belieue our Church Regeneration is by infusion of grace by sowing the good seed it differs frō increase of grace perseverance Regeneratiō is ortus boniseminis the springing of good seed This good seed did grow in stony and thorny ground Regeneratiō is the individual act making Christians Increase of grace perseverāce preserue Christians And morall perswasion cannot regenerate stony and thorny hearts dead in sinne Therefore regeneration being the individuall act of God bound to his Church by his owne covenant iudge as our Church doth concerning the baptized that all baptized are regenerate The grace of Gods covenā◠doth admit of noe Separatists for it did not separate but bind Isaac Ismael vnto God in obedience neither doth it separate but vnite the baptized vnto Christ As for the separating iudgement according to the mercifull decree of election who are the saved this belongs only to God to pronounce But let all Christians religiously pray and liue according to the grace of restitution and humbly submit their iudgments concerning the secrecy of personall election The Separatist sinnes against the 17. Article which sayth that Gods election is secret to vs for we know not the elect by their particular names He sinnes against the 35 article at the 2. 4. 5. 6. 7. 10. 11. 15. 19. 20. 21. homilie For these doe charitably exhort the whole cōgregation to obey and honour God whereas the separatist is noe freind of Publicans and sinners but the vncharitable accuser of our Saviours pittied cōpany The Anabaptist is he whose purenes is a supposed birth without originall sinne And yet our bodies are parts of Adams nature that did sinne And no man was borne without sinne Christ only excepted His tenet is that infants must not be baptized Yet Isaac was circumcised the eighth day And to be circumeised and baptized are one and the same in effect And Abrahams Religion and ours are the same Gal. 3. 9. 14. 15. 16. 17. And therefore by a necessarie seale of the Covenant we must doe as Abraham did binde little children in covenant to God This Puritan sinnes against the 9 27 Articles The one affirmeth that infants are borne in originall sin the other that infants must be baptized If infants be borne without originall sinne then t is noe controversy That originall sin foreseene is not the meritorious cause of reprobation The sinner deserues the iudg intends punishment So 't is certaine that sinne is not the foreseene intending efficient of that preordain'd punishing decree And it is without question that Gods Supremacy may pardon or punish pro absoluto beneplacito only as he will seeing 't is the prerogatiue of supremacy he being supreame Iudg. But he cannot be iust in decree if he so reprobates but for sinne foreseene For the law was not that any should die in Adam if he had not eaten of the forbidden fruit and therfore this law in prevision transgressed is the meritorious efficient of reprobation The Brownist is he whose purenes is to serue God in woods and feilds He is a wildernes of purenesse His opinion is that Idolatry cannot be reformed without pulling downe of Churches But King Hezekiah commaunded the Levites to sanctifie the house of the Lord and to carry forth the filthines out of the sanctuary c. 2. Chron. 29. 5. And our Saviour whipt the buyers and sellers out of the Temple though it was prophan'd yet without any pulling downe he calls it the house of prayer Mat. 21. 12. 13. This Puritan sinnes against the 35 Article at the 1 homily which teacheth a decent keeping of the Church Loves familist is he whose purenes is to serue God as wel at his Neighbors charge as at his owne Omnia sunt Communia no one saith that the things which these Loue-Masters possesse are their owne but all are Common Yet S. Paul saith that he is worse then an Infidell that provideth not for his owne family If he be poore his poore purenes must not labour with his hands to get his liuing though he be a Mechanicke he must only meditate on the word Yet the text saith he that will not Labour let him not eate He in his conceipt is a greater S. then S. Iohn the Baptist and that he is in persecution for the Gospell and therefore Ananias doth sell his possessions that the poore brother may participate of his brotherly kindnes Concerning S. Iohn our Sauiour saith that he was as great a Prophet as any borne of a woman Concerning Ananias S. Peter saith that he dissembled with the holy Ghost Concerning this poore Saints persequution for the Gospell his punishment is iustly to be inflicted on him for abusing the gospell with his deceipt to maintaine idlenes His neighbour seduc'de to sel is vndone this is iniurie which must not escape vnpunished This Puritan sinnes against the 38 Article For this truth is to be beleeu'd that as in persequution the rich did releiue the poore Saints So in the time of peace all able men must labour to preserue the Common wealth Here note that Loues-familist in the 38 Article is called the Anabaptist and t is true subiectiuè sed non formaliter The same man may be Loues-familist and the Anabaptist but to be formally the Anabaptist is not to be Loues-familist their definitions differ The Precisian is he whose purenes is not to sweare before a Magistrate yet this kind of swearing is commanded Deut. 6. 