adhere to The same Sence is exprest also in Can. 10. which describeth Schismaticks Whosoever shall affirm that such Ministers as refuse to subscribe to the Form and manner of God's Worship in the Church of England prescribed in the Communion-Book and their Adherents may truly take unto them the Name of another Church not established by Law and dare presume to publish that this pretended Church hath long groaned under c. And in the 9th Canon where the Authors of Schism are thus described Whosoever shall separate themselves from the Communion of Saints as it is approved by the Apostle's Rules in the Church of England and combine themselves together in a new Brotherhood accounting the Christians who are conformable to the Doctrine Government Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England to be prophane and unmeet for them to join with in Christian Profession Pro. 3. If our manner of Religious Exercises did differ in some meer degrees or Circumstances from that which is allowed by the Liturgy and Practice of the Church it ought not no be taken to be the thing condemned in this Act. Arg. 1. Otherwise the Justices themselves and almost all his Majesty's Subjects either are already obnoxious to the Mulcts Imprisonments and Banishments or may be they know not how soon Arg. 2. And otherwise no Subject must dare to go to Church for fear of incurring Imprisonment or Banishment The reason of both is visible 1. Almost all conformable Ministers do either by some omissions of Prayers or other parts of the Liturgy or by some alterations many times do that which is dissonant from the Liturgy and practise or Canons of the Church I have seldom been present where somewhat was not contrary to them 2 Because most conformable Ministers do now Preach without Licenses which is contrary to the express Canons of the Church 3. Because few of the King's Subjects or none can tell when they go to Church but they may hear one that hath no License or that will do somewhat dissonant from the manner of the Church Pro. 4. Preaching without License bringeth me not within the Penalty of the Act. Arg. 1. Because I have the Archbishop's License Arg. 2. Because a License is not necessary for Family Instruction Arg. 3. Because else most of the Conformists would be as much obnoxious which is not so judged by the Bishops themselves § 124. 3. The Errors of the Mittimus with the explication of the Oxford Act. THis Act containeth 1. The end and Occasion that is the preserving of Church and Kingdom from the Danger of poisonous Principles II. The Description of the dangerous Persons 1. in the Preamble Where they are 1. Nonconformists or such as have not subscribed and declared according to the Act of Uniformity and other subsequent Acts. 2. They or some of them and other Persons not ordained according to the Form of the Church of England who have since the Act of Oblivion preached in Unlawful Assemblies and have settled themselves in Corporations 2. In the Body of the Act where are two parts answering the two aforesaid in the Preamble 1. The first Subject described is Non-subscribers and Non-declarers according to the Act of Uniformity c. That is Non-conformists who also have not taken the Oath which is here prescribed as a preventing Remedy 2. The second Subject is All such Persons as shall Preach in unlawful Meetings contrary to Laws which must needs refer to the second branch of the Preamble and mean only such Nonconformists and unordained Persons as shall so Preach the Word shall signifying that it must be after the passing of this Act. III. The Offence prohibited is being or coming after March 24. 1665. within five Miles of any Corporation or of any place where since the Act of Oblivion they have been Parsons Vicars Lecturers c. Or have preached in an unlawful Assembly contrary to the Laws before they have in open Sessions taken the Oath That is who have done this since the Act of Oblivion before this Act it being the purpose of this Act to put all those who shall again after this Act preach in Conventicles in the same Case with them who since the Act of Oblivion were Parsons Vicars c. That is that none of them shall come within five miles of any place where they were either Incumbents or Conventiclers before this Act since the act of Oblivion IV. The Penalty is 1. 40 l. for what is past which the after taking of the Oath will not save them from 2. And six months Imprisonment also for such of them as shall not Swear and subscribe the Oath and Declaration offered them So that in this Act the Offence it self prohibited is Coming within five miles c. But the qualification of the subject offending is absolutely necessary to it So that the Mittimus for an offence against this Act must signifie That N. N. having not subscribed and declared according to the Acts of Uniformity and other subsequent Acts or being not ordained according to the Form of the Church of England having since the Act of Oblivion preached in an unlawful Assembly and also hath so preached since this Act and hath not taken the Oath here required is proved by Oath to us to have been or come since Mar. 24. 1665. Within five Miles of a Corporation or a place where he was an incumbent or preached in a Conventicle before this Act since the Act of Oblivion and also hath refused before us to swear and subscribe the said Oath c. Now in this Mittimus 1. Here is no mention that R. B. hath not subscribed and declared already according to the Act of Uniformity or is a Non-conformist nor yet that he is not ordained according to the Form of the Church of England 2. Nor is there any mention that he hath preached in an unlawful Assembly since the Act of Oblivion much less since this Act which must be said 3. Nor that ever they had proof of his not taking the Oath before or that ever he was Convict of Preaching before he took it 4. The Offence it self is not here said to be proved by Oath at all viz. Coming or being within five Miles c. But another thing viz. his Preaching in an unlawful Meeting is said to be proved by Oath which this Act doth not enable them to take such proof of As for the Word in the Mittimus where he now dwelleth it cannot be understood as a part of Deposition 1. Because it is expressed but as the Justice's Assertion and not so much as an and or Conjunction put before it to shew that they had Oath made of it as well as of Preaching 2. Because the Word now dwelleth must be taken strictly or laxly if strictly it referreth but to the time of the Writing of the Mittimus which was two days after the Constable's Warrant and no Accuser Witness or other Person was suffered to be present and therefore it must needs
received as gifts of Bounty from any whosoever since I was silenced till after An. 1672. amount not in the whole to 20 l. besides ten Pouud per Annum which I received from Serjeant Fountain till he died and when I was in Prison twenty pieces from Sir Iohn Bernard ten from the Countess of Exeter and five from Alderman Bard and no more which just paid the Lawyers and my Prison Charge but the expences of removing my Habitation was greater And had the Bishop's Family no more than this In sum I told the Bishop that he that cried out so vehemently against schism had got the Spirit of a Sectary and as those that by Prisons and other sufferings were too much exasperated against the Bishops could hardly think or speak well of them so his cross Interests had so notoriously spoiled him of his Charity that he had plainly the same temper with the bitterest of the Sectaries whom he so much reviled Our Doctrinal Discourse I overpass § 236. This May a Book was Printed and cried about describing the horrid Murther of one 〈◊〉 Baxter in New-England by the Anabaptists and how they tore his Flesh and flead him alive and persons and time and place were named And when Mr. Kiffen sensible of the Injury to the Anabaptists searcht it out it proved all a studied Forgery Printed by a Papist and the Book Licensed by Dr. Sam. Paâ—ker the Arch-bishop's Chaplain there were no such Persons in being as the Book mentioned nor any such thing ever done Mr. â—issen accused Dr. Parker to the Kiug and Council The King made him confess his Fault and so it ended § 237. In Iune was the second great Fight with the Dutch where again many were killed on both sides and to this day it is not known which Paâ—ty had the greater Loss § 238. The Parliament grew into great Jealousies of the prevalency of Popery There was an Army raised which lay upon Black-Heath encamped as for Service against the Dutch They said that so many of the Commanders were Papists as made Men fear the design was worse Men feared not to talk openly that the Papists having no hope of getting the Parliament to set up their Religion by Law did design to take down Parliaments and reduce the Government to the French Model and Religion to their State by a standing Army These Thoughts put Men into dismal Expectations and many wish that the Army at any rate might be disbanded The Duke of York was General The Parliament made an Act that no man should be in any office of Trust who would not take the Oaths of Supremacy aud Allegiance and receive the Sacrament according to Order of the Church of England and renounee Transubstanstiation Many supposed Papists received the Sacrament and renounced Transubstantiation and took the Oaths Some that were known sold or laid down their Places The Duke of York and the new Lord Treasurer Clifford laid down all It was said they did it on supposition that the Act left the King impowered to renew their Commissions when they had laid them down But the Lord Chancellor told the King that it was not so and so they were put out by themselves This settled Men in the full belief that the Duke of York and the Lord Clifford were Papists and the Londoners had before a special hatred against the Duke since the burning of London commonly saying that divers were taken casting Fire-balls and brought to his Guards of Soldiers to be secured and he let them go and both secured and concealed them 239. The great Counsellors that were said to do all with the King in all great matters were the Duke of York the Lord Clifford the Duke of Lauderdaile the Lord Arlington the Duke of Buckingham the Lord Chancellor that is Sr. Anthony Ashley-Cooper Earl of Shaftsbury and after them the Earl of Anglesey lately Mr. Annesley Among all these the Lord Chanchellor declared so much Jealosie of Popery and set himself so openly to secure the Protestant Religion that it was wondered how he kept in as he did but whatever were his Principles or Motives it is certain he did very much plead the Protestant Cause § 240. In Iune Mastricht was taken by the French but with much loss where the Duke of Monmouth with the English had great Honour for their Valour § 241. In August four of the Dutch East-India Ships fell into our Hands and we had the third great Sea-fight with them under the Command of Prince Rupert where we again killed each other with equal Loss But the Dutch said they had the Victory now sand before and kept days of Thanksgiving for it Sir Edward Sprag was killed whose death the Papists much lamented hoping to have got the Sea-power into his Hands But Prince Rupert who declared himself openly against Popery and had got great Interest in the Hearts of the Soldiers complained sharply of the French Admiral as deserting him to say no worse And the success of these Fights was such as hindered the Transportation of the Army against the Dutch and greatly divided the Court-Party and discouraged the Grandees and Commanding Papists c. § 242. In September I being out of Town my House was broken by Thieves who broke open my Study-Doors Closets Locks searcht near 40 Tills and Boxes and found them all full of nothing but Papers and miss'd that little Money I had though very near them They took only three small pieces of Plate and medled not considerably with any of my Papers which I would not have lost for many hundred Pounds Which made me sensible of Divine Protection and what a Convenience it is to have such a kind of Treasure as other men have no mind to rob us of or cannot § 343. The Duke of York was now married to the Duke of Modena's Daughter by Proxy the Earl of Peterborough being sent over to that end § 244. The Lady Clinton having a Kinswoman wife to Edward Wray Esq who was a Protestant aâ—d her Husband a Papist throughly studied in all their Controversies and oft provoking his Wife to bring any one to dispute with him desired me to perform that office of Conference They differed about the Education of their Children he had promised her as she said at Marriage that she should have the Education of them all and now would not let her have the Education of one but would make them Papists I desired that either our Conference might be publick to avoid mis-reports or else utterly secret before no one but his Wife that so we might not seem to strive for the Honour of Victory nor by dishonour be exasperated and made less capable of benefit The latter way was chosen but the Lady Clinton and Mr. Goodwin the Lady Worsep's Chaplain prevailed to be present by his consent He began upon the point of Transubstantion and in Veron's Method would have put me to prove the Words of the Article of the Church of England by express Words of
