whilst the World was filly enough to be imposed upon by those little Artifices we had scarce a New Shrine Altar place of Pilgrimage erected but upon pretence of some rising from the Dead or an Angel from Heaven or a Letter from the Virgin Mary or some such Pious Frauds and Religious Cheats which the Priests had at their Fingers ends Let us now consider the Enquirers Discourse upon this Principle That all absolutely necessaries are so determined we readily grant says he and that all those Rites prescribed by our Saviour are necessary to be obserued we will yield them but that nothing is lawful but what is to be found so prescribed we utterly deny And so do we Let that end the Controversie When Rethoricians have flanted it out in fine Language and Ruffled a little in Phrase apposite words and expressions they have satisfied their Office and are not obliged by the Rules of their Art either to state the Question or speak to it Something may be practised which is not prescribed that we grant but from something to every thing is too great a Leap for Bucephalus From practising to prescribing is another large stride from Circumstances to Ceremonies is a third from Civil things to Sacred is one more from Indifferent to Necessary Conditions of Church Communion may go for another and from the common Accidents that attend the Worshippers as Men to Parts of worship are Inferences which we can neither make to lead or drive 2. We come now to a second Judaical Principle That all Princes and Law-givers are bound to conform the Municipal Laws of their several Dominions to the Institutions of Moses This indeed has a strong taint of Jewish Leaven in 't which they who plead so Zealously for the Ius Divinum of Tythes and Holiness of Places because Moses once put off his Shooes may do well to advise upon the Non-conformists for ought I know are little concern'd in 't We grant that there is no necessity that the Temporal Sanction even of the Moral Law it self should be the same under the Gospel that it was under the Administration of Moses That the Violaters of the Lords days Holy Rest should be stoned as the infringer of the Sabhath was of old the Adulterers should be punish'd with Death or a Blasphemer endure the same now which then was exacted Law-givers do consider the tempers and dispositions of their Subjects in these matters we are no further concerned herein then to pray that they who moderate the Affairs of the Empires of this World may be directed with Wisdom from above may order all things in a subserviency to his Glory by whom they Reign and the publick peace welfare and prosperity 3. A Third Instance is in Excommunication Which says he they hold must be by a Synod or Presbytery and the Prince as well as the People must be subject to the Sentence Here are several Questions that invite our serious debate as 1. What is the proper Seat of the power of Excommunication 2. Who are the proper Objects of this Power 3. Whether to fix the power of Excommunication be a Judaical Principle And 4. Whether a Prince may come under the Edge of that Sword Any one of which would require more room then I have allotted my self to turn in What I shall say is this 1. That the Synod or Presbytery are the Seat of Excommunication carries as fair proof at least as the Chancellor who is a Lay-man or at best a Deacon of no Scripture Institution can show for himself by Divine Right 2. That all scandalous persons are lyable to that Censure is true in the general but that it may not be executed upon a Supreme Magistrate arises from peculiar Maximes of Government upon which the safety of a Kingdom depends I know not that this is a Principle of the N. C. for my part I disown it 3. That this was a Jewish Principle to excommunicate their Kings I do not certainly know nor date positively determine That they received any such standing Law from God I do not find That a High-Priest did once actually separate a King upon the score of his Leprosie we read and that others perhaps would not do as much if a Prince pleased not their Humours we have no security I should shrowdly suspect their Inclinations this way whoever they were that inseâ—…ed this Doctrine into our Bibles which we find in the Contents of the 149. Psalm The Prophet exhorteth to Praise God for that Power he hath given to the Church to Rule the Consciences of Men Which they refer to v. 5. and the following Let the Saints be joyful in Glory let them sing aloud upon their Beds Let the high Praises of God be in their Mouth and a two edged Sword in their Hand To execute vengeance upon the Heathen and punishments upon the People To bind their Kings with Chains and their Nobles with Fetters of Iron If this be the Power God has given the Church over the Consciences of Men the Non-conformists did not insert it and wish it may be expunged the Bible 4. He must by no means omit their Superstitions about the Lords day which must be called a Sabbath too though such Name is no where given it either in the New Testament or any Anâ—… Writer that he knows of Here are two Branches the first de Nâ—…mine the second de Re. 1. De Nomine whether the Lords-day may be called a Sabbath especially with the usual Epithete The Christian Sabbath That it must be so called as he falsifies the N. C. assert not That it may be so called they are willing to enter a sober discourse with him when he is at leisure A Sabbath in general signifies no more then a Day of Rest. And he that owns the day may be called the Lords-day must needs own it to be a resting day and by consequence a Sabbath day and the greatest fault herein is that it 's good in English but stark naught in Hebrew Nay there 's somewhat more will follow This day of which we speak is called the Lords-day Rev. 1. 