They seek to justify their Non-conformity by venting False at least dubious and unsound Positions Such are these That our Ceremonies are Parts of Divine Worship But where do they find this or do we teach any such thing No surely for are Parts of Divine Worship alterable according to the difference of Time and Place Art of the Church of England 24. May they be ordained changed or abolished by Authority of Particular Churches as we assert of these They might be ashamed of such a Calumny And I desire they would advise with Casuists of their own Denomination Latae á Deo Ceremoniae sunt Cultus Dei ab omnibus institutae non sunt Cultus Dei sed si bonae sunt cultui divino serviunt Vrs Cat. par 3 Q. 92. Ab Ecclesia Institutae Ceremoniae non sunt Cultus Dei 16. Q 103. and these will tell them That Ceremonies which God establisheth are indeed the Worship of God but what men institute are not the Worship of God Though if they be good they are Subserviceable to the Worship of God And again Ceremontes instituted by the Church are not the Worship of God And I wish this may satisfy them But they pretend the same Reason to separate from us that we had to forsake the Church of Rome How implacable is Malice Were bare Ceremonies the cause of our Desertion or what do you mean by these Notorious Falsities Do we frame New Articles of Faith or equallize Tradition unto Scripture Do we subject the Scepter to the Crosier or arrogate Infallibility unto our Church Do we offer Sacrafice for the Quick and Dead or do Transubstantiation Purgatory and he like come out off our Mint Or do you meet any of our Church that will justifie Rome as you do us and confess that she is sound in Doctrine and Morrality So gross the Untruth so apparent the Envy that I admire that any one can have either so great Impudence for to averr it or so little Sense to be deceived by it Yet the Imposers you will say were Culpable and the Guilt if there be any lies at their Door By the same Example Malefactors may cry out upon the Law Traitors at the Prince and Sinners against their God But let us scan it seriously And though you would mischieveously insinuate as though our Governors should have designedly contrived these for so many Snares and Gins upon the Conscience Be informed my Brethren for all they did was this When other Rites were abolished they reserved these unabrogated They made no Positive Act whereby they did create or Originally enact them but only suffered them for to continue and that at a season as you shall hear anon when no man scrupled but all had used them So far were they from a thought of Burdening Men's Consciences thereby And have we not now Reason to complaine as Bishop Bilson doth Epist to the Reader before the Gov. of Christ's Church This is an endles Quarrel of theirs declaring they either do not or will not understand the matter for which we chiefly contend But their Conformity would make them guilty of betraying that Liberty wherewith Christ made them free God forbid that you should be again intangled in the Yoke of Bondage Gal. 5.1 But mistake not Submission unto Governors as inconsistent with your Christian Liberty To withdraw is Extravagancy it is Licentiousness and not Liberty That very useing of it for a Cloak of Maliciousness which the Apostle reproveth 1. Pet. 2.16 Christian Liberty is an Exemption from the Jewish Paedagogy a Manumission from that Yoak that our Fathers could not bear Gal. 4.5 And beside this I know no Liberty appositely appropriated to the Christian for as it implies our Freedom from the Slavary of Sin and Satan it is Judaical as much Christian A Branch of that Oath which God sware to Abraham That we being delivered from the hands of our Enemies might serve him in Holiness and Righteousness all the days of our Life Luk. 1.74.75 And so far is our Submitting unto Rites and Ceremonies from trespassing upon our Christian Liberty that each one of these is an Instance of that Freedom which Christ purchased for us For whereas it was the Jewish Yoke that they were so determined in their Modes and Forms that they could not alter nor dispence with Proselites in such Rites and Ceremonies as with Men of disserent Climates meet with as diverse a Construction Christ to obviate that Infelicity which had been an unremoveable Impediment unto the Gospel hath wholly delegated this Authority to the Pleasure of his Church requiring no more then that all things be done Decently and according to an Order 1 Cor. 14.40 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by a Canon or Injuncton for so the word without the least Impropriety of Signification doth import Whence they to whom this Language was Vulgar term their Rules of Discipline 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And so the English that follows Beza's Traslation renders the Text Let all things be done Honestly and By Order which cannot but respect some Rule established by Authority So far is our Christian Liberty from Interfering with Authority that whosoever extends it beyond these Limits is no other than the Advocate of Confusion But their Conscience will not suffer them to comply I might churlishly return and with a sting of Truth What is that to us See you to that But is it your Conscience Be not mistaken Perhaps it is but some over-weeldy Opinion or if it be Conscience shew me the Rule on which