Old Scripture to shew what a stamp of Majesty and Authority God Almighty fixt upon such assemblies and what respect the people always rendred them So it shall suffice to give you our Saviours own words and so conclude this point We find in St. Matthew thus Again I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven Matth. 18. v. 18 20. for where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them Now I would fain know who can be convinced more evidently not to hear the Church then he that will not hear a Councell there can be no where a greater and more conspicuous consent than in a Council nor can there be any Congregations assembled more in the name of God then generall Councells are and yet you are pleased to cast contempt upon them But give me leave to tell you let the Authority of Councells be once taken away and all things in the Church will bee ambiguous and uncertain First all the antient Heresies that have been condemned by the authority of Councells and cast out of the Church may be reviv'd and reinforced upon Christians with as much reason as any primitive and Catholick Doctrine Then set up the Authority of Scripture alone against that of the Church and Councills and then Scripture it self will be uncertain for thrusting out that authority wich ha's commended sacred Scripture to us and commanded us to recive it what Scripture is it that opinionated men wil not reject and condemn for Apocrypha which will not save their own turns as some of your Doctros have notoriously done and so in fine we can never agree upon the point what is Scripture and what is not Thus must the Church of Christ fall into a most miserable condition for upon the arising of any doubt in matter of faith there can be no way found out to decide it but every particular person according to the proportion of wit in his own pate shall frame to himselfe faith of what form or fashion he pleaseth How then hath Christ provided for his Church a sufficientrule to go by and why should his Evangelioall Law be called the most perfect if he has not otherwise order'd a determination of all emergent coutroversies But thanks be to our most gracious God and Saviour he has abundantly done it for us as I shal more amply shew in my answers and replyes to the following heads of this your Paper which God give you grace with prudence and impartiality to petuse To what you alledge for Scripture to be the only Rule of our faith and against the Authority of the universall Church and it's Traditions I answer thus To the first I say that you are very much mistaken in matter of Scripture so I shall be bold to inlarge a little upon it for your better understanding And first it is to be observed that our Saviour himself writ no book at all neither commanded his disciples or Apostles to write any inso much as being to send them to plant his Church Matth. 28. he said not to them go and write but go and preach to the whole World Therefore we find the Old Law written in Tables of Stone but the Gospell had no other writing then but in the hearts of Christians So St. Paul plainly expresseth it Ye are our Epistle c. again 2 Cor. 3.2 3. Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declard to be the Epistle of Christ ministred by us not with ink but with the spirit of the living God not in Tables of stone but in fleshly tables of the heart c. This was before prophesyed by the Prophet Jerem. Behold the days come Jer. 31.31.302 3 saith the Lord that I will make a new Cavenant with the House Israell and with the House of Judah not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers But this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days saith the Lord I wil put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I wil be their God and they shall be my people c. Again we find that the Church is much ancienter then Scripture for when the Apostles began to preach there was no Evangelical Scripture no Epistle of St. Paul extant and yet the Church was then purchased and sprinkled with the blood of Christ Acts 1. and governed by his unerring Spirit So the Apostles without any authority of the Scripture of the New-Testament proceeded to the election of Matthias and to the ordination or seven Deacons Acts 5.6 c. So Peter proceeded to the sentence against Ananias and Saphira which struck the breath out of their bodies c. Now we know that the Apostles were very diligent in preaching and sowing the word of God and yet we finde but very little that they left us in writing so it must follow that they taught a great deal more then they wrote which must have equal authority with their writings Yet further it is plain that the Scripture it self cannot be authentical without the authority of the Church for the Canonical Writers themselves were but members of the Church and how shall any private man know what Scripture is Canonical and what not but by the Church John 3. Why should any man believe the Gospel of St. Mark to be Canonical who never saw Christ and the Gospel of Nicodemus not to be so who both saw and heard Christ as St. John testifies of him and why should the Gospel of St. Luke the Disciple be receiv'd and the Gospel of St. Bartholomew the Apostle be rejected unless we humbly comply with the power and authority of the Church which hath so ordered it and clearly confess that the Church can judge of Scriptures Thus since it is plain that the Church is ancienter then Scripture and that no Scripture can be thought authentical without the authority of the Church Exod. 20. can any Christian be blamed for saying that he would never believe the Scripture but that the Authority of the Church commanded it over over and above all this the Authority of the Church over Scripture is hugely evident in many particulars of Scripture As first Matth. 28. Act. 15. the Scripture commands thus Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day six days shalt thou labour and do all that thou hast to do but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God c. And yet the Church changed the Sabbath into the Lords day by its own authority Matth. 28.19 20. and not only without but against known Scripture Again Christ said to his Disciples in the Mount that he came not to dissolve the Law but fulfill it and yet the Church in the Apostles Councel decreed and pronounced boldly for the Cessation