10. I was in the Spirit on the Lords-day And the reason of the Appellation is this because the Lord Iesus has a special interest and propriety in that day As the great standing Ordinance of the Gospel is called the Lords-Supper 1 Cor. 11. because it was instituted by Him and was to be devoted to Communion with him so this day is called the Lords-day because it was determin'd by him and ought to be dedicated to him in his Service and Worship that we may approve our selves eminently the Lords Servants upon that day which is eminently the Lords-day And if so it will challenge the Title not only of a day of Rest but Holy Rest And if Men were not swarming full of Crotchets and Idle Whimseys and Superstitious Dotages they would never scruple to call that a Holy Sabbath day which they must confess a Holy resting day But how came
those Errours in time and not only of those Errours but of Gross Popery like by such means in time to Creep in amongst them as they found by late experience it dangerously begun I say not that the Articles of the Church encline to Popery nay they detest it but this I say that if they did encline to Arminianism they must to Popery If they do not why are they with allowance so misconstrued if they do then the secession of the Non-conformists is thereby justified Having therefore made this Objection for the Dissenters he will give them their Answer and prove the unreasonableness of this suggestion That the Church of England approaches too near the Superstitions of Rome 1. It s certain says he there hath been little or no Alteration made either in the Doctrine Discipline or Liturgy since the first Reformation Little or none Does he mean for the better or the worse To say there has liâ—…le or none been made for the better is a Commendation so cold that silence had been more an Honour than such praise The Reformation was begun as the times would bear A fair Copy was set for posterity to imitate never dreaming that their Rudiments should have been our utmost perfection That their first step should have been our Hercules Pillars and a Ne plus ultra to all future endeavours To say there has been little or no Alterâ—… made for the worse is a more modest way of Defamation but â—…enters have many things to say to this § 1 That there have been consâ—…ble Alterations made in the Articles themselves if not as they remain in Scriptis yet as they are publickly interpreted for we subscribe not to a heap of Letters and Syllables but to the sense and meaning of certain propositions as they are owned by the Church What the Church owns say they we can no otherwise understand then by those Writings which appear every day Licensed and approved by those of greatest Authority in the Church Now if we may judge of the meaning of the Articles by those Writings They are as much Altered as if Negatives had been changed into Affirmatives or Affirmatives into Negatives In former times they were generally subscribed because the most scrupulous were generally informed by those of most eminent place in the Church that the meaning was found but now say they we are informed otherwise we see our mistake the words have a different and contrary meaning and therefore we must be excused in subscription 2. They will say That what the Enquirer calls little or nothing is a very great something for it concerns us not so much what is put into the Liturgy or Rituals as what is made a Condition of Communion whiâ—…h the Church Now in the beginning of the Reformation though many things were in use yet few imposed as the necessary Terms of enjoying a station in that Society Things supposed indifferent were used as in different In the 13th of Q. Eliz. subscription is only required to Doctrinals and such Subscribers though not ordained by Prelates were admitted to officiate as Ministers of the Church of England But now subscription is peremptorily required to all and every thing contain'd in the Book of Commonprayer The Book of ordering Bishops Priests and Deacons wherein are considerable Doctrinal Additions and Alterations such as the different Orders of Bishops Priests and Deacons supposed to be distinct jure divino A Doctrine which A. B. Cranmer understood not as is evident from his M. S. exemplified in Dr. St. his Irenicum In the beginning of the Reformation Ceremonies were retained to win upon the people who were then generally Papists and doted