Tyrants had formerly asserted to themselves Divine Honours therefore now no Honour at all ought to be given to Christian Kings and Princes or as if because some Vsurper formerly had liv'd in a Royal Palace therefore a Lawful Prince must settle his Throne no higher than a Dunghil But he who truly loves God will reverence his Sanctuary and he who loves a neat Service and Attendance in his own House will never endure meanness or slovenliness in the House of God and he who can be content to dwell himself in cieled Palaces will not be willing the Ark of God should remain among Curtains whilst the Samaritan strives to overthrow it and when once overthrown to keep it down That the Enemies of Religion find no surer way of obstructing the grateful Restauration of Gods Service Obser 3. than an Hypocritical Pretence to joyn in the Work The Devil is never so truly Dreadful as when he puts on the Shape of an Angel of Light otherwise every one stands upon his Guard but then the Subtile Serpent insinuates himself into the Bosoms of those who least suspect his Poysonous Nature And wicked Men can never possibly do such mischief as when they put on the Visor of Piety the Servants of God avoid them when they appear like themselves but when the Sheeps Clothing has invested the Wolf even He may pass for a very Innocent Creature This therefore is the last Result of Hellish Policy That roaring Lion who walks about continually seeking whom he may devour makes use frequently of the Foxes the little Foxes to ruine Gods Church to that end the Samaritans here desire to build Gods Temple with the Jews they declare their Reverence to the same God their offering the same Sacrifices a very fair Conformity as they pretend and which undoubredly in a short time would have purchas'd for them the Title of The Church of the Jews It is not to be question'd but that the acknowledgment of the True God and the offering due Sacrifices to him as God is the main Foundation of true Religion but a bare Foundation without a Superstructure is of no worth for upon these Principles plainly and evidently depend a great Number of other things which if not observ'd prove that the Foundation was never truly own'd For if a Man believe indeed that there is a God and by offering Sacrifices acknowledges there is a Duty owing to that God nothing can be commanded by that God nothing forbiddâ—n but the Man if he hopes for Salvation must sincerely and to the utmost of his Power obey it in which point the Samaritans fail'd foully St. Pauls words were true of them Rom. 1.21 When they knew God they glorified him not as God but became vain in their Imaginations and their foolish Heart was darkned they fear'd God but worshipp'd their own graven Images Upon account of which though it be said that they fear'd the Lord 2 Kings 17.33 Ver. 34. yet 't is asserted again Vnto this day they do after the former manners they fear not the Lord neither do they after their Statutes or after their Ordinances or after the Law and Commandments which the Lord commanded the Children of Jacob inferring plainly the same from their Practice which I would do that though for fear they acknowledg'd God yet so long as they obey'd not the Injunctions of that God their Profession was but False and Vain And it 's to be noted That all the Commands of God must be punctually obey'd Smiths disc p 346. Men may not cull out this or another according to their own Fancies and as the Jews themselves have practised since the Rule being infallibly Authentick That whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point Jam. 2.10 he is guilty of All the Reason is because he breaks that very Foundation he builds upon the Confession of a God and our Duty to him The Apostle makes the Inference For he that said Do not commit Adultery said also Ver. 11. do not Kill now if thou commit no Adultery yet if thou Kill thou art become a Transgressor of the Law So then if any man pretend out of a sense of his Duty to God to do one or more things and yet minds not some other things which God has commanded as well as those his whole Obedience is nothing and his whole pretence a Lye he really with the Fool says in his Heart Psal 53.1 there is no God Nor will Cavils or Excuses be admitted here or the Obscurity of our Duty in any Part be a sufficient Plea for every Christian is bound as far as possible to enquire into the Word of God as left written for his Instruction and to do of himself what he finds exprest as his Duty there and further I 'le grant him that where there is no Law there can be no Transgression where men cannot know of any more to be done by them they shall not be condemn'd for not doing more But since God has appointed persons lawfully call'd to study the Scriptures and to instruct the People in his Church what those