with their lips but their heart is far from me But in vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men. We will also consider these words as they are recited by St. Mark Ch. 7.7 with the Verse following Howbeit in vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men For laying aside the Commandment of God ye hold the Tradition of Men as the washing of Pots and Cups c. That is according to Dr. Hammond's Paraphrase upon the place You are those Hypocrites that profess great strictness in Performances towards God and practise in some external things more than God commands you and impose those on others as the Commands of God when they are only Humane Ordinances As for the inward Purity of the Heart and Actions to which all God's Laws of Washings did refer you take no care of them transgress against this substantial part of Religion in the fonlest manner and spend all your Time in these External Superfluitâ—â—s washing of Pots c. the Ordinances of your Rabbins only But what are the hypocritical and wicked doings here condemned to Governours determining of External Circumstances of Administration in the Worship of God which are not only innocent in themselves but also not set up in the place of or justling out any thing commanded by God nor yet imposed as the Commands of God But who can have the Forehead to fasten such high Presumptions as these upon our Church But I proceed Thirdly As this Notion of Christian Liberty is an enfringement of the Liberty which is left to Governours so is it also greatly injurious to the Peoples Liberty for it is a very highly to be priz'd Instance of the Peoples Liberty that they may without giving God an Offence conform to such Laws as oblige them only to indifferent things And it will be an intolerable straitning and confining of our Liberty it will be a very Bondage to us to be alwaies obnoxious to the Penalties which are the Sanctions of such Laws and to other manifold Inconveniences that follow upon disobeying them Christian Liberty according to this Notion is so far from being worthy of our Saviour's purchasing that 't is infinitely more desirable to be without it in regard of the extreamly-mischievous Consequences which follow upon quarrelling with Authority about harmless matters which have not the least ill influence upon your Souls whereby not only those who refuse Obedience are exposed in their own Persons and Families to great Evils both Temporal and Spiritual but also the whole Community the Church and State too by their means This we all know at this day by very sad Experience This I say is such a Liberty as is the occasion of lamentable Mischiefs both publick and private but I am wholly to seek what Good can accrue thereby and therefore we may safely warrant it to be no Liberty of our Blessed Saviour's procurement but the contrary If we were well instructed in the Nature of the Gospel-Dispensation we should be very certain that whatsoever doth no way tend to the depraving of our Souls and the bringing us into Bondage to Sin which we have proved to be the only Opposite to our grand Christian Liberty cannot be unlawful to us Christians because not prejudicial to the ultimate Design of the Gospel which is the making us free from the Dominion of Sin To which Design we have shewed all the Precepts of our Saviour the Promises and Threatnings and I may add Doctrines too are subservient And on the contrary we may be as sure that whatsoever is apt to hinder the promoting of this Design must needs be unlawful under the Gospel as all that are not blind or do not shut their Eyes may easily see this same pretended Christian Liberty most sadly doth And there is nothing more apparent than that Obedience to Authority in all things not forbidden by the Divine Laws doth mightily tend to the promoting Peace Love Humility Self-denial and the like Christian Virtues But Disobedience in such matters doth as much occasion the gratifying of those Devilish Lusts Pride Uncharitableness Contention Wrath Sedition c. Fourthly Those that pretend it to be such a Violation of Christian Liberty to be obliged by Mens Laws to things indifferent if they will be true to themselves and their own Principles must not only refuse Obedience to the Injunctions of such things but to the Prohibitions also of such things as they must not do such as are commanded to be done so they must do such as are commanded to be forborn for it is as great an infringement of our Liberty to have indifferent things forbidden us as to have them impos'd upon us 'T is a no less intrenchment upon it to be tied up from what we may antecedently to the Magistrate's Authority do as to be commanded what we may omit So that if the things which the Dissenters now Refuse to do because Commanded should hereafter be Forbidden by Authority they would be obliged in order to the Maintenance of their Christian Liberty to be every whit as zealous for them as now they are against them Nor were they so honest as they should have been but false to this their Principle and shamefully betray'd their Liberty in so patiently submitting when time was to the severe prohibition of the same things tho' it was by an usurped Power too What a strange Liberty is this which in its natural consequences tends to make People so Humour some Cross grain'd and Opposite to Government Surely it can't be Christian but the most Unchristian Liberty If this Free-dealing should offend any I should be sorry for it but must withal take Leave to tell the Offended that it is an Evidence of exceeding great Weakness not to say worse to be Angry with those who endeavour in the Spirit of Meekness to convince us of our dangerous Mistakes But such is the Fate of Conscientious opposing Popular and Prevailing Errors that it seldom meeteth with better Success than kindling the Passions and sharpening the Tongues and Pens too of those who are most obliged to be thankful for it But Wisdom is justified of her Children What Answer can be returned to this Discourse I cannot see but if notwithstanding all that can be said these Men will still persist in it as their modest and humble Opinion that the Bishop and all the most learned Men of the Christian World are mistaken and that let them say what they please they do believe it to be really true that nothing is to be done in the Worship of God but what he himself hath expresly Commanded then I must ask how they come so sharply to accuse Vs of the breach of it with whom the Cross and Surplice are no parts of the Worship of God when the charge falls as heavy if not much more heavy upon themselves who not only sprinkle in Baptism and sit at the Lords Supper without any Command but sing their Preachers Hymns to
