men for the Ministry that had the extemporate gifts of Prayer and Preaching 2. And you confess that each Church had then many Elders for oversight besides those that laboured in the Word and Doctrine Do you believe that all these had such extemporate gifts of utterance Or that these might not on occasion Pray and Preach 3. If Parents teach Children necessarily to Pray in a prescribed form of words without designing to defeat Christ or his Spirit but to subserve them how can you tell but the first prescribers of publick forms did mean as well when they found few persons able to do so well without and abundance of Hereticks ready to corrupt Gods Worship with their Errors 4. Let it be soberly considered Whether mens long and hard Study for all the words which they write in Books and for their Sermons be done to defeat Christ and his Spirit or to subserve them And why the use of words studied by others and weighed by us before we utter them should defeat the Spirit any more than words premeditated by our selves Or at least is not the Spirit as much defeated in the People that joyn who ever prepareth the words For they do not themselves put them up by their gift of utterance And its impossible when you speak for the people to know whether those words were before studied and whether by your self or by another from whom you borrowed them I have heard Mr. Ph. Nye wish that some men were sent into Wales and other such places with an injunction to read good Sermon Books to the people such as Dr. Prestons Sibbs c. was this spoken to defeat the Spirit or to serve him D. O. 1. A total neglect of all gifts of the Holy Ghost in the Administration of Church-worship and Ordinances § 14. THe first Consequence is an untruth No doubt but Liturgies were abused to cherish Ignorance and Negligence XXVII Error But that the neglect was total is not true whether you respect all the Churches or all the parts of Worship and Ordinances 1. The many holy and excellent Men whose fame and writings are transmitted to us did not totally neglect all gifts of the Holy Ghost Were all the great Volumes of Sermons preached and written by Chrysostome without any gift of the Holy Ghost Or was Preaching no Ordinance Were all Augustine's elaborate Volumes done without him Or all Cyprian's Macarius Ephrem Syrus Basil's Gregory's yea or Bernard's Homilies and Works 2. Are the gifts of Holy Desire Faith Hope Repentance no gifts of the Holy Ghost Or can you prove that these were all totally neglected in the administration of Church-worship 3. It 's known thar in the Exercise of Discipline which is a Church-Ordinance and in Catechizing and Preaching they were not tied only to a form of words no nor in all Confession Prayer and Thanksgiving 4. It 's a great blow to the Universal Church to say That it totally neglected all the gifts of the Holy Ghost D. O. 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 World is now filled withal § 15. THat word his whole work in the Church is another mis-report XXVIII Error It is not his whole work that is so contemned A man may preach for Mercy to the Poor for Obedience to Authority for Love c. and he may sing Psalms of Praise and pray for Pardon and for Kings and Magistrates and for daily Bread and may profess to believe the Creed and Scripture c. without the contempt which you describe But no doubt but Malignity will take advantage of Liturgies and of almost any thing and so hath still done All is not unlawful which bad men abuse What is more turned against Christ in the world abroad than his Two great Ordinances of Magistracy and Ministry What more abused to strife than the Sacrament of Love Union and Communion Are all these therefore unlawful And it 's a palpable Mistake That the foresaid scorn of all done by the Spirit ariseth from hence alone XXIX Error a justification of the devised way of Worship It ariseth more from a malignant enmity to serious godliness and from worldly interests and designs and from the slanders of Seducers that accuse good men and too much from the miscarriages of many that have boasted most of the Spirit as Quakers Ranters Familists c. do And Experience confuteth you For all those Countries that make but little use of Liturgies have yet malignant parties that hate and oppose spiritual serious Exercises of Religion D. O. All the Reproaches that are daily cast upon the Spirit of Prayer all the concontempt and scâ—rn which all Duties of religious Worship performed by his aid and assistance are entertained withal ariseth from hence alone namely a justification of this 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 wâ—rk in the Worship of the Church will be abated yea the necessity of them will be evident Tâ—is we cannot comply with lest we approve the original design of it and partake in the sins which proceed from it § 16. BEcause you lay the main stress of your Cause on History and Experience you constrain me to add some more History which I had rather have past by But if I set not Experience against Experience I shall leave abundance unto the danger of error who can judg by little else than Experience and that see and feel what 's present and forget what is long past and gone The Truth I have opened in my Christian Directory that both ways are liable to great abuse and all humane actions have their inconveniences The benefits of a sound Liturgy are 1. To keep out Heresie and ill words from publick worship 2. To be a help to men of unready utterance 3. That the people may know before-hand what they joyn in The inconveniences are 1. The dulling of Affection in hearing still the same words 2. The tempting of slothful worldly Candidates and Ministers to learn no other way of praying when this will serve all their worldly turns But I must add That this followeth not the imposing of a Liturgy but the exclusion of other Prayer and taking up with this alone 2. The conveniences of praying from an habit are 1. A just variation as Occasions vary 2. Help to fresh Affection 3. Forcing Ministers to get ability for utterance The inconveniences are 1. That the people know not till the words are past whether they may own them and so hardly try all and follow with just consent 2. That abundance of young raw unskilful men do ordinarily disgrace Prayer by their unskilful methods and expressions 3. That Hereticks and erroneous men have great opportunity to put their sins into their
professed that they are his I thought on Pauls case Gal. 2. who openly opposed Peter because he was to be blamed lest his great Name should make the Separation the most prevalent when Baâ—â—abas and others were carried away to Dissimulation and seeming to approve it It grieved me I think as much as any that blame me for it to seem to confute so worthy a man when he is dead and cannot answer for himself But I durst not let the writing of a dead man be so dangerous a trap for Souls and silently see the mischief prosper for fear of displeasing the mistakers But let the Reader know That it is so far from my design to wrong the Name of Dr. Owen by this Defence that I do openly declare That except in this point of his Mistake and who mistaketh not in more than one I doubt not but he was a Man of rare Parts and Worth And tho in the Tryals of the late Distractions of this Land I mention some of his Confessions it is to tell you that I had reason to hope that he repented for doing no more in his publick opportunities against the Spirit of Division which dissolved us And which of us need not repentance for our faults in those days of Tryal Yeâ— in his Doctrinal writings in his later Years he is much clearer than heretofore And even that Book of Communion with the Trinity which he writeth against whom I here deal with in the beginning is an excellent Treatise And his great Volumes on the Hâ—brews do all shew his great and eminent Parts it was his strange Error if he thought that freedom from a Liturgy would have made most or many Ministers like himself as free and fluent and copious of Expression In the late time he had never been so long Dean of Christ-Church so oft Vice chancellor of 〈◊〉 so