Commanded Rom. 13. 1. Let every Soul be subject to the higher powers I and without this If we deny our Rulers this power That they have no Authority to make Laws in indifferent things we do not onely weaken the Arme of Authority but we break all Government in Church and Common wealth and cannot but see what unnatural Consequences of all Disorder are like to insue upon it in Church in State in Families in all Societies of the world Confusion will and of Necessity must follow if they have no power to make Laws for Edifying Decency and Order in Things indifferent and not contrary to the Word of God But if they have power by Laws to Regulate the Circumstances of Gods Worship in indifferent things for Peace Unity Order and Decency as the Apostle adviseth 1 Cor. 14. 40. Let all things be done Decently and in Order Then it must needs be granted that it is our Duty to Obey them in such their Determinations Thus you see there is and will be a Necessity of our Obedience To apply this plainly and fully we acknowledge there is no Necessity of the Imposition of this Ceremony of the Cross in Baptism or after Baptism because we neither Judge it in it self necessary any way to Salvation nor put any Holiness in it but in that respect it may be as well left out and omitted as used neither can we think that our Governours themselves put any Opinion of Necessity or Religion in it seeing they do openly Declare themselves to the contrary in the Doctrine of our Church as you may easily perceive if you look upon our Book of Canons and Examine the xxx Canon The title whereof is The Lawful Use of the Cross in Baptism Explained But seeing this Ceremony hath been so Anciently and Constantly Used in the Primitive Churches still used in our Church and never put down by any Lawful Authority but still retained and Established by our Laws yet onely for Discipline and Order and upon no other account of Holiness or Necessity There is a Necessity of our Obedience in it to the Command of our Governours and to the Authority of the Church as long as the Ceremony it self is Lawful in it self not Contrary to the Word of God may be Lawfully used upon this Account and that it is the pleasure of King and Parliament to Injoyne it Require it and Command it Things in their own nature Indifferent being Commanded or Forbidden by a Lawful Magistrate do in some sort alter their nature in respect of the Tie of our Obedience And therefore because this Ceremony is Prescribed and Commanded by Authority the Church expecteth Obedience at our hands Thus you may plainly perceive the difference between the Necessity of the Imposition of it and the Necessity of our Obedience and Submission to it when it is Imposed and Injoyned 2. For the Surplice there is no reasonable Man but will allow of Distinction of degrees among Men. Then how shall they be known but by their several Vestments Cloaths and Habites Judges are discerned by their Robes Serjeants at Law by their Coifes Aldermen by their Gowns Schollers in the Universities and their several Degrees by their several Habites Caps and Hoods why then should it be any way inconvenient or accounted an Indecorum or unseemly thing in Ministers to have some Distinction in their Apparel from others to be known and differenced from others and if we Examine this Vesture of the Surplice we shall find it Used before Popery was in the world So that Diversity of Apparel and more particularly of this Vestment had not his beginning from the Pope Eusebius Recordeth out of the most Ancient Writers That John the Apostle wore at Ephesus a Bishops Attire upon his Head terming it Pelatum seu Lamina Pontificalis and Pontius the Deacon Writeth of Bishop Cyprian the Martyr That a little before he should be Beheaded he gave to him that should Behead him his Vesture called Birrus and to his Deacon his Vesture called Dalmatica and so stood himself in Linnen And that the Apparel of the Priests and Ministers of the Church was Distinct from Lay-men in the old Church of the Primitive Times is Apparent by the Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret lib. 2. cap. 27. And by the Writings of Socrates lib. 6. cap. 22. Yea there was a Distinct Apparel between the Christians and Gentiles we find it was the Custome when Christians were first Converted and came to Christs Religion and were admitted into the Church Instead of a Gown they did wear a Cloak for which cause when they were mocked of the Gentiles Tertullian Wrote a Learned Book De Pallio In defence of the Cloak of that Fashion and Custome And as they had their several Distinctions of Apparel between Christians and Gentiles so especially between Ministers and Lay-people And that white Linnen for Ministerial Apparel was used in the Church is plain to all Chrysostome in his Homil. 38. on St Matthews Gospel speaking of Ministers saith This is your Dignity your Stay your Crown not that you walk through the Church in white Vestments c. And Hierom. lib. 1. contra Pelagium speaks of the Ecclesiastical Order which in the Administration of the Sacrifices went in white Vestures We find that that the Jews Gods own people especially the Nobler sort of them were wont to Wear and were much delighted in white Cloaths Therefore Solomon speaketh thus to the Epicure Eccles 9. 