Children of God Ch. 3.26 27. or by way of distinction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sons of God under great external priviledges of Christian freedom and also inwardly Sons and Heirs of life if they live as becometh the profession of Christianity whilst they who were under the Law were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Children under age being in bondage under the Elements of the World Gal. 4.1 3. And since all those who by Baptism do enter upon Christianity are entituled Sons of God which Sonship proceedeth not from their natural Generation but from their entrance into the Covenant of God persons baptized may according to the same sense be hence called regenerate and born again and such expressions also are sufficiently allowed and defended from the Scripture speaking of being born again of Water and of the Spirit Joh. 3.5 and calling Baptism the washing of regeneration Tit. 3.5 9. 4. Concerning baptized persons being called Heirs of Everlasting Salvation we may observe that those Members of the Church visible who shall be cast into outer darkness are yet called Children of the Kingdom Mat. 8.12 And they may well be called Heirs to whom the promise referring to the inheritance is confirmed and who are by Baptism received under the Seal of the Covenant of Grace which alone giveth right of inheriting Gal. 4.30 On this account the Gentile Church and every Member embracing the Christian Faith are called Fellow-Heirs and Members of the same body Eph. 3.6 they also being now by the Gospel grace received to be the Children of the Covenant And S. Peter exhorteth Husbands and Wives embracing Christianity to mind their duties as being Heirs together of the grace of life 1 Pet. 3.7 And when S. Paul exhorteth the Thessalonians to walk worthy of him who hath called them unto his Kingdom and Glory it is manifest that he speaketh to them all and even to them who were most negligent of the Christian life to whom such titles of dignity do belong from their Christian profession and being under the Gospel Grace though the inward priviledges exhibited under those Titles are only the portion of those who do perform the Conditions of the Gospel Covenant And upon the same account that baptized persons may be called the Sons of God they may be also thence concluded Heirs of Salvation 10. 5. On the same manner may Christians by Baptism be acknowledged to be regenerated by the Holy Ghost because the entrance into the body of Christ by Baptism is a priviledge obtained by the Grace of God or by the Holy Spirit For in Baptism the Minister acteth in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost and therefore as Calvin asserteth Baptism is to be received as from the hand of God Baptismus accipiendus est quasi ex manu Dei Wherefore in like manner as Baptism which is performed in the name of the Holy Ghost hath been shewed to regenerate persons may be properly said to be therein regenerated by the Holy Spirit to which agreeth that Phrase of being born of Water and of the Spirit Joh. 3.5 And as all gifts and diversities of operations in the Christian Church are derived from the Holy Spirit 1 Cor. 12.4 11. So particularly this gift or priviledge of being baptized and received into Membership with the body of Christ is acknowledged by the Apostle to flow from the holy Spirit unto whom all benefits of Divine Grace and favour are ascribed For the Apostle saith concerning every visible member of the Church of Corinth as is manifest from the design of that Chapter 1 Cor. 12.13 By one Spirit we are all baptized into one body to which place Zanchy referring saith Vi Spiritus Sancti baptizamur c. De Trib. Eloh Par. 1. l. 7. c. 5. Sect. 6. By the power of the Holy Ghost we are baptized of the Father into one body of Christ and thereby regenerated as well by the Spirit as by the Father and the Son And again Haec regeneratio seu insitio in Christum fit à patre sed per Spiritum Sanctum And this is agreeable to our Book of Articles Artic. 27. expressing that in Baptism the promise of forgiveness of sins and of adoption to be the Sons of God by the Holy Ghost are visibly signed and sealed 11. Besides these expressions the Scriptures speak of persons baptized being buried with Christ Col. 2.12 and being dead unto sin and buried with Christ by Baptism unto death and being planted together in the likeness of his death Rom. 6.2 4 5. And as Zanchy at large observed Tom. 7. de Persever c. 2. p. 118. 137 138. Notanda est Scripturarum consuetudo c. The usual way of the Scriptures is to be observed they call as many as give up their names to Christ and are baptized into his name persons justified sanctified and the Sons of God And in another place he saith All who are baptized are sealed unto Christ Tom 8. de Relig. Christ Fides De. Baptismo Sect. 1. as being now incorporated into him by the Holy Ghost that they may not be under their own power but under his by whom they are said to be taken into the fellowship of his Covenant and to be made one body with him and all Saints and to be partakers of all spiritual and heavenly good And in his next Paragraph he saith All who are baptized tales esse fieri Sacramentaliter vere dicuntur Sect. 2. are sacramentally and truly said to be such and to be made such 12. But it may be said that according to this sense these expressions of being regenerated born again members of Christ c. have but a low signification not suitable to the excellency and dignity of those names Ans 1. These expressions even as they are used at the Baptism of the adult do enclude a considerable hope and evidence of true spiritual Communion and Membership with Christ and of inward regeneration and a right to Eternal Life which are benefits certainly attained in Baptism by persons duly qualified for the receiving them 2. They declare the very high priviledge of the Christian calling the entrance into which is the way to the Communion with Christ and to the highest enjoyment of the priviledges of the Children and Heirs of God which those persons do enjoy who do neglect the Christian life And the Scriptures usually mention those who are under the tenders of Salvation by terms of great priviledge and dignity not to make them secure in the disregarding true piety but partly to amplify and exalt the Gospel grace and goodness of God whereby so great benefits are set before us partly to manifest our great engagements to exemplary Piety and Obedience from so great encouragements partly to testifie that if we perish by willful neglect of God and disobedience to the Gospel this will be to fall into dreadful misery out of that state which encluded excellent means and great opportunities of obtaining Eternal
speak or declare they believe are baptized alio protestante with another persons making the profession on their behalf and this usage hath been also embraced by divers Protestant Churches Rat. Discip c. 3. Sect. 2. herein following the Bohemian which was the first reformed 5. That the true intent and benefit hereof may be understood we must consider 1. That every person baptized thereby undertaketh to renounce the Devil to embrace the Christian Faith and to become the Servant of God and Disciple of Jesus Christ This is evident from that Command of Christ mat 28.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make them Disciples by baptizing them and from the form of of Baptism in or into the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost and from such expressions as these concerning them who have undertaken Baptism That they are dead unto sin so as that they should not live any longer therein that they are baptized into Christ and into the likeness of his death and that they have put on Christ 2. That Infants are capable of being engaged to God and may stand obliged to believe in God and serve him and to reject the ways of sin and wickedness This is manifest from the Circumcision of Children under the Law and from their little ones entring into Covenant with God Deut. 29.11 12 c. and is encluded in the Baptism of Infants which is a dedicating them unto God and layeth an obligation upon them to entertain and persevere in the Christian Life and Faith whether they have any Sureties or no and he that owneth not this obligation from his Baptism doth go far toward the renouncing of Christianity 3. That when the Sureties answer in the Childs name I believe I renounce c. this is a more solemn representation or declaration of what the Child undertaken by his Baptism and hereby as the Master of the sentences determineth Sent. l. 4. Dist 6. g. parvulus hac sponsione tenebitur non sponsor the Child and not the surety standeth bound by this engagement only the Surety is obliged to be careful of admonishing him This explicite Declaration of what the baptized Infant undertaketh is fitly used in Baptism conformably to Antiquity because it tendeth to express clearly a considerable part of the design and end of Christian Baptism and to put all other baptized persons in mind of their engagement that they may live answerably thereto And the matter of this baptismal vow being expressed in the publick Congregation in the Childs name where all who are present may bear witness thereto may be a considerable argument to be urged upon him when he cometh to Age to induce him to the greater diligence in the Christian life And these words of the Sureties I believe c. are not directly words of promise of what they undertake shall be performed but words expressing contract and engagement in the baptismal vow and declaring in what profession and practice this Infant by his Baptism standeth obliged to live and die 6. There is a further advantage by the the use of sureties in that they are as is expressed in the exhortation to them to see that the Child be taught what a solemn vow promise and profession he made in Baptism that he be vertuously brought up And that he be instructed in those points of Christianity which a Christian ought to know and believe to his Souls health and to call upon him to hear Sermons All this which is in our Church required may well be performed by the Surety and imposeth no heavy burden upon him and besides the Parents care which may hereby be quickned it may be of great advantage to the Religious life of the Child The ancient Church either did require more than this from the Sureties Tert. de bapt c. 18. Dionys ubi supra De Cons Dist 4. Vos ante omnia touching their particular ordinary care of the Childs Education or else their sense was over-severely expressed by several particular Writers as Tertullian the Author de Ecclesiastica Hierarchia and some others 7. Having thus far discoursed of the use of Sureties and the intent of the Interrogatories referring to the baptismal engagement it may be further observed that when they are asked Wilt thou be baptized into this Faith and they answer in the Childs name That is my desire the plain meaning thereof is to express that the intent of the Childs being present is to receive Baptism which upon its account and in its right and name they desire for it And when in the Catechism there are these Questions and Answers Q. What is required of persons to be baptized A. Repentance whereby they forsake sin and Faith whereby they stedfastly believe the promises of God made to them in that Sacrament Q. Why then are Infants baptized when by reason of their tender age they cannot perform them A. Because they promise them both by their Sureties which promise when they come to age themselves are bound to perform the sense of the former answer is that he who cometh to Christian Baptism is not left at liberty to lead a loose life but he ought to practise faith and repentance as a previous qualification unto Baptism in the adult and as a consequent duty upon Baptism both in them who are baptized in their Infancy and at riper years And the sense of the latter Question and Answer is That though Infants be not capable of the particular acts of faith and repentance in their present state yet by those expressions of contract whereby their Sureties in their name only declare what their Baptism obligeth them unto it is manifested that they do undertake faith and repentance as much as is possible for the infant state and do stand engaged from their Baptism more particularly to act Faith and Repentance when they come to Age. 8. Another expression in the baptismal Office hath been misunderstood viz. Who by the Baptism of thy wel-beloved Son Jesus Christ didst sanctifie water to the mystical washing away of sin Now we may well say that water is sanctified for Baptism when by divine authority water is selected from all other things and determined to be the proper matter or outward Element of Baptism and that is sanctified which is set apart or determined to such a sacred use to which other common things are not admitted And Christs Commission to his Disciples to baptize all Nations in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost is an Authoritative determination of the form of Baptism or the Sacramental words and of the extent of its use And both from thence and from our Saviours passion doth it receive an efficacious vertue But water was the matter of Christian Baptism for the remission of sins and admission into the number of Christs Disciples before either that Commission or our Saviours Passion And as water was appointed for the Disciples of John by Gods commanding him to baptize with Water so that
their superiours who are over them in the Church in the things they command or the truths they recommend rather than by the opinions of any other persons whomsoever 1. Because God hath appointed them to be teachers leaders and guides to us and therefore it is against the duty of our relation to them and of the due submission we owe to them and inconsistent with the duty of honouring our Rulers to censure their appointments or instructions as evil meerly upon the credit of any other persons contrary opinion 2. Because they who disobey the Constitutions of their Superiours only out of respect to the contrary judgment of any other persons do not disobey out of Conscience but out of prejudice and disaffection because no principle of Conscience can ordinarily bind men who are not able to judge fully of the Case to conclude their superiours or Ecclesiastical Governours to be in the wrong and those who oppose them to be in the right and Gods command to obey them who have the rule over us cannot safely be overlooked out of respect to mens own prejudices and disaffections Disp of Cerem c. 15. Sect. 3. In this case it was well declared by Mr. Baxter that the duty of obeying being certain and the sinfulness of the thing commanded being uncertain and only suspected we must go on the surer side with much more to the same purpose Now the observing these rules abovementioned See Dr. Ferne's Considerations of concernment c. 1. will both preserve the true freedom of judgment and Conscience which when it proceedeth upon unerring evidence is to be preferred before any humane authority and it will also provide for the establishing of Truth Vnity and Peace in the Church and will be the best security to the Souls and Consciences of men because they who hold fast the Fundamentals of Christian Faith and Life though in matters of a lesser nature they should mistake where they sincerely design to practise their duty so far as they can understand of themselves or are instructed by their teachers without any willing neglect of duty towards God or Man such mistakes or errors are not destructive to Salvation 12. Indeed S. Paul telleth his Romans Rom. 14.23 that he that doubteth is domned or condemned which some expound self condemned if he eat and that whatsoever is not of Faith is sin But as the Rules above-expressed are means for the satisfying doubts so this Apostolical Rule requiring a full and well satisfied perswasion of a mans own judgment and knowledge in what he acteth must be applyed to the special case intended which is this That wheresoever the omitting any action is certainly free from sin and the practice of it appeareth to any person doubtful there to do that action is a very dangerous and evil practice because it containeth in it a chusing to run the hazard of sin which choice is always a sin in such a Case the Apostle alloweth no man to engage upon any such action until he be certainly perswaded by an undoubting knowledge of the lawfulness thereof And the same rule must take place when the practice of any thing is manifestly lawful and the omission doubtful But the Case is very much different when both acting and forhearing may be doubted of where the one of them is a duty and it is impossible that both should be forborn and such to some persons is the question above-mentioned concerning Infant Baptism obedience to Rulers c. Nor doth the Apostle in this place design in general that no Servant Child or Subject may eat any thing observe any time religiously obey any command or perform any other action till he hath obtained so much knowledge as to discern by an undoubting judgment how these actions in their particular circumstances are allowable by the rules of Christianity for then the ignorant person should be directed till he becometh knowing to be idle and do nothing and to be disobedient and under no command but would scarce be allowed to live so long as to obtain knowledge But God having commanded Superiours to rule and Inferiours to obey to suspend all action here is to perform an inward moral action of choice about a matter of duty which if it be not regularly managed is a sin And in this case so far as concerneth the obedience of a Child Servant or Subject they ought to account their superiours command to lay such an obligation upon them to duty that they must be guided thereby unless they be able to prove themselves bound to act the contrary 13. Assert 4. It is neither necessary nor possible that Ecclesiastical Constitutions should not be liable to be scrupled or suspected where those suspicions and scruples are admitted without sufficient evidence of evil in the things themselves Mr. H. Tract of Schism I know that some have asserted that the Church and its Officers are guilty of Schism if they appoint any thing not necessary or indifferent which is by others suspected But that things in themselves lawful and expedient may lawfully be commanded though they be groundlesly suspected or scrupled appeareth I. Because otherwise all rules of Ecclesiastical order would be unlawful where people are needlesly suspitious and scrupulous and a great part of the authority of Princes Parents and Masters would be abridged if it must be limited by all the unnecessary suspitions of inferiours 14. Arg. 2. From the Apostolical practice When S. Paul had directed his Corinthians that the men should pray uncovered and the women covered adding 1 Cor. 11.16 that if any man will be contentious we have no such Custom nor the Churches of God he doth plainly enough express that what is duly and orderly established in the Church must take place notwithstanding contentions and oppositions And when the Apostolical Synod required the Gentiles to abstain from bloud and things strangled even that constitution might have been scrupled and opposed especially considering that many Primitive Christians were not presently satisfied by the Declaration of the Apostles concerning Christian liberty as is manifest from Rom. 14.2 14 20. Had not Christians then been of another temper than many now are and made up more of Vnity humility meekness and peace than of heats parties and controversies they might have objected that this was an encroachment upon Christian liberty whereby they were free from the whole Yoke of Mosaical Ceremonies that it might seem to countenance the distinction of things clean and unclean and to give occasion to the Gentile Christians to Judaize as the Galatians did It might also have been said that that Decree had an appearance of establishing Christianity upon Judaism because the Jews had a sort of Proselytes called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Proselytes of converse Gemar Sanhedr c. 7. Sect. 5. Cocceius ibidem Buxt Lexic Rab. in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who were not circumcised but only enjoined to observe the seven Precepts of the Sons of Noah to whom bloud was prohibited And
account also apparently hindred because these discords do oft divert many Ministers from the more directly profitable parts of their employment and make it necessary for them to spend much time in satisfying these scruples and answering objections with thoughtfullness of the ill consequents of these dissentions while they have other work enough to do in the worship of God the edifying his Church and the opposing other designs of those Enemies who seek to undermine it This is like the discovery of a fire breaking forth or inward mutinies appearing at that time when there is much necessary work to be done at home and many conflicts to be prepared for both at home and abroad which must needs put some considerable obstructions to those proceedings SECT III. Of the dangerous loss of the Churches Peace and Unity by this controversie and of the sin of Schism 1. That upon matters referring to this controversie the Peace and Concord of our Church doth much depend and that it is and hath been thereby evidently and extreamly hindred is so apparently visible that it needeth no proof and hath been on all hands generally confessed and complained of Now though it be every Christians duty to reject that Peace which is inconsistent with Piety yet there can be no discharge given to these great duties of Peace and Vnity where they may be practised consistently with godliness and truth To be truly Religious is to enjoy a healthful state of a sound mind where there is no lethargick stupidness but an inward and vigorous life which is not attended with distempered heats and inflammations but with a calm and sedate composure of a sober spirit for the fruits of righteousness are sown in peace Jam. 3.18 2. This duty is so considerable that the Holy Ghost seemeth scarce in any thing else so pathetically to command and urge our practical obedience as about the Churches Peace and Christian Vnity If there be any consolation in Christ Phil. 2.1 2. saith the Apostle if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfil ye my joy that ye be like minded being of one accord and of one mind Yea so generally is this duty pressed that there is scarce any Book of the holy Scripture chiefly of the new Testament but doth particularly enjoin or recommend it 3. If we value the favour and presence of God even that is no where so much to be found as where Christian Peace and Unity are most pursued Wherefore St. Paul commandeth 2 Cor. 13.11 Be of one mind live in peace and the God of love and peace shall be with you And the same Apostle declareth that the Church becometh an Holy Temple Eph. 2.21 22. and an habitation of God by being a building joined and united in Christ and fitly framed together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and some have not amiss observed that in the framing of that Greek word there is contained a treble band of Unity The Jewish Doctors observed that the Shecinah or Divine presence did dwell with the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the meek and quiet spirits but flyeth from the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 them who were wrathful and angry Nazianz. Orat. 12. Nazianzen maketh it a considerable Character of one who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 near of God and to what is Divine that he is a man who embraceth peace and hateth discord Ign. Ep. ad Eph. p. 20. 25. Edit Voll and Ignatius expresseth the great profitableness of being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in unspoted Vnity that thereby they may always have Communion with God and prevail against the power of the Devil 4. If the true exercise of the Christian life and duty be considered St. Paul declareth the divisions and discords of the Church of Corinth to be an evidence that they were carnal 1 Cor. 3.3 and to be the cause why their assembling to the Lords Supper was not advantageous but hurtful to them Ch. 11.17 18. and that the benefits of true Christian growth and encrease are to be expected in Christian Vnity Cyp. de Vnit Eccl. Eph. 4.16 Ch. 2.21 Col. 2.19 And in those words of our departing Saviour Hil. in Ps 119. Joh. 14.27 Peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you the ancient Fathers have conceived the great blessing of peace given by Christ to his Church and the duty of peace required in it to be chiefly contained Basil Mor. Reg. 50. Amb. de Joseph c. 13. To this sense St. Cyprian Hilary Basil Ambrose Chrysostome and Theophylact expound that place some of them including also the tranquillity of the Christian mind and the perfect peace of the life to come And from that Text St. Augustine concludeth Serm. 59. de Verb. Dom. that he cannot come to Gods inheritance who doth not observe Christs Testament and he can have no concord with Christ who will be at discord with a Christian 5. That the want of peace becometh the decay of piety may be also sufficiently confirmed by particular instances Ep. ad Cor. p. 3. Clemens observed concerning the Corinthian Church that while they enjoyed peace they had an unsatiable desire to do good and received a plentiful effusion of the holy Spirit they were religious in their supplications to God and harmless towards one another but upon their discord righteousness and peace was banished far from them they all who embraced divisions forsook the fear of God P. 5. and became dark sighted in the Faith and walked after evil affections And Nazianzen took notice that Religion had one flourished in the Church and calculating the season when its decay began Naz. Orat. 21. he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that from the time this contradicting spirit as a terrible Disease infected the Church thence forward its beauty and glory did decline And there is another Country not unknown to us where like effects may be observed and after peace was lost injustice and unrighteousness like a mighty torrent did at once bear down all before it heretical blasphemies were frequently belched forth against all the fundamental Articles of the Christian Faith and all manner of vile affections were professedly served under the ranting and other names of pretendedly Religious Sects 6. Upon this account Christian peace was deservedly esteemed and honoured in the Primitive Church to which purpose the judgment and practice of that excellent spirited man Gr. Nazianzen is above other worthy our observation He disswadeth from that peace which is evil and sinful Orat. 12. but by no means alloweth any discharge to this great duty in other cases and declareth that his little Church where he was Bishop before he went to Constantinople continuing in Unity and concord when discord and much overspread the Christian World was reputed to be as the Ark of Noah which alone escaped the universal deluge and where Religion was intirely preserved Ruff. Prol. in Naz. Orat