highly esteemed in the Army and with the Persons then in Power if his extraordinary Parts had not been known But Reader if this excellent man had one mistake against all Liturgies and for Separation from them when yet he was of late years of more complying mildness and sweetness and peaceableness than ever before or than many others and if you will use his Name and Authority for this one Error Let me tell you I am confident you will wrong Dr. O. by ignorant defending him I doubt not but his Soul is now with Christ and that tho Heaven have no Sorrow it hath great Repentance and that Dr. O. is â—ow more against the receiving of this his mistake than I am and by deâ—ending it you far more displease him than me There is there no Darkness no Mistakes no Separation of Christs Members from one another no excommunicating or renouncing of Communion They all repent that ever they did any thing against Christian Love and Unity and received not one another as Christ receiveth us and did not own Communion in all that was good while they avoided the wilful consent to evil Were D. O. now to speak to you I am fully confident it would be to this purpose Tho all believers must be holy and avoid all known wilful Sin they must not avoid one another or their Communion in good because of adherent faults or imperfections for Christ who is most holy receiveth Persons and Worship that is faulty and false if all faultiness be falsness else none of us should be received There is greatest goodness where theâ—â— is greatest Love and Unity of Spirit maintained in the bond of Peace O call not to God to deny you Mercy by being unmerciful nor to cast you all out by casting off one another O Separate not from all Christs Church on Earth lest you separate from him or displease him God hath bid you pray but not told you whether it shall be oft in the same Words or in other with a Book or without a Book Make not superstitiously a Religion by pretending that God hath determined sâ—ch Circumstances O do not Preach and Write down Love and Commuâ—iâ—n â—f Saintâ— on pretence that your little Modes and Ways are only goâ—d and theirs Idolatrous or Intollerable and do not slander and excommunicate all or almâ—st all Christs Body and then wrong Gâ—d by faâ—hering this upon him You pray Thy will be done on Earth as it is done in Heaven Why here is no Sâ—â—ife 〈…〉 Animosity Sâ—cts or Factions nâ—r Separating from or Excomâ—â—nicating on another Learn of Christ and know what Spirit ye are of and separate from none further than they separate from Christ and receive all hat◠〈◊〉 receiveth While â—ou blame canonical Dividers and unjust 〈…〉 do not you renoâ—nce Communion wiâ—h 〈◊〉 mâ—re than they 〈…〉 of too naâ—râ—w 〈◊〉 â—rincipleâ— and in the time of Temptation I did nâ—t foresee to what 〈…〉 Conâ—usion and Dissolution and Hatred and Ruin dividing 〈…〉 did tend but the 〈…〉 in 〈◊〉 perfection of Love to God and one anothâ—r bids me beseech you to avoid all that is against it and to make use of no mistakes of mine to cherish any such offences or to oppose the motions of Love Unity and Peace No doubt but now this is D. O's mind If any one think that my Answers to him favour of too much disrespect which I fitted meerly to the Words I answered confessing my imprudence and liableness to such faultiness I desire that none will approve my failings blame me for them but do not therefore justifie true Schism and blame the cause of Love and Catholick Communion As to the mention of former miscarriages which arose from the Spirit and Principles of Division the Drs. Argument led me to mention them so necessarily that I must else have wronged the Cause and Truth Defended And I had great reasons I thought both for that and for this Defence which I shall next enumerate IV. I am not so blind as not to see inconveniences that abusers will raise from all that I have said But while I put those into one end of the Ballance I have so much to put into the other as with my Conscience quite weigheth down I know that men have already made tenfold worse use of our Silence in this Case and the Opinion 1. That we were all for the old Seditions and Convulsions And 2. that we are now oâ—â—he Dividers mind than ever they did of our writing against them And I have said so much against the active violent Dividers that should I say nothing against the Passive I should be partial and seem a Sectary my self Ovid taught me when I was a Child That Omnia perversas possunt corrumpere mentes Stant tamen illa suis omnia tuta locis 1. Truth and Love and Peace will be good when men have said and done their worst against them And I owe much more than this to their honour and defence Buy the Truth and sell it not is an old Precept These three are the very sum of all Religion and must not be forsaken or betrayed 2.
Catholick Communion Defended against both Extreams AND UNNECESSARY DIVISION Confuted by Reasons against both the Active and Passive ways of SEPARATION Occasioned by the Racks and Reproaches of One sort and the Impatience and Censoriousness of the other and the Erroneous tho Confident Writings of Both. And written in Compassion of a Distracted Self-tearing People tho with little hope of any great success In FIVE PARTS I. The Dangerous Schismatick on the Three Cases about Church-Communion II. Animadversions on part of Mr. RAPHSON's Book III. A Survey of the Unreasonable Defender of Dr. STILLINGFLEET for Separation pretending to oppose it IV. Reasons of the Authors censured Communion with the Parish-Churches V. The Reasons why Dr. I. O's Twelve Arguments change not his Judgment By RICHARD BAXTER a Lover of Love and Peace and by defending them displeasing those that labour to destroy them Rom. 15. 7. Receive ye one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God Rom. 12. 18. If it be possible as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men Psal. 18. 26 27. With the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward or wrestle For thou wilt save the afflicted people but wilt bring down high looks LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers-Chappel 1684. TO THE READER IT 'S known that Christ suffered between Two Malefactors reputed by his Persecutors the greatest of the Three One of them was penitent and justified Christ and reproved the other who reproached even dying him that should have been taken for his only Hope Ignatius compared the Teeth of the Lions to the Milstones which must grind him to be Bread for his Fathers use The two Extreams have been at this unhappy Dividing-work since the Christian Church began to prosper Diotrephes and the Jewish Imposers on the one side and the Self-conceited separating Sects on the other were used by Satan to fight against Saving Truth and Love They were foretold by Paul Acts 20. both that grievous Wolves should enter and devour the Flocks and that of their own selves should men arise to speak perverse things and draw away Disciples after them But when Christian Power had lent one Party the Sword or made it the Executioner of Clergy-wrath the Church hath ever since between two Milstones been ground to Meal There hath indeed beâ—n much Differences in their dividing ways The upper Milstone hath still been violently active The nether Milstone thought it self innocent because it was passive Even before the Church-Tympanites many score several Sects rose up that had their several Societies separating from the rest on pretence of greater Orthodoxness and Piety No two of the Contraries could be in the Right much less all Therefore all or all save one did separate for Error But as Luther saith De Conciliis these Divisions were but a Play as at Foot-ball in comparison of the Strages or bloudy destructive Divisions which were made by Patriarchs and Councils of advanced Prelates If under Heathens the Novations sprung up from a Strife to have their Captain the great Bishop of Rome and the Donanists from a Strife to have their Captain the great Bishop of Carthage and so many other Sects What wonder if the Strife of Patriarchs Metropolitans and Councils when they were like great Secular Princes did