honours to the Superior Clergy that they may be a Protection to the Inferior and a relief to the poor and keep up Religion from the contempt and scorn of Worldly men § 12. VIII The King is justly the donor of such honours and great revenues § 13. IX The Parish Ministers according to the true Legal Reformed Church of Englaend are acknowledged true Pastors as to all the essentials of the Pastoral Office Word Sacraments Keys Discipline and Ordinations 14. X. The Inferior Ministers in Tythes and Glebe have mostly a laudable maintenance § 15. XI All the Parish Churches are to distinguish Communicating Members from Non-communicating Inhabitants and to refuse the scandalous and unconfirmed not ready or desiring confirmation And the Offices of Absolution and Burial are fitted to the Faithful were Discipline executed 16. XII Yet our Law for Dissenters Assemblies acknowledgeth them all true Members of the Church of England who agree in the essentials notwithstanding their dissent in divers lesser things as no doubt they are § 17. XIII We use one and the same Translation of Scripture and usually the same version of Psalms Time Place Utensils so far as allowed All these are laudable parts of the Constitution of a National Church 18. XIV To which I may add that we all renounce all humane Universal and Forreign Jurisdiction Civil and Ecclesiastical And all Traditions that pretend to be supplemental and perfecting to the Scripture and all Infallibility of Popes and Councils None of this therefore needeth a Reformation But what then doth § 19. Ans All these things following I. The entrance into the Church by Baptism of Infants is done so lightly and rashly while the Parents are forbidden to speak a word there as Dedicating their Children to God or Covenanting for them but all is laid on such Godfathers as never own the Children nor ever intend to do what they Vow And Baptism is refused if Crossing be refused II. The Bishop only being to Confirm all in many hundred or score Parishes where one of many hundred is not known to him much less examined by him Confirmation is commonly made a deceiving Ceremony and the Transition from the State of Infant Members into the State of Adult Communicants is made so wide that the Church too little differeth from Catechumens that I say not from those without III. The Parishes are many so large that the Incumbent knoweth not his Church-Communicants nor how many hundreds or thousands stay away IV. The Canons though they nullifie not the Incumbents Pastorship yet fetter him by unjust restraint from the due exercise of it V. Faithful able godly men are kept and cast out of the Ministry for not sinning against God or not obeying unnecessary and unfit terms of Ministration VI. And on the same account thousands of the Religious Laity are denied Communion and cast into Prisons and ruined by Fines and till lately forbidden all Publick Worship above four VII The Decretive Power of the Keys of Excommunication and Absolution is in the hands of Lay-men used pro formâ in the Bishops name VIII Patrons have too much power in chusing Parish Pastors for all the Land without the Flocks consent and sufficient caution of the Patrons qualifications IX Bishops are chosen without due consent or election of the Synods or People X. Ordinations are made by Bishops without Synods or any Presbyters but a few whom the Bishop taketh pro formâ XI The Episcopacy of Incumbents being denied by many it is grown a common imagination that none are Ordained by Bishops that are not Ordained by Diocesans XII The Personal ignorance viciousness and disability of a great part of the Ministry is of all the rest the worst and hardest to be reformed XIII The too loose tryal of the Ordained and their necessary qualification much causeth this XIV And the corruption of the Universities is the Seminary and Nursery of our sins and dangers XV. Many dangerous Oaths or Covenants and Professions are hurtfully imposed on the Ministers and People by which Guilt and Divisions are increased XVI And to compleat our dangers an enmity or deep jealousie is setled between the Publick Priests and a great part of the most seriously Religious People of the Land This distance hath long been causing and the causes are still continued The badness of Priests in the time of Popery and their contemptible insufficiency in the beginning of the Reformation tempted many zealous Protestants to too hard thoughts of the generality of them No Party hath been faultless It fell out that the Exiles in Germany who were most zealous in Religion against Popery and all ungodliness followed Geneva and set themselves too much against Bishops and our Liturgy that they might not partake of the sins of Popery But Dr. Ri Cox that had been K. Edw. 6. Tutor and had a great hand in making our Liturgy drew Horn and others to him and forced our Liturgy on them at Frankford and prevailing against them drove them to Geneva thinking that Reformation should receive as much of the antient Forms and Ceremonies as were not true Popery nor forbidden of God that the Papists might not challenge us as Novelists On these terms of difference they came over into England being on both sides generally godly Protestants The Queen Eliz. took part with the Conformists and made them Bishops and Dignitaries and discountenanced the Nonconformists The first Race of these good Bishops loved the godly Nonconforming Preachers and connived at them and encouraged them in their fervent plain Preaching and pious Living But as that Race wore out by death Bishopricks having great honour power and wealth had many seekers and seekers had many friends And he that loveth wealth and honour most is like to seek it most and he that most seeketh is likest to find And the greatest Lovers of the World are the worst men And so Bishops not all at once but by degrees were altered Then the Nonconformists not only refusing to be Bishops but too many declaring their Judgments to be for their fall the Bishops having more power resolved first to cast them down and to do their utmost to root them out And made their Book of Canons and Acts of Uniformity fitted to that use And so the Enmity turned into a ruining War became remediless save that on both sides the godly and moderate lived peaceably lamenting the extreams of the rest Qu. Eliz. and K. James I. having silenced many hundred Dissenters that were of great worth extraordinary piety and the Bishops causing this and in jealousie of the strictest People forbidding them to fast and pray together and some other exercises of piety and in K. Charles I. days carrying it yet higher to greater severity and this setled them in an Enmity to Bishops as the Enemies of serious Piety and the Bishops more sought to root them out of the Land Till Laud carrying it further and seeking a Coalition with those that were for a Foreign Jurisdiction
Party or Sect though it should be or thought to be sounder or better than the rest excluding any that have all the necessaries before named though they have many tolerable errors and imperfections § 9. It is not lawful to make things unnecessary to be taken or used as necessary to the National Church Unity Nor to make snares and impose them by such needless Laws to silence or eject any true and tolerable Ministers much less the soundest imposing things sinful or needless or that are unfit to be the Conditions of Unity and so unavoidably excluding capable Conscionable worthy men for want of complying with those terms is the commonest cause of Schism in the Christian World and the effect of Ignorance Pride and Tyranny none being more worthy to be excluded than such Schismatical excluders that make the Laws that should be the bonds of Concord to be the greatest Engines of Division § 10. The present Orthodox Protestant Nonconformists are as truely Members of the Church of England justly so called as any Diocesans or Conformists in the Land and if they be not better confuted than hitherto they have been they may truely be said to be the soundest most judicious and most conscionable and the most peaceable Members of this Church And to deny such Nonconformists to be true and honourable parts of the Church of England is but such an effect of Ignorant Arrogance and Slanders as is the shame of the speaker and implieth some dishonourable definition of the said Church And they that make their mutable Forms and Ceremonies essential to the Church make a Ceremony of the Church it self and cannot answer the Papists that challenge us to prove its antiquity Our Liturgy is not so old as Luthers time As Rome by claiming to be the whole Church hath made many think that it is not so much as a part so Conformists calling themselves the whole Church of England hath tempted many to take them for no part § 11. But yet unsound and hurtful Members may be restrained and corrected when they are not silenced or cast out And proving them true parts doth not prove them to be sound parts or such as must not be rebuked But tender avoiding sin by preferring Gods Law before Mans and founding our Concord on Christs instituted capable terms and not on the Sand of ensnaring humane Impositions is far from being the mark of unsound Members Yet meerly to tolerate them to Preach in deep Poverty that deserve most encouragement is not free from Injury and Schism Chap. VIII How far this Confederacy and Concord bindeth the Members of a National Church to Conformity to the common sence and practice § 1 VVHoever is convinced that Christian Kingdoms or National Churches are of Christs Institution must needs know that it is the duty of all its Members to do their best to preserve them and promote their welfare as considered in that form and not only to seek their own Salvation or the prospering of their particular Churches or Parties not only to seek the common good of Christians as such in Community But to keep up the National Polity in all lawful things in the way of their several places and callings For he is unworthy to be a Denison in any lawful Society that promoteth not its well faring § 2. And here it is a grand duty to know the distinct Rights of the Governing and the Governed part And to know that though they are distinct they ought not to be opposite but conjunct A fancy hath been by one of late divulged that it is a heinous crime to say that the King and People have a separate or separable interest So far may rashness precipitate the ignorant That King and Subjects have a distinct interest is past all doubt That these interests ought not to be opposite or set against each other is also doubtless And that they are divisible is doubtless else they would never fall out about them And that they are faultily divided And no doubt but they may and must be divided Numerally and Notionally so they be not opposite § 3. What I say of Kings I must say of Parents and Pastors and Tutors When the Subjects are various and really divided Numerically there the Accidents are divers and divided For the Accidents cannot be the same and indivisible that are in various subjects But the rights of Rulers and Subjects are diverse And the Persons or Subjects of these Rights are diverse and separate in sensu Physico Therefore the Rights are diverse and Physically seperate § 4. The Genus and fixed part of the Species being ordained by God himself the mutable Form Monarchy Aristocracy and Mixt and the determination of the Person or Line is by men and that is by mutual Consent and Contract None can force a man to be King or Pastor against his Will And Government is a state of great care and great danger to Soul and Body And will any man in his Wits undertake it without security to his own interest The Kings distinct and separate interest is 1. His own Life to be secured against Treason 2. His Honour as Gods chief Officer and in a sort representer which is therefore Gods own Honour in him This is made distinct and Physically separate tho not opposite in the Fifth Commandment And the doubt whether that Commandement be part of the first or second Table or rather partly of each as the Cardo utrinsque doth make it a hard question what interest is the highest Of which Michael Hudson hath subtilly treated The King also hath a distinct interest 3. In his Family and Personal Estate 4. And in such necessary aid of Men and Tribute as may enable him to Govern and Defend the Land Tho the Subjects may as Proprietors make limiting Contracts to secure their own Propriety and Interest And the Peoples right is in general the common good and safety and particularly to be defended and their contracted form of Government not overthrown nor the Kingdom to be given up to a Foreign Power or any Usurper much more that none that will execute such Papal Tyranny as is determined of in the General Council at Laterane sub Innoc. 3. to destroy or exterminate the Kingdom unless they would Damn their Souls by forsaking sound Religion I say that no such be their King or Potent Governour Because regere and perdere are inconsistent And they who design it and profess their subjection to any Power or Law or Religion that obligeth to it are to be supposed to be doing it Especially if their preparations shew their purposes and Magistrates be set in Power that are under the same Obligations And though a party or person must fly or suffer rather than Embroil the Kingdom in War or Rebellion for their defence Yet a whole Kingdom cannot be deprived of the right of self defence unless by Gods Sentence on their notorious forfeiture of Life § 5. The Kings Interest is chief in Majority in genere
