Vnity and yet to allow of open breaking and dividing and visible falling into pieces Is this to think either honourably or reasonably of the designs of Christ to suppose that he should express his Church to be one body compacted and joined together Eph. 4.16 intending that its real members might be daily parting asunder by disclaiming the communion of each other or that the whole Church should be as one building fitly framed together Eph. 2.21 but with free allowance that its parts should be at such a manifest distance as never to come so near one another as to owne their communion And when our Saviour prayed for his Church which should believe through his Apostles Doctrine as a consequent upon their believing that they may be one in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me Joh. 17 20 21. Cyp. de Ovat Dom. Christoph in Joh. 17. Hom. 81. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is manifest that that Union of the Church which should tend to convince the World of Christianity and engage them to the Faith of Christ must besides the inward Vnity of faith and love include an open and professed holding communion with each other which is the most visible testimony of their Unity and the want of which hath occasioned them who were strangers to Christianity to decry and loath the Christian Religion as appeareth from what is above-mentioned in the second Section Hier. in Eph. 4. And when S. Paul requireth to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of peace it hath been reasonably of old thence inferred that separation and breaking the Churches peace ought to be rejected because it opposeth and loseth that Vnity of the Spirit Cypr. Ep. 52. which Christians should maintain by renouncing fellowship with the Church of Christ 6. And it is manifest that needless withdrawing or not holding communion with that particular setled Church where we abide with appearance of causeless distast towards it or the way of its communion was vehemently and with a pathetick zeal condemned in S. Peter himself withdrawing and separating from the Gentiles which action included a blameable forbearance of manifesting his allowance and approbation of their way of Christian life and serving God Gal. 2.11.14 And the manifold cautions against divisions oft expressed in the Scriptures do especially condemn such separation which is the highest attempt and most open profession of dividing and as this separation is expresly condemned in the holy Scripture so this is that thing which is so greatly condemned by the ancient Canons above named and that even under the term and name of Schism And it is of no small moment to observe that the Primitive Church who received the holy Commandments of the Gospel from the Apostles did always understand the precepts of peace to extend mainly to the duties of external communion especially considering that whereas the Churches peace can only be broken by Church contests which are managed either by words writings or open actions of discord this latter way of expressing them by actions of separation and open rendezvous of parties is of all other the highest and most considerable 7. But if the use of the word Schism be here considered it includeth much of needless strife about words to deny 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Schism signifying division or renting asunder to be a fit expression for rents and separations in the Church when it hath been so used in the common Ecclesiastical custom of speech and is that which is according to the direct and proper import of the word And if S. Paul accounted the bandying into parties and factions at Corinth though without separation which some account to be their case to be Schisms because their Unity was thereby opposed and hindred much more must separation which is the highest appearance of parties and breach of Unity and was probably the true state at Corinth be so accounted of 8. Dr. Owen of Evang. Love and Church Peace c. 5. And whereas the same person hath of late purposely undertaken to espouse the interest of separation from the present Church of England and to defend it from the charge of Schism the pleas and pretences made in behalf thereof will now fall under our enquiry 9. A third Notion Its first Plea P. 167 171 172. One principal Plea is That where things or observances unscriptural are made the indispensible condition of Communion there to refuse submission to such things imposed and to with hold Communion from that Church is no Schism but a discharge of a duty And that we may understand what he meaneth by such expressions as Vnscriptural conditions of Communion he telleth us in one place P. 171. We do not dispute the lawfulness or unlawfulness of the things themselves P. 177. and in another place that it may be at present granted that the manner or modes of the performance of Gods worship with rites and ceremonies for order and decency may be lawfully appointed or as it pleased him to call it instituted by the rulers of the Church yet saith he this will not help in our present enquiry unless it be also granted that what may be lawfully practised in the worship of God may be also lawfully made a necessary condition of Communion And he saith in another places P. 205. It is required in this case not only to produce a warranty from the Scripture for the use of Liturgies but also for making the constant attendance on them a necessary condition of Communion Wherefore his sense is that with-holding Communion becometh lawful and a duty where any appointments for orderly ministration and the fit and decent performance of Gods service though lawful in themselves but not particularly expressed in Scripture as conditions of Communion are so determined that they must be submitted to and complyed with by them who embrace actual Communion with that particular Church 10. But this is both false in it self and would render all setled Church-Communion utterly Vnlawful and would make separation the Universal duty of all Christians in every Christian Assembly in the World not excepting them of the Congregational way For the Scriptures have not injoined the particular time for Sacramental and other administrations nor the place for publick Assemblies nor in what method Prayer Preaching Sacraments Psalms Chapters Hymns with other thanksgivings and services are to be performed nor hath it determined us either to or against any particular lawful form or external rite as making them either universally necessary or sinful but these with divers other things of like nature are left to the rules of Ecclesiastical Liberty and Prudence Now it concerneth him who made this exception to discover how there can possibly be any orderly Christian Assemblies and unconfused performances of Religious services where such things as these are not determined as where their Prayers and Services are neither performed with nor without a form c. And to the common
therewith requireth a consent to omit and refuse known duties commanded by Christ P. 216. P. 218.231 For the proof of which he giveth two instances In his first instance he claimeth to every Minister of a particular Congregation by the appointment of Jesus Christ the whole immediate care of the flock so that no part of discipline should be exempted from his office or care p. 219. and this he saith by Consormity they must renounce p. 229. Which Plea for separation or rejecting Communion is as much as to say that no Minister may lawfully communicate and exercise his Ministry in any Church where this kind of Congregational Independency is not the fixed Government or where the Episcopal Power and Authority above Presbyters in all or any publick acts of discipline is preserved An assertion which favours of great rashness in rejecting all those manifest evidences produced by divers on the behalf of this Episcopal Government and Jurisdiction with such an height of confidence as professedly to disclaim the lawsulness of Ecclesiastical Ministration and Communion with those who in practice embrace them Yea this is such a position as would have engaged all Christian Ministers to have renounced the Communion of all the ancient Churches in the Christian World in the times of the most eminent Fathers of the Church by this new way and method of the Churches Peace and Unity And therefore instead of a charge against our Church he hath herein done it this honour to mention that as a chief matter of exception against it in which it is conformable to the purest ages of Christianity 16. Conc Nic. c. 5. Conc. Ant. c. 6. The Councils of Nice and Antioch which are part of the Code of the Universal Church expressing a manifest distinction between Bishops and Presbyters do declare the disciplinary proceedings of Church censures to be under the Bishops ordering and authority and before them S. Cyprian did the same Cyp. Ep. 10 65. both concerning excommunication and publick disciplinary absolution and Ignatius frequently required that nothing should be done without the Bishops Authority to which agree the Scripture expressions concerning Timothy Titus and the Apocalyptick Angels And that the ancient Churches and the authority of their Bishops were not confined to single Congregations as some would have us believe is apparent 1. Conc. Neoc c. 13. Conc. Ant. c. 8. Conc. Sard. c. 6. Athanas Apol. besides the instances from the Roman and other Churches in Scripture 1. From the frequent mention of Country-Presbyters and Religious Assemblies in such places for which no Bishops were appointed 2. From the multitude of Presbyters in one City it not being credible that 46. Presbyters for the City of Rome in Cornelius his time 2. Eus Hist Eccl. l. 6. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Photii Nomo can Yit 1. c. 30. Justin Novel Const ◠60. at Constantinople with a greater number both before and after Justinians Constitution and a numerous Company in other Churches should be designed with a Bishop and many Deacons for the service of God in a single Congregation 3. Because the greatest Cities in the World with the parts adjacent when Christians were most numerous had but one regular Bishop and he who can imagine that in the most flourishing times of Christianity there were never more Christians in those Precincts than made up a single Congregation though divers Churches were built at Jerusalem and other places may as well conceive the same of the present London Diocess And though there be some expressions in some ancient Writers as Tertullian and S. Hierome which many have thought to assert the ancient exercise of Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction by a Bench of Presbyters of equal authority which would be too large a digression to be here considered yet even that notion also must fall under the heavy censure of this exception 17. The other instance concerneth private Members P. 141.142 and the whole Church being abridged and deprived of that liberty to discharge their duty which by the law of Christ they are to provide for Among these duties he nameth reproof admonition and exhortation as if these things were not allowed in our Church which is an intimation that needeth reproof and also withdrawing from them that walk disorderly and putting such obstinate offenders from among them Now this instance also is built upon the bottom of Independency groundlesly supposed to be a divine institution Decl. of Faith and Ord. of Congr Ch. Par. 2. Se. 4 5 7. Answ to 32. Quest qu. 14. 15. For the Independents allowing the Ministers the principal care about the discipline of the Church do assert an authority and power of Church-Government to be seated in all the members of the church together with their Officers yea that the members of the Church may censure their Officers and some of them as they of new-New-England express it that the Keys are committed to all believers who shall join together according to the ordinance of Christ And Dr. O. who gives somewhat more authority to Ministers than many others of them do yet declareth his non-admittance of our discipline p. 256. upon this account as one as being in the hands of meerly Ecclesiastical persons or such as are pretended so to be This late device of discipline being exercised by an authoritative power of all the members of the Church is claimed here as necessary for embracing Communion but this is not only contrary to the Church of England Gillespy Gov. of Ch. of Scot. Part. 2. c. 1. Postscript Jus Div. Reg. Eccles Par. 2. c. 10. with the ancient Churches and to the French Dutch and other reformed Churches abroad but it is also directly opposed and refuted by the Presbyterians both of Scotland and England and this also is a general argument for separation from all Christian Assemblies of the Primitive and Reformed Churches except a few of themselves 18. But as under the former instance he insisted much upon the great usefulness of administring Church-discipline which if rightly stated and in its due measures we heartily admit so here he reflecteth upon the defects of exercising discipline among us urging that upon such defects as by the design of his discourse he representeth ours to be P. 244 245. pious men may without the least suspition of the guilt of Schism forsake the Communion of that Church and if they have a due care of their own salvation they will understand it to be a duty But what he intimately chargeth upon the Church of England speaking of the Church where wicked persons are admitted without distinction or discrimination unto the Communion of the Church and tolerated therein without any procedure with them or against them if this be generally understood of all wicked persons as those words without distinction or discrimination to import it is untrue and slanderous But if this be meant only of divers particular persons it is acknowledged that a more vigorous
any publick worship or service of God can be performed unless some things in those administrations not particularly commanded by God be determined either by publick Authority or by common agreement which makes it necessary for all men either to relinquish this principle or which is more shameful to contradict it in their practice I am not unsensible what rewards such attempts as this commonly meet with from men of distemper'd minds and ungovern'd passions I have carefully avoided all just occasion of offence as hoping that I may the more effectually perswade the less I anger them but if nothing will secure me from Invectives and Calumnies I must be contented with my portion and appeal to the judgment of more candid and impartial Readers and satisfie my self with the Testimony of God and my own Conscience of the honesty of my intentions and design in this work leaving the success of it to the Divine Providence with my hearty and serious Prayers that it may be for the publick benefit of the Church Farewel THE CONTENTS THE FIRST BOOK CHap. 1. The disagreements about Conformity are of great concernment Sect. 1. Of the effects of these Dissentions as to the dispositions of the People Sect. 2. That these Contentions disadvantage Christianity and gratifie Popery and Irreligion Sect. 3. Of the dangerous loss of the Churches Peace and Vnity by this Controversie and of the Sin of Schism Sect. 4. Some false Conceptions of Schism refuted Sect. 5. Of the duty of Obedience to Rulers and Governours and the due Exercise of the Ministerial Function which is herein concerned Sect. 6. A Proposal touching due considerateness and the design of this Treatise manifested Chap. 2. Of the solemn League Covenant Sect. 1. Of an unlawful Oath in it self and that that Oath was such with respect to its Matter and Form and Imposition Sect. 2. That the Covenant cannot oblige any Person to endeavour any alteration of the Government of the Church proved by four Rules Chap. 3. Of the Declaration and Subscription referring to the Liturgy The common use of such acknowledgments c. the true sense of declaring unfeigned assent and consent Chap. 4. Of the Liturgy and the ordinary Service appointed therein Sect. 1. The Lawfulness Antiquity and Expediency of Set-Forms Sect. 2. Objections against Set-Forms answered Sect. 3. Of the Composure of the Prayers in our Liturgie chiefly of Responsals and short Prayers Sect. 4. Of the Doxologie Athanasian Creed and some particular expressions in the Litany Sect. 5. Considerations concerning the publick reading the Apocryphal Chapters Sect. 6. The Objections from the matter of the Apocrypha discussed Sect. 7. Considerations about the Translation of the Psalms used in the Liturgie Sect. 8. Of Holy-days or Festivals Chap. 5. Of the particular Offices in the Liturgy Sect. 1. Of the direction for Communicants receiving the Lords Supper Sect. 2. Of some other things in the Communion Office Sect. 3. Of the saving Regeneration of Infants in Baptism and the grounds upon which it may be asserted Sect. 4. The Doctrine of the ancient and divers Reformed Churches herein observed Sect. 5. The Objections against the saving Regeneration of Infants in Baptism considered Sect. 6. Of the Notion of visible Regeneration in Baptism Sect. 7. Of Sureties and some other things in the Office for Baptism Sect. 8. Of the Office for Confirmation and that for Marriage Sect. 9. Of the Communion of the Sick and the Office for Burial The Second Book Chap. 1. The lawful Use of some Ceremonies in the Christian Church asserted Sect. 1. What we are here to understand by Ceremonies Sect. 2. The first Argument for the lawfulness of Ecclesiastical Rites from the liberty therein allowed to the Jewish Church Sect. 3. Ecclesiastical Constitutions concerning external Rites warranted by the Apostolical Doctrine and Practice Sect. 4. The Practice and Judgment of the Primitive and many Protestant Churches concerning Ceremonies Sect. 5. The ill consequences of denying the lawfulness of all Ecclesiastical Rites and Constitutions in things indifferent Sect. 6. Some Objections from Reason and from the Old Testament examined Sect. 7. Other Objections from the New Testament cleared Chap. 2. Of Ecclesiastical Appointments and Constitutions under some special Considerations Sect. 1. Of external Rites considered as significant Sect. 2. Of Ecclesiastical Appointments considered as imposed and enjoyned Sect. 3. Of Ecclesiastical Constitutions about things scrupled Sect. 4. Of Ecclesiastical Rites which have been abused in any corrupt way of Worship Chap. 3. Of devout and becoming Gestures in the Service of God Sect. 1. Of the Gesture at Prayer Praise and Christian Profession of Faith Sect. 2. Of standing up at the Gospel Sect. 3. Of the fitness of Kneeling at the Communion and the gesture at the Institution of that Sacrament considered Sect. 4. Of the Communion-gesture observed in the Christian Church both in the purer and the more degenerate times thereof Chap. 4. Of other particular Rites appointed in the Church of England Sect 1. Of the Surpless Sect. 2. Of the sign of the Cross in the Office for Baptism Sect. 3. Of laying on hands in Confirmation Sect. 4. Of the Ring in Marriage And the Conclusion Libertas Ecclesiastica The First BOOK CHAP. I. Shewing the disagreements about Conformity to be of great concernment SECT I. Of the effects of these oppositions as to the dispositions of the people 1. THE discerning the weightiness of any matter under present circumstances doth not only depend upon the direct inspection into the thing it self but also upon a more comprehensive view of it as it taketh in all its necessary consequents and attendants If the Sea bank be broken and carried away by an overflowing rage of Waters the loss would be fondly estimated by considering only the value of so much earth as would make it up and it would be some degrees below common folly to imagine that the advantage of respiration in man is a thing wholly inconsiderable because the matter of it is only a little ordinary air for according to that of Damascen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a small matter is then no small matter when it bringeth in a great consequent 2. Nor can we easily find a more full instance hereof than in the present subject of Conformity For the discovering how great the good or evil is which dependeth thereupon is not to be concluded chiefly from the bare eying the things required and appointed many of which are in their own nature things indifferent but from observing its necessary attendants which are of very high consequence and great concernment Wherefore I shall first take an account what great and manifold evils flow from these dissentions and oppositions whereby this will appear to be a matter deserving serious consideration and that the maintaining such dissentions unless they proceed upon necessary and justifiable grounds which I shall examine is upon many weighty accounts utterly disallowable and greatly condemnable 3. From these contentions doth spring much want of