cut all the Churches into those Shredâ— or Schisms which have continued it's Diseases and Reproach these 1200 if not 1300. years to this day unhealed and unlikely to be healed four of these Patriarchs condemning Rome and the Roman Fifth condemning them As it was said â—f Saul and David The Under sects and Schisms have killed their thousands and the Uppermost Patriarchal Conciliary Tyrannical Schisms their ten thousands Alas to what a horrid degree of Pravity is Humane Nature fallen What a scandalous Temptation give Men to the Bruitists who prefer the Bruits yea the wildest before Mâ—n When even the Learned sort who think themselves so fit to guide all the rest that none is worthy to Preach Christs Gospel who dissent from their prescribed Opinions and Ceremonies are yet unable after 1200. years experience of the Churches to understand that the terms and ways which have hitherto distracted and torn them and to this day made them the scorn of the Infidels and like the Sherds of a broken Pot are not the only ways and terms of Catholick Union and Communion which if any deny he is unworthy to live in Christian Society Lord is there no hope that the World at least the Learned part may be healed of this self-laceration and distraction If there be no Love and Peace but in Heaven and with the few that the World abhorreth O cause us all that are fervent Lovers of Love and Peace to be more weaned from this earthly Nest of Wasps and to love and long for the World where Love and Peace are perfected I have seen Canons which have ipso facto excommunicated Men how wise how holy how useful and how many soever that do but affirm any things in their Church-Offices Liturgies Words and Ceremonies to be at all repugnant to the Word of God and at once oblige Men to subscribe to an Article That not only they but General Councils are fallible So that I stand amazed to think what Spirit made such Canons and what such Men thought of themselves and of Humane Nature and of the History of all former Ages of the Churches If they must be acknowledged fallible and yet all cut off from Christ or from the Church who say they have any Error so much as in the said Offices Forms Words or Ceremonies sure they suppose that some miraculouus Power so wonderfully over-ruled fallible Men and therefore should shew us miracles to convince us For my part I am far from believing that I am so secured from Error and therefore only say Tho I be an unfit Iudge of my Superiors Acts I would not for all the Riches on Earth be charged at Gods judgment with the guilt of making and justifying such Canons much less with all the Consequents of their Executions And because I am unwilling to be guilty of any dividing-errors on the other side I have here impartially confuted them telling those that would not have the Authors or their former Actions so much remembred and blamed as I have done That God is against their carnal Policies and that it neither hath prospered nor will do And that when Men justifie Sin or lay it upon God he will with disdain cast it back upon them As I thank God who kept the main Body of the Religious Persons innocent from the crimes of a few tumified Sectarian Soldiers who by advantage subdued all the rest tho Malignity would ruine them by a false Accusation of such a Guilt so I will not so much as by Silence encourage that false Malignant Accusation nor leave the sober godly People of the Land under the intimated Suppositions That they Consented to the
they cannot change their mindes 1. Whether they will be damned as Excommunicate and practical Atheists that give over all Church Worship 2. Or as damnable Schismaticks for worshipping God in Churches when they are excommunicate 3. Or as perfidious Lyars that will make false Confessions Profession and promises to get off an Excommunication When Mr. Dodwel numbers those with Schismaticks that suffer themselves to be excommunicate if they have no other means in their Power to hinder it it seems these great Enemies to absolute reprobation do think all Christians being unavoidably born to imperfection of Knowledg are as unavoidably born to damnation whenever Prelates or Priests please thus to precipitate them LXXXVI 2. Particularly 1. The first and second Canons ipso facto excommunicate all that say that any manner of Obedience and Subjection within his Majesties Realms and Dominions is due to any usurped and foreign Power By this all Papists and all pretended Protestants such as Dr. Barrow confuteth who hold any manner of Obedience and Subjection due to Pope or Foreign Councils are Excommunicate 2. Those that say that the Book of Common Prayer containeth any thing in it repugnant to the Scriptures are ipso facto excommunicate Which now by the new Laws are interpreted of the present Books 3. In this all are excommunicate who say the Mis-translations in Psalms Epistles or Gospels of which many instances have been given to be any thing repugnant in the Scripture 4. And all that say It is against the Scripture to deny Christendom to all Infants that have not such Vowers in their Names and for their Education as we call Godfathers and Godmothers thô the Parent who is forbidden it offer his Child by Sponsion 5. And all that say it is against Scripture to deny Christendom to all that refuse the Covenanting transient Images of a Cross. 6. And all that say that it is against Scripture for all Ministers to profess that it 's certain by Gods Word that baptized Infants without exception so dying are undoubtedly saved when no word of God is cited that saith it and adding to Gods word is dreadfully threatned and when it 's certain that all Ministers are not certain of any such thing and I think no one 7. All are ipso facto excommunicate that say It is against Gods Word to deny Church Communion in the Sacrament to all that dare not take it kneeling for fear thô mistaken of breaking the second Commandment by Symbolizing with Idolaters that are seeking to reduce the Nation to their Sin and that live round about us 8. All are excommunicate that say it is against Scripture to pronounce all saved that are buryed except the unbaptized self-murderers and the excommunicate while thousands of Sadducees Hobbists Infidels Papists Perjured Adulterers Drunkards c. dwell among us 9. By the fifth Canon all are ipso facto excommunicate that say Any of the Articles are in any part erroneous or such as they perhaps as doubters may not with a good Conscience subscribe to and consequently all the aforesaid Conformists that think the sence erroneous while they subscribe those words and shall affirm e. g. that Canons are made necessary to Salvation thô the matter cannot be proved by Scripture contrary to Art 6. Those that contrary to Art 8. say any thing in Athanasius Creed may not be subscribed Such as Bishop Taylour that against Art 9. deny Original Sin Those that say contrary to Art 10. that the Word no Power excludeth Common natural Power or maketh Nature to be Grace Those that write against our being accounted righteous only for Christs merits and say that another subordinate Righteousness is named many hundred times in Scripture contrary to Art 11. Those that contrary to Art 13. say that works done before the Inspiration of the Spirit may make men meet to receive Grace Those that with Dr. Hammond write for works that are not commanded but counselled and Free-will-offerings contrary to Art 14. All they that take Infants and new baptized Persons to have no sin contrary to Art 15. All that say that after we have received the H. Ghost we cannot depart from Grace given contrary to Art 16. Those that deny the Doctrine of Election in Art 17. Those that say any on Earth may be saved by diligent living according to the light of Nature without knowing the name of Christ contrary to Art 18. Those that contrary to Art 19. reject that Description of a visible Church which reacheth to such as our Resolver damneth All that contrary to Art 20. say that the Church may not enforce any thing to be believed for necessity to Salvation besides the Scripture even those that say it 's necessary to Salvation by avoiding