those who cannot bear things which others account lawful we might indeed be restored to a true primitive lustre far sooner than by furbishing up some antiquated Ceremonies which can derive their Pedigree no higher than from some ancient Custom and Tradition God will one day convince men that the Union of the Church lies more in the unity of Faith and Affection than in uniformity of doubtful Rites and Ceremonies It is a very great instance of the deplorable Degeneracy of this Age that there are so many professed Enemies to all Moderation towards them who have different Apprehensions concerning the Indifferent Appendages to our Publick Worship Nay their zeal against this Moderation transports them into such indecencies they will not only have it expunged the number of Christian Virtues but they dare decry all who own and plead for it as the worst of men Instead of Observing that Rule given by the Apostle Let your Moderation a virtue inclining us to such a kind of benign and equitable temper in our conversing with one another whereby we may endeavour to preserve concord and amity in our treating concerning those things about which we differ we known unto all men they seem to read it backward and do in their practice publish to the world they be resolved to let their Rage and Fury be known to all men But the Hurt would not be so great if they would only publish their wilde and untameable Temper under a Private name and not strive to injure and bespatter the Church of England by pretending her Patronage Moderation is not only a Christian Duty but a peculiar Ornament to any Church which doth espouse and practise it And therefore those who do labour to represent the Church of England under another Character by pretending to her in their fierce and outragious carriages do as much as they can to baptise her Antichristian and under a pretence of justifying themselves in their worst Demeanor do strip her of one of the greatest Excellencies and chiefest Ornaments the Christian Church doth enjoy and can glory in The ordinary matters in dispute between us and other Protestants are not of that Moment we should be so zealous and passionate about them Christian love and charity must not be lost and thrown away for such things Indeed where these are in any considerable Degree they will do very much to allay and quench those Heats into which passionate and inconsiderate people are too apt to be unduly hurried We have at this time greater things which call for our zeal and concern to be imployd about And the dangers we are in of losing them should mightily operate on us and make us cautious lest by any unsuitable carriage we should be any way instrumental to make that breach wider through which Popery is apparently labouring to thrust her self in amongst us The great and weighty matters of Religion the very Fundamentals of Christianity are now assaulted by the Papists And if they can get but a little more advantage we shall be in danger of having new Articles added to our Creed and new Sacraments administred in our Churches And therefore whilst in danger of having such Innovations obtruded on us we cannot have any time on leisure if heartily concerned for our Religion and our Souls to fall out and quarrel with one another about Old Rites and Ceremonies It is very sad to consider with what heat our present Differences are managed on every hand and that which doth very much Hurt is that debauch'd and lewd people are suffered to blow up our Divisions into much greater flames and distances than they would rise to if only learned and serious and pious men had the manageing of them What! is it not high time to agree amongst our selves now that Hannibal is at our Gates shall we give no hopes of an union amongst our selves till being Sacrifices to our Enemies Fury we meet on both sides in Popish Flames to witness to the same Religion Such blustering boisterous Tempers as are all for the great River Euphrates which runs with a torrent and a mighty noise and refuse the still waters of Shiloah which run soft and gently as the Prophet speaks Isa 8. 6. Such are no friends to peace because 't is the latter which is the River whose streams must make glad the City of God Psal 46. 4. that is must promote the quiet and flourishing state of the church as a Reverend Prelate hath elegantly exprest it It is true and pure Christianity we must mainly discover our Zeal for and for other matters we must reduce them to their proper Sphere and place and allow them no more of our affection and Zeal than in their own nature they deserve and the Exigence of the Church doth call for Our Saviour lays no stress on any thing but Real Practical Religion he does rather Caution us against too much Zeal about Mint and Cummin lest this should eat up the heart and life and spirit of our Devotion than oblige us to a particular and eminent discovery to great and extraordinary warmth about those things in which Real Religion is not immediately concerned We find the Apostles upon mature deliberation and when they had the immediate assistance and guidance of the Spirit would lay no more on the Disciples than what was then Necessary And it would be no difficult thing to shew that they were not Rigid towards those who did omit and even refuse afterwards to observe some of those Injunctions they concluded necessary to be observed in that Juncture of Affairs when they made that Determination I know some do insist very much on this Question Whether the Apostles had not power to determine Indifferent Ceremonies so as to oblige the Church in her several Administrations to the use of some and to forbear the use of all others and whether if any Professors of Christianity should obstinately have refused to comply with those Orders the Apostles might not innocently and justly have Excommunicated them for their Contempt Such kind of Questions as these are very unnecessary and I am affraid those who are so frequent in proposing these things in Company as some in the world are have a design to trepan and insnare the unwary I will say no more to this Point at present than 1st First of all That I believe the Apostles had as much Authority and Power as any of those have who pretend to be their Successors 2ly That they had so great a measure of Divine Grace communicated of them as did effectually restrain them from using their Authority arbitrarily or in an inordinate and hurtful way 3ly They never made use of their Power that we read of about these indifferent and unnecessary points And therefore whether they would have proceeded to such Censures as some talk of if they had appointed any number of Rites and had not been obeyed is not evident enough to convince and satisfie inquisitive men The Question lies mainly here
