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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27574	A sermon preach'd before the convocation of the Bishops and clergy of the province of Canterbury at Westminster, Novemb. the 18th, 1689 by William Beveridge ; printed in Latin by the Bishops command ; made English by J.G.	Beveridge, William, 1637-1708.; J. G., member of the Church of England.	1689 (1689)	Wing B2112; ESTC R25922	13,595	34

A SERMON Preach'd before the CONVOCATION OF THE Bishops and Clergy OF THE Province of Canterbury at Westminster Novemb. the 18 th 1689. By WILLIAM BEVERIDGE Archdeacon of Colchester Printed in Latin By the Bishops Command Made English by J. G. a Member of the Church of England Let ancient Customs still take place Syn. Nic. Can. 6. Licens'd and Entred London Printed for N. R. and J. Bullord at the Old Black Bear in St. Pauls Church-Yard 1689. Dr. BEVERIDGE's SERMON Before the CONVOCATION ENGLISHED TO THE AUTHOR Reverend Sir PERVSING your Learned Discourse lately Preached before the Sacred Synod and finding in it such admirable Matter so harmoniously handled and so suitable to this present Age wherein the best Church and Religion in the World wou'd be in great danger of being Crucified like their blessed Author were they not maintain'd and defended by such Props as You I thought 't wou'd not be amiss to render it into English for the benefit of those who understand not the Latin Tongue and being well assur'd 't wou'd be very acceptable to the English Reader as coming from You whose known Candour and Sweetness of temper I doubt not will pardon my presumption in this Attempt which I fear has not escaped the too common fate of all such sublime and excellent Subjects which is to be foul'd and sullied by ill Version However such as it is it 's humbly presented by him who is SIR Your most devoted Servant J. G. A SERMON Before the CONVOCATION c. 1 Cor. XI 16 But if any Man seem to be contentious we have no such custom neither the Churches of God. WITH what and how great Controversies the Church of England now a-days is exercised and with how potent and likewise malicious Enemies surrounded we all indeed see and grievously resent but no wonder considering we are well assured that this has been almost the constant and perpetual fate of Christ's Church wheresoever constituted For if we peruse all the Ecclesiastick Histories derived down to us from the very times of the Apostles we shall find no Age wherein the Catholick Church has not been molested either by Hereticks or Schismaticks or both together That is to say Tares are sown by the Enemy near the Wheat in the Lord's ground and they 'll grow together till the harvest But truly such is the love of our God to his Ground such the benevolence of the Almighty towards his Church that he 'le ne're permit the Wheat to be suffocated by the Tares the Evangelical Doctrine by Heresy and Discipline by Schism And therefore we have no reason to fear our Church's sustaining so many Assaults of its Adversaries seeing 't is buoy'd up by an omnipotent God as a pure and sound Member of his Universal Church But truly the purer and sounder our Church is and therefore more acceptable to God the more and fiercer Enemies it has among Men who from one side to t'other set themselves wholly against it and if they can't destroy at least Endeavour to disturb it For on the one hand Popish Priests on the other Sectaries traduce slander and wound it in their words and actions they try all ways to obtrude their new Fangles and Ceremonies on us and that so they may either utterly pull down or corrupt our Church But we in the mean while relying on Divine assistance fly to God alone daily beseeching him in the name of his only begotten Son that he wou'd vouchsafe to defend and maintain a Church of his own making And he has been so propicious to our Prayers contrary to our Deserts in wonderfully delivering Us at least from one sort of our Adversaries to wit the Popish Recusants and has given us reason to hope that they 'l ne're be capacitated again to molest our Church But even now one part remains who tho' seemingly of the same Faith and Doctrin yet being seduced either by Ignorance or Error or peradventure some scruple of Conscience alledge I know not what crimes against the Discipline and Rites of our Church and for that reason refuse Communion with us in God's Worship And 't is strange how great mischiefs may arise from this apparently small beginning For hence it is that Altars are erected against Altars hence proceed Factious Tumults and Mutual Hatreds among Brethren hence 't is that God's Worship is neglected and the very Sacraments one being thrust into corners the other seldom celebrated hence it is I am amaz'd to speak that impious words are rashly spoken against God and against all Religion as if it rather did afford matter for Discord than Peace hence lastly those popular calamities which threaten both Church and State and thereupon perpetually disquiet both Now that some remedy at length may be opportunely apply'd even to these diseases His most Serene Majesty has been pleased doubtless by Divine inspiration to assemble the Bishops and whole Clergy of this Kingdom that they may consult by what methods these pernicious differences may at last be so composed our Church loosing nothing of its Purity and Glory nothing of its Authority and Right that they who dissent from us may be reduced to our Holy Communion or at least remain for ever destitute of all reasons I don't say just which they never had but of all specious colours which hitherto they have pretended for their Separation I confess that this is a great and very difficult undertaking but as pious as necessary and therefore worthy of the utmost endeavours of our Clergy And how great soever the Labour and Work may seem although not less than to strive against the Stream yet we must not despair if so that God be present and influence our undertakings And indeed we have so ofteen experienced his singular Providence in defending our Church that we have no reason to doubt but that He will be present and propitious to our Importunities for it whilst all things are directed according to His Divine Will reveal'd to us in Holy Writ Which both we and our Dissenting Brethren hold to be the Supream Rule whereby all Ecclesiastical Controversies are to be judg'd Now if we consult these Sacred Oracles we shall find all things in them necessary for the obtaining Eternal Salvation But not so many things touching the external Polity of the Church much less particular Rites necessarily requisite for it For truly God has left these to be us'd in every particular Church according to those general Rules he has deliver'd in the Holy Scriptures for that purpose Such are Let all things be done decently and in order Let all things be done for Edification And others of the like nature with which the usual Rites of our Church exactly agree But what if a Contention shou'd arise between two Provincial Churches or between divers Members of the same Province concerning any Ceremony have we no Precept nor Example in the Holy Scriptures to stifle it 'T is true we have an Example which shou'd indeed have the force of a

