good look some pity some regard Why flie you from her I cannot conceive you think her so dishonest as some Separatists report or that you will fasten upon her the name of a Whore if you should I should grow angry and tell you that in her Constitutions she came nearest the Apostolique Church of any Church in the Christian world and this I openly professe to make good against any Separatist whatsoever Many ungracious sonnes I confesse she had and they brought an aspersion upon her and the vials of Gods wrath have been justly justly I proclaime poured upon her for their iniquities The constitution was good and sound the execution passing through some corrupt hands too often subject to reproof Let not her then who had declared her minde by rules and cautions against all abuses and taught what only she would have done be charg'd with her sonnes irregularities Set in Gods Name the Saddle upon the right horse and let not your Mother beare the whole blame 1. But if yet any will say she was blame-worthy then either it must be in manners doctrine or discipline The manners of her children might be unmannerly and unchristian and are all the sonnes of your Combination bene morati were all at Corinth so all at Thessolonica at Corinth there were incestuous factionists c. at Thessalonica disorderly walkers but I read not that the Apostle adviseth them for such enormous persons to separate to combine and confederate into a new Congregation Such were to be separated by the Authority of the Church and no man farther to separate from the Church for these then by dislike by disclaiming by disallowing and discountenancing of their evil deeds which was done by all good men in the English Church I never learned yet that corruption in good manners was a sufficient cause of separation from a Church Calvin disputes it strongly Lib. 4. Instit cap. 1. Sect. 13 c. will you hear Austin There are saith he bad fish in the net of the Lord Austin Ep. 48. Read Cyprian Epist 51. from which there must be a separation ever in heart and in manners but a corporal separation must be expected at the Sea-shore that is at the end of the world and the best fish must not tear and break the net because the bad are with them 2. To come to the second head Doctrine In this you confesse that the Church of England was not faulty in that you approve her doctrine Catholique as expounded by me in the Catechisme your Salvo will fall upon the third Yet suppose that in her doctrine there had been some errour yet this had not been sufficient to give countenance to a separation For it is not every light errour in disputable doctrine and points of curious speculation that can be a just case of separation in that admirable body of Christ which is the Church nor of one member from another I shall go one pin higher It is not an errour in a fundamental point and yet that amounts to an heresie by conviction that can justifie a departure Perkins in Ep. Jude At Corinth there were that denyed an article of faith the resurrection At Galatia they fouly were mistaken in that great and fundamental doctrine of justification and yet the Apostle dedicates his Epistles to them as to a Church as to Saints and perswades not to separation Christ gave his natural body to be rent and torn upon the Crosse that his mystical body might be One and he is no way partaker of divine Charity who is an enemy to this Unity Now what errours in doctrine may give just cause of separation in this body or the parts of it one from another were it never so easie to determine as I think it is most difficult I would not venture to set it down in particulars lest in these times of discord I might bethought to open a door for Schisme which surely I will never do except it be as a wise man said to let it out Among your Combinational Churches this seems to me to be one of the easiest tasks among whom there have happened so many unhappy Schisms Browns collected Church that went over to Middleburge Bayly pag. 14. fell to such jarring among themselves that they soon broke all to pieces the most turn'd Anabaptists At Amsterdam Ainsworth and Johnson could not agree page 15. which rent the Brownist Church into three fearful Schisms page 16. Ainsworth excommunicating Johnson and Johnson Ainsworth and all his followers and that for trifles Mr. Smith not agreeing with his Church at Amsterdam gâ—â— him to Ley in Holland and accused his Church of Idolatry and Anti-Christianisme of Idolatry for looking on their Bibles in time of preaching and their Psalters in time of singing Of Anti-Christianisme because in their Presbytery they joyn'd to Pastours other two Officers Doctors and Ruling Elders At Leyden Mr. Robinsons small company by divisions was well neer brought to nought pag. 54. pag. 57. pag. 61. pag. 75. pag. 76. pag. 77. pag. 79. Mr. Cotton patronized it in New England but fell into grievous errours and heresies as did the Independents of New England At Roterdam Mr. Peters erected his Church was the Pastour but