Ecclesiastical Affairs much more are we far from condemning all the ancient and present Churches of Christ that have used such or yet use them throughout the Christian world And yet farther are we from separating from them on that account for using Liturgies and from encouraging such a Separation Yea we commonly use a stinted Liturgie our selves at least the Psalms read and sung and we hold it lawful to use such as are invented by men that are no Prophets seeing we are commanded to use Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs which confineth us not only to Scripture words and all men have not the skill to make Hymns ex tempore much less would all the Assembly ex tempore break forth into the same words Therefore those that are used by all must be invented by some And Ministers with us do ordinarily impose their own invented words on all the Congregation who must follow them as our Metres and Tunes of Psalms are imposed XVII We think it not unlawful to use as much of the English Liturgy as we consented to use when by his Majesties Commission some of us treated about the reformation or alteration of it viz. in such Assemblies where the Peoples incapacity maketh not such use of it more hurtful than helpful to their edification and the comly concordant worshipping of God Much less do we think it unlawful for our selves or the People in this case to join in the reverent and serious use of it with others We find that even the old Non-conformists such as Cartwright Hildersham Knewstube Dr. Jo. Reignolds Bradshaw Paget Ball c. petitioned for a Reformation but not an Abolition of it and wrote and preached against separating from it or for it from the Churches that used it and many of them not only used much or most of it themselves but also perswaded to the use of it and answered largely the Separatists Arguments against such use And we join with Mr. Ball and other of them in thanking God that England hath a more reformed Liturgy than most of the Churches in the World and we would not seem to use it when we do not but do it as aforesaid in the serious devotion and fervour of our Souls Nor would we peevishly make any thing in it worse than it is but would put the best construction on each part of it that true Reason will justifie or allow XVIII We are far from judging the Parish Ministers to be no true Ministers of Christ or the Parish Churches no true Churches or judging it unlawful to hold Communion with them But if there be any called Ministers or Priests of these following sorts we take them for no true Ministers of Christ ziz 1. If by insufficiency they are uncapable of Teaching the necessary parts of Christianity and Guiding the Church accordingly in the Publick Worship of God 2. If they are Hereticks denying any of these essential parts 3. If they are malignant Opposers of the practice of them And in a word If they are such through incapacity as are like to do more harm than good XIX In several Customs freely not by constraint used in many ancient Churches and in several practices of several Churches of these Times we find that which we would not by Oaths or Subscriptions or Covenants approve but with they were reformed and that they had never been used when yet we do not for such things dishonour and reproach such Churches nor inveigh against them in our preaching to diminish their due esteem much less disclaim them as no Churches of Christ but love and honour them and live peaceably under many faults which we cannot reform in the places where we live So be it no sin be put upon our selves we can hold Communion with those that have divers sins or faults in their Ministrations not as with their sin but with their Church in worship notwithstanding the sin so it corrupt not God's worship so far as that he himself rejecteth it For no Man is sinless in his best performance XX. Though the Pastors hold any tolerable errors personally and though such are usually uttered in their Ministration and though they be inserted in their Liturgies so that we may expect to hear them yea uttered as in that Churches name we hold not all this sufficient cause to warrant our separation from that Church For all Churches consist of Men and all Men are faulty and imperfect and such as the Men are such we may expect their works should be notwithstanding the Divine assistance And to separare from all faulty Churches and Worship is to separate from all the World and allow all the World to separate from us XXI If 〈◊〉 true Church deny us Communion unless we will commit some sin or omit some necessary duty though we cannot be locally present in such cases nor approve what they so do yet we shall not therefore renounce them as no Churches but lamenting their sin and their denying us their Communion on just Terms we shall continue the Union and Communion of Faith and Love and be present in spirit though corporally absent desiring a part in their Prayers and owning all that God disowneth not XXII We hold that no Christians must be disjoyned or separated in any of the seven Points of Union required by the Holy Ghost Eph. 4. 3 4 5 6. 