hear them Mistaught by Seducers and instead of stopping their Mouths give way to Gain-Sayers whose Lips did not preserve and keep up Knowledge among the People but suppress and conceal it from them and who instead of Seeking shun'd the Seasons of Ministring the Word and of giving Gods People the Necessary Instructions How will they hope to approve themselves at that Day as having been the Lights of the World if they held this Light as Dark-Lanthorns ministring none to the World but letting it sit still in Darkness Or as the Salt of the Earth if by pure and wholsome Ministrations they did not season the Inhabitants thereof but suffer'd them for want of Seasoning to run into Spiritual Corruption and Putrefaction If they appear then to have been such Salt as did nothing to keep out Corruption they will be in Place of Salt without Savour as our Blessed Lord says or of Insipid Salt And such instead of being set by and carefully laid up he declares to be Good for nothing but to be cast out and troden under Foot Mat. 5. 13. So that all the Parts and Offices the Titles and Characters of their own Sacred Powers do most fully and lowdly proclaim to them the Duty of exercising their Spiritual Functions and discharging their Holy Ministrations in the foresaid Cases And let them but look to any of those Marks of Power and Care which God has put upon them or to any of those Stations wherein he hath placed them and they will effectually Remind them how much they are obliged to stir up the Gift that is in them when they see Religion wronged and the Souls of Men endanger'd by Immoral Worship and Doctrines or by other great Invasions on Christian Worship Faith or Practice Indeed the Necessity of supplying the Church with this Pure Worship Faith and Practice is thought by some to go a great Way in conferring the Ministerial Powers on those who otherwise would not have them And this is the Plea for the Collation of the Ministerial Powers by Ordination of Presbyrers without Episcopal Imposition of Hands in some Foreign Churches But not to examine that here whatever force and Effect it have in that Case of Conferring the Ministerial Powers on those who have them not it must needs be a sure Call to the Exercise thereof to those who have them and are Endowed therewith I do not say all Men are equally bound by the foresaid Characters to exercise these Gifts nor that the same Men are equally bound to it in all Places The Blessed Apostles had General Commissions and were sent out expresly to all Nations Mat. 28. 19. Other Bishops have a more limited Inspection and ought to be more especially Watchful over their own Diocesses having more particularly undertaken the Charge thereof But yet so as to be the Bishops of the Catholick Church and for the Preservation of the Catholick Worship and Faith who are therefore under Obligation of keeping these up as far as they can when they are Sinking and Over-Born in other Places Indeed in this Ministration they are not to stand on Punctilio's of Obligation doing no more than it can be proved they are bound to do in Rigor of Justice But they are to shew Zeal and Affection which doth not weigh Grains but thinks that a Call where it can do Religion and its Master any considerable Service and that the more of this it can do the better it is The Spirit of Love and Zeal is the Spirit which God requires in Pastors to direct and Influence their Spiritual Exercises and Administrations Lovest thou me says Christ to Peter repeating this to him Three Times when he charged him with the Pastoral Office of Feeding his Sheep and his Lambs Jo. 21. 15 16 17. By the putting on of Hands in Orders the Spirit which God hath given us is the Spirit of Love to Christ and his Church and of Power or Firmness and Fearlesness of what Evil may befal our selves in prosecution thereof says St. Paul 2 Tim. 1. 7. The Charge of Feeding the Flock or the Over-Sight which they take is not an unwilling Charge such as will go no further than it is compell'd but requires a VVilling and a Ready Mind that on any Call is free and prompt of it self to Discharge it 1 Pet. 5. 2. And this Spirit of Love and Zeal and Power which is the Principle of their Ministrations stands not upon strict Terms But being full of Care for Christ and for the Good of Souls and Fearless of what may thereby befal our selves doth more or less according as it's Measure and Degree is St. Paul had a great Measure thereof and according to the Degree of it's working in him mightily he laboured and strove Earnestly in the work of the Ministry that he might present every Man perfect in Christ Col. 1. 28 29. He disputed not nicely how far he was bound but would readily go beyond the strict Terms counting whatever were the Over-plus that it was to be expected from this Principle of Love and Zeal in his Master's Cause and would abundantly be made up by a surpassing Recompence If I do this thing willingly or beyond strict Command or Necessity says he speaking of some things in the course of his Ministration which he was not strictly bound to I have a Special Reward for so doing 1 Cor. 9. 15 17. And proportionable to the Degree of this Love and Zeal in others will the Measure of their Service and Ministrations be likewise They will still in any Places be more Active to keep up the Catholick Faith and Worship according as they are more perfect in this Ministerial or Pastoral Spirit And thus at length I think it may fully appear that Christ's Faithful Ministers are on many Accounts Obliged not to suppress their Ministrations but to supply the Church therewith when that is Necessary to prevent a Peoples being nursed up in Irreligious and destructive Ways like as are not only Idolatry and Speculative Heresies but also Immoral Doctrines and Practices and Immoral Worship and Devotions And therefore should those things prove Immoralities which on any Revolution happen to be justified in any Kingdom and are every where Press'd and Recommended to the Peoples Practice and are salved by the foresaid or such like new Doctrines and are brought into Prayers and publick Offices and Devotions in those Countries The deprived Bishops and Clergy in that State would be under all these Obigations to exercise their Functions and to Minister to the Church in those Cases And this would absolutely set aside the Argument from the forecited Sayings of Clemens and Dionysius and Chrysestom and Nazianzen for the cessation of Rightful Bishops to the intruding Anti-Bishops For these Cessations are in a Cause that concerns only Personal Rights not that touches the Interests of Religion or the Salvation of Souls And without examining the Truth of the particular Histories wherein are Errors enough as others have made appear it
