and put your speculations in practise And as I heare some of you are about to follow them God knowes whither The Donatists had no true ground for their scparation but their own wills Their rule was Quod volamus sanctâ—m est Aug. cont ep Parmen lib. 2. cap 13. It is so with you for all your reasons hath beene answered to the full in so much that all wise men can discerne that it is not true reason that makes you stand out but will Passion a desire to please the people and as you are pleased to terme it your conscience August Pasim Optatus The Donatists did glory much in their sufferings challenge unto themselves the honour of Martyrs whereby they did confirme the hearts of simple people in their errors and rend the Church with schismes and divisions you have boasted as much of your sufferings as ever they did albeit very few of you have beene as yet touched and those that were questioned deserved a greater censure then was imposed I will say no more of your sufferings Qui resistit potestati Dei ordinationi resistit qui autem resistunt sibiipsi judicium acquirunt gravius perseâ— quitur siliuâ— patrem malè vivendo quà m Pater filium castiganâ—â—â— gravius â—n illa Saram persecuta est per iniquam superbiam quà m cam Saâ—a per debitam disciplinam c. De Vnitat Eccles Tract in Ioban Matth. V. 10. then S â— Augustin did unto the Donatists that they that resist draw punishment upon themselves for resisting the ordinance of God That the sonne persecutes the father more by his dissolute living then the father doth the sonne by chastising him That Agar the handmaid did persecute Sarah her mistresse more grievously by her proud disobedience then Sarah did her by just correction That Ismael was cast out of Abrahams house for Isaacs sake and yet the Apostle calls not Isaac but Ismael the persecuter And often he repeats this saâ—ing Non poena sed causa facit martyrem So it is onely the cause that puts a difference betweene a Martyr and Malefactor I shall therefore intreat you to looke before you leape and consider well the cause for which you suffer for as it is a blessed thing to suffer for righteousnesse sake so if ye suffer for evill doing you have no cause to rejoyce Esse Martyr non potest saith Cyprian qui in Ecclesia non est Adregnum pervenire non poterit qui eam quae regnatura est derelinquit It is a sinne to resist a lawfull ordinance to suffer for your disobedience is a greater sinne but the greatest of all is by suffering to confirme simple people in their errors intertaine faction and division and rend the bowels of the Church Here in the last place Sect. 42. I shall beseech you who professe to make a conscience of all sinne to consider how by your standing out against the orders of the Church you involve your selves into the guilt of many great and grievous crimes As I. Disobedience to lawfull authority for wee are bound in conscience to obey our superiours in all things that are notcontrary to the word of God This is the confession of the Church of Scotland printed in the beginning of their Psalme bookes and it is grounded upon Gods word Our Saviour commands us to heare the Church Matth. XVIII 17. Rom. XIII 1. Mebr. XIII 17. I. Pet. II. 13. The Apostle to bee subject to superiour powers and to obey them that have the over-sight of us S. Peter To submit our selves unto every humane Ordinance But to subsume these things you refuse to confent unto are commanded by lawfull authority and are not contrary to Gods Word but things in their owne nature meerely indifferent as hath beene not onely proved but even confessed by forraine Divines who live under another Church-governement insomuch that Bishop Hooper who was the first that I know who opposed the Ceremonies of the Church of England especially the Surplis and the Cope was convinced by the strong arguments of Bucer and Peter Martyr and advised by M. Calvin to conforme himselfe even for obedience sake for it ill becommeth those who should teach the people obedience to bee themselves examples of disobedience II. Perjurie for all of you have receaved both the Oath of the kings supremacie and of Canonicall obedience and there is nothing required of you but what the King may lawfully commaund nothing but what the Canons of the Church doe injoyne and what your selves when you entred into the ministery knew that all ministers of this kingdome were bound to observe Consider I pray you whether your proceedings bee correspondent to your oath And how you can excuse your selves from perjurie Did you sweare with a mentall reservation that is but the tricke of a Iesuite and will prove but a poore defence before Almightie God who is the Iudge and avenger of an Oath III. You cast a reproach upon the Church as if she did injoyne things unlawfull and Antichristian you disturbe her peace and rend her unitie shedding the blood of warre in peace and as it were dividing Christs seamlesse coat which is a sinne as great as worshipping of Idols for the time was when it was said Dionys Alexandr apud Niceph Euseb hist eccl lib. 6. cap. 38. Non minoris est laudis non scindere Ecclesiam quà m Idolo non sacrificare And againe Opâ—rtuerit etiam pati omnia ne scinderetur Ecclesia Deiâ— If you ought to suffer all things rather then the Church should be rent then certainly you ought to suffer your owne wills to be controlled by the Iudgement of the Church in matters of outward ordor and decencie IV. The losse of your ministerie which should be dearer unto you then your lives must bee in you a sinne What will you answere unto the Lord in that great day for suffering your selves to bee deprived of your ministery and drawing backe your hands from the plough only for wilfulnesse you may be sure that hee will not Iudge that you suffered for well doing but that you perished in the gain-saying of Core Wee know that the Apostles did become all unto all even practise themselves and advise others to practise Ceremonies as evill and inconvenient in number nature use and evill effects as ours are even in your judgement yea and such Ceremonies too as they had preached against and this they did for to avoyd a lesse evill then deprivation even to get a doore of utterance opened unto them in one place V. Behold and see how this your opposition brings a scandal upon the conformable Clergie as though we were all but time-servers And gives advantage to the Papists for our discord is there musicke The Scripture speaking of the debate betweene the servants of Abraham and Lot doth adde that the Canaanites dwelt in the land Gen. XIII 7. To signifie that though their contention was evill in it selfe yet it was worse because
