yield to us for Concord that seeing both together we might see what probability of success we had And the King promised that it should be so § 95. Hereupon we departed and appointed to meet from day to day at Sion Colledge and to consult there openly with any of our Brethren that would please to join with us that none might say they were excluded Some City Ministers came among us and some came not and Divers country Ministers who were in the City came also to us as Dr. Worth since a Bishop in Ireland Mr. Fulwood since Archdeacon of Totnes c. But Mr. Matth. Newcomen was most constant in assisting us § 96. In these Debates we found the great inconvenience of too many Actors though there cannot be too many Consenters to what is well done For that which seemed the most convenient Expression to one seemed inconvenient to another and that we that all agreed in Matter had much ado to agree in Words But after about two or three Weeks time we drew up the following Paper of Proposals which with Archbishop Usher's Form of Government called his Reduction c. we should offer to the King Mr. Calamy drew up most with Dr. Reynolds Dr. Reynolds and Dr. Worth drew up that which is against the Ceremonies I only prevailed with them to premise the four first Particulars for the countenancing Godliness the Ministry Personal Profession and the Lord's Day They were backward because they were not the Points in Controversy but yielded at last on the Reasons offered them About Discipline we designedly adhered to Bishop Usher's Model without a Word of alteration that so they might have less to say against our Offers as being our own and that the World might see that it was Episcopacy it self which they refused and that they contended against the Archbishop as well as against us and that we pleaded not at all with them for Presbytery unless a Moderate Episcopacy be Presbytery Yet was there a Faction that called this Offer of Bishop Usher's Episcopacy by the Name of the Presbyterians impudent Expectations I also prevailed with our Brethren to offer an Abstract of our larger Papers lest the reading of the larger should seem tedious to the King which Abstract verbatim as followeth at their Desire I drew up and have here after adjoined The first Address and Proposals of the Ministers May it please Your most excellent Majesty WE your Majesty's most Loyal Subjects cannot but acknowledge it as a very great Mercy of God that immediately after your so wonderful and peaceable Restoration unto your Throne and Government for which we â—less his Name he hath stirred up your Royal Heart as to a zealous Testimony against all Prophaneness in the People so to endeavour an happy composing of the Differences and healing of the sad Breaches which are in the Church And we shall according to our bounden Duty become humble Suitors at the Throne of Grace that the God of Peace who hath put such a thing as this into your Majesty's Heart will by his heavenly Wisdom and holy Spirit to assist you therein and bring your Resolutions unto so perfect an Effect and Issue that all the good People of these Kingdoms may have abundant Cause to rise up and bless you and to bless God who hath delighted in you to make you his Instrument in so happy a Work That as your glorious Progenitor Henry VII was happy in uniting the Houses of York and Lancaster and your Grandfather King Iames of blessed Memory in uniting the Kingdoms of England and Scotland so this Honour may be reserved for your Majesty as a Radiant Jewel in your Crown that by your Princely Wisdom and Christian Moderation the Hearts of all your People may be united and the unhappy Differences and Misunderstandings amongst Brethren in matters Ecclesiastial so composed that the Lord may be one and his Name one in the midst of your Dominions In an humble Conformity to this your Majesty's Christian Design we taking it for granted that there is a firm Agreement between our Brethren and us in the Doctrinal Truths of the reformed Religion and in the substantial parts of Divine Worship and that the Differences are only in some various Conceptions about the ancient Form of Church-Government and some particulars about Liturgy and Ceremonies do in all humble Obedience to your Majesty represent That in as much as the ultimate end of Church-Government and Ministry is that Holiness of Life and Salvation of Souls may be Effectually promoted we humbly desire in the first place that we may be secured of those things in Practice of which we seem to be agreed in Principles 1. That those of our Flocks who are serious and diligent about the matters of their Salvation may not by Words of Scorn or any abusive Usages be suffered to be reproachfully handled but have Liberty and Encouragement in those Christian Duties of exhorting and provoking one another unto Love and good Works of building up one another in their most holy Faith and by all religious and peaceable means of furthering one another in the ways of eternal Life they being not therein opposite to Church-Assemblies nor refusing the guidance and due Inspection of their Pastors and being responsible for what they do or say 2. That each Congregation may have a learned orthodox and godly Pastor residing amongst them to the end that the People might be publickly instructed and edified by preaching every Lord's Day by Catechising and frequent Administration of the Lord's Supper and of Baptism and other Ministerial Acts as the Occacasions and the Necessity of the People may require both in Health and Sickness and that effectual Provision of Law be made that such as are Insufficient Negligent or Scandalous may not be admitted to or permitted in so Sacred a Function and Imployment 3. That none may be admitted to the Lord's Supper till they competently understand the Principles of Christian Religion and do personally and publickly own their baptismal Covenant by a credible Profession of Faith and Obedience not contradicting the same by a contrary Profession or by a Scandalous Life And that unto such only Confirmation if continued in the Church may be administred And that the Approbation of the Pastors to whom the catechising and instructing of those under their Charge do appertain may be produced before any Person receive Confirmation which Course we humbly conceive will much conduce to the quieting of those sad Disputes and Divisions which have greatly troubled the Church of God amongst us touching Church-Members and Communicants 4. That an effectual Course be taken for the Sanctification of the Lord's Day appropriating the same to holy Exercises both in publick and private without unnecessary Divertisements it being certain and by long Experience found that the Observation thereof is a special means of preserving and promoting the Power of God liness and obviating Prophaneness Then for the Matters in Difference viz. Church-Government
reason of his distaste to the Earl of Lauderdaile who prest him but to read one of the Books over which he did and so read them all as I have seen many of them marked with his hand and was drawn to over-value them more than the Earl of Lauderdaile Hereupon his Lady reading them also and being a Woman of very strong Love and Friendship with extraordinary Entireness swallowed up in her Husband's Love for the Books sake and her Husband's sake she became a most affectionate Friend to me before she ever saw me While she was in France being zealous for the King's Restoration for whose Cause her Husband had pawned and ruined his Estate by the Earl of Lauderdaile's direction she with Sir Robert Murray got divers Letters from the Pastors and others there to bear witness of the King's sincerity in the Protestant Religion among which there is one to me from Mr. Gaches Her great Wisdom Modesty Piety and Sincerity made her accounted the Saint at the Court. When she came over with the King her extraordinary Respects obliged me to be so often with her as gave me Acquaintance with her Eminency in all the foresaid Vertues She is of solid Understanding in Religion for her Sex and of Prudence much more than ordinary and of great Integrity and Constancy in her Religion and a great Hater of Hypocrisie and faithful to Christ in an unfaithful World and she is somewhat over-much affectionate to her Friend which hath cost her a great deal of Sorrow in the loss of her Husband and since of other special Friends and may cost her more when the rest forsake her as many in Prosperity use to do those that will not forsake their Fidelity to Christ. Her eldest Son the young Earl of Balcarres a very hopeful Youth died of a strange Disease two Stones being found in his Heart of which one was very great Being my constant Auditor and over-respectful Friend I had occasion for the just Praises and Acknowledgments which I have given her which the occasioning of these Books hath caused me to mention § 208. 51. After our Dispute at the Savoy somebody printed our Papers most of them given in to them in that Treaty of which the Petition for Peace the Reformed Liturgy except the Prayer for the King which Dr. W. wrote the large Reply to their Answer of our Exceptions and the two last Addresses were my writing But in the first Proposals and the Exceptions against the Liturgy I had less to do than some others § 209. 52. When the grievous Plague began at London I printed a half-sheet to stick on a Wall for the use of the Ignorant and Ungodly who were sick or in danger of the Sickness for the Godly I thought had less need and would read those large Books which are plentifully among us And I the rather did it because many well-winded People that are about the Sick that are ignorant and unprepared and know not what to say to them may not only read so short a Paper to them but see there in what method such Persons are to be dealt with in such a Case of Extremity that they may themselves enlarge as they see Cause § 210. 53. At that time one Mr. Nathaniel Lane wrote to me to intreat me to write one sheet or two for the use of poor Families who will not buy or read any bigger Books Though I knew that brevity would unavoidably cause me to leave out much necessary matter or else to write in a Stile so concise and close as will be little moving to any but close judicious Readers yet I yielded to his perswasions and thought it might be better than nothing and might be read by many that would read no larger and so I wrote two Sheets for poor Families The first containing the method and motives for the Conversion of the Ungodly The second containing the Description or Character of a true Christian or the necessary Parts of Christian Duty for the direction of Beginners in a Godly Life These three last Sheets were printed by the favour of the Archbishop's Chaplain when the Bishop of London's Chaplain had put me out of hope of printing any more With all these Writings I have troubled the World already and these are all except Epistles to other mens Works as one before Mr. Swinnock's Books of Regeneration one before Mr. Hopkin's Book one before Mr. Eedes one before Mr. Matthew Pool's Model for Advancing Learning one before Mr. Benjamin Baxter's Book one before Mr. Ionathan Hanmer's Exercitation of Confirmation one before Mr. Lawrence of Sickness two before two of Mr. Tombe's Books and some others of which there are two that I must give some account of The Bookseller being to print the Assembly's Works with the Texts cited at length desired me by an Epistle to recommend it to Families I thought it a thing arrogant and unfit for a single Person who was none of the Synod to put an Epistle before their Works But when he made me know that it was the desire of some Reverend Ministers I wrote an Epistle but required him to put it into other mens hands to publish or suppress according to their Judgment but to be sure that they printed all or none The Bookseller gets Dr. Manton to put an Epistle before the Book who inserted mine in a differing Character in his own as mine but not naming me But he leaveth out a part which it seems was not pleasing to all When I had commended the Catechisms for the use of Families I added That I hoped the Assembly intended not all in that long Confession and those Catechisms to be imposed as a Test of Christian Communion nor to disown all that scrupled any word in it If they had I could not have commended it for any such use though it be useful for the instruction of Families c. All this is left out which I thought meet to open lest I be there misunderstood Also take notice that the Poem prefixed to Mr. Vines's Book of the Sacrament was not printed by any order of mine Having received the Printed Book from the Stationer as Gift it renewed my Sorrow for the Author's Death which provoked me to write that Poem the same Night in the Exercise of my Sorrow and gave it the Donor for his Book and he printed it without my knowledge § 211. Manuscripts that are yet unprinted which lye by me are these following 1. A Treatise in Folio called A Christian Directory or Sum of Practical Divinity In four Tomes The first called Christian Ethicks The second Christian Ecclesiasticks The third Christian Oeconomicks The fourth Christian Polisticks It containeth bare Directions for the practice of our Duties in all these respects as Christians as Church-Members as Members of the Family and as Members of the Commonwealth But there is a sufficient Explication of the Subject usually premised and the Directions themselves are the Answers of most useful Cases of Conscience
thereabouts though the Cases be not named by way of Question But where it was necessary the Cases are distinctly named and handled My intent in writing this was at once to satisfie that motion so earnestly made by Bishop Usher mentioned in the Preface to my Call to the Unconverted which I had been hindred from doing by parts before And I had some little respect to the request which was long ago sent to him from some Transmarine Divines to help them to a Sum of Practical Divinity in the English method But though necessary brevity hath deprived it of all life and lustre of Stile it being but a Skeleton of Practical Heads yet is it so large by reason of the multitude of things to be handled that I see it will not be of so common a use as I first intended it To young Ministers and to the more intelligent and diligent sort of Masters of Families who would have a Practical Directory at hand to teach them every Christian Duty and how to help others in the practice it may be not unserviceable 2. Another Manuscript is called A christian indeed It consisteth of two Parts The first is a Discovery of the calamities which folow the weakness and faultiness of many true Christians and Directions for their strengthening and growth in Grace which was intended as the third particular Tractate in fulfilling the foresaid request of Bishop Usher The Call to the Unconverted being for that sort and the Directions for a sound Conversion being for the second sort who are yet as it were in the birth And this being for the weaker and faultier sort of Christians which are the third sort To which is added a second Part containing the just Description of a sound confirmed Christian whom I call a Christian indeed in sixty Characters of Marks and with each of them is adjoyned the Character of the weak Christian and of the Hypocrite about the same part of Duty But all is but briefly done the Heads being many without any life or ornament of Stile This short Treatise I offered to Mr. Thomas Grigg the Bishop of London's Chaplain to be licensed for the Press a man that but lately Conformed and professed special respect to me but he utterly refused it pretending that it favoured of Discontent and would be interpreted as against the Bishops and the Times And the matter was that in several Passages I spake of the Prosperity of the Wicked and the Adversity of the Godly and described Hypocrites by their Enmity to the Godly and their forsaking the Truth for fear of Suffering and described the Godly by their undergoing the Enmity of the wicked World and being stedfast whatever it shall cost them c. And all this was interpreted as against the Church or Prelatists I asked him whether they would license that of mine which they would do of another man 's against whom they had not displeasure in the same words And he told me No because the words would receive their interpretation with the Readers from the mind of the Author And he askt me whether I did not think my self that Nonconformists would interpret it as against the Times I answered him yes I thought they would and so they do all those Passages of Scripture which speak of Persecution and the Suffering of the Godly but I hoped Bibles should be licensed for all that I asked him whether that was the Rule which they went by that they would license nothing of mine which they thought any Readers would interpret as against the Bishops or their Party And when he told me plainly that it was their Rule or Resolution I took it for my final Answer and purposed never to offer him more For I despair of writing that which men will not interpret according to their own Condition and Opinion especially against those whose Crimes are notorious before the World This made me think what a troublesome thing is Guilt which as Seneca saith is like a Sore which is pained not only with a little touch but sometime upon a conceit that it is touched and maketh a man think that every Bryar is a Sergeant to Arrest him or with Cain that every one that seeth him would kill him A Cainites heart and life hath usually the attendance of a Cainities Conscience I did but try the Licenser with this small inconsiderable Script that I might know what to expect for my more valued Writings And I told him that I had troubled the World with so much already and said enough for one man's part that I could not think it very necessary to say any more to them and therefore I should accept of his discharge But fain they would have had my Controversal Writings about Universal Redemption Predetermination c. in which my Judgment is more pleasing to them but I was unwilling to publish them alone while the Practical Writings are refused And I give God thanks that I once saw Times of greater Liberty though under an Usurper or else as far as I can discern scarce any of my Books had ever seen the Light 3. Another Manuscript that lyeth by me is a Disputation for some Universality of Redemption which hath lain by me near Twenty years unfinished partly because many narrow minded Brethren would have been offended with it and and partly because at last came out after Amyraldus and Davenant's Dissâ—rtations a Treatise of Dallaeus which contained the same things but especially the same Testimonies of concordant Writers which I had prepared to produce 4. There is also by me an imperfect Manuscript of Predetermination 5. And divers Disputations of sufficient Grace 6. And divers miscellaneous Disputations on several Questions in Divinity cursorily managed at our Monthly Meetings 7. And my two Replies to Mr. Cartwright's Exceptions against my Aphorisms 8. And my two Replies to Mr. Lawson's Animadversions on the same Book 9. And my Reply to Mr. Iohn Warren's Animadversions which being first done is least digested 10. And the beginning of a Reply to Dr. Wallis's Animadversions 11. And a Discourse of the Power of Magistrates in Religion against those that would not have them to meddle in such Matters being an Assize Sermon preached at Shrewsbury when Coll. Thomas Hunt was Sheriff 12. And some Fragments of Poetry 13. And a Multitude of Theological Letters 14. And an imperfect Treatise of Christ's Dominion being many popular Sermons preached twenty Years ago and very rude and undigested with divers others § 212. And concerning almost all my Writings I must confess that my own Judgment is that fewer well studied and polished had been better but the Reader who can safely censure the Books is not fit to censure the Author unless he had been upon the Place and acquainted with all the Occasions and Circumstances Indeed for the Saints Rest I had Four Months Vacancy to write it but in the midst of continual Languishing and Medicine But for the rest I wrote them in
is a Peace of Actual Communion in the Worship of God as Members of the same particular Church Thus we owe not to every Christian though sincere in the main 3. There is a Peace which is among the Members of all particular Political Churches in the World as related to each other and obliged to hold Communion as far as is necessary for the Common Good 4. There is a Peace which is common to all professed Christians Members of the Universal Church though perhaps of no particular Political Church 5. There is a Peace to be kept with sober Heathens or Infidels 6. And there is a Peace to be kept with Enemies both of us and the Gospel as far as we can I shall give you my Thoughts about the present Question in these following Propositions Premising that 1. It is not the Peace of bosom Friendship that the Question intendeth and Ergo we need not stand on that 2. Nor is it the Peace that is due to Enemies or that is due to Infidels and those without but it is the other sorts due to the several sorts of Christians Prop. 1. We may not have that Peace which is proper to Christians much less that which is proper to Christians in Church-Order with any that deny the Essentials of Christianity Prop. 2. As for those Anabaptists that in zeal for their Opinion do endeavour the Extirpation of the Ministry or of those of them that are against their Opinions or any other way do attempt that which would tend to the ruine or great damage of the Church we may not have that Peace and Communion with them as with inâ—ffensive Brethren but must admonish them as scandalous and gross Sinners and avoid them if after due admonition they desist not and repent not Prop. 3. Those that deny the Divine Institution or present Existence of Ministry or Worship and Ordinances or governed Churches are uncapable of being Members of any true Political Church and Ergo we cannot have such Church-Communion with them and because their Doctrine is of heinous Consequence as tending to the destruction of all Church-Order Worship and Communion we must reject them if they shall teach it after due Admonition Prop. 4. As for them that think it unlawful to have Communion with us unless we will renounce our Infant Baptism and be rebaptized we cannot have Communion with them in that Case though we would because they refuse it with us Prop. 5. We cannot lawfully disown the Truth of God nor own their Errours for Communion with them nor may we yield for any such Ends to be rebaptized Prop. 6. We may not lawfully be Members of a Church of Anabaptists separated on that Account from others nor of any other unlawfully separated Church nor ordinarily Communicate with them in their way of Separation though we might be admitted to it without any other disowning the Truth or owning their Mistakes Except it were in a case of Necessity as if such a Church were removed among Infidels or gross Hereticks where we could have no better Communion in worshipping God Prop. 7. If any one that Erreth but in the bare Point of Infant Baptism or other Errours that subvert not the Christian Faith shall yet take it to be his duty to propagate those Errours it will be the duty of every Orthodox Minister when he hath a Call and findeth it Necessary to defend the Truth of such Errours and to endeavour the establishing of the Minds of the People and not to let them go on without Controll or Contradiction lest he be guilty of betraying the Truth and Peace of the Church and the Souls of the People who are usually sorely endangered hereby The like must be done by Private Christians privately or according to their Places and Capacities So much for the Negative The Affirmatives follow Prop. 1. The Common Love which is due to all Men and the Common Peace which must be endeavoured with all must be held or endeavoured as to them that deny the Essentials of Christianity But as is before said this is not it that the Question doth intend Prop. 2. It is our Duty to do the best we can to reclaim any Erroneous or Ungodly Person from his Errour or Impiety that so they may be capable of that further Love and Peace and Communion with us which in their present state they are uncapable of Prop. 3. Those that believe not some Points that are necessary to the Constitution or Communion of Political Churches if yet they believe in Christ and worship God so far as they know his Will and live uprightly may be true Christians and so to be esteemed even when they make themselves uncapable of being Members of any Political Church Prop. 4. Some Anabaptists and others that make themselves uncapable of being Members of the same particular Churches with us or of local Communion in God's Worship may yet be acknowledged to be Christian Societies or truly particular Political Churches though in tantum corrupt and sinfully separated I mean this of all those that differ not from us in any Article of our Creed or Fundamental of Christian Religion nor yet in any Fundamental of Church Policy As e. g. those that only re-baptize and deny Infant Baptism or also hold some of the less dangerous Points of 〈◊〉 or Pâ—lagianism but withal hold all the Fundamentals necessary to Salvation and Church Policy or Communion Prop. 5. If any Person disclaim his Infant Baptism and be Re-baptized and then having so satisfied his Conscience shall continue his Communion with the Church where he was a Member and not separate from them and shall profess his willingness to embrace the Truth at soon as he can discern the Evidence of 〈◊〉 and shall live 〈◊〉 and inoffensively under the Oversight of the Church-Guides 〈◊〉 may not Exclude such a one from 〈◊〉 Communion but must continue him a Member of that particular Church and live with him in that love and peace as is due to such Prop. 6. If such an one should also mistake it to be his Duty publickly to enter his Dissent to the Doctrine of Infant Baptism and so to acquiesce and live quietly under the oversight of the Ministry and in the Communion of that Church he ought not to be rejected Prop. 7. It is our Duty to invite those called Anabaptists now among us to loving familiar Conferences of purpose 1. To narrow our Differences as far as is possible by a true stating of them that they seem not greater than they are 2. And to endeavour if possible yet to come nearer by rectifying of Mistakes 3. And to consult how to improve the Principles that we are all agreed in to the Common Good and to manage our remaining Differences in the most peaceable manner and to the least disturbance or hurt of the Church Here come in two more Questions to be resolved 1. How should such an Attempt be managed 2. What hope is there of Success For the first I shall