but once in the year and that is Saturday in the holy week neither is there any consecration at all made that day of the Sacrament But the Eucharist that was consecrated the former day is then receiv'd lest the Church of Christ should remain depriv'd of the comfortable fruits of our Lords Passion The other way of Oblation is cleerly Sacramental and yet nevertheless real by which Christ is daily offer'd in the Church and receiv'd by Priests in the Sacrifice of the Mass under the Sacrament in commemoration of the Passion Dead and that former Oblation once made upon the Cross So that the Priest in the person of the whole Church doth present to God the Father the Oblation made by the Sonne upon the Altar of the Cross and him offered and that is the Offering according to the order of Melchisedech However this Oblation may be but rightly call'd commemorative not that Jesus Christ is not rightly and truly offered but because he is offered here under a Sacrament invisibly and recordatively in remembrance of his former Oblation by his own command Numb 28.3 and according to his own Institution And this is the oblation that was signified by the continual burnt-offering in the Old Law in which there was a Lamb without spot to be offered every morning and every evening This second Oblation I say the Priests of Christ doe make daily by the command of Christ himselfe Luke 22. grounded upon those words Do this in remembrance of me For this word do cannot referre onely to a bare sumption or taking of the Sacrament as you would have it but an Action and Oblation otherwise they should not have had the power of Consecration by those words Christ perfected at once the Oblation of himself upon the Altar of the Cross in one bloody Sacrifice and by the frequent repetition of this unbloody one the fruits and effects of the former are daily deriv'd to us So that the Mass is not only a representation of our Lords last Supper but of his Passion Death and Oblation of himselfe and therefore our Eucharist is not onely a Sacrament as you say but it is also a real Sacrifice a Sacrament truly it is as it does represent and is taken but a Sacrifice it is as it is offered and sacrificed to God and by this reason our Mass in which this great Sacrifice is celebrated is called a Sacrifice too To the second and third In the like manner I shall answer both your following arguments for those Texts doe clearly speake of the first Oblation that Christ made of himself our Sacrifices here are but examples of that and yeâ— we offer still the same thing not as in the Old Law to day one Lamb and to morrow another but alwayes the same so it is still one Sacrifice for as he that is offered is one body not many so is our Sacrifice still but one Behold how we offer daily one Sacrifice which once was offered though as is aforesaid there is great difference in the manner of offering the one by a real bloody oblation the other by recordation and representation To the fourth That our Saviour did say that his blood was the New Testament c. I grant but deny that therefore the Mass should be so for that which he spoke was onely to confirme our Faith in the New Testament Exod. 24.8 for as Moses being to confirm the Old Testament took the blood of Calves and Geats c. and sprinkled the people saying this is the blood of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words So Christ with his own blood confirm'd his New Testament unto us and enter'd into the Holy of Holyes Besides there be many things of the New Testament that belong not at all to the Mass as Baptism the Power of the Keyes c. Nay over and above all this it does not follow Heb. 9. that if the Mass were a Testament it should be therefore no Sacrifice for a Testament according to that of the Apostle includes the death of the Testator and the Mass being a Testament does imply the death of its Testator Jesus Christ and so by consequence must involve the Oblation To the fifth and last I shall clearly grant you again that the Mass is a recordation or remembrance of the Passion of Christ but not so nakedly as when a Lay person does simply communicate but it is a remembrance after this manner as it is the representative action of the whole Passion And this Jesus Christ said do ye not onely take ye but do ye that is if we joyne the precedents and sebsequents together consecrate offer take therefore that part of the Mass is called Action So therefore as there was a continual Sacrifice in the Old Testament so in the Law of Grace is Christ our Saviour made our continual Offering and shall continue so for ever till Anti-Christ shall come as our Doctors do affirm and then it shall cease for a while Now give me leave again to return you some proofes out of the Scriptures of the congruity and necessity that the Mass should bee a Sacrifice First Lev. 5.6.9.14 it is manifest that in the Old Law there was to be an offering for the sins of the people and it was alwaies the duty of the Priests to offer for their ignorances and sins and for their cleansing And what Religion was there ever so stupid as to pretend to the service of a Deity without some Sacrifice except some novel Christians to the very scandal of Jews and Turks Secondly Malach. 