justle out the word of God out of your solemn Meeting to make room for your own Sermons I beseech you to consider whether this be not laying aside the Commandments of God for men's Inventions unless you 'll call your Sermons as some Quakers are said to do as much the word of God as the Bible Answ Dos his Lp. indeed imagine that a sermon which chiefly consists of several parallel passages of the word of God compar'd togther and recited in that order as may illustrate or apply each other justles out the word of God Or dos a Lecture which is an entire portion of Scripture read and explain'd justle it out Is the word of God excluded by being explain'd and applied when 't is read Or do those less honour the Word of God in their hearts who desire to hear it expounded and applied then those that are content to have it read without any such additional help to understand it and profit by it May we not as wisely tell our Author that he has just led out this Text by paraphrasing it especially when he has done it so untowardly and so little agreeably to the design of our Blessed Saviour Nay how comes he here to call Sermons the Inventions of Men Dos he think that God has not as expressly enjoyn'd Teaching and Exhortation as Reading the Scriptures to Christian Pastors Nay of the two more expressly there being far more numerous and plain passages for the former then for the latter as distinguisht from the former How comes he then to make that a human Invention which he owns has scriptural Example to warrant it p. 75. nay for which I have produc't him plain precepts too Nay how comes he to assign us so wonderful a Reason why we must own Sermons to be men's Inventions viz. that otherwise we must call e'm as some Quakers are said to do as much the word of God as the Bible Dos he indeed espouse that sottish Opinion of the Quakers who account every thing in the Worship of God a human Invention that is perform'd in the exercise of our own rational Faculties and requires our Study and Meditation in the composure of it If he do I am afraid he must abandon the Reading of the Scriptures as an human Invention too because that requires the use of our Eyes and some small use of our Vnderstandings too to read right Nay he must on the same account call all the Collects in the Liturgy human Inventions as the Quakers do because he cannot pretend 'em to be as much divinely inspir'd as the Prayers recorded in the Bible And dos he expect that we should regard such uncharitable censures as are founded on such wild and confus'd Notions as these are any more than we do the senseless clamours of the Quakers themselves who at least in this matter speak more consistently with themselves then his Lp. dos when he talks of human Inventions His Lp tells us p. 88. Many of our common People are strangers to the History of the Bible and the first Principles of Christianity Answ Either he means they are more so in proportion to those that are members of the Establish't Church or he dos not If not to what purpose dos he upbraid the Dissenters with it If he dos I wou'd desire him to consult his credit a little better then by obtruding so notorious untruths upon the world 'T is impossible to make exact Computations of this kind But I doubt not that if he takes a thousand Families of each Communion he will find that for one of the Conforming Laity that reads the Scripture dayly in their Families there are ten or more of the Dissenters I am credibly inform'd by such as live in the North that most Families of Dissenters read the Scriptures dayly and especially on the Lord's day both before they come to the publick worship and after And 't is partly on that account that the Ministers lay down their Expository Lectures in the depth of Winter Whereas since comparatively so few Conforming Families have the Scriptures read in 'em there may be perhaps the greater necessity for the reading a larger entire portion of 'em in the Parish Churches I may say the same as to the other branch of the Accusation For the account given before of the care of their Ministers to catechize every particular person in their Parishes renders it absolutely incredible that their People should be greater strangers to the first Principles of Christianity then others on whom no such particular pains are bestow'd The Bp. tells us p. 95. Reading a Verse or two and trusting to the Minister's Application without the Peopl's being acquainted with the whole Body of Scripture dos put Christians too much in the power of their Teachers c. This is the very Artifice whereby the Romish Priests keep their People in Ignorance And your Teachers using the same method seems too like a design on their Hearers and tempts the World to suspect that they are afraid of the naked simplicity of the Scriptures since they dare not trust the People with hearing 'em publickly read except they add their own glosses on ' em Answ Has his Lp. any just ground for this invidious Comparison Do the Romish Priests when they Preach put Bibles into their people's hands Do they read it to 'em in their Mother Tongue Do they urge their people to bring Bibles with them and like the Noble Beraeans to examin all they deliver and not to take things on trust from their Teachers without trying what they hear by that infallible Test And yet he knows this is the Dissenters practice to whose Meetings most of their people bring Bibles whereas few comparatively bring 'em to the publick Churches unless it be that small part of 'em which the common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book contains Nay do not those rather imitate the Romish Priests who tho they lock not up the Scriptures in an unknown Tongue yet never open 'em when they read 'em by a judicious Exposition Or dos he think bare reading the Scriptures without ever comparing 'em will best acquaint the People with the body of ' em Or dos he think the People are in greatest danger of being seduc't when the Scriptures are explain'd as well as read to 'em and that they are then likest to take up the right sense of 'em when they have no Interpreter to guide ' em Were the Apostles afraid of the naked simplicity of the Scriptures because they took so much pains to add their own glosses on ' em Or dos he think that meer Readers have done more to recover Christianity to it's primitive simplicity and purity and to reclaim the world from the delusions of Popery then the most laborious Expositors Why then do we not throw away all our Commentaries on the Bible Why dare not his Lp. in this Discourse trust us with the naked simplicity of the Scriptures he quotes in it without adding his own glosses on ' em Or will he own
we must do it on the uncertain credit of Rabbinical Writers whose testimony is of little value and not on the testimony of the H. Scripture yet I see not how the Bp. can make any more of this than that our Saviour thought it not unlawful to joyn in such publick forms of prose-prayer but it will by no means follow that he preferr'd such publick forms before free-prayers and design'd by his practice to recommend the former to the Christian Church to the exclusion of the latter For as I shall shew him anon there are strong presumptions to the contrary And yet unless his Lp. cou'd draw this Inference from our Saviour's and the Apostles practice I see little service it can do him Nay I fear if the Argument from our Saviour's and his Apostles practice herein be urg'd so far it will prove much more than those intend who use it For it will prove that we ought in imitation of their example to retain and adhere to that Liturgy which these Gentlemen pretend the Jews had and which they tell us they can yet produce the particular parts of to whose forms of Prayer Dr. Comber tells us that our Saviour added his and was herein so afraid of Innovation as to take every sentence out of the jewish Forms then in use * Orig. of Lis. p. 6. If so why is not this jewish Liturgy still us'd by us If we must have a stinted Liturgy such a one were most unexceptionable as we are sure our Saviour approv'd by joyning in Why then shou'd ordinary Pastors presume to frame Liturgys of their own and use that liberty in composing 'em which our Saviour was too mâ—dest to allow himself And why shou'd they impose so many forms on others when our great Master impos'd but one and such a one as he borrow'd the very sentences of from the Forms then publickly us'd So that these Gentlemen shou'd if they will be consistent with themselves plead for laying aside our Liturgy and using that old one which Dr. Lightfoot has so happily retriev'd for us out of the Jewish Rabbins I wou'd therefore advise 'em to use this Argument from the practice of the Jewish Church in our Saviour's time about which we are at the best but very uncertain with great tenderness and caution least they overdo with it and least the jewish Liturgy instead of under propping the common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book undermine and throw it down 2. He tells us p. 31. That our Saviour has put this matter out of all dispute with impartial men by prescribing a Form to his Disciples when they desired him to teach them to pray as John did his Disciples For we find his way of teaching 'em was not by directing 'em to wait for the impulses of the Spirit and immediate Inspiration from God of what they were to offer up to him We do not find him saying When ye pray speak what shall then come into your minds or what shall be given you in that hour without taking thought about what they shou'd say c. But here is an express command of Christ to his Disciples to use these words when they pray Answ His Lp. has a very happy faculty of arguing matters of Dispute before he state 'em For indeed the stating 'em might chance to spoyl all the force of his Arguments and therefore he generally thinks it more adviseable to let that alone He tells us Our Saviour has put this matter out of all Dispute with impartial Men by prescribing a Form to his Disciples What matter of Dispute dos his Lp. mean Is it whether a form of Prayer be lawfull Or is it whether our Saviour has prescrib'd a stinted Liturgy to the Christian Church in their publick Administrations or whether he has commission'd Ordinary Pastors to prescribe and impose such a Liturgy and confine others to the use of it Or whether he in general enjoyns us to pray only by a Form or not ordinarily without one If he mean the first whether a Form of Prayer be lawfull That 's no matter of Dispute at all between the Dissenters and the Establisht Church for as I shall shew him anon there is never a Meeting in which they do not use one and there are many in which this particular form of prayer is constantly us'd So that if this be all he wou'd prove he may spare his labour tho perhaps his Arguments for this are not altogether so convincing and solid as he imagines If the Question be whether our Saviour has prescrib'd a stinted Liturgy to the Christian Church as one wou'd think it shou'd What signifies his prescribing this single form to the proof of it unless the Bp thinks our Liturgy shou'd consist only of that one prayer or cou'd produce more forms prescrib'd by our Saviour to make up a Liturgy And if he cou'd do that what will become of the Service-Book What have we to do with that human Invention when we have a Liturgy appointed and compos'd by our Saviour himself If the Quest be Whether our Saviour has commission'd the ordinary Pastors of the Church to prescribe and impose publick Forms what dos all he here alledges about this single form prescrib'd by Christ signifie to prove any such thing when he can produce no such commission nor the least shadow of it in all the New Testament nay when the Rules of it about Prayer seem rather inconsistent with any such Commission as I shall shew him anon If the Quest be Whether our Saviour in general enjoyns us to pray only by a form or not ordinarily without one what dos any thing his Lp. has alledg'd signifie to the right determination of this Question If he design to prove that Christ by prescribing this form has enjoynd in general our Praying only by a sett form and never otherwise as one wou'd think his following words wou'd import when he tells us That our Saviour's teaching 'em was not by directing 'em to wait for the impulses of the Spirit and immediate Inspiration from God of what they were to offer up to him We do not find him saying when ye pray speak what shall come into your minds or what shall be given you in that hour without taking thought about what they were to say he knows well enough his Argument is no way conclusive For he himself owns that God has not forbidden all extempore prayers nay owns that some occasions require the use of 'em in publick and that in such cases a man may depend on the assistance of God's Spirit when he has not-time to reduce his desires into form before he offers 'em p. 54 55. He cannot therefore without contradicting himself pretend that our Saviour by prescribing this form intended to exclude all extempore or free prayer Nor is there any force in the Argument to prove that our Saviour intended to oblige us ordinarily to pray by a form because he once prescrib'd one as a comprehensive summary of our desires For his general Rules
