direction Timothy was to hold fast the form of sound words at his Church at Ephesus that as there is but one Faith so in Believing Congregations there might be but one Confession And this not only evinced from Scripture and Reason as expedient but from the Apostles practice who having received the promise of the Father and power from on high at Jerusalem they agreed on one summary Rule for their own Teaching and the Peoples believing a compendious sum of Evangelical Doctrines exquisitely composed which is delivered to us by Tradition from Antiquity and generally received under the Name of the Apostles Creed In which Confession the intelligent Believer not only makes an acknowledgment of his assent to Promises of Mercy to be rely'd upon but to the reasonableness of Duties of Obedience that are injoyned by the Gospel to be practiced and makes open profession of Communion of Saints which must be maintained by the practice of Holiness and comprehend all the duties of Christianity that are required And this compendious Confession of Faith by repeating this set Form prescribed by the Apostles hath been used by the People as well as the Minister by which they openly declared their unfeigned Assent to what they did believe and their stedfast Resolution of what they would do in every Congregation that would be reputed of the Church of Christ And if it be lawful and expedient to have set Forms for Confession of Faith it cannot be unlawful and unfitting to have set Forms for the exercise of Devotion It cannot be a reproach but a duty to have our Spirits thus stinted when the Spirit of Grace limits himself in the Rules of Holiness and hath the denomination of Holy from this limitation And if new sorts of Words and variety of Expressions must be used in praying as some wildly fancy I wonder St. Paul in all his Epistles in the beginning should use the same Salutation and in the end should use the same Valediction and that Christ in his Agony who wanted neither expression or fervency should pray thrice together the same words At Antioch that the Christians there in their Congregation had their Liturgy At Corinth that the People were all Prophesying At Jerusalem that in their Religious Assemblies they were to hold fast the profession of their Faith without wavering is so evident as doubtless it can need no further illustration And if set Form of Words were unlawful in Gods service certainly the multitude of Angels would never have been represented unto us as agreeing in one Anthem on Earth nor they above in the same doxology in Heaven And if the Examples of Saints and Angels may lead us rightly if Nature God and Christ and his Apostles may direct us safely we must conclude That Vniformity of Words is not only lawful but expedient in the exercise of Godliness 3. I shall prove Vniformity of Words necessary and expedient by Reason 1. And Reason it self will tell us if we have not abjured it that Vniformity in Words is necessary and conducing to the practice of Godliness for take this away and see what giddiness and distractedness must necessarily ensue in every Assembly Without agreement in these things to terminate and bound both our Thoughts and Words how improbable is it that most men should be secured from inconsiderate wandrings and unwarrantable expressions But being confined to words of Faith and Devotion we call home our Thoughts to consider what these import and signifie that are injoyned and prescribed us and reverently we worship God and pray to him and confess to his Name And our wilful Opposers give Testimony to this Truth by their practice that set Ferms must be prescribed to the People When the best gifted Brother is appointed and agreed on to put up Prayers which are set Forms to the whole Congregation and it is not to be denied but every Member that is truly Religious secretly doth concur with such Prayers and limit their Thoughts to what is signified by such Expressions Weak Creatures never considering that they split upon that Rock which they pretend studiously to avoid while they voluntarily enslave themselves and stint their spirits and thoughts to conform to the sudden wild effusions and oft unwarrantable expressions of their idolized Teacher and dare not spoil their Liberty to submit unto and concur with the deliberate Forms and Prescriptions of their sober Governours and Rulers which will undoubtedly guide and lead them to the right exercise of true Religion that tends to peace Poor inconsiderate People they know not what to do for it is not a set Form they hate which they may see they cannot avoid but a spirit of Contradiction they love while they oppose the warrantable directions of their Religious Leaders and willingly suffer themselves to be captivated by wild ungovern'd Enthusiasts and run headlong into an inexcusable sin of a wilful Disobedience But if any can think set Forms to be unlawful and will be tied to none but avoid them then must every pretended Saint bring a distinct Prayer and Psalm to be poured out by himself in their several Congregations And it must necessarily follow when every one is singing a several Psalm