of us Wrath emulations bitterness clamour evil speaking whispering backbiting and detraction lying and slandering c. all these sins and miscarriages are but the numerous and unlucky Off-spring of Recusancy and wilful Separation that I cannot but in anguish of Spirit cry out Cursed be the womb of SCHISME that bare these things and the Paps that hath given them suck For these things sake if not repented of the wrath of God must hasten upon us as wilful Children of Disobedience Neither hath this detestable sin made us thus miserable among our selves but hath rendred us unhappy among other Nations when it hath brought a dis-repute of us and a dis-esteem of our Religion almost in all parts of the World Turks Heathens Pagans Jews not only contemn but blaspheme our Church and Faith because of the divisions and dissensions of our Professors And when the concord of Professors Vniformity preserve the beauty and loveliness of a Church which attracts all mens admiration and affection undoubtedly Divisions and Factions must bring that deformity upon any Nation which must make it loathed and abhorred And how can we in reason expect that others should desire to be United to us who are not United among our selves We can never hope but they that are without will shun us as infectious as long as this deadly disease cleaves close unto us I hear the sad Complaints of my Countrymens fears That Popery is like to be brought in among us And this I confess is my fear also for while we wilfully maintain Divisions and Separations among us unquestionably we contribute to the utmost to that which we fear to fall upon us And the way hath not been made more plain this hundred years for the return of Popery than we have lately made it by our Divisions The Papists and Jesuits very well know they can never set up their own Church till they have pulled down ours which alone stand in competition for precedence and outvies them And to destroy this our Church of England which is the best ordered in the World by our Schisms and Sects we lend our helping hand most effectually Who doth not see that we are running into that Bondage we pretend to abominate while we endeavour to destroy Vniformity as it is prescribed For out of the Visible Church there is no ordinary way of Salvation And there is no keeping up the face of a Visible Church without Vniformity If therefore we wilfully persist by our Schisme to destroy Vniformity in the Church of England when there is none to be found in our separated Congregations what remains but we must willingly run to the Church of Rome if we will be saved All these things perpended it must be concluded That wilful Recusancy of Conformity or Schisme is not only an heinous but an hurtful sin in respect of those within us It renders us disesteemed and contemned by those without us It contributes to the introduction and prevalency of Popery into the Nation And It is a dangerous sin to Men themselves that are guilty of it when it renders them liable to the just condemnation both of Man and God We are most affected with those Evils that most nearly touch our selves Consider then thy own dangerous condition who ever thou art that separatest from the Church of England if thou persistest in thy wilful Disobedience and what must follow by the just Judgment both of Man and God Thou art guilty at the fairest of the dreadful sin of Schisme by thy voluntary departure and wilful separation from the Communion of that Visible Church whereof once a Member A sin by St. Paul branded with the odious name of Carnality 1 Cor. 3.3 Are ye not carnal walk ye not as men And Rom. 16.17 18. the same Apostle directs the Believing Brethren to set this note and remark upon such as caused and maintained Divisions they were such as did not serve the Lord Jesus Christ and were to be avoided Their fair speeches and smooth actions in this case could not acquit but condemn them whilst both of them were used with this end by them to deceive the hearts of the simple and pervert their practice from the Uniform Communion of a Believing Society It is sad but true that such from Believers Censure and Judgment if they will be directed by the Apostle and perswaded must lose the reputation of being Christians and be marked and noted for such as are not servants of Jesus Christ And further if it be questioned Whether continuing wilfully in a manifest sin be inconsistent with the state of Grace or not certainly upon serious Inquiry it must be determined Affirmatively And it must be granted upon the Reasons forementioned That wilful Omission of the necessary Duties of Piety is an open sin and such a sin as withdraw men from the kindly operations of Grace and makes God withhold and turn away his Spirit from a People who waits to be gracious to his Servants usually while in the exercise of Holiness This despising of Holy Duties puts a contempt and offers despite to the Spirit of Grace And certainly the consequence of that sin is sad enough that makes God withhold his Spirit from men such draw back to perdition by their visible Recidivation The effects and consequences of this sin in probability will be dreadful as you have heard among Men and there will be a sad issue of this sin from the Just GOD who not only will withdraw his Grace but will manifest his displeasure by his wrath which will come upon the wilful Children of Disobedience And good it will be for this sinner in time to consider That although he may possibly escape the condemning Judgment of fallible Man yet he cannot warrantably promise himself to escape in another day the condemnation of Christ Sins of Omission that are obstinately for the most part persisted in will fare worse than sins of Commission that oftimes are repented of and will meet with a more severe Sentence from the mouth of Christ And the mind of Christ is clearly discovered unto us in this particular Matt. 25.41 when as accursed they shall hear that fearful Discedite Depart ye into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels And the sin he chargeth them with and sentenceth them for was a wilful omission of Acts of Charity For I was an hungry and ye gave me no meat Thirsty and ye gave me no drink Naked and ye cloathed me not c. Now if for wilful Omission of such Acts of Charity sinners shall hear that fearful Ite maledicti how justly may they hear the like dreadful Sentence for omission of Acts of Piety You have not worshipped mein the beauty of Holiness You have not spoken to my Praise to make my Name glorious You have not held fast the open profession of your Faith c. For greater sins there cannot reasonably be expected a lesser Sentence or easier punishment from the most just Judge For sinning thus