Persons so appointed learn and deduce truly from Scripture is to be attended to and whereas all Divine Commands have a certain Connexion one with another so that there can be no clashing or contradiction between them though such things be not in terminis commanded yet if they be found so concordant to the explicit and plain Rules such things are to be Vniversally submitted to and obey'd And hence it was that since among the Jews the Priests Lips were to preserve knowledge Mal. 2.7 Deut. 17.8 13. and the People were to address themsâ—lves to them for information in the more doubtful parts of their Duties These Samaritans were to have apply'd themselves to those Priests and to have conform'd in all things to their Prescriptions if they intended really to become Partners with them in one Common Church Society And 't is Folly to believe that God gave greater Power or Priviledges in these Cases to the Jewish than to the Christian Teachers for whereas among the Jews the Prince and the Priest were joyn'd together in the Maintenance of Gods True Religion so wheresoever the Prince and People profess Christianity their Work is the same the Prince defends and with the Priest declares the true Catholick Faith And upon this account it is that the Burthen that lyes upon the Teachers of the Church is the greater where the Preacher delivers apparent Falsehoods and the People are seduced by him the Fault is divided between the Instructor and the Instructed it being his work to preach the Truth sincerely and the Peoples to search the Scriptures daily to see whether these things be so but in Obscurer cases if the people be seduced 't is wholly their Teachers Fault he being more knowing than they and being bound not to teach others at random but what he knows certainly and necessarily true and for such Errors not
new Divine Revelations And again It would be no part of Englands Thankfulness after so many Deliverances and Mercies receiv'd from God to grant men Liberty openly to blaspheme him at their pleasure to wrest the Scripture to their own destruction to trample upon his Holy Ordinances slight and contemn all Ministry despise his Messengers commit all manner of abominations and for every one to go a whoring after their own Inventions Harm cons p. 10 11. which yet would be the Effects of a lawless Toleration This was subscrib'd by the Ministers of a whole County If then it be as they truly assert a thing so extreamly ill to indulge persons of different Perswasions at all much more is it so to let them be engaged in the greatest and noblest work the Church of Christ undertakes Schism and Heresie are Crimes of so bewitching a Nature as we find by Experience that those Leaders of either kind who happen to renounce their Errors are unable to reduce those unhappy Souls they had formerly led astray and 't is but too common that such Converts relapse themselves into those very Errors they had abjur'd and then having by pretended Repentance insinuated themselves into the Churches bosom they have the better opportunity to scatter their Poyson every where Those who plead for this Liberty of Conscience for the better stopping of Mens mouths are generally wont to distinguish between Errors tolerable and intolerable but which are so or which are not who shall be judge The Answer is presently by themselves return'd To the Law and to the Testimony Isa 8.20 Let Gods Word decide the Controversie and this is indeed a certain way And yet Experience tells us that almost every Party pretend the Scripture is on their side and alledge it in defence of their own Opinions when yet 't is impossible it should he for them All and every one acknowledges that impossibility What then is to be determin'd in this case must every one be indulg'd in their own way That is indeed to give them leave to damn themselves without controll and is so contrary to Christian Charity that no Party when in power was ever yet bad enough to agree to it and when in their deprest Condition they cry out loudest for Toleration they are then active and busie to draw men over to their different Parties out of tenderness as they alledge to their Souls Therefore the exactest Rules of all true Policy whether Ecclesiastical or Civil forbids all kind of Indulgence even to those Errors that seem in themselves the most tolerable the Church and State are so united in their Interests in this Case that what ruines the one must certainly confound the other The Word of God is a Rule to Princes as well as others and Princes if inquisitive having better opportunities for Instruction and Souls more vast and capable than other Men may soon understand what Principles have a due agreement with the Tenor of Holy Writ and what have not That Chain of Principles which leads men through all the Actions of Life