in the service of God without any speciall warrant but when I considered that this is the very Diana for which you strive and the wall of separation between you the Church I thought fit to inlarge my selfe upon this point to manifest unto all those who love the trueth that sitting hath no more ground in Christ's Institution then kneeling And now to proceed Sect. 36. I will shew you other Ceremonies used by you in Gods worship without any speciall warrant The next to sitting at the Communion is sprinkling in Baptisme for which there is no warrant but the custome of the present Church for the auncient Ceremonie in Baptisme was not aspersion but immersion which Ceremonie was sanctified by the Baptisme of our Saviour Matth. III. 16. Mark I. 10. for the Evangelists say When he was baptized he came out of the water and therefore he went in into the water The same was used by the Apostles and thereunto the Apostle alludeth shewing that the mortification of sinne the increase of that mortification and the vivification of the new man are signified by the Ceremonie of Baptisme for the dipping in Baptisme had three parts their going down into the water their continuance in the water and their comming up out of the water The going downe into the water figureth the mortification of sinne by the power of Christs death for all wee sayeth the Apostle which have beene baptized into Iesus Christ have been baptized into his death The continuance in the water noteth the increase of that mortification by the power of Christs death and buryall We are buryed with him by Baptisme into his death The comming up out of the water ratifieth our rising againe unto newnesse of life Like as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father so wee also should walke in newnesse of life Rom. VI. 3.4 This Ceremonie was continued in the Church for many hundred yeares and to that purpose in ancient times they had places in each Church for dipping called Baptisteria and Lotiones neither was sprinkling generally practised in the Church till 1300. yeares after Christ when to use your owne words Antichrist was in his full height Now can you shew me any reason why you may leave a Ceremonie which was certainly used by Christ by his Apostles and the whole auncient Church and was of singular use for fignification and in stead of it take another not so significant brought into the Church by Antichrist And that yet it shall not bee lawfull for the whole Church to lay downe another Ceremonie to wit sitting at the Communion whereof there is no certainty nor likely hood that ever it was used by Christ or his Apostles or any Church in the world and in place of it to use another which is a great deale more decent and comely Thirdly you use to injoyne pennance to receive penitents in a white sheet and I am sure that if a Surplice in Gods Service be a Ceremonie so is a white sheet in publick pennance and absolution and there is no more warrant for the one then for the other Fourthly you use a Ceremonie in Marriage by joyning of hands and pronouncing of words which are not commaunded Fiftly I could tell you that the time was in the dayes of the Presbyterie when that Church whose orders you so much approve did use a Ceremonie in Ordination and a very strange one It was not imposition of hands but shaking them by the hand to bid them welcome into their Societie because forsooth they were loath in any thing to have a conformitie with the auncient Apostolick Church Sixtly you professe to honour the Church of Geneva as a fit patterne unto all other Churches and yet they use the Ceremonie of godfathers in Baptisme and wafer Cakes in the Communion against which one Ceremonie I could say more then can be said against all the Ceremonies of our Church Finally the lifting up of the eyes to Heaven the spreading out of the hands the knocking of the breast sighing and groaning in Gods service are Ceremonies used by none so much as by your selves And yet I confesse that if they proceed from a sincere heart they are lawfull expressions of devotion By this time you doe all see that whereas you deny Ceremonies in Gods worship which are not commaunded you are evidently convinced by your owne practise I thinke that I have said enough Sect. 37. to overthrow that ground which you have laid that no Ceremonies ought to bee used in Gods service without a speciall warrant from the word Now for the conclusion of this poynt I will appeale unto the confessions of the reformed Churches and the suffrages of divines You professe to approve the Articles of the Church of England as contayning nothing but trueth though not so manie particulars as you account to be matters of faith and those Articles doe ascribe such a power to the Church to ordaine Ceremonies as you may see in the XX. Article The Church hath power to decree rites or Ceremonies and againe in the XXXIIII Article Every particular or Nationall Church hath authority to ordaine change and abolish Ceremonies The same you may reade in the Articles of Religion of the Church of Ireland which