that we have to deal with men of such a sceptical Genius as that they do not only inquire into the Grounds and Reasons of our Faith but moreover deny our very Creed with whom a Treatise of Humane Reason is of more Force than the Revelation of St. John the Divine To the Consideration of these Men I offer Two Things which I judge most proper I. First The Answer which Origen made to Celsus when 't was objected by that Calumniator against the Christians that their Religion was built on a very sandy Foundation which durst not undergo the Test of Reason but commanded its Converts not to Examine but Believe and their Faith should Save them In part he owns the Objection but wisely retorts it upon his Adversary by telling him that the Philosophers were the greatest Dictators in the World Witness the Ipse dixit of Pythagoras that their Systems contain'd some such secret Dogmata which their Disciples swallowed solely upon the Credit of their Masters And if the Masters of the Wisdom of this World which is either Foolishness or at best but Science falsly so called required so great submission from their Scholars how much greater is to be given to those Doctrines which are contain'd in the Writings of the Evangelists and Apostles who were Taught of God and spake as they were inspired by the Holy Ghost II. Secondly I urge the Authority of my Lord Bacon whose if any methinks should be admitted by these Virtuosi in Religion The Divine Prerogative saith he extends it self to the whole Man and requires not only Obedience from our Wills but Submission from our Understandings And therefore as we are bound to obey the Divine Law though our Wills reluct never so much against it so are we obliged to believe whatsoever God hath reveal'd though never so improbable to our Understandings For if we believe no more than what we can demonstrate to be true we do not believe the Truth deliver'd for the Authors sake but the Author for the Truths sake and so we pay no more Respect to the Oracles of God than we do to the Writings of Men though never so much suspected by us The Faith which justified Abraham was conversant in a matter incredible to Reason And therefore the higher the Mysteries of Religion are above our Reason the greater is the exercise and triumph of our Faith and the Honour done unto God in Believing To conclude this Point Great is the use of Reason in Religion both as to the manner of interpreting the Scriptures and the deducing true Consequences and wholesom Conclusions from thence and if it be wholly suppress'd our Religion will degenerate into Superstition we shall be so far from paying God a Reasonable Service that we shall offer Him the Sacrifice of Fools But then it must be kept to a due temper for if it be not managed by prudent Guides 't is apt to grow wild and extravagant to hurry us on to a Belief of the Foulest Impostures to a Practice of the Grossest Impieties which either the prevalency of the World the domineering Enmity of the Flesh or the implacable Malice of Satan can propound to be believed or practis'd II. The second Reason of private Mens falling into Error is their Instability in not adhering to their Guides but forsaking them to go astray in the intricate paths of Error and Deceit Heresie being nothing else but an Excision from and Disobedience to the Church in points of Faith And therefore the Apostle pronounceth an Heretick Self-condemned one who hath want only chosen to himself those Opinions for an obstinate Defence whereof after full and plain means of Conviction he justly falls under the Censures of the Church is Excommunicated the Assembly of the Saints and so without Repentance and Reconciliation continues in a very dangerous estate if that of Heathens and Publicans be acknowledg'd such Not in vain then are those frequent Cautions against Falling away those repeated Admonitions to Perseverance those earnest Exhortations to hold fast the Profession and contend for the Faith which was once deliver'd those so much inculcated Commands of obeying those who are set Over us in the Lord Heb. 13.7 Remember them which have the Rule over you who have spoken unto you the Word of God whose Faith follow Ver. 17. Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your Souls For in vain may those men commit themselves to the immediate Assistance of God who neglect to hear his Guides and violate His Commandments in hopes to procure His help and favour For from that very moment of time they cease to be Members of the Holy Catholick Church they are become Out-lawries in a Gospel-sense they have lost the Protection of the Heavenly King and they lay under the Deprivation of the Benefits belonging to the Subjects of that Jerusalem which is above And what wonder if being in this forlorn condition the Tempter take his advantage lead them into the Wilderness and there present to their disturb'd Fancies false Schemes of Religion suggest unworthy apprehensions of God and whatsoever is by him thus suggested is by them mistaken for new Light and holy Inspirations And because this Spirit of Delusion dares put forth among Christians no Doctrines but such as pretend to be founded on the Scriptures to this purpose they are wrested and tortur'd their Scope is mistaken their Sense abused their Periods miserably mangled their whole Design perverted to countenance every Wild Opinion which either a capricious Fancy can imagine or a malicious Wit invent And from hence it comes to pass that we have as many several sorts of Christians as there are different Humors or Interests of men and the Gospel with