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A31766
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The Charity and loyalty of some of our clergy in a short view of Dr. M's sermon before their Majesties at Hampton-Court, July the 14th, 1689 : where-in he still charges the Protestant dissenters with schism : with some occasional remarks upon a clergy-mans considerations for taking the Oath of allegiance to King William and Queen Mary, and upon the history of passive obedience since the Reformation.
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1689
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Wing C2068; ESTC R23924
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20,585
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THE CHARITY and LOYALTY Of some of our CLERGY IN A short View of Dr. M's SERMON before their Majesties at Hampton-Court July the 14th 1689. Wherein he still charges the Protestant Dissenters with Schism With some occasional Remarks upon a Clergy-mans Considerations for taking the Oath of Allegiance to King WILLIAM and Queen MARY And upon the History of Passive Obedience since the Reformation LONDON Printed for Richard Janeway in Queen's-head-Court in Pater-noster-Row MDCLXXXIX THE CHARITY and LOYALTY Of some of our CLERGY SIR YOU might well be backward in crediting the Account I gave you of Dr. M's seeming pacific Sermon Yet I hope now it is out in Print you are abundantly satisfied that though he would not be thought to repine at the Indulgence now granted to the several Dissenters amongst us Page 27. he cannot forbear the old charitable Appellation of Schismaticks And I think there can be no greater Evidence of being in a Passion of one sort or other than the giving hard Words or calling Names To do this before the glorious Repairers of those Breaches which some among us would be continually making you may well believe not to be very discreet But there is a certain Bigottry which I may say fatally transports some Men. When the chief Marragers against the Protestant Dissenters seem'd weary or ashamed of those Arguments which they by sad Experience found equally serviceable to the Papists when the Political Vnion between Christ and Believers yielded to the Spiritual and a fancy'd Catholick-Communion in Rites and Ceremonies to one upon the Terms of common Christianity Compare a certain Treatise of Vnion and Communion with Christ Jesus and two Sermons of the same Persons about Church Communion with his Treatise of the Vnity of the Church and another of Protestant Principles It might seem strange to have the old Cant revived by one of less Art though smoother Address Were it not that the Errors of the Leaders of any Party stand for Maxims and Principles till plainly retracted And though the Mortification may be severe to Flesh and Blood yet whoever has serv'd the Papists or Arbitrary Power with his Doctrines ought if he be of Reputation with his Party the rather to suffer an Eclipse of his Fame by coming to the Stool of Repentance lest that very Fame help to spread the Contagion and make his Errors Canonical The Church indeed whose Articles and Homilies they profess to receive is far from authorizing their Conceits but Men are apt to believe that they hear the Voice of the Church from the Pulpit and that the Priest's Lips preserve the true Knowledg yet I think no Man need desire greater Advantage for confuting their Ecclesiastical or Civil Politicks than the laying hold of what themselves own in cool Blood. Though the Doctor on whom I now animadvert has nothing of any Moment but what we may easily trace him in from one of the Leaders Yet in one respect he is himself an Original being the first who Page 27. to use his excellent Chime has admonish'd Men though the Law has given them Liberty of Conscience to make Conscience of their Liberty Or that charges the Protestant Dissenters with Schism Ibid. notwithstanding the Legal Indulgence or Ease Which though I must own to be but an Opiate which allays but does not remove the Distemper yet I cannot for my life understand how Non-compliance with Rites and Ceremonies instituted by humane Laws should be a Schism when the same Law allows a Liberty and would gladly know what is that Law of Christ which is immutable and not to be repealed Pape 28. obliging Men to communicate in those Rites and Ceremonies which he never enjoyned nor were enjoyned by any Law but what ceases to be one to him whom it allows in a Dissent from those who are in possession of the Profits If it be said Page 24. That he charges Schism only upon such as Hypocritically and Maliciously make Breaches and Disturbances in a Church to revenge or advance themselves by the ruin of it 1st It is evident that if he do not insinuate that all Dissenters are thus Guilty Page 16. 