exception And one Mistake tho never so absurd does commonly beget another and so it happens here for Where is the heavy Sentence which the Doctor passeth And What is it Certainly it cannot be less than the Sentence of Damnation which he blames with so much noise in Dr. Womock I find indeed at every turn the Reconciler is sending His Dissenters to Hell for their wretched Schisme not by single Persons only but by Sholes and Myriads and then he rebukes Dr. Pag. 55. Womock for so doing when he does it not Just as he shoots his Censures at his Governours in the very same Breath wherein he inveighs against Judging But the Reconciler is Catcht again in a sorry Fallacy and I am almost perswaded he is not aware of it If his Argument were put into Form it must run thus Whosoever saith That the Dissenters have lost the Title of Weak Brethren and are under the Sentence of Damnation he is rash Presumptuous and Uncharitable But does Dr. Womock make any such Assumption Then let the Reconciler who takes great freedom in that kind tell him of his foolery and that he wants Logick as well as Charity But Dr. Womock knows that here is Sophisma Plurium Interrogationum which perhaps is more then the Reconciler has considered In effect he puts the question thus Have the Dissenters lost the Title of Weak Brethren and fallen under the Sentence of Damnation If the Dr. affirms it then he concludes them under the Sentence of Damnation and is rash and Uncharitable in so doing If he denies it then he grants that they are Weak Brethren and are to have all the Indulgence and tenderness that belongs to Persons under those Circumstances But Dr. Womock is able to distinguish in this Case and to separate such as have lost the title of Weak Brethren from the present sentence of Damnation For the Dr. meddles with no mans Person having so well considered the Advice of Bishop Taylor that learned Prelate whom the Reconciler pretends to admire while he does abuse him in his writings Be not hasty sayes he in pronouncing damnation Adv. 52. against any man or Party in a matter of Disputation It is enough that you reprove an errour but what shall be the sentence against it at the day of Judgment thou knowest not and therefore pray for the erring Person and reprove him but leave the sentence to his Judge But touching those Weak ones among Ad Rom. 14. in Principio the Romans I shall acquaint the Reader with Peter Martyrs Opinion of them The question is Whether the Weakness of their Faith were an impediment to their Justification He thinks not because it is not the strength or Excellency of our Faith by which we are justified but the Merit and Dignity of the Object and although Faith be weak yet 't is Faith still if it be true But it might be said that they did not believe all things which were to be believed For they did not believe the Ceremonial Law of Moses to be abrogated And that Faith which does not believe all the Articles of Faith is no true faith Fateor equidem saith Peter Martyr I do confess it Si id accidat vitio Credentis if the fault be in the Believer if he will not admit of those Truths which he hears out of Holy Writ but contemns them and makes himself the Judge and Arbitrator how much of Scripture he ought to believe and attributes more to himself then he does to the Word of God Non est ista Fides vera that is not true Faith nor is the Holy Spirit wont to inspire any such Sence or Judgment But if there be something which a man does not believe because it has not been clearly propounded to him and he carries a mind sufficiently prepared to receive the Truth when it is made known to him in this case the Truth of his Faith may be a means to justify while the Weakness of it doth excuse him I wish the Dissenters may consider this Judgment of Peter Martyr that they may not make matters of Decency and Order under the Gospel to be Sin as if we were still under that Mosaical yoak of Bondage the Law and not under Grace But to follow the Reconciler who justifies his Denial of the Conclusion by several Arguments 1. He says what Dr. Womock does Pag. 105. alledge is a Plea that will serve all Parties Papists Dissenters Arminians Calvinists and almost all Disputers Now what the true ground of the Dispute is I cannot well imagine I have reason to think he is offended with the Major Proposition which contains the Character of such as ought not to claime the Right or Title of Weak Brethren but that is so expresly the words of Holy Scripture that he cannot in modesty avow his dislike thereof and therefore he makes an Assumption or Minor Proposition in Dr. Womocks name and then blames him for it That Dr. Womock did not assume upon the Dissenters the Reader will be convinced v. Pag. 100. 