which I had hastily given him And though he before professed that none in the World but I and his servant knew of it yet accidentally by speech with Dr. Stillingfleet I understood that the same M. S. was sent to him Therefore I sent him the Reply to mine and desired him seeing he had more strength and leisure to answer alltogether for himself and me and then I need not do the same § 275. It pleased God to give me marvellous great Encouragement in my Preaching at St. Iames's The Crack having frightened away most of the Richer sort specially the Women most of the Congregation were young men of the most capable age who heard with very great Attention and many that had not come to Church of many years received so much and manifested so great a Change some Papists and Divers others returning publick Thanks to God for their Conversion as made all my Charge and Trouble easie to me Among all the Popish rude and ignorant People who were Inhabitants of those parts we had scarce any that opened their mouths aganst us and that did not speak well of the Preaching of the Word among them though when I came first thither the most knowing Inhabitants assured me that some of the same persons wisht my Death Among the ruder sort a common Reformation was notifyed in the place in their Conversation as well as in their Judgments § 276. But Satan the Enemy of God and Souls did quickly use divers means to hinder me 1. By Persecution 2. By the Charges of the work and 3. By the troublesome Clamours of some that were too much inclined to Separation And first a fellow that made a Trade of being an Informer accused me to Sir William Poultney a Justice near upon the Act against Conventicles Sir William dealt so wisely and fairly in the business as frustrated the Informer's first attempts who offered his Oath against me And before he could make a second Attempt Mr. David Lloyd the Earl of St. Alban's Bayliff and other Inhabitants so search't after the quality of the Informer and prosecuted him to secure the Parish from his Charge of Children as made him fly and appear no more I that had been the first Silenced and the first sent to Gaol upon the Oxford-Act of Confinement was the first prosecuted upon the Act of Conventicles after the Parliament's Condemning the King's Declaration and Licenses to Preach § 277. But shortly after the Storm grew much greater The great Ministers of State had new Consultations The Duke of Lauder dail the Lord Treasurer Sir Thomas Osborne made Earl of Danby The Lord Keeper Sir Heneage Finch the Bishop of Winchester Dr. Morley and the Bishop of Salisbury Dr. Ward c. were the Men that the World talk't of as the Doers of the Business The first thing that appeared was That His Majesty called the Bishops up to London to give him Advice what was to be done for the securing of Religion c. The Bishops after divers Meetings and Delays the said Duke and Lord Treasurer being appointed to meet with them at last Advised the King to recall His Licenses and put the Laws in Execution Which was done by a Declaration and Proclamation Declaring the Licenses long since void and requiring the Execution of the Laws against Papists most largely mentioned and Conventicles No sooner was this Proclamation published but special Informers were set on Work to Ascertain the Execution and I must here also be the first that must be Accused § 278. A litle before the King had Recalled his Licenses knowing on what Accusations they would proceed according to the Act of Uniformity I did to Obviate the Accusation deliver in Words and Writing this following Profession Though when I began to Preach in this place I publickly professed That it was the notorious Necessity of the People who are more than the Parish-Church can hold which moved me thereunto and that we Meet not in Opposition to or Separation from the Publick Churches yet perceiving that by some we are misunderstood I repeat the same Profession And that we Meet not under colour or pretence of any Religious Exercise in other manner than according to the Liturgy and Practice of the Church of England And that were I able I would accordingly Read my Self For the understanding of this it must be known 1. That being my Self unable both to Read and Preach I had an Assistant who daily Read the Scripture-Sentences the 95th Psalm the Psalms for the Day the two Chapters for the Day Singing the Psalms appointed for Hymns using the Lord's Prayer the Creed and the Decalogue all which is the Greatest part of the Liturgy though none of the Common Prayers were used 2. That I forbear the use of much of the Common Prayer which I think lawful and good meerly because many of the Nonconformists could not bear it 3. That the Act against Conventicles punisheth none but those that meet on colour or pretence of any Religious Exercise in other manner than according to the Liturgy and practice of the Church of England 4. That my Judgment was that my Meeting was not such and that I broke no Law And therefore I made this open Profession as Preparatory to my Answer before the Magistrate not expecting that any such means should free me from suffering in the least degree but that it should conduce to the clearing of my Cause when I Suffered But upon this Paper those that are unable or unwilling to suspend their Censures till they understand the Cause and that cannot understand Words in their plain and proper signification but according to their own Preconceptions did presently divulge all over the Land many false Reports of it and me The Separatists gave out presently That I had Conformed and openly declared my Assent and Consent c. And so confidently did they affirm it that almost all the City believed it The Prelatists again took the Report from them and their own willingness that so it should be aud reported the same thing In one Episcopal City they gave Thanks in Publick that I Conformed In many Counties their News was That I most certainly Conformed and was thereupon to have a Bishoprick which if I should I had done foolishly in losing Thirteen years Lordship and Profit and then taking it when I am dying This was divulged by the Conformists to fortisie their Party in the Conceits of their Innocency and by the Separatists in Spleen and Quarrelsome Zeal But confident Lying was too common with both And yet the next day or the next day save one Letters fled abroad on the contrary that I was sent to Gaol for not Conforming § 279. Not long before this having Preached at Pinners-Hall for Love and Peace divers false Reports went currant among the Separatists and from them to other Nonconformists that I Preached against the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness and for Justification by our own Righteousness and that the Papists and Protestants differ
without grand Sacriledge and Prophaneness although by Corruption of Persons and Times they have been either superstitiously abused or too prophanely employed but rather to reduce them to their primitive Use and Donation 18. Whether the ancient Fasting Days of the Week and Festivals of the Church setled both by Provincial Synods in the Year 1562. and 1640. and confirmed by the then Regal Power and also by several Statutes and Laws ought not by all persons in Conscience to be still observed until they be abrogated by the like Powers again or how far the Liberty of Conscience therein may be used in observing or not observing them the like for the usage of the Cross in Baptism and the humble posture of Kneeling at the receiving of the blessed Sacrament of the Lord's Supper 19. Which way of security and peace of Conscience may a quiet Christian order and dispose himself his Wife Children and Family in his Duty and Service towards God and enjoy the right use and benefit of the Sacraments and other holy Duties as long as that part of the Catholick Church wherein he lives is under persecution and the visible Ruling Church therein is faln Schismatical if not in many particulare Heretical April 20th 1655. May 14th 1655. An Answer to the foregoing Questions sent to Sir R. Clare Ad Quest. 1m. EIther that Conscience owneth the right Religion and Discipline only or the right with some tolerable accidental Errours or a wrong Religion and Discipline in the Substance The first the Magistrate must not only tolerate but promote The second he must tolerate rather than do worse by suppressing it The third he must suppress by all lawful means and tolerate when he cannot help it without a greater Evil. I suppose no Judicious Man will expect an exact Solution of so Comprehensive a Question in few words And I find not that a large Discussion is now expected from me There are four or five Sheets of my Manuscripts in some hands abroad on this Point which may do more towards a satisfactory Solution than these few words Ad 2m. Either the tender Conscience is in the right or in the wrong If in the wrong the Magistrates Liberty will not make a Sin to be no Sin but the Party is bound by God to rectifie his Judgment and thereby his Practice If in the right it is a strange Question Whether a Man may obey God that hath the Magistrates leave till he be enforced by Mens violence Doth any doubt of it Ad 3m. Matter of Government depending only on Fact is a Contradiction Seeing Government consisteth in a Right and the Exercise of it I am not able therefore to understand this Question Yet if this may afford any help toward the Solution I affirm That the general and perpetual practice of the Church from Age to Age of a thing not forbidden by the Word of God will warrant our imitation I say of a thing not forbidden because it hath been the general and perpetual practice of the Church to Sin by vain Thoughts Words imperfect Duties c. wherein our imitation is not warrantable The general and perpetual practice includeth the Apostles and that Age. But what is meant by Evidencing the Right of a thing that dependeth only of Fact or by Evidencing the Truth and Certainty of a Fact by general and perpetual practice which is to prove idem per idem I will not presume that I understand Ad 4m. I know not what Bishops you mean A Congregational Bishop overseeing the People is undoubtedly lawful so is a Congregational Bishop being President of a Presbytery which is over that Congregation Where many Congregational Officers are associated I do not think that a President for a time or during his fitness standing and fixed is unlawful The like I may say of a President of many of those Associations again associated as in a Province or Diocess And I believe it were a very easie work for wise godly moderate men to agree about his Power And I would not seem so censorious as to proclaim that England wanteth such further than the actual want of such Agreement or just endeavours thereto doth proclaim it I am satisfied also that the Apostles themselves have de jure Successors in all that part of their work which is to be perpetuated or continued till now though not in their extraordinary Endowments and Priviledges But if the sence of your Question be Whether one Man may be the standing chief Governour of many particular Churches with their Officers having either sole power of Ordination and Jurisdiction as some would have or a Negative Voice in both as others it would seem great arrogancy in me to be the confident Determiner of such a Question which so wise learned godly sober Men have said so much of on both sides already Ad 5m. 1. He that knows how short Church History is in these Matters for the first Age after the Apostles at least and hath read impartially what Gersom Bucerus Parker Blondellus Salmasius Altare Damascen have said on one side and Saravia Downham Dr. Hammond c. on the other would sure never expect that I should presume to pass any confident Sentence in the Point And it 's like he would be somewhat moderate himself 2. I say as before I know not what you mean by Bishops I am confident that the Church was not of many Hundred years after Christ governed as ours was lately in England by a Diocesan Bishop and a Chancellor excluding almost all the Presbyters 3. Why do you say Since the Apostles days when you before spoke of the General and perpetual practice of the Church Ad 6m. The word National Church admits of divers sences As it was usually understood in England I think there was none for divers hundred years after Christ either governed by Bishops or without them They that will look after the most encouraging Presidents must look higher than National Churches Ad 7m. The Question seems not to mean any particular truly-schismatical Party of Ministers but the generality that live not under the Bishops and so I answer negatively waiting for the Accusers proof Ad 8m. 1. I know not what the Oath of Canonical Obedience is therefore cannot give a full Answer I know multitudes of Ministers ordained by Bishops that never took any such Oath 2. The Powers that violently took down the Bishops were the Secular Powers None else could use violence And it were a strange Oath for a Man to swear that he would never obey the Secular Powers if they took down the Bishops when the Holy Ghost would have us obey Heathen Persecutors 3. If it were so great a Sin to obey those Powers I conceive it must be so to the Laity as well as the Ministry And I knew but few of the Episcopal Gentry or others called to it that did refuse to take the Engagement to be true and faithful to that Power when the Presbyters here accused durst not take it
Liturgy and Ceremonies we most humbly represent unto your Majesty 1. First For Church-Government that although upon just Reasons we do dissent from that Ecclesiastical Hierarchy or Prelacy disclaimed in the Covenant as it was stated and exercised in these Kingdoms yet we do not nor ever did renounce the true Ancient and Primitive Presidency as it was ballanced and managed by a due Commixtion of Presbyters therewith as a fit means to avoid Corruptions Partiality Tyranny and other Evils which may be incident to the Administration of one single Person Which kind of attempered Pesidency if it shall be your Majesty's grave Wisdom and gracious Moderation be in such a manner constituted as that the forementioned and other like Evils may be certainly prevented we shall humbly submit thereunto And in Order to an happy Accommodation in this weighty Business we desire humbly to offer unto your Majesty some of the Particulars which we conceive were amiss in the Episcopal Government as it was practised before the Year 1640. 1. The great Extent of the Bishops Diocess which was much too large for his own personal Inspection wherein he undertook a Pastoral Charge over the Souls of all those within his Bishoprick which must needs be granted to be too heavy a Burthen for any one Man's Shoulders The Pastoral Office being a Work of Personal Ministration and Trust and that of the highest Concernment to the Souls of the People for which they are to give an Account to Christ. 