was so far from being terrified either by his bonds or death it self that were it not for their sakes to whom his life might be more useful he should rather desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ He further acquaints them with his design to visit them again in order to their support and settlement if God should rescue him from his bonds In the mean time gives this admonition Only let your conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ that whether I come and see you or else be absent I may hear of your affairs that ye stand fast in one Spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel and in nothing thing terrified by your adversaries That ye stand fact c. In which words you have an account what are the most effectual means for any Church which God hath blessed with the true Faith of Christianity still to abide and continue in it Firmness of mind in every mans private belief of it close union amongst themselves zeal and diligence in joynt endeavours for its defence and propagation and courage against such oppositions as others may possibly make against it 1. Firmness of mind in every mans private belief of it which is suggested in these words Stand fast that is to say as it there follows in the faith of the Gospel 2. Union amongst themselves Stand fast in one spirit with one mind 3. Zeal and diligence in joynt endeavours for its defence and propagation Stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel 4. Courage against such oppositions as other persons make against it And in nothing terrified by your adversaries These are the methods which our Apostle here propounds for a Church to retain the true Faith that is to continue a true Church 1. The first of which is firmness of mind in every mans private belief of truth For feeing that every particular Church is made up of particular persons so far as particular Members fail in the true Faith so far is that Church they are Members of maimed and mutilated in its parts and the whole in tendency to dissolution Now seeing the firmness of belief depends upon clear and evident proof I might here offer a demonstration of the truth and excellency of Christianity But being this is neither so needful nor yet so seasonable to the occasion of our meeting I shall rather chuse to address my self to what the occasion now requires which is to shew the truth and excellence of Christianity as it is professed in our own Church in opposition to that of Rome which I shall do by comparing theirs and ours together in point of Faith and Worship and Manners 1. And first of all for matter of Faith we firmly believe the holy Scriptures and every thing therein contained to be the infallible Word of God We believe the Scriptures do contain all things necessary to Salvation according as St. John assures us Joh. 20.31 These things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his Name Which we could not have if every thing necessary to Salvation was not written was not contained in this very Gospel of St. John Nay further yet we believe and receive all Creeds that were ever received in the Catholick Church These Creeds are taken into our Liturgy they are repeated in our Churches we signifie our assent to them by standing up when they are repeated and are we still to be judged Hereticks and deficient in the Catholick Faith On the other hand the Roman Church deny the Scriptures to be a compleat Rule of Faith they build their faith upon Tradition a thing uncertain They rely upon Councils which may erre nay upon such as have grosly erred They vary as well from the Primitive Church in many cases as from the holy Scripture it self And last of all they pretend a power of making new Articles of Faith that is such as were not made by our Blessed Lord and his Apostles which being so let reason judge whether they or we be likeliest to erre in point of Faith 2. For matter of Worship in the second place their publick Prayers are made and used in a tongue unknown unto the people ours in a tongue which we all understand And here let St. Paul decide the controversie that is between us I Cor. 14 15 16 c. I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with understanding also I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with understanding also Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving thanks seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest For thou verily givest thanks well but the other is not edified From whence it appears what edification may be expected from their prayers that is to say none at all And therefore the Apostle further adds I thank God I speak with tongues more than you all yet in the Church I had rather speak five words with my understanding that by my voice I might teach others also than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue But to proceed as we make our prayers in a known tongue so in them we invoke the true God and him only We use no other Mediator no other Patron but only Christ whom God hath appointed so to be For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 2.5 But they that are of the Church of Rome make their addresses to Saints and Angels as well for patronage and protection as for their prayers to God for them and some of those the Virgin Mary do they invoke in as magnificent and high a stile as they invoke God himself We pay no worship to any Images seeing that God hath expresly said Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven image nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above or in the earth beneath or in the water under the earth thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them But they bow down and prostrate themselves before the Images of Christ and others And though they affirm that the honour they give unto the Image passes through it to the person whom it represents yet still they acknowledge they worship the Image that this at least is a transient object of their Worship And then again we give the Sacrament of the Lords Supper unto the people as well as the Priests in both kinds So it was instituted by Christ himself so it was given all along for many Ages but others in perfect contradiction to the Institution of our Lord deny the Cup unto the Laity We believe that after Consecration the Bread and Wine set apart and consecrated for the Sacrament do still retain the natural substance of bread and wine And so the Apostle himself believed when he stiled that bread of
and manners then was our Church depraved and corrupted as theirs now is but now is our Church by Gods grace reformed and restored to primitive purity which theirs is not Whether theirs or ours be the better Church in point of faith may be easily known by this instance we make the Scripture the rule of faith and this is a most unerring rule they add tradition unto Scripture and this is greatly exposed to errour we have added nothing as absolutely necessary to salvation to the faith contained in the antient Creeds of the Catholick Church they have added much to those Creeds they have added some such things to them as do by consequence overthrow some parts of the very Creeds themselves Whether theirs or ours be the safer Church for a man to hope for Salvation in may easily appear from these particulars We teach such worship such practice as are most clearly and fully lawful lawful beyond all peradventure for sure it is undoubtedly Jawful for a man to worship the true God to use no Image in his worship to use him as Mediator whom he hath appointed so to be It is lawful beyond all peradventure to have our prayers in a known tongue to give the communion unto the Laity in both kinds to reform as well as confess our sins to use no art or commutations for the expiation of our sins but to forsake the sins themselves These things are lawful without all doubt but that the contrary to these are lawful is the doubtfulest thing in all the world or rather to speak more properly it is most certain they are not lawful And therefore I leave it to you to judge whether communion with our Church or the Church of Rome be the safer way unto salvation and if you judge as I know you must stand fast in the faith you have received and the Church wherein you were baptized And so much may serve for the first method for a true Church to preserve it self in the true faith firmness of mind in every mans private belief of it 2. Proceed we now unto the second and that is Union amongst themselves as it is suggested in these words stand fast in one spirit with one mind If a kingdom be divided against it self that kingdom cannot stand If a house be divided against it self that house cannot stand Mark 3.23 24. Neither can a Church which is so divided If the members of the natural body be rent and torn each from other this is the destruction of the whole and death to every single part Disunion doth of its own nature naturally tend to dissolution there needs no Enemy from abroad to destroy and ruine such a Church as is divided against it self the mutual discords that are within the divisions amongst its own members their mutual envyings and animosities that naturally arise out of these divisions effectually tend to separation and separation to dissolution Besides the intestine strifes and divisions which are seen and observed in any Church invite its Enemys to attempt its utter ruine and destruction they open a breach for them to enter they give free and an easie entrance to swarms or seducers to invade it they give a plausible and fair pretence for a very plausible and specious objections you have no union amongst your selves from whence it appears you have not the truth Truth is one and so is the Faith that 's built upon it You are not one amongst your selves and therefore you have not the true faith Now therefore leave and quit that Church which hath no unity in its members and come to that which is united To these assaults and these are dangerous to weaker minds doth every Church expose it self which is not at unity in it self Now therefore let us be most cautious to be at union amongst our selves and in order to so good an end let us take care to make our breaches no wider than indeed they are We do agree exactly agree amongst our selves in point of faith in the belief of all those Doctrines that are absolutely necessary to salvation thus far we agree with the Protestant Churches that are abroad and further yet with the generality of the Diffenters that are at home And as for this Church it self there is as great and greater consent in all the parts and members of it than in the Church of Rome it self They have divisions amongst themselves and greater than any amongst us They charge either other in some points with nothing less than heresie it self We have no such charges amongst us They have their Dominicans and Franciscans they have their Molinists and their Jansenists one Order bandying against another with