their profit but t is by a false Arithmetick an Arithmetick that is only in their own fansie by which they cast up that which is not and so must needs be out in their account For they cast up for the time to come making that a part of their reckoning and by that their life longer in their fansie then t is truely in it self or in Gods appointment which is so unimaginable folly that it causeth the Son of God to thwart his own instructions and though he much dislike the language of thou fool Matth. 5. 22. Yet here he useth it saying verse 20. Thou fool this night thy soul shsll be required of thee Thus are our carnal joys great in their proportion not so in their foundation but contrarywise our spiritual joys are greater in their foundation then in their proportion which shews that even the best of us do so live in the flesh as to live too much after it contrary to that profession which should be ours as well as Saint Pauls for though we walk in the flesh we do not war after the flesh 2 Cor. 10. 3. Hence it is that the cause or foundation of our joy in Christ is infinitely greater then the measure and proportion of it But yet the man after Gods own heart the Prophet David sets it out to the full He was a man after our hearts in his carnal failings but a man after Gods heart in his unfeigned repentance which caused his spiritual rejoycings And his spiritual joy was so great that he cals for company to rejoyce wirh him saying Rejoyce in the Lord O ye righteous for it becommeth well the just to be thankful Psal 33. 1. As if he had said since ye are truly righteous and just being made righteous by his propitiation and just by his satisfaction it becommeth you well to rejoyce in him that you may be thankful for this transcendent salvation So let me be just so let me be joyful SECT XI A zealous observation of this Christian Festival proceedeth from the true love of our Redeemer and thankfulness for our Redemption A set form of Praise fittest to express that thankfulness IT were a fowl shame for Christians who are most obliged to serve God to be least devoted to his service and therefore we must beware of shewing less zeal in our moral then the Jews shewed in their ceremonial worship When they celebrated their Passeover they did sing some Psalms of Repentance as a lamentation for the sinner other Psalms of thanksgiving as a triumph and rejoycing for the righteous Canebant quaedam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quaedam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Scal. lib. 6. de emend temp They did sing some Psalms for propitiation some for thanksgiving And this was their hymn for thanksgiving Blessed art thou O Lord our God King of heaven and earth who hast sanctified us by thy Commandments and hast commanded us in this manner to bless and praise thee which hymn of theirs holy Zachary seems to have imitated but withal to have amplified in his Benedictus Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people that we being delivered from the fear of our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness all the daies of our life A main ground of his blessing God is this That God hath enabled his people to bless and praise him Which invaluable mercy the Greek Church alwaies thought worthy of a particular thanksgiving saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we give unto thee humble and hearty thanks that thou hast given us this Liturgie this good form of serving thee That thou hast called us to this duty of publick thanksgiving That thou hast vouchsafed us this great honour who are dust and ashes and greater mercy who are sinful dust and ashes to bless and praise thee and to call upon thy holy name And they have this reward of their thankfulness that in the middst of the greatest and bitterest enemies of the Christian Religion they do still enjoy their Liturgy groaning indeed under the bondage and oppression of their bodies but infinitely rejoycing in the liberty of their souls the Turks themselves thinking it too inhumane a tyrannie to bring that people into bondage both of body and of soul And as for the Jews they would have laughed at any man that should have offered them whimsies instead of certainties and would sooner have let their bread be taken out of their mouthes then this their hymn of blessing and praising God So great so fervent so constant was their zeal for that which they knew to be true godliness This I say was the general thanksgiving of the Iews at all their great Feasts to the which they added those particular forms of thanksgiving that most properly concerned the occasion And this was their spiritual manner of feasting God himself suggesting no less in that he commanded them to take their Lamb the tenth day of the moneth which was not to be slain till the fourteenth for why was the Lamb to be taken so long before hand but only that their souls might feed on the goodness of God before their bodies feasted on the Lamb And the Jewish Authors tell us that during those four daies the Lamb was tyed to their bed-posts that not only eating and drinking as Saint Paul requires of us 1 Cor. 10 31. but also sleeping and waking they might glorifie their God And so will we too if we have the true love and zeal of godliness saying with those three holy men for the same cause that they did even our deliverance from the fiery furnace not of temporary but of everlasting burnings O ye servant of the Lord bless ye the Lord praise him and magnifie him for ever O ye spirits and souls of the righteous bless ye the Lord praise him and magnifie him for ever O ye holy and humble men of heart bless ye the Lord praise him and magnifie him for ever So that unless we will profess that we serve our selves not our God that we are men whose spirits and souls are unrighteous and that we are unholy and proud of heart we must bless the Lord praise him and magnifie him for ever This is the zeal we should bring with us to this and all other our Christian Festivals as the Prophet requireth saying If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my holy day and call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not doing thine own waies nor finding thine own pleasure nor speaking thine own words Isa 58. 13. which text in Kimchies gloss is to be interpreted of the Sabbath in general for saith he the feast of expiation was strictly to be observed as a Sabbath though it was placed on the 10. day of September which might fall on any day of the week And he proveth a strict observation from the words themselves wherein are both a negative
