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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29237	The XXIV cases concerning things indifferent in religious worship considered, or, The resolver better resolved by his own principles, and non-conformists more confirmed also, the grand case touching ministers conformity, with the double supplement thereunto annexed, briefly discussed.	Bagshaw, Edward, 1629-1671.; Bagshaw, Edward, 1629-1671. Great question concerning things indifferent in religious worship briefly stated.	1663 (1663)	Wing B427; ESTC R12512	53,178	68

into Errour and Superstition without any delay and with great Authority they may be destroyed by Posterity But Superstition being not in the things used or required but in the persons that superstitiously require or use them grounded in the false Doctrine and Superstitious Opinion which persons have of them how shall we come to know when things are superstitiously abused And then how can we charge our Ceremonies with Superstition Our Rev. Casuist hath given us some rules to try them by pag. 130 c. which we shall apply to the case in hand as we go Only premising these two things 1. That we limit not our Discourse only to the 3 Ceremonies Surplice Cross and Kneeling but enlarge it to any other Rites and Ceremonies Imposed and used in the Publick Worship even to the Liturgy it self which being the Form of divine Service as it is called may be stiled a Grand Ceremony 2. That it must not be expected that all the Rules of Discovery should be applied to every particular Ceremony to prove it superstitious but any one may suffice if rightly applied And now I proceed 1. The first way of Discovery of Superstition is by the 4 Characters thereof given by Learned Divines An Opinion of Merit of Worship of Perfection of Necessity Any one of these found in our Ceremonies will testifie the persons that so use them to be Superstitious 1. Of Merit When to take his own words we think God is bound to reward our Inventions and that by our Purses or Labours we purchase his favour this is Superstition And does not a great Rabbi of our Church whose Learning and Books are not only applauded and admired as Oracles but approved as Orthodox by our Rulers profess openly and confidently It is his Doctrine that Will-worship his Free-will-Offerings are more commendable more acceptable and more rewardable with God then commanded Duties Amongst which Free will Oblations the Liturgy is one great one the only Form of Divine Service as it is called by some and do not the vulgar and many higher persons esteem it to be most commendable most acceptable and consequently most rewardable Service of God and if not with their Purses yet by the labour of their Lips in bearing a part in that Service to purchase his Favour And is not this Superstition If it be rewardable it must be either by some Promise but there is none such in Scripture Or of due Debt Rom. 4. but that is plain Merit there 's no third way to ground the Reward on 2. Of Worship When things are required as parts or of the Essence of Divine Worship or so used this is Superstition But the Liturgy it self is by the Rulers made and called the Form of Divine Worship not a part only but the whole Essence and Substance thereof 2. Ceremonies are esteemed by all Religions Rites of Worship Ceremonial worship and so parts of worship as was proved above 3. They are made by the Imposers Religious not civil Ceremonies and so parts of Religion that is of Worship and so used by many Certainly Kneeling at Sacrament is a part of external worship and so esteemed and used by most 3. Of Perfection When we conceive the true Beauty of the Church and the Perfection of Christianity consisteth in things of humane Invention This is Superstition And do not some on this side Rome place the Perfection of Christianity and the beauty of Religion in Pompous Ceremonies Glorious Temples Sweet and melodious Musick Gawdy Priestly Garments a compleated Liturgy c. And do not many think the Service undecent without a Surplice the Baptism imperfect without the Cross the Sacrament irreverently received without Kneeling Is not this gross superstition 4. Of Necessity When such things are required and so used as simply necessary in their Nature being but things Indifferent This is also Superstition And I pray hath not a Learned Doctor a Late Bishop pleaded the Liturgy to be so necessary that without it there can be no Religion no honesty no Allegiance And do not the Late Commissioners plead a Precept of Scripture for their Ceremonies Not an Allowance only but a Command to institute Ceremonies And is not that necessary In a word does not the Late Act make them so necessary as far as they can that the commanded worship must rather be omitted then any of their humane divine Service omitted that men must not worship God without observation of their Ceremonies Wear a Surplice or pray not preach not Cross the Child or baptize not Kneel or receive not the other Sacrament And for the ordinary users of them it is observable that humane Inventions added to the Worship of God as they are more strictly observed then the prescribed Worship of God Micah 6. ult so after long continuance they are