without opposition to any Dictates there is that to which a Christian Prince is oblig'd to bring men for Gods and for his own sake with all that power God has entrusted him with And unprejudiced Men by consulting this Word of God and by applying to it the practice of the Prophets and Apostles and the whole primitive Christian Church as upon Record may easily find out these saving Principles Thousands whose Souls are now at rest have done it before us And it is a most infallible Truth that wheresoever a Principle disagreeing to the general scope of Scripture is entertain'd that very Principle will rend the Church and have an unhappy influence in due time upon the State nor will the honest intention of the Person advancing such a Principle be any security either to the one or the other That one Maxim That the foundation of Power is originally in the People seems at first very little to concern Religion yet 't is directly opposite to that assertion of Gods eternal Wisdom Prov. 8.15 By me Kings reign and Princes decree Justice Rom. 13.1 and to that of S. Paul that there is no power but of God and the powers that be are ordained of God and this Tenet as proper for their turn Schismaticks in general own Now though I doubt not but many Persons of very sober and innocent tempers have entertain'd that Notion and dâ—ed in the Belief of it yet there is no Rebellion or Insurrection carry'd on by Man proâ—â—ssing Christianity but has been grounded upon and asserted from that Principle and indeed Crowns are very insecure things if that be true But every one knows that by how much the more Innocent the first Movers or the great Promoters of such Doctrines are so much the greater is the Danger and the weakness of careless and uninquisitive Persons the more easily impos'd upon Again That Opinion that denies any Power in Church Governours to impose indifferent things upon those under their Charge seems to hold forth a great deal of Charity and yet it 's directly contrary to the Practice of the Apostles who made Indifferent Things Acts 15.29 viz. Abstinence from things offer'd to Idols from things strangled and from Blood absolutely necessary by their Command But certainly every truly compassionate Heart must bleed to see what miserable Fractures and Divisions this has made in the Church how it has been the Common Plea of Sectaries and has almost vacated all the Laws of God and Man For whilst men oppose their immediate Church Governours if Princes who are to be nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers to the Church interpose as their Power and Duty engage them Ignorant Zeal presently breaks out into a raging Fire and creates Tumults and Disorders for Conscience sake and every one who dies in so curst a Cause looks upon himself and is esteem'd by too many as a Martyr suffering for the Common and dearly purchas'd Liberty of Christians The Government of the Church by a mixt Body of Clergy and Lay Elders though it be Novel and Absurd must needs be very plausible to the vulgar when every Cobler in the Parish may hope in time to mate his Landlord or the proudest of his Superiours and yet Popery has nothing in it more fatal to the Thrones of Princes than this Those of the Church of Rome suppose the Bishop of Rome Infallible and from that Supposition laid as a Foundation they rightly enough conclude he may depose the Highest Magistrates For if the Bishop of Rome be indeed Infallible he cannot charge a Prince with any other than a real Sin He cannot be mistaken in his Judgment and of necessity he must be Superiour to the greatest Kings and Emperors under Heaven in opposition to all this confute but their primary Erroneous Hypothesis and the Blindest Romanist will be sensible that all his Conclusions are foolish and unwarrantable But with those who
made it a Den of Thieves In such cases if God be angry who can wonder If God confound that People who labour to cloud his Glory and to render his Service sordid and nauseous he must then be justified when he speaks though in anger and clear when he is judged That Publick and Solemn Worship of God the Contempt of which has such dreadful effects ought first to be regarded when the Almighty sheaths his Sword again and restores Peace and Prosperity to a People So soon as the Israelites were freed from the Aegyptian Bondage and but yet on their way to the Promis'd Land they were call'd upon by God himself to build a Tabernacle and Ark with all their Furniture before which they might offer their daily Sacrifices David when he fled from Absolom Exod. 25. was careful lest this Ark should suffer by being carry'd with him in his flight Carry it back says he into the City if I shall find favour in the sight of the Lord 2 Sam. 15.25 he will bring me again and shew me both it and his habitation When he return'd indeed he presently was for raising a Temple to the God of Israel his Redeemer and since God permitted him not to build it he provided Treasure for his Son to build it with He prescrib'd the method of Divine Service 1 Chron. Chapters 22 23 24 25 26 27 c. and fixt Orders for its exact performance in that Temple As for the Temple it self where this cost was to be bestow'd and these Orders observ'd David declares The House that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical of fame and of glory throughout all Countries 1 Chron. 