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A49125 The non-conformists plea for peace impleaded in answer to several late writings of Mr. Baxter and others, pretending to shew reasons for the sinfulness of conformity. Long, Thomas, 1621-1707. 1680 (1680) Wing L2977; ESTC R25484 74,581 138

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the beginning Whosoever will be saved before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholick Faith And the Catholick Faith is this c. And in the end This is the Catholick Faith which except a Man believe faithfully he cannot be saved Answer if our Assent be required only to the Use of this Creed and not to a belief of the Truth of every part of it the controversie will be at an end Secondly The Belief of things as necessary to Salvation is granted by Non-conformists to be not an Assent to the several Phrases and obscure Words but to the general sense contained in them Now the sense of our Church in proposing this Creed may be judged by the Use which she makes of the Apostles Creed not only in the daily Profession of it but in the Office of Baptism as containing all the necessary points of Faith into which we are Baptized And in the Catechism as containing all the Articles of the Christian Faith which doth shew that no more is required as necessary to Salvation than what is contained in the Apostles Creed Thirdly In this Creed some things are propounded as necessary points of Faith which Men of weak judgments may apprehend as that we Worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Vnity Other things are for a clearer explication of that Doctrin and vindication of it from the errors that were then risen in the Church as the Arrians and Nestorians who erred concerning the Divinity of Christ and his two Natures which begin thus For there is one Person of the Father c. After which followeth the necessary Doctrine again So that in all things as is aforesaid the Vnity in Trinity and Trinity in Vnity is to be Worshipped He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity So that the Doctrine of the Trinity is that Faith which is proposed as necessary to Salvation I know the exception of many against this Creed is in relation to the Heathen who seem by it to be excluded from Salvation In which respect I suppose it is that Mr. Baxter says p. 191. That some R. Reverend Conformists do profess that those Sentences are untrue and not to be approved and he instanceth somewhere in Mr. Chillingworths refusal to subscribe it But if this be the ground of the Exception I conceive that the generality of the Non-conformists who maintain the same Opinion which is consonant to the Scriptures and to the Assemblies Confession of Faith to which Mr. Baxter also hath declared his Assent in this particular will not oppose For in the Assemblies Confession C. 10. Article 4. concerning effectual calling they say That Men not professing the Christian Religion cannot be saved in any way whatsoever be they never so diligent to frame their Lives according to the Light of Nature and the Law of that Religion they do profess and to assert and maintain that they may is very pernicious and to be detested And I know some Non-conformists have lately blamed some Conformists for seeming to incline to the contrary Opinion Which if this be sense of the Creed our Church doth explode yet some Non-conformists think that by holding the Doctrine of the Athanasian Creed they do not judge the Heathen World and that they dobut not but in every nation he that feareth God and worketh Righteousness is accepted of him so that this obloquie is silenced But it is most probable that Athanasius intended the Explanatory part of the Creed against the Arrians and other Hereticks in the Church who if they denied the Divinity of Christ and dyed in that error who can think they can be saved seeing they make Christ a meer Creature and overthrow the Doctrine of our Redemption by him But that he should condemn all that have a true though but a weak Faith in the Holy Trinity and cannot comprehend the manner of the Eternal Generation of the Son the Procession of the Holy Ghost and the Co-equality of the Trinity cannot be thought to have been the Mind of Athanasius P. 192. N. 20. The Liturgy saith All Priests and Deacons are to say daily the Morning and Evening Prayer privately or openly not being lett by sickness or some other urgent cause c. Answ That the Primitive Christians did meet daily not only for publick Prayers but to receive the Sacrament is believed and that it is our duty to Pray Morning and Evening cannot be denyed and what should hinder but that such as are specially devoted to the Service of God should Pray openly with the people if not reasonably hindred or at least pray privately for them there are many that do their duty herein and if all did it would be better with us because all Men do not perform their Baptismal Vows is it fit that none such should be made we see this duty is performed in Cathedral and Collegiate Churches and in many other places where there is a liberal maintenance provided for the Priests and Deacons where though one only do Officiate yet all those that are present may say the daily Prayers as the Liturgy requires which is another frivolous Objection of Mr. Baxters p. 192. n. 3. The next is a Calumny against the whole Liturgy viz. that the Prayers are disorderly and defective not Formed according to the Order of Matter nor of the Lords Prayer but like an immethodical Sermon which is unsuitable to the High Subjects and Honorable Work of Holy Worship and that the Non-conformists have Offered when it shall be well accepted to give in a Catalogue of the disorders and defects of the Liturgy But all this notwithstanding they think it lawful to Use the Liturgy in Obedience or for Unity or when no better may be Used It is something to go thus far but if they would impartially consider the defects and confusions which were in the Directory as it hath been considered by Doctor Hammond or in Mr. Baxters Eight days exploit for a more correct Nepenthes and shall on the other side read that account which Mr. Comber and others have given of the Methodical order and dependance of the several Prayers and Offices the Grave and Scriptural Phrases and Expressions in the Liturgy he may perceive that this is fitter to guide the Devotion of the Universal Church than those other are for Country Conventicles P. 194. He excepts against the Preface to the Book of Ordination where it is said that It is evident to all Men diligently reading Holy Scripture and ancient Authors that from the Apostles time there have been these Orders in Christs Church Bishops Priests and Deacons as several Offices Answ I shall not trouble my Readers with the Arguments of Learned Men for the Order of Bishops in the Church ever since the Apostles days as distinct from Presbyters much less shall I repeat those uncomely Reflections which Mr. Baxter hath made on Diocesan Bishops in both his late Books It may suffice in Answer to this Objection that Mr. Baxter