby his presence and protection and a Spirit of Love and Peace amongst its members though under some variety of apprehension in Adiaphorous matters The mistake is to advance a Churches secular Grandeur external splendour and worldly pomp which every true Christian in his Baptism has renounced toâ—…ether with all the works of the Devil and the lusts of the flesh If ever a Church shall be so far mistaken as to judge worldly Glory its true interest I know not why it may not also mistake the works of the Devil and the lusts of the flesh to be its true Intereâ—…t also A Conforming Minister who despising that false understands and pursues this true Interest is truly dear to all the Non-conformists but for those who are so deluded as to think it lies in destroying and ruining all that are not satisfied with their Canons and Constitutions however aliene and forreign to the temper of the Gospel they confess they are no great admirers of them whatever appearance of Holiness they may make If the Interest of a Faction shall lie in sending poâ—… Christians to the Alms-house of New-gate and the Hospital of Bedlam and will give no Quarter to the most Holy and Religious if they fail in two or three Niceties I must needs say I see no reason why such should adorn themselves with the plumes of Gravity and Devotion to render their Inhumanity more plausible 2. But he has somewhat further to say then all this If impertinent and fantastical talking of Religion endless scrupulosities censorious and rash judging our Superiours Melancholy sighing going from Sermon to Sermon without allowing our selves time to meditate on what we hear or to instruct our Families be the main Points of Religion then the Non-conformists are Holy Men. And now I hope the Reader is abundantly satisfied that the Enquirer has otherwise Learned Christ than to render Evil for Evil that he dares not furnish Atheism and Prophaness with an Apologie That he makes a Conscience of affording a spectacle to evil Men That he dares not for a World dress Religion in a Phantastical Habit. that Boys may laugh at it This is his Constantines Robe which he casts over scandalous Commissions Serious Discourses about the concerns of the World to come about our own death and the day of Judgment is Phantastical talking Tenderness of Conscience Holy fear of sinning against God is endless scrupulosity Modest refusal to practise every thing commanded though Reason Judgement Scripture Reclaim is Censuring and Rash Iudgment of Superiours Godly sorrw must be melancholly sighing attending upon Gods Word Preached shall be running from Sermon to Sermon And a downright falshood added to close up the whole That they neither allow themselves time to meditate of what they have heard nor to instruct their Families And yet if they shall dare to practise this last with a few of their weaker Neighbours that drop in to hear a Sermon repeated they shall be lyable to the Law and punished as Seditious Conventiclers and railed at as Schismatiâ—…ks When all is said and done Machiavils old Rule is a Sacred Maxime with these sort of Men Fortiter calumniare aliquid adharebit Throw Dirt enough and some ont ' will stick Wild-fire flies further than the Water that should Quench it A Reproach will run where a just Vindication will not creep Had the Providence of God allotted the Non-conformists their abode any where but amongst those whose Interest it is to render them Odious they might have pass'd for good Christians It would be difficult to hire Men to be Instruments of Cruelty if they were not first perswaded that they are Ministers of Iustice and the only way to perswade that is to represent Dissenters as the off-scowring of all things not fit to live a day The best way to take away the life is to render it abominable None can handsomly
That whatever success this Church has had in its Ministry upon the Souls of Men is due to those fundamental Truths and Doctrines of the Christian Faith which she obtains in Common with the Reformed Churches On the other side The Roman Faction persecutes and undermines this Church upon grounds equal to all the Reformed Churches and this Church is angry at least with Dissenters for those matters wherein she seems to approach too near Roman corruption 2. We come now to the Atheists A Generation so abominable of whom we may yet say as was said of the Astrologers in old Rome Hec genus hominum semper vetabatur semper in urbe nostrâ retinebitur A people always banished yet never departed from the City such a Tribe are these Atheists Every one has a hard word for them yet many entertain them you shall not meet with a Man in a Thousand but will liberally tail atâ—… damned Machiavellian policy which yet according to the proportion of their little wit they strive to imitaâ—…e which tempt me to think thâ—… they hate not so much his Knavery as they â—…epine at their ownfâ—…lly and judge not his politicks so evil as they are vext thaâ—… they cannot equallize him That they Nibble at his principles because they cannot reach his Wit It is but a slender evidence that another is in the right because Atheists are so grosly wrong And yet to declaim against Atheism has these considerable Advantages First some think they may be securely Atheistical themselves if they can but flourish with a few ingenious Sentences against them and a witty Libel against such is a sufficient Purgation for him that has a Talent to expose the rest of Religion Secondly it 's a plausible Argument that that Religion must needs 〈◊〉 excellent that has the worst of Men for its Enemies and they must certainly be adjudged worthy persons who are so Zealous against such Impiety what Man of Charity would suspect Irreligion to wear the Cloak of fâ—…rvency against Atheism And yet it 's common to hear it hotly prosecuted in the Pulpit by some who come warm from that Sâ—…rvice to the practise of it I dare 〈◊〉 it to the judgement of the impartial world whether he be not a â—…in to a practical one who disputes for a God and then tears Men in pâ—…eces for worshippinâ—… â—…im according to the best Light they can get from Scripture anâ—…â—…ature And in 〈◊〉 a manner as wherâ—… 〈◊〉 they caâ—… find no 〈◊〉 but that 't is not their â—…on and pâ—…ly was their own toâ—… not many years since and prâ—…ly had â—…een so still had they not been purchased into a better There are Three Questions here to be resâ—…ved What Atheism is Whence it comes And wherein does it oppose the Church and contribute to a separation from it 1. What Atheism is and who is the Aâ—…st And this is as needfuâ—… an Enquiry aâ—… any of those 〈◊〉 wherewith hâ—… tormenced us in the â—…ast Chapter I assure the Reâ—…der It is a word of a Volatile Nature and Versatile Signification as any that gives us trouble with its double meaning In Germany an Atheist once signiâ—…ed a Person that medled with the Popâ—…s Mitâ—…r 〈◊〉 the Monks fat Bellies Epicâ—…s of old some think was 〈◊〉 with Atheism because he could not swallow Polyâ—…heisme â—…t home some conclude he must be an Atheist that sâ—…ruples the Ius Divinum of Tyâ—…hes And if he shall detein a Tyâ—… Pig he is a Sacrilegious Atheist to boot Formerly it border'd upon Atheiâ—…m to have denied the Divine Right of Episcopacy but I see one may question that now and yet be a Christian What then an Atheist is I shall leave to the Industry of this Enquirer 2. But from whence this Atheism should proceed is a Question that has been so fully Answered by a Learned and Honourable Pen of latâ—… I shall not need to repeat any thing Yet this is obvious That when Preachers Preach against Preaching their Auditors may easily stumble into a belief that what they Preach is not much material to be believ'd when they had rather it should not be Preach'd at all than not under their Formalities If ever I should hear a Tradesman bitterly inveigh against Trading that it never was a good World since there was so much Trading that we never had peace since we had Markets twice a week that there can be no peace or settlement expected so long as Men may lay out their Money and buy their Goods where they pleased let such a one be dealt with as severely as the Enemies of Trade can wish I shall not plead his Cause To this if we shall adde that when the World takes notice that they who are called the Men of God and are therefore supposed to know most of him to be most like him and to represent him 〈◊〉 their lives as a Holy Merciful Tender and Gracious God aâ—… they present him in their Doctrine shall yet with unwearied fury prosecute Men to Poverty Pâ—…ison and Grave meerly for noncomâ—…lyance in those things which themselves have invented they give great occasion to Atheistical inclinations to say in their Hearts As good believe no God as one so cruel and unmerciful as his own 〈◊〉 reprâ—…sent him to us 3. But the last is the most important Question How or wherein does Atheism under 〈◊〉 the Church or contribute to separation from it That Atheism does oppose all Religion as such was never doubted in that it takes away the great Principle pre-suppâ—…sed to all Religion That there is a God but how it does particularly oppose the Church of England so far as she differs from others is I conceive the present Question It is somewhat difficulâ—… to imagine that they who have put off Humanity should scruple to put on anâ—… gatâ—… of obtaining Conformity They who have renounced onâ—… God will easily own a Thousand Ceremonies what were it to them iâ—… all the Numerous Rites of Rome were introduced could they but get the sense of a Deity obliteraâ—…ed out of their Consciences that they might sin without the stings and twinges of an approaching Judgment which is the prefection they aim aâ—… Their Heaven has no God in it their Hell no Devil in it It must be a strange Imposition which an Atheistical Throat cannot swallow he that is of no Religion as I said can subscribe to any Religion to which those Principles are very cognate which are contrived to avoid persecution under all Forms and Constitutions How therefore they should be such grand Enemies to Conformity I wait to be resolved 1. The Atheists says he will not set thâ—…ir 〈◊〉 against a Fanatick they must have higher Game By this Argument our Enquirer has demonstrated himself to be no Atheist yet I would not have him trust much to it I suppose too they have found higher Game than Ceremonies when they open their black mouths against God himself 2. They inflame the Causes of Divisions provoke Mens Passions
he that separates but he that is the Cause of the separation is the Schismatick 4. That to require the execution of some unlawful or suspected act is a just cause of refusing Communion for not only in Reason but in Religion too that Maxime admits of no Release Cautissimi cujusque praeceptum quod dubitas ne feceris 5. That it hath been the common Disease of Christians from the beginning not to content themselves with that measure of Faith which God and Scriptures have expresly afforded but out of a vain desire to know more then is revealed they have attempted to devise things of which we have no Light neither from Reason nor Revelation neither have they rested here but upon pretence of Church Authority which is none or Tradition which for the most part is but â—…eigned they have peremptorily concluded and confidently imposed upon others a necessity of entertaining conclusions of that nature 6. To lâ—…ad our publick forms with the private fancies upon which we differ is the most Soveraign way to perpetuate Schism unto the worlds end Prayer Confession Thanksgiving Reading of Scriptures Administration of Sacraments in the plainest and the simplest manner were matter enough to furnish out a sufficient Liturgie though nothing either of private Opinion or of Church pomp of Garments or prescribed gestures of Imagery of Musick of matter concerning the Dead of many superfluities which creep into the Church under the name of Order and Decency did interpose it self To charge Churches and Liturgies with things unnecessary was the first beginning of all superstition 7. That no occasion hath produced more frequent more continuous more sanguineous Schisms then Episcopal Ambition hath done 8. That they do but Abuse themselves and others that would perswade us that Bishops by Christs institution have any superiority over other men further then that of Reverence or that any Bishop is superiour to another further then positive order agreed â—…pon amongst Christians hath prescribed 9. In times of manifest corruptions and persecutions wherein Religious assembling is dangerous Private Meetings howsoevr besides publick Order are not 〈◊〉 lawful but they are of necessity and duty All pious Assemblies 〈◊〉 times of Persecution and Corruption however practised are indeed 〈◊〉 rather Alone the lawful Congregations And publick Assemblies though according to form of Law are indeed nothing else but Riots and Convemticles if they be stained with Corruption and Superstition There is one person more whom since he has quoted Incognitâ—… for an excellent person I will the rather recommend to his consideration Irenic p. 109. where speaking of the private Christian he says He is bound to adhere to that Church which appears most to retain the Evangelical purity And p. 116. He is bound to break off from that Society which enjoyns a mixture of some Corruptions as to practise One word from Dr. Iackson chap. 14. of the Church where he acquits those of the Schism which withdraw fromâ—…hat Church which imposeth Rites and Customs that cross the Rule of Faith and Charity Bishop Bramhalls Testimony will pass for sterling p. 7 8. of Schism When there is a mutual division of two parts or members of the mystical Body of Christ one from the other yet both retaining Communion with the universal Church quamcunque partem amplexus fueris Schismaticus non Audies quippe quod universa Ecclesia neutram damnavit Which side soever you close with you shall not be reproacht for a Schismatick because the universal Church has condemned neither side And he plainly tells us p. 101. That it was not the erroneous Opinions of the Church of Rome but the obtruding them by Laws upon other Churches that warranted a separation Next we will hear a word from the Learned Lord Verulam 'T is a sign says he of exasperation to condemn the contrary part as a Sect yea and some indiscreet persons have been bold in open preaching to use dishonourable and derogatory speeches and censures of the Churches abroad and that so far as that some of our men as I have heard ordained in forreign parts have been pronounced no lawful Ministers And further let us remember that the ancient and true bounds of Unity are one Faith one Baptism and not one Ceremony one Policy and endeavour to comprehend that saying Differentia Rituum commendat unitatem Doctrinae Christs Coat was indeed without Seam yet the Churches Garment was of divers Colours Amongst all these we must not forget that noble and gallant Person the Lord Falkland A little search will find them He speaks of no little ones to have been the destruction of Unity under pretence of Uniformity to have brought in superstition and scandal under Titles of Reverence and Decency to have slacked the strictness of Unity which was between us and those of our own Religion beyond the Seaâ—… Sâ—…rates lib. 〈◊〉 cap. 21. tells us that in his time there could scarceâ—… be found two Churches that used the same forms of prayer In France the Ritual of Paris differ'd from that of Anjou and in England we had our Devotions secundum usum Sarum secundum usum Bangor and yet the one never reproacht the other for Sectaris or Schismaticks I am consident therefore to assert it That neither the Wit nor Malice of man can prove him a Schismatick who maintaining Evangelical Love towards and holding the substantial Doctrines owned by the Church of England shall either out of choice or necessity transplant himself from under the spreading shadow of a Goodly Cathedral to a Parochial Church and yet the one has its Organs Adoration towards the East and Altar Adoration at the Naming of Iesus with multitudes of Rites and Observances unknown to the Villages and far more differing from the Parochial Usages and Customs then the Worship of most Country Towns differ from that of the Non-conformists After all this I shall throw up the Authority of these great names and give him full scope for his Rational Abilities to prove his proposition when I have first noted those few things § 1. He requires an apparent breach of the Divine Law as the only thing that can excuse separation from the guilt of Schism but will not a real breach of the Divine Law serve the turn unless it be so apparent as he can desire I perswade my self God never yet spoke so loud that they who have barracadoed their Ears with prejudice will hear him nor ever yet wrote so plain that they will see his mind whose Eyes interest has sealed up And what if it be an apparent breach of the Divine Law in the sincere judgement of him that separates must he never discharge his Duty till he can perswade all the world to see theirs and pursue it § § Who shall be Iudge whether the Imposed Terms contain an apparent breach of the Divine Law and such as will justifie a separation Mr. Hales indeed tells us It 's a point of no great depth or difficulty but yet the true