in their Congregation it must happen what St. Paul saith was at Corinth when they all spake with several Tongues a Stranger coming in must in reason conclude that there was madness in the midst of them Thus in Reason we must determine to terminate and bound the Thoughts and Considerations of them that would be truly Religious there ought to be set Forms of Words agreed upon and prescribed in Believing Congregations 2. That is best to be used that will most heighten our Devotion and Intention in our Religious addresses to God for how shall I hope that God should intend me if I do not intend my own Petitions And I am verily perswaded Prayer without Devotion is like a Body without a Soul it is dead and ineffectual Now this I do deliberately affirm and maintain That premeditated and set Forms of Prayer must heighten any mans Devotion and Intention I desire such as obstinately oppose premeditated and composed Forms to consider that in this they contend only for freedom of Words And have Words any power or influence over God Can we imagine that God is taken with variety or shift of Phrases Words or loeutions are for mans necessity not Gods information They are of no necessity to make our hearts known to him who understand what we need before we ask him and our Thoughts afar off And it is the affections of our Hearts not the expression of our Mouths that make us prevail with our God What therefore may best conduce to settle our Consideration to fix our Desires and Intentions on God and good things is most lawful and most expedient to be used And this I dare say upon Reason and from Experience is best done by well-weighed Forms of set Prayers foreknown and assented unto both by Priest and People For
of Tongues All these in an instant wrought that one and self same Spirit dividing to every man severally as he pleased And several Rules he gave them that trusting to the supply of the Almighty in all their exigence upon this Heavenly design they should provide neither Gold nor Silver nor Scrip nor Coat nor Shooes nor Staves No care what to speak dabitur in illâ borâ whatever they needed the Heavenly Father that called them to the work would supply them in all those things But these Rules were extraordinary and so were the Assistances needful only for those Persons in those daies of Persecution when they were hated of all men for his Names sake and were to trust only to a support and a supply from the All-sufficiency of the Almighty But blessed be God we are not now incompassed with these streights God hath provided better things for us That although the malice of some men would bring us to walk according to these Rules and support our selves with the expectation of such Assistances and those mistakes have caused no little disturbance in the Church of Christ yet now the Gospel hath found a free passage and reception we have an happier juncture of Affairs We need not expect Miracles for our support when we have Means in peace afforded us to carry on the design of God God is and we may well be contented with more reasonable Services And it is unreasonable to think having none of the same necessity upon us and to conclude that in these daies the same Gifts and Assistances should be continued among us is a dangerous and an unsufferable presumption These extraordinary Rules and Assistances were given to those particular Persons during those particular Times but they are now unpracticable and not according to the mind of Christ And there were some Rules given to certain Churches and some particular places but these are not our Canons or Forms to be modelled by The Rules then of the Gospel we are to look after are not particular but universal not temporary but eternal binding for ever to the whole Church of Christ Now the Laws of the Gospel given by Christ or his Apostles are of two sorts some respect internally the regulating Intentions Thoughts and Desires for private Persons singular peace And some respect externally ordering the Conversation of the Visible Church of Christ To the Rules of this latter sort we must have regard unto in this present discourse And these Rules are of two sorts either natural necessary eternal and indispensable and would have been binding if Christ had not revived them As that we praise God fall down and worship him that we keep our Tongues from evil and our Lips that they speak no guile that we keep our Bodies from all filthiness that whatever we would that others should do to us the same c. But some Laws are positive and voluntary receiving their being and constitution from Christ whose goodness wisdom and Authority we are not to suspect but that he will direct those things to his Church that are best and most convenient and such Directions by his Subjects are carefully to be observed As that they should pray in these words receive the Sacraments with those signs and manner of Communication required All these positive Laws of Christ are universal indispensable and though the positive Laws of Men are particular and mutable upon inconvenience yet these positive Laws of Christ are constituted and come from such unquestionable