authority before that of the Scriptures which is down right Popery that they are a Generation of formall heady passionate immoderate men that make it their business not practically to preach Christ crucified but to strengthen their own Hierarchy They are injurious to the Church of England which is exceeding Moderate both as to her Doctrine and Ceremonies for her Doctrine it is aequidistant from Popery and Calvinisme as to her Ceremonies in them she is not gawdy but decent not meritricious but Matron-like so that they which speak against moderation understand neither the one nor the other very offensive to God and man As to God it could not but offend the great God of peace to see the Ambassadours of the Gospel of peace quarrell and make the Gospel of peace the Instrument of commotion and disturbances As for men it could not but offend them for either they were affected or not affected to the Service for those that were affected to it they grieved to see us contend about it and render it so unauthoritative and contemptible in the eyes of others for those that did not affect it they were glad of such an opportunity that they might laugh in their sleeve at our irreverencies irregularities so that it is very apparent that Mr. Wakeman hath violated the lawes both of God and man that he hath contrary to Scripture and reason as it were thrown dirt into the face of God his Ordinances and Ministry prostituted the Dignity Majesty and Authority of his profession and made it cheap and vile in the eyes of men But in that he is so weak in himself let us see whether he can fetch any strength from the Kings Declaration which he urgeth against me as for His Majesties gracious Declaration I receive it with a great deal of submission reverence and obedience as becomes a good Subject and a good Christian which I conceive doth not at all concern me because I am no delinquent neither have I any way violated it the Law is for the Lawlesse the great design of that excellent Declaration was to restrain the inordinacies of the Enemies of the Church government now in being which preached up their own formes of Church government in opposition to it and to the weakning the authority thereof it was to curbe those incendiaries that spoke things reflexive on and derogatory from the Dignity and authority of the established Church Policy but in regard those things that I spoke tended to obedience and submission to this Church government by Episcopacy it was impertinently alleged against me who have preached written suffered for the established Government both in Church and State and am every way conformable to both I cannot conceive how we should sufficiently celebrate the 29 day of May if we are not at all permitted to speak of the Government either in Church or State Another end of the Kings Declaration was the restraint of Pragmaticall unprofitable Preachers if so it concerned him more who as I understand in stead of preaching wholsome practicall truths for the most part preacheth about nothing but Festivalls and Ceremonies and Surplices if I had offended against the Declaration His Majesty or the Ministers of State not he were to call me in question As for my Sermon which he saith is Seditious I will do what in me lies to justifie it against him and all opposers that it is Scriptural rational peaceable sutable Christian and not seditious either as to the matter contained in it the manner of delivering it or the end of it if it be not Scripturall let him produce some scriptures for virulency bitternesse immoderations and if it be not rationall let him confute my reasons if not peaceable let him shew me how it tends to war if not seasonable let time produce somewhat that is more seasonable what ever it is I am resolved to vindicate it from his aspersion As to that passage he cavilled at as to Church Government I am of that opinion that there is none in the New Testament but that it is left to the authority and prudence of any particular Church to determine concerning it which position I shall endevour to make good against all gainsayers and if I thought my pains upon this Subject would be acceptable to the World I would write a Tract particularly upon it I am not ignorant how all men challenge their Governments to be in Scripture but to stop their mouths I think none of their governments are there expresly formally as to their whole constitutions and Ceremonies as the Government of the Jewes was As for my Antagonist I hope I shall justifie my Sermon but he cannot his practice both which I cast at the feet of the intelligent moderate World that knows how to distinguish between Moderation and Sedition and am Their devoted Servant in Christ Jesus JOHN PRICE MODERATION not SEDITION Phill. 