order to Church-Communion as the Word of God hath not required but on the contrary forbidden Prov. 30.6 Add thou not unto his words lest he reprove thee and thou be found a Lyar. Deut. 4.2 Ye shall not add unto the Word I command you neither shall ye diminish ought from it What will ye then say for your selves when God shall say unto you Who hath required these things at your Hands Sure I am to do more in the Service of God than He hath required will but Vndo us therefore the Wise Man exhorts Be not righteous overmuch why shouldst thou destroy thy self Remember Corah Dathan and Abiram and their Company who for doing what was not required were all consumed the Earth opened her Mouth and swallowed them up REPLY Now he speaks out And tho' the things you mainly scruple at such as the Cross and Surplice are more properly Instances of Obedience to Human Authority than Terms of Church-Communion which may be held by a Lay-Person in the more constant Services of Prayers and Preaching without joyning in those things he dislikes yet if it be true that the things imposed in our Liturgy are forbidden by God then I own that the fault of the Schism lies in us and that you have very good reason for your separating from us And if this Assertion were but as well proved as 't is confidently asserted I would never again read the Service-book But if you think me duly qualified for so great a Work will Preach to and Pray for you in the Mault-house tho' I have hitherto most affectionately loved the Habitation of God's House and the Place where his Honour dwells and was alwaies glad when they said unto me We will go into the House of the Lord. Let us therefore well examine the Proofs he produces for an Assertion deliver'd with so much Confidence to say no worse of it He alledges two Texts of Scripture which are useless and impertinent till it be proved that we make real Additions to the Word of God Those he mentions in the Psalms shall be consider'd by and by That which I presume he here means is that the things enjoyn'd in our Service-book being not commanded by God in his Word are Additions to it and that therefore these two Texts of Scripture are an undeniable Proof of the Unlawfulness of them this must be his meaning if he has any at all in what he says and I think I have represented it with all the Advantage he can desire But now if We are guilty of making Additions to the Word of God we either do what that forbids or Appoint somewhat else instead of what God hath appointed or We add such Expositions to the Commandment as the End of it is thereby frustrated or we make that which is not the Word of God to be of equal Authority with that which is or else we give the same Efficacy to Humane Institutions as God does to His But he can never charge us with any of these and how then can he charge us with Additions to the Word of God for adding is adding to the Substance and making the thing added of the nature of the thing it is added to but when the Substance remains entire as much after this Humane Appointment as it was before it it cannot be called an Addition to it in the sence the Scripture takes that word in But to the Argument which these Men draw from Deuter. iv 2. Dr. Fowler our present Bishop a great while ago replied That if they be not mistaken in the Sense of these words they will prove more than is intended to be proved or than they would have true namely that nothing is to be done out of as well as in the Worship of God but what is expresly and particularly commanded But Episcopius who may be listen'd to in this matter because no Episcopalian hath shewed that these words Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you neither shall you diminish ought from it are no new Precept but only signifie Ye shall not transgress the Commandments of God by doing any thing contrary to them which is to Add or by omitting any thing Required by them which is to Diminish And therefore tho' ignorant People may be scared with the improper Application of that of Isa 1.12 yet it cannot belong to us who place no farther Religion and Acceptableness in our Prayers and Services than as they are accompanied with that Sincerity Faith Repentance and Obedience without which God told the Jews He had no delight in their Sacrifices tho' they were of his own appointing nor had required them to tread his Courts without these divine Qualifications But if We must Answer to that Question Who hath Required these things at your Hands then I tell You for God knows it and we are not afraid to appear before him upon that account that forasmuch as these things are no where forbidden We comply with them in Obedience to that Word which requires us to obey them that have Rule over us and to submit our selves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake And if this be the Word of God how comes this Man so uncharitably to pronounce the Sentence of Damnation upon us and tell us we shall be But undone as if that were not Punishment enough for doing more in the Service of God than He hath requir'd Why he grounds it upon Eccles 7.16 Numb 16. As for the Exhortation of the Wise Man if the best Commentators I have seen understand it right 't is the best Advice I can give to you it being interpreted of Heat and Zeal more than needs without Reason and Discretion which as it makes all the Schisms in the World so produces a great many other Evils I appeal to the whole World whether it is not properly Returned upon you who are transported into an excessive Zâ—â—l and Rage against innocent Ceremonies and meer Circumstances of Worship and which are declared to be so and no way Essential to Religion by that Church which uses them And to this you must give me leave to add the other part of the Verse which he left out neither make thy self over-wise Do not without some better Grounds oppose your private Opinion to the Judgment and Authority of a whole Nation And in particular of as Pious and Learned a Clergy as any the whole World can shew Consider that it is possible you may be mistaken and that it does not become you to Assume that Infallibility to your selves which you deny to the Church of Rome As for the Example of Corah Dathan and Abiram if it be well consider'd our Case cannot be made Parallel to it But it highly deserves your Consideration whether you are not in some measure guilty of the like Crime which did not consist in doing what was not required but in Actual Rebellion against Moses and Aaron the Ministers of God and therefore against God himself What a