in Order or Office as Mr. Humphreys has largely prov'd in a late Book called the Healing Attempt We wou'd humbly desire 'em to use their interest that that unhappy Clause may be ras't out of the Preface to the present Book of Ordination in which 't is so peremptorily asserted That 't is evident to all men diligently reading the H. Scriptures and ancient Authors that from the Apostles time there have been these three Orders in Christ's Church Bishops Priests and Deacons That by three Orders they mean three Offices is plain from the very following words which Offices were evermore had in such Reverend Estimation c. Now it seems to us very unreasonable that all Ministers shou'd be by the Act of Uniformity oblig'd to profess their Assent to this proposition when 't is so contrary to the current judgment of the generality of the most Eminent Protestant Conforming Divines in those 3 foremention'd Reigns to whom we might add several very learned ones in the Reign of K. James the first and K. Charles the first and 2d but especially when 't is a Proposition at best disputable both among learned Protestants and Papists and as far as we can judg rather evidently contrary to the holy Scriptures and to the first and purest ages of Christianity So that we fear that few Ministers can sincerely profess their Assent to this Assertion who have taken the pains to make any impartial enquiry into this matter And we are the more desirous of having this Clause ras't out because this new Opinion of Episcopacy being a distinct Order and Office from Presbytery is the ground of that uncharitable practice of the Establisht Church in requiring Reordination in all such at home as have been ordained by Presbyters i. e. true Scriptural Bishops and Pastors as a necessary condition of being admitted to the exercise of their Ministerial Function nay in urging Reordination too on all the Ministers of Reformed Churches abroad who never had Diocesan Bishops among ' em As if all the administrations of those Eminent Ministers in France who are now so honourable Confessors in the cause of Reformed Christianity were mere Nullitys till Prelatical Hands were laid upon ' em 2. Since the Archbishops and Bishops claim the Government of the Church as their Province we humbly wish they wou'd endeavour to recover the spiritual part of their Authority out of their Chancellor's hands who have so long usurpt the keys of sacred Discipline and have hitherto so scandalously manag'd 'em as to bring the solemn censures of the Church into general contempt And no wonder when they are prostituted to so vile a purpose as that of filthy lucre and thereby the Temple of God is turn'd into a House of Merchandize We do not speak this against the power of the Spiritual Courts in those Civil Causes or in those Ecclesiastical ones which their Majesties in pursuance of their just power circa sacra may authorize 'em to determine but only their assuming the cognizance of all cases of scandal so far as they subject men to the censures of the Church and being entrusted with the infliction of those censures even in reference to all the numerous causes that come before 'em so few of which properly belong to an Ecclesiastical Judicatory For besides that we think That the power of inflicting those censures belongs to Pastors and cannot be delegated by 'em to a Layman it seems a certain and unavoidable tho pernicious consequence of such Spiritual Courts being entrusted with the sentence of Excommunication to enforce all their Decrees that the most awful judgment on earth is like to use my Ld Bacon's expressions to be made an ordinary process to lacquey up and down for fees * Consider for the better establishing the Ch. of Engl. We doubt not their Lp's have read Bp Bedel's Life wrote by the present Bp. of Sarum wherein there is so loud and just a complaint of the gross abuses of this kind and so noble an example set 'em of zeal for the Reformation of ' em And no doubt if they wou'd concur in their imitation of it they might do it with rational prospect of greater success and be happily instrumental to wipe off some part of that stain brought on the Church by her tolerating these corruptions which as the foremention'd Bp of Sarum relates pious Archbishop Usher so greatly lamented and apprehended it wou'd bring a curse and ruine upon the whole Constitution See Bp. Bedel's Life p. 86 87 3. We cou'd heartily wish that when their Lp's have recover'd their own Authority out of their Chancellors hands they wou'd exercise it in concurrence with the Presbyters of their several Dioceses And herein also the foremention'd Bp. Bedel set 'em an excellent pattern Ib. p. 90. And we hope the Bp of Derry will urge 'em to an imitation thereof since he has laid it down as their common Opinion and Judgment p 175. That the Government of the Church in such districts as those of our Dioceses ought to be in a Presbytery with a Bishop as President and Governour by Christ's Appointment 4. We wou'd also humbly desire 'em to restore that Godly discipline which the common-prayer-Common-prayer-book tells us was in the primitive Church for bringing such as were convicted of notorious sin to publick profession of their Repentance For since the Church in the Office of Commination yearly declares that the Restoration of the said Discipline is much to be wish't It will look like a mocking of Heaven yearly to repeat such lazy wishes of it when there are no serious attempts made towards it And we can seee no reason why the Curses peculiar to the Mosaical Dispensation shou'd be substituted instead of it 5. We cou'd wish that part of the Office for Visiting the Sick might be review'd which concerns Absolution For since there is no other Absolution own'd in the Reformed Churches but either publishing the conditional offers of pardon in the Gospel or a ministerial releasing those from the Censures of the Church on whom they had been inflicted before We think it dos too much countenance the judicial power of Absolution claim'd by the Romish Priests for the Minister to absolve the uncensur'd in so peremptory terms I absolve thee from all thy sins in the name of the Father c. For they seem to make the Minister pass a more positive judgment of the sick man's Repentance than he is capable to do 6. In order to the more effectual exercise of that godly discipline foremention'd We wou'd earnestly request that the Parish-Ministers may be restor'd to that Pastoral power which Archbishop Usher in his model of Episcopacy shews that they were invested in according to the former Book of Ordination but of which they seem now depriv'd by the many changes made in the new See the Healing Attempt p. 57 58 59 c. 'T is certain they are most capable of a personal inspection of the lives of their Flock and consequently
of enquiring into any scandalous miscarriages among 'em and suiting their admonitions to the case of such Offenders and judging whether there be or be not a credible profession of Repentance made by ' em Nor can there be any danger of their abusing that sacred censure of Excommunication by being too rash in it for that danger is fully obviated by the method propos'd in the foremention'd model of AB Usher which refers the decreeing that sentence to the monthly Synod of the Ministers in that Precinct or part of the Diocess of which the Suffragan or Chorepiscopus is the Moderator In the mean time we cou'd wish that Parish-Ministers were more effectually urg'd to observe the 20th Canon which charges 'em not to admit to the holy Cammunion any of their Cure or Flock which â—e openly known to live in notorious sin without Repentance tho we can expect no very considerable effects of such a temporary suspension when it obliges the Minister to turn Informer against such Offenders in the Spiritual Court where they are sure to be put to great charges by which method he is but like to alienate their hearts from him and frustrate the success of all those admonitions by which he shou'd endeavour to recover 'em to Repentance 7. They wou'd farther humbly desire that some more effectual care may be taken for the tryal of those that are to be admitted into Holy Orders For the 32d Canon enjoyns the Bishop to examin 'em in the presence of those Ministers that shall assist at the Imposition of hands or at least take care that those Ministers shall examin them yet we understand this is too often put off to an Archdeacon or one of his Chaplains and at best but too superficially perform'd And we humbly conceive the Canon it self is very defective in not recommending such particular Tryals as are fit for such Candidates of the Ministerial Function to undergo in order to their giving a sufficient specimen of their proficiency in the study of Divinity and in the knowledge of the holy Scriptures And herein we wou'd humbly recommend to 'em the excellent method propos'd by the Westminster-Assembly in their Propositions relating to Church-Government and Ordination viz. That such Candidates be examin'd touching their skill in The Original Languages by Reading the Hebrew and Greek Testaments and rendring some portion of 'em into Latin They are to be examin'd also what Authors in Divinity they have read and trial shall be made of their knowledge of the grounds of Religion and ability to defend the Orthodox Doctrine in 'em against all unsound and erroneous Opinions especially those of the present Age of their skill and sense in the meaning of such places of Scripture as shall be propos'd to 'em in cases of Conscience and in the chronology of the Scripture and in the Ecclesiastical History They are to expound some difficult place of Scripture they are to frame a discourse in Latin upon some common-place or controversy in Divinity and maintain a Dispute upon it and they are to Preach a practical Sermon before the people those concern'd in their Ordination being present This method is so exactly follow'd among the Dissenters that those they ordain commonly pass