he is a Stranger as well as if he were a Native of it From hence it follows that both Strangers and Natives are alike of the same Political Body And this reasoning must be good if Aristotle had the true Notion of a City who is generally allow'd to write of such things with great exactness What hath been said sufficiently shews how the Catholick Church however dispers'd is One But it will appear with the greater force If you please to compare it with the Case of Independent and Separate Societies in which you find nothing like it You may bear Office in one of these Societies but have no Title to it nor have any of your Acts esteem'd valid in another You may be Members of one and justly excluded from another You may enjoy the Priviledges of one and want those of another You may be banish'd from one and made Denizons of another Acts of State bind only the Subjects of the State and oblige not Forreigners that are under another Dominion But this demonstrates the Vnity of the Catholick Church that what is done by one Governour or Bishop is valid amongst all the rest and taht a private Christian who hath an Obligation on him and a Right to an actual and full Communion with a particular Church hath the like with all other Churches where he happens to reside Having prov'd that the Vniversal Church is One Body I shall only add what gives us great encouragement to preserve the Unity of it and affords us a most delightful Contemplation that it is now the same Body that it was from the Beginning For as a City may remain the same for a Thousand Years or even to the End of the World and is therefore said by some Ancient Writers to be Immortal So is the Church the same that it was from the first Foundation of it And from hence it is that if we Communicate with those who derive their Ministry by Succession from the Apostles and with such Professors of Christianity as adhere to that Ministry we do it vertually or by Interpretation with the Apostles themselves and with the Saints Confessors and Martyrs that rest from their Labours and are now in Happiness waiting for a Glorious Resurrection To this effect Tertullian says That from the Apostolical Churches all other Churches borrowed the Branch of Faith and Seeds of Doctrine and from them it is daily that Churches become such and so are esteem'd Apostolical as being the Off-spring of the Apostolical Churches Every thing must be reckon'd with its Original and therefore so many Great Churches are as the One First Church constituted by the Apostles and from which all are descended So all are First and Apostolical whilst they alike approve the Vnity Whilst there is amongst them the Communication of Peace the Title of Brotherhood the Covenant of Hospitality the Rights of which nothing preserves but the Tradition of the same Sacrament or Mystery But this is not all For being in Communion with the Apostles we are so with the Father and the Son That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you says St. John that you also may have Fellowship with us and truly our Fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ The Father will take care of us as his Peculiar People and the Son will Influence and Govern us as our Head a Head that hath such a Tenderness for his Church that he is represented in Scripture as making up One Person with it For says the Apostle as the Body is One and hath many Members and all the Members of that One Body being many are One Body So also is Christ And being of his Church we are assur'd that he will nourish and cherish us as Members of his Body of his Flesh and of his Bones SECT II. VVE have seen that all Christians ought to be United in Faith Love and in Outward Worship and Communion And if you grant this you must also acknowledge that a Breach of Union in any of these things where-ever the fault is must needs be sinful For it is plain I. That if there be but One Faith delivered to the Saints for which they must earnestly contend they grievously offend who add New Articles to it or take away from it such as are already reveald or otherwise deprave it by a mixture of Falshood And so far as they do so we ought to depart from them and not betray or deny the Truth in compliance with them II. If all the Faithful must be firmly link'd together in Love this must condemn all Discord and Malice all Envying and Strife amongst them as being directly against the Spirit of Charity And indeed where these things are there is Confusion and every Evil Work III. If all the Faithful are obliged to live in Outward Communion as Visible Members of the same Body then such a Division in the Body as is a Breach of that Communion must be Criminal a thing I know that many of you are unwilling to hear of But Mr. Baxter has suggested a reason of it which I hope does not reach you all Whence is it says he but for want of Self-denial that Men that know that Whoredom and Drunkenness and