own and study to honour God by abstaining from these things by which he never said that he was dishonoured O that all tender Consciences would seriously consider this for they would soon discern that your Ministers by forbidding those things now in dispute lay greater Burthens upon the Consciences of their Brethren and clog them with more duties than God hath laid upon them Whereas we who think those things may be done lay no other Burthen upon the Conscience than what God himself hath laid which is to obey our Governours in all things wherein he himself hath not bidden us to do the contrary ANSWER I shall only touch of Additions in the Service Book there are added three whole Verses to the Fourteenth Psalm and one Verse to the Thirteenth Psalm REPLY If it be granted that there are those Additions he speaks of yet it was not the Mistake of the Common Prayer Book but of the Translations which the Common Prayer followed viz. the Septuagint and Vulgar But I wonder how he came to be so cautious as not to call these Additions to Scripture for that certainly was his meaning The Additions to the 14th Psalm are accounted for in one of the old Bibles by this Note That of this 14th Psalm the 5th 6th and 7th Verses which are put into the Common Translation and may seem unto some to be left out in this are not in the same Psalm in the Hebrew Text but are rather put in more fully to express the manners of the wicked and are gather'd out of the 5th 140th and 10th Psalms the 59th of the Prophet Isaiah and the 36th Psalm and are alledged by St. Paul and placed together in the 3d to the Romans But the saying that there is a Verse added to the 14th Psalm is a notorious Falshood there are only these words I will praise the Name of the Lord most Highest which are in the seventh Psalm and the last Verse What then can this Man be thought to mean Would he insinuate that these Additions are Inventions of our own or that they are inserted by the Church upon some wicked selfish design I hope it appears that they were not nor we upon the score thereof obnoxious to the Penalty of Deut. 4.2 before quoted by him But I would fain know whether they are not deeply guilty of the Crime they charge us with who teach That nothing is to be used in the Worship of God but what is prescribed by God himself for if that be not a Scripture Truth then what an Addition is this Do not they who teach this for a Scripture-Rule and Precept impose upon Mens Consciences as much as Papists and like them and the Pharisees of old teach the Traditions of Men for the Doctrines of God Nay is not this directly contrary to the Gospel it self which tells us that Sin is the Transgression of a Law and that where there is no Law there is no Transgression And thus you all along see with how keen an edge those Weapons turn upon you which you make use of in fighting against us ANSWER In a word I may say of all the Ceremonies in the Service Book as one of your own Church saith of the Succession of Church-Officers and in particular that of Bishops He tells us That our English Bishops received their Orders in the Communion of the Church of Rome and ergo they had as good Orders as any of the Church of Rome they must needs be as good when they are the same But 't is but a weak Proof for the Succession of their Bishops when they must go to Rome for it REPLY One would think it were high time for you to have done with this old Accusation of Popery and that you should have more Prudence than to give us Occasion to upbraid you with your fawning upon and sneaking to it in the late Reign while the Bishops and Clergy of our Church made such a brave and vigorous Defence against it even to the hazard of their ALL. If indeed it be true that our Bishops received their Orders in the Church of Rome then his ergo is good and the only good one he has made in this Paper and the Argument is a good one against the Papists and no weak one neither for the Succession of Church-Officers against you if you pretend to impugn it which if you do it lies at your door to prove a failure in their Succession since our Bishops are in possession of their Authority He ought to have quoted his Author for a Reason before mention'd But what if it be true is therefore Episcopacy unlawful or the Succession of our Bishops not good He may as well argue that the Water is not good or comes not from the Fountain-head because the Conduit thro' which it is convey'd is faulty But since this Man questions the Succession of our Bishops and upbraids us with having our Orders from the Church of Rome it is but reasonable to demand Whether your Preachers have any Orders at all and if they have Whence they had them and thro' what Channel they were convey'd down to them and whether you have any Arguments to urge for the Validity of Their Orders which we cannot with much more reason make use of to prove the Goodness of Ours But we may see how far Envy and Malice will sometimes make People overshoot themselves This Man rather than not send forth his Bolt at our Bishops and Clergy will strike at the whole Reformation and call in Question the Validity of the Orders of all the Reformed Churches of Luther and Calvin himself nay even the Authority of their own Ambassadors As for our Ceremonies tho' they be superstitiously abused by the Papists yet that is no Argument against the present use of them in the Church of England who retains them not because they are of Rome but of an Ancienter date than that now corrupted Church and if they are therefore unlawful because they are used by her then every thing done in that Church is so which I suppose you will not say We only reformed from the Errors and Corruptions of that Church and not from what was Apostolical Primitive and Innocent because they used it And whatever Opinion these People would have others entertain of them yet their admired Mr. Calvin declares in express words that He would not have any Man think him so Austere or bound up as to forbid a Christian without any Exception to accommodate himself to the Papists in any Ceremony or Observance for says he further it is not my Purpose to condemn any thing but what is clearly evil and openly vicious But for a full Answer to all you Object against us upon this score I refer you to the Case of Symbolizing with the Church of Rome by Dr. Eowler our present Bishop where he quotes those very words of Mr. Calvin ANSWER Sir we desire not Separation but Reformation for I hope we have all of us so tender
is all Mens Worship of God and that he that will not communicate with faulty Worship must renounce Communion with all the World and all with him Mr. Calvin assigns two Marks of the visible Church the Word of God truly preached and Sacraments administred according to Christ's Institution and saith That altho' there be many Faults and Corruptions in such a Church yet as long as it retains those Marks Separation from it is not justifiable nay altho' some of those Faults be about Preaching the Word and Administrations of Sacraments for saith he all Truths are not of equal Moment but as long as the Doctrine according to Godliness and the true Vse of the Sacraments is kept up Men ought not to separate upon lesser Differences but they ought to seek the amending what is amiss continuing in the Communion of the Church and without disturbing the Peace and Order of it I had not I own the Opportunity of consulting every one of these Authors but I have given you their sence and very words upon the unquestionable Authority of those two Reverend Bishops of our Church the present Bishop of