twice thro these Tryals both when they are first allow'd to Preach as Candidates and at their Ordination And as 't is the most effectual that can be propos'd for preventing an ignorant and insufficient Ministry so 't is the more requisite that the like care shou'd be taken in the Establisht Church where so many are tempted to croud into the Sacred Office by the lure of secular interest and so many Parents from the prospect of preferment thrust those of their Children upon the service of the Church whom they are at a loss how to dispose otherwise of 8. We cou'd heartily desire some more effectual course were taken for the Reformation of such of the Clergy whose scandalous lives stain the honour of their profession For the infectious examples of such Clergymen are far more powerful to spread the contagion of wickedness and vice among their Flock than their doctrine to propagate piety and holiness And 't is no wonder that either the offerings of the Lord are abhorr'd by the people when they see 'em presented by so unhallow'd hands or that they run without restraint into all excess of Riot when they do but herein follow their spiritual Guides 'T is great pitty therefore that the 42d Canon which threatens such scandalous Clergymen with Ecclesiastical censures is not more faithfully executed And it seems unaccountable why it shou'd not as expresly order the suspension and deposition of such as are found incorrigible as other Canons of the Church of England order their suspension and deposition for no greater faults than Omitting the use of any form of Prayer or any other Rite or Ceremony prescrib'd by the service-Service-Book or appointing or keeping Fasts either in publick or in private houses without the Bp's leave For this is to lay greater stress on the Churches Injunctions than on God's commands and to punish non-conformity to the former more strictly than disobedience to the latter We shall only add that if the Law of Moses so carefully provided that its Preists shou'd have no blemish or deformity on their bodys sure much greater care shou'd be taken that those who serve at the Christian Altar shou'd not be persons of deformed souls and of a tainted conversation And we are heartily glad that their Majesties by their Royal Commission have begun so necessary a work in this Kingdom as the purging the Church from such scandalous Clergymen as have too long been the blemishes of their holy profession and hope it may extend to all other parts where there is the like necessity for it as there appears to have been in the Diocess of Down and Connor 9. They wou'd also earnestly desire that so gross a corruption as that of Pluralitys and Non-Residence so universally complain'd of may be at last effectually reform'd In order whereto they desire it may be seriously consider'd whether our Canons themselves do not rather confirm than reform these Abuses For by the 36th Canon every Master of Arts that is a publick and sufficient Preacher is capable of Pluralitys The Time which he that enjoys 'em is to reside in each of his Benefices is not determin'd And by the 41 Canon of the Church of England I find no other bounds set to the number of Benefices than that they must not be more than thirty miles asunder And tho every such Bluralist be requir'd to have under him in the Benefices where he dos not reside a lawful and sufficient Preacher yet it is both unreasonable in it self that such a sufficient Preacher shou'd sacrifice his painful labours to pamper the avarice and ease of another And 't is too notorious that such Pluralists for the most part give so despicable and stingy allowance to their poor Curates that it cannot reasonably
too defective which occur in the common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book Or how cou'd any on this supposition excuse their Arrogance in adding to the Forms God has already prescrib'd or annexing those that are of human Composure to those that are of divine But I hope he 'll pretend no more to produce any such For as to the Psalms I have shew'd him before that they were never intended for such Forms of Thanksgiving to the Christian Church whose Praises if confin'd to the matter of 'em wou'd be extremely defective and unanswerable to the Christian Institution which so far transcends the Mosaical Oeconomy For what his Lp. saith of the Dissenters praising God only in a piece of a Psalm of a few verses and in a method of their own finding out I shall only add to what I have already suggested the following Remarks 1. That I think the Dissenters sing as much and usually much more of the Psalms of David every Ld's-day than they do in the Parish-Churches In most they sing 'em thrice in some four times Nor do I know of any obligation laid upon us to sing a whole Psalm every time especially the longer ones and the shorter they often sing whole 2. That tho our method of singing 'em in metre require something of human skill to adapt 'em for that use yet 't is no more than what those Scriptures warrant nay plainly oblige us to that require our singing 'em joyntly in publick Assemblys and to do it in a way most conducive to Edificâ—tion His Lp. indeed tells us That he takes it for granted that he Apostles and primitive Christians prais'd God in prose and that metre and rhime are for ought appears of human Invention But is it not strange that his Lp. shou'd confound those two ways of Praising God which the New Testament so clearly distinguishes That they prais'd God with Thanksgivings in Prose is unquestionable but that they prais'd God in prose Psalms is as I have shewn him highly improbable For as in some Psalms there is plain evidence of metre so we have great reason from the testimony of Josephus to judge the same of the rest And therefore his conceit that the Spirit of God gave no gifts for composing Psalms in verse in opposition to the Heathens who wrote their Prophecys and Hymns in verse is a meer invention of his own For as there is so clear proof that some of the Psalms were inspir'd in verse and so great probability the rest were so many judicious Expositors do conclude the quite contrary from 1 Cor. 14.26 where Psalmestry seems to be intended as one of those extraordinary gifts And 't is far more probable that the Spirit of God by enjoyning the singing of Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs did intend to rescue so noble a thing as Poetry from its wretched abuse by the Heathen Priests that it might be consecrated to the service of God in his Temple and become an incentive and help to true Devotion So that our way of using Psalms is far more clearly of God's Appointment because more conformable to his particular direction for singing 'em and to his general Rules of doing it to Edification than theirs wherein they differ from us as when they are among them only said not sung or sung in prose not in metre and that only by the lesser part of the Congregation So what upon the whole I cannot see the least reason why the Dissenters shou'd in this point be afraid of the Judgment of God to the Rules of whose Gospel this part of their devotions is so exactly conform'd or why they shou'd be asham'd to appeal herein to the judgment of all unprejudic'd men Nay I hope they may venture to appeal to his Ep's own judgment when he is at leisure to review this matter and correct his own unhappy mistakes about it I shall therefore conclude this Chapter with a few Remarks on some passages that occur in his 2d and 3d Section As 1. I see no reason why his Lp. shou'd think the force vigour and loftiness of the Psalms any more lost in a metre than in prose-translation p. 19th 'T is true indeed the metre-translation of Hopkins and Sternhold is but ill done so is that prose-translation which the Common Prayer Book still uses And it seems an unreasonable humour to retain both when there is both a prose and metre-translation far more unexceptionable The metre-version commonly call'd the Scots is far better than that us'd in the Parish-Churches Barton's exceeds that and Mr. Patrick's if he had not taken too great a liberty of paraphrasing excels both and I doubt not if a judicious person wou'd undertake the work 't were easily possible to have a metre-version that wou'd exceed the prose in all these advantages And such a one wou'd be of extraordinary use to raise the devotion of the people in this part of divine Worship 2. The Bp. tells us p. 21. that we have a command to translate the Psalms which supposes into prose because the Original is so but none to turn 'em into metre c. Now if on the contrary the Original was compos'd in metre as I have shew'd to be most probable then by his own Argument the command to translate 'em supposes it must be done into metre because the Original is so And therefore the Bp. has in that and the following page not only groundlesly suppos'd the true sense of David's Psalms when turn'd into metre to be none of God's word but has on that account unreasonably excluded 'em from being any substantial part of God's Worship and speaks slightly of 'em as if they were intended for little better than a pleasing diversion and amusement Now if he really believe what he saith I think he shou'd in all reason warn the People against their present Practice For 't is certain they do by singing 'em in time of publick Worship intend 'em as a substantial part of it and will be surpriz'd to find this use of 'em censur'd as an human Invention whereas if on the contrary the singing 'em in Metre be most conformable to scriptural Precept and Pattern and bare saying 'em dissonant from both the Bp. can never excuse himself on his Principles from thus preferring one of his human Inventions to a Divine Institution As to the imperfect way of singing the Psalms by reading every line 't is indeed a defect but such as we must be forc'd to condescend to unless we cou'd prevail with all our People to get Psalm Books and learn to Read or to commit 'em to memory 3. I wonder why his Lp. shou'd charge the Dissenters with asserting Responses in publick Worship to be unlawful p 23. If he alledg the idle talk of some weak people to that purpose is it Ingenuous in him to mention that as the general Opinion of Dissenters What if we shou'd in Retaliation pick up all the weak and foolish censures of those of his Communion and charge 'em on the Conformists in
