of the fourth Commandment who cryes up the Day but beats down the other adjuncts and also the very Duty of the Sabbath That Duty being to glorifie God in Christ by Publick worship for the Redemption of the world whereas they discountenance Liturgie and Festivals though both instituted in honour of our Redeemer Sect. 4. The sincerity of Christian Communion may be violated either Causally by a false Religion or Formally by an unjust separation Both violations are abominable The care which the primitive Christians used to avoid both by cleaving to the antient Creeds and Gloria Patri and also by their Communicatory Letters The reason of that care was that both Priest and People laboured only to serve Christ not to serve themselves of him The Touchstone to try all Churches is the Advancing Christ both in their Religion and in their Communion The Iustification of the Church of England Consisteth of three Chapters The first Chapter sheweth That the Church of England is Gods Trustee for the Christian Religion as to the people of this Nation The secend Chapter sheweth That the same Church of England hath carefully discharged her Trust concerning Religion as a most Christian or most Catholick Church The third Chapter sheweth That the Communion of the said Church of England is conscionably embraced and reteined by All the people of this Nation and not rejected much less renounced by any of them but against the Rules of Conscience CAP. 1. That the Church of England is Gods Trustee for the Christian Religion as to the People of this Nation Sect. 1. CHrist delivered the Trust of his Word and Sacraments to his Apostles They delivered the same to Bishops and Presbyters their successors But the Apostles had an illimited their successors have a limited Trust The necessity of the succession of these Trustees to the worlds end yet is the succession of Doctrine more necessary then the succession of Persons Sect. 2. The Trust and nature of the Catholick Church best gathered from particular Churches The first part of their Trust is concerning the word of God Sect. 3. The second part of the Trust of particular Churches is concerning the people of God What that Trust is and how it comes to be derived to them is shewed from Saint Pauls speech Acts 20. to the particular Church of Ephesus and from Saint Pauls Epistles to Timothy and Titus and from other several Epistles of his to particular Churches Sect. 4. The third part of the Trust of particular Churches is concerning the worship of God The written Word of God is the Rule whereby they are to manage that Trust the readyest way to beget a Christian Communion among all Churches and a Christian Peace in each particular Church Sect. 5. The Prince as the Supreme Governor of the particular Church in his own dominions is Gods Trustee concerning the outward exercise of Religion not to manage or perform but to propagate and to protect it The antient Divines acknowledged this Trust and the antient Princes discharged it and Princes now are bound so to do because it is their right by the Law of nature and because without the discharge of this Trust there can neither be the face nor the due order of Religion among any People Sect. 6. The limitation both of the Princes and of the Priests Trust in matters of Religion That neither may deviate from the Law of God And that the Authority of the Churches Laws is most enfeebled by them who make least esteem of the Law of God casting the aspersions of obscurity and of uncertainty upon the Holy Scriptures Sect. 7. The Trust of each particular Church is sufficient for the Peoples salvation if she take heed to her self and to the Doctrine God hath given her in his written Word and in the antient Creeds of the Catholick Church Sect. 8. The Trust of particular Churches is immediately from God himself both in regard of the Magistrate and of the Minister That trust much stood upon in the Primitive times and ought to be so still because it is founded in the Holy Scriptures And that this Doctrine concerning the trust of particular Churches doth not Canton or dis-joynt the Catholick Church Sect. 9. What Trust is given to other particular Churches in the Holy Scriptures is also given to our particular Church of England from God the Father Son and Holy Ghost That our Church is accordingly bound to magnifie her Trust and therefore we bound not to vilifie it And that it is both rational and religious to maintain the Trust and Authority of our own particular Church CAP. 2. That the Church of England hath most carefully discharged her Trust concerning Religion as a most Christian or most Catholick Church Sect. 1. GODS intent in Trusting the Church with Religion was her Honour and Happiness which should cause our thankfulness to God and our reverent esteem of his Church Sect. 2. The Churches Trust concerning Religion is to see there be right Preaching Praying and Administring the Holy Sacraments Preaching belongs rather to the knowledge then to the worship of God and ought not to thrust out Praying which is the chiefest act of Gods worship and most regarded by him especially when many Pray in one Communion Sect. 3. Preaching is twofold either by Translating or by Expounding the Holy Scriptures The great excellency and necessity of both And that our Church is entrusted with both and cannot justly be charged as defective in either Sect. 4. Praying a greater part of the Churches Trust then Preaching The Church hath God the Fathers Precedent and Precept for making set forms of Prayer and shall answer for all the blemishes that may be in publick Prayers for want of a set form Sect. 5. The Church hath God the Sons Precedent and Precept for making set forms of Prayer and is accordingly obliged both to make and to use them Sect. 6. The Church hath God the Holy Ghosts Precedent and Precept for making and using set forms of Prayer Sect. 7. The Church hath Gods Promise for his blessing upon set forms of Prayer Sect. 8. The Church is obliged to make set forms of Prayer according to the Pattern of the Lords most holy Prayer that there be no Peccancy neither concerning the Object nor the Matter nor the Manner of publick Prayer and that our Church hath exactly followed that Pattern in hers and that other Churches ought to follow the same in their Liturgies A short Historical Narration concerning our Common-Prayer Book and the Anti-prayer book set up against it Sect. 9. Reformation not to be pretended against Religion The abolishing of Liturgie no part of a true Reformation That God hath not given any Church power to abolish Liturgie And that no Church ought to assume that power because Liturgie directly tends to the keeping of the third and of the fourth Commandments Sect. 10. Certainty is more to be regarded in the publick exercise of Religion then Variety Hence the Creed the Lords Prayer
have applied unto Christ proving he was that Prophet to whom Moses had bid them hearken Act. 3. 22. Act. 7 37. so that the Jews themselves were no longer to hearken to Moses by Moses his own appointment then till the comming of Christ 2. That the Jews who would not believe Moses his writings concerning Christ were not like to believe any other Prophets words concerning him which is still a good proof that no man can possibly reject the authority of the Scripture and yet truly beleive in Christ from the authority of the Church for if the writings of Moses or of the Old Testament then much more the writings of the Apostles or of the New Testament must needs be above any other Prophets words since these writings as well as those are looked upon as the undoubted word of God And therefore if the Church hath not found Christ in the Scriptures how shall we hope to find Christ in the Church and by consequent if we will be good Christians we must above all things take heed of cavilling or rather blaspheming against the word of Christ for that is in effect to say that we will have a state of Christianity not of Gods but of our own making we question not but the Christian Religion as it hath an excellency above all other religions so it hath a certainty agreeable to its excellency And this Certainty is grounded meerly on the written word in the judgement of Saint Peter who tels us indeed that there came such a voice from the most excellent glory This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased and that he and some others heard this voice when they were with Christ in the holy mount but yet that the Scriptures were a more certain ground of the Christian Faith then was this Voice for so he saith after all We have also a more sure word of prophecy whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a lâ—ght that shineth in a dark place untill the day dawn and the day-star arise in your hearts 2 Pet. 1. 17 18 19. The voice from heaven was sure but yet the word of Prophecy was more sure for notwithstanding that voice did say Hear ye him Mat. 17. 5. yet they would have suspended their hearing but for the word of Prophecy which had said before Vnto him ye shall hearken Deut. 18. 15. So that the voice from heaven had in effect all its certainty from the word of Prophecy Therefore he said we have also a more sure word of Prophecy His full intent was to make us seek after Christ in the Old Testament much more in the New He saith we shall do well to take heed unto that much more unto this that will guide us unto Christ as a light that shineth in a dark place but this will guide us to him as a morning Star that ushereth in the day And this is no more then our Saviour himself had said before Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see For I tell you that many Prophets and Kings have desired to see those things which ye see and have not seen them and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them Luke 10. 23 24. The comparison is betwixt those under the Law and those under the Gospel and they under the Gospel are declared the more blessed For they under the Law had but a dim light which made them see Christ so imperfectly as if they had not seen him But we that are under the Gospel have a clear shining light clearly and perfectly to see our Saviour Christ and therefore are much more blessed then they if we can but see our own blessedness and will be heartily thankfull for it therefore saith Saint John The Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ John 1. 17. whereby he excludes the Law both from Grace and Truth from Grace absolutely but from Truth only comparatively The Law did neither teach Grace nor give Grace it only gave a rule of righteousness but not grace to keep it and therefore only shewed our want of a Redeemer but shewed not the way of our redemption Thus the Law was opposed to grace absolutely and left that to come wholly and entirely by Christ and it was also opposed to Truth comparatively for many truths were but obscurely and figuratively propounded in the Law which are plainly and substantially revealed in the Gospel as the doctrine of the blessed Trinity of the incarnation passion resurrection and ascension of the Son of God and indeed all the other articles of our Christian faith So that Truth substantially or compleatly that is in its full revelation and accomplishment came only by Jesus Christ Wherefore if our Saviour Christ himself who without doubt best understood the state of true Christianity sent the Jews to the Law of Moses to be assured of the truth of the Christian Religion much more doth he send us Christians to his own holy Gospel to be assured of the same truth And as Moses his writings were then so the Apostles writings are now a greater ground of assurance to us then any Prophets words can be for as Moses wished That all the Lords People were Prophets so am I willing to believe that his Church is to be accounted as a Prophet so that it commonly fareth with Christians in their coming unto Christ as it did with the Samaritans John 4. who first believed on our blessed Saviour for the saying of the woman but afterwards believed because of his own word So do we generally first believe in Christ by the testimony of the Church which he hath in mercy appointed to lead us to his Word for else it were impossible we should ever come neer it But when once we come to see and understand his Word then we believe in Christ not for his Church but for himself and may justly say to the Church as the Samaritans said to the woman Now we believe not because of thy saying for we have heard him our selves and know that this is indeed the Christ the Saviour of the world John 4. 42. This may we justly say not to the undervaluing of the Church to which we are so much obliged for bringing us to the knowledge of the Word for had not she preserved and translated it we could never have known it but rather to the overvaluing of the word above the Church to shew we are infinitely more obliged to God for giving his word then we can be to his Church either for preserving or for expounding it Therefore we cannot but prefer the word above the Church and we know this may be done without either undutifulness or unthankfulness since God hath appointed that his Church should wholly rely upon his word and prove her self to be his Church from the Testimony of his Word as appears plainly in the case of the Bereans who are commended for searching the Scriptures and believing the Word
preached by Paul and Silas because they found it agreeable with the written Word These were more noble in that they searched the Scriptures whether those things were so therefore many of them believed Acts 17. 11 12. And sure we are to go in the same way they did go unless we can prove that either the Scripture is now less Dogmatical then it was in those days or the Church more Apostolical And there is great Reason for it as well as great Religion For we plainly see that the Church is much ordered according to the will of man but weare sure the word was wholy ordered according to the will of God For the Prophesie came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. 21. We must say the same of the New what he saith of the Old Testament for as came the Prophecy of old time so also came the Gospel in the latter times not by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost And from hence we must conclude the Authority of the Scripture to be the highest authority that can be in setling and establishing the Christian Religion For if the Prophets and Apostles did not only speak but also write as they were moved by the Holy Ghost it must needs follow that the doctrine of the Church must have its force and weight from their doctrine but their doctrine from it self as that which came directly and immediately from the Holy Ghost the infallible Spirit of God which best knew his mind as being his own Spirit and hath most truly derived his mind and meaning to us as being his infallible Spirit So it is evident The Scripture is no less to teach the Church then the Church is to teach the People according to that irrefragable determination of their irrefragable Doctor Si enim aliquis asserit aliquid quod non sit determinatum in sacra Scriptura vel quod non sequatur directe ex fide mortaliter peccat quia se constieuit supra Deum Judex enim est supra id de quo debet judicare Qui ergo suâ authoritate asserit aliquid de Deo ponit se supra Deum quia judicat de Deo Haec est superbia Intellectus quam prohibet Apostolus Rom. 12. Non plus sapere quà m oportet sapere sed sapere ad sobrietatem Alensis par 1. qu. 68. mem 1. ar 2. If any Doctor and consequently if any Church which is but a company of Doctors doth positively affirm any thing as matter of Faith or Religion which is is not directly determined in the holy Scriptures or doth not inevitably follow from the Faith therein revealed he sinneth mortally because he exalteth himself above God For the Judge is above that of which he is to judge Therefore he who without warrant from God positively asserteth any thing of God putteth himself above God in that he judgeth of God which is the Spiritual pride forbidden by the Apostle Rom. 12. 3. Be not wise above what is required but be wise to Sobriety Therefore surely the Church cannot teach that as a Doctrine of Christianity which she hath not learned of Christ and where hath she learned of Christ but in his Word SECT IV. That the state of true Christianity is to be learned only in the Church of Christ for there only doth Christ teach by his word which the Church is bound to translate that the People may understand it and by his spirit which teacheth both infallibly and irresistibly That the state of true Christianity is not confined to any one particular Church for that Christ teacheth more or less in all Christian Churches and yet this is no ground for Sectaries to run from the Church THE state of Christianity as it came by our Saviour Christ in being so also in knowing It hath its being from his merit its knowing from his word whence it follows by undeniable consequence that the state of true Christianity is to be learned only in the Church of Christ for there only is the word of Christ by which he teacheth to mens conviction there only is the Spirit of Christ by which he teacheth to mens Conversion For the voice must needs proceed from the body and the Church is his body Col. 1. 24. therefore it is to be feared that those who care not to be of the body either do not hear his voice or do not much profit by hearing it For it is not to be doubted but Christ hath intrusted his Church with his word as appears Rom 3. 2. Vnto them were commited the oracles of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they were intrusted with the oracles of God The Jewish Church with the Oracles of the Old Testament and the Christian Church with the oracles of the new And this precious Talent was intrusted with the Church not to be wrapped up in a Napkin but to be imployed to Gods glory the peoples good for so we find that the law and the Prophets were read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day Acts 13. 15. 27. And by the same reason the Christian Church is still bound to take care that the Gospel or New Testament be also read in our Churches which because it cannot in the original tongue wherein it was written to the Edification of the people the Church is bound to translate it into such languages as the people do understand that she may not be defective in her trust which is to use the word of God most for Gods glory and for his peoples good And that Church doth in this particular best discharge her trust which sets forth the word of God in the truest and fittest translation not rigidly according to the words in all places but yet exactly according to the sense for neither doth Christ himself nor his holy Apostles cite the Old Testament so much according to the words as according to the sense And if men had no other obligation to their Church but only this That they could not know what God had said in his holy word unless their Church had taught them yet this alone if rightly weighed would keep them both from Heresie and from Schism from Heresie in receding from that doctrine which came from God and from Schism in receding from that communion wherein they were first made partakers of that doctrine This is certain the Text saith plainly The Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved Acts 2. 47. which would never have been written if to depart from the doctrine or to be out of the communion of the Church were the ready way of Salvation Therefore as S. Peter once said to our blessed Saviour so ought all good Christians still to say unto his Church for rightly translating the word of Christ Lord to whom shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life John 6. 68. for without question God did
the Jews in their own Moral Law whilst we establish not our own righteousness but submit our selves to the rightâ—â—usness of God acknowledging that Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth Rom. 10. 4. but by no means for unrighteousness that is for the acceptance of our obedience but not for the abolition of it Thus we Christians still keep communion with the Jews in all Moral duties and as for Ceremonials the Jews themselves cannot deny but they are bound to alter their own communion For the abolition of all ceremonial or typical worship was foretold to them even at the first institution of it by Moses himself saying And the Lord said I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee and will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him And it shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name I will require it of him Deut. 18. 18 19. And as this abolition of the Ceremonial worship was foretold to the Jews at the first institution so was it also believed by them at the first reception thereof For hence alone was it that they found no fault with their Prophets after Moses though they found them dispensing with the Law of Moses nay plainly acting against it in the exercise of their typical or ceremonial worship as for example neither they of Hierusalem nor of Samaria quarrelled with Eliah for gathering Israel together to offer sacrifice upon Mount Carmel 1 King 18. 19. Though Moses had flatly commanded That all should bring their offerings to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation Levit. 17. 2 3 4. Here it is plain the Ceremonial worship was changed without any quarrel at all in that backsliding and therefore quarrelsome and contentious age of the Church of the Jews which could scarce have been had they not received that same worship with some belief of its future change and had not their Prophets confirmed them in that belief foreshewing as it were by particular changes introduced by them the universal change that should one day be introduced by the Messiah their last and greatest Prophet And this general change wrought by our Saviour Christ is so proved to us Christians that we cannot so much as doubt it and much less deny it For those very words of Moses that foreshewed the change A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me him shall you hear in all things are quoted by Saint Peter as fulfilled in Christ Acts 3. 22. And again he saith v. 24. That all the Prophets from Samuel and those that follow after which words justifie the Jews division of the Prophets into the former and latter Prophets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and put the latter Prophets in as good credit as the former against the Samaritanes and as many have spoken have likewise foretold of these dayes All the Prophets like so many lines from the circumference in the centre meet together in Christ so that the written word of God not only is the undoubted and therefore should be the undeniable ground of all Religion but also of the very Christian Religion nor may we endeavour to prove the establishment of the Christian Religion by unwritten Traditions no more then the Apostles did prove the change of the Jewish Religion by them They alledged the written word for the introduction we for the establishment of our Christian Religion The old Testament so exactly agreeing with the new and both old and new so exactly agreeing and corresponding in Christ that there can be no doubt left of the truth of Christianity Hence Saint Paul will have us make so sure of our Religion that though an Angel from heaven should preach another Gospel we should not be ready to believe but to accurse him Gal. 1 8. And Saint John saith the same in effect If there come any to you and bring not this doctrine sc that whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God receive him not into your house neither bid him God speed 2 John 9 10. Si quis venit ad vos If any come unto you t is all one whether the substantive be an Angel or a man for that divinity was not yet in fashion Si Papa erraret praecipiendo vitia vel prohibendo virtutes teneretur Ecclesia credere vitia esse bona virtutes malas nisi velit contra conscientiam peccare Bellar. lib. 4. de Pontif. cap. 5. That if the Pope should err by commanding sins and forbidding vertues The Church were bound to believe that sins were good and vertues were evil unless she would sin against her conscience Op. Ac ne forte contra conscientiam agat tenetur credere bonum esse quod ille praecipit malum quod ille prohibet And least the Church should do any thing against her conscience she is bound to believe that to be good which the Pope commandeth and that to be evil which he forbiddeth A strange assertion as if God had put all his Divine Truths whether speculative or practical for if the one the other also under the possibility of mans lawfull contradiction and all our consciences under the power of his controul nor is there any remedy for this mischeivous consequence by translating this pretended Infallibility from his person to his chair nor from his chair to his Church for we may justly suppose or rather must necessarily believe that Saint Johns words are as well to be understood and interpreted of a whole Church as of single man since there is the same reason of both for a Church is but a congregation of men and false doctrine hath no less of falsity though it hath less of excuse in a Church then in any particular man But we must more then believe this Truth if it be possible That the Gospel is to sway our faith above and against all authorities to the contrary whatsoever by the force of Saint Pauls reason For if not the authority of the Church triumphant then surely not of the Church militant may be allowed to weaken our faith in the doctrine or in the Gospel of Christ If not an Angel from heaven then sure not a man upon the earth And great pity it is but greater shame that the faction and humour of some men should endeavour to shake not only the dictates of nature in putting vertue and vice under mans determination but also the very foundation of supernatural Truth the written Word of God thereby thinking the more to establish the pillar of supernatural truth the Church of God whereas indeed they do the more shake that too For we are all most sure that the Scriptures came incorrupt from the mouth of God and therefore if there be now any corruptions in them they are of mans not of Gods creating And