2. That by Reason of this Disability to discharge their Duty and Trust personally the Bishops did depute the Administration of much of their Trust even in matters of spiritual Cognizance to Commissaries Chancellors and Officials whereof some were Secular Persons and could not administer that Power which originally appertaineth to the Pastors of the Church 3. That those Bishops who affirm the Episcopal Office to be a distinct Order by Divine Right from that of the Presbyter did assume the sole Power of Ordination and Jurisdiction to themselves 4. That some of the Bishops exercised an Arbitrary Power as by sending forth their Books of Articles in their Visitations and therein unwarrantably enquiring into several things and swearing the Church-Wardens to present accordingly So also by many Innovations and Ceremonies imposed upon Ministers and People not required by Law and by suspending Ministers at their Pleasure For reforming of which Evils we humbly crave leave to offer unto your Majesty 1. The late most Reverend Primate of Ireland his Reduction of Episcopacy unto the Form of Synodical Government received in the ancient Church as a Ground-work towards an Accommodation and fraternal Agreement in this Point of Ecclesiastical Government Which we rather do not only in regard of his eminent Piety and singular Ability as in all other Parts of Learning so in that especially of the Antiquities of the Church but also because therein Expedienâ— are offered for healing these Grievances And in order to the same end we further humbly desire that the Suffragans or Corepiscopi mentioned in the Primate's Reduction may be chosen by the respective Synods and by that Election be sufficiently authorized to discharge their Trust. That the Associations may not be so large as to make the Discipline impossible or to take off the Ministers from the rest of their necessary Imployments That no Oaths or Promises of Obedience to the Bishops nor any unnecessary Subscriptions or Engagements be made necessary to Ordination Institution Induction Ministration Communion or Immunities of Ministers they being responsible for any Transgression of the Law And that no Bishops nor any Ecclesiastical Governors may at any time exercise their Government by their own private Will or Pleasure but only by such Rules Canons and Constitutions as shall be hereafter by Act of Parliament ratified and established and that sufficient Provision be made to secure both Ministers and People against the Evils of Arbitrary Government in the Church 2. Concerning the Liturgy 1. We are satisfied in our Judgments concerning the Lawfulness of a Liturgy or Form of publick Worship provided that it be for the matter agreeable unto the Word of God and fitly suited to the Nature of the several Ordinances and the necessity of the Church nether too tedious in the whole nor composed of too short Prayers unmeet Repetitions or Responsals nor too dissonant from the Liturgies of other Reformed Churches nor too rigorously imposed nor the Minister so confined thereunto but that he may also make use of those Gifts for Prayer and Exhortation which Christ hath given him for the Service and Edification of the Church 2. That inasmuch as the Book of Common Prayer hath in it many things that are justly offensive and need amendment hath been long discontinued and very many both Ministers and People Persons of Pious Loyal and Peaceable Minds are therein greatly dissatisfied whereupon if it be again imposed will inevitably follow sad Divisions and widening of the Breaches which your Majesty is now endeavouring to heal We do most humbly offer to your Majesty's Wisdom that for preventing so great Evil and for setling the Church in Unity and Peace some Learned Godly and Moderate Divines of both Perswasions indifferently chosen may be imployed to Compile such a Form as is before described as much as may be in Scripture words or at least to Revise and effectually Reform the old together with an Addition or Insertion of some other varying Forms in Scripture phrase to be used at the Minister's Choice of which Variety and Liberty there be Instances in the Book of Common Prayer 3. Concerning Ceremonies We humbly represent that we hold our selves obliged in every part of Divine Worship to do all things decently in order and to Edification and are willing therein to be determined by Authority in such things as being meerly Circumstantial are common to Humane Actions and Societies and are to be ordered by the Light of Nature and Christian Prudence according to the General Rules of the Word which are always to be observed And as to divers Ceremonies formerly retained in the Church of England We do in all Humility offer unto your Majesty these ensuing Considerations That the Worship of God is in it self perfect without having such Ceremonies affixed thereto That the Lord hath declared himself in the Matters that concern his Worship to be a Iealous God and this Worship of his is certainly then most pure and most agreeable to the Simplicity of the Gospel and to his holy and jealous Eyes when it hath least of Humane Admixtures in things of themselves confessedly unnecessary adjoyned and appropriated thereunto upon which account many faithful Servants of the Lord knowing his Word to be the perfect Rule of Faith and Worship by which they must judge of his Acceptance of their Services and must be themselves judged have been exceeding fearful of varying from his Will and of the danger of displeasing him by Additions or Detractions in such Duties wherein they must
Officers in the Court Freemen in Cities and Corporate Towns Masters and Fellows of Colledges in the Universities c. are required at their Admission into their several respective places to give Oaths for well and truly performing their several respective Duties their liableness to punishment in case of Non-performance accordingly notwithstanding Neither doth it seem reasonable that such Persons as have themselves with great severity prescribed and exacted antecedent Conditions of their Communion not warranted by Law should be exempted from the tye of such Oaths and Subscriptions as the Laws require § 17. 4. We agree that the Bishops and all Ecclesiastical Governours ought to exercise their Government not Arbitrarily but according to Law 5. And for Security against such Arbitrary Government and Innovations the Laws are and from time to time will be sufficient provision Concerning Liturgy § 18. A Liturgy or Form of Publick Worship being not only by them acknowledged lawful but by us also for the preservation of Unity and Uniformity deemed necessary we esteem the Liturgy of the Church of England contained in the Book of Common Prayer and by Law established to be such a one as is by them desired according to the Qualifications here mentioned 〈◊〉 1. For Matter agreeable to the Word of God which we 〈◊〉 all other lawful Ministers within the Church of England have or by the Laws ought to have attested by our Personal Subscription 2. Fitly suited to the Nature of the several Ordinances and the Necessities of the Church 3. Nor too tedious in the whole It 's well known that some Mens Prayers before and after Sermon have been usually not much shorter and sometimes much longer than the whole Church Service 4. Nor the Prayers too short The Wisdom of the Church both in ancient and latter times hath thought it a fitter means for relieving the Infirmities of the meaner sort of People which are the major part of most Congregations to contrive several Petitions into sundry shorter Collects or Prayers than to comprehend them altogether in a continued stile or without interruption 5. Nor the Repetitions unmeet There are Examples of the like Repetition frequent in the Psalms and other parts of Scripture Not to mention the unhandsome Tautologies that oftentimes happen and can scarce be avoided in the Extemporary and undigested Prayers that are made especially by Persons of meaner Gifts 6. Nor the Responsals Which if impartially considered are pious Ejaculations fit to stir up Devotion and good Symbols of Conformity betwixt the Minister and the People and have been of very ancient practise and continuance in the Church 7. Nor too dissonant from the Liturgies of other Reformed Churches The nearer both their Forms and ours come to the Liturgy of the Ancient Greek and Latin Churches the less are they liable to the Objections of the Common Enemy To which Liturgies if the Form used in our Church be more agreeable than those of other Reformed Churches and that it were at all needful to make a Change in either it seemeth to be much more reasonable that their Form should be endeavoured to be brought to a nearer Conformity with ours than ours with theirs Especially the Form of our Liturgy having been so signally approved by sundry of the most Learned Divines of the Reformed Churches abroad as by very many Testimonies in their Writings may appear And some of the Compilers thereof have Sealed the Protestant Religion with their Blood and have been by the most Eminent Persons of those Churches esteemed as Martyrs for the same § 19. As for that which followeth Neither can we think that too rigorously imposed which is imposed by Law and that with no more rigour than is necessary to make the Imposition effectual otherwise it could be of no use but to beget and nourish factions Nor are Ministers denied the use and exercise of their Gifts in praying before and after Sermon Although such praying be but the continuance of a Custom of no great Antiquity and grown into Common use by Sufferance only without any other Foundation in the Laws or Canons and ought therefore to be used by all sober and godly Men with the greatest inoffensiveness and moderation possible § 20. If any thing in the Established Liturgy shall be made appear to be justly offensive to sober Persons we are not at all unwilling that the same should be changed The discontinuance thereof we are sure was not our Fault But we find by experience that the use of it is very much desired where it is not and the People generally are very well satisfied with it where it is used which we believe to be a great Conservatory of the chief Heads of Christian Religion and of Piety Charity and Loyalty in the Hearts of the People We believe that the difuse thereof for sundry late years hath been one of the great Causes of the sad Divisions in the Church and that the restoring the same will be by by God's blessing a special means of making up the Breach There being as we have great cause to believe many Thousands more in the Nation that desire it than dislike it Nevertheless we are not against revising of the Liturgy by such discreet Persons as his Majesty shall think fit to imploy therein Of Ceremonies § 21. We conceived there needs no more to be said for justifying the Imposition of the Ceremonies by Law established then what is contained in the beginning of this Section which giveth a full and satisfactory Answer to all that is alledged or objected in the following Discourse which is for the most part rather Rhetorical than Argumentative Inasmuch as lawful Authority hath already determined the Ceremonies in question to be decent and orderly and to serve to Edification and consequently to be agreeable to the General Rules of the Word We acknowledge the Worship of God to be in it self perfect in regard of Essentials which hindereth not but that it may be capable of being improved to us by addition of Circumstantials in order to Decency and Edification As the Lord hath declared himself Jealous in Matters concerning the Substance of his Worship so hath he left the Church at liberty for Circumstantials to determine concerning Particulars according to Prudence as occasion shall require so as the foresaid General Rules be still observed And therefore the imposing and using indifferent Ceremonies is not varying from the Will of God nor is there made thereby any addition to or detraction from the holy Duties of God's Worship Nor doth the same any way hinder the Communication of God's Grace or Comfort in the performance of such Duties § 22. The Ceremonies were never esteemed Sacraments or imposed as such nor was ever any Moral efficacy ascribed to them nor doth the significancy without which they could not serve to Edification import or infer any such thing § 23. Ceremonies have been retained by most of the Protestant Churches abroad which have rejected Popery and have been approved by the
It is the very Nature and Substance of the Office of a Presbyter to have the Power of the Keys for binding and losing retaining or remitting Sin which therefore together or apart as there is occasion they are bound to Exercise And this being the Institution of Jesus Christ cannot be altered by Man In their Ordination according to the established Order in England it is said Whose sins thou dost remit they are remitted whose sins thou dost retain they are retained And they are commanded to Minister the Doctrine Sacraments and Discipline of Christ as the Lord hath commanded and as this Realm hath received the same as expresly as the Bishops are And as the late Primate of Ireland observeth in his Reduction That they may the better understand what the Lord hath commanded the Exhortation of St. Paul to the Elders of the Church of Ephesus is appointed to be read to them at the time of their Ordination Take â—eed to your selves and to all the Flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you Overseers to feed or rule the Congregation of God which he hath purchased with his blood And it is apparent in this Acts 20. 17 18 28. and 15. 23 25. and 16. 4. 1. Thess. 5. 12 13. 1 Tim 3. 4 5. and 5. 17. Heb. 13. 7 17 24. and other places that it is the Office of a Presbyter to Oversee Rule and Guide the Flock which the Ministerial Rule which consisteth in the Exercise of the Keys or Management and Personal Application of God's Word to the Consciences and Cases of particular Persons for their Salvation and the Order of the Church the Coercive Power belonging to the Magistrate And this was the Practice in the Ancient Church as appeareth undeniably in Ignatius Tertullian Cyprian Hierom Chrysostom c. Concil Carthag 4. Can. 22 23 29 32 34 35 36 37. as is confessed by the chiefest Defenders of Episcopacy 2. If all Presentments and Appeals be made to the Bishop and his Consistory alone it will take from us the Parish Discipline which is granted us and cast almost all Discipline out of the Church As is most apparent to them that by experience are acquainted with the quality of our Flocks and with the true Nature of the Pastoral Work Considering 1. How many hundred Churches are in a Diocess 2. How many thousand Persons are in very many Parishes and of those what a number are obstinate in wilful gross Ignorance or Scandal refusing to be instructed or admonished by their Pastors 3. How long and earnestly and tenderly Sinners must be dealth with before they are cut off by Solemn Excommunication 4. How unsatisfactory it must be to the Conscience of a Bishop or Synod to cut off a Man as impenitent upon the bare report of a Minister before by full Admonition they have proved him impenitent themselves especially when too many Ministers are to say nothing of Passion that might cause partial Accusations unable so to manage a Reproof and Exhortation as is necessary to work on the Consciences of the People and to convict Resisters of flat Impenitency 5. What abundance of Work the Bishop will have besides Constant preaching will require time for preparation Visiting the several Churches Confirming all the Souls in so many hundred Parishes which alone is more than any one Man can do aright if he had nothing else to do Ordaining Instituting and Examining the Persons so far as to satisfie a tender Conscience that takes not all on trust from others and is but the Executor of their Judgments These and much more with the care of Church-buildings Lands and his own Affairs and Family and Sicknesses and necessary absence sometimes will make this great additional Work which must be constantly performed for so many hundred Parishes to be impossible 6. Reproofs and Suspension would so exasperate the Scandalous that they would vex the Pastors with numerous Appeals 7. The Pastors will be undone by travelling and waiting and maintaining such a multitude of Witnesses as is necessary for the prosecuting of Presentments and answering so many Appeals 8. The Business will be so odious chargeable and troublesom that Witnesses will not come in 9. The Minister by these Prosecutions and Attendances will be taken off the rest of his Ministerial Work 10. Bishops being but Men will be tempted by this intolerable Burden to be weary of the Work and slubber it over and cast it upon others and to discountenance the most conscionable Ministers that most trouble them with Presentments which when the Offenders perceive they will the more insult and vex us with Appeals So that the Discouragements of Ministers and the utter Incapacity of the Bishops to perform a quarter of this Work will nullifie Discipline as leaving it impossible Experience hath told us this too long And then when our Communion is thus polluted with all that are most incapable through utter Ignorance Scandal and Contempt of Piety 1. Ministers will be deterred from their Administrations to Subjects so uncapable 2. Bishops that are tender Conscienced will be deâ—erred from undertaking so impossible a Work and of so ill Success 3. And Men that have least tenderness of Conscience and Care of Souls and Fear of God's Displeasure will seek for and intrude into both places 4. And the tender conscienced People will be tempted to speak hardly of such undisciplined Churches and of the Officers and to withdraw from them 5. And hereby they will fall under the Displeasure of Superiours and the Scorn of the Vulgar that have no Religion but what is subservient to their Flesh. 6. And so while the most pious are brought under Discountenance and Reproach and the most impious get the Reputation of being most Regular and obedient to their Rulers Piety it self will grow into disesteem and Impiety escape its due disgrace And this hath been the Cause of our Calamities 3. As to the Liturgy it is Matter of great Joy and Thankfulness to us that we have heard your Majesty more than once so resolutely promising That none shall suffer for not using the Common Prayer and Ceremonies but you would secure them from the Penalties in the Act for Uniformity as that which your Declaration at Breda intended and to find here so much of your Majesty's Clemency in your gracious Concessions for a future Emendation But we humbly crave leave to acquaint your Majesty 1. That it grieveth us after all to hear that yet it is given in Charge by the Judges at the Assizes to indict Men upon that Act for not using the Common Prayer 2. That it is not only Some absolete words and other expressions that are offensive 3. That many scruple using some part of the Book as it is lest they be guilty of countenancing the whole who yet would use it when reformed Therefore we humbly crave that your Majesty will here declare That it is your Majesty's pleasure that none be punished or troubled for not using the Book of Common Prayer