be instant in season and out of season to reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine For these latter expressions seem to explain the former And I hope he will allow the Apostle Peter to have preacht in the 2 Acts from the 14th to the 40th ver And yet what he spoke is call'd an Exhortation v. 40. Nay to put the matter out of doubt 't is said of John the Baptist 3 Luke 18. That many other things in his Exhortation he preached unto the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Again he saith That interpreting the Scriptures applying 'em and exhorting the people from 'em in a Christian Auditory is never call'd Preaching Now either those many discourses of the Apostles recorded in the Acts are not Preaching or else quite contrary to the Bp's notion Preaching was interpreting the scriptures applying 'em and exhorting the people from ' em For I would fain know what else he can make of the Apostle Peter's Sermon 2 Acts from the 14th to the 40th 3 Acts from the 12th to the end 4 Acts from the 8th to the 20th Of Stephen's 7 Acts. Of the Apostle Peter's 10 Acts from the 34th to the 44th Of the Apostle Paul's 13 Acts in which single instance the Bp. will find almost all his Notions overthrown together For v. 15. After the reading the Law and Prophets the Rulers of the Synagogue send to Paul and his company this Message Ye men and brethren if ye have any word of Exhortation for the people say on The Apostle addresses himself to comply with their proposal And accordingly his discourse contains an Explication of several passages out of the Old Testament relating to the promised seed of Abraham an application of 'em to our Blessed Saviour and an exhortation to 'em from thence to believe in him and not despise and reject him And this very discourse the Apostle calls declaring glad tidings or preaching for the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 32. If the Bp. object this discourse was not in a Christian Auditory 't is easily answer'd What can the difference of the Auditory signify to alter the nature of the discourse As if the very same discourse in a Synagogue shou'd be preaching but quite another thing in a Christian Church 'T is plain here that the Apostle preacht when he interpreted the Scriptures relating to Christ applyed 'em and exhorted the people from 'em so that these are the same thing And if he still pretend that such Exposition and Application had some other name given it when us'd in a Christian Auditory than that of preaching I shall to remove this shadow of a pretence farther add I suppose he will not doubt but the Apostle Paul either found or at least planted a Christian Church at Rome long before his two years expir'd and yet he is all that time said to preach the kingdom of God among ' em So no doubt there was a Christian Churâ—h at Ephesus and yet Timothy residing there is exhorted to preach the word to be instant in season and out of season And in the place I first alledg'd the Apostle Paul was desirous to preach the Gospel to those at Rome whose Faith was already so eminent and so publickly known and celebrated And indeed tho the Gospel be in the strictest sense only news to those that first hear it yet it dos not cease to be good tidings or a joyful message for being often repeated So that since the Bp. has so ill hap in every one of his Criticisms I wou'd advise him to be more sparing and deliberate in offering 'em to publick view for his talent dos not seem to lye much that way IV. The Scriptures have left it to human prudence to determine What portion of 'em shall be read in our publick Assemblys and in what order and method To clear this We must consider there are two ways of Reading the Scriptures in order to the peoples instruction from ' em As either 1. When some considâ—rable portion of 'em is read together As some part of a Book or Epistle a Psalm c. For the division of the Scriptures into chapter and verse are but a matter of late Invention 2. When several passages are read out of several Books of the Old or New Testament which are parallel to each other and serve to explain the same Doctrine or clear and enforce the same duty And tho the phrase of Reading the Scriptures be by common custom appropriated to the former yet if we will speak strictly It dos as truly belong to the latter and 't is of this latter way of Reading the Scriptures for the people's instruction that we have the clearest warrant from the examples of the Apostles and the accounts given us in the New Testament of the practice of the Christian Church Nor do those banish either of these ways of reading either an entire portion or several parallel Texts that interpose an explicatory and applicatory Paraphrase between the several parts that are read Nor dos the Bp that I can find so much as pretend to produce any thing from Scripture against the intermixing such a paraphrase in our reading the Scriptures Now if he consult all the Sermons of the Apostles recorded in the Acts he will find that they did read or what is the same did recite verbatim and propose to the consideration of the people several passages of the word of God all tending to illustrate and prove some truth or duty of the Christian Religion And their practice herein was conformable to that of our Blessed Saviour who employd the first Christian Sabbath I mean the day of his Resurrection not in reading an entire portion of Scripture but in expounding to the two Disciples all those passages in Moses and the Prophets that related to himself and his death resurrection and ascention 24 Luke 24 Luke from the 13th to the 28th Nor do I find in that account given of the Worship of Christian Churches 1 Cor. 14 chap. any mention made of Reading the Scriptures as a distinct thing from Doctrine and Interpretation So that I know of no one precept or example in all the New Testament relating to the Christian Church for this way of reading unless what may be inferr'd from the 4 Col. 16. And when this Epistle is read omong you cause that it be read also in the Church of the Laodiceans and that ye likewise read the Epistle from Laodicea But then we must not urge the Inference from these words too far for I know of none that think themselves oblig'd by it to read a whole Epistle at one time tho no doubt it was fit the Colossians shou'd so read this Epistle then as we shou'd be as forward to read a much longer that came newly to us from the same inspired Pen. And yet because reading an entire portion of Scripture was so constantly practis'd in the Old Testament and the reason of it seems in part to extend to us I do
think 't is very fit that that way of Reading shou'd be also retain'd in our publick Assemblys tho how long an entire portion shall be ordinarily read and in what order must be determin'd by Christian prudence according to the general Rules of Scripture V 'T is granted that the Word of God shou'd be read with great solemnity but there is no particular posture prescrib'd in our hearing of it For tho we read 8 Neh. 5. that the people stood at the opening the Book of the Law yet that posture seems there to refer to the Blessing we read of in the following verse And tho we shou'd grant that the people stood here when the Law was read yet they are elsewhere said to sit Thus 33 Ezek. 30 31. when they came professedly to hear what was the word that came forth from the Lord yet they are describ'd as sitting before him as his people And those assembled in the Synagogue on the Sabbath-day 13 Acts 14 15. are represented as using the same posture as sat down while the Law and Prophets were read VI. For explaining and applying the Scripture by way of Doctrine and Exhortation It was a constant part of their Lord's-day worship in Christian Assemblys in the Apostles time Doctrine is mention'd together with breaking of Bread and Prayers as one branch of their stated devotions 2 Acts 42. 1 Cor. 14 26. Nor do we read of one Christian Assumbly that I remember on that day without it And it appears by the testimony of the Ancients that it was constantly practis'd in the first ages of Christianity as the Bp. himself grants p. 76 their Sermons being usually an explication and practical emprovement of that portion of Scripture which had been read Nor dos what the Bp. suggests p. 75. render it probable that this was not constantly done in Christian Churches For what he produces from 13 Acts 15. concerns the Jewish Synagogues and even the argument drawn from thence is not cogent for tho there had been constant provision for Enlargement yet the Rulers of the Synagogue knowing that the Apostle and his followers pretended to some new Doctrine might send that message to ' em For what he saith from 12 Rom. 6 7 c. That St. Paul supposes him who Teaches and him whose office it was to exhort distinct from him that ruled and ministred And it dos not appear that every Church was furnisht with all these Officers I shall only answer It dos not appear from this place that these four things requir'd four distinct Officers We read only of two ordinary Officers in the Christian Church viz. Elders or Bishops and Deacons See 1 Tim. 3. 1 Tit. 1 Phil. 1. 20 Acts 28. To the latter ministring to the poor belong'd To the former Teaching Exhorting and Ruling and as these were several branches of the same Office so probably since there were many such Bishops or Elders constituted in every particular Church 14 Acts 23. 1 Tit. 5. Some might have their talents and abilities more suited to one part of their work and others to another and accordingly they might ordinarily divide their ministrations and each attend what he was qualify'd for And accordingly the Bp. well observes that that the Apostle Paul conjoyns Doctrine Exhortation in his charge to Timothy 1 Tim. 4.13 And 't is probable both are included in the Apostle Peter's Exhortation to Elders 1 Pet. 5.1 2 3. Lastly I do agree with him that there shou'd be such a summary of the principal doctrines of the Gospel as our Catechisms and Confessions of Faith usually contain Which form of sound words shou'd be held fast Tho that the 6 Heb. 1 2. contains that form mention'd 2 Tim. 1.13 is but doubtful and 't is much more doubtful whether that 6 Heb. 1 2. contain'd six distinct principles or heads of doctrine Of which more afterwards Having consider'd the Directions of H. Scriptures in reference to Hearing I shall now examine the Application the Bp. makes of 'em to the Practice of the Establisht Church and that of the Dissenters IN representing the practice of the Dissenters he promises to do it with the same Candor and Sincerity that he has hitherto endeavour'd to observe What sort of Candor and Sincerity that is the Reader has already had a sufficient tast of and he will find the Bp. dos not in this Chapter vary from the Precedents he had given in the former For how little regard he has had to Truth in the following Accusations will appear upon a particular review of ' em I. He charges the Dissenting Ministers with disregarding Scripture-Rules and Example and with laying aside all those methods of Instruction the Scriptures recommend to us except it be that of Exposition and Exhortation Insomuch saith he that tho a man frequent your Meetings all his life yet he has no security or hardly possibility of learning from your publick Teachings all the great mysteries of his Religion or the necessary principles of his Faith For which he alledges these two things for proof 1. For first your Teachers are entirely left to their choice what place of Scripture they will explain or what Subject they will handle And hence it happens that hardly any one man in his life ever goes thro the necessary Articles of Faith or of Practice in his publick Sermons And for the truth of this he appeals to our selves 2. You have no sumary of Principles enjoyn'd to be either read or taught in your publick Assemblys Answ There are some Accusations so gross and shameless that 't is hard for a man to treat 'em with decency and to such Accusers we are often forc'd to apply the Archangel's language Ep. Jude v 9. But our Author has that peculiar infelicity that the more notorious untruths he delivers he is still the more confident in 'em and nothing will serve him but appealing to thâ—se for the truth of what he says who most certainly know it to be false For with what face can the Bp. say That a man may frequent the Dâ—ssenters Meetings all his life-time and yet have no security or hardly possibility of learning from their publick Teachings all the great mysteries of his Religion or Principles of his Faith and appeal to our selves as witnesses that hardly any one man in his life ever goes thro the necessary Articles of Faith or of Practice in his publick Sermons Dos he indeed hope to persuade the world that the great mysteries and Principles of the Christian Religion Fx. gr the doctrine of the Trinity in Unity the Incarnation of Christ his Offices as our Mediator Faith in him and Repentance towards God or Regeneration and Conversion the priviledges of all Believing Penitents their Pardon and Justification their Adoption and Right to the heavenly Inheritance the office of the H. Spirit as our Sanctifier and Comforter the necessity of his supernatural Aids the different future states of the Righteous and the Wicked the general Resurrection and