Churches doth St. Paul injoyn that they should adorn their Profession that their Conversation should be becoming the Gospel that they should behave themselves orderly as in the House of God And now certainly it may be concluded both from Scripture and Reason from the practice of Saints in the Church Militant or Triumphant That as internal Vnity of spirit is to be indeavoured after to present us blameless to God so should external Vniformity in words and actions be endeavoured to be preserved in all believing Congregations And now I have plainly and perspicuously discoursed of every Section contained in this Chapter and I think convincingly to any sober Reason I may justly complain that there be too few will believe our Report Infaelix infirmitas ad se vocat medicus ut litibus occupatur aegrotus Peace and Vnity is praised of many◠but very few endeavour to preserve it And Wo is me that I am constrained to dwell in Mesech and have my habitation among the Tents of Kedar My soul hath long dwelt with them that are enemies to Peace And now I speak for peace I look that some are ready to prepare themselves for battle I look that that which is the lot of many good Physicians should be mine at this time that although my design God knows is not to torture my sick Country-men but to heal them that some like frantick Patients should run from me and that others now but touched should cry out of me Many either insensible of their sickness or else in love with their distemper are not only careless but backward to be cured I see and bewail it that many men are miserably wounded with and yet I justly lament it that I find a great unwillingness in most of them to be Healed For Vnity of Faith How many men either out of weakness or partiality or prejudice or interest or acquaintance have espoused rashly a wilful Opinion and set it up and idolize it And this fancy Opinion perhaps Perswasion they shall cry up and publish it abroad for Conscience Judgment Faith For which God knows if examined they have not the least shadow of a Rule or appearance of Reason So I may complain with St. Hilary ad Constant Aug. Facta est fides fides temporum potius quam Evangeliorum periculosum miserabile tot nunc fides existere quot voluntates Excidêrunt ab eâ fide quae sola est dum multae fiunt ad id coeperunt esse ne ulla sit I lament that too apparently to be seen in our daies what the Holy Father complains was to be found in his viz. That the Faith among us is the Faith of the Times rather than the Faith of the Gospel It is very dangerous and miserable that there should be among us as many Faiths as Wills and as many Consciences as obstinate Resolutions They have departed from that Faith which is One and while they pretend to have many Faiths they cease to keep any And if it be rightly considered what Faith or Conscience is there is scarce any true knowledge or practice of either to be found in too great a part of our Generation I hear the words frequently among us but I must publish it that I do not understand them May I not have liberty of Conscience May I not differ in Judgment from other men and yet agree in Affection May we not go several waies and yet meet together at the end of our Journey Were ever any such things reasonably vented in a Constituted Church Have not the men lost both Reason and Religion that dare confidently publish these things Can there be such a thing as Liberty of Conscience Are they not absolutely inconsistent Consider and it must be acknowledged If thou hast Conscience of any thing thou hast no Liberty if thou hast Liberty there can be no Conscience May not men differ in Judgment and yet agree in Affection What ad idem in respect to the same thing certainly No it is impossible If I judge a thing lawful and thou judgest the same thing unlawful our Affections must differ as much as love and hate and certainly these are contrary Affections Can we not go several waies and yet meet at the end of our Journey certainly No. The end of our Journey we both tend to is agreed on to be Heaven Happiness Now if Vertue be the right way to Happiness and that lies in a strait line as Morality teaches us sure there can be no declining this Line but there must be obliquity If the Way to Heaven be narrow and streight on as Divinity teaches us thou canst not go besides this Way but thou wilt at last fall headlong into the Ditch We must both of us keep the same way or else one of us must be in the broad way that leads to destruction And for Vnity of Affection where can we find that in a Family much less in a Parish or Congregation If ever the Complaint was true it is now in our daies that Fratrum concordia rara est We are all pretending to travel with the same design from Egypt to our Father in Canaan and we are Brethren but how few of us look to the Charge given us How few are they that take heed that they do not fall out in the way There be two Graces that Christ commends to us as the way to the kingdom of Heaven Humility and Charity but instead of these we see the contrary Pride and Contention All pretended Members of Christs body yet no sympathy no bearing one anothers burthen We are ready to laugh at each others infirmity and to rejoyce at each others misery Our iniquity aboundeth and love waxeth cold Our distinguishing Garment is rent clean in pieces which should be our Charity and that is the bond of perfectness This mans hope is that mans fear One mans joy is another mans sorrow And as we can hardly find Vnity in Judgment or Affections so rare it is to see Vniformity in Words or Actions For words instead of agreement what difference what opposition And for those that separate from the Communion of the visible Church of England where can we find that Congregation that agrees to speak the same thing We dwell among People of a strange Language The Trumpets have given from most Pulpits an uncertain sound and how can the Souldiers agree to prepare themselves to the Battle We may observe many of our Priests have been lingring to offer strange Fires such wild expressions and inconsiderate excursions as instead of helping have diverted our Devotions and distracted our Affections And for Actions instead of decency and order what distraction yea what confusion in all our separated Congregations By appearance one would judge them of Babel rather than of Jerusalem Such distractions as if every one had a peculiar God by himself or rather such universal profaneness or irreverence as if no God were thought of as present throughout their whole Congregations Our Neighbours
and Acquaintance stand aloof off from that Vniform worship of God that is prescribed and injoyned and no wonder if Strangers think and report that some dreadful Disease cleaves fast unto us I heartily lament many Crying sins that are generally spreading over the body of this poor Nation and yet upon sober Consideration I cannot judge any sin so manifestly destructive to the health and beauty of the believing Society and Church of England as is this of Schisme and Separation There is no one sin that tyrannizeth more over us but we may say to Schism as the Pirate did once say to Alexander Thou blamest and condemnest me for preying on single Persons and accountest thy self without fault while thou destroyest a whole Nation These things have I written and spoken to my dissenting Country-men not in wrath and bitterness to shame and torment them but with grief and compassion to warn and amend them that we may all agree to banish those Schisms and Divisions in the Service of God which are this day our shame and that we may endeavour to bring back that Vnity in Gods worship which was once the glory and joy of this poor Church and Nation My endeavour as well as my Prayers shall alwaies be that we agree to hold the Vnity of the spirit in the bond of Peace For Zions sake I cannot hold my peace nor for Hierusalems sake be quiet till I have manifested my study and endeavour to bring all the baptized Subjects of this Church and Kingdom to signifie the Vnity of their Faith by an open Vniformity CHAP. VI. The Canons and Forms established and prescribed by our Governours to direct and promote the General Uniformity of English Professours are most agreeable to the Rules of the Gospel and are the best and most