it doth proceed for Conscience as your own Guides will tell you doth not Accuse or Excuse but according to some Rule Jus. Div. Roy. Ecc. Principle or Law of God that is above the Conscience Now the Work is short produce any thing above the Conscience to justifie your Pretensions and we are silent for ever But I would gladly ask Did your Conscience of it self frame these Scruples or were they instill'd by Education Converse Interest Affection c. If the former is not your Conscience defiled and erronious Tit. 1.15 For if it be you cannot expect that out of Christian Sympathy we should defile our selves and err too Besides some of your own Casuists resolve Errans Conscientia liganda rather than ligat Lightfoot's Ser. to Comm. That such a Conscience is so far from binding that it ought it self the rather to be bound If the latter Wo be to them by whom the Scandal cometh Mat. 18.7 For this is that very Case to which that Wo is threatned The Scandal there is not an aversion or dislike of something that we see is practised but the being ensnared thereby Consul Ames de Cons into an occasion of Sin Which is the misery of our Dissenting Brethren If they Conform they act against an Opining Conscience and they conclude that Sinful If they refuse they become Disobedient in not submitting to the Ordinance of Man for the Lord's Sake 1 Pet. 2.13
be done by Unwariness and Imprudence yet in the close it may become no less pernitious than if it were willful and advised For 2. In the Progress passage being made it spreads alike The Sluce cut or the Flood gates drawn on what occasion soever gives equal Liberty to the Violence of the Current which 3. In the Event is fatal may overflow and Deluge the Country and so Theodotion renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The beginning of Strife is an Inundation of Waters I shall not insist upon the Propriety of the Holy Spirits resembling Sects and Parties unto a Confluence of Waters nor the Madness of the People to the Raging of the Sea Psal 89.9 but apply my self 1. To enquire into the Original of our Divisions which being like the Letting out of Water a trival and inconsiderate Action for I would have the Charity to believe that our Difference was no design of Malice implies the matto be light and small of little moment or importance And so indeed it is Vterum horum We are agreed as to the Substance of Religion and our Brethren Glory Adam on the Short Cat. that they can prove their Doctrine by the Authority of our Articles and Homilies They come nearer yet and acknowledge That they may Communicate with our Churches Mr. Nye without sin and as God said of his People so we Oh that there was such an heart in them Deut. 5.29 Indeed occasionally they can joyn our Communion but is not this an evidence against them or doth not the Peace of Christ's Church oblige us constantly to adhere to what occasionaly we can comply with Whence then come our Divisions Dear my God! that Christ body should be rent and torn upon such poore pretence The Quarrel is De lana Caprina even in the literal sense about Habits and Vestments Whether a Cloke be not more Decent in the worship of God then a Gown or Surplice Whether it be not greater scandal to kneel at the Communion with the Papist then sit or lean as doth their Head the Pope Whether Set Forms of Prayer composed to the mind of Holy Scripture have not as fair a Claim unto the Spirit as unpremeditated Extemporary Effusions Whether a Liturgy in which the People bear a part whence it is call'd the Common Prayer being performed in Common by the Flock and Pastor be not a Worship full as Edifying as that which may betray men to the surreption of Wandring thoughts having no Office to recall their Roving mind but what concludes the last Amen Whether it be a Super-erogation of Devotion to set apart and consecrate some Common Dayes to the Worship of God in which we may Commemorate what was therin transacted the more Eminent instances of the Mystery of our Redemption Whether the Religious Education of Infants may not be prudently secured by requiring Parents to provide Sponsors either to Rebuke their negligence if themselves should be slack or supply their Office because they are Mortal Whether Confirmation the Laying on of Hands or the Blessing of the Bishop upon the Confession of a Novices Faith be not an Advantagious Expedient for the Grounding Youth in the Princeples of the True Religion Whether the Signing Infants with the Cross in Baptism can make us more Superstitious than others whose Aversion looks as tho they were ashamed of the Cross of Christ In short Whether the Communicating with the Primitive Christians in such Rites and Ceremonies as they duly practised before the See of Rome usurped upon the Western Church can be a Symbolizing with the present Papacy Or if you please Whether the abuse of things in themselves most Significant be a sufficient reason to reject their Use These and such as these are the things which make men shun our Communion Flock into Conventicles and Divide into Factions These were the beginings of that Breach now grown into an open and a dreadful Schism And is the Peace of Christ Church so meer a Cypher that men may be excused who are less tender of it then tenacious of their own Opinions One of the last Legacies that Christ bequeathed unto his Church was Peace