22.5 and the Reason he gives is remarkable The work is great 1 Chron. 29.1 for the Palace is not for Man but for the Lord God And this care of David's was so just and â—ffectual that in Hezekiah's time we find the Priests and Levites obeying the past Commands of David using the Instruments of David 2 Chron. 29.25 30. and praising God in the Words of David and he that shall but read profane Story Multa epulenta ibi Regum populorumque visuntur munera quaeque magnificentiâ suâ reddentium vota gratam voluntatem Decrum responsa manifestant Justinus de templo Delphico Lib. 24. c. 8. and see what large Donaria all Countries appropriated to their Sacred Temples upon Dangers escap'd or Victories obtain'd or the Sacred History and view the prodigious Liberalities of David Solomon and the Nobles of Israel to the Temple of God must needs conclude the Service of God was by that means render'd glorious and beautiful the gratitude of Men to God very commendable and that those who left us those great Examples were not all of them either Mad-men or Fools And indeed Men may pretend what they will they 'l never perswade any in their senses to believe them thankful to God for removing Common Judgements who do not repair the decays of Divine Worship and endeavour to restore its pristine exactness and splendor and an Vniform celebration of Gods Praises is the best proof of an agreeing sense of his infinite Goodness And thus the Christians of old in each Distinct respectively were United in the same Forms of Worship and the Vniversal Church Concordant in the same matter and the whole World convinced of the Beauty and Harmony of that Religion whose Professors addrest themselves to God so Vnitedly for Matter and with so little disparity in Words and Methods even that disparity confirming the truth of Christianity the greatness of the true God and the Divinity of the Man Christ Jesus whom though Crucified the Christian World with the greatest fervour and devotion ador'd and invocated 'T is easie to Object That though great thankfulness is really due to God after great Deliverances yet 't is indifferent in what place by what person in what order Gods praise in his Worship is declar'd 'T is true a Man may be heard with Job from a Dunghil with Jonah from the Oceans bottom with Jeremiah from the miry Dungeon or with Daniel from the Lions Den but scarce any wise Man would chuse those places for his Devotions if he were at Liberty And my Groom or Scullion may be heard in their Prayers as soon as I but it would shew little respect to Gods Service should I call them to officiate in the Head of my Family in a Scullery or Stable with their Horse or Kitchen Habiliments about them Days of deliverance are days of Joy and Feasting and the garments of Gladness ought then to be worn and our gratitude to put on the fairest face of Order Loveliness and Beauty those Sins for which we suffer should be forsaken our thankful Resentments of Gods Goodness should be expos'd to the Worlds view and that so that Religion for its deformity may not be made a Scar-crow nor Slovenliness the measure of Divine Worship nor Enthusiasm the Essence of Devotion From the practice of the Samaritans in the Text we may Observe Observ 2. That the Enemies of Religion always apply themselves to hinder the Restauration of Gods Solemn and Publick Worship The Charms of pure and undefil'd Religion and the Worship attending it are terrible and odious to the Prince of Darkness he renders it a Mormo or Bugbear to his wretched Slaves and cannot endure its allurements should reach the Souls of thinking persons and therefore as by his Wiles and Policies he endeavours to put a slur upon Piety to render it ugly and ridiculous in the sight of Men that so it may crouch to growing Impieties So when men formerly mad after Sin begin to return to their almost lost Wits again he tries all ways to hinder the good Effects of Repentance that so profest Penitents may return with the Dog to his Vomit and with the Sow that is wash'd to her wallowing in the mire That Sin should abound and that Vengeance should once more deluge the World is his aim and therefore he studies to obstruct whatsoever tends to Reformation in those things that are really amiss Whatsoever