Divinity of the God of Israel made a capital Law against the blasphemers of his Name Therefore I make a Decree that every People Nation and Language which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach c. shall be cut in pieces and their houses shall be made a dunghill Dan. 3.29 Darius of the Medes and Persians Enacted a Royal Law to the same import I make a Decree that in every Dominion of my Kimgdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel for he is the living God Dan. 6.26 In Athens they had a Law against 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Irreligion upon which three famous Philosophers Socrates Theodorus and Protagoras suffered Socrates as Laertius reports in his Life was accused 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Irreligion and the Action Commenced against him in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Socrates is a transgressor in not esteeming those for Gods whom the City esteems such but brings in other new Gods of his own And all this was done onely by virtue of the Supreme Power residing in them For though every Master of a Family be obliged to remove Idols and every thing of false Worship out of his own Private Family yet the King or persons delegated by him may onely do it in the Publick There is a Text indeed in Deuteronomy that seems to countenance private persons in destroying of Idols and false Worship Ye shall destroy their Altars and break down their Images cut down their Groves and burn their Graven Images with fire Deut. 7.5 But if St. August may be admitted to Comment upon the Text he tells you that they might not do it without Authority from the Higher Powers Cumacceperitis potestatem hoc facite ubi non est data nobis potestas non facimus Serm. 6. de verb. Dom. sec Mat. You may do this when you have received Authority but without Authority we do it not Hence Nicephorus reprehends and condemns Abdas the Bishop for demolishing the Persians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Temple in which they Worshipped the Fire which proved a matter of much inconvenience and trouble to the Christians The Pagan Temples in the City of Rome were not shut up by the Christians till Constantine made a Law against them And the Elibertine Councel An. 305. provides by a Canon Si quis Idolum fregerit ibidem occisus fuerit ne in Martyrum numerum recipiatur that if any person be killed for breaking an Idol in pieces he shall not be enrolled among the Martyrs of the Church because saith the Councel Neque in Evangelio scriptum sit neque ab Apostolis factum reperiatur we have neither precept in Scripture nor example of the Apostles to countenance the Fact And thus you see The Supreme Magistrate is entrusted with a Coercive Power in matters of Religion The Reason why he is entrusted with this Power is Because without this he would bear the Sword in vain The Apostle St. Paul tells us that he beareth not the Sword in vain Rom. 13.4 The Sword saith Theophylact is the Coercive Power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he bears it not in vain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but that he may punish Evil-doers It is a thing to be wished to be beg'd of Heaven with our most Fervent Prayers that all Christians might be like those in the Acts of one Minde and of one Soul that all who confess God's Holy Name should agree in the Truth of his Holy Word as our Church teacheth us to Pray but the peevishness of some the interest and malice of others renders this a thing scarcely to be hoped for Yet must not the Prince for all this abandon the care of Truth Unity and Peace neither of which could possibly be provided for by him without a Coercive Power For nothing hath a greater influence upon the External Happiness and Peace of a Kingdom then Religion And that in a double respect First In respect of the Divine Providence which hath promised to reward Piety or Religion not onely with the great things of Eternity but with the good things of this present life Godliness saith the Apostle 1 Tim. ◠8 is profitable to all things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come And thus Livy Omnia prospera eveniunt colentibus Deos adversa spernentibus that is All things succeed prosperously to those that Worship the Gods but nothing well to those that despise them And Horace ascribes all the miseries and calamities that befel Italy to their neglect of the Gods Dii multa neglecti dederunt Hesperiae mala luctuosae And it is no wonder saith Vat. Max. that the Gods watch over the Roman Empire with a most indulgent care seeing the Romans are so scrupulous in examining and observing the smallest matters in Religion Quod tam scrupulosa cura parvula quaeque momenta religionis examinare videretur Secondly In respect of the Nature the Genuine and proper Tendency of Religion which is to render men Peaceable Obsequious Lovers of their Country and Studious of the Common welfare Now where men are generally thus spirited that State or Kingdom must needs be flourishing and happy Thus Plato makes Religion Legum honestae vitae vinculum the bond of Laws and all good life and Cicero Humanae societatis fundamentum the foundation of all Humane Society I shall add onely to this that such a Coercive Power is necessary to restrain that curiosity and itch of Novelty that is in men All