or hoped to do by his Cure of the Churches Divisions he could not have devised a more effectual course to undo all Thus hath he cherished us of the Church with one hand and smitten us with the other Thus hath he acted the part of an unfaithful Physitian who when afraid his Cure should be wrought too soon administers contrary Physick I affect not to thrust 〈…〉 into a Fray with him or any other of that perswasion nor do I pretend to Answer his Book which it is fitter others should do if it be thought needful nor do I glory to be a Discoverer of so great an Authors Errours but being requested by a Friend to add a word or two concerning those chief Pleas I before mentioned which are so much magnified and insisted upon by such as forsake our Assemblies I will attempt to discover their nakedness by Gods help The three latter I mean for the two first deserve not to be again mentioned 1. It is said by some that the Kings Indulgence and Declaration of Toleration doth evidently acquit all private Meetings from the imputation of Schism In answer It is not fit for me or any other Son of the Church who profess the strictest obedience and loyalty to make any sawcy descant upon his Majesties actions He is wise as an Angel of God and freely do we submit to his Deliberate Councels and determinature but yet to us it belongs to consider the nature and extent of his Condescensions and the grounds and reasons thereof so far as he is pleased to make them known unto us and thus doing how little cause those that will weigh all things in the ballance of the Sanctuary Scripture and sound Reason and not jurare in verba take every thing upon trust from the Guids of any perswasion I say how little cause these have to think this a sufficient plea to free the Conventiclers from Schism if they have nothing else wherein to take Sanctuary will appear if we consider 2. 1. The Extent of his Majesties Declaration and that at the utmost is a mere inindulgence or permission of that which he therein and at all times hath declared contrary to his own judgment the Author of Toleration not to be abused evidently shewes * Sect. Prov. 2◠that the scope of the Declaration is not to make such Separated congregation more lawful than they was before or to approve them as good and lawful but rather supposeth them to be sinful at least in his own judgment while he only permits them that is all just as Moses did the Bills of Divorce for the hardness of mens hearts And let the Authority of Church-Assemblies in a National Constituted Church be once clear and I conceive the unlawfulness of separate Meetings in opposition unto them naturally follows and how then can his Majesties Indulgence acquit and absolve them Vide Toleration not to be used if there be nothing else that doth it It is well known that if his Majesty should not only Approve but Command and that not only by Declaration but by Act of Parliament that which is but suspected to be unlawful nay perhaps declared by all parties to be in it self indifferent the Presbyterian is not apt to change his judgment or practise for it but is oftentimes more hardened in his opposition thereunto by its being commanded and how then can a bare permission now serve their turns His Majesty only permits and leaves men to the guidance of their own Consciences what to do whether to forsake the Publick Assemblies and set up their separate Meetings or no so that if there be no satisfactory ground for a good Conscience to do it the said Declaration must needs leave them as guilty of Schism from the Church though not as rebellious against his Majesties Laws as before 2. The Reasons which the King is pleased to acknowledge did prevail with him are evidently Politick to tolerate these Meetings not for themselves but some other ends and reasons of State even to secure his quiet at home while he is ingaged in Forreign Wars Now how can this satisfie Conscience of the lawfulness thereof or free the Actors from the guilt of separation Surely no more than those inconveniences and unlawful actions are justifiable because David winked at them and suffered them go unpunished when he cryed out the Sons of Zerviah are too hard for me 3. By the Declaration the Argument for Conformity taken from wrath only is removed only the penalty is taken off the directive part of the Law I conceive is still in force so that if it did at all oblige Conscience before Conscience hath no more liberty now than then though the body and purse have 4. That which in my judgment leaves them inexcuseable is that his Gracious Majesty in his said Declaration is pleased in terms to acknowledge the Church of England is established by Law and makes it the standing Rule and that in opposition and contradiction to private Meetings yea though they should be allowed of according to the Indulgence His express meaning and resolution is declared to be that the National Church of England should be preserved entire as the Basis Rule and Standard of Publick Worship among us Now this evidently supposeth all other though tolerated Meetings besides Church-Assemblies to be against the Rule and Sects and Schismes from the National Church In this is manifestly implyed that to set them up is to do that which the Ancient Fathers especially S. Cyprian and our Modern Orthodox Divines both