1.10 11. The Prophet Malachy does most plainly Prophesie of our great Sacrifice when he brings the Lord speaking to Israel I have no pleasure in you saith the Lord of Hosts neither will I accept any offering at your hand for from the rising of the Sun to the going down of the same my name shall be great amongst the Gentiles and in every place Incense shal be offered unto my name a pure offering for my name shall be great among the heathen saith the Lord of hosts Is not this a most plain Prediction of the Cessation of the Sacrifices of the old Law and the Institution of the Sacrifice of the new Law Nor can this be meant of that Sacrifice which Christ offered once upon the Cross because the Prophet speaks of a Sacrifice to be offered in every place and speaks but only of one oblation and that is nothing nor can be but the pure Sacrifice of the body of Christ so often repeared upon in our Masses and upon our Christian Altars Nay yet examine a little further in this great Prophet Malath 3.1 2 3. and you will finde yet a clearer evidence for our Christian sacrifice for being about his prophecies of the Messiah to come and having foretold the coming of the Baptist before him says plainly that the Lord shall suddenly come to his Temple even the Messenger of
of God accepting them as it had before pleased to assist in the doing of them All which I prove by these express Scriptures God commands Abraham to walk before him and be perfect Gen. 16. and he will be his exceeding great reward The Prophet Esay says of God Isay 40.10 Jer. 31.16 Prov. 11.28 that his reward is with him The Prophet Jeremy tells us thus for thy work shall be rewarded saith the Lord. The wise King Solomon assures us that the wicked worketh a deceitful work but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward The Lord recompence thy work Ruth 2.12 and a full reward begiven thee of the Lord God of Israel Out of these and infinite more places in the old Scriptures it is plain that God does promise and assure rewards to those that do well But the Evangelicall Scriptures are yet more full He that reapeth receiveth wages Iohn 4.36 and gathereth fruit unto life eternal that is man so that he that soweth that is God and he that reapeth may rejoyce together Our Saviour in his Sermon in the Mount Mat. 5.12 Luke 6.22.23 to encourage his disciples against persecution speaks plainly thus Rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven in like manner S. Luke relates it Blessed are ye when men shall hate you persecute you or reproch you for the son of mans sake Rejoyce ye in that day and leap for joy for behold your reward is great in heaven c. Heer reward is plainly promised now we know that reward and merit are such relatives that one cannot be understood without the other Not every one that saith unto me Lord Mat. 7.21 Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heaven but he that doth the will of my father which is in heaven Thus cleer it is that is not enough â—o believe in the Lord that we may enter into life but we must do his will Again Mat. 10.42 Whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water onely in the name of a disciple verily I say unto you be shall in no wise loose his reward Yet again the same Gospel tells us that all the labourers in the Lords vineyard were to receive their reward Mat. 20.7 8 9. from the last unto the first and so they did every one their peny and adds whatsoever is right that shall ye receive observe how the Lord makes the reward of mans works a piece of his justice The same S. Matthew still tells us Mat. 19.17 how our Saviour chargeth the young man in the Gospel if he will enter into life to keep the commandments something therefore is to be done on our parts But above all the same Evangelist in another place quite states the question Come ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world Mat. 25.34 35 36. for I was a hungry and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye grve me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me Here our Saviour was pleased to instance in all the works of charity to shew how they are all and every one of them meritoriously accepted by him Does not S. John likewise plainly tell us Iohn 5.28.29 our Saviours express words that those that are in their graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation and again you are my friends if ye keep my commandments can you yet think that there is nothing due to good works Will you hear what S. Paul tells you that God will render to every man according to his deeds Rom. 2.6 10. glory honour and peace to every one that worketh good c. and then concludes that not the hearers but the doers of the Law shall be justified Again 1 Cor. 3.8 to the Corinthians he says every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour and in his second Epistle to the same Corinthians he tells them thus 2 Cor. 5.10 1 Cor. 9.17 For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad again if I do this willingly I have a