Schism to believe that all imposed Tyths Covenants Practices and Ceremonies are not sin All that contrary to Art 21. say that General or other Councils may be gathered without the command and will of Princes and deny they may erre and things ordained by them as necessary to Salvation have neither Strength nor Authority unless it may be declared that they are taken out of Holy Scripture Those that deny Art 23. that those are lawfully called and sent into the Ministry who have publick Authority given them in the Congregation to call and send Ministers into the Lords Vineyard are chosen and called hereto for want of Canonical Succession Those that contrary to Art 24. would have Gods Worship performed to them that understand not the language to avoid the Schism of having many Churches in a City Those that take Confirmation or Penance or the other three for Sacraments of the Gospel contrary to Art 25. Those that contrary to Art 26. would not have it believed to be the Peoples duty who know the Offences of Bad Ministers to accuse them All that contrary to Art 27. are against Infant Baptism as agreeable to Christs Institution All that contrary to Art 28. say the Body of Christ is given and taken and eaten in the Sacrament otherwise than in a Spiritual manner by Faith All that say that in some wise the wicked are Partakers of Christ in the Sacrament contrary to Art 29. All that contrary to Art 30. say There is other satisfaction for Sin besides Christs Blood All that say that Men justly Excommunicate may be reconciled and received by the multitude without open penance which is ordinary contrary to Art 33. All that contrary to Art 34. think that a General Council may ordain such Traditions or Ceremonies as shall in all places be one or the like and that every Particular or National Church may not abolish those Ceremonies or Rites which the General Council or Colledge ordained Many things in the Book of Homilies especially against peril of Idolatry are blamed by many Conformists contrary to Art 35. All that contrary to Art 36. say that the Book of Ordination wants some things necessary All that contrary to Art 37. think that Pope or foreign Bishops have any
matter 2. God gave Christ to be the Mediator and Head 3. God made by Christ the Covenant of Grace by which as by a Law and Gift he determineth of the Conditions of Church-Relation and Benefits and commandeth Man's belief and consent and professeth his own acceptance of such consenters 4. His Ministers and Word perswade Men to believe and consent 5. His Spirit efficiently causeth Men to believe and consent 6. At that time God's conditional grant becometh actual and giveth them actually a right and relation to Christ and his Benefits 7. Thereupon Christ's Ministers solemnize this Covenant declaring God's acceptance and by Baptism investing the person in the visible possession of his relation to Christ and all his Members the person professing his believing which maketh it a mutual Covenant the Parent doing it for Infants These Seven Acts go to make up the total efficient Cause of the Churches Essence and Unity and each Members Union therein And if you exclude any one of them you will be a false Teacher Is there any room here for a Controversie among Christians The Father the Son the Holy Ghost the Covenant and Law the Consenter the Minister and Baptism all make up the efficient Cause of the Churches Essence And that which maketh it a Church maketh it One Church As that which maketh it an House a Ship a Family a School a Kingdom maketh it thereby One House One Ship One Family c. for eus unun convertuntur § 17. But tho his Question How that ambiguous Syllable enquire not of the Churches Essence and of what who knows yet p. 43. he ventures to enquire of it upon my words it is only essential to the Church that there be an organized Body of Pastors and People united to Christ the Head saith he Here I agree with Mr. B. if he would add One Body for that is the thing in dispute Whether Christ have one or a thousand bodies Ans. I pray you remember this happy agreement that we agree of the Churches Essence But is not A Body the Singular Number If I say that a man is corpus organicum and a rational soul united do I need to put in One Body or One Soul while unum is entis inseparabilis affectio Good Doctor why must not Verum and Bonum be named with every eus in a definition as well as Unum Can it be a Body and not One Body O! what a Jest will School-boys make of us for such disputing 3. But the pretended disagreement is much worse asserted Is that the Controversie Whether Christ have One Body or a Thousand Would you make men believe that we deny the Unity of the Universal Church If you would prove it or blush 2. Do you your self deny the being of Thousands of particular Churches which are parts of the Universal When you have seemed long to do it you come again and confess such Churches and condemn us as separating from them 3. Is the Controversie whether these single Churches de nomine may be called so many Bodies of Christ 1. Name the men that so call them and prove it or confess your self a false Accuser 2. If they did an unfit Name is not an error de re I never heard man so speak We say that the word Church used for the Universal and the Particular is not univocally used but analogically expenuriâ nominum As oft the whole and part have one Name We say that as an hundred Cities and Counties may make one Kingdom and were they all equivocally called Republicks or Kingdoms it would be no change in the Doctrine All the Christian World call the universal and the particulars by the name of Church And yet if to help us out of the Equivocation you will invent a better Name and get men to consent to it not reprehending the Scripture-use we will hearken to you But as One Kingdom is individuate by One King and yet subordinate Societies may have subordinate individuating Heads so is it here And it 's grosly unfit to say Christ hath many Bodies tho he have many Churches in one as the King hath many Cities but one Kingdom here But he adds If but One how do all the Christians in the World make up that one Body How must not be explained If by how he meant by what efficiency I have told you If it mean by what constitutive Causes it is by Form and Matter united If it be any Mode that you mean vouchsafe to tell us what § 18. P. 43. he goes on thus reciting some of my words In this definition Christ only is the supreme constitutive summa potestas or regent part The organized body of Pastors and People is the pars subdita and the Union of Christ and that body maketh it a Church And saith he This is very well But the main doubt still remains untouched What is it that makes all the Christian Pastors and People in the World to be but One Church Ans. Contra negantem principia non est disputandum This intimateth that eus unum non convertuntur And that besides that which maketh it a Church somewhat else must go to make it one Whether your obstinate equivocation in the word make shall be by you expounded of the efficient or constitutive causes in this it 's all one That which maketh it a Church doth thereby without any more causality make it one Church This is as if he said We are agreed what maketh a Man an House a City a Book c. but we agree not what maketh him One Man and so of the rest Nothing but that which maketh him a Man and causeth the existing Essence Matter and Form united constitutively And efficiently all that which causeth Matter and its Disposition which Aristotle calls Privationâ— and Form and their Union But Reader it 's so hard to understand such a Speaker that we must â—ift every doubtful word lest he come again and say we wilfully mistake him Who knows but the Doctor hath a Câ—tâ—urnus in the word but and the question be What maketh this the only Church or that God hath no other but one As if the question were What made Adam at first the only man in the World or the Israelites the only peculiar Nation I answer Nothing in Adam nothing in Israel and so nothing in the Church can be the cause of Nothing No Man no Nation no Church speak Nothing Not to make another is nothing but the words are a meer Negation And Nothing hath no Cause What is the Cause that there is not another Sun Why Nothing hath no Cause But if we must give any other Answer it must be only by calling the Negation of a Cause by the Name of a Cause and saying that the Cause why there is but one Sun that we know of and one Church Universal is because God made no more § 19. The Doctor proceeds Nor does his similitude help him out which is so admirable in its Philosophy and