he was either quickly weary of them or they of him and then Mr. Ward and Mr. Bridge succeeded at what time Mr. Simson came thither who divided the Church upon a trifle and Mr. Simsons separation burst out again to another subdivision and the Schisme grew irreconcilable At Arnhem in the Church the spirit of errour did predominate and protruded most abominable errours I have given you a taste onely of these things that you may see what sober and grave men will be very loth to do that is make a rent into the Church your hot and fiery spirits have done even for slight causes almost in all your Collected Churches It would be well considered what Doctrine that must be for which a man is bound to separate from a Church before he makes a rent 3. And now there is nothing left but discipline that may be a sufficient cause of separation And this hath divided you among your selves as well as divided you from us For the power of the Keys radically and originally you place in the Congregation without any subjection to any superiour and by this you make the Church remedilesse to suppresse any disorder or heresie in any other Congregation Bayly pag. 109. 110 111. because there is no superiour over them but themselves who can have authority to restrain them which is the cause of many Sects among us at this day In the Congregation you say the power is they may elect ordaine depose excommunicate Officers to judge and determine without any appeal But upon the passage and setling of the power you differ for Johnson would give all these acts of power to the Eldership but Ainsworth would reserve it in the Congregation adhuc sub judice lis est though as
they teach their children to sing Psalms And Augustine is of the same minde It was then no dull and heavy age such as we now live in in which a man shall scarce hear a Psalm in a shop or out of a childs mouth Now it may well be supposed that this they practised alone that they might be the better able to bear their part when they met in the Quire For here I shall make bold to tell you what I know is true by my own experience I have known Artisans by bearing their part at home grow so skilful in Psalmody that when they met in the Church one would bear the Base another the Trebble others the inner parts so skilfully so Harmoniously that I suppose had you been present you would never speak against a Quire more And this custome so prevailed that there was not any in Congregation but according to his voice could bear his part in such time in such tune that these six notes being curiously varied and carried from the ear to the spiritual faculties of the soul were able With rare divisions of a choice device The hearers soul out of his eares entice Du Bartas If I grate your ears too much upon this subject you must pardon me for from my childhood I have born a great affection to this divine art and glory in it that I am able to sing a Psalme or Hymne to the praise of my God in or without a Quire I come to your last exception 5. And the first was of National payments or spiritual profits as offerings Tyths and Mortuaries For the first and last of these I believe you have little knowledge beyond the names For what were offerings but free and voluntary contributions and I hope you will not be against such who would have your Pastours to be maintained by what the people should contribute But it seems in New-England you were quickly weary of this way for charity growing cold a better provision was made not onely by a proportion of Land but by a certain tax of mony which was laid on by the Magistrate Plain dealing pag. 19. both upon the Members of the Congregation upon all the Neighbours though no Members of the Church yea and others are beholding now and then to the general Court to study wayes to enforce the maintenance to the Ministry But this by the way Offerings were used in the Primitive Church and they were of two sorts Acts 24.17 1. Properly Alms for the Church then raised a stock for the relief of the poor Brethren to that purpose were they collected to which Saint Paul adviseth 1 Cor. 16. 2. Or else they were offerings which the Rich contributed for other uses being like the Jewish Therumaths which belonged to the Priests Out of these there was a treasury made and out of these Selden de decimis cap. 2. Sect. 1. Cap. 4. Sect. 1 2. those who first laboured in the Ministry were maintained and a treasury out of these offerings continued in the Church till such time as Ministers were provided by a setled maintenance then these stipes sportulae mensurnae divisiones ceased After I know none imposed by the Church if any were it was custome brought them in and time continued them and what was freely given might be freely taken And yet I could if I list acquaint you with constitutions against them 2. Mortuaries Mortuaries you needed not have named and I believe you would not had you understood the original of them In an old Synod of Ireland it appears that any man might bequeath his body