Wisdom as they must be accounted universally and eternally binding to his Church to all Generations The Laws then of Christ be they either those natural Laws that he revived or the positive Laws that he constituted that he hath ordinarily universally eternally left his Church to be ruled by to the end of the World are the Laws we would have our Canons for Uniformity to be tryed by And because our Blessed Saviour knew very well that an Anarchy was unnatural and not to be endured he wisely directs these Laws to two sorts of People that will be in his Church to the end of the World First To Rulers Leaders and Superiours Secondly To Inferiours Subjects and the Generality of the People under Authority 1. For Rulers They be of two sorts some Civil which we call Magistrates Others Ecclesiastical which we call Ministers What concerns Magistrates we treated of formerly For Ministers we have several Orders and distinctions allowed by the Gospel The Laws for them are obvious in the discharge of their several Offices Inferiour Ministers most concern us in the Exercise of Religion These if any we should in this discourse respect And certainly that Obedience which these Ministers shew in their usages as directed in their Rites Ceremonies Habits Gestures observing daies c. are lawful and easily justifiable And these things are made so clear by the pens of sober Learned and Judicious men to any that will not be wilfully blind all the Objections so fully answered as it would be tedious and impertinent for me to insist in a further Vindication It were more reasonable and Christianlike if men would look more diligently to the discharge of their own duties and be less ready to censure and condemn other mens Just observances If any thing were questionable in them viderint ipsi they must answer it to their proper Judge who made thee one Be not curiously inquisitive what others do or should do Tolle quod tuum est do thy own business and seriously consider what thou art bound to do thy self that thou maist inherit eternal life And this I am sure thou art obliged to do to give thy Decent attendance and joyntly to concur in the Publick exercise of Holiness and the worship of God as it is ordered in the Book of common-Common-Prayer And now our discourse begins to be brought into a narrow compass This is all that remains for us to prove in this Section That the Canons and Forms prescribed to the Common sort of our Believers in our Book of common-Common-Prayer are agreeable to the universal eternal and indispensable Rules of the Gospel Canons for Uniformity in our Religious meetings and Assemblies which we are not to forsake respect either Words or Actions let us take a quick survey of either and see if both be not allowed and prescribed by the Gospel After a Company is Religiously met and assembled together all admit and approve of a Pastour or Teacher an Exhorter a Leader to holy Services unless they have lost their Reason and Religion also After their Assembling the Minister by Scripture Exhortations prepares the People for their joynt concurrence in the solemn Worship of God After Preparation the whole Congregation is ordered and directed to joyn in an open Confession of Gods Excellency and All-sufficiency of their own Sins of Christs Merits in whose Name they ask forgiveness and of their desire of a full Obedience that they may live a godly righteous and sober life After this upon good grounds
therefore we speak of a visible Church be it Catholick National or Parochial it is Coetus evocatorum a Company of Men called not invisibly internally but externally sensibly and such as have manifested their complyance with that Call Not a Company but a Society of Believers joyned together by a mutual profession of Faith For as Vnity of a sincere Faith is necessary for the Constitution of the Church invisible so is Vnity of profession of Faith necessary for the Constitution and being of a visible Church And to avoid rash unanswerable expressions and unbecoming behaviour it is both reasonable and necessary that words and actions should be reasonably agreed upon and determined The thoughts of our Souls like the eyes of our Bodies without an Object to terminate them will wander to the ends of the Earth therefore the prime work of Piety and Religion in the Rational Soul is to set God before the eyes of its Understanding That upon serious consideration seeing and concluding him the Best and the Greatest man may rationally both think and speak most honourably of him and behave himself most reverently towards him For Vniformity then in Religious exercises of necessity there must be the same Object GOD who is infinite must be proposed That our considerations and respects may be terminated upon him And of necessity there must be Rules and Forms agreed upon and fixed to direct and limit all associated Professors that their considerations and respects may be united either in knowing God or worshipping him Circumstances cannot be left indefinite and undetermined for mans Thoughts are as diverse naturally as their Faces and Tempers Their Words and Actions usually wild and