4. v. 5. Let your Moderation be known unto all men for the Lord is at hand NEver did men prosecute their Designs Opinions and Passions with more uncharitable ardors then we do in this our Age but our blessed Apostle doth quench such unchristian antiscriptural heats he doth as it were throw water on this Fire in the Words of my Text Let your Moderation be known unto all men c. In which you may be pleased to observe 1. A duty and that is Moderation Let your Moderation be known 2. The Universality and extent of this duty and that both as in reference to persons and things for the word in the original runs thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. An inforcing reason for the Lord is at hand Beloved you see your duty and that is Moderation Let your Moderation or you may take it otherwise thus Christians should be sober moderate men In the prosecution of it I shall use this Method 1. Shew you what Moderation is 2. Why we are to use it 3. The principal Objects about which it is versant or those things in which we are to be moderate 4. Make application And 1. This moderation in my Text it may be defined thus it is a modest indifferent patient frame of soul a constant equal temper of Spirit free from all exuberances and inordinations of extremes rigorous exactions of what peradventure may be due The word in the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your equity which is nothing else properly but an abating or remission of the rigour of some punishment that is due a weaker persuing of injuries upon some reasonable grounds Then may we be said to be moderate when we are not over credulous in our opinions impatient in our afflictions fiery in our passions peremptory in our desires garrulous in our discourses prodigal in our expences but when we have a due government of our selves according to the principles of reason and Religion in all those objects about which this moderation is exercised When we have our opinions but are not wedded to them when we have our passions but have
and divers others How irrational a thing is it for any one to endeavour to maintain an opinion with bitterness and virulency which is not justifiable either by Scripture or reason though it may be he may erroniously imagine that it is by both but really and truly by neither That there is no Platform of Church-Government in Scripture is most evident for if there had all the Churches in the World must ipso facto have truckled under it and acquiesced in it for what is expresly in Scripture is not to be disputed but obeyed and it would have been the same all over the World but there are not three Churches in all the World that have the same Government as to all Circumstantials and Ceremonies which is an undenyable Argument that there is no perticular determinate Standard of Church Discipline in Scripture Neither doth this argue any insufficiency in it as some would on this ground infer it hath an instrumental Relative sufficiency as the divine and incomparable Mr. Hooker hath very well observed and though it be not expressed as to the circumstantials yet it is as to the substantial of Religion for it is sufficient to make us wise unto Salvation which is all that is requisite I must confess that Reverend and gray headed Episcopacy bids fairest and is most countenanced of any opinion by Scripture and Antiquity but though it may be granted that it is in Scripture fundamentally radically virtually yet it is not there formally expresly and as to all its Appendants Grandezzaes and Splendors It is there as to the Substance but not as to all its Circumstances and Ceremonies I humbly conceive that all Church Government is grounded upon such places of Scripture as these Let all things be done decently and in Order And I left thee in Creet to ordain Elders and to set in order the things that are wanting this is the Charter for the Churches power it reacheth only to generals but not to particulars which are determinable by the prudence and Authority of any Church Which Truth if men were fully convinced of and would but acquiesce in it would be an excellent means to compose all our differences which proceed mostly from a wresting and mis-interpreting of Scripture 5. We should be moderate because the Lord is at hand This is the Apostles own Argument the time will shortly come when all our opinions desires passions will vanish and be swallowed up in Eternity when we must not wrangle about them but come and give an account of them We should be moderate in our desires as to the World because the Lord is at hand to satisfie us with his Alsufficiency why should we prefer a Beam before the Sun a drop before the Ocean a trivial petty fading before an Eternal all-satisfying good We should be moderate in our Afflictions because the Lord is at hand in his due time to release us to comfort and support us in them and under them and as to give us a burden so also a shoulder to bear it Such is the transcendent goodness of God that he doth adapt the burden to the shoulder he will not suffer us to be tempted above measure We should be moderate in our passions such as anger and revenge because the Lord is at hand to right us and we are not competent Judges in our own cause We are apt also to be too partial for a man to revenge himself it is as it were to unscepter the Almighty and to take some of the Jewells out of the Crown Royal Vengeance is mine and I will repay it saith the Lord. So much may suffice for the reasons I proceed in the next place to shew you the Objects about which it is versant or the things in which we should be moderate they are principally reduced to these heads Moderation in our opinions desires passions afflictions recreations discourses and expences Moderation in our opinions our opinions are versant either about the essentials or the circumstantials of Religion the Main Castle or the outworks the City or the â—uburbs the Vineyard it self or the Hedge