were printed in the dayes of Queene Elizabeth As for the Iudgement of other Reformed Churches I shall referre you to the Harmony of Confessions and the writings of their learned Divines where you may learne I. That it is not only lawfull but expedient and requisite to use Ceremonies in Gods worship II. That those Ceremonies should be significant III. That it is not necessary that the same Ceremonies bee observed in all Churches at all times IV. That we are not bound to observe all those Ceremonies which were used by the Apostles and the Primitive Church V. That we may retain some Ceremonies used by the Iewes namely Ceremonies of order not of prefiguration VI. That we may use some Ceremonies used by the Pagans VII That wee may retaine some Ceremonies of the Papists VIII That the governors of the Church have power to make choice of Ceremonies to change and abrogate some and to ordayne others as they shall see occasion Finally That wee are bound to observe all Ceremonies which are injoyned by lawfull authoritie provided that they bee qualified with these conditions following Instit lib. IV. c. 10. §. 14. Mr Calvin requireth three conditions That they have In numero paucitatem in observatione facilitatem in significatione dignitatem I. For number they should be few for when the Church is pestered with the multitude of them it makes the estate of Christians to be more intollerable then the condition of the Iewes as it is in the Church of Rome whose missalls are larger then the booke of Leviticus whereof Gerson Polydore Virgill and others did complaine in their time II. They should bee easie for observation III. For signification they should be grave decent and
When a King of a heathen becomes a Christian he loses not that temporall right which hee had but acquires a new right in the spirituall goods of the Church so if afterwards of Christian he become Heathen he loseth the new right which he had acquired in the benefites and priviledges of the Church but not the old temporall right which hee had unto his Crowne So Bernard told the Pope In criminibus non possessionibus potestas vestra The Church hath power to censure offences namely with the sentence of excommunication not to take away possessions But I might have spared this labour Sect. 41. for you are not the men who ascribe too much to the censures of the Church but indeed too little and set them all at naught If a man for his faction disobedience be cast out of the Church you thinke him so much the neerer heaven as one who hath witnessed a good confession and is very zealous for the truth then you account him most worthy of your company as if our Saviour had said If hee refuse to heare the Church Let him be unto thee as a faithfull brother So little doe you regard the sentence of the Church which our Saviour hath commaunded you to obey saying sit tibi Let him bee unto thee as a Heathen man and a Publicane for which he gives a reason in the words following saying Verily I say unto you What soever yee bind on earth shall be bound in heaven that is the sentence pronounced by the Church is ratified by God himselfe Here I cannot dissemble the injury that is done unto the Church by you in those parts for her Instructions are not received her Ordinations are neglected her determinations despised her orders contemned her lawes trodden under foote her censures derided In nothing shee is heard And these who refuse to heare her yee are so farre from accounting them As Heathens and Publicanes that you esteeme them as Saints and Martyrs and account us no better then Heathens Publicanes and persecuters you open heaven only to those that are of your faction damne all that approve not your fantasies and so condemne all Churches that are or have beene except your owne Conventicles That it is a wonder to me how you can professe to beleeve The holy Catholicke Church for never any ancient Church observed these orders which you seeke to obtrude upon the world as the discipline of Christ and the seepter of his kingdome And never any Church since the Apostles dayes wanted our orders which you reject as unlawfull and Antichristian So that that which you account the true Church is not Catholicke and that Church which is Catholick is not holy Thus have you lost one article of your Creed It was so with the Donatists in ancient times and almost in every thing their courses were so like unto yours that as oft as I consider your opinions and practise I doe remember them and thinke it is Vetus fabula pernovos histriones as though by a Pythagorean transmigration their soules had taken up their mansion in your bodies Which I will instance in some particulars The Donatists did not only separate from the Catholicke Church but most arrogantly esteemed their owne faction to bee the only true Christians in whose assemblies salvation was to be found a Beelesia una est eam tu frater Parmeniane apud â—os solos esse dixisti Optat lib. 2. post Nitimini suadere hominibus apud vos sotos esse Ecclesiam So have you appropriated unto your selves the styles of Brethren