not finde that the Presbyterian Government hath lyen hid so long as that for the space of 1500 years it could never be found till this present You have heard what rule did anciently belong to Presbyters notwithstanding that through the corruptions that crept into the Church in after times the exercise of that power was long disused And the like may be said of Ruling Elders and as hath been shewed by others But it is what de jure ought to be and not what de facto is or hath been which is that which you and wee are chiefly to attend and concerning which the Scripture must be the onely Judg as wee have said before But you say now subjection to our present Government is required by us and then demand Whether all that observe not our rank and order and subject not themselves to our present Government must be taken for lawlesse persons for so say you doth this close connexion of ours seem to import viz. Many who do not subject but live c. But here you do reason fallaciously à bene conjunctis ad male divisa For in our Paper wee speak of such as did live in a sinfull and total neglect of the Lords Supper That were scandalous and offensive in their lives drunkards unclean persons and that will not subject themselves to the present Government but live as lawlesse persons And therefore the lawlesse persons wee meant and as might plainly have been gathered from our words were such who as they subjected not themselves to the present Government of the Church so they were also scandalous and offensive in their lives wee joyning these altogether whom you divide And whether such as will neither submit themselves to the Laws of God nor the Government that is settled in the Church by the Civil Power be not lawlesse persons we leave it to you to judg But yet we do here also minde you That however we do not judg all those to be lawlesse persons that do out of conscience not come up to the observation of all those Rules which are or shall be established by Authority for regulating the outward worship of God and Government of this Church being otherwise blamelesse yet both you and wee may well remember that such as should have refused to have subjected themselves to the late Prelatical Government would have been accounted in those times to have been lawlesse persons But you say When wee make it an Order that notice shall be taken of all persons that forsake the publick Assemblies of the Saints you would gladly know how farr wee extend this Saintship this Church and Assembly of Saints To which wee answer as farr as the Apostle did when writing to the Church of Corinth and the Churches of Galatia hee calls them Saints and Churches notwithstanding there were some in those Churches that were leavened with unsound doctrine and grosly erroneous In Corinth some that denied the Resurrection made rents and schisms and sundry grosly scandalous In the Churches of Galatia such as mixed works with Faith in the point of Justification and of which the Apostle Paul would have those Churches to take notice even to the censuring of them they being spots to those Assemblies and however Saints by profession and in regard of outward calling being in Covenant with God and having been baptized yet answered not their profession by suitable conversation And therefore however there be sundry of the like stamp in our Assemblies wee do not therefore unchurch them or make our Assemblies not the Assemblies of Saints because of the corruption of such members And seeing our principles and practices are manifestly known to be utterly against the opinions and practices of the Donatists of old and those that have of late rent themselves from our Churches because of the scandalousnesse of the corrupt members that are found in them though the sin of these in our Churches is aggravated by giving that occasion you might well have spared your pains in transcribing out of Augustine what hee justly said unto those schismaticks that hee had to deal with Nay you might rather have gathered from our Paper That seeing wee said that notice should be taken of all those that should forsake the publick Assemblies of the Saints our purpose was to have censured such as the Donatists were That wee purposed to observe and censure those that did maintain and hold up private meetings in opposition to the publick That crie down our Churches and publick Assemblies Ministery and Ordinances as you know several sorts do and who as they hold sundry grosse errors that subvert the faith so in regard of those and other their practices that in their own nature do manifestly subvert the order unity and peace that Christ hath established in his Church do justly fall under Church censure according to the rules of our Government above mentioned And that therefore wee were not altogether silent concerning either the sin or punishment of such as did err grosly in doctrinals or in discipline so as to make such dangerous rents from the Church as the fore-named Sectaries do Contrary to what you say of us in your Paper And further by such as forsake the publick Assemblies of the Saints of whom wee said notice should be taken you might have gathered our meaning was that such of which sort there are but too many amongst us who out of a principle of carelesnesse sloth worldlinesse or manifest prophanenesse do on the Lords day either idle out the time or else are worse imployed when they should resort to the publick Assemblies and who as they are no friends to any private meetings for the good of their souls in the use of any private means of conference or prayer for that end So they do also Atheistically turn their backs on all the publick Ordinances forsaking them and the Assemblies where these are dispensed should be taken notice of in order to censure if there was not reformation and to neither of which sort of persons any indulgence is granted by any Laws of the Land that wee know of And if you had gathered thus much from our Paper as your mistake had been far the less so your Charity had been the more then to have reckoned us in the number of such Persons as the Donatists were And yet we did not mean That we intended to take notice in order unto censure of such who being sound in the faith and godly in life though differing from us in point of Discipline and Government had their distinct Assemblies from ours they indeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace They not being censurable by the rules of our Government as is manifest by what we have declared before Although we remember how all that submitted not to the former Government were counted schismatical Neither did we reckon these in the number of the lawless Persons we speak of who subjected not themselves to our Government and whom we account to be