whom we have to do that our Business is to request you of the Clergy not to provoke the Law-givers to make any Law against this That it may not become a Crime to Men to pray together and provoke one another to Love and to good Works when it is no Crime to talk and play and drink and feast together And that it may be no Crime to repeat a Sermon together unless you resolve that they shall hear none which is worth their repeating and remembring And whereas you speak of opening a Gap to Sectaries for private Conventicles and the evil Consequents to the State we only desire you to avoid also the cherishing of Ignorance and Prophaneness and suppress all Sectaries and spare not in a way that will not suppress the means of Knowledge and Godliness As you will not forbid all praying or preaching lest we should have Sectarian Prayers or Sermons so let not all the People of the Land be prohibited such Assistance to each others Souls as Nature and Scripture oblige them to and all for fear of the Meetings of Sectaries We thought the Cautions in our Petition were sufficient when we confined it Subjectively to those of our Flocks and Objectively to their Duties of exhorting and provoking one another to Love and to good Works and of building up one another in their most holy Faith And only by religious peaceable means of furthering each other in the ways of eternal Life And for the Order They being not opposite to Church-Assemblies but subordinate nor refusing the Guidance and Inspection of their Pastors who may be sometime with them and prescribe them their Work and Way and direct their Actions and being responsible for what they do or say their Doors being open there will not want Witnesses against them if they do amiss And is not all this enough to secure you against the Fear of Sectaries unless all such Helps and mutual Comforts be forbidden to all that are no Sectaries This is but as the Papists do in another Case when they deny People Liberty to read the Scriptures lest they make Men Hereticks or Sectaries And for the Danger of the State cannot Men plot against it in Ale-houses or Taverns or Fields or under Pretence of Horse-Races Hunting Bowles or other Occasions but only under pretence of Worshipping God If they may why are not all Men forbidden to feast or bowl or hunt c. lest Sectaries make advantage of such Meetings as well as to fast and pray God and wise Men know that there is something more in all such Jealousies of Religious Duties § 4. Do you really desire that every Congregation may have an able godly Minister Then cast not out those many Hundreds or Thousands that are approved such for want of Re-ordination or for doubting whether Diocesans with their Chancellors c. may be subscribed to and set not up ignorant ungodly ones in their Places Otherwise the poor undone Churches of Christ will no more believe you in such Professions than we believed that those Men intended the King's just Power and Greatness who took away his Life But you know not what we mean by Residence nor how far we will extend that Word The Word is so plain that it 's easily understood by those that are willing But he that would not know cannot understand as King Charles told Mr. Henderson I doubt the People will quickly find that you did not understand us And yet I more fear lest many a Parish will be glad of Non-residence even if Priest and Curate and all were far enough from them through whose Fault I say not § 5. Two Remedies you give us instead of what we desired for the Reformation of Church-Communion 1. You say Confirmation if rightly and solemnly performed will alone be sufficient as to the point of Instruction Answ. But what we desired was necessary to the right and solemn Performance of it Doth not any Man that knoweth what hath been done in England and what People dwell there know that there are not more ignorant People in this Land than such as have had and such as desire Episcopal Confirmation Is it Sufficient in point of Instruction for a Bishop to come among a company of little Children and other People whom he he never saw before and of whom he never heard a Word and of whom he never asketh a Question which may inform him of their Knowledge or Life and presently to lay his Hands on them in order and hastily say over a few Lines of Prayer and so dismiss them I was confirmed by honest Bishop Morton with a multitude more who all went to it as a May-game and kneeled down and he dispatched us with that short Prayer so fast that I scarce understood one word he said much less did he receive any Certificate concerning us or ask us any thing which might tell him whether we were Christians and I never saw nor heard of much more done by any English Bishop in his course of Confirmation If you say that more is required in the Rubrick I say then it is no Crime for us to desire it 2. And for your Provision in the other Rubrick again scandalous Communicants it enableth not the Minister to put away any one of them all save only the malicious that will not just then be reconciled Be not angry with us if in sorrow of Heart we pray to God that his Churches may have experienced Pastors who have spent much time in serious dealing with every one of their Parishes personally and know what they are and what they need instead of Men that have conversed only with Books and the Houses of great Men or when they do sometimes stoop to speak to the ignorant do but talk to them of the Market or the Weather or ask them what is their Name § 6. To your Answer we reply Those Laws may be well made stricter They hindred not the Imposition of a Book to be read by all Ministers in the Churches for the Peoples Liberty for Dancing and other such Sports on the Lord's Day and this in the King's Name to the ejecting or suspending of those Ministers that durst not read it And those Laws which we have may be more carefully executed If you are ignorant how commonly the Lord's Day is prophaned in England by Sporting Drinking Revelling and Idleness you are sad Pastors that no better know the Flock If you know it and desire not the Reformation of it you are yet worse Religion never prospered any where so much as where the Lord's Days have been most carefully spent in holy Exercises Concerning Church-Government § 7. Had you well read but Gersom Bucer Didoclavius Parker Baynes Salmasius Blondell c. yea of the few Lines in Bishop Usher's Reduction which we have offered you or what I have written of it in Disp. 1. of Church-Government you would have seen just Reason given for our Dissent from the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy as stated in England and have known
Churches or to any Colledge in either of our Universities where we would have the several Statutes and Customs observed which have been formerly And because some Men otherwise Pious and Learned say they cannot conform to the Subscription required by the Canon at the time of their Institution and Admission into Benefices we are content so they take the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy that they shall receive Institution and Induction and shall be permitted to exercise their Function and to enjoy the Profits of their Livings without any other Subscription until it shall be otherwise determined by a Synod called and confirmed by our Authority In a word we do again renew what we have formerly said in our Declaration from Breda for the Liberty of tender Consciences that no Man shall be disquieted or called in question for Difference of Opinions in Matters of Religion which do not disturb the Peace of the Kingdom and if any have been disturbed in that kind since our Arrival here it hath not proceeded from any Direction of ours To conclude and in this place to explain what we mentioned before and said in our Letter to the House of Commons from Breda that we hoped in due time our self to propose somewhat for the propagation of the Protestant Religion that will satisfie the World that we have always made it both our Care and our study and have enough observed what is most like to bring disadvantage to it we do conjure all our Loving Subjects to acquiesce in and submit to this our Declaration concerning those differences which have so much disquieted the Nation at home and given such Offence to the Protestant Churches abroad and brought such reproach upon the Protestant Religion in general from the Enemies thereof as if upon obscure Notions of Faith and Fancy it did admit the Practice of Christian Duties and Obedience to be discountenanced and suspended and introduce a License in Opinions and Manners to the prejudice of the Christian Faith And let us all endeavour and emulate each other in those Endeavours to countenance and advance the Protestant Religion abroad which will be best done by supporting the Dignity and Reverence due to the best Reformed Protestant Church at home and which being once freed from the Calamities and Reproaches it hath undergone from these late ill times will be the best shelter for those abroad which will by that Countenance both be the better protected against their Enemies and be the more easily induced to compose the Differences amongst themselves which give their Enemies more advantage against them And we hope and expect that all Men will henceforward forbear to vent any such Doctrine in the Pulpit or to endeavour to work in such manner upon the Affections of the People as may dispose them to an ill Opinion of us and the Government and to disturb the Peace of the Kingdom which if all Men will in their several Vocations endeavour to preserve with the same Affection and Zeal we our self will do all our Good Subjects will by God's Blessing upon us enjoy as great a measure of Felicity as this Nation hath ever done and which we shall constantly labour to procure for them as the greatest blessing God can bestow upon us in this World Note That the two Papers which the King's Declaration publisheth his Offence against were 1. A Declaration which the Scots drew the King to publish when they Crowned him in Scotland disclaiming his Father's Wars and Actions in Language so little tender of his Father's Honour that it was no wonder that the King was hardly drawn to it then nor that Cromwell derided their Doings as Hypocritical nor that the King was angry with those rash People whoever they were who now reprinted it 2. A Book of Dr. Cornelius Burges who though he was for a moderate Episcopacy had written to prove the Necessity of a Reformatation in Doctrine Discipline and Worship whereas in all our Treaty we had never medled with the Doctrine of the Church Because though the most part of the Bishops were taken to be Arminians as they are called yet the Articles of Religion we took to be sound and moderate however Men do variously interpret them § 106. When we had received this Copy of the Declaration we saw that it would not serve to heal our Differences Therefore we told the Lord Chancellour with whom we were to do all our Business still before it came as from us to the King that our Endeavours as to Concord would all be frustrate if much were not altered in the Declaration I pass over all our Conferences with him both now and at other times In conclusion we were to draw up our Thoughts of it in writing which the Brethren imposed on me to do My judgment was That all the Fruit of this our Treaty besides a little Reprival from intended Ejection would be but the Satisfying our Consciences and Posterity that we had done our Duty and that it was not our Fault that we came not to the desired Concord or Coalition and therefore seeing we had no considerable higher hopes we should speak as plainly as Honesty and Conscience did require us But when Mr. Calamy and Dr. Reignolds had read my Paper they were troubled at the plainness of it and thought it would never be endured and therefore desired some Alteration especially that I might leave out 1. The Prediction of the Evils which would follow our Non-Agreement which the Court would interpret as a Threatning 2. The mentioning the Aggravations of Covenant-breaking and Perjury ◠I gave them my Reasons for passing it as it was To bring this to pass more effectually they told the Earl of Manchester with whom as our sure Friend we still consulted and whom the Court used to Communicate to us what they desired And he called the Earl of Anglesey and the Lord Hollis to the Consultation as our Friends And these three Lords with Mr. Calamy and Dr. Reignolds perused all the Writing and all with earnestness perswaded me to the said Alterations I confess I thought those two Points material which they excepted against and would not have had them left out and thereby made them think me too plain and unpleasing as never used to the Language or Converse of a Court But it was not my unskilfulness in a more pleasing Language but my Reason and Conscience upon foresight of the Issue which was the Cause But when they told me that it would not so much as be received and that I must go with it my self for no body else would I yielded to such an Alteration as here followeth It was only in the Preface that the Alteration was desired I shall therefore that you may see what it was give it you as first drawn up and afterwards alter'd Our Petition to the King upon our Sight of the First Draught of his Declaration May it please your Majesty SO great was the Comfort created in our Minds by your Majesty's oft-expressed
Symptom of a large and noble Soul History should inform admonish instruct and reclaim reform encourage Men that read it And therefore they that write it should 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. discern things Excellent and those things in their difference each from other and in their importance to the Reader and so take care that nothing doubtful false impertinent mean injurious cloudy or needlesly provoking or reflecting be exposed to Publick View by them nor any thing excessive or defective as relating to the just and worthy Ends of History The Author of the subsequent History now with God had an Eagle's Eye an honest Heart a thoughtful Soul a searching and considerate Spirit and a concerned frame of Mind to let the present and succeeding Generations duly know the real and true state and issues of the Occurrences and Transactions of his Age and Day and how much Judgement Truth and Candour appear in his following Accounts of Things the Candid and Impartial Reader will easily and quickly be resolved about Scandals arising from Ignorance and misreports of what related to our Church and State greatly affected his very tender Spirit and the removal and prevention of them and of what Guilt Calamities and Judgments might or did attend those Scandals was what induced Mr. Baxter to leave Posterity this History of his Life and Times § III. Memorable Persons Consultations Actions and Events with their respective Epochs Successions and Periods are the Subject Matter of History Propriety clearness and vigour of Expression is what duly and gratefully represents the Matter to the Reader Accurate Method gives advantage to the Memory as well as satisfaction to the Judgment The faithfulness fulness and freedom of relation conciliates a good Reputation to the Writer by its convincing Influences upon the Reader 's mind and thus it powerfully claims and extorts his Submission to the evident credibility of what he peruses and the weight and usefulness of the Things related makes the Reader serious and concerned to observe what he reads for finding the Matter great the Expression proper and lively the Current of the History orderly and exact and the Purposes and Ends various and important which the History subserves he accordingly values and uses it as a Treasure And from thence he extracts such Maxims and Principles as may greatly bestead him in every Exigence and in every Station and Article of Trust and Concern and Negotiation History tells us who have been upon the Stage how they came into Business and Trust what was the Compass and Import of their Province what they themselves therein signified to others and what others to them and what all availed to Posterity and how they went off and so what Figure they most deserv'd to make in the Records of Time § IV. He that well considers the Nature of Man his Relation to God God's governing of Man and the Conduct of Providence pursuant to God's concerns with Men and their concerns with him as also the Discipline and Interests of the Holy War with Satan will read History with a finer Eye and to better purpose than others can To covet endeavour and obtain ability and furniture from History Philology Divinity c. to minister to discursive Entertainment or Self-conceitedness Ambition Preferment or Reputation with Men is a design when ultimate so mean in God's Eye so odious and noysom to others when by them discerned and so uncomfortable and fatal to our selves when at last accounâ—ed for as that no wise Man would terminate and center himself or his Studies there I have seen all sorts of Learning differently placed used and issued I can stay patiently to see the last Results of all I have seen Learning excellently implanted in a gracious heart So it was in Mr. Baxter and in several Prelates and Conformists and Non-conformists and others it is so at this day I have seen it without Grace or not so evidently under the influences and conduct of Grace as I have greatly desired it might have been and here what Partiality Malignity Faction Domination Superciliousness and Invectives hath his History and other Learning ministred unto Indeed sanctified Learning hath a lovely show And the Learning of graceless Persons hath in many Instances and Evidences greatly befriended God's Interest in the Christian World And the Knowledge which could not keep some from doing Mischief in the World and from their being fitted for Hell and from drawing others after them thither hath yet helped others to heavenliness and Heaven But he that well considers what Man is to God and God to Man what an Enemy degenerate Man is to God and himself what a state and frame and posture of War sin hath put Men into both against God themselves and each other what an Enemy Satan is to all and what advantages Sin gives him against us and how Christ is engaged against Satan for us as the Captain of our Salvation and how he manages this War by his Spirit Oracles Ordinances Officers and under-Agents in Church and State and by the Conduct of Providence over crowned Heads Thrones Senates Armies Navies greater and less Communities and single Persons in all things done by them for them or upon them or against them how he uses and influences the Faculties Actions Projects Confederacies and Interests of Men by poizing them changing them and turning them to his own purposes and praise He I say that well attends to these things in his Historical Readings and Studies will to his profit and delight discern God's Providence in and over the Affairs of Men to be expressive of God's Name ministring to his avouched purposes and a great Testimony to his Word and Son and to his Covenant and Servants § V. And such a Person was the Reverend Author and in part the Subject Matter of the subsequent Treatise He was an early Votary to his God so early as that he knew not when God engaged him first unto himself And hence he in great measures escaped those Evil Habits and Calamities which old Age ordinarily pays so dear for though he laments the carelesness and intemperance of his first childish and youthful days And if the Reader think it strange and mean that these and some other passages inferioris subsellij should be inserted amongst so many things far more considerable written by himself and published by me I crave leave to reply 1. That Conscience is a tender thing and when awaken'd it accounts no sin small nor any Calamity below most serious Thoughts and sensible and smart Resentments that evidently springs from the least Miscarriage which might and ought to have been prevented 2. That the apprehension of approaching Death made him severer in his Scrutinies and Reflections 3. That he thence thought himself concerned and bound in duty to warn others against all which he thought or found so very prejudicial to his own Soul and Body 4. That as mean passages as these are to be found in Ancient and Modern Lives and
our Governour and our Benefactor in that he is related to us as our Creator and that therefore we are related to him as his own his Subjects and his Beneficiaries which as they all proceed by undeniable resultancy from our Creation and Nature so thence do our Duties arise which belong to us in those Relations by as undeniable resultancy and that no shew of Reason can be brought by any Infidel in the World to excuse the Rational Creature from Loving his Maker with all his heart and soul and might and devoting himself and all his Faculties to him from whom he did receive them and making him his ultimate End who is his first Efficient Cause So that Godliness is a Duty so undeniably required in the Law of Nature and so discernable by Reason it self that nothing but unreasonableness can contradict it 3. And then it seemed utterly improbable to me that this God should see us to be Losers by our Love and Duty to him and that our Duty should be made to be our Snare or make us the more miserable by how much the more faithfully we perform it And I saw that the very Possibility or Probability of a Life to come would make it the Duty of a Reasonable Creature to seek it though with the loss of all below 4. And I saw by undeniable Experience a strange Universal Enmity between the Heavenly and the Earthly Mind the Godly and the Wicked as fulfilling the Prediction Gen. 3. 15. The War between the Woman's and the Serpent's Seed being the daily Business of all the World And I saw that the wicked and haters of Godliness are so commonly the greatest and most powerful and numerous as well as cruel that ordinarily there is no living according to the Precepts of Nature and undeniable Reason without being made the Derision and Contempt of Men if we can scape so easily 5. And then I saw that there is no other Religion in the World which can stand in competition with Christianity Heathenism and Mahometanism are kept up by Tyranny and Beastly Ignorance and blush to stand at the Bar of Reason And Judaism is but Christianity in the Egg or Bed And meer Deism which is the most plausible Competitor is so turned out of almost all the whole World as if Nature made its own Confession that without a Mediator it cannot come to God 6. And I perceived that all other Religions leave the People in their worldly sensual and ungodly state even their Zeal and Devotion in them being commonly the Servants of their Fleshly Interest And the Nations where Christianity is not being drowned in Ignorance and Earthly mindedness so as to be the shame of Nature 7. And I saw that Christ did bring up all his serious and sincere Disciples to real Holiness and to Heavenly mindedness and made them new Creatures and set their Hearts and Designs and Hopes upon another Life and brought their Sense into subjection to their Reason and taught them to resign themselves to God and to love him above all the World And it is not like that God will make use of a Deceiver for this real visible Recovery and Reformation of the Nature of Man or that any thing but his own Zeal can imprint his Image 8. And here I saw an admirable suitableness in the Office and Design of Christ to the Ends of God and the Felicity of Man and how excellently these Supernatural Revelations do fall in and take their place in subserviency to Natural Verities and how wonderfully Faith is fitted to bring Men to the Love of God when it is nothing else but the beholding of his amiable attractive Love and Goodness in the Face of Christ and the Promises of Heaven as in a Glass till we see his Glory 9. And I had felt much of the Power of his Word and Spirit on my self doing that which Reason now telleth me must be done And shall I question my Physician when he hath done so much of the Cure and recovered my depraved Soul so much to God 10. And as I saw these Assistances to my Faith so I perceived that whatever the Tempter had to say against it was grounded upon the Advantages which he took from my Ignorance and my Distance from the Times and Places of the Matters of the Sacred History and such like things which every Novice meeteth with in almost all other Sciences at the first and which wise well-studied Men can see through § 35. All these Assistances were at hand before I came to the immediate Evidences of Credibility in the Sacred Oracles themselves And when I set my self to search for those I found more in the Doctrine the Predictions the Miracles antecedent concomitant subsequent than ever I before took notice of which I shall not here so far digress as to set down having partly done it in several Treatises as The Saints Rest Part 2. The Unreasonableness of Infidelity A Saint or a Bruit in my Christian Directory and since more fully in a Treatise called The Reasons of the Christian Religion my Life of Faith c. § 36. From this Assault I was forced to take notice that it is our Belief of the Truth of the Word of God and the Life to come which is the Spring that sets all Grace on work and with which it rises or falls flourishes or decays is actuated or stands still And that there is more of this secret Unbelief at the Root than most of us are aware of and that our love of the World our boldness with Sin our neglect of Duty are caused hence◠I observed easily in my self that if at any time Satan did more than at other times weaken my Belief of Scripture and the Life to come my Zeal in every Religious Duty abated with it and I grew more indifferent in Religion than before I was more inclined to Conformity in those Points which I had taken to be sinful and was ready to think why should I be singular and offend the Bishops and other Superiours and make my self contemptible in the World and expose my self to Censures Scorns and Sufferings and all for such little things as these when the Foundations themselves have so great difficulties as I am unable to overcome But when Faith revived then none of the Parts or Concernments of Religion seemed small and then Man seemed nothing and the World a shadow and God was all In the begining I doubted not of the truth of the Holy Scriptures or of the Life to come because I saw not the Difficulties which might cause doubting After that I saw them and I doubted because I saw not that which should satisfie the mind against them Since that having seen both Difficulties and Evidences though I am not so unmolested as at the first yet is my Faith I hope much stronger and far better able to repel the Temptations of Satan and the Sophisms of Infidels than before But yet is my daily Prayer That God would
