particular Persons were too hot at first and said what themselves afterwards saw Cause to alter their Minds in and that in the Space of two or three Years Men when they are just awake see not so distinctly as they afterwards do Our first Reformers altered many things in Doctrine of which they had a tolerable Opinion when they came first out of Popery Because Cranmer himself and some others thought some things at first good Doctrine which themselves had afterward other Thoughts of doth it follow it is good Doctrine still In things of this nature we are to take our Measures from no mutable Men but from the immutable Rule Authority therefore is impertinently urged and is an Argument only ad excitandum odium to stir up some ignorant Peoples Passions To let every one see the Weakness of this Argument let us turn it into Form Prop. What was good Doctrine Forty Years ago in the Mouths of Presbyterians against Independents and Others is good Doctrine still But what is in this Sermon about Scrupulous Consciences and the Duty of Christians that have them was good Doctrine Forty Years since in the Mouths of the Presbyterians against the Independents Therefore it is good Doctrine still We deny the Minor or Second Proposition and so take our Leave of the Doctor supposing it will take Forty Years more to make it good FINIS Books Printed for and Sold by Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers-Chapel EXpository Notes on the Four Evangelists wherein the Sacred Text is at large recited and the Sense explained together with the Instructive Pxample of the Holy Jesus is recommended to our Imitation By William Burkitt M. A. and Vicar of Dedham in Essex Divine Comforts Antidoting inward Perplexities of Mind being a Discourse upon Psalm 94. ver 19. By T. Sharp M. A. Wilful Impenitency the grossest Self-Murder in several Sermons Preached at Rochfort in Essex By William Fenner B. D. Plain Method of Catechising shewing That Ministers Parents and Masters ought to be faithful Teachers of the first Principles of the Christian Doctrine By T. Doolittle M. A. in Compassion to the Ignorant The Young Man's Guide in his Way to Heaven or Travelling spiritualized The General Assembly or the gathering of the Saints together By Oliver Heywood M. A. The Order of the Gospel professed and practised by the Churches in New-England in Answer to several Questions relating to Church-Discipline By Increase Mather President of Harvard Colledge in Cambridge New-England Primitia Synagogae or a Sermon Preached at the opening of a New Erected Meeting-house in Ipswich By John Fairfax M. A. The Fountain of Life opened and explained or a Display of Christ in his Essential and Mediatorial Glory containing Forty Two Sermons on various Texts By John Flavel M. A. Of Thoughtfulness for the Morrow with an Appendix concerning the immediate desire of foreknowing Things to come The Redeemer's Tears wept over lost Souls in a Treatise on Luke 19.41 42. with an Appendix wherein somewhat is occasionally Discoursed concerning the Sin against the Holy Ghost and how God is said to will the Salvation of them that perish A Calm and Sober Enquiry concerning the possibility of a Trinity in the God-head in a Letter to a Person of Worth occasion'd by the lately Published Considerations on the Explications of the Doctrine of the Trinity By Dr. Wallis Dr. Sherlock Dr. South Dr. Cudworth c. Together with certain Letters hitherto unpublished formerly written to the Reverend Dr. Wallis on the same Subject A Letter to a Friend concerning a Postscript to the Defence of Dr. Sherlock's Notion of the Trinity in Unity relating to the Calm Enquiry on the same Subject A View of that part of the late Considerations address'd to H. H. about the Trinity which concerns the Sober Enquiry on that Subject A Treatise of the Soul of Man wherein the Divine Original Excellent and Immortal Nature of the Soul are opened its Love and Inclination to the Body with the Necessity of its Separation from it considered and improved The Existence Operations and States of separated Souls both in Heaven and Hell immediately after Death asserted discussed and variously applied Divers knotty and difficult Questions about departed Souls both Philosophical and Theological stated and determined The Method of Grace in bringing home the Eternal Redemption contrived by the Father and accomplished by the Son thro' the Effectual Application of the Spirit unto God's Elect being the Second Part of Gospel Redemption The Divine Conduct or Mystery of Providence its Being and Efficacy asserted and vindicated All the Methods of Providence in our Course of Life open'd with Directions how to apply and improve them Navigation spiritualiz'd or a new Compass for Seamen consisting of Thirty Two Points of pleasant Observations profitable Applications serious Reflections all concluded with so many spiritual Poems c.
