charge these things upon the Bishops for clayming the same power over the inferiour Clergie and people which himselfe as a Priest hath over the people committed to him is more than wonderfull Well but for all that here is a strange piece of Poperie which hee addes uttered by the Chiefest Prelate of England in the High Commission p. 152. viz. That in matters of Divinitie wee are not tyed to the Scriptures but to the Vniversall Catholicke Church in all ages for how said hee so Master Burton affirmes shall wee know the Scriptures but by the Church But that this man hath set his faith to sale for popular breath so that his testimony is of no value I should here runne aground and miscarry in my undertakings How not tyed in matters of Divinity to the Scriptures surely His Grace did much forget himselfe and what himselfe hath both subscribed and publickly maintayned against the Romanists Or rather Master Burtons zeale hath farre over-reached in imputing so grosse an error so insulsly expressed to so learned and every way accomplisht a Divine Yet somewhat perhaps there was said which might minister occasion to malevolence thus to traduce him Perhaps if occasion were offered Hee might make the consentient testimonie of the Catholicke Church in all ages the best interpreter the best rule to follow for the setling of the understanding in the true meaning of holy Scripture Yea he might perhaps say in all matters in Divinity taking it to include Doctor Field of the Church l. 4. c. 20. matters of ceremony and other things in which consist not the substance of faith or manners necessarily required to salvation we are not tyed Perkins refor Cath. to the Scriptures It is no innovation to admit traditions which was ever granted in our Church and never denyed by any learned Protestant We baptise infants Chemnit exam Concil Trid Sess 1. 4. receive the Apostles Creed acknowledge the number names and authors of the Bookes of Canonicall Scripture that I mention not for feare of displeasing Master B. the observation of the Lords day all which besides a number of rites ceremonies and observations whereof we have neither irrefragable precept nor example in the Scriptures onely wee doe not admit any traditions contrary to the Scriptures nor doe wee as the Councell of Trent receive them with the same reverence and pious affection or advance them to an equality of authority with Scriptures but as subservient unto them Further though Master B. startle at it it is no innovation neither to make the Churches testimonie to bee the meanes of our knowledge the Scripture to bee the Scripture which is no more than our Articles allow calling Artic. 20. the Church a witnesse and a keeper of holy writ I wish Master B. would have given us his answer to the question and have told us how hee came to know the Scriptures seeing he will not seeme to bee beholding to the Church for that peece of learning surely hee had it by revelation or received that booke as Saint Iohn did from the hand of some Angel for I will not bee perswaded hee brought that knowledge into the world with him Revel 10. 9. But whatsoever hee shall perswade himselfe and others it is an undoubted truth that we come to know the Scriptures by the Testimony of the Church and that secluding that wee cannot ordinarily bee perswaded that they are the word of God But withall we must know that it is one thing to suspend the authority of the Scriptures upon the Church and to make the Churches testimonie the foundation of our beliefe of those things which are conteyned in the Scripture and another to make the Churches proposall and testimony a necessary meanes and condition without which ordinarily men cannot know them to be those divine oracles whereon our faith is to be builded And because Master B. may thinke the better of this tenet if it be delivered by others he shall heare the same from the late learned Deane of Glocester whom I know he will not count any D. Field Appendix l. 2. sect 8 Popish Innovator who answering a Popish Treatisor that would needs fasten a Popish absurd doctrine upon this assertion writes thus If Protestants receive the number names of the Authors and integrity of the parts of bookes divine and Canonicall as delivered by Tradition as I say they doe and if without tradition we cannot know such divine bookes he The Popish Treatisor thinketh it consequent that tradition is the ground of our faith But indeed there is no such consequence as he imagineth For it is one thing to require the Tradition of the Church as a necessary meanes whereby the Scriptures may be delivered unto us and made knowne and another to make the same Tradition the ground of our faith c. Thus that judicious Doctor with much more to that purpose evidently proveth his assertion Briefely the authority of the holy Scriptures depends onely upon the author God himselfe the Church receiving them as delivered by God and so approving publishing preaching interpreting and discerning them from other writings doth not adde any thing to the