suppose you can say no more of them but that they are weaker that is in this know less then you though perhaps we may take them to be stronger that is to be more in the right yet are we not so confident as to censure you or others but speak of things difficult and doubtful as they are But how prove you that we would take it ill to be our selves or have those we speak of accounted ignorant in such things as these use us no worse then the ignorant should be used And till you would turn a man out of the Ministry or Church for being ignorant of the nature of a Ceremony which never was in his Creed the Decalogue or Scripture deal not so by us that would be wiser if we knew how That all our ignorance is our own fault we deny not But it is an excesse of confidence and uncharitableness to tell us that there is so very much written as may satisfie any man that hath a mind to be satisfied when we professe in his sight that knoweth the hearts that we have a mind to be satisfied and would know the truth at what rate soever if we knew how what would you have us to do that we do not to be satisfied Do we not read as much for Ceremonies as the dissenters use to do against them many Books against them are yet uuanswered as we never shuned any Publick or private conference with any of you and such reasonings are not like to convince us If you will be the Judges of your Brethrens hearts and say it is not tenderness of Conscience but stubbornness we shall refer that to the day when your hearts and ours shall all be opened Must none be tender Conscienced that dare not venture to obey you in such things when you may with undoubted safety forbear the imposing of your Ceremonies and so forbear the casting out of your Brethren if you will not who shews less tenderness of Conscience That the scandal is taken and not given is still the thing in question as to many things And if it were no just occasion of offence yet you ought not to lay that which others weakness will turn into a stumbling block unnecessarily before them If the Apostles Argument be good Rom. 14. The Church may not urge unlawful things nor things meerly lawful upon such penalties as will exclude things necessary If an idle word be to be accounted for an idle Law is not laudable much less when all men must be excluded the Ministry oâ— Communion that scruple it when yet a man may be a prophane Swearer for 12. pence an Oath and may swear an 100. times before he payes that 12. pence A Papist shall pay 12. pence for not coming to Church and a Protestant be thrust out of your Communion for not kneeling at the Sacrament and a Minister suspended imprisoned undone for not crossing a Child or wearing a Surplice May Magistrates or the Church rhus urge their commands can any thing be spoken plainer then the Scripture speaks against this course And would you make the world believe that the Brethren that do not all that you bid them are so unreasonably and obstinately scrupulous as to have no matter of offence but what they lay before themselves when they have the Practise of the Apostles and the Custom of the Primitive Church for many hundred years against you and this called by them an Apostolical Tradition and decreed by the most venerable Councils that ever were If you had but one of these the decree of a General Council or Practice of all the purest Church alone for one of your Ceremonies you would think him uncharitable that so reproached you for pretending Conscience Sect. 11. The Case of St. Paul not eating flesh if it offended his Brother is nothing to the purpose who there speakes of things not Commanded either by God or by his Church neither having in them any thing of Decency or Significancy to serve in the Church St. Paul would deny himself his own Liberty rather than offend his Brother Bnt if any man breakes a just Law or Custom of the Church he brands him for a Lover of Schisme and Sedition 1 Cor. 11. 16. Repl. But because at our last Meeting it was said with so much confidence by one that the Case in Rom. 14. and 15. was nothing to ours we shall here say the more to what you say that Pauls not eating flesh is nothing to the purpose your reasons are 1. Because he speakes of nothing commanded by God or his Church 2. Nor of any thing of Decency or significancy to serve in the Church To the first we have often told you that which is undeniable 1. That Paul was a Governour of that Church himself that had no Superior to con trole him If you say then that he wrote not as a Governor we Answer yes for he wrote as an Apostle and wrote that Epistle that was to be a standing Law or Canon to them If this be no act of his Office and Authority there was none such And then you must say the like of all the rest of the Epistles 2. Moreover as Paul the Apostle excludeth all such impositions so he wrote to all the Resident Pastors that were at Rome for he wrote to the whole Church and therefore these commands extend to the Governours that they make not such things the matter of Contempt or Censures or any uncharitable course but bear with one another in them Will you call men obstinate self-offenders that differ from you when you have no better Answers then these to the plain decisions of the holy Ghost what we speak of Rom. 14. 15. we speak also of 1 Cor. 8. And 3. It is to the Rulers of the Church that we are speaking and it is they that answer us And shall the Rulers say if it were not a thing commanded we might bear with you when it is themselves that command them Ecclesiastically and we intreat them but to forbear that and to concur with us in Petitioning the King to forbear commanding them coercively who no doubt will easily forbear it if they do their part 4. Yea a fortiore it layeth a heavier charge on such Governours then others If it be so hainous a Sin as Paul maketh it to censure or despise one another for meats and dayes and such like things how much more to Excommuuicate silence and undo one another and deprive thousands of Souls of the Preaching of the Gospel that consented not to their Pastor's non-conformity 5. Paul letteth you know that those things are not the Center or matter of our necessary Concord but of mutual forbearance and therefore condemneth all that will make them necessary to our Unity Ministry or Communion 6. And the difference is wholly to the advantage of our Cause for those that Paul spoke to were not come so high as to go about to force others to do as they did but onely to despise
