within her Governours all Triumphant without they had not defac'd Her Innocent Beauty and made Her Militant in the worst of Sences However they can no way be excused who think they can never be secure from Papal Supremacy but by demolishing the Evangelical Hierarchy and introducing a Presbyterian Parity into the Catholick Church and to avoid the Necessity of having an Infallible Judge leaving every private prepossessed Fancy to the Perspicuity of Scripture whereby men are often bewildred in a Labyrinth of Errors seduc'd into those by-paths which lead to the Pit of Destruction For notwithstanding that Beam of Divine Light which shines so bright in the Scriptures it seems some men have Eyes either so weak as to be dazled at the sight of it or else so blind with Pride or Malice as not to perceive it For St. Peter tells us there are in the Scriptures some things hard to be understood which unlearned and unstable men wrest unto their own Destruction And therefore the Unlearned should do well to consult their Teachers the Unstable those that are found in the Faith which brings me to my second general Consideration That though the Scriptures be clear in themselves yet Private men abandoning their Guides and following their own corrupt Fancies may deprave and distort them to their own destruction Who those Wresters were or what those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are wherewith St. Peter chargeth the Epistles of his beloved Brother Paul I shall not strictly inquire the Apostle having pass'd them over in a profound silence it will be difficult at this distance of time exactly to define yet 't is not improbable that either the Gnostick or Cerinthian Hereticks were here chiefly aim'd at who upon a mistake of some Predictions became the Founders of a Temporal Dominion of Christ after His Resurrection wherein His Followers in their New Jerusalem should wallow in sensual Lusts and Pleasures spend the space of a Thousand Years as in a Nuptial Festivity and enjoy the all that is in the World the Lusts of the Flesh the Lusts of the Eye and the Pride of Life in as ample and exquisite a manner as the most Epicurean Soul could effect or covet A Fancy in its first Original meerly Jewish afterwards entertain'd by some Judaizing Christians and finally rather rectified than abandoned by some of the Fathers in the Primitive times And if those sublime Wits who had all the Learning which either Jerusalem Athens or Rome could boast were nevertheless mistaken in their Expositions of some abstruse Texts of Scripture whilst they deliver'd their Opinions but as private Doctors what wonder if the unlearned and unstable wrest them to their own Destruction That they have de facto done this is manifest since 't will be hard to instance in any one Century which is not either chargeable with new Heresies or the reviving and improving of old And the most extravagant Opinions which ever yet saw the light have still shrouded themselves under the Patronage of Holy Writ What shall we say then shall we condemn the Scriptures of Sin Shall we say That the Scriptures are of themselves either productive of Error or not a sufficient Store-house of Truth God forbid The Scriptures are Holy Just and Good but private men wrest them to their own Destruction And this they do First By their Ignorance Secondly By their Instability I. First By their Ignorance where it will be presently objected that Ignorance is so far from being a cause of Error or Impiety that in a sober sence 't is truly the Mother of Devotion The Wisdom of this World is given in by Tertullian as the prime Cause of Heresie None were greater Tormentors of the Scriptures than the Philosophers for which Reason they are branded by the same Author with the Title of Arch-Hereticks Particularly the Valentinian Heresie concerning the portentous production of the Gods comes from the Platonists Marcion's Vnconcern'd and Lazy God was first set up by the Stoicks the Mortality of the Soul was the Doctrine of the Epicureans the Impossibility of the Resurrection of the Flesh of the whole stream of Philosophers The Apostle tells us Not many Mighty not many Wise not many Noble were chosen cautions his Proselytes against Philosophy and vain Deceit and concludes the Wisdom of this World Foolishness with God Wherefore by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Unlearned in this place we are not to understand Ideots and those who never knew Letters but we must understand those who will not be instructed by the Masters of Divine Wisdom the Nolentes discere those who refuse to hear the Church of the Living God which alone is the Pillar and Foundation of Truth And so their Learning like Julian's only qualifies them to deride the Doctrines of a Crucified God and by their Wisdom they become the more formidable Enemies of Christ's Kingdom Thus if Lucifer the Son of the Morning fall from his Allegiance whole Legions of the Heavenly Host are involv'd in the Rebellion That Heresie spreads like the Contagion of a Leprosie which hath an Arrius for its Founder and a Constantius for its Promoter And the Mahumetan Religion owes as well its monstrous Birth as its fatal Increase to the Malice and Cunning of an Apostate Jew and a Renegado Christian And to give but one instance more but of a far more Modern Date and therefore of more dangerous consequence That unhappy man Socinus a person otherwise of singular Wit and Learning but being in this sense unlearned i. e. having entertain'd so slender a Notion of the Church as to date a general Defection from the very Deaths of the Apostles upon this Perswasion thought it not Robbery to make himself equal to the most Oecumenical Councils to contradict the most receiv'd Doctrines of the Church and from this contempt of his Mother to proceed to that daring pitch of impiety as to deny even the Lord that bought him so dangerous is it for private men to rely solely upon the perspicuity of Scripture or to measure the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Incarnation of the Godhead his Consubstantiality with the Father by the scantling of Humane Reason Cedat curiositas fidei gloria saluti was the Advice of as great a Wit as any Age hath bred Our Curiosity must give place to our Faith the thirst of Temporal Glory to the benefits of Eternal Salvation 'T is true by our Reason we are first dispos'd to be Christians for no Creature beneath the Rational is capable of Divine Revelation but when once we have given up our Names to Christ 't is by our Faith we are saved but if we assent to no Doctrines but such as our Reason fully comprehends this is no longer Faith but Science and so we may continue Infidels whilst we go under the Notion of Christians And since we live in such a knowing Age wherein all captivating the Vnderstanding though it be to the Obedience of Faith is made the subject of Grievance and Complaint And
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