13. He teacheth that vnlawfull swearing is a greater sinne than murther God indeed is greater than man Hence is the compare But the effect destructiue is greater by murther for thereby mans life is destroyed but vnlawfull swearing cannot wound so deepe And God commands that the Murtherer die the death blood must be shed for blood he deales not soe seuerely with the swearer This Puritan sinnes against the 39. Article which teacheth that t is lawfull to sweare before a magistrate The Sabbatarian is he whose purenes is to preach downe all holy dayes Preaching the instrumentall directing cause to keepe holy the sabbath day he makes to be the keeping holy the Sabbath but Gods holy worship common praier is this keeping holy the sabbath day For preaching the holy direction teacheth holy worship common praiers to be the holy practise of that day to praise the Lord for our Redemption c. This is the sole principall end of preaching on the Lords day The Sabbatarians preaching is a Sylua synonymorum Tantologies Iterations His praying is too much brainsike babling His opinion is Labour thou sixe dayes therefore there must be noe holy dayes but the Lords day T is true in an vnderstanding iudicious sence Thus. Thou must praise God for the Creation Redemption Restitution and preseruation of the world To praise God for these causes onely the 7. day is set apart which is not the Iewes Sabbath the sabbath only for the creation But this is the day following when Christ rested from subduing sinne hell and death when
the Lord Iesus ceased from his worke Heb. 4. He then appoynted a certaine day by saying to day ver 7. And because Christ rested from his worke of restoring his kingdome to Israel in the same manner as God did from his ver 10. appointing the first day after the creation to be the sabbath Therefore the first day of the Iewes weeke the scripture calls and t is instituted for to be the Lords day for this is the day of Christs rest religiously to be celebrated with holy worship in remembrance of our iustifying sanctifying sauing victorious and trivmphing Redemption But concerning other holy dayes there were seauen together in the time of the law Deut. 16. Therefore when God was to be praised for preseruing Israel in tents when he brought them out of Aegipt c then the text saith not labor 6. dayes but keepe holy 7. dayes c. So when God is to be praised for the Angells good newes to the Blessed Virgin for the Natiuity of our Sauiour for his circumcision c then the Church teacheth not 6. dayes labour but to praise the Lord on the holy time appoynted This Puritan sinnes against the 35. Article at the 7. 12. 13. 14. 16. and 17 homilies For these doe teach the holy obseruing of feasts vnto the Lord. The Anti-disciplinarian is he whose purenes is aboue the Kings Supremacy Imperious Imagination His holines is the Churches greatest Authority and as good a Rule for to know the Reformed true faith as holy writ He is a strict obseruer of the law therefore his Religion is the best religion But our Sauiour teacheth that mercy is the best part of Religion Matth. 9. 13. And he neuer learned that Christs kings office is aboue Christs Priests office in spirituall things for as much as Christ a Priest died for to make satisfaction for our sins to God the Supreame Iudge who is Christ a king and that from this office of Christ a king the king is derived and that the Priest is derived from Christs Priests office This Puritans tenet is that kings must be subiect to the Puritan-Presbyters Censure submit their Scepters throw downe their Crownes and licke vp the dust of their feete Thus Mr Rogers in the 11. page of his Preface to the 39. Articles and thus T. C. teacheth in his Reply page 180. Thus the oath of Supremacie allegiance are broken This Puritan is an Arch-traitor His prowd holynesse sinnes against the 21. Article which affirmeth that Princes in their Dominions haue supreame Authority to gather together Generall Councels and against the 35. Article at the last homily which preacheth downe Rebellion and against the 37. Article which saith that the King is supreame Governour of Church and Common Wealth next and immediately vnder Christ in his Dominions in all causes and over all Persons Ecclesiasticall and Civill His tenet is that all Priests should be Equall But who ever gaue all Priests authority to ordaine and did exalt inferiour Priests and pull downe Superiors for that equality but Farellus and Viretus by Sermons two Geneva-Presbyters But by what Law Whence was that authority This Puritan sinnes against the 23 33 and 36. Articles which teach the lawfulnes of Arch-Bishops and Bishops Superiority and Iurisdiction This Puritan is an enemie to Church-Ceremonies as if Gods Ministers and his house should be naked without all externall beauty He saith that he is only for essentials at baptizing c. And yet Metaphysicall divinitie is farre beyond the spheare of his plainely and briefly c. For the Scriptures deduceable sence transcends his capacitie This Puritan