esteemed necessary as falsly supposed to be of Divine Original These are the ordinary Characters of Superstition which I could wish were not too visible spots in the face of our Church But I believe there are more and other waies to discover Superstition then these As 1. To put Holiness in things times places 2. To put vertue efficacy in things which they have not neither in their Natures nor by Divine Institution 3. To put significations upon Ceremonies in Divine Worship Of which more by and by 2. The next Rule is when upon evident and undeniable grounds of General Practise it appears to the sober and unbyassed sort of men that a thing is used superstitiously in any of the former Respects then no doubt there is an appearance of Superstition Now first the Cenerality of our Nation are proved afore to be superstitious in the use of our Liturgy and Ceremonies And for the Learned that conform to them some are known to be Popishly superstitious in Bowing Crossing c. Some are by assed by Profits or Preferments that are gotten or lost thereby Only some few Sober Learned and unbyassed persons are free from the guilt of Superstition sticking to the simplicity of Gospel-worship 3. A third Rule given and most undoubted is Look to the Doctrine of the Church whence the Grounds of Imposition and Practise are drawn If they be false and superstitious then there is an appearance of evil to be avoyded We joyn issue in this also and apply it to the Case in hand 1. The Doctrine of the Church though found in most of the 39 Articles hath yet been scrupled at by Nonconformists in the Institution of Ceremonies and the Doctrine and Power given questioned The Church hath power to Impose Ceremonies see the Article and this is asserted by that great Advocate of this Church cited above and more confidently by a Late Bishop Upon this Principle and bottom are all our Ceremonies and all those at Rome founded and is most certainly false as is proved elsewhere 2. They are held forth in practise as Moral means to excite Devotion and teach and provoke to Duty the Surplice to Purity the Cross to Constancy

this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to trouble Gentile Believers with Jewish Ceremonies Acts 15.19 And how much trouble and sad distractions these Ceremonies have brought upon many truly tender Consciences is too visible While they were put upon this Rack either to violate the peace of their Consciences or to run upon their utter undoing by the rigour of the Law I commend to their Consideration a Speech of Mr. Rogers to be seen p. 40. a sufficient Defender of Ceremonies He that in things indifferent hath not a tender care of weak Christians sheweth that there is not that Charity in him nor regard of his Brethren which God commanded But I pray Sir Ought there not to be the same tender care of weak Christians after they are commanded Let him resolve it 3. The next Rule violated to render them inexpedient is that of Edification the grand Level of all Church-power saith our Author Edification and not its Destruction in the whole or in any part The great Principle of such Impositions must be Charity not envy at or desire of revenge upon any person or party otherwise minded Not to shew victory over them or dominion over their Faith or Actions Add the next words with a very little variation Things I doubt not sincerely abhorred by our present Governours as nor by our former Things then that make not for Edification but rather against it ought not to be imposed in worship because they are inexpedient either privatively as not furthering Edification or positively as hindering or hurting it But our Ceremonies and other Impositions do rather hinder then further Edification and by Edification I mean true spiritual Edification not carnal or superstitious there are some things that in Tertullians Language do aedificare ad Gehennam edifie downwards or to destruction that is to take men off from the power of Godliness and make them formal placing all their Relig on in Ceremonies and Ceremonious Worship as it was with the old Papists the Pharisees and at this day with the new Pharisees the Papists yea they have turned to the destruction of precious Ministers and pious people I need say no more to that 4. The next is That they violate that most noble Rule of all that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.40 Let all things be done decently and in order A standing Rule as he goes on never to be crossed by any Authority under Heaven yea God himself will never reverse it Then saies he nothing that is indecent or disorderly in Gods Worship can warrantably be Imposed upon the Church Now how disorderly some things imposed in our Liturgy are the Reverend Commissioners and others have manifested And if men were not resolved upon their own Inventions Is not Kneeling at the Lords Supper a disorderly Gesture Not only varying from the first Pattern but from the Order of all Nations who stand or sit but never kneel at a Supper and as contrary to the Custom of the prime or purest Churches for the first 600 years together who by the Decrees of Councils forbad Kneeling at Prayer on all Lords daies And Custom is one of the Rules of Imposition given by the