shortly see the light The Imputation of Popery may be clearly laid at the Dissenters Door and we have no reason to account any thing Popery in the Kingdom nor to fear any Danger of it but from those few who are professed Papists themselves or such as too near agree with them in Principles and Practices * Another MSS written in the time of Q. Eliz called a dutiful Advertisement to beware of the Puritans by the Papists and of the Papists by the Puritans discovering the great Coherence and agreement between both the Sects in manifold and divers regardable both erroneous and perillous Positions c. See this at large proved in the Compendious History of all the Popish and Fantical Plots and Conspiracies against the established Government in Church and State in England Scotland and Ireland from the First of Queen Elizabeth to 1684. By the Reverend Mr. Tho. Long of Exon. and who are and always have been their prime Agents and Instruments I mean the several Sects among us which dissent from the Church of England Which Church is by far the greatest if not the only Support of the Protestant Religion and Interest and consequently the greatest Enemy the Church of Rome has in the World 'T is look'd upon to be so by those of that Communion and therefore is it become the Object of its greatest Fury and Envy to destroy which is its greatest aim and if by any means it can be effected they may truly think they have done the business of the Reformation This Church had beyond others of the Protestant Profession a great advantage in the Reformation for when Luther who first began to reform the Errors and Corruptions of the Church of Rome and to separate from it had made a great step that way he notwithstanding left a great many things unreformed which were offensive and could not be justified by Primitive Anquity such as the two great number of Ceremonies and almost all the external Worship in the Church of Rome Auricular Confession the use of Crucifixes The use of the Crucifix allowed by Mr. Baxter and called Causa Motiva c. in Devotion but without Adoration the absurd Pictures of the Trinity and the Doctrine of Consubstantiation determining the Mode of the real Presence instead of the absurder Popish Doctrine of Transubstantiation Afterwards Calvin carried on the Reformation Care of Ch. Div. at Geneva to which Place he was invited by the Citizens A. D. 1536. when they had expelled their Popish Bishop who was also their Temporal Lord and refused to re-admit him unless he would disclaim Popery upon whose refusal they took the Government of Church and State into their own Hands which soon occasioned great Disorders and Confusions And upon this to gratifie the Magistrates See Mr. Longs Calv. Redivivus p. 10 c. and yet to keep the Authority of the Church he suits his Model of Government to the exigence of the Times and upon this account was in a manner necessarily obliged to make a direct opposition to Popery the great Measure of his Reformation for which Reason he laid aside the Hierarchy notwithstanding its being Primitive and Apostolical because he must not come near the Popish Government But yet he plainly approves of it and Calvinus in Libro de necess Reform Ecclesiae very sharply rebuked those English Men who did dissent from it If any says he be found that do not reverence such an Hierarchy i. e. such as is in England and subject themselves to the same with the lowest Obedience I confess there is no Anathema whereof he is not worthy However his Model was never received in the Church of England nor suited to it and his assistance was not accepted by Arch-bishop Cranmer who with Bishop Latimer Bishop Ridly Dr. Taylor and our other worthy Reformers had the Honour of Martyrdom for the sake of that transcendent Part of the Reformation which they had established among us This was so admirably well contriv'd as to be in the moderate way between that of Luther and the other of Calvin They did not carry matters so high as this latter by running from one extreme to the other That because the Church of Rome was over-run with Abuses from the Hierarchy and its Service burdened with a vast number of Ceremonies and the outward Ornaments of the Church being so extravagant had almost destroyed the inward Beauty of it and turned its Worship into Shew and Appearance and made to affect more the outward Senses of the People than their Hearts and Minds therefore he did not seek to reform those Abuses so much as to destroy the Ancient Government of the Church and utterly to abolish all its Rites and Ornaments Which says the Learned Puffendorf In his Introduction to History p. 406. proved a main Obstacle to the increase of the Protestant Religion and caused an aversion and Animosity in the common People against that sort of Reformers and increased their Zeal for that Religion which they had received from their Ancestors Neither did our Reformers fall so low in their establishing the Reformation as Luther at first did by retaining too much of the Popish Service and making very little Alterations in outward Matters But they kept an