St. Paul though in a quite contrary sense is become all things unto all men And having made thus bold with the Scriptures it cannot be expected that they should deal more modestly with any Authority inferiour to that the most ancient Traditions must now give place to new Discoveries The Consent of the Catholick Apostolick Church be born down by the Dictates of a private I might say familiar Spirit Whereas there is all the reason in the World to believe that the Apostles best knew the mind of their Master that they faithfully and fully communicated their knowledge to their Successors and so by certain steps and degrees we may arrive at this fundamental Truth That as the Church is the most faithful Keeper so the most authentick Expositor of Scripture Which fairly ushers in my third and last Consideration That for the preventing Mistakes from rising and suppressing Errors when risen 'T is the duty of Private Men to submit their Judgments in matters of Religion to the Determinations of those whom God hath Constituted to be their Spiritual Guides and Governours unless it manifestly appear That such Determinations are contrary to Gods Word And this I shall assert very briefly both from the Qualifications of the Persons who
Oxford-Paraphrast has fully and learnedly made out in his Annotations on the 2 Thess Chap. 2. not contented to justifie our Separation from the Church of Rome upon the account of Innovations Corruptions and imposing them as necessary Conditions of Communion and so becoming guilty of causal Schism they have represented all the Members of that Church both Pastors and People both in Doctrin and Practice guilty of Heathenish and worse than the most sottish Heathenish Idolatry so foul a Charge and so injurious to that Charity which the Church of England hath always been renown'd for that I hope the Authors of it may have Grace to retract and make satisfaction for that Scandal which is thereby given even to our common Christianity And I have always wondred how it ever could enter into the heart of any man to believe and publickly maintain that so great a number of Christian Professors eminent for Learning and Austerity of Life could be guilty of so damnable an Apostasie concerning the mischiefs of this Charge take the Judgment of the Learned Thorndike in the last words of the first Chapter of his just Weights and Measures And as they who justifie the Reformation by charging the Pope to be Antichrist and the Papists Idolaters so on the other side they who over-charge the Reformation to be Hereticks make themselves thereby Schismaticks before God We hope no ingenuous Person though an Adversary will think the worse of the true Sons of the Church of England for the uncharitable Opinions of some particular Men descended perhaps from dissenting Parents educated in dissenting Times and who never yet sufficiently conquered the Prejudices of their Education if they had they would not maintain such Erastian Positions as these viz. That Christ never appointed any particular Form of Church-Government but left it arbitrary and dependent on the Civil State That Christ Jesus is not to be preach'd if the Magistrate and the Law of the Country forbid it That the King has a Power to execute all Pastoral Offices devolve it on others with many others of the like dangerous consequence which that valiant Champion of Church-Power Mr. Lowth has charg'd upon them and learnedly made good the Charge whereas concerning the last of these Positions neither his present M. nor any of his Predecessors by virtue of their Ecclesiastical Supremacy ever thought themselves indow'd with any other Power but that of Nursing Fathers neither do's the true sence of the Oath invest the Civil Magistrate with any other power in Spiritual Matters than what is purely external and coercive if Bishop Bramhal and others may be thought of equal Authority with the Authors there tax'd let them consider in this very juncture of time the consequence of their own Positions and then lay their hands upon their mouths and be for ever after silent or if they please to look backward let them consider what mischiefs the Fathers of the Church had brought upon themselves had they been of this Opinion when Julian and Constantius reign'd had they spent as much time in defending the Church of England as they have in opposing the Church of Rome they would have prov'd themselves as good Subjects to the Father of their Country and as dutiful Sons to their Mother the Church had they given a true account of ancient Church-Government instead of imbroyling us with Irenicum's and Weapon-salves they had purchas'd as much Renown to themselves and more Benefit to Christ's Catholick Church then might we hope to see the Mischiefs of Separation display'd without a Preface of such Concessions as manifestly tend to the destruction of Vniformity and if it be a sign of a luke-warm and ungenerous temper to desert a Friend in affliction that cruel juncture of time in which those Concessions were made does no ways extenuate the Presumption for it deserves no milder a Name for any private Doctor let his Fame he never so great to assume to himself a more than Papal Power to dictate ex Cathedra prescribe to the Church and unfix what has been establisht by her venerable Authority generally receiv'd and approv'd by all her true Subjects then might we not despair to behold and admire the Beauty of the Church of England in all her heights of Decency and Order her Doctrins believ'd her Liturgies daily frequented her Sacraments frequently celebrated her Rubricks duly observ'd