this time and to such Persons we think herein we owed the Provinciall Assembly unto whose Authority we profess our selves to be subject so much respect and duty as to submit our apprehensions in a Case of this nature which they had propounded unto us to be seriously weighed as they had done to the rest of the Classes within this Province unto their Judgement and to take their concurrent approvall along with us before we proceeded to practise in a matter of this weight And yet we have declared before That however we are not so wavering and unsettled in matters of faith as to resolve our belief into the determination of Synods or Councils believing no more nor no otherwise then as they determine Yet that it is not out of the compass of the authority of a Synod to examine try and authoritatively to censure Doctrines as well as matters of Discipline And we think how confident soever you may be of the soundness and orthodoxness of what in your Paper you propound in way of exception against any thing in ours you have not such clear and inquestionable grounds from Scripture for the same that you were to be accused of wavering or unsettledness if you had submitted the same to have been examined and tried by a Provincial Assembly and much less if you could have had the opportunity of submitting it to the Censure of a General Council But whereas mentioning our Provincial Assembly at Preston you call it a new termed Provincial Assembly If your meaning be that the terming it a Provincial Assembly in stead of a Provincial Synod is a new term then this is but onely a Logomachia and not much to be insisted on Although we frequently call it a Provincial Synod as well as a Provincial Assembly But if your meaning be That it is a new termed Provincial Assembly at Preston Because Provinciall Synods or Assemblies have been held but lately at Preston we see not if Provincial Assemblies be warrantable and have been of ancient use in the Church that having been long in dis-use they begin of late to be held at Preston that can justly incurre your censure But if the Antiquity of such Assemblies be that you question Then we referre you to what Dr Bernard in the Book of his above quoted shews was the Judgement of Dr Vsher who is acknowledged by all that knew him or are acquainted with his works to have been a great Antiquary however we alleadge him not that you should build your faith upon his Testimony and which we think may be sufficient to vindicate Provincial Assemblies in your thoughts from all suspition of novelty In that Book you have in the close of it proposals touching the Reduction of Episcopacy unto the form of Synodical Government received in the ancient Church And it thus begins By the Order of the Church of England all Presbyters are charged to administer the Doctrine and Sacraments and the Discipline of Christ as the Lord hath commanded and as this Realm hath received And that they might the better understand what the Lord hath commanded herein The exhortation of Paul to the Elders of Ephesus Acts 20.28 is appointed to be read unto them at the time of their Ordination A little after it is acknowledged That Ignatius by Presbytery mentioned by Paul 1 Tim. 4.14 did understand the Community of the rest of the Presbyters or Elders who then had a hand not onely in the delivery of the Doctrine and Sacraments but also in the administration of the Discipline of Christ And for further proof Tertullian is alleadged in his Generall Apologie for Christians Where he saith that in the Church are used exhortations chastisements and divine censure For Judgement is given with great advice as among those who are certain they are in the sight of God And it is the chiefest foreshewing of the Judgement to come if any man have so offended that he be banished from the Communion of Prayer and of the Assembly and of all holy Fellowship The Presidents that bear rule therein are certain approved Elders who have obtained this honour not by reward but by good report There also is further shewed That in matters of Ecclesiastical judicature Cornelius Bishop of Rome used the received form of gathering together the Presbytery And that Cyprian sufficiently declares of what Persons that consisted When he wisheth him to read his Letter to the flourishing Clergy which there did preside or rule with him And further That in the 4th Council of Carthage it was concluded That the Bishop might hear no mans cause without the presence of the Clergy And that otherwise the Bishops sentence should be void unless it were confirmed by the Clergy And yet further That this is found inserted into the Canons of Egbert who was Archbishop of York in the Saxon times and afterwards into the body of the Canon law it self It is here also acknowledged That in our Church this kind of Presbyterian Government hath been much disused Yet that it did profess that every Pastor hath a right to rule the Church from whence also the name of Rector was at first given unto him and administer the Discipline of Christ as well as to dispence the Doctrine and Sacraments c. By all which it is acknowledged and also proved That the form of Government by the united suffrages of the Clergy is ancient and which is there in express termes asserted as it might be demonstrated by many more Testimonies but that we conceive these already mentioned are sufficient and being alleadged by the aforementioned Author As also evidencing what his own Judgement was in this point may be more likely to sway with you if in that there should be a dissent betwixt you and us then any thing that we could our selves produce But in this reduction of Episcopacy to the form of Synodical Government received in the ancient Church there are proposals of Assemblies of Pastors within certain limited bounds Which saving that they are some of them somewhat larger then ours which is but a circumstantial difference do hold proportion with the Classical Provincial and National Assemblies mentioned in the form of our Church Government As also the times propounded there for their meeting the power of these Assemblies and what they were to have Cognizance of and the subordination of the lesser to the greater with liberty of Appeal if need should require and are the same in substance as with us And all these were propounded as the way of Government in the ancient Church and in the year 1641. after the troubles that had risen in Scotland about Episcopacy and the Ceremonies and before the setting up of the Presbyterian Government in this Land had so much as fallen under debate in the Parliament so far as ever we heard of as an expedient to prevent the troubles that did after arise in this Land about the matter of Church Government being for the moderating of Episcopacy That at that time was