not to judge much less to ruine and undoe those that doubtingly dare not eat and can meet with no Satisfaction to their Doubts tho' they diligently seek and desire it 3. We needed not therefore our Author's Advice to be willing to receive Satisfaction if the Desires of Peace and Vnity the Goodness of our Natures our Love to our Wives and Children would not obtain this of us Yet surely the destroying of our Healths by nasty Prisons the taking away our Estates would e're this time have made us willing if it had been possible for us to have believed what we listed or the Dread of God had not awed us from doing what we believe is not lawful for us to do We have read the Books wrote on these Arguments but it is our Unhappiness that we cannot find the Question truly stated If we tell them a thousand times that we question not the Lawfulness of some Circumstances to be appointed in Worship but of appointing Ceremonies and Rites entailed to Acts of Worship still we find the Question stated about Circumstances Whether Superiors may appoint them Let us often tell them the Question is not Whether we may do things which we scruple but Whether we may do things which we by Arguments which we cannot answer do judge unlawful yet the next time the Question is stated shall be about Scruples Tell them the Question is not about things indifferent but things which whatever Opinion Superiors have of them we judge sinful still will we nill we it must be taken for granted that the things are indifferent If we tell them the Question is not about the Lawfulness of Forms of Prayer nor yet of the Lawfulness of their Use in Devotion as well as for Instruction but of the Lawfulness of the universal Vse of them by all Persons and those Forms too not prescribed by God nor made by him that himself afterwards useth them but such as are made for our Use by other Men and imposed on us the next time the Question is stated it shall be about the Lawfulness of Forms of Prayer a thing we never denied We would be very glad if our Reverend Author could direct us to any one Book where the Questions we insist upon are truly stated and the Part opposite to us closely argued and we not only pressed with the Arguments of meer Authority commanding and the Practice of Antiquity when 't is certain Superiors are not to be obey'd in all things and we cannot find any such Antiquity nor if we could can judge it a sufficient Guide to our Consciences We do not despise nor neglect some of us at least to go to our Ministers nay to some Parochial Ministers tho' we could never understand Parishes Jure Divino nor the Rectors or Vicars or Curates of or in them as such to be so tho' we own a Ministry and their Ministry many of them we mean to be such but all that we can hear from them is The things commanded are indifferent being commanded you are bound to obey your Superiors If not we must present you c. When we tell them That if we could judge them indifferent our Obedience would be Matter of Dispute to none or few of us but we cannot so judge them They indeed tell us God hath no where forbidden them but when we reply Neither hath God in any Letter of Scripture forbidden us the Vse of Salt and Cream and Spittle or Oil in Baptism yet were these things commanded we could not judge them lawful because of no Institution no Necessity no Vse we cannot hear any thing satisfactorily replied We own our selves bound to obey Superiors in things lawful but we cannot allow our Superiors as to our Practice to be Judges of things always lawful in God's Worship because they cannot foresee all Circumstances that may make things in themselves lawful pro hic nunc unlawful We cannot allow our selves the same Liberty to practise as our Physician directs us for the Health of our Bodies or a Lawyer for the Security of our Estates and as our Minister directs for our Souls because we think our Souls better than our Bodies and Estates and therefore a Trust as to them cannot be so safe but of infinite more Hazard and besides tho' we have not Avicen and Paracelsus and Galen and Hipocrates to read and if we had them we could not understand them and the Physician prescribes not ad hominem but ad Socratem yet we have the Word of God it is nigh us in our Eyes and Ears we can read it and it prescribes ad homines the same things to all Men and we are bid to search it and by it to prove all things and then to hold fast what is good not in others but in our own Eyes So as under Correction the Reason is not the same for following the Prescripts of Divines as of Physicians and Lawyers yet few Men will follow either of them if they have any strong Opinion they advise them ill tho' they may when they have nothing to object to what they prescribe or advise But the Author is aware that the Trumpets also may give incertain Sounds the very Guides and Ministers of Religion may determine differently He directs also what to do in this Case p. 25 26. 