Col. 1.18 19. He is the head of the body the Church In him all fullness dwells 2.3 In whom are hid the treasures of wisdom and knowledg 9. In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily 17.19 The body is of Christ the head from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministred knit together increaseth with the increase of God 3.3 4. Your Life is hid with Christ in God when Christ our Life shall appear 11. Christ is all and in all 1 John 1.2 The Life was manifested and we have seen it 4.9 We live through him 5.11 12. This is the record that God hath given to us eternal life and this Life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath Life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life We are in him that is true in his Son Iesus Christ. These and many other signifie that Christ is fitly likened both to a Head and to a Soul to his Church and is not a dead Head but a living and that the word Head includeth the Soul operating in the Head for the Sense Reason and Guidance and increase of the body And that he doth operate by the Holy Ghost who is one God with the Father and Himself confirmeth it Even as Christ is said to be quickned by the Spirit and by the Spirit to offer himself to God and to justifie us c. which is far from proving that he did it not himself Chrysostome and Basil and Ambrose need not to have been at so great care to prove that it is Christ himself that is called The Spirit and the Lord the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.17 18. against the Arians It will prove him God that as he the word in making the World moved on the Waters by the Spirit which is one with him so he doth by his Spirit which is one with his own Godhead sanctifie Souls I hope you are not against the Filioque Briefly He that giveth to his Church and every true Member of it Spiritual Life Light and Love illumination Sanctification Strength increase and Consolation as appointed by the Father to do all this by himself and by his Spirit is the form Essentiating the Church as much and more than the Soul is to the Man But such is Christ Ergo If I were of their mind that anathematized the Nestorians Eutychians Monothelites as damn'd Hereticks for their unskilful words I should much more Hereticate a Doctor in our Age that will say That if Christ be the Head of the Church he cannot be to it as a Soul a forma informans denominans But I am not of that mind 3. But when this Doctor added If Christ be not the Head of the Body the Church must be without a Head or have some other Head than Christ which I suppose is the Reason why he talks so much of a constitutive Regent Head of the Church Reader Can you tell what he means by which is the Reason Which of the two meaneth he that I suppose the Church without a Head When I so oft and largely prove Christ to be the Head Or is it that I hold some other Head When my Book is to disprove it Which ever it be I do not think refusing such a Pastor as makes no more of the Ninth Commandment is a damning Schism The Sin of Church tyranny goes not alone § 20. P. 45 He proceeds But the organized Body is the constitutive matter of the man though other Philosophers used to call the Body a constitutive part but to let that pass Ans. You had not the Wit to let it pass Durst I have accused you of what you bewray and accuse your self Reader Is not the Matter a Part And is not the Form a Part of the man And doth that man speak plainer that barely calleth either of them a Part and tells you not which Part it is Matter or Form If one of his Pupils should say Sir you should not call the Soul the Form but a Part nor the Body the Matter but a Part what would the Boys say to him § 21. He goes on Thus an Organical Church is the constitutive Matter Of what Of Christ or of his Church or of some third compoundâ—d Ans. 1. Did I say An Organical Church or an Organical Body When Aristotle saith the soul is entelechia corporis physici organici doth he say Hominis physici Organici But you are an enemy to vain Philosophy and distinction 2. What if I had said an Organical Church as I sometimes do an Organized who knows not that ex penuria nominum the words Church Kingdom City Family School c. are ordinarily used equivocally sometimes properly for the whole Church Kingdom City c. as a Governed Society including Matter and form united And sometimes improperly for the Material part alone the Kingdom as distinguisht from the King the Church as distinct from Christ and from the Bishops and so of all the rest And when I so oft told you that the Organical Body of Christians is the Matter of the Church and Christ the foâ—m as far as these terms fit Bodies Politick could you not find in such words Of what it is the Matter of the Church of Christ. § 22. He adds But that these parts be duly placed and united is forma Corporis non Hominis which what it means I cannot tell unless that a man would be a man though the several parts of his Body did not stand in their right places nor were united to one another so they were all united to the Soul Ans. Do you not understand what it means What if I had so accused you Whether it be long of your Tutor or You I know not But 1. If you know not the difference between forma Corporis and forma Hominis some body is too blame Forma dat esse nomen The Soul giveth Being and Name to a Man He is no Man without it Do you think it gives Being and Name to the Body What if Lazarus his Body in the Grave were without its Soul is it not Corpus a Body What if such a Body as Mâ—ns had only the Soul of a Brute were it no Body What if Drâ—â—elius made his Engines move constantly by the Sun or Fire Is it not an Engine materially organized before the Sun or Fire move it Hath not a Wind â—â—ll or Water mill its mechanical form which is but the Organization oâ— dâ—e matter when Wind or Water move it not But to what purpose is it to talk to one that tells us he cannot understand it 2. But the addition is shameful misunderstanding Doth he that saith Organization is forma Corporis say that one may be a mâ—n without it This is below puerility Did I not maintain that as Aristotle haâ—h his three principles Matter Privation and Form and by Privation meaneth the Dispositio receptiva of the matter so Politick Bodies by similitude to natural have And that Organization is
dilemmatically either by Peace and Union you mean inclusive Union with Christ and the Unity of the Spirit one Faith one hope and Union of Christian Love and by Communion a Communion in things necessary to salvation or you do not If you do then this is the true Paraphrase of your words They may have all the Essentials of a true Church except all the Essentials for those they have not If you do not include these then this is the Paraphrase They may be true Believers and penitent and love God and Man sincerely and be Members of Christ and have his Spirit and one Baptism and one true hope of Heaven and the pardon of sin and yet be Rebels and damned for want of somewhat ese which I call Unity Peace and Catholick Communion I think you mean subjection to such as you in all your Canonical Impositions In short the plain truth of this Case I before opened viz. When disobedience to true Church-â—astors proveth tâ— be as Adultery and Murder sins signifying such Predominance of the Flesh and absence of Divine Faith and Love as is inconsistent with 〈◊〉 then it is damning as other grâ—ss and reigning sin is But else it â—uts not off from Christ and if the Prelates pretend to cut off such they are liker to cut off themselves § 33 His rare distinction he fullier openeth which is Between the