by hearing Non-conformists than others and therefore why should we not forsake our Parish-ministers to hear them I answer 1. were this generally true that hereby men are better Christians than they were before we have reason to rejoyce in that more honour redounds to God and good to their own Souls Are men hereby more acquainted with the Perfections of God so as to live in the sense of his All-seeing Eye his governing the world his supplying us with blessings so as continually to fear and love him daily to offer up their Prayers and Praises to him and more frequent in communicating of the Body and Bloud of Christ in the Lords Supper Are they hereby more dutiful Children loyal Subjects obedient to them that have the rule over them and watch for their Souls more faithful Servants more loving Neighbours and as Parents more careful to educate their children in the nurture of the Lord Are they more just in their dealings more charitable and loving in their demeanour more humble and condescending to their fellow-brethren less censorious than formerly less prying and intermedling with the affairs of others and in a word doing the same to others as they desire others should do to them Lastly are they hereby more heedful lest their hearts should be overcharged with surseiting drunkenness and the cares of this life are they better able to command and regulate their passions and affections less solicitous for the things of this world and more ardently breathing after Heaven I say if these and the like Christian qualifications are wrought in mens Souls by the labours of our Non-conforming Brethren we do therein rejoyce yea and will rejoyce I wish these effects were more generally wrought among their Hearers and that instead thereof many did not make their Hearing them and separating from us a Cloak for their sins 2. Suppose these be generally the fruits of their labours I wish them to consider whether the like would not be produced if their Preachers kept their meetings at other times than those wherein we assemble and whether the Hearers be the better Christians for being hindred from joyning with us in our addresses to God and attendance on his word 3. May not the like gracious effects be expected in the hearing of their own Pastors that are Conformists If not it must arise either from the insufficiency of the means or the denial of Gods Blessing upon it As for the first consider whether our labours tend not to the foresaid ends and whether the producing those effects is not the great thing we drive at and withal whether the greatest part of Conformist Ministers are not fitted and qualified for this work And as for Gods blessing it may in all reason be expected from those that attend on us because they do not offend God by needless separation by forsaking the lawful Assemblies by withdrawing themselves from the Churches of Christ and by breaking the bond of peace in opposing them Gods blessing is then chiefly to be expected by us when we walk in Gods ways 4. Suppose the Non-conformist you hear may more warm and raise your affections nay suppose his Sermons better fitted to inform you if these benefits may be obtained in a lower degree in our publick Assemblies Consider whether you ought to leave us when you give so great advantages to the Common Enemy the Popish Agents to destroy both you and us when you do so much mischief by your bad Example in drawing others to separate or incouraging them in their Separation and when from hence you incur so much danger by Scandalizing others for that is Scandal when we draw others into sin or hinder them in the ways of God for a woe is pronounced by our Saviour against such Luke 17.1 2. and that it were better for him that a milstone were hung about his neck and he cast into the Sea 5. Consider whether your practice be consistent with the Duties that God requires should be performed to your legal Pastors who labour among you and are over you in the Lord These you are commanded to esteem very highly in love for their works sake 1 Thess 5.12 13. Now do you manifest any esteem or love towards them while by withdrawing your selves from hearing them you discourage them in their labours 6. Supposing some N. C. be a more edifying Teacher what necessity is there that you should hear him in such a constancy as to reject your Parish-Minister or from hence to forsake our publick Assemblies and to neglect the Sacraments administred in our Churches Lastly if this be a sufficient reason to leave one Preacher and follow another because he more affects or pleases you consider whether this will not be an inlet to all delusions If you leave your own Minister whom you cannot but owne preaches the Gospel of Christ to hear another who in your esteem preaches more feelingly you may on the same reason leave this new preacher to follow another and another and never stop till you fall into gross Errors to the dishonour of God the disturbance of the Church and the perdition of your own Souls As the reason of the thing it self evidences this so do the Instances of many who have run thus giddily sadly evince the truth hereof Take heed of being in the number of those spoken of 2 Tim. 4.3 who after their own lusts heap to themselves teachers having itching Ears Such are in danger of turning away their ears from the truth and turning unto fables Verse 4. Having thus largely answered that objection I again beseech you Brethen in the bowels of love as you desire the peace of your own Conscience the peace of the Church of God and the prosperity and peace of England that you would seriously consider what I have propounded It is our Duty to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace This Duty is not practised by those who without any just grounds separate themselves from any true Church There can be no just ground of Separation from our Churches unless you are put upon doing something that is sinful in order to enjoying Communion with us Nothing can be sinful but what is a Transgression of some Law of God Now if any thing occur to your own thoughts or be propounded by others as a violation of Gods Laws which is required as a condition of Communion with us be serious in the examination hereof before you forsake our Assemblies upon the account of its unlawfulness In this trial I beseech you make Gods revealed will the Rule of your Conscience and not the Example or Judgment of such whom you esteem for their Piety Several persons remember how many who before the late unhappy troubles in this Nation were followers of the Non-conformists though it is probable on no other ground but because they appeared to manifest a greater Zeal for God than others how these I say fell into monstrous extravagancies after liberty was given to men to vent their