Milkstreet for which they allowed me 40 l. per Annum which I continued near a year till we were all Silenced And at the same time I preached once every Lord's Day at Blackfryars where Mr. Gibbons a judicious Man was Minister In Milkstreet I took Money because it came not from the Parishioners but Strangers and so was no wrong to the Minister Mr. Vincent a very holy blameless Man But at Blackfryars I never took a Penny because it was the Parishioners who called me who would else be less able and ready to help their worthy Pastor who went to God by a Consumption a little after he was silenced and put out At these two Churches I ended the Course of my Publick Ministry unless God cause an undeserved Resurrection § 165. Here also my Accusations followed me as maliciously and falsly as before and I was fain to clear my self by printing some of my Sermons in a little Book called Now or Never and in part of another called a Saint or a Bruit § 166. Before this I resolved to go to the Archbishop of Canterbury then Bishop of London to ask him for his License to preach in his Diocess Some Brethren blamed me for it as being an owning of Prelatical Usurpation I told them that the King had given him a power to suffer or hinder me and if he had no power at all I might lawfully desire any Man not to hinder me in my Duty much more having power as the Church-Magistrate or Officer of the King And though I was under no necessity I would not refuse a lawful thing when Authority required it The Archibishop received me with very great expression of Respects and offered me his License and would let his Secretary take no Money of me But he offered me the Book to Subscribe in I told him that he knew that the King's Declaration exempted us from Subscription He bid me write what I would I told him that what I resolved to do and I thought meet for him to expect I would do of choice though I might forbear And so in Latin I subscribed my promise not to preach against the Doctrine of the Church or the Ceremonies established by Law in his Diocess while I used his License And I told him how grievous it was to me to be daily haunted with such general Accusations behind my back and asked him why I was never accused of any Particulars And he confessed to me That if they had got any Particulars that would have deserved it I should have heard particularly from him I scarce think that I ever preached a Sermon without a Spy to give them his report of it § 167. But my last Sermon that ever I preached in Publick being at Blackfryars was defamed with this particular Accusation That I told them that the Gospel was now departing from them Insomuch as the Lady Balcarres told me That even the old Queen of Bobemia told her she wondered that I was so impudent as to say the Gospel was going away because that I and such as I were silenced while others were put into our places But all this was the breath of Mis-reporters without any colour of ground from any thing that I had said as may be seen in the printed Sermons § 168. For when the Ministers were all silenced some covetous Booksellers got Copies of the last Sermons of many of them from the Scribes that took them from their Mouths Some of them were taken word by word which I heard my self but some of us were much abused by it and especially my self for they stiled it A Farewel Sermon and mangled so both Matter and Style that I could not own it besides the printing it to the offense of Governours So that afterwards I writ out the Sermon more at large my self on Col. 2. 6 7. with another Discourse and offered them to the Press but could not get them Licensed for Reasons afterwards to me mentioned § 169. On April 23. was his Majesty's Coronation Day the Day being very serene and fair till suddenly in the Afternoon as they were returning from Westminster-hall there was very terrible Thunders when none expected it Which made me remember his Father's Coronation on which being a Boy at School and having leave to play for the Solemnity an Earthquake about two a Clock in the Afternoon did affright the Boys and all the Neighbourhood I intend no Commentary on these but only to relate the Matter of Fact § 170. To return at last to our Treaty with the Bishops If you observe the King's Declaration you will find that though Matters of Government seemed to be determined yet the Liturgy was to be reviewed and reformed and new Forms drawn up in Scripture phrase suiâ—ed to the several parts of Worship that Men might use which of them they pleased as already there were some such variety of Forms in some Offices of that Book This was yet to be done and till this were done we were uncertain of the Issue of all our Treaty but if that were done and all setled by Law our Divisions were at an end Therefore being often with the Lord Chancellour on the forementioned occasions I humbly intreated him to hasten the finishing of that Work that we might rejoyce in our desired Concord At last Dr. Reignolds and Mr. Calamy were authorized to name the Persons on that side to manage the Treaty and a Commission was granted under the Broad Seal to the Persons nominated on both sides I intreated Mr. Calamy and Dr. Reignolds to leave me out for though I much desired the Expedition of the Work I found that the last Debates had made me unacceptable with my Superiours and this would much more increase it and other Men might be fitter who were less distasted But I could not prevail with them unless I would have peremptorily refused it to Excuse me So they named as Commissioners Dr. Tuckney Dr. Conant Dr. Spurstow Dr. Manton Dr. Wallis Mr. Calamy and my self Mr. Iackson Mr. Case Mr. Clark and Mr. Newcomen besides Dr. Reignolds then Bishop of Norwich And for Assistants being the other Party had Assistants Dr. Horton Dr. Iacomb Dr. Bates Mr. Rawlinson Mr. Cooper Dr. Lightfoot Dr. Collins Mr. Woodbridge and Dr. Drake According to the King's Commission we were to meet and manage our Conference in order to the Ends therein expressed The Commission is as followeth CHARLES the Second by the Grace of God King of England Scotland France and Ireland Defender of the Faith c. To our trusty and well-beloved the most Reverend Father in God accepted Archbishop of York the Right Reverend Father in God Gilbert Bishop of London Iohn Bishop of Durham Iohn Bishop of Rochester Henry Bishop of Chichester Humphrey Bishop of Sarum George Bishop of Worcester Robert Bishop of Lincoln Benjamin Bishop of Peterburgh Bryan Bishop of Chester Richard Bishop of Carlisle Iohn Bishop of Exeter Edward Bishop of Norwich and to our trusty and well-beloved the Reverend
Lives zealously and constantly continue therein against all Opposition and promote the same according to our power against all Lets and Impediments whatsoever And that we are not able our selves to suppress or overcome we shall reveal and make known that it may be timely prevented or removed All which we shall do as in the sight of God And because these Kingdoms are guilty of many Sins and Provocations against God and his Son Iesus Christ as is too manifest by our present Distresses and Dangers the Fruits thereof We profess and declare before God and the World our unfeigned desire to be humbled for our own Sins and for the Sins of these Kingdoms especially that we have not as we ought valued the inestimable benefit of the Gospel that we have not laboured for the purity and power thereof and that we have not endeavoured to receive Christ in our hearts nor to walk worthy of him in our lives which are the Causes of other Sins and Transgressions so much abounding amongst us And our true and unfeigned purpose desire and endeavour for our selves and all others under our power and charge both in publick and in private in all Duties we owe to God and Man to amend our Lives and each one to go before another in the Example of a real Reformation That the Lord may turn away his Wrath and heavy Indignation and establish these Churches and Kingdoms in Truth and Peace And this Covenant we make in the presence of Almighty God the Searcher of all hearts with a true intention to perform the same as we shall answer at that great Day when the Secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed Most humbly beseeching the Lord to strengthen us by his Holy Spirit for this end and to bless our Desires and Proceedings with such Success as may be Deliverance and Safety to his People and encouragement to other Christian Churches groaning under or in danger of the Yoke of Antichristian Tyranny to ioyn in the same or like Association and Covenant to the Glory of God the Inlargement of the Kingdom of Iesus Christ and the Peace and Tranquility of Christian Kingdoms and Common-wealths The Oath and Declaration imposed upon the Lay-Conformists in the Corporation Act the Vestry Act c. are as followeth The Oath to be taken I. A. B. do declare and believe That it is not lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take up Arms against the King and that I do abhor that Traiterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those that are Commissioned by him So help me God The Declaration to be Subscribed I. A. B. do declare That I hold there lyes no Obligation upon me or any ot her Person from the Oath commonly called The Solemn League and Covenant and that the same was in it self an unlawful Oath and imposed upon the Subjects of this Realm against the known Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom All Vestry Men to make and Subscribe the Declaration following I. A. B. do declare That it is not lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King and that I do abhor that Traiterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those that are Commissioned by him And that I will Conform to the Liturgy of the Church of England as it is now by Law established And I do declare That I do hold there lyes no Obligation upon me or any other Person from the Oath commonly called The Solemn League and Covenant to indeavour any Change or Alteration of Government either in Church or State and that the same was in it self an unlawful Oath and imposed upon the Subjects of this Realm against the known Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom The Declaration thus Prefaced in the Act of Uniformity Every Minister after such reading thereof shall openly and publickly before the Congregation there assembled declare his unfeigned Assent and Consent to the use of all things in the said Book contained and prescribed in these words and no other I. A. B. do here declare my unfeigned Assent and Consent to all and every thing contained and prescribed in and by the Book Instituted The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church according to the use of the Church of England together with the Psalter or Psalms of David pointed as they are to be sung or said in Churches and the Forms or Manner of Making Ordaining and Consecrating of Bishops Priests and Deacons The Declaration to be Subscribed I. A. B. d◠declare That it is not lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King and that I abhor that Trayterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those that are Commissionated by him and that I will Conform to the Liturgy of the Church of England as it is now by Law established And I do declare that I do hold there lyes no Obligation upon me or any other Person from the Oath commonly called The Solemn League and Covenant to endeavour any Change or Alteration of Government either in Church or State and that the same was in it self a◠unlawful Oath and imposed upon the Subjects of this Realm against the known Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom The Oath of Canonical Obedience EGo A. B. Iuro quod praestabo Veram Canonicam Obedientiam Episcopo Londinens◠ejusque Successoribus in omnibus licitis honestis § 302. II. The Nonconformists who take not this Declaration Oath Subscription c. are of divers sorts some being further distant from Conformity than others some thinking that some of the forementioned things are lawful and some that none of them are lawful and all have not the same Reasons for their dissent But all are agreed that it is not lawful to do all that is required and therefore they are all cast out of the Exercise of the Sacred Ministry and forbidden to preach the Word of God § 303. The Reasons commonly given by them are either 1. Against the Imposing of the things forementioned or 2. Against the Using of them being imposed Those of the former sort were given into the King and Bishops before the Passing of the Act of Uniformity and are laid down in the beginning of this Book and the Opportunity being now past the Nonconformists now meddle not with that part of the Cause it having seemed good to their Superiours to go against their Reasons But this is worthy the noting by the way that all that I can speak with of the Conforming Party do now justifie only the Using and Obeying and not the Imposing of these things with the Penalty by which they are Imposed From whence it is evident that most of their own Party do now justifie our Cause which we maintained at the Savoy which was against this Imposition whilst it might have been prevented and for which such an intemperate Fury hath
