Sexto Ed. 6 ti cap. primi if we consider that the CONVOCATION in the Reign of Edward the Sixth by whom our Liturgie was Reform'd with one consent agreed upon one Set Form of Prayer Administration of Sacraments c. to be used in the English tongue in every Dioces thrô out the Realm In the Reforming and Composure wherof they had before their eyes the Word of God and the Primitive Church for their imitation the Glory of God the Comfort and Edification of the People for their End and all their Supplications and Prayers therein are directed to God Almighty presented in the name of the blessed Jesus and all we supplicate for in them is for no other than what is allow'd of and required in our holy Religion and is a reasonable Service To this I will add two things more viz. Mr. Calvin's Letter to the then Protector of England which is to this purpose For so much as concerns the Prayers and Ecclesiastical Rites I much approve that they be determined so that it may not be Lawful for the Ministers in their Administrations to vary from it and he gives his Reasons That it may be a help to the weakness of some That it may be a Testimony of the Churches Consent and that it may stop the desultorious levity of those who are for new things The other is what their Learned Mr. Baxter saith Disp of Liturgy Prop. 10 viz. The constant disuse of Forms is apt to breed a giddiness in Religion and may make men Hypocrites who shall delude themselves with conceits that they delight in God when it is but in these Novelties and Veriety of Expression that they are delighted and therefore he adviseth Forms to fix Christians and make them sound Thus these two great Guides of theirs It being clear that there is a Communion of Saints in Prayers as in other Offices of Divine Worship the refusing to Commnuicate therein is a Breach of Unity and of the Communion of Saints Nor can I stand charged as my Adversary affirms with Excluding all those from the Communion of Saints who use not the Liturgy of our Church every National Catholick Church having equal Authority to enjoyn its own Liturgy in which every Member therein is bound to Communicate by the very nature of Unity required in the Gospel St. John declares Revel 5.9 c. that the Four and Twenty Elders in his vision sung a new Sonâ— and sets down the Form of words wherein the Angels the Beasts and the Elders all with a load Voice glorified the Lamb c. Now what ever else this may signifie it certainly Represents the Uniformity of Divine Service above and it is to be considered that the Church on Earth is the Type of that glorious part of the Catholic Church Triumphant in Heaven and thô the perfection of that Unity which is above cannot be attained unto in this imperfect State which is below yet that which is above is proposed for our imitation and sheweth the great delight the Glorious Trinity the One God hath in the Vnity of his Service The nearer we on Earth Resemble that Unity which is above the more perfect we are The Church of England in Immitation of the Church above enjoyns Unity in Her Prayers Intercessions c. and in all the Worship and Service of God but in contradiction to this our Dissenters can by no means endure it A Fourth particular mentioned by me required in the Communion of Saints is Communion of Saints in subjection to Governors To be Subject and Odedient to our Spiritual Rulers and Governors who have derived their Authority from the Apostles by a due Succession in all things pertaining to Godly Life Decency and Order To this he says in p. 31. and 32. We are very desirous to give due Honour and Obedience to our Spiritual Governors who derive their Authority from Christ which is more proper than to speak of deriving it from the Apostles for Christ is the only Fountain of Authority and the Stream are derived rather from the Fountain than the Cistern it is observable the mans expression is sunk from an Vninterrupted Succession to a due Succession To observe the Apostolical precepts in Government and Worship may make it up a due Succession but there is more in an Vninterrupted one than so now before he can say we want this Qualification for Communion he must prove that Diocesan Bishops are made our Spiritual Rulers by a Divine Command For any man living to affirm that he has Received Authority to be a Minister of the Gospel from Christ Jesus immediately is contrary to the current of the Gospel and the voice of all Antiquity since the Apostles Who but the Apostles can this be attributed unto St. Paul thô after the miraculous descent of the Holy Ghost upon the other Apostles had indeed a Commission from Christ Jesus immediately yet it was confer'd in an extraordinary manner by a voice from Heaven that it might appear to be no cheat Acts 13.3 and he entred not upon his Office without the Imposition of the hands of the Church No spiritual Power is received from Christ Jesus by any man immediately it is conferred no other way but from Christ to his Apostles and by a Succession from them to our days