former custome and administer the Seals in a promiscuous manner to all in the Parish The great Argument you prest upon me was this That these were Church-Duties and so incumbent upon me as your Minister Unto the which my general Answer was That I could not understand that the Lord Christ our great Arch-Bishop had laid any injunction upon his Ministers about the Burial of the Dead and therefore I refused the Observation of any Ceremony at Burials save only to accompany the Corps to the Grave and after a decent interment to preach the Gospel to the Living when it was desired or I thought my Labours would be accepted But then for Baptism and the Lords Supper I did readily grant them to be Church-Ordinances and being such as I have often told you did pre-suppose a Church-state a submission to Gospel-Discipline Now this Gospel-Discipline I found you not onely ignorant of but very averse unto not being willing to put the Neck into Christs Yoke And these being Christs matters and I but a steward I durst not do any thing therein without my Lords Commission and according to my light did not see how you could be in a capacity to receive or I to administer without a submission to the Rules of the Gospel Now though the violence of some in these matters was abated I judge through the power of the Word yet there did remain much prejudice in the hearts of others against me upon the account of my faithfulness unto my Lord and Master which I did in a good measure dâ—scern and have sometimes told you that that enmity and prejudice against Christ and his faithful Servants that lay hid under the Garb of Courtesie and Civiliâ—y when ever opportunity did afford it self if such hearts were not subdued would break forth and discover its self according to its utmost ability But notwithstanding the prejudice of several I did nevertheless abide with you till there was not above seven or eight dayes left by that Act of Parliament entituled An Act for confirming and restoring Ministers Dated September 13. 1660. to the Justices to hear and determine such Cases For that Act did expire on the 25th of December next ensuing and it was the 18th of that instant before I received any Warrant to appear before them upon that account and then in the evening of that day was a Warrant brought to me signed with the hands of two Commissioners In the which Warrant there was nothing mentioned of complaint against me but onely that as I expected any benefit by the Act for Confirmation of Ministers I should appear before them and other Justices of the Peace the next morning about ten of the Clock at the Crown in Beconsfield And in obedience to this Warrant I appeared and when I came there I found four of my Parishioners ready to appear against me whom when there was five Justices come which made a Quorum were called in unto them the door shut These four persons were sworn and upon their Oaths did say among other things that I had refused to baptize my Parishioners Children which was a truth upon the forementioned account and not onely so but that I had declared my judgement against Infant-Baptism This they swore notwithstanding I had often declared for Infant-Baptism publikely and besides the chief of those that swore against me his Wife was present at my House when one of my own Children was baptized And 2dly They swore that I had refused to administer the Lords Supper to the Parishioners which was a truth ut supra and not onely so but that I had publikely preacht against the same This they swore notwithstanding I had the Summer before upon 1 Cor. 11. preacht divers Sermons touching the Author Nature Excellency c. of that Ordinance When these my Parishioners had done swearing I was called in and the Depositions sworn against me read And when I heard what was sworn against me and withall did perceive their Resolutions I told them That as to my preaching against these Ordinances it was known to be notoriously false for that I did both in judgement and practice own them but in that they said I had not administred them to the Parishioners they spake truth for I had not nor could not administer these Ordinances to a people that would not submit to Gospel-Discipline After I had thus spoken they required me to withdraw and after a little space of time called me in again and read an Order unto me for my leaving the possession of the Vicaridge House at Upton at or before the 25. of the said December To the which I answered that since it was the good pleasure of my God that so it should be I was even glad I had a quietus est to my Conscience and a freedom from further trouble in that place As touching this Order I cannot but declare my judgement to be this That doubtless it had been a most righteous Sentence against me had that which my Neighbours swore been truth for I do verily judge that those Ministers that shall either corrupt the Ordinances of Christ with their own inventions or else deny them and preach against them do both a like deserve to be deprived of publike opportunities for preaching and to have the Church-doors shut against them I had now left me but one Lords day wherein I could preach Authoritatively among you at which time I preacht the substance of what follows in this small Treatise This Lords Day in the afternoon Providence so ordered it that the four persons that swore against me were aâ—l present which I judge they hardly ever were at one time all the six years I was amongst you At which time I took my farwel of you and gave you a publike account of what was sworn against me in their hearing and when these persons came out of the place as I was informed by several they denied that they had so sworn against me notwithstanding their Names and what they swore was exâ—â—est in the Order drawn up for my ejectment Which Order râ—â— after this manner as I am able to testifie having a true Copy of the Order still by me Forasmuch as it appeareth to the said Commissioners the Names of the Commissioners being asserted above the Order upon the information of that R. C. who pretends himself to be Vicar of Upton in the County of Bucks for many years I mention no more of the Order becâ—use these were the most material things in it last past refused and still doth refuse to baptize Children and hath declared himself against Infant-Baptism and that he hath for many years last past refused to administer the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper to his said Parishioners and hath publikely preach't against the same c. Therefore we order so and so The reason why I give this account is not out of any prejudice I have to those Neighbours that did so prosecute and therefore I have purposely omitted the naming
