Government of men and must certa â—â—â—be the truest Touch stone of Sin and Duty c. He says further this is a hopeful begining of Controversy to decline the Sufficiency and Propriety of Scripture as the Standard of good or evil But will this man assigne a better Yes the IXth Article of the Apostles Creed I Believe the Holy Catholic Church the Communion of Saints c. and concludes a happy Omen when the first Paragraph contains a plain affront both to Scripture and common Sense Sr. the holy Scriptures is the great Law for the Government of men and is certainly the truest Touch stone of Sin and Duty But Sr. whoever he be Scripture ought not to be Interpreted contrary to an Article of Faith that expounds Hâ—â—y Scripture in contradiction or not consonant to an Article of Faith his exposition cannot be true and I am assured so by that Article of Faith it contradicts or agrees not with As for example the Socinians have with so much cunning and plausibility expounded even those texts of Scripture which are express for the Divinity of our Blessed Savior in favour of their Heresy that they have staggar'd and perverted many persons of considerable understanding but when the Article of Faith is consider'd viz. And I Believe in one Lord Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God God of God very God of very God being of one Substance with the Father c. every Christian is infalliably assured that the Exposition of the Sacred Scripture made by the Sâ—inians are false because it is in contradiction to an Article of Faith So when I saw Mr. H ry had expounded the holy Apostl's Precept I beseech you Bretheren c. 1 Cor. 1.10 that there be no Divisions among you c. and other Texts of Scripture in favor of your Separat Communion to acquit that from the guilt of Schism I was firmly assured that his Expositions were false because they clash'd and agreed not with that IXth Article of Faith I Believe the Haly Catholic Church the Communion of Saints a Separate Communion being altogether inconsistent with that Article of Faith I therfore recomended that Article of Faith as a better and more easie way for him to find out the true nature of Schism than his so unskilful expounding Scripture which the Apostle saith 2 Pet. 1 20 is not of any Priâ—aâ—e Interpretation Sr. I know not who nor what you are but I must tell you that to affirm that an Article of Faith is a plain affront to Scripture is the nearest to the language of an Heretic that I have met with In p. 10 he saith I â—ffer to their Consideration the Origination or first Existence of the Catholic Church and that I said it was before the day of Pentecost but he says how long before that day I tell 'em not and then he takes an occasion to let us know that he has read of the Babilonish Captivity I did set down the Text Acts 1.15 The number of the Names together were about an hundred and twenty which was sufficient to denote the time and he owns that he knows my meaning but to exercise his abundant wit he says here is a Discovery worthy of its Author no body can think that I mention'd it as the Discoverer but as necessarily previous to what follow'd But he says had God no Churcheâ— then among the Jews must they be Excommunicated too for what cause pray and then reproachfully answers Not for want of Ceremonies or a Pontiff I hope Then he says the man told us in his Preface the Angels in Heaven were the most Glorious Members of the Church How must we lay these things together were the Angels Originated at the day of Pentecost Had they their first Existence then Or did the Members of the Body Exist before the Body Let the Citizen or any other of his Cabalâ— solve these Riddles and he shall be my great Apollo That God had a Church from the beginning of the World Church not call'd Catholic before the day of Pentecost Psal 2.8 Eph. 2.14 that the Angels in Heaven were from their Existence Members of it being Created for that end anâ— that â—he Church of the Jews was Gods peculiar Church are all infallibly true but untill the Promise was fulfilled Desire of me and I shall give thee the â—â—eathen for thine Inheritance and the utmost parts of the Earth for thy Possession Untill the middle Wall of the Partition was broken down which was not ' til the Church was changed from Judaism to Christianity the Title Catholic was never nor could properly be attributed to the Church now unless this Gent. will shew that the Church was call'd Catholic before the Day of Pentecost I mentioned all these Riddles and Philosophical questions are of no more worth and value than his great promise to make me his great Apollo In p. 11. he questions not that the Apostles and Disciples were the Church nor the power Christ gave the Apostles to Preach the Gospel to all the World and says that I well observe Christ's Commission and Charge that in every Natian they that believed might be Baptiz'd and made Members of the Church but says he how well they have observed their Commission who refuse to admit of Church Members upon their profession of Faith