reward 1 Cor. 15 58. and at last concludes that great Chapter concerning the Resurrection Therefore my beloved brethren be ye stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. The same Apostle forewarns the Galatians not to be deceived Gal. 6.7 God is not mocked for what soever a man soweth that shall he also reap The same Apostle prays heartily for the Collosians Colos 1.10 Colos 3.23.24 that they might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitfull in every good work and then afterwards tells them plainly that whatsoever they do they should do he artily as to the Lord and not unto men knowing that of the Lord they shall receive the reward of their inheritance c. To the Hebrews he says plainly Heb. 6.10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love which you have shewed towards his name Heb. 13.16 in that ye have ministred to the Saints and do minister and in another place adviseth them that to do good and to communicate they forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased S. John in his second Epistle general adviseth all the world to look to themselves 2 John ver 8. that they loose not those things which they have wrought but that they receive a full reward S. Peter is no less cleer in this sense 2 Pet. 1 10 11. as you may see by the Counsell general that he gives wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure for if ye do thus ye shall never fall for so an entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ And then in his first Epistle he exhorteth to an honest conversation c. that the world may be convinced by the good works which they shall behold and glorifie God in the day of visitation Then that faith is utterly vain without works James 2 14. ver 17 18 19 20 21 24. see how throughly the blessed Apostle S. James delivers it What doth it profit my brethren though a man say he hath faith and hath not works can faith save him then a little after tells us that faith if it hath not works is dead being alone then says the Apostle I will shew my faith by my works thou believest there is
him in Jordan confessing their sins The wise Solomon assures us that he that conceals his wickedness shall not be directed Prov. 8. but he that confesseth it shall finde mercy That this duty of confession was both preached and practised in the Apostles days is plain by that express place And the name of the Lord Jesus was maguified Acts 19.28 and many that belived came and confessed and shewed their deeds No less express is that text of S. John if we confess our sines he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins and will cleanse us from all wickedness To figure out this greatâ—duty of confession to us our Saviour chargeth the Leper whom he cleansed Mat. 8. to go and shew himself to the Preist and offer the gift that Moses comanded Luke 17. In the like manner he commanded the ten lepers and says to Lazarus when he had raysed him from the dead loose him and let him go These things I say are cleer prefigurations of this duty of confession which was afterwards to be establisht in the Christian Church and has been ever since the Apostles times most universally practised To what you alledge against our doctrine of Satisfaction for sins I answear thus To the first I do absolutly deny Luke 3.11 Mat. 3. that the Baptise taught no satisfaction for he taught almes and works of mercy for him that had two coats to impart to him that had none and him that had meat to do likewise They that came to him for batisme were to confess their sins as I said before that according to their qualities they might have several penitencies imposed upon them Luke 3.8 and therefore exhorts them to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance which fruits are the works of satisfaction understood by us by this it is plain that the holy Baptist enjoynes us more then our duty and besides those words which you quote were spoken to the Publicans whom he bids to exact no more than what was appointed them you have strained the text hard to bring it to us that we should do no more than we are commanded to do To the Second I answear that the Prophet speaks there of the life of grace only which to attain if satisfaction be not performed before it is required to be in purpose and intention and is necessary to the preservation of that life of grace when it is acquired Besides though there should be no mention at all of satisfaction in these words of the Prophet that you quote does it therefore follow that there is no such thing required or that the prophet has deceived us God forbid for we finde what is wanting in one place abundantly supplied in other Scriptures as heer the Prophet mentions nothing but justice says not a word of fortitude temperance chastity c. which we know are equally requisite and suâ—iffiently laid down and commanded in other Scriptures To the Third I answer that the Prophet Micah in those words you quote does not seclude but rather include works of satisfaction for by doing judgement and justice is to be under stood a severe censure and condemnation of our selves by loveing of mercy are understood those works of mercy almes and piety that are to be exercised upon the poor by charity and to walk humbly with God what is it but resignation of our selves to him and perfect submission to his will joyned with an exact care to keep his divine precepts in this point of penance we are reqâ—ired to shew all the severity in the world against our selves that we being judged of our selves be not