authority of them which by her meanes beeing made knowne of themselves they are able to perswade and to yeeld sufficient satisfaction to all men of their divine truth And this authority thus made knowne is that into which as into their highest and utmost cause and end our faith and obedience is resolved And this may serve for answere to this false and groundlesse crimination CHAP. XIX Of the jurisdiction of Bishops how farre of Divine right given by Christ to his Apostles and from them derived by succession The power given to the Apostles divided into severall orders What power Ecclesiasticall belongs to the King and the intent of the Statutes which annex all Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction to the Crowne Of Master Burtons Quotation of the Iesuites Direction to be observed by N. N. Master B. and the Iesuite confederates in detraction and ignorance BVt there are two things here which I am unwilling to passe over The first is that here he saith that the words which he ascribes to the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury were by him spoken at the censure of Doctor Bastwick for oppugning the jurisdiction of Bishops Iure Divino as being no where found in the Scripture c. This is one thing which though here brought in upon the by I cannot passe because I finde him else where much harping upon the same string Hee will not have the Bishops derive their succession from the Apostles cryes out upon Dr. Pocklington for delivering pag. 41. Ips Newes pag. 4. Appeal p. 7. 1. that doctrine affirmes their authority and jurisdiction to be onely from the King that not to derive it thence is against the law of the Land and I know not what danger besides and that Doctor Bastwick is imprisoned for defending his Majesties Ips N. p. vult See pag. 67
to spirituall and heavenly meditations which must needs bee a thing very commendable and acceptable to God and farre from his Majesties intention to disallow or to prohibit any from incouraging men in such courses onely hee would not have this imposed as necessary for all which no Divine or Evangelicall precept hath done nor is possible by all to be observed all men not being morally able to apply themselves for the space of the whole day to spirituall and religious exercises and to divine Meditations onely If then by the Declaration the publike service of God be duely provided for no recreations permitted to the hinderance thereof no nor the pious affections of well disposed Christians for the applying of themselves on that day to private duties of devotion and piety any way prohibited Then it cannot justly be accounted any in-let to profanenesse or irreligion or hinderance of the due sanctification of the Lords day which was my first Proposition For the second Proposition Things may bee said to bee unlawfull either in themselves or in regard of some circumstance of time place or manner in which they may be used The great exception which is by most men taken against the sports and recreations allowed in the Declaration is not so much in regard of the things themselves as in regard of the day on which they are permitted when though in themselves lawfull as honest labours are they judge them unseasonable and sinfull But this hath beene already sufficiently cleared by the learned Bishop of See B. of Ely p. 237 238. c. Ely and others who have proved that neither the Jewes under the Law were prohibited all recreations on their Sabbath nor if that were not granted could such prohibition of them conclude against Christians using of them upon the Lords day Provided that the proper worke of the day the publick service of God be first ended and not thereby any way letted or impeached But secondly there are some that will have the Recreations by the Declaration permitted to be in themselves unlawfull and if so then must they be against the law of God or the law of the land M. Burton will have them against both pag. 57. 1. Against the law of the land for which he cites the Act of Parliament in the 1. of King Charles But in that Act none of the exercises or pastimes allowed by the Declaration are mentioned but onely in generall termes it prohibits all such as are unlawfull which the Declaration also doth and that not onely such as are simply unlawfull but all others forbidden by the law of the Land as Decla p. 12. unlawfull either on Sundayes as Interludes and Beare and Bull-baitings or for some persons as bowling an exercise by law prohibited the meaner sort And it were very hard to imagine that his Majesty should confirm any Act of Parliament which should crosse the Declaration set forth by his Royall Father not seven years before at least without expresse mentioning of it and rendring some reason moving him so to doe But secondly they are neverthelesse unlawfull and as supposed to be such Mr Burton will have them comprised in that Act under those generall words All other unlawfull pastimes which saith he are those By name all dancing leaping revelling and such like in termes condemned