the great Matter in dispute between us which may incline sober and pious minds to dislike all unnecessary heat and Severity towards those who are not able to attain to so great a Latitude in Relation to these things as we are satisfied with But I will neither multiply instances to an irksom number nor insist on those I shall name so as to make them tedious I will name but seven things and they are such as will conduce something to abate that violent and unaccountable Peevishness some have allowed themselves in if considered with that candor and equanimity which becomes every Christian and every man who would judge fairly of things 1st It is unquestionably certain that the closer any Church doth keep or the nearer she approach to the first Churches in their simplicity and fredom from Humane Inventions the more justifiable she will be She will be the freer from those Contagions which are too apt to prevail when way is given to every thing that either a subtle man can represent as plausible or a pious affectionate man may apprehend useful I do not plead for reducing the Church to its ancient and primitive Poverty nor do I in the least incline to that opinion that there may not be some external difference in the Church when under Prosperous Circumstances from that she observed when persecuted and under storms But undoubtedly there is no absolute necessity of making new Terms of Communion because the outward face of Affairs is altered The less there is of Humane Inventions mixed with the Worship of God the more genuine and the liker it is to that which the Apostles and Primitive Christians did observe Nor do we find that outward Circumstances were very much insisted on by the Orthodox till very Considerable Corruptions were crept into the Church And tho this doth not argue or conclude against the lawfulness of any thing the Church of England doth injoyn for I do not urge it for that end yet it may induce us to have much Charity and Tenderness for them who have such a regard to what was only observed and injoyned in the first Churches they are almost afraid to deviate from them even in such particulars as are innocent and free The first Churches were so taken up with the great necessary and substantial Parts of Religion they had no time to fall out and quarrel about Indifferent Circumstantial Appendages Indeed we do not read of any contendings about these things till some either very ill or very weak men had a mind to lay an unnecessary and uneasie yoke on the rest of their Brethren There ought to be a great deal of care taken when ever any unnecessary Instances are admitted so much as to border on the Worship of God For God is very jealous of his Honour and we can scarce be too wary in giving way to Humane Inventions in Divine Service because our minds are too prone to adhere over-much to what is sensible Nay we too easily give more way and room to those particulars which are at first commended under very specious colourable and innocent pretences than we can afterwards justifie to be lawful However this is apt to lay us too open to the treacherous insinuations with which cunning and subtle men will labour to commend to us other Instances which be directly sinful But we must take heed not only that we yield not in things really evil but that we do not transgress due bounds in the use of those things which are Harmless A very ill use has been made of many things which were without doubt Originally well intended yea those very particulars which devout and Holy Men have found serviceable to them in the raising of their affections to the best things have been of ill Consequence when peremptorily injoyned on all There ought not any thing to be universally required of all men in the Service of God but what has either equal agreeableness to all mens tempers or a direct and certain tendency to advance the interest of Religion more or less in all men For some Instances which are proper to excite and quicken Devotion in some mens breasts have not the like tendency in reference unto others And the goodness of the End will not justifie an Universal Imposition till you can first of all make all men of one Complexion 2ly Teaching that Humane Authority has an unlimited Power to impose any thing on the Church which is not expresly forbid in Scripture may be of dangerous consequence It is generally acknowledged I think by most Parties that it doth pertain to Humane Authority to determine those Circumstances relating to the Worship of God which do belong to those Acts considered as they are Humane Acts. Some Circumstances must unavoidably accompany every external Religious Performance because it is impossible for man to act and his Acts be stript of all Circumstances and therefore it is generally allowed that those Circumstances without which the joint Celebration of Divine Ordinances cannot be observed should be determined by Humane Authority As to other Ceremonies which are not necessary to these Performances some do apprehend they are left free by Christ and therefore should not be constrained and compelled by men There have been great Disputes in the Church about this matter And some have declared their sense in very large words even so as to make way for the bringing of very strange Innovations into the Church For 1st It is not Demonstrably certain that Humane Authority has power any further than to restrain and punish disorders and indecencies in the Church And if so tho we our selves may be satisfied to serve God in the way appointed by Authority we cannot thence fairly conclude it lawful to ruine others who serve God without our Ceremonies but in a way that is grave and decent as well as ours For if it should at last happen notwithstanding all the Probabilities we have on our side that the extent of Humane Authority in these matters is only to keep men within Decent and Comly bounds and to punish them when they are disorderly irreverent and Rude and that it doth not reach to determine one way Decent and Orderly so as to make all other wayes which are in themselves equally Decent unlawful I say if it should thus fall out at last then all those who do unnecessarily engage themselves in the immoderate courses I am disswading from may wish when it is too late they had followed the safest Advice 2ly The Limitations usually prescribed to the Exercise of this Power by those who yield it in a great measure are such as will not secure us from all the dangerous Inconveniences which do attend this Power when unlimited Indeed if Humane Authority has such a Power belonging to it of Right as some do affirm there cannot be very much said on the point And therefore I will only propose two Questions for such to think upon Quest 1. Who has power to circumscribe and
