Degradation as it is here used for Silencing one would think should as easily be granted to them The matter among us is beyond dispute and controversy But this Author seems to testify against the Power of Degradation and Silencing in any Person whosoever for so his words are All this is utterly impertinent to them whose Consciences never allowed them to forbear their Ministry in formal Obedience to any Man's Prohibition but only when they had not Power that is here Ability or Opportunity to execise it They are such it seems whom no Man may forbid And tho their Ordination and Commission be confessedly from Men yet will not their Consciences allow of any Man's Prohibition Again The Nonconformists hold that the Ministerial Office is not to be taken up on Trial or for a time but durante Vitâ cum capacitate and that it is no less than 1. Horrid Sacrilege 2. Perfidious Covenant-breaking 3. Disobedience to God 4. Cruelty to Souls and 5. Unthankfulness for great Mercies If any of us shall desert our undertaken Offices yea tho a silencing Diocesan should forbid us the exercise of it unjustly Therefore preach and officiate while we can we must Durante Vitâ cum Capacitate might be explained unto a tolerable Sence if the Moral Capacity were here intended And so When we can restrained to quod jure possumus And so when he mentions a silencing Diocesan forbidding the Exercise of the Ministry unjustly one would think he might allow him sometimes to do it justly also at least before Men and in Foro Ecclesiae And if justly then the Party is judicially incapacitated for the exercise of his Ministry by one that sent and ordained him He that gave him the Faculty suspends it And his Obedience or Submission here is no Desertion of his Office at all for the exercise of which he wants Commission Who ever accused a disbanded Souldier or a cashiered Officer for deserting his Colours or Command So that he might have forborn all his Tragical Aggravations of the Matter But he pleads an exemption it seems from all humane Prohibitions And accordingly in his Title-Page he gives us this strutting Description and Account of Himself One that is consecrated to the Sacred Ministry and is resolved not to be a wilful Deserter of it in trust that any Undertakers can justify him for such Desertion at the Judgment of God till he know better how those can come off themselves who are unfaithful Pastors or unjust Silencers of others That is we may suppose till Dooms-Day Dr. William Gouge long since resolved this Case with much more Ingenuity and Clearness 1. Difference must be made saith he between Times of Percution when Infidels or Idolaters or the open Enemies of Christ bear Rule who seek utterly to suppress the Truth of the Gospel and root out the Professors of it and Times of Peace when Christian Magistrates who defend the Gospel and seek the Progress thereof govern the Church The Inhibition of Infidels and Idolaters made simply against Preaching the Gospel because they would have it utterly suppressed is in this Case no sufficient Inhibition to bind the Conscience being directly and apparently contrary to God's Word But when Christian Magistrates inhibit Ministers to preach it is because they think them unfit and unmeet either for some notorious Crimes or some erroneous Opinions to exercise their Ministerial Functions In these Cases such as are inhibited ought not to preach neither are particular and private Men to judg of the Cause of the Inhibition whether it be just or unjust but as they who are appointed by the present Government to ordain Ministers are to judg of their Fitness thereunto so likewise of their Vnfitness And 2. Difference must be made again between the Kinds of Ministers that are inhibited to preach Some were ordained immediatly by Christ and particularly commanded by him to preach the Gospel all the World therefore could not silence such and if they were inhibited yet ought they not to be silent if not forcibly restrained And this was the Apostles Case and the like may be said of the Prophets who were extraordinarily sent and appointed by God himself But others as all in our Days are ordained by the hands of Men even of the Governours of the Church Now as they have Power to ordain Ministers when they judg them fit for that Place so have they power also to deprive Ministers when they judg them unfit And therefore Obedience must be yielded to their Inhibition Thus He. And why should not this sober Resolution of his be still allowed by them That noted Passage of Mr. Calvin in his Epistle to Farellus deserves a Remembrance here Consilium interea Fratribus non possum aliud dare nisi ut Collegam tuum coram Magistratu moneant ut se patiatur in ordinem redigi Quod si pervicaciter recusare institerit denuncient sibi non esse loco Fratris qui communem Disciplinam contumaciâ suâ perturbat Semper hoc in Ecelesiâ valuit quod veteribus Synodis fuit decretum ut qui subjici communis Disciplinae legibus noluerit munere abdicetur Neque hîc quaerenda est hominum authoritas cum Spiritus S. de talibus pronunciaverit Ecclesiam non habere morem contendendi Valere ergo eum jubeant qui communis Societatis jura respuit This I could be content to leave to Mr. B. himself to construe but when I consider that some of his injudicious Teachers may need a plainer Admonition I will for their sakes also english it In the mean while I cannot give other Counsel to the Brethren but that they admonish your Collegue or Assistant before the Magistrate that he would suffer himself to be reduced into Order But if he shall obstinately go on to refuse let them denounce or signify that he is not in the place of a Brother to them who disturbs the common Discipline by his Contumacy This Practice hath ever obtained in the Church which hath been decreed by ancient Synods that whoever will not be subject to the Laws of common Discipline should be outed from his Office or Function that is in our Author's Phrase degraded and silenced Nor needs the Authority of Men to be enquired for here when the Holy Ghost hath pronounced of such that the Church hath not the Custom of contending Let them therefore command him to be packing who refuseth the Laws of common Society And this indeed if we advise upon it is no more than what is adjudged necessary in every well-ordered Community according to that Oath which all when come to Age were to take at Athens as Stoboeus records it I will always prudently obey the Magistracy set over me and observe the appointed Laws and Decrees And if any one shall attempt to disannul those Laws or refuse to obey them I will not yeild unto it but both with my self so for as I can and with the help of others revenge