excellent Mean and a regular Disposition of the whole Constitution according to Primitive usage before Popery had Corrupted it Their Business was to Reform the Christian Church from Popish Superstition and Error and not to fashion it according to their own Humour and Fancies or for the pleasing of others to make a direct Opposition to Popery the measure of the Reformation But the Method they took was by Examining into what was most agreeable to the Sense of the Scriptures and the Opinion of the Primitive Church concerning those Rules for Deceny Order and Edification which these only recommended in general to the Governours of the Church But the particular appointment of such things was left to their Prudence and Care so as to fit particular People and Nations only they were to be careful so to manage the Affairs of the Church as not to do any thing in contradiction to those general Rules of the Apostle Let all things be done unto edifying And Let all things be 1 Cor. xiv 26. 40. done Decently and in Order Agreeable to which those excellent Men our English Reformers settling the Doctrine Discipline and Worship of our Church did not fly so high as not to allow the Papists to be right in any thing nor go so low as to comply with them in any one Superstition and Corruption which two Extremes the other Reformers fell into but ours keeping the middle way between them did by their moderate and discreet Proceeding produce our incomparable Establishment which we are now blessed withal beyond any other Protestant Church For which Reason ours is look'd upon as the Center of Union and Harmony of all the Protestant Churches in the World And so accounted
Devotions was by the means and therefore the Design of Instrumental Musick and not by the Divine Command which enjoyns it 2dly The Nature of the thing is always the same if it had that Efficacy under the Law to quicken and excite Mens Affections in Devotion as 't is certain it had and for that Reason was enjoyned by the Divine Command it has not altered its Nature since And tho' it be granted there is no express Command for it now while there is none against it and the Reason and use of the thing still continuing it may very well be allow'd and approv'd of as serviceable for the same end But 3dly Matter of Fact is directly against this Allegation of the Answerer For to shew that the Design of the Organ in the Dutch Churches is to raise Mens minds and to quicken their Affections for Devotion and not solely to regulate the Voices of the People and to direct them in the Tune of the Psalm It is notoriously evident as I have an Account from some who have Lived and Conversed among the Dutch and their Neighbours for several Years and found it to be their Practice For the Organs to Play their Voluntaries for an Hour commonly before the Service begins and while the Congregation is filling and then afterwards when the Organ stops the People Sing a Psalm and the Organ does not Play all that while to regulate their Voices but did before to raise their Affections and to chear their Minds for Devotion This is done particularly at the Hague at Amsterdam Dr. Durel nforms us p. 38. at Hambourg c. At Hassen they have a peculiar kind of alternation in Singing their Psalms The Precentor or Master of the Musick with his Scholars who are like our Singing-Boys and Choristers Sing out the first Verse with all the People then the Organs Play the second The Musicians and People sing the Third Verse as the First the Organs Play the Fourth as the Second Some such way they have at Bremen Cassel c. In many of the Dutch Churches for the Reasons aforesaid is the Musick upon their Bells where they have Forty or Fifty in a Steeple upon which they play some taking ravishing Tunes for an Hour or more together before the Church Service begins not so much for the calling the People together to their Devotion because they are to be heard but a little way being small and well tuned for variety of Parts to play several Lessons upon according to the occasions of the Solemnity and the Seasons of the Year but the better to fit them for their Devotion and to strike a reverential awe upon them when they come to Church to raise the Passions of Joy or Grief to enliven their minds when dull and heavy and to compose them when vain and roving c. Next he says It deserves Consideration That Organs were introduced into the Dutch Churches by some Magistrates against the consent of the Ministers If so they shewed a better regard to the welfare of the Churches than the Ministers did and deserve Commendation for it But doubtless the Dutch Ministers would never have Communicated with the Dutch Magistrates in their Churches where Instrumental Musick was generally used if they had thought the use of it unlawful in the Christian Church neither can we well suppose their Ecclesiastical Synods would ever have suffered it to continue so long as it has done had they had any interest among their Magistrates or any Authority left in their own Churches if they had not thought it Expedient also and useful as well as Lawful