Government of men and must certa â—â—â—be the truest Touch stone of Sin and Duty c. He says further this is a hopeful begining of Controversy to decline the Sufficiency and Propriety of Scripture as the Standard of good or evil But will this man assigne a better Yes the IXth Article of the Apostles Creed I Believe the Holy Catholic Church the Communion of Saints c. and concludes a happy Omen when the first Paragraph contains a plain affront both to Scripture and common Sense Sr. the holy Scriptures is the great Law for the Government of men and is certainly the truest Touch stone of Sin and Duty But Sr. whoever he be Scripture ought not to be Interpreted contrary to an Article of Faith that expounds Hâ—â—y Scripture in contradiction or not consonant to an Article of Faith his exposition cannot be true and I am assured so by that Article of Faith it contradicts or agrees not with As for example the Socinians have with so much cunning and plausibility expounded even those texts of Scripture which are express for the Divinity of our Blessed Savior in favour of their Heresy that they have staggar'd and perverted many persons of considerable understanding but when the Article of Faith is consider'd viz. And I Believe in one Lord Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God God of God very God of very God being of one Substance with the Father c. every Christian is infalliably assured that the Exposition of the Sacred Scripture made by the Sâ—inians are false because it is in contradiction to an Article of Faith So when I saw Mr. H ry had expounded the holy Apostl's Precept I beseech you Bretheren c. 1 Cor. 1.10 that there be no Divisions among you c. and other Texts of Scripture in favor of your Separat Communion to acquit that from the guilt of Schism I was firmly assured that his Expositions were false because they clash'd and agreed not with that IXth Article of Faith I Believe the Haly Catholic Church the Communion of Saints a Separate Communion being altogether inconsistent with that Article of Faith I therfore recomended that Article of Faith as a better and more easie way for him to find out the true nature of Schism than his so unskilful expounding Scripture which the Apostle saith 2 Pet. 1 20 is not of any Priâ—aâ—e Interpretation Sr. I know not who nor what you are but I must tell you that to affirm that an Article of Faith is a plain affront to Scripture is the nearest to the language of an Heretic that I have met with In p. 10 he saith I â—ffer to their Consideration the Origination or first Existence of the Catholic Church and that I said it was before the day of Pentecost but he says how long before that day I tell 'em not and then he takes an occasion to let us know that he has read of the Babilonish Captivity I did set down the Text Acts 1.15 The number of the Names together were about an hundred and twenty which was sufficient to denote the time and he owns that he knows my meaning but to exercise his abundant wit he says here is a Discovery worthy of its Author no body can think that I mention'd it as the Discoverer but as necessarily previous to what follow'd But he says had God no Churcheâ— then among the Jews must they be Excommunicated too for what cause pray and then reproachfully answers Not for want of Ceremonies or a Pontiff I hope Then he says the man told us in his Preface the Angels in Heaven were the most Glorious Members of the Church How must we lay these things together were the Angels Originated at the day of Pentecost Had they their first Existence then Or did the Members of the Body Exist before the Body Let the Citizen or any other of his Cabalâ— solve these Riddles and he shall be my great Apollo That God had a Church from the beginning of the World Church not call'd Catholic before the day of Pentecost Psal 2.8 Eph. 2.14 that the Angels in Heaven were from their Existence Members of it being Created for that end anâ— that â—he Church of the Jews was Gods peculiar Church are all infallibly true but untill the Promise was fulfilled Desire of me and I shall give thee the â—â—eathen for thine Inheritance and the utmost parts of the Earth for thy Possession Untill the middle Wall of the Partition was broken down which was not ' til the Church was changed from Judaism to Christianity the Title Catholic was never nor could properly be attributed to the Church now unless this Gent. will shew that the Church was call'd Catholic before the Day of Pentecost I mentioned all these Riddles and Philosophical questions are of no more worth and value than his great promise to make me his great Apollo In p. 11. he questions not that the Apostles and Disciples were the Church nor the power Christ gave the Apostles to Preach the Gospel to all the World and says that I well observe Christ's Commission and Charge that in every Natian they that believed might be Baptiz'd and made Members of the Church but says he how well they have observed their Commission who refuse to admit of Church Members upon their profession