Episcopal and Presbyterian have so earnestly declaimed against viz. Erigere Altare contra Altare to set up Altar against Altar a Church in a National Church independent from it yet consisting of such as are its Natural Members to break this Churches Unity and to divide the Members thereof which apparently tends to the destruction of the whole if the Church of England as it is settled by the Act of Uniformity be established as the standing rule for doctrine and worship then is it impossible I think to defend those that renounce Union and Communion with it and the publick assemblies thereof though under pretence of exercising purer administrations For so Mr. Baxter states the Case and for this consult Dr. Edward Stiling fleets Irenicum upon the point c. 6. Sure I am it can neither consist with the Doctrines of the old non-Conformists Ball Hildersham Dod Perkins nor of the soberest moderne dissenters So much for that Plea then from the Kings Indulgence 2. Like unto it is the second that the Preachers in these separate Meetings look upon themselves only as assistants to the parish Minister and so would they have us to look upon them Here is sheeps clothing but I fear a Wolf under it Is it not od that any that will shall have power thus to obtrude himself upon the lawfully settled Pastor how much soever he be unacquainted with his person or dissatisfied with his education or principles ablities or
for themselves have no promise to be heard non aequè exoras quum solus Dminum obsecras saith the Father Thou doest not so soon obtain thy desire when thou prayest alone as when in the assemblies of the Brethren for in those Assemblies there is some thing more then prayers even the concord and consent and joyning in Love and Charity and the cry of the Priest whose office it is to make intercession for the people and being of the stronger size to carry a long with them the weak prayers of the people and carry then unto heaven Quod quis apud seipsum precatus accipere non poterit hoc cum multitudine precatus accipit Quare quia si non propria virtus tamen concordia multum potest The thing that a man cannot obtain by himself alone praying together with the multitude he shall obtain why because when his own worth cannot yet the concord and union of the Assembly may avail much It is no reproach to call the Churches Liturgy Common prayer the more common it is the better it is and the more effectual when not onely two or three but a whole Congregation are joyned nay all the Congregations of a whole nation do in the same words put their Common petitions and supplications O what a shrill noise must this needs make in the ears of God St. Jerom likened it to a thunder clap St. Easti to the roaring of the Sea it is like the several strings of a Well tuned instrument that makes a ravishing harmony as the flame of one stick is nothing to that of a bundle on fire together such is the devotion of one man to that of a whole Assembly vis unita fortior force vnited is somuch the stronger a threefold cable is hardly broken So do the joynt prayers of Gods people united and publiquely put up unto God move him as it were omnipotently and irresistably they mount up to heaven they rap at the gates and cannot easily be denyed entrance like as the petition of a whole Corporation is more avaliable to a King then the single petition of any particular person such is the power and profit of publique worship and devotion And that by the way is a forceable argument to disswade the truely Religious from forsaking the assemblies that 's the fifth Proposition the more publique religious worship is the better it is The next in order is this Prop. 6. That divine worship may be truely publique There is requisite the free and full assembling of our selves together in a publique place set a part for the same So you see I come home to my Text so set it home upon your judgments 〈…〉 with fulness of evidence and strength of reason as well as Holy Scripture Give me leave to prosecute this Proposition by parts To publique worship to make it publique there is requisite the assembling of Minister and people in a publique place 1. Of Minister His presence is necessary unless in case of unremoveable impediment as some sudden sickness or some weighty cause of absence for he is a person set a part for the administration of Gods publique worship he is consecrated to draw nigh unto God he is by office an Ambassador or Messenger between God and man Gods mouth an Ambassador to the people appointed to beseech them in Gods stead to be reconciled unto him And he is the peoples mouth and Ambassador unto God to offer up their requests for grace and mercy unto him Gods mouth to them in preaching and their mouth unto God in prayer Hence c Joel 2.18 the Priests are required to put up petitions and supplications Let the Priests the Priest of the Lord stand between the Porch and the Altar and say spare thy people good Lord spare them And as under the Law it was the Priests office to to burn incense and Vzziah was smitten of God with a loathsome leprousie for usurping it So still under the Gospel it is the Ministerial office to offer the Sacrifice of publique prayer unto God which is as sweet smelling incense in the nostrils of God and for preaching the word is express how shall they preach