A PERSWASIVE TO REFORMATION AND UNION AS THE Best Security Against the Designs OF OUR POPISH ENEMIES LONDON Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishop's Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1680. A PERSWASIVE TO REFORMATION AND VNION THERE are none at this time except such as are wilfully ignorant but are convinced what danger our established Religion and Government have of late been and still are in from our Popish adversaries It is well known what these men have designed against us and how near some of their designs were brought toward execution viz. to assassinate our Sovereign to subvert our Religion to introduce the Popes monstrous tyranny and usurpation and probably to massacre all such as were likely to resist them or oppose their designs And though hitherto God hath graciously disappointed them yet in all likelihood their Hopes are still great and their designs proportionable It is true God hath hitherto defeated their conspiracies and caught them in the net which they have laid for others This as it should encourage our hope and dependance on the Almighty so should it excite our care to be ever under his protection and by this to endeavour the continuance of the peace and happiness of this Kingdom All that lies in the power of private persons to whom this discourse is addressed to effect this is to present their Prayers to God for his Blessing on this Nation and to be such as God may hear their Prayers Let us therefore earnestly petition him who is the giver of mercies and safeguard of Nations to continue his goodness to us in preserving our Sovereign influencing and directing publick Councils and infatuating the designs of such who seek our subversion But withal when we know that if we regard iniquity in our hearts the Lord will not hear our prayers that it is in vain for us to hope for blessings from God while we provoke this fountain of blessings by our sins and that we cannot with reason imagine that our Prayers should find access to Heaven while our iniquities that cry to Heaven for vengeance make a separation betwixt God and us Hence it clearly appears that 1. Reformation Repentance and turning from our evil ways conjoyned with our Supplications to God is the chief means of this Nations security and that whoever they are that break from their sins and much more those that convert others from the errors of their ways are highly instrumental to promote this Kingdoms happiness Prov. 14.34 Righteousness exalteth a Nation but Sin is a reproach to any people To make this evident consider 1. that Sin on two accounts tends to a Nations Ruine First by way of efficiency as it makes men brutish and foolish and unable to understand what is really for their good as it dispirits them and robs them of true courage and valour and withal as it renders them contemptible and hence first a scorn and then an easie prey to their Enemies Secondly meritoriously as it provokes God to inflict his Judgments to raise up and prosper Enemies and to defeat such counsels as have a tendency to the Nations happiness Thence was it that God so severely threatned the Israelites with calamities if they dared to provoke him by their sins Deut. 28. and so often executed those threats upon their provocations 2. There are some sins which in a special manner God hath threatned to punish a Nation for and that do in their own nature call for vengeance And they are such as immediately strike at the Majesty of God For such bold affronts challenge the Almighty and call for vengeance upon the offenders Hence we find Idolatry rejecting God and worshipping Idols chiefly mentioned as the Reasons of the Israelites desolation and captivity Both by way of threatning when their miseries are foretold by Moses and the Prophets as also the ground of particular calamities and captivities when they have befallen them Thus the Reason of the captivity of the ten Tribes is assigned 2 Kings 17. to be their making molten Images worshipping the Host of Heaven serving Baal making their children to pass through the fire c. And that for which God was chiefly angry with Judah was the sins of Manasseh 2 Kings 23.26 together with that mentioned 2 Chron. 36.16 But they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy When men come to such an height of impudence as immediately to strike at God and his perfections is it a wonder that this jealous God should awake in fury and express his severe displeasure against such offenders If men will disown God or deny his Existence or question either his Power or Truth and dare to scorn and vilifie his Word is there not Reason for the High and mighty One to vindicate his Honour and to manifest himself a God of infinite Power and Truth by sensible demonstrations of his Majesty that have a tendency to awaken secure sinners and for ever to silence those that dare impudently to contend with the Almighty Let us consider whether some of these sins are not committed ay and with an high hand and with monstrous impudence in this Nation Though God is not rejected by mens setting up of false Gods yet he is by their denying the Existence of him that is the true God Though he is not dishonoured by erection of Altars to other Deities yet is he abominably contemned by the profane neglect of his own Ordinances and the vile scorn that is cast upon them Alas what a profligate age do we live in wherein some dare not only say in their hearts but have the confidence to utter it with their mouths that there is no God and others to deny his Providence and Superintendency over the world Nay it presages ill that there are such multitudes whose Actions publickly proclaim that these are their Thoughts For who durst profane Gods name by vain Oaths and Curses and much more by Perjury who believes that there is a God who will not hold these Guiltless Who durst be Indifferent in Religion or think themselves unconcerned to depend on God for his blessing or to own his Goodness in solemn praises who believe that God governs the world and that in him we live move and have our beings And lastly who durst contemn and vilifie such whose office is to be Ministers of Gods worship and Pastors of Souls who believe that there is a God that is to be worshipped or that they have Souls that are immortal and capacitated for the enjoyment of endless felicity Now when it is too evident that Gods Being is questioned his Providence denied his name blasphemed his word scoffed at his worship neglected by so many and by others exposed to scorn as the product of folly and Melancholy and lastly his Ordinances and whatever is Sacred is contemned may not God say to us as he did to the Jews Shall I not visit for