an excellent Paynter the other an excellent Carver So your Lordship deserves a worthyer pen to expresse the glory of your actions and I hope such a one shall be found to perpetuat your memory unto the worlds end In the mean time I shall pray God that this kingdome may be long blessed with your happy governement and that your God may remember all the kindnesse that you have shewed unto his House My Lord this is the constant prayer of Your Lordships most humble servant and daylie Orator HEN. DVNENSIS ⧠In Tractatum pro Authoritate Ecclesiae per Reverendum in Christo Patrem HENRICUM providentiâ Divinâ Episcopum DUNENSEM A Gnosco incessumque gravem grunnitum et ocellum Totum albugineum tensas ad sidera palmas Foemineam linguam tardam frontisque Catones Quò a Vide collatio nem Putitani Donatistae pag 38. Donate ruis Quaete Medea sepulchro Evocat pestem nostris infuderit oris Bella tibi Praesul tibi bella parantur O vili Instat oppugnat caulas sub vulpe lupellus Hic Zelus furor est haec sancta superbia Matris Contemptus quin arma capis ruit ocyus ordo Haec pari tas fratrum tollet vestigia Patrum At frustrà moneo per te Sanctissime Praesâ—â— Evigilas structas in coelum destruis arces Audacemque hostem sociosque potentibus armis Vltrà Sauromatas aliosque repellis in orbes En b Argos puritanica navem Arcadicâ properantem merce gravatam Mole suâ miratur onus Neptunus undis Insolitum prohibet pecus atque remisit unà Ruditus veteres vetus in mendacia virus Et quasi lusa istis divina potentia nugis Majus in opprobrium velis invexit eisdem Quos simulant ipsos per anomala dogmata c Haec navis genuicos etiam asinos ex secundo partu è Gailiâ nobis effudit Asellos Dignus eras praesul quercu meliore sed idem Hîc tibi cum Paulo communis ab hoste d I. Cor. XV. 32. triumphus RO. MAXWELL Archidiac Dunens A TREATISE OF THE AVTHORITY OF THE CHVRCH MATTH XVIII 17. But if he neglect to heare the Church Let him bee unto thee as an heathen man and a Publicane THESE are the words of our blessed Lord and Saviour IESVS CHRIST Sect. I. containing a Direction unto the Church for censuring her disobedient children and an injunction to all you who professe CHRIST to take notice of her censures accounting no otherwayes of all those who despise her admonitions then as of heathen men and Publicanes If hee neglect to heare the Church Let him bee unto thee as an heathen man and a Publicane There is one word in the Text Sect. 2. as it is expressed in the Olde Translation also which being a Relative sends us backe to the words going before to finde out the occasion of this speach I finde that our Saviour in this Chapter doth exhort his Disciples and in them all Christians to a conscionable care of the salvation of their brethren and that first by giving no offence whereby they may be scandalized Take heed that yee despise not one of these little ones ver 10. and before Woe unto that man by whom offence commeth and secondly by patient bearing of such offences as come from them and labouring to restore them that are fallen and to bring them to repentance ver 15. If thy brother shall trespasse against thee c. Where before I come to my Text it will bee expedient that I inquire of foure things 1. To whom our Saviour speaketh to his Disciples 2. Of whom of a brother If thy brother trespasse 3. Of what offences If hee trespasse against thee 4. What is the rule prescribed in this case Goe and tell him his fault betweene him and thee If he shall heare thee thou hast gained thy brother But if he will not heare thee then take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established And if he shall neglect to heare them tell it unto the Church I. Sect. 3. Christ speakes unto his Disciples as may appeare by the whole discourse from the beginning of the Chapter but he speakes not unto them as they are Apostles and chiefe Pastors in his Church but simplie as they are Disciples that is Christians for all the followers of Christ were called Disciples Ioh. VI. 66. The not distinguishing of these two what was given in charge to the Apostles as they were Apostles and chiefe Pastors and what as they were Christians hath occasioned many misprisions I will instance only in two particulars Our Saviour in the celebration of the Sacrament of the Supper sayth to his Disciples Drinke yee all of this The Papists understand this to bee spoken to them as they were Apostles and Ministers of the Church and so deny that the people have any right to the Cup. whereas it is evident that in that first Supper they did beare the person of Communicants and so that benefit belongs to all Christians Againe Christ sayth unto them Matth. 20.25 Mar. 10.42 Luk. 22.24 The Kings of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them but it shall not be so amongst you Our new masters who seeke to pull downe the Orders of our Church take this as spoken onely unto Ministers and from thence condemne all Superioritie and Iurisdiction of Bishops whereas it is evident that this precept doth alike concerne all Christians For 1. the occasion of that prohibition was the ambition of the sonnes of Zebedee who dreaming of a temporall kingdome that Christ should have in this world desired to sit one on his right hand the other on his left that is to be the greatest in that kingdome They did not desire Iurisdiction over Ministers onely and place above Apostles but also above all Christians And they conceived hope to obtayne it not out of any priviledge they had by their Apostleship but out of a relation they had to Christ according to the flesh being his kinsmen Therefore this prohibition is given not to the Apostles onely but to all Christians II. Christ in the XXII Chap. of S. Luke immediatly before these wordes and presently after using this word you and speaking to his Disciples and none but them speakes unto them as representing not onely Ministers but all Christians As vers 19. This is my Body which is given for you vers 20. This Cup is the New Testament in my Blood which is shed for you vers 29. I appoint unto you a Kingdome In these places I hope by you yee will understand all true Christians else none but Ministers have interest in Christ's Blood and right unto his Kingdome And then why not also in the words interjected vers 25. It shall not be so among you by you should we understand all Christians III. Compare that place with Matth. XXIII 8. which place is alledged to the same purpose