bitter discords and animosities They are not agreed in the very rule of faith it self some make the Decrees of the Pope only some the Decrees of a General Council others the Decrees of the Pope and Council both together to be the only rule of Faith from whence it most inevitably follows that that must be Faith unto one party which is not so unto another Seeing some things have been decreed by Popes that have not been decreed by Councils some things by Councils and not by Popes From whence it appears that after all the boasts we hear of union in the Church of Rome there is in truth less of union in that Church than in this that we are members of And for the increase and preservation of this so blessed and needful thing let us take care not to advance any private opinions in opposition to publick wisdom Let us not insist upon any Doctrines as absolutely necessary to salvation which the Church hath not proposed as such Let no particular sort of men presume to stile themselves the Church or the only genuine Sons of it in opposition unto others who belive the Doctrines of the Church who have promised due Conformity to it and evidently practise what they promise These in truth are the sure and genuine Sons of the Church who go so far as the Church requires and content themselves to go no further And if any deny them so to be they have private fancys of their own and by obtruding these on others and censuring those that receive them not they weaken the Church disturb its union disquiet its peace and take a course to bring a dangerous Schism into it Now therefore let it be our care to maintain Charity to cherish Peace to study Union amongst our selves And this is the second of these methods which powerfully tend to our preservation and of the Faith which we do profess 3. The third is singular zeal and diligence in joynt endeavours for its defence and propagation For so the Apostle farther adds Stand fast in one Spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel There must be zeal there must be endeavour there must be joynt endeavour used for the promotion of this end 1. Our enemies have a zeal against it and if we our selves have none for it how
which we partake in that Sacrament 1 Con. 10.17 We are all partakers of that one bread and that the Cup of which we drink and thus believing we do not give Divine worship unto the Elements in the Sacrament But they in absolute contradiction both unto Scripture and unto Reason and unto four of their five Senses believe that after Consecration there is no bread but the natural flesh of Christ's body no wine but his very natural blood Upon which account they pay a Divine worship to them worship that which is not God that which is really bread and wine To all these things I might now add the Superstition of their Devotions their Prayers for delivering departed Souls out of that place they call Purgatory a place that is of their own making for gaining Wealth unto their Church Their Pilgrimages to the Tombs of Saints an infinite Mass of Rites and Ceremonies for which things they have no precept in the Scripture no example either there or in the primitive Ages of Christianity Rites which obscure and burden Religion with a numberless heap of Superstitions contrary to the very nature to the simplicity of Christianity From matter of Worship pass we on to matter of common life and action 1. As it relates to moral Duty 2. And also unto Civil Society 1. And for the former our Church declares that true repentance is absolutely necessary to gain the remission and pardon of sin We also affirm that reformation is the best and most essential part of true repentance We do not pretend to any power to give Absolution to any person who doth not practise such repentance that is to say who doth not truly reform himself in life and action in case life be continued to him or in real purpose and resolution in an effectual change of heart We make no pretence to an Authority of giving Indulgences and Remissions or of admitting any Penances and Commutations for the Expiation of the sin where the sin is still continued in Whereas they of the Church of Rome give Absolution to Attrition that is to the meer fear of Hell and these two things namely Attrition and Absolution they judge sufficient to Salvation They admit of Penances and Commutations for the Expiation of mens sins and by these means teach their Followers to hope for remission of the punishment although they retain the sin it self And lest the Penance should seem burthensom and too severe they can give Indulgence for that too to them that will be at the cost to buy it By all which means they make the Precepts of the Gospel the Laws of Christ of no effect make it needless to obey them unless a man have a mind unto it and to do more than what is needful 2. For Civil Society 't is well known how many there are in the Church of Rome who do affirm that it is not needful to discharge a promise to a Heretick and all are Hereticks in their account who make profession of Christianity and do not communicate with their Church We know there was safe conduct promised to John Hus and Jerom of Prague to the Council of Conslance and how that promise was performed The promise was broken and the men burnt and so indeed they justified their Doctrine by their practice They exempt the Clergy from the Authority of secular Power till they be surrendred thereunto by their Superiors in the Church and they surrender them