Though Moderation in essentials be pernicious yet in things adiaphorous and of a middle nature it is both peaceable and Christian like Though we are to be Martyrs for an Article of our Faith as St. Polycarp and St. Ignatius and divers others were yet not for a Ceremony or circumstantial which God doth not call us to suffer for We are so to have and to hold our opinions as not to lose our Charity if we do not do so we are like to prove great losers by it It was not ill spoken of by Mr. Calvin when the unhappy Controversie betwixt Episcopacy and Presbytery was on foot in England Ego in Controversia Anglicana moderationem semper tenui cujus me non penituit In the English Controversies I was always very moderate and do not repent of it that I was so It was well said of one Unity in things necessary Moderation in things indifferent and Charity in all Neither do I speak this as if I would plead for or countenance an Exemption from the decent harmless Ceremonies of the Church of England But rather because I would have men shew their Moderation in yeilding obedience to them for when we submit to things that are not in themselves Antiscriptural or unlawful though we had never such an aversation from them before then we may be said also to be Moderate for Moderation as I defined it is betwixt both extremes and equidistant A man may be immoderate as well in underas in over-valluing the Ceremonies Concerning the Ceremonies of the Church of Ehgland give me leave to present you with the opinion of that Jewel of the Church of England Bishop Iewel where in his Apology for the Church of England he gives this account of the Ceremonies Retinemus tamen colimus non tantum ea quae scimus tradita fuisse ab Apostolis sed etiam alia quaedam quae nobis videbantur sine Ecclesiae incommodo ferre posse Ea vero omnia quae aut valde Superstitiosa aut frigida aut spurca aut ridicula aut cum sacris literis pugnantia aut sobriis hominibus indigna esse videbamus prorsus sine ulla exceptione repudiavimus We retain and respect not only those Ceremonies which we know were delivered from the Apostles but also others which we thought might be very well born with without any prejudice to the Church but all those that were superstitious or ridiculous or contrary to the Word or offensive to sober men we have without any exception cast off The Church of England is moderate both as to her Doctrine and Ceremonies and he that speaks against Moderation will be convinced not to understand its Doctrine I do rather approve of those Moderate men Grotius Erasmus George Cassander and others who endevoured to throw water on the fire of Christendome then of any turbulent hot spirited men such as Arrius Apollinaris and others
MODERATION not SEDITION Held forth in A SERMON Partly Preached At St. Matthews FRIDAY-STREET The 5. of Iuly 1663. And then Disturbed and since Traduced as Seditious Now Published for the Vindication of the Truth and Clearing the Innocency of the Deliverer By Iohn Price M. A. of University-Colledge in Oxford Nonnulla 〈◊〉 quae curari incisione nequeunt fomite olei sanantur Et durus adamas incisionem ferri minime recipit sed leni hircorum sanguine mollescit Greg. Magnus de Pastore London Printed for the Author 1663. To the Right Reverend Father in GOD HUMPHRY Lord Bishop of London Elect. MY LORD I Am a Stranger to you but I know You are not a Stranger to that which is noble and just I have so good an opinion of you as to think you will do Iustice as soon to a Stranger as to any Friend or Relation Being uncivilly and unchristianly disturbed at the Reading of Divine Service and the Preaching of this Sermon and traduced as a Disturber of our Israel a Sower of Sedition I have for the vindication of my Honour published the Proceedings and make bold to throw this mean Discourse at your Lordships Feet Whom I acknowledge to be the fittest Iudge in this Case as being called thereunto both by God and his Vicegerent I refer my self wholly to you I own your Authority I desire to submit to and acquiesce in your determinations I hope you will protect and pity my accused distressed Innocence which flyes to your Authority Wisdome and Iustice for shelter and am Your Lordships most humbly devoted Servant and Son in Christ Jesus JOHN PRICE To the READER COurteous and Ingenuous Reader I am so far conscious of my own disabilities and of the Criticisme of this Capricious age that I am loth to appear in publick neither would I have done so now but that I have a great deal of reason to think that I am concerned in honour so to do The occasion of the publishing of this Sermon was the uncivil unchristian disturbance of it at St. Matthews Friday-street at the Preaching thereof Neither did It only incur this fate but also the Divine Service whose Majesty Authority and Divinity was not sufficient to Shield it from the Indignities that my Antagonist put upon it who would be thought to be one of its greatest Pations The manner of the disturbance was thus Having preached at the aforesaid Church the Lords-day before and being invited by the Minister and the Parish to preach there again according to promise I came he understanding that I had gained somewhat upon the affections of the people and not well digesting that comes to the Church contrary to my expectation fraught with rancour and malice on purpose to