her neglected Discipline restored her Censures dreaded her Governours religiously obey'd then might we not despair to see our Controversies in Religion manag'd with all due deference to the Authority of ancient Fathers and Councils general Tradition and the consent of the Catholick Church and consequently with a design to maintain universal Truths rather than our own private Opinions to confute mens Errors rather than expose their Persons and a return of that Christian Spirit which enobled the Writings of Cassander Grotius Forbes and many other Illustrious Conciliators the decay whereof hath widen'd our Breaches and obstructed that Vnion which ought to be the earnest desire endeavor of every good Christian If the Church of England do's not flourish as much in our days as ever it did since the first Reformation the fault must be in our selves since His Majesty in his gracious Declaration has past his Royal Word for the preservation of the Government both of Church and State as it is now by Law established and we cannot in Honor or Duty require more since his Word has always been as Sacred and inviolable to him as his Person and Prerogative ought to be to us wherefore instead of somenting needless Fears and Jalousies concerning our Religion which even in a Coffee-House is dangerous but from the Pulpit do's naturally rise into Disorders and Tumults the people are to be taught the Duties of Submission Humility and Obedience to their Governors both Civil and Spiritual that as Religion is not to be propagated by Force so neither is it lawful to take up Arms against lawful Authority in defence of it they are to be instructed in the Duties of Passive Obedience and non-resistance from the Doctrines of the Scripture the Principles of the Church of England and the Practice of the Primitive Christians when under the severest Persecutions In the same Declaration He is pleas'd further to add That He knows the Principles of the Church of England are for Monarchy and the Members of it have shew'd themselves good and loyal Subjects therefore he will always take care to defend and support it so that out of his abundant Goodness and Clemency he has confirmed his Word by the surest Tyes of Interest and Princely Gratitude It pleased the Almighty in whose hands are the Fate of the greatest of Potentates to call to Heaven his dearest Brother and to leave him the deepest Mourner in the Nation in that very period of time when they might have promis'd themselves a secure enjoyment of earthly Blessings for had not that glorious Monarch like Moses by an invincible Patience and Magnanimity
withstood the murmurings and ingratitudes of a rebellious People freed us from the Slavery and Tyranny of our Egyptian Task-masters brought us out of a Wilderness of Confusion and placed us within the prospect of a Canaan of Peace and Order and yet to his lawful Successor the mighty Joshua Providence decreed the full possession of those Blessings which he the lamented Moses only liv'd to have a sight of And what may we not promise to our selves under his most auspicious Reign and in nothing more auspicious than in the peaceable devolution of the Crown upon his Head after so many bold and wicked Attempts to cut off his Succession this seems no less miraculous than his Predecessor's Restauration may his Subjects learn from hence That Kings are of Divine Right and dread the Vengeance of that God by whom they reign may they never forget the miseries they have escap'd nor grow weary of the benefits they are sure to enjoy under his wise and steady Conduct may his Reign be long and prosperous and to compleat his Happiness may all his People give him the same dutiful Obedience now he is King which he so religiously paid to his Sovereign when he was the highest of Subjects and to say no more may he live to accomplish those glorious things for this Nation for which he seems to be design'd by that special Providence which has attended him through the whole course of his life and has now plac'd him on the Imperial Throne 2 Pet. Chap. 3. ver 16. In which are some things hard to be Vnderstood which they that are unlearned and unstable Wrest as they do also the other Scriptures unto their own Destruction THE clearness of Scripture in all points necessary to Salvation to all such as sincerely endeavour to believe and find out the True Sense thereof as it is a Principle which suits very well with the nature and design of a Rule with the Justice and Goodness of God in propounding it as such and hath been urged with some success against those who plead a necessity of having One Supreme infallible Judge to decide and determine all Controversies which shall happen to arise concerning that Faith which was once deliver'd to the Saints Whose Decisions and Determinations say they ought to be Receiv'd by all the Sons of the Church for as much as the Church is the same in all Ages with equal Assent and Veneration with those of the Apostles And this to be the only sure way to keep the Vnity of the Faith in the Bond of Peace Whereby on the other hand 't is said New Articles of Faith may be daily imposed the Doctrines of men pass for the Commandments of God and humane Inventions receive the stamp of Divine Authority whereby men seem precluded the genuine methods of coming to the Knowledge of the Truth and those Precepts of searching the Scriptures seeking the Kingdom of Heaven trying the Spirits are rendred Ineffectual whereby men are so far from being able to give an account of their Faith that their Vnderstandings are enslav'd by a Principle of