judged of the Lord as the Apostle tells us Besides the Prophet Micah there rebukes not those that go about by good works to satiâ—fy for their sins but those that foolishly thought by their pittifull sacrifices and burnt-offerings with the bloud of Rams and Bulls and Goats c. to satisfy the divine wrath for sins Now that was impossible as S. Paul tells us Heb. 10. Isay 1. and the Prophet Isay assures us that those things were not in themselves acceptable to God To the Fourth and Last I do answer and grant that the passion of Christ is sufficient to take away all sin and the guilt of punishment as well temporall as eternall it followes not therefore that nothing is required on our parts to be done for in the Sacrament of penance we partake of the virtue of the passion of Christ by a method of some proper acts which are the mater of pennance wherefore the Apostle Paul exhorts his penitents thus not to yeild their members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin but to yeeld themselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God Now to what you imply of argument in that Christ Jesus is the great Physition and so likely to make a perfect cure as well from guilt of the punishment as from the guilt of the sin it self I do acknowledge him to be the great Physition of our souls and to cure perfectly as you say yet very differently Luke 4. and sometimes suddainly and all at once as Peters wifes mother who was perfectly restored to perfect health sometimes again he is pleased to cure very leasurely as when he cured the blind man first he was pleased to restore him to an inperfect use of his sight Mar. 8. as to see men like trees walking then he was pleased afterwards to perfect his cure and make him to see cleerly all things just so he is pleased to pass his spiritual cures upon us sometimes he is pleased to turn the heart of man with such a power that it shall presently enjoy a perfect spiritual health as he did that of the blessed Magdalen sometimes again he remits the sin by his operating grace and afterwards works so with his cooperating grace that in process of time he takes away all the guilt of punishment and all the other relicts of sin it is not therefore to be proved by any of Christs corporal or spiritual cures that the sin being remitted all the punishment is remitted likewise but rather the contrary and I shall proceed further to prove it thus The Catholick doctrine that I am to prove now against you is this that sins being by contrition confession and absolution perfectly forgiven the penitent ought yet to satisfie for the temporal punishment due to them Adam without doubt repented himself of his sin Gen. 2.17 notwithstanding he was not presently absolved from the punishment that was threatned by God for it which was this for in theday that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye Nay after the transgression of the divine precept beyond the business of death which was before threatned God addes others saying to Adam Gen. 3.17 because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying thou shalt not eate of
three full weeks I eat no pleasent bread neither came flesh nor wine into my mouth neither did I anoint my filf at all c. Then said the Lord unto Daniel fear not ver 12. for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand and to chasten thy self before thy God thy words were heard c. heer you see how the Prophet Daniel did abstain from meat and wine and God reproved and loved him for it In the like maner I shall prove fasting to be a holy institution for the maceration of the body the explusion of the evil Spirit the imploring of divine grace and the imitation of Jesus Christ by express scripture in S. Math. Gospell thus First our Saviour saith Mat. 9.15 can the Children of the Bride-chamber mourn so long as the Bridegroom is with them but the days will come when the Bridegroom shall be taken from them Luke 5.35 36. and then they shall fast and in S. Lukes Gospell he says can ye make the Children of the Bride-chamber fast whilst the Bridegroome is with them but the days shall come c. and then shall they fast in those days And these words of our Saviours were abundantly fullfiled by the Apostles as you may see in the Acts. Acts 13.2.3 first as they ministred unto the Lord and fasted the holy Ghost said c. And again when they had fasted and prayed c. Acts. 14.23 And in the next chapter it is said and when they had Ordained them olders in every Church and had prayed with fasting they commended them to the Lord c. S. Paul declareth to the Corinthians how he and others that were ingaged in the service of the Church should behave themselves thus 2 Coâ— 6.4.5 In all things approving our selves as the ministers of God c. in watchings and in fastings And that this duty of fasting was acceptable to God even before Christianity Jonah 3.5 6 7 8 9 10. we may see in the example of Ninniveh So the people of Ninniveh beleived God that is the word which was preacht to them by the Prophet Jonah and proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest of them even to the least of them and it followes it was decreed by the King and all his Nobles saying let neither man beast heard nor flock tast any thing let them not feed nor drink water but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth c. And God saw their works and that they turned from their evil way and God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them and be did it not Thus you may see how acceptable to God this