OF National Churches Their Description Institution Use Preservation Danger Maladies and Cure Partly applied to England Written by RICHARD BAXTER for promoting peace when the pacifying Day shall come by Healing their Extremes that are willing of Peace and Healing And for the fuller Explication of the Treaty for Concord in 1660 and 1661. and of the Kings Gracious Declaration about Ecclesiastical Affairs for which he had publick thanks by them that afterward rejected it And for further Explication of his Treatise of Episcopacy and many others written for Peace and rejected Rev. 11. 15. The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall Reign for ever and ever Chap. 19. 16. King of Kings and Lord of Lords Matth. 5. 9. Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God Jam. 3. 17. The wisdom that is from above is first Pure and then Peaceable c. London Printed by T. Snowden for Thomas Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns the lower end of Cheapside 1691. THE EPISTLE TO THE READER Reader THIS short Discourse cometh not from the expectation of pleasing any of the Extremes the Tyrannical or the Confounders And therefore in a Time and Countrey where those that escape Extremes are few it must expect but the private approbation of those few But those few and their Cause are so considerable as that if God mean not to forsake the Land they may yet become the Agents and stamina of a happy concordant Reformation Of which in the appearance of Second Causes there is yet no great prospect nor like to be unless God cause the Supreme Power by Wisdom and Righteousness or by their own constraining Interest and Necessity to drive the Worldly Unpeaceable Sort to obey Healing Precepts for their own Advantage contrary to their Temptations and Inclinations If such a day come when I am dead these Principles will be of use They are not lately taken up by me as you may see in my Five Disputations of Church Government c. in my Treatise of Episcopacy Nonconformity stated c. and in our frustrated Treaty for Concord 1660 1661. In the state that we are in while we have none to whom we have any Call or Hope to address our selves for publick Concord let us keep our selves from the guilt of unpeaceableness and bear the Slanders and Wrongs of false Accusers and thank God for checking the Power of Persecutors and let us make peace among those that we may speak to with any hope and wait on God till he shew us whether he be saving or forsaking the Land and the rest of the Reformed Unreformed Churches And to them that will be offended with me for saying so much for Bishops and Archbishops let them know that this Book is but an Attendant on a bigger written against a Foreign Jurisdiction or Popery which sheweth that I am no more for the Extremes of others ' than of theirs As also my Treatise of Episcopacy hath shewn And here I have proved that Popery is but a Fabrick built on the Ruins of National Churches or Christian Kingdoms And if it ever fall it must be by their Restoration The Lord pity the Blind Malignant Self-destroying World and prepare us better for a better Society London March 26. 1691. Richard Baxter LET the Reader note that § 7 8 9 and 10. of the XII th Chapter are misplaced and must be read as the end of the IX th Chapter The rest of the Errata's I have not time togather THE CONTENTS CHap. I. What a National Church is Ch. II. That Christ Instituted such a Church Form Ch. III. In the Execution as well as Embrio Judea was such Ch. IV. Particular Churches and Pastors how far Essential to a National Church and what are its Materials Ch. V. The Pastors or Bishops of National Churches are to be of three Ranks Apostolick Successors Ch. VI. Who must be the Lay-members of National Churches Ch. VII What is the Confederacy or Concord needful to a National Church Ch. VIII How far this Confederacy and Concord bindeth the Members of a National Church to Conformity Ch. IX That Christ hath Instituted no Ecclesiastical Government in Man of any larger extent than National much less Universal nor of Foreign Jurisdiction And that the French Aristocracy with the Popes Primacy and Patriarchate is as bad as Papal Monarchy Ch. X. Whether Universal Church Government more than per partes be of Apostolick Succession Ch. XI Whether National Church Primacy or Aristocracy infer Universal Ch. XII 1. Whether the Romans Church Policy should be chosen as strengthning the common Christian Interest 2. Whether Protestants Differences and Divisions make the Roman way of Concord necessary 3. Whether Protestants or Papists have more Errors Chap. XIII What are the Dangerous Diseases of a National Church Chap. XIV Whether the Present Church of England be of a sound Constitution and what is Necessary to its Welfare Safety Strength and Peace Chap. XV. The Case answered Of Tolerating Dissenters from the Laws or Customs of a National Church Books Printed for and Sold by Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers Chapel Baxter's Catholick Theology plain pure peaceable for Pacification of the Dogmatical Word-Warriours in three books Folio His Church History of Government of Bishops and their Councils Abbreviated Quarto His true History of Councils enlarged and defended Quarto His Treatise of Episcopacy Quarto His Saints Everlasting rest in four parts Quarto His Paraphrase on the New Testament Quarto His Life of Faith in three parts Quarto His answer to Dodwel and Sherlock Quarto His Catholick Communion in five parts Quarto Catholick Communion doubly defended c. Whether Parish Congregations be true Christian Churches defended against both Extremes Unnecessary Divisions Quarto His Apology for Non-Conforming Ministers Quarto His Naked Popery c. Quarto His Treatise of Knowledge and Love Compared c. in two parts Quarto His English Non-Conformity as under King Charles the second and King James the second truely Stated and Argued the Second Edition Quarto His Treatise of Self-Denial Octavo His Defence of Non-Conformists Plea for Peace Octavo His Full and Easy satisfaction which is the True and Safe Religion Octavo His Key for Catholicks opening the Juglings of the Jesuits Octavo His Catechizing of Families Octavo His Scriptures Gospel Defended and Christ Grace and free Justification vindicated against the Libertines Octavo His Two Disputations of Original Sin Octavo His Cain and Abel Malignity that is Enmity to Serious Godliness c. Octavo His Call to the Unconverted to turn and live c. Octavo His Glorious Kingdom of Christ described and clearly vindicated c. Quarto stitcht His Reply to Mr. Beverly's Answer to my Reasons against his Doctrine of a thousand years Quarto stitcht His Farewel Sermon prepared to have been Preached to his hearers at Kederminster at his departure but forbidden Quarto published
by himself Moral Prognostication 1st What shall befall Churches on Earth till Conquered by restitution of primitive Purity Simplicity and Charity 2. How the restitution is like to be made if ever and what shall befall them thenceforth to the end in that Golden Age of Love Quarto stitcht His search for the English Schismatick Quarto stitcht His Immortality of the Soul Octavo His Treatise of Justifying Righteousness in two books Octavo His Revolt to a Foreign Jurisdiction in two parts Octavo Joseph Alleine of Conversion in Octavo large Print with Cases of Conscience Alleine of Conversion in Twelves smaller Print with Cases of Conscience Alleine's Sure Guide in Twelves Mr. Steel of Old Age. Vincent of Conversion Touchstone of Grace and Nature Of Conscience The Spirit of Prayer Of Love among Christians Three Funeral Sermons Principles of the Doctrine of Christ Chap. I. What a National Church is § 1. A National Church and a Christian Kingdom constituted of a Christian Soveraign Magistrate and of Christian Subjects worshiping God ordinarily in true Particular Pastoral Churches is the same thing § 2. The ignorance of this hath confounded the Christian World by two extreams On one side a double mischief hath been by this ignorance introduced First That of Popery which first prophaneth the Sacred Office of Kings and Magistrates feigning them to be but a sort of secular Animals that have the care only of mens Bodies and trading and worldly Affairs and not of Souls or of mens everlasting Safety as if this belonged only to Priests whereby they make Kings to be as much baser than Priests as the Body is viler than the Soul and teach the Subjects accordingly to dishonour and contemn them 2. And while they confine Princes to the bounds of their own Dominions they pretend that the whole World must have one Church Soveraign either Monarchical Aristocratical or mixt which yet Humane Nature is utterly uncapable of so that truly Popery is founded on the degrading of Princes and States and overthrowing true National Church-bounds to set up an absurdly pretended Universal Soveraignty instead of it under Sacerdotal Heads § 3. And this mistake hath corrupted the late Innovating Prelatists that would be called the Church of England who have learnt of the Papists to appropriate the name of the Church or at least Church-Government to the Clergy and so think that a National Church must be unified and constituted by a National Sacerdotal Head either single or collective And that a Prince is not sacred enough to be a National Church Head That this novel Opinion is contrary to the Laws and the sense of Lawyers and the Doctrine of the Church of England and the very Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy is so well known as forbids me to lose any time in proving it It 's true that Queen Elizabeth and our Kings and Doctors have justly appropriated the Power of the Word Sacraments and the Keys of Admission to Christian Communion and of Excommunication and Absolution to the Pastoral Office and have proved that Christ did himself institute that Office and not leave it to the will or power of Princes to institute abrogate or alter it But it is as true that Princes are the Governours of those Pastors and may punish them for Male-administration and dispose of the things circasacra undetermined by Christ § 4. By this mischievous Errour also the Clergy have been drawn to tempt Kings and Magistrates to think that they are but Civil Officers and have not much need to be very studious to understand the Scriptures but must leave that to Bishops and Priests and take it on their words By which they have been perverted and let loose to ungodliness and debauchery wasting that time in Luxury and Sports and Idleness which should have been spent in studying of the Word of God and govern by erroneous ungodly Laws because they know not the Law of the Lord Whereas God hath commanded Kings and Rulers to study his Law diligently and keep it alwaies before their eyes and on their hearts and to govern according to it and make it the chief work of their Office to promote the obedience of it § 5. Moses was more the Mediator between God as Legislator and the People than Aaron was and was better acquainted with the Law and the meaning of it than Aaron was It was he that is called King in Jesurun And God instituted a Prophetical Succession of such which the Israelites sinned in changing for Kings A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up to you like to me him shall you hear tho' it meant Christ remotely and eminently it meant his Successors proximately Joshua was commanded the study of God's Law And David and Solomon are undeniable Instances to prove that Kings were by God appointed to be more wise and holy persons than the Priests And indeed if Kings be not better skill'd in God's Word than most of the Popish Priests are no wonder if they be the Subjects of Priests and be lightly esteemed as unmeet to Govern especially if Mr. Dodwell's Doctrine were true that the Essential work of the Ministry according to my Principles is to transact between God and Man to seal Covenants on behalf of God and to accept of those which are made by Men and to oblige them to perform their part of the Covenant by otherwise authoritatively excluding them from God's part Hence results the whole Power of Ecclesiastical Government And for this no great gifts and abilities are essential All the skill that is requisite essentially is only in general to know the benefits to be performed on God's part and the duties to be performed on Man's and the Nature and Obligation of Covenants in general and the particular Solemnities of Ecclesiastical Covenants And of this how any man can be uncapable who is but capable of understanding the common dealings of the World c. If it be much more knowledge than this that is commanded to Kings and Rulers then are they the more sacred persons and fitter to be Heads of a National Church than such Priests are § 6. Bishops or Pastors may be the constitutive Heads of Particular Churches and yet not of National nor therefore cease as such to be under the Government of Christian Princes nor Princes thereby be made Priests A School-Master a Colledge-Master an Hospital-Governour a Philosopher may be the Head of his particular Society and yet under a Prince that is not of his Art The King is no Physicion and yet Ruleth Physicions not as a chief Physicion but by the General Government of a King The Masters of Sciences and Arts as such govern none but Volunteers and therefore not by the Sword It 's Princes that do that § 7. Though Moses Law as such bind not us nor any further than Christ hath put it into his Law and many things in their Policy are unsuitable to our times and places and more in their way of Worship yet the true nature of