unless they be sent d Rom. 10. â—0 how able so ever they be to teach the word and sound doctrine yet if they have not a mediate and ordinary call or sending which though it be by man yet is divine as Luther saith they cannot preach to your prâ—fit they come not to edifie but to destroy They are Luthers words Let no uncalled speaker Beloved have any encouragement at your hands having no mission from God Our Saviour tells you that what shew soever they make of holiness and spiritualness and godliness and saintship and the like yet they are wolves in sheep cloathing thieves spoiling Gods heritage deceitful workers underminding the truth therefore takeheed of them or forsaking the publique assemblies to run after them to your perversion and distruction such is the first requisite to a publique worship the Ministers the rightly called Ministers presence in the Assembly 2. That puplique worship may be publique indeed the people ought to come and joyn in it every one that would be saved must be member of the true Church for extra ecclesian nou est salus out of the true Church â—nd Religion no man can find assurance of comfort and Salvation Japhet cannot be saved until perswaded to dwell in the tents of Shem nor Noahs family out of the Ark. The visible Church of Christ is a Congregation of faithful men in which the pure word of God is preached and the Sacraments are duly administred according to all those things that are necessarily requisite for the same A true Church is chiefly to be distinguished from a false by purity and soundness of doctrine and due administration of the Sacraments in it And surely these are unquestionable in our Church of England even in the confession of our adversaries as it stands at this day reformed from the dreggs of Popery in its doctrine and worship So then to this Church let every one joyn himself and not seperate from it if he would be saved e Acts 2.47 The Lord added to the Church such as should be saved Regia via The King of heavens high way to Salvation is by adding to the Church not by seperating from it If God be our Father the Church is our Mother f Gal. 4.26 Jerusalem which is above is the mother of us all Hence the Church is oft called the Kingdome of heaven g Mat. 13.44 And that promise that is made h Esa 33.24 the people that dwells there shall have their sins forgiven is to be understood of the catholick Church and so by consequence is applicable 1. The Tabernacle where the Arke of the Covenant and the Altar was placed There God promised to meet with his people that worshipped him hence it was called the Tabernacle of the Congregation or the Tabernacle of Meeting as
stands upon two Staves the Staff of Beauty and the Staff of Bands if the Staff of Bands be once broken the Staff of Beauty cannot long stand but by divisions our Beauty becomes deformity Reformation deformation as when one hand is black and another white one cheek pale another red so whilst we become several Churches several Bodies what do we but make a Monster of the Church the Body of Christ Indeed nothing more tends to the Churches dishonour and Christs dishonour than this there is no such scandal to the Churches Enemies of all sorts than this the common Enemies of the truth of Religion are chiefly Atheism and Superstition and wherefore serveth the home-differences of Christians especially about indifferent things about Gestures and Vestures and other indifferent Rites and Formalities that for such things as these things in their own nature indifferent and never intended to be otherwise imposed than as matters of circumstances and order men should desert their Ministerial Charges fly out of the Church as out of Babylon stand at open Desiance against lawful Authority and sharpen their tongues and pens with so much petulancy and virulency as some have done wherefore serveth this but to the dishonour of Christians and Christianity and to give scandal to the Enemies thereof 1. To the Athiest for he till all men be of one Religion and agreed in every point thereof too which I doubt will never be whilst the World lasteth thinketh it the best wisdom to be of none nay makes it his best pastime to jeer at all The agreement of Christians is an ocular demonstration to the World that they have a certainty of the Faith which they profess and that it is of a healing nature and tendeth to the felicity of the world so that never was Christians observed to live in an undivided Unity and unfained love but the very Infidels and ungodly round about them did reverence both them and their Religion for it whereas their discords and divisions give occasion to Atheists and Unbelievers to blaspheme as if there were no certainty in their belief or as if it were of a vexatious and destructive tendency so that never were Christians divided implacable and bitter against each other but it made them and their profession a scorn to the unbelieving and ungodly World Their despising and vilifying one the other teaches the wicked to despise and vilifie them all as a well ordered Army and a City of uniform and comely building is a pleasing and inviting sight to beholders whereas a confused Rabble and ruinous heap bree is abhorrence even so the very sight of the concordant society of Christians is amiable to those without whereas their