famous Troop which he began his Army with his Officers purposed to make their Troop a gathered Church and they all subscribed an Invitation to me to be their Pastor and sent it me to Coventry I sent them a Denial reproving their Attempt and told them wherein my Judgment was against the Lawfulness and Convenience of their way and so I heard no more from them And afterward meeting Cromwell at Leicester he expostulated with me for denying them These very men that then invited me to be their Pastor were the Men that afterwards headed much of the Army and some of them were the forwardest in all our Changes which made me wish that I had gone among them however it had been interpreted for then all the Fire was in one Spark § 75. When I had informed my self to my sorrow of the state of the Army Capt. Evanson one of my Orthodox Informers desired me yet to come to their Regiment telling me that it was the most religious most valiant most succesful of all the Army but in as much danger as any one whatsoever I was loth to leave my Studies and Friends and Quietness at Coventry to go into an Army so contrary to my Judgment but I thought the Publick Good commanded me and so I gave him some Encouragement whereupon he told his Colonel Whalley who also was Orthodox in Religion but engaged by Kindred and Interest to Cromwell He invited me to be Chaplain to his Regiment and I told him I would take but a days time to deliberate and would send him an Answer or else come to him As soon as I came home to Coventry I call'd together an Assembly of Ministers Dr. Bryan Dr. Grew and many others there being many as I before noted fled thither from the Parts thereabouts I told them the sad News of the Corruption of the Army and that I thought all we had valued was like to be endangered by them seeing this Army having first conquered at York where Cromwell was under Manchester and now at Naseby and having left the King no visible Army but Gorings the Fate of the whole Kingdom was like to follow the Disposition and Interest of the Conquerours We have sworn to be true to the King and his Heirs in the Oath of Allegiance All our Soldiers here do think that the Parliament is faithful to the King and have no other purposes themselves If King and Parliament Church and State be ruined by those Men and we look on and do nothing to hinder it how are we true to our Allegiance and to the Covenant which bindeth us to defend the King and to be against Schism as well as against Popery and Prophaneness For my part said I I know that my Body is so weak that it is like to hazard my Life to be among them and I expect their Fury should do little less than rid me out of the way and I know one Man cannot do much upon them But yet if your Judgment take it to be my Duty I will venture my Life among them and perhaps some other Ministers may be drawn in and then some more of the Evil may be prevented The Ministers finding my own Judgment for it and being moved with the Cause did unanimously give their Judgment for my going Hereupon I went strait to the Committee and told them that I had an Invitation to the Army and desired their Consent to go They consulted a while and then left it wholly to the Governour saying That if he consented they should not hinder me It fell out that Col. Barker the Governour was just then to be turned out as a Member of Parliament by the Self-denying Vote And one of his Captains was to be Colonel and Governour in his place Col. Willoughby Hereupon Col. Barker was consent in his discontent that I should go out with him that he might be mist the more and so gave me his consent Hereupon I sent word to Col. Whalley that to morrow God willing I would come to him As soon as this was done the elected governour was much displeased and the Soldiers were so much offended with the Committee for consenting to my going that the Committee all met again in the Night and sent for me and told me I must not go I told them that by their Consent I had promised and therefore must go They told me that the Soldiers were ready to mutiny against them and they could not satisfie them and therefore I must stay I told them that I had not promised if they had not consented though being no Soldier or Chaplain to the Garrison but only preaching to them I took my self to be a Free-man and I could not break my word when I had promised by their Consent They seemed to deny their Consent and said they did but refer me to the Governour In a word they were so angry with me that I was fain to tell them all the truth of my Motives and Design what a case I perceived the Army to be in and that I was resolved to do my best against it I knew not till afterward that Col. William Purefoy a Parliament Man one of the chief of them was a Confident of Cromwells and as soon as I had spoken what I did of the Army Magisterially he answereth me Let me hear no more of that If Nol. Cromwell should hear any Soldiers speak but such a word he would cleave his crown You do them wrong it is not so I told him what he would not hear he should not hear from me but I would perform my word though he seemed to deny his And so I parted with those that had been my very great Friends in some displeasure But the Soldiers threatned to stop the Gates and keep me in but being honest understanding Men I quickly satisfied the Leaders of them by a private intimation of my Reasons and Resolutions and some of them accompanied me on my way § 76. As soon as I came to the Army Oliver Cromwell coldly bid me welcome and never spake one word to me more while I was there nor once all that time vouchfaced me an Opportunity to come to the Head Quarters where the Councils and Meetings of the Officers were so that most of my design was thereby frustrated And his Secretary gave out that there was a Reformer come to the Army to undeceive them and to save Church and State with some such other Jeers by which I perceived that all that I had said but the Night before to the Committee was come to Cromwell before me I believe by Col. Purefoy's means But Col. Whalley welcomed me and was the worse thought on for it by the rest of the Cabal § 77. Here I set my self from day to day to find out the Corruptions of the Soldiers and to discourse and dispute them out of their mistakes both Religious and Political My Life among them was a daily contending against Seducers and gently arguing with the more Tractable and
Captain of Thieves or of Pyrates that shall surprize the Ship which we are in but we are not bound to consent to his Government or formally obey him but contrarily to disown his Villany and to do all that we can against his Tyranny which tendeth not to the hurt of the Society So here it is our Duty to keep the state of things as entire as we can till God be pleased to restore the King that he may find it a whole and not a ruin'd irrepairable State And thus for my part was my Practice I did seasonably and moderately by Preaching and Printing condemn the Usurpation and the Deceit which was the means to bring it to pass I did in open Conference declare Cromwell and his Adherents to be Guilty of Treason and Rebellion aggravated with Perfidiousness and Hypocrisie to be abhorred of all good and sober Men But yet I did not think it my Duty to rave against him in the Pulpit nor to do this so unseasonably and imprudently as might irritate him to mischief And the rather because as he kept up his approbation of a godly Life in the general and of all that was good except that which the Interest of his Sinful Cause engaged him to be against so I perceived that it was his design to do good in the main and to promote the Gospel and the Interest of Godliness more than any had done before him except in those particulars which his own interest was against And it was the principal means that hence-forward he trusted to for his own Establishment even by doing good That the People might love him or at least be willing to have his Government for that Good who were against it as it was Usurpation And I made no question at all but that when the Rightful Governour was restored the People that had adhered to him being so extreamly irritated would cast out multitudes of the Ministers and undo the Good which the Usurper had done because he did it and would bring abundance of Calamity upon the Land And some Men thought it a very hard Question Whether they should rather wish the continuance of an Usurper that will do good or the restitution of a Rightful Governour whose Followers will do hurt But for my part I thought my Duty was clear to disown the Usurper's Sin what Good soever he would do and to perform all my Engagements to a Rightful Governour leaving the Issue of all to God but yet to commend the Good which a Usurper doth and to do any lawful thing which may provoke him to do more and to approve of no Evil which is done by any either Usurper or a lawful Governour And thus stood the Affections of the Intelligent sort to Cromwell but the Simpler sort believed that he designed nothing of all that came to pass but that God's Providence brought about all without his Contrivance or Expectation § 115. The little Parliament having resigned their Commission to Cromwell that we might not be ungoverned a Iuncto of Officers and I know not who nor ever could learn but that Lambert and Berry were two Chief Men in it did draw up a Writing called The Instrument of the Government of the Commonwealth of England Scotland and Ireland This Instrument made Oliver Cromwell Lord Protector of the Commonwealth The Lord Mayor and Aldermen the Judges and the Officers of the Army were suddenly drawn together to Westminster-Hall and upon the reading of this Instrument installed Cromwell in the Office of Protector and swore him accordingly and thus the Commonwealth seemed once more to have a Head § 116. I shall for brevity over-pass the particular mention of the Parliaments summoned by Cromwell of their displeasing him by ravelling his Instrument and other means and of his rough and resolute dissolving them One of the chief Works which he did was the purging of the Ministry of which I shall say somewhat more And here I suppose the Reader to understand that the Synod of Westminster was dissolved with the Parliament and therefore a Society of Ministers with some others were chosen by Cromwell to sit at Whitehall under the Name of Triers who were mostly Independants but some sober Presbyterians with them and had power to try all that came for Institution or Induction and without their Approbation none were admitted This assembly of Triers examined themselves all that were able to come up to London but if any were unable or were of doubtful Qualifications between Worthy and Unworthy they used to refer them to some Ministers in the County where they lived and to approve them if they approved them And because this Assembly of Triers is most heavily accused and reproached by some Men I shall speak the truth of them and suppose my word will be the rather taken because most of them took me for one of their boldest Adversaries as to their Opinions and because I was known to disown their Power insomuch that I refused to try any under them upon their reference except a very few whose Importunity and necessity moved me they being such as for their Episcopal Judgment or some such Cause the Triers were like to have rejected The truth is that though their Authority was null and though some few over-busie and over-rigid Independants among them were too severe against all that were Arminians and too particular in enquiring after Evidences of Sanctification in those whom they Examined and somewhat too lax in their Admission of Unlearned and Erroneous Men that favoured Antinomianism or Anabaptism yet to give them their due they did abundance of good to the Church They saved many a Congregation from ignorant ungodly drunken Teachers that sort of Men that intended no more in the Ministry than to say a Sermon as Readers say their Common Prayers and so patch up a few good words together to talk the People asleep with on Sunday and all the rest of the Week go with them to the Ale-house and harden them in their Sin And that sort of Ministers that either preacht against a holy Life or preacht as Men that never were acquinted with it all those that used the Ministry but as a Common Trade to live by and were never likely to convert a Soul all these they usually rejected and in their stead admitted of any that were able serious Preachers and lived a godly Life of what tollerable Opinion soever they were So that though they were many of them somewhat partial for the Independents Separatists Fifth-Monarchy-men and Anabaptists and against the Prelatists and Arminians yet so great was the benefit above the hurt which they brought to the Church that many thousands of Souls blest God for the faithful Ministers whom they let in and grieved when the Prelatists afterward cast them out again § 117. And because I am fall'n upon this Subject I will look back to the Alterations that were made upon the Ministry by the Long Parliament before both by the Country Committees and the
they occasioned I could not bear through the weakness of my Stomach to rise before Seven a Clock in the Morning and afterwards not till much later and some Infirmities I laboured under made it above an hour before I could be drest An hour I must of necessity have to walk before Dinner and another before Supper and after Supper I can seldom Study All which besides times of Family Duties and Prayer and Eating c. leaveth me but little time to study which hath been the greatest external Personal Affliction of all my Life Besides all these every first Wednesday of the Month was our monthly Meeting for Parish Discipline and every first Thursday of the month was the Ministers meeting for Discipline and Disputation And in those Disputations it fell to my lot to be almost constant Moderator and for every such day usually I prepared a written Determination All which I mention as my Mercies and Delights and not as my Burdens And every Thursday besides I had the Company of divers godly Ministers at my House after the Lecture with whom I spent that Afternoon in the truest Recreation till my Neighbours came to â—â—â—et for their Exercise of Repetition and Prayer For ever blessed be the God of Mercies that brought me from the Grave and gave me after Wars and Sickness fourteen years Liberty in such sweet Imployment And that in times of Usurpation I had all this Mercy and happy Freedom when under our rightful King and Governour I and many hundreds more are silenced and laid by as broken Vessels and suspected and vilified as scarce to be tollerated to live privately and quietly in the Land That God should make days of Licentiousness and Disorder under an Usurper so great a Mercy to me and many a thousand more who under the lawful Governours which they desired and in the days when Order is said to be restored do some of us sit in obscurity and unprofitable silence and some lie in Prisons and all of us are accounted as the Scum and Swepings or Off-scourings of the Earth § 136. I have mentioned my sweet and acceptable Employment Let me to the Praise of my gracious Lord acquaint you with some of my Success And I will not suppress it though I fore-know that the Malignant will impute the mention of it to Pride and Oftentation For it is the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving which I owe to my most gracious God which I will not deny him for fear of being censured as proud lest I prove my self proud indeed while I cannot undergo the Imputation of Pride in the performance of my Thanks for such underserved Mercies My publick Preaching met with an attentive diligent Auditory Having broke over the brunt of the Opposition of the Rabble before the Wars I found them afterwards tractable and unprejudiced Before I ever entred into the Ministry God blessed my private Conference to the Conversion of some who remain firm and eminent in holiness to this day But then and in the beginning of my Ministry I was wont to number them as Jewels but since then I could not keep any number of them The Congregation was usually full so that we are fain to build five Galleries after my coming thither the Church it self being very capacious and the most commodious and Convenient that ever I was in Our private Meetings also were full On the Lord's Days there was no disorder to be seen in the Streets but you might hear an hundred Families singing Psalms and repeating Sermons as you passed through the Streets In a word when I came thither first there was about one Family in a Street that worshipped God and called on his Name and when I came away there were some Streets where there was not past one Family in the side of a Street that did not so and that did not by professing serious Godliness give us hopes of their sincerity And those Families which were the worst being Inns and Alehouses usually Some persons in each House did seem to be Religious Though our Administration of the Lords Supper was so ordered as displeased many and the far greater part kept away themselves yet we had 600 that were Communicats of whom there was not twelve that I had not good hopes of as to their sincerity and those few that did consent to our Communion and yet lived scandalously were Excommunicated afterward And I hope there were many that had the Fear of God that came not to our Communion in the Sacrament some of them being kept off by Husbands by Parents by Masters and some disswaded by Men that differed from us Those many that kept away yet took it patiently and did not revile us as doing them wrong And those unruly young men that were Excommunicated bore it patiently as to their outward behaviour though their hearts were full of bitterness except one of whom I shall speak anon When I set upon Personal Conference with each Family and Catechizing them there were very few Families in all the Town that refused to come and those few were Beggers at the Towns-ends who were so ignorant that they were ashamed it should be manifest And few Families went from me without some tears or seemingly serious Promises for a Godly Life Yet many ignorant and ungodly Persons there were still among us but most of them were in the Parish and not in the Town and in those parts of the Parish which were furthest from the Town And whereas one part of the Parish was impropriate and payed Tythes to Lay-men and the other part maintained the Church a Brook dividing them it fell out that almost all that side of the Parish which paid Tythes to the Church were godly honest People and did it willingly without Contention and most of the bad People of the Parish lived on the other side Some of the Poor men did competently understand the Body of Divinity and were able to judge in difficult Controversies Some of them were so able in Prayer that very â—ew Ministers did match them in order and fulness and apt Expressions and holy Oratory with fervency Abundance of them were so able to pray very laudably with their Families or with others The temper of their Minds and the innocency of their Lives was much more laudable than their Parts The Professors of serious Godliness were generally of very humble Minds and Carriage of meek and quiet behaviour unto others and of blamelesness and innocency in their Conversations And God was pleased also to give me abundant Encouragement in the Lectures which I preached abroad in other places as at Worcester Cleobury c. But especially at Dudley and Sheffual at the former of which being the first place that ever I preached in the poor Nailers and other Labourers would not only crowd the Church as full as ever I saw any in London but also hand upon the Windows and the Leads without And in my poor Endeavours with my Brethren in the Ministry my Labours were not lost
sporting with them but he thought Secrecy a Vertue and Dissimulation no Vice and Simulation that is in plain English a Lie or Perfidiousness to be a tollerable Fault in a Case of Necessity being of the same Opinion with the Lord Bacon who was not so Precise as Learned That the best Composition and Temperature is to have openness in Fame and Opinion Secrecy in habit Dissimulation in seasonable use and a power to feign if there be no remedy Essay 6. pag. 31. Therefore he kept fair with all saving his open or unreconcileable Enemies He carried it with such Dissimulation that Anabaptists Independants and Antinomians did all think that he was one of them But he never endeavoured to perswade the Presbyterians that he was one of them but only that he would do them Justice and Preserve them and that he honoured their Worth and Piety for he knew that they were not so easily deceived In a word he did as our Prelates have done begin low and rise higher in his Resolutions as his Condition rose and the Promises which he made in his lower Condition he used as the interest of his higher following Condition did require and kept up as much Honesty and Godliness in the main as his Cause and Interest would allow but there they left him And his Name standeth as a monitory Monument or Pillar to Posterity to tell them The instability of Man in strong Temptations if God leave him to himself what great Success and Victories can do to lift up a Mind that once seemed humble what Pride can do to make Man selfish and corrupt the Heart with ill designs what selfishness and ill designs can do to bribe the Conscience and corrupt the Iudgment and make men justifie the greatest Errours and Sins and set against the clearest Truth and Duty what Bloodshed and great Enormities of Life an Erring deluded Judgment may draw Men to and patronize and That when God hath dreadful Judgments to execute an Erroneous Sectary or a proud Self-seeker is oftner his Instrument than an humble Lamb-like innocent Saint § 145. Cromwell being dead his Son Richard by his Will and Testament and the Army was quietly setled in his place while all Men look'd that they should presently have fallen into Confusion and Discord among themselves the Counties Cities and Corporations of England send up their Congratulations to own him as Protector But none of us in Worcestershire save the Independants medled in it He interred his Father with great Pomp and Solemnity He called a Parliament and that without any such Restraints as his Father had used The Members took the Oath of Fidelity or Allegiance to him at the Door of the House before they entred And all Men wondred to see all so quiet in so dangerous a Time Many sober Men that called his Father no better than a Trayterous Hypocrite did begin to think that they owed him Subjection They knew that the King was by Birth their Rightful Sovereign and resolved to do their best while there was hopes to introduce him and defend him But they were astonished at the marvellous Providences of god which had been against that Family all along and they thought that there was no rational probability of his Restoration having seen so many Armies and Risings and Designs overthrown which were raised or undertaken for it They thought that it is not left to our liberty whether we will have a Government or not but that Government is of Divine Appointment and the Family Person or Species is but of a subservient less necessary determination And that if we cannot have him that we would have it followeth not that we may be without That twelve years time from the Death of the last King was longer than the Land could be without a Governour without the Destruction of the Common Good which is the End of Government Therefore that the Subjects seeing they are unable to restore the King must consent to another That the House of Commons having sworn Allegiance to him have actually subjected the Nation to him And though his Father Trayterously made the Change yet the Successor of a Traytor may by the Peoples consent become a Governour whom each Individual must acknowledge by Subjection That the Bishops and Churches both of East and West as all History sheweth have professed their Subjection to Usurpers in a far shorter time and upon lighter Reasons That this Man having never had any hand in the War but supposed to be for the King nor ever seeking for the Government and now seeming to own the Sober Party was like to be used in the healing of the Land c. Such Reasonings as these began to take with the minds of many to subject themselves quietly to this Man though they never did it to his Father as now despairing of the Restitution of the King And I confess such Thoughts were somewhat prevalent with my self But God quickly shewed us the root of our Errour which was our limiting the Almighty as if that were hard to him that was impossible to us So that the Restoration of the King which we thought next impossible was accomplished in a trice And we saw that twelve or eighteen years is not long enough to wait on God The Army set up Richard Cromwell it seemeth upon Tryal resolving to use him as he behaved himself And though they swore Fidelity to him they meant to keep it no longer than he pleased them And when they saw that he began to favour the sober People of the Land to honour Parliaments and to respect the Ministers whom they called Presbyterians they presently resolved to make him know his Masters and that it was they and not he that were called by God to be the chief Protectors of the Interest of the Nation He was not so formidable to them as his Father was and therefore every one boldly spurned at him The Fifth Monarchy Men followed Sir Henry Vane and raised a great and violent clamorous Party against him among the Sectaries in the City Rogers and Feake and such like Firebrands preach them into Fury and blow the Coales But Dr. Owen and his Assistants did the main Work He gathereth a Church at at Lieutenant General Fleetwood's Quarters at Wallingford House consisting of the active Officers of the Army this Church-gathering hath been the Church◠scattering Project In this Assembly it was determined that Richard's Parliament must be dissolved and then he quickly fell himself Though he never abated their Liberties or their Greatness yet did he not sufficiently befriend them Dictum factum almost as quickly done as determined Though Col. Richard Ingolsby and some others would have stuck to the Protector and have ventured to surprise the Leaders of the Faction and the Parliament would have been true to him yet Berry's Regiment of Horse and some others were presently ready to have begun the Fray against him and as he sought not the Government he was resolved it should cost no
