by that means to endear him and win upon him and on the other side he may applaud the Practice of the Conformist and encourage him in his Conformity to confirm him and make him the more stedfast But when the Dissenting Parties come together he is in the condition of a man that serves two Masters Mat. 6. 24. he will hold to the one and despise the other or Trimmer-like his moderation will be taken for Neutrality and perhaps both practices will take him for an Hypocrite and he will be equally scandalous to them both And this is commonly the Fate of unadvised Reconcilers For we must come to a point before we can come to any settlement whereupon as was observed by Dr. Womoch in his Verdict p. 114. Instead of a prudential expedient which in this case was impossible S. Paul withstood S. Peter to the Face c. But let us proceed with the Reconciler who calls upon us thus secondly observe c. p. 72. That this as well as other Scriptures being written for our learning in cases of like nature must oblige all other Pastors and Rulers of Christs Church as well as those of Rome for the arguments which the Apostle useth here are of a moral and perpetual obligation it being never lawful for the Christian of what degree or rank soever he may be to judge and to despise the Person Whom God hath received to walk uncharitably towards his Brother or to destroy him with his meat for whom Christ died or to put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his Brothers way But on the other hand 't is the perpetual Duty of the highest Christians to follow after the things which make for peace and whereby they may edifie one another Here we observe a second part to the same Tune judging and despising persons whom God hath received which we shall consider more fully presently walking uncharitably destroying him with our meat for whom Christ died as if he set himself up to be an Advocate for a Sect of Superstitious Jews who both killed the Lord their King of whom they have been both the betrayers and Murderers and their own Prophets and have persecuted and chased out us and they please not God and are contrary to all men 1 Thes 2. 15. For his stumbling-blocks which he is ever laying in our way and his charitably walking and his things that make for peace we shall fully consider them before we part In the interim we shall grant him that this as well as other Scriptures being written for our Leraning in cases of like nature if any such can happen must oblige all other Pastors and Rulers of Christs Church as well I will add yea and as much as those at Rome if there had been any such when S. Paul wrote this Epistle But if all Scriptures be written for our Learning in cases of like nature why do you not practise them equally all alike We have those two Tribes building their Altar a symbolical protestation of their Faith and Affiance in God of their Communion with his Church and their Interest in his publick Worship and Service you have also in these Scriptures the report of Daniels opening his Windows upon the same account and to the very same purpose and we find Lyserus Lavator Calvin our Synopsis and who not that have considered the thing among our Protestant Divines do make the sign of the Cross in use among all Christians a Parallel Case with those a symbolical protestation of our Christianity of our Faith and Affiance in Christ Crucified of Communion with Gods Holy Catholick Church and of our Interest in all the priviledges of his publick Worship and Service and this Symbolical Protestation is grounded upon the fundamental Article of Confession which is of moral and perpetual obligation why then is not this Reconciler as zealous a Champion for the use of that ancient Ceremony as he is for matters of meat and drink as he finds them in this present Scripture But I must observe 2. That the immediate Inference the Apostle makes from those words All Scripture is written for our Learning which have relation to Christs Condescension to redeem and save us Rom. 15. 3 4. is this ver 7. wherefore receive ye one another as Christ also received us to the Glory of God This saith Hemmingius is the general conclusion of all the matters or concernments which the Apostle disputed of from the beginning of the fourteenth Chapter And that we may understand our own and take some measure of our Governors Duty as far as modesty and scripture will allow us Let us seriously Consider 1. That Christ tho he dyed for all men yet he received none into actual Communion with him but such as were willing to be received 2. He received none but upon terms of his own and not of their proposing 3. He received none but upon condition of obedience to his Laws and Institutions whereof Government in Church and State is undoubtedly one 4. He received none but to the glory of God Now to all such the Arms of our Governors are opened and they are most ready to receive them But such as must make their own Conditions and come in only upon their own Terms and those terms of Division Christ never received such and we know the Jews were cut off upon that account and therefore the Church cannot receive them to the glory of God unless She should acknowledge him to be a God of Confusion and not of Peace and Order To this purpose Erasmus paraphraseth the Text. Rom. 15. 