extravagant and not only different but contrary also unless all these be bounded and terminated what Vnity can there be An arbitrary Will-worship will follow according to every mans fancy and in every meeting instead of a well-ordered Unity there must necessarily happen distraction and confusion And these things are obvious to every man that rationally considers them for never any Nation that had Religion true or false but alwaies agreed on a Common Ministration And in all their Sacrifices either propitiatory or gratulatory they have united together by certain Rules in a common Service and a joynt concurrence in it to that Deity which they adored And certainly all those Reasons formerly alleadged to urge an open profession of Faith return with new vigour strictly to oblige every Visible Church to acknowledge the necessity of fixing and observing Rules of Vniformity in every respective Congregation That the infinite Majesty of GOD may be generally and worthily glorified That our Neighbours and our selves may be most probably edified and comforted That those that are Vnbelievers may have their Conversion best furthered there must be Canons and Forms prescribed by Rulers to carry on a general Uniformity To conclude this Section then Governours must Rule by a Law their Laws can reach only to Externals in the exercise of Godliness In which Exercise of Godliness the first aim of Governours by their Laws is to promote Vniformity in Religious Assemblies To settle and continue an Vniformity there must be Rules to limit and direct SECT II. That the Canons and Forms in our Liturgy prescribed to the ends above-mentioned are most agreeable to the Rules of the Gospel is the next considerable LITURGY in its etymologie if rightly understood gives its full import and signification It is a Form or Rule of Administration in some publick Office Sometimes it is put in Scripture for Ministration in offices of Humanity and Liberality But our discourse and common Acceptation leads us to take it for that kind of Ministration that relates to Holy things about the Service and worship of God So here we understand it to be the Canons and Forms prescribed in a Visible Church of external profession of Faith by an evident demonstration of Obedience For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod fit per populum sit publicum a publick Religious Ministration in a Congregation of Believers So the People must be understood concerned in the Ministration as well as the Priest And those of the People that would be accounted of the Visible Church are to submit and conform to such Canons and Forms as are prescribed in the Ministration And when a Church is not an Assembly only but a Society of the Faithful not internally Faithful only for that is not discernible by us but externally by publick Profession either by words or actions What our Judgments must be of them that in Assemblies neglect and despise Profession according to Rules prescribed is easily to be concluded For whatever good opinion others blindly may have of such or they may have of themselves yet not giving in their Assemblies any evident signs of external Profession they are in reason not to be judged of the Visible Church of Christ And this shews how unjustifiable the Meetings of our Separatists are when there is no publick exercise of Religion no vocal confession of Faith no express desires of Obedience in any of their Congregations To give evidence of any Assembly that it is a part of the Visible Church there must be a sensible Profession an apparent submission to the Canons and Forms of a Liturgy And conformity of the People to those Rules gives satisfaction who are to be reputed but wilful omission and neglect declares who are not to be reputed of the Church of Christ And blessed be God we have as it is necessary and expedient from our wise Governours considering our infirmities and extravagancies Canons and Forms prescribed in our Liturgy for Religious Ministration which are most agreeable to the Rules of the Gospel The Rules of the Gosple given by Christ and his Apostles are of so different natures such different sorts The Canons and Forms ordering our Common-Service in the publick exercise of Religion are so numerous and various as it were the work of an Age to discourse distinctly and pertinently of every particular that may be comprehended in this Section But first let us consider what we understand by the Rules of the Gospel to which our Canons and Prayers are to conform Now our Blessed Saviour at the first planting of the Gospel upon the Apostles and Seventy before his Passion and upon some Chosen Vessels for his Honour after his Ascension having all power given him did in those daies plentifully pour out his Spirit upon them and gifts graces and ability he gave to them in an extraordinary manner and measure for the work of the Ministery and edifying his Body by the prevalence of his Word and Gospel which he sent them abroad to preach confirming the Word by signs following That the whole power of the World was not able to resist the wisdom and Spirit by which they spake divers Gifts he distributed of miraculous operation For different Administrations as Gifts of Healing working of Miracles Prophesying discerning of Spirits diverse kinds of Tongues Interpretation