in Holy offices whatever is pretended by our Adversary to the contrary to favour his dislike of the Dutch Magistrates for their Adhering to so advantageous a practice as he Saith against the consent of the Ministers I need not now as the Answer would Ans. p. 39. lead me prove the Discipline of the Church of England exceeds that of the French Protestants Churches the Dutch Scot 's c. than I need prove the Sun shines at Noon day And then touching the holiness of its Members in Life and Conversation He seems very partial by insinuating as if the vast number of Debauched Profane and Atheistical Sots were of that Communion and not among the Dissenters Truly these are a great Scandal to any Party whatsoever who profess so holy a Religion as the Christian And I believe all Parties among us need a great Reformation on that account and have too little cause to upbraid each other But yet I knew a very noted old Non-conformist Preacher in the West who having sufficiently experienced the Practices of his own Party for along time did some short time before his Death advise his Children rather to trust a Church of England Man in Dealing than a Dissenter from it The preceding Discourse I suppose sufficiently Vindicates the Sermon from the Exceptions of the Anonymous Letter written against it I have answered the main Objections in the Argumentative part and rectified several Misrepresentations and partial Quotations which are found therein Should I have followed the Answerer in all his Excursions and needless Repetitions I should have drawn this Reply to a much greater length I fear it is too long already The Arguments and Authorities I have brought together do I hope abundantly justifie the Lawfulness of Instrumental Musick in divine Offices to all unprejudiced Readers and for others 't is in vain to go about to perswade And if my Adversary cannot close with As he says Ans. p. 43. the judgment of his beloved Mr. Baxter in this Matter who offers the same Arguments I do but with more Strength he says p. 12. But why with more Strength Had he spoken these things it might have been perhaps with a greater Tone but surely the reason is the same when fairly quoted and at large in the very same Words I cannot suppose he will close with the Judgment of such great Worthies of our Church as the Judicious Mr. Hooker Dr. Hammond Bishop Stillingfleet Bishop Wetenhall Dr. Comber c. quoted by the Author whose Authorities and Opinions he thought not fit to take any notice of But by some means or other the Separation must be kept up and besure there will never be wanting pretences enough for that purpose To which I shall subjoin what Dr. Comber The forth following vâ—rses of that Psal. are directed to the Gentiles to all People in says in his Comment on Psalm 98. Since the Glory of God is manifested to all Lands they ought all to joyn in Praising his holy Name nnd that by all due means which the Christian Church may express an hearty Joy particularly by all sorts of Musick by stringed Instruments and Voices and by Wind Instruments also for Musick is the Gift of God and tends not only to express but to beget the Affection of Joy it doth compose the Thoughts calm the Mind and put the Soul into a posture of
up their Harps upon the Willows and Psalm 137. refused to Sing the Songs of Sion in a strange Land to those who carried them away Captives And 't is no wonder that in the Primitive Times of Christianity there should be a discontinuance of it For we know the outward Modes and Circumstances of Divine Worship must give way to the exigencies of the Times and have been ever Modelled and altered according to the outward State of the Church And this is the Reason why Instrumental Duty of singing p. 464. Musick so slowly came into the Church both Jewish and Christian. At first the State of neither would admit it when the Jewish Church arrived at a settled Estate it came in thereto by Gods appointment The Christian Church remained longer under Persecution and in an unsettled Condition and hence it comes to pass that as the Primitive Christians took up only the most simple way of Singing such as their Condition would admit so the advances to Art were more leisarely and came on by such gradations as Providence has given way and occasion for And therefore I said To the Bene esse and Flourishing State of the Church the Serm. p. 15. use of the Organ with respect to the suitableness of the Times and usefulness of the Thing does abundantly conduce The latter part of the Sentence the Answerer Ans. p. 41. leaves out and then he takes occasion most notably to descant upon his own Fancy I shall not speak of the Fathers Allegorical Expositions of Ps. 150. without the Literal meaning sometimes which the Answerer mentions in three Pages because their Sentiments and p. 20 21 22. Mistakes in this Matter are Discoursed in the Treatise following Clem. Alexandrinus particularly is observed somewhere to have spoken against Church Musick but he does it not in pursuance of the Principles of the Christian but of a Philosophical Religion then in Vogue somewhat