solemne fast of the Ninnivits was and yet you will question that duty But to summe up all this in a few words Mat. 6.16 17 18. I pray you observe what our Saviour says in S. Mathews Gospell Moreover when ye fast be not as the Hypoerites of a sad countenance for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast verily I say unto you they have their reward but thou when thou fastest annoint thy bead and wash thy face that thou appear not unto men to fast but unto thy father which is in secret and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly Heer our Saviour does not onely implicitely commend this duty of fasting to us but prescribes us the manner of it and assures us it is meritorious for he saith that God shall reward it openly I think this should be enough to satisfy any reasonable Christians Why then should our lenten fast so much offend you when it is so ancient in the Church as I have been informed ever since the Apostles times and ordained in humble imitation of our Saviour who as the scripture tells us when he had fasted forty days and forty nights Mat. 4.2 he was afterwards an bungred can we performe think you a more Christian duty Deut. 9. than to follow so great an example so far as we can Again we finde that Moses fasted fourty days and fourty nights And that the Prophet Elijah did the same 1 Kings 16. Nay how much this duty of fasting is pleasing to the Lord we may finde in the Prophet Joel who crys out Joel 2.15 16 18. blow the Trumpit in Sion fanctify a fast call a solemn assembly gather the people sanctify the congregation assemble the elders gather the Children and those that suck the breast let the Bridegroom goe forth of his chamber and the Bride out of her closet c. Then will the Lord pitty his people c. The Prophet David frequently acknowledgeth that he did humble his soul with fasting Psalms and the Scripture throughout is full of nothing more then that God did accept of that humiliation still when it was hearty 1 Kings 21. Tob. 12. Luke 2. as Abab Hezekiah Tobiah Judith Hester Daniel the Niunivites Ann the widdow and agreat many more that would be infinite to recount So for a close of all I shall onely put you in minde that there were a sort of Devills of whom our Saviour himself says Mark 9.29 that that kinde is not to be east out but by prayer and fasting who then shall cast out Devils from them that are enemies Profest against that great and holy duty of fasting To what you alledge against our Vows especially those of Chastity and single-life though in one Priests themselve To the First I answer that I grant indeed that Vows do reduce us into Bondage but it is only to Christ and such a slavery is the nighest libercy It is such a servitude as the Apostle speaks of being freed from sin ye are made the servants of Righteousnesse and to God and to serve God is to Raign with him from whence it is plain that our obligation to pay our Vows does in nothing repugne or Streighten our Christian liberty no more then our obligation to keep the Commandements does and just so as the Transgression of the Commandements throws us into the servitude of sin so does the breach or not observance of our Vows It is true the Evangelicall Counfells are at first free but after a promise is once made they become Obligatory shall we make a conscience to observe our Contracts with men and violate our Covenants with God God forbid The Lord commands us not to make Vows but to pay and render them when they are made as Matrimony before a Contract is free but when the Contract is once made it is then firm and indissolveable and therefore impossible unlesse in our Saviours case to procure a Divorce At first every man hath in his Free-Will to vow or not to vow but to pay the vow being once made is so necessary that a man cannot recede from it without hazard of his salvation Our Saviour says That no man setting his hand to the Plow and looking
Heathen and a Publican Matth. 18. Now he that would tell the Church any thing in your sence must ramble all the World over to do it But it is plain that our Saviour by the Church there meant the Prelates and Presidents of it for presently after he speaks to his Apostles as to Prelates and give them the power of binding c. That you may the better understand this take along with you the whole context of that place of Denteronemy which I have before quoted to you and that you shell find to be this Deut. 17. If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment between blood and blood between Plea and Plea between stroak and stooak being matters of controversie within thy Gaces then shalt thou arise and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shalt chuse and thou shalt come unto the Priests and Leviteâ— 8 10 11 and unto the Judge that shall be in those days and enquire and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgement And thou shalt do according to the sentence which they of that place which the Lord shall chuse shall shew thee 12 13 14. and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee Accorto the Sentence of the Law which they shall teach thee according to the judgment which they shal tel thee thou shalt do thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee to the right hand nor to the left And the man that will do presumptuosly and will not heark in unto the Priest that standeth to Minister there before the Lord thy God or unto the Judge even that man shall dye and thou shalt put away the evill from Israel I pray you observe there the power and great