Libertas Ecclesiastica OR A DISCOURSE Vindicating the lawfulness of those things which are chiefly excepted against in the Church of England especially in its LITVRGY and WORSHIP And manifesting their agreeableness with the Doctrine and practice both of Ancient and Modern Churches By WILLIAM FALKNER Preacher at St. Nicholas in Lyn Regis LONDON Printed by J. M. for Walter Kettilby at the Bishops-Head in St. Pauls Church-Yard 1674. IMPRIMATUR Jan. 23. 167â— â— Sam. Parker TO The most Reverend Father in God Gilbert by Divine Providence Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Primate of all England and Metropolitan and one of His Majesties most Honourable Privy Council c. May it please your Grace YOur Grace being a Person of such singular Eminency in the Church of England I humbly crave leave to present to your hands this following Discourse which contains a Vindication of the Publick Worship of our Church from those Exceptions which by Dissenters have been made against it And the main Design of this Treatise being to promote Christian Vnity by representing the evil consequences of such unnecessary Discords and Schisms and the great unreasonableness of those pretences which have been alledged for their Justification it will nâ—t I hope be judged incongruous that it should address it self to your Grace whose high Office in the Church tendeth to advance the Vnity thereof and entitleth you to the publick Patronage of Peace and Truth I cannot doubt your Graces approbation of this design which is at all times useful but more especially in this present Juncture of Affairs if God please to grant success which is my earnest prayer For as all good men who prefer Truth and the sincere practice of Piety before their own prejudices wills and passions cannot but approve of such honest endeavours to rectifie mistakes and compose the minds of men to peace so all who are pious and wise cannot but discern a greater necessity and a more particular obligation at this time to silence all these little janglings and quarrels if they have any respect to the main interest and concerns of the Reformed Profession And I hope My Lord that the late Alarum we had from our common Enemies may open mens eyes to see the mischief of rending the Church into so many Factions and may dispose them to receive just and reasonable satisfaction And though what hath been excellently performed by former Writers upon this Subject be sufficiently satisfactory yet my labour herein may not be wholly useless considering the humour of this Age which is more apt to read new Books than to seek for old ones But though the cause I have undertaken deserves your Graces Patronage yet my own personal defects might justly have discouraged me from presenting this discourse to one of so high Dignity and so great a Judgment had not the cause it self been so good that it needed no Art and Colours to set it off but is sufficiently justified when it is rightly represented and understood and your Graces Candour and Clemency so well known as to encourage me to hope for a favourable Acceptance which is the only thing I beg in this humble Address unto your Grace favourably to accept of this small Present from him who unfeignedly prayeth for your Graces prosperity and is intirely devoted to the service and interest of Truth and Peace and Humbly honoureth your Grace with all due Observance W. Falkner THE PREFACE TO THE READER Christian Reader THE design of this discourse being to remove or at least to allay those fierce contentions about the external forms of worship to which we owe all those unhappy Schisms which good men so heartily bewail it was necessary in order to this end to rectifie those mistakes and prejudices which abuse well-minded men who have not throughly consider'd things and to correct those corrupt passions that quarrelsom and contentious humour which perverts others To these two causes we owe most of our present disorders it is too evident what hand the latter of these has had in them while divers Persons wanting a due sense of the evil and danger of these discords and a due regard to the Peace and Unity of the Church have been too zealous and forward to maintain and promote such dissensions thereby to serve the Interest of their own parties and to oppose the settlement of the Church upon sure and lasting principles now I had no other way of dealing with these men but to convince them of the great evil of such contentions and how much it is the duty of every Christian to study Peace and Unity For there is nothing more evident than that mens minds are strangely byassed by their affections and Interests and clouded by passion and therefore while they are so peremptorily resolved upon their way while they are so fond of their own Inventions while they are devoted to the service of a Party and account those men their Enemies who should rule and govern them and inform them better there is no expectation that reason and argument should prevail with them And if those arguments which I have made use of for this purpose should be effectual to calm the passions of men and to work in them a Christian and peaceable temper of mind I can easily foretel the success of my following discourse the design of which is to rectifie those mistakes and misapprehensions which some men labour under which either concern the particular Rites and offices of our Church or the General rule of duty or Ecclesiastical liberty by which the Church must be directed and guided in matters of order The first hath occasion'd various exceptions against some Rites and Ceremonies and particular passages in our forms of Prayer and I have spent great part of this Treatise in answering such objections by which I hope it will appear what little reason there is to disturb the Peace of the Church and to separate from our Communion upon such pretences Concerning the General Rule which ought ever to be observed in the Church about matters of order there are some who will allow nothing except some few circumstances to be determined by the Authority of the Church unless it be directly enjoined by a particular divine Institution and for a more plausible colour they reject all such rules of order or regular administration under the terms of unscriptural conditions of Communion But in answer to this I have made it appear to be an unjust and unreasonable exception against the establisht order of any Church that there are some things determined and appointed by the Authority of Superiours which have always been accounted of an Indifferent nature and are indeed the proper matters of Ecclesiastical Liberty And I hope I have abundantly proved to the satisfaction of all sober inquirers that prudent and well ordered Ecclesiastical Constitutions and appointments for the promoting order and decency and the advancement of Religion and Piety are very allowable and unblameable nay that it is impossible that
influence from these divisions is so considerable though the argument from them be not valuable Polit. lib. 9. c. 21. that Contzen relateth it as the complaint of a Protestant Writer of good account Papistae funestis Evangelicorum dissidiis absterrentur à Doctrina Evangelicorum ceu haereticâ Satanicâ seditiosâ That by the lamentable discords of the Protestants the Papists are frighted from the Doctrine of the Reformed Churches as if it was Heretical Satanical and Seditious and in the same place he speaketh his own thoughts We saith he can not approve the cause of the Protestants which always some part of themselves and sometimes the chief and most numerous part doth detest 4. Nor are their endeavours ordinarily wanting to blow up the Coals of contention that they may be advantaged by the smoak Letter to the Lord Treasurer in Fuller ubi supra That they did animate some dissenters from Conformity in the Queens days was asserted by Bishop Whitgift upon his own certain knowledge And that in these last thirty years and upwards they were promoters of our divisions is more than probable from the informations given to the Archbishop V. Biblioth Reg. p. 42. 1640. by Andreas ab Habernsfield a Bohemian of noble descent and from many particular passages concerning our late discords published by Mr. Prinne and Monsieur du Moulin together with diverse credible relations of known Romanists in the meetings of diverse Sects Mr. Baxter long since declared that he began to have a strong suspicion that the Papists had indeed an hand in the extirpation of Episcopacy Grot. Relig Sect. 66. and citeth Bishop Bramhal's words against Meliterius There was a Bishop in the World losers may have leave to talk whose privy Purse and subtil Counsels did help to kindle that unnatural War in his Majesties three Kingdoms 5. Agreeably hereto it was observed their Policy about two hundred years since to endeavour to extinguish the sparks of light in the Bohemian Church by dividing them asunder Comen Historiola Sect. 36. and as Comenius relateth admiscebant se personati quidam qui Papae causam promoturi dissentiones mutuas promovebant Bulleng adv Anabapt and Bullenger as he is cited by Bishop Whitgift in his exhortation before his Answer to the Admonition declared that the Anabaptists in Switzerland and the parts of Germany were animated by the subtil Papists 6. Yet if any will not so much as suspect that these seeds of division are either secretly sown or watered from these hands considerate men have found cause to conclude that they expect to reap an harvest by them This hath not only been expressed by some of themselves and discerned by others in the Churches of England Bohemia and Switzerland but the same hath been also apprehended in all other Protestant Churches Hubertus Languetus a man of great authority and at that time the Duke of Saxonies Embassador resident in the Emperours Court at Vienna as Comenius who relateth the words of his Epistle declareth writing to Andreas Stephanus a Bohemian Bishop declared what his observation had discovered almost an hundred years since saith he the Pope feareth nothing more than our consenting and joining in Vnity sed sunt inter nos insani quidam Theologi c. But there are amongst us some furious Divines who reject all right Counsels and thereby perform a work advantagious to the Popes interest 7. And even Beza in the life of Calvin declareth concerning the controversies in Saxony about adiaphorous rites as the Surplice c. that Calvin did at first dislike Ph. Melanchthon who perswaded to Conformity but afterwards he discovered that there was no reason so to do For at that time it did not appear saith Beza with what spirit that evil Genius and the whole Troop of the Flacians who disdained Conformity were hurried on which afterward caused so many troubles and still do hinder the work of God non aliter sane nec minus suriose impudenter quam si ab ipso Romano Pontifice magnas stipendiis esset conducta with no less impudence and sury saith he than if they had been hired by large salaries from the Pope of Rome Praef. in Apol. Catech And this contentious spirit of Flacius Illyricus who was in some other respects a man deserving commendation hath gained him this Character from Vrsin that he was one qui per complures annos praestantissimis atque veris Christianis Orthodoxis viris obtrectando multas non necessarias altercationes excitando plurimorum conscientias passim Ecclesias in Germania turbavit Who for divers years by his discrediting worthy and true Christians and Orthodox men and by stirring up many unnecessary contentions was a troubler of divers Consciences and Churches all over Germany 8. Nor is it hard to discover that these dissentions about our publick service are made an occasion by some others I might say by many others who are more careless than scrupulous in matters of Piety for their gross neglecting the worship of God and the duties of Religion as the disputes about the Lords Supper have in several places apparently caused a great carelessness of attending on that great Ordinance Letter to the Council ubi supra It was Bishop Whitgifts observation concerning our former times that in King Edwards time and the beginning of Queen Elizabeths before the heat of these contentions the Gospel mightily prevailed and took great encrease but since this schism and division saith he the contrary effects have happened And indeed no other can be well expected because hereby is manifestly wanting that forcible motive from the general joining in the service of God with readiness of mind and with one consent which might perswade them who are otherwise careless of Religion to be more serious by making them ashamed of their negligence 9. And doubtfulness of Religion in some and profaneness of life in others are the woful ordinary consequents of such differences When the Donatists who neither erred in the Faith nor appeared vitious in their lives made a great breach in the Church about matters of discipline Optatus noteth Opt. adv Parm. l. 5. that while they contended that their separation was lawful and the Orthodox Church decryed it as unlawful the common people were doubtful and at a stand in the practice of Religion Inter vestrum licet nostrum non licet nutant remigant animae populorum And that Apostolical man Clemens expresseth the fruits of the divisions in the Corinthian Church about their Governours to be these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your division hath perverted and turned aside many Ep. ad Cor. p. 61. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it hath discouraged many and made them despond 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it bringeth many into doubtfulness and us all to grief and sorrow 10. And besides divers others ways mentioned in the following Sections whereby Religion is disadvantaged by these oppositions it is upon this
and affectionately recommended and hath naturally such other dangerous attendants as have been above observed to be the result of the breach or want of the Churches Peace This sin is to the Church what Sedition is to the State the most manifest and direct means to hinder its Government and to destroy that Society which is best preserved in true Vnity and of which as Christ himself hath so every Christian ought to have a tender regard It is to the body of Christ what disjointing is to the body of man it hindreth the actions of the body and the usefulness of the members to each other it weakneth the whole and causeth pain and anxious grief to those other members which are not senseless and is ordinarily accompanied with swelling tumours in the part ill-affected and out of order 12. And as it self is contrary to Gods Commandment so its influence promoteth all manner of sin and is called by Ignatius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an original of evils Ign. Ep. ad Smyrn For besides the evils above mentioned which accompany this sin as it includeth a breach of the Churches Peace it is apt to prevail with the Separatist to so much impiety as to place much of his Religion in that which is his sin viz. his unwarrantable separation and it is oft if not ordinarily attended with so great uncharitableness as to be pleased with respect to the interest of their party in hearing if not speaking evil concerning others who withstand them It promoteth prosaneness and disadvantageth Religion in others by rendring censures and admonitions of the Church when they are administred the less efficacious upon the offenders who are the more ready to conclude that it is no great shame or danger to be excluded from that Society of Christians from which many who profess Religion do exclude themselves And upon this and other easily discernable accounts it is a probable occasion of remisness in the exercising discipline which would be more enforced and enlivened by a more general Union whereby also divers obstacles and impediments would be removed Athan. Synops in 1. Ep. ad Cor. Thus Athanasius was of opinion that the Corinthian divisions were the cause why the incestious person was not rejected SECT IV. Some false Conceptions of Schism refuted 1. But because there are some notions or rather misrepresentations of this sin of Schism designed to excuse many from the guilt thereof whom the rules of Christianity do envolve under it I shall endeavour to discover the insufficiency of such Plaisters either to cover or cure so great and dangerous wounds as the deep rents made in the Church to which they are applyed 2. A first false Conception of Schism A first Notion is the natural result of the new-New-England Independant Principles of Church-Communion They assert expresly Ans to 32. Qu. quo 4. that Baptism neither maketh nor admitteth any to be members of the Church and call it the opinion of Papists and Anabaptists that we enter into the Church by Baptism But they assert the foundation of Church-Society to be laid in their Church-Covenant which is a particular contract among themselves binding themselves to God and one to another to live in Christian Society with that particular Congregation to which they join themselves by this contract Apol. for Chur. Coven p. 3 5 15. And this Church-Covenant is they say the Constitutive form of a Church and joining in it is that which maketh a particular person a member of a Church And from hence it may be easily infered that there can be no duty of holding and therefore no sin of Schism in withdrawing or neglecting Communion where they have not made this engagement by that particular Covenant 3. But this notion of the Vnion and Communion of the Church doth confine it to such strait limits as to exclude in a manner all Christians of all ages from Church Society but themselves and is thereby uncharitable and no stranger to Schism and can not consist with the full and due sense of the Churches Catholicism for the ancient Church did never account the obligation to Christian Communion to be so narrow a thing as only to respect a particular Congregation and therefore never framed any such particular Covenant This is also directly contrary to S. Paul who as an argument to Union and against Schism saith 1 Cor. 12 13. By one Spirit we are all baptized into one body and teacheth us that we are baptized into Christ Rom. 6.3 and thereby are planted together in the likeness of his death v. 5. and that they who are baptized into Christ do put on Christ Gal. 3.27 Which Scriptures do sufficiently express that by our Baptism as we undertake the Christian life so we thereby are admitted to be members of the Church or body of Christ and are engaged as members to Vnity therein and to continue in Communion therewith Whereas if this notion was admitted the grounds for the being and Vnion of the Church which the Scriptures lay down together with the Apostolical and Primitive practice must be accounted as insufficient and the necessary support of its being and Union must be derived from this late invention All which things are sufficient to manifest the errour of this opinion and to shew that there may be a sinful breach of the Vnity of the Church among them who never entred into that Church Covenant 4. A second Notion Dr. Owen of Love Church Peace c. 3. But one of that way of our own Nation treating of Schism and separation acknowledgeth Baptism to give Relation to or entrance into the Catholick Church visible but still owneth a particular contract or joint consent among themselves to be the only bond for external Ecclesiastical Communion in a particular Church or as he expresseth it to be that wherein the Vnion of such a Church doth consist which will be hereafter further considered N. 19 20. Dr. Owen's Review of Schism ch 8 9. And he giveth us this representation of Schism That the sin of Schism doth not consist in the want of or breach of external Vnity by separation but in the want of internal Vnity by needless divisions of judgment in a particular Congregation as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he saith is used 1 Cor. c. 1.11 Hence these assertions are laid down 1. That the departing of any man or men from any particular Church as to the Communion peculiar to such a Church is no where in Scripture called Schism nor is so in the nature of the thing it self 2. One Church refusing to hold that Communion with another which ought to be between them is not Schism properly so called 5. But if we here consider the matter or thing it self we must enquire whether Christian Religion doth allow needless separations in the Christian Church And surely he must have strange thoughts of the earnest commands and frequent arguments for Christian Unity who supposeth them to regard only an inward
apprehensions of other men it is very manifest that unless there be a complyance or submission to such determinations by the members of the Church they can not actually communicate in these administrations unless they could communicate in what they will not yield to join in Yet these things with us are not made the conditions of communion any other way than the submission to lawful determinations of those things which must be one way or other determined is necessary for them who will join in such an orderly Society 11. And they who urge this objection do themselves make their determinations of these things besides some other things peculiar to their way as much a condition of Communion in their Congregations as our determinations are with us They may possibly stamp a divine authority upon those usages of their own which really have it not and urge such things for laws of God which he hath not established but this being much of the same nature with teaching for doctrines the commandments of men can never render their communion the more acceptable And I suppose this following discourse will sufficiently manifest that the divine authority doth neither enjoin their way of service without all forms and other rites nor disapprove of ours And now the arguments brought in that Treatise to make good this exception will concern themselves to answer as well as others and may be easily solved For 1. P. 173. When Christ gave Commission to his Apostles to baptize all Nations and teach them to observe whatsoever he commanded he thereby enjoined all his doctrines and precepts to be received and obeyed of all men and especially of those who imbrace the Christian baptism but he doth not thereby forbid rules of decency and order which are required in the Scripture to be received in the Communion of Christians And 2. Lib. 2. Ch. 1. Sect. 3. Ch. 2. Sect. 2 3. the Apostles practice and 3. their doctrine with a particular consideration of the fourteenth Chapter to the Romans will be evidenced in this Treatise to give both allowance and direction for Ecclesiastical constitutions of order 12. The fourth argument is from this instance of fact P. 191. When Victor Bishop of Rome excommunicated the Asian Churches for not observing Easter at the same time with the Roman Church this his action as fixing new bounds to Church-Communion was then disliked much by others and especially rebuked by one of the most holy and learned men then living which was Irenaeus Ans Well might Victors actions be censured by Irenaeus which was not only a directing and retaining that as a sixed rule of order for his own Church Eus Eccles Hist l. 5. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was then the Roman Custom and practice and which Irenaeus and the French Churches as well as many others did allow and judge requisite in that very Epistle to Victor but it was the obtruding that which was no Apostolical command or institution to be so far Apostolical as to be thereupon a doctrine and practice necessary to be received in all parts of the Christian Church and that all other whole Churches who received it not were not to be owned in the Communion of the Catholick Church Ibid. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and upon this account he undertook to excommunicate the Asian Churches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as being Heterodox or erring from the Faith But our Church can be charged with no such practices as these were for it declareth it self thus B. of Com. Prayer of Ceremonies In these our doings we condemn no other Nations nor prescribe any thing but to our own people only which words with other to the same purpose are prefixed to our Liturgy His fifth argument is P. 194. that hence it would follow that there is no certain rule of Communion amongst Christians fixed and determined by Christ To which I answer that in all doctrines of Christianity nothing can be required as necessary for Communion with any Church but what Christ hath determined yet even here every errour in judgment or miscarriage in practice doth not forfeit the right of Communion and concerning defaults they who have the power of the Keys which is managed with Ecclesiastical Prudence Albasp Observat l. 2. Obs 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18. are allowed to consider of times and other circumstances whence the Church of God hath unblameably used sometimes greater and other times less severity about the same crimes But that there should be different prudential rules of external order in the communion of different Churches hath generally been allowed and acknowledged in the ancient Church and pleaded for amongst the reformed Churches 13. P. 171 202. Indeed it is in the same Treatise urged as a thing included under this exception of Vnscriptural conditions of Communion that Ministers are required to express their approbation of the things injoined as the Liturgy Articles and Book of Ordination by their subscription or declaration But besides that these things are not intended for conditions of Christian communion but requisite for regular administrations and the preservation of order it is but reasonable that they who insist on this Plea before they blame us much more before they separate from us upon this account should themselves consider whether they would be willing to receive any persons to be Ministers of their Congregations who do not some way or other express their allowance of their way and order and particularly whether they would entertain him as their Minister who is resolved to perform all ministerial actions according to the order of the Liturgy If they be willing to entertain such a Minister and Ministration they must thereby justifie our way of order and communion by their submitting to the same terms of injoying Church-Communion But if they will admit no person to be a Minister in their Churches as indeed they will not before they are satisfied that he approveth and will continue in the way and order of their Churches while they herein blame our Church they should consider those words of the Apostle Rom. 2.1 Thou art inexcusable O man whosoever thou art that judgest for wherein thou judgest another thou condemnest thy self for thou that judgest dost the same things 14. But of the lawfulness of things as enjoined in the Church for order sake which is the main thing considerable in this exception and which hath been divers times sufficiently justified Bishop Whitgift Tr. 2. Hccles Folit l. 3. Lib. 2. c. 2. by Bishop Whitgift Mr. Hooker and many others since them I shall treat in another place more particularly and it will be sufficient here to add that God who hath appointed Rulers in his Church to guide and command hath also made it a duty to obey them who have the rule over us 15. Its second Plea Another Plea for separation from the Church of England is That the joining in communion