1. One Body the Catholick Church headed by Christ 2. One Spirit the Holy Ghost 3. One Hope of our Calling Remission Adoption and the Heavenly Glory 4. One Lord Jesus Christ 5. One Faith the Essentials of Christianity believed 6. One Baptisme or Baptismal Covenant with God the Father Son and Holy Ghost 7. One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in us all of whom and to whom and through whom are all things XXIII Though we are not satisfied of the lawfulness of using the transient Image of the Cross as a Dedicating Sign and Symbol of Christianity so much Sacramental much less to refuse from Baptism and Christendom all Christians Infants unless they will have them so crossed no more than if a Crucifix were so imposed and used yet do we not condemn all use of either Cross or Crucifix Nor do we presume censoriously to reproach and dishonour the ancient Christians who living among Pagans that derided Christ Crucified did shew them by oft using this sign that they were not ashamed of the Cross And though we find that they used more Rites and significant devised Signs and Ceremonies than we think they should have done yet we judge it our Duty to love and honour their Memorial Nor do we take all Rites to be sinful that are significant XXIV We hold not all the use of Images even the Images of holy Persons to be unlawful Historical and memorative use we commonly allow as the English Geneva Bible sheweth by many Pictures We condemn not them that have Scripture Persons and History Painted on their Walls or on the very Bricks that
by Christ on us and as used by us towards Christ as the Mediator Faith in Christ is to kindle in us the holy love of God and obedience to him Love therefore as the final and everlasting Grace is preferred by the Apostle 1 Cor. 12. last v. and 13. throughout 5. Even our Faith in Christ and our Obedience to the Gospel in Preaching Sacraments and such like are neither only of natural nor only of supernatural Obligation but mixt Christ and his Ordinances are supernaturally revealed but being once revealed with the Evidence of Divine Authority natural Revelation then telleth us that it is our Duty to believe and obey 6. That which is of Natural Revelation and Obligation must be performed by supernatural Grace Though Nature prove that all Men should love God as God it is Grace that must dispose and enable them to do it 7. We call Grace supernatural not only because it is not essential to Nature no not to Adam in innocency but because in our lapsed state it is not conveyed to us by Natural Generation but Nature in the state of pravity is deprived of it and because God worketh it by the free gift of his Spirit in a manner beyond the search of man and by it as an effect of his love doth make us lovely in our union and relation to Christ who sanctifieth and justifieth us it being his Image on the Soul which no meer Natural Causes without this operation of God's Love and Spirit can effect But yet 1. We all agree that Holiness is Nature's health or rectitude and therefore sutable to it as its perfection as health is to the Body 2. And that the Spirit of God doth ordinarily make use of his appointed means and especially his Word for our sanctification And these being second Causes which have their proper Natures may so far be called natural Causes And that thus far Grace may be said to be Natural 8. This Holy Love being the final Act on God the final Object and so being man's felicity it self it followeth that all men have so much happiness constitutively as they have holy love to God and Goodness and that no man can be damned that hath the said predominant holy Love while such And that such have no cause to fear damnation any farther than they should fear lest by forfeiting Gods Grace they should lose that love 9. The Mediation of Christ and our Faith in him who is the Glass the Messenger and the great Gift of the Fathers Love are the Means appointed by God to sanctifie us by the effecting of this Love with all its Concomitants and Fruits 10. Therefore as God is called All in All so Christ is called All in all Col. 3. 11. to Believers as being the Way the Truth and the Life 11. Therefore they that would bring men to the holy and felicitating Love of God must preach Jesus Christ and his Grace to them as the means and bring them to believe in him and to take it for their Wisdom to know Christ crucified and glorified and to learn of him and obey him and trust in him and daily to use him as their Mediator for access to God acceptance with him and communication from him 12. To preach up the blessedness of Saints and excellency of holiness without teaching men how to attain it by Christ is but to commend health to the sick without directing them to the Physician and the Remedies And to hear of a Sanctity and Felicity not attainable is to be tormented by despair And to think to obtain it by our works or endeavours without a Mediator and his Grace or by any other Mediator than Christ is the way to lose it by false presumption and neglect of the necessary means It being Christ that is made of God to us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption 13. As Christ on Earth did purchase us this Salvation by his meritorious Righteousness and Sacrifice and is now in Heaven our Head and Intercessor and the Treasury of Grace and Life to Believers so he sanctifieth us by his WORD and SPIRIT and herein differeth from all other Teachers that ever were in the World 1. That his Gospel Doctrine Precepts and Covenant-promises are singularly suited to this sanctifying work 2. That he sendeth forth his Spirit with it to work the Souls of men to that which he teacheth and commandeth that so they may be effectually taught of God Without the Spirit of Jesus no word or means will sanctifie and renew a Soul 14. Therefore all Preachers must jointly preach GOD and holy LOVE trust obedience and delight in him as the END and CHRIST and faith in him and learning of him and obeying him in the use of his healing Remedies as the MEANS This being life eternal to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent Joh. 17. 