convenient that are visibly extant to us in the World Section I. There must be Forms or Canons prescribed by Rulers to carry on Vniformity II. The Canons and Forms already established to this end in England are agreeable to the Rules of the Gospel Section III. These Canons and Forms are visibly the best extant to us upon sober Consideration SECT I. There must be Forms or Canons prescribed by Rules to carry on Vniformity GOD who by his wise Providence governs all the works of his hands rules them all by a Law And Governours subordinate as appointed and sent by him are to govern Rational men joyned in Society under them by a Law also As God in the World so Christ in his Church complying with the Necessities and Infirmities of his Subjects hath given Rules to direct them in Faith Devotion and Conversation by that New Law which is the Gospel by which superintendent Frame of Government his subordinate Governours are to govern his Church to the end of the World And so according to that New Law Christs Deputies are to establish Laws of Piety and Laws of Honesty We are now in this part of our Treatise to speak of those Laws that respect Piety and according to the two parts whereof Man consists some Injunctions of Piety must concern our Souls and some our Bodies The Injunctions of Governours that direct to purity of hearts and spirits may be called Counsels Monitions They cannot properly be called the Laws of Governours but Laws of Christ for they cannot oblige the Souls of the Subjects either by rewards or punishments having no cognizance when they obey or when they rebel when they heartily like or dislike such Injunctions Christ can only reward these according to their hidden works But Rules of sensible things for ordering mens words or actions those are properly called the Laws of Governours for of these they can make discovery The observance or omission of these things are discernable by Rulers and according to the Merits of their Subjects so they can recompence them And let no sober Person think that Laws about external demeanour or decent behaviour of our Bodies in our Religious attendances are such trifles toyes needless Circumstances childish insignificant Ceremonies as many irrationally and inconsiderately defame them when they are natural and necessary for our Communion in our present condition when true Grace operates the light within us directs and the Holy Spirit delights in these things being willing to admit of our Bodies to be his Temple when these Vessels are to be possessed in sanctification and honour And God hath called us not to uncleanness but holiness of these things When Christ by his Gospel hath ordered the hearing and preaching of his Word the administration and receiving the Sacraments the regarding our Conversations and Words by which we are either justified or condemned And these things are sensible and external And certainly an imputation of Rashness and Vncharitableness cannot be deserved by us if from such open and wilful opposition and slighting of Externals as unnecessary and inexpedient we should judge these men as wilfully bent to overthrow Humane Government when they would destroy that in a moment about which alone Government can be busied and employed It must then be granted That the publick exercise of Vniversal Piety ought to be the Governours first care and that their first Laws ought to be about injoyning Vniformity to their Subjects Now by Vniformity as it hath been set forth in the preceding Chapter is meant an Vnity or joynt assent and concurrence of Professors both in Words and Actions Confessions and Gestures fitly expressing and signifying a Religious respect and reverence to that Supream Majesty we meet to adore A service so useful and necessary that all Governours by their Laws have injoyned it and all Nations by their practice have attested it in all Religious Meetings through all Generations 1. Because GOD who is not a God of Confusion but of Order a God not of Division but of Vnity is best pleased and most glorified when no man draws back but when without distraction there is an Universal discovery of every mans evident respect to him When the Tribes go up the Tribes of the Lord unto the Testimony of Israel to give thanks unto the Name of the Lord. 2. Thus Neighbours are most edified Consent and agreement of others with us give a pleasure and content to us It gives a confirmation to our Judgment and practice when we receive approbation and allowance from the practice of others 3. Thus Infidels are most likely to be wrought upon and converted One mans preaching may make a man consider but certainly it cannot have so great an influence as the Vniformity of a whole believing Congregation We are ready to think those things not hurtful but beneficial which we see universally practised and we are easily drawn to the practice of those things which we see generally allowed and used by others So that if a man be converted or unconverted joynt Concurrence in Common Service and the Vniform Worship of God is more to be valued than any one mans Preaching being of a greater influence and of a stronger operation Since
that attend upon our Election we have reason to think him most likely to be a Blessing that comes in Peace to be set over us by a rightful Succession But if any will wilfully still oppose that likes Election better than Succession let such remember There was a time when all the Tribes met and every Tacit Consent was then included to choose Him and to make our David King That he was not more Eminently born than made Chief Ruler among us And that by Election as well as Succession Supremacy doth justly belong unto him And Chosen HE was prudently freely and by universal Consent But other Governours we have Inferiour and Subordinate appointed and allowed of by Him which because the Church is in the Kingdom must be of two sorts Ecclesiastical and Civil that the People may live quietly in godliness and honesty The Chief of both sorts of these subordinate Governours He that is Supream convenes to his assistance deliberately to consult and advise and determine both in making Laws and Execution And by this Determination and Concurrence of our Governours no Person can justly fear to suffer by a precipitate Rage or Tumult of a Popular Fury or the unreasonable Impositions of an arbitrary Tyranny So if soberly it be considered If any Governours can be said in all the World certainly ours of England must be acknowledged to be set over us and appointed by God And were the Learned Hugo Grotius that Master of Reason alive he would conclude the Government of England both in Church and State the best in all the World And if any Governours under Heaven can be said to be allowed and approved of by God over any Society ours or England must in reason be concluded to be so undoubtedly not only from their reasonable Constitution which is most convenient but from that extraordinary care and love that God hath declared towards them from their Miraculous Restitution which if we consider cannot be said to be done by the power of Man but by the over-ruling Spirit of God Gods love and liking of Persons and Nations is more seen by deliverance of them than by their continued preservation He was more eminently known to be Israels God by bringing them out of Egypts Bondage and the Babylonish Captivity than by bringing them into the Land of Canaan The turning again the Captivity of Zion must force the Heathen to say The Lord hath done great things for