think their Charms do heal by their Presence Titles Names or Habits by standing in the Reading-Place or Pulpit or being called the Parson of the Parish or saying his set Words over them when they are dead As Conformists ignorantly believe for that is to be supplied And so this is but a squinting and obliquer Way of Calumny and False Witness-bearing They suppose a greater Number of the Conformable Priests than they are willing to mention do preach so ignorantly and dully in the Pulpit and do so little of the personal private Work besides as that there is great need of a far greater Number of Assistants than all the present Nonconformists be I observe that Parson and Priests and Parish-Priests are words used by this Author when he expresseth his Dislike in which he symbolizeth with the Herd of Fanaticks but Pastors or Ministers where he approves yet we love the good old Words never the worse But he would have us beholden to them that they publish not a Continuation of White 's lewd Century of Ignorant and Scandalous Ministers To suppose at least that all the present Nonconformists if made their Assistants would preach more knowingly and zealously otherwise what would the Supply avail us And then farewel altogether to his former Fears and Jealousies of the Weakness Rashness Injudiciousness and Imprudence of some of his earnest and profitabe Preachers whose Openings and Holdings-forth are like to forfeit the Reputation and Esteem of Wise and Conscientious gained by their Nonconformity and Silence They find that some Places of many years past have had no Ministers at all Nor are they like to have from them for the future for they are not wont to fish in such Waters Cities and Corporations call for them They are not able to confute the People in many Places who tell them that their publick Priests are so defective in their necessary Qualifications for their Office as that they hold it unlawful to hold such for true Ministers and to encourage them by their Presence or to commit the Care of their Souls to such They are not able To their great grief we must believe they speak it and to assure us of their diligent Endeavours this way Well let them comfort themselves where there is but a willing Mind it is accepted according to what a Man hath How alas should they be able to confute the People when themselves have first learned them thus to censure their Preachers and communicated that fowr Leaven of Prejudice to them Yet to do Mr. Baxter right he hath given the People a Distinction of some use here to be remembred Observe this necessary Distinction saith he It is one thing to ask Who is to take himself for a call'd and true Minister and to do the Work as expecting Acceptance and Reward from God And it it is another thing to ask Whom are the People or Churches to take for a true Minister and submit to as expecting the Acceptance and Blessing of God in that Submission from his Administrations Or it is one thing to have a Call which will before God justify his Ministration and another thing to have a Call which will before God justify the Peoples Submission and will justify in Foro Ecclesiae both him and them And so it is one thing to be a Minister whom God and Conscience will justify and own as to himself and another thing to be a Minister to the Church whom they must own and God will own and bless only to their Good In the first Sence none but truly sanctified Men can be Ministers but in the latter an unsanctified Man may be a Minister As there is a difference among Members between the Visible and Mystical so is there betwixt Pastors Some have a Title that in Foro Ecclesiae or Ecclesiâ Judice will hold good that have none that is good in Foro Dei In one word the Church is bound to take many a Man as a true Minister to them and to receive the Ordinances from him in Faith and expectation of a Blessing upon Promise who yet before God is a sinful Invader or Vsurper of the Ministry and shall be condemned for it As in worldly Possessions many a Man hath a good Title before Men and at the Bar of Men so that no Man may disturb his Possession nor take it from him without the Guilt of Theft when yet he may have no good right at the Bar of God to justify him in his Retension So it is here It is too common a Case in Civil Governments the Ignorance of which causeth many to be disobedient A Man that invadeth the Sovereignty without a Title may be no King as to Himself before God and yet may be truly a King as to the People that is He stands guilty before God of Vsurpation and till he repent and get a better Title shall be answerable for all his Administrations as unwarrantable and yet when he hath settled himself in the possession of the Place and exercise of the Sovereignty he may be under an Obligation to do Justice to the People and defend them and the People may be under an Obligation to obey him and honour him and to receive the Fruits of his Government as a Blessing But let