consequently if the Scriptures have in any wise lost their authority they have lost it by the Church and it were a wonder if the Church should cause the Scriptures to lose their authority and yet keep her own We will then take it for granted that the Catholick Church cannot be fully and infallibly proved to be Christian but only by the Holy Scriptures and that she her self seeks for no other and cannot find a better proof And from hence it must neede follow that every particular Church as far as it is truly Christian is willing to submit it self to be tryed by the written Word of God and that if nothing but true Cbristianity had gotten into the Church men would never have withdrawn their necks and much less their hearts from that known and certain tryal for that all the world is not able to prove any thing that is unwritten whether it be Tradition or Revelation to be the undoubted Word of God but only as far as it is agreeable with what is written according to that admirable Rule delivered by Saint Athanasius who having been vexed by the Arrian hereticks above forty years together hath taught us how best to confute that and all other heresie saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athanasius in Epist de decretis Nic. Synodi ad finem There are much more exact and perfect proofs of the divine truth to be taken from the Scripture alone then all the whole world beside is able to afford us wherefore it must needs follow again that the best way for a particular Church to keep communion with the Catholick Church is to keep close to the Scriptures wherein alone are revealed those Truths the bare profession whereof makes a Church and the entire profession whereof makes it truly Catholick That Curch which hath the written Word of God for the foundation of her faith and practice is sure to have communion with all good Christians in what she truly believeth and practiseth according to that word And in case she deviate through humane error or infirmity in some particular deductions yet that deviation or mistake shall not overthrow her faith because it is sure and certain in the foundation and consequently shall not break off her communion with Christ the head nor with the Catholick Church his body because that same holy Spirit on whose dictates she relies is the sole author and maintainer of that communion whereas if a Church should believe all the Articles of the Christian faith upon any other ground then that of Divine revelation which we cannot now be assured of but only from the written Word of God as she could not have a true Divine saith not being grounded upon a Divine foundation so she could not in that faith have communion with those Christian Churches who allowed no other ground of their belief And such were all the Christian Churches of the Primitive times for though Saint Athanasius in the place fore-alledged doth on the Arrians behalf bring in an objection against the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as not being used in the Text and therefore not to be used concerning Christ for that we may not speak otherwise of him then he in his word hath spoken of himself yet he alloweth this very objection to be according to his own heart and sure he was a very good Chatholike and enforceth it with the reason afore cited That the most exact proofs of Divine truths were to be taken from the Scriptures and withal avoweth that those about Eusebius who was a chief upholder of the Arrians were such egregious turn-cotes and cavillers that the Bishops assembled in the Council of Nice were in a manner compelled more clearly to expound those words of the text which did immediately strike at the root of their heresie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whereby it appears that the Nicene Fathers did assume to themselves only the power of Exposition in matters of faith not of Addition or of Invention They did expound that more clearly which they found in the Scriptures and in the Apostles Creed they did not ad or invent that which they found not As they were expounders they might and did hold communion with the Catholike Church whereof they were then the Representative which did wholly rely up-the word of God for all the Doctrines of faith whereas if they had taken upon them to be Inventers they must have forsaken the main ground of Christian communion the undoubted word of Christ and have been the authors of a faction and of a division And for this cause we see that in that famous Council of Chalcedon wherein were assembled six hundred Christian Bishops The Holy Gospel was placed in the midst of them as that on which they relyed and to which they appealed in all their determinations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are the words found in the first action of that Council The most holy and most pure Gospel being set before them And Baronius tells us that the same had been done before in the Council of Nice and gives the reason why it was done out of Saint Cyril who saith thus concerning the Council of Ephesus Christum assessorem capitis loco adjunxit venerandum enim Evangelium in throno collocavit tantum non in aures sacerdotum clamans Justum judicium judicate Liber igitur ille in sede regia collocatus divinam prae se ferebat personam secundum illud Psalmi Deus stetit in synagoga Deorum in medio autem Deos dijudicat They looked upon Christ as head or president of their assembly for they placed his holy Gospel on a throne amongst them that it might represent the person of God the Judge of all men and they placed it in the midst that all might cast their eyes upon it and be afraid in the presence of their Judge to pass an unrighteous judgement Thus saith the Psalmist God stood in the midst of the congregation of Gods and he that was in the midst judged the other Gods Baron An. 325. num 66. And the same saith Binius in his notes upon the Council of Ephesus In medio Patrum consessu sedem enm Evangelio collocarunt cujus intuitu omnes admonerentur Christum omnium inspectorem ac judicem adesse Synodique praesidem agere In the midst of the fathers of the Ephesine Council was the Holy Gospel placed on a throne that all the Fathers seeing it might be admonished of Christs own presence to overlook them as their Judge and to overawe them as president of their Council and he saith no more then is truth for that form of adjuration mentioned by Fidus the Bishop of Joppe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whom we beseech and adjure by the Holy Gospel here set before us Council Eph. par 2. act 1. doth plainly witness as much although at the first session of the Bishops there is no mention of the Holy Gospels being placed among them as was afterwards at the first session of the Council of Chalcedon But
the Law of man hath taken care of all these so much more hath the Law of God taken care of them and most of all in Gods own worship Here the Holy Spirit will have 1. Persons rightly ordered prescribing the decent behaviour both of men and women from the first verse of the eleventh Chapter to the sixteenth 2. Things rightly ordered prescribing the right administration of the holy Eucharist from the sixteenth verse to the end of the Chapter Lastly actions rightly ordered prescribing the right use of Spiritual gifts and Functions in the twelfth thirteeenth and fourteenth Chapters In respect of all these it is the Apostles injunction to the Corinthians and the Churches injunction to us Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ as my Church must submit to Christs authority in the exercise of Religion to avoid superstition so I must submit to my Churches authority to avoid faction and confusion For what my Church requires by vertue of his command I cannot disobey without contempt of his authority Excellently Aquinas Majores sive perfecti soli Deo inhaerent cujus est immutabilis bonitas qui et si inhaereant suis praelatis non inhaerent illis nisi in quantum illi inhaerent Christo secundum illud Imitatores mei estote sicut Ego Christi 22. qu. 43. art 5. c. Those that are firmly grounded and to be called perfect Christians do in all things cleave to Christ himself and stick fast to him whose goodness is unchangeable and therefore so is also their will and resolution for though they rely upon the Church which Christ hath set over them yet they relye upon their Church as that relyeth upon Christ according to that of Saint Paul Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ Every good Christian man relies immediately upon Christ for his Religion and much more every good Christian Church can you not deny me to be a Major in this case and will you needs make my Church a Minor Am I of ripe years and must my Church be under age must I relye upon Christ and must not my Church much rather relye upon him There cannot be a greater impudence then for one man to perswade another to leave Christ and stick to him unless it be for one Church to perswade another to do the same And are not they perswaded to leave Christ who are perswaded to leave the Holy Scriptures that they may stick to uncertain Traditions For where is Christ to be certainly followed but in his undoubted word How then can any Church forsake Christs written word and pretend to follow him Saint Paul cares not to be so authentical and yet doubtless had more authority then those that are so He praiseth the Corinthians for keeping the Ordinances or Traditions as he had delivered them 1 Cor. 11. 2. but he professeth he had delivered no other then what he had received For I delivered unto you that which I also received 1 Cor. 15. 3. Nay in the same Chapter wherein he praiseth them for keeping what he had delivered he averreth that he had delivered what he had received ver 23. For I have received of the Lord that which I also delivered unto you nor is it reasonable we should imagine the Apostle of Christ would stand more upon his own then his Masters honour or would have praised the Corinthians for remembring him in all things if so be he had so grosly forgotten himself as not to have remembred his Master and who hath made a Church above an Apostle Therefore we may be sure that the Traditions Saint Paul gave the Corinthians were such as had been given him and we could scarce be sure of this were not the same Traditions still given us and consequently we cannot part with the least degree of this certainty but we must part with the best and greatest reason of our praise for what is or can be the praise of any Church but that she remembers the Apostles in all things and keeps the Traditions as they delivered them unto her so that upon the certainty of the Traditions depends the Fidelity of the Church and those Churches must needs approve themselves to be most faithfull which can make the surest proof of their Traditions that they are indeed truly Apostolical now it is evident that the written word is so acknowledged by all Churches but the unwritten word is not so and t is observable that those who stand most upon the credit of unwritten Traditions yet are of late very willing to endeavour to prove most of the Doctrines and practices depending thereupon by some Texts of the undoubted written word surely not to gratifie their adversaries who refused the other but themselves who look upon these as the much better and surer proofs Wherefore the holy Scriptures which are the only proof that the Church hath a Trust from God concerning his Worship are the only Rule by which she can either conscionably or acceptably discharge that Trust Conscionably in offering nothing to mens consciences but what God hath offered Acceptably in offering nothing unto God but what himself hath required and if every particular Church did exactly follow this Rule none could detest the Communion of another without detesting the communion of God himself For this is the Apostles own determination I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed 1 Cor. 12. 3. that is doth accurse or detest any thing that is truly of the Christian Religion for that is little other then to detest and accurse Christ Jesus himself Men may bestow their hearts as they please about Ceremonies and formalities and happily be charged only with indiscretion but not so about real forms of worship not so about sound and solid prayers unless they will also be charged with irreligion For if the prayer which is used by any Christian Church doth truly honour Jesus no other Church can detest her communion in that prayer without detesting Jesus himself Therefore it is not from the Spirit of God but from our own spirits that we dislike any thing which truly belongs to Jesus whether in his Doctrine or in his worship and consequently what is exactly agreeable with the known Word of Jesus is also exactly agreeable with his will and accordingly all Churches are bound to agree in that though they may disagree about other matters Therefore let every Church faithfully discharge her Trust about the worship of God and there may be a hope of a Christian agreement among all Churches for then those that shall disagree from the rest will prove themselves either Antichristian or unchristian either Antichristian as being against Christ or unchristian as being without him either faulty for having a false or faulty for not having a true worship of Christ For a true and laudable worship cannot but challenge our communion either actually in our corporal presence if we live among such good Christians as have
would give them life by his ordinary as well as by his extraordinary Ministers For we cannot but say that those are words of eternal truth as well as of eternal comfort Psal 73. 1. Truly God is loving unto Israel even unto such as are of a clean heart for there is no doubt of Gods being loving unto Israel no more then of Israels being of a clean heart If they be of a clean heart they must be of Gods Israel though they may be of several Tribes And if they be of Gods Israel they are sure of Gods love He will here guide them with his counsel and hereafter receive them with glory For he sanctifieth them by his Truth that he may save them by his mercy And accordingly S. Paul saith to Timothy Take heed unto thy self and unto the Doctrine continue in them for in doing this thou shalt both save thy self and them that hear thee 1 Tim 4. 16. Thereby shewing he had left the people of Ephesus sufficient means of being saved in that he had left them an infallible doctrine though he had not left them an infallible Doctor For if Timothy by taking heed unto himself and to the Doctrine he had received was able to save both himself and those who were committed to his charge t is evident the people of Ephesus had no more need in Gods account of an infallible Bishop to teach them then they had of an impeccable Bishop to govern them and indeed infallibility cannot be in the understanding without impeccability in the will since the will doth necessarily follow the last dictate of the understanding and it self being depraved may corrupt and deprave both the first and the last dictate of it Nay yet more lest we should make light account of the authority of particular Churches because we can neither prove nor believe their infallibility any more then we can their impeccability we find plainly that S. Paul calleth the particular Church of Ephesus even that Church with which Timothy was entrusted and in which he was taught by this Epistle how to behave himself The house of God the pillar and ground of the truth 1 Tim 3. 35. Though we may justly and should willingly infer that if a particular Church by cleaving to the word of Truth deserved to be called the pillar and ground of Truth then sure the Universal Church much more For so the argument will proceed à minore ad majus If one Minister shall be able to teach the saving Truth whilst he swerves neither to the right hand nor to the left from the word of Truth then much more a whole National Church and most of all the Catholike and Universal Church that is diffused over all Nations if she carefully attend and stedfastly cleave to that same word of Truth And if any man think this condition unnecessary let him consider that those four general Councils which Saint Gregory received as four Gospels did set the Bible upon a Throne in the midst of their assembly appealing to it for all their Doctrines and proving by it all their determinations which if all other general Councils at least so reputed had done since that time well we might have had fewer Articles but certainly we must have had a surer Creed and a founder faith nor can we deny but some provincial Councils by cleaving to the Text have more truly shewed themselves the pillars of Truth then some reputed general Councils that have forsaken it as the Council of Gangra which had in it but thirteen Bishops yet suppressed no less then twenty Schismatical opinions together whereas the Council of Constance that consisted almost of all Nations making light regard of Christs institution and order concerning the Eucharist though it ended the Schism of the Popes yet it began such a Schism in the Church as is like to continue to the worlds end for surely there will alwaies be some conscionable men who will prefer the Institution of Christ in his own Sacrament above the constitution of a Council and who will think there can be no Schism either less curable or more damnable then that which dares set up the pretended authority of the Church against the undoubted Authority of Christ This is most certain Saint Paul took it for granted that the Church of Ephesus was instructed in the whole Doctrine of the Scriptures for in the first Chapter he mentions both the Law and the Gospel and that she also followed those instructions before he called her the house of God the pillar and ground of Truth For indeed the first part of every Churches Trust is the Word of God which she is entrusted withal in a threefold respect 1. That she should keep it 2. That she should expound it 3. That she should obey it Wherefore those men who of late have cavilled at the written Word thereby thinking to resolve all Religion into the Authority of the Church have in truth taken a direct course to resolve the Authority of the Church into nothing For if the Church hath not been Gods faithful Trustee in keeping the substance or letter of his word who can think her faithful in expounding the sense or in observing the commands of the same And so then farewell to the Churches faithfulness and consequently to her authority which is grounded chiefly upon her faithfulness For it is as just an exception now as it was in the Apostles times Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more then unto God judge ye Act. 4. 19. The intent of your arguments against the Scriptures is to advise us not to hearken unto God that we might only hearken unto you But the reason and force of your arguments will certainly â—eep us from hearkning unto you because they make it evident that you have not hearkned unto God Nay you have set light by his Word that you might not hearken unto him But this argument is good only against the men not against the cause and it is therefore best when it is against the worst men Those who have least hearkned to Gods voice have given the greatest cause to others not to hearken unto their voices And if they will needs be angry with us let them consider that God is first angry with them and therefore they ought to be angry with themselves For they took not only a very impious but also a very indiscreet way by vilifying the authority of Gods word to magnifie the authority of their own And yet to speak the plain truth this is rather to be called a cavil then an argument For let all the Original Bibles be examined both of the Papists and of the Protestant Churches we shall find them all exactly agreeing in one Hebrew and Greek Text and their disagreement to be only in their several glosses and Translations in so much that all these parts of Christendom would soon be of one and the same profession as well as they are of one and the same
formerly preached by his extraordinary Ministers his Prophets and Apostles that they also may begin continue and end in God Saint Pauls seems to have pointed at this distinction of Preaching if not to have made this distinction of Preachers when he saith For to one is given by the spirit the word of wisdom to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit 1 Cor. 12. 8. The word of wisdom of infallible incontroulable wisdom being put in their mouths who preached by Inspiration That is the Prophets and Apostles The word of knowledge being put in their mouths who preached by study and industry that is the ordinary Ministers And no more then this seems to be meant by the same Saint Paul though much more is spoken 1 Cor. 14. 6. Except I shall speak to you either by revelation or by knowledge or by Prophecying or by Doctrine All these four kinds of speaking are reducible to the former two words For speaking by revelation and by prophecying belong to the word of Wisdom speaking by knowledge and by doctrine belong to the word of knowledge However this is certainly an unquestionable truth that the Church is still bound to preach both by the word of wisdom by the word of knowledge and is accordingly bound to Translate and Read the Scriptures that she may preach by the word of wisdom and to expound the Scriptures that she may preach by the word of knowledge this was the twofold manner of Preaching used in the Primitive Church First by reading the written word of God then by expounding it So Justine Martyr assureth us in his second Apology 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 First were read the commentaries of the Apostles or the writings of the Prophets for some convenient Time After that the Praesident when the Reader had done did make a Sermon admonishing and exhorting them to Practice what they had heard or to be Doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving their own souls James 1. 22. And indeed Preaching by Reading and consequently by Translating the Scriptures is sufficiently commended in that saying They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them but we cannot now hear them in the tongues wherein they spake we must therefore hear them in our own tongues And it is sufficiently commended in that saying If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead Luke 16. 29 31. Whereby it is evident that the Holy Scriptures Preach much more powerfully and efficaciously for the conversion of sinners then any Preacher that could come from the dead and therefore surely no Preacher among the living can come neer them in the power and efficacity of Preaching This is the reason that the Apostle so solemnly chargeth or rather adjureth the Church of the Thessalonians to read his Epistle to all the holy brethren 1 Thes 5. 27. not doubting but that his one Epistle alone would work more good upon the peoples souls then all their Sermons And since the same adjuration concerneth all other Churches t is clear they are thereby obliged to translate that Epistle into their vulgar Tongue for else it would be in vain for them to read it to the People which Truth is not only evidenced and evinced but also established and enforced at large by the same Apostle concerning the whole body of the Scriptures in the 14. of the first to the Corinths in that he forbiddeth an unknown tongue to be used in the Church for these 5. several reasons 1. Because it is an enemy to edification and speaks into the air v. 9. 2. Because it induceth Barbarism in the very publick exercise of Christianity making the Priest little other then a Barbarian to the People v. 11. 3. Because it hindereth Christian communion For none of the unlearned can so much as say Amen to any of the Priests Prayers or Thanksgivings v. 16. 4. Because it reproacheth them among themselves as if they were not yet in the true faith for tongues are for a sign not to them that believe but to them that believe not v. 22. 5. Because it reproacheth them among strangers as if they were not in their right wits will they not say that ye are mad v. 23. All these reasons either now forbid the reading of the Scriptures in our Churches which yet the Holy Ghost himself gave us for a Liturgie because they are in tongues unknown to us or they require and enjoyn the Translating of them into such tongues as may be understood by the People Therefore it is undeniable that the Church is bound to preach by translating the holy Scriptures and may not refuse so to do unless she will be like that unprofitable servant who after he had received his Talent went and digged in the earth and hid his Lords money Mat. 25. 18. And it were to be wished That those Churches who do so would seriously consider the unprofitable servants Doom which was twofold First that his Talent was taken from him Secondly that he was cast into outer darkness For this his doom may not unfitly be thought their danger since they do highly provoke God to take that precious Talent from them which they maliciously keep from others and to bring that inner darkness upon their own souls which they now seek to bring upon the souls of the common People Secondly preaching by expounding the Scriptures is sufficiently commanded in that it is the affirmative Precept of the third Commandment which will have us glorifie the name of God in our words even as the Second will have us glorifie him in our Bodies and the Fourth will have us glorifie him in our works So that of all men in the world those Preachers who do least aim at glorifying God in their Sermons do most take the name of God in vain unless it be such as not only Preach but also Pray amiss for they indeed are guilty of a double blasphemy since Praying as to the outward words is little other then a most Holy a most sanctified Preaching The same Preaching by expounding the Scriptures is likewise sufficiently commended First in that Christ himself the eternal word was pleased to turn Preacher and yet to stay till he was full 30. years old before he would take upon him the burden of Preaching which is the reason the Fathers give in the Council of Noecaesarea Can. 11. why none should be admitted to the orders of Priesthood before that age though he were otherwise of never so great desert 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because Christ himself tarried till that Age before he began to preach Secondly because the Apostles though they committed other works of their function to other disciples yet reserved to themselves this great work of preaching Acts 6. 4. But we will give our selves continually to prayer and to the Ministry of the word What can be said more for the necessity of Preaching either by translating or by expounding the Scriptures then that