my Peace I leave with you my Peace I give unto you Joh. 14.27 One of the last Prayers that he offered to his Father was for Unity Holy Father keep them That they may be one as we are one Joh. 11. The first descriptcion that you meet with of the Church is taken from her Uniformity and her Disciples Unaminity Act. 2.42 c. 4.32 Such Inclinations hath the Religion Christ came to settle unto Peace and Vnity that it is most Emphatically stiled The Gospel of Peace Ephe. 6.16 The Title that he bears is The Prince of Peace Isai 9.6 The Majesty we Worship is the God the Lord 2 Thes 3.16 Rom. 15.13 Heb. 7.2 Luke 10.6 Prov. 12.20 Isai 33.7 the King of Peace Disciples the Sons of Peace Apostles and Ministers the Ambassadors the Counsellors of Peace In a word so important this Duty that God doth seem as if he need to promise to his Church no more than to make her Officers Peace Isai 60.17 Nor did the Apostles know to pray for more then the Peace of God so large a Blessing that it doth pass all Vnderstanding Phil. 4.7 And can there be a Zealot that would unravel all this frustrate God's Promise and dispence with this Christian Duty for the Sake of a few Rites and little Ceremonies I am sorry that we have occasion to lament there should be such But rather then reflect on their Infirmity I shall intreat their Devotion to joyn with us in Praying for the Peace of Jerusalem Psal 122.6 For alas though we have discourst it long enough we have had no better Success then what the Psalmist complaines off For when we laboured for Peace and spoke unto them thereof they made themselves ready for Battle Psal 120.7 which how they have promoted comes to be considered under 2. The Progress of these Divisions Quae veris addere falsa gandet et é minimo sua per Vestigia crescit which Spread like Water speedily and dangerously What that may be the common Noise will tell you that gives false Rumors Wings to fly abroad and spread her Poison I know I shall incur the Censure of a Discontented Party For some there be whose Actions are so bad that Truth is a Scandal and the Relation no better than a Libel All the Favour that I expect is this That where their Conscience tells them that I speak the Truth they would receive the Admonition peacably and consider it seriously and to requite this Candor if in any thing I chance to mistake them I do promise to make them Satisfaction as publick as the Injury And on the Hopes of their Ingenuity either admitting the Truth or informing my Ignorance I take the Freedom to tell them that Misrepresentations and Mistakes Falsities and Fictions were the Incentives of these Divisions for 1.
unto the very Modes of Worship cannot surely misconstrue so Legible a Text They that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation Rom. 13.2 It was also against Signal Favours and Personal Obligations and Ingratitude is an Inhumane Sin The very Savages are obliged by Kindness and the Lyons of the Forrest too generous to be undmindful of Beneficence Seneca Ingratum si dixeris omnia dixeris Shaftsbury Lord Chanc. Essex Ld. Lieut. of Irel. Russel of the Pri. Coun. An hundred old Cap. Declar. Yet many of these were Men that owed their Lives and Fortunes to his Majesty's Clemency And what a Barbarous Requital this So Syrens charm the Ears that lend them Audience so Vipers eat the Womb that gives them Being But the Party will say And what 's all this to us Are we responsible for other Men's Excesses Must we be chargable for their Extravagancy God forbid that I should believe all the Faction privy much less consenting to such horrid Villany although the Confederacy was very numerous 2000 in London Declaration Yet my Brethren it concerns you to enquire how ye may become Partakers of other Men's Sins Had the Conspiracy taken Effect which for ever praised be the Name of God it did not To whom would you have adhered They presumed upon your Assistance And may we not suspect that Men of the same Communication without the Spirit of Prophesy may have an Insight into each others Mind We see how Birds of a Feather flock And whil'st they observe you so eagerly to imbibe their Principles credit their Jealousies pleased with their Libels is it possible that they should believe that you would ever boggle or desert their Interest No the Remonstrance which they were preparing is an undeniable Argument of their Assurance Would not you though exclaiming of the Treason have protected and strengthened the Regicides Should we not have heard some old Maxim assum'd to accomodate your Associacions Fieri non debet factum valet And are not these Professions of Loyalty owing to such a Consideration as to that of the Rebellious Israelites on their bad Success This Absolom whom we Anointed over us is dead in Battle now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing back the King 2 Sam. 19.10 I accuse no one by their own Conscience let them stand or fall But to dismiss this As far as your Separation and Conventicles gave them Incouragement as far as the Hopes of your Aid though we should favourably believe they might have been deceived in it did animate and instigate them so far must your Schism bear the Guilt of their Presumption and could you have the Impudence to wipe your mouth you cannot truly say You have done no Wickedness The most easie Construction that can be fixed upon it is That in