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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32819	A serious examination of the independent's catechism and therein of the chief principles of non-conformity to, and separation from the Church of England / by Benjamin Camfield ... ; in two parts, the first general, the second more particular.	Camfield, Benjamin, 1638-1693.	1668 (1668)	Wing C383; ESTC R6358	213,588	410

A SERIOUS EXAMINATION OF THE Independent's Catechism AND THEREIN Of the Chief Principles of Non-conformity to and Separation from The CHURCH of ENGLAND By BENJAMIN CAMFIELD Rector of Whitwell in Derbyshire In two parts The first General the second more Particular Transfigurat se Satanas velut Angelum lucis de Scripturis saepè divinis laqueum fidelibus parat Ergo non te capiat haereticus quia potest de Scripturis aliqua exempla proferre Utitur Diabolus testimoniis Scripturarum non ut doceat sed ut fallat á S. Ambros De secunda tentatione Christi LONDON Printed by J. Redmayne for the Author And are to be sold by Henry Eversden at his Shop under the Crown Tavern in West-Smith-field 1668. IMPRIMATUR Tho. Tomkyrs Reverendissimo in Christo Patri ac Domino Domino GILBERTO Divina Providentia Archi. Ep. Cant. à Sac. Dom. Ex Aed Lambethanis Junii 12. 1668. TO THE READER Christian Reader THe ensuing Treatise designs not so much the gratifying of the Learned as the satisfaction of the more ignorant and mis-informed and the motive to this publick exposing of it unto view is a necessity rather of the Times than of the Thing it self The very same truths have been frequently suggested by eminent Defenders of the English Church the most Reverend Whitgift Hooker Andrews Morton Hammond Sanderson and others But so long as old mistakes and errors have the confidence to creep abroad into the World daily in some or other new Disguise it is but charity to endeavour the removal of that stumbling-stone and rock of offence which may be otherwise cast in the way of the unskilful The Book examined is the sink indeed of all Non-conforming and Separating Principles from the Protestant Religion established in these Kingdoms under the modest Name of A brief Instruction in the VVorship of God and discipline of the Churches of the New Testament by way of Question and Answer with an Explication and Confirmation of those Answers Printed 1667. † So in the Title page and then contractedly in the head of the following pages A short Catechism with an Explication upon the same The Author I neither know nor list to enquire after but am content to leave his character to thy discretion upon the impartial perusal of that which follows wherein I have demonstrated him First False in his fundamental Principle that runs through all the rest Secondly False unto it and so in the first part undermined his general foundation and in the second cast down the chief of his superstructures If thou art a friend to the Holy Scripture it will offend thee I am confident to see it so much abused under a pretence of cleaving most exactly to it if to the Reformed Interest to find it so disgraced by opening a gap unto all confusions But not to trouble thee with a tedious preface I crave no more belief at thy hands than evidence shall extort from thy Vnderstanding only I beseech thee to read without prejudice and consider what thou readest and That God the Father of Lights would guide us all into and confirm us in the Truth is the hearty Prayer of Thy Well-wishing Friend and Servant B. C. THE Independent's Catechism EXAMINED In two Parts Part I. CHAP. I. Error in first and foundation-Principles most dangerous The Catechist's grand mistake noted The Method of this first part in order to the full conviction thereof The Protestant Doctrine of the perfection of H. Scripture as a rule and guide restrained to matters of Divine belief and practise necessary unto Salvation OF all Errors none so pernicious as those which corrupt the first and foundation-principles of our Discourse for these communicate a leaven of Falshood unto all the consequences from thence inferr'd and such is that which may be observed to run through the Catechism now examined a principle which comprizeth the whole mystery of Non-conformity and Separation in it's bowels viz. That nothing must be done o● admitted of by us in or about Religion God's worship and service which himself hath not commanded in the Holy Scriptures That whatsoever is not found instituted and comm●nded in the ●ord of God cannot be of Faith and therefore the practise or allowance of it is upon that account sinful That the VVord of God condem●eth not only what is done against the warrant thereof but that also which is done besides or without it Now to give this matter it 's full consideration I determine by God's h●lp to speak distinctly unto these five particulars First The common belief of Protestant Divines in this argument Secondly The corruption and abuse of the Protestant Belief by the Doctrine of the Non-conforming Brethren Thirdly The words wherein our Catechist hath declared his opinion Fourthly The manifest falshood of the Assertion And Lastly The genuine explication of those texts of Scripture which are pretended to countenance it As to the first of these That which is owned among Protestants in common is This That the Holy Scriptures are the onely and sufficient guide and rule in all matters of necessary belief and observance in order unto salvation able to make us wise unto salvation and therefore Whosoever doth either derogate from this their perfection or add any thing unto them as necessary to be believed or done in order unto Salvation are certainly guilty of most presumptuous and unaccountable profaneness and This we justly tax the Church of Rome withall for enjoyning of unwritten traditions and Papal determinations to be received with an equal reverence unto the Holy Scriptures But then it is not their meaning by virtue of this Declaration to condemn all opinions as false and actions as unlawful which the Holy Scripture prescribeth not or to extend the perfection of Holy Scripture so far as the punctual determination of the circumstantials of Divine worship The perfection of God's Word is judged by them with relation unto that special end whereto it is designed viz. the instruction of men in all things necessary unto salvation the knowledge whereof they could not otherwise attain unto than by Divine revelation for it was not aimed to destroy or extinguish the light of nature but to help advance and perfect it It is not therefore any of God's purpose in the Holy Scriptures to comprize all things which men may know believe or practise as if natural reason and discretion were no longer to continue it's guidance or to determine all rituals and circumstances appertaining to the external ordering of Divine worship so as to have nothing for Ecclesiastical laws to be employed about That which they teach of the Scriptures sufficiency is ever restrained to matters of necessary belief and duties of necessary observance in order unto salvation and never enlarged to all things that may be believed or done by us in the general or to particular circumstances which have respect unto the good order decency and external regulation of Divine worship CHAP. II. The Puritan disguises of this