any man I do as much as in me by alter the nature of indifferent things For things sinful can never be done Duties must always be performed in due time and place and indifferent things should be indifferently used as present Circumstances invite Prudence and Charity to determine but when once they are predetermined I can no more do an indifferent thing then if it had been sinful or no more omit an indifferent act then if it had been necessary 3. By such a fixed predetermination of my liberty I ascribe more to man in his positive precepts then to God in his affirmative moral precepts for the Acts of such Commands may be suspended pro hic Nunc when they obstruct some great Good but in this case I must act uniformly without respect to circumstances let thousands be offended stumbled wounded in Conscience and prejudiced against Religion And in short by such Resignation of my liberty in is't exercise I have reduced my self to that imaginary Liberty of Opinion that dreaming freedom which the Lollards enjoyed in their Tower and the poor Protest ants in Bonners Cole-hole 7 When Christian Charity commands me to forbear the use of the thing which otherwise is within the Charter of Christian Liberty to use and at the same time the Christian Magistrate shall command me to to practise that very thing by a fixed Law I humbly conceive that Christian Charity ought to restrain my Liberty not to act rather then the Commands of the Magistrate enforce me to act 1. Because the restraint which Charity puts upon me will soon determine and â—…pire but the Command of the Magistrate is perpetual 2. The restraint which Charity puts upon me is internal and so agreable to and consistent with the greatest Freedom and Liberty but the restraint put upon me by the Magistrate is external and compulsory which comports not with my inward liberty for if he deals meerly by his will and authority that suits not with my reason and therefore has in it the nature of force But if the Magistrate should deal by Argument then when a stronger appears to act according to his precept then that drawn from the good of my Neighbour by Charity Christian Liberty may be free and yet obey provided always that that argument be taken from the nature of the thing commanded and not from the naked commands 3. The weak Christian for whose sake Charity commands me to forbear acting is one that cannot prevent his own weakness his stumbling scruples and aptness to be wounded but he that commands me to act may prevent recal or suspend his own Edict in that which in it's own nature is indifferent And God has commanded me not to offend my weak Brother by the use of indifferent things but he has no where commanded the Magistrate to impose indifferent things which become not some way or other necessary 4. It seems a most horrid thing to interpret Scriptures at this rate That I should be commanded to walk Charitably till I am commanded to walk uncharitably And forbidden to destroy him for whom Christ dyed by my indifferent things till I am enjoyned to destroy him Not to wound weak consciences till I am commanded to wound them Thus shall Moral precepts be avoyded by humane positive Laws which cannot be superseded by the Divine positive Laws And if one may be thus enervated the whole Dâ—…calogue has no firm station And thou shalt not make to thy self a graven Image may be eluded by this till we are commanded by Authority and I am somewhat confident the foundation laid by the Enquirer will bear that superstructure It is therefore a most approbrious and invidious charge with which he begins this discourse All that we have hetherto discoursed about the power of the Magistrate some think may be avoided by pleading the Magna Charta of Christian Liberty for though it may be pleaded against some power that may possibly be assumed yet against none wherewith he stands ' endowed by the Law of Nature or Scripture nor indeed against any useful power for the attaining the great ends of Government publick peace and tranquillity The Church of England in her avowed Doctrine asserts that Christ has ordained in his Church two Sacraments generally necessary to Salvation now we conceive that having a Right as Christians to all the Ordinances of Christ necessary to Salvation ChristianLiberty may plead the enjoyment of all thoseOrdinances upon those naked Terms Christ has offâ—…r'd them to Mankind This is our Maegna Charta And if any shall encumber that Communion with new clogs provisoes restrictions and limitations we plead our Petition of Right which if it be denyed us our Christian Liberty is so far violated Nor do we deny the Magistrate a Power about our Christian Liberty If any shall turn this Liberty into licenciousness he may restrain them Nay he may restrain the Liberty it self where God has not praeengaged us to restrain it And he will eminently employ his power for Christ when he exerts it to assert and vindicate to all his loyal Subjects the free use of that great Charter And if encroaching violence shall make a forcible entry upon that priviledge whereof we are in quiet and peaceable possession we shall complain of the force to him who will remove it and reinvest us in our Christian freehold whereof Christ has made the purchase with his own blood Two things there are which the Enquirer has lustily promised us and therefore we may confidently expect from him first that he will give us the true notion and secondly the due extent of Christian Liberty and he has freed his name pretty well for first he has made it a meer notion and then layd an extent upon it that is he has seized it into his own hands upon pretence for the Magistrates use 1 And first for his true notion for none cry stinking Mackerel there are two things also very considerable the liberality of his Concessions and the Policy of his Retractations He makes us fair lange Deeds but with a secret Power of Revocation frustrates all so that when we come to cast up our accounts we must say with that Bewildred Clyent in the Comadian when he had advised with his brace of Advocates Probèfecistis incertior sum multò quam duâ—…m 1 For his Concessions they are truly noble and generous and such as would heal us all § 1. Concession p. 88. When the Gospel was fully published then the aforesaid enclosure is laid open and all Nations invited into the Sociâ—…ty of the Church upon equal Terms neither party being bound to those nice Laws of Moses nor to any other but those plain and reasonable ones contained in the Gospel This is certainly the great year of Iubilee And will he not deserve to be shut out for ever that shall refuse so free an invitaâ—…ion Is he a reasonable Creature that refuses the plain and reasonable Terms of Communion contained in the Gospel what a
were all in their Graves as well as dead and rotten And if those Decent Ceremonies had a Decent Buâ—…ial it were an Honour as great as those of a Nobler Extract 〈◊〉 Divine Ceremonies had bestowed on them I would seriously enquire of our serious Enquirer 1. If some Ceremonies were Abolished because they were superstitious and therefore dangerous why all the rest were not served with the same sawce that were equally or more superstitious and therefore more dangerous I think it 's demonstrable that all the superstition that ever stuck to Holy Water Cream Salt Spittle Oyl was â—…nnocency to that horrid abuse of the Sign of the Cross. But 2. 〈◊〉 the Superstitions of the remaining Ceremonies were capable of separation from them why might not a little Oyl and Elbowgreace have been bestowed on the rest and their Lives saved 〈◊〉 seems most of the Ceremonies were knock'd o th' head because they would not go to the charge of Rearing them 3. If many Ceremonies were a Burden whether were not half of that many half as great a Burden and so pro rato And if so where was the Churches Commission to impose any unnecessary Burden upon the Necks of Disciples 4. If some of the old superstitious Ceremonies when well scraped and wiped were lest for Decency and Comeliness in the Worship why where not the rest scummer'd up that the Worship might be more Decent For iâ—… Two or Three Innocent Ceremonies will add a Decency Two or Three hundred will have burnish'd it to such a Lustre as must have either ravish'd or blinded the Eyes of all Beholders 5. Who shall insallibly assure us just how few will be no Burden and the imposing of them no sin and yâ—…t â—…ne more shall make them all burdensome and so the imposition of them to become sinful Or just how many to an Unite will render the Worship Decent and the adding of one more render all Deformed If the Church then why might not the Church of Rome in her days have Determined the Question Especially seeing that of all pretenders she alone challenges an infallibility which is the most considerable thing in this Case when the Church must carry her hand even and cut by a thred between Decency and Indecency A Burden and no Burden 6. If the Church has a power to impose a load though a lesser load has she a power to communicate strength though it be but little strength to bear that little Especially seeing the Burden here must not lie on the Back but the Heart not on the Shoulders but the Conscience She that pleads an Authority to Institute can she produce a power to Bless what she Institutes to any Spiritual End This encouragement we have from Christ whose perogative it is to impose that he will give Grace to bear what he imposes and thereby make his Yoke casie and his Burden light Qui mihi est Oneris Author idem erit Adâ—…inistrationis Adâ—…tor said Leo And so Austin Da quod jubes jube quod vis If any Church could incline the Heart towards her Testimonies or give a Heart to keep her Statutes Iudgments and Commandments and do them or make her Commandments not grievous Let her multiply Ceremonies till she is weary and spare not Let her use her Discretion and we shall use nothing but Submission But this dead weight sinks our Spirits quite 7. Whether is not such an assuming power exceeding dangerous in its Consequences for upon this Principle the Church may impose a round thousand of Ceremonies if she will say and think them decent and the Crow thinks all her young ones White and all are sond of the Brats of their Brains as well as the Issue of their Bodies yes and Ten Thousand more if she will but decree they are not burdensome which she is the less a Competent Judge of because Superiours who command do not feel that load which Inseriâ—…urs who must obey do groan under So much of the Moderation of the Reformation 3. The English Reformation was the most perfect and compleat in its kind The perfection and compleatness of a Reformation is to be taken from its Agreement with its Rule and Idea which say we is thâ—… Word of God and to this we do unmovably adhere till we have good security that they have found out a better All Perfection with us is but Defection and all compleatness Fancy which is not measured by that Rule It will therefore be the great Glory of the English Reformation to acquit it self well in this point wherein our Enquirer will endeavour our satisfaction 1. For Doctrine This Church retains says he the most Ancient Doctrine and soundest Confession of I aith founded upon the H. Scripture That the 〈◊〉 Scriptures are the foundation of Faith we gladly hear some intimation of and shall lay up the concession against another time whether the Church has attended to this Rule in her Doctrinals belongs to another Discourse 2. For Government He tells us The English Reformation retains the most Primitive Church-Government These things are wisely and warily penn'd thought I A Scripture Creed and a Primitive Church-Government Confession sounded on H. Scriptures and Government founded on a word called Primitive why shhould we not have a Confession sounded on something else than Scripture as well as a Government Or why not a Church-Government founded on the Scripture as well as the Doctrine So that he has provided well for the Doctrine but for the Government it may sinck or swim for any Relief it can expect from our Enquirer except a hard word will do it Primitive Antiquity is one of those Stulta Amuleta quae Controversiâ—… collo appendunturut Armilla Maleficarum Potent Charms and Pompous Enchantments not to Cure but Conjure down a Controversie for since 〈◊〉 may be taken in a Latitude of three 〈◊〉 five or 〈◊〉 time of need six hundred years after Christ it would be very hard if any Crotchet Humour and Fancy had not set up for it self in that time which shall be enough to entitle it to the Warrantie of the Primitive times Let him therefore prove it Scriptural and so jure Divino and he has said more to me than if he had run up its Pedigree through a Dozen or more Centuries But is not this short word The most Primitive Church-Government a foundation too narrow for that High Boast p. 2. That our Church is of a sound and healthful Constitution I think I have sufficiently though briefly manifested in the Introduction Briefly and suffciently The Two most desirable Qualifications in Argument and Evidence that may be And surely it must de brief enough which is comprehended in this one Sentence The English Reformation retains the most Primitive Church-Government but whether it be sufficient or no let the Reader look to that 3. For the Liturgy That is as he thinks the Best accommodate to reconcile and unite Mens Devotions And how well it has answered its end and the