7. Receive Synopsis ad locum him so as it may redound to Gods Glory who is glorified among the Unbelievers by your Concord This Reconciler by the Scriptures written for our Learning understands the 14th and 15th Chapter to the Romans which he makes the subject of his discourse pag. 67. tho he takes no notice of several remarques which the Verdict has thereon and he should have done well to have taught the people what bitter animosities and sad confusions did arise amongst them for want of good Laws and Rules to direct the Professors of Christianity and of Authority and Governors to awe them into a due obedience For the Convert-Jews would by all means observe Moses his Laws and Institutions even such as were purely Ritual and Ceremonial and not content with an allowance to do it themselves they would impose the practice upon all others and because the Gentiles would not observe them tho reconciled to Christianity they would not admit them to their Communion On the other side the Gentil-Converts being very well assured of the Liberty which they had in Christ whereby they were exempted from the Yoak of Moses's Law which was never designed to be put upon the Christians neck they were no less earnest to exclude from their Communion such Jews as still addicted themselves to the Customs and Law of Moses Hereupon arose a wretched Schism which wonderfully obstructed
exception And one Mistake tho never so absurd does commonly beget another and so it happens here for Where is the heavy Sentence which the Doctor passeth And What is it Certainly it cannot be less than the Sentence of Damnation which he blames with so much noise in Dr. Womock I find indeed at every turn the Reconciler is sending His Dissenters to Hell for their wretched Schisme not by single Persons only but by Sholes and Myriads and then he rebukes Dr. Pag. 55. Womock for so doing when he does it not Just as he shoots his Censures at his Governours in the very same Breath wherein he inveighs against Judging But the Reconciler is Catcht again in a sorry Fallacy and I am almost perswaded he is not aware of it If his Argument were put into Form it must run thus Whosoever saith That the Dissenters have lost the Title of Weak Brethren and are under the Sentence of Damnation he is rash Presumptuous and Uncharitable But does Dr. Womock make any such Assumption Then let the Reconciler who takes great freedom in that kind tell him of his foolery and that he wants Logick as well as Charity But Dr. Womock knows that here is Sophisma Plurium Interrogationum which perhaps is more then the Reconciler has considered In effect he puts the question thus Have the Dissenters lost the Title of Weak Brethren and fallen under the Sentence of Damnation If the Dr. affirms it then he concludes them under the Sentence of Damnation and is rash and Uncharitable in so doing If he denies it then he grants that they are Weak Brethren and are to have all the Indulgence and tenderness that belongs to Persons under those Circumstances But Dr. Womock is able to distinguish in this Case and to separate such as have lost the title of Weak Brethren from the present sentence of Damnation For the Dr. meddles with no mans Person having so well considered the Advice of Bishop Taylor that learned Prelate whom the Reconciler pretends to admire while he does abuse him in his writings Be not hasty sayes he in pronouncing damnation Adv. 52. against any man or Party in a matter of Disputation It is enough that you reprove an errour but what shall be the sentence against it at the day of Judgment thou knowest not and therefore pray for the erring Person and reprove him but leave the sentence to his Judge But touching those Weak ones among Ad Rom. 14. in Principio the Romans I shall acquaint the Reader with Peter Martyrs Opinion of them The question is Whether the Weakness of their Faith were an impediment to their Justification He thinks not because it is not the strength or Excellency of our Faith by which we are justified but the Merit and Dignity of the Object and although Faith be weak yet 't is Faith still if it be true But it might be said that they did not believe all things which were to be believed For they did not believe the Ceremonial Law of Moses to be abrogated And that Faith which does not believe all the Articles of Faith is no true faith Fateor equidem saith Peter Martyr I do confess it Si id accidat vitio Credentis if the fault be in the Believer if he will not admit of those Truths which he hears out of Holy Writ but contemns them and makes himself the Judge and Arbitrator how much of Scripture