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A09949 A sermon preached at Eggington in the county of Darby concerning the right vse of things indifferent, the 3. day of August, 1596. By Symon Presse minister there. Presse, Symon, b. 1558 or 9. 1597 (1597) STC 20207; ESTC S102087 9,747 29

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the faith the weake in the faith are either such as are offended with the vsing of things indifferent or such as are offended with the refusing of the same The former sort are such as bee perswaded that the word of God and sacraments are prophaned where things of their owne nature indifferent but heretofore abused in the time of Popery are vsed And these men had rather flie from the word then bee presēt to see such a ceremonie as the surples worne as by experience I knewe 600. men and women flie from a sermon because the surplesse was worne in the sermon time such men are indeede weake for they will either haue Christ naked or none of him at all not considering that the kingdome of God standeth not in any outward thing Rom. 14.17 18. The weake of the other sorte are they who bee so addicted to the ceremonies that either they will haue them vsed or els they will not heare the word nor receiue the sacramēts Yea they are resolved that the word and sacramentes are betiered by the ceremonies and made of lesse force without them These men must haue Christ in what garment pleaseth them or they will haue none of him at all Now what must a minister do in this case shall hee hand ouer head vse or refuse the ceremonies I trowe not But must teach both these their weakenesses by declaring vnto them that the commaunders and vrgers of ceremonies are of two sorts and they haue either of them a severall end of their commaundement The one sorte of commaunders and vrgers are the Pope his adherēts the end of whose commandement is to bynde mens consciēces vnto the vse of ceremonies vppon paine of dānation Yea they will not stick to pursue to death such as refuse any one of their ceremonies by this meanes many a poore wretch is driven for feare of one wicked man to vse such things against his owne conscience and with the grievous offēce of the weake both which are intollerable sins against himselfe that doth the thing against his weake brother that seeth the thing done and against Christ the head of the mysticall body Any one of which offences is sufficient to cause a good christian to resolue with himselfe never to vse the surplesse or any such ceremony in such a case For God forbid that such cōmaunders and vrgers of ceremonies as are the popes friends should draw a man into the danger of his owne soule whereas wee are taught rather to obeye God then men Acts. 5.29 and to go forward in our calling without feare what man can do vnto vs. The other sorte of commaunders and vrgers are christian princes and such as are substituted of them who cōmand and vrge such things because no church government can stand without some ceremonies And it is thought fit by them that in one and the same region and regiment one vniforme order should be vsed which otherwise being left to the discretiō of everie private mā there would be as great varietie and alteration in ceremonies as there is in apparell To prevent which disorder certain ceremonies are stil retained by the Queens most excellent maiestie whome God longe preserue not to binde mens consciences with feare of dānatiō but to traine all her subiects in due obedience respecting this end that according to the Apostles doctrine all things may bee done comly and in order For as disorder in the common wealth is dāgerous So much more in the church of God for thereby men are brought from superstition to no religion a thing in these last dayes much to bee regarded But some men will aske what if the things commaunded by the prince haue beene heretofore abused in the time of superstition may we then vse them with a good cōscience I aunswer yea if the thing commaunded bee one of Gods creatures when the superstition is removed and it restored to the original without offence to his conscience that vseth the same the people beeing taught the indifferencie of the thing viz that it is not forbidden in the worde neither by expresse cōmaundement nor by necessarie consequence then it may bee vsed without grudge or scruple of conscience As for example the censors which the conspiratours against Moses and Aaron abused were lawfully made a covering for the altar of the lorde Numb 16. And also the bullocke fedd 7. yeares to bee sacrificed to Baall was now sacrificed to the lorde with the woode of the grove and by the lorde accepted For the abuse was taken away the thing was brought backe to his originall and then vsed in the service of the lorde and not by him reiected So must wee deale in the practise of thinges indifferent to cut of occasion from them that seeke occasion that God in al things may bee glorified the prince obeyed superstion banished the people edified and the peace of the church preserved Thus shall the weake of neither sorte haue any iust cause to be offēded with our vsing of things indifferent And thus much of thē that are weake in the faith The other sorte namely the stronge in the faith knowe the right vse of things indifferent aswell as hee that vseth them him selfe For as they cannot bee greeved with the vse so will they not be offended with the want of such things But when they are practised these men remember the obedience due vnto princes And when not vsed they call to mind that the woorde of God is neither bettered by them nor made worse with the want of them Where a man hath such to looke vpon him he may without scruple of conscience vse the ceremonies to shew his obedience to christiā princes Wherfore to conclude let every man in the vse of things indifferent measure his actions towards his weake brother by charitie let his charitie proceede of fayth and his faith abhorre the Pope bring forth true obedience to his prince not so much for feare of punishment as for conscience sake So shall hee neither offend his brother his prince nor his God And then needeth hee not to care who seeth him to practise things indifferent And thus much of the first observation If any man see thee c. In these words againe our Apostle covertlie giveth a caveat to every mā to take heed to his eies lest by them hee bee unboldened to imitate such thinges as are wrought in his sight From whence wee learne that sinne entereth into our souls by our eies as light into an house by that window for the eie vieweth the obiect and sendes it by degrees into the heart the hart pōdereth vpon the report yeeldeth consent and setteth the eie on worke to performe the harts desire And hereof it cōmeth that our saviour Christ sayth a wicked eye mommeth out of the hart and defileth the man Mark 7.22 Yea and proceedeth further affirming that he who looketh vpon a woman and lusteth after her hath committed adulterie alreadie with her in his hearie Math. 5.28