highest perfection of Religion Besides the weakenesse of their understanding is such that they were not capable either of Arguments or answers but transported with the opponents sighes groanes lifting up of his eyes spreading out of his hands being the best Arguments which ever these zelots learned in the Schooles And indeed of no small waight with the common people As the Orator well knew when being in a certaine defence prevented of his usuall and lamentable conclusion by the teares and more lamentable conclusion of Horsensius he cryed out as one halfe undone Surripuisti mihi ornamenta Orationis meae Is it then any wonder that my conference which was only begun and so rather intended then acted had not the desired successe yet I dare say that censure which Erasmus past upon that conference betwixt S. Augustin and the Manichee may be as truly applyed unto ours Which is this and not impertinent to the present purpose In his actis nescio quid potissimum admirer Aug. Tom. 6. de act cum Foel fol 363. edit Basil Foelicisnè impudentiam qui provocârit ad publicam disputationem ad quam adeo non fuit instructus ut vix Asinus possit insulsius argumentari An populi tolerantiaw quae delirantem beluam citra tumultum auscultârit An Augustini stomachum invincibilem qui tam indoctis ineptijs tamdiu tantâ lenitate responderit In these Acts I know not what cheifly to admire the impudency of Foelix who did appeale to a publicke disputation for which he was so unpraepared as no Asse could have spoken more absurdly Or the lenitie of the people who without tumult heard that raving doting beast or the invincible patience of S. Augustin who with much mildenesse did so long answer to such unlearned fooleries Though I could not come neere that eminent Bishop in learning yet I laboured to imitate him in patience whereof I will yet give a further proofe by revising that Libell and making a full answer to those objections which the Disputer being instructed by the rest of his brethren what weapons to use made against the Orders of our Church at lest as many of them as keepe off the people from Conformitie And yet I finde the Libellers relation so voyd of sense that I should blush to set downe his owne words lest the Eccho might bee taken for the voyce But I hope the reader shall finde that albeit I set not downe all his words yet I have neglected nothing therein materiall And by this my hafty answer Quam non meditor sed effundo all men may receive satisfaction who are capable of instruction And wherein if my style be homely nay abject I desire the reader to remember what sort of people I have to doe with how I apply my selfe to their capacitie And perhaps the very reading of that Libell hath infected my pen with barbarisme At first our Disputer did onely dally with our Translation of the Psalmes Apocryphall Lessons and Collect for Christmasse day wherein he intended onely Velitationem quandam tanquam levis armaturae sending forth his light horsemen rather to view the advantages of the ground then to fight whom I shall not need to encounter in regard the Auditory was generally wearie of these peevish and poore exceptions And the Disputer himselfe hath confess'd as I am credibly informed that it was against his will he did moove those first scruples even in his owne judgement so apparently frivolous but that he was wrought and in a manner enforced thereunto by one of his brethren who praesumed much upon his skill in the Hebrew Besides those exceptions all that was objected for orders sake I shall reduce unto three heads for in the Libell there is neither method nor sense First he desired a warrant from Scripture to justifie our Ceremonies whereunto my answer was That if they meant a particular and expresse commaundement for every Ceremony and Church-constitution I had sufficiently proved in my Sermon that it could not be expected neither are they themselves able to produce such a warrant for such orders as they themselves injoyne and practise in their owne Congregations But if they meant a generall warrant our Church hath as much as they or any other Church yet ever had for their constitutions Even that warrant of the Apostle Let all things be done decently and in order 1. Cor. XIV 40. Which is that great Apostolicall Canon Calvin in locum by which all other Canons must be squared the true Touch-stone to try Ceremonies and the Ballance wherein all Church-Orders should bee weighed And whereas some Ceremonies seeme decent unto some which unto others seeme otherwise Those whom God hath made Governours of his Church and not any private man are to judge of their decencie If private men appoint orders to be used in the publicke worship of GOD as these men doe in their Congregations they must shew their Commission otherwise we must take that for decent in things indifferent which seemeth decent in the eye of publicke authority And those things which they were required to practise were in themselves things indifferent no wayes repugnant unto the Word of GOD had beene esteemed by the Church in all ages to be not onely decent but of singular good use And are now injoyned by lawfull authoritie And therefore they were bound in Conscience to submit themselves thereunto having for the same a warrant in Scripture in all those places which require obedience to be given unto our Superiours Rom. XIII 1. Let every soule be subject unto Superiour powers I. Pet. II. 13. Snbus it your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake Hebr. XIII 17. Obey them that have the rule over you Now what sayth the Libeller to this he struggles like a fish on the hooke and uttereth such pittiful stuffe that I am ashamed to relate it Hee tells us that the meaning of the Apostles words is Let all things ordayned by God be done decentlie and in order Bee it so The Sacrament is ordayned by God and therefore to be received decently Now I have fully proved in my Sermon that God hath not in Scripture either by precept or by example determined what particular gesture should bee used in the Sacrament And therefore the same is left to bee appointed at the discretion of the Church The Church hath appointed kneeling which is a decent gesture as afterwards I shall shew I have also declared that Kneeling is no humane invention but a naturall gesture and so ordayned by God which hath been and may bee applyed to every part of Gods worship He further sayes That rule must abide the tryall of other rules of Gods word This is strange Divinitie Will he question a rule of Gods Word call it to the barre and try it by a surie of its fellowes But I thinke his intent was if hee could have written sense to say that Kneeling at the Communion must abide the tryall of other rules And so it