have known Christ and Christianity That Christ teacheth us by his voice in holy Scripture more certainly then by his voice in holy Church and that the Scripture is to teach the Church as the Church is to teach the people Sect. 4. That the state of true Christianity is to be learned only in the Church of Christ For there only doth Christ teach by his word which the Church is bound to translate that the people may understand it And by his Spirit accompanying his word which teacheth both infallibly and irresistibly by taking away our resistance That the state of true Christianity is not confined to any one particular Church for that Christ teacheth more or less in all Christian Churches and yet this is no ground for Sectaries to run from the Church Sect. 5. That the certainty in true Christianity or the state thereof is from the Word and Spirit of Christ the uncertainty from our selves Of doubtings in good Christians concerning their state That some are by way of admiration others by way of Infirmity but none by way of Infidelity CAP. 2. Of the knowledge of the state of true Christianity Hath two Sections Sect. 1. THE knowledge of our being in the state of true Christianity is from our keeping the words of Christ That Antinomians cannot be much less know they be in the state of true Christianity Sect. 2. Three Practical principles necessary to be maintained by all those who desire to be good Christians and to know themselves to be in the state of true Christianity 1. That Christ hath words to be kept as well as to be believed 2. That true love of Christ will make us labour to keep his words 3. That true faith in Christ was never yet without this Love CAP. 3. Of the comforts that arise from the knowledge of our being in the state of true Christianity Hath three Sections Sect. 1. THE first comfort arising from the knowledge of our being in the state of true Christianity is That we are thereby assured of the Love of God Sect. 2. The second comfort arising from the knowledge of our being in the state of true Christianity is That we are thereby assured of Communion with God The cause the work and the effects of that Communion The cause of Communion with God is God The work of it contemplation of God and consultation with God The effects of it That it makes a man live for to with and in God Sect. 3. The third comfort arising from the knowledge of our being in the state of true Christianity is That we are thereby assured of the continuance of our Communion with God For his Desertion will be only for Tryal not for Punishment unless we become unfaithful and unfruitful Christ Reteined in the true Christian Communion Hath a Prooem and three Chapters The Prooem Christian Communion is to be considered in its Authority in its Excellency in its Sincerity The first Chapter is of Christian Communion in its Authority The second Chapter is of Christian Communion in its Excellency The third Chapter is of Christian Communion in its Sincerity CAP. 1. Of Christian Communion in its Authority Hath six Sections Sect. 1. CHrist requires our Communion by his own Authority as our Head which hath the most noble and most powerful influence upon the members The nature the reasons the cause the proofs of our Communion with Christ Sect. 2. That our Communion with Christ is as our Participation of Christ External or Internal The one may be the Communion of Hypocrites the other only of good Christians The way to be a good Christian in a bad Church Sect. 3. That our internal Communion with Christ is through his Spirit and our Faith which may not be a phansie or fiction much less a faction but a faith Knowing by Evidence Approving by Adherence Applying by Affection and Working by Practise That such a faith will make our Communion with Christ real and substantial in the thing it self though in the manner it be only spiritual and mystical Sect. 4. Christian Communion beginneth with the Church but endeth with Christ both in the Word and Sacraments and Prayers And that the Church is bound in all these to advance not to hinder our Communion with Christ either by denying the People the use of the Scriptures or by teaching them superstitious prayers as to Saints and Angels wherein Christ neither can nor will communicate with men The ready way to have Communion with Christ is by Peace and Holiness and wherein that Communion chiefly consisteth Sect. 5. That the Catholick Church requires our Communion by the authority of Christ as his Body That the whole Christian Church is this Catholick Church and that it is known to be so by the undoubted Word of Christ And how a particular Church may be sure to keep Communion with the Catholick Church Sect. 6. The Catholick Church properly so called hath in it neither Hereticks Schismaticks nor Hypocrites but commonly so called comprizeth all those Christians who outwardly embrace the truth and worship of Christ That our own particular Church keeping Communion with the Catholick requireth our Communion by the authority of the Catholick Church The Authority and Trust of particular National Churches from Scripture and Councils A sober and pious resolution not to sin against the Authority of the Church by wilful Schism and the reasons of that resolution CAP. 2. Of Christian Communion in its excellency Hath two Sections Sect. 1. THE excellency of Christian Communion because of its large extent as reaching to all Christians though of different perswasions and professions Sect. 2. The excellency of Christian Communion as holding of Christ and from him having Immortality Piety Verity and Charity And that the Church is the proper Place Angels and men the Company and God the Author of this Communion CAP. 3. Of Christian Communion in its Sincerity Hath four Sections Sect. 1. THE sincerity of Christian Communion consists in this That it gives all to Christ Hence those Christians justified who do so in their Festivals The Sabbatarians questioned for not so doing The Apostles new method of teaching Christian Divinity by interlining of prayers and praises that Christ might be the more glorified and the Christian Religion the less adulterated Sect. 2. The sincerity of Christian Communion is the Bullwark of its authority and first to be regarded by every Christian Church as being the glory of her Prosperity and the comfort of her Adversity Such a sincere Communion never to be deserted when once happily attained Sect. 3. The sincerity of Christian Communion comprehendeth both the Purity and the Solemnity of Religion and is the whole Duty of the first Table The Purity or Substance of Religion being enjoyned in the three first Commandments The solemnity or publick exercise of it with the adjuncts thereto belonging being enjoyned in the Fourth The Exercise of Religion from the End the adjuncts from the Letter of the Law The Sabbatarian the greatest opposer
silent and gave no answer as if by their silence they had proclaimed that the Word was only in Judea which is not only historical but also rational not only credible for the relation but also for the reason because it was convenient that he who came to break the head of the Serpent should at the time of his coming stop his mouth Wherefore those Oracles that spake from the false and evil Spirit were all silenced at Christs coming as being unfit witnesses to Gods Truth because they were from a false Spirit and to his goodness because they were from an evil Spirit But their mouthes were then most open who spake by the Spirit of God The Angels that had been silent long before then began to sing Babes and sucklings were advanced above men to chant out their Hosanna's to the Son of David when he was made lower then the Angels In a word all tongues and languages of the world accustomed before to speak vanity were then taught to speak the wonderful works of God and Saint Peter gives us the reason of it because God did then pour out his Spirit upon all flesh Acts 2. 17. This is the Spirit that still filleth the hearts of good Christians with Thankfulness and their Mouths with Thanksgivings that they may continually more and more rejoyce in this Son of God till they come to enjoy him For as Christ is called panis descendens Joh. 6. 50. not qui descendit the bread decending to shew that he is alwaies descending in his salvation though he descended but once only in his person so our praise and thanksgiving to God for his descent may be called Cantus ascendenâ— the praise that is alwaies ascending according to that of the Psalmist Psal 71. 12. As for me I will patiently abide alway and will praise thee more and more for this praise never comes to its zenith or vertical point till our souls be there where our Saviour now is and from whence we expect him again to our salvation For good Christians can never meditate enough on their Redeemer never joy too much in that meditation They can never be weary of singing Hosanna blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord because in their souls they have tasted the sweetness of that song The Spirit of God making melodie with their hearts whiles they are making melody with their mouths SECT II. God the holy Ghosts love to man in giving him the assurance of his particular redemption without which there can be no joy of his creation It had been good for that man if he had never been born spoken of Judas according to our Saviours own judgement not our apprehension that gloss an abusing of the Text The joy of our Redemption is not to be lost WE cannot but have great joy if we have true joy in our Redeemer and we cannot but have true joy in our redeemer if we rightly weigh and faithfully embrace the mercy of our redemption therefore when the Holy Ghost hath said Let Israel rejoyce in him that made him Psal 149. 2. he hath much more said in effect Let Israel rejoyce in him that redeemed him for the Joy is not so truly that he is made as that he is made Israel according to that of Saint Augustine frustra profuit hominem nasci nisi redimi etiam profuisset in vain had man been made partaker of the Creation if he had not also been made partaker of the redemption And agreable to this is our Saviours doctrine concerning Judas who in that he betrayed his redeemer forfeited his share in this redemption It had been good for that man if he had not been born Mat. 26. 24. To seek to make the contrary true by Metaphysical quiddities as a Divine of late hath done is so to be in Metaphysicks as to be out of Divinity for though singly and simply in it self being is better then not being yet a Metaphysical being which only exempts from nothing accompanied with a moral not being that makes worse then nothing is certainly not better but far worse then a bare Metaphysical not being for it is clearly better to be nothing then to be worse then nothing and consequently to be no soul at all then to be a damned soul under an eternal enmity with and eternal separation from that goodness which is the fountain of being and which only doth make our being to be good wherefore it must needs be a dangerous Position that requires such a proof but more dangerous that admits it For to admit this is in effect to say that our Saviour Christ is not a man of his word as he that first broached this desperate doctrine being urged with the authority of our Saviours forementioned words It had been good for that man if he had not been born made his answer that our blessed Saviour did there speak secundum captum vulgi according to the opinion of the common people which is little less then to put a fallacy in the mouth of Truth it self and to fasten such a blasphemy upon the word of Christ as will easily enable us to elude the whole Text and verifie his most wicked words by our more wicked practice who once said in zeal to his Church but not to his Saviour Scripturam esse nasum cereum that the Scripture was a meer nose of wax But we have not so learned Christ and dare not so revile his word least we should so learn him we will therefore rejoyce in him that made us out of nothing to be his creatures because he hath also redeemed us from being worse then nothing when we were his enemies and we will commit the keeping of our souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful creator because we know him to be also our merciful redeemer For the same son of God who made the world and upheld all things by the word of his Power and consequently was our Creator hath by himself purged our sins and is now sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high there making intercession for us Heb. 1. 2 3. Heb. 7. 25. and consequently is also our Redeemer The joy of our Creation we have lost by losing our Innocency but the Joy of our Redemption is never to be lost unless we lose our Repentance which is so true so great a comfort to a man who is born in sin lives in sin dies in sin that if you deny him this you can afford him no true comfort against his sinfulness SECT III. That this redemption whereof the Holy Ghost assureth us is twofold 1. Privative because we are not under the Law that is not under it as condemning us though we be under the Law as regulating and restraining us 2. Positive because we are under grace and know that we are so the right way to attain that knowledge THat would not be so great a comfort to a good Christian which Saint Paul gives him Rom. 6. 14. for
in their hearts And he dwelleth in their hearts by faith not a faith that commeth from their own Spirits but a faith that commeth from Gods Spirit A faith that cometh from our own spirits strengthneth only the outer man but a faith that cometh from Gods spirit strengthneth the inner man That faith is strong only in perswasion but this faith is strong in affection That faith is strong in phansie but this faith is strong in love even in that love which is the fulfilling of the Law loving the body for the heads sake loving the head for his own sake loving the Church for Christ and loving Christ for himself such a faith as this proceeding from the Spirit of God cannot but afford us a real communion with the Son of God and having a real communion with Christ as with our head we shall never delight in separations and divisions from the Church which is his body SECT IV. Christian communion beginneth with the Church but endeth with Christ both in the word and Sacraments and Prayers and that the Church is bound in all these to advance not to hinder our Communion with Christ either by denying the people the use of the Scriptures or by teaching them superstitious prayers as to Saints and Angels wherein Christ neither can nor will communicate with men The ready way to have communion with Christ is by peace and holiness and wherein that communion chiefly consisteth TRue Christian communion beginneth with the Church as with the body of Christ but endeth with Christ himself as with the head God hath joyned those two together let not man put them asunder Nor is it the intent of this discourse to divide this Christian communion into two several communions by reason determining or defining ratione ratiocinata because the body cannot subsist without the head but only by reason discussing or debating ratione ratiocinante because the head is different from the body And every good Christian is to take notice that though he may consider this communion severally yet he may not persue and embrace it so For he cannot have actual communion with Christ unless he have actual communion with his Church no more then he can have communion with the head unless he have also communion with the body yet may he not rest satisfied in his communion with the body the Church of Christ till they come thereby to have communion with the head even with Christ himself For our Christian communion is much like Jacobs ladder the lower part whereof was set upon the earth but the top of it reached up to heaven And behold the Lord stood above at the top of it Gen. 28. 12 13. So is our Christian communion The lower part of it is with the Church the body of Christ here on earth but the upper part or top of it is with Christ in heaven And we cannot say that our Christian communion is a true communion unless Christ be at the end of it as for example in hearing the word read and preached we at first communicate with the Church which speaketh to the outward man but we hear it not profitably to our salvation unless we at last communicate also with Christ speaking by his Spirit unto our souls or to the inward man Paedogogus est Jesus Our teacher is Jesus was thought by Clemens of Alexandria a fit subject both to fill and to name his books of Christian Institutions v. lib. 1. Paedag. cap. 9. For as the Church teacheth the people so also Christ teacheth them much more and the Churches paedagogy iâ— or should be to bring them unto Christ not to make them rest only upon their own teaching for soul-saving truths nor is this Doctrine any disparagement to the Church no more then Saint Pauls was to the Law when he said The Law was our School-Master to bring us unto Christ Gal. 3. 24. Nay indeed it is the greatest honour of the Church as it was of the Law that God is pleased to use her teaching as a means or instrument to bring us unto Christ That as the Church teacheth us by explaining saving truths to our understandings so Christ may teach us by imprinting the same truths in our wills and affections therefore the Church should above all things take heed of offering those truths in her explanations which she cannot believe nor wish that Christ should ratifie by his impressions such as are all those Doctrines which are the inventions of men and not the institutions of Christ And forasmuch as it cannot be denied that Christ teacheth more powerfully by his own word then by ours it is evident that the Holy Scriptures may not be denied to the people in their own tongue by that Church which will labour to advance their communion with Christ and as evident that the people are not bound to communicate with that Church which will not labour to advance this the highest and greatest part of their Christian communion Again in receiving the holy Eucharist we must not only communicate with the Priest exhibiting unto us the bread and wine but also and much rather with Christ himself exhibiting unto us his most precious body blood or we shall receive but half a Sacrament and enjoy but a half communion This is Saint Pauls Divinity The cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ The bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ 1 Co. 10. 16. We bless the Cup and we break the bread therefore you must communicate with us which we could not say if we did refuse to do either for we could not desire you to relinquish your communion with Christs institution to follow ours But the Cup which we bless and the bread which we break is the communion of the blood and body of Christ therefore you must not communicate chiefly and much less only with us but also and much rather with Christ himself Lastly Thus is it also in our prayers we are bound in our praying to communicate not only with the Church as the body but also with Christ as the head and consequently the Church is bound to use no other prayers then such as may be agreeable with Christs communion and available by Christs intercession For if we pray out of his communion we cannot hope to obtain what we pray for by virtue of his intercession And this I conceive was one main reason why publick Liturgies were at first established in the Church that Christians might know before hand the terms of their communion and be assured in their own hearts that no other prayers should be offered unto them then such wherein Christ himself would joyn with them in intercession which assurance during the extraordinary effusions of the Spirit was grounded upon the infallibility of their persons who prayed but when it could no longer be grounded upon the infallibility of the persons that prayed then it was thought fit it should be
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That in all things he might be first or that in all things he might have the preheminence Col. 1. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith his most faithful interpreter Saint Chrysostom The first in heaven as the beginning the first in earth as Head of the Church the first under the earth as the first born from the dead Thus hath God ordained that our Saviour Christ should have the preheminence in all things and in all places from whence we must conclude that the same is the duty and ought to be the work of all that profess godliness even to give all honour and glory to this Son of man whom the King of Kings is pleased to honour And in this respect those Christians like Mary have chosen the better part though the other like Martha trouble themselves and all the world besides about many unnecessary things who carefully observe all those anniversary Festivals which have been instituted entirely for the honour of Christ and consequently observe our weekly festival rather as a Lords day then as a Sabbath For these sit quietly and orderly at Jesus his feet hearing his Word and place him at their head promoting his honour according to the Apostles example and advice To God only wise be glory through Jesus Christ for ever Rom. 16. 27. They look upon this festival as instituted for Gods glory and think it neither safe nor fit for Christians to glorifie God through Moses but through Christ And therefore desire to honour him not by a Sabbath but by a Lords day for that the Sabbath was a type of Christs rest in the grave who rested there only that whole day as it were to bury it with himself but the Lords day is an undoubted memorial of his resurrection So that the one carries in its name if not in its nature a false protestation concerning the Christian faith and may possibly in time make us turn Jews The other carries in its name and nature a true profession of our faith and can only help to make and to keep us good Christians as immediately directing our thoughts and our thankfulness to our Saviour Christ which alone is the way to make us true Evangelical professors this being the summe of the whole Gospel That he was delivered for our offences and rose again for our Iustification Rom. 4 26. And it is plain that the whole Gospel doth so directly tend to the Article of Christs resurrection that Saint Paul saith expresly it can neither be rightly preached nor professed without it If Christ be not risen then is our preaching vain and your faith also is vain 1 Cor. 15. 14. It nearly concerns all Christian Ministers to abandon those tenents which may either directly or indirectly make vain their own preaching or the peoples faith And it is to be feared the Sabbatarian Doctrine may tend to this for it is to be avowed that the turning those solemn festivals out of the Church which peculiarly commemorate the Incarnation Nativity Resurrection and Ascension of Christ and teach us to bless God for the same that the Sabbath may be set up as Lady paramount and Queen Regent to controule and confine all our publick worship can in no case make for the honour of Christ and therefore not for the truth of Christianity For Saint Paul saith expresly that in all things he must have the preheminence and if in all things then surely both in duties and in daies and if in duties then much more in daies for if the worship be not acceptable to God but in him then sure the day cannot be acceptable but for him T is proper for the Jew to keep a Sabbath who thinks himself still bound to worship God through Moses but t is proper for the Christian to keep a Lords day who knows himself bound to worship and glorifie God only through Christ Jesus the Lord of glory And Saint Paul readeth this Lecture to the Jews themselves and much more to us Christians in those words to the Hebrews Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the Sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen Heb. 13. 20 21. Where he briefly declares the summe not only of that whole Epistle but also of the whole Christian Faith and that by way of benediction to shew we cannot have the blessing of Christians unless we have the faith of Christians And that faith teacheth us to believe and confess 1. That God is reconciled to us Now the God of peace 2. That our Saviour Christ alone hath wrought for us and offereth to us this reconciliation as our King our Lord Jesus as our Prophet the great Shepherd and as our Priest through the blood of the everlasting Covenant 3. That he hath given us sufficient proof of his great work that he is brought again from the dead 4. That he is ready to give us the superabundant fruits of all by making us perfect in every good work to do his will working in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight In all these inestimable and undeserved mercies it is Christ alone that is all in all wherefore it follows in the next words through Christ Jesus and consequently he in himself and the Father in him is to be glorified for all as it is said To whom be glory for ever and ever Amen God is the God of peace to us men in that he brought again from the dead the Lord Jesus so that we cannot rightly glorifie him for the reconciliation unless we glorifie him for the resurrection And for this cause happily it was that the Church did antiently interpose Halleluiah in the midst of those sentences of the Text which she chose for her publick service in celebrating the memory of Christs resurrection not to interrupt the words or sense of the Scriptures but rather to explain them teaching us that good Christians should not read or hear any part of the Text without thinking of Christ and that they should not think of Christ without praising God in him and for him and that praising God in and for their Saviour Christ they can never be zealous enough in their praises nor rejoyce too much in his salvation Therefore they intermingled Hallelujah not only in the Hymns of the Text where it might be thought a natural appendix but also in the Doctrines of it where at first sight it might seem altogether an unnecessary addition As for example thus they recite that Hymn of the Psalmist He brought forth his people with joy Halleluiah and his chosen with gladness Psalm 105. ver 42. And thus also that doctrine of Saint Peter As new born babes Halleluiah desire the sincere milk of the Word 1 Pet. 2. 2. Where