upon old usages and not as the necessary conditions of Communion They were retained not to shut out of Dores the Protestants which is their present use but to invite in the Romanists which was their Original end but there 's nothing more common then for Institutions to degenerate and be perverted from the first Reasons of their usage and yet still to plead the Credit of their Originals Thus Indulgences and Remission of sins were first granted to all that would engage in the Holy War to recover the Sepulchre of Christ out of the hands of the Saracens but in process of time they were dispensed to them who would massacre the Waldenses and Albigenses and such as could not obey the Tyranny of the Romish saction Thus was the Inquisition first set up to discover the Hypocritical Moors in Spain but the edge of it since turned against the Protestants And thus were the Ceremonies perverted at first made a Key to let in the Papists and now made a Lock to shut out Protestants What a glorious work must it then be to abolish those Engines that seeing they are become weak to do Good they may be rendred as impotent to do mischief Imitating herein the Apostle who once circumcised Timothy to gain the weak Iews yet stoutly refused to Circumcise Titus least he should stumble the weak Gentiles 3. The Ceremonies its true crept into the Church pretty early yet they laid no weight no stress upon them It was decreed by the Councel of Sardica that none should be made a Bishop 〈◊〉 â—…e that had passed the Inferiour Orders and continued in them for some time and yet we see they insisted not upon such a Canon when it might prejudice the Church and exclude useful persons from the Ministry and therefore Nectarius was chosen Patriarch of Constantinople not only being a Lay-man but unbaptized As our Enquirer commends and admires the Churches Wisdom in forming her Doctrinal Articles that men of various perswasions might subscribe them so her tenderness and wisdom had been no less admirable had she recommended Ceremonies with such an Indifferency that they who were passionately sond of them might be humoured and they that protest they scruple them in Conscience towards God might fairly let them alone for it can be no dishonour to a Church to be as Lax in Ceremonies of humane constitution as in Doctrines of Divine Revelation 4. Dissenters say from good grounds that that which makes all an insupportable burden viz. That we must subscribe according to the clause of the 20th Article that The Church has power to decree Rites and Ceremonies is added since the Beginning of the Reformation And this they think heavier than all the Ceremoniâ—…s put together many could practice a thing supposing it indifferent in it self and having a real tendency to a greater good who can by no means subscribe that the Church has such a power to take away my liberty I have taken notice that in the Ancient Bibles of this Church the Contents of Psalm 149. ran thus The Prophet exhorteth to praise God for his Love to his Church and for his benefits But in the latter days we had got high ranting Language The Prophet exhorteth to praise God for his Love to his Church and for that power that he hath given to his Church over the
's true Diotrephes his fingâ—…rs it â—…hed to be tampering but the Beloved Disciple that lay in his Masters Bosom who was privy to his meek and gracious Temper and knew how displeasing such imperiousness was to him gave an early and timous rebuke to the Attempts and Essays of Praelatical Arrogancy and indeed he could not but remember and was concern'd in it how smartly Christ had snibb'd Aspiring Church-men That there was so much Tranquility therefore amongst the Primitive Christians was not that they were without differing apprehensions for mens parts were no more alike nor thâ—…ir Educations more equal then now But because there was a Spirit of Condescension to and mutual forbearance one of another The strong either in Knowledge or Authority did not trample upon the weak There was then some diversity of Eupressions in which the Pastors of several Churches delivered themselves for there were neither Homilies nor Liâ—…urgies yet they did not dispute themselves into parties because they made not their own Sentiment the Test of Orthodoxy nor their private Faith the publick standard and measure to which all Christians should be tyed to subscribe They allowed a latitude in things not fundamental nor had learned the modern Artifice of Fettering Consciences in the Chains of Assent and Consent to the Dogmats of a prevailing party In those days meâ—… were sincerely good and devout and set their Hearts upon the Main the huge consequence and concern of which easily prevailed with those Holy men to over-look other mens private Opinions They were intent upon that wherein the power of Godliness consisted and upon which thâ—… Salvation of Souls depended and so all that was secure they were not so superstitiously concerned for Rituals either to practice them much less to impose them They would not stake the Churches Peace against Ceremonies