Precept in as much as 't is prescrib'd by the Holy Spirit of God and upon this account committed to Sacred Writ that it might be observ'd by all But lest I shou'd seem to speak this for nothing I think 't will not be amiss to explain briefly that of the Apostle which we just now cited especially since nothing can be of greater use and more necessary to be observ'd in all such Controversies as are to be decided by this Sacred Synod Therefore in the first place you are to take notice That there were among the Disturbers of the Corinthian Church newly setled those who held it decent for Men to be conversant in Publick Meetings with their Heads cover'd but Women uncover'd Now the Apostle in this Chapter from the First to the Sixteenth Verse copiously reasons against this Custom which some at that time began to introduce and shews that the contrary ought to be observ'd every where He argues first from Divine Testimony not indeed directly but by implication for as much as it appears from the Word of God that Man is the Image and Glory of God and the Head of the Woman but the Woman the Glory of the Man made of Him and for Him. The Apostle largely handles this Argument to the Twelfth Verse and then takes another from the Law of Nature and the common Customs of Men. Judge in your selves says he is it comely that a Woman pray unto God uncovered Doth not even nature it self teach you c. But in the last place he produces his clearest Argument compris'd in these words But if any Man seem to be contentious we have no such custom neither the Churches of God. Which is the same as if he had said But if any Man is so contentious as notwithstanding these Reasons still to contend that 't is lawful for a Man even cover'd but a Woman uncover'd publickly to pray unto God yet there 's one Argument behind by which both he and all Christians must of necessity confess themselves convicted which is this That we have no such custom neither the Churches of God Now amongst us and all other Churches the quite contrary Custom hath obtain'd whereby Men are taught to uncover but Women to cover their Heads when they join in the Service of God. I know that these words of the Apostle are interpreted a little otherwise by some as if he affirm'd thus viz. That neither they nor the Churches of God have such a Custom to contend about Matters of this nature But besides that admitting this Exposition the Apostle wou'd contradict himself because in this very place he sharply disputes with the Corinthians Again if we shou'd grant that the Words may be thus expounded it equally makes for our side because 't is evident even from this very sense of the words as well as the other which is the true and genuine and so conspicuous and manifest that it requires no further explication that the Apostle disputing concerning an Ecclesiastick Ceremony with the Corinthian Church appeals to the Custom of the other Churches of God. Nevertheless this one thing we may note That these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are read in some Greek Manuscripts in the singular Number 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Syrian Interpreter has it Which are also the words of the Vulgar Latin Version and the same is to be seen in St. Cyprian and other Latin Fathers But the sense is all one For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the plural tho indefinitely put signify all the Churches of which the Universal consists Therefore both ways recourse is had here to the Universal Church and the Argument is drawn from her Custom For this reason St. Theodoret says of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Argument is sufficient to confute even the most contentious For the Apostle shews That not only he but all the Churches of God think the same So that he that acts contrary opposes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Universal Church as Theophylact and before him St. Chrysostom comments upon the place These Words of the Apostle being thus concisely explain'd fore-shew a plain and safe way to us by which we may proceed in the determination of all such Cases But if any Rite us'd by some Provincial Church is controverted we must make a diligent Enquiry into the Sentiments of all other Churches and see whether the same has been approv'd by them For the illustration whereof we must observe That in all Ages even from our Saviour's Passion several Provincial Churches have been constituted in the greatest part of the World which all together make that one Church which we therefore commonly call Catholick or Universal Which doubtless must be computed from all the Churches not only those that exist at one and the same point of time but that ever had a being Moreover all these in all Ages and at all times have agreed with the Church in necessary Articles of Faith. Now as to the Rites they have been partly proper and peculiar to particular Churches partly common to all Rites that are proper to one or two Churches may be abrogated or retain'd by the same or admitted by others at pleasure For they put on the nature of things indifferent and therefore are of no force unless what they receiv'd from that Church by whose Authority they are establish'd But Rites that have been always common to the Universal Church that is to all Churches throughout all Ages or which is all one to the greatest part of them the very same ought still to be observ'd by every particular Church For neither is it in the power of every particular Church either to reject Rites when observ'd or observe them when rejected by the Universal Church If any of these shall do either of the two 't is Schismatical disjoining it self from the Body of Christ at least in that particular But that every Church may be rightly constituted so as to be made a sound Member of the Catholick 't is absolutely necessary for her to conform her self to that in all things as long as it may be done and religiously embrace her Discipline and Rites as well as her Doctrin Which lest I may seem to speak without reason I 'le confirm with the following Arguments These very Words of my Text supply us with one For certainly the Corinthian was a Provincial Church into which some endeavour'd to bring new Rites The Apostle being ascertain'd of this disputes against it in this place and proves that that Church cou'd by no means admit of it And his last and chief Argument he draws from the Custom of the Universal Church as we observ'd before Forasmuch as all other Churches should have no such but a quite contrary Custom But if any man says he seem to be contentious we have no such custom neither the Churches of God. From which words I thus argue What 's contrary to the receiv'd Custom of all the Churches ought not to be admitted by