sinnes against the 20. Article The Presuming Predestinatist is he whose purenes is an inspired knowledge that hee shal be saved by Gods absolute election He is so sure of his salvation as if he were now in heaven as if thete were no life in him but Gods essentiall glory This is to sin without feare or wit He considereth not that the World the flesh and the Deuill are such cruell and subtile enemies that they did soe terrifie S. Peter as that he denied with an oath that he knew the Rocke of Saluation and the other Apostles fled And pray thou Continually that thou enter not into temptation Thus the 17. Article teacheth thee And presume not that thou art absolutely certaine of saluation for in denying Christs soules locall descent into Hell which is against the 3 Article thou deniest a part of Christs subduing euill spirits and his triumph ouer the power of hell for this end Christ descended to the spirits that were disobedient in the daies of Noah 1. Pet. 3. 18. 19. 20. And thou seemest to deny that good workes are the striving instrumentall causes for salvation in that thou regardest not Examples of good life by abhorring Apocrypha scripture which is against the 6. Article Suffer the words of exhortation be not factious in the Church to mainetaine an Imperious ruinating holynesse to amaze silly people to gaine a competency by way of collection God hath given the tenth part in al Israell for an inheritance to mainetaine the Priesthood Num. 18. 21. And if the humane positiue law hath not made provision according to this divine law stay the Lords leasure till he shall assist the king and the generall Councell of this land to reforme this thing as yet full of difficultie If thou hast no Benefice faction can never bring thee any de iure but reformation may Downe on thy knees repent and amend and praise God Almighty for as much as thy Dread Soveraigne Lord and king hath spared thy life so long thou being nothing better in tenet than an Arch-Traitor Downe on thy knees giue harty thankes to God in that the Most Reverend Arch-Bishops and the Right Reverend Bishops thy holy and Ghostly Fathers haue not delivered thee over to Satan Maiori Excommunicatione cursing thee forth from the Church and all humane societie thou being a most contumacious Schysmatique It is not sufficient that thou deny that thou art any such Puritan for thy faction is visible almost every where in this land Downe on thy knees and pray for Gods holy spirits illumination that thy zeale may be according to the infallible knowing faith and that God may thus incline thy heart to our true faithfull reforming Christian Religion The Lord Almighty and most mercifull make the light of his countenance to shine vpon thee and to reforme thee Then the Church shal enioy her much desired vnitie In which how happy a thing it is for Brethren to dwell together for Christians to liue and die I desire you to consider I pray you I beseech you Even I though I am very disdainefully hated of you am so charitably affected I labour alwaies to the vtmost of my praiers and studies to instruct you with true sanctifying reformation and so shall till death remaine Your hearty well-wisher to solid Reformation GILES WIDDOWES 1. COR. 14. V. VLT Let all things be done decently and
for these are the well growne fruits of the Apostles doctrine Let all things be done decently and in Order There is church-decencie where is noe lightnesse and there is church-order where is noe confusion and therefore frequenters of woods for churches haue noe church-decencie For a suppose of their owne pates rings them a peale to frequent woods that idolatrous Temples must never be frequented if once idolatrous and yet religion being reformed those temples though once idolatrous are againe to bee frequented to worship God with holy worship So Calvin Peter Martyr Beza Bucer and B. Iewell And to convert idolatrous temples into christian Temples was the practise of the Primitiue church at 179 yeare after Christ in king Luoius daies There is no church-order where is confusion where the same preacher or teacher doth contradict one doctrine with an other contradictions of doctrines are in Thomas Cartwright as Doctor Whitguift hath obserued And there are contradictions in Bellarmine and his fraternity for there are 37 generall parts of doctrine and 239 particular doctrines in which one Romanist contradicts an other as Pareus hath obserued in his Irenicum There is church-decency where the church and every part of the church is kept seemly And there is church order where superiors are in superior places equalls in equal places inferiors in inferior places And there is no Church-decencie where ruine neglect dust and filthinesse are Church-keepers this is almost customarie in these daies A wood a private conventicle a factious sect I feare is more solemnly frequented in many places in this land than the Church of God And there is no Church order where Superiors are made inferiors Kings to cast their Crownes at the feet of Schismatiques schismaticall Pastors yet thus M. Thomas Cartwright would haue it And hee calls the Deane of a Cathedrall Church the