and then play it away rather then not be Gamesters They considered that they had all one God one Faith one Baptism one Lord Iesus Christ and never insisted upon one Posture one Gesture one Garment one Ceremony They Good men found enough to do to mortifie their Passions to bear their Burdens of Afflictions and Persecution to withstand the temptations of the Devil and the contagion of evil Examples And had no strength to spare nor superfluous time to wast to Conn the Theory of Ceremonies and practice new devices But when men grow cold and indifferent about great things then they become â—…ervent about the lesser when they give over to mind a holy life and heavenly Conversation then they grow fierce Disputants for and rigid Exacters of the sulâ—… Tale of Ceremonies Thus when the Scribes and Pharise 〈◊〉 became so violent for the necessity of washing hands they little regarded the cleansing of their Hearts They that will make things indifferent to become necessary the next news you hear of them is that they make things necessary to become indifferent when men cease to study their own hearts they become very studious how to vex and torment other mens for then they have both leisure and confidence enough to trample upon their inferiours Then it shall be a greater sin for a Monk to lay aside his Cowle then his Chastity and to be a scrupulous Non-conformist to the Laws of Men then a scandalous Non-conformist to the Laws of God In short that I may say the same thing over again which I have twenty times already said and that I may convince the Reader that I have read Erasmus de opiâ—… vâ—…orum as well as his famous piece of the Art of Preaching Then and not till then do the little Appendices of Religion grow great and mighty matters in mens esteem when the Essentials the great and weighty matters are become little and inconsiderable which I had had little need to have mentioned but for the sake of those Elegant and Modish words Appendices and Essentials which in an Eloquent Oration ought not to have been forgotten Dixi That there are Distractions in the Nation Divisions amongst Christian Brethren and a separation from the present Church of England in various degrees is evident The Industry of our Enquirer in Tracing out the Causes of them has been very commendable though his success has not been answerable Had he pleased to approve himself a skilful and impartial as well as a serious Enquirer he had certainly directed us to one cause more which for want of Ariadnes Threed in the Anfractuous windings of this Labyrinth he has quite lost himself and his Travels Honest Gerson of old has notified it to the non-observing World and from him I shall recommend it to the Reader There can be saith he no General Reformation without the Abolitions of sundry Canons and Statutes which neither are nor reasonably can be observed in these times which do nothing but ensnare the Consciences of men to their endless Perdition no tongue is able to express what evil what danger and confusion the neglect and contempt of the Holy Scripture which doubtless is sufficient for the Government of the Church else Christ had been an imperfect Law-giver and the following of Humane Inventions hath brought into the Church Serm. in die circ part 1. 'T is that which has ever been lamented and by all moderate persons complained of That unnecessary Impositions have been made the indispensible conditions of Church-Communion without precept or precedent from the Word of God To this cause had he reduced all our Divisions he said more in those few plain words then in all those well coucht periods wherewith he has adorned his Discourse and darkened Counsel As the matter of Law arises out of the matter of Fact so the Justice of the Non-conformists Cause appears from the terms that are put upon them in order to Communion If the Terms be unjust it will justifie their Cause If they have sinfully managed their Cause its goodness will not justifie their Persons what Dissenters usually insist upon for their Justification I shall reduce to these Heads § 1. They plead that some things are imposed upon their Faith tendered to Subscription as Articles of Faith which are either false or at best they have not yet been soo happy as to discover the truth of them In Art 20. They are required to subscribe this Doctrine The Church hath power to Decree Rites and Ceremonies which Clause of the Article as we fear it has been by some indirect means shuffled into the Article it not being found in the Authentick Articles of Edw. 6. so it proves also that the Terms of Communion have been enlarged since the first times of the Reformation They object also against that Doctrine in the Rubrick That it is certain from the Word of God That Children Baptized and dying before the Commission of actual sins are undoubtedly saved The Scripture the Protestant Churches nor any sound Reason have yet given them any tolerable satisfaction of the Truth of the Doctrine about the Opus operatum of Sacraments That Doctrine laid down in the