but also as a prayer fit to pour out his complaint before the Lord And t is clear our blessed Saviour hath said concerning his own most holy prayer not only after this manner therefore pray Mat. 6. 9. commending it for our direction but also when ye pray say Our Father Luke 11. 2. commanding it for our use not only giving this prayer to his Church as a pattern for Liturgie or publick worship but also as a part of it which is also true of the whole Book of God since those words being a part of the Scripture cannot be of any private interpretation 2 Pet. 1. 20. So that God hath provided for himself a Lamb for a burnt offering in giving his Scriptures to his Church for in them are not only rules of worshipping but also forms of worship such rules as equally oblige all such forms as equally concern all the Christians in the world Secondly publick worship must also be publick in its adjuncts not only in one adjunct of Time though that happily be more particularly named because it is the most universal or common adjunct wherein all the habitable world can at once communicate together but also in the other adjuncts of place and person God will have his publick places to be worshipped in his publick persons to be worshipded by as well as his publick day and all those Texts in the Old and New Testament which speak of places or persons deputed to Gods publick worship do belong to the letter of this fourth Commandment as well as those which speak of the day Thus hath God himself said Ye shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary I am the Lord Lev. 19. 30. Here is the same reason given for reverencing the Sanctuary as for keeping the Sabbath and not to do the one as well as the other is a contempt of God And lest we should think this injunction did only concern the Tabernacle or the Temple of the Jews the reverence is evidently communicated to more then one Sanctuary Lev. 21. 23. That he prophane not my Sanctuaries for I the Lord do sanctifie them God owns the sanctification of Place as well as of time for his worship and forbids us to prophane the one as well as the other Thus as we find many complaints in the Prophets against those that prophaned the Day so we find many in the Psalms against those that prophaned the place of Gods publick worship as Psalm 74. 8. They have set fire upon thy holy places and have defiled the dwelling place of thy name and ver 9. They have burnt up all the houses of God in the land and they that did this are called Gods enemies foolish people and blasphemers verse 19. Remember this O Lord how the enemy hath rebuked and how the foolish people have blasphemed thy name God owneth to have houses as well as days and if our Saviours example may prevail with us we shall be as zealous for his Houses as for his Days He would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the Temple Mark 11. 16. and yet he here excused his Disciples for plucking the ears of corn on the Sabbath day Mark 2. and he gives a reason for it that concerns Christians who are of all Nations and not only Jews who were but of one Nation for he saith Is it not written my house shall be called of all Nations the house of prayer Which words plainly shew that all Nations are to set apart Houses of prayer and that God hath an interest or propriety in those Houses so set apart they are his houses which caused Saint Paul to say to the Corinthians What have ye not houses to eat and to drink or despise ye the Church of God 1 Cor. 11. 22. Where is a plain contradistinction betwixt mens houses and Gods House they may not do the same offices in both Their corporal food they must take in their own houses their spiritual food only in Gods house and they who do otherwise are said to despise the Church of God which is here put as a term convertible with the House of God or is imporperly opposed to their own houses And indeed the context requires this exposition when ye come together in the Church ver 18. Is thus afterwards explained when ye come together in one place ver 20. For it is evident that if the place of their meeting had not been first determined and known they could never have met together and what is the determining of a place to holy meetings but the exempting or separating it from prophane or common uses Therefore the Canon Law saith expresly that all men know there was a consecration of places from the beginning who know the precepts of the Old and New Testament de consecr dist 1. cap. 1. and accordingly proves it was so among the Jews and ought to be so among the Christians Iudaei ergo loca in quibus sacrificabant Domino Divinis habebant supplicationibus consecrata nec in aliis quam Deo dicatis locis munera Domino offerebant si enim Iudaei qui nmbrae legis deserviebant haec faciebant multo magis nos c. The Jews did consecrate those places by prayers and supplications in which they offered their sacrifices And if they who had only the shadow of the Law were so zealous and carefull about the places of their worship how much more ought we so to be who enjoy the substance of the Gospel and the very Sun-shine of Grace For sure our worship being more holy then theirs cannot have less claim to the beauty of holiness And the same was also the Judgement of the Greek Church in the purest ages of it as appears by Athanasius his Apology to the Emperour Constantius making many excuses for himself that he had held a religious Assembly in the great Church newly builded by him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before it had been consecrated And the Council of Gangre saith expresly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we honour and highly esteem the Houses of God not speaking of his spiritual but of his material Temples which this prophane age blasphemously nick-nameth steeple-houses for so it follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Can. 21. Honouring every place that is built to the name or for the worship of God But why should we insist upon the practice of the servants when the master himself did no less who honoured the Feast of the Dedication of the Temple with his own presence John 10. 22. Thereby shewing it was not superstition but true Religion which first taught men to perform holy duties not only on Holy-days but also in holy Places And yet we have not quite explained the letter of this Commandment for it also requires holy persons as well as times and places for a holy worship Nay we find Gods publick worship performed in a common or unholy place Nehem. 8. 1. In the street before the water-gate but not by a common or unholy person for it
Religion if all Churches would agree in the sense as they do agree in the Letter of Gods holy Word To let pass the Old Testament wherein all Protestant Churches are as willing to be tryed by the King of Spains as by Buxtorses Hebrew Bibles I know Bezaes Greek Testament is censured by some as a most bold piece of Scripture but upon comparing his Text with that of Pope Sixtus Quintus I find very little ground for that censure and less Truth in it Because both Texts generally agree in the very same words and that even in those very places wherein both disagree from the Vulgar Latine And I believe the same may be said concerning the Greek Text that is received in all other Churches That they all agree in the same Original Texts evinceth they have been faithful in their Trust of keeping the Holy Scriptures That many of them disagree in their glosses upon and translations of that Text only sheweth that each particular Church is willing to discharge its own particular Trust in expounding the Holy Scriptures That they all labour not to continue and increase their disagreement but to end or to diminish it for so the Churches do though the men do not is also a good sign that no one of them is willing to be faulty in their Trust of observing and obeying the holy Scriptures And therefore though it must be confessed that the Church like Queen Vasthi hath not performed the commandment of her King so readily and so entirely as she ought yet may not any rigid Memucan suppose that there shall ever go forth a royal commandment that she come no more before the King Ahasuerus for though she may unhappily have been peccant in her obedience she hath not been peccant in her faith though she may have failed in her behaviour she hath not failed in her Trust though she hath been undutiful yet she hath not been false she hath not been unfaithful to her King that he should seek a divorce and give her royall estate unto another that is better then she Let no man think that our blessed Saviour the Prince of peace the King of Saints will so easily part with his Spouse concerning whom he hath said I will betroth thee unto me for ever yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and in judgement and in loving kindness and in mercies I will betroth thee unto me in faithfulness and thou shalt know the Lord Hos 2. 19 20. And since Christ will not so easily be parted from his Church how is it that we do so easily part and depart from her If we did rightly distinguish betwixt the Church and the Men we would soon all bless God for the Truth and Faith of his Church though we should blame one another for our own falseness and unfaithfulness we would find that the Church hath been true to her trust in keeping in expounding in obeying Gods word and that only the Men have been faulty Thus Saint Paul blamed the Men not the Church at Corinth for their factions and schisms It hath been declared to me of you my brethren that there are contentions among you 1 Cor. 1. 11. He said they were contentious he said not the Church was so For as they were a Church so they were sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be Saints and calling upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord ver 2. The men were sinners the Church were Saints the men were contentious the Church was Religious Truth and peace were in the Church whilst errours and schisms were in the men The treasure was heavenly though the vessels which held it were earthly We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God not of us 2 Cor. 4. 7. Will you reject the Treasure because of the Vessel you were as good to say you would have the excellency of the power in converting and saving souls to be of men not of God The Vessel is certainly brittle and may possibly be foul but the treasure is neither brittle nor foul that 's a lasting treasure for Truth is so that 's a pure Treasure for holiness is so As a Treasure it will enrich your soul as a pure Treasure it will purge your soul as a pure and lasting Treasure it will purge and enrich your soul not for a moment but for ever T is confessed that this Treasure was at first in much better Vessels then now it is when neither perversness sought to sophisticate the truth nor prophaneness to corrupt the holiness of the Christian Religion but the Treasure it self is still the same it first was For Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to day and for ever Heb. 13. 8. The wickedness of man hath not destroyed cannot destroy the goodness of God He hath still his communion of Saints amongst these great divisions of sinners he hath still one Catholick and Apostolical Church amongst our many divided and distracted Churches And blessed be his name he first provided against our divisions and distractions before he suffered us to make them For it was from his singular providence that the Romans Emperours should keep entire their dominion over all the Christian world till they had called those general Councils wherein was the confutation of the grand heresies and the establishment of the true Christian Faith in the first ages of the Church whilst the greatest part of the Ministry in all Churches rightly understood and zealously maintained the Faith of the Catholick Church For else it is much to be feared that these after-ages of Christians which have been so much wedded to State Policy and so resolved on self-interest would have been much to seek for the truly antient Catholick and Apostolick Faith now briefly summed up in those Creeds which as they are undeniable proofs of the Apostles assertion that the Church is the ground and pillar of truth so they are also the infallible guides of particular Churches to retain and follow that Truth to the worlds end Wherefore God having left us his own undoubted word and such incomparable summs of the saving Truths therein contained as is the Apostles Creed and those other antient Creeds of the Church there is now no particular Church in the world which hath these helps and will carefully and conscionably make use of them but may be sure of believing the Catholick Faith and consequently of professing the true Christian Religion whereby to know Christ and of persisting in the true Christian Communion whereby to enjoy him though perchance the factions of men may be so great and the Judgement of God because of those factions may be so just as never again to let the Church enjoy the happiness of a true general Council And without doubt every particular Church which professeth the Christian Faith according to the Scriptures and those Creeds and hath a practice agreeable to her profession may justly be called the ground and pillar of truth and may
particular supplication that they may be remedied and yet none are more averse from particular Confession then those that are most angry with the Church for the want of such particular Petitions But to say the truth The Church hath sufficiently provided for such particulars in that she hath taken the Psalms of David into her publick Devotions which Book is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or to use Epiphanius his word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arcula medica a Box of Medicines for all diseases Here he that hath a dead heart shall find affections to enliven it he that hath a slow tongue expressions to quicken it Nor is it possible for that man to want either faith or repentance or thankfulness or any other true spiritual good to comfort and strengthen him either against the evil of sin or the evil of punishment who can truly apply the prayers of the Psalmist to his own heart and truly apply his heart to God and no Prayer whatsoever can either comfort or strengthen him without this twofold application viz. of the Prayer to his own heart and of his heart to God And as for variety of words let him not trouble himself for he were better cordially say with David Have mercy upon me O God after thy great goodness or In thee O Lord have I put my trust let me never be put to confusion then verbally expatiate in greater discourses but lesser desires of this Mercy or of this Trust He will find more true contentment to his soul from the use of one short ejaculation of Gods then in the use of many enlargements of his own making And he were better in brief say with the Publican God be merciful to me a sinner which equally concerns any other true Penitent then make a long prayer with the Pharisee which may only concern himself For it is more like Heathen then like Christians for men to think they shall be heard for their much speaking Mat. 6. 7. and yet if they will needs speak much it is more probable God will hear them speaking in his words then in their own So that if God hath sufficiently provided for our occasional necessities in the holy Scriptures our Church hath likewise sufficiently provided for the same in translating those holy Scriptures and making them a great part of her publick service that we may know how to use them upon and how to apply them to our several occasions For as that general promise whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed Rom. 10. 11. doth warrant every good Christian to make particular application of Gods promises to his own soul by special faith so that other general promise whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved Rom. 10. 13. doth warrant every good Christian to make particular application of his own soul to God by special Prayer And as the holy Scriptures are most abundantly sufficient in the rules and examples of special faith so also in the rules and examples of special prayers And as we justly say That the holy Scriptures do shew their original to have been from God because they speak so much in so little containing so many Truths in so few words for only he that understood all things at once was able to intend and comprize so many things together so we as justly say The Church hath taken the best course she could to improve our understandings in those divine Truths in that she hath made it easie for us to understand the holy Scriptures And consequently though she had devised millions of particular prayers for no other purpose but to instruct us to pray upon particular occasions yet she could not have instructed us half so well as now she hath meerly by imparting to us Gods own Instructions And till the Church of Rome shall do the same it will be vain for her Champions to object that she hath out-gone the Protestant Churches in the care of the peoples souls but this by the way to shew the grounds we go upon in our Religion are equally good against the Papists and against the Enthusiasts But neither is this all that we can say for our Church in this behalf for in truth she hath provided such admirable prayers as are not only according to the Rule of Gods holy Word but also very much according to the Genius of it comprizing much in little having more of Faith Hope and Charity in one of her little collects then is to be found in many of their long prayers who either revile her Devotions or renounce her Communion So that if we will not be as wasps good for nothing but to buz and sting but rather as Bees ready to gather honey even from weeds and much more from the roses of Sharon we shall easily find to the joy of our own hearts and the stopping of others mouths That our Church in her Common-Prayers hath taught us such Generals as may sufficiently supply for all particulars And hath taught us such eternals as ought to be in our account as they are in themselves infinitely beyond all Occasionals our blessed Saviour himself hath taught us this lesson concerning the manner of our prayers Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him Mat. 6. 8. as if he had said you need not ask your heavenly Father as you need your earthly parents in many words but only with true and upright hearts this made our Church delight in short prayers because she rather desired to shew a relenting heart then an over-flowing tongue as praying to him that weigheth only hearts not words in the ballance of his Sanctuary A short prayer best suits with an hearty desire which is too earnest to be long in uttering and also with the desires of our hearts in regard of heavenly things which most commonly are too weak to be long in desiring The Church in her short prayers hath taken a great care for our earnestness and withal provided a certain cure for our weakness and if any man think that Through Jesus Christ our Lord comes in too soon because the Prayers are short or too often because they are many let him know That this one single observation in these five words speaks more to God for us then we by thousands of continued Periods in our longest prayers are able to speak for our own selves and if there were no other reason but this yet for this reason alone were many short prayers to be preferred before one long prayer both in our private and in our publick Devotions Again our blessed Saviour hath also taught us this lesson concerning the matter of our Prayers Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you Mat. 6. 33. as if he had said Regard chiefly your Continual not your Occasional your Spiritual not your Temporal necessities in your Prayers be earnest with God to give you Faith Hope Charity Religion Repentance Obedience
glory Thus Aristotle lib. 6. Eth. cap. ult ingeniously answereth their objection who would make Prudence to be above Sapience because Prudence commandeth Sapience and he answereth it by this distinction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Illius causa praecipit non autem illi Prudence commands for Sapience but not over her we are willing to look upon Christs Church as upon the best Prudence in the world but withall we must look upon Christ himself as the only Sapience the only true and eternal wisdom and accordingly say That the Church commandeth for Christ but not over him He that commandeth over another is certainly his superiour but he that commandeth for another is not so but rather his inferiour As Physick commandeth or prescribeth for health and therefore in that regard is not superiour but inferiour to health being made subservient to its recovery or continuance And if we will not allow this distinction we must according to Aristotle affirm the state or Common-wealth to be above God himself for she prescribeth his worship and if we will allow it we may not deny the Church to be under him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Aristotle wherefore if it be absurd in the judgement of a heathen to allow the civil state a power eminent above or equal with the false Gods because she commandeth their worship Then much more ought it to be absurd in the judgement of a Christian to allow the Ecclesiastical State a power eminent above or equal with the true God meerly upon the ground and reason of the same command Yet on the other side as Prudence ought to prescribe for Sapience so the Church ought to prescribe for Christ And as he that neglecteth the particular prescriptions of Prudence is the further from attaining the general dictates of Sapience So he that neglecteth the particular directions of Christs Church is the farther from apprehending the General instructions of Christs Word I must then take both Christs Word and Christs Church for my guides in the choice of my Christian Communion His Word for my guide that I be not guilty of superstition His Church for my guide that I be not guilty of Faction And having taken these two guides either I shall meet with no objections from mine own conscience and it is no matter what I meet with from other mens tongues against my Religion or I shall meet with very good solutions to answer them As for example Let this be the Catechism concerning my Religion Quest 1. Vpon what authority do you profess your Religion Answ Upon the highest authority in heaven and in earth the authority of God and of his Church The authority of God for 't is consonant to his word as my Rule The authority of Gods Church for 't is consonant to her Practice as my Example Quest 2. Do you think that you are bound to ground your Religion upon this twofold authority Answ I do especially as to the publick exercise or profession of it For without the first I shall have superstition instead of Religion without the second I shall have faction instead of Communion Quest 3. How can you prove that your particular Church hath authority from God to order you in the outward exercise of Religion Answ By the same proofs of the Text which prove any Church whatsoever to have that authority For Christs commission to Saint Peter Feed my sheep John 20. 16. is by him derived unto other Pastors Feed the Flock of God which is among you 1 Pet. 5. 2. He saith not Feed that part of my flock which is among you to help or to assist me but Feed the Flock of God to honour and obey him And he saith the flock of God which is among you to shew that the flocks needed no more look abroad for their Pastors then the Pastors needed look abroad for their flocks since they were actually one among the other And yet if the words had been less punctual they had not been less prevalent For feed the flock of God must alike concern all Churches since no prophesie or command of the Scripture is of any private interpretation 2 Pet. 1. 20. and therefore this command must alike concern all Churches Quest 4. What need you look after the Authority of God in the choice or practice of your Religion is not his Church allotted you for your only guide Answ No it is not for my Religion though it be for my Communion For if I serve God with a blind obedience I cannot serve him with my conscience and that is no other then a blind obedience to serve him upon anothers not upon his own command They that would perswade me to this should make the ninth Article of the Apostles Creed the First and teach me to say I believe the holy Catholick Church before I say I believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost For all the world cannot deny but my belief in God is the only ground of all my Faith even as my love of God is the only ground of all my obedience And since all Religion consists in faith and obedience well I may look upon my Church as the conveyance but I must look upon God only as the Donor and Giver or the Author of my Religion SECT II. That the Communion of the Church of England is truly Christian in Doctrine free from Heresie and from the necessary cause thereof a false ground or foundation of Faith that is Believing upon the Authority of man instead of God I had little Reason and should have less Religion to be true to my Church if my Church were not true to my Saviour the eternal Truth Therefore I must needs acquit my Church from Heresie that I may keep my self from Apostasie For if she hath fallen away from Christ I might lawfully fall away from her at least internally by with-drawing my affection which ought to be fixed upon Gods Truth if not externally by with-drawing my person which ought not to disturb the Churches Peace Let me see then how my Church hath kept Gods Truth that I may learn how to keep my Church And herein I cannot but perswade my self that what our blessed Saviour once spake to those Jews which believed on him he still speaketh to us Christians who profess the same belief If ye continue in my word then are ye my Disciples indeed And ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free John 8. 31 32. And by the rule of contraries If we continue not in his word then are we not his Disciples in deed but only in shew and we shall not know the Truth and the Truth shall not make us free Therefore no Church can boast of being his Disciple which doth not continue in his Word that she may continue in his Truth And in this respect I cannot but continue in my Church that I may continue both in his Word and in his Truth because I see she hath continued in both so that the Truth
Auhority of Christ The Authority of the Church under the Authority of Scripture the word of Christ But where the Apostle doth indeed follow Christ there to run away from the Apostle is in effect to run away from Christ even as to follow him is indeed to follow Christ The like must be said of the Authority of the Church which succeeds the Authority of the Apostles unless we will suppose all the promises of Christ to his Apostles and all the Precepts of the Apostles to the People to have been meerly momentary and temporal and not to have been written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come 1 Cor. 10. 11. A supposition so far from true godliness that you see it is directly against the express Word of God Wherefore we may not doubt to follow the Church in those things wherein the Church follows Christ And the Church follows Christ in all those things for which she can alledge either Precept or Precedent from the Word of Christ or can give a reason agreeable with his Word And we cannot deny but that in this case the Church hath both Precedent and Precept and Reason drawn from the Word of Christ The Precedent is in general from the Jews appointing the Feast of Dedication without any peculiar command of the Old yet not without the approbation of the New Testament John 10. 22. In special from the Angels of God who most zealously kept this Festival The Precept is from the general equity of the Levitical Law which still obligeth Christians as it is subservient to Moral and Religious though not to Typical and Ceremonious worship and that plainly calls for Annual Festivals in honour of Christ unless we will say that less honour is due to him since he is come in the flesh then was due to him before his coming The Reason is clearly from the very institution of the Church for God gave Pastors and Teachers for the edifying of the body of Christ Ephes 4. 12. but the right way of edifying is to lay the foundation upon the chief corner-stone And doubtless this was the reason why the Church first appointed an Advent Sunday which must needs be very antient or else all the Order of the service could not depend upon it because she observed that all the Documents of the Old Testament did aim only at this To fit and prepare men for the coming of Christ and therefore was desirous That we might so prepare our selves to receive Christ at his first coming to save us that we might not tremble at his second coming to Judge us Accordingly the Greek Church began their preparatory Feast for the Nativity of Christ on the 20. of December that is five compleat daies before the Feast it self as appears by their Chronologie where the 20. of Decem. is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the beginning of the Preparatory feasts of the Incarnation of our blessed Saviour Lord make me so to celebrate thy coming to us in our flesh that I may daily find and feel thy coming to me in my soul God observed a time so may we in that he teacheth us by his example God observed a time for his Son so will we if he doth also teach us by his Communion Saint Peter intimates both kinds of Gods teaching man 1 Pet. 1. 15 16. But as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation because it is written Be ye holy for I am holy As if he had said ye ought to be holy not only for the example but also from the Communion of my Holiness It is not for Christians to be guilty of prophaness when Christ by his communion calleth them to holiness SECT VI. Christmas no superstitions word And Christmas day observed not for it self but for its duty takes off all controversies and can fall under no just exceptions and may not fall under any unjust cavils much less calumnies GOD observed not time for it self but for his Son so must we observe no Festival for it self but only for our Saviour no day for it self but for the Lord. Were Christmas-Day for that word is no more Popishly superstitious to me then the spirit of Python Acts 16. 16. or the signs of Castor and Pollux Acts 28. 11. were Paganly superstitious to Saint Luke I say were Christmas-Day to be observed for it self as the 25. Day of December we had need to go not only to the Roman Archives for a moral assurance but also to the Christian Archives the word of God for a Theological assurance That Christ was born on that very Day or we could not Religiously observe it in the assurance of Faith But since Christmas-Day is to be observed for its Duty which is to give God thanks for the blessed Nativity of his eternal Son who took our nature upon him and was born of a pure Virgin to Redeem us from Sin Death and the Devil a moral assurance is more then enough for the Day which indeed is the best assurance we can have of any day since we have a full Theological assurance for the Duty And here I cannot but say in zeal to my Saviour and to the salvation of their souls of whom Saint Peter prophesied when he said That there shall come in the last daies scoffers walking after their own lusts 2 Pet. 3. 3. what Saint Paul once said to the Iews at Antioch Acts 13. 40 41. Beware therefore least that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold ye Despisers and wonder and perish yea behold that ye may wonder and wonder that ye may not perish in your despisings of God and of his Church For whosoever shall scoff and mock at the keeping of Christmas-day in relation to the 25. Day of December is guilty of Ignorance Immodesty and Indiscretion because he mocks at the Practice of millions of men much wiser then himself But he that shall mock at keeping it in relation to the Duty must also be guilty of Impiety Infidelity and Irreligion because he mocks at the profession of an Article of the Christian Faith and of that Article which is indeed the Ground and Foundation of all the Rest For if Christ had not been born he could not have suffered nor have risen again So that upon this one Article of Christs Nativity are indeed grounded all the other Articles of our Christian Faith So nearly doth it concern us to maintain our publick profession of this Article least we should be thought to have forgotten or to have forsaken all the rest And this is reason enough why amongst other daies we should still observe this day of Christs Nativity not for it self for so happily it may not be safe to observe any day but for the Lord so shall we not impeach our Christian liberty and we shall improve our Christian Piety SECT VII The difference betwixt a Jewish and a Christian observation of daies This latter a moral part