Canons the Major and Minor-Prebends the Chauncellour the Chaunter the Pistellers and Gospellers hee vnmannerly calls them all Abbi-lubbers Thus what Church-order hath established hee with a word of disgrace would put downe against all order There should be decency and order obseru'd in performing Gods holy worship which is the common prayers And this is reprou'd by some by others t is embrac'd but t is with a running reverence by others t is cut off in the middle to the dishonour of God and his Church by others t is mumbled vp in an vnknowne tongue as if Papists were vnwilling that all should knowe what they say vnto God yet every one had religion in his owne tongue Act. 2. T is decencie and order that we should stand vp at the rehearsing of the Apostles Creed to signifie that wee doe and will stand to our faith but this standing vp some doe maliciously oppose and this standing vp others doe vnwittingly neglect The Font is the commanded place for baptisme yet some doe baptize in Wells in Brookes in Rivers c. to defend to vphold a factious spirit T is decencie and order to edifie the Church but some care for no edifying To beleeue as the Church beleeues this forme of words is faith enough and the best of that false beleeuing side are afraid of essentiall and demonstratiue exposition of the infallible rules of exposition the scripture being granted to be the only axiomaticall principle of faith The learned rules of exposition of Scriptures which neither S. Austine nor any other father hath expresso praecepto these rules Papists dare not follow Some respect onely the factious edifying well known to the factious brethren by opposing Church-decencie and order But beyond this edifying they neuer intend to proceed like S. Pauls silly women who are ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth And therefore the able gracious practise of the Church is neglected by them A father of the Church must not be heard in his owne language because that spends time and doth not edifie And Church Organs the musicall instruments of the Churches gracious practise are tedious to them because they doe not edifie To ring the Church-bells in peale on the Lords day this the separatists call profaning of the Sabbath And t is their ignorance being vnable to tell the difference betweene the worlds servile workes which are forbidden by the fourth commaundement and betweene Churches musicall works which in their due time done doe praise the Lord. T is Church-decency and Church-order that the scriptures be taught learnedly and grauely but now the children of the Prophets goe for Church-Doctors and a Mechanicke a presuming spirit is receiued amongst the Perfectists for a lawfull preacher if their non-Ecclesiasticall spirit calls him yet the Text faith No man taketh this honour vnto himselfe but hee that is called of God as was Aaron Hebr. 5. 4. But one will obiect what meanes all this discourse but to occasion appearing of evill and to giue offence to the weake brothers conscience Be not deceiued here is no appearing of evill no offence Here is nothing but Church-decency and Church-order which neither appeare evill nor are they any offence for appearance of evill and offence are opposite to these well governing and obeying properties And who are the weake brethren Thomas Cartwrights Disciples In their conceipts there are none so godly none so holy in the Churches of God Thus farre I haue followed an vnseemly a disorderd company This was the cause that you should knowe who are the vndecent and the irregular in our Church that you may avoid them I commend the decencie order of the church vnto you and doe exhort you in the words of S. Paul 1. Cor. 1. 10. Now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that yee all speake the same thing that there be no division among you but that yee bee ioined perfectly together in the same minde and in the same iudgement And doe you assuredly beleeue that Non-conformists haue not the spirit of God to guid them For they are the troublesome inventers of division For whereas there is envying and strife and divisions among them are they not carnall While one saith I am of Paul another I am of Apollo whilst they will heare none but a division making preacher are they not carnall S. Paul saith that they are carnall 1. Cor. 3. 3. 4. But I haue taught you better things then to be carnall Here is church-decency to cleanse the Lords house and to beautifie it and therefore learne to be decent with church-decency Here is church-order to set all things vniformely in Gods holy Temple and therefore learne church-holy orders that you may be decent and well-ordered Temples of the holy Ghost that in this life you may so liue together in true faith and religious charity that in the world to come you may liue together in immortall glory Which God for his infinite mercy grant vnto all through Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost three persons and one immortall God be ascribed all glory honour power might saluation and thankesgiving this day and for ever AMEN FINIS
