to spirituall and heavenly meditations which must needs bee a thing very commendable and acceptable to God and farre from his Majesties intention to disallow or to prohibit any from incouraging men in such courses onely hee would not have this imposed as necessary for all which no Divine or Evangelicall precept hath done nor is possible by all to be observed all men not being morally able to apply themselves for the space of the whole day to spirituall and religious exercises and to divine Meditations onely If then by the Declaration the publike service of God be duely provided for no recreations permitted to the hinderance thereof no nor the pious affections of well disposed Christians for the applying of themselves on that day to private duties of devotion and piety any way prohibited Then it cannot justly be accounted any in-let to profanenesse or irreligion or hinderance of the due sanctification of the Lords day which was my first Proposition For the second Proposition Things may bee said to bee unlawfull either in themselves or in regard of some circumstance of time place or manner in which they may be used The great exception which is by most men taken against the sports and recreations allowed in the Declaration is not so much in regard of the things themselves as in regard of the day on which they are permitted when though in themselves lawfull as honest labours are they judge them unseasonable and sinfull But this hath beene already sufficiently cleared by the learned Bishop of See B. of Ely p. 237 238. c. Ely and others who have proved that neither the Jewes under the Law were prohibited all recreations on their Sabbath nor if that were not granted could such prohibition of them conclude against Christians using of them upon the Lords day Provided that the proper worke of the day the publick service of God be first ended and not thereby any way letted or impeached But secondly there are some that will have the Recreations by the Declaration permitted to be in themselves unlawfull and if so then must they be against the law of God or the law of the land M. Burton will have them against both pag. 57. 1. Against the law of the land for which he cites the Act of Parliament in the 1. of King Charles But in that Act none of the exercises or pastimes allowed by the Declaration are mentioned but onely in generall termes it prohibits all such as are unlawfull which the Declaration also doth and that not onely such as are simply unlawfull but all others forbidden by the law of the Land as Decla p. 12. unlawfull either on Sundayes as Interludes and Beare and Bull-baitings or for some persons as bowling an exercise by law prohibited the meaner sort And it were very hard to imagine that his Majesty should confirm any Act of Parliament which should crosse the Declaration set forth by his Royall Father not seven years before at least without expresse mentioning of it and rendring some reason moving him so to doe But secondly they are neverthelesse unlawfull and as supposed to be such Mr Burton will have them comprised in that Act under those generall words All other unlawfull pastimes which saith he are those By name all dancing leaping revelling and such like in termes condemned by Imperiall edicts Decrees of Councells writings of ancient Fathers of all learned Divines both Protestants and Papists in all ages And King James of famous memory in his Basilicon Doron whose words he there cites He that should reade this passage in M. Burton alone and not know the man would thinke him a man that did much esteeme the writings of the Ancient Fathers the Decrees of Councels and consentient testimony of Divines But the truth is it hath beene an usuall custome with men of his straine and humour if they can but light upon any thing in the Fathers or ancient Councels that sounds to their liking they catch hold of it presently and make a great shew and flourish with it and both sayings and Authors shal have their due commendations See Survay of the pretended holy Disc c. 26. 27. But if any or all of them be brought to impugne their crotchets they set light by their authority and care not a rush for them Bring them then the Scriptures or nothing I will not serve him in the same kinde but giving Antiquity its due honour for answer to that which he alledgeth I say first That sure the man is much mistaken and in his heat forgat himselfe in putting leaping into the number of those pastimes which he saith are so condemned For I beleeve he is the first man that ever so accounted it and I am verily perswaded that in his sad and sober thoughts if ever he come to himselfe so farre as to have any he will exclude from so hard a censure both it and archery and vaulting and such like though mentioned in the Declaration 2 For Revelling taking it in the usuall sense for drunken and disorderly meetings c. wee must subscribe to the Fathers and Councels and not to them onely but to the sacred Scripture where they are plainly condemned as workes of Gal. 5. 