Worcester and the Bishop of Chichester The former whereof in his Vnreasonableness of Separation hath with great Evidence proved that all the Old Non-conformists did think themselves bound in Conscience to communicate with the Church of England and did look upon Separation from it to be a sin notwithstanding the Corruptions they supposed to be in it And the latter in his Case of Lay-Communion produces the concurrent Testimony of the most eminent Non-conformists that there is nothing required in the Parochial Communion of the Church of England that can be a sufficient reason for Separation from it and though he has collected the sence of a great many yet you may believe him when he tells you that for One Hundred he could easily have produced Two if the Cause were to go by the Poll. These Reverend Authors do not put their Readers off with only telling 'em that the Learned observe and some Authors say so and so but they quote Book and Page and which therefore if you have a Mind to be further satisfied you your Selves may consult Those Non-conforming Ministers might probably be under such Prior Engagements or dislike some things so far that they could not satisfie themselves in making the Declarations and Subscrpitions which are required of Ministers in order to preserve the Peace of the Church and the unity of Christians which does so much depend upon that of its Officers and Teachers But there being no Declarations or Subscriptions required of the People nor any thing more than to attend upon and joyn in the Worship practised and allowed in the Church they according to the Doctrine of those Gentlemen ought not to separate To which I shall not need to add any more than that remarkable Annotation of the Reverend Mr. Pool upon Luke 2.41 One thing says He there is observable The Pharisees and Scribes and Priests had in those days much corrupted the Worship of God by their Traditions yet they retained the Substance of Gods Institution We find both our Saviour and his Disciples and other people of God not wholly forsaking the Jewish Church because of its Corruptions Yet we cannot think they joyned with them in any thing of their Will-Worship from whence we may learn a tenderness as to a total Separation from a Church and the Lawfulness of attending divine Ministrations though attended with Vsages which we approve not provided there be no Idolatry in the Service And the Truth of it is if Separation be justifiable upon the Score of some small whether real or fancied Errors which may be in any Church then Communion must not be held with any part of Christ's Church if not with ours for she is certainly as free from Error as any Church in the whole World and the living in her Communion like Members of so Holy an Institution as safe a way to Salvation as any I know in the world And I so firmly believe what I say in this matter that I challenge all her Adversaries to Compare ours and other Churches with the word of God and the Primitive Church and if they cannot produce one that is freer from Error in Doctrine and Worship than she is or comes nearer to the Primitive Pattern nay if amongst all Competitions and contending Sects among us there is not one to be found that delivers the Truths of the Gospel with greater purity and sincerity That doth teach a Religion more holy and useful that lays greater stress upon a pure Mind and a blameless and undefiled Life that doth give more forcible Arguments for Vertue or more powerful Disswasives from Vice theâ— I hope you will have better thoughts both of her and my Invitation of you into her Communion and be convinced that you have no just grounds to continue in your Separation upon Pretences of Impurity in her or greater Purity elsewhere But I would have you speak out Is Communion with us sinful or is it not If you say it is you say it without Proof you therein contradict the Opinion of the most eminent of the old Presbyterians you oppose your selves to the Opinion and Practice of the most candid and most honest among those now alive who do not wholly separate themselves from our Communion and if your own Teaches will be true to their real Sentiments I dare be confident they will not say so nay you do herein condemn your own Practice of occasionally joyning with us now and unless you will declare you were then mistaken in your Judgments you make your selves guilty of base Hypocrisie in constantly joyning with us when the Penalties of the Law were inflicted upon those that refused it If you say that Communion with us is not sinful and that therefore you may occasionally joyn with us then let the Assembly of Divines draw the Consequence who say that to separate from those Churches ordinarily and visibly with whom occasionally you may joyn without sin seemeth to be a most unjust Separation That which you quote for One I have shewed to be no Command for you to leave our Church nor can you make it any way applicable thereto till you have proved that there is something taught or practised in our Church which is as bad as the unclean thing there spoken of But did I or ever any Man else say that it was Schism to obey God rather than Man And therefore what need he put me to prove it But that is not your Case my Brethren you causelessly and willfully separate from a sound part of Christ's Church and if that is not Schism I will yield up the cause for ever But let us more particularly examine this mans Notion of Schism and see whether even according thereto you be not guilty of it ANSWER I know Schism properly signifies a Cutting in two a disagreeing in Mâ—â—â—â— a Division in the Church of Christ consisting
Man if he sets up Altar against Altar Church against Church and Heads a Separation from the external Communion of the true Church of Christ and be he who he will and let his Pretence be what it will if he sets himself here in Opposition to me and that true Church of which I am a lawful Minister I must say of him that he does exceedingly trouble our City and that too by Teaching Customs which are not lawful for us to Receive neither to observe being Members of the Church of England for if any Man seem to be contentious we have no such Custom nor the Churches of God from whence we may by the way observe that the Apostle disputing concerning an Ecclesiastick Ceremony with the Corinthian Church appeals to the Custom of the Churches of God as sufficient to confute even the most contentious without any express Determination of the word of God in matters of that Nature I know very well who they were that said these men do exceedingly trouble our City and of whom they spake it and upon what Principle they spake it and I know that your Application of it to me is not Parallel in any of these but I am sure that the Expression as applied by me is as to the matter of Fact true and I know further that they were the Children of Edom that cryed out upon Jerusalem Down with it Down with it even to the Ground It