God be wholly resolved into the merit of the cause for which they were inflicted they can never be feared nor consequently prove coercive to their subjects who are not convinced of the badness of their own cause which in the event will never make them properly coercive at all Besides those censures which are supposed only declarative not operative are not properly the acts of authorized but skilful persons for it is skill not authority that is a prudent presumption that any thing is such as it is declared and therefore the opinions of learned though but private persons would in this way of proceeding be more formidable than the peremptory sentences of Ecclesiastical Governours considered only under that relation And lastly were the censures of the Church only declarative offenders would be as much bound in Heaven when not bound on Earth as when they were so since all Gods threats against them will be verified though they be never censured by the Church and so Christs promise whatsoever you shall bind c. will be wholly insignificant § 14 Tenthly Consider I beseech you that no prejudices you have contracted no scruples which do hinder your Communion with the Church of England can excuse you from the guilt of Schism in separating from her until you have done all that lawfully you may and honestly you can for the removal of those prejudices and for the satisfaction of those scruples it being all mens duty as much as in them lies to promote the Churches peace and to prevent her Schisms and therefore to do all that lawfully and honestly they can in the pursuit of those good ends Now 1. you may impartially examine the grounds on which you do forsake Communion with us in all or any of our publick Ordinances you may diligently peruse and read those learned Tracts which have been written to prove the lawfulness of your Communion with her in those Ordinances you may confer with the most able and judicious of her lawful Ministers and propound all your scruples to them in order to your satisfaction And whosoever separates from Communion with us without a conscientious performance of these things must certainly contract the guilt of Schism or criminal separation from us because he separates before he hath done all that lawfully he may for the prevention of his separation And surely my Dear Friends it highly doth concern you first to perform these duties before you do proceed unto a fixed separation from our Church for seeing what is performed in our Assemblies is the injunction of those higher powers to whom God doth require us to be subject in all lawful matters and that for Conscience sake Rom. 13.1 5. and of those spiritual Governours to whom the Gospel doth command obedience and submission as far as lawfully we may Heb. 13.7 17. unless we first examine those injunctions of our Superiors Civil and Sacred not daring to refuse obedience to them before we find that they are contrary to the Law of God we may oppose the will of God whilst we seem zealous for it and transgress the command of God by transgressing the commands of our Superiours And yet how few are those Dissenters who first confer with any able Pastors of the Church of England read any of their learned Tracts or do impartially weigh the grounds on which they do proceed to separation it grieves me to consider God grant this be not laid unto their charge another day § 15 Again to take off all your scruples which proceed upon your doubtings or suspicions that the Magistrates Civil or Sacred do exceed their bounds in the imposing of these things or do impose things doubtful Consider I entreat you 1. that this will never warrant your refusal to obey Superiors that you conceive the Magistrate exceeds or else unduly doth exert his power in commanding any thing provided you may lawfully obey it Because 't is not your business or duty to enquire into the reason of the commands of your Superiors to censure or pass judgment of the expedience of them or the inexpedience but only to enquire whether you may lawfully obey what is commanded For as the Magistrate should lay upon the subject no unnecessary burthen so neither ought the Master or the Parent to lay such burthens on his Child and Servant and yet none will excuse a Child from his obedience to his Father a Servant from obedience to his Master upon this account that they conceived the injunctions of their Master or their Parents inexpedient or unprofitable provided they only did require that which might be lawfully performed much less can Subjects be excused from their obedience to their Spiritual and Civil Parents upon these accounts To such injunctions we are obliged to submit though not on the account of any immediate power they have received from God to make them the power they derive from him being for edification only yet on the same account that Christ paid tribute lest we should offend them and by our disobedience in lawful matters should minister Scandal both to them and others and cause them to suspect that our Religion did countennnce disobedience to Governours in those things and tend to render us unquiet and unpeaceable so that although the thing enjoined may be a yoke and an unnecessary burthen and so unwarrantably be laid upon us yet our submission to it out of humility and love to peace and our respect to Gods Vicegerents may be acceptable to God and be rewarded by him And if St. Paul himself though free did voluntarily submit unto such things for the promotion of the Gospel and the good of others why may not we for the promotion of like Christian ends submit unto them Lastly If nothing I have offered can prevail with you to embrace Communion with us let me intreat you to do all you can to testify that you abstain from our Communion not out of humour peevishness or from a turbulent disposition and much less from a factious and rebellious spirit but purely out of Conscience towards God Do all that lawfully you can to shew that you are of a peaceable temper desirous of Communion with us so far as Conscience will permit you that you do truly reverence your Governours and are desirous to yield obedience to them in all lawful things and nothing which may give them just occasion to suspect that you do only Hypocritically pretend Conscience for your disobedience or that you still retain among you any Factious or Seditious Principles § 16 1. Therefore let me intreat you to comply with the established worship of the Church of England as far as you declare either by words or actions that it is lawful so to do for this you can do if you will and therefore if you do not do it you demonstrate against all pretences to the contrary that you are not willing to comply with your Superiors as far as lawfully you may As many of you therefore as do think it
THE Protestant Reconciler PART II. Earnestly perswading the DISSENTING LAITY To joyn in FULL COMMUNION WITH THE Church of England And Answering all the Objections of the Non-Conformists against the Lawfulness of their Submission unto the Rites and Constitutions of that CHURCH By a Well-wisher to the Churches Peace and a Lamenter of Her Sad Divisions Anglicanam Ego Ecclesiam exoticis pravis superflitiosis cultibus erroribusque aut impiis aut periculosis egregiè ex scripturarum coelestium norma purgatam tot támque illustribus Martyriis probatam pietate in Deum in homines Charitate laudatissimisque bonorum operum exemplis abundantem laetissimo doctissimorum ac sapientissimorâ—m virorum preventu jam à Reformationis principio ad hodierna usque tempora florentem equidem es quo debui loco habui hactenus ac dum vivam habebo ejus nomen honos laudes semper apud me manebunt Dallaeus de cultibus Religiosis Latinorum part 2. l. 2. cap. 1. p. 97 98. LONDON Printed for Awnsham Churchil at the Black-Swan near Amen-Corner 1683. THE PREFACE TO THE Dissenting Laity The Contents of the PREFACE Six Arguments from the Book called the Protestant Reconciler to perswade the Dissenting Laity to submit to the conditions of Communion required of them by the Church of England viz. 1. That they stand bound to do what lawfully they may in order to it and that nothing unlawful is required of them § 1.2 Because they are to do to their Superiors as in like case they would be dealt with § 2.3 From the liberty they take of changing a Ceremony of Christ's own institution § 3.4 Because the mischiefs which will follow on their refusal to submit are greater than those which will ensue on their Conformity § 4.5 From the example of St. Paul § 5.6 From the pernicious nature of Schism § 6. Other Arguments produced 1. From that of the Apostle If any man will be contentious we have no such custom 1 Cor. 11.16 § 7. 2. From his command to give no offence to the Church of God § 8.3 Because God is not the Author of Confusion but of Peace § 9.4 Because he requires the believing Wife not to desert her unbelieving Husband vice versâ because God hath called us to Peace § 10.5 Because were all things left indifferent the Minister must impose in some cases § 11.6 From the power committed to Church Governours and the necessity of submission to it § 12.7 From the sad result of their refusing this submission § 13. Two propositions conducing to this end 1. That no prejudices or scruples of Dissenters can excuse them from the guilt of Schism in separating from us till they have done all that lawfully they can for the removal of them § 14.2 That their imagination that the Magistrate exceeds or else unduly doth exert his power in commanding any thing will not warrant their refusal of Obedience to it § 15. Requests to them who cannot fully comply with us viz. 1. To comply so far as they declare either by words or actions that they lawfully may do it § 16.2 To refrain from censuring reproaching or speaking evil of their Governours in Church or State § 17.3 To abstain carefully from all Rebellious Principles and Practices and to confess ingenuously and heartily renounce what hath been done by men of their perswasions in that kind § 18. Brethren MY hearts desire and prayer to God in your behalf is this That you may fully be united to the Communion of the Church of England And in pursuance of this passionate desire I have composed the following Treatise containing a full Answer to all the scruples obstructing your Communion with us which I could meet with in the writings of our Dissenting Brethren And let me O my Friends entreat you by the love of God and your own souls of the Church of Christ which is his body and of her union peace edification by your concern for Christian Religion in the general and for the Protestant Religion in particular which I hope is very great by all the motives which Christianity affords to love peace unity by all the blessings it doth promise to the promoters and all the dreadful evils it doth threaten to the disturbers of them by the sad experience you have had already of the most fatal consequences of our Divisions and by your present fears of a more dreadful issue of them lastly by all that you are like to suffer in your souls and bodies by refractory persisting in your Separation let me I say beseech you on my bended knees by all these weighty motives to lay to heart what I have offered in this Book and in this Preface shall farther offer to engage you to conform and seriously to consider of it and act according to the convictions it may minister unto you as you will Answer your neglect to do so at the great and terrible day of the Lord. Now the considerations I would humbly offer to you are either 1. Such as are proper to induce you to the desired Conformity or 2. Such as may tend to keep you peaceable and conscientious though you do not Conform and may preserve you from doing any thing which may reflect on your Religion towards God or Loyalty towards your Soveraign § 1 1. Then to move you to the desired Conformity be pleased seriously to consider what hath been offered in a late Book stiled The Protestant Reconciler to that end In which Book as the Author pleads warmly for an indulgence or mitigation of some lesser things which do obstruct your full Communion with us which nothing but a due sense of the great danger and unsafe condition of your present state could have induced him to do and nothing but his fervent love to souls and his sincere desire of their Salvation can excuse so hath he many passages which seem most strongly to conclude for your desired submission to the injunctions of Superiors For First P. 34 35. He lays down this position That you stand bound in Conscience to do whatsoever lawfully you may for the prevention and removal of our Schisms and the occasions of them and for the healing our Divisions Which is a proposition evident in it self and there confirmed from plain Scripture testimony and the concern we ought to have for Christian Faith the Protestant Religion the welfare of the Nation and for the peace the order the edification of the Church Secondly He adds That nothing can be unlawful which is not by God forbidden 1 John 3.4 sin being the transgression of a Law and the Apostle having told us Rom. 4.15 P. 198. that where there is no Law there is no transgression whence he infers That Dissenters cannot satisfie their Consciences in their refusal to obey the commands of their Superiors unless they can shew some plain precept which renders that unlawful to be done by them which is commanded by Superiors And seeing God in Scripture hath enjoined
and lowliness of mind such calm and deliberate long suffering and forbearance of one another in love with such due esteem of those whom thou hast set over us to watch for our Souls as may turn the hearts of the Fathers to the Children and the hearts of the Children to the Fathers that so we may become a ready People prepared to live in Peace and the God of Peace may be with us Amen Advertisement THrough the neglect of the Bookseller and Printer this Book hath been detained otherwise it might have come out six Months sooner CHAP. I. The CONTENTS The Design of this Treatise is to perswade our dissenting Laity that they ought to maintain Communion with the Church of England 1. Because she requires nothing in her publick Worship which is unlawful to be done 2ly Because they cannot condemn her Communion without condemning the practice of the Vniversal Church of Christ § 1. 3ly Because they cannot do it without contradicting the Practice and Example of our Lord who was a Member of the Jewish National Church § 2. 2ly Observed the times of publick Prayer § 3. 3ly Was a Member of the Synagogue at Nazareth § 4. 4ly Observed the Customs which by the Jewish Canons were prescribed to be observed by those who entred into the Temple § 5. 5ly Complyed with the Rules prescribed by the Jewish Doctors to be observed by the Readers Preachers in their Synagogue § 6. 6ly Observed the Customs in which the Jewish Doctors varied from or added to the observation of the Passover § 7. 8ly Admitted Judas both to the Passover and to the Celebration of the Sacrament and so declared that Communion with the Professors of Religion was not to be refused for their want of inward Piety § 8. 9ly Paid Tribute when it was not due and thereby taught us to submit unto those things which were required by Superiours without sufficient grounds in Case of Scandals § 9. 10ly Our Lords Commands were suitable to his Practice For first he commanded the Leper to shew himself to the Priest thô both the Priest-hood was degenerated and many idle things required of him who was to be pronounced clean 2ly He commands even his own Disciples to obey the Scribes and Pharisees because they sate in Moses Chair § 10. Corollaries 1. That corruptions allowed taught and practised in a Church are no sufficient grounds of separation from the Communion of that Church provided that the Members of it be not required as a condition of Communion with them to do teach practise them or to profess that they are not corruptions § 11. 2ly That great Corruptions in the lives of our Church-Pastors will not warrant our Separation from Communion with them or our Refusal to attend upon their Teaching provided we be not enjoyned to allow of or to comply with them in their Sins § 12. 3ly That it is lawful to comply which such Churches as enjoyn some significant Ceremonies not mentioned in the Word of God and for the sake of Peace Order Vnity and the avoiding of Scandal to submit unto them when by Authority they are enjoyned § 13. 4ly That it is not unlawful to use a publick Form of Prayer and that the using of such Forms can be no sinful stinting of the Spirit § 14. 5ly That we stand not obliged in all Punctilios of time and place and gesture to follow the Example of the first Institution of the Holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper § 15. 6ly That the presence of wicked men should not deter us from joyning with the Church in the Participation of the Holy Sacrament § 16. 7ly That we stand not obliged to refuse Communion with other Churches in their Sacraments and other publick Offices because of some additions to the Institution § 17. 7ly That our Dissenters have no just cause to fear or plead for that Refusal of Submission to the Constitutions of our Church and of Communion with us that by Communicating municating they should approve of the imposing of these things and should partake with them in that supposed Sin or countenance them in the imposing things which they do look upon as Grievous Burthens § 18. CHAP. I. § 1 MY Design in this Discourse is with all the Strength of Reason I can offer to perswade our Dissenting Laity that lawfully they may and therefore that they ought to hold Communion with the Church of England in all her constant and solemn parts of publick Worship To prove that lawfully they may I might Insist on many Topicks As 1. That which doth throw the Burthen of proving the unlawfulness of holding Communion with us in the forementioned Worship upon them and of this Nature is the following Argument Viz. It is lawful to hold Communion with the Church in all her constant and solemn parts of Publick Worship which in those parts of Publick Worship requires nothing which is unlawful to be done by those who shall communicate with her in them but the Church of England in all her constant and solemn parts of Publick Worship requires nothing to be done which is unlawful to be done by those who shall communicate with her in them Ergo 't is lawful to communicate with the Church of England in all her constant and solemn parts of Publick Worship Where by the constant and solemn parts of Publick Worship I understand those parts of Publick Worship which she requires all Laymen to joyn with her in under the penalty of being lyable to be presented and to be subject to her censures if they do refuse them that in these parts of Solemn Worship nothing unlawful is required of them I shall endeavour to make good by Answering the Objections which they make against them But I might do it more briefly by calling on them to instance in any thing unlawful to be done which is required in any constant and solemn part of Publick Worship upon which they are by the Constitutions of the Church obliged to attend under the penalty of being subject to her Censures for their Neglect or their Refusal so to do 2ly I might thus argue with them That which the Church of Christ hath in all Ages since the Apostles required of her subjects cannot be reasonably conceived unlawful to be done for otherwise we must condemn the universal Church of Christ through all Ages since the time of the Apostles but the Church of Christ throughout all Ages hath required of her Subjects conditions of Communion like unto those required by the Church of England And therefore these conditions of Communion cannot be reasonably deemed unlawful to be done In Confirmation of this Argument it would be very easy to instance in multitudes of Ceremonies required of and used by the members of the Universal Church throughout all Ages consequent to that of the Apostles as lyable to the exceptions of Dissenters as are any Ceremonies imposed by the Church of England and also to evince that Liturgies or Forms of Prayer were always
used by the Church from the 3d. Century at least unto this present Age. And thence to shew that our Dissenters do by condemning these things in the Church of England in effect condemn the Church of Christ throughout all Ages and all Places Def. of the principles of love p. 55. for as Mr. Baxter well observes they who condemn our Church for reasons common to all the Ages of the Church must virtually condemn all the fore-going Ages of the Churches But because Laymen are ignorant of what was practised by Antiquity and have been taught that Anti-christ began to work in the Apostles days and therefore have but little Reverence for Arguments of this Nature I shall endeavour to convince them of the lawfulness of holding Communion with us in these Ordinances by the Example of our Blessed Lord and Saviour who in like cases did yield Obedience and Submit to the Prescriptions of the Rulers of the Jewish Church And 2ly I shall endeavour to return a full and a perspicuous Answer to all the Arguments they urge from Scripture or from Reason to prove that 't is unlawful to submit unto the things required by the Church of England in order to Communion with her Beginning first with those Arguments which do suppose the things required by the Church of England as the Conditions of Lay Communion to be sinful in themselves or things forbidden by the Word of God And 2ly Proceeding to the Consideration of those Arguments which do allow the things imposed to be lawful in themselves but yet suppose it is unlawful for them to submit unto them 1. Because the Imposition of them is a Violation of their Christian Liberty 2ly Because by their Submission to them as they imagine they shall be indirectly guilty of the sin of the Imposers 3ly Because they have been abused to Idolatry and Superstition and therefore are become unlawful to be used And 4ly Because by using of them they may scandalize the Weak which God having forbidden no Precept of the Magistrate can oblige them to do § 2 And 1. The Practice and Example of our Lord is such a President as our Dissentors cannot reasonably except against nor can they justify their own Refusal to be Followers of Christ or to submit unto such Constitutions made by the Rulers of the Church of Christ as our Dear Lord submitted to being appointed by the Rulers of the Jewish Church or to hold Communion with such a Church as he became a Member of Now 1. Our Blessed Saviour was a Member of the Jewish National Church and of the Synagogue at Nazareth the Confirmation of this Assertion I shall deliver in the Words of Doctor Leightfoot who speaks thus Harm part 3. p. 124. What did Christ all the while he liv'd at Nazareth a private Man Did he never go to the Synagogue upon Sabbath and Holy Days and Synagogue-days Whilst others went to the Congregation and to the publick Service did he stay at home did he not appear before the Lord at the appointed Seasons in the place which he had chosen We are assured he did so for his Parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover and when he was twelve years old they went up to Jerusalem after the Custom of the Feast and the Child went with them 2. Luke 41 42 43. That he went up unto the Feast of Tabernacles we are informed Joh. 7 10. And being circumcised he became a Debtor to do the whole Law Gal. 5 3. being made under the Law Gal. 4.4 he was obliged to the Performance of those things which were enjoyned by it Now the great Business of these Feasts was to offer Sacrifice to rejoyce in the Assembly of Gods People to put up Prayers and Praises for all the Blessings they did then commemorate at these times all Israel met together Lam. 2 22. they heard the Reading of the Law Deut. 31 9 10. and they sang Praises to God Isai 30 29. Ye shall have a Song as in the Night when a Holy Solemnity is kept If then our Saviour did observe these Feasts if he did celebrate the Passover then certainly he did communicate with the Jewish Church for these Appearances were Ordinances and Symbols also of Communion § 3 2ly That Christ himself neglected not the times of publick Prayer that he declared it not unlawful nor did prohibit his Disciples to attend upon them is evident from this that he still owned the Temple as his Fathers House Joh. 2 16. the House of Prayer that his Disciples after his Resurrection continued daily in the Temple and went up to it at the hours of Prayer Act. 3 1. And they esteemed it a very commendable Action of the Widow Anna to serve God there continually with Prayer and Fasting Luke 2.37 Whence we may certainly conclude that Christ himself did not refuse nor did advise his own Disciples to refuse Communion with the Jewish Church in common Prayer but did approve Communion with them in that publick Service Now since the Jews themselves observed no time for Prayer no number of Prayers seeing no dayly Forms of Prayer were appointed by the Law of Moses Therefore saith Dr. Leightfoot Harm part 3. p. 217. the Sanhedrin in several Generations made Canons and Constitutions to decide and determin upon all these particulars as their own Reason and Emergences did lead them and give occasion as in one Generation they prescribed such and such times for Morning and Evening Prayer in process of time they found these times allotted to be too strait therefore the Sanhedrin of another Generation did give Enlargement as they thought good and so concerning the number of Prayers to be said dayly one Sanhedrin appointed so many but time and experience found afterwards that these did not answer such and such occasions as it seems was not observed when they were first appointed therefore the Sanhedrin of another Generation thought good to add more and more still as occasions unobserved before did emerge and so the number of their dayly Prayers grew at last to be eighteen To all which Additions to the Law of Moses our Lord and his Disciples did submit attending the publick Service of the Temple and the Synagogues where they were used And § 4 3ly That he was particularly a Member of the Synagogue at Nazareth is proved from that Passage of St. Luke Luke 4 16. who tells us that he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up and as his Custom was he went into their Synagogue on the Sabbath-day and stood up for to read for Illustration of which place observe that there were Seven Readers appointed in their Synagogues who Leightf Harm part 3 p. 125. when the Angel of the Church or Minister of the Congregation call'd them out did read Now that our Saviour was a Member of this Congregation may be argued thus ibid. p. 124. You find not in the whole Gospel tho Christ preached in
many other things of a like Nature which he most truly saith are all left to humane Determination ibid. §. 27.28 and to humane Prudence And yet according to his Argument seing no reason can be given why the Determination of most of them would not be equally useful in all Ages and all Churches they must be the matter of an Universal Law if of any and so of an Universal Law-giver and so cannot be left to humane Prudence or Determination Again when the same Person Argues against the Imposition of our Ceremonies thus Disp 5. Chap. 4. §. 3. If these things are needful now why not throughout all Ages and all Churches if therefore Christ did neither by himself nor his Apostles institute and impose these Rites then either the imposing of them is needless and consequently noxious or else you must say that Christ hath omitted a needful part of his Law which implyes that he was either ignorant what to do or neglective of his Affairs This Argument again condemns all the Churches of Christ throughout all Ages since the Apostles times who have always used some Ceremonies which neither Christ nor his Apostles thought fit to institute And 2ly It also renders it unlawful for humane Prudence to determine any of those things which saith he Christ and his Apostles have left undetermined they being mostly such as are or may be equally useful in all Ages of the Church and such of which it may be said whensoever they are determined by humane Prudence if they are needful now why not always c. CHAP. V. The CONTENTS Obj. 5. Those Ceremonies which God himself appointed to teach his Church by their signification may not now be used much less may those which man hath devised § 1. Answ 1. That as St. Paul submitted to some Jewish Rites unlawfully required by the Jewish Christians that he might gain the Jew and Minister to their Salvation so may the Christian submit to Ceremonies unfitly imposed by Superiors for like good ends Answ the 2d This Argument offers nothing against signs Natural and Customary such as are kneeling at the Sacrament the Cross in Baptism standing up at the Creed But only against signs arbitrary from the imposing of which the Excellent Bishop Taylor doth excuse our Church § 2. Obj. 6. The use of the Ceremonies is superstitious and therefore cannot be submitted to Answ By stating the true Notion of Superstition and shewing 1. That Superstition is a species of false Worship and therefore where no Worship is exhibited by the act done or intended by the Doer or Imposer of it as in the case of our Ceremonies there can be no Superstition in that Act. 2ly That Superstitious Worship undue as to the manner of it can only be performed by offering that as acceptable and pleasing to God or as an Exercise of Religion or an Acknowledgment of some of Gods Perfections which is not so 3ly All Superstition consisting Fundamentally in this mistake and formally in the ensuing Practice It follows that the Forbearance of an Act upon the like mistake viz. That we conceive it well-pleasing to God and tending to his Honor to forbear it when indeed it is not so is Superstition § 3. Hence our Dissenters must be Superstitious provided that the Rites that they refuse Submission to be lawful in themselves 1. Because they do and must esteem this their refusal as an Act of special Honour done to God 2ly Because they must esteem themselves by this forbearance Preservers of Gods Worship pure and spiritual 3ly Because they must esteem themselves under a necessity of displeasing God by joyning in Communion with us § 4. § 5. What is the true Import of Edification § 6. Obj. 7. We must not submit to the Institution or Introduction of New Sacraments And therefore not to the Institution of the Ceremonies of the Church of England they having the Nature of Sacraments § 7. Answ 1. That the Ceremonies of the Church of England are not appointed to be signs of Spiritual Grace or to confirm Grace to us 2ly That the designing of these Ceremonies to express signify or bring into our minds Spiritual Duties cannot make them Sacraments With reasons why the Representation of some Spiritual Duty by a mystical Rite cannot as properly pertain to the Nature of a Sacrament as the sealing some Spiritual Promise doth § 8. Many things required in Sacraments which are all wanting in our Ceremonies § 9. Mr. Baxters Arguments to prove the Cross as used in our Church a Sacrament are answered § 10. CHAP. V. BUt say Dissenters Obj. 5 If those Ceremonies which God himself ordained to teach his Church by their signification may not now be used § 1 much less may those which man hath devised now God hath abrogated his own not only those that were appointed to prefigure Christ but such also as served by their signification to teach moral duties and so as now without great sin none of them can be continued in the Church no not for signification and therefore to bring in others of like Nature is to Judaize To confirm this Argument they add that if men may impose such Ceremonies because of their significancy they may reduce into the Church of Christ all the whole Mass of Jewish Ceremonies as v. g. 1. Those of moral signification as the not eating of Blood to teach us to avoid cruelty towards the life of man and beast the not eating of unclean beasts to denote our abhorrence of the impurities and immoralities which by that abstinence the Jews were taught to refrain from the not touching any thing unclean to mind us of avoiding all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit to omit infinite instances of like Nature 2ly By the like reason many Jewish Rites which were Types and Shadows of things to come may be reduced into the Church upon other accounts as v. g. Circumcision to mind us of the Circumcision of the Heart the Paschal Lamb to signify our Gratitude for passing from Darkness unto Light or from our Spiritual Thraldom unto sin into the Liberty of the Sons of God all Sacrifices of Thanksgiving and all whereby they owned God to be the Author of Life and Death and all their temporal Mercies and did Acknowledge that they deserved to die for sin and all the Jewish Garments importing Spiritual Duties to be performed by their Priests with many things of a like Nature And indeed saith Bishop Taylor If the Church might add things Duct Dub. l. 3. c. 4. R. 20. § 7. or rituals of Signification then the Walls might be covered with the Figures of Doves Sheep Lambs Serpents Birds and the Communion Table with Wine Herbs Tapers Pidgeons Raisins Hony Milk and Lambs and whatsoever else the wit of man can invent But the manner of teaching these truths by Symbolical things actions is too low too suspicious too dangerous to be mingled with Divine Lyturgies Christ may as he please consign his own good things