such a National Church as Christ did institute must be known by knowing what the Jews Church was as National and how far Christ would have continued that form of Government and what change it was that he was for § 8. 1. Christ would not have the Jewish Nation to retain their peculiarity as distinct from the Catholick Church for he came to call the Gentile World 2. He intended not to make Jerusalem the Seat of a Regent Church over the rest of the World as it then was over the Jews for he knew that it was to be destroyed 3. He intended not to settle one High Priest over the whole Catholick Church nor over the National Church For defacto he did it not and he knew that the High Priest did typifie himself only 4. He intended not to continue the Law of Moses as such nor its Ceremonious Worship but only so much of it as was of the Law of Nature common to others and so much of the Policy as by parity of cases and reason is suited to others as well as to the Jews § 9. But 1. He offered to be King over them as a holy National Kingdom-Church 2. He accordingly appointed the number of Twelve and Seventy under him as related to the Twelve Tribes and to their great Council 3. He sent these first to work upon them by Doctrine and Perswasion his Kingdom being a Government of Love Mercy and Free Grace that would have none but Volunteers 4. He gave them Laws by which he would govern them with promises of Reward and threats of Penalty 5. He extended this offered State and Priviledge to them and their Children 6. He intended to set up his Government in Power by Christian Princes as soon as his Word and Providence had ripened the Church for it § 10. I shall prove all this in the next Chapter when I have told you first that as the Papal Party hath been set up in their Usurpation Universal and National for want of understanding Christ's Institution of Kingdom-Churches so the separating and dividing part of the Nonconformists have by this oversight run into many hurtful Errours and unpeaceable and unjustifiable ways 1. How much the very name of a National Church is distasted by very many zealous persons through meer ignorance is too commonly known 2. And in Independents and too many Presbyterians the custom prevaileth of calling the exercise of Pastoral Discipline by the name of the Kingly Government of Christ as distinct not only from his Prophetical and Priestly Office but also from his Government by Magistrates As if Christ governed not as King as much and more eminently by Princes as by Priests or Pastors 3. And if a man speaketh but what Scripture speaketh for Christ's Government of the Churches by Magistrates they call him an Erastian Whereas the Errour of Erastus an excellent Protestant Physicion was not his being for the Government of Princes but his taking down the Power of the Keys too much which was the Office of Pastors and making Church-Communion over-common and too much denying Excommunication Of which I have written a peculiar Treatise to Dr. Ludov. Molinaeus shewing the true difference between the Power of Magistrates and Pastors 4. And hence great disorder hath arisen from the undervaluing of the Confederacy of all particular Churches in the same Kingdom and from a disobedience to the lawful determinations of Princes in Church Affairs and even from the causless singularity of every humorous Sect as slighting the Concord of the Confederate Churches what abundance of Schisms had it prevented with their dismal Effects if men had but retained a due Reverence to Church Confederacies and Concord and to the Christian Magistrates Power which caused the Presbyterians in Scotland and Ireland so marvelously to keep up Concord and keep out Sects though they were against Diocesans because they maintained National Church Confederacy § 11. It may perhaps be useful to others that I here confess my own Ignorance and Errour that I once thought that the Scots way of a National Church Confederacy and General Assemblies was but a sadling the Horse for Papal Usurpation to ride upon For I considered not that National Churches truly stated were Christ's Institution and the principal way to keep out Popery § 12. And whereas in my Defences against Dr. Stillingsleet and Dr. Sherlock I called the Christian Magistrate an Accidental Head and urged them hard to name the Essential National Church-Head I spake on supposition of their Opinion which I opposed that Bishops only were such Essential Heads from whom A National Church must be unified and specified But I still professed to own a National Church as a Christian Kingdom containing Confederate Pastoral Churches And of this the Soveraign Power is the Essentiating Head § 13. The names of distinction of Civil and Ecclesiastical as differencing the Office of the Christian Magistrates and Pastors may be used as well understood but is too Popish and used by Papists and some others to obscure and debase Christ's Government by Magistrates as if they were only for secular uses Whereas indeed in a Church as National the Prince is the chief Ecclesiastical Officer of Christ And the true differencing terms are fetcht not from the subject matter so much as from the Mode of Government one being forcible by the Sword and the other only on Conscience by the Word doctrinally opened and personally applied by the Keys And Ruling is called Civil because it is the Regiment over Cives quâ tales so it is Ecclesiastical as it is over Cives quâ Christianos and over particular Churches and Pastors and for Souls more than for Bodies and worldly Estates § 14. A National Church containeth not all that dwell in the Land but all that are Burgesses or Free-men in Church respects All be not Citizens that dwell in the City but they that are Denisons and have City-Rights and Priviledges As Christ is Head over all things To his Church Eph. 1. 23. so a Christian King is Head over his inhabiting Enemies and Aliens and Head to all Civil Denisons as he is a King and Head to all Christian Church Denisons as he is a Christian King § 15. In what cases Subjects may be Civil Denisons that are not Christian Denisons or Church Members requireth so many words and cautions to open that I omit the decision of it But were a Christian Kingdom such as it ought to be none should be a Civil Burgess with any Trust belonging to Government but such as are Baptized or professed Christians and are communicating Members in some Churches or Assemblies allowed or tolerated or that ought to be tolerated For a Kingdom and Church as formally Christian should be Ruled by none but Visible Christians This is true both of Magistrates Pastors and the chusers of of them But none should for this be forced or drawn to profess Christianity or communicate against their wills it being a priviledge that none have right to but those that
though they were but Provinces and parts of the Imperial Church And thus Judea became a National Church § 2. It is past question that many Kings who had given up their Kingdom to the Pagan Beast followed the success of Constantine and afterward did give up their Power to Christ yet no Kingdom was wholly converted at once nor of many years But yet while the Soveraign Power and Confederate Christian Pastors and Subjects had the chief Power it was truly a Christian Kingdom For the Form in capable matter doth denominate And tho' many Heathens were long permitted in Government that doth but prove that the Kingdom had two sorts of free Subjects one sort that were Christians and so were the chief Members who in all matters of Religion were exempted from Pagan Judicatures and the other Heathens who had a freedom in things secular § 3. Judea then was more eminently Christian than any other Nation of no greater extent There were Arch Bishops and Bishops and Presbyters and after a Patriarch And there were more Monasteries and Religious Societies and more Temples built there than in any Countrey that was no greater And more Christians flockt thither from other Nations out of a veneration for the place And indeed it was the Mother-Church out of which all other Churches sprang Therefore if any Province might be called a National Church it was Judea § 4. This was when the Fulness of the Gentiles came in that is when the Gentile Empire turned Christian And so the Gentile Powers turned Christian provoked the Jews to emulation and requited them by becoming Nursing Fathers to them and bringing their Glory to Jerusalem And so all Israel was saved that is the body of Abraham's natural Seed and also the faithful Gentiles that were the spiritual Seed were unitedly gathered to Christ § 5. Obj. But they were mostly Gentiles that then dwelt there And that proveth no Conversion of the Jews Ans The scattered Jews were in many Countreys of the Roman Empire And most of them had neither mind nor means to return to a small and barren Land But as many as were willing and were zealous for their Countrey did live there and none were forbidden And it is far most probable that the most that were there left were such as kept their old Habitations And the most that were kill'd were the military part In the days of Constantine and after their Churches flourished And what greater encouragement could they have now to return were they converted than they had None would make them go against their wills If Gentile Christians and Jews were there mixt they did the more fitly suit a Catholick Church-state when Moses Policy and their Peculiarity ceased Should they in the feigned Fifth Monarchy-state be confined to that Countrey which is like our Wales how contemptible a Nation would they be in comparison of what Constantine allowed them both in Judea and throughout all the Empire No Nation was wholly converted at the first and if the Christian Jews that lost their name being Catholicks had no great mind to go to Judea it is no wonder Chap. IV. Particular Churches and Pastors how far essential to a National Church and what are its materials § 1. THere is more essential to a National Church than the meer Formal Cause or Soveraign Matter is essential as well as Form Yet not all parts of the Matter neither though all be parts Integral As in the Body a man cannot be a man without a stomach liver and lungs and heart but he may without a finger or a hand or leg § 2. I doubt not but I have proved that the Soveraign Magistrate is the Formal Humane Head of his Kingdom and as Christian of the Kingdom as Christian And nothing remaineth disputable but de Nomine whether a Christian Kingdom must be named a Church which Custom Etymology and Scripture put past question Our Civilians such as Dr. Zouch Dr. Rich. Cousins c. and our Lawyers say trulier than most have believed that the King is persona mixta Custos utriusque Tabulae and Head of the Church as a Christian Kingdom And for want of knowing this and the true nature and bounds of his Office how foully many have miscarried I have shewed 1. Those called Erastians carry it too far and give the Magistrate part of the Office of the Pastors even the Keys of Admission into the Church as a Church and of Excommunication which God hath put into the hand of the Pastors by as immediate a Commission as he hath put the Sword into the hand of the Magistrate And by this over-doing they undo They would ruine the Prince on pretence of defending his Power For all Authority hath also Obligation to duty And must Princes and Magistrates be put on the task of trying the Faith and Repentance of all that are to be Baptized Confirmed Absolved or Excommunicated Then they must leave their own Calling for they will here find work enough This is like the Separatists making the People Judges by which they would undo them calling them from their Callings to take on them a work of which they are uncapable and about which they will never long agree and making them responsible to God for all their Male-administration As if the King must not only be Governour of Physicions but must be a Physicion himself and give Medicines and be answerable for the Patients lives Or must be a Schoolmaster because he governeth Schoolmasters And this puts them on a necessity of casting out true Discipline and holding the Opinion that Sacramental Communication should be common to the Godly and the openly Wicked as being a Converting Ordinance and that Excommunication is but Tyranny Just as those Diocesans that will have no Bishops but one over a thousand or many score or hundred Parishes by pleading for their sole Episcopal Power take on them the sole Obligation to Episcopal duty and so make themselves responsible for that work which requireth many hundred men and under themselves while they undo the Churches and leave all true Discipline undone and mock not God but men and themselves with names and ceremonious shadows 2. And the Papal and French Prelatists have by this Ignorance got a fixed false Opinion that as Pastors are the Constitutive Heads of Particular Churches so they must be of National Churches and that every National Church must be unified and specified by one Clergy Soveraignty in one person or in a Colledge or Aristocracy Or else that a Christian Kingdom is not properly a Church because it hath not a Priestly Head It 's true that it is not univocally a Church of the same species or rank as a Pastoral Church is but is more eminently and as fitly called a Church as Israel was 3. And the Independent Separatists and Anabaptists for want of understanding this as I said before cry down National Churches with scorn and run away from National Concord into endless Divisions and Sects while at the