the good of his people lest they be drawn away by them by one means or other to discover themselves by their fruits either by superstitious and idolatrous practices thrusting in their own inventions into the Worship of God and persecuting all those that will not conform even to the death and that upon a pretence of zeal to the Churches peace for that is their sheeps cloathing they wear to hide their abominable wickedness Or else by their debauchery and prophaneness whereby they make it to appear as clear as the Sun at noon that notwithstanding they may appear zealous for Church-Reformation and plead the holiness of places Orders Canons Garments c. yet that they are perfect enemies to a holy life and to the power of Godliness Deceivers and Hereticks when they plead the Kingly Office of Christ in his Church and are holy in their lives are of all persons in the world most dangerous and fittest to propagate the design of the Devil who often appears as an Angel of Light that he may deceive For holiness in a Leader or Teacher is of a very drawing convincing Nature When therefore any new notion is delivered to us that is contrary to the ancient received faith of the Saints the more glorious the pretence is under which it comes the more should we fear it and the more carefully should we ponder it in the ballance of the Sanctuary But now when God shall suffer deceivers by their prophaneness and debauchery so to discover themselves as that he that runs may read of what kind of spirit they are and whose interest they are advancing wo to those that shall join with a generation thus discovered a generation upon whom the marks of God's wrath and displeasure are He walks not by this rule that can be content to hear his Parish-Minister though he be never so superstitious in his Worship or prophane in his life Also according to this Rule should Teachers walk with respect to their people Ver. 6. Give not that which is holy unto dogs neither cast ye the Pearls before Swine lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and rent you Wherein Christ doth declare it to be lawful to call dogs dogs swine swine which cannot be meant of irrational creatures call'd by those Names but of men and women of prophane and wicked lives Now unto such must not be cast pearls which may have reference unto private reproof and admonition There is a great deal of Wisdom to be used in giving private and particular reproof to prophane persons for that Solomon saith Reprove not a scorner lest he hate thee He that reproveth a Proâ— 9 7. 8 scoruer getteth to himself shame and he that reproveth a wicked man getteth to himself a blot There was a time when David was silent because the wicked were present To admonish or reprove some wicked prophane wretches especially in some of their mad moods and fits or at such a time to be speaking to them concerning the excellency of Christ and concernments of Eternity would be but to expose the Truths of Christ to great contempt and reproach and to draw forth their cursed lusts and passions giving them thereby opportunity to vent that inward hatred they have against Christ and all his concernments Again by holy things and pearls may be understood the sacred and holy things of God's House such as the Body and Blood of Christ in the Lords Supper Indeed the preaching of the Gospel belongs to all It 's to be preach't to every creature Great difference between preaching administring the Lords Supper Mark 16. 15. Dogs and Swine to the vilest sinners in the world and it 's the duty of all that live within the sound of the Gospel to attend upon it But now the Lords Supper is a peculiar Ordinance appointed and instituted to be practised by and administred unto not Dogs and Swine but Sons Daughters It 's a wicked man's duty to hear the Word preacht but not to come to the Lords Supper Before he comes to this Ordinance he must look after repentance towards God and Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ which Faith in Christ takes in not only the assent of the Judgement but also the consent of the will not onely the knowing but the loving and imbracing of truth Heb. 11. 13 were perswaded of the promises there was the assent of the Judgement and embraced them there was the consent of the will It 's the duty of a Minister by all means possible to entice and draw the people be they never so ignorant and prophane to the hearing of the Word but he greatly sins if he perswades draws much more if he shall compel an ignorant prophane people to come to the Lord's Table Object Some Ministers may here object and say Though I do perswade my people to come to the Lords Supper yet I discharge my self I tell them how they should be qualified and the danger of coming unprepared And so I am clear from the guâ—lt of their blood Ans 1. The Text saith Give not holy things to dogs How then canst thou discharge thy self when notwithstanding thou tellest the people they ought to be so and so qualified to have knowledge faith repentance love to God and his people c. and that if they come unprepared they make themselves guilty of the blood of Christ and eat and drink to themselves damnation which are very astonishing considerations and yet nevertheless dost receive such to this Ordinance as are known to be very ignorant and also very dissolute and prophane And unto every one of these thou saist delivering the bread The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee take and eat this in remembrance that Christ dyed for thee And delivering the Cup The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which was shed for thee drink this in remembrance that Christ's blood was shed for thee It was Gods command to Jeremiah that he should seperate the precious from the vile Jer. 15. 19. But contrariwise some men do separate the vile from the precious do by the vileness of their own lives and the corruptnesse of their communions forcibly as I may so speak keep off such as do truly fear the Lord from joining with them so become a seperated company of ignorant prophane vile persons Now whether in this practice thou canst so clear thy self as not to be guilty of the blood of those souls as shall be strengthened in a way of wickedness by their receiving the Lords Supper from thy hands and strengthened in their hope of Gods love and eternal life notwithstanding a wicked course for that thou dost tell them in the administration of that Ordinance that the Body of Christ was given for them and his blood shed for them I say this thing is worthy of thy serious consideration That expression of the Lord Chancellor in his speech on the 8th of May 1661. is very significant and will