mutation in Religion though but in the Rites and Ceremonies of it if it be without the Authorīty or consent of the Prince breeds an Earth-quake in the Bowels of the Common-Wealth and brings it many times into utmost danger Hence the great Councel of Nice cryed out so Passionately 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let the old Customes take place But without a coercive Power in the Prince this cannot be for there is in every man a Natural affection of novelty As they in Ezekiel who did set their posts by God's posts and their thresholds by his thresholds Ezek. 43.8 so men will be bringing a Bason instead of the Font a new Directory instead of the old Liturgy unless their curiosity by the Prince's Edicts be constrained And thus the Common-Wealth or Kingdom will be cast into a quotīdian Feaver or Palsy-fit I conclude this with that rational saying of Parisiensis Licitum est principi abusum gladii Spiritualis repellere eo modo quo potest etiam per gladium materialem aliter enim gladium sine causa portat De pot Regis Papae c. 21. It is lawfull for the Prince to repel the abuse of the Spiritual Sword in such a way as he best can yea by taking into his hand the material Sword for otherwise he should bear the Sword in vain But in what cases hath the Prince a Coercive Power and how far doth it extend First He hath a coercive power not onely in the
many other Books that were thrown into the fire to him it happened that a Common-Prayer-Book fell between his hands which he joyfully received open'd and read till the flame and smoak suffered him not to see any more and then he fell to Prayer holding his hands up to Heaven and the Book between his Arms next his Heart thanking God for that mercy in sending him it Acts Men. pag. 18 18. Doctour Taylor in the Conference between him and Gardiner Jan. 22. Anno 1555. 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 Advice of the Learned Men of the Realm and authorized by the whole Parliament Which Book was never Reformed but once and yet by that one Reformation it was so fully perfected according to the Rules of our Religion in every behalf That no Christian Conscience can be offended with any thing therein contained Acts Mon fol. 1521. Mind the words of this Holy Martyr No Christian Conscience can be offended with any thing therein contained and yet what Swarms of Exceptions fly in the Face of it A plenteous showr of Rain seldom brings forth more Mushroms or Toad-Stools then the late Luxuriant Age hath produced Exceptions against this Book Concerning which take the Judgment of Mr. Hooker Whosoever doth measure them by number must needs be out of love with a thing that hath so many faults Whosoever by weight cannot choose but esteem very highly of that wherein the wit of so scrupulous Adversaries hath not hitherto observed any defect which themselves can seriously think to be of moment Eccles Pol. B. 5. Sect. 27. The examination of these Exceptions will be our third Step. III. The Exceptions commonly brought against our Liturgie are either general or more particular First In general two things are chiefly laid to its charge 1. It is a Superstitious Worship In answer to this First I presume that as they say Proverbially Every man that talks of Robin Hood never shot in his Bow So every one that cryes out Superstition doth not well understand what Superstition is for Superstition in the proper and strict Notion and signification of the Word is the Worship of Idols or Dead Men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Superstites Thus St. Paul tells the Athenians I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious Act. xvii 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus I suppose no man hath the Fore-head to charge our Liturgie with Superstition Superstition in an improper and more generally-received Notion is when things are either abhor'd or observed with a zealous or fearful but erroneous relation to God By means of which the Superstitious serve either the true God with needless Offices or defraud Him of Necessary Duties or bestow such honour and service upon others as is proper for and should be peculiar to him onely That our Liturgie confers any Honour or Service proper and peculiar to God upon others no man hath yet affirmed That it requires needless Offices to be performed to the true God no man can say who believes that God who made oar Bodies as well as our Souls requires the external Worship of our Bodies as well as the inward Service of our Mind A man cannot express too much in the out-side provided the invisible part come not short of it and I must-say I know not how the stifness of the Knee can be 〈…〉 from defect of Humility at least if not of true Piety also Secondly There may be as much Superstition in rejecting of our Liturgie as in retaining it as much Superstition in opposing as in asserting Ceremonies A Negative Touch not Taste not Kneel not Bow not may be Superstitious as well as the Affirmative An ignorant fear of displeasing God 〈◊〉 such a Form or Circumstance of Worship â—ay be Superstitious as well as a Blind Zeâ—â— or Fear is of all Affections Anger excepted the unaptest to admit any Conference with Reason While a man Superstitiously fears lest he should offend in doing this or that he sins against God and his own Soul in leaving that undone which his Reason