pit wherein people may fall then leaving it open to set one to bid people goe about it O acumen Aristotelicum he should first have proved that kneeling is a pit I have shewed that it is not but surely his heart is a deepe pit of error and deceipt It is no blocke to stumble at but the blocke is in his head Ps 14.5 which makes him feare where no feare is This is superstitiosa timiditas as S. Austin Epist 118 ad Ianuar. truely censures it It is indeed to feare superstition with a superstitious feare Finally sitting at the Sacrament is as much occasion of unreverence and prophanenesse as kneeling is of Idolatry And albeit I have so charitable an opinion of the brethren that I think they use not sitting of purpose to expose the Sacrament to contempt yet if any from thence take occasion to prophane it putting no difference between that supper and a common supper They cannot be excused because they did appoint that gesture without any lawfull calling contrary to the commandement of their Superiours and the custome of the Church But if any man should superstitiously abuse kneeling we are not to be blamed not only because we teach men to worship God and not the Elements But also because we have a lawfull calling to kneele the commaÌ„dement of authority And since some men will turne all gestures into sinne it is enough for us that the Word allowes them we have a calling to use this gesture and if we should refuse to use it wee should occasion worse effects the disturbing of the Churches peace the losse of our Ministery and of the comfort of the Sacrament As these men doe by their disobedience So to turne to the Disputers Argument against himselfe That which is an occasion of unreverence prophanation of the Sacrament disturbing the Churches peace losse of our Ministery and the comfort of the Sacrament is to be avoyded aswell as that which may be an occasion of Idolatry But sitting at the Sacrament and refusing to kneele is the occasion of all these Therefore to be avoyded I come to the third exception that Kneeling is an appearance of Idolatry will-worship so contrary unto the word of God I. Thess V. 22. Abstaine from all appearance of evill Surely the brethren content themselves with the sound of Scripture and As the foole thinkâ—th so the bell clinketh They never search into the sense and meaning of it If they should expound that Text so as if the same were to be extended to all appearances of evill whatsoever without any manner of restraint or modification Then may we not doe good duties at any time if the same have an appearance of evill unto others Then must we condemne diverse actions which are approved in the word of God As Lacobs laying of rods before the cattell had a manifest appearance of fraud The Reubenites Altar had an appearance of defection from God and of separation from their brethren Ruths going to the bed of Boaz had a manifest appearance of unchastity Eziekiahs asking of a signe had a shew of diffidence and Davids dauncing before the Arke of levity Obadiah his falling on his face before the Prophet Elijah had an appearance of Idolatry The Apostle Pauls shaving of his head and purifying of himselfe was a shew of Iudaisme And his pleading that he was a Pharisee to put dissention betwixt the two sects might seeme dissimulation and worldly policie Therefor it is certaine that the Apostles precept must be understood with some limitation To helpe them then to the understanding of that Text I say I. That howsoever that precept may be applyed unto matters of practise yet the Apostle speakes there only of matters of doctrine as M. Calvin observes following therein S. Chrysostome and S. Ambrose and as is evident by the words going before Despise not prophecying try all things and keepe that which is good And then Abstaine from all appearance of evill Where he teaches us how prophecying or preaching shall be profitable Calv in loc Docet qualiter nobis utilis futura sit prophetia citra periculum nempe si attenti erimus ad omnia probanda siâ—evitas festinatio aberit And Quum nondum ita comperta est doctrinae falsitas ut meritò rejici queat sed tamenaliqua haeret sinistra suspitio timetur ne quid veneni lateat Vbi autem subest falsi metus aut mens dubitatione est implicita pedem referre vel gradum suspendete convenit and without danger unto us namely If we be carefull for to try the doctrine as the Bereans did by the rule of Gods word And then embrace that which wee find to be good reject that which is manifestly false But if any thing be doubtfull neither so evidently true that it ought to be embraced nor so manifestly false that it ought to be rejected We are to keep off from it till we have more thoroughly proved it This is to abstaine from all appearance of evill or as the word beares all evill appearance And would to God that these mens disciples had followed this advise then should they not have beene so much infected with the poyson of their doctrine II. The appearance of evill which we are to abstaine from is not in respect of others but in respect of our selves We should abstaine from that which appeares to us after due tryall and examination to be evill for it is every man himselfe that is to prove all things that is all doctrines and not others for him And he is to keepe that which is good not that which appeares good unto others But that which he himselfe after tryall evidently finds to be good And so he is to abstaine from that which after tryall appeares evill unto himselfe whatsoever it appeare unto others And so this is all one with that which the Apostle requires Rom. XIV 5. Let every man be fully perswaded in his owne mind But then if any man should apply this rule to the practise of things indifferent he must extend it no further then to those things which are in our owne choyce as not being determined by any constitution civill or Ecclesiasticall III. If the precept be extended unto those things which appeare evill unto others then those others are only men of sound Iudgement rectè sentientes to whom nothing seemes evill but what indeed is evill And so nothing is forbidden but what is evill As the Syriack expresses it Abstain from all kind of evill or from every evill thing As namely intire familiarity with wicked persons and Communion with them in evill which is not onely an appearance of evill but evill it selfe And so this precept is all one with that of the Apostle Iude who borrowing a Metaphor from the Ceremoniall pollution of the Law bids us Hate even that garment which is spotted by the flesh ver 23. Also the unseasonable practise of holy duties without regard to the circumstances