Visible Church and the one true Catholick Visible Church The Visible Church comprehends all Societies of professed Christians Hereticks Idolaters or whatever they be Tâ—e one true Catholick Church 〈◊〉 not Ans. I have answered this before It 's well the distinction is not commonly observed as the Coyner saith for it would be a common abuse Hitherto we have known but one Universal Church considered as Mystical in Believers or Visible in Prosessors of the same and not another Faith Profest Idolaters or Hereticks that deny the Essential are no Members of it as Visible But this Doctor hath forged an One true Catholick Church less than the Visible and yet Visible Could he have spoken sence he would but have said The Universal Visible Church hath some Members that are sound orderly and peaceable and some that are erroneous disorderly and unruly even as it hath some holy and some Adulterers Thieves and Persecutors In a great house are some Vessels of Earth to dishonour § 34. I fear if I should survey but half the confused passages of this book I should tire the Reader as well as my self I will be briefer with the rest P. 94 95 c. He giveth us an allay against the tenor of his Excommunications and Damnations to shew that he is not so uncharitable as he seems to be and that his Canon that maketh so great a noise hath but Powder without Bullet I look he should say I misunderstand him and therefore I will not tell you his meaning but the sum of his words viz. p. 87. to shew us why Those that believe in Christ repent of their sins and lead an holy life in all godliness and honesty may yet be excluded from all the ordinary means of salvation He first blames them that in these days have thought Holiness so sufficient and would cheat his Reader by citing Austin as of that mind who hath no mention in the words which he cites of Faith Holiness Love to God or to his Saints or Service but only a Catalogue of such Virtues as Heathens or â—nfidels plead for viz. Chastity Continence not coveâ—â—us not serving Idols not contentious patient quiet emulating and envying none sober frugal But yet an Heretick who is without the Christian Faith and Love so far is he from including these in his Description But no doubt he will have some Readers that will swallow all such Hooks as these Then supposing men have no Love that communicate not on his terms nor love the Peace and Unity of the Church unless they joyn in such Principles as his that would destroy it he tells us truly that Heaven is only the Gift of Christ as merited by him and therefore can be had only on his terms and that is only in Communion with his Church and by his Sacraments Ans. And what Christ's Terms are he hath told us Mark 16.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved John 3.16 Whoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life c. The Whole Gospel is a Charter of salvation to all that have true Faith Hope Love and Holiness And all such are in the Church of Christ. 2. And as ordinarily doth the Scripture tell us that the preaching of the Gospel is the means of faith and holiness by which God saveth them that believe and that by the hearing of faith preached the spirit is given Gal. 3.2 c. Rom. 10.14 17. John 5.24 Acts 18.8 Acts 10.44 The holy ghost fell on all them that heard the word before they were baptized even the miraculous gift of the Spirit Matth. 13.18 Mark 4.20 Luke 8.13 21. and 11.28 Christ himself preached but did not baptize He sent forth his Disciples to convert men by preaching Matth. 10.7 and 11.1 Mark 1.38 and 3.14 Luke 4.18 19 43. and 9.2 60. Acts 5.42 and 10.42 and 8.5 25 35 40. and 9.20 1 Tim. 3.16 1 Cor. 1.17 Paul saith he was not sent to baptize but to preach the Gospel John 15.3 Ye are clean through the word c. John 6.63 The words that I speak unto you they are spirit and life John 17. Sanctifie them through thy truth thy word is truth 6.68 and 8.30 2 Cor. 5.19 20. 1 Tim. 5.17 and 1.2 John 4.2 It is able to save souls James 1.21 1 Pet. 2.2 John 8.31 Heb. 4.12 It is able to make us wise to salvation It is by the word of God that men are born again as an incorruptible seed 1 Pet. 1.23 It is that abiding in us that is our continued life 1 Iohn 2.14 There is no mention in Scripture of any one that was converted and made a Believer by Baptism or the Lord's Supper The Adult were all to repent and believe before they were baptized and God promised them forgiveness thereupon He never bid men baptize Infidels nor graceless men Baptism was but the publick solemnizing of the Covenant which they consented to before and the solemn investing them in that relation to which they were before entered And entring them by Baptism stated them in the Universal Church before ever they were setled under any particular Pastor in a particular Church as the case of the Eunuch Acts 8. shews But that which I call his Allay is that he copiously tells us that Heaven is a supernatural state of happiness and not the natural reward of an eartly creature p. 92 93. It is but an earthly happiness that Nature was made for and was promised to Adam in Paradise an immortal life on Earth An immortal life after death cannot be the natural Reward Innocent flesh is flesh Were it not for Heaven
I durst no longer see Thousands of good Christians misguided into mistakes and like to be ruined for them and hereby hardening their Persecutors rejoycing the Papists who joyn with them in Separation reducing the Protestant Religion into corners and giving it up as publick to we may know whom censuring one another and dividing on these mistakes and fathering all this on God I say I durst not stand by in silence to see all this no more than to see men drowning or the City on fire without endeavouring to save men It is an exceeding great quiet to my Conscience under all the Confusions and Divisions that have befallâ—n us that in 1660 and 1661. I plainly and earnestly foretold the King and Bishops of them and did my best to have prevented them And the Author that I deal with necessitateth me to recite the late fruits of Separation in pulling down all Governments casting out all the Ministers in Wales and were near casting down those of England with Tythes and Universities persecuting and killing godly men and fathering all on God and now flying from the Bishops when they had opened them the door to return He layeth his main Cause on the ill fruits of Liturgies which indeed are rather the fruits of Pride and Malignity and constraineth me to shew the fruits of Separation I dare not bury that in silence which God so dreadfully disowned by their own dissâ—lution without any blood and that when multitudes are running into the old error by mistaking the Iudgment of the Nonconforming Ministers thinking that they took that for unlawful which they did not and condemning all the excellent old Nonconformists and Conformists and almost all the Churches on Earth Let wiser men deal wiselier I use the best wisdom that I have It 's true that abundance of good people fear and distaste Communion in the Liturgy What wonder when such Reasonings as these Twelve Arguments which how gross soever poor people have not the skill to answer perswade them it is false Worship and heinous sin and say others Idolatry They are conquered as the Mexicans were by the Spaniards by the frightful roaring of their Cannons the Militia used Acts 15.1 2. Ye cannot be saved and as the Pope conquered Kings and Kingdoms by threatning to keep them out of Heaven Even as since men tell me that they medicate their Wines with Arsenick and Mercury I am afraid to drink them which before I feared not so are honest souls affrightned from Liturgies and Communion How much in them I dissent from my self I have openly intimated to the World But he that will joyn in no good that is mixt by men with faultiness and evil must separate from all the World and all from him But how will he separate from himself England in her Articles and Ordination professeth to cleave to Scripture-sufficiency as being the Protestant Religion I go to joyn in this profest Religion If the Speaker of any side add any unwarrantable