us hear further what kind of Thoughts possess the Nonconformists Minds Nonconformists Sentiments They think that the Magistrate hath the Power of the Temples and Tithes and Publick Maintenance and Liberty but that he hath not the Power of Ordination or Degradation To say nothing of that affected word Temples so often used by him perhaps that the Churches might with the greater colour be reserv'd for themselves If the Magistrate have the Power of Liberty as is here acknowledged what can they plead to justify themselves for not obeying his Commands touching the Restraint of Number in their private Meetings and keeping of them to their Five Miles distance To this latter Instance indeed he saith afterwards We have been hainously accused for coming within Five Miles of any City Corporation and Place where we lately preached when Christ said If they persecute you in one City flee to another Strongly argued Therefore they must always have some City to fly unto or therefore they must keep in or near that City or Corporation where they reckon on themselves persecuted But this suits well doth it not with owning the Magistrate to have the Power of their Liberty in his hand and at his disposal And the Pretence for their Disobedience makes it still the worse when to arrogate unto themselves the Privilege of Saints they tacitly proclaim the King a Persecutor But then if the Magistrate have not the Power of Ordination or Degradation sure the Bishops have Ordination hath been allowed them by those that would otherwise diminish their Power and when they have alleged some Testimonies for the exaltation of Presbyters were yet forced to add exceptâ Ordinatione And
Change of times doth not change the Truth nor will warrant us to change our Religion He that saith our Preaching is Evil may tempt men to think that the Gospel which we Preach is Evil or that Infidelity Atheism Sensuality and Wickedness which we preach against is good or harmless If you turn to them that Calumniate us of Preaching Error or Sedition the Law is open Our Writings and Doctrine are easily tryed If we say Evil bear Witness of the Evil. Blame us not then for using upon occasion this Liberty and Freedom which you invite us to and stand in some need of whilst you remain so securely Confident of your own Innocencies Too much Evil hath been said and Printed And some Witness hath been born of it too in the Rebels Plea the Evangelium Armatum the Bishop of Worcesters Letter c. And somewhat is added farther for the satisfaction of your desires here in these Reflections which I have not yet done with The Presbyterians distinguish between a Parish-Church that imposeth nothing on the Ministers or people that God forbids and one that doth And between a Parish-Church that is reformable in that which notoriously needeth Reformation and one that Solemnly covenanteth against Reformation The intimation here is that our Parish-Churches impose on the Ministers or People what God forbids and do solemnly Covenant against Reformation even in that which notoriously needeth it And this he often glanceth at For my self I have long been of Opinion which one day you will pardon that Perjury Perfidiousness and Persecution Proud contending who shall be greatest and Covenanting never in certain points to obey Christ against the World and the Flesh is not the way of God And again speaking to some of the Conformists whom he calls Godly and sober Plain dealing is not the Sign of Enmity but Love I must tell you that we cannot but think that you need Repentance Great Repentance for Sinning more and that by Publique Deliberate chosen Covenanted ministerial Sin Protesting against Repentance This is plain enough and the Charge high and home Covenanting Solemnly Covenanting against Reformation and that not for a time only but for ever nor in some one thing but several ' Never in certain points to obey Christ against the World and Flesh and this Ministerially Publiquely Deliberately upon Choice and this besides other horrid Sins of Perjury Perfideousness Persecution and Proud contending who shall be greatest adding that unto all which makes them most unpardonable ' Protesting against Repentance There had need be good proof giv'n of this Accusation whereof yet none is offered or we must record the Accuser for a shameless Slanderer and admonish him in his own words to ' Repent of such Calumnies and not study to aggravate his fault by Excuses And after all this we must still believe that he loves us and spares us and is extremly loth to say what evil he knows by us unwilling to frighten others from our Parish-communions and loth to provoke us more then needs or to meddle with our Consciences Is not here a Compositian of hainous crimes sufficient enough to scare men from our Communion Is not here enough to brand us for a sort of the most flagitiously wicked wretches under Heaven For who can lay on greater loads of aggravation And that Preaching which can reconcile such Immoralities as these with the attributes of Godly and Sober dishonours Christianity and debauches the World He that is fallen under such Drunken Readers as I was bred under in my youth that were Drunk many times ofter then they Preached I am ready to prove it for they never Preached but were Drunk-oft This poor man and his Family must venture their Souls on this sottish Drunkards conduct because it is a True Church What a trick hath the Devil found to bind men to constancie in his service so it be done in a True Church Bating the spitefulness of the Reflection and subtilty of the Demonstration ' Many times oftner Drunk than they Preached for they never Preached The Church of England Sir hath better provided for all her Children in the necessaries to Salvation than to leave them barely to the private Discretion or conduct of the Best