and so strangely mistakes the Remedy for the Disease I confess how much soever our Ears may itch after Novelty and Variety yet he cou'd not reasonably expect they wou'd be charm'd with contradictions which instead of tickling 'em grate upon ' em And truly if our Author gives us no better Exposition and Application of Scripture then this Wee 'l be much rather satisfy'd he shou'd only read it to us For then there wou'd be less danger of misunderstanding it But I wonder why his Lp. shou'd tell us of Prayers and Praises of God's appointment Dos he not know the Collects of the Liturgy are as much of human Composure as our free prayers Why then shou'd they be any more compar'd to Angels Food then ours which are rather more agreeable to scriptural precept and Pattern Nay if the Scriptures read be Sermons of Gods Appointment they are not the less so but the more for being explain'd and applied as appears from this very direction of the Apostle to Timothy to preach the word to be instant in season c. to rebuke c. I shall conclude what relates to our practise with the concluding words of this chapter of the Bp's But as Aaron to please the Israelites made the Golden Calf so some Ministers tho contary to their own principles have changed God's Institution to please their People and left out the constant regular Reading God's word because their People grew weary of it But let all men judg who behave themselves most like the faithful Ministers of Christ We who keep to the reading God's word according to his own Institution whether the People will hear or forbear or they that comply with 'em and lay aside God's command to oblige and please ' em Answ I have already consider'd the injustice of this charge And only add That those more fully comply with God's command who read and expound then those that only read And I am sure as the Dissenters practise herein costs 'em more labour so if their People be not more edify'd by it It must be their own fault With what justice then or indeed with what sense dos his Lp. compare the Dissenters practise herein to Aarons making a Golden Calf to please the People Are indeed Lectures and Sermons such dangerous Idols Or is Hearing the Scriptures expounded when read so pernicious a piece of Idolatry Is not the Interpretation of Scripture as truly a divine Ordinance as the Reading of it And will any man that considers what he saith set the one in opposition to the other Or rather wou'd not the confining Ministers to the Reading the Scriptures only tend to debase 'em into such a sort of Priests as Jeroboam made of the meanest of the People when he set up the Worship of the Golden Calves 1 Kings 12.31 I mean such Priests as need little other furniture for their publick Ministrations then their book and their eyes and are under no obligation to study the Scriptures because they are under no necessity of interpreting 'em to the People And what a sort of Clergy are to be found in Russia Muscovy and other parts of the Christian World where they are turn'd into meer Readers we have so sad accounts from History that if his Lp. intend to turn his Clergy into such by thus discouraging Sermons as an human Invention I shou'd not blame the dissenting ministers for being loth to come under his conduct and regulation I shall conclude this Chapter with observing in reference to the practise of the Establish't Church 1. That I suppose the Bp. will not pretend any Warrant from precept or Example in the Holy Scriptures for the reading such un-inspired Books as those of the Apocrypha together with the Canonical Writings of the Old and New Testament in the time of publick Worship And therefore I hope he 'l censure this himself for one of his human Inventions Especially since himself owns there is a tenth part of the old Testament left out of the Churches order for the Reading it sure to exclude that and introduce in the stead of it the story of Bell and the Dragon Tobit and his Dog c. looks very like the preferring meer human Composures some of which contain foolish and incredible Relations before that part of God's living Oracles Not to mention how little care is taken to distinguish 'em when read from the Canonical Scriptures and prevent the common people's mistaking 'em for such But however his Lp's prudence is commendable in taking no notice of this matter because those Accusations are best past over in silence against which there is no defence 2. That the common practise of the Conforming Clergy in the Countrey of having only one Sermon on the Lord's day nay in the far greatest number of Parishes of having no publick Worship at all one part of the day is a defect that needs some effectual Reformation 3. That the Dissenters seem to have better reason to blame the Conforming Clergy for casting out the Exposition of the Scripture when read as that Exercise is now distinguish't from Sermons then the Bishop to reproach them for not reading the Scripture Remarks on the Chapter concerning Bodily Worship And here First As to the Directions of the holy Scriptures concerning it 1. I Do readily agree with the Bp That Bodily Worship is Commanded in the Scriptures Not that I suppose it as his Lp. dos to be a distinct part of Worship from Prayer Praise c. but only a sutable Adjunct of it of which more afterwards 2. I do agree with him also that the most common postures of Bodily Worship mention'd in Scripture as us'd in Thanksgivings and Prayers were prostration kneeling or standing As to this last of standing the Bp. takes notice of it as us'd in Thanksgivings and p. 143. owns it to have been a Scripture-posture in Prayer too But since he gives no instances of it as us'd in Prayer I shall take leave to subjoyn a few and the rather because this is the posture the Dissenters most generally use in this duty when publickly perform'd Of this posture in Prayer the best Expositors understand Abraham's standing before the Lord 18 Gen. 22. Thus the Levites stood up in that Confession and Prayer they made 9 Neh. 4. c. So to cry to God and stand up are us'd as synonimous expressions 30 Job 20. And 15 Jer. 1. Moses and Samuel's standing before God is put for praying to him So also 18 Jer. 20. And accordingly it was as Grotius observes on 6 Matt. 5. the most universally-receiv'd custom among the Jews to pray standing Thus 18 Luke 10 11. Two men went up to the Temple to pray and standing is the religious posture us'd by each of ' em So 11 Mark 25. When ye stand praying forgive c. Hence Prayers were not only call'd Stations by the Jews among whom it was a celebrated saying That without stations the world cou'd not subsist but also by some of the most
the pure Word of God in it's naked simplicity For if he mean by it That 't is a carnal and sinful humour to be fonder of having the word of God read explained and applied then barely read as certainly he must if he speak any thing here to the purpose This is as I have already shewn him no wiser a conceit then if he shou'd tell us 'T is a carnal and sinful humour to be more affected with the word of God when we clearly understand it then when we do not And if so why shou'd this sinful humour of the People be indulg'd by preaching at all Why shou'd any pains be taken to inform their Judgments by leading 'em into the true sense of it Or rather why shou'd the Bp. so weakly oppose the purity and simplicity of the naked Word of God to a clear Exposition of it which us'd to be oppos'd only to the mixture of other doctrines that are either contrary to or at least not deliver'd in those inspired Writings For tho Sermons and Lectures be in part of human Composure yet such as truly answer that Character are nothing else but the naked and pure Word of God explained and enforc't upon the Consciences of the People without any mixture of foreign or corrupt doctrines For even in their Sermons themselves a great part of the time is spent by the People in consulting and comparing various parts of the word of God And if such human Composures adulterate the simplicity of the Word of God Why shou'd they not be excluded altogether and the Clergy be turn'd into meer Readers Or rather may we not in such confus'd and deceitful Reasonings as these suspect a carnal humour in men's crying up the bare Reading the Word of God to shift off the unwelcom Labour of Expounding it And therefore I shou'd rather recommend the practise of the Dissenters in their constant Expounding as well as Reading to the imitation of the Conforming Clergy And I wou'd particularly advise his Lp. not to speak so slightly on all occasions concerning Sermons because Preaching has hitherto been accounted the most valuable Talent that he is master of 5. For his 5th Advice 'T is indeed true that many learned and sober Non Conformists have judg'd occasional Communion with the Parish-Churches in the ordinary Lords day worship lawful and have advised their People to practise it where they cou'd have no other opportunities of Publick Worship Nay many of 'em have vindicated and practis'd such occasional Communion with 'em in the Lords Supper tho I question whether any of 'em fully approve it in reference to Baptism And tho I have no pretence to the first of the characters he gives such Non Conformists yet he will find the same charitable temper and practise recommended in the Reflections on his Answer to Dean Manby p. 64. But methinks his Lp. shou'd when he considers the truly christian moderation of such Nonconformists reflect with some concern on his own uncharitable Principles towards 'em in that Discourse which he has never yet disown'd And it wou'd seem very unreasonable in him to be too peremptory in demanding this from the Dissenters unless he wou'd express equal charity on his part and declare the lawfulness of Communion with their Churches And since he cannot deny but that he has so fair Examples of Catholick Charity set before him I hope he will follow 'em For otherwise this Request will appear on his side very partial and unreasonable And I hope this discourse may convince him that we have no sinful human Inventions among us to affright him from Communion with us Much less do we make such Inventions the Conditions of our Communion in any part of Gods instituted Worship Nay since he so earnestly urges our occasional Communion with them I wou'd desire him to render it more practicable by removing that unhappy Bar to it which the 5th Canon of the Church of Ireland lays in our way For by that Canon All are denounc'd Excomunicated who shall affirm and maintain that there are within this Realm other Meetings Assemblys or Congregations then such as by the Laws of this Land are held allow'd which may rightly challenge to themselves the name of true and lawful Churches and 't is order'd that such be not restor'd till they repent and revoke their Error Now he knows we all affirm and maintain our Churches to be true and lawful ones and therefore are by the Canon Excomunicated Nor can we be without a plain violation of this Canon readmitted without retracting what we are so far from accounting an Error that we think the contrary Opinion a very uncharitable one So that to invite us to Communion with 'em while this Canon stands in