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A42786
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Remarks on remarks, or, The Rector of Bury's sermon vindicated his charge exhibited against the dissenters for endeavouring to corrupt the word of God justified and farther confirmed : also the absurdities and notorious falsities of Mr. Owen and other pretended ministers of the Gospel are detected and expos'd / by Thomas Gipps, Rector of Bury.
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Gipps, Thomas, d. 1709.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing G780; ESTC R34916
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57,995
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68
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kind of Church-Government being in Scripture expresly establisht Presbytery as well as any other sort is agreeable that is not contrary to the Word of God Their Inclination then determin'd their Choice and was made the Reason of it Before I dismiss the Vindication of my first Argument I must look back to an observation of the Author's a very wise one I will assure you before hand and must not be forgot You 'l find it p. 6. where I having call'd the Cameronians by the name of Circumcellians and very rightly too as were easie to make out he notes that the Rector overlooks a little Rule of Grammar in rendring Circumcelliones Circumcellians Mr. Owen is just as good a Grammarian as he is an Astronomer I know no Rule of Grammar that I have transgrest The Pedant would I imagine have it render'd Circumcellions for so we Englishmen are call'd Saxons not Saxans But my Rule in rendring Latin words into English is to follow the Custom of my Country and those who have gone before me as to words and 't was Horace's long since who was a better Grammarian than Mr. Owen or his Reviser at Manchester He teaches me to conform my self to the usual way of speaking Si volet usus Quem penes Arbitrium est jus norma loquendi I have heard frequently the Circumcelliones call'd Circumcellians in English I read 'em so render'd by Mr. Rogers in his first Propos on the 12th Article I find the same in Cole's English Dictionary in Octavo He was a profest Master of the English Tongue But perhaps Mr. Owen may find 'em rendred Circumcellions also Be it so 'T is then indifferent which way we write 'em and I hope Mr. Owen will allow me my liberty in an indifferent thing Lastly the Remarker might have attributed this little mistake to the Transcriber or Printer if he had so pleas'd I am willing to deal so with him when I read Cacilius instead of Caecilius p. 2. My second Argument was That the Corruption in appearance favours the Dissenters and their design against Episcopacy that if any they may be suspected as willing to have it at least continued and propagated The Question then here between Mr. Owen and me is whether the Corruption favours the Dissenters and their Design against Episcopacy I determine it in the Affirmative and prove it by giving an Account of the Church of England's and the Dissenters Judgment and Practice Of the first After a Person is nominated chosen or presented unto a Church or Congregation the Bishop first ordains him if he was not in Orders before if he was then the Bishop institutes and appoints him by an Act altogether distinct from his Ordination as we believe was the case of the Deacons But tho' the Elders or Pastors among the Dissenters who answer to our Bishops Ordain Persons unto the Ministry yet the People or Congregation both chuse and appoint 'em as they please and can best agree among themselves Does not then reading the place ye may appoint favour the Peoples power of heaping to themselves their own Teachers The Heads of Agreement give me no Satisfaction in this Point They lay down this Rule 'T is ordinarily requisite that every particular Church in the Choice of its Minister consult the Pastors of Neighbouring Congregations But what if the Pastors of Neighb'ring Congregations differ in Judgment from the People of that particular Church Why this is an extraordinary case and then it must go on the People's side for so 't is imply'd in that Head To speak freely these Heads are meer shams to make the World believe that the united Brethren were come to some Agreement and Settlement among themselves But those loose words Ordinarily requisite spoil all and leave the People still to do what seems good in their own Eyes They may if they please ask the Approbation of the Neighbour Pastors and if they obtain it well and good but and if they think 〈◊〉 they may let it alone or conclude contrary to their Advice when they believe it an extraordinary Case And who must be Judge of this but the People In fine our National