Herevppon David maketh this earnest praier turne away mine eies O lord from regarding vanitie Psal 119.37 Wherefore it is good for vs rather then thus to offend by them to plucke them out and cast them from vs Math. 18.9 which course if our greate grandmother Hevah had taken when shee looked vpon the apple she had not so soone yeelded vnto sathan neither intised her husband to doe the like nor inwrapped mankinde in the vnsufferable and yet vnavoidable curse of God Gen. 3.6 The sonnes of God that behelde the bewty of the daughters of men and chose them wiues by sight not by vertue were a great cause of the general deluge Gen. 6.2 David had litle ioy a greate while of that sight of Bathsheba His sweete meate had very sower sauce 2. Sam. 11. 12. per totum Wherefore let everye man bee admonished with Iob to make a covenaunt with his eyes not to looke vpon any vnlawfull thing And if hee cannot rule them let him plucke them oute that they may not bee an impediment to his soule And thus much of this seconde observation That hast knowledge c. The Apostle here noteth that men of knowledge may abuse the same to the hurt of others and so make that exellent quality hurtful to them selues and to them with whom they converse From whence this observation naturally ariseth that that which is commanded in the substance may be made sinne in the circūstance For God will haue all our actions to bee suitable to his will both in matter and forme otherwise they are not good in his sight For it is not enough to doe that which he commandeth except we doe it as he commaundeth the same to bee done Moses Aaron are commended not only for observing the commaundement but also because that as the lord commāded Moses Aaron even so did they Exod. 7.6 Our saviour Christ when hee had washed his disciples feete biddeth them not only to doe that which hee had doone but also as hee had done Iohn 13.14.15 For as well the forme as the matter must concurr in everie action Wherfore if you marke it you shall perceiue that every thing hath his limitation Out of which compasse vertue is turned into vice as for example alms deeds praier fasting are commaunded and commended by Christ Iesus yet may they bee wrought not be acceptable vnto God as our savior manifestly declareth Mat. 6. from the 1. verse vnto the 18. for there we may see that if he who giveth almes cause a trumpet to be blown before him or desire to bee seene of men or to bee praised of them hee is gone out of the compasse and hath lost his reward Praier is commended likewise and the forme thereof set downe but hee that praieth must not run into the streetes and open places to bee viewed and praysed of men neither may hee vse vaine repetitions as the papists nor much babling as the heathen Fasting also is a preparatiue vnto many vertues but yet a man may neither looke sower nor disfigure his face to bee seene of men nor thinke to make God indebted vnto him for his fasting as though hee had neede of it Knowledge in like sorte is commanded in the scipture and wee are commanded to cal after knowledge to cry for vnderstanding to seeke for it as for silver and to search for it as for treasures Pro. 2.3.4 yea and to account our selues happye when wee finde it for ignorance is very hatefull vnto God and hurtfull vnto mē Yet for all that knowledge must keepe her selfe within her bonds she must not puffe him vp that possesseth her she must haue charitie her companion and guide And howsoever she may shew her selfe in her dimēsions vnto her acquaintance yet vnto strangers that is the ignorant shee must make her selfe knowne by little and litle as they are able to receiue her to their edification and not to their destruction For she must bee to the ignorant as milke to babes To the weake as hearbes to sickly stomackes and to the strong as stronge meate for men And to evry one as they are able to abide her that at the length by her they may bee wonne vnto the lorde For haue her they must in some measure or els heaven will bee not habitation for them For knowledge is the mother and daughter of faith And is so associated vnto faith that none can be saved but such as beleeue and come to the knowledge of the truth 1. Tim. 2.4.1 Pet. 1.9 And what should I say more the case is clear Whatsoever thou dost be it neuer so good in substāce yet maist thou marre it in circūstāce Be it neuer so holy in the matter yet maist thou so soile it in the maner of doing that the lord may iustly aborre it though he haue cōmanded thee to doe it because it is not done as hee commandeth And thus much of the third observation Sit at table in the Idols temple Our Apostle woulde haue the Idolatrous place and persons auoided as where and among whome no good can bee gotten to a mans selfe and much evill may bee susspected to come thereby For often it commeth to passe that with whom wee converse familiarly in worldely thinges by him wee are drawne either from our profession or from the former zeale wee were wont to haue there in besides the corruption of our maners Wherby we are taught this necessarie lesson to be curious of the place and company we keep lest wee corrupt our fayth and defile our maners For hee that toucheth pitch shal be defiled there with which the lorde foresaw and therefore made this proclamation by the prophet departe departe ye goe out from thence and touch noe vncleane thing goe out of the midest of her bee cleane yee that carrie the vessels of the lord Isa 52.11 And this caused our Apostle to vrge a seperation betweene the godly and vngodly 2. Cor. 6.14.15 Lot must packe out of Sodome Gen. 19.17 The congregation of the Lord must seperate themselues from the tents of Corah Dathan and Abiron Numb 16.26 Iehoshaphat is wondred at by the prophet that he wil helpe the wicked and like their company that hate the lorde 2. Paral. 19.2 what doth all this teach vs but that wee ought to bee curious with whom wee keepe company lest thereby wee not only hurt our selues but offend the Lorde But some men will say doe yee absolutely condēne accompanying with the wicked I aunswer no. For as a Phisition may bee in the companye of the sicke having this end to heale them so may a good man bee in the assembly of the wicked having this purpose to win them vnto the Lord. So Christ kept company with the publicans and sinners not allowing of their life but perswading them to amendment And when hee was carped at by the malitious hee defended his dooings by three arguments The first drawne from the neede that the parties had of him with whom hee