force against us is but to tantalize us and offer us with one hand what they withhold with the other And there are but two ways to remove this obstacle to our Communion with 'em viz. either to discard that rigid and sour Canon or to procure an Act of Indulgence and then our Assemblys being allow'd by the Law will not come within the reach of it 6. For his Advice to the Dissenting Ministers of Derry to warn their People against such Books as maintain principles contrary both to theirs and those of the Establish't Church since he is pleas'd to name one of my own I am more particularly concern'd to consider what dangerous principles it contains Now of the principles lay'd down in those Books and the principles common to him with the Presbyt Ministers in the North to which they are contrary his Lp. gives this Account You are sensible that among those Protestants that Dissent from our Church some are Congregational and others Presbyterians You of this Diocess where I am concern'd profess to be of this latter sort and agree with us in owning that by Christ's Appointment the particular Churches in convenient Districts ought according to Scripture precedents to associate under one Government and these again to unite themselves into greater combinations of Provincial and Nâ—tional Churches The difference between you and us is concerning these particular Districts Namely Whether the Government of 'em ought to be in a Presbytery with a Bishop as President and Governor by Christ's Appointment or in a Colledge of Presbyters absolutely equal So then we both own National and Provincial Churches as well as single Worshiping Congregations But the Congregational Dissenters deny that Christ instituted any other Church besides a single Congregation and affirm that all other Churches such as Classical Provincial or National are human Inventions and that every single Congregation is independent and may indeed keep a fair Correspondence with it's neighbouring Congregations but it is not under any common Government with ' em These last are the Avowed Principles of Mr. Baxter Dr. Owen Mr. Lob Mr. Humphrys Mr. Boyse Mr. Alsop Mr. Clerkson and generally of all the late Defenders of the Dissenters Cause in England and Ireland that I have met
require 3. That particular Churches their respective Elders and Members ought to have a Reverential regard to their Judgment so given and not dissent therefrom without apparent grounds from the Word of God These are Propositions of the same import with those in the Reflections and they are so far from being inconsistent with any Principle of those call'd Presbyterians that the most eminent of those at London have subscrib'd ' em 'T is true indeed the Presbyterians do assert more then this and the Assembly of Divines in their humble Advice concerning Church Government have some Assertions to which the Congregational Divines do not fully assent But as to these Differences as I have not in the foremention'd Book declar'd my own Judgment so I know no right the Bishop has to declare it for me when he dos not know it I have indeed quoted the Judgment of Archbishop Vsher concerning the Antient Councils which he thought were not for Government but Vnity c. And if he will on this account rank that Venerable Primate among the Congregational Divines they will no doubt think themselves greatly honour'd with his company But for my own Thoughts I shall freely subjoin that I am greatly inclin'd to think That the difference between those that make Synods only Consultative Meetings and those that call 'em Church Judicatories and ascribe a Governing Power to 'em is in a great measure rather verbal then real For those that make 'em Church-Judicatories assign 'em only a Ministerial and Declarative Power and never imagin'd that the People ow'd a blind obedience to their determinations And those that make 'em only Consultative Meetings for preservation of Concord yet assert such a deference due to their Judgment That it shou'd be complied with both by particular Pastors and their Flocks in all things not repugnant to the Word of God Nor do they deny that such Synods may disown such particular Pastors and their Flocks as walk disorderly by rejecting their just and necessary Determinations as no Members of their Association or that they may entirely disclaim Christian Communion with those particular Churches that persist impenitently in maintaining such corruptions in Doctrine and Worship as directly strike at the very Vitals and Essentials of the Christian Religion And I see not what those can justly attribute to such Synods more then this who make 'em Governing Assemblies or Ecclesiastical Judicatories Nor do I know any great difficulty there is in moderate and wise men's joining in all the real use of such Synods in order to the preservation of the Churches peace notwithstanding these different Names or Notions they affix to such Ecclesiastical Assemblies and their Determinations Of which more may occur when I consider what his Lp. objects against the Principles he ascribes to me On the other hand The Bishop has not truly stated the difference between the Presbyterians and Prelatists when he tells us 'T is concerning these particular Districts namely Whether the government over 'em ought to be in a Presbytery with a Bishop as President and Governour by Christ's appointment or in a Colledg of Presbyters absolutely equal Answ Dos not his Lordship know that our Modern Prelates not only pretend to a distinct and superior Office and not meerly a higher degree in the same Office but assume all Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction to themselves Do they not plainly exclude all Presbyters from any share in it Are not all Church Censures past by the Chancellor solely in the Bishop's name without any concurrence of the Presbyters of the Diocess who have no voice in 'em nor are so much as call'd or requir'd to be present in the Spiritual Court Nay If this be all that our Prelates pretend to viz. To be Presidents in a Diocesan Synod in which the Presbyters of the Diocess share in the Government How came they to reject Archbp. Vsher's model of Episcopacy that allows such a stated Presidency to Bishops when this was offer'd by the Divines call'd Presbyterians at the memorable Savoy Conference as the ground of Accomodation For tho those Divines did not think such a stated Presidency of one Person of immediate Divine Appointment yet they thought it such a prudential human Constitution as they cou'd for peace sake submit to But he knows the Bishops rejected that Offer with scorn nay wou'd not stand to the King's Declaration about Ecclesiastical Affairs that gave 'em much more of power then Archbp. Vshers model So that his Lp. seems not to understand the Principles of his Brethern and I am beginning to hope is of more moderate Sentiments in this point then those Commissioners at that Treaty were It remains only under this Head that I consider what he has to object against those Principles of mine as they are now truly cited from the Reflections For I hope he dos not think me oblig'd to defend Positions that are none of my own Now it is manifest saith he That these Principles of theirs-are much more different from your Principles then ours are And the difference is much greater and more material For it 's possible on your Principles and ours to preserve Vnity and keep up some value for Excommunication since he who is censur'd in one Church cannot be received in another neither with you nor us Whereas in the Congregational way he that is Excommunicated in one Congregation may remove to another or set up one for himself if he pleases At the worst if he shou'd it wou'd be counted but an irregularity These Principles are destructive to the Peace and Unity of the Church as well as to our common Cause Answ For the Congregational Divines I see no difficulty in clearing their Principles from these invidious consequences he draws from 'em for all of 'em assert that he who is justly Excommunicated in one Church ought to be receiv'd by no other whatever But for my own which I am only here concern'd to defend I wou'd desire his Lp. to review his Arguments and tell me where the force of 'em lyes What Vnity of the Church are those Principles lay'd down in the Reflections destructive of Is it destructive to the Churches Unity to assert That the Light of Nature and general Rules of Scripture oblige the Pastors of the Church to associate for it's preservation by their mutual Consultations And that the Judgment of such associated Pastors shou'd be submitted to whenever 't is not repugnant to the Word of God Nor do I disallow but approve of Associations in those lesser or larger Districts and the regular Subordination of the lesser to the greater What then can he find in my Principles destructive of the Churches Unity unless he imagines it to be so That I assert That the People do not owe a blind Obedience to such Synods and that such associated Pastors have their power for Edification and not Destruction And dare he pretend the contrary Dos not the Church of England declare That all Councills may err and will he assign
and religious have the same violent passion for prescribed Forms 3. We must beg his Lordships pardon if we cannot easily believe 't is only Conscience that makes the Conforming Clergy so generally decline Extemporary Prayers For if by Extempore Prayers he means such as are free and unconfin'd to any prescribed Forms he seems himself to own p. 54. That there are some occasions that require it even in publick p. 54. and I see no ground to doubt but that they are ordinarily more convenient then set Forms if those Prayers be most convenient that tend most to raise true Devotion in the minds of the People But we must much more beg his Lp's pardon for not believing what he adds for Confirmation of this account of their disusing free Prayer For it seems a very surprizing Discovery that he has made to us when he tells us p. 186. 