it is most strictly commanded by the word of God what can be said more for the excellency of it Then that it is most highly commended by the Son of God I shall only crave leave to add that our own Church rightly judged of this necessity and excellency and as rightly conformed her practice to her Judgement in taking so great care that we should have an exact Translation of the Holy Scriptures and many eminent Expositions of the same so that no People in the world have greater means of knowing God then we have which is the first work of the Christian Religion to teach us to know God All our fault is we have not Affections and Actions answerable to our knowledge which is the second work of Christian Religion to teach us to love and honour God and if our Church hath as faithfully discharged her Trust in this as in the other we shall have great reason to bless God and not the least reason to dislike our Church For what can she teach us more then Christ and the Christian Religion hath taught her which is to know and to worship God If our Church hath thus been our Mistress to bring us unto Piety then much more ought she to be our Mother to keep us in our Duty So shall we not be ungodly without being Monsters of Christians nor undutifull without being Monsters of Men and much less shall we easily suffer our Undutifulness to be the cause of our Ungodliness for we cannot be Undutifull in kicking and spurning against the true Christian communion wherein we are taught to know and worship God but we must also be ungodly in kicking and spurning against the true Christian Religion which consisteth in that knowledge and worship though much more in the worship then in the knowledge and accordingly we hope it will appear that our own Church which hath been so carefull to teach us to know God hath been much more carefull to teach us to worship him for as in the knowledge of him standeth our eternal life so in the worship of him is indeed the very inchoation and anticipation of eternity SECT IV. Praying a greater part of the Churches Trust then preaching The Church hath God the Fathers Precedent and Precept for making set forms of prayer and shall answer for all the blemishes that may be in publick prayers for want of a set form THE Church teacheth us to know God by Preaching but she teacheth us to worship God by praying And accordingly we cannot but think praying a much greater part of her Trust then preaching because though it be a very great happiness truly to know God yet is it a much greater happiness truly to worship him And if the Church be bound to take care that there be no false doctrine in the Pulpit much more there be no absurd prayers at the Desque For the Sermons men naturally hear as Judges letting their discretion go before their Affection But prayers men naturally hear as Communicants letting their affection go before their discretion so that false worship in praying is much more dangerous and may be much more mischievous then false Doctrine in preaching for it is like an unsuspected infection most probable to spread further to sink deeper and to tarry longer Again false worship in praying doth infinitely more dishonour God then false Doctrine in preaching because it more immediately dishonoreth him that is to say not only in his truth by heresie but also in his very nature and essence by blasphemy For though a man may preach blasphemy as well as pray it yet he that preacheth blasphemy blasphemeth God only to men but he that prayeth blasphemy blasphemeth God to his own face Wherefore the Church must needs take a most special care of prayer if she desire to discharge her trust either in regard of God or Man in regard of God as she is obliged to shew forth his glory in regard of men as she is obliged to promote their salvation And indeed for so doing the Church hath very good Precedent and Precept and Promise Her Precedent is God her Precept and Promise are from God Her Precedent is God who having taught so many heavenly forms of prayer in his holy word did in the very act of teaching them as it were cry out to his Church Vade fac similiter Go then and do likewise For if the Jews examples of sin were registred for our instruction as the Apostle plainly affirmeth 1 Cor. 10 11. then much more Gods example of Righteousness And he that commanded Moses to do all things exactly according to the pattern shewed in the Mount when as yet he shewed him but only the out side and the out-works of the Tabernacle doth much more command his Church exactly to follow his example since he hath been pleased to shew her the very inside and marrow of Religion aad therefore if the Tabernable then surely much more the service of the Tabernacle is to be framed and ordered according to his pattern Thus much for Precedent but for Precept we have much more First in the Old Testament God commanded the children of Israel to bring pure Oyl Olive beaten for the light to cause the lamps to burn continually Lev. 24. 2. This command reacheth us for he that would have well beaten Oyl for his lamp will not be contented with extempore effusions but will have well studied and elaborated expressions for his homage unless we will say he did more regard their Typical then he doth our real worship Again God threatned the children of Israel That if they walked at all adventures with him he would bring plagues upon them according to their sins Lev. 26. 21. For so it is in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Keri for Bekari in Accidente If you walk with me by chance or by accident and so Tremelius renders it Si ambulaveritis mecum temere If ye walk with me rashly or unadvisedly This threat likewise reacheth us and then especially when we most walk with God that is in the exercise of our Religion we must there be sure to do nothing at adventures nothing rashly nothing unadvisedly for unadvisedness in this case is ungodliness and if our prayers be turned into Provocations what shall we have left to make our Atonement But you will say these are rather consequents then arguments I answer if they were so yet they ought to be regarded for God forbiddeth those actions which are sinfull in their consequences and not only in their concomitances but indeed we have choice enough of direct Arguments for so Moses is commanded to speak to Aaron and his sons saying On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel saying unto them The Lord bless thee and keep thee the Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gratious unto thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace Numb 6. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Coh tebaracu sic benedicatis so ye