if he hearkened to the Voice of it would tell him he might and ought to do This is the first and great but you see groundless Exception against our Liturgie The second is like unto it namely that Our Liturgie is Popish or too near Popery being taken out of the Mass-Book To this I answer First In the words of Learned Mr. Hocker It were violent and extream to say that in nothing they may be followed who are of the Church of Rome They acknowledg the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the Word of God They make Profession of all the Articles of the Faith one God one Saviour one Baptism it will not I hope be deemed Popery in Us to do so because they do it Some things they do as men some things as wise men some things as Christian men in these we may follow them Some things they do as misled and blinded with Errour As far as they follow Reason and Truth we fear not to tread the same steps in which they have gone and to be their followers While Rome keeps that which is antienter and better others whom we much more affect leaving it for newer and changing it for worse we had rather follow the perfection of them whom we like not then in their defects resemble them whom we love Eccles pol. B. 5. Sect. 28. We are sorry saith Learned Doctour Covel that their weakness taketh offence at that which we hold as an honour and a virtue in the Church of England namely that we have so sparingly and as it were unwillingly dissented from the Church of Rome with whom if the Corruptions of that Church would have given us leave we would have willingly consented in their whole Service which being unsafe and unlawful we follow them notwithstanding in all wherein they follow those Holy and Antient Fathers which first planted the Truth among them Modest Exam. pag. 185. Secondly It is no ways probable were our Liturgie Popish that the Papists would be such violent Opposers of it We are assured by an Argument of Christ's own making that it is not Popish for saith our Saviour Every Kingdom divided against it self is brought to desolation and an house divided against an house falleth Luke xi 17. John Ould in Queen Mary's days wrote against the Papists in Defence of the Common-Prayer-Book And Cranmer made a Challenge That if he might be permitted by the Queen to take to him P. Martyr and four or five more they would enter the Lists with any Papists living and defend the Common-Prayer-Book to be perfectly agreeable to the Word of God and the same in effect which had been for fifteen hundred years in the Church of Christ Thirdly It is a known truth that our Reformers retained not any part of the Popish Service but reformed their
suadenda non imperanda el. Bern. Serm. 66. in Cant. you may allure you can't compell any man to believe But besides these Internal there are External actions the words and works of men and these fall under Humane Authority and Power thus the Emperours Gratian Valentinian and Theodosius speak concerning a man that is an Heretick Sibi tantummodo nocitura sentiat aeliis obfutura non pandat If he will think evil things he shall surmise them to himself onely he shall not publish them to the hurt of others And it was with respect to this that Constantine stiled himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Bishop in those things that are without Though therefore the Prince cannot compel men to believe this or that yet he may compel them not to make Profession of any other Faith then that which he allows or approves Thus the King of Nineveh enjoyned his Subjects Sackcloth Fasting Prayer and turning from the Violence in their hands Jonah 3.8 and indeed there 's nothing in which the Supreme power consists more then in determining the Publick Exercise of Religion All that discourse of Politicks make this Praecipuum inter Majestatis jura a Principal Jewel of the Crown to this every man's Reason subscribes For if it be demanded why in the land of our Nativity this Kingdom the Roman Religion flourished in the days of Queen Mary and the Evangelical or Reformed in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth The Proximate cause of it must be acknowledged the will and pleasure of the respective Queens Or if it be asked why one way of Worship is used by the French and Spaniard and another by the Dane and Swed you cannot answer any thing but the will of those that Rule over them If it be objected against this that such a Power in the Prince would render the State of Religion unstable and mutable Religion being subject to be changed as oft as the Prince should change his mind It must be acknowleged true but First The Danger is as great in other things and respects the Work always answering the Artificer and qualis Rex talis lex such as the King is such are his Laws But no person may have his right denyed him for fear least he should abuse it for no man whatsoever should upon this account have his right in any thing because it is possible for him to abuse it Secondly Supposing the right possible to be transferred from the Supreme Magistrate to some other the danger and inconvenience would be no less For upon whomsoever it be transferred they who must Manage this Power are men and so fallible and subject to mutability Our onely hope comfort in this case is in the Divine Providence the minds of all men being in the power of God to confirm them in