101 102. if he please to consult the place in the Verdict However let us weigh the strength of his discourse which we have in this Syllogisme All Arguments that may be used by other Parties as Papists c. they are ill Arguments But Dr. Womocks Argument may be used by other Parties Papists c. Therefore 't is an ill Argument Here I deny his Major Proposition All Arguments used by other Parties and particularly by the Papists are not ill Arguments for their Arguments to prove the Divinity of Christ are good Arguments and many of them the very same that are used by Protestants And that of Bellarmine is celebrated for a great Truth among all the Learned even by Amesius himself Propter incertitudinem proprioe justitioe perticulum inanis gloriae tutissimum est fiduciam totam in sola Dei misericordiâ benignitate reponere that is In regard of the Uncertainty of our own Righteousness and the danger of Vain-glory it is the safest way to put our whole Trust and Confidence in the sole Mercy and Favour of God This is a great Gospel-Truth and yet it fell from the Pen of Bellarmine And therefore he is out of the story when he concludes all Arguments to be ill because they are used by Papists or other Parties That his Argument may conclude effectually against Dr. Womock it must be framed thus Those Arguments which will as well and with equal Truth and Light of evidence maintain the Points of Popery c. as they do the Doctrine of the Church of England Those must needs be ill Arguments But such are the Arguments produced by Dr. Womock Here I utterly deny the Minor The Argumens there used by Dr. Womock have not an equal Truth or Light of Evidence to prove the Points of Popery as they have to prove the Doctrine of the Church of England For let me ask the Reconciler these few Questions Have the Popish
Horse-Raceing meaning at another Time and Place Again if I say the King forbids that men should keep Grey-Hounds to Ride with Swords and Pistols c. meaning Persons of an Inferiour Rank and Quality and another say the King does not sorbid Men to keep Grey-Hounds or to Ride with Swords and Pistols meaning Persons of a Higher Rank and Quality here 's no Contradiction no giving of the Lye to one another And thus it is between St. Paul and Meisner for St. Paul speaks to private Persons whom he forbids to Usurp Power to give Law or to Judge and Censure where they have no Authority But Meisner speaks to Governours who are invested with Authority and Obliged to keep out Schisms and to preserve good Order within their Jurisdiction 2dly St. Paul speaks of a Church which was Inorganical that wanted a due Settlement of Laws and Governours but Meisner speakes of a Church that was Organized in all its Parts and Members having Rules of Decency and Order and a setled Discipline with Governours and Officers to execute the same And this among such as have a little skill to apply it will be sufficient to justify at least Meisners first and second Arguments without giving the Lye to the Apostle In his second Answer Pag. 156. and 157. the Reconciler would oblige our Governours to betray their own Consciences out of Commiseration and to betray the Dissenters too by a pitiful Gratification for he would have our Governours quitt the stedfast Perswasions of their own Minds in Favour to the Dissenters not to Correct the Errour of their Judgments but to Caresse them in their Superstition At Meisners third Objection Pag. 158 the Reconciler grows very Froward and somewhat Ruder again than becomes him towards such an Adversary but as 't was observed of the Cynick that he checkt the Pride of his great Visitant but with another Pride no less Insolent so may we truly say that this Reconciler checks those things which He 's pleased to call Fooleries in Meisner He Loves to Rhetoricate but is not very good at distinguishing which makes him at a Loss and Blunder in his Answers he was told in the Verdict Pag. 125. that a man has a Lock and Key in his own Bosom and there he may keep his Christian-Liberty safe enough from being plundred and there also he may Lock up his Private Opinion when the Broaching of it may Offend but cannot Edify But what 's this to a Publick Constitution When See 2 Mac. 6. 24. c. Multa sunt quae de se seu natura sua sunt Adiaphora licent quidem sed dedecent quia viro probo indigna quia viro sunt incongrua Christiano the Authority of Prudent and Careful Governours has established Rule and Order if it be in my Power I hold it my Duty to defend them In calling the denial of this Gospel Truth a Work of Darkness Meisner saies no more than Calvin doth whose words are these Necessitate servandae Legis obstringi piorum conscientias silentio sepeliri Libertatis Doctrinam haec erat indigna merces Unitatis Ad Galat. 2. 14. He has no Patience at his own Suspicion of Meisners Sawciness for here he charges him with giving the Lye unto the Fathers especially to St. Chrysostom who sayes that St. Pauls advice to the Romans was not Dissimulation but Condescention pag. 159. and Dispensation Her 's Ignoratio Elenchi the Reconciler snar'd in his own Fallacy for we are discoursing what is fit to be done under the State of Christianity where the Church is daily setled by Authority with Convenient Liturgy and Discipline but the Reconciler carries us back to reflect upon what was rather conniv'd at than Establish'd what was tollerated by Condescention and special Dispensation when the Church was in her Non-Age This is just as if upon an Enquiry what Orders were given out to be observed and what the Custom and Practice was when the Temple was Erected and God's Solemn Worship fetled and performed in Jerusalem I should run back