is dangerous for Men to go against the concurrent Judgments of Casuists yea of their own Casuists in the Case of Vows And they know not how to save Subscription from the enmity of the determinations of Dr. Sanderson and all other ordinary Casuists And these are the general Reasons of their fear § 361. But I shall hear tell you what they grant about the obligation of the Covenant 1. They assert that it can bind no Man to any thing that is sinful 2. No nor to any thing that may hereafter be sinful nor from any thing that may be a Duty when it cometh to be such though it were neither Sin nor Duty at the making of the Vow 3. That it bindeth no Man therefore against Obedience to the King though the thing be in it self indifferent and was not commanded by the King when they vowed For if a Man might prevent the Commands of Prince or Parents by his own Vows he might free himself from his Obedience The Command of God to obey Kings and Rulers is antecedent to our Vows and above our Vows and cannot be evacuated or avoided by them Therefore if there be any indifferent thing in the Covenant I will obey the King if he command or forbid it contrary to the Covenant 4. That we take our selves bound by the Covenant to nothing but what is our Duty if there were not such Covenant Not that a Vow doth not bind a Man to things before indifferent We confess it doth But because this Vow included and intended nothing meerly indifferent For it is the Judgment of Protestants and so both of the Framers and the Takers of it that the use of a Vow is not to make new Dutus to our selves which God never made but to bind us to that which God had made our Duty before Else it is a taking of the Name of God in vain All the doubt therefore is but whether it be a secondary Obligation to that which God had before obliged us to So that there is no one Action materially whose doing or not doing we take to depend upon the Covenant's obligation primarily or alone nor do we imagine any thing to be our Duty which would not be so if the Covenant had never had a being 5. That if the Covenanters did then suppose that they were bound to defend and obey the Parliament in that War and to bring a contrary Party to punishment yet now there can be no place for any such Imagination because the Parliament is not in being the War and Difference of Parties is ended Cessante materia câ—ssat obligatio cessantibus personis rerum statu It is now past doubt that we are bound to obey the King and that there is none to stand in competition for our Obedience so that as a League with those persons it ceaseth with the persons 6. That if we had been allowed but to Subscribe That there is no Obligation to endeavour unlawfully or by any unlawful means We had not scrupled so disclaiming any Obligation as on our selves or any other Subjects Thus far there is no Controversie among us about the Covenant § 362. I come now to the Non-Subscribers particular Scruples which are such as these 1. They say That all Men confessing that an Oath or Vow is obligatory they must see good proof that this particular Vow is not so before they can exempt it from the common force of Vows But such proof they have never seen from Mr. Fullwood Mr. Sâ—â—â—man Dr. Gauden or any that hath attempted it and on whom it is incumbent but rather admire that Men of so great Judgment and Tenderness of Conscience should ever be satisfied with such halting Arguments which they had long ago more fully confuted if the Law had not forbidden them They herein argue as the Bishops in another Case Uncertainties must give place to Certainties caeteris paribus But they are certain in general that Vows are obligatory if materially lawful and they are uncertain that this Vow it materially unlawful and so not obligatory Ergo they dare not say that no Man is obliged by it § 363. 2. They say That all the World confesseth that a Vow obligeth 〈◊〉 necessariâ to that which is antecedently a Duty but they propound it to consideration whether all these things following which are in the Covenant are certainly no Duties antecedently 1. To endeavour in our several Places and Callings the preservation of the Reformed Religion 2. The Reformation of Worship Discipline and Church-Government according to the Word of God in England 3. To bring the Churches of God in the three Kingdoms to the nearest conjunction and uniformity in Religion 4. To endeavour the extirpation of not Episcopacy but Prelacy that is Church-Government by Archbishops Bishops their Chancellours Commissaries c. that is the fore described Frame Whether that Frame be so blameless as to be allowable I leave to their Judgments who have weighed what is before said 5. The Extirpation of Popery 6. To endeavour the Extirpation of Superstition 7. And of Heresie 8. And of Prophaneness 9. And of whatsoever shall be found contrary to sound Doctrine and the Power of Godliness 10. To endeavour with our Estates and Lives to defend the King's Majesty's Person and Authority in the preservation and defence of the true Religion and Liberties of the Kingdoms and not to diminish his Majesty's just Power and Greatness 11. To be humbled for our own sins and the sins of the Kingdoms 12. To amend our Lives and each one to go before another in the Example of a real Reformation If all these be not Duties let the question be Whether any one of them be a Duty And then Whether that which is antecedently a Duty by Divine Obligation be not further so by Self-obligation when it is vowed with an Oath Or whether a Vow bind not to a Duty But this is but by the by about the sence of the Imposers of Subscription exprest in the Corporation Act. But it is only the 〈◊〉 of Church Government which the present Controversie is about And if all that was said against our Prelacy on the first Controversie prove it a Duty to endeavour an alteration of the Church-Government then the Controversie is at an end § 364. 3. They say That all Men confess that an Oath and Vow is obligatory in a lawful matter though it were not antecedently necessary But whether in their Places and Callings to endeavour an alteration of the Church-Government be not lawful is the question Here 1. let it be observed what the matter of the Vow is 2. Who be the Persons whose Obligations are in question 1. The matter of the Vow was not to extirpate Episcopacy in general nor the Primitive Episcopacy in particular but only the fore described English Diocesan Prelacy in Specie which I prove beyond all denial 1. Because that which was not in being in England could not be extirpated out of England But it was
the Churches of England and faithfully to preserve the peace and happiness thereof And all those who are qualified with abilities according to the Law and take the Oaths and Declarations abovesaid shall be allowed to preach Lectures and Occasional Sermons and to Catechize and to be presented and admitted to any Benefice or to any Ecclesiastical or Academical promotions or to the teaching of Schools 3. Every person admitted to any Benefice with cure of Souls shall be obliged himself on some Lord's day within a time prefixed to read the Liturgy appointed for that day when it is satisfactorily altered and the greatest part of it in the mean time and to be often present at the reading of it and sometimes to administer the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper according to the said Liturgies And it shall by himself or some other allowed Minister be constantly used in his Church and the Sacraments frequently administred as is required by the Law 4. The 4th was against the Ceremonies without alteration in their own words save about bowing at the Name â—esus as after 5. No Bishop Chancellor or other Ecclesiastical Officers shall have power to silence any allowed Minister or suspend him 〈◊〉 officio vel beneficio arbitrarily or for any cause without a known Law And in case of any such arbitary or injurious silencing and suspension there shall be allowed an appeal to some of his Majestie 's Courts of Iustice so as it may be prosecuted in a competent time and at a tolerable expence being both Bishops and Presbyters and all Ecclesiastical persons are under the Government of the King and punishable by him for gross and injurious male-administrations 6. Though we judge it the Duty of Ministers to Catechize instruct exhort direct and comfort the people personally as well as publickly upon just occasion yet lest a pretended necessity of Examinations before the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper or an unwarrantable strictness should introduce Church-Tyranny and wrong the faithful by keeping them from the Communion let all those be admitted to the Communion who since their Infant baptism have at years of discretion manifested to the Bishop or the Ministers of the Parish Church where they live a tolerable understanding of the Essential points of Faith and Godliness that is of the Baptismal Covenant and of the nature and use of the Lord's Supper and have personally owned before them or the Church the Covenant which by others they made in Baptism professing their Resolution to keep the same in a Faithful Godly Righteous Charitable and Temporal Life and are not since this profession revolted to Atheism Insidelity or Heresy that is the denying of some Essential Article of faith and live not impenitently in any gross and scandalous sin And therefore in the Register of each Parish let all their Names be written who have either before their Confirmation or at any other time thus understandingly owned their Baptismal Covenant and a Certificate thereof from the Minister of the place shall serve without any further examination for their admission to Communion in that or any other Parish Church where they shall after live till by the aforesaid revolts they have merited their suspension 7. Because in many families there are none who can read or pray â—or call to remembrance what they have heard to edify themselves and spend the Lords day in holy Exercises and many of these live so far from the Church that they go more seldom than the rest and therefore have great need of the assistance of their Neighbours it is not to be taken for a Conventicle or unlawful meeting when Neighbours shall peaceably joyn together in reading the Scripture or any good books or repeating publick Sermons and praying and â—ging â—salms to God whilst they do it under the inspection of the Minister and not in opposition to the publick Assemblies Nor yet that meeting where the Minister shall privately Catechize his Neighbours or pray with them when they are in sickness danger or distress tho persons of several Families shall be present 8. Whereas the Canon and Rubrick forbid the adâ—ission of notorious scandalous sinners to the Lords table be it enacted that those who are proved to deride or scorn at Christianity or the holy Scriptures or the Life of Reward and Punishment or the serious practice of a Godly Life and strict obedience to Gods Commands shall be numbered with the Scandalous sinners mentioned in the Canon and Rubrick and not admitted before repentance to the holy Communion § 69. The following paper will give you the reasons of all our alterations of their form of Words But I must add this that we thought not the form of Subscription sufficient to keep out a Papist from the established Ministery much less from a Toleration which we medled not with And here and in other alterations I bore the blame and they told me that no Man would put in such doubts but I. And I will here tell Posterity this Truth as a Mystery yet only to the blind which must not now be spoken that I believe that I have been guilty of hindering our own Liberties in all Treaties that ever I was employ'd in For I remember not one in which there was not some crevice or contrivance or terms offered for such a Toleration as would have let in the moderate Papists with us And if we would but have opened the Door to let the Papists in that their Toleration might have been charged upon us as being for our sakes and by our request or procuâ—ement we might in all likelihood have had our part But though for my own part I am not for Cruelty against Papists any more than others even when they are most cruel to us but could allow them a certain degree of liberty on Terms that shall secure the common Peace and the People's Souls yet I shall never be one of them that by any renewed pressures or severities shall be forced to petition for the Papists liberty if they must have it let them Petition for it themselves No craft of Iesuits or Prelates shall thunder me cudgel me or cheat me into the Opinion that it is now necessary for our own Ministry Liberty or Lives that we I say we Nonconformists be the famed Introducers of the Papists Toleration that so neither Papists nor Prelatists may bear the odium of it but may lay it all on us God do what he will with us his way is best but I think that this is not his way § 70. Upon these Alterations I was put to give in my Reasons of them which were as followeth The Reasons of our Alterations of your Proposals 1. I Put in Presidents c. to avoid Dispute whether such were meer Presbyters or as some think Bishops 2. I leave out time of disorder because it will else exclude all that were Ordained by Presbyters since the King came in 3. I put in Instituted and Authorized to intimate that it is not an Ordination to