unless they will also comply with some significant Rites of their own that are alien to Scripture Rules c. and then in his 12 p. he says its plain from this mans Confession that to be a Disciple or Believer would make a man a Member of the Church in Apostolical times c. It is true that Faith is the necessary Qualification of a mans admission to Baptism and that persons are thereby made visible Members of the Church Members of the Church to observe the Peace Vnity in the Church but this is but the Initiation or beginning of Christianity Obedience to Spiritual Rulers and Governors being in this always suppos'd and impâ—y'd to Faith and Baptism must be added a strict Observation of the Order Peace and Unity of that holy Society into which they are admitted by those Qualifications above mention'd and this is most strictly enjoyned by the Holy Jesus the Prince of Peace and God of Order in the words mentioned in the beginning of this paper and divers other Texts in Scripture As for calling them Rites and Ceremonies of their own that are alien to Scripture Rules what ever tends to Order and the Beauty of Uniformity in the Church is in the Power and Wisdom of the Apostles Successors the Bishops to impose thô not express'd in Scripture there are no express terms in Scripture for Infant Baptism nor for Women to pertake at the Eucharist yet allowed and required by the Authority of the Church and submitted unto from the Primitive times by all Christians except Anabaptists who deny the former And this fully answers his following Paragraph which he closeth with much bitterness
explain by shewing wherein this Communion doth more particularly consist In my p. 5. viz. in the same Articles of Faith The Communion of Saints in Faith I nam'd the Apostles Nicene and Atharasian Creeds which have been received and used in the Catholic Church from the times they were first published and appoint'd by the Authority of the Church the Creeds are Compendiums and brief Comprehensions of the Objects of our Christian Faith and do contain all things necessary to be believ'd every Article being a principle of the Christian Religion which every Christian is bound to profess and is the Test to distinguish between Heretics and sound Christians and now this profession and agreement of Christians in these Articles of Faith may be truly called the Communion of Saints in point of Faith But my Adversary is not very fond of these Creeds and why not in Scripture says he Why every one who truly believes the Scripture believes the Articles of Faith and every one who believe the Articles believe the Scripture He says They are but Human composition They were Composed by those to whom the Care and Authority of the Church was committed and every Article for the benefit of all even the meanest Christians being formed and Collected out of Sacred Scripture are of Divine Authority He says I shut out the Greek and other Eastern Churches This is but his own Conception for they agree with us in all Articles of Faith they do not indeed express the Article of the Holy Ghost in the very same words but they acknowledge that the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father by the Son which differs not in sense and they Worship the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity so that in Articles of Faith we and they hold Communion Well! I perceive thô my Adversary relishes not and speaks with but indifferent Respect of the Creeds yet he says however he is so far in Communion with us so in this he will be no Schismatic or rather no Heretic The Communion 〈◊〉 Saints 〈◊〉 the Eucharist Another particular which I mentioned requir'd in this Communion is partaking all at the same Table which thô it be not individually yet Spiritually it is the same and being every where called the Lords Table could be no otherwise meant but that this Gent. will be very witty and take exceptions at every thing The Apostle calls it the Lords Table The Cup of Blessing which we bless 1 Cer. 10.21 v. 16. v. 17. is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ We being many are one Bread and one Body for we are all partakers of that one Bread All true Christians partaking at the Lords Table are one Body in the Apostles Sense the bread not only signifieing the Body of Christ but the Unity of the partakers also and this is the Communion of Saints at the Lords Table Here says he we are with him still I wonder at his confidence he would say sure hâ—re we ought to be with them for they are not with us By comparing our Church with the Primitive Churches I have proved her to be a Church truly Catholic her Jurisdiction as truly Apostolical as they were from whence it follows as I have said that her Orders are to be equally obey'd her Unity and Peace as strictly maintained and what soever was Schism in any of them must be so in her To refuse Communicating with any of them at the Lords Table and to have set up another Table in opposition to any of them must in this Gentlemans judgment have been criminous Schism then