Provincial and Classical Presbyterian Government is fairly given up and dwindled into Independency where the People domineer over their Pastor and over one another also Mr. Owen argues that the Dissenters had no necessity to corrupt this Place the People's Power being just before abundantly asserted in those words Look ye out among you Here he says the People chuse the Deacons I answer they chose not the seven Persons immediately into the Office design'd 'em but only nominate present and commend 'em to be approv'd and appointed thereunto by the Apostles For if the People's looking out and presenting the Seven unto the Apostles was an effectual appointing them over the Business why is it afterwards added Whom we the Apostles may appoint over this Business or as the various Reading has it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whom we will appoint over this Business Did the Apostles appoint after the People had before appointed 'em unto that Business The Remarker would obviate this by another Device The People says he chose the Deacons the Apostles ordain'd or appointed 'em so chosen plainly intimating the Ordaining and Appointing is the same thing Here is not the place to dispute this matter thorowly Suppose Ordaining and Appointing the same thing then the People's looking out and presenting the Seven unto the Apostles was not the appointing or establishing them in their Office Because the Apostles appointed them afterwards Nor were the Apostles oblig'd to accept the People's choice and presentation for then it had been impertinent to add Whom we may or will appoint The Alteration then of the Text into Ye mightily favours the Power of the Peoples appointing their own Ministers Mr. Owen further objects that I have elsewhere granted That the choice of the Persons to be presented unto the Apostles was made by the People Tentam. nov True And I am of the same Opinion still being under no necessity to alter it that I am sensible of The Multitude sought out the Seven to be presented unto the Apostles and gave this Testimonial of them as must be suppos'd that they were Men of honest Report full of the Holy Ghost and of Wisdom But still the Apostles appointed them over the Business and not the People Whereas if you read Ye then the People must be confest to have appointed the Deacons and according to Mr. Owen belike Ordain'd 'em too I might add what would have been a sufficient Answer unto Mr. Owen's Cavil that the Cameronian at least thought the alteration gave some countenance to the Presbyterians else why did he alledg it But the Minister acquaints me That the Seven Deacons were no Ministers of the Word and Sacrament in the Judgment of the Dissenters and the Westminster Assembly only Ministers of Tables in other words Overseers of the Poor I cannot help
Remarks on Remarks OR THE RECTOR of BVRY's SERMON VINDICATED His CHARGE Exhibited against the Dissenters for Endeavouring to Corrupt the Word of GOD Justified and farther Confirm'd ALSO The Absurdities and Notorious Falsities of Mr. Owen and other pretended Ministers of the Gospel are detected and expos'd By THOMAS GIPPS Rector of BURY Siquis est qui dictum in se in clementiùs existimet esse sic existimet sciat Responsum non dictum esse quia laesit prius Terent. Eunuch Prol. LONDON Printed for Ephraim Johnston Bookseller in Manchester MDCXCVIII ERRATA PAg. 1. Lin. ult r. attack p. 4. l. 9. for Acts read Accounts p. 5. l. 22. r. Remarker l. 37. r. Manchester p. 8. l. 5. r. Remarker's l. 14. r. intolerable p. 14. l. 32. for the r. that p. 15. l. 13. dele p. 21. l. 7. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 23. after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 add by p. 27. l. 8. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 30. l. 28. r. Divisions p. 40. l. 32. r. subprior p. 41. l. 36. for noising r. nosing p. 46. l. 31. r. convivae p. 52. l. ult r. Voaligon CHAP. I. IN these Parts of the Nation for any thing I ever heard or knew there had been for some Years a perfect Peace at least a Cessation of Arms between the Church of England and the Dissenters there was no Writing no Publishing Invectives no raising of the old Disputes nor so much as Preaching against one another at least not in any foul and exasperating Manner Our common Danger I verily thought and our common Interest like a Charm had laid the Devil of Contention and confin'd him to his own Place never to enter in among us any more till Peace Plenty and Security from Foraign Enemies should as 't is too apt conjure him up again and embroil us with new Disorders But contrary to all expectation even when our public Affairs were at a low ebb and whilst we were strugling with greater Difficulties then we could hope of a suddain