to man in teaching him how to rejoyce for his Redemption Hymns expressing that joy may be only to the honour of God and directed to him The evil spirit silenced at the coming of Christ but the mouth of the good Spirit was opened THere is no man but naturally desires joy and delight as a remedy against his labours naturaliter appetit delectationes medicinas contra labores sensuum motuum saith Aquinas The reason why the natural man looks so much after his delights is because he looks upon them as medicines to heal his sicknesses or as remedies against the continual labours of his sense and of his motion And for this reason the spiritual man ought much more to look after his spiritual delights because he is much more under the labours of sense and motion then is the natural man for there is no sense so irksom as the sense of Gods wrath and of mans unworthiness and no motion so toilsom as that which seeks to climb up from earth to heaven and this is the sense this is the motion of the spiritual man he is continually feeling the burden of flesh and much more of sin upon his soul there 's his sense He is continually panting and â—ighing after God for rest there 's his motion In so great a labour both of his sense and of his motion how should he be able to subsist if it were not for the comfort of spiritual delight which proceeds only from Gods Holy Spirit For delight cannot be but from some good that is convenient and present and known to be so Ad delectationem duo requiruntur conjunctio boni convenientis cognitio hujus conjunctionis saith the same Aquinas A man cannot have delight without two things first the conjunction or acquisition of some convenient good then the knowledge of that conjunction so is it in this case The Redemption of our souls from death is undoubtedly both a convenient and a present good and yet few men have true joy and delight from it because few apprehend it as actually present Wherefore it is the singular gift and love of God the Holy Ghost to any man to give him the true knowledge of his Saviour that he may give him the true joy of his salvation For this indeed is the joy in the Holy Ghost and comes only from him It is he that teacheth the Church Militant to sing a new song on earth for her joy in Christ it is he that teacheth the Church Triumphant to sing a new song in heaven for the same joy O sing unto the Lord a new song saith the Psalmist Psal 98. and that Psalm is nothing else but a song of Joy and Thanksgiving for the Redemption of mankind by Jesus Christ there 's the new song on earth and again Rev. 5. 9. They sung a new song saying Thou art worthy to take the Book and to open the seals thereof for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood there 's the new song in heaven to express the joy of the same Redemption For the Holy Spirit teacheth them to practise this new song in earth who are to sing their part of it in heaven For those men are not like to come to Abrahams bosom who are not Abrahams sons and those men are not yet Abrahams sons who have not his faith and do not his works Now this was the Faith of Abraham to see the day of Christ and this was his work to joy in that sight John 8. 56. Your Father Abraham rejoyced to see my day and he saw it and was glad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exultavit gestivit He rejoyced and he desired to express his joy His desire encreased his joy and his joy inflamed his desire He did see it a far off by faith the eye of his soul and he desired to see it nearer by sense with the eye of his body the joy of the one did not hinder but advance the joy of the other for if the heart of them must rejoice that seeke the Lord Psal 105. 3. then much more must the heart of them rejoce that have found him Accordingly good Christians do indeede shew no other then Abrahams faith by desiring to looke on Christ and no other then Abrahams worke by rejoycing in that vision which we may well suppose was the cause that the Latine Church antiently used and still useth some such peculiar hymns before the nativity of Christ as it is hard to determine whether they have more of desire in them to see his day comming or of joy to see it come our Calander still retains the memory of the first of those hymns which was O sapientia on the 17 of December but the hymns themselves in the Latine Church hold out till Christmas eve I will give you a short scheme of them 1. O Sapientia veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae O Thou who art the eternal wisdom of God come and Teach us the way of true wisedom 2. O Adonai veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento O thou who art the Lord of might come and redeem us by thy mighty hand 3. O radix Jesse veni ad liberandum nos O thou root of Jesse come and deliver us 4. O Clavis David veni educ vinctum de domo carceris O thou Key of David come and open the prison doors and let out the Prisoners 5. O oriens splendor lucis aeternae veni illumina sedentes in tenebris umbrâ mortis O thou Day-spring of eternal light come and enlighten us who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death 6. O Rex gentium salva hominem quem de limo formasti O thou who art the King of the Nations come and save man whom thou hast formed of the dust of the earth 7. O Emanuel veni ad salvandum nos Domine Deus noster O thou who art God with us be also a God to us and save us O Lord our God These greater and more solemn hymns called Antiphone majores were at first made only in the honour of Christ though in process of time after the Invocation of Saints had crept into the Church there were two more added to them O Thoma Didyme and O virgo Virginum as Hugo testifieth in his Commentary upon the 38. Psalm which now the office it self of the blessed Virgin blusheth at and taketh no notice of at all and it were to be wished it had left out other prayers to the Blsseed Virgin which are as grosly superstitious as were those Hymns For they that believe Christ to be God must confess him to be a jealous God and that he hath said I am the Lord that is my name and my glory will I not give to another Isa 42. 8. and what is his glory but that of Prayer and of Praise Accordingly it is observable that at the time of his coming in the flesh the Oracles of Jupiter Apollo Hecate were
