Medina himself doth assert that a man must rather obey an erroneous Conscience than the command of any Prelate that is contradictory thereunto Supposing these Dissenters do err yet they must not act contrary unto an erroneous Conscience the whole that can be justly desir'd is that they use all regular means to depose and shake off the error of Conscience which must be done by a sincere seeking God for more light that they may come to the knowledge of the truth and by a diligent and impartial enquiry into the true State of the controversie Moreover there must be if possible a consulting the writings of the Learned on both sides or a conversing with 'em with a readyness to weigh all things with deliberation and a resolution to embrace the truth where ever 't is found But if after all their old convictions are rather strengthned than otherwise they must beware they act not contrary to their Conscience They must not resign up their reason their Conscience nor their Religion unto the pleasure of the greatest Potentate on Earth This I take to be the Doctrine of all sound Protestants of the Church of England yea I can when there shall be an occasion prove it to be so by a Collection of the several Arguments of the Learned Drs. of the Church which they have urg'd for the confirmation of this truth in the opposition they make to the blind obedience of the Papist Whence I inferr That these Dissenters in refusing to joyn with the Church of England in the Liturgy do but discharge their duty unto God Their not joyning with the Church is not the sin of Schism Schism is asserted by Protestants to be a causless separation whence if there be a good cause why they separate 't is not causeless and can there be a better cause than the avoiding sin They separate because they should sin if they did not separate But though this be enough to clear the Dissenter who is fully convinc'd of the unlawfulness of those Termes of Communion that are imposed on the people yet 't is not enough to justifie the separation of those who do not only think it lawfull but expedient to joyn with the Church of England in their Prayers and Ceremonies c. who if they will separate from the Church of England and justifie their separation they must argue from other Topicks for certainly the peace of the Church and the authority of the Magistrate cannot but engage a people to do what is both lawfull and expedient These therefore I think deny that they separate from the Communion of the Church Although they worship God in Meetings locally distant from the Parish Church yet their Meetings are but as Chappels of Ease and the Preachers but as Curates to the Parish Churches That the Episcopal Party may effectually demonstrate a Religious Assembly locally distant from the Parish Church to be Schismatical they must prove 1. That the people of this Assembly were once actually Members of the Parish Churches 2. That these people do ordinarily separate themselves from the external Communion of their Parish Churches 3. That their separation is causless First They must prove that the people of this Assembly that is locally distant from the Parish Church were once Members of the Parish Church that they were under an obligation of holding external Communion with their Parishes 1. All External Communion must be in Parish Assemblys or single Congregational Churches For a Diocesan Provincial or National Assembly of all the Members of those Societies for External Communion is on the account of the multitude of the people impossible 't is impossible they should meet in one and the same Assembly and hold Communion with each other in Prayers in the Word and in the Sacrament Their External Communion in Prayers c. must be in lesser Assemblies or not at all 2. Those who are under any Obligations of holding external Communion with this or the other Parish must be Members of this or the other Parish Church Such as are not Members of this or the other Parish Church cannot be said to separate from it tho' they meet in places locally distant because they not being Members of the Parish Church are not under any Obligation of holding external Communion with that Parish A Man saies Dr. Stilling fleet is not said to separate from every Church where he forbears or ceases to have Communion but only from that Church with which he is obliged to hold Communion and yet withdraws from it This sufficiently evinces That unless the Conformists can prove that the Dissenters were oblig'd to hold Communion as Members of the Parish Churches they cannot prove a Separation To separate from a Church doth suppose that person to have been once of that Church But the Quaerie is how the Conformists will prove all the Dissenters to be Members of some particular Parish Church Will they say that they were all made Members of some particular Parish Church by their Baptisme That cannot be because by Baptism we are only made Members of the Catholick Church Doth our being born English Men and our Inhabiting in such a Parish make us Members of the Parish Church No for there are no Grounds in Scripture for this Our Lord Jesus Christ nor his Apostles did not leave any Intimations concerning such a Rule neither can any precept but what is fetch from God's word fasten any such Obligation on the Conscience that whoever lives within such a precinct must be a Member of such a Church How then must it be The Answer of our Lord Jesus Christ and his Apostles and the Primitive Christians for the first 300 years and of most Protestants is full for this which is That it must be by the peoples consent For as the people are invested with a Right to chose their own Pastor and the Church with which they would hold Communion Even so they cannot be Members nor under any Obligation of holding Ordinary Communion with this or the other particular Church without their own consent Consent is as absolutely necessary to the constituting a particular Parish Church as a National which consent may be discovered not only Expresly but also implicitly which is when a people do ordinarily joyn with some particular Church in all Ordinances as many Parishioners who by their Ordinary holding Communion with the Parish Church in all Ordinances do practically and interpretatively though not expresly discover their consent to be of that Church whereby I think they are under an Obligation to constant Communion with that Parish Church so long as they find it lawful Tho' these may Occasionally hold Communion elsewhere yet their ordinary and constant Communion must be with their Parish Church For which reason if they do ordinarily forbear or cease to have Communion with their Parish-Church it may be justly said that they do separate from it But there are many an Inhabitant in most Parishes who as they were not made Members of the Parish
THE HARMONY Between the Old and Present Non-Conformists PRINCIPLES In Relation to the TERMS of Conformity With Respect both to the CLERGIE and the PEOPLE Wherein A short History of the Original of the English LITURGY and some Reasons why several truly Conscientious Christians cannot joyn with the Church in it Humbly Presented to Publick Consideration in order to the obtaining some necessary Relaxation and Indulgence To which are added some Letters that pass'd between the Lord Cecil and Arch-Bishop Whitgift The Fault is on both sides and on neither side For the Godly wise on both sides bear with each other and concenter in the main But then there be selfish peevish Spirits on both sides some and these make the Quarrel Greenham's Answer to the Lord Cecil's Question Who is the Faulty Causer of the Division in the Church LONDON Printed and are to be sold by Joseph Collier on London-Bridge 1682. To the Right Reverend Edward Lord Bishop of Cork and Ross in Ireland MY LORD ON a perusal of your late Treatise Entituled The Protestant Peace Maker I find your Lordship so very much dispos'd to pursue Charity Peace and Vnion the only necessary mean left us for the preservation of the Reformed Protestant Religion that though I am a perfect stranger to you I cannot choose but make and hope that you will Candidly receive this present Dedication There is now as your Lordship expresses it p. 29. an argument for Vnity which must be heard and is uncontroulable We must Unite or be destroyed At all times Christian duty obliges us thereto now necessity or self-preservation too or more parties may ballance one when any single other cannot Thus 't is evident we must Vnite The strength of the Protestant Cause both here at home and throughout Christendom lies in the Vnion of Protestants and the glory purity and power of Christianity in this world stand or falls with Protestantism But the only question is upon what Termes must the Church of England come over to the Dissenters or the Dissenters go over to the Church The right stating the true Termes of Vnion is a work of extraordinary difficulty a work that requires the heads and hearts of the greatest the most judicious and Holy men on earth to contribute all they can towards it Government in the Church must be secur'd tender Consciences reliev'd Where there is no government all things will run into confusion where there is no relief for tender Consciences there can be no union The government of a National Church must be National and such as is most exactly suited to the civil constitution of the Natiou The former must not interferr with the later But of this though your Lordship speakes nothing yet may your Lordship see something God permitting it in good time that some Dissenters have to offer towards the healing our breaches and that also in a way consistent with an establishment of such a National Church government as agrees with the antient constitution of this Kingdom That which your Lordship's wisdom hath insisted on is a point of moment and importance namely the Liturgy and Ceremonies concerning which you propose mutual concessions and approaches as the only probable uniting expedient Now if complyance be likelyest to do the business you say let us relax a little on both hands in the fear of God and fall upon it Let us Candidly consult what good Conscience what prudence will bear towards an accommodation To this you add Page 118. 119. I do not conceive the alteration of an expression or perhaps here and there of an whole Prayer or two by Law or the dispensing still by Law with some ceremony in Law for the sake of some unsatisfied but otherwise regular Christians who are not suppos'd of the Cathedral Body I say I do not conceive such concession or relaxation as this would break the harmony and beauty of our worship or disturb the Vnion or Peace of our Church I will therefore freely publish my thoughts to be that whither we Consider the Nature of the thing it self or with regard to the Apostle's Rule Rom. 15. 1 2. Not to please our selves but every one of us to please his Neighbour for his good to Edification In either regard I say there are some Collects and perhaps Rubricks too which with all Duty and Submission I humbly conceive may be alter'd for the better And farther that in some Seasons and in some private places If the Obligation to a Ceremony or two were taken off the benefit which would hence redound to the Church would be very Considerable And I seem to my self herein to follow the sense and guidance of our Church for even at present the Injunction of the Ceremonies does not appear to me to extend it self to all places and seasons There are also divers other points which when once the design of a fair Accommodation shall be on foot will be fit to be mentioned and indeed will both of Course offer themselves and be I judge as easily granted such as the Liberty of exchanging Apocriphal Lessons for Canonical ones any Amendment of such Defects as can be prov'd in the Calendar The Use of the most Correct Translation of the Psalms A better Metrical Version also and perhaps some like matters which we may account small some Diffenters do not My Lord May the expedient you propose be attended unto the desired Vnion would soon be obtained for thereby all those Arguments mentioned in the ensuing Treatise which press hard on the Consciences of some Dissenters concerning the present Terms of Communion would be answered their Consciences relieved and they be of the same external Communion with the Church of England I do therefore humbly presume to beseech your Lordship to do your utmost for the furthering this peaceable and uniting Design for certainly you have hit on what if closely followed will reconcile us and as your Lordship will express it this is the only probable expedient for 't is an undoubted Truth That there are among the Dissenters a considerable Number who are under the most powerful and plain Convictions of Conscience about the Vnlawfulness of the present Liturgy as Ordered by the Canon and Rubrick to be used and of the Ceremonies that they cannot but by sinning against God to the wounding of their own Consciences conform That the World may be assured of this much and see how necessary some Relaxations are in Order unto Vnion I have shewn what are the Sentiments of some of the most Judicious and more moderate Dissenters why 't is yet they conform not to the Terms of Lay-Communion impos'd by the Church and why 't is they erect seperate Congregations Some are so fully Convinced of the unlawfulness of the present Liturgy and Ceremonies that they refuse to Conform because they think their Conformity to be sinful but other do not so much insist on the sinfulness as on the Inexpediency of their Conformity They cannot Conform without Scandal By Scandal they