to surmount the Peaceable Men as they affect to be call'd blew the Trumpet and when we dream'd of no such Thing assaulted us in our very Camp In the Year 1695. appear'd at Manchester an Author of prodigious Confidence who without any just Provocation caus'd to be Printed his Scurrilous Libel entituled Notes upon the Lord Bishop of Salisbury's four last Discourses c. It is incredible how the Dissenters hugg'd and commended it as one of the sweetest Morsels they had ever tasted And tho' it's ingredients were mostly Gall and Wormwood Impudence and Slander yet was it in their Mouths as Honey for sweetness By it's Title one would imagin it calculated for the Meridian of Salisbury Diocess But 't was compos'd at Manchester there best known and design'd to expose the Members of the Church of England in those Quarters We lay at that time as I hinted before in a profound Peace and had given no Occasion for such a sudden and surprizing Attach The Notes pretend indeed to be an Answer to the Bishop's four Discourses and the Libeller plainly tells the World that he was induc'd to write as he did because my Lord of Salisbury had as he speaks reflected upon the Dissenters as Separatists but this will not I presume excuse the Authors Rudeness and the Calumnies which he fill'd that Pamphlet with It must be confest that excellent Prelate in one of his four Discourses directed his Clergy how to demean ' emselves towards Separatists meaning the Dissenters But at the same time he us'd 'em with all the Meekness and Charity that is due unto those who differ from us He gives 'em no hard Words neither pursu'd 'em with any offensive Language His business there was not to prove the Charge of Schism upon them that was taken for granted between him and his Clergy but to shew how they were to be brought back into the Fold and into Unity with the Church To which purpose He distinguish'd between those who separated thro' Ignorance or Prepossession and others whom worldly Interest ungovournable Passions or some Evil Affections had prevail'd with to depart from our Communion The former he said are to be dealt with with a great deal of Tenderness and Candour are to be pitied rather then insulted over they are not the Schismatics which St. Paul calls Carnal Their Ignorance will happily find the same Mercy at the hand of God as we hope our own will in other Cases But the latter the Carnal Schismatics being such as are gone out from us not upon any true Principle of Conscience but on some carnal worldly Design were to be handled more roundly and their Wounds lay'd open with more sharpness and severity After this manner the good Bishop wrote unto his Clergy nor can I recollect any thing said by him that could Exasperate any sober and conscientious Dissenter I am sure the Note-maker pretended nothing else but the supposing them Separatists Now by Carnal Schismatics are I reckon to be understood all thoâ—e who upon any worldly Account whatever desert the Churches and joyn themselves to the Separate Assemblies ex gr a Person leaves the Parochial Communion and runs to the Barns induc'd thereto thro' the restless importunity of his Wise an Heiress to secure unto himself and Family her Estate and to keep Peace at home This Man is the Carnal Separatist St. Paul and the Bishop speak of His Religion is vain it hangs on his Wife's Apron-strings not on his own Conscience he abandons the Authority which God has given him over his Wife and truckles to hear as Adam did unto Eve In a word he suffers his Wife to usurp the Dominion to command him whom she ought to obey and to prescribe Rules to him of whom she ought to learn and to be instructed Upon the same Principle such a Man would turn Mahometan as Solomon did Idolater 1 Kings 11. 3. But to return to the Bishop of Salisbury and the Notes I cannot see that the Dissenters had just Cause from any thing spoken in that Discourse to treat his Lordship and the whole Body of the Church of England in so unmannerly and contemptuous a Manner as the Note-maker has taken the liberty to do It had been proper enough for any one of 'em to have endeavour'd to shake off the Imputation of Schism and to have fasten'd it upon us provided he had us'd the same Temper of Meekness and Candor as my Lord of Salisbury has done No body then would have blam'd him But a Man must be excus'd if when he wants Arguments to make good his Point he lashes out into down-right Railing and Billingsgate For the famous Note-maker has loaded us with all the spightful Reflections and malitious Imputations and artful Declamations which ill Nature want of good Breeding or a corrupt Phancy could furnish a profess'd Buffoon with It is not my Intention to confirm this in Particulars and to that end to pursue this