by Imperiall edicts Decrees of Councells writings of ancient Fathers of all learned Divines both Protestants and Papists in all ages And King James of famous memory in his Basilicon Doron whose words he there cites He that should reade this passage in M. Burton alone and not know the man would thinke him a man that did much esteeme the writings of the Ancient Fathers the Decrees of Councels and consentient testimony of Divines But the truth is it hath beene an usuall custome with men of his straine and humour if they can but light upon any thing in the Fathers or ancient Councels that sounds to their liking they catch hold of it presently and make a great shew and flourish with it and both sayings and Authors shal have their due commendations See Survay of the pretended holy Disc c. 26. 27. But if any or all of them be brought to impugne their crotchets they set light by their authority and care not a rush for them Bring them then the Scriptures or nothing I will not serve him in the same kinde but giving Antiquity its due honour for answer to that which he alledgeth I say first That sure the man is much mistaken and in his heat forgat himselfe in putting leaping into the number of those pastimes which he saith are so condemned For I beleeve he is the first man that ever so accounted it and I am verily perswaded that in his sad and sober thoughts if ever he come to himselfe so farre as to have any he will exclude from so hard a censure both it and archery and vaulting and such like though mentioned in the Declaration 2 For Revelling taking it in the usuall sense for drunken and disorderly meetings c. wee must subscribe to the Fathers and Councels and not to them onely but to the sacred Scripture where they are plainly condemned as workes of Gal. 5. 21. the flesh And say withall that it was one end that his Majesty aimed at in this Declaration to hinder such Revellings which he condemnes under the name of filthy tiplings and drunkennesse Decl. p. 6. But if Mr. Burton intend by it all those other sports mentioned in the Declaration as Wakes and Whitson-ales c. I say then that hee is much wide in his conceit of them they are no such things especially in his Majesties intention who hath therefore given expresse charge for Decl. p. 16. the preventing and punishing of all disorders in them Thirdly That then which remaines under the sentence of condemnation is onely Dancing and as I suppose mixed dancing as they use to call it of men and women together for single dancing is not by the strictest disallowed As for mixed dancings I know they may be abused and become unlawfull by the immoderate and unseasonable use of them and may otherwise yea and they do many times become incentives unto lust and that two wayes especially First when there are used in them such immodest motions and gestures as have in them manifest tokens of a lascivious mind Secondly when they are done animo libidinoso with an intention to stir up the fire of lust where either of these are they must needs become unlawfull Now these as they may be as well in single dancing so they are not in all mixed dancings so as to make them all to be condemned For what hinders but that men and women may together expresse their joy in such modest motions and with as chast intentions as they may otherwise walke talke salute and converse together If any shall say there is danger because of our frailty which is prone to abuse these to wantonnes I
should my 1 Cor. 10. 29. liberty be judged by another mans conscience That is why should I use my liberty so as to be condemned by the conscience of another But S. Paul doth no where say Why should my obedience be judged That is no matter of liberty but duty If another mans conscience mine owne being resolved shall condemne me for my obedience they may but to their owne hurt not mine who doe but my duty without offending against charity which must never be extended to crosse justice to offend and wound mine owne for feare of offending another mans conscience is not a well-grounded charity but to speak but right sinfull folly Though a man must love and tender his neighbour as himselfe yet he needs not he must not in this case love him more or before himselfe but if it come to that that the one must be neglected here every man must think himselfe his nearest neighbour and preferre himselfe before all others 2. Neither is it sufficient to excuse our disobedience to say God hath not in his Word commanded any such thing as man requires For this were to deny all obedience to man whose power is properly in those things which are left undefined in the Word of God It is sufficient warrant for us to know the things by humane authority commanded not to be forbidden by God in his Word and that they are not contrary to that which God commands which every thing which he hath not commanded cannot with reason be said to be 3. They must be plainly such This contrariety must evidently appeare not doubtfully seem to commit a certaine sinne to avoid an uncertain is no point