he ought to believe and attributes more to himself then he does to the Word of God Non est ista Fides vera that is not true Faith nor is the Holy Spirit wont to inspire any such Sence or Judgment But if there be something which a man does not believe because it has not been clearly propounded to him and he carries a mind sufficiently prepared to receive the Truth when it is made known to him in this case the Truth of his Faith may be a means to justify while the Weakness of it doth excuse him I wish the Dissenters may consider this Judgment of Peter Martyr that they may not make matters of Decency and Order under the Gospel to be Sin as if we were still under that Mosaical yoak of Bondage the Law and not under Grace But to follow the Reconciler who justifies his Denial of the Conclusion by several Arguments 1. He says what Dr. Womock does Pag. 105. alledge is a Plea that will serve all Parties Papists Dissenters Arminians Calvinists and almost all Disputers Now what the true ground of the Dispute is I cannot well imagine I have reason to think he is offended with the Major Proposition which contains the Character of such as ought not to claime the Right or Title of Weak Brethren but that is so expresly the words of Holy Scripture that he cannot in modesty avow his dislike thereof and therefore he makes an Assumption or Minor Proposition in Dr. Womocks name and then blames him for it That Dr. Womock did not assume upon the Dissenters the Reader will be convinced v. Pag. 100. 101 102. if he please to consult the place in the Verdict However let us weigh the strength of his discourse which we have in this Syllogisme All Arguments that may be used by other Parties as Papists c. they are ill Arguments But Dr. Womocks Argument may be used by other Parties Papists c. Therefore 't is an ill Argument Here I deny his Major Proposition All Arguments used by other Parties and particularly by the Papists are not ill Arguments for their Arguments to prove the Divinity of Christ are good Arguments and many of them the very same that are used by Protestants And that of Bellarmine is celebrated for a great Truth among all the Learned even by Amesius himself Propter incertitudinem proprioe justitioe perticulum inanis gloriae tutissimum est fiduciam totam in sola Dei misericordiâ benignitate reponere that is In regard of the Uncertainty of our own Righteousness and the danger of Vain-glory it is the safest way to put our whole Trust and Confidence in the sole Mercy and Favour of God This is a great Gospel-Truth and yet it fell from the Pen of Bellarmine And therefore he is out of the story when he concludes all Arguments to be ill because they are used by Papists or other Parties That his Argument may conclude effectually against Dr. Womock it must be framed thus Those Arguments which will as well and with equal Truth and Light of evidence maintain the Points of Popery c. as they do the Doctrine of the Church of England Those must needs be ill Arguments But such are the Arguments produced by Dr. Womock Here I utterly deny the Minor The Argumens there used by Dr. Womock have not an equal Truth or Light of Evidence to prove the Points of Popery as they have to prove the Doctrine of the Church of England For let me ask the Reconciler these few Questions Have the Popish
why should we scruple to make alterations in some few Circumstances respecting Worship for the preventing of the ruine of innumerable Souls Here the Reconciler talkes at such a rate as if he had an inclination to put in to be the Master of the Ceremonies but he must not take upon him to give Laws in that Case He most be so modest and good in his Office if he intends to continue in it as to leave it to the Wisdom of our Governours to observe when the Habits and Fashions and Customs are either Irrational or Inconvenient and then no doubt they will do their own work tho they take not him into the Consult about it But as he prefers his own and the Peoples Judgment before that of their Rulers so he doth in several places more than insinuate that 't is the Governours duty to Comply â— pag. 324. 327. 329. with and follow them rather than they should submit to their Governours 2. By his Change of Habits we may see he loves to follow the Fashion when 't is taken up at the wrong end of Civility among the Common People And by his Alterations for Advantage of Trade we may take Measure of his Religion and observe his gain is Godliness and that the Sect of false Prophets is not quite extinct of which St. Peter gives the People fair Warning when he tells them that through Covetousness with feigned words they should make Merchandise 2 Pet. 2. 