THE SCHYSMATICAL PVRITAN A SERMON PREACHED AT WITNEY concerning the lawfulnesse of Church-Authority for ordaining and commanding of Rites and Ceremonies to beautifie the Church By GILES WIDDOWES Rector of St. MARTINS Church in Oxford TITVS 1. 15. Vnto the pure all things are pure but vnto them that are defiled and vnbeleeving nothing is pure but their Minde and Conscience are defiled Printed at Oxford for the Author 1630. TO HIS GRACIOVS LADY KATHARINE DVTCHES of BVCKINGHAM HER GRACE all health prosperity and salvation through Iesus Christ MADAM IMportunitie of friends hath with vn-answerable perswasions constrained me to imprint this Sermon because an ignorant zeale of some hasty spirits would cry downe the lawfull Authority of the true Doctrine and discipline of our Reformed Church I therefore desire your Graces favour most earnestly to accept these my first fruits sacrific'd on the Presse and to wish them safe protection My oblig'd duty directs and necessitates me to be thankefull vnto you for your speciall favours beyond my desert to dedicate myselfe and these my orthodoxe labours to so good and Gracious a Lady The Lord Crowne your merits with spirituall and temporall blessings for Christ Iesus sake and that for the hearty praiers of Your Graces most humble servant and Chaplaine GILES WIDDOWES TO THE PVRITAN IT is your practise to run from the Church Iam sorry that so learned and so holy men as you would seeme to be doe want true Christian patience to heare orthodox holy doctrine But let me intreat you to vnderstand me this one time I hope it will be for your edifying This is my prayer vnto Almighty God through Iesus Christ My businesse with you is the Puritan whose name distinguish'd whose essence rēd'red in the very property and whose severall kinds essentially differing I giue into your owne hands that you may see and learne true Reformation Concerning the name Puritan it is ambiguous and so it is fallacious For some good men are called Puritans and they are Puritans indeed They are pure in heart and so blessed that they shall see God Mat. 5. 8. And some evill men are called Puritans who desire to seeme to be iust and holy but in their doctrine and discipline they are the vnderminers of our True Protestant Reformed Church Are you angry because I tell you the truth Be angry but sin not and I will tell you the essentiall definition of this fallacious Puritan A Puritan is a Protestant Non-Conformist A Protestant this is his Genus his kinde of being A Non-Conformist this is his differentia his essentiall difference his essentiall Qualitie A Puritan is a kind of Protestant For he wil be tryed by the Scriptures concerning his faith and his Christian morall life so farre as his Spirit will endure the text But the scriptures deduceable sence in Essentials Essentiates Efficients Finals Subiects Effects and their Modalities being opposite to their tenets confounds this Professor and overthrowes his Chaire but he asham'd to forsake his seducing profession a long time vehemently clamarous taketh fast hold only on the letter and chapter of the text So then this Puritan is a sullen fallacie of the Reformed Church being confuted he will not learne to turne still he is pure not really but in his owne suppose The Lord graunt him grace to reforme This Puritan is a Non-Conformist For he is oppositely set a Contradictist to the Scriptures deduceable sence in three things The first is the 39 Articles of our Churches Reformed faith The second is our Common Praier-booke The third is the Canons of our Church And yet the doctrine of the Articles the faith of the common prayers and the lawfulnesse of the Canons are contained in the deduce-able sence of holy Scriptures The Articles of our Reformed Churches saith which he opposeth are these the 3. 6. 9. 16. 17. 20. 21. 23. 26. 27. 33. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. This is proved in the severall kindes of this irregular scripturist The praiers in the common prayer-booke which he contradicts being collected and translated out of the Masse-booke yet corrected and purged from grosse errors those selected prayers he refuseth every one because they were thence collected The Absolution he disliketh because he makes a quere whether the congregation did faithfully and penitently confesse their sinnes The Lords prayer hee will not say because hee will make a praier like to the Lords praier Nunc dimittis c hee reiects because he will not any praier or hymne but such as hee thinkes fit according to his owne will The Letanie he saith is composed of coniuring and swearing and of vnnecessarie and vnlawfull Invocations The collect on Trinitie Sunday he saith is composed of an Impossibilitie And that the last collect but one read at holy Communion is composed of vntruths He is ill-disposed oppositely affected against prayers at Christnings Confirmations and Burialls I make answere thus To pronounce He pardoneth and absolveth all them which truely repent and vnfainedly belieue is the actuall duetie of Evangelicall Priests and so good a duetie is no sinne Ministers must say the Lords prayer The Lord hath said it Luk. 11. 