out of Heaven and a Key to let them in again 4. They that have been ejected by that 〈◊〉 find no evil consequences in their ejected state In the Primitive times it was therefore terrible because Christ abbetted his own Ordinance administred for his own Spiritual Ends in his own Regular way but now Men dare not trust Christ with his own Work but have supplied his vengeance with a Significavit a Writ de Excommunicato Capiendo delivering Men over to the Sheriff whom thereby they call the Devil by craft but otherwise the Excommunicated Person cats his Bread and drinks his Wine with a Chearful Heart because the Lord has accepted him 3. That so few frequent the Church is because they have either been scoffed or railed or beaten out of doors or barred out by Conditions not comporting with Scripture Rule and Warrant Men know that Christ must be their Judge to him they must give an account of their Souls and Worship in the Great Day and therefore they are willing to Worship God according to his Will revealed in his Sacred Word unless any can give them Counter-security to save harmless and indemnifie them before his dreadful Tribunal And if they must suffer for such resolved adherence to a Scriprure Religion they have only this humbly to reply Daveniam Imperator Tu Carcerem Ille Gehennam Christ threatens a Hell the Law only menaces a Goal 4. That the Liturgy was then counted a principal part of Gods Worship we cannot help We judge that none but God can make the least much less a principal part of Gods Worship God only knows which way he will be Worship'd with Acceptation And it is our grear Happiness that he has acquainted us with that Will of his in his Word to which we apply our selves for our Directory and are not sollicitous about Apocryphal Rubrics As to matters concerning Religion Nature Teacheth no further than the Obligation to the Duâ—…y but leaves the particular determination of the manner of Obedience to Divine Positive Laws So we are instructed from the Author of Origin Sacrae p. 171. 5. That it is now become the great point of Sanctity to scruple every thing was not spoken with that regard to Honesty and Truth as might have been expected from a Compassionate Enquirer They scruple being Holier than Christ has commanded them wiser in matters of Religious Worship than the Scriptures are able to make them They scruple giving up their Consciences to those whom they see no great reason to trust till better evidence be given how they regard their own They scruple all Retreats in Reformation and all Retrograde Motions towards Evangelical Perfection and Purity and they with our Enquirer would scruple a little more this overlashing That it 's an Essential part of some Mens Religion to be Censorious And a great point of Sanctity to scruple every thing Let him then continue to Lament the change and we will pray that God will make a more through change reducing Doctrine Worship Discipline to the Word of God the only Rule of Reformation PART I. CHAP. I. A Sober Enquiry into the Apocryphal Causes of Non-conformity pretended by the serious Enquirer St. Augustin and the Synod of Dort Vindicated the Articles of the Church of England Cleared The Learning Preaching and Conversations of the N. C. modestly justified against the scandalous Reflections of the pretended Compassionate Enquirer but without Recrimination AFter a very short Epistle or to speak Canonically that which stands instead of the Epistle to very little and a tedious Introduction to much less purpose the Enquirer falls full drive upon the Causes of the separation from the English Reformed Church In imitation of the French Embassadors Musicians who would needs give the Grand Seignior a fit of Mirth but were so cruelly tedious in tuning their Fiddles that the Sultans Patience was quite worn out and he could not be perswaded to hear the first Lesson Now the Causes are either Apocryphal and pretended or Canonical and Real and it 's a wonder to me when his Invention was once broached that he did not feign this for another Cause of separation that such Heterogeneous Causes should be bound up together in the same Volume and Covers For these Apocriphal Causes let it not beget another scruple in your Captious Heads whether they are pretended by Dissenters or only pretended by this Enquirer to be amongst their pretences for it will come all to one there being some collateral matters which it shall go hard but he will entice or force into the Discourse or else the Reader might have sung whâ—…p Barnaby and Retreated to his Recreations the longest Holy day in the Year 1. The very first of these pretended Causes is some Blame they lay upon the Doctrine of the Church and the main if not the only thing excepted against in this kind is That the Thirty Nine Articles are not so punctual in defining the Five Points debated in the Synod of Dort as they could wish Just as your common Hackney Versifiers or Water Poets make one Verse for the Reason and the other for the Rhime sake so was this Objection mounted against the Doctrine of the Church for the sake of his precious Answers wherein he will find or make as handsom an occasion as impertinency will admit to vilifie St. Austin and the Synod of Dort It will be extreamly difficult to give our Enquirer a satisfactory Answer in this Point Shall we say This is not the main thing in the Articles excepted against by Dissenters He will readily Reply However then you tâ—…itly grant that this is one of your little Cavils Shall we say This is not the Only thing they scruple he will return nimbly Then it seems you consess this to be one though not the only thing you Boggle at Really if I know how to content him I would do it and the best expedient that offers it self at present is this Answer 1. That the Church has other Doctrines not contained in the 39 Articles imposed on the Faith of Subscribers and perhaps the scruple may lie against them 2. That the 39 Articles contain other Doctrines besides those relating to the five Points debated 〈◊〉 the Synod of Dort as that of Art 20. The Church hath power to decree Rites or Ceremonies And that of Art 34. Every Particular or National Church hath Authority to Ordain Change and Abolish Ceremonies or Rites of the Church ordained only by Mans Authority And what now if the quarrel should lie against one of those And I am the rather induced to suspect they may hesitate in these particulars because I have heard some of them privately Speak and seen others publickly Print that though they can practise such things which being in their own Natures indifferent remain under all their concurrent Circumstances lawful yet they cannot find where the Church has any Commission to impose them They can assert and use their Christian Liberty and yet cannot subscribe to
the Doctrine of the Churches Power to take it away 3. That the most rigid Calvinists do not scruple Subscription to the Articles so far as they relate to the Quinquarticular Controversies and for a clear experiment herein for once let the Church make those Articles only the single Rail about the Communion Table and we shall soon see such Multitudes of Dissenters crowd into the Constitution that she will hardly find two Benefices a piece for them It 's my greater admiration that they who deny Particular Election Original sin the interest of Christs death in Reconciling God to us that they who assert Iustification by our own Works Freewill c. can subscribe them and indeed it seems they swallow'd them with some Reluctancy and are now reaching and straining with many a sowr face to Degorge not the Bait of the Benefice which is infinitely sweet but the Hook of the Article which is unmereifully sharp This pretended Pretence then might safely have been forborn but that the Lapwing thinks it advisable to raise a huge cry where 't is not that we may not search where really it is to make a clampering about the Non causes to divert our Fnquirers from the true and proper causes of Non-consormity Like the ingenious policy of the Thief that being arraigned for a Horse freely confessed the stealing of a Bridle but prudently concealed it was upon the Horses Head But says our Enquirer though this neither needs nor deserves an Answer yet I stall reply Two things to it That is he will give us Two needless Answers to One needless Objection 1. The summe of the former needless Answer is thus much Common Arts and Sciences which depend upon Humane Wit and Invention are capable of daily improvements but Christianity depending solely upon Divine Revelation can admit of no new discoveries The busie Wit of Man way perplex but it can never bring to light any New Thing for if we admit of any New Revelations we lose the Old and our Religion together we accuse our Saviour and his Aposiles as if they had not sufficiently revealed Gods Mind to the World and we incur St. Paul's Anathema which he denounces against him whosoever it shall be nay if an Angel from Heaven that shall Preach any other Doctrine than what had been received The Enquirer may call this a Needless Answer sor who shall hinder him from calling his own what he pleases but I assure him it contains a great deal of Needful Truth which had he like a good Husband improved the rest of his Book had been more needless than this Answer Needless we consess it to be as to the Objection which was it self needless but not so for his own Confutation for thus the Dissenters will come over him If neither Time nor the Wit of Man can make any New discoveries in Christianity then the Pope who like another Columbus or Americus has made Great and New discoveries in the Terra Incognita of Tradition and Ceremonies must either be a God or a Devil That the Liturgy was a principal part of Gods Worship he has told us in the Introduction that it was discovered from the beginning and not by later Adventurers he will be sore put to it to prove for all the Musty Fragments of St. Iames's Liturgy That it was not part of the Wisdom of Christ or his Apostles we are well enough satisfied That there was Wit and Invention in it we confess all the Question is whose Wit should have the glory of the Invention Again If to admit New Revelations be to lose the Old and our Religion together Let us make a short Quaery upon 't whether to admit of New Ordinances and Constitutions be not to lose the Old and our Religion together That is whether Gospel Institutions be not exclusive of new ones as well as Gospel Revelations and why we may not expect a new Credimus as well as a new Mandamus New Revelations as well as New Injunctions A New Prophet of the Church seems to me as necessary as a New King over the Church and a New High-Priest as needful as either And I proceed upon this Principle that the Law of Christ was as perfect as his Discoveries He has told us as fully and clearly what we should do as what we should believe He that may invade the Royal Office upon pretence there are not Laws enough for the Government of the Church may with equal appearance of Reason invade the Prophetick Office too upon pretence there are not Revelations now for its instruction And therefore the vigilant universal Pastor has found it as necessery to supply the defect of Revelations by his own Traditions as the nakedness of Worship by decent Ceremonies As Jesus Christ vindicated the Moral Law from the false Glosses of the Scribes and Pharisees so he superadded a Ceremoniâ—…l Law depending meerly upon his own fulness of Power and Authority now what right any can pretend to add new Particulars to his Ceremonial Law which they may not also pretend to add to his Meral Law I cannot Divine And therefore one of our Enquirers great Friends who had his Eyes in his Head and saw farther into these matters than his poor Neighbours was constrained to assert a power that had lain dormant somewhere of adding New Particulars to the Divine Law But further If New Revelations do accuse our Saviour and his Apostles as if they had not sufficiently revealed Gods Mind to the World Then new ways of teaching Gods Mind new invented Symbolical Ceremonies will accuse him and them of the same culpable failure in not discharging those Offices committed by God to a Mediator and by him to his Apostles And in short If we incur St. Paul's Anathema which he denounces against him that shall Preach any other Doctrine than what he has received Then they will do well to get out of the way of that Curse who Preach this Doctrine The Church has power to decree Rites and Ceremonies Unless they be sure they have received it from Christ for it s but ill venturing to stand in the way of an Angel with a drawn Sword more terrible than which is one of the Scriptures Anathema's Some will ask where and when and from whom the Church received that Doctrine which some Preach viz. A Power to impose Mystical and Symbolical Ceremonies as the Terms of Communion with a Churchâ—… but I shall only say that our compassionate Enquirer will need a most compassionate Reader upon these Two Accounts First that he makes an Objection for Dissenters which is their Answer And Secondly that he gives an Answer to that Objection which is their very Objection but yet we have not heard the Conclusion The Consequence says he of these Premises is That the elder any Doctrine of Christianity can be proved to be it must needs be truer and he that talks of a more clear Light of the latter Times and clearer discoveries in Religion talks as idly as he that
should affirm he could discern things better at a miles distance than a Man that hath as good an Eye as himself and yet stood close by the Object This is that Needless Conclus on drawn out of his Needless Premises and having discovered the weakness of the former I might leave him at his leasure to deny his own Conclusion but yet I shall give him some Items about that also And 1. It 's a crude unconcocted No. ion that the elder any Doctrine of Christianity is the truer it is For it was a Truth that Christ was Born before it was that he was Crucified and yet the former Article that he was Born of the Virgin Mary is no truer than that he was Crucified Dead and Buried The Truth of the Doctrine depends not upon it Antiquity or Seniority but upon the infallibility of the Revealer quo ad â—…os and upon the close connexion of the Terms in it self whether a Truth was revealed by Christ or his Apostles immediately inspired all are of equal Truth in themselves and equal Authority as to us that is the lateness of the Revelation will breed no difference 2. The Enquirer might have informed himself that there is a double Light an Objective and Subjective Light The former is the discovery of the Thing it self the latter is the enlightning of the Faculty It 's true there is there can be no New Objective Light rationally expected In this sense all New Lights are but Old Darknesses but yet there may be more Subjective Light or a greater discovery made to us of what God has discovered in his Word The Papists lock'd up our Bibles in the Latin Tongue and kept the Key of Knowledge in their Pockets God by his Gracious Providence in the Resormation has taken off the Embargo and restraint that was upon Knowledge and great Light is sprung in amongst us we say not God has put more Books or Chapters or Verses into the Bibles but that he has given us more light in our Minds he has not Revealed New Truths but given us advantage to discover the Old Thus the Learned Stillingf somewhere expresses himself The common way of the Spirits illuminating the Minds of Believers is by enlightning the Faculty not by proposition of New Objects A Man then may talk of more Light in these latter Times and yet not talk idly if by more Light he intends no more than a clearer understanding of Gods Mind and Will revealed in his Word and a Man may talk of more Light in these latter Times and talk very idly If thereby he means more Revelations of Gods Mind and Will to supply the defects of the Scripture but yet none talk so idly as the Rhetorical Men whose Premises speak against New Objective Light and their conclusion against New Subjective Light If Subjective Light be not capable of growth if it does not recipere magis minus Let him give me a Reason why the Churches Articles of 1571. do clear up the Doctrine more darkly and imperfectly laid down in the days of Edward VI. Refined Silver is more clear than the same Mettal in the Oare and yet there is no more Mettal But if it be capable of growth and increase what an idle flourish is his Similitude of a Mans seeing better at a distance than he that stands close by the Object For if we have got no surther Light into the Scriptures by all the Advantages which Merciful Providence has surnish'd us with above the darker Times of Popery they were very ill bestowed upon us and he that would repay him in his own Coyn might tell him That a Man may possibly stand too near the Object as wel as too far off and a Dwarf upon a Gyants Shoulders may see further than the Gyant himself What he has hitherto philosophiz'd upon has been little to our Edification nor had we been troubled with this first Messe but for the sake of that which is now to be served up in the second Course and that is a piece of Revenge that he will take upon St. Augustin and the Synod of Dort ¶ 1. And first here 's a heavy charge drawn up against one Augustin of whom I presume the Reader may have heard at one time or other some mention made Now this Augustin or rather Austin for his Name as well as his Fame suffers a Syncope has been formerly a person in great danger of incurring that Curse denounced against those of whom all Men speak well till of late some Charitable Divines loath to let a Poor Man lie in Purgatory from Age to Age when a few bad words would release him took some pity on him And one of his best Friends in this Nation is this Compassionate Enquirer who informs us That no Father or Writer Greek or Latin before this Austins time agreed in Doctrine with the Synod of Dort which is so notoriously plain that it cannot be deny'd And if he agrees therewith yet it 's certain that in so doing he disagrees as much with himself as with us of our Church That he was indeed a Devout Man but his Piety was far more commendable than his Reason and that being hard put to it by the Manichees on the one hand and the Pelagians on the other he was not able to extricate himself and that he was rather forced into his opinion than made choice of it He that shall thus confidently dare to censure that worthy Father must be presumed to have read over his Voluminous Writings with all those of the Ancient Writers before him both Greek and Latin to a Man to a Sentence which might sufficiently have proclaimed his Learning and recommended him to a Patron one would think though he had never reproached that Father himself Many a poor Hungry Man have I known in my little time that has scribled one piece after another railing at the Pope which yet never turned to such Account as half a score Lines smartly penn'd against this great Sinner Austin And yet sor all these Insinuations of Industry in Reading and Acuteness of piercing Wit in hunting and tracing the Poor Man through all the windings and turnings of his self-perplexing Contradictions it 's our meer good Nature if we will believe that ever he saw any more than the back side of St. Austins Works for indeed all this may be no more than an ingenious Pataphrase of their great Grotius who thuâ—… spends his Judgment upon him Discuss p. 97. Ut dicam quod sentio puto Augustinum adeo non cum prioribus ne secum quidem per omnia posse conciliari Ita contranitendi studio se in illas Ambages induxit ut non invenerit quà se extriearet Paucis Scripturae Adductus Locis quae facilè commodam interpretationem recipiunt aliis locis pluribus clarioribus per quae Deus significatur omnium salutem velle interpretationes det violentas nunc has nunc illas incertus quò se vertat ut dicam
