that eateth And so I haue done with my Text in the generall vse of it §. 17. Application to the case in our Church wherein we haue seene the two faults of despising and of iudging our brethren layd open and the vglinesse of both discouered I now descend to make such Application as I promised both of the case and rules vnto some differences and to some offences giuen and taken in our Church in point of Ceremony The Case ruled in my Text was of eating and not eating the Differences which some maintaine in our Church are many in the particular as of kneeling and not kneeling wearing and not wearing crossing and not crossing c. but all these and most of the rest of them may be comprehended in grosse vnder the tearmes of conforming and not conforming Let vs first compare the cases that hauing found wherein they agree or disagree we may therby iudge how farre Saint Pauls aduice in my Text ought to rule vs for not despising for not iudging one another There are foure speciall things wherin if we compare this our Case with the Apostles in euery of the foure we shall find some agreement and some disparity also 1. The nature of the matter 2. The abilities of the persons 3. Their seuerall Practice about the things and 4. Their mutuall carriage one towards another And first let vs consider how the two cases agree in each of these §. 18. Agreement betwixt the two Cases First the matter whereabout the eater and the not-eater differed in the case of the Romanes was in the nature of it indifferent so it is betweene the conformer and not-conformer in our Case As there fish and flesh and hearbes were meerely indifferent such as might be eaten or not eaten without sinne so here Cap and Surplis Crosse and Ring and the rest are things meerely indifferent such as in regard of their own nature may be vsed or not vsed without sinne as being neither expresly commanded nor expressely forbidden in the Word of God Secondly the persons agree For as there so here also some are strong in faith some weake There are many whose iudgements are vpon certaine and infallible grounds assured and resolued and that certitudine Fidei that Cappe and Surplis and Crosse and the rest are things lawfull and such as may be vsed with a good Conscience There are some others againe who through ignorance or custome or preiudice or otherwise weakened in their iudgements cannot or will not be perswaded that these things are altogether free from superstition and Idolatrie nor consequently the vse of them from sinne Thirdly the practice of the persons are much alike As there the strong did vse his liberty according to the assurance of his knowledge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and did eate freely without scruple and the weake did forbeare to eate because of his doubting and irresolution So here most of vs in assured confidence that we may weare and crosse and kneele and vse the other Ceremonies and Customes of our Church doe willingly and ex animo conforme our selues thereunto yet some there are who out of I know not what nicenesse and scrupulositie make dainty of them and either vtterly refuse conformitie or at leastwise desire respite till they can better informe themselues Lastly there is some correspondence also in the faulty carriage of the parties one towards another For as there the Eater despised the Not-eater and the Not-eater iudged the Eater so here it cannot be denied but that some Conformers although I hope farre the lesser I am sure farre the worser sort doe despise and scandalize the non-Conformers more than they haue reason to do or any discreet honest man will allow But is it not most certaine also that the non-Conformers but too generally yea and the better sort of them too but too often and much do passe their censures with marueilous great freedome and spend their iudgements liberally vpon and against the Conformers Hitherto the Cases seeme to agree One would thinke mutatis mutandis the Apostles rule would as wel fit our Church and Case as the Romane and should as well free the non-Conformers from our Contempt as vs from their Censures Let not him that conformeth despise him that conformeth not and let not him that conformeth not iudge him that conformeth §. 