2. And they must make their praiers according to the forme of the Lords prayer It is the text they must vse no vaine babling their forme of praier must be effectuall not vaine briefe not stuffed with tautologies and iterations Read Matth. 6. ver 7. 8. 9. God did regard vs with a Saviour in that he did regard the Blessed Virgin with a Sonne and a Saviour therefore we say the Magnificat Wee shal be saved by the same faith as old Simeon was therefore we say Nunc dimittis In the Letanie we pray to bee delivered from sinne and punishment And how must Christians pray for to bee delivered but by Christs agonie and bloody sweat c And is this swearing or coniuring Is praying in the Winter to be delivered from thunder and lightning vnnecessarie Lightning and thunder are Gods secret iudgements he may afflict sinners with them in the Winter though naturally summer bee the time for those terrifying Meteors but because they are Gods secret iudgements therefore we pray alwaies for deliverance Is praying for theeues and whores vnlawfull the one being included in all men travayling by land or by water the other being included in all women labouring with child Our Saviour saith that his Heavenly Father is mercifull to the iust and vniust and that all Gods people must be so mercifull Math. 5. 48. c And S. Paul saith doe good vnto all Gal. 6. 10 and therefore we must pray for all On Trinity Sunday we pray to be delivered from all adversity and it is thus in the Lords praier Deliuer vs from all evill And shall we not pray as the Lord hath taught vs In the last Collect but one at the holy Communion wee Confesse our vnworthines and blindnes And wheresoever sinne is inherent and a fighter there must be necessitate causae sin being an actuall cause an
our Saviour The purification of the Blessed Virgin c. to praise the Lord. And herein we transgresse not the fourth commandement Sixe daies shalt thou labour c. For that law bindes vs to thanke the Lord for the creation and Restitution of the World and God requires but the seuenth day to performe our holy thanksgiuings vnto him in the publique congregation and yet he requires other holy daies vpon other speciall reasons as 't is proued hereafter at Leuiticus 23. Church pictures are an externall beauty of the Church a memory of honour to the dead and S. Gregory cals them lay mens bookes Church Organs are musicall signes of our exultation they are the lowd and as sweet as lowd expressions of the Churches greatest ioy towards God so are church-Bells though sometimes they are the churches solemne call that Gods people should assemble to worship the Lord with holy worship And seeing that I haue proceeded thus farre in the Narration of church-rites and ceremonies giue me leaue to tell you how ancient Godfathers and Godmothers haue beene in the church and how long interrogatories haue beene vsed at baptizing little children They are as ancient as Dionysius the Areopagite as it appeareth in his seaventh chapter de Ecclesiastica Hierarchia who lived in the 70. yeare after Christ The church is not Abrahams private house when he was witnesse to his sonne Isaacs circumcising but the church is catholique and therefore shee must accordingly haue witnesses to preserue her catholique communion of faith T is a ceremonie a rite of the church to bring the dead body the corps into the body of the church For that body Christ did sanctifie with his blood and did make it the temple of the holy Ghost And therefore at performing of our last duety wee must not thrust it out at church-dores but honour it with church-entertainement For blessed are the dead for whom the Lord Iesus laid downe his life I haue giuen you a view of All things of All things in my text 'T is Church doctrine let your faith beleeue it 'T is Church discipline let your liues obserue and Keepe it 'T is Church ceremonie let your frequent vse exercise and renew it In the first place you shall honour God your Almighty Father In the second place you shall honour the vnity of brethren which the Psalmist commends with admiration Oh how good and ioyfull a thing it is brethren to dwell together in vnity God hath not authorized these things that you should neglect them but his good pleasure is that they should Be Done Let all things be done which is my third part of text and followes next to be handled in these words Be Done This is the obeying of a commanding authority 'T is the Church that obeys For she obserues and keepes the doctrine the discipline the rites and ceremonies of the Church The scripture is the command Let all things be done and the Church obeys And then compare which is the greater in authority either that which commands or that which obeyes To obey is vnder authority command and therefore the Scripture is greater in authority then the Church The Churches obedience is not only passiue still to be an hearer only but the Churches obedience is also actiue for she must not be only an hearer of the Scripture of the law but she must be a doer also First shee must heare the Scripture say Let all things be done and then shee must doe what she heares commanded to be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fiant inquit à vobis