Laws about Religion and the Church affairs should not be made without the advice of them who are so greatly intrusted with Religion And yet that their Riches should be such as may not be too strong a Temptation to Sensuality Worldliness Pride and Tyrannizing over their Brethren § 27. There are three ranks of Bishops Two if not all three of Divine Institution And when any one of the three would suppress the other two they are corrupted into a sinful Tyranny I. The ordinary Presbyters are Episcopi Gregis Bishops over the Flocks So called and proved not only by Grotius passim but by most Papists and Protestants specially expositors on Phil. 1. and 1 Tim. 3. and 1 Pet. 5. c. II. The Churches being first gathered usually under some one Pastor and he taking in the ripest of his Converts or Disciples to become his assisting Presbyters and to avoid divisions that one or some other was chosen to be Episcopus Praeses the President Bishop of that particular Congregate Church As the incumbents in big Parishes are with us And tho I can prove no Institution of this but by Gods General Commands of doing all in Order Unity and to Edification yet we have reason to believe that it was begun in the Apostles days if Jerom say true about Mark at Alexandria who died before John And I find no party of Christians against it of many hundred years perhaps not of a thousand for even Aerius called it not unlawful And the Novatians Donatists and other Sects were Zealous for this sort of Episcopacy III. And that a Superior sort of Successors to the Apostles and Evangelists were of Divine Institution I have proved before § 28. The appropriating the name of BISHOPS to this General rank here called the Diocesanes contrary to Scripture and Truth hath proved a mischievous snare for Deceit and Tyranny For hereby first our Innovators have denied the Parish Incumbents to be true Pastors secondly And the Parish Churches to be true Political Churches for want of proper Bishops or Pastors but only parts of the Diocesan Church As if that were infimae specei 3. By this they have made the ignorant Laity believe that those ordained by the Proestotes the parochial President Bishops are ordained by no Bishops at all and so must be re-ordained And 4. they are become the grand Enemies of Episcopacy putting down many hundred Bishops to set up one alone And yet perfrictâ fronte have called such as are for more Antiepiscopal and themselves the Episcopal party Just as if one Schoolmaster or Physition should put down many hundred that he may be the only Schoolmaster and Physition or one Judge put down all the Justices and Mayors and then impudently say that they are against Physitions Schoolmasters and Justices and he only is for them But who can expect Truth or Modesty from Ungodly Worldly Proud Tyrannical Men. Tho it is not the Name that is our Controversie I allow them the Name of Diocesanes Yet abuse of Names hath been of mischievous effects § 29. Such Diocesane or General Bishops as put down all the Particular fixed Bishops and Churches are not only no sort of Bishops of Christs Institution but are Pernicious Enemies to Episcopacy and the Churches As nominal Apostles would have been had they put down all the Particular Churches and Bishops which they should oversee or a General Commander that would put down all the Collonels and Captains § 30. To refuse to be ordained by such usurping Enemies and to disown them is not to refuse true Episcopacy § 31. If these usurping Bishops would swear Men to obey them and refuse to ordain any that will not Assent Consent Subscribe or Covenant to sin against God by Omission or Commission especially many great and hainous sins he that refuseth such ordination may truly say he could not be so ordained the Bishop was the refuser and not he And he hath better ordination that is ordained by Parish Bishops on lawful Terms § 32. Yet if the Christian Prince make a true Diocesan that putteth not down the Parish Churches to be of the Quorums and have a Negative voice in Ordinations of such as he will own and maintain I think none should scruple submission For while Diocesans are good Men it seemeth to be a way safe and orderly § 33. There are two degrees of deposing the Parish Pastors I. When somewhat essential to their Office it self is denied de specie As Mr. Dodwell would have the Office made and specified by the Will and Intention of the Ordainer This only the Innovaters are guilty of II. When the Essentials of the Office are owned but the exercise sinfully restrained This the Old English Canons and Bishops were guilty of But it unhappily was by fitting their Canons to the State of the Parish Priests that came newly out of Popery and were by ignorance and errour unfit for their Office and Work But of all this I treated with unquestionable evidence of Truth in my Treatise of Episcopacy which is yet unanswered § 34. Those that only abusively restrain the Parish Pastors in the exercise of their Offices and are but misgoverning Diocesans may yet be owned as true Ministers de specie tho we must not own their sinful Misgovernment But those that destroy the very Office of the Parish Pastors in any essential part and their Churches are no true Ministers of Christ de specie nor to be owned as such while they will be the sole Pastors of many hundred Congregations § 35. How came this General Episcopacy that was to gather and fix Churches to be so much ceased A. 1. By the difficulty and costliness of the work of Apostolick Travels and Labours Ministers chose the easier state of a fixed particular Ministry 2. The particular Bishops living among Heathens found work enough on those within their reach and so by degrees conjoined the two Offices of General and Particular Episcopacy into one 3. And when the Heathen near them were converted ambition drew them to enlarge their Particular Churches into one Diocesan Church instead of gathering the new Swarms into a new Hive under a true particular Bishop And thus Satan hath by subtilty reduced the Churches to be too like to the Heathen World by killing Religion and turning it into Hypocritical Ceremony and meer Names while one Bishop will needs undertake the work of many Score or Hundreds which he cannot possibly perform § 36. Q. How prove you that the Largeness of the Diocess altereth the Species of Episcopacy and Churches A. It doth not at all if it put not down the subordinate Parish Pastors and Churches But if it turn them into half-Pastors and Chappels by destroying their essence it is easily proved Because it is two sorts of Communion that specifie the two sorts of Churches and Pastors The lowest particular sort is for presential personal Communion of such as may personally converse and may know each other and may at least sometime assemble
for such Communion But National Provincial or Diocesane Communion is but by distant agreement in the same Profession among persons perhaps many hundred Miles distant that never see each other And the Ministerial Work doth accordingly differ Dr. Hammond maintaineth that in Scripture times there were no Bishops that had any more than a Congregation to whom he Preached and Personally Officiated Chap. VI. Who must be the Lay-Members of National Churches § 1. INfidels and Heathens may be free Members of a Kingdom as a Kingdom and in a Kingdom as Christians may be tolerated when they cannot be cured And may be used as Inferior Officers in such secular affairs as they are capable of But a Christian Kingdom and Church as such consisteth of no Denisons Burgesses or men free and empowered in matters of Religion but only such as are Baptized or openly professed Christians and their Children and are not proved to have nullified that profession by Heresie or such sin as rendreth their profession incredible and invalid And all these Baptized Visible Christians must be taken for such Members § 2. Where the Essentials of Christianity are Visibly Professed there may be a great difference of Members in Gifts and Soundness Some may be Eminently Laudable and Useful and some may be so Faulty as are fit for Rebuke and Punishment and yet all Members § 3. The Priviledges of some that are not Disfranchised or Excommunicate may yet be suspended while they are under trial For as nothing but Capital Crimes or Excommunication for Impenitence after due Admonition doth cut them off so while they have rendered this justly questionable just Legal Tryal must needs suspend their questioned right till Judgment decide it whether they be impenitent or not or their Crime be Capital § 4. In the Jewish State many hainous Sins were to be punished with Death As Murder Blasphemy Worshiping False Gods drawing men from the true God Cursing Parents Willful and Obstinate Gluttony and Drunkenness and Debauchery after Parents Patient endeavours to reform them Adultery Incest Sodomy some Perjuries And dead men can be no Church Members on Earth Therefore this Death for Sin was an Excommunication and more Therefore they that Plead that any such should be tolerated because the Jews were often such and not Excommunicated is to plead the example of Criminals against the express Letter of the Law and argue à facto prohibito contra legem prohibentem And whether Mr. Galaspi and others have proved any more than Church-Suspension against any but those that were to be put to Death I leave the Reader to consider § 5. It is a Controversie whether the Church be in the Common Wealth or Kingdom or the Common Wealth in the Church And the former is by most asserted Ans 1. Under Infidel or Heathen Kings that are out of the Church themselves the Church is in the Common Wealth 2. And under Christian Kings or other Soveraigns the Particular Churches are in the Common Wealth as parts in the whole 3. And as the Common Wealth is taken so largely as to comprehend Pagans in Inferior Magistracy as in the days of the first Christian Emperors there the Church is in the Common Wealth But take the Common Wealth as meerly and truly Christian and it is the same thing with the National Church and one is not in the other being but two Names for one thing § 6. The appropriating the Name of the Church to the Clergy as distinct from the Laity is the Plot or Part of Popish Tyranny and Fallacy Implying falsly that the National Church must be specified and unified by a Priestly Head Monarchical or Aristocratical and that a King is not a person sacred enough to be the Supream Head in his own National Church Nor the people Holy enough to be its Materials As if Lords Commons Citizens and other Lay Christians were no parts of the Church when Great Magistrates are Nobler parts than a multitude of Ignorant Vicious Curates and Priests § 7. From this Cheat they have claimed the sole Power as of Divine Right of making Canons that shall be obliging Laws and of being the sole determiners of Religious Cases Too many Presbyterians and Independants are for this Clergy claim calling only the Ministers work the exercise of Christs Kingly Office But the Frenchified Prelatists much more § 8. Hence is the common sence and abuse of the distinction of Civil and Ecclesiastical Government intimating that Kings are not to Govern the Church not meddle beyond Civil and Secular concerns But of this before § 9. The power of the Sword or force belongeth only to the Magistrate to be used by him as Judge and not as the Clergies Lictor or Executioner the Bishops and Clergy have no forcing Sword power unless the King give it them for which mostly they are unmeet having proper work enough of their own Tho some cases may be excepted Chap. VII What is the Confederacy or Concord needful to a National Church § 1. AFfirmatively 1. A Baptismal Confederacy to be all the true Subjects of one God one Christ and Holy Ghost against the Devil World and Flesh § 2. 2. A Consent to live as Christians in Love to one another and to addict our selves to the good of one another specially to the welfare of the whole Body and to do as we would justly be done by § 3. 3. To be all the Loyal subjects of one Christian Soveraigns Power § 4. 4. To be all for the publick Worshiping of God and our Redeemer in Christian Assemblies guided and ruled by Christian Pastors or Bishops qualified and described by Christ in his Word the instituter of the Pastoral Office and not of any new sort of humane Ministry or uncapable persons that are wanting in any thing essential to the Office § 5. 5. To take the Sacred Scripture for the Word of God and the sufficent Rule of Divine Faith and Holy living And to profess an explicite Belief of the Creed as it was transmitted to us from the Apostolick Churches and to take the Lords Prayer for the summary rule of our desires and hopes and the Decalogue as owned and expounded by Christ for the summary rule of our Obedience with the Sacraments instituted by him § 6. 6. To profess Obedience to true Authority in Parents Magistrates and Pastors and all true Governours so far as they are empowered by God and to obey God above all and no men against him and his Laws And Rulers to profess to obey God and Rule as his Ministers for the Common welfare and to promote the obedience of Gods Laws § 7. 7. For Magistrates Pastors and Parents to profess their endeavour to promote the true Preaching of the Gospel and the transmitting of it in Purity to Posterity and to encourage and not unjustly forbid or hinder the publication and practice of it § 8. Negatively 1. It is not meet that this confederacy so appropriate the Body of the National Church to any one