disagreements and separations makes them odious Hence the former conduceth much to the conversion and salvation of men and the latter hardens men in wickedness and hinders their coming into the Church and their obedience to the truth Who loveth to thrust himself into a fray and what wise men will joyn with drunken men that are fighting in the streets A more effectual way cannot be devised to drive men from Christ than to represent Christians like a company of mad-men that are tearing out the threats of one another when one Faction slies upon and speaks ill of one another what wonder if the Atheist and Infidel speak ill of and flies further from them all whereas contrarily the best means to win the World to a love of Holiness is if they can see that holiness makes men fervent and unfeigned in the love one of another k 1 Pet. 1.22 Christs words in his prayer are notable to this purpose l John 17.20 21 22 23. I pray saith he for them that shall believe on me through their word that they all may be one As thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me c. It plainly implies that the Unity of Christians is a great means of converting the World to the Christian Faith and convincing Infidels of the truth of Christ as sent by God and so on the contrary their divisions must needs be a scandal to them Upon which account also we have reason to take heed to speak the same things and that there be no divisions amongst us 2. Such divisions give scandal to Papists You read how loth was Abraham to fall out with Lot and how desirous he was to compound the differences that were between their Herdmen and one reason is hinted in that it is said m Gen. 13.7 the Canaanites and Perizzites dwelt at that time in the Land So have we in our Land many Canaanites and Perizzites at this day that take offence at these divisions of ours and makes it a chief occasion to alienate their hearts from the Truth of God There be many Papists and Romanists confirmed and made obstinate in their Opinion of the Catholickness of the Romish Faith Hereby when they hear of so many things which have been ever and are still retained in the Church of England in common with the Church of Rome as they were transmitted both to them and us in a continued Line of Succession from our Godly and Orthodox Forefathers who lived in the Ages next to Christ and his Apostles to be now inveighed against and decryed as Popish and Superstitious And when they see men pretenders to Piety Purity and Reformarion more than others not contenting themselves with those just Exceptions that had been formerly taken by the Church of England and her regular children against some Erronious Doctrines and Forms of Worship taught and practised in the Church of Rome and endeavoured to be unduly and by her sole Authority imposed upon other Churches when they see them not contenting themselves with these things but even so far transported with a spirit of contradiction as that they care not so as they may but run far enough from Rome whether or how far they run although they should run themselves as too oft they they do quite beyond the bounds of Truth Allegiance common Reason and even common Humanity also Besides we know it hath been and is one grand objection of the Papists against the Reformed Churches that the Fanatical dissentions amongst our selves are evident signs of an Heretical spirit as Bellarmine Stapleton Kellison and others argue and Fitz Simon an Irish Jesuite hath written a whole Volumn on this argument which he â—alls Britanio-Machia It 's true how unhappy they have prov'd in this pretended Unity which they make a note of their true Church any one may judge that will but read the writings of Doctor Field Discourse concerning the Idolatry practised in the Church of Rome by D. Edw. Stillingfleet Bishop Jewel and even the late Book of the Excellent Doctor Stillingfleet upon this argument which proves them nevertheless faulty however we be blame-worthy As Gregory Nazianzen did answer those in his time that used the
men may foolishly imagine that they can do well enough with the private use of the words though they injoy not the publick and can pray well enough by themselves though they have no society with the general and publick devotions Yet is it sure on the contrary that there is no such promise made to the private as to the publick Nay none at all to the private if the publick be neglected or contemned Such a woeful thing it is for men to do themselves the greatest injury that can be to deprive themselves of Gods presence by forsakeing the assemblies of his people upon this ground Gods people complained of the effect of the rage and fury of their enemies t Psal 47 7â— They razed the sanctuary to the ground defiled the dwelling place of Gods name and burnt up all the Synagogues of God in the land And Jeremiah in his Lamentations u Lam. 1.4 The waies of Zion lament because no man cometh to the solemn feasts all her gates are desolate And hence the sentence of excomunication hath ever by religious soules been accounted the greatest of punishments as casting them out of Gods presence and giving them up to Satan x 2 Cor. 5.5 so sottish are they that willfully excommunicate themselves by forsakeing the assemblies It is like a mans being outlawed in matters of civil Government by