shearers so opened he not his mouth Act. 8. 34. Yet the Israelites did all so generally know the meaning of this phrase that Saint John the Baptist used no other title to proclaim the Messias but this Behold the lamb of God John 1. 29. which was so well understood that two of his own Disciples presently left him and followed Jesus ver 36 37. And Saint Philip acknowledgeth the person typified and foretold to agree exactly with the Type and prediction when he saith ver 45. we have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write as if he had said All that the Law and Prophets had promised was now fulfilled Grace in the conjunction mercy in the propitiation and truth in the prediction All met together in Christ our Passeover therefore Jubilemus let us keep our Jubile or in Saints Pauls language 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let us keep our holyday or yet farther if you please let us keep this Holyday that is the feast of the Passover called by the Council of Antioch c 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Holy feast of the soul-saving Passeover For Aerius his objection against keeping of Easter from this very text saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we ought not to keep the the Passover for Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us though it overthrow the Jewish Passeover which was a type of Christ yet it rather establisheth a Christian Passeover which is a memorial of him unless we will say that Christ was therefore our Passeover and sacrificed for us of purpose that we should for get him and his sacrifice For as we may not now retain any types of Christ because that were in effect to deny that he is come in the flesh so we may not let go the memorials of Christ because that in effect is to be unthankfull for his coming And our Saviour himself by saying do this in remembrance of me hath shewed that he will look upon those Festivals which should be appointed for memorials of him as upon so many religious and Christian like Institutions since he that hath prescribed to do this hath also prescribed or rather presupposed a set and solemn time of doing it For though the Christians joy in Christ is not to be limited or confined to a day yet that is no reason why a day should not be limited and confined to that joy Let spiritual joyes be eternal in themselves but for that very cause let our time be subservient to their eternity that they may likewise be so to us For God appointing a set time for a spiritual duty hath not thereby debased the duty but exalted the time even as our blessed Saviour appointing a set form of prayer hath not thereby confined the spirit of prayer but rather enlarged it And the Holy-Ghost having given us so many set formes of prayer and praise in the Psalmes and the rest of the ible Bhath not therefore taught the duty of prayer to be the less spiritual but hath taught us to be the less carnal that we should not in pouring out our souls to God rely upon our own phansies or inventions but upon his holy dictates and directions For there is the same reason both of hic and of nunc in matters of Divinity the same reason of these words and of this time God having consecrated words to his service as belonging to the substance of it and having consecrated times places and persons only as accidents and circumstances belonging to the solemnity thereof And therefore it is strange to see those men who are most zealous for the set times and Dayes of serving God every week to be so impetuous against the set forms of serving him as thinking the set time to help devotion but the set form to hinder it whereas it is evident that setting a time to the spirit must needs be a confinement of him as well as setting of words And to say to the Spirit of prayer Pray now is as great an intrusion and encrochement upon him as to say to him Pray this But in truth nither are confinements to Gods spirit and both alike are intended for the enlargements of our spirits Set times and Set words that we pray in the greater assurance of faith knowing we cannot be willworshippers whiles we conform our selves to his will whom we worship SECT III. The memorials instituted by God are chiefly of his justice and of his mercy There is but one terrible memorial of Gods justice against those who invaded the Priesthood but many memorials of his mercy and that it is a vain fear which possesseth some men as if the anniversary memorial of Christs Resurrection was not instituted and cannot be observed without willworship or superstition that the general equity of the Levitical Law as far as it was not Typical is still in force concerning the Solemnities of Religion and that approves Anniversary as well as weekly Festivals AMong all Gods Attributes none are so remarkeable in our lives and deaths as his mercy and his Justice His mercy in our preservation his justice in our destruction And accordingly God himself requires us most especially to take notice of the great effects of his justice and of his mercy Hence is it that we find him instituting few or no memorials of his wisdom or of his Power but very many of his Justice and of his Mercy though not so many of his justice as of his mercy we find but one memorial of his Iustice more particularly recommended to the care of his Church and that is against those men who had said to Moses and to Aaron to their Civil and Ecclesiastical Governours Ye take too much upon you seeing all the congregation are holy every one of them and the Lord is among them Numb 16. 3. These men because they had invaded the Priests office in burning incense had their censers nailed upon the altar of incense and the Text saith to be a memorial unto the children of Israel that no stranger which is not of the seed of Aaron come near to offer incense before the Lord that he be not as Corah and his Company ver 40. Te miror Antoni quorum facta imitare eorum exitus non perhorrescere said the Orator most pathetically I much wonder that since you do follow their sins you do not fear their punishment And how can any Christian Minister say less since it is evident that the Gospel in this case still retains the sentence and consequently revives the severity of the Law For so saith the Apostle No man taketh this honour unto himself that is not called of God as was Aaron Heb. 5. 4. as if he had said no man rightly taketh the office of a Priest upon him but he that is externally and publickly called of God as was Aaron so as all the Congregation may take notice of his calling And if he do take Aarons office that is not called as Aaron was he hath great reason to