grown to that height that it had quite taken away from the Pastors that rule that of right did belong unto them And for the Reduction of it to the ancient form of Synodicall Government And therefore in the Judgement of this learned and reverend Antiquary our Provincial Assembly at Preston where the Pastors of the Churches are members as he acknowledgeth of right they ought to be in such Assemblies would not have been accounted a new termed Provincial Assembly But you go on and tell us That other parts of our Paper are full of darkness to which you say you cannot so fully assent till further explicated and unfolded by us We cannot apprehend any such darkness in our Paper as you speak of But yet because in yours you question what authority we have from the civil Magistrate for what we do and likewise the extent of it and your mistakes of our meaning may perhaps some of them arise from your unacquaintedness with the rule we walk by Although we were not to be blamed for any mistakes that might arise ab ignorantia juris whether simple or affected that we determine not but leave you to examine Before we come to make Answer more particularly to what follows we are willing to be at some paines to give you some further account of the power we are awarranted by the civil Authority for to exercise To what persons within our bounds it extends it self and what some of those rules are that are prescribed unto us by civil Authority to walk by in the exercise of that power we are betrusted with It is a general and common mistake amongst many that the Presbyterian Government was established by the Parliament but for three yeers and that therefore it is now expired and out of date But if you peruse all that passed in Parliament touching it no such matter will appear The directions of the Lords and Commons Assembled in Parliament after advice had with the Assembly of Divines for the Electing and chusing Ruling Elders in all the Congregations and in the Classical Assemblies for the Cities of London and Westminster and the several Counties of the Kingdom For the speedy setling of the Presbyterian Government bearing date August 19. 1645. Their Ordinance together with Rules and Directions concerning suspension from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper in cases of Ignorance and scandall dated Octob. 20. 1645. The Votes also of the said Houses for the Choise of Elders throughout the Kingdom of England and Dominion of Wales in the respective Parish Churches and Chappels according to the directions before mentioned And touching the power granted to the Tryers of Elections of Elders Of the date of Feb. 20. 1645. and Feb. 26. 1645. Their Ordinance for keeping scandalous Persons from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the inabling of Congregations for the choice of Elders and supplying of defects in former Ordinances and Directions of Parliament concerning Church Government bearing date March 14. 1645. The Remedies prescribed by them for removing some obstructions in Church Government dated Aprill 22d 1647. And their Ordinance for the speedy dividing and setling the severall Counties of this Kingdom into distinct Classicall Presbyteries and Congregationall Elderships dated Jan. 29. 1647. We say all these were passed absolutely without any proviso's at all limiting the time of their continuance that is expressed in any of them Indeed in the Ordinance of Parliament giving power to all the Classical Presbyteries within their respective bounds to examine approve and ordain Ministers for severall Congregations dated Nov. 10. 1645. It is provided in the Close of it That it shall stand in force for twelve moneths and no longer As it is provided in another Ordinance for the Ordination of Ministers by the Classicall Presbyters within their respective bounds for the severall Congregations in the Kingdom of England bearing date August 28. 1646. That it shall stand in force for three years and no longer Which latter might give to some that took but the matter upon report an occasion to conceive that the Presbyterian Government was settled but for three years Although that was but ill applied to all the severall Ordinances that had passed before which belonged onely to one But the Ordinance especially from which chiefely as we conceive the mistake arose about settling the Presbyterian Government for three years onely was the Ordinance that passed June 5. 1646. The title whereof is An Ordinance of the Lords and Commons Assembled in Parliament for the present settling without further delay of the Presbyteriall Government in the Church of England In the Close whereof it is ordained That this Ordinance shall continue for the space of three years and no longer unless both Houses think fit to continue it But if the matter of this Ordinance be consulted it is manifest it was but touching a Committee of Lords and Commons to adjudge and determine scandalous offences not formerly enumerated appointed by the Ordinance in stead and place of Commissioners mentioned in the Ordinance of March 14. 1645. And also shewing how the Elderships were to proceed in the examination of such scandalous offences And touching what power was granted to the said Committee and in what sort they were to proceed as is clear to any that shall but take the paines to peruse that Ordinance The ground whereof in the preface to it is made to be this The Lords and Commons in Parliament holding their former resolution that all notorious and scandalous offenders shall be kept from the Sacrament have thought fit to make a further addition to the scandalous offences formerly enumerated for which men shall be kept back from the Sacrament And least the stay of the enumeration and the not naming of Commissioners to judge of Cases not enumerated should hinder the putting in execution the Presbyterian Governement already established They have thought fit c. And do therefore ordain a Committee therein particularly nominated in stead and place of Commissioners The groundlesness of the mistake about settling the Presbyterial Government for three years onely that might arise from the proviso in this Ordinance is so clear to any common understanding that the bare recitall of the sum of the matter of this Ordinance and the ground of making it doth make it so fully to appear that it were but lost labour to use any more words about it But we have particularly mentioned all that ever passed the Parliament so far as we have either seen or heard of that hitherto concerned Church Government untill the year 1648. When the form of Church Government to be used in the Church of England and Ireland was agreed upon by the Lords and Commons Assembled in Parliament after Advice had with the Assembly of Divines and was ordered by them to be printed August 19. of the said year 1648. And this Ordinance wherein all that had passed the Parliament before in parts and at severall times and what ever was but temporary by vertue of
