Worship of God or their not being tied up to any other Rules in these things but such as they in their great Wisdom shall think fit hence they persuade the People that to prescribe any thing in the Worship of God which he himself hath not Commanded is an invasion of his Prerogative and an infringement of Christian Liberty But hath God any where prescribed the particular Times Places Habits Gestures and other Circumstances of Divine Worship Hath he given any other than some general Rules for the more Decent and Orderly performance hereof No 't is certain he hath not why then the particular Determination of these Circumstances wherein this Decency and Order consists must be left to that Power which Christ hath set up in his Church For to leave every one to his own Liberty in these things is a Principle of Confusion and must bring all manner of Indecency and Disorder into the Service of God How then comes this to be called Christian Liberty Hath Christ any where Commanded or Allowed any such Liberty in his Chuch or exempted Christians from Obedience to Authority in such Lawful and Indifferent things No he hath given both his Precept and Example to the contrary for he was not only Obedient to the Roman Power in all Lawful things but paid all due Reverence and Obedience to the Authority of the Jewish Church he strictly observed the Rites and Ceremonies of the Jewish Service as well those of Human as Divine Appointment he kept to the Gesture used in Eating the Passover Matth. 26.20 and punctually Conformed to all the Ceremonies of the Synagogue-Worship So that 't is prevaricating with God as well as deceiving the People to tell them that Christ hath dispensed with all Laws made for the external Order and Decency of Publick Worship and given them a Liberty to behave themselves in it as they please But does not the Apostle tell us of a liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free willing us to stand fast in it and not to be entangled again in the yoke of bondage Gal. 5.1 Yes but that was a Liberty from the numerous and burthensome Rites and Ceremonies of Moses's Law which for the number and uneasiness of them are by St. Peter justly stiled a Yoke and such a one too as neither they nor their forefathers were able to bear Acts 15.10 for their Temples daily flow'd with the Blood of their Flocks and Herds their Altars smoak'd with the most costly Incense and Perfumes in a word they were prescribed to almost in all the Punctilio's of Human Life and few or no things were left indifferent to them Now these things being for the most part Typical and only shadows of good things to come were all to be done away when the Substance came accordingly at Christ's Coming all these Shadows vanished like darkness at the approach of the Sun and the cloudy Types of the Law were dispelled by the Brightness of his Coming Now a freedom from those cumbersom Rites and Ceremonies of the Old Law is the Liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and to return to the Observance of them is to be entangled again in the yoke of Bondage But what is this to Governors applying the general Rules of Scripture about the Order and Decency of God's Worship to particular Laws about it Here the Ceremonies enjoined are not Typical as the Jewish were nor is the observing of them a virtual denying that Christ is come in the Flesh as the continuance of the Jewish Rites would be but are Appointed only for the more comely Worshipping of God manifest in the flesh and the more solemn Praifing of God the Father for that inestimable Blessing To observe such wholesome Orders made for this end is so far from infringing our Christian Liberty that it would be a great Infringement of it to do otherwise For First This would infringe the Liberty that Christ hath left with Governours of Ordering such Indifferent things this is the main if not the only Branch of their Ecclesiastical Power for the Substantials of Divine Worship are already Appointed by Christ and the Spirit of God hath left some general Rules for the more orderly Performance of it but the particular Rules of Order and Decency being no where Prescribed these are left to the determination of our Governors whom we are required to obey for the Lord's sake and to deny them this is to divest them of all Power in Church-matters yea this will leave a less Liberty to Ecclesiastical Governors under the Gospel than the Governors of the Jewish Church were invested with who yet were bound up and determined in far more particulars than ours now are Again To take off our Obedience in these Indifferent things is to infringe the Liberty of the People who must be thereby deprived of a better way of serving God and likewise subject them to the Punishment and Displeasure of the Magistrate for Disobeying him in things that are within his Power to Command But wherein then lies our Christian Liberty if Governors may Impose what they think fit upon us Why the Governors Liberty consists in this That they are not tied up to any