Loyal than those who lost their Benefices in those days nay were imprisoned and in danger of losing their Lives too because of their avowed adhering to the King and cannot dispense with the same Oaths and some other Instances to redeem their Benefices others could to keep them 3ly Men of such extraordinary Charity Modesty and other eminent Virtues as Mr. Tho. Gouge was and others amongst them are There are very many amongst them we call Dissenters who are so eminent for the practice of the best and in this Age the most rare Virtues it will be no disparagement for at least some Conformists to propose them as Patterns to themselves and more particularly in the exercise of Moderation towards them who differ from us in Judgment even in such instances as we have a singular kindness for The Pious and Reverend Dr. Tillotson thinks Mr. Tho. Gouge before named worthy to be a pattern in this to men of all Perswasions His Words are these Allowing others to differ from him even in Opinions which were very dear to him and provided men did but fear God and work Righteousness he loved them heartily how distant soever from him in Judgement about things less Necessary In all which he is very worthy to be a pattern to men of all Perswasions whatsoever Now what Crime is it for a Conformist to plead for Moderation towards such men as these or for a Son of the Church of England to endeavour to give some check to the immoderate Heat and Peevishness of those furious and head-strong Bigots who by unnecessary ingaging themselves in prosecuting their Peaceable Religious Neighbours do indanger the weakening the Protestant Interest and the making the Church of England her self a Sacrifice to the Rage and Trophy of the Conquest of her most inveterate and indefatigable Enemies But however innocent and justly commendable the thing is in it self the practice of it does not appear so safe and to have such general Countenance as it deserves This is evident enough by the treatment the late Sermon against Persecution hath had amongst men of certain Characters But the World will in time be satisfied that Places and Garments do not make men better They may yield them greater opportunities than they had before to discover what they truly are Tie Ass was an Ass as well when he had the Lions skin on his back as when it was off Nay that Lions skin must be very large that can cover and hide the Asses ears Can the Ethiopian change his Skin or the Leopard his Spots then may ye who are accustomed to do evil learn to do good Notwithstanding such a stir is kept about the Sermon before named the Exceptions ordinarily alledged against it by the very Dons themselves are very pitiful and trifling ye I must acknowledg they do better become them whose faces would flatter the world into a belief they pretend to be men than Indictments and Deprivations which are now talked of do 3dly The Objections pretended against the Sermon are chiefly these two 1. How can I who am a Conformist and consequently satisfied of the Lawfulness of every thing required by the Church of England be against punishing them who will not comply with what I my self acknowledge Lawful and do practise 2ly That it is very unbecoming one who receives Profits from the Church of England and to use their own canting Phrase sucks the Churches Breasts to Apologize and plead for them who dissent from the Church Now any man who hath either eyes or any thing else in his Head may easily perceive these Exceptions are not so much against the Sermon as against my self And therefore I will take the less care in answering them For I think all such absurd and feeble Reflections are best confuted by a due contempt The first Objection is proposed by way of Query and asks How I who am a Conformist and consequently satisfied of the Lawfulness of every thing required by the Church of England can be against punishing them who will not comply with what I do acknowledg Lawful and do practise Ans 1st There may other more agreeable Methods be used to make Proselytes against which I never spake one word Solid Arguments strong Reasons and Authorities are more fit for confutation of an Error and satisfaction of Different Judgments When the Emperor took a Bishop in compleat Armour he sent the Armour to the Pope with this word Haecinae sunt vestes filii tui 2ly There is a great Difference betwixt a mans being satisfied of the Lawfulness of things so as to direct his own Practice in the use of them and his being convinced of the Necessity of them so as to be induced thereby to justify or approve the unnecessary head-strong and furious courses some prophane loose Fellows do take against them who are not equally satisfied with him by the Evidence he hath There is no Reason I should pull a mans eyes out of his head because he cannot see what I either do see or at least fancy I see 3ly The Greatest the Wisest and the Learnedst men this Church was ever blessed with have had the same thoughts that I have and did believe the Moderation I plead for very consistent with true Conformity We need not saith his present Majesty profess the high affection and esteem we have for the Church of England as it is Established by Law Nor do we think that Reverence in the least Degree diminished by our Condescentions not peremptorily to insist on some particulars of Ceremony which however introduced by the Piety and Order of former times may not be so agreeable to the present c. The Eminent Judge Hale at his entring on that Employment did oblige himself to observe this amongst many other Excellent Rules viz. That I be not too rigid in Matters purely conscientious where all the Harm is Diversity of Judgment And it is further said of him that Besides great Charities to the Nonconformists who were then as he thought too hardly used he took great care to cover them all he could from the Severities some designed against them and discouraged those who were inclined to stretch the Laws too much against them It is very well known that Dr. Wilkins late Bishop of Chester was a man of as prodigious Universal Learning and of as clear and solid a Judgment as any man the Christian world was ever adorned with And it is as well known that he was equally Famous for his Moderation towards Dissenters before he was made Bishop as for any of his other Extraordinary Accomplishments And after he ascended the Episcopal Seat he continued the same man he was before and made that Diocess as it is very well known there and in most other Places the most flourishing and truly Religious part I think I may truly say of all Christendom by the happy Influence under Divine Grace his eminent Moderation Zealous Piety and most Christian Government had in