19. Difference betwixt them I. in the Matter But if you will please to take a second suruiew of the foure seuerall particulars wherein the Cases seemed to agree you shall find very much disparitie and disproportion betwixt the two Cases in each of the foure respects In the case of my Text the matter of difference among them was not only in different in the nature of it but it was also left as indifferent for the vse the Church perhaps not hauing determined any thing positiuely therein at least no publike authoritie hauing either enioyned or forbidden the vse of such or such meates But in the Case of our Church it is far otherwise Cappe Surplis Crosse Ring and other Ceremonies which are the Matter of our differences though they be things indifferent for their nature and in themselues yet are not so for their vse and vnto vs. If the Church had been silent if Authoritie had prescribed nothing herein these Ceremonies had then remained for their vse as they are for their nature indifferent Lawfull and such as might bee vsed without sinne and yet Arbitrary and such as might bee also forborne without sinne But men must grant though they be vnwilling if yet they will bee reasonable that euery particular Church a Article 20. agreeably to the confessions of other Protestant Churches hath power for b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Cor. 14.20 decencie and orders sake to ordaine and constitute Ceremonies Which being once ordained and by publike authoritie enioyned cease to bee indifferent for their vse though they remaine still so for their nature and of indifferent become so necessary that neither may a man without sinne c Constit. Canon 30. refuse them where Authoritie requireth nor vse them where Authoritie restraineth the vse Neither is this accession of Necessitie §. 20. The maine obiection from Christian libertie answered any impeachment to Christian Liberty or a Ex. 1. Cor. 7.35 insnaring of mens consciences as b Lincolnsh Abridg. pag. 34. some haue obiected For then do we ensnare mens consciences by humane Constitutions when we thrust them vpon men as if they were diuine and bind mens consciences to them immediately as if they were immediate parts of Gods worship or of absolute necessitie vnto saluation This Tyrannie and Vsurpation ouer mens Consciences the c Mar. 7.8 c. Pharisees of old did and the Church of Rome at this day doth exercise and wee iustly hate it in her d In Spiritum Sanctum blasphemant qui sacros Canones violant 25. qu. 1. Violatores equalling if not preferring her Constitutions to the Lawes of God
But our Church God bee thanked is farre from any such impious presumption and hath sufficiently e Constit. c. Can. 74. Art 20 Act for vniformitie and Treat of Ceremonies prefixed to the Book of Common Prayer declared her selfe by solemne protestation enough to satisfie any ingenuous impartiall iudgement that by requiring obedience to these ceremoniall Constitutions she hath no other purpose than to reduce all f Without preâ—udice to the libertie of other Churches See Praef. to Commun Booke her children to an orderly vniformitie in the outward worship of God so farre is she from seeking to draw any opinion either of diuine g The Church ought not to enforce any thing besides the holy Writ to be beleeued for necessity of saluation Artic. 20. necessitie vpon the Constitution or of effectuall holinesse vpon the ceremony And as for the preiudice which seemeth to be hereby giuen to Christian libertie it is so slender a conceit that it seemeth to bewray in the obiecters a desire not so much of satisfaction as cauill For first the liberty of a Christian to all indifferent things is in the Minde and Conscience and is then infringed when the Conscience is bound and streitned by imposing vpon it an opinion of doctrinall Necessitie But it is no wrong to the Liberty of a Christian mans Conscience to bind him to outward obseruance for Orders sake and to impose vpon him a Necessitie of Obedience Which one distinction of Doctrinall and Obedientiall Necessitie well weighed and rightly applyed is of it selfe sufficient to cleere all doubts in this point For to make all restraint of the outward man in matters indifferent an impeachment of Christian Liberty what were it else but euen to bring flat h See Conference at Hampton Court p. 70.71 Anabaptisme and Anarchy into the Church and to ouerthrow all bond of subiection and obedience to lawfull Authority I beseech you consider wherein can the immediate power and authority of Fathers Masters and other Rulers ouer their inferiours consist or the due obedience of inferiours be shewne towards them if not in these i In rebus medijs lex posita est obedientiae Bernard Epist. 7. Indifferent and Arbitrary things For things k De huiusmodi quippe nec praeceptor expectandus nec prohibitor auscultandus est Bernard de praec dispensat See Agell 2. Noct. Attic. 