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must have a double look the first look it must cast on the Rule the second it must cast on the Actions be they either necessary or positive or else it cannot be counted Conscience and from thy agreeing or disagreeing with the Rule so thy Conscience accuseth or excuseth accordingly And now I appeal to any sober mans Consideration since there cannot be contrary Rules justifiable whether there can be contrary Consciences Certainly then we may safely conclude in all Constituted Churches since for Belivers actions there is but one Truth but one true Rule there must be for all such Believers but one right Faith there can be but one sound Conscience SECT III. In such Constituted Societies Vnity of Faith must be signified by an open Vniformity GOD who created man for his glory designed him for Society that what comfort he could not get by separation he might compass by Communion And Communion in the state we are in cannot be maintained but by Externals by Bodily offices As the Communion of the Invisible Church must be maintained by Vnity of Faith so the Communion of the Visible Church or any part that is associated or united in obedience to the Faith must be maintained by agreement in the exercise of Religion and Vnity of Profession And this Unity of Profession is properly called Vniformity which is nothing else but a sensible form of an united Society agreeing in one Profession both in words and actions So if any one should ask What is the sign or mark by which we may know a visible Church by or any associated Company to be a part of it I must properly Answer by Vniformity And Vniformity as the word clearly speaks is an Vnity of the outward form of things or an agreement of visible practice and joynt concurrence in the Exercise of Religion both in wards and actions which ought to be in every Congregation of Believers Preaching of the Gospel and receiving the Sacrament of the People as well as of the Minister being indispensable signs of every one that would be accounted of the Church of Christ And first we will undertake to prove that Vnity of Faith must be signified by Vniformity of words and this is not only lawful but necessary and useful 1. Lawful as declared by the practice of all Nations that had a sense of Religion For if Heathen yet reasonably they agreed in the same Festivals and Solemnities in the same Sacrifices and Gestures in the same forms of Thanksgivings and Devotion which because written of by many and confessed by all it will be needless to cite Authors or any further to insist upon the proof of it no question but they Universally agreed in constituting and maintaining Vniformity amidst their Assemblies in all Religious observances If they were a People to whom God had more clearly manifested himself and the true Religion wherewith he would be well pleased these marks they gave of their associating and uniting into a Church by their Vniversal joynt concurrence in Religious Exercises in all Ages in their solemn Congregations And it is facile to prove that among the Jews they judged the fittest Medium to preserve Vnity was Ecclesiastical Vniformity from their coming out of Egypt till their dissolution in Canaan And in some measure the Jews maintain this to this day in their several Congregations They had their set Forms for Aaroniçal Benediction for hymns and praises and prayers of the People who agreed in one express assent to the Covenant and the Law delivered by Moses in the same Sabbaoths and Festivals in the same Sacraments and Ties of Obedience They agreed in the same Prayers composed by Jewish Teachers for their Disciples St. John the Baptist taught his Disciples to pray And Christ's Disciples in the last dispensation would be taught of him to pray as John before had taught his Disciples And our blessed Saviour not only taught his Disciples a Form but a Prayer which they were to say When you pray say Luke 11.2 Our Father c. To follow him can be no mistake Certainly deliberate Composures of Set Forms from Christs Example receive not only Toleration but sufficient Approbation And that the Apostles and their Successors in Primitive times used this Prayer in all their holy Administrations especially at the Sacraments we have more than probable Authority And that the Church had set Forms after the first Century is beyond all dispute And that Reformed Churches have their set Forms now generally is openly manifest except some Phanatical Schismaticks that out of a Spirit of Contradiction and precise singularity by the neglect of these things wilfully Unchurch themselves and would blot out all appearance of a Visible Church upon the Earth Mr. Calvin from the conviction of this Truth Epist 87. approves it That set Forms of Ecclesiastical Rights might be determined that it might not be lawful for Ministers in their Administrations or the People in their Attendances to vary from them And this he was forced to