by such extreame perill of further infection especially if they doe long tolerate the same among them Insomuch that what soule soever in such a Church state desireth to be in safety ought with all diligence to leave that spirituall societie wherein he standeth thus and joyne to a better Seing under the Gospell there are more free societies of Christians mo visible Churches politike then one in a Country and some more sincere then some And all true Christians are cōmanded of God to keepe their owne soules sound and cleare from contagion which is unpossible to be done ordinarily for any long time where the visible Churches constitution is so commingled of bad and good of open prophane and godly togither for who can carry fire in his bosome and his clothes not be burnt And who can touch pitch and not be defiled therewith And who can escape but in a while a litle Leaven will leaven the whole lump much more will it so come to passe where there is a great quantitie of Leavē for a litle Dowe as now with us it is wherefore in such an inevitable present danger of our soules doubtlesse we ought to leave the worse societie and to enjoy one that is may be sincere For by no meanes may we dare to be of | Eph. 2.12 no visible Ministeriall Church if but 2. or 3. where we live can be gotten to consent and joyne togeither in the name of Christ and in the freedome of Gods word Of Traditions humane 16. Wee believe all Ecclesiasticall unwritten Traditions and Ordinances of men being no circumstances nor accidents are now under the Gospell even like as they were under the Law untruthes and false positions and errors in the worship of God And that simply we ought not to be present in the practising of them unlesse we might conveniently reprove the same Wee much mislike therefore those who hould at least some such to be now in these times both tolerable and profitable in Gods worship Nay we believe all Ordinances freely and voluntarily instituted in the exercise of religion to be indeed and so to be rightly named Gods worship either true or false being as they are the proper matter contents and parts of the second cōmandement in the decalogue which also before is signified in the secōd Article This doctrine they who admit not doe erre not a little even in the very nature and definition it selfe of the sayd worship of God and in the kindes and parts thereof we meane of Gods instituted worship Some particulars of these unwritten Traditions are a Catholike Church politike a Provinciall politike church independent the proper Offices of their government and the Forme and parts thereof Beside these also are The Cope and Surplice the Crosse in Baptisme Kneeling in the Communion and the like All which being in Gods worship and pertinent to it in speciall wise and meerely of mens voluntary institution we therefore renounce and doe utterly condemne as mens inventions spirituall and will worship Of Traditions Apostolike 17. We believe that every ordinance or institution Apostolike and that must unto us out of holy Seripture be proved to be so is divine that is to say of divine Authority instituted of God simply unchangeable by men and such that of right it ought to be used perpetually universally among Christians unlesse God himselfe by his owne worke doe let it and make it voide They therefore doe erre much who hould that it is rightfully in the Churches power to alter and take away some thing which hath been of spirituall and ecclesiasticall use appointed by the very Apostles and that mentioned in the holy Scripture And they also erre no lesse who say that something truely Apostolike may be proved so to be by Traditions onely without Scripture Of Prophesie as the Apostle calleth it 18. Wee believe that the sober discreet orderly and well governed exercise of expounding and applying the Scriptures in the Congregation by the Apostle called Prophesying allowed expressly by him to any understanding member of the Church but ‡ 1 Cor. 14.34 v. 1.39 and vers 31. women is lawfull now convenient profitable yea sometime very necessary also in diverse respectes The Churches order and allowance therein for each particular person so imployed being first had For it being lawfull privately by | 1 Thes 5.11 1 Pet. 4.10 private motion it must needs be more lawfull in pub-like when it is seene needfull by the Church and is performed under the Churches order direction and judgement Of the reading of Homilies in the Church 19. Wee believe that with us the reading of Homilies in divine service is not lawfull but very unmeete for the congregation of the faithfull namely where it is held for competent without the imployment of a preaching Pastor where as a Pastors diligent discreet and judicious preaching and applying of Gods word is the power of God unto salvatiō ordinarily Neither doth every of the allowed Homilies in every pointe conteyne godly doctrine Of Christs descending into Hell 20. After the usuall and cōmon sense of this English word Hell we believe that in the Creed this point is not rightly translated where it is sayd Christ being dead descended into Hell For the Scripture sayth onely and so likewise doe the originall words in the Creed signify that he was then under the power of death And was in the place where all other the godly deceased were And that is all Of Prayer 21. Wee believe concerning prayer that though every †2 Chrō 29. 