by the accordance and consent it hath with other greater Evidences now to follow To proceed then to the Histories of those times which are most competent to clear the matter of fact A first evidence of this sort is the Assumption of Matthias into the place of Judas the traditor and desertor Act. 1 Act. 1.20 22 25. who lost his office and soon after his life Wherein we see St. Peter upon the prophetical prediction of Judas's fate and the last branch of that his Bishoprick let another take concludes with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a necessity that one of those that had continued with them from the beginning and so was qualified for it should become with them a witness of the Resurrection and by the form of their Prayer for God's direction and revelation of his will which he had pitch'd on it is evident that taking his Bishoprick verse 20. is all one with taking the lot or portion of that Ministry and Apostleship verse 25. Soon after this it is apparent Act. 6. that the Apostles Act. 6. to make their burden more supportable did by imposition of hands create seven Deacons in Jerusalem which although it be not an example of their constituting successors to their whole Office yet is an evidence that they vvere able to communicate to others any part of that povver committed to them by Christ And then Why they might not in whole as well as in part communicate it unto others vvho might succeed to it after their departure from any place or finally out of the world as vvell as assist them being present by undergoing in their stead some part of it there is no imaginable reason to be rendred but on the contrary the example of Moses vvho first assumed the seventy to assist him and at that time God gave them of his Spirit and so part of his Power and after constituted Joshua to succeed him will be directly applicable to this matter Thirdly After and beside the instituting of this office on the Twelve it was the Will and Appointment of God Act. 13.2 that Saul and Barnabas should be assumed to it and that immediately after James the Apostle's death ch 12.2 in the same manner as Ephraim and Manasses supplied the place of Joseph when he dyed Fourthly By comparing some passages of Scripture with the plain assertions of antient Writers and Fathers of the Church it may be concluded that James the just that had the title of Brother of the Lord was constituted Bishop of Jerusalem being none of those twelve Apostles by Christ himself say some Theophyl in 1 Cor. 15.7 at his appearing to him after the Resurrection but as it is more generally resolved on by the Apostles which received their power from Christ and that in the 19th year of Tiberius i. e. the next year after the death of Christ saith Eusebius in his Chronicle Hence it is that this James though none of the twelve is called an Apostle Gal. 1.19 and perhaps Act. 15.6 and 22. and in the inscription of his Epistle he is entitled the Apostle James and accordingly Com. in Isai St. Hierom calls him the thirteenth Apostle which farther yields him a priority before Paul and Barnabas as being after him admitted to that dignity to whom he gives the right hand of fellowship Gal. 2.9 And being at Jerusalem his Episcopal See See Dr. H. Dissert 4. cap. 3. is there named before Peter and John two principal Apostles Fifthly Of St. Paul it is not only said by himself expresly that he had laid hands on Timothy and that thereby the gift of God 2 Tim. 1 6. 2 Tim. 4 1● fitting him for the Episcopal function was given him but farther that he was by him left at Ephesus to exercise this Authority to command some which includes power to teach no other doctrine i. e. to suppress hereticks 2 Tim. 1. ● And the same is as clear of Titus who is by him left in Crete Tit. 1.5 with power of regulating things not yet ordered in that Island and to ordain Elders in every Church which being two branches of Episcopal power it is by the Antients generally affirmed that he was instituted the Metropolitan or chief Bishop of that Island as Timothy at Ephesus the Metropolis of Asia and accordingly these two are stiled Apostles also as receiving the same power or Commission that Christ had given to the twelve Dissert 4. and to St. Paul which is observable likewise of divers others And accordingly 't is the general affirmation of Theodoret that those who now are called Bishops were called Apostles but in process of time they left the name of Apostles to those that were truly so sent immediately by Christ and imposed the name of Bishops on those others that had been antiently call'd Apostles Sixthly It farther appears that as Timothy and Titus were thus ordained by St. Paul so they had thereby also power to ordain others through all Churches in those Regions where they were placed and accordingly did actually ordain them And so the power given the Apostles was sure no temporary power but as from them derived to others so from those others farther communicated and all this by express testimonies of Scripture For that St. Paul should leave Titus in Crete on purpose to ordain Elders there and prescribe Timothy as well as him What sort of men and how qualified should be constituted Bishops and Deacons in the Churches and they should make no use of that power is not imaginable nor could be controverted though there were no other book in the world but the New Testament whereas the testimony of the following Church-writers is clear that in rete the one and in Asia the other had the ordaining first and then the judging of many Bishops and that as there so every where else the Bishops in their several Churches were the successors of the Apostles and therefore many of them call'd Apostles also as hath been already intimated St. Hierom St Hieron in Ps 45. is positive Pro patribus Apostolis filii Episcopi For the Fathers the Apostles are the Bishops their Sons And again Ep. ad Marcel Apudnos Apostolorum locum Episcopi tenent Bishops with us do hold the place of the Apostles and to the same effect sundry others which I list not here to recite Seventhly It is manifest by the Epistle of Christ to the seven Churches of the Proconsular Asia deliver'd by vision to St. John that there were at the date of that Epistle Rulers or Governours of each of those Churches to whom under the title of Angels the care of those Churches was committed That these were any of the twelve Apostles or others constituted from Heaven immediately neither is nor can be pretended by any It remains therefore that it must be a derived communicated power whether mediately or immediately from one or more of the Apostles that first preached the Gospel there which