2. 3. 4. Fourthly Iesus Christ preferring the healing of the sicke a greater duety before the strict keeping the Ceremoniall rest a lesser duty and commanding a kind of seruile labour viz. the carying home of a bed in some case vnlawfull Io. 5. 8. 9. proueth it not onely by a peculiar reason proper vnto himselfe that hee is Lord of the Sabbath and therefore might ouerrule in this case Mat. 12. 8. But euen by reasons of Common equity namely First because it is lawfull by not strictly keeping ceremoniall rest to doe morrally well on the Sabbath day omitting sacrifice to doe mercy Mat. 11. 12. Secondly because the end is superior to the meanes for the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath Mar. 2. 27. 4 Fourthly because it is contrary to the inspired examples in the Scripture which are of common equity and reason and to the practise of the faithfull Saints of God namely besides the forenamed examples of the Priests of the Apostles of Dauid of our Sauiour first of Salomon who in a case of necessity did offer vpon another Altar then the Altar appointed for the worship of God because it was not able to receiue the offrings 2. Chro. 7. 7. but was to little for that end 1. King 8. 64. Whereas they were to offer sacrifice and to burne incense vpon one onely Altar in the Temple 2. King 23. 12. It being a Type of Christ the only sacrifice and mediator Heb. 13. 10. 2. of Hezekias who to set forward the mayne and substantiall worships of God did admit of many to the Passeouer albeit they were not ceremonially sanctified but legally vncleane and did not receiue the same as it was written in the Law nor according to the purification of the Sanctuary yet with a true heart seeking the Lord they were accepted namely in a case of superiour reason 2. Chron. 30. 17. 18. 19. 20. Thirdly of Paul who to saue his life a greater duety did with his owne hands cast away into the Sea the good creatures of God which otherwise should haue beene preserued and so for that cause neglected a lesser duety Act. 27. 30. Fourthly of the inspired Apostles of Christ who as before is noted did practise on themselues Act. 21. 26. and vpon others Acts 16. 3. and did aduise Act. 21. 23. 24. yea ordaine inioyne and command the practise of Iewish ceremonies as circumcision shauing purifying abstayning from blood and strangled meate and that as a duty good and necessary Act. 15. 28. which to auoide and not to vse was a duety required of God which to vse and practise in other cases was reprooued by the holy Ghost Acts 15. 10. and 21. 21. Gal. 4. 9. 10. 11. and 2. 12. 13. 14 and 5. 2. 3. 4. Colo. 2. 20. 21. 22. 23. and were needlesse shadowes Col. 2. 20. Ordinances of the world Col. 2. 20. Commandements of men turning from the trueth Col. 2. 12. Titus 1. 14. Impotent and beggarly rudiments Gal. 4. 9. 10. And of sundry perillous and perniciouse effects yet this they did admit albeit the violation of a duety to doe a greater duety of superior reason namely to procure the vnity of brethren Act. 15. 2. 4. 6. 7. 24. The wyninng of strangers to the faith 1. Cor. 9. 19 20. And to propagate the Gospell 1. Cor. 9. 23. To preuent the scandall of weake beleeuers Act. 16. 3. and 21. 20. And the danger of interruption or depriuation of the Ministery by the violent Iewes persecution Act. 21. 12. 24. 27. 28. Thus is the first point confirmed to the which doctrine sundrie godly learned men euen so many as I haue reade of this point doe also consent both in the same words and proofes viz. * vid. Caluin in Mat. 12. 1. 3 fol. 260. Vrsin cat part 3. fol. 707. immediat ante praecept 1. impress Cantabridg anno 1585. Piscator in Mat 12. 1. 2. 3. in analisi fol. 190. in obseruat ad eundem locum fol. 205. 106. 107 Idem in obseruat in Mat. 9. 13. fol. 156. Idem in obser ad Mat. 15. 3. 4. 5. 6. fol. 243. Polan syntagm Theolog. lib. 9 c. 29 fol. 4077. 4078. Martyn in summula verbi dei cap. 2. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. fol. 47. 48. de-calogo Mr. Perkins vol. 1. of his workes treatise of conscience Cap. 2. fol. 520. Yet to this poynt or proposition howsoeuer firme it bee in it selfe as hath appeared and is approoued by the best diuines yet some obiections haue beene layd against it which I will heere set downe Ob. Where it is sayd in the former proposition when two dueties doe meete at one time it is obiected that they cannot bee dueties both at once For if they were both dueties they would both bind and so a man must needes commit a sinne seeing hee is straitned betweene two dueties and must omit the one this therefore is not well proposed Ans The mentioning of these two duties meeting together at one time in our practise doeth not intend that they doe both of them bynd the conscience at the same