blind Obedience so far from being led into the ways of Religion by the cords of men that they seem rather to be driven like Beasts and acted like Puppets as 't is phras'd by a late Author As this Doctrine of the Clearness of Scripture hath prov'd successful to the beating down the pretences to an absolute Infallibility and uncontroulable Soveraignty over the Consciences of men so on the other hand hath it mightily embolden'd the Patrons of Liberty not only to despise their Ecclesiastical Superiors to throw off all obedience to Christ's Ministers Whom He notwithstanding a little before his Return to his Fathers Court for the further negotiating and advancing the affairs of His Church Anointed and Ordain'd to perform the Apostolical Offices of Preaching the Gospel Remitting Sins Inflicting Censures Ministerially conferring the Holy Ghost Deciding Controversies and Administring the Sacraments in his stead here on earth till his second coming but likewise to invade their Function usurp their Sacred Calling especially that part of it which consists in Preaching and Expounding the Word For say they since 't is confess'd the Scriptures are sufficiently clear to all unprejudiced minds such as are free from the clogs of Passion and Interest Why should these pretended Ministers of Christ take so much upon them Are not all the Congregation Holy and Learned as well as they Are they the only Temples of the Holy Ghost And doth the Spirit of Prophecy reside solely in their Breasts During the Dispensation of Moses 't is confess'd there was a necessity of an Aaron all along under the Legal oeconomy the Priests Lips did preserve Knowledge and likewise during the Reign of the Prophets there was an appropriate Ministry But the case is quite different under the Gospel God having made clearer discoveries of himself and poured out more liberally of his Spirit upon all Flesh The sense of the Law that was Doubtful Typical and Mysterious the Prophecies were industriously couch'd under dark Parables and deliver'd in obscure sayings But then the light the glorious light of the Gospel as 't was universal 't was likewise so clear that any one that runs may read Why then should we not assert that Liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and since we have a Command to work out our own Salvation Why should we pin our Faith upon other mens sleeves Thus these men under the goodly Pretences of Christian Liberty become enslav'd to spiritual pride and conceitedness plead the Prerogative of the Gospel in prejudice of Christ's own Ambassadors urge for their own private Conceptions clearness of Scripture to their own Confusion and pry so long into the Doctrines of Theology till at length they light on those hidden Mysteries which they being Vnlearned and Vnstable Wrest unto their own Destruction The way thus prepar'd my Text yet leads me into these following Considerations 1. That the clearness of Scripture doth no ways lessen the Authority or take away the Necessity of Spiritual Guides 2. That though the Scriptures be clear in themselves yet private men abandoning their Lawful Guides and following their own Corrupt Fancies may deprave and distort them to their own Destruction 3. That for preventing Mistakes from rising and suppressing Errors when risen 't is the duty of Private men to submit their Judgments in matters of Religion to the Determinations of those whom God hath constituted to be their Spiritual Guides and Governours unless it manifestly appear that such Determinations are contrary to Gods Word I. I begin with the First That the Clearness of Scripture c. For if the Scriptures be so Clear and Self-evident as is pretended then may men with greater security rely on the Directions of their Guides and they have the less Reason to suspect their Conduct in those things wherein they themselves being Judges they cannot be mistaken if they sincerely attend them the clearness of the Law
constant and familiar converse with their Master or else from that plentiful Effusion of the Holy Ghost which He vouchsafed them immediately upon His Restauration to His Heavenly Kingdom That which was thus wonderfully bestowed upon them their Successors are forc'd to acquire by hard Study great Industry frequent and fervent Address to the Fountain of Wisdom For not only the Knowledge of Languages a Calmness of Mind neither ruffled with the storms of Passion nor distracted with the Cares of the World but likewise a piercing Judgment to distinguish between the Literal and Figurative sense to weigh the scope and coherence of things to compare one place with another to illustrate obscure Texts by those which are more plain to consult and find out the sense of Antiquity is required to a right understanding of the Scriptures For they do not only contain things of themselves hard to be understood but moreover those very things are rendred more difficult by the Malice of Satan and the Cunning of his Agents The Enemy hath sown such a prodigious quantity of Tares that 't is very hard sometimes to find out the Wheat What wonder then if such a spawn of Monstrous Opinions flow from the Scriptures falling either into prophane hands or being interpreted by a private self-conceited and unruly Spirit If St. Paul who was caught up into the third Heavens and was even oppress'd with Revelations nevertheless cryes out as well for the Difficulty as the Dignity of his Function Who is sufficient for these things Then certainly it can be no Disparagement to the Laity however quick-sighted they may be in other Affairs to suppose them not such competent