them and taken great care of them And for us that have felt the misery of Old and seen of late the Deliverance and Restitution of our Zion the Heathen would rise up in Judgment against us if we should not say It was the Lords doing It is his mind and purpose declared by this Miraculous Restitution That this People of England should be led like Sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron Thus Governours are appointed over every Society and ours of England over us especially by the dictates of Reason and appointment of God CHAP. II. That Governours thus appointed are to aiâ— and contrive for the good of the Society and deliberately to determine and publish Laws And Subjects are obliged to submit to those Laws accordingly Section I. Governours are to contrive for the Publick good and welfare Section II. To promote Publick good they must take care to establish Laws Section III. Laws must have their Rectitude and oblige to what is Just Section IV. Deliberation is requisite before determination of Laws Section V. After Deliberation there must be a Publication Section VI. To Governours Laws thus Established Subjects ought to submit with willingness and Ours of England ought to submit especially SECT I. 1. GOD in whom we live move and have our being hath so sweetly and wisely disposed of this Systeme of Creatures to his own Glory that every Creature hath a natural inclination and propensity to the preservation and welfare of its Fellow Creatures and out of that love and propensity they freely communicate according to their ability what is good and beneficial And this Communicative Love is diffused as an active principle to cement compact and uphold every part of this admirable Structure in that glorious frame and order in which now it stands so as every Creature seems to loose of its own nature when it ceaseth to incline to this Natural operation For who so blind but must perceive that amidst Inanimate Creatures freely and chearfully the Sun imparts its light the Heavens their kindly influence the Clouds their refreshing Rain the Fire its warmth the Earth its increase In Sensitive Creatures Birds and Beasts are gracious and helpful to their fellow Creatures of the same species and joyn in Company and Bodies to that end and call their Fellows to the same common food and affright them from open snare and danger But this inclination in the Creatures receives the measure and limits of its activity according to the different principles faculties and endowments they have to operate withal So every Creature the more perfect it is and the more it hath of Gods likeness the more it discovers this propensity of activity and readiness to communicate what is comfortable and suitable to the nature of its Fellow Creatures Man therefore that hath most of Gods likeness hath the greatest propensity to this goodness and is naturally addicted to shew it by communicating of what is most beneficial to them most willingly who are like God and himself and are in greatest Capacity to receive and disposed to make the best improvements of this Communication Now among Men it is to be supposed That Governours are or should be most like God who fills the Earth with his goodness he openeth his hand and fills all things living with plenteousness As Gods Deputies they ought to be most ready and active from an heavenly providence to impart what is beneficial to them that are under them They are not set up aloft like liveless dead Idols for men to gaze on to admire and Idolize and yet continue useless neither see nor hear nor regard nor contrive for the good and comfort of others But as living Images of that benificent God whom they represent out of a gracious providence they are to be contriving directing and acting for the good of them under them praesunt ut prosint above and over others to benefit others not minding their private advantage but are elevated to have the more Heavenly influence for the publick good of the Community over which they are placed Non Dominandi cupiditate imperant sed efficio consulendi Their office like Shepheards is not barely to fleece but to feed the Flock Patres patriae not only to defend and maintain the People but are to direct and order them Ministers of God for good Rom. 13.4 For compleat good being to watch over their Souls for good while they carefully endeavour that the People under them may lead contented lives full of all peace in all godliness and honesty If any such be
be Publick so must it be 2. Vniversal The Father naturally cares for the welfare of every Child Gods Providence is over all his Creatures for their good And it is the care of his Deputies to provide for the welfare and happiness of all their Subjects Now if Religion be the only thing that can make men happy as it is proved the Governour cannot compass his End which is to procure the happiness of his Subjects but by enjoyning the Exercise of Religion to be Universal CHAP. IV. Our Governours of our Church of England have done well to injoyn every Believing Subject an open Profession of his Faith in his respective Congregation The particulars incident to this Head are Four I. We are to consider and agree what FAITH is II. That of that Faith there ought to be Profession III. That Profession ought to be made by every Believer IV. This is to be done in respective Congregations SECT I. 1. OUr Governours are not only as Gods Deputies under the Law of Nature to injoyn their Subjects the Care of Religion but as Deputies of Christ under a more perfect Law revealed by him in this last dispensation to injoyn their Subjects the right Exercise of true Religion prescribed in the Gospel which he published to fulfil the Law of Nature that man might come to that Happiness for which he was created and designed And this I understand to be the most proper Notion of Faith viz. The true Religion well ordered and rightly modified by Gospel Rules by the right Exercise whereof we worship and serve God acceptably so that whatsoever is not of Faith is sin and without Faith it is impossible to please God For being Baptized into the obedience of the Gospel of which obedience Baptism represents our Profession we ought to have a firm Perswasion of the goodness and reasonableness not only of the Duties in the Gospel prescribed but of our conformity to those Prescriptions for the carrying on that true and undefiled Religion wherewith God is well pleased So that Faith is the Gospel grace that teacheth us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live holily righteously and soberly in this present world And Believing is a comprehensive Duty and signifies not only a tacit assent to Evangelical Rules as true and warrantable as a barren act of the Understanding but a firm election and perswasion of these Rules as good and comfortable and implies a firm purposing and resolving of a total Gospel Obedience I heartily pity and bewail the differences and distances that are to be seen among Professed Believers in this Nation and upon serious Consideration I fully perswade my self there is nothing contributes more to the being and continuance of our Division than a general rashness and injudiciousness When men run away with some sudden partial Notions and slight Apprehensions of things of great necessity and deserved esteem in the World and do not seriously and discursively make a right Judgment and agree of the full sense and meaning of them as they import To instance in some few particulars which is easie for