instant but they are called dueties as they are considered apart being both workes are commanded of God in two seuerall commandements Which two workes being dueties considered apart doe sometimes offer themselues to our practise at one instant As to heare a Sermon at the Church on the Sabboth and to tend a sicke person ready to die at home at the sametime both are duties being cōsidred apart but meeting together and offering themselues to our practise at one time there is indeede but one duety because both cannot be performed in one instant In which case the greater worke is the duety the lesser bindes not for that present In like case for a minister to refuse inconuenient ceremonies albeit it be a duty being cōsidered apart from the duty of preaching the word yet when it meeteth with the duty of preaching so as preaching the word will not stand with refusing inconuenient ceremonies this refusing of ceremonies bindeth not the cōscience but leaueth to be a duty There are not two duties at that instant but only one which is to preach the word of God In which case the refusing of inconuenient Ceremonies is no duety neither is their practise a sinne yea the practise of them is a duety if otherwise they cannot preach the Word this obiection therefore needeth not Obiection The doctrine included in that point or proposition is not true because there may be a greater duetie neglected for the performance of a lesser which may then be done when the performance of the lesser keepeth him frō sin as for example A Preacher enioyned to preach naked ought to neglect preaching Besides it is contrary to the rule of the Apostle Rom. 3. 8. The least euil must not be done that the greatest good may be performed For when I cannot doe it without sinne it is no duety and therefore you should propose the matter thus It is necessary to performe
Christ and that from the reason for which Moses did permit this inconuenient precept which was the hardnesse of the Iewish nations heart Matth. 19. 8. Marke 10. 5. Also it is not lawfull for it is not good to cast away the good creatures of God which may serue for the life of man but they must bee preserued that nothing bee lost Matthew 15. 26. Iohn 6. 12. 13. yet in a case of necessitie to preserue life and preuent violent death a substantiall of the second table of greater reason Paul and the rest of his company which were in the Ship with him in danger of Shipwracke did lawfully cast with their owne handes the tackling and the wheate out of the Ship into the Sea where it was spoiled and destroyed Acts 27. 19. 38. Fourthly and lastly the substantials of the first table doe ouerrule the ceremonials of the first table which includeth the case in question It was vnlawfull in the law for the Priestes to admit or for the people to come vnto the Sacraments otherwise then as it was written though the failing was but a ceremoniall matter yet so did the people come and the Priestes admit the people in the time of Hezekias that the substantiall worship of God in the Passeouer should not bee hindred In which respect God layed not the breach of dutie to the charge of such as sought God in that Sacraments with their whole heart 2. Chron. 33. 18. 19. 20. likewise the substantiall worships of God requiring paines and labour of body such as the sacrifice of the law and other businesse to be done vpon the Sabboth meeting the precept of bodily rest vpon the Sabboth by which practise the Sabboth in respect of the rest is broken Mat. 5. 12. yet in respect of performance of the superior and substantiall worships they were blamelesse for breaking the Sabboth in the ceremoniall rest thereof The vnlawfulnesse of Iewish Ceremonies in many respects hath before appeared whereby was violated a ceremoniall circumstantiall dutie of the first Table which yet the Apostles we see did practise to further the substantials thereof namely the libertie of the Gospel and edification and peace of the Church of God By all which instances wee may see this conclusion prooued A matter euill by it selfe alone considered leaueth to be euill when a superior dutie commeth in place to ouerrule it whereby we may inferre that admitting the Ceremonies prescribed to bee euill in some sence yet in performance of a superior worke as to continue in preaching of the worke they leaue to bee a sinne Because the dutie of refusing of such like Ceremonies is a subordinate dutie to the practising of the word by preaching the one being a dutie circumstantiall the other an externall dutie substantiall Obiection To conforme to these Ceremonies prescribed is the violation of a negatiue precept now negatiue precepts doe bind ad semper and as Master Perkins saith Golden Chaine cap. 19. they bind at all times and to all times The affirmatiue bindeth at all times but not to all times A negatiue is broken by acting or doing a thing forbidden an affirmatiue is broken by omitting some dutie positiuely commanded as for example I may for a time omit preaching or prayer I am not bound continually to vse them but haue houres of omission But no sinne of adultery bowing to an idoll murther swearing prophaning of the Sabboth so neither of conforming to forbidden Ceremonies The negatiues are these Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any similitudes Exodus 20. 