are appointed to Rule in the Church and the Reason of the thing I. And that which first entitles the Governours of the Church to a Superiority over their Subjects is that special Ordination and Commission which they have receiv'd from Christ to instruct the World in all necessary Truths and that Charge which he hath laid upon others to obey them If any one listeth to see their Commission he may find it recorded in any of the four Evangelists I shall exhibit it as 't is exemplified Matt. 28.18 19 20. And Jesus came and spake unto them saying All power is given to me in Heaven and Earth Go ye therefore and Teach all Nations Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have Commanded you And lo I am with You always unto the end of the World In which words there are these Three Things considerable 1. That Christ commission'd His Disciples immediately after He had proclaim'd Himself Omnipotent 2. That this Commission implies it to be Christ's Will that all Nations of the World should obey them 3. That He promised to be with Them and their Successors unto the end of the World And there cannot be a fuller instance of the Perversness of some Men who to evacuate and overthrow the Authority of the present Church will needs confine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to some period of time short of the final dissolution of all things when time shall be swallow'd up of Eternity if not contrary to the Grammatical sense of the Word yet at least to the design of the Promise and the nature of the Thing Which of the Ambassadours of earthly Potentates ever received so ample a Commission the Person commissioning was Omnipotent The Commission was universal in respect of Persons Time and Place 't was directed to all the Nations and to continue throughout all the Ages of the World and for the Execution of it they were empowr'd from above wheresoever they came they constituted a Spiritual Government and they had full Power to Enact such Laws as they thought tended to the Advancement of their Masters Kingdom and they did with Authority and not by way of Counsel only as some would have determine such Controversies as arose It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to Vs All along their Spiritual progress if any City refus'd to receive Them or their Doctrine they shook off the dust off their Feet against it as a direful Presage of some ensuing Judgment as the next words manifestly declare Verily I say unto you It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of Judgment than for that City Wretched City how has thy Disobedience ascertain'd and aggrandiz'd thy Ruine The lewd Inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrha shall find more Favour in the day of Judgment than thy Citizens Most true it is their Power was purely Spiritual Christ the Prince of Peace did not commission Generals to destroy but sent forth Apostles to convert the Nations by declaring His Laws and denouncing His Judgments But then they had no coercive Power of the Sword which God hath given to Magistrates to inflict the Judgments which they denounc'd But as they because living under Heathen Powers left the Event of their Spiritual Censures solely to the Divine Vengeance which they who escap'd in this World were sure to meet with in the next so is it still unless Kings are graciously pleased to shew themselves Nursing Fathers to the Church to enforce Spiritual Censures by Corporal Penalties and adjudge those Unworthy the Protection of the Laws of the Realm who are justly depriv'd of the Benefits of the Church By all which it appears that the Church is something else than a Christian Commonwealth since there was a Church before the Commonwealth became Christian and neither the Leviathan nor any of his Disciples hath yet been able to shew how or when the Church forfeited Her antecedent Right And that though the Governours thereof may challenge to themselves a Power distinct yet no ways opposite to the Civil The Shield of Faith doth not clash with the Sword of Justice And maugre the designs of those who have Evil will at Sion this is not to erect Imperium in imperio much less to set the Mitre above the Crown Since whatsoever Power is here challenged as of Divine Right is purely Spiritual exercis'd to Spiritual ends and purposes so far from interfering with the Civil from Absolving men from that Obedience which is indispensably due thereunto that wheresoever it takes place it abates nothing of that natural Right which the Magistrate had in the Affairs of Religion Yet herein it will appear that the Wisdom of the despised King of the Jews did far surmount all the Policies of the World in that he hath so interwoven the Concerns of His Church with the Interest of the State that at the same time any man shall dare to become an Enemy to his Kingdom he must cease to be a Friend to Caesars II. The reasonableness of this Submission will appear from those promises of Assistance which Christ hath made to them but not to others without them much less to others against them And those are Illumination Direction and Power Illumination in things Obscure Direction in things Difficult Power to encounter and overcome all Opposition And this may be one Reason why Christ did not Arm his Disciples with a Temporal Sword for certainly He who had all Power given Him in Heaven and on Earth might have done it if He had pleas'd because He furnish'd them with such Extraordinary Virtues as did abundantly supply the defect of that Thus they who could raise the Dead from the Grave needed no other Argument to gain the Living They who could convince the Consciences captivate the Understandings beat down the Imaginations and conquer the Affections of their Adversaries needed no Sword nor Spear nor any of the Bloody Engines of War to make themselves Masters of the Field Now the same Spirit though not in the same Measure doth still reside in the Governors of the Church though they do not equalize the Apostles in working of Miracles diversities of Languages extent of Jurisdiction though they have not as they had the whole World for their Diocess yet are they still Bishops of Souls Pastors and Doctors for the Consummation of the Saints for the Edifying of the Body of Christ till we all come in the Vnity of the Faith unto a perfect man in Christ Jesus Either then let Private men submit to their Spiritual Governours exercising their Commission according to God's Word or else let them warrant their Dissent with greater at least equal Attestations of the Divine Favour and then there will be no great fear of any danger arising from Dissenting Brethren III. The reasonableness of this Submission will appear from their Study and Learning in Divine Matters and from the far less Knowledge and ordinary Capacity in others The Apostles they had their Knowledge of Divine things either from a
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