7. Bernard Epist 7. absolutely Necessary as coÌ„manded by God we are bound to doe whether humane Authority require them or no and things absolutely Vnlawfull as prohibited by God we are bound not to doe whether humane Authoritie forbid them or no. There are none other things left then wherin to expresse properly the Obedience due to superiour Authority than these Indifferent things And if a l See Sam. Collins Sermon on 1 Tim. 6.3 pag. 44. c. Father or Master haue power to prescribe to his child or seruant in Indifferent things and such restraint be no way preiudiciall to Christian Liberty in them Why should any man either deny the like power to Church-Gouernours to make Ecclesiasticall Constitutions concerning indifferent Things or interpret that power to the preiudice of Christian Liberty And againe Secondly Men must vnderstand that it is an Errour to thinke Ceremonies and Constitutions to be things meerely Indifferent I meane in the generall For howsoeuer euery particular Ceremony bee indifferent and euery particular Constitution m Artic. 34. arbitrary and alterable yet that there should be some Ceremonies it is necessary Necessitate absoluta in as much as no outward worke can bee performed without Ceremoniall circumstances some or other and that there should bee some Constitutions concerning them it is also necessary though not simply absolutely as the former yet ex hypothesi and n See Caluin li. 4. Instit. cap. 10. §. 27. necessitate conuenientiae Otherwise since some Ceremonies must needes be vsed euery Parish nay euery o Quot capita tot Schismata Hieronym Man would haue his owne fashion by himselfe as his humor led him wherof what other could be the issue but infinit distraction and vnorderly confusion in the Church And againe thirdly to return their weapon vpon themselues If euery restraint in indifferent things be iniurious to Christian Liberty then themselues are iniurious no lesse by their negatiue restraint from some Ceremonies p Like that Col. 2.21 Touch not taste not handle not Weare not Crosse not Kneele not c. than they would haue the world beleeue our Church is by her positiue restraint vnto these Ceremonies of wearing crossing kneeling c. Let indifferent men iudge nay let theÌ„selues that are parties iudge whether is more iniurious to Christian Liberty publike Authority by mature aduice commanding what might be forborne or priuate spirits through humorours dislikes forbidding what may be vsed the whole Church imposing the vse or a few brethren requiring the forbearance of such things as are otherwise and in themselues equally indifferent for vse or for forbearance But they say §. 12. And the purpose and practice of our Church herein iustified our Church maketh greater matters of Ceremonies than thus and preferreth them euen before the most necessarie duties of preaching and administring the Sacraments in as much as they are imposed vpon Ministers vnder paine of Suspension and Depriuation from their Ministeriall Functions and Charges First for actuall Depriuation I take it vnconforming Ministers haue no great cause to complaine Our Church it is well knowne hath not alwayes vsed that rigour shee might haue done Where she hath bin forced to proceed as farre as depriuation shee hath ordinarily by her faire and slow and compassionate proceedings therein sufficiently manifested her vnwillingnesse thereto and declared her selfe a Mother euery way indulgent enough to such ill-nurtured children as will not be ruled by her Secondly those that are suspended or depriued suffer it but iustly for their obstinacie and contempt For howsoeuer they would beare the world in hand that they are the onely persecuted ones and that they suffer for their consciences yet in truth they doe but abuse the credulitie of the simple therein and herein as in many other things iumpe with the Papists whom they would seeme aboue all others most abhorrent from For as Seminary Priests and Iesuites giue it out they are martyred for their a Pro inficiatione pontificatus foeminei Aqui. pont in resp ad Sol. de Antichristo Thes. 15. speaking of the Priests executed in the Raigne of Qu. Elizabeth religion when the very truth is they are b See Donnes Pseudo-Martyr per totum especially c. 5. c. iustly executed for their prodigious Treasons and felonious or treacherous practices against lawfull Princes and Estates So the Brethren pretend they are persecuted for their consciences when they are indeed but iustly censured for their obstinate and pertinacious contempt of lawfull authoritie For it is not the refusall of these Cerimonies they are