These are Sins can be ignorant in the midst of Light that Discord and Church-Divisions are Sins And that they hear him with Heart-rising Enmity or Suspicion that doth declaim against them As if Vniting were become the Work of Satan and Dividing were become the Work of Christ These Words I would recommend to your serious Thoughts and being now come to that which is the chief Subject of our Debate I desire you sincerely to consider that not only Modern Writers but the Fathers who were no Parties in our present Controversies speak of Schism as a most horrid Crime St. Optatus mentions it as a mighty Wickedness and argues that it is worse than Murder and Idolatry And St. Chrysostom affirms That nothing equally provokes God as the Division of his Church He makes it equal to the Crucifying of Christ Which he says was for the good of the World however not intended but this continues he affords no Benefit but the greatest Mischief To mention no more at this time St. Irenaeus says That God will judge the Schismaticks who having not the Love of God but being intent on their own Profit rather than the Peace of the Church for small Matters or for any divide the Great and Glorious Body of Christ and do what in them lies to kill it speaking Peace but making War straining indeed at a Gnat and swallowing a Camel You need not think it strange that these Excellent Men who had seen the sad Effects of Church-Divisions express'd such an Abhorrence of them St. Paul himself reckons Seditions and Heresies with Adultery Fornication Vncleanness Lasciviousness Idolatry Withchcraft and other Works of the Flesh of which he says That they that practise such
that they who take upon them the Power to Ordain having never receiv'd it from those that were vested with it do it in the wrong of the Lawful Possessors who alone could convey it and having np just Title to it they can no more Constitute a Minister of Christ than they can make dead Bones live 3. The Office which Timothy had was given him by Prophecy 1 Tim. 4. 14. or according to the Prophecies that went before of him 1 Tim. 1. 8. His Ordination therefore if the way of arguing much us'd amongst Dissenâ—â—rs be good must have been an Extraordinary thing and is not to be drawn into Precedent except in Parallel Cases But your Pastors I suppose do not pretend that they were markt out by Prophecy or distinguish'd by a particular Revelation and therefore they cannot here find any defence of their Pretences to the Ministry 4. The Dissenters by affirming that Timothy was an Extraordinary Officer and Evangelist cut off all the Succour which they would draw from this place for the Vindication of their Ordinations For according to their own Opinion here is no Example of Presbyters Constituting a Presbyter or a Fixed Pastor of a Church and then certainly there is none to be found in the Bible I know not what they can reply to this unless they would shift their Principles and confess that we have in Timothy an Instance of Episcopal Government or Standing Prelacy and if they would advance thus far towards us I may refer them to what I said before to prove that his Ordainers must have had Apostolical or Episcopal Authority III. Others claim their Title to the Ministry as being Ordain'd by the People But what Divine Precept what Rule have they for this What Example have they for it either in Scripture or out of Scripture in any part of the Catholick Church If they have discover'd in it so much as One Pastor of their way for above a Thousand Years after the Day of the Apostles I would demand as St. Austin did in another case Out of what Earth did he spring Out of what Sea did he arise From which of the Heavens was he dropt For my own part after all the research that I have been able to make I can find no such Person not so much as an Instance of One in all Antiquity 'T is true St. Paul did foretell That the Time would come when Men would not endure sound Doctrine But having itching Ears would heap to themselves Teachers after their own Lusts And Tertullian informs us of some Hereticks who impos'd on private Persons the Office or peculiar Work of the Priesthood But your Ministers I suppose will not insist upon such Passages as these for their Vindication and yet I know no other that can support their Cause The Assembly of Divines who have been the Oracles of the Presbyterians write with great assurance of this Matter For say they We challenge any Man to shew any one Text in all the New Testament for the Justification of a Popular Ordination To what purpose add they did Paul aud Barnabas 〈◊〉 from place to place to Ordain Elders Why was Titus left in Crete to appoint Elders in every City Might not the People say What need Paul leave Titus to do that which we can do our selves If this Doctrine were true the Apostles needed only to have Preach'd and to have Converted the People to the Faith and when they had done to