the Original and Foundation thereof being Christ Jesus If any man will pretend to an immediate Authority and prove it not by some Miracle or Revelation he can pass for no other than a mere Enthusiast and an Impostor This Doctrin of his is the false bottom upon which many Heresies strange and pernicious Opinions have been built and is the Parent of our Schisms and Separations if a man by this Suggestion can but gull the weak people into a belief of such a Commission to be immediately from Christ How do they follow and admire him With-draw their Obedience from their lawful Governors and Pastors break the bonds of Charity and all the Rules of Peace and Order and all this only to be the Disciples of such a man All the Honor and Obedience these men give is not to Spiritual Governors who are so by the Institution of our Lord. Jesus to whom alone the promise of the Assistance and Operation of the blessed Spirit is given to Guide and Govern the Flock of Christ but to them who enter not by the door but climb up some other way i. e. those who are set up by their own Authority That in many particulars these Dissenters differ from the Church of England wherein she agrees with the Primitive Churches doth by this time fully appear My using the words dâ—e Succession here doth not as he pretends sink the sense of an Uninterrupted Succession for that cannot be called a due Succession which is not an Uninterrupted Succession So this is but a mere â—ingle I have before sufficiently proved the Government of the Church by Diocesan Episcopacy to be the Institution of our Blessed Saviour and
Government of men and must certa â—â—â—be the truest Touch stone of Sin and Duty c. He says further this is a hopeful begining of Controversy to decline the Sufficiency and Propriety of Scripture as the Standard of good or evil But will this man assigne a better Yes the IXth Article of the Apostles Creed I Believe the Holy Catholic Church the Communion of Saints c. and concludes a happy Omen when the first Paragraph contains a plain affront both to Scripture and common Sense Sr. the holy Scriptures is the great Law for the Government of men and is certainly the truest Touch stone of Sin and Duty But Sr. whoever he be Scripture ought not to be Interpreted contrary to an Article of Faith that expounds Hâ—â—y Scripture in contradiction or not consonant to an Article of Faith his exposition cannot be true and I am assured so by that Article of Faith it contradicts or agrees not with As for example the Socinians have with so much cunning and plausibility expounded even those texts of Scripture which are express for the Divinity of our Blessed Savior in favour of their Heresy that they have staggar'd and perverted many persons of considerable understanding but when the Article of Faith is consider'd viz. And I Believe in one Lord Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God God of God very God of very God being of one Substance with the Father c. every Christian is infalliably assured that the Exposition of the Sacred Scripture made by the Sâ—inians are false because it is in contradiction to an Article of Faith So when I saw Mr. H ry had expounded the holy Apostl's Precept I beseech you Bretheren c. 1 Cor. 1.10 that there be no Divisions among you c. and other Texts of Scripture in favor of your Separat Communion to acquit that from the guilt of Schism I was firmly assured that his Expositions were false because they clash'd and agreed not with that IXth Article of Faith I Believe the Haly Catholic Church the Communion of Saints a Separate Communion being altogether inconsistent with that Article of Faith I therfore recomended that Article of Faith as a better and more easie way for him to find out the true nature of Schism than his so unskilful expounding Scripture which the Apostle saith 2 Pet. 1 20 is not of any Priâ—aâ—e Interpretation Sr. I know not who nor what you are but I must tell you that to affirm that an Article of Faith is a plain affront to Scripture is the nearest to the language of an Heretic that I have met with In p. 10 he saith I â—ffer to their Consideration the Origination or first Existence of the Catholic Church and that I said it was before the day of Pentecost but he says how long before that day I tell 'em not and then he takes an occasion to let us know that he has read of the Babilonish Captivity I did set down the Text Acts 1.15 The number of the Names together were about an hundred and twenty which was sufficient to denote the time and he owns that he knows my meaning but to exercise his abundant wit he says here is a Discovery worthy of its Author no body can think that I mention'd it as the Discoverer but as necessarily previous to what follow'd But he says had God no Churcheâ— then among the Jews must they be Excommunicated too for what cause pray and then reproachfully answers Not for want of Ceremonies or a Pontiff I hope Then he says the man told us in his Preface the Angels in Heaven were the most Glorious