4. giue no offence to the Church 1. Cor. 10. 32. vse not the fashions of idolaters Leuit. 19. 27. 28. wherefore we may not neglect the refusing of Ceremonies to redeeme our dutie of preaching Answere 1 This rule is not rightly conceiued for Master Perkins saith not that all negatiues doe alway bind and in all cases so that in no case they may at any time be violated but only addeth that negatiues are of more force then affirmatiues which indeede is trew Also this rule is not generally true for these precepts were negatiue which yet were violated none but Priestes must eare sheaw bread let none of the people eate thereof not lawfull but onely for Priestes Matth. 12. 4. yet Dauid did lawfully violate it and they that were with him out of standing reason I will haue mercie not sacrifice Matthew 12. 7. thou shalt doe no worke Exodus 20. 10. yet the Priestes brake this and are blamelesse the Apostles violate it and are innocent by the former reason I will haue mercie and not sacrifice Matthew 12. 1. 2. 5. 7. In the the like case men doe lawfully feede and saue the life of their cattle Mat. 12. 11. 12. Lu. 14. 5. 6. and 13. 15. seruile labour is vsed as carrying of a bead Ioh. 5. 8. 9. 10. cast not bread to whelpes Matth. 15. 26. let nothing of Gods good creatures be lost Ioh. 6. 12. 13. yet Paul and his company doe lawfully cast away the goods in the Ship to saue their liues Acts 27. 19. 38. Let no murtherer liue let not thine eye spare a man hating and killing his neighbour Deut. 19. 11. 12. 13. Num. 35. 30. 31. 32. 33. yet Dauid suffered Ioab the murtherer of Amasa Abner Vriah all his dayes vpon this ground hee was to hard for Dauid 2. Samuel 3. 39. till after his death 1. Kings 2. 5. 6. neither was Dauid reprooued or the land plagued as it was threatned Numb 35. 33. Deut. 21. thou shalt not kill Exodus 20. 13. no not in heart or intention Matthew 5. 21. 22. yet Abraham sinned not but is commended and rewarded of God for purposing and setling himselfe to kill his onely sonne Genesis 22. 11. 16. grant no diuorce betweene man and wife for euery cause not for light cause Ab initio non fuit sic Matthew 19. 8. yet Moses is not blamed for permitting or commanding such a bill Matthew 19. 8. Deut. 24. 1. 2. but is iustified because hee did it for the hardnesse of their hearts Matthew 19. 8. Marke 10. 5. Let none bee vncircumcised after eight dayes Genesis 8. 11. 12. 13. yet for fortie yeeres there was not one circumcised Ios 5. 5. 6. 7. 9. let none legally vnsanctified be admitted to the Passeouer 2. Chron. 30. 18. Matth. 7. 6. yet in case of necessitie some were admitted and approued of God being internally sanctified 2. Chro. 30. 19. 20. hate not father mother brother sister wife life Exodus 21. 17. Pro. 20. 20. yet when Christ calleth vs to shew our loue to him and that the loue of these will not stand with our loue to Christ we must hate them indeede and testifie it by our outward practise Luke 14. 26. 33. Deut. 13. 6. 7. 8. 9. 2. Chro. 15. 16. for the better explication of this rule and to see how farre it holdeth and how smally it concernes our case I say first that this rule holds in the duties of the first table which
Acts 15. that it was of matter of omission it maketh little to infring the practise of Saint Paul Because 1 They were Ceremonies of the Law aswell as the other 2 They were significatiue one as well as the other 3 They were abolished by the comming of Christ as well one as the other In which respect they were in their nature no lesse euill though they might be lesse in conuenient then the Ceremonies of practise in some respects To this obiection I answere a little the more sharpely because it sauours of a little to much insolence and small regard vn-the holy Apostles of Christ and I would shew the absurdity thereof let the reader take the lesse offence thereat And thus much of this point To the former argument let these Propositions following be added and obserued A Man may lawfully for the edification of the Church Proposition and furtherance of Gods substanciall worshippes and for the propagation of the Gospel Acts 16. 3. 1. Cor. 9. 23. Practise and obserue such Ceremonies which he preacheth euery where against that men should not doe Acts 21. 