and give him the History of what was Permitted in the Wilderness But it may be a Question whether the Rcconciler does perfectly understand what St. Chrysostom means by Condescention Chrysost ad Gal. 2. apud Massut in Vit. St. Paul Lib. â— Cap. 7. and Dispensation for St Peters dissembling at Antioch He calls a Dispensation as Massutius has observed of him Et duo inquit per Dispensationem agebat Petrus Alterum ne offenderet eos qui erant ex Circumcisione Alterum ut Paulo justam proeberet occasionem increpandi Unde et Paulus Objurgat et Petrus sustinet ut Dum Magister objurgatus obticescit facilius Discipuli mutarent Sententiam Two things saith he St. Peter did by Dispensation One that he might not offend those of the Circumcision The other that he might give St. Paul a just occasion to reprove him Hereupon St. Paul rebukes and St. Peter bears it that while the Master takes his chideing with a meek humble Silence the Disciples may the more easily be brought to change their Opinions By the Reconcilers Doctrine St Pauls Rebuke was a rash Affront for St. Peter was not Blame-Worthy the Dissimulation of his Belief was out of Condescention to the Jews Weakness his practice was a Dispensation and fit for his Successors and all worthy Governours to imitate And it would make good Hierom's Argument Cur damnasset in altero Paulus quod sibi laudi ducit nam gloriatur se Judaeis factum esse Judoeum 1 Cor. 9. 20. But Mr. Calvin Answers Longe aliud Petrum fecisse Neque enim aliter se accommodabat Judaeis Paulus quam salva Libertatis Doctrina Calvin ad Galat 2. 11. But whether Commiseration should out-weigh the peace of the Church and of a good Conscience as the Reconciler would have it whether the Bowels of Compassion towards such as call themselves Weak-brethren be sufficient to supersede all the obligations that lye upon Christian Governours to advance God's Glory in the Settlement of his publick Worship I shall leave them to consider who are so highly concern'd in it If we may believe the Assembly of Divines the Civil Magistrate hath Authority Confession of Faith cap. 23. Num. 3. and 't is his Duty to take Order that Unity and Peace be preserved in the Church that the Truth of God be kept pure and intire that all Blasphemies and Heresies which include Schisms too be suppress'd all Corruption and Abuses in Worship and Discipline prevented or reformed and all the Ordinances of God duly Setled Administred and Observed This is the Magistrates Duty according to the Faith of the Presbyterians who shall acquit them from it It is Mercy sayes Mr. Hales to pardon Serm. on Rom. 14. 1. in Fine wrong done against our selves but to deny the Course of Justice to him that calls for it Peccatum in Deum Vocatur quod imediate in Contumeliam Dei redund at P.
5. 3 12 13. of which we have given account already They may not despise or set at nought a Weak Brother but I hope being invested with a just Authority you will allow them to reprove and upbraid such as are wilfully ignorant upon a supine Carelesness or something worse Upon such an account sure they may say with the Royal Prophet Psal 94. 8. O ye fools when will ye understand and have they not our Lords example to say to such O fools and slow of heart to believe and they have the great Apostles practice I am sure to bear them out if they should say to such as trouble and disturb the Peace of the Church O Gal. 3. 1. foolish Dissenters who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth But so far are they from putting a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in their Brothers way that they endeavour to put him into the right way wherein if he has eyes in his head and will follow their Direction he shall be sure not to stumble But when our Superiours they have made the way plain and smooth and easie according to the truth of the Gospel If such as this Reconciler shall throw in their Rubbish and Stones of offence to obstruct it and then these Brethren will dash their foot willingly against it and stumble at it Their Fall is willful and they must thank themselves for the hurt they take by it I deny not but Governors in some sense are concerned to please the Subjects But a man may please others both to his own and to their destruction as Theod. ad Rom. 15. 1. I must not gratifie him in his Schism and Sedition to please him for that would betray him to damnation I must please him only to his good to his edification in the obedience of the Gospel that he may be saved to this end it may be a Governors Duty to grieve him 2 Cor. 2. 2 for there is a godly sorrow which worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of 2 Cor. 7. 