30. Psalm 102. 92. Mat. 26.30 forme of prayer prescribed by men be not absolutely nor simply a sinne neither as we judge an Idol nor an invention of man nor a transgression of the 2. commandement yet wee constantly avouch and professe a prescribed Leiturgy or a booke of common prayer by cōmandement inforced upon a whole Church rightly constituted to be used still in the very same words whensoever they assemble in comparison of other praying is not so profitable but rather hurtfull in many users of it as making holy zeale true piety sincere godlynes and other giftes of Gods Spirit in many of them to languish namely where it is made necessary and in perpetuall use and when it is so long as that the reading of it over taketh up the whole time fit for one usuall meeting to divine service And therefore we cannot think it any way cōvenient for our selves nor meete to be imposed or to be so received in any well constituted Churches much lesse to be imposed on a whole nation least of all upon all Churches of the world The new Testament teacheth no such matter neither troubleth it selfe with indeavouring an uniformity in this point but leaveth all Churches herein to their godly liberty wisedome understanding and diligent consideration of themselves Besides such prescribed Leiturges were never used in any māner among Christians till late after Christ The soonest was after 300. yeares
religious we believe as is sayd those offices of Christ to be most absolute and perfect Indeed so perfect in every such particular now so alsufficient and so necessary to be submitted unto of all Christians as the sayd offices of Christ were under the Law We believe that Christ in these things no lesse then in matters inward concerning religion is the foundation to the whole building even of his visible and politicall Church now under the Gospell as well and as throughly as he was under the Law appointed by God over all things yea all these things as the head to his sayd Church which is the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all things And so wee believe Christ our Mediator in the kinde and nature of his offices to be not changed much lesse diminished but altogether the same unto us now as he was heretofore to his people the Iewes as it is written ‡ Heb. 13.8 Act. 3.23 Luc. 19.14.27 Mat. 21.43 Iesus Christ the sonne yesterday today and forever Yea we are perswaded if we should believe otherwise we should rob Christ of his honour and give his glorie to others which is a part of the highest sacriledge that can be And therefore where in this Article we are cōtradicted by some who say plainely that Christ in the Gospell though he bee the Prophet King and Priest to his Church yet he is not the onely or absolute Teacher Institutor King and | The Approvers of Gabriel Powell de Adiaph c. Lawgiver of his outward Church nor of the visible administration thereof and namely not in the forerehearsed outward thinges And likewise that Christians now have libertie and free choyce for the saide outward thinges in the exercise of Religion till mans Authority do determine them and that then such outward things are necessary to be observed but not otherwise This we cannot consent unto but we renounce it as highly derogating from the true and due offices and honour of Christ as is above shewed Of the Allsufficiency of the Scripture 2. Wee believe the holy Scriptures Allsufficiencie even in the sayd outward matters spirituall now likewise as well as it was believed and professed by all the faithfull under the Law And for that reason we hold this sense which indeed was and is the onely true sense of the 2. commandement viz. that touching the generall matter thereof or generally it containeth onely in the exercise of Religion free and voluntary Ordinances that is having no cause for their sayd use neither in civility nor in naturall Reason but the meere will of the Author of them Yea we believe that such ordinances both outward and inward private and publique doe wholly make the 2. commandement both in the affirmitive and Negative part They against us abroade in the land hold not this sense of the 2. cōmandement but deny it As likewise with like dishonour to Christ which wee noted before and with no lesse disgrace to his word | Doct. Whig in pref against T. C. saith it is a rotten principle they deny the Allsufficiency of holy Scripture in the said outward pointes as we believe of faith Christian Religion and most materiall and weightie under the Gospell They call them circumstances Accidents to Gods worship But most unjustly The Scripture indeed serveth not to specifie circumstances or Accidents Wee willingly agree to this Neither did it so at any time As namely not under the Law But we deny this constantly being therein well assured our matters in controversie are not