any to observe The Gospel most say they highly esteem and yet we cannot but observe that most snatch and run away with it as a promise of Mercy but never regard it as a rule of Duty and direction of an holy life The two Sacraments are Seals of the Covenant betwixt God and us and most men are very heedful at Receiving them that God may seal to them Remission of sins and never regard that at the same time they covenant under Seal to yield Obedience to God The Blood of Christ is precious and its shedding to be had in everlasting remembrance but when most men most solemnly remember it this Consideration contents them That Christs Blood was shed for our Redemption for remission of sins to reconcile God to man c. When we should think how this Blood-shedding was That men might be reconciled to God and be redeemed from an unclean conversation and by this sprinkling be sanctified and purged from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9.13 14. Graces and gifts of the Spirit we justly value and admire but is it not too apparent men are taken up with gifts of Edification and pass by gifts and true grace of Sanctification so that if a man be but ready in a Scripture phrase hath gotten a voluble Tongue a round expression c. he gets the name and repute of a Saint immediately But the exercise of Piety and Charity which are the certain evidences of true Sanctity These things stand by neglected and despised I might instance in several things that we frame the same Consideration of If we give God but a piece of a Duty we think a maimed and imperfect sacrifice will content him and expiate and satisfie him and excuse all our defects and enormities and with gross mistakes we see evidently men delude and deceive themselves in this untoward generation And although in many things our mistakes of these sorts hasten our irreligious miscarriages yet in nothing are they more manifest than in the nature of Faith From all Christians that make any profession of the true Religion we shall hear these pretences That they live by Faith walk by Faith are justified by Faith are saved by Faith c. And yet for all this noise we hear of these things we can see but few that make a true judgment or have a right understanding of the full meaning of the real Faith in Christ or Faith of the Gospel It s undeniably true that without believing that supernatural Truth of Christs Merits for our pardon and remission of sins there can be no peace for men but they must die and consume in the guilt of their Transgressions It is certainly true that Christ our High Priest put away sins by the sacrifice of himself but when Christ our designed Mediatour was King and Prophet as well as Priest It is not barely a fruitless relying or a lazy recumbency on Christs Merits as our Priest only but our believing his Laws and Directions he left his Church as a King the observing his Counsels and Injunctions he gave as a Prophet is necessary to make up that Faith which will bring us to the end of our Hope which is the salvation of our souls It 's undeniably true that in the Gospel are given exceeding great and precious Promises of Mercies and Salvation upon which God hath caused â—he to hope yet when these Promises are not absolute but conditional upon our conformity to those Rules of Duty that are prescribed unless we be carried on to the practice of those things required that pertain to life and godliness we cannot be rationally concluded to have that Faith in the Gospel in us which will certainly bring us to that happiness which we openly design and expect And upon a serious inquiry we cannot conclude any of the Theological Graces to be truly infused into any man unless they discover
most flourishing Church of the World And if it be seriously considered what unsound Doctrines what distracting Notions what pernicious Opinions what erronious and Dividing Principles have been published and entertained of late years in the midst of us It cannot be unreasonably concluded That there should be limits and boundaries set in this present juncture of Affairs to restrain the wildness of some mens Preaching as well as Praying certainly would much conduce to the setling of Order and Peace both in Church and Nation But if as Common-prayer is wisely injoyned so Preaching must be freely tolerated let it be soberly considered which of the two if we cannot do both is most conveniently omitted either Prayers or Sermon Our Prayers are deliberately composed in Preaching there is too oft sudden and unjustifiable effusions Prayers directly and immediately tend to Gods Honour Preaching oft doth not but to the diftracting of the People In Prayers God is served and worshipped by Preaching mens humors are gratified and fancies pleased In Sermons at best we do but hear what we should do in Prayers we do what we hear is fit to be done Sermons edifie our knowledge Prayers our practice In short As much as doing is to be preferred before hearing Practice before Notion the certain knowledge of God before the uncertain knowledge and the humouring our selves so much without doubt ought our attendance upon Praying to be preferred before running after Preaching But since it would be little conducing to my own content or the Christian Readers delight or the wilful Opposers credit to rake into that puddle of Reproach that from unreasonable prejudice they have falsly and maliciously vomited up against our best composed Liturgy I forbear advisedly and declare my Judgment freely under my hand in the Reverend Dr. Hammonds words Ever since the Reproaches of men have taken considence to vent themselves against our Liturgy there hath been nothing but air and vapour vomited out against it Objections of little force to conclude any thing but resolute contumacious ignorance or malice of the Objectors For when we consider how full our Liturgy is of Canons and Forms directing every Believer in true Religion to the acknowledging and worshipping of God That all the Promises are confessed to be relied upon as the ground of our Confidence That all the Rules are repeated that are directive to a Gospel Obedience and that we signifie our Desires and Resolutions to observe and conform to them When all the Evils we fear are deprecated and all the necessary Blessings we can desire are petitioned for And when I consider that comely Order and decent Vniformity of the whole Society that submit to our Churches pure Directions that upon diligent search I cannot perceive any of the Popish paint of superstitious needless Ceremonies that may cause a suspicion of dishonest Intentions Nor contrariwise the least careless forlorn Irreverence that may bring a disesteem and contempt upon our Exercises as is seen in the Meetings of our Schismaticks whose open Prophaneness extract not only a suspicion but a just censure of the Meeters Atheisme and Infidelity I must conclude with that Blessed Martyr Father to our Gracious Soveraign upon the Throne upon search and dispute That our Liturgy of England is absolutely the Best that is visibly extant to us in the World If it were possible it can be neither pleasure to my self nor profit to others to take a survey of all the Liturgies that have been and are in the World to understand compare weigh and judge distinctly of every of them to set out the redundancies of some and the defect of others to pass sentence and give preference to what is most absolute This is more than ever any man did fully or can do in that short time of his Pilgrimage