10. And he that can bring a soul to this tho his methods may seem severe yet among wise and sober Christians his Discipline as well as his Liberty will be well spoken of When he tells us of destroying him with our meat for whom Christ died that to return him some of those Givilities which he bestows on his Meisner is but one of his repeated fooleries for it can concern no man but a Jew or a Jews fellow in whose account some meats and drinks are still common and unclean and this Reconciler does acknowledge p. 74 75. that now the Apostles instructions of forbearance are out of date as to them their stubbornness having cut them off from all Title to our Charity in that kind And for the Roman-Catholicks tho they abstain sometimes from such and such meats yet they profess they do it Non quod conscientiam polluant suâ immunditie sed inobedientiâ Conte ad Rom. 14. And therefore when we eat with them we see they are in no more danger to be destroyed by our liberty than we are upon the account of their forbearance And thus it was among the Christians in Theodorets * Hee consuetudo in hunc usque diem mansit in Ecclesiis haec quidem abstinentia amplectituri ille vero omnibus esculentis absque ullo scrupulo vescitur nec hic illum judicat nec ille alterum reprehendit sed eos claros insignes reddit Lex Concordiae Theod. ad Rom. 14. Lat. ver Parisiis 1608. time See the Margin If that would serve his turn we readily grant that S. Paul was most certainly an excellent Church-Governor and had as much power as any of his Successors in Church-matters and we will allow him something more but did he never vary his Rules and shift his Battery according to the condition of the Persons whom he attempted to subdue to the obedience of the Gospel He did sometimes condescend when it was Prudence and Charity so to do but when out of weakness he perceived men became Head-strong when from tenderness they grew restive and obstinate then he became resolute and positive He was a notable Orator as S. Chrysost observes of him and used all the innocent Haec autem dicit ut eos anticipet blandiendo ut laudum Cupidine capti tales praestare se studeant ut digni possint haberi quos efferant omnes Laudibus prosequantur Inter. Theophilact ad Rom. 15. 29. Arts of Rhetorick to insinuate and gain upon the people and many times he used Hyperbolies vehemency and excesses of expression that his perswasion might be the more powerful and make the deeper impression Such is that to the Galathians for I bear you record that if it had been possible Gal. 4. 15. ye would have plucked out your own eyes and have given them to me And such is that to the Thessalonians So being 1 Thes 2. 8. affectionately desirous of you we were willing to have imparted unto you not the Gospel of God only but also our own souls because ye were dear unto us Such is that 1 Cor. 8. 13. to the Corinthians Wherefore if meat make my Brother to offend I will eat no flesh while the world standeth lest I make my Brother to offend And of the same 1 Cor. 9. 19 20 21 22. kind is that For though I be free from all men yet have I made my self servant to all that I might gain the more And unto the Jews I became as a Jew that I might gain the Jews to them that are under the Law as under the Law that I might gain them that are under the Law To them that are without the Law as without Law being not without Law to God but under the Law to Christ that I might gain them that are without Law To the weak became I as weak that I might gain the weak I am made all things to all men that I might by all means save some Here was great truth and sincerity in these Condescentions but we must understand these pro hic nunc When he had to deal with a Jew apart he treated him with all possible lenity and sweetness and Christian compliance and so he did by the Gentile when he had him by himself but this was by way of Dispensation to draw them in to embrace the Gospel But when the Jew and Gentile came together these methods of compliance were useless and unpracticable we have the very Case reported by S. Paul himself upon the congress of the Jew and Gentil Christian at Antioch where the Apostle was not nay he could not be so compleasant as to be all things to all men He withstood S. Peter to the face c. Gal. 2. 11 12 13 14. And thus a man may carry himself toward Dissenting Parties he may privately Coax and Flatter a Dissenter in his errors and comply with his weakness thinking
he knows not how to disengage himself those gentle Methods are ineffectual Sharpness and Severity are much more useful for some Tempers which therefore the great Apostle does both Threaten and 2 Cor. 13. 2. 10. Tit. 1. 13. Prescribe This Distinction of Persons and Tempers he might have Learn'd from those Fathers whom he so often cites Chrysostom Theodoret Oecumenius who have the same Distinction upon the words of the Apostle Tit. 3. 10. Where he enjoyns the use of Severe Applications when Gentle means will not prevail A Man that is a Sectary after the First and Second Admonition reject Which Words Calixtus doth thus Paraphrase Qui quoestiones agitant Frivolas et inutiles etiamsi Ad Tit. 3. 