accept of It must be a Worship not only in Spirit opposite to the way of carnal Sacrifices and the Numerousness of Jewish Ceremonies and external Rites but also in Truth opposite to all false superstitious or otherwise sinful ways which really are not Worship but Prophaneness For in Christianity the true Worshippers as our Lord says are they who worship God in Spirit and in Truth Jo. 4. 23 24. Yea as he adds the Father seeketh such to worship him v. 23. And if he seeketh such Worshippers his devoted Servants who have no other aim but to find him and to be found by him must seek out such Assemblies where such Worship is paid to him And thus also St. Peter says of those Sacrifices the joynt-communion wherein is to bind us together into one spiritual House that they must be such spiritual Sacrifices as are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ our Lord 1 Pet. 2. 5. So that the Unity in Worship and Prayers which we are bound to keep with other Christians or Assemblies is only whilst they meet to put up Holy Prayers coming in among them as live stories to make part of their spiritual House whilst they offer up such Sacrifices as may be fit to find acceptance as we heard from St. Peter And thus the Peace which St. Paul orders us to pursue is with those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart not with those who as the Gnosticks were like enough to do prophaned him by a sinful Worship or impure Petitions 2 Tim. 2. 22. And the bond of external Peace is where we may lawfully keep the unity of the spirit which is not to be kept in sinful Offices but only in pure ones Eph. 4. 3. or where in following after the things which make for Peace we may withal follow such things wherewith we may edifie not corrupt and ensnare one another Rom. 14. 19. Particularly as to the Pactors who are the Heads of those Assemblies one chief Character of theirs as they are set over us and chief ground of our Dependance and Obligations to keep under them is as they are Ministers of Prayers And that as they minister such Prayers as are fit to serve the necessary ends and purposes of all Prayer that is to worship and honour God and to benefit us or to bring down Blessings from him And if we who must seek out for Prayers are tyed to them as Ministers of holy and acceptable Prayers that Obligation towards them ceases when instead of administring such they fall to minister profane ones And thus there is a just Ground to break off or a Liberty of seperating from Assemblies even of Rightful Pastors for pure Christian Administrations Not for Purity from mere Defects or for Administrations more edifying which is the Pretence of our Anti-Episcopal Dissenters but for Purity from Sin and wicked Mixtures That is that they may have a Worship and Religious Service without mixture either of Idolatry or of Immorality That they may meet with nothing to reproach or dishonour God therein or to disturb and wound a pious Affection when they should be most helped and encouraged in exercise thereof being come to serve and worship him When they are thus barr'd out by any wicked mixtures unless necessity and want of better drive them to make shift therewith they are no longer tyed to resort to such Offices but are free to seek out for better at the hands of any other Regular and Authorised Pastors and ought to communicate in them if they can have them For sinful Prayers are a sinful Sacrifice as the Oblations of blemished of blind and lame and sick for Sacrifice were among the Jews Mal. 1. 8. Levit. 22. 19 20 22. Deut. 15. 21. And whatever Toleration it might meet with in want of better yet if any man hath in his Flock a Male or one fit to make a legal and perfect Offering cursed be he saith the Prophet that voweth and sacrificeth to the Lord a corrupt thing Mal. 1. 13 14. But the Ground of this breaking off is higher still if 2. They do not only put impious and unlawful things into their sacred Offices or Confessions but admit none to communion in any of the good parts unless they particularly concur in these corrupt ones too The former sets men loose that they lawfully may and where they have opportunities of better ought to break off from them But this drives and necessitates them that they must do so and can not for the supply of any Necessities stay to associate and assemble with them And thus it is when any Bishops will admit no Members or when any Churches will admit no other Churches to communicate with them unless they will agree to believe or profess some false Doctrine or partake and go along with them in those particular and unlawful Matters or evil Worship wherewithal they have clogged and corrupted their Communion Now when this is the Case nothing can legitimate Communion with such Bishops or Churches For though it is the duty and ought to be the desire and care of all good Christians to keep up the external Unity of the Church both under their own Bishops and with other Churches Yet must not this ever carry them to unite or to go along with them in ill things To be one with them in these Matters is to partake with them in their Sins which is not the Unity and Communion of Saints or Christians but of the ungodly or of evil-doers In such Points the more united any Society is the worse it is Such is the Union of all Infidel Churches who unite in utterly denying and opposing the Christian Faith And of Hereticks who incorporate under their seducing Heads to undermine or pervert it Yea even the infernal Spirits are united Polities without which Satans Kingdom could not stand as our Saviour says being associated and knit together to despite God and all that bears his Image But all this Union or Agreement of Men in damnable Errors or Wickedness is only combining against God and their own Souls And our Blessed Lord came not to bind up but to break such Combinations which the World then was full of I came not to send Peace but rather Divisiâ—n saith he that is to call People to break off from Error and Wickedness and to divide from the Adherers to ungodly ways Luk. 12. 51. So that the lamentableness of Mens not going all one way is true here where the Generality go the right way But when they are going wrong in ways of Guilt and Destruction to unite in Sin and Misery is a deplorable thing and there 't is best when the most divide and stand off from them Nor may they be wanting to their duty in some Points to keep on united to them in others They must not purchase Unity by sinfull Omissions or buy peace with the loss of innocence And therefore as I observed the watchmen must not be wanting in giving