on the Wax is caused by that on the Seal Therefore I do more of late than ever discern a necessity of a methodical procedure in maintaining the Doctrine of Christianity and of beginning at Natural Verities as presupposed fundamentally to supernatural though God may when he please reveal all at once and even Natural Truths by Supernatural Revelation And it is a marvellous great help to my Faith to find it built on so sure Foundations and so consonant to the Law of Nature I am not so foolish as to pretend my certainty to be greater than it is meerly because it is a dishonour to be less certain nor will I by shame be kept from confessing those Infirmities which those have as much as I who hypocritically reproach me with them My certainty that I am a Man is before my certainty that there is a God for Quod facit notum est magis notum My certainty that there is a God is greater than my certainty that he requireth love and holiness of his Creature My certainty of this is greater than my certainty of the Life of Reward and Punishment hereafter My certainty of that is greater than my certainty of the endless duration of it and of the immortality of individuate Souls My certainty of the Deity is greater than my certainty of the Christian Faith My certainty of the Christian Faith in its Essentials is greater than my certainty of the Perfection and Infallibility of all the Holy Scriptures My certainty of that is greater than my certainty of the meaning of many particular Texts and so of the truth of many particular Doctrines or of the Canonicalness of some certain Books So that as you see by what Gradations my Understanding doth proceed so also that my Certainty differeth as the Evidences differ And they that have attained to greater Perfection and a higher degree of Certainty than I should pity me and produce their Evidence to help me And they that will begin all their Certainty with that of the Truth of the Scripture as the Principium Cognoscendi may meet me at the same end but they must give me leave to undertake to prove to a Heathen or Infidel the Being of a God and the necessity of Holiness and the certainty of a Reward or Punishment even while he yet denieth the Truth of Scripture and in order to his believing it to be true 6. In my younger years my trouble for Sin was most about my Actual failings in Thought Word or Action except Hardness of Heart of which more anon But now I am much more troubled for â—nward Defects and omission or want of the Vital Duties or Graces in the Soul My daily trouble is so much for my Ignorance of God and weakness of Belief and want of greater love to God and strangeness to him and to the Life to come and for want of a greater willingness to die and longing to be with God in Heaven as that I take not some Immoralities though very great to be in themselves so great and odious Sins if they could be found as separate from these Had I all the Riches of the World how gladly should I give them for a fuller Knowledge Belief and Love of God and Everlasting Glory These wants are the greatest burden of my Life which oft maketh my Life it self a burden And I cannot find any hope of reaching so high in these while I am in the Flesh as I once hoped before this time to have attained which maketh me the wearier of this sinful World which is honoured with so little of the Knowledge of God 7. Heretofore I placed much of my Religion in tenderness of heart and grieving for sin and penitential tears and less of it in the love of God and studying his love and goodness and in his joyful praises than now I do Then I was little sensible of the greatness and excellency of Love and Praise though I coldly spake the same words in its commendations as now I do And now I am less troubled for want of grief and tears though I more value humility and refuse not needful Humiliation But my Conscience now looketh at Love and Delight in God and praising him as the top of all my Religious Duties for which it is that I value and use the rest 8. My Judgment is much more for frequent and serious Meditation on the heavenly Blessedness than it was heretofore in my younger days I then thought that a Sermon of the Attributes of God and the Joys of Heavenâ— were not the most excellent and was wont to say Every body knoweth this that God is great and good and that Heaven is a blessed place I had rather hear how I may attain it And nothing pleased me so well as the Doctrine of Regeneration and the Marks of Sincerity which was because it was suitable to me in that state but now I had rather read hear or meditate on God and Heaven than on any other Subject for I perceive that it is the Object that altereth and elevateth the Mind which will be such as that is which it most frequently feedeth on And that it is not only useful to our comfort to be much in Heaven in our believing thoughts but that is must animate all our other Duties and fortifie us against every Temptation and Sin and that the Love of the end is it that is the poise or spring which setteth every Wheel a going and must put us on to all the means And that a Man is no more a Christian indeed than he is Heavenly 9. I was once wont to meditate most on my own heart and to dwell all at home and look little higher I was still poring either on my Sins or Wants or examining my Sincerity but now though I am greatly convinced of the need of Heart-acquaintance and imployment yet I see more need of a higher work and that I should look often upon Christ and God and Heaven than upon my own Heart At home I can find Distempers to trouble me and some Evidences of my Peace but it is above that I must find matter of Delight and Ioy and Love and Peace it self Therefore I would have one thought at home upon my self and sins and many thought above upon the high and amiable and beatifying Objects 10. Heretofore I knew much less than now and yet was not half so much acquainted with my Ignorance I had a great delight in the daily new Discoveries which I made and of the Light which shined in upon me like a Man that cometh into a Country where he never was before But I little knew either how imperfectly I understood those very Points whose discovery so much delighted me nor how much might be said against them nor how many things I was yet a stranger to But now I find far greater Darkness upon all things and perceive how very little it is that we know in comparision of that which we are ignorant of and and have
surfeited with human Applause And all worldly things appear most vain and unsatisfactory when we have tryed them most But though I feel that this hath some hand in the Effect yet as far as I can perceive the Knowledge of Man's Nothingness and God's transcendent Greatness with whom it is that I have most to do and the sense of the brevity of humane things and the nearness of Eternity are the principal Causes of this Effect which some have imputed to Self-conceitedness and Morosity 31. I am more and more pleased with a solitary Life and though in a way of Self-denial I could submit to the most publick Life for the service of God when he requireth it and would not be unprofitable that I might be private yet I must confess it is much more pleasing to my self to be retired from the World and to have very little to do with Men and to converse with God and Conscience and good Books of which I have spoken my Heart in my Divine Life Part III. 32. Though I was never much tempted to the Sin of Covetousness yet my fear of dying was wont to tell me that I was not sufficiently loosened from this World But I find that it is comparatively very easy to me to be loose from this World but hard to live by Faith above To despise Earth is easy to me but not so easy to be acquainted and conversant in Heaven I have nothing in this World which I could not easily let go but to get satisfying Apprehensions of the other World is the great and grievous Difficulty 33. I am much more apprehensive than long ago of the Odiousness and Danger of the Sin of Pride scarce any Sin appeareth more odious to me Having daily more Acquaintance with the lamentable Naughtiness and Frailty of Man and of the Mischiefs of that Sin and especially in Matters Spiritual and Ecclesiastical I think so far as any Man is proud he is kin to the Devil and utterly a Stranger to God and to himself It 's a Wonder that it should be a possible Sin to Men that still carry about with them in Soul and Body such humbling matter of Remedy as we all do 34. I more than ever lament the Unhappiness of the Nobility Gentry and great ones of the World who live in such Temptation to Sensuality Curiosity and wasting of their time about a multitude of little things and whose Lives are too often the Transcript of the Sins of Sodom Pride fulness of Bread and abundance of Idleness and want of Compassion to the Poor And I more value the Life of the poor Labouring Man but especially of him that hath neither Poverty nor Riches 35. I am much more sensible than heretofore of the Breadth and Length and Depth of the radical universal odious Sin of Selfishness and therefore have written so much against it And of the Excellency and Necessity of Self-denial and of a publick Mind and of loving our Neighbour as our selves 36. I am more and more sensible that most Controversies have more need of right Stating than of Debating and if my Skill be increased in any thing it is in that in narrowing Controversies by Explication and separating the real from the verbal and proving to many Contenders that they differ less than they think they do 37. I am more solicitous than I have been about my Duty to God and less solicitous about his Dealings with me as being assured that he will do all things well and as acknowledging the Goodness of all the Declarations of his Holyness even in the Punishment of Man and as knowing that there is no Rest but in the Will and Goodness of God 38. Though my Works were never such as could be any Temptation to me to dream of obliging God by proper Merit in commutative Justice yet one of the most ready constant undoubted Evidences of my Uprightness and Interest in his Covenant is the Consciousness of my living as devoted to him And I the easilier believe the Pardon of my Failings through my Redeemer while I know that I serve no other Master and that I know no other End or Trade or Business but that I am imployed in his Work and make it the Business of my Life and live to him in the World notwithstanding my Infirmities And this Bent and Business of my Life with my longing Desires after Perfection in the Knowledge and Belief and Love of God and in a Holy and Heavenly Mind and Life are the two standing constant discernable Evidences which most put me out of doubt of my Sincerity And I find that constant Action and Duty is it that keepeth the first always in Sight and constant Wants and Weaknesses and coming short of my Desires do make those Desires still the more troublesom and so the more easily still perceived 39. Though my habitual Judgment and Resolution and Scope of Life be still the same yet I find a great Mutability as to actual Apprehensions and Degrees of Grace and consequently find that so mutable a thing as the Mind of Man would never keep its self if God were not its Keeper When I have been seriously musing upon the Reasons of Christianity with the concurrent Evidences methodically placed in their just Advantages before my Eyes I am so clear in my Belief of the Christian Verities that Sâ—tan hath little room for a Temptation But sometimes when he hath on a sudden set some Temptation before me when the foresaid Evidences have been out of the Way or less upon my Thoughts he hath by such Surprizes amazed me and weakened my Faith in the present Act So also as to the Love of God and trusting in him sometimes when the Motives are clearly apprehended the Duty is more easy and delightful And at other times I am meerly passive and dull if not guilty of actual Despondency and Distrust 40. I am much more cautelous in my Belief of History than heretofore Not that I run into their Extream that will believe nothing because they cannot believe all things But I am abundantly satisfyed by the Experience of this Age that there is no believing two sorts of Men Ungodly Men and Partial Men though an honest Heathen of no Religion may be believed where Enmity against Religion byasseth him not yet a debaâ—â—â—ed Christian besides his Enmity to the Power and Practice of his own Religion is seldom without some further Byass of Interest or Faction especially when these concurr and a Man is both ungodly and ambitious espousing an Intereâ—â—â—t contrary to a holy heavenly Life and also Fâ—ctious embodying himself with a Sect or Party suited to his Spirit and Designs there is no believing his Word or Oath If you read any Man partially bitter against others as differing from him in Opinion or as cross to his Greatness Interest or Designs take heed how you believe any more than the Historical Evidence distinct from his Word compelleth you to believe The prodigious Lies which have been
without grand Sacriledge and Prophaneness although by Corruption of Persons and Times they have been either superstitiously abused or too prophanely employed but rather to reduce them to their primitive Use and Donation 18. Whether the ancient Fasting Days of the Week and Festivals of the Church setled both by Provincial Synods in the Year 1562. and 1640. and confirmed by the then Regal Power and also by several Statutes and Laws ought not by all persons in Conscience to be still observed until they be abrogated by the like Powers again or how far the Liberty of Conscience therein may be used in observing or not observing them the like for the usage of the Cross in Baptism and the humble posture of Kneeling at the receiving of the blessed Sacrament of the Lord's Supper 19. Which way of security and peace of Conscience may a quiet Christian order and dispose himself his Wife Children and Family in his Duty and Service towards God and enjoy the right use and benefit of the Sacraments and other holy Duties as long as that part of the Catholick Church wherein he lives is under persecution and the visible Ruling Church therein is faln Schismatical if not in many particulare Heretical April 20th 1655. May 14th 1655. An Answer to the foregoing Questions sent to Sir R. Clare Ad Quest. 1m. EIther that Conscience owneth the right Religion and Discipline only or the right with some tolerable accidental Errours or a wrong Religion and Discipline in the Substance The first the Magistrate must not only tolerate but promote The second he must tolerate rather than do worse by suppressing it The third he must suppress by all lawful means and tolerate when he cannot help it without a greater Evil. I suppose no Judicious Man will expect an exact Solution of so Comprehensive a Question in few words And I find not that a large Discussion is now expected from me There are four or five Sheets of my Manuscripts in some hands abroad on this Point which may do more towards a satisfactory Solution than these few words Ad 2m. Either the tender Conscience is in the right or in the wrong If in the wrong the Magistrates Liberty will not make a Sin to be no Sin but the Party is bound by God to rectifie his Judgment and thereby his Practice If in the right it is a strange Question Whether a Man may obey God that hath the Magistrates leave till he be enforced by Mens violence Doth any doubt of it Ad 3m. Matter of Government depending only on Fact is a Contradiction Seeing Government consisteth in a Right and the Exercise of it I am not able therefore to understand this Question Yet if this may afford any help toward the Solution I affirm That the general and perpetual practice of the Church from Age to Age of a thing not forbidden by the Word of God will warrant our imitation I say of a thing not forbidden because it hath been the general and perpetual practice of the Church to Sin by vain Thoughts Words imperfect Duties c. wherein our imitation is not warrantable The general and perpetual practice includeth the Apostles and that Age. But what is meant by Evidencing the Right of a thing that dependeth only of Fact or by Evidencing the Truth and Certainty of a Fact by general and perpetual practice which is to prove idem per idem I will not presume that I understand Ad 4m. I know not what Bishops you mean A Congregational Bishop overseeing the People is undoubtedly lawful so is a Congregational Bishop being President of a Presbytery which is over that Congregation Where many Congregational Officers are associated I do not think that a President for a time or during his fitness standing and fixed is unlawful The like I may say of a President of many of those Associations again associated as in a Province or Diocess And I believe it were a very easie work for wise godly moderate men to agree about his Power And I would not seem so censorious as to proclaim that England wanteth such further than the actual want of such Agreement or just endeavours thereto doth proclaim it I am satisfied also that the Apostles themselves have de jure Successors in all that part of their work which is to be perpetuated or continued till now though not in their extraordinary Endowments and Priviledges But if the sence of your Question be Whether one Man may be the standing chief Governour of many particular Churches with their Officers having either sole power of Ordination and Jurisdiction as some would have or a Negative Voice in both as others it would seem great arrogancy in me to be the confident Determiner of such a Question which so wise learned godly sober Men have said so much of on both sides already Ad 5m. 1. He that knows how short Church History is in these Matters for the first Age after the Apostles at least and hath read impartially what Gersom Bucerus Parker Blondellus Salmasius Altare Damascen have said on one side and Saravia Downham Dr. Hammond c. on the other would sure never expect that I should presume to pass any confident Sentence in the Point And it 's like he would be somewhat moderate himself 2. I say as before I know not what you mean by Bishops I am confident that the Church was not of many Hundred years after Christ governed as ours was lately in England by a Diocesan Bishop and a Chancellor excluding almost all the Presbyters 3. Why do you say Since the Apostles days when you before spoke of the General and perpetual practice of the Church Ad 6m. The word National Church admits of divers sences As it was usually understood in England I think there was none for divers hundred years after Christ either governed by Bishops or without them They that will look after the most encouraging Presidents must look higher than National Churches Ad 7m. The Question seems not to mean any particular truly-schismatical Party of Ministers but the generality that live not under the Bishops and so I answer negatively waiting for the Accusers proof Ad 8m. 1. I know not what the Oath of Canonical Obedience is therefore cannot give a full Answer I know multitudes of Ministers ordained by Bishops that never took any such Oath 2. The Powers that violently took down the Bishops were the Secular Powers None else could use violence And it were a strange Oath for a Man to swear that he would never obey the Secular Powers if they took down the Bishops when the Holy Ghost would have us obey Heathen Persecutors 3. If it were so great a Sin to obey those Powers I conceive it must be so to the Laity as well as the Ministry And I knew but few of the Episcopal Gentry or others called to it that did refuse to take the Engagement to be true and faithful to that Power when the Presbyters here accused durst not take it
4. Most Presbyters that I know do perform all Ecclesiastical Matters upon supposition of a Divine Direction and not upon the Command of Humane Powers Ad 9m. The Ordination of meer Presbyters is not null and the Presbyters so ordained now in England are true Presbyters as I am ready to maintain But wait for the Accuser's proof of the nullity Ad 10m. 1. This calls me to decide the Controversie about the late Wars which I find not either necessary or convenient for me to undertake 2. The like I must say of deciding the Legality of Inductions and Admissions 3. If a worthy Man be cast out had you rather that God's Worship were neglected and the People perished for lack of Teaching then any other Man should be set over them though one that had no hand in casting him out Must the People needs have him or none as long as he lives Was it so when Bishops were cast out heretofore by Emperours or Councils I think may take the Guidance of a destitute People so I hinder not a worthy Man from recovering his Right 4. I never desired that any should be Excluded but the Unworthy the Insufficient or Scandalous or grosly Negligent And I know but too few of the Ejected that are not such And this Question doth modestly pass over their Case or else I should have said somewhat more to the Matter Ad 11m. 1. It is a necessary Christian Duty to see that we do not the least Evil for our own safety And all God's Ordinances must be maintained as far as we can But as I before disclaimed the Arrogance of determining the Controversie about our Diocesan Episcopacy so I think not every Legal Right of the Church which it hath by Man's Law nor every thing in our Liturgy to be worthy so stiff a maintenance as to the loss of Life nor the loss of Peace Nor did the late King think so who would have let go so much But I think that they that did this carnally for Self-interest and Ends did grievously sin whether the thing it self were good or bad especially if they went against their Consciences 2. I think there is no unlawful Prayers or Service now offered to God in the Church ordinarily where I have had opportunity to know it And I think we pray for the same things in the main as we were wont to do and offer God the same Service And that Mr. Ball and others against the Separatists have sufficiently proved that it is no part of the Worship but an Accident of it-self indifferent that I use These Words or Those a Book or no Book a Form premeditated or not And no Separatist hath yet well answered them Ad 12m. Such as you described you can hardly know and therefore not knowingly scruple their Communion for a Man's ends and knowledge are out of your sight You can hardly tell who did this against Knowledge and Conscience carnally for Self interest But if you mean it of your ordinary Ministers and Congregations I am past doubt that you are Schismatical if not worse you avoid the Assemblies and Ordinances mentioned upon such Accusations and Suppositions And I shall much easier prove this than you will make good your Separation Ad 13m. Permitting you to suppose Orthodox and Episcoparian to be the same at present you may easily know that the Episcopal are not all of a Mind but differ I think much more among themselves than the moderate Episcopal and Presbyterians differ some maintaining that the Ordination of meer Presbyters is not null with divers the like things which the novel sort doth disclaim The old Episcopal Protestant may not only take a Cure of Souls now without any Contradiction to his Principles but may comfortably Associate with the peaceable Ministry of the Land and may not conscionably avoid it The Novel sort before mentioned ought to rectifie their mistakes and so to take up their duty but as they are I see not how they can do it in consistency with their Principles unless under the Jurisdiction of a Bishop Ad 14m. For the Point of the legality of the Liturgy you call me to determine Cases in Law which I find my self unfit for And for the Directory its Nature is according to its Name not to impose Words or Matter nor bind by human Authority but to direct Men how to understand God's Word concerning the Ordering of his Worship Now either it directeth us right or wrong If wrong we must not follow such Directions If right it 's no unlawful disturbance of the Churches Peace to obey God's Word upon their Direction Circumstances wherein some place most of their Government they very little meddle with And indeed I know but few that do much in the order of Worship eo Nomine because it is so in the Directory but because they think it most agreeable to God's Word or most tending to Concord as things now stand Would you have us avoid any Scripture or orderly Course meerly because it is expressed in the Directory And think you those are Ways of Peace Ad 15m. I think on the Credit of others that the Jewish Church had a Liturgy I am sure they had Forms of Praises and Prayer in some Cases I know Christ taught his Disciples the Lord's Prayer I will not determine whether as a Directory for Matter and Order or whether as a Form of Words to be used or when or how oft used I conjecture you regard the Judgment of Grotius who saith in Matt. 6. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In hunc Sensum Non enim praecipit Christus verba recitari quod nec legimus Apostolos fecisse quanquam id quoque fieri cum fructu potest sed materiam precum hinc promere i.e. Pray thus that is to this Sense For Christ doth not command the saying of the Words nor do we read that the Apostles did it though that also may profitably be done but hence to fetch the Matter of Prayer You know the Directory adviseth the use of the Words And how it was that Iohn taught his Disciples to pray I cannot tell nor will herein pretend my self wiser than I am The Example of the Primitive Church is never the more imitable for the Cessation of Persecution and its Example before is most to be regarded that being purest that is next the Fountain We are sure that the Church long used extemporate Prayers and its probable betimes some Forms withal I think they are strangely Dark and addicted to Extreams that think either that no Forms are lawful or that only prescribed or premiditated Forms are lawful And if you will condemn all publick extemporate Prayers you will err as grosly as they that will have no other Ad 16m. I know no necessity of any Godfather or Godmother beside the Parents unless you will call those so that in case of their necessary Absence are their Delegates Nor do I know that ordinarily among us any Dictates or Prayers are used that