when they please and when they please they do not Upon which account many Villanies many Murders have been committed in the State to the infinite scandal of Religion It was complained in the sixth year of King Henry the Second that there have been above an hundred man slaughters committed by the then Clergy since the beginning of his Reign But that which is of the vilest consequence in this point is that they affirm that the Popes of Rome have power to depose Kings and Princes and that pursuant to this Doctrine they have excommunicated and deposed lawful Princes in several places and given their Kingdoms and Dominions to other persons that there are infinite numbers of Authors who defend and justifie this Doctrine that these are countenanced by a Council that is to say the fourth Lateran which they themselves call a General Council For it is there expresly said that in case a Prince does not purge his Country from heretical pravity in the space of a year after admonition so to do by the Metropolitan and his Comprovincials then this be signified to the Pope that he may deprive him of all Authority terram ejus exponat Catholicis occupandam expose his Country to be possessed and seized by Catholicks In direct pursuance of which Doctrine private persons have stab'd Princes and have been commended and applauded by the Pope himself for so doing For so it was in the case of Henry the Third of France These are the Doctrines of the Church of Rome relating unto Civil Society what ours are I need not say We owne our selves obliged to do good to all men and that although we have not obliged our selves thereto by any particular promise to them much more discharg'd our faith to all We owne the King to be supreme in his own dominions and that there is no power in any to depose him And to conclude we owne the truth of S. Peter's words and that in the very fullest sense Honour or as the margent reads it esteem all men love the Brotherhood fear God honour the King 1 Pet. 2.17 We owne all to be oblig'd to submit to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as supreme or to Governours as sent by him for the punishment of evil doers I have here given you an account of some of the most material differences between us and the Church of Rome in point of faith and worship and manners and should now perswade you to stand fast in all these things as they are taught in this Church not suffering your selves to be abased by vain Sophistry of deceivers If they ask you where our Church was before Luther ask you again where theirs was before the fourth Laterane Council nay before that of Trent it self For sure it is there was never any Church before those Councils that did in all things teach and practise as the Church of Rome at this present time Tell them our Church that is a Church wherein the same faith and worship the same obedience to Gods commands were taught and required which are now taught and required in ours were many ages before theirs Such a Church there was assoon as there was a Christian Church such a Church planted by Christ himself such a Church propagated by his Apostles such a Church for several hundred years for several ages after that Afterwards there arose a time of darkness upon the face of the Christian world in that darkness many errours crept into the Church many corruptions in worship
have nothing but good Principles to prevent and hinder such complyance From whence it most inevitably follows that where such principles are not found where men are under the power and guidance of evil Principles they are most dangerously exposed to evil This is the least of the ill effects that we can possibly expect from them 2. But then secondly we must consider That as all ill principles in Religion leave us at least exposed to evil so are there many do very highly encourage to it There are such principles to be found as turn the greatest crimes to merit and make men hope for a reward hope to gain eternal glory by the foulest practices in the world by those that tend to eternal misery Our blessed Lord foretold his followers that the time would come wherein they would put them out of the Synagogues and not so only but also that whosoever killed them should think he did God service by it John 16.2 So did the Jews use his Disciples They first accused them of Schism and Heresie and then persecuted them unto death And just so doth the Roman Church to all Christians dissenting from them They pronounce them guilty of Schism and Heresie they excommunicate them out of the Church they flatly deny that they can be saved they doom them all unto damnation they pronounce it lawful to destroy them to destroy the very greatest Princes when they have once judged them Hereticks They make it a meritorious act in those that adventure so to do and lest men should not venture upon it some of them teach that they are obliged and bound to do it extremo animarum suarum perieule si vires habeant ad hoc idoneas Philopator under the pain of the loss of their Souls if they have sufficient strength to do it Could a man have thought that such practices as these are should ever have been undertaking by any making profession of Christianity could he have thought that although these should be undertaken they should be justified and defended nay urged and pressed with great severity under no less a tie and penalty than that of the loss of a mans Soul But this it is to have the mind and conscience defiled as