clear places has put all this out of dispute who were most severe in their obedience under the most severe persecutions Thus Tertullian in Apolog. Cap. 30. Nos pro salute Imperatorum Deum invocamus Precantes sumus pro omnibus Imperatoribus vitam illis prolixam imperium securum domum tutam exercitus fortes Senatum fidelem populum probum orbem quietum quaecunque hominis Caesaris vota sunt We pray to God for the safety of our Emperour that God would give them a long life a peaceable Government that he would preserve the Royal Family that he would vouchsafe them a faithful Council a Loyal People a quiet world valiant Armies and what soever their own wishes can desâ—…re Thus Dionysius in his Apology for the Christians in the persecution under verus Nos unum Deum colimus veneramur omnium fabricatorem huic etiam sine intermissione pro eorum regno ut firmum stabile Maneat preces adhibemus We worship says he and adore only one God the Creatour of All things and to him we powr out our prayers night and day that the Government of our Emperours may abide firm and unshaken They that would plead Christianus sum I cannot conform would as sincerely say Christianus sum I dare not resist There is then no Question but that we are all upon pain of eternal damnation bound to obey the Civil Magistrate and all that are sent by him in all civil things which are not demonstrably sinful according to the Municipal Laws but the Question will meet us again though we avoid it How farr their power extends in matters of Immediate worship and things directly within the verge of Conscience wherein possibly I can yeeld as farr as another though I would proceed upon better grounds then the Enquirer has layd down which now I come te examine § 1. The New Testament says he no where excepts the case of Religion Answer 1. No where excepts it Ay but where dâ—…s â—…he New or Old express and include it I was in hopes thaâ—… according to his promise he would have proved that the Magistrate exceeds not his Commission in determining the thinâ—… under debate and he puts us of with this They are not excepted out of his commission He that Acts by Commission must have his powers authorized by his Commission Suppose a Prince should issue out a Commission to certain Delegates to hear and Determine all Differences relating to the Forrest and they shall intermeddle with affaires that are out of the Purlieus will it be thought enough to say These places are not excluded their Commission 2. Nor do I except the case of Religion out of the Magistrates Commission but only Humbly enquire of the Enquirer how farr the Commission extends in Religious matters To this he gives us an Answer I mean so farr as Circumstantials and those things which God himself hath not defined But this will either destroy all again or not mend the matters one jot for 1. I no where find that God has excepted Substantials more then Circumstantials out of his Commission In what respect the one is included the other is so and in what respect the one is excluded the other is so that is both are included for his preservation and both excluded as to his alteration of adding to or subtracting from them If a Commission be produced that the Magistrate shall guide me in all acceptable external instituted Worship excepting the substantials thereof I have enough for exceptio in non exceptis firmat Regulam The exception of substantials would more strongly include the Circumstantials And therefore I am affraid he will not produce a Commission that excepts substantials Let it be substance or Circumstance let men invent what Terms or Names they please If in the outward exercise of Religion Christians shall disturbe the peace they shall know and find that the Magistrate has a coercive power that will reach them and all their outward Actions for the assecurating that peace wherewith God has entrusted him To give Almes is an Act a substantial Act of Religion yet if any Pharisaical spirit shall sound his Trumpet to draw a concourse of people after him and thus turn the trumpet of Religion into a trumpet of Rebellion if he shall make Sacramentum pictatis vinculum iniquitatis He and his Act come within the Magistrates Commission And yet it extends not to Alter an Act of Religion but to suppress a Design of faction and sedition 2. Such an exception as he fancies in the Magistrates Commission as it no where appears so would it be purely nugatory did it appear unless we had withal some infallible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to discriminate the Circumstantials from the substantials Otherwise either he might encroach upon the substantials under the Notion of Circumstantials or a refractary people would be alwayes crossing and thwarting his determinations under pretence that the substantials were invaded when he was only modelling and ordering the Innocent Circumstantials And thus as the sea and the land are alwayes eating into each others Liberties or as in some Nations where prerogative and propriety are not equally ballanced the one is beating up the others Quarters perpetually so would there be an