enim est Constantini M. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non solum hebdomadem post Pascha sed antecedentem excipit ab opere faciendo sed de posteriore hebdomade usus tantum obtinuit The sum of all is this Because Easter weeke was the first weeke in the year and the dayes of that week were all accounted and kept holy and accordingly were thus computed the first second third fourths fifth holy day Hence it is that the same computation still hold of the days in the other weeks throughout the whole year that instead of the first second third fourth and fifth day it is said the first second third fourth and fifth holy-day For the Emperour Constantine the great made a Law that all Easter week and the week before it should be kept as one Holy-day And though in our age this Law holds only of Easter week yet we have some footsteps of that observation still in the week before it for our Church appoints Epistles and Gospels for every day of the week before Easter and most Churches beyond the seas still call it the holy week and some make it so For which Religious practice it is not to be doubted but the Church of Christ hath warrant enough from that Text Mark 14. 8. She hath done what she could she is come aforehand to anoint my body for the burying or rather to anoint her self for my body to prepare her self for to receive the Holy Eucharist and to celebrate the Resurrection Wherefore it is evident that in the judgement of the first and best Christians Easter day was a greater Sunday then any other all the year after it even as the Sabboth of the Passover was in the Jews account a greater Sabboth then any other of all the year nor was this judgement any way superstitious but truely Religious since we find it authorized by the Text saying for that Sabboth day was an high day John 19. 32. as if he had said that Sabboth day was higher then any other Sabbath because the Passover was joyned with it I will not then quarrel with the Church for preferring one Sunday before another since she observeth them all as holy to the same Lord there was the Holy of Holyes in the Sanctuary without any disparagement to the rest of the Temple The Paschal Sabbath was a high day and yet the other Sabbaths not put down the lower By taking off the opinion of holiness I see much profaness and irreligion in all respects which makes me conclude that though the Church should proclaim Holy Holy Holy never so much before the place and time of Gods worship yet all would be little enough to beget the love and practice of holiness in the worshippers SECT VI. That the Lords day which is observed weekly is to be observed in memory of our Saviours Resurrection and hath a double sanctification one by relation to its duâ—y which is publickly to serve God and to give him thanks for our Redemption by Christ and is the principal The other by institution as consecrated to this duty and is the less principal That the Antisabbatarian Doctrine which advanceth duties above days is not only of Christs but also of Moses his own teaching and makes most for the true observation of the Sabbath which yet is more properly called the Lords Day then the Sabbath WE may not pass by that memorable Canon in the Council of Trullo cap. 66. which hath these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 From the Holy Festival of the Resurrection of Christ our God untill the New Lords Day all true believers ought to go to Church and there uncessantly praise God in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual songs T is worth our notice that the Fathers of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 holden in the Emperours Pallace called Easter day it self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Resurrection day but the Sunday after it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The New Lords day not simply the Lords Day of its self or by its own virtue but as it was a repetition or renovation of the former 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the day of our Lords Resurrection For to say it was called the New Lords Day because of the renewing by Baptism which antiently was administred at that time is not satisfactory for besides that other Sundays must have been called New as well as that upon the same account to wit those of Easter and Pentecost it is manifest that Baptism cannot justly cause any Sunday to be called the Lords day and therefore surely not the New Lords day Whence it follows that if this Sunday was called the New Lords Day as renewing the day of our Lords Resurrection this and all other Sundayes do belong unto the Lord chiefly upon this account that they are memorials of his Resurrection So that though the Law of the Sabbath as well as of other things came by Moses yet the grace and truth of it came by Jesus Christ John 1. 17. And for this reason was the Sabbath translated from its own day to our Lords Day that the Law of Moses might give place to the grace and truth of Jesus Christ and happily for that cause amongst others hath the Church appointed some annual memorials of the grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ to be solemnized as so many Sabbaths least we should think that in this weekly memorial she did rather follow the Law given by Moses then the grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ And doubtless when we have said all that we can there can be no entire keeping of a Sabbath from Moses but only from Christ because in him alone the soul may seek for rest and in him alone is sure to find it For as the souls trouble is from sin so her rest is from the expiation and forgiveness of sins Therefore as her trouble is from her self so her rest is from her Saviour Saint Paul hath taught us both together in his Sermon and our own Church in her Anthymn of the Resurrection For seeing that by man came death by man also commeth the Resurrection of the dead for as by Adam all men do dye so by Christ all men shall be restored to life By man came death by Adam all men do die There 's the souls trouble from her sin for the wages of sin is death By man commeth the Resurrection of the dead by Christ all men shall be restored to life there 's the souls rest or Sabbath from her Saviour for the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. If we will needs gainsay the Judgement of our own Church to set up the Sabbath instead of the Lords day yet we may not gainsay the Doctrine of Saint Paul which requires us to set up the Lords day instead of the Sabbath so that if we will needs borrow the name from Moses yet we can have the thing it self only from Christ for it is not Moses but Christ which can give the
