If a Law be made to prohibit Eating meat in Lent is this a Law against eating meat in general Prayers are no where prescribed as such only by the Lyturgy but as this or that mode words form and manner And Let us pray is no term of Compulsion but a form of Exhortation there prescribed among others if it be determinative it s to the Prayer next ensuing R. B. And are no Praises Enjoyned Are there no Psalms J. O. VVe say not that there are no Prayers or Praises enjoyned but not as such but as modified in this or that manner besides any lawful Prayers or Doxologies by Christs Law will not serve mans turn in this Case he requires his own Prayer to keep its time and Circumstances exactly without Alteration R. B. Your next misreport is That by the Lyturgy all Prayers and Praises in Church Assemblies are prohibited Error 23. This can have no sence but that either none are Church-Assemblies that have Lyturgies or that nothing commanded in the Lyturgy is Prayer or Praises J. O. All Prayer and Praises in Church-Assemblies in the time and place of Lyturgical performance are prohibited except what is there prescribed this is a known Truth R. B. Is there no Church on Earth out of England J. O. There is but all out of England or in England don't worship by Lyturgies R. B. Or do they forbid any out of England to pray and praise God J. O. No to what purpose is it to forbid further then their power reaches R. B. Do they forbid the Dutch and French in England to pray and praise God J. O. No the Law allows Forreigners the Free Exercise of their Religion in their own way R. B. Do they forbid all Prayer in Pulpits J. O. That which is is by the limiting Law and must be no other then what the Law of man determines R. B. Have you proved all the Parish-Churches in England to be no Churches J. O. As much as you have proved all the Diocesses in England to be no Churches R. B. Have you proved that commanding men to pray in such words is forbidding them to pray J. O. Enjoyning men to pray in such words by a Law is forbidding them to pray in any other Manuscript Arg. 1. That which was in its first contrivance and hath been in its continuance an Invention and Engine to defeat or render useless the promise of Christ unto his Church of sending the holy Spirit in all Ages to Enable it to the due discharge and performance of Divine Worship in its Assemblies is unlawful to be complyed withal nor can be admitted in Religious Worship But such is Lyturgical Worship That the Lord Christ did make such a promise that he doth make it good that the very being and continuance of the Church without which it is but a dead Machine doth depend thereon will not be denyed it hath been andeniably proved R. B. I answer to your Minor Do you mean that this was the intent of the Contrivers and Continuers Or only that it is the Effect contrary to their intent The first seemeth your intent that 's Error 24. for first you know not the first Inventers and who all the Continuers c. J. O. We speak of the contrivance and continuance but if you must have the first Contriver it was that Spirit that acted the false Prophets in John's days 1 John 4. and that he with such Agents have been the main Continuers thereof ever since R. B. Are you sure you lay not this Charge of Malignity on the men of God that made the Jews Psalms J. O. We are sure we do not we blame nothing done by the inspiration of the Holy Ghosts But by the Jews Psalms we know not what you mean it may be their Lyturgy in which are Fopperies enough to be Exploded and like that you plead for R. B. That which is imposed with an evil intent may be used to a good one J. O. God never required any thing with an Evil intent of his Church neither doth he allow his Church to yeild Active Obedience to any that impose matters in his Worship with an ill intent for both the Imposition and Intent are Sin and we must not do evil for the accomplishment of a good intent besides that is good which God judgeth so our Intent makes not an Evil thing good Your 25th charge of Error comes in upon the Popes shoulders and there we leave it Manuscript Hereon the Church lived and acted for several Ages performing all Divine Worship in their Assemblies by vertue of the Gifts and Graces of the holy Spirit and no otherwise When these things were neglected when the way of attaining and the Exercise of them appeared too difficult to men of carnal minds this way of Worship by a prescribed Lyturgy was insensibly brought in to render the promise of Christ and the work of the holy Ghost in the administration of Gifts useless And herein two things do follow R. B. It is a great Error to think that the gifts and graces of the Spirit may not be Exercised if we use the same words