mean as your Lordship doth with the Scripture generally The drawing or encouraging others to do what they are not in Conscience convinc'd they may do My Lord There is a real Disposition yea longing Desires among the Non-Conformists towards a Protestant Vnion and it rejoyceth their very Souls to find some such as your Lordship among the dignified Ciergie and do bless God for you There are some such also in England who tho' they Conform do it not blindfold nor upon Corrupt Inducements We believe there are many of you who can in the fear of God profess you have again and again considered the Ecclesiastical Laws and according to your Duty as you believe you have been and are obedient not only for Wrath but also for Conscience sake and that you are Sound Protestants and as great an Eye-Sore to the Papist as any among the Dissenters However we are as Confident That there are others who are pretendedly at least great zealots for Conformity and yet Aimrather at an Union between the Church of England and the Church of Rome who consequently hate a Protestant Dissenter much more than they do a Papist not being asham'd to profess They would rather be Papists than Presbyterians There are many such who delight not only to misrepresent the Dissenter as your Lordship will perceive by the Reverend Mr. Baxter's reply to your Postscript but moreover to Unchurch all the Foreign Reformed Churches who have not an Episcopal Ordination Thus Mr. Conold in his Notion of Schism Dedicated to Anthony Lord Bishop of Norwich p. 14. asserts That he who is out of this Line of Apostolick Succession and exercises any Ministerial Office without the Commission of Episcopal Ordination is but a Lay-Imposter and a Schismatick from the Catholick Church and p. 43. speaking of Foreign Protestant Churches adds But if any of them have a Ministry which have no other Orders than their own Vsurpation or popular Election I know not how to Acquit them from being Shismaticks from the Catholick Church But yet though he is so severe in Censuring the Foreign Protestant Churches as Schismaticks from the Catholick Church he is as Merciful to Foreign Papists for in his Epistle to the Reader As for those of your Religion vid. the Popish who live under the Laws of the Romish Dominions I have a great Charity for them says he for they can plead Submission to their own Superiors and I am apt to believe that plea may be very considerable when they come to appear before the Prince of Peace and the God of Order There having been some such in the Church of England ever since the first Reformation they have impeded all Essayes for a Protestant Vnion and have done their utmost rather to Accommodate the Differences between Vs and Rome whereby Instead of Relaxations and Abatements towards Dissenters The Church of England has made the Terms of Communion the more difficult and uneasie unto us to the hightning and increasing the Divisions and at this very day will be at the same work wherein unless timely prevented they may succeed We beseech your Lordship therefore to animate your Brethren who are hearty to the Protestant Interest to Consider with just regards the tender Consciences of Dissenting Protestants and to appear in making a brisk Opposition to those who under pretence of making the Church of England the more Grand and August designs her Ruine by bringing her into her Antient Slavery to the Church of Rome 'T is to be wished a Bill Comprehensive of all Sound Protestants might pass in Order to the uniting us But if that cannot be a Bill lesser Comprehensivē with an Indulgence will very much contribute to the Churches peace and the strengthning the Protestant Interest To which end That the Advice your Lordship gives p. 62. to the end may be regarded by all is the Prayer of him who highly values your Lordships great Learning your Christian Temper and Moderation and who is Your Humble Servant April 1. 1682. The Errata PAge 7. l. 11. dele who p. 9. l. 2. After then add my work is l. 18. dele For. l. 35. for they r. the Dissenters p. 19. l. 22. for if r. of p. 20. l. 23. After then add the Bishops of p. 21. l. 32. for Families r. Faculties p. 23. l. 7. after Objection add has offer'd p. 26. l. ult r. of p. 28. l. 10. dele of p. 32. l. 18. r. it has p. 33. l. 10. d. and. l. 28. r. Proctors p. 34. l. 11. r. Scultingius p. 35. l. 15. r. Intelligencers p. 40. l. 1. r. pages p. 41. l. ult add That is several Popish Vestments p. 42. l. 9. after affairs add than in Civil p. 44. l. 6. after drunkenness add does p. 48. l. 5. r. Superstitious p. 55. l. 13. r. Prince p. 59. l. 19. r. Parity p. 60. l. 10. r. to l. ult r. 2. p 71. l. 27. r. Rites l. 38. after that add are l. ult r. why p. 72. l. ult r. Wild. To the READER THE design of the ensuing Treatise is only to shew how necessary 't is that the Church of England make the Terms of Communion with her somewhat more easie For 't is certain that whatever some suggest concerning the fancy humour and obstinacy of Dissenters He who is the searcher of hearts doth know that they are Conscientious in their Non-conformity Could they with a good Conscience conform they would but seeing they cannot as appears by what is insisted on in this Treatise what must they do They must not sin and offend God to please men 'T is not altogether improbable but that a Conformist in his perusal of the arguments in the following discourse may be supply'd with an answer satisfactory to himself and many others notwithstanding which the Dissenters may still feel more conviction in those arguments for their Non-conformity than in any reply made to 'em and therefore cannot Conscientiously conform Hitherto the Dissenters have been reproach'd as a people who cause divisions in the Church about Trifles who though they won't now Conform if there were a Bill of Comprehension on no easier Termes than a complying with the use of the Liturgy they would generally do it I have therefore upon a seririous and deliberate weighing all things thought it meet at this season when a late book of a singular brother calls aloud for it to give an impartial account of the Dissenters sentiments which are more general concerning Conformity having done it impartially rather indeed like an Historian than a Logician The great thing I abide by and judge my self oblig'd to defend is 1. That there are arguments powerfull enough in the judgments of some to fasten plain convictious on 'em concerning the unlawfulness or inexpediency of the use of the present Ordinary Lord's dayes Service Though I may not be convinc'd by them yet others may 2. That so long as any Dissenters are thus fully convinc'd of the unlawfulness or inexpediency of the Liturgy they must not
act contrary to the plain conviction of their Conscience and Conform If then there be any peace in the Church it must be either by a familiar sweet and plain discovery of their mistake or by a relaxing somewhat the rigor of the Terms of Communion The Forms by many years experience we find impossible and therefore as the Bishop of Cork and Ross expresses it the only probable expedient for Union left us is the later In the following History I must say that I have confin'd my self to urge those arguments of the Old Non-conformists which are against those parts of the Liturgy now in being and I have done it without passion or partiality My great care hath been to propose with indifference their judgment to the end the Reader considering it with the same equal mind as 't is written may be the better enabled to pass a Candid Censure on the whole I have not been curious in the choice of words for my design is only the information of the vulgar to whose capacity I have in the most familiar manner I could adjusted the following discourse That the God of Heaven will enable us all to follow peace with all men and Holiness for we must not so far pursue peace as to do any unholy thing in order thereunto ought to be our dayly Prayer to the God of Heaven April 3. 82. Farewell An Account of the Non-Conformists Principles concerning the Terms both of the Clergy and Lay-Conformity SINCE the 24th of August 1662 there have been many a Non-Conformist even among the Ministers and People of England who though they have different apprehensions concerning the Terms of Conformity do yet all agree in their not submitting unto all that is required by the Act of Vniformity There are some among the Ministers who can Conscientiously comply withall that is enjoyn'd the people and there are others that cannot That the Reader may with the greater clearness understand wherein the principal grounds of Non-Conformity consist I will with the greatest impartiality attempt the giving a particular account of the Principles of those who are now most commonly known by the name of Dissenters Not that I design to insist on all those principles they profess to embrace as they are sound Christians and good Protestants but only to shew what their Judgment is as they are Dissenters from the Church of England 1. There being a great difference between the Terms of Conformity imposed on the Ministers and those enjoyn'd the People there are some among the Non-Conforming Ministry who can submit unto the impositions laid on the people but not unto what is exacted from the Ministers They can hear yea read the ordinary Lord's days Service and joyn in the Communion of the Church but yet cannot Assent and Consent to every thing contained in the 39 Articles Book of Common Prayer and Homilies already extant and such as shall hereafter be set forth because they are fully convinc'd that there are several things contain'd in those Books which are not agreable unto the Word of God and because they cannot divine what may be inserted in the Book of Homilies hereafter to be published and are loath to subscribe to they know not what These have so great an advantage against the Conformists that Dr. Stilling fleet when he first entred on the controversies about the Terms of the peoples Communion with the Church wav'd that of the Ministers Conformity As these are Non-conformists so in their writings they triumph over the Conformists But then as they do ordinarily separate from the Communion of the Church and erect orderly Congregations for the Administrations of all Ordinances they have not that advantage which other Nonconformists have For say the Conformists unto 'em seeing you look on the terms of Lay-Communion to be lawfull and to shew so much you do occasionally hold Communion with us your Communion ought to be fixed and ordinary and that because the consideration of the Curches peace and the authority of our Governours in the enjoyning what is confessedly lawfull should oblige your Consciences There are several things replyed First The Ministers being consecrated unto God in that Holy Function of the Ministry dare not look back they commit Sacriledge should they withdraw themselves from the Ministry for wo unto them if they preach not Secondly The great necessity there is of their preaching in order to the reforming the people Moreover they add that they do not separate from the Church they do but preach as Lecturers or Curates unto the Parish Ministers In this controversie I 'll not engage my self for my business is principally design'd to give a right state of the controversie and so far as I can to offer somewhat in the Non-conformists defence which as to this particular shall be only to clear them from that reproach which is cast on them about their going to Church to Divine Service and the Communion and yet do not conform as Ministers The answer is easie viz. There is much more than these things required of them Viz. Subscriptions as enjoyn'd by the Act of Uniformity besides the abjuring the Covenant to the which several who have nothing to offer against the ordinary Lord's days Service and the other Terms of Lay-Communion cannot yield their Consciences 2. There are other Non-conforming Ministers who cannot conscientiously conform either unto the Terms impos'd on the Minister or People Of these there are two sorts 1. Some who look on the particular forms of Prayer imposed on all to be Lawfull but not Expedient 2. Others who consider this particular form of Prayer to be Vnlawfull 1. Of the first opinion are several Presbyterians if not some Congregational Divines For the clearer understanding their Sentiments we must consider 1. That there is a difference between the lawfulness of set forms of Prayer in Thesi and in Hypothesi A form of Prayer in general may be lawfull but this or the other set form in particular sinfull In the Popish Mass Book there are several forms of Prayer which are by sound Protestants esteemed sinfull not because they are forms so much as because they are such forms There are very few besides some Independents and Anabaptists who judge all forms of Prayer because they are forms to be Unlawfull 2. There is also a difference between the lawfulness of a form and its expediency A Stinted Liturgy may in some cases be both lawfull and expedient and in other though in it felf lawfull yet highly inexpedient For ought I can say to the contrary a set form of preaching is as lawfull as a set form of Prayer and 't is manifest that there was a time in the beginning of Edward the 6ths Reign that the making Sermons for the Ministers was as convenient as the making Prayers for them such was the ignorance peevishness and contentiousness of those in Holy Orders That a stinted form was as neeessary to be us'd in preaching as 't was in praying for which reason as an