in with dissemblers I have hated the congregation of evil doers and will not sit with the wicked and he thus makes good that saying For thy loving kindness is ever before mine eyes and I have walked in thy truth Psalm 26. His communion with God kept him from the corruptions of those unrighteous men he could not avoid and kept him in the communion of those righteous men he could not enjoy Though his conversation might be in Gath or Ascalon yet his communion was in Jerusalem when the Ark was there as it is said ver 8. Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honour dwelleth Therefore make sure of thy communion with God by faith and repentance and holiness of life and doubt not of thy communion with his Catholick Church though thou live amongst Infidels or amongst such Christians as are fallen into Infidelity and so having denyed the faith are worse then those who never embraced it For no private man is entrusted with the external communion of his own Church nor shall he be called to an account for the sins of it if he partake not in those sins but he is intrusted with the internal communion of his own soul and for that he must look to give a strict account to the maker and lover and Judge of souls But this admonition which only concerns private men may not be extended to whole national Churches which have power given them of God to rectifie what is amiss among themselves either in Doctrine or worship or Sacraments and are accountable to God for not rectifying it so that if there be any notorious defect in either much more in all of these they that are not bound to obey other men have no pretence of excuse if they obey not God in ordering themselves exactly according to his known and undoubted word And this is evident by Saint Pauls Epistles to particular Churches and Saint Johns orders to the seven several Churches of Asia to all which were sent distinct instructions and reproofs which sheweth that every one of them was bound to follow those instructions they had received from God without expecting new orders from some general Superintendent over them all and was justly reproved for not following them And this is the Judgement of the Catholick Church in the first Council of Nice in the sixth Canon which will have the priviledges and dignities and authorities of all Churches inviolably preserved for so much is comprized in these few words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The same Judgemen is again repeated and reinforced in the first Council of Constantinople Can. 2. which forbids the confounding of Churches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and leaves every several proviâ—ce by a Synod in it self to administer and order its own â—…s The same is again more fully repeated and reinforced in the first Council of Ephesus Can. 8. which will have particular Churches keep their own rights and priviledges lest they should unawares lose the liberty purchased for them by the blood of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the Council of Chalcedon Can. 19 enjoyns provincial Synods twice a year to rectifie and dispose all emergencies whatsoever in the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So we find this is the judgement of the Catholick Church in the four first general Councils and therefore all the world is not able to prove this practice of our Church to be Anticatholick For I willingly pass by other Churches in the case with whom I am not bound to keep external communion and plead only for this Church where of God in mercy hath made me a happy member though an unworthy Minister For if Saint Paul would not judge those men that were without much less may any of us judge those Churches that are within And truly it is enough for our satisfaction and too much for our desert that though other Churches pretend more some to the purity others to the practice of Religion yet generally they have performed less Though some rigid Zelots press nothing so much as a circumcision of all rites and ceremonies other Pharisaical professors can boast of the yoke which they have put upon the neck of their Disciples which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear yet we cannot find any sufficient reason why we should not answer them both in Saint Peters words we believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved even as they Act. 15. 11. For we have this reason of our belief because the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is truly and clearly set forth in the Doctrine of this our Church t is our shame and sin not our Churches if it be not also in our practice and Saint Paul hath taught us that this is the doctrine which most constituteth and therefore most edifieth a Christian Church For thus much do those words import to the Colossians And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable aâ—d unreproveable in his sight if ye continue in the faith grounded and setled and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which ye have heard Col. 1. 21 22 2â— T is the Churches part to preach unto us the hope of the Gospel or the Doctrine of our being reconciled to God in Christ where this Doctrine is rightly published accepted and maintained there is without doubt a true Christian Church there is communion with Christ and if he will present us holy unblameable unreproveable in his sight for continuing in this faith grounded and setled we can have little cause but no excuse for leaving that Church whereinis the profession of this faith for as every particular Christian Church may lawfully preserve its own liberty against the incroachment of other Chuuches so it must necessarily preserve its authority against the insolencies of its own people The case is notorious concerning Vzziah when he went into the Temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the Altar of incense that Azariah with the Priests withstood him saying it pertaineth not to thee Uzziah to burn incense unto the Lord but to the Priests the sons of Aaron that are consecrated to burn incense Go out of the sanctuary for thou hast trespassed neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God 2 Chron. 27. 17 18. And great is the approbation which the Spirit of God giveth to this Azariah for so doing saying He it is that hath executed the Priests office in the Temple 1 Chron. 6. 10. As if none had been high Priest but he who so couragiously maintained the authority of the Priest-hood and this is R. Davids gloss upon the words He was not the first Priest of Solomons Temple for that was Zadok nor was he the only high Priest for there were many others both before and after him but our Rabbies say because