23. he therein departs from his Question which is of such as upon dissatisfaction divide and will not join with us Page 23. 2ly Even these as such are terrified with what the Fathers have declared about this Matter that is dividing upon Dissatisfaction Upon which he says the Fathers considering the ill effects and consequences of Schism have pronounced it as heinous a Sin as any whatsoever Wherefore the matter to which this Censure is apply'd being dividing upon Dissatisfaction this if he speak consistently is Schism in the Language of the Fathers Nor can any Inconsistencies or Contradictions be thought to qualify positive Assertions till they are as positively renounc'd Nay he says in another Place Page 18. that though the Recusants here are greater Schismaticks than any other Separatists among us Yet neither can any of the other that separate well clear themselves from being such So that according to him the Protestant Dissenters in general not only such as maliciously and hypocritically make Breaches cannot well clear themselves from being Schismaticks And he advises such Dissenters not to presume and encourage themselves in that Separation Page 27. which he will have to be causeless because che Laws of the Land are so favourable to inflict no Penalties upon them for it These says he do not undertake to justify the Thing as if it were no Sin only forbear to judg in it and leave us wholly to the Law of Christ which is immutable and not to be repealed So that he it seems is wiser than the Law and does judg them guilty of this Sin of Schism though the Law forbears to judg so But there is more than this in the matter and little less than a Reflection upon the Parliament for making a Sin before God lawful to be committed And if Schism be as heinous a Sin as any and yet the Parliament makes this lawful others will say it might better make Murder so far lawful as to take off the Sanction by Penalties which the Laws against it have For admit all humane Penalties were taken away from Murder it would be no less a Sin in the Eyes of all Men. Whereas in this case a Man incurs the danger of sinning in the Doctor 's sense without a sufficient Buoy For as all Religious Assemblies with other Rites and Ceremonies than those which are used according to our Liturgy were forbidden to Protestants only by Statute-Law upon certain Penalties many cannot but think that the Act which takes away those Penalties from Protestant Assemblies makes those Assemblies lawful And if it be a Sin for them still to assemble together though the Penalties are abolishd'd the amoving of them would but lead Men into Temptation Page 27. and the Statute become a Legal Snare in lieu of the Illegal one I
rememember the time when Clergy-Men thought it their Interest to maintain that the Sanction of a meer positive Law lies in the Penalty Vid. Grand Question concerning the Bishops voting in Cases Capital Pag. 68. The Sanction of the Law is ceas'd which was irregularity Pag. 69. If the irregularity be taken away the Sanction is gone And if the Sanction be taken off in a meer positior Law the force of the Law is gone too And therefore this Canon Law which forbids Clergy-Men being present in Capital-Cases and giving Votes therein is wholly taken away by the Reformation Wherefore some would ask what now becomes of the Laws about Conformity the Penalties being taken away Though I must own the late Act to be penn'd with abundant Caution to prevent the Cavils of a nice sort of Men yet it speaks of separate Assemblies for Religious Worship permitted or allowed by it And gives such encouragement to them as to exempt their Preachers from certain secular Employments the better to attend to the Work of their Ministry And tho God Almighty may permit or suffer Sin as he does not necessitate the avoiding it yet he cannot be said to allow it it being difficult to distinguish between allowing and approving much less can he be thought to encourage it Nor can that be thought a Sin against which he has denounced no Judgment especially where he declares there shall be none And if any thing became a Sin by humane Law if that declare there shall be no Penalty one would take it to be a virtual declaring that it ceases to be a Sin unless we can imagine that the Law which frees the Body would ensnare the Mind Nay the Doctor seems to forget that he had called the late Act Page 27. an Indulgence granted the Dissenters in the Page immediately before his Assertion that the Laws do not undertake to justify the Thing he was then speaking of which was the Liberty of Conscience which they give as if it were no Sin Which surely is a palpable Reflection that the Laws