have done so had they not been before these creatures since the command runs thus to worship him Ps 99.5 9. and to fall down before his footstool moreover how often do we find them falling down and worshipping at the appearance of that cloud or fire which was the Symbol of Gods presence When they saw the fire fall and consume the burnt offerings they fell upon their faces 1 Kings 18 38 39. When they saw the fire of God come down and the Glory of the Lord upon the house they bowed themselves with their faces to the Ground 2 Chron. 7.3 And yet because they did this not to the cloud or fire but to God there could be no Idolatry in this their action 4ly It is a thing impossible that such an action as this is should any ways be Guilty of Idolatry for Idolatry is false worship of a creature now where there is no worship of the creature as in this action there is not there can be no false worship of the creature And to evidence to every rational Capacity that nothing used in the Service of our Church can rationally be charged with any semblance of Idolatry and manifest the great and signal difference there is betwixt the actions of our Church which our Dissenters call Idolatrous and those which in the Church of Rome we do accuse as such I lay down this distinction viz 1. That we may Kneel bow down or may perform like acts of outward worship before any creature either so as to make that creature only the circumstance or the occasion of that worship or else so as to make that creature the object of those acts of worship When any Creature is rendred the object of our worship the mind doth actually or virtually intend to worship or pay an act of Reverence to the Creature which is thus made the object of our worship but when the Creature is only made the Circumstance or the occasion of the worship the mind intends to pay the act of worship only to another object in such a place or upon intimation or apprehension of the object which I worship which apprehension or intimation is caused by that Creature Thus when I come to Common Prayer read in the Church the Church is the circumstance of place the hour of time for the performance of that worship but God is the sole object of it when at the hearing of the Ave Mary Bell the Roman Catholick begins his Ave Mary the Blessed Virgin is the object the Bell is only the occasion of it and when they then Kneel down and bow they do not Kneel unto the consecrated Bell but to the Blessed Virgin 2ly This being so it is ridiculous to say we worship any thing because it is before us when we direct our outward worship to another object Since on the same account the Wisemen of the East who worship'd Christ before the Manger must be supposed to pay their worship to the Manger and they who meeting Christ Riding upon an Ass Saluted him with their Hosannas and bowed towards him must also pay their worship to the Ass And if upon appearance of the Devil we should fall upon our Knees and beg of God to be delivered from him we must be said to worship the very Devil by that action Moreover when we lift up our eyes and voices to the Heavens we also lift them up towards the Clouds and Stars but will it follow thence that by so doing we do not only worship God but the Material Heavens and those Glorious lights we see as was objected by the Pagans against the People of the Jews Wherefore to say that Protestants worship the Altar or the Eucharistick Elements because they worship God before them is to calumniate the Protestants as antiently the Heathens did the Christians affirming that they worshipped the Sun because they worshipped God toward the East and so by consequence towards the Rising Sun Wherefore to give a clear and Satisfactory Answer to all the instances of this nature which are alledged by Dissenters to prove the Church of England Guilty of this crime I say 1. That when we bow towards the Altar as we enter into or come out of the Church Chancel or Chappel where we worship God the Altar is not the object of our worship but only an accidental circumstance of it for we do not in the least intend by this obeysance to do an act of worship to the Communion Table or any thing placed there or elsewhere but to God alone for this the Church of England hath solemnly declared in these words Constit and Canons A.D. 1640. Can. 7. Whereas the Church is the house of God dedicated to his Holy worship and therefore ought to mind us both of the greatness and goodness of his Divine Majesty certain it is that the acknowledgment thereof not only inwardly in our hearts but also outwardly with our bodies must needs be pious in it self profitable to us and Edifying to others we therefore think it very meet and behoveful and heartily commend it to all good and well affected People Members of this Church that they be ready to tender to the Lord the said acknowledgment by doing reverence and obeisance both at their coming in and going out of the said Churches Chancels or Chappels according to the most Ancient Custom of the Primitive Church in the purest times and of this Church also for many years in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth The reviving therefore of this Ancient and laudable Custom we heartily commend to the serious consideration of all good People not with any intention to exhibit any Religious Worship to the Communion Table the East or Church or any thing contained therein in so doing or to perform the said gesture in Celebration of the Holy Eucharist upon any opinion of a Corporal Presence of the Body of Jesus Christ on the Holy Table or in the Mystical Elements but only for the advancement of Gods Majesty and to give him Alone that honor and glory which is due unto him and no otherwise Which Canon as it declares this act of Worship not to be given or intended to the Altar so doth it give us the true Reason why it is accidentally done towards the Altar viz. Because it is performed at our entrance into the immediate place of Worship to which entrance the Altar standeth opposite 2ly When at the name of Jesus we are wont to bow that bowing is not intended by us to the very name which is the occasion only of the Worship by putting us in mind of him that is named and of our highest obligation to him as being Jesus a Saviour to whom therefore we address our selves and recognize him as our only Saviour by that especial and peculiar act of devotion So that the adoration then performed is wholly and absolutely directed to the Lord Jesus as is declared by the Church in these words Constit can A. 1603. can 18 When in time
of divine service the Lord Jesus Christ shall be mentioned due and lowly Reverence shall be done by all persons present as it hath been accustomed testifying by these outward Ceremonies and Gestures their inward Humility Christian Resolution and due Acknowledgment that the Lord Jesus Christ the true and Eternal Son of God is the only Savior of the world in whom alone all the Mercies Graces and Promises of God to mankind for this life and the life to come are fully and wholly comprised And 3ly When we Kneel at the Reception of the Blessed Sacrament Rubrick after the Communion we do not pay that outward act of Worship to the Elements of Bread and Wine but to that Savior whom they represent for the Church of England hath declared that thereby no adoration is intended or ought to be done unto the Sacramental Bread and Wine there bodily received So that from the express declarations of the Church of England it appears that none of these things are by her made the objects of Religious Worship but only the occasions of tendring that Worship which we owe to God and therefore there is no appearance of Idolatry in the performance of these things Obj. 3 We are commanded to Separate from every Brother that walks disorderly 2 Thessal 3.6 § 3 And are forbidden to keep Company with any man who being call'd a Brother is a Fornicator or Covetous or an Idolater or a Rayler or a Drunkard or an Extortioner with such a one we must not Eat 1 Cor. 5.11 And if we may not Eat with Such a Person at our own Table may we Eat with him at the Holy Table of the Lord Now through the want of Discipline such Persons are admitted amongst you saith the Dissenter and therfore we dare nor joyn with you in that Ordinance Answ 1 I pray God this objection doth not make you meet together as the Apostle saith of the Corinthian Schismaticks 1 Cor. 11.17 not for the better but the worse For I much fear there may be found in those Assemblys which you resort to as more pure besides a crew of Schismaticks with whom according to the Discipline observed in the purest Ages of the Church the Christian ought not to communicate many who rail against Superiors and speak evil of Dignities and many who have once been open Rebels and have not publickly repented of those crimes and if you can communicate with them why not with such as usually do meet at our Communion Tables The wisdom which is from above is impartial Answ 2 Consider I beseech you that this argument will drive you as well from our Assemblies and from our Prayers as from our Communion Table for you may as well Argue thus him that I may not keep company with at home I may not keep company with at Church him that I must not joyn with in my Civil Converse I must not hold Communion with in Sacred him that I may not Eat with I may not Pray with as you do Argue thus him that I may not Eat with at my own I may not Eat with at the Table of the Lord. This is apparent from the occasion of the objected Precept viz. The Incestuous Person who was to be taken from among them v. 2. To be delivered to Satan for the destruction of the Flesh v. 5. To be purged out from the new lump v. 7. To be put away from among them v. 13. If therefore after admonition they continue obstinate and Refractory Offenders they are to be excluded from all Christs ordinances and to be esteemed as Publicans and Heathens Matt. 18.17 Accordingly they by the discipline observed in the purest Ages of the Church were actually excluded from Communion with her in all her Offices if then we may not joyn with them in one we may not joyn with them in other Ordinances till they have satisfyed the Church they being by this precept equally to be excluded from them all Scripture may also be as plausibly produced for the declining of Communion with them in publick Prayer and family devotions in hearing of a Sermon and the like as in receiving of the Sacrament for doth not David make it the Character of good and blessed men that they stand not in the Congregation of Sinners Doth he not say Psal 1.1 Psal 101.4 I will not know a wicked Person Answ 3 That even wicked Persons who are not Scandalously and Notoriously such but make profession of Obedience to the laws of Christ and are not by the Church cast out for acting contrary to their profession may be unblameably communicated with seems undenyable from the Example of our Saviour by whom Judas was certainly admitted to that Passover which spiritually did signify and represent Christ to them 1 Cor. 10.3 And by which rite they owned themselves the servants of the God of Israel v. 18. Whence none might eat thereof who were not Circumcised Exod. 12.48 That he was also present at the supper of our Lord I have fully proved already If then a person so unworthy and so regardless of the Law of Moses that he had actually resolved to take a reward to betray Innocent-blood If a Thief Psal 15.5 and a Covetous person was by our Lord admitted to the Passover If one who by our Lord was known to be in heart a Murtherer and a Betrayer of his Master was yet admitted by him to his Sacrament you see that sinners must be first notorious before they ought to be excluded and when they are so our Rubrick and our Canons give every Minister Authority to with-hold the Communion from them and therefore Authorise them to exercise the Discipline required in this case Hence also we may learn that to communicate with those whom we know to be wicked in this duty derives upon us no Communion in their Guilt for otherwise our Lord and his Disciples would not have joyned in Communion with that wicked one Answ 4 This precept is not directed to particular persons but to the Church of Corinth in the General as you may learn from v. 4. And therefore hence it only follows that it is the duty of Church Governors to exclude such persons from Communion with her but not that private persons should refrain Communion with the Church because they judge that they neglect their duty And therefore we do never read that Christ or his Apostles refused Communion with the Jewish Church or did neglect to go unto the Temple or the Synagogue because the Scribes and Pharisees neglected to perform their duty and our Apostle here doth never call the members of the Church of Corinth to separate from them who caused disorders in the Celebration of this Sacrament but only calls upon them to reform those disorderly proceedings And I beseech you to consider what a Gap would be laid open to perpetual Schisms if private persons were permitted to judge when their Superiors did neglect their duty in any part of publick worship
Church on them who are notoriously otherwise they are Commanded to purge out the Old Leaven that they may be a new Lump and to look diligently that no root of bitterness spring up among them Heb. 12.15 whereby others may be in danger of defilement And as to them who sin'd with an High hand was threatned destruction by the hand of God so the Apostle saith that him who defileth the Temple of the Lord will God destroy 1 Cor 3.17 And as God declared that he would not be with the Church of Israel when it was defiled except they did destroy the accursed thing from among them that is the person who Transgressed his Covenant Josh 7.11 12. So we may also fear that he will not vouchsafe his presence with us unless we also do remove those from among us who defile his Temple and openly transgress their Christian Covenant As then Jehojada set Porters at the Gates of the House of the Lord that none who was unclean in any thing should enter 2 Chron. 23.19 So also should the Rulers of Christs Church Act. 20.28 Jer. 15.19 who are Commanded to take heed unto the Flock and whose concern it is to separate the precious from the vile That the neglect of this great Duty tends very much unto the detriment of the Church Prop. 5. not only as it indangers the infection of her Members and brings a Scandal on her but also as it doth expose her to Gods judgments for the neglect of this his Ordinance this may be gathered 1. from the close of the 5th Chapter of the first Epistle to the Church of Corinth where the discourse of the Apostle on this subject concludeth with these words do not ye judg them that are within that is saith Dr. Hammond you know it is the practice among you to inflict censures on Church Members and ye shall put away the evil from among you That is by doing this you shall free your selves from those punishments which the neglect of your Duty in permitting such offendors to go unpunished and unreformed may bring upon you 2ly From Christs reproof unto the Church of Thyatira because her Rulers suffered the Woman ealled Jezabel to teach Rev. 2.14 15. and to seduce his Servants to commit Fornication and to eat things Offered to Idols Rev. 2.20 and from his threatnings against the Church of Pergamos that he would come against her quickly and fight against her with the Sword of his Mouth for suffering those among her who taught the Doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans if she did not repent that is saith Dr. Hammond There is gotten among you and permitted and not punish'd by your Bishops N. B. that unclean Doctrine and Practice of the Nicolaitans which being odious to me ought most strictly to have been punished by you and if this lenity be not speedily mended I will visit and destroy you suddenly by judgments parallel to the Sword that fell on the Israelites that were corrupted by Balaams Counsel Numb 25.5 And as when Magistrates neglect their Duty in punishing Offenders and bear the Sword in vain God is provoked to take it into his own hand and punish such Offenders by his immediate power so when Church Discipline is neglected it may be rationally expected God should immediately punish that neglect Now on these propositions depends the great Objection of Dissenters against Communion with and for their Separation from our Church For say they seeing it is certain that a Church in which this Duty is performed is better than a Church which doth neglect it fince we have cause to hope Gods presence will be more vouchsafed to such a Church and his good Spirit will more powerfully assist them seeing in such a Church the danger from Gods judgments and the pollution of her Members will be certainly the less we think it reasonable to prefer a Church in which this Discipline obtains in some good measure as it doth in our Communions before Communion with that Church in which it is apparently if not confessedly neglected and therefore till the Church of England will restore this Discipline 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we shall continue as we are § 5 In Answer to this considerable Objection I add these following Propositions That in case Church Officers do not perform their Duty with reference to this great Ordinance of Chris Prop. 6. yet is it not the * Praecidendae unitatis nulla est justa necessitas cum sibi nequaquam nocituros malos ideo tolerent boni ne spiritualiter sejungantur à bonis cum Disciplinae severitatem consideratio cusiodiendae pacis refrenat aut differt August contr Epist Parm. l. 2. c. 11. p. 39. Peoples Duty to Separate from their Communion except in the ensuing Cases 1. That they require those who Communicate with them to own or to approve of this defect in which Case it is evident that our Communion with them must be unlawful because it cannot be obtained without sin Or 2ly When we without dividing of the Church or disturbing of her Peace or disobedience to or Separation from her Governours or any other greater evil to our selves or to the Church of God can Communicate with other Church Officers legally called who conscientiously endeavor to perform that Duty which others do neglect for from the Reasons offer'd in the foregoing Propositions and the confession of our own Church that this is a Godly Disciplne and that the Restoration of it is much to be desired it rationally seems to follow that if this can be done without a greater evil to our selves or to the Church of God we should prefer a Church Caeteris paribus in which this Discipline of Christ obtains in some good measure before Communion with the Church in which it is confessedly neglected For proof of the proposition thus laid down let us consider 1. That the Scribes and Pharisees rejected Christs Doctrine Luk. 7.30 and the Baptism of John which was an Ordinance of God and yet our Saviour bids both the People and his own Disciples Mat. 23.1 hear them sitting in the Chair of Moses which doth imply Communion with those Scribes and Pharisees And tho both Priest and People were exceedingly corrupted tho he declares the Scribes and Pharisees to be a Generation of Vipers v. 33. and the Generality of the People to be of their Father the Devil Joh. 8.44 and the Sadduces who joyn'd in Publick Worship with the rest Mark 12.27 to be greatly erroneous yet neither did he Separate himself nor command others to Separate from the Communion of the Jewish Church or Synagogues on those accounts 2ly St. Paul declareth of the Church of Corinth that it was their fault that the incestuous Person was not separated from their Communion 1 Cor. 5.1 and commands them to separate him v. 13. But he chides none for Communicating with them whilst he was not Separated which sure he would have done had that Communion
that account is never in the least insinuated this therefore Principles of love p 44. saith Mr. Baxter to his dissenting Brethren you may observe that no one Member is in these Scriptures or any other commanded to come out and separate from any one of all these Churches as if Communion with them in Worship were unlawful and therefore before you separate from any as judging Communion with them unlawful be sure that you bring greater reasons for it than any of these recited were And to confirm this Answer it deserves to be considered that we find in the New Testament express injunctions directed to the whole body of the Christian Churches requiring them to refuse Communion in their private conversations with such persons or to renounce familiarity with them not to company with them 1 Cor. 5.9 Not to eat with them v. 11. To mark them who cause divisions and scandals contrary to the Doctrine which they had received and avoid them Rom. 16.17 To withdraw from every Brother that walks disorderly Thess 2.3 6. To have no company with them that they may be ashamed v. 14. We also find the Angels or Officers of the Church oft blamed for this neglect by Christ and his Apostles as in the case of the Incestuous Person the case of Pergamos and Thyatira where they were suffered who taught the Doctrins of the Nicolaitans of Balaam and of Jezebel that is both spiritual and carnal fornication This I have against thee O Thyatira that thou permittest Jezebel Vid. Synops in locum quod eam non coerces censuris Ecclesiae that thou doest not execute the censures of the Church upon her this against thee O Pergamos that thou hast those who teach the Doctrine of Balaam whereas thou being the Angel of the Church shouldst have fought against them with the Spiritual Sword as did the Angel who resisted Balaam because his way Numb 22.22 23. Hebr. 12.15 was perverse before God We find them call'd upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to execute the Office of a Bishop by looking diligently that no such persons be among them and warned of the great danger that the Whole lump might be exposed to by such Soure Leaven We lasty find our Saviour praising the Angel of the Church of Ephesus that he could not bear them but never do we find our Lord or his Apostles calling the People to come out from them or to be separate but only in such cases as did oblige them to touch the unclean thing 2 Cor. 6.17 that is to joyn in their Idolatries or partake with them in their Sins From which Considerations Rev. 18.4 it follows as Estius well notes that the Governors of the Church which tolerate Such Persons in the Church offend and that the People who use familiar converse with them do likewise offend but it by no means follows that they who do perform the publick duties of Religion where they are present do offend and as the Reverend and Learned Dr. Unreas of Sep. p. 217. Stillingfleet well notes There be many Reasons to break off private familiarity which will not hold as to Publick Communion and which may render it the Christians duty to do the first and not the latter For our Communion in Publick is a thing which Chiefly Respects God and is a necessary duty of his own appointing the benefit whereof depends upon his promises and all the Communion we have with other men therein is only that of Christ and his Apostles with Judas at the Paschal Supper joyning together for the performance of a Common Religious duty But private familiarity is a thing which wholly respects the persons we converse with it is a thing of meer choice and of much danger it being hardly to be imagined without approbation at least if not imitation of their wickedness And to this the concurrent judgment of the Old Nonconformists who did not think this want of Discipline sufficient cause of separation from Communion with us for having laid this as a foundation that no man ought to separate from a true Church requiring nothing sinful of him Grav confut p. 18. in order to Communion with them they add that altho it were Granted that we wanted both the exercise of the Churches Censures and some of those Officers which Christ hath appointed to exercise them by yet might we be a true Church notwithstanding as there was a true Church in Judah all the days of Asa and Jehosaphat yet was not the Discipline reformed there till the latter end of Jehosaphats Reign The Church of Corinth was a true Church even when the Apostle blamed them for want of Discipline the Congregation of Samaria is called a Church before the Discipline was established there and even in Jerusalem there was a famous visible Church of Christ long before Sundry parts of the Discipline for want whereof they condemn us were established there yea it is evident that by the Apostles themselves divers Churches were Gathered some Good space of time before the Discipline was setled or exercised by all which it is manifest that howsoever those parts of the Discipline which we want be necessary to the beauty and well being and perservation of the Church yet are they not necessary to the being thereof but a true Church may be without them 2ly They add Ibid. p. 51.52 That it doth not belong to private persons to set up the Discipline of the Church against the will and consent of the Christian Magistrate and Governors of the Church yea they declare that in so doing they should highly offend they are bound saith Giffard P. 59 95 100 101 102. by the bands of Conscience and the fear of God from presuming to take upon them publick Authority And if so it is evident that they cannot chuse Pastors for themselves and set up other Churches and Church Governors to exercise the Churches Discipline because they do conceive it is neglected by the Christian Magistrate and other Governors of the Church Yea lastly let me ask our dissenting Brethren if on account of this supposed neglect of Discipline they think themselves obliged to desert Communion with the Church of England whether will they go The Church of Rome they know besides her other errors is more Guilty of this crime than we men may be any thing in their Communion provided that they be not Hereticks and still be owned as Genuine Members of their Church The rest of the Reformed Churches are as loose as we their Members Generally are as corrupt in manners as ours are the same may be affirmed of the Eastern Churches they therfore must acknowledge that they cannot lawfully maintain Communion with any other Church on this account and that there always was even since the reformation a necessity of separation from all Christian Churches in the world for this neglect of Discipline or that they notwithstanding this supposed neglect may hold Communion with the Church of England now have