c. Concord in those otherwise not the best may be better and a greater duty than for better to be singular disobedient and dividers or the encouragers of other mens singularity and divisions § 11. If there were no Law or Mandate of the Prince for such concord as aforesaid yet because a National Church should have the comfort beauty and strength of as much concord as can be attained without greater hurt than it will compensate all the Members of it ought to study the maintenance of such unity concord and harmony and if the Pastors and Churches agree on any such lawful circumstances to comply and conform to such agreement and to shun affected causless singularity In such cases Augustine rightly resolved to do as the Church did where he came It being a disturbing discord for one man to be odd against a lawful Custom without cause As for instance if one would affect to be covered with his Hat at Prayer or Psalmody when the rest are uncovered or to use a gesture contrary to all the rest Conformity in things lawful beseemeth them that profess themselves Members of such National Churches as consist of United Confederate Congregations § 12. But if on pretence of Concord or Confederacy yea or Laws any would tyrannically impose sinful things or else make things lawful so much more necessary than in themselves they are as to become the necessary Conditions of Union or Communion excommunicating persecuting or unchurching all that differ from them and appropriating National Church Membership only to those that obey such ensnaring Canons or Agreements It is not lawful to own or countenance such Usurpation and Tyranny nor to deny those that they deny or condemn to be true parts of the National Church It being only Concord in things essential that is necessary to the Essence and Concord in parts integral that is necessary to Integrity and Concord in convenient Accidents that is necessary to the accidental Comeliness of the Church And contrarily Concord against Essentials nullifieth a Church and Discord against Essentials nullifieth a Member and want of Integrals rendereth it maimed and want of due Accidents uncomely and ill Accidents in Concord or Discord partly scabbed and less beautiful § 13. I earnestly entreat therefore all sober Christians to take heed lest the secret desire of seeming more pious or tender conscienced than other godly people and of getting applause for such tenderness and of being reputed stricter than others should tempt them into opinions or practices of unnecessary distance singularity and division Pride is a deep rooted sin in Nature and it maketh our reputation with the stricter people oft to become a selfish Interest as strong as riches and wordly preferments are with the looser sort of men And it maketh it to such as hard to undergo the sharp censures of the censorious and to bear the imputation of want of Piety and Conscience as to undergo imprisonment and want And hereby young ignorant Apprentice Lads and Women being usually the most censorious such become the real Governours of their Pastors and of the Church especially if Persecution also cast them for a livelihood on the Peoples Charity And so it seemeth to make it the Controversie whether the Churches and Pastors should be governed by Bishops or by censorious Women and Boys Satan hath more Baits to angle with than one and more than one way of deceiving Those that are above the sordid bait of riches or preferment or great mens favour may yet be overcome by the over-valuing the love and praise of a Sect or of mistaken religious persons especially in a time when the Clergy is grown infamous and contemptible by ignorance worldliness or malignity and it is become a disgrace to be numbred with them § 14. But Satan hath taught no small part of our Academick Students and our Clergy a way to frustrate all that I have said by accusations against my self as if it were sufficient to turn all into scorn if they could charge any sin on my person or by impudent falshoods either feign me to contradict my self or if they do the work of the Father of Lies by his proper act and imitation On one side I am daily reviled by the Separatists and Antinomians as over-conformable On the other side I am reviled for Non-conformity and told that my practice is contrary to all that I write and preach for Peace And it is answer enough for them to calumniate and say that I condemn my self as if this did justifie both extreams in their impenitent persevering in enmity to Peace § 15. To Mr. Long therefore and such other Calumniators who instead of a rational Confutation of my Arguments answer by accusing me as of a contradicting unpeaceable life I say 1. One would think with men that have any pretence to reason honesty or honour it should be easie to know that when the Controversie is about Church-Government Oaths Subscriptions Ministration what I am is nothing to the Question in hand If they take me for as errant a Knave or Rogue as Judge Jeffreys or Mr. Long have pronounced me what 's this to the common Cause of Truth and Peace 2. If my forty five years labour for Peace my forbearing these thirty years to gather any Church my Communion with my Parish-Church in Liturgy and Sacrament kneeling at the Altar all my Writings against Schism and Separation and for the reconciling of Word-warriours my quiet submission to their oft imprisoning me and seizing on and selling all my goods Bed and Books as for Preaching when I was twenty miles off and for such occasional Sermons as the Lord Chief Justice Sanders and the new Lord Chief Justice Polixfen gave not under their hands that I was authorized to Preach by the Bishops License not revoked nor forfeit and all this by Sir James Smith and Sir James Butlers Warrants who neither of them ever told me who accused me nor ever called me to speak for my self If the like Warrant before by Sir Thomas Davis If my Imprisonment before by Justice Rosse and Philips If my being tost from Session to Session and bound in six hundred pound to the behaviour by Justices that openly declared they had nothing against me but took me for innocent If my Banishment out of the County and five miles from all Corporations If my attendance at Judge Jeffreys Bar in daily pain to hear my self reviled being forbidden to speak a word for my self and the Lawyers reviled and threatned that spake for me If my Confinement in the Kings Bench Prison for near two years and a great deal more such usage after they had in 1661. offered me a Bishoprick and sworn me to be the King's Chaplain in Ordinary And after Bishop Morley had silenced me and published a Letter of palpable falshoods against me which I answered and for peace laid it by these 28 years I say if all this prove me unpeaceable and them peaceable and if my Concessions in my English
Non-Conformity do the same in the Judgment of these Accusers The Lord be Judge Chap. IX That Christ hath Instituted no true Ecclesiastical Government in Man of any larger extent than National much less Universal nor of Foreign Jurisdiction And that the French pretended Aristocracy with the Popes Primacy and Patriarchate is as bad or worse than Papal Monarchy § 1. POpery and Clergy Usurpation which have corrupted and broken and confounded the Christian Churches on pretence of Government Unity and Order have risen out of the Ruines of Christian Magistracy The true Unifying Heads of Christian Kingdoms and National Churches being deposed by the Pope and Clergy their Power hath faln into the hands of the deposers § 2. The means by which this was accomplished were these 1. When there was no Christian Magistracy the Christians by voluntary consent to avoid Pagan Tribunals made their Bishops their chosen Arbitrators to decide their differences And Constantine finding them in possession of it and having no Lay-men so wise and good and meet continued them in it yet without the Power of the Sword 2. The pious Christians were desirous that their own freely chosen Pastors should rule them having no others so fit 3. The Princes were so taken up with Wars and secular things that they had no leisure to mind it 4. Princes and Rulers grew so ignorant wicked and debaucht that themselves and all others almost thought them unmeet for such holy work They neglected the study of the Word of God which should have made them wise 5. The Clergy not only took the advantage of the ignorance and viciousness of Princes but cherished them herein and told them Scripture and holy work were for the Priests and not for Princes 6. They debased and prophaned the Order of Magistrates falsly pretending that their Office was but for the Body c. for worldly Peace and the Office of Priests only was for the Soul 7. They by degrees turned the Communion and Concord of several Foreign Churches and Nations into one Government over all 8. When the Roman Empire was broken into many Kingdoms the National pretence of the Pope or Councils could reach but to some one of them and so the Pope slightly pretended to all and turned the Imperial Universality into a Terrestrial Universality and the Roman World into the whole World or else they had fallen 9. In all this they took the advantage of the Ignorance of Princes and Lords 10. And of the Wars and Enmity against each other striking in with the side that was likest to advance them § 2. To this day Popery is upheld by the same means by which it was set up especially by the Ignorance Ungodliness and Slothfulness of Kings and Lords Did they exceed the Clergy as much as Moses Joshua David Solomon Jehosaphat Hezekiah Josiah Nehemiah Zorobbabel did the Priests and as much as the Heathen Emperors Titus Trajan Adrian Antoninus Pius Antoninus Philosophus Alexander Severus c. did their Priests they would be honoured above the Priests as they were The Emperors then were thought fit to be Pontifices Maximi and as in the times of the Ancient Family-power an Abraham an Isaac and a Jacob and a Job and a Melchizedeck were thought fit to have the highest Government in matters of Religion so would it be still And a Samuel would be Prophet and King But as God will honour those that honour him so those that despise him shall be lightly esteemed § 3. The true way therefore to put down Popery is for the Prince and Magistrates to claim their proper Power yet not to usurp the Priesthood and to study love and practise the Law of God and take their Power and Laws to be only and meerly subservient to the Power and Laws of God And to strive to understand these so clearly as to be able to judge sound Preachers from unsound and to know whom to countenance whom to tolerate and whom to suppress It is Kings that have set up Popes by putting down themselves and Popes have set in to pull them down to set up themselves And it is Kings that must pull down Popes by reassuming their own Power and Work and that must be by becoming fit for it § 4. That Prince who granteth that his Office is but for the Body and for Secular Ends and the Priests only for the Soul inviteth all his Subjects to honour every Priest before him and to account him base as worldly things are to be accounted as dung in comparison of the things of the Spirit and Eternity Yea every good Christian who is commanded to exhort each other daily and to comfort one another with the remembrance that we shall be for ever with the Lord would be far more honourable than a King as the Soul is above the Body and Heaven better than Earth § 5. He is not worthy of Parental Honour from his Children that careth only for their Bodies and seeketh not to make them the Children of God and the Heirs of Heaven and to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord And if Princes be below the work of Parents they are below their Honour And if they will not be included in the work of the Fifth Commandment how can men give them the honour of that Commandment § 6. They that will have a Universal Prelate or Council to Govern the matters of Religion through all the World because of the unskilfulness of Kings and Magistrates should in reason also be willing on the same Grounds to have an Universal King or Parliament to Govern all Kings because some are Ignorant or Slothful or an Universal Physicion Philosopher or Schoolmaster § 7. God hath given the World often such Counsellors and such Judges as have been fit to judge in matters of Religion and to Judge Bishops and Preachers Why else do our Laws subject them to Kings and Judges Had all Lands but such Judges as through Gods Mercy England hath now or such as were Sir Matthew Hale and divers others in our Age and such Counsellors as Queen Elizabeth had for the most part or such Lawyers as France it self hath had and the Palatinate and Holland it would convince the World that Laymen may be fit to judge the Clergy even in matters of Religion And why may not Princes attain as much wisdom and honesty as their Counsellors and Judges The Christian Nations have been more beholden to a Constantine Jovian Valentinian Theodosius Senior Theodosius Junior Marcian Leo Anastasius and many other such and Spain to Recaredus and divers of his Successors and France to Carolus Mag. Ludov. Pius save their compliance with the Pope than to any Bishops or Councils even for Reformation against Heresies and Clergies Sins Chap. X. Whether an Universal Church-Government be of Apostolick Succession in the continued parts of their Office § 1. THough those that take it for mutability and backsliding to change their Judgments after that the School or their Leaders or