the Apostle himself expresses it Tit. 1.15 This it is as he speaks elswhere 1. Tim. 4.2 to have the Conscience seared with a hot iron If a mans Principles be corrupt his conscience perverted and depraved what will not such a conscience admit and such Principles urge upon him If the very light that is in him be darkness how great then is that darkness And now to apply what I have said upon this point 1. Seeing the danger of false Principles in Religion is so prodigiously and strangely great let this be a mighty caution to us to avoid communion with such persons as govern themselves by such Principles and more especially the Church of Rome It is not imaginable how this Church hath perverted the Doctrine of Christianity and quite overthrown the practice of it in many considerable parts of it There is scarce any one command of God which they have not clouded and perverted by some perverse interpretations And besides all this they have formed and stated general Principles which effectually lead to the overthrowing of all the precepts of Christianity And some of these I shall instance in 1. The first of these is the Doctrine received in the Roman Church of acting according to probable opinions received not only among the Jesuits but by many others as well as them 1. They teach that although an opinion seems to be false to any man considering the reasons that make against it yet that it is a probable opinion if it be maintained by two or three nay by one Doctor of note amongst them 2. And then secondly that any person may lawfully act and govern himself by such an opinion in point of practice by an opinion maintained by others although it seem to be false to himself just contrary to the Apostles Doctrine Rom. 14.23 Whatsoever is not of faith is sin The very words they use are these Ex anthoritate unius tantùm posse quem illam in praxi amplecti licèt à principiis intrinsecis falsam improbahilem existimet that is That a man may lawfully follow an opinion in practice upon the authority of one Doctor though he himself considering the reasons of that opinion judge it to be false and improbable Guimen pag. 55 My Author adds an example to this and that is although a Confessor shall himself believe it to be unlawful to absolve a man in a certain case yet that notwithstanding he may absolve him if others judge it to be lawful Now here I observe in the first place that this is directly against the Scripture which pronounces that to be unlawful which a man acts against his own mind and conscience although agreeably to other mens And then secondly that this opinion gives all men liberty to do whatsoever a few Doctors nay any one of the Roman Church have judged lawful And what is it that some of them have not judged lawful especially against all those persons upon whom they fix the name of Hereticks And if you inquire what is the design of those persons that do maintain this opinion it is most evident that it is this That the spiritual Guides of the Roman Church may have a pretence to lead the people boldly to act what they require although against the minds and judgments of them they lead That is in case a private person judge it unlawful to break his faith to falsifie promise to a Heretick or to deprive him of life or fortunes or reputation yet that he may still lawfully do it if two or three of their Guides and Teachers nay if any one of them judge it lawful 3. But then thirdly they further teach That where there are any two opinions one less probable than another that a man may lawfully guide his practice by that which appears to be less probable So Martial de Prado concludes and abundance of others as well as he as Guimen p. 64. Saepe in praxi licitum est sequi opinionem minùs probabilem relictâ probabiliori It is often lawful in matter of practice to follow a less probable opinion forsaking that which is more probable Which is as much as if they said that a man is not bound to govern his life according to the best of his judgment but may very lawfully do what is worse where he knows and believes he might do better And is this for a man to guide his life according to the rules of Charity or that integrity that sincerity which true Christianity requires from us 4. And yet I must add what is still worse for it is added upon this point in the Church of Rome That it is lawful for any person to follow a less probable opinion rather than one that is more probable and that although the more probable
members should perish and not that thy whole body should be cast into Hell Matt. 5.29 30. These men must find out some distinctions whereby they may retain that eye whereby they may reserve that hand secure their dearly beloved lusts and yet escape the flames of Hell It shall be answered to these and all other like expressions either that this is legal Doctrine and that Christ hath so fulfilled the Law as that there is nothing for them to do but to rely on his righteousness or else as it is on another hand that they will make satisfaction to God for those sins which they will not forsake they will confess them to the Priest they will receive his absolution they will most duly perform the penance which is prescribed them by the Priest give so much Alms say so many Prayers pass through a course of so many fasts And when they have found out these shifts then will they believe their sins forgiven although they wilfully still retain them they will believe that this is so in spight of common