and consequently the ground of true faith in Christ Nor can we think of the common People so generally withdrawing themselves from the Arrian Bishops in those dayes for not giving glory to God rightly according to the form of this Hymne but we must needs censure the dulness and deadness of this our Age wherein men care not with what Ministers they assemble in publike worship though they see them not only forsake but also revile all the Symbols of true Christian Faith and worship and all the badges of true Christian communion such as are the Lords most holy Prayer the Apostles Creed and this Hymn of glorification for though men may have so much Charity as to pass by that Sacrilegious Tenent which professeth Bishops and Presbyters both one that they may be equally contemned I call it a Sacrilegious Tenent because I find it so called by the Catholick Church twice in the Council of Chalcedon once in the fift Action in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Episcopum in gradum Presbyteri redigere Sacrilegium est to bring back a Bishop to the degree of a Presbyter is Sacriledge and again in the fifteenth Action wherein are the Canons of that Council in the 29th Canon in the very same words only that insteed of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bring back they say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bring down 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Episcopum in Presbyteri gradum reducere est Sacrilegium to bring down a Bishop to the degeee of a Presbyter is Sacriledge I say though men may have so much charity as to pass by that Sacrilegious Tenent which professeth Bishops and Presbyters both one that they may be equally contemned yet they should not have so little faith as to communicate in that Sacrilegious worship which cares not to profess God the Father Son and Holy-Ghost to be but one that they may be equally glorified And surely Saint Basil taking so much pains to clear himself concerning the right use of the Gloria Patri doth sufficiently condemn all our late Divines who in such Antitrinitarian and therefore Antichristian times as these are willfully contemn or carelesly neglect the constant and publike use of that most Christian Hymne For it is most certain he that hath not a right belief of the Trinity cannot have a right belief of Christ and therefore he that will not openly profess his belief of the Trinity cannot justly claim and consequently not reasonably expect the communion of those who desire and deserve â—e accounted Orthodox Christians And it is observable that those formes of the communicatory letters which are mentioned by Gratian in his seventy third Distinct and before him by Jno and Berchardus do still retain the footsteps of this Truth that all Christian Communion was antiently grounded on the Profession of Faith in the Holy Trinity and in this respect we may say that membranas occupare non debet was an unreasonable censure in him that glossed the case of that distinction for the insertion of those Greek elements 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being the initials of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth in effect assure us that the ancient Bishops did neither give nor send their communicatory letters to any that did not openly profess their belief in Father Son and Holy Ghost for as concerning that phansie in the Canonist Petri quoque Apostoli prima litera i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 assumatur that P must also be added to signifie Peter it sufficiently confuteth it self in that it supposeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to stand alone for the Holy-Ghost contrary to the nature and use of the Greek tongue and leaveth out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bring in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not robbing Peter to pay Paul but robbing the Holy-Ghost to pay Peter And yet we may add further to its confutation that it is as easie for those who resolve to make Saint Peter their author for every thing they say or do to bring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as to turn Patres into Petrus and we find that hath been done in the very Pontifical it self where the Bishops Oath was at first to observe Regulas Sanctorum Patrum the rules of the Holy Fathers But these words come afterwards to be changed into Regalia Sancti Petri The Royalties of Saint Peter but without doubt the Greeks meant nothing else by those initial Elements save only Father Son and Holy-Ghost if at least they had any set Form of communicatory letters among them which sure is not now easie to be met withal although Baronius hath assured that the form of those letters was instituted and Binius hath further assured that it was extant in the 18th canon of the first Council of Nice In concilio Nicaeno forma quaedum eiusmodi literarum c. 18. ne fraus irreperet est instituta non autem recens res ipsa est introducta saith Baronius An. 142. n. 6. Harum literarum formula à Niceno Concilio praescripta extat can 18. istius Concilii saith Binius in notis in Epist 1. Sixti Papae 1. yet he may chance lose his labour that shall look for that form not onlâ— in that Canon but also in any other of the Greek Councils or in the Commentaries of Zonaras Balsamon upon them But what ever was the form of their communicatory letters which by the Latines might be called Formatae for they acknowledge a form of them such a one as it is sure we are this was the ground of their communion that their Baptism their Belief their worship was all in the name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost They kept themselves entire in their Religion and that made them keep themselves entire in their communion They did earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the Saints Jude 3. they did not labour to deliver a new Faith So that their contending for the faith kept them from other contentions as now our contentions do indeed keep us from the faith They laboured to serve their Saviour not to serve themselves of him we labour to serve our selves whiles we pretend to serve our Saviour they followed the advice of Christs Apostle Endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace Eph. 4. 3. We follow the insolency and outrage of Christs enemies saying Let us break their bonds asunder and casts away their cords from us Psal 2. 3. Kimchi saith these were the words of the Philistins against Israel the Church of God But the Apostles say in effect they were the words of Herod and Pontius Pilate against Christ the Son of God Acts 4. 27. Let us take heed of saying such words as these against the Church of God for fear we come in time to say them against the Son of God For what are the bonds of Christ but Religion which hath its name from binding and Communion which hath its work to