Grace and the Canon saith It is an honourable badge whereby the Infant is dedicated to him that dyed on the Cross we are signified with it in token that hereafter we shall not be ashamed to confess the Faith of Christ crucified and manfully to fight c. now if a thing may be commanded meerly as a decent Circumstance of Worship yet it is unproved that a thing in its nature as instituted and in the primary intention is thus Sacramentally to dedicate and engage us in Covenant to God by signifying the Grace and Duty of the Covenant be lawfully cammanded by man 1. Decent Circumstances are necessary in genere There must be some fit time place gesture vesture as such utensils c. But that there be some such dedicating ingaging Signs in our Covenanting with God signifying the Grace of the Covenant and our state and duty as Soldiers under Christ besides Gods Sacraments this is not necessary in genere and therefore it is not left to man to determine de specie 2. If there be any reason for this use of the Cross it must be such as was in the Apostles dayes and concerneth the universal Church in all ages and places and then the Apostles would have taken care of it Thus much here in brief of Signes and more anon when you again call us to it Sect. 9. To the second That it is not a violation of Christs Royalty to make such Laws for decency but an exercise of his Power and Authority which he hath given to the Church and the disobedience to such Commands of Superiours is plainly a violation of his Royalty As it is no violation of the Kings Authority when his Magistrates command things according to his Laws but disobedience to the Command of those injunctions of his Deputies is violation of his Authority Again it can be no impeachment of Christs Laws as insufficient to make such Laws for decency since our Saviour as is evident by the Precepts themselves did not intend by them to determine every minute and circumstance of time place manner of performance and the like but only to command in general the substance of those Duties and the right ends that should be aimed at in the performance and then left every man in particular whom for that purpose he made reasonable to guide himself by Rules of reason for private Services and appointed Governours of the Church to determine such particularities for the publick Thus our Lord commanded Prayers Fasting c. But for the times and places of performance he did not determine every of them but left them to be guided as we have said So that it is no impeachment of his Laws as insufficient to make Laws for determining those particulars of decency which himself did not as is plain by his Precepts intend to determine but left us Governours for that purpose to whom he said As my Father sent me even so send I you and let all things be done decently and in order of whom he hath said to us Obey those that have the oversight over you and told us that if we will not hear his Church we must not be accounted as Christians but Heathens and Publicans And yet nevertheless they will not hear it and obey it in so small a matter as a Circumstance of time place habit or the like which she thinks decent and fit and yet will be accounted the best Christians and tell us that it is the very awe of Gods Law Deut. 12. 32. that keeps them from obedience to the Church in these Commands not well considering that it cannot be any adding to the Word of God to command things for order and decency which the Word of God-commands to be done so as they be not commanded as Gods immediate Word but as the Laws of men but that is undeniable adding to the Word of God to say that Superiours may not command such things which God hath no where forbidden and taking from the Word of God to deny that Power to men which Gods Word hath given them Repl. To make Laws to determine of undetermined Circumstances necessary in genere to be some way determined and left to Magistrates or Ministers de specie and to do this according to the general Rule of Scripture and in order to the main end and not against it is not against the Royalty or Will or Christ but to make new dedicating Covenanting Symbols to signifie the Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace and solemnly engage us unto God and place these in the publick Worship which are not meer Circumstances but substantial Institutions not necessary in genere that there should be any such at all besides Gods Sacraments we fear this is a violation of the Royalty of Christ and a reflection on his Laws as insufficient For 1. If it belong to the Power proper to Christ then it is a violation of his Royalty for any man to exercise it but it belongeth to the Power proper to Christ Ergo c. The Minor is proved thus If it belong to the universal Head or Ruler of the Church as such then it belongs to the Power proper to Christ for we are ready to prove there is now under him no universal Head or Ruler personally or collectively and civilly one But c. If in the Reason of it it should be the matter of an universal Law if any then it should be the work of the universal Law-giver if any But c. If in the Reason of it it be equally useful to the Church universal as to any particular Church or Age then it should according to the reason of it be the matter of an universal Law if of any But c. It hath the same aptitude to engage us to a duty of universal necessity and hath no reason proper to this Age or Place for it but common to all Moreover it is no where committed to the power or care of man Ergo it is proper to the Care and Power of Christ no Text is shewed that giveth man power in such things To do all things decently and orderly and to edification is no giving of power on that pretence to make new Covenanting dedicating Signs To do Gods work decently c. is not to make more such of our own heads it 's but the right modifying of the work already set us And to do all decently orderly and to edification was a duty in Moses time when yet such things as these in question might not be added by any but God when we say by God we mean by his inspired Instruments and when we say by Christ we mean by his inspired Instruments If we should make Laws that every one is publickly to taste Vineger and Gall as a Sign that we are not ashamed of but resolved through all fresh-displeasing diâ—ficulties to follow Christ that did so and thus to engage and dedicate our selves to him this were to do more than to do all things decently and