to tell you how Panlinus Bishop of Nela calls him the great Light set upon the Candlestick of the Church or how Prosper gives him the Character of a very sharp Wit clear in his Disputations Catholick in his Expositions of the Faith But to what purpose should we control him with inferior Evidences after that of a Pope or to what end Subpoena our little Witnesses after these Grandees For surely he that will break Austins Pate will not fear to dash out Prospers Brains § 5. Another Branch of this endless Indictment is That being hard put to it by the Manichees on the one hand and the Pelagians on the other he was not able to extricate himself Se in illas Ambages induxit ut non invenerit qua se extricaret You see I hope that if ever we should want an able Head to translate Grotius into English our Enquirer is the Man Never was poor Man so bewildred so sadly intangled in the Bryers as this Austin between the Manichâ—…an fatal Necessity and the Pelagian Contingency one while he 's just a splitting upon the Seylla of Free-will and whilst he goes a Point or two too near the wind he 's ready to be swallow'd up of the desperate Gulf of Stoical Necessity I shall say no more let the Reader seriously peruse St. Austins Works and when he has done study this Enquirers Volumes and by that time he may be satisfied whether all his Rhetorick and Confidence will make him a competent Judge of St. Austins Learning § 6. His Conclusion of his Charge is That he was rather forced into his Opinions than made choice of them Hâ—… whose Tongue is his own may employ it how he pleases but this slander carries its Consutation as well as its Confidence in its Forehead 'T is as if we should conclude That Men become Enemies because they have shed one anothers Blood whereas most think they wound and shed one anothers Blood because they were first Enemies It was the Zeal of this Learned and Holy Person for the cause of God that put him upon Study that drew him out in the open Field against the open Enemies of the Grace of God who might otherwise have slept secure in a whole skin Dispute cleared up Truths to him but he was not forced from any or into any I shall conclude this Head with that of Bradwardine another famous Champion in the same Cause with Austin Eccè enim quod non nisi tactus dolore Cordis refero sicutâ—…lim contra unum Dei Prophetam octingenti quinquag inta Prophetae Real similâ—…s reperti sunt quibus innumerabilis populus adhaerebat Ita hodiè in hâc causâ Quot O Domine hodiè cum Pelagio pro libero Arbitrio contra gratuitam gratiam tuam pugnant contra Paulum Pugilem gratiae specialem Exurge ergo Domine sustine protege robora consolare seis enim quod nusquam virtute mei sed tuâ consisus tantillus aggredior tantam causam Behold which I cannot mention without griâ—…f of Heart as of old against one Prophet of God eight hundred and fifty of the Prophets of Baal and such like were found to whom a great multitude of People did adhere so in this Cause How many O Lord at this day contend for Freewill with Pelagius against thy free Grace and against St. Paul that Famous Champion of Grace Arise therefore O Lord uphold defend strengthen comfort me for thou knowest that not trusting to my own strength but thine so weak a Combatant has engaged in so great a Cause ¶ 2. His second assault is against the Synod of Dort A Task as needless as the Answer itself and such as will not quit for cost for having already routed Austin this poor Synod must fall in course with him and be buried under his Ruines That it was a Dutch Synod I cannot deny Dort is and always was in the Province of Holland and therefore to pare off as much needless Controversie as may be let him Triumph in our Concession and make his best on 't The Synod of Dort was a Dutch Synod That England was not within the Iurisdiction of Dort I shall easily admit Nay I can be contend that it be exempâ—…ed from the Popes Westâ—…rn Patriarchate if Grotius B. Branâ—…hal and some others would agree to it The Question then is How far the Church of England was or is concerned in at Agreement with or obliged by the Decrees thereof That King Iames sent thither several of his most Learned and Eminent Divines premunited with an Instrument and ther by impowred to sit hear debate conclude upon those Arduous Points that should be brought before them I think is not denied but by those who deny there ever was any such Synod That they did according to their Instructions go thither sit there debate upon and at last subscribe to the determinations of that Convention is also out of dispute If their subscription did not formerly oblige the Nation yet it evidently proves what was the Iudgment of the Nation Nor do I think it had been for the Honour of this Church to have been of that Religion because those Delegates had subscribed but they therefore subscribed because they were in their own Judgments conformable to that of the Church of the Religion and Judgment of the Council There had been formerly one Barâ—… in the University of Cambridge who delivered himself some what broadly in favour of the Arminian Novelties Hereupon the Heads of that University sent up Dr. Whitaker and Dr. Tyndall to A. B. Whitguift that by the interposition of his Authority those errours might be crush'd in the Egge which were but New-laid as yet and not hatch'd in the bosom of this Church The Zealous Prelate presently convenes some of the most Judicious Divines of his Province and Nov. 10. 1595. by their Advice draws up the Lambeth Articles coming up to if not going beyond the Dordrectan Creed Forthwith he transmits these Articles to his Brother of the other Province the A. B. of York who receives and approves them So that now we have the Primate of England and the Primate of All England owning more than virtually the Decrees of that Synod and surely two such persons so learned as having been both of them Professors of Divinity in the University and of so great Power in the Church must be presumed if any to understand the true meaning of the 39 Articles in the Five Controverted Points After all this King Iames allows the inserting them into the Articles of the Church of Ireland and it were some what difficult to believe that a Prince so wise and learned would allow that Doctrine for Orthodox in one of his Kingdoms which was reputed Heretical in the other unless we will say they were erroneous at home but purged themselves like French-Wines at Sea by crossing St. Georges Channel or that the malignity or latent poison of them was suck'd out by the sanative Complexion of
a Padlock upon 't so stuffed with Pen and Ink-horn Terms that it was almost as intelligible in Latin the same contumely does our Enquirer pour out upon the Articles of the Church which were the most famous Testimony that then for many Years nay Ages had been given to the Truth of the Gospel I conclude then that he must be very immodest that can entertain a thought so unworthy the Learning Religion and sincetity of our first Reformers which were their greatest Ornaments as they were of their Times and the Articles the greatest glory of them both I know it 's an easie matter to draw up a Proposition so dubiously that the greatest Dissenters may subscribe it but what is the advantage of such dawbing Policy Peace or Unity of Judgment Some Men indeed have got a Worm in their Pates and they fancy this an expedient for these ends but there 's no such matter for the Subscribers in this Case do not bow their jugdments to the Articles but gently bend the Articles to their judgment It 's not the Bank that moves to the Boat but the Boat that moves to the Bank and each Party thinks it self the stronger because it can draw in the obsequious Articles to abet their opinioons When therefore he insinuates that they of the Calâ—…inistical perswasion in subscribing the Articles are forced to use Scholastick Subtleties to reconcile their opinions to them we entreat them to use Scholastick Subâ—…leties who are of the other judgment to reconcile the Articles to their opinions and they will find all too little unless they borrow a Point or two of Conscience first to resolve to subscribe and then defend it afterwards as well as they can And when he intimates that they were only some few Divines of this Church that used this expedient we know well that till the appearance of the late A. B. Laud the generality of this Church were of the Dort perswasion Arminianism has been openly declared Schism Arminius himself an Enemy to the Grace of God by our greatest and most Learned Princes and the greatest of our Church-Men have declared against it as a stranger and enemy to our Church But all this as I observ'd was brought in to vilifie the Synod of Dort and that eminently Learned and Holy Person St. Austin whose Credit whilst the Enquirer would wound he shall but like the Viper in the Fable Break his own Teeth and never hurt the impregnable Steel 2. A second pretended Objection against the Church is That it is not sufficiently purged from the Dross of Romish Superstitions It 's a marvelous advantage to him that challenges another to fight if he may prescribe and impose the Weapon this Authority has our Enquirer and some of his Camerades arrogated as peculiar to themselves that they may put what objections they please into the Mouths of Dissenters For though they cannot in the largest Charity acquit a Party neither considerable for Number or solid Learning which yet by noise and Pragmaticalness and some other Artifices have vested themselves with the Name of the Church yet they are ready to clear the Articles of the Church from Popery and Arminianism I intend those alone who would obtrude a meaning upon the Doctrine as if it impugned particular Election Original Sin and asserted Free-will Iustification by our own Works and the rest of those Points whereof some mention has been made In the first of Car. I. The House of Commons exhibited Articles against one Mr. Richard Mountague the 5th of which was thus And whereas in the 17th of the said Articles it is Resolved That God hath certainly decreed by his Counsel secret to us to deliver from Curse and Damnation those whom he hath chosen out of Mankind in Christ and to bring them by Christ to Everlasting salvation wherefore they which be endued with so excellent a Benefit be called according to Gods purpose working in due time they through Grace obey that calling they be justified freely walk Religiously in good works and at last by Gods mercy attain to Everlasting Felicity He the said Richard Mountague 〈◊〉 the said Book called The Appeal doth affirm and maintain that men justified may fall away from that state which once they had Thereby laâ—…ing a most malicious scandal upon the Church of England as if he did differ herein from the Reformed Churches in England and thâ—… Reformed Churches beyond the Seas and did Consent unto those pernicious Errours commonly called Arminianism which the late famous Q. Eliz. and K. James of happy memory did so piously and Religiously labour to suppress And farther they charge him That the scope and end of his Book was to give â—…ncouragement to Popery and to withdraw his Majesties Subjects frrom the True Religion establisht From whence we have gained this Point that that Doctrine which denies Perseverance in them that were once Justified doth abet Arminianism and therein draw near Popery But if these men might expound the Articles they would deny the one and abet the other and therefore do draw too near Popery Hereupon Dissenters have a warrant under his own Hand to withdraw from the Church for says he p. 8. If the charge of drawing too near the Church of Rome were true or if it were probable it would justifie their separation from it In 5 Caroli I. The House of Commons made this protestation Whosoever shall bring in Innovation of Religion or by Favour or Countenance seâ—…k to extend Popery or Arminianism or other Opinion disagreeing from the truth or Orthodox Church shall be Reputed a Capital Enemy to this Kingdom and Common-wealth And so close has the connexion between Popery and Arminianism ever been adjudged that the Jusuites who throughly understand their Interest and the most proper and suitable means to promote it hâ—…ve pâ—…ht upon This as the best expedient to introduce That for 〈◊〉 â—…s in that Triumphant Letter of theirs to their Rector at 〈◊〉 they express themselves Now we have planted that Soveraign Drug of Arminianism which will purge the Protestants of their Heresie and it flourishes and brings forth fruit in due season Whence we are taught both our Disease and our Remedy The Disease under which poor England laboured was Protestancy the Remedy was the Iesuites powder or a round Dose of Arminianism which is it seems a specifick purger of that Humour That the Divines of this Church did formerly maintain a just suspicion that the Opinions of Conditional Election and falling away totally from Grace were an In-let to Popery we need no other evidence then that Letter written by the University of Cambridge to their Chancellor upon the occasion of Barrets and Baro's preaching up such like novelties It was dated March 8. 1595. If say they passage be admitted to these Errours the whole Body of Popery will break in upon us by little and little to the overthrow of all Religion And therefore they humbly beseech his Lordships good Aid and Assistance for the suppressing
