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england_n	according_a	church_n	law_n	3,191	5	4.8145	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77477	Sound considerations for tender consciencies wherein is shewed their obligation to hold close union and communion with the Church of England and their fellow members in it, and not to forsake the publick assemblies thereof. In several sermons preached, upon I Cor.1.10 and Heb.10.25. By Joseph Briggs M.A. vic. of Kirkburton, in Yorkshire	Briggs, Jos. (Joseph)	1675 (1675)	Wing B4663; ESTC R229475	120,197	291

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. ●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 pr●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 ●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