are not only set up but justified 1. In some particular Cases especially of general Concern CHAP. IV. More of the Cases wherein Faithful Bishops and Ministers are bound to stick to their Pastoral Powers and Ministrations THey are still more bound to this Ministration when 2. This Justification of immoral Practices is by eluding and vacating of moral Precepts opposite thereto by Doctrinal Salvo's Instances of these Salvo's How they vacate the respective moral Precepts Such Salvo's make a Change in moral Doctrine though Men still own the Duties under their general Names The Duty of Pastors to defend and bear up moral Duties against such Salvo's by their Ministrations shewn at large And this when such corrupt Salvo's are only the Doctrines of the Pastors not the Determinations of the Church They are more strictly obliged thereto if the immoral Practices justified by such Salvo's are 1. extreamly Scandaelous to Religion 2. Generally Preach'd up by Seducers Or 3. Come strongly recommended to carnal Passions and Interests chiefly if driven on by general Persecutions CHAP. V. Of the Obligations to actual Ministration which lie upon them in the foresaid Cases THese deduced from their Office and Characters as they relate 1. To God and stand in Place 1. Of his Messengers 2. Of his Ministers and Ambassadors The various Obligations laid on them thereto by this 3. Of his Co-workers 2. As they relate to Religion as they are Ministers and Stewards of its Word and Mysteries The Obligations arising hence CHAP. VI. More of the Obligations to actual Ministration which lie upon them in the foresaid Cases 3. AS they relate to the Souls of Men and are set over the Church 1. As Watch-men 2. As Overseers 3. As Guides or Leaders 4. As Pastors or Shepheards 5. As Doctors or standing Teachers of the Church As Lights of the World and the Salt of the Earth Their Obligations to such exercise in the foresaid Cases from all the foresaid Characters Different Degrees in this Obligation A Spirit of Love and Zeal to Christ and his Church which stand not upon strict Terms the Spring and Principle of this Exercise How this clears the Duty of deprived Bishops and Clergy as to this Exercise on such Revolutions Answerable to this Obligation of the Pastors to afford such Ministrations at such Times is the Peoples Obligation to adhere to them and attend on them for Participation thereof PART II. Of Deprivations by Civil States or Ecclesiastical Synods CHAP. I. Of the Force of State Deprivations in the foresaid Cases THE Plea of a Deprivation of State represented in Bar of their Ministrations in the foresaid Cases Concerning which 1. This is to be press'd only under a supposed Legal and Rightful State 2. It s Deprivation is no conscionable Discharge from their Spiritual Ministrations in the foresaid Cases This is meant only of pure Spiritual Ministrations Not 3. of any Temporal Accessions and Inforcements of those Ministrations over which the State has Power because it conferr'd them As also over some other Powers belonging to the Church whilst it kept separate which it gives up to the State during its Incorporation with it These it gives up 1. with a Salvo to the Interests of Religion and of Souls 2. Only whilst it continues protected not when the State puts True Religion under Persecution CHAP. II. Of the Kings Ecclesiastical Supremacy Received and Asserted by our Church It lies not in his being invested with or having a Sovereign Disposal of the Powers of Orders But 1. in retaining his civil Power over all Persons whether Lay-Men or Ecclesiasticks In Virtue of this civil Power over the Persons of Ecclesiasticks he can command them faithfully to discharge their Spiritual Functions 2. In the Subordination of Ecclesiastical Courts and Causes wherein Ecclesiasticks are content to act subordinately on the Score of their secular Mixtures and Jurisdictions And in holding all this 3. in Opposition and Bar of all other Earthly Dependance especially of all Forreign Iurisdiction and Appeals This Supremacy excludes not Spiritual Ministrations of deprived Clergy in the foresaid Cases This may be collected from their Adversaries Concessions CHAP. III. Remarques on the Preceeding Account of the Force of State Deprivations and Instances of Deprivations alledg'd to the contrary considered and cleared up THE preceeding Account of the Force of State Deprivations is not 1. To deny the civil Power the Cognizance of Bishops and Ministers in civil Matters Nor any Iust Power over Ecclesiasticks 2. Nor to set the Church above the State as the Papal Usurpations pretend to do Nor to mistake or overlook the Condition of an incorporate Church The Deprivation of Abiathar by Solomon considered and cleared As also the frequent Depositions of the Jewish High Priests by the Roman Governours And of the Greek Patriarchs by the Turks And of the Popish Bishops by a Commission of State pursuant to an Act of Parliament in Queen Mary's Days CHAP. IV. Of Deprivations by Synods in the foresaid Cases DEprivation of Bishops most fit and pr per for Synods Their Deprivation no Discharge from Ministrations in the foresaid Cases as shown by reasons And by the Practice of the Church This is meant when Synods deprive for the cause of the Truth not of other mere Personal â—rimes where the Injured must acquiesce till relieved by regular Sentence â—hat regard is to be had to the Decisions of Synods in these Cases PART III. Of SCHISM CHAP. I. Of the Nature of Shism And of the Schism of particular Members from their own Church in throwing off Subjection and Dependance on their own Bishops OF the Union of a Society which Schism breaks One way of Uniting Societies is by Uniting them under the same Heads These in Church Societies are the Bishops Union of particular Members to their own Church is in Keeping Subject and Dependant on their own Lawful Bishops And their Schism lies in breaking off from them especially in seting up Opposite or Anti-Bishops against them So 1. in such Oppositions the Anti-Bishop and his Adherents make the Schism if the former Bishop was Orthodox and is still Rightful Bishop of the Church Of George the Cappadocian and Athanasius 2. The Unity of the Church doth not go with the greatest Numbers What distinguisheth Meetings in the Unity of the Church from Schismatical Conventicles Schismaticks too oft the more Numerous Party Much less doth it go with Places of Assemblies 3. Therefore in pressing Ecclesiastical Unity Men must be press'd to keep United to their own Orthodox Rightful Bishop not to any Opposite Bishop The Gospel Precepts of Love and Peace c. all on this Side and not to be urged the other way Such a Schism not to be cared by the Recessions of the Suffering Bishops in the foresaid Cases CHAP. II. Of the Schism of particular Churches from other Sister Churches by rejecting Fraternal Communion therewith UNity of one Body to be kept up among all particular Churches This is chiefly by the Union and Accord