1. His first Direction is very Reasonable That those who are able tolerably to judge for themselves should not rely upon the Authority of any that do it nor become the Proselytes of any further than they give them good Scripture and Reason for it Let that Soul forfeit the Name of Rational and Religious too that will not receive this This is indeed to make Men Proselytes of the Law But 2. For others he saith and how to know them he hath not told us they had better trust to and depend on those Ministers of known Sufficiency for their Office who are regularly and by the Laws of the Land set over them than any other Guides and Teachers that they can choose for themselves This he saith To be sure is the safest Course But he afterwards tells us He speaks not of such things as concern the Salvation of Men which are plain and evident to the meanest Capacities but of Forms and Ceremonies His Reason is Because if they chance to mislead the People they have something to say for themselves Their Error is more excusable and pardonable as being occasioned by those to whose Judgment by God's Command the People owe a great Respect and Submission I know not how we shall ever agree here unless in this 1. That they had better trust to and depend upon none at all but the Judgment of their own Consciences enlightned first as well as may be by the Information of those Learned and Holy Men on both sides who may in the Point differ one from another after seeking God for his Direction 2. For the Truth is we are for no Trusts in Matters of Sin or Duty all which
those that did eat not to despise those that did not because God had received them Rom. 14.3 and because they in not eating were another's Servants and v. 17. the Kingdom of God lay not in these things yet it so far lay in them that if they doubted they might not do them and v. 20. it was evil to eat with Offence c. For our Author's Illustration and comparing these Doubts to natural Antipathies c. in some Cases it is proper enough but admit the Antipathy inaccountable yet where it is it is very hard to deliver our selves from it and I doubt not but our Author hath so much of a Man in him as if he knew a Person as I have known some that could not endure a Room where a Cat or a piece of Cheese were without continual Sweating Sickness and fainting he would pity the Person and command the Cat or the Cheese to be taken out and determine it mighty Cruelty for any to impose upon such a Person that he should eat no Meat if no Cheese might be upon the Table nor sleep in quiet in any Ruom where a Cat should not bear him Company Such Imposers every one would determine no great Friends to Mankind nor to have any Compassion for the Infirmities of Human Nature Facile saith he in Terence quum valemus aegrotis consilium damus But David's Soul Psal 123.4 was exceedingly filled with the scornings of those that were at ease and with the Contempt of the Proud Others might speak as they do if their Souls were in their Souls stead they might also heap up Words against them and shake their Heads at them But they hope that they should strengthen them with their mouth and the moving of their lips should asswage their grief Job 26.4 5. Antipathies are planted by the God of Nature no mortal Hand can pluck them out If these Doubts be as inaccountable things yet certainly they ought no more to be called Faction and Rebellion Vngovernable Humours and Prejudices than the Child 's forbearing to eat Cheese notwithstanding its Mother's Perswasion Arguments Intreaties ought to be stiled Rebellion or Disobedience to its Mother But our Author is wonderfully confident to call Christians Dissents as to the Lawfulness of some Ceremonies and Forms to be used in the Worship of God inaccountable Antipathies of which so great Men as Mr. Cartwright Dr. Ames Mr. Bradshaw Mr. Calderwood in his Altare Damascenum Mr. Gillispy Men whose Learning cannot be question'd but by such as themselves are the Enemies of Learning have given so large Accounts to say nothing of the whole Churches of Scotland New-England c. and Hundreds of particular Persons that use not to muffle their Readers with the blind Notions of Sympathies and Antipathies He tells us p. 31. when he speaks of Scrupulous Consciences he means such as are tolerably perswaded of the Lawfulness of the things but yet do not like nor approve of it as the best c. He should have done well to have told us who these are for we know none such Yes he saith this is certainly the Case of all those who do sometimes to save themselves from the Severity of the Laws join in Worship and Communion with them which he presumes they would never do did they judge it absolutely sinful and forbidden by God Some such Persons indeed we know and are heartily sorry that they meet with no better Encouragement than Apostate Protestants meet with from the Papists who when they have first debauch'd them then make it their Business to expose them and