21. Neither hee himselfe in some other cases would doe Gal. 2. 5. 11. 14. Burdensome Ceremonies Acts 15. 28. For the edification and peace of the Church and vnitie of brethren Acts 15. 2. 5. 24. May lawfully bee imposed and inioyned on Churches euen by the minde of the holy Ghost Acts 15. 28. 29. Burdensome Ceremonies and many wayes inconuenient may be necessary in some cases to be imposed on such Churches as neuer obserued them before Acts 15. 19. 28. and 21. 25. It may bee expedient for Minsters in a case of superior reason to procure greater good vnto the Church and to auoyd greater mischiefe to perswad others Acts 21. 18. 23. 24. And to be perswaded by others to conforme Acts 21. 26. to such Ceremonies as in many respects are fit to bee preached against Acts 21. 21. as burdensome traditions Acts 15. 28. Col. 2. 20. impotent and beggarly rudiments Gal. 4. 9. and occasions of sundry euill effects Vt supra It may bee expedient and necessary for a Minister or other Christian in the like cases of superior reason to practise the like Ceremonies voluntarily of his owne free accord not being enioyned or commanded by authoritie there vnto Acts 16. 3. and 18. 18. 1. Cor. 9. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. and 10. 33. Those Ministers and people doe well Actes 15. 29. and according to the will of God and minde of the holy Ghost Acts 15. 28. who in a like case of necessitie and furtherance of the Gospel 1. Cor. 9. 23. do practise the like Ceremonies being enioyned them by authoritie Acts 15. 28. and 16. 4. and 21. 25. Paul to redeeme his Ministrie and to gaine liberty to the Gospel to adde soules vnto the Church and to winne the more vnto Christ Acts 16. 3. and 21. 20. 21. 1. Cor. 9. 20. 21. 23. might as well and lawfully haue worne a linnen Ephod or a linnen Surplesse as well as to haue purified and shaued himselfe vowed circumcised Timothy or to haue ioyned in offering sacrifice Paul might as well haue vsed the signe of the Crosse to a baptized person in a case of depriuation or of redeeming the Gospels libertie or of winning vnto Christ as to haue vsed the signe of circumcision to a baptized person as hee did to Timothy Acts 16. 3. And thus much of this argument being the first member of the maine reason Argu. 2 Now I proceede to the second member of the first reason which is this Reason 1 Because the doctrine and practise of suffering depriuation is against the grounds of Gods word whereupon I conclude that such doctrine and practise is an error and a sinne The grounds of Gods word which are contraried by this doctrine and practise are two in number and they doe Minister two arguments which I will prosecute in order by the helpe of God The first ground is this When two workes or deuties commanded of God doe meete in one practise so as we cannot doe them both but one of them must of necessitie be done the other of necessitie must be left vndone in this case the worke or dutie of greater reason must be performed and that of lesser reason must bee neglected and omitted and it is a sinne to neglect the greater to performe the lesser Out of which ground I assume But the doctrine and practise of suffering depriuation for refusing to conforme doth cause men to neglect greater duties to performe the lesser Therefore the doctrine and practise of suffering depriuation for refusing to conforme to our prescribed ceremonies is an errour and a sinne For the confirmation of this argument there are two poynts to be prooued 1 That it is contrary to Gods word and therefore a sinne to passe by a greater worke or duety to performe a lesser 2 That to suffer depriuation for refusing to conforme vnto the ceremones prescribed in our Church is to passe by a greater worke or duety to performe a lesser whereupon the former conclusion must follow of necessity Touching the former poynt namely that it is contrary to Gods word and therefore a sinne to passe by a greater worke or duety to performe a lesser The which poynt although it be in it selfe euident and must needs bee graunted by euery sound diuine yet for illustration sake I make more manifest by these reasons Reason 1 First because the will of God is such then when mercy a greater duety and sacrifice a lesser duety doe meete so as both at the same time cannot bee done mercy must be done and sacrifice left vndone Mat. 12. 4. 7. I will haue mercy and not sacrifice Because hypocrites are reprooued of God for passing by greater dueties to performe lesser thus were the Scribes and Pharises reprooued by our Sauiour for letting passe the weightier matters of the Law and following the smaller As strayning at a gnat and swallowing of a Cammell Mat. 23. 23. 24. Luke 11. 