execution of discipline which I have in the former Section noted to be hindred in the effects thereof and not helped by divisions and separations is desireable and would be advantageous to the Church Yet here we must observe 1. That some mens rigour would make the rules of Communion overstrict and severe which was the ground of the Schism of the Novatians and Donatists and as some have anciently related of the Meletians also and it is not desireable that the Churches authority should be acted by such heats 2. That real defects in this particular though they are not to be approved of are no sufficient ground for separation since such blemishes were mixed with the beauty of the Apostolical Churches themselves as is manifest from almost all the Apostolical Epistles and particularly from the first Epistle to the Corinthians in which divers miscarriages were taxed and yet unity was strictly commanded and dividing severely rebuked Yea this very discourse at sometimes will not owne P. 126. that this thing solely of it self is sufficient to justifie a separation and the Congregational Churches in England in the Declaration of their Faith and order affirmed Of Institution and Order of Churches Sect. 21. the Church-members upon offences taken by them having performed their duty private admonition and relating it to the Church ought not to disturb any Church-order or absent themselves from the publick assemblies or the administration of any ordinances upon that pretence but to wait upon Christ in the further proceeding of the Church 19. Last Plea Another thing only touched in that discourse but which is the main ground of mis-apprehensin is that there is saith he no Evangelical obligation to local or external Comunion P. 256 257. with any particular or parochial Church of this Nation because every man may relinquish it by removing his habitation which plea floweth from want of a right sense of the Church Catholick For every Christians obligation to keep Communion with the Church is founded in his being visibly a member of Christs body which includeth his visible fellowship with the whole Church which he entreth upon by Baptism and from hence he standeth obliged to communicate with that regular fixed part of this Church where he resideth and from which he hath no warrantable or necessary cause of separation In this respect our Parochial Assemblies are of like nature with the Jewish Synagogal Assemblies unto which they were not obliged by any special Synagogal-Covenant but partly from Gods general command of their assembling themselves together and partly from their Religious profession and circumcision engaging them to Communion with the whole Church of the Jews and thereby to their Synagogal-Communion Hereupon under that dispensation it was the practice of our Blessed Saviour whose example should not be over-looked by us to attend upon these Synagogal Assemblies and the Religious worship of God celebrated therein as appears Luk. 4.16 At Nazareth where he had been brought up as his custom was he went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day 20. And can it enter into the heart of any Christian to imagine that the holy Apostles who in their travells could not be fixed in any particular Congregation did not stand bound by the duty of Christian Vnity to join themselves in Communion with the particular fixed Churches or Assemblies of Christians where they came as S. Peter at Antioch S. Paul at Jerusalem and divers other places though such Churches were founded by some of the other Apostles And upon this account of the Vnity of the body of Christ the Primitive Christians when they went abroad into other Regions and distant parts of the World did with a Religious care seek the Communion of the Churches where they came and not to make separate Assemblies Yea this is a thing so far acknowledged by our English Independants themselves though they can talk at another rate where it serves their interest that in their publick Confession of Faith at the Savoy they say Conf. Ch. 27. Sect. 2. All Saints are bound to maintain an holy fellowship and Communion in the worship of God which communion though especially to be exercised by them in the relations wherein they stand whether of Families or Churches yet as God affordeth opportunity it is to be extended to all those who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus 21. But the conditions required in any particular fixed Christian Assembly embracing the Christian Faith and Worship in the place of our residence to make it our duty upon the account of the Christian Vnity to join therein are these two 1. That our communicating therein doth not oblige us to join in any action or profession which is sinful This is acknowledged on all hands and needeth no further proof because the Christians duty of keeping in Communion with Christ himself doth require it 2. That the Assembly we join in doth not maintain an unwarrantable separation from the Communion of the established Church for here to join in Communion is to join in separation and is like Barnabas and the other Jews joining with S. Peter Gal. 2.14 who all walked contrary to the truth of the Gospel in withdrawing from the Communion of the Gentiles at Antioch and the communicating with such a separating Assembly would be a breach of that Apostolical command of avoiding them who cause divisions Rom. 16.17 And we may observe that the joining in needless separations being a sin against the commands of Christ which require Christian Unity and Communion can not be warranted by any authority upon earth because that authority can not dispense with the commands of Christ but ought to be subject to them and therefore as S. Peter's practice and countenance Theod. Hift. l. 4. c. 22. Aug. Ep. 166. did not excuse Barnablas and the other Jews so neither could the indulgence of Valons the Emperour or his Predecessor execuse the different Sects by them tolerated from being guilty of Schism and the breach of Christian duty in their divisions and separations 22. Another notion of Schism there is A fourth Notion of Schism which condemneth separation where ever Communion is lawful but assumeth that whereever any thing unlawful or strongly suspected Mr. H. Tract of Schism p. 2 5 8. is required in order to Communion there to hold Communion would be to join in conspiracy and separation is then both lawful and necessary Concerning which notion granting that separation is necessary where any thing unlawful is required in order to Communion I can not admit for truth that if any thing suspected be so required separation becometh lawful thereby For if by suspected be meant whatsoever the person who maketh the separation doth suspect as evil by this rule he who through carelessness of enquiry or prejudice and want of Charity is needlâ—sly suspicious about any form of service or way of Church-Administrations will be allowed to separate and to be therein free from
Schism or sinful breach of Vnity only because he is void of charity and wanting in due Christian care 23. Nor can it possibly be true that if some thing be enjoined which divers persons who appear to be Religious and are supposed to have considerable abilities of judgment do upon professed enquiry both suspect and condemn that they may lawfully separate and not be guilty of Schism if their judgments herein be erroneous and ungrounded For though diligent enquiry where it is impartially made is in this case an excuse from the degree of the sin or from the precipitant or designed breach of Charity or Vnity yet where it is so ill managed as to take up with an errour and practice upon it it can not render that practice allowable For this would justifie almost every party which in judgment holdeth an errour for separating from that Church who either in her open practice or in her publick service requireth a profession of that truth which they oppose and they must be excused from Schism only because they acknowledge not the right rules of Religion and neither Donatists Novatians or Anabaptists could then be blamed for their distance from the Church provided it be founded in their distance from and disowning of the truth Yea if any persons be Arians Futychians or Nestorians Vbi supra p. 9 10. in opinion all which the author of this notion over-officiously excuseth from all Heresie and saith they were at the worst but Schisms they must also according to his notion stand excused from Schism in separating from the Church which holdeth the true doctrine and openly in her service requireth a profession of it concerning the person of the Mediator 24. This would set up the power of an erring judgment above the will of God to discharge persons from what is Gods command and would else have been their duty viz. Communion and to give them authority to do that as a lawful action which to others who err not is a grievous sin viz. separation from that Church which holdeth the truth meerly because it doth profess it as if the crrour of man could render necessary duties and divine commands to be of no obligation For though their errour may till it be removed entangle them in sin in joining with the Church because this encludeth a practising what they judge unlawful it can not justifie them from sin in separating from it but this errour as all other erroneous judgments do where good and evil are mistaken for each other doth in their practice every way ensnare them under sin until it be cured Lib. 2. c. 2 Sect. 3. But of the principal design of this notion I shall give a further account in considering things under scruples 25. From what hath been hitherto discoursed it appeareth that the consideration of Schism will make it necessary for him who undertaketh separation to be sure that he acteth upon unerring grounds and not upon mistakes because to make separation from a Church which however it be misunderstood and causelesly censured requireth nothing in it self absolutely unlawful to be believed professed practised or joined in is to be guilty of the great sin of Schism SECT V. Of the duty of obedience to Rulers and Governours and the due exercise of the Ministerial function which is in this case concerned 1. The opposing Conformity if managed upon insufficient grounds hath ordinarily involved the person opposing under the sin of disobedience and want of subjection in things lawful to Christian Governours and Rulers and their Laws and Constitutions which ought to be obeyed not only for wrath but for Conscience sake It is their duty in their places to shew themselves the servants of God and to promote his glory and to that end by their power and authoritative commands to take care for the promoting and preserving the Order Peace and Vnity of the Church of God and towards both Ecclesiastical and secular Rulers the divine Precepts do very plainly require our obedience Indeed if any thing any time commanded be really sinful the instructions given in the Church of England will direct us to believe undoubtedly Hom. of Obedience Part. 2. that we may not obey Kings Magistrates or any other though they be our own Fathers if they would command us to do any thing contrary to Gods Commandment But if the things be lawful which they command as in this case I hope to make appear to men of unprejudiced minds it is a sin of no low degree to disobey and the duty of obedience is so considerable that the Compilers of the Strasburgh Confession of Faith Conf. Argent c. 23. expressed it to be Inter primi crdinis bona opera in the highest rank and order of good works 2. Nor can this obedience be thought a matter inconsiderable which was enjoined of old in the first Commandment of the second table Phil. de Leg. Spepiailb and as Philo observed encludeth part of the first table and part of the second having directly a respect both to God in his Vice-gerent and also to man And this is earnestly pressed upon us in the Gospel doctrine as a means whereby we may bring honour to Religion and Christianity by S. Peter 1 Pet. 2.12 15. and as a necessary practice to express true conversion from the state of sin to the life of God by S. Paul Tit. 3.1 5. who also warneth against this sin with respect to the danger of damnation thereby Rom. 13.2 And this obedience to them who are over us in things lawful and under their authority is of so high and necessary a consequence that without it there can be no peace nor any regular and unconfused state in any Family City Realm or Church this being the practice of the grand Maxim for the upholding order in all Societies of the World which is evident by its own light and is a principle of the law of nature 3. Another effect of these disagreements about the established order of our Church hath been this that divers Ministers have declined the orderly regular and publick exercise of their Ministerial sunctions And considering the weightiness of their Commission with the greatness of their charge and account and the exceeding advantage to the Church yea to the honour of Christ and the salvation of men by their labours where they obtain success together with other their own concernments it becometh them to be well assured that they have had a warrantable plea to justifie those proceedings It was not without cause accounted a great miscarriage and default in Novatus Eus Hist Eccless l. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that before he openly became the head of a dividing party he was over-forward for want of a due zeal to Religion to have relinquished the office of Presbyter to which he was ordained and to betake himself to another kind of life 4. The ancient Church shewed its great dislike and distast of any Ministers declining the orderly execution
of his Ministry by determining that if any Bishop Can. Ap. 36. Conc. Antioch c. 17. Presbyter or Deacon being ordained did not undertake his Ministration he must be separated from the Christian Society and deprived of Ecclesiastical Communion And with equal severity they condemned that Minister who refused the regular work and place of his Ministry Can. Ap. 58. and him who undertook the place but minded not the work and duty behaving himself negligently in not attending the care of the people 5. From what I have expressed hitherto we may take a short prospect of the evills flowing from these contentions which are such as these the prejudicing men against the holy administrations of Gods service the promoting wrath and strife and the quenching Christian love the being a stumbling block to the weak hardning the careless and being an occasion of much irreligion grieving the godly and every way gratifying the Churches Enemies and hindring its welsare and the growth of piety the hurtful disturbance of the Churches Peace and endangering the Kingdoms interest and the promoting of dangerous and dreadsul Schisms nor is the disobedience to Magistrates and the deserting the Ministerial charge unconcerned herein And all these things if God in his mercy put not a stop to them by directing mens minds to a right understanding and turning their hearts into a more peaceable and amicable frame and temper may provealso very dangerous and hurtful in the next Generation to the dishonour of God the discredit of Religion and the ruine of many thousand souls which sad consequences plainly enough shew these unhappy contests rather to gratifie the designs of the destroyer than of the Saviour and to be fruits growing from a root of bitterness Ful. Church Hist l. 7. p. 401. In these respects I think he was not far from the mark who called this disagreement about Conformity the saddest difference that ever happened in the Church of England SECT VI. A proposal concerning due considerateness in this Case and the design of this treatise manifested 1. After I have shewed the sad fruits of these dissentions I must still acknowledge that I doubt not but that there are dissenters who act out of true principles of Conscience and design to walk in piety to God and in love and peace towards men to such persons though they be of different judgments yea though some of them too far indulge their passions I profess an hearty respect and brotherly love considering that wise and good men are lyable to mistake and err still retaining this as a testimony of their integrity that they are willing to be informed and in practice to embrace what is their duty when it shall be so evidenced 2. S. Cyprian who was a great promoter of Truth Piety and Peace and wrote some tracts purposely to correct the fierceness of them especially who were of his own opinion viz de bono patientiae Cyp. in Conc. Carth. Epist ad Jubaian de zelo livore for want of better information but with openly avowed dislike of breach of communion lived and for what appeared to S. Austin died also in that errour about baptizing Hereticks Aug. Ep. 48. But had he rightly understood the truth he would no doubt have rejected his errour as those Bishops who were of the same opinion with him are related to have done Eus Hist Eccl. l. 7. c. 3. Hieron adv Lucif Pamel in Vit. Cypr. both in the Eastern Church and in the African whereupon the Church enjoyed peace and was filled with exceeding abundant joy and Pamelius thinketh that S. Cyprian himself lived to do the same 3. And the women who out of love but in their errour came to anoint Jesus designing it as a rite belonging to his burial when they ought according to his doctrine which they did not yet understand to have believed that it was the day of his resurrection meeting with Jesus himself who expressed his favour unto them were forthwith ready to have their mistakes discovered and with joy upon conviction to yield both their judgments and thereupon their practices to be rectified Erring acts from mistake of judgment are herein of the same nature with other infirmities of Christians in that the being of them is consistent with the true nature of Christian life whereas the willful persisting in them and the designed promoting of them against evidence is contrary thereto For that is for men to resolve not to deny themselves or to submit to God but to oppose his mind and will if it be contrary to their own 4. Wherefore I must intreat my Reader if he be a person dissatisfied about the matters treated of in this discourse that he would make a stand and give me leave to propose what his own interest will engage him to admit That before he proceedeth any further he would seriously resolve himself these two things First whether with reflexion upon what hath been said he would not be heartily unwilling to stand charged in the sight of God with being any way sinfully instrumental unto so much hurt as is consequent upon being unwarrantably engaged in these contentions and oppositions Secondly whether he be resolvedly willing to lay aside all prejudice and designed serving any opinion or party and to aim impartially to keep a good conscience and in judgment and practice to entertain all evidences of truth in this enquiry about Conformity 5. If any man should answer either of these two things in the Negative he must be a man of an irreligious Spirit willing to ruine himself and of a pernicious Spirit ready to destroy others and whilst he remaineth thus strongly prepossessed he is never like to be advantaged by this discourse or any other of the same subject but it is most necessary for him to become better instructed in that chief principle of Christian practice to which he is yet a stranger viz. The great necessity in order to salvation of minding uprightness to God and the doing his will above gratifying his own affections or the pleasure of any other men But as to him who answereth these two things in the affirmative I only entreat him to proceed in the remaining part of this discourse with the same frame and temper of Spirit 6. I come now to examine the matters themselves to which Conformity referreth which from the premises appeareth to be of very considerable use and tendeth to the resolving divers cases of Conscience and if God please to vouchsafe so great a mercy to us to promote the Churches peace and Vnity the Ministers comfortable discharge of his duty the common advancement of Christianity and the Protestant profession and the particular edification of Christians In order to the contributing somewhat towards these excellent ends I have undertaken this discourse beseeching the God of wisdom and knowledge to guide and lead me that I may clearly understand and manifest what is truth and that he would so move on the hearts