particular Modes or Circumstances of Divine Worship but may establish in Indifferent things what they judge most expedient for Order and Comeliness The Peoples Liberty lies in this That they do not look upon or use the things contained in such Injunctions as Essential Parts of Divine Worship or Matters necessary to Salvation but merely for Discipline and Orders sake they retain still the Liberty of the Judgment about the Nature of the things though the Use of them be for wise and publick Reasons restrain'd Whereas such a Liberty as sets Men free from all Laws and good Orders of this kind is a wild and extravagant Fancy and lets them loose to all Disorder this is to use our Liberty as a Cloak of Maliciousness and to make it a Pretence or Covering for all Licentiousness But what is the Design of this false Pretence to Christian Liberty Why 't is to give the People Liberty to break the Laws at Pleasure and leave them to the Guidance of their own Humours without Controul by this means they teach them to leave the Church and go to Conventicles to assert their Christian Liberty and to encourage them therein they pervert for them two or three Texts of Scripture as that of our Saviour Call no man master upon earth Matth. 23.10 which is a Caution against receiving the corrupt Doctrines and Traditions of the Pharisees is by them Interpreted for rejecting the Lawful Commands of our Superiors That of the Apostle Be not ye the servants of men 1 Cor. 7.23 which forbids the enslaving the Conscience to the Imperious Dictates of False Teachers is so expounded as to take off all the Obligation of good Orders St. Peter's Lording it over God's heritage 1 Pet. 5.3 they interpret of the Tyranny of the Bishops and thereby take off their
Joshua is commanded to Sanctifie the People because there was an Accursed thing among them which must be taken away before Israel could have Peace or stand before their Enemies Now this Accursed thing was a goodly Babylonish garment two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels which Achan had stole and hid in the earth in the midst of his tent ver 21. which being done contrary to the Covenant and Command of God he troubled Israel who could find no rest till Joshua by God's Command destroy'd this Accursed thing and Burnt Achan who had purloined it But what use do these Expositors make of this Scripture Why a goodly one indeed the accursed thing must be the Common-Prayer the Babylonish garment the Surplice the wedge of gold the Cross and other Ceremonies the shekels of silver the Consecrated Vessels of the Temple and these being set up as so many Idols in the Temple must be all removed before there can be any Peace in Israel Is not this a rare Exposition May not a pregnant Fancy interpret all these in a different sense calling the Covenant the accursed thing which would give Three Nations no Peace till it was removed may not the Babylonish garment be the long Cloak which hath been made a Covering for much Rapine Oppression and Dissimulation May not the wedge of gold be the great Idol of Presbytery And the silver shekels the Silver Trumpets that sounded the Alarm to War and after cried up the great Diana of the Ephesians All which being set up as the abomination of desolation in the holy place must be destroyed before the Nation can be restored to Peace and Tranquillity If they do not like this Exposition let them take heed how they offer at the like since you see an ordinary Wit may wrest such Passages to any purpose I shall mention but one Text more at present that hath been abused by these Interpreters and that is that of St. Paul in the 1 Cor. 10.32 Give no offence neither to the Jews nor to the Greeks nor to the Church of God In which words the Apostle exhorted the first Christians to walk so warily and inoffensively as not to hinder the Conversion of any that neither Jew nor Gentile might be kept off from embracing Christianity or harden'd in their enmity and opposition against it and the plain sense and use we are to make of it is to beware that we do not lay any stumbling-block in the way of Christians or be unto them an occasion of falling But what sense do these Learned Interpreters put upon these words Why they take Offence there mentioned by the Apostle not for an occasion of Sin but for any thing that discontents or displeases and so would have Superiors take heed of enjoining any thing that may grieve or displease the Godly Party meaning themselves and indeed they are so tender that a small matter will grieve them yea if they have not their way like froward Children 't will be hard sometimes to keep them quiet and so would have not the Wisdom of Superiors but their own Fancies and Humours the measure of Government An admirable Exposition to serve their purpose and a singular Device to please and propagate the Party which is too well known to be farther insisted upon by Yours A. B. LETTER X. SIR ANother Artifice of Dissenters to uphold their Schism is to promote the Interest of the Party and to