circumstances nor Accidents in Gods worship And therefore also not indifferent A circumstance is A circumstance which of it selfe and by the very nature of it hath sometime and to some persons a helpfull a profitable and needfull use of Gods worship yet is not any part of Gods worship nor perpetually fit nor meerely voluntarie nor used onely therin An accident is An Accident which being no way a part of Gods worship is sometime in it sometime not A matter substantiall in the worship of God and that which is a part of it is of 3. sortes Either a thing not Civill but properly pertaining to Gods worship and yet a meere voluntarie ordinance therein Or a thing having absolute necessitie in nature and naturall reason to be a part of Gods worship Or otherwise which by the Scripture is plainly commanded or forbidden in Gods worship Our matters in controversie are all substantiall of one of these 3. later sorters namely of the first And therefore what soever of them is lawfull must be commended to us in the Scripture Else they are all unlawfull sinnefull and wicked The severall pointes we shall here presently note in particular at least namely these which follow Of Christes true visible Church generally 3. Wee believe that for more cleare understanding Christs true Church is to be noted and considered 4. wayes First Christ hath a true Church * Ephes 3.15 Heb. 12.23 Invisible which is the Universal number of his elect Secondly He hath a Church Militant considered meerely as it is †Gal. 1.13 Philip. 3.6 professing and suffering that is as the severall members doe professe the true faith and doe endure the opposition of enemies for the same Thirdly the church is taken for a Christian family so well nurtured and ordered in Religion that they are ‡ 1 Cor. 16.19 Bez. Annotat ibid. like unto a litle Church So a Church is figuratively and metaphorically taken But none of all these is to our purpose Fourthly The Church is taken as the same | Math. 18.17 1 Cor. 5.12.13 Act 1.26 is politicall or indued with power of outward spirituall policie and administration of Gods holy ordinances the meanes of salvation for mens soules Now this Church under the Gospell and with this consideration is that which onely we doe here treat of seeke and desire And wee believe that the speciall forme of this that is Christs visible politicall Church under the Gospell and the particular kinde of Government thereof must be of divine Institution they are matters ordinarily necessary to Saluation they are matters of faith matters of the 2. commandement no lesse then they were under the Law Wee believe that these things are no circumstances nor Accidents nor Indifferent nor at all changeable by the discretion of men But we believe that these are matters of Substance in Religion and that by these things one visible politicall Church differeth essentially or substantially from another to wit in the nature and kinde of the outward spirituall Administration thereof As namely the Iewes visible politicall Church under the Lawe did substantially differ from the Christian visible politicall Churches under the Gospell And rather the proper Diocesan and Provinciall and Catholike Churches since Christ doe so differ from the churches which are but ordinary Congregations independent Moreover Laying on of handes Heb. 6.2 set for the forme of making Ministers under the Gospell
is counted one of the six foūdations principles of faith there rehearsed Which then requireth that also the whole outward spiritual administration and government of Christes Church now must be such yea and the forme it selfe of the visible politicall Church must then be a foundation of Religion a principle of christian faith ordinarily necessary forever unchangeable by men Wee doe not here think that all who of simplicitie doe erre in this foundation and principle of faith are of necessitie damned We are not of so rigid and severe an opinion But we therefore hold it as a foundation and principle of faith because it is ordinarily necessarie to salvation and forever unchangeable by men Thus standeth our faith in these pointes so that they which hold contrarily to wit that these things are but circumstances in Religion accidents ordayneable and changeable by men even from one forme to another doe as we believe erre greatly from the trueth Of Christs true visible politicall Church in more speciall manner 4. Wee believe that the nature essence of Christs true visible that is politicall Church under the Gospell is a free congregation of Christians for the service of God or a true spirituall bodie politike cōteyning no more ordinary Cōgregations but one and that independent Wherein chiefly 2. pointes are to be noted First that a true visible politicall Church under the Gospell is but one ordinary Congregation And this is to be seene plainely in these scriptures Math. 18.17 1 Cor. 5.4.12.13 1 Cor. 11.18.20 1 Cor. 14.23 Againe Act. 1.15 Act. 2.1.44 Act. 6.2.3.5.6 Act. 15.22.25 Also Act. 14.27 Act. 15.30 Moreover Act. 20.28 Act. 14.23 Gal. 1.2.21 2 Cor. 8.1 Rom. 16.1 c. The second point here to be noted is That