Lord it over Gods inheritance whereas indeed their little fingers are heavier then the Prelates loins though they tell us their way is a friendly meek and social way we find it not they make us onely as Publicans and Heathens it should seem that all that they intended in the change of Church-Government was onely to slice the Diocesan into Parochiall Bishops and with him in Lucian To cut out the old useless Moons into fine new Stars every one of which claim the same influence and dominion over the people which the Prelates did 'T is a trouble to us to hear them inveigh against Hereticks and Schismaticks against the Novatian and Donatists of old when they walk in their steps maintaine their principles and espouse their quarrels We are told by the Church Historians That the doctrine against mixt-communion was a brat begotten by Novatus nurst up by Lucifer and Audius but it grew not till Donatus became its foster-Father then indeed it flourisht and spread amain till St. Austin by his judicious and clear opposition did banish it that and the subsequent Ages the Anabaptists of the last age called it back into Germany Quod aruit in se refloruit in illis they grafted upon the old stock and wanted nothing of the Donatists but to be called so Now amongst other of their dangerous and erroneous principles Bullinger notes this for one of the chief De doctrinâ caenae scrupulose quaerunt Anabaptistae quorum causâ caena dominica sit instituta They were nice and scrupulous and inquisitive concerning the Lords Supper conluding it was only to be given to the Saints and concluding the Saints to their own folds This is the direct practise of the Scottish and English Presbytery because the Parliament formerly and now his Highness in their wisdom and prudence have so blunted the edge of their secular power that they cannot hurt us with that they fly to their religious shifts and what David said of Goliah's sword surely they say of the holy Sacrament There 's none like unto that no engine so likely to teach us obedience and to give them the soveraignty as that They impale the supper of Christ to their own inclosures and as absolute Judges of all communicants keep back all persons that have not their Shiboleth ready that will not fall down and worship that Idol which they have set up The Aegyptians were hard Taskmasters to expect the children of Israel should make Bricks and make straw too to require the same number of bricks without materials to make them of this is something like the severity of our new Masters they censure for not doing that which they render to us impossible If we come not to the Lords Supper we must be excommunicate and they will not permit us to come because we are ignorant or scandalous or prophane and 't is proof enough we are so because we are too stout to fall down and worship their imaginations T is a trouble to us that men who impropriate to themselves the name of Saints and would have the world to think them the onely Christians should be so far from that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that meekness and sweetnesse of the Gospel that they are still of the old legall spirit to eradicate and destroy all that are not of their way Instead of sweetning and indearing the spirits of men that they may come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved they irritate and imbitter them by their two bold judging in private and by their fierce and severe censures in publick as if indeed it were their work to deliver them up unto Satan These things have forc'd us contrary to our own dispositions and inclinations to appear in publick nor only for our own vindication but in defence of Ecclesiastical and civil constitutions well hoping that these mean indeavours will encourage some worthy and learned Champions to take up Arms for the defence of that cause which we love what we have done quale quale sit what ever it be inasmuch as in the sincerity of our hearts we profess 't is done sine ullo studio contentionis without any pleasure or delight in contention but onely for the love of truth we hope our good God will give it a more gracious success and good men will give it a more charitable reception Errata sic Corrigenda PAge 81. line 25. for whereas read whereat p. 82 l. 2 these r. those p. 83 l. 10 Answer as it is to r. Answer it is to be ibid. l. 16 pray r. pay p. 84 l. 32 See r. So. p. 85 l. unaninous r. unanimous p. 87 l. 24 referring r. restoring p. 88 l. 13. examination r. excommunication Ih the Preface p. 3. l. 30. for I r. In. At the first Classe at Manchester Septem 8th 1657. IN pursuance of an Order of the last Provincial the first Classe doth humbly represent to this Assembly their apprehensions in the case to them propounded in a draught prepared for the several Congregations belonging to their own Association if it shall be approved of by this Assembly and which they do wholely submit to their Judgments It being represented to this Classe and much complained of and offence being taken That in the several Congregations if not all belonging to the Association there are many persons of all sorts that are members of Congregations and publickly enjoy several priviledges as the hearing of the Word prayers of the Church and baptizing of their children and satisfaction for injuries done unto them That yet live in a total and sinfull neglect of the Lords Supper that are scandalous and offensive in their lives drunkards unclean persons swearers Sabbath-breakers neglecters of Family-duties that will not subject themselves to the present government of the Church but live as lawless persons out of their rank and order and there are sundry that are grosly ignorant in the main points of Christian Religion These are to give notice that this Classe laying these things to heart and much grieved for them do publish and make known 1. That every Minister belonging to this Association shall set apart one or two dayes or more of the week dayes in every moneth for the catechizing of the several families belonging to their respective Congregations and for the information of the ignorant in those families and that the families to be catechized on each of such dayes set apart for that purpose have notice the Lords day before to meet the Ministers either at the Church or Chappel or the Ministers house or some other house within the Congregation that may be convenient for the neighboring families to meet at that shall be appointed for such a day as may be judged meetest by the several Ministers 2. That notice shall be taken of all persons that forsake the publick Assemblies of the Saints and constantly turn their backs of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper 3. That like notice shall be taken of all scandalous persons 4. That they