the Quality of the Pastors 4. That no Pastors be forced upon the Flocks against their Consent the Church Governors being the Approvers and Ordainers and fit means being used to procure their Consent though meer Teachers may be forced on the Ignorant Heretical and obstinate that are unmeet for Church-Communion 5. That the Teachers of the Parishes may be urged to catechise the People and personally in due time and Place to confer with them all and instruct them in the Matters of Salvation and all the People may be urged to submit thereunto 6. That before any Person 's baptized in infancy be admitted among the adult Members of the Church to their holy Communion and Priviledges they make an open Profession of Faith and Holiness such as shall be approved by the Pastor of that particular Church who is responsible if he deny Approbation unjustly The solemnity of Confirmation we leave to the Wisdom of Church-Governors 7. That we may have Liberty in the Temples to assemble for God's Worship and may have no new Worship and Ordinances or symbolical mystical Ceremonies enforced on us against our Consciences And that such as dare not use the Cross Surplice or kneeling in the Act of Receiving may not be Penalties be forced to them nor therefore denied the Exercise of the Ministry or the Communion of the Church and those that Scruple the English Common Prayer-Book may have leave to exercise their Ministry without it at least that they may be allowed the use of a Liturgy to be drawn up in Scripture Words and approved by a Synod and besides that freely to pray according to the variety of Occasions and Subjects which they preach of they being responsible to their Governors for all that they say and do amiss 8. That the Pastors of each Parish-Church may have Liberty to hear Accusations of Hereby or Scandal and to admonish the Offenders publickly that hear not private Admonition to call them openly to Repent and confess their Sin and promise Reformation to absolve the Penitent and reject the Impenitent requiring the People to avoid them But yet if you require that no Pastor should proceed to the publick admonishing and rejecting any but upon the Judgment of the next Synod and their President we submit unless which God forbid they should defend Heresy and Wickedness and prohibit Discipline 9. That the Neighbour-Pastors associating for Union and Communion may hold monthly Synods in every Market-Town having a President stated for Life unless he prove unfit And that the Pastors of the Particular Churches be here responsible for their Doctrine and Practice if any shall accuse them And that Cases about Publick Confirmation Admonitions or Censures excepted from the Power of the Pastors of the particular Churches of that Association may be here decided But yet that the President and Synod may not be forced to undertake the special Charge of all the Souls of each Congregation as it belongeth to the several Pastors 10. That every Quarter and oftner if the President see cause there may be a Synod of all the Pastors of each County or Diocesses if that may not be granted who also shall have a stated President the Name we leave to you who shall maintain a more general Communion and without destroying the Power of the particular Pastors or lesser Synods shall receive Appeals and take Cognizance of such Cases as are proper to them And that no President of greater or lesser Synods shall ordain suspend deprive or excommunicate any Pastor or Deacon without the Consent of the Synod and the Presence of some of them nor censure the Members of any particular Church without the Consent of the Synod or of the Pastor of that Church And that all Presidents be freely chosen by the Synods where they must preside 11. That National Councils may consist of the Presidents of both the Diocesane and inferior Synods or else of the Diocesane and two out of each County freely chosen by the Major Vote of all the Pastors 12. That no Subscription be required of the Pastors to any thing about Religion but to the Holy Scriptures and the ancient Creeds and to the necessary Articles of Faith and Practice exprest in Scripture Terms and to the Renunciation of all Heresies contrary thereto And that in the Matter of the Divine Right of Prelacy or Synodical Government or Ceremonies it may suffice that we are responsible for any Disobedience and be not forced to subscribe our Approbation they being not Articles of Faith but Points of Practice and if you see Cause to restrain Men from Preaching against any other controverted Opinions they may not be forced to approve them 13. That no Pastor be displaced unless for Insufficieney Negligence or Scandal committed within two Years before the Accusation or unless some able Godly faithful Pastor prove a better Title to the Place 14. Lastly That Persons Excommunicate may not be punished eo Nomine because Excommunicate by corporal Punishments unless it be by disfranchising that they be uncapable of Government or of choosing Governors seeing the same Men are also obnoxious to the Laws of the Land for such Crimes as the Laws condemn notwithstanding their Excommunication On these Terms we may hold a Christian Concord without any Danger of Persecution or Breach of Charity or Peace if the Magistrate should think meet to settle Episcopacy as we may on the forementioned Terms while the present Liberty continueth Iuly 1659. Dr. Hammond's Answer 1. WHAT concerns private Christians in their own Families will I suppose easily be granted care being taken that nothing contrary to known Laws be attempted under Pretence of convening for Christian Advantages 2. What concerns the Rectors of each Parish in the Discharge of the Duty by Law committed to them there can be no doubt of What is more required to be intrusted to them being now by Law in the Bishops cannot be removed without changing the Law which must be left to the Law-Makers upon due Consideration of Ancient Primitive Practice and what may probably most tend to Edification 3. What concerns the Observation of Ceremonies by Minister or People by Law established must be done by Tolleration or Exemption from Punishments allowed to tender Consciences with care had also to Uniformity 4. The Nomination of Persons to Offices in the Church must have respect to to the lawful right of Patrons unless by Law some Change be thought expedient to be introduced herein 5. If the Presidents of inferior Synods are to have Episcopal Power in Confirmation Censures Ordination then this being the multiplying of Bishops must be referred to the Supreme Power to judge whether all things considered it be best or whether some larger Diocesses being divided some lesser may not remain as they are But if inferior Presidents be not vested with Episcopal Power but be in the Nature of our rural Deans or of Archdeacons the use of them and their Synods may be good with Subordination to Bishops and regulated
by Laws 6. If there be Bishops in the Church sure they must have the superintendent Care and so Power over the whole Flock Presbyters and People yet so that for the Exercise of it they intrust to the Rector of each Parish with what shall be found necessary for the Souls of the People in daily Administration 7. I cannot think it meet that the 39 Articles which are the Hedge between us and the Papacy should be removed and Articles in bare Scriptureâ—terms substituted in their room unless by this means the Papacy receding also an universal Peace might be hoped which is a thing beyond our Prospect That no more Articles be added to clog our Communion is very reasonable That any of these established are excepted against by those in Relation to whom we now consider is more than I have heard 8. For the not removing any Minister but upon weighty Cause and not punishing Offenders by other than Ecclesiastical Censures leaving the rest to the Civil Magistrate I see no matter of Debate between us R. B.'s Reply THE Strictures returned instead of Abatements for Accommodation refer almost all the Matters in Difference to the Civil Magistrate We know that whoever is in possession of the Magistracy will be the Judge of his own Actions and give us Laws according to his Judgment Our Motion is not for Divines to do any of the Magistrates Work But when Magistrates against Episcopacy are up we would have Divines endeavour in their places to draw them from injuring the Brethren that are for Episcopacy And when Magistrates that are for Episcopacy are up we would have Divines endeavour in their places to draw them from injuring the Brethren that cannot comply with it any nearer than on the fore-expressed Terms And that the Party that is still under might not be look upon and used as a Sect and Division might not be cherished among us we much rather desire an Accommodation than a Toleration that we may be but one Bodyâ— and stick together whatever Changes come To this end we first desire that our Rule for Doctrine Discipline and Worship be such as may serve for an Universal Concord and next that we may be secured from Encroachments on our just Liberty and such Impositions besides or above the Rule as we know will cause Divisions and Persecutions That which we desire to these Ends from the Divines to whom we offer our Proposals is that they will express their own Desire that so much may be granted by the Magistrate as they find meet to be granted and agreeing on the fittest Terms among themselves will profess and promise their faithful Endeavours in their Places and Capacities to procure the Concession and Approbation of these Terms from the Magistrate And this any single person may to prepare for a further Communication consider of and consent unto viz. to improve his Interest to these Ends. Now to the Particulars 1. We desire that you will profess your Judgment and promise your just Endeavours in your place that no Laws may be made or continued that are contrary to these Christian Duties and I know of none such existent And then we consent that all Persons be responsible for their Miscarriages 2. This is the chief of our Desires that you will profess your desire and promise your endeavour in your place that the power mentioned in the eighth Article may by Law be granted to the Rectors of each Parish we suppose that their Office is of Divine Institution and therefore that Magistrates may not change it what is by Law established the Possessors of the Government will still be Judges of Did we believe that the Pastors of particular Churches are not of Divine Institution unchangeable by Man or that Diocesan Bishops could exercise Christ's Discipline over so many hundred Parishes so that it would not certainly be cast out by their undertaking it we would not have insisted on this Article but yield that Rectorsâ— shall never Rule 3. We might hope that the Ceremonies might be left indifferent and so there might be no Divisions about them As we find it now by Experience in our Assemblies in the singing of Psalms the Gesture is left indifferent and there is no trouble about it So in many places the Sacrament Gesture is left indifferent and one kneeleth and another standeth and another sitteth and there is no disturbance about it but Custom having taken off their Prejudice they have the Charity to bear with one another And some Congregations sing one Version of the Psalms and some another and though Uniformity in that be much more desirable than in a Cross or Surplice or Kneeling at Receiving the Eucharist yet there is no disturbance among us about it And when our Unity is not laid upon our Uniformity in these unnecessary things we shall not be necessitated to persecute one another about them nor to make Sects by our Toleration of Dissenters And doubtless if your Toleration be of all that profess Tenderness of Conscience in these Points you will find such abundance of godly Men avoid your Ceremonies and accept of your Toleration that you will think your selves necessitated to persecute them as dishonouring you and discouraging Uniformity by their dissent But if you tolerate some and not others that can lay the same claim to it your partiality will quickly break all into pieces We are certain that leaving these unnecessary things at liberty to be used only by those that will is the way to Unity But if this cannot be attained we shall be glad of a Toleration in our Publick Charges 4. The Patron 's Right of Nomination may be preserved though the Communicants have their Consent preserved without which none is to be obtruded on them Though in case of unreasonable refusal of fit men much means may be used by Church-Officers and Magistrates to bring them to consent But how can People be governed in the Worship of God and in a Holy Life by any Pastor without their own consent 5. The multiplying of Bishops is in our Account the making Discipline become possible that else is not to any purpose And though our own Judgment be that every Parish that is great should have a Bishop and Presbytery yet we yield to you for Concord and Peace that there be a Bishop and Presbytery in every City that is Corporation or Market-Town and these as is expressed in the Articles to have one in every County or Diocess to whom they shall be responsible We desire only the profession of your Consent to this Change and promise of your promoting it in your place by just means that so our Differences may be ended But if this cannot be granted and no particular Pastors tolerated to exercise Discipline in their own Parishes but all must be done by the Bishop and his Court we must take it as equipollent to this Conclusion Discipline shall be cast out of the Churches And then we have no hopes of the healing of our
there to meet the Divines of the other party according to promise with their Proposals also containing the lowest Terms which they could yield to for Peace we saw not a Man of them nor any Papers from them of that Nature no not to this Day But it was not fit for us to expostulate or complain § 98. But his Majesty very graciously renewed his Professions I must not call them Promises that he would bring us together and see that the Bishops should come down and yield on their Parts and when he heard our Papers read he seemed well pleased with them and told us he was glad that we were for a Liturgy and yielded to the Essence of Episcopacy and therefore he doubted not of our Agreement with much more which we thought meet to recite in our following Addresses by way of Gratitude and for other Reasons easy to be conjectured 99. Yet was not Bishop Usher's Model the same in all Points that we could wish But it was the best that we could have the least hope I say not to obtain but acceptably to make them any Offers of For had we proposed any thing below Bishops and Archbishops we should but have suddenly furnished them with plausible Reasons for the rejecting of all further Attempts of Concord or any other Favour from them 100. Before this time by the King 's Return many hundred worthy Ministers were displaced and cast out of their Charges because they were in Sequestrations where others had by the Parliament been cast out Our earnest Desires had been that all such should be cast out as were in any Benefice belonging formerly to a Man that was not grosly insufficient or debaucht but that all that succeeded such as these Scandalous ones should hold their Places but these Wishes being vain and all the old ones restored the King promised that the Places where any of the old ones were dead should be confirmed to the Possessors But many got the Broad Seal for them and the matter was not great for we were all of us to be endured but a little longer However we agreed to offer these five Requests to the King which he received Agreed to be verbally requested of the King 1. That with all convenient speed we may see his Majesty's Conclusions upon the Proposals of the mutual Condescentions before they pass into Resolves and if it be thought meet our Brethens Proposals also 2. That his Majesty will be publickly declare his Pleasure for the Suspension of Proceedings upon the Act of Uniformity against Nonconformists in Case of Liturgy and Ceremonies till our hoped for Agreement 3. That his Majesty will be pleased to publish his Pleasure at least to those that are concerned in the Execution that till the said expected Settlement no Oath of Canonical Obedience nor Subscription to the Liturgy Discipline Ceremonies c. nor Renunciation of their Ordination by meer Presbyters or confessing it to be sinful be imposed on or required of any as necessary to their Ordination Institution Induction or Confirmation by the Seales 4. That His Majesty will Cause the revoking of the Broad Seal that is granted to all those Persons that by it are put into Places where others have Possession to which none before could claim a right that is such as they call dead Places 5. That his Majesty will be pleased to provide some Remedy against the Return or Settlement of notoriously insufficient or scandalous Ministers into the Places from which they were cast out or into any other § 101. While we waited for the promised Condescentions of the Episcopal Divines there came nothing to us but a Paper of bitter Oppositions by way of Confutation of our for mer Proposals We were not insensible of the unworthiness of this dealing and the Brethren at first desired me to write an Answer to it But afterward they considered that this would but provoke them and turn a Treaty for Concord into a sharp Disputation which would increase the Discord and so what I had written was never seen by any Man lest it should hinder Peace The Bishop's Answer to the first Proposals of the London Ministers who attempted the Work of Reconcilement which was brought them afterward instead of their Concessions before expected and promised When we looked to see how much they would abate of their former Impositions for the attaining of Vnity and Peace we received nothing but this Contradiction Concerning the Preamble § 1. WE first observe that they take it for granted that there is a firm Agreement between them and us in the Doctrinal Truths of the reformed Religion and in the Substantial Parts of Divine Worship and that the Differences are only in some various Conceptions about the Ancient Forms of Church-Government and some Particulars about Liturgy and Ceremonies Which maketh all that follows the less considerable and less reasonable to be stood upon to the hazard of the Disturbance and Peace of the Church § 2. They seem to intimate as if we did discountenance the Practice of those things which in Principles we allow which we utterly deny In sundry Particulars therein proposed we do not perceive what farther Security can be given than is already provided for by the established Laws of this Realm whereunto such Persons as shall at any time find themselves agrieved may have recourse for Remedy § 3. 1. We heartily desire as well as they that all Animosities be laid aside Words of Scorn Reproach and Provocation might be mutually forborn and that to Men of different Persuasions such a Liberty may be left of performing Christian Duties according to their own way within their own private Families as that yet Uniformity in the publick Worship may be preserved and that a Gap be not thereby opened to Sectaries for private Conventicles for the evil Consequents whereof none can be sufficiently responsible unto the State § 4. 2. We likewise desire that every Congregation may have an able and Godly Minister to Preach Catechise administer the Sacraments and perform other Ministerial Offices as need shall require But what they mean by residing and how far they will extend that Word and what effectual Provision of Law can be made more than is already done concerning the Things here mentioned we know not § 5. 3. Confirmation which for sundry Ends we think necessary to be continued in the Church if rightly and solemnly performed will alone be sufficient as to the point of Instruction And for notorious and scandalous Offenders provision is made in the Rubrick before the Communion which Rules had they been carefully observed the Troubles of the Church by the Disputes and Divisions here mentioned had been prevented § 6. 4. There cannot be taken a more effectual Course in this behalf than the Execution of the Laws already made for the due Observation of the Lord's Day which in this particular are very much stricter than the Laws of any Foreign reformed Churches whatsoever Concerning Church-Government § ◠They do not
Christians and enough for any one of the Reformed Churches had they possessed them to have gloried in and many far meaner are yet the glory of the Ancient Churches and called and reverenced as Fathers But we doubt this same Spirit will make you think that many Hundred more are but a few to be Silenced e're long And then your Clemency will comfort the poor People that have ignorant or deboist Readers instead of Ministers for too many such we have known that it was their Pastors faults that obstinately refused to Conform when they had promised it that is that repented of the Sin of their Subscription when they discerned it And had they never been ignorant enough to Subscribe they had never entered And the many hundreds which you thus keep from the Ministry you make nothing of § 26. Whether Diocesanes be a lawful Authority as claiming Spiritual Government and how far Men may own them even in lawful things are Controversies to be elsewhere managed We justify no Man's leaving his Ministry upon the Refusal of any thing but what he judged unlawful yea and what was really so § 27. Whether any Offence were given though not enough to warrant Separation let our Argumentations on both sides declare The said Declaration of the Churches Sense is not the smallest part of the Scandal Calling a humane Sacrament indifferent or no Sacrament proveth it not to be as it is called That the Nonconformists were the Cause of Separation who did most against it is easily said and as easily proved as the Arrians proved that the Orthodox were the cause of the Schism of the Luciferans who separated from the Church for receiving the Arrians too easily to Communion § 28. Church Matters in this much differ from Civil Matters and its one thing to change a Church Custom when it dangerously prevaileth to corrupt Mens Understandings and another thing when there is no such Danger So Hezekiah thought when he destroyed the Brazen Serpent and Paul who before circumcised Timothy when he said If ye be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing Could Men have foreseen that the Primacy of the Bishop of Rome in the imperial Churches would have been sublimated to such a challenged Supremacy over all the Christian World we suppose the Ancients would have held it their Duty to have removed the Primacy to some other Seat § 29. According to your Councils will you be judged of God The Not-abating of the Impositions is the casting off of many hundreds of your Brethren out of the Ministry and of many thousand Christians out of your Communion But the abating of the Impositions will so offend you as to silence or excommunicate none of you at all For e. g. we think it a Sin to Subscribe or swear canonical Obedience or use the transient Image of the Cross in Baptism and therefore these must cast us out But you think it no Sin to forbear them if the Magistrate abate them and therefore none of you will be cast out by the Abatement But it seemeth that your Charity judgeth the bare displeasing of your Apetite to the Ceremonies is a greater evil than the silencing and excommunicating all us your poor Brethren though our Imprisoment follow Nay this is not all For your Displeasure will be only that another Man subscribeth not crosseth not c. while you may do it your selves as much as you please Whether the casting out of so many Ministers and Christians for such things do more subserve the main ends of publick Government than the forbearance would do if you know not we leave you to God's Conviction As also whether these things be well imposed and Mens Obedience to Authority and the Peace of the Church and its Uniformity or Unity be well and justly laid upon them Such Concessions indeed might bear you out far Concerning particular Ceremonies § 30. Why then is it not as meet that one Gesture be used by all in singing Psalms or hearing Sermons Why doth the Ministers stand in Prayer even in the Sacrament Prayer while the People kneel We speak against none of your Liberty in using either kneeling or Holy-days and perhaps some of us mean to use both our selves but only beseech you that they may be no more imposed than the ancient Church imposed them and we desire no more and if you reverence Antiquity why will you not imitate it in point of Imposition as well as in the thing it self But yet that Antiquity was against Kneeling on the Lord's Day at the Sacrament and that they had but few of our Holy-days for many hundred Years we suppose you are not ignorant § 31. It 's well you have no more to say against Liberty to forbear the other three Ceremonies the more unexcusablde will you be when you silence and excommunicate those that use them not § 32. And its strange that meaner understandings than yours cannot see why Men should forbear that which is not to be valued with the Churches Peace A Lye or a false Subscription is not to be valued with the Churches Peace And is it therefore a Wonder to you that Men should scruple them It is fitter Matter for the Wonder of good Men that after so long Experience those that will needs be the Lords and Governors in spiritual Matters should so resolvedly lay the Churches Peace upon such things as these where they know beforehand that Men of no Conscience will all be peaceable and thousands of godly People are unsatisfied and that they will needs take all for Disturbers of the Peace who jump not with their Humour in every Ceremony how willing soever to be ruled by the Laws of God § 33. We are glad that you justify not Innovation and Arbitrariness and yet desire not such a Cure as some do by getting Laws which may do their Work § 34. If your want of Charity were not extraordinary it could not work effectually to the afflicting of your Brethren and the Church when we tell you what will end your Differences you know our Minds so much better than our selves that you will not believe us But you will be confident that we will come on with new Demands This is your way of Conciliation when you were to bring in your utmost Concessions in order to our Unity and it was promised by his Majesty that you should meet us half way you bring in nothing and persuade his Majesty also that he should not believe us in what we offer that it would be satisfactory if it were granted You say that it will give Dissatisfaction to the greater Part of his Majesty's Subjects We are more charitable than to believe that a quarter of his Majesty's Subjects are so uncharitable as to be dissatisfied if their Brethren be not silenced and excommunicated for not swearing subscribing or using a Ceremony while they may do it as much as they list themselves And whereas you say that there is no assurance given that it will content all Dissenters