that is measured out unto him This cannot be expected nor is it necessary for when our discourse is directed to our Fellow-Subjects of England who are generally Christians of an ordinary Capacity to cast an eye upon those Liturgies that may fall under their general Cognizance may in this case suffice us A mans Choice cannot extend beyond the dimensions of his knowledge We neither chuse nor refuse any one thing before another but we understand and discern either a surpassing goodness or inconvenience in it And it is as natural for discursive Creatures to chuse what is best as to desire what is good And for Believing Societies to have Canons and Forms for the People to abide by is not only expedient but necessary and this I dare say hath been proved sufficiently Sith then we of this Church of England as is pretended have a Liturgy prescribed in which Dissenters themselves can alleadge nothing absolutely unlawful frowardly to lay this quite aside or to change it for another which is less useful and unwarrantable is unreasonable and unnatural For the generality of my Fellow-Subjects to linger after the Romish Mass is not to be defended nor excused For in Prayers or Praises or Confessions how shall be that is unlearned concur seeing he doth not clearly understand what is said And the same may be said in this case in regard of all other Liturgies used among us There can be no desire of them of which most of the Commonalty have little if any understanding Besides in the Romish Missal or Breviary how many things of Faith and Manners are prescribed how many Confessions and Prayers injoyned which neither by Scripture or Reason can be defended or justified and this by our Learned Pens have been cleared to the World sufficiently But for our Liturgies I dare challenge the most professed Enemy the most wilful Recusant to instance if he can in any immodest or light action that is injoyned in any unmeet Expression that is prescribed Let them say what is superfluous or redundant that can be rescinded What is defective and imperfect and what ought to be supplied and compleated So that upon exact scrutiny I must moderately and truly give in this Return That the Canons and Forms in our Liturgy are so ordered that they plainly direct the whole Congregations to most clear significations of their Religious Intentions Our Preparations at our first Assembling are such as must beget in us a holy Reverence and godly fear Our Confession of sins such as are declarative of our unfeigned sorrow and humility Our asking Pardon so ordered as we express our Confidence Our Suffrages short but indicative of true Piety and Devotion Our Articles of Faith to be confessed are compendiously composed but fully and comprehensively Our Hymns used and Doxologies so Heavenly as may well become a quire of Angels All our Common Service so reasonably so piously ordered and disposed as our dissenting Enemies dare not be so impudently malicious as openly to condemn it of sinfulness or unlawfulness Neither can I ever expect as wise as they are in their own eyes that they will be so presumptuous as to attempt the presenting us with a Form of
Publick Worship with all the precise method of that Order and Decency that ought to be used in it in which they will pretend to better and transcend the excellency of our Liturgy which is prescribed and used among us Si quid novisti rectius istis Candidus imperti si non his utere mecum And until they can do this their wisdom is to study to be quiet and conform to this till they can find out and propose a better Method of our publick Worshipping of God beyond all exceptions that they will abide by And now I say what Subject of the Church of England can reasonably desert or reject our Liturgy which is visibly the best that is extant to us upon sober Consideration And how can I but stand amazed that the Common Service as prescribed should by so many of our Neighbours not only be neglected but contemned when it can neither be justly blamed nor amended Certainly I am not uncharitable but should be too conniving if I did forbear to declare a want of Religion and Reason in those men that run away to the flocks of our pretended Companions that hold no Uniform Communion that is Visible When no worship of God is evident no practice of the Peoples Devotion no vocal Confession of the Believers Faith no offering any sacrifice of Praise and yet every Christian is bound to Conform in all those things as well as the Minister in every Believing Congregation Why will ye go away from us O ye of little faith we hold fast the words and practice of eternal life Friendly Perswasives to my Country-men COme then my beloved Countrymen since these things are so that an Vniform profession of Faith must be maintained in Believing Societies and fifth by our Liturgy according to Gospel Rules we are ordered and directed to this reasonable Service Let us lay aside all prejudice and partiality all contentious humors Let there be no longer a Spirit of Opposition or wilful Contradiction be found among us Let us follow after the exercise of those things that make for Peace and wherewithal we may best edifie one another Whatever things are honest whatever things are just whatever things are pure let 's think and conclude of the practice of such things Let us endeavour to bend our selves to the quiet of the Church of God and to hold the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace Let 's evidence the God of hope hath filled us as with all joy so with all peace in Believing There is but One Truth but One Faith among us let there be but One Spirit but One Conscience Let us shew the God of Patience and Consolation hath granted us to be like-minded Let 's not forsake the Assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is but let us hold fast the form of sound words and the profession of our Faith without wavering Let there be no divisions but let us speak the same thing to declare we are perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same Judgment Let there be no divisions among us about Ministers account of them as Stewards of the Mysteries of God and yet your Faith stands not in the wisdom of Men but in the power of God Have their Persons not so much in admiration as if lords of your Faith by Preaching only esteem them highly for their works sake whereby they lead you to the holding fast the Profession of your Faith and the true exercise of right Godliness which hath the promise c. And as in your speeches you declare your Vnanimity in your holy Assemblies so in your Behaviour let there be Uniformity Let your Conversation be such as becometh the Gospel of Christ and let all things be done decently and in order and reverently as in the House and presence of the living God Worship God in the beauty of Holiness so as if an Vnbeliever come among you he may be convinced and fall down and worship God also because he sees verily of a truth God is in the midst of you It is the fit time for Christ to be born in us when Vnity is among us In a calm night the Dew descends to the Earths refreshment and Grace is like to come down to us when we are in the way of Peace Finally Brethren farewel be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind live in peace as directed and the God of love and peace shall be with you AMEN Proposition II. The wilful Omission or Recusancy of any Believing Subjects Conformity to those Rules is an heinous Sin and a dangerous Disobedience I Heartily beg of the