passages by book or without book let him answer for them I own them not Did my presence own all that I hear I would joyn with no man living The Lord fit us for a wiser and more loving World The Twelve Arguments said to be Dr. Owens impartially considered D. O. Posit It is not Lawful for us to go to and joyn in Publick Worship by the Common Prayer because that Worship it self according to the Rule of the Gospel is not Lawful 1. Ans. I Shall use the same Method that he hath used and first give you my Positions and then the supposed Matter of Fact and then consider his Arguments Posit It is not only Lawful but a Duty for those that cannot have better publick Church-worship without more hurt than benefit and are near a competent Parish Minister to go to and joyn in Publick Worship performed according to the Liturgie and in Sacramental Communion And for those that can have better to joyn sometime with such Parish Churches when their forbearance scandalously seemeth to signifie that they take such Communion for unlawful and so would tempt others to the same Accusation and uncharitable Separation The History of the Matter of Fact must be premised for the right deciding of the Case which is as followeth 1. God hath commanded us to Preach Pray Praise him and Administer his Sacraments and Discipline and hath told us what Doctrine we must preach what things we must pray and give thanks for and what Sacraments and Discipline we must Administer But he hath not told us in what Words we must do these nor in what Posture nor in what particular Method nor whether we must use oftest the same words or various nor whether they shall be before prepared or spoken immediately without preparation of words nor whether written or remembred nor whether prepared and composed by our selves or by others with such like 2. God prescribed divers Forms of Prayer Confession and Praise to the Iews in Moses Law and a Prophetical Song which they were all to learn Deut. 32. 3. The Psalms were a chief part of the Iews Liturgie in which there are many Forms of Prayer and Praise some made by David some by Asaph some by others and some in or after the Captivity no one knoweth by whom And those Psalms were not in Metre and sung in Tunes like ours now but loâ—dly said over 4. Iohn taught his Disciples to pray not only as to the Matter but as to the Words and so did Christ his Disciples at their Request who had not then the after-pouring out of the Spirit nay knew not that Christ must die for Sin rise and reign in Heaven c. and he said When ye pay say Our Father c. tho not tying them only to these words yet giving them a Form of Words to be used as they had occasion as well as a perfect Directory for Method 5. Christ himself joyned with the Iews in Synagogues and Temple when they used Forms and so did the Apostles and never blamed them for the use of such Forms 6. Christ prescribed a Form of Words in Baptism and in the Administration of the Lords Supper and used a Hymn in Form 7. There are divers Forms of Prayer and Thanksgiving in the New Testament in Luke 1. 2. and the Acts and Pauls Epistles and the Revelations which its Lawful and Laudable to use 8. We are commanded to use Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs which are Forms of Prayer and Praise and was not then in Rhime And it was not every one in the Church that composed these Extempâ—re but some made them for the rest to use And if none Impose them by Office Authority or Perswasion the Churches will never use the same Christians in the primitive ages of the Church were known to the Heathen by their constant use of such Hymns sung to Christ and of Christ. 9. The Churches from Christs time to this had a Creed or Form of sound Words or necessary Articles of Faith
sound and moving words are set before an unready Speaker they help his affection more than his own shorter and unmeeter words would do And his mind being not taken up with the study of words is the freer to attend its affections You must not measure all Mens Volubility of Speech by your own I can truly say that Forms are oft a help to me I find young and old Christians are more fit to use them than the middle-aged For the young cannot at first pray well at least before others without them till use hath taught them And the old have discretion to fit their Affections to sound words oft repeated But the middle-aged that have a greater Heat and a lesser Light are much more taken with their own sudden Effusions and Expressions Do you think that when Calvin formed the Liturgy for Geneva and France he had so Malignant a Design as to defeat the Spirits help Or do our English Psalms and Tunes quench the Spirit and are they used to keep Men from the Gift of making Hymns Ex tempore 2 I answered your Minor first because it is matter of Fact but your Major also is untrue For that which is imposed with an ill Intent may be used to a good one And that which hurteth some may be a help to others If the Parish Churches were all built to serve Popery and the Mass and dedicated to Saints yet we may use them lawfully to better Purposes If Priests Marriages be forbidden for ill Ends it may be forborn for good Ends. If Glebe and Tythes were here given first to maintain the Mass they may be used to maintain sound Teachers It was Popes that reverst the old Custom of not adoring kneeling on any Lords day And yet you may lawfully kneel then in Prayer Yea tho they brought in kneeling to the Host by that Alteration XXV Errer So that this is another Error And your Confirmations are not true D. O. 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 Liturgy 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 § 13. 1. IT is a great Error to think that the Gifts and Graces of the holy Spirit may not be exercised if we use the same words or if they be prescribed The chief help of Gods Spirit lieth in giving us a due esteem of the things prayed for and a holy Desire after them and a lively Faith and Hope that we shall obtain them and a fixed Resolution to use all other means for them and avoid all that would deprive us of them And doubtless he that hath these mental Dispositions hath thereby a great help for his Expression of them for out of the abundance of the Heart the Mouth speaketh But 1. It 's well known that Use and Knowledge can enable an Hypocrite to pray as long and in as good Words and earnest Tone as a sincere Christian. 2. That which is easiest needeth the least help It is to me so much easier to speak my own thoughts in Prayer ex tempore than to remember a form of words that never since I was twenty years old did I ever learn and say without Book the words of one Prayer or one Sermon since I Preacht to have learnt a Prayer or Sermon without Book would have cost me ten times and more both time and labour and fear of being out than I ever used or could afford 3. Pardon me for asking Whether if this Author put all the Errors of this his writing into a Prayer or Sermon he did not need more help of the Spirit to have avoided them and to have spoken nothing but truth than to have fluently uttered so many mistakes He hath heard those called Arminians on one side and Antinâ—mians on the other oft fluently express their Opinions in Gods Worship The former he took to be heinous Errors Had not all these had more of the help of Gods Spirit if they had uttered nothing but true and good in a form than they had to speak so much Error and Evil to God or Man with extemporate fluency 4. May not a man use the Lords Prayer by the Spirits help If I have any help of Gods Spirit it is more in the use of that Prayer than at any other time 5. May not one sing Psalms by the help of the Spirit unless he make them extempore I doubt you lay too much on words Gods Spirit worketh on the heart and its greatest help is in its greatest gifts which are Faith Repentance Love Desire c. and not words Words must be used and weighed but the main work is heart work and God knoweth the meaning of the Spirit when we have but groans which we canot express and cry but Abba Father But you come to History and add another misreport in the words