a Minister for such are the low thoughts Men have of their Souls that they will intrust them with the most raw and unexperienc'd Novice Hitherto his discourse has proceeded upon a supposition that the Charge had been true yet the Inference he thinks would have been false but now he comes roundly to the denial of the Charge and a laborious confutation of it to no purpose 2. Combined wit and malice says our Enquirer shall not be able to fix any scandal upon the Body of the English Clergy I hope they never shall Nor have I met with any so absurd and disingenuous as for the sake of some though many individuals to cast an aspersion upon a whole Society excepting those who have least Reason If the Body of the Clergy be Innocent all the Combinations of wit and malice shall not be able to Eclipse their unspotted Innocency that it shall break more gloriously through those envious Clouds which had obscured its brightness and if they be Peccant all the combined Wit and Rhetorick in the World wil not wipe away the guilt and filth it must be Repentance and Reformation that can only be their Compurgators 1. First then concerning their Learning a thing that has been hitherto indisputable and may continue so still if the weakness of this Gentlemans proofs do not render the truth of the proposition suspected But hear his Arguments 1. If the Preaching of the present Age be not better than that of the former I would fain know the Reason why the Homilies are in no greater Reputation And so would I too In those Ancient Sermons there are Two things especially remarkable the Phrase or Cloathing and the matter or substance of them 'T is true Time and the growing refinings of the English Language have superannuated the former but why the latter should also become obsolete I would as fain know a Reason as himself and that from himself who is best able to account for his own Actions I assure him I would not exchange the Old Truth for New Phrases and Modern Elegancy I had rather see Plain Truth in her sober homely garb than gawdy error spruced up with all the fineries of the Scene and Stage The weakness of the former Clergy was the great Reason that introduced both Liturgies and Homilies And if the present Clergy are grown so strong that they can despise one of their Crutches perhaps in time they may go alone without both Those Cogent Reasons pretended for the necessity of the one will hold as strongly for the other 't is full as easie to disseminate Heresies to vent crude raw undigested Non-sense in the Pulpit as the Desk When I hear any of our Enquirers Sermons I shall summon up my best Reason to make a judgment whether he has so infinitely â—…ut-dene the Ancient Homilies as he pretends In the mean time I fear the Language is not so much polished and tricked up as the Doctrine is defiled nor have they shamed the Homilies so much in briskness òf Fancy quaintness of Words and smoothness of Cadencies as the Homilies have shamed them in plainness and soundness of Truth I would mind our Author of the last words of the second part of the Homily of Salvation and though he may mend the Phrase I doubt he will hardly mend the Doctrine So that our Faith in Christ as it were saith thus unto us It is not I that tako away your sins but it is Christ only and to him I send you for that purpose forsaking therein all your good Vertues Words Thoughts and Works and only putting your trust in Christ. In the Homily of the Place and time of Prayer the Church praises God for purging our Churches from Piping Chanting as wherewith God is so sore displeased and the House of Prayer defiled Hence perhaps some would conclude that the true Reason why we have forsaken the use is because we have forsaken the Doctrine of the Homilies 2. Arg. All Protestants abroad admire the English way of Preaching insomuch as some forrein Congregations 〈◊〉 I am credibly informed that was wisely inserted dâ—…ray the charges of the Travels of their Pastors into England that they may return to them instructed in thâ—… Method of the English Preaching For the Logick of this Paragraph I shall not so much as examine it All Protestants admire English â—…reaching for some Congregations send to be instructed â—…n't There 's the all and some of this Argument Again Protestants admire English Preaching ergo they admire the Conformists Preaching for All Dissenters preach in an unknown tongue Again they send them hither to be instructed in the method of English Preaching all the excellency then lies in the method which is to Preach without Doctrine Reason and Use And now methinks I hear a Pastor of a Congregation in Holland returning home with a flea in his Ear and giâ—…ing an account of the expence of his time and charges Beloved we have been sadly mistaken all this while for our Synod of Dort was a pack of silly ignorant fellows that knew not how to make God Iust unless they made him Cruel or Man humble unless they made him a Stock or a Stone As for us we are informed that we are not true Ministers of Iesus Christ as wanting a thing I think they call it Episcopal Ordination and if any of us should become Ministers there we must be re-ordained though a Priest from Rome shall not need it and therefore by consequence your Baptism is a nullity all our Ministerial acts void and of none effect your Churches are not true Churches your Reformation was began in Rebellion continued in Schism and thus I have got my labour for my pains and naught for my labour 3. Arg. The Preaching of the Church of England is beyond that of Rome Yes so it may be and yet none of the best neither what sleighty Topicks are these from whence to evince the excellency of English Preaching Commend me to read one Sermon in the works of the Learned B. Reynolds and it storms the incredulous sooner then a hundred of these Ridicules put together But how does it appear that the English transcends the Romish Preaching pray mark the proof why Erasmus wrote a Book of the Art of Preaching and full of the follies and rediculous passages in Popish Sermons Most Meridian Conviction Has not I. E. written a Book also full of the follies and ridiculous passages in English Sermons Pray then set the Hares head against the Goose Giblets Ah! but Erasmus his Book is as full as his very good and so is his as full as Erasmus's Really when the Act comes out against Metaphors I hope there will be a clause in 't that no Rhetorician shall ever again use an Argument As he would be injurious to the Truth that should take the sollies gathered up in this modern Author for the measure of present Preaching so shall he be equally vain that shall make those impertinencies gleaned up by
Reverence too consisting in uncommanded postures of bowing at the Naming of Iesus worshipping towards the East and Altar and of Submission viz. Of Private Reason and Conscience to the Publick But of all and of all they excel when they Treat of thâ—… Eternal Reasons of Good and Evil A Point admirably fitted to the Capacities of the vulgar which nothing but unskilfulness could make a Man bold enough to undertake the unfolding of An dantur Aeternae Rationes Boni Mali in mente Diviná indispensabiles Oh how the Ladies sit and admire this profound Theology Notions which cannot be Characteriz'd better than in Gondibâ—…rts Phrase To charm the Weak and pose the Wise. But then they Treat of the Nature of Faith And how there 's nothing a justifying and saving Faith as such but what the Devils can shew for it And to conclude of Charity too to all of their own Cue to a hairs breadth with Denunciation of Fire and Faggot to all that come not up to their Apices Iuris and jump not in with every Iota and Tittle of Conformity I had almost forgot their discourses of Obedience to Magistrates I suppose this Enquirer has not very long Treated of that Subject the meaning of it is so long as they are well paid for their pains O Emperour said one Defend me with thy Sword and I 'le Defend thee with my Quill Could you blame him It will cost more to maintain an Army than a Penny worth of Quills Notwithstanding all these Bravadoes the World must see if their Eyes be not out that Dissenters give more real obedience to Magistrates for bare life and uncertain liberty than some do for all these Revenues which publick Indulgence has loaded them withal for when the Finger of the Magistrate is put forth to touch them not in skin or bone but some sorty Accident they are ready to make good the Devils charge and curse him to his face 2. He has done with the Learning and will now come to the Lives of 〈◊〉 Clergie Whatever good he shall speak of the Clergy I can heartily agree with him in it provided he could forbear the disparagement of others Let it be accorded that the Lives of the generality of Church-men are unblamable yet that they need no foyl to set them off is such a childish way of wheedling our belief of it as if a Jeweller should shew you a Stene with its foyl and then protest it needs none Here then needed no Quarrel we can rejoyce in and Bless God for the Graces as well as Gifts the Piety as well as the Learning of our Brethren who differ from us Nay we can pray to God to double his Spirit upon them in both respects and for those who deride the Grace and Spirit of God we can pray that God would give them a sounder mind We pray that there may be such burning and shining lights found amongst all them that profess the Reformed Religion however in small matters varying as may confound Atheism and Popery with whatsoever is contrary to found Doctrine and Godliness but yet this Compassionate Enquirer that he may not be uncivil nor pass by the door of a Non-conformist without a Salute will call in and say a word or two to them when he has first given us a Reason why he will Treat them like Christians 1. R. Because he will not render Evil for Evil nor Retaliate the Reproaches cast upon the Sons of the Church for he has not so learn'd Christ And doubtless he that has learn'd Christ to any purpose either in his Example or Doctrine must learn quite another Lesson than foul Language and blackmouth'd Barking or he has gone to School to no purpose and must come back to his Horn-book and begin at Christs-Cross 2. R. Such uncharitable Recriminations have not only made an Apology for Atheism and the prophaness of the Age but they afford a pleasant spectacle to all wicked Men. 3. R. It taken from the Example of Constantine the Great who when the Bishops and Clergie at the Nicene Council had exhibited a bundle of Libels one against another burnâ—… them all before their faces protesting that if he should see one of them in the most scandalous Commission he would cover his shame with his own Purple Being therefore convinced that all Recriminations are unbecoming the Gospel and that from the nervousness of our Enquirers Arguments I will make a reasonable motion That all the Friendly Debates the Ecclesiastical Policies with the foul-mouth'd Coâ—…ler of Gloucesters Canto's be condemned to the next solemn Bonefire Unless you will make the Compassionate Enquiry the Protomartyr And add the Porter who when he should have covered the scandalous Commission with his Frock openly exposed it upon his Back These Massive Reasons one would think might have sunk any ordinary Mans railing inclinations into a modest silence and suspended his prâ—…clivity to reviling ab officio for three years and yet like a compassionate self-consistent or self-condemned Enquirer he will say these two things further in this Case Nay I did look for it every moment and that all those Reâ—…s against slander were but a foyl to set off Hypocrisie prophaning of Scripture and the debaâ—…ching of his Conscience with a greater Grace when he shall come to blazon thâ—… scandalous Impieties of the Non-conformist Ministers And here I first got a satisfactory in-sight into one truth more That there is the same proportion between the Title and the Book that there is between his Rhetorick and his Reason The Title calls the Boock A serious and compassionate Enquirer but the Book ingenuously calls it self The ridiculous and passionate Enquiry And if they thus revile and scold at one another we must not admire if both join in reviling the Dissenters 1. Two things then he has to say And the first of them is Three things alone § 1. If a man be male-content with the Government and sorsaking the Church resort to private Assemblies such a man may debauch his life too and yet have a very charitable constrnction among the generality of Dissenters That is if a man will be a Rascal in one paricular he may be a Villain in all the rest provided he become a Non-conformist Ay! Sit Sacrilegus sitfur sit viâ—…iorum omnium flagitiorumque princeps At est Bonus Fanaticus Come but over to their way and you may Lye and Steal and Whore and Drink and be Drunk this was spoken without all peradventure out of tenderness of Conscience to fulfil that Royal command of not rendring evil for evil That it might appear how well he had learned Christ. But let him know that they allow no Non-comformity to compound for severe Piety nor Dissent from Ceremonies to substitute Assent to the substantials of Christianity He that is not brought over to the Obedience of the Gospel is with them no Christian by what Name or Title soever he be dignified or distinguished and I seriously desire that
's true Diotrephes his fingâ—…rs it â—…hed to be tampering but the Beloved Disciple that lay in his Masters Bosom who was privy to his meek and gracious Temper and knew how displeasing such imperiousness was to him gave an early and timous rebuke to the Attempts and Essays of Praelatical Arrogancy and indeed he could not but remember and was concern'd in it how smartly Christ had snibb'd Aspiring Church-men That there was so much Tranquility therefore amongst the Primitive Christians was not that they were without differing apprehensions for mens parts were no more alike nor thâ—…ir Educations more equal then now But because there was a Spirit of Condescension to and mutual forbearance one of another The strong either in Knowledge or Authority did not trample upon the weak There was then some diversity of Eupressions in which the Pastors of several Churches delivered themselves for there were neither Homilies nor Liâ—…urgies yet they did not dispute themselves into parties because they made not their own Sentiment the Test of Orthodoxy nor their private Faith the publick standard and measure to which all Christians should be tyed to subscribe They allowed a latitude in things not fundamental nor had learned the modern Artifice of Fettering Consciences in the Chains of Assent and Consent to the Dogmats of a prevailing party In those days meâ—… were sincerely good and devout and set their Hearts upon the Main the huge consequence and concern of which easily prevailed with those Holy men to over-look other mens private Opinions They were intent upon that wherein the power of Godliness consisted and upon which thâ—… Salvation of Souls depended and so all that was secure they were not so superstitiously concerned for Rituals either to practice them much less to impose them They would not stake the Churches Peace against Ceremonies and then play it away rather then not be Gamesters They considered that they had all one God one Faith one Baptism one Lord Iesus Christ and never insisted upon one Posture one Gesture one Garment one Ceremony They Good men found enough to do to mortifie their Passions to bear their Burdens of Afflictions and Persecution to withstand the temptations of the Devil and the contagion of evil Examples And had no strength to spare nor superfluous time to wast to Conn the Theory of Ceremonies and practice new devices But when men grow cold and indifferent about great things then they become â—…ervent about the lesser when they give over to mind a holy life and heavenly Conversation then they grow fierce Disputants for and rigid Exacters of the sulâ—… Tale of Ceremonies Thus when the Scribes and Pharise 〈◊〉 became so violent for the necessity of washing hands they little regarded the cleansing of their Hearts They that will make things indifferent to become necessary the next news you hear of them is that they make things necessary to become indifferent when men cease to study their own hearts they become very studious how to vex and torment other mens for then they have both leisure and confidence enough to trample upon their inferiours Then it shall be a greater sin for a Monk to lay aside his Cowle then his Chastity and to be a scrupulous Non-conformist to the Laws of Men then a scandalous Non-conformist to the Laws of God In short that I may say the same thing over again which I have twenty times already said and that I may convince the Reader that I have read Erasmus de opiâ—… vâ—…orum as well as his famous piece of the Art of Preaching Then and not till then do the little Appendices of Religion grow great and mighty matters in mens esteem when the Essentials the great and weighty matters are become little and inconsiderable which I had had little need to have mentioned but for the sake of those Elegant and Modish words Appendices and Essentials which in an Eloquent Oration ought not to have been forgotten Dixi That there are Distractions in the Nation Divisions amongst Christian Brethren and a separation from the present Church of England in various degrees is evident The Industry of our Enquirer in Tracing out the Causes of them has been very commendable though his success has not been answerable Had he pleased to approve himself a skilful and impartial as well as a serious Enquirer he had certainly directed us to one cause more which for want of Ariadnes Threed in the Anfractuous windings of this Labyrinth he has quite lost himself and his Travels Honest Gerson of old has notified it to the non-observing World and from him I shall recommend it to the Reader There can be saith he no General Reformation without the Abolitions of sundry Canons and Statutes which neither are nor reasonably can be observed in these times which do nothing but ensnare the Consciences of men to their endless Perdition no tongue is able to express what evil what danger and confusion the neglect and contempt of the Holy Scripture which doubtless is sufficient for the Government of the Church else Christ had been an imperfect Law-giver and the following of Humane Inventions hath brought into the Church Serm. in die circ part 1. 