21. the flesh And say withall that it was one end that his Majesty aimed at in this Declaration to hinder such Revellings which he condemnes under the name of filthy tiplings and drunkennesse Decl. p. 6. But if Mr. Burton intend by it all those other sports mentioned in the Declaration as Wakes and Whitson-ales c. I say then that hee is much wide in his conceit of them they are no such things especially in his Majesties intention who hath therefore given expresse charge for Decl. p. 16. the preventing and punishing of all disorders in them Thirdly That then which remaines under the sentence of condemnation is onely Dancing and as I suppose mixed dancing as they use to call it of men and women together for single dancing is not by the strictest disallowed As for mixed dancings I know they may be abused and become unlawfull by the immoderate and unseasonable use of them and may otherwise yea and they do many times become incentives unto lust and that two wayes especially First when there are used in them such immodest motions and gestures as have in them manifest tokens of a lascivious mind Secondly when they are done animo libidinoso with an intention to stir up the fire of lust where either of these are they must needs become unlawfull Now these as they may be as well in single dancing so they are not in all mixed dancings so as to make them all to be condemned For what hinders but that men and women may together expresse their joy in such modest motions and with as chast intentions as they may otherwise walke talke salute and converse together If any shall say there is danger because of our frailty which is prone to abuse these to wantonnes I
B. was turn'd out of the Closet hee was not made Master of the Ceremonies to determine what was fit to be done for the entertainment of the Prince Elector and other States and Princes that resort to His Majesties Court seeing for want of some such able Director they have committed this solecisme therein given such an intolerable affront as he and his Ipswich brother call it to that Lady and her children even while they are now royally entertained at the Court. For the rest the prayer for the Navy every man knowes the occasion was ceased and I wonder he did not mention the Prayer for the Parliament which was also left out and would have help't to have increased the number of his exceptions and this did no more nor those that follow of leaving out sundry Psalms and Collects c. which besides that they produced the service to that length that it was thought very tedious especially by such as use not to bee over farre in love with the Church Liturgy were well left out as being some of them chosen to fit the various occasions of those times for which they were apppointed which were now ceased And though the speciall prayer for seasonable weather were left out yet there were prayers remaining wherein petitions were made for that end both in the Letany and in the new-added prayers which perhaps some like better and so there were petitions made for all that travell by land or by water so that it might rather be thought that the stormes flouds and shipwracks that after happened were because men did use those prayers they had without devotion and affection and not that they wanted more prayers to make for that purpose God we know is not taken with many words or loud cryes and therefore Solomon saith let thy words bee few and Eccle. 5. 2. those few words breathed out of a devout and affectionate heart shall prevaile more with the Almighty than long-winded exercises or wier-drawn Orisons proportion'd to the length of the hower-glasse by the best-guifted conceptionist But I passe to his other exception the restraint of preaching upon the fast dayes which was thought fit for the avoyding of the danger of contagion that might grow by the concourse of people when being fasting they were most apt to take the infection which by wiser than he was thought to have been a good meanes next to the devout prayers of the Church for the decreasing of the plague And certaine it is that upon our weake humiliation notwithstanding the want of Sermons the plague during al the time of the continuance of the Fast did weekely decrease as was plainly demonstrated by M. Squire in his religious a Reade that sermon which is since printed and intituled A Thanksgiving for the decreasing of the Plague pag. 52. c. Sermon at S. Pauls and that double increase which M. B. mentions to disparage the Fasts was in a great part to be attributed to the weeke before the Fast began And however that could not evidence Gods dislike of our Fast for want of Sermons no more than the Benjamites prevailing argued their innocency or the injustice of the Israelites cause Gods judgements are unsearchable Iudg. 20. Rom. 11. 