mischief the Devil designs his busie Agents here on Earth who think scorn to be damn'd alone carry on with the greatest vigour and labour to engage all whom possibly they can pervert into the same Service so the People of Israel of old when God had scourg'd them frequently for their Sins and by his punishments reduced them to Reason though their Vows and Resolutions were never so many of reforming themselves to the Pattern God had prescrib'd them their Resolutions all vanish'd into Air and easie Temptations drew them to dangerous relapses as we read in the Book of Judges Manasseh King of Judah was eminent in wickedness as his Father Hezekiah had been in piety He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord like to the Abominations of the Heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the Children of Israel
the People but the Preacher shall be condemn'd at last This Vniversal Obedience being so indispensibly necessary to make a really Pious Man and a Good Christian and those who submit not to it being consequently no Christians whatever they call themselves but downright Pagans and Infidels nothing can be more plain than that such can desire an Interest or Concern in the Church with no other Design but to Ruin it 'T is no hard matter to blind the Eyes of Men so that ordinarily they may suspect no harm but 't is not so easie for Men to forsake their own Natures or to design the Conservation of those Laws they never design to submit to The Samaritans had they been entertain'd by the Jews would have pry'd into their most retir'd privacies and intendments Sacred or Civil that they might so have counterpois'd their Counsels and have betray'd their Designs to their Enemies and others who fear the Lord and yet follow their own base and lewd Imaginations being so many Pensioners of Hell i. e. assisted by the Devil for their faithful Adherence to his Designs so far as his Interest goes in this World those Persons would by all means get admission to Employment in the Church that so they may Cross the great Design of Vndeceiving and Reforming Mankind and by introducing abetting and encouraging Atheism Profaneness Schism and Disobedience under a shew of Zeal for Trifles may betray it to all its most dangerous Enemies So Men of Factious and Discontented Spirits by eager pretences to Loyalty labour hard to be trusted with Arms that with them in their Hands they may at once ingratiate themselves with Rebels and assist them Which Mischief that it may be the better avoided we must proceed to Obs 4. That the true Servants of God can never without danger Obser 4. and therefore in prudence never will admit such Persons at their request to joyn with them in restoring Gods Service and Worship seeing their design must be so fatal to the Church it self This we learn from the wise behaviour of the Jewish Chiefs in the Text who would not upon any account receive assistance from the Samaritans in building Gods Temple You have nothing to do with us say they but we only will build together I readily yield that the Governours of Gods true Church ought to make and admit as many Converts to the Truths of the Gospel as they can and to reduce as many Hereticks and Schismaticks as may be to Catholick Communion but to admit them further than bare Church Membership without long tryal of their sincerity would be little else than madness A Heretick a Schismatick though they profess Christianity are no more Christians indeed than Pagans as he is no more my Friend who engages himself in my acquaintance to ruine me or who endeavours it after my acquaintance than he who every where publishes himself my Enemy Our Saviour determines it so when he tells us He that is not with me that is Matth. 12.30 he that is not sincerely and wholly on my side is against me Now that such Persons who are not true Christians should be concern'd in edifying or defending the Church of Christ is extremely unreasonable this were to make the Wolf the Shepherd of the Sheep and would soon render the Church of God sentinam malignantium the very Sink or Common Sewer of all the Ill the World contains and the Scoff which Julian the Apostate by the Mouth of Constantius puts upon the Christian Doctrine would be a real Truth Whosoever is an Adulterer or Sodomite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jul. Caes whosoever is a Murderer whosoever is polluted or under the greatest Curse let him come boldly for washt once with this Water meaning that of Baptism I 'le present him instantly pure and clean from all his Crimes nay should he again relapse into his former guilty state let him but beat his Breast and knock his Head and he shall presently be holy again So easie would an admittance into the Church be none could possibly be found so bad but he would be receiv'd