3. 15. And though the End must be preached as more excellent than the Means yet the Means must be preached as more mysterious and above meer natural Revelation Experience telleth us that all men quickly learn to confess that they should repent of sin and love God as God but they are hardly taught to understand the Mystery of Redemption the Person Incarnation Works Office and Grace of the Redeemer and therefore have here need of longer teaching The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the Love of God the Father and the Communion of the Holy Spirit must be the Preachers subject as it is the Christians benediction and felicity 16. There are things in Aristotle's Ethicks and in the Ethicks of the Stoicks and and some other Philosophers of great worth and use to Christians to shew us what by natural evidence may be discerned But they are all poor defective spirit-less Doctrines and Precepts in Comparison of the Gospel of Christ though to carnal wit they seem to excel it in Method Language and several Curiosities And the Writings of Christians who do but expound and apply Christ's Doctrine do far excel all the Heathens Ethicks 17. We have no reason to think that any of the Heathens understood all that Nature it self by way of proving-Evidence revealeth Yea or that any Christians perfectly understand it because natural evidences are exceeding numerous and none can say that he seeth them all and they are of various degrees some plain and some obscure and even natural verities as they arise from the great Branches into innumerable Partitions as smaller Sprigs are not perfectly discernable by a mortals Eye 18. Therefore no knowledge of Man much less any Heathens Writings are the certain measure of natural verities in Morality by which the number and certainty of the obscurer Particles may be known 19. Though Heathens know and teach that we must Love God and Goodness above all And all that sincerely love God and Goodness shall certainly be saved Yet this Confession will but more condemn them that have not and practice not what they teach but when they profess to know God
having once over-run us they expect that we should follow them and be ruled by them and if we do not are ready to censure us as guilty of sinful Compliance and Conformity It greatly concerneth us therefore to keep some from such mistakes to rectifie others to vindicate our selves and clear our Consciences that we tell Men what our Non-conformity is not if we may not tell them what it is I. Our Non-conformity is not in holding that the Scriptures are a particular Rule or Determination of all the Circumstances of Church-Government and Worship as Time Place Utensils Words Methods Metres Tunes Division of the Text into Chapters and Verses Translations helps by Notes Written or Printed Gestures Habits c. But Nature and Scripture give us sufficient General Rules or Laws for all such as that they be done in Unity Charity to edification decently and orderly c. which must be observed II. We hold that when 〈◊〉 un 〈◊〉 etermined Circumstances are lawfully determined 〈◊〉 Authority yea were it but by the Consent and 〈◊〉 of the Churches of Christ or the present Conduct of their Pastors the Assembly should yield Conformable Obedience and avoid unnecessary Singularities III. We hold that if those to whom such Determinations belong should mistake and not do it in the best and profitablest manner yet ordinarily it is the Peoples duty to obey and hold Communion with that Church so be it that nothing sinful 〈◊〉 e commanded them to do and the errour of the Determination be not such as overthroweth the Worship or End it self Of which we have elsewhere fullier opened our sense In our judgment of things Indifferent IV. We are against no Bishops or Church-Government of Gods appointment We all are for an Episcopus Gregis and where there are many Chappels and Curates in a Parish we are far from perswading them to deny such submission to the chief Pastor as the Law requireth and as God himself alloweth Were Ignatius his Episcopacy among us who tells us this as the Note of the Churches Unity that to every Church there is one Altar and one Bishop with his fellow Presbyters and Deacons we should be far from perswading any to separate from it Yea were it Cyprian's Measure of Episcopacy Yea there are some among us who have long professed themselves uncertain whether such a large Episcopacy as is but the same with the ordinary part of the Church-power of the Apostles and Evangelists be not jure divino such as should be still continued because 1. When Christ hath once setled a Form or Order of Government a change must not be charged on him rashly and without proof especially as made so suddenly If the Affirmer prove the settlement the Denyer must prove the Change and Revocation 2. Because Christ promised to be with them to the end of the World Mat. 28. 