of necessity it holds true against our Dissenters they refuse Communion with that Church which most certainly holds true Communion with the Universal Catholic Church and consequently with the Son of God who is the Head thereof and the Principle and proper Object of all Christian Communion Our Dissenters have set up a separate Table in opposition thereto rob'd her of her Members and broke her Unity all this being notoriously the breach of Christian Charity is in this Gent. and Mr. Hery's Sense too Schism which Mr. Hery calls an Arch-Rebel but not so properly as an Infamous Rebellion in Christs Kingdom and thus they are Schismatics in Separating from the Communion of Saints at the Lords Table What he talks here of deriving our Succession from the Church of Rome is already answered A third particular required in this Communion I affirmed to be Communion of Saints in the same Prayers the joyning all in the same holy Prayers and Supplications Intercessions and giving of thanks according to St. Paul's express Command To this he says I cannot mean that in those Dutys we must necessaryly use the very same words c. for then I exclude all the World but them of my own perswasion and a great many of them too I exhort therefore saith St. Paul that first of all Supplications Prayers 1. Tim. 2. v 1.2 Intercessions and giving of Thanks be made for all min for Kings and all that are in Authority c. Here is a sufficient ground from Holy Scripture for Liturgies or Forms of Prayers in the public Worship and Service of God and St. Paul gives his reason for it in his Ep. to the Romans that we might with one mind and one mouth Glorifie God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 15. v. 6. According to this command Forms of Prayers or Liturgies were Composed early in the Catholic Churches and have been used ever since that there might be an Unity in their Supplications and Prayers and in their Thanksgivings and Praises that nothing should be omitted nor any thing more in our Petitions express'd but what our holy Religion requires that there should be no rudeness or undecency in words in which respects conceived and Extempore prayers are very liable to be faulty and in these they were all obliged to joyn where ever they came together for the public Worship and Service of God Herein they had Communion with God the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ who was in the midst of them Mat. 28. v. 20. and in whose name they were presented and with one another Uniting all in the same Prayers here is the Communion of Saints in holy Prayers It is true that the Respective Provincial or Diocesan Churches had not every one their set Forms of Prayers or Liturgies in the very same words every Bishop having power to Compose a Form for that Church of which he was Over-seer Yet they were the same for substance so that every Christian was obliged to Communicate not only with the Bishop or his Presbyters under whose Jurisdiction he lived but all Catholics coming to remote Churches did as bound by the Rules of Catholic Unity Communicate with their Fellow-Christians to what Church soever they came That in this the Church of England as in the former particulars holds Communion with the Primitive Catholic Church will appear Pream Quinto
Ceremonies without any native worth or strength yet were made Terms of Communion in the Apostles days and continued for some time after The Ceremonies in our Church are of the same Nature only have so much worth and strength that they beat the pleasant fruit of Decency and Order they are falsly called New being Customs of great Antiquity in the Church and being enjoyned by the same power derivatively which the Apostles had by my Adversatys good leave cease to be needless It necessarily follows that all persons within the Jurisâ—iction of the English Church have the same Obligation to submit to her Terms of Communion as the Christians had to submit to the Terms o. Communion with the Apostles Seeing then that there 's nothing amiss in our Church i. e. not any thing that can give any just occasion to separate from her Communion Seeing too that She is a Church framed according to Scripture Rules and that her Terms of Communion are neither New nor Needless the Conclusion necessarily follows that whoever they be within her Jurisdiction that Separate from her Communion do Separate for Separation sake and have no other Motives thereunto than those in â—atâ— Vices of the mind mentioned by Mr. Hery viz Ambition Animosity c. to close this These men are Notorious Schismaticks from their own Principles thereby give themselves the Title of Arch-Rebels in Christs Kingdom I will tâ—â— this Question upon the Dissenters and Examin what account they can give or their being a Church framed according to Scripture Rules and whether all they impose as Terms of Communion be by express Rules in Scripture That Church cannot be framed according to Scripture Rules where the Priestly Office is exerciâ—ed without the Divine Mission my Author may as trâ—â—l â— affirm