acknowledge from Example Practice and Reason God who cannot erre prescribes set Forms to the Jews and Christ to his Disciples And it would be a misapprehension yea a sin to think that They would injoyn or command what might be an hinderance to Godliness or a disadvantage to the Exercise thereof And the concurrent Judgment and practice of all Churches must convince any sober person of the lawfulness and expediency of set Forms both in Prayers and Worship which will be furthered by his own Reason if he please to consider Scripture directions 2. I shall prove set Forms lawful and expedient from Scripture St. Paul 1 Cor. 1.11 pathetically beseecheth the Church at Corinth by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that they would all speak the very same thing Verba sunt symbola mentis è consensu verborum colligimus consensum animorum Words are but expressions of our Intentions and from agreement in Words we conclude of agreement of Mind And sure enough it was not required there by the Apostle that the Speeches of the Corinthians in their Religious Assemblies should be of the same sense and meaning only but of the same expression not only contradiction of words is prohibited but diversity if they would grant his suit whle he beseecheth them to speak the same thing And well might this be injoyned in Religious Exercises for Vbi novae phrases ibi nova dogmata A quibus Vna fides ab iis requiritur Vna Confessio Where new phrases are used there will be new opinions And in whom there is expected but One Faith from them there is required but One Confession saith Mr. Calvin And when idolizing of the Gifts and Parts of the Ministers caused Contentions among the Corinthians the Apostle might adjudge it necessary that ostentation of Eloquence and excellency of Speech should be forborn among them even in exercises of Devotion and therefore earnestly beseecheth them to speak the same thing So by St. Pauls
Publick Worship with all the precise method of that Order and Decency that ought to be used in it in which they will pretend to better and transcend the excellency of our Liturgy which is prescribed and used among us Si quid novisti rectius istis Candidus imperti si non his utere mecum And until they can do this their wisdom is to study to be quiet and conform to this till they can find out and propose a better Method of our publick Worshipping of God beyond all exceptions that they will abide by And now I say what Subject of the Church of England can reasonably desert or reject our Liturgy which is visibly the best that is extant to us upon sober Consideration And how can I but stand amazed that the Common Service as prescribed should by so many of our Neighbours not only be neglected but contemned when it can neither be justly blamed nor amended Certainly I am not uncharitable but should be too conniving if I did forbear to declare a want of Religion and Reason in those men that run away to the flocks of our pretended Companions that hold no Uniform Communion that is Visible When no worship of God is evident no practice of the Peoples Devotion no vocal Confession of the Believers Faith no offering any sacrifice of Praise and yet every Christian is bound to Conform in all those things as well as the Minister in every Believing Congregation Why will ye go away from us O ye of little faith we hold fast the words and practice of eternal life Friendly Perswasives to my Country-men COme then my beloved Countrymen since these things are so that an Vniform profession of Faith must be maintained in Believing Societies and fifth by our Liturgy according to Gospel Rules we are ordered and directed to this reasonable Service Let us lay aside all prejudice and partiality all contentious humors Let there be no longer a Spirit of Opposition or wilful Contradiction be found among us Let us follow after the exercise of those things that make for Peace and wherewithal we may best edifie one another Whatever things are honest whatever things are just whatever things are pure let 's think and conclude of the practice of such things Let us endeavour to bend our selves to the quiet of the Church of God and to hold the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace Let 's evidence the God of hope hath filled us as with all joy so with all peace in Believing There is but One Truth but One Faith among us let there be but One Spirit but One Conscience Let us shew the God of Patience and Consolation hath granted us to be like-minded Let 's not forsake the Assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is but let us hold fast the form of sound words and the profession of our Faith without wavering Let there be no divisions but let us speak the same thing to declare we are perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same Judgment Let there be no divisions among us about Ministers account of them as Stewards of the Mysteries of God and yet your Faith stands not in the wisdom of Men but in the power of God Have their Persons not so much in admiration as if lords of your Faith by Preaching only esteem them highly for their works sake whereby