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A44093 A short examination of A Discourse concerning edification, by Dr. Hascard where it is inquired, how well the author of the said discourse hath proved that it is not lawful for a man to go from his parish church to meetings, that he might be better edifie [sic] / in a letter to a friend. Hody, Humphrey, 1659-1707. 1700 (1700) Wing H2345; ESTC R29483 16,353 30

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Or because she is fully constituted for Devotion c. There is nothing less true Do they Separate so as they will have no Communion with any of the Ministers of the Church of England in Praying or Hearing c Neither is any thing of that true as to Multitudes of 〈◊〉 But the Communion required Is a Communion with the Parish Minister in all Ordinances if they will not they are counted Schismaticks and Fanaticks So that admit all he saith to be true as to the sirst Head yet if every Parish Minister doth not Pray Preach administer Sacraments manage his Pastoral Charge c. to the best Edification his Argument holds no more than if one should argue that because a Carpenter lives in a Parish hath admirable Timber laid by him therefore I am bound to use him and no other to build my House whether he knows how to use it yea or no yea though I plainly see he doth not 2. Again Sir they that know any thing of Souls know that though they be equal as to their Faculties yet they are not so as to their improved Capacities and Abilities one Minister may be the fittest to improve me in Knowledge Faith Love c. that is the most unfit Man in the World to improve another the Apostle hath taught us that some need Milk others strong Meat A Learned Man may be the fittest to improve another Mans Soul in Knowledge which by the way is the Foundation of Faith Love Obedience orderly Zeal who is as Learned as himself that may be the most unfit to improve a poor Countrey Mans Soul that cannot apprehend his Depth of Reasoning nor his Latinized Stile ●or his Concealed Method nor is able to carry away Three Lines of his Discourse So as this Author hath a very hard Task to prove viz. That every Parish Minister obeyeth the commands of the Church and doeth a● things in Prayer Preaching c. to the Edification of all the Parishioners But Sir I shall not prejud●●e him this is only to tell you what we must expect from the Author 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to prove his great Undertaking this being Premise● let me now go back to his Third and Fourth Page 1. I said Sir before that we own all the Doctrines of Faith contained in our Creed and Thirty Nine Articles we grant them Short and Plain but that they are so fully explained that nothing can be done further to make them intelligible to the meanest Souls I cannot say if you look Sir into the Systeme of Confessions you will scarce find any so short as ours is The People had need have a very able and painful Minister that shall improve sufficiently in Knowledge by them 2. We like very well Sir of what our Church determineth as to Good Works in the Eleventh and Twelfth and Thirteenth of Her Articles of the Thirty Nine in these Words ART 11. We are accounted Righteous before God only for the Merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith and not for our own Works and Deservings Wherefore that we are justified by Faith only is a most wholesome Doctrine and very full of Comfort as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification ART 12. Albeit good Works which are the Fruits of Faith cannot put away our Sins and indure the Severity of Gods Judgments yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ and do spring out necessarily of a true lively Faith insomuch that by them a lively Faith may be as evidently known as a Tree discerned by the Fruit. ART 13. Works done before the Grace of Christ and the Inspiration of his Spirit are not pleasant to God for as much as they spring not of Faith in Jesus Christ neither do they make Men meet to receive Grace or as the School-Authors say deserve Grace of Congruity Yea rather for that they are not done as God willed and commanded them to be done we doubt not but they have the Nature of Sin Sir I think it not worth my Time to examine how well what the Author saith p. 4 5 6. agrees with this here is not a word of Vertue but the Grace of Christ and the Inspiration of the Spirit and what makes some Men so fond to change the old Term of Grace into the newer Term of Vertue hardly Four Times mention'd by the Apostles I cannot tell unless it be to let us know they mean no other Things by good Works but such Things as may be done by common Graces In the Articles is not a Word of Good Works being the Soul of our Faith the Articles say they are only the Daughters and inseparable Fruit of our Faith and calls none Good done before the Grace of Christ and Inspiration of the Spirit But Sir we do agree that our Articles speak our Hearts as to good Works and we hope we may withdraw from such as teach otherwise than these Articles and yet hold Communion with the Church of England because such Sons have themselves no Communion with Her in that Matter 3. Neither do we say but that our Church is constituted fitly enough to excite Devotion Nor shall I say here any Thing about Her Order and Discipline because all that is said under this Head signifies nothing if the Second Thing be not made Good viz. That this Constitution is used and managed in the best way by the Pastors of our Church to edifie the Souls of Men. For Sir you will easily understand that the building of a Soul in Knowledge Faith Love Zeal doth not so much depend upon the Articles of a Church its Rubricks or Rules for Worship and Canons as the Gifts which God hath given his Ministers by which they press the Doctrines of Faith and Rules of Holy Life contained in the Scripture and pour out Prayers for People suited to all their Necessities their diligent and constant Practice in instructing People and their putting in Execution such Rules as are given for the ordering of People in their Church S●●●eties neither will what the Author saith p 11. make good his Proposition That there are strict Commands under great Penalties laid upon the Pastors of our Church to do this What of all this So that all lies upon his Second Particular p. 11. That all these Commands are obeyed by the Pastors of our Church and they do all Things to such Edification he should have added what was in his Proposition p. 2. That there is no better in the Separate Meetings than in the Communion of the Church of England So that Sir if you observe he must prove 1. That every Parish Minister preacheth as diligently and profitably for the generality of his Hearers Improvement in the Knowledge of God in Faith Love Holiness Zeal c. as the Ministers do in their Meetings Or else Sir he concludes no more than this That it is not lawful for meer Edification-sake for any Parishioners to Separate from the Communion with his Parish Minister if he