Consecrated Bread and Wine which is here omitted The Minister is causelesly tied to meet the Corps just at the Church Style and to use the oft-repeated Lord have Mercy upon us Christ have Mercy upon us Lord have Mercy upon us And it is a Confusion perilous to the living that we are to presume that all we bury be of one sort viz. Elect and Saved when contrarily we see multitudes die without any such Signs of Repentance as rational Charity can judge sincere It is disorder that Women be not at all required beforehand to desire any publick Prayers for their safe Deliverance and yet when they are delivered that a Thanksgiving on the Lord's Days such as is for other great Deliverances will not serve the turn without a special Office which if performed on the Lord's Day will be an Impediment or Disturbance to the publick Worship And while an inconvenient Psalms and Repetitions and Responds be used the Prayer is defective as will appear by comparing it with what we offer It is a perilous Disorder that Penance as it is called be used by notorious Sinners at a stated time the beginning of Lent which should be used rightly to restore the Person whenever he is fallen And this is not to be wished in this Disorder to be restored again no more than that Physick be given only at Lent in acute Diseases which must be medicated out of Hand In the repeating of the Curses the People should be better taught to know the difference of the Law and Gospel and then that excellent dehortation may be well used But this pertaineth to the ordinary preaching of the Word Of the Responds and the doubtful Phrase thou hatest nothing tâ—at thou hast made we have spoke before Other Omissions and Disorders appear by comparing it with what we offer We only add upon the whole these further general Remarks 1. It is a great Disorder that we have so many Prayers instead of many Petitions in one Prayer The Gravity and Seriousness requisite in our Prayers to God and the Examples left on Record in Scripture do persuade us when we have many Petitions at once to put up to God which all have a Connexion in Nature and Necessity that there should be such a Connexion of our Desires and Requests and many of them should constitute one Prayer whereas the Common-Prayer-Book in its numerous Collects doth make oft times as many Prayers as Petitions and we undecently begin with a solemn Preface and as Solemnly conclude and then begin again as if before every Petition of the Lord's Prayer we should repeat Our Father which art in Heaven and after every Petition For thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory Yet we deny not that when we have but some one Particular Request to put up without Connexion with others we may then make a Prayer of that alone 2. Hence it comes to pass that the holy and reverend Name of God is made the matter of unnecessary Tautologies while half the Prayer is made up of his Attributes and Addresses to him and with Conclusions containing the Mention of his Name and Kingdom and the Merits of his Son even in holy Worship we should fear using God's Name unreverently and in vain 3. And it is a great Disorder that so much of the publick Prayers should be uttered by the People as in the Responds and that they only should put up the petitioning part while the Minister doth but suggest to them or recite the Matter of the Petitions as in the Litany seeing the Minister is by Office to be the Mouth of the People and God and Scripture intimateth that ordinarily their Part was but to say Amen and it seemeth to many sober People who are much offended at it to be a very confused and unseeâ—â— Murmur that is caused in most Congregations by the Peoples speaking Especially when in reading the Psalms the People say every second Verse which cannot be heard and understood by such as cannot read or have no Books and then the other Verse which the Minister saith is not understood because we hear not the annexed Verse which containeth part of the Sense And so the whole reading Psalms are almost as in Latin to them that cannot read themselves And that all this is really Disorder and contrary to Edification appeareth both in the Reason of the thing and in that the Prayers mentioned in Scripture are of another Order and in that they are not according to the Method of the Lord's Prayer which is the perfect Rule of Prayer in all universal Prayers which consists not of occasional Particulars and in that the most sensible experienced praying Christians find it by Experience to hinder their Edification and their Testimony should be preferred before that of ignorant unexperienced partial or ungodly Men or at least a Course taken which is agreeable to both sorts and hindereth the Edification of neither And lastly those very Men that will not reform any of this Disorder in the Liturgy do nauseate and condemn the Prayers of a weak Minister or private Christian if they have but the fourth part of the very like Disorders Repetitions Tautologies or Defects as the Liturgy hath For these Reasons a proportionable Reformation is desired Besides all forementioned there is in two months space no less than one hundred and nine Chapters of the Apocrypha appointed to be read as Lessons just in the time manner and Title as the Chapter of the holy Scriptures be even the Stories of Tobit and Iudith being part and also of Bel and the Dragon and Susanna which Protestants hold to be but Fables But those Exceptions which we actually offered to the Bishops were as follows The Exceptions against the Book of Common-Prayer ACknowledging with all humility and thankfulness his Majesty's most Princely Condescention and Indulgence to very many of his Loyal Subjects as well in his Majesty's most gracious Declaration as particularly in this present Commission issued forth in pursuance thereof we doubt not but the right Reverend Bishops and all the rest of his Majesty's Commissioners intrusted in this Work will in imitation of his Majesty's most prudent and Christian Moderation and Clemency judge it their Duty what we find to be the Apostles own Practice in a special manner to be tender of the Churches Peace to bear with the Infirmities of the weak and not to please themselves nor to measure the Consciences of other Men by the Light and Latitude of their own but seriously and readily to consider and advise of such Expedients as may most conduce to the healing of our Breaches and uniting those that differ And albeit we have an high and honourable esteem of those godly and learned Bishops and others who were the first Compilers of the publick Liturgy and do look upon it as an excellent and worthy Work for that time when the Church of England made her first step out of such a Mist of Popish Ignorance and Superstition wherein
standing at the Table and turning his face c. Collect. Exception Consecrated the state of Matrimony to such an excellent Mystery Seeing the Institution of Marriage was before the Fall and so before the Promise of Christ as also for that the said Passage in this Collect seems to countenance the Opinion of making Matrimony a Sacrament we desire that Clause may be altered or omitted Rubrick Exception Then shall begin the Communion and after the Gospel shall be said a Sermon c. This Rubrick doth either enforce all such as are unfit for the Sacrament to forbear Marriage contrary to Scripture which approves the Marriage of all Men or else compels all that marry to come to the Lord's Table though never so unprepared And therefore we desire it may be omitted the rather because that Marriage Festivals are too often accompanied with such Divertisements as are unsuitable to those Christian Duties which ought to be before and follow after the receiving of that Holy Sacrament Last Rubrick  The new married Persons the same day of their Marriage must receive the Holy Communion  Of the Order for the Visitation of the Sick Rubrick before Absolution Exception HEre shall the sick Person make a special Confession c. after which Confession the Priest shall absolve him after this sort Our Lord Jesus Christ c. and by his Authority committed to me I absolve thee FOrasmuch as the Conditions of sick Persons be very various and different the Minister may not only in the Exhortation but in the Prayer also be directed to apply himself to the particular Condition of the Person as he shall find most suitable to the present occasion with due regard had both to his Spiritual Condition and Bodily Weakness and that the Absolution may only be recommended to the Minister to be used or omitted as he shall see occasion That the Form of Absolution be Declarative and Conditional as I pronounce the◠absolved instead of I absolve thee if thou doest truly repent and believe Of the Communion of the Sick Rubrick  BUt if the sick Person be not able to come to Church yet is desirous to receive the Communion in his House then he must give knowledge over-night or else early in the Morning to the Curate and having a convenient place in the sick Man's House he shall there administer the Holy Communion COnsider that many sick persons either by their ignorance or vicious Life without any evident manifestation of Repentance or by the Nature of the Disease disturbing their Intellectuals be unfit for receiving the Sacrament It is proposed that the Minister be not enjoyned to administer the Sacrament to every sick Person that shall desire it but only as he shall judge expedient Of the Order for the Burial of the Dead WE desire it may be expressed in a Rubrick that the Prayers and Exhortations here used are not for the benefit of the Dead but only for the Instruction and Comfort of the Living First Rubrick  The Priest meeting the Corps at the Church-Stile shall say or else the Priest and Clerk shall sing c. We desire that Ministers may be left to use their Discretion in these Circumstances and to perform the whole Service in the Church if they think fit for the preventing of these Inconveniences which many times both Ministers and People are exposed unto by standing in the open Air. The second Rubrick  When they come to the Grave the Priest shall say c.  Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the Soul of our dear Brother here departed We therefore commit his Body to the Ground in sure and certain hope of Resurrection to Eternal Life These words cannot in Truth be said of Persons living and dying in open and notorious sins The first Prayer  We give thee hearty thanks for that it hath pleased thee to deliver this our Brother out of the miseries of this sinful world c. These words may harden the wicked and are inconsistent with the largest rational Charity That we with this our Brother and all other departed in the true Faith of thy Holy Name may have our perfect Confirmation and Bliss  The last Prayer These words cannot be used with respect to those Persons who have not by their actual Repentance given any ground for the hope of their Blessed Estate That when we depart this Life we may rest in him as our hope is this our Brother doth  Of the Thanksgiving of Women after Child-birth commonly called Churching of Women THe Woman shall come unto the Church and there shall kneel down in some convenient place nigh unto the place where the Table stands and the Priest standing by her shall say c. In regard that the Womens kneeling near the Table is in many Churches inconvenient we desire that these words may be left out and that the Minister may perform that service either in the Desk or Pulpit Rubrick Exception Then the Priest shall say this Psalm 121. This Psalm seems not to be so pertinent as some other viz. as Psalm 113. and Psal. 128. O Lord save this Woman thy Servant It may fall out that a woman may come to give thanks for a Child born in Adultery or Fornication and therefore we desire that something may be required of her by way of Profession of her Humiliation as well as of her Thanksgiving Ans. Which putteth her trust in thee  Last Rubrick  The Woman that comes to give Thanks must offer the accustomed Offerings This may seem too like a Jewish Purification rather than a Christian Thanksgiving The same Rubrick  And if there be a Communion it is convenient that she receive the Holy Communion We desire this may be interpreted of the duly qualified for a scandalous Sinner may come to make this Thanksgiving Thus have we in all humble pursuance of his Majesty's most gracious Endeavours for the publick weal of this Church drawn up our Thoughts and Desires in this weighty Affair which we humbly offer to his Majesty's Commissioners for their serious and grave Consideration wherein we have not the least thought of depraving or reproaching the Book of Common Prayer but a sincere desire to contribute our Endeavours towards the Healing the Distempers and as soon as may be reconciling the Minds of Brethren And inasmuch as his Majesty hath in his gracious Declaration and Commission mentioned new Forms to be made and suted to the several Parts of Worship We have made a considerable progress therein and shall by God's assistance offer them to the Reverend Commissioners with all convenient speed And if the Lord shall graciously please to give a Blessing to these our Endeavours we doubt not but the Peace of the Church will be thereby setled the Hearts of Ministers and People comforted and composed and the great Mercy of Unity and Stability to the immortal Honour of our most dear Soveraign bestowed
Lives zealously and constantly continue therein against all Opposition and promote the same according to our power against all Lets and Impediments whatsoever And that we are not able our selves to suppress or overcome we shall reveal and make known that it may be timely prevented or removed All which we shall do as in the sight of God And because these Kingdoms are guilty of many Sins and Provocations against God and his Son Iesus Christ as is too manifest by our present Distresses and Dangers the Fruits thereof We profess and declare before God and the World our unfeigned desire to be humbled for our own Sins and for the Sins of these Kingdoms especially that we have not as we ought valued the inestimable benefit of the Gospel that we have not laboured for the purity and power thereof and that we have not endeavoured to receive Christ in our hearts nor to walk worthy of him in our lives which are the Causes of other Sins and Transgressions so much abounding amongst us And our true and unfeigned purpose desire and endeavour for our selves and all others under our power and charge both in publick and in private in all Duties we owe to God and Man to amend our Lives and each one to go before another in the Example of a real Reformation That the Lord may turn away his Wrath and heavy Indignation and establish these Churches and Kingdoms in Truth and Peace And this Covenant we make in the presence of Almighty God the Searcher of all hearts with a true intention to perform the same as we shall answer at that great Day when the Secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed Most humbly beseeching the Lord to strengthen us by his Holy Spirit for this end and to bless our Desires and Proceedings with such Success as may be Deliverance and Safety to his People and encouragement to other Christian Churches groaning under or in danger of the Yoke of Antichristian Tyranny to ioyn in the same or like Association and Covenant to the Glory of God the Inlargement of the Kingdom of Iesus Christ and the Peace and Tranquility of Christian Kingdoms and Common-wealths The Oath and Declaration imposed upon the Lay-Conformists in the Corporation Act the Vestry Act c. are as followeth The Oath to be taken I. A. B. do declare and believe That it is not lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take up Arms against the King and that I do abhor that Traiterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those that are Commissioned by him So help me God The Declaration to be Subscribed I. A. B. do declare That I hold there lyes no Obligation upon me or any ot her Person from the Oath commonly called The Solemn League and Covenant and that the same was in it self an unlawful Oath and imposed upon the Subjects of this Realm against the known Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom All Vestry Men to make and Subscribe the Declaration following I. A. B. do declare That it is not lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King and that I do abhor that Traiterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those that are Commissioned by him And that I will Conform to the Liturgy of the Church of England as it is now by Law established And I do declare That I do hold there lyes no Obligation upon me or any other Person from the Oath commonly called The Solemn League and Covenant to indeavour any Change or Alteration of Government either in Church or State and that the same was in it self an unlawful Oath and imposed upon the Subjects of this Realm against the known Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom The Declaration thus Prefaced in the Act of Uniformity Every Minister after such reading thereof shall openly and publickly before the Congregation there assembled declare his unfeigned Assent and Consent to the use of all things in the said Book contained and prescribed in these words and no other I. A. B. do here declare my unfeigned Assent and Consent to all and every thing contained and prescribed in and by the Book Instituted The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church according to the use of the Church of England together with the Psalter or Psalms of David pointed as they are to be sung or said in Churches and the Forms or Manner of Making Ordaining and Consecrating of Bishops Priests and Deacons The Declaration to be Subscribed I. A. B. d◠declare That it is not lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King and that I abhor that Trayterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those that are Commissionated by him and that I will Conform to the Liturgy of the Church of England as it is now by Law established And I do declare that I do hold there lyes no Obligation upon me or any other Person from the Oath commonly called The Solemn League and Covenant to endeavour any Change or Alteration of Government either in Church or State and that the same was in it self a◠unlawful Oath and imposed upon the Subjects of this Realm against the known Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom The Oath of Canonical Obedience EGo A. B. Iuro quod praestabo Veram Canonicam Obedientiam Episcopo Londinens◠ejusque Successoribus in omnibus licitis honestis § 302. II. The Nonconformists who take not this Declaration Oath Subscription c. are of divers sorts some being further distant from Conformity than others some thinking that some of the forementioned things are lawful and some that none of them are lawful and all have not the same Reasons for their dissent But all are agreed that it is not lawful to do all that is required and therefore they are all cast out of the Exercise of the Sacred Ministry and forbidden to preach the Word of God § 303. The Reasons commonly given by them are either 1. Against the Imposing of the things forementioned or 2. Against the Using of them being imposed Those of the former sort were given into the King and Bishops before the Passing of the Act of Uniformity and are laid down in the beginning of this Book and the Opportunity being now past the Nonconformists now meddle not with that part of the Cause it having seemed good to their Superiours to go against their Reasons But this is worthy the noting by the way that all that I can speak with of the Conforming Party do now justifie only the Using and Obeying and not the Imposing of these things with the Penalty by which they are Imposed From whence it is evident that most of their own Party do now justifie our Cause which we maintained at the Savoy which was against this Imposition whilst it might have been prevented and for which such an intemperate Fury hath
pursued me to this very day 2. But it is the Reasons against our full Obedience to the Imposition of this Conformity which I am now to rehearse but I must desire the Reader to remember that my bare Recital is no sign of my Approbation of all that I recite though I be one of those that dare not Conform § 304. And first there are divers general Reasons which keep some of them more than others from Conformity and drive them further even from joyning with them in Liturgy or Sacrament 1. Some of them look upon the Principles and Lives of many of those who fall in with the establisht Church as furnishing them with a sufficient Plea against Conformity For say they it 's easie to observe how the Prophane and Vitious and Debaucht and Scandalous which makes up but too great a part of the Nation fall in with that Party in the Church that are for Prelacy and Liturgy c. and for oppressing those who differ in their Sentiments from them about these Matters Now how say they can we safely joyn in with that Body of Men that harbours so many open Enemies to all Religion as the prophane part of the Nation comprehends But some who are more considerate reply That this is no other than what is the usual Attendant of a National Establishment it being a common thing for all those in a State who are really of no Religion in appearance to fall in with that Mode of Religion that is favour'd by the Law and most encouraged by the Prince § 305. 2. The same Persons say That by Conforming they shall own and strengthen Usurpers who have made a New Office which Christ never made and to the great wrong of Christ and the peril of the Church have made themselves Lords of God's Heritage And as he that obeyeth the Pope's Law is guilty of his Usurpation so is he that obeyeth the Prelates Laws though the Matter commanded were lawful in it self But the moderater Nonconformists are not for this Reason because say they it is but Counsel as it cometh from the Convocation and it is the King and Parliament that make a Law of it whom we must obey in lawful things And they say further That we must not forbear a Duty for fear of Encouraging Men's Usurpations § 306. They say also 3. That these Impositions are done by the Prelates in meer design to root out godly Ministers and Christians And that when they feared that the old Conformity would not serve turn they have added such new Materials of set purpose which keep out a Thousand at least that would have yielded to the Old Conformity And what they aim at further when they have thus driven out all the able faithful Ministers God knoweth But if we set in with them and use the very means which they have â—â—bricated for this very end to destroy the Interest of Godliness though the Act commanded were indifferent we are made guilty of their Sin But the moderate Nonconformists say That such Reasons as these are good Seconds where the Matter is first proved evil but 1. That Mens Designs are lateâ—t in their hearts and the strongest Conjectures will not serve instead of Proof 2. If that it were known to any one of us not by the Evidence of the thing but by some other Discovery that a lawful thing is Commanded with a pernicious design that will not excuse us from our Obedience unless it be probable that the Church is like to be saved from ruine by our forbearance to obey And we may do the thing commanded without any participation of the Guilt of Mens private malicious Intentions § 307. 4. Also they say That we have Covenanted to endeavour a Reformation and had begun it and therefore shall be Covenant-breakers and Backsliders if we yield to any thing which was to be reformed But here the more moderate have many Distinctions between things unlawful and things only inconvenient and between those that have opportunity to do better and those that have not and between seldom Communion and most ordinary And they say that things unlawful must not be done whether we have covenanted against them or not But for things only inexpedient or evil by a superable Accident they become our Duties and no Covenant disobligeth us from our Duty and that the Covenant never was intended to oblige us to prefer no Worship before that which is defective but only to prefer that which is better before it And that it may be a duty to Communicate sometime with a very faulty Church in order to our Catholick Communion with the whole so be it our ordinary particular Communion be in the purest Church and Order caeteris paribus that we can have § 308. 5. And another Reason given is That the Aggravation of the Sin of these Imposers is very great that they have been Persecutors heretofore and seen and felt God's Judgments for it and have been convinced and intreated to return to Charity and yet they have with renewed Malice set themselves to the debauching of the Consciences of the Kingdom and to the extirpation of Natural Honesty and have branded all their Party with the Mark of Perjury Perfidiousness and Persecution while they brand the Consciencious with the Name of Puritans And therefore they are a Generation ready for perdition and certainly near some heavy Curse And for us to joyn with them that are in the way to Wrath is the way to be partakers of their Plagues But the moderate say to this 1. That the Extenuation as well as the Aggravation of their Sin must be considered And that it must be remembred that among the Nonconformists there is a Party of Sectaries that Rebelled against all the Governours that were over them and cut off the King's Head when they had conquered those that are now against them in the Field and sequestred their Estates And that such great Provocation may not only sublimate Malice where it findeth it but greatly exasperate even temperate Men. 2. That it 's true that we must partake with no Men in their Sin as ever we would escape their Plagues but when that which is the Imposers Sin is become the Subjects Duty God will not plague us with them for doing our Duties 3. That it is dangerous to presume to foreteâ— on whom God will bring his Judgments in this Life and to preâ—ume that we are safe and they are near perdition while all things come alike to all and the differencing Day of Judgment is not yet come Therefore it is dangerous on such Prophesies or Presumptions or Fears to go out of the way of any Duty or to avoid any lawful Communion with the Church § 309. 6. Again it is said That these Impositions being the Engines of Division in the Church as Mr. Hales himself affirmeth we shall be partakers of the Schisms if we use them But the moderate say That indeed if we partake in the Imposition we partake in the
those Vices which are the shame of Infidels and Heathens and those of our Communion are in their Lives no better than the Unbelieving World All Men will think that that is the best Society which hath the best People and will judge rather by Mens Lives than their Opinions § 345. 7. And hereby it greatly dishonoureth Christianity it self and when the Church is as full of Vices as the Mahomiran Societies are or the Heathen it is a publick perswading the World that our Religion is as false or bad as theirs § 346. 8. And hereby God himself and our blessed Redeemer are greatly dishonoured in the World As his Saints are his honour so when the Communion of Atheists and Prophane Persons and Oppressors and Deceivers and Fornicators and Drunkards is called by us The Communion of Saints it tendeth to make the Church a Scorn and to the great dishonour of the Head of such a Body and the Author of the Christian Faith § 347. 9. And it lamentably conduceth to the hardening of the Heathens and Infidels of the World and hindering their Conversion to the Christian Faith It would make a Believer's heart to bleed if any thing in all the World will do it to think that five parts in six of the World are still Heathens Mahometans and Infidels and that the wicked Lives of Christians with Popperies Ignorance and Divisions is the great Impediment to their Conversion To read and hear Travellers and Merchants tell that the Banians and other Heathens in Indostan Cambaia and many other Lands and the Mahometans adjoyning to the Greeks and the Abassines c. do commonly fly from Christianity as the Separatists among us do from Prelacy and say God will not save us if we be Christians for Christians are Drunkards and proud and Deceivers c. And that the Mahometans and many Heathens have more both of Devotion and Honesty than the common fort of Christians have that live among them O wretched Christians that are not content to damn themselves but thus lay stumbling blocks before the World It were better for these men that they had never been born But if all these notorious ones were disowned by the Churches it would quit our Profession much from the dishonour and shew poor Infidels that our Religion is good though their Lives be bad § 348. 10. Lastly it galleth the Consciences of the Ministers in their administrations of the Sacraments to the openly ungodly and grosly ignorant It hindereth the Comfort of the Church in its Communion It filleth the Heads of poor Christians with Scruples and their Hearts with Fears and is the great cause of unavoidable Separations among us and consequently of all the Censures on one side and wrathful Penalties on the other and uncharitableness on both sides which follow thereupon If the Pastors will not differ between the precious and the vile by necessary regular Discipline tender Christians will be tempted to difference by irregular Separations and to think as Cyprian saith That it belongeth to the People to forsake a sinful Pastor They will separate further than they ought and will take our Churches as Sinks of Pollution and fly from the noisomness of them and come out from among us for fear of partaking in our Plagues as men run out of a ruinous House lest it fall upon their Heads And then they will fall into Sects among themselves and fall under the hot displeasure of the Bishops and then they will be reproached and vexed as Schismaticks while they reproach our Churches as Hypocritical and Prophane that call such Societies the Communion of Saints This hath been and this is and this will be the Cause of Separations Sects Persecutions Malice and Ruins in the Christian World And it will never be cured till some tolerable Discipline cure the Churches § 349. 10. The tenth and last Charge against our Frame of Prelacy is That by is use of Civil or Coercive Power it at once breaketh the Command of Christ and greatly injureth the Civil Government Both which are thus proved by the Nonconformists § 350. 1. It violateth all these Laws of Christ Luke 22. 24 25. And there was a strife among them which of them should be accounted the greatest And he said unto them the Kings of the Gentles exercise Lordship over them and they that exercise Authority upon them are called Benefactors but ye shall not be so but he that is greatest among you let him be as the younger and he that is chief as he that doth serve That is it is a Ministerial Dignity and not a Magistratical which you are called to that which is allowed to Kings here is denied to Ministers even Apostles But it is not Tyranny or Abuse of Power but Secular Magistratical Power it self which is all owed to Kings Ergo it is this which is forbidden Ministers This is the very sence of the Text which is given by Protestant Episcopal Divines themselves when they reject the Presbyterians sence who say that it forbiddeth Ecclesiastical Superiority and Power of one Minister over another as well as Coercive Therefore the old Rhymer said against the Prelates Christus dixit quodam loco Vos non sic nec dixit joco Dixit suis Ergo isti Cujus sunt non certo Christi So 1. Pet. 5. 1 2 3. Feed the Flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly Not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind Neither as being Lords over God's heritage but being ensamples to the Flock But our Bishops take the oversight of those that are not among them and whom they feed not and they rule them by constraint and not as voluntary Subjects not by Ensample for one of an hundred never seeth or knoweth them but as Lords by Secular Force Dr. Hammond taketh the word Constraint here Actively not Passively not as forbidding them to Bishops against their own Wills but to Rule the People by constraint against the Peoples wills It would be tedious to recite all those Texts which command the People to imitate the Apostles as they imitated Christ who never used Magistratical force nor did any of his Apostles and say that the Weapons of our warfare are not carnals and that he that warreth entangleth not himself with the Affairs of this Life and that the Servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle c. § 351. 2. And that this Coercive Church Government is an heinous Injury to Christian Magistrates even where it seemeth to be subordinate to them appeareth thus 1. Though they do mostly confess that they can exercise no Power of Coercion of themselves but by the Magistrates consent yet do they take it to be the Magistrates duty to consent to it as if he were not else a tender Nursing Father to the Church and so they lay his Conscience in Prison till he trust them with his Sword or serve them by it 2. They call their Magistratical Government by the