in respect of his â—atural Generation that be is an immediate Son of Adam as what be in his 31 p. affirms of Ordination viz. that their Spiritual Governâ—rs i.e. their Pastors derive their Authority from Christ which by the words subâ—oyned must be immediately from Christ for he says it is mere proper than to speak of deriving it from the Apoâ—lâ—â— c. No Commission was ever known to come immediately from Heaven without some extraordinary Testimony to evince the Truth of it The immediate Mission which these men pretend to requires an extraordinary Testimony or no man in his right Wits can believe or assent to its Authority or esteem it for any thing but mere Delusion or Usurpation The Cretian Church must be allowed to be framed according to Scripture â—â—les I keep to this Gentlemans term in that Church St. Paul appointed Titus to Ordain Elders in every City none in the Scriptural Churches as this Gent Phrases it was to enter upon the Pastoral or Priestly Office without Episcopal Ordination Our blessed Saviour saith Jâ—â— 10.1 Verily I say unto you he that entreth not by the door into the Sheep sold but climbeth some other way the same is a Thies and a Robber Not entring in at the Door signifies entring without that Authority which the Author of our Religion hath Ordained in his Church without this Mission i. e. Episcopal Ordination no man hath Authority to Preach the Gospel administer Sacraments or exercise any thing appropriate to the Priestly Office unless these men can manifest that they have this Mission they are so far from being a Scriptural Church that our blessed Saviour pronounceth them to be Thieves and Robbers By this account of the Frame of their Church supposing but not granting it to be a Church it appears to have no Foundation of a Scriptural Church but on the contrary is Condemned in the Hâ—ly Scripture Let it now be examined whether All they impose as Terms of Communion be by express Rules in Scripture 1. First Then I desire they 'l inform us where did our blessed Saviour or his Apostles appoint the first day of the Week for Celebration of the Public Worship 2. What precept have they in Scripture for choosing a Text as is now used to Preach upon or the erection of a Pulpit 3. What Divine Command have your Brethren for the Form of Public Penance the Stool of Repentance imposed by the Kirk of Scotland and the Presbyterians in England These are I suppose Terms of Communion with you I am not disputing against the Practice of these things but hence it appears how unreasonable and false that Principle you so much contend for is to wit that nothing is to be done about the Worship and Service of God without Rules and express Command in the Holy Scripture But I farther demand of you 4. What Divine Warrant or where in Scripture did your Predecessors find those three significant Ceremonies imposed without the Regal Authority at the taking the Solemn League and Covenant which you at this day justifie First the Takers must be uncovered 2ly they must stand up 3ly The right hand must be lifted up bare all these Ceremonies in this Religious Solemnity signifying the Submission and Assent of the parties to that Rebellious Covenant were Instituted by the Presbyterians In his 37 p. he says We desire the Rules of the Gospel may be carefully looked into and a model of Government and Worship taken from thence such as may be likely to answer the great ends of Church Societies c. Here 's our Government and Worship supposed to be inconsistent with the Rules of the Gospel thence a necessity of Reformation and who can deny so fair an Offer The Model these good men will set up shall be a Model for Church Government and Worship not like our Vnscriptural Church but taken from the Rules of the Gospel But here it s demanded 5. What Rule or Command is there in all the Sacred Scriptures for private and Unauthorized persons such as these men are under pretence of Reformation to supplant a Catholic Church truly Reformed in Government and Worship to primitive purity as I have shewed and established by all the Authority that can be had on Earth from God or Man Conceited men Think ye that those Pious Martyrs who Reformed our Church inspected not the Rules of the Gospel as carefully and Conscienciously as you and are not the â—reat ends of Church Society answered viz. the Christian Faith truly professed and maintained the Holy Sacraments duly administred and such an Unity and Christian Charity observed and practiced according to the Rules of the Gospel in our Church as exactly and amply as in any Church on this side Heaven His next words in p. 38. are That nothing may be imposed but what is either expressly commanded or has a natural and proper tendency to promote that which is so c. This is Answered before He saith farther Then would the Worship and Service of God appear like itself Rational Grave and Majestical becoming reasonable Creatures c. Here are all men to be perswaded that the Worship and Service in their Conventicles is eminently more Rational Grave and