be to all according to the Rubrick and Canon or only to some part But If the latter it will not satisfie the Church for by refusing to be present at any part thereof they are to be denyed the Lord's Supper and if when call'd to shew their reason of such their refusal they speak any thing against either the Service it self or any Ceremonies or Rites in use they are by an Ipso facto Excommunication Excommunicated according to the 4th and 6th Canons whereby to some it seems apparent that unless their Conformity be full and compleat they are as lyable to the displeasure and censure of the Church as if they had not at all conform'd The Minister must read all required and the people must joyn with him in it or be expos'd to the severe lash of Ecclesiastical Fulminations but this many a Dissenter cannot do neither doth every Conformable Minister in this respect actually conform to the Canon 'T is true every Minister according to the import of the second Article unto which he that subscribes is oblig'd to use the form in the said book prescribed in Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and no other The which was expresly enjoyn'd all Ministers primo Eliz. Where 't is said That all and singular Ministers in any Parish Church or other place within the Realm of England shall be bounden to say and use all their Common and Open Prayer in such order and form as is mentioned in the said Book and none other or otherwise that is sayes Dr. Heylin neither before nor after Sermon no other prayer unless the bidding of prayer with the alone use of the Lord's Prayer is allowed by the Canon That this is the sense of the Church of England how contrary soever the practice of her Sons generally is will appear with conviction to such as soberly consider that the weightyest arguments which are produc'd to prove the usefulness of a publique Liturgy are fetch'd from such Topicks as necessarily inferr the unlawfulness of a publique praying ex tempore or by a form of a private Ministers Composing One great Argument is given us by Mr. Hutton in the words of the Counsell of Melevis which is that a publique Liturgy approv'd of either by a Council or Synod must be used least any thing peradventure be otherwise framed contrary unto Faith either by ignorance or for want of study or due meditation or as others add least those Ministers who pray ex tempore or use a set form of their own composing should be Immethodical in their Prayers using Tautologies or having in 'em Nonsense and several uncomely slips beside 't is added that we must use a publique Liturgy that the prayers of the several Congregations within this Realm may be sent up unto God in the same words c. All which is against the use of all free Prayer or Prayers Compos'd by the Minister himself for which reason many are of an opinion that the Liturgy was design'd to be instead of all other prayer the which seems to be the meaning of the 14th Canon where 't is exprest that there must be an using the Liturgy without either diminishing in regard of Preaching or any other respect or adding any thing either in the matter or form thereof But that many among the Dissenters cannot satisfie themselves in abiding by a form of prayer thus erected to the publique disuse of the gift of prayer is very certain see Dr. Collins on this Subject Though there are some circumstances wherein a form of prayer is lawfull namely when the person whose duty 't is to pray in publique has not a gift in that case to use a form is much better than not to pray at all which is enough to shew that the using a form of prayer is not in it self unlawfull seeing if it had been so it could never be a duty However to set up a form in opposition to the publique use if spiritual or free prayer is in the opinion of some not only a practice unknown to the Church for several hundred years but moreover contrary to the present dispensation of the Spirit 1. They assert that the imposing a publique Liturgy thus is a practice that was unknown to the Church for several hundred years The Reverend and Judicious Mr. Baxter in his Search for the English Schismatick asserts That no One Liturgy was imposed on any National Church or any Patriarchal for many hundred years after the Apostles dayes yea and after Constantine but every Bishop or Pastor was the chooser of his words and practice and as others a publique Liturgy was not Universally impos'd untill Antichrist did arise by the power of whose might Gregories Liturgy in contempt of that of Ambrose was impos'd on the Churches which Liturgy was not received from the Apostles nor in many years after but some part had its rise from Pope Sixtus the First another from Celestin c. as Platina in the lives of Sixtus Celestin and Gregory does assert Furthermore Bellarmine himself does acknowledge that the Bishops of particular Churches ever had allowed 'em a power of making Offices for their own Churches which point of Bellarmine is confirmed by uncontroulable evidences in this our own Country where untill the time of the Reformation there was great diversity in saying and singing in Churches some following Salisbury use and some Hereford some the use of Bangor and some that of York and others the use of Lincoln All which were suppressed by Edward the 6th in order to the carrying on a farther Reformation in the Room of which Offices one only was set up as what did most effectually answer the great design of our worthy Reformers which was the promoting a thorough Reformation with as much speed as the badness of those times would bear it 2. As 't is thus evident that there was no publique form of prayer impos'd on any particular Church the first 300 years nor Universally till Antichrists appearing in the World and that even then particular Churches enjoy'd the liberty of forming Offices for their own particular Churches in like manner the erecting any one publique form in opposition to the publique use of the Gift of Prayer is so contrary to the Gospel dispensation which is the dispensation of the Spirit that the Divines of the Church of England cannot but by their practice discover their dislike of such impositions They do not therefore adhere so firmly unto these forms but that before Sermon they use some of their own Composing which is a sufficient demonstration that praying extempore or the publique use of a prayer Compos'd by a Minister in private is neither unlawfull nor inexpedient and that the Arguments produc'd from the absurdities of such a practice to prove the usefulness of a publique Liturgy are not cogent enough to command their assent the which cannot but countenance and justifie the Dissent of the Non-Conformists as they refuse to conform unto the Liturgy as 't is enjoyn'd as the
aside the Translation that is most exactly agreeable to the Original and use one that is not only imperfect absurd and senseless but in some things so contrary to the Original But some Dissenters think that their Conformity in this respect cannot but prove pernicious to the Christian Religion as it casts a reproach not only on the last and best translation but even on the Original it self They know how jealous God is about his word unto which no additions diminutions or alterations can be made but to the provoking the most high and the wounding their Consciences and therefore are afraid to conform Argument III. III. The third Argument doth more immediately concern the very Service it self unto which the Dissenters refuse to Conform because of that similitude likeness and agreement there is between it and the formes of Prayer which the Papists use That the Reader may be the more fully acquainted with the true State of this controversie about the agreeableness there is between the English and Roman Service Books and what 't is the Dissenters aim at by their insisting so very much on it I must shew 1. What they say concerning the agreableness that is supposed to be between these Service Books 2. How this came to pass What occasion'd our adhering so closely to the Popish Service Book even when we forsook their Communion 3. The Reasonings of some Dissenters from that agreeableness is suppos'd to be between these two books against the English Service First What they say concerning the agreableness that is suppos'd to be between these two Service books The Dissenters do out of King Edward's Letter unto the Devonshire and Cornish Rebels give this following account of it namely As for the Service in the English Tongue thus manifest reasons for it and yet perchance it seemeth to you a new Service and indeed is none other but the old the self same words in English which were in Latine The difference is that you our Subjects should understand in English that which before was spoke in Latine If the Service of the Church was good in Latine it remaineth good in English for nothing is alter'd but to speak with knowledge that which was spoke with ignorance Furthermore these Dissenters add as I find in their Anatomy of the Service Book That every piece and parcel of the Liturgy word for word is out of these Popish peices namely the Breviary out of which the Common Prayers are taken the Ritual or book of Rites out of which the Administration of the Sacraments Burial Matrimony visitation of the sick are taken The Mass-book out of which the consecration of the Lord's Supper Collects Epistles and Gospels are taken As for the book of ordination of Arch-bishops Bishops and Ministers that is out of the Roman Pontifical These things being so whoever pleads for the English Service book doth so far defend the Romish Mass-book not that 't is a defence of the whole Romish Service for in the Anatomy of the Service Book 't is acknowledged that every thing in the Mass-book is not in our Liturgy though all that is in our Liturgy is word for word in the Mass-book But so far as our Liturgy is defended so far that part of the Romish Service is defended for which reason the greatest Champions who among our Church men have most zealously written in defence of the Liturgy and have been consider'd by the Church of Rome as men who have done great Service to the Roman Religion Thus Whitgift and Hooker have had their applauses from the Romanists 'T is not unworthy observation to find Arch-Bishop Whitgift reproaching Cartwright and the Dissenters as a people eminently serviceable to the Papist and Dean Stilling fleet to give the utmost countenance he could thereunto whereas the truth is that that on which Whitgift grounds his censure will not bear it and though none of Dean Stilling fleet 's adversaries have taken any notice of it that I can find yet Whitgift himself is the man who has had from the Jesuites great thankes for what he has written against Dissenters in defence of the English Service and Discipline That Whitgifts Censure concerning the Dissentes subserviency to Popish designes is groundless being rather the product of his indiscreet passions than of sound arguings is evident in that the great reason given to shew that the Dissenters are the Papists promoters is because they assert that the Papists ought not to be compel'd to receive the Supper of the Lord so long as they continue in their Popery that is they ought not to act contrary to their Conscience nor dissemble with Almighty God by professing themselves to be Protestants even when they are really and in heart Papists whether this be to gratifie the Papist let the impartial Reader judge But that Whitgift has gratify'd the Papist in his writings against Dissenters I 'll evince by producing what the learned Parker in his Ecclesiastical policy lib. 1. chap. 33. insists on in answer to this objection of Whitgift Bancroft and others where he shews how William Reignolds the Jesuit asserts that John Whitgift in his discourse against Cartwright has defended the Catholick Cause and accordingly the said Reignolds in the preface against Whitaker makes great use of Whitgift and in the book it self he sends Mr. Whitaker unto Dr. Whitgift for a supply of reasons for the confirming their notion about putting of our caps and making curtesie at the hearing the Name of Jesus Scultinyns and Stapleton give the same Character both of the writings of Whitgift and Bancroft against the Puritanes even as Gretzer the Jesuit triumphs in Saravias and Sutcliff's defence of the Episcopal Authority in Civils And as Whitgift even so Hooker for the service done the Church of Rome by what they have writ in defence of the worship and discipline of the Church of England hath had the praises of the Romanists This Mr. Walton in the life of Hooker has observ'd which is no more than what Dr. King Bishop of Chichester was acquainted with as he himself expresses in a letter to honest Isaac I am glad you mention sayes the Bishop how much value Robert Stapleton Pope Clement the 8th and other eminent men of the Romish perswasion have put upon this book having been told the same in my youth by persons of worth that have travelled Italy And what doth this discover less than that such is the agreement between the Service and Discipline of the Church of England and that of Rome that whoever pleads for the one defends the other Furthermore in the Anatomy of the Service Book we are furnished with an Historical Account of the Papists approving our Liturgy There be sayes the Author thereof abundance of instances for the Papists approving our Liturgy witness Mortons Appeal Pope Pius the 4th and Gregory the 13th offered to Queen Elizabeth to confirm the English Liturgy Witness Dr. Abbot then Prelate of Canterbury and Mr. Cambden in the life of Queen Elizabeth who
sayes the common fame went for truth that the Pope promised to confirm out of his own authority the English Liturgy provided her Majesty should rank her self with the Roman Church To thefe I adjoyn Dr. Boyes who was a bitter expositor of the English Liturgy as Heiga by the Doctors of Dowayes appointment was of the Mass after he hath whetted his teeth upon the Schismaticks in his Epistle to Bancroft he produceth the letter of Pope Pius for the approbation of the Service Book and notes also the Testimony of approbation from Bristow in his motives Queen Elizabeth being interdicted by the Popes Bull. Secretary Walsingham wrought so that he procured two Intelligences to be sent from the Pope as it were in secret into England to whom the Secretary appointed a State Intelligencer to be their Guide who shew'd them London and Canterbury service in all the pomp of it which the popish Intelligencers viewing and considering well with much admiration they wondred that their Lord the Pope was so ill advised or at least ill informed as to interdict a Prince whose Service and Ceremonies so Symobiliz'd with his own and therefore returning to Rome they possest the Pope that they saw no Service Ceremonies or Orders in England but they might very well serve in Rome whereupon the Bull was recalled to this also Doctor Carrier consid p. 45. a dangerous seducing Jesuit gives ample evidences The Common Prayer book saith he and the Catechism contained in it held no point of Doctrine expresly contrary to Antiquity that is as he explaineth himself contrary to the Romish Service c. Much more might be spoke to this purpose but I wave it judging that what hath been already offer'd is sufficient to evince that there is at least in the judgment of many a very great agreableness between the two service books 2. What is it that occasion'd the Church of Englands adhering to so great a part of the Romish Service Book even when she forsook the Communion of that Church Whoever considers the State of the Church in Edward the sixth his time will find that Cranmer and others discover'd a propension to drive on the Reformation much farther than they did but were hindred by the iniquity of the times Thus Bullinger as I find it in a difcourse of the troubles of Franckford reports to Mr. Williams