42. For vrging sacrifice of ceremoniall dueties and for omitting and reproouing mercy Mat. 12. 7. Luke 13. 14. 15. 16. For offering sacrifices and oblations with the neglect of parents Matthew 15. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Because the Godly are excused and approued of God for passing by smaller dueties to performe greater thus were excused and reprooued First the Priests of the Law for breaking the Sabboths ceremoniall and strict rest by sacrificing and other businesse to performe Gods Publique worship a greater duety are pronounced blamelesse therein Mat. 12. 5. Secondly Dauid for eating shew-bread not lawfully for him to doe in a case of necessity hee and they who were with him were acquitted as innocent and blamelesse Mat. 12. 3. 4. Thirdly the Apostles of Christ for plucking rubbing and eating the eares of corne so violating the Sabbaths strict and Ceremoniall rest a lesser duety to satisfie hunger the necessity of nature a greater and morrall duety were called innocent Mat. 12.
externall circumstances actions or Ceremonies for the more orderly fit and decent performance of the substantialls as obseruation of fit time as either night or day and this or that houre in either place publike or priuate site of body as sitting standing kneeling high or low singing saying and the like The which degrees and differences of duties are thus distinguished vnto vs by the holy Ghost himselfe who hath taught vs to seuer the loue of God a substantiall of the first Table and iudgement mercy fidelitie substantialls of the second Table from the tithing of mint cummin annisse rue and all manner of hearbes a ceremoniall Law which yet was a duty being commanded and must be done calling the one sort of duties the weightier matters of the Law Matthew 12. 23. Luk. 11. 43. separating them by that title from the other which must be lesse weightie or as they called the lesser commandement Matthew 25. 19. Calling the one mercy the other sacrifice Matthew 12. 7. the one the knowledge of God the other burnt offerings Hosea 6. 6. the one Gods kingdome the other not so Rom. 14. 17. betweene the which he teacheth vs to put as much difference as betweene a Cammell and a Gnat Matth. 23. 23. 24. himselfe accepting the former without the latter Marke 16. 15. 16. but not the latter without the former tying the promise of saluation simply to the greatest but not to the inferiour without the greater Consider that there is a subordination of these duties of the Law whereof there are these forenamed degrees as namely that the greater duties such as haue in them greatest reason and band doe tye the conscience doe ouerrule the lesser and command obedience with the neglect of the other for that present when they meete together So as the neglect of the lesser leaueth to bee a sinne for the performance of the greater as the neglect of obeysance to a noble man or inferiour person is no offence in presence of a King and this subordination is generall to all the duties of the Law except the supremest of all other then which there is none higher as the highest duties vnto God feare loue confidence repentance which must neuer be commanded ouerruled by other duties inferior whatsoeuer they be and the reason is because the supremacy of God and the immediate proximity betweene these duties and God which also in respect of the immutable nature attributes of God which must leaue to be God and deny his titles of iustice of mercy goodnesse truth c. if hee should dispence with them Now the truth of this subordination I wil in order manifest in 4. propositions following First the substantiall duties of the first Table doe ouerrule Propos 1. the substantialls of the second Table Loue of Christ a substantiall of the first Table ouerruleth the loue of parents of wife children friendes brethren substantialls of the second Table Matthew 10. 37. yea so farre must the one yeeld vnto the other that for the loues sake of Christ the loue of parents must bee turned into hate Luke 14. 26. 33. and tokens thereof Deut. 13. 6. 7. 8. 9 13 Psalme 139. 21. 22. 2. Chronicles 19. 2. Obedience to good meeting the obedience to the Magistrate ouerruleth it Acts 4. 19. and 15. 29. This was the case of the three children of Daniel praying and of the Iewes refusing Swines flesh who disobeyed the Magistrate to obey GOD and neglected life a substantiall of the second Table to professe GODS trueth and to refuse Idolatrie substantialls of the first Table Secondly The substantialls of the second Table doe ouerrule the ceremonialls of the first Table so to sustaine nature in prouiding and eating corporall food meeting with the strict ceremoniall rest of the Iewish Sabbaoth the one a substantiall of the second Table the other a ceremoniall appendix to the first Table the former ouerrules the latter in which case GOD sayth I will haue mercy and not sacrifice Matthew 12. 