the truth or to suffer them to turn from the truth to a ly but the hearts of Kings more especially according to that of Solomon The Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord as the Rivers of water Prov. 21.1 God can and doth carry on his own work both by good and evil Kings well knowing that a Tempest is sometimes more necessary and profitable for his Church then a Calm If he that rules be a Pious Prince conversant in the Scripture frequent in Prayer alover of the Church one that enclines his ear to the Counsels of those who are truly Pious and Learned the Truth prospers and prevails mightily under Him but if He be a Person of a perverse spirit and corrupt judgment He proves an heavy scourge to those that are in subjection under Him Et legibus malis probantur boni legibus bonis emendantur mali August advers Crescentium l. 3. c. 51. Evil Laws are for the probation of Good men as good Laws for the emendation of Evil men The Jewish Church saw frequent mutations in their Worship Hezekiah abolished the Idol-Worship of hs Father Ahaz his Grand-childe Manasseh restored it again and Josiah his Grand-childs abolished in a second time and yet the Right of their Kings was never disputed For It was never lawfull for the People to assume unto themselves the Publick Exercise of Religion by force but if they cannot conscionably conform to it they may Pray and Weep and Fly other weapons Christianity allows them not Thus the Prophet Elijah fled from Ahab and thus our Lord Christ indulgeth if he doth not Counsel his Apostles saying When they persecute you in this City flee ye into another Matt. 10.23 Thus St. Cyprian and Athanasius delivered themselves by flight in the time of Persecution and the Christians who lived under the rage and fury of Julian knew nothing but the water that distilled from their own eyes to quench the fire of that Persecution Aliud contra Persecutorem non erat remedium ultra nefas procedere Nazian Orat. in Julianum They knew no other remedy against their persecutors to proceed any further was villany Coactus repugnare non novi dâ—lere potero flere potero gemere potero aliter nec debeo nec possum resistere Ambr. I know not how to resist being constrained I can weep and grieve and mourn otherwise I neither can nor ought to resist And this they did not as some have vainly dreamed because they were destitute of Power to make resistance For as Tertullian in his Apology saith of them Vrbes Insulas c. Palatium Senatum Forum impleverant the Cities Islands Castles Garrisons Judgment-Seats Palace and Senat were full of them and yet as he Nulli Albiniani nulli Nigriani nulli Cassiani there were no Traitors or Rebels much less King-killers among them Eusebius Pius the Bishop of Samosatia being banished by the command of Valens the Emperour the people would have held him in his Episcopal See by force but he having learned the Apostle's lesson Rom. 13.1 taught them also what Reverence and Respect was due to the Emperour's commands and telling them that he would not if he could secure himself by a multitude compassing him about Nec ego me vallabo inquit circumfusione populorum he thereby suppressed an imminent sedition These and many more Examples at hand do abundantly evidence what deep impression the words of Christ to Peter made upon the spirits of Christians heretofore The words of Christ are Put up again thy sword into its place for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword Matt. 26.52 Arripit autem qui non a Deo accipit dedit autem Deus soli summae potestati aliis non nisi per illam Grot. He takes the sword namely with an hand of violence who doth not receive it from God for God hath given it onely to the Supream Power and to others by him Thus then you see the determining of the Publick exercise of Religion is invested in the Supreme Power And it is no less the Prince's Duty to abolish or punish all false Worship or Religion Thus Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon being convinced of the
Angel of the Church to whom he directs those things which he would have the rest to learn from him Again the most antient Greek Manuscripts of the New Testament in the concluson of the second Epistle to Timothy have these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The second Epistle to Timothy erdained the first Bishop of the Church of the Ephesians c. And in the end of the Epistle to Titus we translate from the same Manuscripts It was written to Titus ordained the first Bishop of the Church of the Cretians And St. Ignatius tells us that Evedius his Predecessour was ordained Bishop of the Ephesians by the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will add onely to this that God himself who gave Laws in mediately to the people of the Jews constituted and appointed an High-Priest upon whom he conferred Prelacy and Preheminence over the rest of the Priests And if any man object that the High-Priest was a Type of Christ I acknowledg it is true But the entire Institution of his Office was not for that end onely his Eminence was conferred upon him for Order sake in the Church As Kingly Government was in a sort Typical of Christ but because it was not onely Typical of Christ but Instituted likewise for the great ends of Government it may and ought to be retained and so Prelacy among Pastours conducing so much as