the Simplicity of your Souls and knowing nothing you should have been insnared into their Sedition 2 Sam. 15.11 One would think that the sad Effect of such specious Pretexts in the late War would make Men Jealous of the same Events For what a multitude was there that would have laid down their Lives in exchange for his Majesty who being decoy'd into the Cause by that same Artifice are not able to wash their Hands and say with Pilate I am Innocent of the Blood of this Just Person See yee to it Mat. 27.24 The Cause which hath inveigled you in so much Guilt is small about things of little Moment and meer Indifferency and the Lightness of the Cause aggravates the Blackness of the Sin Moses enquires Why do ye Wrong one to another seeing that ye are Brethren Act. 7.26 The nearness of the Relation in his Opinion being sufficient to remove all the Grounds of Contention What would he have said if it had not been a Matter of Wrong or Injustice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but Indifferency that they quarrelled about They certainly have little Regard to the Peace of Christ's Church that can disturb it on such small Accounts I know indeed they deny the Indifferency of these Things but a common Distinction would afford them Satisfaction if they intended that Viz. That in their Nature they remain Indifferent though not in the Use for being enjoyned they become necessary unto Decency and Order The nature of Indifferency Quod neque contra Fidem neque contra bonos Mores injungitur Indifferenter est habendum St. Aug. his Rule will teach you ' That which neither contradicts Faith nor Morality is a thing Indifferent And according to this Measure we dare stand to your Verdict for the Indifferency of their Nature But the necessity of the Vse the same Father doth impress from the Resolution of St. Ambrose which he Celebrated as the Response of an Oracle Ad quamcunque Ecclesiam veneris c. Very oft in his Writings which is To conform your selves unto the Rites and Customs of whatsoever Church you come to whil'st they do not contradict the Rules of Faith and Morality i. e. in things indifferent And agreeable to this is the Derivation that some produce of the word Ceremony Card. Bona. de reb Lit. from the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Anathematize or Excommunicate as if we might infer the Non-conformity thereto to be a Guilt sufficient to incur that Censure And that our Brethren may entertain more even thoughts of these few and easy as they call them Impositions I would intreat them to inspect 1. The Necessity of admitting Ceremonies to the Worship of God There never yet ' was that Religion in the World that did appear without them Judaical as well as Heathen in what it was distinguished from the Natural was nothing else but a System of Ceremonies although their Institution was Divine Whence St. August affirms positively That there is no Religion whether true or false Aug. L. 19. cont Faust C. 11. that can subsist without Ceremonies And Vrsin as dogmatically who being no Episcopal Divine I hope may have your Ear That the Church may Potest ac debet Ecclesiâ quasdam Ceremonias instituere Vrs Cat. Q. 103. par 3. yes and must institute some Ceremonies And since men are taught by the Eye as well as the Ear and the more lasting Impressions issue thence I would gladly understand why we may not be edified by the Gestures of the Body in some measures as well as by the Labour of the Lips Or why the Erection of my Person may not advise the Beholders of the Elevation of the Mind as much as if the Deacon did admonish them with his Sursum Corda Happy is the Man that condemneth not himself in the Things that he alloweth Rom. 14.22 For pray tell me What are these Ecclesiastical Ordinances passed and ordained by the Small and Great Councils of the the City of Geneva Laws of Geneva which the Ministers thereof promise and swear to keep Had they for Ordinances substituted Injunctions or Cannons which is all the same the Church
of England will be no more chargable with Impositions unless the difference of words make the Grievance than other Societies Ecclesiastical Why then such Exclamations against her when these are passed by in Silence Or how comes She to be more Prelatically than others Presbyterially Tyrannical 2. Examine the Reason why these Ceremonies were retained Which after communicating therein with the Primitive Church was a Motion of Charity a Design thereby to win upon the Papists to give as little Scandal and Offence as possible To convince them that it was not Humour and Caprich but Religion not the Love of Innovation but the Necessity of a Reformation that made us withdraw that it was not such small Things as Ceremonies that we differed about of which this was an Evidence that we enjoyned some but Matters of Faith and Articles of Salvation We therefore are not ashamed to own what some with more Malice than Judgment do retort That our Liturgy is composed out of the Breviary and Missal Is it Disparagement to Gold that it was mix'd with Lumber in the Oar Is it Infamy unto Moses's Seat that Scribes and Pharisees did fill it Mat. 23.2 No by this we satisfie the World that we emov'd no further from the Western Patriarch than he had wandred from his Predecessors and the Truth And hereby the Church of England and she alone gain'd such an Ascendant