or if they be prescribed J. O. We do not say so here and therefore I find you do not mark it for one upon us R. B. If you had put all the Errors of this Writing into a Prayer or Sermon you had had need of more help of the Spirit to have avoided it J. O. Take heed of Scoffing at the help of the Spirit If I should have put them in a Prayer or Sermon and imposed the use thereof upon you it had been unkind and hard measure I suppose as to the number of the Errors they will not prove to amount so high as you make in the judgment of judicious and impartial men I wish you had never had more in less room R. B. May not a man use the Lords Prayer by the Spirits help and sing Psalms J. O. All things that Christ commands have the promise of the Spirits help to accompany them that wait for it in a due and faithful exercise of Obedience thereto R. B But you come to History and add another mis-report in the Words and no otherwise and mean that by such gifts the Church Excluded Lyturgical forms J. O. We say that the Church performed all Divine Worship i. e. acceptably by vertue of the gifts and graces of the Spirit in all Ages and no otherwise Tell us of another way to perform Divine Worship we exclude no Worship so performed R. B. It 's too true that the carelesness sloth and worldly Alienations of Ministers made all useful Sufficiency for the work of the Ministry in praying and preaching to be neglected and doth to this Day J. O. And this was the design of the first contrivance and after-continuance of Lyturgical Worship Here we agree well enough Manuscript 1. A total neglect of all Gifts of the Holy Ghost in the Administration of Church-Worship and Ordinances R. B. The first Consequence
mark the proof for there is praying that is cursing c. therefore Praises and Prayers absolutely considered are no part of Worship at all I suppose your meaning is That Prayers are either such as are Religious Worship or such as are not as a Request or Petition to Man and Praises or Encomiums of Men and so in respect of this remote Genus they are no Worship at all but by your favour it follows not for though some are not Religious Worship yet others are and all are Worship of one kind or another either Religious or Civil Again It 's plain enough that we speak of Religious Worship in genere and then will you say that Religious Prayers and Praises absolutely considered are no part of Worship at all neither natural nor Instituted If so your proof will be this for there is praying which is no Religious Praying viz. Cursing c. And so we see how in your Arguments you go about to delude and confound mens understandings with little School-Sophisms that becomes not the solidity of a Grave Writer as leaping from one genus to another fallacia generis putting a remote genus for a next and a next for a remote and by your leave you are out in your Divinity too for is not an Imprecation a Prayer to some God and therefore Worship and Praying to Idols Religious Worship will you say These are no Worship at all You might have left out striving against God and Goodness that is a general Character of Sin and obstinate Sinners but I cann't see how it comes in under the Genus of Prayer you might as well put in fighting a Battel or running a Race or wearing Cloaths or killing a man and a hundred such heterogeneous things and called them praying But when men out of prejudice to any truth run into absurdities God leaves them to leave their own Reason and Understanding R. B. But I suppose you mean de specie praying to God for good things needful J. O. You love to play with Genus and Species such Prayer is Species in respect of Prayer for the Genus but it 's a Sub-alternum Genus in respect of the Species under it such as Natural or Instituted Prayers R. B. And it is another mistake That this Prayer is not of Christs Institution because it is a part of Natural Worship All is of Christs Institution which is a part of his commanding Law The Law of Nature is now Christs Law Error XVII J. O. And was it not alwayes as much as now As all things were made by him and as he lightneth every man that comes into the world by the Law of Nature which Law was never abolished as to its use in the world for Christs Ends but meerly as such it was ever since the fall a weak and imperfect Law as to the Salvation of the world Rom. 8.3 It was weak through the flesh and life could not come by it Gal. 2.31 Likewise at first by reason of the darkness that came in by sin there wanted a further and more express manifestation of it which was by Revelation and in that respect was a revealed Law at Mount Sinai but thereby became a more killing Letter Two sorts of people thereupon were in the world those that lay meerly under