much less of sottish Drunkards And if any such there be it were a greater charity to the Publick to complain of them to those unto whom it belongs to admonish suspend and remove them than propagate idle stories as the manner is from hand to hand to the prejudice even of the innocent But as there are more ways of Preaching in a true sense than that which is vulgarly cried up for such so there are more ways also of being drunk than those two common ones by Wine and strong Drink Isa 29.9 We could easily tell you of Men drunk with Passion and Self-conceit and Error and a Spirit of Giddiness Mr. B. can tell you at another time That certainly Pride is a greater Sin than Whoredom or Drunkenness c. And Dr. Pierce hath formerly recommended this useful Remark to your Consideration Many are no Drunkards who are yet more scandalous than if they were The Devil himself is no Drunkard but he is proud and envious and hypocritical rebellious sacrilegious and many other ways worse than a common Drunkard His frequenting the Church and transforming himself into an Angel of Light appearing like a Saint and putting on Godliness for a Disguise doth make him much more scandalous in the true importance of the word than he could possibly be if he could be drunk And altho a Drunkard is so detestable a thing as not to deserve a Toleration in the meanest of the People much less Impunity or Connivance in any Priest yet I would not have him punished more for his Judgment than his Life as I can prove many have been because a Drunkard may be Orthodox and a dry Man may be an Heretick a Drunkard may be loyal to God's Anointed whilst one who never was drunk may be a Rebel Nor can I think it praise-worthy Ad Rempublicam perdendam aut Ecclesiam sobrium accedere Tho we differ not at all from the Doctrine of the Church of England till the new Doctrine about Infants was brought into the new Rubrick yet it is not in minutioribus that we differ from the Conformists Gather from it what you can God knoweth we think the Matters in difference very far from things indifferent We differ not at all from the Doctrine of the Church of England What not at all from Artic. XX where it is declared That the Church hath Power to decree Rites and Ceremonies Not at all from Artic. XXXIII where it is declared That that Person who by open Denunciation of the Church is rightly cut off from the Vnity of the Church and excommunicated ought to be taken of the whole multitude of the Faithful as an Heathen and Publican until he be openly reconciled by Penance
their proportionable Influence upon the Common-Wealth The Kingdom will be wofully weakned by Scandals and Divisions And it is much to be doubted lest the Power of the Magistracy be even utterly overthrown considering the Principles and Practices of some together with their Compliance with other Sectaries sufficiently known to be Anti-magistratical Baxter hath told you that Bishop Vsher professed his Judgment to him that even Bishops in Council tho they are the Governors of the Flocks yet meet not for Government of one another by Vote or of other Bishops but for Concord And Grotius de Imper. sum Pot. hath shewed you that Canons are not Laws but Agreements Add to this Be sure to keep out both the Tyranny of Major Votes and of the proud magisterial Self-arrogations of any Individuals that think others must stoop to them Voting is not for Government but for Concord Whatever Arch-Bishop Vsher profess'd to Mr. Baxter or Mr. Baxter hath here told us from himself he hath spoken somewhat further and better in another place The Use of Synods or Councils is saith he directly 1. For Information and Edification of the Pastors themselves by the Collations of their Reasons and mutual Advice 2 For the Vnion and Communion of the said Pastors and of the particular Churches by them that they may agree in one But then these direct Ends of Synods presupposed indirectly they may truly be said to be for Government For Vnity sake it becomes our Duty to submit to their just Aâ—reements and so the forming of such Agreements or Canons is consequently a part of Government Synods as Synods are directly for Vnity and Concord by consequence after a sort regimental And for Grotius whom he refers to he hath sufficiently told us that it was none of his meaning to destroy or take away the directive declarative suasory and constitutive Regiment of the Church in Councils which he plainly asserts but only that Imperium which is proper and peculiar to the higher Powers and to be derived from their Authority To this purpose he instanceth 1. In the Observation of the Lord's Day and 2. In the Choice of Deacons In both saith he we see something defined and constituted or appointed by common Consent which none could oppose without heavy Guilt For somewhat certainly ought to be determined and nothing could be so one or other it may be disagreeing unless either the lesser Part should yeild unto the greater or the greater to the less which latter seeing it is manifestly unjust it follows that the former was necessary This Right therefore of Constituting and Determining is natural to the Church Thus that learned Man But we have no such word from him as the Tyranny of Major Votes which once believed we shall presently conclude the most August of all Assemblies Tyrannical Nor can there be any way possible to keep out the Magisterial Self-Arrogations of Particulars where many are concerned if the Majority of Votes must not carry it As for what he annexeth When it is once thought that the Major Vote must carry it an Ithacian Synod will tyrannize and every weak self-conceited Man that hath nothing of Sence to say against you will charge the learned judicious grave Divines with Insolency if they will not be governed by Ten that are unlearned or injudicious Self-esteemers He