execution of discipline which I have in the former Section noted to be hindred in the effects thereof and not helped by divisions and separations is desireable and would be advantageous to the Church Yet here we must observe 1. That some mens rigour would make the rules of Communion overstrict and severe which was the ground of the Schism of the Novatians and Donatists and as some have anciently related of the Meletians also and it is not desireable that the Churches authority should be acted by such heats 2. That real defects in this particular though they are not to be approved of are no sufficient ground for separation since such blemishes were mixed with the beauty of the Apostolical Churches themselves as is manifest from almost all the Apostolical Epistles and particularly from the first Epistle to the Corinthians in which divers miscarriages were taxed and yet unity was strictly commanded and dividing severely rebuked Yea this very discourse at sometimes will not owne P. 126. that this thing solely of it self is sufficient to justifie a separation and the Congregational Churches in England in the Declaration of their Faith and order affirmed Of Institution and Order of Churches Sect. 21. the Church-members upon offences taken by them having performed their duty private admonition and relating it to the Church ought not to disturb any Church-order or absent themselves from the publick assemblies or the administration of any ordinances upon that pretence but to wait upon Christ in the further proceeding of the Church 19. Last Plea Another thing only touched in that discourse but which is the main ground of mis-apprehensin is that there is saith he no Evangelical obligation to local or external Comunion P. 256 257. with any particular or parochial Church of this Nation because every man may relinquish it by removing his habitation which plea floweth from want of a right sense of the Church Catholick For every Christians obligation to keep Communion with the Church is founded in his being visibly a member of Christs body which includeth his visible fellowship with the whole Church which he entreth upon by Baptism and from hence he standeth obliged to communicate with that regular fixed part of this Church where he resideth and from which he hath no warrantable or necessary cause of separation In this respect our Parochial Assemblies are of like nature with the Jewish Synagogal Assemblies unto which they were not obliged by any special Synagogal-Covenant but partly from Gods general command of their assembling themselves together and partly from their Religious profession and circumcision engaging them to Communion with the whole Church of the Jews and thereby to their Synagogal-Communion Hereupon under that dispensation it was the practice of our Blessed Saviour whose example should not be over-looked by us to attend upon these Synagogal Assemblies and the Religious worship of God celebrated therein as appears Luk. 4.16 At Nazareth where he had been brought up as his custom was he went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day 20. And can it enter into the heart of any Christian to imagine that the holy Apostles who in their travells could not be fixed in any particular Congregation did not stand bound by the duty of Christian Vnity to join themselves in Communion with the particular fixed Churches or Assemblies of Christians where they came as S. Peter at Antioch S. Paul at Jerusalem and divers other places though such Churches were founded by some of the other Apostles And upon this account of the Vnity of the body of Christ the Primitive Christians when they went abroad into other Regions and distant parts of the World did with a Religious care seek the Communion of the Churches where they came and not to make separate Assemblies Yea this is a thing so far acknowledged by our English Independants themselves though they can talk at another rate where it serves their interest that in their publick Confession of Faith at the Savoy they say Conf. Ch. 27. Sect. 2. All Saints are bound to maintain an holy fellowship and Communion in the worship of God which communion though especially to be exercised by them in the relations wherein they stand whether of Families or Churches yet as God affordeth opportunity it is to be extended to all those who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus 21. But the conditions required in any particular fixed Christian Assembly embracing the Christian Faith and Worship in the place of our residence to make it our duty upon the account of the Christian Vnity to join therein are these two 1. That our communicating therein doth not oblige us to join in any action or profession which is sinful This is acknowledged on all hands and needeth no further proof because the Christians duty of keeping in Communion with Christ himself doth require it 2. That the Assembly we join in doth not maintain an unwarrantable separation from the Communion of the established Church for here to join in Communion is to join in separation and is like Barnabas and the other Jews joining with S. Peter Gal. 2.14 who all walked contrary to the truth of the Gospel in withdrawing from the Communion of the Gentiles at Antioch and the communicating with such a separating Assembly would be a breach of that Apostolical command of avoiding them who cause divisions Rom. 16.17 And we may observe that the joining in needless separations being a sin against the commands of Christ which require Christian Unity and Communion can not be warranted by any authority upon earth because that authority can not dispense with the commands of Christ but ought to be subject to them and therefore as S. Peter's practice and countenance Theod. Hift. l. 4. c. 22. Aug. Ep. 166. did not excuse Barnablas and the other Jews so neither could the indulgence of Valons the Emperour or his Predecessor execuse the different Sects by them tolerated from being guilty of Schism and the breach of Christian duty in their divisions and separations 22. Another notion of Schism there is A fourth Notion of Schism which condemneth separation where ever Communion is lawful but assumeth that whereever any thing unlawful or strongly suspected Mr. H. Tract of Schism p. 2 5 8. is required in order to Communion there to hold Communion would be to join in conspiracy and separation is then both lawful and necessary Concerning which notion granting that separation is necessary where any thing unlawful is required in order to Communion I can not admit for truth that if any thing suspected be so required separation becometh lawful thereby For if by suspected be meant whatsoever the person who maketh the separation doth suspect as evil by this rule he who through carelessness of enquiry or prejudice and want of Charity is needlâ—sly suspicious about any form of service or way of Church-Administrations will be allowed to separate and to be therein free from
of this Text will discover Divers other instances may be observed such as in the Syriack translation reading Ps 7.11 God is not angry every day to which the Greek agreeth and in the Syriack and Arabick which in the Historical Books translateth from the Syriack expressing 2. Kin. 18.27 That they may not eat their own dung Mr. Thorn Epil l. 1. c. 32. which sense is well allowed by a learned man of our own Nation and in the Septuagint with the vulgar Arabick and Aethiopick who are guided by it rendring Ps 35.20 They spake peace to me and also in the Samaritan translating Gen. 41.16 God will not give answer without me The difference of divers translations may be noted in such places as these Num. 11.25 where some have They did not cease and others They did not proceed and in Job 34.30 Dent. 20.19 and Deut. 21.12 Where some read She shall pare or cut off her nails others She shall nourish her nails or suffer them to grow and our last English Translation doth in the Text embrace the former and in the margent the latter but it would be a great folly thence to conlude that that Translation of the Bible is either useless or hurtful See the like 2. Kin. 19.25 Ps 121.11 Yet the various ways of rendring some particular expressions of Scripture where it may be difficult to determine that sense which must exclude all other is very far from acknowledging the sense of Scriptures ancertain in matters of Faith and Christian life which are frequently and manifestly therein expressed and to which the general consent of the purest times of Christianity and in matters of life the very principles of Reason and Conscience do agree All that can be hence concluded is that there is sufficient matter in divers passages of Scripture for the exercise of the learnedest Criticks and greatest Students as there is abundant plainness of instruction in the most necessary things for the meanest capacities SECT VIII Of Holy-days or Festival-days 1. These days are acknowledged to have no particular divine institution but have been allowed and appointed by the Church of God and are established by the civil Sanctions of our laws 5. 6. Edw. 6.3 The end of their appointment is for the promoting the service of God and Religious exercises Injunct n. 20. Can. 13. as is at large expressed in that Statute by which they were particularly confirmed and in the Queens Injunctions and in the Book of Canons which requireth them to be employed in hearing Gods word read and taught in private and publick Prayers in acknowledging our ofsences to God and amendment of the same in being reconciled to our neighbours where there hath been displeasure in oft receiveing the Communion in visiting the poor and sick persons and using all sober and godly conversation If such fruits of Christian Piety were more plentifully and abundantly brought forth they would by their pleasant sweetness both recommend themselves and those times and seasons the good use of which more especially contributed to their ripeness and maturity 2. Now these Duties being the principal business of the Christian life it must either be asserted that no particular time may be peculiarly set apart thereto unless it can be proved that God hath particularly instituted that time which is an evil Principle whereby men would be taught to reject daily Christian exercises and to live in disobedience to Gods commands and in much impiety and irreligion or else it must be granted which is truth that God having commanded these Duties doth both allow and expect that fit and seasonable times in the whole course of life be allotted to the practice thereof whence some portions of every day and some especial days may be profitably and advantagiously imployed in these Religious exercises And such times may allowably the called Holy hours and days from the holy actions of Gods Service and Religion for which they are reserved and to which they are appointed 2. Kin. 12.18 Clem. Alex. Strom. l. 2. For For that is properly holy which is set apart to God and also according to cl Alexandrinus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all that is a holy time in which we receive the knowledge of God but the use of the word Holiday is no more but the ancient English and Saxon word for Church-festivals 3. But whereas many persons mispend these days in vanity and intemperance which by the direction of the Church and the prescription of the Law ought to be and by others are used piously and devoutly these mens miscarriage condemneth their abuse but not the appointment of these times to other good ends and purposes The Jews in Isaiahs time abused their fasting days in hypocrisie and to wicked ends fasting for strife and envy and to smite with the fist of wickedness Isa 58.4 and yet the appointing fasting days to a better end was not only allowed at other times but even in his time also in Isa 22.12 Indeed the corruptions of many men are prone to make a bad improvement of the best things The three solemn Feasts of the Jews Tract Kiddush in which all their Males must appear before the Lord were through their abuse of them acknowledged by their own Talmud to be become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Vlcer of the year Buxtorf Lex Rab. in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Feasis of Parâ—â—x were religiously appointed though amongst the debauched Spirits of the Jews they were turned into meer Baccanalia or voluptuousness and vanity And the want of care in many persons of the Service of god upon the Lords days hath administred just cause for that great complaint in our Homilies Hom. of time and place of Prayer Part. 1. That God is greatly dishonoured and the Devil served upon that day And in my apprehension it is not improbable that the oposition maintained against the observing these Holidays may have this forcible influence upon many who are easily withheld from good but hardly perswaded ot it to make them the more neglectful therein of Religious exercises 4. It was the practice of the Jewish Church and was in many instances allowed by the holy Scriptures to set apart voluntarily some days for Religious Service which God had not particularly enjoyned I might mention their usual Fasts of the first-born before the Passeover and their Fasts after the days of unleavened bread and after Pentecost The annual Fasts for many years of the fourth fifth seventh and tenth months are mentioned by the Prophet Zechariah Zech. 8.19 We read also of a particular Fast proclaimed by Jehosaphat 2 Chron. 20.3 and of another in Josiahs time Jer. 36.9 and another in Josiahs time Jer. 36.9 and another commanded by Ezar Ezr. 8.21 and of a three days Fast appointed by Esther which the Chaldee Paraphrast with some probability observeth to be kept within the days of unleavened bread See Esth 3.12 with Chap. 4.8 16. Chal. par in Est 4.17
the institutions of Christ which is the first consideration I propound 4. Cons 2. The necessity of being duly qualified for the right receiving the Lords Supper doth not leave men at all excusable in their ordinary forbearing for the danger of performing any Religious duty carelesly is expressed in the holy Scriptures to quicken men unto the greater piety in their attendance upon those services but not to give them any liberty of neglecting them That slothful and wicked servant who hid his talent in a Napkin had at last no comfort by his pretended excuse for his neglect that he looked upon his Lord as an hard man whom he could not please Mat. 25.24 30. but was cast into outer darkness It was no way lawful for the Aaronical Priests to forbear to offer the Sacrifices which God had commanded because he had declared that he would be sanctified in them that come nigh him and had destroyed Nadab and Abihu for their undue approach Though God upbraided the Jews that they did steal and murder and commit adultery c. and come and stand before him in his House which was called by his name yet it was still the duty of every male among them religiously to present themselves there before the Lord three times in the year Deut. 16.16 and they were all enjoined to keep the Passover which encluded a yielding themselves to the Lord. 2. Chr. 30.8 and a preparing their heart to seek God v. 19. And when S. Paul had said 1 Cor 11.27 28 29. that whosoever shall eat his bread and drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord this giveth no allowance to any to neglect this Ordinance but the next verse directeth but let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that Cup and the following words For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself not discerning the Lords body are laid down as an argument to shew that men ought to examine themselves and so to eat and drink 5. He that heareth or readeth the word of God or knoweth his will or professeth the name of Christ without obedience yielded thereunto doth encrease his sin and condemnation and yet hearing reading knowledge and profession of Christianity are necessary duties but that which it here only available and is every mans indispensable duty is to join the life of Christianity with its knowledge and profession So it is a duty to receive this Sacrament and to be careful not to receive it unworthily or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unsuitably to its nature and institution Wherefore this Ordinance encluding under the Elements of Bread and Wine an Heavenly Communion of the body and blood of Christ whose death is here represented as he offered up himself to God for us and established the New Testament with the assurance of all the blessings and promises thereof the worthy receiving this Sacrament will require that Communion with Christ be both heartily desired and piously embraced that the death and mediation of Christ be acknowledged as the only way of atonement and remission of sins that the Christian Religion established in the New Testament or Covenant be owned as the only true Religion and all others rejected that the promises of eternal life pardon and grace be valued and sought after as the chief objects of desire and hope and that the Christian practice which the New Testament requireth be undertaken and resolved upon with a circumspect care of repentance and amendment of what is amiss and with a peculiar respect to peace and love by reason of this Sacrament of Unity it being noted by S. Augustine De Consecr dist 2. c. Qui manducant that he who receiveth the Sacrament of Vnity and doth not hold the bond of peace doth not receive the Sacrament for his good but as a testimony against himself which was also the Doctrine of S. Paul 1 Cor. 11.17 18. And though there be too many who do not practise according to the necessary rules of Christianity it is absolutely and indispensably necessary for them that their lives be changed and amended that they may not only be fit to receive this holy Sacrament but that they may be fit to partake of the blessing of God and to avoid the dreadful miseries of everlasting torments and to live answerable to their Baptismal Covenant that they may be advantaged by their profession of Christianity And let any man consider whether it be not as unreasonable a Plea in the sight of God for any man to avoid the holy Communion because he is not willing to live according to the Christian rules when both these things are his duty as it would be in the sight of a Prince for a Subject to refuse to take the Oath of Allegiance upon pretence that he is enclined to undertake practices of Rebellion 6. Cons 3. The Doctrine of our Church and its Rules for Communion do not allow that any persons should come to the holy Sacrament otherwise than in a suitable and Religious manner but it jointly urgeth as the holy Scriptures do also the duty of coming and the necessity of coming preparedly Amongst our Writers Bishop Cranmer declared that we ought not unreverently and unadvisedly to approach to the Lords Table but we ought to come to that Board of the Lord with all reverence Def. of Cath. Doctr. of the Sacr. l. 3. c. 14. faith love and charity fear and dread Both Bishop Whitgift and Mr. Hocker in their defence of the Order for the Communion against T. C. allow that there may be cause of present forbearance from this Sacrament because of unfitness but this ought to be amended B. Whitg Tr. 9. c. 6. Tr. 15. c. 2. and that it is not desirable that men persisting in wickedness should be constrained to come to the Lords Supper Eccles Pol. l 5. c. 68. But it is needless to add other testimonies when the Communion Book it self in the first exhortation saith If any of you be a blasphemer of God an hinderer or slanderer of his word an adulterer or be in malice or envy or in any other grievous crime repent you of your sins or else come not to that holy Table lest after the taking of that holy Sacrament the Devil enter into you as he entred into Judas and fill you full of all iniquities and bring you to destruction both of Body and Soul Wherefore it is acknowledged in our Church that the receiving the Holy Communion is not a right Christian action where it is not performed with a Christian spirit and disposition and partly upon this account and partly for the disciplinary discountenancing of wickedness both the twenty sixth Canon and the Rubrick before the Communion do require that no notorious evil liver or malicious man before their amendment be suffered to come to the Lords Table and consistently herewith must that