authority of the old Legal Priests and consider then the just power that the Evangelicall ones ought to have and do not forget to observe the dismall punishment of presumption and disobedience Then I pray you be pleas'd to observe how the Primitive Christians did follow the orders that were given by Moses in Denteronemy for we find in the Acts that when a great dissention arose about the businesse of circumcision the Apostles and Elders came together for to consider the matter and upon the issue of the dissention and disputation they determined to send Paul and Barnabas up to Jerusalem unto the Apostles and Elders there about this question and they did so and it follows it so pleased the Apostles and Elders with the whole Church now what was the whole Church there not the whole Congregation of Christians but they went up to the Apostles and Elders about this question here it is plain that the Apostles and Elders were the representative body of the Church To the Ninth and last I utterly deny the whole Church to be such an invisible thing as you world have much less not to be understood for first if it were so hidden from the eyes and understanding of men why or how should our Saviour command us to tel the Church and if he hears not the Church Math. 18. Rom. 12. 1 Cor. 1.12 Ephes 1.5 Col. 1. c. Now if the Church were hidden how could any man tell it any thing and if it were not to be understood how could any men hear it Do we not find that the Church is the body of Christ and all Christians the members and this is plain in severall places of Scripture Now how can you say that body and those members are hidden and the Church to be only in clouds when St. Paul tells us plainly you are the body of Christ and members one of another c. Luke 11. It has been of Hereticks always to run into Dens and Caves and hiding holes the Church hâ—'s always put the Candle in the candlestick as the Gospel teacheth us The Church ha's been always visible to us in Councils in the Apostolicall Seat in Bishops Presidents and Pastor of severall Churches 2 Cor. 8.18 For if the Church were in the clouds and a meer Mathematical Phancasme as you would have it how could the Brother that St. Paul speaks of have his praise throughout all the Churches And the Prophet David repeats so often with thee is my praise and glory in the Congregation of thy people and in the Chair of the Elders Psalâ— 21. Psal 106. let thy name be praised and desires that he may see the good of his chosen that he may rejoyce in the gladnesse of his people and that he may glory with his inheritance c. Now I have been inform'd indeed that it ha's ever been the fashion of all old Hereticks to strengthen the Church with a narrow compass and draw it within the compasse of one of their convanticles I hope you will not be guilty of that fault and whereas you urge it for a matter of faith therefore not to be seen I ask you whether God the Creator be not to be seen in every thing that moves and has a being and yet the Creation is an Article of faith I ask whether Jesus Christ God the son was not seen in the flesh and to ascend visibly into heaven and yet matters of faith I ask again whether God the holy Ghost was not seen visibly to discend upon the Apostles and yet an Article of faith propoâ—'d by the same Apostles and so the same I say of the Holy Catholick and Apostolick Church Now because I have been so large in my answers I shall not need to be otherwise then short in my replies but something I shall urge to you out of Scripture according to my former method and that Scripture alone cannot be the Rule of our faith I prove thus I shal begin with the Articles of your faith and ours contein'd in the Apostles Creed and aâ—k you whether alll those are to be proved out of expresse Scripture As first that Article of Christs discent into Hell the Church ha's ever believed it â—ecles 24. as it is propos'd locally but how shall we prone it I say out of Scripture if out of Ecclesiasticus where it is said I will pierce into the lower moâ—â— parts of the Earth you will say it is Apocripha If out of St. Paul to the Ephesians Eph. s 4.9 10. where is it said now that he ascended what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth he that descended is the same also that ascended up farre above all things c. Some of your Doctors have found a shift for that too First they will say that he descended by his power not by his person Then they will tell you of his descen into the wombs of the Virgin c. Now as you are pleased to distinguish upon it what are we the better in that point for the Scripture Then in the Athanasian Creed how will you prove the one substance of the blessed Trinity if from
God c. Now that the building of Churches is acceptable to God is evident because it was practised in the Apostles time Luke 7. and the Jews knew that it was acceptable to our Saviour when they told him of the Centurion that he loved their Nation and built them a Synagogue Exod. 23.26.29.30.31.35 c. Then how acceptable to God the adorning of Churches must be I pray you look upon the sumptuous offerings that were made by the people in the old law towards the building of their Tabernacle and the making of costly ornaments for their Priests and so for their Temple afterwards and I presume you will be satisfyed Nay not withstanding the Temple was so richly provided for by Solomon Num 27.28 29. Nehe 10.32 and in every thing most abounding yet Nehemiah tells us that the Jews made ordinances to oblige and charge themselves yeerly