like that of the Quietists or of our Philadelphians who are for a mental Religion abstracted from all that is external or sensible I come now to the next thing to be taken notice of which is The Antiquity of Instrumental Musick in the Christian Church To say when or by whom it was introduced therein at first is not certainly known and for that Reason it is thought to be the more Ancient and more Early received for it being generally used in Divine Worship by Jew and Gentile it passed insensibly into the Practice of Christians as many other innocent Customs in which they were bred up ordinarily did But to make it savour of Popery the Answerer likes those Authors who alledge it was introduced into the Christian Church by Pope Vitalian about the Year 656 or rather that it may not want the Mark of the Beast in the Revelations it was say the Magdeburg Centuriators A. C. 666. He is well pleased if it can be thought to be of Popish Extraction therefore he mentions it twice but yet confesses Some think that this sort of Musick was Ans. p. 17. and p. 32 not of so early an use in the Christian Church 'T is no great matter who is of this Opinion but there be Authors of good Credit who make it to be of a much ancienter use by several Centuries of Years The present Subdean of the Chappel Royal hath these Words We Dr. Battel in his Serm. of the Lawfulness and Expediency of Church musick p. 9. may and ought to look upon it as the necessity of the first Christians rather than their choice and that they had not wherewithal to be at the Charge of those Aids and Ornaments to their Religious Worship rather than that they witheld the Expence because they thought it unlawful or unbecoming their Assemblies For no sooner did the Church begin to Flourish but they grew into Use and Esteem And we read of St. Ambrose who lived about the latter end of the Fourth Century soon after Constantines Time that he A. C. 373. joined Instruments of Musick with the publick Service in the Cathedral Church of Millan where he was then Bishop which Example of his was so well approv'd of that by degrees it became the general Practice of other Churches thereabout and has since obtained in almost all the Christian World besides Others have referred this to another Cause namely that as Inspiration in singing Psalms which was doubtless an extraordinary Gift common to the primitive Christians began to cease Instruments and Skill were brought in its Room even as Learning and ordinary Means took place instead of those extraordinary Gifts The Bishop of Cork says St. Ambrose Chap. 2. p. 298. took up a more Artificial and Melodious way of Singing from the Easterlings And Dan. 3. 5. will inform us that the Eastern Practice had the Sound of the Cornet Flute Harp Sackbut Psaltery Dulcimer and all kinds of Musiick in the Worship of their Idol Gods In the time of St. Ambrose flourish'd St. Basil and St. Chrysostom who both mention the use of Instrumental Musick as Advantages to the Weak in Devotion regarding humane Infirmity And St. Augustine being a Contemporary of St. * Lib. Conf. 9. c. 6. Ambrose and who as some say joined with him in Composing the Te Deum which at this day is sung in ourChurches might in all probability be so much moved as he says he was with the melodious Hymns in the Church of St. Ambroses * 'T is said he Composed 37 or more And St. Hilary St. Gregory and St. Bernard did Compose many others for the Service of the Church Composing and Improvement Justin Martyr or whoever was the Author of the famous Questions and Answers Bound up with his Works Quoted by * De emend Temp. l. 7. p. 684. Scaliger and †Hist. Eccles l. 2. c. 7. H. Isid. Pelus l. 1. c. 90. Eusebius mentions the use of Instrumental Musick in the Church for the same Reason which St. Chrysostom and St. Basil did before which Book is Confessed by all to be very Antient and to be Writ some say in the Fourth Century the Bishop of Cork says in the beginning of the Third These Authorities must needs shew that Instrumental Musick was much earlier in the Churches Service than Pope Vitalianes Time and so could not be introduc'd by him However 't is not to be expected we should find this Religious use in the very Primitive Times But that can be no Objection against such an use of them now for Christianity was not got then to that Height and Grandeur as to admit of such an Ornament and we need not stand much upon the early Use of it since its sober use is of so great an Advantage in Christian Assemblies now the Art is brought to a greater Perfection than formerly And since some Men of great Estates are at a vast Charge to adorn their Houses and to have the helps of Musick for civil Purposes it is somewhat unreasonable they should