8. At all times let thy Garments be White that is Be merry put on thy best Cloaths and keep Holy day Their Nobles were called in the Hebrew Tongue Chorim that is Candidi White Thus you shall find it 1 Reg. 21. 8. Jezabel there sent Letters in Ahabs Name Sealed with his Seal to the Elders and Nobles of the City where Naboth dwelled Who in the Hebrew Tongue are there called Chorim and hence we may suppose came the Word Candidati which is so much used among our Lattin Authors for Men in Office Men of Note or in Authority because they were usually Cloathed in White It is worth our observation which the Evangelists note out unto us You find that the Souldiers of Pilate the Romane Deputy put upon our Saviour Christ a Scarlet Robe Matth. 27. 28. or as Mark hath it Mark 15. 17. and John Joh. 19. 5. a purple Garment which is also a very pleasant Red. But the Souldiers of Herod King of Jewry as you read Luk. 23. 11. araied Christ in White and sent him again to Pilate Both was in mockery yet it sheweth the different Fashion of those two Nations The Jews and Romans and that White was the Colour of Honour among the Jews And no man can deny but that the Christians in the Primitive times had a great Vessel called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their Churches and that in those hot Countries they who were Baptized were first dipped in the water of that Vessel with their naked Bodies and after covered with new
Pharisee the other a Publican the Pharisee maketh a long prayer justifying himself laying open and censuring the faults and sins of others and condemning the poor Publican ☉ God I thank thee that I am not as other men Extortioners Unjust Adulterers or as this Publican I fast twice in the week I give tithe of all that ever I possesse Here you see how he doth inlarge and commend himself but the Publican stood a far off and would not lift so much as his eyes up to Heaven as being ashamed of his sins confounded in himself and afraid of Gods judgments but smote his breast to shew the true contrition of his heart his prayer is short only this O God be merciful to me a sinner yet this man went home to his house justified saith our Saviour rather then the other God accepted of the short prayer of the humble Publican proceeding from faith and rejected the long prayer of the proud Pharisee The sacrifices of God saith David Psal 51. 17. are a contrite spirit A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Hoc negotium plerunque plus gemitibus quam Sermonibus agitur plus Fletu quam afflatu saith Bernard God regardeth the Groans Sighs and Tears of an humble soul more then words We read that when Monica the Mother of St. Augustine a good Religious Woman did often complain weep and devoutly pray to God for her Son Augustine being then a wild and unruly youth that the Lord would be pleased to convert him and make him a new man St. Ambrose comforted her saying It is impossible that a Son of so many tears should perish so may we say it is impossible that the prayers groans and tears of an humble soul and contrite heart should be in vain Mark the prayer of Hannah 1 Sam. 1. 13. when she prayed in Gods House for a Son the Text saith she spake in her heart her lips did only move her voice was not heard so that Eli the Priest took her to be drunk but she answered ver 15. 16. Nay my Lord but I am a woman troubled in spirit I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink but have poured out my soul before God for of the abundance of my complaint and of my grief have I spoken hitherto God heard in Heaven the very groans and desire of her heart and gave her a Son according to her desire The Form of prayer commanded by God for the Priests to bless the people Numb 6. 23 the prayer of Moses at the setting forward and resting of the Ark Numb 10. 35. the prayer prescribed in case of an uncertain murther Deut. 21 7 8. in paying their third years tithe Deut. 26. 13 14 15. the very Form of prayer which Christ himself gave to his Disciples Luke 11. 1. to be a pattern to them and us all are very short pithy substantial and comprehensive long prayer is a dulling of the edge of our spirit and of the earnestness and fervency of the heart which is required in prayer Now our prayers are Common-prayer fitted for the capacity of our plain common and ordinary peope whose hearts cannot be long bent fully to one thing but are apt to stray therefore our prayers are short to keep up the Attention of the heart and spirit and many because they consist of many several Petitions and Requests If we look upon Antiquity St. Augustine Ep. 121. tells us that the Brethren in Egypt are reported to have many prayers but every one of them very short as if they were darts thrown out with a kind of sudain quickness least the vigilant and erect attention of the mind which in prayer is very necessary should be wasted and dulled if their prayers were few and long And Luther saith that prayer is Christianorum Bombarda the Christians Gun-shot as then a Bullet out of a Gun so prayers out of our mouth can go no farther then the spirit doth carry them Therefore it is humble and fervent Devotion the strong bent of the heart mind and spirit that doth pierce the gates of Heaven and pleaseth God as you may see by Hannah 1 Sam. 1. 13. and the short Ejaculations of an earnest and devout soul are a loud cry in the ears of God as you may perceive by Gods words to Moses Exod. 14. 