unappeasable warr between these Substantials and Circumstantials which like the Marches between two Kingdoms of no firm correspondence would be ever subject to the longer and sharper sword But Christ has not left these concerns at such a loose end § 2. He argues thus If they have not power in such matters of Religion as we speak of it 's manifest they have no Magistracy or legislative power at all in Religion I will deal freely with our Enquirer for ought I know to the contrary they have this power and a farr greater power in the Matters of Religion wâ—…hreof he speaks for I do not yet understand what those Matters of Religion are whereof he speaks but to answer as well as I can conjecture at his intentions 1. I know not what a Legislative power in Religion means in the hands of any but the Lord Iesus Christ. The Scripture has told us 4. Jam. 12. That there is one Law-giver who is able to save or to destroy He that can eternally save upon obedience or eternally damn upon disobedience may securely challenge a legislative power over the Church It 's certain from hence that Christ is the only Law-giver to his Church in some sense and in what sense that should be but that he alone can impose matters of immediate worship upon the Conscience I cannot tell He that denies Christ to be the only Legislator at this day may with equal Reason deny him to be the only Iudge in the Great Day and it 's not worth the while for a few Ceremonies to loose one of the Articles of our Creed Hetherto a General Council has been thought to have the Highest visible power on earth to make Laws for the Church and yet the Church of
to the whole If any person whose greater Abilities may manage the Service more to the glory of God be present his charitable prudence will instruct him to procure such assistance as may best promove the spiritual concernâ—… of those under his charge To shut up this point The powers here ascribed to a Master of a Family are such as do not reach the case in hand Determination of Chapters Prayers Times Postures Gestures Persons which were not before determined by the divine power will not make up one Mystical Ceremony and the Magistrate may have all this power and yet none such as will reach the case in hand That power which will serve to make a Primitive Directory will not serve to impose a Modern Liturgy All that can possibly be screwed out of these instances of Paternal Authority is no more then this that he may Determine between two or more Circumstances one of which is disjunctively necessary to the performance of a necessary duty but it will be hard when he comes to try it to infer a power to impose mystical Ceremonies which are no ways necessary to the performance of any duty no not by Disjunction I presume I have saved my Bail if I should give no further answer yet for his greater satisfaction I shall trouble the Reader with these few Considerables § 1 That the Governour of a Family being upon the place and having all present Circumstances within his prospect may more usefully determine upon all determinable Circumstances then a Magistrate for a whole Nation and the several Congregations therein whose Accidents are so various that they cannot possibly come under any uniform Determination suppose a strict Law were made at Paris that every particular Church in the Nation should commence their publick service on the Lords day precisely at nine a clock it is Mathematically certain that some would have done and got half through their dinners before others would be half way in their Devotions They in furthest Eastern Parts would have come to their Amen before those on the Calabrian Ocean would be at their Oremus because of the diversities of Meridians and Longitudes and yet all would be but nine a clock § 2. That the consequence from the Power of a Master of a Family to the Civil Magistrates power is not very clear for the Master of a Family is supposed to have Minors in his Family who cannot be safely trusted with the Determination of those Circumstances which must necessarily be determined but it would be a reproach to the Christian Religion that all the Bishops Pastors and Churches in a Nation could not find wit enough to determine what time of the day were most expedient to Assemble in The power of a Prince is farr more Noble then that of the Family Governour and yet by Reason of the incapacity and unfitness of the matter the bulkiness of the Aggregate the lesser power may possibly Determine upon some small Circumstances which the greater power is unfit to do To be Captain of a Man of Warr is more honourable then to Command a Skuller and yet this latter will tack about more nimbly then that cumbersome Argosie because the Vessel is more Manageable § 3. This uniformity which is so much driven at in all these arguments as the great Reason of the Necessity of universal Determination is a name much bandied in speculative discourses rather then a thing practicable if we may judge that not fecible which never yet was attained Let us look a little nearer home And first we find no Punctual