special favour or help from God or to give assurance thereof in his name and such were the Priestly Vnctions under the Law and the anointing of a King by Gods special Commandment the brazen Serpent in the Wilderness and the sign of Gideons Fleece and the shadow going back on the Diall of Ahaz And though these signs were not properly Sacraments they were a kind of Sacramentalia and upon the same account with the former sort of signs these could never be appointed by any power upon Earth 11. Thirdly There are some properly called Mystical teaching signs intended to inform the understanding of man concerning some mystical or spiritual divine truth by Hieroglyphical or visible representations Sacerdotalis Par. 3. de processione in Parasc in die Pasch Thus in the Romish Church to declare the death and resurrection of Christ in a formal Procession on Good Friday the Host is laid in the Sepulchre and the Sepulchre shut and sealed but the Priest on Easter-Day in the Morning with other of the Clergy taketh the Host out of the Sepulchre and leaveth it open whither when the Clergy and people do come in a solemn Procession and find the Sepulchre open and the Host not there their Rector declareth that Christ is risen which they hear with joyfulness But how manifest is it that this procedure is more sitted to confirm the Jewish error that his Disciples came by night and stole him away than to express the glory of the divine power in raising Christ from the dead And some as hath been declared by Balsamon have let fly a Dove Bals in Conc. Trul. c. 82. to represent the coming of the Holy Ghost and dressed a bed to express the ineffable Generation of Jesus Christ but these are such fond and foolish things that besides the great sin of resembling God by an image they are justly called by Bishop Taylor Theatrical gayeties and such things tend to darken and debase the divine Mysteries and to render Religion contemptible by the sordid lowness of such representations Such things as these might justly be exploded by Didoclavius Altare Damasc but it is falsely insinuated that herein he hath matter of controversie with the Church of England as if all significant Rites were of a like nature whereas it neither practiseth nor approveth such irreligious vinity Spiritual Mysteries of Christianity can be fitly exprissed by the words of divine truth but the more spiritual they are in their own nature the more they are adulterated and depraved by visible corporcal representations 12. Fourthly Others are professing and engaging signs Such signs whereby we visibly profess the Christian Faith and Doctrine in general cannot reasonably be disallowed by them who acknowledge the visible profession of Christianity to be a duty And though such a profession is encluded in receiving the Sacraments yet it is not so peculiar thereto that it should not be usefully made in such other outward actions as the lifting up the hands or eyes and bowing the knee to God in the name of Jesus Christ standing at the Creed particular attendance upon a Christian Assembly or where the state of Religion requireth it the yielding to be Confessors or Martyrs for Christianity Nor are such externâ—â— signs condemnable whereby a profession of some particular doctrine of Religion is upon a weighty occasion expressed as the Rite used in an Oath containeth an acknowledgment of the righteousness and Omnisciency of God the imposition of hands frequently used of old towards Penitents encluded a declaring that Christ and the Gospel Doctrine doth graciously receive Sinners upon their hearty and unfeigned repentance and to testifie the same Fus Hist Eccl. l. 2. c. â—â— S. John the Apostle kissed the hand of that Ephesian Penitent of whom we have an account in Eusebius from Clemens Alexandrinus And as outward actions are ordinarily fit with many advantages to give evidence of the mind and profession of men so some Now Conformists have accounted it a thing expedient that those who receive the Holy Sacrament should by their subscription profess their resolution to believe and live as becometh the Gospel and the Author of the Admonition in the first edition thereof In Risâ—â—p Wbâ—â—ft Tr. 15. Ch. 1. did declare sitting 〈◊〉 the Lords Supper to be the more commendable because it signified rest and therefore might enclude a profession of the Ceremonial law being finished and that a perfect work of redemption is wrought which giveth rest for ever Some professing signs have principally expressed the Communion of Christians amongst themselves which must also be allowed lawful such were the love Feasts the kiss of Charity the ancient manner of Christians owning one another as brethren and receiving them as such in their Houses and dismissing them with peace And of this nature were the Symbols anciently given to the Catechumens Albasp Observ l. 2. Obj. 36. which Albas pinns very probably proveth to be taken out of the Oblations of the Christians which encluded an acknowledgment that they though they were not yet compleat Christians had some relation to the Church of Christ as a more full right of Communion was owned among the Fideles by the Feasts of Charity 13. Other professing signs do enclude some solemn engagement of persons either to undertake or to prosecute true Christianity this if we charitably separate it from other attendant mistakes is designed in the way of the Independent Church-Covenant and in the conclusory part of the Presbyterian League and Covenant and some persons have done the like by some particular writing of their own All I shall say concerning these signs is that such a serious engaging profession can be no other way so allowably and usefully pertormed as in attendance upon and with reference unto the Holy Sacraments because they are Gods own institutions because the proper and principal act and work of him who receiveth the Sacrament is to prosess his owning and to engage himself unto the Faith Hope and practice of true Christianity and because divine grace and fellowship with Christ is also in the Gospel Sacraments tendred unto us And it is to the honour of the Church of England that it appointeth no other way of solemn engagement to Christianity besides the use of the two Sacraments of the New Testament and Confirmation which as it is an Apostolical Rite so it containeth a ratifying and confirming the baptismal vow by persons come to some capacities of understanding and therefore it is to be considered with reference unto Baptism so far as concerneth the solemnity of Engagement 14. Fifthly There are exciting signs which should recal to our memories some profitable object or duty and stir up our hearts and affections to a more serious practice of Religion Such was Joshua's stone set up to be a witness or testimony of their profession lest they should deny their God Jos 24.26 27. and the trinal Mension in Baptism was to mind Christians that their
are quite of a different nature from the Case and Question to which they are applyed It is acknowledged that for any persons purposely to design to model the Christian worship according to the Rites of Pagan and idolatrous original and use which would be to run parallel with what is aimed at in this objection is certainly wicked and intollerable But since the intent of the present enquiry concerneth ancient Christian Rites used by us and abused in the Romish degeneracy it would be nearer to our state to enquire Whether ever God gave any command that his Church should relinquish whatsoever even the Pagans imitated abused or prophaned as Belshazzer profaned the Temple Vessels many of which were only voluntarily dedicated 2 Chron. 15.18 Nazianz. Or. 3. Sozom. l. 5. c. 15. and Julian appointed among the Gentiles a resemblance of the order of the publick Christian service and many things especially in the Grecian Idolatry have been proved a kind of apish imitation of some things in the Jewish worship Delph Phaenic. cap. 11. Yet since the Papists are not Pagans but Christians of a corrupt profession that the Case of the Jews may fully answer ours it must be thus stated Whether the things laudably used in the service of God in the ancient times of the Jewish Church which were not directly instituted of God as their rules for the ordering their Synagogue worship and Officers ought to be rejected in the reformation of Hezekiah or Josiah so far as these things were received or imitated in the corrupt worship of the ten Tribes and this is that which I presume no man will have the confidence to assert And as it is manifest that the ten Tribes did in their worship designedly imitate many things in the Jewish Temple worship Amos. 4.4 5. Ch. 5.21 22 23. so they retaining among them the Sons of the Prophets it is not to be doubted but they reserved an imitation of the Jewish Synagogue worship or Weekly Assemblies 9. But it is time to consider the particular things actions or gestures appointed in our service Gestures are so necessary as inseparable attendants to the body that there is no reason to place expedient gestures among the number of Ceremonies yet because kneeling at the Lords Supper is especially so esteemed and thereupon by some opposed it will be requisite to express somewhat concerning gestures as well as other Rites and to manifest how little reason there is for the Censures passed upon these particular Rites by divers at home and some few persons abroad who for the most part proceeded upon some misinformation or misunderstanding of our affairs CHAP. III. Of devout and becoming gestures in the service of God SECT I. Of the Gesture at Prayer praise and Christian profession of Faith 1. THat a reverent behaviour is a duty in our approaches to God in Prayer and other religious exercises is ordinarily acknowledged but by many too much neglected And as the most devout and humble gestures were ordinarily used in Prayer under the Old Testament so under the new our Saviour himself prayed upon his knees Luk. 22.41 and so did S. Paul with the Disciples both of Ephesus and Tyre Act. 20.36 Ch. 21.5 And though the Primitive Church upon the Lords days and from Easter to Whitsunday prayed standing manifesting thereby their abundant joy and hope by Christs Resurrection yet kneeling was esteemed their ordinary gesture of Prayer Euseb Ec. Hist l. 5. c. 5. whence Eusebius declaring the admirable effect of the Prayers of the Christian Legion called the thundring Legion in the Army of Aurelius saith that they kneeled down upon the ground 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the ordinary custom the Christians used in Prayer Ad Scapul c. 4. upon which account Tertullian calleth their Prayers Geniculationes or their falling on their knees and from hence divers Christians contracted upon their knees an hard brawniness like that of the Camels as S. Hierome relateth concerning S. James and S. Gregory Greg. in Evang Hom. 38. concerning Tarsilla his Fathers Sister And that the great and good Emperour Constantine did in his Closet four times every day put up his Prayers to God upon his knees De Vita Const l. 4. c. 21. is expressed by Eusebius and these things are the more worthy our imitation because it needeth no other proof but common experience that where there is a neglect of external reverence in the service of God it tendeth to abate the inward fear of God and the devoutness of Religion and therefore Kneeling at Prayer which is enjoined with us is very useful 2. The injunction of this gesture in Prayer was esteemed so warrantable by Calvin that he declareth it to be such an humane Constitution as is grounded on the word of God and to be so humane Inst l. 4. c. 10. Sect. 30. that it is also divine being a part of that decency the Apostles commended But no more need be added in so plain a Case only it may be here observed that the expediency of kneeling at the absolution at the commandments and the receiving imposition of hands is hence also manifested because besides what may be said from the proper subject matter of each of them to every Commandment in our Liturgy is adjoined an humble Petition for pardon and grace the absolution is intended to enclude a concomitant Prayer as may be collected from the Rubrick following the absolution in the Morning Service and the imposition of hands encludeth a benedictory supplication 3. Standing to praise and give glory to God is sometimes enjoined in our Liturgy Now this duty of giving glory to God is sometimes performed in a way of humiliation and Confession under a sense of the glorious Soveraignty majesty and justice of God in which respect the gesture of kneeling or falling down is suitable thereto being practised Rev. 4.10 11. And frequently in the Christian Assemblies the giving glory to God is performed in magnifying the Glorious Trinity in a way of joy praise and thankfulness and with reference to the grace and mercy of God and to this end the gesture of standing up hath been thought proper to be practised and enjoined both under the Old and the New Testament The Levites were appointed by David to stand every Morning to thank and praise the Lord and also at even 2 Chr. 23.30 the Jews were commanded by the Levites to stand up and praise the Lord. Neh. 9.5 and in S. Johns Vision of the encrease of the Christian Church to so great a multitude which no man could number of all Nations Kindreds and people he saw them standing before the Throne and the Lamb and saying Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lamb. Rev. 7.9 10. In the former times of the Christian Church when the Psalms were sung by all the Assembly they ordinarily performed this service in a standing posture as Amalarius declareth Dum cantamus Psalmos
Christ to the narrow limits of some parts of Africa saying Dost thou call thy self a Christian that thou mayst envy the glory of Christ cujus signum in fronte te portare asseris whose sign thou clarest thy self to bear in thy forehead he thereby sheweth that this sign was accounted to include an engagement or admonition to promote and advance the honour of Christ And that it might be a more plain Memorial of the Christian faith and duty when it was used to the Catechumens Confes l. 1. c. 11. De pec Mer. Remis l. 2. c. 26. Aug. de Symb. l. 2. c 1. some distant time before their Baptism of which S. Austin maketh frequent mention the abrenunciation and profession of faith were then joyned therewith as appeareth from S. Aug. de symbolo ad Catechum the like unto which appeareth in our office of private Baptism and when it was used at the time of the administration of Baptism it immediately followed upon the persons professing to undertake the Christian life Dionys de Hier. Eccl. c. 2. as is expressed by the Author De Hierarchia Ecclesiastica And some dark intimation of this Primitive use of this sign may be discerned remaining in the corruptions of the Papacy but the more clear expression thereof is exhibited in our reformation 7. This sign used in our Church upon any person in the office of Baptism is declared to be in token that hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ Crucified and manfully to fight under his Banner against sin the World and the Devil c. Which words speak this sign to be a token by way of remembrance of his duty to the person baptized and a testimony of engagement upon him and expectation concerning him from the Church Which sense of these words is made more manifest by the Canon Can. 30. which declareth that it is apparent in the Communion Book that the infant baptized is by vertue of Baptism before it be signed with the sign of the Cross received into the Congregation of Christs stock as a perfect member thereof and not by any power ascribed unto the sign of the Cross and it after addeth that this Church accounteth this sign a lawful outward Ceremony and honourable badg whereby the infant is dedicated to the service of him that died upon the Cross Now dedicating a person being an engaging or setting him apart unto God and it being evident from the Canon that this dedicating is wholly distinct from the baptismal dedication to be a Member of Christs Church we must hereby understand the Church to engage this Member upon her account to the service of Christ in like manner as when any Father shall give himself to the Lord as the Macedonians did 2 Cor. 8.5 and with diligent care shall warn and charge his Children to yield and devote themselves to God this is properly called his dedicating himself and his to the service of God And this sense is yet more evident from the office of Baptism where the Minister baptizing acting in the name of God saith in the singular number N. I baptize c. but saith in the plural number We receive this Child and do sign him c. acting herein in the name of the Rulers and other Members of the Catholick Church in Communion with us the whole body desiring and seeking the good of every member So that hereby there is as great an obligation laid upon this person baptized as the members of Christs body and the power of his Church can lay upon him by their relation to him interest in him and authority over him 8. Defence of three Cerem Par. Ch. 2. Sec. 7. With much agreeableness to this sense Bishop Morton declared that the Child is dedicated to God by consecration in Baptism which is a Sacrament of Grace but the dedication which is fignified by the sign of the Cross is not by any proper consecration to God or tender of grace received from God by such a sign made but is a declarative token of duty which afterwards the person baptized ought to perform concerning his constant and visible profession of the Christian Faith Bishop Fern saith Consider of Concernment Gh. 7. n. 7. Eccles Polit l. 5. Sec. 65. it signifieth the duty of the baptized and is to mind him of it and Mr. Hooker termeth it an admonition to glory in the service of Christ and a memorial of duty and a bar or prevention to keep from Apostacy 9. Now besides the Sacraments themselves it is very useful and needful to admit other means of memorial and solemn charge to engage men to the faithful service of God who are too prone to be negligent therein Though all Abrahams Family were circumcised God had a special favour for Abraham because he would command his Children and Houshold after him Gen. 18.18 19. and they would keep the way of the Lord. And though in Joshua's time the Israelites were circumcised Josh 24.22.27 and kept the Passover and had their Sacrifices and publick general Assemblies before the Tabernacle yet Joshua did further solemnly engage them to God and set up a stone as a witness thereof And when S. Paul mentioned the good profession which Timothy made before many witnesses 1 Tim. 6.12 13. he thought fit to add a solemn charge unto Timothy in the sight of God and Jesus Christ which requireth him to answer that profession Wherefore since such a charge is in it self very useful if as members we have that due value we ought to have for the body of Christs Church that engagement charge or expectation which hath a concurrent force and influence both from the Rulers and from multitudes of other members of that body must be thought the most solemn and weighty of all other 10. That in so considerable a Case some significant rite is very expedient to add to the solemnity thereof is sufficiently proved by the common wisdom of Mankind when they commit to others any great charge and by the prudence of the ancient Church in this very particular And this rite of the sign of the Cross is upon many accounts very proper for this purpose because it is apt to suggest to our minds the remembrance of the name of Christ which was anciently signified by chi the first letter of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the old form of which letter was this †as appeareth from an ancient Inscription proâ—â—ced by Scaliger and of the Passion of our blessed Saviour upon the Cross Scalig. Animad in Euseh p. 110 120. and of the nature of Christianity in taking up his Cross and also because it was a sign to this end honourably used by the Primitive Christians And our Church hath taken abundant care to prevent all superstitiousness in the use hereof both by appointing it after the person is baptized and received as both the Office of Baptism and the Canon expresseth and by the
Libertas Ecclesiastica OR A DISCOURSE Vindicating the lawfulness of those things which are chiefly excepted against in the Church of England especially in its LITVRGY and WORSHIP And manifesting their agreeableness with the Doctrine and practice both of Ancient and Modern Churches By WILLIAM FALKNER Preacher at St. Nicholas in Lyn Regis LONDON Printed by J. M. for Walter Kettilby at the Bishops-Head in St. Pauls Church-Yard 1674. IMPRIMATUR Jan. 23. 167â— â— Sam. Parker TO The most Reverend Father in God Gilbert by Divine Providence Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Primate of all England and Metropolitan and one of His Majesties most Honourable Privy Council c. May it please your Grace YOur Grace being a Person of such singular Eminency in the Church of England I humbly crave leave to present to your hands this following Discourse which contains a Vindication of the Publick Worship of our Church from those Exceptions which by Dissenters have been made against it And the main Design of this Treatise being to promote Christian Vnity by representing the evil consequences of such unnecessary Discords and Schisms and the great unreasonableness of those pretences which have been alledged for their Justification it will nâ—t I hope be judged incongruous that it should address it self to your Grace whose high Office in the Church tendeth to advance the Vnity thereof and entitleth you to the publick Patronage of Peace and Truth I cannot doubt your Graces approbation of this design which is at all times useful but more especially in this present Juncture of Affairs if God please to grant success which is my earnest prayer For as all good men who prefer Truth and the sincere practice of Piety before their own prejudices wills and passions cannot but approve of such honest endeavours to rectifie mistakes and compose the minds of men to peace so all who are pious and wise cannot but discern a greater necessity and a more particular obligation at this time to silence all these little janglings and quarrels if they have any respect to the main interest and concerns of the Reformed Profession And I hope My Lord that the late Alarum we had from our common Enemies may open mens eyes to see the mischief of rending the Church into so many Factions and may dispose them to receive just and reasonable satisfaction And though what hath been excellently performed by former Writers upon this Subject be sufficiently satisfactory yet my labour herein may not be wholly useless considering the humour of this Age which is more apt to read new Books than to seek for old ones But though the cause I have undertaken deserves your Graces Patronage yet my own personal defects might justly have discouraged me from presenting this discourse to one of so high Dignity and so great a Judgment had not the cause it self been so good that it needed no Art and Colours to set it off but is sufficiently justified when it is rightly represented and understood and your Graces Candour and Clemency so well known as to encourage me to hope for a favourable Acceptance which is the only thing I beg in this humble Address unto your Grace favourably to accept of this small Present from him who unfeignedly prayeth for your Graces prosperity and is intirely devoted to the service and interest of Truth and Peace and Humbly honoureth your Grace with all due Observance W. Falkner THE PREFACE TO THE READER Christian Reader THE design of this discourse being to remove or at least to allay those fierce contentions about the external forms of worship to which we owe all those unhappy Schisms which good men so heartily bewail it was necessary in order to this end to rectifie those mistakes and prejudices which abuse well-minded men who have not throughly consider'd things and to correct those corrupt passions that quarrelsom and contentious humour which perverts others To these two causes we owe most of our present disorders it is too evident what hand the latter of these has had in them while divers Persons wanting a due sense of the evil and danger of these discords and a due regard to the Peace and Unity of the Church have been too zealous and forward to maintain and promote such dissensions thereby to serve the Interest of their own parties and to oppose the settlement of the Church upon sure and lasting principles now I had no other way of dealing with these men but to convince them of the great evil of such contentions and how much it is the duty of every Christian to study Peace and Unity For there is nothing more evident than that mens minds are strangely byassed by their affections and Interests and clouded by passion and therefore while they are so peremptorily resolved upon their way while they are so fond of their own Inventions while they are devoted to the service of a Party and account those men their Enemies who should rule and govern them and inform them better there is no expectation that reason and argument should prevail with them And if those arguments which I have made use of for this purpose should be effectual to calm the passions of men and to work in them a Christian and peaceable temper of mind I can easily foretel the success of my following discourse the design of which is to rectifie those mistakes and misapprehensions which some men labour under which either concern the particular Rites and offices of our Church or the General rule of duty or Ecclesiastical liberty by which the Church must be directed and guided in matters of order The first hath occasion'd various exceptions against some Rites and Ceremonies and particular passages in our forms of Prayer and I have spent great part of this Treatise in answering such objections by which I hope it will appear what little reason there is to disturb the Peace of the Church and to separate from our Communion upon such pretences Concerning the General Rule which ought ever to be observed in the Church about matters of order there are some who will allow nothing except some few circumstances to be determined by the Authority of the Church unless it be directly enjoined by a particular divine Institution and for a more plausible colour they reject all such rules of order or regular administration under the terms of unscriptural conditions of Communion But in answer to this I have made it appear to be an unjust and unreasonable exception against the establisht order of any Church that there are some things determined and appointed by the Authority of Superiours which have always been accounted of an Indifferent nature and are indeed the proper matters of Ecclesiastical Liberty And I hope I have abundantly proved to the satisfaction of all sober inquirers that prudent and well ordered Ecclesiastical Constitutions and appointments for the promoting order and decency and the advancement of Religion and Piety are very allowable and unblameable nay that it is impossible that