3. of them But I must tell him and them That to prevent their ruine they must do as all good Christians have done and do to this very day obey the Commands and Impositions of God and his Vicegerents His Fourth Answer to Dr. Womock which in Truth is to Meisner is but an Interrogation and he is full of such kind of suggestions Can any man Imagine Is another of the same Topicks and these go for Arguments and indeed he concludes as Positively from them as if he were at Questions and Commands with his Superiours His present Question is this Is it not apparent from what hath been discoursed that there has been as great an alteration both as to Ceremonies and other matters contained in the Liturgy of Edward the Sixt without the least Confusion why therefore may not the like alterations be now made without Confusion This is a doughty Answer But It verifyes the Observation of that Wise and Learned States-man above mentioned and confirms the Ground of our Governours Refusal to make any more Alterations For grant one thing yet that shall never satisfie but only give the Party Encouragement to ask more and they will never give over till they have turned the Liturgy and Government out of Doors to bring in their New Model'd Service and Discipline This our Reconciler cannot choose but acknowledge if he has any Modesty or Love of Truth or has taken notice of what has been a doing this Fourty Years last past in these Kingdoms I think Dr. Womock is no further concerned either by Name or by any other particular Reference to his Verdict in this Protestant Reconciler But because I observe he makes very great use of the Reverend Dr. Jeremy Taylor I think fit to give one Caution to the Reader He was a very Learned man for whom I had a great esteem not only because he had a particular kindness for me but because he was a rare Person For he was a man of great Reason and of as great a Phantasie and this being the Lightest part of him 't was no wonder if sometimes it got uppermost 'T was the Reverend Dr. Hammonds Observation of him that whatever Argument he undertook he would drive it as far as was posible to make it goe we have an Instance in his discourses about Original Sin and when he wanted Strength of Reason he would endeavour to carry it on by strains of Witt and Rhetorick And indeed having taken up a Liberty of Prophesying which his Majesty of Blessed Memory was not pleased with tho his design therein was to baffle the Presbyterians he could never totally lay it down till he came to be better poys'd and more deliberate and that was when he came to be made a Bishop And it had been much more seasonable and useful for our Reconciler to have commended those sober Advices which he gave to his Clergy at his Visitation then to have taken so much pains in gleaning out of his Ductor Dubitantium such matters as by his ordering of them serve to pervert the hearts of Subjects and set them against the Laws and Impositions of their Governours contrary to the Sense and constant Practice of that Excellent Person The Advices I shall offer are much more for the edification of the Reconciler and his Clients than all the Harangues of Rhetorick which he has propounded in his Book viz. XIV As it looks like flattery and design to preach nothing before the Magistrates but the Duty of their People and their own Eminency so it is the beginning of Mutiny to Preach to the People the Duty of their Superiours and Supream it can neither come from a good Principle nor tend to a good End Every Minister ought to preach to his Parish and urge their Duty St. John the Baptist told the Souldiers what the Souldiers should do but troubled not their heads with what was the duty of the Scribes and Pharisees XIX Let no Minister be governed by the Opinion of his People and destroy his Duty by unreasonable Compliance with their humours lest as the Bishop of Granata told the Governours of Leria and Patti like silly Animals they take burdens upon their backs at the Pleasure of the multitude which they neither can retain with prudence nor shake off with safety XLIII Let not the Humours and Inclinations of the People be the measures of your Doctrines but let your Doctrines be the measure of their perswasions Let them know from you what they ought to do but if you learn from them what you ought to teach you will give but a very ill account at the day of Judgment of the Souls committed to you He that receives from the People what he shall teach them is like a Nurse that asks of her Child what Physick she shall give him LVIII Let not the Preacher make an We may say the same for matters of necessary duty especially relating to the eighth Commandment Article of faith to be a matter of Dispute but teach it with plaineness and simplicity and confirm it with easie Arguments and plain words of Scripture but without Objection let them be taught to believe but not to argue lest if the Arguments meet with a Scrupulous person it rather shake the Foundation by curious inquiry then establish it by Arguments too hard XXXVIII Never appeal to the Judgment of the People in matters of Controversie teach them Obedience not Arrogancy teach them to be humble not Crafty For without the aid of false Guides you will find some