Whittingham Gilby and others that Cranmer Bishop of Canterbury had drawn up a book of Prayers an hundred times more perfect than this we now have but the same could not take place for that Cranmer was matched with a wicked Clergy and Convocation with other enemies There were also reasons of a like nature that might hinder the furtherance of the reformation in Queen Elizabeths dayes for even then the ignorance of the vulgar accompanied with a proportionable hatred to true Religion was very great Whence 't is that Cambden assures us that the change of Religion was not suddenly made but by little and little by degrees for the Roman Religion continued in the same State it was first a full Month and more after the death of Queen Mary The 27th of December it was tolerated to have the Epistles and Gospels the Ten Commandments the Symbole the Litany and the Lords Prayer in the vulgar Tongue The 22 of March the Parliament being Assembled the order of Edward the sixth was re-established and by act of the same the whole use of Lord's Supper granted under both kinds The 24th of June by the Authority of that which concern'd the Uniformity of Publique Prayers and Administration of the Sacraments The Sacrifice of the Mass was abolished and the Liturgy in the English Tongue more and more Established In the Month of July the Oath of Allegiance was proposed to the Bishops and other persons and in August Images were thrown out of the Temples and Churches and broken and burn'd Furthermore as the illness of the times did impeed a sudden Reformation in like manner the moderate temper and favourable disposition the Queen had to some part of Popery was such as hindred a full Reformation whereupon it was not so far carryed on by this Queen as 't was sometime before by her Brother Edward the sixth That Queen Elizabeth had a natural propension to favour some part of Popery is not only manifest from her I hope Conscientious conforming so far in Queen Maries dayes as to hear Divine Service according to the rule in the Romish Church and her oft going to confession and afterwards when she came to the Throne her choosing to be Crown'd by a Popish Bishop according to the order of the Roman Pontifical which had so much in it of the Ceremonies and Superstitions of the Church of Rome that 't is thought very probable the Protestant Bishops would not act in it but with great alterations and that therefore she desired 'em not to be ingaged in it But beside this Dr. Burnet gives us the same Character I have suggested for sayes he in his History of the Reformation Queen Elizabeth receiving some impressions in her Fathers Reign in favour of such Old Rites as he had still retain'd and in her own Nature loving State and some Magnificence in Religion as well as in every thing else she thought that in her Brother's Reign they had stript it too much of External Ornaments and had made their Doctrine too narrow in some points therefore she intended to have some things explained in more general Termes that so all parties might be comprehended by them She inclin'd to keep up Images in Churches and to have the manner of Christ's presence in the Sacrament left in some general words that those who believed the Corporal presence might not be driven away from the Church by too nice an explanation of it So far Dr. Burnet In pursuance of these resolves the Queen attempts the accommodating matters of Religion so unto the Romish Clergy as to take 'em into the Communion of the Church of England the which end as Dr. Heylin affirmes she so effectually compass'd that for several years the Papists continued in the Communion of the Church and when they did forsake it it was not because they approved not of our Liturgy but upon political considerations and because the Councill of Trent had commanded it and Pope Pius the 5th had Excommunicated the Queen and discharg'd her Subjects from their Allegiance and made the going or not going to Church a sign distinctive to difference a Roman Catholick from an English Protestant I 'll give you the words of Dr. Heylin they are in his History of Queen Elizabeth There past another Act for recommending and imposing the book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments according to such alteration and corrections as were made therein by those who were appointed to revise it as before is said In the pursuance of which service there was great care taken for expunging all such passages in it as might give any scandal or offence to the
at the time of Communion and at all other times in his Ministration shall use such Ornaments in the Church as were in use by Authority of Parliament in the second year of the Reign of King Edward the 6th But Queen Elizabeth was not the only cause of driving back the Reformation but the Clergy themselves had an hand in it which was sufficiently discover'd when they perceiv'd that her Majesties Council began to entertain more favourable thoughts of Protestant Dissenters who continued their cries for a further Reformation Cambden assures us that about the year 1583 The Queen who held it for a maxime that she ought not to be more remiss in Ecclesiastical Affaires advancing Whitgift from the Sea of Worcester to that of Canterbury above all commanded him to re-establish the Discipline of the Church of England that as then lay dismembred by the connivency of Prelates the obstinacy of Innovators and by the power of some great ones whilst some Ministers using to their own fantasie new Rites of Services in their private Houses utterly condemning the Liturgy and the appointed manner of Administring the Sacrament as being in many things contrary to the Scriptures and therefore many refus'd to go to Church To abolish which things and to reduce 'em in Unity Whitgift propounded Three Articles to the Ministers by them to be subscribed But adds Cambden 't is incredible what controversies and disputations arose upon this What troubles and injuries Whitgift suffer'd of certain noble men So far Cambden But whoever might be so happy as to be throughly acquainted with a just impartial and particular History of those times would suddenly see that the true cause of all Whitgifts troubles was his intemperate persecuting Godly and Conscientious men who rather like a Spanish Inquisitor propos'd a multitude of Articles to ensnare than as a good Pastor to reduce his erring Brethren to the truth For even when he was most violent in letting out his rage on the Conscientious Dissenter even then the wicked the ungodly and prophane Priests knew not what it was to be prosecuted for their debaucheries Neither can it be truly said that the Earl of Leicester was the only great person that resented the ill proceedings of this Bishop but even the Lord Treasurer Cecill and her Majesties Councill 'T is sad to consider with what severity Whitgift treated the Couscientious Dissenter and with what mildness the drunkard glutton c. The which was so palpable that some zealous Conformists since that time have judg'd it necessary to essay the putting some colour on it as Isaac Walton in the life of Hooker most Satyrically represents the Nonconformist to be much more vile than the drunkard or glutton even when he could not impeach 'em as being guilty of any such enormities But that somewhat might be said to expose the Dissenter and defend the Bishops an encroachment is made on the divine prerogative and vain man who cannot but with much difficulty look into his own heart pretends to see into the secrets of the Dissenter where he finds so many Spiritual wickednesses that lye hid to lodge that he must be warm in discovering his abhorrence to such Villanies judging not according to the outward appearance but like unto the all-knowing God according to the heart I 'll give you Mr. Walton's own words who speaking of the Nonconformists sayes Of this party there were many that were possest with an high degree of Spiritual wickedness I mean with an innate restless radical pride and malice I mean not those lesser sins that are more visible and more properly Carnal and sins against a mans self as gluttony and drunkenness and the like from which good Lord deliver us but sins of an higher nature because more unlike to the nature of God which is Love and Mercy and Peace and more like the Devil who is not a glutton nor can be drunk and yet is a Devil those wickednesses of malice and revenge and opposition and a complacence in making and beholding confusions Men whom Pride and Self-conceit had made to over-value their own Wisdom and become pertinacious and to hold foolish and unmannerly disputes against those men which they ought to reverence and those Lawes which they ought to obey As if disputing freely with the Bishop and not giving him the desir'd respects by rendring obedience to his commands even when they could not without sinning against God had been the Overt Act of that Pride Malice c. which makes men more vile than Gluttony and Drunkenness But 't is no part of my present province to comment on this notion but only from it to inferr that as the dignified Clergy did consider the Non-Conformity of the Dissenter to be a sin most odious much more high and great than that of gluttony even so 't is easie to conclude that what is affirm'd in History concerning the Bishops treating the drunkard with more candor than the Conscientious Dissenter is very true For which no stronger reason can be assign'd than that the debauchees wickedness not being so great an impediment to the accommodating the difference between the Church of England and of Rome as the Non-Conformity of the Dissenter the wickedness of the former might be tolerated even when the Dissent of the latter would not be born That this is so namely that the Arch-bishops and Bishops in the respects they shew'd the ignorant and scandalous among the Ministry and the letting out their wrath on the intractible Dissenter as they term'd it was a plain evincement that they thereby aimed at the gratifying the Papist will appear with conviction to such as will be so just to themselves as to weigh impartially the import of those Letters are added to the end of this Treatise where he will not only see into the reason why the Episcopal would by all means hide 'em from the Light but moreover perceive the matter of fact I have suggested to be very true That these Letters are nor spurious nor feigned but copies from an Anthentick Original is well known to some zealous Sons of the Church who it may be will be surpriz'd to see that appear in face of the World which doth so plainly discover what they desire might be conceal'd In these Letters 't is apparent that when the prosecution was most brisk against Protestant Dissenters several among the dignified Clergy were very covetous and scandalous in their Conversations Numb 1. Even those who antecedently to their preferment were well affected when they came to the Cathedral Churches did so strangely degenerate that the Lord Treasurer Cecil Numb 2. did fear the places did alter the men whence 't is that her Majesties Councill in their Letter to the Bishop of London and Canterbury Numb 3. did observe from the many complaints brought unto them that the worst of men met with no trouble when Conscientious and Learned Ministers were greatly molested for their Non-Conformity But that which doth most fully discover the temper
and design of Whitgift as one who acted rather like a Spanish Inquisitor than a good Protestant imposing Articles that were of an ensnaring tendency is what I find in the Letters of the Lord Cecil unto the Arch-bishop with Arch bishops reply Numb 4. 5 6. The which is more generally suggested in Cambden who mentions the dissatisfaction of several noble men with the Bishops proceedings but more expresly by a moderate writer in Queen Elizabeths who in his plea of the innocent doth in the name of the Non-Conformists speak thus of the Lords of the Councill And this is not all that bindes us to their honours for in our private troubles about the Ceremonies and Subscription we the poor and faithfull Ministers of Christ whensoever we have opened our cause and humbled our selves unto them we have found great justice and equity and divers times great relief and ease from our troubles No doubt they seeing our innocency that of meer Conscience without any the least inclination to disloyalty to our Sovereign we did forbear to do those things they have tendered our cause and lovingly effected that we might not be too much over-burdened Moreover concerning the Bishops they say What could we do less or better than to repair to the Reverend Bishops for Counsell and Comfort which for the space of ten years or the most part thereof they did in some good measure afford unto us till as I take it by the relation of some in the same broyles the Papists had cunningly wrested our good Fathers from us that they could and would do no further for us Then yet complaining of our case and opening our doubts unto them we did as the Law affordeth that the cause should be brought before the Ordinary in all doubts about ceremonies of the Church Established by Law and finding not our selves resolv'd by our ordinaries alas what could we do less than quietly to suffer our selves with great grief bewailing our flocks to be suspended imprisoned and deprived And this hath been the cause of all them which have not used the Ceremonies so fully as some other of their Brethren By this 't is evident that as Queen Elizabeth's Education natural temper Interest of State and I verily believe Conscience of Duty unto God inclin'd her to such an establishment in the Ecclesiastical Constitution as might be most gratefull unto the Papist even so some of the Clergy who by Heylin are called Melancthonians of whom Whitgift and Bancroft were principal in their times did their utmost by insisting so very much on the Ceremonies Subscription c. to the same end the Queens Majesty did whereby to the great grief of many Sound Protestants the Service of our Church was made to resemble as much as possible that of the Church of Rome But 3. I 'll now consider the reasonings of some Protestant Dissenters from this similitude likeness and agrement there is between these two service books against the ordinary use of the English Liturgy Whoever will make a due enquiry into the History of the Reformation will find that in Edward the 6th his dayes Hooper Lord Bishop elect for Glocester scrupled the Episcopal Vestments because they had been invented cheifly for celebrating the Mass with much pomp and had been consecrated for that effect In Queen Maries time the exil'd Protestants at Frankford such as Knox and those of his perswasion refused to Minister the Communion by the book of England for that there were some things in it placed only by warrant of man's Authority or no ground of God's word for the same and had also a long time very Superstitiously in the Mass been wickedly abused See discourse of the troubles at Franckford Moreover in Queen Elizabeth's and King James's dayes several manifested their dislike of our Liturgy for this very reason because 't was so like unto the Romish Service I 'll give some particular instances with those reasons that were by 'em urg'd against a complyance with a Service Book so like that of the Papists In a part of the Register you have the sense of Mr. Edward Deering who sayes that The similitude that this book has with the form of Prayer which the Papists used I think declineth from the equity of these Lawes Deut. 7. 