comely not foolish and ridiculous as are the apish gesticulations in the Masse and many other Ceremonies used in that Church as their manifold crossings kissings kneelings whisperings washings anointings spittings blowings breathings and a number of the like Unto these three conditions I will adde two more I. Ceremonies must not be injoyned as things in themselves absolutely necessary and wherein Gods worship doth consist II. We must not ascribe unto them spirituall effects as the Papists doe who say that their crossing and sprinkling of holy water are effectuall to purge away veniall sinnes drive away divells and sanctifie the parties Now the Ceremonies injoyned by our Church have all these conditions For number they are few as ever was in any Church for observation easie for signification worthy for quality grave decent and comely for antiquity reverend The worship of God is not placed in them neither are they pressed upon the consciences of people as things in themselves necessary like the Commaundements of God we ascribe no merit remission of sinnes nor other spirituall effects unto them Finally they are purged from the drosse of all Popish superstition And therefore you are bound in conscience to observe them they being injoyned by lawfull authority And now I am come to the last thing wherein the power of the Church is to bee considered Sect. 38. and that is for correction The Church hath authority to censure her disobedient children whether they be Heretickes or Schismatickes or inordinate livers And on the other part upon their repentance to restore release and absolve them Like a good Mother she hath both Vbera and Verbera a dâ—g to feed and a rod to whip her unruly children This power was alwayes in the Church I finde that there was amongst the Iewes three degrees of censures Ioh. IX 22. XII 42. XVI â— The first was called Niddus a separation or casting out of the Synagogue The second they called Herem which is Anathema when an offender was cut off from his people by the sentence of death Deut. XVII 12. And that man that will doe presumptuously not harkening unto the Priest or unto the Iudge that man shall die The third was Shammatha or Maranatha which was a peremptorie denunciation of Iudgement delivering the obstinate malefactor as it were unto everlasting death for the word signifies as much as Dominus venit The Lord commeth This last is not mentioned in the Law but as it seemes was brought in by the Priests and Scribes after that the Romans had taken from them the power of life and death neither can the Church now use that censure unlesse we knew certainely that a man had sinned against the Holy Ghost The second which is the sentence of death belongeth onely unto the civill Magistrate who to that purpose hath the sword committed unto him So that the censure which properly belongs unto the Church now is onely separation by excommunication And there ever was and alwayes must bee a power in the Church to impose that censure upon contumacious offenders We have the first example of it from God himselfe hee cast Adam out of Paradise which was a type of the Church and banished him from the tree of life which was the Sacrament of immortality he cast forth Cain from his presence that is from the place appointed for his worship wherein Adam and his family used to meete for the service of God Afterwards when the Church of the Iewes was established their Councell of Elders called the Synedrium had power to cast men out of the Synagogue Yea under the Law those who had contracted any bodily uncleannesse must not eate of the Passeover till they were purified after the manner of the Law How much more ought they who are defiled with sinne bee barred from the Communion of our Sacraments seeing the pollution of the soule is more odious in the sight of God then bodily uncleannesse When our Saviour did institute the Church of the new Testament he gave such an authority unto his Apostles and their successors in the words following my text Whatsoever ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven And whatsoever ye loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Which he expounds after this manner Io XX. 23. Whosoevers sinnes yee remit they are remitted unto them And whosoevers sinnes ye retaine I. Cor. 5. they are retayned The Apostle did exercise this power upon the incestuous Corinthian I. Tim. I. â—0 and upon Hymenaus and Alexander The same power hee committed unto his two sonnes Timothie and Titus The governors of the Church are reproved for neglecting this censure Revel II. 20. as the Angell of the Church of Thyatira for suffering the woman Iezabel to teach and deceive Gods servants And the Angel of the Church of Ephesus is commended for his zeale in censuring offenders Thou canst not beare them which are evill and thou hast tried them which say they are Apostles are not Revel II. 2. Finally the censure of excommunication was of frequent use in the Primitive Church especially against heretickes and disturbers of the publicke peace Tert. in Apol. Cypr. epist lib. I. ep 3. as both Tertullian and St Cyprian doe testifie And I find that this censure had two degrees the first was Suspension called Abstentio whereby men were barred some from the Communion of the Sacrament onely others from the Communion of certaine prayers also and some from entering into the Church which they built upon the Commandement of our Saviour Matth. VII 6. Give not holy things to dogges neither cast your pearles before swine The other was Excommunication wherby a man was cut off from the body of Christ as a rotten member cast out of the Church and delivered into Satan who raignes without the Church wherein the Churches sentence is rather interloquutory then definitive And yet the same no wayes to be contemned because when it is done Clave non errante Apologet. cap. XXXIX the same is ratified in Heaven Therefore Tertullian truely cals this censure summum futuri Iudicij praejudicium The former of these censures may be called the Apostles rod shall I come unto you with a rod I. Cor. IV. 21. The other is the sword Apostolicall Gal. V. 12. Abscindantur Let them bee cut off that trouble you This latter is that which is mentioned in my Text Let him bee unto thee as a Heathen man and a Publican and in the words following it is called a binding or retayning of sinne for as the Church hath power to loose such as are penitent so to commit others unto the Lords prison binding their sinnes upon their backe untill their amendement or binding them over unto the Iudgement of the great Day if they shall persist in their pertinacie The same by S. Paul is called a delivering up to Satan The end of Excommunication is threefold I. The glory of God for when men are suffered in the Church to doe what seemeth good in their