Laws of the Land To this purpose the Covenant it self in the beginning thereof declareth that after other means of supplication remonstrance protestation c. now at last they enter into a League wherein Art 1. and 2. they engaged themselves to this endeavour Wherefore that endeavour cannot include such means as supplication to the King c. Which are called other means than what they then designed And according to this sense the Assembly Pref. to the Directory notwithstanding the Kings prohibitive Declaration declared that to give publick testimony of their endeavour for Vniformity in divine worship which they promised in the Covenant they resolved to lay aside the former Liturgy and agreed on the directory Ordin Jan. 3. 1644. And the then two Houses without the Kings consent and against his Declaration proceeding as themselves there expressed according to their Covenant to reform Religion did undertake by their ordinance to abolish the Book of Common-Prayer and to repeal all statutes which enjoined it and to establish the directory and in like manner they proceeded in their other Ordinances of Oct. 9th 1646. for abolishing the name title Ordin Oct. 9. 1646. stile and dignity of Archbishop and Bishop Nov. 16. 1648. and of Aug. 29. 1648. for establishing a new way of discipline and ordination And in the two several ordinances for abolishing Bishops and selling their lands there is a special provision to this purpose To save and preserve all other rights titles and interests other than the King 's and his Heirs and Successors the Archbishops and Bishops c. Which words carry an appearing indication of some conviction that those endeavours against Episcopacy were not every way lawful and according to right 7. The matter of the Covenant was also Unlawful as it designed the extirpation of Church-government by Archbishops and Bishops For to engage the rooting out of all Episcopacy which ever since the Apostles times hath been established in the Church and under which our own Nation received its reformation is to Covenant to abolish that which after all Books of controversie hitherto written may fairly plead for a divine institution and no man how confident soever can be sufficiently secure that he doth not act against the will of Christ while he designeth to reject it and therefore an Oath to this end and purpose cannot be a lawful Oath Conc. Chalc. c. 18 Con. Trull c. 34. Aurel. 3. c. 21. C. 11. q. 1. Conspirationum With what indignation such actings would have been looked upon by the Primitive Christians may appear by the Canons of the ancient general and Provincial Councils wherein all combinations by Oath though they were not so high as this of the Covenant whether by Clergy or Laity against their Bishops were in the highest manner and with the greatest severity condemned and censured 8. I know that some have written that the Covenant did not intend wholly to abolish but to regulate Episcopacy Surveigh of the Grand Case p. 44. But other Covenanters have earnestly opposed this and tell us that the Government is to be extirpated not by mutation mutilation limitation or regulation but utter abolition una cum stirpe evellere And that Parliament by whose ordinance the Covenant was taken when they set upon this extirpation did design the taking away even the title stile name and dignity of Arch bishop and Bishop And as this restrained interpretation which was the sense of divers particular persons maketh somewhat a violent exposition of the extirpation expressed in the second Article so it directly clasheth with the first Article whereby the Church of Scotland over-looking the Bishops there under its Presbitery which professed a great opposition to every little appearance of any fixed Episcopacy was made the Idea according to which the Church of England must be reformed Bishop Spotswood Hist of Ch. of Scotl. l. 3. p. 159 160. Now in Scotland according to their form of Church Policy 1560. they had Superintendents or Bishops who were to use Episcopal power in many things were chosen and approved by the Ministers and were subject to the censures of the Ministers and Elders and were not required to have Episcopal Ordination and yet even these Superintendents Ibid. lib. 6. p. 311. in the modelling their Presbitery after the new form of policy was introduced 1578. were rejected and disclaimed and exploded in the Assembly at Dundee 1580. as having neither foundation ground nor warrant in the word of God 9. And thus having taken a short plain and direct view of divers things in the Covenant in must needs seem exceeding strange unless the interest of parties or prejudices have the chief and principal influence upon some mens scruples that divers persons who profess themselves extreamly scrupulous concerning the lawfulness of other things which are very justifiable should be as far in the other extream confident asserters of the lawfulness of this Oath without any scruple and even to impatience of all contradiction SECT II. That no man is obliged by this Oath to endeavour any alteration fo the Government 1. Though some phrases in the Covenant which had respect to the King were truly declared by himself to be dubious and dangerous and were to such purposes made use of by some violent Spirits yet I shall presume it now granted that no man is by that Oath obliged to endeavour any alteration of the Government in the State But I shall here undertake to manifest that there lyeth no obligation from the Covenant upon any person who took it to endeavour any alteration of the Government in the Church though he might intend this in his entring upon that Oath And this I shall evidence by propounding four Rules 2. The first Rule is That Superiours just rights may not be violated But if the voluntary Vows or Oaths of Inferiours made against the consent and command of their Superiours concerning things belonging to their Government which is the present case did bind them to prosecute what they did so undertake then must it be acknowledged lawful that the Superiours right and authority be taken away without his own consent and that the duties of Obedience the divine Ordinances of Rule and Dominion and together therewith all peace may be rooted out of the World This will be manifest by considering the Oath of a Servant that he will not do such business as he thinketh his Master intendeth for him of a Child that he will have none of those orders nor servants in his Fathers family which his Father approveth or of an Army that they will not engage in a Battel or undertakeany march though they be thereto commanded And like to these is the Oath of a Subject to determine matters of publick Government against the law and the mind of his Soveraign And if other inferiours should in the like case as forwardly make contrary vows if these should also be supposed to necessary obligation against their superiours
Script Angl. They who entred into the Ministry at Strasburgh after its first reformation did by Oath undertake to keep in the Communion and obedience of the Church and its Governours according to the law of God and their Canons Statutes and Ordinances And it is related from the laws of Geneva where an established Liturgy is one of their Constitutions that all they who were there received to the Ministry must oblige themselves by Oath to observe the Ecclesiastical Ordinances ordained by the Councils of that City In the Hungarian reformed Church they who enter the Ministry do by a very solemn Oath oblige themselves to the observations of the Ecclesiastical Canons Eccles Augl Vindic cap. 31. in fin and to the performing due obedience to the Bishop and other Superiours in the Church as may be seen in their Oath as it is fully exhibited by Mr. Durell from their Synodical Constitutions 5. The Subscriptions or Declarations required amongst us besides what for the present concerneth the Covenant are an acknowledgment of the Kings just authority to secure the Government of the Articles of Religion to preserve truth of Doctrine and of the Liturgy and Book of Ordination to maintain order and Uniformity to which end also tendeth the Oath of Canonical obedience wherein such obedience to the Bishop and his Successors is engaged in all lawful and honest things which must needs be blameless unless it could be accounted a sin to resolve to do good and honest things in a way of order Of these I shall in this discourse treat of what concerneth the Liturgy which is chiefly opugned and therefore requireth the principal consideration for the vindicating our Communion in the worship of God and the manifesting the unlawfulness of the breach thereof 6. Some declared allowance of the Liturgy hath since the reformation been ordinarily required in this Church Art 35. The Articles in the time of King Edward the Sixth contained an approbation both of the Book of Common Prayer and of Ordination In Queen Elizabeths time the allowance of the use and the Subscription to the Book of Common-Prayer was required by the Advertisements Advertism 7. Eliz Can. 1571. c. concionatores Tract 21. c. 1. and Canons and defended by Bishop Whitgift Since Queen Elizabeth the same hath been performed in the Subscription according to the 36th Canon and in the Declaration and Acknowledgment in the Act of Uniformity which in seense much agreeth therewith 7. The subscription required by the thirty sixth Canon is grounded upon the Constitutions of the Convocation confirmed by the authority of the Kings broad Seal according to his supream authority in causes Ecclesiastical and according to the Statute 25. Henr. 8. And so the Canons of the Church did of old frequently receive a confirmation by the Emperours sanction under his Sea which is a thing of so great antiquity that Eusebius relateth concerning Constantine the first Christian Emperour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that by his Seal Eus de Vit. Const l. 4. c. 27. he ratisied the determinations made by the Bishops in their Synods 8. That Article in this Canon which referreth to the Book of Common-Prayer doth enclude an acknowledging three things First that that Book containeth nothing contrary to the word of God which is intended to be manifested in the following Chapters touching the things chiefly opposed The second will be consequent thereupon viz. that it may lawfully be so used The third and last clause is a promise to use the form prescribed in that Book in publick Prayer and administration of the Sacraments and none other the lawfulness of which promise doth evidently follow from the former clause and its sense is of the same import with those words of the acknowledgment required in the Act of Uniformity viz. I will conform to the Liturgy of the Church of England as it is now established 9. But some especial doubts have been peculiarly entertained concerning the sense of the Declaration in the Act of Uniformity in giving unfeigned assent and consent to all and every thing contained and prescribed in and by the Book of Common-Prayer c. But while our Government doth require the use of this form both the intended sense being the same with that of the two former clauses concerning the Liturgy in the Canon above-mentioned and the expression thereof may upon equitable and impartial consideration appear clearly and fairly justifiable To which purpose the true sense of assenting and consenting and the things to which this hath respect is to be enquired after 10. Wherefore it is first to be considered that as to assent when referred to things asserted is to owne the truth of them so when referred to things to be done ordered or used it is to allow that they should be put in practice in which latter sense assenting is one and the same with consenting Now the Act of Uniformity both immediately before this Declaration and in divers other places referreth this unfeigned assent and consent to the use of the things in that Book contained and prescribed and thereby directeth us to this ordinary sense of the word Assent as doth also the nature of the things to be assented to which for the main part are Prayers Thanksgivings and Rubricks which being no assertions or propositions are to be used but not properly to be believed This notion of assenting in the same signification with consenting is according to the frequent use of assensus in the Latin as when things are agreed unanimi assensu consensu and the marriage of Children is declared Littleton C. of Tenaunt in Dower that it should be de assensu consensu parentum and we read of dower de assensu patris in our English Law-Books and the same might be evidenced by various English Examples But this Declaration being required by our Statute Laws it may be sufficient to observe that this is a very common sense of the word assent in our English Statutes 11. 25. Ed. 1. c. 1 Pref. to 18. Ed. 3. to 2. Ric. 2. passim Thus from King Edw. I. will King Henry the seventh and sometimes after our Statute Laws are oft declared to be assented unto or to be made with the assent of the Lords c. But from Queen Elizabeths time downwards the Laws are oft expressed to be enacted by the King or Queen with the consent of the Lords c. and sometimes with their assent and consent as 1. Jac. 2. 21. Jac. 2. In the same sense par assent assensus and such like expressions are frequently used in our most ancient Statutes in their Latin and Frence Originals As in St. de Carl. Ordinat Forest c. 6. St. Lincoln Westm 4. Exilium Hug. le despenser Ordin pro ter Hib. And about common assaâ—s the word assent is three times in one paragraph used in this sense concerning the recovery of any land 14 Eliz. 8. by the assent and agreement of the persons to
Minister for our good according to our Petitions Ep. 120. c. 22. Ep. 121. c. 9. This sense is oft expressed by S. Augustin and in the Book under his name De diligendo Deo and seemeth well to agree with the expressions of others of the ancient Fathers and with the notion of the ancient Jews as it is mentioned by Philo Phil. de Plant. Nae de Gigantibus and thus much seemeth to be encluded in these words of the New-Testament Heb. 1.14 Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be Heirs of Salvation And Mat. 18.10 Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones for I say unto you that their Angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in Heaven And this notion expresseth an honourable ministration of the holy Angels De Cu. Dei l. 9.6 15. which hath respect to the Church of God but doth not allow them as S. Aug. would not to be accounted Mediators nor to receive Religious worship from us but to be honoured by us Charitate non servitute De Ver. Râ—elig c. 55. by an high degree of respectful love but not by Religious service and subjection 10. As to that passage of Ecclus. 46.22 Which mentioneth Samuel prophecying after his death it is sufficient here to observe that that that part of that Chapter is by our Kalendar directed to be omitted And from all this it may appear that nothing is in our service appointed to be read out of the Apocrypha which being rightly understood is any way hurtful or of ill influence upon practice Yet it is to be further noted that he who shall acknowledge that there is much good contained and no evil or sin advised in any of the Apocryphal Books is still far from admitting them to be equal to the Canonical Scriptures For though there may be divers Books free from actual error yet it is the Prerogative of the holy Scriptures alone to be immediately indited by that holy Spirit who can never err and to be tendered of God and received of his Church as the perpetual and infallible rule to manifest the will of God and the Doctrines of Faith SECT VII Considerations about that Translation of the Psalms used in the Liturgy 1. The next thing to be treated of is the ue of the Psalms according to the version in the Common-Prayer-Book concerning which Consid 1. The use of this Translation doth not require us to judge it the best English Translation For as formerly the sentences out of the Psalms before Morning Prayer and at the Communion were expressed according to another ancient and distinct translation so both the Epistles and Gospels and the sentences out of the Psalms at the beginning of Morning and Evening Prayer are now altered according to our last allowed English Translation which alteration seemeth to prefer that Translation as the best 2. Cons 2. The Translation of the Psalms used in our Liturgy is from the Hebrew to which it generally agreeth sometimes using the liberty of a paraphrastical stile And the Hebrew being the Original is doubtless more pure than any Translation which differeth fromit And though the Septuagint in the Book of Psalms which of all other hath been of most frequent publick use in the Christian Church doth vary less from the Hebrew than in any other Poetical Book of holy Scripture yet a Catalogue may be given of at least an hundred and fifty places wherein the Septuagint differeth from the Hebrew not in any Christian Doctrine but in the manner of expressing the sense of those Texts in all which the version in the Liturgy accordeth with the Hebrew and dissenteth from the Septuagint Indeed in some phrases and clauses our version followeth the Septuagint where the matter is unblameable and three entire verses which are not in the Hebrew Chaldee or Syriack are in the fourteenth Psalm added in this English Version according to the ordinary Copies of the 70 Grot. in Ps 14. and of many but as Grotius intimateth not all of the Aethiopick Vulgar Latin and Arabick and which are not in the Greek Manuscript from Alexandria but these Verses being the same with what is cited by the Apostle out of the Old Testament Rom. 3.12 13 18. cannot be disallowed as to the matter of them and the Psalms in the Liturgy being chiefly used as Hymns of praise or our words of blessing God agreeably to the practice of the Jewish and ancient Christian Church may well admit in that use of such a variation from the Hebrew Text. 3. If we observe the practice of the ancient Christian Churches we shall find that the Greek Church publickly used the Psalms according to the Septuagint and the Latin Arabian and Aethiopick Churches V P. Pithaeum de Latin Biblior Interpret had their Psalms of publick use translated from the Septuagint or with a little tincture from Lucian the Martyr wherein they also followed some evident corruptions of the Greek Copies as the Arabick in admitting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ps 17.14 the Aethiopick in reading 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ps 39.5 Ps 92.10 and the Vulgar in translating 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Syriack Version was translated out of the Hebrew but hath suffered some alterations by being revised according to the Septuagint from whence among other things it received its frequent use of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but this Version hath many imperfections as chiefly its leaving out sometimes a whole verse as in Ps 34.9 and sometimes some part thereof as Ps 58.9 The result of this consideration is this that the Psalms publickly used in the Church of England are more fully agreeing to the Original Hebrew than any of those known Versions were which were used in the ancient Christian Churches and he who thinketh that he may not lawfully join or Minister in the Church of England because of our use of this version of the Psalms might have discerned greater cause in this very particular to have kept him at a greater distance from all the famous ancient Christian Churches in the World 4. Cons 3. The particular places most blamed in this Version of the Psalms do afford no sufficient cause when our superiours enjoin the use of this Translation to withhold our hearty consent thereto I shall instance in three places which are chiefly urged 1. One is Ps 106.30 where this Translation readeth it then stood up Phinees and prayed and so the Plague ceased But the Version in our Bibles rendreth it Then stood up PHinehas and executed judgment The word in the Hebrew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Verbs of which Root being most used in the form Hithpahel do generally signifie to pray and in this form of Pihel they are rarely used and do sometimes signifie judging or the judge interposing between men and men to end their strife But