Casuist Of very great use to indicate what is decent and orderly Custom is Umpire of Indifferent things c. pag. 44 I might have made this a distinct Head by it self But it may suffice to touch at it here 5. The last Rule violated by humane Ceremonies imposed in Worship is Gospel or Christian-Liberty This must not be invaded by any Imposition which is infringed if these and other rules be not observed 1. If any thing indifferent be imposed which any way checketh with the former Rules of Expediency Peace Offence of the weak Edification Decency Order and the Custom of the Churches 2. If things indifferent be required with equal severity as things necessary I list not to make the Application How far these Rules are infringed in the Imposition of our Ceremonies he that runs may read it By what hath been said already they are now sufficiently proved to be in inexpedient and hurtful to the Worship and Worshippers and therefore ought not to be Imposed in our Worship But further 3 Nothing purely Indifferent ought to be Imposed in Worship This Proposition is fully yielded asserted and proved above at the fourth Concession The Assumption That our Ceremonies are such i. e. purely Indifferent will be manifested from the Description of a thing Purely Indifferent given us by the Reverend Casuist above in the Explication A thing so Indifferent as to be of no use or Service in Worship not more Expedient then Inexpedient that is as I suppose neither good nor bad But I question whether any thing Imposed in worship is not either good or bad yea therefore bad because it is not good The sense is Things purely Indifferent are things useless needless idle superfluous the Worship being compleat and perfect without them Now it is confest by all that our Ceremonies are not necessary as was said above but yet their usefulness is strongly pleaded for as decent and orderly adding Beauty and Lustre to the Worship I could ask many Questions here 1 Are not Gods Ordinances orderly and decent without them If not they charge the wisdom of Christ as not able to manage his Worship decently and orderly without the help of foolish men If so what need have they of a painted Beauty having a native beauty of their own 2. To whom do Ceremonies seem to add Decency and Order to Divine Ordinances Not to God or truly Devout Christians who are both best pleased with the simplicity of Gods prescribed Worship To whom then I will not say 4. What Decency or Order is there is a Surplice more then in a Gown or Cloak such as Paul wore but of some mens fancying 4. If they plead them useful as significant Rites to excite Devotion or Duty c. I shall therefore plead them useless needless c. because what is expected by them is done before and better by the Ordinances themselves Of which more upon another account 4. Nothing really superstitious or easily abused to Superstition may be Imposed in Worship But our Ceremonies are guilty of Superstition and superstitiously abused not only at Rome but by many amongst our selves ergo c. The first Proposition was the fifth Concession but lightly touched intended to be more largely handled here Thus the Rev. Casuist speakes more fully Upon supposition that the Idolatry or superstition and superstition is a degree of Idolatry cannot be severed from the use of a thing or very hardly done Idolatry and Superstition must have no Indulgence the Serpent it self must be broken in pieces and that famous Rule of Pope Stephen is applauded by all See pag. 141. The rather because it is the Testimony of a Pope against his Successors the words are these If some of our Predecessors have done some things which at that time might be without fault and afterwards are turned

are not able to bear as some of their Forefathers complained And to omit or shorten Preaching to enlarge the Church-Service they are ready to profess to be against their Consciences as a making voyd the Commandment of God by observing the Traditions of men 2. It is highly sinful to Assent and Consent unfeignedly to things Inexpedient purely Indifferent that is Idle or Useless Superstitious Doubtful or Significant Humane Ceremonies as against the Second and Third Commandments and because such things are sinful in Worship But to some such things yea many do they assent and consent who declare their assent and consent to all and every thing Contained in and Prescribed by that Book as hath clearly been proved ergo c. 3. It is highly Presumptuous Sacrilegious if not Blasphemous to make that Book equal to the Sacred Bible and the Powers Imposing it as infallible as those were that wrote the holy Scriptures as the Pope does the Apocrypha and the Traditions of the Church But this is done by all that in that manner make that Declaration For what can more be declared and asserted of the Holy Canonical Spirit inspired Scriptures then an unfeigned assent to the Truth and consent to the Goodness of all and every thing contained in those Books 4. To assent and consent to the Imposition of things unlawful in Worship is to make themselves twice guilty of sin once as they assent and consent to things unlawful and a second time as they confirm the Imposers in that sinful Imposition For when will they repent of or