of Faith unless they will also comply with some significant Rites of their own that are alien to Scripture Rules c. and then in his 12 p. he says its plain from this mans Confession that to be a Disciple or Believer would make a man a Member of the Church in Apostolical times c. It is true that Faith is the necessary Qualification of a mans admission to Baptism and that persons are thereby made visible Members of the Church Members of the Church to observe the Peace Vnity in the Church but this is but the Initiation or beginning of Christianity Obedience to Spiritual Rulers and Governors being in this always suppos'd and impâ—y'd to Faith and Baptism must be added a strict Observation of the Order Peace and Unity of that holy Society into which they are admitted by those Qualifications above mention'd and this is most strictly enjoyned by the Holy Jesus the Prince of Peace and God of Order in the words mentioned in the beginning of this paper and divers other Texts in Scripture As for calling them Rites and Ceremonies of their own that are alien to Scripture Rules what ever tends to Order and the Beauty of Uniformity in the Church is in the Power and Wisdom of the Apostles Successors the Bishops to impose thô not express'd in Scripture there are no express terms in Scripture for Infant Baptism nor for Women to pertake at the Eucharist yet allowed and required by the Authority of the Church and submitted unto from the Primitive times by all Christians except Anabaptists who deny the former And this fully answers his following Paragraph which he closeth with much bitterness
thence that who ever Exercised any Ministerial Office out of this Line of Succession and had not Episcopal Ordination No true Ordination out of the line of Succession could be no other than a Lay Impostor and a Schismatic then I inferred further and consequently all Societies of Christians who with-draw themselves from the Government of their Bishops who are the Apostles Successors and from Communicating with those Presbyters lawfully set over them by Episcopal Ordination and Institution and frame themselves into any other sort of Government are guilty of Schism such Societies are Schismatics and cut themselves off from the Catholic Church but can in no sort properly be call'd Churches and therefore I understand not his Logic in this viz. If by Schism Men and Societies are cut off from the Vniversal Church therefore Schismatical Churches are no Churches ‖ The Donatists were such Churches they are thô Schismatical whilst they retain the Apostolical Succession they retain also the power and Authority of Ordination Preaching the Gospel and Administring the Sacraments and so retain the name of a Church * Dissenters no right to the Succession But what are our Dissenters concerned herein They disclaim the Succession and deny any power or Virtue to be derived from it and therefore have no Commission to preach the Gospel or Administer Sacraments c. and consequently no right to the name of a Church but by the word Societies they would have Churches understood that thereby their Unlawful Assemblies might pass under that Title I must here put one question to these Dissenters many of the Clergy of the Romish Church have embraced Communion with the Reformed Churches I desire to know whether Re-ordination in this case was ever required the answer must be in the Negative their Ordination being derived from the Apostles Successors in vain then is this Gentleman's attempt to Un-church the Church of England as in his p. 25. for that our Bishops have derived their Consecration from the Church of Rome it being the Judgement of all Reformed Divines that formal Schism cannot invalidate the power of Regular and formal Ordination In p. 26. he says I would Exclude all the Reformed Churches beyond Sea that have not those Governors c. by those Governors I suppose he means Diocesan Bishops To this I answer That many very Learned and Pious persons among them have declared their longing desires for the Episcopacy but living in Popish Dominions cannot have any but those of the Romish Communion Others there be that approve of it yet live in Republic Governments and they will by no means admit of Episcopacy in that Regiment invincible necessity is upon these and therefore in Charity cannot be charged with Schism being in their desires Catholic but as for those who with you and your Brethren in England deny its Authority and obstinately refuse Subjection to it they with you are notorious Schismatics and can in no wise be excused As for that fanciful supposition of a Company of Christians cast upon a remote Island which he talks of in p. 26. or if all the Pastors in a Country should be put to death c. He cannot bring one instance of either and if it should so happen all the Lay-men and mere Presbyters in the World cannot make one Evangelical Priest cannot impower them to Preach the Gospel not Consecrate Sacraments c. but what can be expected from Invincible necessity They have a God to pray to whose