them but this as some other ways of reserving them as found to be of ill use Hesych in Lev. 8. Hesychius speaketh of a custom of burning them which custom I suppose took its original from those Commands of God whereby he enjoyned the remainder of the Jewish Passcover and of the Sacrifices of thanksgiving and some others to be burnt with fire Exod. 12.10 Lev. 7.15 16 17. The Council of Mascon directed them to be given in the Church Conc. Matisc 2. c. 6. to such Christians as kept their Fasts there on the fourth and sixth days of the week which were the old stationary days The direction in our Rubrick is ordered with as much prudence as any of these if it be not to be preserred before them all for as there is no reason to doubt but that they may be eaten so can there be no reason produced why the Communicants may not as well eat them as any other persons 3. The eating these Elements in the Church by the Communicants out of a reverent respect to the Sacrament for which they were consecrated is allowable and no way blameable Both our Articles and our Rubrick after the Communion Service do acknowledge that the sacramental Bread and Wine even in the Sacrament do remain in their proper substances which with other expressions in our Liturgy sufficiently exclude the Romish corruptions Yet since we believe this Sacrament to be an excellent Gospel Ordinance I suppose that out of respect thereunto devout Christians do generally acknowledge that even the Vessels particularly appointed for the Bread and Wine at the Communion and the Communion Table should not be used at mens ordinary meals and certainly a due respect to Gods Ordinance for which they are set apart will not allow this which was also condemned by the ancient Canons and it appears very reasonable that those Elements which were consecrated for the Sacrament may be used with at least as much reverence as the Communion Cup or Patine De Consc l. 4. c. 31. Sect. 3. And when Amesius truly asserteth that it necessarily followeth from the Religious honour of God that those things which have any respect unto Gods Worship ought to receive from us a privative honour even when they are not used to a holy use as heh instanceth in Bread and Wine left at the Communion which is to be honoured privatively that is care ought to be taken that it be not used contemptibly and sacred Phrases as sacramental words c. not to be used in sport even hence it will follow that they may be used with a relative honour that is so used as to express a reverence to those holy Ordinances to which they bear relation SECT III. Of the saving Regeneration of Infants in Baptism and the grounds upon which it may be asserted 1. THE next Office in the Book of Common Prayer is that of Baptism where that which requireth principal consideration is that every baptized Infant is declared Regenerate and thanks is returned to God after Baptism that he hath regenerated this Infant by his holy Spirit and the beginning of the Catechism declareth that the Child in Baptism was made a Member of Christ a Child of God and an Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven These expressions have been somewhat differently understood some applying them to a saving Regeneration of every baptized Infant others to a federal Regeneration or a Regeneration Sacramento tenus And I suppose it evident that if it can be certainly proved that every baptized Infant is savingly regenerated or if on the other side all the expressions in the Liturgy can be fairly and probably interpreted of a federal Regeneration which is generally acknowledged there can be then no doubt but all these expressions may be fitly and allowably used shall treat of both these senses because they both plead an allowance in our Church and indeed the latter doth not necessarily destroy but may well consist with the former 2. Beginning with the former I shall first shew what evidence there is that the acknowledging a saving regeneration of every Infant baptized hath been the Doctrine publickly received in this Church ever since the Reformation This is the more probable sense of that Rubrick before the Catechism in the former Book of Common Prayer and that at the end of Baptism in the present Book both which declare that Children baptized are undoubtedly saved that is as the first Book of Edw. VI. and our present Book do express it if they dye in their infancy and before they commit actual sin And our Book of Homilies declareth Hem. of Salvation of Mankind by Christ Part. 1. that Infants being baptized and dying in their infancy are by his Christs Sacrifice washed from their sins brought to Gods favour and made his children and inheritors of his Kingdom of Heaven To these I shall and what Bishop Cranmer who was a great Instrument in our Reformation and Bishop Juell a principal Defender thereof write concerning Baptism complying with the sense here expressed Bishop Cranmer saith Of the Lords Supper lib. 1. c. 12. For this cause Christ ordained Baptism in water that as surely as we see feel and touch water with our bodies so assuredly ought we to believe when we be baptized that Christ is verily present with us and that by him we be new born again spiritually and washed from our sins and graffed in the stock of Christs own body so that as the Devil hath no power against Christ so hath he none against us so long as we remain graffed in that stock Def. of Apol. Part. 2. c. 11. Sect. 3. c. Bishop Juell declareth the Doctrine of the Church of England thus We confess and have evermore taught that in the Sacrament of Baptism by the death and blood of Christ is given remission of all manner of sin and that not in half or in part or by way of imagination or by sancy but whole full and perfect of all together so that now was S. Paul saith There is no condemnation to them that be in Christ Jesus 3. But it must be here noted that by the saving regeneration of baptized Infants it is not intended that their understandings or wills are guided to an high esteem and love of God and the Christian life which the Infant state is not capable of but this regeneration is mainly relative so that being regenerated by Baptism they are no longer the Children of wrath and under the curse due to original sin but are brought into a new state to be members of the body of Christ and thereby partakers of the favour of God And though some small seeds of gracious disposition may be in Infants who are capable thereof in the same manner as they are of corruption yet that regeneration or renovation of an Infant in Baptism whereby he is received into a state of remission and Salvation is very different from the regeneration of an adult person whereby his
disciplinary reconciliation Con. Nic. c. 13. had the memories of their names recommended in the Churches Prayers 4. Carth. c. 79. as persons of whom it hoped well which is I suppose intended by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Council of Nice though it be otherwise understood by the Greek Canonists and in Albaspinus his explicaton Conc. Arel 2. c. 12. THE SECOND BOOK CONCERNING CEREMONIES AND Ecclesiastical Constitutions CHAP. I. The lawful use of some Ceremonies in the Christian Church asserted SECT I. What we are here to understand by Ceremonies 1. AMong all the things appointed in our service there is nothing against which a heavier charge is drawn up than against the Ceremonies as they are ordinarily called common custom herein making use of a word which admittedâ— great variety and latitude of sense and signification For 1. The word Ceremonia Ceremony primarily encludeth the general exercise of all publick Religious Worship and Piety Scal. in Fest for as Scaliger noteth Ceremonia was as much as Sanctimonia being derived from Cerus which in the old â—atin signifieth the same with Sanctus and Serâ—â—us hath been observed to declare that omnia Sacra apud Latinos Ceremoniae dicuntur and to this purpose the old Constitutions of the twelve Tables declared Leg. 12. Tab. De Sacerdot officio Sacerdotum duo genera sunto unum quod praesit Ceremoniis sacris c. intending thereby all sacred actions of Religious service and in this large sense is this word sometimes used by some later Writers Luth. de piis Cerem servand Bucer Censur c. ultim as Luther and Bucer 2. This word sometimes among the ancient Christian Writers peculiarly expresseth the most solemn visible Symbols of the Grace of God in which sense also in the Augustan Saxon and Witemberg Confessions and the Apology of the Church of England the two New Testament Sacraments are called Ceremonies and Bishop Saunderson resolveth the sum or main Contents of the Gospel into these three things De Obl. Cors Prael 4. Sect. 32. the Mysteries of Faith to be believed the holy Ceremonial and Ecclesiastical Institutions and the maral Precepts Bishop Whitg Tr. 2. c. 1. And these Bishop Whitgist calleth substantial Ceremonies which a â— of the substance of Religion 3. This word sometimes encludeth all such practices as bear any external respect unto Religion whence some have called Holy-days by the name of Ceremonies and Gotofredus probably supposeth that fasting at least with some other external observations is so called in those words of the Code of Justinian Cod. Justin l. 3. Titl 12. Sect. 6. Quadraginta diebus qui auspicio Ceremoniarum Paschale tempus anticipant c. 4. In this present enquiry by Ceremonies must be understood some particular external and visible actions and circumstances which are not instituted by God but are in themselves things indifferent and are appointed in the Church for order and decency 2. And there is a vast difference between the things called Ceremonies in the Church of England and the chief part of those things which by an aequivocal use of the same word we commonly call Ceremonies in the Jewish Constitutions under the Mosaical Law For those Jewish Ceremonies which consisted in their Sacrifices Purifications or the proper Levitical and Temple worship were such things as used aright with respect to the Messias were the way and means whereby Gods acceptance was obtained and his grace and favour vouchsafed and did partake of a Sacramental nature and were not amiss by Durandus called the Sacramentalia Rational div Offic. Prooem Sect. 7. and did also prefigure Christ to come in the flesh And upon this account no such rites as these could ever be appointed or lawfully used but such only as were established by a divine Institution nor might they be any longer observed than that institution did either enjoin or warrant and allow them and hence both S. Aug. Ep. 19. Augustine and S. Hierome do justly and vehemently condemn and censure the observation of these things among Christians And of this nature was the whole paedagogy of the Mosaical Constitutions jointly considered and every branch thereof so far as it encludeth an owning of Judaism as the way of Gods acceptance especially Circumcision Sacrifice and such like services of the Jewish Temple the observing of which under the Gospel since the clear manifestation of Christianity would be to deny Christ to become in the flesh and to close with that as a way of obtaining grace from God and finding favour with him which is contrary to his will and standeth for ever abrogated by the Gospel And hence it may appear that he who would charge the use of all Ecclesiastical Rites appointed for Order and the promoting reverence in the service of God as if it encluded the same with reducing the Ceremonial Law of the Jews might with a fairer plea of reason accuse all use of Seals or Ornamental Engravings to be a forging and counterfeiting the Kings Broad Seal and thereby to be deeply criminal 3. Yet it may be observed as a truth though in be not necessary for the just defence of any of those things commonly called Ceremonies in our Church that there were many particular things in the Ceremonial Law which singly taken and by themselves did only include some rational provisions and comely and fit Constitutions and had nothing in themselves which did necessarily restrain them to the Judaical state and such things where there is no design of any Jewish signification may lawfully be still made use of under the Gospel as still retaining what conveniency or decency they would have had if they had never been included in the Jewish Constitutions The appointment of the Jewish Tabernacle in the Wilderness is no sufficient ground to conclude it a sin for such Christians who sojourn in deserts and have minds far from Judaizing to build an House with boards for the place of their Christian Assemblies nor is the building our Churches with hewen stone to be censured as unlawful because such were the materials of Solomons Temple nor is it unlawful to use Vessels of Silver and Gold at the administring the Communion because such were the Vessels of the Tabernacle and the Temple and the like may be said of Tithes and some other things To this purpose Bucer determined in his Epistle to Alasco and P. Martyr to Bishop Hooper and Bishop Saunderson observeth De Oblig Cons Pral 4. Sect. 29. that all Ceremonials are not to be alike accounted of but those which concern order and decency are with prudence to be separated from those which prefigured Christ to come and that prudent Casuist well resolved that those things Which concerned order and decency are not now simply unlawful yet may they be many times inexpedient as they become dangerous by their scandal 4. And it is acknowledged and declared that the things with us called Ceremonies are in themselves
indifferent and no direct parts of worship because these particular things are only of Ecclesiastical or humane constitution for since all instituted worship is directly appointed for the acceptable service of God which especially considering the fall of man must be in a way of Grace and not of Merit it must be God and not his Creature who must determine what Institutions will be pleasing to him Serm of good works Par. 2 Serm of Prayer Par. 2. And this is the Doctrine of our Homilies and the Book of Common Prayer speaking of Ceremonies expresly declareth that those which remain are for a Godly Discipline and Order which may be altered and changed and therefore are not to be esteemed equal with Gods law And our Articles assert Art 34. that the Church hath authority to change or abolish Ceremonies ordained by mans authority so that all things be done to edifying All which words shew that there is no holiness placed in these things nor are they of themselves made any part of the worship of God in the Church of England 5. Yet even the observation of things indifferent may by a secondary and consequential respect to other commands of God and duties of men though not directly from themselves render our services more acceptable unto God Thus that gesture of body which is not particularly determined as a necessary duty may be pleasing to God as it includeth a religious respect to those duties of glorifying God with our bodies and serving him acceptably with reverence and godly fear and the observing other decent rites may be pleasing to God as it expresseth a reverence of God and his Ordinances and service an obedient respect to that command that all things be done decently and in order a subjection to our Superiours in things lawful and a care of the Churches Peace Upon this account Vrsin truly said Vrsin Explic Catech q 96. Loc. Theol. in 2. Praecep Adiaphorae actiones possunt Deo placere liect aliter quam cuttus Dei proprie dictus that indifferent actions may please God but in a different manner from that which is properly and directly the worship of God To such general ends are those indifferent observations in our Church appointed which are called Ceremonies and hence it is with good reason declared in the Book of Common Prayer that they are as well for a decent Order in the Church as because they pertain to edification For as whatsoever exciteth reverend thoughts of God and his Ordinances is thereby useful for the Churches edifying so the Aposile requireth ruies of Order to be made for edification 1. Cor. 14.26 and S. Chrys in 1 Cor. Ch. 14.40 Chrysostome truly observed that good Order Peace and Love are the most useful things to promote edification 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 6. But though external rites should be never so innocent in their own nature as being neither Jewish nor owned as parts of Christian Religion nor as operative means in themselves to convey Grace yet the introducing a great and unnecessary number of them would be disadvantageous to Religion by obscuring and darkning the spiritual duties and priviledges thereof by being needlesly burdensom to Christians and by diverting mens minds to attend chiefly unto such external observances Hence S. Aug. Ep. ad Januar c. 19. Augustin in his time as is observed in our Liturgy complained of the excessive number of such rites and the conditions which Protestant Writers require concerning Ceremonies are such as these that they be in their kind things indifferent in their number sew Kemnit Exam. Conc. Trid. de Tradition 7th genus Vrsin Ex. pl. Catech. ad qu. 103. and in their use godly and profitable for edification Now in our Church besides the use of expedient gestures in the fervice of God there is nothing which in common Custom of speech is called a Ceremony which in any proper part of worship is appointed in our Liturgy to be used by any other person besides the Minister And in our ordinary service the Minister is only required to use the appointed habit which though it be customarily called a Ceremony is no otherwise such than the Church Pulpit and the Vessels for the Communion and the Communion-Cloath are to be so esteemed which are only used in the service of God And in our particular Offices we have only the use of the Cross in the Office of Baptism of imposition of hands in Confirmation and the civil rite of the Ring in Marriage and therefore if the nature of these particular Rites be allowable which in due place will be considered there can be no dammage to Religion nor burden to Christians from the number of them SECT II. The first Argument for the lawfulness of Ecclesiastical Rites from the liberty herein allowed to the Jewish Church 1. Having hitherto endeavoured to prevent mistakes and mis-apprehensions about the subject of my present discourse I shall now lay down such Arguments as will manifest that some decent external observations in the Church though they be not particularly instituted of God are allowably ordered and appointed The first Argument is from the pactice of the Jewish Church which I shall consider in a threefold respect 2. First in their Temple worship For though they might not lawfully appoint any Sacramental Rite which was the the nature of divers of the Temple Rites and though Solomons Temple as well as Moses his Tabernacle 1. Chr. 28.12 19. was built according to the pattern which God directed and divers other external things were determined by divine appointment yet even here were some things left to the liberty and determined by the Authority of the Jewish Church or the Rulers and Governours thereof I shall not here insist upon Solomons offering Burnt-Offerings in the middle of the Court and not only upon the Altar 1. Kin. 8.64 nor upon Hezekiahs proclaiming a general Passover on the second Month 2. Chr. 30.2 because these were extraordinary Cases which were only allowable by the weightiness of the present occasions when Ceremonial Commands of God might be dispensed with in cases of greater concernment upon which account it was also lawful for David and them who were with him to cat the shew bread But it must be acknowledged that such extraordinary Cases are no more a sufficient ground for constant and ordinary Constitutions than the constant keeping a vein open can be concluded allowable because it may be expediently at some times opened for the preserving life or health 3. The first instance of this liberty among the Jews concernâ—th the Passover which was after the building the Tabernacle and Temple a proper Tabernacle or Temple Rite Phil. l. 3. de Vita Mos Lib. de Decalog Lib. de Septen Festis Deut. 16.6 and though Philo Judaeus doth in several places express the Passover to be sacrificed by all the people of Israel and not to be presented to the Priests as other Sacrifices were both the Talmud
Corona militis c. 3. Eucharistiae Sacramentum etiam antelucanis caetibus sumimus do intimate that that Sacrament was administred also at other times besides those early Morning Assemblies and S. Cyprian as Pamelius noteth Cyp. Ep. 63. n. 48. expresseth their communicating the that Carthaginian Church both in the Morning and the Evening Socr. Hist Eccl. l 5. c. 21. as Socrates long after relateth the Custom of Evening Communions in the Churches of Egypt and those nigh to Thebais And therefore the Eucharist and Agapae might be and were joined together as is manifest from another place of Tertullians Apology Apol. c. 7 8. 5. And that these things were mutable Rites and no perpetual Laws to the Christian Church is manifest not only from general Ecclesiastical practice but also because the Scriptures give no command for the love Feasts though they mention that practice with approbation and the kiss which was a token of love and friendship according to the Custom of those Countries was thence directed to be observed by those Christians only as a token of their Christian greeting and salutation and a testimony of their Vnity and Communion Yet because these things were used at the time of the holy Communion as outward actions representing part of that Christian duty practice and engagement which was signified by that holy Ordinance it self and undertaken therein they were in this use properly Ecclesiastical Rites and do justifie the use of such external actions in the service or duties of Religion which are useful to excite or promote Christian practice 6. And besides these the Apostles direction for men to pray or prophesie with their heads uncovered 1 Cor. 11.4 was the determining an external Rite for order and decency and not without some respect to the common expressions of Reverence in Greece and other parts of the Roman Empire The Jewish Priests performed their Temple service with their heads covered with their Bonnets as did the High Priest also in his Mitre and it was his honour and dignity that he might not uncover his head Lev. 21.10 he representing hereby the glory and honour of the Messias In the Jewish Synagogue worship their men constantly prayed with their faces vailed V. Hor. Hebr. in 1. Cor. 11.4 in token of shame as is manifest from divers testimonies of the Talmudists agreeably to which Custom the holy Angels in Isaiah's Vision are represented standing before God and worshipping with their faces covered Is 6.1 2 3. The ancient Romans used uncovering the head as an expression of honour to great men but yet from the time of Aeneas Plutarch Prob. Rom. q. 10 11 13. as Plutarch affirmeth they had their heads covered in most of their Religious solemnities The Grecians worshipped with their heads uncovered as did the Romans also in their adoration of Saturn But S. Paul considering the Christians relation and encouragements and the customary use of vailing among women as fitly becoming and expressing their shamefastness modesty and subjection he thence from the consideration of comeliness determineth that the expression of reverence which most befitteth the state of men in their Religious service is to uncover their heads and not to vail them both in praying and in prophesying or praising and glorifying God chiefly under extraordinary or prophetick raptures in which sense the Chaldee Paraphrast oft expoundeth the Phrase of prophesying in the Old Testament and R. D. Kimchi Ch. Par. in 1. Sam. 10.5 6 10 11 13. Ch. 19 20 21 23 24. Drus in 1. Sam. 10.6 also as he is cited by Drusius And the consequence hereof is this that such outward actions as tend to express a comely reverence in the service of God may be filty appointed and used therein under the Gospel dispensation 7. But because I shall in the following Chapter give some other instances of Apostolical practice I forbear in this place to urge any more and therefore shall not insist upon S. Peter submitting to have his feet washed at our Saviours command which some have noted to be a Jewish Paschal Rite then practised under an Evangelical signification nor upon the observations enjoined to the Gentile Christians by the Council at Jerusalem Act. 15. nor upon those other manifestly ancient Rites which are not mentioned in the Scriptures but were by the Fathers of the Primitive Church called Apostolical Rites or Apostolical Traditions But instead of prosecuting what is contained in this last instance I shall observe that it was a current position among the chief Protestant Writers of the Churches beyond the Seas that in points of external rite order and decency some things were appointed by the Apostles in the Churches of Christ which were not recorded in the holy Scriptures Kemnit Exam de Tradit 7 m. Genus Thus Kemnitius asserteth that it is manifest from the Apostles writings that they did ordain and deliver some Rites unto the Church verisimile est quosdam etiam alios externos ritus qui in scriptura annotati non sunt to Apostolis traditos esse And it seemeth true that there were other external Rites delivered by the Apostles which are not mentioned in the Scripture Beza upon those words of S. Paul The rest will I set in order when I come 1 Cor. 11.34 granteth that the Apostle did in that Church detemine other things not mentioned in that Epistle but pertinent ad ordinem Ecclesiasticum non ad dogmata they were not matters of Doctrine but of Ecclesiastical Order And upon the same words he saith that they appointed things referring to order as time place forms of Prayer and such like as times places and persons did require Zanch. Tract de Sacr. Script Qu. 8. Zanchy also citing the same Text by way of Objection in his Treatise of the holy Scripture answereth That concerning matters of order and decency we acknowledge many things to have been appointed in the Churches by the Apostles which are not written Concedimus multa fuisse instituta ab Apostolis in Ecclesiis quae non sunt scripta 8. That command of the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.40 Let all things be done decently and in order doth manifestly suppose a power and command its exercise in the Church of Corinth for the appointing what is requisite to those ends and is to this purpose urged not only in the Church of England but by those other modern Writers who are in high esteem with most Non-Conformists Infst l. 4. c. 10. Sect. 27. Calvin in his institutions from this Scripture asserteth a necessity of laws made by Ecclesiastical Constitutions because order and decency cannot otherwise be kept nisi additis observationibus tanquam vinculis quibusdam and in his Commentaries he thence asserteth In 1. Cor. 14.40 that God hath left external Rites unto our liberty that we might not account his worship to consist in them Zanchy Zanch. Compend Doct. Christianae Loc. 16. considering this Text enquireth what the Apostle