food to the hazard of their Eternal Souls Among many Arguments therefore for Liberty in other Papers from Policy Convenience Reason of State and Reason of Religion I have this one to offer you of a more binding Nature an Argument from Iustice Righteousness and Restitution to the Displaced It is true that the Places they once had are filled and disposed but there are others enough There are many of those who possess theirs do also keep their own and keep more There are many who are Canons Deans Prebeâ—daries that are also Parsons Rectors Vicars who have Benefices and Honours by heaps and by the bushel If it shall please you therefore in this Bill on the Anvil or in another to take Cognizance of Pluralities that for the preventing an Idle Scandalous Covetously overgrown unprofitable Ministery every Man who hath more than one Cure of Souls or one Dignity shall give them up into a publick stock or to a general Distribution you shall do the Church right and the Ejected right you shall give such Drones their Due and God his Due and strew the way by this means for the making your Grace intended in this Bill of signification In the Name of God Sirs let me move you to this if it were only Hac vice for a present needful Conjunction of us at this season We see the jaws of Popery and the Sectary opening upon us if the sober Protestant Interest be not united we perish I know who will be ready to stamp here and throw dust in the Air for it is these Sons of the Horse-Leâ—ch whose voice is still Give Give that will never be contented with a single portion A Dignity therefore with a Living let them be allowed but one Dignity and one Cure of Souls should be all tho they cuâ— themselves with Lanees It is this damn'd hard objection at the bottom the Priests Covetousness and Corruption rather than their Dispute about things indifferent that really hinders the Church's peace and prosperity To Conclude According to what every Man's mind is most upon the Publick Interest or his own such is his value more or less § 263. About this time was a great change of Affairs in Scotland their Parliament concurring with this of England in distasting the present Councils and Proceedings but not so much Proclaiming the danger of Popery as Aggravating the Burdens and Grievances of the People against the great Commissioner the Duke of Lauderdail So that Duke Hamilton became the Head of the Opposition and most of the Nobility and Commons adhered to him and were against D. of Lauderdail And the Parliament went so high that D. Lauderdail was fain to Adjourn them Whereupon D. Hamilton came to England with their Grievances to the King with some of the Nobility But the King tho he gave him fair respect sharply rebuked him and their Proceedings and stuck close to D. Lauderdail against all opposition § 264. At last D. Lauderdail found the way to turn their own Engin against themselves and whereas many of their Grievances had been settled by themselves by Act of Parliament while they were ruled by him he acquainteth the King how heavy and unsufferable they were and so the King by a Letter releaseth them And among their burdens was a great income settled upon D. Hamilton for some service Loss or Loan to the King by his Predecessors which he that had complained of Grievances was now to loss by the King removing the Grievances Whereupon he professed that he had been still ready to remit those Revenues but he could not do it in this way of a Letter against a Law lest by the same way another Letter should take away the rest of his Estate And he got the hands of Lawyers to testify it was against Law and sent it to the King who in displeasure rejected his Narrative and so the Dissention in Scotland increased § 265. At this time April 1674 God hath so much increased my Languishing and laid me so low by an incessant inflation of my head and translation of my great flatulency thither to the Nerves and Members increasing these ten or twelve weeks to greater pains that I have reason to think that my time on Earth will not be long And O how Good hath the Will of God proved hitherto to me And will it not be best at last Experience causeth me to say to his praise Great peace have they that love his Law and nothing shall offend them And tho my flesh and heart do fail God is the Rock of my heart and my portion for ever § 266. At this time came out my Book called The poor Man's Family Book which the remembrance of the great use of Mr. Dents Plain Man's path way to Heaven now laid by occasioned me to write for poor Countrey Families who cannot buy or read many Books § 267. I will not here pass by the Commemoration of one among many of the worthy silenced Ministers of London that such Examples may provoke more to some imitation viz. Mr. Thomas Gouge He is the eldest Son of old Dr. William Gouge Deceased He was Pastor to that great Parish called Sepulâ—hres whence he was ejected with the rest of his brethren at the time when the restored Prelates acted like themselves I never heard any one person of what rank sort or sect soever speak one word to his Dishonour or Name any fault that ever they charged on his Life or Doctrine no not the Prelatists themselves save only that he conformed not to their impositions and that he did so much good with so great Industry God blessed him with a good Estate and he liberally used it in works of Charity When the fire consumed much of it and when he had settled his Children and his wife was taken from him by Death of an hundred and fifty pound a year that he had left he gave an hundred of it to charitable uses His daily work is to do all the good he can with as great diligence and constancy as other Men labour at their Trades He visiteth the poor and seeketh after them He writeth books to stir up the rich to devote at least the tenth part of their Estates to works of Charity He goeth to the rich to perswade and urge them He collecteth moneys of all that he can prevail with and travelleth himself tho between 60 and 70 years old into Wales Winter and Summer and disperseth the money to the poor labouring persecuted Ministers He hath settled himself in the chief Towns of Wales a great number of Schools for Women to teach Children to read having himself undertaken to pay them for many hundred Children He printeth many thousands of his own practical Books and giveth them freely throughout Wales at his own charge And when I do something of the like by mine he undertaketh the Distribution of them He preacheth in Wales himself till they drive him from place to place by persecution when he returneth home he visiteth the
I was then desired to Communicate it to some Nonconforming Brethren Dr. Manton was gone into the Countrey Dr. Bates was sick I Communicated it to Mr. Iohn Corbet Mr. aâ—ents Mr. Pool Dr. Iacomb and Mr. Humphrey When we had made such further small Corrections as all agreed on Mr. Pool and I were desired to meet the two Doctors for a further procedure They met us and we again read the Draught but would give them no Copy and agreed with them that they should take the present time while Bishop Morley was out of Town as likest to frustrate and to desire Bishop Ward and Bishop Pierson of Chester a Learned sober Man to meet us and to hear what we had agreed on and promise us secrecy Bishop Ward once came in upon us when we were together but withdrew They promised us to try it speedily But when they had only in General told Bishop Ward c. how far we had gone and how fair we were for Agreement and told them some of the particular Materials there was a full end of all the Treaty The Bishops had no further to go We had already carryed it too far Hearing no more of the Doctors we sent to know how the Case went and understood by them that their Hopes and Labours were at an end I sent to Dr. Tillotson to know whether they would give me leave to tell any to promote our Concord how far they agreed with us that their Names might be some advantage to the work And he wrote to me as followeth Apr. 11. 1675. Sir I took the first opportunity after you were with us to speak to the Bishop of Sal. who promised to keep the matter private and only to acqaint the Bishop of Ch. with it in order to a Meeting But upon some General Discourse I plainly perceived several things could not be obtained However he promised to appoint a time of Meeting but I have not heard from him since I am unwilling my Name should be used in this Matter not but that I do most heartily desire an Accommodation and shall always endeavour it But I am sure it will be a prejudice to me and signify nothing to the effecting of the thing which as Circumstances are cannot pass in either House without the Concurrence of a considerable part of the Bishops and the Countenance of His Majesty which at present I see little reason to expect I am Your affectionate Brother and Servant Iohn Tillotson § 288. A short time after told these Doctors what these same Bishops were even then contriving when they cryed up Agreement and set them on this work even to bring things much higher than they were by putting on Oath on the Lords Commons and Magistrates of which more anon But because some would know the Terms which we agreed on I shall here annex the Form to a word only telling them that would understand it 1. That it is not what we would have had we our Choice but what we would possibly hope might have been granted us We had not the least hopes of more 2. That we did not so annex the latter Particulars as if we would not have been glad of the former alone could no more be had For the bare opening of the Door for our Entrance would have done something for a present shift 3. That the passage that shortening Common Prayer in extraordinary Cases should not be punishable had several uses which unless we had opportunity here to open as we debated it cannot be suddenly understood by each Reader And many will say that too much or too little is yielded that know not our Circumstances and hear not our Reasons But it may somewhat satisfy considering Men that both parties did agree in the form here annexed tho the Bishops had rather all our Distractions and Miseries were by the greatest Cruelty continued An Act for the Healing and Concord of his Majestie 's Subject 's in matters of Religion WHereas the Concord and Conjunct Labours of all able Godly Ministers of Christ are of great use to the safety of the true Religion and peace of the Kingdom and the Salvation of their Flocks and Experience proveth that this Concord cannot be now obtained without some Abatement of the terms of Uniformity required by the present Laws Be it enacted by His Majesty c. I. That no other Oath Subscription Declaration Covenant or promise shall henceforth be necessary to or required of any Priests or Deacons for their Ordination Institution Induction License to preach and perform their Office nor of Students in the Universities nor School-Masters besides the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy and the promises at Ordination of Ministerial fidelity contained in the form of Ordination and the subscribing to the Doctrine and Sacraments of the Church of England according to the statute of Eliz. 13. in the words J. A. B. do unfeignedly assent to the Doctrine of Faith and Sacraments of the Church of England as they are expressed in the Articles of the Church And the Oaths for the proper privileges of the Universities and Colledges and to this following Declaration against Rebellion and Disloyalty J. A. B. do hold that it is not lawful for any of his Majestie 's Subjects upon any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King his Person Authority or Rights and Dignity nor against any Authorized by his Laws or Legal Commission and that there lyeth no obligation on me or any of his Majestie 's Subjects from the Oath commonly called the solemn League and Covenant to endeavour any Change of the present Government of his Majestie 's Kingdoms nor to endeavour any reformation or alteration of the Church Government as it is not by Law established by Rebellion Sedition or any other unlawful means II. And be it enacted by c. That in such Churches or places of publick worship where the Liturgy is read and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper accordingly administred by the Incumbent or the Lecturer or Curate or other Minister no other shall be punished for not using it there or for not baptizing or not administring the Lord's Supper provided that such other Minister be oft present at the reading of the Liturgy and that he read it himself at least twice a year and as often baptize Children if offered thereto and administer the Lord's Supper according to the Liturgy if he have cure of Souls Provided that no Minister shall be punished as guilty of Omission for any brevity which is caused unavoidably by sickness weakness or any just extraordinary cause But if otherwise the Liturgy be in any Church disused the Incumbent shall be punishable as is already appointed by the Law And Be it enacted that no Parent shall be forbidden to enter his own Child into Covenant with God in baptism by speaking such promising and undertaking words as by the Liturgy and Canon are now required of the Godfathers and Godmothers alone Nor shall any Minister be forced against
Kingdom is to Heaven § 291. When I understood that the design was to ruin me by heaping up Convictions before I was heard to speak for my self I went to Sir Thomas Davis and told him that I undertook to prove that I broke not the Law and desired him that he would pass no Judgment till I had spoke for my self before my Accusers But I found him so ignorant of the Law as to be fully perswaded that if the Informers did but swear in general that I kept an unlawful meeting in Pretence of a Religious Exercise in other manner than according to the Liturgy and practice of the Church of England he was bound to take this general Oath for Proof and to record a Judgment and so that the Accusers were indeed the Judges and not he I told him that any Lawyer would soon tell him the contrary and that he was Judge whether by particular Proof they made good their general Accusation as it is in case a Man be accused of Felony or Treason it is not enough that Men swear that he is a Felon or Traytor they must name what his Fact was and prove him guilty And I was at charge in Feeing Counsellors to convince him and others and yet I could not perswade him out of his mistake I told him that if this were so any two such Fellows might defame and bring to Fines and Punishment himself and all the Magistrates and Parliament-Men themselves and all that meet in the Parish-Churches and Men had no Remedy At last he told me that he would consult with other Aldermen at the Sessions and they would go one way When the Sessions came I went to Guild-Hall and again desired him that I might be heard before I was Judged But though the other Aldermen save two or three were against such doings I could not prevail with him but professing great Kindness he then laid all on Sir Iohn Howell the Recorder saying that it was his Judgment and he must follow his Advice I desired him and Sir Thomas Allen that they would desire of the Recorder that I might be heard before I was Judged and that if it must pass by his Judgment that he would hear me speak But I could not procure it the Recorder would not speak with me When I saw their Resolution I told Sir Thomas Davis if I might not be heard I would record to Posterity the injustice of his Judgment and Record But I perceived that he had already made the Record but not yet given it in to the Sessions At last upon Consultation with his Leaders he granted me a hearing and three of the Informers met me at his House that had sworn against me I told them my particular Case and asked them what made my Preaching a Breach of that Law and how they proved their Accusation They first said Because I Preached in an unconsecrated Place I told them 1. That the Act only laid it on the manner of the Exercise which the Place was nothing to And 2. That it was the Practice of the Church of England to Preach in unconsecrated Places as at Sturbridge-Fair at the Spittle at Whitchall-Court and many such like They next said Because I am a Nonconformist I easily convinced them that I am not a Nonconformist in Law-sence but in the same case with a Conformist that hath no Benefice whatever I am in conscience the Law obliging me to no