depriued for otherwise than as the matter wherein they shew their contempt it is the c The practice of our Church sufficiently confirmeth this which censureth no man for the bare omission of some kinde of Rites and Ceremonies now and then where it may be presumed by the parties cheerefull and generall conformity otherwise that such omission proceedeth not either from an opinatiue dislike of the Ceremony imposed or from a timorous and obsequious humouring of such as doe dislike it Whosoeuer willingly and purposely doth openly breake c. Artic. 34. Contempt it selfe which formally and properly subiecteth them to iust Ecclesiasticall Censure of Suspension or Depriuation And contempt of authority though in the d In minimis quoque mandatis culpam facit non minimam conuertit in crimen gravis rebellionis navum satis levem simplicis transgressionis Bern. de praec dispens smallest matter deserueth no small punishment all authoritie hauing beene euer sollicitous as it hath good reason aboue all things to vindicate and preserue it selfe from Contempt by inflicting sharpe punishments vpon contemptuous persons in the smallest matters aboue all other sorts of offenders in any degree whatsoeuer Thus haue wee shewed and cleered the first and maine difference betwixt the Case of my Text and the Case of our Church in regard of the Matter the things whereabout they differed being euery way indifferent ours not so §. 22. II. In the Persons And as in the Matter so there is secondly much oddes in the condition of the Persons The refusers in the Case of my Text being truely weake in the Faith as being but lately conuerted to the Christian Faith and not sufficiently instructed by the Church in the doctrine and vse of Christian Liberty in things indifferent Whereas with our refusers it is much otherwise First they are not new Proselytes but men borne and bred and brought vp in the bosome of the Church yea many and the chiefest of them such as haue taken vpon them the Calling of the Ministerie and the Charge of Soules and the Office of teaching and instructing others And such men should not bee weakelings Secondly ours are such as take themselues to haue fame more knowledge and vnderstanding and insight in the Scriptures and all diuine learning than other men such as between pitie and scorne seeme most to wonder at the ignorance and simplicitie of the vulgar and to lament which is God knoweth lamentable enough though not comparable to what it was within not many yeeres since the want of knowledge and the vnsufficiency of some of the Clergie in the Land And with what reason should these men expect the priuiledge of weake ones Thirdly our Church hath sufficiently declared and published the innocencie of her purpose and meaning in enioyning the Ceremonies not so onely but hath been content to heare and receiue and admit the obiections and reasons of the refusers and hath taken paines to answer and satisfie to the full all that euer yet could be said in that behalfe And therefore it is vanitie for these men or their friends in their behalfe to alledge weakenesse where all good meanes haue been plentifully vsed for full information in the points in doubt Lastly vpon the premises it doth appeare that the weakenesse of one Brethren pretended by those that are willing to speak fauorably of them proceedeth for the most part not so much out of simple ignorance arising from the defect either of vnderstanding or meanes as out of an ignorance at the best in some degree of wilfulnesse and affectation is not seeking or not admitting such ingenuous satisfaction as they might haue by reason if not out of the poison of corrupt and carnall affections as they giue vs sometimes but too much cause to suspect of pride of singularitie of enuy of contention of factions admiring some mens persons By which and other liâ—e partiall affections mens iudgements become oftentimes so blinded that of vnwilling at the first they become at length vnable to discerne things with that freedome and ingenuity they should And so the Cases differ in regard of the Persons §. 