in things of greatest moment to the Party 's good determineth that An impious hypocritical Protestant is worse than a sober godly Papist for such I doubt not but some be But he that is sound both in Judgment and in Life is better than either 2. In case it be very likely to prove some great Commodity to Church or State For so I doubt not but a Protestant Lady might marry a Papist Prince or other Person on whom the Publick Good doth eminently depend so be it 1. That she be stable and of good Understanding her self 2. And like to keep such Interest in him as may conduce to his own and the Publick Good 3. And in case she may not be as well disposed of to the Good of the Publick other ways When all these concur the probability of Publick Utility is so great that the Person I think may trust God to make up Personal Incommodities and preserve the Soul who aimeth at his Glory and keepeth in his way But small inconsiderable Probabilities are not enough to move one to hazard their Soul in so perillous a way 3. Besides these two Cases of real Necessity and Publick Utility I remember no Case at the present in which it is lawful for such a Protestant Lady to marry a Papist At least in the ordinary Case of Persons in this Land I take it to be undoubtedly sinful what hopes soever may be imagined of his Conversion My Reasons are these 1. A Husband is especially to be a Meet-helper in Matters of the greatest moment And this help is to be daily given in counselling in the things that concern Salvation instructing in the Scriptures exciting Grace subduing Sin and helping the Wife in the constant course of a Holy Life and in her preparation for Death and the Life to come And a humble Soul that is conscious of its own weakness will find the need of all this Help which how it can be expected from one who only promiseth not to disturb her in her Religion I cannot understand I should as soon advise her to take a Physician in her Sickness who only promimiseth not to meddle with her Health as a Husband who only promiseth not to meddle with her in Matters of Religion 2. A Husband who is no helper in Religion must needs be a hinderer For the very Diversions of the Mind from holy Things by constant talk of other Matters will be a very great Impediment And as not to go forward is to go backward so not to help is to hinder in one of so near relation How hard it is to keep up the Love of God and a Delight in Holiness and heavenly Desires and a fruitful Life even under the greatest Helps in the World much more among Hinderances and especially such as are in our Bosom and continually with us I need not tell a humble and self-knowing Christian. And of what Importance these things are I shall not declare till I am speaking to an Infidel or Impious Person 3. And as for the Conversion of another Marriage is none of the means that God hath commanded for that end that ever I could find Preaching or Conference with judicious Persons are the means of such Conversion And if it be a hopeful thing it may be tried and accomplished first There are enow of us who are ready to meet any Man of the Papal way and to evince the Errours of their Sect by the allowance of Authority If Reason or Scripture or the Church or Sense it self may be believed we shall quickly lay that before them that hath evidence enough to convince them But if none of this can do it before hand how can a Wife hope to do it she ought not to think a Husband so fond and weak as in the Matters of his Salvation to be led by his Affections to a Woman against his Reason his Party and his Education Or if she can do more than a Learned Man can do let her do it first and marry him after I had rather give my Money or my House and Land in Charity than to give my self in Charity meerly in hope to do good to another It is a Love of Friendship and Complacence and not a love of meer Benevolence which belongeth to this Relation Moreover Errour and Sin are deep rooted things and it is God only that can change such hearts and Women are weak and Men are the Rulers and therefore to marry if it were a vicious ungodly Protestant meerly in hope to change him is a Course which I think not meet here to name or aggravate as it deserveth 4. Yea she may justly fear rather to be changed by him For he hath the advantage in Authority Parts and Interest And we are naturally more prone to Evil than to Good It 's easier to infect twenty Men than to cure one And if he speak not to her against her Religion enow more will 5. Or if she be so happy as to escape Perversion there is little hope of her escaping a sad calamitous Life Partly by guilt and partly by her grief for a Husband's Soul and partly by Family-disorders and sins and also by daily temptations disappointments and want of those helps and comforts in the way to Heaven which her Weakness needeth and her Relation should afford So that if her Soul scape she must look that her great Affliction should be the means And yet we cannot so confidently expect from God that he sanctifie to us a self-chosen Affliction as another 6. Supposing him to be one that loveth her Person truly and not only her Estate for else she must expect to stand by as a contemned thing yet his Religion will not allow him otherwise to love her than as a Child of the Devil in a state of Damnation may be loved For their Religion teacheth them That none can be saved but the Subjects of the Pope If it be objected It seemeth it is no sin in that you can allow it in a Case of Necessity or for the notable benefit of the Church or State I answer It is no sin in those Cases but out of them it is It is no sin but my duty to lay down my Life for my King or Country but it followeth not that I may therefore do it without sufficient Cause So it is in this Case Having plainly given you my judgment in the proposed Case I leave it to that Noble Lord who sent for it to use it or conceal it or burn it as he please For it being not the Lady that sent to desire my Resolution but he my Answer is not hers but his that sent for it But I humbly crave that if she be at all acquainted with my Answer or any one else it may not be by report but by shewing it her entire as I have written it And as I doubt not but his Honour will find it self engaged to preserve me from the displeasure of such
be but the Justice's own Words or Assertion without proof Or if now dwelleth be taken laxly for a distant time then note that here is not any mention of Proof that there was any just or considerable distance between his Preaching and his dwelling here but he might go away the next hour after his Preaching notwithstanding any thing here mentioned For any Man that Preacheth is in the place where he Preacheth while he Preacheth and if he go away the next hour it must be considered in what time he can go five Miles But if now be taken for the Witnesses Words here is no intimation of the least distance And none can imagine that the Law meaneth that the Preacher shall be five Miles off the next Minute or Hour And indeed seeing no Man can tell how many hours must be allowed it is plain that the Act meaneth that the Person must be first legally Convict of Preaching in an unlawful Assembly and also of not having conformed or taken the Oath before the Oath is made of his not removing five Miles 3. This Act not at all enabling the Justices to take Oath about the Conventicles but only about not coming within five Miles and there being but one Deposition mentioned where he now dwelleth being a very part of that one Testimony if it be not the Justice's own Words it followeth that this Oath must be made before the Act against Conventicles was expired because no other Act enableth them to take such an Oath And then the now dwelleth will signifie long ago without any notified distance from his Preaching 4. If where he now dwelleth be part of the Deposition then so must the following Words not having taken and subscribed the Oath which Charity forbiddeth us to believe that they swore seeing I was never accused of it and it 's not possible that they or any Man living should know that I have not taken it heretofore 5. Here is no Oath that Richard Baxter Preached in a Conventicle before this Act which is to be proved as well as that he did it after The great difficulty in this Act is whether the general Words all such Persons as shall take on them to Preach be not to be taken as expounded in the Preamble limited to Non-conformists and the un-ordained as aforesaid And it 's plain that it 's not to be extended to Conformists 1. Because the Law doth not dishonour them so far as to suspect them of poisonous Principles 2. Else what ruin would it make in the Church when every Pastor must no more come within five Miles of his Charge no not the dignified Clergy if any Enemy shall secretly swear that they once preached in an unlawful Assembly 3. All the Conformable Clergy and their Council are of this mind For none of them take this Oath at the Sessions and therefore none of them think they are bound to take it Note it is to be taken unoffered and that on the Penalty of 40 l. if they come within five Miles of their Charge though they were never so willing to take it after Objection 1. The Conformists need it not because they keep no Conventicles Answ. 1. They are commanded many private Meetings as private Visitations of the Sick Baptisms Communions Perambulations in the Rogation-Week when they use in Houses by the way to spend the time in Pious Instructions Prayers c. And many of them repeat their Sermons in their Houses which is as much Preaching as any thing I have ever done 2. And there are few publick Assemblies where some-what is not done contrary to the Liturgy by Omissions c. 3. And every Man hath some Enemy who may Swear that these are unlawful Assemblies Obj. 2. The Conformists have already Subscribed Answ. 1. That proveth that this Act intendeth them not and therefore not me who Conform as far as any Law requireth me 2. It is one thing to say I am of Opinion and another thing to Swear that so it is 3. I may say that the Covenant bindeth me not to endeavour any Alteration of Church-Government easilier than Swear That I will never at any time endeavour it when we once already so far endeavoured it by Command 1660. as His Majesty's Gracious Declaration about Eccles. Affairs expresseth even while contrary Laws were in force § 125. While I stayed in Prison I saw some-what to blame my self for and some-what to wonder at others for and some-what to advise my Visitors about 1. I blamed my Self that I was no more sensible of the Spiritual part of my Affliction such as was the interruption of my Work and the poor People from whom I was removed and the advantage Satan had got against them and the loss of my own publick Liberty for worshipping in the Assemblies of his Servants 2. I marvelled at some who suffered no more than I as Mr. Rutherford when he was confined to Aberdeen that their Sufferings occasioned them so great Joys as they express which sure was from the Free Grace of God to encourage others by their Examples and not that their own Impatience made them need it much more than at other times For surely so small a Suffering needeth not a quarter of the Patience as many poor Nonconformable Ministers and Thousands others need that are at liberty whose own Houses through Poverty are made far worse to them than my Prison was to me 3. To my Visitors I found Reason 1. To intreat my Acton-Neighbours not to let their Passion against their Parson on my account hinder them from a due regard to his Doctrine nor from any of the Duty which they owed him 2. To blame some who aggravated my Sufferings and to tell them That I had no mind to fancy my self hurt before I felt it I used at home to confine my self voluntarily almost as much I had ten-fold more publick a Life here and converse with my Friends than I had at home If I had been to take Lodgings at London for six Months and had not known that this had been a Prison and had knock'd at the Door and ask'd for Rooms I should as soon have taken this which I was put into as most in Town save only for the Interruption of my sleep That it sheweth great weakness to magnifie a small Suffering and much worse to magnifie our selves and our own Patience for bearing so small a thing than which most poor Men in England bear more every Day I found Cause to desire my Brethren that when they suffered they would remember that the design of Satan was more against their Souls than their Bodies and that it was not the least of his hopes to destroy their Love which wâ—s due to those by whom they suffered and to dishonour Superiours and by aggravating our Sufferings to render them odious to the People As also to make us take such a poor Suffering as this for a sign of true Grace instead of Faith Hope Love Mortification and a Heavenly Mind and that
Constitutive Essential Part of the Kingdom But we are not willing accordingly to Swear Subscribe or Covenant to every petty Officer in the Kingdom nor to approve of every Law Custom or Exercise of Government in it tho we would live peaceably under what we approve not And if a Law were made that he shall be Banished as an Overthrower or Vnderminer of the Government who would not so Covenant or Subscribe Houses and Lands would be cheaper than they are and the King have fewer Subjects than he hath For I am not acquainted with one Conscionable Man that I think would Subscribe it And why should all the King's Subjects be bound more strictly to the Human Part of Church Government than of State or Civil Government and to approve of Lay-Chancellours than of Civil Officers Or of the matter of Canons than of Civil and Common and Statute Laws 3. If it be a Crime to know it is a Crime to Iudge or to use our Reason and Observation If it be not it is no Crime for us to know that Clergy-Pride imposing a multitude of things small and doubtful on the Churches as the Conditions of Ministry and Communion and forcing Magistrates Ministers and People to consent to many unnecessary things in their Humane part of Government Liturgies and Ceremonies hath been so great an Engin of Schism and Blood and Confusions in the Roman Church as assureth us that it is no desirable thing that by us any thing like it should be consented to 4. And it is no Crime in us to be sure that if Subscribing to all the present Church-Government Liturgy and Ceremonies be the thing that shall be necessary to our Ministry and Union and Communion our present Dissentions and Divisions will not be healed unless by Killing or Banishing the Dissenters and as Tertullian speaketh Making solitude and calling it Peace 1. Prop. His Majesty's Subjects Legal Commission any other of his Subjects Stic c Deleatur Answ. 1. We did not think that it had been your meaning that we must make our selves Judges of the Case not only of all his Majestie 's Subjects but of all others in the World If the Judges will give it us under their Hands that it is not lawful upon any pretence whatsoever for the Subjects of any Prince on Earth to take Arms against any King of England or any Commissioned by him or that it is not possible for any War against us in any Age on any pretense whatever to be Lawful or else that they are sure that all the Kingdoms on Earth are so Constituted as that no where any Subjects may on any pretence take Arms against their Kings we shall accordingly submit to their Judgment But seeing Papists and Protestants Lawyers and Divines even Monarchical and Conformable say the contrary it were not modesty in us that are ignorant of Matters of Law to say that they are all mistaken till we are instructed to know it to be so For our parts we must profess our selves not acquainted with the Constitution of every Kingdom in the World 2. If Legal must be obliterated we shall our selves quietly submit to the Exercise accordingly and suffer from any one that saith he is Commissioned to hurt us if it be required of us But we are not skill'd in Law and thefore cannot say that all others are bound to do the like To deal plainly seeing Legal must be obliterated we understand not what the word Commission meaneth Whether it must have the King 's Broad-seal or the Lesser-seal or his Name only Whether the Commission and Seal must be shewed to those that are not to resist or proved to be Currant and how But that which causeth us to forbear subscribing is 1. We have taken the Oath of Allegiance and think that the King's Subjects are bound to defend his Life Crown and Dignity And we fear left by this the Lord Chancellour if not others may have power at his Pleasure to Depose the King that is to Seal Commissions to Confederates to take Possession of all his Navy Forts Garrisons Arms if not his House and Person and no man must resist them 2. We are not certain that a Commission can Repeal all that Law of Nature who obligeth a Man to preserve the Life of his Parents or Children or Neighbour We have not indeed any reason to fear that our King should grant such a Commission But who can deny but that it 's possible for some King or other to do it And seeing we know not when a Commission is counterfeit if two or three men come to my House and say they have a Commission to Kill my Father Mother Wife and Children and my self and shew it or if they Assault me and my Company on the High-way and shew a Commission to take our Purses and Kill us we are not sure that God will excuse us from the Duty of defending the Lives of our Parents Children and Friends Or if half a dozen should come to the Parliament and shew a Commission presently to kill them all or Burn the City and Kill all the Citizens or Kingdom we are not wise enough to know that neither Parliament City nor Kingdom may resist them And we find Parliaments so conceited that they have Propriety in Life and Goods and that none may at pleasure take them away and lay Taxes without their consent and that we fear if we should plainly say that whatever Taxes are laid or Estates or Goods or Persons seiz'd on or Decrees of Judges rejected by such Execution it were unlawful for the Sheriff or any others to resist they would trouble us for so saying And if an Admiral General or Lieutenant should be made by Act of Parliament Durante Vita and Authorized to resist any that would dispossess him we are not so Wise as to know whether he may not resist one to whom the Chancellour Sealeth a Commission to dispossess him And though we are confident that the Person of the King is inviolable yet if King Iohn did deliver up his Kingdom to the Pope we are not sure that the Kingdom might not have resisted any of the Pope's or any Foreign Prince's Agents if they had been Commissioned by the King to seize upon the Kingdom Or that no Subjects of any Foreign Prince may be resisted if they should come against us by such a Commission Had we the Judgment of the Judges in this Case we should submit as far as any reason could require us But tho we justify not Barclay Grotius Bishop Bilson and others of the contrary mind we must confess our selves not wise enough to Condemn them 1. Prop. Nor by any other unlawful means to endeavour Reformation Stric d Deleatur Vnlawful Ans. 1. Here we may see how many minds the Conformists are of or how unjustly all that I have debated the Case of Subscription with do affirm That by not endeavouring any Alteration is meant only not endeavouring by unlawful meanst which is here contradicted by a
their Lawful Pastors to prevent all ill Effects 6. And for the Minister himself to repeat his Sermon or Catechize or Instruct his People that will come to him And is this the intolerable Evil worthy to be avoided at the rate of all our Calamities Are all our Divisions better than the enduring of this If any Limitations necessary had been omitted I might have expected to have found them named which I do not But 1. No Man's denial can make us ignorant of it that too great a Part of the People in most places know not what Baptism Christianity or the Catechism are and many hundred thousands cannot Read 2. And that few Ministers so personally instruct them as their need requireth nor can do for so many or by their Instruction they have not cured them 3. That to go to their Neighbours on the Lord's Day to hear again the Sermon which they had forgotten and to Praise God and hear the Scripture or a good Book that is Licens'd read hath done great good to many Souls 4. That otherwise such Ignorant Persons as we speak of except at Church-time cannot spend the Lord's Day to any Edification of themselves or Families 5. Men are not hinder'd from Feasting Drinking Playing together frequently and in greater Numbers Why then by Bishops from reading the Scripture or a Licens'd Book or Sermon 6. That God hath Commanded Provoke one another to Love and to good works And exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin Heb. 10. 24. and 3. 13. And Cornelius had his Friends with him in his House for God's Servics Acts 10. and Acts 12. 12. In Mary's House many were gathered together praying And we find not that even the Iews were ever forbidden it by the Pharisees themselves And he that seeth his Brother have bodily need and shutteth up the Bowels of his Compassion from him how dwelleth the Love of God in him And the need of Souls is more common and to be Compassionated Rules may Regulate Charity in both cases but may forbid it or the necessary Exercises of it in neither He shall Perish as guilty of Murder that lets the Poor Die for want of his Relief tho he be forbidden to relieve them unless when the hurt would be greater than the good Love and Mercy are too great duties for a Bishop to null or dispense with We put no private Man on Ministerial Actions but in his own place to shew mercy to Souls To say that on this pretence Schismatical Meetings will be held is no more to the people than to say that all Errours and Wickedness may be kept up by Pretences of Reason Truth Piety Scripture Honesty c. But we must not therefore say Away with Reason Truth c. But I hope God's Servants will Die rather than desert their Master's Work 4. Prop. 1. The greatest part of it once a Quarter of Reading the Liturgy by Lectures Strict i Why not all as well as the greatest part Why not always as well as once a Quarter Answ. 1. I know that here and there a word may be scrupled as the reading of Bell and the Dragon or such like which silently past by maketh no disturbance And I think the Scrupling of such a word deserveth not that all the Peoples Souls be Punished for it with the loss of all their Teachers Labours 2. I never hear one Conformist that saith it all And why may not one be forborn as well as another 3. All the Liturgy for the day will be work too long and great that weak Men that have no Curates cannot Read all and Preach or Catechize also If you say that Preaching and Catechizing then may be omitted I answer They are God's Ordinances and needful to Men's Souls And seeing Prayer and Preaching are both Duties proportion is to be observed that neither may be shut out If you account the Liturgy better than Preaching yet every parcel of it intirely is not sure of so great worth as to cast out Preaching for it Rich parsons that have Curates may between them do both but so cannot poor Countrey Ministers that are alone and are sickly And as to the Always 1. The Canon limiteth some but to once in half a year which is less 2. The Conformable City-Preachers that have Curates very rarely Read it 3. Else what should Men do with Curates if they must always Read themselves 4. A weak Man may do both once a Quarter that is not able to do it every day 4. Prop. 2. It is supposed it will be done Strict k Yes once a Quarter for you would have no Man obliged to do it oftner nor all of it then neither Answ. Read and believe as you can The words were If in the Congregation where he is Incumbent the greatest part of it appointed for that time be sometimes as once a Quarter used by himself and every Lord's-day ordinarily unless Sickness c. either by himself or by his Curate or Assistant Is every Lord's-day but once a Quarter Or can it be every day done and no one obliged to do it 4. Prop. 3. Let not Christian Parents be forbidden to dedicate their Children publickly c. Strict l Christian Parents are not forbidden to present their Children to be Baptized But the Church in favour to the Infants appoints others in case the Parents should die or neglect their duty to have a Paternal care of them in order to their Education for the performance of their Baptismal Covenant That which follows is not worth the Animadverting being nothing else but an Uncharitable and Scandalous Insinuation Ans. 1. Read and believe what is forbidden Then shall the Priest speak to the Godfathers and Godmothers on this wise Dearly Beloved This Infant must also faithfully promise by you that are his Sureties That he will renounce the Devil c. I demand therefore Dost thou in the name of this Child renounce c. The Godfathers and Godmothers must say I renounce them all Dost thou believe c. Answ. All this I stedfastly believe Quest. Wilt thou be Baptized in this Faith Answ. That is my desire Q. Wilt thou obediently keep c. Answ. I will They are after to Name the Child After the Priest shall say to the Godfathers and Godmothers For asmuch as this Child hath promised by you that are his Sureties to renounce to believe in God and to serve him It is your parts and duties to see that this Infant be taught so soon as he shall be able to learn what a Solemn Vow Promise and Profession he hath here made by you c. See the rest So that here All the Covenanting Action on the Infant 's part is made the proper work of his Sureties called Godfathers and Godmothers without one word of the Parents doing it or any part of it And then cometh the Canon and farther saith Can. 29. No Parent shall be urged to be present nor be