25. Deut. 12. 30. Deut. 18. 9. which things our fathers so much regarded in the Primitive Church that their books are full of great complaints against all similitude to be had with the Gentiles Yea the second Councill of Bracca made a decree that no Christian should have either Bay-Leaves or Green Boughes in their houses because the Gentiles so accustomed And at this day all Reformed Churches in France Polonia Helvetia Scotland and other places have changed that form of Prayer which prudence of all ages if we shall condemn the rebuke of the Apostle I think will touch us 1 Cor. 14. 36. Came the word of God out from you or came it else to you only Secondarily we have the Psalmes Venite Benedictus Magnificat nunc dimittis usual in our Ministry of which we can give no good reason Nor I see no cause why we should more leave out the Ave Maria. And because of parting the Scriptures again into the Epistles and Gospels which was not heard of before the dayes of Popery I dare not avow that this is that reverent handling of the Scripture and the right dividing of the word of truth which St. Paul requireth 2 Tim. 2. 15. But the Abridgment is much more full on this Subject shewing what are the many Scriptural Arguments against all complyances with the Superstitions the which is farther confirm'd not only from the Fathers the Transmarine Protetestant Divines but also by our own Old Protestant Doctors of the Church of England Take it as in the Abridgment where 't is asserted that 't is contrary to the word of God to use such ceremonies in the worship of God as man has devised if they be notoriously known to have been of old and still to be abused unto Idolatry or Superstition by the Papists especially if the same be now of no necessary use in the Church Where note that the Ceremonial part of the English Service that is like unto that of the Romish is what has been abused by the Papists to Idolatry or Superstition but yet are not so necessary to Divine Worship but that the worship may be compleat decent and orderly without em but to their reasons this may appear say they 1. By the Second Commandment which forbids all provocation unto spiritual fornication as the 7th doth unto that which is Carnal 2. By the Commandment and direction God hath given us in his word to separate our selves from Idolaters and be as unlike to them as may be especially in their Religious Observations and Ceremonies to abolish not only all Idols but also all the Ceremonies and Instruments of Idolatry and that so as we may best shew our utmost detestation to them and root out the very
evil And in another place speaking of sundry of the Popish Ceremonies you have saith he speaking to the Papists so misused these things or rather so defiled and bewrayed them with your Superstitions that we can no longer continue them without breach of Conscience Bishop Pilkinton misliked that in our Liturgy we are so like the Papists In Marriage saith he and many other things besides we are but too like unto them That is our fault generally that we differ not more from them in all our Ministry Bishop Westphaling in his Treatise of Reformation alleadgeth to this purpose and alloweth this sentence of Augustine whosoever be he Jew or Gentile that shall observe the Ceremonies of the Jewes not only he that doth it unfeignedly but even he that doth it to any other intent tumbleth himself into the Bottomless pit of the Devil Bishop Bilson defending the Reformed Churches against a slander of the Papists reporteth thus of them as approving and allowing them in it The Reformed Churches saith he are so far from admitting the full dose of your Heresies that by no means they can digest one dram of your Ceremonies Dr. Humfrey speaking of Constantines zeal in forbidding all Conformity with the Jewes affirmeth That all men ought to imitate him therein and refuse to conform themselves to the enemies of God in any of their Ceremonies And in another place he professeth plainly both his desire and hope of the utter abolishing of the Ceremonies and of all the Monuments of Popish Superstition that yet remain in our Church Dr. Fulk in one place saith If any man mislike our form of Service as not differing sufficiently from yours he sheweth his greater zeal in detestation of your Idolatry and Blasphemy And in another We abhorr saith he whatsoever hath but a shew of Popery In another place he gives this for a reason why our Ministers use to stand at the North-side of the Table at the Communion that we might shew our selves thereby unlike to the Papists Dr. Andrews now Dean of Westminster hath this Speech in his Catechism if it be true that is in Jude 23. that we must hate the very Garment that the flesh had spotted surely because the Idol is as unclean and abominable no less abominable must that Garment be that it hath spotted Dr. Sutcliffe maketh this one of his principal Arguments against the Papists that they have derived most of their Ceremonies and Customs from the Jewes and Pagans See also a most plain and pregnant Testimony of Mr. Greenham for this our first Argument in the last Edition of his Workes But above all others that ever were read Marbury is most peremptory and bitter in this point And as all these Divines agree with us in this our first Argument against the Ceremonies so do they and others also in the reasons we have brought out of the Scriptures to confirm it by For they hold 1. That those Lawes that we have alleadged out of the Old Testament against the Monuments of Idolatry do bind us as much as they did the Jewes and from them they conclude as we have done that all Reliques of Popish and Heathenish Superstition are to be banished out of the Church of of Christ Of this judgment are Calvin Martyr Grineus Wolphius Vrsinus Macabeus Zanchius Simterus Zepperus our own Book of Homilies Dr. Fulk and others 2. That Ezekiah Josiah and the rest of the Godly Kings of Judah which shewed most zeal in abolishing those things which had been abused to Idolatry did no more than they were bound by the Law of God to do and that from their example the Argument holds strong against the Monuments of Idolatry now because all Christians are bound to imitate their zeal therein Of this judgment was Augustine Calvin Martyr Wolphius Lavater Zanchius Zadeel Bishop Jewel Bishop Bilson Dr. Fulk Dr. Rainold Dr. Andrewes Mr. Perkins and others 3. That the retaining of the Popish Ceremonies will certainly be a means to indanger the doctrine that we profess and to bring the people back again to Popery This was the judgment of the divines of Saxony and of them of Hamburgh of Luther Oecolampadius Calvin Bucer Martyr Wolphius Chemnitius Pezelius Zanchius Dr. Andrews Mr. Greenham and others 4. That the retaining of the Ceremonies of Idolaters will cause them to insult over our Religion as if it could not stand without help from them and so harden them in their liking of their own Idolatry This reason hath been used against Conformity with the Jewes by Constantine the Emperor and by all the fathers in the first Councell of Nice and against Conformity with the Papists by Brentius Musculus Bishop Jewel and others Fourthly we are confirmed in this our perswasion that it is unlawfull to retain the ceremonies of the Papists by experience of the great hurt they have done and do daily in the Church For we find That some of the learnedst of our English Papists namely Martial Bristow and he that penned that Petition for the Papists which Dr. Sutcliffe and Mr. Powel have answered have by this Argument justified their Church and Religion that we have borrowed our ceremonies from them yea some of them as Harding Martial and he that wrote the Apologetical Epistle for our English Papists have professed that this was to them an evident Argument that Queen Elizabeth did in her conscience like well of their Religion because she liked and maintained their ceremonies and the superstitious multitude do usually defend the blessing of themselves with crossing their Breasts and Foreheads by our Crossing our children in Baptism So far the Abridgment To which I 'll not make many an addition because I think that the reasonings of those Reverend Divines those great Doctors and Bishops of the Church of England are so weighty and important that an impartial Reader cannot but conclude that though the influence this Argument may have on some be inconsiderable yet it may be strong and very cogent in the judgment of others in order to the obliging 'em to refuse to joyn with the Church in the use of the English Service especially at such a time as this wherein we are under the fearfull apprehensions of Popery If ever a Popish Successor should enter the English Throne we may easily suppose he 'll do his utmost for the re-introduction of his own Religion amongst us the which now cannot be done with more ease and speed than the first establishing the Protestant Religion in this Kingdom has been For as the generality of the people were for Popery then they are now as much against it and therefore as the first Reformers suited the progress of the Reformation to the temper of the vulgar so must the Papist now and as King Edward argued for the English Liturgy from its agreableness with the Romish So now the Papists will argue on behalf of the Romish Service from its agreableness with our English and say if 't were good under an Heretical Under why shall it
be less so under a Catholick King then they may say you have with the approbation of his Holyness the Pope what formerly you had by the good liking of the Heretick only 'T is not improbable that at first the Pope will be content we shall use the same Liturgy we now have with very little alterations and to gain England under his Tyranny will consent to what Pope Pius would have done in Queen Elizabeth's days and a late Pope in Laud's time and then by little and little add unto the Liturgy sometime a few Prayers and again for the greater Solemnity Decency and Order in the Administration of Baptism may add to the sign of the Cross that of Salt and Spittle and Lights c. Seeing then this may be so there are many among the Dissenters who are afraid to comply with the use of the English Liturgy least by their practice they give an unanswerable advantage to their implacable enemy the Papist They are aware of the design they are sensible how the Romanists have been practising on the Church of England and what use they 'l make of their not driving on the Reformation much farther and therefore now in this day do think they shall highly provoke the Lord to jealousie should they give countenance to the Service Book which may be so easily improved to the advancing the superstition of the Roman Catholick But if after all it be said by any that these things are Light-points and not so much to be insisted on no other answer shall be given but that of the Reverend Mr. Dering in his reply to an objection of a like nature as 't is in a part of the Register If I seem curious or stand upon light points beside that in the worship of God there is nothing light so the Conscience of man is exceeding tender that it will neither be troubled nor touch'd in the least tittle contrary to the perswasion of truth The weight of sin is not in substance of matter but in the Majesty of God that is offended and be the thing never so little yet the breach of his Commandment deserveth death This faith we have learn'd of him that is the wisdom of the father and our only Prophet that is whoever shall break one of these least Commandments these words which are shall break one of the least have every one a greater weight than may be contemn'd of any man Argument IV. There is in this Service Book a strange disorder and confusion unworthy the grandure and Majesty of that God unto whom we make our approach in Prayer God is a great King his Name is dreadfull even among the Heathen he is great and greatly to be feared and reverenced even in the Assembly of his Saints God is in Heaven we on the Earth and therefore as our words must be few even so must they be utter'd in the gravest and most serious manner God is a jealous God and 't is dangerous to trifle with him when we come to worship him Yea God is a God of Order and not of Confusion and therefore our Addresses should be in the most Solemn Order This all will grant but the question is whether there be any such disorder in the Common Prayer Book For this has been formerly objected against the extempore and free Prayer of Dissenters who are said to enter rashly into God's presence and pray after the most disorderly manner conceivable how then comes this to be urg'd may some say against that set form of Prayer which has been with the greatest deliberation of the Fathers of the Church Compos'd I reply That the Reader may the more distinctly Comprehend what I have to offer on this Fourth head of Argument I must beseech him to consider 1. That I am not defending such as will inconsiderately Rush into the presence of Almighty God and prophane instead of honouring the name of God in Prayer I durst not plead for such an Irreverent or uncomely practice Neither 2. Do I design to offer any thing against those who will seriously