Holy Word that she should first faithfully keep it and after that faithfully interpret it wherefore to say the Church hath falsified her trust in keeping Gods Word is in effect to say she is not trust-worthy to interpret it which is bring all Religion to doubts and uncertainties in the knowledge to schisms and divisions in the practice thereof For surely if the Lords own most holy prayer hath been so ill kept by the Church which in all ages hath been looked upon as the sum of the Gospel and as the plat-form or rather the ground-work of all true Religion then we must needs have but very little or no assurance concerning the rest of the Scriptures wherefore it concerns all Christian Divines in the first place to vindicate the Church of Christ concerning her faithful keeping of this Prayer which would have been altogether needless had not some Criticks of later years obtruded their own observations for various Lections and by that means not cleared the Text but puzzled it But let us ask them Are the unknown manuscrips or the known and received Copies of the Church to be taken for the Text If the former we trust private men and private spirits which God never entrusted with his word If the latter we have as unquestionable a Lords Prayer as if we had heard it immediately from his own mouth For we have it thus exactly delivered us by the Greek and the Latine Church in the undoubted Originals of Saint Matthews Gospel For the Greek Church let Saint Chrysost speak who hath so elegantly and so exactly expounded at this Doxology in his nineteenth Homily upon Saint Matthew plainly shewing the necessary connexion thereof to the last Petition of the Lords Prayer that it is evident he accounted it as a part of the Prayer though as no part of the Petitions for saith he Our Saviour having told us of that evil one which we were to fight against for so he expounds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deliver us from that evil one that is the devil thought fit to encourage us to the fight by telling us also of the King that would lead us to the battel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and therefore he saith For thine is the Kingdom c. shewing that if the Kingdom be his we ought to fear no other but him for that the power is his to defend us and the glory is also his to reward us Thus in effect Saint Chrysoft upon the place so that t is a wonder to see Beza hath reckoned him among those Fathers who expounded the Lords Prayer of purpose and yet omitted these words in their Expositions for sure he omitted them not who expounded the Original Greek though Saint Cyprian and Saint Augustine and Saint Ambrose omitted them happily because they looked no further then the Latine translation which adds Amen at the end of libera nos a malo and takes no notice at all of the Doxology And yet Saint Ambrose lib. 6. de Sacram. cap. 5. asserting that our Prayers ought to begin and end with the praise of God after the example of the Lords own Prayer habes hoc in oratione Dominica c. doth in effect allow the Doxology to be the end of that Prayer since it is evident that Deliver us from evil is no matter of praise nay indeed he doth rather alledge it in sense though not in words in saying that the priest concludes with such a form of praise as is in truth no other then an exposition of this Doxology only applied to all three Persons of the blessed Trinity Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum in quo tibi est cum quo tibi est honor laus gloria magnificentia potestas cum Spiritu Sancto à seculis nunc semper in omnia secula seculorum But however if that be a good Argument why we should leave the Doxology or the conclusion out of the Lords Prayer in Saint Matth. because it is not in the Vulgar Latine it must be as good an argument why we should leave the introduction and the last petition out of the same Prayer in Saint Luke for there in the Latine translation is no mention of noster qui es in coelis nor of libera nos à malo whereas the Greek Text gives us that Prayer with its conclusion in Saint Matthew and the same Prayer not mangled but whole and entire though without its conclusion in Saint Luke and there is no greater reason but only some mens bold conjectures to say that the conclusion of that Prayer was added to the Greek Text in Saint Matthew then to say that the introduction and last Petition of it was added to the Greek Text in Saint Luke for both alike are left out of the Latine translation But though they have been both left out of the Bibles by the Latine translation yet we cannot say that either hath been left out of the Bibles by the Latine Church For the Greek copies of Saint Matthews Gospel this day agnized by the Latine Church are ready to depose the contrary all of them having the Doxology annexed to the Petitions as the conclusion to its premisses without any the least interruption and then at last adding ' A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at the end of the whole which is an invincible argument that the Latine Church received those words of the Doxology as an undoubted part of the Greek Text and therefore durst not leave them out of their Bibles though they found no footsteps at all of them in their own Latine translation Wherefore it is evident that this Prayer both in its Petitions and in its conclusion hath alwaies been received as an unquestionable part of Saint Matthews Gospel both by the Greek and the Latine Churches and consequently those men have disparaged the Church of Christ and disadvantaged the Christian Religion who have either commenced or continued either begun or maintained any quarrels against this most holy Prayer either in it self or in its use Nay in truth such men have disparaged and disadvantaged themselves for cavilling with that Prayer which so plainly teacheth them to say Our Father must needs be accounted an ill sign that they have received and a worse means that they may retain the adoption of Sons Surely Saint Cyprian who whipped those Sectaries with scourges that refused to communicate with Christs Church as not caring by their obedience to say Our mother would further have whipped them with scorpions had they refused to communicate with Christ himself as abhorring in their Prayers to say Our Father And doubless it may reasonably be demanded of us with what certainty of faith or satisfaction of conscience we do communicate with them in their Prayers who will not communicate with Christ in his Prayer And how we shall answer it to our Saviour when he shall come to be our Judge that we have indeed renounced his Prayer and have given occasion to sober men to fear that we have also
sorrow and incessant supplications I may get him to return again as it were by a glorious resurrection after death and in his power as the mighty God to restore his Church in his mercy as the everlasting Father to bless it and in his dominion as the Prince of peace to govern and establish it for ever Thus had I rather suffer with him in his shame then reign with his enemies in their glory and I shall rejoyce more in my sorrows then they shall in their joyes For in their joyes they may if they will see their sins but in my sorrows I shall see my Saviour The fifth and last apparition which our blessed Saviour made on the day of his resurrection was that which Saint Mark hath recorded in these words Cap. 16. ver 14. Afterward he appeared to the eleven as they sate at meat and upbraided them with their unbelief and heardness of heart because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen Our blessed Saviour upbraided them yet were they more truly believers in their unbelief then many of us are in our faith for Saint Luke faith They yet believed not for joy and wondred Luk. 24. 41. They believed not for joy and admiration but many of us so believe as neither to rejoyce nor admire at the grounds of our belief in so much that their infidelity was much better then our faith for we have too hasty a faith to have a sure and a sound faith and that makes us fall away in these times of temptation and rather then want temptation become our own tempters Whereas if we did with the Bereans examine whether these things were so before we believed or with the Apostles did rejoyce and admire to see them so when we believe it would not be possible for those that can so easily turn the times more easily to turn our faith but being sure that we are indeed in a true conjunction and communion with Christ we would never suffer any thing of this world to separate us from that holy conjunction nor to divert us from that blessed communion Thus it is for want of joy and admiration that we dayly turn unbelievers whereas the Apostles did not yet believe for joy and wonder therefore were they the more true believers for what kept them from believing did in truth strengthen their belief And accordingly we may suppose our blessed Saviour checked their incredulity not so much that he might blame and reprove their faith as that they might the more labour to increase and to improve it for that they could never have that faith too much setled and fixed in themselves which they were now bound to preach to others And withall that they should not be soon discouraged in their preaching if they found not the event presently answerable to their pains since it was long before they themselves did believe though they had met with infinitely a far better Preacher For this Rule When thou art converted strenghthen thy brethren Luk. 22. 32. holds not only in the substance but also in the degree of that charitable duty those being bound to take the greatest pains in converting others who most know how much the spirit of God hath laboured about their conversion For he that considers how long his Saviour hath tarryed for him will never think that he can tarry too long for his brother And yet there is one more particular very observable in this apparition that it was when the Apostles were gathered together to hear what Saint Peter and the rest could say concerning their Masters resurrection And as they thus spake Jesus himself stood in the midst of them Luke 24. 36. That is then and not till then he appeared to them when they were thus prepared to receive him O my God make me zealously to follow all those means which thou hast given me of knowing thy eternal Son my blessed Lord and Saviour that pursuing after those means with an active industry I may overtake them with a happy speed and lay hold on them with immortal joy and make use of them with unwearied care and constancy Let me never absent my self from the assemblies and meetings of thy Apostles the guides and governours of thy Church for fear I should lose the opportunity of seeing thee whilst I am absent from them For thou hast promised to be with them alway even to the end of the world if therefore I will not be with them how can I hope thou wilt be with me For surely of all men that are gathered together in thy name upon the face of the earth they are most so gathered whom thou hast commanded to gather others and therefore thou hast promised to be most in the midst of them for as much as they are thy Trustees whom thou hast entrusted with thy name and with thy truth and with thy blood with thy name lest Atheists should blaspheme it with thy truth lest Hereticks should corrupt it with thy blood lest Apostates should prophane it O then let thy unworthy servant be alwayes gathered together with them that I be never guilty either of Atheism or of Heresie or of Apostasie And when I am gathered together with them make me to open mine eyes to look and mine ears to hearken diligently after thee and not only after them that thou mayest open my heart to receive thee And make all guides and governours of thy Church still to follow the footsteps of thy Apostles and to enquire what is written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning thee ver 44. For how shall they know thee to whom thou dost not reveal thy self or where dost thou reveal thy self but in thy word Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures Luke 24. 45 that is when they had used all the means they could to understand them then and not till then he opened their understanding And who can tell but t is a judgement immediately from God and a judgement worthy of God inflicted upon many great Scholars not to understand the Scriptures so much to their salvation as some private unlearned men do understand them because they had rather cast their reproaches then their affections upon Gods most holy word inventing arguments to keep others from reading it whilst they should be making prayers that God would bless their own reading of it for unless he that hath the key of David open the understanding in vain do we labour to open the Text Wherefore the Church of England did upon unquestionable grounds recede from the Latine Liturgy in the second Sunday of Advent to bring in this most excellent prayer Blessed Lord which hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning grant that we may in such wise hear them read mark learn and inwardly digest them that by patience and comfort of thy holy word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting
life which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ I doubt not but the Church might for her liberty have changed more of those Collects then she thought fit to change but infinitely bless God that she valued her Christian charity above her Christian liberty so that she hath never at all changed but for the better not desiring to depart from other Christians but only to come nearer to our Saviour Christ And truly when the Contest was once broached between the Church and the Scriptures in point of authority the most unhappy Contest that ever was broached among Christians for some Church men by laying aside the Authority of Christ did in effect teach other men to lay aside the authority of the Church I say when this unhappy Contest was once broached between the Church and the Scriptures in point of Authority it was high time for our Church to cleave to the Scriptures that she might profess her desire and intention of remaining truly Christian wherein she did but follow Saint Peters own example saying Lord to whom shall we go Thou hast the words of eternal life John 6 68. For surely our blessed Saviour did not bring down with him the words of eternal life to carry them back again to heaven but to leave them here on Earth and where hath he left them if not in the holy Scriptures Wherefore since Christ himself alledged the Scriptures to confirme the Apostles in their faith who yet believed because they had seen him with their their own eyes John 20. 29 How shall any Christian Church deny the People to read the Scripture c. and not hinder the confimation of their faith in Christ For when the Church hath done all that she can to make true believers she must confess that their faith doth not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God 1 Cor. 2. 5. and that the word of God is the chiefest instrument of his Power according to that of the holy Apostle For the word of God is quick and powerfull and sharper then any two edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of Soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Heb. 4. 12. In which words the Spirit of God setteth forth the excellency of the word of God from its nature and from its effects from its nature that it is quick and powerfull neither a dull nor a dead letter but quick in motion and powerfull in operation from its effects that it pierceth that it devideth that it discerneth the thoughts and intents of the Heart Piercing the thoughts by entring into the botom of our hearts to make us sound and sincere Christians against Hypocrisie Dividing the thoughts by separating good from evil Truth from falshood in our Religion to make us Orthodox Christians against Heresie and discerning the thoughts by shewing us the first truth and the chiefest good in our religion to make us firm and constant Christians against Apostasie For that man never yet discovered Christ in his Religion who could be perswaded to fall away from it He was at the best but a divider of the truth from falshood He was not a Discerner of the first Truth in that Truth which he professed for then he would have been immovable in his Profession Wherefore if you would indeed perswade or rather tempt me for t is properly a temptation which induceth to evil to leave the Scriptures that I may cleave to the Church you must first be able to shew so much in behalf of the Church as is here said in behalf of the Scriptures or you were as good perswade and tempt me to quit my reason that I may get Religion or to cease to be a man that I may begin to be a Christian SECT II. The Apparition to above five hundered at once cleared And Christ considered in his Instructions before he ascended That these Instructions are more particularly to be observed as more directly conducing to the Constitution and the Conservation of his Church Those Instructions briefly explained as they are set down Mat. 28. 19 20. THE proper work of a Christian is to consider and contemplate his Saviour Christ in all his sayings and in all his doings for never any speak like him who was the eternal word of God never any did like him who was the eternal son of God but more particularly in those which come neerest his Ascention for all those his sayings and doings do more immediately and directly concern the Constitution and the conservation of his Church it pleasing the blessed Redeemer and lover of Souls to give his special directions and instructions to his holy Apostles when he was even now to be taken away from them that so he might leave behind him in their minds the stronger impressions of his all-saving Truth and the greater assurance and perswasions of his everlasting love Wherefore though no one word that ever our blessed Saviour was pleased to speak either concerning his love towards us or our duty towards him should be let fall to the ground without our observation because he was so much our friend yet the words that he spake last of all should most diligently be received most carefully retained and most conscionally regarded because they were the words not only of a loving but also of a parting friend and by consequent such words as should both represent him and comfort us during his absence though never so long and keep him in our remembrance till his coming again when he will undoubtedly exact a severe account both of the Ministers of the people how they have observed those words For this cause though our blessed Saviour did after the day of his Resurrection make five more apparitions before his Ascension as that after eight dayes when S. Thomas was now with the rest of the Apostles Joh. 20. 26. And that to his Disciples who went a fishing Joh. 21. 4. And that to his eleven disciples on the mountain in Galilee Mat. 28. 16. And those two spoken of by S. Paul which are not at all mentioned by the Evangelists the one to above five hundred brethren at once the other to S. James alone 1 Cor. 15. 6 7. Yet I will omit all these because the words he spake to his Apostles were spoken on the very day of his Resurrection as well as at the time of his Ascension Only I cannot but wish that Beza had spared his Criticism upon S. Pauls words 1 Cor. 15. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quod si vero scriptum erat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Quinquaginta Non certè mirum est quingentos hic fratres commemorari quum postea coacto universo coetu numerentur duntaxat centum viginti Act. 1. 15. What if it were at first written by the numeral letter◠which signifies fifty and that fifty come after to be made five hundred for we see that all the
as Master Brerewood hath demonstrated in his enquiries cap. 14. SECT II. That the coming of the Holy Ghost for the communicating of Christ after an extraordinary manner is not now to be expected That preaching and praying with the Spirit come not by infusiâ—ns Enthusiasts are the worst separatists and the greatest blasphemers guilty of the worst kind of sacriledge and Idolatry in robbing God of his publike worship after such a manner as he hath commanded and idolizing their own pretended gifts SInce it is an undoubted truth that the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Christ we may not doubt but his coming unto men alwayes was and still is of purpose to communicate Christ unto them either after an extraordinary manner by immediate infusions and revelations as to the Prophets and Apostles or after an ordinary manner by habitual improvements and assistances as at this day For the extraordinary manner of his coming and the extraordinary manner of his communicating Christ to men by immediate infusions or revelations did both cease together And we may truly say concerning those miraculous and extraordinary dispensations of the spirit what Saint Paul hath said concerning tongues one of the principal effects thereof They were for a sign not to them that believe but to them that believe not 1 Cor. 14. 22. and therefore were to continue and remain no longer then signes and wonders that is till the preaching or publishing of the Gospel or till the planting and setling the Christian Religion For Saint Peter plainly sheweth in the second of the Acts That this Prophecy of Joel In the last dayes saith God I will your out of my spirit upon all flesh was fulfilled in the miraculous descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles that these were the last dayes meant by that Prophet and therefore after those dayes men were not to expect any more such extraordinary dispensations Wherefore those that will now preach or pray by the Spirit may not rely upon infusions for which they have no warrant but must betake themselves diligently to read and consider the word of God that so they may have the assistance of the Spirit of God For they that go about to separate the Spirit from the Word are the most abominable Separists that ever were or can be in the world because they endeavour to separate God from himself for Gods word is Gods truth and Gods truth is himself Be it then taken for granted which may not be doubted it cannot be denyed that they are very wicked Separatists who separate man from man for they fill the world with sedition and privy conspiracy They yet worse Separatists who separate man from God for they fill the world with false doctrine and heresie But yet still they are the worst Separatists of all who separate God from God that is Gods Spirit from Gods Word for they fill the world with hardness of heart contempt of Gods Word and Commandment which is the ready way to make men first impenitent and then unpardonable and what more can be said of the sin against the Holy Ghost Yet these three separations do so naturally and necessarily spring from one another that they may be accounted themselves inseparable For the sedition begets the heresie and the heresie begets the hardness of heart separating man from man by sedition will separate man from God by heresie and that will also in a short time endeavour to separate God from himself by contempt of his Word and Commandments What an unhappy age do we live in wherein men think they do God good service to run away from his Word by pretending to his Spirit But this is the wit of wickedness the order of disorder the method of atheism that the persons of the holy and undivided Trinity should be sinned against by succession and blasphemed in the same order that they are to be confessed first the Father secondly the Son and thirdly the Holy Ghost For under the Law men were generally given to Idolatry took an Idol for God and so more immediately sinned against God the Father he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God of himself Under the first times of the Gospel men were generally addicted to Arrianism denying the Divinity of Christ and so more immediately sinned against God the Son for he is God of God But in these latter times of the Gospel for so it is to be feared our sins have made them men are generally addicted to cry up their own phansies for the dictates of the Spirit and so more immediately sin against God the Holy Ghost not considering how unconscionable a thing it is to grieve the Holy Spirit of God whereby they are sealed to the day of redemption and how impossible a thing it is for those not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God who constantly blaspheme him and what an unsufferable blasphemy it is to entitle those rude and crude impertinencies to the Holy Spirit which few sober men can hear with patience and no zealous man can hear with profit and no conscientious man can hear with piety Well may such a worship profit some men by exercising their patience but yet it scarce deserves the name of worship because it doth not rather exercise their piety so that we must confess that such pretenders to the Spirit are the greatest enemies of the Spirit and whilst they would be thought the best reformers are in truth the worst blasphemers for as much as they impute those imprudencies and indescretions or rather impieties and irreligions for imprudencies in the service of God are impieties and indiscretions are irreligions to Gods Holy Spirit which are meerly their own vaiâ— imaginations and carnal inventions and in the mean time reject and disesteem those prayers and praises which are the undoubted dâ—ctates of that same Holy Spirit as if they rather hindred then helped us to cry Abba Father what is this but in effect to blaspheme God instead of blessing him for giving us so many admirable forms of prayer and praise in the holy Scriptures and for giving us a Church to teach us to pray exactly according to that pattern in the Mount according to those patterns of prayers and praises whâ—ch came immediately either from God the Son or from God the Holy Ghost What is this but in effect to distract and to hinder men instead of setling and helping them in their Religion whilst they are made beleive that nothing is truly from the spirit of prayer but what is new and unknown to them whereby they are taught first to contemn the known prayers of the Church and then the known prayers of the Scriptures for that the spirit is as much confined by the one as by the other and to hunt after novelty instead of certainty which is a way to exercise the phansie before the conscience because the conscience first tries the spirits then follows them 1 John 4. 1. but the phansie first follows the spirits and never at all tries them A way