20. when he appointed them this universal or indefinite Work 3. Because many others as well as Apostles had larger Circuits than particular Churches for their Work as Silas Silvanus Apollo Titus and many more And at their Reformation the Scots Visitors seemed such That Men of extraordinary worth and gravity may Plant many Churches and take the care of many directing exhorting and admonishing the Pastors or particular Bishops not depriving those Pastors and Churches of the Power and Priviledges granted them in Scripture some of us do not deny Government by the Word is an ordinary continuing Ordinance of God But the Apostles extraordinary Work and Office to be Eye-witnesses and Embassadâ—â—rs immediately sent and endued with the extraordinary Measures of the Spirit these we believe they have no Successors in because they were but for a time And those of us that cannot grant so much as is aforesaid and all of us as to an Episcopacy which we think contrary to God's Word can yet submit to much which we dare not approve of and as we take our selves bound to obey all by what Names or Titles soever distinguished or dignified who circa sacra as Officers of the King do exercise any part of that Power of the Sword by his Commission which we acknowledge in the Oath of Supremacy so if any usurp more Power of the Keys than Christ alloweth them we are not thereby disobliged from living peaceably in our places nor allowed to raise Sedition or use any unlawful means to re 〈◊〉 orm it though we cannot make a Vow and Covenant never to do any lawful thing to alter and amend it Much less is it true which M 〈◊〉 n of hard Faces have sometimes said that we are against Bishops because we cannot be Bishops our selves And they that tell Men that every Presbyter would be a Parish Pope do sure think they speak to Men so silly as to be mockt by an undiscerned Contradiction A Pope is the Universal Monarch of the Christian World or all Is a Parish all the World A Diocesan is the Sole Bishop with us of a Multitude of Churches Is a Parish a Multitude of such Churches If a Man be against one Schoolmaster only over a thousand Schools shall he be reproached because he is willing to teach one Is a King in each Kingdom as unreasonable a thing as a Papal Monarch or a King of Kings and of all the Earth If it be to the gain of Souls that we are deprived of this Parochial Episcopacy we can easily bear it professing that we hold it far easier to be Governed than to Govern V. We judge not all Officers circa sacra unlawful which are made by Man As some Circumstances are not particularly determined in Scripture but left to Men so are many of the Officers that must execute them If the King appoint Church-Magistrates to keep Peace and Order to call Synods and take such cognisance of Causes as belongs to him or do any part of his work as is afore said we will obey them And so of Church-Wardens Door-keepers Sextons and such others as some Churches of old made use of so be it they usurp not any part of the Office which Christ hath appropriated to the Pastors of the Churches VI. We are not for Lay-mens claim or exercise of the Power of the Keys whether they be Lay-Chancellors or Magistrates or Lay-Officers or People But we hold that the Keys of Christs Church that is the Power of receiving in by Baptism and of Guiding the People by holy Doctrine and in holy Worship and of Excommunicating and Absolving are by Christ committed to the Pastors of the Churches Though there is also an admonishing Power in Magistrates and divers sorts of Penalties for sins against God which they may inflict And the voluntary execution of the Pastors judgment by holding or not holding Communion with others is the Peoples part in which as reasonable they have a discerning judgment VII As to the case of Elders we all hold that none should be proper Church Governours by the said Keys which are meerly Lay-men and not Church Officers And many
though we conform not so far as to declare our Assent and Consent to the use of the Calendar Prescript or Directory which requireth them to be read in the Mornings from Septemb. 27. and 28. till Novemb. 24. even Bell and the Dragon Susanna Tobit when as the Vulgar understand not the word Apocrypha sufficiently to distinguish them from the sacred Scriptures when they are equally called the Lessons and read in the same order And we are confirmed in this part of our Non-conformity by the Articles of Religion which discard the Apocrypha and by the Learned Treatise of the late Bishop Cousins who hath fully proved that the ancient Churches received not those Books into the Canon and by many Doctors of the Church of England that charge them with Untruths Some of us have seen the Writing as on good reason is supposed of a present Learned worthy Bishop who sheweth that the words of the Angel in Tobit are a Lye who said that he was the Son of Ananie of the Tribe of Naphtali And that so is his saying that the smoke of a Fishes heart will drive away all Devils that they shall never return when Christ tells us of some that go not out but by Prayer and Fasting XXXVI We are far from designing any abasement of the Clergy nor do we deny or draw others to deny any due Reverence and Obedience to them And though we know that the bare Title and Office will never preserve sufficient respect for the honour of the Clergy and the success of their work without competent qualifications and labours of the persons yet would we rather hide than open or reproach the faults of such as are tolerable in that sacred Office and would do our best for their work sake to promote the esteem even of those that differ from us and of some that persecute us We know that the People are exhorted to know those that labour among them and are over them in the Lord and to esteem them highly in love for their work sake 1 Thess 5. 