by Gods ordinance this one ordinary congregation of Christians is a spirituall bodie politike and so it is a free congregation independent That is It hath from God the right and power of spirituall Administration and Government in it selfe and over it selfe by the common and free consent of the people independently and immediately under Christ alwayes in the best order they can Which these places doe prove Mat. 18.17.19 1 Cor. 5.12.13 10.15 7.23 2 Cor. 2.8 2 Thes 3.6.14 Act. 6.3.5.6 Act. 14.23 Act. 1.23.26 Act. 15.22.25 1 Thes 5.21 1 Ioh. 4.1 Rom. 16.17 Coll. 4.17.2 3 Io. 10. Gal. 1.9 Gal. 5.1 Gal. 4.26 Of Synods and Councells 5. Howbeit we acknowledge with all that there may be and that on occasion there ought to be on earth a consociatiō of Congregations or Churches namely by way of Synods but not a subordination or surely not a subjection of the congregations under any higher spirituall authoritie absolute save onely Christs and the holy Scriptures They who deny this mainteyning a Diocesan and Provinciall and neither wee nor they themselves know what universall visible politicall Church both proper and representative doe herein vary farr from the rule of the Gospell Of a Catholike or Vniversall Church politike that is indued with power of outward spirituall Government 6. It is demanded doe wee deny an Universall visible Church under the Gospell Wee answer yea Under the Gospell Christ never instituted nor had any one Universall visible Church that is Politicall either proper or representative which ordinarily was to exercise spirituall outward government over all persons through the world professing Christianity No such Church say wee is found in all the new Testament Therefore we now cannot acknowledge any such Of a Provinciall Church independent 7. It is marveyled why we likewise deny that under the Gospell there is any true visible politicall Church Provinciall or Diocesan seing so we shall deny a true visible politicall Church to be now in England because the English Church as commonly it is holden is properly a Diocesan and Provinciall or a Nationall visible politicall Church We answere For our parts we acknowledge there are many true visible yea politicall Churches in England in some degree in some respect yet indeed we deny also a Nationall a Provinciall Diocesan Church under the Gospell to be a true visible politicall Church whether wee meane the whole body or the representative part of such Churches though the publike practise among us doth hould them for true politicall Churches The reason why wee deny these also is Because neither any such is found any where set downe in Gods word of the new Testament even like as there is no Universall Church visible politicall there set downe But onely a free Congregation or ordinary Assembly is found in the new Testament as a litle before is shewed How true visible politike Churches are in England 8. And touching the true visible politicall Churches which we acknowledge are in England wee professe and declare in this manner Namely that each company of true visible Christians associated togither in one place viz. a Parish and professing to serve God according to his will in faith and order so farr as they knowe such as there are many in England the same is a true visible politicall Church in some respect that is Though not in respect of the order of the state unless indirectly and by accident to it after which they walke and under which they stand in spirituall bondage yet in Christ directly they are free And so directly and essentially they are a true politicall Church as they are a company of true visible Christians united by their owne consent to serve God as a litle before is noted And thus they have free power of spirituall outward governmēt among themselves though they professedly practise it not But esteeming them by Gods word in their direct practise state according to the publike proceedings they are not a true politicall Church nor free directly as they stand under and joyned to the L. Bishops spirituall dominion over them Which bondage and want of spirituall freedome in themselves our godly people generally see not nor this That in right from Christ they have this freedome to be exempted from the unlawfull domination of the L. Bishops aforesayd Neither think they so upon this matter as they ought and as the perill of their soules requireth Howbeit yet all this as ‡ Prov. 25 18. 17.15 we judge doth not simply disanull that peoples being true visible Christians with us so long as herein they erre but of ignorance nor the assemblies from being true visible politicall Churches in some respect and degree as before is shewed And therefore we cōmunicate also with them on occasion as before likewise is signified viz. while in such communicating wee countenance out no evill thing in them which in many places and many times we need not doe Whereof we shall presently see further in Art 11. following Of L. Archbishops and L. Bishops Diocesan and Provinciall 9. Wee believe that the spirituall office calling and power and administration of L. Archbishops and L. Bishops