to make Provisions The Work of Ministers and Pastors lies in Feeding of the Churches This Feeding of Ministers is Feeding them with Religious Offices and Ministrations These the People are to partake in but the Pastors are to Provide and Administer them And this as Religion and the Souls of Men stand in need thereof And they always need a Provision of such Ministrations both of the Word of Prayers and Sacraments as may Edifie but not Pervert and Purge but not Pollute those that seek to communicate therein Therefore it lies upon them I conceive to provide and supply the Churches First With an Holy or Sinless and Unpolluted Worship and such as may recommend the Worshippers to God and is fit to be accepted There is nothing that the Souls of Men may seem to need more than such an Holy Worship For the Worship of God is that whereby in an Especial manner they are to serve and please him whereby they must seek to expiate and attone him after any Offences which they have committed against him whereby they can gain his Favour and Aid it not only being the great means of their procuring but also an establish'd Way of his Conveying and Deriving down to the Souls of his Servants those Spiritual Graces and Blessings which they need and long for The Ministrations of Worship are the Ministrations of the Spirit to Minister and afford Grace to those who duly seek it and so will be owned of 〈◊〉 Necessity to all who see what need they have of the Divine Grace and Bounty And since the Worship of God is to stand them in so much Stead they have need enough to have it Pure and Pleasing that the Medicine be not turned into Poyson that it do not affront and provoke God instead of gaining and appeasing him and stop Blessings instead of bringing them down There is nothing also that Religion lies more in The Worship of God is the most Direct and Immediate Act and the most express and open Profession of Religion It is a Service both Solemnly and Professedly Performed in the Presence and immediately to the Person of God And being so directly and immediately concern'd with it in Person he is more nicely Tender of any Prophanation or Wrong to him therein 'T is particularly in matters of his Worship that he declares himself a Jealous God in the Second Commandement When Sin and Wickedness is sent up to him there his own Person is immediately struck at Instead of being Served and Honoured he is Aspersed and Blasphemed by it For such an Unholy Worship Asperses and Slanders him as if he were an Unholy God 'T is a Profession to serve and gain him by wicked Ways which represents him as taking Pleasure in ill Things and being ready to Patronize them fixing upon him our own Violences and making him appear as bad as we our selves are And this is a most horrible Prophanation and Blasphemously foul Aspersion thrown upon the purest of all Beings It is a turning Piety into Prophaneness and our very Prayers into Libels and Reproaches So that if Men would have their Worship truly Religious or such as may truly Represent and Honour God not Disgrace and Bolye him they must take care above all things to preserve it free from all Prophane Matter and Sinful Mixtures As the Worship is of an Holy God so must what is Offer'd to him be an Holy Worship Holiness becomes his House and more especially his Service His Servants must put up Holy Prayers and not have their Prayers turn'd into Sin or their Sins presented to God therein which would turn Prayers into an Abomination And this is True of all sorts of Sins either Idolatry and Superstition or Immeralities The needs of Religion and of the Church require that Worship and Devotions be kept free from both and that neither of them mix and incorporate therewith Immoral Prayers as well as Idolatrous Ones are a Blasphemous Libel upon God and an utter Prophanation and Prostitution of Worship and Devotion they turn Prayer into an Abomination and call down a Curse instead of a Blessing And thus it was in the Heathen Devotions which were not only Idolatrous as being paid to False Gods but too often Immoral and Impure as being paid to Vicious and Dishonest Deities Mercury by their account was addicted to Theft Venus to Whoredom Bacchus to Revelling and Drunkenness as others were to other Immoralities And setting up such Immoral Deities no wonder they should be found paying them Immoral Services and together with their Idolatrous Sacrifices offering up also Immoral Services as Uncleanness Drunkenness and Revellings in their Temples And these Immoralities in Lasciviousness and Excess of Wine as well as the Mis-applications of Worship therein were the most Odious Prophanation and Blasphemous Reproach of God and made them Abominable Idolatries as St. Peter says 1. Pet. 4. 3. These Immoralities whilst they find a place only in Practise if persisted in stop the Acceptance of Devotions And so God told the Iews by his Prophet Amos that till he saw a Course of Judgment and Righteousness he should hate and despise their Feast Days and not Smell in their Solomn Assemblies nor accept their Burnt Offerings or Peace-Offerings nor hear their Hymns and Songs of Praise Amos 5. 21 22 23 24. And the same he declares to them by Isaiah Is. 1. 11 to v. 18. and by Ieremiah Jer. 6. 6 20. And if they have such Fatal Effects when presented to him only in Practice what will they have when presented to him in Solomn Worship and Prayers which makes the Prophanation thereof so much more Staring and Audacious and the Provocation abundantly more Hainous Now these Sinless Prayers free from Immorality as well as from Idolatry which Religion and the Souls of Men stand in such need of it must be the Care of Pastors to provide and Supply them with As Ministers of Prayers they must see that such be administred to them Yea as God himself is Jealous of his Honour in these Services So must they as his Substitutes and Representatives be Iealous for him to mantain and preserve Purity therein And that to invite Honest and Sincere Tempers to resort to Prayers and Divine Service as well as to prevent their contracting Guilt and Prophaning God instead of Pleasing him when they are met there For wicked and unrighteous Prayers extreamly disturb Righteous Petitioners and drive away truly Plous and Devout Minds making them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it is in the Septuagint on the Pollutions of the Sacrifices by Ely's Sons that is To forhear the Service of God and to abhor the Offering of the Lord 1 Sam. 2. 17 24. I do not say there is the same need of affording the People of God this pure Worship free from the Company of Immoral Practisers The Congregation of Worshippers or Church of God in this World is like to be a Mixture of Persons or as a Field wherein Tares will grow mixt