they lead you to the holding fast the Profession of your Faith and the true exercise of right Godliness which hath the promise c. And as in your speeches you declare your Vnanimity in your holy Assemblies so in your Behaviour let there be Uniformity Let your Conversation be such as becometh the Gospel of Christ and let all things be done decently and in order and reverently as in the House and presence of the living God Worship God in the beauty of Holiness so as if an Vnbeliever come among you he may be convinced and fall down and worship God also because he sees verily of a truth God is in the midst of you It is the fit time for Christ to be born in us when Vnity is among us In a calm night the Dew descends to the Earths refreshment and Grace is like to come down to us when we are in the way of Peace Finally Brethren farewel be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind live in peace as directed and the God of love and peace shall be with you AMEN Proposition II. The wilful Omission or Recusancy of any Believing Subjects Conformity to those Rules is an heinous Sin and a dangerous Disobedience I Heartily beg of the Candid Reader so much charity to believe it as true what I publickly declare and avow That I am a Reformed Christian of the Church of England and that I shall never attempt to perswade my fellow Subjects to any practice that is ungodly or contrary to the Rules of the Gospel And be assured whoever thou art that I sincerely desire every man may come to the knowledge and practice of Truth and be saved and therefore I dare not by a flattering compliance or connivance sooth any man in the errour of his way which will lead him securely to his destruction And I dare not daub over Recusancy as some desire with a paint and varnish of a trifling weakness or infirmity or palliate it over with a false pretence of tender Conscience when it will prove if considered an heinous sin and a dangerous Disobedience Give me leave therefore without offence if thou beest willing to be Informed to bring to thy Remembrance what I have formerly delivered and am ready to defend concerning our Canons and Rules of Uniformity prescribed about the Publick exercise of Religion 1. Our Governours as subordinate under Christ do not Rule their Believing Subjects arbitrarily but by Laws subordinate to the Rules of the Gospel 2. All that the power of Governours can reach unto in a Visible Church is to order and direct Externals in the publick exercise of Religion 3. That the right exercise of true Religion is the open profession of Faith 4. Of that open Profession there must be Uniformity 5. Every Baptized Subject of England is obliged to conform to such Laws prescribed For to command or prohibit as the Gospel directs is warrantable And all our Laws to the Common sort of Believing Subjects are according to those Rules If Natural or expressly Evangelical there can be no dispute if a Christian thou art bound to obey And if the Laws be Positive or Humane and not against Nature or Injust thy Obligation is divine and thy Submission is natural being thou art to submit to every Ordinance of man for the Lorods sake SECT I. Let us determine and agree what we are to understand by those Laws and the Conformity to them that the Believing Subject of England is bound to observe THE Governours aim and care is not only at the keeping and diverting from the People what is grievous
and inconvenient which will render their lives wretched and miserable but also at the compassing and injoyning the things that are good and pleasant which make their lives happy and comfortable For these two distinct ends there must be two distinct sort of Laws Some Prohibitive forbidding and restraining Transgression which is the way to divert Evils feared some Preceptive by conforming to which Laws the People might attain the Good designed and propounded And because Man is not to be satisfied barely with escapes of Evil and Misery but with obtaining a confluence of Blessings which may minister some competency of Content to him in this his present condition therefore he is to make it his business not only to respect the Laws Prohibitive but those that are Preceptive are to be regarded especially And when we observe the Happiness of Man doth not only depend upon the love and comforts communicated from his Neighbour but upon the favour and blessings of God hence it must evidently appear that as man in a Society ought to have respect to the Laws of Honesty that he live quietly and comfortably with his Neighbour so is he to regard the Rules that direct him to the practice of true Piety which will make him to walk acceptably before his God And the Preceptive Laws that concern Piety ought primarily to be regarded because the Conforming to them will bring upon him the Blessings of God Now we are to agree to understand that our present Discourse relates to Laws of this sort viz. Preceptive Laws of Piety that are wisely and piously ordered by our Governours according to Gospel Rules that command the decent and reverent attendance and joynt Concurrence of every Believing Subject of England in the