of Tongues in Prayer and pray in words not understood by him that prayed § 2. To the Objection that forms of Prayer do stint the Spirit it is answered 1. That if this be meant of the Spirit of the Minister it may and in some cases must be stinted by Precept Apostolical 2. That Christ did stint the Spirit of his Disciples by prescribing them a form of Prayer 3. That the Directory doth the same by prescribing the matter of Prayer if the Objectors mean that a Form of Prayer doth stint the Holy Spirit 1. That it cannot be proved that the Spirit is injured by prescribing a Form 2. That the Directory and all premeditated Prayers do the same thing § 2. Secondly Because our Blessed Lord hath commanded and approved of a Form of Prayer § 3. Four Corollaries thence ibid. Thirdly Because Forms of Prayers have constantly been used in the Church of God from the third Century § 4. Fourthly Because all premeditated Prayer is in effect a form so that we must either pray without consideration or by form § 5. Six advantages of Praying by a prescribed Liturgy in the publick service of God § 6. THE Ceremonies required by the Church being own'd as lawful and her Festivals approved as such no Exceptions can be farther made against Communion with her besides those which do concern her Liturgy and those I shall consider in handling these two Propositions 1. That a prescribed Liturgy is lawful 2ly That there is nothing in the prescribed Liturgy of the Church of England to which her Lay Members may not yield obedience or which can render their Communion with her sinful or unlawful to them § 1 That a stinted Liturgy containing a prescribed Form of words is lawful Prop. 1 and that Dissenters therefore cannot reasonably scruple to join in Prayer with the Congregation where such a Liturgy is used This I prove Argum. 1 1. Because such a Liturgy is not forbidden in the Word of God now Sin being the transgression of the Law there can be no transgression in doing that which is forbidden by no Law Moreover where there is no command there is no duty and therefore no transgression by neglect of Duty but holy Scripture doth afford no Precept commanding us to Pray without a Form and therefore we cannot transgress by the neglect of Duty though we do not so Pray Now that a stinted Liturgy is not forbidden needs no other proof than this that no such prohibition can be shewed from Scripture but yet ex abundanti I thus argue that which is not sorbidden in general by virtue of the Precept which commands us not to add unto the word of God nor in particular by any Precept which in words direct or consequential forbid us when we Pray to use a form is not at all forbid But thus it is with reference to a stinted Liturgy Ergo. And 1. That the use of stinted Forms of Prayer not prescribed in Scripture is not forbidden by virtue of this Precept which commands us not to add unto the word of God is evident 1. From the exposition I have already given of those words 2ly Because no reason can be given why praying by a Form should be esteemed adding to the word of God rather than Praying without a Form God having in the Old Testament commanded Prayer by Form but never Prayer without it 3ly The Jews to whom this prohibition of adding to the Word was given did as I have observed from Dr. Leightfoot and as the Learned Mr. Selden hath informed us Not. in Eâ—tych p. 43. p. 41 42. use eighteen Prayers or Benedictions called in the Gemara composed or appointed Prayers that these were instituted by Ezra and his consistory to be used by every one daily by Law or received custome and that this remedy was applyed by the men of the great Synagogue Ezra and his hundred and twenty Collegues after the Babylonish Captivity that they might not recede either in the matter of their Prayers or their expressions from the Form of Piety commanded them by God They also prescribed a Form of Confession to be used by the People when they offered their Trespass-Offerings Leight Temple-Service p. 69. p. 173. and by the High-Priest when he confessed over the live Goat the Iniquities of the Children of Israel And lastly it was ordinary for their Teachers to compose Forms for their Disciples as is observed by Dr. Leightfoot In Mat. 6.9 by all which considerations it is evident that they conceived not such Forms forbidden by the prohibition to add unto the word of God And 4ly John taught his Disciples a Form of Prayer and Christ not only joined with the Forms which were appointed to be used in the Jewish Church but did himself prescribe a Form of Prayer for his Disciples by all which instances it is demonstratively evident that Forms of Prayer were not forbidden by virtue of the Precepts commanding the Jews not to add unto the Word of God 2ly That there is no especial Precept in the Old or the New Testament which doth in words direct or consequential forbid the Christian when he prays to use a Form will be apparent from an impartial consideration of what is offered from Scripture by way of objection against the use of Forms viz. that they are contrary to Scripture Precept Promise and Example 1. To Scripture Precept for that say they Jude 20. commands us to pray always in the Spirit Ephes 6.18 and in the Holy Ghost which in the Scripture Language is Praying by the Gift and the immediate assistance of the Holy Ghost and so is not consistent with Praying by prescribed Forms Answ 1 The same Persons who are here bid to pray in the Spirit are in the foregoing Chapter exhorted to be filled with the Spirit speaking to themselves in Psalms and Hymns Eph. 5.18 19. and spiritual Songs And yet Dissenters dare not hence conclude that they must sing ex tempore and not in stinted Metre why therefore do they plead from the like words in the forecited places that they are bound to Pray ex tempore and not in stinted words do they not sing the Psalms of David as they have been translated into English Metre and other Hymns composed by Pious Men do not these Psalms and Hymns contain Prayers and Petitions as well as thanksgivings yea is not thanksgiving it self in Scripture reckoned as one part of Prayer as is apparent from these words the Pharisee prayed thus God I thank thee that I am not as other men are Luk. 18.11 I will pray with the understanding else how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks 1 Cor. 14.15 16. Now I would gladly know why notwithstanding these Scriptures it should be lawful to use a Form of Prayer in Verse and not in Prose whether the Spirit be not as able to assist them in the first as in the latter or by what passage in these
all persons to obey those that have the rule over them Heb. 13.17 and submit themselves Rom. 13.1.5 1 Pet. 2.13 and to be subject to the higher powers as to the ordinance of God and that for Conscience sake and the Lords sake He that can satisfie his Conscience in his refusal so to do must shew some Law of God as evidently forbidding his obedience to what Superious do enjoin P. 197. as do these Scriptures command obedience to them in all lawful things I having therefore in this Treatise answered all your pretences for such a prohibition of the Holy Scripture forbidding your submission to the Rites and Constitutions of the Church of England enjoined by Superiors have made it manifest that you can never satisfie your Consciences in your refusal to submit unto them nor can you or your Leaders return a satisfactory Answer to the Questions propounded by that Author to you in these words P. 58. Do they prefer mercy before Sacrifice or comply with the forementioned injunctions of Obedience to their Superiors who will not submit to Rites or Circumstances or to the use of things no where forbidden in the word to prevent Schism and all the dreadful consequences of it but rather will give cause to their Superiors to judge them scandalous Resisters of Authority and pertinacious Disturbers of the Churches Peace 59. Do not they scandalize offend and contribute unto the Ruine of Christs little stock who do involve them in a wretched Schism on the account of things which they may lawfully submit to Do not they shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men who forbid them to enter when they may Do not they impose heavy burthens also who say to their Disciples Hear not the Common Prayer Receive not the Sacrament Kneeling suffer not your Children to be signed with the Cross Communicate not with that Minister who wears a Surplice or with that Church which imposeth any Ceremonies or any Constitutions but concerning the time and place of performing Publick Worship If nothing doth so scandalize Christs followers as to find their Teachers at discord and divided can they act as becometh his Disciples who are not willing to procure Vnity and Concord and to avoid this scandal by their submission to things indifferent in their own nature and not forbiden in the law of God § 2 Thirdly He pleads for this submission from that great rule of equity which calls upon you to do to others as you would be dealt with putting the Question to you thus p. 187. Do not you expect obedience from your Children and Servants in like cases Should you command them to come at ten of the Clock into your Parlour to Family Devotions requiring them to come dressed and to kneel at their Devotions would you permit them to refuse to come at the time and to the place appointed because all times and places are indifferent to God or in the garb appointed by you because God regards not habits or to refuse to kneel because they may pray standing Would you not rather judge them contemners of your lawful authority and needlesly and sinfully scrupulous in those matters And must not you by the same Rule be guilty of contemning the lawful Authority of your Civil and Spiritual Fathers and of the Masters of Christs Family by your refusal to submit unto their Constitutions in matters of like nature upon the like accounts or can those Principles derive from him who is the God of order not of confusion 1 Cor. 15.33 which would so evidently should they obtain fill Families as well as Kingdoms and Churches with confusion and destroy their order § 3 Fourthly He argues ad hominem thus If notwithstanding the evidence produced p. 289. that Baptism by immersion is sutable both to the institution of our Lord and his Apostles and was by them ordained to represent our Burial with Christ and so our dying unto Sin Rom. 6.4 Coloss 2.12 and our conformity to his resurrection by newness of life as the Apostle clearly doth explain the meaning of that Rite I say if notwithstanding this Dissenters do agree to sprinkle the baptized Infant why may they not as well submit to the significant ceremonies imposed by our Church for since it is as lawful to add unto Christs institutions a significant ceremony as to diminish a significant ceremony which he or his Apostles instituted and use another in its stead which they did never institute what reason can they have to do the latter and yet refuse submission to the former and why should not the peace and union of the Church be as prevailing with them to perform the one as is their mercy to the Infants body to neglect the other And § 4 Fifthly The said Author shews that our divisions do highly prejudice the Christian Faith Chap. 1. that they gratify the Infidel and Sceptick and scandalize the weak and doubting Christian that they minister to the advantage of the Papist and to the prejudice of the true Protestant Religion that they are highly prejudicial to the State that they have a pernicious influence upon our selves by promoting strife enmity carnality and all the evils consequent upon them by obstructing the love peace unity order and edification of the Church and the benefit of our Prayers by hindring the efficacy of the means of Grace by depriving us of all the blessings of love and peace and by endangering our eternal peace And hence he strongly doth infer That if Dissenters do not think it better that all these evils should ensue than that they should comply or bear with those few ceremonies P. 22. and scrupled expressions of our Liturgy then must they in these matters submit to the commands of their Superiours And p. 29. he puts this serious Question to Dissenters Whether those ceremonies and those expressions in our Liturgy which they at present scruple be so plainly evil and so unquestionably forbidden that for preventing all these dreadful evils they may not be complyed with adding That if they be not so clearly and indispensably evil that these great ends of the promoting the salvation of mens Souls and the preventing of the forementioned evils which do inevitably ensue upon them cannot hallow them they cannot be excused from being accessary to those evils which ensue upon their separating from and their dividing of the Church on these accounts Now that Dissenters cannot rationally judge these things to be thus clearly and indispensably evil or think it better that all these mischiefs should ensue than that they should submit unto them he seems convincingly to prove from these considerations 1. Chap. 6. §. 1. from p. 167. to p. 170. That the duties of promoting Christian love peace unity and the edification of the Church and the preventing of Division Schism and the disturbance of the Civil Government are moral and essential duties which will admit no dispensation so that it is the duty
of all Christians to contend earnestly and strive together with one Soul for the promotion of these duties and the prevention of the contrary evils 2ly p. 176. That the preserving of what is most essential unto the welfare of the Church and to the interests of piety is more to be regarded than the omission of what is only circumstantial to them and that precepts which concern only Rituals p. 46. are to give place to those which do concern the welfare of mens bodies and much more to those which do respect the welfare of our Brothers Soul so that when both cannot together be observed we must neglect or violate the former to observe the latter Agreeably to which assertion Divines do generally lay down this as a certain rule concerning positive commands requiring things which it is not intrinsecally evil to omit viz. That all such things cease to be duties when they are inconsistent with others of a greater consequence there being greater reason and obligation when we cannot do both to do the latter with the omission of the former And this that Author doth confirm 1. From the example of God himself who suffered his own ceremonial institutions to be neglected upon accounts of lesser moment p. 171. viz. circumcision for the convenience of his peoples travels in the wilderness the celebration of the Passover in the 14th day of the first month when they were in a journey about their temporal concerns 2ly From the example and declarations of our Saviour who taught that in all such cases p. 171 172. God would have mercy and not sacrifice approved the action of David and his Servants in eating the Shew-bread which was by Gods prescription to be eaten only by Aaron and his Sons and who commanded the impotent man to take up his Bed and walk upon the Sabbath-day whence he seems evidently to infer 1. p. 173. That if God was pleased to suffer his own institutions in matters ceremonial to be neglected when that neglect was needful to promote some higher end if to preserve the life of man and beast he would permit men to do that which otherwise would have been deemed a breach of his own institution and a prophanation of his day it is not to be doubted but he will permit us to do those things which in their natures may be inconvenient when it is necessary to submit unto them for the promotion of the great ends of love peace unity and the advantage of poor Souls if our respect unto our Brothers life and health will warrant our neglect of many outward duties then surely our respect unto the Churches peace and unity and to the good of Souls may warrant our submission to those things for these good ends which God hath never plainly made it our duty to omit and our Superiours whom he most plainly doth command us to obey in lawful matters do enjoin 2ly p. 175. That if the duties mentioned be of an higher nature than any outward circumstance of worship it cannot be so much our duty to endeavour that Gods worship should be performed without those rites or circumstances as that these higher duties should be practised or to contend for the omission of them with loss or hazard of these more weighty matters if in these moral duties consists the life and substance of Religion and the essentials of true Piety whereas the matters which our Dissenters do contend for relate not to the being of Religion but as they think only unto the purer exercise of some religious duties certain it is they ought not so to contend for the omission of these external circumstances as to impair that charity and peace that unity and edification wherein the substance of Religion and the welfare of the Church consists which seems to be the very Argument St Paul insists on when he saith Rom. 14.17 19. the kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness and peace wherefore let us follow after the things which make for peace i. e. Let us not by doing or omitting of these things obstruct the Churches peace or hinder the promotion of those things in which Gods Kingdom more especially consists 3ly p. 176. He asks Whether Dissenters can with good conscience say that Gods glory is as much concerned in the administration of his worship rather in some other way than in that mode which now obtaineth in the Church of England as it is certainly concerned in the performance of those moral duties and in the honour and success of Christian Faith the salvation of Souls the welfare of the State and of the Protestant Religion and whether by joining with us in our publick Ordinances such mischiefs would ensue if not 't is certainly their duty rather to comply with the commands of their Superiors p. 177. though they conceive them burthensome and inconvenient than to administer by their refusal so to do occasion to the greater dishonour of their God and all these dreadful evils both to Church and State which do ensue on that refusal § 5 Sixthly This Author strongly seems to argue for this submission in prosecution of the ends forementioned from the example of St Paul who though he were free from all men 1 Cor. 9.19 20. yet made himself servant to all that he might gain the more to the Jew p. 145. becoming as a Jew that he might gain the Jew c. For sure saith he it well becometh our Dissenters to imitate this great example of St. Paul by conforming their wills as servants do unto the will of their Superiors and doing all that lawfully they can to please and testify their due subjection to them without respect to their liberty to do in order to their being serviceable to the Church in the promotion of the Gospel and the salvation of Souls as the Apostle did when he submitted to the circumcision of Timothy when he undertook a legal purification of himself and offered sacrifice against which actions it is easie to produce more plausible exceptions than they can bring against our Ceremonies especially if we consider that the Apostle did comply Acts 21.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 28.17 not only with the Law of Moses for this end but also with the traditions imposed by the Elders and so did yield unto the very thing which they are so afraid to do § 6 Seventhly This Author proves That Schism is a most pernicious evil Chap. 2. §. 1. this he makes good from Scripture from the concurring suffrage of all the Fathers of the Church from the mischievous and dreadful consequences of it and from the opposition that it bears to the great duties of Charity and Peace of Union and Edification Now certainly it highly must concern us in reason and in Conscience where our mistakes are like to prove of such a fatal consequence to our immortal souls and to expose us to such dreadful evils to be very wary
lawful to Communicate with us in Prayer and hearing of the word and in Receiving of the Sacrament upon occasion stand bound in Conscience so to do as oft as by the Magistrate you are required so to do and it can only be pretence of Conscience which doth induce you to forbear such Communion with us at these times for seeing negative precepts do bind always and at all times so that no man at any time may do what is forbidden by God It follows that there can be no prohibition against doing that at other times which we can sometimes do and which cannot be more or less lawful or unlawful for being done at one time than another as clearly seems to be the case with reference to your occasional Communion It therefore is to be suspected that men only pretend Conscience against that Communion with us at all times which they at sometimes can maintain And yet I wish there were no instances of men of your perswasions who when they are presented or when they find it necessary to qualifie them for an Office or to give a vote in which they may do service to their party will attend upon the publick worship used in our Churches and will receive the Sacrament according to the order of the Church of England who before never did and afterwards neglect to do so Now whilst men do thus vary in their practice according as their interest and as their circumstances vary they tempt men shrewdly to suspect that they act rather out of interest than Conscience in these matters and that they notwithstanding all their pretence to Conscience have either none at all or a bad Conscience for if they thought Communion with us in those Ordinances unlawful by doing it in the forementioned circumstances they only must be doing evil that good may come and making Conscience and Religion stoop to interest which is the proper character of Hypocrites but if they did conceive it lawful their Separation and refusal of it cannot be excused from Schism or from transgression of the injunctions of St. Paul If it be possible as much as in you lies live peaceably with all men follow after the things which make for peace give no offence unto the Church of God obey Superiors and submit your selves Ah my Dear Brethren by doing of these things you have given greater scandal unto others than your submission to the Constitutions of the Church of England could have done and therefore if you do indeed abstain from our Commuon for fear of giving scandal to weak Brethren do you more carefully abstain from matters of this nature which carry with them such a plain semblance of Hypocrisie that no pretence can hide no Charity excuse it Under this head I cannot pass by your violence in Petitioning His Sacred Majesty against His Royal Proclamation to the contrary for be it granted that the Law did authorize or give permission to you to Petition sure I am it laid upon you no necessity to do so and so this might have been forborn in compliance with the pleasure of his Majesty And if you do Reply That then you may by Proclamations be abridged of that liberty the Law affords you Consider I beseech you what it is that you expect and call for from Superiors viz. That for your sakes and out of pity to your weakness they would abate the exercise of their own power and with what equity and justice can you expect they should do this if you at their request will abate nothing of that liberty and power which the Law allows you § 17 2. If you cannot conform let me intreat you Religiously to abstain from censuring reproaching or speaking evil of your Governours in Church or State For this undoubtedly you may do and it doth very much concern you so to do For they who being Christians do reproach and do speak evil of their Civil Governours do that which the Wiseman would not permit the Jew to think of for his command runs thus Eccles 10.20 Curse not the King in thy heart or Entertain not any light vain contemptuous or dishonourable thoughts of him Assemb Annot. wish thou no evil to his Person Crown or Dignity in thy most secret retirements They do what all good men should tremble to commit for of such men St. Peter gives this Character Presumptuous are they 2 Pet. 2.10 self-willed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they do not tremble when they speak evil of Dignities Such persons dare to offer that to Gods Vicegerents to those who bear his Name or Character on Earth which Michael the Archangel durst not offer to the vilest and the worst of Creatures Jude 8 9. for he contending with the Devil durst not bring against him a railing accusation and yet it well deserves to be observed that if this sin was capable of pardon or excuse in any case or circumstances it must have been so in the reproaching of the then present Governours they being by consent of all Historians the greatest monsters of mankind and the most bloody Persecutors of the Christian Faith Moreover they who offend in the like kind against their Ecclesiastical Superiors do that which blessed Paul when he had ignorantly done to a corrupt High-Priest acknowledged as a crime condemned in the Law of God I wist not saith he that he was the High-Priest Acts 23.5 for it is written thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people they do that which the Conscience of a Jew could not let pass without just indignation and reproof for when St. Paul had said God shall smite thee thou whited wall v. 3 4. they presently cry out Revilest thou Gods High-Priest There lies indeed no obligation on us to call evil good or flatter our Superiors in their sins or judge well of them against the clearest evidence of Sense or Reason but then we are obliged not to cherish evil thoughts or harbour groundless jealousies of our Superiors much less must we express our inward apprehensions of them by opprobrious language or disrespectful carriage towards them And yet 't is but too evident that both the Writings and Discourses of Dissenters are too often stuft with these malevolent reflections in which they take the liberty of speaking evil of the Rulers of the people and of blaspheming Dignities and representing the Reverend Bishops as Popish Antichristian and Ithacian Prelates § 18 Lastly Let me conjure you by that affection which you bear unto the Name and Doctrine of our common Lord and Saviour and to the credit of the Protestant Religion to abstain carefully from all Seditious and Rebellious Principles and Practices and to do all you can to clear your selves from all suspicion of maintaining or approving of them For to deal plainly with you this is one great fault among you that you have many of you vented and more of you have practised sutably to those Opinions which are Seditious and Rebellious and these Opinions
6. §. 16. Hence do we argue That the Presence of wicked and ungodly Men should not deter us from joyning with the Church in the Participation of the Holy Sacrament because Christ did not scruple as many Passovers as he participated of to eat with Judas him he admitted to the Holy Sacrament as being by Profession one of his true Disciples and one who had done nothing openly which contradicted that Profession altho Christ knew that he was a covetous Wretch into whom Satan had already entred and who would certainly betray him Hence also we infer Inf. 7. §. 17. That we stand not obliged to refuse Communion with other Churches in their Sacraments and other publick Offices because of some additions to the Institution which are imposed for the sake of Order Uniformity or Decency but are declared to be no parts or necessary appendants to the Institution You see how many things the Jews had added to the Passover the Wine because it was a Feast of Joy the Benediction of the Cup before they drank it the Breaking the unleavened Cake the Hymn and yet our Saviour did not scruple to observe these things And you may see in Dr. Leightfoots Service of the Temple how many Ceremonies they had added to the observance of the other Festivals at which our Lord and his Disciples were still present And therefore on the same account we need not scruple that antient Ceremony of Crossing which we use in Baptism seeing our Church declares that she doth not intend it as any part of Baptism or any necessary appendant of it on which account she doth command us to omit it in our private Baptisms but only as a convenient Ceremony to testify unto the Congregation that the baptized Person hath Relation to the Society of Christians and stands obliged to maintain the Christian Faith As therefore when the Children of Reuben and Gad had built themselves an Altar their Brethren were troubled at it but when they understood it was not built for Sacrifice or in Rebellion but to entitle themselves and their Posterity to a Share in Gods publick and solemn Worship Josh 22.16 30 31. And to an Interest in his Tabernacle and Altar they were well pleased and declared their hearty Satisfaction so would our Brethren consider that the Cross in Baptism is enjoyned not as a part or necessary appendant of that Ordinance but only to be Ed a Testimony to the Congregation that the baptized Person had an Interest in the Society of Christians and was obliged to maintain and own the Christian Faith they would have equal reason to be well pleased and to declare their Satisfaction in the Matter Hence it is evident that our Dissenters have no just cause to fear Inf. 8. §. 18. or plead for the Refusal of Submission to the Constitutions of our Church and of Communion with us that by Communicating they should approve of the imposing of these things and should partake with them in that supposed sin or countenance them in the imposing of those Grievous Burthens as they do esteem them for our Dear Lord you see submitted to the Constitutions of the Jewish Church and enjoyned others so to do and yet I hope they will not say that he approved or countenanced their heavy Burthens or partook with them in their sins were then the Impositions of the Church of England such as they imagine them to be they could have no just cause to fear that their Submission to them would derive this guilt upon them CHAP. II. The CONTENTS Corol. 1. That the Scriptures of the Old Testament cannot prohibite this Submission The Objections answered Obj. 1. Thou shalt not add unto the Word that I command you Deut. 4 2. Deut. 12 32. Answ 1. That these Words do as much prove that our Superiours may make no Laws about civil as about Sacred Matters 2ly That the Dissenters are as much condemned by them as the Church of England because they also do use many uncommanded Ceremonies 3ly The Jews themselves never conceived that by these Precepts they were restrained from Instituting upon occasion sacred rites as is proved by many Instances 4ly To add unto the Word of God is only to avouch such things as the Commandment or Word of God which he hath not commanded 5ly Hence it follows that the Dissenters do transgress this Precept § 1. Obj. the 2d That God in Scripture declares that he abhorrs that way of Worship which he hath not commanded Answ 1. That this Objection is impertinent as only proving what we deny not 2ly That it condemneth the Dissenters 3ly Not to command is in the places cited to forbid § 2. Obj. 3d. That the 2d Commandment forbids the likeness of any thing to be made for religious use and-so forbids the use of significant Ceremonies of mens devising Answ The 2d Commandment only forbids the making any Likeness to be the Object of religious Worship or Veneration § 3. A 2d Corol. From the Example of our Lord and his Apostles § 4. Obj. 4th From Christs Rejecting the Traditions of the Scribes and Pharisees Answ 1. That our Saviour only rejecteth such Traditions as were taught for Doctrines or held equal to the written Word of God Particularly their holding these Washings to be necessary to avoid that Defilement which would render them displeasing or unacceptable unto God 3ly This Text rather condemns them who hold that indifferent Ceremonies may not be submitted to in obedience to Superiours as teaching for Doctrins the Commandments of Men § 4. CHAP. II. FRom what hath been discoursed it clearly follows that all those Texts of Scripture Corol. and all those Reasons which Dissenters offer from the Old Testament to prove it is a thing unlawful to use or to submit unto the Ceremonies appointed by our Church and that they are forbidden by those Texts to use them must be meer fallacies and sophisms seeing our Saviour who doubtless was acquainted with the true Sense and Import of them did submit unto the use of Ceremonies of a like Nature to them when by the Rulers of the Jewish Church they were imposed and prescribed And tho this instance is a sufficient Answer to all that is or can be urged from the Old Testament against Submission to the Ceremonies imposed by the Church of England yet for the farther Satisfaction of our Dissenting Brethren I shall particularly answer all that they have hitherto produced with any shew of Reason to this purpose Which was the second head proposed to be spoken to And § 1 1. It is objected by them That God in Scripture hath commanded that nothing should be added to what he had enjoyned in his Worship to this effect they cite these Words Deut. 4.2 Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you neither shall you diminish from it that you may keep the Commandments of your God which I command you And Deut. 12 32. What thing soever I command you observe to