afford him their Ministrations at such Times As Gods publick Agents and Ordinary Ambassadors their Instructions are to preserve the things of God safe Then they must see to guard his Worship from Sinful and Polluted Mixtures and his Laws from elusive Glosses and undermining Salvo's and the Practices of his People from damnable Unrighteousness and Immoralities And what sort of Agents would they shew themselves should they refuse to Minister and Act for him what trusty Ambassadors should they fail to pursue their Instructions when all these Wrongs and Violences are offer'd to his Affairs and are attempted to be obtruded upon his Worship his Precepts and his People at such times As his Ambassadors they are Ambassadors for Peace and carry the Word of Reconciliation to a People that has offended him And when God and any People are at Enmity by reason of the foresaid Worship and Practices would they approve themselves fit to be intrusted with this Ambassage of Peace or to be Faithful in the Discharge thereof who should not so much as tell the Offenders that God and they are at Difference nor minister and propose from him the true Terms of making up the Breach By failing to Minister this Word when they are sent on purpose with it and have undertaken the Administration of it would they not prove themselves down-right Enemies and basely Treacherous and False to both And is any Failure or Falshood more Fatal as well as more inexcusable than theirs would be in this Case As Christ's Representatives and as Sustaining his Person and Place they are to say what he would say to any Offenders and to act as he would act in these Cases were he visibly to appear and immediately to manage and administer his own Affairs They must come into Christ's Care and Administration when they come to sustain his Person For his Part on Earth as he declares was to Minister to his Church Representing him they must endeavour as they can to supply the want of his Presence and that must be by affording Religion and his People what Ministrations he would afford to them were he among â—â—â—m And this must imply the foresaid Exercise of their Spiritual Ministries in the above-mention'd Cases For were he on Earth at such Times he would surely see no want of these Ministrations to preserve or rescue his Worship from being polluted his Laws from being vacated and the Practice of his People from such Ways of Sin and Death as are then offer'd to be obtruded on them To Minister against all these was his Business when he was upon the Earth and would be so were he to appear again And ought to be the Business of all that represent and appear for him If they neglect the Ministry and Care of these things and let them alone what other Ministries are there left then for them to represent this great Minister of God and Bishops of our Souls in If then they do not Minister his Word to the Church in his Name what becomes of the Communication which they are to keep up between his Church and Him For he is to speak to them by his Representatives and says he that hears them hears him Luk. 10. 16. And if his Representatives are silent at such Times and say nothing from Him that instead of faithfully Maintaining is to drop and make an end of this way of Communication Thus doth their very Office and Station of being Gods Ordinary and Standing Ministers and Publick Agents and Ambassadors and Representatives oblige them to actual Administrations in the foresaid Cases Their Office lies in supplying such Administrations which are the Trust they have receiv'd from Christ and the Business which they are set for He hath committed to us the Administration of this Reconciliation saith St. Paul 2 Cor. 5. 18. This faithful supply of such Administrations is call'd fulfilling their Ministry as in St. Pauls Caution to Archippus Col. 4. 17. For to intrust his things with them as Ministers or Agents is to trust that they will act therein and Administer the same unto his People Accordingly they who have received a Ministry are required to wait on their Administration Ro. 12. 6 7. Or every Man as he hath received the Gift of Preaching or Ministry c. even so to Minister the same one to another as good Stewards of the Manifold Grace of God 1 Pet. 4. 10 11. Thus also they are call'd to Preach the Word and Discharge these Ministrations against Teachers Preaching to please Mens Lusts and against People heaping up such Teachers to themselves that they may thereby fulfil or make full Proof of their Ministry 2 Tim. 4. 2 3 5. And are bid not to neglect the Gift that is in them by Imposition of Hands but to be the Peoples Monitors against the Speakers of Lies in Hypocrisie that they may be good Ministers of Jesus Christ 1 Tim. 4. 2 6 14. And to approve themselves as the Ministers of God by the Word of Truth and by the Armor of Righteousness in the midst of Afflictions and Persecutions 2 Cor 6. 4 5 7. Their Administration must from Time to Time keep up what God would have kept up both in his Peoples Practice and in Doctrine in Worship and Devotion They shall Teach my People the Difference between the Holy and Prophane and shall cause them to discern between the Unclean and the Clean. And they shall keep my Laws and my Statutes in all mine Assemblies or see that all things be done in those Assemblies according to them as Theodoret expounds it Ezek. 44. 23 24. 3. Of his Fellow-workers or Co-adjutors We as Workers together with God beseech you saith St. Paul 2 Cor. 6. 1. We are Labourers together with God the chief Worker And ye are Gods Husbandry whom as Co-labourers we Cultivate Planting what is Profitable and Rooting out every hurtful Weed Ye are Gods Building which we as Work-Men together with him are Spiritually to Rear and Build up or to Repair the same when any part thereof is Broken down 1 Cor. 3. 9. Now when any such Breaches are made upon the Worship or the Laws of God and upon the Practice of his People in all the foresaid Cases God is sure to be at Work with Men. His Providence outwardly throws i Hindrances and awakening Alarms and his Holy Spirit is inwardly Busie in their Hearts by raising Holy Thoughts and Suggestions to prevent the fall of some and to recover and raise up others who are already faln and to set both the Celebration of his own Worship and the Sence of his Precepts and the Practice of his People at Rights again And whilst he is thus Working and plying them both with inward Motions and with outward Accidents or Occurrences his Ministers as Fellow-workers should joyn their Ministration to carry on the same Work in them And how are they Fellow-labourers if at such times whilst he holds on Labouring they give it off How