shall be privately admonished according to the order prescribed by Christ Mat. 18. once or twice to see if they will reform and that the Minister when hee catechizeth the several families shall exhort such persons in them as hee findes to be of a competent knowledg and are blamelesse in life that they present themselves to the Eldership that they may be admitted to the Lords Supper 5. That if they will neither hearken to private admonition nor admonition of the Eldership their names shall be published openly in the several Congregations and they warned before all to reform 6. That if after all this they shall continue obstinate they shall be cast out and excommunicated These things this Classe thought fit to give publick notice of being very sensible that for the want of the vigorous exercise of Church discipline ignorance Atheism and licentiousnesse grows upon us to the great dishonor of God scandal of Religion the hazzard and undoing of many pretious souls and the laying a blot on several Congregations and therefore they are resolved seeing themselves necessitated to this severity of discipline for the freeing themselves from the great guilt of neglect of their own duty that otherwise they shall be under to make use of that power that Christ hath committed to them for edification and not for destruction although it would be their farr greater joy that there might not be occasion of using sharpnesse and therefore they do earnestly in the bowels of Jesus Christ beseech all those that are ignorant that they would apply themselves diligently to the use of all publick and private means for their information submitting themselves with all readinesse to be instructed and to consider that without knowledg the minde cannot be good and they do also in the name of Jesus Christ exhort and warn all such as live scandalously and in the practice of open sins that they break off their iniquities by repentance and turn unto God speedily with their whole heart that they neither incurr the censure of being cast out of the Church here nor by continuing in their sinfull course be kept for ever entering into the kingdome of Heaven hereafter And touching such as turn their backs of the Lords Supper constantly this Classe doth wish them seriously to consider what an account they will be able to give unto Jesus Christ for their living in the dayly neglect of an ordinance that is so exceeding necessary for their own comfort and growth in grace and that they would lay aside all prejudice whatever it is that hinders and submit themselves unto wholesom doctrine for their own good as this Classe hath been ready on their part to expresse all tendernesse toward the weak and a willingnesse to condescend to the meanest for the removing all occasions of stumbling so farr as lies in their power And yet considering the fearfull danger that all such do lay themselves open unto that shall eat and drink the Body and Blood of the Lord unworthily they do warn whosoever comes to the Lords Table to take special care so often as they come to examine themselves lest they eat and drink their own damnation But because the exercise of Church discipline must begin at private persons and that if they neglect their duty of watching over and admonishing one another and bringing complaints to the Eldership as there is occasion little or nothing can be done for the thorow reformation of the several Congregations this Classe doth therefore warn all and every of the members belonging unto them to consider the great guilt they will lye under if they through their neglect obstruct so needfull and necessary a work and doth expect therefore in all faithfulnesse laying aside all partiality slavishnesse and self-respects they should addresse themselves to the discharge of their duties that if any walk disorderly and will not be reclaimed by private admonition they making complaint thereof to the Eldership course may be taken for excommunicating of the obstinate and thereby purging out the old leven to the glory of God the delivering their own souls from that guilt they will otherwise lye under the preserving the Ordinances from prophanation and the rest of the lump from being levened the stopping of the mouthes of such as seek occasion against us and finally the everlasting welfare and salvation of the souls of those that go astray By the Provincial Assembly at Preston Octob. 6. 1657. RICHARD HEYRICKE Moderator pro tempore This Presentation is approved by the Provincial Assembly THOMAS JOHNSON Moderator EDWARD GEE Scribe To the Eldership of the severall congregations belonging to the Association of the First Classe at Manchester within the Province of Lancaster These Give us leave to salute you in your own Terms VVE have seen and seriously weighed that paper draught Intituled A presentation of the first Classe at Manchester dated the 8. of Sept. 1657. confirmed by the Provincial Assembly at Preston Octob. 6. and published at Manchester Church the 22. of Nov. in the aforesaid year and do publish this our sense and Apprehension of it as far as is plain to us not resting in the Judgement and determination of any General Council contrary thereunto if any such should be much less to one of your Provincial Assemblies Though you seem to submit to your Provincial what you will hardly grant to a General Council In which we dissent from you Though in other things we shall joyn as first 1. We joyn with you in a deep sense of the severall gross sins and errours of the times desiring earnestly to mourn first for our own next for the sins of others of our Christian Brethren and fellow members of that Church whereof Christ is the Head We are grieved together with you for the Scandalous and offensive lives of such as live in drunkeness uncleaness swearing prophanation of the Sabbath c. 2. We are also sensible with you that there are sundry persons grossely ignorant in the main points of Christian Religion 3. You with us again we hope are sensible and grieved though you do not at all mention them for the gross errours in judgement and the damnable Doctrine of many who have rent themselves into as many severall heresies as they have into Sects and Schismes Thus far we agree nay more touching the way of informing the ignorant and reforming the wicked and erroneous we shall not much dissent 1. And first for the information and instruction of the ignorant by way of Catechizing before they be admitted to the Sacrament The course by you published provided it be in publique little differeth from the order prescribed by the Church of England and other reformed Churches abroad before any be admitted to the Sacrament of the Lords supper 2. For those who erre so grossely whether in Doctrinals or points of discipline thereby renting from a true constituted Church Though you speak nothing either of their sin or punishment yet we hope you with us do hold That the