is I do own a daring and provoking piece of Impudence to have a Company of Vzziah's unto whom it appertaineth not to burn Incense unto the Lord but to the Priests the Sons of Aaron that are consecrated to burn Incense compared with the Holy Apostles of our Blessed Saviour who gave such undeniable Proof of the Divinity of their Commission And a good Man cannot but be troubled at the Injustice and Confusion of breaking in upon sacred Rights and invading Holy Offices But however I do assure you that having as I hope now discharged my Duty to the full in this particular I shall give no farther Disturbance to my self than to lament our Divisions and beseech God to compose them and to take what care I can to secure the Rigths and Priviledges which do yet belong to the Church and Minister of this Parish from being either withheld or encroached upon And this as it is all the Disturbance or indeed Incivility that I have offered you notwithstanding sufficient Provocation during the time that I have been in this place so need you not be apprehensive of any other from me for the future Only forgive me that Wrong and give me leave to maintain my Fidelity to the Church to be firm to my Subscriptions and my Vows of Ordination constantly to use and as well as I am able to defend that Liturgy which I have solemnly testified my Approbation of in the Presence of God and in the face of his congregation Pardon me in these things and excuse me that I am resolutely bent not to speak beneath the Dignity of my Function and the Station I am in and you may depend according to the Opportunities you give me of performing them upon all the good Offices which can reasonably be expected from either a good Neighbour a charitable Christian or an honest Minister ANSWER Sir You charge us with causing Divisions among us by bringing in another Preacher as if the Preaching the Gospel by the Authoriz'd Ambassadors of God were the only Cause whom alas you do not consider it 's the unlawful Impositions Superstitions Traditions that is the principal Cause of those Divisions that we are among us for all those are removed we cannot be united REPLY And notwithstanding this impertinent Cant I say still that the bringing in another Preacher does and will maintain the Divisions among us and further that such Preachers are the main if not the only true Causes of them thro' the just Judgment of God upon a sinful People who have not lived answerably to their holy Profession and that Excellent Church which God in wonderful Mercy and by miraculous Providences hath established and preserved among us And I shall alwaies be of that Opinion till it is proved that those Men are Ambassadors authorized by God to preach the Gospel in this Nation and that there are any unlawful Impositions Superstitions and Traditions in our Church which are a just cause for the People to forsake their own Pastors and give themselves up to the guidance of those Intruders And this is a sufficient Reply to his complemental Conclusion with the false Accusation of Vnlawful Impositions Superstitions and Traditions clamorous Phrases which every ignorant Wretch can make use of when he has a mind to reproach our Church Methinks it would have been but fair dealing to have made good this Charge by shewing what Vnlawful things we impose wherein we are superstitious and by what Traditions we make the Word of God of none effect But he knows that to cry out against any Man of a different Opinion is enough to raise the whole Discontented Party against him If he thinks he has given sufficient Proof of Vnlawful Impositions in our Church I think I have proved he has not and in reference to whatsoever is imposed upon us meerly by the Churches Authority I shall only further say That none of the things imposed are Unlawful in themselves that to abridge Authority is the exercise of their Power in things of a middle nature that are of themselves indifferent and neither simply good or evil is to cancel and make Authority useless because their Power lies mainly in things of that nature since things that are simply and absolutely good are commanded by God himself and things that are in themselves evil forbidden by him that if where some are impower'd to give Orders others are not under an Obligation to observe them Authority is nugatory and ridiculous and that before these latter days there were never any Christians in the World that held themselves bound not to do a lawful thing meerly because it was commanded and imposed upon them which makes Obedience and Observance of those things a Duty in us which before they were clothed with a particular and punctual Command were no ways obligatory What this Man means by Traditions I can hardly guess As for Traditions about Matters of Doctrine we hold none but those which are deliver'd to us in the Writings of the Penmen of Holy Writ and for the proof of the Authority of those Sacred Books we look upon the written Tradition of the Church to be a good Argument If by Traditions he means the Customs and Ceremonies of the Church then they have already been consider'd as far as he gave me occasion to do it And I shall only add that I do believe what the Church of England declares in the 34th Article of her Religion That whosoever thro' his private Judgment willingly and purposely doth openly break the Traditions i. e. Customs and
Ceremonies of the Church which be not repugnant to the Word of God and be Ordained and Approved by Common Authority ought to be rebuked openly c. As to the Charge of Superstition it will most certainly fall where that of Will-worship did and the same Instances prove you as guilty of the one as the other What this Man's Notion of Superstition is I cannot tell but to use the Words of a judicious Author in this case I look upon the Men of his Way to be the most superstitious People upon Earth they declaim against things in their own nature innocent and useful as if they were forbidden by God When we represent to our selves the Deity as one that is pleased with the imaginary Notions that we groundlesly entertain of things this is the Superstition that poysons the Soul and all its Faculties When we say that such a thing is forbidden by God only because we forbid it our selves this is to teach for Doctrines the Commandments of Men but to regulate Actions that are indifferent in their nature according to the prudent determination of our Superiors cannot fall under that Censure else all Societies both Civil and Ecclesiastical must be involved in the Guilt When we say things are unlawful that are not unlawful when we prefer Human Institutions to the Commandments of God when we overvalue things beyond their own Nature Dignity and Order in which God hath placed them when we esteem the Means more than the End and separate the Ecclesiastical Laws from their Relation and Subserviency to the Laws of God when our Thoughts and Notions of things are so confus'd that we