confine the Offices of Kindness and Charity to those of their own Sect. This was likewise the way of the Pharisees of whom our Saviour observ'd Mat. 5.46 47. That they would only salute their own brethren and do good to none but such as did do good to them meaning that they made those of their own Sect the sole Objects of their Courtesie and Beneficence We read of the Samaritans that they would scarce shew the way to a Jew or perform the common Offices of Humanity and Hospitality but to those of their own Party and therefore we find that when our Saviour was passing through a Village of the Samaritans they denied him and his Disciples all Entertainment because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem Luke 9.52 53. A Learned Divine hath observed of the Donatists of Old Dr. Cave That they confin'd all acts of Benevolence and Civility to those of their Sect and upheld their Separation from the Catholick Church by the Artifice of Trade for they would employ none to Till their ground or to be their Stewards but such as espoused their Opinion and so kept up their Party merely by Trading within themselves And hath not this Device been made use of to the same purpose in our Days Hath not Interest and Trade had a great hand in our Divisions Have not some on whom others depend for their Work and Subsistence employed none but those of their own Faction And have not many of the meaner sort been tempted to Separate Meetings merely to find encouragement from them May we not see their great diligence in promoting those of the Party to Places of Trust and Profit yea in making Matches too which they generally do within the Tribe not only to keep up the Old Stock but to breed a new Race of Dissenters These things are too common and notorious to need any proof Now how serviceable this Stratagem is to support and increase the Party is easie to conceive for Interest being the great Wheel that puts the World in motion that which best promotes and sets that a going shall be sure to have many Followers We read of some that follow'd our Saviour for the loaves John 6.26 66. and when they failed walked no more with him and there are many still that espouse a Party to get Bread and enter into a seemingly Religious Company the better to carry on and advance their Trade We are told of some whose gain is their greatest godliness and though no man can serve God and Mammon yet these will be serving of Mammon even when they appear the most Zealous Servants of God Their Teachers too are busie to promote the Interest of their Followers the better to promote their own and labour hard to advance their Trade that they may have the richer Prize and make the better Merchandize of them The Apostle makes mention of some unruly vain talkers and deceivers who subvert whole houses teaching things that they ought not for filthy lucres sake Tit. 1.10 11. and of those he declares that whatever pretences they may make they serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own belly Rom. 16.17 The love of money saith St. Paul 1 Tim. 6.10 is the root of all evil and especially of the evils of Error and Divisions for while some have coveted it saith he they have erred from the faith This hath made some forward to vent and others as ready to receive and be carried about with strong delusions and you need not doubt but many will
be still Coining New Doctrines for their Disciples whilst they can thereby Coin or Procure New Money for themselves So that considering what a mighty influence worldly Interest hath upon the Minds of Men 't is no wonder that Seducers fish for Proselytes with this Bait and that so many are caught and led away by it But does Christianity allow the restraining our Charity to a Party No so far from it that it extends it to all Men yea to our very Enemies for our Blessed Saviour hath bid us Matt. 5.44 to love our enemies to do good to them that hate us and pray for them that despitefully use and persecute us this is to shew our selves children of our Father which is in heaven who causeth the Sun to shine upon all men and sendeth rain promiscuously on the good and bad ver 45. 'T is a narrow and contracted Charity that is confined to a Sect which our Saviour sharply rebuked in the Pharisees If ye love them saith he that love you what reward have you do not even the Publicans the same And if you salute your brethren only what do you more than others do not the very Publicans so ver 46 47. This is a sort Mercenary and Hucstering Love that is to be found in the worst of Men who place there Benefits there where they may have them again with greater advantage and serve a Party only to serve their own Honour and Interest which is not to love our Neighbour but our selves and therefore Christ wills us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect meaning that we should extend our Kindnesses as God doth his Blessings upon all Mankind and avoid distinctions in the common Offices of Humanity and Charity Indeed herein mainly consists the evil of