to those which devided the Jews and Christians in the Apostolical Age They very well know that our present Dispute is wholly between Christians and has no relation to the Obligation of the Mosaick Law in any Sense It is very true that the Literal Sense of the Mosaick Law usually related to External Sensible Things and the Mystical to Things Insensible and Spiritual And the Mystical Sense being the Spiritual may give the occasion why our Adversaries fancy that the Mystical Sense should always relate to Spiritual Things But it is not being oppos'd to Sensible or Bodily but Literal shews plainly that the things concern'd in the Literal Sense are not consider'd in this Reasoning as Sensible and Corporeal And on the other side in the Reasonings of the New Testament the Evangelical Institutions even in this World are all suppos'd to belong to the Spiritual Sense of the old Law And for that very Reason it is inferr'd that they were principally regarded by God because the mystical Sense of the Law was more principally intended by him than the Literal The whole Evangelical Institution is in the same Reasoning suppos'd to be the Pattern shewed to Moses in the Mount in Imitation of which the Tabernacle was to be made And this in order to the proving that the Evangelical Institutions were to be Eternal because the Ideal Patterns of things were in the Platonick way of Reasoning suppos'd to be so This Eternity concern'd in this Dispute can only be meant of that which was to last as long as this World so the everlasting Hills Gen. xlix 26. And the everlasting Mountains Hab. iii. 6. And the Land of Canaan is said to be given for an everlasting Possession Gen. xvii 8. xlviii 4. For in this Sense the Everlastingness of the Gospel is oppos'd to the Duration of the Law which was even in this Life to give way to a more lasting Establishment But it is certain that those very Institutions of the Gospel which have succeeded the abrogated Institutions of the Law and which are therefore suppos'd to be Spiritual in this Sense as Spiritual is oppos'd to the Literal Sense of the Law are notwithstanding themselves Sensible and Corporeal So is Baptism which has succeeded in the Place of the abrogated Circumcision of the Letter So also is our Eucharistical Sacrifice which now answers the abrogated Bloody Sacrifices These therefore must be suppos'd to be Spiritual in this Sense of the Word notwithstanding their being Sensible and Corporeal Our Adversaries therefore do certainly mistake the meaning of this Reasoning when they hence gather that any Observations are contrary to the Spiritual Nature of the Gospel on that account alone because they are Sensible and Corporeal BUT tho' Sensible Assistances should XVII Pomp and Magnificence of the external Worship is not inconsistent with the Design of the Gospel not be inconsistent with the Nature of Evangelical Worship yet our Adversaries think at least that Pomp and Magnificence must needs be so One would think by the gradation that their Arguments on this Head were more cogent and convictive but it proves quite the contrary Not one Text can they pretend against the Pomp and Magnificence of the publick Worship of God rather all the appearance of Scripture Reasonings is against them The Worship of the Old Testament was manifestly very Magnificent nor can our Adversaries deny that it was so what have they therefore to say why it ought not to be so still Can they shew any Text of the New Testament against it as a thing that was to cease and to be no more practis'd I know of none they do pretend either in the same or in equivalent Terms Can they then pretend any thing inconsistent with it in the constitution of the Gospel or of the new Peculium These things I have shewn to be the true Originals of the abrogation of what was indeed abrogated in the old Mosaick Law The reasoning of the Old Test as well as the positive Precepts of it rather favour than contradict the Magnificence and Sumptuousness of the publick Solemnities of the divine Worship David would not offer Burnt Offerings unto the Lord his God of that which cost him nothing 2 Sam. xxiv 24. and Malachy makes mean Sacrifices to redound to the contempt of the Religion wherein they were used He makes them to be a polluting God's Altar and interprets the offering them as if the Offerers of them had said The Table of the Lord is contemptible Mal. i. 7. He Expostulates concerning them farther v. 8. Offer it now to thy Governour will he be pleased with thee or accept thy Person saith the Lord of Hosts Plainly intimating that God did as much expect expensive Sacrifices from those who were able to Offer them and had reason to do so as any of their Governours and would as much resent the contrary as an affront as Governours would mean Presents from such as were able to offer great ones The Reasoning is the very same in Is. xl 16. Lebanon is not sufficient to burn nor the Beasts thereof for a Burnt Offering Arguing for the Magnificence of the Offering from the greatness of the Person to whom it is made And I have already shewn how in the N. T. the Reason even of abrogated Precepts is owned as still obliging as a reason approv'd by God Much more in cases wherein our Adversaries can prove no abrogation such as is this of Instrumental Musick But the divine Authority of the N. T. does also plainly approve the same Reasoning It is a clear instance of it when our Saviour values the poor