Candid Reader so much charity to believe it as true what I publickly declare and avow That I am a Reformed Christian of the Church of England and that I shall never attempt to perswade my fellow Subjects to any practice that is ungodly or contrary to the Rules of the Gospel And be assured whoever thou art that I sincerely desire every man may come to the knowledge and practice of Truth and be saved and therefore I dare not by a flattering compliance or connivance sooth any man in the errour of his way which will lead him securely to his destruction And I dare not daub over Recusancy as some desire with a paint and varnish of a trifling weakness or infirmity or palliate it over with a false pretence of tender Conscience when it will prove if considered an heinous sin and a dangerous Disobedience Give me leave therefore without offence if thou beest willing to be Informed to bring to thy Remembrance what I have formerly delivered and am ready to defend concerning our Canons and Rules of Uniformity prescribed about the Publick exercise of Religion 1. Our Governours as subordinate under Christ do not Rule their Believing Subjects arbitrarily but by Laws subordinate to the Rules of the Gospel 2. All that the power of Governours can reach unto in a Visible Church is to order and direct Externals in the publick exercise of Religion 3. That the right exercise of true Religion is the open profession of Faith 4. Of that open Profession there must be Uniformity 5. Every Baptized Subject of England is obliged to conform to such Laws prescribed For to command or prohibit as the Gospel directs is warrantable And all our Laws to the Common sort of Believing Subjects are according to those Rules If Natural or expressly Evangelical there can be no dispute if a Christian thou art bound to obey And if the Laws be Positive or Humane and not against Nature or Injust thy Obligation is divine and thy Submission is natural being thou art to submit to every Ordinance of man for the Lorods sake SECT I. Let us determine and agree what we are to understand by those Laws and the Conformity to them that the Believing Subject of England is bound to observe THE Governours aim and care is not only at the keeping and diverting from the People what is grievous
these wilful Omissions would be accounted an unholy thing and so was doing despight to the Spirit of Grace and so throw away the probable means to get the helpful assistance of the Spirit of Grace which was ready to attend upon them that were frequently busied in those holy Ministrations For the Blood of the Covenant did sanctifie them as a visible Society of the Faithful to Religious exercises which if they fell away from they sinned wilfully and must look for a subsequent punishment And now I humbly beg of my well-meaning Country-men that separate and withdraw themselves from us that they would considerately receive these things with the same spirit that I have written them without gall of bitterness or desire of Revenge and with meekness and holy fear Be not wise in your own eyes think soberly of your selves and your waies Be not high-minded but fear Be not without fear to add sin unto sin weigh not things with a false Ballance put not light for darkness nor darkness for light good for evil c. This will bring woe and abomination This the way while you clamour against others Superstition to be guilty of the same you condemn while wilfully you stand upon your mistaken Perswasion I know not how far you may flatter your selves with the Opinion you have assumed to your selves and gained from others of your Sanctity yet upon right deliberation you must conclude with me While you wilfully omit or refuse to conform to the Preceptive Rules of Piety prescribed you are guilty of transgressing the greatest and most comprehensive Commandement And if thou beest involved in those Circumstances that usually attend and aggravate these sins if thou sinnest yet openly voluntarily perfidiously and impenitently thou wilt render thy self guilty of a most notorious Crime and without repentance and amendment thou wilt hasten thy own misery and contributest to thy power to bring speedy and inevitable ruine upon the most flourishing Church and Kingdom in the World And this puts me upon the fourth Section SECT IV. Recusancy is a dangerous sin and hurtful Disobedience IT is a great part of wisdom to ponder the way of our feet And now because considering the issue and end of our Actions will keep us from doing amiss give me leave mildly to represent upon an impartial survey the dreadful consequences of this sin those cursed effects it certainly brings upon all Orders of men throughout the whole Nation The injury it offers to King and Parliament and all thy Governours both Civil and Ecclesiastical while thou declarest manifestly thou suspectest their goodness doubtest of their wisdom despisest their Authority and to thy utmost by thy wilful Recusancy intimatest to others That they have rashly and inconsiderately imposed Commands that are unlawful and unwarrantable and by this evil Example misguidest thy Neighbour into a dangerous Disobedience For when other sins of Commission reach to the injury of a person or Family or two this sin of wilful Omission is extensively hurtful to all sorts of Men in the Society and disturbs the publick peace of all that are among us These 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are dreadful and detestable not only because making Divisions they certainly turn themselves out of Church-membership that are guilty of them but when these men run into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and separate into Sects and Factions and in their Meetings make it their business to deprave or defame the Divine Service and Vniformity prescribed by Religious Governours These things must highly aggravate their Crime and sadly increase our misery and this we sensibly perceive by too woful experience It is no pleasure to me to see what I heartily bewail the deplorable estate we are in at this time in this poor distracted Nation by that wilful Recusancy and sinful Separation that by our tameness and connivance we have suffered unhappily to thrive and spread among us When every person and party that hath deserted the Communion of our Church covers the deformity of this Errour with a Cloak of pretended Conscience and proudly and unyieldingly idolizeth his mistaken Judgment and limits his affection to his own Party of the same Perswasion and betrays his disaffections to those of sound Judgments by venting his opposition wrathfully with bitter Invectives against them And those Parts and Endowments men should use in closing and healing our Breaches they misemploy in widening them Every one is wiser in his own eyes than his Ruler or Teacher and pertinaciously defends his own Fancy and justifies unyeildingly his own Perswasion Diversity of misled Judgments and pretended Consciences have caused an alienation of Affections and hence wrath and bitterness hath broke out into contemptuous Carriages Sections and provoking Expressions That in Church matters our several Factions shew nothing but Ataxy and distraction And in matters of State from mens wilful disobedience to lawful Commands an inclination is discovered to tend to Sedition and Rebellion The religious Ruler and faithful Minister must needs be grieved and disquieted to see our Reformed Profession so much blasphemed the Gospel and its Faith so much disgraced and despised and the