the light of Nature and they that had the written Law Rom. 2.12 Now miserable had the condition of the world been if Christ had not manifested himself in another way then meerly by the Law of Nature He reveals himself as the Mâ—diator of the New Covenant the Seed of the Woman the great High Priest and Sacrifice yea a Redeemer of them that were under the Law and in the Glory and Power of this Undertaking he appears King of Saints first he reveals a Worship made up mostly of Types and Figures for the strengthning of the Faith of his People in the Promises of his appearing in the flesh when the fullness of time was come wherein also he fits and adapts the Law of Nature to his honour and the use of his people in subserviency to the promise and this was the first Model of Instituted Worship that Christ set up in the World and now is become Head of all things to his Church But his peculiar Regiment was exercised there in his Mediatory Office Afterwards when he had appeared in the flesh finished his Ministry and was offered up the old model of Worship the Law of Commandments contained in Ordinances was abolished and a new Model of Instituted Worship set up for Conversion of Sinners and Edification of his Church to continue to the End of the World and these two Models Divine have thought good to call Instituted and Revealed Worship as distinct from Natural Now if you can find out a better term of Distinction pray do but the thing must be the same Now let the world judge whether this be not perverse disputing to endeavour to render such a known and approved Distinction absurd and ridiculous Moreover see more of this Spirit you charge it for a mistake in saying This Prayer is not of Christs Institution Is it said this Prayer We say Prayer in general is not Instituted Worship but Natural but this or that Prayer is of Christs Institution which is appointed to be used by the Church or his people the Prayer to be prayed by the Church when the Ark and Camp moved and that when it rested was Instituted by Christ Prayer upon particular occasions in the Gospel-Church are appointed as at the blessing and Consecration of the Elements in the Supper though not prescribed and limited as some men would have them but where Christ hath prescribed and limited we chearfully obey him R. B. It is another mistake That Christs Institution respecteth only the internal form and manner of performance the interal form is the inward desire offered mentally to God and is not this natural if Prayer be Sure the form is the thing J. O. It is so or should be so if men were able to do it since the Fall but the power of Nature was lost and was supplied by Grace take it as you will we allow it but you speak of one thing and we of another you speak of of the internal qualification of the Worshipper the Performer of the Institution we speak of the internal form of the Institution which is the perfection and rectitude thereof wholly according to God's mind and will as to the several particulars that it doth concern The form is not the thing but the form and matter R. B. And that the manner of Performance is sinful which is not of Christ's institution J. O. These are not our words but that his Institution respects the manner of our performance and that is the external due manner and the internal the internal is the due Gospel manner of offering our desires mentally to God which is not natural but revealed to pray in the Spirit with Faith in and through Christ Heathens may offer up
is an untruth no doubt but Lyturgies were abused to cherish Ignorance and Negligence But that the neglect was total is not true whether you respect all the Churches or all the parts of Worship and Ordinances J. O. We say it hath been abused to a total neglect by many you call Churches and Ordinances it would be sad if it should be in all Churches and Ordinances but a total in not a few is sufficiently known We apply not total to the universal Church but to some Churches only neither hath the Universal Church in all Ages served God by Lyturgies nor in any one I believe Manuscript 2. When a Plea for the work of the Holy Ghost began to be revived it produced all the Enmity Hatred and contempt of and against the Spirit of God himself and his whole work in the Church which the whole world is now filled withal R. B. That word his whole work in the Church is another mis-report it is not his whole Work that is so contemned Error 28. J. O. The whole work of Christ in his Church is by his Institutions and the gifts and graces of his holy Spirit and if these be hated and contemned his whole work is hated and contemned R. B And it s a palpable mistake that the foresaid scorn of all done by the Spirit ariseth from hence