Good men Professors As if all others who favour not your faction had no brotherhood in Christ no interest in goodnesse made no true profession of the Gospell The Catholickes acknowledged the Donatists to be their brethren loved pittyed and prayed for them b Velint nolint fratres nostri sunt Aug in Psal 32. Concordate nobiscum flatres diligimus vos hoc vobis volumus quod nobis Id. Ep. 68. But the peevish schismatickes requited their love with hatred esteemed them no better then Pagans and disdayned to salute them c Isti qui dicunt non esâ—is fratres nostri Paganos nos dicunt Aug in Ps 32. Vos odio noâ— habetis fratres utique vestros auditorum animis infunditis odia docentes ne Ave dicant cuiquam nostrum Optat. lib. 4. So albeit we have reached foorth unto you the right hand of fellowship yet have you answered us with disdaine terming us formalists time-servers worldlings Papists Arminians limmes of Antichrist and no better then reprobates But for my owne part I passe very little to be judged of you for all your malice you shall have my pitty and my prayers The Donatists thought all things polluted by the touch of Catholickes and so washed their Church walls and their vestiments broke their chalices scraped their Altars d d Rasistis Altaria fregistis calices lavastis pallas parieâ—es inclusa spatia salsa aqua spargi praecepistis Optat. lib. 6. So these men thinke that our service-booke our Ceremonies our Churches and all are polluted with the Papists though they descended unto them from the ancient Church and we have better right unto them then they had And therefore where they had power they did not wash the Churches but in a sacrilegious furie pull them downe to the ground burnt the vestiments broke the chalices or converted them to private uses and razed the Altars esteeming a beggerly cottage fitter for Gods service then a magnificent Temple much like the officers of Iulian who when they saw the holy vessells of the Church cryed out En qualibus vasis ministratur Mariae filio What stately plate is this for the Carpenters sonne The Donatists taught that the efficacie of Sacraments depends on the dignity of the Minister and so would not receive the Sacrament from any but such as they esteemed just men that is to say men of their owne faction e De Baptismo dicere solent tune esse verum baptismum Christi com ab homine Iusto datur Aug. Ep 167. And are not some of you of the same minde who refuse the Sacrament though they might have it after their owne fashion onely because the minister hath conformed himselfe unto the orders of the Church The Donatists taught that the Church ought not to tollerate evill persons in her Communion that Communion with such persons polluteth and profaneth the Church And that therefore all the Churches of the world were perished because they communicated with Caecilianus f Donatistae pertinaci dissensione in heresin schisma verterunt tanquam Ecclesia Christi propter crimina Caeciliani de toto terrarum â—â— be perierit Aug. cont â—pist Parmen l. 3. Id. de haeres ad quod vult cap. 69. And was it not upon the very same ground that your brethren the Brounists did run both out of the Church and out of their witts they built their conclusions upon your premisses
unto the commandements of God which is the thing for which they are condemned as shall appeare unto any that reades the Text But our Church is farre from such presumption as may appeare by her doctrine published which I have alleadged as also by that which followeth in the same preface In these our doings wee condemne no other nations nor prescribe any thing but to our owne people only For we thinke it convenient that every Countrey should use such Ceremonies as they shall thinke best to the setting forth of Gods honour and glory and to the reducing of the people to a most perfect and godly living without error or superstition Now I have proved in my Sermon by Arguments unanswerable that the Church hath such a power to ordaine Ceremonies and to make Lawes of things indifferent for decencie and orders sake And that obedience ought to be given unto her constitutions Especially considering that therein our Church was not only assisted but authorized by the Kings most excellent Majesty as the supreme Governor upon Earth In all causes within his highnesse dominions And therefore I shall intreat my good brethren if they will neyther deceive others nor be deceived themselves that in this point of Christian liberty they would have alwayes one eye fixed upon the nature of things indifferent and the other upon the duty of a subject to his Soveraigne And now having vindicated our Church from those aspersions cast upon her of infringing Christian liberty and giving offence by her constitutions I will in the last place turne the Disputers weapon against himselfe and cut off the head of that Philistine with his owne sword shewing that he and his fellowes of all others are most injurious unto Christian liberty Rem XIV 16. which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it were the common good of