do it thou shalt not add thereto or diminish from it Hence they infer that no humane Ceremonies or Circumstances of mens devising must be added to what God hath commanded in his Gospel Worship Answ 1 To this I answer That these Words do as much concern Laws made concerning civil and judicial as concerning Sacred Matters and do as much prove that our Superiours may add no Laws to the Laws made by God concerning Civil Matters as that they may make no Laws for Regulation of or ordering any Circumstances of Religious Worship that is they are as good Objections against our Statute-Book as against our Lyturgy The reason is because these words are neither in the 4th nor the 12th Chapter restrained to Acts of Divine Worship but are expresly spoken of all the Statutes and Judgments which the Lord had taught them v. 1. of whatsoever thing God had commanded Deut. 12.32 Answ 2 2ly If by these Precepts the Ceremonies used in the Church of England are condemned then also must the Dissenters from the Church of England be condemned by them for they do many things and they use many Ceremonies in Religious Worship which are no where commanded they sing in stinted Meeter for which they have no Precept or Example in the Word of God they have a Directory for publick Worship containing many precepts or directions no where prescribed in that Word they when they take an Oath do not refuse to lay their hands upon and kiss the Book now all agree that Oaths are Solemn Acts of Divine Worship and know that God no where Commanded these Ceremonial additions to it Moreover when they imposed the Solemn league and Covenant they ordered that it should be taken by the whole Congregation 1st uncovered 2ly standing Ordin of the 2 of Febr. 1643. and 3ly with their right hand lift up and bare now if they notwithstanding the Texts in the objection mentioned might add three uncommanded Ceremonies unto the taking of an Oath which is a Solemn Act of Divine Worship what hinders but that Superiors may do the like in other parts of Divine Worship Answer 3 3ly The Jews themselves never conceived that by these precepts they were restrained from instituting upon occasion sacred Rites or doing many things which circumstantially belonged to Gods Worship for which they had no special Warrant from the Word of God and if we do offend against these Rules by using our Ceremonies in Gods Service even the best and wisest of the Jews did equally offend For what command had Solomon to keep a Feast of Seven days for Dedication of the Temple 1 Kings 8.65 what Command had he for hallowing the middle part of the Court that was before the House of the Lord to offer Burnt offerings Meat offerings and Peace offerings there v. 64. Dr. Ames indeed sayeth that Solomon did this by Divine Authority Fresh suit §. 17 c. p 33◠and instinct of the Holy Ghost to which vain imagination I return the Answer of Agar add thou not unto his Words lest thou be found a liar Prov. 30.6 The Holy Ghost hath in two places given us a full relation of what King Solomon did but not one tittle of any instinct of the Holy Ghost commanding him to do it how then came Dr. Ames to know what no where is revealed and what cannot be known by any Man without a Revelation Is it not wonderful that Men who will believe nothing without express Scripture proof and who so stiffly do contend for the negative Argument from Scripture should themselves thus add to Scriptures 2ly What Warrant had good Hezekiah for continuing a Feast of Unleavened Bread Seven days longer than the time appointed by the Law 2 Chron. 30.23 To this instance Dr. Ames Answers that these Seven other days were not Holy days at all of Institution properly so called but an occasional continuation of free will offerings for that time Fr. Suit p. 317. which might be offered any day of the year without new Holy days To this I Answer 1st That were this so it cannot be denyed but that their observation of other Seven days beside these which were appointed by the Law of Moses was as much adding to the Law of Moses as the imposing of our Ceremonies can be accounted adding to the Law of Christ. 2ly When in the Text we read that they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread with greatgladness v. 21 and v. 23. that the whole Assembly took Council and kept other Seven days with gladness what reason can any person have to think that the last Seven days should not be Festival or Holy days as well as the first Seven and if they might take Council to keep those other Seven days why might they not have instituted the keeping of them when they didobserve them And 3ly What reason hath Dr. Ames to affirm that they then only offered Freewill offerings rather than such which were accustomed to be offered at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and had been offered in the first Seven days of the Solemnity The descant of other Commentators on the place is this viz. that this was done not to change the ordinance of the Passeover but partly to redeem their defect in not observing it for so many years and partly to detain the People of Israel the longer at Jerusalem that by the Preaching of the Word they might be the better informed and confirmed in the true Religion whence the inference is plainly this that upon such occasions and for such good ends it is commendable to do more than is required provided nothing be done against what is required 3ly Est 9.20 21 22. What Law had Mordecai and Esther for enjoyning the yearly observation of the Feast of Purim to stablish this among them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and the fifteenth day of the same yearly as the days wherein the Jews rested from their Enemies and the month which was turned to them from sorrow to joy and from mourning into a good day that they should make them days of Feasting and joy and of sending portions one to another and gifts to the poor Dr. Ames saith here again that if any significant ceremony was here instituted it was by divine direction p. 317. tho neither Scripture nor Josephus mention one tittle of the matter and adds from Dr. Whitaker that forasmuch as this Feast stands approved in Scripture there is no doubt but it was done by Divine Authority tho we read nothing of it in the Scripture Which by the leave of that good Man is a plain begging of the Question 2ly He adds that if Josephus may be believed Joseph Antiq. Jud. l. XI c. 6. p. 382. the Heathen King Artaxerxes was the institutor of that Feast and if so I hope Christian Kings may do as much but this is a vile mistake for in the place cited by him it is expresly said that Mordecai appointed it
of by any but Dissenters 2ly If this be true I know not any thing more forbidden by this Commandment than this Book of Dr. Ames so full of Phantasies of his own devising that nothing can be more all which undoubtedly were intended by him for some religious use Nay this very Interpretation is forbidden here it being certainly a Phantasy of the Mind without all ground from the Commandment Nay all our pious Books our conceived Prayers our Method in composing Sermons and an hundred things of like Nature will be here prohibited The Argument whereby the Dr. Labors to confirm this fond intepretation is p. 297. that the Word likeness used in the second Commandment is General and comprehendeth under it all religious similitudes because they are Homogeneal to Images they are expresly forbidden Answ The Foundation of this Argument is a plain falshood for the Word Likeness is not General but by the Text is plainly limited to Images or Likenesses of Male or Female Deut 4.16 17 18. The Likeness of any Beast that is on the Earth The Likeness of any winged Fowl that flyeth in the Air The Likeness of any thing that creepeth on the Ground The Likeness of any Fish that is in the Waters The Likeness which may be seen is that which is forbidden v. 15. 'T is the Likeness of any thing in Heaven above or in the Earth beneath or in the Waters under the Earth Exod. 20.4 Dr. Ames goes on to Argue from the Affirmative part of the second Commandment thus p. 299. This Commandment enjoyns Obedience to all the Worship appointed by God all which was significative for it served to the Example and Shadow of Heavenly things Heb. 8.5 Heb. 10.1 The Law having a Shadow of things to come Therefore it forbiddeth any significative Ceremonies to be brought into the Worship of God devised by man Answ to omit the Illogicalness of this Argument and the many terms in the conclusion which are not vertually contained in the premisses which every fresh Man may perceive I Answ 1. That it is falsly or at least precariously affirmed that this Commandment enjoyns Obedience to all the Worship appointed by God It is the first Commandment which commands us to have God for our God that is to give him all the Internal Acts of Devotion and the External Acts of Piety which are proper to God and are in Scripture signified by loving God with all our Hearts by fearing worshipping and serving him The second Commandment doth limit the manner of exercising and expressing our Devotion to the true Object of it interdicting that mode which in the Practice of Antient times had so generally prevailed of representing the Deities they apprehended to be such in some corporeal shape thereto yielding such expressions of respect as they conceived suitable and acceptable to such Deities The Affirmative part of this Precept seems therefore to be chiefly this Thou shalt give outward Religious Worship by bowing humbling of thy Body or falling down to me so that our kneeling at the Sacrament or bowing to the Lord Jesus when we hear his Sacred Name which minds us of the great Blessings which he hath procured for us and of the Honour due unto him for them our bowing of the body to him when we go into the place of Worship is only doing what in the General is here commanded which if Dissenters well considered they would see the vanity of their Exceptions against those laudable Practices of the Church of England Farther the positive part of this Precept may imply that in our Devotions and Religious Services of God we should raise our mind above gross Sense and Phancy that we should entertain high and worthy conceptions of God that we should apprehend him incomparably Superiour to all things which we see and know in a word that we should worship him in Spirit and in Truth not as the Samaritans in the Image of a Dove who therefore are said to worship they knew not what nor as the Jews by Types and Shadows of good things to come and such like Carnal Ordinances In these two things seem fully to be comprised the special positive Duty of this Commandment Answ 2. When Dr. Ames adds that all the worship appointed by God is here commanded and that it was all significative and proveth this from Hebr. 8.5 Hebr. 10.1 Which manifestly speak only of Shadows of things to come it clearly follows from his Argument that all Worship of God is now abolished and become unlawful for all the Worship spoken of Hebr. 8.5 Hebr. 10.1 is clearly abolished and rendred unlawful to us by the appearance of the substance of which they were Types and Shadows 3ly 'T is certain that we owe Obedience to all the parts of Worship appointed by God significative or not significative but how doth it hence follow that significative Ceremonies which are declared to be no parts of Gods Worship but only accidental Circumstances may not be required by men any more than it will follow that because God hath commanded Obedience to all the Honour due to my Natural Spiritual and Civil Parents and hath commanded all the Love I owe unto my Brother that therefore I may use no expression of honour to my Parents or love unto my Christian Brother which he hath not commanded Thus have I answered all that is considerable in Dr. Ames on this Head and all that the Dissenters urge from the Old Testament against Submission to the Ceremonies appointed to be used in the Church of England § 4 From this Example of our Lord and his Apostles it doth also clearly follow Coroll 2. that those Texts of Scripture which our Dissenters urge from the New Testament and all those reasons which they plead from the fulness of Scripture the Office and the Faithfulness of Christ in the discharge of that his Office can never prove that 't is a thing unlawful to submit unto or use the Ceremonies appointed by our Church seeing our Saviour and his Disciples whose Practice certainly agreed with their Precepts and who did nothing repugnant to the fulness of the Scripture c. submitted to the use of Ceremonies of a like nature to them when by the Rulers of the Jewish Church they were imposed and they found it best conducing to the promotion of the Gospel to submit unto them Nevertheless I also shall proceed to answer all that they have produced hitherto with any shew of reason from the N. Testament Obj. 4 To this effect then it is objected That Christ himself condemned and rejected the washings of the Scribes and Pharisees altho they were but decent Ceremonies imposed by the Elders of the Jewish Church and not forbidden by the Law of Moses And he not only doth refuse to conform to them but also justifyes his own Disciples in their Nonconformity doth pronounce of all such things that being plants which his Heavenly Father had not planted Matt. 15.13 they should be
joyn not with these that use it or with the Minister who wears a Surplice kneel not at the Receiving of the Sacrament do not stand up at the rehearsal of the Creed bring not your Children to receive the sign of the Cross in Baptism all these they teach for Doctrines asserting that they are actions which God hath forbidden and therefore may not lawfully be used in his Worship or by them be submitted to since therefore God hath not forbidden any of these things and yet they teach he hath forbidden them they plainly must be guilty of adding to his Word and teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of men which they who do declare these things to be indifferent and no where commanded in Gods Word cannot be guilty of CHAP. III. The CONTENTS Answering the Objections of Dissenters from reason grounded upon Scripture as Obj 1. God would have for the Tabernacle and the Temple an exact pattern how he would have all things done and that in writing and therefore Christ being faithful in his House as Moses was must have done as much in Scripture towards the building of his Spiritual House Answ 1. This Argument holds as well in Civil Matters as in Sacred and by arguing from such similitudes many false things may be concluded Answ 2. That it is falsly supposed that Moses was so full in his Institutions that nothing afterwards was to be added to them or ordained by the Rulers of the Church for the better Observation of them 3 'T is certain Christ hath not done what this Objection saith his faithfulness obliged him to do 4ly There is a manifest disparity betwixt the Christian and the Jewish State and thence good reason may be given why thô all things were determined then it should not be so now 5ly The fidelity of Moses consisted in this that he concealed nothing of that which God commanded and sutably the fidelity of Christ in this that he declared to us the whole Will of God § 1. Obj. 2. The Scripture is a Rule of Ceremonies for it prescribeth Ceremonies respecting Baptism and the Lords Supper if therefore it prescribe not all it must be an imperfect Rule Answ 1. The absurdity of this Argument is shewn by instances of a like Nature 2 The Doctrine of the Church of England concerning the perfection of the H. Scriptures is this viz. that it doth perfectly contain all that is necessary to believed or done in Order to Salvation Thô not all Ceremonies in particular of Decency and Order That the Scripture is a Rule of all Ceremonies that are good works antecedently to the Command of man 2. That it is sufficiently perfect in reference to uncommanded Ceremonies by giving general Directions to Superiors in the imposing of them And 2ly By Commanding Obedience to their impositions in all lawful matters The Tenet of some Non-Conformists that no Church-Governors ought to ordain or introduce into the Service of God any other Rites or Observations than such as God hath in his Word commanded or Christ and his Apostles by their Examples which they esteem as Precepts hath approved and that if they enjoyn such things we must not yield Obedience to them but must reject them as humane Inventions Superstition and Will-worship The pernicious Consequence of this Tenet 1. It casts a reproach upon Religion and gives just cause to Magistrates to scruple the Admission of the Christian Faith 2. It makes it necessary to disobey all Civil Laws concerning Charity and Justice which are not contained in Scripture 3ly This Opinion will force men to be troublesome in all the Churches of the World 4. It gives a great Advantage to Popery Mr. Baxters solid Confutation of this Opinion by 8 Arguments 5ly They who assert this Tenet do many things in Contradiction to it § 2. CHAP. III. HAving thus dispatched the Scriptures produced in this cause I proceed to consider the Objections of Dissenters from reason grounded upon Scripture and Obj. 1. It is objected That there was nothing appertaining in the least to the Worship of God but was fully set down even to the pins of the Tabernacle in the Law of Moses when Gods Material House was to be built he gave to Moses for the Tabernacle and to David for the Temple a Pattern according to which he would have every thing made or done And of this Pattern which God gave to David for the Temple it is expresly said God gave it him in Writing 1 Chron. 28.19 Nothing then might be done by Moses or by Solomon tho they were two of the wisest Men that ever lived about the Tabernacle or Temple or about the whole Service of God performed in them but according to that Pattern Exod. 25.9 40 39 42 40 16. and this charge the Lord repeats to Moses four times to shew the great Importance of it and the Author to the Hebrews Notes that it was said unto him Hebr. 8.5 see that thou make all things according unto the Pattern that was shewed thee in the Mount Hebr 3.6 Since therefore Christ was faithfull in his House as Moses was he must say they in building his Spiritual House have given us a Pattern according to which he would have all his works done and that pattern must be contained in the H. Scriptures Answ 1 Of this almost all the Arguments produced by Dissenters on this Subject it is observable that they hold as much against all Laws concerning Civil matters as concerning sacred For instance Moses as he prescribed those Laws whereby the Jewish Nation was to Act in sacred matters so did he from Gods mouth prescribe them a Judicial Law a Law for Civil Government and he moreover saith of that as well as of those Laws which did concern Gods Worship you shall observe to do as the Lord your God hath Commanded you you shall not turn aside to the right hand or the left If then the Argument here holds from the fidelity of Moses to that of Christ or from Gods care of his Churches Service under the Old Testament to his care of it under the New Christ must have given us a form of Civil Government as well as Sacred a Statute Law by which our Courts of Justice must be regulated and to which 't is not in the Power of King and Parliament to add on Statute or else Christ must be thought less faithful in his House then Moses was and God less carefull of the Christian than the Jewish Church And indeed Arguments of this Nature taken from Similitudes may be used to conclude things manifestly false as V. G. God is not less kind to his Ministers under the New Testament than under the Old and therefore as in the Law of Moses we are told punctually what they should receive from the People so must we be told also under the New Testament under the Law there was on Earth an High Priest over the Jews therefore we must have an universal Bishop over the Christians Moses
I shall first lay down plainly the Assertion or Doctrine of the Church of England in reference to the Perfection of the Holy Scriptures and from it give a direct Answer to this Objection 2ly I shall lay down the contrary Tenet of some Non-Conformists which is here asserted in this Argugument 3ly I shall endeavor to shew the Dangerousness of this Opinion and the Swarms of evil consequences which do naturally follow from it And 4ly That they who hold it did do many things repugnant to it And 5ly That it doth necessarily make the Holy Scripture an imperfect Rule 1. Then when we assert that Scripture is a perfect Rule we mean it thus that it doth perfectly contain all that is necessary to be believed or done in Order to our acceptance with God here or to our happiness with him hereafter not that it doth particularly prescribe what ever Circumstance of Order Decency or Convenience may be observed in the Service of God And this doth seem to me to be the true Distinction in this matter betwixt the Protestant of the Church of England and the Rigid Puritan that the Protestant of the Church of England asserts the Holy Scripture to be a full and perfect Rule of all the Articles of Christian Faith and Christian Piety but notwithstanding he maintains that Holy Scripture hath left it in the Power of the Church Governors Sacred and Civil to appoint such Rites and Ceremonies to be used in the Service of God as they shall judge convenient and conducing to the ends of Unity and Order Peace and Love Decency Uniformity and the Edification of the Church And that by virtue of these General Rules Follow after the things Rom. 14.19 Phil. 3.16 1 Cor. 14.40 which make for Peace and whereby we may edify one another Let us walk by the same Rule let us mind the same thing Let all things be done decently and in order Let all be done to Edification and to the Glory of God Give no offence to Jew or Gentile or to the Church of God c. They in the General are authorised to appoint such Rites and Ceremonies as they judge most conducing to these ends and that all Christian people who live under their Care and Jurisdiction are bound to yield obedience to them in matters of this Nature by vertue of those Seriptures which command them to obey those that Rule over them and to submit to them Hebr. 13.17 â— Pet. 5.5 Rom. 13.1 1 Pet. 2.13 To be subject to their Elders and to the higher Powers and to every Ordinance of man for the Lords Sake I say their Tenet is that by vertue of these Scriptures they are bound to yield obedience to them in all lawful things that is in all those things which God hath not forbidden in his Word for where there is no Law of God forbidding there can be no transgression and therefore to refuse obedience to our Superiors Civil or Sacred in those matters is to refuse obedience in things lawful and therefore to offend against the Precepts which call upon us to be subject and obedient to them So that we do assert in Answer unto this Objection 1. That the Scripture is a perfect Rule of all Ceremonies that are good Works antecedently to the Command of man so that in Scripture some express for them may be found but that it is not such a Rule of indifferent Ceremonies 2ly That 't is as perfect a Rule as it needs to be in reference to Ceremonies uncommanded in particular 1 By giving us the general Rules which should direct Superiours in the imposing of these things indifrent but not in a particular Prescription of them as this Objection doth suppose it being a plain contradiction that any thing should be to us indifferent and yet prescribed to us in the Word of God Dissenters therefore must deny that there is any circumstance of Worship be it Time Place Gesture or the Words in which it is to be performed left indifferent or that being so that circumstance must not be used in Gods Worship or else they must confess the weakness of the Argument produced And 2ly Because it doth command us to obey Superiors Civil and Sacred in all lawful matters and so instructs us to submit to what is not forbidden by Gods Word when by Superiors it is commanded This is our Tenet and this is a direct and a sufficient answer to this Argument But on the other hand the Tenet of some Nonconformists owned by this Argument is this That no Church Governors ought to ordain or introduce into the Service of God any other Rites or Observations than such as God hath in his Word commanded or Christ and his Apostles by their Examples which they esteem as Precepts hath approved and that if they enjoyn such things we must not yield obedience to them but must reject them as humane inventions superstition and will worship This is that Doctrine in which the Mystery of Puritanism doth consist and the pernicious consequences of it are so many that any person who doth weigh them seriously will if he be indeed a Lover of Christianity abhor and heartily renounce that Doctrine whence they so naturally flow And 1. This Doctrine casts a reproach upon Religion it gives just cause to Magistrates to scruple the admission of the Christian Faith and to the Atheist and the Polititian to represent it as the great instrument of sedition and disobedience For this opinion obliges men to thwart the Magistrate in all indifferent matters which he commands with a respect unto Gods Worship If he commands them to come to Church on the Lords-day at such a time in such a place they must stand bound in conscience by this Rule to refuse to do so because in Scripture God hath not determined how oft what hour or where they should assemble if he commands them to be uncovered in the House of God to stand or kneel whilst they are praying to sit whilst hearing or the like they must not do it because God hath not told them in his Word that they should be uncovered in his presence that they should kneel or stand whilst they do pray or sit when they do hear Now what a Scandal what a base impeachment is it to our peaceable Religion to say that it obligeth us to disobey Authority in matters God hath left us all to do or not to do at pleasure only because he doth command us so to do them as we might have performed them had he not commanded us and that nothing doth so much engage us to be refractory to the higher Powers as that perfect Law of Liberty which Christ hath left us 2ly Upon the same account it must be sinful to obey those Civil Laws which do concern those Laws of Justice Charity and Mercy towards our Christian Brother which cannot clearly be collected from the written Word For it is plain from Scripture that these are the more weighty matters of
of any excellency in or Attribute of God but partly for distinction partly for decency and uniformity and partly for their Antiquity and lastly as being apt to put us in mind of our duty they cannot be supposed by commanding of them to these ends to make them parts of Worship 5ly External and Bodily Worship is either Substantial or Circumstantial and Ceremonial the Substantial parts of Gods outward Worship are vocal Prayer Praises hearing of the Word not as the word of Man but of God receiving of the Sacraments as they import an entering into Covenant with God and an Eucharistical Oblation of our Souls and Bodies to him Those Bodily Acts which be performed by us in pursuance of these substantial parts of Worship and whereby we do signifie either our Reverence of that God in whose presence we are or with whom we have to do as standing uncovering the head kneeling at Prayer bowing of our Body at our entrance into the place of Gods Worship prostration lifting up our Hands or Eyes to Heaven or whereby we do make profession of our Faith in God as standing up at the Creed to profession of our Faith in a Crucified Saviour on which account the Ancients used the sign of the Cross or lastly whereby we enter into Covenant with God according to his institution as by receiving of the Sacramental signs All these are Ceremonial or Circumstantial parts of Worship 6ly These Ceremonial parts of Worship are in the general commanded by God and they are natural signs of Reverence required by the second Commandment for that forbidding all outward Religious Worship to be given to that which is not God and that because it is that Worship which is due to God the affirmative part of that precept must be supposed to be this Thou shalt give unto me that outward Worship when therefore our Church Commands her subjects to Kneel at their receiving of the Sacrament with Prayer and doth exhort but not Command them to Worship God when they do enter into the place of Worship or bow unto the blessed Jesus who is God blessed for evermore when they are by his Name put in Remembrance of that great Salvation which he hath wrought for us she only doth appoint that to be done at such a time which God hath in the general Commanded to be done and so doth institute no uncommanded part of Worship 7ly When any thing is by God Commanded to be done in his own Worship which doth not primarily directly and immediately tend to express or signifie our sense or apprehension of his excellency or his Attributes the doing of it in its own Nature is no part of Worship but only the doing of it in Obedience to the Command of God for all obedience is an acknowledgment of Gods Sovereign Power and the subjection which we owe unto it Thus v. g. to receive the person that is to be Baptized to give the Bread and Wine to the Communicants are no parts of outward Worship because they are not directly and immediately designed to express any excellence of God but only done in order to the Baptising of the person to be received into the Church or the convenience of the Communicants receiving Sitting at the receiving of the Sacrament can be no part of Worship in those Churches which retain the gesture because it is retained only as a most fitting Table gesture and all those things which God enjoyned to be done in his own Temple the use of the Snuffers and the Tongs the cleansing of the Candlesticks the lighting up of the Candles the bringing in of the Wood for the Burnt offerings with infinite things of a like Nature could be no parts of Worship otherwise than as they were performed directly in obedience to a Divine Command Now hence 't is easie to return an Answer to the forementioned objections For 1st Hence it appears that the proper use of those Ceremonies of the Church of England which are not Natural or Instituted parts of Worship is not the Honouring of God by the acknowledgment of any of his excellencies which is sufficient refutation of the first Argument 2ly Hence it appears that they are not meer and immediate Acts of Religion or formally elicited from Religion as the second Argument supposes 3ly Hence it is evident that all the means that God hath appointed to teach Obedience are not Acts of Divine Worship as Preaching Reading of the Word pious Discourse good Advice and good Example which is sufficient Answer to the third Argument which also falsly doth suggest that our Ceremonies are devised to that end 4ly Hence it appears that it is no part of Gods Worship to teach his Worship teaching being an Action directed not immediately to God but Men nor are our Ceremonies devised to be means of Spiritual instruction by their Mystical signification nor are such signs necessarily essential parts of Worship unless afflictions which are signs of Gods displeasure designed to be means of Spiritual instruction be also parts of Divine Worship as the fourth Argument supposeth 5ly Hence it is manifest that the teaching and reading of the Scriptures for edification of the Church is no part of Gods Worship for the reason mentioned before on which false supposition doth the fifth Argument proceed 6ly Nor are all Actions whereby Spiritual duties are taught in Gods Solemn Worship Acts whereby God is Worshipped as is suggested in the sixth Argument 7ly Nor was the use of Jewish Ceremonies in the Solemn Worship of God any part of his true and immediate Worship unless they were such Jewish Ceremonies as did express or signifie some Divine Excellency or the acknowledgment thereof in those that used them as the seventh Argument suggest but doth not prove 8ly Nor are our uncommanded Ceremonies performed directly to God as is supposed Argument the eighth 9ly Nor are all special things done in the Service of God parts of his Worship as is asserted Argument the ninth 10ly Nor must all special Actions done in the Service of God bring special Honour to him viz. by the signification of any of his excellencies not the snuffing of the Candles not the bringing of the Wood to the Temple as the tenth Argument supposeth such Actions are indeed performed in order to those things which do bring Honour to God even as submission to the Ceremonies prescribed by the Church is done in order to the free Preaching of the Word and to the demonstration of our Obedience to Superiors and to the preservation of the Churches Peace by which things God is highly Honoured 11ly All Civil Ceremonies or all the Circumstances of them are not parts of Civil Worship not the taking of the Cup by the Cup-bearer but the Kneeling with it not the filling out of the Wine but the tendring it in that humble posture In a word only those Ceremonies whereby we do express our sense of some excellency in our Civil Superiors or which by Nature or by Custom signifie some excellency in