15. Why dost thou cry unto me so that if our prayers be short and many as consisting of many several Petitions as long as our hearts and the fervency of the Spirit are joyned with them there is no doubt but they may and shall find acceptance with God Obj. That the several Gestures prescribed in the Service of God the standing up at the Creed the bowing at the name Jesus and kneeling at the receiving of the Lords Supper are Offensive to many Answ There is an old saying Faelix qui potuit rerum cognâ—scere causas if moderate and wise men were so happy as to know the true grounds and reasons of these things they would not so soon take offence nor be offended at all we all acknowledge the Gesture and Posture of the Body in the Service of God to be counted among things indifferent as a thing indifferent in it self neither necessary nor sinful Morally neither Good nor Evil neither Commanded nor Forbidden in Scripture God regardeth not so much the outward Gesture or Posture of the Body as the inward frame of the Soul and true Devotion of the heart yet it is the Apostles charge 1 Cor. 14. 40. That all things in the Church should be done decently and in order Indeed Order is the Beauty of Nature the Perfection of all things Government the preserver of Order Laws the Soul of Government and Execution the life of all without which no Society State or Kingdom nor the Life of Man or Service of God can well subsist Now if in time of Divine Service and in the performance of one and the same Office and at the same time one will stand another kneel and another sit what order shall there be in the Church or what decency And who shall settle this decency and order in the Church but the Governours of the Church Then if we owe obedience to our Governours according to Gods command Rom. 13 1. we should submit to their judgment in those things which we count indifferent and though in themselves considered they be indifferent yet all circumstances being considered when they are commanded by our lawful Governours and in a lawful way and for a lawful end only for order and decency they are not indifferent to us but we are tied to obedience to submit to their judgment and lawful commands And as for the several Gestures which are required and injoyned by our Governours in their several places to be observed in the performance of the Service and Worship of God though we know not nor understand presently the grounds of them yet we may have so much charity as to think and conceive they do not
for Order Difference and Decency Thus you plainly see This Christian Liberty which is pretended cannot be Extended to things Indifferent in themselves or to these Ceremonies being Indifferent in themselves and Lawful in themselves no way Repugnant to the word of God and Instituted and Injoyned onely in a Civil and Politick way for Difference Order and Decency without laying any necessity upon them for Salvation or placing any Religion or Holyness in them Therefore These that either Stubbornly contemne them or Odiously contend against them cannot but give just Occasion of Scandal and Offence As they are guilty of the Breach of Charity so they Break the very Bond of Order and deny their Obedience which is due unto the Magistrate But you will still Reply We cannot be perswaded that you take these Ceremonies to be Indifferent in themselves to be done or left undone But that you lay some kind of necessity upon them because they are so strictly Urged Required and Commanded and thereby our Christian Liberty is Infringed To this we Answer All acknowledge that these things are in their own nature Indifferent which are neither necessary to be done nor sinful being done may be done or left undone without sin which are morally neither Good nor Evil and in Scripture neither Commanded nor Forbidden Thus these things These Ceremonies in their own Nature are neither Good nor Evil neither Commanded in Scripture nor Forbidden But being set up appointed and Commanded by our Governours and Magistrates our Obedience to them is necessary as long as no Impiety is found in them as not contrary to the Word of God and not Indifferent We have shewed you already the Difference between the Necessity of the Imposition of a thing and our Necessity of Obedience to it when it is Imposed To cleer it farther to you take it thus There be two kind of Necessities which are incident to Humane Ordinances in the cases of Indifferent things 1. The Necessity of Obedience to the Commandment This Necessity of Obedience to Humane Precepts and Commands in things Lawful and Indifferent is so far from prejudicing Christian Liberty that God himself hath Established this Necessity in his Church Rom. 13. 1. 1 Pet. 2. 13. Eph. 6. 7. Tit. 3. 1. This Necessity of Obedience cannot properly contradict our Christian Liberty though accidentally by reason of the multitude of Impositions it may be much wronged 2. The Necessity of the Doctrine of that Commandment The Opinion of the Necessity of the Imposition of it This Doctrinal Necessity is when a Man shall give to any Humane Constitution any of those Properties which are Essential to Divine Ordinances These Properties are principally Three 1. Immediately to Bind the Consciences of Men. 2. To be a Necessary meanes to Salvation 3. To hold it altogether unalterable by the Authority of Man These Points do Infer a Doctrine of Divine Necessity Such kind of Prescriptions and Orders which contain in them any Opinion of Doctrinal Necessity whensoever they shall be Ordained of Man though they concern onely the outward Ceremonies of Gods worship yet are contrary to the Word of God Acts 10. 