Christian love and that kindness of affection which our Lord requireth and by many cogent arguments enforceth upon his Disciples and instead thereof we may hear many contemptuous scoffing and scorning expressions which are an evidence of a frothy and airy vanity and haughtiness of mind unsuitable to the gravity and humility of the Christian Spirit Yea hence much discourse of many men religiously disposed which might be well improved to a pious proficiency in the Christian life runneth up into the wilder branches of contention and that zeal which might be well employed is oft mis-spent in cherishing the flames of passionate heats and heart-burnings accompanied with too much bitterness and becometh that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which St. James so sharply censureth and condemneth Jam. 3.14 15. as being manifestly opposite to those religious practices unto which Christians are directed from above 4. This opposition hath also too much promoted many sinful prejudices in the spirits of Men hence some have their minds unreasonably prepossessed with so much averseness towards and disesteem of the publick administrations of Gods service as indisposeth them for a devout performance of that worship and hindreth the vigorous exercise of Christian Graces in their joining therein to the decay of piety It occasioneth others to be neglectful in their attendance even upon the holy Sacramental Institutions of our blessed Saviour and this same sin of prejudice sometimes ruleth so far as to promote rashness of judgment and great censoriousness of others contrary to the Gospel rule and therein blindeth mens minds and hurrieth their passions into great excesses By all which things God is displeased and Christian Charity is violated but the greatest hurt befalleth themselves by their slighting the advantages of a Religious life and either frequently neglecting or negligently performing the publick duties of Gods worship and not entertaining the means of their Salvation which includeth also a want of due respect unto God and his grace 5. And what strange apprehensions this Sin is prone to raise of the worthiest men may be best discovered in some particular instances Hereby they who could not but admire the Works and Doctrine of Christ did both reject him and causelesly censure him as breaking the Sabbath blaspheming God being an Enemy to Caesar and a greater friend to Publicans and Sinners than was allowable and at last cryed out Crucify him Crucify him Act. 14.8.19 Hence also the same persons who so excessively admire Paul and Barnabas at Lystra being possessed with prejudice by the Jews perswasion were well pleased that they should be stoned to Death and thereupon they rejected that Doctrine which the Apostles preached 6. Upon the like ungrounded dis-affection Bas Ep. 75. St. Basil met with no better reputation at Neocesaria the place of his Fathers Family than to be branded for an Heretick Naz. Cann de Vita suâ and his great Friend Gr. Nazianzen at his first coming to Constantinople the City being in an uproar against him was stoned by them who when they understood him better being freed from their furious passions yielded him as his great worth deserved an high and honourable respect And the influence of this evil temper carried so strong a byass to pervert the judgments of the Donatists that St. Austin himself was misreputed by them as a seducer and deceiver of Souls Posidon de vit Aug c. 9. and they exclaimed against him both publickly and privately that he was a Wolf who should be slain for the preservation of the flock And all this was only because that famous man kept and defended the Communion of the Church which they rejected he truly judging that a duty which they erronesously condemned as a sin Thus this uneven glass of prejudice when placed before the minds of men mis-representeth even what is comely and amiable as if it was monstrous ugly and deformed SECT II. Shewing these contentions to disadvantage Christianity and to gratify Popery and Irreligion 1. It is manifest that the open appearance of such and indeed of all other open contentions in the Church have constantly abated the honourable esteem of Christianity in the World amongst them who do not profess it and upon that account they ought as much as is possible to be avoided by those who value the interest of Religion Ep. ad Corinth p. 2. Clemens the Fellow-labourer of St. Paul took notice that in the dissentions fomented at Corinth about no matters of Doctrine but only of Order and Government the hot distractions of a few heady and self pleasing persons as he stileth them occasioned the name of that Church to be greatly reproached and evil spoken of which was otherwise honourable renowned and worthy to be loved And Socrates averreth Socr. Hist Eccl. lib. 4. c. 5. that the controversies necessary on the Churches part about Arianism were attended with so great a mischief that the Christian profession it self was from thence openly derided in the Theaters even under the Government of a Christian Emperour and Constantine himself observed Eccl. Hist Eccl. l. 10 c. 5. that the opposition of the Donatists at its first taking root did bring forth such dangerous fruit that they who had their minds estranged from this most holy Religion had thence an occasion given them to scorn and deride it And the reflection upon the strange proneness to disagreement among Christians occasioned that reproachful expression against the Christian name related of Solyman the Turkish Emperour who when it was told him that the Christians would unite together against him at the last he lifting up his hand and stretching out his fingers replyed That there was no more ground to fear that the Christians should ever unite than to fear that those singers should grow together 2. Nor is it hard to shew that such differences among Protestants do gratify the interests and desires and comply with the designs of the Papists Contz Polit l. 2. c. 19. It is the known Maxim of their great Politician Bella haereticorum pax Ecclesiae which in his language expresseth our discords to be their security And Bishop Whitgift in Queen Elizabeths days Letter to the Council in Fullers Hist l. 9. Contz l. 2. c. 18. expressed it to be a thing notorious that the opposing Vniformity was in England the Papists advantage and the Protestants disadvantage and which way their interests and endeavours at this time move may be discerned by an observing eye without the help of a Telescope their hopes being founded in our dissentions 3. Upon these dissentions also they much insist to disswade persons thereby from the Protestant profession though this is indeed no other argument than what the Gentiles of old made use of against Christianity and is both long since sufficiently answered by Clemens Alexandrinus Strom. l. 7. Origen against Celsus and many other Fathers on the behalf of Christians and hath lately been well returned upon the Papists themselves However the
Schism or sinful breach of Vnity only because he is void of charity and wanting in due Christian care 23. Nor can it possibly be true that if some thing be enjoined which divers persons who appear to be Religious and are supposed to have considerable abilities of judgment do upon professed enquiry both suspect and condemn that they may lawfully separate and not be guilty of Schism if their judgments herein be erroneous and ungrounded For though diligent enquiry where it is impartially made is in this case an excuse from the degree of the sin or from the precipitant or designed breach of Charity or Vnity yet where it is so ill managed as to take up with an errour and practice upon it it can not render that practice allowable For this would justifie almost every party which in judgment holdeth an errour for separating from that Church who either in her open practice or in her publick service requireth a profession of that truth which they oppose and they must be excused from Schism only because they acknowledge not the right rules of Religion and neither Donatists Novatians or Anabaptists could then be blamed for their distance from the Church provided it be founded in their distance from and disowning of the truth Yea if any persons be Arians Futychians or Nestorians Vbi supra p. 9 10. in opinion all which the author of this notion over-officiously excuseth from all Heresie and saith they were at the worst but Schisms they must also according to his notion stand excused from Schism in separating from the Church which holdeth the true doctrine and openly in her service requireth a profession of it concerning the person of the Mediator 24. This would set up the power of an erring judgment above the will of God to discharge persons from what is Gods command and would else have been their duty viz. Communion and to give them authority to do that as a lawful action which to others who err not is a grievous sin viz. separation from that Church which holdeth the truth meerly because it doth profess it as if the crrour of man could render necessary duties and divine commands to be of no obligation For though their errour may till it be removed entangle them in sin in joining with the Church because this encludeth a practising what they judge unlawful it can not justifie them from sin in separating from it but this errour as all other erroneous judgments do where good and evil are mistaken for each other doth in their practice every way ensnare them under sin until it be cured Lib. 2. c. 2 Sect. 3. But of the principal design of this notion I shall give a further account in considering things under scruples 25. From what hath been hitherto discoursed it appeareth that the consideration of Schism will make it necessary for him who undertaketh separation to be sure that he acteth upon unerring grounds and not upon mistakes because to make separation from a Church which however it be misunderstood and causelesly censured requireth nothing in it self absolutely unlawful to be believed professed practised or joined in is to be guilty of the great sin of Schism SECT V. Of the duty of obedience to Rulers and Governours and the due exercise of the Ministerial function which is in this case concerned 1. The opposing Conformity if managed upon insufficient grounds hath ordinarily involved the person opposing under the sin of disobedience and want of subjection in things lawful to Christian Governours and Rulers and their Laws and Constitutions which ought to be obeyed not only for wrath but for Conscience sake It is their duty in their places to shew themselves the servants of God and to promote his glory and to that end by their power and authoritative commands to take care for the promoting and preserving the Order Peace and Vnity of the Church of God and towards both Ecclesiastical and secular Rulers the divine Precepts do very plainly require our obedience Indeed if any thing any time commanded be really sinful the instructions given in the Church of England will direct us to believe undoubtedly Hom. of Obedience Part. 2. that we may not obey Kings Magistrates or any other though they be our own Fathers if they would command us to do any thing contrary to Gods Commandment But if the things be lawful which they command as in this case I hope to make appear to men of unprejudiced minds it is a sin of no low degree to disobey and the duty of obedience is so considerable that the Compilers of the Strasburgh Confession of Faith Conf. Argent c. 23. expressed it to be Inter primi crdinis bona opera in the highest rank and order of good works 2. Nor can this obedience be thought a matter inconsiderable which was enjoined of old in the first Commandment of the second table Phil. de Leg. Spepiailb and as Philo observed encludeth part of the first table and part of the second having directly a respect both to God in his Vice-gerent and also to man And this is earnestly pressed upon us in the Gospel doctrine as a means whereby we may bring honour to Religion and Christianity by S. Peter 1 Pet. 2.12 15. and as a necessary practice to express true conversion from the state of sin to the life of God by S. Paul Tit. 3.1 5. who also warneth against this sin with respect to the danger of damnation thereby Rom. 13.2 And this obedience to them who are over us in things lawful and under their authority is of so high and necessary a consequence that without it there can be no peace nor any regular and unconfused state in any Family City Realm or Church this being the practice of the grand Maxim for the upholding order in all Societies of the World which is evident by its own light and is a principle of the law of nature 3. Another effect of these disagreements about the established order of our Church hath been this that divers Ministers have declined the orderly regular and publick exercise of their Ministerial sunctions And considering the weightiness of their Commission with the greatness of their charge and account and the exceeding advantage to the Church yea to the honour of Christ and the salvation of men by their labours where they obtain success together with other their own concernments it becometh them to be well assured that they have had a warrantable plea to justifie those proceedings It was not without cause accounted a great miscarriage and default in Novatus Eus Hist Eccless l. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that before he openly became the head of a dividing party he was over-forward for want of a due zeal to Religion to have relinquished the office of Presbyter to which he was ordained and to betake himself to another kind of life 4. The ancient Church shewed its great dislike and distast of any Ministers declining the orderly execution
of his Ministry by determining that if any Bishop Can. Ap. 36. Conc. Antioch c. 17. Presbyter or Deacon being ordained did not undertake his Ministration he must be separated from the Christian Society and deprived of Ecclesiastical Communion And with equal severity they condemned that Minister who refused the regular work and place of his Ministry Can. Ap. 58. and him who undertook the place but minded not the work and duty behaving himself negligently in not attending the care of the people 5. From what I have expressed hitherto we may take a short prospect of the evills flowing from these contentions which are such as these the prejudicing men against the holy administrations of Gods service the promoting wrath and strife and the quenching Christian love the being a stumbling block to the weak hardning the careless and being an occasion of much irreligion grieving the godly and every way gratifying the Churches Enemies and hindring its welsare and the growth of piety the hurtful disturbance of the Churches Peace and endangering the Kingdoms interest and the promoting of dangerous and dreadsul Schisms nor is the disobedience to Magistrates and the deserting the Ministerial charge unconcerned herein And all these things if God in his mercy put not a stop to them by directing mens minds to a right understanding and turning their hearts into a more peaceable and amicable frame and temper may provealso very dangerous and hurtful in the next Generation to the dishonour of God the discredit of Religion and the ruine of many thousand souls which sad consequences plainly enough shew these unhappy contests rather to gratifie the designs of the destroyer than of the Saviour and to be fruits growing from a root of bitterness Ful. Church Hist l. 7. p. 401. In these respects I think he was not far from the mark who called this disagreement about Conformity the saddest difference that ever happened in the Church of England SECT VI. A proposal concerning due considerateness in this Case and the design of this treatise manifested 1. After I have shewed the sad fruits of these dissentions I must still acknowledge that I doubt not but that there are dissenters who act out of true principles of Conscience and design to walk in piety to God and in love and peace towards men to such persons though they be of different judgments yea though some of them too far indulge their passions I profess an hearty respect and brotherly love considering that wise and good men are lyable to mistake and err still retaining this as a testimony of their integrity that they are willing to be informed and in practice to embrace what is their duty when it shall be so evidenced 2. S. Cyprian who was a great promoter of Truth Piety and Peace and wrote some tracts purposely to correct the fierceness of them especially who were of his own opinion viz de bono patientiae Cyp. in Conc. Carth. Epist ad Jubaian de zelo livore for want of better information but with openly avowed dislike of breach of communion lived and for what appeared to S. Austin died also in that errour about baptizing Hereticks Aug. Ep. 48. But had he rightly understood the truth he would no doubt have rejected his errour as those Bishops who were of the same opinion with him are related to have done Eus Hist Eccl. l. 7. c. 3. Hieron adv Lucif Pamel in Vit. Cypr. both in the Eastern Church and in the African whereupon the Church enjoyed peace and was filled with exceeding abundant joy and Pamelius thinketh that S. Cyprian himself lived to do the same 3. And the women who out of love but in their errour came to anoint Jesus designing it as a rite belonging to his burial when they ought according to his doctrine which they did not yet understand to have believed that it was the day of his resurrection meeting with Jesus himself who expressed his favour unto them were forthwith ready to have their mistakes discovered and with joy upon conviction to yield both their judgments and thereupon their practices to be rectified Erring acts from mistake of judgment are herein of the same nature with other infirmities of Christians in that the being of them is consistent with the true nature of Christian life whereas the willful persisting in them and the designed promoting of them against evidence is contrary thereto For that is for men to resolve not to deny themselves or to submit to God but to oppose his mind and will if it be contrary to their own 4. Wherefore I must intreat my Reader if he be a person dissatisfied about the matters treated of in this discourse that he would make a stand and give me leave to propose what his own interest will engage him to admit That before he proceedeth any further he would seriously resolve himself these two things First whether with reflexion upon what hath been said he would not be heartily unwilling to stand charged in the sight of God with being any way sinfully instrumental unto so much hurt as is consequent upon being unwarrantably engaged in these contentions and oppositions Secondly whether he be resolvedly willing to lay aside all prejudice and designed serving any opinion or party and to aim impartially to keep a good conscience and in judgment and practice to entertain all evidences of truth in this enquiry about Conformity 5. If any man should answer either of these two things in the Negative he must be a man of an irreligious Spirit willing to ruine himself and of a pernicious Spirit ready to destroy others and whilst he remaineth thus strongly prepossessed he is never like to be advantaged by this discourse or any other of the same subject but it is most necessary for him to become better instructed in that chief principle of Christian practice to which he is yet a stranger viz. The great necessity in order to salvation of minding uprightness to God and the doing his will above gratifying his own affections or the pleasure of any other men But as to him who answereth these two things in the affirmative I only entreat him to proceed in the remaining part of this discourse with the same frame and temper of Spirit 6. I come now to examine the matters themselves to which Conformity referreth which from the premises appeareth to be of very considerable use and tendeth to the resolving divers cases of Conscience and if God please to vouchsafe so great a mercy to us to promote the Churches peace and Vnity the Ministers comfortable discharge of his duty the common advancement of Christianity and the Protestant profession and the particular edification of Christians In order to the contributing somewhat towards these excellent ends I have undertaken this discourse beseeching the God of wisdom and knowledge to guide and lead me that I may clearly understand and manifest what is truth and that he would so move on the hearts