opportunity of siding and closeing with it So that where they can have no assemblies for right communion the making a shift with the other for that time speaks no opposition against them I grant to stand quite off from them and to have no communion or correspondence with them in their separate ways is the clearest disclaiming of any Schism or Sedition And this as it may be payd so is more reasonably exacted under the settlement of a right Government But under others when the disobedient have got all into their hands and make the number in all places this way of disclaiming by refusing all communion and correspondence admits of some relaxation and abatements It doth so plainly in the Civil State where some dealings and correspondence of the dutiful and well affected with the Rebels which would have been sentenced as Rebellion in better times will not then be reputed rebellious And under like prevalence of Schisms which leave no opportunities of communicating with any else I think such abatements may also find place in the Church too Especially considering the necessity of publick communion and Church assemblies the great defectiveness and scarcities whereof had almost dropped and lost Religion in the Patriarchical Age. And also considering the necessity which our Religion in particular lays upon Communion the Communion of Saints being one of the things professed in the Creed which may make it more reasonable to presume such abatements in favour thereof when there is no opportunity of Ministerial Offices by any others to communicate with But that the necessity of having some Ministerial communion will be an excuse in such case for the faultiness of having this at the hands of one ministring in a Schism when it can not be had from others seems reasonable to me from considering the Nature and Importance of things and the abatements God himself has been willing to make on such necessity with other like Duties and I think it was so held and practised by the Church and People of God when they could have no Ministerial Offices but from Schismaticks and also to give Relief in some other compassionable cases about communion which have only like plea for abatements as this case has 1. As to the Nature and Importance of the things themselves publick worship or communion in Ministerial Offices is a duty more of natural and essential Obligation to pay such publick worship being naturally incumbent on all men And withal it is so important in it self For Communion in Ministerial Offices or in common and publick Worship must both declare or testifie the sence which Mankind have of their common or publick Lord and also sustain or bear it up in the World It is the way for God who most justly claims and expects the worship and service of all his reasonable Creatures not to be left without Witness but even in a degenerate and rebellious World to have some always visibly standing by him and paying him his due honour and homage It is also the way for him to preserve alive a sense thereof among all his other Subjects and Children whom he as a common Lord and Father is concerned continually to make acquainted therewith and to try with the power and influences thereof For by this means he sets forth his worship and truths as a Light to shine out to all that are in darkness and sets this light upon a candlestick or collects the bearers thereof into a body or City and places this City upon an Hill as our Saviour says to make it conspicuous and that it may force it self upon the observation of all who are at a distance And if any are willing to pay this Almighty Lord his due honour and homage it will train them up dayly in the knowledge and observance thereof If they are unwilling and averse thereto it will serve to make them willing by degrees For such dayly representation of God's publick worship and homage before their eyes will be a dayly reproof of their ungodly Violations or Neglects thereof and make them uneasie therein and by degrees awaken and stir up those natural and innate feeds of Truth and Piety which God has planted in all mens Souls though under such Neglects or irreligious ways they lye dormant and seems as if they were buryed or almost quite lost in theirs Or if after all they shall obstinately shut their eyes against this Light so shining out upon them and persist in their wickedness and irreligion it will clear the Justice of an Injured God when he comes to punish them for the same and leave them wholly without excuse Yea this publick worship is necessary at least as to a great part of Men or as to the keeping them up in any considerable Numbers to keep up Religion and Devotion not only among others but in their own breasts For Devotion is to be upheld and improved in our Spirits by exercise which as they have Provisions for and are call'd to so all devout People are careful to comply withal on the constant returns of these opportunities But though we need to use this exercise to keep it on we need use none at all to wear it off our minds which by meer neglect thereof will sink into forgetfulness of what is good and into sloth and indevotion of themselves Their progress therein is like that of heavy Weights up hill which need a constant hand to raise and carry them on but when that is once off have enough in their own Weight to make them roul down again And this all may find by their own experience mens pious affection as any heedful Observer will soon perceive unavoidably decaying and going back back for want thereof Which makes devout minds justly to dread the want of such opportunities for Ministerial Offices as a starving of their Religious affections And for this Reason among others St. Paul is earnest in pressing attendance on Religious Assemblies and cautions them against for saking the same because that would endanger the loss of Religion it self Not forsaking the assembling of your selves together as the manner of some is saith he to the persecuted Hebrews when he labours to fix them in holding fast the Christian Profession without wavering and to guard them against such things as would most dispose them to draw back and apostatize from it Heb. 10 23 25. 26. 39. And for these and such like Reasons publick worship is of so great account in God's sight that he has framed much of our Holy Religion with a particular eye to it and instituted several great and most important things for the sake of it Such is the Church it self which is instituted for joynt and publick worship The Society thereby introduced among us is to associate us in the common worship of that God whom we all confess and the Fellowship arising thence is to make us all Fellow-worshippers Such also is the Ministry which God has appointed for his publick Service or to minister unto