contradict me When I had read the Divine Service to the first Lesson there he makes a publick disturbance I mistaking the 2 Chap. of the 1 of Samuel for the 11 it is very easily done by reason of the similitude of the Figures after I had named the one he names the other Not long after he sends to me to read the second Service at the Communion-Table which I being a Stranger and it being in a private Church refused to do When I had read to the Collect for the day he speaks aloud This is the Collect for the day though I had turned to it at the beginning of the Service After I had read the first Service I betook my self to the reading of the second which he out of an imperious humour would and would not have read These and many other affronts he offered in the reading of the Service After I had Prayed and named my Text and Preached a quarter of an hour upon it amongst other arguments for Moderation this was one There is no form of Church Government in the New Testament therefore we should be Moderate in our opinions and patiently submit to and acquiesce in that form of Government that the steering Authority of the Nation judgeth to be most for the advantage of Gods worship and the good of Souls Here he urged it was against the Kings Declaration to treat of Church Government that the Sermon was Seditious and three times with a great deal of Passion and little reason or Religion bids me Come down which I did being ashamed of the disturbances that were already and not desirous to create any more this is the state of the Case now for the vindicating of my self and for the satisfaction of the world I shall endevour to maintain against him that his proceedings were very pragmaticall very anti-scriptural very irrational very impious very injurious to Episcopal Government and the Church of England very offensive to God and men Very pragmatical if there had been any thing amisse he should have complained to my Lord the Bishop not made himself judge in his own cause to do as he did was as it were to unmitre the Bishop very Antiscriptural the Scripture is not for disturbing but countenancing the Ministers in the executing of their Function its language is do my Prophets no harm honour them for their works sake they are in Gods stead and to affront them in the delivery of their Embassy is to affront him whose person and authority they represent very irrational because antiscripturall we own no reason that doth not vaile to Scripture can any sober man think the mistaking of a Chapter to be a sufficient rational ground for a generall disturbance and discomposure when it is not done de industria and in opposition to the authority of the Church but only through a casuall mistake The worst that can be made of it is this it was an imperfection and must our Services be disturbed and slighted because they are imperfect if this reason were valid we should never perform any spirituall duty because they are all imperfect if it was an imperfection it became him rather for the honour of his profession and dignity of the divine Worship as Constantine the Great did to spread a Mantle over it to take notice of it argu'd a great deal of inhumanity and pride in him Inhumanity and want of Charity in that He would expose his brothers imperfections pride and vanity in that he did it to magnifie himself very impious whatsoever is uncharitable and irreverent must needs be impious to affront God any where must needs be impious but to do it in his own house most impious To quarrell with any one is a sin but to quarrell with a man of God is a Scarlet sin What did he do in that action but like the Pope exalt himself above all that is called God prefer his own perverse will and inraged passion before God and his Worship which he made Hagar like to wait upon and truckle under them very injurious to the Episcopal party and the Church of England Such proceedings as these give the world occasion to beleive that their Religion is nothing but shell and Ceremony and no power that they prefer their own
them subject to reason and Religion when we enjoy the Creature but do not make an Idol of it when we are sorrowful but not as men without hope when we are angry and sin not when we resent an injury but not to revenge it then we may be said to be moderate so much may suffice for the definition of Moderation I proceed in the second place to shew the reasons why we are to practice Moderation which are these 1. Our understandings are cloudy and fallible we know little and therefore should be modest and not too too confident in our opinions the more ignorant we are the less confident we should be nothing is more ridiculous then to see a man extremely ignorant and extremely confident Socrates his ignorance taught him modesty says he Hoc unum scio me nihil scire this one thing I know that I know nothing Man indeed in his innocency was of sparkling intellectuals the eye of his Soul was quick and clear he had cognitionem lucidam plenam claram fixam contemplationem intelligibilium a clear and plenary knowledge a strong and fixed contemplation of all things intelligible as the School-men speak Adam no sooner saw a thing but saw into the very essence of it but our understandings are so dark that they can neither see themselves nor any thing else as they should do Adam's Candle flamed but ever since it hath