Christians And also that they are scandalous to all sorts of persons And first Christian liberty as it respecteth things indifferent is not only a freedome from the yoke of bondage but also a right or power to doe many things which they could not doe who were under the Paâ—dagogie of the Law which by the Apostle is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I. Cor. VIII 9. This power or liberty is extended both to Magistrates and to subjects The Magistrate hath this liberty that he is not tyed to any particular Lawes which determine all things incident unto the outward form of Gods worship not mentioned in Scripture But as the Iudiciall Law being-abrogate it is lawfull for him to ordaine civill Lawes so the Ceremoniall Law being abolished to establish ecclesiasticall constitutions such as are not repugnant unto the word of God These men deprive him of this libertie they will not allow him to appoint any thing to be used in the outward forme and administration of Gods worship And if by the consent of the whole Church he doe establish a forme though never so decent they are resolved not to observe it Agayne the liberty of the subject is that being freed from the Moâ—aicall Law he may with a free conscience observe all other Lawes which are established by lawfull authority and are not repugnant unto the word of God I. Cor. VI. 12. Tit. I. 15. I. Pet. II. 13. 16. as knowing that All things are lawfull and To the pure all things are pure This freedome S. Peter magnifies when he exhorts us To submit our selves to all manner ordinance of man As free that is knowing that we are not bound to those particulars as things in themselves necessary but using them with free consciences as being indifferent and therefore such as whereunto our Christian liberty extendeth And is not this a goodly freedome that a Christian having liberty of many things he can make use thereof in one thing rather then in another to please and â—atiâ—fie him unto whose power God hath subjected him without offence to his conscience These men deprive us of this liberty likewise for they will not allow men to obey Magistrates civill or Ecclesiasticall in any constitution established touching the decent administration of Gods worship And as though they were Iudges at Law they have sent foorth a prohibition against all the Canons of our Church Now a negative precept is a restraint of Christian liberty as well as a Positive the false Apostles who laboured to subvert Christian liberty col II 21. did it by forbidding things in themselves lawfull saying Touch not â—aste not handle not And our brethren speake almost the same language Kneele not Crosse not weare not And indeed the Church hath not more positive precepts then they have negative But this is the difference The Church hath authority to command they have none to forbid The Church commands only the use of these things and layes no obligation upon the conscience by pressing them as simply necessary in themselves but they make their negative restraints absolutely necessary place religion in them binding their followers in conscience not only to refuse but also to despise our Ceremonies Whereby they doe not only overthrow Christian liberty but also are guiltie of the breach of the second Commandement by will-worship Lastly As they take both from the Lawgiver and the subject that free power which God hath granted unto them So they deprive themselves of all true liberty while they cherish in their owne minds doubts and scrupulous opinions of the lawfulnesse of these things which are commanded and alleadge their unresolved conscience as an excuse for their disobedience So our Disputer as he is acted in the Libell God alloweth every man to be fully perswaded in his owne minde of what he doeth Rom. XIV 5. Which priviledge I crave to my selfe and all others doubting of kneeling I have shewed before that the Apostle in that chapter as also I. Cor. 8. Speaketh of things left to our owne choyce and not determined by any Law civill or Ecclesiasticall In which case this is a safe rule for the conscience Let every man stand fully perswaded in his owne minde that he may doe or not doe that which hee intends without the offence of God or his neighbour But when the Magistrate doth interpose his authority to command or forbid the use of a thing in it selfe indifferent If any man shall plead that he can not obey because he is not perswaded in his owne minde of the lawfulnesse of the thing commanded he doth but excuse one sinne by another which S. Peter calls having the liberty for a cloake of maliciousnesse for as he ought nor to disobey so he ought not to doubt I. Pet. II. 13. 16. But as I sayd before submit himselfe unto all manner ordinance of man As free that is as being perswaded of the indifferency of the thing before God and so that he may lawfully therein obey his superiours And indeed if a mans doubts and feares were a sufficient excuse for disobedience the Magistrate should be obeyed in nothing for there