which Ministers do with greater Obligation and Advantage than the People and Apostles above both And Kings and States are as much obliged to it as Bishops But they are not on that pretence to make one Universal King or Senate to be a Soveraign Power to them and all the Earth or Church But only by Diets or Confederacies to join their Powers and Endeavours to so good an End And so is it with Bishops and Churches § 23. If they say That it is Union and Concord with the Pope or Rome or their Councils that we are bound to let them but renounce their pretence to Government of all and we shall easily decide the other difference If we must not Unite to them as Governors but as Brethren they are as much bound to Love and Union with us as we with them And Christ is sufficient to be the Center of Union to the whole Body and hath made them the sufficient and only Laws of Universal Concord among themselves § 24. Obj. To be obliged by Gods Law to Concord and to have Councils and Bishops determine in what we must agree inferreth our Duty to agree in those Points which cometh to all one as Government by them Ans 1. If they be not Governors but Equals we have as much power to propose Articles of Agreement to them as they to us 2. There are no Articles of Universal Agreement in all the Churches on Earth necessary but what Christ hath made such And to pretend to make such and Usurp his Prerogative is a sin that we must not agree with 3. The vanity of their talk of true Universal Councils I have oft at large detected 4. We grant submission to the true power of National Governors and Councils but Universal we know not 5. Just National Laws must be obeyed But Conciliar Canons of Concord by Equals bind us not to Agreement when mistake maketh them against the common Good and Ends of Concord Nor do Mens Laws or Agreements bind us to any thing against the Laws of God § 25. XII We all own an Universal Church Government Partite or Exercised by parts as all the Physicions Medicate all England and all the School-masters teach them and all the Judges and Justices judge them And so Cyprian meant that Episcopatus unus est of which each one hath a part That is 1. In specie institutâ 2. Quoad Objectum All the particular Churches governed make one Universal Church 3. Quoad Finem But no Man nor any Senate or College or Council as una persona politica is Soveraign We have no Universal King but Christ Chap. XI Whether a National Church Soveraignty infer the need or lawfulness of a Humane Universal Church Soveraignty § 1. Ans NO For 1. Man is capable of one but uncapable of the other 2. Christ hath given Commission for one but not for the other 3. Every Kingdom hath one Humane Soveraignty in Sword Government But so hath not all the World one And there is less reason for and less possibility of one Humane Governing Soveraignty by the Word and Keys 4. God set one Moses and one Aaron or Priesthood over Israel but not over all the World If Adam or Noah was such while the World was but a Family or Tribe he would not have it so when it was uncapable of it 5. The Summons and Subscriptions and the Limits of the Imperial Power tell us that the most General Councils were but Imperial that is National in Extent as I have proved against Johnson And therefore no more can be claimed since § 2. Obj. But if a Presbyter must be Ordained by a Bishop as Superior and a Bishop by an Archbishop and he by a Patriarch what Superior shall make him but a Pope or Council Ans 1. You may next ask Who then must Make or Consecrate a Pope Is it a Superior Contrarily If a Pope may be made by Inferiors as they do a Patriarch a Metropolitan an Archbishop and a Bishop may quoad esse be validly made by Men of the same Order Yea and Presbyters too where Politick Order and Church safety forbid it not § 3. It is so far from being true as I once foolishly thought that National Church Supremacy inferreth Popery that it is a necessary or very great means against it without which though particular Souls may be saved from Popery a Nation cannot long nor ever was that I have read of For Popery is but the Invading of the power of all other Bishops and Kings And for each one to reassume his own power is the direct Deposing of the Pope As if one King or Senate claimed the Government of all Kings and Senates how should these Usurpers be Deposed but by every King and Parliaments reassuming their own § 4. But then every party that differeth in the Form of National Government must not pretend that it is only their Form that is the Bulwark against Popery National Church Concord and Strength may be kept up by a Supreme Christian Prince or State with a Concordant Ministry whether among themselves United as the Scots in General Assemblies or as in England by Archbishops Bishops and Convocations obeying the Laws of Christ and the just Laws of the King and State that are made for determining needful Circumstances supposing such Bishops qualified and chosen justly and usurping none of the Sword-bearers power § 5. That National Laws about matters of Religion may and must be made and that Princes consulting with Pastors must make them and that these are not to extend to all the World is a truth unquestionable In England the Law must command us to use English Bibles but not all over the World It is meet to bind the Churches to use one Translation of the Scriptures Else one will say Your Text or what you alledge is not in my Bible and another It is not in mine And many inconveniences would follow And one Form of Catechism one Form of Confession one Metre of singing Psalms and about the Sacraments and other Offices one Form moderately imposed or agreed on is convenient But if one part will too rigorously impose things needless or command things sinful or justly suspected or the other side refuse things lawful and fit because imposed National Concord will be broken Chap. XII The Three other Reasons for Popery answered briefly Quest III. SHould not the Roman Church Policy in reason be owned for the advantage of Christianity against Infidels Ans 1. We deny not but Unity Concord Power and Riches and the great number of Adherents is a great advantage to Christianity against Infidels And all these are Gods Gifts and as such do good 2. But the abuse of them though it do not quite frustrate the genuine Effects yet so depraveth them that it 's a doubt whether the hurt to the common Christianity be not greater than the advantage If Unity were maintained in Christs way it would have far better Effects than in the Papists way 3. Yet we
deny not but the Providence of God hath made use of the Roman Power Numbers Concord and Riches to uphold the common Cause But all is not Good that God over-ruleth and useth to good permitting Man to cause the Evil. As a Man may use the Cruelty without causing it of a Hound a Ferret or a Hawk against the Prey to fulfil his just will Had National Kingdom Churches been kept up under true Christian Kings and Pastors and these Kings and Pastors in Dyets and Councils kept due Confederacies by Consultation and Contract without mutual Jurisdiction the common Cause had been better promoted than it hath been by Popery that hath shamed it and weakened it by Persecutions Divisions Treasons and Wars Quest IV. Whether the Divisions of other Christians render the Roman Government desireable for Concord Ans 1. There are more that Unite in Mahometanism and far more in Paganism than all the Christians in the World And Satan knoweth how to advantage his Kingdom by Concord as well as to weaken Christs Kingdom by Division 2. The Bishops have made the greatest Schisms and Division in the Church that ever was made by sinful Usurpation and Corruption and Impositions and Persecutions Unchurching the far greatest part of Christians and appropriating the Church Title to his own Sect alone All the Bloody Murders of the Waldenses Bohemians and other Protestants the Inquisition the present Wars that France hath involved Europe in are on pretence of Unity We like not the Unity that Satan maintaineth and that at such a rate of Blood 3. But I have before and elsewhere proved that the Protestants for all their Divisions have a far better Unity than the Papal Church hath so that this Question is elsewhere and here sufficiently answered Quest V. Whether the Errors of the Protestants do not so disparage them as to make the Roman Church more Honourable Ans 1. That is should not Men chuse a Leprosie to cure an Itch We deny not but where Controversies shew our Differences among our selves one Party must needs be in an Error either de re or de nomine But we agree in all that 's necessary to Salvation and Brotherly Love And Pride and Envy and Malignity are more the Causes of our Disagreement than our Religion Especially unskilfulness in Words and stating Cases I have endeavoured to shew in many Books especially my End of Doctrinal Controversies my Catholick Theology and Methodus Theologiae that our Differences are most in Words whose sence is not mutually understood How many Loads of Controversal Volumes are written by Papists against each other And what heavy Charges of Simony Filthiness Heresie c. have even General Councils and Historians laid on the Popes and many Councils And note that the Pope or Council is the Essentiating Form of the Papal Church as such and therefore an Unholy or Debauch'd or Heretick Head proveth that the Church is Unholy or Heretical Because the Form denominateth and is Essential But it is not so with the Protestants that own no Universal Head but Christ who is Infallible and perfect This much I thought needful to add against them that pretend an Institution of Christ for a Political Universal Head and a Foreign Jurisdiction above a National Church or Christian Kingdom He that would compare Papists Errors with Protestants let him read Chamier Blondel de Ecclesia Molinaeus of the Novelty of Popery Rivet Downame de Antichristo Jewel Whitaker and other such § 7. How few Bishops or Church Doctors are for Learning equal to Boetius Joh. Picus Francis Picus Erasmus Hutten Goldastus Freherus Pistorius Faber Stephanus Father and Son Mornay Lord Du Plessis Mich. Hospitalius Thuanus the two Scaliger's Salmasius Grotius Sarravius Justellus and many other Lay-men And are Kings and Magistrates uncapable of Wisdom § 8. How vast is the difference between Governing one Kingdom and Governing all the World Do I need to aggravate it And is not one King with Wise Judges and Justices as capable of Governing one Kingdom as an Utopian College of Bishops that some dream of or a Pope and Cardinals of Governing all the World Can such ignorant vicious Monsters as Councils have condemned for the most odious Wickedness and Heresie better Rule at Abassia Armenia or the Antipodes than a Good King can Rule in England § 9. Councils consist of the Subjects of many Foreign Princes and usually their Princes chuse who shall go And they that are near the place of meeting will be the most And none can come against their Princes wills And few Bishops will disobey their Lords that send them or that they live under And must such Subjects of Papists Turks Infidels Heathens be Masters of England of King and People and of all the Religion in the World § 10. Cannot Bishops at hand here better try the Cause of one accused for Heresie Fornication Treason Murder c. and that by virtue of a Commission from God than a meeting of Bishops out of all the World a Thousand Mile off can try it § 11. But I shall here pass by my chief proof of this that God hath ordained no Humane Government distinct from meer consultation or Concord and Communion above National Headed by Christian Soveraignty Because I have ready for the Press a full Treatise of it in Two Books The first proving Historically by their own words that Archbishop Land Archbishop Bromhall Bishop Guning Bishop Sparrow Bishop Sam. Parker Dr. Pet. Heylin Mr. Thorndike Dr. Saywell and divers others have written for a Foreign and Universal Jurisdiction The second Book fully disproving it and proving that the Kingdom and Church is Sworn against it and that the Parliaments and the Church of England till Laud's days were against it And that this very Parliament and Convention having taken a new Oath against it besides the old Oaths of Supremacy to stigmatize the Church and Nation with the foresaid Perjury would dangerously presage the Rune of the Perjured if not of the Land Chap. XIII What are the dangerous Diseases of a National Church § 1. DEath cometh on Bodies Politick as on Natural Bodies by degrees as Diseases weaken and break them And while they are Diseased they are in an unlovely troublesome condition Gods Word and History and Experience hath told us what Diseases they be that are the usual presages of Confusion or Dissolution § 2. In general All sin is to the Soul what Sickness is to the Body and hath some tendency to destruction And the increase and abounding of Sin is a dangerous Prognostick sins of Sensuality Gluttony Drunkenness and Fornication when they grow common and impudent seldom go unpunished O how dangerous then is the case of England in which the Sin of Adultery and Fornication is commonly said to be so increased that multitudes are guilty now for One that was ever suspected of it before the Reign of K. Charles the Second And brutish Wretches scarce take it for a shame Sins of Injustice and