11 12 15. We may not stamp the mark of necessity upon any Doctrine whereupon God hath set his Stamp of Indifferency to use it or not to use it So that it is the Doctrinal Opinion concerning Ceremonies That is the onely Proper cause of depriving Christians of that Liberty in Question which Christ commended to his Church in respect of things Indifferent Polanus reduceth those Errours which make Circumstances of Worship truely Superstitious to Four Heads 1. Meriti when thereby we think to purchase Gods Favour To Merit at Gods hand and that he is bound to reward our Inventions 2. Cuâ—â—us Dei when things are required as Essential parts of Gods Worship when we put Holiness in them 3. Perfectionis when we think that the Perfection of Christianity consisteth in Humane Inventions 4. Necessitatis when such things are required as simply Necessary in their Nature when they are but things Indifferent Danaeus expressing the several Properties of the Opinion of Necessity whereby Christian Liberty is dissolved reduceth them also to these Four When there is an Opinion 1. That Humane Ceremonies are Necessary to Salvation 2. When they put Holiness in them 3. When they place an Opinion of Merit in them 4. When they make them Necessary Parts of Gods Worship And Chemnitius saith Opinio Necessitatis tollit Libertatem So that by all these you see that Christian Liberty is properly impeached by a Doctrinal Necessity by teaching Men to believe some thing to be Necessary in it self which our Saviour Christ by the power of his New Testament hath left to his Church as free and Indifferent Thus Calvin sheweth that it is not the Necessity of Obedience to Mans Commandment but the Necessity in Opinion of the Commandment of Man The Opinion of the Necessity of the Commandment of Man that annuileth our Liberty our Christian Liberty in things of themselves Indifferent Now though our Church doth challenge a Necessity of Obedience to her Command yet doth she not Command or Teach any use of these Ceremonies in any Opinion of the Necessity of them but that they are Retained for Discipline and Order and on just causes may be altered and changed and not to be equal to Gods Law But still Three Objections may be made Object 1. There should be no Laws made for the Government of the Church besides the Express Rule of the Word of God but such as are made by Christ Deut. 12. 32. Whatsoever I command you take heed to do it Thou shalt put nothing thereto nor take ought therefrom God by Christ Jesus hath given full and perfect Laws for his Church Jam. 4. 12. There is one Lawgiver who is able to Save and to Destroy Answ We acknowledge Christ to be the Head of the Church as it is Colos 1. 18. And that he hath given full and perfect Laws to his Church for the Matter and Substance of his Worship and in some things for the Manner of his Worship But we must know Laws are of Generals Thus there be General Rules or Laws given by Christ which for matter of Substance may not be altered we may neither adde to them nor diminish from them but for matters of Circumstance that being Indifferent and variable in the Particulars they may be altered or abolished as the Peace and Edification of the Church shall require So that Christian Princes with the State and Church may Ordain such Orders by those General Rules as may be Judged fitting by them for Order Decency and Edification of the Church so that the Service of God be not put in them but appointed onely for Discipline and Order This is no addition to Gods Command we adde nothing Essential to the Doctrine or Worship of God That which is added is onely Accidental and Circumstantial the better to inforce Gods Command and the better to perform
upon them or Imposing them as Parts of Gods Worship and thus may bring in Superstition and Idolatry Answ If you desire to receive full satisfaction in this you must look upon the Doctrine of our Church whence the Grounds of the Imposition and Practice of these Ceremonies are drawn That is the Truest and Surest Rule to go by Examine the xxxix Articles agreed upon by all our Divines Anno Dom. 1562. which are called by some Our English Creed containing the summe of our Faith and the Doctrine of our Church The xxth Article speaketh plainly in the end of it Though the Church be the keeper of Gods Word Yet as it ought not to Decree any thing against the Word of God so besides the same ought it not to inforce any thing to be Believed for Necessity of Salvation And again in the end of Artic. 