shall even of that rule which he hath mentioned Abstaine from all appearance of evill As I shall shew in the proper place In the meane time I tell him that their sitting at the Communion will not abide the tryall of any of the rules of Gods word I have proved in my Sermon that it is an undecent and unreverent behaviour in Gods worship that it was never commanded seldome or never practised in any act of Gods service but onely upon occasion It carryes an appearance of evill a shew of profanenesse irreverence pride presumption It is flat contrary unto that rule of the Apostle Rom. XIV 19. follow these things which concerne Peace for by it the Peace of this Church is disturbed her Unitie rent It gives offence unto all sorts of men to their brethren to the Magistrate to the whole Church of God And therefore it doth not tend to the glory of God and aedification of his people The second Classe of the Disputers Arguments were taken from Christian libertie and the care wee should have to avoyd scandall to which purpose he alleadged Rom. XIV 3. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not c. ver 15. Destroy not him with thy meaâ— for Whom Christ dyed I. Cor. VIII 13. If meate offend my brother I will eate no flesh while the world standeth Vnto all which I gave a full and satisfactorie answer Albeit hee hath not the honestie to set it downe for it seemes he saw that hee had neyther strength to overthrow it nor so much ingenuitie as to yeeld unto the trueth when it is declared unto him I shewed that there was a great difference between their case and ours in two particulars first The things whereabout they did differ namely eating or not eating of things sacrificed unto Idolls were meerely indifferent not only in their owne nature but even for use it being free and arbitrary unto them to eate or not to eate forasmuch as there was no law either to command or to forbid the use of these meates And therefore the beleeving Romanes and the Corinthians not onely might but also ought sometimes to abstaine from such meates for the avoyding of scandall But it is not so with our Ceremonies albeit they be indifferent in their owne nature as neither being particularly commanded nor forbidden in Scripture yet they are not now indifferent unto us for the use nor left unto our choyce the observation of them being injoyned by lawfull authoritie and that the Magistrate hath power to make Lawes in things indifferent none will deny but an Anabaptist And therefore now though never so many should bee offended at our Ceremonies yet we can not forbeare to use them without a greater scandall in open disobedience to lawfull authority Before that Apostolicall constitution Act. XV. It was lawfull for a man either to eate or not to eate things sacrificed unto Idolls as hee found in his conscience most expedient for aedification there being no law divine or humane to rule his conscience but only the Iudgement of his owne minde and the generall law of charitie But after that constitution was made It was not lawfull for him to eate though in the presence of converted Gentiles who would perhaps bee offended at his forbearance because now though the matter bee indifferent in its owne nature yet it was not free and arbitrary for use at lest to those Churches for whom the constitution was made of Antioch Syria and Cilicia for it seemes that the eating of things sacrificed to Idolls was in some sort permitted the Church of Corinth if no man did challenge it I. Cor. X. 27. Whatsoever is set before you eate asking no question for conscience sake A second difference I observed betweene their case and ours that those whom the Apostle will not have us to offend by the use of our Christian liberty in things indifferent were weake brethren as shall appeare in all the places alleadged by the Disputer Rom. XIV 1. Him that is weake in the faith receive unto you v. 2. One believeth that he may eate of all things And another which is weake eateth herbes Whereupon followes immediatly Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not Chap. XV. 1. Wee which are strong ought to beare the infirmities of the weake I. Cor. VIII throughout the whole Chapter ver 7. Their conscience being weake is defiled and so ver 9.10.11.12 They were weake as being newly converted unto the faith as yet neither having meanes nor leisure to be fully instructed in their Christian libertie and therefore much was to be yeilded unto them lest comming newly from Iudaisme where they had learned to be zealous of the Law of Moses if they should see Christians not observe that Law they might be offended at the Christian Religion And withall it is to be praesumed that those to whom the Apostle graunts such Indulgence were willing to be instructed in the right way But those who take offence at our Ceremonies are not now to be esteemed weake They thinke themselves the onely illuminates even the very Gnostiques of this age in comparison of whom all others who are not of their faction are very Ignaroes whose minds the god of the world hath so blinded that they are destitute of heavenly knowledge Besides they