Universal Councils with a Pretorian Power c. raised jealousies in Parliaments who being for their Liberties against Arbitrary Government were the more against those Bishops that seemed to be for it till Innovation provoking the Scots the English Lords encouraged by them and the Irish murdering two hundred thousand Protestants affrighted England into a miserable War and made the most zealous Adversaries of Popery and Ungodliness think that the Papists would destroy them all if they did not help the Parliament to defend them And the Scots would not help them unless the Parliament would engage in the Scots Covenant against the English Prelacy which proved a sinful snare of Division to all the Land And the War ending in the Parliaments Conquest and they conquered again and cast out by their own Army many Divines of the Diocesan Judgment besides the scandalous were cast out And the Restored Parliament recalling K. Charles II. with his Clergy the exasperated came back with a resolution of revenge and the grand design of some was to begin where Laud left and to extirpate Puritans and to that end to get all power in Church and Universities into the hands of the greatest Enemies of the Nonconformists and to get Laws of doubled cruelty made accordingly to root them out which so far prospered that Universities and Ministry are sufficiently disposed into a contempt and opposition to the Nonconformists who are too ready to think that they and their well-wishers are though not the only serious Religious part of the Land yet the main body of them many to one and that the main body of the hot Adherents to their Adversaries are the generality of the sensual wordly and profane who use their Ceremonies as Solomon's Whore did her Sacrifices and Vows to encourage her to take her fill of Love till morning And the differing manner of the Religious Devotions of these two parties maketh the distance seem remediless if some Moderate Peace-makers prove not the Cement One sort are all for praying by habit called extempore as Judges Parliament and Lawyers speak their minds and say that Forms and Liturgies daily repeated are usually said without life or fervency as Boys say an Oration and little move men The other are for the same Liturgy and Words and too many deride all other praying Whereas sober unprejudiced men can make a serious use of both But thus a Clergy modelled at the entrance of King Charles the second into a set opposition to the way of the zealously Religious People called Puritans specially by the interest and wrath of a few hot Doctors after made Bishops are taken by the said people for the Captains of Prophaneness § 20. Having seen what our Diseases are it is easy to know what must be the cure But so hard to accomplish it that I must name the remedies with despair unless the Almighty God will do it by means yet quite beyond our prospect yea to cure any one of all these Maladies requireth a power more than Mans. Qu. But is not our first Reformation and our Canons and present Laws of Conformity a sufficient means of Concord without any new Reformation Ans 1. If so why did King Edward the sixth require Bucer to write for more which he hath done in his Scripta Anglicana And why was the Reformatio Legum Eccles prefaced by John Fox Written by men Commissioned by him 2. Are the same Canons fit for Papists Priests and Protestant Preachers Dr. Burnet tells you that of nine thousand Parish Priests besides all others ordained there did not much above eight hundred take the Reforming Oaths to keep their livings so that there were above eight thousand Papists Parish Priests in our Reformed Church unless that Oath made them all true Protestants And what wonder if these were excused from Preaching and forbidden to Preach till they were further licensed But shall the best Church in the World called the Stupor Mundi be all forbidden therefore after Ordination till Licensed to Preach or Expound any Doctrine or matter in the Church or elsewhere but barely to Read I will venture though I know it will displease the impenitent to say that I will pitty that Minister more than a poor Publican or Drunkard who will justifie 1. All our Canons 2. And all the Laws made as for Uniformity and against Nonconformists and their Execution to the silencing of about two thousand such Ministers and the Death of many of them in and by imprisonment and the ruine of the Estates of them and many more thousand Godly People 3. And the present state of the Parish Churches where the alterations of the Liturgy shew that the Incumbents must not be called Pastors and such as Dr. Fuller Dean of Lincoln are allowed to publish that Inauditus erat Parochorum Pastoratus ante hujus seculi antecedentis delirium The Pastor-ship of Parish Priests was never heard of before the Dotage or Madness of this and the foregoing Age. And so there is but one Pastor and Church in a Diocess Either Mr. Clerksons book unanswered of the Primitive Episcopacy or this and such other Doctors are impudent beyond the degree of humane pravity And whereas they that yet delay to answer my English Non-conformity Stated take up usually with the reproaching one question in it what Church the 800 were of that one Doctor Printeth that he cured of the French Pox should I tell them of the quality and far greater number of persons that Doctor Lower hath thrice together affirmed to have that Disease that with the commoner Whoredom Drunkenness Swearing Self-damning scorning Godliness yea and Gods Word it self may warrant a man that hath any love to the Church and Souls to intreate the Curates though they be not Pastors to bethink them 1. Whether they know who are the Members of their Churches 2. Whether it be they or the Bishop that must know them personally 3. If all that dwell in the Parish are not all the Papists Atheists Hobbists Deboisht and Sectaries of their Churches 4. If only Communicants do they know when they come to the Altar whether they are of their Flocks or Strangers 5. If all that Communicate not be no Members perhaps two thousand if not four thousand in a Parish of six thousand or eight thousand are the rest well permitted quietly to be of no Parish Communion 6. How many of all these and the debauched have been Excommunicated or openly brought to Repentance in London these thirty years according to the Canon 7. Have the Nonconformists more deserved it for going from their own Parishes or Communicating with Godly dissenting Protestants I speak all this only if possible to procure some Repentance of the sins and divisions that threaten our ruines after the sad experience of more than the last thirty years effects For God will not Pardon us without Repentance § 21. I. Christening by Baptism must not be made an Infant Ceremony but used as one of the greatest actions of all the life
of man Parents being seriously taught to know what it is to enter their Child into the holy Covenant and to Dedicate their Child to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost renouncing the World the Devil and the Flesh And the Parents or Pro-parents and not perfidious dissembling God-fathers must solemnly promise their careful education § 22. II. The transition of those Baptized in Infancy into the state of Adult Communicants must be made by an understanding and solemn owning of their Baptismal Covenant and that by such Pastors as have time to examine and instruct them and not made a deceitful Ceremony called Confirmation by a Diocesan that hath perhaps many hundred thousands in his Diocess § 23. III. The Parishes must be known to the Pastors that take the Charge of them and the three sorts of Inhabitants distinguished 1. Those that are of another Church as Papists c. or of no Church 2. Those that are Catechumens and submit to be Catechized and Hear 3. Those that are Communicants And each Parish must have Ministers for number and quality suited to the number of Souls and fit to know them and perform their undertaken Office § 24. IV. The partial unrighteous Canons must be cast away § 25. V. Nothing sinful or unnecessary to Ministry or Communion must be imposed as necessary Terms nor Godly able Ministers Silenced or Persecuted causelesly that do more good than hurt § 26. VI. They that Worship not God in all our Forms and Ceremonies or that are too scrupulous must be tolerated to Worship as they can by themselves so be it their Doctrine and Worship and Conversation and Unpeaceableness be not intolerable § 27. VII The Keys must be exercised only by the Clergy And if the Chancellors or Civilians Courts be kept up they must be the Kings Magistrates and use only such power as Magistrates may use § 28. VIII Those that by the Laws are to be excluded from the Communion of the Churches publick and tolerated should not have the power of choosing Incumbents Nor those that exclude themselves Nor should those Patrons that choose the Incumbent that shall have the Place and Tythes hinder any person from choosing to whom he will voluntarily trust the peculiar Pastoral care of his own Soul Nor should men be hindered from the publick or tolerated Ministry of such as they so choose § 29. IX Ordinations should be made after sufficient tryal of the Learning and Abilities of the Ordained in Preaching and Praying as well as upon a full testimony of his Pious and Upright Conversation and no Institution to a Title granted till the Parishioners have leave warning and time to know the man and shew their acceptance or dissent and be impartially heard § 30. X. Bishops should usually ordain in Synods or with their concurrence Or at least with such as the Synods choose to represent them § 31. XI Parish Churches must be acknowledged true Churches and the Presbyters to be Episcopi Gregis and the Incumbent that hath Curates to be Episcopus Praeses as well as the Diocesans to be General or Archbishops And Ordination by President Bishops not called Null or said to be no Episcopal Ordination But the corruption of the Ministry by unqualified men is so dangerous a thing that if the Supreme Power give the Diocesane a Negative power as of the Quorum without whom no Ordination shall entitle any man to any Benefice leaving Incumbents only to choose their own Curates and to concur with the Diocesan in other Ordinations there will be no just cause of refusing such Diocesans Power or Ordination § 32. XII An utterly insufficient heretical malignant ungodly scandalous Minister is not to be maintained nor tolerated and due means must be used to keep and cast such out § 33. XIII The purging of the Universities and the appropriating of their Government and Tutoring to Godly Wise and Conscionable men is one of the greatest points of necessary Reformation And till this be done no man should be forbidden to choose Godly careful Tutors for his Children in his house or elsewhere § 34. XIV The sad disaffection like enmity between the Ministry and the most Religious People must be healed which will be easily done in those Parishes where the Ministers Preach Judiciously Experimentally Spiritually and Powerfully and live Piously Charitibly Justly and Temperately and love good men and rebuke the wicked and put due difference between the precious and the vile those that serve God and those that serve him not those that swear and those that fear an Oath and make not the Church like the Commons or Wilderness And where the Diocesans are the encouragers of serious Godliness and duely rebuke the Enemies and neglecters of it and the vicious and profane I have never seen the place where such an exemplary worthy Ministry did not win the Hearts of the Nonconformists and became not very dear and amiable to them and usually drew them to Concord where before they differed § 35. But it must be a wise and godly King that must be the principal means to accomplish all this if ever it be done such a one that understandeth Gods Law and Interest and his own and Kingdoms real welfare may do that by good Laws and Prudent Government which shall be to parties of erroneous opinions a powerful byas to incline their Judgments to go right One man we may have more hope of making wise than of multitudes I had rather have a uniting settlement by the choice of a wise Prince and Parliament yea or of Diocesanes of Wisdom Piety and Peace than by the choice of any of the extreams whether Separatists or the Laudian New Church men that are for a Forreign Jurisdiction But through Gods great mercy the most of the Godly able Nonconformists Ministers falsly called Presbyterians of my acquaintance are so much for Truth and Peace and Concord that they would rejoice to live under such Bishops as were Nazianzene Basil Chrysostom Austin or such as Beadle Usher Downame tho an angry man Jewel Dr. Parker Grindal Pilkinton Sandies G. Abbot Rob. Abbot Hall Carlton Morton Davenant Brownrig and such like And are most Episcopal Nonconformists and would choose none but healing Terms § 36. And now what shall I gain by this Discourse I am sure of the censure of both the extreams And I expect that few should much regard what I have said but that scorners will scorn still and Fools hate Knowledge and that Lies carry on Murders and he that is the Father of both by both carries on his work in the World But great is the Truth and will prevail at last but whether on this side the new Heaven and Earth I know not § 37. I conclude with an earnest request to Godly peaceable men that they consider well before they speak against a National Church or for any above National under one humane Government and that they will read my old dispute of Church Government about Apostolick Successions with
