of the holy Scriptures Preaching hath obtained in the universal Church to this day Who shall question whether Preaching whereby we address to God adoring him for his mercy and truth in the Ministry of the Priests Lips be a part of divine worship I am sure the Injunctions of his present Majesty makes it part of divine Service With reference to Preaching also we have our Ordination and Institution and the Laws and Canons require it at our hands Why should our Adversaries triumph and say we are against Preaching and that we speak against it to excuse our idleness or inability are not we best known by the name of Preachers do they not by our Preaching see their most need of us do they not hence raise their value and estimation for us do what you can and spare not to recover the honour due to the Priesthood in other regards But if all the rest be lost I see no reason we should hazard this also It is said the Preachers of our Church are famous and have long been famous through the Christian World for Preaching Let no man take our Crown let us not throw it away our selves 2. I perceive also offence hath Avoid Socinianism and the suspition of it been taken of the pretended rational way of some of our Preachers both in their Preaching and Writing Though no sobâ—r man can doubt but that it hath been of late improved very excellently for the baffling of Popery and the shaming of Phanaticism out â—f the World But seeing the Law of Religion is twofold viz. that of Reason and revelation Phanaticism seems to be twofold also When men so adhere to Revelation as to despise Reason or so to glory in Reason as to neglect Revelation onely with this difference the first do sine Ratione and the later cum ratione insanire having the honour to run mad in the Rational way Mâ— thinks it is safest so to use our Reason about Religâ—on as not to draw the suspition either of Sociniaâ—sme or Infidelity Admit there were neither Phanatick in ordinary sâ—ncâ— nor Papist in the World what have we gained if we have hazarded Christianity neither can I bear with so general and accommodated an account of the Christian Religion whatsoever iâ—s pretenses arâ— as a Jew a Turk or a Pagan mâ—y subscribe We glory and that justly in the great Title of Ministers of the Gospel and we are set for the defense of it And what is the Gospel in strictness of Speech but the glad tidings of Salvation by Faith in the Redemption of Christ and the Sanctification of the Holy Ghost And he that seems to despise these is not more like to a Socinian then an Infidel but more like either then a Minister of the Gospel Is not Faith both in the grace and profession of it a great part of the Christian Religion or is there nothing in the object of the Christian Faith but what is Reason abstracted from Revelaâ—ion I am not altogether ignorant of the learned attempts this way though to no great purpose I know we cannot believe and know not why yet we use to say that the Arguments inducing Faith are not taken from the nature of the Object but from the credibility or infallibility of the Author or deliverer of it And our Faith in the prime Doctrines of the Gospel is built not upon them as reasonable in themselves but upon Testimony from him that cannot deceive us According to our Catechism we say we believe in God the Father that made the World Now if Reason could have found out certainly that the World was made yet that it was made by the Word of God or by the Son of God or that things that do Heb. 11. 1. now appear were made of things which did not i. e. that all things were made out of nothing these things the Apostle you know referreth to Faith as things never to have been discovered without special Revelation Much less that those other great Articles touching the Redemption of Christ and the Sanctification of the Holy Ghost if you consider them in their Evangelical Latitude That the Second Person in the Trinity should assume the humane Nature into an Hypostatical union with it self that this nature should be conceived by the Holy Ghost born of a pure Virgâ—n That there is a Messias and that this is He. That he died for our sins that he rose again for our justification That he ascended to Hâ—avâ—n and there sits â—n the right hand of God and that thence he shall come again to Judge the World All these are things that Reason is an utter Stranger to For great is the Mystery of Godliness God manifested in the Flesh c. Again that there is a third Person in the Deity that this is the Holy Ghost that inspired the Divine Writers and confirmâ—d the Gospel by Miracles That he is sent down frâ—m Heaven to convince the World to instruct and sanctifie to govern guide and comfort the Church These things we all stâ—dfastly believe as Evangelical Verities not discoverable by any other Light then that of divine and special Revelation I might add that Repentance it self though it be a very reasonable thing in those that have offended in order to pardon c. Yet as it is a grace of this Spirit and as it is a condition of the new Covenant it is matter of Faith and not to be discovered by Reason alone This is the Word of Faith that we ought to Preach and profess and thereby give our Testimony that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the World 1 Joh. 4. 