Uniform exercise of Religion as in the Book of Common-Prayer is ordered and prescribed These Preceptive Rules of Uniform worship as in our Liturgy the People are directed are the Laws by us intended and ought by Believing Subjects of England principally to be regarded and conformity to such Laws ought to be observed accordingly For as a Negative Happiness will not content us no more ought a Negative Holiness so a Believers care must be to be truly vertuous and religious The holy Soul that intends a thorough sanctification rests not satisfied that he is not vicious when he knows his being vertuous and truly religious is that which will please his God For to cease from evil of sin only will keep us from evil of punishment and judgment which is threatned but to do well is that which will bring us to good and to the mercies and blessings promised Conformity then to Preceptive Rules of Piety is necessary for our comfort and well-being and one of the principal Duties of an English Christian And the fashioning and framing of his Words and Actions according to the Canons and Lines in our Liturgy prescribed and directed is that Conformity we now understand That our Converses and demeanour in the Worship of God be accommodately ordered and commensurate to the Rules of the Liturgy That none of the lines or lineaments be carelesly pretermitted That upon our private fancy no tumor or exuberancy be added superstitiously that we admit of neither excess or defect that may spoil that beauty of Holiness whereby we may represent an exact symmetry of parts according to that exquisite Original and Copy which is set before us This I mean by that Conformity we are to attend and heed Happy should we be if a People once in such a case yea blessed should we be if we could thus decently Worship our God SECT II. Wilful Omission or Recusancy of this Conformity is a Sin or Disobedience THere be two great mistakes that our Pharisaical Fiduciaries are eminently guilty of about Omission One is that omission of Carnal sins probibited Presents them Saints and is all the vertue by them desired the other is that the omission of external duties of Piety that are commanded is no sin and is not at all feared But as pure as this Generation may seem in their own eyes yet in neither cases can they make it appear that they are cleansed from their wickedness when from the first mistake they swell with Pride and from the second mistake they must disdain Humility They say They are not open Blasphemers nor Riotous nor Thieves nor Adulterers nor Murtherers and we may believe them yet while this negative Holiness content them they are ready to account themselves Righteous and despise others Thus they choose easiest Duties and neglect the greater advance one to the suppressing of another and without regret securely pass by obedience to Preceptive Rules and with a partial and piece-meal Conformity they deceive themselves But we have otherwise learned the mind of Christ For in reason when Vertue lies in medio and is only a streight line and tendency to Happiness as Morality teach us the defect as well as the excess will keep us from ever coming at this end And when every Believer is bound to obey the Gospel that expects to enter into the kingdom of Heaven as Divinity teacheth us Certainly bare unholiness uncharitableness infidelity unpeacableness that are but cessations and suspensions of those due Acts that be commanded and ought not to be left undone cannot content any true Believer For no person be he either Child Servant or Subject if he neglects to do what he is injoyned but is justly looked upon as disobedient To him that knoweth to do good and doth it not to him it is sin Jam. 4.17 But when Omission arrives at that height to be wilful it become that sin we would have notified and avoided When men declare their love and choice by an open and continued separation from Holy exercises as commanded such wilful Omission is rightly called Recusancy being an open and declared refusal of doing that service and holy Duties they are commanded And if seriously considered I know not how our Officers in our several Parishes can be excused or acquitted of the guilt of Perjury when of forty Persons that wilfully omit and despise the Divine Service and Sacrament they cannot in their Returns at Assizes or Sessions find one open Recusant when certainly a wilful Omission or Recusancy of due Obedience deserves both sentence and punishment when it is an heinous sin and Disobedience SECT III. Wilful Omission or Recusancy of Conformity to these Laws is an Heinous sin and Disobedience SO much the Nobler the Law fixed and established is so much the greater the sin and the more grievous the transgression of that Law Now Conformity to the first and greatest Law of Piety is a nobler Vertue than Conformity to the Rules of Charity and aversion from that Conformity must be a greater sin because then we turn away from GOD who is infinitely better than Men or any Creature whatsoever The first and greatest Commandment is To love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul these must respect God indeed