sufficient ground for so doing Wee are sure also That Whitaker de Conciliis questione quintâ and Chamierus in his Panstratiâ de oecumenico Pontifice ubi de Authoritate Papae in Ecclesiâ cap. 13. cap. 14. And generally all our Protestant Divines against the Papists alledging the Texts above-mentioned and others do prove abundantly that in the sense declared the Pope is to be subject to a general Council wherein also sundry Papists do concurr with them And questionless if in the time of Augustine who was no contemner of Synods Councils any in this sense had declared that they would not have submitted their apprehensions to their judgment hee would have cried out against them as well as against the Donatists O impudentem vocem And we hope when you have weighed the matter better you will not in this sense see any reason to refuse to submit either your sense and apprehensions of our Paper or what you may publish as your own private Judgments in other matters about Religion to the Judgment of a general Council supposing it might be had Wee have now done with your Preface and come to the matter it self wherein you professe 1. To joyn with us in a deep sense of the several grosse sins and errors of the times desiring earnestly to mourn first for your own sins next for the sins of others c. And here wee do heartily pray that neither wee nor you may any of us condemn our selves either by professing our sorrow for what sins we may practise or by refusing to help forward the good that we professe to allow of but may testifie the truth of our sorrow for our own and other mens sins by suitable endeavors to reform what is amisse in our selves and helping forward every one in his place the reformation of others 2. In the next place you say You are also sensible with us that there are sundry persons grosly ignorant in the main points of Christian Religion And if so wee hope you will acknowledg that where after the injoying of plenty of Preaching and the publick Catechizing that hath been used for many years together and much more where there hath been lesse of this means many continue grosly ignorant in the main points of Religion it is at least not to be condemned in such Ministers as shall be willing to take the pains by private Catechizing to instruct such persons This course being to the Ministers a matter of pains onely and that hereupon where the publick Catechizing attains not its desired end the private may be good and usefull that so poor souls perish not for lack of knowledg 3. Lastly You hope That wee with you are sensible and grieved though you say wee do not mention them for the grosse errors in judgment and damnable Doctrine of many who have rent themselves into as many several Heresies as they have into Sects and Schisms You may perceive by the title of our Paper that it was a representation of our apprehensions to the Provincial Assembly in the Case to us propounded by the said Provincial and what that was wee shall particularly declare anon although by what wee say had been complained of and represented unto us it might be gathered and therefore wee were chiefly to apply our selves to that which was therein our main work and businesse That the grosse and damnable errors that the loosnesse of these times have brought forth are to be bewailed if it were possible with tears of blood is most freely to be confessed And whether wee lay them not to heart in some poor measure God the searcher of all hearts hee knows as what complaints have been made of these by the members of this Classis both in their prayers and preaching men can witnesse and likewise what testimonies have been given to the truth of Jesus Christ and against the errors of the times subscribed with their hands and published to the world though therein but concurring with the rest of their Reverend Brethren in this Province in the Province of London and other Counties of the Land posterity may reade when wee are in our graves But as to the most of the Congregations belonging to this Classis the great businesse to be looked after was the use of our best indeavors for the informing of the ignorant and the reforming of the scandalous the numbers of these being great and of those that are so grosly erroneous as to maintain damnable doctrines and whereof you professe your selves to be so sensible very inconsiderable in comparison of the former and in sundry of our Congregations if not in most blessed be God for it not any at all that wee know of And therefore there was not that reason to make any such expresse mention of these as of the former although in our Paper wee were not herein neither altogether silent as will after appear Having professed your agreement with us thus farr yo go on to declare your selves That touching the way of informing the ignorant and reforming the wicked and erroneous you shall not much dissent And 1. You say For the Information and instruction of the ignorant by way of Catechizing before they be admitted to the Sacrament the course by us published provided you say it be in publick little differeth from the Order prescribed by the Church of England and other Reformed Churches abroad before any be admitted to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper That all Children and others so many as it is fit to instruct after that manner be publickly catechized is that which we heartily wish had been were more generally practised in our own Church at home as it is practised by the Reformed Churches abroad And certainly had the publick catechizing of Children and others been more generally and constantly practised there had not been that cause to complain of the grosse ignorance of sundry persons of ripe years and some of them governours of Families as now there is Wee do also understand you by what you do here expresse that you judg it not meet that the grosly ignorant should be admitted to the Lords Supper in that you seem to approve of the practice of the Reformed Churches abroad as of our own at home in taking course to inform the ignorant before they admit them to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper And therefore wee see not how you can in reason deny but there ought to be an examination and trial of all persons before they be admitted to the Lords Supper that so the grosly ignorant may not be admitted as they might be if all promiscuously were admitted without any trial at all But whereas in this concession about catechizing you have a Proviso that it be in publick wee do not see why you should so limit it if it be confessed that it is necessary that the ignorant should be informed and that catechizing is an usefull means to attain that end You know how it would dash sundry knowing persons to be