into one Society or another and this would be the effect of that which some persons seem so eager for and that is Indulgence or Toleration Toleration known sometimes by the names of Liberty of Conscience and Indulgence the thing which in effect these Samaritans desir'd seems to have been very odious to those who some Years since held the Pulpit in our English Congregations as appears by the united Votes of a considâ—rable number of them We are struck with horror and astonishment say they at the endeavours of many for it A Toleration would be putting a Sword into a mad mans hand a Cup of Poysâ—n in the hand of a Child a letting loose of mad Men with Firebrands in their hands an appointing a City of Refuge in mens Consciences for the Devil to fly to a laying a stumbling Block before the blind a proclaiming liberty to the Wolves to come into Christs Fold to prey upon his Lambs a Toleration of Soul Murder the greatest Murder of all other and for the establishing whereof damned Souls in Hell would accurse men on Earth Neither would it be to provide for tender Consciences but to take away all Conscience if Evil be suffered it will not suffer Good if Error be not forcibly kept under it will be Superior which we here the rather speak of to undeceive those weak Ones who under the specious pretext of Liberty of Conscience being indeed liberty of Error Scandal Schism Heresie Dishonouring God Opposing the Truth hindering Reformation and seducing Others are charm'd by Satan into a better liking of an unconscientious Teleration We dread to think what horrid Blasphemies would be belched out against God what vile abominations would be committed how the Duties of nearest Relations would be violated what differences and divisions there would be in Families and Congregations what heart-burnings would be caused what disobedience to the Civil Magistrate that might be palliated over with a pretence of Conscience as well as other Opinions and Practices what disturbance of the Civil Peace and dissolution of all Humane Society and of all Government in the Church and Commonwealth if once liberty were given by a Law for men to profess and practice what Opinions they pleas'd c. Harmonious consent of Lancashire Ministers with those of London p. 12 13. printed 1648. it looks as if men could not sin fast enough unless they were bidden as if God were not already enough dishonoured except the Throne of Iniquity were set up framing Mischief by a Law or as if men were afraid Error a goodly Plant to be cherisht would not grow fast enough except it were made much of We have searched the Sacred Records and yet we cannot find that ever such a thing was practic'd with approbation from God from the time of Adams Creation to the sealing up that Sacred Volume and the ceasing of Visions and all
terrifie the builders of Gods Church thus Religion it self is by degrees destroy'd and the designs and endeavours of Gods most faithful Servants frustrated These Enemies of Truth know well that fear is a betrayer of all Counsels and makes men unfit for any work the Samaritans try'd the Experiment Nehemiah was told concerning them Nehem. 4.12 From all places whence ye shall return to us They will be upon you They set a Prophet to perswade Nehemiah to fly into the Temple for his security whose fear would have discouraged all the rest and plied him with Ill news and scandalous stories He gives the reason of their acting thus For they All made us afraid saying Nehem. 6.9 Their hands shall be weakned from the work that it be not done Were but Men so good as they should be the Artifices of Gods Enemies could not have such mischievous effects upon them they would not be afraid of any evil Tidings Psal 102.7 their hearts standing fast in the Lord. This great defect makes every Idle rumor every vain fancy terrible so that the most steady the most deliberate and rational Methods of Honouring God may by malicious Men be traduced and they by careless persons believ'd and so those come to be charged with Innovating Humors who above all oppose Innovations and those who cannot relinquish that Religion they have taken up upon infallible grounds are stil'd Apostates Fear representing every object contrary to what indeed it is and bringing us within danger of their Curse who call evil good and good evil 't is counted Madness for a man to kill himself for fear of dying such a Madness those fall into who lose their Religion for fear of losing it who are sollicitous about it till they forget what it really consists in and then engage in endless quarrels about Circumstances as if the Shadow were of any value when the Body or when the solid Substance is gone Those Men yet who are pure Politicians who aim at their own profit or grandure without respect to Religion or the Honour of God