aspired to be a Sun it burnt the more dimly Adam's understanding that Tree of knowledge was as a tall Cedar reaching up to heaven but ours are but as so many humiles myricae so many groveling shrubs What are those monstrous opinions both in Philosophy and Divinity but so many sad monuments of a cloudy ruined intellect Gassendus tells us that he never knew any opinion so probable but its contrary opinion was as probable and the Scepticks held that all Propositions were in equilibriâ— the scales were even and did encline neither to the one side nor other Lactantius tells us that Philosophy is nothing else but opinion may we not say the like of most of our Divinity especially our Controversial and Scholastical Divinity What do we know but a few fundamentals which God hath discovered to us as it were with a Torch from heaven There is an ingenious Tract come out not long ago Intituled The Vanity of Dogmatizing or laying down determinations too confidently To believe nothing and to believe every thing though upon never so weak grounds is equally culpable there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things hard to be understood not only in Philosophy but also in Divinity and though Scepticisme in Essentialls be pernicious yet in things dubious and not so clearly revealed it is not only tollerable but commendable Whether the Pope be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Antichrist or no is very disputable it is a question which hath exercised the greatest wits of the World for many years together now how ridiculous a thing would it be for a man to write positively that the Pope were Antichrist and then it may be a year or two after upon maturer deliberation and clearer conviction to write that he were not We are not infallible we may be deceived in our opinions therefore we should not prosecute them with so much fierceness and uncharitableness 2. The mutability and unconstancy of all sublunary things should move us to use Moderation There is nothing under the Sun but hath Mortality engraven'd upon it Perpetuum toto restat in orbe nihil All things here below are brittle and changeable and therefore we should not be transported with our present condition or over rigorous in our deportment towards others As is the object so should our affections be conversant about it as Objects are transitory and flitting so should our affections be as God is the most permanent good so â—our affections and passions should be most fixed upon him Pretty was the story of Sesostres the Egyptian the four captive Kings Such was the pride of Sesostres that he would be carried in a Chariot of Gold drawn by four Kings on a time one of the Kings fixed his eye upon the Wheel that was next to him and so much that the King perceived him and asked him what he meant by it Me thinks saith he the motion of this Wheel is a lively Emblem of our condition for that part which is but even now uppermost is presently the lowest of all Neither have Kingdoms any Immunity from this fate for though a Government be never so good in it self both in Church and State yet God may change it for the sins and immoderations of the Governours and Governed which should induce us to use Moderation of this we have had sad experience in the time of our confusions We may be at the Zenith of happiness to day and cast down to the very Nadix of misery to morrow therefore we should be moderate and pity those that are in misery 3. We should use Moderation because it is the only way to to win upon men the Tradesman would win upon his Customer the Oratour would win upon his Auditory now the only way to win upon the affections is by moderation gutta cavat lapidem a few leisurely drops doe that which the violent inundations of an Ocean cannot The Sun thaws those congealed Mountains of Ice and Snow which are unmalleable by any humane Art Though the boisterous storm could not make the Traveller put of his Cloake yet the warmer Beams of the Sun did Though a Flint will not break upon a piece of Iron or Stone yet it will upon a featherbed or Cushion he that would break a flinty heart must do it with soft downy and as it were featherbed-expressions Many times we see that an ill timned too too tart reproof makes us more and more in love with our sin and hug our iniquity with a closer imbrace When a man hath nothing else but fire in his looks and thunder in his speeches when he would rail me out of my sin I am apt to think it is not my good but his own interest that makes him Iohu-like to drive so furiously that in stead of Reason and Religion he obtrudes nothing upon me but his own peccant luxuriant passions that there is too much of man in it to have any thing of God neither is it impossible for a good truth to fare the worse for an injudicious indiscreet Deliverer 4. There is no form of Church Government in the New-Testament therefore we should not pursue our opinions with so much vehemency and so little Charity as oftentimes we do but humbly submit to the prudence of our Superiours and patiently acquiesce in that Government which the steering Authority of the Nation judgeth to be most for the advantage of Gods Worship and our good as also most consistent with and suiting to the constitution thereof This was the opinion of the late King Charles of blessed Memory Sir Francis Bacon Bishop Sanderson