alone a justification of their devised way of Worship it ariseth more from a malignant Enmity to serious Godliness c. Error 29. J. O. But what hath caused that in the case mentioned Hath not a justification of their devised Worship Causa causae est causa causati When we say the only Cause we mean the principal first moving causer causa procreans it s here Manuscript All the reproaches that are daily cast on the Spirit of Prayer all the contempt and scorn which all Duties of Religious Worship performed by his Aid and Assistance are entertained withal ariseth from hence alone namely a justification of their devised way of Worship as the only true way and means thereof Take this away and the wrath and anger of men against the Spirit of God and his work in the Worship of the Church will be abated yea the necessity of them will be Evident This me cann't comply with least we approve of the Original design of it and partake in the sins which proceed from it J. O. You charge no Error here do you R. B. No but seeing you and your dividing Separatists are branded with D. S. now my Irons are hot I 'll add R. too the first Letter of my own Name R. B. I will tell you a story how the Separatists were the Causes of all the Mischiefs in the late Mutations And amongst the rest you know Oliver comes to be made Protector the Fundamental Laws made among themselves by we know not whom Parliament Lords made by him Parliaments called and broken at his pleasure the Government of the Counties put into the hands of Major Generals After the Death of Oliver his Son set up and his Parliament first pull'd down in which you told me you were an Agent and next himself J. O. Let all this be granted it amounts to no more then this That I was an Agent in pulling down a Usurper I pray where lies the most Loyalty in being an Agent to aid and assist and maintain such a one or to contribute towards the pulling him down I know you were mightily displeased with me and the Army for it and I remember a remarkable passage in your Epistle to them in the Preface of your Holy Common-wealth where you say For my part you see the worst that I designed by this Book which was written while the LORD PROTECTOR prudently piously faithfully to his Immortal Honour how ill soever you have used him did Exercise the Government R. B. Ay but this you could not be contented with to pull down the Protector but you must break the Army in pieces You were once Pastor to the Officers of the Army when they pull'd down and set up and again pull'd down till they had turned the Army Bulwarks into Atoms And when you saw what they had done said I wonder the People do not cast stones at us as we go along the Streets was not this a blaming of the flock J. O. Very Good Sir and was there any disloyalty in all this If all the simple things that we have said must be told and that you have writ I could tell tales too but there is so much Printed of it that I need not fill pages with it and I must tell you it 's that which is now much worse resented by the World then any thing you can report of me but I seek not Revenge though I could give you heap measure in these matters But if your hand be in at it once more you shall be sure to have that which you deserve in such cases That which is Sauce for a Goose is so for a Gander also I shall only add one thing that whereas you charge Separatists as you call them for the great Dividers in this Land Let me tell you there was never an hundred of Separatists this Hundred years living together that have made more dangerous divisions in matters of Religion both in Doctrine and Discipline then you have done And with such Errors that it may be the Church had hardly seen or at least been vexed with at this day had you not spawned them into her Bosom and given Credit and Life by your Authority to some Old and Exploded Ones by most Protestants Manuscript Argument 3. That in Religious Worship which derogates from the Kingly Office of Jesus Christ so far as it doth is false Worship Vnto the Office of Christ it inseparably belongs that he is the Sole Lawgiver of his Church in all the Worship of God The Rule of his Government herein is Teach men to do all and observe whatever I Command But the Worship treated about consists wholly in the Institutions Commands Prescriptions Orders and Rules of men and on the Authority of meâ— alone doth their Impositions on the practice of the Church depend What is this but to Renounce the Kingly Office of Christ in the Church R. B. To your Major of your Third Argument I answer First there is that in Worship as the badness of men c. which is no part of Worship and therefore no false Worship J. O. This is the Old Crambe ter Coctum tollere Subjectum and let the Predicatum go whistle we will draw out this kind of Argument at length and send it to the boys at Oxford to course with That in Religious Worship which is no part of Worship is no false Worship But there is that in Religious Worship as the badness of men which is no part of Worship Ergo there is that in Worship which is no false Worship And now you have proved that no Worship is no false Worship but let me tell you seeing you are so