Covenant to alter the Government is disclaimed and rejected by the Parliaments of England and Ireland and also by the rescissory act as I find it termed in Scotland it must hereby become void though it had been otherwise binding 9. A fourth Rule is That what the general judgment of the best Christians of all ages have condemned as sin ought not to be admitted But they have all acknowledged it a sin that an Oath so far as it is against any right should be persisted in as being obligatory And it is as reasonable to doubt of ordinary travellers knowing the road they have long used as to question whether the most eminent Christians since Christ did ever arrive at the understanding of those plain duties of Religion which are of frequent practice 10. When Novatus made a Schism in the Roman Church against Cornelius he in delivering the Holy Sacrament gave to his followers this Oath Euseb Hist Eccl. l. 6. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Swear to me by the body and bloud of our Lord Jesus Christ that thou wilt never leave me nor return to Cornelius and yet both S. Cyprian and other Catholick Bishops every where judged these men bound to return and condemned their continuance with Novatus in the breach of Peace and Unity Evagrius relateth Evagr. Hist l. 6. c. 6. that when Mauritius the Emperour sent Philippicus to command his Army they bound themselves by Oath not to owne him for their Commander but when the Emperour persisted in his purpose and sent a Bishop to treat with them they were at last satisfied that they ought to receive him notwithstanding their Oath And when Anacletus was set up to govern the Roman Church Vit. S. Bern. lib. 2. c. 5. in opposition to Innocentius the second some persons told S. Bernard that they could not receive Innocentius because they were bound by an Oath to hold to Anacletur against him But S. Bernard answered insanire eos qui rem illicitam Sacramenti patrocinio constare existimant that it is a madness to think that any thing not lawful of it self can be defended by their Oath Spelm. Conc. Brit. in leg Alf. 1. Novel 51. Dig. l. 2. Tit. 14. Jurisg whereas said he such disorderly agreements under whatsoever pretence of Religion they be established are to be accounted void and by the authority of God to be dissolved 11. That nothing otherwise unwarrantable can become a duty by any Oath was declared in the Ecclesiastical laws of Alfred and by the Councils of Basil Sess 4. of Lerida Can. 7. and of Toledo 8. Can. 2. and in several places of the civil Law Cod. l. 9. Tit. 8. Const 2. and by all our Protestant Writers treating of the vow of single life in the who have not the gift of continency And this is so agreeable to all rational principles that it was received among the ancient Roman laws Phil de leg special C. 22. q. 3. 4. lib. 2. Tit. 24. cap. 12. 19. before the Empire became Christian and is likewise declared by Philo the Jew And in the Canon Law Gratian resolved by divers ancient authorities that an Oath against the duty of obedience being sinful cannot oblige and the like is asserted in the Gregorian decretals both which are in this matter received with good approbation by Protestant Writers 12. Now I shall not think it necessary to answer objections but shall content my self no note that whatsoever objection may press some one of the rules above-mentioned doth still leave the main design secure unless all these rules could be invalidated And such objections as carry an appearance of proof that an Oath may oblige to what otherwise would not be warrantable have this manifest indication of mistake because they tend to uphold this monstrous position that men are bound to observe Gods commands and their duties no longer than till they shall please to make an Oath against them CHAP. III. Of the Declaration and Subscription referring to the Liturgy 1. SOme open acknowledgment or subscription not only to doctrines but also to other rules and Ecclesiastical Constitutions hath been a thing very usual in the Christian Church and in matters lawful and orderly hath been thought desireable to promote Peace and continue well established order therein and the expediency thereof standeth recommended by the wisdom and ordinary practice of the Church 2. In the Council of Nice Conc. Nicen c. 8. the returning Novatians who were received in the Clergy were required by subscription to testify that they would conform to the Catholick practice and the Constitutions and Decrees of the Catholick Church The ancient Custom of subscribing to their Synodical Constitutions Conc. Carth. gr c. 93. Conc. Carth. 2. Can. 13. is evident from divers ancient Councils which was also practised in the Carthaginian Territories where such who acted contrary to their profession or subscription were sharply sentenced And in the Constitutions of Justinian according to some Copies he who was to be ordained Bishop besides his subscribing to the doctrine of the Faith and his Oath against Simony was required to read the offices of the Church for the holy Communion and with the other Prayers of the Church Novel 123. edit Haloand those also appointed for Baptism And he who as he was required did testifie his allowance of these Prayers by reading them might as well have testified the same by any other vocal acknowledgment or subscription 3. Among the Protestants the practice of subscription to such things as also that which is more solemn an acknowledgment by Oath hath been frequently admitted In Poland after the consent chiefly touching the Lords Supper was established in the Synod of Sandomir 1570. between the Churches of those three Confessions the Bohemian Augustan and Helvetian Syn. Torun 2585. it was concluded in another following General Synod and attested by the Super-Intendents Ministers and Patrons of the several Confessions that none should be admitted into the Ministry or received into their Churches as a Minister unless among other qualifications consensui subscribat he subscribe to the consent and behave himself accordingly Which provision contained a prudential care that a due decorum should be kept even in the Agenda of Religion The French Church requireth a subscription to their Liturgy and the like may be observed in divers other places 4. In the Bohemian Church after the time of their ordination which was performed manuum Episcopalium impositione Ratio Discipl c. 2 Sect. 4. 5. p. 32 34. the Ministers were solemnly admitted to their particular ministration by their Visitor who amogn other things committed to them their liber Ritualis containing their form and rites of worship of the performance of which they were to take care and to which among other offices of their Ministry they did at their Ordination oblige themselves by a Religious Oath both to God and his Church Ratio Canon Examin in Bucer
1. Cor. 14.16 But the very phrase of blessing and giving of thanks makes it probable that this Text is to be understood as Mr. Thorndike expoundeth it of the Consecration of the Communion And at that time the people did ordinarily answer Amen and nothing more as appeareth from the early testimonies of Justin Martyr and Dionysius Bishop of Alexandria 2. But if this sense be not admitted this Text of the Apostle doth neither mention nor in the context more nearly refer to Prayer than to singing in which latter the peoples bare saying Amen is not contended for nor allowed as a constant rule for the Churches practice though it was probable the usual method in the Christian Assemblies in those Apostolical days when the duty of singing was performed by the immediate inspiration of the spirit upon some particular persons and that these extraordinary motions of Gods spirit in those times were only vouchsafed to the Clergy or Ministry is not probable from the contents of that very Chapter And therefore this place of Scripture doth not confine the whole vocal service of God excepting an Amen to the Ministry the people being altogether debarred and excluded 5. But that all the servants of God may allowably be interested where the due rules of order and edification are observed in the outward joint expression of praise and Prayer to God is very agreeable to the holy Scriptures where the holy Angels are represented to cry one to another and say Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole Earth is full of his glory Is 6.3 and all Israel praised God and said For he is good for his mercy endureth for ever 2. Chr. 7.3 And as S. Paul exhorteth that with one mind and one mouth Christians should glorifie God Rom. 15.6 S. John in his Vision beheld and heard the four living things the Elders the Angels and every Creature in Heaven and Earth expressing blessing honour glory and power unto God Rev. 4.8 11. Ch. 5 8. 14. and a great multitude whom no man could number crying with a loud voice and saying Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne and to the Lamb. Rev. 7 9 10. and he heard also the voice of the 144000. who were with the Lamb on Mount Sion as the voice of many Waters and as the voice of a great thunder singing a new Song Rev. 14.1 2 3. and these places last mentioned are the more considerable because they contain representative Visions of the service acceptably performed to God in the Christian Church 6. If we consult Ecclesiastical practice there is very probable evidence that under the Old Testament the people did vocally join by responsals in the ordinary service of God in the Sanctuary and Synagogues V. Hor. Hebr. in Mat. 6.13 Both the Joma and other Tracts of the Talmud mention the people in the period of their Prayers expressing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Blessed be the name of the glory of his Kingdom for ever and ever In Ch. Par. in Deut. 10.16 And the particular responsals used by the Jews at Circumcision are expressed by Fagius The use of alternate singing among the Essens is sufficiently known but that this was of very ancient use in the Jewish Church is very likely because the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifieth to answer is an usual expression of singing even in the holy Scriptures And there appeareth considerable evidence from Ex. 15. v. 1. v. 20. that that Song of Moses and the Children of Israel Phil. de Vit. Mos l. 3. was uttered as Philo Judaeus averreth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with responsal melodies alternately repeated 7. In the Christian Church the Original of the Antiphona or the alternate singing of Hymns by two quires is ascribed by Socrates to Ignatius the like use of Davids Psalms is declared by Theodoret to have had its beginning at Antioch from Flavianus and Diodorus Their Original in the Latin Church is referred by Platina to Damaseus and by Walafridus Strabo to S. Ambrose Is Hisp de Eccl. Offic. l. 1. c. 7 8. but both Isidorus Hispalensis and Rabanus Maurus do testifie that long before this the Responsoria wherein the whole Quire answered to one Man Rab. Maur. de Inst Cler. l. 2. c. 50 51. were known by that name and used in the Latin Church And sometimes the whole Assembly joined in their Hymns and Psalms sometimes they were sung by one alone all the rest joining to eccho forth the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or end of the Hymn Conc. Laod c. 15 and by the Laodicean Council the wholy Assembly were not allowed to join in their publick singing which was required to be performed by the appointed singers only Thus the Ecclesiastical practice hath varied according to what was thought prudent and convenient 8. Concerning Prayers and Confessions S. Basil declareth it to have been in his time the ordinary practice of divers Eastern Churches Bas Ep. 63. that every man by his own words did profess repentance and make confession Naz. Or. 3. And Gr. Nazianzene acquainteth quainteth us that Julian in imitation of the Christians did appoint amongst the Gentiles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a form of Prayer to be said in parts or by way of Responsals Hierom also relateth that populus cum sacerdote loquitur in precibus the people did speak with the Priest in the Prayers and Gregory the great noteth Gr. Ep. l. 7. c. 63. that in the Greek Church the Lords Prayer was ordinarily said by all the people together and as anciently as we can meet with any parcels of Liturgy or particular Offices the use of responsals may be easily discerned even as far as S. Cyprians sursum Corda and Habemus ad Dominum Wherefore the use of responsals and the people joining in some expressions in the publick service of god was a thing thought useful by the ancient Church as well as by our own and is allowable by the rules of the Scripture and the Order of the publick worship of God and whosoever assert that the vocal joining of the people in any expressions of Prayer in the publick Assembly is as Vzziahs action was an intrenching upon the Priests Office doth set up such Bars about the service of God which do keep Gods people at a greater distance from the throne of Grace than the nature and priviledge of Christian liberty will allow Yet the composing or directing particular Prayers for the publick use of Christian Assemblies is the proper work of the Church Officers who are to be the guides thereof as also teaching and instructing being an act of authority doth ordinarily belong to the Ministers of the Church and this is that speaking which is forbidden to Women in the Church because it is an act of authority 1. Cor. 15.34 1. Tim. 2.12 Whereas the joint expressing some words of confession or supplication is wholly an act of humility and is not forbidden
c. which is so much disliked by some is sufficiently vindicated from Battology or a vain and superstitious multiplying of words in the foregoing Section N. 11. To which I shall here add these considerations 1. That it seemeth unreasonable and partial that they who allowed themselves in the conclusion of their own Prayers to use that Doxology To whom Christ with the Father and the Holy Ghost be Glory frequently four or five times in the same Assembly should undertake to determine Except of Presbyt p. 16. that this other Doxology more expresly acknowledging divine glory eternally due to all the three persons of the Trinity is unsit to be used more than once in the Morning and once in the Evening 2. That since in all our Christian service and especially in Hymns and Psalms of praise it is our duty to give glory to the holy Trinity it cannot be blamable to express that with our mouths which is at that time the most fit and proper exercise of our minds 3. That it is manifest from divers passages of the Psalms and other Scriptures as 2. Chr. 5.13 Ch. 7.3 Ch. 20.21 Ezr. 3.11 Jer. 33.11 That with their Hymns or Psalms the Jews ordinarily used some such Doxology as this Hallelujah or praise ye the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever Delph Phoenic c. 6. Hence it is probably conjectured that preparation to the Paeanism among the Gentiles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had its original being the corruption of Hallelujah And from this use of the Jews the Arabian Church their Neighbours did probably derive their practice of expressing Hallelujah at the end of every Psalm as appeareth in the Arabick version of the psalms who also make use of this Doxology to the three persons distinctly which is expressed in the Arabickversion at the end of every tenth Psalm but was probably in practice at the end of every Psalm And that the Western Church used this Doxology Glory be to the Father Cassian Col. l. 1. c. 8. and at the end of every Psalm we have the testimony of Cassian for about thirteen hundred years since Wherefore since this is of so ancient original in the Christian Church so agreeable to the practice of the Jewish Church approved by the Holy Scriptures and a practice so reasonable in it self it may be piously used but not justly blamed in our Liturgy 2. The reading the Athanasian Creed to some though not the generality of Non-Conformists who heartily owne the doctrine of the Trinity hath been thought a matter not free from difficulty For that Creed expressing what must be believed of every one who would be saved doth contain deep mysteries as for instance that the Son is not made nor created but begotten and that the Holy Ghost is neither made nor created nor begotten but proceeding Now since believing things as necessary to Salvation is not an assent to the use of Phrases and expressions but to the sense contained in them it must enclude that there is some difference understood between what is affirmed and what is denied But the difference between the Eternal Generation and Eternal Procession being a Mystery where the greatest Divines see but darkly they are justly affraid to condemn all persons as uncapable of Salvation who cannot reach to so high a pitch 3. But here it is to be considered that in that Creed commonly called the Athanasian there are some things contained and expressed as necessary points of Faith and other things for a more clear and useful explication of the truth though they be not of equal necessity to be understood adn believed even by the meanest capacities Thus if we first consider the contexture of that Creed the Faith declared necessary concerning the Trinity is thus expressed in the begining thereof The Catholick Faith is this that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Vnity neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance After this followeth an explication useful to set forth the true Christian Doctrine which beginneth For there is one person of the Father c. after which explication the same necessary doctine to be known and believed is thus again expressed pressed and distinguished from that explication in these words So that in all things as is aforesaid the Vnity in Trinity and Trinity in Vnity is to be worshipped he therefore who will be saved must thus think of the Trinity So that the acknowledging and worshipping the Trinity of persons and Vnity of Godhead is that which only is declared necessary in the former part of that Creed and this must be acknowledged necessary since we are baptized into the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost and we must believe and worship according as we are baptized 4. What is contained in this consideration is the more clear both with reference to the instance mentioned and to the Vnion of the two natures in Christ by this following observation viz. That our Church doth both here and in her Articles evidently receive the Athanasian Creed and yet from the manner of using the Apostles Creed in the form of Baptisin as containing the profession of that Faith into which we are baptized in the Catechism as containing all the Articles of the Christian Faith and in the Visitation of the sick as being a rule to try whether he believe as a Christian man should or not it is manifest that no more is esteemed in our Church of necessity to salvation for all men to believe than that only which is contained and expressed in the Apostles Creed 5. I proceed to consider some expressions in the Litany In the way to which I shall only reflect upon that objection which if it had not been mistaken had been very inconsiderable framed by Mr. Cartwright against the Litany in General That it being chiefly a deprecatory Prayer against evils was framed by Mamertus Bishop of Vienna or rather Vienne in France upon a special occasion of the calamities of that Country This was a very strange and gross mistake for the Litaniae which were ordered by Mamertus were days of supplication in Rogation Week which days were called Litania minor triduanae Litaniae and by some Litania major Alcuin de Div. offic Tit. dieb Rogat Amal. de Eccl. Offic. l. 1. c. 37. Stra. de Reb. Eccl. c. 28. Mur. c. 57. as is manifest from Aleuinus Amalarius Strabo Mictologus Rupertus Tintiensis Johannes Beleth besides other latter ritualists and the French Historians especially Gregorius Turonensis who all mention what Mamertus did in appointing days of Prayer which were called Litaniae to be yearly observed for the obtaining Gods mercy in their distress occasioned by wild Beasts and frequent Earthquakes But that deprecatory Prayers which are called Litanies also and were so called by S. Basil and were of so great use in the stationary days of the ancient Church should have their original from Mimertus
l. 7. and Computus Copticus in Scaliger they did not only allow and observe such days as lawful but they appointed and owned them as conducing to the honour and advancement of Christianity being piously and religiously used 8. Amongst the Protestants the Bohaemian Church Rat. Disc c. 3. and those of the Augustane Confession are very much agreeable to us in the observation of Festivals Conf. Boh. c. 15. Conf. Aug. c. 15. Conf. Helv. c. 24. and their approbation of these days not only as lawful but as useful and requisite is contained in their publick Confessions and the Church of Switzerland alloweth several such days with a Maximopere approbamus and the Dutch Church observe the Nativity of Christ and some other Festivals as appeareth from their Canons ratified by the Synod of Dort Indeed the Church of Geneva and that of Scotland which from 1560. till 1617. did herein follow it did not admit of any of these days but this was so little pleasing to Calvin the most eminent Minister of Geneva that he writing concerning the day of our Lords Nativity which was not there celebrated saith Calo Ep. Hallero Sancte testari possum I can in a sacred manner proiest that this thing was transacted when I neither knew of it nor had any such desire and he further declared that it was his endeavour that it might have been there observed Wherefore the laying aside all these days was even in his eyes the defect and blemish but not the perfection and bâ—â—â—ty of that Church 9. Besides all these arguments from authority to prove the allowableness of Festival days for Religious exerciss it may be considered that if it be both lawful and good when we have received some eminent mercy from God to set some hours or some particular day apart to praise and magnifie the goodness of God there is the same or greater reason to give allowance to the observation of these stated Christian Festivals For I think no man can deny that not only the benefits flowing from the great actions of our Saviour but even the advantages accruing to us from the Apostles and Evangelists by their faithful preaching the Gospel of Christ and giving testimony to his Doctrine and continuing stedfast therein unto the death is to us more valuable and advantageous than any temporal benefit whatsoever because our enjoying the knowledge of Christ and being Christians which is the fruit of the Apostles and Evangelists making known the Gospel to the World is a greater priviledge than any outward advantage in the World And the benefit of holy exercises and of being employed in glorifying God is so excellent that the use of particular times appointed for that purpose ought not be rejected by pious men though some men do abuse those means which they should emprove 10. But it is here objected that the fourth Commandment saith six days shall thou work and S. Paul blameth the Galatians for observing days and times and months and years Concerning which places waving divers other things which might be answered 1. Let the Objectors consider whether themselves would be willing to admit this to be the sense of either of these Texts That it is not lawful to set apart any day of the Week either for praying fasting or for praise and thanksgiving if this sense be allowed they must then condemn not only the instances abovementioned both of Jewish and Christian practice but they must also deny them that liberty which the prophet Joel commanded them to exercise Joel 2.15 sanctisy a Fast call a solemn Assembly and thereby render Gods command of none effect but if this sense of these Scriptures ought not to be admitted then cannot the Religious observation of Festival days be thereby condemned 2. These words six days shalt thou labour never were to the Jews a Precept of such an unlimited and unbounded sense as to admit of no other use of any day but in labour Indeed isoth idleness and negligence were here condemned and those days allowed and appointed for labour in this restrained sense or with this exception Vnless some reasonable and accountable occasion require the contrary The reason of this restrained sense will appear necessary because the solemn days of Gods appontment under the Jewish State ought to be observed even upon any of those six days though they required strict rest as the day of atonement did and because it was also lawful upon a providential occasion to employ a day in voluntary mourning for a sick or dead friend 2 Sam. 3.31 33 35. Ch. 12.16 17 or in rejoicing for the Circumcision of a Child or such like cause and it must be still acknowledged lawful for a Child Servant or Subject to employ a day upon the command of his Father Master or Soveraign in attendance upon their persons much more might the Jews keep a Fast or observe a Feast when Esther required and signal providence directed them thereto August Conc. Adimant c. 16. 3. The observing days and times condemned Gal. 4.10 concerneth wholly the Jewish solemnities as S. Aug. and S. Hierome observe and the scope of the place demonstrateth the observing which is opposite to Christianity Hier. in Loc. Thus he who keepeth the Jewish Sabbath out of Conscience to the Moisaical Law doth so far oppose Christianity and return to Judaism this being a shadow of good things to come Col. 2.16 17 and is condemned by S. Paul but he who Christianly observeth the Lords-day acteth for the advancement of Christianity and the honour of Christ and is not in this place blamed by the Apostle And so he who observeth the new Moons out of respect to the Law standeth charged with Judaizing but he who setteth apart any day for Christian exercises acteth as becometh a Christian for as he is the best Christian who is most frequently exercised in these practices so he cannot be blamed who especially upon some days engageth himself to these duties So that the difference between our observeing the Christian Festivals and the Jewish is answerable to the difference between Judaism and Christianity 11. As to that Objection against the observation of the days of the Annunciation or the Conception of our Saviour the Nativity Passion and Ascension of our Lord that these days are at least the less allowable because the Lords day is particularly appointed for the worship of God and the honourable memorial of the great undertaking and actions of our Saviour it may be sufficient to observe 1. That this argument seemeth equally to oppose the setting apart any other Portion of time besides the Lords day to be purposely and particularly employed for the Religious worship of God which would greatly prejudice the exercise of Religion or at least the insisting upon this objection will not allow Christians to engage themselves to glorifie God for Jesus Christ and to admire the grace of Christ upon any other day because this would require some other time to be