it doth to Order in the Church ought not to be abolished though it were Typical in the High-Priest Thus you have an account of these Governours in the Church the Reverend Bishops sent by the King I mean in respect of the External and Accidental things of Religion they have another Mission even from the Holy Ghost in respect of the Internal Preaching and Administring Sacraments Ordaining Binding and Loosing and such like Since then Prelacy is not contrary to the Scriptures since the Church Catholick hath received and embraced it since it is of very Reverend Antiquity and approved of by Divine Right this one would think should be enough to prepare a room for it in the heart of any pious and sober Christian enough to beget in us a reverent esteem of the calling of Bishops to work in us a chearfull submission to and ready compliance with the Rites and Ceremonies in the Worship of God commended to and required of us by such persons delegated to that end by the Prince whose Authority in matters of Religion hath sufficiently been asserted I will yet add for the better reconciling this Order to the affections of some men two words I. The Conveniency and Expediency that I say not Necessity of Conformity and Agreement between the Ecclesiastical and Civil Government There is such an affinity between these two that in Common-Wealths where the Government is by many they always commend the Affairs of the Church to the Clergy or Presbytery and not to a Bishop but where the Government is Monarchical in the State Episcopacy in the Church is onely conformable to it Presbytery no way comporting with Monarthy Hence that Preverbial saying No Bishop No King A saying that may be easily derided but not so easily refuted Our late sad Experiences have engraven it in such Capital Characters upon the understandings of all sober and unprejudiced persons than it will not easily be defaced II. The Utility and Advantages that redound to the Church by Episcopacy I might entertain you upon this Head with the unanimous consent of all Historians but I select his Testimony onely who of all the Antients had the least affection for Bishops St. Jerom ad Tit. c. 1. Toto orbe decretum est ut ad tollenda schismata dissidia unus de Presbyteris electus superponeretur caeteris It is universally decreed that for the prevention of Schisms and differences one chosen out of the Presbyters be set over the rest And again Ecclesiae salus in summi sacerdotis id est Episcopi dignitate consistit The safety of the Church consists in the Dignity of the High-Priest that is the Bishop to whom if there be not a Peculiar Power distinct from all others annexed Tot in Ecclesia efficientur schismata quot sacerdotes advers Lucif There will be as many Schisms as Priests in the Church Our own Chronicles tell us that King Edward the Elder by Constituting five new Bishops stopped an Inundation of Paganism ready to break in on the West for want of Pastours If any man question or doubt of the Utility of this Reverend Order let him look back upon the Torrent of Confusion Heresy and Blasphemy that brake in upon us while these Banks were by violent hands thrown down Hoc Ithacus velit c. The Extirpation of Episcopacy in these Kingdoms is the first-born of the Pope's desires That which his Soul longs for as for the first-ripe fruit you know the Apologue how the Wolves would make peace with the Sheep upon the condition they would hang up all their dogs Let but Episcopacy and the Liturgy be abolished and the Papists assure you shall promise you peace upon any terms There is nothing that I know of objected against this Order but that great Bug-bear the Covenant Have we not lifted up our hands to the God of Heaven and sworn the Extirpation of Prelacy How then can we admit of Bishops or submit to them being restored To this I Answer An unlawfull Oath obligeth to nothing but repentance An unjust Oath voluntarily taken or imposed by an unlawfull Authority is not binding to any man's Conscience You have Covenanted and sworn the Extirpation of Prelacy so did Herod binde himself with an oath to Herodias Daughter that he would give her whatsoever she should ask Matthew xiv 7. so did certain Jews binde themselves with an Oath of Execration that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul Acts xxiii 12. Had those men done well in killing Paul because they had bound themselves by a curse or did Herod well in giving John Baprist's Head to the Damsel for his Oath 's sake you will I presume say No. Why No would you not have them keep their Oath I but it was an unjust Oath So was yours and will be found defective in the Properties required in a just Oath Truth Judgment and Righteousness Jer. iv 2. And we may soberly suppose that many men Covenanted against the Bishops for their Land's sake onely As the Earl of Kildare being Arraigned for burning a Church in Ireland said He would never have set fire to the Church if he had not thought the Bishop had been in it Bur if any man can say He took the Covenant in Truth Judgment and Righteousness he might lie under some temptation or keeping it had it not wanted that which is essentially necessary to render an Oath obliging a lawfull Authority to impose it But seeing it wanted this which it were Treason to deny no man's Conscience is obliged by it and he who will persist in it because he hath