1. As to the bare name either you will call all Acts done to signifie immediately the Souls honouring of God by the Name of Worship or will not if not then that which is no Worship is no false Worship if you will then your Proposition is false J. O. You love to play in the dark and impose upon us your Suppositions when you have ours expresly before you We take Religious Worship as the Genus and it s distributed into true and false all false Worship strictly taken is no Worship and the Spirit of God sometimes speaks of it so We know an Idol is nothing in the World But in the usual acceptation of the Scripture because men intend it for a Worship and commonly call it so it 's named a Worship but a false Worship Again we distribute True Religious Worship into Natural and Instituted these may be either of them True also or false The Argument is to prove a certain kind of Religious Worship which the Church is appointed to use to be false and it runs thus the Medium is Divinely All Religious appointed or instituted Worship not Divinely instituted is false Worship not accepted of God Now you say either we mean by Religious Worship all Acts done to signifie immediately the Souls honouring God or we do not We deny your disjunction nam partes disjunctae non sunt oppositae sine velo medio for we do not mean all but we mean some we speak but of some Acts Generalis Axiomatis contradictio non semper dividit verum á falso but there must be Specialis contradictio generalis Axiomatis to make a true division Ergo we say we are not necessitated as you would have it to mean all or none As if when we were speaking of rich or wise men you will say either you mean all men are wise or no men are wise if you mean all men that 's false if you mean no men no men are not unwise men This is such a rude piece of Sophistry that is very unbecoming a Doctor of the Chair There are Acts signifying our immediate honouring of God in the Soul which are not here intended We tell you Prayers and Praises are Natural Worship considered meerly as such likewise there are indifferent occasional Acts attending Natural Worship as suppose lifting up the hands or eyes to God in Prayer or in an usual Ejaculation or holy Meditation You know we mean by Worship a prescribed instituted Worship limited by a particular Rule and Form to walk by The Jewish Worship was instituted and so the Gospel Worship of the New Testament R. B. I take it for granted that by Gods instituting you mean not a general Command to man to institute it such as Let all things be done to Edification if you did your Minor is not true J. O. God never gave any general Command to man to institute i. e. to prescribe his Worship by a Law Gods giving us a Rule to walk by in indifferent and occasional circumstances of his Worship is no Command to us to make Institutions Institutions are not to be alter'd at our discretion and general Rules that limit our discretionary Actings are so far Gods Institutions but those acts of ours guided pro hic nunc lawfully by general Rules any of them are not by us to be brought into a binding Law ad omne semper neither for our selves nor others for that would be a humane Institution in Gods Worship therefore your distinction of Instituted Divine Worship into Primary and Secondary cann't be admitted for there is no Worship of Gods institution Secondary your Secondary Limitations of the circumstances and use of natural Worship not Instituted by God is mans Will-worship only and therefore false Worship R. B. Your wrong Exposition of all the Texts here cited is more then one mistake Mark Error XIV Deut. 42. 