designed for these Religious actions 2. That though the Jewish Sabbath had a peculiar respect to their deliverance from Egypt Deut. 5.15 Yet for that mercy which was far inferiour to what Christians enjoy by Christ they observed also other yearly solemnities especially the great Feasts of the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles Wherefore though the observation of the Lords day as it is one day in seven encludeth a testimony that we worship God the Creator who made the World in six days and rested the seventh and as it is the first day of the Week it containeth a a professed owning and honouring of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour who accomplished his humiliation and began his exaltation on that day yet this doth by no means exclude the lawful use of any other time directed either by voluntary choice or Ecclesiastical or political laws for the advantage of piety in the worship of God and the more solemn observance of those great actions of our blessed Lord which ought evermore to be had in remembrance CHAP. V. Of the particular Offices in the Liturgy SECT I. Of the direction for Communicants receiveing the Lords Supper 1. THE first particular office according to the order of the Book is that for the Communion at the end of which the Rubrick requiring every Parishioner to communicate at least three times in the year is disliked because many persons may not be duly qualified to receive Presbyt Excep p. 21. and therefore this Rubrick was desired either to be left out or to be altered to this sense that the Communion should be thrice in the year administred if there be a convenient number to receive Now because this exception is thought considerable whereas indeed the Rubrick is herein not only justifiable but very commendable I shall endeavour to clear this whole matter by these considerations 2. Cons 1. To receive the holy Communion is a very great Christian duty and cannot be neglected without grievous sin and the displeasure of God This may appear by observing that God strictly required all his Sacramental Institutions to be received when he appointed Circumcision he declareth concerning the uncircumcised Manchild that that Soul should be cut of from his people he hath broken my Covenant Gen. 17.14 When he ordered the use of the Pass-over he said the man that is clean and not in a journey and forbeareth to keep the Passover the same soul shall be cut off from his people because he brought not the Offring of the Lord in his appointed season that man shall bear his sin Num. 9.13 and even this person who was unclean was bound to keep the Passover in the next following month Num. 9.10 11. Under the New Testament those words Joh. 3.5 Except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God are by the general testimony of Antiquity to be understood concerning Baptism and the Pharisees are condemned for rejecting the Counsel of God against themselves being not baptized of John Luk. 7.30 Now the reason why God was so greatly offended at the neglect of these Sacraments is expressed to be because he accounted this to be a disowning or dis-esteeming his Covenant of which his Sacraments were a sign and seal Gen. 17.14 and because Gods appointment and institution therein was not obeyed Num. 9.13 Luk. 7.30 Wherefore because the Lords Supper doth exhibit the New Testament in the blood of Christ and the partaking thereof is particularly commanded by Christ it must upon the same reasons be as evil and dangerous to neglect this Sacrament as those other And if it be further considered that this is a special Ordinance of eminent Christian profession shewing forth the Lords 〈◊〉 till he come 1. Cor. 11.26 and exhibiting the Communion of the body and blood of Christ the right partaking of this Ordinance must needs be concluded to be a principal action and service of Christianity whether we consider the duty performed or the benefits which may be thereby received 3. If the practice of the Apostolical and Primitive Church be consulted the three thousand converted on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost was given Act. 2.42 did all continue stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of Bread and Prayer And the receiving the Communion was esteemed so high a part of the Christian service in their publick Assemblies Act. 20.7 that their assembling was called their coming together to break bread Conc. Ant. c. 2. The Council of Antioch determined them to be cast out of the Church who were present at the reading of the Scriptures but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a disorderly manner went away and received not the Eucharist Can. Ap. 9. and the same was decreed in the Canons of the Apostles and much to the same purpose in other Councils which as that of Antioch were embraced as part of the Code of the Universal Church Agreeably hereunto it was Ignatius his desire for the Ephesians Ign. Ep. ad Ephes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they all of them jointly and every one of them particularly should meet together and partake of the same bread Among the Protestant Churches Syn. Petricor Sect. 5. 1587. the Polonian Synod consisting of members who owned three distinct confessions did unanimously declare that all Pastors ought to teach and accustom their auditors that as oft as the Lords Table is prepared in the publick Assemblies for the faithful they should not neglect every one of them to come unto it And the vehement expressions in the Geneva Catechism and in Bucers Censura against them who neglect to come to the Lords Supper might be here added with other testimonies of the same nature Only it must be here observed that Non-Conformity hath run its changes at such a variance as if both the extreams were to be preferred to the middle way The Author of the Admonition esteemed this direction for the Communicants receiveing to be too large T. C. Reply p. 117. and that too much was done in directing them to Communicate but both Mr. Cartwright the chief opposer of the Liturgy in Queen Elizabeths time Alt. Damasc c. 10. p. 727 728 and the Author of the Altare Damascenum who was the most violent censurer thereof in King James his time thought that too little was done herein for both of them would have all who are in the Churches Communion forced even by civil punishments saith the former and statis temporibus omnes adigendi sunt saith the latter to receive the Lords Supper and both of them condemn them who abstain from the Lords Table out of fear as guilty of superstition and that they ought not to be born with But now again the Chanel is altered and the stream is returned to the other side But by the invariable rule of the will of God which is an unerring guide it is the duty of all Christians to attend upon
with the engagement to love submission and acceptance of the heart and since there are different degrees of Faith in several adult Christians and different acts of Faith relating to the object thereof in the Jewish and Christian Church it will be sufficient that the Faith which referreth to Infants have only some general agreement in its notion with the Faith of the adult Now since the Faith of the adult is an acceptance of the Covenant of Grace and the Gospel Doctrine with a submission thereunto which in their state requireth an active exercise of the whole Soul Mind and Will when an Infant is said to believe this must consist in such an acceptance of and submission to the Gospel as his State is capable of which is Passively Thus by being baptized he accepteth Christ and the Covenant of Grace being united to and made a Member of that Church which holdeth Christ as the head and the Gospel Covenant as the ground of Hope or if Baptism cannot be obtained its being designed may be here considerable and hereby according to their capacities Infants do enter upon a profession and acceptance of the Christian Faith which their sureties declare and themselves stand obliged to owne when they come to years of understanding To this purpose in S. Aug. Infans vocatur fidelis Aug. Ep. 23. non rem ipsam mente annuendo sed Sacramentum percipiendo and in Gratian Credere est infantibus baptizari or they become believers by being baptized into the Faith and thus S. Aug. giveth an account of the Custom of the Church declaring Infants at their Baptism to believe that is to undertake the profession of the Faith and this he calleth saluberrimae consuetudinis rationem an account of a very good Custom 3. Obj. 2. If Infants be savingly regenerated by being baptized then must Infants dying without Baptism be excluded from Salvation Ans 1. Though it be certain that S. Aug. Fulgentius Prosper Isidoms Hispalensis Alcuinus and the whole stream of later Writers before the reformation do pass a sad sentence upon unbaptized Infants yet even then some and those none of the meanest Cassand de Bapt. Inf. did strive against the stream as Biel Gerson Cajetau with some others noted by Cassander And it hath been ordinarily acknowledged in the Christian Church that where Baptism could not be obtained adult persons exercising Christian Graces Cont. Don. l. 4. c. 22. might obtain Salvation without it even besides the case of Martyrdom this was asserted by S. Augustin largely defended by S. Bernard Bern. Ep. 78. Lib. 4. Dist 4. Amb. de Obit Valent and the Master of the sentences with his School is encluded in S. Ambrose his hopes of Valentinian the Younger who died without that Baptism which he designed and desired and is proved by the instance of the Thief upon the Cross And hence it will follow that though Baptism be an instrument of Salvation yet it is not in all Cases of absolute necessity thereunto 2. There is cause to hope well of those dying Infants who cannot obtain Baptism because the mercy and goodness of God may account them according to their capacity passively to accept of the Covenant of Grace by being born in a Church and of Parents who designed them for Communion with Christ and the embracing Christianity Rivetus ubi supra n. 8 9. Wardi Resp ad Gat. n. 18. Of the happy state of such Infants Rivet and Dr. Ward doubt not though this latter expresseth his less degree of confidence where Baptism is wanting through the neglect or contempt of the Parents yet it must of necessity be acknowledged that there is greater certainty of the Salvation of Infants baptized than of those who dye without Baptism because the Ordinances of Christ ought by no means to be looked upon as useless for salvation and the promise made to Christians and their Seed is upon condition of their acceptance of the Covenant of Grace Act. 2.38 39. as was also the promise to the Seed of Abraham Gen. 17.7 14. 4. Obj. 3. If Infants be savingly regenerated by Baptism it would be an excellent piece of Charity to baptize Pagan Infants and even to murder baptized Infants because many of these do afterwards by irreligion or debauchery expose themselves to eternal damnation but the former is opposite to Christianity and the other to humanity Ans There can be no act of Charity but what is every way conformable to Christian duty and is no way injurious to the interests of men and therefore the actions mentioned in this objection are far from being charitable Because 1. To baptize Pagan Infants continuing with them under their education would be to abuse Gods Ordinance by administring it to subjects not duly qualified according to the will of God and therefore no saving benefit could be expected thereby to such Infants because as Mr. Hooker expresseth it Eccles Pol. l. 5. n. 57. Sacraments are not physical but moral instruments of Salvation which unless we perform as the Author of Grace requireth they are unprofitable 2. To take Pagan Infants from them forcibly and unjustly that they may be baptized and educated in Christianity is no right act of Christian Charity for though those particular persons might obtain that Salvation by embracing the Christian life and doctrine which they cannot enjoy in the pursuance of Pagan Idolatry yet such actions being against the right of their Parents and thereby contrary to that justice and innocency which Christianity recommendeth would greatly tend to the prejudice of the name of Christ in the World 3. Pagan Infants undertaken to be brought up in Christianity and as it were adopted into Christian Families have by reason of that intended education a right to Christian Baptism as Abrahams Servants bought with money had to Circumcision with all others born in his House and if such an Infant dye so soon as it hath received Baptism yet Fulgentius declareth him factum esse haeredem Dei Fulg. de Ver. Praed l. 1. c. 12. cohaeredem Christi that he is made an Heir of God and joint Heir with Christ 5. As to the other part of this Objection Though it be certain whatever we judge of Baptismal regeneration that it had been better for every wicked man never to have lived to commit those hainous sins for which the wrath of God cometh upon the Children of disobedience yet there can be no more horrid and uncharitable action attempted in the World than the murdering baptized Infants which would be a wicked acting against the holy command of God and extreamly opposite to the meekness and goodness of Christianity and such practices would tend to the ruin and extinguishing of the present Church of God and to render Christianity abhorred in the World to the prejudice of many thousands of Souls and to the prejudice of these Infants both in the loss of their lives and in hindring them of the opportunity of exercising pious
indifferent and no direct parts of worship because these particular things are only of Ecclesiastical or humane constitution for since all instituted worship is directly appointed for the acceptable service of God which especially considering the fall of man must be in a way of Grace and not of Merit it must be God and not his Creature who must determine what Institutions will be pleasing to him Serm of good works Par. 2 Serm of Prayer Par. 2. And this is the Doctrine of our Homilies and the Book of Common Prayer speaking of Ceremonies expresly declareth that those which remain are for a Godly Discipline and Order which may be altered and changed and therefore are not to be esteemed equal with Gods law And our Articles assert Art 34. that the Church hath authority to change or abolish Ceremonies ordained by mans authority so that all things be done to edifying All which words shew that there is no holiness placed in these things nor are they of themselves made any part of the worship of God in the Church of England 5. Yet even the observation of things indifferent may by a secondary and consequential respect to other commands of God and duties of men though not directly from themselves render our services more acceptable unto God Thus that gesture of body which is not particularly determined as a necessary duty may be pleasing to God as it includeth a religious respect to those duties of glorifying God with our bodies and serving him acceptably with reverence and godly fear and the observing other decent rites may be pleasing to God as it expresseth a reverence of God and his Ordinances and service an obedient respect to that command that all things be done decently and in order a subjection to our Superiours in things lawful and a care of the Churches Peace Upon this account Vrsin truly said Vrsin Explic Catech q 96. Loc. Theol. in 2. Praecep Adiaphorae actiones possunt Deo placere liect aliter quam cuttus Dei proprie dictus that indifferent actions may please God but in a different manner from that which is properly and directly the worship of God To such general ends are those indifferent observations in our Church appointed which are called Ceremonies and hence it is with good reason declared in the Book of Common Prayer that they are as well for a decent Order in the Church as because they pertain to edification For as whatsoever exciteth reverend thoughts of God and his Ordinances is thereby useful for the Churches edifying so the Aposile requireth ruies of Order to be made for edification 1. Cor. 14.26 and S. Chrys in 1 Cor. Ch. 14.40 Chrysostome truly observed that good Order Peace and Love are the most useful things to promote edification 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 6. But though external rites should be never so innocent in their own nature as being neither Jewish nor owned as parts of Christian Religion nor as operative means in themselves to convey Grace yet the introducing a great and unnecessary number of them would be disadvantageous to Religion by obscuring and darkning the spiritual duties and priviledges thereof by being needlesly burdensom to Christians and by diverting mens minds to attend chiefly unto such external observances Hence S. Aug. Ep. ad Januar c. 19. Augustin in his time as is observed in our Liturgy complained of the excessive number of such rites and the conditions which Protestant Writers require concerning Ceremonies are such as these that they be in their kind things indifferent in their number sew Kemnit Exam. Conc. Trid. de Tradition 7th genus Vrsin Ex. pl. Catech. ad qu. 103. and in their use godly and profitable for edification Now in our Church besides the use of expedient gestures in the fervice of God there is nothing which in common Custom of speech is called a Ceremony which in any proper part of worship is appointed in our Liturgy to be used by any other person besides the Minister And in our ordinary service the Minister is only required to use the appointed habit which though it be customarily called a Ceremony is no otherwise such than the Church Pulpit and the Vessels for the Communion and the Communion-Cloath are to be so esteemed which are only used in the service of God And in our particular Offices we have only the use of the Cross in the Office of Baptism of imposition of hands in Confirmation and the civil rite of the Ring in Marriage and therefore if the nature of these particular Rites be allowable which in due place will be considered there can be no dammage to Religion nor burden to Christians from the number of them SECT II. The first Argument for the lawfulness of Ecclesiastical Rites from the liberty herein allowed to the Jewish Church 1. Having hitherto endeavoured to prevent mistakes and mis-apprehensions about the subject of my present discourse I shall now lay down such Arguments as will manifest that some decent external observations in the Church though they be not particularly instituted of God are allowably ordered and appointed The first Argument is from the pactice of the Jewish Church which I shall consider in a threefold respect 2. First in their Temple worship For though they might not lawfully appoint any Sacramental Rite which was the the nature of divers of the Temple Rites and though Solomons Temple as well as Moses his Tabernacle 1. Chr. 28.12 19. was built according to the pattern which God directed and divers other external things were determined by divine appointment yet even here were some things left to the liberty and determined by the Authority of the Jewish Church or the Rulers and Governours thereof I shall not here insist upon Solomons offering Burnt-Offerings in the middle of the Court and not only upon the Altar 1. Kin. 8.64 nor upon Hezekiahs proclaiming a general Passover on the second Month 2. Chr. 30.2 because these were extraordinary Cases which were only allowable by the weightiness of the present occasions when Ceremonial Commands of God might be dispensed with in cases of greater concernment upon which account it was also lawful for David and them who were with him to cat the shew bread But it must be acknowledged that such extraordinary Cases are no more a sufficient ground for constant and ordinary Constitutions than the constant keeping a vein open can be concluded allowable because it may be expediently at some times opened for the preserving life or health 3. The first instance of this liberty among the Jews concernâ—th the Passover which was after the building the Tabernacle and Temple a proper Tabernacle or Temple Rite Phil. l. 3. de Vita Mos Lib. de Decalog Lib. de Septen Festis Deut. 16.6 and though Philo Judaeus doth in several places express the Passover to be sacrificed by all the people of Israel and not to be presented to the Priests as other Sacrifices were both the Talmud