ridicule their Religion But in this Case there is no Apostacy and the Ridicule will return with Advantage upon the Exposers uncharitable Heads 1. Those who do so do in Heart believe that the Church of England is no Idolatrous Church that God hath not said unto it You are not my People and therefore they ought more totally to seperate from it than to have Communion with it in any thing which they judge sinful they therefore imitate our Saviour who sometimes went to the Temple and to the Synagogues and to the Passover at Easter tho' themselves have not the Liberty he had to preach in the Synagogues and the Temple which makes them not so constant there as he but had no Communion with them in the Traditional part of their Religion as our Author excellently observeth p. 1 2. Nor did he tie himself to their Exercise of Religion but often preach'd elsewhere and that not to Four only but Four or Five thousand sometimes So as they do it not meerly to save themselves from the Severity of Laws but are thus far a Law unto themselves 2. But for ever to spoil our Adversaries of this pitiful Weapon and little Advantage of reproaching their Brethren we will for once suppose some Nonconformists went to hear the Prayers and received the Sacrament in Parochial Churches to save their Estates to serve a Turn to keep an Office as others express it shall this conclude that they judge the things universally lawful under all Circumstances Things indeed morally wicked may never be done things morally necessary may never be left undone But certainly some mala prohibita things which are only unlawful because prohibited by a positive Law and that do not respect Acts of Worship or the Truth of it but Rites relating to it may under some Circumstances be done which under others ought to be avoided and may under some Circumstances be avoided which under others may be lawfully done Not that any thing prohibited by God pro hic nunc may hic nunc be done that were to set up one higher than the highest but because the same thing that under these or these Circumstances is prohibited under others is not The Apostle determines to the Corinthians that it was unlawful for them to eat Meat offered to Idols if they had other Meat to eat or if their Conscience doubted or if their Brother was offended 1 Cor. 10.28 which yet was lawful if bought in the Shambles v. 25. or set upon their Neighbours Table v. 27. Our Saviour hath satisfied us Matth. 12.5 That the Priests in the Temple Prophane the Sabbath and are blameless and hath taught the Physician and the Chirurgion that they may do the same in healing sick or lame Persons and the Husbandman that he may do the like in giving Meat or Water to his Beasts or lifting them out of the Pit The People were blameless that were not for Forty Years together circumcised the Eighth Day Jos 5.5 yet the Law was otherwise Gen. 17.13 14. Christ sent the Scribes and Pharisees to learn the Meaning of that I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice and certainly the first Mercy is to be shewed to our selves I do not therefore at all doubt but if there can be found a Man who hath Knowledge enough to discern the Lord's Body and Piety enough to lay hold upon Christ and apply Him and his Benefits to his
Soul who yet forbear to receive the Sacrament at his Parish-Church 1. Either because he did not like kneeling in the Act of Receiving or because he should declare himself one Body with some Prophane Persons or give Offence to other Conscientious Persons c. and in that was blameless and did what he ought being at liberty But under sucha Circumstance as this he must do it or starve himself and Family or lie in a Goal all his Life he may do it Many things are lawful which no good Christian ought to choose and there are many things which under some Circumstances he may choose which under others were Wickedness for him to choose Nor will Superiors Commands justifie the doing those Acts which other Circumstances will justifie Superiors Commands will justifie none to work on his Trade on the Sabbath-Day but the saving of a Man's Life nay the Life of a Beast the quenching of a Fire in his own or his Neighbour's House will But this is enough to stop the Mouth of this ignorant Clamour and to let the World know that all are not Knaves whom some so call and that some may be driven to a Sacrament who saw no Reason to go without driving and may very probably see as little Reason to go longer than till the Force which was not good doth abate and be much less blameable than those that drive them or such who in Obedience to that Force received the Sacrament but not the Eucharist This is enough to have animadverted upon what the Author hath upon the Notion of a Doubting Conscience which he subtilly calls Scrupulous He comes in the next place to defame it This he doth having told us it is the same with that some call a Tender Conscience by telling us 1. That it is a very sickly crazy Temper of Mind p. 7. 