repeal these sinful Impositions when they are confirmed to be true and lawful by so many complying Ministers in so high a Declaration 5. To declare and profess so publickly before God and their People their unfeigned assent and consent to all and every thing in that Book believing that some things are Inconvenient and Inexpedient which they wish were removed is gross Dissimulation and desperate hypocrisie But many of the Complyers do believe and confess some such things to be contained in that Book either not true or not lawful and yet assent and consent to all and every thing contained in it Or suppose them so corrupted in their understanding and Judgments as to be perswaded of the Goodness and Truth of all and every thing therein it may easily be proved and hath been already that some things in it are not true as to matter of Doctrine and some things not lawful as to matter of Worship or Discipline if I might safely dispute against that Book having a Law to render it liable to a Premunire But Truth is Truth and to be acknowledged when we are called to give testimony to it This hath been done by many and not yet answered The Book containes the whole of English Religion in Doctrine Worship and Discipline and in every one of those Defects Imperfections and Corruptions manifested and yet without Reformation of many things imposed and pressed on us with more rigour then formerly See some Particulars 1. In Doctrine As 1. In the Articles of Religion Art 20. The Church hath power to decree Rites and Ceremonies which words being ambiguous taken either for meer Circumstances of Worship for Order Decency c. or for Sacred Rites and religious Ceremonies In the first sense they are true but doubtful To which no unfeigned assent can be given till the distinction be given In the last sense in which they are usually taken they are proved to be false above in this Discourse And some other principal points of Doctrine there are so doubtfully worded that as Papists and Arminians have glossed them to their Opinions so no tender Conscience can safely give so full assent to them as true till they be explained which was formerly denied and prohibited to be made by those that subscribed them 2. In the Liturgy some Doctrinals are delivered and prescribed to be assented to as first a false Translation of the Psalmes according to the errours of the Vulgar Latine still retained to be read not to speak of their leaving out of the Titles of many Psalmes which in Hebrew are Canonical Scripture And it is as unlawful to take from the word of God as to add to it unless they intend to make amends for their Substraction of some by Addition of other things and that is sufficiently done by addition of some Apocryphal Psalmes Te Deum Benedicite and a great many Chapters of the Bookes called Apocrypha to be read a most for two moneths together some whereof are false and as very lying Legends as those used in the Romish Churches and some newly added not in before as the History of Susanna Bell and the Dragon And what is this but as they at Rome a Canonizing in part of the Apocrypha making it equal to the Scripture in Divine Service as part of their Doctrine I might add that Assertion That all Children Baptized are really regenerated and want nothing necessary to their Salvation which drawes after it all or most of the Arminian and Popish Tenents 3. The Homilies are part of the Doctrine of the Church ratified by the 35 Canon and prescribed to be read by every Minister and now with the Articles enjoyned to be assented to unfeignedly as true In these have been observed some false Doctrines as to justifie plurality of Wives by the old Fathers Hom. Of the time and place of Prayer pag. 147. That Almes purgeth away all sins delivereth from death Hom. 2. Of Almes pag. 16. For proof whereof is cited as good Scripture Tobit 4.10 the Son of Syrach Dare any Orthodox Minister declare his unfeigned assent to the Truth of these Doctrines yet this is done by too many 2. In Worship There are some things not good that is unlawful to which yet an unfeigned consent is to be given For the Ceremonies they are largely discovered to be sinful and unlawful above To which may be added the Apocryphal Psalmes and Books made not only equal with the Divine Scriptures but also parts of Divine Service as fully as any part of the Word of God Add to these the Responds of the Clerk and People Women Boyes and Wenches clearly against the Apostles Rules of Decency Order Edification as may be easily manifested And more might be said concerning the Ministers change of places postures ridiculous gesticulations as if Divine Service were some Play or Comedy to be acted which causes the Name of God to be taken in vain against the third Commandment Can any pious devout Minister give his unfaigned consent to these as good 3. In Discipline The Book of Ordination is the Epitome thereof now joyned and established with the Articles and Liturgy But there are some things in them proved to be false As 1. That there are three kinds or Orders of Church Officers Bishops Priests and Deacons when Scripture knowes but two It being proved and confessed by Episcopal men that in Scripture a Bishop and a Presbyter are one and