mistake their subordination one unto another and practise according to such Notions then we put light for darkness and darkness for light Our best Performances must needs be tainted with Folly an Superstition and we worship God not according to the dictates of true Reason or Revelation but according to the dark Idea which we form to our selves This is Superstition in its true colours Superstition is a piece of blind Service and therefore unacceptable a Bastard kind of Worship that proceeds from Pusillanimity and Unreasonable Fear If we struggle for the Opinions and Fancies that are but of yesterday in opposition to the Doctrine and Practices of the Catholick Church we believe our selves rather than the Gospel we are superstitious in the strictest Notion and to set up our own Decrees against the Suffrage of so many Ages is Arrogance and Vanity in the highest sence Or in shorter and perhaps plainer terms Superstition is a needless Fear in matters of Religion which makes a Man either not dare to do those things which he hath a liberty to do or think he must upon pain of Damnation do those things which he may as well let alone So that if either all or any part of this be a right Account of Superstition we are as free therefrom as from Vnlawful Impositions and Vnjustifiable Traditions And it appears that there is no necessity that any thing be removed but that superstitious Humor and untractable Temper which reigns so powerfully among your Party in order to accomplish that blessed Vnion which all good Men Endeavour after and Pray for And now my Brethren upon a serious review of what I have written I do think that I hare returned a full and more than sufficient Answer to that Paper which was drawn up in defence of the Cause of Separation and triumphed in even to my Face as Unanswerable I have followed the Author of it step by step and have not omitted to take notice of the most impertinent thing he has said The close Attendance which I have given to so silly and trifling a Scribbler cannot be Answer'd for any other way than by telling the real Truth which is that I thought my self in Duty bound with Meekness to instruct those in my own Parish that Oppose themselves tho' with never so weak Arguments that I cannot think it becomes us who have taken the Ministry thereof upon us to suffer so excellent a Church to be run down and its Constitution publickly and privately decry'd and in the mean while stand still as it we were either afraid to speak or else had nothing to say in its defence that tho' the Prejudices of its Adversaries are it is to be fear'd too strong to be removed it is however proper to shew the Weakness of their Arguments thereby to keep its own Members firm in its Communion and to Arm them against the slight of Mâ—n and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive And if I can but obtain this by the pains I have herein taken I shall have no cause to repent thereof These are the Principles upon which I have acted in this whole Affair and therefore tho' you may deprive your selves of the Benefit thereof by unkind Resentments and uncharitable Censures of this Work yet you cannot rob me of the satisfaction of having done what I took to be my Duty nor spoil the Acceptableness of an honest and well meant Endeavour with that God who neither sees nor judges as Man doth Where Obstinacy and Perverseness put a Bar in the Way and Mens Judgments are corrupted with Passion and Prejudice there can be no Hopes of doing good But they who divesting themselves of all these are really desirous of it may I hope receive some Satisfaction from the Considerations I have offer'd however in the Books I have refer'd the Reader to I beseech you therefore to reduce your Judgments to an even poise impartially weigh and consider things and for a conclusion of all suffer the Word of Exhortation from your own Reverend Mr. Baxter I advise you that if there be Parish-Churches orderly setled under the Magistrates Countenance whose Teachers are sound and promote the Power of Godliness in Concord tho' an able Minister should gather a separated Church in the same place out of that and other neighbouring Parishes and should have stricter Communicants and Discipline be not too forward to joyn your selves to that Separated Church till you can prove that the Hurt that will follow by Discord Offence Division encouraging of Schism and Pride is not like to be greater than your Benefit can compensate Indeed he says where Liberty is such as these Mischiefs are not like to follow as among us you see they do take your Liberty if your Benefit require it But then he adds in the very next words If this Separated Church be a factions Antichurch set up contentiously against the Concordant Churches tho' on pretence of greater Purity and if their Meetings be imploy'd in contention and reviling others and making them odious that are not of their mind and in killing the Love of Christians to each other and in condemning other Churches as no Churches or such as may not lawfully be communicated with and in puffing up themselves with Pride as if they were the only Churches of Christ avoid such Separated Churches as the Enemies of Love and Peace Do not peevishly pick Quarrels with the Prayers of the Church nor come to them with humor some Prejudice think not that you must stay away or go out of the Church for every passage that is disorderly unmeet yea or unsound or untrue for the Words of Prayer are the Work of Man And while Men are fallible imperfect and sinful their Prayers and Praises and Preaching will be like themselves And he that is the highest Pretender and the peevishest Quarreller hath his own Failings Division is wounding and tends to death abhor it as you love the Churches Welfare or your own The Wisdom from above is first pure and then peaceable never separate what God conjoyneth It is the earthly sensual devilish Wisdom which causeth bitter Envying and Strife and Confusion and every Evil Work Blessed are the Peace-makers This Advice is so proper and applicable to your Case and Circumstances that I only need to add the Words of St. Paul which I desire every Soul in my Parish to look upon with as much Regard as if they had been immediately and particularly spoke to them by the blessed Apostle himself If there be therefore any Consolation in Christ if any Comfort of Love if any Fellowship of the Spirit if any Bowels of Mercy fulfill ye my Joy that ye be like minded having the same Love being of one Accord of one Mind Follow Peace with all Men and Holiness without which no Man shall see the Lord. I am Your Faithful and Affectionate Pastor Jos Harrison Poor Man's Family Book 4 Ed. p. 316. John 20.21 Tit. 1.5 Poor Man's Family-Book p. 273. Case of Lay-Communica Friendly Deb. part I. p. 165. Christ Libert p. 183. Heb. 13.17 1 Pet. 2.13 Answer to the Vnlawfulness of Com. Pray-Worsh p. 9. 1 Cor. 1.25 25. Numb 14.41 1 Kings 8 3. 2 Chron. 30.23 Est 9.20 Zech. 8.19 1 Mac. 4.9 John 10.22 Mat. 26.30 1 Cor. 14.40 1 Pet 2.13 Mat. 6.9 Friendly Deb. part 1. p 93. Preface to the Com. Prayer 1 John 3.4 Rom. 4.15 Misch of Sep. p. 20. Friendly Deb. part 1. p 166. Friend Deb. par 1. p. 165. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Misch of Sep. p. 29. 1 Cor. 11.16 Presb. of Scotland Enquiry into the new Opinion c. by A. M. D. D. p. 295. p. 305. p. 307. Fr. Deb. par 1 p. 95. Poor Man's Family-book p. 316. p. 321. p. 274. Phil. 2.1 2. Heb. 12.14