the Parish Churches through the greatness of some Parishes the lowness of the Minister's voices and the paucity of Churches since the burning of the City And they confess that the knowledge of the Gospel is ordinarily necessary to salvation and teaching and hearing necessary to knowledge and that to leave the people untaught especially where so many are speaking for Atheism Beastiality and Infidelity is to give them up to Damnation But yet they say that to do so is my duty because the Bishop is against my Preaching And I ought to rest satisfied that it is the Bishop and not not I that must answer for their Damnation Alas poor Souls Must they needs be damned by thousands without making any question of it as if all the question were who should answer for it I will not believe such cruel men I undertake to prove to them to them 1. That our English Species of Dioâ—â—san 〈◊〉 and Lay Choncellours power of the Keys is contrary to God's Word and destructive of true Discipline and of the Church form and Offices instituted by Christ. 2. That were the Offices Lawful the men have no true calling to it being not chosen or consented to by the Clergy or the People 3. That if their Calling were good they have no power to forbid the present Silenced Ministers to Preach the Gospel but thereby they serve Satan against Christ and Men's salvation Paul himself had his power to edification and not to destruction And Christ the Saviour of the World giveth his Ministers only a saving power and to none a power to samish and damn the people's Souls 4. That we are Dedicated as Ministers to the Sacred Office and it is Sacriledge in our selves or others to alienate us from it while we are not unfit or unable for it 5. That we are Charged as well as Timothy before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the Dead at his appearing that we Preach the Word and be in season and our ef season reprove rebuke exhort c. 6. That the Ancient Pastors for many Hundred years did Preach the Gospel against the Wills of their Lawful Princes both Heathens and Aâ—â—ians 7 That the Bishop hath no more power to forbid us to Preach than the King hath And these men confess that Ministers unjustly Silenced may Preach against the Will of Kings but not say they of Bishops 8. That were we Lay-men we might teach and exhort as Lay-men as Origen did though we might not do it as Pastors much more being Ordained the Ministers of Christ. And that now to us it is a work which both the Law of Nature and our Office or Vow do bind us to even a Moral Duty And that when Christ judgeth men for not Feeding Clothing Visiting his Members it will not excuse us to say that the Bishop forbad us That if King or Bishop forbid us to feed our Children or to save the lives of drowning or famishing men we must disobey them as being against a great command of God Love and the Works of Love being the great indispensable Duties And Souls being greater Objects of Charity than Bodies 9. That it was in a Case of Pharifaical Church Discipline when Christ avoided not converse with sinners when their good required it that Christ sent the Pharisees to learn what this meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice and at two several times repeateth the same words 10. That Order is for the thing Ordered and it's ends and a power of Ordering Preachers is not a power to depose necessary Preaching and famish Souls 11. And I shew them that I my self have the License of the Bishop of this Diocess as well as Episcopal Ordination and that my License is in force and not recalled 12. And that I have the King's License 13. And therefore after all this to obey these Silencers nay no Bishop doth forbid me otherwise than as his Vote is to the Acts of Parliament which is as Magistrates and to fulfill their will that will be content with nothing but our forsaking of poor Souls and ceasing to Preach Christ this were no better than to end my Life of Comfortable Labours in obeying the Devil the Enemy of Christ and Souls which God forbid § 272. Yet will not all this satisfie these men but they cry out as the Papists Schism Schism unless we will cease to Preach the Gospel And have little to say for all but that No society can be governed if the Rulers be not the Iudge Yet dare they not deny but a Iudgment of discerning duty from sin belongeth to all Subjects or else we are Brutes or must be Atheists Idolaters Blasphemers or what ever a Bishop shall command us But under the Censures of these unreasonable Men who take our greatest Duties for our heinous sin must we patiently serve our Lord But his approbation is our full reward § 273 On Iuly 5th 1674. at our Meeting over St. Iamses's Market-house God vouchsafed us a great Deliverance A main Beam before weakened by the weight of the People so cracked that three times they ran in terrour out of the room thinking it was falling But remembring the like at Dunstan's West I reproved their fear as causeless But the next day taking up the boards we found that two rends in the Beam were so great that it was a wonder of providence that the floor had not faln and the roof with it to the destruction of multitudes The Lord make us thankful § 274 A person unknown professing Infidelity but wâ—ether an Infidel or a jagling Papist I know not sent me a Manuscript called Examen 〈◊〉 charging Scripture with Immorality Falshoods and Contradictions from the beginning to the end and with seeming Seriousness and Respectfulness importâ—ned me to Answer him I was in so great pain and weakness and engaged in other work that I sent him word that I had not time or strength for so long a Work He selected about a Dozen Instances and desired my Answer to them I gave him an Answer to them and to some of his General accusations but told him That the rational Order to be followed by a Lover of Truth is first to consider of the proofs brought for Christianity before we come to the Objections aganst it And I proved to him that Christianity was proved true many years before any of the New Testament was Written and that so it may be still proved by one that doubted of some words of the Scripture and therefore the true order is to try the truth of the Christian Religion first and the perfect Verity of all the Scriptures afterwards And therefore Importuned him first to Answer my Book called The Reasons of the Christian Religion and then if I lived I would answer his Accusations But I could not at all prevail with him but he still insisted on my Answering of his Charge And half a year or more after he sent me a Reply to the Answer
perversi ordinatores nullis denuo ordinationibus intersunt and least you may reply that he speaks not this of all our present Bishops he immediately subjoins these Words Where then shall we have a Bishop to ordain of the old accused Tribe Is not this Christian Filial Duty of Presbyters toward the Bishops their Fathers Reply to Sect. 10. 1. For that Desire you again mention of Bishops in the Reformed Churches it is an unproved vain Assertion against full Evidence It is only of a few particular Persons in those Churches that you can prove it If so many Writings against Bishops and Constitutions and actual Practice will not prove them willing to be without them or at least not necessitated there is no Proof of any Man's Will or Necessity 2. What I said I must needs maintain till you say somewhat to change my Judgment I am past doubt it 's ill trusting the Betrayers and Destroyers of the Church with the Government of it And this I did prove and can with great Ease and Evidence prove it more fully 3. I pray you do not persuade Men that by the old accused Tribe I meant all the late English Bishops they were not all accused of destroying or betraying the Church that I ever heard of Where be the Articles that were put in against Usher Hall Davenant Potter Westfield Prideaux c. All those that I call the accused Tribe you may find Articles against in Parliament for their Devastations or Abuses Should the Arrians or other Heretick Bishops say to those that forsook them as you do of me is not this Christian Filial Duty of Presbyters towards the Bishops their Fathers There is no Duty to any Episcopal Father that will hold against God and his Church Take heed of making their Sins your own Except Sect. 11. And elsewhere by Irony he adds O what a rash thing it was to imprison though when he was imprisoned I believe it was by the Name of Dr. Wren or Bishop Wren for excommunicating depriving c. p. 51. and p. 68. To begin at home it is most certain according to many ancient Canons which are their Laws our English Bishops were incapable of ordaining for they lost their Authority by involving themselves in secular and publick Administrations Canon 80. Apostolig N B. That Canon is 30. beyond the Canons Apostolical for even the Papists themselves admit but of fifty genuine and he would eject all our Bishops by the 80th Canon Apostolical Lost their Authority also for neglect of instructing their Floâ—â— most or many of them and many more for non Residence c. Reply to Sect. 11. And why not Wren without any further Title as well as Calvin Luther Beza Zanchy Grotius c. 2. Let the indifferent Reader peruse all my words and blame me if he can What seems it so small a matter in your eyes to expel so many thousand Christian Families and silence and suspend and deprive so many able Ministers in so small a room and so short a time as that it is disobedience to our Fathers not to consent to their punishment It seems then these silly Lambs must be devoured not only without resistance but without complaint or accusing the Wolves because they say they were our Fathers God never set such Saturnine Fathers over his Church so as to authorize them in this or to prohibite a just remedy He never gave them power for Destruction but for Edification 3. What I said of our Bishops incapacity upon that reason was expresly ad hominem against mine own Judgement viz. upon supposition that those Canons are of such force as those imagine against whom I dispute 4. The Canon 80 Apost was also brought ad hominem for though it be confessed not of equal Antiquity with the rest yet for that Antiquity they have it is known how much use those men make of their supposed Authority But are there not enough others that may evince the point in hand besides that you may easily know it and in many Canons that null their Office who come in by the Magistracy Exception to Sect. 12. And whereas we are ready to make good against all the Papists in the world that our English Protestant Bishops had due Ordination in Queen Eliz. and King Edwards time by such who had been Ordained in King Henry the Eighths time Mr. Baxter tells us the Popish Bishops who Ordained in the days of Hen. 8. and many Ages before had no power of Ordination and this he speaks as his own judgment not only from the consequences of his Adversaries for he adds this I prove in that they received their Ordination from no other Bishops of the Province nor Metropolitan but only from the Pope singly yet this is all the Argument he hath to overthrow consequentially upon our objections the Ordination of those Protestant Bishops which himself acknowledges Learned Pious Reverend Men and all that Ordained or were Ordained in Hen. 8. 7. and many Ages before as he saith And indeed if his Discourse were of any force not only in our English Church but also in all the Churches of the West France Spain Polonia Swedland Denmark and throughout the Empire of Germany for these and those many Ages before which he speaks of and all this that our new Presbyterians of Enngland Volunteers in Ordaining and being Ordained without Bishops without pretence of necessity yea or difficulty or colour of difficulty except what themselves had created wherein they have as little Communion with the Protestants beyond seas as they have with the Episcopal Protestants of the true Reformed Church of England may be acknowledged good and lawful Presbyters and Pastors with power conjunctim divisim any one of them alone as Mr. Baxter thinks to Excommunicate and Absolve in foro Ecclesiastico Reply to Sect. 12. The word Due may signifie either such as is not null or else such as is fully regular or else such as they had Authority to perform who did ordain though they might have some Faults or Irregularities If you take it in the first Sense many will yield it who yet deny it in the last as supposing in some Cases Ordination Passive may be valid and so due in the Receiver when yet Ordination Active is without all just Authority in the Ordainer Though this may seem strange I am ready to give some Reasons for it It must be in the last Sense conjunct with the first that you must take the Word Due if you will speak to the point in Hand 2. I do expresly say there that it is according to the Doctrine of the Objectors consequentially that I affirm this not affirming or denying it to be mine own Judgment and to that end bring the Proof which is mentioned And yet you are pleased to affirm that I speak it as my own Judgment and not only from the Consequences of Adversaries Supposing your Grounds which I confidently deny that an uninterrupted Succession of due Authoritative Ordination
separare se debet nec se ad sacrilegi sacerdotis Sacraficia miscere 4. If the Case may be so plain who the Person is that God would have as that there is no room for a Controversy about it then it may possibly be determined by the meer Light of the Law without a Judge But the Case may be so plain Ergo The Antecedent is proved thus When these things following visibly concur then the case is so plain 1. When the Person is visibly qualified with Abilities and Piety and a Righteous Conversation to Men. 2. When he hath a Will to it 3. When he hath Opportunity as having Liberty from secular Power Proximity a known Language Vacancy from other Engagements and Employments of more necessity c. 4. When the Peoples Hearts are moved towards him 5. And when there is no Competitor or none who equalleth him or not so many but that all may be chosen when these concur there is no controversy who should be the Man if you say there may be many such and who knows then which to choose I Answer 1. Congregations should have many Pastors ordinarily 2. Providence answereth that Objection for me It is exceeding hard to find half enough that are competent God hath not given his Church more than they need but contrarily there is need of many more than he hath given It is therefore all Mens Duties that have Ability and Opportunity to be Preachers if they be not taken up with Employments of greater use to the Church as Secular Rulers often are but they must seek an orderly admission where it is possible and not be their own Judges of their fitness where there are other Judges of God's appointment Christ bids us to pray the Lord of the Harvest to send forth Labourers into the Harvest because the Harvest is great and the Labourers few It is visibly true in a great measure to this day what we must pray for that we must endeavour that the Labourers may in Number be proportioned to the Work and we are like to have use for that Prayer still 3. It is not always that there are too many so apparently fit And therefore at least when it is not so the determination of the Individual Person is easie 4. As the Bishops Determination of one among many is valid so is the Determination of others in case of Necessity The Law of Nature and well ordered Common-wealths doth require that every Ignorant Man that thinks himself Skilful should not play the Physician least he kill Men nor the School-master least he delude and corrupt them And therefore that there should be some able Men appointed to try and judge who are fit before they are admitted I think God's Law of Nature requireth this as evidently as the written Law requireth that none be Ministers without Ecclesiastical Ordination or Approbation and in case there be many of equal fitness all must be admitted except they be too many which is not seen there neither for Nature multiplieth not the most noble Parts as it doth the the Fingers or the Hairs c. And if there be too many the Judges must Determine who shall be the Man Yet the same Law of God in nature doth as evidently teach that if either the Tryers and Judges be all dead or gone or enviously resolve to approve of none but such as are Ignorant or Wicked that would Poyson and Kill the People it is Lawful and the indispensible Duty of such as are able to offer themselves for Practise to the People without the Judges Consent rather then the Pestilence should sweep them away for want of a Remedy And there hath scarce yet been sound such an Enemy to Mankind that would forbid such Men to save Mens Lives for want of Approbation Or if there were many at once in an Infected City that were thus able they would rather let all Practise that have opportunity or let the People go to whom they please then to forbid all under pretence of the difficulty of discerning the fittest As scarce any thing is more Inhumane against Nature then to prefer a Commission or other Formality or point of Order before Mens Lives and Common Good which is finis Reipublicae so it is yet more Inhumane as well as Unchristian and against the evident Law of Nature and the main scope of Christ's Merciful Doctrine and Example who often neglected Formalities to save Mens Lives and Souls though to the Displeasure of tâ—t is Pharises for a Man to prefer a Formality or point of Order before the Saving â—as Mens Souls and the publick Good and Safety of the Church but of this before 5. If in case of the want of a lawful Magistrate or of such as they may lawfully use for Judgments the People may determine of an individual Person whom God shall Authorize though Scripture Name no Individual of this Age then they may do so also in regard of the Ministry But the former is true Ergo 1. Else we should have no Magistrates in the World scarce but by violent instrusion which is worse than popular Election 2. 1 Cor. 6. 1 2 3 4 5. Paul would have the Corinthians to choose some of the Church of the Saints to judge between man and man concerning the things of this Life whereabout they were wont to go to Law before Heathen Judges This is plainly to the Office of a Magistrate at least quoad partem Iudicialem tho not quoad violentam executionem They were to choose a wise Man that should be able to judge between his Brethren verse 5. The consequence is grounded on this that the Scripture meddles no more with the Individuals for Magistracy then for Ministry nor gives ordinarily the power of choosing Soveraigns to the People in the Common-wealth then the Power of Ordaining Ministers to the People of a particular Church and the People may determine of one as well though not so easily as of the other but I spoke somewhat of this also before to another Point I have transgressed the limits of the part of a Respondent on this point 1. Because I know it is Light and not Formality of Proceeding that you expect though it be formality before Light and Safety that you plead for 2. Because I know that the whole stress of your Cause lyeth on this Point and I doubt not to say that if I answer you well in this one Argument which you make your Second I easily carry the whole Cause To what you add concerning Authority I confess that it is not the same thing with Fitness c. but I say it may be conveyed sine vicariis Episcopis 2. I deny that any Church-Guides are in point of Government vicarii Christi They are nearest it as Nuncii and so may Beseech and Require in Christ's Name and Stead but they are no more his vicarii then the Magistrate is of the Soveraign They are not Pro-reges nor do they represent his Person They have not
in Scripture than that Baptism was appointed for our Entrance upon our State of Disciples in general And Ergo if a Man may be a visible Disciple without it where it seemeth most necessary then much more may he be admitted into a particular Church afterward without it when at least it is no more necessary and indeed much less and not at all save only as universal Church-Member this is pre-requisite to particular The Ministers of Christ Baptized 2000 without asking the Consent of any particular Church 2. They that are under both a Precept making the use of instituted Ordinances their Duty and a Promise of Acceptance in the Performance must perform these Duties with belief of their Acceptance But such are these that you account unbaptized Ergo That they are under a Command is plain All the Precepts for Christian Communion and not forsaking the assembling of our selves and obeying those that rule over us c. are made to the whole visible Church that hath Opportunity for such Communion you will not think that our Sin as you take it can except us from an Obligation to Duty But all the Question is whether such Duty will be accepted if performed by the unbaptized as you now suppose them and this you grant professing your self that you are out of doubt that we are very well accepted of God and you think that it is accounted for Baptism to us And if you yield both that we are bound to the Duty and shall have Acceptance in particular Church Communion what is it then besides the regularity that you deny Do you not grant the Cause in Hand And we have many Promises of Acceptance of Believers in their sincere Endeavours and all things are pure to the Pure And if involuntary unavoidable Mistakes shall hinder our Acceptance when we are sincere then we can never be sure that we are accepted 3. It is but visibility that is requisite in a Church or Member to make them capable of our Communion If it be a Communion of Christians as Christians or Saints as Saints that particular Churches are to hold withal that consent and are Members of their Churches then Christianity or visible Sanctity in such Consenters is all that is of Necessity to such Communion But the Antecedent is plain As it is as Christians that we must inwardly love one another so it is as Christians that we must manifest that Love in holy Communion Communion is the Demonstration of Love and all Men must know us to be Christ's Disciples by our loving one another and therefore if any Man be but a visible Christian it 's plain that he 's capable of your Communion if he cohabits and consent else it were not formalitur a Communion of Saints or Christians but of something else Now you confess that Men are visible Christians that are to you unbaptized 4. There is no such thing as a universal visible Church that is not to use Eucharistical Communion nor any parts of it that have opportunity Your similitude of Corporations in a Republick holds in some things but hath this dissimilitude that all Christ's Republick should consist of such Corporations except a Person that is a Merchant Traveller Embassador or by some extraordinary Necessity is denied Opportunity which Rarities are not here of Consideration And whereas in Republicks it may be as commodious for rural Villages to be not incorporate as for Cities to be incorporate and their Priviledges in their Nation may be as great and they are not obliged to incorporate none of this is so in our Case But every visible Christian not hindered by Necessity is bound to incorporate and charged not to forsake the Assemblies but all to join and speak the same things and Glorify God with one Mouth c. And he that is not a visible Christian hath no visible Right to our Christian Communion And he that is a visible Christian and depriveth himself of this Communion sinneth and wrongeth his own Soul and as it were out-laws himself and is not as you suppose in your Comparison of the not-incorporate But though in some Cases such may be saved as deny instituted Communion and Worship or neglect it yet they do so far put themselves into the State of those without 5. Your Opinion sets up a new kind of Church or Christian Assemblies and Communion of such as may only hear and Pray and not have Eucharistical Communion and be under Church-Guidance Shew us any such in Scripture if you can 6. Heathens or Infidels are called to a natural Worship of God Ergo visible Christians are called to more 7. Faith it self hath its Office formally by Institution though its aptitude thereto be in the Nature of the thing And if the Gospel it self be supernatural and our Christianity and Faith an instituted thing as well as Sacrament and Governors and so the universal visible Church an Institution as well as a particular then certainly want of Baptism will no more keep a visible Christian out of the particular instituted Church than out of the universal because as to the Point of Institution there is no such Reason as can make a Difference 8. The great and excellent part of Church Communion is that which you call natural Worship as performed by Believers in the loving God in Christ and admiring and magnifying his Love in the Riches of the Grace of Redemption and seeking with all Saints to comprehend it hearing his Counsels and Commands praying for his Grace and Glory and praising and magnifying him in Faith and Hope and Love with our Eye upon the second Coming of our Lord. And that which you call Instituted Order and Worship is but the means to this and without this but a Shell It is subservient to it And therefore 1. They that are capable of the greater are capable of the less Heathens are bound to meer natural Worship and their Hearing and Praying is another thing and Obligation and Capacity differ 2. They that must do the work must do it in God's way and by his means The great internal Worship is as the Soul and the external as the Body which are to be distinguished but not separated Must one sort of Christians have the Soul of holy Communion without the Body and carry the Knife naked while you deny them the Sheath 9. If a Member of the Universal visible Church as such is pro tempore to be admitted to Communion in all Ordinances with any particular Church where they come then these that you acknowledge such visible Members must by you be so admitted and so are capable of Communion in instituted Ordinances but the Antecedent is true beyond Dispute None of the Apostles were Members of particular Churches but were as Itinerants to do their work in many Countries so was it with abundance of Itinerant Preachers of those times called their Companions and Fellow Labourers and Helpers as Barnabas Luke Mark Silus Timothy Titus Epaphroditus Apollos c. When Paul came