Members of the Church How must we lay these things together were the Angels Originated at the day of Pentecost Had they their first Existence then Or did the Members of the Body Exist before the Body Let the Citizen or any other of his Cabalâ— solve these Riddles and he shall be my great Apollo That God had a Church from the beginning of the World Church not call'd Catholic before the day of Pentecost Psal 2.8 Eph. 2.14 that the Angels in Heaven were from their Existence Members of it being Created for that end anâ— that â—he Church of the Jews was Gods peculiar Church are all infallibly true but untill the Promise was fulfilled Desire of me and I shall give thee the â—â—eathen for thine Inheritance and the utmost parts of the Earth for thy Possession Untill the middle Wall of the Partition was broken down which was not ' til the Church was changed from Judaism to Christianity the Title Catholic was never nor could properly be attributed to the Church now unless this Gent. will shew that the Church was call'd Catholic before the Day of Pentecost I mentioned all these Riddles and Philosophical questions are of no more worth and value than his great promise to make me his great Apollo In p. 11. he questions not that the Apostles and Disciples were the Church nor the power Christ gave the Apostles to Preach the Gospel to all the World and says that I well observe Christ's Commission and Charge that in every Natian they that believed might be Baptiz'd and made Members of the Church but says he how well they have observed their Commission who refuse to admit of Church Members upon their profession of Faith unless they will also comply with some significant Rites of their own that are alien to Scripture Rules c. and then in his 12 p. he says its plain from this mans Confession that to be a Disciple or Believer would make a man a Member of the Church in Apostolical times c. It is true that Faith is the necessary Qualification of a mans admission to Baptism and that persons are thereby made visible Members of the Church Members of the Church to observe the Peace Vnity in the Church but this is but the Initiation or beginning of Christianity Obedience to Spiritual Rulers and Governors being in this always suppos'd and impâ—y'd to Faith and Baptism must be added a strict Observation of the Order Peace and Unity of that holy Society into which they are admitted by those Qualifications above mention'd and this is most strictly enjoyned by the Holy Jesus the Prince of Peace and God of Order in the words mentioned in the beginning of this paper and divers other Texts in Scripture As for calling them Rites and Ceremonies of their own that are alien to Scripture Rules what ever tends to Order and the Beauty of Uniformity in the Church is in the Power and Wisdom of the Apostles Successors the Bishops to impose thô not express'd in Scripture there are no express terms in Scripture for Infant Baptism nor for Women to pertake at the Eucharist yet allowed and required by the Authority of the Church and submitted unto from the Primitive times by all Christians except Anabaptists who deny the former And this fully answers his following Paragraph which he closeth with much bitterness
Ceremonies without any native worth or strength yet were made Terms of Communion in the Apostles days and continued for some time after The Ceremonies in our Church are of the same Nature only have so much worth and strength that they beat the pleasant fruit of Decency and Order they are falsly called New being Customs of great Antiquity in the Church and being enjoyned by the same power derivatively which the Apostles had by my Adversatys good leave cease to be needless It necessarily follows that all persons within the Jurisâ—iction of the English Church have the same Obligation to submit to her Terms of Communion as the Christians had to submit to the Terms o. Communion with the Apostles Seeing then that there 's nothing amiss in our Church i. e. not any thing that can give any just occasion to separate from her Communion Seeing too that She is a Church framed according to Scripture Rules and that her Terms of Communion are neither New nor Needless the Conclusion necessarily follows that whoever they be within her Jurisdiction that Separate from her Communion do Separate for Separation sake and have no other Motives thereunto than those in â—atâ— Vices of the mind mentioned by Mr. Hery viz Ambition Animosity c. to close this These men are Notorious Schismaticks from their own Principles thereby give themselves the Title of Arch-Rebels in Christs Kingdom I will tâ—â— this Question upon the Dissenters and Examin what account they can give or their being a Church framed according to Scripture Rules and whether all they impose as Terms of Communion be by express Rules in Scripture That Church cannot be framed according to Scripture Rules where the Priestly Office is exerciâ—ed without the Divine Mission my Author may as trâ—â—l â— affirm in respect of his â—atural