23. III. In their practice They differ thirdly in the practice of the Persons There the strong did eate because hee was well assured he might do it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Verse before my Text and the weake did no more but forbeare eating as indeed hee might doe no authoritie interposing to the contrary But here we conforme not only because we know we may lawfully doe it but for that we know we must of a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 13.5 necessitie doe it as bound thereunto in obedience to lawfull authoritie and in the b Not onely for wrath but also for conscience sake Ibid. conscience we ought to make of such obedience And the refusers doe not onely defacto not conforme to the contempt of authoritie and the scandall of others but they stand in it too and trouble the peace of the Church by their restlesse Petitions and Supplications and Admonitions and other publications of the reasons and grounds of their such refusall And verily this Country and Countie hath been not the least busie in these factious and tumultuous courses both in troubling our most gracious indicious and religious Soueraigne with their c Meditations on the Lords Prayer pag. 12 in the Margent petitions and also in publishing their reasons in a Booke called The Abridgement printed 1605. to their owne shame and the shame of their Countrey Hee who as I haue been informed was thought to haue had a chiefe hand in the collecting of those reasons and printing of that book was for his obstinate refusal of conformitie iustly depriued froÌ„ his Benefice in this Diocesse and therupon relinquished his Ministerie for a time betaking himselfe to another Calling so depriuing the Church and people of God of the fruit and benefit of those excellent gifts which were in him But since that time he hath vpon better and more aduised iudgement subscribed and conformed and the Church like an indulgent Mother hath not only receiued him into her bosome againe but hath restored him too though not to the same yet to a Benefice elsewhere of farre better value Lastly §. 24. IIII. In their behauiour there is difference in the faulty carriage of the persons and that on both parts especially on ours For though our Non-conforming Brethren condemne vs with much liberty of speech and spirit hauing yet lesse reason for it than the weake Romanes had for the Strong among them might haue forborne some things for the Weakes sake and it would well haue become them for the auoiding of scaâ—dall so to haue done which we cannot doe without greater scandall in the open contempt of lawfull Authoritie yet we doe not despise them I meane with allowance from the Church if particular mâ—n doe more than they should it is their priuate â—ault and ought not to be imputed
giuen Yet haue the a Witnesse the learned Bookes of diuers Reuerend Prelates Iohn Whitgift Iohn Buckeridge Thomas Morton c. Bishops and other Church Gouernours out of their religious zeale for the peace of Gods Church beene so farre from despising our Brethren herein that they haue dispensed somtimes with their other weighty â—ccasioâ—s and taken paines to answer their â—eaâ—onâ— and confute their exceptions satisfie all their doubts and discouer the weaknesse of all their groundâ— in the points questioned §. 29. The third And as to their third Grieuance First for my owne part I make no doubt neither dare I bee so vncharitable as not to thinke but that many of them haue honest and vpright and sincere hearts to God ward and are vnfainedly zealous of Gods Truth and for Religion They that are such no doubt feele the comfort of it in their own soules and we see the fruits of it in their conuersation and reioyce at it But yet I cannot bee so ignorant on the other side as not to know that the most sanctified and zealous men are men and subiect to carnall and corrupt affections and may be so farre swayed by them in their iudgements as not to bee able to discerne without preiudice and partialitie truth from errour Good men and Gods deare children may continue in some a Sancti stante charitate possunt errare etiam contra Catholicam veritatem Occham Dial. part 1. lib. 2. cap. 4. error in iudgement consequently in a sinfull practice arising thence and liue and die in it as some of these men haue done in disobedience to lawfull Authoritiâ— and that vnrepented of otherwise than as in the lumpe of their vnknowne sins It is not Honesty or Sincerity that can priuiledge men from either erring or sinning Neither ought the vnreproued conuersation of men countenance out their Opinions or their Practices against the light of Diuine Scripture and right Reason As wee reade Cyprians errour in old time and wee see b So Pelagius from whose root Popery in that branch and Arminianisme sprouted was a man as strict for life as most Catholikes yet a most dangerous and pestilent Heretike Pelagij viri vt audio sancti non paruo profectu