10. extreme mali non sint et tolerari aliquatenus possint compescendi tamen sunt et severe castigandi ut curiosas atque otiosas istas Questiones missas faciant Neque ipsi si pietatem serio ex animo colant necessariis monitis obtemperare recusabunt Such as set on foot frivolous and unprofitable Questions and such generally have been bandyed up and down by the Dissenters to the Disturbance of the Church tho they be not extreamly Bad and might in some sort be tolerated yet they are to be restrained and Chastised severely that they may lay aside those curious and Idle Questions and if they be heartily devoted to Piety they will not refuse to obey such necessary Admonitions But if any man be so addicted to Contention that nothing will serve his turn but the Overthrow of all Rule and Order that he may set up a Religion and Way of his Own choosing without doubt such a one is to be avoided The Church Doors have hitherto been kept open to the Dissenters if they will not regularly come in to communicate with us and be instructed I know no Reason why our Governours should give them leave to make Ladders to climb up otherwayes to perpetuate our Schisms What the Reconciler adds in Answer to an Objection does serve very well to confirm the Truth which we undertake to Justify The Objection is this When our Lords Disciples told Him that the Pharisees were scandalised at his Doctrine He answered Let them alone they are Blind Leaders of the Blind and thereby seems to intimate that we should not regard the Scandal of such Persons For this we have the Judgment of Amesius the best Logician and School-Man De Consc Lib. 5. C. 11. Num. 12. that ever set Pen to Paper on the behalf of the Dissenters he saies thus Nihil Boni aut Liciti est omittendum propter Scandalum acceptum Hominum Pharisaico Ingenio praeditorum Nothing Good or Lawful is to be omitted for the Scandal that 's taken by men of a Pharisaical temper and he cites that very Text for it Mat. 15. 14. Let them alone c. The Reconciler saies this doth not follow from our Saviours words because the Scandal mentioned there was taken at our Lord 's Preaching true Doctrine and necessary to be taught But I say the Argument does follow from the words of our Saviour because the Scandal of the Dissenters is taken at a Doctrine no less True and Necessary the Doctrine of Obedience which our Saviour did both Teach and Practice and wrought a Miracle on Purpose to enable him to do it and to justifie his Performance of it therefore when we call for Obedience to the Impositions of Things Lawful and Decent in Gods Worship as the Rites and Observances amongst us are proved to be we Preach True Doctrine and necessary to be taught both for Defence of our Governours and their Subjects and for the Rescuing the People from those Superstitions and Wicked Practices which have made them Worship God in Vain and have made the Commandments of God of none effect Now in such Cases the Reconciler confesses it is true That we must not desist from doing of our Duty tho Wicked Persons should be scandalized Now because we are concerned among the Pharisees 't will not be amiss to take Notice of some things wherein the Dissenting Brethren have resembled them And 1. our Saviour upbraids them that they would Strain at a Gnat and Swallow a Camel and have not our Dissenters done so I am ashamed to mention the little things they Boggled at while they Preached up Blood Sacriledge and Rebellion they can strain at a Surplice but swallow Schism and yet if they had St. Johns Eyes they might see Surplices Rev. 4. 4. in Heaven Whereas St. Paul tell 's us he could see no Schismatick Gal. 5. 20 21. there 2ly Our Saviour upbraids them that they were Blind Leaders of the Blind and have not some of our Dissenters declar'd themselves to be such Go with me saith Mr. Case to Heb. 11. 13. and ye shall find Abraham with his Staff in In his Sermon before the Peers March 25. 1646. P. 41. his Hand and his Sandals on his Feet and his Loins girt Please to let me ask him two or three Questions by the way see what he will Answer Reverend Patriarch whether are you going Answer I know not When shall you return Answer I know not How will you Subsist Answer I know not He is in haste as well as we and therefore I 'le ask him but one Question more Abraham Why then do you go at such Uncertainties To this he will Answer I go not upon Vncertainties I have a Call I have a Command and that will secure my Person and bear my Charges By Faith Abraham when he was called Heb. 11. 8 to go into a Place which he should after receive for an Inheritance obeyed and went out not knowing whether he went Christians saith he observe a Call is as good as a Promise and a little after we have not only a Call but a Promise not in General only but in Special The whole Book of the Revelation is nothing else but one great Promise of the Down-fal of Antichrist and Gospel-Reformation and that is the Work Parliament and Kingdom have now in hand in these Three Nations Thus Mr. Case But what they meant by that Gospel-Reformation they could never agree to tell us witness Mr. Daniel Evance in Intituled the Noble Order his Sermon before the Lords Jan. 28. 1645. on 1 Sam. 2. 30. where he tells them thus I Profess my Lords I am neither for Paul nor Apollos nor Cephas nor Christ till I know what Paul and Apollos and Cephas are for and what those that say they are for Christ can say for him But I could wish my Lords that we had the Pattern that every man might consult with the Mount which of the two is Christs Government The Child is Christned for ought I see before it is Born and we have the Names before the Things 3ly Our Saviour charges the Pharisees that they made the Commandment Mat. 15. 4 5 6. of God of none effect by their Tradition And he instances in