Generation that be is an immediate Son of Adam as what be in his 31 p. affirms of Ordination viz. that their Spiritual Governâ—rs i.e. their Pastors derive their Authority from Christ which by the words subâ—oyned must be immediately from Christ for he says it is mere proper than to speak of deriving it from the Apoâ—lâ—â— c. No Commission was ever known to come immediately from Heaven without some extraordinary Testimony to evince the Truth of it The immediate Mission which these men pretend to requires an extraordinary Testimony or no man in his right Wits can believe or assent to its Authority or esteem it for any thing but mere Delusion or Usurpation The Cretian Church must be allowed to be framed according to Scripture â—â—les I keep to this Gentlemans term in that Church St. Paul appointed Titus to Ordain Elders in every City none in the Scriptural Churches as this Gent Phrases it was to enter upon the Pastoral or Priestly Office without Episcopal Ordination Our blessed Saviour saith Jâ—â— 10.1 Verily I say unto you he that entreth not by the door into the Sheep sold but climbeth some other way the same is a Thies and a Robber Not entring in at the Door signifies entring without that Authority which the Author of our Religion hath Ordained in his Church without this Mission i. e. Episcopal Ordination no man hath Authority to Preach the Gospel administer Sacraments or exercise any thing appropriate to the Priestly Office unless these men can manifest that they have this Mission they are so far from being a Scriptural Church that our blessed Saviour pronounceth them to be Thieves and Robbers By this account of the Frame of their Church supposing but not granting it to be a Church it appears to have no Foundation of a Scriptural Church but on the contrary is Condemned in the Hâ—ly Scripture Let it now be examined whether All they impose as Terms of Communion be by express Rules in Scripture 1. First Then I desire they 'l inform us where did our blessed Saviour or his Apostles appoint the first day of the Week for Celebration of the Public Worship 2. What precept have they in Scripture for choosing a Text as is now used to Preach upon or the erection of a Pulpit 3. What Divine Command have your Brethren for the Form of Public Penance the Stool of Repentance imposed by the Kirk of Scotland and the Presbyterians in England These are I suppose Terms of Communion with you I am not disputing against the Practice of these things but hence it appears how unreasonable and false that Principle you so much contend for is to wit that nothing is to be done about the Worship and Service of God without Rules and express Command in the Holy Scripture But I farther demand of you 4. What Divine Warrant or where in Scripture did your Predecessors find those three significant Ceremonies imposed without the Regal Authority at the taking the Solemn League and Covenant which you at this day justifie First the Takers must be uncovered 2ly they must stand up 3ly The right hand must be lifted up bare all these Ceremonies in this Religious Solemnity signifying the Submission and Assent of the parties to that Rebellious Covenant were Instituted by the Presbyterians In his 37 p. he says We desire the Rules of the Gospel may be carefully looked into and a model of Government and Worship taken from thence such as may be likely to answer the great ends of Church Societies c. Here 's our Government and Worship supposed to be inconsistent with the Rules of the Gospel thence a necessity of Reformation and who can deny so fair an Offer The Model these good men will set up shall be a Model for Church Government and Worship not like our Vnscriptural Church but taken from the Rules of the Gospel But here it s demanded 5. What Rule or Command is there in all the Sacred Scriptures for private and Unauthorized persons such as these men are under pretence of Reformation to supplant a Catholic Church truly Reformed in Government and Worship to primitive purity as I have shewed and established by all the Authority that can be had on Earth from God or Man Conceited men Think ye that those Pious Martyrs who Reformed our Church inspected not the Rules of the Gospel as carefully and Conscienciously as you and are not the â—reat ends of Church Society answered viz. the Christian Faith truly professed and maintained the Holy Sacraments duly administred and such an Unity and Christian Charity observed and practiced according to the Rules of the Gospel in our Church as exactly and amply as in any Church on this side Heaven His next words in p. 38. are That nothing may be imposed but what is either expressly commanded or has a natural and proper tendency to promote that which is so c. This is Answered before He saith farther Then would the Worship and Service of God appear like itself Rational Grave and Majestical becoming reasonable Creatures c. Here are all men to be perswaded that the Worship and Service in their Conventicles is eminently more Rational Grave and