vestro consilio So Pareus when the Scripture hath said it Then let all things be done by the Church by the iudgement of the church Here the Apostle hath by Scripture given authority to the Church to gouerne decently and in order in doctrine in divine precepts in Church-discipline And therefore the Church may in the first place expound according to rules of exposition and make any lawes which she sees to be decent and orderly in every place Omnes Ecclesiarum Episcoporum Doctorum leges c. de decoro ordine externo c. disponere debent Pareus The lawes of Churches of Bishops of Doctors must beautifie and order the Church Let all things be done decently and in order These words doe authorize the Church to ordaine Church-orders expositions rites and ceremonies that not of late but from the Apostles times so Iustin Martyr Irenaeus Tertullian St Cyprian St Basill S. Ambrose S. Hierome S. Augustine and fiue Councells say the same But what doth the Scripture say that there must be any such traditions Yes the scripture saith the same Read 1. Cor. 11. 2. 1. Cor. 11. 34. And Church-ceremonies are contain'd in the scriptures not in expresse sentence but by pregnant consequence by vertue whereof the Apostle doth grant a generall license authority to all Churches to ordaine any ceremonies that may bee fit for the better serving of God so our Right reverend and learned Bishop Morton The same ceremonies will not sort in all places and therefore our Saviour left them to the different disposition custome of times and countries so Calvin lib. 4. Institut cap. 10. parag 30. Therefore to deny this power to the Church to ordaine ceremonies is to depriue her of christian liberty so Bucer If our Church-ceremonies were dumbe non-significant they might bee well condemn'd for vnlawfull but they being significant are lawfull so Kemnitius being significant they are profitable for admonition and testification of our duties so B. Iewell Kemnitius and Zanchius The ceremonies of our church haue speciall signification they are signes and doe signifie not with sacramentall signification but with decently morall For they are signes of Church-beauty for moral ornament as you haue heard by the bowing at the name of Iesus by other Church-ceremonies in my former particular Our Church-ceremonies our Church-traditions are grounded on good authority for they are contain'd in the Scriptures in genere ent is aut in virtute causae either in their generall or in the power of their fundamentall cause My Text will serue for the generall to signifie all Church-ceremonies and my Text serues for the cause to ordaine all Church-traditions that are lawfull All things decently and in order there are all Church-ceremonies signified Let them be done there is Church authority giuen by Scripture to cause them to be ordain'd But to bow at the name of Iesus this is expresse Scripture Philip. 2. 10. To kneele at prayer this is expresse Scripture Psalm 95. 6. and wee pray at receiuing the Lords Supper The body of our Lord Iesus Christ preserue my soule and body to everlasting life To take vp the Crosse and follow Christ is expresse Scripture Mat. 16. 24. And to take vp the Crosse is the fundamentall cause of the signe of the Crosse to bee done decently in order The man and wife are one flesh is expresse Scripture Mat. 19. 6. And to be one
flesh by covenant by troth plighted by Church-authority which is the essentiall vnion is the fundamentall cause of the signifying vnion which is the ring giuen in marriage to signifie that mā wife are no more twaine but one flesh T is expresse Scripture that t is granted to the Church to weare fine linnen white and cleane Rev. 19. 8. There is a similitude betweene the triumphant and militant Church and so an expression of the ones glory by the others signification and is it then contrary to decency and order to weare the surplisse Holy daies are contain'd in the Scripture The Lords passeover which we call Easter Levit. 23. 5. The feast of vnleavened bread Levit. 23. 6. The feast of first fruits Lev. 23. 10. to the 24. verse The feast of Trumpets Lev. 23. from 24 to the 34 verse The feast of Tabernacles Mordecai had his Holy day Hest 9. Iudeth had her Holy day Iudeth 16. Macchabeus had his Holy day Macchab. 1. 4. And seeing that Holy daies did not transgresse the fourth commandement before Christs comming the Apostles Agapae Festivall daies and our Church-holy-daies doe not transgresse that law We should bee very vnthankfull vnto God for the multiplying of his great mercies if we did not solemnely keepe them the reason is shew'd before In his rebus de quib nihil certi statuit scriptura divina mos populi Dei vel instituta maiorum pro lege tenendasunt D. August Epist 68. to Casulanus In those things which the Scripture hath not verbatim set downe the customes of Gods people or the institutions of our Predecessors ought to bee receiued for lawes so that they be deduced from Scriptures and be not contrary to Scriptures they are S. Augustines limitations Seeing then that the church hath authority giuen her let her exercise her authority Let all things be done For as long as the church is rul'd by Scripture Shee is the pillar and ground of truth 1. Tim. 3. 