of wisdome or religion It is a good rule I confesse if rightly applyed In doubtfull things ever to take the safest course But this cannot though some so use it be any prescription for disobedience to humane authority For the question here is not between two things that are doubtfull but betweene an evill certaine and that which is doubtfull as namely whether a man shall disobey his Superiours which without all question is a sinne against God and the power by him ordained or shall doe that which he knowes not whether it be a sinne or no here it cannot but be a fond choise to choose to rush upon that sinne which is certaine for the avoiding of that which is uncertaine In those things which the Scripture hath manifestly delivered to be the will of God we are not as S. Bernard speaks to expect Nec praeceptor expectandus nec prohibitor auscultandus Bern. de praec dispen c. 12. a teacher or respect a Countermander But in that which lies hid and is so obscure that it is questionable what the will of God may be wee must have recourse to the one and obey the other Neither in that holy mans judgement doe we in this give man divine authority or crosse the Scriptures commanding us to obey God rather than Siquidem quod nos asserimus de dubiis hoc ille Samuelvel potius Eli negat de manifestis Idem ibid. men For that speaks of things manifestly against the will of God not of such as are doubtfull whether they be such or no. And indeed how otherwise can any by disobeying man be said to obey God if he be not certain of Gods contrary command to which he pretends to yeeld obedience This must needs be to obey not God but our owne opinion rather than men and to preferre our private fancies and selfe-will before the obedience which God hath exacted as due to those whom he hath invested with part of his owne power and placed in authority over others To our present purpose then I would demand of those that refuse to obey Authority by commanding them to reade the booke whether it be manifest that God hath forbidden the reading of it Or where it is written that they shall not at the command of Authority reade that which they conceive not to be orthodoxe or to refuse to publish their Soveraignes royall pleasure unlesse that which it containes be in their opinion just and right But this without question they are not able to doe nor is it reasonable to thinke that ever God should suspend the power of Superiours upon the liking and approbation of those from whom hee requires obedience to them And if they cannot let them feare lest refusing to yeeld obedience and so resisting the power and the ordinance of God they receive Rom. 13. 2. not to themselves damnation It will follow then that they are justly punished and their punishment to cruelty or unjust persecution which is my fifth and last Proposition For they to whom God gives authority to command they have also from the same hand of God a sword an embleme of their power not defensive onely but coercive also to punish the disobedience of such as resist their commanding power and this vindicative power is as necessary as the other yea it is that which supports and gives life to their commands which otherwise were to none or very little purpose as not being able to keepe things in due order unless thus seconded that thereby they who by their disobedience Lessius De justit et jure l. 2. c. 47. n. 21. transgresse the bounds of order may be reduced into order againe by due punishment The execution of which if it exceed not due bounds cannot justly bee stiled cruelty or persecution unless the obedience required be demonstrated to bee contrary to Gods will and word which by that I have said in my last proposition they may bee able rather to attempt than to performe But haply the punishment may exceed the nature of the offence and so become cruelty and they justly termed cruell that executes it For those Seneca calls cruell who have Illos crudeles vocaâ—o qui puniendi causam habent modum non habent Senec. de clem l. 2. c. 4. p. 56. Div. Traged p. ult cause but no measure of punishing Indeed Mr. B. would make men that know nothing of the case thinke there were strange severity yea injustice illegall incanonicall proceedings severe and wicked censures persecution exercised against Ministers in this cause But it is no new thing for men of his spirit to call their deserved punishment unjust persecution when to speake as S. Austine once did in the like case to his Donatists If the thing Siea quae per misericordissimaÌ„ disciplinam patiuntur comparentur factis quae furiosa temeritate coÌ„mittunt quis non videat qui magis persecutores vocandisunt Aug. Ep. 167. they suffer bee compared with the deeds which they commit who sees not which are rather to be called persecutors And whether these men suffering for their faults or the Church and State suffering under their irregularity and turbulency may most rightly bee said to bee in persecution is no hard question to determine But to the point they complaine of two things 1. The Censure