have said We have now done our Work You may 〈◊〉 Elect and Ordain your Officers your selves the power of these things belongs to you But the Apostles did quite contrary c. They afterwards complain of a Generation of Men then risen up amongst them who disclaim'd all Ordination from Ministers asVnwarrantable and Antichristian and took it up from the People as the only way of the Gospel Whereas they tell us it hath not the least â—ooting in the New Testament nor in Antiquity but is in effect a renouncing of 〈◊〉 Ordinance of Christ as Antichristian and of all the Ministers and Churches in the Christian World A thing that would engage Men to be Seekers and to forsake all Church-Communion as many they say did in those Vnhappy Days Salmasius who was on the side of the Assembly and otherwise a Man of Prodigious Learning declares That the People have power to impose over themselves a King which may be true in some cases but they had never any to Elect and Ordain Presbyters and Bishops Calvin also affirms That not the Multitude of Believers but the Pastors only impos'd Hands on their Ministers And that they only ought to do so is so much the common Opinion of the Reform'd that in the Judgment of Blondel that Work was not ascrib'd to Laymen by any Protestant Our Separatisâ—s I know are divided about this Matter And however theâ— that call themselves the Vnited Ministers c. agree in this That it is requâ—site that a Person who is chosen to the Ministerial Office be duly Ordain'd They do not declare by whom or 〈◊〉 what manner he is to be so Nor could they declare it but they must have discover'd their Divisions which 〈◊〉 much Art they endeavour'd to conceâ—â— And now that I am upon this Subject I cannot but take notice that when the Heads of their Agreement were sent from the City into the Country to gather Subscriptions Amongst other Articles of that Union it was asserted that Ordination was to be perform'd 〈◊〉 Imposition of Hands but this was afterwards left out in the Printed Copy to the great Surprize of many Subscribers that had approv'd it And leaving you to judge of the Sincerity of the Managers of this Affair I shall think it no great Digression to make this Remark That there is amongst the Separatists a prevailing Party who would say aside a Ceremony which is of Divine or Apostolical Institution and which has been of constant use in all Churches But whether they reject it as sinful or whether they are sensible that their Ordainers have no Right to it or what other Inducement they had to discharge it I pretend not to determine I only urge them to prove by any good Authority that a Congregation may Ordain their own Pastor either without that Rite or with it If they are not able to do this it may easily be decided whether they have imitated the Pattern in the Mount which they would be thought to follow with so much exactness or whether they have not forsaken it in a Matter of the greatest Moment that they might establish their own Inventions I have now enquir'd what Title your Pastors have to the Ministry whether they pretend to it as being Ordain'd by Presbyters or by the People and can find nothing of Validity in it If they can demonstrate it to be good let them produce their strong Reasons for it But if no just Defence can be made of it Then according
her Head and Face were cover'd in sign of her Subjection And if the Church had Power to lay aside such Rites so it hath power also to appoint others of the like Nature and is obliged to do so upon emergent occasions as Christian Prudence may direct Particular Ceremonies are liable to such alterations that when they have been expressive of respect in one Age or Country they become Instances of the contrary in another But there are Rules about them that are constant and certain in all Times and Places 1. It is certain that the Publick Worship of God ought to be celebrated with such Ceremonies as are suitable to the Dignity and Solemnity of the Work and agreeable to the general directions of the Holy Scripture 2. According to the Holy Scripture the Ceremonies that are us'd in the Church ought to be expressive of some Duty So were they that I produced from Scripture such were also the smiting on the Breast the lifting up the Hands in Prayer Kneeling on the same occasion and the putting on some New Garment at the time of Baptism All which things are recommended or alluded to as things approved in Scripture And one of these was a visible sign of Contrition and Indignation against Sin another of the elevation of the Mind to Heaven the third of Humiliation the fourth of putting on Christ or the New Man This may shew how weak the Objection is against our Rites that they are Symbolical for if they were otherwise they would be disagreeble to the Holy Scripture and signifying nothing they would be good for nothing but were fit to be rejected as useless and impertinent 3. The Holy Scripture