bore towards their Christian Brethren And such is kneeling and prostration in prayer embracing and shaking of hands Such saith the Apostle was that covering of the Womans Head in time of Publick Prayer even that which Nature taught 1 Cor. 11.14 15. Such are the Festivals of the Church viz. Expressions of our Praises for the Mercies then received And the standing from Easter to Whitsunday and on the Lords day used in the ancient Church was not to teach by way of signification any duty but to express and testify their Belief of our Lords Resurrection and for this end we also stand up at the Creed now that such signs may lawfully be used and required I know no cause of doubting from any thing which this Objection offers they being not instructive in but only expressive of our Faith and Duty and under this head may be comprised kneeling at the Sacrament as an Expression of our inward Reverence and signing with the Cross as an Expression of our Faith in and owning of the crucifyed Jesus Signs Arbitrary are such as neither of themselves nor yet by any antecedent Custom do signify distincty and determinately to others that which they are instituted or imposed to teach or signify such are the Elements of Bread and Wine for the breaking of Bread doth no more naturally signify the breaking of Christs Body on the Cross than the breaking of any other thing would do and such are all the moral significations of the Rites appointed by the Jewish Law concerning clean Beasts for Sacrifice and unclean forbidden to be sacrificed or eaten and such is the wearing of a Surplice to teach or signify purity it being naturally or by any antecedent Custom no more proper determinately to teach or signify to the Beholder or our selves this Grace than the putting of it on upon black Garments to signify Hypocrisy and a Pharisaical Temper and that we are like Scpulchres white without but black within Against the fitness of the Imposition therefore of such arbitrary signs to teach those duties which are more plainly and determinately taught already in the Word of God I fear this Argument too strongly doth conclude But then the Excellent Bishop Taylor doth sufficiently excuse our Church from this supposed guilt by saying that There is reason to celebrate and honour the Wisdom and Prudence of the the Church of England Ibid. §. 8. p. 327 which hath in all her Offices retained but one Ceremony that is not of Divine Ordinance or Apostolical Practice that is the Cross in Baptism Which tho it be a significant Ceremony and of no other use yet as it is a complyance with the Practice of all ancient Churches so is it very innocent in it self and being one and alone is in no regard troublesome or afflictive to those that understand her Power and her Liberty and Reason I said she hath one only Ceremony of her own appointment for the Ring in Marriage is the Symbol of Civil nor a religious Contract it is a Pledge and Custom of the Nation not of the Religion and those other Circumstances of her Worship are but determinations of time and place and manner of a duty They serve to other purposes besides signification they were not made for that but for Order and Decency for which there is an Apostolical Precept and a Natural Reason and an Evident Necessity or a great Convenience Now if besides these uses they can be construed to any good signification or instruction that is so far from being a prejudice to them that it is their Advantage their Principal End being different and warranted and not destroyed by their superinduced and accidental use sect 3 The use of the Ceremonies is superstitious Oâ—â— 6. and therefore we say they cannot submit unto the Practice of them without sin That the use of the Ceremonies in Religious Worship is superstitious they prove by Arguments already answered viz. That it is super statutum or more than God hath in his Word required and that they are imposed as parts of Worship Moreover these things say they cannot be used without Superstition in the Service of God which have no necessary or profitable use in his Service for as vain Thoughts and Words are forbidden in the Holy Scripture so is it not to be doubted but that vain actions are forbidden especially in the Worship of God Answ 1 To give a Satisfactory Answer unto this Objection it will be only necessary to state the Notion or true import of Superstition that by applying it to our own Practice and to the Practice of Dissenters we may judge who are most guilty of this vice 1. Therefore Superstition being a species of false Worship whereby we do exhibit Worship to an Object to which it is not due or to that Object which deserveth Worship in an undue manner it follows plainly that where no Worship is exhibited by the act done or intended by the Doer or Imposer of the act there can be no Superstition in the Exercise of such an act there may be Vanity and an abuse of Power in the imposing rites unprofitable and unnecessary but there can be no Superstition or Will Worship where there is neither any act of Worship nor any Will to worship God by the Performance of these Rites nor designation of them unto such an end 2ly Superstitious Worship undue as to the manner of it can only be performed by offering that as acceptable and pleasing to God or as an Exercise of Religion and honor to God or an Acknowledgment of some of his perfections which is not acceptable or well pleasing to him which rendreth him no honor and doth not tend to the Acknowledgment of any of his Attributes or perfections for by performing that which indeed is pleasing and acceptable to God or which doth render honor to him we cannot be superstitious hence it must follow that when men make those things a part of their Religion which God hath not commanded or forbidden and think God is pleased with their meer doing or abstaining from doing them they in so doing must be superstitious Two things are therefore necessary to compleat this species of false Worship viz. 1. That the matter about which it is conversant relate to the doing some supposed Religious Act that is some Act of Service acceptable and well pleasing to God and which directly tends unto his honor 2ly That he who doth it do really mistake in judging such an action to be indeed Religious and tending to his honor and therefore acceptable to him 3ly All Superstition consisting fundamentally in this mistake and formally in the ensuing practice thereupon it must with equal reason be concluded that the forbearance of an act upon the like mistake viz. that we conceive it well pleasing to God and tending to his honor to forbear it when indeed it is not so is Superstition because by that Forbearance we equally design to please and honor God and do it as unduly
with respect unto the manner And therefore it is well observed by Dr. Stillingfleet That many Superstitions condemned in Scripture chiefly consist in the forbearance of things lawful Serm. of Superst p. 37. on supposition that the forbearance of them was well pleasing to God The Superstition condemned Coloss 2.22 lay in supposing God to be pleased with their Forbearance of things lawful with their not touching tasting handling them and therefore was a negative Superstition And so it was in the dispute between Christ and the Pharisees about healing on the Sabbath day they thought it unlawful and therefore did abstain Christ thought it lawful to do good on the Sabbath day and therefore did it here was no positive observance on the Pharisees part yet here was Superstition in them and therefore the true Notion of Superstition doth extend to the Forbearance of things in themselves lawful as displeasing to God § 4 Now to apply these things that the Forbearance of the Ceremonies required by the Church of England on supposition that they are lawful in themselves and yet are by Dissenters abstained from as unlawful must be superstitious will be exceeding evident 1. Because they do and must according to their Principles esteem this their refusal to submit unto them when imposed as an act of special honor to God it being a declaration of their minds that they think God dishonoured by such acts and therefore dare not comply with them it can be only fear of sinning against God which can engage them with the hazard of their Estates and Ease c. thus to refuse obedience to the Commands of their Superiours They then must look on this refusal as a product of the fear of God and as an act of true obedience to him in opposition to the unjust Commands of men or an obeying God more than man and consequently they must esteem themselves more holy acceptable and well pleasing to God on the account of this Forbearance than Conformists are 2ly Because they do and must esteem Gods Worship corrupted by the use of these our Rites as to the Purity and the Spirituality of it and so they do esteem themselves by this Forbearance Preservers of his Worship pure and spiritual and free from that Idolatry and Superstition with which they charge it upon these accounts 3ly Because they do and must according to their principles rather refuse to joyn in the external Communion of our Church and rather bound to set up separate Communions than to comply with these our Rites now surely nothing but a necessity of displeasing God by joyning in Communion with us can warrant their refusal of it nothing but a necessity by God imposed on them of setting up such separate Communions in Order to the acceptable Worship of God can justify their Separation if therefore they mistake in Judging that such necessity is laid upon them as they must do if it be lawful to submit unto these Rites and hold Communion with us notwithstanding the necessity which lyes upon them to submit unto them they must be superstitious in that Practice which follows from this grand mistake § 5 In answer to the Close of this Objection it is said That these things edify by their Signification and therefore must be good and profitable and so not like unto vain Words and Actions To this it is replyed by Dissenters that many things of a like Nature when they are used by devout and thinking men may edify by their Signification and yet the imposition of them upon that account would scarce exempt them from the appearance of vanity As v. g. Should a Church Governor command his Subjects to appear in Armor in the Church to signify their Spiritual Warfare or to put on an Helmet to signify that they would manfully fight under Christs Banner or to drink Milk in token of their desire to feed on the sincere Milk of the Word or to use Vinegar and Gall in token of their Resolution to undergo the greatest Hardships for the Sake of Christ or to put on a pair of Spectacles to signify we are dim sighted in the things of Christ tho the Signification of these things might tend to edify the things required could hardly be excused from vanity 2ly They add that Edification in the Scripture Sense is quite another thing from this obscure way of teaching by Signification To edify our Brother in the Scripture Sense is to build him up and to confirm him and help him forward in the Christian Faith 1 Tim. 1.4 Jud. 20. The things by which the Church is said to receive Edification are of a better Nature viz. Walking in the Fear of God and in the Comfort of the Holy Ghost Act. 9 31. The Preaching of the Word 1 Cor. 14.3 4 5. Christian admonition and discourse Administring Grace unto the Hearer Eph. 4.29 The Graces of the Holy Spirit descending on Christs Members Eph. 4.16 Of the Edification of any indifferent and humane Ceremony the Scripture speaketh not one Word We are then said in Scripture to edify our Brother when we forbear indifferent and unnecessary things which through his weakness do cooperate towards his ruine Rom. 14.19 20. We do it by our Charity towards him in these things for Charity edifyeth 1 Cor. 8.1 By our Promotion of unity and so by the removal of such unnecessary things as do obstruct it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Edifie your selves into one 1 Thes 5.11 Answ But were this granted that some one or more of our Ceremonies seemed to you unprofitable and unserviceable to the use of Edifying what is that to you who only are concerned to know whether what your Superiors Command may lawfully be done by you and who Transgress your bounds when you presume to judge whether the things imposed be in their own Natures profitable edifying or convenient to be imposed for if they be as you conceive the fault supposed in the imposing of them is not yours but theirs whereas the fault in not submitting to them if lawful will most certainly be yours 2ly Whatsoever they are in themselves yet your submission to them in obedience to the lawful Commands of your Superiors for preservation of the Churches Peace for the prevention of Schism and all its dreadful consequents for the obtaining freedom to joyn in the Communion of the Church will doubtless highly tend to your Edification and your Profit as being a Submission to them for such Pious Christian ends as Christianity most stirictly doth oblige us to aim at and pursue and which are in themselves sufficient to sanctifie an action otherwise unprofitable and render it a Christian Duty Lastly to Kneel at the receiving of the Sacrament to express our Reverence and Humility to sign a Child with the Cross in token to the Congregation that he is listed among Christs Members or wear a Surplice for decency or distinction cannot be proved to be vain by any of the Instances forementioned Obj. 7 We cannot say Dissenters
lawfully submit to the institution § 7 or introduction of New Sacraments into the Church of God or use them being introduced without Divine Institution For a Sacrament according to the Catechism of the Church of England being an outward visible sign of inward Spiritual grace and both a means thereof and a pledg to assure us of it he only can have power to appoint a Sacramental sign who has right to promise and power to Minister that grace and therefore he alone who is the God of all grace can institute a Sacrament now that our Ceremonies some at least of them are Sacraments they endeavour to prove by these Arguments 1. All Mystical Bodily rites and signs of Spiritual grace administred to the Church of God in his Solemn Service to confirm grace and that by him who represents the Person of Christ are Sacraments but such are the greatest part of our Ceremonies for they being Administred to Edifie the Soul and Conscience must be Administred to confirm grace the Sacrament of the Lords Supper being for this cause alone a Sacrament because it is a Mystical Rite whereby the Soul Spiritually feedeth upon Christ i. e. is Edified in Christ these being Mystical Rites whereby the Soul is Edified must be also Sacraments 2ly No reason say they can be given why the representation of some Spiritual Duty by a Mystical Rite should not as properly pertain to the Nature of a Sacrament as the shadowing or Sealing some Spiritual promise and it seems altogether as lawful for Man to devise signs for the confirmations of his Faith as to admonish of and teach his Duty for what difference is there between an addition to the means of instruction appointed by God and to the means of our assurance prescribed by him the Commandments and Promises being so knit together that we cannot perform our Duty without assurance of some benefit by it from God Moreover to be a teacher of the understanding and exciter of devotion requireth power supernatural no less than to be a confirmer of the heart and he who hath Authority to ordain means effectual for any of these ends can bless them all and Man hath as much power to Seal what he cannot bestow as to teach by his own sign that which he cannot bless to that end Answ 1 1. It must be granted that it is not in the power of the Church to introduce new Sacraments truly and properly so called but then unto the Arguments produced to prove our Ceremonies to have the Nature of true Sacraments I Reply 1. That I know not any Ceremonies which by the Church of England are appointed to be signs of Spiritual grace or to confirm grace to us for it is one thing to appoint or use such Rites as in themselves are apt to signifie or mind us of Spiritual things or bring such things to our remembrance which the Church confessedly doth and it is another thing to appoint such Rites to be used to that end which the Church doth not by the bare using of the thing appointed we comply with the institution in the first sense but only by using of these Rites to such an end do we comply with it in the Second now where doth the Church of England require us to use her Ceremonies to such ends Where doth she say you shall wear a Surplice to put you in mind of that purity of Conversation which is required by the Ministers of Christ you shall Kneel to signifie or mind you of that Reverence you owe to God you shall receive the sign of the Cross to put you in mind of your Duty to confess and own a Crucified Saviour no sure that Ceremony is used to Persons not capable of being put in mind of any Duty only in token to the Congregation that they are listed amongst them who are engaged so to confess What enquiry doth the Church of England make whether any of her Members have used her Ceremonies to these ends or not When did she ever quarrel with or punish any for neglecting to use them to these ends Wherefore the whole foundation of this Argument is in my judgment false and rather grounded upon some fanciful expressions of some Writers of the Church of England than upon any of her own institutions and decrees she having no where said that she administers any of the forementioned Rites to confirm grace or doth appoint them to be signs of grace but only that she doth appoint them as being apt and proper in themselves to put good thoughts into us or to express our Reverence as beating on the Breast or sighing is apt to signifie or to express our Godly sorrow and looking up to Heaven to mind us of the wisdom and the power of the great Creator and of that Majesty who dwelleth there Answer 2 2ly If the design of these Ceremonies to signifie express or bring into my mind Spiritual things would make them Sacraments Then 1. the kiss of Charity and the love Feasts used and approved in the Apostles time and all the Ancient Ceremonies of the Church designed to signifie or represent Spiritual things must also be esteemed Sacraments they being all designed to Edifie the Soul and consequently the whole Church of Christ from the beginning to this present day must justly be obnoxious to this Sacrilegious guilt of adding to the Sacraments of Christ 2ly Then must all visible Creatures become Sacraments they being all designed by God to Edifie us by instructing us in and minding us of the Almighty power and Majesty of God Then 3ly Every Crucifix and Picture relating to Spiritual things every piece of Tapestry or Turky-work which contains any piece of sacred History whereby we may be Edified Every good Ballad Pious Book and Frontispiece set before it and even that Pack of Cards which lately was contrived to mind us of the Popish Plot must be a Sacrament If as the first Objection saith all Rites and Signs whereby the Soul is Edified or which have been designed to that end are Sacraments then all the Moral signs of the whole Jewish Law must be reputed Sacraments The Tabernacle the Altar the Sacrifices the Golden Candlestick the Lamp and Snuffers the Priests Garments the Phylacteries and Fringes which God Commanded them to wear for a Memorial the clean Beasts appointed to be Eaten and Offered and the unclean to be abstained from must all be Sacraments according to this Rule they being Rites appointed to signifie Spiritual things or Duties and so to Edifie the Soul and Conscience yea every good word we speak every instruction we deliver to our Child or Friend or our Parishioners every Publick Prayer must be a Sacrament for words are signs and these are words and therefore signs designed to Edifie the Soul Lastly If every thing designed to teach the understanding or to excite devotion only as objects and as occasions which the mind of Man may use or may reflect on to that end must be a Sacrament then every
Gibbet set up to mind us of the Punishment of evil doers and every person executed on them must be Sacraments they being objects proper to Minister occasion to our minds to reflect upon the shame and punishment of such offences as bring Men to the Gibbet then all Gods judgments upon wicked Persons and all the mercies he vouchsafes unto his Servants as Testimonies of his kindness to them and the examples of all Pious Men must be accounted Sacraments they being all designed to teach our understanding or excite devotion in us and it will be as much unlawful when I wash my hands to reflect upon my obligation to purity of heart and life or when I tast the sweetness of my food or think upon my care and labour to procure it to reflect upon the sweetness of the bread of life and how much more I am concern'd to labour after it as to use the imposed Ceremonies as the occasions of devout conceptions And lastly then to smite upon my Breast to excite Godly sorrow to Pray prostrate to encrease or to express my humility or perform any other actions of like Nature must be to add unto the Sacraments of Christs appointment And whereas the objection adds that no reason can be given why the representation of some Spiritual Duty by a Mystical Rite should not as properly pertain to the Nature of a Sacrament as the shadowing or sealing some Spiritual promise I Answer the disparity is very plain for these Rites falsly stiled Mystical may of themselves be apt to express or put me in mind of my Duty but cannot of themselves be apt without Gods pleasure signified to seal his promise or to assure me of his grace I can by meditation or by reflection upon the meanest object move my self to the performance of my Duty but cannot by the like reflections move the Author of every good and perfect gift to give me what he never promised or seal unto me any Spiritual blessing § 9 Lastly If we may take an estimate of Sacraments from those recorded in the Old or the New Testament we shall find many things required to Sacraments which are all wanting in our Ceremonies supposing that they were injoyned to these very ends For 1. A Sacramental sign of Duty obliges us to the performance of the Duty signified the Sacrament of the Lords Supper to thankfulness for the blessings represented by the Elements and to walk as becomes the Members of Christ's Body whereas a Ceremony tho apt to signifie doth not oblige us to the performance of the Duty signified nor do I sin against God provided I live holily and purely tho the consideration of a Surplice do never move me so to do or be by me improved to that end 2ly All Sacraments import a Covenant established betwixt God and Man a Stipulation on each part and by partaking of them we either enter into or else renew our Covenant with God and make profession that we are in Covenant with him And by just consequence a Sacrament is Sacrae rei signum in quantum est significans a sacred sign which sanctifies and separates the receiver from others who do not receive or own such Rites thus by the Sacraments of Circumcision and the Passover the Jews were made a separate People from all other Nations and the neglect of either of these ordinances was Cutting off from Gods People because this was a breaking of Gods Covenant Numb 9.13 Gen. 17.14 likewise we Christians are by Baptism received into Covenant with God by eating at Gods Table we make profession of our adherence to that Covenant and also by participating in the Blood of the New Covenant and to exclude a Person from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is to exclude him from the Communion of the Body of Christ 3ly All Sacraments contain a promise on the part of God and Stipulation on the part of Man and upon this account they do not only mind us of our Duty but also lay upon us fresh obligations to perform it and also they oblige our God to give us grace sufficient to perform that Duty to which he doth oblige us by these Sacraments Now there is nothing of all this in our three Ceremonies we do not by them enter into Covenant with God nor are we by them Sanctified or Separated from other Christians who use them not nor doth God by them promise any Blessings to us nor do we oblige our Souls to any Duties towards him nor do we enter into any Stipulations with him or he with us they who do most do only take occasion from them to reflect upon their Duty as Men of Phancy and Devout affections may do from any other thing which doth occasionally present it self unto their minds And whereas it is more particularly excepted against the sign of the Cross that as it is imposed it hath the Nature of a Sacrament from this discourse we may return an easie Answer to the objections made against it as v. g. § 10 Here is saith Mr. Baxter the outward visible sign the Cross Diâ—p 5. of Cer. chap. 2. §. 56. Answ Just such another as is made in the Air by Preaching we may see the Minister making a Cross but who ever saw an Aerial Cross after it was made 2ly The inward and Spiritual Grace saith he is a Holy resolution to fight Manfully under the banner of Christ and to persevere therein Answ An Holy resolution in an Infant is a Spiritual grace indeed Here is saith he 1st A signification of grace to be wrought on the Soul and given us by God 2ly An engagement to perform the Duties of the Covenant our selves on Gods part we are to receive by this sign both qualitative and actual grace and relative grace Answ All this is said without all ground from any thing delivered by the Church of England it is no sign assuring us of Gods grace as all true Sacraments are 't is no engaging sign either on Gods part or on ours but only an Indicatory sign to the Congregation that the Baptized Person is listed among those who are to fight under Christ's Banner The Cross saith he is to Teach our Understandings and help our Memories and quickâ—n our dull Affections by minding us of a Crucified Christ and the benefits of his Cross so that this § 57 and such other Ceremonies are appointed to Teach the understanding by their Signification Answ The Book of Common Prayer saith not they are appointed to teach but only that the things appointed are apt to stir up the dull mind the difference of which two Phrases I have shew'd already And that this saith he § 58 is the way of working grace as Gods word and Sacraments do is undeniable Answ We are discoursing here not of Gods Word but of his Sacraments and that they only work grace Morally and as things apt to stir up the dull mind of Man and by objective Teaching is a false assertion which renders the