with the third part of a sheckel for the service of the house of their God besides their free-will offerings which were unvalvable And our Saviour discommends not the rich Temple then in his days Luke 21. for takeing the poor widdows mite Jos. 21. towards its encreas and ornament As for the possessions of the Priests there was as great a care taken by God Num. 25 as first we finde that Joshuah divided citys amongst the Priests and levites as the Lord commanded by Moses And again we finde that the Prists and Levits had the tithes The first borne the first fruites Lev. 27. and great parts of the offerings and sacrifices for their attendance on the Tabernacle Num. 18. where they served day ly and all this was by the express precept and ordinance of God 2 Kings 12.4 5. Then in the Kings we finde that Joash sayd to the Priests all the mony of the didicated things that is brought into the house of the Lord even the mony of every one that passeth the account is the mony that every one set at all the mony that cometh into any mans heart to bring into the house of the Lord let the Priests take to them c 2 Chron. 31.4 5.6 7 8 9 c. So Hezekiah commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give proportionably to the Priests and Levites that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord and we find in the Text that they of Judah and Jerusalem did bring in so abundantly that new chambers and granaries were erected to receive their offerings Luke 8.2.3 Jesus Christ himself we know carried always a treasurer or purse-bearer with him that was Judas who was to receive and dispose of what was sent to him And we finde that divers did minister unto him of their substance as Joan the wife of Chusa Herods Steward and divers others S. Paul is so express in this point that I wonder you or any man can doubt not onely that it is a good devotion but a necessary duty to contribute towards their Priests For he saith Who goeth to warfare any time at his own charges 1 Cor 9.7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. Who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof Or who feedeth a flock and eateth not of the milke of the flock say I these things as a man or saith not the Law the same also For it is writen in the law of Moses thou shalt not muzlle the mouth of the Ox that treadeth our the corne doth God take care for Oxen Or saith be altogether for our sakes for our sakes no doubt this is written that he that ploweth should plough in hope and he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope If we have sowen unto you spirituall things is it a great thing if we shall reape your carnall things Do you not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the Temple and they which waite at the alter are partakers with the alter Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospell 1 Tim 2. should live of the Gospell c. Then the same Apostletells Timothy that a Bishop must be blamless the husband of one wife vigialent sober of good behaviour given to hospitallity apt to teach c. Now I would fain know how a Bishop can be hospitable Acts. 4 24.25 if he have not wherewithall Then in the Acts we finde how so many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the prices of the things that were sould and layd them down at the Apostles feet c. By what is it most plain that in the primitive Church there were collections for the sustertation of the clergy in a plentyfull manner which fayling then benefices succeded in their roomes And to conclude all that we mean to say in this point Luke 10. our Saviour tells you that the labourer is worthy of his hyre Mat. 27.25 26. As to immunities due to their persons we shall adde onely one word or two our Saviour askes Peter of whom do the Kings of the earth take tribute of their own Children or of strangers Peter sayth unto him of straingers Psal 104 Jesus sayth unto him then are the Children free The Psalmist in the person of God comands thus not to touch his anointed nor do his Prophets any harm And again the same Kinge David says in another place Who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords anointed and be guiltless 1 Sam. 26.1 This was spoken truly of the unction of a King but the same must follow upon the unction of a Priest Mat. 19. Mar. 9. Mat. 21. Now that we are not all Priests equally is sufficiently proved in our paper concerning the Sacrament of holy orders so shall not he make repetition Then for our Canonicall hours and prayers we are justified by Scriptures Luke 11. Matt. 6. Mat. 14. Mark 6. Luk 5.16 Luke 9. Luke 22. Mat. 26. Mar. 14. Mat. 24. Mar. 13. Matt. 5. Luke 18. Mat. 26. innumerable First the Disciples sayd to Christ Lord teach us to pray and he sayd when ye pray say our Father c. and then sending away the multitude he went into a mountain alone for to pray again he withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed again he went into a mountain to pray and he was all night in prayer to God again he went up into a mountain to pray and whilst he prayed his countenance was changed Then again kneeling down he prayed saying Father if it be thy will let this cup pass from me and being in his agony he prayed long So much for our Saviours practise as for his precept observe first Pray that your flight be not in the winter nor on the sabbath day again watch and pray for ye know not when the time will come again pray for those that persecute you c. again pray always and faint not again pray that ye enter not into temptation then this