12.32 Prov. 30.6 Forbids adding to Gods Worship which is broken by all that either say That that is in Gods Worship which is not there as you do here J. O. Do we not say that they that verbally or practically say that that is in Gods Instituted Worship or belongs to it which he never commanded adds to it R. B. Or devise any Worship-Ordinances Co-ordinate or of the same sort with his own as if they were imperfect J. O. We say so far the same that they that devise an Institution co-ordinate with Gods set up Posts by his Posts make them of equal Authority yea greater then Gods by exacting the observance of them by Severer Penalties then they do Christs Institutions yea thrust out Christs and bring theirs instead You say they must be of the same sort that 's impossible a Humane and Divine Institution differs toto genere therefore that 's to suppose that which never was and all such adding aforesaid is as if God were imperfect R. B. But there is not a word forbidding Subordinate Secondary Acts of Worship such as kneeling putting off the Hat using written Notes in Preaching Forms of Singing Praying Catechising c. J. O. You might bring in what coloured cloaths the Minister should wear what kind of Caps Hats Perriwigs Pulpit the Print of the Bible the size of it the tune the Psalmes should be sung in the Pues the fashion of the Church the posture of the Communion-Table the clothes the Cups for Sacrament Wine c. such things are no parts of Gods Worship at all but natural Attendants or Conveniences to Worship in general that God under the Gospel hath placed none of his Worship in he hath by no limiting Institution given any sanction to them they are discretionarily to be used or omitted or altered at pleasure of the present Worshippers according to the general Rules of doing all things to Gods glory and our own Edification and it s the Churches Priviledge that they have by Gospel Charter that no humane secondary Law can rob them of And if there be such made they are not Gods its adding Laws to Gods Laws of Worship to make them and therefore here forbidnen See now what some of your Secondary Worship would come to if it may bind one way it may another and if it may be according to one Rulers humour it may be according to anothers and if in one kind of such circumstances then in another then all the old Popish Crossing Cringing Robes Vestments Altars Salt Spittle Holy Water c. may come in Likewise in the Particulars instanced in by you it may be prescribed by Law how long the Sermon shall be how long the Prayer what matter and words in both to be used at such a time whether the Minister shall preach with Notes or without that the People should always kneel at prayer or always stand or times of kneeling and standing So in reading and hearing the Word what tune should be sung to every Psalm and what Psalm at each time and what times what Metre what Catechise to be used and when to
Error or Sin that every Saint suffers for J. O. But I believe the world begins now to be pretty well satisfied that all those things are not Errors or Sins which Mr. Baxter calls so and makes a great putther to prove so nor all those Truths or Vertues that he saith are Mr. Tombs a back-sliding Anabaptist was a great Saint in your Books And though you will not be of a Sufferers Judgment to justifie his Suffering you might forbear Espousing the Imposers and Persecutors cause and forbear persecuting with bitter words that comes not short of the others There are hard words and Speeches to be reckoned for one day R. B. To your Minor It is a gross mistake to say that going to the Lyturgy maketh the Refusers the only blameable cause of their own Sufferings what are you one that acquit all the Prosecutors J. O. You are so for you justifie the Law of which they are Offenders he that justifies a Law justifies also the due Executioners of it and therefore condemns the Sufferer as the only blameable cause of his Suffering A murderer is condemn'd and hang'd for Murder the Law is good the proâ—eedings against him just and due who is the blameable Cause of his own Suffâ—rings but himself R. B. But are there no Saints thâ—t go to Common Prayer J. O. Men may be Sâ—ints as you said not long ago and yet Engage in an unjust Prosecution and to joyn in Communion with them is to justifie their violences and passionate Mistakes as also condemn the Sufferers I wish such Saints as you speak of I mean they that separate not would give more proof of their Saintship to the world by separating at least from malice hatred and bitterness of words and actions yea such inhumanity that Turks would not boast of Papists blush to hear of afterwards but some Protestants your unseparable Saints plead for as the Ecclesiastical and Evangelical meritorious Righteousness by which they expect to be justified before God and man R. B. The Truth is Repentance is a hard work c. J. O. It is so but it s an easie thing to make a great splutter about it and lâ—y the Law very hard to others by Press and Pulpit Is there a man on Earth that will stand more upon his proud pretences and insulting too in the maintaining of manifest decryed Errors and Practises Therefore such Harrangues as these are might be spared for I know no body affected with them Claudius accusat c. Turpe est Doctori cum culpa redarguit ipsum Manuscript Arg. 8. That Practice which is accompanyed with unavoidable Scandal