other Ordinances so far as was intended for continuance are moulded up into a complete body with a supply of sundry things that had been never mentioned nor published before in other Ordinances is without any limitation of time for its continuance and remains unrepealed to this day for any thing we have seen or heard to the contrary Nay we think as we shall touch upon anon That by the humble Advice assented to by his Highness this Ordinance as well as others receives strength But by this full account given we think we have made it sufficiently to appear that we have had the Authority of the civill Magistrate to bear us out in what we have acted since the first setting up of the Presbyterian Government untill this present Except there be any that can come forth and charge us to have transgressed the rules appointed by the Parliament for us to observe in our actings against which our own innocency only shall be our defence It now remaines for your further satisfaction and our own vindication that we recite some things particularly out of the form of Church Government which we conceive are thereunto subservient In the very first Words of the Ordinance according to what we have before recited in the directions for the electing and choosing of ruling Elders and is there also to be found you may find it thus Be it ordered and ordained by the Lords and Commons in Parliament Assembled and by Authority of the same That all Parishes and Places whatsoever within the Kingdom of England and Dominion of Wales as well Priviledged Places and exempted jurisdictions as others be brought under the Government of Congregationall Classicall Provinciall and Nationall Assemblies c. Where it is to us unquestionable That by vertue of this appointment such as live within the bounds of our severall congregations and Parishes are under the power of some one or other of the Congregational Elderships constituted by Authority of Parliament within our severall Parishes And that all those that live within the bounds of our Classis mentioned before are under the power of our Classicall Assembly constituted in like manner by the said Authority What power is given particularly to the congregationall Elderships you may finde in the aforesaid form of Church Government and unto which we refer you onely we shall minde you That by vertue thereof they have power as they shall see just occasion to enquire into the knowledge and spirituall estate of any member of the Congregation to admonish and rebuke to suspend from the Lords Table those who are found by them to be ignorant and scandalous and to excommunicate according to the rules and directions after following And it is thereby ordained That the Examination and Judgement of such Persons as shall for their ignorance in the points of Religion mentioned in that Ordinance not be admitted to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is to be in the power of the Eldership of every Congregation All which will appear by the express Letter of the said Ordinance to any that will consult it and which not only justifies all that is practised in that case by the severall Elderships but also shews what grounds this Classis had for that which was mentioned in our Paper touching both what is therein appointed to the Minister about Catechizing Families and also concerning the Ministers exhorting such as in the severall Families he should finde to be of competent knowledge and know to be of blameless life That they should present themselves to the Eldership The Triall and Judgement in this case not belonging to any one Minister alone but to the Eldership There are also rules and directions given in this Ordinance to be observed by the severall Elderships concerning suspension from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper in cases of scandall which may be seen there particularly But there is no rule given that will allow either the Eldership or Classis according to the several powers to them therein granted either to warn before all or to excommunicate knowing and blameless men for their meer not presenting themselves before the Eldership The rules of this Government prescribe otherwise as we our selves must also needs profess that we are not conscious to our selves that we have given any just occasion by our management thereof That contrary to the express rules appointed therein to be observed by us and to the plain sense of our expressions used in our Paper of which afterward any such a thing should have been so much as supposed to have been intended from any thing there expressed Give us leave to proceed a little further to lay open the order that is prescribed in the above mentioned form of Church Government touching the order of proceeding to excommunication which as it will awarrant the publishing of mens names openly in the Congregation and warning them before all to reform being such as are justly censurable by the rules thereof and particularly where it prescribes that several publique admonitions shall be given to the offenders c. So it will awarrant us in any thing that is made censurable by that Paper of ours that was published To make this to appear as also to shew what reason we had to make known to the several congregations within our bounds what our Paper held forth We shall here declare what offences are censurable with this greatest and last censure of Excommunication according to the order that is there prescribed and which as it requires that it be inflicted with great and mature deliberation and after all other good means have been essayed so it appoints in these express Words That such Errours in practice as subvert the Faith or any other Errours which overthrow the power of Godliness if the party who holds them spread them seeking to draw others after him and such sins in practice as cause the Name and Truth of God to be blasphemed cannot stand with the power of godliness and such practises as in their own nature manifestly subvert that order unity and Peace which Christ hath established in his Church and particularly all those scandalous sins for which any Person is to be suspended from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper obstinately persisted in these being publiquely known to the just scandall of the Church The sentence of Excommunication may and ought to proceed according to the directions after following But the Persons that hold other Errours in Judgement about which learned and Godly men possibly may and do differ and which subvert not the faith nor are destructive to godliness or that be guilty of such sins of infirmities as are commonly found in the Children of God or being otherwise found in the faith and holy in life and so not falling under censure by the former rules endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of Peace and do yet out of conscience not come up to the observation of all those rules which are or shall be established by