'T is manifest that Extemporary Prayers wou'd be much more easy to most of us and less burthensom then the service we use You may think otherwise but assure your selves that you are mistaken And I dare appeal to those that have tried both whether is most easie There are such both amongst you and us that have made the experiment And I dare refer it to 'em to declare on their Consciences which of the two Services they look on to be the greater burthen to him that performs ' em Whatever you may think if we wou'd indulg our selves It were no hard matter for the meanest of us to pass an Extemporary Prayer on our Auditory or turn the heads of our Sermon into one Ans We pay a great deference to his Lp's Judgment but we cannot without offering great violence to our own understandings bring 'em to assent to so incredible a Paradox meerly because 't is deliver'd with so extraordinary an Air of assurance much less can we entertain that as a manifest Truth which to us seems so contrary to common sense For we cannot imagine what unsupportable burthen it shou'd be for a man to read the Service of the Church when he has the Book before him unless when he is pain'd with sore eyes or terribly hoarse with a great Cold For then it may possibly be some considerable Trouble to him But for a Minister to deliver a free Prayer in a Publick Assembly And the Bp. knows the Dissenters are seldom accused for theirs being too short requires both serious Meditation before hand to suit it to the occasion and to the state of his People and the Laborious Exercise of his Judgment his Invention and Memory which is a real burthen and difficulty to those that are not by deep Study and frequent Exercise habituated to it Nay tho the Dissenters shou'd Pray in that new way his Lp. has contriv'd for 'em by patching together several pieces of old Forms to make a new dress of it yet this wou'd require some Exercise of their Judgment and Memory to tack 'em right together and to repeat 'em without hesitation And this sure is not so easie a matter as what he cannot deny every School-boy to be capable of viz. to turn over the leaves and Read what is usually in a fair and large Print His Lp. may if he please appeal from common sense to Experience but by all that I have yet convers'd with on this Subject his assertion seems as strange to them as it does to us Nor can I meet with any of these Vertuoso's in Devotion that pretend upon any Experiments they have made to give their suffrage to his new Observation We do not indeed doubt of his Lp's Abilities but he must allow us to doubt of those of the body of the inferior Clergy who I fear wou'd think it a severe imposition upon 'em if their Diocesans shou'd oblige 'em to the frequent Exercise of their Talents this way For I have heard several Clergy-men of no mean parts complain of the unhappy inability for free Prayer that general disuse had brought upon 'em and I believe I might herein with much better reason appeal to Experience But since his Lp's hand is in for Paradoxes I think he shou'd have added one more viz. That 't is manifest that 't is a far greater burden for the Clergy to Read the Homilies of the Church or other Mens Sermons than to Preach Sermons of their own and I doubt not he may with as much reason appeal to the Experience of those that have tried both to attest the Truth of it And if he can make good the Truth of these two Paradoxes the N.C. Ministers will hence forward pass for lazy Drones while the poor Readers of the Church are accounted the truest Labourers But to give the latter their due the most of 'em take too much pains for that sorry hire that 's allow'd 'em by such of their Brethren as are laborious enough to engross Church-Livings but too far consult their ease to make the Duties of their Function any burthen to ' em Lastly For his Request to the Dissenting Laiety That they wou'd believe he heartily desires and studies the good of their Souls I hope they are willing to gratify him herein as far as rational Charity can allow Only it wou'd greatly facilitate their Belief of it if they found him more tender of their good Name and just Reputation And they are sory to find that notwithstanding all his professions of good-will he shou'd shew so little regard to that not only in a continued Series of unjust Accusations through his whole Book but especially in the following words in which he has drawn up a comprehensive Summary charge sufficient to render 'em odious if it be believ'd but they are confident too apparently groundless to gain credit with any that will pass a Righteous and Impartial Judgement on these matters His Lp's words are For how is it possible that any Man that has a Zeal for the Purity of God's worship shou'd not have his Spirit mov'd within him to see a well meaning People so strangely mis-led as to content themselves to meet together perhaps for some years with a design to worship God and yet hardly ever see any thing of God's Immediate Appointment in their Meetings Now to my thoughts this is manifestly the case of many of you since a Man may frequent some Meetings among you for some years and never hear a Prayer a Psalm or Chapter which has been imediately dictated by God and never be call'd on to bow his knee to God or see either Minister or People Address themselves to him in that humble posture Lastly never see any body offer to Administer or desire to Receive the Food of Life in the Lord's Supper These are melancholy Reflections to me who believe that God has requir'd these in his Worship And therefore I hope you will take it in good part that I Endeavour to Restore them to you Ans If the Case of the Dissenters be truly such as the Bp. Represents it His Zeal to recover the
way of administring this Ordinance from that he has rather furnisht us with an invincible argument ad hominem to make it good There are two things which the Dissenters object against the way of celebrating this part of Divine Worship in the Establisht Church The one is the use of the Cross as a dedicating sign The other is the making God-fathers and Godmothers Sponsors for the religious Education of those children whose Parents are living to the exclusion of the Parents themselves Now let us examin each of these Practices by the Bp's own Principle Those ways of Worship saith he p. 3 are displeasing to God which are not expresly contain'd in the holy Scriptures or warranted by the examples of holy men therein But neither of these ways of celebrating Baptism can plead any such express command or so much as example in the holy Scriptures none that I know of having so much as pretended to produce either for ' em So that unless the Bp. retract his own Principle he must discard both these practices as sinful human Inventions But as I lay no great stress on an argument founded on so ambiguous a Principle so I shall add That I fear these two things will prove human Inventions according to the juster notion of 'em given in the Remarks on the Introduction For the Cross in Baptism I see not how it can be clear'd from being a New human Sacrament For there wants nothing but Divine Institution to make it as much a Sacrament as Baptism it self For what more can be requir'd to the nature of such a Sacrament of the New Covenant in reference to both the parts of it than to be a visible sign whereby God's promise of the blessings of that Covenant is confirmed to us and we brought under solemn obligation to the dutys of it For if such an external sign be appointed by God for these ends 't is a Divine Sacrament If by Men 't is a Human Sacrament or a part of positive Worship of human Invention Now that the Establâ—sht Church has appointed this visible sign of the Cross for both these purposes I mention'd before is I think sufficiently evident from her own express declaration concerning it For these are her words in the 30th Canon of the Church of England The Holy Ghost by the mouth of the Apostle did honour the name of the Cross so far that under it he comprehended not only Christ crucified but the force effect and merit of his death and passion with all the comforts fruits and promises which we receive or expect thereby And afterwards the Church of England hath retained still the sign of it in Baptism following therein the Primitive and Apostolical Churches and accounting it a lawful outward Ceremony and honourable Badg whereby the Infant is dedicated to the service of him that died on the Cross as by the words of the common-prayer-Common-prayer-book may appear The words in the Service-book to which the Canons refer are also these We receive this child into the Congregation of Christ's Flock and do sign him with the Sign of the Cross in token that he shall not be asham'd to confess the Faith of Christ crucified and manfully to fight under his banner against Sin the World and the Devil and to continue Christ's faithful Souldier and Servant to his lives end Here is the Sign of the Cross set up to represent Christ crucified and all the comforts fruits and promises which we receive or expect as the force effect and merit of his death and passion And sure Baptism can represent no more to be either receiv'd or expected by us 'T is also advanc't as an honourable Badg by which the person Baptiz'd is dedicated to the service of him that died on the Cross and consequently brought under solemn obligation to all the dutys of the New Covenant to confess the Faith of Christ crucified and manfully to fight under his banner against Sin the World and the Devil and to continue Christ's faithful Souldier and Servant to his live's end And what more peculiar dutys of the Covenant of Grace can Baptism oblige us to Nay as those Sacraments of Divine Institution are intended by their signification to excite us to our duty by way of moral causality or influence so the same is ascrib'd to this Ceremony a-among the rest appointed by the Establisht Church that 't is apt to stir up the dull mind of man to the remembrance of his duty to God by such a notable and spiritual signification whereby he may be edified See Pref. to the Cerem So that Crossing in Baptism is as much a Sacrament as any thing can be that is not divinely instituted i. e. 'T is a Sacrament which men have presum'd to Institute to the like purpose and use as our Blessed Saviour has Instituted Baptism it self Nor do any of those Excuses I have yet met with signifie any thing to take off this charge We are sometimes told That Baptism is perfect without it See the 30th Canon Answ Not to insist on what might be justly said that the Canon enjoyns the use of it in Baptism And that a great part of the Office of Baptism is continued after the crossing is over which seem to imply the quite contrary to what the excuse insinuates I do not see that this signifies any thing to remove our Objection For Baptism is perfect without the Lord's-Supper and yet that 's a distinct Sacrament and so will crossing prove no less a human Sacrament tho it were administred in publick worship at a different time from that of Baptism Only it looks the more presumptuous to joyn it with Baptism as if we wou'd supyly our Lord's defects in that Institution which he has made the initiating symbol and badg of our Christian Profession We are also told That the Minister Baptizes in the name of Christ but Signs with the Sign of the Cross in the name of the Church who by that Rite receives the Infant into the number of her particular members Answ I might content my self with replying That there is no such thing suggested in the Office of Baptism nor in the Canon that relates to the Cross The words us'd by the Minister when he crosses the child rather relate to it's being receiv'd into the universal Church For that 's the Congregation of Christ's Flock nor is there the least syllable in the words following of the person Baptized being sign'd with the sign of the Cross in token of his being received into this National Church But I add 'T is no way true that the Cross is only us'd as a rite by which the Establisht Church admits the Baptiz'd into the number of her members For the 36th Canon expresly asserts it to be an honourable badg whereby the person Baptiz'd is dedicated to the service of him that died on the Cross and refers to the words of the common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book which are plain to that purpose And therefore the difficulty still remains By what