the additions of this Commentary and fuller proof and Mr. Beverly's little Treatise called The whole duty of Nations And when they hear two parties claiming the Name of the Church of England they will judge by the Reformers Law and Judgment which is worthy of that name and that the Nonconformists that are sound are as honourable sound parts of the true Church of England as the Conformists at least And that by this distinction of Bishops they will expound my Treatise of Episcopacy and my Church History of Councils and former Bishops The Lord pitty a self-destroying Clergy Chap. XV. The Case of Toleration of Dissenters from the Common Laws and Customs of a National Church more particularly answered § 1. THIS case about Toleration in and from a National Church hath been oft put to me and oft and largely answered And to what use such a work will serve I am unable to conjecture except it be to satisfie the Writers Conscience and set right the thoughts of them that desire what they cannot obtain And whether God will ever raise up a Generation that wearied with Divisions and the direful effects and forced by some Prince of Piety or Interest to consent to a healing Peace and Concord God knoweth and not I. § 2. But I will once more venture to repeat a Moral Prognostication That I think it ex causis exceeding probable that either England will have Popery setled in Power by a French Conquest in the French Fashion by the compliance of those of the English Clergy who are for a Foreign Church Jurisdiction Or else God will constrain the present Governours by the sense of their own interest if not of the interest of Religion and the common good to open the publick Church Doors to that Concord which they have been lockt against by the Act of uniformity and such like above thirty years and the unplacable Enemies of Peace will cast down themselves For I am past doubt of what my dear friend Judge Hale said to me that It must be a new Act of Uniformity that must heal this Church § 3. And should we treat of such a subject as Concord and Toleration with whom should it be If it be not with fit persons we have found that it will be in vain and worse It 's God that must make peace between the Wolf or Lion and the Lamb and not such as I. § 4. 1. If we treat with Proud Men they will have no Concord but by mens granting their unjust demands and submitting to their Wills whatever God and Reason say against it And they must be in Rule and the most Worthy and Innocent be at their mercy § 5. 2. If we treat with Worldlings and Self-seeking men their Worldly interest must be the measure of Concord And how various mutable and unrighteous is that like to be § 6. 3. If we treat with malignants their terms of peace will be directly or indirectly the suppression of serious Godliness § 7. 4. If we treat with Factious Schismaticks Hereticks or Papists their terms will be only that which furthereth and strengthneth their sects § 8. 5. If we treat with Fools they will not understand the case nor the reason that is urged They will not distinguish of Places Times Persons Causes the Sence of Words but rage and be confident in confusion § 9. 6. If we deal with Timorous Cowardly Hypocrites or low and self-saving Spirits they will but be Nicodemites and not venture on danger or difficulty but stay till they see which way will be strongest and most for their advantage Or till Governors drive them on And then it 's well if they do but consent § 10. 7. Shall we then leave all to the sober godly peaceable men It may that way do some personal and private good but I fear they will be so low as to be contemned and so few that in the Crowd and Noise of rage they will not be heard nor regarded unless as little Zaccheus they get up into a Tree by the help of some extraordinary Superior So that there is so little hope of the success of any such attempt and I have written so much of it long ago almost in vain that I will say now but this little following § 11. 1. The Terms of Toleration must differ according to the different Case of the Superiors and Imposers 2. And according to different Causes of Dissenters 3. And according to their different Capacities and Relations 4. And according to their different temper and behaviour in managing their cause 5. And as Rulers are able or unable to suppress them without more hurt than good § 12. I. If Superiors have made Dissenters by sinful Laws the Peace must be more than a Toleration by changing those Laws Shall the Throne of Iniquity have Fellowship with God when they frame Mischief by a Law § 13. II. A Dissenter that opposeth the Essentials of Religion or teacheth Damnable or Treasonable Doctrines must be differenced from those that only refuse to be Perjured or Lie and make a sinful Covenant and Promise or Profession or that scruple some small unnecessary thing which to them seemeth sin against Gods Laws § 14. III. A poor weak woman or unlearned man must not be imposed on and dealt with on the same terms as a man of wit and learning Nor the Laity as the Clergy § 15. IV. Those of a meek and quiet Spirit may be more suffered than turbulent unpeaceable men though it be in the same material points that they dissent Therefore much must be left to the Will of the Rulers who can difference between Man and Man when the Law cannot § 16. V. In a Country where the Preaching of faulty men though elsewhere useful is unnecessary by reason of a full number of better if such a Land there were the silencing of such men is more allowable than elsewhere And even Heresie and many faults may have impunity though not a justifying toleration in a time and place where punishment and suppression cannot be used without apparent doing more hurt than good Rulers are not bound to do what they cannot do And they cannot do that which they must not do because it will do more hurt than good § 17. VI. In a Country where the publick Ministry and Churches are so depraved that the Interest of the Church and Religion lieth more in saving People from them than in Uniting with them there the Tolerated must be most countenanced and strengthen'd But in a Country or Age where the Interest of Religion lyeth most in the publick Churches and the Dissenters are a weak mistaken sort of scrupulous honest People there the Tolerated Churches should be like so many Hopitals where weak People are cherished but it 's not desireable that it be the common case of all the City or Country § 18. Obj. But such Toleration will multiply Separatists and weaken the Church They will be still reproaching it Ans Persecution will not make them
and so train up youth into an enmity and scorn of that which should have their chiefest Love and Labour Alas if such a Serpentine Generation shall for staying so many years in Idleness and Lust in Universities be thought to have right to take the charge of multitudes of Souls that never took just care of their own and to have right to Church Dignity and Maintenance if any bad Patron will but present them how sad a case is such a Church and Nation in They will bring their Ignorance and Malice into the Pulpit and then those hearers that know bitter from sweet and the unclean from the clean will loath their folly And when the Priest seeth that he is despised or loathed he will become the Enemy of those that disesteem him and so he will become a Wolf to the Flock And then it is the Ungodly part that must be his Friends and Companions in Sin whom he will harden to their own Destruction Thus hath a bad Clergy been the ruine of many Churches § 13. And this will prove so strong a Temptation to the Religious part to disaffect the Ministry and to go too far in separations as that Schisms and Pernicious Divisions will be soon multiplied And then Persecution must be tryed on them instead of Light and Love § 14. But the Immediate dividing and dissolving of Churches and overthrow of the Peace of Christian Kingdoms is by Ignorant Malicious or Tyrannical Laws or Canons that impose things forbidden of God on pain of ejecting and silencing the most Faithful Ministers and scorning and ruining the most Religious People that will not sell their Souls for Worldly Interest nor to humour the ill designs of Tyrants These snares are often made by meer malice and revenge as Daniel was forbid to pray Because they could find no fault or accusation against him except it were concerning the Law of his God Especially when some great quarrels have exasperated revenge § 15. But usually error concurreth with Malice while Ignorance and Pride make Prelates and Priests still confident that all their Opinions and Impositions are just and blameless and that all are willfully erroneous that refuse them So rare is a humble understanding § 16. And it fixeth a National Church in this way to ruine when such an unworthy Ministry must be continued till they die and there is no great visible hope of removing them How many difficulties must be overcome before one Parish can get a cure of such § 17. And yet worse is it when there is small hope of a better when the bad Priest is dead but the corrupt Fountain is still sending forth polluted Streams and Money and Friendship chuse the Man And when the worst Man that hath but Money enough to buy a Patronage shall have the choice of a Pastor for Mens Souls § 18. And yet worse will it go when the Keys which are the most peculiar part of the Priviledge and Office of the Pastors shall be exercised by Lay Civilians in the Bishops name without his judging or consent And Government by the Word is managed by such Men in the manner that Secular Affairs are managed without due reverence to holy things § 19. And worst of all is it when the Body of the Nation is by such means brought to so much ignorance and sinfulness that they would have it so And are glad to have so much countenance to their malignity and sin and follow their malicious Military Leaders § 20. And last of all when their madness hath drawn their own Swords against each other or provoked God to let in a Foreign Enemy on them then they must expect that God avenge the quarrel of his Covenant specially when after great Mercy and long Patience they would not know the time of their Visitation nor in their day the things that belong to their peace but defend their sin Chap. XIV Whether the National Church of England be at the present of a sound Constitution And what is necessary to its Welfare Safety Reformation and Peace § 1. TO tell what particulars need Reformation I have done so oft to the great displeasure of the guilty that I have no encouragement to offend them more by doing it again § 2. And to give the true History of original causes and progress of our corruptions disorders and divisions will not be endured by them that still justifie their own and Predecessours sin and can see no fault in any but those that they first make and then call their adversaries I have found that the most notorious matters of fact will be denyed furiously by such men even what hath been said and done in their presence and mine before a multitude of Witnesses Bishops Doctors and divers others Yea things said and done in Parliaments and Armies and publickly notified are by such men contradicted with rage Therefore I will not here tell the World either what or who have been the causes of our sufferings and dangers having long purposed to have done it in a Treatise by it self called REPENT O ENGLAND and therein I. To declare my own Repentance II. To tell those called Presbyterians what they must Repent of III. And those called Separatists IV. And those called Antinomians V. And those called Prelatical especially the Ruling part But God seemeth to deny me time for that intended Work § 3. That which I shall now add is I. To shew what there now is in the English Constitution fitted to Christs Institution of a true National Church II. What is yet wanting III. And what are the Remedies § 4. I. I begin with that which is Good and Laudable Not only to avoid offence by unprofitable finding faults but especially to rectifie those prejudiced censures that call Good Evil and run away from Gods Mercies under the false name of Sin This hath had no small hand in our Divisions ever since the troubles at Frank-ford and our first Reformation The Adversaries of Popery did lay more of the personal Crimes of the Papists Bishops and Priests and Monks too on the Office and Order than they should have done § 5. I. The National Church of England is rightly constituted under one Supreme Royal Government as the Unifying Head as I have proved § 6. II. It is duely constituted of professed Baptized Christians and Churches as the subject matter § 7. III. It hath National Laws which profess their subserviency to the Law of Christ and the Nullity of all that is against it § 8. IV. It maketh none Magistrates but professed Christians No nor Burgesses and choosers of Magistrates § 9. V. It hath Diocesans that are General Overseers of many particular Churches as Successors to the Apostles and Evangelists in the ordinary parts of their Office which I before proved to be Christs Institution § 10. VI. It justly maketh Bishops Members of Parliament it being unfit to make Laws for Religion without the Pastors notice and advice § 11. VII It justly giveth large maintenance and