Christiani Aug. 3. de peccat merit rem 1. Istum sicut eum quiÌ„ nouerunt loquuntur bonum as praedicandum virum Ibid. cap. 3. Arminius his corrupt doctrine in our dayes haue spred much the more for the reuerend opinion men had of their personall endowments and sanctitie Secondly though Comparisons bee euer harsh and most times odious yet since honestie and pietie is alleaged without disparagement be it spoken to the best of them there are as good and honest and religious and zealous men euerie way of them that willingly and chearefully conforme as of them that doe not In the times of Popish persecution how many godly Bishops and conformable Ministers laid downe their liues for the testimonie of Gods Truth and for the maintenance of his Gospell And if it should please God in his iust iudgement as our sinnes and amongst others ouâ— Schismes and distractions most worthily deserue to put vs once againe to a fierce triall which the same God for his goodnes and mercie defend I make no question but many thousands of Conformers would by the grace of God resist vnto blood embrace the Faggot and burne at a â—take in detestation of all Popish Antichristian Idolateâ— as readily and chearefully and constantly as the hottest and precisest and most scrupulous non Conformer But thirdly let mens honesty and pietie and gifts be what they can must not 〈◊〉 of honesty and pietie and gifts liue vnder Lawes And what reason these or any other respects should e Non enim in cuius quam personâ praetermittendum est quod institutis generalious continetur Leo dist 61. Miramur exempt any man from the iust 〈◊〉 of the Church in case hee will not obey her 〈◊〉 and conforme to her Ceremonies especially since such mens immunitie would but encourage others to presume vpon the like fauour and experience teacheth vs that no mens errours are so exemplarie and pernicious as theirs who for their eminencie of ours or sancâ—itie of lifâ—â—re beast followed with popular aâ—â—lause and the small admiration We see their Grieuances againste vs §. 30. Our Brethren how they iudge vs. how vniust they are in the matter of Despising I would they did no more despise the Churches authoritie than we doe their infirmities But in the matter of iudging see if wee haue not a iust grieuance against them As might bee declared at large in many instances out of their printed Bookes and priuate Letters and common discourses I will but giue you a a I referre the Reader for more particular satisfaction to Fr. Masons Sermon on 1 Cor. â—â— 40 pag. 30. Sam. Collieâ— Sermon on 1. Tim. 6.3 p. 21 22. and others but especially to their owne writings taste because I know I grow tedious and I long to be at an end First they iudge our Church as halfe Popish and Antichristian §. 31. I. The Church for retaining some ceremonies vsed in 〈◊〉 though wee haue purge them from their Superstitions and restored them to their Primitiue vse Their great admired a Brightman in Apoc. cap. 3. opener of the Reuelation maketh our Church the Dinsey-Wâ—lsey Laâ—diecaâ— Church neither hot nor cold And some of them haue â—â—oueâ—ly compared our late gracious Soueraigne Queene Elizabeth of most blessed memorie to a b This Simile was first vsed by a very Reuerend graue and worthy Deane who hath many waies deserued well of our whole Church in a Sermon before Queene Elizabeth and modestly and moderately vrged not at all against the Ceremonies which by his practice hee did allow but for the further restraint of Popish Priests and Iesuites who lay thicke in Ireland and the Westerne coasts of England and Wales as he puâ— of dust and dirt behind the doores Yet I here ascribed it to the Puriâ—anes who though they father it vpon that good man must owne it 〈◊〉 their owne brat because by mis-applying it to the Ceremonies they haue 〈◊〉 their owne Muâ—â—â—mni 〈◊〉 incipit esse tuum slattish housewife that hauing swept the house yet lose the dust and dirt behinde the doores meaning thereby the Ceremonies If our Church were but 〈◊〉 so ill as these men would make iâ— I think euery honest religious man should hold himselfe bound to separate from it as hiâ— most excellent Maiestie c Meditations on the Lords Prayer pag. 11. c. primae edit 1619. See Hookers pref §. 8. hath obserued the Brownists haue done vpon their very grounds accounting them as luke warme for not quite separating as they doe vs for no further reforming §. 32. II. The Bishops Secondly they iudge our Bishops and other Church-Gouernours as Limbes of Antichrist Locusts of the bottomlesse pit domineering Lords ouer Gods