may have more love and more maintenance If this wil do he is pleased but if he finds the Minister resolved still to wait upon the providence of God amongst them then he deals with the Parishioners and counselleth them in this wise Neighbours you know how that for many years we lived in love and peace together as became us good neighbourhood fellowship was maintained amongst us and how that we went comfortably to the House of God together and at the appointed seasons had the Communion and that our former Ministers and we did live in love and charity one with another but now since this Minister came amongst us it is nothing so he doth seem by his preaching to design the breaking of that former peace and union that was amongst us For 1. He doth in his preaching press us to look after the truth of our conversion and regeneration and after true saving faith as if we were not converted and had not true faith in God And further he usually hath in his application a word for Saints and a word for Sinners as if there were two parties amongst whereas neighbours I hope though we be great sinners yet we have all a strong faith in Christ and do love God as God forbid we should do otherwise and rhat we are all true Christians let him say what he will But 2dly we do already experience the sad effects of his Ministry amongst us in that some of our neighbors begin to cry out of the greatness of their sin and to question the salvation of their souls c. And besides in our Families there we are distracted some of our Servants and Children they can mind nothing but reading and praying and talking of the word they hear c. So that the word is made good amongst us for here 's the Father against the Son and the Servant against his Master and the Husband against his Wife and so on Matt. 10. 34 35 36. And further he doth refuse to give us the Communion except we will give an account of our hope of salvation and amend our lives Now these things neighbours they are a trouble to me and I suppose may be the like to many of you to think that we who have been all along accounted good Neighbours good Church-men should now in our elder years come to be catechised and have our saith in God questioned My advice therefore is that this Gangreen may spread no further that you would join as one man with me for the putting this Minister out and getting an honest man that wil have charity for us all and perform Church-duties as others have done heretofore and as I am a Christian I shall be sure to improve my Interest for the effecting it But hear one word before I forget it keep this Conference private don'â— let the Minister know that we had this meeting or that I have thus advised you for I am resolved that I may the better accomplish the thing intended to carry it as fair to the Minister as I may but do you be sure to be true to the promise and as I am a sinner to God I 'le be true to mine I say that such a man as this is by such means as these shall be able to do more towards the extinguishing of a glorious light the removing of a faithful Minister the ruine of his family then a hundred prophane drunken idle fellows could have done and indeed the prophane can do little except headed abetted and encouraged by some such persons as these Take heed therefore left under the garb of Civility thou retainest Enmity to Christ and his People and Wayes But then 4thly Dost thou boast not onely of thy Civility but also of this That thou art a Worshipper of God then examine whether thou art not a Will-worshipper is not thy fear of God taught by the precepts of men Art thou not carryed on in thy Worship more by the will of man then by the wil of God Art thou not more willing to take Humane then Divine Conduct in matters of Worship The Word of God is the perfect Rule of Worship Now what higher argument hast thou for the greatest part of thy Worship then the Command and Example of man Thou art resolved to be of the Religion of thy Countrey be it what it will and so it may well be judged that if thou hadst been born in India or among the Turks thou wouldst have been of thy Countreys Religion right or wrong Undoubtedly one Act of Parliament supposing all the Inhabitants Note of this Land were Papists against the Papists should make more Protestants in profession then a thousand Sermons would do Consider in matters of Worship art thou more zealous for thine own prayer then for the wayes of Christ More zealous for thee keeping of a holy-day then for the keeping of the Lord's Day More zealous of praying in thy Pew then in thy Closet More zealous for prayers over the dead then for good sound and powerful preaching Nay have not some of you been more troubled about the thoughts of your Burial then you have about eternal provision for your precious souls Thus the proud Pharisees were more zealous for the traditions of the Elders then they were for the Commands of God They had an ancient Tradition among them for the Washing of hands before meat And the Disciples of Christ notwithstanding this was a very innocent Ceremony yet observing what weight the Jews laid upon it and how they did impose it denyed conformity and were defended by Christ in it But oh how greatly were the Jews offended at their non-conformity They themselves could suffer the Law of God to be broken had no zeal for God or his Commands but for their own Traditions Commands they had great zeal these must not be omitted by any means And this is the very spirit of the man of Sin and of all those that do adhere unto him for in the Romish Church you shall have them make more conscience of a nod or a cringe or a cross c. then of swearing or whoring or Sabbath-breaking or any such notorious wickedness nay it 's more easie to obtain pardon for any of these then for non-conformity to any of their Ecclesiastical Laws Search therefore whether thy Worship be not Will-Worship whether thou art not superstitious in thy Worshiping doing what thou doest either without a command or else without respect to the command of God as thy chief and onely Rule in the matters of his Worship Objection Object I am not able to discern between true and false Worship and therefore I must trust to the judgments of such as I judge wiser then my self Answ 1. The wisest of men are subject to error and amongst Not to relye barely upon the judgments of men in matters Religion the best and ablest there are great differences in matters of Worship What sort of men then canst thou trust Unto what party