this Artifice that it naturally tends to destroy Love and to nourish Faction for the contracting these Acts and offices of Kindness to a Party contracts the Heart and Affections too and shuts out others from any share in it for none will admit them into their Hearts who find themselves excluded from theirs mutual Conversation and Kindness beget an universal Love and Good-will to Mankind but restraining them within the Limits of a Sect restrains the Bowels too and may beget indeed a Love to some but breeds a Hatred and Aversation from many more This is too evident in Towns Countries and Families to need any proof for Experience which is the plainest Argument shews us how differences in Religion sowre the Minds and alienate the Affections from one another Mens withdrawing in their Commerce is soon followed with a withdrawing in their Communion and they that cannot meet together in God's House can seldom meet together in their own So that confining the offices of Commerce and Charity to a Party naturally destroys the Love that is due to Mankind and serves only to cherish a Faction Yea It tends to promote Hypocrisie as well as Division for many needy Persons by this means espouse a Sect not to serve God but the better to help themselves and become Proselytes that they may become Favourites of the Party Thus do they make their Religion truckle to their worldly Interest and under a colour of serving God are all the while serving of Mammon which is a mocking of God and one of the vilest pieces of Hypocrisie The Presbyterians highly blam'd this of old and proved Independency a Faction by their making use of this Stratagem for they drew many Proud Ambitious and Covetous Persons into their Sect by the hopes of Offices and other places of Profit and Trust they made many Proselytes of needy decayed and broken Tradesmen by helping them to live and putting them in a way to get something they encreased their Party by befriending only such as turn'd to them This they condemn'd in the Independents as the way to make Men Hypocrites and shewed them to act not by any Principles of Duty and Conscience but by the wheels of Interest and Ambition And may we not see them daily playing the same Game Do not the Sectaries increase and strengthen their Parties by promoting the Trade procuring of Matches and many other ways of befriending such as come over to them I know you cannot be so great a stranger to the ways of those Men as to be ignorant of these things I am SIR Yours A. B. LETTER XI SIR ANother Artifice of Dissenters to support their Schism is their working upon the Weakness the Wilfulness and the Discontents of the People to serve their own Ends upon them This Artifice hath Three Branches which must be particularly laid open The First is Their working upon the Weakness of the People and making use of their Ignorance to betray them There are many among the Vulgar who for want of being train'd up betimes in the way that they should go have gone astray ever after and being never well settled in the Principles of Religion have been fickle and unstable in all their ways Such as these lie open to the Craft and Subtilty of Seducers and are easily Perverted by them 'T is not to be doubted but that there are many well-meaning Persons who walk on in the ways of Separation in the simplicity of their Hearts that were first mis-led into them through the simplicity of their Heads for so St. Paul observes of some That by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Rom. 15.18 Such Men for lack of timely Instruction remain Children in Understanding and like them too are toss'd to and fro from Sect to Sect and carried about with every wind of Doctrine Now 't is such as these that Dissenters work most upon taking advantage of their blind Zeal to mis-lead and impose upon them hence you may observe their Followers to consist chiefly of the Weaker Sex who being led more by Fancy than Judgment are the easiest to be drawn into the snare and the hardest to be recovered out of it A melting Tone a whining Voice affected Phrases vehement Gestures and the like have imposed upon the Weakness of many who have taken such false Fire for true Zeal and thought That to be Religion which is nothing else but Phrenzy or Design Now the Evil of this Artifice must be obvious to any that will observe the dangerous Errors and monstrous Opinions that many have been drawn into by this Sleight of Men and cunning Craftiness whereby they lay in wait to Deceive for these Men have strangely imposed upon the Credulity of the Vulgar and drawn them not only into bad Opinions but the vilest Practices and made Treason Murther Oppression and other gross Enormities to appear abroad under the Colours of Religion Such as these make their Markets of what is no way vendible even the Infirmities of their Brethren and instead of pitying and assisting their Weakness work upon it to their Destruction when they should be Eyes to the Blind they lead them out of the way and carry them into Boggs and Ditches