might have learned from Grotius That no ones Right is to be denied for the possibility or danger of his abusing it For otherwise no Right at all will be certain unto any And our only Solace in this Case is in the Divine Providence We that have conferred with all the People of our Parishes when we were permitted found the Multitudes were almost as ignorant as Heathens And yet our excellent Successors that do no such thing as to any two of them that ever I knew or heard of but see their Faces in the Church Ingenuous can prove all our Teaching needless to those poor ignorant Souls Is this Humility and Ministerial Fidelity Ye are they that applaud and justify your selves and sound the Trumpet loud in your own commendation We should be glad enough of your Help could we be secured of your Integrity and Honesty But till then we must say with him in Valerius Maximus Non opus esse eo Cive Reipub. qui parere nesciret The Church of Christ needeth not Paterns of Disobedience which by how much their Place and Office Parts and Abilities Devotion and Holiness are reputed greater than others by so much the more effectually insinuate and recommend Disorder and Confusion to the People Or as Chilo one of the seven wise Men Optimam esse Rempub. quae maximè Leges minimè autem Rhetores audiat As for your admired Teachers they are known to love and frequent those Places most which themselves cannot but judg to have least need of their Instruction And you may please to take notice how justly you your self have charged them home with Hypocrisy in this matter Bestow the greater half of your Labour in private in skilful exhorting People from House to House If you did not so before you were silenced repent betimes if you did you have found the Benefit of it more ways 't is like than one This is that which few Nonconformists do and in this you may best live as their true Assistants and sometimes Vnderminers too Brethren let me ask you as before God why hath no more of this been done while you were silenced Is it not too much Hypocrisy to cry out against them that forbid us Preaching which is one half of our Duty and in the mean time wilfully to neglect that Part which none forbid us This Way the Papists have done their Work Mark that Argument And it is very considerable that most that come to your Chappel-Meetings are such as you take for the least needy as being already turned unto God but from house to house you may speak with the more ignorant And Sincerity enclineth Men to that Way of Duty which hath least Ostentation But that is not the common Way of the Presbyterians Look up Man without Blushing and tell the World whether ever the Presbyterians maintained it a Sin to tolerate Presbyterians It is strange that any Party who think themselves only or chiefly fit for Legal Possession should yet think themselves intolerable I no where find the Presbyterians apt to think meanly of themselves nor doth the Author you thus challenge as far as I discern intimate any such thing but wholly reflects upon their present Conjunction and Vnion with such whom themselves have sometimes reported intolerable Consult a while the Testimony to the Truth of Jesus Christ and Solemn League and Covenant subscribed by the London Ministers and there you will find among the abominable Errors damnable Heresies and horrid Blasphemies not to be tolerated More particularly we abominate these infamous and pernicious Errors of late published
That no Man shall ever perish in Hell for Adam's Sin That Christ was given to undergo a shameful Death voluntarily on the Cross to satisfy for the Sin of Adam and for the Sins of All Mankind That as the Death of Christ was extended to All so likewise the Benefits thereof were both by the Father and the Son intended for All. That if God command the Gospel to be preached unto all and Christ died only for some then God commands a Lie to be preached to the most Part of Men. That if God should deprive Men of all Ability and Power to repent and believe and then should be still moving and persuading still entreating and beseeching them to repent and believe with that Patheticalness of Affection wherein he expresseth himself in Scripture even to them that perish as well as to those that are saved this would seem very hard yea somewhat harder than Injustice it self But this is not so How could our Answerer have escaped here with his O for Modesty Tye Mens feet and reproach them for not going pag. 54. That neither Paul nor James exclude or separate faithful Actions or Acts of Faith from Faith or the Condition of our Justification c. That an enforced Vniformity of Religion throughout a Nation or Civil State confounds the Civil and Religious denies the Principles of Christianity and Civility and that Jesus Christ is come in the Flesh That little can be done unless Liberty of Conscience be allowed for every Man and Sort of Men to worship God in that Way and perform Christ's Ordinances in that Manner as shall appear to them most agreeable to Godâ—s Word and no Man punished or discountenanced by Authority for the same These say they are some of those many horrid and prodigious Opinions which do in these unhappy Days swarm amongst us which not without Grief and Horror of Spirit we here recite that by this small Taste of their Wormwood and Gall all the World may the better judg of the deadly Bitterness of the rest and the more freely justify the Fervour of our Indignation against them all Hoping that as God hath stirred up the Lords and Commons in Parliament to publish their Ordinance concerning the Growth and Spreading of Errors Heresies and Blasphemies settinâ— apart a Day of Publick Humiliation to seek God's Assistance for the suppressing and preventing of the same so in his rich Mercy to England he will at length find out some effectual Means