Engaged in only on the pretence of Liberty is contrary to the Gospel But such is our joyning in the present Pâ—blick Worship It were Endless to reckon up all the Scandals which will ensue that which respects our Enemies must not be omitted will they not think will they not say that we have only falsly and hyppocritically pretended conscience for what we do when we can upon outward considerations comply with that which is required of us Wo to the World because of such offences but wo to them also by whom they are given R. B. But in the first place take heed of offending Saints Now we must none of us hold communion with the Parish-Churches least some Saints that separate should be rendred false Witnesses of God and blameable J. O. I do not believe that ever a man that scoffs at holâ—ness and the Professors of it will be justified by his own works This and an hundred more Expressions in this Book had become another man more then Mr. Baxter Sir Do you know what Spirit you are of It 's so manifest I am moved in love to speak so plainly R. B. To the Major 1. It is not true when there is far more Scandal by for bearing that practice but only when there is less on the other side J. O. Well that is Answ Bellarmine thou ly'st and it must be so all the World cann't help Bellarmine in this case he is perfectly refuted Observe now how pretty the reason of the denial is It is not true that that practice which is accompanyed with unavoidable Scandal c. is contrary to the Gospel because there is greater Scandal by forbearing that practice 1. Do we talk of comparative Scandal 2. It s unavoidable with a witness if it lie on both parts of an indifferent actâ—on 3. It was always reckon'd hitherto by 〈◊〉 Divines that the forbearing a doubtful action had the least scandal in it but I must confess you are very safe for you say The Scandal is greater on the forbearing side only when there is less on the other side One stick is longer when the oâ—her is shorter This is now learnedly determined Mr. Doctor R. B. To the Minor It is not true That it is only Liberty that is pleaded for the Communion in question It is a great Duty i. e. of Union Concord Peace Obedience to Christ c. Avoiding of Schism and twenty Duties more Error 39. J. O. Mâ—st Dâ—sseâ—ters that afterwards have complyed have done it on the pretence of Liberty in matters of indifferency against that pretence we alledge the business of Scandal and the great danger of Scandal in matters of that nature which Paul lays such a Stress upon yea our Lord Jesus Christ himself in his Min stry annexing the greatest woes in the Gospel to Scandal Puh says this Gentleman here 's no danger of a Scandal in this case it is not a doubtful case it s our duty to comply a duty of Concord Love Obedience c. Well all that I shall say here is If any man be troubled and disquieted in mind about scruples of Conscâ—ence here is a Casuist will do their business beyond all Casuists before him or any Antinomians whatever For thoâ—e things that you the Divines you have consulted with have called siâ—s thousands have been disturbed and wounded in Conscience for doing of he will shew to be an eminent duty About the duties â—ere mentioned Enquiry may be made elsewhere if need require our Argument will stand fast enough without it at this time Manuscript Arg. 9. That Worship which is unsuited to the relish of the new Creature which is inconsistent with the Conduct of the Spirit of God in Prayer is unlawful for the Nature Vse and benefit of Prayer is overthrown hereby in a great measure Now let any one consider what are the prâ—mised Aids of the holy Spirit with respect to the Prayers of the Church whether as to the matter of them or as unto the ability of performance or as unto the manner of it and he shall find that they are all rejected and excluded by this form of Worship as is pretended comprizing the whole matter limiting the whole manner and giving all the Abilities of Prayer that are needful or required This hath been proved at large R. B. It is a mistake Error 40. That this form of