our disobedience Finally amongst the Romanes some were offended at the eating of those meates but I doe not reade that any was offended at the not eating of them It is otherwayes with us where one is offended at our Ceremonies ten wiser then they would be offended if we did not use them And farre more if we did follow their fashion in the manner of Gods worship The case being cleere that the Orders which our Church injoynes are neyther contrary to Christian libertie nor to that care wee should have for to avoyd offence In the next place I will labour to finde out the cause of this grosse mistake in the brethren which certainely is this that they doe not rightly consider the nature of Christian liberty whilst they set it upon tenter-hookes and stretch it further then the nature thereof will beare seeking not only a liberty of minde and conscience in things indifferent but a freedome also in their outward actions which is not Christian libertie Calv. Inst lib. III. cap. 19. Sect. 10. but licentious immunity contrary to the doctrine of the Gospell for S. Peter exhorting all men to be obedient unto Magistrates I. Pet. II. 16. he warnes them not to use their libertie as a cloake of maliciousnesse Namely In casting off the bridle of governement It is proper to the libertie of the Creator alone to be unlimited but all lawfull libertie of the creature is and must be bounded not onely by the Law of charitie which these men will acknowledge but also by the law of loyaltie for if all restraint of the outward man were contrary to Christian liberty then were it not lawfull to obey the Magistrate in any thing Then if the King should be pleased to confirme the Orders or as they terme them the circumstances of worship which have beene used in their congregations They were bound to forsake them for the zeale of their Christian libertie And what is this else but to bring flat Anabaptisme and Anarchie into the Church to overthrow all Governement and dissolve the bonds of subjection and obedience to lawfull authority You shall therefore understand that the Magistrate by his Lawes may moderate or restraine the outward actions wherein the externall use of our liberty consisteth The inward liberty of conscience before God notwithstanding remayning intyre He may injoyne any action which in Gods worship may be used lawfully So that no opinion be put upon the conscience which taketh away the full respect of its indifferency And this is that which St Peter sayes We must obey the Magistrates as free that is as being perswaded that the thing commanded in it selfe and to God-ward as Calvin speakes is indifferent and whether we doe it or not doe it in it selfe it commends us not unto God otherwise then that by obeying of the Magistrate we doe also obey God who hath commanded us to be subject unto him Which will better appeare if we consider that Christian liberty is inward and spirituall which may stand with the outward servitude of slaves as the Apostle shewes I. Cor. VII 22. much more with the obedience of free subjects It is seated in the minde and conscience and respecteth nothing but what is betweene God and us It contenteth it selfe if there be no opinion put upon the conscience of the necessity of these things which God hath left indifferent if they be not obtruded as divine Lawes if no Religion be plac't in them nor they pressed as immediate parts of Gods worship It is only the subjecting of the conscience unto a thing indifferent I. Cor. VI. 12. which the Apostle calls The bringing us under the power of a thing which overthrowes our Christian liberty not the necessity of obedience unto lawfull authority but the doctrine or opinion of the absolute necessity of the thing it selfe In a word Christian libertie is not taken away by the necessity of doing a thing indifferent or not doing but only by that necessity which taketh away the opinion or perswasion of the indifferency of it As may appeare by this whensoever the Apostle condemnes the practise of Iewish Geremonies at that time when there was some dispensation and indulgence granted unto Christians till the Synagogue should be buried with honour It is manifest that he condemnes not so much the use as the doctrine and opinion which they had of them because they were urged and used not as things indifferent but as necessary unto salvation For we know that he himselfe many times did use them which he would not have done if they had beene then simplie evill he circumcised Timothie and many Christians who gave their lives for the Testimony of Iesus Christ were circumcised at that time even after their conversion unto the faith And yet when the false Apostles did urge the necessity of Circumcision he said If ye be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing Gal. V. 2 That is If you bee circumcised with an opinion of the necessity of that Ceremony as if it did avayle unto justification so he expounds himselfe ver 4. Whosoever are justified by the Law that is seeke for Iustification by the Law are fallen from Grace That it was only the doctrine opinion they had of Circumcision at that time which he condemnes may appeare further by this that those Ceremonies were not praescribed by a Civill Magistrate who hath power to commaund the outward man in the use of a thing indifferent but only by seducing teachers who had no power of bringing a necessity in the outward practise but by perswading and possessing mens mindes with an opinion of the necessity of these things After the like manner doth the Church of Rome at this day tyrannize over the consciences of men equalling her constitutions unto the Word of God Concil Trid. fess IV. placing Religion in them and ascribing unto them a divine necessity effectuall holynesse But our Church is farre from such an usurpation she doth place no Religion in them ascribe no holynesse unto them nor obtrude them upon the conscience as things necessary in themselves like Gods Commaundements but only requires obedience unto her constitutions thereby to reduce all her Children to an orderly Uniformity in the outward worship of God And to this purpose she hath sufficiently declared the innocencie of her meaning in the Articles of Religion Artic. XX. The Church ought not to enforce any thing besides the holy Writ to be beleeved of necessity for salvation And in the Pre face before the Booke of Common Prayer The Ceremonies that remaine are retayned for a discipline and order which upon just causes may bee altered and changed and therefore are not to bee esteemed equall with Gods Law So that I can not but wonder at the impudencie of the Libeller who changes our Church as Christ doth the Pharisees that she makes the commandements of God of none effect by her traditions Whereas the Pharisees did equall and preferre their owne traditions