meditate on what they have to do when they make their approaches unto the Throne of Grace Premeditation on the matter to be prayed for on the Method of the Address yea and on the choice of Expressions is so far from a Sin in my Judgment that I verily believe it to be a duty Neither 3. Do I Object against the prudent and necessary Use of some set form of Prayer in publick for many may be endow'd with the Grace of Gods Spirit who abound not with its Gifts and 't is not enough that a man has the Grace of Gods Spirit to enable him to be the Mouth of Others to God in Prayer 't is the Gift that in this Case is requisite the which some may not have who yet must pray in publick or publick Worship must be totally omitted in which Case the using a Form of Prayer is not only lawful but highly expedient These things premised the Reader may easily perceive who it is for whom I do not Apologize as well as that I am not arguing against the Divine Service Book as it Contains a Form of Prayers nor as it a form imposed which yet I approve not of but as 't is such a form so disorderly and Confused a Form This is insisted on in the Altar of Damascus and in the Lincoln Abridgment In the Altar it is thus expressed Then again their Prayers are shred into so many small pieces They pray in Two or Three Lines and then after having read some other things come and pray as much more and so to the Twentieth or Thirtieth time with pauses between Prayers should be continued together not cut off and interrupted or cut in small pieces They do with their Prayers as they do with their Gospels and Epistles which they rent from their Contexts which would serve for memory and greater Edification So sar he To whom I add That if a Dissenting Minister in Pulpit before his Sermon when he addresses himself to God in Prayer should utter Three or Four Sentences in Prayer and then go off to another thing to the reading Two or Three Verses in the Bible and then to his Prayer and then to Reading would not the generality of the Church say this Dissenting Minister by Confounding Reading and Prayer offers up his Requests after a most disorderly manner But to the Abridgment In the Abridgment 't is urg'd That by this Book sundry things that bring great Disorder and Confusion unto the Worship of God are appointed As that the People should say after the Minister whole Sentences of Prayer and Scripture yea the Minister one part of the Prayer and the people another and in sundry parts of the Letany the people make the Prayer and the Minister only directs them what to pray for The Minister at some time must pray and the People give the reason of the Prayer for Instance The Minister Prayes saying Give peace in our days
under the Gospel that he thought good to teach that by other mystical Ceremonies besides the ordinary Sacraments and not this And of this Judgment is Calvin Bullenger Chemnitius Danaeus Hospinian Arucularius our book of Homilies Dr. Humfrey Dr. Rainolds Dr. Willet and others All which Divines do teach that to bring insignificant Ceremonies into the Church of Christ is plain Judaism Besides this 't is a special part of that Christian Liberty which Christ hath purchased for us by his death and that which all Christians are bound to stand for that the Service we are to do unto God now is not mystical Ceremonial and Carnal as it was then but plain and spiritual And of this Judgment were the Divines within the Territories of Hamborough in an Epistle they wrote to Mèlancthon and Virel Piscator Dr. Rainolds and others 6. This will open a Gap to Images Oyl Lights and Spittle Cream and all other Popish Ceremonies especially if they shall be judged as fit to Teach and Admonish by their signification as these which we retain And indeed this is a chief Reason whereby both Papists and Lutherans justifie the Use of Images and whereby Bellarmine commendeth all other their Ceremonies that they are fit to teach and put men in remembrance of good things The Popish Custome of the Priests sprinkling men with Holy Water and using with all these words Remember thy Baptism as their manner was in some Countries can with no reason be held for Unlawful if such significant Ceremonies as ours are to be defended With such Respects and Relations Remembrances and Apprehensions saith Dr. Fulke all Idolatry and false Worship may be defended 7. VVe are further confirmed in this our Argument by the Judgment of the Godly Learned who besides the Testimony they have given to every several proof we have brought for it do also speak directly with us in this General That no Mystical and significant Ceremony devised by Man and appropriated to Gods Service may be retained in the Church of Christ Of this judgment is the Church of Wittenberg the Churches of France and the Low Countries in their Observations upon the Harmony of Confessions Mr. Calvin Mr. Beza Mr. Perkins and others Yea Dr. Whitgift himself professeth that he did not like that any prescript Apparel should be used in Gods Service for Signification And no good reason can be given why the Church may not as well enjoyn a prescript Apparel for signification as any other Ceremony To all which I 'le add one Argumentative Consideration which the Church of England doth afford us which is given in their Discourse of Ceremonies before the Common-Prayer-Book as a reason why they did put away any of those many Ceremonies with which the Church was burthen'd which reason is distinct from that of their Multitudes and 't is taken from their significancy and the likeness they had with those in use among the Jewes on which account they were not suited to the Gospel Dispensation After mention is made of the great excess and Multitude of Ceremonies in the dayes of Popery they add And besides this Christ's Gospel is not a Ceremonial Law as much of Moses Law was but it is a Religion to serve God not in Bondage of the Figure i. e. significant Ceremony or Shadow but in the Freedom of the Spirit As if it had been said a great part of Gospel Liberty consists in being freed from those significant Ceremonies which are not now of Gods appointment These words do seem to suggest that one reason of the abolishing the significant Ceremonies of the Papists was because they being significant were so like unto the Jewish Service and so different from the Gospel State and such as have been so much abus'd to Superstition that 't was not easie to retain the Ceremony and abandon the Superstition This being the Sense of the Church of England seeing the Ceremonies retained are of the same significant or Jewish Nature with those abolished that have been as much abus'd to Superstition as others and have no other Foundation than Mans VVit and VVill for their support why were not these that are left rejected for the same reason those still retained by the Papists have been If you 'l argue from the significancy the likeness that is between Popish Ceremonies and the Jewish and therefore reject 'em seeing the English are of the same kind is not the Argument as strong against them Is not a Surplice as like the Jewish Garment as some of the Popish Rights are to the Jewish Ceremonies why then shall the one be abolished because of that likeness and the other kept or if their being abus'd to superstition and the Difficulty of separating the Superstitious abuse from the useing 'em be sufficient to abolish the Rites of Salt and Spittle Lights c. why not as sufficient for the abolishing the Surplice the Sign of the Cross in Baptism Kneeling at the Lords Supper Bowing at the name of Jesus Have not all these been as much abus'd to Superstition and still are as any of the rest especially considering what Divisions they have made in the Church why not then abolish'd Or if it be a sin to conform to the Popish Rites How a Duty to Conform to these that of the same kind with ' em Or if these without Sin may be appropriated to Gods VVorship by Protestants which may not the Papists where they have Authority by their Impositions impose 'em on the people as in France c. and appropriate 'em to God's VVorship Methinks Mr. Greenham expresseth himself very full on this particular in his Answer unto the Bishops of Ely as 't is in the Register If your VVisdom think says he that I deceive my self in my Supposition for that in Lutheranism more and worse abuses be maintained I answer that Consubstantiation excepted they be all ejusdem generis of the like kind This he speaks of the Ceremonies of the Lutherans who keep up Images comparing 'em with our Ceremonies seeing they are not retained ad Cultum Dei to the VVorship of God but as they say Ad Aedificationem Decorum et Ordinem Ecclesiae to Edification c. and differ only from us secundum Majus Minus as great things and less Therefore as more and worse Ceremonies are less to be tolerated so no more are the fewer or lesser evils to be allowed and as you and other good men have great Consciences in the Multitude of Ceremonies I beseech you to think that I and others may have some Consciences in the fewer sort when they be of the like nature with others Seeing what has been said doth sufficiently prove the unlawfulness of the Ceremonies in the judgment of many a Dissenter they are afraid to Comply with or joyn with any in the use of those Ceremonies They are fully convinc'd they should sin if they did the which they durst not do least they provoke God to jealousie There are in the VVritings of the Old Non-Conformists
such a multitude of weighty Arguments against the Lawfulness of the Ceremonies c. that a giving the Reader all would take up a very large Volume but 't is not my business to insist on all that may be offer'd I 'le therefore close with this one Argument Argument VI. Notwithstanding the great Cry that has been made about the Antiquity of the English Service and the reasonableness of conforming unto it for that reason some Dissenters refuse to joyn in the use of it because such a practice is not agreeable to the best Antiquity They think that the Apostles were best acquainted with the Mind and VVit of Jesus Christ and that the Primitive Christians in the First Second and Third Centuries kept more exactly to the Rule of Christ than those who lived in the Fourth Fifth Sixth or Seventh c. whence the Antiquity the Dissenter pleads for is that which is most Ancient and most pure unto which pattern such as will aim at a thorough Reformation must attempt the reducing all things in matters of Religion 'T is generally agreed by all Protestants that in the Apostolical and most Primitive Dayes of the Gospel all things were most exactly conformed to the VVill of our Lord Jesus Christ and that the nearer any keep to his Rule the better A Deviating from the Primitive practice has been but the beginning of all those many corruptions that have infested the Church of Christ Seeing this is a truth acknowledged by most let us enquire after the Antiquity of such Liturgies as this in use among us and after the time when Liturgies were first imposed and from whom and when the present English Liturgy had its rise 1. From what has been already suggested 't is manifest That there were no stinted Liturgies impos'd on any Pastors of particular Churches the First Four Hundred years after Christ The which may be be further confirm'd out of what Dr. Burnet in the Second part of the History of the Reformation doth acknowledge who speaking of Liturgies doth say That they were not made the Subject of any publick Consultation till St. Austins time when in their Dealings with Hereticks they found they took advantages from some of the Prayers that were in some Churches Upon this he tells us it was order'd that there should be no Prayers used in the Church but upon common Advice After that the Liturgie came to be more carefully confidered Formerly the Worship of God was a pure and simple thing and so it continued till Superstition had so infected the Church that those Formes were thought too naked unless they were put under more Artificial Rules and dressed up with much Ceremony c. So far Dr. Burnet About this time which was in the Fourth Century St. Ambrose compos'd his Service Book which was the first that gained any confiderable Reputation in the VVorld The Spurious Liturgies that are ascribed unto the Apostles are such as have enough in 'em to convince the Reader that they were not so ancient as is pretended After this time the Pastors or Bishops of Churches were very busie in composing Prayers in making Additions to what was done by such as went before ' em But no Liturgie as yet impos'd on any Churches Every Pastor tho' he communicated the prayers he had composed for his own use unto others The which he did only for the satisfaction of his Brethren that they might be assur'd there was nothing of Error in 'em yet none impos'd 'T is very probable that St. Ambrose's Liturgie in Divers places finding Acceptance was much in use But 't is most certain that until Pope Adrian the first who liv'd in the Eighth Century there was no general Imposition of any Liturgie In Petries Church History 't is storyed That about the later end of the Eighth Century there was a great contention for receiving the Mass of Pope Gregory into the Churches first by Authority of Pope Adrian and then of Charles the Great some Churches had one Directory and some another who would not change VVhen the Pope saw so great Opposition and it may be understood that it was not small when the Pope was put to such a shift he said he would refer it to the VVill of God whither he would by any visible sign approve the Mass of Gregory or Ambrose so these two Books were laid together upon the Altar in St. Peters Church and he cal'd upon God which of the Two he approved The Doors were shut all Night and the next Morning when they were return'd into the Church the Book of Ambrose was found lying as it was laid down and the other was all torn and dispersed through the Church The Pope maketh the Comment if we will belive Jacob de Voragine in Vita Gregorij That the Mass of Ambrose should be untouch'd and the Mass of Gregory should be used through the VVorld and so he did Authorize and Command that it should be used in all Churches and Chappels But many did expound that sign the contrary way and would not receive it till Charles did command all Bishops and Priests to use it through his Dominions he caused the Mass of Ambrose to be burned and threw many Priests into Prison who refused to accept the new Mass or Pope Gregories Liturgy The Church of Millaine would not change Walifred Strabo who lived about the year 900 testifieth in his Book de Exordijs rerum cap. 25. That in his time the Roman Mass was not universally in all Churches but almost saith he in all the Churches of the Latines and no Benedictine Monks did read it c. Thus Adrian the Pope and Charles the Emperour were the first hot Zealots for Gregories Liturgy who were much more fond of it than Gregory himselâ— was for Gregory did as much detest the Vniversal Imposition as he did zealously reject the Title of an Vniversal Bishop whence he was not fond of imposing it on us in England 'T is very certain that the Christian Religion did many an hundred years flourish in this Kingdom before 't was troubled with a Romish Liturgie which came not hither till about the year 600 and then rejected by the British Christians who severely suffer'd for their refusing to comply with the prelatick Impositions of that proud Monk Austine who stirring up the King of Kent to fight against the Christians thereby to bring 'em if possible to a complyance with his Ceremonies was the cause of the Destruction of above a Thousand Godly Monks besides the many others who were cruelly slain at that time The which Austin most wretchedly did tho' he never receiv'd any such advice from Gregory An account of Pope Gregories Moderation we have in Dr Burnet who gives us also a short History of the Rise and Progress of Ceremonies thus Gregory the Great was the first that took much care to make the Church Musick very regular and he did also put the Liturgies in another Method than had been formerly used Yet he had no