12 13. And to obey them that have the Rule or Guidance of them and to submit themselves Heb. 13. 17. 24. And that the Elders that Rule well are worthy of double honour especially they that labour in the Word and Doctrine 1 Tim. 5. 17. We that take it for our Duty to honour all men and submit our selves to one another would not deny any due honour to any of the Clergie that have any preeminence either in age grace gifts or by the Magistrates appointment as his Officers as aforesaid or any way given them by Christ We take it not for a Priviledge to be from under Government XXXVII Our Non-conformity consisteth not in denying a National Provincial or other Church Form of mans invention and institution On these Suppositions 1. So it be presupposed that there is somewhat of Divine Institution predetermined by Christ and his Spirit in the Apostles that is 1. That there be such Doctrine worship and Discipline as he hath commanded 2. That there be such Pastors to exercise them whose Office he hath described 3. That there be such stated Congregations or Societies in which they shall be used even Neighbour Christians associated for Personal Communion therein 4. That all these Churches enjoy the Priviledges granted them by Christ and live in love peace and concord and hold such just correspondence as is necessary thereto and to the Common End and Good All this is of Divine appointment 2. So that these Divine Institutions be not violated by Humane or by the power of man 3. So that Humane Churches be not made equal and co-ordinate to the Divine much less superior and superordinate as if they were to Christs instituted Churches what a Kingdom is to a City or a Regiment to a Troop and Christs Churches were but similar parts of the Humane Churches that must rule them But as the King is Episcopus exterior or the Governour of the Churches so far as the Sword is to be used so circa sacra we have before said that he may make his own Officers and consequently Provinces for them and Orders of their exercise And the Churches in his Dominions may be so called one National Church as he is the exterior Civil Governour of them all by the Sword which indeed is but to be a Religious or Christian Kingdom as also ab accidente as these many Churches are under one Christian yea were he an Infidel King and as hereby they have the advantage of fraternal association and correspondency for concord But proper Denominations are from the Essential Form XXXVIII It is no part of our Non-conformity to be against the due Use or Authority of Councils or Synods of the Clergy We hold that when one is cast out of one Church for a cause belonging to the Cognisance of many many may have occasion to take Cognisance of it And the edification of each other the satisfactory Debate of Difficulties the preservation of mutual Love Peace and Concord may make Synods to be useful But yet we hold that the major Vote of Bishops in a Council are not thereby the proper Governours of the minor dissenting part nor of the absent Bishops but that Councils are for Counsel and Concord and not for direct Regiment of each other though together and asunder the Pastors are all Governours of the Flock And some of us have long ago publickly proved that Councils were called General at first but with respect to the Dominions or Empire of one Prince and not as if they were Universal as to all the Christian World and that absolutely Universal Councils never were or ought or can or ever will be called and that to pretend that a Papal or Imperial General Council is the Universal Law-giver of the World and that they have a promise of Infallibility in what ever they determine and that we receive our Faith in Christ upon their Infallibility given by him and so we must know that Christ maketh them Infallible before we can believe that he is Christ These and such other nonsense cheats which some are now agitating are fit to delude none but the grosly ignorant that are prepared for deceit XXXIX Yet we deny not but that God having first bound us to Unity and Concord as far as we can â—ttain with loving forbearance in the rest when a lawful Synod or Council hath determined of a way of Concord on lawful Terms in matters under their Power there is an Obligation on all the particular Members to forbear breaking that Union and violating those lawful Terms of Concord For where there is not a Governing Law there may be an Obliging Contract or Consent And whereas even the Papists now usually teach that even a Councils Decrees bind not the Churches at least those that had no Delegates till by actual reception they consent be it known to the World that on these Terms the Non-conformists in London seem to have some excuse if it