a regard for the everlasting Salvation of our own Souls that we shall endeavour to make choice of such a Minister as may be able to divide the Word of Truth aright and give to every one their Portion in due season REPLY I have observed but very little Coherence in any part of this Paper but I see none at all in this Clause on the contrary the very design of chusing another Minister is a Proof beyond denial of your Desire of Separation Your Reformation was the drift of my Paper and 't is Nonsense for you to retort it upon us till you have given some better Proofs that there are really such Faults in the Constitution of our Church as ought to be amended But if the Reformation you desire be as to Matters which you either have proved or can prove to be really evil I doubt not but the next Convocation that sits will readily gratifie you herein nay I verily think that they would take away some of those Ceremonies you scruple or however leave the Use of them to every ones liberty as the Canons of 40 have done Bowing towards the East if you could secure them against the evil Consequences of unnecessary Alterations or give them sufficient Grounds to believe that the Dissenters of this Kingdom would then Vnite in the Communion of the Church or that the major part of you who are distinguish'd from the other Sects by the Name of Presbyterians would thereupon come over thereto or indeed that such a Method of proceeding would not drive more out of the Church than it would bring in But if the Reformation you talk of be such as would maim and wound at least if not Vnchurch us or however lay us open to all manner of Confusion it is unreasonable you should be complied with and you do thereby plainly shew your Desires to be either after Ascendency over us or Separation from us Of which another Evidence is that you use no Endeavours to get your selves satisfied of the Lawfulness of joyning in our Worship You only read Books and hear Persons of one side You are full of Prejudice against us and are glad of any Pretence to separate from us You cry out against the Common-prayer but pray let me ask you and answer it to your Consciences Have you ever seriously and impartially read and examin'd that Book Have you a desire to hold Communion with us if you could perswade your selves that you might lawfully do it Have you proposed your Scruples to the Divines of our Church or Have you read what they have written in order to your satisfaction If you have done all these things then you have acted fairly But then let me ask again Have you met with any of your own Teachers that are able to give a sufficient Answer to their Arguments They may possibly put you off with Noise and Clamour instead of true Reason but certain it is they have none of them yet answer'd those excellent things that have been writ in the defence of our Church If they think their Cause so good and themselves able to defend it let them try their Skill at Mr. Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity and the several Treatises writ by our Divines in the Reign of King Charles the Second not above two of which were ever answer'd but those Answers were Replied to without ever a Rejoinder some or all of which I would have those among you that have Time and Capacities for it to peruse particularly those that I have already had or shall have occasion to mention or refer to as also a Perswasive to Communion with the Church of England by the late Bishop of Chichester and The Case of Indifferent Things by the present Bishop of that Diocess The Discourses about Conscience and a Scrupulous Conscience by the present Archbishop of York and Dr. Calamy wherein you will be inform'd how far that Pretence will and will not bear you out in your Separation Our Church is freed from the Imputation of Popery by Dr. Hooper and all your Objections against the Common-Prayer answer'd by Dr. Claggett and Dr. Comber which latter has largely and devoutly Explain'd and Paraphras'd upon every part of it Mr. Evans has in two parts stated and resolved for you the Case of Kneeling at the Holy Sacrament And several more Discourses there are all writ with that Candour and Calmness which if you have leisure is sufficient to invite you to peruse and consider them And indeed one would wonder that after so many excellent Tracts writ in vindication of our Church there should be such a Person as a Dissenter in England I have all or most of these things by me and the Use of them is at the service of any of you that will desire and accept of it but you must put in practise the Advice of Epictetus which is to seek after Truth with the indifference of Travellers who matter not whether their way be to the right or left or forward so that it lead them to their Journeys end ANSWER Sir as for your accusing us of Schism the keeping it up in the Church of God and rending and dividing the Body of Christ and all for separating from those Errors the Church is guilty of from which we have a Commandment to separate our selves Come out from amongst them saith the Lord and touch not the Unclean thing and I will receive you now whether it be right to obey GOD or Man judge ye Now if you can make it appear that it is Schism to obey GOD rather than Man and that it 's a rending and dividing the Body of Christ when we contend but for the pure Administration of his Ordinances according to his own Appointment Now if you can prove this I will yield you the Cause REPLY Your saying that I accused you of Schism the keeping it up in the Church of God and rending and dividing the Body of Christ is false I did not positively charge you therewith I signified to you the Guilt and Danger of that Crime that you might take care not to incurr either by separating upon Humor or Prejudice without just Grounds and Reasons And I was purposely thus cautions in expressing my self that I might not baffle my own Design by saying any thing that might disoblige or exasperate Persons whom I had some Grounds to suspect were self will'd and too inclinable to be soon angry but since you will force me to speak out I 'll tell you my Mind freely and because this Man seems to exult in vindicating you from that Charge and says it wholly upon us I will endeavour to make it appear that notwithstanding any thing he has said you are Schismaticks still That therefore which I do say and for which I have both good Reason and good Authority is this that forasmuch as you withdraw your Communion from that Church that I mean to which I invited you with which you lawfully may and with which therefore you ought to