by Authority of Parliament for the utter Abolition and Extirpation of them all out of this distressed Churâ—h Furthermore we are abundantly convinced that the Presbyterian Government truly so called by Presbyteries and Synods in a due Line of Subordination of the Lesser to the Greater with prosperous Success exercised in the best Reformed Churches is that Government which is most agreeable to the Mind of Jesus Christ revealed in the Scripture concerning which the Reverend Assembly of Divines have long since drawn up and presented to both Honourable Houses of Parliament their humble Advice which we conclude so agreeable to the Holy Scriptures that we can readily submit thereunto our selves and shall think the Church of England not a little blessed of God when by the countenance of Supreme Authority the Presbyterial Government and Discipline shall be sincerely embraced and duly exercised in all the Parts of this Kingdom And then we with our Brethren are confident this Government will make the Churches of Christ among us terrible as an Army with Banners and like a strong and fenced City against which the Adversaries shall despair to prevail but by making a Breach in this Wall Wherefore we sadly lament England's general Backwardness to embrace yea Forwardness to oppose this Government and therein her own Mercy whilst so many of all sorts set themselves against the Lord and his Christ It is clearly evident to us that Schisms Divisions Heresies and all prophane Loosness are manifest Works of the Flesh so sinful and damnable in their Nature that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God And that the Children of Light should be so far from having any fellowship with the unfruitful Works of Darkness as that they ought to reprove them to avoid such as practise them to abstain from all appearance of Evil and to hate the very Garment spotted with the Flesh That the Civil Magistrates have sufficient Warrant from the Holy Scriptures not only to punish Seditions Treasons Murthers Adulteries and other Offences against Righteousness and Sobriety in the second Table but also to inflict Punishment upon Offenders for professed Atheism false Doctrines Idolatries Blasphemies Sabbath-Profanations and other Transgressions against true Piety and Religion in the first Table of the Decalogue That a publick and general Toleration will prove an hideous and complexive Evil of most dangerous and mischievous Consequence if ever which God forbid it shall be consented to by Authority All the Reformed Churches shall be ashamed to own us they shall all cry out against us Is this England that covenanted and swore to the most High God such a Reformation and Extirpation of Popery Prelacy Superstition Heresy Schism Prophaneness and whatsoever shall be found contrary to sound Doctrine and the Power of Godliness And after so long Travel hath she now brought forth an hideous Monster of Toleration a detestable Toleration Therefore upon all these Considerations we the Ministers of Jesus Christ do hereby testify to all our Flocks to all the Kingdom and to all the Reformed Churches as our great dislike of Prelacy Erastianism Brownism and Independency so our utter Abhorrencie of Antiscripturism Popery Arianism Socinianism Arminianism Antinomianism Anabaptism Libertinism and Familism with all such like now too rife among us And that we Detest the fore-mentioned Toleration so much pursued and endeavour'd in This Kingdom accounting it unlawful and pernicious This was subscribed Decemb. 14. 1647 by no less than 52 Ministers and among them some of Those whom Mr. B. undertakes to prove true Pastors These now he may call if he pleases old speeches but such they are as convince the Presbyterians of a great change at this Day from their first and avowed Principles What shall we think now of his I have met with Few Presbyterian Ministers in England whither are they fled or what are they transform'd into What of That I see not what great hurt it would do for Anabaptists Separatists c. That cannot join with the Parish Churches to have leave to meet among themselves and worship God together in peace What of the blending Episcopal Presbyterian Independent and Erastian together But the Truth is This Answerer is not a competent Advocate for the Presbyterians being manifestly a Deserter of them and their Principles If Scots saith he or any Presbyterians do otherwise that is nothing to me who am
in their Legends And so you have here and there a Papist lurking to be the chief Speaker among them and these have fashioned many others to their turns to supply their rooms who yet know not their own Fathers If you ask me How I know that they are Papists who thus seduce them I answer 1. Because they do the Papists Work and maintain their Cause as far as yet they dare venture to bring it forth 2. It is known by certain Proof that it is the Papists that do seduce and lead them Many of themselves have confess'd such things And their present Industry among us is well known which that they may proceed in with less Impediment they are the zealous Defenders of Vniversal Toleration or Liberty for propagating Soul-poysoning Doctrines for all the Torments of the Inquisition in other Countries Mr. Baxter's Citation of Mr. Rich. Hooker at the end of his Cure of Church-Divisions set right with the Original by the Addition of a few Words that follow in that Learned Author craftily omitted by him I Deny not but that our Antagonists in these Controversies may peradventure have met with some not unlike to Ithacius who mightily bending himself by all means against the Heresy of Priscillian the hatred of which one Evil was all the Vertue he had became so wise in the end that every Man careful of vertuous Conversation studious of the Scripture and given to any Abstinence in Diet was set