Church by Baptism nor can be by meer Cohabitation even so they never were by their own Consent either expresly or interpretatively They never held Communion with the Church of England in all Ordinances were never confirm'd by the Bishops nor ever did participate of the Lord's Supper and therefore I think it cannot be truly said That they Separate How can they cease that Communion which they never had For which reason to prove these Schismatical Separatists who never separated from the Church seems an Impossibility Surely their exercise of that Right and Power with which they are invested as Christians in chosing their own Pastor cannot be an Act Schismatical By this 't is manifest That those who never expresly nor implicitly consenting to hold communion with any Parish-Church in all Ordinances were never actually obliged to hold Communion with such particular Parishes and consequently their forbearing such Communion or their Assembling in places distant from the Parish Church cannot be a Separation and if not a Separation it cannot be a Schism Thus the Reader may easily perceive how necessary 't is that the Conformists prove that those Dissenters who now meet in Assemblies locally distant from the Parish Churches were once Members and under an Obligation of holding external Communion with the Parish Churches if they will prove 'em Separatists Furthermore they must prove 2. That this people do ordinarily Separate themselves from the external Communion of their Parish Church For seeing the Sin of Schism consists in causeless Separation there must be a Separation or there can be no causeless Separation that is there can be no Schism but how the Conformist can prove a Separation any otherwise than by insisting on the people's not holding Communion in the same manner or same place with the Church is difficult to suppose And if they take either of their ways without the Addition of some other Consideration they must either make many of their own Meetings Separate which are in places locally distant from the Parish Church where their Modes of Administration are different or clear many Dissenters from the Reproach of Separation what do they think of such Meetings in which the Common Prayer is read are they Separate and Schismatical But after they have prov'd both these they cannot prove all Dissenters Schismatical unless they can also evince 3. That the Separation is Causeless and Sinful But how they can prove that those who if they separate do so on no other Account than that they may forsake Sin is a point worthy of Consideration If there be any sinful Imposition made the term of Communion 't is sufficient to justifie the Separation of those who withdraw themselves from the external Communion of that Church If a Church that is sound in the Doctrine of Religion though it detests an Idolatrous Worship yet if it make the least Sin the Term of Communion whereby the people cannnot have Communion with that Church but by a deliberate committing that Sin Separation from the Communion of this Church is justifiable For whatever some may suggest we must not commit the least Sin that good may come thereof To insist then so much on the Peace and Vnity of the Church as if it were a Good for the Obtaining which we might venture on a little Sin is a Notion of a very dangerous Tendency giving too great Countenance to a Doctrine of the Papists whereby they justifie all their Villanies A Little evil say they may be done for the Obtaining a great Good for instance The Salvation of the many Souls in Three Kingdoms is a great a very great Good the Killing One Two or Three Hereticks in order thereunto at most is but a little evil which may be done for so great a good Moreover this justifies all their Officious Lying and Equivocating they tell a Lye that some great good may come thereof But this is so contrary to the pure Nature of a Holy God and his Holy Good and Just Command that whoever will indulge himself in a practical embraceing such a Notion doth but prepare the greater Damnation for his own Soul God is a great God and the least Sin being an Offence to his Dread Majesty cannot knowingly with deliberation and allowance be committed but the person that does it exposeth himself to Divine Indignation who ever breaketh the least of these my Commands says Christ Matth. 5. 19. is in danger of loosing Heaven for though a man keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all James 2. 10. We must not speak nor act wickedly for God he is not glorified by Mans lye and therefore Wo unto them that will do evil that good may come thereof Rom. 3. 8. If the least sin be made the Term of Communion no Consideration of Peace and Vnity or of Obedience to the Magistrate can excuse those from guilt that will venture on that sin Whence 't is evident That all those who by the Reasons insisted on in this Treatise are fully convinc'd That somewhat sinful is imposed as a Term of Communion with the Church of England they do but discharge their Duty and keep a good Conscience in separating and yet by separation do not accuse the Church as if she had been no true Church or as if Salvation could not by others be had in it A Church that is sound in the Faith that 't is a true Church in a Theological Sense being lyable to Error may even while Sound in the great things of Religion impose some Error as a Term of Communion from which those who are convinc'd of the Sin must separate A sound Church in the great things may err in lesser matters and may Impose Assent and Consent unto that Error as a Term of Communion with the which these Dissenters durst not comply but seeing they cannot have Communion on easier Terms must separate There is a great Difference between the Errors or Corruptions of a Church which are made Terms of Communion and those which are not 'T is not to be question'd but that a man may joyn with a Church that is less pure than another even with a Church that hath several Spots in it or he must joyn with none and may be under an Obligation of continuing with that Church although he may go elsewhere and be better edifyed otherwise there being variety of Gifts those who are more eminent than the rest among the Ministery must have most of the people round when other honest though not so able Preachers have few or none However if they make the least Spot or Impurity a Term of Communion he dares not comply As long as he may may continue Communion without being made a partaker of the impurities as in many instances he may he must not separate but when they impose their corruptions as Termes of Communion so that he cannot have Communion but by complying with the corruption he must not sin for the sake of Communion nor on any
other consideration whatsoever But seeing they cannot hold Communion with the parish-Parish-Churches The next great quaerie is what they must do whether live without some Ordinances all the dayes of their Life or Assemble themselves together for Communion in all Ordinances in such a way as they are fully convinc'd is agreable to the Sacred Scriptures That they must not constantly neglect any Ordinance of God nor the publick attendance on his worship somewhere is so clearly reveal'd in the word of God that whoever is not so far in love with Quakerism as to neglect the Testimony of God's written Word cannot but acknowledge it That the Lord Jesus who has instituted a Ministry and made it the peculiar work of some men in special to preach the Word not only for conversion of sinners but for the edisication of the converted for the help and benefit of whom there is instituted not the Ordinance of Baptism alone but that of the Lord's Supper which is design'd for the strength and encrease of Grace in Christians I say this Lord Jesus who hath so graciously instituted a Ministry and Ordinances hath made it the duty of Christians to assemble themselves together to the end they may be made partakers of the Blessings of his Institutions and Ordinances And such is the Relation between Minister and People that is between a Gospel Minister and an orderly Christian Assembly that the one cannot be without the other neither can the one ordinarily perform some Relational Duties but in an Assembly with the other and therefore must assemble themselves together 't is their duty I cannot at present enlarge on this head and therefore as to this I can only add that the sense of all Protestants generally is that all Christians ought to assemble themselves together for publick worship Viz. for Prayer the Word and Sacraments and that 't is the duty of a Pastor to take heed to himself and the Flock over which he is made over-seer and that 't is the peoples duty to attend Ordinarily on the Ministry of their own Pastor The great difference between the Church of England and Dissenters is not so much about the peoples duty of assembling themselves together for publique worship as about the place where and the Minister with whom The Church of England sayes it must be in the Parish Church with the Minister of the Parish but the Dissenter asserts that every Christian is invested with a right to choose his own Pastor and that therefore he must go where he finds the worship to be in a way most agreable to God's Holy word but when he is once fix'd he is under those Obligations of Duty unto his Pastor that the Church of England do say a Parishioner is unto the Minister of the Parish But seeing on these things I cannot now enlarge I will conclude with an humble and affectionate request to all good Christians whether Episcopal or Dissenter I beseech you to consider that conscience is a tender thing its wounds unsupportable frequently accompanied with such horror as is very like unto the pains and torments of the damned No man therefore must act contrary to the plain convictions thereof What man soever does what he is convinc'd in Conscience is a sin does greatly dishonour and provoke Almighty God All care must be taken to obtain the knowledge of the truth and gain a freedom from error but there must not be an acting against the plain convictions of conscience though erroneous On this I insist as a sound part of the Protestant Doctrine strenuously defended against the many feeble assaults of the Papist by several worthies of the Church of England And really this is a Rule all good Christians must walk by in doing which seeing there are almost as many different perswasions of conscience about some lesser things as there are considering mindes there will be as many different practices where there are different Sentiments about matters of practice there the practice will be different for which reason the strong must take heed that they despise not the weak and the weak look to it that they judge not the strong For whether we conform or conform not if we do what we do conscientiously to the Lord we shall be accepted of him I verily believe that many do think themselves bound in conscience to conform the which they would not do to gain a world if they did think it a sin and 't is as true that many among the Dissenters are as conscientiously Non-conformists and would really have conform'd did they not think that so conforming they should sin against God Both these must be tenderly regarded by such as will walk by the Christian Rule A Non-conformists censuring a conformist as one that acts against his conscience is unchristian and a Conformist's censuring all Dissenters as Hypocrites looking on their conscience to be but fancy their Religion to be faction is no less unchristian than the former But to be more particular my humble desire is 1. That those who are of the Communion of the Church of England would continue it so long as they can with a safe conscience Let not every little dissatisfaction with some men drive you off from those wayes you have nothing beside the miscarriage of some men of that profession to object against 't is true your duty is to mind the glory of God in the edification of your own Soul and if your Parish Minister be one whose incapacity for the Ministerial work is such as not to answer the end of the Ministry you must look out for a better and be where you may have more than the shadow of a Minister even one who is competently qualified for the workes But do this in a way as little offensive to the Church of England as your conscience will permit Why will you separate from that Communion where you may be without sin especially seeing by doing so you do what you cannot justifie But if you cannot continue your Communion without complying with sin you must rather withdraw than sin 2. That such as are not actually of any Communion i. e. neither joyn'd with the Church of England nor with the Dissenter of which fort there are many especially among the younger people would remember that they have as Christians a right to choose their own Pastor in the exercise of which right 't is their duty to have a special regard to the Glory of God the good of their own Soul and the peace of the Church and therefore if you may have all these ends answer'd by joyning your selves to the Church of England and you can with a safe Conscience do it you do well in joyning with that Church but if you can't with a safe Conscience joyn with the Church of England but can with the Non-conformists you must apply your selves to those of the Non-conformists who do in your judgments keep most exactly to the rule of the Gospel You must regard God's Glory as your ultimate