to build a Temple contrary to any command of God but was only a determination of 2omewhat external relating to the Service of God to express his higher honour and reverence of God and Religion which was therefore approved of God though it was not particularly commanded by him Seder Olam Rab. c. 11. And if we may herein credit the Jewish Chronicle when the house of God was set up at Shiloh there was a soundation laid of stone which God had not enjoyned nor forbidden upon which the Tabernacle made of Boards Curtains and Skins was erected 7. I know that the Jewish Writers do assert that the Law of Moses did command the building the Temple by which I here understand a house of stone and Cedar as distinguished from the Tabernacle this seemeth to be affirmed by Maimonides Maim in Praec affirm 20. Gemar in San. hedr. c. 2. Sect. 6. Joseph Ant. Jud. l. 7. c. 4. and is asserted by the Talmud and Josephus saith David designed to build a Temple 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Moses had foretold But this is not agreeable to what God himself declareth to the contrary 2 Sam. 7.7 Spake I a word with any of the Judges of Israel whom I commanded to feed my people Israel saying Why build ye not me an house of Cedar and the ground upon which these Jewish Writers build is mistaken For 1. that place which the Gemara insisteth upon Deut. 12.10 11. concerning the place which God should chuse only enjoyneth a fixed place for the Tabernacle of God and his Service where he should chuse it after he had placed them in Canaan as may appear by comparing Deut. 12.1 5 11 12. Josh 18.1 Jer. 7.12 and the Tabernacle is expresly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the house of choice in the Seder Olam Seder Olam Rab. ubysupra And those words Exod. 15.2 I will prepare him an habitation being spoken before the building of the Tabernacle do refer thereto and the Tabernacle is expresly called his habitation 1 Sam. 2.29 2 Sam. 15.25 and in divers other places as it was also very frequently called by the name of the Temple both in the Psalms and in the Books of Samuel and the Sanctuary in the place produced by Maimonides Exod. 25.8 and in many others 8. Thus I have now shewed that even in the Temple Worship of the Jews some external Rites not appointed by God were lawfully practised and amongst others a Sacramental gesture which was not used in the institution of the Sacrament a decent Vesture of white Linen for them who attended the Service of God therein and a memorative and ingaging sign of the Altar of Witness or the Altar Ed. and the Reader will easily conceive how nearly the nature of these three things resemble and justifie our gesture at the Communion the use of the Surpless and the Cross at Baptism 9. Secondly I shall consider the Synagogue Worship of the Jews which hath a nearer alliance to the Christian Worship In their Synagogues they assembled to profess and owne God and his Law to hear his Word to praise his Name and call upon him and to perform other such like Duties And this was not chiefly a Ceremonial Worship as that of the Temple was but a Moral Worship or such a Worship as consisted of Duties which in the general nature of them are perpetually obligatory upon all the Servants of God in this World and not upon the Jews only nor were they peculiar to the Mosaical Constitutions And concerning this which was their ordinary weekly and indeed a principal Worship of God it is truly observed by Mr. Thorndike Of Religious Assemblies c. 2. that there was very little established by God in the Book of the Law And they were also in some particulars left to their own prudential determinations where the Christian Church is not 10. A first instance I here give of the liberty of the Jewish Church making determinations concerning things external velating to Religion is touching the Ordination of the Ecclesiastical Officers of the Synagogal Assemblies by Imposition of Hands The Officers Ecclesiastical in these Assemblies were those who were anciently called the Sons of the Prophets or their Elders Scribes Rabbins and Doctors of the Law Neither the nature of their Office and Authority nor especially the manner of their Admission thereto is any where determined in the Law of God but depended upon the Churches Constitutions for the preserving order and authority in its Assemblies And yet that all who were the Synagogal Officers or who were admitted to teach there except the extraordinary case of Prophets were ordained thereto by Imposition of Hands and what their different manners of Ordination were according as they committed to them different power or authority of teaching or judging is sufficiently from the Jewish Forms declared by Mr. Selden De Syned l. 1. c. 7. Sect. 2 4. And this authority of Ordination was so far approved by our Blessed Saviour that he declared concerning the Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 23.2 3. That they sit in Moses seat all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do But though this Ordination of Elders or Rabbies among the Jews was founded upon no Divine Institution as is truly asserted by Mr. Selden Seld. ibidem the state of the Christian Church is herein under the determination of Divine and Apostolical Constitutions 11. A second instance is concerning the Habit of the Prophets and the Sons of the Prophets That the Prophets used a rough or hairy garment or Mantle which was peculiar to them may be collected by the practice of Elijah who was known by his hairy garment and whose Mantle fell from him when he was taken into Heaven 1 King 1.8 Chap. 2.13 and from the appearance of Samuel in his Mantle 1 Sam. 28 14. And even the Annotations composed by the Members of the Assembly do probably assert that when Isaiah is said to go naked Annot. in Is 20.2 Isa 20.2 no more is intended but that he put off his Prophetical Robe or Mantle such as fell from Elias It is also generally acknowledged that the Prophet Zechary speaking of wearing a rough garment to deceive Zech. 13.4 doth thereby intend the ordinary Prophetical garment so Munster Vatablus Castalio Clarius Drusius and Grotius do assert and Calvin calleth that garment habitum Propheticum Junius stileth it communem amictum prophetarum and Bochartus thinketh that it was vestis prophetarum propria Bochart Hieroz l. 1. c. 2. That the Sons of the Prophets used a particular habit by which they were easily discernable from other men may be probably collected from 2. Kin. 9.5 6 11 12. and is more manifest from 1. Kin. 20.35 41. And besides these habits which were of ordinary use in their converse there may some particular evidence be given of garments peculiarly used in their Synagogal Assemblies that such was their practice about our Saviours time may appear
Corona militis c. 3. Eucharistiae Sacramentum etiam antelucanis caetibus sumimus do intimate that that Sacrament was administred also at other times besides those early Morning Assemblies and S. Cyprian as Pamelius noteth Cyp. Ep. 63. n. 48. expresseth their communicating the that Carthaginian Church both in the Morning and the Evening Socr. Hist Eccl. l 5. c. 21. as Socrates long after relateth the Custom of Evening Communions in the Churches of Egypt and those nigh to Thebais And therefore the Eucharist and Agapae might be and were joined together as is manifest from another place of Tertullians Apology Apol. c. 7 8. 5. And that these things were mutable Rites and no perpetual Laws to the Christian Church is manifest not only from general Ecclesiastical practice but also because the Scriptures give no command for the love Feasts though they mention that practice with approbation and the kiss which was a token of love and friendship according to the Custom of those Countries was thence directed to be observed by those Christians only as a token of their Christian greeting and salutation and a testimony of their Vnity and Communion Yet because these things were used at the time of the holy Communion as outward actions representing part of that Christian duty practice and engagement which was signified by that holy Ordinance it self and undertaken therein they were in this use properly Ecclesiastical Rites and do justifie the use of such external actions in the service or duties of Religion which are useful to excite or promote Christian practice 6. And besides these the Apostles direction for men to pray or prophesie with their heads uncovered 1 Cor. 11.4 was the determining an external Rite for order and decency and not without some respect to the common expressions of Reverence in Greece and other parts of the Roman Empire The Jewish Priests performed their Temple service with their heads covered with their Bonnets as did the High Priest also in his Mitre and it was his honour and dignity that he might not uncover his head Lev. 21.10 he representing hereby the glory and honour of the Messias In the Jewish Synagogue worship their men constantly prayed with their faces vailed V. Hor. Hebr. in 1. Cor. 11.4 in token of shame as is manifest from divers testimonies of the Talmudists agreeably to which Custom the holy Angels in Isaiah's Vision are represented standing before God and worshipping with their faces covered Is 6.1 2 3. The ancient Romans used uncovering the head as an expression of honour to great men but yet from the time of Aeneas Plutarch Prob. Rom. q. 10 11 13. as Plutarch affirmeth they had their heads covered in most of their Religious solemnities The Grecians worshipped with their heads uncovered as did the Romans also in their adoration of Saturn But S. Paul considering the Christians relation and encouragements and the customary use of vailing among women as fitly becoming and expressing their shamefastness modesty and subjection he thence from the consideration of comeliness determineth that the expression of reverence which most befitteth the state of men in their Religious service is to uncover their heads and not to vail them both in praying and in prophesying or praising and glorifying God chiefly under extraordinary or prophetick raptures in which sense the Chaldee Paraphrast oft expoundeth the Phrase of prophesying in the Old Testament and R. D. Kimchi Ch. Par. in 1. Sam. 10.5 6 10 11 13. Ch. 19 20 21 23 24. Drus in 1. Sam. 10.6 also as he is cited by Drusius And the consequence hereof is this that such outward actions as tend to express a comely reverence in the service of God may be filty appointed and used therein under the Gospel dispensation 7. But because I shall in the following Chapter give some other instances of Apostolical practice I forbear in this place to urge any more and therefore shall not insist upon S. Peter submitting to have his feet washed at our Saviours command which some have noted to be a Jewish Paschal Rite then practised under an Evangelical signification nor upon the observations enjoined to the Gentile Christians by the Council at Jerusalem Act. 15. nor upon those other manifestly ancient Rites which are not mentioned in the Scriptures but were by the Fathers of the Primitive Church called Apostolical Rites or Apostolical Traditions But instead of prosecuting what is contained in this last instance I shall observe that it was a current position among the chief Protestant Writers of the Churches beyond the Seas that in points of external rite order and decency some things were appointed by the Apostles in the Churches of Christ which were not recorded in the holy Scriptures Kemnit Exam de Tradit 7 m. Genus Thus Kemnitius asserteth that it is manifest from the Apostles writings that they did ordain and deliver some Rites unto the Church verisimile est quosdam etiam alios externos ritus qui in scriptura annotati non sunt to Apostolis traditos esse And it seemeth true that there were other external Rites delivered by the Apostles which are not mentioned in the Scripture Beza upon those words of S. Paul The rest will I set in order when I come 1 Cor. 11.34 granteth that the Apostle did in that Church detemine other things not mentioned in that Epistle but pertinent ad ordinem Ecclesiasticum non ad dogmata they were not matters of Doctrine but of Ecclesiastical Order And upon the same words he saith that they appointed things referring to order as time place forms of Prayer and such like as times places and persons did require Zanch. Tract de Sacr. Script Qu. 8. Zanchy also citing the same Text by way of Objection in his Treatise of the holy Scripture answereth That concerning matters of order and decency we acknowledge many things to have been appointed in the Churches by the Apostles which are not written Concedimus multa fuisse instituta ab Apostolis in Ecclesiis quae non sunt scripta 8. That command of the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.40 Let all things be done decently and in order doth manifestly suppose a power and command its exercise in the Church of Corinth for the appointing what is requisite to those ends and is to this purpose urged not only in the Church of England but by those other modern Writers who are in high esteem with most Non-Conformists Infst l. 4. c. 10. Sect. 27. Calvin in his institutions from this Scripture asserteth a necessity of laws made by Ecclesiastical Constitutions because order and decency cannot otherwise be kept nisi additis observationibus tanquam vinculis quibusdam and in his Commentaries he thence asserteth In 1. Cor. 14.40 that God hath left external Rites unto our liberty that we might not account his worship to consist in them Zanchy Zanch. Compend Doct. Christianae Loc. 16. considering this Text enquireth what the Apostle
because it could not consist with their owning the Law of Moses and is not mentioned either in the Scriptures or in Josephus But considering how little Josephus wrote that hath any kind of relation to the Samaritan worship and that our Saviour chargeth them with a miscarriage about the object of their worship Joh. 4.22 Ye worship saith he ye know not what considering also that the worshippers at Bethel by whom the Samaritans were instructed did before their Captivity worship God there by an Image and that the Assyrians Syrians and others Neighbouring upon the Samaritans as Bochartus sheweth Bochart ibidem did chuse the form of a Dove to be the Image and resemblance of God there is no just reason to question the evidence of the Jewish Writers concerning the Samaritans 4. It hath been also objected against all Ecclesiastical Constitutions that the Apostle blamed the Colossians Col. 2.20 21. Why as though living in the World are ye subject unto Ordinances such as he mentioneth in the next verse Touch not or eat not tast not handle not Ans This place concerneth not prudential Rules of order Davenant Zanch. In Loc. but it blameth the Colossians that they should suffer their minds to be deluded Whitak Cont. 4. Qu. 7. c. 3. and their practices to be enshared and perverted by false positions delivered as Doctrines and this is observed to be the sense of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 20. and these things were called the Commandments and Doctrines of men v. 22. and will-worship v. 23 because they were delivered as proper divine Commandments And that this was the cause of the Apostles reproving the Colossians may be further manifest because the Apostles themselves upon a prudential and Christian account enjoined the Gentiles to forbear some sorts of meal the observing of which Apostolical Constitution which did not doctrinally declare those things themselves to be unclean was in no wise condemned by S. Paul writing to his Colossians 5. That place of S. James Jam. 4.12 There is one Lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy doth appropriate to God the Authority of establishing and executing such Laws the obeying or disobeying which is the sure way to eternal life or destruction because they are his Laws but this Scripture having no peculiar respect to the worship of God in publick Assemblies doth no more condemn Ecclesiastical Constitutions of Creder in the Church than either the civil sanctions of secular Governours or the Domestick commands of Parents or Masters Inst l. 4. c. 10. Sect. 7 30. And even Calvin with some respect to this place of St. James aserteth in his Institutions that in the great matters of Christianity there is unicus vitae magister one only who is to rule and command our life but in externa Disciplina Ceremoniis in matters external concerning Discipline and Ceremonies he hath not thought sit to prescribe every particular thing but hath left us to be guided by general rules 6. I know that some who urge this place of S. James would thence conclude that none besides God have any power or Authority by their commands to himâ—â—â—â— Consciences of men Now though this TExe speaketh nothing expresly of Conscience or its obligation I shall concerning that matter add that Ecclesiastical Constitutions do no otherwise bind the Consciences of men so far as concerneth the nature of the obligation than the commands of Magistrates Parents and Masters do though they have ordinarily the stronger motives with direct respect to the Peace and Order of the Church and the edification of its Members And it must be acknowledged that no humane Authority can bind the â—â—â—ing power of Conscience so that it is 〈…〉 that a duty which is whereby â—â—â—â—â—â—ded without having liberty 〈…〉 of its lawfulness and this is â—â—â—ifâ—â—tly the sense of several 〈…〉 Writers when they say that Goâ—â—â—â—ly hath power to bind the Conscience But that humane Laws and commands do secondarily and consequentially bind the Conscience to take care of practising what is lawfully commanded is that which can 〈◊〉 be denyed It would certainly sound harshto a Christian Ear if any shall assert that a Child is not bound in Conscience to do any particular lawful thing which his Father commandeth him it being all one to assert that it is not his duty and that he is not bound in Conscience to do it But if he be bound in Conscience to do that upon his Fathers command which he was not bound to undertake without that command it must needs be his command which layeth that obligation upon Conscience secondarily and consequentially or with a respect unto Gods general command of obedience 7. In this sense it is not unusual with Protestant Writers beyond the Seas as well as with divers of our own Nation as particularly Bishop Saunderson de Obligatione Conscientiae Duct Dubit l. 3. c. 1. rule 1.5 Ch. 4. rule 5. and Bishop Taylor very largely in his Ductor Dubitantium to assert that the injunctions of our Superiours bind the Conscience Vrsin in his Explicatio Catechetica asserteth the Constitution of the Magistrate to bind the Conscience that is saith he by reason of the command of the Magistrate Ex. Cat. qu. 96. it becometh necessary to be performed and cannot be neglected without the offence of God though it be no case of scandal In praec 2. de Cultu Dei And in his Loci Theologici he to the same purpose declareth edicta Magistratûs obligant conscientias and absque scandalo obligatur conscientia ad harum legum observationem To the same purpose may Paraeus be produced Alsted Theol. Cas c. 2. Reg. 2. And Alsted very well noteth that humane laws mediately or under God do bind the Conscience even as an Oath Vow or promise made by a mans sely doth 8. I shall not insist upon that objection from Heb. 3.5 6. which expresseth the faithfulness of Christ to be more glorious than the faithfulness of Moses from whence it hath been with more manifest violence than strength of argument concluded that under the Gospel which is perfectly and compleatly delivered by Christ there is no place left for any prudential Constitutions which were say they wholly excluded under the Mosaical law But I suppose I have beyond all contradiction evinced that under the Mosaical Law there were divers things appointed by Ecclesiastical Authority And that Moses's faithfulness consisted in delivering the Law as he received it and not in the compleatness of enjoining every particular circumstance in the Church will appear evident because otherwise he could not be accounted as faithful with respect to their Synagogue worship as to their Temple worship And it may be further noted that the numerous divine commands about matters external referring to the Temple worship V. Sanders de Obl. Cons prael 6. Sect. 30. which was the Law of Commandments contained in Ordinances was no part of the
priviledge but of the bondage of the Jewish church in which the Gospel Church was not designed to be conformable thereto 9. What is usually produced upon this subject from the fourteenth Chapter to the Romans will fall more directly under consideration in the following Chapter where I design to give a particular account of the true sense thereof 10. But what hath been here said can be no pretence of excuse for the Rites of the Romish Church where besides their unreasonable and burdensom number divers of them are evil in their nature many of them being Sacramental and designed to be operative of Grace and spiritual help and others being opposite to plain duties of Religion such are the making images of the Trinity and of the Saints for adoration the suppressing the Cup to the Laity a Rite of Christs appointment in the Eucharist the adoration of the Sacrament as transubstantiated and divers others being manifestly superstitious as might be evidenced in their various consecrations as they account them of Bells Candles Water Salt Chrysm c. Processions and such like CHAP. II. Of external Rites and Constitutions as significant enjoined scrupled or having been abused SECT I. Of external Rites as significant 1. Com. Pray of Ceremonies OUR Liturgy declareth the Ceremonies retained in our Church to serve to a decent order and godly Discipline and to be such as are apt to stir up the dull mind of man to the remembrance of his duty to God by some notable and special signification whereby he might be edified Thus kneeling at the Communion is designed to express Humility and Reverence the Cross at Baptism to be a memorative taken of engagement to the Christian Life and the Ministerial Habit to be a testimony of peculiar respect and honour to the worship and service of God And if any from the White Linen take occasion to meditate and think of the purity of Divine Worship and the Christian Life and that as White Linen is changed from its natural greenness and moisture to become useful and comely through much industry washing and the influence of the Sun so the corrupt state of fallen man may become renued unto holiness by the power of divine Grace and serious Christian diligence such considerations as this though not commanded in this Church may well be approved and defended 2. T. C. Repl. p. 136. Linc. Apol. 1605. Alt. Damasc c. 9. p. 522. Mr. Baxt. Disp of Cerem c. 2. Excep of Presb. p. 9. But such external instituted signs which by their signification do either teach any duty or excite to the performance thereof have been generally decryed with some earnestness by the Non-Conformists under the name of Mystical teaching signs sometimes as Jewish Rites and sometimes as new Sacraments Whereas it seemeth very strange that an useful significancy or its conducibleness to promote good should become a crime Surely it is altogether as reasonable that such an Ornament of the body which might otherwise be approved should become utterly intollerable if it be of any advantage for warmth or health as that any appointment for order and decency in matters of Religion should be thought altogether insufferable because of its tendency towards edification or any spiritual benefit Wherefore 3. Consider 1. That the denying all lawfulness of using any external thing not commanded of God as a sign either to help our understandings or excite our affections doth very much tend to the prejudice of Religion and Christianity For this would condemn the use of Parables and Similitudes which our Saviour following the Custom of the Jewish Teachers did frequently express And this would condemn a very useful part of Christian meditation as if he who looketh upon the Earth no otherwise than the Beast doth might be well approved of while he who fixing his eyes thereupon considereth that he was taken out of the Earth and must return thither and thence entreth upon in humble thoughtfulness of his own frailty must be condemned or as if it was a heinous thing for a Christian when he looketh up to Heaven immediately to entertain thoughts thereupon of Christs being ascended thither and how much he is obliged that his affections and conversation should be above 4. Cons 2. The lawful use of some other visible signs besies gestures is necessarily allowed in the right exercise of Christianity I suppose none will condemn our kneeling at Prayer though it be primarily designed to testifie our lowlyness reverence and humility and to owne and acknowledge the Soveraignty and Majesty of God or standing to hear thereby to express or excite Christian attention the lifting up the hands or eyes in Prayer out of true devotion is not therefore blameable because it is a sign of a stedsast hope and confidence in God and of expectation from him nor may the Publican's smiting his hand upon his breast be thought the worse of because it encluded a pathetick and affectionate acknowledgment of his unfeigned humiliation and sorrow for sin Act. 21.40 Ch. 26.1 We often read of the Apostle beckning with his hand to move his Aditors to attention and I suppose few will be so bold as to censure the Custom of the Primitive Christians Tertul. Apol. c. 30. who prayed as Tertullian declareth manibus expansis quia innocuis capite nuclo quia non erubescimus and who frequently stretched out their hands in Prayer composing themselves thereby to a suitableness to Châ—â—â— dying on the Cross Tertul. de Grat. c. 13. Dominica passionâ—â—◠〈◊〉 and having in that posture an 〈◊〉 inteaâ—uess of mind upon our Saviourâ— Passion when his hands were stretched out But dare any undertake to blame that woman whom our Saviour commanded and approved who kissed the feet of our Lord and anointed them with Ointment Luk. 7 38.-50 and who washed them with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head as a testimony of religious reverence honour and vehement love to the Son of God by whom she obtained remission of sins or to condemn her who to a like purpose poured that Ointment of spikenard upon his head concerning which he declared that wherever the Gospel should be preached throughout the whole World that which she had done should be spoken of for a memorial of her Mar. 14.3 9. Wherefore outward voluntary actions designed to signifie some Religiouis thing ought not universally to be disclaimed And it will concern them who condemn external Rites meerly upon account of their signification which might otherwise be admitted to consider how they can allow according to this opinion the use of proper and expressive words in the service of God to be preferred before nonsense and impertinencies since words are properly signs of things as S. Aug. and Rabanus have noted Aug. de Doctr. Christ l. 3. c. 1 2 3. Rab. Maur. de Inst Cler. l 3. c. 8. c. and the particular words appropriated to all parts of Divine worship are not enjoined by God himself