more than I do And if I were that is nothing to the manner of the exercise Their last and great proof was that I used not the Common Prayer I undertook to prove to them that Law commandeth the use of the Common Prayer only in Church Meetings and not in every other subordinate or by-Meeting for Religious Exercises such as ours was And that it was not the sense of the Act that Conformable persons that Communicate in the Liturgy with the Parish Churches should be judged Conventiclers whenever above four of them joyned in a Religious Exercise without the Liturgy For else all Tutors in the University should be punishable and all School-masters that teach their Scholars and pray with them if above 16 years of age and they that instruct Prisoners at Newgate and they that exhort and pray and sing Psalms with them at the Gallows with many such Instances We ought not to judge so uncharitably of King and Parliament unconstrained as to think that they would allow Multitudes to meet at a Play-house a Musick-house a horse-race a Bear-baiting or Dancing or any game and allow many to meet at a Coffee-house Ale-house or Tavern or in any private house and do on pain of utter ruine only forbid Conformable persons to joyn more than four in singing a Psalm or reading a Chapter or a Licensed book or in praying together or Conference tending to Religious Edification In Summ they confest they could not Answer me nor prove their charge but they still believed that I was guilty The Justice was so far from thinking that they proved it that he motioned to them to Retract their Oaths or else still he thought that he must condemn me They denyed to do that and said That the Bishop assured them That it was a Conventicle and I was guilty I desired them if it must all lie upon the Bishop that I might Speak with them to the Bishop for my self They told me That it was the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury and they were all just now going to him and promised to bring me word when I might Speak with him But I heard no more of them of that But the Justice retracted not his Judgment but delayed a Month or more to give out his Warrant to distrein though I daily look when they take my books for they will find but little else Though both Justice and Accusers have before witness confessed that they cannot prove me guilty but one professeth to go on the belief of the Recorder and the other of the Archbishop § 292. But God hath more mercy on these ignorant Informers than on the Pharisaical Instigators of them For those repent but no Prelate save one that I hear of doth repent One of them that â—â—ore against me went the next Fast to Redrifâ— to Mr. Rosewell's Church where a Fast was kept where hearing three Ministers pray and preach his heart was melted and with Tears he lamented his former course and particularly his Accusing me and seemeth resolved for a new reformed Course of Life and is retired from his former Company to that end And a third the chief of the Informers lately in the Streets with great kindness to me professed that he would meddle no more coming by when a half distracted Fellow had Struck me on the head with his Staff and furiously reviled at me for Preaching with the titles of Rogue Villain Hypocrite Traytor c. as the Prelatists and Papists often do § 293. The Parliament meeting Apr. 13. they fell first on the D. of Lauderdale renewing their desire to
the King to remove him from all publick Enployment and Trust His chief accusing Witness was Mr. Burnet late Publick-Professor of Theologie at Glascow who said That he askt him whether the Scots Army would come into England and said What if the Dissenting Scots should Rise an Irish Army should cut their Throats c. But because Mr. Burnet had lately magnified the said Duke in an Epistle before a published book many thought his witness now to be more unfavoury and revengefull Every one judging as they were affected But the King sent them Answer That the words were spoken before his late Act of pardon which if he should Violate it might cause jelousies in his Subjects that he might do so also by the Act of Indemnity § 294. Their next Assault was against the Lord Treasurer who found more Friends in the House of Commons who at last acquitted him § 295. But the great work was in the House of Lords where an Act was brought in to impose such an Oath on Lords Commons and Magistrates as is Imposed by the Oxford-Act of Confinement on Ministers and like the Corporation-Oath of which more anon It was now supposed that the bringing the Parliament under this Oath and Test was the great work which the House was to perform The Summ was That none Commissioned by the King may be by Arms resisted and that they would never endeavour any alteration of the Government of Church or State Many Lords spake vehemently against it as destructive to the Privileges of their House which was to Vote freely and not to be preobliged by an Oath to the Prelates The Lord Treasurer the Lord Keeper with Bishop Morley and Bishop Ward were the great Speakers for it And the Earl of Shaftsbury Lord Hollis the Lord Hallifax the D. of Buckingham the Earl of Salisbury the chief Speakers against it They that were for it being the Major part many of the rest Entered their Protestation against it The Protesters the first time for they protested thrice more afterward were the Duke of Buckingham the Marquess of Winchester the Earls of Salisbury Bristol Barkshire § 296. The Protesting Lords having many days striven against the Test and being overvoted attempted to joyn to it an Oath for Honesty and Conscience in these words I do swear that I will never by threats injunctions promises or invitations by or from any person whatsoever nor from the hopes or prospects of any gift place office or trust whatever give my vote other than according to my opinion and conscience as I shall be truly and really perswaded upon the debate of any business in Parliament But the Bishops on their side did cry it down and cast it out § 297. The Debating of this Text did more weaken the Interest and Reputation of the Bishops with the Nobles than any thing that ever befel them since the King came in so much doth unquiet overdoing tend to undoing The Lords that would not have heard a Nonconformist say half so much when it came to be their own case did long and vehemently plead against that Oath and Declaration as imposed on them which they with the Commons had before imposed on others And they exercised so much liberty for many days together in opposing the Bishops and free and bold speeches against their Test as greatly turned to the Bishops Disparagement especially the Earl of Shaftsbury the Duke of Buckingham the Earl of Bristol the Marquess of Winchester the Earl of Salisbury the Lord Hollis the Lord Hallifax and the Lord of Alesbury Which set the Tongues of Men at so much liberty that the common talk was against the Bishops And they said that upon Trial there were so few found among all the Bishops that were able to speak to purpose Bishop Morley of Winchester and Bishop Ward of Salisbury being their chief Speakers that they grew very low also as to the Reputation of their parts § 298. At last though the Test was carried by the Majority yet those that were against it with others prevailed to make so great an alteration of it as made it quite another thing and turned it to the greatest disadvantage of the Bishops and the greatest accommodation of the Cause of the Nonconformists of any thing that this Parliament hath done For they reduced it to these words of a Declaration and an Oath I A. B. do declare That it is not lawful on any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King And that I do abhor that Traiterous Position of taking Arms by His Authority against His Person or against those that are Commissioned by him according to Law in time of Rebellion and War in acting in pursuance of such Commission I A. B. do Swear that I will not endeavour an Alteration of the Protestant Religion now established by Law in the Church of England nor will I endeavour any Alteration in the Government of this Kingdom in Church or State as it is by Law Established § 299. This Declaration and Oath thus altered was such as the Nonconformists would have taken if it had been offered them in stead of the Oxford-Oath the Subscription for Uniformity the Corporation and Vestry Declaration But the Kingdom must be Twelve years rackt to Distraction and 1800 Ministers forbidden to Preach Christ's Gospel upon pain of utter ruin and Cities and Corporations all New-Modelled and Changed by other kind of Oaths and Covenants and when the Lords find the like obtruded on themselves they reject it as intolerable And when it past they got in this Proviso That it should be no hinderance to their Free-Speaking and Voting in the Parliament Many worthy Ministers have lost their Lives by Imprisonments and many Hundred their Maintenance and Liberty and that opportunity to serve God in their Callings which was much of the comfort of their Lives and mostly for refusing what the Lords themselves at last refuse with such another Declaration But though Experience teach some that will no otherwise learn it is sad with the World when their Rulers must learn to Govern them at so dear a rate and Countreys Cities Churches and the Souls of Men must pay so dear for their Governours Experience § 300. The following Explication will tell you That there is nothing in this Oath and Declaration to be refused 1. I do declare That it is not lawful can mean no more but that I think so and not that I pretend to Infallible certainly therein 2. To take Arms against the King That is either against his Formal Authority as King or against His Person Life or Liberty or against any of His Rights and Dignity And doubtless the Person of the King is inviâ—â—able and so are His Authority and Rights not only by the Laws but by the very Constitution of the Kingdom For every Common-wealth being essentially constituted of the Pars Imperans and pars subdita materially the Union of these is the Form of it and the Dissolution is the Death of it And
is necessary absolutely to the Being of the Ministerial Calling I doubt not but all the unhappy Consequences will be unavoidable which you mention concerning the Churches of all the West But whether it be you or I that is to be blamed for those Consequences it is not your Word only that must determine and I am willing to try by weight of Reasons Except to Sect. 13. And now for the Proof of all this the whole weight is laid by this Book 1. Upon an Argument a comparatis If they the Protestants beyond Seas are lawful Pastors and Presbyters whose Necessity and Plea of Necessity publickly to have been made by those these our new Presbyterians cannot deny then our new ordained ones by Presbyters are Presbyters also though they want all such Pretence all colour of Necessity for themselves were the first Authors of it to those that ejected them which yet did not bring a Necessity neither which we all know If Necessity be pleaded to be above Ecclesiastical Laws as sometimes it hath dispensed even with divine positive Laws themselves then they pro imperio will be above them by their own Magisterial 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and by Consequence if they will take this to themselves that whatsoever is lawful to others upon necessity is and shall be lawful to themselves without Necessity they may in the next place Pope-like take to themselves to dispense with divine positive Laws also because necessity has sometimes dispensed with them Reply to Sect. 13. 1. You may as well say we dare not say the Sun Shineth as that we dare not deny the Protestant Churches to have been without Bishops to this day through necessity against their Wills when in almost all of them the full Power Civil and Ecclesiastical is supposed to be among themselves though I deny not but some particular Persons among them would fain have Bishops yet I think very few in comparison of those that were willing to be rid of them when they were received here 2. You boldly affirm without Proof that the Ministers of this County who were not ordained by Bishops were Ejectors of them or Authors of the Necessity 3. I shewed you before we have more Necessity than you mention and besides a Necessity whereof we are not guilty there may be a culpable Necessity which yet may free our calling from a nullity though not our selves from Sin What if God should permit all the Churches of Ethiopia or the Greeks to deny the Ius Divinum of Episcopacy which is possible as well as to permit the Reformed Churches to do i◠aud so to set up Ordination by meer Presbyters while I speak to you on your own Grounds I suppose this to be their Error and so their Sin yet would you presently unchurch them all and rather have God's Worship forborn as to the Publick There be many among us who are against Diocesan Bishops who give us good testimony of a sincere Heart impartial studying of the Point with as much self-denial and earnest Prayer for God's Direction as any Episcopal Man that ever I knew and yet remain against Episcopacy This kind of Necessity may sure free their Calling from the Charge of Nullity which needs not this Plea though it could not free them from the Charge of Error Except to Sect. 14. Instead of answering one Word to Ignatius God's Holy Saint and Martyr his renowned Epistles which he knew lately vindicated or to all the ancient Fathers avowing in terminis the jus divinum of Bishops above Presbyters and the Bishops sole Power of ordaining or producing any to the contrary he fills up his Books with Citations of modern Mens Writings which they all wrote charitably for the Patronage of those poor afflicted Protestants who had no Bishops because they could have none So that as well his Authorities as his Reasons are all drawn a loco comparatorum arguing weakly from the Priviledge of necessity to their licentiousness with or without Necessity which is one continued Sophism Reply to Sect. 14. 1. Though Ignatius were both a Saint and Holy yet I know not what call I had in those Papers to meddle with him Unless I must needs dispute the point of Episcopacy which I did disclaim 2. As I would not undervalue the late Vindicacation of Ignatius so I would not have you so far overvalue it as to think it should so easily and potently prevail 1. With all those that see not any Cogency in the Arguments or sufficiency in the Answers to the contrary Objections 2. Or with hose that will take Scripture only for the Test of this Cause 3. Or with those that are confident that you can never prove that Ignatius speaks of Diocesan Bishops but only of the Bishops of particular Churches 3. Your talk of all the Ancient Fathers avowing in terminis the Bishops sole Power of ordaining doth but discredit the rest of your Words You suppose us utter Strangers both to those Fathers and the English Bishops who maintain that Presbyters must be their Coadjutors in Ordination 4. What if I should grant that all the Fathers would have Bishops to have the sole Power of Ordaining ordinarily and for Order Sake And that it is a Sin of Disorder where unnecessarily it is done otherwise that 's nothing to the Question that I had in hand which is whether such Ordination by Presbyters be not only irregular but null and whether an uninterrupted Succession be necessary to our Office 5. I plainly perceive here again that you are loath to speak out your Mind but you seem to dissent from these charitable Maintainers of the Protestants Why else do you set Ignatius and the ancient Fathers as the Party that I should have respected instead of these if you did not think that the Fathers and these Men were contrary 6. My Business was to prove that according to the Principles of the Protestant Bishops in England our Ordination was not null eo Nomine because without a Bishop now I am blamed for proving this by Modern Writers and not Fathers If you will disclaim the Modern Protestant Bishops do not pretend to be of their Party but speak plainly If I fill up my Book with such Citations then I hope I was not deficient in bringing the Testimonies of the Protestant Episcopal Divines and yet many more I could cite to that end 7. To that of the Protestants Necessity enough is said till your Words are canonical or your Proof stronger I do not think but there are some Protestant Bishops so called at least in France and Holland now that went out of Britain and Ireland why cannot they ordain them Bishops in their extream Necessity Why did the angry Bishops so revile poor Calvin Beza the Churches of Geneva Scotland and many others for casting out Bishops and setting up Presbytery if all were done on a justifiable Necessity But enough of this Except to Sect. 15. But that these Authors cited by him may be authentical all the