unto the commandements of God which is the thing for which they are condemned as shall appeare unto any that reades the Text But our Church is farre from such presumption as may appeare by her doctrine published which I have alleadged as also by that which followeth in the same preface In these our doings wee condemne no other nations nor prescribe any thing but to our owne people only For we thinke it convenient that every Countrey should use such Ceremonies as they shall thinke best to the setting forth of Gods honour and glory and to the reducing of the people to a most perfect and godly living without error or superstition Now I have proved in my Sermon by Arguments unanswerable that the Church hath such a power to ordaine Ceremonies and to make Lawes of things indifferent for decencie and orders sake And that obedience ought to be given unto her constitutions Especially considering that therein our Church was not only assisted but authorized by the Kings most excellent Majesty as the supreme Governor upon Earth In all causes within his highnesse dominions And therefore I shall intreat my good brethren if they will neyther deceive others nor be deceived themselves that in this point of Christian liberty they would have alwayes one eye fixed upon the nature of things indifferent and the other upon the duty of a subject to his Soveraigne And now having vindicated our Church from those aspersions cast upon her of infringing Christian liberty and giving offence by her constitutions I will in the last place turne the Disputers weapon against himselfe and cut off the head of that Philistine with his owne sword shewing that he and his fellowes of all others are most injurious unto Christian liberty Rem XIV 16. which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it were the common good of Christians And also that they are scandalous to all sorts of persons And first Christian liberty as it respecteth things indifferent is not only a freedome from the yoke of bondage but also a right or power to doe many things which they could not doe who were under the Paâ—dagogie of the Law which by the Apostle is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I. Cor. VIII 9. This power or liberty is extended both to Magistrates and to subjects The Magistrate hath this liberty that he is not tyed to any particular Lawes which determine all things incident unto the outward form of Gods worship not mentioned in Scripture But as the Iudiciall Law being-abrogate it is lawfull for him to ordaine civill Lawes so the Ceremoniall Law being abolished to establish ecclesiasticall constitutions such as are not repugnant unto the word of God These men deprive him of this libertie they will not allow him to appoint any thing to be used in the outward forme and administration of Gods worship And if by the consent of the whole Church he doe establish a forme though never so decent they are resolved not to observe it Agayne the liberty of the subject is that being freed from the Moâ—aicall Law he may with a free conscience observe all other Lawes which are established by lawfull authority and are not repugnant unto the word of God I. Cor. VI. 12. Tit. I. 15. I. Pet. II. 13. 16. as knowing that All things are lawfull and To the pure all things are pure This freedome S. Peter magnifies when he exhorts us To submit our selves to all manner ordinance of man As free that is knowing that we are not bound to those particulars as things in themselves necessary but using them with free consciences as being indifferent and therefore such as whereunto our Christian liberty extendeth And is not this a goodly freedome that a Christian having liberty of many things he can make use thereof in one thing rather then in another to please and â—atiâ—fie him unto whose power God hath subjected him without offence to his conscience These men deprive us of this liberty likewise for they will not allow men to obey Magistrates civill or Ecclesiasticall in any constitution established touching the decent administration of Gods worship And as though they were Iudges at Law they have sent foorth a prohibition against all the Canons of our Church Now a negative precept is a restraint of Christian liberty as well as a Positive the false Apostles who laboured to subvert Christian liberty col II 21. did it by forbidding things in themselves lawfull saying Touch not â—aste not handle not And our brethren speake almost the same language Kneele not Crosse not weare not And indeed the Church hath not more positive precepts then they have negative But this is the difference The Church hath authority to command they have none to forbid The Church commands only the use of these things and layes no obligation upon the conscience by pressing them as simply necessary in themselves but they make their negative restraints absolutely necessary place religion in them binding their followers in conscience not only to refuse but also to despise our Ceremonies Whereby they doe not only overthrow Christian liberty but also are guiltie of the breach of the second Commandement by will-worship Lastly As they take both from the Lawgiver and the subject that free power which God hath granted unto them So they deprive themselves of all true liberty while they cherish in their owne minds doubts and scrupulous opinions of the lawfulnesse of these things which are commanded and alleadge their unresolved conscience as an excuse for their disobedience So our Disputer as he is acted in the Libell God alloweth every man to be fully perswaded in his owne minde of what he doeth Rom. XIV 5. Which priviledge I crave to my selfe and all others doubting of kneeling I have shewed before that the Apostle in that chapter as also I. Cor. 8. Speaketh of things left to our owne choyce and not determined by any Law civill or Ecclesiasticall In which case this is a safe rule for the conscience Let every man stand fully perswaded in his owne minde that he may doe or not doe that which hee intends without the offence of God or his neighbour But when the Magistrate doth interpose his authority to command or forbid the use of a thing in it selfe indifferent If any man shall plead that he can not obey because he is not perswaded in his owne minde of the lawfulnesse of the thing commanded he doth but excuse one sinne by another which S. Peter calls having the liberty for a cloake of maliciousnesse for as he ought nor to disobey so he ought not to doubt I. Pet. II. 13. 16. But as I sayd before submit himselfe unto all manner ordinance of man As free that is as being perswaded of the indifferency of the thing before God and so that he may lawfully therein obey his superiours And indeed if a mans doubts and feares were a sufficient excuse for disobedience the Magistrate should be obeyed in nothing for there