in his Gloss published from Strasburgh 1570. upon those words of the Apostle If any man seem to be contentious we have no such Custom nor the Churches of God write thus The Apostle saith he rejecteth morose and contentious answerers shewing that profitable rites received by grave authority ought by no means to be contemned or plucked in pieces though they be not built on solid demonstrations But if any man will be stiff in his opinion the Apostle will not contend any longer with him but will acquiesce in the Custom of Godly and worthy men and of the Churches of God themselves idemque saith he alios omnes pios facere debere and that all pious men ought to do the same is acknowledged there to be an Apostolical direction by Illyricus when he was out of the heat of contention in a cool and calm temper 4. If we view the pulick writings of the Reformed Churches Conf. Bohem Ars. 15. the Bohemian Confession declareth them to teach that humane Traditions Rites and Customs which do not hinder Piety are to be preserved in the publick Christian Assemblies And in their account of the Discipline and Order of their Churches they divide the matters of Religion into three heads the Essentialia which contain the matters of Faith Love and Hope the Minisierialia which enclude the means of Grace as the word of God Rat. Difc Ord. c. 1. the Sacraments and power of the Keys and the Accidentalia by which they say they mean what others call Adiaphora or external Ceremonies and Rites of Religion In these matters Adiaphorous they say they may have some things in use among them which are different from other Churches and yet are they not willing upon any small occasions to allow any alteration therein neque ob leves causus quicquam mutare aequum putamus nemini apud nos licet insuetas ceremonias inahoare Ibid. c. 2. And in their Ordination both of their Bishop and their Consenior who is designed to represent the Chorepiseopus in some ancient Churches whose Office is like that of our Arch Deacon and their Minister and their Deacon those of the same Order give to the person then ordained their right hand of fellowship and those of the inferiour Order when one is ordained to any of the higher degrees give him their right hand in token of subjection testified and assured by that external Rite 5. The Augustane Confession in several expressions asserteth it lawful for the Bishops or Pastors Conf. August de Eccâ—◠〈◊〉 Artâ—â—â— 21 de descrimine cibor to appoint things for Order in the Church and declareth that they do retain many ancient Rites or Ceremonies though they complain also of the abuse of others in the Romish Church as the Church of England doth and it asserteth also ritus illos servandos esse qui sine peccato servari possunt ad tranquillitatem bonum ordinem Ecclesiae conducunt Conf Saxon de Tradition The Saxon Confession treating of Rites appointed in the Church by humane Authority declareth that nothing ought to be appointed against Gods word or in the way of superstition but that some blameless Rites for good order both ought to be and by them are observed ritus aliquos honestos boni ordinis causa factos servamus servandos esse docemus And the Ceremonies most opposed in the Church of England with more besides them are retained both in that and in other Lutherane Churches Conf. Helv. c. 27. The Helvetick Confession asserteth that the Church hath always used a liberty about Rites as being things of a middle or indifferent nature The French Church alloweth that there be singulis locis peculiaria instituta Conf. Gallic c. 32. prout commodum visum fuerit peculiar Constitutions for several places as it shall appear profitable And the Strasburgh Confession discoursing about humane Traditions or external Rites and Observations which conduce to profit though they be not expressed in the Scriptures Conf. Argent c. 14. saith that many such the Church of God at this day doth rightly observe and as there is occasion doth make new ones adding these sharp words quas qui rejecerit is non hominum sed Dei cujus traditio est quaecunque utilis est authoritatem contemnit that whosoever rejecteth these things doth not contemn the authority of men but of God of whom is every profitable Constituion Wherefore he who will yet disclaim all Ceremonial Rites under Christianity and will esteem them to be a pestilential and dangerous Contagion in the Church must undertake to affix both to the ancient and latter most famous Churches a Miserere nostri SECT V. The ill consequences of denying the lawfulness of all Ecclesiastical Rites and Constitutions in things indifferent observed 1. Though the condemning the practice and rule of the Church in all Ages and even in the time of the holy Apostles and Prophets be inconvenience sufficient for any opinion to stand charged with yet besides this which hath been evidenced in the two former Sections the denying the lawfulness of any external Rites 1. Debarreth the Church of what is really advantagious unto it for some fit external Rites of order and decency provided they be not over-numerous do promise solemnity in the service of God and tend to excite a greater degree of seriousness reverence and attentiveness It was S. Austins observation De Curia pro mortuis c. 5. that in Religion the outward actions of bowing the knee stretching forth the hands and falling on the ground though they be not performed without the preceding actions of the Soul do much encrease the inward affections of the heart In the common affairs of the World the boaring his Ear with an Awle who was willing to undertake a perpetual service the giving possession among the Jews by the pulling of the shoe and amongst us by divers other ways of livery and seisin the delivering some ensign of authority at the enstallment of a Magistrate and the giving the hand as a pledge of fidelity have by the common prudence of men been judged useful Rites to render those undertakings and actions the more solemn and observable Nor can there be any reason why some external actions may not obtain the like effect in matters of Religion especially considering that both Prophets and Apostles in delivering their extraordinary Messages from God thought fit frequently to make use of visible representations that their words might thereby take the deeper impression Thus Ezekiel carried out his stuff in their sight and Isaiah walked naked without his ordinary Garments when they denounced Captivity and Agabus foretelling the imprisonment of S. Paul bound himself with his girdle Act. 13.51 Mar. 6.11 and the Apostles according to the commandment of Christ shook of the dust of their feet as a testimony against those Cities who received them not V. Hor. Hebr. in Mat. 10.14 which was a rite
special favour or help from God or to give assurance thereof in his name and such were the Priestly Vnctions under the Law and the anointing of a King by Gods special Commandment the brazen Serpent in the Wilderness and the sign of Gideons Fleece and the shadow going back on the Diall of Ahaz And though these signs were not properly Sacraments they were a kind of Sacramentalia and upon the same account with the former sort of signs these could never be appointed by any power upon Earth 11. Thirdly There are some properly called Mystical teaching signs intended to inform the understanding of man concerning some mystical or spiritual divine truth by Hieroglyphical or visible representations Sacerdotalis Par. 3. de processione in Parasc in die Pasch Thus in the Romish Church to declare the death and resurrection of Christ in a formal Procession on Good Friday the Host is laid in the Sepulchre and the Sepulchre shut and sealed but the Priest on Easter-Day in the Morning with other of the Clergy taketh the Host out of the Sepulchre and leaveth it open whither when the Clergy and people do come in a solemn Procession and find the Sepulchre open and the Host not there their Rector declareth that Christ is risen which they hear with joyfulness But how manifest is it that this procedure is more sitted to confirm the Jewish error that his Disciples came by night and stole him away than to express the glory of the divine power in raising Christ from the dead And some as hath been declared by Balsamon have let fly a Dove Bals in Conc. Trul. c. 82. to represent the coming of the Holy Ghost and dressed a bed to express the ineffable Generation of Jesus Christ but these are such fond and foolish things that besides the great sin of resembling God by an image they are justly called by Bishop Taylor Theatrical gayeties and such things tend to darken and debase the divine Mysteries and to render Religion contemptible by the sordid lowness of such representations Such things as these might justly be exploded by Didoclavius Altare Damasc but it is falsely insinuated that herein he hath matter of controversie with the Church of England as if all significant Rites were of a like nature whereas it neither practiseth nor approveth such irreligious vinity Spiritual Mysteries of Christianity can be fitly exprissed by the words of divine truth but the more spiritual they are in their own nature the more they are adulterated and depraved by visible corporcal representations 12. Fourthly Others are professing and engaging signs Such signs whereby we visibly profess the Christian Faith and Doctrine in general cannot reasonably be disallowed by them who acknowledge the visible profession of Christianity to be a duty And though such a profession is encluded in receiving the Sacraments yet it is not so peculiar thereto that it should not be usefully made in such other outward actions as the lifting up the hands or eyes and bowing the knee to God in the name of Jesus Christ standing at the Creed particular attendance upon a Christian Assembly or where the state of Religion requireth it the yielding to be Confessors or Martyrs for Christianity Nor are such externâ—â— signs condemnable whereby a profession of some particular doctrine of Religion is upon a weighty occasion expressed as the Rite used in an Oath containeth an acknowledgment of the righteousness and Omnisciency of God the imposition of hands frequently used of old towards Penitents encluded a declaring that Christ and the Gospel Doctrine doth graciously receive Sinners upon their hearty and unfeigned repentance and to testifie the same Fus Hist Eccl. l. 2. c. â—â— S. John the Apostle kissed the hand of that Ephesian Penitent of whom we have an account in Eusebius from Clemens Alexandrinus And as outward actions are ordinarily fit with many advantages to give evidence of the mind and profession of men so some Now Conformists have accounted it a thing expedient that those who receive the Holy Sacrament should by their subscription profess their resolution to believe and live as becometh the Gospel and the Author of the Admonition in the first edition thereof In Risâ—â—p Wbâ—â—ft Tr. 15. Ch. 1. did declare sitting 〈◊〉 the Lords Supper to be the more commendable because it signified rest and therefore might enclude a profession of the Ceremonial law being finished and that a perfect work of redemption is wrought which giveth rest for ever Some professing signs have principally expressed the Communion of Christians amongst themselves which must also be allowed lawful such were the love Feasts the kiss of Charity the ancient manner of Christians owning one another as brethren and receiving them as such in their Houses and dismissing them with peace And of this nature were the Symbols anciently given to the Catechumens Albasp Observ l. 2. Obj. 36. which Albas pinns very probably proveth to be taken out of the Oblations of the Christians which encluded an acknowledgment that they though they were not yet compleat Christians had some relation to the Church of Christ as a more full right of Communion was owned among the Fideles by the Feasts of Charity 13. Other professing signs do enclude some solemn engagement of persons either to undertake or to prosecute true Christianity this if we charitably separate it from other attendant mistakes is designed in the way of the Independent Church-Covenant and in the conclusory part of the Presbyterian League and Covenant and some persons have done the like by some particular writing of their own All I shall say concerning these signs is that such a serious engaging profession can be no other way so allowably and usefully pertormed as in attendance upon and with reference unto the Holy Sacraments because they are Gods own institutions because the proper and principal act and work of him who receiveth the Sacrament is to prosess his owning and to engage himself unto the Faith Hope and practice of true Christianity and because divine grace and fellowship with Christ is also in the Gospel Sacraments tendred unto us And it is to the honour of the Church of England that it appointeth no other way of solemn engagement to Christianity besides the use of the two Sacraments of the New Testament and Confirmation which as it is an Apostolical Rite so it containeth a ratifying and confirming the baptismal vow by persons come to some capacities of understanding and therefore it is to be considered with reference unto Baptism so far as concerneth the solemnity of Engagement 14. Fifthly There are exciting signs which should recal to our memories some profitable object or duty and stir up our hearts and affections to a more serious practice of Religion Such was Joshua's stone set up to be a witness or testimony of their profession lest they should deny their God Jos 24.26 27. and the trinal Mension in Baptism was to mind Christians that their
lawful and expedient to be unlawful upon such evidence which they apprehend to be full and sufficient and thereupon cannot yield to practise these things it must be considered that it is but the common attendant of mans being fallible that he should out of respect to a greater good bear some outward inconvenience as the result even of his most innocent errours Thus in secular matters he who meerly mistaketh the right way of legal proceedings about his own cause may suffer some damage thereby and though his case may herein deserve pity yet it is better he should sustain this consequent of his own mistake than that no rules and orders of Law should be observed And the same may be said of matters Ecclesiastical 25. 2. If the Rules above-mentioned be observed they will direct how men may generally practise things lawfully enjoined according to right principles of Conscience But if they be not observed men must either resolve to follow their own imaginations in things they understand not which is a manifest way of errour and walking in the dark or else they must in these things practise according to the directions of those who speak most plausibly and takingly to their affections and are also strict in their lives but this both over-looketh the duty of obedience and the due relation to guides and teachers and is a very probable way to misguide men both in this and in other Cases By following this rule or rather by being taken in this snare many anciently embraced the monstrous positions of manicheism perswaded thereto by Faustus who had eloquium seductorium as S. Aug. ealleth it the enticing eloquence of seducing Aug. Conf. l. 6. c. 3 6 13. and whose words were observed by the same Father to have a more pleasing and delightful sweetness than the eloquence of S. Ambrose which was more learned and substantial Baron ad An. 377. n. 7. and those who embraced that impious Heresie were always talking of God and Christ and the holy Spirit the Comforter And to be guided in opinions or doctrines by such respect to persons can be no safe way of conduct because God hath not directed Christians thereto for as to expression Luther accounted Julian the Pelagian to be a better speaker and Orator than S. Augustine Luther Judicium de Erasmo Tom. 2. and as to practice Nazianzene declared even of the Macedonians who denyed the Divinity of the Holy Spirit Naz. Orat. 44. that they were persons whose lives were to be admired though their Doctrines were not to be allowed And therefore that more ancient rule of Tertullian is of necessary use Non ex personis probamus fidem sed ex fide personas that we are not to examine and esteem the Faith by the persons but the persons by their Faith Therefore the best way to be rightly established is by having a Conscientious regard in the first place to the evidence of manifest truth clearly discerned and in the next place to spiritual guides and teachers it being one end why God appointed Church Officers Eph. 4.11 14. that we be henceforth no more Children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine SECT IV. Of Ecclesiastical Rites which have been abused in any corrupt way of worship 1. It is acknowledged that some gesture garment and action though not the same individually but of the like kind or physical nature established in the Church of England hath been ill used in the Church of Rome and this hath been much of old and by some of late objected against these appointments Now we do assert that the worship of God who is a jealous God is to be preserved pure and not mixed with any sinful defilement whatsoever whether of Idolatry or superstition and that things otherwise indifferent which either in the design of them who use them or in their own present tendency do directly promote or propagate such corruptions do in that Case become things unlawful Hence that which was in it self indifferent and was used in the Pagan Idolatry might upon good grounds be disclaimed as unlawful to Christians by Tertullian and other ancient Writers where the present use among Christians might appear to countenance and confirm those Idolatrous practices But that the use of things in themselves lawful and expedient and known to be ordered to a lawful end and purpose should be condemned as sinful because these things or the like are or have been otherwhere sinfully abused is a position by no means to be admitted Concerning which in general besides what shall be added concerning our particular Rites Ch. 4. I shall content my self with these three Observations 2. Obs 1. This position is not consistent with the principles of Christian practice It is a ground of hope in the Gospel Regeneration that those bodies and Souls which were once abused to the service of false Gods and Devils as according to Gr. Nazianzen was once the Case of S. Cyprian Naz. Orat. 18. and according to S. Paul of the Corinthians Thessalonians and others 1 Cor. 12.2 1 Thes 1.9 and to the service of sin as were the members of the Roman Church Rom. 6.17 18 19. may yet find acceptance with God in serving him Surely none can think that S. Pauls tongue was not to be allowed to preach the Gospel because it had been abused to blaspheme nor is it amiss observed by Durandus Dur. Rational l. 1. c. 1. Sect. 33. that among other Scriptures there is a principal use made in the Church of God of what was written by David who was guilty of Adultery S. Matthew who was a Publican and S. Paul who was a persecutor and blasphemer and among the Fathers of S. Augustine who was a Manichee And surely it is much more incredible that through the ill use of some the whole Species of actions gestures and things should become unlawful and unclean Can any possibly imagine that if other men have or do lift up their Eyes to Heaven to adore the Sun or Moon or bow down their knees to give religious worship to an Idol or to Saints and Angels this must render our lifting up our eyes to Heaven in the worshipping of God or bowing our knees in Prayer to him to be sinful Or may not one man lawfully make use of the light of the Sun to read the holy Scriptures because another maketh use of it to commit Villanies or did Judas his Kiss make the kiss of Charity sinful 3. As Sozomen reporteth Sozom. Hist Eccl. l. 6. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 single Mersion in Baptism was used by Eunomius who disowned the Trinity and the threefold Mersion which was the more general ancient Custom was abused in Spain as Walafridus Strabo relateth to express thereby a denyal of one Essence in the three Persons of the Trinity upon which occasion the Council of Toledo enjoined single Mersion in Spain Conc. Tol. 4. c. 5. still declaring according to S.