on the Papacy as they never can be able to remove who by communicating with us for several Years In Q. Eliz. Reign plainly did confess the Necessity of a Reformation and as highly commend the Prudence of our Moderation And I wish that our Dissenting Brethren would calmly remember that the Papists were the only Faction that at first were to be invited into our Communion The Name of Puritan unless amongst those of the Novatian Schism the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is no great Credit to the ambitious Title was not so much as heard of till After-Times when Men had crossed the Seas and gone a Pilgimage unto Geneva Hooper and Cartwright c. Heyl. Hist Ref. Edw. 6. they return'd infected with that Leaven and set up for Gospellers and afterwards Puritans What can be more charitable in this Case than to recede no further than was necessary That we might assure them that our Proceedings were for the Honour of God more than the Pleasure of Man Reformation hath only Reference unto Errour so that what may be retained without Errour cannot well be rejected without Censure On which ground 't was thought convenient in Q. Elizabeth's Reign to omit that Declaration in the Rubrick Common-Prayer concerning Kneeling at the Sacrament that no Adoration was intended to it which both before and since hath been inserted and you have heard how successful it was And the want of this Moderation was no mean Obstacle to the Reformation in our Neighbouring Kingdoms I know Calvin doth inveigh against it Mediis Conciliis vel autorem esse vel approbatorem Calv. Ep. ad Prot. and reproacheth it as an old Fault in Bucer But though he might deserve the Title of Judicious Bernardus non videt omnia And it had been a happy Composition if we could have won the Papists to have Reformed the Doctrines of Faith upon the Terms of admitting more Circumstantials of Worship which the Lutherans Adopt and some Divines of Note were willing to comply with in the Business of the Interim which press'd a Restitution of the old Popish Ceremonies whose Judgment was this which I intreat our Brethren to ruminate for it deserves to be written in Letters of Gold That it is Lawful yea Necessary Hist Conc. Trent l. 3. an 1548. to tolerate some Servitude in the Worship of God when no Impiety is joyned with it And amongst their number I find the Learned Melancthon Dr. Burnet H. Ref. l. 2. an 1648. recorded by the Author of the late History of the Reformation whose Solid Judgment this doth seem to relish This is the Reason of our retaining these Ceremonies and since the Conversion of the Papist is as much or more to be desired their Errours being greater and their Guilt the deeper deeper than the Dissenting Protestants that we ought to have an Eye as tender unto them in the maintaining as to the others in the abrogating of these Ceremonies I dare with Confidence averr our Adversaries themselves being Judges it is a Maxim delivered by their Leaders That in things of this nature Ref. of Ch. Gov. in Scot. p. 5.6 when the Change is not to the better it is both without and against Reason to make a Change And I appeal to any sober moderate Dissenter if admitting a Change in these Things Indifferent we could have so solid and plausible an Argument to prevail upon the Romanist 3. Let us entreat you to enquire by whom the Differences that you so vigorously maintain began and when you see the Truth we hope you may abate of the Heat Extemporary Prayer which you attribute to the Spirit Fox's and Forebr Dr. Stillingf Ep. to Hist Sep. was a Device invented by a Wolf that had got on Sheep's Cloaâ—hing and practised by a Romish Priest in Presbyterian Weeds Kneeling at the Eucharist was traduc'd by John a Lasco from the Polonian Arrians who robbing Christ of his Divinity and believing him no more than Man Heyl. Hist Ref. Edw. 6. to express the Coequality of their Natures presum'd to sit with him at his Table The Identity of the Orders of Episcopacy and Presbytery is a Novel of the School-Divines who supposing it the highest Ministerial Office as if true it must needs be to make Christ a Body out of Bread Conficere corpus Domini unite the Priest and Bishop in one Order whence both the Papist and Presbyterian derive it Conc. Trent The Exclusion of the People from bearing Part in the Worship of God by their Suffrages and Voices Scrivener Course of Divinity is an Injury which hath prevailed ever since the Prayers were in an unknown Tongue and for want of a Liturgy is by them unreformed Sponsers in Baptism and what is subsequent thereto the Benefit of Confirmation comes to be neglected after the Example of the Anabaptist And Divines Presbytertal as well as Prelatical commend though they do not practise it This is the true Rise and just Account of the things you scruple Anabaptists Arrians and Papists were the men that broach'd them and you not barely Symbolize but Communicate with them in Stickling for these I dare not as I ought animadvert upon the loosness of these Contracted Scruples for fear I should exasperate your too Fiery Zeal But in Charity I must commend them to your Christian Consideration Thus I have touch'd the Wounds of our Friends with as soft an hand as the Affections that I bear their Persons or the Obligations I have received from the Party can in Justice expect from me To conclude You see how little