Sacraments unnecessary and no more operative than is a Meditation on the things they represent whereas indeed they seal grace they have a promise of grace annexed to them and they confer it Physically on the due receiver § 59 And then saith he for relative grace it is plain that by the sign of the Cross as well as by Baptism we are entred into a state of Christianity and so it is an investing Sacramental sign it listeth us under the Banner of Christ Crucified And that is the very essential Nature of the Sacrament of Baptism it self Answ It is not true that the Cross used by the Church of England is an investing sign or that we by the Cross are entred into a state of Christianity it being only a declarative sign to others that we have been entred by Baptism § 60 61. If saith he you judge it essential to a Sacrament to be an engaging sign in the very Covenant of grace it self the Cross is instituted to this end it is to engage our selves to a Crucified Christ as our Captain and Saviour by his Cross and to bind our selves to the Duty of Souldiers or Christians to our lives end and consequently to teach us to expect the privileges of faithful Servants and Souldiers from a Crucified Christ all this he gathers from these words of the Common-Prayer we sign this Child with the sign of the Cross in token that hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the Faith of Christ Crucified c. But these words rightly Interpreted give him no Colour for any of his inferences the token there spoken of relating not to the Child who is uncapable of taking notice of it but to the Congregation into which he is received so that it is as much as if it were said we receive this Child into the Congregation present in token to them that he is now by Baptism become one of them who are Members of the Crucified Jesus and so hereafter shall not be ashamed to confess that Faith this will be evident from the subscription made by Dr. Burges in these words where the Book saith Defence of Dr. Morton p. 24 25. And do sign him with the sign of the Cross in token c. I understand the Book not to mean that the figure of the Cross hath any virtue in it to effect or further this Duty but only to intimate and express by that Ceremony by which the Ancients did avow their profession of Christ Crucified what the Congregation hopeth and expecteth hereafter from that Infant viz. that he shall not be ashamed to profess the Faith of Christ Crucified into which he was even now Baptized And therefore also when the 30th Canon saith that the Infant is by that sign Dedicated unto the Service of Christ I understand that Dedication to import not a real consecration of the Child which was done in Baptism it self but only a Ceremonial declaration of that Dedication like as the Priest is said to make clean the Leper whose being clean he only declared These Interpretations King James accepted p. 26. and my Lords Grace of Canterbury affirmed them to be the true sense and intention of the Church of England And again p. 477 478. The Child saith he must first be Baptized and upon that Baptism be acknowledged by the Minister speaking then in the Name of the whole Congregation in the Plural Number we receive this Child c. to be now made a visible Member of the Church of Christ by Baptism before he may use this Ceremony of the Cross And when he doth use it he is bound at that instant to profess and tell why it is done namely in token that hereafter he shall not be ashamed c. that is not be ashamed of that Covenant whereinto he is by Baptism now entred So as no Man can say that this is done to add either vertue to the Sacrament or capacity of grace to the Child but only for intimation to the whole Congregation for their instruction what it is to which Baptism once received binds all Christians that come to age convenient which Ceremony the Church of England thought good to retain because it had such an use in the purer times If any Man doth yet stumble as I confess my self to have done at those words of the 30th Canon that by this Lawful Ceremony and Honourable Badg this Child is Dedicated to the Service of Christ I pray such a one to know and I have good warrant to assure him that the word Dedicated doth here import no more than declared by that Ceremony to be dedicated like as the Priest is said to have cleansed the Leper whom he only declared to be clean Levit. Disp the 5. of Cer. chap. 3. ◠18 16. 14.11 Now to this end saith Mr. Baxter and on these terms was the sign of the Cross used heretofore by Christians and therefore I durst not have reproved any of the Ancient Christians that used the sign of the Cross meerly as a professing signal action to shew to the Heathen and Jews about them that they believed in a Crucified Christ and were not ashamed of his Cross The occasional indifferent use of this when it is meerly to this end I durst not have condemned CHAP. VI. The CONTENTS The Arguments against the Rites established by the Church of England by which Dissenters do endeavour to shew that tho they may be lawful in themselves yet are they not to be submitted to by reason of some Circumstances which attend them are reduced to their respective Heads viz. 1. The supposed Violation of Christian Liberty 2ly The abuse of them by others to Superstition and Idolatry 3ly The appearance of Evil that is in them 4ly The Scandal which they minister to the Weak And lastly That by submitting to them they should partake of the supposed sin of the Imposer § 1. Objection the 1st They violate our Christian Liberty because they render us subject to Ordinances which is the thing forbidden 2 Coloss 20. 2ly The Servants of men which is forbidden 1 Cor. 7.23 3ly Because they bind the Conscience And 4ly Because they are urged on those who in their Consciences condemn them § 2. In answer to this Objection it is asserted that the determination of any thing indifferent by our Superiors provided they do not impose it as a thing necessary in its own Nature or as a part of our Religious Worship can no ways violate our Christian Liberty And that 1. Because Scripture layes Restraints upon our Liberty in matters of this Nature 2ly Then all our Vows and Promises respecting things indifferent relating to the Service of God would violate our Christian Liberty 3ly Because what we may do tho no Injunction of the Magistrate required it cannot be sin when done because he doth require it 4ly Then should the Magistrate forbid the doing of the things enjoyned we must not leave undone what he forbids 5ly Then is it in the Power of
the Magistrate to cut off all that Liberty we have in matters of this Nature and to oblige us not to do what ever we are left at Liberty by God to do 6ly Because this pretended Liberty is the occasion of lamentable Mischiefs to the Church of God whereas the good which can accrue unto her Members by it is but little 7ly Because such a pretended Liberty is contrary to the Practice of Church Governors laid down in Scripture and to the Rules prescribed for their Government § 3. Corollaries 1. Hence it is evident that Christian Liberty cannot be violated by these impositions because Conscience is bound to yield obedience to them when they are imposed Nor 2. By requiring Persons to do that of which their Conscience being erroneous doubts or which it doth condemn A direct Answer is returned 1. To that Passage of St. Paul ye are bought with a price be not ye the servants of men 1 Cor. 7.23 2ly To that of Coloss 2.20 If ye be dead with Christ from the Rudiments of the World wherefore are ye subject to Ordinances § 4. Obj. 2. Our Ceremonies have been abused to Superstition and Idolatry and therefore being not of necessary use should be abolished and cannot be submitted to without disobedience to many Precepts of the Old and New Testament requiring the abolition of things so abused § 5. Answ 1. That these Commands were given only to the Jewish Nation and where no Natural Analogy or moral reason can be shewed for their perpetual Obligation cannot be binding to the Christian and that the contrary Tenet will be very mischievous to Christian Kingdoms and People Ans 2. That it cannot rationally be supposed that God by any of the Texts alledged forbids the doing of a lawful action meerly because it hath been is or may by others be abused to Superstition or Idolatry provided we do not continue to be ensnared by it nor is there any ground of fear that we should be so 1. Because this Interpretation of them would rob us of our Churches and our Bells and many other things which the Dissenters do allow of 2ly Because then many things which both Jews and Christians practised would be unlawful 3ly Because neither the Jews nor our Lord Jesus nor his Disciples did scruple such material Conformity with Heathens in indifferent matters as our Dissenters do condemn Ans 3. That Superstition and Idolatry can cleave no longer to such Actions than the mistake of mens opinions of them doth remain Ans 4. That tho it be not necessary to impose our Ceremonies yet when they are imposed by Authority they become necessary in their use and so are not to be accounted things unnecessary in respect of us § 6. A direct Answer is given to the Text objected 1. By shewing that the things in which the Jewish Nation are forbid to do after the manner of the Canaanites or the Aegyptians are either Idolatrous Actions or Ceremonies or Actions tending to Idolatry or contrary to the Service of God As in Exod. 23.24 Lev. 18.3 Deut. 12.4 Not to Name their Gods Exod. 23.13 is not to Worship enter into covenant with or to swear by them 3. The import of that Phrase thou shalt call me no more Baal Hos 2.16 4. The reason why God commanded his own People to destroy the Altars and the Images of Heathens and not to take unto themselves the Silver Gold and other Furniture belonging to them was the prevention of their erecting of them and preserving them to give Idolatrous Worship to them or make them Instruments of Idolatry As Exod. 34.13 Deut. 7.25 Esa 30.22 5. Why the Jews were forbid to round the Corners of their Heads or mar the Corners of their Beards Lev. 19.27 28. 6ly 2 Cor. 6.17 Touch not the unclean thing And Jude 23. Hate even the Garments spotted with the Flesh are impertinently produced against the using of our Ceremonies 7ly The eating of things sacrificed to Idols condemned Revel 2.14.20 was only eating of them in the Idol Temples and at the Feasts of Idols so as to be Partakers of the Table of Devils or to commit Idolatry by the Participation of them § 7. Answer to the Examples objected as 1. To that of Jacob causing his Family to give him the Ear-Rings which were in their Ears 2ly Of Daniel who would not defile himself with the portion of the Kings Meat Dan. 1.8 3ly Of Mordecai refusing to bow to Haman 4ly Of Hezekiah who brake the Brazen Serpent when it was abused to Idolatry § 8. Obj. 3. We must abstain from all appearance of evil 1 Thess 5.22 Now the Ceremonies at least have an appearance of evil in them Answ 1. The Words may be well rendred thus abstain from every sort or kind of evil or thus from every appearance that is evil A. 2. The Apostle only adviseth us to abstain from that which after tryal seemeth evil to our selves and not from that which only doth appear to others to be evil The absurdity and mischief of the Exposition of these Words obtruded on us by Dissenters And the Argument retorted § 9. CHAP. VI. § 1 I Have now finished my Answer to those Arguments whereby Dissenters to endeavour to prove the Rites required by the Church of England as the Conditions of Communion to be sinful in themselves and by the Word of God forbidden I proceed therefore in the last place to answer those Pretences which do and must proceed on this Concession That the things required are in themselves indifferent and not forbidden by the Word of God and yet they who grant this contend that they are rendred sinful or such as they cannot with a good Conscience do by reason of some circumstances which attend the Rites imposed the imposition of them or their Practice of them And 1. The imposition of these things indifferent is represented by them as a Violation of their Christian Liberty in which they are commanded to stand fast and consequently are obliged not to betray by their Submission to these Impositions 2ly The Rites imposed say they tho lawful in themselves have been abused by others to Superstition and Idolatry now things indifferent and unnecessary having been thus abused become unlawful to be used 3ly We are required say they to abstain not only from all kinds but also from all appearances of Evil now the imposed Rites have in them an appearance of Evil at the least 1 Thess 5.22 and therefore are to be avoided 4ly We say they are commanded to forbear the Practice even of things indifferent when by the doing of them we minister occasion of Scandal to the Weak now by the Practice of the imposed Rites we shall be sure to minister occasion of Scandal to our Weak dissenting Brethren and therefore we conceive our selves obliged in Conscience to forbear the Practice of them Lastly We must not say they be partakers of the sins of others now by imposing of these Rites as the Conditions of Communion
already in many instances of things no where determined by the Law of Moses and yet enjoyned by them 't is also contrary to the Apostles Practice who forbad the using of things strangled and blood tho they not only were things in themselves indifferent but things required by that Ceremonial Law from which our Lord had freed his Servants and therefore more might have been pleaded against submitting unto that Decree than to the Constitutions of the Church of England concerning other things indifferent Lastly St. Paul requires that all things which relate unto Gods Publick Worship of which he there discourseth should be done decently and orderly but how shall Rulers be able to order matters so if it be an Infringement of our Christian Liberty to have any thing imposed upon us by our Governours for decency and orders sake Particular Rules being not given us in Scripture about this matter which to be sure would have been done were they not left to the determination of the Rulers of the Church Wherefore to give a brief but a sufficient Answer to the Objections mentioned § 4 1. From what hath been discoursed it is evident that Christian Liberty cannot be violated by these Impositions because the Conscience is obliged by them that is 't is bound to yield obedience to them when they are imposed for if this maketh the Commands of our Superiors to violate our Christian Liberty Then 1. All the Commands of Masters Parents and Superiors respecting things indifferent civil or sacred must be repugnant to that Liberty because we are if Servants Children or Subjects obliged to obey them in all lawful matters even for Conscience sake 2ly Then our own vows and resolutions concerning any thing indifferent must violate our Christian Liberty because we are obliged in Conscience to perform them 3ly Then can we not abstain from any thing indifferent in case of Scandal as St. Paul Commands us without infringing of our Christian Liberty because our Conscience is then bound for fear of Scandal to abstain from what is in it self indifferent 2ly It also is exceeding evident that Christian Liberty cannot be violated by requiring Persons to do that of which their Conscience being erroneous doubts or which it doth Condemn as is insinuated in the fourth Objection For were this so Then 1. our Laws must violate true Christian Liberty when they command the Quaker to pay Tythes for he not only doubts the lawfulness thereof but peremptorily pronounceth it unlawful so to do Then 2ly our Laws Commanding all Papists to come to Church to obey the King in opposition to the Pope to take the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy must violate his Christian Liberty because he doubts the lawfulness of yielding obedience to them 3ly By the same Rule my Christian Liberty must be infring'd much more when Magistrates Command me to abstain from what my Conscience tells me I should do now seeing an Erroneous Conscience may urge Men to the greatest wickedness since it may make them verily believe they ought to do many things contrary to the Name of Jesus Acts 26.9 and that by killing his Disciples they would do God Service Joh. 16.2 no Laws according to this Doctrine can be laid on Men whose Conscience is Erroneous to bind them not to do the worst of Evils 3ly In Answer to that passage of St. Paul we are bought with a Price 1 Cor. 7.23 and therefore must not be the Servants of Men. I say 1. That it is only an advice unto those Christians who being Slaves to Heathens had once bought their Liberty or by the bounty of their Friends had been redeemed from Slavery not to sell themselves again or to return to the condition of their former Servitude but to continue in that Liberty it therefore should be thus Translated are ye bought with a Price Be not ye the Servants of Men To make this clear consider that the Apostle is there instructing Christians how to behave themselves in their particular stations and callings and not upon pretence of Christianity to think themselves obliged to alter their condition or to neglect those Duties their proper station did require thus from v. 12th to the 16th he requires the believing â—usband not to desert the unbelieving Wife and the believing Wife not to part from her unbelieving Husband but to abide in that condition in which the Lord had called them In the 18th and 19th verses he advises the Circumcised Christian not to desire to be Uncircumcised vice versa but to abide as they were from v. 21. to v. 24. he gives advice to those who were believing Servants thus Art thou called being a Servant care not for it think it not a disparagement to Christianity that thou art still a Bondman but if thou maist be made Free prefer Freedom before Bondage Are you bought with a Price as by the Charity of Christians many believers then were be not then the Servants of Men return not any more to the condition of your former Slavery This without doubt is the true import of the words But 2ly according to the ordinary reading and interpretation of them viz. ye are bought with a Price even with the Blood of Christ be ye not the Servants of Men it giveth no Commission to the Christian to refuse obedience to his Superiors in lawful matters for to be the Servants of Men which is the thing forbidden to Christs Servants is only not to yield obedience to Men in any thing repugnant to that Service which they owe to Christ and therefore it is so far from being prejudicial to that obedience we owe unto Superiors for the Lords sake that for this very reason we are required to obey them in all lawful things because 't is part of that obedience which Christ requires from us as his Servants and which we are required to do for the Lords sake So Col. 3.20 Children obey your Parents in all things for this is well pleasing to the Lord and v. â—â— Servants obey your Masters in all things and whatsoever you do do it heartily as to the Lord for in serving them you serve the Lord Christ it being his ordinance that you obey in yielding to them in all lawful things And again 1 Pet. 2.13 16. Submit your selves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lords sake as the servants of God So that you see our being bought with a Price being that which maketh us Christs servants even when we are free from Slavery to Men it must engage us the more strictly to Obedience to Masters Parents and Superiors this being that we owe unto them in all lawful matters for the Lords sake and which we are obliged to perform as the servants of Christ. Lastly In Answer to that enquiry of St. Paul If you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the World Coloss 2.20 wherefore as living in the World are ye subject to Ordinances Touch not taste not handle not c. I say 1. That the
here not to touch the unclean thing is only to purge our selves from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit as is evident from the context of the words for the Apostle having mentioned the promises God had made to those who did separate themselves and touch not the unclean thing viz. that God would receive them and be a Father to them he infers wherefore beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit chap. 7.1 So that this Text cannot concern our Ceremonies unless it be asserted that whilst we use them we cannot cleanse our selves from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit And 4ly The unclean thing here spoken of is plainly the Idolatry of the Heathens as that expression intimates what conjunction hath the Christian who is the Temple of God with Idols to touch this unclean thing is to Communicate with them in their Idolatry by eating of their Idol Feasts in the Temple of their Idols which is saith the Apostle to have Communion with Devils 1 Cor. 10.20 to partake of the Table of Devils v. 21. let us not therefore saith he who have taken upon us the Yoke of Christianity be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 drawing in a contrary Yoke with the unfaithful for that the Apostle cannot by the unclean thing mean Marriage with an Infidel is evident because he saith the unbelieving Husband is sanctified to the beliving Wife 1 Cor. 7.14 if then these Ceremonies which we use cannot be proved to be Idols they must be unconcerned in this prohibition To the Argument from the Apostle Judes exhortation to hate the Garments spotted with the Flesh Defence of Dr. Morton p. 437. it is well Answered by Dr. Burges That as a Garment spotted with the Flesh of the unclean was no longer to be hated than till it was washed and being washed might again be used so is it with Ceremonies of indifferent nature which have been defiled 2ly To hate or flie the Garments spotted with the Flesh is only to hate every thing that doth defile tho in the least degree for so the Leprous and Unclean Garments did Hate saith the Reverend Dr. Hammond all the beginnings and the least degrees of impurity and uncleanness when therefore it can be proved that there is any degree of impurity or uncleanness in the use of our Ceremonies then only may this Text be urged against them And 3ly The refusal to Submit unto them tending to Disobedience and Schism and all the dreadful consequences which do follow from them may seem more likely to be forbidden by this Text than our Submission to them in Obedience to Authority Again whereas it is Objected That Christ reproved the Church of Pergamus and Thyatira for suffering Men to teach her Children to eat things Sacrificed to Idols Rev. 2.14 20. I Answer 1. That St. Paul hath taught us that it was not necessary in it self to eat Flesh offered to Idols for the Earth saith he is the Lords and the fulness thereof 1 Cor. 10.28 and so we may sufficiently be fed by other meat and yet he tells us that this meat may lawfully be eaten by the Christian that it is clean to the clean Tit. 1.15 and that 't is only through weakness that it can defile the Conscience and only is unclean to him that thinketh it to be so Rom. 14.14 and he gives free commission to all Men to eat it asking no question for Conscience sake 1 Cor. 10.27 and bids us as it were in flat contradiction to this Objection not to enquire or be follicitous whether the meat we eat have been by others so abused to Idolatry and if the offering of Flesh to an Idol doth not debar our freedom of using it to the sustaining of our Bodies why should the Superstitious use of a Ceremony make it unlawful to be used by others without that Superstition the eating therefore of things Sacrificed to Idols and teaching others so to do which was the thing condemned in those Churches by our Lord was only eating of them in the Idol Temples and at the Feasts of Idols so as to be partakers of the Table of Devils or to commit Idolatry by the participation of them which is so evident from the Context that he who runs may read it For 1. They are there also said to teach their Children to commit Fornication and to eat things offered to Idols Revel 2.14 20. Now all Men know that Fornication in the spiritual sense imports Idolatry 2ly They of the Church of Pergamus who taught her Children to eat things Sacrificed to Idols are said to hold the Doctrine of Balaam who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the Children of Israel that is to Sacrifice to their Gods to eat and to bow down unto them or to entice them by the Daughters of Moab to this sin Numb 25.1 2 3. Lastly The Woman who seduced the Church of Thyatira to commit Fornication and to eat things Sacrificed to Idols is called Jezabel a Woman famous for her promotion of Idolatry Proceed we now to Answer the examples propounded in the Objection And § 8 1. Gen. 35.4 To that of Jacob who caused his Family to give unto him the Ear-rings which were in their Ears I Answer 1. That these Ear-rings were say some Interpreters the Ear-rings which adorned their Gods and so were parts of their strange Gods they were say others Ear-rings in which were graven the effigies of their Gods after the manner of the Gentiles and so they were plain Idols which ought to be abolished they were say others dedicated to some Numen according to the manner of the Syrians and the Phaenicians and so were actual instruments of Idolatry Now what doth this concern the Ceremonies of the Church of England which as she useth them are neither Idols nor instruments of Idolatry 2. Dan. 1.8 To the example of Daniel who would not defile himself with the portion of the Kings Meat nor with the Wine which he drank I Answer that it is on many accounts impertinent 1. Because according to the judgment of Mr. Calvin the pollution spoken of was not a Ceremonial pollution arising from the Idolatrous use of the meats but only Moral and occasional by their being Bates and Allurements to draw him to an irreligious forgetfulness of the service of God 2ly If the pollution was Ceremonial it might arise from a mixture of Meats forbidden by the Jewish Law with others lawful to be eaten and which if he refused he would not have eaten the full portion allowed by the King 3ly Esth 3.2 To the example of Mordecai refusing to bow to Haman 1. If he himself may be believed he did not refuse what he conceived lawful in it self because it was by others abused to Idolatry but because the Worship which by Haman was required was in it self Idolatrous as being Worship proper to the God of Heaven For thus he speaks Thou knowest Lord that it was neither out of Pride nor
against the Feasts of Christmas Easter the Ascension c. Answered § 14. The Objection from Gal. 4.9 10. Coloss 2.16 Answered § 15. CHAP. IX HAving thus Answered all the considerable Objections of Dissenters which they plead in general against Submission to the Ceremonies appointed by the Church of England to be used in her Solemnities I proceed to a particular consideration of those Ceremonies of which I have not had a fit occasion to discourse in the foregoing Chapters And they are those viz. Kneeling at the Receiving of the Sacrament The Bishops imposition of hands at confirmation and standing up at the Creed and at the reading of the Gospel at the saying Gloria patri Kneeling at Prayer c. And § 1 1. Concerning Kneeling at the Sacrament I say 1. That since some posture is then necessary and none by God determined it cannot reasonably be doubted but that the Church hath power to determine in this matter as she conceives most proper and convenient 2ly I know no posture more convenient than that of Kneeling it being a very fit expression of our humility and of the sense of our unworthiness of the great blessings there received And 2ly A posture fit for Prayer which we do use at the Receiving of the Sacrament 3ly I add That if it be lawful to receive in such a humble posture then must it be unlawful to refuse Communion with our Church in the participation of this Ordinance because she doth require us to use this posture in receiving For on this supposition we must refuse to hold communion with her in a lawful matter and so must separate from her communion in this Ordinance without cause which is the sin of Schism Now that it is lawful to receive Kneeling will appear by answering the Arguments produced by Dissenters against this posture And 1. It is objected That Kneeling at the Sacrament is contrary to the Practice and Example of Christ and his Apostles for they received sitting Answ 1 It is confessed that the Greek words by which the posture of our Lord and his Disciples at their Receiving is expressed are translated so as to seem to countenance their opinion who hold the sitting posture to be most agreeable to the Example of our Lord and his Disciples but yet 't is certain from the Original that Christ and his Disciples did neither sit nor Kneel but did lye down on Couches at the Receiving of this Ordinance for 't was administred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they lying down Mark 14.18 of Christ himself 't is said that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he lay down with the twelve Matt. 26.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he fell down with them Luk. 22.14 If therefore this Objection be of any force it unavoidably will prove that we must neither sit nor stand nor Kneel but must lye down at the Receiving of this Sacrament and so our Lords Example will be as strong against sitting which is the posture our Dissenters use as against kneeling which is the posture they reject Answ 2 2ly I Answer that in such things as these which accidentally were done by Christ and his Apostles and had no real goodness in them we cannot be obliged to imitate them This men do generally acknowledge in things of a like nature to this gesture for they conceive that we are not obliged to receive this Sacrament in a like place viz an upper Room or Inn nor at the same time after the passover or after supper nor in the same habit in Sandals or a seemless coat why therefore should they think it necessary to be received in a like Gesture that being not commanded any more than is the time or place or habit Moreover St Paul when he informeth his Corinthians what he received from the Lord to be delivered to them touching this holy Sacrament 1 Cor. 11.23 maketh no mention of this Gesture and thereby doth assure us that it was not necessary to be observed And Bishop Jewel noteth well Repl. to Hard Artic. 2. that our Lord said do this but said not do it after supper do it sitting do it with twelve Disciples nor did the Apostles so understand him Answ 3 The Gesture in which the Passover even by Gods Command was celebrated at the first was altered by the Jewish Church for in the first Passover they were Commanded to eat it with their loins Girt their shoes on their feet Ex. 12.11 and their staves in their hands as men standing ready and in hast to be gone but being entred into their rest the land of Canaan they changed this posture into lying down and yet our Saviour and his Apostles did not scruple to conform unto it how much less should we scruple the varying from an uncommanded Gesture used occasionally and not of choice by our Dear Lord. 2ly It is objected that Kneeling at the Sacrament maketh us Guilty of Idolatry by worshipping God before or by or with Relation to a Creature For the Elements say they are the motive of your kneeling for if they were not there you would not kneel Answ It is to be lamented that such false Groundless and frivolous suggestions as these are should keep men from Communion with their Brethren in this Holy Ordinance for 1. The matter of fact is in this Argument Extreamly false it being not the Sight of the Elements which doth induce us then to Kneel But we receive them Kneeling saith our Lyturgy Rubr. after the Commun for a signification of our humble acknowledgment of the benefits of Christ there tendred and because Kneeling is a proper posture to tender our devotion in The Elements do only bring these things to our remembrance they do it to our eyes as the words used in a Sermon Prayer Book or by the Minister do bring them to remembrance by our hearing if then it be Idolatry to worship God when these things by the Symbols are brought to our remembrance it must be so to worship God when we do hear a Sermon Prayer or a discourse concerning them 2ly If this be Idolatry then our Dissenters must be Gross Idolaters for Surely inward worship unduly tendred is as Gross Idolatry as outward worship by which it is express'd now do not they when they behold the bread broken and the wine poured out put forth an act of inward worship viz. an act of praise thanksgiving love affiance do they not do this before a creature as much as we are not the Elements seen by them the motive of their doing so as much as of our Kneeling If then we are Idolaters for Kneeling to God before them why must not they be equally Idolaters by tendring all this inward worship to him before and on occasion of the same Elements 3ly Were this Idolatry the Jews must be Idolaters by worshipping the Lord before the Ark or Mercy Seat before the Temple at Jerusalem and before the Tabernacle for by so doing they worshipped God before a creature and would not