of things and with the equitable allowances made by God himself on such Competitions It suits no less I conceive with the Practice of the Church and with the Concessions and Allowances thereof to take up with ministerial offices from one in a Schism rather than to live without any at all or when they cannot be had at the Hands of other men Albeit therefore to avoid the the Guilt of Schism men are to disclaim and stand off from the Communion of Anti-Bishops and their Adherents and not to Participate in their ministrations Yet is that strictly I think on supposal of Room or Opportunity to Participate more Regularly with others But want of other ministrations will be an excuse for the faultiness of seeking them from them and it will be allow'd I conceive to take up therewith from Schismaticks rather than to live without any ministerial offices at all And thus under the paucity or small number of the Rightful Bishops and Clergy their adherents and their insufficiency as is alledged for affording general opportunities especially in a Persecuting time which allows no freedom of open and promiscuous Assemblies will both a Due Conviction and Conscience of the criminalness of Schism and the Exercise of â—ullick Worship and Devotion be kept up and provided for in the Church of Christ. They will preserve a Conscionable sense of Schism by owning the Unlawfulness of Communicating with the Ministrations of Schismaticks where they can have others perhaps on all occasions however for the most part at least in competent measure though not in returns so constant as they wish they could yea and though in these cases they must be at some pains for these Ministrations or have them with Peril or Persecutions I say though with Pains or Persecutions For in such DIVISIONS we must not think it an indifferent thing which Assemblies we resort to for Communion nor hold our selves Free to go among those who are met in the unity of the Church in the Morning but to a Schismatical Congregation in the Afternoon Nor must any fancy themselves at Liberty to seek Religious Offices from men ministring in a Schism when that is necessary to qualifie themselves for some secular office or advantage or to serve a worldly Turn Nor when it is necessary to save their pains or to shun fleshly perils where they might have the same Religious Offices in the Unity of the Church but with Persecutions For in the abatements here pleaded for in the present case from Necessity I speak not of worldly Necessity or of abateing where it is necessary for our worldly interests and convenience or to prevent outward losses and sufferings But of Necessity for Religion and Gods Service for our Duty not for our Carnal ends Or of abateing of the strict observance of this command of keeping Unity where it is necessary to the keeping and discharge of other of Gods Commandments happening to stand in competition therewith which he sets more by And they will keep up the practice of Devotion and the publick Ministries and profession of Religion by admitting the necessity of some Ministrations for an excuse and so taking up with Ministerial Offices from them when they can not otherwise though with Persecutions be supplyed therewith but must live without any at all CHAP. VIII Of Communicating in like Necessity where there are some Prayers sinful in the Matter of them BUT in Communicating with Anti-bishops and their Adherents set up to head immoral Prayers and Practices as is set forth in the fore-mentioned Cases there is not only the Schismaticalness of the Assemblies but the sinful Matter of the Prayers to be considered There is a Fault in what they pay which is a corrupt and sinful Worship as well as in the Society where they pay it which is not in the Unity of the Spirit and the Bond of Peace but in Schismatical Congregations And though the Necessity of having some Ministerial Offices and the want of opportunity for any others will excuse the first faultiness viz. The Schismaticalness of the Assemblies What shall such People do to get over the second viz. the Unrighteous Petitions or sinful Matter of the Prayers which are offered up to God therein As to this to concur and go along in any immoral or unrighteous Petition or Thanksgiving is certainly an immoral and unrighteous thing as praying is most solemnly taking part with and endeavouring for them Nay to offer up these in Prayers and Religious Addresses is a most impudently and horribly prophane thing it abuses the Great and most Holy God by making him a Present of the most hateful Abominations it blasphemes and asperses him for an immoral and unrighteous God who can accept a Present of Unrighteousness who can be pleased or think himself honoured therewith or be entreated to become the patron and Maintainer thereof So that when such Prayers occur in Sacred Offices or when they have the accessional allotment and furtherance of set Days of Fasting or Thanksgiving no Man who would preserve any Reverence for God or Respect for Religion or Care of his own Soul must concur therein but instead of helping on all true Worshippers of God and Lovers of Righteousness as I conceive most utterly detest and abhor them But in mixt Prayers where some are holy and some are sinful what may be done by those who would pick and chuse and joyn with them only in the good but keep off from the evil Now as to this the sinful mixture may be of Idolatrous Worship or Prayers And not to discuss whether it may be excuseable in any Cases to resort to Churches where there are such Mixtures of idolatrous service I think however these are not on the same Level with others but that there is a greater bar to all Communion in Worship by such Mixtures For Idolatry doth more peculiarly and heinously affect worship In respect of it God declares himself a jealous God and so is less likely to accept of any worship in partnership with Creatures or in sacred Offices to admit of and go halves with Rivals And with particular respect to this St. Paul sets out the incompatibleness of communicating both with Christ and Belial and the Scripture-precepts of be ye separate and come out from among them do more directly and forceably affect this than other sins in Religious Assemblies Or the good parts of the worship which are intermixt with the evil may not afford them all that is necessary in Christian Worship or not in such a way as it is necessary they should have it And then there is a â—ar to Communion in such worship not only from the Mixture of ill Prayers from which the partakers in other parts would separate but also from the defectiveness of those good parts thereof which are to recommend it because they do not supply the Worshippers with all that is necessary in Christian worship Thus instead of whole they may administer half Sacraments sacrilegiously