'T is that which has ever been lamented and by all moderate persons complained of That unnecessary Impositions have been made the indispensible conditions of Church-Communion without precept or precedent from the Word of God To this cause had he reduced all our Divisions he said more in those few plain words then in all those well coucht periods wherewith he has adorned his Discourse and darkened Counsel As the matter of Law arises out of the matter of Fact so the Justice of the Non-conformists Cause appears from the terms that are put upon them in order to Communion If the Terms be unjust it will justifie their Cause If they have sinfully managed their Cause its goodness will not justifie their Persons what Dissenters usually insist upon for their Justification I shall reduce to these Heads § 1. They plead that some things are imposed upon their Faith tendered to Subscription as Articles of Faith which are either false or at best they have not yet been soo happy as to discover the truth of them In Art 20. They are required to subscribe this Doctrine The Church hath power to Decree Rites and Ceremonies which Clause of the Article as we fear it has been by some indirect means shuffled into the Article it not being found in the Authentick Articles of Edw. 6. so it proves also that the Terms of Communion have been enlarged since the first times of the Reformation They object also against that Doctrine in the Rubrick That it is certain from the Word of God That Children Baptized and dying before the Commission of actual sins are undoubtedly saved The Scripture the Protestant Churches nor any sound Reason have yet given them any tolerable satisfaction of the Truth of the Doctrine about the Opus operatum of Sacraments That Doctrine laid down in the
Catechism That Children do perform Faith and Repentance by their sureties is also as great a stumbling to our Faith and we cannot get over it How the Adult should believe and repent for Minors or Infants Believe and Repent by Proxie I omit many others § 2. They plead that they are not satisfied in the use of any Mystical Ceremonies in Gods Worship and particularly they judge the use of the Cross in Baptism to be sinful A Sacrament of Divine Institution according to the definition of the Church in her Catechism is an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible Grace given unto us ordained by Christ himself as a means whereby we receive the same and a pledge to assure us thereof where we have 1. The matter of a Sacrament An outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual Grace 2. The Author of a Divine Sacrament Christ himself 3. The End of it to be a means to convey the thing signified and a pledge to assure us of it Hence it 's evident that it 's simply impossible that any Church should institute a Divine Sacrament because they cannot give it a Causality to those Graces it is instituted to signifie Nevertheless it 's possible for Men to institute Humane Sacraments which shall have the Matter of a Sacrament That is an outward Visible Sign of an inward Spiritual Grace and they may pretend to ascribe an effect to it also to stir up to excite or encrease Grace and Devotion And yet because it wants the right efficient Cause it 's no lawful Sacrament though it be an Humane Sacrament Such an institution say they is the Sign of the Cross. An outward Visible Sign of an inward Spiritual Grace Ordained by Men as a means to effect whatever Man can work by his Ordinance Here is the matter without Divine Signature which is the thing they condemn it for 3. They plead that since Communion with the Church is suspended and denyed but upon such Terms as take away Christian Liberty in part and by consequence leave all the rest at Mercy they dare not accept of Communion upon those Terms There are some things which God has in the general left free and indifferent to do or not do yet at some times and in some Cases it may be my great sin if I should do some of them as when it would wound the Conscience and destroy the Soul of a weak Christian If now I shall engage my self to the Church that I will never omit such an indifferent thing and the Soul of that weak Christian should call to me to omit it I have tyed my Hands by engagement I cannot help him though it would save his or a thousand Souls out of Hell because I have given away my freedom to the Church 4. They plead that they ought not to hazard their Souls in one Congregation if they may more hopefully secure them in another for that their Souls are their greatest concernment in this World and the next Now say they there 's no Question but Men Preach such as they Print with pubiick allowance and therefore they ought to provide better for their Souls elsewhere Especially they say That the Doctrine of Justification is Articulus stantis vel cadentis Ecclesiae an Article with which the Church falls or stands This Article say they in the Parish where we live is quite demolish'd by the Doctrine of Iustification by Works we are bound therefore to provide for our safety and depart and when we are once out we will advise upon another Church not which is tolerable but which is most eligible and in all things nearest the Word 5. They plead that there 's no obligation upon them to own the Churches Power to impose new Terms of Communion unless the Church can prove her Power from Christ it 's not for them to disprove it it lies upon her to prove it and to prove it substantially too or else it will be hard to prove it their duty to own it 6. They say the World is pestered with Disputes about Worship about Religion and therefore since all cannot be in the right they are willing to go the safest way and Worship God according to his Word If the things disputed be lawful to be done let 'em be so they are sure its lawful to let 'em alone and they think there 's no great hazard in keeping to Scripture Rule nor can believe that Christ will send any to Hell because they did not Worship God in an External Mode more neat and spruce then God commanded 7. They pretend that the things imposed are parts of Worship which none can Create but God nor will God accept of any but such as are of his own Creating and whether they be Integral or Essential Parts they do not know but in the Worship of God they find them standing upon even ground with those that are certainly Divine or at least as high as Man can list them 8. They do not find that God ever commanded the things imposed either in general in special or their singulars If God has commanded a Duty to be done the Church must find a place to do it in but though the Church must find a place for the Duty a time for the Duty she may not find new Duty for the time and place 9. They are the more cautious of all Ceremonies because the old Church of England in her Homilies Serm. 3. Of Good Works tell us That such hath been the corrupt inclination of Man superstitiously given to make New Honcuring of God of his own Head and then to have more Affection and Devotion to keep that then to search out Gods Holy Commandments and do them 10. They say they have read over all the Books that have been written in justification of those things and they find their Arguments so weak their Reasons so futilous that setting aside Rhetotick and Railing there 's nothing in them but what had been either answered by others or is contradicted by themselves which hardnes them in their Errour who are gone astray into the right way 11. They say it 's their duty to endeavour a Reformation according to the Word which if others will not they cannot help it and hope they will not be angry with the willing PART II. CHAP. I. The several ways for prevention of Church-Divisions mentioned by the Enquirer considered The Papal Methods 1. Keeping the People in Ignorance 2. An infallible Iudge 3. Accommodating Religion to the Lusts of Men. Three other ways mentioned by the Enquirer 1. Teleration 2. Comprehension 3. Instruction AS that Person will highly merit of this present Age whose discerning eye shall discover and his charity propound to the world such rational expedients as may amicably compose our present differences upon terms comporting with the Consciencious principles of the contending parties so our fears of the success are justly greatned by the frequent disappointment of our hopes Confident Pretenders posting up their Bills in
all his experiments and great shew of skill in healing he is wheeled about to that last and worst of Papal Remedies which some call Axes Halters Gibbets Racks Pillories Imprisonment others the Holy Inquisition which is just the plea of the Papists for all their Barbarities That if the People will not be perswaded they see no Reason why the Church should not deliver thâ—…â—…er to the secular powers to be burne for Hereticks CHAP. II. The Enquirers notion of Schism examined and as Applyed to the sober Non-conformists proved uncharitable unjust and false SChism is an Ecclesiastical Culverine which being overcharged and ill managed Recoyles and hurts the Canoneer He that undertakes to play this great Gun had need be very Curious and careful to spunge his Canon Well lest it fire at home Nothing has more naturally tempted the Imprudent to account nothing to be Schism then that some hasty angry men have made every thing so That causeless separation from a particular Church of Christ whereof we were once duly Members is a sin of a deep dye is owned by all that own the Gospel and have any tender regard tâ—… the prosperity of the Church or propagation of the Truth but yet we ought not to be so easily credulous as to believe every departure to be that heinous thing which passionate men in hot blood out of prejudice to the persons of others or a necessity to secure and establish their own Acquists over mâ—…ns Consciences are resolved to call so It was not therefore lightly but with great judgement that the learned Hales calls it one of those Theologiâ—…al 〈◊〉 with which they who use to uphold a party in Religion use to fright 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 making any enquiry into it are ready to Relinquish and oppoâ—… it if it appear either erroneous or suspicious St. Cyprian it seems affirms it to be of so horâ—…ble a Gâ—… thâ—… Martyrdom was not a sufficient Expiation of it And upon the like occasion he might have said as much of any other siâ—… for I have not learnt that Martyrdom was design'd to expiate our siâ—… but to bear witness to Gods Truths And the same Cyprian at another time will inform us that Plebs obsequens praeceptis Dominicis Deum metuens à peccatore praeposito separare se debet A people fearing God and Conscienciously obsequious to his Commands not only may but ought to separate it self from a scandalous and wicked Pastor And therefore we may secure our selves that such separation in his judgement is not That Schism which Martyrdom will not expiate The true reason why separation in the Scripture and purer Primitive times was esteemed a Crime so unpardonable was because the Church made no other Terms of enjoying her Communion then Christ had made That Superiours durst-not venture the Churches Peace upon such a sandy foundation as her own Inventions turned into Impositions for if the Terms of Communion be of Mans making the separation that enâ—…ues will be but a Schism of mans making too and whether a Church has first a power to make a sin and then to make it damnable I have some reason to question Let nothing be declared Schism but what the Scriptures haâ—… made so and we shall be content it be made as great a sin as he can reasonably desire Had not our Enquirer been carried down in the torrent of his own overflowing Eloquence till he had quite lost himself he might have answered himself from his own words p 109. For this cause says he it pleased God that his Church in those early days should rather be harassed with persecutions which made it unite it self the closer and paring off all superfluities keep to the necessary and essential Doctrines delivered to it then to be softned and made wanton by ease and so to corrupt the simplicity of the Gospel Let a Church then return to the simplicity of the Gospel Let her repent of that softness and wantonness of Spirit which by Ease she has contracted Let her pare off all superfluities and keep close to the necessary and essential Doctrines delivered to it and she shall find us as ready to write Philippics against Schism as him self though we want his Ciceronian quill and wordie excellencies Now though we are all convinced that Schism veri nominis is a most detestable Impiety yet to beget in us a greater aversation from it it may be profitable to listen to his reasonings which are so potent as will doubtless drain both the Conventicles and the Theatres § 1. None says he can doubt of this who considers what care our Saviour took to prevent it what pains he took with his Apostles that they might be throughly instructed and not differ in the delivery of his mind to the World We do with all humble thankfulness own the faithfulness of our Saviour in instructing and the Carefulness of the Apostles in following their instructions They delivered to the Churches as the whole Counsel of God Acts 20. 27. so only the Counsel of God 1 Cor. 11. 23. I have received of the Lord that which I also delivered unto you And let but the Pastors of the Church imitate these patterns keep exactly to their instructions from the Lord Christ which we doubt not are proportionable to reach the ends of Unity and Peace else they had not been sufficiently instructed and either we shall have no separations or the case will be so plain the separation so evidently Schism â—…hat the Schismaticks shall not be able to obtend the least umbrage to cover their gross prevarication But when Embassadors throughly instructed in all the means to prevent that evil shall go beyond their Instructions and impose new unheard of Terms of Communion which never came into his heart to approve nor ever came out of his mouth to impose give me leave to say thus far they are not Embassadors and by consequence a Noncompliance with them therein cannot be interpreted any affront but faithfulness to him who entrusted them with those dispatches And if Christs instructions given to his Apostles to prevent this growing evil were insufficient I am affraid they will be but sorrily helpt out who have recourse to men for fuller instructâ—… § 2. To prove the greatness of this sin he observes and we thank him for the observation that the Apostles were industrious to resist all beginnings of Schism in every Church to heal all breaches to take away all occasions of Division to unite all hearts and reconcile all minds and to requite his kindness I will repay his observation with this other that they either are not the Apostles Successors in their healing Spirit or else have seen some weighty reason to depart from their judgement about the hainousness of that sin who instead of taking away the occasions of Divisions which they have given or removing the stumbling Blocks out of the way of Union which they have laid do give greater to and lay more obstacles before the Christian world § 3.