been their sin He tells them that the Supper of the Lord was Celebrated so among them that they came together for the worse v. 17. that some of them were drunk v. 21. that they despised the Church of God v. 22. that they did eat judgment to themselves v. 29. not discerning the Lords Body that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for this very cause many were sick among them many weak and many fallen asleep v. 30. yet did he not reprove any for Communicating with them in that Ordinance or counsel them to cease to do so till these things were reformed but rather doth suppose it was their Duty still to come to eat together v. 33. He adds that they did so administer the publick ordinances of Prayer and Praises 1 Cor 14.14 v. 33. that they became unfruitful and unedifying but knowing that God was the God of Order and not of Confusion he adviseth none to Separate for greater Edification Lastly He speaks his fears that at his coming he should sind among them envyings zeal commotions contentions evilspeaking whisperings puffing up and many who had lived a long time in Uncleanness Fornication and Lasciviousness and had not yet repented of those sins 2 Cor. 12.21 22. such he foretels he will not spare 2 Cor. 13.2 and thereby tacitly insinuates the fault of the Church Officers in sparing of them but never intimates that they Communicated with them in their guilt who joyned in Communion with them since then in all these cases we find not the least intimation of the Duty of the sound Members of the Church to separate on these accounts we may be sure that no such Duty was incumbent on them 3. In his Epistle to the Church of the Galatians he intimates that some of them were removed from him that called them to the grace of Christ unto another Gospel Gal. 1.6 That among them was taught that Doctrine of justification by the Law of Moses and of the necessity of Circumcision and the observance of the Ceremonial Law by which the Gospel was perverted v. 7. the death of Christ made vain Gal. 2.21 by embracing of which they were fallen from grace Gal. 5.5 and Christ was made of none effect unto them and would profit them nothing v. 2. and by which they who had begun in the Spirit were made perfect in the Flesh Gal. 3.3 That having run well they were so hindred and bewitched by their false Teachers as not to obey the truth Gal. 3.1.5.7 that being known of God they again returned to weak and beggerly Elements desiring to be in bondage to them Gal. 4.9 that they observed Months and Times and Years v. 10. that upon this account he was afraid lest he should have laboured in vain among them v. 11. he doubted of them v. 20. he again travel'd with them till Christ should be formed in them v. 19. He therefore minds them of their danger from these perverters of the Gospel saying a little Leaven leaveneth the whole Lump Gal 5.9 of their Duty saying cast out the Bond-woman and her Son Gal. 4.30 of his desire that such Men were excluded from them saying I wish they were cut off that trouble you Gal. 5.12 But after all this he adviseth none of the sound Members of the Church to desert the Publick Assemblies or separate on the account of the perverted from them But only doth advise the spiritual Persons to restore them in the spirit of meekness who were overtaken with a fault and to bear one anothers Burthens Gal. 6.1 2. 4. In his Epistle to the Colossians he intimates there were among them Men who being dead with Christ from the Elements of the World did notwithstanding dogmatize after the Commandments and Doctrines of Men Coloss 2.20 21 22. and thereby tacitly accused the Doctrine of Christ as insufficient and imperfect without the Doctrins which they superadded to it and chargeth them with Superstition and Will-Worship v. 23. which is the very charge that our Dissenters do injuriously make against the Church of England But do they find one word of Counsel or advice to any to separate from the Assemblies at Coloss because these Superstitious Persons were crept in among them 5. Our Saviour in his Epistles to the Seven Churches doth charge them with great faults and the permission of most notorious corruptions crept in among them for which he threatneth the severest of his Judgments if they did not repent but yet the Communion of the sound Members of the Church with Men so criminal in the Assemblies of the Saints is never mentioned among the faults of any of those Churches nor doth Christ thunder out one threat against them upon that account Rev. 2.14 Of the Church of Pergamus he complains that they had there them that held the Doctrine of Balaam who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the Children of Israel to eat things Sacrificed unto Idols v. 15. and to commit Fornication and also them who held the Doctrine of the Nicolaitans which he hated and therefore he declares v. 16. if she repented not that he would come against her quickly and fight against her with the Sword of his Mouth To the Angel of the Church of Thyatira he speaks thus I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest the Woman Jezebel v. 20. which calleth her self a Prophetess to teach and to seduce my Servants to commit Fornication and to eat things Sacrificed unto Idols To the Angel of the Church of Sardis he writes thus Chap. 3.1 Thou hast a Name that thou livest and art dead And that there were but a few Names in Sardis which had not defiled their Garments that therefore if she did not repent and watch v. 4. he would come unto her as a thief in the night To the Angel of the Church of Laodicea he v. 3. speaks thus Because thou art neither cold nor hot v. 16. v. 17. I will spew thee out of my mouth adding that tho they said I am rich and increased with Goods and have need of nothing yet were they indeed wretched poor miserable blind and naked He also doth commend the Church of Ephesus because she could not bear them that were evil Rev. 2.2 v. 6 and because she had tried them who said they were Apostles and were not and had found them Lyars And Lastly Because they hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans And he speaks kindly unto them of Thyatira who had not that doctrine of Jezebel for which the Rest were reprehended But yet we find not the least word of Reprehension of any in these Churches for joyning in Communion or in the publick Worship with men thus faulty nor any Counsel or advice to separate from the Communion of these Churches upon those Accounts The neglect of the Angel of the Church of Pergamos and Thyatira in suffering such to be among them is severely taxed but the Neglect of others to separate on
by executing of them only should rebuke the Scorner which the Wiseman forbids Prov. 9.8 Here then our Saviors Rule seems to take place Give not that which is Holy unto Dogs Matt. 7.6 lest they turn again and rent you Such persons ought therefore only to be excluded from the Sacrament according to the Counsel and Direction of the Church of England but not entirely and without exception excommunicated from the Church Prim. Christian Part 3. p. 377. To this effect it is observed by Dr. Cave that the Primitive Church Relaxed the severity of their Discipline when great multitudes were concerned or such persons as were like to draw great numbers after them in this case saith He they thought it prudent and reasonable to deal with persons by somewhat milder and gentler methods lest by holding them to terms of Rigor and Austerity they should provoke them to fly off either to Heathenism or to Heresy This Course St. Cyprian and his Brethren took for as the concord of his Collegues and the benefit of uniting the Fraternity and healing the wound in the Church required they 1 Necessitati temporum succubuisse p. 52. §. 3. yeelded to the necessity of the times and admitted the lapsed to Communion upon tolerable hopes of their true repentance 2 Ad gentiles se vias saecularia opera convertat vel ad Hereticos Schismaticos rejectus ab Eccle. transeat ibid. §. 10. v §. 3 9. lest being excluded from the Church they out of desperation should fly back to the Worldy or joyn with Hereticks or Schismaticks And in like manner saith he did our Brother 3 Cornelius yield to the necessity of the times Cornelius necessitati succubuit ibid. §. 6. Admitting to Communion plebis maximam partem maximum Fratrûm numerum a great part of the common people or the Brethren which separated with him upon the satisfaction and repentance of Trophimus alone with whom as they first separated they returned Moreover to this accords the judgment of St. Austin who declareth that 4 Neque enim potest esse Salutaris à multis correptio nisi cum ille corripitur qui non habet sociam multitudinem cum autem idem morbus plurimos occupaverit nihil aliud bonis restat quà m dolor gemitus Contr. Epist Parmen l. 3. p. 61. B. Correption cannot be salutary when the offendor hath many partners and that when the same disease hath seiz'd on many there remains no other Remedy for Good men to use but Prayers and Sighs and Sorrow And again that when 5 Et revera si contagio peccandi multitudinem invaserit Divinae Disciplinae severa misericordia necessaria est nam Consilia separationis inania sunt perniciosa atque Sacrilega quia impia superba fiunt plus perturbant infirmos bonos quam corrigunt animosos malos ibid. lit D. the Contagion of sin hath ceased the whole multitude the severe mercy of Divine Discipline is necessary for then all Councils of separation are vain pernicious wicked and Sacrilegious because they will more disturb the pious that are weak then correct the wicked that are sturdy And to confirm the judgment of St Austin the 6 Synop Pur. Theol. disp 48 §. 30. Authors of the Dutch Synopsis have observed that the Prophets and pious Priests among the Jews did never in a general declension of the people recur to these severer Methods And * Neque enim duris remediis locus est ubi tota Ecclesia in morbo cubat Grot. 2 Cor. 12.6 Grotius and Estius observe from these words of St Paul to the Corinthians that he was in a Readiness to revenge all disobedience when their obedience was fulfilled that there was no place for severe Remedies when the disease had infected the whole Church And that the Apostle was forced to yield to this necessity Esth in locum because the Offendors in the Church of Corinth being many Compan to the Temple part 4. p. 548.549 they could not easily be excommunicated I conclude therefore with the judicious Dr. Cumber that till men be so humble as to be willing to suffer shame and undergo severities in this world that their Souls may be saved in the next we may advise them to private and particular acts of mortification and repentance but it will be in vain to impose them on this untractable generation since by imposing them in these circumstances the Church would make this holy means of Reformation rather despised then obeyed Prop. 8 Altho it is the Christians duty to withdraw from and to avoid the scandalous Professor and the disorderly Walker yet is this only then a duty when we can serve no Higher ends of piety or mercy in holding correspondence with them For he that doth command us to withdraw from him that walks disorderly doth leave it still our duty to admonish him as ae Brother and therefore still to maintain that correspondence with him which is necessary to that admonition 2 Thess 3.14 15. and to all other good endeavors to reclaim and gain our Brother And therefore tho our Lord knew well the obligation of this duty and the great scandal which the Scribes and Pharisees would take at his free converse with Publicans and Sinners he doth not only justify the fact as being done in order to their reformation and conversion but also represents it as an higher duty and more incumbent on him then the avoiding the familiarity of wicked men and bids those Pharisees who reckoned it their duty to renounce all familiarity with such men learn what that meaneth I will have mercy and not Sacrifice And tho St. Paul permits not his Corinthians to have any fellowship with Unbelievers Matt. 9.13 or go unto their Idol Temples or their feasts yet he allows the coming of the unbeliever into their Assemblies 1 Cor. 14.23 as being that which might be instrumental to his conviction and conversion And v. 24 25. which is more observable St. Jude speaking of those impure Dreamers who defiled the Flesh c. saith thus v. 8. These are spots in your feasts of charity when they feast with you they therefore did intrude into these feasts and consequently joyned with them at the Table of the Lord of which these feasts were an Appendix and yet St. Jude prescribes no separation of the Saints from these Assemblies on that account Lastly tho Eli's Sons were Sons of Belial Sam. 1.2 12. and knew not the Lord Altho they caused the People to abhor the offering of the Lord v. 17. and therefore to neglect to come to Shilo with them v. 24. yet are they also said to make the Lords People to transgress viz. By this neglect it therefore was the Peoples duty still to attend upon these Ordinances of the Lord tho this could not be done under these circumstances without Communion with these Sons of Belial and Ministring
tho Accidentally and by Performing their own duty occasion to the Sin of Eli's Sons What therefore I may do for the procuring the Spiritual Good of others from whom I am commanded to withdraw may be more certainly performed for the procuring of my own Spiritual Good by my participation of the Ordinances of Christ from Persons authorized by him and his Vicegerents to administer them what may be done in order to their welfare who are unworthy of Communion with us that may much more be done in order to the Churches Good for the promotion of her Peace and Unity and the prevention of those Schisms by which she is so much endangered and if those words I will have mercy and not sacrifice will warrant our Communion with wicked persons with whom we are forbid to eat when it may be a means of their conversion why then may it not warrant our Communion with them in Sacred things when this Communion is a means of our salvation and of the Churches Peace which is one of the chiefest ends of Discipline If Christians were not call'd to separate on the account of those impure Gnosticks who did feast among them and eat at the Lords Table with them why should they separate from the same Ordinances on the account of some profane Professors who are mix'd with our Assemblies And lastly If the People did transgress who came not up to Shilo to offer their accustomed oblations there tho they to whom they were to be presented and by whom they were to be offered were Sons of Belial and they alone did sanctifie and offer the Peace-offerings of which the People were afterwards to eat I fear they also will transgress who upon less pretences will not come unto our Shilo's the places of our publick Worship It may be doubted whether all those men whose presence with us in our Church Assemblies doth so much offend Dissenters Prop. 9. deserve immediately to be secluded from Communion with us seeing they seem not to have been both privately and publickly admonish'd by the Church for how can it be said they will not hear the Church when they have never been admonished by her to reform or threatned with her censures if they will not do it they therefore cannot be esteemed contumacious or such as will not hear the Church and so they are not presently to be excluded by Excommunication from Communion with her Mr. Baxter having cited Principles of love p. 87.88.89 Matt. 18.15 16. Tit. 3.10 Saith thus Note here that no sin will warrant you to cast out the sinner unless it be seconded with impenitency it is not simply as a Drunkard or a Fornicator that any one is to be rejected but as an Impenitent Drunkard or Fornicator Note 2ly That it is not all impenitency which will warrant their rejection but only impenitency after the Churches admonition Note 3ly That no private person may expect that any Offender be cast out either because his sin is known to him or because he is commonly famed to to be guilty till the thing be proved by sufficient witnesses Note 4ly That the admonition given him must be proved as well as the fault which he committed Yea lastly If all The town do know him to be guilty and witness prove that he hath been privately admonished he may not be rejected till he be heard speak for himself and till he refuse also the publick admonition This is Christs order whose wisdom mercy and authority are such as may well cause us to take his way as best Now were this doctrine true without exception it would 1. Answer the Objection by shewing that Dissenters do unreasonably separate for the Non-execution of the Churches Censures upon them who at the present are not the proper objects of them And 2. It would in a great measure cast the blame of this neglect of Discipline on the Complainants for if they know of any such why do they not first privately admonish them and if they cannot by so doing gain their Brother why do they not then tell it to the Church But if they do not know of any such nor ever told the Church of any such that she might know and knowing might admonish them and if they should refuse to Hear her might proceed to censure them why do they then complain But to confess the truth ingenuously this Doctrin contradicts the general practice of the Church of Christ whilst Discipline remained among them more especially the practice of the most Primitive and Purest Ages of the Church when all Notorious Offenders of what degree soever were without farther admonition immediately censured and separated from the faithful See Dr. Cave 's prim christian part 3. cap. 5. p. 367. till by long and strict penances of fasting and mortification by which they evidenced their sorrow for and their reformation of their crimes they were thought fit to be again admitted to the peace of God and of his Church This doctrine therefore must admit of some restriction to make it consonant to truth 1. Therefore if the crime be such as is consistent with Christianity and doth not prove the Author of it to be Carnal this admonition must precede the censures of the Church because in such a case 't is not so much the fact it self as the ensuing contumacy which deserves her censure 2ly If the crime committed be private and brings no infamy to the Church and the offender shew good signs of penitence the crime being not committed before many it seems not reasonable that it should be punished before many unless where such a publick censure may do good to many in which case that of the Apostle seemeth to take place them that sin rebuke before all that others also may fear 3ly 1 Tim. 5.20 If it be an act of injustice to some private person for which full satisfaction may be made and admonition may prevail upon him so to do which seems to be the case in which our Lord requires a threefold admonition adding that if our admonition do prevail our Brother is Gained and so the Church hath no occasion to proceed to censures Or 4ly If it be an offence of judgment and not of practice against judgment in which case the Apostles words are plain for a first and second admonition I say in all these cases this previous admonition seemeth reasonable But 2ly If the Crimes committed be of an heinous nature Tit. 3.10 and Christians cannot well be ignorant that they are so as in the cases of Apostasy Murther Incest Adultery c. Or if they be so publickly committed as to give scandal to the Church and the Crime be notorious or confessed then without farther admonition I suppose the Criminal should be excluded from the Communion of the Church till by repentance and mortification they have made satisfaction to the Church and have made reparation for the Scandal of their sin These Propositions do fully Answer this Objection even upon
supposition that the Neglect is such as is suggested and that the Church of England may be charged with it I now proceed by way of farther Answer to it to consider of that Charge and therefore say Prop. 10 That our Church Officers cannot be truly said to own or to approve of this supposed neglect of Discipline in suffering the notoriously prophane and Scandalous Offender to remain uncensured by the Church For 1. The Rulers of the Church do openly acknowledg and declare even in their Publick Lyturgy Preface to Commin That the putting those to open Penance who stood convicted of notorious crimes is both a Primitive and Godly Discipline and that the restoring of the said Discipline is much to be wished 2ly They call upon all sinners with the greatest seriousness and affection to repent of those iniquities which render them obnoxious to her censures which call would they give ear unto they would be fit for her Communion and so exempted from the severity of her Discipline this call we find both in the Commination Read upon Ash-Wednesday and in the exhortation Read at the giving notice of a Sacrament where she thus speaks If any of you be a Blasphemer of God a Hinderer or Slanderer of his Word an Adulterer or be in malice or envy or in any other grievous crime repent you of your sins or else come not to that Holy Table 3ly They make all Persons whom they admit unto the Priestly Office solemnly to promise to give faithful diligence always so to minister the Doctrine and Sacraments and the Discipline of Christ as the Lord hath commanded And 4ly Can. 26. They require every Minister in no wise to admit to the receiving of the Holy Communion any of his Cure or Flock which he openly knows to live in sin notorious without repentance and they moreover Authorise them Rubr. before the Commun To advertise all open and notorious evil livers and all who have done any wrong to their Neighbours by word or deed so that the Congregation be thereby offended to call them and to advertise them that by no means they presume to come to the Lords Table till they have openly declared themselves to have truly repented and amended their former naughty life that the Congregation may be thereby satisfied and say that he shall not suffer them to be partakers of the Lords Table betwixt whom he perceiveth malice and hatred to reign until he know them to be reconciled Since then it is apparent from these considerations that our Church daily calls upon these persons to repent both in the Publick Preaching of the Word and in the Office stiled Commination and in her Homily upon repentance And 2ly that she doth Authorise all her Parochial Ministers to call and advertise such Persons as they know privately to be unworthy not to presume to come unto the Holy Sacrament and doth require them when they give notice of a Sacrament to read an exhortation to that effect seeing she also grants them power to put back any Scandalous Offenders from the Sacrament whose faults are so notorious as to give offence to the Congregation and doth allow both them and the Church-Wardens or rather charge them to prosecute such Men in order to their Amendment or Excommunication seeing at their admission to their Sacred Function she doth strictly charge them to give faithful diligence so to minister the Discipline of Christ as he hath commanded Since Lastly Private Persons in her Communion may avoid familiar conversing with them and withdraw from their company and so avoid being polluted by the corruption of their manners I say seeing these things are so I see not but the Objections made against the Discipline of our Church might be removed if the things allowed and required by the Rules of it were duly practised § 7 Hitherto I have discoursed in Answer to this Objection as if the Scriptures and Reasons produced to confirm it were all true and well applyed whereas indeed the grounds of this Objection are uncertain and infirm for to omit the uncertainty of the exposition of 1 Cor. 5.13 you shall take away the evil from you and not the evil Person which sure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth rather signifie and the uncertainty of Dr. Hammonds exposition of Rev. 2.20 I say Tently Prop. 10. That the continuance of Gods presence by his Spirit with his Church and her Assemblies cannot be proved to depend entirely upon the Separation of wicked Persons and scandalous offenders from her The Place produced to this Effect from 2 Cor. 6.16 17. only concerns the Christians Separation from Communion with Heathens in their Idolatrous Worship or their Idol feasts this is the touching the unclean thing there spoken of as I have fully proved in the foregoing Chapters it therefore is impertinently alledged to prove that God requires us to separate from the Communion of wicked Persons in celebrating of his Publick worship that so we may enjoy the presence of his Spirit with us Moreover God may destroy the person who defiles this Temple as he threatens 1. Cor. 3.17 and yet may not withdraw his Spirit from them that do assemble with such Persons purely to serve God and to enjoy Communion with him in his Publick Ordinances And indeed were this so that the presence of a known wicked Person would cause the Holy Spirit to depart from the Assemblies of pious Persons then Christ and his Disciples had not the presence of the holy Spirit with them when they assembled with Judas to eat the passover and to receive the holy Sacrament 2ly Then seeing Covetous malitious Persons since secret Hypocrites and Atheists are as odious to God as Persons otherwise notoriously wicked and profane they also must pollute the Church and cause the holy Spirit to depart from her Assemblies and if so the Church can never be assured of his presence with her Then 3ly much less would the holy Spirit be present at those Publick offices designed to conveigh this Spirit when they were celebrated by wicked Priests and so we could have no assurance of his gracious influence upon us at the preaching of the Word the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism and of the Supper of the Lord because we can have no assurance of the sincerity of him who doth officiate For if the presence of wicked Persons who do only joyn with the Officiator will cause the holy Spirit to depart from that Assembly much more the wickedness of the Officiator And 4ly then we must have cause to fear that this good Spirit hath wholly left the Church of Christ and doth no longer move upon the waters of the Sanctuary there being in these latter Ages of the Church such a neglect of Discipline as that scarce any one of her Assemblies can be supposed free from some mixture of profane and even notorious wicked Persons which yet seems plainly to contradict Christ's promise to be with his Church unto the end