to be buried in what Abby it pleased him In statut Synod Ms. cap. 9. Seld. cap. 9. of tyths and that the Abbot to whose Monastery the bequest was made should have the apparrel of the dead his Horse and his Cow for a Mortuary Abbots with us there are none and Abbies are dissolved and therefore we have nothing to do with this charge 3. Tythes To give you an answer to this charge I shall referre you to those who now receive them and keep such a buzzle about them I hope they are best able to defend their receipts since they grumble so much when they hear of the least news that they should be taken away Had you asked me when I was in possession of them and if you should ask me an accompt if ever I come to enjoy them again you shall see I can prove and will make my title good jure divino without which I suppose they of your party who pretend they may do nothing without an expresse text of Scripture cannot with a quiet conscience grow so pursie and fat with them You should do well to call them to accompt about this point and it will not satisfie us to tell us of publick Acts Statutes and other Ordinances in this behalf for then we shall tell them in your own words that these were faithlesse and fantastical fashions the illegitimatelegal off-springs of National Parliaments in this and in the Neighbour Nations Pray consult with them about it they are of age to answer for themselves I leave them and returne to your Paper SECT VII The words of the Letter THe fifth and highest degree of Church-deformity is the Oecumenical Church otherwise call'd Romane Catholique the which in apprehension of I know not how many Kingdomes is the very best though in the judgment of Christ Jesus it is the very basest because the beastliest and the most blasphemous of all the bastard-Churches constitutions that ever were till now Witnesse what is written Rev. 13.1 3 5 6. whose Pastors and other Presbyters the sin-pardoning Pope Cardinals Abbots and others were owned acknowledged for to be and that by not a few if not by them of the summond Councels yet in several Synods in sundry Countries Insomuch that Churches iniquities were so increas'd over their heads and their trayterous trespasses were so egregiously grown up to heaven as that the long-forbearing Lord could no longer forbear but was put upon it and as it were necessitated for to take vengeance on their inventions as on Aarons golden Calf and Samuels grievous connivency at the evils of his sons spoken of Psal 96.6 8. The Reply My reply to this Paragraph shall be very short since it concerns not us of the Church of England I had thought at first to have said something of an Oecumenical Church which you know we call usually a general Council but since you otherwise interpret your self that by it you mean the Romane Catholick I will not meddle with it For we no lesse then you are against all Papal usurpations Jun. de Eccl. Rom. cap. 17. I shall onely return you the judgment of Junius about this matter Ecclesia Romana quod divina habet omnia à Deo est quod corrupta habet omnia â—ib ipsa est quod diviâ—a habet omnia Ecclesia est quod eadem habet corrupta omnia Ecclesia corrupta est Ecclesia non
AN APOLOGY FOR THE Discipline OF THE ANCIENT CHURCH Intended especially for that of our MOTHER THE CHVRCH of ENGLAND In answer to the Admonitory Letter Lately published 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nazianz. Ephraim feeds on winde Hosea 12.1 By William Nicolson Archdeacon of Brecon LONDON Printed for Willim Leake at the Crown in Fleet-street betwixt the two Temple-gates 1659. THE COPY OF A LETTER Written by a Divine A Friend of the AUTHOUR SIR I Thank you for the favour you did me in imparting those papers to me composed by our learned friend in defence of the Ecclesiastical Government under which the Church of God hath liv'd ever since it was establish'd by the Preachings Apostolical I see and love his zeale and honour his learning but am most pleased with his method and order of argument for having prosperously defended and illustrated the Doctrine of the Church of England in his material and grave discourses upon the Church Catechism he does to very good purposes proceed to defend her Government that as it already appears that her Doctrine is Catholike so it may be demonstrated that the Government of the Church of England is no other than that of the Catholike Apostolike Church she by the same way being truly Christian and a Society of Christians by which all Christendome were put into life and society that is became collective and united bodies or Churches And indeed they are both of them very weighty and material considerations For more things are necessary to the being of a Church than to the being Christian First the Apostles preached Jesus Christ and him crucified and every day winning souls to Christ did adopt them into his Body and joyned them to that Head and there they had life and nourishment But until their multitudes were much encreased they were no Body