Judges here as those of the Clergy are And indeed we hear of very few though never such Despisers of the dull Clergy in their life-time but are very willing to admit of their advice and assistance when they come to Dye IV. Fourthly and lastly The necessity of this Submission appears as 't is the only means to restore Peace and Unity to the Church Happiness and Tranquillity to the State how ineffectual the several Projects of Comprehension Toleration unwarrantable Compliance have proved to effect the Work of Coalition I mean to Compose those Differences and Unite those Divisions which so furiously Rage among us we either are or 't is to be feared by sad Experience may be Taught These Projects can only lay claim to an imaginary Happiness and however plausible they may seem in the Notion yet may they prove dangerous in the Practice at least not attain the ends for which they were design'd For in truth as well may we expect To gather Grapes from Thorns or Figs from Thistles as that a Toleration of Disagreements should produce the blessed Fruits of Peace and Concord These are Contraries and destroy each other Now what other Expedient have we left but the Restoring and Asserting the Discipline of the Church That so they who will neither Hold the Faith nor keep a good Conscience by being deliver'd up to Satan may learn at least not to blaspheme Many and grievous are the Guilts which are charg'd upon the Church of Rome yet such is the Exactness of Her Discipline and the Obedience of Her Sons and Daughters consequent upon it as hath hitherto preserv'd Her from Ruine Now if our Fears of the Increase of Popery be as real as they are pretended methinks it should be no ill Policy to learn Wisdom from our Adversaries for that which preserves a Corrupted Church from Falling in all likelihood will make a Pure One to Flourish However we are little the better for being deliver'd from the Slaveries of an Implicit Faith and Foreign Superstition if we run into Licentiousness Infidelity and Irreligion at Home For who is so blind as not to see that Irreverence and Disrespect for the Lord's Clergy hath been accompanied with a manifest Decay of Piety and a notorious Contempt of the most Essential Parts of Religion That want of Submission to the Just and Piously Determinations of the Church no less Justly and Piously ratified and established by the King and State hath given Birth to such monstrous Variety of Opinions as hath scarce left any Fundamental of the Faith unquestion'd if not denied Atheism creeping in by insensible degrees from indulging too great a Latitude in Matters of Religion And now in the Close of All Let every Man seriously consider with himself the Hainousness and Danger of Schism and the blessed Effects of Obedience The Danger of Schism in that it breaks the precious Vnity of the Church alienates the Affections of the Members thereof Who as they have but one Faith so they should have but one Soul And so instead of Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Forbearance Meekness Temperance those lovely Fruits of the Spirit which adorn private Men and secure the publick Peace there arise Hatred Variance Emulation Wrath Strife Evil Surmising Sedition Heresies Murders those ugly Works of the Flesh which dissolve the Bonds of Society and exclude Men from the Kingdom of God How that the Schismatick is arrested with Fears and Jealousies from without when he considers his Sin of Disobedience against those whom the Lord hath set over him and the Dreadfulness of the Churches Censures when justly incurr'd for his Disobedience How that he is tormented with sad and uncomfortable Reflections from within being Vnstable in all his Ways ever learning but never coming to the Knowledge of the Truth but being abandon'd to the Delusions of a Private Spirit he is miserably toss'd to and fro with every Wind of Doctrine till at length he makes an Eternal Shipwrack of the Faith On the contrary the blessed Effects of Obedience how the Humble Christian by an happy Resignation of his Judgment there where our Lord seems to demand it enjoys a perpetual Peace and Freedom from Dispute together with all his Fellow-Members of the same Mystical Body As for those great Mysteries of Godliness which concern his Salvation though they are above his Reason yet not above his Faith and he had rather rely on the Churches Decisions of them when he finds no place of Scripture plainly contrary to such Decisions than either give way to his own Curiosity or heed to the Disputers of this World left he should thereby wrest them to his own Destruction And this he thinks he may do with less trouble to himself and greater assurance of the Truth and so he continues sound in the Faith without being skill'd in those unhappy Controversies in which the Disputers of this World have involv'd it And this Harmony of Faith and Doctrine is always accompanied with an entire League and Union of Charity that common Badge by which Christians were once distinguish'd from the rest of the World and a Blessed Vniformity of God's Publick Worship and Service whereby the Members of the Church Militant in some sort resemble the Saints of the Church Triumphant In a Word in this Obedience the Humble Christian goes on securely and chearfully in the Ways of God's Commandments And instead of troubling his Head with the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Religion practiseth those plain but most important Duties of Godliness Righteousness and Sobriety which will render his Life happy here and crown him with Eternal Felicity hereafter FINIS