in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils and in thy name have done many wonderful works And then will I profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity Mat. 7. See here how Gifted men may be Hypocrites not only gifted for Praying Many will say unto me Lord Lord which repetition shews a familiarity they thought they had contracted with him by their frequent addresses in Prayer but also gifted for Preaching Have we not prophesied in thy name Nay gifted for casting out Devils out of others though not out of themselves And in thy name have cast out Devils And yet to these gifted men will our blessed Saviour return this answer I never knew you whence we may justly infer they never truly knew him Depart from me ye that work iniquity whence we may as justly infer that they did never really come near him by piety but only seemingly by hypocrisie God forbid but we should firmly believe and willingly confess that the Spirit and the Gift of Prayer though separated in Hypocrites are often joyned together in good Christians for in truth the gift of Prayer is not perfect and compleat so as to be worth the looking after without the Spirit of it For then only is the gift of Prayer compleat when not only natural abilities are improved by study or industry and personal abilities are acquired by art or exercise which two alone do properly constitute the very essence of the Gift of Prayer But also the heart is sanctified by Grace which properly belongs only to the Spirit of Prayer so that in truth the Gift of prayer which makes all the noise is perfected only by the Spirit of Prayer which saith nothing or speaketh so softly that none can hear its voice but he that searcheth the hearts and knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit Rom. 8. 27. The word of the mind Verbum mentis may be without the word of the mouth Verbum oris So Hannah continued praying before the Lord and yet she spake in her heart only her lips moved but her voice was not heard 1 Sam. 1. 13 14. So Moses cryed unto the Lord when yet he did not speak nor so much as move his lips Exod. 14. 15 Again the word of the mouth may be without the word of the mind for they must needs make many words who make many prayers and yet they could not be said to utter one prayer from their hearts to whom God did say When ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when ye make many prayers I will not hear your hands are full of blood Isa 1. 15. For when the Text hath set this down as a proper compellation of God O thou that hearest prayer Psal 65. 2. it is most evident that from his saying he would not hear we may safely conclude they did not Pray though they did make never so many prayers But we will suppose such a gifted man as hath the compleat gift of prayer that is the Spirit and the Gift of Prayer both together yet even such a man is not thereby qualified to be the mouth of others in publick Assemblies because publick prayer is to have a publick Person to perform it And none can be a publick Person in Gods service but whom God himself hath made so by some notorious and undoubted Commission such as others are bound to acknowledge and therefore bound not to usurp For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain but they most take his name in vain who speak in his name without his allowance They are most properly said to take his name because he hath not given it and to take it in vain because they take it rather to serve themselves then to serve him 'T is all one for strange Persons to offer themselves before the Lord instead of the sons of Aaron and for the sons of Aaron to offer strange fire before the Lord instead of that from his own Altar for of both alike it may be said which he commanded them not Numb 10. 1. and for both alike it hath been said And they dyed before the Lord Ver. 2. and again This is it that the Lord spake saying I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me and before all the people I will be glorified Ver. 3. If he be not sanctified in them that come nigh him he is not like to be glorified before all the people If the Priests be unsanctified the Lord will be unglorified for his Majesty will be contemned as if it were lawful for any that are not sanctified to come nigh him Therefore his Priests were first sanctified to the Priesthood then sanctified by it They were first sanctified by being called then sanctified by their calling And so ought their successors to be till the worlds end for it is an universal negative which denies as well for all times as for all persons No man taketh this honour unto himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron Heb. 5. 4. Now Aaron was called not only internally to satisfie himself but also externally to satisfie all the Congregation that he was called of God For God is the God of order not of confusion and consequently forbids those men to officiate as his Ministers though of never so great abilities whom he hath not outwardly called to the Ministry For he will have order not confusion in his Church whereas if any one might officiate in the Ministry upon any pretence whatsoever without Gods outward call others might as well as he and so we must needs have an irremediable confusion both in the Ministers and in their ministrations Dares any man to be a Princes Ambassador though most able to do him service without his appointment But the Ministers are Gods Ambassadors 2 Cor. 5. 20. There needs no variety of arguments in this case for till earthly Potentates shall declare it to be no rebellion against themselves for men to turn uncommissioned souldiers under pretence of fighting their battles they must acknowledge it to be grand rebellion against the King of heaven for men to turn uncommissioned Ministers under pretence of doing him service For Saint Paul having said The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds 2 Cor. 10. 4. hath in effect told us that the Minister is Gods souldier and therefore is sure of his Commission But let us further examine this gift of Prayer in relation to the publick worship of God and as we find no just reason to admit them to the work of the Ministry who are not Ministers because they have that gift so we shall find no just reason to reject those that are true Ministers as insufficient or unfit for the work of the Ministry because they have it not nor to allow such Ministers who have it to reject the set forms established and approved by the Church