2. That it is often a Sign of Hypocrisie p. 8. 3. That nothing is more Troublesome and Vexatious p. 11. 4. That these Scruples are endless ibid. 5. That it hath done unspeakable Mischief to the Church of Christ p. 13. Our Author is the first Divine at least that I ever met with who first described what he meant by a Scrupulous Conscience to take to be a Tender Conscience and then told the World It was a very sickly crazy Temper of Mind a great Indisposition a State of Weakness and Infirmity arising from Ignorance and want of right understanding our Religion from undue Timerousness or Unsettledness of Mind from Melancholy or unreasonable Prejudices and Mistakes about the Nature of Things What is what can be a Tenderness of Conscience but a Fear of Offending the Great and Living God It is true it is possible this may be too much and often is when advantaged from Melancholy which naturally influenceth the Mind with Fear It is as true that Fear may sometimes arise from Ignorance and that all Fear respecting Actions to be done doth so there will therefore be no such Fear in Heaven where we shall no longer know in part but as we are known But Knowledge in part is our highest Attainment in this Life which giveth a just Ground of Fear and indeed setting aside the Reverential Fear of God which is what will be found in Heaven I do not know what that Fear of God is by which all Religion is usually expressed in Scripture but a Fear of offending God and tho' it ariseth out of Ignorance yet it is no sickly crazy Temper but as perfect a State of Heart as any Soul can have not cured of the Mortality of the Body which it informeth According to Degrees of Knowledge so are Degrees of Fear less or greater Solomon saith Prov. 28.14 Happy is he who feareth alway but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief Religion is oft described by Fearing God but never by Confidence or Boldness or Hardness of Heart Indeed an Overfearfulness or fearing where no Fear is is a great Evil But who shall judge of that The Want of this Externus Judex spoils all and where to find him we cannot tell for he is not to be found in Rome it self as to things to be done If a Man 's own Conscience must be Judge as to his Practice an Overfearfulness is rather a Man's Misfortune than his wilful Sin I should not have adventured to call it a crazy Temper lest some should think that I should think that much Fear of God can make Men mad 2. It is very true that an over-much Serupulosity may be sometimes a Sign of Hypocrisie but never is so unless in the Case he mentions of the Pharisees when Men strain at Gnats and swallow Camels Let those who do so bear their Blame and endure the Imputation of Hypocrites But want does this concern others Making long Prayers is also by our Saviour made a Mark of Hypocrisie but it is only so when it is done in Pretence to cover the devouring Widows Houses Our Author needed not to have told us That they who pretend to such tender Consciences above other Men must know that the World will watch them as to the Fairness and Justice of their Dealings the Calmness of their Tempers their Behaviour in their several relations their Modesty Humility Charity Peaceableness and the like because the Prophet Jeremy hath told us so Jer. 20.10 For I heard the defaming of many fear on every side Report say they and we will report All my familiars watched for my halting Peradventure he will be enticed and we shall prevail against him and take our revenge upon him But besides all this is built upon this Foundation That every Man is an Hypocrite who pretendeth Conscience in one thing and sheweth it not in all things because Conscience is uniform Then he granteth That every one that doth go to his Parish-Church and there receiveth the Sacrament according to all the Rites of the Church yet is an Hypocrite if he be a Common Drunkard Swearer Lyar Sabbath-breaker Vnjust in his Dealings Vncharitable an Vnkind Husband or Wife a Rebellious or Vndutiful Child Impudent Proud Turbulent Quarrelsome an Vnfaithful Servant c. For the same Reason that concludeth the Nonconformists so for not going yet being any of these ways guilty will also conclude the Conformist so If he be guilty this will make Multitudes of Transgressors on Both sides and not leave any great Crouds on either sides Masters of any Conscience And after this we need not propound the Question Are there few that shall be saved Res ipsa loquitur It is true that a True Good Conscience equally obligeth to every piece of the Divine Law where the Mind is equally enlightned But that every Man and Woman that is not an Hypocrite will follow the Obligation to every part with an equal Pace I dare not say It is as he apprehendeth the more or less hainous Nature of the Sin It is commonly observed that God is most Jealous in the Matters of his Worship the Holy Scripture proveth