have had a large time allowed them to informe their consciences and all meanes have been used to give them satisfaction But a foole despiseth his fathers Instruction Prov. XV. 5. And why The way of a foole is right in his owne eyes Prov. XII 15. So that those brethren whom the Apostle would not have others to offend in the use of their Christian liberty in things indifferent were only weake Ours are wilfull They timorous Ours obstinate Their offence proceeded from simple ignorance arising from the want of time and meanes of Instruction But the offence which our men take at the Ceremonies proceedes from affected error from pride prejudice singularity and the spirit of malice and contention And therefore I dare say that albeit his Majesty and all that are in authority over us would dispense with the present Lawes and leave it to our owne choyce whether to use or not to use the Ceremonies for feare of giving them offence Yet were we bound in conscience not to yeeld unto them in one jot by our forbearance in regard that thereby we should but bolster them in their error and confirme them in their obstinacy and opposition against the Church I am sure this was the practice of the Apostles At first they yeelded much to the weaknesse of Iewish Converts doing and forbearing many things to avoyd their offence But when they did pertinaciously persist in their error calling our Christian liberty in question the Apostles resolutely maintayned it not regarding their offence at all So S. Paul who circumcised Timothie to avoyd the offence of the weake Iewes would not circumcise Titus to please others who were perverse
despisers of our libertie And he who did purifie himselfe to gaine a good opinion of the weake Iewes who were zealous of the Law Act. XXI v. 20. 26. Gal. 11 1â—5 yet when certain false brethren crept in privily to spy our liberty he gave not place unto them by subjection for an houre And whenas S. Peter for feare of offending the Iewes at Antioch forbare to eate with the Gentiles he reproved him for it to his face interpreting that fact of his to be an effectuall seducement albeit he did not preach Iudaisme Why compellest thou the Gentiles to Iudaize ver 14. As hee would not yeeld to any thing to displease those who were wilfull despisers of our liberty no more should we to please those men who are resolved never to be satisfied I am sure the tenderest hearted man amongst them will not forbeare the eating of a fat Capon upon Good-Friday for feare of offending a Papist And why should we forbeare either Surplis Crosse or Kneeling because they are offended at it In these two particulars I shewed in the Court the difference between the things whereof the Apostle speaketh and our Ceremonies so plainly that it was thought sufficient to satisfie any but those in whom affection partiality have put out the eye of reason And upon these two cases I dare now venture the cause first that we are no-where commanded to forbeare the use of a thing indifferent even where we are left to our owne choyce for feare of offending the willfull despisers of our libertie but only to avoyd the offence of weak brethren who are willing to learne the right way have not had leysure and meanes to be informed Secondly that if the Magistrate interpose his authoritie commanding the use of a thing in it selfe indifferent wee are not to forbeare the doing of it for feare of offending any whatsoever they be whether wilfull or only weak And that it is so shal appeare unto him who reades these two Chapters whereunto the Disputer did appeale studies not the syllables but the sense of them And to make this same yet more manifest I will recommend unto the Reader that is desirous of satisfaction these considerations following I. When the Apostle chargeth us to avoyd the offence of our weake brother he gives this reason that we should not please ourselves but our neighbour to aedification Rom. XV. 1.2 Whereby it is evident that he speakes only of these things which are not commanded but left to our own liberty to doe or not to doe in which case he wil have us to please our neighbour if he be a weake brother rather then our selves But if the Magistrate have interposed his commaundement in a thing indifferent then as we can not forbeare it to please our neighbour if he be a weake brother so wee doe it not to please our selves but to please him whom God hath coÌ„manded us to obey not only for wrath but for conscience sake II. A thing in it selfe indifferent being injoyned by lawfull authority becommeth necessary unto us for the use So the Apostles speaking of things in themselves indifferent as abstinence from meates offered to Idols c. When once they had made a constitution touching them call them Necessarie things Act. XV. 28. And the Apostle sayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. XIII 5. It is necessary that you bee subject And surely there is nothing wherein wee can shew our obedience unto the Magistrates authoritie but only in things indifferent which God hath left in our power for those things