down in his Kalendar for a suspected Priscillianist for whom it should be expedient to prove the Soundness of their Faith by a more licentious and loose Behaviour Such Proctors and Patrons the Truth might spare Yet is not their Grossness so intolerable as on the contrary side the scurrilous and more than Satyrical Immodesty of Martinism The first publish'd Schedules whereof being brought to the hands of a grave and very honourable Knight with signification given that the Book would refresh his Spirits he took it saw what the Title was read over an unsavoury Sentence or two and delivered back the Libel with this Answer I am sorry you are of the Mind to be solaced with these Sports and sorrier you have herein thought my Affection your own Here Mr. Baxter leaves off but it follows immediatly in the Author thus But as these Sores on all hands lie open so the deepest Wounds of the Church of God have been more softly and closely given Which Words reflect upon Baxterianism as remarkably as the foregoing do upon Ithacianism on the one hand and Martinism on the other Fair warning and Advice long since given by Arch-Bishop Laud in his Sermon on Psalm 122.3 4 5. Preached Febr. 6th 1625. ONe thing more I will be bold to speak out of a like Duty to the Church of England and the House of David They whoever they be that would overthrow sedes Ecclesiae seats of Ecclesiastical Government will not spare if ever they get Power to have a pluck at the Throne of David And there is not a man that is for Parity all fellows in the Church but he is not for Monarchy in the State And certainly either he is but half-headed to his own Principles or he can be but half-hearted to the House of David Idem Sermon on Ephes 4.3 Preached March. 17th 1628. Now the Breakers of the Bond of Peace both in Church and Commonwealth are Pride and Disobedience For these two crie one to another that is Pride to Disobedience Come let us break the Bond. And this is very observable and with reference to his Bond of Peace too You shall never see a Disobedient man but he is Proud For he would Obey if he did not think himself fitter to Govern Nor shall you ever see a Proud man stoop to bind up any thing But if you see him stoop take heed of him 't is doubtless to break the Bond of Peace The Reason's plain If he stoop to bind up he knows he shall be but one of the bundle which his Pride cannot endure But if he stoop to loose the bond then he may be free and shew his Vertue as he calls it that is may hope to run foremost in the head of a Faction Fond men that can be thus bewitched with pride against themselves For when they are bound up though but as one of the Bundle yet therein under God they are strong and safe But when the Bond is broken and they perhaps as they wish in the Head headlong they run upon their own ruin Now to keep unity I have made bold to direct you one way already And here 's another 'T is necessary that the Governours have a good and quick eye to discover the cunning of them that would break the Vnity first and the whole Body after You shall give a guess at them by This they speak as much for Vnity as any men but yet if you mark them you shall still find them busy about the knot that binds up Vnity in â—eace Somewhat there is that wrings them there They will pretend perhaps 't is very good there should be Vinculum a Bond to bind men to obedience O God forbid else but they would not have the knot too hard Take heed their aim is They would have a little more liberty that have too much ready Or perhaps they 'l pretend they would not untie the knot no there may be danger in that but they would only Turn it to the other side because this way it lies uneasily But this is but a shift neither For turn the knot which way you will all binding to obedience will be grievous to some It may be they 'l protest that though they should untie it yet they would not leave it loose They would perhaps tie it otherwise but they would be sure to knit it as fast Trust not this pretext neither out of quâ—stion their meaning is to tie up unity in a Bow-knot which they may slâ—p at one end 〈◊〉 they liâ—t Indeed whatsoever they pretend if they be curious about the knot I pray look to their Fingers and to the Bond of Peace too Mr Baxter's calm â—nd Sober Resolution How far we are bound to obey Men's Precepts about Religion 1. We must obey both magistrates and pastoâ—s in all things lawful which belong to their Offices to command 2. I belongs not to their Office to make God a New Worship but to command the mode and circumstances of Worship belongeth to their Office for guiding them wherein God hath given them General Rules 3. We must not take the Lawful Commands of our Governours to be unâ—awful 4. If we do through Weakness or Perversness take lawful things to be unlawful that will not excuse our Disobedience Our Error is our Sin and one sin will not excuse another 5. Many things that are mis-commanded must be obeyed The Reasons of this are obvious and clear Even because it is the Office of Governours to