faln from them and tyes us up no further to communicate with them 1. First 'T is always a just Ground to break off from them if they make impious or unlawful things the Terms or Conditions of their own Members or of others keeping on communion with them I do not say it is the only Ground having mentioned others but it is always a just Ground thereof And thus it is 1. When they put impiâ—us or unlawful things into their saecred Offices and mix sinful Matters in that Body of Prayers or Administration of Sacraments which they call others to communicate with What Allowances may be made herein for a generally corrupt state of the Church and how far in necessity and want of others good People may be at liberty still to resort to such I shall consider afterwards But such mixture of Sin and Prophanation in what they are called to communicate in I think sets People loose and leaves them no longer bound to them For the Communion which all Christians are obliged to seek in the Catholick Church is the Communion of Saints This Saintship though it be not always in Reality must at least be always in Profession The Persons must all be profest Saints whom we communicate with And the Things and Offices must all be of profess'd Saintship which we are call'd to communicate in And such those publick Offices are not that have any gross Sins or Wickednesses which are all so many Prophanations for the matter of them This Saintship wherein this Communion is to be held lyes more especially in Faith and Worship And where they fail in either of these we are not bound to communion with any Assemblies It is so plainly where they fail in point of Faith For Heresie which is a corruption of Faith will set us loose as I shall shew hereafter from the communion of any Persons or Churches And Corruptions of Worship are to the full not only as offensive but as openly dishonourable to God who is not more aspersed or provoked by a false belief and confession than by a corrupt and wicked worship So that among those whose business in Religious Assemblies is to see God honour'd and to seek that he may be appeas'd any gross Sins made the matter of Worship which are a corruption of Worship will do the same They not only set God's faithful People free to stand off from such corrupt Offices but oblige his faithful Pastors to standâ—up for him and to minister or afford better out of a just sense of the Peoples needs and jealousie for God's Honour as I shew'd before Besides our chief Obligations to unite our selves to any Religious Assemblies is as they are Assemblies for Worship We as so many live Stones are joyn'd together and built into a Spiritual House to offer up Spiritual Sacrifices as St. Peter says 1 Pet. 2. 5. Yea and as they are purely for Worship not partly for worshipping and partly for prophaning God there being Obligation enough on the Servants of God to meet together to see him publickly honoured but none to see him publickly profaned And therefore we are not obliged to make part of such Assemblies as put up sinful Matters and gross Wickedness in their publick Offices For Worship is a Profession of Honour and Reverence But Sin and Wickedness are Professions of Irreverence and Reproach and so are not Worship but Profanations So that the Obligations incumbent on God's Servants to meet there where Offerings are to be made that are for his Honour yea only such as are for his Honour will not bind them but if they can serve him any where else rather forbid them to meet there where these Prophanations are Thus is the Matter of Religious Meetings or the Worship and Service there performed the chief thing that carryes the Obligation to them I say the chief but not the only thing For we are Members of a Church as well as Professors of a Religion and as Christians are incorporated into a Society as well as instructed in a Doctrine And both these bind us to Religious Assemblies For as good Christians we ought to meet there to shew our Adherence to the Church as a Society or our Union to it as Members as well as to put up Prayers to God by JESUS CHRIST or to pay our Religious Worship and Service That is our Christianity obliges us to meet together both to present our Religious Oblations and Acknowledgments to Almighty God and to do it in dependance on our Lawful Pastors or in the Unity of the Church But this Obligation to these Meetings as thereby keeping Union with the Church as a Society is but a Secondary Obligation and that of paying truly Christian and acceptable Worship is the first and chief therein For the end why Christians were formed into a Society was to keep up the Profession and Payment of that Holy Doctrine and Worship which are necessary or peculiar to them as they are a Sect or Religion And the Members are bound to stick to it whilst it stands upon this Doctrine and Worship not when it starts off from it It is the Religion which recommends the Church And we are to chuse our Church or Assemblies for the Religions not our Religion for the Churches sake So that their falling off from pure Christian Worship and Doctrine which are necessary to the Religion to its honouring God or our acceptance by it loosens the bond of Union to any Assemblies and sets Men free to joyn with any others regularly empowered who stick faster to them Agreeably to all this we find Faith and Worship spoke of as the Great Ligaments that are to bind and unite us to any Church Of the Ligament of Faith I shall treat in its proper place And as for Worship which lyes partly in confessions of Faith but more especially in Prayers and Sacraments it is a Ligament too and Prayers and Sacraments are set off as compacting us into one Body or cementing us into one spiritual House Thus of Prayers St. Peter says we are set together as one spiritual House to send up spiritual Sacrifices 1 Pet. 2. 5. And of the Sacraments it is declared that we are all baptized into one Body 1 Cor. 12. 13. and that we are one Body by partaking all of one Bread 1 Cor. 10. 17. and by having been made all to drink into one Spirit 1 Cor. 12. 13. therein referring to the one Loaf whereof we all eat and to the one Cup whereof we all drink in the Holy Eucharist Now as that Faith which is to unite and bind us to any Churches or Assemblies is not any Erroneous or Heretical Tenets as I shall shew anon but the Orthodoâ—c and Right Faith So is that Worship which is to do the same not any sinful and prophane but a truly Christian and Holy Worship or such an Oblation of Prayers and Administration of Sacraments as Christ has instituted and appointed and will not reject and punish but