kept as Holy-dayes but they are useful for the preservation of their memories and for other reasons as for Leases Law-dayes c. Repl. The antiquity of the Translations mentioned is far from being of determinate certainty we rather wish than hope that the Syriack could be proved to be made neer the Apostles times But however the things being confessed of humane Institution and no forreign Power having any authority to command his Majesties Subjects and so the imposition being only by our own Governours we humbly crave that they may be left indifferent and the Unity or Peace of the Church or Liberty of the Ministers not laid upon them Sect. 1. This makes all the Lyturgy void if every Minister may put in and leave out at his discretion Repl. You mistake us we speak not of putting in and leaving out of the Liturgy but of having leave to intermix some Exhortations or Prayers besides to take off the deadness which will follow if there be nothing but the stinted Forms we would avoid both the extream that would have no Forms and the contrary extream that would have nothing but Forms but if we can have nothing but extreams there 's no remedy it 's not our fault And this moderation and mixture which we move for is so far from making all the Lyturgy void that it would do very much to make it attain its end and would heal much of the distemper which it occasioneth and consequently would do much to preserve the reputation of it As for instance if besides the Forms in the Lyturgy the Minister might at Baptism the Lords Supper Marriage c. interpose some suitable Exhortation or Prayer upon special occasion when he finds it needful should you deny this at the visitation of the sick it would seem strange and why may it not be granted at other times It is a matter of far greater trouble to us that you would deny us and all Ministers the Liberty of using any other Prayers besides the Lyturgy than that you impose these Sect. 2. The Gift or rather Spirit of Prayer consists in the inward Graces of the Spirit not in extempore expressions which any man of natural parts having a voluble tongue and audacity may attain to without any special Gift Repl. All inward Graces of the Spirit are not properly called the Spirit of Prayâ—r nor is the Spirit of Prayer that Gift of Prayer which we speak of nor did we call it by the name of a special Gift nor did we deny that ordinary men of natural parts and voluble tongues may attain it But yet we humbly conceive that as there is a Gift of Preaching so also of Prayer which God bestoweth in the use of means diversified much according to mens natural parts and their diligence as other acquired abilities are but also much depending on that Grace that is indeed special which maketh men love and rellish the holy Subjects of such Spiritual studies and the holy exercise of those Graces that are the soul of Prayer and consequently making men follow on such exercises with delight and diligence and therefore with success and also God is free in giving or denying his Blessing to mans endeavours If you think there be no Gift of Preaching you will too dishonourably level the Ministry If reading be all the Gift of Prayer or Preaching there needs no great understanding or learning to it nor should Coblers and Tinkers be so unfit men for the Ministry as they are thought nor would the reason be very apparent why a Woman mightnot speak by Preaching or Praying in the Church Sect. 3. But if there be any such Gift as is pretended it is to be subject to the Prophets and to the Order of the Church Repl. The Text speaks as Dr. Hammond well shews of a subjection to that Prophet himself who was the Speaker Inspiration excluded not the prudent exercise of Reason but it is a strange ordering that totally excludeth the thing ordered The Gift of Preaching as distinct from Reading is to be orderly and with due subjection exercised but not to be on that pretence extinguished and cast out of the Church And indeed if you should command it you are not to be obeyed whatever we suffer And why then should the Gift of Prayer distinct from Reading be cast out Sect. 4. The mischiefs that come by idle impertinent ridiculous sometimes seditious impious and blasphemous expressions under pretence of the Gift to the dishonour of God and scorn of Religion being far greater than the pretended good of exercising the Gift it is fit that they who desire such liberty in publick devotions should first give the Church security that no private opinions should be put into their Prayers as is desired in the first proposal and that nothing contrary to the Faith should be uttered before God or offered up to him in the Church Repl. The mischiefs which you pretend are inconveniences attending humane imperfeotion which you would cure with a mischief Your Argument from the Abuse against the Use is a palpable fallacy which cast out Physitians in some Countries and rooted up Vines in others and condemneth the reading of the Scriptures in a known tongue among the Papists If the Apostles that complained then so much of divisions and Preaching false doctrine and in envy and strife had thought the way of cure had been in sending Ministers about the world with a Prayer-book or Sermon book and to have tyed them only to read either one or both of these no doubt but they would have been so regardful of the Church as to have composed such a Prayer-book or Sermon book themselves and not left us to the uncertainties of an Authority not infallible nor to the divisions that follow the impositions of a questionable Power or that which unquestionably is not universal and therefore can procure no universal Concord If one man among you draw up a Form of Prayer it is his single conception and why a man as learned and able may not be trusted to conceive a Prayer for the use of a single Congregation without the dangers mentioned by you as one man to conceive a Prayer for all the Churches in a Diocess or a Nation we know not These words that the mischief is greater than the pretended good seem to express an unjust accusation of ordinary conceived Prayer and a great undervaluing of the benefits If you would intimate that the Crimes expressed by you are ordinarily found in Ministers Prayers we that hear such much more frequently than you must profess we have not found it so allowing men their different measures of exactness as you have even in writing Nay to the praise of God we must say that multitudes of private men can ordinarily pray without any such imperfection as should nauseate a sober person and with such seriousness and aptness of expression as is greatly to the benefit and comfort of our selves when we joyn