therein and the Society it self so far as it is a Church of Christs institution only he loves his own Soul with a more intense love and accordingly makes the best provision for it he can and would rejoyce that others would accept of the same advantages ought not to be called a Schismatick but if they who pretend to a power to stamp what significations they please upon words will call him so the best is no Nick-names will prejudice him in the sight of that God who searcheth the heart and tryeth the reins As Heresie is opposed to the Faith so Schism is opposed to Love and Heresie and Schism are distinguisht by those things to which each of them is opposed 3. It 's faulty for its ambiguity because he tells us not what the Christian Church is from whence the departure must be made to denominate it Schismâ—…ical If he means a particular Congregation united under its proper Pastor according to the Laws of Christ it will prove it Schismatical to depart from a Church of Non-conformists If he understands a National Church he should do well to prove that such a Church is of Christs institution but I shall wave these and many more till he has discanted upon the particulars of his own Definition § 1. I call it says he a departure or separation from the Society of the Church to distinguish it from other sins which though they are breaches of the Laws of our Religion and consequently of the Church yet are not a renunciation of the Society There may be such a person who for his wickedness deserves to be â—…ast out of the Church as being a scandal and dishonour to it yet neither separating himself nor being cast out of the Society remains still a Member of it This is indeed too true And hence it is that many Churches are so over-run with scandalous Debauchez that there 's very little difference between the impaled Garden and the wide Wilderness And perhaps was there more of this Authorative separation there would be less of that prudential separation If rotten and gangreened Members were cut off the sound would not have that necessity to provide for their own security If the Contagion were not so Epidemical there were less need to seek out for better and more wholesome Airs when an Impudent Blasphemer who out-faces the Sun the Notoriety of whose Crime needs no Dilator shall yet quietly maintain his station in a Church whilst others for not coming up to a Ceremony shall be rejected though otherwise holy and inoffensive men may make Models and Idea's of Schism to save their Credits long enough before they will be much regarded § 2. I call it says he a voluntary separation to distinguish 〈◊〉 from punishment or Schism from Excommunication Yes but he ought to have called it Voluntary upon a higher account in opposition to such departure as is made with regret and reluctancy for when a sincere Christian has used all due means to inform himself of the Truth of such a principle or the lawfulness of such a practice as may be made the Conditions of Communion with that Society when he has asked advice of God in his word when he has pray'd with David that God would open his Eyes when he has conferred with the most judicious and impartial Christians when he has humbly and modestly represented to the Pastors and Governours of that Church the suspected Condition or the innovation crept into the Church and yet can neither procure Reformation of the abuse not toleration of his particular non-complyance nor yet find satisfaction of the lawfulness of such practice he may without guilt withdraw himself from that Society nor ought this to be charged upon him as a departure having in it any thing of sinful voluntariness when a Merchant throws his Lading over-board to preserve Life I grant that he may be said willingly to throw it away because his precious life preponderates and turns the Scale of the will yet none will condemn that poor Merchant of too little affection to his Merchandise Thus when a Christian can find no rest no satisfaction to his Conscience from those suspected Conditions which in the constant exercise of his Communion do recur and shall reâ—…ede from that Society joyning himself to another where with full satisfaction of spirit he may pursue his own Edification such a one ought not to be charged with a voluntary departure nor shall it be charged upon him as such in the judgement of him that shall judge the World § 3. I call it says he a departure from a particular Church or from a part of the visible Church to distinguish it from Apostacy which is a casting of the whole Religion the name and profession of Christianity But here his definition is very Crazie and ill joynted for it ought to be defined a departure from a particular Church of Christ to distinguish it from such a Constitution as is either no particular Church of Christs institution or none so far as the separation is made from it such a one as is not united under Christs Officers nor conjoyned by Christs Ligaments Christ has taken special care that there may be no Schism in the Body 1 Cor. 12-25 And for this end he has commanded a spirit of mutual forbearance and condescension he has mingled and temper'd the body together with such exact geometrical proportion that each of the parts may care for the other for this end also he has instituted some extraordinary Officers whose work and Office was to cease with the present exigency and occasion and the ordinary whose Office and Employment as the Reasons of them were to be perpetuaI Now if any Society of Men calling themselves a Church and in the main respects being really so retaining the great Doctrines of Christianity and such Ordinances whereby Salvation is attainable shall yet put it self under other Officers then Christ has appointed and practise other Ordinances then he has instituted and make Communion with her impracticable without submitting to such Officers such Ordinances separation from that Society can be no separation from a particular Church of Christ Because though they may be such a Church in the main yet so far as the separation is made they are not so And they deny Communion with them so far as they are a Church of Christ because of non-submission to them so far as they are noâ—… a Church of Christ. § 4. I add says he those words whereof he was once a Member because Schism imports division and making two of that which was but one before So that if an Act was made to divide some of our greater Parishes which are much larger then some of the Primitive Diocesses into Two under their distinct Pastors this must be a Schism according to this famous definition for here is 1. A voluntary departure 2. From a particular Church 3. whereof once they were all Members and wherein 4. they might all have continued without
Officers Offices Ordinances superadded to the Evangelical Law A person that shall separate from its Communion in those things wherein it refuses to reform may without breach of charity be called a Schismatick § 7. Whether a Christian may act against the superseding Dictate of his Conscience and may give it up to be ruled by an Imaginary publick Conscience § 8. Whether seeing we have the unerring word of God to guide us to be mislead by our Leaders is a good Countersecurity against the Judgment of God § 9. Whether it be lawful to break the least of Scripture Commandments to purchase our Quiet with men or secure our own Repose in the world § 10. Whether the command of my Superiour will justify me in Murthering the Soul of my weak Brother when I may avoid giving the scandal in things indifferent § 11. Whether can the command of a Superiour make that no sin but a duty but without that command had been no duty but sin § 12. Whether a Minister of the Gospel may submit to have his Prayers and Sermons Composed for him by others And whether he be a Minister at all who is not able in some measure to discharge both to Edification § 13. Whether a Christian may without sin wholly and perpetually suffer his Christian Liberty to be determined one way though under future Circumstances it may be the command or God for a season to determine it the other way § 14. Whether a Christian Willing to subscribe to all that Christ has propounded to him to believe and to engage solemnly to do all that Christ requires him to do and not contradicting such engagement by Conversation arguing him of praevalent Hypocrisy but having given good proof before men of his Holiness ought to be denyed Christian Communion § 15. Whether upon such tendries made and their refusal only because he will not submit to new Terms of Communion not approved by the Word of God he shall adjoyn himself to some other particular Church where the Doctrine of Christianity is purely Preached the Sacraments duely Administred and the Conditions of enjoying all these and other the Ordinances of Christ honourable and easie such Departure from the one and Conjunction with the other be that Schism noted in the Scripture § 16. Whether any Church hath power to advance indifferent things above their indifferent Natures and make them Holy in their use and relation appropriated to Gods immediate Worship and impose them as the Terms of exercising the Ministerial Office § 17. Whether any Church hath power to institute new dedicating and imitiating signs and symbols whereby persons are declared and professed to be visible Cristians § 18. Whether being clearly convinced by the Word of God that there are Corruptions in a particular Church whereof I am a Member I ought not to endeavour in my place and Station lawfully to reform them And if a prevailing number in that Church shall not only refuse to reform but require of me to renounce all such lawful endeavours upon pain and peril of casting out of Communion I may not wave the society of the corrupt Majority and adhere to the more sober and moderate party who will reform themselves 2 His second task is to prove that something must be foregone for peace The design of this loose Discourse may de reduced to this Argument Small matters though truths or duties are to be sacrificed to peace But the things that Dissenters stick and boggle at are such small matters therefore they ought to be sacrificed to peace To which I only say at present That I modestly deny both his Premisses and do hope he will as modestly deny the Conclusion And perhaps some Sawcy Fellow or other will take up the Argument and give it one turn Small matters that are indifferences ought to be sacrificed to peace but the things imposed upon Dissenters in the judgment of the Imposers are small indifferent things therefore they ought to be sacrificed to peace or thus Those things which we account little we ought not make necessary to peace union 〈◊〉 the things which are in difference are in our own account little therefore we ought not to make them necessary to peace and union Something then we would give for peace and more then we can modestly speak of If it were to be had for Money we should not think that Gold could buy Peace too dear though Truth may But may we humbly enquire of the Enquirer whether he have this Peace to sell And at what rates it may be purchased I have Carefully not to say Curiously perused his whole Discourse and I must confess to the Reader that I am so far from understanding how the Market goes that I suspect he knows not his own Mind Page 131. He tells us We must be at some cost to purchase it and part with something for it Well! but what is that something Will Petitions Supplications Prayers Humbling our selves at his Footstoole procure us Peace No! That something is nothing Men are not so mad as to part with such a rich Commodity as Peace for an old song of Petitions What is it then Oh! pag. 130. He told us from Erasmus That Peace was not too dear at the price of some Truth Very good Will then telling half a dozen round Lyes procure us our Peace or the renouncing half a score Scripture-truths or so Oh but we are commanded to buy the Truth not sell it Net to do evil that good may come And besides that Peace will never wear well nor last long that is purchased with the loss of Truth To war with God or skirmish the Scripture is no approved method to secure Peace amongst our selves Well then pag â—…32 He tells us We must subdue our passions and castigate our heats And I think we have had pretty good Coolers then we must take in our sailes lighten the ship cast overboard the Fardles of our private fancies and opinions And we are Content to cast overboard any thing that is purely our own only if any of the Rich Lading of Truth should be packt up in those Fardles we humbly pray that may be spared If our own private personal Concerns were only called for he should find the Non-conformists as one man saying sin autem Jonas ille ego sim projicite me in Mare ut tempestas desaeviat Pray throw us into the Sea only do not throw any concern of Christ nor Reformation after us Well! then he would have us offer something to those touchy Deities of Custom and Vulgar Opinion But really these are a Couple of such Insatiable Idols it were cheaper to starve them then feed them we may Maintain Bell and the Dragon at as easie rates What is it then we must part with for peace At last it comes out with much ado Loath to confess till just turning off the Ladder for these are his Last words under this head pag. 137. In a word that we part with all that
men can with any Colourable pretext affirm of their Dictates Canons Decretals or Constitutions And that amongst many other Reasons because they were not indited in heat or passion were not Contrived to advance one party or to depress and crush another but were the Result of infinite wisdom impartially respecting Truth fuithfully acquaniting us with the mind and will ofGod without Adhering to any faction § 2. That there can be no concern of any Church or Officer in the Church or member of theChurch but the Scripture speaks fully to it As 1. If a Church will approve her self to be the pillar of Truth and expose to all her Members the Doctrine of the Gospel the Scripture is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 profitable for Instruction or 2. has she occasion to Convince the Cavilling world and stop the Months of gainsayers The Scripture is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It Lays down the Truth and thereby discovers errour heresy false doctrine all Corruption in worship and manner It gives us what is straight and thereby enables us to judge what is Crooked or 3. Are there any Tares sprung up in the field of the Church sowen by the Enemy whilst Men Slept and men will sleep it is profitable also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Correction rectifying and redintegration of whatever is warped and declined from its Original It supplies and fills up the wide chasmes of defectives and pares of all excrescences and prunes of superfluities or 4. Must Christians be trained up under Gospel discipline and order that they may grow up in knowledge in every grace in mutual Love it 's useful 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No paedagogy no Constitution no discipline to be compared with it § 3. That it is a Rule which must direct All the builders in Gods house in whatsoever Quality under whatsoever character they appear It 's profitable for the Man of God And indeed it only becomes The Man of sin he that is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Lawless person who has a curbe for every mans Conscience but will not endure a snaffle upon his own to despise this Rule and cry up another § 4. The Absolute profection and compleatness of this Rule is also Asserted It 's able to make the Man of God perfect throwly furnish to all good works Notwithstanding this Perfection of the Scripture as a Rule it is always supposed that every one in his private or more publick capacity be Able to use and Apply the Rule As the square or Rule of the Architect however exact in it self yet presupposes him to have eyes to see and brains to Apply it to his work so the Scripture as a Law teaches Duty and whatever of well-pleasing obedience we can perform to God yet supposes us at least to be RationalCreatures that can apply that Law to our own particular Actions Whence these two things must necessarily follow 1. That it was not only Needless but Impossible that the Scripture should enumerate or determine upon the particular Natural Circumstances of general time place person when where who should worship God every day hour and minute to the End of the world for so the whole world would not have afforded sufficient stowage for Rubricks nor have been able to contain the volumns that must have been written for as the End and use of a Rule is not to each the Artificer when he shall begin to work but how he may do it like a Workman whenever he begins so neither was the Scripture design'd for a clock