uniformity between the two Provinces He that can sing Divine Service in the Province of York may without new instruction be utterly to seek in the Psalmodie of Canterbury look upon the same Province and compare the Parochial with the Cathedral service and there 's less uniformity still He that can â—…adge pretty well at a Country-Church is quite lost in the uncouth usages of the Minister Look into the Parochials and some have their Conformity superconformity statute Ceremonies and Canon Cerâ—…monies so that you would hardly judge them to be half-sisters take a step nearer and look in the same Parish-Church uniformity is not to be found there the Minister is not conformable to himself At one prayer he stands at another he kneels at one part of the publick Service he is all white and then that Colour is most decent by and by all Black and then that is most decent nor is there any uniformity between the Minister and the people â—…e at the Delivery of the consecrated Elements praying in a posture of standing and they in the Act of Receiving who pray not yet confined to Geniculation Nor is there less discrepancy between the several parts of worship for whereas the grand Plea for Ceremonies is a certain Decency which they conciliate to the service and their great usefulness to stirr up the dull minds of men yet only Baptism is adorned with the sign of the Cross and the rest left naked of so great an ornament and yet the Apostles Rule is let all things be done decently and we have as much need to have our dull minds quickned in the other Sacrament and all other pars of worship § 4. Lastly That power which belongs to the supream Civil Magistrate as such belongs to all and every supream Magistrate but this power of instituting imposing Ceremonies belongs not to every supream Magistrate therefore it belongs not to the supream Civil Magistrate as such that is it belongs to none The Reason of the Major Proposition is taken from that Common Axiome A 〈◊〉 ad omne valet consequentiâ—… The proof of the Minor is this That which belonged not to the supream Civil Magistrate for three hundred years after Christs time belongs not to all Civil Magistrates but this power of instituting and imposing Ceremonies belonged not to the Civil Magistrate for three hundred years after Christs time therefore it belonged not to all To enervate which Argument it must either be denyed that the Roman Emperours during that Period were supream Civil Magistrates which St. Paul opposes charging the Churches to obey them or asserted that they had a power to determine of the Circumstantials of the Christian Religion and prescribe what Ceremonies they saw good in the Evangelical worship 2 We now come to his second Thesis If the Magistrate may Determine these Matters then not only Christian Charity and humility but Common Prudence requires us to presume of the wisdom and reasonableness of his determinations and much more to obey them I shall say little but perhaps smile the more at the prettiness of the consequent It 's our duty to presume of the reasonableness but much more to obey those Determinations that is it 's much mâ—…re our duty to obey then to be Rational That we are to presume very highly of the wisdom of our Superiours acting within their proper Sphaere we readily admit For when God calls them to a work he
suffer a less cruel death then his Patron Pollio had doomed him to Augustus was surprized and upon enquiry into the matter understands that this Boy had accidentally broken some of his Masters Chrystal Glasses wherein he greatly delighted for which fact his furious Master had inhumanely condemned him to be thrown into a Pond there to be devoured by the Canibal Lampreys And this was the Reason of his so confident Application to the grace of Soveraign Majesty Augustus transported with the novelty of so Barbarous punishment commanded the rest of the Glasses to be broken and the Fish-pond to be filled up That there might either be no occasion for such passion or not the means to execute it Let therefore the Enquirer know who with his smooth Praelatical Charity has given up Dissenters to the Rods and Axes that they will Honour and obey the King under all those penalties which it shall please his wisdom to inflict And if they cannot be so serviceable in well-doing will endeavour to suffer for well-doing with a heart so submissive and a conversation so inoffensive that shall make their enemies more repine at the Glory of their sufferings then the eye-sore of their indulgence Nor yet dare they despair of the clemency of their Soveraign who having suffered hard things in his own sacred person has learnt to pitty them who do suffer But if this Compassionate Enquiry be all the instruction they must expect for their Satisfaction the Non-conformists may have Reason to say they are illfed and worse taught CHAP. IX Wherein the Enquirers insinuated Detractions are refelled some little Artifices discovered Calvin vindicated and the whole concluded DEtraction differs from Contumely just as Theft from Robbery by the Highway The