end the Salvation of your Soul as an end subordinate and God's word as your Rule by which in pursuance of these great ends you must walk Study therefore seriously the Rule and be sure you do not knowingly and with deliberation deviate there from 3. My third request is to such as are joyn'd with the Non-Conformists that you Censure not those who continue their Communion with the Church of England Are you Conscientious in your way So ought you to esteem them to be in their way Would not you have them consider you as Hypocrites or fanciful Humourists neither do you judge them to be such what though those Reasons I have Collected out of the Writings of the Old Nonconformists may fasten powerful Convictions on your Conscience yet they may not be of any such weight in the esteem of others Tho' I have produc'd them to the end the Conformist may be mov'd to look on you as conscientious persons yet do you not abuse it as if all Conformists were as much Convinc'd by 'em as you your selves are and therefore must be esteem'd to act contrary to their Consciences in conforming Take heed of such censuring Finally my humble desire is That such as are of the conforming Clergie would consider that the above mention'd Arguments may be as indeed with many they are of great Force and that although the Conformist may be able easily to answer 'em Yet Thousands among the Dissenters can not shake off the Convictions they receive from such Arguments Oh then be not too severe in your censure But consider that these Dissenters cannot conform but by wounding their Consciences be therefore very tender how you impose on 'em but do your utmost both for a Comprehension and Indulgence of those sound Protestants who walk conscientiously FINIS The LETTERS BY an impartial perusal of these following Letters the Reader may easily perceive the difference there was between some great States men in Queen Elizabeth's time and some of the Clergy and that when the Clergy were for a severe persecuting Protestant Dissenters the Councill and in special the Lord Burleigh that wonder of his age though a Son of the Church of England endeavour'd the relief of the Non-conformists These Letters were first taken from Arch-Bishop Whitgift's own Copy as may appear from the Title prefix'd to the Letter thus My Lord Treasurer's Letter unto me and my answer to the Lord Treasurer There are some great persons among the Clergy who have seen 'em in Manuscript Numb 1. THere is a Letter written to the Bishop for the execution of her Majesties Proclamation for the Vniformity set forth in the book and other injunctions pen'd as is suppos'd by Sir Thomas Smith The which I 'll not fully transcribe There is one clause only that is for my purpose which is concerning the meetings of the Clergy which were first ordained to keep all Churches in the Diocess in an Vniform and Godly Order which now is commonly said the more is the pity to be only used of you i. e. the Bishop and his Clergy and your Officers to get money or for some other purposes This passage shewes the corruption of the Clergy Numb 2. A Letter written by the Lord Treasurer Cecil to Arch-bishop Whitgift in answer to one received from the Arch-bishop MAY it please your Grace I perceive that the Bishop of Rochester through your perswasion is contented to be removed to Chichester whereof I am glad whereby the Dean of Westminster may be plac'd as your Grace may think fit and I do desire her Majesty will new place all the Bishops in the void room whereof I am very mindfull and desirous for the benefit of the Church wishing that the Church may take that good thereby that it hath need of for surely your Grace must pardon me I rather wish it than look or much hope for it I see such Worldlyness in many that were otherwise affected before they came to Cathedral Churches that I fear the places alter the men but herein I condemn not all but few there be that do better being Bishops in the void roomes whereof I am very mindfull than being Preachers they did I am bold thus to utter my mind of Bishops to an Arch bishop but I clear my self I mean nothing in any conceit to your Grace for though of late I have varied in my poor opinion in that by your order poor simple men have rather been sought for by inquisition to be found Offenders than upon their facts condemned yet surely I do not for all this differ from your Grace in Amity and Love but I do reverence your Learning and Integrity and wish that the Spirit of gentleness may win rather than severity But therefore enough of the misbehaviour of Browning towards the Master of Trinity Colledg I am sorry to hear as I do esteeming him meeter for Bethlehem than for that Colledg The Queen's Majesty asked me what I thought of Travers to be the Minister of the Temple whereunto I answered that at the request of Dr. Alney in his sickness and of a number of honest Gentlemen of the Temple I had yeilded my Allowance of him to that place so as he will shew himself Conformable to the order of the Church whereunto I was inform'd that he would so be But her Majesty told me that your Grace did not so allow of him which I said might be for something suppos'd to be written by him Tituled de Disciplina Ecclesiastica whereupon her Majesty commanded me to write to your Grace to know your opinion which I pray your Grace to signifie unto her as God shall move ye surely it were great pity that any impediment should be occasion to the contrary for he is well learn'd very honest and well lov'd and allow'd of the generality of that house Mr. Bond told me that your Grace liked well of him and so do I also as of one well learn'd and honest but as I told him if he came not to the place with some applause of the Company he shall be weary thereof and I commended him to her Majesty if Travers should not but her Majesty thinketh him not fit for that place because of his infirmity Thus I end wishing your Grace Assistance of God's Spirit to govern your charge unblameably Your Graces to command William Burleigh From the Court at Oatlands Sept. 17. 1584. Numb 3. A part of a Letter sent unto the Arch-bishop of Canterbury and Bishop of London from her Majesties Councill about September 20. 1584. AFter our hearty commendations to both your Lordships although we have heard of late times sundry complaints out of divers countries of this Realm of some proceedings against a great number of Ecclesiastical Persons some Parsons of Churches some Vicars some Curates but all Preachers whereby some were deprived of their livings some suspended from their Ministry and preaching yet we have forborn to enter into any particular examination of such complaints thinking that howsoever inferior
Officers as Chancellors Commissaries Arch-Deacons and such like whose Offices are of more value and profit by such kind of proceedings might in such sort proceed against the Ministers of the Church yet your Lordship the Arch-Bishop of that Province of Canterbury have beside your general authority some particular interest in the present jurisdiction of sundry Bishopricks vacant and you also the Bishop of London both for your own authority in your Diocess and as head Commissioner Ecclesiastical would have a Pastoral regard over the particular Officers to stay and temperate them in their hasty proceedings against the Ministers and especially against such as do carnestly profess and instruct the people against the dangerous Sects of Papistry but yet of late hearing of the lamentable estate of the Church in the County of Essex that is of a great number of zealous and learned Preachers they are suspended from their cures the vacancy of the place for the most part without any Ministry or Preaching Prayers and Sacraments and in some places of certain appointed to those void roomes being persons neither of learning nor of good names and in other places of that County a great number of persons occupying the cures being notoriously unfit most for lack of learning many charg'd or chargable with great and enormions faults as drunkenness filthiness of Life Gamesters at Cardes hunting of Alehouses and such like against whom we hear not of any proceedings but that they are quietly suffered to the slander of the Church to the offence of good people yea to the famishing of them for lack of good teaching and thereby dangerous to the subverting of many weaklins from their duties to God and the Queens Majesty by secret Jesuites and counterfeit Papists and having thus in a general sort heard out of many partes of the like of this lamentable Estate of the Church yet to the intent we should not be deceived in the generality of the reports we sought to be informed c. Numb 4. A Letter from the Lord Treasurer to the Arch-bishop July 5. 1584. IT may please your Grace I am sorry to trouble you so often as I do but I am more troubled my self not only with many private Petitions of sundry Ministers recommended for persons of credit for peaceable persons in their Ministry and yet by complaints to your Grace and other your Collegues in commission greatly troubled but also I am daily now charged by Councellors and publique persons to neglect my duty in not staying these your Graces proceedings so vehement and so general against Ministers and Preachers as the Papists thereby are greatly encouraged all evil disposed persons and subjects animated and thereby the Queen's Majesties safety endangered with these kinds of Arguments I am daily assailed against which I answer that I think your Grace doth nothing but being duely examined tendeth to the maintenance of the Religion now Established and to avoid Schism in the Church I also have for example shewd your papers sent to me how fully the Church is furnish'd with Preachers and how small a number there are that do contend for their singularity but these occasions do not satisfie all persons neither do I seek to satisfie all persons but with Reason and Truth But now my good Lord by chance I have come to the sight of an Instrument of 24 Articles of great length and curiosity formed in a Romish Stile to examine all manner of Ministers in this time without distinction of persons which Articles are Entituled apud Lambeth May 1584 to be executed ex officio mero c. and upon this occasion I have seen them I did recommend unto your Graces favour two Ministers Curates of Cambridge-shire to be favourably heard and your Grace wrote to me that they were contentious seditious and persons vagrant to maintain this controversie wherewith I charg'd them sharply and they both deny'd these charges and requir'd to be tryed and so to receive punishment I answered that your Grace would so charge them and then I should see afterwards what they should deserve and advis'd them to resort to your Grace comforting them that they should find favourable proceedings and so I hoped upon my former commendations the rather What may be said to them I know not nor whether they have been so faulty as your Grace have been inform'd neither do I mean to treat for to favour such men for pardon I may speak upon their amendment but now they coming to me I asked how your Grace proceeded with them they say they are commanded to be examined by the Register of London and I asked them whereof they said of a great number of Articles but they could have no copies of them I answer'd that they might answer to the truth they said that they were so many in number and so diverse that they were afraid to answer to them for fear of captious interpretation upon this I sent for the Register who brought me the Articles which I have read and find so curiously penn'd so full of branches and circumstances and I think the Inquisitors of Spain use not so many questions to comprehend and to trap their preyes I know your Canonists can defend these with all their particles but surely under your Graces correction this Juridical and Canonical sifting of poor Ministers is not to edifie and reform and in charity I think they ought not to answer to all these nice points except they were very notorious Offenders in Papistry or Heresie Now good my Lord bear with my scribling I write with the Testimony of a good Conscience I desire the peace of the Church I desire concord and unity in the exercise of our Religion I fear no sensual wilfull recusant but I conclude that according to my simple judgment this kind of proceeding is too much savouring the Romish Inquisition and is rather a device to seek for Ossenders than to reform any This was not that charitable instruction that I thought was intended If these poor Ministers should in some few points have any scrupulous conceptions meet to be removed this is not a charitable way to send them to answer to your common Register upon so many Articles at one instant without commodity of instruction by your Register whose office is only to receive their answers by which the parties are first subject to condemnation before they be taught their errors It may be that I say that Canonists may maintain this proceeding by Rules of their Lawes but though omnia liceâ—t omnia non expediunt I pray your Grace bear this one perchance a fault that I have willed them not to answer these Articles except their Consciences may suffer them And yet I have sharply admonished them that if they be disturbers in their Churches they must be corrected and yet upon your Graces answer to me ne sutor ultra erepidam neither will I put falcem in alterius messem My paper teaches me to make an end Your Graces at command William Burleigh