Name of Christ and his Cause so much dishonoured And what honest heart that loves the King and Church of England but must be sad and bemoan it That Peace and Love which are the cement and glory of any Church and Nation should by these our Divisions be seen to wax faint and languish and be even expiring in the midst of us And let any now that thinks most lightly of the Divisions and stands most for Liberty tell me if he can and instance in any one Order of men that is not injured by them For the King and the Parliament are rendred Vile and their Authority contemptible while their greatest and best Laws about the Publick exercise of Religion are neglected and despised The Protestant of England that is truly Religious must be offended and grieved to see his Neighbour by his wilful Separation continue in an open and heinous sin By this thy Relations Equals and Inferiours must be injured in all probability while thou seducest the poor and weak by thy evil Example and makest them to think meanly and dishonourably of our established Liturgy the most necessary and the most Religious Constitution that is visibly extant in the World By this especially hath come the Universal decay of true Christian Piety and epidemical disesteem and aversness from the publick Worship of God From this as from a Fountain hath that deluge of Sins flowed forth that hath overspread and overwhelmed this unhappy Nation We cannot deny but that almost every where we discover sinful prejudices superstition blindness of heart Rash judging and censuring both of holy Persons and sound Doctrines Pride vain-glory and hypocrisie Envy hatred malice and uncharitableness We cannot deny but Seditions and privy Conspiracies false Doctrine and Heresie hardness of Heart and contempt of Gods Word and Commandements are too manifestly to be seen in the midst
labour will not be in vain if some of our wel-wishing Friends of more moderate Tempers will deign the favour of a look upon these weak Endeavours If they be not informed yet they will be more fully confirmed in the practice of those Duties that are required at all our hands when most agreeable to the Law of Nature and the Rules of the Gospel But to our Reasoning and Arguing we must call in the Magistrates Sword to assist all without this will be little effectual to reduce that general Vniformity desired which will prove the beauty and glory both of this Church and Nation To you therefore I am constrained in this necessity for our full Releif to make my humble Address that are our RVLERS and in Authority appointed by God for our good It is evident your Concern by your Offices is to carry on this great design and are not barely to have respect to the Notion but to the Execution of Righteousness and so you are not only to animadvert severely upon Transgressors of moral natural necessary and divine Laws but upon those that break the positive particular human Ordinances that you have in Your Wisdom deliberately and justly established among us If persons were so well disposed as Counsels or Monitions might perswade all to be good from the Pulpit or in the Closet then no need to urge any Rigour from either Bench or Barr but our unhappy Necessities require this at Your hands who are Ministers of Remunerative Justice to shew your selves as well a Terrour to them that do evil as a Countenance to them that do well You see what a lamentable success your Lenity hath had hitherto it must be Severity must do your business Your method of leading this People must be now like God leading his Israel from Aegypt to Canaan the Conduct must not be only as in the day to lead them by a Cloud but in this night it must be by a Pillar of Fire The eyes of these People have too long been daubed up with Hony they must at last be opened with Gall better to suffer some smart and Cure them than suffer them through blindness to run headlong into the pit Breath then at last fresh life into the languishing Laws of a fainting Kingdom by an impartial Execution Offer unto God the sacrifice of Righteousness and take all care that Justice and Judgment may be executed in the midst of us Remember Lenity and Indulgence are Encouragements to the Transgressour and Cruelty and Grievances to the Innocent If you conceal and smother Disorder if you wink at Wickedness and countenance Disobedience Oh sad Consequences both your selves and your wholsome Laws are dishonoured and slighted You are injurious to the Offender while his heart is hardned because for his sin he is not corrected You offend the Righteous when he is scandalized You hurt your weak Neighbour for he is stagger'd if not perverted You hurt your own Souls for you are perjured yea You are injurious to GOD by Indulgence to Recusancy for his Worship is undervalued and contemned For your own for the Laws for the Offenders for the Righteous for your weak Neighbour for Religion for Gods sake let there be no more halting no longer connivance be found in the midst of us Execute true Judgment without partiality and if we cannot have that Obedience to the Laws which is justly required let the Offender feel that just Vengeance which is threatned Then and not till then we may hope to see the two standing Ordinances MAGISTRACY and MINISTERY will be reverenced and respected which as yet are but mocked at and despised Then we may hope the Laws about the publick Exercise of Religion will find obligation and observance which as yet are let loose and weakned and from too many meet with scorn and contempt Then we shall once again see the Faith of the Gospel openly professed by every Believer which now is concealed in most Congregations as if men had cause thereof to be ashamed Then and not till then will the Church of England recover her attractive comliness and beauty which is now much defaced and loathed Then Vniformity the Glory of a Believing Nation which hath been too long banisht will be brought back with joy into every Congregation Then there will be no more running into Corners but the Tribes of our Israel will unanimously go up to the House of their God unto their Testimony to give thanks unto the Name of the LORD Then shall God be glorified in all the Assemblies of his Saints by open Confession which he knows is my earnest endeavour and design in my constant prayer in the Name of the Lord JESUS To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory and honour now and for ever Amen A Catalogue of some Books Printed for and Sold by H. Brome since the dreadful Fire of London to 1675. Divinity MR. Farindon 's 130 excellent Sermons in 3 Vol. in fol. Price 2 l. 5 s. A large Concordance by S.N. to the Bible fol. 16 s. 51 Sermons in fol. by Dr. Franck 15 s. Dr. Heylin on the Creed fol. 15 s. A Guide to the Humble by Tho. Elborow B.D. in octavo 2 s. A Guide to Eternity by John Bona octavo 2 s. A Guide to Heaven with A Rule of Life 10 d. A Companion to the Temple or A help to publick Devotion by Tho. Cumber in octavo 4 s. Holy Anthems of the Church 2 s. 6 d. A Looking-glass for Loyalty 2 s. Bishop Wilkins Principles and Duties of Natural Religion in octavo 5 s. Bishop Lanyes Sermon at Court against Comprehension 6 d. Sermons Dean W. Lloyd 's Sermon before the King about Miracles 6 d. his Sermon at the Funeral of John L. Bishop of Chester 6 d. his Sermon before the King in Lent 1673 6 d. M. Naylor 's Commemoration Sermon for Col. Cavendish 6 d. Mr. Sayers Sermon at the Assizes at Reading 6 d. Mr. Tho. 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