prove excellent Instruments to carry on their designs who study to disturb Gods Church If those Enemies be few and inconsiderable they may perhaps let them alone but if they be many and persons of Interest or Wealth the appearing in the head of them and whispering stories on their behalf in the Ears of Princes engages the whole Party on their side who trouble not themselves so much about Faith as about Practice and therefore believe the greatest Atheist that is but on their side to be a Child of Light though walking in Darkness And indeed the only certain means for Capital Debauchees to get any Reputation for goodness is to close with disaffected and malicious Hypocrites which if many persons are not in a very gross Error does like that true Christian Charity recommended to us by the Apostle Jam. 5.20 cover a multitude of Sins And 't is remarkable that when Princes out of Zeal for Religion make the best provision for its defence that Humane Providence can reach to some are so curiously subtile as to endeavour at least to make their Laws like Spiders Webs so tender that every daring Spirit may without danger break through them and sometimes they try to turn their edge from those they were design'd against to those in whose favour they were made and many more Devices are daily found out to the terror of Well-doers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesiod◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lib. 1. but to the praise of them that do evil such shall never want employment for those who when they are angry at Heaven would go to Hell it self to prosecute their Revenge will never miss any help they can find on Earth But while wicked Men enraged at their disappointments turn every way to work mischief they fall upon the Poets Truth †They draw the greatest mischiefs upon their own heads by their own contrivances and ruine themselves with their own Arts for those who move in an higher Sphere though wicked as themselves regard their Faction but as Steps to mount by which may afterwards be burnt and therefore those Leaders thrust them upon all desperate Actions till from Malice Murmuring and Sedition they rise to Riots and Rebellions trying so to wrest that by force out of the hands of their Superiors which by subtile Flatteries they cannot attain to wherein if they succeed though they make themselves perfect Slaves by the bargain yet the Church the great Object of their Spleen must be sure to suffer and while their Leaders triumph the Temples building must cease and Jerusalem continue but an heap of Stones Having laid down these Observations Applic. I shall at last for Application shew the unhappy Parallelism between the Jewish and the English Church in respect of the Practices of the Samaritans against theirs of the Dissenters of all sorts against our Peace and the Restauration of Gods ancient solemn and publick Worship among us To this end Let us look back to the first Reformation of Religion in this Kingdom when it was laid for a sure foundation That we should forsake the Church of Rome only so far as that had forsaken the Rule of Gods Word And it 's notoriously evident That whosoever out of one pretence or other should go further must instead of opposing real Popery close with it running himself upon the same Crime of bidding defiance to and superseding the Gospel of Jesus Christ When God of his infinite mercy was pleas'd after that long and dismal Night of Popish Ignorance and Superstition to give us a Prince who favour'd the pure and undisguis'd Truth those whose Hearts God had touch'd set earnestly upon that great work of Gratitude the restoring Gods sacred Temple or the settling God Worship within these Kingdoms not according to the Pattern of other Reformers but that of the truly Ancient Catholick and Apostolick Church of Christ which they had a greater advantage of doing than others for that the lawful Supream Authority of the Kingdom concur'd with and encouraged them in their endeavours And they proceeded in their work with such care that Dr. Taylor a Martyr in Queen Maries days declares of the Church Service as then reform'd that it was so fully perfected according to the Rules of our Christian Religion in every behalf Acts and Men Tom. 3. p. 131. that no Christian Conscience could be offended with any thing contain'd therein When a new Cloud of Popery rais'd by a bigot Queen was by Gods goodness dispell'd and Queen Elizabeth peaceably settled upon the Throne the Purification of Divine Worship from those foul Accretions which had fasten'd on it in her Sisters days was one of the first things they set upon and whereas K. Edward 's Act of Vniformity had been by Q. Mary repeal'd to the great decay of the true Honour of God Act of Uniformity 1 Eliz. and discomfort to the Professors of the