give indulgence to Sin. But in charging this Sin of Schism the Doctor here must needs go upon the Supposition that the Terms of Communion with the Church of England are enjoyned by Christ's immutable Law Upon which I dare say the Dissenters will readily join Issue Nor do they belive that Christ has made any Law for England but what he has made for all Mankind Yet the Doctor thinks he had proved them guilty from the Notion of Schism Page 18. it being as he says the strict and proper Notion of Schism for Persons causlesly to rend themselves from the particular Church whereof de jure they are Members If it be causlesly in the Judgment of the Party that divides it were something But according to him the Protestant Dissenters who divide upon Dissatisfaction notwithstanding such real Dissatisfaction without any thing of Malice or Hypocrisy are Schismaticks For he will have their Division to be causless in it self For such to say they agree in Doctrinals it is only upon account of Ceremonies that they separate Vid. Dr. Bringhurst's Sermon before the Ld. Mayor May 26. 1689. The spirituality of God's Worship under the Gospel being a necessary qualification of it some Men may possibly scruple without any Malice or ill Design some Rites or Vsages in the Worship of God as being contrary to its Spirituality Nothing but Order and Decency may be designed by them or some external Ornaments for the Service of God and by a fair and rational Interpretation they may be so us'd without being impediments to the purity and spirituality of Divine Worship yet seeing all Men cannot have the same sense of these things and seeing what a Man scruples he can never be edified by it we are to consider the infirmities of our Brethren for Order and Decency here is best when they are in subservency to Edification seemeth says he so far from excusing the Thing it really maketh it worse But since Men are not apt to make due Allowances for humane Infirmities till the Case comes to be their own it may not be amiss to put it so as may affect some of our present Clergy For them to rend themselves from their People and to intermit or wholly leave off their Ministry causlesly must needs be as Schismatical and as great a Breach of the Political Union as for the People causlesly to separate from them But we say and are ready to prove that they who are suspended or may be depriv'd for refusing to take the Oath of Allegiance to King William and Queen Mary causlessly rend themselves from their People If they say that they really scruple Why should causless Scruples excuse them from Schism and not the more ignorant Laity If it is so far from excusing the last that it makes it worse that they scruple not upon account of Doctrinals the same will return upon them whose Scruples are founded upon a supposed knowledg of humane Law in which they are evidently mistaken And herein the Point turns the stronger upon them that whereas the Law with great Equity gives Indulgence to Consciences scrupulous about Religious Worship and doubtful of the Power of humane Laws concerning it the Law neither does nor can without Injury to the Publique give Indulgence to them who unless they give reasonable Assurance of Fidelity are to be look'd upon as of a contrary Allegiance and so no Friends to the Power which protects them And this is the rather to be believed because no Man who will take any promisory Oath can scruple swearing Allegiance now but upon Supposition that the subject matter of his former Oath remains and the late King still continues his Leige Lord according to the Laws of the English Government For Allegiance must follow the Law it being nothing more than the Fidelity and Obedience which the Law requires Were it more we should swear our selves Slaves and the King Absolute Though in relation to a future State it may be too severe to charge all Men of Understanding with the immediate and obvious Consequences of what they hold many being better than their Principles Yet it may be as needful for Civil Governments to judg accordingly as to preferve themselves But as poor Dissenters are suppofed to be shut out of God's Church and depriv'd of all the ordinary means of Salvation because of their Mistakes 't is requisite thus to turn the Question upon them who cast the first Stone And some will be ready to suggest that Obstinacy Vanity to be at the Head of a Party an Expectation of being considerable enough to be bought off too great Pride to acknowledg an Error or the like are more truely Ingredients in the Clerical Schism than Malice or Hypocrisy in that which the Laity are aspers'd with But to return to our Doctor He had own'd that Christ's Mystical Body is an Aggregation or Collection of all throughout the Face of the