my Answer These XII Arguments I understand they are likeliest to prevail most by the honour of Dr. Owen's Name more then by any strength that is in them J was willing as long as I could to believe they were not his they being as fallacious and frivolous as the rest i. e. Mr. Ralphson's and Mr. Warner's and one Error managed with above forty mistakes Besides after being assured they were his I was the more encouraged by the Example of Paul Gal. 2. J. O. As frivolous as they are or as little strength as they have you have not so much as shaken one of them or any Scripture duely managed by the Suffering Gentlemen you trampled upon one dead and the other alive dead or alive it 's all one to you but go on A Ream of Paper fill'd with such a Noise as this was will not carry the cause you have undertaken unless you can find better Arguments and Reasons both Logical and Theological to manage it with Put on the Spirit of Meekness Gravity Tenderness Humility Self-denyal Do not think to raise your Honour upon the Ruines of Christs Truth and the Reproaches of his Followers this was not Pauls Spirit neither have you his cause for the business that he withstood Peter in was compliance with the Jews abolished worship in opposition to the present Gospel-Worship as it was owned and professed by the Gentiles Besides there was his Cowardliness and fear of man that brought him to it with a great deal of dissimulation whereby Barnabas and others were drawn away Gal. 2.12 13. Sir you write much and Err much and yet justifie your self as the most infallible Person in the World when you come to particulars Sir I tell you I shall appeal to any Christian Spirit that reads your Refutation oâ— these Arguments as you call it whether you give any Testimony of the Spirit of Christ accompanying you in it I say no more but recommend to your serious consideration 1st The third chapter of the first Epistle of S. Paul to the Corinthians especially vers 11 12.13 14 15. 18 19. 2dly The loud Paâ—fietick Call of Mr. Vincent in the end of his Book of Love O Tongues of Professors Catholick Communicants as well as others how long will it be ere you be quiet How long shall your breath bâ— as the Eâ—sâ—-wind blasting all about you When shall your words be agreeable to the Word of God When shall your Lips feed many and hurt none Your reproachful back-biting railing Language your Lies and Falsehoods have seen your sin and shame and the shame of Religion Repentance and Amendment is absolutely necessary else Salvation will still stand at a distance Isa 63.8 This he said suspecting men spoke of his Conformity R. B. Well Doctor I would not have you offended at what I have said and done I doubt not but whatever I wrote was faulty But I write as a Defendant of Love Unity and the Catholick Church and for the sake of such as being justly afraid of Sin and Idolatry and Damnation are affrighted from Love Unity c. and fall into a wilderness of sinful Divisions and confusions by these frightful names And tho' in the Trials and late Distractions of the Land I mention some of your confessions it is to tell you That I had reason to hope that you repented for doing no more in your publick Opportunities against the Spirit of Division that dissolved us J. O. True had it not been for that Spirit of Division there might not have been cccasion of your Repentance for writing the Holy Commonwealth The World is hardly peâ—swaded yet that it was hearty but only to qualify your Self for State-Charity as many Catholick Communicants go to Church and receive the Sacraments R. B. I will do much for that reason that the World may know my Charity with you and have Charity for me for all any thing said of you in this Pamphlet I will tell the Bishops that they should not be angry with you That I know not three men alive whom they are more beholden to for their Restitution by opening the door and sweeping the way and melting down and pulverizing all that was like to have resisted them J. O. Now to return this great favour we will take care if they understand it not already to acquaint them that no ten men in England now alive have done more for their Establishment by dirtying the Dissenters and melting and crumbling the Cause of Nonconformity to attoms that upon the Principles and Reasons that you would have the World beleive it stands it seems justly to them and all other duly considering men the most idle weak and ridiculous thing in the world So that I hope now they will be well pleas'd with us both R. B. Dr. let us shake hands then and be friends and walk like Bâ—e hren in Catholick Communion I tell thee one thing but it 's not fit to be spoken of yeâ— but among Friends I am going to discourse Dr. Sieâ—â—ck upon this great point of Câ—tholick Communâ—on to beat it into his thick Skull how the Catholick Church is united into one bâ—dy so as to be one Church I cann't make him understand what 's meant by the word Union nor how many sorts of Union â—e will receive nothing de nomine nor de re but I am not out of hopes of effecting something at last If I cann't do it I am sure no man can It shall escape me hard if I do not â—â—râ— those worldly Pr. I G. and the unruly Pr. Ig's by Persecution and by causless Separation and Alienation to Catholick Communion J. O. Good night Sâ—r. R. B. Good morrow Sâ—â— J. O. We cann't agâ—â—e on the time of day yet it seems FINIS