Gregory that in the use either of single or trinal Mersion there is sufficient Baptism And it is well observed by Strabo that if we must relinquish the use of all things which have been perverted there will nothing of this nature remain allowable And whereas God loseth no right of Soveraignty to any Creature by mans abuse it was not without good reason acknowledged and asserted by S. Austen that the Christians did lawfully use those Fountains where the Gentiles drew Water for their Sacrifices Theod. Hist l. 3. c. 14. and as Theodoret declareth they owned the same liberty under Julian the Emperour who designed to defile the Fountains and meats with Pagan pollutions 4. Obs 2. This position if granted would be such an Engine which would do more work than they who place it would willingly allow of and would extirpate divers useful things referring to religious worship which are ordered by humane Wisdom and Prudence Of all external things the individual Temple or Church in which corrupt Religion was performed may seem as much defiled thereby as any species of action or gesture can be and yet even the Directory declared Direct of the day and place of worship that such places are not subject to any such pollution by any superstition formerly used and now laid aside as may render them Vnlawful or inconvenient and S. Austen declareth Aug. Ep. 154. that even Idols Temples when their use is changed to the honour of God may be lawfully so employed as well as persons may be received to God who are converted to the true Religion Ecclesiastical revenues for the support of the Ministry and Universities have been and in the Romish Church still are abused as much as any other external thing to be the great support of a corrupt Religion and yet the continuance of these things is well allowed of by dissenters from this Church The same may be said concerning the times of attending upon the publick service of God Morning and Evening And notwithstanding the gross abuse of Bells in the time of Popery Mr. Rutherford declareth it unreasonable and groundless Of Scandal Qu. 5. Qu. 6. that thereupon they should be disused And if this position was admitted as doctrinally true the pretence of their convenient usefulness would be no better excuse on their behalf than was that Plea for sparing the best of the Amalakites Cattel that they might be a Sacrifice when God had utterly devoted them to destruction and therefore the admitting this position it self would be as the coming down of a violent torrent which instead of scouring the Chanel will overflow and drown all the Country 5. Obs 3. Where this is admitted the general grounds of the Protestant Reformation must be disowned Conf. Boh. Art 15. The Bohemian Church which led the Van openly professeth that such Rites and Ceremonies ought to be retained which do advantage Faith the worship of God Peace and order whomsoever they had for their Author Synodum Pontificem Episcopum Luth. Formul Commun pro Eccl. Witemb aut alium quemvis And both Luther and the Augustan Confession declare the like purpose and practice to have been in the German Reformation Conf. August c. 3. Abus de Missa Zanch. Epist l. 1. in Ep. ad Craton And Zanchy asserteth that this is the true way of reforming the Church which he wisheth all would mind after the example of the Bohemian Brethren not to root out every thing that was found in the Church of Rome but to reject what was fit to be rejected and to preserve what was fit to be preserved That this was designed in the Reformation of the Church of England appeareth from the Preface in the Book of Common-Prayer concerning Ceremonies from the Apology of the Church of England and from the Book of Canons Can. 30. expressing according to that Apology a very plain Declaration hereof 6. The Arguments urged for the proof of this position are such as do not need any long answer For whereas Jehn his breaking down the House of Baal is commended in the Scripture and neither he nor Jehoiada reserved the House of Baal to be a place of Synagogue worship This action might be necessary for the effecting a reformation and the disentangling the people from their Idolatry and upon a like account Hezekiah brake in pieces the brazen Serpent Aug. de Civ Dei l. 10. c. 8. which God himself had appointed when the people did colere eum tanquam idolum give worship to it as to an Idol as S. Aug. expresseth it and to the same end the ancient Christians in some special Cases where they feared that the continuance of the Idols Temples might tend to uphold the honour of the Idol Eus de Vit. Const l. 4. c. 39. did raze them to the foundations and sometimes erected anew Christian Churches in their places But besides this the Jews had such positive Laws as these Thou shalt quite pluck down all their high places Num. 33.52 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places where the Nations served their Gods Deut. 12.2 Ye shall destroy all their graven images Deut. 7.25 Ch. 12.3 and the proper extent of these Laws enjoined them utterly to destroy all Monuments and places formerly used to Idolatry out of the land of Israel But whereas no such positive commands are given to Christians if they should think themselves bound to follow these Jewish Patterns Tr. of Scandal Q 6. Mr. Rutherford himself condemneth them as Judaizing in this particular 7. And when God commandeth the Israelites that they shall not do after the doings of the land of Egypt and the Land of Canaan Ibid. Q 7. Lev. 18.3 which Mr. Rutherford objecteth against our Rites The design of that place is that the Israelites ought to be guided by the holy Laws and Commandments of God in their Conversations and not to follow the debauched examples of other Nations mentioned in the following part of that Chapter nor the abominable idolatries of their worship Hook Eccles Polity l. 4. Sect. 6. But in matters in themselves lawful where God had given them no particular Ceremonial commands to the contrary they were not tyed to disclaim all expedient things practised by other Nations in civil actions they might eat bread and drink water yea plow and reap in the same manner with other Nations Ex. 34.13 Num. 25.2 and in circumstances of Religion though sacrificing and bowing were manifestly rites of adoration used by idolatrous Nations before the giving the Law they were still received under the Law and appointed thereby and though the Philistines had long before the time of David an House or Temple of Dagon for the place of their Sacrifice Judg. 16.23 29 30. 1 Chr. 10.10 Davids purpose of building an House or Temple to the Lord was never the less allowable 8. But besides this it is chiefly to be considered that the things designed for the matter of this objection
contended for amongst us I shall observe that this hath been many ways also grosly abused First it was the ordinary gesture of worship in the Romish Pagan Idolatry The ancient laws of their Pagan worship required ut adoraturi sedeant which as Plutarch affirmeth Plut. in Numa was appointed by Numa Pompilius and Tertullian informeth us that at their Gentile solemnities even in his time they worshipped their images sitting Tertul. de Orat. c. 12. adoratis sigillaribus suis residendo 11. And in the Romish Church it is by some asserted and appeareth very probable that the Pope himself at some solemnities receiveth the Eucharist sitting When the Emperour receiveth his Coronation their Master of Ceremonies telleth us that at the time of Mass the Pope with the Emperour following him in the place of a Sub-Deacon goeth to the Altar whence Pontifex ad sedem eminentem communicaturus revertitur Sacr. Cerem l. 1. Sect. 5. Cap. 3. the Pope who at that time doth himself celebrate goeth to his seat of eminency therein to receive the Communion And a Book called the Quench-Coal written many years since as an Answer to Dr. Heylins Coal from the Altar produceth this testimony from William Thomas in his History of Italy who declared himself an eye witness thereof in the year 1547. that the Altar in the Cathedral Church of Rome Quench Coal p. 12. even in the time of Mass when the Pope received the Sacrament was standing in the midst of the Quire and the Pope sitting in a Chair of State about it And Didoclavius telleth us which is the only instance he produceth out of any History for sitting at the Sacrament and he may be mistaken in that that the Benedictine Monks receive the Sacrament sitting upon the Thursday before Easter Altar Damasc c. 10. and yet I suppose if his observation be true he will not imagine that they receive it with less adoration of the Host than other Papists do 12. And sitting at the Sacrament hath yet been much more abused by the Arians in Poland as their Synods called the Socinians who as denying the Divinity of Christ In Synodis Cracoviens Petricoviens Wlodislav Toruniens in Corp. Confessionum and not giving due reverence to him were the first Authors known to those Churches of this sitting gesture upon which account the Churches both of the Bobaemian Augustan and Helvetick Confessions residing in Poland and Lithuania disclaimed the use of that gesture though they esteemed it lawful in it self as being upon this occasion scandalous Wherefore to assert that every gesture grosly abused by others ought to be utterly relinquished is not only contrary to truth and to the practice of the Church of England but is herein opposite to the use of all the reformed Churches and it would make void Christs institution of the Sacrament by admitting no gesture to be lawful to communicate therein 13. Yet that we may discern the various working of mens minds in their arguments against this kneeling gesture and how copiously every thing affordeth matter to them who will take up with any thing we may observe Div. Right of Ch. Gov. Ch. 2. q. 1. p. 195. that as kneeling is sometimes disliked as having been Idolatrously abused so sitting is sometimes pleaded for as being the gesture practised and allowed by Christ because it was the gesture say they in the Idols Temple Thus Mr. Rutherford in these strange expressions undertaketh to prove that Christ did sit at the Lords Supper because sitting at the Idols Table 1 Cor. 8.10 declareth that in Religious Feasts sitting was ordinary and a sign indicant of honouring the spiritual Lord of the Banquet and a religious Communion with the Lord of the Feast was hence signified 14. Another thing urged against kneeling at the Sacrament Obj. 5. Rutherf Divine Right of Ch. Govern Ch. 1. Qu. 5. Sect. 1 3. which of the others is most strange and uncharitable is this that kneeling at the Sacrament is Idolatry and is parallel with worshipping god by an Image and even with the Pagan Idolatry it self upon this ground Altar Damasc c. 10 p. 801. because to kneel before any Creature as a memorative object of God though there be no intention of giving divine adoration to that Creature is Idolatry in the opinion of some men 15. Ans 1. This rash position tendeth to make the Jews worshipping God before the Ark or mercy Seat and before the Temple at Jerusalem or the Tabernacle in the Wilderness to have been equally Idolatrous with the serving Jeroboams Calves or worshipping Baal which was so far from that great sin that it was then a necessary duty of Religion And the cause of this gross mistake is the want of considering the vast difference of worshipping a false God or making use of a memorative object to represent the likeness of the divine being which is contrary to his nature and forbidden by his Precepts and of using such a memorative object in worship as is to be a memorial of the Covenant and grace of God and Christ and his Communion with us being to that end appointed and instituted as a remembrance of him If these things be not accounted vastly different it must be concluded not very considerable whether we do things appointed of God or forbidden of him and things agreeable to the nature of God or apposite thereto And besides this to worship God alone making use of such memorative objects as an help thereto which do properly call to our minds Gods mighty works and glorious Attributes is far from being either Idolatrous or blameable If a pious man taking a view of the mighty works of Gods Creation or any part thereof should upon this sight be put in mind of the power and wisdom of their Creator and thence should glorify admire and worship not the Creature but God alone such actions are not evil but devout and religious 16. 2. This assertion is of so dangerous consequence as to disown this holy Sacrament from being an Ordinance of Christian worship and to hinder the principal duties therein to be performed For it is directly contrary to the duties of this Sacrament to condemn the worshipping of Christ as sinful at the view of this memorial of Christs Death in this Sacrament when Christians here ought to magnifie his grace mercy and love to glorifie him for the wonderful Salvation and Atonement effected by his Death to implore his grace and spirit with all the blessings and benefits of the New Testament to acknowledge him and submit to him as our only Soveraign Lord with other such like which are proper actions of our worshipping and inwardly adoring him And it is unreasonable as well as uncharitable where these inward acts of Religion are necessary and a duty to condemn the outward expression thereof as either Idolatrous or any was sinful being directed to him who is Lord both of our Souls and Bodies 17. And though some mens
fierceness carrieth them very far yet if we consult the judgment of the Protestant Churches who all admit an uniform gesture in their several churches not only the Lutheran Churches make use of kneeling at the Communion as an expression and excitement of devotion but the Bohaemian Church which also used kneeling declared that this gesture being piously received Ratio Discipl Cap. 3. Sect. 4. devotionem ipsam in conspectu Dei humilitatem adcoque gaudium cum tremore auget encreaseth devoutness of mind humility in the sight of God and awful rejoycing Those of the Helvetick Confession in Poland who themselves used standing did approve of kneeling in the Polish Synods above-mentioued nor hath it ever been condemned by any Protestant Church abroad but is particularly approved and well allowed of also by divers of the most eminent Ministers of the Reformed Churches as hath been manifested by Mr. Durel Zanchy declareth Zanch. in Sec. praec c. 17. that there is no doubt but that they act holily and according to the will of God who come to handle and partake of the holy Sacrament with external reverence also And Hospinian declareth that the Sacraments ought to be handled with great Religion and reverence Hospin Hist Sacram l. 5. c. 8. according to the Custom of every Church with a comely habit modest behaviour soberly and devoutly with the head uncovered and with bended knees CHAP. IV. Of other particular Rites appointed in the Church of England SECT I. Of the Surpless 1. A Decent habit in the service of God is generally allowed to be expedient and Bucer observed that whether men will or no they must acknowledge that the distinct Garments and Ornaments of Magistrates doth procure a singular respect to their Magistracy And a decent habit used by Ministers in the worship of God doth express a reverent esteem of the service of God and promoteth a due respect to them and their Ministration with men of unprejudiced minds Upon which account a particular comely attire for the Levites under the Law Ch. 1. Sect. 2. as hath been above-shewed and for Christian Ministers both in the Primitive and reformed Churches was ordered and appointed by Ecclesiastical Authority and to this end with us as with many other Churches anicent and modern reformed the use of the Surpless is received the decency of which is to be considered 2. As the service of God in Religious ministrations is excellent and honourable Baron A. 44. Casaub Exercit. 16. n. 73. Selden de Synod l. 1. c. 3. so the general sense of a great part of the World both Jews and Gentiles have accounted white garments to be honourable and comely and they are also approved as such by the wisdom of God himself in the description of the most excellent persons and things The glorious attire of the Lambs wise and some of the Apocalyptick Angels is expressed by their being arrayed in white linen Rev. 19.8 Chap. 15.6 the glorious state of the whole Church of God and its Members and of the Elders before the Throne is signified by their being cloathed in white raiment Rev. 7.9 Chap. 3 4 19. chap. 4.4 and the appearance of Angels the Transfiguration of Christ and the vision of the glory of God are represented in white garments Mark 16.5 Act. 1.10 Mark 9.3 Dan. 7.9 and the Holy Ghost would certainly not make use of things indecent and unseemly as representations of such great and glorious excellencies And therefore they who will condemn or deride a vesture of white linen as being in it self uncomely must first undertake to give evidence Zanch. in 2. Pracept c. 16. that they have better judgments concerning what is decent in the Church than the rest of the World have P. Martyr Ep. ad Hoop or than he hath who gave the being both to the World and to the Church And it hath been acknowledged by Protestant Writers of good note that the use of white linen hath hereby this special advantage that from the natural simplicity of the colour the special consideration of white linen above expressed and the use of these expressions in Scripture it may aptly direct us to the meditation and consideration of purity 3. Yet because it must be acknowledged that things in themselves otherwise unblamable may become unlawful when they are made use of upon evil principles or in any evil way or to bad ends and purposes and whereas the use of the Surpless is charged by some with Judaizing and by others with too much compliance with the degenerate state of the Christian Church under Popery I shall take these things into consideration 4. Though such things as have a natural comeliness or conveniency do not become unlawful to Christians at all times because they were made use of or injoyned in the Law of Moses as hath been manifested yet I further observe Ch. l. Sect. 1. that the Surpless was no Aaronical garment as hath been ordinarily supposed and granted Among the high Priests garments his Ephod which was made of blue Purple Scarlet and sine twined linen and his Robe which was all of blue can have no affinity with the Surpless neither of them being white linen and both of them of a different shape and his linen Breeches Bonnet Mitre and Girdle bear not the least resemblance thereto it remaineth therefore that none other of their garments can be like to our Surpless unless either the Coat of the high Priest or the Coats of the inferiour Priests which are sometimes called Ephods should agree thereto The high Priests Coat was ordinarily an under-garment worn next to his skin upon which he put on his Robe Ephod and other attire as may be collected from Moses his consecration of Aaron Lev. 8.7 8. and is plainly expressed by Josephus who was himself a Priest Josep Ant. l. 3. c. 8. and at Jerusalem whilst this attire was yet worn 5. But it must be owned that upon the day of atonement which was the tenth day of the seventh mouth the high Priest went into the Holy of Holies in a linen Coat without his other ordinary Priestly garments Philo. de Somn. Targ. Jonath in Lev. 16.4 Salian An. 2545. n. 54. as is affirmed by Philo Judaeus who also saith that this was a white Coat though others as well as our English Translators in Exod. 28.39 suppose it was embroidered by one of the Chaldee Paraphrasts and by divers others both Jewish Writers and Modern Christians Cun. de Rep. Heb. l. 2. c. 1. And though Cunaeus representeth the contrary opinion which he opposeth as the common opinion of those Christian Writers which went before him yet it must be acknowledged as manifestly true from Lev. 16.4 23 24 32. that the high Priest entred the Holy of Holies without his glorious attire only in a linen Coat with linen Breeches Mitre and Girdle which might well signifie that humble purity was more fit to appear before God than
Declaration of its true intent and end which is therewith expressed 11. I know that some persons have asserted as from Irenaeus Iren. adv Haer. l. 1. c. 1. that the Original use of the sign of the Cross was received in the Church from the Valentinians who used it as the fan of Christ to purge away sin but these things are much misrepresented there being nothing at all in Irenaeus to this purpose Only concerning the Valentinians who indeed were no Christians but by a strange medley from names used in Christianity and Gentilisme and from their own fancies they framed a Theogonia of Aeones which they called their Pleroma Irenaeus with whom Tertullian agreeth Tertul. adv Valentin c. 9. saith that the Keeper of this Pleroma was Horus who among other names was also called Stauros or Crux Lytrotes or Redemptor and of him they interpreted those words of S. Matthew his fan is in his hand So that all this referred not to the sign of the Cross but to an imaginary person who was an Idol of Valentinus his brain 12. But though the true original of the Christian use of this sign be above expressed Justin Apol. 2. adv Tryphon Tertul. de Bapt. c 8. Adv. Jud. c. 10. Barnab Ep. p. 136. what is produced by the ancient Writers of this sign being prefigured in the Old Testament by the roasting the Paschal Lamb the Serpent upon the Pole the form of the hands of Jacob in blessing the Sons of Joseph and of Moses hands being lifted up which Barnabas expresseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is far more considerable than the mistaken matter of this objection And whereas the mark upon the forehead Ezek. 9.4 was accounted by Theodotion and by Aquila as Origen relateth by the Vulgar Latin and the ancient latin Version used by Tertullian to be the mark of the Letter Thau which is the word there used in the Hebrew both S. Hierom who himself understood the Samaritan Character which was anciently used by the Jews and Origen from the relation of a converted Jew declare that the old form of 〈…〉 Thau was in the figure of a 〈◊〉 And though Scaliger in his learned â—â—â—â—dversions upon Eusebius averreth Animad v. p. 117. that this was their mistake concerning the Samaritan Character yet the truth of what they asserted may appear from the old Alphabet collected out of their ancient Medals by Bishop Walton which is different from the Vulgar Characters And I may add that the Aaronical Priesthood under the Law which prefigured Christ Kerith f. 5. in Buxt Lex Rab. in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 received their Vnction in the form of a Cross or the Greek Chi as both the Talmud and all the Jewish Rabbins do declare those Rabbins who seem to dissent being reconciled to this assertion by the reasonable interpretation of Simeon de Muis. S. de Muis Var. Sacr. in Abarb. in Ex. 30. Sozom. l. 7. c. 15. Baron an 389. n. 99. Just Mart. Apol. 2. Sylburg ibidem And the form or sign of a Cross was an Hieroglyphick of the life to come among the Aegyptians and a character of wisdom among the Platonists And all these things speaking an honourable use of this sign before the time of Christ though they were not chief reasons of the Christians usage might well be providentially ordered for the advantage of Christianity it being particularly related by Sozomen that the Conversion of divers Pagans was occasioned thereby 13. Obj. 2 As for them who would charge this Rite because of its signification with being a new Sacrament I have sufficiently discovered the palpable erroneousness of that conceit in a former Chapter Ch. 2. Se. 1. 14. And whereas some disapprove this sign because it hath been abused by the Church of Rome I have given a sufficient answer to this in the fourth Section of the same Chapter And he who would censure an useful and piously ordered sign of admonition and memorial because a superstitious operative use of the same transient sign is not allowable must condemn things greatly different as if they were the same As if because Gideons Ephod was abused when it was made an Idol the use of an Ephod by Samuel and David for the decent service of God must be also insufferable and because the image of Caesar set up to be worshipped is abominable therefore his image stamped upon the Coin must not be tolerated And there is as much reason to condemn wholesom and profitable words from some persons making an ill use thereof as to condemn useful actions and gestures for the same cause 15. They who censure this Rite because it is used so soon after Baptism it self as an attendant thereupon supposing that no significative rite may be lawfully received so nearly attending upon any Sacrament they also build upon a very false and groundless supposition as if the Love-kiss and the Agapae were not so used in the Apostolical times with reference to the Lords Supper and the trinal mersion in Baptism both in the Primitive and most reformed Churches Yea I would appeal to every indifferent mans Conscience whether if a Father being solicitously careful of the eternal welfare of his Son and having nurtured him in the fear of God and lived to see him receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper should give his Son some token so soon as be cometh from that Sacrament requiring him to keep the same as a memorial of his Fathers charge upon him to mind the service of God and the Christian life and Unity to which he is further obliged by the receiving that Sacrament I say I would appeal to such a man whether he durst condemn this action as sinful meerly because this charge and token hath some reference to the Sacrament And this rite of our Church hath many advantages above this instance both in the higher authority of the Church the greater simplicity of the rite it self and the relation it beareth to the pattern and example of Primitive Christianity 16. Among the Protestants the Lutheran Churches retain not only this but some other Rites in the office of Baptism which are not received in the Church of England And though many other Reformed Churches do not use this sign yet they condemn it not nor do they herein censure either the Church of England or those of the Augustane Confession It hath been observed partly by Mr. Hooker and partly by Mr. Durel Goulart in Ep. 56. Cypr. c. 7. that Goulartius declared this Ceremony to be indifferent in its nature but said it was not necessary now for all Christians to observe it by those words rather modestly defending the practice of Geneva as Mr. Hooker expresseth it in a way of excuse than expressing any dislike of them who without superstition do retain it Exercit. in Bar. 13. n. 33. Isaac Casaubone when he wrote his exercitations expresseth an approbation of this Rite in the Church of England Buc.