the whole Church of God in all Ages and places from the Apostles time or however the next Ages after them have used Forms and Liturgies till some few of late among our selves have condemned them How Protestant Churches beyond the Seas use them is too well known to be here insisted on About this therefore I would only intreat you to consider 1. whether any Christian when he begs Gods blessing on his meat in the same words he hath used formerly or renders thanks to God after his meals in that form or those expressions he hath aforetime used is he for this guilty of sinning against God This must follow if the use of Forms of Prayer be sinful 2. If our Non-conforming Brethren use the same expressions or the same method doth this involve them in guilt 3. Consider if Forms be unlawful it is impossible that Christians should joyn together in the same publick Prayers to God in that whatever Prayer is uttered though it be extempore in reference to him that speaks it yet it is a Form to them that joyn with him therein they being tied up to his words It will not be enough for any to make this a plea for their Separation that it is required of Ministers to use the Surplice and the Cross after Baptism supposing they are not satisfied of the lawfulness of them much less those Declarations and Subscriptions which are required of Ministers For though these are required in order to the Exercising of their Ministry yet are they not required as Conditions of communion with us Hence our Non-conforming Brethren may acquit themselves to God and their own Consciences if upon sincere endeavours used they cannot satisfie their judgments to do those things and therefore lay aside the exercise of their Ministry Nay further this is enough to cause us to judge and act charitably towards them while we find them in other things conscientiously submitting to authority I will further add that when we find many such this should cause us to desire if it may seem good to our Superiours that some means might be contrived for the admittance of such to the Exercise of their Ministerial Function Yet on the other side when those Subscriptions c are not required of them as conditions of Communion with us this cannot justifie them or any other private Christians in their separating from our Assemblies much less in their setting up congregations in opposition to ours If our Brethrens Consciences will not permit them to Subscribe c. doth their Consciences forbid them to joyn in our Prayers however to attend on the Preaching of our Ministers in order to which no such condition is required of them Having a little gone beyond my first intentions viz. to speak only to private Christians I will take leave briefly to answer one Objection that is made in behalf of our Non-conforming Brethren If we should do thus we must hide our Talents in a Napkin live unsuitably to that office we are called to be unprofitable and unserviceable in our Generation In answer to this I will not repeat what Non-conformists have in this case answered when urged by the Brownists especially that published by Mr. Rathband and recited in the Second Part of the Friendly Debate pag. 183. That the Bishops act is the act of the Church that it lies in them to depose that may ordain c. But this I say first that as many have so more might improve their abilities to the advantage of Gods Church by their useful writings others might be highly beneficial if in their private converse they instructed the ignorant resolved the doubts of them that are under scruples of Conscience and the like pious offices which they are not forbidden by the Law 2. I add supposing our Superiours permit it they might preach publickly in some parts of this Kingdom which are ill-provided with Ministers as I have heard of a worthy person who thus imploys himself in Wales and not in great places that are well furnished with Preachers As their preaching in such places might be beneficial so their undertaking would be approved by most connived at by all 3. If they preach in other places is there any necessity in order to the imploying their gifts that they preach at those times when our publick Assemblies are held for Gods worship or are they hence constrained to set up Congregations in opposition to ours If God require of them to preach the Gospel doth he also require of them that they should by their practice oppose and defie the Congregations of Gods people that are legally established Lastly cannot they use their Talent of preaching without administring the Sacraments in anothers charge and without withdrawing members from the flocks of others I am sure the old Non-conformists abhorred these practices and condemned them in the Brownists And we know who were offended at such things in later days when they were Ministers of Parochial Churches I wish they would consider whether those Arguments they then used against others be not now of like force against themselves But leaving this digression I return to the Pleas which people make for their Separation And here I again say that when there are no Declarations or Subscriptions required of private Christians as conditions of their Communion these things are unjustly urged as Reasons of their Separation As also the pretence of the Surplice when that is not to be worn by you nor the Cross after Baptism to be used by you how can these then be grounds for you to forsake us As for Kneeling at the Lords Supper I know indeed this is required as a gesture in that Ordinance but certainly unjustly excepted against For what Law of God forbids this or requires any other gesture If Christs example obliges us it equally obliges us to celebrate the Ordinance after Supper in an upper room and cloathed with a seamless Coat If we are obliged by Christs Example then we are tied to the particular gesture which Christ used and that was the Tricliniary gesture lying on a bed c. As for those that except against this Gesture as if herein we complied with the Papists in adoring the Host these persons if learned speak against their own knowledge in that the adoration the Papists pay to the Eucharist is their falling down when the Priest lifts up the Host in the Consecration of it when withal the Church of England professes in the Rubrick at the end of the Communion Service that this is only meant for an humble and grateful acknowledgment of the Benefits of Christ And declares that thereby no adoration is intended or ought to be done either unto the Sacramental Bread and Wine there bodily received or unto any corporal presence of Christs natural Flesh and Bloud that were Idolatry to be abhorred of all faithful Christians Read the rest I will only speak to one thing more which is the chief ground why many well-meaning persons desert us We can profit more