Widow's Mites as more than the Offerings of the Rich who had cast in greater Sums out of their greater abundance St Mar. xii 43. St. Luke xxi 3. This plainly shews That as God does graciously accept of mean things from those who are able to give no more so he does not excuse them from Magnificence whose Abilities may afford it Our Saviour reasons the same way in the case of the Woman who anointed his Feet with the Alabaster Box of very precious Ointment The same Objection was S. Mat. xxvi 7 c. S. Mark xiv 3. S. Luke vii 36. made then which is made by our Adversaries now that it might have been sold for much and given to the Poor Yet our Saviour commends the seasonableness of the Gift as will as the Gift it self and returns the Woman an honourable Memorial for it wherever his Gospel should be preach'd The Objection would indeed be greater then when the numbers of the Poor were greater and the Abilities of the Christians for Contribution were less than they are now Yet even so our Saviour did not approve of our Adversaries Reason He allow'd a liberality in shewing their respect to the Temple of his Body as a token of what he would also judge commendable if us'd to the material Temples that should afterwards be Consecrated to his Worship And in giveing a precedent for
teaching his Disciples what he would have them do afterwards and introducing it he did not allow even the present Necessities of his Disciples to over-rule him Thus I am very apt to think the generality of his Disciples were then inclinable to understand him And therefore thus in all likelihood he design'd they should understand him when he gave them no warning of misunderstanding him in such a way of Interpreting his Mind as he foresaw them inclinable to follow by the way of reasoning of that Age. It was a receiv'd Principle that our Saviours Actions as well as his Discourses were Prophetical and Instructive And that they signified many things which were not to be understood at present but afterwards when they were fulfilled and when Providence had fitted circumstances for practising them Especially in things which were not practicable at present as not fitted to their present Circumstances This was plainly the Case then in relation to the Subject of our present Discourse The Poverty of the Apostolical Christians disabled them for all things Sumptuous and Magnificent Nor was there then any Prospect of a Change for the better which might make it prudent to provide expresly for the Case Withal our blessed S. Joh. xiii 7. Saviour knew that his Sense would be gathered from his Actions Himself had train'd up his Disciples to do so And the Jews in their mystical Interpretations of the History of the Old Testament had even in his time taken up the Custom of gathering the Sense of God from the Prophetick Instincts and Actions of their own Patriarchs The leaving them therefore to those Inferences which he foresaw them inclinable to make from his Actions and Intimations was a very prudent a very sufficient Provision for a Case which was to fall out at such a distance afterwards THE only Reason this present Adversary insists on for proving the Inconsistence XVIII Magnificence not repugnant to the Simplicity of the Gospel of Magnificence with the Nature of the Worship of the Gospel is that the Romanists are usually censur'd for their excess in this kind This he only takes for granted and draws Inferences from it but never offers any Proof that it is indeed blameable The same way he takes in his use of the other popular Prejudices now disprov'd but methinks it would have better become them who so usually appeal from humane Authorities to the Scriptures if they could find any that even themselves could judge favourable to their Design before they had ventured on drawing Inferences That would have made their Dissent look more like a reverence to greater Authority than Resentmentand an Aversation to their Adversaries against whom they are concern'd in this whole Dispute But I cannot indeed imagine what they can pretend from the Scriptures against the Magnificence of Gods Worship in those who are able to bear the Burthen of it They may fancy perhaps that the Simplicity of the Gospel may be inconsistent with this Magnificence But the Simplicity of the Gospel is never that I know of us'd concerning the Worship of the Gospel it self but concerning the good meaning of the Persons who Preached the Gospel It is plainly oppos'd to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. XI 3. It is us'd as synonymous with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 1. 12. which plainly shew that it signifies Sincerity and Heartiness only in opposition to double Dealing But so far it is from implying Inexpensiveness that on the contrary it rather sometimes denotes Liberality when it is used concerning a subject that is capable of it So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. xii 8. As the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is oppos'd to that which is call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Mat. vi 22. 