example But the accommodation of the gesture to severall parts of Gods worship left altogether to the liberty of the Church And the Church hath thought Kneeling the most decent and comely gesture to be used in the Sacrament wherein her determination is not to be esteemed a meere humane constitution for if an Ecclesiasticall Canon be made as this is of a thing indifferent in a lawfull manner to a lawfull end by lawfull authority according to the generall rules of Scripture The same is approved in the sight of God as not meerely humane but in some sort divine as is confessed by M. Calvin in these words Calv. in I. ad Cor. XIV ult Golligere promptum est has posteriores ecclesiasticas non esse habendas prohumanis traditionibus quandoquidem fundatâ— sunt in hoc generali mandato liquidam approbationeâ—â— habent quasi ex ore Christi And in another place he gives an example of Kneeling in Gods solemne worship Calv. Inst lib. IV. cap. 10. Sect. 30. and moves the Question Quaritur sitne humana traditio whereunto he answers Dico sic esse humanam ut simul sit divina Dei est quatenus pars est decoris illius cujus cur a observatio nobis per Apostolum commendatur Zanch in compend loc 16. Seâ— Epist 24. And to the same purpose we have the judgment of Zanchiâ— of Beza and indeed of all judicious Divines Hath not the Disputer then a face of brasse or as the Scripture speaketh a whoores forehead who calls Kneeling a needlesse humane Ceremonie I have now proved both that all humane inventions which have been abused are not therefore to be abolished which I shall have occasion to manifest further hereafter And also that Kneeling at the Sacrament is no humane invention In the third place I will make it appeare that our Kneeling was never abused to Idolatry for as it was not devised by Papists so we received it not from them To let passe the Church of Scotland where that gesture was intermitted for the space of above forty yeares till all memory of former superstition was past Even in the Church of England the gesture of Kneeling was not continued for in the beginning of King Edwards reigne there was an intermission for a space when all gestures were free But the Church afterwards perceiving the inconvenience thereof thought fit to reduce all her Children to an Uniformity in Gods worship by ordaining one gesture to be used in that Ordinance And she made choyce of Kneeling not out of a desire of conformity with Papists or out of an honourable respect to their worship But having a liberty of gestures allowed her in Gods word she did judge Kneeling of all others to be most fit decent and comely But say that we had received that gesture from the Papists as we did Ordination Baptisme and many other good things yet it cannot be imagined how they could abuse that which was never in their power to use for the gesture which we use is our owne the Papists never had the command of it And Tit. 1.15 Vnto the pure sayth the Apostle all things are pure Surely there cannot be a more senselesse dottage then to think that the Papists by their Idolatrous kneeling have infected ours when their gesture and ours is not the same Apud Plutarch Heraclitus sayd that it is impossible for any man eundem fluvium hiâ— intrare I may say as truely that it is impossible for any man eandem actionem â—iâ— peragerè for though the man be the same the knee the same the end the same yet the Action repeated is not the same for to make an action such as kneeling is the same all these things must concurre Idem agens Idem agendi modus finis tempus locus All which are impossible to concurre any oftner then once So that it is certaine that our kneeling at the Sacrament is not Individually and Numerically the same with that which is used by the Papists I will now proceed further and shew that it is not so much as of the same kind with theirs being distinguished from it by two or three substantiall differences The first is taken from the Agents their kneeling is the gesture of Papists ours of Catholickes Now if Papists and Protestants be two diverse kinds of worshippers which I thinke the brethren will acknowledge then their actions of worship must be as different in kind as be their Agents The second difference betweene their kneeling and ours is taken from their different ends and objects which makes them yet more distant for Actiones distinguuntur finibus gestures and actions are principally distinguished by their objects and ends They in kneeling at the Sacrament worship their breaden-god Wee detest that abominable bread-worship and worship only the great God of heaven and earth in his owne Ordinance his Son Iesus Christ who sitteth at the right hand of the Father in heavenly places From these two differences there arises a third that their kneeling is formally evill Ours good and commendable so that if any man for the abuses of their kneeling shall condemne ours it is all one injustice as if ye should condemne an innocent man for the crime of a malefactor Esay V. 20. Proverb XVII 1â— and so he falleth directly under the curse of the Prophet Woe be unto them that call good evill And of the wise-man He that Iustifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the lust they are both abomination unto the Lord for as S. Austin sayes Peccat Lib. IIV cap. 15. de lib. arb qui damnat quasi peccata quae nulla sunt And those men condemne our kneeling for sinne which is none but an expression of many vertuous affections And for this I am sure they have no warrant for whensoever God commands his people to destroy monuments of Idolatry the commandement is to be understood of the same Individua which have beene abused not that the whole Species for their sake is to be destroyed Deut. VII 5. They are commanded to cut downe the groves of Idols yet they did not cut downe all groves for then they should not have left one tree growing They are also commanded to overthrow the Altars of Idols yet the Israelites did not thinke themselves bound by that commandement to overthrow the Reubenites Altar though it were erected without any warrant and in shew had some repugnancie with Gods commandement for as you may read Iosh XXII When the Tribe of Reuben Gad and the halfe tribe of Manasses erected an Altar upon the passages of Iordan the other Tribes were so offended that they were about to destroy both it and them imagining that it had beene for sacrifice But when they were truely informed that it was only for a memoriall that they had a part in the God of Israel they were well pleased they blessed God and Phineas said This day we perceive the Lord is among us because you have not