which he is deprived of all the benefits and protection belonging to a subject of the realm Just so doth this censure put them out of the priviledges of Christians and our of Gods protection for a time so as to be reckoned as strangers or forraâ—ners as heathens and publicans y Matt. 18.17 The sin of these men will best be discovered if we pass from this eighth proposition to the second General in the Text. 2. The Apostles taxation of some for this sin of forsaking the Assemblies and so putting themselves in a way of apostacy or falling back from or wavering in the profession of the true faith for so the Text runs not forsaking the Assembling your selves together as the manner of some is So then in the Apostles judgment those some whoever they be are blame worthy and are to be reproved and sharply rebuked what motives soever they may have for forsaking the publick Assemblies of the true Church they cannot forsake them and be innocent it is an act that cannot be acceptable unto God not forsaking the Assembling of your selves together as the manner of some is As there are diverse persons that forsake the assemblies So are their motives to forsake them different some give â—ne account thereof and some another all blame worthy Let us but consider and weigh the Apollogies and motives of some of them 1. The manner of some is to forsake the assemblies upon pretence of some corruptions in them It is holyness and purity these men pretend to in a high measure and therefore they forsake our assemblies because as they affirm they are unholy being mixt assemblies consisting of both good and bad a vide Robinsons and Cant books a miscellany Multitudes of the seed of woman and of the Serpent and much more they inveigh and rail bitterly against them and thence inferr a necessity of separation from them z Heb. 12.14 but that this is a most corrupt and unsound inference will appear if we consider 1. That the purest Church on earth is not free perfectly free from all corruptions The spouse of Christ is comly yet black It becomes Christs Church to be as true so humble far from arrogating perfection For any Church on this side heaven to say that she is absolute and neither wants nor abounds were the voice of Laodicea or Tyrus in the Prophet As there is no Element which is not through many mixtures departed from its first simplicity so is there no Church that breatheth in so pure an air but it may justly complain of some thick and unwholsome evaporations of sin and error in it Was not the Church typed by Noahs Ark wherein was unclear as well as clean beasts doth not Christ compare it to a feiled wherein grows both tares and wheat promiscuously until the harvest a Mat. 13.12 to a great house wherein are vessels of Gold and Silver and of Brass earth and clay b 2 Tim. 2.20 to a sheep fould wherin are foulded both sheep and Goats c Matt. 25 32. to a company of Virgins all invited by an external call to the Wedding whereof some were foolish some wise d Mat 25.1 to an orchard or vineyard e Esai 61.1 wherein all are not fruitful trees that bring forth their fruit in due season But on some God bestowes digging and dunging unto them and fencing them which cumber the ground and are good for nothing but to be cast into the fire To a vine in which are some branches that onely bear leaves of profession or at the best but sowre grapes Nay sometimes in a true Church even the chiefest members for eminency and Authority are corrupted sometimes the prime Governours of a Church as the chief Priests and Elders in our Saviours time may be great enemies of real goodness Nay to come closer to our selves 2. We must acknowledge that even in our Church and the Assemblies thereof there is such general decay of that first love and primitive piety which consisted chiefly in Humility Mortification Obedience and good works and such a general increase of all filthy and abominable sins and those too frequently uncensured unrereproved that there is just cause for any Godly man to fear least God be about to take away his tabernacle from amongst us and remove our candlestick and go far off from our sanctuary f Ezek. 8.6 3. It is undoubted that when a pious Christian considers these things he ought to be deeply affected with them and neither communicate with a whole Church in any corruptions that are evident corruptions in it nor yet pertake in the sins of any the particular members thereof but observing his brothers prophanness his duty is to admonish him and to bewail his sin and do what lies in him to bring him to a reformation thereof This is the right course but 4. This is no ground at all for him to separate from the Church or to forsake the Assembly there of it is of Mr. Hildershams Doctrines agreable to the ninteenth Article of the Church of England and that those Assemblies that injoy the word and Doctrine of Salvation though they may have many corruptions remaining in them yet they are to be acknowledged true Churches of God and such as none of the faithful may make separation from because 1. There was never Church on earth free from corruptions either in the whole or in its perticular assemblies and yet never did the Saints of God forsake them upon that account Never was there Church from the beginning of the world to this day from one side of the Earth to