14. In this the Apostles and Primitive Martyrs were all Confessors Search Antiquity and you find all ancient Offices to have been compiled as it were for the same purpose Our Church both in her Doctrine and Worship is a great Pillar of Christianity whereon little else is written but Jesus Christ Review our Catechisme and Collects Hymns and Litany and several Creeds as well as the Offices of the Sacraments together with the reason and end of all our Festivals and particularly of the Lords day and you cannot but be confirm'd in the acknowledgment of our great profession of the Gospel of Christ Then let the World be Infidel but we that are Christians and Ministers of Christ let us joy in believing and in our places own and prosess the Gospel by Faith which we cannot comprehend by Reason Let us hold fast the Doctrine and keep close to the worship and obsâ—rve the Festivals of our own Church as the true Sons of it and there can be no colour for any suspicion or imputation of Socinianisme upon us The sum is notwithstanding the private opinions of some men he must needs be very weak that shall fly from the Church of England for fear of Socinianism of which none can possibly doubt that moreover read the Canons made by the Bishops and the rest of our Clergy in the Convocation of 1640.
famous Case of the Recabites They â—bstained from Wine in obedience â—o their Fathers command after â—e was dead and all fear of his â—rath was gone Now what â—ould move or oblige them but Conscience Conscience I say â—ot that the matter was otherwise commanded by God or was for the publick good but â—n honour to their dead Parent which God commanâ—ed Thereâ—ore we find God approves accepts and rewards it Which vâ—ry thing proves it was ultimately and really an obedience to Gods own Will for God approves accepts and rewards nothing elsé But the foresaid Author pursues J. H. His second Principle his discourse to a Principle â—hat seems to me of more dangerous consequences to Government P. 112 c. That hâ—mane Powers may not lawfully cemmand or inforce any thinâ— against the Conscieâ—ces or perswasions of the Consciences of thâ— Subject even in civil concernâ— And for this instance he is venturous to say that a Tax may bâ— P. 118. laid upon the People yet if anâ— one resuses to pay it as one oâ— the Fifth Monarchy he observes may possibly in point of Conscience do though distress may bâ— taken for the publick good yet thâ— person may not lawfully be punished for not paying it Anâ— thus his matter runs smoothly but if we may have leave to make choice of an Instance â— think he will desire no furtheâ— answer in this particular E. G. The Law of God is the Rule of Conscience This Law is Negative as well as Affirmative and binds the Conscience equally in both respects So far we are agreed Nâ—w admit a man of the Fifth Monarchy or a number of such men shall think they are bound in Conscience by virtue of some plain Text in the Revelations to destroy the Wicked to set up the Government of Jesus Christ in his Saints and from that of the Psalmist in order to this great work to bind the Kings of the Earth in Chains and our Nobles in Fetters of Iron Seriously say what think you of this Case may not the Sword of the Magistrate be made a terrour to such evil Doers may not those bloody Consciences be restrained by commands and menaces may not these bloody hands be cut off and punished may not Conscientious Murther be revenged no little Artifices of mans wit no cunning Subterfugs of debaucheâ— Consciences can possibly race out that indeleble Law of Nature and the God of Nature he that shedeth mans blood by man shall his blood be shed And if the like colour from Conscience be put upon Theft Adultery or any of the sins against our Neighbour they may easily receive a like Answer You will say perhaps these are evil by virtue of Gods command before mans Law was made true so also 't is a good which God requires before the Tax be made that we should give to every one his due Tribute to whom Tribute Custom to whom Custom And I am apt to think that what is given to King Charles by our selves in Parliament is as due to him as what was exacted by Caesars command was to Caesar I am afrâ—id I shall trouble that Ingenious Authâ—r otherwise I should mind him that by such Principles the Non-Conformists are not likâ—ly to carry it in point of Loyalty or tendency to Publick Good which draw both Râ—ligion and Justice and prâ—pâ—rly it self under such Authority of private Conscience as unhâ—ngâ—th Government And to say no worse leave all those precious things in an unestablished condition But I spare them for he many times seems to explain