that the more it busieth the head the less it setleth and establisheth the heart wherefore if that benediction was Apostolical The Lord Jesus Christ himself stablish you in every good word 2 Thes 2. 17 Then this practice must be Apostatical which doth unstablish and unsettle the People in their Prayers the very best words Then was Egypt in a sad case when the locusts did eat up what the hail and thunder had left Exod. 10. And is it not so with Israel when locusts out of the bottomless pit devour that small pittance of Religion which the hail that is their own chill and frozen dispositions or the thunder and lightning that is the tempestuous terrours and troubles of war had left in the Peoples hearts When God suffers such devourers of piety and Religion to come into a land he either looks upon it as Egypt or t is to be feared he intends to make it so The death of the first born is then sure not far off and the drowning of all the rest is not like to belong after it For what can we expect but that the read sea even a sea of blood should cover us all when we persecute the Israel of God for desiring to serve him and say unto those who are zealous for such prayers as they know are either in Gods word or agreeable with it ye are idle ye are idle therefore ye say Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord Exod. 5. 17. as if Praying in known and approved forms were rather a pretence for idleness then a help to devotion This is not only to reproach the Church for teaching us to pray by her Liturgies but also to reproach God himself for teaching the Church to pray by his Scriptures and by this argument we may throw away not only the dictates of the Church but also the dictates of the Spirit of God Sure this is not the part of Christians by one and the same wicked practice to oppose both the authority and the doctrine of Christ the authority of Christ in his Church the doctrine of Christ in his word They pretend to have the spirit of God but yet contemn the word of God They will needs have the spirit of his Son in their hearts and yet care not to have the language of his Son in their mouths giving their Pater noster a quietus est a writ of ease as if the Holy spirit had supplied the servants above the son and taught us better prayers then it had taught our Saviour or as if it were not one and the same spirit that once directed him and still directeth us to call upon the Father Doubless such men cannot take it unkindly that we abstain from communicating with their prayers since they by rejecting the Lords own holy prayer do at the same time reject commnnion not only with all the servants but also with the Spirit and with the Son of God for the Servants of God alwayes used it the Spirit of God indited it the Son of God commanded it T is no wonder if such men be not only Sacrilegious but also perswade themselves there is no such sin as sacriledge and consequently that whatsoever hath been consecrated to Gods Holy name is still unholy and prophane though it hath been conscrated according to Gods own express command in the fourth commandment which is the commandment of consecrations and requires the sanctification of place and of persons and of our substance to Gods publike worship as well as of time Time cannot be sanctified or kept holy to Gods publick worship without these And besides we find these also expresly commanded in other parts of the Bible and since they are all commanded for one and the same end we must reduce the Texts concerning them to one and the same commandment for the ten commandments are Decem summa genera as it were ten predicaments or ten general heads to which is to be reduced whatsoever is commanded as a moral duty in the whole word of God wherefore since it is a moral duty that men should publikely and solemnly call upon the name of God and time alone without place and persons and the maintenance of these cannot serve for the discharge of that duty we must allow the rest of these outward requisites to be commanded in this of time And consequently what of all these alike was common and unholy before it was sanctified to Gods publike worship being once sanctified thereunto is made peculiar and proper to God and therefore to rob or pillage or take away any of these is sacrilegiously to invade Gods property which is a sin of so heavy a burden to press down the soul that the Apostle hath put it in the scale against Idolatry and seems to make this at least to balance if not to out-weigh the other Thou that abhorrest Idols dost thou commit Sacriledge Rom. 2. 22. The argument would be of little consequence if Sacriledge were not a sin at least equal to Idolatry And truly so it is whatever we please to think or to make of it For whereas there are two kinds of Idolatry the one to take an Idol for God the other to make God himself for an Idol the sacrilegious person is in effect guilty of them both For it is impossible that any man should rob God if he did not make money his God there 's taking the Idol for God or if he did not take God for one to be mocked rather then worshipped there 's taking God for an Idol And t is no wonder if they can do all this who can contemn the Lords most holy prayer for the three first petitions of that prayer contain all the Duty of the first table and the least part we can shew of dutifullness is to pray that we may be dutifull and consequently he that will not say Our father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name cannot be troubled at that Sin of Sacriledge whose property it is to invade and profane all that is dedicated to the hallowing of the name of God For they that can swallow the Camel have little reason to strain at the gnat they that can be guilty of the greater cannot stick at the lesser Sacriledge they that can rob God of his publike worship cannot easily make any scruple of robbing his Church and to take away such publike prayers as do undoubtedly glorifie the name of God what is it else but to rob God of his worship or of the honour due unto his name For he that doth forbid us to take his name in vain doth withall command us to glorifie his name and consequently to make use of such forms of prayer and of praise as we are sure do most glorifie him These forms being accordingly made for the honour of God after the rule of the two first and in obedience to the third Commandment are set apart for this use in obedience to the fourth and to take away these forms is in effect to
God but by love we must dwell in love or he will not dwel in us And therefore it was most Christian Doctrine which was delivered by Saint Augustine lib. 1. de Doctrina Christiana when he said Quatuor sunt diligenda unum quod est supra nos Sc. Deus Alterum quod nos sumus Tertium quod juxta nos i. e. proximus Quartum quod infra nos i. e. corpus There are four things which every man is bound to love that he may be a good Christian or in the state of true Christianity his God that is above him His neighbour that is about him His soul that is within him and His body that is without him for as the body is capable of eternal bliss by redundancy from the soul so is it also capable of true Christian charity which is not a momentary or temporal but an eternal and everlasting love grounded upon the communication and the communion of a blessed eternity So that in truth the love of God doth not only produce but also comprize and contain all those three other loves man loving his body and his soul and his neighbour with Christian charity only in relation to Christ and as they belong to his communion For undeniable if not indisputable is that position of the Angelical Doctor Amicitia charitatis super communicatione beatitudinis fundatur The friendship of Christian charity is founded upon the communication of eternal blessedness Aquin. 22â— qu. 25. art 5. and by consequent is to be extended according to the extent of that communication Therefore it beginneth with our Saviour Christ and goeth on to every one of his members this spiritual unction of the Holy Ghost being like to that holy ointment poured upon Aaron which ran from his head down to the skirts of his cloathing Psal 133. 2. And yet even from this excellent ground of charity do many men find a pretence for gross uncharitableness whilst those that are of divers perswasions in matters of Religion will needs deny to one another the hopes of salvation every one being resolved to maintain that his own Religion is the only true Christian though it be no more then a profession of it and all agreeing that t is only the true Christian Religion wherein and whereby we can attain eternal blessedness Hence it is that we commonly receive those very faintly whom we suspect God hath not received and those not at all whom we are perswaded he will not receive So that we do little less then invade Christs Judgement seat that we may discard true Christian charity and if we now invade his seat we shall hereafter tremble at his bar Why should we so grosly abuse the very ground of Christian charity to a most unchristian uncharitableness Why should we be so hasty to exclude out of the communion of eternal blessedness those whom our Saviour Christ hath called to it Surely if it be not in our power to give heaven by our charity t is not in power to deny heaven by our uncharitableness unless it be only to our selves True Christian charity is of as large an extent as heaven it self and embraceth all those who have any probability of getting thither For it is grounded upon the communion of eternal bliss and therefore as it loves Christ the head so it cannot but love all Christians as members of that communion It first loves Christ for his own sake by whom we have the communication it afterwards loves our Christian brethren for Christs sake with whom we have inchoately and hope to have consumâ—… of eternal blessedness O Christ let me love as a Christian that I may live as a Christian for I cannot live as a Christian unless I live in thee and I cannot live in thee unless I live in love Let me rather mistake my charity in believing their salvation who have gross errors mixed with their profession then not maintain my charity by denying them salvation who are not of mine own profession For thou wilt sooner pardon their errors which may proceed from ignorance or infirmity then my uncharitableness which can proceed from nothing else but pride and presumption SECT III. That the state of true Christianity is best taught by our Saviour Christ and best learned of him how far the Jews may be said to have known Christ and Christianity That Christ teacheth us by his voice in the holy Scriptures more certainly then by his voice in holy Church the Scripture is to teach the Church as the Church is to teach the people THere is not in all the world any thing taught by a Preacher from heaven but only the Christian Religion And the Son of God came from heaven to teach that and his Fathers voice came from heaven to bid us observe and follow his teaching Behold a voice out of the cloud which said This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear ye him Mat. 17. 5. And we may very well be not only contented but also desirous to hear him for the state of true Christianity is without all doubt best taught by Christ himself and is therefore best learned of him Moses was faithful in Gods house as a servant and the best teachers amongst men can but sit in Moses chair Mat. 23. 2. but Christ was faithful as a Son Heb. 3. 5 6. The servant was appointed and ordained for the Son and so was Moses for Christ but the Son came only for himself The servant was faithful in his Masters house but the Son in his own house Christ as a Son over his own house ver 6. Moses his faithfulness was by way of introduction for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after ver 5. sc by Christ But Christs faithfulness was by way of perfection to speak those things plainly of which Moses had testified obscurely and to accomplish or perform whatsoever Moses his testimony had either prophesied or promised concerning him For Moses in his writings spake of Christ and directed these Jews unto him in so much that our Saviour telleth the Jews that they needed no other then Moses to accuse them of unbelief for not turning Christians Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father there is one that accuseth you even Moses in whom ye trust For had ye believed Moses ye would have believed me for he wrote of me But if ye believe not his writings How shall ye believe my words John 5. 45 46 47. We may put the whole sense of those three verses into these two propositions 1. That Moses writ so much of Christ as to leave the Jews inexcusable if they did not from his writings look after Christ and believe in him which more particularly appears from Deut. 18. 15. where Moses saith The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee of thy brethren like unto me unto him ye shall hearken which words we find Saint Peter and Saint Stephen both
t is plain that the New Testament was not only before their eyes but also within their hearts for they proved all their several Doctrines out of it particularly this position that Christ is God by the union of the manhood with the God-head they proved 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of the Apostle Saint Pauls writings among which is also reckoned up the Epistle to the Hebrews 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of the Epistles general of Saint Peter Saint John Saint Jude 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of the Gospels peculiarly so called Concil Ephes par 1. And t is most evident that the Doctrines delivered by the four first general Councils in their Creeds are all plainly to be proved by the Scriptures so that we may easily grant that they placed the Holy Gospel in the midst of their Synods as it were to make protestation that they intended to obtrude no other faith to the world then what they had met with there and could prove from thence and consequently not to desire other mens communion with them in their Doctrines further then themselves had in the same Doctrines communion with the Holy Ghost Wherefore this is the ready way for every particular Church to be sure to keep communion with the Catholick Church in her Doctrine to adhere stedfastly to the written Word of God which is the only indisputable ground of that Doctrine For this Word alone sheweth that the Jews in Moral worship had communion with Christians and that both the Jews then had and Christians now have in the same worship communion with Christ They have Moses and the Prophets saith our blessed Saviour let them hear them Luke 6. 29. And again If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead ver 31. We Christians have not only Moses and the Prophets but also the Apostles for the foundation of our Churches and as we are sure that Moses and the Prophets were delivered incorrupt to our first Fathers for else our Saviour Christ would not have appealed unto them but rather have reproved the Jews for corrupting them so ought we to be sure that the Apostles are now delivered as incorrupt unto us unless we will say that the Christian Church hath been less faithful then the Jewish Synagogue in keeping the Text and by so saying quite disannul her authority in expounding it and so cut our selves off from one of the best means of our salvation Why thou should not these writings of Moses and the Prophets and the Apostles which are the only proof of our Churches be also the grand establishment of our communion For as t is the faith that makes the Church so t is the agreement in the Faith that makes the communion of the Church truely Christian Accordingly our own Church hath taught us to pray most exquisitely for this Christian communion in these words Beseeching thee to inspire continually the universal Church with the Spirit of truth unity and concord and to grant that all they that do confess thy holy Name may agree in the truth of thy holy word and live in unity and godly love A prayer so full of true Christian affection that its Christianity will acquit it from Novelty though it be scarce to be found in any antient Greek or Latine Liturgie for it setteth forth true Christian communion in all its four causes in its efficient cause the Spirit of truth unity and concord in its material cause the universal Church in its formal cause the agreement in the truth of Gods holy Word and in its final cause to live in unity and godly love How can any man that heartily saith this prayer be either an Heretick by willingly sinning against the truth of Gods Word or a schismatick by wilfully sinning against the unity of Gods Church We may conclude then That all the several Christian Churches in the world which have been are and shall be do concur together as members to make up the body of Christ or the Catholick Church and that all of them as Christian are joyned together though thousand of miles and years asunder in one outward communion by agreeing in the same word of Christ and in one inward communion by enjoying the same Spirit of Christ The outward communion joyns the members to the body and I would to God that they were not so much disjoyned and disjoynted The inward communion joyns the body to the head and I bless God that in that respect there can be no disjunction T is dangerous to be a separatist from the first but t is damnable to be a separatist from the second communion to communicate with Gods most holy Spirit in Gods most holy Word is the most sure and ready way to communicate with the Catholick Church aud that will keep us from being hereticks for no heretick as such doth communicate either with Gods Word or with Gods Spirit To communicate with the Catholick Church is the most sure and ready way to communicate with Christ himself and that will keep us from being Schismaticks for no Schismatick as such doth communicate with Christ either in his body or in himself But still we must remember that communion with the Word and with the Church is nothing worth without communion with Christ and with the Spirit and that will keep us from being hypocrites For no hypocrite doth communicate with Christ and with his Spirit either in his word or in his Church And we have need in these dangerous times of all three cautions for never was there any Heresie without a Schism and seldome is there any desperate Schism without most damnable hypocrisie SECT VI. The Catholick Church properly so called hath in it neither Herereticks Schismaticks nor Hypocrites but commonly so called comprizeth all those Christians who outwardly embrace the truth and worship of Christ That our own particular Church keeping communion with the Catholick requires our communion by the authority of the Catholick Church The authority and Trust of particular National Churches from Scripture and Councils A sober and a pious resolution not to sin against the authority of the Church by willfull Schism and the reasons of that resolution THE special number of right believing and therefore righteously doing Christians in all the several Churches of the Christian world which communicate in all things wherein Christians should is alone truly and properly named the Catholick Church because it consisteth of them only that without addition diminution alteration or innovation in matter of doctrine hold the common faith once delivered to the Saints so that t is impossible for them to be Hereticks And without all particular or private division or â—actâ—on retain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace so that t is impossible for them to be either Hypocrites or Schismaticks they cannot be hypocrites because they have the spirit of God and they cannot be Schismaticks because they hold the unity of
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lib. 4. de orth fide cap. 18. They are holy and religious books but yet are not reckoned among the Canonical Scriptures because they were not deposited in the Ark So the Books of the New Testament were known to come from God in that they were deposited in the Ark that is to say in his Church And hence it was that the Epistle of Saint James and some others though they were not at first generally received in all Churches yet were they no longer questioned after once it was made appear by the Testimony of those Churches where the Authentick Copies of them had been deposited that they had been indicted by some Apostle or approved by some Apostolical man till then they were questioned in regard of their Authors if not in regard of their Authority but after that they were questioned in regard of neither so great a confidence did God repose in particular Churches that it is evident he entrusted them with his own Word to keep it to witness it and to explain it as the Church of the Jews with the Old Testament which Church though it were Catholick or universal in its Doctrine yet was it meerly particular or national in its extent for he shewed his word to Jacob his statutes and ordinances unto Israel he had not dealt so with any Nation neither had the Heathen knowledge of his Laws Psalm 147. ver 19 20. And several Churches of the Christians with several parts of the New Testament as the Church of Rome with that Epistle sent to the Romans and the Church of Corinth with those two Epistles sent to the Corinthians and so of the rest And as for the seven Catholick or general Epistles commonly so called they had the title of Catholick or general Epistles not because they were sent to no particular Churches but because they were sent to many as Saint Peters to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus Galatia Cappodocia Asia and Bythinia which being not directed particularly to one of these was therefore called a general Epistle as belonging to them all not because it was sent at large to all of them for so perchance it might have been received by none but because it was to be communicated to all unless that we had rather say that these Epistles were called Catholick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they were sent of purpose to confute some new risen Hereticks or Schismaticks particularly the Solifidean Heresie and the itch of separation either from ambition or covetousness or perversness as may appear by the arguments of the said Epistles however those also were at first deposited with some particular Churches and hence it was that some of them were sooner generally received then others even those which had been at first deposited with the more eminent Churches Thus we see the trust of particular Churches and in them the trust of the Catholick Church concerning the Scriptures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eis credita sunt eloquia Dei They were entrusted with the Oracles of God Rom. 3. 2. that is they were entrusted to keep them and to witness them but Saint Pauls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am entrusted with a dispensation sc of the same Oracles speaks more that they were also entrusted to explain them and we cannot deny the continuance of this trust unto the Worlds end unless we will affirm that God hath laid aside the care both of us and of his Church neither regarding the salvation of our souls nor the authority and continuance of his own Church and so by consequent exterminate out of our Creed as well as out of the world the Catholick Church and the communion of Saints and by consequent deprive our selves of the forgiveness of sins the Resurrection of the Body and the life everlasting SECT III. The second part of the Trust of Particular Churches is concerning the people of God What that Trust is and how it comes to be derived to them is shewed from Saint Pauls speech Acts 20. to the particular Church of Ephesus and from Saint Pauls Epistles to Timothy and Titus and from other several Epistles of his to particular Churches GOD is very angry with a man when he Trusts his soul in his own hands for then he leaves him exposed to the Temptations of his own concupiscence to the errours of his own ignorance to the slips and stumblings of his own infirmity to the precipices and downfalls of his own presumption and to the bondage and thraldom of his own corruption Therefore we justly extoll the power and goodness of God in our preservation no less then in our Creation and himself thinks it no less honourable to keep a soul then to make it and therefore Saint Paul calleth him God our Saviour thrice in one Epistle By the Commandment of God our Saviour 1 Tim. 1. 1. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour 1 Tim. 2. 3. We trust in the living God who is the Saviour of all men specially of those that believe 1 Tim. 4. 10. Which if it had been observed by the transcribers of some private Manuscripts one would not have read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God the Father and our Saviour Jesus Christ Another would not have read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of God our Father and Jesus Christ for this variety of reading proceeded questionless from that opinion which some held That the name of Saviour belonged only to the person of Christ because it is palpable that in the Authentick Copy of the Greek Church as it is in Saint Chrysostome and of the Latine Church as it is in the Edition of Sixtus Quintus the words are read as Beza records them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God our Saviour and the Lord Jesus Christ where God the Father is plainly called our Saviour because he is the chief and principal cause of our salvation For it is the Fathers mercy that saveth us though the Sons merit and we could not have received should not have embraced the merit of the Son had it not been for the mercy of the Father Therefore the same Apostle as delighted with this expression saith again according to the commandmnnt of God our Saviour Tit. 1. 3. being willing to ascribe to the Father no less then to the Son the Honour and glory of our salvation Behold all souls are mine saith God himself Ezek. 18. 4. and Rabbi David gives us this gloss upon the words All souls belong to me and I have given them bodies of flesh to guide and lead after me and I do delight in their life not in their death for they are mine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 umiccebodi nigzaru and they were taken from mine own Glory q. d. They are mine and I care not to lose them They were parts of mine own glory and I am willing to glorifie them they were at first springs and branches of mine own Tree even the Tree of life and I am desirous to engraft them in that Tree