15. to the vnlearned to the catechised to the vulgar vnderstanding then S. Augustine being an infant in faith beleeues quia dixit Ecclesia because the church did teach him to beleeue As long as the church is rul'd by Scriptures Shee cannot erre hell gates cannot prevaile against her Mat. 16. 18. And therefore let all things be done decently in order whatsoever our well reformed church commands to be done Let the Priest weare the surplisse let little children to be baptized haue their Godfathers and Godmothers let the baptized be signed with the signe of the Crosse Let all communicants kneele reverently at receiuing the Lords Supper Let all bow in solemne assemblies at the name of IESVS Let them that are to be married be married with the Ring Let Holy daies be kept Let the Lord bee praised vpon Church Organs and on the Sabbath and Holy daies thus let him bee magnified with the musicall sound of all Church-bells Let the dead be honorably buried You haue a little booke of Articles which containes seven generalls all our church-traditions The first is concerning the church-yard Vicarage-house The second is concerning the Ministerie divine service and Sacraments The third is concerning Ecclesiasticall Courts The fourth concerning School-masters The fift concerning the parish clearke and Sexton The sixt concerning the Parishioners The seuenth concerning church-wardens Sides-men Let all these things be done For the doing of them well doth honour God and saue your owne soules But if church-offenders are growne hard-hearted stiffe-necked stubborne not to be reformed by neighbourly loue good counsell wholsome exhortation Dic Ecclesiae tell the church For all things must be done Decently and in order which is my fourth part of text Decently and in order Here is the manner how Gods command first secondly how the churches command is to be obeyed and this is Decently and in order On the outside by beauty Decently within and without according to rule In order Nihil peruerso ordine vel per contentionem vel per inanem gloriam faciatis so S. Hierome vpon these words where there is perversenesse ouerthwarting faction there is noe church-decencie factious contention and vaine spirited glory is noe part of this church-order Non temerè non indecorè non insanè ordine conueniente so S. Chrysostome Not rashnesse not vnseemelines not distemper is the decency or order that which is seemely is church-decency that which is conuenient is church-order Omnia cum pace disciplinâ so S. Ambrose the peace of the church this is church-decencie the discipline of the church this is church order The decencie of the church is opposite to vanity to sordidnesse to luxury The order of the church is opposite to confusion and troublesomenesse soe Pareus The decency of the church is that Gods temple should be all glorious at least very conuenient that church-vessells and the materiall parts of the church be cleane and comely that the Priests vestments be seemely that all church actions publique and priuate be void of lightnesse and superstition that church-teachers and hearers behaue themselues with diuine grauity modestie and piety as it becometh them that stand in the presence of God and his holy Angells Church order giues euery one his conuenient place to superiors superior places to equalls equall places to inferiors inferior places to euery church-necessary a necessary place Order obserues church-time as well as church-place and it staies not there but appoints who shall be church-teachers and who shall be church-hearers and to keepe both in order there are appointed times to pray to preach to sing psalmes to catechise to communicate to baptize c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 caueatur aedificatio ecclelesiae singulorum maximè promoueatur so Pareus The transgressing of church-decencie and order must be shun'd the edifying of the church and of all in the church must be carefully obserued And we must goe a little farther the beautifying and honour of the Church must be carefully regarded And wee must on a little farther The able gratious practise of the Church must be preferred aboue all the edifying beautifying and externall honour of the church S. Hierome saith that there is no church-decency no church-order where is peruersenesse and diuision and therefore Thomas Cartwright was noe true teacher of church decency and order let his 21 dangerous points of doctrine and his one and fifty vntruths falsifying of Scriptures fathers of the church Historiographers and other classicall Authors be witnesse as 't is obserued by D Whitguift in his booke against M. Cartwright S. Chrysostome saith where there is rashnes vnseemelinesse distemper that there is noe church-decencie noe church order and therefore the precise ones are noe teachers of church-decencie and order for they are rash to thrust that vpon vs for true religion which began at the 250 yeare after Christ and was put downe by the first Councell of Nice S. Ambrose saith that there is church-decency where is the peace and the discipline of the church