himself a great deal better then his Principle will bear him out And sometimes especially towards the latter end of his Book when he had better considered the Consequences of it he more then seems to suspect it and resolves all into the Prudence of the Governour no doubt finding his distinction of the Power of restraint and coustraint would not serve him in all emergencies Let him consider the Law of God obligeth us to do as well as to omit Accordingly Conscience ruled by its apprehensions of that Law obligeth us to both Or whether it do so or no it may be perswaded it doth and that 's all one And though Conscience err yet it is to us as God and by obeying it we obey God and it is above all humane Authority Therefore the Magistrate hath no power to enforce me not to do my apprehended duty or to punish me if I do it though it be to murther the innocent as in the Case before He abhors the consequence but whose are the premises After all this and supposing some of us to be really guilty either of ignorance scandal idleness or imprudence in the aforesaid particulars I cannot be so fond as to believe that this is the chief cause of the present Separation whatever is pretended my Reason is because it hath hitherto so happened as a demonstration to the contrary that where the Dissenters themselves acknowledge their Parish Ministers freest from snch exceptions and all other there is generally the greatest cause to bewail Separation Consequently I have no great No hopes yet do your duties encouragement without a miracle to beleive that if you should reform every thing that is really amiss in you or that they complain of while you are true to the duties of your places the Separation will much abate upon it However you have other sufficient Motives to quicken you other Persons to account with Therefore sâ—t the fear of God and the good of the Church before you and remove all appearances of evil from your selves and all occasions of evil speaking from the Dissenters And let nothing discourage you in your Studies and cares to amend what â—s amiss to persevere in well doing to fulfil your Ministry and to receive your Crown And if notwithstanding your uttermost endeavours to prevent it they will be offended and forsake your Churches bear it as your Cross Pray sor your Enemies with the patience of Christians and the courage of the men of God And however they treat you or the Church cease not to pity and pray for them as you are taught Pray for them though your Enemies Though they slander you and persecute you and for nothing else but the truth's sake as they Apostle That it may please thee to forgive our Enemies Persecutors and Slanderers and turn their Hearts Pray for them as Sheep that are gone astray that it may please thee to bring into the way of truth such as have erred and are deceived We beseech thee to hear as good Lord. Now my Brethren I humbly and earnestly beseech you to pardon my freedome with you Onely take it by the right handle and I know you cannot take it amiss Seeing 't is said I have dealt smartly with our Adversaries if I should not deal plainly with you I should neither follow my Example nor answer my Reprover But I have a word or two also ad populum for our Conforming
false as do not preserve all Christian Communion with the Saints nor joyn with them in all duties of worship so far as they are able shall not have the benefit of this indulgence And to the end that these words so far as they are able may not stand for a meer Cypher and signifie nothing let each man particularly declare in what ordinances he is able to joyn that so all total Separation may be prevented p. 70. Indep Though we shall not joyn with we will not condemn your Churches as false And this no rigid Separation p. 71. Presb. The condemning our Churches as false doth little extenuate the Separation For divers of the Brownists who have totally separated in former times have not condemned these Churches as false Though you do not pronounce an affirmative judgement against us your very separating is a tacit and practical condemning of our Churches if not as false yet as impure eousque as that in such Admistrations they cannot be by you as Members communicated with without sin Indep However though we cannot communicate with you as Members of your particular Congregations yet we will preserve all Christian Communion with you as Saints and Members of the Catholick Church Presb. This is as full a declining Communion with us as Churches as if we were false Churches p. 72. Indep If this be called Schism or the countenance of Schism it is more then we have yet learned either from the Scripture or any approved Author p. 73. Presb. It gives manifest countenance to perpetual Schâ—sm should this be allowed you Not that we think differences in Judgment in this or that point to be Schism or that every Inconformâ—ty unto every thing is Schism so as Communion be preserved Or that Separation from Idolotrous Communion ex se