23. And as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is oppos'd to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Mat. xx 15. as that signifies Bounteouesness and Liberality In this way of Interpretation the Simplicity of the Gospel signifies the Generosity of the Gospel and will rather countenance Magnificence than discourage it BUT our present Adversary is solicitous XIX Sacred Dancet not unlawful but not therefore necessary to be restor'd if Instrumental-Musick beso for the Consequences that may follow from the restitution of Instrumental Musick He conceives that by the like Inferences we may restore Circumcision and bloody Sacrifices and the old Custom of Dancing to the Instrumental Musick And what if we should grant him his last Consequence concerning Dancing so far at least as to acknowledge that the Church might lawfully reduce it I doubt he would be hard put to it to prove it unlawful It must be so at least if he would confine himself as they pretend to do to the Scriptures He cannot sure think there is any Argument in the irreverent Expression he uses concerning it It is no other than what Michol would probably have used if she had spoken English But David was contented to bear the Reproach of it and to justify it against her And I believe our Adversaries will not easily question but that we are safer in following the Sense of David than they are in following that of Michol The Design of the Objection in both Cases both of our Adversaries and of Michol is to Charge the Posture of Dancing with the Imputation of Levity As if there could not be Grave and Decorous Dances as well as Grave and Decorous Tunes and as if there could not be Grave and Decorous tunes on Instrumental as well as on Vocal Musick At present it is sufficient for us now that if their Objection had been true in general God would neither have allow'd sacred Dancing then nor would David have avowedly defended it nor would God have seconded him in doing so by inflicting a Punishment on Michol for her Prophane upbraiding her Prince and Husband with it as if in Practising it he had done any thing beneath the Dignity of his Station If they will defend David in it they are as much oblig'd as we are to own the weakness of this general Charge I think therefore the Practice if it had been again receiv'd secure enough if they will be pleas'd to admit no Objections against it now that would have prov'd it unlawful then For we have a greater Evidence than any their Reasons can pretend to that it was not unlawful then But supposing it lawful yet the Apostle himself will assure them that all things indeed lawful are not on that account alone to be therefore own'd as expedient 1. Cor. vi 12. x. 23. And therefore fit to receive a new Sanction There will be no more Obligation to revive that ancient Custom now than many others which were undoubtedly allowable and prudent in those times wherein they were universally receiv'd but have now lost the reason that made them useful then by their being since as universally disus'd Singularity alone is an inconvenience in a thing indifferent in its own Nature where there are not more momentous
Old Testament a very fit original Archetype to answer our Evangelical Terestrial Sacrifice That was the Manna which was called Bread by Moses and was indeed Rained from Heaven and is called the Food of Angels by the Psalmist No doubt to shew its Heavenly Mystical Nature far exceeding the Nature of our common Bread It is called also a Body prepared as the same Apostle Quotes the Words of the Old Testament These are the very Expressions us'd by our blessed Saviour concerning his own Sacrament in St. Joh. vi He also calls it Manna Bread from Heaven and his own Body exactly according to these Mystical Reasonings from the Old Testament We never find any mention of an Archetypal Heavenly Beast answering those Bloody Sacrifices Yet the whole Benefit of these Sacrifices depended on these Archetypal Patterns answering them in Heaven Thence follow'd the Obligation of God to ratify in Heaven what was performed by the Priest on Earth in giving or denying the Mystical Benefits of the Sacraments as the Priest shall think fit to give or deny the Sacramental Elements Thence the Union between the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant on account of the Union between the Caelestial Archetype and the Terrestrial Eucharistical Sacrifice Thence the Union between the Patriarchal Church of the Old Testament and the Apostolical of the New because the whole efficacy of those old Sacrifices of Beasts was derived from their representing and applying the Death of our blessed Saviour as commemorated and apply'd in our Christian Eucharistical Sacrifice Thence the Union of all the visible Churches in the World with the Caelestial Church and among themselves and the Reason obliging all particular Churches in Earth to ratify each others Censures which was that which made their Admissions into Communion and their Excommunications Catholick tho' the Acts themselves were only the Acts of single Churches The