Slaunderer is but a Pickpoket the Reviler a Padder the one can dexterously do the feat and carry of his prize with a cast of cleanly conveyance but the soulmouth'd Rayler attacques the repute of the innocent â—…i Armis and pleads his Commission to plunder The Serious Enquirer in some of his former Chapters has with downright Oblequy assaulted the credit of Dissenters but in this he proceeds more discreetly undermining their Reputations by oblique infinuations and indirect suggestions whereby he has gained this singular advantage that whilst he lays before the Malicious sufficient matter to seed and furnish their malice yet lyes close under the covert of this excuse that he affirms nothing positively at once taking from the aggrieved party all possibility of just defence and sheltring himself under the Politick plea of not being Dogmatical The design of all which as of his whole elaborate discourse he could not more fully instruct us in then in those few words of his pag. 221. It was an effectual course Haman took Esth. 3. 8. When he designing to ruine the whole Church of the Iews first undermines the Reputation of their Prosession delates their Religion as not fit for the Protection of the Prince and that it did contain Laws contrary to all people and that they would not obey the Kings Laws So solemn and sacred is that practise to love the Treason and hate the Traytor to imitate the Policy and yet decry the Politician But sure our Enquirer is quite out in one thing for though Haman's Policy was subtle yet it proved not effectual unless he account a pair of Gallows such great success and therefore I hope the Enquirer will accept it as a specimen of my Charity if I pray that he may never take an effectual course Examples indeed are numerous and obvious which prove that wicked Counsels have most perniciously recoiled upon their Authors and Phaleris in this one thing most just taught Perillus the sweetness of his own Brazen Bull by giving the Artificer the first handsale of his ingenicus contrivance Nec lex est justior ulla Quà m necis Artificâ—…s arte perire suâ § 1. Now his first insâ—…nuation is that the N. C. stand out only upon a Point of Honour I cannot see says he what should be able to perpetuate our Distractions unless it be a point of Honour that some men think themselves obliged to persevere because they have begun which sly Method of Detraction as it may safely be contemned by the innocent so as easily retorted by the confident for others perhaps cannot see what should be able to perpetuate their persecutions unless it be a point of Honour that some men think themselves obliged to persevere in their rigorous impositions because they have begun and had rather justify an errour then have it thought they have been in one so long It 's a most unrighteous procedure to charge any man with base and unworthy designs further then pregnant overtures will justify such a charge and yet A. B. Whitguift has given the world too great occasion for such a jealousy that it was a Point of honour that obstracted a Reformation when his great Argument to defeat the Pious intentions of the Parliament was that it would tend to the slaunder of the Church as having hetherto maintained an errour Nay I have read in the Grand Debate Sect. 6. That the Reverend Prelates authorized to Reform the Liturgy insist upon this as one Reason of their non-condescension to more alterations That it would be a virtual Concession that the Liturgy was an intolerable burden to tender Consciences But a few considerations would rout a Legion of such ungrounded suggestions As. 1. That the applause of inconsiderable persons must needs be very inconsiderable and that credit small which is gained amongst those who are of small credit in the World Ad 2ly That the temptation lyes visibly on the other side He that would drive a gainful Trade for Credit and Honour must settle his Factory where such Commodities are native and staple He may gape for Dignities and Honours till he is Chap fallen whose Conscience shall cast his lot amongst the Dissenters and when he has Angled all day may come home with a Diverbe I have fight fair and caught a Frog And. 3. Sure no wise man would purchase honourable scars with mortal wounds nor incur the displeasure of Armed power only to wear the Cognizance of foolish valour in Black and Blew 'T is a slender alleviation of those loads of reproach which they feel besides those greater severities which they may fear to wear a Feather in their Caps and the aiery plume of popular applause Nay 4. Let this Gentleman make it his own case and learn to judge more moderately Suppose it were enacted by Law That to practise the Ceremonies should be punisht with suspension ab officio beneficio would he upon a point of Honour espouse their quarrel or would the waxen wings of Fame support his courage under those penalties Why then should he judge that corruption colodge in the breast of another which he would not harbour in his own And yet I must needs say that the good name and moderate Repute of every Christian much