which God hath commanded wee must doe whether the Magistrate command them or no yea albeit hee should forbid them And those things which God hath forbidden wee must not doe whether the Magistrate forbid them or no yea albeit hee should command them so that there is no scope left either unto the Magistrate to command or unto us to obey but only in things indifferent III. If wee should not obey the Magistrate in a thing indifferent when some men take offence at it then we shall never obey him at all there shall be no order no constitution for there can be no publicke action order or constitution which some men will not dislike IV. Obedience to the Magistrate is a greater duty then the pleasing of a private person and consequently the evill of disobedience greater then the evill of scandall V. If our obedience to the Magistrate in a thing indifferent offend any the evill is not in us but in him who is scandalized for as Tertullian saith Res bona neminem offendit nisi malam mentem It is scandalum acceptum not datum he ought not to be offended being bound to obey the Magistrate as well as we now were it not a strange if I should forbeare to doe my duty because another man is resolved not to doe his VI. As it is a sinne to disobey lawfull authority and no sinne in us if another bee offended at our obedience so there is farre greater danger both to our selves and to all the whole Church in disobedience then can be in the offence of a few brethren Lastly If wee refuse those things that are injoyned we cannot avoyd disobedience But if we observe them we may prevent or remove the offence that is taken at them by informing the people aright that they are things in themselves indifferent whereunto Christian liberty doth extend and that the Magistrate oughâ— to be obeyed in these things But our brethren are so farre from teaching such doctrine that they teach nothing else but disobedience II. Sam. XX. â— like Sheba the sonne of Bichri blowing a trumpet to sedition insomuch that some who are now questioned for frequenting their conventicles being examined upon Oath could not remember any one point of Christian Instruction in all their Sermons but that they preached against keeping of Holy-dayes and kneeling at the Communion If so much paynes had beene taken to teach them obedience to lawfull authority the scandall might have beene removed long erenow Whosoever will be pleased to consider these particulars shall finde that what the Apostle hath spoken of Christian liberty of giving offence makes nothing against our Ceremonies but every way for them Besides those two differences which I have observed betweene their case of whom the Apostle speakes and ours It were easie to shew many other things wherein they are most unlike namely the eating and not eating of meates are private actions in a mans owne power to doe or not to doe But our case is concerning the publicke Ceremonies of the Church which no private man can dispense with The Apostle by forbearing flesh did prejudice none but himselfe But wee in refusing the Ceremonies should prejudice the authority of the Prince The Apostles for bearance did further the course of his ministery and therefore he became all unto-all But our refusall of the Ceremonies should loose us the liberty of ours and that most justly for
our disobedience Finally amongst the Romanes some were offended at the eating of those meates but I doe not reade that any was offended at the not eating of them It is otherwayes with us where one is offended at our Ceremonies ten wiser then they would be offended if we did not use them And farre more if we did follow their fashion in the manner of Gods worship The case being cleere that the Orders which our Church injoynes are neyther contrary to Christian libertie nor to that care wee should have for to avoyd offence In the next place I will labour to finde out the cause of this grosse mistake in the brethren which certainely is this that they doe not rightly consider the nature of Christian liberty whilst they set it upon tenter-hookes and stretch it further then the nature thereof will beare seeking not only a liberty of minde and conscience in things indifferent but a freedome also in their outward actions which is not Christian libertie Calv. Inst lib. III. cap. 19. Sect. 10. but licentious immunity contrary to the doctrine of the Gospell for S. Peter exhorting all men to be obedient unto Magistrates I. Pet. II. 16. he warnes them not to use their libertie as a cloake of maliciousnesse Namely In casting off the bridle of governement It is proper to the libertie of the Creator alone to be unlimited but all lawfull libertie of the creature is and must be bounded not onely by the Law of charitie which these men will acknowledge but also by the law of loyaltie for if all restraint of the outward man were contrary to Christian liberty then were it not lawfull to obey the Magistrate in any thing Then if the King should be pleased to confirme the Orders or as they terme them the circumstances of worship which have beene used