to have Kings her nursing Fathers and a duty to all Rulers upon earth to acknowledge their subjection to Jesus Christ And yet even in the Apostles times there were corporal punishments miraculously inflicted to awaken men to mind the practice and careful exercise of Christianity not only in the particular instances of Saul going to Damascus of Ananias and Sapphira and of Elymas but the delivering a person to Satan hath been ordinarily observed to enclude with the sentence of the Church a giving him over to some outward bodily calamities to be inflicted on him by the evil spirit of which a particular instance is given concerning the Servant of Stilico Paulin in Vit. Ambr. prope fin by Paulinus in the life of S. Ambrose 13. But that this Question may be resolved we must note 1. That it concerneth only secular authority when it is rightly informed in these matters of Religion about which such Laws are established For according to the Rules of Conscience as no authority upon earth may lawfully countenance or join in the profession of an errour so neither may it by commands constitutions or penalties design to advance it But it is as unreasonable that the use of secular authority to advance what is good and commendable should hence be condemned as that the holy action of Abraham Gen. 18.19 commanding his Children to keep the way of the Lord should be disliked because it is certainly unlawful for any Parents to command and enjoin their Children to entertain sin and embrace errour For it is every mans duty to close with that which is good and to favour and prefer it but it is his sin to oppose it or to make use of his interest in the behalf of that which is evil 2. Bishop Whitgifts Defence of his Ex. to Magist ion fin Nor is this Question about the lawfulness of designing the ruine and destruction of any persons only because they err in matters of Religion which is a thing by no means allowable and not only the use of Fire and Faggot for pretended Heresie but the inflicting capital punishments for the sole crimes even of real Heresie or notorious errours in Religion have been sufficiently disclaimed by the great defenders of our Political and Ecclesiastical Constitutions 14. 3. To establish such Laws backed with penalties about good and useful matters Ecclesiastical which may be a proper and fit motive respect being had by the prudence of Superiours to the nature of the things enjoined and to the temper of the persons to be dealt with to excite men to consider and mind their duty is not only allowable but it is the natural result of Rulers discountenancing evil designing their subjects good being careful of the Churches welfare and of serving God in the use of their authority and is contained under that Apostolical Rule Rom 13.4 If thou do that which is evil be affrâ—â—d of the power But if any shall to word that outward punishments are no way useful to direct mens minds to a sense of their duty he must contradict the common experience of a considerable part of Mankind and must disclaim any advantage for amendment of life from paternal correction the constitution of Magistracy and divers providential chastisements of God against the frequent expressions of holy Scripture And he must also undertake to assert that the condition of Israel was not better when all the people engaged themselves to the service of God moved by the zeal for true Religion in their Kings attended with their denouncing temporal punishments on them who neglected or refused than when every one 〈◊〉 and professedly walked in the 〈◊〉 of his own heart 15. And whereas several expressions 〈◊〉 Writers speak against the use of external force in matters of Religion divers of them are intended against the Pagan or Heretical powers oppressing the truth others against over-rigorous severities and extremities towards some persons under errour some were the expressions of those who were themselves abetters of Schism as Socretes was and there are some few expressions of others who were men of greater affection than consideration whose words may be over-ballanced both by reason and other Authorities SECT III. Of Ecclesiastical Constitutions about things scrupled 1. That such things which some persons scruple oppose and dispute against may be practised without sin by them who discern and are well satisfied of their lawfulness is a thing that needeth not much proof For if this be denyed Christianity must be accounted a state of bondage where every mans mistaken apprehensions would lay an obligation on the Consciences of others Wherefore in that Case when some Christians judged it unlawful to eat all sorts of meat S Paul allowed him who discerned his liberty to make use thereof Rom. 14.2 6. Yet because both in that Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans and in 1 Cor. 10. he giveth command to Christians to beware of grieving and offending their brethren the general case of Scandal in things Indifferent will in this place come under some consideration concerning which it may be sufficient to observe three things 2. First That the offending others prohibited in those places by the Apostle consisted not in displeasing others only but in performing such actions which tended to occasion some to fall from Christianity or others not to embrace it This sense of these Precepts Right of the Church c. 4. is observed as a thing manifest by Mr. Thorndike Thus S. Paul declareth the using liberty about things offered to Idolls so as to be a stumbling block to the weak 1 Cor. 8 9. to consist in emboldning them towards the Idol v. 10. whereby the weak Brother perisheth v. 11. And though the Apostle sometimes mentioneth this sin of offending others under the name of grieving them Rom. 14.15 he thereby intendeth an occasioning them to disgust the Christian Religion and therefore in the same verse commandeth Destroy not him with thy meat c. And when he recommendeth in this Case the pleasing of others it is in designing their profit that they may be saved 1 Cor. 10.33 Yet it must be further acknowledged that according to the expressions of other Scriptures it is a sinful scandal or giving offence when any one by the use of his liberty doth knowingly induce others to the commiting any sin being under no obligation to determine this use of his liberty for according to S. Hierome that is scandal where a man dicto vel facto occasionem rui nae cuiquam dederit 3. But the meer displeasing or grieving others about matters indifferent is not always a sin for our Saviour himself greatly grieved his Apostles when he told them that one of them should betray him but as yet concealed the man Mat. 26.21 22. Yet Christianity will not allow a morose and pievish temper but directeth men to be loving amicable and kind and to be ready to please others where duty or prudence do not otherwise engage us but out of
complyance to the mind of others to neglect due reverence to God or Rules of order in the Church of God is not allowable And there lieth a much higher obligation upon us to please others where we are engaged thereto by the bond of justice subjection and obedience than where we are only enclined thereto by the influence of love and common kindness whence the Child or Servant who will provoke his Father or Master by acts of disobedience contrary to his duty meerly to please other persons acteth irregularly and sinfully and upon the same account he who will displease and disobey his Rulers and Governours whether Civil or Ecclesiastical to gratifie other persons of inferiour capacity acteth contrary to Christian duty 4. Secondly The Plea of scandal must then necessarily be ill used when what is undertaken under pretence of avoiding offence doth it self become the greater offence In the Case mentioned in the Epistles to the Romans and the Corinthians there was no giving offence to the Jews Gentiles or the Church of God by their present forbearance of any sort of meat under the circumstances in which they then were and therefore this forbearance out of charity to others became a duty But when S. Peter and Barnabas at Antioch did for a time forbear to eat with the Gentiles which seemingly encluded an urjust censure of the way of Christianity as it was embraced among the Gentiles and was like to be a great offence to the Gentiles this action though undertaken out of an appearance of charitable respect to the Jews that they might not be offended was sinful and contrary to the Gospel And upon the like account the disobeying Ecclesiastical Constitutions but of respect to some other persons while it encludeth an appearance of ungrounded censuring of our Rulers who appointed them and the Church who practiseth them and a want of care of its order Peace and Unity besides other ill consequents above expressed is not allowable nor can it be justified by the rules of Religion but by the bad example of neglect of duty it giveth the greatest occasion of offence 5. And if any persons shall in such a case take offence so far as to distast the Religious worship of God V. Tertullian de Virgin Vel. c. 3. because others observe established Orders this is an offence taken but not given For in matters indifferent and left altogether to our liberty he who without any care of his Brothers good acteth what he knoweth will occasion him to fall is guilty of a scandal against the rule of charity but he who acteth nothing but what is his duty lawfully commanded by his superiour or undertaken with respect to the greater good and order of the Church is guilty of no scandal nor breach of charity though others may take occasion to fall thereby 22 ae qu. 43. Art 2. It is well resolved by Aquinas that every scandal or offence encludeth sin that which is a scandal given or an active scandal is the sin of him who giveth the occasion but the scandal taken or the passive scandal is the sin of him only who taketh the occasion to fall Thus there were divers things which our Saviour spake and did at which the Pharisees were offended the sin of which must be charged upon themselves in being alienated thereby from the Doctrine of Christ 6. Thirdly The duty of forbearing the use of some things lawful and expedient because others account them sinful hath likewise peculiar respect to that case when the erring persons have not had sufficient opportunity of being fully instructed and stedfastly established in the truth Thus in the time of the Apostles when the Doctrine of the Gospel was first divulged the Jews could not be presently satisfied concerning the liberty and freedom of Christians from the rites of the law of Moses and many of the Gentiles were not so firmly established in all the Doctrines of Christianity that they might not be led aside by mistaking the practices of other Christians and in such cases the use of things lawful and indifferent must be restrained from the consideration of others weakness But where there hath been sufficient means and opportunity for better instruction if some still retain their erroneous opinions they who understand the truth are not obliged in this case to forbear their practising according to their true principles in matters of indifferency and Christian liberty because this practice is in this case a profession of truth against errour and the forbearance thereof may frequently be interpreted a complyance with errour Vrsin Loc. Theol in 3m. Prac. And it is truly observed by Vrsin that it is scandalum datum in rebus adiaphoris errores in animis infirmorum confirmare to add confirmation to erroneous opinions in the minds of the weak about indifferent things is a giving offence or being guilty of an active scandal Upon this account though our Saviour knew that his heating and commanding the man who was healed to take up his bed on the sabbath day his eating with Publicans and Sinners and his Disciples eating with unwashen hands were things in the highest manner offensive to some of the Jews he practised and allowed these things in opposition to the Scribes and Pharisees who in their censures of him proceeded upon erroneous and corrupt Doctrines vented by them for divine dictates 7. But it may deserve a more full enquiry whether Ecclesiastical Constitutions and legal Injunctions may be allowed concerning things which either are or may become matter of dispute and opposition Commis Papers passim because this is a thing which is in the substance of it much insisted upon In order to the resolution hereof I shall assert 1. The peace and Vnity of a Church which must both respect the Union of its members among themselves and with the Vniversal Church is of so great value that to that end it would be very desirable that any particular constitution about matters meerly indifferent should be altered where peace with a well ordered state of the Church can only by that means be firmly secured because the principal end of them is to promote Unity order and edification 8. Assert 2. Where minds are prone to raise disputes and entertain prejudices and jealousies about matters of Gods worship the most innocent things cannot be long secured from being opposed and scrupled For in this case when men of greater parts do without just cause propound doubts and arguments against a thing which may easily be done about any subject men of lesser understanding if they have also unsetled and unestablished minds are apt either out of weakness of judgment to take their fallacies to be solid reasons or from the earnestness of their affections to esteem such persons to be the ablest and faithfullest guides And he who observeth the World will discern that there is scarce any truth of Religion even in matters most Fundamental which hath not been disputed and opposed by men
contended for amongst us I shall observe that this hath been many ways also grosly abused First it was the ordinary gesture of worship in the Romish Pagan Idolatry The ancient laws of their Pagan worship required ut adoraturi sedeant which as Plutarch affirmeth Plut. in Numa was appointed by Numa Pompilius and Tertullian informeth us that at their Gentile solemnities even in his time they worshipped their images sitting Tertul. de Orat. c. 12. adoratis sigillaribus suis residendo 11. And in the Romish Church it is by some asserted and appeareth very probable that the Pope himself at some solemnities receiveth the Eucharist sitting When the Emperour receiveth his Coronation their Master of Ceremonies telleth us that at the time of Mass the Pope with the Emperour following him in the place of a Sub-Deacon goeth to the Altar whence Pontifex ad sedem eminentem communicaturus revertitur Sacr. Cerem l. 1. Sect. 5. Cap. 3. the Pope who at that time doth himself celebrate goeth to his seat of eminency therein to receive the Communion And a Book called the Quench-Coal written many years since as an Answer to Dr. Heylins Coal from the Altar produceth this testimony from William Thomas in his History of Italy who declared himself an eye witness thereof in the year 1547. that the Altar in the Cathedral Church of Rome Quench Coal p. 12. even in the time of Mass when the Pope received the Sacrament was standing in the midst of the Quire and the Pope sitting in a Chair of State about it And Didoclavius telleth us which is the only instance he produceth out of any History for sitting at the Sacrament and he may be mistaken in that that the Benedictine Monks receive the Sacrament sitting upon the Thursday before Easter Altar Damasc c. 10. and yet I suppose if his observation be true he will not imagine that they receive it with less adoration of the Host than other Papists do 12. And sitting at the Sacrament hath yet been much more abused by the Arians in Poland as their Synods called the Socinians who as denying the Divinity of Christ In Synodis Cracoviens Petricoviens Wlodislav Toruniens in Corp. Confessionum and not giving due reverence to him were the first Authors known to those Churches of this sitting gesture upon which account the Churches both of the Bobaemian Augustan and Helvetick Confessions residing in Poland and Lithuania disclaimed the use of that gesture though they esteemed it lawful in it self as being upon this occasion scandalous Wherefore to assert that every gesture grosly abused by others ought to be utterly relinquished is not only contrary to truth and to the practice of the Church of England but is herein opposite to the use of all the reformed Churches and it would make void Christs institution of the Sacrament by admitting no gesture to be lawful to communicate therein 13. Yet that we may discern the various working of mens minds in their arguments against this kneeling gesture and how copiously every thing affordeth matter to them who will take up with any thing we may observe Div. Right of Ch. Gov. Ch. 2. q. 1. p. 195. that as kneeling is sometimes disliked as having been Idolatrously abused so sitting is sometimes pleaded for as being the gesture practised and allowed by Christ because it was the gesture say they in the Idols Temple Thus Mr. Rutherford in these strange expressions undertaketh to prove that Christ did sit at the Lords Supper because sitting at the Idols Table 1 Cor. 8.10 declareth that in Religious Feasts sitting was ordinary and a sign indicant of honouring the spiritual Lord of the Banquet and a religious Communion with the Lord of the Feast was hence signified 14. Another thing urged against kneeling at the Sacrament Obj. 5. Rutherf Divine Right of Ch. Govern Ch. 1. Qu. 5. Sect. 1 3. which of the others is most strange and uncharitable is this that kneeling at the Sacrament is Idolatry and is parallel with worshipping god by an Image and even with the Pagan Idolatry it self upon this ground Altar Damasc c. 10 p. 801. because to kneel before any Creature as a memorative object of God though there be no intention of giving divine adoration to that Creature is Idolatry in the opinion of some men 15. Ans 1. This rash position tendeth to make the Jews worshipping God before the Ark or mercy Seat and before the Temple at Jerusalem or the Tabernacle in the Wilderness to have been equally Idolatrous with the serving Jeroboams Calves or worshipping Baal which was so far from that great sin that it was then a necessary duty of Religion And the cause of this gross mistake is the want of considering the vast difference of worshipping a false God or making use of a memorative object to represent the likeness of the divine being which is contrary to his nature and forbidden by his Precepts and of using such a memorative object in worship as is to be a memorial of the Covenant and grace of God and Christ and his Communion with us being to that end appointed and instituted as a remembrance of him If these things be not accounted vastly different it must be concluded not very considerable whether we do things appointed of God or forbidden of him and things agreeable to the nature of God or apposite thereto And besides this to worship God alone making use of such memorative objects as an help thereto which do properly call to our minds Gods mighty works and glorious Attributes is far from being either Idolatrous or blameable If a pious man taking a view of the mighty works of Gods Creation or any part thereof should upon this sight be put in mind of the power and wisdom of their Creator and thence should glorify admire and worship not the Creature but God alone such actions are not evil but devout and religious 16. 2. This assertion is of so dangerous consequence as to disown this holy Sacrament from being an Ordinance of Christian worship and to hinder the principal duties therein to be performed For it is directly contrary to the duties of this Sacrament to condemn the worshipping of Christ as sinful at the view of this memorial of Christs Death in this Sacrament when Christians here ought to magnifie his grace mercy and love to glorifie him for the wonderful Salvation and Atonement effected by his Death to implore his grace and spirit with all the blessings and benefits of the New Testament to acknowledge him and submit to him as our only Soveraign Lord with other such like which are proper actions of our worshipping and inwardly adoring him And it is unreasonable as well as uncharitable where these inward acts of Religion are necessary and a duty to condemn the outward expression thereof as either Idolatrous or any was sinful being directed to him who is Lord both of our Souls and Bodies 17. And though some mens