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A52604 The agreement of the Unitarians with the Catholick Church being also a full answer to the infamations of Mr. Edwards and the needless exceptions of my Lords the Bishops of Chichester, Worcester and Sarum, and of Monsieur De Luzancy. Nye, Stephen, 1648?-1719. 1697 (1697) Wing N1503; ESTC R30074 64,686 64

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Practice concur with the Catholick Church It is too loosly said that there is no spiritual Blessing conferred in the use of the Sacraments For there is no Ordinance of God but the serious and devout Performance of it draws a Blessing on the Doer For all that many exceed in ascribing to the Sacraments certain Powers and Energies without competent Warrant from the Word of God I do not know that Baptism is any thing more than a federal Rite by which we are initiated into the Christian Religion or the Holy Supper any thing more than a Commemoration of the Sacrifice of Christ offering himself to God as an Atonement for repenting Sinners I know not to what purpose so many superstitious Books are written to teach People how to prepare themselves for the Memorial Supper when an honest Intention and a reverent Performance are sufficient both Preparations and Qualifications for and in all Gospel-Ordinances The Apostle says He that eateth that Bread unworthily or unworthily drinketh that Cup is guilty of the Blood of Christ nay eateth and drinketh Judgment to himself But he also warns 'em what he means by unworthy Partaking namely their not tarrying for one another and withal eating and drinking with so little regard either to God or Men that some of 'em made themselves drunk with the Sacramental Wine while others could not so much as taste of it Briefly their assembling to this solemn Commemorative Sacrifice was more like a Carousal than a Celebration of the Holy and Blessed Memory of a dying Saviour These were the Disorders and Irregularities concerning which they were to examine themselves and thereby avoid an unworthy Communicating and the Consequences of it We do not say Baptism is an useless Rite or that the Baptism of Children is altogether vain What the Wisdom of God has appointed to all Nations is not to be esteemed useless tho we our selves knew not the Uses of it and it is Use enough that this Sacrament is an initiating Rite Nor is it a good Exception against this Sacrament's being continued still that now People are Christians by Education seeing there is the same Reason for its Continuance as for its Institution namely a solemn publick and formal Initiation into the Religion of Jesus And this may in some sense be done in Infancy by the Intervention of Undertakers commonly called Godfathers and how it can be done without 'em I see not But it is without all reason that Parents should not be admitted to be Undertakers when others cannot or cannot easily be had It were well methinks if the Minister and Church-wardens together with the Parents were obliged to be Undertakers ex Officio or ratione Officii by their Place and Office and it were yet better if the whole Church undertook for the Infants Moreover where Infant-Baptism is the Custom of the Church Confirmation or the Person 's taking upon himself the Covenant and Promises that were made in his Name by his Undertakers ought to be as little neglected as Baptism nay the Person cannot be said to be a compleat Christian or to be Christianly baptiz'd till he is Confirmed that is has publickly taken upon himself his Baptismal Engagements Lastly As to that I believe there is no distinct Function or Office of Ministers and the very Lord's-Supper may be administred by a private Christian I answer for my self and the many Unitarians there is a threefold Distinction of Church-Officers by themselves modestly called Ministers namely Bishops Presbyters call'd Priests and Deacons The former were of Divine Right the other of Apostolical Institution only and that too as appears from Acts 6.3 4. not by any particular Inspiration but meerly on Motives of Prudence and Charity These three Orders are of that Antiquity and Universality that as soon as and where-ever Christianity was professed the Churches were governed after this Form A Form received among all the Sects of Christians as well as by the sounder part of 'em called the Church till Mr. Calvin in a Case of Necessity introduced a new sort of Church-Administration These are they to whom only except in Case of Necessity such as the Reformation was it belongs to administer the Sacraments and to instruct and exhort publickly But what makes a Case of Necessity is a Question by it self on which I am not obliged to enter I wish the Church had not given and may never give cause to the Unitarians either by Exclusion or Persecution or unlawful Terms of Communion to have recourse to Mr. Calvin's Expedient XI As to Moral Points I believe that Officious Lies are lawful the Motions of Concupiscence not vitious idle or obscene Words Gluttony Drunkenness Riot Luxury and impure Desires and Lusts were not forbidden till Christ's time By Officious Lies are meant those Falsities that do good to some without doing any hurt to others As when the Hebrew Midwives made Pharaoh believe that the Hebrew Women were so quick that they were commonly deliver'd of their Children before the Midwife could come to them and therefore there was not Opportunity to strangle their Children as they came forth from the Womb. So also when David escaped from Saul by the Contrivance of his Wife Michal and Saul was therefore angry with his Daughter Michal She said David threatned to kill her if she did not agree to and assist his Escape And Jonathan excused the Absence of David by feigning that David had asked his leave to assist at the yearly Sacrifice made by his Family 1 Sam. 19.17 1 Sam. 20.6 28 29. Exod. 1.19 To Officious Lies belong also Compliments very low Bowings and respectful Carriage towards Persons for whom we really have not the Kindness or Regard of which we make show by those external and false Significations I think it may excuse Volkelius whom Mr. Edwards cites upon this part of his Charge that the Officious Lies of the Midwives of Michal and Jonathan are related in Scripture without blaming them they are not censured by the Inspired Writers they are told by the Prophets Moses and Samuel without the least Signification that they were Sins Volkelius might infer from hence that the Texts which forbid Lying and Falseness are intended of such Lying as is hurtful and prejudicial to another and that what does no hurt can be the Subject of no Law To forbid what helps some even to the saving of Life or Goods without any wrong or hurt to another why should any Lawgiver forbid it Notwithstanding I think Mr. Edwards says well If once such Doctrine is commonly taught all Lies will be reckoned some way or other Officious and Truth and Sincerity will be banisht from the Earth The Motions of Concupiscence are not vitious or sinful By Concupiscence is meant some unlawful Desire or Inclination arising in the Mind but not consented to or put into practice Methinks so far forth as such Motions in the Mind are involuntary they should rather be called Frailties than Sins and the disapproving and resisting them