unlawful is Schism but 1. We find that you desire not onely that you may be free from communicating as Members in those Parishes where you dwell but also that you may have liberty to have Congregations of such persons who out of tenderness of Conscience cannot communicate with us but do voluntarily offer themselves to joyn in separate Congregations of another Communion Which Secession of our Members from us is a manifest rupture of our Societies into other and is therefore a Schism in the body And if the Apostle doth call those Divisions of the Church wherein Christians did not separate into diverse formed Congregations of several Communions in the Sacrament Schisms much more may such Separations as you desire be so called 2. We find it not alleaged as a Cause of your Separation either that our Churches are false or our Communion exâ—se unlawful but onely Scruple of Conscience that you cannot without sin as to you partake in all duties and enjoy all ordinances which is no Cause of separating nor doth it take off Causless Separation from being Schism which may arise from errours of Conscience as well as carnal and corrupt Reasons Therefore we conceive the Causes of Separation must be shewn to be such as ex Natura rei will bear it out which hath not yet been done nor we think can be 3. And now we desire you to shew out of Scripture and approved Authors what you have learned concerning Schism For the breaking off Members from their Churches which are lawfully constituted Churches and from Communion in Ordinances dispenfed according to Gods word without just and sufficient Cause ex natura rei to justifie such Secession and to joyn in other Congregations of separate Communion either because of Causless Scruple of their own Conscience or because of personal failings in the Officers or Members of the Congregation from which they separate hath been accounted Schism and the setting up Altare contra Altare And concurrently do approved Authors say and we likewise conceive that it is the Cause of the Separation which gives both name and thing to Schism For if the cause be unjust or insufficient according to the Rule of the Word of God let our Brethren tell us what such Separation is It is our â—arnest desire and Prayer that our Brethren might enjoy the Ordinances with the Peace of their Consciences and of the Church also or that they would rather deny themselves of their full liberty in every point then redeem it at the price of so much danger and disqâ—riet to the Churches of God p. 74 5 6 7. Indep The Ministers of the Parish Churches are not such as we can comfortably joyn with and sit down under Presh We do not believe that you mean that onely such should be allowed to gather into your Congregations who live under bad and unprofitable Ministers though that be the onely medium there used against our Reason Where the Ministry is without P. 84 85. just exception we refer it to your own Conscinces and to the practise of your Congregations to say how fit it is that the Members should ordinarily much less constantly seek the Ordinances elsewhere We long to know what Reformation of our Parishes will satisfie your Consciences or how this Kingdom may be made the Kingdom of the Lord and of his Christ better then by dividing it into several parts by the bounds of their dwellings that all who give up their Names to Christ may be taught and governed and have all the Ordinances administred among them suitable to their Conditions p. 102. Indep But it seems you would have us for ever to want the Lords Supper which is not to be endured p. 102. Presb. 1. Why may not some expedient satisfie you in this to prevent so great an evil as Separation 2. We may not do evil for any good end If a man should be brought to such a Streight as that either he must want the Lords Supper or separate from the Congregation whereof he is a Member he may here want the Ordinance during this Errour of his Conscience with less danger than to purchase it by a sinful separation 3. This is a strange and dangerous way of arguing which may open a gap to as many Divisions and Subdivisions in the Church as the Errours are unto which the minds of men are subject And if this be allow'd we desire you to consider how long not our Churches onely but your own or any other Churches in the World shall be free from uncurable unquietness Indep It must be a prejudice to the Church we are in if we separate from her in the Lords Supper And yet you would have us live under their Government whom we prejudice which seems unreasonable to us p. 104 Presb. If your Errours cause prejudice against you is it unreasonable for you to be under the Government of that Church which is prejudiced by you may you with good reason Scandalize the Church by Separation and the Church have no reason to govern you then prejudicating or scandalizing Errours are a Supersedeas to all Government We do not then wonder that Errours and perverse opinions so much abound it may be