Reason was because every particular in admitting a Member intitled the Member so admitted to the Heavenly Church with which all the particularly Churches in the World were one and therefore were obliged to own such a Member for a Member of themselves And every particular Church in Excommunicating a Member deprived the Excommunicated of his Right to the Heavenl Church which whosoever wanted could not be owned by any particular Church which pretended to be one with that which was Heavenly of so much consequence was this whole Mystical Reasoning greater perhaps than our Adversary was aware of However this Reasoning gives a clear Account that tho' Instrumental Musick were as indifferent as we conceive it to be it would not therefore follow that it would be Indifferent or in the Power of any Church to restore the Custom of Bloody Sacrifices I know not whether it be worth XXII No Reason for opposing the first Impositions whilst Lawful for fear of Rigours afterwards the while to take notice of another Consequence much insisted on by the Party that is the Danger of exceeding in Impositions if the first Impositions be submitted to But truly conscientious Reasoners would first have prov'd the Hurtfulness of many lawful Impositions if submitted to by the Ecclesiastical subject The Government might indeed be blamed for it but in the subject for whom they are concern'd tho' the Imposition were indeed hard yet submission to it for Peace sake would for that Reason be highly commendable as an Act of the greater self-denyal and the greater Zeal for Pecae and Discipline and the greater Abhorrence of needless Division whilst nothing Sinful were impos'd Then they would have given some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concerning the due Number that might be impos'd that might neither be too small nor too numerous This they would have done if they had desir'd to have purged themselves to God and their own Consciences that they had not oppos'd subjection to those who were over them in the Lord but Rigours of those who had abus'd the just Authority committed to them But to stop at the first Impositions before they can pretend them Rigorous looks as if Flesh and Blood as if Stomach and Resentment as if an aversation to subjection it self had been the original of their Quarrel It runs into the opposite extreme as indeed their Defences of their Schism generally do as if the Authority it self not any Tyrannical use of it were the thing regretted by them The Topick it self they cannot defend nor justifie the Consequences of it who are notwithstanding so forward to warn others of Consequences There is hardly any thing necessary in Humane Life but what excess may make pernicious Eating is so Yet how great a part do Surfeits make in our Bills of Mortality Will they therefore think it reasonable for avoiding Surfeits to disswade from Eating If they had no design of running into an extreme of opposing all Impositions in things indifferent our Churches Impositions whatever the Out-cry has been against them have been so few that I cannot tell how even our Adversaries themselves could charge our Churches Impositions with being excessive if they had allowed of any Impositions at all If they allow of none they would do well to own that their Disputes are not against Abuses only of Authority but against Authority it self Their doing so would let the Favourers of Comprehension see that our Disputes are not indeed of so trivial an Importance as they are commonly conceiv'd to be That they are indeed whether we shall have any Authority which our Adversaries shall think themselves oblig'd in Conscience to own and to be concluded by when nothing but Conscience can oblige them to it in a State of Persecution That is indeed whether we our selves shall have any Body Politick when they are once receiv'd into it For we cannot any longer have such a Body than we have the Authority essential to the Constitution of such a Body Then it would become the Favourers of Comprehension to consider whether any Grants of our Adversaries can make amends for so great a Concession on our Parts as the Dissolution of our selves Or whether any other independent Body in the World would think fit to admit Enemies to their Constitution into their Body together with their hostile Opinions or whether they could think any Pretences how fair soever they might seem otherwise to be sufficient to compensate a Reconciliation of so fatal Consequence The rather so because it perfectly discharges Persons reconcil'd on such Terms from all Obligations to perform what should afterwards be perform'd as a Condition of the Reconciliation on their Parts For it is only their Difference to our common Authority that can make them really one with us when they are admitted into our Assemblies The giving this up to them as a Condition of their coming in to us is like opening a Gap which may seem to let them in whilst themselves please but lets them out again as soon as their old Animosities shall put them on laying hold of new Pretences or retrieving the old ones But