34. Every Particular or National Church hath Authority to Ordain Change and Abolish Ceremonies and Rites Ordained onely by mans Authority so that all things be done to Edifying And for Particulars search the Canons of our Church made Anno Dom. 1603. where in the 30th Canon the lawful use of the Cross in Baptism is fully Explained thus That it is no part of the Substance of that Sacrament being used addeth nothing to the Perfection and Vertue of Baptism nor being omitted detracteth any thing from the Effect and Substance of it but is used onely as Primitively as a Lawful outward Ceremony and Honourable Badge whereby the Infant is Dedicated to the Service of him that died upon the Cross And for Decency of Apparel Injoyned to Ministers in Can. 74. thus All which Particulars concerning Apparel prescribed our meaning is not to Attribute any Holiness or special Worthiness to the said Garments but for Decency Gravity and Order Now if you find in the General Doctrine of our Church which is Visible and ought to be in Charity the Rule of Judging Particulars that she doth not onely disclaim those Superstitious Grounds but doth farther declare The Grounds of such General Imposition of all these Ceremonies to be onely in a Civil manner to be Imposed for Distinction Order Decency and Uniformity and not for any Religious Opinion that they put in them you have little Reason to be Jealous or Suspicious of any ill meaning in your Governours to whom you owe Charity which thinketh no Evil as well as Obedience and Submission Here you see fully and plainly that Christian Libertie is not against the Duty and Obedience which we owe to our Governours and Lawful Magistrates but rather Tieth us in things Indifferent Lawful and not Contrary to the Words of God to all kind of Duty to all our Lawful Governours To Fathers to Masters to Husbands to Pastours to Magistrates Kings and Rulers and by the strongest Bonds of Obedience Of Wrath as the Scripture speaketh Of Conscience and for the Lords sake Thus I have done my Indeavour to give Satisfaction I speak as to Wise Understanding Rational and Moderate Men Free from Passion Prejudice and strong Affections to Judge aright of things You know that Innovations are dangerous either in Church or State It was an approved saying of Seneca that Divine Heathen of Old Non expedit Concutere Faelâ—cem Statum It is neither the part of a Wise Man nor yet accounted Safe to shake or disquiet a well setled State Nay Remember that Old Rule in Policy of State Malum bene positum non est movendum An evil as onely Inconvenient being placed well is not to be Removed It is no Wisdome if a Stone stand a little out of square in a great Building by Pulling it out to indanger the Fall weakning or shakeing the whole Frame An Inconvenience is better then a Mischief If it could be found and proved that there were some Errours in this Book of Common Prayer If they be small they might be borne with If they be such as some may Judge them not to be Tolerable yet they may be Corrected and Amended and not the whole Frame pulled down But we may make that Challenge to all our Adversaries which Mr. Deering in a Book called A sparing restraint c. doth against Mr. Harding Look if any Line be blameable in our Service and take hold of your Advantage I think Mr. Jewell will accept it for an Article Our Service is good and Godly Every tittle grounded upon Holy Scriptures and with what Face do you call it Darkness If this Book should now be put down after so many years Continuance in our Realm and a New Form set up to satisfie the Scruples and Fancies of some Self-conceited people who are never long content with any thing Think what sad Consequences would follow upon it The Papists would and might Triumph and Insult that our Church is Corrupt and Impure and hath been full of Errours and Corruptions from the first Beginning and from the first Foundation of it the putting down of it upon such an account must needs be a Confession and Acknowledgement of Errours in it to all the world The Non Conformists They would also crie out and seeming Just that they have been wrongfully Presented all this while onely because they would not Submit and Subscribe to Errours And the Common people would generally take a New Liturgy to be a New Religion Thus that weighty saying of St. Augustine would fall upon us Ipsa Mutatio Consuetudinis etiam quae adjuvat Utiliâ—ate Novitate perturbat The very Novelty of such a Change would more offend then the Profit of it would do Good Reason well tell us if this be yeelded to the same Reproof must justly come upon Our Liturgy of Variety Uncertainty Unconstancy which Dr. Suâ—cliffe in his Book De Missa chargeth truely upon the Romane Missal and what Obloquie and Reproach will this Occasion to us and to our Religion But to cleer Our Book from all such Aspersions and to Confirm the Perfection of it we have the Testimony of that Learned and Glorious Martyr Dr. Rowland Taylour given above a Hundred years agoe Who as Mr. Fox Recordeth in his Examination Jan. 22. Anno Dom. 1555. before Bishop Gardiner then Lord Chancelour and other Commissioners spake thus There was saith he set forth by the most Innocent King Edward for whom God be praised everlastingly the whole Church Service with great deliberation and the Advice of the best Learned in the Realm and Authorized by the whole Parliament and Received and Published gladly by the whole Realm which Book was never Reformed but Once and yet by that One Reformation was so fully Perfected according to the Rules of our Christian Religion in every behalf that no Christian Conscience could be Offended with any thing therein Contained Here you have his Judgement not onely of the Perfection of this Book of Common Prayer but also of the very first Making and Composing of this Book who doubtless knew the Truth and spake the Truth For this was spoken by him within