Primitive Church as from the Apostles is abundantly sufficient not only to justifie but to commend herein the order of the Church of England which agreeth thereto 4. The use of Confirmation in our Church besides the leaving out things superstitious hath two great advantages in its external administration The first advantage is in the time when it is performed which is when the person is come to some years of discretion and being instructed in the main Principles of the Christian Doctrine doth by his own actual consent and promise renew his baptismal vow and ratifie and confirm it in his own person For the increase and strength of grace which is then implored and the being received to a higher rank of Christian profession doth reasonably suppose a capacity of knowledge and understanding Indeed in the early times of Christianity while Baptism was ordinarily administred to persons adult the Profession of their Faith together with their taking upon them the practice of the Christian life went before their Baptism and thence not only Confirmation but the Lords Supper was soon after administred to them and yet it is not amiss observed by Kemnitius Exam. Conc. Trid. Part. 2. de Confir that before hands were imposed by S. Paul upon the Disciples at Ephesus there was some kind of exploratio fidei or an examining of their Faith into which they were baptized And acknowledged it must be that even in Infants confirmation was anciently in some Churches used soon after Baptism but then the Lords Supper was also received by such Infants which was a blemish in some Churches as ancient as the time of S. Cyprian Cyp. de Laps Aug. de Eccles Dogm c 〈◊〉 Alcu. de Divin 〈◊〉 fic Tet 〈◊〉 Sabâ—◠〈…〉 is oft mentioned by S Augustin and four hundred years after S. Augustins time the administring the Lords Supper to Infants was directed by Alcuinus 5. The Western Church in the later Centuries hath ordinarily required in most of its Offices several days distance between the administration of Baptism and Confirmation Ration l. 6. c. 84. as Durandus declareth who also in the same place is of opinion that the ordinary custom of the more ancient Church required a perfect age or as he expresseth it the age of twelve or fifteen years De Consec dist 5. c. ut Jejuni in them who received confirmation which opinion he groundeth upon the Canon ut jejuni ad confirmationem veniant perfectae aetatis And that persons who receive confirmation should have arrived at some capacity of understanding was judged convenient by Cassander Consult Cas Art 9. de Hymn Eccles who also declareth the consent of divers others of the Romish Communion And herein the Church of Rome since the Protestant Reformation yea since the establishment of the English Liturgie hath receded from her former Rule of confirming Infants and in the first Synod of Millain Conc. Mediol 1. de Confirm Catech. Rom. de Confirm which followed that of Trent and in the Roman Catechism it is required that those who are to be confirmed should be at the least seven years old if not twelve and should be instructed with reference to their confirmation De Ritib lib. 1. c. 20. Sect. 14. and this alteration is approved by Durantus with summa ratione receptum est And herein the after-wit of the Romish Church hath entertained what was with some derision rejected in the sixth Session of the Council of Trent as we are informed in the Hist Conc. Trident lib. 2 p. 194. 6. And somewhat analagous to Confirmation at the years of discretion may be observed from the Jewish Church where when the child came to be thirteen years old Buxt Syn. Jud. c. 3. the Father in a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a sacred Assembly of a compleat number for solemn occasions presenteth the child before them who having been taught both prayers and precepts of duty Aben Ezr. in Gen. 17.14 he then undertaketh to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one who taketh upon himself the obedience to the commands of the Law and prayer is then made for him that he may grow up in good works 7. A second advantage of our confirmation is that here is a reducing the ancient primitive Rite of imposition of hands which for many hundred years hath been extruded from the Romish confirmation by other superstitious Ceremonies Durand ubi supra And though Durandus be so frivolous as to imagine that imposition of hands is contained in the blow upon the cheek which was used in many Romish Churches after confirmation but was not directed at all in the Office secundum usum Sarum and Bellarmine be so vain as to assert it to be contained in Chrysming the forehead Bellarm de Confirm l. 2 c. 2. which is the principal Romish Rite of confirmation wise men might see that there is no more agreement in these things than that the hand is made use of about them all Wherefore this Rite of imposition of hands was no Rite either abused or used under the corruptions of the Church of Rome but was an innocent and useful primitive Rite restored in the Reformation of the Church of England Belarm ibid. c. 2 13. And even the Bishop holding up his hands to pray over them which receive confirmation which the Cardinal would have to include imposition of hands is neither required at all in the Office of Confirmation secundum usum Sarum nor is it mentioned among the present Rites of confirmation by Durantus Dur. de Ritib lib. 1. c. 20. and therefore it may as reasonably be said that Imposition of hands is included in all their prayers as that it is contained in their confirmation 8. Ratio Discip c. 3. Sect. 3. Among the Reformed Churches the Bohemian had confirmation with Imposition of hands which they did account an Apostolical Rite and they much after the manner of the Church of England used therewith invocation of the divine grace and a renewing their baptismal Covenant wherewith they also joyned Absolution And this Comenius both commendeth as the primitive practice Comen Annot. in Rat. Discip and saith that this way of Confirmation is still piously used in some Churches In the Lutheran Churches even they who retained not this use of Confirmation Conf. Sax. de Conf. as in Saxony did yet esteem it when administred with imposition of hands and prayer unto persons who being come to years of understanding did make actual profession of their engaging to Christianity to be agreeable to the purest Antiquity Exam. Conc. Trid. Par. 2. de Confirm and the Apostles practice and to have exceeding great profitableness both for the edification of the Youth and of the whole Church as we may learn from Kemnitius who was one of their chief Writers Calv. Inst l. 4. c. 19. n. 4 13. And Calvin himself expresseth a like approbation of the same declaring withal his desire
Matrimonium obsignatum Concerning the custom of the Romans sealing their houshold provisions Pliny telleth us Plin. Nat. Hist l. 33. c. 1. Cibi potus annulo vindicantur à rapina Their meats and drinks were by the use of the Ring secured from robbery and that the most ancient use of Rings was wholly designed for sealing is declared by Macrobius Macr. Satum l. 7. c. 13. Veteres non ornatûs sed signandi causa annulum circumferebant And that the giving a Ring was of old a testimony both of special favour and of committing authority appeareth by the instances of the Rings given by Pharaoh to Joseph and by Ahasuerus to Mordecai both which are confidently and probably asserted by Boetius Epo to have been Seal-rings saith he Boet. Epo Quest Heroin l. 2. qu. 5. n. 21. Quod de annulo dicitur utrobique de signatorio sumendum est proculdubio ad extollendam tam Josephi quam Mardochaei authoritatem ut quibus rex uterque concrederet omnia And though the custom of sealing things belonging to the house and the use of a Seal-ring in Marriage is not with us continued yet with reference to this ancient usage the delivery of the Ring may still fitly import the Husbands committing the things and affairs of his house to the care and authority of his Wife 5. This Rite also did probably express not only an honourable estate as Marriage is but also a state of freedom and liberty the Ring in Marriage being used by them only in the former times of the Roman Empire who were Free-men and not Slaves and Vassals whence it is declared by Macrobius in the place above-cited that no persons under servitude might by the Laws of the Empire wear a Ring Cod. l. 6. Tâ—t 8. Se. 2. Digest lib. 40. Tit. 10. Sect 5. Lib. 38 Tit. 2. Se. 3. n. 1. Jus annulorum famuli non habebant And the civil Law it self doth in divers places declare treating De jure aureorum annulorum that if any person who was no Free-man obtained the right of wearing a Ring he thereupon all his life time enjoyed the Priviledges of the Ingenui or Free-men though he might not dispose of what he had at his death And Gotofredus giveth an instance from Dio Gotofr ibidem concerning Musa a Physician to whom Augustus gave a Ring that he might enjoy this freedom Agreeably hereto the Ring in Marriage may among us in some kind intimate a state of civil freedom from vassallage and villainage in the persons contracting and may more particularly express that by the Matrimonial Contract there is made over to the Wife a right of Copartnership in the Immunities and that degree of honourable estate which the Husband possesseth But though these things last mentioned may well be admitted and allowed the main intent of the use of the Ring is to be a pledge or earnest of the Marriage covenant as is expressed in these words With this Ring I thee wed Buc. Censur c. 20. Disp of Cerem c. 2. Sect. 43. And this use of it was approved by Bucer as a thing very convenient and Mr. Baxter hath declared that he saw no reason to scruple its lawfulness 6. And hence a good account may be given of these words used with the Ring With my body I thee worship Which not only includeth the Husbands honouring his Wife but also declareth that he taketh his Wife with her issue by him into participation of that degree of civil Worship Dignity or Freedom which himself hath and as this suiteth well the nature of their Union in being one flesh L. Cokes Reports 5. Part. Cawdreys Case so it agreeth with the usage of the common Law of England wherein otherwise than in the Civil Law both the freedom and honour of the whole Family dependeth on the Husband And more especially these words design to express the mans receiving this woman to be his Wife in the honourable estate of Matrimony so as she should enjoy that degree of civil worship and other Matrimonial Priviledges as authority of guiding the House and commanding the Family and a right of her issue being Heirs whereby the honourable condition of a Wise or Materfamilias was distinguished from a Concubine taken in the best sense for one under a Matrimonial Contract and therefore sometimes called a Wife but without the right to these Priviledges Of such Concubines in the times of the Old Testament we have a frequent account in the holy Scriptures Grat. Decret Dist 34. c. 3 4 5. the Canon Law giveth intimation of such under Christianity and Gellius among the old Romans maketh a difference between some women who were received into a state of Marriage but not in the most honourable degree thereof and to these he alloweth the name of Matrons and other Wives who were their Matres-familias Noct. Attict l. 18. c. 6. as having a disposal of the Family and a relation to the right of inheriting And this Phrase may also be allowed to signifie that the Husband hath not power over his own body but the Wife as the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 7.4 And therefore the sense of these words appeareth to be very considerable 7. And as to the word Worship it is here evidently taken for an expression of civil honour respect and eminency which was a more usual acceptation of that Phrase in the last Age than now it is as may appear from these words of Mr. Tyndal Tyndall against Sir Tho. More Concerning worshipping or honouring which two terms saith he are both one the words which the Scripture doth use in the worshipping or honouring of God are these to love God cleave to him c. all which words saith he we use also in the worshipping of man howbeit diversly and the difference thereof doth all the Scripture teach Nor is the word Worship in its common use so perticuliarly now referred to divine Worship but that besides the ordinary title of Worship in a civil sense given to men we also read in the last Translation of our Bibles such Phrases as these 1 Chron. 29.20 they worshipped God and the King i. e. gave due honour reverence and obeisance both to God and the King Luk. 14.10 then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee Rev. 3.9 I will make them come and worship before thy feet and in the ancienter Versions there occurreth a much more frequent use of such Phrases And therefore these words With my body I thee worship are not unallowable in the Phrase and are very significant comprehensive and of great moment in their sense design and intent 8. And now having impartially and diligently considered those appointments in our Church which for an hundred years past have been by divers persons so severely censured and opposed though by others worthily defended and justly valued the result is this 9. First That if these things were rightly and truly understood and apprehended they would be well approved and the vehement out-crys against them and the open separation from this Church upon this account would appear unreasonable and sinfully uncharitable And this right understanding is a matter of no great difficulty to intelligent persons by whom others might be directed who shall impartially make inquiry having their spirits possessed with humility meekness calmness and charity unto which Christianity obligeth all men 10. Secondly That though misunderstanding and mistakes or prejudices and a strong affection to one party of men and over-suspicious thoughts of and designed oppositions against others may and do engage many to disclaim these things established even to the present dangerous breach of the Churches peace and unity and the extreme hazard of its future welfare yet nothing hath been nor indeed can be produced against the way of worshipping God established in our Churchâ— which either ought upon Principles of Conscience or according 〈◊〉 the Rules of Christian and Moral prudence to hinder pious men from hearty joyning therein or yielding unfeigned assent and consent thereto 11. Thirdly That those persons who will resolvedly oppose with violence these establishments in the Church of England and renounce its Communion upon any accounts referring to the Liturgy and way of Worship appointed therein may observe that almost all the same things which they blame in our Church and for which they injuriously depart from it have been received and appointed with many other things which their Principles do equally or more severely condemn in the Primitive Church and especially in the third fourth and fifth Centuries of the Rites and way of Worship in which Ages we have more ample records than of the the times foregoing and had they then lived they must upon the same accounts according to their present Principles and practices have disclaimed the Communion of all the famous known Churches of the Christian World in those Ages which have been and deserve to be greatly renowned And this besides the former considerations which refer to the things themselves is of so great moment that he who would have rejected the Communion of those Churches must have thereby disowned Membership with the Body of Christ and could never have reconciled such practices with endeavouring to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace FINIS Errata Pag. 160. lin 4. 10. for pretection read prelection p. 166. l. 11. for Histonery r. Histories p. 177. l. 4. dele that p. 197. l. 3. for ipsiusve verabile r. ipsius venerabili p. 222. l. 32. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 229. l. 20. r. I shall p. 302. l. 30. for become r. be come p. 311. l. 2. dele if p. 354 l. 20. r. sufficient rule for faith p. 355. l. 18. for rules r. Rulers pag. 460. l. 27. for sometimes r. some-times p. 481. l. 7. r. may appear besides p. 497. l. 28. for springling r. sprinkling Other less mistakes must be left to the ingenuity and pardon of the Reader