in their congregations They were bound to forsake them for the zeale of their Christian libertie And what is this else but to bring flat Anabaptisme and Anarchie into the Church to overthrow all Governement and dissolve the bonds of subjection and obedience to lawfull authority You shall therefore understand that the Magistrate by his Lawes may moderate or restraine the outward actions wherein the externall use of our liberty consisteth The inward liberty of conscience before God notwithstanding remayning intyre He may injoyne any action which in Gods worship may be used lawfully So that no opinion be put upon the conscience which taketh away the full respect of its indifferency And this is that which St Peter sayes We must obey the Magistrates as free that is as being perswaded that the thing commanded in it selfe and to God-ward as Calvin speakes is indifferent and whether we doe it or not doe it in it selfe it commends us not unto God otherwise then that by obeying of the Magistrate we doe also obey God who hath commanded us to be subject unto him Which will better appeare if we consider that Christian liberty is inward and spirituall which may stand with the outward servitude of slaves as the Apostle shewes I. Cor. VII 22. much more with the obedience of free subjects It is seated in the minde and conscience and respecteth nothing but what is betweene God and us It contenteth it selfe if there be no opinion put upon the conscience of the necessity of these things which God hath left indifferent if they be not obtruded as divine Lawes if no Religion be plac't in them nor they pressed as immediate parts of Gods worship It is only the subjecting of the conscience unto a thing indifferent I. Cor. VI. 12. which the Apostle calls The bringing us under the power of a thing which overthrowes our Christian liberty not the necessity of obedience unto lawfull authority but the doctrine or opinion of the absolute necessity of the thing it selfe In a word Christian libertie is not taken away by the necessity of doing a thing indifferent or not doing but only by that necessity which taketh away the opinion or perswasion of the indifferency of it As may appeare by this whensoever the Apostle condemnes the practise of Iewish Geremonies at that time when there was some dispensation and indulgence granted unto Christians till the Synagogue should be buried with honour It is manifest that he condemnes not so much the use as the doctrine and opinion which they had of them because they were urged and used not as things indifferent but as necessary unto salvation For we know that he himselfe many times did use them which he would not have done if they had beene then simplie evill he circumcised Timothie and many Christians who gave their lives for the Testimony of Iesus Christ were circumcised at that time even after their conversion unto the faith And yet when the false Apostles did urge the necessity of Circumcision he said If ye be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing Gal. V. 2 That is If you bee circumcised with an opinion of the necessity of that Ceremony as if it did avayle unto justification so he expounds himselfe ver 4. Whosoever are justified by the Law that is seeke for Iustification by the Law are fallen from Grace That it was only the doctrine opinion they had of Circumcision at that time which he condemnes may appeare further by this that those Ceremonies were not praescribed by a Civill Magistrate who hath power to commaund the outward man in the use of a thing indifferent but only by seducing teachers who had no power of bringing a necessity in the outward practise but by perswading and possessing mens mindes with an opinion of the necessity of these things After the like manner doth the Church of Rome at this day tyrannize over the consciences of men equalling her constitutions unto the Word of God Concil Trid. fess IV. placing Religion in them and ascribing unto them a divine necessity effectuall holynesse But our Church is farre from such an usurpation she doth place no Religion in them ascribe no holynesse unto them nor obtrude them upon the conscience as things necessary in themselves like Gods Commaundements but only requires obedience unto her constitutions thereby to reduce all her Children to an orderly Uniformity in the outward worship of God And to this purpose she hath sufficiently declared the innocencie of her meaning in the Articles of Religion Artic. XX. The Church ought not to enforce any thing besides the holy Writ to be beleeved of necessity for salvation And in the Pre face before the Booke of Common Prayer The Ceremonies that remaine are retayned for a discipline and order which upon just causes may bee altered and changed and therefore are not to bee esteemed equall with Gods Law So that I can not but wonder at the impudencie of the Libeller who changes our Church as Christ doth the Pharisees that she makes the commandements of God of none effect by her traditions Whereas the Pharisees did equall and preferre their owne traditions