communicate you cannot be excused from the Sin of Schism at least as to the Matter and Outward Act of it because where-ever there is an Actual Separation from a Church with which we ought and with which we may lawfully communicate there is an Actual Schism commenced let the Pretence for the Separation be what it will How far you are chargable before God with the formal Guilt of Schism I know not I must leave that to your Consciences and the Searcher of Hearts who knows whether your Separation be occasion'd through the fault of your Wills or the weakness of your Understandings whether through Passion or Humor or Interest or from the misfortune of your Circumstances as to Education or any other matter I hope the best and judge as charitably as I can and that is as charitably as any Man living This was and this is still my real Opinion and there is nothing said in your Paper to induce me to alter it for unless the Errors you separate from be such as make Communion absolutely unlawful you can never produce a Command to withdraw your Communion from the National Church where the Divine Providence hath placed you and especially from that Church wherein you were born and baptiz'd That 1 Cor. 6.17 which you pretend as a Command will not stand you in the least stead till you have proved our Service to be Idolatrous and we Unbelievers of whom you will find that the Apostle speaks if you will but look to v. 14 and as the Margin directs you to Isa 52.11 whence these words are cited where the Prophet bids the whole Body of the Jews to fly out of Babylon and therefore it must be something worse than gross Ignorance to apply it to such a Separation as you are in I doubt not but the Errors as you call them mentioned in this Paper are thought by you to be the greatest of any in our Church and yet even these have been abundantly vindicated from that Imputation and Christ's own Ordinances are Administred by us according to his own Institution without any such Defect or Addition as alters their Nature and destroys their Vertue And what purer Administration and Ordinances Men would have than those of our Saviour's own Institution without any corrupt and sinful Mixtures to spoil their Vertue and Efficacy I cannot tell nor durst this Man positively say in his Paper that Christ's Ordinances are not thus purely Administred by us notwithstanding his sly and malicious Insinuation to the contrary But granting that in the Administration of Christ's Ordinances there be some particular Modes and Rites accompanying them which are not commanded in the Gospel if they are such as do not destroy the Efficacy or alter the Nature of the Ordinance they cannot be pretended unlawful or the Ordinance ever the less purely Administred because the Vnlawfulness of any thing depends upon its being forbidden and the Purity of Divine Administrations upon their Agreement with the Institution Thus the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is administred exactly according to the Institution of our Blessed Saviour and because it is the most solemn part of Christian Worship and deliver'd to the Receiver with a most devout and affectionate Prayer that the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given and shed for him may preserve his Body and Soul unto Everlasting Life and therefore requires the utmost Devotion and Reverence of both Soul and Body it is order'd to be received kneeling Thus also is Baptism purely Administred and after the Person is baptized and solemnly received into Christ's Church he is signed with the Sign of the Cross in tokâ— that hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the Faith of Christ crucified but manfully to fight under his Banner against Sin the World and the Devil and continue Christ's faithful Soldier and Servant unto his Life's end And at the Baptism of Infants Persons are deputed by the Parents expâ—icitly in the Infant 's Name to make that Vow and Stipulation which those who allow of their Baptism must however suppose to be tacitly and implicitly made by them and also to give Collateral Security to the Church for the Religious Education of the Infant the design of which Institution was to provide against the Remisness or Mortality of the Parents whose Obligation to breed up their Children in the Fear of God is never the less but is on the contrary thought to be already so great by the Laws of Nature and Religion that they themselves cannot be more strictly bound It is indeed to be lamented that the Regard to this Appointment is not answerable to the Piety and Excellency of its design but it ought to be consider'd that that is the fault of the Men and not of the Constitution and that those who object against it upon this score may themselves help to remedy it Now if when Christ's Ordinances are thus purely Administred it be not a rending and dividing the Body of Christ so highly to contend for such Modes of Administration which are not more Scriptural but only more agreeable to their own Fancies as to separate from and break the Peace of Christ's Church if I say this be not a rending the Body of Christ I know not by what Name to call it and I believe my Opponent will be hard put to it to give it a more proper one But allowing that those you insist upon be Errors Are they fundamental ones Are they destructive of true Christian Faith and Practice Did I not know the Power of Passion and Prejudice I durst be confident you will say they are not but however I positively assert they are not and defie all the Dissenters in England to prove that they are If they are not then your own Writers shall instruct you in your Duty Private Brethren says Mr. Noys may not separate from Churches and Church Ordinances which are not fundamentally defective neither in Doctrine or Manners Heresie or Prophaneness Dr. Owen asserts That many Errors in Doctrine Disorders in sacred Administrations irregular walking in Conversation with neglect and abuse of Discipline in Rulers may fall out in some Churches and yet not evacuate their Church-State or give sufficient warrant to leave their Communion and separate from them Mr. Cotton saith Vnless you find in the Church Blasphemy or Idolatry or Persecution i. e. such as forces them to leave the Communion there is no just Ground of Separation Observe saith Mr. Baxters in his Catalogue of the Faults of nine Churches in Scripture that no one Member is in all these Scriptures or any other commanded to come out and separate from any of all these Churches as if their Communion in Worship were unlawful And therefore before you separate from any as judging Communion with them unlawful be sure that you bring greater Reasons than any of these recited were And this Advice he gives to his Brethren Teach them to know that all Men are imperfect and faulty and so