in those very termes covenanted against that the liberty that is granted to some be not extended to Popery and Prelacy And therefore if any Diocesan Bishop should exercise his jurisdiction and excommunicate any person within this Land wherein by Authority as you may see afterward there is also an appointment of another Government we leave it to those that are learned in the Law to determine whether such Diocesan Bishops would not run themselves into a praemunire But if you do not restrain lawfull Pastors to these onely our doubt yet is Whether you mean not onely such Ministers as were ordained by Diocesan Bishops excluding those out of the number that since their being taken away have been ordained by Presbyters onely If this be your sense we shall onely at present minde you of what is published to be the Judgement of Dr Vsher late Primate of Ireland in a Book lately put forth by Dr Bernard Preacher to the Honourable Society of Grayes-Inne and whom though a stranger to us and one of a different judgement from us in the point of Episcopacy yet we reverence for his moderation and profession of his desires for peace wishing that such as do consent in substantials for matter of Doctrine would consider of some conjunction in point of Discipline That private interests and circumstantials might not keep them thus far asunder * See pag. 14◠of his last Book In which wish as we do cordially joyn our selves so we heartily desire that all godly and moderate spirited men throughout the Land would also close But the book which the said Doctor hath lately published is intituled The Judgement of the late Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland c. In this Book this Doctor tells us that the late Primate in Answer to a letter of his sent to him as it should seem for that purpose declares his Judgement touching the ordination of the Ministry in the Reformed Churches in France and Holland There he saith that Episcopus Presbyter gradu tantum differunt non ordine And consequently that in places where Bishops cannot be had the ordination by Presbyters standeth valid And in the close of his Answer about this point he saith That for the testifiying of his Communion with the Churches of the Low-Countryes of whom he had spoken immediately before and which he there professeth He doth love and honour as true members of the Universall Church notwithstanding the difference that was betwixt him and them about the point of Episcopacy he doth profess That with like affection he should receive the blessed Sacrament at the hands of the Dutch Ministers if he were in Holland as he should do at the hands of the French Ministers if he were in Charenton See pag. 125. and 126. Hence you may perceive that the Judgement of Dr Usher was That the Ordination of Presbyters where Bishops cannot be had standeth valid And consequently if you be of his opinion and you must have stronger reasons then ever yet we have seen to bear you out therein if you judge otherwise they ought to be esteemed lawfull Pastors to whom you grant the power of Excommunication Bishops being now taken away and may not therefore ordain according to the present Laws of the Land The said Dr Bernard hath some animadvertisements upon that Letter in which Dr Usher doth deliver his judgement as above said and there shews that he was not in this Judgement of his singular He alledgeth Dr Davenant that pious and learned Bishop of Sarisbury as consenting with him in it in his determinations quaest 42. and produceth the principall of the Schooleman Gulielmus Parisiensis Gerson Durand c. and declares it to be the Generall opinion of the Schoolemen Episcopatum ut distinguitur à simplici sacerdotio non esse alium ordinem c. see pag. 130. of the aforenamed Book as also pag. 131.132 Where the concurrence of Dr Davenant with Dr Vsher in his judgement about this matter is declared more fully He addes also others as in speciall Dr Richard Field in his learned Book of the Church lib. 3. cap. 39. and lib. 5. cap. 27. And also that Book intituled A defence of the Ordination of the Ministers of the Reformed Churches beyond the Seas maintained by Archdeacon Mason against the Romanists And further he saith He hath been assured it was not onely the Judgement of Bishop Overall but that he had a principall hand in it He tell us that the fore-mentioned Author produceth many testimonies The Mr of the Sentences and most of the Schoolemen Bonaventure Thomas Aquinas Durand Dominicus Soto Richardus Armachanus Tostatus Alphonsus a Castro Gerson Petrus Canisius to have affirmed the same and at last quoteth Medina a principall Bishop of the Councill of Trent who affirmed That Jerome Ambrose Augustine Sedulius Primasius Chrysostome Theodoret Theophylact were of the same judgment also But you may see these things your selves in Dr Bernard pag. 132 133 134. Wee have been onely at the pains to transcribe them Wee could alledg many more Testimonies to prove this But wee count these sufficient and do alledg these the rather because brought by one that is of the same Judgment with you as wee suppose But having declared how farr you accord with us in Judgment touching the way of informing the ignorant and reforming the wicked persons and schismatical c. you tell us That you are not therein so wavering and unsettled in your apprehensions of the Case as to submit either it or them either wholly or in part to the contrary Judgment and determination of a general Council of the Eastern and Western Churches much lesse to a new termed Provincial Assembly at Preston wherein you professe no little to differ from us That which wee submitted wholly to the Judgment of the Provincial Assembly was not whether Catechizing was a way appointed by God in his Word for the information of the ignorant but in what way of Catechizing as is expressed in our Paper the ignorant in our Congregations who never offered themselves unto the Sacrament were most like to be brought to some measure of knowledg and which is not a matter of Doctrine but of Order onely Neither was it by us submitted to that Assembly whether the censures of the Church were the means appointed by Christ for the reforming of the scandalous But whether it might not be meet pro hic nunc and as the present case stood to apply the Censures and so put in practice at this time that which in the General wee were sufficiently assured from the word of Truth was the way for their reformation and with which wee were both by God and Man intrusted to dispense unto those that were openly scandalous in our Congregations However they contented themselves to live in the want of the Lords Supper nor ever presented themselves to the Eldership to be admitted to it And this because meerely circumstantiall as to the dispencing of the Censures at