Politick they were so many single persons till the Apostles according to their places of abode gathered them under one Pastor and they grew into Communion and were fastned to one another by the Masters of Assemblies This Government with the alteration onely of some unconcerning circumstances hath continued in the Church of God and the Church of England was baptized by it at the same time it was baptized into the faith of Christ onely of late some endeavours have been to rifle this Government and to dissolve her being a body Politick and almost reduc'd her onely to the being Christian which because it seemed also to be in some danger Being and Unity having so near relation to each other I suppose it very advisedly done of him first to do what he thought fit for the securing the Doctrine and then by the method Apostolical proceeding to the immuring of that Doctrine by the walls and towers of Government and I finde he hath done it well His arguments are grave and close not florid but pressing his observations choice his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and little by-discourses pleasant and full of instructions his refutation sharp and true his returnes pertinent and nothing trifling but his adversarie who because he speaks but weak things ministers not occasions worthy enough for this learned man to do his best But he hath made supply I perceive and by taking little occasions by the hand he hath advanced them to opportunities of handsome discoursings and to my sence hath to better more full and excellent purposes than any man before him confuted the new fashion of Congregational and gathered Churches which must now needs appear to be nothing but a drawing Schisme into Countenance and Method and giving a warranty to partialities it is a direct crumbling of the Church into minuits and little principles of being just as if the world were dissolved into Democritus his dreame of Atomes and minima naturalia Every man loves Government well-enough but few of the meaner sort love their Governours especially if they think themselves wise enough to governe for then they are too wise to be governed Now this Independant or Congregational way seemes to me the finest compendium of humouring and pleasing all those little fellowes that love not that endure not to be subject to their betters for by this meanes a little Kingdome and a royal Priesthood is provided for every one of them a Kingdom of Yvetot and some had rather be chief but in a garden of Cucumers and govern but ten or twenty absolutely so they do than be the fifth or the twentieth man in a Classis or inconsiderable under the Apostolical and long-experienced government by those Superiours which Christ by himself and by his Spirit and by his blessing and by his providence and by the favour of Princes hath made firme as heaven and earth never to be dissolved until the Divine Fabrick of the house of God it self be shaken I pray give my service to the good Man and I do heartily thank him for my share of the book by which I have already had some pleasure and some profit and hope for more when my little affairs will give me leave strictly to peruse every unobserved page in it When I onely heard of it I was confident he would do it very well and now I see it is so very well done and in that grave judicious manner if you had not told me I should have been confident it had been his Vox hominem sonat I pray God that he may finde encouragement according to the mertt of his labours and acceptance according to his good intentions and that his book may not receive its estimate according to the cheap and vast numbers of others but according to its own weight The strength that was put to this would have resisted a stronger adversary but it could not readily have supported a worthyer cause and because I beleeve it was done with as much charity as learning I hope it will have the blessings of God and of the Church and the peace of all good men I onely have this to adde further I wish that this worthy man would enter into no more warre but against the open enemies of mankinde that he would dispute for nothing but for the known Religion of Jesus Christ that he would contend for no interests but the known concernments of the Spirit in the matter of good life which is the life of Religion and my reason is not onely because I finde that he calls his adversary Brother and it is not so good that Brethren should contend but because men are wearied with disputes and the errors of this or any age after the first batteries and onsets by the Church are commonly best confuted by the plaine teaching of positive truths and the good lives and the wise governments of our Superiours and after all I believe that though he does manage this contest prudently and modestly yet the spiritual warre against direct impiety he would manage much more dexterously and prosperously and for his auxiliaries he would be more confident of the direct and proper aides of the Spirit of God This