47. Also workes of necessitie implying seruile labour as the carrying whom of a bed Iohn 5. 8. 9 10 mercie to a man sicke and diseased Matthew 12. 10. 12 13 Luke 13. 14. 15 16 mercie to a beast to saue his life Matthew 12. 11. 12 to giue him necessaries Luke 14. 5. 6 and 13 15 meeting at the same time with a ceremoniall obseruation of the Sabbaoth though commaunded in the Law and a dutie Exodus 20. 10. and 31 15 16 and 35. 3. The former ouerrules the latter by the reason yeelded by our Sauiour That the Sabbaoth was made for man and not man for the Sabbaoth Mark 2. 27 and it is lawfull though violating ceremoniall rest to doe morrally well vpon the Sabbaoth Matthew 12. 12 for in these cases God will haue mercy and not sacrifice Thirdly the substantials of the second table of greater reason do ouerule the substantialls of the second table of lesser reason Thus it is a duty of Magistrates to put wilfull murtherers to death Gen. 9. 6. Exo. 21. 12. 14. Leuit. 24. 17. Deut. 19. 11. 12. 13. Num. 35. 16 without recompence or dispensation Numb 35. 31. 32. the not executing of which law draweth on the whole land the heauy plagues of God Numb 35. 33. Deut. 21. 8. 9. And this was a substantiall dutie of the second table yet this dutie is ouer ruled by a case of necessitie for the safetie of the policie of the kingdome and state of the Church so Ioab the wilfull murderer of Abner 2. Sam. 3. 27. of Amasa 2. Sam. 12. 10. and that in the time of peace 1. Kin. 2. 5. and of Vriah 2. Sa. 11. 16. 17. is suffered to liue all the time of King Dauid viz. because he was being Captaine of the host too hard for him 2. Sam. 3. 39. which implyed the safetie of himselfe and of all the whole state which was a substantiall of the second table of greater reason then the other neither is Dauid reprooued or the land plagued for this thing neither was it repented because it was no sinne in him to passe by lesser worke commanded for the performance of a worke of greater reason Againe it is a breach of a substantiall dutie of the second table Exo. 10. 14. and euen of the law of nature for ab initio non fuit sic Mar. 10. 6. 7. 8. 9. Math. 19. 8. for the Magestrate or the Church Mat. 19. 3. 4. 8. Mar. 10. 6. 7. 8. 9. to command Deut. 24. 1. 2. Mar. 10. 3. 5. Mat. 19. 7. or to permit Matth. 19. 8. husbands to put away their wiues for euery cause Matth. 19. 3. as namely for some filthynesse espied in them Deut. 24. 1. yet this did Moses to preuent the breach of an higher precept namely many grieuious inconueniences in the whole policie of the Iewes arising from the obstinacie and cruelty of an obdurate people such as were the Iewes In which respect Moses is not reproued for this thing by our Sauiour
contrary iudgement to that for which they alledge him and saith that it is recepta illius loci interpretatio vntill they come vnto the place which my Brethren say I put most confidence in which they finde to bee Acts 15. Which place it selfe vnlesse they had gone about directly to confute they could haue said nothing to the purpose For what is it to the point when I speake of inioyning and doe bring a place to proue it for them to insist vpon the number but according to the old saying Ego de allijs tu de caepis which might bee referred to the Dialogue of Erasmuus de absurdis As for the ensuing repetion of the things which before they alleadged in the same words almost that the things enioyned in Act. 15. were not Ceremonies that they were imposed not as ceremoniall but as morall dueties that Timothy his circumcision was not a Sacrament and the rest they are by me sufficiently replyed vnto before The fourth and last member of my assumption is of reasons of suffering depriuation where my Brethren in their answere beginne againe with misreporting of my wordes For my reason saith not that the Apostles and Churches were moued to inioyne and practise Ceremonies for reasons of no greater weight but for reasons partly equiuolent and partly inferiour to the auoiding of depriuation And I am sorry that in so little compasse of two or three sheets of paper my Brethren should so many times ouerslip themselues which if in this part of their answere they had not done it had beene to small purpose to bring in so large a proofe of that in the first Section heereof which no man denieth that the Apostles office is of greater dignitie or excellency then the office of an inferiour Minister For in that I said partly equiuolent I left roome enough for any man to vnderstand that the reasons were not altogether equiuolent and yet this very point being caeteris paribus vnderstood as the office of a Minister is the ordinance of God