33. and his wayes past finding out so that though it be familiar with Master B. to frame arguments for his purpose from them it is impious presumption peremptorily to assigne any particular reason either of their first infliction or their progresse or continuance and there is nothing in the world wherein men may and doe sooner befoole themselves than in reading the obscure Characters of Gods judgements if once they passe the bounds of sobriety and presume to bee wise above that which is written But if hee would needs point out the cause of the plague its continuance Why did he not rather impute it to the murmurings seditious railings against governors and government which he too many more are guilty of seeing the Scripture testifies that for the like cause the like and greater plagues befell the Israelites whereas they never give any example Num. 16. 3 41 46. that God did plague any for want of a Sermon at a publick Fast as was worthily observed by the author of the fore-cited sermon As for Preaching I take it in Master B. sense for expounding and applying of Scripture I honour it and if it be as it ought esteeme it as a principall meanes for the instruction of Christian people in the waies of godlinesse but for any absolute necessity of having a sermon or more at a Fast I never yet saw either reason or Scripture alleaged to any purpose And as for those places of Scripture which are cited in the Ipswich libell to prove that Newes Ips p. 2. Fasting praying and Preaching are the chiefe Antidotes and cure against the Plague There is not one of them that hath any word of Preaching but onely mention of Fasting and Praying and amendment of life as meanes for that purpose His places are 2 Chron. 6. 28 29 30. cap. 7 13 14. Num. 25. 6. to 10. Ioel 1. and 2. Zeph. 2. 1 2 3. and therefore I say with that worthy man peruse the places and detest the false dealing But this opinion of the necessitie of Sermons at a publick Fast as I take it is built upon another which with many passes for currant though in truth as groundles as it selfe and that is That a Fasting day ought to bee kept as a Sabbath and so to have all the duties of the Sabbath performed in it Men must no lesse in the dayes of Fasting abstaine from their ordinary and bodily labours and offer upon the high place which they have exalted above Gods Altar twice at least upon every of those dayes the Sacrifice of the Priests lips in a Prayer and Sermon produced to a more than ordinary length Now the grounds which they pretend for a Fast to bee kept as a Sabbath are 1. that in Levit. 23. 31. 32. where the day of atonement or Feast of Expiation is commanded to bee kept as a Sabbath and day of rest from labours from even to even and 2. that of Ioel 1. 14. Commanding the Iewes to sanctifie a Fast and call a solemn assemblie But the weakenes of their Arguments from these places to inferre that Conclusion is manifest 1. because being onely particular to those Fasts there spoken of they cannot in reason bee extended to prescribe any generall Rule for all Fasts as necessarily to be observed according to their pattern Particularly the former place was a Ceremoniall precept whose obligation lasted no longer than till the comming of Christ The other in Ioel is altogether as weake and concludes no such thing For to sanctifie is no more than to proclaime appoint decree or prepare as the word is elsewhere commonly Ioel 3 9. 1 Kings 21. 12. translated and that upon the like occasion and though it bee admitted in that speciall sense
so that in Baptisme infants receive remission of their sinnes and are truly regenerate These men will allow the Sacraments no such vertue accounting them as bare signes and seales of that grace which they have already received if they be elect if otherwise they hold them to be but as seales set to a blank being to no pupose and of no value acknowledging no such tie between the act of God and the Priest that what the Priest shall do visibly God should bee thought at the same time and by that meanes to effect inwardly by his grace and holy spirit And therefore when according to our forme of Ministration of Baptisme they are to say that the child baptized is regenerate some of them are faine to interlace we hope and think it true only in the judgement of charity or in case they bee elected in which case some think though others strongly contradict they may bee said truly to bee regenerate in Baptisme Of the same straine is their doctrine of the blessed Eucharist wherein they acknowledge no power of consecration in the Priest no other presence of Christ than by way of representation no other exhibition than by way of signation or obsignation nor other grace conveighed but in seeming or at best the only the assuring of what they had before which if they have not they must want for all that the Sacrament can do Thus have they made these saving ordinances of God of none effect through their traditions One thing more I cannot omit though I have already touched it in part which is their manner of observing of Fasts and the course they have devised how to have them their owne way The piety of the Church of Christ in whose steps the Church of England treads as they have their appointed solemne Festivals for the commemoration of Gods