Consecrated Bread and Wine which is here omitted The Minister is causelesly tied to meet the Corps just at the Church Style and to use the oft-repeated Lord have Mercy upon us Christ have Mercy upon us Lord have Mercy upon us And it is a Confusion perilous to the living that we are to presume that all we bury be of one sort viz. Elect and Saved when contrarily we see multitudes die without any such Signs of Repentance as rational Charity can judge sincere It is disorder that Women be not at all required beforehand to desire any publick Prayers for their safe Deliverance and yet when they are delivered that a Thanksgiving on the Lord's Days such as is for other great Deliverances will not serve the turn without a special Office which if performed on the Lord's Day will be an Impediment or Disturbance to the publick Worship And while an inconvenient Psalms and Repetitions and Responds be used the Prayer is defective as will appear by comparing it with what we offer It is a perilous Disorder that Penance as it is called be used by notorious Sinners at a stated time the beginning of Lent which should be used rightly to restore the Person whenever he is fallen And this is not to be wished in this Disorder to be restored again no more than that Physick be given only at Lent in acute Diseases which must be medicated out of Hand In the repeating of the Curses the People should be better taught to know the difference of the Law and Gospel and then that excellent dehortation may be well used But this pertaineth to the ordinary preaching of the Word Of the Responds and the doubtful Phrase thou hatest nothing tâ—at thou hast made we have spoke before Other Omissions and Disorders appear by comparing it with what we offer We only add upon the whole these further general Remarks 1. It is a great Disorder that we have so many Prayers instead of many Petitions in one Prayer The Gravity and Seriousness requisite in our Prayers to God and the Examples left on Record in Scripture do persuade us when we have many Petitions at once to put up to God which all have a Connexion in Nature and Necessity that there should be such a Connexion of our Desires and Requests and many of them should constitute one Prayer whereas the Common-Prayer-Book in its numerous Collects doth make oft times as many Prayers as Petitions and we undecently begin with a solemn Preface and as Solemnly conclude and then begin again as if before every Petition of the Lord's Prayer we should repeat Our Father which art in Heaven and after every Petition For thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory Yet we deny not that when we have but some one Particular Request to put up without Connexion with others we may then make a Prayer of that alone 2. Hence it comes to pass that the holy and reverend Name of God is made the matter of unnecessary Tautologies while half the Prayer is made up of his Attributes and Addresses to him and with Conclusions containing the Mention of his Name and Kingdom and the Merits of his Son even in holy Worship we should fear using God's Name unreverently and in vain 3. And it is a great Disorder that so much of the publick Prayers should be uttered by the People as in the Responds and that they only should put up the petitioning part while the Minister doth but suggest to them or recite the Matter of the Petitions as in the Litany seeing the Minister is by Office to be the Mouth of the People and God and Scripture intimateth that ordinarily their Part was but to say Amen and it seemeth to many sober People who are much offended at it to be a very confused and unseeâ—â— Murmur that is caused in most Congregations by the Peoples speaking Especially when in reading the Psalms the People say every second Verse which cannot be heard and understood by such as cannot read or have no Books and then the other Verse which the Minister saith is not understood because we hear not the annexed Verse which containeth part of the Sense And so the whole reading Psalms are almost as in Latin to them that cannot read themselves And that all this is really Disorder and contrary to Edification appeareth both in the Reason of the thing and in that the Prayers mentioned in Scripture are of another Order and in that they are not according to the Method of the Lord's Prayer which is the perfect Rule of Prayer in all universal Prayers which consists not of occasional Particulars and in that the most sensible experienced praying Christians find it by Experience to hinder their Edification and their Testimony should be preferred before that of ignorant unexperienced partial or ungodly Men or at least a Course taken which is agreeable to both sorts and hindereth the Edification of neither And lastly those very Men that will not reform any of this Disorder in the Liturgy do nauseate and condemn the Prayers of a weak Minister or private Christian if they have but the fourth part of the very like Disorders Repetitions Tautologies or Defects as the Liturgy hath For these Reasons a proportionable Reformation is desired Besides all forementioned there is in two months space no less than one hundred and nine Chapters of the Apocrypha appointed to be read as Lessons just in the time manner and Title as the Chapter of the holy Scriptures be even the Stories of Tobit and Iudith being part and also of Bel and the Dragon and Susanna which Protestants hold to be but Fables But those Exceptions which we actually offered to the Bishops were as follows The Exceptions against the Book of Common-Prayer ACknowledging with all humility and thankfulness his Majesty's most Princely Condescention and Indulgence to very many of his Loyal Subjects as well in his Majesty's most gracious Declaration as particularly in this present Commission issued forth in pursuance thereof we doubt not but the right Reverend Bishops and all the rest of his Majesty's Commissioners intrusted in this Work will in imitation of his Majesty's most prudent and Christian Moderation and Clemency judge it their Duty what we find to be the Apostles own Practice in a special manner to be tender of the Churches Peace to bear with the Infirmities of the weak and not to please themselves nor to measure the Consciences of other Men by the Light and Latitude of their own but seriously and readily to consider and advise of such Expedients as may most conduce to the healing of our Breaches and uniting those that differ And albeit we have an high and honourable esteem of those godly and learned Bishops and others who were the first Compilers of the publick Liturgy and do look upon it as an excellent and worthy Work for that time when the Church of England made her first step out of such a Mist of Popish Ignorance and Superstition wherein
it formerly was involved Yet considering that all human Works do gradually arrive at their Maturity and Perfection and this in particular being a Work of that Nature hath already admitted several Emendations since the first compiling thereof It cannot be thought any Disparagement or Derogation either to the Work it self or to the Compilers of it or to those who have hitherto used it if after more than an hundred Years since its first composure such further Emendations be now made therein as may be judged necessary for satisfying the Scruples of a multitude of sober Persons who cannot at all or very hardly comply with the use of it as now it is and may best sute with the present times after so long an Enjoyment of the glorious light of the Gospel and so happy a Reformation Especially considering that many Godly and learned Men have from the beginning all along earnestly desired the Alteration of many things therein and very many of his Majesty's pious peaceable and loyal Subjects after so long a discontinuance of it are more averse from it than heretofâ—â—â— The satisfying of whom as far as may be will very much conduce to that Pâ—â—ce and Unity which is so much desired by all good Men and so much endeavoured by his most excellent Majesty And therefore in pursuance of this his Majesty's most gracious Commission for the satisfaction of tender Consciences and the procuring of Peace and Unity amongst our selves we judge meet to propose First That all the Prayers and other Materials of the Liturgy may consist of nothing doubtful or questioned amongst pious learned and orthodox Persons inasmuch as the professed end of composing them is for the declaring of the Unity and Consent of all who join in the publick Worship it being too evident that the limiting of Church-Communion to things of doubtful Disputation hath been in all Ages the ground of Schism and Separation according to the saying of a learned Person To load our publick Forms with the private Fancies upon which we differ is the most soveraign way to perpetuate Schism to the World's End Prayer Confession Thanksgiving reading of the Scriptures and administration of the Sacraments in the plainest and simplest manner were matter enough to furnish out a sufficient Liturgy 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 and when Scruple of Conscience began to be made or pretended then Schism began to break in If the special Guides and Fathers of the Church would be a little sparing of incumbering Churches with Superfluities or not over-rigid either in reviving obsolete Customs or imposing new there would be far less Cause of Schism or Superstition and all the Inconvenience were likely to ensue would be but this they should in so doing yield a little to the imbecillity of their Inferiors a thing which St. Paul would never have refused to do Mean while wheresoever false or suspected Opinions are made a piece of Church-Liturgy he that separates is not the Schismatick for it is alike unlawful to make profession of known or suspected Falshood as to put in practice unlawful or suspected Action 2. Further we humbly desire that it may be seriously considered that as our first Reformers out of their great Wisdom did at that time so compose the Liturgy as to win upon the Papists and to draw them into their Church-Communion by varying as little as they well could from the Romish Forms before in use so whether in the present Constitution and State of Things amongst us we should not according to the same Rule of Prudence and Charity have our Liturgy so composed as to gain upon the Judgments and Affection of all those who in the Substantials of the Protestant Religion are of the same Persuasions with our selves Inasmuch as a more firm Union and Consent of all such as well in Worship as in Doctrine would greatly strengthen the Protestant Interest against all those Dangers and Temptations which our intestine Divisions and Animosities do expose us unto from the common Adversary 3. That the Repetitions and Responsals of the Clerk and People and the alternate reading of the Psalms and Hymns which cause a confused Murmur in the Congregation whereby what is read is less intelligible and therefore unedifying may be omitted The Minister being appointed for the People in all publick Services appertaining unto God and the Holy Scriptures both of the Old and New Testament intimating the Peoples Part in publick Prayer to be only with Silence and Reverence to attend thereunto and to declare their Consent in the Close by saying Amen 4. That in regard the Litany though otherwise containing in it many holy Petitions is so framed that the Petitions for a great part are uttered only by the People which we think not to be so consonant to Scripture which makes the Minister the Mouth of the People to God in Prayer the Particulars thereof may be composed into one solemn Prayer to be offered by the Minister unto God for the People 5. That there be nothing in the Liturgy which may seem to countenance the Observation of Lent as a Religious Fast the Example of Christ's fasting Forty Days and Nights being no more imitable nor intended for the Imitation of a Christian than any other of his Miraculous Works were or than Moses his forty Days Fast was for the Jews And the Act of Parliament 5 Eliz. forbidding abstinence from Flesh to be observed upon any other than a Politick Consideration and punishing all those who by Preaching Teaching Writing or open Speeches shall notifie that the forbearing of Flesh is of any necessity for the saving of the Soul or that it is the Service of God otherwise than as other politick Laws are 6. That the religious Observation of Saints-days appointed to be kept as Holy-days and the Vigils thereof without any Foundation as we conceive in Scripture may be omitted That if any be retained they may be called Festivals and not Holy-days nor made equal with the Lord's-day nor have any peculiar service appointed for them nor the People be upon such Days forced wholly to abstain from Work and that the Names of all others now inserted in the Calender which are not in the first and second Books of Edward the sixth may be left out 7. That the Gift of Prayer being one special Qualification for the Work of the Ministry bestowed by Christ in order to the Edification of his Church and to be exercised for the profit and benefit thereof according to its various and emergent necessity It is desired that there may be no such imposition of the Liturgy as that the exercise of that gift be thereby totally excluded in any part of Publick