neque tamen mere soluta oratio sed Syllabarum atque vocum certo numero seu proportione quadam saltem rhetorica ad melodiam adstricta Where 't is evident he takes Metre in the strict sense but asserts such Measures as are distinct from meer Prose And indeed some such Measures they must have had to conform their Sentences to Musick In some of 'em as particularly those Psalms I have quoted in the Remarks those Measures are more obvious and are like the Measures observ'd in many of the Hymns us'd in the Romish Church such as that Aeterna Coeli Gloria Beata spes Mortalium Summi Tonantis unice Castae que proles Virginis c. Or that Ave maris Stella Dei mater Alma Atque semper virgo Felix Coeli porta Sumens illud Ave Gabrielis Ore c. But others of 'em we are more at a loss to understand because we have utterly lost the Ancient Hebrew Musick even as to Instruments as well as Tunes yea the Ancient Musick of other Nations is lost See Is Voss de Poem Cantu c. p. 21. 48. Upon the whole then sinee the Psalms were wrote in such sort of Metre and Verse as was then us'd since the knowledge of their particular Musical Tunes and Instruments is quite lost we cannot be oblig'd to an exact imitation of 'em for that were to suppose us oblig'd to Impossibilities The Commands therefore that enjoyn Christian Churches to sing Psalms necessarily oblige us to turn 'em into such sort of Metre and Verse as will accommodate e'm best to be sung by the People Whereas to put 'em into no other Metre than the Pointed Psalter in the common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book is to exclude the generality of the People from any capacity of complying with God's own Command for Singing ' em And as the Tunes of those pointed Psalms are quite different from the Hebrew ones so they are as much a human Invention as the Tunes of the common Metre-Versions And therefore to set up that pointed Psalter in the Service-Book whose Tunes the body of the People cannot follow to the Exclusion of those Metre-versions according to which they can joyn in singing the Psalms as the Bp. seems to design is in his Language to set up a human Invention to the violation of a Divine Command by rendring the Peoples observance of it impracticable And whereas the Bp. adds p. 8. That we cannot find that our Saviour and his Apostles in their time or those in the Age immediately following sung any thing in verse but we are sure they sung Hymns in Prose I shall only subjoyn That I cannot imagine whence the Bp. shou'd be sure That Christ and his Apostles Sung Hymns in Prose For by the account already given 'T is no way probable since the Hebrew-Psalms tho compos'd when Poetry was but in its first rise and as it were unfledg'd and unform'd were in Verse as distinguish'd from Prose Nay that in the Apostles time and in the following Ages they Sung in Metre and Verse seems more probable from the Relation that Eusebius gives us from Philo concerning the Therapeutae or Worshippers in Egypt Philo flourish'd in the middle of the Apostolical Age of whose Commentary Eusebius tells us Eccles. Hist l. 2. c. 16 That it contain'd manifestly the Canons or Rules hitherto conserved in the Church and that insomuch as he i. e. Philo has curiously described unto us the lives of our Asseticks or Religious Men he plainly shews that he not only understood but also greatly admir'd and approv'd those Apostolical Men who probably descending from the Hebrews did therefore observe the ancient Rites and Ceremonies of the Jews Now among other customs of those Therapeutae Philo relates Eccl. Hist l. 2 c. 17. That they made Songs and Hymns to God in grave and sacred Rhymes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of every kind of Metre and Verse 'T is true indeed that Scaliger de Emend Temp. l. 6. falls foul on Eusebius for making these Therapeutoe or Worshippers to be Christians and Valesius Annot. in Euseb p 34. 35. falls in with him in that tho he dissent from him that these Therapeutoe were Essenes and pretends to prove the contrary But the Arguments of Scaliger and Valesius on both these heads are well answer'd in Bruno's Dissertatio de Therapeutis Printed at the end of Colomes's Edition of the Epistle of Clement ad Corinthios But however that bee 'T is evident that Eusebius not only asserts such Divine Hymns compos'd in Metre and Verse to be in use among Christians in his Age but to have been a custom deriv'd to 'em from the Apostolical Age and continually preserved in the Church as Philo supposes such Hymns to have been usual among the Jews So that we have better ground to conclude that Christ and his Apostles and the following Ages sung Hymns in Metre and Verse then the Bp. has produc'd for their Singing Hymns in Prose And for the Alternate singing of the Psalms of David Dr. Comber acknowledges the truth of what Theodoret asserts l. 2. c. 24. That this custom was first brought into the Church of Antioch by Flavianus and Diodorus and from thence universally spread of Lit. p. 87 88. And Dr. Hammond saith That St. Basil in the description of a Clergy man officiating Ad Clerum Caesar Ep. 63 saith they go to the House of Prayer and after the Confession they prepare for the singing of Psalms speaking of the first Apostolical times For now saith he we sing the Psalms in parts or by turns it seems they had not done so before but altogether View of the New Direct Ed. fol. p. 138 In other Hymns 't is true we read of Alternate singing more early practis'd And indeed since the Scripture only requires Singing Psalms Hymns c. in general without prescribing the particular mode of it Christian Charity shou'd make us cautious of censuring such different modes of others as sinful human Inventions except when such an inconvenient mode is chosen as excludes the main part of the Congregation from joyning in this Religious Duty FINIS
proving it that God has appointed what they spake on that occasion for stated forms of Thanksgivings in all Christian Assemblies when there is so much in 'em suited to the particular case of those persons that tho they are useful for our instruction yet they are not calculated for forms of thanksgivings to us If we must choose forms out of the Scripture the Apostolical ones I produc'd under the head of Thanksgivings will far more exactly suit us Again when he says Our Church praises God with 5 or 6 Psalms c. in his own words and method Why dos he groundlesly imagine the words of the Prose-translation of the Psalms to be more the words of God than the words of a Metre-translation that do as truly express the sense of the Original Nay why dos he pretend that they praise God by Psalms in his own method when they have so plainly deviated from his method in the following Instances As 1. In the Cathedrals where the Psalm is sung by the Quire 'T is none of God's method that the greater part of the people shou'd be excluded from joyning in his Praises thro their incapacity to sing 'em in Prose For besides the probable Arguments alledg'd before to prove that the Psalms were compos'd and sung in metre by the Jews this is plainly disagreeable to the Ap's Rule that all things shou'd be done to Edification 2. In the Parish-Churches when the Psalms are only said not sung they are so far from using God's method that their practice has neither Scripture-precept nor pattern but is one of the Bp's human Inventions Nay 't is disagreeable to the precepts of the New Testament which enjoyn the singing of Psalms in our praises and tho his Lp. pretends a dispensation for saying 'em I have shewn him the invalidity of his proofs for it so that we have only his bare word for it 3. The method of Responses in the Parish-Churches as applied by them to all Psalms even those wherein there is no variety of matter nor different persons introduc'd as speaking in 'em is unscriptural and generally scarce agreeable to common reason or to the rule of decency and order that where the sense is continued thro several verses it shou'd be interrupted and broken by being tosst between the Minister and People just as in the Litany the Minister and People make up the Prayer between ' em So that this is another of the Bp's sort of human Inventions The Bp. adds Our Church praises God with 5 c. and yet is deserted by you in this very point as teaching for doctrines the Com-Commandments of men Answ If he means that some weak people may alledge such reasons for their deserting the Establisht Church because they think these unscriptural practices I have last mention'd such superstitious commands of men as our Saviour speaks of 7 Mat. 7. 'T is indeed possible it may be true for who can be responsible for all that injudicious people say But I know none of the Non-conf Writers that have condemn'd 'em as unlawful or applied that Text to prove 'em so But I must tell his Lp That if any shou'd pass this harsh censure on 'em he is the only person I know of that has furnisht 'em with an Argument ad Hominem which I know not how he can Answer For what if they shou'd reason thus That way of Worship is displeasing to God which is neither expresly contain'd in nor warranted by the Examples of H. Men in Scripture being one of the commandments of Men condemn'd by our Saviour 7 Mark 7. but the way of Praising God with Psalms and Hymns without singing 'em and of using Responses in all Psalms is neither exprâ—sly contain'd in the H. Scriptures nor warranted by the Examples of H. Men therein and yet 't is the general Practice of all the Parish-Churches E The first Proposition is entirely his own The second I have prov'd in these Remarks and shew'd that his Instances to the contrary signifie nothing to his purpose let himself therefore look to the Conclusion And as he has so palpably misrepresented matters on his own side so he has done it much more foully on the Dissenters Concerning whose practice his words are Whereas you who only Praise him in a piece of a Psalm of a few verses and in a method of your own finding out persuade your selves that you keep the ordinances of God pure and unmix'd from human Invâ—ntion Answer I desire his Lp. when he is pleas'd to examine these matters over again to give us some reason why he so confidently tells us that the Dissenters only praise God in a piece of a Psalm Do's he not know that publick Thanksgivings without vocal melody are a Scriptural way of praising God and most expresly enjoyn'd for that end as a stated part of the Worship of Christian Assemblys 1 Tim. 2.1 2. and mention'd as their constant Practice 1 Cor. 14 16 And dos he not know that such solemn Thanksgivings are a stated part of the Worship of Dissenters He cannot pretend Ignorance of this when he has so diligently Read the Directory out of which I have quoted him the heads of such Thanksgivings and if he compare 'em with the patterns of Apostolical Thanksgivings I mention'd before he 'll find they are exactly drawn after their excellent Copy Nor cou'd he be Ignorant that the Directory enjoyns such Thanksgivings to be constantly joyn'd with the Prayer before or after Sermon as the New Testament also directs us to offer 'em up together unless he read it with so partial an eye as to overlook its excellencys and only spy its defects And I must add that the practice of Dissenters in this part of publick Worship to the utmost of my observation is very conformable to this Rule of the Directory So that his Lp. is oblig'd to do us right by rectifying this palpable mistake concerning this part of our Worship and wou'd do well to understand our Worship better before he undertake to represent it with so confident pretences to impartiality I wou'd here only subjoyn That such solemn Thanksgivings as these are undoubtedly of God's appointment For if he pretend that they are not offer'd in any words that God has immediately dictated as he tells us their Church praises him in his own words I answer That cannot be justly imputed to us as a fault unless God had been pleas'd to dictate such Forms of Thanksgiving to us which if he can shew us he will make the happiest discovery that ever man yet did and such a one as will soon end all our Debates about this matter But I am afraid he must bring a new Bible for that purpose for I can find no such in that we have And indeed if God had provided such Forms of Thanksgiving for the Christian Church What need were there of any human Liturgy for this ordinary part of our Worship What need those few Collects of Thanksgiving and indeed too few and