particular charge that so the burden might be the less but the care might be the greater the Ministers might have the lesser trouble but the people might have the greater benefit from whence it may be collected that the Bishops were Gods principal Trustees and that the inferior Ministers were only taken into part of their Trust And this is suitable with that saying of Theodorete recited by Oecumenius in the argument of the Epistle to Timothy That though Saint Paul had other Scholars or Disciples as Silas and Luke yet he writ Epistles only to Timothy and Titus because he had then entrusted them two with several Churches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the others he yet detained with himself And it is Conradus Vorstius his observation that Saint Paul makes it his business in his Epistles to Timothy and Titus to draw the exact picture of a true Christian Bishop and that he useth singular skill and industry in elaborating that draught Et sane in his Epistolis ac nominatim in illa priore ad Timotheum singularis quaedam Apostoli industria solicitudo elucet quippe collegam ac filium suum subinde studiose obsecrantis imo obtestantis per omnia sacra adiurantis nunc blandis promissionibus allicientis nunc minaciter territantis nunc suo nunc Christi exemplo provocantis ut modis omnibus tostatum faciat quà m sit ardua res inculpatum agere Episcopum quantaque pernicies humanae vitae sit parum sincerus Dominici gregis Custos Vorst Arg. Ep. ad Tim. Sometimes he earnestly entreateth Timothy for his own sake sometimes he humbly beseecheth him for Gods sake sometimes he adjureth sometimes he promiseth sometimes he threatneth sometimes he perswadeth and even provoketh him by his own and by Christs example that so he might testifie to all the world how great was the charge which a Bishop had from God to be faithfull in his vocation and that if he proved unfaithfull how great was the mischief he might do unto Gods Church And Oecumenius gathereth as much meerly from those three words used by Saint Paul in his benediction to Titus Grace Mercy and Peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus-Christ our Saviour Tit. 1. 3. for saith he Saint Paul very fitly wisheth Grace Mercy and Peace to Titus being the Teacher and Governour of that Church for unless he was resolved to steer by these he was sure to endanger the sinking of the ship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God have mercy upon those covetous ambitious and contentious Ministers whose covetousness ambition and contentiousness hath made them expell Grace Mercy and Peace that they might pull down Gods and set up their own Government How can it be hoped that such men should approve themselves Gratious Mercifull or peaceable Governours For how can covetousness consist with Grace Ambition with Mercy Contention with Peace and how miserable are those people like to be who are like to be governed without Grace Mercy and Peace Thus I have shewed the Trust of the two particular Churches of Ephesus and of Crete whose first governours immediately after the Apostles are nominated licensed and instructed by the Text and these two are precedents sufficient for all particular Churches to the worlds end happily more sufficient precedents then are left in all the new Testament concerning any other external adjunct of Religion For if all Scripture be profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness That the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished to all good Works 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. then surely much more that the Church of God may be perfect For if Saint Pauls proof be undeniable that because God took care of an Oxe he much more took care of a Minister 1 Cor. 9. 10. then can we not deny but the proof is as undeniable that because he took care of one particular minister he much more took care of all Ministers if he were so carefull to instruct one man of God as Timothy or Titus then much more was he carefull to instruct all the men of God that is to say his whole Church which is doubtless accordingly to be guided by these Instructions unless we can prove that since that time she hath received any other or that God hath repented of these and is willing to let his word as we are to let our Oaths grow out of date And indeed what can we desire to know concerning Gods Trustees in behalf of our souls which we may not easily know from either of these two Epistles For we know that God the Father hath said All souls are mine Ezek. 18. 4. and therefore we are sure that none can claim and consequently none should take the care of any soul but by commission from him This commission he immediately gave to his only Son with a promise that it should conduce to the Salvation of those souls which should hear his voice I am the good shephard my sheep hear my voice and I give unto them eternal life saith Christ John 10. 14 27 29. but this was by power given him from his Father as t is said All power is given unto me Mat. 28. and therefore when he was not yet pleased to own or at least not to exercise this power he said to the mother of Zebedees children It is not mine to give Mat. 20. 23. But however the promise concerning this power is no where so clearly signified as in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus so we find 2 Tim. 1. 1. Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus He derives his own commission for taking the care of souls from Christ Christs commission from God Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God And he shews the end of that commission was the salvation of those souls According to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus Again Tit. 1. 1 2. Paul a Servant of God and an Apostle of Jesus Christ there 's the proof of his commission in hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began there ' s the end of his commission God promised eternal life before the world began to whom could he promise it but to his Son coaeternal with himself and for whom did he promise it but for those who should be his hearkening to him believing in him relying on him and supported by him This was the comfortable end of Saint Pauls commission and therefore we have great reason to look after the sure proof of it And that we find particularly in these Epistles First as it was given from Christ to him and Secondly as it was to be derived from him to others even to the worlds end For although there is great Truth in that rule Delegatus non potest Delegare He that hath a Trust or power himself only by Delegation cannot orderly delegate the same to another and greater
now he could not endure to be without it any longer The outragious persecutions of Saul had disturbed him The furious and frequent invasions of the Philistines had disturbed the people Hence it was that Gods worship had been without the Ark and Israel had been without Gods worship Religion had been without its life and they had been without Religion Either of which alone was enough to make the troubles of their souls much more irksome and intolerable then were the troubles of their bodies how much more both of them joyned together And thus were they prepared by the want of so great blessings the more perfectly to discry and the more eanestly to desire the incomparable happiness they should have in the enjoyment of them and happily hence it was that when God offered to David either a seven years famine or a three months war or a three dayes pestilence yet he rather made choice of this then of the other though in all probability he might expect that himself should be the first to perish in the pestilence which was sent for his sake but the last that should perish either in the famine or in the war I am willing to impute the reason of this choice meerly to his love of Religion He was afraid that a seven years famine might make the people for want of meat grudge and repine at their sacrifices and so there would be a cessation of Religion which is a probable conjecture because above three years of the famine had been already past when God asked him the question saith Rabbi David thereby reconciling the seven years in 1 Sam. 24. with the three years of famine 1 Chron. 21. 12. So that David seeing so great a decay in the sacrifices for a famine but of three years had reason to fear that if it should last out all the seven years there would be at all no sacrifice I say he was afraid that a seven years famine might make the people for want of meat to put into their own bellies grudge and repine at their sacrifices and so there would be a cessation of Religion But he was sure that in a three months war the souldiers would make havock both of sacrifices and of Priests and so there would be a disturbance if not a total desolation and destruction of Religion Therefore he had rather venter to die first in the pestilence then last either in the famine or in the war because he feared that in either of those exigencies Religion might also die with him particularly he seemed most averse from the war as foreseeing that he could not flee three months before the enemies but the Ark of God would also be forced to flee with him SECT VI. The Limitation both of the Princes and of the Priests Trust in matters of Religion that neither may deviate from the Law of God and that the authority of the Churches laws is most enfeebled by them who make least esteem of the Law of God casting the aspersions of Obscurity and Vncertainty upon the Holy Scriptures IN matters of humane interest it may be reasonably disputed which is the more blame-worthy Whether he that abuseth a Trust which he hath or he that usurpeth a Trust which he hath not for though the one may sin with the greater injustice yet the other doth sin with the greater insolency But in matters of Divine Interest t is without dispute he is a greater sinner that usurpeth a Trust then he that only abuseth it for this mans sin may be out of ignorance or infirmity but the other certainly sins out of pride and presumption T is grievous for a man to fail with God by abusing a Trust that is given him but t is abominable for a man to justle with God by invading a Trust that he hath not given and will not give The ordering of Religion is a trust that God hath given unto men and they sin desperately who abuse it But the making of Religion is a Trust that God hath not given and they sin damnably who usurp it I am the Lord that is my name and my glory will I not give unto another Isa 42. 8. But if he hath given to men the power of making Religion by which alone his name is glorified he hath given his glory unto another and hath not reserved it unto himself wherefore let it be the glory of God alone to establish any thing that is of Religion whether it be so Speculatively or Practically whether as an article of Faith or as a Duty of Life And let it be mans glory only to execute what God hath established Kings by their Temporal Priests by their Spiritual power not making Religion but only ordering it not establishing their own commands in Gods worship but only executing his That God who is governour of his enemies may not be denyed to be governour of his Servants and he that is Master in all the world may not be thought to be no Master in his own Family Therefore we may see and must confess that the Trust both of Princes and of Priests in matters of Religion is but a limited Trust not to do what themselves please but what God hath commanded them T is not for Pharaoh to say Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice Exod. 5. 2. when Moses himself had a limited commission For see saith he that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount Hebr. 8. 5. God having not given power to any man to act against him but only for him Whence there is not only great prudence but also great Piety in that excellent saying which is attributed to that noble Civilian Baldus In rebus Juris Divini vel naturalis Summus Princeps nihil potest contra Veritatis praeceptum Alioquin quicquid fecerit nullum est quemadmodam quod à Commissario vel procuratore contra mandatum committitur In matters that concern the Law of God or the Law of nature the greatest Prince in the world may enjoin and act nothing against the command of Truth If he do his injunction and action are both null or void in themselves even as what is done by a Commissioner or a Proctor is null if it be against the command delivered to him or the Trust reposed in him And this we are sure is not only good Law but also good Divinity For in that we are commanded to obey the Magistrate for the Lords sake t is evident we cannot owe and may not pay him obedience against the Lord For that were to obey man rather then God And the same Divinity will also hold in Summus Pontifex as well as in Summus Princeps in the chiefest Ecclesiastical as well as in the chiefest Civil Magistrates For they act only as Gods Trustees by their spiritual no less then the other by their Temporal power and have little reason to expect the same obedience when they forsake their Trust as when they follow it Saint
Paul saith expresly God hath given us authority for Edification not for destruction 2 Cor. 10. 8. If he hath not given the Prince authority to destroy his Church much less hath he given the Priest authority to destroy his Religion That authority which is destrvctive either of Church or of Religion is not of Gods giving and should not be of mans taking excellently Aquinas Quum potestas Praelati spiritualis qui non est Dominus sed Dispensator in Edificationâ—m sit data non in destructionem ut patet 2 Cor. 10. Sicut Praelatus non potest imperare ea quae secundum se Deo displicent sc peccata ita non potest prohibere ea quae secundum se Deo placent sc Virtutis opera 22ae qu. 88. art 12. ad 2. um When as the power of a spiritual Praelate who is not a Lord but a Steward is given for Edification not for Destruction as it appears 2 Cor. 10. it follows that as a Prelate cannot command those things which in themselves are displeasing unto God such as are all sins So he cannot forbid those things which in themselves are pleasing unto God such as are all the works of Virtue Which is a Truth as clear as if it had been written by a Sun-beam and should be as durable as if it were written in our Hearts Nay indeed it is written there So that we should as soon lose our own hearts as lose this perswasion That our Gonernours both Temporal and Spiritual have no Authority to command against God but only for him and therefore if they lay upon us any commands that are evidently against the Law of God their own spiritual Governours have taught us what to answer them Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more then unto God judge ye Acts 4. 19. Nor doth this doctrine loosen the joints or dissolve the ligaments of Government It takes not away the rights of Kingdoms or Churches by giving to God his Right Let humane Laws bind in the court of conscience but either let them not be laws if they be palpably against the Law of God or let humane laws so bind the conscience as that the divine law may bind it much more We confess it is neither safe nor sound Divinity to extenuate the obligation of humane laws but we also profess that the extenuation of the power of Divine laws must needs have less both of safety and of soundness And it is to be feared that this hath been the greatest cause of the other and that God hath suffered the People to make so light of the authority of the Church because a great faction in the Church hath of late made so light of Gods own Authority For what else have they done who have not only magisterially transgressed but also maliciously calumniated the Holy Scriptures that by discountenancing nay indeed by disauthenticating the known Text they might countenance and authorize their own inventions which is in effect no other but to turn out God and to put in man in the Legislative authority concerning Religion T is very good to be zealous for this doctrine that the disobedient are reckoned up by Saint Paul among those who are worthy of death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Parentibus non obedientes Rom. 1. 30. They who are not obedient to their parents whether Natural or Civil or Ecclesiastical are worthy of death for not only the position of disobedience but also the mere negation of obedience makes them liable to damnation But withal we must be more zealous for God himself then for any of his Substitutes For if not obeying our fathers on earth makes us worthy of eternal death then much more not obeying our Father in heaven if the contempt of mans law can wound the conscience then much more of Gods law by which alone mans law can either reach the conscience by its command or wound the conscience for its contempt So that to speak the plain truth no men have so much opposed that Tenent of humane laws binding the conscience as those who have made the slightest account of the divine law as if that could not or at least had not bound their consciences For it is without dispute therefore should be without denyal that Gods law hath a far greater power and dominion over the conscience of the greatest governour then mans law can have or challenge over the conscience of the meanest subject Therefore the readiest way for the Church to obtain a conscionable obedience from the people is to observe a conscionable obedience towards God and not by raising objections or rather cavils against the law of God to teach the people to object against and cavil with her laws when they should obey them Wherein some late Church-men have been very much too blame who have endeavoured to cast that aspersion of obscurity and uncertainty upon Gods hand-writing which they would take very disdainfully should be cast upon their own writings thereby in effect giving Gods law a quietus est as to the binding of the conscience without which yet their own laws cannot bind it since it is impossible that the conscience should be bound either by obscurities or by uncertainties For if the law be obscure who can act with the knowledge of his understanding If it be uncertain who can act with the consent of his will And if conscience be the Practical judgement how can it act without either of these for how can it be a Judgement without the knowledge of the understanding how can it a practical obedience without the consent of the will Or to inforce this argument of natural reason with a medium of Religion since whatsoever is not of faith is sin and whatsoever is not of the evidence or of the assurance of faith is not of faith and what is obscure cannot beget the evidence what is uncertain cannot beget the assurance of faith who can think that obscure and uncertain laws can bind the conscience and not think that the conscience may be bound to sin So little is the Church of Christ beholding to those Divines who yet would be thought most of all to magnifie and to extoll her For whiles they lesson the authority of Gods law in binding the conscience they cannot but lesson the authority of the Churches law which can have no such authority but from the law of God Even as he that should cast any scornful reproach upon the light of the Sun would in vain make a Panegyrick in praise of the lustre of the Moon since she hath all her light and lustre from the Sun Therefore let them no longer tell us that Gods Law is obscure till they have explained it unless they would have us not think it a Law till they have made it so for if it be obscure it cannot have the virtue nor challenge the obligation of a law For if this great trumpet which summons us all to the Church militant that
not justly be condemned by another Church much less opposed or deserted by her own state For that such a Church is without doubt Gods Trustee and hath not been faulty in the discharge of her Trust and may not be hindred or molested in dischaging it SECT VIII The Trust of particular Churches is immediately from God himself both in regard of the Magistrate and of the Minister That Trust much stood upon in the Primitive times and ought to be so still because it is founded on the holy Scriptures And that this Doctrine concerning the Trust of particular Churches doth not canton or disjoynt the Catholick Church T IS no hard matter to prove That particular Churches are Gods immediate Trustees though they have but a limited Trust For else will follow the greatest absurdity that can be imagined and much greater that may be granted viz. That God hath left the blood of his Son the dictates of his Spirit the honour of his name exposed to all the contempts and prophanations and corruptions of perverse and ignorant and wicked men if he hath not entrusted them all with some such persons who are bound to see them neither prophaned nor contemned nor corrupted And who were those his Trustees at first but only his Apostles and who have they been ever since but their Successors Bishops and Ministers Take heed unto the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers Acts 20. 28. O Timothy keep that which is committed to thy Trust 1 Tim. 6. 20. The Minister whether Bishop or Priest is immediately intrusted with the care of souls and with those truths and administrations which directly concern the soul For the civil Magistrate though he be Christian yet is not capable of discharging the spiritual part of this Trust being not called of God as was Aaron to do the office of a Priest though he be called of God as was Moses to have power and dominion over Priests For in that he is governour of the State he is also governour of the Church which is in and within the State and in that he is governour of the Church he must needs have his share in the Trust of the Church concerning Religion as far as Religion is liable to the government of the State sc to be ordered protected and defended by it For as God at first used the extraordinary power of miracles to maintain his word and Sacraments and to strike the opposers and profaners of them either with death or with other corporal punishments as S. Paul saith of the Corinthians For this cause many are weakly and sick among you and many sleep 1 Cor. 11. 30. sc because of your profaning the blessed Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ So in process of time he was pleased to use the ordinary power of the Civil Magistrate for the same purposes never leaving himself without witness having given a directive and spiritual power to the Ministery a coactive and external power to the Magistracy for the suppressing of wickedness and vice and for the promoting of true Religion and Virtue Therefore both Magistracy and Ministery have the immediate Trust of Religion and God hath commanded both to assist hath allowed neither to oppose the other in the execution of his Trust Both are obliged to see there be a right exercise of Religion the one to perform it the other to countenance and protect it And both have their Trust immediately from God and this is that which I call the Trust of particular Churches nor is it to be imagined That if God had given the Trust of all Churches to some general Vicar of his who derived his power immediately from him and was to derive the same to others but that he would have given some notice of this universal Trustee that others might not invade this Trust without his leave much less manage it without his Authority yet this he was willing to plead for who said Petrus Paulo dedit licentiam praedicandi Gl. in Grat. Dist 11. cap. 11. that Saint Peter gave Saint Paul a licence to preach and that Authoritate Domini by Gods own command who said Acts 13. Sepatate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereto I have called them He will needs bring Saint Peter from Jerusalem to Antioch of purpose to lay his hands on Saint Paul though the Holy-Ghost reckons up these particular men who were bid do that work and reckons not Saint Peter among them nay though Saint Paul himself plainly tels us that he had Preached full three years before he once saw Saint Peter Gal. 1. 17 18. and then was fain to go up to Jerusalem not to Antioch to see him and only to see him not to receive commission or Instruction from him So Saint Chrysostome upon the words Gal. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He wanted Peter for nothing but being equal in honour with him that I may say no more now yet he went up to him as to his Superiour and his Ancient And he tell us this of purpose saith he that we should not think the ensuing reprehension proceeded either out of hatred or envy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for it is plain he loved the man and respected him more then any other of the Apostles for he saith Other of the Apostles saw I none Yet he did but go to see him not to learn of him much less to receive spiritual power from him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I did but see him I did not learn of him saith the same Saint Chrysostome And indeed it is scarce imaginable that Saint Paul was rapt up into the third Heaven the proper dwelling place of God to hear unspeakable words to be Tongue-tied on earth by any man so as not to be able to preach without his License Nay on the contrary it is clearly evident from the Holy Scriptures and from all Antiquity that not only Saint Paul but also all the other Apostles did Preach the Gospel found Churches ordain Bishops excommunicate offenders without any delegation from Saint Peter only by their own immediate Authority And it is also evident that they all derived their Authority to their several Churches after them and that those several Churches did very much insist upon that authority which they could not lawfully have done had it not been derived to them by the Apostles Thus Saint Cyprian pleads for his Church of Carthage Ne quisquam se Episcopum Episcoporum constituat aut tyrannico terrore ad obsequendi necessitatem collegas suos adigat quando habeat omnis Episcopus pro licentia libertatis potestatis suae arbitrium proprium tanquam judicari ab alio non possit quà m nec ipse possit alterum judicare Neither let any man make himself a Bishop of Bishops nor by his tyrannical threats seek to compell his collegues to be his Vassals since every Bishop hath his own native liberty and power to determine for himself as one that may neither Iudge his fellow-Bishop