to tell us at what hour of the day we should commence the publick service of God but that when ever we begin or end we manage all according to this Rule 2. That when the Scripture has prescribed us all the parts of worship instituted the Administrators of worship given â—…les how to separate them to that Office and laid down general rules for the Regulating those Natural circumstances which could not particularly be determin'd as that they be done to Edification decently and in order And has withal commanded us to attend to this Rule and no other it has then Discharged the Office of a Rule and as a Rule is Compleat and perfect 2 Besides our Retrospect to our Rule we must also look forward to the End and Design of all Riligion and when that is once well fixt we shall have Another great Advantage to judge what worship is Better and what is worse Now the great End of all Religion and specially of Religious worship is the glorifying of God the pleasing of God And therefore whatever shall pretend to that Glorious Title and Dignity of being an Act of Religion a part of Religion and yet has no real Tendency to the Advancement of his Glory which it can never have without a due regard to the Rule ought to be Expunged out of the Catalogue of Lawful Acts or parts of worship And is so much the more abominable both to God and Man To God because it offers him a Sacrifice not subservient to his Praise and to Man because it deludes him with a pretence of recommending his person and service to God and yet leaves and exposes both to Gods abhorrence From what hath been said I might plead my self Competently qualified to gratify the Importunity of the Enquirer and answer the Question whether A Better frame of things might not possibly have been found out If whatsoever Agrees with the Rule is good then what is discrepant from the Rule is Evil If what makes a nearer approach to the Rule is better then what departs further of is worse but I look upon these kind of Questions as a vapouring party sent out to draw the unwary within the Clutches of an Ambuscado Whatever Constitution shall impeach the only true Rule of shortness and deficiency is less good then that which implies no such shortness or deficiency But there are some Constitutions on the world which impeach the only true Rule of shortness and deficiency and Therefore they are less good then those which impeach not the Rule of such Deficiency whatever Constitutions are made supposed useful for decency which are not Comprehended under the Rule do impeach that Rule of Deficiency but there are some Constitutions made supposed useful for decency which are not comprehended under the Rule and therefore there are some Constitutions which impeach the Rule of Deâ—…ncy Whatever is Comprehended under a Rule must at least be necessary by way of Disjunction but there are some Constitutions in the World which are not Necessary so much as by way of Disjunction therefore they are not Comprehended under the Rule There is not the smallest or most minute Circumstance which can cleave to any Religious Act or wherewith we can Lawfully cloath Gods Worship but it is by the Command of Christ made necessary at least disjunctively But there are some Constitutions which are not made necessary disjunctively and therefore they are such as wherewith we cannot Lawfully cloath Religion
Officers are evidence sufficient that he has made some Laws of Ecclesiastical nature and that he has been defective therein becomes not Christians to Assert 2 The Apostles says he ibid. gave certain directions suited to the Conditions of the times and places and people respectively but never composed a standing Ritual for all aftertimes Which will be put beyond all dispute by this one Observation That several things instituted by the Apostles in the primitive Churches and given in Command in their sacred writings were intended to be obliging only so long as Circumstances should stand as then they did and no longer Where we have two things that challenge Consideration § 1. His Doctrine That the Apostles game Certain Directions suited to the Conditions of the times places and persons respectively but never composed a standing Ritual To which I say 1. If by a standing Ritual he mean a Portuis a Liturgy a Mass-book a Ceremonious Rubric The Rules of the Pye or the like it 's very true and that which the Non-conformists do gladly accept the Confession of but if by a standing Ritual he understand fixed Laws suited to the Condition of the Church in all Ages under all the various dispensations of Gods providenâ—…s we deny it and expect his proof § 2. His evidence is this This 〈◊〉 observation will put 〈◊〉 beyond all dispute It 's a happy observation and deserves a Hecatombe for its invention that will silence all dispute in this matter but what is it That several things instituted by the Apostles in the primitive Churches and given in Command in their sacred writings their Epistles were intended and so Construed only to be obliging so long as Circumstances should stand as they did and no longer To which I answer 1. That there were indeed some temporary Ordinances such as were to expire with the Reason and occasion of their institution but then there was also sufficient evidence that it was the will of God that they should expire and cease such was that Command of Anointing with Oyl 5. Jam. 14. which was sealed and attested by an extraordinary concurrence of Gods power witnessed to by miraculous effects But God having now Broken that seal withdrawn the concurrence of his power we need no other evidence that it was only proper for the first planting of Christianity and is now long ago out of date 2. His one observation comes infinitely short of putting this question out of dispute with any wise man for what if several institutions were temporary will it follow that none were perpetual what if some were suited only to those times shall we thence conclude there were not enow suited to all aftertimes There were extraordinary Apostles are there therefore no ordinary Pastors and Teachers Or must a Nation be at all this vast charge to maintain Humane Creatures what if some Rites were momentany Are there not Sacraments in the right use where of Christ has promised to be with his Ministers to the end of the world such wherein we are to shew forth the Lords death till he come It 's as easy to say all this of Baptism and the Lords Supper that they were calculated only for the Meridian of those days and some are not ashamed to say it as of any other order or constitution of Christ by his Apostles whose temporary nature is not expressed or evidently implyed in the temporary Reason upon which it was built 3. The Epistles of the Apostle to the Corinthians as a Church shews what ought to be the order and Government of every Church The occasion of writing those Epistles might be and was peculiar to them and so was the occasion of writing all the rest but thâ—… Design is Common to All. Nor ought any one to dare to Distinguish betwixt temporary and perpetual institutions where the Scripture has not furnisht us with sufficient ground for such Distinction 4. As there never was a more pernicious and destructive design managed by the Prince of darkness then the Rejecting the Scriptures as the only Rule of Faith worship and all Religious obedience so the Mediums where by 't is carried on is the very same with that of this Enquirer There are an absurd Generation amongst â—…s in this Nation to whom if you Quote the Apostles Authority in his Epistle to the Corinthians For the standing and perpetual use of the Lords Supper will give you just such another Answer Wâ—… do you think 〈◊〉 dwell 〈◊〉 Câ—…th what is 〈◊〉 Eâ—…le to the Corinthians to us whâ—… are English men and so it seems unconcern'd Thus the Papists justify their half Communion Serenus Cressy Chap. 12. p. 137. in Answer to Dr. Peirce his Primitive Rule of Reformation we acknowledg says he Our Saviour instituted this mystery in both Kinds That the Apostles received it in both Kinds That St. Paul spâ—…aks as well of Drinking c. But the General Tradition of the Church at least from his Beginning will not permit us to yeeld that the Receiving in Both Kinds was esteem'd as necessary to the essence of the Communion or Inâ—…grity of the participation of Christs Body and Blood But let us see what service his select Instances will do him to prove his Doctrine Of this Nature says the Enquirer were the Feasts of Love the Holy Kiss the order of Deaconesses To which I return 1. The Feasts of Love and the Holy Kiss were not as all Institutions of the Apostles All that the Apostle determined about them was that supposing in their Civil Congresses and converses they salute each other they should be sure to avoid all levity wantonness all Appearance of evil for Religion teaches us not only to worship God but to Regulate our Civil Actions in subordination to the great ends of Holiness the adorning of the Gospel and thereby the glorifyinâ—… of our God and Saviour I say the same concerning the Feasts of Love The Apostle made it no Ordinance either temporary or perpetual but finding that such a civil Custom had obtained amongst them introduced we charitably believe for the maintaining of Amity amongst them and seeing it sadly to degenerate amongst the Corinthians He cautions them against gluttony drunkenness all excess and ryot to which such Feasts through the power of corruption in some and the Remainders of corruption in the best were obnoxious which is evident from 1 Cor. 11. 21. One is hungry another is drunken The Apostle Paul 1 Tim. 2. 8. Commands that Men pray every where Lifting up Holy hands Can any rational Creature Imagine that he has thereby made it a duty as oft as we pray to elevate our hands That was none of his design to that Age or the present But under a Ceremonial phrase he wraps up an Evangelical duty As if he had said Be sure you cleanse your hearts And if you do lift up your hands let them be no umbrage for unholy souls 2. Concerning Deaconesses I can find no such Order or Constitution of the Apostles It 's true
practise and they may deny it too when they have done whithout fear of self-contradiction or danger of entrenching upon the Magistrates Authority For. 1. What must we understand by interposing If I might freely deliver my own private opinion It 's lawful nay expedient nay necessary that he interpose or else I am affraid his poor dissenting subjects will be worried to death But they who plead so Zealously for his Interposing when that interposition is not tempered to their good liking make the vault of Heaven echo again with their clamours that the Distressed Church is quite undone In a word if Church-men will be Determining one thing after another that we can see no end New subscriptions New oaths new jests New Ceremonies superconformity to the Canon above Law and practise above Canon what will become of the simplehearted Laicks if a vigilant and prudent Prince do not interpose and timously determine upon their Determinations 2. I now utterly despair of understanding his Meaning of Circumstantials A word that has run through as many shapes as are in all Ovid's Metamorphosis And amongst all the pleasant stories in that ingenious Romance I remember one that the Reader will not condemn for impertinent There was one Ezisichthon whose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and extream voracious stomack had no other supply at last but from one Daughter now this Madamolselle you must know had a singular faculty to transform her self into any shape she pleased once he sold her for a round summe and she came trotting or ambling home again for she had all her paces in the shape of a bonny filly Another time he sold her and received his money honestly for her and she came home in the shape of a Milckcowe Such another ambiguous versatile Creature is this Circumstantial If we should say the Magistrate has no power to Determine Circumstantials presently he 's o th' top o th' House what an obstinate generation are those Fanaticks What will you not allow your Prince to appoint where you shall assemble for your publick worship of God must he have no concern in time and place in order to the securing of the Peace yes yes Sir withal our hearts and we shall be heartily glad on 't humbly thankful for it and honestly proud on 't too and I would â—…e could preavail with our Enquirer to be our Sollicitour to procure us a Determination of those Circumstantials well then says he you agree the Magistrate may Determine Circumstantials but such are the Ceremonies and now you are in a cloos get out again how you can 3. Therefore he should have resolved plainly whether the Magistrates Commission extends to the Determination of all or only some certain Circumstances and my Reasons are these 1. If he have not a Commission to Determine All then the question will Recurr whether it reaches those under Debate for thus he Argues Circumstantials may be Determined by the Magistrate But Ceremonies are Circumstantials Therefore Ceremonies may be Determined by the Magisâ—…rate Now if the Major in this Syllogism be not universal the Syllogism is peccant in forme If it be then deprecating the Displeasure of those whom we truly Honour in the Lord and for the Lord we humbly deny it All Circumstantials may not be Determined by the Magistrate for 2. Christ has already Determined of some Circumstantials and whoever makes it one it 's no Question with me that no power on earth can undetermine or otherwise determine what God has already fore determined 3. There are some Circumstantials which cannot profitably and therefore not Lawfully receive an universal and uniform Determination 4. Because if all undetermined Circumstances may be Determined in their use the life of Man may be made the most wretched miserable and undesirable thing in the world and he had as gooâ—… preach that other more eligible and more edifying Doctrine Ita de te literam longam facito for where should the most caâ—…telous foot tread besides a snare and such is the Condition of superstitious Papists whose consciences are perpetually perplexed with endless scrupulosities about those minutes which the Church has made sin which else had been as Innocent in offensive things as a piece of powdred Beef and Turneps Now for the proof of this Doctrine he tells us It has been 〈◊〉 fully and substantially done by the incomparable Hugo Grotius and by a late eminent Divine of this Church that it 's enough to referr the Reader to them Indeed he must be an incomparable Person that can write Substantialy about Circumstantials but I confess I do not build much either upon the Authority or Reasonings of the otherwise incomparable Hugo ever since I read his dangerous discourse Lib. 1. cap. 4. § 13. de jure B. P. Si rex habeat partem Imperii partem alteram Populus 〈◊〉 Senatus Regi in partem non-suam in volanti vis justa oppon poterit quia eatenus Imperium non habet Quod locun habere sentio etiamsi dictum sit Belli potestatem penes Regemfore id enim de Bello exterâ—…o intelligendum est cun alioqui quisquis partem summi Imperii habeat non possit nor jus habere eam partem tuendi quod ubi fit potest etiam Rex suam Imperii partem Belli Jure Amittere that is If King hath one part of the soveraign Power and the People or Senâ—… the other part If the King shall invade that part which is none of hâ—… own just resistance may be made against him because so farr 〈◊〉 hath no Authâ—…rity at all which I judge to hold true although it 〈◊〉 said That the power of making warr is in the King for that must be understood of a forrain warr whenas otherwise whoever has a share in the soveraignty cannot but have also Authority to Defend that share which when it so falls out the King may lose by the right of warr his own share of the soveraignty Here is dangerous Doctrine enough to Cure me of my Ambition of ever being a Hugonoâ—… As for that late eminent Divine of this Church who has so convincingly asserted this power I cannot divine who it should be unless perhaps that Longwinded Author with whose eluoubrations some are resolved to vex the Fanatics though they never read him themselves And therefore leving these voluminous Authors to scold it out with their own Mouths let us attend to the enquirers more concise Reasonings 1 It 's certain says he that Magistrates had once such a power in the Circumstantials of Religion and that in the old Testament It is certain indeed that they had a power not only in the Circumstantials but the substantials of Religion all the Question is whether they had such a power as he pleads for And if they had it then whether they had it jure Regio or Prophetico whether in their own Right as Kings or by Delegation in some extraordinary case from God § 1. The Prince might have nay he had a power to