directs us in general to do all things decently and in order To distinguish between our own Houses and the Churches of God To glorifie him with our Bodies as well as our Spirits and particularly it requires us to Worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our Maker 4. That External Rites be significant and decent there ought to be some Conformity between them and the End for which they were appointed Yet for those that use them it is not always necessary to know the reasonableness of their Instituion They may take an Oath safely by kissing the Book who know nothing of the Original of that Ceremony nor are satisfied of the fitness of it Whatsoever it had at first Custome hath now impress'd a fitness on it and it signifies a Solemn Appeal to God the Searcher of Hearts as much as Words could do and is by the Law prefer'd before them 5. The significancy of Ceremonies and the Measures of Decency are to be taken from Custome which gives Rules not only for speaking but also for Actions Habits and Gestures Thus as by Custome the putting off the Hat bowing and kneeling are Marks of Reverence amongst Men so they are in our Addresses to God Indeed the Uncovering of the Head was formerly a Badge of Authority But Custome hath quite alter'd that signification and yet hath made it fit to be retain'd for another and I think you have no exception against our using of it at present as a sign of our Veneration and Subjection to the Almighty 6. The more early that a Ceremony was us'd and the longer it hath remain'd the more universally it hath been receiv'd and approv'd especially by good Men and the greater good it is expressive of the fitter it is for continuance And this may be said for the Sign of the Cross which hath been much oppos'd by the Separatists That in the next Age after the Apostles if not in their Days it was every where in use amongst the Christians who testified by it to the World that they were not asham'd of the Cross of Christ but rather gloried in it and were ready to suffer for it So that it was a compendious Confession of their Faith or a Visible Creed in which they declar'd to the Eye the same Truth and their Resolution to adhere to it that by Words they profess'd to the Ear. And if this last way ought to be approved the other may not be condemn'd nor was it by any but the Infidels or open Enemies of the Gospel From the Primitive Church it was transmitted down to our own and being freed by our Reformers from the Abuses which Superstition had added to it by the way it is prescrib'd in our Liturgy in the Office of Baptism as signifying the Dedication of the Baptized to him that Died on the Cross for them We have good reason therefore not to lay aside a Ceremony that is come to us thus recommended and is so suitable to the end for which it was employ'd As for those that cast it out as an Idol they must excuse us that we cannot comply with them in reproaching as Idolaters innumerable Saints and Martyrs that are now with God And that being no Enemies to the Cross of Christ we do not abhor the Sign of it 7. It follows from what went before that when things indifferent are against Custome they are also against Decency and to be avoided For a Man to wear Long Hair had no Moral Evil in it nor had the Scripture decided any thing about it yet the Apostle condemn'd it as shameful and against the Dictate of Nature Not as if it was forbidden by any Law of Nature strictly so call'd but the meaning is it was against Custome which is a Law in such cases It is no small matter then to oppose the Customs that have been universally receiv'd and long continued in the Churches as the Separatists have done whilst they have been labouring to advance their own Discipline which till of late was never heard of in any part of the World Charity would teach them not to behave themselves so unseemly But if they will not learn that Lesson nor cease to be Contentious but obtrude on us their own Novelties it may be sufficient for us to say That we have no such Customs neither the Churches of God 8. It also follows from what was said before that things which according to Custome are signs of Irreverence amongst Men are marks of Prophaneness and Contempt when they are us'd towards the Almighty If ye offer the Blind for Sacrifice is it not Evil And if ye offer the Lame and Sick is it not Evil Offer it now to thy Governour will he be pleased with thee or accept thy Person Saith the Lord Amighty Mal. 1. 8. And this may afford us very useful Advice for from hence it is clear that if we rudely rush into his presence without any thing of Ceremony if we refuse him all outward Respect when he speaks to us in the Assemblies of his People and will not bow the Knee when we put up our Prayers to him but call on him in the same Posture as we would talk to our Servants we affront him in such a Behaviour as we would not offer to our Governour and