mercies are infinite who will fulfil the desires of them that fear him and will hear their cry Psal 114. v. 19. In his 27 p. he saith But if we assent to the Whimsie of a constant Succession as if power were conveyed like water in a Conduit after a Phisical manner by contact passing through the Fingers ends of the Prelate into the noddle of the person Ordain'd c. A Whimsie I take it signifies some Phantastic Device or the Creature of an unstable or unsettled brain which being applyed or imputed to Prelates who bear the Authority of Christ deriving it Originally from him can be no less I think than Blasphemy for our blessed Savior saith to his Apostles and in them to their Successors He that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me Luke 18. v. 16. no man that has not arrived to the highth of wickedness and given himself over to a reprobate mind would thus revile the Ambassadors of God he can be no better than a filthy Dreamer who thus despiseth Dominion and speaks evil of Dignities Jude v. 8. How wantonly does this man sport himself in holy things and by vilifieing and contemning the Evangelical holy Priest-hood make void and a kicshaw as much as in him lyeth of our holy Religion exposing and prostituting it to the contempt and scorn of Infidels and Atheists What he mentions in p. 28. viz. The Leud Extravagant Caresses that have happened between the ambitious Princes and astiring Church-men concerns us not for he cannot name any such aspiring Church-men that have been in England since the Reformation and thô he could the order being of Divine Institution cannot be dissolved for any mans miscarriage if by this he means any thing of the Church of Rome we abjure her Jurisdiction over us Dr. Sancroft Arch-bishop of Canterbury with six other Bishops in their Address to K. James declared against the Vsurping of any absolute Empire over the Civil and Religious Rights of men and this was done so publickly that it is more than probable the fame of it is gone thrô the World so that this Insinuation of his is a mere malicious calumny In my p. 4. I proved that to love as Christians in Scripture sence is to love as members of Christ and that this obliges Christians to preserve the Body i. e. the Church from Rents and Schisms which says he we never deny He implicitly confesseth that they ought to preserve the Church from Rents and Schisms and yet shamefully denys it in practice every day I have so fully spoken of this before that I need say no more in this place And here again are the Ceremonies objected which thô I have proved to be no sufficient ground for their Separation yet for further satisfaction I will here Recommend the Reasons given by the Convocation why the Ceremonies were retained They are affix'd before the Book of Common Prayer and are important enough to satisfie the Conscience of any sober Consciencious Christian In p. 29. he says for our further Conviction we are told the Communion of Saints is one External visible Communion in the Christian Church which is so far from explaining the thing that it makes it much darker what I said above had reference to the Christian Church when it was first called Catholic And was not the Communion of the Church then One and ought it not to be so still and was not the Union External and Visible but I did a little after
explain by shewing wherein this Communion doth more particularly consist In my p. 5. viz. in the same Articles of Faith The Communion of Saints in Faith I nam'd the Apostles Nicene and Atharasian Creeds which have been received and used in the Catholic Church from the times they were first published and appoint'd by the Authority of the Church the Creeds are Compendiums and brief Comprehensions of the Objects of our Christian Faith and do contain all things necessary to be believ'd every Article being a principle of the Christian Religion which every Christian is bound to profess and is the Test to distinguish between Heretics and sound Christians and now this profession and agreement of Christians in these Articles of Faith may be truly called the Communion of Saints in point of Faith But my Adversary is not very fond of these Creeds and why not in Scripture says he Why every one who truly believes the Scripture believes the Articles of Faith and every one who believe the Articles believe the Scripture He says They are but Human composition They were Composed by those to whom the Care and Authority of the Church was committed and every Article for the benefit of all even the meanest Christians being formed and Collected out of Sacred Scripture are of Divine Authority He says I shut out the Greek and other Eastern Churches This is but his own Conception for they agree with us in all Articles of Faith they do not indeed express the Article of the Holy Ghost in the very same words but they acknowledge that the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father by the Son which differs not in sense and they Worship the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity so that in Articles of Faith we and they hold Communion Well! I perceive thô my Adversary relishes not and speaks with but indifferent Respect of the Creeds yet he says however he is so far in Communion with us so in this he will be no Schismatic or rather no Heretic The Communion 〈◊〉 Saints 〈◊〉 the Eucharist Another particular which I mentioned requir'd in this Communion is partaking all at the same Table which thô it be not individually yet Spiritually it is the same and being every where called the Lords Table could be no otherwise meant but that this Gent. will be very witty and take exceptions at every thing The Apostle calls it the Lords Table The Cup of Blessing which we bless 1 Cer. 10.21 v. 16. v. 17. is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ We being many are one Bread and one Body for we are all partakers of that one Bread All true Christians partaking at the Lords Table are one Body in the Apostles Sense the bread not only signifieing the Body of Christ but the Unity of the partakers also and this is the Communion of Saints at the Lords Table Here says he we are with him still I wonder at his confidence he would say sure hâ—re we ought to be with them for they are not with us By comparing our Church with the Primitive Churches I have proved her to be a Church truly Catholic her Jurisdiction as truly Apostolical as they were from whence it follows as I have said that her Orders are to be equally obey'd her Unity and Peace as strictly maintained and what soever was Schism in any of them must be so in her To refuse Communicating with any of them at the Lords Table and to have set up another Table in opposition to any of them must in this Gentlemans judgment have been criminous Schism then of necessity it holds true against our Dissenters they refuse Communion with that Church which most certainly holds true Communion with the Universal Catholic Church and consequently with the Son of God who is the Head thereof and the Principle and proper Object of all Christian Communion Our Dissenters have set up a separate Table in opposition thereto rob'd her of her Members and broke her Unity all this being notoriously the breach of Christian Charity is in this Gent. and Mr. Hery's Sense too Schism which Mr. Hery calls an Arch-Rebel but not so properly as an Infamous Rebellion in Christs Kingdom and thus they are Schismatics in Separating from the Communion of Saints at the Lords Table What he talks here of deriving our Succession from the Church of Rome is already answered A third particular required in this Communion I affirmed to be Communion of Saints in the same Prayers the joyning all in the same holy Prayers and Supplications Intercessions and giving of thanks according to St. Paul's express Command To this he says I cannot mean that in those Dutys we must necessaryly use the very same words c. for then I exclude all the World but them of my own perswasion and a great many of them too I exhort therefore saith St. Paul that first of all Supplications Prayers 1. Tim. 2. v 1.2 Intercessions and giving of Thanks be made for all min for Kings and all that are in Authority c. Here is a sufficient ground from Holy Scripture for Liturgies or Forms of Prayers in the public Worship and Service of God and St. Paul gives his reason for it in his Ep. to the Romans that we might with one mind and one mouth Glorifie God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 15. v. 6. According to this command Forms of Prayers or Liturgies were Composed early in the Catholic Churches and have been used ever since that there might be an Unity in their Supplications and Prayers and in their Thanksgivings and Praises that nothing should be omitted nor any thing more in our Petitions express'd but what our holy Religion requires that there should be no rudeness or undecency in words in which respects conceived and Extempore prayers are very liable to be faulty and in these they were all obliged to joyn where ever they came together for the public Worship and Service of God Herein they had Communion with God the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ who was in the midst of them Mat. 28. v. 20. and in whose name they were presented and with one another Uniting all in the same Prayers here is the Communion of Saints in holy Prayers It is true that the Respective Provincial or Diocesan Churches had not every one their set Forms of Prayers or Liturgies in the very same words every Bishop having power to Compose a Form for that Church of which he was Over-seer Yet they were the same for substance so that every Christian was obliged to Communicate not only with the Bishop or his Presbyters under whose Jurisdiction he lived but all Catholics coming to remote Churches did as bound by the Rules of Catholic Unity Communicate with their Fellow-Christians to what Church soever they came That in this the Church of England as in the former particulars holds Communion with the Primitive Catholic Church will appear Pream Quinto