sense and reason in spight of the very light of nature in spight of the holy Scripture it self and the plain design of Christianity they will have a Creed which shall allow them in their lusts though clearly contrary to that Gospel which our Lord himself hath revealed to us From whence observe that no man can be secure of truth who is no friend to real Piety nor is he likely to understand the will of God who is not willing to obey it 3. Hence we understand that the only safe and certain way to know the will of God aright to know what true Religion is and what is the way to life eternal is such a sincere disposition of mind as renders us willing to obey whatsoever God prescribes unto us For so is the Gospel propounded to us that whosoever is so disposed will readily believe and entertain it upon the evidence which attends it seeing nothing obscures nothing eclipses this evidence but an aversation to the duties which are commanded in the Gospel There is no Doctrine no precept no promise or threat in the whole Gospel that contradicts the hopes or interests of any man that is really good 'T is no interest of good men that there should not be a day of judgment that Christ should not come to judge the World that he should not judge it by these Laws which are prescribed us in the Gospel 'T is no interest of good men that any thing should not be commanded which is commanded in the Gospel that every thing should not be forbidden which the same Gospel doth forbid on the other hand it is most suitable not only to the judgment and reason but to the inclinations of good men that God should command us to love himself with all our hearts to love our neighbours as our selves that he should command all the vertues that are commanded in the Gospels truth justice temperance patience meekness humility and the like that he should forbid what is forbidden pride and covetousness and animosity fornication adultery and excess it is suitable to their reason and hopes that he should distribute rewards and punishments in another world according to mens behaviour here and whosoever is thus prepared to understand and believe the Gospel will neither reject nor misbelieve it nor any thing that is contained in it which is absolutely necessary to Salvation especially seeing that God hath promised to guide and assist them with his Spirit who are resigned unto his will and willing to do what he commands them Observe we then the great security that good men have of being led into all truth which is needful unto their Salvation observe what is the ready way to be guided into all such truth it is to be upright and sincere it is to be willing to do Gods will willing to do whatsoever it be that God shall please to require of us If you find this willingness in your selves suffer not your selves to be overborn with their confidence who vainly boast of infallibility in the midst of most pernicious errours and in plain contradiction to the Scripture Truth is plain to them that love it to them that are willing to entertain it but as for them that are insincere that have no hearty love to it the plainest things are obscure to them showers and snares are in the way of the froward Prov. 22.5 which way soever they turn themselves because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie 2 Thes 10.11 4. Now therefore let the consideration of what I have said upon this point perswade sincerity towards God perswade to willingness to obedience in every instance whatsoever Sincerity is that which doth dispose us to know and believe all needful truth sincerity is that which God will bless with the assistance of his Spirit sincerity is that which he will reward not only with his conduct here but also with eternal happiness and everlasting life in the world to come The Fourteenth Sermon Malach. 1. 6. If then I be a Father where is mine honour And if I be a Master where is my fear The former part of the verse is thus A son honoureth his Father and a servant his Master If then I be a Father where is mine honour And if I be a Master where is my fear THERE are several relative names or titles given to God in the Holy Scriptures amongst which are these of Father and Master He is styled our Father because we receive life from him He is called our Master because he hath a just dominion over us And because he is such a Father to us as hath created us out of nothing therefore are we entirely his and because we are entirely so therefore is he such a Master as hath most absolute and most Sovereign Dominion over us upon which account he may and doth require the highest love and fear and the most sincere obedience from us The neglect whereof in the persons to whom the Prophet here applies himself was the cause of this expostulation If then I be Father where is mine honour and if I be a Master where is my fear I shall not insist on these two duties we owe to God that is to say honour and fear apart and distinctly from one another But rather observe that such an honour is due to God as comprehends a fear in it and such a fear as also contains an honour in it from both which things put together there results a filial awe or reverence which is compounded of love and fear of love to God as he is our Father and then of fear as he is our Master This reverence then is the duty suggested in the words before us which I shall pursue in this method I shall shew 1. The degrees of reverence which God requires 2. The proper effects of it 3. The