XXVI Error and no otherwise that the Church for several ages Worshipped no otherwise than by such gifts as you describe which exclude Liturgick forms It 's plain in the descriptions of Iustin and Tertullian that they did use extemporate Prayer then but not that they did no otherwise 1. Tertullian himself giveth you their form of a Creed and so do many others 2. They used a set form of words in Baptizing 3. And they constantly used singing Psalms and Hymns which were not made ex tempore nor by every singer 4. They used the Lords prayer in form often 5. At the Lords Supper they had divers words of form and responses In Cyprian some parcels are to he seen and in divers others 6. The truth is our History of the Churches manner of Worship for the first two hundred years is so little that we know but little how they did it beside the foresaid two passages in Iustin and Tertullian But by what is in the Historians of the next Ages and by the Churches general use of the Liturgies without contradiction soon after and what Daillee hath gathered de cultu Latinorum c. we know that no otherwise is not true 2. It 's too true that the carelesnesâ— 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 But I hope no wise man dreameth that all the Pastors had one soul or one mind and design If any Malignants used or enjoyned forms to make â—hrists promise and the Spirits help useless others used them and promoted the use of them for the performance of Christs promise and the Spirits help 1. Because there were not when publick countenance increased the Churches half enough
publick Church-worship till they have Ministers enough that have learnt to pray better without a Form or Liturgy than with it If this be desired I appeal to any that can difference Christianity from Heathenism Whether Liturgies or such a Separation from Liturgies would do more hurt And I will add yet one question more If there be not above two or three or at last no Church-assemblies in a County which have Nonconforming Ministers and opportunity to worship God as Churches would you have all the rest of the Countries dissolve their Church-assemblies or forbear all and live like Unbelievers If so I am a Separatist from such destructive Principles and Separations D. O. 3. Argument That in religious Worship which derogates from the Kingly Office of Iesus Christ so far as it doth so is false Worship Unto the Office of Christ it inseparably belongs that he be the sole Law-giver of the Church in all the Worship of God The rule of his Government herein is Teach men to do and observe whatsoever I command But the Worship treated about consists wholly in the Institutions Commands Prescriptions Orders and Rules of Men and on the Authority of men 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 § 17. TO the Major of your 3 d. Arguement I answer 1. There is that in Worship as the badness of the men c. which is no part of the Worship and therefore no false Worship 2. True Worship materially may be so abused as to derogate from the Kingly Office of Christ. 3. But it is granted That all your own or other mers Errors or Sin in Worship which no man is totally free from do in some degree practically derogate from the Kingly Office of Christ which should be better obeyed and so is so far false Worship That it belongs to this Office of Christ to be the sole Lawgiver in all the Worship of God XXX Error is another mistake 1. There is that in Gods Worship which is no part of his Worship 2. There is a secondary Worship subservient to Gods Institutions which men may make Laws about 3. There are temporary By-laws and Mandates which have the essence of Law which is to signifie the Rulers Will making the Subjects Duty besides general Laws by Excellency so called And so 1. Princes may make Laws for the Use of the best Translation of Scripture for the Version of Psalms for Ministers due ordering Worship to restrain some Seducers for Time Place Utensils to be uncovered and to kneel or stand at Prayer c. And the Pastor may by Mandate oblige the People to much of the like Matth. 28.20 By saying whatever I command you doth not say Do nothing which your Parents Prince or Pastor command you besides my Commands Sure it was his Spirit that said Heb. 13. Obey them that have the Rule over you Christ never particularly commanded any of the Twenty things in which I instanced to Mr. Raphson Must not Children obey Parents or Servants their Masters in learning any Form of Catechism or chusing any Minister or writing Sermons c. till Christ will particularly command them This is a false Exposition It is another Mistake that the Worship treated about consisteth wholly in the Command c. of men This Worship containeth 1. In General Praying Praising Preaching Is this none of Gods Command 2. It containeth for the Matter signified XXXI Error the Confession of Sins of Omission and Commission the Petitioning for all contained in the Lords Prayer and for all Graces tho Prayers for Faith or its increase was much forgotten save on St. Thomâ—s day or such an odd occasion and for the Church and others as well as our selves for Kings and all in Authority And Thanksgivings for all sorts of Men. I can find little in the Common Publick Worship whose Matter is not of Divine Command And can you find none such at all wonderful difference of Eye-sight 3. The Matter signifying is much of it The Psalms of David the Old Testament and the New Read the Lords Prayer the Ten Commandments Scripture Hymns a Scripture-Benediction Is none of all this commanded by God What Christian should believe it It is also a Mistake that on the Authority of Men alone doth their Imposition on the Practice of the Church depend For 1. The foresaid parts are imposed by God himself 2. The Lawful Modes imposed by Men depend not on their Authority alone XXXII Error but on Gods who Authorizeth Rulers to do it For he hath said Let all be done to Edification in Order Obey them that have the Rule They that obey a Pastor for Time Place Utensils Translations Psalms c. or that obey the King depend not herein on Man alone Your Conclusion also is a Mistake XXXIII Error This is not to renounce the Kingly Office of Christ in the Church no more than you did when you wrote your Savoy-Articles of Confession or when you draw up the Form of a Church-Covenant for your Flock All that is a Sin against Christs Kingly Office is not a renouncing of it D. O. 4. Argument That which gives Testimony against the Faithfulness of Christ in his House as a Son and Lord of it above that of a Servant is not to be complied withall let all his Disciples judge Unto this Faithfulness of Christ it doth belong to appoint and command all things whatever in the Church that belongs to the Worship of God as is evident from this Comparison with Moses herein and his preference above him Hebr. 3.3 4 5 6. But that Institution and Prescription of all things in Religious Worship of things never instituted nor prescribed by Christ in the Forms and Modes of them ariseth from a supposition of a defect in the Wisdom Care and Faithfulness of Christ Whence alone a necessity can arise of prescribing that in Divine Worship that he hath not prescribed § 18. TO your Fourth Argument I answer 1. To the Major Proposition 1. To give Testimony Signifieth either by remote unseen Consequence to cross Christs Faithfulness And so do many of the mistakes of you and every Party Or it signifies a known denial of Christs Faithfulness No Christian complieth with this 2. Complying also is an ambiguous word if it mean an approbation of any Sin so no man must comply If it mean communicating in good where there is a faulty mixture of some evil so he that will not comply must joyn with no Church and with no Man living 2. To your Minor I answer passing by the misforming in your Supposition It is not true that it belongeth to Christs Faithfulness to appoint and command all things whatever in the Church XXXIV Error which belongs to the Worship of God Else he were unfaithful in bidding them appoint many things belonging to his Worship I have named Instances enow which I must not still repeat You