and received into the Church by a Judg that hath Authority thereto Not at all from Artic. XXXIV where it is declared That whosoever through his private Judgment wittingly and purposely doth openly break the Traditions and Ceremonies of the Church which be not repugnant to the Word of God and be ordained and approved by common Authority ought to be rebuked openly that others may fear to do the like as he that offendeth against the common Order of the Church and hurteth the Authority of the Magistrate and woundeth the Consciences of weak Brethren Not at all from Artic. XXXVI where it is declared That the Book of Consecration of Arch-bishops and Bishops and ordaining of Priests and Deacons doth contain all things necessary to such a Consecration and Ordaining neither hath it any thing which is of it self superstitious or ungodly And are not these part of the professed Doctrine of the Church of England But why chatechize I you thus far when you have before profess'd your Ignorance what is meant by the Church of England How then can you tell what the Doctrine of that Church is and whether or no or in what you agree and differ with it Till the new Doctrine about Infants was brought into the new Rubrick If you differ not at all from the old Doctrine of the old Rubrick as you would seem to tell us there needs no question about the new for let us view them well together The Old Rubrick thus That no Man shall think that any Detriment shall come to Children by deferring of their Confirmation he shall know for a Truth that it is certain by God's Word that Children being baptized have all things necessary for their Salvation and be undoubtedly saved The New more shortly thus It is certain by God's Word that Children which are baptized dying before they commit actual Sin are undoubtedly saved Where indeed the Preface of the former is omitted but nothing is taught for a Truth certain by God's Word but what was so acknowledged before For the Omission of that one Clause have all things necessary to their Salvation is sufficiently included in are undoubtedly saved and the inserting that other dying before they commit actual Sin tends rather to restrain than to enlarge the Proposition as the impartial Observer will easily judg And yet forsooth this new Doctrine as he slanders it sticks much with them who avouch themselves not to differ at all from the Doctrine of the Church of England till that new Rubrick which contains it was introduced And here is the Sum of his Doctrinal Corruptions in the Plural Number which we had mention of before And he hath yet another Fling at it before the end I read in the Rubrick of something about Infants certain by the Word of God but I never read in what Chapter or Verse it was Now must he not evidently affirm as much of the Old if he agree unto it as he would be thought to do Is it not there as express He shall know for a Truth that it is certain by the Word of God Is not that Fanatick Exception every whit as pertinent and agreeable there ' But I never heard in what Chapter or Verse it was What need of this I pray to either What Chapter or Verse As if Scripture Sence and Consequences were not as truly the Word of God as Scripture-Words and express Assertions That which is there dianoeticè as well as that which is there axiomaticè as some love to speak Or as if Holy Scripture were not before Chapter and Verse were determined in it But this is the doughty way of arguing which the Presbyterians have furnished the other Sects withal against themselves What Chapter and Verse saith so and so And this great Rebuker of other Sectaries seems mightily taken himself with it What Chapter and Verse saith that only Subscribers Swearers Declarers and Conformers are the Church of Christ and those that fear an Oath and Conformity are none of it This one would think were matter enough for many Verses ' Yet it is not in minutioribus that we differ from the Conformists So it appears God knoweth we think the Matters in difference very far from things indifferent Gather from it what you can We must gather from it then That they are not minute or small Matters upon which you are rejected and that the Church and you are not like to agree until either she renounce her Doctrine or you alter your Judgment about it We can therefore the more easily believe you when you say We have almost twelve years ago cried out even to Vnmannerliness that if possibly we might have been heard to the Reverend Prelates O drive not godly People from your Communion for nothing Vnmannerliness with a Witness But can any thing be of less weight than nothing Elsewhere you have it Do you excommunicate and drive from your several Parishes the Members of Christ for not eating with your Spoon And can there be any thing almost more minute or indifferent than that But elsewhere you are still more irreverent and in your own word unmannerly malè morati Do you silence us and depose us from the Ministry and forbid Baptism and the Lord's Supper to all that have not as wide a Swallow as your selves And yet all this while you meddle not with our Consciences It were obvious to retort that their Swallow was wide enough who could let down the Covenant Bishops and their Lands together and may claim Kindred with those on Record for straining at Gnats and swallowing Camels Why may not we in the allowed Places exercise our Ministry in baptizing the Children of any of your Flocks that shall desire it or giving them the Sacrament I yet understand not unless for avoiding your Envy and Displeasure Again What harm will it do you if a N. C. preach by you if many follow him if some prefer him before you Yea further Brethren what if the Nonconformable Ministers do give the Sacrament to some as you do to others What if they call themselves a Church or exercise Discipline which without need I would not have them do what harm will this be to you or others Were they once permitted we may perceive how they would be still hitching forward and encroaching step by step For I note these Passages only as a Specimen of those Liberties which they design to take from their Toleration And yet we must believe him We never desired to play the Bishops in other Mens Diocesses What! not in the Bishop of Worcester's not in the Bishop of London's c But to the Questions briefly Why may we not do so and so Or What harm will it do to you or others We may answer as the Presbyterians themselves sometimes did their Independent Brethren The whole Church of England in short time will be swallowed up with Distraction and Confusion And the Mischiefs in the Church will have