perform these outward acts of reverence to our Superiors on earth in token of the honor which we owe to them much more ought we to do so to the Majesty of Heaven Hence then it naturally follows Coroll that whatsoever is a proper act of outward Worship and fitly doth express our inward Reverence of God by any outward gesture of the body may very laudably be required by Superiors seeing by these injunctions they only do require us to do in this or that particular what is in general our duty And therefore 1. To require us to Kneel at Prayer and at the Absolution which concludes with Prayer and at the Commandments and Imposition of hands and at the Receiving of the Sacrament is only to require us to pay to God the Worship due unto him to use that posture in our Devotions which our Saviour used at Prayer Luk. 22.41 and which doth properly express our Reverence to him to whom we pray and which was saith Eusebius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb Eccl. Hist l. 5. c. 5. the Common Custom of the Christian from whence their Prayers had the name of Ingeniculations 2. To require us to bow at the name of Jesus is only to require us to pay that Service in that instance to him to whom God hath declared that all knees shall bow Rom. 10.11 and to whom on account of his Divinity Worship is due by virtue of our obligation to Glorifie him with our Bodys which are his To require us to do this at the name of Jesus rather than at the name of Christ or Saviour when we design to recognize him as our only Saviour by that act of worship seems also reasonable seeing the name of Christ doth rather signifie his unction to his office than the blesings which accrue unto us by the execution of it The name of Saviour is also common to him with the Father whereas the Name of Jesus is appropriated to our Lord. 3ly To require us to uncover our Heads in the House of God and whilst we wait upon him in his presence is only to require us to pay that Reverence unto the Majesty of Heaven which we yield to his Vicegerents here on Earth 4. Since 't is a part of Christian duty by which our God is glorifyed to make publick Profession of our Faith and this is done as well by other signs as Vocal by the sign of the Cross as well as by the Tongue proclaiming our belief of Christ crucified by standing up at the Rehearsal of the Creed as well as by saying these words I believe the standing Gesture is very suitable at such a solemn declaration of the Articles of Christian Faith in token of our Cordial assent and Resolution to stand firm unto it And indeed this is so properly signified saith Mr. Lab. Eccles p. 459. Faulkner by the standing Gesture according to the general apprehensions of the World that both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Hebrew and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek which words express the standing Gesture are used in Scripture to signifie an asserting with resolution Deut. 25.8 1 Chron. 34 32. 1 Cor. 16.13 2 Thess 2.15 And the like Idioms of Speech are in some other Languages as well as our own whence stare dictis in the Latin to stand to our words in our Dialect Lastly To give you hence some rational account why standing up at the Gospel is required rather than at the Epistle I must proceed by these degrees 1. That in the devouter times both of the Jewish and the Christian Church the People to manifest their Reverence unto the Word of God the Message sent from God unto them did hear it standing thus when Ezra opened the Book of the Law all the People stood up Nehem. 8.5 and the Children of Israel stood up in their places to read the Law of the Lord Neh. 9.3 2ly When the Gospel was read in the Assemblies of the Christian Church the People were required to stand up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When the Gospel is read let all the Presbyters and Deacons L. 2. C. 57. L. 7. C. 19. and all the People stand say the Constitutions of St. Clement And Sozomen speaks of it as a peculiar usage of the Bishop of Alexandria the like to which he had not seen or heard of that he stood not up at the Reading of the Gospel See to this purpose Philostorgius l. 3. Cap. 5. Chrysostom de Circo Isid Pelusiota l. 1. Ep. 136. Niceph. l. 9 18 12 34. If you have the curiosity to ask why at the Gospel rather than the Epistle I answer that this custom was used out of an especial respect to our Lord and Saviour whose words are ordinarily rehearsed in the Gospel to express I say an higher respect to Christ himself speaking there than to his Apostles who were sent by him on which account Ignatius saith the Gospel hath this excellency in it viz. the Presence of our Saviour Jesus Christ Epist ad Philadelph and his Suffering and Resurrection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 § 9 it hath something more excellent in it than the Writings of the Prophets though they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all very good In Joh Tom. 1 P. 4. C. And Origen that the Epistles were not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of equal esteem among Christians with those Writings of which it was said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this saith the Lord. If you ask further Why then do we not stand up at the Second Lesson as well as at the Gospel in the Second Service I answer That out of tenderness unto the weakness and infirmity of many Christians v. Mr. Faulkner 's Lib. Eccles p. 146. 462. liberty was granted to them to hear the longer Lessons sitting provided they would shew the Reverence when a less portion of it was read at second Service § 12 Lastly Whereas some doubt the lawfulness of our observing the Festivals appointed by the Church of England I shall endeavour to give them satisfaction in the point in some few Propositions laid down by Mr. Divine appoint of the Lord's Day C. 13. Baxter in that case and then proceed to Answer the Objections which he and others make against them And 1. p. 148. Few saith He question but that whole days of Humiliation and of Thanksgiving may and must be kept upon great and extraordinary occasions of Judgments and of Mercies and that many Churches may agree in these and I know no just Reason why the Magistrate may not with Charity and Moderation to the weak impose them and command such an Agreement among his Subjects 2ly Few saith he doubt but the Commemoration of Great Mercies or Judgments may be made Anniversary and of long continuation p. 149. as the observation of the Fifth of November is made annual among us to preserve the Memorial of the deliverance from the Powder Plot the Second of September for the Anniversary humbling Remembrance of
the Firing of London the Thirtieth of January a Day of Humiliation for the Execrable Murder of our R. Martyr Charles the First And that none can have just cause to doubt if they consider Est 9.28 1 Macch. 4.59 Zech. 7.5 that the Feasts of Purim and of Dedication were lawfully appointed by the Jews for an Ordinance for ever and that they had their stated Fasts of the Fifth and the Seventh Month to humble themselves at the remembrance of the Judgments God then brought upon them 3. He adds that the Great Blessings of an Apostolick Ministry and of the stability of the Martyrs in their Sufferings for Christ being so rare and notable a Mercy to the Church I confess I know no reason why the Churches of all succeeding Ages may not keep an Anniversary Day of Thanksgiving to God for Peter or Paul or Stephen as well as for the Powder-Plot deliverance I know not where God hath forbidden it directly or indirectly if his instituting the Lord's-day were a virtual Prohibition for Man to separate any more or if the Prohibition of adding to God's Word were against it they would be against other Days of Humiliation or Thanksgiving especially Anniversary Days which we confess they are not if the Reason be Scandal lest men should have the Honour instead of God I answer 1. An honour is due to Apostles and Martyrs in their places in due subordination to God 2ly Where the Case of Scandal is notorious it may become by that accident unlawful Const Can. An. 1640. Can. 7. and yet not be so in other times and places 3ly Our Church expresly hath declared that she gives Religious Worship unto God alone and doth observe these Daies to God and in them celebrate his Praises for his Apostles and for the assistance of his Grace and Spirit vouchsafed to them and the Great things done through that assistance by them for the good of men and so can Minister no Ground for such a Scandal 4ly p. 150. He saith that in the lawful Observation of Days it is most orderly to do as the Churches do which we live among and are to join with Especially if they do only that which hath been done by all the Churches of Christ about Twelve hundred years and upward as we do in the Observation of all our publick Festivals or that which hath been done from the beginning as in the Observation of the Easter Festival 5ly p. 151. He saith That it is long ago decided by the Holy Ghost Rom. 14.15 That we must not be contentious contemptuous nor censorious against one another about things of no Greater Moment than the Jewish Days were though some observed them without just cause because the Kingdom of God consisteth not in Meats and Drinks and Days but in Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost and he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men we must follow therefore after the things which make for Peace and wherewith one may edify another which by submitting to the Constitutions of our Church concerning Festivals Dissenters certainly would do if they are capable of Edification by hearing and joining in Good Prayers and Praises by reading of the Word by hearing of good Sermons and by commemoration of the Mercies we then celebrate § 13 And whereas Mr. Baxter adds that the Controversy whether it be lawful to keep Days as Holy in celebrating the Memorial of Christ's Nativity Circumcision Ascension c. p. 151 152. Disp 5. of Cer. Cap. 2. § 46. is the hardest part of this Question which he is not sufficient to determine I shall first lay down some few Arguments to justifie the Observation of these and other Holy-days prescribed by the Church of England And consider the Scruples he and others have against them And 1. I argue for the expedience of these Holy-days from the consideration of the end for which they have been instituted by the Wisdom of the Church for those things saith St. Austin are celebrated by the Churches Anniversaries which were very excelelnt when done Contra Faustum ManichauÌ„ Lib. 32. Cap. 12. and by their excellency have signalized certain Days that so the celebration of the Festival may preserve the whole some remembrance of them in our Hearts Now even Reason teacheth that the Day on which these things were done tends to excite the mind to more intent consideration of and so to effectual remembrance of the Mercies which we have received upon that Day Whence God himself requires his People to Remember that day in which they came out from Egypt out of the Land of Bondage Exod. 13.3 And of that very Night he saith It is a Night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out of Egypt this is that Night to be observed of all the Children of Israel in their Generations Exod. 12.42 Now if for the Remembrance of that Mercy God did not only order his People Israel to be continually meditating and discoursing of it Exod. 12.26 13 14. but also to observe the very Day for a Memorial Exod. 12.14 if he appointed the Feast of Pentecost to be observed in Memory of the Law then given from Mount Sinai to them the Feast of Tabernacles in remembrance of their sustentation Forty years in the Wilderness why may not Christians though obliged daily to have these things in their remembrance observean Annual Festivity for the more full Commemoration of the Mercies they enjoy by virtue of our Lord's Nativity Ascension c. Again these Feasts have been instituted and observed by the Wisdom of the Church to give thanks to God for the benefits vouchsafed to us at those times and by such Persons now publick benefits are publickly to be acknowledged and celebrated with publick thanks which cannot better be performed than by prescribing stated Days for publickly Assembling to these ends And as St. Paul declares that the great liberality of the Corinthians would Glorifie God by causing many thanksgivings to him for that Grace 2 Cor. 9.12 so wil the Institution of such Festivals tend to his Glory by causing many thanksgivings for the Grace vouchsafed to us upon these Days both to us and to those Martyrs and Apostles whose Memories we celebrate Moreover no Man can deny buâ— the benefits flowing from the great actions of ouâ— Saviour and the advantages accruing to us froâ— the Apostles and Evangelists by their faithful preaching the Gospel of Christ and giving testimony by their Sufferings to the Truth of the samâ— Doctrine is to us more valuable and advantageous than any temporal benefit whatsoever If then 〈◊〉 be esteemed highly convenient to celebrate oâ—â— deliverance from the Gun-powder-Plot thâ— happy Restoration of our Prince our Laws anâ— Liberties with constant Anniversaries have wâ— not equal reason to celebrate the Memory oâ— those great Spiritual Mercies by like Anniversaries 2ly This may be further argued from thâ— utility and benefit which
may redound unto us from the Observation of these Festivals unto the ends for which they are appointed by the Church now she appointeth them to be employed in hearing of God's Word read and taught in publick Prayers Can. 13. Injunct Q Eliz. 1559. N. 20. in acknowledging our offences to God and amendment of the same in being reconciled to our Neighbours where there hath been displeasure in oft receiving the Communion in visiting the Poor and Sick and using all sober and Godly conversation Which Christian fruits of Piety were they more plentifully brought forth they would sufficiently recommend those times and seasons which gave occasion to them And surely the benefit of such Holy Exercises is so great that the use of particular times appointed for that purpose ought not to be rejected though some men do abuse them to far other ends And if Dissenters have thought fit to appoint weekly Lectures for some of these good ends Why may not our Church Governours appoint these Anniversaries for the promotion of them all Especially if we consider that they are so exceeding profitable unto the weaker sort of Christians who are instructed by them in many Articles of Christian Faith and caused to reflect on many signal Mercies which they might entirely forget did not these Days return to strengthen and rub up their Memories The common sort of those who seem to be Believers want these Remembrances saith Origen Contra Celsum l. 8. p. 393. That such things may not slip out of their Minds and so these Festivals must needs be useful to them for this end And since the Wisdom of the Church prescribeth Daies to be observed for the Commemoration of the chief things that either were performed by or hapned to our Saviour if the plain Man saith Bishop Hall would but ply well his Almanack that alone would teach him so much Gospel as to shew him the History of his Saviour Remains Serm. on 1 Joh. 15. for there upon the Feast of the Annuntiation might he see his Saviours conception declared by an Angel upon the Feast of 〈◊〉 Nativity he might understand that he was boâ—â— of the Virgin Mary and at last after infinâ—â— and beneficial Miracles he would see him câ—â—â—cified on Good Friday rising from the dead 〈◊〉 Easter and ascending to Heaven on Holy Thuâ—â—day and might be well instructed in these thiâ—â—â— by coming to the Church which hath excellenâ—â—â— fitted these Solemnities with Services which 〈◊〉 explain their meaning and the use we are to mâ—â—â— of them If then we are to follow after the thiâ—â— whereby we may edifie one another Rom. 14.19 we must â—â—â—tinue the Observation of these Festivals 3ly That 't is expedient to observe these 〈◊〉 is evident from the continued custom of the wâ—â—â—â— Church of Christ it being laudable and deâ—â—â—â— to observe the Customs of the whole Church 〈◊〉 Christ and to conform to her Example 〈◊〉 in things no where forbidden by the Word of 〈◊〉 and being reasonable to judge she had good 〈◊〉 to do what was so universally performed whoâ—â— St. 1 Cor. 14.33 11.16 Paul doth admonish his Corinthians to do as 〈◊〉 all Churches of the Saints was done and doth pronounce him a Contentious Person who 〈◊〉 thwart her customs Now all these Festivals of Christ's Nativity his Passion Resurrection cension and of the Advent of the Holy Ghost are by * Illa autem quae non scripta sed tradita custodimus quae quidem toto terrarum orbe observantur dantur intelligi vel ab ipsis Apostolis vel plenariis conciliis 〈…〉 atque statuta retineri slucti quod Domini passio Resurrectio 〈…〉 in Caelum adventus de Caelo Spiritsis Sancti anniversaria soleâ—â—â—â—e celbrantur st quid aliud cale occurrerit quod servatur ab universa quacunque se diffundit Ecclesia Epist 1.18 Cap. 1. vid. Epist 119. Cap. 1. St. Austin reckoned among those things which were observed ab universa quacunque se diffundit Ecclesia by the whole Universal Church and which he therefore doth conjecture that the Observation of them derived it self from the Apostles or the Decrees of General Councils Since therefore it is evident unto all learned men that all the Holy-days prescribed by the Church of England from the Fourth Century at least were universally observed by the Church of Christ it must be fit and laudable to conform to her Example by observing of them as she did Now to return an answer to the Objections of Mr. Disp 5. of Cer. cap. 2. §. 46. Baxter against the Holy-days foremention'd of which the First is Object 1 Object 1. § 14 That the occasion of these Holy-days was existent in the Apostles days if therefore God would have had such days observed he could as easily and fitly have done it by his Apostles in Scripture as he did other the like things Answer 1. This Argument confutes his former grant that the Festivals of the Holy Martyrs and Apostles might lawfully be observed For of the Protomartyr St. Stephen and of James the Brother of John Kill'd by the Sword Act. 12.2 the Scripture maketh mention and yet saith nothing of the observation of their Festivals nor doth the Beloved Disciple tho He survived the rest of Christs Apostles mention in his Epistles or his Revelations any thing touching the observation of them which notwithstanding Mr. Baxter and which is more considerable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 the Universal Church of God even from the second Century approved of observing Martyrum Natalitia the Birth days of the Martyrs that is the days when they were crowned with Martyrdom with Great Solemnity witness the * Epistle of the Church of Smyrna touching the Martyrdom of Polycarp 2ly By this Argument no places may be set apart for Celebration of Gods publick Worship no Churches and no Tabernacles may be erected for that end no time appointed for that Worship No Synods may convene no Presbyterian Classes may assemble to determine any matter or make any Rules for the due Government of Christians no forms of Prayer excepting the Lords Prayer may be used in Publck no words in Celebration of the Lords Supper or the Sacrament of Baptism to omit many other things of a like nature but what by the Apostles were prescribed in Scripture for if God would have had such things done the occasion of them was existent in the Apostles days and he could as easily and fitly by his Apostles have given command concerning them as touching other the like things 3ly This Argument condemneth the Decrees of the great Nicene Council for praying standing on the Lords day the occasion of it being as old as our Lords Resurrection and it condemneth the whole Church of Christ in the exercise of her Discipline concerning Penitents her Stationary days and almost all her other rites the occasions of which were as well existent in the Apostles days as in succeeding Ages and
Christian sort and by a disuse of any other to incapacitate our own and our admirers devotions for the other and make both our selves and them uncharitably censorious of all Forms of Prayer and those who use them that is of the whole Catholick Church except a new and inconsiderable party CHAP. XI The Contents The Proposition That there is nothing in the Liturgy prescribed by the Church of England to which her Lay Communicants may not yield obedience The general Objections against it Answered are 1. That the phrase throughout the several Offices is such as presumes all persons in the Communion of the Church to be regenerate and in an actual state of Grace § 1. The falseness of which suggestion is shewed in ten instances and the phrase of the Liturgy is justified from like expressions of the Holy Scripture ibid. 2. Obj. That the people do not only say Amen but bear a part in the Prayers Answ This is justified from the practice of the Jews and Primitive Christians and the benefit of so doing § 2. 3. That the same Prayers are oft repeated which seems to be the vain Repetition forbidden by Christ Matth. 6.7 8. Answ These Repetitions are justified from Scripture-Examples and the practice of Christ § 3. Objections against several parts or expressions of the Liturgy Answered As 1. That in several parts of the Liturgy all profess to put their trust in God whereas it is to be feared that many in our Congregations do not so § 4. 2. That we all profess to Repent and be heartily sorry for our sins We all say on Sexagesima Sunday that God seeth that we put no trust in any thing that we do after the Communion we all give thanks to God that he hath assured us of his favour and goodness to us And in the Third Collect after Trinity we all profess that God hath given us an hearty desire to pray which professions cannot be thus generally made in truth § 5.3 That we pray that God would give to all Nations Unity Peace and Concord that he would save among the remnant of true Israelites all Jews Turks Infidels and Hereticks that he would have mercy upon all men which petitions cannot be put up in Faith there being no promise of so large extent in Scripture § 6.4 That we pray to God to succour help and comfort all that are in danger necessity and tribulation to preserve all that travail by land or by water all Women labouring of child all Prisoners and Captives and so we pray for Robbers Pyrats Whores c. § 7. Some passages in the Liturgy which seem obscure or Metaphorical explained As 1. There is no health in us 2. Give peace in our time O Lord Because there is no other that fighteth for us but only thou O God 3. Lighten our darkness 4. From Fornication and all other deadly sins 5. From sudden Death Good Lord deliver us 6. By the Mystery of thy Holy Incarnation by thy Holy Nativity and Circumcision and by the coming of the Holy Ghost Good Lord deliver us 7. That our bodies may be made clean by his Body and our souls washed by his most precious blood 8. That God by the Baptism of his Well-beloved Son did sanctifie water to the mystical washing away of Sin 9. The Prayer after the Fourth Commandment Lord have mercy upon us and encline our hearts to keep this Law 10. With this Ring I the Wed with my body I thee worship and with all my worldly Goods I thee endow § 8. The Conclusion THAT there is nothing in the stinted Liturgy prescribed by the Church of England to which her Lay Communicants may not yield obedience or which can render their Communion with her sinful or unlawful to them As will be evident by answering the scruples Dissenters do suggest against the whole or any portion of that Service in which they are obliged to join with us And to begin with the Objections which respect the whole body of the Liturgy § 1 1. It is Objected That in the whole Common Prayer there is not any Petition or Confession which imports any doubt Dr. Chambers paper of unaffected scruples or fear that any of those who join in that Service are in a state of unregeneration or enmity to God whereas there are many in our Congregations of whom the Lord hath cause to complain as of the Jews that they hold fast deceit and refuse to return Jer. 3.5.11.15 To this effect runs the Objection of the Commissioners at the Savoy viz. P. 7. That throughout the several Offices the phrase is such as presumes all persons within the Communion of the Church to be regenerated converted and in an actual state of Grace which had Ecclesiastical discipline been truly and vigorously executed in the exclusion of scandalous and obstinate sinners might be better supposed but there having been and still being a confessed want of that as in the Liturgy is acknowledged it cannot rationally be admitted in the outmost latitude of Charity Answer This plainly seems to be a great mistake or false suggestion against the frame and constitution of our Liturgy For 1. The Sentences of Scripture appointed to be read at the beginning of Morning and Evening Prayer are fitted to the state of unregenerate and wicked persons and call upon them to turn from their wickedness that they have committed Ezek. 18.27 and do that which is lawful and right that they may save their souls alive To rent their hearts Joel 2.13 Dan. 9.9 10. and turn unto the Lord their God To acknowledge that they have rebelled against the Lord their God And have not obeyed the voice of the Lord to walk in his ways which he set before them Luke 15 18 19. And that they have sinned against their heavenly Father so as to be no more worthy to be called his servants 2. The Exhortation calls upon them to confess their manifold sins and wickednesses and not to dissemble or cloak them but confess them with an humble lowly penitent and obedient heart to the end that they may obtain forgiveness of the same through Gods infinite goodness and mercy and so it manifestly doth suppose that many of them who are thus exhorted have not yet obtained forgiveness of their sins 3. The General Confession doth acknowledge that we are miserable offenders and that there is no health in us and prays that God would restore them that are penitent according to his promises declared to mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord and so suggests that they have need of Repentance to interest them in those promises 4. The Absolution begins with a declaration that God desires not the death of a sinner but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live adding that God will pardon and absolve all those that truly repent and therefore calls upon us to beseech him to grant us true repentance and his Holy Spirit and doth suppose that many present want
they not just reason to suspect that opinion which will force them to deny Communion with all the Churches of the world besides themselves and that not on the score of any Idolatrous Worship exercised by them or of any false doctrine required to be assented to as the condition of Communion but barely on the account of some supposed defect as to her Discipline 2ly Have they not reason to suspect the truth of that opinion which will render Union and Communion with any of the Reformed Churches beyond the Seas a thing unlawful and as things do now stand impossible For as the Reverend and Learned Dr. Vnreas of separ p. 190 191. Still doth put the Question Do we want Discipline And do not they in other Churches abroad The Transylvanian Divines in their discourse of the Union of Protestant Churches declared that little or none was observed among them Irenic Tract p. 55. will they then separate from all Protestant Churches Will they shut them out from any possibility of Union with them For what union can be justifyable with those whose terms of Communion are unlawful since Union supposeth such a Communion of Churches that the Members of one may Communicate in another or if they notwithstanding this defect can hold Communion with them will they be so unjust as not to allow the same favor and kindness to their own Church 3ly Have they not reason to suspect that doctrin which is so like to some of the old Heresies or Schisms exploded by the Church of Christ that 't is not easie to perceive a difference betwixt the principles of our Dissenters and those which moved those condemned Schismaticks to separate from the Communion of the Church Vide Petav. ad Haer. 59. Novat p. 226. 227. For tho I cannot exactly Parallel them with the Novatians who did not properly desert the Church because she did not exercise the power of the Keys upon Offenders but because she afterwards admitted them upon Repentance and so they did not separate on the pretence of the defect of Discipline but on pretence that the Church exercised a part of Discipline which did not properly belong unto her Meletiani nolentes orare cum conversis Schisma fecerunt Aug. de Haer. c. 48. Epiph Haer. 68. §. 2. Luciferiani poenitentiam clerici post ordinem in Ecclesia gradum acceptum lapsis denegant Dan. in Haer. 81. p. 2â—9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb Eccles Hist l. 6. c. 45. nor yet with the Meletians and Luciferians who did not separate from the Church because Offenders were not censured by her but because after Censures executed the lapsed Clerks were readmitted to their Stations in the Church and who with the Novatians did without cause pretend corruption in the Churches Discipline whereas I fear there may be too much cause to Charge our Churches with defect of Discipline yet will not these disparities excuse them wholly from Communion with them in their Schism For 1. 't is certain that the Novatians did separate out of zeal for the purity of Ecclesiastical Discipline and yet Dionysius of Alexandria tells the Author of that Schism that he had better have suffered any thing than thus to have made a rent in the Church and therefore he had better suffered a defect in the Purity of Discipline now this comes home unto the case of our Dissenters 2ly The Meletians would not pray with the lapsed after their renovation by repentance therefore separated from that Church which did so they therefore must divide upon presumption that the Church was polluted by Communion with them and that her Discipline required their separation Com. in August de Her p. 161. Epiph. Haer. 68. §. 3. and therefore as Danaeus notes from Epiphanius this Schism spread it self among the Monks Praetextu severioris cujusdam in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Disciplinae zeli in Deum Majoris under pretence of zeal for God and severity of Discipline against those who denyed him Com. in August Haer. 50 p. 169. Epiph. Haer. 70. §. 1. p. 812. contr Epist par l. 2. c. 10.21 3ly As for the Audians since as Danaeus saith from Epiphanius propter hominum vitia caetum Orthodoxae Ecclesiae deserebant they left the Church for the vices of those that were in it as for the Donatists since among others this was their peculiar tenet that no wicked person was to be tolerated in the Church no tares continued with the wheat and that those Churches were not to be communicated with which did not cast them out because they were defiled by Communion with them as appears fully by St. Austins disputations against the Donatists and more especially by his three Books against Parmenianus the Donatist I see not how our Brethren will be able to Escape their condemnation That altho excommunication be the Duty of Church Officers Prop. 7. and they are by the Author to the Hebrews strictly required 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to look diligently that none among them fail of the Grace of God Hebr. 12.15 16 that there bo no root of bitterness springing up among them by which many may be defiled that there be among them no Fornicator or profane person yet is not this a duty necessary to be exercised at all times on all Offenders in all Conjunctures but only when it is likely to do more Good than hurt and therefore is the exercise of the power which the Lord hath given them for edification and not for destruction For all Agree that Affirmative duties do not bind ad semper for tho that which is evil must never be done yet that which generally considered is good may sometimes be omitted especially when it is only Matter of Discipline and when the danger of exercising of it is greater than the hope of doing good thereby Upon the equity of which case it is determined by the Canon Law that a Kingdom a Corporation a Community or Body Politick ought not to be excommunicated nor in the whole New Testament do we find any Rules or Precepts for the Excommunication of such multitudes Now the harm our Church might suffer by the strict exercise of these her Censures in this age of General looseness upon all Offenders even those of highest Rank and quality among us is threefold 1. That hereby they may be exasperated against the Government and Office which inflicts these Censures and be induced to use their power to undermine and overthrow it and to set up her enemies upon the Ruins of it 2ly That they may some of them be tempted to fly off from her government to one of the two potent factions now among us and so may strengthen them and weaken us Or 3ly That being Sceptically or Atheistically inclined as practically we are sure the wicked of our Nation are and have great cause to fear too many of them are in speculation also they would but rally on the execution of these censures and we