as well as the office of an Apostle so the one in these dayes is no lesse necessary for the saluation of the faithfull man now then the other then and a Minister in these dayes ought no lesse to bee carefull of the losse of his Ministery or interruption of the Gospell then the Apostles then and therefore I see not but the same reasons and practise they vsed then to that end we should also now vse for the profit of Gods Church Next in the second place there is one thing by the way that I cannot be perswaded of that my Brethren say that the very vsing of the Iewish ceremonies then would edifie whereas they should rather say that the effect of such vse did edifie onely For that the bare vse of them being in it selfe considered might in many respects be scandalous and did minister occasion to the corrupt Iewes of stumbling as I haue prooued But it is much that my Brethren should affirme that conformity to our Ceremonies to preuent Depriuation should not doe any good at all and further that a Minister should doe much more hurt by his conformity then good by his Ministry As if the liberty of preaching the word were so great good by the Apostles practise to the Church and with vs by Gods blessing on his owne ordinance it were no good at all Or as if the practise of the ceremonies would nullifie or confound the blessing of Gods ordinance of preaching and then how can the preaching of Conformitans bee blessed of God Or as if the vse of our Ceremonies would destroy more soules then preaching could conuert or establish in the faith Or last of all as if the vse of the ceremonies were more apt and forcible to peruert a man to his destruction then preaching to conuert him to saluation Which supposals as they are most vntrue and my Brethren I know will not denie so if they graunt them to be false a Minister conforming to redeeme the free passage of his preaching shall haue a better bargaine out of question by his practise then my Brethren heere doe vndertake to driue on his behalfe Now touching the last point if my Brethren will haue me grant that the Apostles were well assured in their consciences they did that which was not onely lawfull but needfull for them to doe Then still I must needs conclude that so long as we doe performe the like practise with them in the like case and on the like reasons as it doeth yet appeare wee may very well haue assurance sufficient for it in our hearts And so in degree according to our modell we may be said to haue an equiualent reason for the auoyding of our Depriuation As for that full assurance which my brethren say they enioy namely that they haue Gods expresse commandement to the contrary and that they should doe euill in the sight of the Lord to conforme vnto our Ceremonies euen to auoid de priuation It seemeth to me a speach neither Theologicall nor safe I say not Theologicall for that Theologie is assurance of matters fundamentall which in their nature are onely euident and vnquestionable among the faithfull which this is not And I say againe not safe because as wee are expressely charged not to call good euill so if our Ceremonies should in their nature proue indifferent wee should feare to call them simply and in nature euill both because it is vntrue and the consequences are pernicious which come from thence And if it bee good and needfull in a case of depriuation to conforme vnto our Ceremonies as all good iudgements and godly learned teachers and Churches haue taught till now our brethren are become assured otherwise Me thinks this plerophoricall confidence of my brethren should not bee so safe for them but rather to set a side all ancient preiudice to hearken carefully to that which is disputed and concluded by the chiefest lights and iudgements that euer the Church of Christ since the time of the Apostles obtained of God to iudge charitably of their differing brethren and modestly of themselues and to iudge nothing before the time till the Lord come who will lighten things that are hid in darkenesse And if they will not yeeld vnto this trueth yet to leaue it as a matter of disputall nature till the day doe try and the fire consume the stubble of the errors of Gods faithfull seruants FINIS AN ADMONITION TOVCHING THE FAVLTS escaped in Printing THOV maist vnderstand good Christian Reader that this treatise was put in presse before I had knowledge thereof and I had not perused the copy that was written Whereupon there is great neede of thy patience in respect of the many slippes escaped in Printing and other alterations thereof yet without the Printers fault or mine The chiefe whereof I haue heere corrected Let no man take offence at my consent for the publication thereof because I rest perswaded of the truth therein contained and I bring