communion Thus doth Saint Paul briefly but pithily define a Christian Church 1 Thes 1. 1. To the Church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ We cannot imagine the Thessalonians were in God before they were with God so that the one presupposeth the other and we may hence collect this definition of a true Christian Church that it is a company of men Ministers and People though here Saint Paul chiefly write to the Ministers calling them the Church as appears in that he chargeth them to read this Epistle to all the Holy brethren cap. 5. v. 27. which sheweth that he sent it only to the Ministers I say that a true Christian Church is a company of Men Ministers and People who are with the God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ by their Religion nay more who are in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ by their communion And all the men in the world who are thus with and in God the Father and God the Son by the power of God the Holy Ghost do make up the whole present Christian or Catholick Church They may be several Churches in their Denominations and Jurisdictions They are but one Church in their Religion and in their spiritual communion Thus faith the same Saint Paul Now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular 1 Cor. 12. 27. that is ye Christians of all Nations are the mystical body of Christ aud ye Christians of Corinth of this or that Nation are members in particular of that body and members in particular one of another as all together make up that body or as all particular Churches make up the Catholick Church SECT IX What Trust is given to other particular Churches in the Holy Scriptures is also given to our particular Church of England from God the Father Son and Holy-Ghost That our Church is accordingly bound to magnifie her Trust and therefore we bound not to vilifie it And that it is both Rational and Religious to maintain the Trust and Authority of our own particular Church IF he be justly reproached for dishonesty who doth not carefully discharge his Trust which he hath received from man how much more they who do not carefully discharge their Trust which they have received from God And this is the case of Ministers above all other men who have received such a Trust from God as all the power of the world could not give them and all the malice of the world cannot deny them Indeed it is the case of every particular Minister much more of the whole Ministry or of a whole Church which is more eminently Gods Trustee and hath a much greater Trust then either the arrogancy of any one can challenge or the ability of any one can discharge And therefore if the spirit of God give that charge to one particular Archippus Take heed to the Ministery which thou hast received in the Lord that thou fulfill it Col. 4. 17. much more doth it give the same charge to the whole Church of Colosse which had in a more ample manner and for a more general end received the same Ministery And though the Church of Colosse it self was soon after swallowed up with an Earth-quake in the dayes of Nero as saith Orosius yet not so the Instructions nor the authority given to it they must remain till the worlds end Take heed to the Ministery which thou hast received in the Lord is not to be swallowed up by the cleaving and dividing of the earth no more then it is to be revoked or recalled by any voice from heaven And so was it also with the Church of Ephesus as appears from Saint Pauls charge to the first Bishop of that Church I give thee charge in the sight of God and before Christ Jesus that thou keep this commandment without spot unrebukeable untill the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Tim. 6 13 14. In that he chargeth him to keep the commandments he had received concerning Religion without spot unrebukeable he sheweth the Churches trust in that he addeth to his charge untill the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ he sheweth that Trust is to continue till the worlds end For in this case we must alwayes remember those words of our Saviour Mar. 13. 37. And what I say unto you I say unto all Watch For what Saint Paul said to the first Bishop of Ephesus he said to all Bishops that ever should be after him as well as to all that were then with him For the Apostolical Epistles though in their inscriptions or Title they concerned some special Churches yet in their Instructions and use they concerned all Churches as plainly appears from Saint Pauls own words Col. 4. 16. And when this Epistle is read amongst you cause that it be read also in the Church of the Laodiceans and that yee likewise read the Epistle from Laodicea So that what Instruction or Authority or charge was given to one Church was given to all Churches in that one And consequently we may thus argue by way of Induction The Trust of Religion was given by God to the Church of Rome and of Corinth and of Galatia and of Ephesus and of Philippi and of Colosse and of Thessalonica therefore the same trust is given by God to our own Church of England and indeed to all the several particular Churches in the Christian world For if each particular Bishop and Presbyter have his Trust originally from the Holy-Ghost though derived by the hands of men Then much more have all the Bishops and Presbyters their Trust from the Holy Ghost Hence that expression in the first Council of Bishops Act. 15. 28. It seemeth good to the Holy Ghost and to us Which hath in some sort been followed by other Councils since Particularly the sixth which confirming the five oecumenical before doth it in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This our holy and Oecumenical Synod hath by inspiration from God confirmed those former Councils Which is in effect as much as if they had said It seemeth good to the Holy Ghost and us to confirm them Concil Constant 3. Act. 17. Graece sed 18. Latine A sufficient proof that the Apostles spake not those words for themselves alone but also for the Church after them which was thereby authorized as to act by the power so to act in the name of the Holy-Ghost And if any shall be so refractory as to say otherwise he may look upon another place not only as a confirmation of this truth but also as a confutation of his own refractoriness Acts 7. 51. Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do always resist the Holy Ghost For whosoever is stiff-necked and will not hear nor obey the word of truth though in the mouth of a weak and sinful man sent from God to speak it doth make himself guilty of this detestable and damnable resistance even of resisting the Holy Ghost For
it is most strictly commanded by the word of God what can be said more for the excellency of it Then that it is most highly commended by the Son of God I shall only crave leave to add that our own Church rightly judged of this necessity and excellency and as rightly conformed her practice to her Judgement in taking so great care that we should have an exact Translation of the Holy Scriptures and many eminent Expositions of the same so that no People in the world have greater means of knowing God then we have which is the first work of the Christian Religion to teach us to know God All our fault is we have not Affections and Actions answerable to our knowledge which is the second work of Christian Religion to teach us to love and honour God and if our Church hath as faithfully discharged her Trust in this as in the other we shall have great reason to bless God and not the least reason to dislike our Church For what can she teach us more then Christ and the Christian Religion hath taught her which is to know and to worship God If our Church hath thus been our Mistress to bring us unto Piety then much more ought she to be our Mother to keep us in our Duty So shall we not be ungodly without being Monsters of Christians nor undutifull without being Monsters of Men and much less shall we easily suffer our Undutifulness to be the cause of our Ungodliness for we cannot be Undutifull in kicking and spurning against the true Christian communion wherein we are taught to know and worship God but we must also be ungodly in kicking and spurning against the true Christian Religion which consisteth in that knowledge and worship though much more in the worship then in the knowledge and accordingly we hope it will appear that our own Church which hath been so carefull to teach us to know God hath been much more carefull to teach us to worship him for as in the knowledge of him standeth our eternal life so in the worship of him is indeed the very inchoation and anticipation of eternity SECT IV. Praying a greater part of the Churches Trust then preaching The Church hath God the Fathers Precedent and Precept for making set forms of prayer and shall answer for all the blemishes that may be in publick prayers for want of a set form THE Church teacheth us to know God by Preaching but she teacheth us to worship God by praying And accordingly we cannot but think praying a much greater part of her Trust then preaching because though it be a very great happiness truly to know God yet is it a much greater happiness truly to worship him And if the Church be bound to take care that there be no false doctrine in the Pulpit much more there be no absurd prayers at the Desque For the Sermons men naturally hear as Judges letting their discretion go before their Affection But prayers men naturally hear as Communicants letting their affection go before their discretion so that false worship in praying is much more dangerous and may be much more mischievous then false Doctrine in preaching for it is like an unsuspected infection most probable to spread further to sink deeper and to tarry longer Again false worship in praying doth infinitely more dishonour God then false Doctrine in preaching because it more immediately dishonoreth him that is to say not only in his truth by heresie but also in his very nature and essence by blasphemy For though a man may preach blasphemy as well as pray it yet he that preacheth blasphemy blasphemeth God only to men but he that prayeth blasphemy blasphemeth God to his own face Wherefore the Church must needs take a most special care of prayer if she desire to discharge her trust either in regard of God or Man in regard of God as she is obliged to shew forth his glory in regard of men as she is obliged to promote their salvation And indeed for so doing the Church hath very good Precedent and Precept and Promise Her Precedent is God her Precept and Promise are from God Her Precedent is God who having taught so many heavenly forms of prayer in his holy word did in the very act of teaching them as it were cry out to his Church Vade fac similiter Go then and do likewise For if the Jews examples of sin were registred for our instruction as the Apostle plainly affirmeth 1 Cor. 10 11. then much more Gods example of Righteousness And he that commanded Moses to do all things exactly according to the pattern shewed in the Mount when as yet he shewed him but only the out side and the out-works of the Tabernacle doth much more command his Church exactly to follow his example since he hath been pleased to shew her the very inside and marrow of Religion aad therefore if the Tabernable then surely much more the service of the Tabernacle is to be framed and ordered according to his pattern Thus much for Precedent but for Precept we have much more First in the Old Testament God commanded the children of Israel to bring pure Oyl Olive beaten for the light to cause the lamps to burn continually Lev. 24. 2. This command reacheth us for he that would have well beaten Oyl for his lamp will not be contented with extempore effusions but will have well studied and elaborated expressions for his homage unless we will say he did more regard their Typical then he doth our real worship Again God threatned the children of Israel That if they walked at all adventures with him he would bring plagues upon them according to their sins Lev. 26. 21. For so it is in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Keri for Bekari in Accidente If you walk with me by chance or by accident and so Tremelius renders it Si ambulaveritis mecum temere If ye walk with me rashly or unadvisedly This threat likewise reacheth us and then especially when we most walk with God that is in the exercise of our Religion we must there be sure to do nothing at adventures nothing rashly nothing unadvisedly for unadvisedness in this case is ungodliness and if our prayers be turned into Provocations what shall we have left to make our Atonement But you will say these are rather consequents then arguments I answer if they were so yet they ought to be regarded for God forbiddeth those actions which are sinfull in their consequences and not only in their concomitances but indeed we have choice enough of direct Arguments for so Moses is commanded to speak to Aaron and his sons saying On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel saying unto them The Lord bless thee and keep thee the Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gratious unto thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace Numb 6. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Coh tebaracu sic benedicatis so ye
should not dishonour Gods Name when they met to honour it For that were doubly to take his Name in vain not only as men but also as Christians not only as sinners but also as Saints Not only as offenders but also as worshippers Therefore the Church thought her self bound in duty and conscience to provide such a form of prayer as she was sure had no blemish in it but had holy expressions exactly agreeable with holy affections and holy apprehensions that Gods holy name might be certainly glorified and her own Trust carefully discharged For it neerly concerned the Church to take great care there should be no blaspheming instead of publick praying when she was like to answer for all those blasphemies which through her default should be vented in publick prayers SECT V. The Church hath God the Sons precedent and precept for making set forms of prayer and is accordingly obliged both to make and to use them IT was an unsufferable malice in the Jews to cry out upon the Christians as Hereticks when they proved their Religion by the holy Scriptures But it was an unpardonable madness in them to cry out upon the Christians as Atheists when they practised their Religion by continual and incessant prayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Heresie of the Christians was a calumny but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Heresie of the Atheistical Christians was a meer Phrensie for there could be no greater confutation of Atheism then that which was constantly used by the Christians even daily and lowly addresses to God by prayer and supplication And it were to be wished that we who can easily clear our selves from Heresie by proving our Religion did as zealously seek to clear our selves from Atheism by practising it For without doubt it well becometh Christians to follow the example of Christ and if we will so do we must above all things seek to follow his example in praying Justine Martyr in Quest Resp ad Orthodoxos qu. 105. hath this excellent contemplation Since prayer is a necessary help or remedy against the infirmities of our humane nature and our blessed Saviour as Lord of all had from himself power against those infirmities what is the reason that he is recorded to have been so often at his prayers even oftner then any of his Apostles Surely for this reason saith he because in after-ages some would doubt of the truth of his being a Man whereas none would make that doubt about his Apostles therefore is he so often described at his prayers to remove or answer all doubts concerning the truth of his humane nature For if some Hereticks have questioned the truth of Christs being made man notwithstanding he took upon him all our infirmities how would they not have thought they might have turned that question into a demonstration if they had never read of his making prayers to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 often praying was an irrefragable proof that Christ was the Son of Man often praying is an irrefragable proof that Christians are the Sons of God This was the reason the Apostles were so desirous to imitate him in his praying and desired him to teach them how to pray that they might not be mistaken in their imitation Luke 11. 1. And it came to pass that as he was praying in a certain place when he ceased one of his Disciples said unto him Lord teach us to pray as John also taught his Disciples And he said unto them when ye pray say Our Father c. Where we have both the precedent and the precept of God the Son for making set forms of Prayer His precedent in that he made this form Our Father which art in Heaven His precept in that he commanded his Disciples to use it When ye pray say Our Father from whence naturally flow these three dogmatical conclusions 1. That the people are bound to desire the Church to teach them to pray unless they will profess themselves not Disciples but Masters so far ought they to be from scoffing or rejecting thier Churches prayers 2. That the Church is bound to teach the people to pray after a set form for so our Saviour Christ taught his Disciples 3. That the Church is bound to command the people to use that set form for so our Saviour Christ commanded his Disciples to use his Prayer When ye pray say Our Father c. If any man shall make light of these deductions concerning praying in a set form he may with as great a pretence of reason but must with as great a scorn of piety make light of praying on a set day and so by consequence either undervalue or overthrow the whole publick exercise of Religion For from this place alone may as much be pleaded for the Duty of publick worship as from all other places of the New Testament for the day of it Ex. gr Vpon the first day of the week when the Disciples came together to break bread Acts 20. 7. is alledged as a pregnant place for our solemn meetings on the Lords day and the like to this is that of 1 Cor. 16. 2. yet that proof concerning the day is not so full and clear as this concerning the duty for that may seem to be short in the precedent because there is mention made in the second of the Acts of meetingâ—…y â—…y and breaking bread from house to house Act. 2. 40. Whereby it is evident that if breaking bread were confined to the holy Eucharist yet the holy Eucharist was not confined to a set day But sure it is short in the Precept for it hath no command annexed which bids us assemble more on the first day of the week then another But this proof concerning the duty is not short in the precedent for the Disciples desired to be taught to pray as Johns were that is by a set form and Christ accordingly so teacheth them Nor is it short in the precept for our blessed Saviour commands them to use the set form which he had taught them If you will further alledge that other Text I was in the spirit on the Lords day Rev. 1. 10. you will thence righly plead for the day of publick worship because those words plainly infer that particular day to have been consecrated to the Lord since no better reason can be given why it should be called the Lords Day But yet still this our Text of Saint Luke will be a stronger proof for the duty of publick worship All to use a set form of Prayer then that Text of Saint John for the day of it all to meet on a set day because this hath precedent as well as that and moreover hath precept which that hath not And it is not to be imagined that any can easily come to that depth of sottishness or height of impudence and impiety as to say the Lords day is a means to put him in the Spirit but the Lords prayer is a means to put him out of it Or that a
mente super Altare offero quam in primo publico consistorio solenniter repetam Concil Basil sess 40. I made this digression only to shew That unless the Holy Scriptures be taken for the foundation of our faith we are like to have none For a general Council is not this foundation saith Bellarmine The Pope is not say these two Councils and the Pope himself swears on their side So Bellarmine defines against the Councils the Councils define against the Pope and the Pope not only defines but also swears against himself And we conceive that Saint Paul defined against them all when he said He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord 1 Cor. 1. 31. and again That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God 1 Cor. 2. 5. T is only Gods truth which can be the foundation of our faith whether propounded by the Scriptures or by the Church as saith Aquinas Formale objectum Fidei est veritas prima secundum quod manifestatur in Scripturis sacris Doctrina Ecclesiae quae procedit ex veritate prima The formal object of faith is the first truth according as it is manifested in the holy Scriptures and in the doctrine of the Church which proceedeth from the first truth He is willing to take in the Church but he is not willing to leave out the Scriptures nay indeed he preferreth the Scriptures above the Church in the manifestation of Gods truth when he saith Doctrina Ecclesiae quae procedit ex veritate prima in Scripturis sacris manifestata 22ae qu. 5. art 3. c. The Doctrine of the Church which proceedeth from the first truth manifested in the holy Scriptures So that according to Aquinas Gods truth first cometh to the Scriptures from them to the Church That truth the Scriptures propound to the Church by way of definition That same truth the Church propoundeth to us by way of declaration Shall we think the declaration may overthrow the definition of truth or the Church may overthrow the Scripture This were in effect to allow that we as Christians do glory in men more then in God and that our faith in Christ doth more stand in the wisdom of man then in the power of God Such a foundation of faith as this which relyes upon man is laid upon the sand or upon grass For all flesh is grass But the foundation of faith which relyes upon the Scriptures is laid upon a Rock The word of the Lord endureth for ever and this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you 1 Pet. 1. 24 25. This foundation which is laid upon Gods word is as firm and as infallible as God himself for all Scripture is given by inspiration of God 2. Tim. 3. 16. And this is the foundation of our faith not as Protestants but as Christians we vindicate it as Protestants but we hold it as Christians For no Christian Church or Council did lay any other foundation of faith before that unhappy Council of Trent which began not till the year of our Lord 1545. and ended not till the year 1563. All the cavils that have been raised against the holy Scriptures have been raised since that time to the great dishonour of Christ the great disturbance of Christendom the great discontent of good Christians the great disadvantage of the Christian Faith For the foundation cannot possibly give that firmness to the building which is not in it self therefore there cannot be a greater disadvantage to the Christian Faith then to ground it upon an infirm and an unsure foundation And such a foundation is the word of man instead of the word of God For he that believeth the most Divine truths only upon humane authority can have but an humane an infirm an uncertain Faith Therefore Divine truths must be believed upon Divine authority that we may have a Divine faith concerning them For t is absurd in Reason impious in Religion to have but a humane faith of Divine Truths because the habit and act are infinitely unproportionable to the Object For there may be a twofold errour in our faith the one materially when we believe what God hath not revealed And so they only are erroneous in the faith who believe falsities or uncertainties The other formally when we believe what God hath revealed but not upon the authority of his revelation and so they also may be erroneous in the faith who believe the most sure and certain Truths The ready way to avoid both these errors is to take the written word of God for the foundation of our faith wherein we are sure to meet with Gods truth or verity for the matter of our belief and with Gods Authority or Testimony for the cause of our believing And since our Church teacheth this and no other faith no man can say she is guilty of Heresie that will not make himself guilty of Blasphemy For the Communion of our Church is free from Heresie not only Materially in that she believes no untruths or uncertainties but also Formally in that she believeth Gods truths upon Gods own authority So that to call such a faith Heresie which is wholly of God and through God must needs be blasphemy For my part I confess that I do not see how I can be sufficiently thankful to God for making me a member of such a Communion and therefore am sure I cannot be too zealous for it nor too constant in it A Communion which neither hath Heresie in the Doctrine of faith nor the cause of Heresie in the foundation of faith And truly to be rid of Heresie in its self and in its cause are both very great blessing but yet the latter is the greater of the two For a true reason of believing which rids us from Heresie in its cause may partly excuse even a falsity in the belief when a man believes what is not true because he thinks God hath revealed it But a false reason of believing can scarce justifie a truth in the belief when a man believes what is true but not upon the authority of Gods revelation The one desires to be a true believer in a false article the other resolves to be a false believer in a true article of faith The one in the cause of his faith believes the truth whilst in the doctrine of it he believes an errour the other in the cause of his faith believes an errour for every man is a lyar and may suggest a lye whilst in the Doctrine of it he believes a truth the one in the uprightness of his heart cleaves to God when in his mouth he departs from him the other in the perversness of his heart departs from God when in his lips he draws neer unto him The uprightness of heart makes the one a true man in his errour as S. Cyprian in his false Tenent of rebaptiz ation the perversness of heart makes the other a false man in his truth as