speciall mercies by publick thanksgivings and rejoycings so they have also appointed set times for fasting and humiliation as the time of Lent the foure Embers c. These though the work of fasting seem to please them they reject and scorn first for that they are set-times and perhaps because appointed by Authority for they would by their good-wils have them only occasionall and in the time of extraordinary calamities either felt or feared and to be appointed by the Minister when he shall judge the necessities of Christians so to require A second thing they dislike them for is That they are not enjoyned to be kept as Sabbaths extraordinary which is their doctrine and so to have the duties of the Sabbaths then observed after an extraordinary manner as namely abstinence from bodily labour and the works of mens particular Callings and two or more Sermons of a more than ordinary size of which I have already spoken somewhat Now because the diligence and care of the Church and State and the watchfulnes of Pursuivants hath frighted them from their private assemblies where they were wont to enjoy themselves and their owne way in this kind They have used in the City of London a new and a quaint stratagem whereby without suspicion they obtaine their desires The course they take is this Some good Christians that is Professors intimate their necessities to some Minister of note among them and obteine of them the promise of their paines to preach upon that occasion pitching upon such dayes and places as where and when Sermons or Lectures are wont to bee and having given under-hand notice to such as they judge faithfull of the day to bee observed and the places where they shall meet for that end thither they resort and mixing themselves with the crowd unsuspected have the word they so much desire with the occasion covertly glanced at so as those that are not of their counsell are never the wiser Thus I have divers times known them to begin the day upon a wednesday where they had a Sermon beginning at six in the morning and holding them till after eight that being done they post somtimes in troopes to another Church where the Sermon beginning at nine holds them till past eleven from thence againe they betake themselves to a third Church and there place themselves against the afternoone Sermon begin which holds them till night And so without danger of the Pursuivants they observe a Publick Fast as much as these hard times will give them leave after their owne way and heart I should tyre my reader if I should at large set downe their severall tenets and positions whereof some are besides others against the holy Scriptures the Doctrine of the ancient and of our mother Church of England Among which are the Doctrine of the Sabbath for which of late they have raised such lowd cryes as if without it bee established among us the glory were departed from Israel and the Arke of God taken Of the same straine are their opinions concerning contracts and their necessity which they use to solemnize in private houses with a Sermon and feasting two usuall companions I will not say to affront and baffle the orders and received customes of our Church I thinke that beyond the intention of many among them though the event proclaime that to be the attendant of their opinion and practise To these I might adde many more as their assertion of the impossibility of the observation of the Law of God not to the meere naturall man but even to the regenerate and assisted by the grace of God a point of dangerous consequence both in regard of that rub which it casts before Christians in their way to heaven and of the advantage which thereby the Iesuites have taken to cast a scandall upon our Church as if what these have in considerately broached were a part of her doctrine So likewise their traditions about callings with their many conceits about them obtruded upon many credulous and tender consciences by which they are many times needlesly affrighted and tormented while their Rabbies by tying and untying of these knots of their owne knitting doe gaine the people and suck from them no small advantage But I passe over these and many others as their innumerable signes and markes of Grace invented many of them to second that good opinion of themselves which by their faith at first they entertained I passe also their rites ceremonies and usages superstitiously observed among them in all or most of which any indifferent man may observe an affectation of singularity and opposition to the Church whereof they would seeme members omitting then all these I wil only adde somthing of their courses of late undertaken for the propagation of their new Church and Gospel amongst which the most dangerous and cunning that ever they hatched was that of the buying in of impropriations a pious a glorious worke and such as rightly intended is highly esteemed by all those that sincerely affect the good of this Church and Religion This project so specious in shew had for a long while a faire passage and the